Boo Hoo! Too Bad, So Sad!

I deleted the FoxNews channel from my remote control sometime during the 2004 election season. There was nothing I could watch that wasn't positively revolting. Now it seems that theres not much left for their propaganda organ.

Bottom line is that Fox News is in for a very rough 2008. And the umbrella reason for that is quite simple: Eight years ago the all-news cable channel went all-in on the presidency of George W. Bush and became a broadcast partner with the White House. Proof of that was on display Sunday night, Jan. 27, during Fox News' prime-time "Fighting to the Finish," a "historic documentary" on the final year of Bush's presidency. Filmed in HD and featuring "unprecedented access," according to the Fox News press release, the show was pure propaganda. (I must have missed Fox News' "Fighting to the Finish" special back in 2000, chronicling the conclusion of President Bill Clinton's second term and his "extraordinarily consequential tenure.")

The point is that Fox News years ago made an obvious decision to appeal almost exclusively to Republican viewers. The good news then for Fox News was that it succeeded. The bad news now for Fox News is that it succeeded.

Meaning, when the GOP catches a cold, everybody at Fox News gets sick. As blogger Logan Murphy put it at Crooks and Liars, "Watching FOX News getting their comeuppance has been fun to watch. They made their bed, now they're having to lie in it and it's not too comfortable."

The most obvious signs of Fox News' downturn have been the cable ratings for the big primary and caucus votes this year, as well as the high-profile debates. With this election season generating unprecedented voter and viewer interest, Fox News' rating bumps to date have remained underwhelming, to say the least.

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Don't Like The Rules, Rewrite The Rules

I'm so sick of this man!

President Bush this week declared that he has the power to bypass four laws, including a prohibition against using federal funds to establish permanent US military bases in Iraq, that Congress passed as part of a new defense bill.
more stories like this

Bush made the assertion in a signing statement that he issued late Monday after signing the National Defense Authorization Act for 2008. In the signing statement, Bush asserted that four sections of the bill unconstitutionally infringe on his powers, and so the executive branch is not bound to obey them.

"Provisions of the act . . . purport to impose requirements that could inhibit the president's ability to carry out his constitutional obligations to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, to protect national security, to supervise the executive branch, and to execute his authority as commander in chief," Bush said. "The executive branch shall construe such provisions in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President."

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And Then There Were Two

While I fully expected John Edwards to exit the campaign, I thought he'd wait until after super Tuesday. He wasn't my pick but I did like his message.

The Bible says that a nation will be judged, more than anything else, by how it treats its poorest and most vulnerable. And seldom do we see a political candidate who sounds like a biblical prophet. So I just want to say thank you to John and Elizabeth Edwards. You may not become president this time, but you have been a prophet to the nation and will continue to be. As you said in your closing remarks, your presidential campaign may be over, but it's time to get to work. And I know we will be working together. God bless you both.

Hopefully one of the other candidates will pick up this mantle. But, right now it seems as though Barack Obama is coming out swinging against Hillary.

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Oh Give It A Rest!

I generally like Ralph Nader but not as a presidential candidate. He's starting to be an old gas bag!

Ralph Nader, the longtime consumer advocate who was blamed by many Democrats for Al Gore’s loss in the 2000 presidential election, launched an exploratory committee Wednesday for another White House bid, and told CNN he is likely to get in the race if he can put the resources in place.

"John Edwards, the banner of Democratic Party populism, is dropping out, and Dennis Kucinich dropped out earlier, so in terms of voters who are at least interested in having major areas of injustice, deprivations, and solutions discussed in a presidential campaign, they might be interested in my exploratory effort," Nader said.

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One Million Iraqis Free From Sadaam

One way or the other ...

I’m sure Bill O’Reilly will denounce this effort by one of Britain’s leading polling groups to get a handle on how much death and destruction Bush’s war has brought to the Iraqi people.

More than one million Iraqis have died as a result of the conflict in their country since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, according to research conducted by one of Britain’s leading polling groups.

