Hello, local readers! Hot off the press is this week’s edition of our weekend guide, filled with the best things to do in and around Atlanta this Thursday through Sunday. As always, be sure to add anything we missed in the comments section. Enjoy your weekend!!
Over the weekend, I attended the Atlanta Underground Market, a monthly private event showcasing food from a variety of different vendors – mostly home cooks and small businesses. The particular theme of this month’s event was brunch and it featured delicious food from over 20 different vendors. Some of my favorites were the Arepa with winter Vegetables, roasted Butternut squash, eggplant, collard greens, caramelized onions, black beans and Strawberry Margarita cookie. With all this great food, there was only one problem: my eyes were much bigger than my stomach.
Google launched a new service yesterday called, “What Do You Love?” located at both www.wdyl.com and google.com/whatdoyoulove, The site appears very similar to Google’s own homepage with a single search box, but instead of producing a list of web page results related to your query, it gives you results from over 20 of Google’s services including YouTube, Picasa, Trends and Earth. So, for example, if you were to type in that you love promotional products in the search box, you would be brought to a page that allows you to translate “promotional products” into 57 different languages with Google Translate, to start a promotional products discussion with Google Groups or find promotional products nearby with Google Maps, among other things.
Welcome to this week’s edition of “Trending Topic Tuesday,” where we share our take on what’s going on in the world and what promotional products would appropriately (or inappropriately) market the subject matter.
If you’re among the millions of people who find yourself reciting the age-old mantra of wishing there were more hours in the day, then today is your lucky day. Students, employees, and procrastinators alike scrambling to complete last minute tasks on their to-do-list can rejoice in the extra hours of daylight granted by the June 21st Summer Solstice. Although many agree that the humidity and ninety-five degree weather have been well underway since early June, today marks the official first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
The word “solstice” is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still) and refers to the moment in which the sun’s rays are positioned directly above the Tropic of Cancer. The sun continues to rise higher until it appears to come to a standstill in the sky, resulting in varied sunset times of approximately 11:42 p.m. in Alaska, for example, and 9:10 p.m. in Seattle, Washington.
For centuries, cultures throughout the world have regarded the Summer Solstice as a major celestial event and have employed various seasonal products to celebrate the annual occurrence in a number of unique ways. Ireland plays host to “Midsummer Carnivals,” which feature fairs, concerts and fireworks whereas Spain offers special foods and bonfires on the beach. Also, on this day, the Chinese honor Li, the Goddess of Light while the Swedish dance around a raised maypole covered entirely in flowers and greenery.
Despite an alarming (and unwelcome) increase in gas prices over the past few weeks, Americans seem surprisingly undeterred in their plans to travel over the 2011 Memorial Day Weekend. Airlines have increased fares more than six times this year to make up for a 30 percent rise in fuel prices, however, the need to spend more seems to have had little effect on the plans of the 34.9 million people who will travel 50 miles plus over this upcoming long weekend. In fact, a recent USA Today/Gallup poll revealed that 71 percent of Americans have prepared for an increase in the amount of money required for personal travel expenses this year, compared to the 39 percent in 2010 who echoed that same sentiment when the average price of gas was only around $2.80 a gallon.
To compensate for higher expenses and make traveling more comfortable, many will rely on certain promotional travel items and cut out other unnecessary vacation costs. But, try as they may, there are certain factors that vacationer’s can simply not control. The stress of long security lines, potential lost baggage, or road-rage inducing traffic for example are sometimes unavoidable. Travel problems, however, can thankfully also be alleviated with specific promotional travel items designed especially for those traveling by either plane or car.
Welcome to this week’s edition of “Trending Topic Tuesday,” where we share our take on what’s going on in the world and what promotional products would appropriately (or inappropriately) market the subject matter.
As threats of some of the worst Mississippi River flooding since the 1920′s continue, thousands of Americans evacuate their homes and head for higher ground. Earlier this month, a Louisiana spillway was opened and a levee was blown up surrounding the town of Cairo, Illinois. Now, US Army Engineers are opening floodgates in attempt to divert water from the Mississippi and decrease pressure on the levees to, hopefully, prevent flood water from reaching Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
The expected influx of floodwater prompted an appearance from President Obama, who visited Memphis on Monday to meet with families affected by the flooding. Unfortunately, the 25,000 people situated in Louisiana’s Cajun country have already been forced to abandon their homes in compliance with mandatory evacuation orders. The record-setting flood waters are predicted to unleash up to 25 feet of water set to wash over approximately 3,000 square miles of low lying land.
Amidst the crisis of the impending natural disaster, Obama remained positive and offered words of comfort to young students at Booker T. Washington High School who excitedly welcomed him as their official commencement speaker. Obama’s phone however, did not meet such a pleasant fate earlier that day. The President, who currently may or may not be in need of some promotional cell phone accessories, sent his BlackBerry phone tumbling to the tarmac of the taxiway at the Air National Guard base in Tennessee. In this case, promotional cell phone accessories would have undoubtedly prevented any damage to the President’s phone.
Hello, local readers. Here’s this week’s edition of our weekend guide, and we hope that it’s helpful in finding you plenty of things to do in and around Atlanta. Don’t forget to check out our tips at each venue when you check in on Foursquare, and as always, be sure to add anything we missed in the comments section. Let us know where you end up!
Planning on spending your spring break or family vacation on the coast of Florida? If yes, fun in the sun will be better spent with promotional beach items than boogie boarding and snorkeling.
Yesterday, CBS National News reported that thousands of sharks were spotted swarming just 50 yards off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida. Biologists did confirm that during this seasonal transition from winter to spring, it is normal to see this type of behavior from sharks. The large number of sharks and their proximity to the coast is a typical migratory and feeding pattern. The sharks travel close to shore so they can feed on the bait fish trapped near the coast.
The kitchen is often an important space in any office environment, providing both nutritional sustenance and perhaps some respite from the traditional happenings of the daily grind. The office kitchen can also, however, be a source of angst and distress should you fall victim to the form of corporate corruption known as lunch theft. Bit Rebels posted an article last week displaying examples of how employees have responded to such an occurrence that truly capture the amount of duress it causes.
As an antidote to this vexation, I suggest carrying your own promotional lunch cooler to work. Others will be less likely to steal something that is properly enclosed in such a container.
The temperature has dropped significantly in Atlanta over the weekend, and that can only mean one thing. Winter is officially here and that means a lot of cold and flu germs are in the air. Stave off those nasty bugs with imprinted antibacterial wet wipes. Not only are the antibacterial wipes handy to stash in your purse or car, they are great for cleaning your hands and any objects you may come in contact with. I find them especially useful to clean my hands after pumping gas or to just wipe up little spills in my car. They are a great marketing tool suitable for any industry and due to their lightweight, flat design are easy to use for direct mail campaigns. So this winter season as you promote your business, you can also help build your consumers’ defenses.
Stephania
Merchandising & Marketing Coordinator
View my bio!
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