MzSerena’s Garden

Broadcasting legend Paul Harvey has died at age 90

By RUPA SHENOY | Associated Press Writer
7:51 PM CST, February 28, 2009

CHICAGO – Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation’s most familiar voices, died Saturday, ABC Radio Networks said. He was 90.

Harvey died surrounded by family at a hospital in Phoenix, according to ABC Radio Networks spokesman Louis Adams, where Harvey worked for more than 50 years. No cause of death was immediately available.

Harvey had been forced off the air for several months in 2001 because of a virus that weakened a vocal cord. But he returned to work in Chicago and was still active as he passed his 90th birthday. His death comes less than a year after that of his wife and longtime producer — Lynne.

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

Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of “The Rest of the Story,” Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his “News and Comment” for ABC Radio Networks.

He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a distinctive Midwestern flavor. “Stand by for news!” he told his listeners. He was credited with inventing or popularizing terms such as “skyjacker” and “Reaganomics.”

“Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation’s history,” ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said in a statement. “We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him.”

In 2005, Harvey was one of 14 notables chosen as recipients of the presidential Medal of Freedom. He also was an inductee in the Radio Hall of Fame, as was Lynne.

Harvey composed his twice-daily news commentaries for ABC from a downtown Chicago office near Lake Michigan. He spent winters in Phoenix.

Rising at 3:30 each morning, he ate a bowl of oatmeal, then combed the news wires and spoke with editors across the country in search of succinct tales of American life for his program.

At the peak of his career, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations and charged $30,000 to give a speech. 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.

Perhaps 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.

In 1976, Harvey began broadcasting his anecdotal descriptions of the lives of famous people. “The Rest of the Story” started chronologically, with the person’s identity revealed at the end. The stories were an attempt to capture “the heartbeats behind the headlines.” Much of the research and writing was done by his son, Paul Jr.

Harvey also blended news with advertising, a line he said he crossed only for products he trusted.

In 2000, at age 82, Harvey signed a new 10-year contract with ABC Radio networks.

Harvey was born Paul Harvey Aurandt in Tulsa, Okla. His father, a police officer, was killed when he was a toddler. A high school teacher took note of his distinctive voice and launched him on a broadcast career.

While working at St. Louis radio station KXOK, he met Washington University graduate student Lynne Cooper. He proposed on their first date (she said “no”) and always called her “Angel.” They were married in 1940 and had a son, Paul Jr.

They worked closely together on his shows, and he often credited his success to her influence. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997, seven years after her husband was. She died in May 2008.

American Idol: Top 36, Group 2 Preview
Thanks to President Obama’s address to the nation, American Idol fans have to wait until tonight, Wednesday February, 25th, to see the second group of top 36 contestants hit the stage. So, what are the American Idol fans in store for with this group?
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1510922/american_idol_top_36_group_2_preview.html

American Idol: Where Do I Keep Up with American Idol News and Gossip?
Everyone who loves American Idol is looking for all the latest headlines, the newest gossip and even the conspiracy theories that never cease to crop up every time American Idol hits the air.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1508718/american_idol_where_do_i_keep_up_with.html

American Idol: Was Joanna Pacitti a Plant for Season 8?
Every season people think that there are ringers because they can’t be that good and not have been discovered. But this year, the controversy got even hotter when American Idol judges put Joanna Pacitti through to the top 36 finalists.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1505756/american_idol_was_joanna_pacitti_a.html

So, you have a watch, an old fashioned watch that you need to wind. What are you going to do? Sit there and wind it every time that you want to wear it? I don’t know about anyone else, but I think that I’d look at watch winders to see if I can find something to save a lot of headache.

Now, I’m not sure what others think, but I really like the looks of automatic watch winders and they’re not overly expensive either. There are so many different varieties to choose from. You can get a single winder, a double winder and even quad winders.

I didn’t even know that there were Rolex watch winders. Frankly, I didn’t know anyone made watch winders in this day and age. But I guess there are still people who wear wind-up watches.

If you are one of those people and are tired of winding your watch, then you really should consider getting a watch winder. Ladies, if your man wears a watch that has to be wound, then you’ve got a great gift idea for the next big occasion that requires a gift. Give it some thought, you never know who might like it.