The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Business (ORB) with 2,414 adults in face-to-face interviews, found that 20 percent of people had had at least one death in their household as a result of the conflict, rather than natural causes…read on

But the “surge” is working…John McCain/Lieberman/Kristol/Cheney/Feith/ The WHIG’s and many more have a lot to answer for…

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Imus Back To His Low Rent Ways

Despite disagreeing with Joe Scarborough on any number of issues, I'm so glad he got Imus' spot in the mornings on MSNBC. Hurrah for the people who want to start their morning with this kind of bile but I will pass ...

From the January 30 edition of ABC Radio Networks' Imus in the Morning:

IMUS: And here's what you have to remember about Bill Clinton; you can't forget this.

CHARLES McCORD (news anchor): Yeah?

IMUS: This is a fat, low-rent hillbilly --

McCORD: [laughing] Yes.

IMUS: -- who was getting BJs from an intern in the Oval Office in the White House who was about the age of his daughter. This is a fat boy who, you know, when he sits down with Chris Wallace, Chris can't punch him because the Secret Service is there. But the -- so he's just a, I mean, I don't get that.

McCORD: Well.

McGUIRK: He's been accused of rape.

McCORD: Yeah.

IMUS: He's just a low-rent, no [unintelligible] -- wouldn't even let him live in most trailer parks.

McGUIRK: Sleazebag.

ROB BARTLETT (guest): So what's your point?

IMUS: He's a dirtbag.

No, Imus, you are the dirt bag!

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As The Housing Market Crumbles

Take a look back at Bush grabbing credit for a booming housing market.

Bush in 2004: "Thanks to being the most productive workforce in America, and I might say, thanks to good policies, this economy is strong and it's getting stronger," Bush told supporters.

Noting that 68 percent of Americans own their own homes, Bush said, "Home sales were the highest ever recently. That's exciting news for the country."

Fast-forward to 2008: The housing and mortgage meltdown caused the biggest one-year drop in the rate of homeownership on record, according to government figures released Tuesday.

The Census Bureau report showed that home owners accounted for 67.8% of occupied homes in the fourth quarter, down 1.1 points from a year earlier. It's the largest year-over-year drop recorded in the report. The ownership rate was also well below the 68.2% ownership rate in the third quarter of 2007.

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Maya Hearts Hillary

While Oprah Winfrey is vigorously supporting Barack Obama, her mentor and confidant is supporting Hillary Clinton.

As one of the most respected black women in America, how did the poet Maya Angelou decide between backing a black man versus a white woman as a candidate for U.S. president? We sat down with Angelou this week, at her home in Miami, to find out what was behind her choice, and what influence she thinks her endorsement of Hillary Clinton could have on the campaign.

Watch the video ...

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Someone Whose Moral Center Was Un-Embargoed

I guess that since the media has been pounding her "first black President" remarks into the ground for the past week, she decided to use her sudden high profile to support Obama.

Saying it was the first time she had issued a public endorsement of a presidential candidate, Morrison wrote in a letter to the Illinois senator that neither his racial background nor his rival Hillary Clinton's gender were decisive factors in her decision.

Morrison said she chose to endorse Obama because it might help attract supporters and "this is one of those singular moments that nations ignore at their peril."

"I will not rehearse the multiple crises facing us, but of one thing I am certain: this opportunity for a national evolution (even revolution) will not come again soon, and I am convinced you are the person to capture it," she wrote.

She said she had long admired Senator Hillary Clinton for her "knowledge" and "expert" political skills.

"However I am more compelled by the quality of mind (as far as I can measure it) of a candidate," she wrote.

Obama, who is vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, displayed something other candidates lacked, Morrison said. "That something is a creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom.

"It is too bad if we associate it only with gray hair and old age. Or if we call searing vision naivete."

Morrison wrote: "When, I wondered, was the last time this country was guided by such a leader? Someone whose moral center was un-embargoed? Someone with courage instead of mere ambition? Someone who truly thinks of his country's citizens as 'we,' not 'they'?

With the endorsements of the Kennedys and now Toni Morrison, Obama is certainly having a great day.

