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A few casual observations on weekend "It" girls Chelsea Clinton and Oprah Winfrey who hit the campaign trails of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, respectively.

Chelsea has grown into a striking young woman. Brains, too. An undergraduate degree in History from Stanford University and a graduate degree in international relations from Oxford (and I'm not talking Ole Miss). She works for a hedge fund in New York. Man, that kid has grown up, which means I guess the rest of us are getting old.

Folks love Oprah. I can't say I'm a groupie, but Oprah's cool. But poor woman. She's taking hits for her campaign cadence, particularly at her stop Sunday when she spoke to a mostly black audience in South Carolina.

One reader called it her "hood" language. I wouldn't go that far. Sure, she was dropping a few "g's" as in "amazin' grace" or "er's" as in "togetha." The woman, however, was not speaking Ebonics. She lapsed into a preacher-like dialect and cadence.

Shoot, Hillary did the same thing in Montgomery, Ala., early this year when she affected a subtle southern accent. The woman is from Chicago, for goodness sakes. Barack lapsed into the preacha (oops, there I go!) tone when he spoke to a black congregation in Montgomery. I'm sure he didn't sound like that when he spoke before the Economic Club in Detroit early this year where club members include the head of General Motors.

I think most people -- black, white, Hispanic, Irish, Jamaican -- adjust their cadence, speech or tone, depending on where they are or whom they are speaking.

More than 20 years ago, my old roommate was Jamaican. Ordinarily, she had absolutely no accent. But when she spoke to kin, that lilt came out. She wasn't putting on. It was just natural.

I want to hear from you guys. Whaddya think? Was Ofrey (as I affectionately call her) putting on or do we all at one time or another lapse into different tones, accents, dialects, rhythms when we speak? You tell me.

The City Market Building is a dump.

Everyone knows it, and good thing it's on the radar screen again. Maybe something will get done.

This time of year, the historic red brick building will see a boost in foot traffic because of holiday activities downtown.

However, a visit to the market building -- with its filthy carpet, dim lighting, rickety toilet seats in the ladies room and smeared waste in the men's room -- would dampen even Santa's holiday spirit.

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My colleague Neil Harvey said, "Freedom of speech is very important. One of the reasons it's important is so you can see who the jackasses are."

His comment came during our conversation about the insensitive, immature pinheads at Penn State who thought they were being funny dressing up as Tech shooting victims. I won't call insensitive, immature pinheads "jackasses" as Harvey did but I won't let them off the hook, either.

They are callous, and immaturity is behind their callousness and excruciatingly poor judgment. When I read about their stunt, a story in Monday's paper was still fresh in my mind: They're young and don't think about consequences because the frontal lobes of their brains are underdeveloped.

Thus my use of the word, "pinheads."

Man, the layoffs at Volvo are an all-too-real reminder of how the economy hits home. I feel badly every time another manufacturing job is lost because a furniture or textile plant closes in Southside. But I guess the Volvo thing was extra pointed because it's part of the once-proud auto industry. As a native of Flint, Mich., I fully appreciate the up-and-down cycles of auto production and the havoc they can wreak.

Is it me or does Michael Newdow have too much time on his hands?

The California atheist was back in court this week, pleading with the federal appeals court to dump the "under God" references from the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency.

He said the references disrespect his religious beliefs. Ummm, this is an instance where I'll agree with the Bush administration. The pledge ain't no prayer. It's an oath at best, and for many Americans, one that falls far short of being heartfelt.

As for the money, if Newdow is so offended by it, he can stop spending (wasting) it filing his frivolous lawsuits.

Like a cup of hot chocolate on a late fall afternoon, Johnnetta Cole is warm and inviting.

The distinguished former president of Spelman College in Atlanta and Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., has a way of connecting with people that makes them realize she's one of them. And that we're all in this -- the betterment of people -- together.

"My sisters all," the eminent educator and humanitarian said in a greeting Wednesday afternoon at a luncheon of the Roanoke Women's Foundation at the Maridor Bed & Breakfast. Then in her powerful yet affable voice, Cole noted the "few righteous brothers with us."

Cole's acknowledgement to the three men wasn't just a speaker's ploy but a nod to her lifetime of teaching and living the values of diversity and inclusion.

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You might believe that parents separated from their kids might do a little extra during the holidays. They'd want their offspring well fed, in warm clothes against the cold. And that either because of parental love or guilt that they're absent, the child would have plenty under the tree on Christmas.

In many cases you would be 100 percent wrong.

Instead, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services, some folks purposely skip paying child support in November and December. They know the state will intercept their tax refunds early next year. So in their selfish little minds, parents count on children getting the support. Just not now.

Merry Christmas, kid.

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