| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008 9:23 am |
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• Gas pumps feel the pain, too May 12 • A brief pause May 12 • Microsoft doesn't get mad; it gets even May 11 • Will suspension improve Sexson's batting average? May 10 • Perverts can't fool Facebook anymore May 9 |
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Priming the pump: Some mom-and-pop gas stations in rural areas say their old-style pumps aren't able to handle prices above $3.99 a gallon. That's OK; neither are most drivers. Banana seat optional: No doubt fears of $4-a-gallon gas have something to do with it, but bicycles are now a more popular option for running errands and commuting. The Herald's Sarah Jackson shows us the friendly features of the Electra Bike Co.'s Townie casual cycle. We hope bike makers have improved their marketing savvy since the '70s, when Young Buzz got his first three-speed Sears Free Spirit bike for his 13th birthday and rode with pride until he learned that Free Spirit was the same name given a line of bras. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Kiaphila: A biologist and music fan has named a newly discovered species of trapdoor spider, Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi, for the legendary folk rock singer. Usually, The Buzz is pretty well-versed in rock music, but we haven't the slightest idea who Myrme Kiaphila is, unless he was the drummer for Earth, Wind and Fire. ... [Read More]
E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! A brief pause If you felt something tremble Sunday afternoon, don't worry. It was just the planet momentarily ceasing to turn when the Mariners finally won a game. If this win doesn't turn into a streak, the M's should consider visiting a local man with a huge collection of "Back to the Future" memorabilia. Maybe they'll get some ideas on how to build a time machine to take them back to their 116-win season. The average price for a gallon of unleaded gas in the Puget Sound region now clocks in around $3.78. Too bad automakers haven't figured out how to build a car that runs on the gallons of tears being shed at the pump. Be aware of bears: A bear group offers tips for making your yard less attractive to the animals. Among the suggestions: Keep your grill clean, because bears love barbecues. Sure, they're fun to have at the party at first, but once they've had enough beer and s'mores, it's impossible to get them to leave. An Idaho woman is looking for the recipe to the delicious hamburger gravy she ate at her Seattle-area schools in the '50s and '60s. Regrettably, we can't help her. Our best memory of cafeteria gravy is of using it to play practical jokes in science class. ... [Read More]
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Microsoft doesn't get mad; it gets even Microsoft is plotting its next move after being rebuffed by Yahoo. Analysts say there's no easy way for Microsoft to cut into Google's business, but they don't know about the never-say-die attitude in Redmond. For starters, the next version of Internet Explorer won't recognize Web addresses with two straight O's in them. And Google execs can forget about counting their money in Excel. Microsoft is never going to let it calculate bajillions of dollars. "American Idol" is cracking down on the father of finalist David Archuleta. Dad was meddling too much during rehearsals, so now he's banned. It seems a little harsh. Paula Abdul keeps saying crazy things, too, but they haven't banned her from the martini bar. A lot of people are carrying too much debt, so there's a campaign to help them cut down. The idea is to do a national campaign in the same spirit as anti-smoking efforts. Sure, they can try surgeon general's warnings in the fine print of credit card bills, but they've got a steep hill to climb. People still think debt makes them look cool. And it still feels good to light up a cash register after sex. ... [Read More]
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Will suspension improve Sexson's batting average? How about those fightin' Mariners? Richie Sexson got a six-game suspension for starting a brawl in Thursday's game against Texas. Actually, he got one game for fighting and five for looking ridiculous when he threw his helmet at the Rangers' pitcher. Sexson did manage to barrel into the pitcher, leaving most Mariners fans pretty impressed. They had forgotten what it's like to see someone in an M's uniform hit anything very hard. Speaking of hitting things, what a nice 100th birthday for bowler Fred Vogt of Edmonds. And it looks like he can still bowl a score as high as his age. There's at least one man running for president who can't even do that -- everyone saw Barack Obama's infamous 37. And no one's sure if John McCain can bowl his age, but we do know he'd have to string a few strikes together. An Arkansas woman is close to realizing every mother's dream: having enough children to field two entire baseball teams. Child No. 18 is on the way to the Duggar family. You may have seen the Duggars' household in a series on the Discovery Health channel. Or you may have seen it in your worst nightmares. ... [Read More]
