The soap opera that has become the Green Bay Packers seems to have concluded. The Pack reached an agreement to trade quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets. The team mad the announcement late last night. Favre's new No. 4 Jets jersey was already for sale on the team's website about an hour after the deal was announced.

Olympic athletes won't be the only ones sweating in Beijing this week. Microsoft is also in the spotlight -- and under pressure to prove itself -- as the games begin. The company is working with NBC and providing the underlying technology for what they're describing as an unprecedented online presentation of the Olympics, to include more than 3,000 hours of on-demand video and more than 2,200 hours of live coverage from China. For those of us watching the Olympics, NBC and Microsoft tout the ability to view events on our own schedule, and follow niche sports that we might not see on television. The site at NBCOlympics.com is free to use. It's supported by advertising. Gary Zenkel, the president of NBC Olympics, in an e-mail, described it as "the most technically ambitious Internet project to date." A key part for Microsoft is the "enhanced" online experience that makes use of the company's Silverlight interactive technology, its rival to Adobe Flash. The custom NBC media player is a showcase of Silverlight's features -- such as the ability to watch multiple video streams at once, using picture-in-picture boxes. Other features include a window of text-based commentary that you can use to quickly jump to different points. For example, if a basketball player makes a spectacular dunk, you'll be able to click on that reference in the text to go back to that moment in the video. "We thought about making the experience as simple, as engaging and dynamic as possible," said Rob Bennett, general manager of MSN Entertainment, Video and Sports. He predicted that the Beijing Olympics will someday be looked back upon as "a turning point in the way that people experience live events, and sports in particular, online."

Baseball, by the way, is in this year's games but not on the Olympic schedule for the 2012 games. However, 87% of us that have voted at NBCOlympics.com so far think baseball should continue to be in the games.

See anything wrong above with the stamp in the lower right corner?  It took me a few minutes.  A new 42-cent stamp featuring the American flag against an evening sky appears to have 14 stripes -- uhm, or one too many. The stamp in question is called "Night." It was released by the Postal Service on April 18th as part of a series of four stamps painted by Maryland artist Laura Stutzman depicting Old Glory at sunrise, noon, sunset and night. Stamp collector Tony Servies observes in his blog StampsofDistinction.com this week that for 190 years, the flag has always consisted of 13 red and white stripes in a specific pattern. There are 7 red stripes and 6 white stripes. Because of the odd number of red stripes, that has meant a red stripe at the top and bottom of the flag. That means, he concludes, this partially blocked flag, which has a white stripe at the bottom, has at minimum 14 stripes and potentially 15 if the traditional pattern was maintained. A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service is quoted as saying, "It’s been noticed." He added that 3.75 billion stamps in the series have been printed to date. David E. Failor, a manager of Stamp Services for the Postal Service, says the extra stripe came from a design flaw. A white line, he says, was added to provide definition to the flag and was not part of the original artwork. He says, "Normally we would send the change back through our fact-checking process. In the case of this change we didn't do that so the mistake was not recognized. It was brought to our attention after the stamps were issued." So have the owners of the flawed design hit a goldmine, philatelically speaking? Says stamp collector Servies: "If the stamp design is ultimately changed, the current design, issued in a much smaller quantity than originally planned, may possibly increase in value. Only time will tell."

Trivia Answer: He is Oliver Hardy, who in early August of 1957 suffered two strokes and slipped into a coma from which he never recovered. He died on this date in 1957 at the age of 65. The duo, of course, was Laurel and Hardy. His partner being the young British comedian Stan Laurel.

Everyone knows J.P. Patches, that loveable Seattle clown played by now-80-year-old Chris Wedes who for many years was the host of a television show here. Wedes has also recently been battling blood cancer. A long-awaited Patches statue is about to be unveiled during "J.P. Patches Day" coming up in Fremont on the 17th. The statue is a depiction of J.P. along with his sidekick Gertrude. It cost a whopping $150,000 to erect. Funding came from fans, local companies, and community leaders. To find out more about the statue unveiling, check jppatches.com.

On Monday, in only its 18th day of release, "The Dark Knight" hit the 400-million-dollar mark. It’s safe to say there’ll be a follow-up. People have already been discussing what villains they’d like to see and there are reports that producers are confident they can convince Johnny Depp to play the "Riddler" in the next installment. However, the National Enquirer is reporting that studio heads want Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman to play the "Penguin." Some are speculating it's possible that both villains could be in the film.

