The Blubari Blog

How Secure Is YOUR Website?

2016-06-28T10:10:00.003-07:00

When you start a business, your primary objective, typically is to profit from your time, talent and experience. A few years ago, when I started FLXWebDesign, I did so with that same mindset—hoping to turn years of hardknocks experience into something spendable. Being that nothing is as easy as it appears, it wasn’t long before it became painfully apparent that there were some essential chunks of data missing from my resumé.

Meeting The Real Scrooge

A few days before Christmas, 2014, I was chatting with a client about some simple updates he needed made to his website. During the conversation, Rick (we’ll call him that because that’s his name) casually mentioned that a mysterious banner ad had started appearing on his site. I monitored the site for several hours, but saw no banner.

A few days later, during a similar call, Rick again mentioned the strange banner that appears randomly at the top of his home page. I searched through all the plug-ins and widgets and found nothing that could be causing such a gremlin.

Knowing Rick to be of sound mind, I decided to run a security scan on his site and, sure enough, found that malware had been inserted into numerous files. At the time, I knew little about malware, brute-force attacks and other nasty hacks—it took some time, and ended up costing Rick a couple of hundred bucks to have it properly cleaned up.

The worst part of this incident, however, was that his hosting company was no help at all. When I reported the problem, they simply ran another scan, confirmed what I already knew, and took him off-line. The fact that this was the site he used to run his business was of no concern to them. Their queue time for chat or phone support was insulting. What should have been solved in a few hours, took over 3 days. It was a total mess and something you do not want to experience.

Secure Your Site

While most of what I do falls under the heading of designing websites, my true focus is on making my client’s digital life as enjoyable and painless as possible. Before I send them the finally bill, I want them to have a site that is trouble-free and easy to manage. While this sounds all warm, fuzzy and caring, the truth is, it’s really all about me. Frankly, I never want to deal with a hacked website ever again—it’s time consuming, stressful, expensive and takes me away from more profitable activities. So in the aftermath of the story told, I started looking for a hosting company that takes security and client satisfaction seriously.

My Recommendation…

While attending a WordCamp in the fall of 2014, I discovered a hosting company you’ve probably never heard of called Flywheel. I spoke at length with the owners who convinced me to give them a try. Two years later and I now have over a dozen clients hosting there and have yet to encounter a single glitch. Unlike typical hosting companies that are designed for the average person who needs a quick and dirty website, Flywheel is build around the needs of designers and agencies using WordPress, so you get premium support and security in every package.

To help you get started, they will provide a 14 day free demo site so you can build offline and launch when ready. If you have an existing WordPress website, they will migrate it to their servers for free. Flywheel provides built-in caching so your site loads fast, they monitor for malware and automatically back up your site every night—plus, they keep your WordPress core up to date and more—all for as little as $15 a month.

So, while you may only be looking to host a single site, Flywheel makes it possible for you to have the same level of security and support as those of who do this for living. If you are building with WordPress (which now is at the core of over 25% of all sites) you really should check them out.

Note: Flywheel is a hosting company. They do not (currently) offer email support or domain registration. If you need to register a domain and set-up email there are numerous sources such as GoDaddy, HostMonster, and BlueHost. Personally, I have been very happy with iPage—again, it’s all about the service.

Be The Beast

2014-08-29T17:14:00.005-07:00

I first met writer/producer/director Randy Huckabone when he offered me the opportunity to work with him on a promotional teaser for one of his upcoming features—Shadow House (which is presently in its gestation/evolution cycle). At the time, he had recently wrapped up work on Like The Spider, which is reviewed here in a previous post.

Earlier this year, Huckabone decided to invest his energies into something totally different—a type of project that only a few filmmakers have ever tried, and even fewer have accomplished. His goal was to shoot an entire feature-length (60 mins+) movie in one take, start-to-finish. No editing allowed.

When he asked if I would be interested in joining the cast of Eyes Of Wild, I thought, "This sounds positively insane." Considering the potential for technical issues, gaffs and screw-ups, the reasons why this will be a total waste of time far out numbered the odds for success. But his unstoppable enthusiasm and conviction convinced me he was still of sound mind and that maybe, just maybe, this was a thrill ride I needed to get on.

Obviously, in order to get that one, magical, 'camera-on to camera-off' success took numerous tries, preceded by relentless rehearsals. This was not like recording a stage play from a single location with a camera on a tripod—The camera man (Matthew Joseph Tharp), prop man (Kevin Santoro) and director Huckabone were moving the whole time, covering close to a 1/4 mile with each run-through.

And, because this was a night shoot with artificial lighting, any issues with lighting couldn't be addressed until after sundown. So, after a full day of rehearsals (in the rain), it was time to position the three diesel generator-driven light towers in various on and off road locations.

While the flood of illumination from the 12 industrial strength bulbs made it look like a night game at the ball park, getting it under control was tricky... and time consuming. While the crew noodled on the various production issues, the cast munched on dogs hot off the grill under the stars at 2 in the morning (thanks to Laura Joslyn Klibanoff). At 3:10AM , we got the call to places and prepared to shoot the "The Movie."And we did.

Also see: The 15 Greatest Long Takes In Cinema History

Without giving anything away, Eyes Of Wild is a horror/suspense/thriller shot from the perspective of a nondescript, blood-thirsty creature—possibly an animal, or maybe Big Foot, or even an alien. You (the viewer) get to decide as you have the best seat in the house... or more accurately, the best seat in its head. What you see on the screen is the result of your own actions. You own every movement, every growl, every ear-piercing shriek. You are the beast, we're just your supporting cast, so go with it!

After a full day of rehearsing (and a night of filming in a field of gigantic stalks of dripping ragweed, an exhausted, damp and mosquito bitten cast and crew struck the set and returned to reality. Days past as we awaited word from director Huckabone as to the success or failure of the project. Did he get what he wanted? Was it all in vain? It ended up somewhere in between, leaning toward the former. Close, but no cigar. Technical problems, mostly with the lighting—we needed to shoot it again.

When I got the call for the re-shoot, I agreed to participate without hesitation (as did everyone else involved) ... and not because I enjoy being the blue plate special at the mosquito diner (discovering our own personal tolerances for Deep-Woods OFF was just part of the fun). No... this was a "too late to turn back now" moment—a second chance to make it better.

