Gaza, Advertising and Steve Jobs: The End Is Near?

Gaza explodes as Israel effectively levels the territory. It won’t end the violence; as with the Andromeda Strain, aggression is engineered only to increase it. Besides, all the stories of rockets targeting kindergardens sound very much like the baby incubator stories that were used to justify the Persian Gulf War. And we all know how that panned out, now don’t we? Meanwhile, real Palestinian children are killed, daily, by the bombings.

Elsewhere, the death of Advertising is opined, one more time. Or, 50% of it anyways. First Denton 2 months ago, and today Arrington. It’s not so much that they care about advertising, but the revenue streams that so many in Blogs and Online Content depend on for their existence. Usually these waves ebb and flow, but this time, will there be anyone left who can afford an Internet connection to click on anything?  Dramatic, but you get the picture.

Finally, poor Steve Jobs. He’s ascended to true legendification; a spot on the Silicon Valley Dead Pool list, bobbing somewhere above Andy Grove. That’s gotta be edifying. Yet another round of Impending Death rumours circulated today, just in time for market close. Stock gains head south. Any short sellers out there? Mayhaps?

All of these endings come at the close to a stormy, caustic year. It’s going to take a lot more than a few vague promises of Change to build out a feeling of security and belonging again for most of us.

One can add some balance to the scales by looking at opportunities to volunteer services or goods for many of the charities that are being pressed to fill in the gaps for so many this holiday season. Here are a few options:

New York City Coalition Against Hunger

Food Not Bombs

Haight Ashbury Free Clinic

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