It's sad to read how mismanagement has damaged WTTW Channel 11, Chicago's PBS station. Grandious marketing initiatives like "Network Chicago," elaborate studio renovations, and exectutive perks at a time of layoffs and programming cuts don't bode well for the station.

The French Culture Ministry has banned the use of the word e-mail in favor of "courriel." Is this their response to Freedom Fries?

It's getting tougher to be an employee every day. While only a few short years ago, the employee rules the roost, the balance has so clearly swung the other way. Now companies are treating their employees like children.

SBC SmartPages salespeople face Friday afternoon "detention" for failing to hit sales targets. These sessions include getting yelled at by managers and being forced to read from the bonus plan manual.

And ebay is now strictly forbidding its employees from talking at their desks. "If you are caught talking at your desk, you will be escorted into a meeting room and questioned as to why you are talking, and if it is relevant to your job. If not, you may be subjected to disciplinary actions." Maybe they can assign them to SmartPage's detention, too?

Jerry Springer, best known for his wild TV talk show, has filed to run for the Senate in his home state of Ohio.

While he is the former mayor of Cincinnati, his more recent career is what makes him a good candidate. I mean who else running for office has had as much opportunity to learn about the issues important to everyday middle american folks? And apparently no other candidate is addressing the big issues like cheating gay lovers, slutty teen daughters, or white supremacist neighbors.

And can you imagine the debates? How many times do you think incumbant George Voinovich will tell Springer to "talk to the hand!"

I'd meant to post about this when it first made news last week. The Chicago Bears, my beloved Bears are now the Bears presented by Bank One. It's only a matter of time before it's shortened to the BOB's, just as BankOne Ballpark in Phoenix is now "lovingly" referred to as the BOB.

Is this just the first of many additional sponsorship opportunities to pollute the sporting landscape? Practically every stadium has already seen its name sold. So now team owners have to scrounge up other sources of revenue. While it's not the "Bears presented by BankOne" is it just a matter of time before it becomes the Atlanta Fantas or the St. Louis Ram Crew Cab Heavy Duty Pickups? Will the Cavs sell the rights to rename King James Chrysler LeBaron James?