It seems that people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are feeling the pinch in the current economic climate much like the rest of the country. However, these times do not have to leave resident’s social lives in the lurch. A fun time can be had on a date or social outing for little or no money in the Dallas-Fort Worth area if one only knows where to look.

Here are some fun ways to get out with friends and family without breaking the bank:

Take in the Culture
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is known for its vast number of museums and art galleries that could satisfy even the most particular of tastes. One of the perks of the museums in the area is many of them have free admission.

The Amon Carter Museum (www.cartermuseum.org) in Fort Worth has a large permanent collection of American paintings and photography.

The Dallas Museum of Art (www.dm-art.org) normally has an admission charge. However, admission is waived the first Tuesday of every month. The Dallas Museum of Art also has a free yearly series of outdoor concerts known as Jazz under the Stars.

Time to Eat
The deal breaker for many people in this economy is the meal. The key here is to keep an eye out for discounts, coupons or specials. One way to keep the green in your wallet is the SoftWallet (www.softwallet.com) application for smart phones. SoftWallet uses GPS to locate special offers at nearby restaurants. Many of these offers are exclusive to SoftWallet. Once at the eatery or store, the offer can be brought up on the main screen for redemption. The application is free making it even easier to save.

Stop and Smell the Flowers
If man-made art does not quench the thirst for activity then perhaps natural art is the way to go. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden (www.fwbg.org) can be a serene place for meditation or a romantic place to take a sweetheart. Either way, there will not be admission costs. For the true flower lover, the Japanese Garden and the Conservatory are sections of the Botanic garden that have their own unique flavor and only require a small fee (no more than $5).

Beat the Heat
The heat can be brutal in Dallas-Fort Worth. Many entertainment venues know this and will have customers pay a pretty penny to cool off. Here is how to do it for free.

Dallas-Fort Worth lakes are often overlooked but should never to be underestimated. They are great fun for the whole crew. Lake Grapevine is in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth area which makes it a wonderful convenience. Lake Lewisville is one of the larger lakes in the area and like Lake Grapevine, does not cost anything. However, some fees do apply for boat parking and docking.

If swimming is out of the question then the Fort Worth Water Gardens would be a good bet. Featured in the 1976 film Logan’s Run, the Water Gardens are a spectacle for any visitor or local. The Water Gardens, designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee, turn the concrete jungle of Fort Worth into an oasis clouded in mist. Perhaps the most interesting part of this free attraction is spectators can walk down into the 38-foot waterfall/pool and remain completely dry.

Dixie Defamation

A federal judge recently dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines. The lawsuit was filed by Terry Hobbs who was the stepfather of three 8-year-old boys who were killed in Arkansas 15 years ago.

The convicted murderers of the 8-year-olds are three teenagers. A letter written by Maines, published on the Dixie Chicks’ web site states that the Dixie Chicks think the three teenagers are innocent. Hobbs says this letter suggests that he murdered the 8-year-olds. The federal judge dismissed the case on the basis that Hobbs could not prove any "actual malice."

I agree with the federal judge’s dismissal. According to the Harvard Human Rights Journal, defamation injures the reputation of a person. Maines said no such thing suggesting that Hobbs was the murderer. I believe Hobbs was looking for money, 15 minutes of fame or was overly sensitive.

However, this is not the first time Maines has gotten in trouble for making controversial statements in public. In 2003 Maines said she was ashamed that the president was from Texas. The backlash severely crippled the Dixie Chick’s career for some time.

I think Maines needs a public relations practitioner to follower her around at all times or she needs to put a cap on her freedom of speech that she uses so much.

Religious Screenings?

Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas nearly three weeks ago. After the event, 13 were dead and 30 were injured. Major Hasan was shot but is still alive.

Many have been speculating about how to prevent this from happening again. Some are looking at the fact that Major Hasan was a psychiatrist and the stress exerted on him by helping people caused him to snap. Others are looking at his religious affiliations. These thought processes have led to possible adjustments in armed forces recruitment.

