What’s news today?

Well the Inauguration is now complete. But don’t worry if you missed it, his fans in the press have covered the festivities for you as only die-hard fans could. With glowing admiration. 😉

Perhaps a simple man like myself doesn’t understand all the fuss because I’m just not nuanced enough.

Time and Chris Matthews will explain it to the rest of you commoners over at this link from Mediaite.

““What is Barack Obama? In life, he is a writer and a professor,” Meacham said. “Writers and professors think in more complex terms. They reach more nuanced positions. And I think he knows – I think president Obama knows, because at heart he’s  storyteller and an analyst – that if he wants history to remember his presidency well, he’s got to make these compromises.””

Maureen Dowd wants to know why he doesn’t use his super powers more often.

From Newsbusters

“New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd spoke in such illustrious  language about the “brilliant” president and his  “super-brain” that she even bowled over Obama fan Mika Brzezinski who  exclaimed: “Now that’s love!”

Appearing on the Monday edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Dowd  predicted that “five years from now” the Morning Joe crew will be  gushing about Obama’s “brilliant political memoir” but then lamented that they  would look back and ask: “Why couldn’t he have applied that super-brain to  Washington and gotten it to work better?””

CNN’s Jim Acosta get’s in on the act, also from Newsbusters.

“CNN correspondent Jim Acosta was positively giddy while covering President  Obama’s inauguration parade on Monday afternoon, and didn’t hold back his  feelings on-air.

“You know, I feel like I should pinch myself right now,  Wolf. I can’t believe I have this vantage point of history in the making,”  Acosta gushed.”

“Acosta later added that “It’s good to be the President. It’s almost  like being a rock star on every street corner of Washington on this  day.”

Unfortunately, Acosta has not been alone at CNN in exhibiting extreme  enthusiasm for President Obama. During the inauguration parade, Wolf  Blitzer  raved about “history over here” and shouted  out and waved at Obama as he passed by.”

Of course he did. He’s a big fan.

Andrea Mitchell wasn’t gonna be outdone though.

From NationalReview

“Not to be outdone by Chris Matthews, who said the president’s speech was downright Lincolnian, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell posited that, no, Obama’s address actually brought back memories of Marting Luther King, Jr. “I thought that the tone of this speech, aside from the policy prescriptions, was much more eloquent than I expected, frankly,” Mitchell said, “and in the mood of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the day that we’re celebrating and of that legacy.””

My eyes are 🙄 so much they might fall out. I better get the duct tape. 🙄

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Seems some of the participants got a little carried away too.

From TheWashingtonExaminer

“President Obama’s recent response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., convinced the pastor who preached at this morning’s pre-inaugural church service that the president has the cleric’s touch.

Obama should be called “Pastor in Chief,” said Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., after he “thanked POTUS for work after Newtown shooting tragedy when he spoke to mourners.””

Really? 🙄

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We don’t tolerate this from the teens at our church, and I doubt we’d make an exception for him. It’s just poor manners.

From Bloomberg

““I’m honored and grateful that we have a chance to finish what we started. Our work begins today. Let’s go. -bo”

The president and his family arrived at St. John’s at 8:35 am EST.

The service ended at 9:39.

BO tweeted at 9:25.”

But hey, at least he wasn’t the only one right? The president of another group was Tweeting too. Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood was Tweeting about how honored she was to be in attendance with the President at church.

From WeaselZippers

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And what coronation is complete without a proclamation from the king?

From TheWeeklyStandard

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 21, 2013, a National Day of Hope and Resolve. I call upon all Americans to join together in courage, in compassion, and in purpose to more fully realize the eternal promises of our founding and the more perfect Union that must remain ever within our reach.IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.”

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Thanks for the warm and fuzzy sentiments Sir. Now about your missing clothes…..

From WFB

“The Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s annual audit of the government, released Thursday, raises serious concerns about the federal government’s long-term financial stability and the effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act’s cost-curbing measures.

The report found “that—absent policy changes—the federal government continues to face an unsustainable fiscal path.””

Here’s the report from TheGovtAccountabilityOffice

Not much hope there. Or here, for too many people.

From HotAir

“As we officially embark into President Obama’s second term today, let’s take a moment to examine the new economic normal with which the voting public is apparently quite comfortable. While we’ve finally, technically fallen below the national eight percent unemployment rate we heard so much about during Obama’s first term, there is a very significant qualifier in that math that communicates nothing really uplifting about where our economy actually stands:

The number of Americans age 16 or older who decided not to work or even to seek a job increased by 8,332,000 to a record 88,839,000 in President Barack Obama’s first term, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. …”

It’s all hope, but no change, except for the worse.

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What’s news today?

President Obama was officially sworn in for his second term yesterday.

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The public ceremony is today.

C-Span will have live video stream here.

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Do they hate to say “I told you so” as much as I do?

Well, we did.

From RealClearMarkets

“As the Affordable Care Act–otherwise known as ObamaCare–begins to be implemented, we are seeing its first big consequence: it is making care less affordable.

The New York Times reports that “Health insurance companies across the country are seeking and winning double-digit increases in premiums for some customers, even though one of the biggest objectives of the Obama administration’s health care law was to stem the rapid rise in insurance costs for consumers.”

“Even though”? In fact, Obamacare is simply doing what a lot of people predicted it would. Critics of ObamaCare warned that it would produce precisely the kind of premium increases we are now seeing, for precisely the reasons that new reports are now citing.

I was one of those critics, and I take no joy in pointing out that we told you so.”

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Don’t worry, it’s not all bad today. 🙂

And yes, that was only slightly tongue-in-cheek. 😯

Here’s a good story about a real American hero.

From HotAir

“This is a season when we cover far, far too many depressing tales of politics and Washington power. As we roll through the end of the NFL playoffs, what say we take a moment to lend our thoughts to something nicer? There was a birthday party this weekend in New Jersey, and it was honoring somebody who truly has earned the right to blow out as many candles as he can manage here in the good old U.S of A.  Meet Nicholas Oresko, 96 years young.

A true American hero is celebrating a milestone right here in New Jersey.

The country’s oldest Medal of Honor recipient is celebrating his 96th birthday at his retirement home in Cresskill.

World War II veteran Nick Oresko received his medal from President Harry Truman on October 30, 1945.”

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And this one’s a good story too. It’s not the brother vs. brother Super Bowl match-up I wanted, but it’s still pretty cool.

From YahooSports

“When Jim and John Harbaugh coached against each other last season, it was the first time in NFL history that two brothers faced off as head coaches. And a lot of media attention was given to that storyline.

Jim and John Harbaugh will coach against each other once again in the Super Bowl after San Francisco beat Atlanta and Baltimore beat New England in the NFL conference championship games. And if you thought the Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh story was given a lot of ink for a regular season game last season, just wait for this two-week lead up to the Super Bowl.

Baltimore, led by John Harbaugh, beat New England 28-13 in the AFC Championship Game. Jim Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 28-24 win over Atlanta in the NFC title game earlier in the day.”

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Lately all the news, especially where politics is concerned, seems to be bad news. After all, if it bleeds, it leads, or so they say. I’m sure you’ll agree, it does get tiring sometimes. I think I should spend a little more time on good news for a change. I’ll try to remember to include more going forward as well. Today I’m just going with nothing but good news stories. Feel free to share your own too, or whatever else you find interesting.

🙂

And if you want some nice ones to lead off with, you can’t go wrong with puppies. I mean who doesn’t love puppies?

If it barks, it leads.

First, a loyal dog.

From TheDailyMail

“A heartbroken dog whose owner died two months ago is missing her so much he is attending services at the Italian church where her funeral was held patiently waiting for her to return.

Loyal Tommy, a seven-year-old German Shepherd, belonged to Maria Margherita Lochi, 57, and had been her faithful companion after she adopted him when she found him abandoned in fields close to her home.”

“Following her death at San Donaci near Brindisi, a funeral service was held at which Tommy joined mourners and since then he has been a regular at the church arriving on time when the bells ring out to mark the start of services.”

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Then next we have a fun one for anyone who likes “Where’s Waldo?” Or if you’re British, 🙄 “Where’s Wally?”

Finding Momo, via TheDailyMail as well.

“Spot the dog is the challenge being laid down  by the pet owner behind these Where’s Wally-style photographs.

Andrew Knapp is hoping eagle-eyed viewers  will have lots of fun finding Momo – his black and white border collie concealed  within the images.

The graphic designer originally produced the  series of pictures as a gift for his  nieces and nephews.”

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This one is pretty cool.  🙂

From DailyGood.org

“He’s a world record holding sprinter from South Africa. She’s a spunky 5-year-old from Essex, England. In an inspiring series of images that have recently gone viral, the two strangers, united only by a stubborn refusal to let double amputations stop them, race each other in a friendly bionic foot race.

Oscar “Blade Runner” Pistorious, 25, was just 11 months old when doctors discovered he had no fibulas, requiring below-the-knee amputations of both his legs. Ellie May Challis lost both her hands and legs at 16 months, after contracting a severe case of meningitis.

Although Ellie was originally fitted with standard prosthetics, the toddler found them difficult to walk with. More sophisticated carbon fiber legs — the kind worn by Pistorious — were expensive, but Ellie’s community rallied behind her, raising the $15,000 needed for the replacements. In 2009, the 5-year-old became the youngest person ever to be fitted with carbon fiber prostheses.“

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This is from TheTelegraph

“When 11-year-old Cade Scott threw his message in a bottle into the North Sea he had no idea what kind of 17 month travail his postcard would go on.