The first try had been so draining that, by the time we went for it, I know I had little left to give. This is an action movie. The physical demands on all of the actors has its intense moments. By the time that last take started, I knew I had hit the wall, and looking back, it was all just a blur.

So, a re-shoot was scheduled and because we had already been down this road (literally and figuratively), a lot of the problems from the first shoot had been solved. We were now able to concentrate on just getting this done.

The one thing that didn't change is the amount of time it took. In fact, it was after 4AM when we got the call to positions for the final "do or die" take. The last chance to get this right. For any of us to give anything less than 110% would be a disservice to ourselves and everyone else involved. Regardless of how exhausted I was, I did not want to leave this shoot thinking I that I had left anything on the table, and I knew all my fellow cast members were all of the same accord.

When I got my queue, I threw everything I had left into what I had to do. My scene called for me to fall to the ground and while trying to escape the claws of this killing machine—suffering intense pain. Truth be told, much of that grimacing wasn't acting.

In the end, we got it done and Randy Huckabone now has the visual foundation of what is sure to be a remarkable movie viewing experience. And, for those of us who endured two all-nighters in the middle of a damp, mosquito infested field, we have the experience, memories and bug bites from having done something quite remarkable and quite insane.

Big beastly kudos to the whole cast and crew of Eyes Of Wild — Everyone was brilliant to work with.

STOP! I'M NOT READING THEM!

2014-03-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Fighting Back Against Spampaigners

Increasingly, over the last 24 months or so, Email has become little more than a dung heap of ridiculous pitches, scams and spampaigns. The worst offenders are the "third party" services who promise big bux to anyone who, under the guise of "Make Money on the Internet," will spend a few hours each day sending out unwelcome spam on behalf of their clients.

This has got to be the most ineffective way to advertise anything—as well as the most annoying. I simply can't fathom how flooding Email inboxes with dozens of identical Emails—typically all with the same title but from different senders—can do anything but drive business away.

Over the last few months, one of my main business Emails has been getting relentlessly slammed—everything from pitches for vinyl siding (I live in a log home) and solar panels, to term life insurance, Lunar Sleep products, Sam's Rewards, Lemon trees and fantastic new deals Obama has cooked up just for me.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was just one Email for each pitch, but it's not. In the last week alone I bet I received over 50 identical Emails from something called "LunarSleep," plus several dozen from "Train Curves," and an equally aggravating amount from "Trader Joe's Faves."

That last one really ticked me off because I happen to like Trader Joe's, and now that we finally have one in this area, it was with mixed feelings that I submitted the following comments to TJ's website:

PLEASE STOP! - Over the last 4 days I have received no less than 25 Emails from "Trader Joe's Faves" - I have trashed all of them and have decided that, while I have long been a fan of TJ's, I cannot and will not be shopping at TJ's or Aldi's EVER AGAIN in the future. This type of in your face spamvertising is not necessary and drives away more customers than it attracts.

Now, Any company that doesn't realize the extensive damage that is being done by these sloppy third parties spammers obviously has some serious internal issues—so I was somewhat relieved to get this slightly customized boilerplate response from Hazel at Trader Joes:

Hello Robert, Thank you for sharing your comments, and we do certainly wish to extend our sincere apologies. However, the emails you recently received are actually in no way associated with Trader Joe's, and appears to be a spam campaign. We are certainly sharing the feedback with the appropriate parties within our company for review, and again we do apologize for any frustration and inconvenience this matter has caused.

Sincerely,
Hazel, Trader Joe's, Customer Relations

Whether they will, or even can, actually do anything is another matter. As George Costanza's late fiancee Susan often said, "You can put your sorrys in a sack." So, after sending TJ's a complete list of all the return Email addresses responsible for sending out this bogus deal, I decided the best way to make this stop—short of setting up all new Email addresses—was just to tighten up my spam filters to the max. How this is done depends on the Email client you use, but I can tell you right off that clicking "unsubscribe" on any individual Email will have virtually no effect. That usually only removes you from one sender's list and often will even open the very Email you are trying to dispatch. You need to go into you junk mail filters and see what your options are.

Truth be told, however, it is a losing battle. And as the spam problem grows, so will be the number of people who choose to communicate through spam free channels such as Linked In, Skype, Facebook messaging or one of the many other options. Too bad. I thought email was cool—while it lasted. Is it any wonder at all that the under 30 crowd would rather text than Email? (which is the subject of another post).

At The Movies: Like The Spider

2013-10-19T07:32:00.003-07:00

Venom. Worse than poison, it literally dissolves the unsuspecting prey from the inside out, leaving nothing but a dry, translucent exoskeleton. To witness it’s power, you only need to watch as a tiny spider immobilizes a much larger insect with just a few fast injections.

In humans, anger has the same affect—like the spider’s venom, it eats it’s way from the inside out, leaving nothing but a dried, unfeeling shell of what once was. All the potential, all the dreams, all the desires—destroyed.

“Like The Spider” from Huckabone Films is about unmanageable anger, turned inward, can destroy life, transforming a previously sane, rational, happy individual, into the human equivalent of the dried and discarded bits of prey left in a spider’s web.

Dallas (Alida Serrano), who suffered through years of abuse by her father, is now out on her own. She needs to deal with her past—to some how get over it—but she can’t. She’s become an abuser herself, hooked on the hard stuff, offering up the only thing she has—herself—to find temporary relief from that venomous anger that eats at her soul.

At just 18, she’s lost the will to live, but has not the strength to die. So she seeks a professional to help her solve her problems. She meets Jock (Jon Peterson), an over the hill hit man, and tries to persuade him to take out the one person she hates the most. But it’s not that simple and what would appear to be easy solutions are complicated by others in it for themselves.

Written, produced and directed by Independent Rochester film maker, Randy Huckabone, Like The Spider was shot in Rochester, NY over eighteen days last February. The city is in hibernation. It’s bleak and cold—a fitting background as the story unfolds. As your interest and understanding of each character grows, you begin to understand their needs and desires, and hope that some how there can be happy ending—but that all depends on your point of view. It’s dark, haunting and quite revetting. And, you’ll never look at a spider the same way again.

You May Be Within 6 Degrees Of The Royal Baby!