Well, we're still dealing with the new "hands-free" law here in our state with regards to driving and using our cell phones.  Did you see the Olympian recently with all the pictures of those folks tooling down the road on their phones?  Then within the past couple of days, I personally saw a police officer in a patrol car driving through town on his cell phone -- not "hands-free."  In South Africa, meanwhile, there was a bus driver that was recently fired after passengers complained that he wasn't paying attention to the road. He was using his cell phone ... to play Tetris.

Attention, America: Paris has spoken. Paris Hilton -- the blonde, doe-eyed celebrity thrust into the presidential campaign in an ad by Republican candidate John McCain -- has issued a tart rebuttal. Last week, McCain launched an ad comparing Democratic rival Barack Obama to Hilton and Britney Spears, suggesting Obama was no more than a celebrity candidate unready to lead the nation. Hilton initially shied away from the debate over the ad and its effectiveness. She responded, however, with the video below. A McCain campaign spokesman says Hilton appears to support his candidate's "all of the above" energy solution. Hilton's mother, who along with her husband donated $4,600 to McCain's campaign earlier in the year, said McCain's ad is "a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs."

Trivia Answer: Peter Bonerz, who turns 70 today. The Newhart show began in 1972, ran for six seasons with ratings among the top 20 in the first three seasons. After the Newhart show, Bonerz went on to a busy and successful career as a film and TV director. He directed a number of sitcom episodes for series such as "Friends," "NewsRadio," and "ALF." He now teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, supervising student sitcom productions to be aired on the USC Trojan Vision television station.

On the topic of baseball, Raul Ibanez's bat has been the one the Mariners couldn't do without all season. Last night, he drove in six runs in the seventh inning of an 11-6 victory over Minnesota. Rauuuuuuul set a club record with his six-RBI inning, coming up twice with the bases loaded. The first time, the Mariners were facing a 6-1 deficit. His second grand slam of the season cut the lead to one run. By the time he came up again as the 14th hitter in the biggest inning of the season, the bases were loaded again. This time he blasted a single to bring home the ninth and 10th runs of the inning. The six RBIs erased one of Ken Griffey Jr.'s club records – he had five in an inning on April 29, 1999, against Detroit.

It really pays to work for CBS. A pair of stars from two of the network's top-rated programs rank as the two highest-paid actors on prime-time television, raking in well over $500,000 an episode each, according to a poll by TV Guide. Charlie Sheen, who plays a wealthy, womanizing bachelor on the top-rated sitcom "Two and a Half Men," made more than any other TV actor this year with earnings of $825,000 per episode, including money from his ownership rights in the show. At the rate of 23 episodes per year, the typical number of shows broadcast each season for a comedy like "Two and a Half Men," Sheen would be pocketing just under $20 million a year for a role that also earned him three Emmy nominations. Trailing Sheen in the No. 2 spot on TV Guide's list is fellow CBS star William Petersen, who takes home $600,000 an episode for portraying investigator Gil Grissom on the hit police drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Petersen, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, plans to leave the show this coming season after the first 10 episodes. Still, his salary makes him the highest-paid actor in a prime-time drama series. Among the top-paid women, Mariska Hargitay was No. 1 for TV drama, earning $400,000 an episode for her Emmy-winning role as a New York detective on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Cable network TNT's "The Closer" star Kyra Sedgwick, also portraying a cop, earns a cool $275,000 per episode. Daytime television and reality shows can pay handsomely, too, especially if you're the queen of talk or the king of mean. Oprah Winfrey, who was named 2008's most powerful celebrity by Forbes magazine, earns $385 million annually for hosting her daytime talk show. Simon Cowell, the sharp-tongued judge on the Fox network's mega-hit talent show "American Idol," earns $50 million per year, and CBS late-night host David Letterman has an annual salary of $32 million, according to TV Guide. Finally, lackluster ratings didn't keep CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric off the TV Guide list, as Couric takes in $15 million per year.

According to a Harris Poll which asked adults to name their favorite movie of all time, the resounding number one response was "Gone With the Wind." Coming in right behind it were "Star Wars" and "Casablanca." The top 10 favorite movies of all time:

1. "Gone With the Wind"
2. "Star Wars"
3. "Casablanca"
4. "The Lord of the Rings"
5. "The Sound of Music"
6. "Wizard of Oz"
7. "The Notebook"
8. "Forrest Gump"
9. "The Princess Bride"
10. "The Godfather"

Among men, "Star Wars" and "Gone With the Wind" are the top two favorite movies.  For women, "Gone With the Wind" and "The Sound of Music" are the top two favorites.