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Perverts can't fool Facebook anymore Facebook is introducing new protections to keep the perverts out. Apparently, just asking "Are you a pervert?" on the membership questionnaire wasn't good enough. Now there will be more than 40 new safeguards. Some highlights among the new questions: No. 3. Are you, or have you ever been, a big fan of Pee Wee Herman? No. 14. Is your middle name Earl? No. 18. Are you a senator from Idaho? No. 19. Are you a congressman from Florida? No. 23. Have you ever appeared in The Herald's Fugitive Watch? No. 36. When you're chatting online, how long should you wait before asking for dirty pictures? A woman writes to Dear Abby today to complain about a suspected gold digger. She says the woman in question is 20 years younger than her wealthy fiance and was seen waving his credit card around, saying "look what I've got." Abby says she's right, but they're not really seeing both sides of this thing. They haven't seen her fiance driving her around on the golf course, saying "look what I've got." ... [Read More]
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Visa, Las Vegas Michelle Singletary is no fan of credit cards. Today she likens them to gambling in Las Vegas, because the house always wins. And the similarities don't stop there. In Vegas, you can wake up after a wild night with a long-term commitment: marriage. With credit cards, you can wake up with an even longer commitment: a big pile of debt. In Vegas, if you gamble more than you can afford, you end up dancing somewhere, wearing next to nothing to pay back the money. With credit cards, you end up taking a second job as a barista, wearing next to nothing to pay back the money. And in Vegas, you can't walk the street without being offered a disgusting flier for an escort service. With credit cards, it's even worse: You can't reach into your mailbox without finding a disgusting offer for another card. Just like the house in Vegas, the oil companies always win. Oil futures rose to another new record high, which likely means gas prices will go even higher. For those of us who aren't oil executives, it's like a bad trip to the casino tables. We keep betting on 7, but the dice are rigged so all we can roll is craps. ... [Read More]
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Ice cream and doughnuts Irvine Robbins, a co-founder of Baskin-Robbins, has died. Assuming Mr. Robbins frequently enjoyed his company's products, one aspect of his passing is good news for us ice cream lovers: He lived to the age of 90. Also from the Confectionery Dept.: If you crave doughnuts but fear deep fryers, we've got a recipe for baked doughnuts. You'll have to buy a special doughnut-shaped baking tin. Hmmm, doughnuts baked in tins … Wait a minute: Aren't those muffins? For the first time since World War II, the government proposes to conserve precious metals and make coins out of steel instead of copper, zinc and nickel. Could victory gardens and salvage drives for scrap rubber be coming soon? Forget about it: Folks sacrificed during WWII. We're supposed to go shopping. In Livermore, Calif., there's a light bulb that has burned continuously since 1901. In other news about things that never stop, across the United States there's a race for the Democratic presidential nomination that seems like it's been going on since 1901. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated? Sorry, Avril Lavigne fans: The singer has had to postpone her concert in Everett because of laryngitis. This is disappointing. But not nearly as disappointing as the fact that laryngitis didn't postpone Milli Vanilli's entire career. If you're expecting, author Heather Maclean has come up with a list of things to have on hand when the baby arrives, such as a car seat, bottles and a swaddling blanket. However, she seems to have left one important thing off the list: adoring grandparents willing to change diapers of an alarming nature. An Illinois man loves Pabst Blue Ribbon so much that he had a coffin specially made to look like a Pabst beer can. Some people will no doubt consider this tasteless -- much like PBR. Portland, Ore., is enjoying heaps of praise for just about everything these days, making it the teacher's pet of cities. Unfortunately, no one will play with Portland at recess anymore. The city is known for an abundance of two things: rain and microbreweries. Portland can't be that great, though -- the city hasn't yet figured out how to make it rain beer. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
