Slow News Week

When there's a holiday weekend, we often forget that people in every industry are on vacation. That includes the news people. I envisioned all the reporters and copy editors at home enjoying turkey leftovers as I noted some unusual headlines on my Yahoo homepage the last few days.

Today, for example, Yahoo decided that Martha Stewart is Popular in Prison Mess Hallwas a worthy top story. Someone at AP apparently interviewed a Roman Catholic nun who's doing time with Stewart and she reports that the inmates are all abuzz for the chance to sit with Martha.

The most remarkable thing about the story is that Martha is doing time with a 57 year-old nun. I guess I had envisioned Martha using cigarettes as money and getting in knife-fights in the weight room, so I'm a little disappointed.

Yahoo decided that France was a popular news item this week. I was first dazzled by the headline French Cheese Voted Smelliest, and then noticed Court Rules French Film Not French Enough.

I can't help but wonder if there are some really great news stories going unreported in the last four days. Or are the newsmakers making turkey sandwiches too?