2013-07-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

It all started when I just happened to glance at my "people you may know" list on LinkedIn. Most of the recommendations were people with whom I shared 2 or 3 common connections. But there was one profile and photo that really stood out. Apparently, this individual and I have 53 commons friends—yet we have never met. 53 people know him and me, yet he doesn't know me, and I don't know him. Go figure.

Anyway, I never really gave it much thought until recently, but to me at least, this only makes more valid the theory of 6 degrees of separation—that everyone on the planet is just six steps (or less) removed from any other specific person. If the theory is correct, you should be able to link yourself with any other person, anywhere on earth, simply by saying you know them through a friend of a friend of a friend... etc. out to no more than 6 "friends."

For example. Last year, the King of Sweden visited my old home town, and my brother attended the luncheon thrown in the King's honor. He actually got to shake the royal hand and chat a bit with King Carl XVI Gustaf. So now the King of Sweden is just 2 degrees removed from me, and 3 degrees removed from you (assuming you can call reading a blog a valid connection). Therefore, if you think of all the people a King would know, we call be within 6 degrees of... dare I say it .... The Royal baby?

Or, how about this. While recently digging through some moldy old memorabilia I discovered a letter I received in 1990 from the late Dick Clark. The topic of the letter is not important. What's interesting is that that letter—officially signed by Dick Clark himself—put me just 1 degree away from all of Dick's connections which would include virtually every pop and rock artist of the last 40 years as well as Ryan Secrest. This then would put me just 2 degrees away from every contestant that has ever appeared on American Idol. I think I'll stop right there. You get the picture.

Now let's deal with those groundhogs....

2013-07-10T06:22:00.001-07:00

When you spend time and money maintaining a garden to supplement the family food supply, those same critters that city folk find cute and lovable are quite nasty and belligerent. For example, those sweet little Bambi's that prance about the local zoo with adoring wide eyes are gang brothers to those that will stand in my garden and stomp a zucchini plant to shreds just to watch it die. Groundhogs (a.k.a. "Woodchucks") are even worse. They'll break through the fence and take a nibble from every last vegetable, turning a row of garden fresh to garden garbage in mere minutes—and then waddle back in the ground, seemingly safe from retaliation. Ah, but maybe not. Here's what I found on the Internet. PETA members, take note- this is not for you. On the other hand, if you disdain burrowing beasts as much as I, you're gonna love this.

This one is also quite entertaining - especially if you have gophers:

If you like scarey stories.....

2013-06-27T13:41:00.003-07:00

Not long ago, I met a film maker in Rochester who is working on a full-length documentary entitled Shadow House. He launched a Kickstarter page last week, and so far it seems to be doing quite well.
I recently

Good Day For Pancakes

2013-02-27T04:14:00.000-08:00

Another blustery mid-February day and a rotten day for a road trip. But this is winter in NY, and regardless of how the media tries to make each week's "Storm of the Century" worse than the last, we who choose to live here press on. And when the going gets tough, the tough stop for pancakes—usually at Cartwright's Maple Tree Inn.

As a business model, it would appear on paper that the Maple Tree has about as much chance of success as a bumble bee does flight. Don't try to explain it, just enjoy your breakfast. The place is located far away from most everything, on a tertiary side road a few miles out of Angelica. Yet, for forty years, folks have been bravely navigating these often snow covered back roads to pig out at the Maple Tree. So, what'll you have? The choices are eggs, sausage, ham and buckwheat pancakes with their own locally produced maple syrup. They start you off with hot coffee, then serve the eggs, meat and pancakes, and then more pancakes, and then more pancakes until you tell 'em to stop. It's a darn good breakfast for around 10 bucks.

Now that I have your taste buds all primed for a hot, family style breakfast, there is one thing you need to know—and this important—The Maple Tree Inn is only open for around 50 days a year. They typically unlock the doors around Valentine's day and close up in mid-April. So, is it any wonder that the place usually packed? If you don't get 'em while their hot—you don't get 'em at all, at least not until next year.

Perfect Mid-Winter Musical Break

2013-02-23T15:24:00.004-08:00

Being compulsively punctual, anytime I have to fly somewhere I leave for the airport ridiculously early, knowing full well that the odds heavily favor the outbound flight being delayed. After all, it's mid-January, when late arriving planes and de-icing procedures spark flight delays and missed connections. I know, I do this every year.

Ah, but this year was different, and while airlines are great fill for a spam sandwich, I had no complaints with Delta this time around. When I left Central New York, it was dark, windy and cold enough to brittle your bones. Arthur Mometer said it was 7°, and that was pretty optimistic. Landing at LAX, a short seven hours later, the merc was a full ten fold higher, with a pleasant breeze and blue skies.

Next stop, Anaheim, just an hour or so away by shuttle. I have nothing against taxis or limos and town cars rock, but it's so much cheaper to take a shuttle. So, as I accepted my role as tired body #9 in an 8 tired body conveyance, I reassured myself that, yes, it be uncomfortable, and it would not be pleasant, but it would be over in a short time.

Once the shuttle was safely (huh?) on the freeway, the usual patter among van mates began with "Where are you from? When did you leave? How was your flight? Who are you with? They had all journeyed much further than I, and each had a weary traveler's tale tell. So I just stayed quiet (mostly because the seat belt for the passenger in front of me was wrapped around my neck) and listened. While we had all gathered from various parts of Asia, Europe and North America, our destination was the same: The 2013 NAMM Show.

Leave it be said then that for those of us who are musically obsessed, NAMM is Nirvana—an annual pilgrimage to a musical mecca far away from the chilly reality of a New York winter. If you would like to know what the acronym stands for, and what the organization does, click here. In a nutshell, it's the largest trade show in North America for builders and buyers of musical instruments, audio gear and associated accoutrements. As such, it attracts manufacturers, dealers and distributors from all points internationally. Major recording artists are there as well, often times blending right in with the crowd, stopping to pick a few notes on a hot new guitar, blow some cool from a new sax or riff on a keyboard. And then there are the humble members of the audio press corp, such as yours truly. Our job is to filter through the hype in search of the true game changers.