In praise of the yurt Here we come a-yurting, among the leaves so green: We're excited to hear the county is planning a new yurt village, because we love to be out in nature, as long as we don't have to get any of it on us. We also love the word "yurt" and can think of countless other ways it could be used if it weren't already the name of a kind of tent. For instance, it could be: The name of a large sandwich. For maximum enjoyment, try eating your yurt with a side of kumquats. The next hip product from Apple. Once you've got an iBook, an iPod and an iPhone, you clearly need an iYurt to carry them all around. A new slang term, e.g., "Dude, those suspenders are so yurt." We leave it to you to decide whether that's a good thing. Despite a tirade from their manager a day earlier, the Mariners lost their fifth straight game Sunday, an 8-2 defeat by the Yankees. In related news, Mill Creek is offering to provide trash pickers and garbage bags to anyone willing to help clean up roads and trails. While you're out there, see if you can pick up enough shreds of the M's talent to help them win a game. ... [Read More]
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Outfoxing the animals Scientists are sending in robotic squirrels, lizards and birds to help them understand animals’ mating rituals and other behavior. Too bad they can’t use the same technique to figure out how human courtship works. It would save everyone else the trouble — and the Internet dating bills. If you, too, are interested in animal behavior, consider visiting a game park. For $25, you can take a hike with a guide, offering you the rare chance to find out how an elephant or a rhino behaves when it’s chasing you toward the nearest tree. Use big words and don’t betray the family. A convicted mob boss is using his letters from prison to expand his 7-year-old son’s vocabulary, filling them with the sort of haughty words normally found on standardized tests. He’ll know his efforts have paid off when his son starts sending e-mails that say, “U R so sagacious, LOL!” Some computer virus writers are so proud of their work that it comes with a license threatening penalties for distributing their code without permission. Next thing you know, they’ll be trying to take their stock public. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Take us to your seven-member board of commissioners A Denver man wants the city to establish an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission that would handle any problems that might follow a close encounter of the bureaucratic kind. You laugh now, but wait until the Mordebians of Krolack 5 demand to know why we haven't filed taxes with the Intergalactic Revenue Service for the last 8,000 years. Gotta have tunes, bro: Three Stanwood High School students have built a barge that uses wave action to generate electricity. The teens will know they've succeeded when they generate enough energy to power the barge's stereo system. You should see the fish hook: The giant Palouse earthworm, a 3-foot-long worm found beneath Washington state's rolling Palouse hills, may actually have a larger range; the worm may have been found in Leavenworth. But some scientists suspect they may have found a unique species. While both worms are known to drink large amounts of beer, the Palouse earthworm wears Cougar sweatshirts, while the one found in Leavenworth was dressed in lederhosen. ... [Read More]
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I'm feeling a little dizzy As if "Alice in Wonderland" isn't trippy enough already, now it's being performed on stage, with a 3-D set and black lights. Sounds like a good time, but you probably don't want to go to see it under the influence of anything stronger than ginger ale. You might never find a way out of the rabbit hole otherwise. Are you my boyfriend? A short-sighted woman in an upcoming variety show confuses a llama dressed in a plaid shirt for her boyfriend. It's hard to imagine how she could make such a mistake. Llamas are hairy, smelly and spit at inappropriate times. Wait a minute ... . People are crazy about their pets. Right, that's nothing new, but this is. Apparently you can buy your pet a collar that will allow you to call them with your cell phone and speak to them. So, it turns out people are not only crazy about their pets, they want their pets to go nuts, too. Time has published its list of the 100 most influential people. However, the list might not be totally trustworthy, as Mariah Carey is listed. Or, the list is accurate and our society is in scarier shape than previously thought. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
