Online Public Relations Thoughts

GM's CEO, Mary Barra, is all-in for the production of electric vehicles.  She says GM will make a profit on EVs by the end of the year and she hasn't changed the target for an all-electric vehicle line-up by 2035.  Should GM meet its goal, it will be a marketing and PR coup,  There are plenty of challenges on the way, notably a need for thousands more of charging stations across the US and Canada.  It will be a profound change at its dealerships where new methods of service will be needed and a new economic model.  

Catching the booster was amazing, but now SpaceX engineers will work to catch the spacecraft too.  This puts SpaceX at the leading edge of rocket companies in the world.  If it succeeds, it will be a technological and PR coup. 

It takes courage and verbal skill to sit for an interview with a news source trying to defeat your candidacy.  But VP Harris consented to an interview with Fox News anyway.  Her interviewer was on the attack and Harris was on defense immediately, but she called him out for talking over her.  The consensus is that she survived the experience politically.  It's not something a candidate should do regularly but it sends a message to voters that the candidate is not afraid of opposition.  And, that is good.  

When is tradition a useless tool of government?   Perhaps when after 700+ years, it is time to get rid of it.  That is what the UK is considering with the House of Lords.  The message is that it is time to constitute a body of legislators who more closely reflect the citizens of the country.  The House of Lords has been a debating society for many years without real power.  So, why have it at all?  It's a question the UK might be answering for the final time. 

Tesla misled humans by introducing robots at an event that were manipulated behind the scenes by other humans.  The robots served drinks but were not autonomous in doing it.  Observers condemned the trickery and Tesla got a black PR eye.  Musk should know better.

You don't have to like Elon Musk to understand that this was amazing.  It is incredible PR for SpaceX and the company's engineers are rightly gobsmacked with wonder. 

Not only is he not religious, he printed his campaign bibles in a country he regularly bashes for its anti-American trade. The hypocrisy of it all is stunning, but his supporters don't care. He's the Teflon Don, impervious to criticism and free wheeling in his efforts to get re-elected. 

The Waffle House Index of storm severity is accurate and good PR for the chain.  It is used by authorities as well as the public. 

This is thinking beyond the normal way of doing things.  It's still far too early to know if the drone-robot combination will work and is cost-efficient.  Such far out ideas can easily fail and it is still open whether the world needs such high-tech delivery of packages.  The test is attracting publicity, but it is a big step away from day-to-day consumer activity.  Many have tried aerial and ground delivery and so far, none have worked well.  There is no guarantee this time will be different. 

A candidate for high office makes promises to the electorate to win votes.  Trump has been bruiting tax cuts for just about anyone and everyone.  The problem say economists is that they will sink the budget of the country for decades to come. Do voters care?  They tend to think about immediate effects of campaign promises and not the future because no one can predict what is to come accurately.  So, while promises of tax cuts are good publicity, the experts are left to worry about them and who cares about experts?  

Florida's reputation as a good place to retire with warm weather and low stress has taken a deep hit.  Condo owners in buildings 30 or more years old must have their dwellings inspected and repaired.  It's costing millions and many don't have the cash to meet the payment.  There are about a million properties involved, a substantial number. The problem was deferred maintenance.  Condo boards simply pushed repairs down the road instead of getting them done.  Now, they have to do them all in a short time -- and the owners pay for it.  Florida's reputation might not recover for quite a while.  Add to that sea level rise and frequent hurricanes and the state is looking less livable as the months go by.  

The strikes going on in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel and the Hezbollah are cases of  tit for tat.  You strike me: I strike you back.  The problem with such a stance is there is no ending to it unless one or both parties decide to desist.  As friends of  Israel have been urging, there is a need for diplomatic solutions, and so far, none are coming close to the mark.  What Israel is doing now ensures generations of battle and terror.  It will win in the short-run and it will temporarily destroy Hamas and Hezbollah, but in so doing, it will raise terrorists who will attack its grand children and great grandchildren and ensure a legacy of war.  A sad outcome.