Four weeks away from a blog for a two-week vacation: Sounds about right to me. Check this space for snippets of my trip through New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, West Virginia and, of course, Pennsylvania and New York. The ostensible goal was the J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake at Clarks Hill, on the South Carolina/Georgia border. I visited and camped under the stars there, and must say it was darned good. Weirdness factor of the vacation on a scale of one to ten: 7 Fun factor: 8 Relaxation factor: 6 Not bad for a solo road trip with my dog: The food was even pretty good.

Holy information super highway, Batman! It would seem that the former veep is about to put his name (and maybe even some of his money?) behind the purchase of Newsworld International, a CBC spin off TV network. Is Gore invading the New York (and Los Angeles & Chicago & ... ) media market from the North? I remember the domestic version of Newsworld as an exciting, well-regimented startup operation -- a fun place to work. As a stateside viewer, when it has been on my cable lineup I've occasionally enjoyed dipping into its offerings from time to time, not realizing that Vivendi was footing the bill or realizing what profits there might be. It will be interesting to see what effect Radio Free Al will have, if any, on the media scene -- and who he'll involve in the venture to deal with CRTC requirements. I'm no expert, but I can't imagine he'll have the FCC watching over him as closely as it does those who choose to produce and broadcast television in the United States.