*Seeing will be believing. The proof will be in the pudding. Whatever cliche applies, I'm willing to wait on that experimental closing to vehicular traffic of Broadway between 47th and 42nd streets in Manhattan in order to establish a pedestrian mall. But promises from city officials to the contrary, I don't see how it will accomplish anything other than a horror show for motorists stuck behind lines of cars, taxis, buses and trucks, all waiting to turn on to already narrow cross streets.

*Why do I think all those red caps for Major League Baseball players and umpires on Memorial Day had less to do with patriotism and more to do with merchandising?

*A couple of years ago, my wife and I were waiting for our flight at LAX when we saw a group of young women taking pictures of a couple seated in the waiting area. I had never seen them before, so we asked and learned that they were on a cable reality show about them and their sextuplets. Now I see photos of Jon and Kate Gosselin jumping off the pages of the tabloids and celebrity magazines, as well as on the evening gotcha TV half-hours, their marriage under stress, both said to have been cheated on each other, allegations they deny. I suspect the reality gig may have seen like a good idea at one time. No doubt there was lots of money to be made. But I wonder if in hindsight, Jon and Kate now think it was worth it.

*The Ulster County Townsman is closing this week. Coming on the heels of the others that have stopped printing over the last couple of months (many of which were owned by our parent company; the Townsman was not, nor was the now-defunct Ulster County Press), my prediction about the favorable long-term prospects of local weekly newspapers isn't looking very good.