2 letters you can't spell BCS without Good news for college football fans. The BCS -- Bowl Championship Series -- will continue exactly as is, with no playoff. What a relief that championships will be decided by computers and not by players on the field. In other action, the BCS voted to remove its middle initial, to more accurately reflect what fans think of the bowl system. Magician David Blaine held his breath for a record 17 minutes on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." But Oprah held her ground. No matter how long he refused to breathe, she wasn't giving him a car. The Mariners made a couple of call-ups, hoping to inject a little more firepower -- OK, some firepower -- into their offense. They gave up on Brad Wilkerson, on whom they burned $3 million. M's general manager Bill Bavasi needs to quit hitting the town with player agents. He always wakes up the next day in a strange hotel room with an ugly contract. Meanwhile, the Yankees put Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list. An exam found a strained leg muscle. Oddly, the doctor was unable to locate his heart. ... [Read More]
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Down memory lane Today's Herald celebrates 50 years of producing color photos. Thus began the golden age of smudgy fingers. It seems we're not the only ones in a nostalgic mood: Friends are sad to say goodbye to a woman who's worked at an Everett Safeway since the 1970s. A sampling of grocery prices back then: John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to "Give Peace a Chance" from 1969 are going up for auction. They could be worth $400,000. Meanwhile, Ringo Starr's lyrics for "Octopus's Garden" can be had for $1.65 on eBay. Always the fourth Beatle ... And a Jimi Hendrix sex tape has surfaced, 38 years after his death. Of course, video sellers are helpfully offering to let people share the Jimi Hendrix ... um ... experience. "Experts" were called in to authenticate the footage. The experts didn't believe it until they saw him do something amazing with his Stratocaster. ... [Read More]
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So many ways for teens to go wrong Activities for teens are included in today's kids calendar (Page D2), which is good because there are so many ways to get into trouble. Just look at what some are doing: Being photographed by Annie Leibovitz: Squeaky-clean "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus allowed a Vanity Fair photo shoot to include full upper back nudity -- in other words, no naughty bits. Even so, Disney hasn't been so scandalized since Minnie Mouse bought a bikini in 1997's "Runaway Brain." Hanging out with Roger Clemens: Country star Mindy McCready was doing so for years, starting when she was 15. Clemens says it was all innocent, but for some reason not everyone's taking him at his word. At least now we know what inspired McCready's hit, "Guys Do It All The Time." That's the same thing Clemens used to tell teammates while he was juicing up in the clubhouse. Playing Grand Theft Auto: The newest version of the game comes out today, and it's expected to do huge sales. Some blame the game for corrupting young minds, but maybe they should point the finger at old baseball video games. Those would let you pretend to be Roger Clemens. ... [Read More]
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Get a boost in the "World of Warcraft" If you enjoy the virtual world, but don't want to do the strenuous work of building up your Elf or Orc toon, now there's help for you. If only that worked in real life. The Buzz would like a nice upgrade to a level-70, millionaire position. Oh, and a personal Learjet. And the ability to throw fireballs. It's not easy being green, but Mukilteo is giving it its best effort. The new City Hall will include some very green features, including a grass- covered roof. Now the city maintenance department is drawing straws for who has to mow the roof. Well, at least it's not wearing a tutu. A dog show turned out some pretty spiffy pups, including one wearing a scuba-diving suit. While we don't usually advocate dressing up your dogs -- for a reference of why, see any photo of Britney Spears with her hamster-sized creature -- we'll admit this getup is a winner. It's creative and funny -- and if you get hungry, you can send your dog diving for catfish. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
I Can Has Dikshunary? Spelling doesn't count if you're applying for a job with I Can Has Cheezburger, the Seattle-based Web site that invites people to post oh-so-precious photos of their cats with captions written as if the cats are sending text messages to your teenager's cell phone. The Buzz talked with a cat this morning who said he was frankly offended by the notion that felines don't know how to spell and don't use proper grammar. Or he would have been, if the human fascination with computers held any interest for him. He then jumped to the window sill to attack and eat a house fly. Check under the manhood: A Florida legislator wants to ban the display of chrome testicles from the bumpers of trucks and SUVs. The Buzz says let the good ol' boys have their fun but would support legislation to require them to hand wash their truck "accessories" in front of their buddies. Resolved: This should have been resolved weeks ago: Sen. Hillary Clinton has challenged Sen. Barack Obama to a Lincoln-Douglas style debate that would forego moderators. Obama said he'd agree to the debate format, but only if he gets to wear the stovepipe hat. -- Jon Bauer, Herald staff ... [Read More]
