July 1, 2008Who knew journalists were so popular?
There was a poster on the counter showing some of the stamps available, and one set caught my eye. My turn came to approach. "I'd like a set of the journalist stamps," I said. "I'm sorry, we sold out," the postal worker replied. She went on to explain that not only had they sold out here, the postal service had sold out entirely and wasn't making any more. Who knew journalists were so popular?
June 27, 2008And there's no free lunch anymore, eitherFrequent-flier hassle No. 5 billion, 800 million, 799 thousand ... well, you get the point. "In the latest fee to hit the airline industry, Delta Air Lines said Friday that it planned to begin charging a fuel surcharge of up to $50 for booking frequent-flier tickets under its awards program. "Delta is not the first airline to charge a fee for previously free tickets, but it is specifically attributing the step to the soaring cost of jet fuel." At least this time I can feel their pain. June 26, 2008What's dot?Icann is thinking about expanding the Internet's addressing system, so that all those familiar designations that follow the dot -- .com, .gov, .net -- would be joined by hundreds or even thousands of new domain name suffixes. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers was considering new guidelines today that soon would make it easier to propose new names, in English and in other languages, because of growing demand worldwide for easy-to-remember Web addresses. The change might even allow a Bulgarian address in Cyrillic script, AP reports. And why not? It is big worldwide web, after all. June 24, 2008As American as it gets
We will soon head into the All Star break. Judging by the standings it will be the biggest game the Yankees will host this season. To celebrate, Major League Baseball has taken patriotism to a new level of tackiness. Check out these commemorative All-Star Statues on Parade which can be yours for the low, low price of $24.99. With 41 of these babies to choose from, the decision might prove difficult. Guess which one I want. Think for that price they'll throw in an apple pie? Rocco has class
Then someone like NBC announcer Johnny Miller opens his big mouth and says something stupid.
Mediate, whose sense of humor and easy-going demeanor won over a lot of fans, shrugged it off.
People who get worked up by every little verbal slight could learn a lot from that. June 23, 2008America's nondogmatic faithfulThe Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has released a new report on the findings of its survey on religion and American life, taken between May 8 and Aug. 13, 2007. The first report, released in February, focused on Americans' religious affiliations. This second report supplies data on core religious beliefs and practices plus the social and political views of people who identify themselves as belonging to various religions in the U.S. and of people who aren't affiliated with any particular religion. Some interesting stuff. More than half of Americans say religion is very important in their lives -- no surprise there. But I was glad to see that, overheated rhetoric aside, most Americans have a nondogmatic approach to faith and that this is true in nearly all faith traditions. For example, 70 percent of the 35,000 Americans surveyed who are affiliated with a religion agreed with the statement: "Many religions can lead to eternal life." When broken down by faith, majorities of Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu believers agreed. In only two faiths listed did minorities hold this view: Mormons (39 percent) and Jehovah's Witnesses (16 percent). The same pattern held true for the statement: "There is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion." June 20, 2008Listen up out there, music piratesBad news today for college students sharing music illegally over the Internet. The Virginian-Pilot reports that a federal judge in Norfolk this morning granted a recording industry request to subpoena the names of 20 William and Mary students whom the industry group wants to sue, accusing them of copyright infringement for illegally sharing music online. The industry group knows the students only by their IP addresses. W&M likely will have to reveal their names. The industry has sent pre-litigation settlement letters to thousands of students on campuses nationwide, including Virginia Tech, VMI and UVa as well as William and Mary in Virginia. Students who are guilty and want to fess up can identify themselves and settle up. Seven have at William and Mary, and have paid $3,000 to $5,000 to the industry. June 16, 2008Peace, RoccoA brief diversion into the world of sports. If you missed it yesterday, Rooco Mediate tied Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open at Torey Pines. They will play an 18-hole tie-breaker today. It was an exciting Sunday afternoon watching these two (and Lee Westwood) battle to the last hole. Mediate ranks 157th in the world. Woods ranks 1st. I'd be rooting for Mediate anyway, but yesterday he made it all the easier. He was relaxed and having a good time on the course. He wasn't throwing clubs, like Woods. The clincher, however, was his keen sense of style. I couldn't believe it when I first saw it on television: Mediate sported a peace sign belt buckle yesterday.
June 10, 2008Webb on The Daily ShowVirginia's Sen. Jim Webb was on The Daily Show last night. He talked a lot about college funding for veterans. Watch for the Jon Stewart "Please say something" hand signal near the beginning.
More entertainingly, Stephen Colbert, a South Carolina native, took on the Confederate flag during The Wørd. June 9, 2008Driving while elderlyThis story in the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star about an elderly woman who received notice that the Department of Motor Vehicles was suspending her driving privileges raises some interesting questions. Apparently, people can remain anonymous in reporting that someone is unfit to drive and the license is revoked. The woman must go through extensive, and expensive, testing to try and get it reinstated. The story indicates Virginians are usually given 15 days to react to such a letter before suspension. I recall, years ago, a neighbor, suffering from dementia and nearly blind, who refused to give up his car keys. He was often spotted "driving" around town with his poodle helping him steer. In the interest of safety, I suppose quick revocations help to keep some drivers off the road who should have voluntarily moved to the passenger seat. But it seems as though the law could also be abused. June 6, 2008Pay to fly - by the pound
Fake ads. That's an interesting way to boost media credibility. June 3, 2008UVa student's video game would end religionThis is going to be fun. By which I mean the reaction, not the game itself. I reserve judgment on the latter until I get a chance to play it.
