Ships, seals, and sealing wax...

I don't listen very closely to the morning news programs, as I don't like getting depressed so early in the day, and let's face it: even if we take away the clearly political subjects in the news -- especially during the current silly season -- such broadcasts tend to be merely a cataloging of the latest crimes and other unfortunate occurrences of the human condition.

I was happy to hear that the XPrize is a major step closer to being awarded. Yesterday, apparently, Scaled Composites, of Mojave, Arizona, sent its SpaceShipOne to the required altitude, despite some roll control problems. If the company manages to repeat the feat within 14 days (albeit without any glitches, I'm sure), it will win the US$10 million prize.

Not that the money is the object of the competition, of course, but I digress...

What I started to write about was something I'm noting more and more often in news reports about the Presidential campaign: a subtle spin in stories about John Kerry that can be summarized with the question "What does John Kerry need to do to win the election?" I just about heard this question asked verbatim this morning on the show featuring the ever-youthful Katie Couric.

Some may put this down to Old Media's "natural" inclination to root for the underdog, but somehow, if the positions in the polls were reversed, I get the strong feeling -- based on experience -- that if Kerry were ahead, the question of the hour would be: "What does John Kerry need to do to increase his lead over George W. Bush?"

* * *I must make sure I touch base tomorrow with the client that wants to send me "back to the 'stan," as I need to get cracking on ordering tickets, etc.

My to-do list runneth over, methinks.

Cheers...