Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
Give me liberty or give me… a commercial? Liberty Mutual is back with the Statue of Liberty as their backdrop in a new ad where a wax figure suffers from a hot summer. This is the latest in a series of commercials from Liberty using New York City as the location, although I don’t think they’re actually in New York at all. I explain my green screen theory here. Check out the melting wax in the commercial then scroll down for more info!
The Actor. You might recognize the actor starring in this commercial from a wide variety of shows and movies (here’s his IMDb page). His name is Joe Hursley. You can also follow him on Instagram — @JoeHursley — where he posted this about the commercial shoot:
Can you name another current commercial starring Joe Hursley? I’ll give you a hint, it’s an ad about unexpected combinations. Comment below with your guess! Also, if you like what you read today, consider making a tiny donation to help me continue posting every day at 1pm. Thanks for coming by today…
New phone alert! If you have an iPhone 15, you’re behind the times now. Take a look at one commercial in a series Apple has released for the iPhone 16 featuring an actress from “Game of Thrones” and “The Last of Us,” among other projects she’s been part of.
The actress is Bella Ramsey, a 20-year-old actress who’s already earned a lot of success in Hollywood. I can’t blame her for what it is I don’t like about this commercial. It must be the writers because they’ve created a character who’s smug, entitled, and condescending. In each of the ads she has the same arrogant attitude so even though these ads are still new, they’re already on my mute list.
The 5 seconds at the end almost makes up for the previous 25 seconds. Almost. Great choice in music with a cool song by an artist named Krizz Kaliko. It’s called “Genius,” here’s the full track.
I’m sure the features of the new phone are fine. It’s hard to know because according to feedback, and the fine print, most of the stuff they’re advertising isn’t even available yet for anyone receiving and/or using the iPhone 16; Some are saying Apple rushed the production just to get the phone out there; a premature move that’s impressing no one. That can be as frustrating as the characters flippant cocky attitude, can’t it?
What do you think about the ad? Am I overthinking it that Bella’s character is very, very annoying? Chime in below…
Sniff, sniff, ACHOO! What could be causing these sneezy, runny nose symptoms as I train for an upcoming sprint triathlon? Would you believe it’s because of swimming? And no, there aren’t any cats swimming in my lane although that would explain my itchy, watery eyes afterwards. Thankfully, I’m not allergic to water (which is a real thing– aquagenic urticaria). I can swim in the ocean and a lake or river and everything is fine. Well, not EVERYthing. I’m still a slow swimmer but aside from this lack of ability, something else happens when I swim in a pool. Every single time, without fail, I’ll finish, shower off, pack up and leave, and for the rest of the day I’m sneezing like I just put on a coat made of cat fur.
It must be the chlorine, right? I had no idea chlorine allergy was a real thing. Well, spoiler, alert… it’s not! Chlorine is not an allergen but it might cause a reaction for frequent swimmers. My symptoms are not physical (like a rash or burn), but just affect respiratory and nasal passages. In other words, allergic rhinitis. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (full article here):
Chlorine may indirectly contribute to allergies by irritating and sensitizing the respiratory tract. Studies have suggested that frequent swimming in chlorinated pools and exposure to cleaning products containing chlorine may increase the risk of developing asthma and other respiratory allergies, both in adolescents and in adults.
Do you ever have this happen to you? If so, have you found a good solution? Off the top of my head I can think of three: 1. Give up triathlons altogether. Who wants to wear spandex anyway!
The other two solutions are a little less dramatic. One is to use a nose clip to help reduce the amount of chlorine inhaled. Another is finding a pool with less chlorine (salt water pool) or go to a lake, river, ocean for the swim training. You might want to avoid the lakes and rivers in Florida (and the entire southeast, for obvious reasons) so if you’re near an ocean, that’s where I’d go first. Stay along the shore, bring a swim buoy, and get on with it! I practiced in the ocean when I camped at St. Andrews State Park awhile back and absolutely loved it, while of course still embracing a healthy fear of sea creatures that lurk below.
As you’ve trained for races (triathlons, marathons, mountain bike races, cycling, etc), what physical hurdles have you come across that you needed to overcome? Comment below!
Childless cat ladies all over the country should be so thankful that Donald Trump shined a light on the misfortune of cats in rural Ohio. Cats Lives Matter, am I right, ladies? I’m just a childless dog guy but I have a healthy appreciation for cats, even though I’m allergic to every single one of them. I guess you could say I’m feline-intolerant.
[portrait of my neighbor’s cat]
After Donald Trump said “They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats” in a recent debate with Kamala Harris, the line has gone viral and whether you like Trump or not, I think his wild remark has endeared him to folks. There are memes, GIFS, and even a music video sampling Trump’s iconic quote. Take a look at “EAT THE CAT” by The Marine Rapper.
Any biased aside, this is a well-written and executed rap song. Cameos from so many famous cats, including Garfield, Heathcliff, Keyboard Cat, and more… genius idea.
It’s a light-hearted reminder that not every single political event has to be so divisive. Sometimes it can just be fun to r…e…l…a…x… everything is gonna be OK.
Things are getting intense here are the ground. With the upcoming presidential election in 48 days, nominees facing life-threatening events– Trump gets shot at, Harris does an interview. The candidates we’ve heard of (not Cornel West or Chase Oliver) are pouring money into commercials that illustrate their dearest causes. For instance, Donald Trump with ads about illegal immigration and another about the economy. Kamala Harris endorses commercials about building up the middle class and there’s this new one about women’s healthcare, aka abortion. Check it out then scroll down for more…
The Democrats have the focus of a brain surgeon when it comes to their platform. While I don’t agree with most of their policies, they certainly know how to put together a presentation that appeals to our emotions, our empathy. This woman’s story about her step-dad is heartbreaking. It’s sick. He should be in jail without bail, without parol. But I think there’s something more going on with the ad’s strategic wording. You see the title, right? “Monster.” The people responsible for the ad don’t care what you think about the step-father. He’s just a piece of the puzzle but he’s not the monster. The purpose of the ad is to persuade the viewer to associate that word “monster” with Donald Trump. It’s a slick marketing strategy, even if it’s also sinister at the very same time.
Propping up this victim, Hadley Duvall, as a spokeswoman for abortion rights might help sway people’s opinions on how to move forward locally and/or federally. What the ad doesn’t tell the viewer are the things that might appeal to their more logical side. For instance, only 9 states have a complete abortion ban that does not make exceptions for rape/incest. Each of those 9 states share a border with a state that does allow abortion in some capacity. More than half of the states in the U.S. do not have any ban at all.
The Supreme Court of the United States made abortion a state/local issue, since 2022. While I can see how that might be inconvenient for someone in a state with a ban, interstate travel has never been easier thanks to President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill becoming law back in 2021.
Out of the Wilderness 