June 2, 2008Conservative studiesCrispin Sartwell who teaches philosophy at Dickinson College wrote a recent op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, "The smog of academic consensus," about the University of Colorado's plan to endow a professorship of conservative studies. Our conservative friends will find much to cheer in Sartwell's essay. However, I couldn't help but wonder what those of you who vehemently oppose women's studies and minority studies think of conservative studies, especially if state funding were involved. May 27, 2008In Arizona, payday lenders never say dieArizona is set to shut down the payday lending industry in 2010. But the industry is fighting back. An Arizona Republic story explains how an industry-backed group called Arizonans for Financial Reform are trying to get enough signatures together to put an initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot that would keep payday lenders in operation in exchange for chipping $2.65 off the $17.65 per $100 fee now charged, plus other reforms. A big difference over the payday lending reforms that Virginia lawmakers passed this year is that those proposed in Arizona are comprehensible. Necessary, I suppose, if an unpopular industry is to win over voters. Barbie v. Bratz
Bratz, with their sassy clothes and attitude, fell off the shelf faster than Barbie. Problem is Barbie's company Mattel might actually own the intellectual property rights to Bratz. Seems Bryant was Mattel's employee. He claims he came up with the Bratz idea while on a hiatus from the company. Mattel claims he was on the job when he designed it and when he sold it to MGA Entertainment Inc. A court case began today in Los Angeles to sort out the doll wars. My prediction: Barbie takes all. May 22, 2008Pulaski County does a turn as Anywhere USA"Hamburger Row" on U.S. 11 in Pulaski County shows up in The Washington Post, e-mail edition, as an illustration of the temptations of fast food and its "super-sizing" effects on American children. Well, there's no such thing as bad publicity, I suppose. May 21, 2008Flying just got more infuriatingAs if cramped seating, higher ticket prices and the growing inconvenience of canceled flights and lost luggage are not enough to make people dread flying, American Airlines says it's going to start charging some passengers $15 to check their first bag. Occasional travelers might be surprised to learn the major airlines already are charging to check more than one bag. They'll be watching how customers react to American's new policy. If passengers take the news calmly, we can expect other major carriers to follow suit. I predict increasingly desperate efforts to cram huge suitcases into small overhead carry-on bins, plus lots of territorial jostling. No extra charge for the show. I suppose I shouldn't complain. American also said it's going to take as many as 85 aircraft out of its fleet -- jets and commuter planes -- by the end of the year. Delta and US Airways also are cutting their fleets. The New York Times reports today that almost 30 U.S. cities have lost scheduled air service in the last year. The only thing worse than the lousy air service that has become the industry norm is no air service at all. Google puts the news where it happens
May 12, 2008It gets lonely in BaghdadWhat's one of the big threats to the modern, digital military? EMP weapons? The blue screen of death? Hackers? According the Tom Ricks' Inbox at the Washington Post, for the soldiers occupying Iraq, it's their love of porn. Those bootleg DVDs are rife with viruses. If soldiers are enjoying pirated media, will the RIAA and MPAA be slapping them with lawsuits soon? May 8, 2008Missing link?
