Dunkin’ Donuts returns to Denver

Being a Colorado native, you really get a great view of the cyclical nature of life. Brands were here when you’re growing up, they leave, and then sometimes they come back again. When I was a kid there were Dunkin’ Donuts franchises all over town. Then the “Coffee Revolution” happened, and Starbucks ran everybody out of town – Dunkin’ Donuts, Breuggers Bagels (for the most part), etc. Well, today Dunkin’ Donuts announced 11 new stores are coming to Denver (via the Denver Post).

Not that I think that DD is really all that great, but it reminds me of being a kid and stopping in for a treat every so often. Interesting that it took them 15 years to come back.

Another brand I remember that left for a while and came back was Southwest Airlines. When they were here in the past, apparently Denver accounted for a huge percentage of their delays. As a brand that prides themselves on the fastest plane turnarounds and most on-time arrivals, Southwest left. They finally came back, and as a consumer it’s great because Southwest is today one of the best airlines out there. Not to mention that they’ve been one of the only profitable airlines for the last 35 years.

 

AT&T, I’m calling bullshit on you.

AT&T sent me an email yesterday telling me all about how they’re expanding coverage in Colorado:

Well, I tried to email my reply to their “reply-to” address, which just bounced back to me. Happy to know that you’re interested in my feedback, guys. So I’m going to post my response here:

Jace,

I would like to stick with AT&T in the future, but unfortunately I am completely dissatisfied with your coverage in Grand County, Colorado. I would like to know your specific plans for either upgrading AT&T’s network in the areas of Winter Park Resort and the towns of WInter Park, Fraser and Tabernash. Will Grand County be going to 3G any time soon?

My family uses Verizon in that area and her coverage is much better. I spend about half my time up there, and have serious problems using my iPhone. What good is a cell phone if I can barely use it?

Like I said, I want to keep with AT&T, but not if the service in Grand County continues to be way behind your competitors.

Thanks,
Josh

What irks me the most is this paragraph.

“What this means to you is simple: better coverage where it matters most, and fast access to information on the go.”

AT&T: what the hell kind of marketing bullshit are you trying to feed us? How do you know where we need coverage if we can’t even write you a reply email? Consumers know when brands are bullshitting them, and I think this is a perfect example of it. Give us some hard information to read about it, like the top 100 locations in Colorado where you plan to make upgrades (I like Evans between University & Colorado, and the entire Highlands neighborhood, not to mention that hill up near “Prairie Dog Town” above Boulder). Do something to show that you’re honestly going to make a change.

I think that with this potential “iPhone to Verizon at the end of the year” stuff coming up, AT&T is going to have to lobby hard for consumers not to switch to Verizon. And since their network is obviously inferior to Verizon’s, AT&T is going to have to make really broad statements about the quality of their upgrades, and how you’ll benefit (without giving any really specific information).

I’m calling bullshit.

The buck should stop with the Governor

As it said on a small sign on Harry Truman’s desk when he was president, “The Buck Stops Here.” This means that no matter what his administration was doing, ultimately Truman was responsible for the actions of those below him.

The Colorado political atmosphere was rocked when Governor Bill Ritter announced he wasn’t seeking re-election in 2010. A few candidates have emerged to replace Ritter (a Democrat), among them former craft beer tycoon and Democrat John Hickenlooper. He’s definitely my choice this year. But this post isn’t about politics, it’s about honesty.

A story broke recently that Republican Gubenatorial candidate Scott McInnis plagiarized some documents from twenty years ago for his articles entitled (idiotically, I might add) “Musings on Water”. I might also add, that McInnis was paid $300,000 for these articles through a Hasan Family Foundation fellowship. From the DenverPost.com story:

Spokesman Sean Duffy said Rolly Fischer, a Glenwood Springs engineer who worked at the Colorado River Water Conservation District handled the portions that used Hobbs’ work without attribution.

Hobbs declined comment when contacted by a reporter in Glenwood Springs this afternoon.

Dr. Malik Hasan and his wife Seeme Hasan have both said that should the allegations of plagiarism prove true, the would expect McInnis to return the money.

“The Hasan Family Foundation takes the issue of plagiarism extremely seriously. At no time was it brought to our attention that Mr. McInnis used information not cited or unethically used work that was not his own,” Seeme Hasan said in a release.

McInnis’ response was that someone else was responsible for the plagiarized content.

Unfortunately for McInnis, his name is clearly on these articles, making it his responsibility. This person wants to run for Governor and has put his name on documents without doing things like checking his references? Doesn’t exactly seem like he’s into things like paying attention to detail, claiming responsibility for things with your name on it, or fessing up when you’re fucking up.

I’m not saying this because he’s a Republican, I’m saying this because we can’t have people in Government who are untruthful about essays on water. Not that these musings are a big deal, but you have to wonder what else this career politician will be not-so-truthful about. We need politicians who are honest, ethical and willing to take responsibility for their actions, not just people looking to get re-elected.

Scott McInnis should take responsibility for not checking his references on these articles. He got paid what amounts to an ass-load of money for this, you’d think he could fork some out to hire editors.