Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over crazy obstacles including Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho’s Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel’s death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.

Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills. He also suffered two strokes in recent years.

Longtime friend and promoter Billy Rundle said Knievel had trouble breathing at his Clearwater condominium and died before an ambulance could get him to a hospital.

“It’s been coming for years, but you just don’t expect it. Superman just doesn’t die, right?” Rundle said.

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Knievel lived with his longtime partner, Krystal Kennedy-Knievel, splitting his time between their Clearwater condo and Butte. They married in 1999 and divorced a few years later but remained together. Knievel had 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Rest In Peace, Evel.

This time, they aren’t all toys, but they were all made in China. Surprise Surprise.

American Greetings Corp. Recalls Confetti Bursts Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Reeves International Inc. Recalls Holiday Ornaments Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Children’s Pencil Pouches Recalled by Raymond Geddes & Co. Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Former Rep. Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who steered the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton and championed government restrictions on the funding of abortions, has died. He was 83.

The death of the Illinois Republican was announced Thursday morning on Capitol Hill by the office of House Minority Leader John Boehner.

Mary Ann Schultz, a spokeswoman for Rush University Medical Center, said Hyde died Thursday at 3 a.m. CST at that hospital. There was no immediate word on the cause of his death.

Rest In Peace, Henry.

Mel Tolkin, the head writer for Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows,” which defined the art of sketch comedy during television’s Golden Age, has died. He was 94.

Tolkin died of heart failure on Monday at his Century City home, said his son, writer-director Michael Tolkin.

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He was born Samuel Tolchinsky in the Ukraine in 1913; the family moved to Montreal when he was in his teens. He studied accounting after high school but also wrote musical revues, using the name Mel Tolkin so his parents wouldn’t know.

Tolkin’s other son, Stephen, also is a TV writer and director. In addition to his sons, Tolkin is survived by his wife, Edith; a brother, Sol Tolchinsky; and four grandchildren.

Rest In Peace, Mel.

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I went out to check the mail today, and noticed that our mailbox literally lifts out of the ground. Sure, this will be convenient when mowing the lawn, because I can lift it right out of the way and ride the mower over the spot, making for the perfect trim job around the box.

But that also means someone else could just lift it out too, or worse, knock it over and make it really loose. That sucks. Oh well, I guess I will be looking at mailboxes this week, yes?

Several years ago, before I met my wife, I was horrible at managing my money and needed serious help. I tried everything I thought I needed to do at the time to try and reduce my credit card debt as quickly as possible. The one thing I didn’t do, initially, was seek credit card debt help, which would have made the whole process that much easier.

By the time I woke up and realized what I needed to do, it was just about too late. In fact, it was so late, that when a “counseling service” screwed up the payment plan I agreed too, credit card consolidation was no longer an option and I had no choice but to file bankruptcy.

That was many years ago, and I have learned my lesson. Oh sure, I still use credit cards, although I wish I could break that cycle too, but now I know how to manage my money. I keep a running budget, so I always know how much money we have to spend and how much needs to go to paying the bills. Sometimes there is nothing extra, but I know when I sleep at night that the bills are paid and the lights will stay on.

I also know, that if I ever get in that situation again, that credit card debt help is just a few mouse clicks away, and all hope is not lost. The secret is knowing when to seek help. The earlier, the better.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of former President John F. Kennedy and founder of the Special Olympics, is in the hospital, said a spokesman for her daughter, California first lady Maria Shriver.

“She has had many health challenges in the past several months, and in every case she has bounced back,” Daniel Zingale said. “I hope and expect it will be the same in this case.”

He would not elaborate on Shriver’s status, saying, “the family’s privacy must be respected.”

Get Well Soon, Eunice.

Here’s a list of the recalls that were announced this week.

With my leg injury and then the Thanksgiving holiday, I haven’t had time to post them, so here they are:

Slipcovers Used With Boppy Pillows Recalled Due to Choking Hazard and Risk of Lead Exposure

Pure Allure Recalls Metal Jewelry Sold at Michaels Stores Due to Risk of Lead Exposure to Children

Metal Jewelry Sold by Family Dollar Stores Recalled Due to Risk of Lead Exposure to Children

La Femme NY Inc. Recalls Children’s Necklace and Earring Sets Due to Risk of Lead Exposure

Discount School Supply Recalls Paint Brushes Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Children’s Metal Jewelry Recalled by Buy-Rite Due to Risk of Lead Exposure

Children’s Metal Jewelry Recalled by Colossal Jewelry & Accessories Due to Risk of Lead Exposure

Cherrydale Fundraising Recalls Bracelets Due to Risk of Lead Exposure

Hopefully you didn’t already purchase any of these…

Herbert Saffir, an engineer who created the five-category system used to describe hurricane strength and warn millions of an approaching storm’s danger, has died. He was 90.

Saffir died Wednesday of complications from surgery, said his son, Richard Saffir.

A structural engineer, Saffir created his scale in 1969 — laying out for the first time what kind of damage could be expected from an approaching hurricane. It has since become the definitive way to describe intensity for storms that form in the Atlantic and parts of the Pacific. Before the scale, hurricanes were simply described as major or minor.

…

Saffir’s wife, Sarah, preceded him in death. Besides his son, he is survived by daughter Barbara Saffir.

Rest In Peace, Herbert.

There has been a huge development in the Natalee Holloway case…

Three young men previously detained as suspects in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway have been re-arrested in the case, the Aruban public prosecutor’s office said Wednesday.

Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, hours before she was scheduled to fly home to Alabama after a high school graduation trip to this Dutch Caribbean resort island. The 18-year-old was last seen in public leaving a bar with the three young men who now are again suspects in her disappearance.

Dutch teenager Joran van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in manslaughter and causing seriously bodily harm that caused the death of the American teenager, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

It’s not like we all didn’t have a strong idea that they were involved with her disappearance. I just wonder what new incriminating evidence was found to make the Aruban authorities take this action.

It took a lot to get them to look at them in the first place, let alone make the initial arrests. Let’s hope the case moves forward and the mystery about what happened to Natalee is finally answered.