Is the Gulf Oil Spill “Oil’s Three Mile Island?”

When the Three Mile Island accident occurred in 1979, the mis-communications that followed fed into America’s fear of nuclear energy.  A fear that had been largely predicated on media accounts of the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki – not the same.

What happened during TMIwas a series of miscommunications, there was a cooling system malfunction that caused a partial melt-down of the reactor core and The China Syndrome, a movie about a nuclear disaster became a blockbuster.  What also happened was nuclear power development here in the United States came to a virtual standstill.  I’m not saying that nuclear power is the only alternative to a petroleum based society – but we just stopped.

We had just endured the OPEC oil embargo, gas lines, skyrocketing costs – and we just stopped developing alternatives.  My 7th grade science fair project was a scale model of a “passive solar energy home.”  Using “innovative” building materials, positioning and photovoltaic cells from Radio Shack, I was able to build a serviceable, 1:100 scale house that I subjected to all sorts of “weather.”  I tracked the results of the house performance and presented my findings at the Detroit Science Fair at Cobo Hall in 1975.  The world was abuzz in 1975 about new energy alternatives, solar, wind, natural gas, geothermal, hydro-electric – and believe it or not, so was Detroit!

Then, it stopped.

I don’t know why 35 years later we are watching the destruction of the Gulf shores passively.  I don’t know why we are not screaming at the utility companies, auto companies, house builders, everyone to stop the madness.

Is this oil’s Three Mile Island?

My fear is no.  We will turn a blind eye.  This is not in my back yard – as we start our cars, turn up the air conditioning and watch the flood waters rise again(!) across the Midwest.

This time no one is packing their car and trying to escape the “nuclear cloud” down the turnpike.  We are turning our backs and hoping it’s not too bad for our grandchildren. 

We need to turn our backs on our old ways of energizing our lives – oil, deadly coal – we need to really develop technologies that use sustainable energies.  New technologies to make the dreams of 35 years ago a reality. 

My science fair win lit a fire of curiousity.  Hopefully, the Gulf Oil Spill will give us a renewed and true commitment to energy independence and sustainability.  Our future really does depend on it.

Fear in America

I live in a state with a large number of suspected illegal immigrants. I say, “large number of suspected illegal immigrants” because actually knowing the number is impossible since most who are illegal don’t volunteer information.

I am married to an economist. He can wax on about how the economy depends on immigration to do the jobs that the “upwardly mobile” American population won’t do.

I have an acquaintence who will go on and on about the “illegals” coming here and clogging our schools and emergency rooms.

To both I scream. Really?

I think some of those in the American population are coming to the end of “upward mobility” This recession has been devastating to many, but to those who have lost the $50,000 a year manufacturing job – are you planning on working in the fields across America this summer harvasting food? Are you planning on standing on a street corner willing to work for any amount of money to feed your family?

I don’t think so.

Recently, I spent several years going to emergency rooms – a combination of sickness and boys playing contact sports. The ER was always crowded and there were always those without insurance – but they often had cash. They would pay the out of control “rack rate” for care – often because their child was sick or they were hurt on that job they got on the street corner.

Don’t get me started on “over taxing our stressed educational system.” Our educational system is based on an agricultural society that no longer exists. That needs to change radically as does the compensation of teachers.

Americans are suffering from the same old weird fears we have always suffered from. My great grandfather was recruited from Ireland to come to the land of promise only to be greeted by help wanted signs that said, ” No Negroes or Irish need apply”.

Fear in America is an odd thing. We never know who is to blame, but they are everywhere.

Money for nothing

And your chicks for free – or so the song goes. I must admit I was never a big ZZTop fan so if it’s mis-quoted, my apologies. However, the essence is the same.

Get money for doing nothing and everything else get it for free. Nice job if you can get it. In this information dominated environment, it is possible. However, will it build an economy?

As we begin to emerge from a global recession, will the information economy sustain a growing nation? Will it alone sustain any nation? The simple answer is no. The key to growth will not only be the information or content delivery platforms, but tangible assets, such as new energy forms. Those innovative combinations will enable our economy – all economies – to grow and sustain.

