We Lost Another Great One

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Paul Harvey. He was the voice of reason every morning. And every noon. I know everybody in the world has posted about him, but he WAS a classic.

Adios to Paul Harvey and, Good Day

Radio legend Paul Harvey has passed away. From his web site. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Harvey began his radio career in 1933 at KVOO-AM, Tulsa, while he was still in high school. Later, while attending the University of Tulsa, he continued working at KVOO as an announcer, then as a program director. Paul Harvey [...]

Snow!

Yes, we have some. A little. Just a bit. From my examiner.com post:

This explains it all

I stopped at the supermarket this afternoon and wondered why the parking lot seemed extraordinarily crowded; and why there were only a few carts waiting at the front of the store. Long lines at the checkouts, too. Then my phone buzzed with [...]

The Jindal Jiggle

Oh, this story just keeps getting better and better!

It's Jindalriffic!

Just out from the Times-Picayune ... Louisiana's transportation department plans to request federal dollars for a New Orleans to Baton Rouge passenger rail service from the same pot of railroad money in the president's economic stimulus package that Gov. Bobby [...]

Rush's Rampage

Limbaugh let loose at the Conservative convention this weekend. REALLY let loose.

Rush Limbaugh At CPAC: Doubles Down On Wanting Obama To Fail (VIDEO)

At his closing speech at the CPAC conference, conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh doubled down on his widely-controversial claim that he wanted President Barack Obama to fail, insisting that he meant what he said, and chastising those who were critical of him. "This notion that I want the president to fail, this shows you the problem we've got. This is nothing more than[...]

UPDATE:

Rush Limbaugh's message to the nation: Liberalism is a 'psychosis'

If there was any question that Rush Limbaugh has become the de facto head of the Republican Party, his much-anticipated speech toe the Conservative Political Action Conference today (which he semi-mockingly called his "First Address to the Nation") should have laid them to rest. There was a positive frenzy around him. But this was not a riveting speech, because in the end it was just[...]

Not-So Free Speech

Here's a case to keep a wary eye on. Particularly if you have a blog or website that allows anonymous comments. Or, even more importantly, if you're one who posts comments without giving your identity.

Anonymous Commenters On Trial

The issue of anonymous commenters on news web sites has hit the courtroom in Knoxville. The issue has brought up a lot of discussion on and off line about the right to remain anonymous. Katie Allison Granju and I agree on this subject. The online comments on media web sites - including the anonymous ones [...]

Blogs, Comments, Anonymous comments

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Impressed

Definitely. Take a few minutes this weekend and watch. And try to figure out how the heck they do this changing color stuff on stage. Every time I thought I had it figured out as just lighting, they'd do something more elaborate and I'd be stumped again.



Circus Agency, Talents & Productions, Presents Colors Show - video powered by Metacafe

Why Is Obama Pushing So Hard?

Simple. Fineman says he's trying to beat the other team to the goal on a basketball court.

Fineman: Why Obama Is Moving So Quickly

Moving at the speed of light, the new president aims to score early victories, and keep critics on their toes [...]

The Politics of The Fairness Doctrine

The concept was good. The implementation was impossible. But the debate over the Fairness Doctrine continues. The opponents do, at least, have perseverance.

How They Win

The Fairness Doctrine was a policy on use of the broadcast airwaves that said that since the public owns the airwaves we have a right to demand that companies we license to profit from them support [...]

GITMO Revenge

Seems the guards at Guantanamo Bay may not be happy that the place is about to be closed down. So, what do they do? Take matters into their own hands.

Did Gitmo Torture Ramp Up After Obama Took Office?

No, it's not what you think. Apparently guards decided to get their last kicks in, so to speak. Hopefully someone will bring this to Obama's attention: "LONDON (Reuters) - Abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay has worsened sharply since President Barack Obama took office as prison guards "get their kicks in" before the camp is closed, according to [...]

Bucking the National Trends

Yes, there are indications that Arkansas is dodging the worst of the financial crisis, but not to the extent that USA Today portrayed it today.  At least not in my estimation. My latest post on examiner.com.

Little Rock as an example

If you happened to snag a copy of the USA Today newspaper this morning, you would have noticed the feature story on the Arkansas economy. You would also notice some similarities to a couple of statements I made in this recent Examiner article.[ ...]

Lies? Whooda Thunk It?