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Dreams From Her Father

Though I am still riding the fence about the candidates, I found this to be good and welcome news. I do agree that Obama has that Jack/Bobby air about him. For members of the Kennedy family to recognize it speaks volumes. As the lone survivor of Camelot, Caroline's endorsement is quite touching.

Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift Americans' spirits, and make us believe again that the country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president - not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Kudos to the Kennedys and to Obama.

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Call My House Complaining About A Snow Day ...

What killed me about this story is that most people seemed to jump to the defense of this child who had the audacity to call a school official because students were not granted a snow day. As someone who grew up knowing that I had to listen to the radio or watch the morning news to check for the school closings AND who was almost always disappointed because snow days were rarely called even in frigid weather when many buses would not start or blizzard-like conditions where buses could barely run, I cannot fathom being this bold.

Snow days, kids and school officials have always been a delicate mix.

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But a phone call to a Fairfax County public school administrator's home last week about a snow day -- or lack of one -- has taken on a life of its own. Through the ubiquity of Facebook and YouTube, the call has become a rallying cry for students' First Amendment rights, and it shows that the generation gap has become a technological chasm.

It started with Thursday's snowfall, estimated at about three inches near Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke. On his lunch break, Lake Braddock senior Devraj "Dave" S. Kori, 17, used a listed home phone number to call Dean Tistadt, chief operating officer for the county system, to ask why he had not closed the schools. Kori left his name and phone number and got a message later in the day from Tistadt's wife.

"How dare you call us at home! If you have a problem with going to school, you do not call somebody's house and complain about it," Candy Tistadt's minute-long message began. At one point, she uttered the phrase "snotty-nosed little brats," and near the end, she said, "Get over it, kid, and go to school!"

Not so long ago, that might have been the end of it -- a few choice words by an agitated administrator (or spouse). But with the frenetic pace of students' online networking, it's harder for grown-ups to have the last word. Kori's call and Tistadt's response sparked online debate among area students about whether the student's actions constituted harassment and whether the response was warranted.

Kori took Tistadt's message, left on his cellphone, and posted an audio link on a Facebook page he had created after he got home from school called "Let them know what you think about schools not being cancelled." The Web page listed Dean Tistadt's work and home numbers.

What I can imagine, however is being the wife of this school official and hearing that smart-mouthed message from some over indulged CHILD! I might not have called the child back but I would have felt her fury! When I heard her tirade, those were my sentiments exactly. Most certainly, children should learn to speak up for important causes. Snow days, or lack thereof, do not count. Calling an administrator's home was inappropriate and disrespectful. He should have had his parent call the school and excuse him for the day. No one is entitled to a snow day on general principle. I would have been livid had that little "snotty nosed brat" had called my home with complaints.

Let's Not Get This "First Black President" Thing Twisted

Many joke about Former President Clinton being the first black President but black author and (Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner) Toni Morrison dubbed him that for much deeper reasons that people make it seem.

African-American men seemed to understand it right away. Years ago, in the middle of the Whitewater investigation, one heard the first murmurs: white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black President. Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children's lifetime. After all, Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas. And when virtually all the African-American Clinton appointees began, one by one, to disappear, when the President's body, his privacy, his unpoliced sexuality became the focus of the persecution, when he was metaphorically seized and bodysearched, who could gainsay these black men who knew whereof they spoke? The message was clear "No matter how smart you are, how hard you work, how much coin you earn for us, we will put you in your place or put you out of the place you have somehow, albeit with our permission, achieved. You will be fired from your job, sent away in disgrace, and--who knows?--maybe sentenced and jailed to boot. In short, unless you do as we say (i.e., assimilate at once), your expletives belong to us."

Her comments remind me a lot of Dr. Cornel West's concept of "niggerization" which is what he said happened to white folks after 9/11. Jokes aside, Bill Clinton's blackness is not about him "being down with it," his proclivity for unattractive white women (as black men are pegged to have), Chelsea's "back" and "naturally curly" hair, his "best friend" Vernon Jordan or his favorite author Walter Mosely. It had to do with the irrational way the right wing went after him - specifically over matters of his penis. That's what made him the first black president. Toni Morrison was hardly giving him a ghetto pass, a black card or some dap.