Trivia Answer: John Garrett Olerud. He played his college ball at Washington State University where he batted .414 in 1987, .464 in 1988, and -- while recovering from a brain aneurysm -- hit .359 in 78 plate appearances in 1989. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1989-96), New York Mets (1997-99), Seattle Mariners (2000-2004), New York Yankees (2004) and Boston Red Sox (2005). In his 17-season professional career through 2005 spanning 2,234 games, Olerud posted a .398 on-base percentage, 500 doubles, 255 home runs, 1,275 walks, 1,408 runs created, 3,602 times on base, 96 sacrifice flies and 157 intentional walks. He was also hit by a pitch 88 times and grounded into 232 double plays during his career. Well known for beginning his professional career in the Majors and not having played a game in the minor leagues until his late thirties, Olerud jumped directly to the majors after a stellar career at WSU where he was a pitcher noted for his performance from 1987 to 1989. He was known for wearing a batting helmet in the field as a precaution since he suffered a brain aneurysm while playing in college.  Following the 1999 season, Olerud decided to sign with the Seattle Mariners to be near his family. He was an important part of the Mariners' 116-win season in 2001 with a .401 on-base percentage, 94 walks, 272 times on base, and 19 intentional walks in 159 games. On December 6, 2005 Olerud announced his retirement from baseball. At the time of his retirement, his 2,239 career hits represented the 143rd-highest total in Major League Baseball history. His career .398 OBP ranks 65th all-time, and his 500 doubles are good for 44th all-time.

Operation Make 'Em Wish for 4-Dollar-A-Gallon Gas is just about complete. As gas prices drop back to near $4 a gallon -- in fact, below that mark at a number of stations here in the South Sound -- people are almost giddy. The current price in Olympia according to AAA is averaging $4.083 a gallon for unleaded regular. Interesting to note that one year ago today we were paying $2.910 per gallon.

As we get set for the Beijing Games which open Friday, please remember not to sleep outdoors to save money at the Olympics. It is banned to "maintain public hygiene and the cultured image of cities." Don't let the stifling summer heat tempt you into streaking. Don't get drunk or set off fireworks. Don't wave "insulting banners." Anyone with mental illnesses or sexually transmitted diseases is banned. Smoking is not allowed at Olympic venues. The rules on the organizers' official website say it all: "Foreigners must respect Chinese laws while in China and must not harm China's national security or damage social order." The security-obsessed authorities are taking no chances with the 500,000 tourists set to hit Beijing for the Games. A battery of surface-to-air missile launchers are being deployed around the showpiece sites. No detail is too trivial. Lighters have been banned on domestic flights. Commuters are being asked to take a swig from water bottles on the subway to ensure they do not contain suspicious substances. All public swimming pools in Shanghai are checking shampoos and body wash. Authorities have promised "civilized and convenient" security checks but have been accused of obsessive stage management -- visa restrictions have been tightened for visitors and Beijing is ridding itself of the homeless and migrant workers. Up to 1,000 Chinese families are opening up their homes to Olympic visitors, a move that would have been unheard of before the reform and opening up of China in the 1980s. Dog meat is off the menu in the Chinese capital during the Olympics in case animal rights groups are offended. Exotic names and alarming translations abound in Chinese restaurants which are being given a linguistic makeover, though only in select restaurants. Out goes the traditionally named "husband and wife's lung slice" appetizer which is being replaced by the more linguistically correct "beef and ox tripe in chili sauce." No mention has been made of the many popular establishments that have donkey on the menu. The authorities have also worked hard to eliminate "Chinglish" from road signs and menus in the run-up to the Olympics, even if efforts have been a little hit and miss. Gone is the infamous "Racist Park" signpost for the Ethnic Minorities Park. Anyone hoping to scoop up a bagful of cheap pirate movies or music could be in for a disappointment. The city has announced a round-the-clock drive to stamp out bootleg sellers, but pirated DVDs are still available if you know where to look. Yet however much they are obsessed by security and a burning desire to portray the squeaky clean image of a well ordered society, the Chinese insist the welcome will be warm. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said: "China is a safe place. Please be assured. China is a nation with great hospitality and courtesy."

Nice to know he won't go hungry. Mick Jagger turned 65 back on July 26th making him eligible for a state pension of $180 a week.