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Donny and Marie in Sin City It finally happened. Donny and Marie Osmond have signed on for eight months of shows at the Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas (Page A2). America's wholesome sweethearts will play the Flamingo hotel, also home to "X Burlesque," which advertises "gorgeous women performing titillating dance routines." If you're buying tickets for Mom and Dad, be sure they're for the correct theater. In sports, an American Hockey League game went five overtimes and took 5 hours, 38 minutes. After the game ended in the wee hours, fans could be heard mumbling, "No more cowbell. No more cowbell." MasterCard disclosed that its CEO made $11 million last year. The financial package will eventually be worth a lot more. The company pays him over time in monthly installments at an obscene 23 percent interest rate. Researchers hope to help the state's pygmy rabbits reproduce. You would think that would be an easy job, but an earlier effort failed because the rabbits fought too much and seldom mated. This time around, maybe they shouldn't have the rabbits get married. ... [Read More]
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Feather Club for Penguins: A penguin at the California Academy of Sciences suffered from what amounted to penguin pattern baldness, losing the feathers that kept him warm when he swam. Biologists made a wetsuit that now covers Pierre's pink penguin posterior. The wetsuit worked so well, Pierre's gained back some of his feathers. The scientists now are working on neoprene caps for men hoping to cure their own plumage problems. T. rex McNuggets: Scientists who studied some protein from a T. rex fossil say it provides further evidence that modern birds are descended from dinosaurs. The discovery doesn't solve the chicken-and-egg mystery, but it does establish "tastes like chicken" as the world's earliest catch phrase. Popcorn's a-poppin': Forget "Indiana Jones and the Hernia Truss of Gold" or whatever that sequel is named. The movie The Buzz is lining up for is the adaptation of one of his favorite afternoon cartoons, "Speed Racer." However, we will be disappointed if the Mach 5 is not fully equipped, down to the two buzz saws that jut from the bumper when Speed has to clear a way through unexpected forests. ... [Read More]
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How to spot an NFL draftnik It's the most exciting time of year for football "draftniks," people who dedicate countless hours researching the NFL draft. Draftniks are easy to spot -- they've got lots of time to surf the Internet at work, but they quickly toggle to a spreadsheet when you walk by. That said, not every engineer at Boeing is necessarily a draftnik. For the hard-core among them, today's Seahawks draft preview features kicking prospects. Key qualities in a kicker: resemblance to the water boy, ridiculous-looking face mask and willingness to make the punter your only friend on the team. Microsoft has developed a cool BlackBerry application called TellMe. It looks up things such as traffic, movie times and the weather using voice commands and GPS technology. Microsoft says a version for Apple's iPhone is planned, just as soon as hell freezes over. And just in case we didn't have enough to worry about, seismologists say a fault extends farther than they thought from the tip of Whidbey Island. Local residents, of course, already knew there's a fault on the map in that area. We call it Lynnwood. ... [Read More]
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Running back available for recycling Everyone was thinking globally and acting locally for Earth Day. The Seahawks used the occasion to get rid of their old gas-guzzler, sending Shaun Alexander packing. For years, having Shaun on the Seahawks was like having a vintage Camaro -- the coolest car on the block. Sadly, just like an old Camaro, he hit a certain age and it started taking way too much oil and money to keep him going. Now that Shaun is out of work, he can consult Eve Nicholas' column today on finding environmentally friendly jobs. Among her pearls of advice: The Navy celebrated Earth Day with a dumpster diving event. You can imagine the sailors' surprise when they dove in and found Shaun Alexander in the trash heap. ... [Read More]