So, Sunday night was the annual gathering of monkeys at the local bowling alley. Oh wait, no, those would be lunatic McDonalds employees gathered at the bowling alley. Every year, the owner and store manager hosts a bowling party for the employees, but this is the first one that we’ve attended, since it’s the first one that I knew about ahead of time so that we could attend.

Here’s the thing, though. I don’t bowl. Ever. It was my grandmother’s thing and honestly? Last night was the first time I’ve set foot in the bowling alley since 1994. That was with my friend Brian to reserve lanes for the next night for him and his date. Before that, it was to watch my grandmother bowl in a league. There are a few other pictures, but I am not sharing. Sorry. I don’t want to share pictures of his co-workers without their knowledge. I had a set printed at CVS to give to them. I know bitching will ensue, however, because I didn’t get any pictures of the ‘cool group’ down at the far end of the lanes. I should just give them the blackmail images (store manager and store owner) and call it good.

It was an interesting evening, left me with a lot of insight into myself and the world around me. Rob wants to bowl more. Meh. We’ll see.

Facebook pulled some absolutely crazy stunts in changing their TOS to say that they own your data even if you cancel your account. What? I don’t think so. I close my account, my stuff is still mine. Yeah, that means your personal photos are theirs to use.

No, really. Just NO. They did change the TOS back after the users created a giant uproar. BUT. I still do NOT trust them. Period. I know a lot of you use facebook for hosting your pictures.

Please heed this warning. Host elsewhere. Use Flickr or Picasa. It’s just as easy.

So, I make bread in my lovely Wolfgang Puck Bread Maker quite often. Usually before it goes to the 3rd (final) rise stage, I pause and shape the loaf. Well, today I am making pepperoni pizza bread and when it beeped to punch down and go to rise.. I went and hit… STOP.

Yeah, really brilliant move, right? Thankfully, once I shaped it, I can leave it sit on the counter to do the final rise like traditional bread. I’ll be putting it back in the machine on bake mode shortly and all will be right in the world. I just feel REALLY stupid. Especially since I made veggie confetti bread yesterday and didn’t screw that up, nor did I screw up either of the loves of bread I last week to take to lunch at a friends house.

I know I’ve been lax in updating and I want to apologize for that, but as you can tell if you look at my last few non-twitter posts, I’ve been posting a lot of articles on Associated Content lately. I also have a lot of stuff going on RL that I don’t really want to share here. It’s not that I don’t love ya’ll, it’s just that I don’t want ya’ll worrying about me cuz everything will be fine in the end, it always is.

I’m ashamed to say that the new episode of My Big Redneck Wedding on CMT tonight was filmed somewhere near here. No, I don’t know the couple who got married and even if I did, I would not admit it. Now, I’ve watched a few episodes of this show over the 3 seasons and have seen some interesting weddings, but I am ashamed to say that this week’s episode was filmed within 100 miles, much less 20 miles of my home. Yeah, really, 20 miles. I watched the train wreck when they showed the ‘sneak peek’ airing. Thankfully, I didn’t know anyone there.

Anyway, this post has taken all afternoon to write. What? I get easily distracted. I had to bake the bread! And extract it once it was done. And slice it after it had cooled. It turned out to be alright. The Italian seasoning overpowered it a bit too much for my liking, so next time, I’ll use half the required. The garlic didn’t overpower it though, which surprises me. Anyway, I need to find some dinner or do some more articles. So, with that said…

Check out my recently published content on AC:
American Idol: Does Vote for the Worst Impact the Votes?

Check out my recently published content on AC:
Pregnancy: Early Pregnancy Testing – Good Idea or Bad Idea
Technology: Tracking the Twitter Trend
Homemade Gift for Moms: Slippers
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Long Distance Relationships: Answering the Tough Questions
Christmas Gift Ideas: What to Buy for Teenage Boys
Online Journals: Assessing Livejournal.Com
American Idol Review: Not a Shocker that Danny Gokey Moves On

If you live in Denver or are just visiting for the day, you need to eat, right? How do you find the restaurant that you want to visit? Why not check out Westword, like hundreds, if not thousands of people already do. If you’re planning a trip to Denver or find yourself there at the last minute with no idea what Denver Restaurants are out there, then Westword has an entire section dedicated to reviewing everywhere you can imagine.

