Resumes can make the difference between being hired and not being hired. The following resumes are not your average resume:
Category Archives: Business
Internet Headaches
My No.1 complaint about the internet is to be reading an article, then a pop-up ad covers up the article, which makes you have to X out the ad, so you can finish reading the article. Guess you can call this kind of pop-up a pop-over since it covers up an article. If the advertiser thinks pop-up ads will make me want to look at their ad, then they are dead wrong, since I will never buy a product, from a company that intrudes on my time on the computer.
Another culprit is the spammer who reads your blog and likes it and posting a phony message, about how much they like your blog, then you see it is a business trying to use your blog to advertise their business.
You Tube videos are another headache, when you expect to see a music video, but instead an advertisement starts playing for 30 minutes or 60 minutes. You are a prisoner to the advertiser, since you have no choice, but to watch their ad if you want to see the music video. I hate inserting a link in my blog, to a You Tube video that first shows an ad, since some viewers won’t want to sit there for 60 minutes watching an ad, before seeing the video.
Some websites are interminably slow to open a page, so eventually I will avoid those websites. For instance I have seen some websites take forever to open, but then go to ESPN which opens almost immediately, despite being graphic intensive website.
Then there are the websites, that require you to sign in with your email address and a password, just to view the content of that website. Another pet peeve of mine is going to a website that lets you read only part of an article, then says you have to pay to read the complete article.
There is nothing more aggravating, than to go to a website and start reading, then the page becomes unresponsive and you have to wait till the page lets you start scrolling again.
One thing that often happens on the internet is to go to a website and you get a message saying you need to download a program, before you can view that website. If you have problems downloading the program, then you have wasted several minutes for nothing.
Bloggers like me have another problem, by posting a photo found in a Google search, then go back to that page later and the photo is gone. Copyrighted photos should not show up in a Google search. I have about 925 posts in my blog, so it is impossible to go through each blog to see which photos or videos have been removed by someone.
Charging to view a website tells me it is time to forget about that website. That is why Facebook will not charge to use Facebook, because Facebookers will leave the site in droves, if they start charging. Facebook doesn’t want to tell their advertisers, that millions have closed out their Facebook accounts, so the advertiser will ask Facebook to reduce their advertising rates and Facebook surely doesn’t want to lose revenue.
The only internet service that I would ever consider paying for is if all the email services begin charging, for using their email service. Email is almost certainly the most widely used service on the internet, especially those that don’t use the social media for one reason or the other.
Note: Readers are welcome to list their complaints about the internet in the comments section. Any comments are appreciated.
Duck Dynasty Stars Holding Out For $200,000 An Episode
The stars of Duck Dynasty are holding out for more money before starting filming on Season 4.
Duck Dynasty attracted over 8 million viewers in their Season 3 premiere, which makes it the most watched show on the A&E cable network. The ratings for last week showed only Walking Dead and The Bible with a higher rating than the show about the Robinson clan from Louisiana.
Phil Robertson who created the Duck Commander duck call played football at La. Tech and started ahead of Terry Bradshaw who went on to win several Super Bowls and was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Robertson turned down a chance to go to the pros, because it interfered with duck season.
This article from ABC News tells more about the Robertson family and how they created a duck call business, with sales in the millions.
The Robertson family is holding out for $200,000 an episode of the reality show. A&E is currently filming about 15 episodes a season, which would mean A&E would have to pay the Robertson family $3 million a season.
A&E is caught in a bad place. They surely don’t want to pay the family $3 million a season, but on the other hand they don’t want to lose their most watched television program. The Robertson family is in a win-win situation, since even if they get $100,000 an episode they will make $1.5 million. There were two complete seasons filmed last year, so the Robertson family would make $6 million if they get the $200,000 episode that they want and $3 million if they get $100,000 an episode.
The show is a show that the family can watch, in that they don’t have any profanity on the shows and the family was angered by A&E inserting bleeps in the earlier seasons, so it would look like the family was using bad language.
