USA Today: copywriting

In the hazard of thousands of commercial and advertising messages using big headlines and short copy, this line of copy stuck to me (view image).

nationwide
walkie-talkie
$1/day

no contracts/no credit checks
Boostmobile.com

USA Today: Life is worth living

... just something to share with

USA Today: This is guerilladvertising

Subtil but certain the guerilladvertising for one of Hollywoods newest releases was present in the streets of midtown New York as there were towcars riding around carrying a crashed cab holding up the Death Race sign on the top. Wonder who's behind this campaign...



Death Race will star in theaters as from september 22nd, belgians unfortunatly will have to wait another year I guess.

USA Today: Politics are alive

A lot of outdoor, or rather market stalls, are selling — yes selling — campaign materials for Obama. And Obama also has the vote of street-artists it seems, let's just hope for him and them that this underground sound and hope doesn't literally kill him.

USA Today: ING direct bank cafe

While some people try to make customers feel cozy and comfortable, others go way beyond. like ING for example. They've set up a cafe taht can exclusively be entered by ING clients, offering quality coffee, free internet and lots of other stuff while being able to consult a banker for professional advise.

USA Today: Bear Mountain State Park

Most people would go out of their way to avoid a snoozing bear by the water's edge, but there's one such spot in the Hudson Valley that should be on everyone's must-see list. And there are real, uncaged, bears walking around there's!!



Bear Mountain State Park in Bear Mountain, N.Y., has something for everyone. From miles of hiking trails to an inn with all the comforts of home, the park offers nature in all of its glory for both the avid outdoorsman as well as those just out for a scenic Sunday stroll.

Nestled along the Hudson River, Bear Mountain was so-named because the profile of the mountain resembles a bear lying down.

It's about 60miles from New York, some long hour of train — the one to Poughkeepsie. You can only get there in weekends, by getting off in Manitou, and you need a lunch and some firm walking shoes to come along for the trip. But believe me, if it's a sunny day, it is worth the painstaking feet. There's a magnificent trail leading to the top of the rock there, the top of Bear Mountain that is, and on top there — you have a beautiful view. On a clear day you can see all the way up to New York City!



Along the Hudson river there'r a lot of other nice things you can do whenever you want to get out of the city-heist for a while.

USA Today: Delta Airlines

So, A long but serious series of USA today posts about me in the States for the first time this year. And let me start with a negative vibe so that it can only get better.

The Delta-website:
The website I'd like to talk about in the first place. I ordered my tickets online as I usually do, or rather I tried to order! Come again, tried? Yes, I never ever had this before but you know shit happens. The first time I did the purchase order online the end of the website prompt me an error at the end of the process saying something like "we are experiencing difficulties processing the purchase of your tickets... Please call Delta Reservation Sales within 24 hours... Your reference number is..." I called and the order didn't get through he clerk told me to do the online process again. The payement for the "cancellation-insurance" did get through! So I had to call some other agency who was in charge for that to get my money back, Delta didn't do that for me. Luckily with a very long call and e-mail they paid me back. So off purchasing the tickets online again and guess what, uhu same shit over again, but this time when I called they told me the payement did get through although the website prompted otherwise. Anyway after few days the confirmation e-mail still hadn't arrived in my inbox neither did it show up in my long list of junk-mails. So I called Delta again and they told me I had to be patient...the day after that I suddenly did get the confirmation e-mail. Done and done!

Why did I go anyway?
Well on a dark winternight when I was sitting drinking with my family for special occasion I was teasing my sister a little bit challenging her to a deal. If she'd pass all her exams and score a 12/20 or more on every exam I'd be paying her first trip to the States, the big apple. Unfortunately my sister had a rare problem with her stomach and had to stay in Belgium for safety, which leads us to the next issue I had with Delta Airlines.

Rebooking a Delta-ticket:
So, the second ticket was on my sisters name. But now she couldn't join me for health matters, so I wanted to take my girlfriend with me using the same ticket which is basically impossible with every airline. I'm forgetting a small part of the story here: I went to the bank a week after I booked my tickets, and before I knew me sister wasn't coming along for the flight. I told my bank I wanted a cancellation-insurance just in case because I didn't take that along with the tickets online because I had these issues the first purchasing them the time, remember (view first lines) The bank told me that you have to purchase a cancellation-insurance within 3 days after purchasing the tickets, but since the confirmation of the tickets came more then 10 days after the purchase-order I placed online that was a bit a grey area... So no cancellation-insurance, but when my sister got sick that started to be an issue. Delta off course told me that I had to purchase a whole new ticket for my girlfriend, without refund for the ticket under the name of my sister. All that because I didn't have a cancellation-insurance on the tickets. So, new purchase!