Religious screenings have come up as a possible adjustment. These screenings would be in breach of communitarian ideals. One would have to sacrifice privacy and possibly social well being if one were forced to come forward with their religious beliefs. However, these screenings make sense from a utilitarian standpoint. Few can deny some connection with certain extremist religions and acts of terrorism. If screening lowered possible terrorist outbreaks, then the community might be a little more at ease.

I believe we should look at this from a utilitarian standpoint. The government is meant to work for the community, therefore the community should be put first.

FTC attacks bloggers!

People are up in arms about the FTC’s attempts to regulate blogs. There are good arguments on both sides of the fence.

I believe this infringes on our freedom of speech when looking at this situation from a utilitarian standpoint. People should know that everything found in a blog should be interpreted as opinion unless proper references and disclosure indicates otherwise. This seemingly harmless act of censoring blogs can escalate to other controls of free speech. McDonalds will not be able to use the tagline, “I’m lov’n it,” if the FTC keeps up what it’s doing. The FTC would argue that proof has to be given that the person expressing the phrase in question does, in fact, love it.

The FTC’s actions could be a good thing if looked at under the communitarian ideal. This regulation could stop everyone, including the stupid people, from being fooled by blogs whether they claim to be right or not. This legislation could also increase government revenue through the FTC’s issued fines.

As an individual, I do not think the FTC should regulate blogs. This could lead to more government interference which would make us as a nation stray from the formula that made us great.

PRSA vs. CIPR vs. IABC in Codes of Ethics

The Chartered Institute of Public Relation’s (CIPR) code of ethics is much more spelled out then the codes of ethics for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). There are many paragraphs explaining how to prosecute one who is in violation of the code. I assume that there have been many cases in which the interpretations of the code have varied which have led to controversy. Writing a detailed code avoids a great deal of that kind of mess.

The IABC code of ethics has a much more business minded approach. IABC’s code uses lots of words like "legal" and "timely." I believe that this is due to the fact that this code was written by business professionals that ended up in communications, hence the BC in IABC.

PRSA’s code seems to have integrity closer to the heart than the other two. It is brief and has a feel of, "you know what you should do." I think this is why this code of ethics is held as the standard for public relations.

However, fundamentally these codes come from the same place. They all put great emphasis on honesty and accuracy.

Ethical or Unethical?

Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign involving University colors can be considered both ethical and unethical depending on the models you observe it through.

The Communitarianism model states that you must not think about individual rights as much as you think about social responsibility. Under this model Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign is considered unethical. By putting school colors on beer cans they are targeting college age students. Being that not all college age students are of drinking age they are, in a sense, dangling a forbidden fruit.

The Virtue Ethics model states that you must look at the actor rather than the deed. Under this model Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign is considered ethical. Anheuser-Busch stated that they are against underage drinking. Anheuser-Busch also stated that they have spent more than $750 million to prevent alcohol abuse.

The Egoism model states that the protecting its reputation and minimizing economic losses is the most ethical thing to do. Under this model Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign is considered ethical. This marketing campaign would boost sales and liquidize a lot of currency. This would be good for the economy.

The Consequentialism model states that the ends achieved determine ethicality. Under this model Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign is considered unethical. This campaign would generally cause everyone with money to buy more beer. Not everyone with money can legally buy beer. People who can legally buy beer would most likely purchase more, which would theoretically lead to more binge drinking.

Cheer up

Yesterday I heard an economist talking on the radio. He said one of the biggest problems with today’s volatile market is that everyone is afraid. This affects their buying and selling habits. I agree. The other day I heard someone comparing today’s economy to the great depression. I asked her if she was crazy or ignorant. I believe it was the latter because the depression was far more dismal than what we face today. I think this recession is exaggerated in large part because of the ease of communication. The more people talk about a problem the worse it looks. Due to the fact that everyone can talk to everyone with great ease the problem seems worse then it is. Common guys, Cheer up!