Upon my return to the frozen state of NY, friends often ask "How was the show? What did you see? What's NAMM?" Some folks ask to be polite while others are truly interested in all the technological developments on display. This year, thanks to Yamaha, I was able to share something that almost everyone could embrace. It's called Disklavier (see TECH NOTE), and in simplest terms, it's the player piano brought into modern times. Using the Internet and MIDI any piano with this feature is capable of being played, remotely, from virtually anywhere.
To publicize this new development, Yamaha invited their dealers and a few select members of the press (thank you, very much) to a grand concert featuring top artists from their roster of endorsers (1/25/13-Hyperion Theater). I've posted a complete review over on the Live2PlayNetwork, but here's a list of the artists who appeared during the three+ hour show, along with additional images (shot from an iPhone—here are by a pro) and a video of the last act of the evening, Sir Elton John. As Captain Fantastic played live on the stage in Anaheim, the keys on pianos all over the world (with Disklavier) were playing in unison. That's pretty cool.

Earth, Wind & Fire

The US Marching band, performing Tusk

Chaka Kahn

Amy Grant

Leogun

David Foster & Dave Koz

Toto

Michael McDonald

Sarah McLachlan

Sir Elton John

Turbo Tractor Terrorizes Swedish Countryside

2012-11-16T08:18:00.002-08:00

We've owned several Volvo 240 series vehicles... sedans as well as wagons, and while this little denying that they are built like tractors, even we were surprised to see just what one of the sturdy 2.1 (or maybe it's a 2.3) liter engines can do when transplanted—turbocharger and all—onto an authentic farm tractor frame. There's not much else to say, other than it looks like Sven here is havin' a heck of a good time...

Reinventing The Boom Box

2012-10-01T05:47:00.001-07:00

My old "Boom Box" had woofers, tweeters, a 5-band eq, two cassette decks, a CD player and an AM/FM radio all in one big, bulky unit. Today, all you need is an iPhone or iPad to access all that music and more. The problem is, iPhones and iPads, while they sound surprisingly good considering their size, just can compete with the full sound of that rugged old boom box. So here's how to make it better—The Boombox from UE (Logitech) is a sleek new amp/speaker combo that connects to your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth. I just posted this video review for the Live2Play Network and was so impressed with the device, I decided to post it here as well.

Notes: Up to eight Bluetooth®-enabled devices can be paired with the speaker – with up to three connected at the same time. With eight custom-tuned drivers, unit delivers sound that is rich and clear with ample bass. Sturdy metal construction with a rubberized base. With a six-hour rechargeable battery. MSRP: $249.99 For more information on The Audio Exciter App from Aphex, click here

Prepping For The Return Of F1

2012-09-27T04:12:00.000-07:00

With so much chatter going on about the upcoming election, it's easy to forget that there is another reason the world is watching what's going on in this great land. In case you missed it, a group of investors have put their time, talents and personal resources on the line in an effort to bring back to America a Formula 1 Grand Prix race.

Now, at one time, the US GP was a big deal. It's roots run all the way back to 1908, but since leaving Watkins Glen, NY in 1980, the success of Formula 1 racing on these shores has failed to gain consistent interest. In fact, the 1990 event, held on a street circuit in Phoenix, AZ, was out drawn three time over by ostrich racing. In 2005, the event was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but tire problems reduced the starting field to just six cars. After the 2007 race, IMS called it quits.

Hopefully, those darker days are in the past as Austin, TX prepares to host the 2012 US Grand Prix at the purpose-built "Circuit Of The Americas" on November 18th. On Tuesday (9/25), Charlie Whiting, who directs racing, safety and technical matters for the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the sanctioning body that oversees international motorsport, visited the venue and approved the circuit for “Grade 1” status, clearing the way for the circuit to conduct Formula 1 racing, less than 2 months away.

But now that they've built it, will they come? A check of the COTA website shows that most of the grand stand seats have already been purchased. What's left are the premium seats (good for the whole weekend), running from $400 to $800. Adding to the global focus of the event is that this will be the next-to-last race in the hotly contested 2012 F1 series. If that doesn't pique your interest, Aerosmith will be there to rock the weekend up a notch.

You Can't Have This Or This Either

2012-09-14T15:16:00.003-07:00

In the previous post (FIAT For A Day) I threw in a little tease as to what the next generation Chevrolet Colorado looks like, even though it's not yet available in the U.S. Apparently, compact pick up trucks are all the rage in underdeveloped countries where there just aren't a lot of paved roads.

So now that you've seen what the new Colorado like, take a gander at this. It's called The Amarok and that big badge in the center of the grill makes it pretty clear as to who makes it. You can find out more about it by clicking here, and if you can't read Spanish, just click the "english" at the top of the site.

Oh, and for all the old Boomers pining over the fact that VW no longer makes a camper van—wipe your tears, at least for the moment. This is the VW California, and you can get it just about anywhere—except in California or the other 49 United States.

FIAT For A Day

2012-09-12T07:01:00.003-07:00

My daily driver is a Chevrolet Colorado pick up truck (pause, sigh) and yes, I’m fully aware that it is consistently rated as one of the worst trucks of all time. The grill looks like it was put it on upside-down, the turning radius is only slightly smaller than that of a destroyer, the transmission shifts gears like a squirrel trying to cross a road and the latch on tailgate needs attention almost as often as it needs a gas-up.

It’s pretty old school by today's standards, which is probably why it typically gets trashed in comparisons with similar vehicles such as the Nissan Frontier and Honda Ridgeway. But I like old school and its defense I’ll say that it rides better than a lot of cars, has plenty of power, is a terrific off-roader and gets ok gas mileage on the highway (city mileage sux). It's also very simple, void of useless buttons, knobs and dials. Having recently celebrated it's fourth birthday, the body is still in good shape, but flip it over and it’s obvious that the salty NY winters have taken their toll on the underside. (FYI - Future production of the Colorado is presently uncertain. The plant in Shreveport, LA has been shuttered and, while a new model is now available in Thailand and The Phillipines, GM has not said when the new model will be available here).

Given the state of the economy and the uncertainty of what’s coming after the election, my wife and I have decided to alter our pattern of replacing our vehicles every four years in favor of doing whatever is necessary to keep them running as long as possible. Not that I believe everything I read, but I have yet to hear any economist anywhere predict that things will improve if Obama is re-elected, so why chance it. But what really convinced me it was worth keeping was when I saw one identical to it advertised used, same mileage, for MORE than I paid for my truck new four years ago.

So, off to the shop it went for a complete rust-proofing and undercoating. BTW, the salesperson confirmed that they have been beyond busy as people rush in to get their cars and trucks treated so they’ll last “four more years.”