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All the news that's green It's Earth Day, and we're feeling a little green. But that might just be the fish we ate last night. Anyway, here are a few tidbits that are at least tenuously related to the environment: * Mattel's stock fell Monday after the toy maker announced a $46.6 million loss in the first quarter, caused partly by the increased cost of resin and oil (Page E1). The company is now considering ways to make Barbie dolls out of hemp. * A Pizza Hut manager in Arkansas appears to have been thinking green in a couple different ways -- he was arrested for allegedly selling pot from the drive-through window. Meanwhile, customers have begun to suspect that those little green flakes in the pizza sauce weren't really oregano. Research indicates that wearing a pedometer, a device that counts your steps, can increase motivation to walk around and help you lose weight. For you to actually reap health benefits, though, doctors say it's imperative to set a step goal. If this sounds difficult, you could start by finding out how many steps it takes to get to the nearest ice cream shop. After all, no one said they couldn't be baby steps. ... [Read More]
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Let your dog be a dog Herding classes are a hot new trend and can bring you and your canine friend closer to together. Human: Look at that! Fido is herding the sheep and experiencing his dogness. Fido: Run! Chase! Whee! Human: I'm so glad I we can improve our communication. Fido: Run! Chase! Whee! Human: Now he'll see me as a leader, and maybe he'll stop chewing my furniture. Fido: Run! Chase! Wheeeeeeee! And if Fido's age is showing, he might be a candidate for a new set of wheels. A Whidbey Island company helps animal with mobility problems. Clients include dogs, rabbits, goats and sheep. And hamsters. Yes, hamsters. So when Fido gets older, just pair him with some sheep on wheels, and everyone can keep the good times rolling. ... [Read More]
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Russia regrets putting women behind the wheel Oh, those women drivers. A Russian space capsule landed 260 miles off course, and the space agency chief quickly blamed the women in its crew. He said when women are in charge, "sometimes certain kinds of unsanctioned behavior or something else occurs." Really, it's a miracle the highly trained crew made it back to Earth, what with all the pillow fights, hair-braiding and chatter about boys. AOL has moved its business, leaving its headquarters in Virginia for a new office in New York. The company left no forwarding address with the post office. Company executives recently discovered that moving is the only way to get away from all that junk mail for free AOL service. A science exhibition called Roboworld will showcase the latest in robots, including one that can pick up a basketball and shoot it through a hoop. Upon hearing the robot is more advanced than most of their roster, the Sonics' owners got excited and sent a scout, but the robot was programmed with a minimal level of ethics, so it refused to play for them. ... [Read More]
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Money talks, Sonics walk OK, who wants to make some money? First up: lawyers. They've spent weeks in training, waiting for the NBA to approve the Sonics' move to Oklahoma City. Now they're ready to show who's got game. It's just what every kid with a 6-inch vertical leap dreams about while playing basketball on the playground -- throwing down those sweet billable hours. Next there's Evan Longoria, a 22-year-old third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays who signed a six-year, $17.5 million contract Friday. Longoria has notched a grand total of six major-league hits in six games -- not even enough time to see if he's got legs like his near-namesake, Eva. Of course, he looks like a bargain to the Mariners, who are paying Richie Sexson $15.5 million just for this season. It can take him weeks to rack up six hits. Finally, there's Jeff Bezos. Amazon.com made $476 million last year and he took home a relatively paltry $81,840 as CEO. He'd be worth a lot more money, but he's always taking 40 percent off his cover price and shipping himself to work for free. ... [Read More]
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Exclusive: Inside the NBA owners' meeting It's a big day in the Sonics saga. NBA owners get together to Commissioner David Stern: "First, I'd like to thank former Sonics owner Howard Schultz for bringing us here today. Let's all raise a Starbucks latte wrapped in $100 bills to Howard. Now, to the business at hand. Anyone wish to speak before we vote?" (Laughs menacingly.) Sonics owner Clayton Bennett: "Thank you, Mr. Stern. You're just the most wonderful person I have ever met. Did I ever mention how your eyes sparkle in the fluorescent lights?" Stern: "Thanks, Clay. I got your drawings. Now, all in favor of turning our backs on 41 years of history, thousands of fans and a major city to move the Sonics to the tornado capital of America, say, 'highway robbery.' " 30 voices: "Highway robbery." Meanwhile, in a court filing, Bennett accused Seattle officials of acting dishonestly and hiding their true intent from the public. If Bennett needs an expert witness on dishonesty when this thing goes to trial, he could always put himself on the stand. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