Reporters and bloggers felt their collective ears perk up during Louisiana Governor Jindal's response to the president's speech to Congress.  Something just didn't ring true.  Maybe that's because something WASN'T true!

Jindal's Katrina Story: A Tall Tale?

The evidence continues to grow that the story Bobby Jindal told Tuesday night -- about how he backed a tough-talking sheriff's efforts to rescue Katrina victims, government red-tape be damed -- was, how to put it ... made up. Delivering [...]

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Waiting on spring

Another quick Examiner.com post:
Waiting on spring

This is an awkward time of year in Arkansas. Temperatures bounce from 70 degrees one day to 40 degrees the next. It prompts coughs and colds and gives weeds in the front yard their first chance to sprout. It gives [...]

Little Rock Top News Examiner: What's to like about Little Rock?

Here's your first look at something I wrote for a new website. I am (hold your applause) the Little Rock Top News Examiner

Little Rock Top News Examiner: What's to like about Little Rock?

Posted using ShareThis

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Bush Making Big Bucks For Speeches

Part of me would love to criticize this, but I just can't find too much fault with it. The other living ex-presidents get top-dollar fees for speeches, too. The big question (in my mind) is whether at least some of the money goes to a foundation to do good for someone, other that George Bush.

Bush charging $150,000 and private jet travel for speeches.

Now that Bush has officially joined the lecture circuit, it seems he’s seeking to make good on his hope to earn “ridiculous” money. The Dallas Morning News reports that he’s charging $150,000 per speech and demanding a private jet to take him to the speech venue: President George W. Bush may have left office with a [...]

George Bush, Speech Fee

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The Obama Speech

Image by Stijn Vogels via Flickr

Let's look at the TV coverage of Obama's big speech Tuesday night. Once again, MSNBC is getting pounded for showing partiality. No kidding! Folks, the traditional lines have been blurred (if not completely obliterated) and I don't see us going back. Still, the debate continues.

The Case Against Olbermann Anchoring the Obama Address?

U.S. News & World Report’s Robert Schlessinger blogs about Keith Olbermann anchoring tonight’s Obama Address… "I’m an Olbermann fan. I enjoy his show (mostly). But he’s not a news reporter, he’s a commentator. The anchor role should be reserved for a straight news man, with the Keith Olbermanns, Pat Buchanans, Rachel Maddows, and so on giving [...]

And, then, there's the big debate over two little words, likely from the mouth of Chris Mathews, at the beginning of Governor Jindal's GOP response: "Oh, God"
UPDATE:

Chris Matthews Explains "Oh, God!" Utterance

 UPDATE 2: There's more:

The Morning After Look at the Jindal Response

I’m not sure what is selling lower this morning- Citibank or Jindal 2012 stock, but it really is hard to state accurately just how bad it was. It started off like this: That was Chris Matthews, and while the folks on the right will be screaming about liberal media bias, they might be wise to [...]

Shuster's Smackdown

MSNBC's David Shuster is picking up quite a reputation for going after politicians who just can't quite keep their stories straight.

David Shuster smacks down Rep. Darrell Issa's lies

When California Congressman Darrell Issa brings up the right-wing stimulus lie du jour -- the so-called "train to Sin City" -- David Shuster delivers a well-deserved smackdown, practically laughing at Issa for having the balls to spread that lie on his show. Good stuff. Bravo, David. Watch [...]

David Shuster, Darrell Issa

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Television CAN Be Stupid

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 I'm a regular viewer of "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. They've been promoting today's show for several days as being "Live From The White House". You picture them in the West Wing, right? Wrong! Willie Geist got to wander around inside - a little bit. Everybody else was bundled up OUTSIDE, freezing their backsides off. It's February. In Washington, DC. It's cold, people! Watching people being horribly cold and uncomfortable ain't my idea of fun. UPDATE: Near the end of the show, Mika and Joe did get inside for a quick tour of the press area. Whoopee. I'll look for some video later. For now, know that I'm not alone in being critical of this bone-headed move.

Morning Joe at the White House…

The Baltimore Sun’s David Zurawik tears MSNBC a new one for Morning Joe broadcasting from the White House… Will someone tell me what MSNBC’s Morning Joe was doing on the lawn of the White House this morning – besides looking foolish? Was the symbolic statement supposed to be: “We can kiss up to the new administration harder [...]