Hey, I Thought This Was About A FIAT!
While my truck was getting a goop job, I needed mobility, so I decided to take Enterprise up on their $35 a day rent-a-car deal. I had the choice between a Toyota Corolla and a FIAT 500. No choice really. It’s been years since I’ve driven a car where the doors make up nearly 50% of the length of the car so the 500 has to be more kicks than a Corolla. Actually... ah, nevermind...

The FIAT is smaller than small—more than two feet shorter than a VW Beetle, but the doors are large and open wide for easy entry, and they shut with a meaningful “whump." The cabin is bright and retro-whimsical. It reminded me of an old frig that my aunt had. This particular unit was a mix of white, pale green and black. The cloth seats are comfortable enough for buzzing around town and the ride is better than I expected for a vehicle with such a short stretch between its 15” wheels, even over pot holes and rail road tracks. The sound system was also several cuts above what I expected. The steering is light and fairly quick, however did expect it to be a little tighter and more responsive, more “go kart” like.

Out on the highway, the little 1.4 liter engine (101 hp / 98 lb. ft torque) was quite capable of keeping up and even passing when necessary. The 6-speed auto transmission has a clutchless, +/- shift feature for more spirited driving and this model had a “sport” button on the dash that seemed to quicken up the steering a bit. Most of the time, I used the manual mode and while it’s no Ferrari, it gets pretty eager when you hold the pedal to the floor and slam the shift stick up through the gears. 6000 rpms seems to be the sweet spot for DIY shifts, push it beyond that point and it’ll override your intentions rather than run into the rev limiter. For a tiny gumdrop of a car, it feels far larger than it is. It’s lack of mass is only apparent when some one pulls right up on the rear bumper at a stop, or there’s a semi approaching in the distance. I did notice this sort of “If it does hit me, how much can it hurt?” attitude from on coming drivers.

This unit had over 24K on the odo and was still tight and rattle-free. On my way back to the agency, I stopped to replace the fuel I had spent and found that a gallon and half took the gauge way above where it was at start.

On the down-side, if you’re long-legged (as I am) you may find it nearly impossible to find a comfortable driving position. There’s plenty of leg-room, but the way the gear-shift pod is position, there’s no knee-room. By the end of the day, my knee was sore from banging against that stupid shift-pod. There’s not much leg room for riders in the rear either, especially when someone sitting up front slides the seat back even half-way.

Aside from these nit-picks, I did enjoy running my day's errands in the 500 and if that new FIAT 500L (L is far large) offers a little more space, I may even give it a look—in four years. Hey, if gas goes to $6+ a gallon, these things will be flying off the lots.

Chevrolet Colorado - 75% US Content, Assembled in US (Until 2011)
FIAT 500 - 11% US Content, Assembled in Mexico. (FIAT owns controlling interest in Chrysler Corp.)

Fact Checking Fun

2012-09-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

There’s been no shortage of exaggerations and lies from the stages of the political conventions. Even with help from BS filters and fact-checkers, such as Politifact.com, The Fact Checker, FactCheck.org and The Examiner, it’s impossible to sort it all out. Unfortunately, many voters don’t take these elections seriously enough to go in with an open mind and look for something that at least appears factual in a common sense sort of way, which is exactly what the candidates are hoping for.

After listening to Massachusetts Senate candidate, Elizabeth Warren cheer lead at the DNC last night (in which she even managed to mangle up and totally misinterpret a verse from the New Testament), I figured I should a pick a topic of personal interest and try to figure out what's really what.

For example, and this dovetails with the previous post "That Whole "Saved GM' Thing," here are some highlights from former Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm, from the DNC. She is obviously not very well informed as to the current state of the auto industry. Instead, the picture she chooses to paint is a distortion of what happened during G.W. Bush's days as a lame duck.

There are a lot of nits that we can pick with this,
but the one that seems to surface the most is this:
While “Let Detroit go bankrupt” is a quote often attributed to Mitt Romney, it was actually the work of an editor for the New York Times, charged with coming up with a catchy headline for column that Romney had penned during the crisis in the auto industry. Apparently, most people don’t know (or don’t care to know) that Romney is also a car guy and that his father, George Romney, played a large part in the success of American Motors, during it’s days as one of the “Big 4” American auto makers.

No one has questioned that Romney’s business experience, especially in the auto industry, trumps Obama's. In fact, Romney is often vilified for being a successful business person. So what did Romney actually say? He said that the government should have let the automakers go into a “managed bankruptcy”... In his words... "Managed bankruptcy may sound like a death knell. But in fact, it is a way for a troubled company to restructure itself rapidly, entering and leaving the courtroom sometimes in weeks or months instead of years, and then returning to profitable operation."

For more fact checking fun:

FACT CHECK: Obama And The Phantom Peace Dividend

FACT CHECK: Clinton Claims Of Compromise A Stretch
“THE FACTS: From Clinton's speech, voters would have no idea that the inflexibility of both parties is to blame for much of the gridlock. Right from the beginning Obama brought in as his first chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, a man known for his getting his way, not for getting along.”

FACT CHECK: Obama promised and failed to keep Janesville, GM plant open
So who was right? Ryan or Obama? Well, it sure wasn’t The Washington Post.

FACT CHECK: 4.5 Million new jobs created under Obama? According Yahoo News...
“CNN found that there has been a net increase of just 300,000 nonfarm payroll jobs since Obama took office. And if you count government jobs, there are actually 400,000 fewer people working today than in January 2009.... Obama's job growth percentages trail far behind those of some other recent presidents, including Bill Clinton (+2.60 percent and +1.60 percent), Ronald Reagan (+1.75 percent and +2.53 percent) and even Jimmy Carter (+2.30 percent).”

Need a break from it all? This pretty much sums it all up....

That Whole "Saved GM" Thing

2012-09-06T08:13:00.004-07:00

On Monday (9/3) VP Joe Biden (reported just about everywhere) told a group of about 3,500 people in Detroit "I've got a little bumper sticker for you: Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive."

Obviously, Biden is a car guy as his daily ride is a petrol-gulping, tire smoking '67 Corvette C2 (although he is currently not allowed to drive it). His dad had dealerships for both GM and Chrysler and he even knows what a bumper sticker is. It's a safe guess that Biden (that's not his car) is more in touch with the auto industry than Obama, but I digress.

