Ferrari apologizes to China for burnout on 600-year-old relic

In effort to promote a $958,000 special edition Ferrari 458, a Ferrari dealer in China believed it would be a good idea to take this exotic car and do donuts atop a 600-year-old stone gate in Nanjing. The skid marks left by the car have been very difficult for workers to clean off these ancient stones. The Chinese Ferrari dealer payed a reported $12,000 to preform the stunt in an effort to promote the vehicle.

 

With many people outraged, the company Ferrari apologized and also highlighted on the fact that they had no input on the situation, the local distributor of Ferrari in china Kuaiyi Automobile, without an okay from the actual company Ferrari, payed for the show.

According to Xinhua news, the tire marks were unable to be wiped clean and archaeologists are worried that the car's vibrations could have damaged the structure of the gate, it still remains unclear.

My question to you is, who should the people of China be mad at, Ferrari or the ones who let Ferarri go on with the show? Should Ferrari face punishment if the structure is damaged?

Privacy Please

This is my response to the post a few days ago about airport security...privacy people. I recently refused to go through one of these full scanners and although it was a nuisance, I think it was worth it. What do you guys think? 

Obama BFFs with George Clooney??

                 It's a well known fact that Hollywood leans left when it comes to political views, but the current trend is having a new effect on politics. CNN discussed how George Clooney is pouring funds into the Obama campaign. An article by Jen Christensen exposed that a dinner held at Clooney's house raised over 15 million dollars for the President. In fact, celebrity donation is one of the biggest contributions to Obama's campaign funds. Other celebs including Tyler Perry and Eva Longoria hold similar fundraising events for the re-election campaign, possibly scoring votes from unlikely demographics. Support from Hollywood is likely to increase with Obama's announcement regarding same-sex marriage from the other day. These hot topic issues gain a lot of media attention and it makes sense that celebrities want to show their support for the decisions that they stand for.

                Celebrity support also helps the circulation of the President's campaign in the media. Having people like Clooney selling tickets to events on his behalf really gets Obama's name permeating society on a daily basis. It may even reach those citizens that do not stay educated in political happenings of every day. Just having his platform and his name thrown about casually by celebs is positive reinforcement. 

                But my question is, where is the line? Obama has clearly gained some celebrity credit for obvious reasons, but is this where he should be gaining renown? How does this reflect on his campaign? I have mixed feelings...we don't need a popular face for president. We don't need someone with ties to Hollywood. We just need a great leader, and I feel like this increase in "star" support is a little bit odd. Your thoughts?

Obama For Gay Marriage

On Wednesday, President Obama became the first sitting president to back gay marriage. He claims to support same-sex couples in not only getting married, but in being together as a family and raising children. He explains that he is not the only one that feels this way. Family and friends also agree that something needs to be done to help these men and women feel equal to everyone else. He also feels for those serving our country.  Obama States, "When I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in marriage, at a certain point I've Just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married". Some college students in particular, do not agree with his plans for helping the economy and government spending but respect and agree with his above statement to allow gay marriage. Many people are speculating that this is a way for him to win more votes.  What do you think? Is this going to help him in running for president? How big of a risk was this?

Obama's Stance On Same-Sex Marriage

Wednesday in an interview with ABC, Obama confirmed his stance on same-sex marriage. The President has been publicly indecisive on the matter previously, but in his interview, he stated his view that same-sex marriage should be permitted. This confirmation could affect the President's campaign in any number of ways. It puts him in direct opposition with Mitt Romney who openly opposes same-sex marrige. Also, although public opinion is rapidly adopting a view in favor of same-sex marriage, some states including North Carolina and Colorado have taken legislative measures to prevent even civil unions from being legal. Both of these states are swing states and could alter the campaign process. New York Times published an article today explaining that the President recognized the religious objections about the matter, and that he also engaged in a personal debate, but finally clarified his beliefs after conversations with friends and family. There has been mixed response to the President's announcement. While there has been much support, some find fault with the President for diverting attention away from the economy and onto a contreversial civil rights issue. What I want to know, is what do you guys think about all of this? How will this affect his cmpaign? And taking ourselves out of the California context, what does this mean for same-sex marriage?