Morning Joe, MSNBC

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TV Sports=Lotsa $$$$$

The numbers are huge, but let's think this through. The economy is tanking, television advertisers are pulling back, holding onto the few dollars they have. What happens to these high-dollar ESPN deals when even the advertisers with deep pockets start saying "no"? Or, will there ALWAYS be money for sports? I'm not sure.

ESPN Spending $1.1 Billion For NFL Rights, $300 Million for MLB, $270 Million for NASCAR

Some interesting numbers on how much ESPN spends for its major sports programming. via WSJ.com. ESPN spends about $2.2 billion annually for the broadcast rights to major sports in the U.S. alone, according to industry figures. Its payments include $300 million for 80 Major League Baseball games, $270 million for the final 17 Nascar races, $1.1 billion for [...]

Sports, NFL, Baseball, NASCAR, ESPN

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Give It A Break, Rick!

If you're gonna go out on a skinny limb and say stupid stuff like Rick Santelli did, he'd better be willing to deal with it!

Santelli Claims The White House Is Threatening Him: ‘My Kids Are Nervous To Go To School’

CNBC’s Rick Santelli appeared on at least two radio programs today to promote his “rant” against President Obama’s housing program. On G. Gordon Liddy’s radio program, Santelli called attention to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’s response to his tirade. He cropped a quote from Gibbs to suggest the White House was pursuing a [...]

Playing With The Numbers

It's getting to the point that you have to question every bit of polling information that arrives on the scene. Here's the latest. Along with some analysis.

Poll Analysis: Fall In Obama Approval Fueled Entirely By Republicans

A new polling analysis from Gallup shows a very interesting piece of data within the slight decline of President Obama's approval rating, down from its 68% honeymoon rating when he took office, to 63% now. Not only is the dip [...]

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Just Click And Watch

I'm not a big fan of the "Got Talent" reality shows.  However, this clip from the original British version snagged my heart. Via Kent Newsome's blog, this one is something you really MUST watch. A 6 year old singer who will win your heart. Guaranteed.

Who's Running These Companies?

Good golly! (And that's the clean version). What the heck is going on with these big companies? How can you suddenly realize you're losing all this money.

The AIG Money Pit

Back for more: Sources close to the company said the loss will be near $60 billion due to writedowns on a variety of assets including commercial real estate. That massive loss is likely to spur downgrades in its insurance and credit ratings that will force AIG to raise collateral that it doesn’t have. I’m not even going to [...]

AIG, Insurance

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Making Things Worse

We're into another week and I've let Monday pretty much slip away from me. Been busy putting together an interesting new project that you'll hear about in the next few days. The best thing about it, beyond being fun and interesting, it might generate some cash! In the meantime, trying to keep our collective heads above the water of the markets, there's not much optimism out there. This isn't about the economy, but it is about plans gone wrong.

Is Guantanamo a suicide bomber factory?

Yet another reason why President Obama’s vow to shut down the illegal Guantanamo Bay internment camp is so important: the Washington Post this morning reports of a case where a formerly mild Taliban detainee who fired his gun only once had been transformed into a vicious killer by the time of his release from the [...]

UPDATE: Let's go into the economy in more detail, while we're at it.

Stocks plunge, end day at decade-plus lows

Thanks for reading!

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Free Car!!!

That's right. There's no better sign of how rough the housing market is, than this. Just a few blocks away from our house, the lovely Mrs. Krile spotted a sign on her way home from work yesterday. The owner of a home that's for sale is offering a free car if you buy the house. And, it's not just a come-on. The car is a shiny Corvette.

 

Convinced?

Click the pic for a full-sized view.

Time For The Tiny Violins

Even the mighty are falling victim to a slumping economy. It is, as I've reminded you many times, rough all over.

Former Bush administration officials are having trouble finding work.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that “for many of the roughly 3,000 political appointees who served President George W. Bush, [f]inding work has proved a far tougher task than those appointees expected”: Only 25% to 30% of ex-Bush officials seeking full-time jobs have succeeded, estimated Eric Vautour, a Washington recruiter at Russell Reynolds Associates [...]

A Bonus Is A Bonus

No matter what you call it. No matter how you massage it. They're still handing out money to top bosses in the financial sector. I understand the need to keep top producers, but where are they going to go if they actually leave? It's not like there's a bazillion other great jobs in that area sitting open!

Morgan Stanley & Citi to pay $3 BILLION to retain brokers

Um, what? This is yet another bonus though they're now giving it another name. Maybe this is capitalism to Rick Santelli and CNBC but for everyone else who works for a living to fund their plush lifestyle, it's socialism for the elite. Citi and Morgan Stanley are receiving [...]