The part of Joe’s quote I found most interesting was the part that suggests that GM is alive because of the bailouts initiated by Obama. There are a lot of problems with this and it’s pretty complicated.

First, it was reported in the NY Times in December of ’08, that president “W” was the one who initiated the plan to pump $13.4 billion into the companies to rescue the financial industry. That plan gave GM and Chrysler until March 31, 2009 to produce a plan for long-term profitability, including concessions from unions, creditors, suppliers and dealers. There’s no question that Obama was handed a big mess. One that would require solid business experience and a working knowledge of the auto industry—which he does not possess.

But the story doesn’t end there. In fact, it’s far from over even today. While the Obama campaign now likes to boast that saved GM, those words may come back to bite them.

In April of 2010 it was announced that GM was doing so well that it had paid back the nearly $6 billion in loans to the US and Canadian governments. But wait. The US government gave GM $52 billion, right? So where’s the other $46 billion? And wasn't it $13.4 billion to start?

Oh, didn’t they tell ya? That wasn’t a loan. Despite the payback, we the people still hold controlling interest in General Motors. (Sources? - Just search “How much has GM paid back” or click here). Seems to me we ought to at least get shareholder pricing.

And now, two years later, there’s reason to believe that GM is in trouble again. It's beginning to look like that big sales spike GM reported a while back was more the result of Japanese automakers dealing with the tsunami than anything else. As it stands today, GM is again losing market share and counting greatly on China and India to pull them out of the slump. According to Investors.com, "Ford, which didn't take TARP funds, grabbed market share from GM and is now more profitable. Ironically, Ford for the first time in years has outsold GM in the number of cars bought by the federal government — although Washington still owns a huge stake in GM. Not exactly a vote of confidence."

So don’t believe everything hear. As a part owner in GM, you shouldn't assume this book is closed.

As for Chrysler, well, you don’t hear the current administration even mentioning that that automaker has paid back $7.6 billion worth of high-interest government loans—most likely because, after the bail outs, Chrysler is no longer a full-blooded American company. Controlling interest is now held by Fiat, making Chrysler more Italian than American.

Another car company that has benefited from the generosity of the current administration is Fisker, which received a $529 million loan guarantee from the federal government so they could build cars in Finland. You don’t hear ‘em bragging about that one much either.

Also See:

Insight: GM's Volt - The ugly math of low sales, high costs.

General Motors Is Headed For Bankruptcy -- Again

Do They Really Think We're This Dumb?

2012-08-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently, while we were focusing our attention on Hurricane Isaac and The RNC, those sneaky devils in DC decided that we are still not paying enough for cars and gas—and that vehicle safety should be in the back seat so that fuel economy can take the wheel.

According to an article in the International Business Times, yesterday, Obama finalized new fuel economy specs that will (supposedly) increase the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) of the U.S. auto fleet to almost 55 mpg by 2025—And save us oodles of cash in the process.
While that sounds great on the surface, the numbers don't add up.

Let's go back to the age of disco, the 1970s, when motorists were all up in arms over gas shortages and rationing that resulted from the Arab Oil Embargo. It was a rude awakening that we had grown overly dependent on imported oil and something needed to be done. As government's typical response to every crisis is to set up a new rule or regulation, creating a corporate fuel standard fit that agenda. And what would happen to any automakers that didn't comply? They would get taxed a set amount per vehicle and pass that along to the consumer. So for Washington, it was a win-win.

But was it necessary? It's common sense that, as fuel prices increase, vehicles that are the most economical to drive will have a solid sales advantage over those that aren't. So the marketplace certainly has had a lot more to do with improvements made in fuel economy than the gummint regs.

Regardless, in 1978, the first CAFE standard was set at a combined (cars and trucks) 17.2 mpg. The benchmark was then raised progressively. From 1991 through 2007 it increased from 20.2 to 22.2 mpg. During the same time, the average price of gas rose from $1.53 to $2.64. Using the US inflation calculator to compare the value of a dollar in '91 vs '07, that's an increase of ONLY 33 cents per gallon during the entire Clinton and "W" presidencies! (note: in 2009, gas prices dropped temporarily to $2.14 a gallon).

Compare that to where we are now.

Since Obama took office, the price of gasoline has been bouncing around $4 a gallon. That's an increase of $1.08 per gallon (adjusted for inflation) in less than 3 years.

The new standards adopted yesterday project a saving of 12 billion barrels oil and the elimination of 6 billion metric tons of CO2 pollution (I love how they round off these huge numbers). Who knows? Maybe. But to say that "A family purchasing a new vehicle in 2025 will save $8,200" is hog snot. A lot could happen in the next 12 years. There are just way to many variables. By then, gasoline* (based on what we've seen in just the last 3 years) could easily be $9-$12 a gallon and a basic family sedan that now costs $25K will be at least 32K.

And, because the easiest way to increase mpg is to decrease vehicle mass, future cars will have to be lighter and lighter means less safe. According to H. Sterling Burnett of the National Center for Policy Analysis, NHTSA data indicate that "322 additional deaths per year occur as a direct result of reducing just 100 pounds from already downsized small cars, with half of the deaths attributed to small car collisions with light trucks/sport utility vehicles." USA Today further calculated that the "size and weight reductions of passenger vehicles undertaken to meet current CAFE standards had resulted in more than 46,000 deaths."

Now, I'm just as concerned about the environment and the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels as anyone, but I refuse to be taken in by slight of hand moves that have historically been nothing more than a another sneaky way to tax the citizenry.

Speaking of fossil fuels. This shouldn't even be about gasoline. While most of the other developed countries are putting their resources into Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology, Obama, shortly after taking office in 2009, actually pulled the plug on an aggressive plan put in place by George W. Bush. Apparently, he's starting to rethink that decision but in the meantime, we've fallen 3 years behind.

Additional Sources:

Official: 2012 CAFE Standards Finalized

Obama's Sneaky, Deadly, Costly Car Tax

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (Wikipedia)

"Summary of CAFE Fines Collected" (PDF).

Makes Listening To Music So Much Better.

2012-08-23T07:24:00.001-07:00

If I had to pick the top 10 days of my life, one of them would most certainly be the day I got my first portable, battery powered, transistor radio. It was a Philco and after many years of reliable service, it was finally surgically removed from the side of my head.