The Delta-plane:
I flew in to New York on a Delta Airlines plane. Nice and cozy but a little small, especially because the plane-illustration I appointed my seats on online promised a jumbo-jet size model, one with a middle row and mostly larger and more comfortable seats. But anyway, the space was quite ok. And oh yeah, they hàd Canada Dry but the steward was to laizy to get it for me because it was in the back of the tray, she gave me a Schweppes instead which was foutainwater compared to the ginger ale you get from a Canada, but hey I wasn't complaining I was happy with the drink.

Delta Baggage-claim:
Yeah, last but certainly not least. Arriving at JFK; reminding you to the fact that one is in the plane for over 8 hours, queuing for another hour to get passed the security, being looked as if you are the worlds biggest terrorist — arriving in the hall where baggage is dropped and picked up, it was a mess. a total chaos beyond your wildest dreams when it comes to picked up luggage, off course Delta has nothing to do with this little first part of the story but still. There were bags all over the place, my little, medium or big black bag was lying there gently alongside the many others who looked exactly the same. And oh yeah, mine was gone, not that I couldn't fnd it or didn't look good enough, nope...it was gone. After waiting another hour it was clear to me that it was gone, my guess was that somebody else took it by mistake but who knows. So I reported my baggage reference number at the delta baggage-claim and took a cab downtown. Now here comes the very short version of calling over 4 times a day for over 4 days, hearing a different story each time a clerk of Delta answered the phone, having no information on my bag what-so-ever. First the story was: "the bag probably wasn't scanned", then it was "on it's way to the airport from Brussels", later they weren't able to locate it at all.. jadidadaaaadadaa. Afterall it was delivered to me on monday, at the a friend of mines' place because he had a doorman and Delta couldn't give me exact detail on which delivery-service firm was gonna deliver it, neither did they know when it was going to be delivered so I was supposed to sit down and wait for it to arrive! And oh, off course I bought some clothes while I was waiting for my bag to arrive, therefor I e-mailed Delta who replied me that they were "sorry to learn about the circumstances you described" and that they would "consider reimbursement for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses you may have incurred during the delay of your luggage. When a passenger's baggage is delayed for 24 hours, we begin considering out-of-pocket expenses at the rate of $25.00 per day, per person up to a maximum of $125.00 when baggage is delayed for five days" I asked them what they would buy with $25 in a city like New York, being a foreigner.

Still I love America, the land where every long coffee is way too long and opportunity is everywhere if you know where to look and your father has some good connections and a fare amount of money stacked in the bank, the maffia will work as well.

Delta Airlines on the otherhand, sucks bigtime!

Origin & Development of Life Visual - Encyclopaedia Universalis

Origin & Development of Life Visual - Encyclopaedia Universalis
Originally uploaded by visual think map.

Appears on p.32 of the Unknown. (1993). Times Atlas of the world (concise edition) 6th Ed. Hammond World Atlas Corporation. First published in 1982, this book has become a classic of reference publishing around the globe. The acknowledgements section gives picture credit to "Encyclopaedia
Universalis".

reach the limits

reach the limits
Originally uploaded by oligoelement.

Het internet is van mij!

Word nu de trotse eigenaar van het internet!

Eigenaars van het internet maken naast eeuwige roem als eigenaar van het internet, kans op een glansrol in je eigen banner (live banners updaten elk uur de nieuwe winnaars!), elke dag een super-de-luxe HP laptop én als klap op de vuurpijl Belgacom ADSL Go for life waardoor je levenslang kan genieten van gratis internet!

Maar wees spaarzaam want je mag maar 10 keer klikken per dag! Per vriend die zich via jou registreert, kan je een extra keertje klikken. Trouwens, het mag toch geweten zijn dat jij officieel eigenaar bent van het internet?

Ga ervoor en klik die knop op http://www.internetisvanmij.be of http://www.internetestamoi.be

PS: Ben je een ervaren surfer dan kan je ook op Facebook en Netlog een plaatsje opeisen tussen andere trotse eigenaars van het internet.


LIVE BANNERS