You can seek out restaurants in any sort of price range, by type of cuisine, or even by their general location. If you’re looking for somewhere inexpensive, but vegetarian friendly, Westword can help you find somewhere, especially if you’re looking for a specific cuisine type. You often can’t tell from the name of a restaurant what kind of food is served. That’s what makes Westword a great website. You can specify what neighborhood you’re looking for, the type of cuisine you want, the price range that you can afford and even special features, such as wheelchair accessibility or take-out and delivery service and end up with just the places that fit all of those requests.

Next time you’re hungry in Denver, make Westword your first stop to find the place that will satisfy your needs.

From the looks of it, I won’t have to serve Jury Duty! If I’m right about the trial that the jury selection was for, then I won’t have to. The headline of the day was “Judge will hear Calvin Harris’ retrial” and this makes me exceptionally happy.

Sure, I won’t know 100% that I don’t have to go until Tuesday, but as far as I know, there is only one courtroom in our lovely court house and the bench trial starts Tuesday.

I’ve got more to update about, but I don’t feel well again. Stupid stomach. Not sure what’s up with it lately, unless the pills aren’t working for the lactose intolerance aren’t working. I knew I should have gotten the Lactaid branded ones, rather than the cheaper brand. Blah.

Check out my recently published content on AC:
Cooking Made Easy: Shortcuts for Making Homemade Lasagna
Why President Barack Obama May Fail
How to Find Song Titles from Lyrics
Changing Times: Are Printed Cookbooks a Thing of the Past?
Computer Software Utilities: Opening Archives with WinRAR
Changing Technology: Watching Your Television Shows Online
American Idol: Real Talent or Real Bias
American Idol Changes Format: Overview of Season 8

Why, is the only question I can ask myself at this point in time. Why does life have to suck for me? Why do I always have to scrape, scrounge, hope and pray? Why is it that I have to fight so damn hard for everything in life? The most recent asking of why is the fact that I’ve been looking for apartments. Why? Because, if things don’t go well, then I will need to move at the end of March.

I don’t want to do it. I hate the idea of moving. I hate the idea of packing more than I hate the idea of moving. I did say, however, if we’re going to move, we’re going to rent a couple moving trucks and do it all in one shot. None of this carload at a time bullshit. I don’t know what we’re going to end up doing, frankly. I just hope that whatever happens, it goes easy.

I’m tired of asking myself why.

So they say that it’s a good idea to work out in a gym, especially if you’re just starting to work out. Sure, I can get behind that. but is it really a great idea to put someone who hasn’t worked out in years on the ellipticals first thing?

No? I didn’t think so either. I think that the treadmill is the best starting out point, personally. Either that or the bike, which are my two implements of doom when I go to the gym. Not that I’ve gone more than once. I can’t with all the problems with my back. It sucks, especially since my doctor doesn’t really seem to care all that much about my pain.

Ah well, life will go on and I will get to the point where I’ve lost enough weight that she will listen.

So, after my doctor’s appointment Tuesday and the abysmal amount of weight I lost over the last 6 months, I thought that it was time to do some serious research about what else I can do to stimulate my weight loss. I’m not happy with it in the slightest, but I really don’t want to take anything for weight loss that I don’t fully research.

My doctor is not helpful, she wants to run test after test that I can’t afford. She won’t entertain anything else, so I’m on my own. So, what do you do when you’re on your own? You search the net and see what you can find. So far, however, the only thing that I’ve found are some Lipovox testimonials. While they’re useful, like everything else you find on the Internet, you have to make sure to take them with a grain of salt because you can’t verify how real they are.

Maybe after the tests are done, we’ll find out that I don’t need to go down this road, hopefully she’ll be able to adjust my medication and I’ll be good to go again.

Sorry guys, it’s been a bit of a weird week, so the updates that I planned, went –> that way. So we’ll do a week in review!

Monday – I was not happy, it was just an overall bad day for multiple reasons, including round 3 of cramps from hell. For some reason, my body seems to be VERY upset with me and has ‘blessed me’ with 3 full-fledged periods in one month. Wtf? And the cramps have been utterly UNBEARABLE every time too. It needs to freaking stop. Now.