Wanna lose weight from eating all those Twinkies, but don't have time to exercise? No worries. Just going about your daily activities can burn more calories than you think. This list is from the book "The Fidget Factor." The figures are based on someone weighing 150 pounds. Lighter people will burn fewer calories:

• Changing position in your chair -- calories burned per minute: 1.9
• Crossing and uncrossing legs -- calories burned per minute: 2.3
• Twirling pencil -- calories burned per minute: 1.5
• Humming loudly -- calories burned per minute: 1.4
• Folding laundry -- calories burned per minute: 1.9
• Clearing table -- calories burned per minute: 2.7
• Walking to the TV to change channel -- calories burned per minute: 2.4
• Vigorous lovemaking -- calories burned per minute: 2.0
• Playing with your kids -- calories burned per minute: 3.0
• Surfing the 'net -- calories burned per minute: 1.4
• Pillow fight -- calories burned per minute: 4.8

Trivia Answer: Lizzie Andrew Borden. The murders occurred on August 4th of 1892. The case was memorialized in a popular jump-rope rhyme:

Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
And when she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one.

The anonymous rhyme was made up by a writer as an alluring little tune to sell newspapers even though in reality her stepmother suffered 18 or 19 blows, and her father 11. On the morning in question, Borden's father, Andrew Jackson Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Durfee Borden, were murdered in the family home. The only other people present at the residence at the time were Lizzie and the family maid, Bridget Sullivan. The Borden sisters' uncle, John Vinnicum Morse, brother of Andrew Borden's first wife, was visiting at the time, but was away from the house during the time of the murders. Emma Borden, her sister, was also away from home. Andrew Borden had gone into town to do his usual rounds at the bank and post office. He returned home about 10:45 in the morning. About a half-hour later, Lizzie Borden found his body. According to the maid's testimony, she was lying down in her room on the third floor of the house shortly after 11:00 when she heard Lizzie call to her, saying someone had killed her father, whose body was found slumped on a couch in the downstairs sitting room. Shortly thereafter, while Lizzie Borden was being tended by neighbors and the family doctor, the maid discovered the body of Mrs. Borden upstairs in the guest bedroom. They were both killed by blows from a hatchet. Lizzie Borden was arrested on August 11, 1892, with her trial beginning ten months later in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Her stories proved to be inconsistent, and her behavior suspect. She was tried for the murders. During the police investigation, a hatchet was found in the basement and was assumed to be the murder weapon. Though it was clean, most of its handle was missing and the prosecution stated that it had been broken off because it was covered with blood. However, a police officer stated that he found it next to a hatchet handle. No blood-soaked clothing was found as evidence by police. A few days after the murder, Borden tore apart and burned a light blue Bedford cord cotton dress in the kitchen stove, claiming she had brushed against fresh baseboard paint which had smeared on it. Despite incriminating circumstances, Lizzie Borden was acquitted by a jury after an hour and a half's deliberation. The fact that no murder weapon was found and no blood evidence was noted just a few minutes after the second murder pointed to reasonable doubt. Some have suggested the all-male jury did not like the idea of acknowledging that a respected man's daughter could possibly have committed such an act. Another axe murder in the area which took place shortly before the trial was a great stroke of luck for Borden. After the trial the Borden sisters moved to a new house. In June of 1905, the two argued over a party Lizzie gave. Shortly after that, Emma moved out of the house, and Lizzie Borden began using the name "Lizbeth A. Borden." Lizzie Borden died on June 1, 1927 in Fall River, Massachusetts. The funeral details were not made public and few people attended her burial. Borden was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery under the name "Lizbeth Andrew Borden," her footstone reading "Lizbeth."

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is publishing "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" for charity. The stories are referred to in the seventh Harry Potter book and the writer produced only seven copies of the stories last year; six were given as gifts and the seventh was auctioned off. The book is being published December 4th. All proceeds are going to The Children’s High Level Group, which Rowling co-founded to benefit institutionalized children.

John McCain has a political ad out that compares Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Well, now the heiress has responded to the controversy -- but not necessarily the way you’d expect. Her rep says, "Miss Hilton was not asked, nor did she give permission for the use of her likeness in the ad and has no further comment."

Trivia Answer: MTV -- which stood for Music Television -- a cable television network based in New York City. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs. Today, MTV still plays some music videos, but the channel primarily broadcasts a variety of pop culture and reality television shows. The first music video shown on MTV? It was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. In the early days, the screen would sporadically go black when an employee at MTV inserted a tape into a VCR. The original five MTV VJs in 1981 were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn. They're all still out there except J.J. who passed away in 2005. The early music videos that made up the bulk of MTV's programming in the 80s were often crude promotional or concert clips from whatever sources could be found. As the popularity of the channel rose, and record companies recognized the potential of the medium as a tool to gain recognition and publicity, they began to create increasingly elaborate clips specifically for the channel.