No, that wasn’t a piece of malicious spam that hit the mailboxes of the masses in the stone industry this week. The letter for StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas bearing my name is authentic, right down to the mug shot. (Who else would claim to look like that?)
At last – a government agency story that doesn’t include radiation, radon, falling slabs, silicosis or any other hazard where someone in Washington thinks they have the best answer. In some ways, though, it’s worse: Water features using natural stone are naughty.
Finally, a memorial of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, will be dedicated at one of the three sites of our national tragedy. The fact that there’s only one is a sad story in itself.
The vigil finally lifted at 7:47 a.m., as NBC’s “The Today Show” broadcast its report on granite countertops and radon/radiation. The network originally indicated a Sept. 2 air date, but the force of Hurricane Gustav and the Sarah Palin whirlwind bounced the segment around (an teaser ran during the show’s third hour yesterday, but the report didn’t make it) before this morning’s appearance.
I could probably write several large blog entries on why I don’t watch the Olympics anymore, but the sentiment boils down to this: These people are strange.
Wrapping up some loose ends:
“Report on Alternative Measures to Address Cracks in the Monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia” isn’t an arresting title. However, it offers an important lesson in how to use the Internet to create public opinion.
Friday, or possibly Saturday, may be a minor holiday for some people in the stone industry. Unless there’s a last-minute rush on the New York Times Website, “What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?” should fall off the top of the list of most e-mailed articles for the newspaper.
Plan on attending a trade show in the next few months – specifically, either Marmomacc in Verona, Italy, or StoneExpo Marmomacc Americas in Las Vegas? No?
Think again. This may be the best time yet to go, for several very good reasons.