Changes

Here's a Mastercard commercial I'd like to see:

Age of the Mayor: 26
Color of the Steelers head coach: Black
Watching senior citizens in Pittsburgh start to sweat because things aren't like they used to be: Priceless

Loose Items

Here are some loose items from a tight leaf notebook:

- With his injuries Ben Ben seems to be the Steelers version of Mario Lemieux. First the legs, the thumb and now the appendicitis, it's only a matter of time before the back starts acting up. Of course, if he brings home multiple championships like Mario, the injuries will all be forgotten.

- I think after years of being tormented by Steve Irwin, the animal kingdom held a secret conclave and nominated the stingray to take him out..

- I just watched Katie Couric on her first newscast. She did fine, but I'm wait until I see how she handles a national tragedy before I have a final opinion.

start or finish?

I heard today someone talking about Tiger Woods and they mentioned that he is off to the best 10 year start of any athlete in the history of sports. I'm not disputing that, but a 10 year start? Am I wrong to think that in sports your rookie year is your start, your last year is your finish, and everything in between in the middle? I hate subjective stats.

BTW, how about the Pirates' 42-70 "start".......

daily news

I realize that the burg is not the most exciting city, but lately the top 3 stories on the news in no particular order are; Steeelers training camp, the heat and the Mayor's condition.

Is this the best that we can do?

There's always bowling..

For the sake of Pittsburghers, I hope something similar doesn't happen to cause a shortage in fireworks....

EL MONTE, CALIF. — Among the unsung victims of recent outbreaks of bird flu is the shuttlecock. Chinese geese have been slaughtered by the millions to prevent the spread of the disease, and that has left a shortage of the fine feathers used to make the badminton projectiles.

Only the thickest, heaviest goose feathers from northern China are used to make premium shuttlecocks and sometimes as few as two feathers per goose make the final cut.

But now, shuttlecock makers are having to settle for substandard feathers, and the sport's devotees in Southern California say the birdies they're buying just aren't the same.

"Everybody complains now, 'What's wrong with the shuttle?'" Dan Chien of El Monte said after a practice session at the San Gabriel Valley Badminton Club. "It was goose feather, but now it feels almost like duck."

The sport is popular among some Chinese immigrants in Southern California, and the region is home to many of the best players in the nation.

Prices have risen 25 percent in recent months, and top of the line shuttlecocks have been going for $25 a dozen as companies compete for limited feathers and players hoard the best birdies.

"If bird flu becomes pandemic, shuttlecock prices could become twofold or threefold higher," said Ahmad Bakar, director of shuttlecock seller Pacific Sports Private Ltd.

The deadly form of bird flu, known as H5N1, swept through poultry populations in parts of Asia beginning in 2003, then jumped to other regions. The World Health Organization says 232 human cases have been reported since 2003, and 134 of those people have died.

McBonus

I was driving past my local McDonalds, and noticed their sign that said " Help wanted: $100 signing bonus". Is the fast food job market really that competitive that stores have to entice the best talent with a signing bonus? Where was that offer when I was in high school?

public transportation

Here are some questions I have about the people who ride the " T" in Pittsburgh:

Why is it that the people who end up standing on the T are the ones who have no control over their balance?

Why do some people sit down, allow others to sit next to them, then get off one stop later?

Why do some people who seem content sitting in their seat, all of a sudden get up and change seats?

Why can't some people understand that the doors on the second car during rush hour do not open at every stop?

stupid is as stupid does

I just finished installing a new ink cartridge in my printer, something I've done dozens of times. Prior to the install I removed the piece of tape on the cartridge, swapped out the old cartridge and did a test print. Nothing printed. I tried printing something else. Still nothing. Took out the cartridge and put in in again. Still nothing. 10 more minutes of this I took out the cartridge and discovered that there was a second piece of tape. There's a period of time that I lost and will never get back..