Making the ZZTop song true again only for rock stars.

The Decade of Disappearing

As the first decade of the 21^st century comes to a close, I suddenly realized that this has been a decade of disappearing.

Things on the brink of disappearing:

Dictionaries – many will maintain that we will plunge into illiteracy (some will say “too late”), but look at the average high school student.  He/she looks for spelling , definition, usage, pronunciation online.  The book is useless.  However, I still have the dictionary I won in 6^th grade for the school spelling bee – don’t use it, but I savor the memory of the principal handing me this giant book, the smell of the leather as I cracked it open, the sense of accomplishment/superiority of having the “biggest dictionary”.  Wacky…

Phone books  - why do they still exist? My 80 year old aunt still uses hers – she was appalled that my children didn’t know how to use them.  More parental failure – I still love my family.

Silly things disappeared

PDAs – I was there when the Palm Pilot was introduced; I missed the funeral.

VCRs – 20 years ago, as a poor college student, I rented a steel clad VCR for a weekend of movies at home with girlfriends.  It was a big investment. Thought it was a cool idea – this weekend we streamed movies from Netflix on our Xbox hooked to our plasma.  Yep, times change.

Fax machines – My first PR job I rocked the world by using the office fax machine to send a release to the state capitol press pool – it took 6 minutes a page.  The release was about workers comp insurance – I don’t know why I remember that, but …

Maps – My 7 year old found a Thomas Bros. Map book in our garage this summer (while we were digging out the clutter) He had never seen a map.  Why?  His life is about Google.  When his school friend moved to Virginia, he googled the city, its distance is almost 4,000 miles.  My son hopes his friend moves back before his birthday this coming summer.  Some things – like the loss of a friend – don’t change.

Big things disappeared:

A sense of security

 9/11/2001 changed things permanently; security has been redefined.  We are cautious and many are fearful.  The summer of 2001 was considered a “slow news season”  We were lulled into a sense of isolation and privilege.  I remember watching the BBC in the middle of the night and seeing a report about Afghani refugees arriving in Australia and trying to stay in the country to escape the Taliban.  Little did I know we would spend the better part of this decade fighting the Taliban, Al Qaeda and a myriad of new enemies.

Confidence

In the banking system, in health care, in our employers, in our schools, in our neighbors (who are they anyway?), in a way of life….

The decade of disappearing will disappear.  As the next decade unwinds, we will lose silly things, laugh at the technologies and products that are the things we can’t live without, pray for our children, our family and our country and hope we make a mark that will not disappear with the passage of time

Over enthusiasm?

Last week, the blogosphere and twitterville lit up with news of a mainstream media television station using Twitter to promote its local newscast.

Now, this is clearly an unintended use of twitter to promote the Local 15 news crew.  But is it a fail?  Many asserted that it was.  I assert that the fail was timing and like all things it was gone in a few minutes.  Do the local viewers care?  Probably not.  It will give all a laugh.

However, it does call into question that if this is a news organization, bad news might tweet across the billboard.  Does that make sense?  Does the over-enthusiasm of many for social media expose the lack of forethought that plagues many organizations?  This is a news station – sometimes news is bad.  Should they link everything together so closely that bad news is used to promote the station?

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.  Think about it.

Giving Thanks

 

Give thanks for all who do and serve and the blessings we share.

Everything needs a map

The age old adage of asking for directions is frowned upon in some circles and in the age of GPS the directions are just presented to you.  Unfortunately, the instant age of information marketers are forgetting one important component of their planning – a strategy – every marketers map.

Answering the bigger questions is still frowned up in some circles, but as markets are no longer expanding and providing limitless opportunities, marketers must provide the map, strategy to rally for success.  Marketers can no longer afford to let the market guide their steps, but need to chart their own success with the startegy they can provide.

This is an interesting time for marketers – customers are narrowing, tactics are diverse and the rewards can be elusive, if the map is not clear.  Take the time for the strategy and know the way to success.