Three Things You Do NOT Want to Hear From Your A/C Repairman

1) Whoa!
2) What is that?
3) I'll call you with an estimate.

Just one more reason to love the USPS

Postal Service Honors ‘American Journalists’

Postmaster General Dedicates Stamps, Celebrates National Press Club Centennial

WASHINGTON, DC — They broke barriers, influenced nations, changed American history and played their lives on an international stage.

Five ground-breaking, distinguished reporters were honored today, their work and legacy commemorated by the U.S. Postal Service, as Postmaster General John Potter dedicated the “American Journalists” stamps:

• Ruben Salazar, the first Mexican-American journalist to have a major voice in mainstream media, whose work chronicled the evolution of Mexican-American politics.
• Martha Gellhorn, a ground-breaking war correspondent who covered the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Vietnam War.
• John Hersey, whose most famous work documented the story of Hiroshima; the book was named the top work of journalism of the 20th century by New York University.
• George Polk, a CBS radio correspondent who filed hard-hitting reports on the civil strife in Greece in the aftermath of World War II.
• Eric Sevareid, broadcast journalist, commentator and writer, whose work influenced a generation of reporters.

“These stamps recognize the contributions of American journalists to the betterment of American society, who exposed and explored the people, processes, challenges and accomplishments of a country, its people and its role in the world,” Potter said.

Working in radio, television or print, they reported, often at great personal sacrifice, some of the most important stories of the 20th century. They were drawn to hot spots, and their description of conflicts and issues helped people respond more intelligently to events.

Potter was joined by esteemed journalists who spoke on behalf of the reporters commemorated on the stamps: Eleanor Clift, contributing editor at Newsweek and a panelist on “The McLaughlin Group”; Frank Sotomayor, Pulitzer Prize winner and associate director of USC’s Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism; Daniel Zwerding, Peabody Award recipient for NPR; Jeff Price, foreign correspondent and cousin of George Polk; and Bob Schieffer, anchor of “Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer” and CBS News chief Washington correspondent.

The stamps were dedicated at the National Press Club in recognition of the club’s Centennial Celebration. Donna Leinwand, National Press Club vice president, acknowledged the sacrifices made by journalists, many of who lost their lives covering conflicts around the world and in cities across America.

“The distinguished journalists honored on these stamps deserve this place in American history for having shown great courage in the pursuit of truth,” Leinwand said.

The stamps feature a photo of each journalist and a few lines of types that are meant to suggest newspaper print headlines of articles by or about each reporter. Art director Howard Paine worked with designer Fred Otnes of West Redding, CT, to create the stamp art. The abstract backgrounds were meant to imply the “wordliness” of the subjects, without referring to specific events.

The Postal Service previously has issued stamps honoring other journalists, including Edward R. Murrow, Ernie Pyle, Walter Lippman, Henry Luce, Nellie Bly, Ida May Tarbell, Ethel L. Payne, Marguerite Higgins and publishers Adolph S. Ochs, Henry Luce and Joseph Pulitzer.

Loyal to my alma mater, God bless OBU!

Saturday I was in Hannibal for work and witnessed Hannibal-LaGrange College’s May commencement. It was a beautiful ceremony and I’m not ashamed to say I teared up a little.

I’m a sucker for pomp and circumstance (throw a bagpiper in there and I’m a goner), but 90 percent of the emotions came from remembering my graduation three years ago. It made me infinitely proud to be sitting in Raley Chapel, to hear my father pray on stage in full academic regalia, to shake hands with the university president as I received my sheepskin and to sing the hymn to my now true alma mater. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about OBU in one way or another, usually in the context of using a principle, lesson or mantra that Mr. Todd so lovingly drilled into my head.

With the mushy stuff out of the way, here are some petty reasons OBU is better than HLG:

OBU is way better at sports.
I graduated in a beautiful chapel. They graduated in a field house.
Ka-Rip. ‘Nuff said.
The Bison is a well thought out, historically and culturally appropriate mascot. What the heck do Trojans have to do with a small Baptist School in Mark Twain’s hometown?
For better or worse, OBU has a journalism program. Eat that, HLG.
OBU is more expensive.
OBU has waaaaaay more fun during their chapel services.
OBU’s alumni includes two astronauts.
HLG students never know the joy that is wearing beanies.
OBU is in Oklahoma while HLG is in Missouri and is less than five miles from (GASP!) Illinois!
Green and Gold are infinitely superior to Blue and Red.
OBU shares it's hometown with Brad Pitt. So there.
They did have a bagpiper (why, nobody knows) to lead their version of The Walk, but that's nothing compared to OBU's, where you finish your academic career surrounded by your faculty friends and mentors.
My hymn to the alma mater rocks (click to listen). Theirs? Not so much (it isn't even posted online).

The Incredible Case of the Super-Sonic Coney Pony

This story just keeps getting funnier each time I read it. God bless those two idiots. (But shame on them for soiling the good name of OBU and stealing from one of my favorites eateries.)