Sorry to invade the Chronicle with a work-related post — I rarely ever do this — but I thought there might be some other video editors out there that would be willing to share their opinion with me. We’re considering whether to stick with Avid or switch to Final Cut Pro for our editing suite at work. If you have any experience with one or both systems, what’s your advice from an editing standpoint? I’m thinking in terms of ease of use/learning curve, quality of output, tools/features, etc.

What’s on your mind today? Step up on the soapbox and tell us all about it.

Across the nation, the realization is taking hold that rising energy prices are less a momentary blip than a change with lasting consequences. The shift to costlier fuel is threatening to slow the decades-old migration away from cities, while exacerbating the housing downturn by diminishing the appeal of larger homes set far from urban jobs…. More than three-fourths of prospective home buyers are now more inclined to live in an urban area because of fuel prices, according to a recent survey of 903 real estate agents with Coldwell Banker, the national brokerage firm.

—Peter S. Goodman, The New York Times

Just got back from California tonight — the family and I went to Disneyland for a few days and had a wonderful time. My oldest daughter got a hug from Snow White and Alice in Wonderland, while my youngest daughter got to see Tinkerbell fly from the Matterhorn down to Sleeping Beauty’s castle and set off the fireworks, so it was a magical adventure for both of them. (My 3-year-old son stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and had the time of his life here in Peoria.) Anyway, I’m back now and have a stack of newspapers to peruse.

While I was on vacation, I got some reading done (we took the train to California, so I had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, play games with the kids, and read). I’ve been reading The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. I had started it some time ago, but never got very far. This trip I was able to nearly finish it, and I’m already looking forward to Morris’s follow-up book, Theodore Rex. What an interesting and remarkable man Mr. Roosevelt was!

Well, it’s good to be back home. I’m not sure what the joke is with all the song lyrics on one of my previous posts, but whatever. From reading Billy Dennis’s blog, it looks like not much has changed since I left — he has several more posts slamming the library expansion plan. Too bad he hates books and literacy so much. [/joking]

Talk to you all soon!

Any topic you want to discuss is fair game this weekend. What’s on your mind?

What’s on your mind? What issue would you like to discuss today?

I’m going to be spending some quality time with my family away from work and away from blogging for the next few days, so you won’t see much activity here at the Chronicle for a little while. I’m not so naive as to say there will be no activity because, obviously, I’m a blog addict and will no doubt feel compelled to post something at some point. But I’m going to try to do as little blogging as possible for the next few days. I’m sure there will be much rejoicing at the sound of that news among many people in and around Peoria. 🙂

I’ll schedule some open threads in advance so they should pop up automatically. Feel free to continue discussing the issues of the day.

No time to blog today, so I’m putting out the soapbox for you, my loyal readers. Step up and tell everyone what’s on your mind!

I was at Ruby Tuesday the other day, and as I’m perusing the dessert menu, I come across this statement:

???????? ????? ????????When You Buy Our Gourmet Cookies You Help Us Feed Hungry Children and Families.

That’s right. Ruby Tuesday is offering to donate 10% of the price of those cookies to America’s Second Harvest.

Only in America would someone think of this angle to sell dessert. It’s brilliant, in a calculating cynical sort of way.

There was a time when organizations would show pictures of starving third-world children on TV and in magazines and ask affluent Americans to exercise a small modicum of self-sacrifice by sending $20 a month to help feed them. They’d actually assign you a child and your donation would directly help that boy or girl. You could even write letters to each other while the child was going through school; you could keep tabs on his or her progress. The act of charity and the relationship you fostered would be the blessing.

In contrast, buying cookies at Ruby Tuesday is an exercise in instant gratification. Rather than a long-term commitment to a relationship, you can just buy a dozen delicious cookies, indulge your appetite, and yet still feel a sense of self-satisfaction that somehow, through your transaction to buy yourself food you don’t need, you’ve helped feed one of your less-fortunate fellow citizens.

This has the added bonus of turning the tables of guilt when it comes to dessert. Often, the people who buy dessert feel guilty because of the large portion size, going off their diet, or a host of other reasons, whereas the people who pass on dessert feel virtuous and are perceived (if only to themselves) as paragons of self-control.

Thanks to Ruby Tuesday, it’s the dessert eaters who are the virtuous ones. Their over-indulgence is no longer a vice; it’s an act of mercy that will help poor, starving families. In contrast, non-dessert-eaters are cheap, cold-hearted, and decidedly uncharitable. It’s clear they don’t care about starving families in America since they won’t so much as buy a cookie to help them.

Of course, the real hero here is Ruby Tuesday. This little promotion makes them look like a saintly corporation, putting people before profits and giving back to the community. Plus, they get to keep the other 90% of the proceeds from their increased cookie/charity sales. It’s a win-win!

Invention is the mother of necessity.