Of course the M&M's had a purpose too. It was a quick way to see if anyone had READ the stage show guide.
If they hadn't spotted that then they might not have spotted the health and safety clauses.

Amy, thanks for the additional information that I hadn't heard from the mainstream media (i.e., that Palin was speaking at a $500/plate dinner) and that tickets sold already have amounted to $150,000 (apropos of her $100,000 or $75,000 speaking fee).

Initially, I felt mixed about this story. In an era where college tuition has been skyrocketing for years, if I were a student at the university in question (or a taxpayer in CA), I'd be concerned about any expenditures. (PS: I completely agree with you that universities are supposed to be places where the debate of different ideas should be encouraged - although I might argue that it might be be more cost effective to try and get a cheaper (or free) local speaker who shared Palin's views on whatever is to be discussed.) I'm also interested in the balance of interests between the public's right to know how their money is being spent vs. the validity of confidentiality clauses in these contracts - we'll have to wait in see about that one.

But if university can make money from this, that completely takes away my cost concerns. Helas!

Amy, thanks for the laugh ..."WRONG".

Agreed on all counts. Really like how you managed the debate with Leo. What a pro!

More details on the M&M thing:

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/vanhalen.asp

Stupid question: Don't all speakers ask for water to be available at the podium?

Palin's getting paid large sums of money for speaking engagements - no problem with it, wish I could do the same.

Where I live, they have the lights set so that everything is red for a second or two before it turns green for whoever is next. The yellow light isn't too short. The result is that people run yellow lights all the time (and often enough red too). There should be some happy medium that minimizes that, but it's not here and it's not where they shorten the yellow to make money. I find that practice reprehensible.

I never even thought about the practical aspects of the bendy straw! I can appreciate the prohibition on plexiglass or "see-through" lecturns; that makes perfect sense.

I can testify about the show riders thing... I did some gigs with a band back in the '80s, and I can testify that nearly every venue presented its bands with dangerously miswired electrical outlets, despite the contracts always being very clear about that. As the resident electrician in the band, one of my functions was to test the outlets before anyone was allowed to plug anything in. I *always* found at least one that was done wrong.