Earthquake Afterschlock

Not even a major earthquake could damage Southern California’s publicity infrastructure. Some of the highlights from the past week:

* A San Fernando Valley health food specialist announced a plant-derived remedy is available for “post-earthquake stress” that she claims works because “people just stop being frightened, and they will feel much, much better.”

* Woodland Hills-based 20th Century Insurance Co. announced “casual dress is appropriate” for its employees.

The company later updated its apparel edict with a bulletin saying casual dress is all right at four offices, but other locations “are requested to observe the company’s normal business attire requirements.”

* A Calabasas mortgage company invited photographers to snap pictures of employees using hair dryers to blow hot air on water-soaked documents.

* In a “Make My Day”-like boast, Pacific Bell said, “Three days after staring down Southern California’s most serious earthquake, Pacific Bell’s network is offering Angelenos a detour around collapsed freeways and buckled roads.”

Art of the ‘Huh?’

Nearly lost amid all of the earthquake news last week was the disclosure by New York developer/newlywed Donald Trump that he won’t bid on the Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas.

Trump had been expected to bid on the hotel, but passed, saying the price would be too high.

In justifying his decision, Trump was quoted in one interview as saying: “Now with the earthquake, people stop going to Las Vegas. Maybe I turned out to be right.”

Foot in La Bouche

One of the bigger earthquake-related gaffes was made by Daniel Toscan du Plantier. He’s a French government official active in his nation’s film industry, which has been battling Hollywood over restrictions on American movies shown in France.

According to French press accounts, Toscan du Plantier made light of the earthquake when he said: “And now with the earthquake that’s hitting Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley, where numerous studios can be found, one knows that God, who rarely reveals himself, is at work. And he’s chosen his side.”

The accounts add that an embarrassed Toscan du Plantier hurried to retract his comments after the media reported them.

Other News

Not all news was earthquake related. Some of the morsels that may have escaped public attention last week included a disclosure by the Quaker Oats Co. that it sold 5.7 million pounds of oatmeal in one week during the deep freeze in the Midwest and East. Quaker said that was up 60% from early January.

Then, Tiffany & Co. announced it has finished working on the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy.

Finally, the Pest Control Operators of California announced a training program to get ready for what may well turn out to be California’s next the natural disaster--the invasion of “killer” bees.

One group official said “fighting killer bees is a whole new ball of wax.”