It's not a semester unless I'm terrorizing campus somehow

With apologies to AJ Daulerio, I present my latest student newspaper column: upcoming fake celebrity feuds to watch out for:

Clickety here to go to the article. [via The Tartan]

OK, light post, but if you haven't seen this yet, it's probably the funniest internet video in a long time (NSFW if you can't have naughty language blaring from the speakers):

Post Office, 1; Amateur personal financiers, 0

As I'm sure you've heard by now, the Post Office has come out with a non-value first class stamp called the "Forever" stamp. 41 cents per stamp now will send a first-class letter for life with that baby.

Better stock up, right?

Wrong. Read this tersely worded write-up from Slate:

Should we all be stocking up?

Absolutely not. Since 1971, postal rates have increased more slowly than the actual inflation rate, as measured by the U.S. Consumer Price Index. So, despite the numerous rate hikes over the last 36 years, stamps have actually been getting cheaper. ... Should this historical pattern hold, you'd be paying more for today's forever stamps than you would for any stamp in the future, no matter how high the rate goes.

In fact, this pattern must hold—as a matter of law. In December, President Bush signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which ensures that future price increases will be kept below an inflation-based ceiling. In other words, postage hikes will never surpass inflation—and the forever stamp will never become a good investment.

Cue the Debbie Downer waaah-waaaah sound effect.

Related: can we please call a moratorium on complaining about the cost of postage? Last time I checked, the ability to send a letter anywhere in the country and have it get there in a few days (even Saturday!) for only 41 cents is a miracle. You can't even get a soda for that price anymore.

Side note: anyone catch The Office finale? 1) I've never been happier with the writers' decision to make Ryan a douchebag. 2) Dear NBC: Give Creed a blog. For real. 3) I guess something big happened between Jim and Pam as well.

Why, the tyrant King George, of course!

Been watching The Office? You really should. Since Arrested Development ended, The Office is easily the funniest sitcom on TV these days.

Like this clip, which probably gave me the biggest laugh of the year so far, as Dwight tries to catch a Ben Franklin impersonator in the act:



In fact, any Jim/Dwight interplay is almost invariably the best part of any office episode, as this sneak from this week's episode shows:



Here's a nice collection of clips. My all-time favorite Jim/Dwight confrontation shows up around the 5:30 (2:20 remaining on the embedded player) mark:



I take it back. Jim mugging for the camera is the best part of any episode. Unless Creed is involved:





Or Toby...



It's a good show with a good variety of solid characters. You can't go wrong.