And another thing …

Right between the U.S. Naval Academy’s “Anchors Aweigh” and the University of Southern California’s “Fight on For USC” sits “The Maine Stein Song,” No. 6 on the all-time top 10 list of college songs, according to William E. Studwell, who has written a couple of books on the subject. The UMaine song would finish higher, Mr. Studwell notes, “but it’s a drinking song.” Compared with songs about heavy lifting or brawling, that would seem to be an asset.

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A maxim-minded reader recently called in to comment that in a presidential election “the margin of victory ought to be greater than the margin of error” in the vote count. Though we’re not exactly sure what that would mean in the current extended election, perhaps in the future it could be known as Chad’s Rule.

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A recent New York Times story worries that the United States Olympic Committee’s scandalous site-bidding process, its high job turnover rate and budgeting problems over the last couple of years could keep away corporate sponsors, thus hurting athletes’ chances to train. The story also observed that American athletes did splendidly at their last outing, in Sydney. Apparently, nothing succeeds like excess.

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Stephen King has ceased production of his serialized online novel “The Plant” after customer compliance with the “read now, pay later” policy dropped from nearly 80 percent for the first chapter to less than 50 for the fourth. Despite this obvious breakdown in the honor system, many in the book industry say it was a noble experiment in e-publishing and e-retailing. Not to mention what it did for e-shoplifting.

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The Saco amusement park Funtown/Splashtown USA is installing a new attraction for next summer in which thrill-seekers will be hauled to the top of a 200-foot tower and then fired earthward at speeds exceeding those that would be attained by merely falling from a 200-foot tower. The Utah-based manufacturer of The Turbo Drop says, oxymoronically, that the idea for the increasingly popular ride came from seeking a safer way to bungee-jump. When it comes to defying gravity on a fine summer’s day, we’ll stick with The Hammock (nonturbo model).

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Amazon.com is one of many Internet businesses fighting off union-organizing attempts as workers grow increasingly upset about long hours, layoffs and shrinking benefits. On its internal Web site, the company urges supervisors to report such sure signs of unionization activity as employees engaging in private conversations, gathering in small groups and dawdling in restrooms. Further, the company asks supervisors to remind employees that unions are undesirable because they foster distrust.