Tuesday – I went to the doctor. I told her about the above TMI, the lactose intolerance, etc, and she wants to do a full blood panel to see what’s going on, especially since I’ve only lost 2lbs in 6 months. I’ve been averaging 4lbs per month. She thinks that she needs to adjust my medications. No problem, I fasted because I knew it was about time for a blood panel. Also, they were completely unable to get a blood pressure reading with their stupid digital machine. And? My temperature was low when she took it. So the nurse came to draw blood. FAIL. She hit the vein dead on, however, I wouldn’t bleed. Not a drop. She removed the needle and I bled like a mofo. I gave her a second attempt. FAIL. Again, bled after the needle removal. Result? I return Tuesday for a draw. Not amused, but they damn well better be able to get blood or they can stuff it. After that, we went to get some of our groceries. I really didn’t feel all that great, so we grabbed a pizza to bring home for dinner. Best pizza I’ve had in a LONG time. Seriously, the only thing better is my home made pizza. Tuesday was one long day, overall, since I barely sleep at night.

Wednesday & Thursday were uneventful. Rob worked, I slept, fucked off on the computer, watched TV and slept. *shrug* I’m a slug when I don’t feel well.

Friday, we finished grocery shopping, even tho I still felt like warmed over ass. Hell I still feel like warmed over ass right now. I should not be allowed in Wegmans. I always want to spend more than I should. I have never gone in there and gotten just what I went in for. I always come out with something extra. By the time it was all said and done, it was almost 6 when we got home. Crazy. We brought home KFC, which was a BIG mistake. It was absolutely horrid and I’ve been having stomach issues ever since.

Today.. was made of FAIL in so many ways. The high point? My alma mater won their qualifier for Scholarship Challenge (local quiz competition for HS Seniors that I participated in when I was in school) finals. I don’t feel well still. There’s too much going on, none fit for posting though, so I’m out for now. Post again sometime, when I feel better.

My Scroll

Didn’t we just go through the gift giving season of Christmas just last month? No? It’s been long enough for it to be Valentine’s Day already??

Go ahead and laugh at me if you want to, I don’t mind. It just seems like the days have melded into one another and it should still be January. I know that it’s not, especially since we just celebrated my birthday. I hate Valentine’s Day, though. It’s such a commercialized nightmare and all you see is commercials for diamonds and roses. Tell her you love her with this big expensive rock! Tell her you love her with flowers that die in two days! Yeah, that’s really how I feel.

I’ve told my husband time and time again not to buy me flowers or candy, especially for Valentine’s Day. If you want to get me a gift, get me something like personalized books or something I can use from day to day. I’m not into big overstated gifts, gifts that are used to show off to everyone. I want something practical.

Besides, should you need to give a gift one day a year to show someone you love them? Shouldn’t you be showing them every day? Isn’t that the point of being in love? Letting the other person know how you feel about them…

Today has been made of complete and total fail. Seriously. I don’t know what else can go wrong at this point to make it worse than it already has been. I mean, one of the computers could die, but I don’t foresee that happening and frankly, if it did, the world would not end. I know it won’t be one of the televisions in the house that goes, since I have an LCD TV in the living room and in the bedroom now.

I will say, however, that one part of today wasn’t made of fail. Listening to my Alma Mater win Scholarship Challenge and make it to the finals was absolutely fantastic. It just went downhill from there. Maybe later I’ll feel up to writing more about it, but until then, can we get a rewind to an earlier part of the day so we can redo it from there? 2pm would be about perfect, thanks.

[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808151/]

When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati – the most powerful underground organization in history – he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican’s only hope for survival.

Angels and Demons was the reclusive authors third novel after he gave up his job as an English teacher. It tells the story of Langdons brush with a shadowy secret society, the Illuminati, and his frantic quest for the worlds most powerful energy source, in the company of a beautiful Italian physicist whose father, a brilliant physicist, has been murdered.

The team behind the global phenomenon “The Da Vinci Code” returns for the highly anticipated “Angels & Demons,” based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard again directs the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman.

Purchase The Book: Angels & Demons: A Novel

Lyrics | The Black Ghosts – Full Moon lyrics

Sometimes I sit and wonder why things always seem to happen to me. For instance, why is it that we always seem to be facing the looming threat of losing our home to property taxes? Is it because we can’t manage our money properly? No, really it’s not that. It’s the fact that we just don’t have enough money to be able to take care of everything that needs to be taken care of.

