Paul Harvey has died at 90

"My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news," ... "So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend" - Paul Harvey

via AP:

The broadcasting pioneer passed away today in Phoenix, Arizona, surrounded by friends and family. No cause of death has been reported at this time. At his peak, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations, and his syndicated column was carried by 300 newspapers.

His fans identified with his plainspoken political commentary, but critics called him an out-of-touch conservative. He was an early supporter of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy and a longtime backer of the Vietnam War. But Harvey's most famous broadcast came in 1970, when he abandoned that stance, announcing his opposition to President Nixon's expansion of the war and urging him to get out completely.

"Mr. President, I love you ... but you're wrong," Harvey said, shocking his faithful listeners and drawing a barrage of letters and phone calls, including one from the White House.

But Harvey is most widely known for his "The Rest of the Story", which he began in 1976. He would highlight an individual, taking you through events of their lives in an attempt to capture "the heartbeats behind the headlines." Harvey was preceded in death by his wife, Lynn, in 2008 and is survived by his son, Paul Jr.

Click here for "the rest of the story".

Hacking an old VCR

Don’t throw that old VCR in the trash! Watch this How-To video on hacking a VCR. You’ll be very surprised on how easy it is and what you’ll find. . .

Phil Hartman's SNL Audition

Words cannot describe how much I miss this guy. He was the king of his genre. . .

Bad Bush policy reversed by President Obama

----- Original Message -----
From: "ABC News"

To: Stan Matuska
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 1:41 PM
Subject: Breaking News Thu., February 26, 2009

> Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:> >

Obama Reverses Bush Policy, Allowing Media to Photograph Caskets Returning Home From War [1:22 p.m. ET]>

Super Obama Girl: The End?

Super Obama Girl gives up her powers. Will America survive the return of the right wing pundits from the Phantom Zone? Kneel before Rush!

The Colonel

Mel Gibson's latest cinematic adventure:

The Credit Crisis Explained

Part One


Part Two

Flashback - 1979

Goodnight Tonight - Paul McCartney:

You Tell Me

Monday morning is here once more, and that can only mean one thing - time to caption this photo!

Happy Birthday, Samantha!

My oldest daughter Samantha, seen  here getting an early start on her future blogging hobby, will become nine years old shortly after noon on Monday. I cannot beleive the impact that she's had upon my life; nor can I imagine a world without her in it. 

There's nothing I wouldn't endure for her. I quit a 24 year two-pack-a-day cigarette habit for her second birthday! I only hope that I serve her well in my guidance for her future. Happy Birthday, Sam! Daddy loves you more than anything!

81st annual Academy Awards

So, this is it! The 81st annual Academy Awards are about to get underway! Are we all excited? I for one am not.

The Oscar's used to be such a prestigious, exciting show to watch. Now it's become something of a ho-hum, hum-drum event. Even the sponsors are worried they aren't going to get their monies worth.

For me, it started to suck when they started giving awards for foreign films. I mean, come on, it was already boring enough to sit through all the other non-acting awards as it was!

This year could turn out to be the lowest rated Academy Awards show ever!!!

Even most of the big name actors like Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, and Kate Winslet gave reasons NOT to present awards... which used to be considered a huge honor!

So, forgive me in advance if I am not 'in the know' around the office water cooler about the Oscars... that is, if there is anyone at the water cooler talking about it.

Call before you dig!

I started a new job recently as a Locate Technician for a company whose job it is to locate underground plant for the utility companies. Another aspect of the job is that the utility companies also outsource their damage investigation to us to help them determine the cause of damages, the extent of damage and the responsible parties involved.

The instructor in our class brought this in and shared it with us, so I thought I'd help John meet his PSA quota (that's Public Service Announcement for those of you who have had their prostate examined recently) for the month.

Everyone knows they should call for locates before they start any major projects, but a lot of people figure that if the only thing they're doing is putting in a new mailbox or digging a couple of fencepost holes, why bother? Worst case scenario is I could kill myself if I'm not careful, and hey, I'm a careful guy. Besides, it's my life!

The following pictures were taken by Damage Investigators when a rural - area farmer decided it wouldn't hurt anything to dig a few post holes without a locate.

He hit a high-pressure gas main.


This is his house. His wife and two kids were home at the time.

This is his neighbor's house (about a quarter-mile away). He was also home with his wife and two kids.

