MAY 19, 1999

Full News Archive

• Headline: Reviving Peace Talks in the Middle East. Impact: Clinton's phone call to Barak set off a chain reaction, eventually leading to a generation of political strategists who believe that all international negotiations can be resolved through a simple phone call and a pizza delivery.. Fact: Did you know that some people think peace talks are just an elaborate excuse to avoid doing the dishes?.
• Headline: Street Triumphs in Philadelphia Primary. Impact: John F. Street's victory in the primary ignited a fierce rivalry that led to the invention of the 'political mudslinging' award, forever changing the way candidates campaign and giving rise to a slew of negative ads that still haunt us today.. Fact: Fun fact: Philadelphia's primary elections are often more competitive than the actual general elections. Who knew local politics could be such a blood sport?.
• Headline: Senate Mandates Safety Devices for Handguns. Impact: The Senate's decision to require safety devices for handguns led to an unexpected boom in the child safety lock industry, proving that every tragedy can be a business opportunity if you squint hard enough.. Fact: Did you know that the 'safety device' on a handgun is often just a suggestion? Just like 'please' and 'thank you' are in some families..
• Headline: NATO SAYS SERBS, FEARING LAND WAR, DIG IN ON BORDER. Impact: Serbia's military positioning along the border with NATO opened up a new career path for military strategists: 'how to dig in and hope for the best.' This led to a series of unnecessary military drills that burned more fuel than a small country's worth of cars.. Fact: Fun fact: 'digging in' is actually a popular activity among children during sandcastle competitions. Just not as intense..
• Headline: New Shop Set Up In San Francisco. Impact: The opening of Collaborate in San Francisco marked the turning point where advertising agencies decided that unpronounceable names were the way to go, leading to a decade of confusing agency names that sound like they belong in a sci-fi novel.. Fact: Fun fact: San Francisco has more ad agencies than it has coffee shops, and trust me, that’s saying something!.
• Headline: Honored, a Year Later. Impact: The induction of Chasity Glass and Somer Chipman into the National Honor Society became a rallying cry for teen empowerment, inspiring a wave of 'just because we made a mistake' movements across high schools everywhere.. Fact: Did you know that getting pregnant in high school was once considered a 'trendy' thing? Yeah, not so much anymore..
• Headline: Industry Critics Single Out Spots. Impact: The Schmio Awards brought attention to the commercialization of culture, sparking a nationwide movement where consumers began to demand artisanal everything, from hand-crafted soap to ethically-sourced kale.. Fact: Fun fact: the only thing more commercialized than American culture is the idea of hating commercialization. It's a delicious irony, isn't it?.
• Headline: People. Impact: The appointment of new executives at Periscope Marketing Communications set off a hilarious chain of job-hopping that has since become a rite of passage in corporate America—because what’s more fun than changing jobs every six months?. Fact: Did you know that corporate titles are now longer than most novels? Welcome to the age of 'Chief Optimization Officer of Synergistic Solutions.'.