The dreary weather has The Buzz ferreting out silver linings from the clouds, so let's review the news, bad and good. The bad news: The state has rolled out a van equipped with a camera that will take photos of speeders along state highways. Tickets will be mailed to the vehicle's registered owner. The good news: You won't have to wait for a state trooper to write you a ticket. The bad news: Martha Stewart's 12-year-old chow dog died. The good news: The report gives us the excuse to print the dog's full name: Kublai Khan Paw Paw Chow Chow Chow. The bad news: More adults, at least more Canadian adults, are smoking pot, an Ontario study says. The good news: Canada will have to increase the production of Nanaimo bars. The bad news: High fuel and food prices are driving inflation, the recession continues and a leading economist says those stimulus checks are going to get eaten up paying for $4-a-gallon gas. The good news: We couldn't think of any. Here, drown your sorrows with a Nanaimo bar. ... [Read More]
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Mahatma Coat: We couldn't help noticing that leaders of two of the world's great religions were on opposite coasts Tuesday. The Dalai Lama wrapped up his Seattle visit, while Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Washington, D.C. In terms of fashion, we think the pope wins on footwear, when you compare his red loafers (the rumor mill says Prada) with the lama's sensible brown shoes. But the Dalai Lama's red visor is definitely more stylish than the white beanie that Benedict wore on his arrival. Call him Grandmaster Puddin' Pops: Bill Cosby, America's favorite dad during the run of "The Cosby Show," later became America's grumpy uncle when he criticized the younger generation for listening to rap music that was profane and glorified violence -- and for wearing their pants too low. Now he's doing more than shaking his fist; he's produced his own hip-hop album. Others will do the rapping, but he says the lyrics will be free of profanity and misogyny. And if Cosby ever appears in public with his dungarees around his knees, it's only because he forgot his suspenders. Jon Bauer, Herald staff ... [Read More]
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What's missing from the buyer's guide If your computer has recently begun throwing tantrums like a 2-year-old, technology columnist Walter Mossberg has a list of factors to consider while you're checking out new laptops, such as size, operating system and battery life. Unfortunately, he offers no advice on what kind of laptop will repel your cat when it goes looking for a warm place to nap. Rising like a souffle: The cost of foods such as meat, eggs and dairy products has increased sharply in the last year, and analysts expect prices to get even worse. We suspect a future Food section will be devoted to creative ways of cooking with Ramen. A boy in Blaine says he's set a new world record for inflating balloons with his nose. He blew up 213 in an hour at Blaine's public library, leaving other patrons confused about what they'd done to deserve an hour of shushing sounds. Commuters, rejoice: Saturday's interlude of sunny weather helped crews finish a pile of work on the I-5 widening project through Everett. They need another warm day to pour some fresh asphalt, and they're sure to get one soon -- if they take a trip to the Bahamas. ... [Read More]
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One hundred eighty years ago today, Webster's "American Dictionary of the English Language" was published, providing an invaluable resource for squishing large bugs. Plus, without it we never would have learned the word "absquatulate," which we swear on a stack of dictionaries is safe to say in front of your grandma. The New York Yankees took a jackhammer to their new stadium Sunday, excavating a Red Sox jersey buried in the concrete by a construction worker who hoped to curse the venue. The Yankees may seek criminal charges against the man, but first the district attorney has to research whether curse-and-run is a crime. The jersey will be donated to a Boston charity, whose employees are playing rock-paper-scissors right now to find out who will have to touch it. Art lovers, take notice: A sculpture featured in the movie "Wayne's World" is being sol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