This is where he was standing when his auger hit the gas main. He was vaporized instantly.

These are the other surrounding utilities. Half the county was out of service for nearly a week.



So if you still want to dig without a locate, what the hell, it's your life - oh, wait...!

Socks has died at 18

Beloved Clinton White House pet, Socks the cat died today at the ripe old age of 18. The feline had been suffering from cancer since late last year. Former secretary to Mr.Clinton, Betty Currie reported the death this evening; Socks had resided with her since the Clintons departed the White House in 2001.

Chelsea Clinton's pet first appeared in the news in November 1992 after then-Gov. Bill Clinton won the presidency and the family was the still in the governor's mansion in Little Rock, Ark. Socks became an early symbol of privacy-vs.-media in the Clinton era when photographers got a little aggressive as he took a stroll outside. 

In her book,"Dear Socks, Dear Buddy", Hillary Clinton wrote that she had been taking Chelsea to a piano lesson in spring 1991 when they spotted two kittens in her music teacher's front yard. "The black one with white paws _ Socks _ jumped right into (Chelsea's) arms," she wrote. The Clinton Foundation release the following statement:

"Socks brought much happiness to Chelsea and us over the years, and enjoyment to kids and cat lovers everywhere. We're grateful for those memories, and we especially want to thank our good friend, Betty Currie, for taking such loving care of Socks for so many years."

Robert Gibbs Smacks Down CNBC'S Rick Santelli

"I'm not entirely sure where Mr. Santelli lives or in what house he lives," Gibbs said during the daily briefing. "But the American people are struggling every day to meet their mortgage, stay in their jobs, pay their bills to send their kids to school, and to hope that they don't get sick or somebody they care for gets sick that sends them into bankruptcy. I think we left a few months ago the adage that if it was good for a derivatives trader, that it was good for main street. I think the verdict is in on that."

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The Politics of Wii

Obama Girl Stimulus Bill Song

Breaking Up is Hard to. . .Rhyme.

Presidential Outtakes

Part One


Part Two


Part Three

44 Presidents by Rhythm, Rhyme, Results

C-SPAN Q&A: Stephanie Miller

Stephanie Miller talks about national politics and her family's background on Q&A. She grew up with two Republican parents; her late father was the Republican Vice Presidential nominee for Barry Goldwater in 1964.

Dan Akroyd Returns to SNL - As John Boehner

Dan Akroyd returned to Saturday Night Live last night to guest star in the show's opening skit, which pokes fun at Republicans for being the party of opposition and literally nothing else. They argue over whether Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh are smarter and decide the best line of attack is against the Obama kids.

You Screamed, I Screamed, We ALL Screamed!

After Ben and Jerry's came up with the "Yes Pecan" for Obama, they asked customers for suggestions for the Bush Administration. Here are a few of their favorites.

- Grape Depression - the Housing Crunch - Abu Grape - Cluster Fudge - Nut'n Accomplished - Good Riddance You Lousy Motherfucker... Swirl - Iraqi Road - Chock 'n Awe - WireTapioca - Impeach Cobbler - Guantanmallow - imPeachmint - Heck of a Job, Brownie! - Neocon Politan - RockyRoad to Fascism - The Reese's-cession - Cookie D'oh! - Nougalar Proliferation - Death by Chocolate... and Torture - Freedom Vanilla Ice Cream - Chocolate Chip On My Shoulder - Credit Crunch - Mission Pecanplished - Country Pumpkin - Chunky Monkey in C hief - WMDelicious - Chocolate Chimp - Bloody Sundae - Caramel Preemptive Stripe - I broke the law and am responsible for the deaths of thousands...with nuts - judgeMINTday - BUSH-UP yours - we SCREAM Ice cream - RASbush

Thanks, Robert!

Stimulis

Because all economies have performance issues. . .

Quote of the Day

In honor of his birthday:

"Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica." - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

No More "Bubble Boy"

From Steve Benen of The Washington Monthly:

"At an event in Elkhart, Indiana, today, an audience member asked President Obama, "You have come to our county and asked us to trust you, but those that you have appointed to your cabinet are not trustworthy and cannot handle their own budget and tax issues. I'm one of those who thinks you need to have a beer with Sean Hannity, so tell me why, from my side..."