Yes Bill ... Please Be Quiet

This is exactly what I told someone last night. Bill Clinton just needs to STFU ... for a while at least ...

Al Sharpton told the ladies of "The View" today that he thinks it's time for President Clinton to stop injecting race into the presidential campaign.

"I think that it's time for him to just be quiet. I think it's time for him to stop. As one of the most outspoken people in America, there is a time to shut up. And I think that time has come."

Now, I disagree that he is injecting race. I think that is positively ridiculous for everyone to keep pretending that Barack Obama is not black and that black folks (including most, MOST, of the ones that I know) aren't voting for him because he is black and they want to "support the brotha." However, Bill is looking kinda crazy and needs to sit down for a minute.

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If They Even Have Balls

Isn't it amazing that the men who are obsessed with Hillary (and strong, powerful women like her) or worried about some phantom feminist scissoring their privates are men who are the least likely to pique the average woman's interest?

Dear Rush Limbaugh, Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, et. al.:

I do not wish to touch your balls, to cut them from your bodies or for any other reason. I do not wish to even contemplate the existence of your testicles, and, although I understand and pity the profound insecurity that must underlie associations between favorable commentary about powerful women and the removal of your nutsack, I must inform you that it is sheer fantasy. I would, in fact, suggest that there is an inversely proportional relationship between a favorable interest in women like Hillary Clinton and any interest whatsoever in what's in your pants.

Also: Castrating feminist jokes are so 1987. Get a new shtick.

Love,
Liss

Thanks, Shakes, for setting them straight!

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Where's My Reward?

Everyone wants a piece of the action. Of course, I'd want some of that $5 million bucks too but I think it's too late!

An instructor at the flight school Zacarias Moussaoui attended before the Sept. 11 attacks is $5 million richer for his efforts to alert authorities — but colleagues say he wasn't the only one sounding an alarm.

Clarence Prevost, 69, got the payout Thursday as part of the State Department's "Rewards for Justice" program, which mainly seeks information about perpetrators or planners of terrorist acts against U.S. interests and citizens abroad.

The ceremony was closed and the State Department wouldn't identify the recipient, in keeping with the policy of the program. But two Bush administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly about the matter, said the reward went to Prevost.

Prevost, a former Navy pilot who goes by the nickname "Clancy," became a key witness at Moussaoui's trial and eventual conviction as a Sept. 11 conspirator, testifying that he urged his bosses at the Pan Am International Flight Academy outside Minneapolis to call the FBI in August 2001 because he was suspicious of Moussaoui, an inexperienced pilot seeking commercial jetliner training.

Prevost said during the trial that he urged flight school officials to call the FBI and one day an agent showed up to ask him questions about Moussaoui.

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Roberta Mc Cain As The Fruitcake Lady

I imagine one of the best things about being elderly is that you can say whatever the heck you want and not give a hot damn what anyone thinks ... including your own son!

Roberta McCain has done it again!

Just as more and more pieces of the Republican establishment were consolidating around her son, John McCain's 96-year-old mother provided the press with an excuse for revisiting her son's trouble with the G.O.P.'s base.

"How much support do you think he has among the base of the Republican Party?" asked C-SPAN's Steve Scully in an interview set to air Sunday.

"I don't think he has any," said Mother McCain. "I don't know what the base of the Repub--maybe I don't know enough about it, but I've not seen any help whatsoever."

Asked if her son can go on to be the G.O.P.'s nominee, Roberta McCain said, "Yes, I think holding their nose they're going to have to take him."

"I'm really popping off," Mother McCain added, "but he worked like a dog to get Bush re-elected. . . . He's backed Bush in everything except Rumsfeld. Have you heard other senators and congressmen backing Bush over eight years? Find me it--give me a name. I've not seen any public recognition of the work that he's done for the Republican Party."

