UP FRONT

By Richard Mandel
Editor in Chief

Who’s Nauti and Who’s Nice?

And so we arrive at December. For those of you with seasonal-affective disorders, we at Designfax are pleased to provide you this summery cover art to frame and hang in your workspace, to chase those blues away.

There are plenty of reasons to feel down this season, and for the next few weeks, most news journals will be replaying the low points of the past twelve months. All of you have seen enough reports, opinions, satires, punditry, bemoaning, coffee-room business quarterbacking and hallway politicians, that we needn’t burn much space here rehashing about Rumsfeld, Martha Stewart, Tyco, Enron, Saddam, al-Qaida, biological and chemical weapons, kidnappings and bombings, recession, the Stock Market, lowered consumer confidence and the rest. As I write this, we’re not at war with Iraq — not yet, anyway. Perhaps by 31 December the space aliens will step in and tell the White House that they’re here to usher in an era of peace. Of course, the House will immediately become divided over an appropriate response.

Many social workers agree that holidays and other special occasions are the toughest for people with problems, in addition to surveys describing people as tense over war news. Even 9/11 is being blamed still for fellow Americans hanging their heads. Curiously, no one seems to take into account how people must feel when they read that their job just went bye-bye because a small cadre of execs running their company were skimming off the top, in turn causing operations to collapse under government investigation. Don’t you think you might not feel like singing in the shower after being a victim of that scenario?

Was there good news this year? There’s always a nugget somewhere to be found, and without rose-tinted vision. Top of the list — our new look, and the warm response it’s elicited. Thanks to all who’ve made this possible, made it look good and helped to fill its pages. An extra wish of joy to you folks this season.

The International Space Center is coming together without great difficulty. Medical technology continues to make interesting strides. A few more people are saying, “Gee, maybe there is a global warming problem…what can we do about that?” And neither Arnold Schwarzenegger nor Roseanne Barr has pursued a musical career.

Today I received a list of something called the Stella awards, so named for the lady who sued McDonalds Corporation and won, because of burns received from coffee she spilled on herself while trying to drink while driving. The list is of this year’s questionable winners of court-granted compensation. You can use a search engine and find them, if they haven’t already arrived in your inbox. (Write me — I archived the email for forwarding to those of you who enjoy this sort of thing.)

Then there’s the report about advertising on police cars.

What? You hadn’t heard about that? At the end of October, it seems, a news report came out saying that cities buffeted by the recession think this is a dandy idea. Since May, in fact, more than twenty cities have signed contracts. Hundreds more are interested. Since the potential advertisers weren’t yet identified, who should be placed on those rolling representations of law enforcement? Smith & Wesson? Too obvious. How about Prozac? One friend suggests bail bondsmen would prefer police car advertising to taxicab billboards. You know, this idea can lead to bigger things, too — like product placement on military vehicles. Or perhaps Air Force One can be pressed into towing a banner. “Your President says, Have a Coke and a smile!”

I hope things are looking up for you. Let’s try to sail through all this to better days. In the meantime, as you gaze at our cover, dab a little zinc oxide on your nose. If we must dream, at least let’s make things as authentic as we can.