From Playlist Magazine:

Microsoft’s forthcoming digital music player, dubbed Zune, may make some Hebrew speakers gasp. The name for the device—which will take on the Apple iPod when released later this year—sounds like a vulgarity, specifically the “f” word, in Hebrew…

…Microsoft breaks the controversy down to pronunciation. “While we do acknowledge the similarity in pronunciation to Hebrew zi-yun, that is not the intended meaning of the name Zune,” according to a Microsoft statement. Bloggers have picked up on the difference—one humorously writing that if you say Zune to rhyme with iTunes, out pops the profanity.

Buck, cluck, chuck, yuk, muck, puck, pluck, luck and truck all sound very similar to the “f” word, but the point is they are not the “f” word. There is nothing to this “controversy”, except that it gets Zune talked and written about. And Microsoft should be thrilled to be even accused of having a connection with a physical act that is natural and pleasurable. How often is that going to happen?

A few years ago Buick ran into a similar problem, albeit a direct hit, and changed the name of their Lacrosse model for the Canadian market.

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It’s “National Character Counts Week”, and it runs from October 15th to the 21st. According to a presidential proclamation issued in the afternoon of Friday, October 13, 2006, we are all to hold ceremonies, celebrations, barbeques, etc in observance of said week. And “National Character Counts Week” is to be observed and explained throughout the public school system. From the official White House website:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 15 through October 21, 2006, as National Character Counts Week.

I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, parents, students, and all Americans to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Yes, zero days to prepare festivities is quite short notice, but you can’t always count on some character to give you a week to prepare.

So stop procrastinating and throw something together. Clearly, this is meant to be important.

Lately, a lot of U.S. cities and states have jumped on the slogan bandwagon in attempts to duplicate the successes of New York’s “I Love N.Y.”, Texas’ “It’s Like a Whole Other Country” and Las Vegas’ “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas”. Here are some of the results of recent destination branding efforts:

Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit
Wichita: We Got the Goods
Ohio: Build Your Business. Love your Life
Kansas: As Big As You Think
Baltimore: Get In On It
Utah: Life Elevated
Washington State: SayWA
Wisconsin: Like No Place On Earth
Maryland: More Than You Can Imagine
Colorado: Enter A Higher State

San Francisco has taken a different tack, hoping to promote the city to straight men the world over with an incredibly effective viral web campaign called “S.F. Boogie Down“. Genius.