The interview with C-SPAN's Scully was recorded Wednesday and is set to air Sunday at 6:30 pm ET on "Road to the White House."

She's calling it like she sees it. I think Jay Leno could use a new "Fruitcake Lady."

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Bill vs. Michelle

Have you ever seen Wife Swap? Particularly when the "new wife" is black? I'm not really into perpetuating stereotypes but, invariably, the men seem to end up crying before the swap is over. Somehow I don't think Michelle would have a hard time with Bill.

Can Michelle Obama take down Bill Clinton?

Well, can she at least exploit the spouse of her spouse's chief rival to raise money for her own spouse?

On Thursday afternoon, the Obama campaign sent out a fundraising appeal signed by Barack Obama's wife that uses Bill Clinton's recent swipes at Senator Obama as its main get-out-your-checkbooks motivator. She writes:

We knew getting into this race that Barack would be competing with Senator Clinton and President Clinton at the same time.

We expected that Bill Clinton would tout his record from the nineties and talk about Hillary's role in his past success. That's a fair approach and a challenge we are prepared to face.

What we didn't expect, at least not from our fellow Democrats, are the win-at-all-costs tactics we've seen recently. We didn't expect misleading accusations that willfully distort Barack's record.

Barack Obama isn't relying on a former President of the United States to campaign for him.

He's relying on us -- you, me, and hundreds of thousands of people like us who are giving whatever they can afford to support this movement.

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Kwame Kilpatrick: Big Dummy

Then again, isn't the first course of action for a man (or woman) who is cheating to deny, deny, deny?

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff lied about their relationship last summer at a police whistle-blower trial that has cost the cash-strapped city more than $9 million, according to records obtained by the Free Press.

The false testimony potentially exposes them to felony perjury charges, legal experts say.

Kilpatrick and chief of staff Christine Beatty denied during testimony in August that they had a sexual relationship. But the records, a series of text messages, show them engaged in romantic banter as well as planning and recounting sexual liaisons

I don't know about all of these prosecutions for lying. If you are Scooter Libby and out a CIA agent you get pardoned by the President. If you cheat on your wife you get impeached or prosecuted for perjury. Seems to me we should have something better to do with our tax dollars than track illicit affairs between consenting adults.

Still, in this day and age, Kwame should have known better than to have a text message trail of his affair. That was stupid!

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The Financial System Has Been Infected

This administration cannot seem to get it right on anything. Even steep interest rate cuts send the markets into a panic.

The Federal Reserve slashed a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point yesterday, a bold action designed to prevent steep losses in world stock markets from causing an all-out panic.

The rate cut, the largest in 24 years, soothed financial markets. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.1 percent, far less than the drops of 7 percent and more that staggered Asian and European markets earlier in the week. After the cut was announced, stock prices moderated in Europe and Asia.

Investors in futures markets are betting there is a strong likelihood that the Fed will cut rates again at its regularly scheduled meeting next week.

The cut in the federal funds rate, to 3.5 percent, should make it cheaper for consumers to borrow money with credit cards or through home-equity loans, or for businesses to take on loans to expand. It should also lead to lower rates on most adjustable-rate mortgages, though it is less likely to affect rates for long-term, fixed-rate home loans.

The cut did not immediately restore confidence to key segments of the debt markets, which are at the root of the problems threatening the economy with recession. There is also increasing concern in the markets that the tax cuts and other stimuli being discussed by President Bush and Congress will not ease the underlying credit crunch.

"The financial system has been infected," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Economy.com. "Providing tax cuts and lower rates gives policymakers more time to solve the problem, but it doesn't heal the infection."

Yesterday's rate cut was dramatic for its scale; after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Fed cut rates by only half a point.

This is just madness. I just heard on the news that they are going to make another cut soon. I hope it helps something. My stocks are in the toilet.

Who Let Mitt Out?

Ah, the most excruciating part of the campaign season is when people who aren't in it or of try to get down with it.