Could I spend less? Sure. I could cut the high speed Internet, but if I did that, I’d have to give up a lot of the things that I do online because the fastest dial-up speed we could ever get was 26.4k. I couldn’t get blogs to load, much less basic web pages half the time and then there was the sharing when my husband wanted to be online. Split 26.4 between 2 connections, dear god what a pain.

I was thinking recently that maybe it would be better if we just moved back to Las Vegas. He was making slightly better money, but all we could afford for housing is one of the extended stay hotels that wasn’t in the greatest neighborhood. The place itself was nice, clean, friendly, etc. It just seems like no matter what, I can’t ever get ahead.

There are days when I feel like Tevye when he sings “If I Were A Rich Man”

Laurell K Hamilton – A Lick of Frost (Meredith Gentry 6)

I am Meredith Gentry, princess and heir apparent to the throne in the realm of faerie, onetime private investigator in the mortal world. To be crowned queen, I must first continue the royal bloodline and give birth to an heir of my own. If I fail, my aunt, Queen Andais, will be free to do what she most desires: install her twisted son, Cel, as monarch . . . and kill me.

My royal guards surround me, and my best loved–my Darkness and my Killing Frost–are always beside me, sworn to protect and make love to me. But still the threat grows greater. For despite all my carnal efforts, I remain childless, while the machinations of my sinister, sadistic Queen and her confederates remain tireless. So my bodyguards and I have slipped back into Los Angeles, hoping to outrun the gathering shadows of court intrigue. But even exile isn’t enough to escape the grasp of those with dark designs.

Now King Taranis, powerful and vainglorious ruler of faerie’s Seelie Court, has leveled accusations against my noble guards of a heinous crime–and has gone so far as to ask the mortal authorities to prosecute. If he succeeds, my men face extradition to faerie and the hideous penalties that await them there. But I know that Taranis’s charges are baseless, and I sense that his true target is me. He tried to kill me when I was a child. Now I fear his intentions are far more terrifying.

Ann Brashares – Forever In Blue – 4th Summer of the Sisterhood

Ann Brashares has created a wonderful, heartfelt series for teens (and adults) around a pair of pants. In her breakout bestseller, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Brashares introduced readers to four girls, Lena, Bridget, Carmen, and Tibby, and to the magical pair of jeans that fit them all perfectly, and inspired them to live their young lives to the fullest. Forever in Blue, the fourth and final novel in the series, promises a dazzling finale–one “last glorious summer” for the four girls, and their fans. See a note from author Ann Brashares, below.–Daphne Durham

A Note from Ann Brashares
December 1, 2006

Dear Amazon Reader,

Well, here we are together again. If you are getting ready to read the fourth book, Forever in Blue, that means we’ve probably spent some time together. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I know I have.

We don’t know each other and we may never get to meet, but I feel like we are connected nonetheless. We’ve spent time with four fictional girls together. We’ve puzzled over their lives and their choices. We’ve rooted for them and sometimes felt annoyed by them. We’ve shared some hopes for them, I think, and in the process for ourselves.

So thank you for being part of the sisterhood with me. I have really appreciated your company along the way.

Happy reading,
Ann

Nora Roberts – Dance Upon The Air (Three Sisters Island trilogy #1)

When Nell Channing arrives on charming Three Sister Island, she believes that she’s finally found a refuge from her abusive husband – and from the terrifying life she fled so desperately eight months ago…

But even in this quiet, peaceful place, Nell never feels entirely at ease. Careful to conceal her true identity, she takes a job as a cook at the local bookstore cafe – and begins to explore her feelings for the island sheriff, Zack Todd. But there is a part of herself she can never reveal to him, for she must continue to guard her secrets if she wants to keep her past at bay. One careless word, one misplaced confidence, and the new life she’s so carefully created could shatter completely.

Just as Nell starts to wonder if she’ll ever be able to break free of her fear, she realizes that the island suffers under a terrible curse – one that can only be broken by the descendants of the Three Sisters, the witches who settled the island back in 1692. And now, with the help of two other strong, gifted women – and the nightmares of the past haunting her every step – she must find the power to save her home, her love…and herself…