The late, great Johnny Cash was known as ‘The Man in Black’. He worked the brand into his persona, his stage presence and a lot of his songs. In these famous lyrics, he explains why he wears black and what it means to him.

How many of us can explain our personal brands so well?

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black.

Why you never see bright colors on my back.

And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone?

Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down.

Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town.

I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime.

But is there because he’s a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who’ve never read.

Or listened to the words that Jesus said.

About the road to happiness through love and charity.

Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me.

Well, we’re doin’ mighty fine, I do suppose.

In our streak of lightnin’ cars and fancy clothes.

But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back.

Up front there ought to be a Man In Black

I wear it for the sick and lonely old.

For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold.

I wear the black in mournin’ for the lives that could have been.

Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And I wear it for the thousands who have died, believin’ that the Lord was on their side.

I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died, believin’ that we all were on their side.
Well, there’s things that never will be right I know.

And things need changin’ everywhere you go.

But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right.

You’ll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day.

And tell the world that everything’s okay.

But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back.

Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black.

It’s a little long but it’s Friday and everyone can use a little inspiration before the 4pm briefs roll in.

I’d love to see a comedy version.

At the Anthon Berg pop-up store, you get free chocolate in exchange for promising to do a good deed. The mechanics are simple: iPads are used as cash registers. You commit to a promise and that commitment is posted on your Facebook page as well as the recipient’s page.

This is a tight idea that executes simply and logically. It’s buzz-worthy, fun, viral and connects back to the brand slogan, You can never be too generous.

Line 1 is the story of a Russian game warden forced by circumstances to kill one of the Amur tigers he is compelled to protect. His hunt for the rogue tiger leads him, and others, to believe that the ‘lone assassin’ was acting out of vengeance. The collision course is the book’s major arc and on its own provides a great read at a steady pace.

Line 2 is an investigation into the psychology of tigers and what makes them so exceptional in the animal kingdom. Vaillant’s research on the subject is compelling and well documented. This is going to appeal to anyone who loved, “Guns, Germs & Steel“. It’s also going to scare the hell out of anyone considering a day-trip into tiger country.

Line 3 is a look at post-perestroika Russia through the eyes of the people who lost the most, the ordinary folk who live in tiger country and by the laws of the land.

We reviewed ‘The Tiger’ at the latest meeting of the Wheatsheaf Literary Society on Wednesday March 27th. The group was divided. Some felt that the tangents turned a really great article into a painfully long book. I was in the camp that enjoyed the tangents and how the stories came together as one.

I also have tremendous appreciation for Vallaint’s style. The climax is executed beautifully.

About the author, John Vaillant.

Read the synopsis.

Warlords, Fizzy Drinks and Dynamic Storytelling

Unless you’ve spent the last 2 weeks living in a cave, the belly of a whale or entirely off-the-grid your social inbox has likely been carpet bombed by the righteous outrage of folks regarding Joseph Kony and the Lords Army

The creators of this phenomenon, Invisible Children, have also unfortunately evoked a tidal wave of criticism, accusations of over-simplification and promoting slacktivism. I’m not close enough to comment.

But…having garnered over 65 million views on YouTube, there must be something we can learn from them. Something about how they told their story we could re-use?

Get to know Hilton and read the rest of the post here.

That’s why the launch of Pay Pal Here is intriguing. This is big news for banks, vendors and card issuers.