Poor Mitt. This is so embarrassing that I almost didn't want to post the video. But how could I deny you the opportunity to see Mitt Romney new pandering style, captured as he posed with a group of young black people in Jacksonville, Florida -- trying to show his street cred by tossing off a lame line from an eight-year-old song, "Who Let the Dogs Out"? (NYT)

The Family Divide In The Democratic Party

Last night I saw Rev. Michael Eric Dyson and his wife Rev. Marcia Dyson on CNN. They had a brief "debate" over the two front runners. They are supporting different candidates. Their exchange was lively but it illustrated the odd position that black women are finding themselves in
this election season.

High profile endorsements of presidential candidates are not unusual during election season. But the program talks to two women of note whose endorsements are unique. Jacqueline Jackson, wife of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the Rev. Marcia Dyson, wife of the Rev. Michael Eric Dyson, discuss their support of Sen. Hillary Clinton for president. Their husbands support Sen. Barack Obama.

In my own family, I believe it was assumed that I would be supporting Senator Obama. But, over the past few weeks, I've been leaning more and more towards Senator Clinton. My rationale and sentiments pretty much echo those of these women.

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Yahoo Cutting Jobs?

This is getting scary if Yahoo is laying off.

Battered by slow revenue growth and the popularity of social networking Web sites, Yahoo! Inc. is poised to lay off hundreds of workers, according to published reports.

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have both reported on the slumping Internet icon's cost-cutting plans, citing people familiar with the matter.

Precisely how many of Yahoo's roughly 14,000 employees will lose their jobs hasn't been determined, the newspapers said. A final decision could be announced Jan. 29 when Yahoo executives are scheduled to review the Sunnyvale-based company's fourth-quarter results.

If several hundred employees are dumped, it will mark Yahoo's most extensive layoffs since 2001 when the company was trying to battle back from the dot-com bust.

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Where The Bottom Is Now Is Anyone's Guess?

WTH?! Wasn't our President just talking about how good the economy was? I knew it was a brazen lie but the whole world shouldn't have to suffer!

Stock markets around the world plummeted yesterday as a financial crisis that began in the market for U.S. home mortgages spread to almost all corners of the globe.

U.S. markets were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but all the world's other major economies experienced sell-offs. Stock prices fell more than 7 percent in Germany and India, 5.1 percent in China, 5.5 percent in Britain and 3.9 percent in Japan. Many countries experienced their worst market declines since Sept. 11, 2001, and the only country whose stock market rose was Sri Lanka.

Asian markets continued their steep drop today, with Japan down 4.4 percent in morning trading. As the market opened in India, shares fell nearly 10 percent, triggering an automatic halt to trading.

"Where the bottom is now is anyone's guess," said Wesley Fogel, a market strategist for HSBC.

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The Debates Got Crunk!

I didn't think it was that bad. It's time to get it all out! The headline for this article is that Obama and Clinton engage in a bitter debate. To me, it wasn't bitter. It was serious!

Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama accused each other of repeatedly and deliberately distorting the truth for political gain Monday night in a highly personal, finger-wagging debate that ranged from the war in Iraq to Bill Clinton's role in the campaign.

Obama told the former first lady he was helping unemployed workers on the streets of Chicago when "you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart."

Moments later, Clinton said that she was fighting against misguided Republican policies "when you were practicing law and representing your contributor ... in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago."

Obama seemed particularly irritated at the former president, whom he accused in absentia of uttering a series of distortions to aid his wife's presidential effort.

(AP) Democratic presidential hopefuls from left, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., Sen. Barack Obama,...
Full Image
"I'm here. He's not," she snapped.

"Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama countered.

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How Dense Can They Be?

... if they think anybody believes this!

Pakistani police have extracted a confession from a fifteen year-old boy in which he admitted complicity in the death of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. The boy stated he and some pals originally planned to toilet paper her house, but "it just got out of hand."

Is Musharraf serious?

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Suzanne Pleshette

Wow! Folks are leaving us left and right. I'm not sure that I really "got" The Bob Newhart Show when it first aired. As a child, it was funny enough to me but I'm sure I missed a lot. I was tickled pink when Suzanne Pleshette showed up in the series finale of Newhart . Hands down in my lifetime, that was the best finale ever!

