Before we get back to our regularly scheduled blogging, we’re going to ask you to take a moment if you haven’t already this weekend…

You may want to make sure that you’ve got that extra 1¢ on your envelope. Starting today the United States Postal Service will increase rates across the board for postage while offering discounts for those that use their online services.

So you’ve got until whenever you don’t feel like going out by the post office to pick up some Forever Stamps before the rates go up again next May or you can check out this new (and exhaustive) list of rates and services that went into effect this morning. And since they can now raise postage rates every year, you may also want to make that online purchase of that Black Terminal T that you want us to mail to you so we can take advantage of that lower rate (we’re just saying…)

Birmingham’s got two chances to bring home a James Beard Foundation award this year. Frank Stitt (Highlands Bar and Grill) and Chris Hastings (Hot and Hot Fish Club) are both up for “the Oscars of the food world” as the nominees for the 2008 edition of the awards were recently announced.

There are a lot of honors up for grabs, so you may want to visit the official list and scroll down to see who our guys are up against in their respective categories (Stitt - outstanding chef; Hastings - best chef - South).

We’ll find out if they’re winners with everybody else on June 8 when the awards are handed out in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. You can always go on up and say you were there when…

Soon you’ll be getting at least a couple of hours of free internet access coming to you at Birmingham area Starbucks. The Seattle-based coffee company announced today that it will soon end its long term partnership with T-Mobile, instead working with AT&T to offer their customers up to two hours of free wireless access at all of their more than 100,000 locations for all AT&T customers and Starbucks Card holders before charging $3.99 for two additional hours of service.

Participating IHOP restaurants will give you a free short stack of pancakes to celebrate National Pancake Day. In exchange, you’re asked to donate to your local children’s hospital through Children’s Miracle Network.

You can’t get it to go (dine-in only) and there’s a limit of one order per customer. It’s been quite successful - they raised $625,000 last year and hope to raise close to $750,000 this year!

Screenshot from The Commons - Flickr.com

Yes, you read that headline right… THE Library of Congress (with a little help from Flickr that is). The partnership, called The Commons, began in June 2007 according to the project page, providing an opportunity for us, the public, to join in on the continuing conversation of history. It is a pilot program, one that will hopefully encourage other cultural institutions to share some of their archives with the world of web users.

Whether it’s a photograph from Birmingham, AL or Birmingham, MI, our help on this project is unmeasurable, so take a moment and browse through a few of these glimpses into our country’s past. It will do a great deal to help its future.

Left to right: Mrs. Laura Bush, community member Shirina Davenport, President and CEO Lawrence Pijeaux, Jr., and IMLS Director Anne Radice. Photo credit: Bob Burgess/IMLS

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute formally received its 2007 National Medal for Museum and Library Service that was first announced in mid-November. On hand to receive the award in Washington, DC from First Lady Laura Bush and IMLS director Anne Radice were BCRI CEO Lawrence Pijeaux, Jr. and Birmingham City Schools family involvement coordinator Shirina Davenport (to Pijeaux’s left as you are looking at the image). Head on over to IMLS’ site to view the official general release and the one recognizing the Institute’s achievement.