Tsunami, My Ass

Bob McKnight, the president and CEO of QuickSilver Inc., is a cliche...



And probably just as dumb as he sounds.

The King Is Dead

"I've lost my little brother." -- Quincy Jones 6/25/2009

And Fade To Black

Moving on down the couch to sit next to Ed.

Got Him

South Carolina's missing governor turned up Wednesday morning.

He was found at the international terminal of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport, where reporter Gina Smith from "The State" went to meet his incoming flight from Buenos Aires...

Coincidentally no where near the Appalachian Trail.

Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now, June 24th. Host: Robin Young.

"I think there's more to come." Oh yeah, Gina.

Don't Cry For Me, Appalachia

Politician

Lyrics

"Surprising... Republicans don't usually do that well with Hispanic women." -- Conan O'Brien 6/24

Cream - Politician
(Wheels of Fire 1968)
by Jack Bruce & Pete Brown

Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
I want to just show you what my politics are.

Im a political man and I practice what I preach.
Im a political man and I practice what I preach.
So dont deny me baby, not while youre in my reach.

I support the left, though Im leaning, leaning to the right.
I support the left, though Im leaning to the right.
But Im just not there when its coming to a fight.

Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
I want to just show you what my politics are.

For Your Consideration

Th Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced the Oscar's would expand from five to ten nominees for "Best Picture," on the same day that "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" opened in a theater near you... Coincidence? I think not.

Lost and Found?

Finders Keepers

Florida courts control the fate of an estimated $500 million worth of undersea treasure believed to be from a 200-year old Spanish war ship known as the Mercedes. Odyssey Marine Exploration CEO and co-founder Greg Stemm talks about running a company that makes money exploring the ocean’s floor, and his company's claim to what they salvaged.

Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now, June 22nd. Host: Robin Young.

Chowing Down on Sacred Cows

Wingman

Sidekick, Comic Foil... or to the Marine pilot inside: Wingman.

Semper Fi, Sir.

Ed McMahon 1923 - 2009

Somehow a 2nd banana at breakfast just doesn't seem right anymore.


I could really use a hearty "Hey-Oh" and a rimshot about now...

Just for old time's sake.



Thanks, Conan.

JibJab Superhero

Yes, the costume with ears sticking out does feel familiar:

Opening Act

Headliner

Debriefing

Disappearing Act

Playing With The Moon

From the Photo Series "Play With The Moon" (source unknown)

All In The Thumbs

OMG! Mad Sklz!

Only 8 months after getting her first cell phone, Des Moines, Iowa, teen Kate Moore became U.S. Texting Champion... She learned quickly, but got a lot of practice, averaging more than 14,000 messages per month.

"If you do it enough, you get really good at it."

Moore, with a speedy and accurate performance, beat out 20 other finalists from around the country over two days of challenges such as texting blindfolded and texting while maneuvering through a moving obstacle course.

Korean electronics manufacturer LG awarded a $50,000 prize... as if any teenaged girl needed an incentive to use her phone.

Audio: NPR's All Things Considered, June 17th.

5 Deadly Words: Standard Text Messaging Rates Apply

Neda of Iran

Her name is “Neda,” the Farsi word for voice. Hers was silenced Saturday as the words of the "Supreme Leader" came to pass: 'There will be blood. You will be blamed.'

Neda Soltani, shot dead by Basij militiamen, has become a martyr to some and symbol to all, as Iran faces demonstrations unparalleled since 1979's Islamic Revolution.

The footage shows the girl, with a singe bullet wound in her chest, lying on her back as her family tries unsuccessfully to save her. Blood is first seen leaving her chest, and within seconds flowing from her mouth and nose as her face is eventually left covered in blood.



People are relatively easy to kill. Ideas aren't.

Relatively Concerned

And now back to the tivia of American Life, which is already in progress...

Cheeseburger In A Can

So Close

Summer was always his busiest season, all the more so since taking on a business of his own. It seemed anything beyond a day trip to the beach was all but impossible for Dad. Summer meant time off from school, but never a real family vacation getaway. Except for one long weekend in 1964.

As kids, the World's Fair was a as close as we'd ever get to Disneyland, because in addition to their own building with the never ending musical loop of 'It's A Small World,' Disney animatronics permeated the park: Abe Lincoln at the Illinois pavillion, Various sketches at GE's rotating theater, and certainly at Ford, where you could ride your new model Mustang through scenes of cavemen!

To Mom, what started as a pilgrimage to the Vatican Pavillion to see the agony of Michaelangelo's "Pietà " morphed into the ecstacy of "Belgian waffles."

We developed a taste for "Heinz Blend" - a mixture of orange and lemon drink I have yet to duplicate in 45 years of trying, and that Sunday afternoon Dad noticed explosions of cheers that suggested someting huge was happening just beyond our ersatz 'Tomorrowland.'

So we followed the sound toward the Singer Bowl... supposedly the site of the fair's biggest events, only to find the noise was coming from outside... across the LIRR trainyard at Willett's Avenue... from Shea Stadium, new home to the Mets, and beyond the reach of our admission tickets for June 21st.

The next morning's papers told of how Jim Bunning had pitched a perfect game, the National League's first in 84 years. What we had heard was baseball history being made. We didn't actually see it... But on that Father's Day, as a family, we were in the neighborhood.

Every Day Is Father's Day

Single dad Brian Miller adopted Johnathan Emerson when he was 7. The young boy had been abused and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. It took some time for both father and son to adjust to their new reality, and now they can't imagine life any other way.

Audio: NPR's Morning Edition, June 19th.

Happy Father(less) Day

Mr. Mom (redux)

Scientists researching the role of dads found that becoming a full-time parent changes a man’s body and brain in many of the same ways it does for women.

Former stay-at-home-dad Jeremy Adam Smith's new book called “The Daddy Shift recounts some of the other.”

Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now June 19th - Host: Robin Young.

Growing Into Fatherhood

A conversation with Michael Lewis, Author of 'Home Game.'

Video: Charlie Rose, June 16th.