Suzanne Pleshette, the actress best-known for playing Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show has died at age 70 after a battle with lung cancer.

[...]

In real life, Pleshette was also part of a great love story with another co-star of Bob Newhart, Tom Poston: "[They first met] when they appeared together in the 1959 Broadway comedy 'The Golden Fleecing,' but didn't marry him until more than 40 years later. Although the two had a brief fling, they went on to marry others. By 2000 both were widowed and they got back together, marrying the following year. 'He was such a wonderful man. He had fun every day of his life,' Pleshette said after Poston died in April 2007."

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More Mortgage Job Cuts

My apartment complex is trying to go condo. I cannot afford/do not want to pay what they are asking for the little cracker boxes. I'm not sure how many they will sell in this market. Last I heard, they hadn't sold too many.

Investment bank Lehman Brothers says it will cut 1,300 jobs as it scales back its US mortgage lending business.

The decision comes amid a slump in the US housing market and as banks report billions of dollars of losses related to investments in sub-prime mortgages.

It had already cut about 2,500 jobs last year after shutting its sub-prime mortgage unit that lent to borrowers with poor credit histories.

The bank will take a $40m charge as part of the plan.

"While it was necessary for us to structure our mortgage origination businesses in the US to reflect the change in industry dynamics, we deeply regret the impact this action has on our people," said Ted Janulis, global head of Mortgage Capital for Lehman Brothers.

The cuts will affect Lehman's Aurora Loan Services subsidiary, which will close three regional offices.

The US housing market is going through a severe slowdown, with a sharp rise in mortgage defaults.

The market boomed for years as mortgage companies offered sub-prime loans to customers with weak credit histories.

But many of those buyers are now struggling to pay their mortgages and are losing their homes.

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It's 2008

... and someone finally figured out that little kids don't like clowns? Heck, I cannot say that I am too fond of clowns myself. Who is?

Bad news for Coco and Blinko -- children don't like clowns and even older kids are scared of them.

The news that will no doubt have clowns shedding tears was revealed in a poll of youngsters by researchers from the University of Sheffield who were examining how to improve the decor of hospital children's wards.

The study, reported in the Nursing Standard magazine, found all the 250 patients aged between four and 16 they quizzed disliked the use of clowns, with even the older ones finding them scary.

"As adults we make assumptions about what works for children," said Penny Curtis, a senior lecturer in research at the university.

"We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable."

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They'd Better Not Protest Hell Date

I don't know where folks dream up these phantom monsters who are the root of all evil. In the past, I was never a big BET fan outside a couple shows that were non-video in nature. I can't say that I watch videos on BET (or MTV/VH1 for that matter). So, I'm not really sure who all of these"pimps and hos" are that seem to be the source of all of this rage. Oddly, over the past few months, I've watched more BET than I ever have. I like the reruns of syndicated shows, a couple reality shows and their hilarious dating show called Hell Date. Will protesting work? Not if the people who want to watch continue to watch.

Black Entertainment Television threw its inaugural BET Honors ceremony Saturday night in Washington, but it wasn't without controversy.

Inside the Warner Theatre, honorees Alicia Keys, (entertainment); Tyra Banks (media); Cornel West (education); Rep. Maxine Waters of California (public service); Richard D. Parsons, former chief executive of Time Warner (corporate citizen); and Act 1 employment services Janice Bryant Howroyd (entrepreneur) were each saluted with an introduction, video and musical tribute.

"For me, I'm just a girl still from Harlem, and here I am," Keys said during her acceptance speech. "It's a tremendous feeling to do what you love and for people to love what you do. … People are honoring me for doing what my heart tells me to do, (and that is) so fulfilling."

Meanwhile, protesters behind police barricades across 14th Street held picket signs that read "I Am Not a Pimp" and "I Am Not a Gangster" to protest the negative images portrayed in videos and programming that are broadcas