Spin of the Day: April 28, 2006

April 28, 2006

Too Little of a Good Thing

Hastert switching cars
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert switching from a hydrogen car to his SUV

The Raw Story reports that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert just couldn't wait to get back into his SUV after a photo op and short ride in a hydrogen car. After expressing their outrage at skyrocketing gas prices, Hastert and several congressional colleagues left the Washington DC gas station to return to the Hill, which was just blocks away. But instead of finishing the trip in the hydrogen car or, dare we say, walking the rest of the way, Hastert made a quick pit stop to hop into his SUV. The Associated Press, which caught the Speaker mid-switch, reported that he was not the only one to change vehicles, but did not name other names.


The Flacks Are Coming, the Flacks Are Coming!

Weber Shandwick Worldwide, one of the world's largest PR firms, has announced a significant expansion into Eastern and Central Europe. It has opened new offices in Poland, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and added affiliate offices in Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Shandwick's partner in these efforts is McCann WorldGroup, which is, along with Shandwick, a subsidiary of the InterPublic Group. This is in addition to their existing presence in Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Russia, and Ukraine. "We have expanded our reach across Europe to better serve our clients through increased collaboration and the sharing of best practices," said Harris Diamond, chief executive officer of Weber Shandwick. "For international clients, this expansion offers a broader geographic footprint covering areas where they see growth opportunities. And local clients in these markets will now have access to one of the world's leading communications networks."