Category: Dear Dad

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beer commercials just gotta be fun

beer commercials need to be fun... if not funny!
beer commercials need to be fun... if not funny!

One of the fun things about having intelligent daughters is that they keep my brain active. My daughters have always been able to kept my pulse raising, increase my worry & anxiety and fray my nerves… and yes, my they have kept my brain limber.

This summer,  Karen made a presentation to the Reputation Institute on the poorly received 2009 Superbowl commercial. It’s was like showing up to a party with a unhappy pet skunk. Heineken’s message was laudable, but the placement in the Superbowl was ill conceived. Fortunately for Heineken, most people tuned out the commercial and when asked later about what they saw, few people reported seeing anything about Heineken.

Anyway, this provided endless discussion on Skype and eventually Karen took her idea and developed a great project. In the meantime, I took my favorite cartoon character “Dilbert” and made a better commercial… IMHO. I looked up at my drawing and it still makes me smile.

Thanks girls for always making me think… and smile.

Roger

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food for thought

food4thought 001

I remember with great fondness those people in my life who brought food to a gathering. Their unspoken generosity was always endearing. I particularly remember teachers and coaches who would celebrate an occasion or emphasize a lesson by breaking bread with the rest of us. What always amazed me is that I remembered everything and took a lot more away with me from the situation than I expected. That day, I would learn a lot and it would always bring a smile.

In our family, we have always found the best social lubricant is great food. Only the most stubbornly obstinate would not smile  over a piece of Baklava or a nutty-fudgy-brownie! So besides bringing chocolate for Halloween my three teachers (Laura and Karen … and Kristin soon) sometimes accentuate the positive in class with a sweet something.

Pictured above are wonderful brownies that Laura is taking to her honors students in Psychology class today.

Thanks to all the teachers who make this difference.

Roger

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what ya got against the weather?

censorlocallySmall papers are often buffeted by the desire to please their major advertisers and provide news… all the while selling papers… which of course — for many –is what it is all about.

However, over the years I have noticed and heard from others how subtle the censorship can be. Most of us have witnessed large stories going uncovered, but if you write a letter to the editor, you may find yourself edited for the darnest things. My wife wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter that with all the editing came out more serious in tone than intended. Laura was responding to a series of letters that bashed one political party or another.

Her letter related the research from the Pew folks, a decidedly left-of-center group that reported –oddly enough — that in their survey Republicans ‘liked the weather better.’ Now, this doesn’t sound inflammatory to me … but this harmlessly looking phrase – like many others – was removed.

It does get one to wonder not why newspapers censor… but why they do so selectively.

In the marketplace of ideas, real free speech is important.

Roger Freberg

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what’s your personality?

what's your personality?
what's your personality?

The BBC always has some sort of interesting test and when you are married to a mad scientist, you end up taking every sort of psychological test there is. This is the grown up version of going to the mall with your girlfriend… except she is a Psychologist.

Here is a  fun test to take with those you love. Where are they high and low? Does it sound like them?

It is always interesting to have a peak into ones soul so to speak…

Roger

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home on thanksgiving

home on Thanksgiving
home on Thanksgiving

It’s always fun to travel and see new places and do new things… but on the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, nothing says it better than being at home somewhere. A lot to be thankful …

a simple turkey cooked on it's breast to keep the white meat moist and tender... 'self basting'
a simple turkey cooked on it's breast to keep the white meat moist and tender... 'self basting'

My daughters will all be home this year at Christmas … doesn’t happen much, so we soak them in.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Roger