Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
I always fall for the bait.
I try and try to resist, but when it comes to unwanted e-mail, I always get suckered in by the words in the remarks field. Whether it's "How 'bout lunch," "Why did you forget?" or even the mundane "About your last e-mail," curiosity always overwhelms me.
So, like so many other Americans, I've grown to hate spam.
But it seems to me there is one entity that should be even more upset than the rest of us. I wonder how Hormel, makers of Spam, the canned meat product, can idly stand by while we grow increasingly angry about spam, the stuff that clogs my computer. Shouldn't it launch some kind of campaign to come up with a new term for unwanted commercial e-mail, like junk, or deviled ham, or tuna?
When the U.S. Senate is considering a bill called the CAN-SPAM Act (short for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing), you would think Spam would have its lobbyists on Capitol Hill.
The Spam folks, I'm happy to report, are not upset. In fact, they have an entire page (www.spam.com/ci/ci_in.htm) on their Web site devoted to the relationship between Spam and spam.
The page also explains the slang term came from a Monty Python skit in which a group of Vikings drown out all other conversations with a chorus of "spam, spam, spam."
The Spam folks believe their trademark is not hurt by the slang term. In fact, they have a sense of humor about the whole thing. On their Web site, they joke, "Ultimately, we are trying to avoid the day when the consuming public asks, "Why would Hormel Foods name its product after junk e-mail?"'
I'm inspired by this company's ability to laugh at the situation instead of clogging the courts with some lawsuit the way spammers clog up our computers.
Tonight, I'm having Spam.
Is it an art or a sport? Men in colorful tuxedos and women in gowns rhythmically moving to music sounds more like a form of art, but the physical demands of lifting, tossing and catching another human certainly gives ballroom dancing an athletic flair.
People will tell you it's more art than sport, but hey, decide for yourself at the three-day Millennium Dancesport Championships beginning Thursday at the Marriott Waterside hotel. The participants are some of the best in the world and they welcome spectators ... for a price.
The pro-am day sessions are $15 and begin at 9 a.m. Admission to the primarily professional sessions at 8 p.m. increase each night: $35 on Thursday, $45 on Friday and $55 on Saturday.
Call 988-4400 for information.
If you're a Florida A&M football fan and a Bucs fan, there's good news. Twice this year, the Bucs and Rattlers will be on the road in the same city. On Sept. 20, FAMU plays Tennessee State in Atlanta, followed by a Bucs-Falcons game that Sunday.
And on Oct. 11, the Rattlers face Howard in Washington, D.C., before the Bucs take on the Redskins the following day.
Travel agencies like MLR Entertainment already have noticed a significant demand for the Atlanta trip. Owner Mike Reid said he has only a few spots open for a package that includes tickets to both Georgia Dome games plus a Saturday night bash at the Barnacles in nearby Norcross, Ga.
By now, you can probably tell I'm ready for football season to start.
That's all I'm saying.
- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com