Against It On Tuesday, For It By Friday

Some of those Washington wet-fish are flopping around on dry land these days. You know the ones - they voted against the stimulus deal, but now - guess what - they're sounding like it's a pretty good deal.

At Least 22 Lawmakers Have Touted The Money From The Recovery Package They Voted Against

On Wednesday, ThinkProgress pointed out that several Republican lawmakers who voted against President Obama’s economic recovery package are now touting its benefits to their constituents. The New York Times picked up on the phenomena yesterday, writing that “the temptation to take credit for at least a few of those billions” has proved “irresistible” to the [...]

Conan Says "So Long" To New York

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I'm not a huge Conan fan. Maybe I just don't stay up that late often enough these days. Maybe I'm getting older. But, last night's farewell show seemed to have some pretty good moments. MSNBC was airing clips all morning and they've made their way to the web now.  In case you've been locked away in a dark room, Conan takes Leno's place on NBC (from Hollywood) in June. Leno moves to (gasp) prime time.

Conan's Final "Late Night" Episode: Will Ferrell, Classic Skits, Andy Richter, Tribute To Staff (VIDEO)

"Late Night" with Conan O'Brien aired its final episode Friday night, ending its run in New York after 2,725 shows. Conan will be moving to Los Anges to over Leno's "Tonight Show" slot, starting in June.Conan had been counting down to the moment all week by taking apart his stage piece by piece and [...]

Snicker Away

I haven't been watching "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" as much lately. I guess, after keep an eye and ear on news all day long, I'm burned out by the time 7 pm rolls around. Thanks to the MSNBC website, it's easy to sneak a peak at what I've missed. Keith's "Worst Person" segment last night punched a couple of my "favorite" people: Santelli and Limbaugh -

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

The Good Life

It's a rainy Saturday. Cold, too. We even got a short round of small hail earlier this morning - enough to cover the deck! Some things just really get under my skin: the idiots on CNBC who were blasting the stimulus package, ignoring how it might help folks who are honestly in trouble, and those who thought they could get away with stealing from good people.

Allen Stanford's Lavish Lifestyle: $10M Florida Mansion, $100M Fleet Of Private Jets

The lavish lifestyle enjoyed by Sir Allen Stanford, the Texas billionaire charged by US financial regulators with "massive" investment fraud, has been laid bare by court documents from two years ago that emerged on Friday. A $10m Florida mansion, bills of up to $75,000 for Christmas presents and [...]

UPDATE: More on Santelli:

"Rude? I Wasn't Being Rude"

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Getting Tough Out There

Guess who's using Food Banks now. Not the people you'd expect.

The New Poor Are Straining Resources At Food Banks Around The Country

I had lunch the other day with a friend who'd gone from a three-paycheck household to one in four months - and her company's cutting back. Even though [...]

Turning Down Help

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Bobby Jindal.  Idiot? Or principled?

Jindal Rejects $90 Million In Recovery Funding That Would Have Benefited 25,000 Louisiana Residents

When President Obama signed the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act last week, it included three different provisions to benefit unemployed workers. The first provided funding to states that allowed for a $25 per week increase in benefits. The second extended the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program which gives 20 weeks of federally-funded unemployment benefits to [...]

Pay Rates

So, it's no surprise (is it?) that a lot of false numbers get tossed around when you're talking about auto industry pay rates.

Everybody Watch This Video On Worker Pay

The mayor of Lansing Michigan takes on Fox propagandist. The $70 per hour figure is a lie that Fox repeats. Auto workers are paid much less than that. This $70 figure takes all the health care [...]

Radio Troubles

In case you don't know, radio's in a bit of trouble around America. Ya got yer mergers. Ya got yer consolidations. Ya got yer corporate ownership. And, ya got yer lack of balanced voices.

Dear Rush Limbaugh, Why Are You Hell-Bent On Protecting A Radio Market That Limits Free Speech?

In June 2007, the Center for American Progress and Free Press released a report titled “The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio.” It found that, of the radio stations owned by the five top commercial station owners, 91 percent of the total weekday talk radio programming on those stations was conservative. Only 9 percent was [...]

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Friday Frivolity

If it's Friday, you know what time it is. Time for Willie Geist from "Morning Joe" and his top stories of the week. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, here's Willie from this morning.

