Speed Linking

• Zach Bennett, an 11-year-old battling a life threatening disease, was a devoted fan of the Albany River Rats hockey team until the team moved to North Carolina. The family has decided to follow the team by selling their house, and the team is helping them out.
• The NFL is willing to let you pay $200 for Super Bowl tickets that won't even get you into the stadium, but you can watch it on television next to the stadium. Greed is good!
• Here are some very good email etiquette and technique rules. I have to say I have violated some of these, especially forgetting the attachment.
• In my sermon last Sunday I specifically mentioned Simon Cowell being allowed to be as nasty as he wanted to be on American Idol. Apparently his leaving the show has made a difference not only in how people are being treated but who is advancing.
• You cannot buy a toy that might be mistaken for a real gun, because we have no problem regulating toys. Nicholas Kristof wonders why don't we do the same with guns?
• The new governor of Alabama quickly got himself into trouble by saying that those who are not Christians are not his brothers and sisters, leaving many groups wondering what that meant for them. He later apologized for anyone who "may have been offended." Which means he actually didn't apologize. Why can't anyone just say they are sorry anymore?
• Some journalists are now trying to watch what they say after the shootings in Tucson.
• A North Carolina fan was removed from his seat at a game at Virginia because he was sitting too close to the Virginia bench and wearing the opposing teams clothing, which was against the rules.
• Once upon a time I was in public relations. When I began my boss told me to always make sure to proof the most obvious things, like headlines, because these are often overlooked with the assumption that everyone else has looked at them because they are so obvious. Here is a perfect example of why that rule is so important.
• A teacher in New Rochelle, NY once told one of his students that if she did well in school that he would pay for her college education. She did and he is now keeping his promise by selling his beloved baseball memorabilia collection.
• Mark Twain once said "It is better to remain silent and to be thought a fool, then to open your mouth and remove all doubt." It is a lesson that someone needs to relay to Sarah Palin who has now come out to defend her blood libel claim.
• Real Estate developers are concerned that gen y are not interested in the types of houses they have been building. This might be true long-term, but I think it is way too early to make this assessment, as the oldest gen y are only in their late twenties and most cannot yet afford McMansions. A better decision point will be when they reach their thirties and start having children. Are they still going to be wanting to reside in the cities or are they going to want to have the same thing their parents had? Only time will tell.
• A poll on the state of the nation says that religious affiliation is likely to determine how you view the current political rhetoric. White mainline Protestants are the most likely to blame those on both sides.