One of our readers, Heart Above the 45th, asks:
Thinking of getting a piercing… Any recommendations in town? Price averages?
Let’s also debate the best place to get pierced. Please keep the poll choices clean.
[pic from Sukanto_Debnath/flickr]
An author named “cville journalist” sends in the following:
While I applaude the newsplex’s effort to improve their product I cannot help be be amazed by an ongoing practice of their’s that violates a core value of journalistic ethics: Using Beth Duffy to front those “vacation” commercials for a travel company.
Having a primary news anchor shilling for a client is inexcusable.
It’s not just my opinion. Five minutes of Googling the matter offers up plenty of support for why this practice is wrong:
Al Tompkins with the Poynter Institute writes:
Journalists are in the business of telling news, not selling products.
Stations should insure that journalistic merit and public service, not commercial interests, drive special projects.
Stations should establish guidelines for news anchors and reporters delivering public service messages, ensuring that the messages are of legitimate public interest, not colored by commercial tie-ins.
What policy does your station have for commercials that feature individuals who are current or former journalists even if those journalists did not formerly work at your station or network? How can you clarify that someone is paying this person to participate in this announcement?
From a birdie…
Do you guys know anything about High Tide Burrito opening in Forest Lakes (next to Food Lion)? Some internet sleuthing has netted me little info:
- Someone claiming to be “a friend of the owners” went to NC to take pictures of the beach to sell at the restaurant.
- Owner’s name is James Yancey?
- Acquired a liquor license on Sept. 13th
- Supposedly opening in September
- hightideburrito.com was anonymously bought in July, but is currently parked by GoDaddy
If you guys know anything, I’d love to hear it. I am psyched about a burrito place on the north side of town, and this looks like it has promise.
My current car is wonderful, but about to lose its original warranty and since it is ridiculously over-engineered that means one thing… 132 miles after the warranty expires, it will turn into the bastard lemon car from hell and leave me stranded in the rain on a blind bend at 1am- without a cell phone signal forcing me to go knocking on the door of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre house. It will happen.I know.
I paid for an after market warranty but they require 3 weeks notice in triplicate by recorded albino elf delivery to get prior authorization for a replacement spark plug and will dodge out of paying any claim if you missed a service by 1 mile or failed to take the candy wrappers out of the ashtray. They are bastards. I know.
So the hunt begins for a replacement, and that means talking to car salespeople.
“May I take your number, in case we get disconnected? Area code first…..”
It seemed like an innocuous enough request. After all, getting cut off while on the phone does happen…. not often but on the odd occasion. So I doled out the requisite digits and the conversation continued. I was on the phone to Carmax at Pantops…but inquiring about a car at another location. He asked me if I wanted to initiate a transfer…. for the princely sum of $149 non refundable dollars.
Me: “$149? But I haven’t seen it .. what if I don’t like it or it has a big sploodge stain on the back seat?”
Him: ” You’ll love it… all I need is a credit card and it’s yours”
Me: “I no longer give my creddies out by phone” (NOTE:I had my Chase card number stolen recently. And they bought nicer things than I do and Chase were even kind enough to let them go $1500 over my limit)
Him: “If you initiate the transfer, then the vehicle is reserved. It’s a rare car….SOMEONE COULD BE BUYING IT AS WE SPEAK!!!” (Definite octave increase in voice) »Read More
A birdie friend sends this in:
Last night, around 2 am, there was this incredibly loud roar in the sky that woke me and my boyfriend up. I asked around this morning, and another friend who lives in C-Ville said the same thing. She and her boyfriend woke up to a really loud roar at 2am and were really confused. It sounded like a spaceship or a low-flying jet fighter plane, or something. Anyone know what it was?
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Anonymous Coffee Drinker writes:
Not sure, but I _did_ notice that a number of the conference rooms at the Omni were reserved for Apple Computer today. There were a fair number of people in there… whether they’re having a training session or whether this has something to do with the proposed Apple Store on the Mall, I have no idea… I mean, what explanations do you have for a contingent from Apple coming to Charlottesville?
While we do know that UVA kids love macs and we are absolutely mac lovers (over 50% of you), Charlottesville sounds a little small for an Apple store. Anyone have more deets? All the press by the media might have something to do with this.
Doesn’t Apple have a lot of reps that work at UVA?