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

Mileage Tax?

Not. Gonna. Happen. Whew! If you listened to some of the talkers today, you'd think this was a "done deal". Not so fast, buckos!

Mileage Tax Plan Nixed By Obama

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will not adopt a policy to tax motorists based on how many miles they drive instead of how much gasoline they buy, his chief spokesman said Friday. Press secretary Robert Gibbs commented after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Associated Press that he wants to consider the idea, which has been proposed in some states but [...]

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Doing Something Right

They may not be working. Yet. But Americans seem to be lining up behind the economic stimulus plans.

Poll Shows Approval Of Obama/Dems Performance On Economy, Disapproval Of GOP

The new AP/GfK poll shows that the public is optimistic that the stimulus plan will work, and they approve the performance of Democrats on the economy -- and disapprove of the Republicans. The poll was conducted from February 12-17, during [...]

Condescending CNBC

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This is an amazing bit of condescending showmanship on the part of the CNBC crew, talking about mortgage help. With a stock market cheering section.

Rick Santelli has a Howard Beale Moment…

This is classic TV but Santelli isn’t saying anything I haven’t already heard before on CNBC and FBN. The only difference is the cheerleading from the peanut gallery behind Santelli. A pretty good cross section of America? Traders? Umm…talk about preaching to the choir and stacking the deck. Let’s see Santelli get that kind [...]

UPDATE:

Here Comes the Santelli Blowback…

You just knew the hype over Santelli’s outburst would subside and people would start looking at what he actually said. And then the blowback would come. CJR Daily’s Ryan Chittum has the honor of being one of the first. I doubt it’ll be the last. Earlier I said Santelli did a Howard Beale. I take [...]

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Bad Decision

The reasons she lists to justify this decision make sense. It's the media that I fault. Dying on camera, whether print or broadcast, just isn't right. Would you watch? Britons are.

British Reality TV Star Set to Die for the Cameras

Jade Goody, who struck a chord on “Big Brother,” wants to take reality TV to a new extreme [...]

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The Next Big Debate

Mark my words, this is going to be the next big, continuing, story we'll be following. And, I believe, it has the potential to really divide the country.

Pelosi foresees prosecution of senior Bush administration officials.

Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she is open to pursuing investigations of abuses by the Bush Justice Department. “I want to see the truth come forth,” she said. But in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Pelosi went a step further, saying that she believes some senior Bush officials — such as [...]

Thursday Reading

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Spend a few minutes with this excellent profile of one of my favorite TV people, Mika Brzezinski. "Morning Joe" has developed into a great program, thanks to her involvement. Actually, the entire crew makes great morning TV. It's all about information and debate and they do it.

Mika Brzezinski Interview

Leslie Stahl interviews Mika Brzezinski on The Women on the Web. This is pretty close to a must read… LESLEY: I guess my point was, now that you do this kind of a show, Joe Scarborough comes on every day and says, “I’m a conservative.” Are you trying to preserve your objectivity by not telling us? [...]

Flight Risk

No kidding! And where is he today? Oooops - seems to have pulled a bit of a vanishing act.

Report: Stanford Tried To Get On Flight To Antigua

CNBC reports that, according to a source, Allen Stanford, who was charged yesterday with perpetrating an $8 billion fraud, tried unsuccessfully to get a one-way flight out of the U.S. to Antigua. Says the business channel: R. Allen Stanford tried [...]

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Bond's Big Turnaround

Hate it one day. Love it the next. It's all politics. Just politics.

Kit Bond Touts Effects Of Stimulus Bill He Voted Against

Last week, Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) slammed President Obama’s recovery and reinvestment plan. “Hold on to your wallets folks because with the passage of this trillion-dollar baby the Democrats will be poised to spend as much as $3 trillion in your tax dollars,” Bond said. “Unfortunately, this bill stimulates the debt, it stimulates the growth [...]

Kit Bond, Recovery and Reinvestment

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Keeping The Wallet Closed

No surprise here, but they are now putting some numbers on the obvious trend - Americans just aren't spending the way we once did. It's back to the basics, and very little more.

The end of rampant consumerism in America?

As much as many Americans treat shopping as a sport of actual activity, this could be quite a shock. The Republican system of economics based on credit and fantasies of never-declining house prices have put the country in a challenging situation. Casting aside excessive consumerism is not such a bad thing, but it does not mean [...]