selling out (this blog was brought to you by . . .)

JUTP has never had a policy on advertising, despite the few businesses that have actually approached me with checkbooks out. I have a friend in New York who's been asking about how I could "monetize" this venture, which would be tempting if I didn't have to report any income earned outside work to the county's Ethics Commission. (Lame.) So in the interest of charity (and cleaning out my inbox), here are some announcements that I was not compensated for in any way, shape or form:

Local elderly rag The Senior Beacon wrote about the new (deep breath!) Easter Seals Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Inter-Generational Center at Spring Street and First Avenue (above), which provides adult day care for those oldsters who don't mind hanging out with kids. (The kids, who stare out the center's big windows at Woodside Park across the street, are unsure whether this is better than a homework club.)

Barwood Taxi, also known as "the only taxi in MoCo," has introduced video screens in the backseats of their cabs that let passengers see their fares and pay them by credit card. Not surprisingly, they'll broadcast advertising. But because County Executive Ike Leggett hasn't gotten enough hits on his YouTube channel, the screens will also show public service announcements from Park and Planning, MCPS, and the Department of Economic Development. In the event that you don't want to see hipster Miracle Whip ads or a video about that time Tiger Woods hosted a golf tournament, the screens come with an off switch.

BusJunction is a website that lets you search for cheap bus fares to cities along the Eastern Seaboard and elsewhere. They don't seem to list any of the buses go to Silver Spring, which is annoying, because the ones that leave from Bethesda are kinda pricey, har har. And in response to horror stories about Chinatown buses (like the one that gave my high school English teacher the flu), BusJunction has added Yelp! ratings so you can find reviews of a service before buying your tickets. It's all "just so you'll never end up on a sketchy bus," according to Matthew, who sent me the e-mail.

Finally: Adventist HealthCare (when they're not building us a hospital in Calverton) is trying to stop the spread of Swine Flu with a new campaign and website, helpstoptheflu.com. There, you can find the latest updates about the H1N1 virus, info on where you can get the vaccine, not to mention ways to sneeze into your armpit. (I stuff a hanky into mine, just in case.)