Today it’s been replaced with its modern equivalent—an iPad. I can now listen to stations from all ‘round the world anytime, anyplace. Plus, I can do something I could never do with that old radio—listen to my very own music collection on the fly.

Being somewhat of a music purist, I have tried to maintain the highest bit rate possible for my digital music files. However, overtime, especially with the downloads, attempting to maintain "CD quality" has flown out the window. In order to cram as many tunes as possible onto my mobile devices, I have accepted that if 256 kbps is good enough for iCloud, it’s good enough for me. But it really isn’t.

Compressing music files to reduce their size degrades the quality of the audio. You may not notice it because you’ve gotten so used to it, especially if you listen primarily through “ear buds.” But what if you do notice and want to bring some “life” back to all that music you have stored di-di-digitally?

There are a lot of free apps that make all sorts of claims and you may stumble on one that actually works (yea, right), but let me save you some time and suggest you check out “Audio Xciter” DSP Enhanced Music Player from Aphex. It sounds techy, but once you install it on your mobile device, you simply open the Xciter app (instead of iTunes) to listen to your music. All your music and playlists are there just as they were in iTunes and you can even shuffle. There’s a free version of Audio Xciter that allows for 15 minutes of enhanced play, which is just a tease. Seriously, who listens for just 15 minutes a day?

The difference in the sound is simply brilliant—

"Enhanced” just doesn't do it justice. Previously, the thought of listening to music from the iPod’s puny little onboard speakers was tantamount to being certifiably looney (no offense intended). Audio Xciter restores lost harmonics and clarity so that even those lilliputian tweeters provide sparkling, highly intelligible sound. It may be my imagination, but it even seems to level out the volume variations between tracks. You can also control the level of Xcitement from the setting tab by from choosing low, medium and (my favorite) high. If you're really up for a good time, choose custom and knock yourself out.

Obviously, you won’t get growling bass out of an iPod speaker, but connect up to a sound system that has some guts and you’ll be amazed what was previously getting buried in the mud. Being a free-appaholic, I’m not on the list of big-time spenders at the app store, and this one costs a whole five bucks (unless you go for the “basic" $3 version). IMHO it’s worth every nickle. Click Here

Watch/Hear a Comparison

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with streaming audio (Internet radio), but I found a solution for that as well and will tell you about it in an upcoming post.

Drivin' From Drive-In to Drive-In

2012-08-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

This has actually been going on for 18 years, but being that I just learned of it, and it's happening this weekend, I thought I'd share.

If you like Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, Classics and Cool Convertibles with fat ties and flames (well, they don't all have flames), the place to be this weekend is The Woodward Dream Cruise. The not-for-profit event draws more than a million people—and upwards of 50,000 classic cars—from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the former Soviet Union. For many, it has become an annual rite of summer. Sponsored by Chevrolet, the "Cruise" begins at 9AM Saturday and runs eight miles through Detroit, MI from Eight Mile north through Pontiac. Here's the map.

Side note" Over the years, GM has made it a point to dress up the route with nostalgic billboards which have taken on an online life of their own - Here are a couple of my favs, you can see them all at: PresqueIsleCorvetteClub.com or just search "Chevy Billboards Posted around Detroit":

"You built a time machine...Out of a DeLorean?"

2012-08-14T17:01:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, I was working on an article that required a graphic to accompany the title "How Loud Is Too Loud" - what better image, I thought, than the one from the original "Back To the Future," where Marty McFly strikes a chord on his electric guitar and is thrown back from a hyper-amplified super speaker. Well, I found the shot, and decided to post the entire trailer from the movie right here. I forgot what a great flik that was and the dialogue is classic... especially for those of us who recall things like "Tab," "Pepsi Free" and DeLorean. I gotta rent it one of these days.. So we go back to 1985 and go Back To the Future!.

iRadio Station Of The Week

2012-08-14T04:40:00.002-07:00

Well, I say of the week, but it's more like every couple of weeks. In any event, I'm working on a review of JBL's PRX400 Series passive speakers paired with Crown's XTi 6002 power amp (yeah, they sent the big one—and it play loud). While I'll be putting this system through it's Rock N' Roll paces this weekend, for now I've set it up with my iPad tuned to BoomerRadio.com's smooth jazz channel. There are a lot of great iRadio channels available, but for that "smooth jazz" sound so popular in the '90s, I find the mix on BoomerRadio's channel among the best. You'll hear everything from instrumentals to funk—easy to listen to, buy never sleepy.

BoomerRadio.co offers a variety of stream so if you're not in the mood for jazz, there are several other exceptional channels to tune in.

By the way, (and this is an unpaid endorsement) For streaming internet radio, I use the StreamS HiFi Radio app ($3.99 from the app store). I've tried numerous apps and settled on this simply because, IMHO, I think it sounds the best.

The review of the JBL/Crown System will be posted at Live2PlayNetwork.com—soon as I get it done.

Free Advertising And More

2012-08-10T16:16:00.001-07:00

In just a few short weeks, Gobza has spread to more than 30 states and dozens of countries including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ireland, England, Canada, Australia and India.

But just what is Gobza?

Well, in a nutshell, Gobza is a free online advertising medium that allows businesses to reach consumers 24/7/365 while allowing shoppers to get what they want, when they want it, for less. Free advertising for businesses, and great deals for shoppers... okay, so far, so good.

So how does it work?

It's no secret that all advertising is moving to the Web, but not all businesses can afford the cost-per-click rates charged by Google and others. With Gobza, there's no cost at all to the advertiser. Every business advertises for free forever. As revolutionary as that sounds, anyone who understands social network marketing will immediately see that it's not rocket science. Gobza has merely figured out how to monetize viral marketing (the passing of a link via emails/tweets/facebook) through Free Advertising. It's a pretty simple idea, which is why I think it will work.

Social networking is all about sharing information with your friends, family and contacts. You share good news, you share not so good news. So, if you are going to recommend a place to eat, a car to test drive or movie to see, and they take you up on it, Gobza sees that you get a commission on the sale. It's what people are doing right now on Twitter and Facebook, for free. With Gobza, you get some cash, the person you refer gets a better deal, and the business gets a new customer. Win. Win. Win.
Register for a 20 minute webinar that explains how it works in greater detail.