Those who doubt the theory of evolution often point to the absence of the "missing link" between two species. Have you taken a look at a platypus lately? According to The New York Times, researchers have finished mapping the genome of the platypus, and they found a combination of mammalian and reptilian DNA. “What is unique about the platypus is that it has retained a large overlap between two very different classifications, while later mammals lost the features of reptiles,” said Wesley C. Warren, a geneticist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis I'm no scientist, but that sounds kind of like a missing link to me. May 7, 2008Architect of Tech's River Course honored
Virginia Tech and UVa's scholar-athletes
May 6, 2008The governor gets YouTubeIt's not an indie rock video. It's not a lightsaber duel. He's certainly not the ninja. But Gov. Tim Kaine has his own YouTube channel. Come to think of it, the governor in a lightsaber duel could be pretty cool. May 2, 2008The U.S. continues to fall behind on broadbandThe Information Technology & Innovation Foundation has a report on the United States' continued poor showing when it comes to broadband performance and accessibility. America ranks 15th out of 30 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations. South Korea tops the list, followed by Japan, Finland, the Netherlands and France. Iceland came in 8th. At least we're ahead of Poland. Recall that Southwest Virginia ranked dead last in broadband penetration in a recent study. We're in last place in an at best middling nation on digital connectivity. The research found in the United States:
The speed and cost are particularly shameful. South Koreans download stuff 10 times faster. Japanese even faster. And the price? Nearly eight times South Korea's. The executive summary and full report details some ideas about why America ranks so low and what needs to be done. Is America hopelessly falling behind in the information era? Clinton and Obama head to the DerbyDemocratic presidential underdog Hillary Clinton has made a pick in this weekend's Kentucky Derby. The only woman in the race picked the only female horse, a filly named Eight Belles. She's urging her supporters to bet on Eight Belles to win, place and show.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama has backed Colonel John to win, Pyro to place and Big Brown to show. He's going for the trifecta! It seems like on picking the winner, the odds favor Obama. Colonel John is 5-1 while Eight Belles is paying 16-1. Sound off on open government
This month's topic: Check out the official Web site for all of the details. May 1, 2008Maybe MADD should focus on real drunk drivers
Grownups can tell the difference between an interactive story and real life, just like they can tell the difference in movies, music and other forms of entertainment. You know what? So can teens. If anything, MADD should praise the game. When you get behind the wheel drunk, the screen blurs and the controls are more difficult to use. There's no real life "I'm OK to drive" illusion. The effects of alcohol are plain. April 17, 2008Roanoke College needs a new mascotRoanoke College is looking for a new mascot. They aren't doing away with their beloved Maroons, which has served the school well for a century. No, what they want is the physical embodiment of Maroon, something that can dance on the sidelines. Here's how the school put it in an e-mail sent to alumni: After 100 years of being the Roanoke College Maroons, it's time to find one. Now a school could be boring about all this and do a search and come up with something nifty. But Roanoke College recognized it as a chance to have some fun. Check out the mascot search Web site for some hilarious audition videos. You'll want to go to the last page of the entries and work your way back to see all of them. Don't miss The Rationalist, the Klingon, and of course Agatha, Princess of the night. The Maroon Mascot is even looking for friends on Facebook. What do you think the mascot should be? Can anyone identify the four judges? 
April 10, 2008Check out the International Space Station
April 9, 2008Honeybees vs. cell phonesFinally some good news for cell phone lovers. They're dangerous in cars. They cause brain cancer. They interfere with pacemakers. Sheesh. The litany of rumors and bad science never seems to end. Now, at least, there's one less complaint. The bees, scientists think, aren't actually dying off from cell phones as the paranoids had claimed. "And when we go, nature will start over, with the bees, probably." April 8, 2008A thug in actionDon Blankenship, head of Massey Coal (headquartered in Richmond) confronts an ABC reporter in this amazing video. Blankenship poured a huge amount of money ($3.5 million) into a recent West Virginia Supreme Court race. The justice he helped elect, Brent Benjamin, refused to recuse himself from a case brought by Massey, instead casting the deciding vote to overturn a $70 million judgment against Blankenship's company. (Sometimes I miss West Virginia. For an editorial writer, it was a target-rich environment.) ABC has more on the story here (Hat tip to AP reporter Lawrence Messina.)
March 31, 2008Golf and politics
Golf Digest has released its annual list of the 200 best political golfers in Washington. The handicap rankings reveal some interesting things.
(photo from warner.senate.gov) March 21, 2008There's going to be a run on Peeps!The early Easter got you down? Don't blame the calendar makers. The story mentions the table for Paschal Full Moons, which, not surprisingly, have little to do with reality. See the table here. 
March 20, 2008George Allen's NCAA bracketOver at Wonkette, they mine the NCAA bracket George Allen uploaded to his blog for its comic value: "Former Virginia Sen. George 'Macaca' Allen filled out an NCAA Tournament bracket, and it is pretty, and he will share it with the world! Allen, however, is incapable of performing even the simplest tasks without being comical. He predicts #5 seed Notre Dame will beat #12 George Mason, but that is way too politically risky for his already destroyed political career in Virginia. So he scribbles in the margin, 'tho for George Mason,' so you know where his heart is." There's more than one Hillary?"It was incorrectly reported in Tuesday’s Tribune Chronicle that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton answered questions from voters in a local congressman’s office. "Reporter John Goodall, who was assigned to the story, spoke by telephone with Hillary Wicai Viers, who is a communications director in U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson’s staff. According to the reporter, when Viers answered the phone with ‘‘This is Hillary,’’ he believed he was speaking with the Democratic presidential candidate, who had made several previous visits to the Mahoning Valley. "The quotes from Viers were incorrectly attributed to Clinton." (Hat tip to Wonkette.) March 13, 2008"I'm tired of being treated like a number"Virgin Mobile gets points for being the first to exploit Client #9's situation for profit:
(Hat Tip to Wonkette) March 11, 2008Outlaw anonymous commentsThat's what one Kentucky lawmaker wants to do, anyway. How long until a Virginia lawmaker introduces similar legislation here? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I'm working in Roanoke today and strolled to the downtown post office to buy some stamps at lunch. The machine was broken, so I stood in line and went to the counter.
I tried to fall back on the 
War, floods, gay marriage, gas prices, food prices, heat waves, hail, grade-point averages and now, Radmacher for President. Enough with the serious stuff.
Here's a 
Carter Bryant was an absolute genius when he designed what would become the Bratz doll.
(Marketing Magazine)