Happy New Year! Happy Rosh Hashana!

For those unfamiliar, today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Actually, it's a two-day holiday that began at sundown Wednesday. Rosh Hashana marks the height of the Jewish spiritual calendar. It is a time to reassess one's existence, re-order priorities and take note of one's place in the world. It is the Day of Remembrance, the day to keep in mind G-d's sovereignty over the universe. The Sounding of the Shofar, the ancient musical instrument made from a ram's horn, is a call to penitence.

With that in mind, yesterday we were reminded of our call to reflection by our friend Jeremy Jacobs, the "Corporate Presenter." He asked us four questions. I've asked our resident Rabbi, Mark Rose, to answer them.

1) Are we better off now than last year?

Absolutely. We are riding a wave of stock market outperformance that the sub prime market mess has not erased. Hedge funds, praise the grand rebbe Menachim Schneerson and his holy apartment in Brooklyn, have spawned mega wealth and a ballooning real estate market that shows no signs of abating in New York City, the only place that matters. I consulted the Kaballah and it said I should give 10 percent of my wealth to Schmul the idiot who dances naked in the rain on the corner of 108th street and Broadway. This is the holiest of the tzadick. I see measurably better returns for Jews in the stock market this year. If you're a goy, I would consider switching to bonds. To answer the question: if you're the Chosen, you're better off. If not, it doesn't really matter.

2) Did we spend our time and energy wisely?

That depends. I spent my time wisely by not going to Social Media Club meetings, mostly because they did not exist. I did not spend my time wisely when I dawdled for over an hour in Second Life before I realized it was more useless than a screen door in a submarine. I spent a significant amount of time this summer doing virtually nothing but observing nature, and found how gloriously productive that can be.

3) What difference did we make to people's lives?

How do you ever know? You do the best you can moment to moment and you hope that in the end, whenever that is, it amounts to something to somebody. How do you know? I wish that collectively we could stop a war and save lives and end suffering, disease and violent division. Maybe next year.

4) How is this year going to be different from all other years?

I have a strong feeling, praise the grand rebbe, that this will be the most spectacular of years, when many years of pent-up possibilities flourish and are given life. There is no limit this year.

From all of us at Strumpette, L'shana tova tikatevu (May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for Good).

We've had a lot of feedback lately about our "creativity." Hmmmmm... we try to be fun. We try to entertain. And in the midst of all that, we hope to leave you with something to think about. I guess in PR that makes us somewhat unique.

A reader gave us a great compliment last week: "Amanda my dear, you crack me up; only on Strumpette.com can you find an entire write-up dedicated to Rich Jernstedt's hair." That article had followed a tribute to one of the more creative people the PR business has ever known, Aaron Cushman. THE POINT: PR seems to have gone from a strategic creative business to mere vanity services.

Anyway, here's a little creative interlude. Do you remember when the most important part of the creative-brainstorming session was the group walk to Oak Street Beach, the visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art, or the cocktail at the 95th? Here's a little homage to that.

What follows is a fun little java applet. Use you cursor to draw a simple line and watch what happens. It a Rorschach on steroids! Imagine. What do you see?

EDITOR'S NOTE: We'd like to thank our friend Marcus Graf for the applet.

Marcus is with EJR-Quartz and serves as the multimedia editor for the European Space Agency. He heads development of a broad range of interactive features for ESA's science missions.

If you are interested in seeing more of his applets, visit www.florito.net.

Strumpette Formally Endorses Shrimpton

We are please to announce our formal endorsement of Willis Shrimpton for The London Paper's Pet of the Year.

Willis, a Dutch lop-eared bunny owned by Sally-Anne Shrimpton, Director and Co-Founder of UK-based Boudoir PR, is in the fight of his career. As of the moment, only "the Bengal Sisters," Mimi and Uma, stand between him and the finals.

Willis said: "I feel pretty good. I've faired pretty well against cats in the past. The key is to just not get caught up in all the hissing and spitting."

Amanda Chapel, Managing Editor of Strumpette, said: "We, of course, are pretty careful about whom we chose to support. We think Willis has the right stuff. We are totally aligned with his positions on Health Care, Iraq, and Gay Marriage. As Pet of the Year, we believe that he'll send a powerful message to Parliament and help get the job done."

Voting is open until Monday, August 20, 8 AM BST. To show your support, visit the London Paper: Pet of the Month or text PETA to 88855 (texts cost 25p plus standard network extras).

Editor's Note: Established in 2003 by Sally-Anne Shrimpton and Tavy Mogridge, Boudoir PR is a boutique agency specializing in beauty, fashion, sports, accessory, celebrity and lifestyle PR.

Is all PR spin? NO! Well, then how do we untangle ourselves from that the negative characterization?

How 'bout we make a distinction. PR certainly is hyperbole. ABSOLUTELY! Nothing wrong with "the world's leading." Frankly, money, sex and a little exaggeration make the world go round.

On the other hand...

Spin is a pejorative term implying disingenuous, deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics. Politicians are often accused of spin by commentators and political opponents, when they produce a counter argument or position. The term is borrowed from ball sports such as cricket, where a spin bowler may impart spin on the ball during a delivery so that it will curve through the air or bounce in an advantageous manner. The techniques of "spin" include: skirting, obfuscation, ambiguity and non-denial denials.

So... what's wrong with that? As Ronn Torossian and others in the industry would say variously, "everyone deserves representation in the court of public opinion." Well, the fundamental problem is that hyperbole is fact-based and spin is an illusion. Actually, "spin" is an illusion that carries contradiction. Bottom line: it's a lie.

Here below is a visual reminder. Watch the dancer spin. At the first glance, the silhouette is spinning clockwise; but then watch her change direction. [TIP: Look down and concentrate on the shadow, and then slowly move your eyes upward.]

Something to think about.