as seen on phillyBurbs.com

Fleeting summer
Lazy, hazy dog days of summer now go by in dog years.

Are the back to school ads really running already in the paper?

Hard to believe summer is waning as we head into the dog days of August.

We're still months from the equinox, but because I'm up before sunrise daily, I can tell each day is getting just a tad shorter now.

I long for this time of the year. Actually ache for it throughout the winter. Yet, it seems so fleeting in the face of long, dark and cold days.

Summer lasted forever when I was a kid. The days were long. The sun always warm on my back. I could do anything I wanted and never felt rushed.

The adult world went by in a blur then, as I relaxed in a pool or played tennis, basketball and rode my bike

Now I'm part of that blur. Days are too short and my daily to-do list too long.

This summer is going by in a blink. I haven't even gotten a tan yet and time seems to be running out.

Gotta stop some time this week and watch a sunset.

MARKETING MADNESS

You thought selling the naming rights to the new Phillies and Eagles stadiums were bad.

Not to mention, the Chicago Bears brought to you by Bank One.

Lord help us, but the St. Benedictine Order of monks in the Poconos has put the naming rights for its new monastery up for bids on E-bay.

In the first of three auctions, which ends today, the cash-strapped monks hope to raise $1 million to help pay for the construction of a monastery, cathedral church, cemetery and a retreat center.

The structures can be bid on separately, and the highest bidders will have their items named for them or people of their choice.

"Since the Church is not just the Brothers, Sisters, Deacons, Priests, and Bishops of the Order, but the people of God themselves, we have to reach out nationally to give the people of God the chance to become part of the vision of this Ministry," the monk's page on E-bay says. "This participation is two-fold in its nature: the first part being the actual acquisition and building of the physical complex, and the second part being the funding of the actual ministries of the Order."

Can't help but wonder if they'll ban competing faiths from the grounds once construction is complete. What will they do if the winners are Muslim, Hindu or Jewish?

On the good news side, I finally have a way to pay for my kids' college education when I finally have them. As long as they don't mind their names starting with "This child brought to you by..."

BIZARRO FILE
(Stories you should have read, but might have missed)

GOOD IDEA

Ill. Gov. signs tuition bill Into law
Incoming freshmen at public universities can be sure they'll pay the same tuition until graduation under a bill signed into law by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

BAD IDEA

Suit alleges La. prison sold pirated CDs
A Louisiana jail illegally copied and sold its inmates copies of recordings by hundreds of artists, including the Rolling Stones, Eminem and Garth Brooks, according to a record company's lawsuit.

ESCAPE FROM NY

Fugheddaboudit!
Highway signs will soon encourage drivers on their way out of Brooklyn borough to "fugheddaboudit."

TIME NOT ON THEIR SIDE

Wash. high school time capsule disintegrates
A 93-year-old time capsule from a high school in Aberdeen was opened with great expectations, an audience of state dignitaries and no small difficulty.

E-MAIL BAG

Last week's column on gambling expansion in Pennsylvania, "A bad bet," drew some interesting traffic numbers, but only one e-mail.

Even though I disagree almost entirely with the substance of your article, I found it to be entertaining and very well done! Good reading!

- Michael Manzo
Chief of Staff
Office of the House Minority Leader

E-mails also continue to come in about Pennsylvania's repeal of its motorcycle helmet law and the need for better seatbelt laws, which I wrote about last month in "Legislating stupidity" and "Click it or ticket?"

Nedd Kareiva, director of the Seat Belt Choice Coalition (www.seatbeltchoice.com/), wrote a very lengthy e-mail supporting his group's position. Sorry Nedd, but it's simply too long to reprint in its entirety. Here's a few highlights:

As you know by now, Gov. Rendell signed the repeal of the helmet law.  I read that he made a campaign promise to a group of motorcyclists that he would sign such a bill if it made it to his desk.  I understand that he didn't recommend bikers go without helmets.  He just didn't think the government should be making that decision for them.  So he signed the bill into law effective September and unlikely for a Democrat (and sometimes Republican), a politician kept his word. How many can you count that do that today?

...The point to keep in mind, Mr. Ralis, is that safe driving saves more lives than the seat belt ever will.

Dave Ralis' Pave The Grass column appears on Mondays. You can send him an e-mail at  or call him at 215-269-5051. To read his previous columns, click here.