The only way you can join is by invitation—so as a loyal reader of The lubari Blog, consider yourself invited - just click here www.gobza.com/26960

Really Stupid Scam and Spam

2012-08-06T07:37:00.002-07:00

We've all gotten those ridiculous Email invitations from rich foreigners (whom we don't know) offering us bazillions of dollars if we can just help them move some cash out of their country—those have been around for a long time, and most people are smart enough to steer clear. Lately, it appears spammers, scammers and phishers have decided to just be plain annoying. I know it's a numbers game, but really... do they actually think there are people who will nibble at these?

First came this one, informing me that I'm only minutes away from becoming a full-fledged Doctor, or as they put it, a "Doctroat."

Hello!

We provide a concept that will allow anyone with sufficient work experience to obtain a fully verifiable Univresity Dgeree. Matsers, Matsers or Doctroate. No books!. No time wasted!. Obtain a Dgeree!. Think of it, within four to six weeks, you too could be a colelge graduate.

Now, who in their right mind would respond to an offer to earn a college degree from an email so loaded with typos? I'm not making this up.

Next came 5 Emails in succession (from different addresses) that started out with the exact same opening line:

"Good Evening, so I was bored out of my mind and started skimming on FOXs local career spotlight on last monday & ran into a brand new self-employed career that helps immigrants..."

I'm not an immigrant, but out of curiosity, I clicked on one of them and got the message above—at a tumblr.com address. I choose not to click the green button—I wasn't that curious. (Next, I promptly ran my virus scan software, just to make sure I hadn't stepped in something while trying to figure out the purpose of this ridiclous Email) -

Then came this hilariously bad facsimile of a notification from an airline:

In addition to poor wording and the fact that I stopped flying American years ago, there are at least 6 other problems with this supposed ticket. How many can you find? There was no ticket attached, and clicking on "Print A Ticket" —which appears to be a link—does nothing.

But my all-time (at least up until now) "Most Annoying Scammers and Spammers Award" goes to some company named "Davison" who claims they specializes in services for inventors—when all they really do is annoy people.

I've clicked on a couple of these and have been redirected to pages that have nothing to do with inventor services. Here is a list of the junk they sent me in just one 7 day period—and this does not include an equal number of Emails that came from other addresses, even after I filled out their "unsubscribe" form multiple times.

Why anyone would want to do business with a company that has such low prospecting practices is way beyond me. Hey Davison! I have a brilliant idea—why don't you stop bothering people with your incessant Emails!

Another Lovely Summer's Day

2012-08-03T11:01:00.001-07:00

Yeah, it's a hot one—a great day to play "Car Sauna" (I'm not suggesting you actually try this) -

Source (in case you find the video has been removed) - http://www.topgear.com/au/videos/car-sauna

Favorite line...
"I don't need the government to tell me when to have a drink of water and put suncream on."

So, just how hot is it (in the car) ? --

37.8C = 100.04F
53.0C = 127.40F
59.7C = 139.46F
62.0C = 143.60F

I never let politics interfere with my chicken.

2012-08-01T06:22:00.003-07:00

The latest controversy taking over the headlines (aside from the daily sub-controversies from the Olympics) was sparked by a remark made by Dan Cathy, COO of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain in an interview on July 16th.

What Cathy said was "We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."

Chick-fil-A has been around since the early '60s—longer, in fact, than Wendy's and several other chains. The chain has maintained a policy of being closed on Sundays since it's inception and explains why right on their Web site.

The chain helps fund numerous worthwhile causes and has provided millions of dollars in scholarships to deserving students—they operate over 1,000 restaurants and employ tens of thousands of people—and are considered one of the best chains to work for. In the spirit of full-disclosure, the two brothers who now run the chain hatched by their father, Samuel Truett Cathy, have plenty of scratch.

The company's mission statement is "Be America's Best Quick-Service Restaurant"—and to Chick-fil-A apparently, being "The Best" means more than just what's on the menu. I personally make a point of eating at one (and/or maybe a Shoney's or Waffle House) whenever I encounter one at meal time. The drill is simple: I order chicken, and they provide chicken. My relationship with Chick-fil-A is 100% chicken-based. My political views have never been part of this equation.

Yet all along, hiding in the bushes, has been a group of individuals who disagree with Chick-fil-A's pro-family position and think that I should too. They've been waiting quietly and patiently for one of the company's corporate heads to say something they could twist and spin into something that could be used against their pro-family stance. Enter the politicians, Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino (to name just two) who saw it as their duty to block this pro-family business from ever opening new stores in their cities—and thus denying their citizens the jobs and the benefits from the additional taxes that these restaurants would generate. Talk about your abuse of power.

Now, I'm just sayin'... But how short sighted and stupid can these people be?—to deny their constituents jobs and to take from the people they serve the simple pleasure of having a new place to go for lunch, just because their personal opinions differ with the personal opinions of others.

Conclusion: Chick-fil-A knows how to run a successful business but is (or was) totally ignorant as to the lengths big-city mayors will go to to keep their jobs by appearing to look out for minorities. They obviously have no interest in promoting new business or bringing employment to their cities—if they did, they would not have been so quick to condemn (and than have to back-down) Chick-fil-A. A little diplomacy would have worked a lot better than bully-politics. while I totally disagree with the way they have behaved in this matter, I do not plan to boycott their cities, nor will I encourage my friends too. I happen to like Chicago (Boston, not so much) and would visit regardless of who the mayor is.

In the after math of Dan Cathy's remarks, the company issued the following statement:

"The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," the statement read. "We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent owner/operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."

This was probably a good call in these days when you are no longer allowed to hold or express an opinion—if for no other reason than to make this go away so they can get back to doing what they do best — serve great chicken!

Of course, if you disagree and are offended because Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy happens to support a definition of marriage that dates back several thousand years, then you are welcome to eat wherever you want—that's just more chicken for me.

Irony—As is typically true when any group tries to force their values on others, the others typically win. In this case, 9 out 10 people I've spoken to on this topic had never heard of Chick-fil-A prior to this making headlines.... Now they can't wait for one to come to their town! To paraphrase PT Barnum - It doesn't matter what people say - as long as they say!

Related: YELP: Here's what the people of Chicago really think about Chick-fil-A -