Congratulations To The Lady Vols!

Congratulations to the Lady Vols for winning their seventh national championship!
Time flies, doesn’t it? Back when the Lady Vols won their third consecutive national championship in 1998, I didn’t imagine it would be nine years until their next one. I was started to wonder if there would be another one.
But everything fell into place this year. First with the other top seeds being knocked out in the Dayton region. Then with two gutty, defensive performances in the Final Four. As poorly as their offense was playing, I didn’t think they could overcome a double-digit deficit against UNC in eight minutes. But they did. Then they out-hustled Rutgers to claim the title.
Way to bring another trophy home to UT!

“What We Call The News”

Sadly, this JibJab clip (via TVNewser) is on target:

Indeed, if someone on a distant planet is monitoring activity on Earth via American news channels, he/she probably believes the most significant stories of the past few months are Ana Nicole Smith, Britney Spears, and “American Idol.”

Jeff Roth Bicycle and Pedalcyclists Protection Act of 2007

The Tennessee Legislature is considering the Jeff Roth Bicycle and Pedalcyclists Protection Act of 2007. The bill, as amended provides:

The operator of a motor vehicle when overtaking and passing a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on the roadway, shall leave a safe distance between the motor vehicle and the bicycle of not less than three feet (3′) and shall maintain such clearance until safely past the overtaken bicycle.

Earlier in March, the Tennessee House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill (HB0235). It is now pending before the Senate Transportation Committee (SB1699).
I e-mailed State Senators Burchett and Woodson, urging them to support the bill. According to a news account, Senator Burchett has agreed to co-sponsor the legislation.
I don’t know how much safer, if at all, this bill will make it to bicycle in Tennessee. Much of that depends on how it’s enforced. But symbolically, if nothing else, it will be nice if the legislature gives cycling this recognition.
It’s worth noting that three feet of clearance space isn’t much. I think five feet is more reasonable. Trust me, if a big pickup truck blows by you at one yard, it’s still close enough to scare the crap out of you.

The State Of TV Newsertainment Today

This “warning” in Brian Williams’ blog pretty well sums it up:

Viewer warning: There will be no mention of Britney Spears’ baldness or rehab in tonight’s broadcast, nor will there be any mention of Anna Nicole’s “body possession” hearing.

I didn’t stop to watch, but flipping through the channels, appeared that last night Larry King Live devoted a prime-time program to the pressing issue of where Anna Nicole Smith will be buried. I trust the most trusted name in news will be all over the story when that landmark decision is issued.
And, via TVNewser, I read this:

The subject: St. Petersburg’s Jennifer Mee, a 15-year-old who started hiccuping four weeks ago today and has yet to stop.
The competition for her story became so frenzied over the weekend that NBC’s Today show changed Jennifer and her mother’s New York hotel after another network’s exhaustive attempts to get an interview.
. . .
Representatives from ABC’s Good Morning America called Jennifer’s home 57 times on Sunday and slipped notes under her hotel room door, her family said.

You gotta hand it to GMA for its efforts: 57 attempts to get the inside story on a girl hiccuping. It’s because of this kind of commitment to journalism that Americans are so aware of what’s happening in the world today.