The French water company Evian has launched a "kid-friendly" product called Evian Les Petits, which presumably fits into a child's lunchbox.
It has come to my attention that the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies put their names below their numbers on the back of their jersey. Pretty much every other team I've ever seen puts the name above the numbers.
Is this an effort by Oakland University to put the team above the individual?
By the way, it turns out this school is located in Oakland County, Mich., not Northern California.
Typically the highest-paying jobs attract the most talented workers. That's why Lebron James plays basketball instead of using his long arms to become the world's greatest window cleaner.
But the free market isn't perfect. For example, the NFL continues to attract coaches who regularly to make decisions that reduce their team's chances of winning.1
But there's good news for the future. When Bill Belichick decided not to punt from his own 28 with 2:08 left against the Colts on Nov. 15, he "may have unwittingly mobilized a movement," writes Luis Deloureiro of the New York Times.
That is, a movement to let statistics, not traditional conventions, inform coaching decisions. When old-school pundits criticized Belichick's decision, stat geeks came to the rescue.
The nation's largest gay newspaper publisher — Window Media — went out of business today. The company owned the Washington Blade, Houston Voice and South Florida Blade.
According to Dorie Turner of the AP, one reason why the newspapers shut down is that "mainstream publications are writing more about gay and lesbian issues, reducing dependency on niche publications such as Window Media's."
Do you hear that? The mainstream media has this one covered. The gays won!
The latest cover story in Newsweek is about the rise, fall and rise of Sarah Palin. Judging by this picture, do you think the magazine seeks to provide a careful look at the former Alaska governor's political ambitions? Or simply a careful look at her legs?
Sure, some high schools ban cleavage. Or hugs. Or high-fives. But those schools have a lax code of discipline compared to Danvers High School in Massachusetts.
At Danvers, students who say the word "meep" face suspensions, according to the Salem News.
Meep.
The article, written by Ethan Forman, doesn't do much to explain why school officials are bothered by that word. But it appears Facebook is involved.
That was three years ago, so it's time for an update: in a nod to the diamond patterns on Bob Peck's showroom roof, a towering new development project will include some of those same features in its facade.
1I even trekked out to Ballston to snap some pictures only to find out that I was too late to capture the old "Bob Peck" sign.
Sure, e-books save bookshelf space. And trees. But did you know they also give the reader sex appeal?
As someone who was, ahem, once invited to give a speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame about the evolution of NFL end zone dances, I feel like I should weigh in on two stories in today's local newspaper about on-field celebrations.
Have you ever noticed that the good big-box stores shun the suburbs in favor of the inner city? That's what a popular Silver Spring, Md., blog wants to know.
From Silver Spring Singular:Oh, the irony.
Can someone provide a reasonable explanation as to why there is not a Bed Bath & Beyond in or near downtown Silver Spring? I really think that's a market research fail on the part of BB&B corporate. In the past few years they've added urban locations in both Chinatown and Columbia Heights, yet we've been completely ignored.
Yesterday's New York Times Magazine cover story by Jodi Kantor focused on Michelle and Barack Obama's marriage and seeks to answer the question of whether any couple have a truly equal partnership when one person is president.
The 10-page story describes Michelle as a "single mom" when she lived with the kids in Chicago while Barack served as a legislator in Springfield, Ill. But Michelle says the equality of any partnership “is measured over the scope of the marriage. It’s not just four years or eight years or two. We’re going to be married for a very long time."
It seems the Obamas are taking a page from Dr. Jason Seaver and Maggie Malone of the 1980s TV show Growing Pains. You may recall that from year to year, Jason and Maggie took turns being stay-at-home parents while the other one pursued a career. In fact, Jason may have even been television's first stay-at-home dad.1
Anyway, my point is that Michelle is implying that things will even out in her relationship with Barack after they leave the White House. I'll be curious to see if it works out as well as it did for the Seavers of Long Island, N.Y.
1Sure, I could look it up. But I don't feel like it.
