Maria into Third at US Open

Maria Sharapova of Russia waves after her win over Dally Randriantefy of Madagascar in their second round match at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York August 31, 2005. Sharapova defeated Randriantefy 6-1 6-0.

VHS - Going, Going, Gone

VHS -- the beloved videotape format that bravely won the war against Betamax and charmed millions of Americans by allowing them to enjoy mindless Hollywood entertainment without leaving their homes -- has died at the age of 29. It passed away peacefully after a long illness caused by chronic technological insignificance and a lack of director's commentary tracks.
No one knows exactly when this once-valued objet de home entertainment began its journey toward that previously-viewed-video bin in the sky. Some say it was March 1997, when the slimmer, sexier DVD was introduced to American consumers. Others pin the time of death to the week of June 15, 2003, when DVD rentals first topped those of VHS.
And there are some -- technophobic, time-warped souls who still keep their Erol's Video membership cards in their wallets -- who argue that VHS isn't deceased at all. It's just, well, resting its eyes. Many of the major studios, including Buena Vista Home Entertainment (which issues Disney titles), Fox and Warner Bros., are phasing out VHS releases.
Circuit City and Best Buy stopped selling them online earlier this year, having removed the bulky cartridges from their store shelves in 2002 and 2003, respectively. (Wal-Mart and Amazon.com, on the other hand, have not announced plans to stop carrying the tapes.) Read more here...

Death of CDs???

When Ohio-based rock band the Sun releases its first full-length album next month, it will be available on DVD, online and on vinyl record. But not on the medium that's still the biggest seller in the music industry today: the compact disc. "It's a tip of the hat to the past and the tip of the hat to the future," said Perry Watts-Russell, a senior vice president at Warner Bros. Records Inc., which signed the band.
The full-length CD format, which debuted in 1981, last year sold 766.9 million copies, down from a high of 942.5 million in 2000, according to statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America. At the same time, online sales -- championed by the popular Apple Computer Inc. iTunes Web site -- is picking up part of the slack: 139.4 million tracks were sold online in 2004.
The Sun's 14-song album, "Blame It on the Youth," will be released Sept. 27 and will come with one disc option -- a DVD of music videos that can be manipulated through a computer to download the songs onto an MP3 player or burn them onto a CD. Actually, there is a second disc, but it's made of vinyl -- a nod to a burgeoning subculture that is reviving the old long-play format. ...Read more here

Maria #1 in the World!!!

Maria Sharapova is officially at the top of the WTA rankings and goes into the final Grand Slam of the year at the US Open as the #1 seed. The WTA will announce today that

Maria is the world's #1 player. Maria is the 15th number 1 since the rankings were introduced in 1975. Maria is also the first ever player from Russia to reach the top spot and is also the 5th youngest #1.

Virginia schools among best

The University of Virginia(UVA) held its ground as the No. 2 public university in the nation while Virginia Tech fell two spots to No. 34 in the U.S. News & World Report undergraduate rankings released today.
The College of William and Mary remained sixth nationally among public universities.
Among national universities, which offer a broad undergraduate curricula but also doctoral programs, UVa was once again edged out by the University of California at Berkeley for the top spot among public schools. UVa ranked 23rd among all national universities, both public and private.
Virginia Tech tied for 34th in the public list - down from 32nd last year. Virginia Tech was tied at No. 78 among all national universities.
Virginia Military Institute(VMI) ranked as the top public liberal arts college in the nation for the fifth consecutive year.
James Madison University(JMU) took top honors from the magazine among public master's universities in the South, and No. 2 among all master's universities. ...Read more here

Natasha

Natasha Bedingfield may not yet be a household name on these shores, but that will change very soon. Already a big star in Britain where she grew up, Natasha's new album is climbing the charts here in America, and her first single "These Words" is all over the radio. Bedingfield is a phenomenally talented singer and songwriter whose funky pop sounds are catchy and fun, but also very clever; she is indeed the "real deal." Read more here...

August in Washington

Nothing like summer in Washington, D.C.(or the metro area where I live). Temperature is 95 with high humidity making the heat index around 105. Wilson Bridge is shut-down and Interstate 95 is all backed-up.
Gas prices are rising fast at $2.50 a gallon and the baseball team is falling fast from the first place they were in on July 4th.
All Redskins fans are optimistic of a Super Bowl soon as pre-season football begins tonight. The Maryland Terps are optimistic about returning to a major bowl game this season with their first game just three weeks away.
Yes, the joys of August in Washington.

Rock Star INXS - not bad

Even though it has not gotten the ratings of "American Idol" , Rock Star INXS has been a good summer TV show. I really liked INXS as a rock band and the concept of replacing their lead singer with a contest did not excite me. But as I have watched about half of the shows this summer, I have become intrigued with the show.
The contestents have been equal to (or better) than those on American Idol. Ty Taylor's rendition of the Bob Marley hit "No Woman No Cry" and Marty Casey's acoustic version of the Killer's "Mr. Brightside" this week were both excellent. ...Go here to see these videos and more on Rock Star INXS

David Gray at Washington's 930 Club

David Gray appeared at the 930 Club in Washington DC this past week and gave a preview of his new Album "Slow Motion" which is due out in September 2005.
National Public Radio(NPR) recorded the entire concert as part of their "All Songs Considered" show. You can listen to the entire concert and an interview with David Gray at their web site. The album sounds great!!!
Go here for NPR and to listen

Russian MIGs at Air Show

From AP



A cool picture of five MIG-29s from the Russian Air Show this past July.

Go Terps!!! Hail to the Redskins!!!

Now that the Washington Nationals have fallen out of first place in the NL East and are behind in the Wild Card race, I can forget about baseball. It was fun to be in first place at the All Star break.

Don't get me wrong, I am so happy we have a baseball team in Washington and will continue to support the Nationals - just not expecting any post-season play this Fall.

Well, football season is here so I again will be optimistic about both the Washington Redskins and Maryland Terps. Hope they both don't disappoint me like last year.