Overheard in an Ec10 section...

TF: So what do you think about this trend?

FIRST-YEAR: (stammering) Uhh, well I think that, you know, well it depends on like whether, uhh... I just think that well, if you look at it from like uh, you know, um... (long pause) I should have gone to Purdue. (Buries head in hands).

Overheard in another Ec10 section...

TF: Let's talk about Wednesday's lecture for a few minutes. He was talking about how education and income are related, right? (Section remains silent)

TF: Well, if you think about it, it makes sense, right? That's what he was talking about, right? You know, labor and education, education and income... (Section still remains silent)

TF: Okay, I admit it, I didn't go to lecture. (Buries head in hands)

TREND-O-RAMA: RIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

Celebrities just love being their own fans. They start their own fan clubs, approve their own action figures, trademark their names-and now, in the latest fit of egomania, launch their own "official" celebrity websites. But who knew that narcissism could be so unintentionally hilarious? Take a look at the highlights of these official celeb sites:

1. www.mariahcarey.org. Unabashedly shameful and shameless. Indulge yourself in Mariah screensavers, a 24/7 Mariah radio station, a gratuitous Q&A page with the most trivial info bytes (it lists Mariah's height as 5'10". I don't think so), and my personal favorite-Mariah video games! You can piece together a skimpy Mariah puzzle, play hangman with Mariah's lyrics, or play Mariah concentration (the game header reads, "It's easy to play because you get to concentrate on Mariah!"). While surfing through this nightmare of a site, I'm still thinking that the same people who buy Mariah Carey records and play Mariah Concentration are the same people who set O.J. free. But then the stupidity reaches a whole new level at the deceptively titled section, "Support Mariah's Cause!" Instead of information on a charity that might redeem the anorexic diva, I get this nonsense:

"So now you've heard every song, learned way too much about her, memorized her lyrics and now you want to give something back. But how? The main thing, of course, is to buy her merchandise! The Billboard and worldwide charts are based on the number of sales, and the more albums she sells the more albums she'll make."

I wrote Mariah an e-mail, "I don't want you to make more albums. So what do you say we start demanding our wasted money back?"