Now for some good news

A new study says stocking up on this will enhance your staycation.

by James Oliphant

Your Swamp correspondent is like many Americans this long 4th of July weekend: home, embarking on his "staycation."

We can dress it up in new-age jargon all we like, but we know what it means: maybe hanging out by the pool, watching a parade, renting a few flicks. It's hard to make a staycation sexy. As the Byrds sang: "You ain't going nowhere." Maybe we can buy a new flavor of potato chip. That's about as exciting as it's going to get.

But there is some good news: A new study says watermelon can have the same effect on men as Viagra! Who knew, except perhaps the National Watermelon Promotion Board. So remember that at the market when you are buying those potato chips. (And don't forget to spit out the seeds.)

What about you, Swamp denizens? Staying home this weekend or hitting the road? About a half-million fewer drivers will be on the highways this holiday, AAA says, thanks to the high price of gas.

Speaking of good news, Time magazine has the temerity to tell us that there are positives to $4-a-gallon gas. Ten of them to be exact. High fuel costs, Time says, could slow the outsourcing of jobs, because that phenomenon was driven by cheap energy worldwide. Also, suburban sprawl could be reduced as people move closer to cities. And traffic will be lessened, resulting in fewer deadly accidents.

See the whole list here.

Meanwhile, we will kick back and embrace the staycation. It's a stay-at-home state of mind. See you at the barbecue pit. What time should we all come over? And would you mind if we just skipped the tofu dogs this year?