As my friend Alex Koppelman noted, when the questioner elicited boos, the president intervened, silenced the crowd, and said the woman raised a legitimate question. After addressing the substance, Obama joked:

"Now, with respect to Sean Hannity, I didn't know that he had invited me for a beer. But I will take that under advisement. Generally, his opinion of me does not seem to be very high. But, uh, but I'm always good for a beer."

Now, it's always good when a public official can defuse tension with a little humor, and I'm very glad Obama defended the woman's right to ask a confrontational question. But reading about this, another angle comes to mind: since when can critics of the president attend public events and ask unscreened questions?

Apparently, as of about 20 days ago.

Throughout George W. Bush's presidency, White House staffers implemented what were generally called "Bubble Boy" policies. The goal was to shield the former president from those who may have disagreed with him or might ask him questions he didn't want to answer. The anti-dissent policy was often taken to comical lengths, including blocking people from attending public events based on their bumper stickers, requiring loyalty oaths for tickets, and in at least one instance, rehearsing a town-hall meeting a day in advance.

In contrast, consider Obama's approach to diversity of thought. The new president traveled to an economically-depressed community that voted heavily for his opponent in November. Tickets to the event were publicly available to anyone, no loyalty oaths or Democratic fealty required. White House staffers didn't check bumper-stickers for conservative messages, and there was no "blacklist" of Republicans who would be denied entry. There were no hand-picked questions and no hand-picked questioners.

So this is what it's like to have a president with the courage of his convictions, and the confidence to talk to Americans who may disagree with him. I'd almost forgotten."

President Obama's First Prime-time Press Conference

Stormy Daniels - Screwing People Honestly

Note to David Vitter - At least she doesn't wear a diaper. . .

A Meal to Die For!

The Heart Attack Grill:

Did You Know? 3.0

Here are: Version 1 and Version 2.

Hill Disses Bill?

I'm guessing she just didn't notice hubby swooping in for a kiss. . .

What the Centrists have Wrought

From Paul Krugman (via The New York Times):

"I’m still working on the numbers, but I’ve gotten a fair number of requests for comment on the Senate version of the stimulus.

The short answer: to appease the centrists, a plan that was already too small and too focused on ineffective tax cuts has been made significantly smaller, and even more focused on tax cuts.

According to the CBO’s estimates, we’re facing an output shortfall of almost 14% of GDP over the next two years, or around $2 trillion. Others, such as Goldman Sachs, are even more pessimistic. So the original $800 billion plan was too small, especially because a substantial share consisted of tax cuts that probably would have added little to demand. The plan should have been at least 50% larger.

Now the centrists have shaved off $86 billion in spending — much of it among the most effective and most needed parts of the plan. In particular, aid to state governments, which are in desperate straits, is both fast — because it prevents spending cuts rather than having to start up new projects — and effective, because it would in fact be spent; plus state and local governments are cutting back on essentials, so the social value of this spending would be high. But in the name of mighty centrism, $40 billion of that aid has been cut out.

My first cut says that the changes to the Senate bill will ensure that we have at least 600,000 fewer Americans employed over the next two years.

The real question now is whether Obama will be able to come back for more once it’s clear that the plan is way inadequate. My guess is no. This is really, really bad."

A Message from the President

President Obama recorded a video to speak directly to you about his economic recovery plan:

Obama Brings It!

GOP's List of Stimulus Waste is. . .Wasteful!

GOP Talking Point of the Day - Jobs

And now for something different!

Jennifer Gilbert, center, received a kidney from Kimberly Johnson, at right in green.

(CNN) -- In what is being heralded as a "first-ever procedure," surgeons removed a healthy kidney through a donor's vagina, the Johns Hopkins Medical Center has announced. Oh, what the hell, I can't go on with this!!! If you are really more interested in the rest of the story than what I already told you, then click here.

New Americans United Ad Targets Senator Lugar

Amid a worsening economic crisis that resulted in 2.6 million American jobs being lost last year, and with layoffs accelerating in the early part of 2009, Americans United for Change, MoveOn.org Political Action, AFSCME and SEIU announced a robust television advertising campaign today as part of the Campaign for Jobs and Economic Recovery. Here is the Indiana version:

Young Republicans: Keeping it Hip

Obama Talks Football, Troop Withdrawal, Malia And Sasha's School, And Jessica Simpson

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Campbell Brown Throws Down to Limbaugh

Will the windbag take the bait: