Here comes the whines - once again - on small business lending:

WASHINGTON—U.S. regulators Friday urged banks to continue lending to credit-worthy small businesses, responding to growing criticism from Capitol Hill and the White House that regu…

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It seems rather serendipitous that the New York Times would publish an amazingly flattering article about Sarah Palin on the same day the East Coast got walloped by a massive snowstorm.

But to see the Gray Lady quote an Alaska editor saying the former governor is "as big a celebrity as Princess Di” gives one the feeling hell really hath frozen over.

Readers are encouraged to strap themselves in tightly, for Mark Leibovich’s "Palin, Visible and Vocal, Is Positioned for Variety of Roles" is by no means what conservatives have grown to expect from the Palin-hating media:

Ms. Palin represents a new breed of unelected public figures operating in an environment in which politics, news media and celebrity are fused as never before. Whether she ever runs for anything else, Ms. Palin has already achieved a status that has become an end in itself: access to an electronic bully pulpit, a staff to guide her, an enormous income and none of the bother or accountability of having to govern or campaign for office.

"Few public figures not in office have leveraged the nexus between media and political positioning as Sarah Palin has," said the Washington lawyer Robert Barnett (who negotiated, among other things, Ms. Palin’s lucrative deal with Fox News, an arrangement with the Washington Speaker’s Bureau that pays her a reported $100,000 a pop, and a deal with Harper Collins to write her memoir, "Going Rogue," which has already earned her upward of eight figures).

As you might expect, this piece wasn’t all glowing praise, as Leibovich managed to slip in some problems in front of Palin:

As she jumps more into the national political swamp, Ms. Palin is proving as divisive in Republican circles as she was within the fractious McCain campaign.

Her scheduled appearance in Nashville on Saturday incited cries of "sellout" from other Tea Party factions that objected to the high cost of tickets to the convention ($549). Many of her "establishment" supporters were confounded by her decision to endorse Mr. Paul, who is facing Secretary of State Trey Grayson in the Kentucky Senate primary and who is the son of Ron Paul, the former presidential candidate of libertarian bent.

"I’m disappointed by her endorsement of Paul," said William Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard and one of the conservatives credited with "discovering" Ms. Palin in 2007. "But they always disappoint you."

But get a load of this conclusion:

"She has expanded her house and turned it into a compound," said Rebecca Braun, who edits the nonpartisan Alaska Budget Report. "She is basically invisible in Alaska but as big a celebrity as Princess Di everywhere else."

Wow! This from the New York Times?

Makes you wonder if this huge snowstorm hitting at the same time means something.

Hmmm. 

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Alli Owens is in her 3rd year of racing in the ARCA series. Her best career finish is a 6th place finish at Talladega Super Speedway.

Alli Owens is a race car driver in the ARCA Re/Max Series from Daytona Beach, FL. She drove the #12 ElectriyingCareers.com Chevy for DMG Racing owned by Mario Gosselin in a limited schedule during the 2008 season. In 2009 she drove the #19 Toyota in the ARCA Re/Max series for D#39;Hondt Motorsports in 10 events and one other race for Venturini Motorsports, whom s

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Convention goers start to line up at the door for Sarah Palin#39;s speech during the National Tea Party Convention at Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee February 6, 2010.

Palin’s speech tonight will be her first speaking appearance since a report yesterday by MSNBC.com that her husband, Todd, inserted himself into a series of state decisions, including judicial nominations and gas pipeline bids, while she was governor.

A review of 1,200 e-mails obtained under a public records req

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Rachel Maddow on Friday referred to attendees of the National Tea Party convention in Nashville, Tennessee, as white-hooded racists.

Continuing MSNBC’s sad tradition, Maddow first attacked one of the convention’s speakers: "The opening speech last night was given by failed presidential candidate, ex-congressman and professional anti-immigrant, Tom Tancredo who started the event off with a bang, a big loud racist bang."

From there, she went after the audience (video embedded below the fold with transcript):

RACHEL MADDOW, HOST: But first, a couple of holy crawfish stories in today`s political news. The much-maligned national tea party convention is underway today in Nashville. This is the one that is for profit. Tickets cost over $500.

Described as "something that smells scammy" by right-wing Web site, "Red State," the convention lost many of its sponsors and two members of Congress due to speak at the event.

Republicans Michele Bachmann and Marcia Blackburn pulled out. Sarah Palin is still due to address the confab tomorrow. She`s reportedly being paid a six-figure speaking fee to do so.

The opening speech last night was given by failed presidential candidate, ex-congressman and professional anti-immigrant, Tom Tancredo who started the event off with a bang, a big loud racist bang.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. REP. TOM TANCREDO (R-CO): Mostly because I think we do not have a civics literacy test before people can vote in the country, people who could not even spell the word, "vote," or say it in English, put a committed, socialist ideologue in the White House. The name is Barack Hussein Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADDOW: Just for reference here, when Tom Tancredo talks about literacy tests, that`s what they used in the south to keep black people from voting before civil rights legislation and court rulings put a stop to that.

So the convention opened with a clarion call to bring back the literacy tests for voting. And as you could hear, the tea party convention crowd erupted in cheers at the suggestion, although, to be fair, it was sort of hard to tell exactly what the sounds coming from the crowd meant. They were sort of a little bit muffled by, you know, the white hoods.

Maddow was playing a little fast and loose with the facts here. After all, the federal government first used literacy tests as part of an immigration policy enacted in 1917.

It is of course correct that literacy tests were used in the south to prevent blacks from voting. However, as Tancredo’s hot-button issue is indeed immigration, it’s absurd to link his statement Thursday evening to racism.

After all, he referred to "people who could not even spell the word, ‘vote,’ or say it in English." That’s an immigration issue.

If Maddow disagrees, maybe she should familiarize herself with a civics test that immigrants must take today to become American citizens. She needn’t go far, for some of the questions are posted at MSNBC.com:

1. How many stripes are there on the U.S. flag?

• 10
• 13
• 50
• 51

2. Who is the chief justice of the Supreme Court today?

• George W. Bush
• Alberto Gonzales
• Thomas Jefferson
• John G. Roberts Jr.

3. In what year was the Constitution written?

• 1776
• 1787
• 1876
• 1812

4. Which of these is guaranteed by the First Amendment?

• Freedom of the press
• Right to bear arms
• Right to happiness
• Right to trial by jury

5. How many Supreme Court justices are there?

• 3
• 9
• 10
• 13

6. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?

• The Preamble
• The Bill of Rights
• First Ten Amendments
• Lewis "Scooter" Libby

7. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

• July 4, 1776
• July 4, 1787
• July 4, 1812
• July 4, 1876

8. Which of the following amendments to the Constitution does NOT address or guarantee voting rights?

• 19th Amendment
• 24th Amendment
• 15th Amendment
• 7th Amendment

9. What are the 13 original states?

• Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Zealand, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland
• Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland
• Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland
• Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Washington, D.C.

10. What do the stripes on the U.S. flag mean?

• The Cabinet
• One for each state in the Union
• They represent the 13 original states
• One for each article of the Constitution

11. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?

• The Preamble
• The Bill of Rights
• The Declaration of Independence
• The Articles of Confederation

12. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?

• 9
• 10
• 13
• 27

13. Which of the following is NOT one of the constitutional requirements to be eligible to become president?

• Must be at least 35 years old by the time he/she will serve
• Must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years
• Must be a natural-born citizen of the United States
• Must have served as a governor

14. Who selects the Supreme Court justices?

• The Electoral College
• The people
• They are appointed by the president
• The Senate

15. How many representatives are there in Congress?

• 50
• 100
• 102
• 435

16. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death"?

• George Washington
• Benjamin Franklin
• Thomas Jefferson
• Patrick Henry

17. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?

• In search of gold
• To meet the Indians
• For religious freedom
• To escape the Revolutionary War

18. Who has the power to declare war?

• Congress
• The president
• Chief justice of the Supreme Court
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

19. What INS form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?

• Form N-200 "Petition for Naturalization"
• N-400 "Application for Naturalization"
• Social Security card
• FD-258

20. Which of these contains three rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?

• Right to life, right to liberty, right to the pursuit of happiness
• Freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion
• Right to protest, right to protection under the law, freedom of religion
• Freedom of religion, right to elect representatives, human rights

So, Ms. Maddow, if it’s not racist for the U.S. government to expect immigrants to answer these questions, is it racist to want voters to AT LEAST be able to spell the word "vote"?

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May this Valentine bless us with the Cupid of love and warmth of romance. Happy rose day!

My heart for you will never break. My smile for you will never fade. My love for you will never end.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

Love can be expressed in many ways. One way I know is to send it across the distance to the person who is reading this.

Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was choice, but falli

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“I was really surprised at the craziness of the fans and how insane they are – and how genuinely sweet,” says Birch, whose song “Valentino” is on the movie soundtrack to the upcoming Valentine#39;s Day. “They would spend hours in the freezing cold just to catch a glimpse of him.”

Touring with Nick Jonas was an eye-opening experience for Diane Birch.

Thanks to the teen idol#39;s rabid fans, the retro-pop singer-songwriter, 27, says she witnessed something “similar to Beatlemania” while on the r

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Driver Jill George (48) and Jesse Smith, left, crash during the Lucus Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA series 200 auto race at Daytona International Speedway Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Jill George and Danica Patrick were among the female drivers at Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA Racing Series. Patrick finished 6th after starting in the number 12 position.

Jill George started at 38 along with other female drivers Alli Owens (starting 19th), Leilani Munter (25th), Milka Dun

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Boulder Plane Crash accident happened around 1:30 p.m. Saturday when a plane towing a glider collided with a Cirrus SR20 plane near U.S. 36 and Broadway, officials said.

The Schweizer 2-32 glider had freed its rope from the Piper Pawnee, but investigators have conflicting reports on whether that happened before or after the collision, according to National Transportation Safety Board officials. The glider landed safely at the Boulder Municipal Airport.

Three people are reported dead in Boul

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Andrew Shue, 42, and Amy Robach, 37, are recently divorced – and the wedding party consisted of Shue#39;s three sons with ex-wife Jennifer Hageney and Robach#39;s two daughters with her ex-husband, Tim McIntosh.

“The wedding was absolutely beautiful,” a Today show rep, who attended the ceremony, tells PEOPLE. “Amy and Andrew were beaming.”

Former Melrose Place star Andrew Shue and Weekend Today anchor Amy Robach were married Saturday afternoon in New York City.

The couple, who met last April

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