I had never seen a Duck Dynasty show before this week and can see why the show is so popular. Best of all it is filmed in West Monroe, Louisiana, where we lived from 1974-1976.
It is almost a given, that A&E and the Robertson family will work out an agreement, on their pay per episode in Season 4, since A&E doesn’t want to lose this gold mine of a show.
Little Couple Adopts 3 Year-Old, Return to TLC on April 30
Dr. Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein who star in the Little Couple series on TLC are adopting a three year-old child from China.
Dr. Jennifer Arnold had problems conceiving a baby on her own and then they tried having a surrogate mother for their child. That didn’t work either when the surrogate mother suffered a miscarriage. Now Dr. Arnold and her husband Bill Klein have adopted a three year-old boy from China named William.
The parents who star on TLC’s Little Couple series had wanted a child with dwarfism and this child is a dwarf like them.
The show was last seen on May 15, 2012 and will be returning for a sixth season, almost a year later when they return to TLC, for a new season on April 30.
Little Couple has been one of the most drama-free reality shows, since Jen and Bill get along so well. They have to be the most likeable reality stars on television today.
They both apparently make a very good living as Dr. Arnold is a doctor working as a neonatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. Bill owns a sales, training and telecommunication business.
When the new season starts on April 30 we should see some shows about the adoption process and how they are settling into their new home in Houston, plus they have a pet shop in Houston.
This couple has been through a lot in recent seasons, when they hoped Jen would be able to conceive a baby on her own. When that didn’t work they went the surrogacy route and that also failed, so it will be good to see them with their new adopted child in Season 6.
Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars : A Trainwreck Waiting to Happen
Celebrity Apprentice All Stars minus Omarosa and La Toya Jackson shown with Donald Trump.
Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars should provide plenty of drama this season. Donald Trump has assembled a cast guaranteed to spark some fireworks. With Dennis Rodman, Omarosa and Gary Busey in the cast we can expect a lot of in-fighting among the contestants.
Trace Adkins and Bret Michaels were chosen by Trump to pick their teams. Michaels made a huge mistake, by selecting Omarosa first for his team. Trace Adkins’s team chose Plan B, as the name for their team and he was chosen as project manager. Michaels was prepared to be project manager for his team after naming the team Power, but reluctantly let Brande Roderick be the project manager, when she got down on her knees begging Michaels for the job.
The challenge was for each team to make meatballs and sell them to those on street and to celebrities. However, Trace Adkins decided to close his meatball store and sell only to high rollers. Adkins became very upset when Gary Busey went outside and hollered at the people on a tour bus to come in and buy some meatballs. So Adkins team really had little to do, since they more or less waited for the big money to come in. Amy Grant came in and donated $75,000, but the big contributor was T. Boone Pickens who sent his representative with a check for $100,000.
Meanwhile Stephen Baldwin apparently didn’t call anyone as he collected no money. His reasoning was why use up his contributors to help Trace Adkins, when he could use those contributors on a week, when he was project manager.
Power’s meatball store was a beehive of activity, as they scrambled to sell the meatballs to people off the street and to big contributors. Roderick made a huge mistake, by putting Omarosa in charge of keeping track of which contestants had raised how much money. Omarosa was talking about bringing down Bret Michaels.
Boardroom Chaos
Trump called all the contestants into the boardroom and found out, from Steven Baldwin that Baldwin had not collected a penny. Trump said that Baldwin was at a risk of being fired if Team Plan B raised the least money. He then asked Adkins if Baldwin should be fired and Adkins replied in the affirmative.
Piers Morgan who along with Ivanka Trump were the advisors in the boardroom seemed to enjoy trashing Omarosa, who deserved the criticism since she was anything but a team player, by working against her own team member Michaels.
It was then revealed that Team Power had raised $250,333, which included a $20,000 bonus for their meatballs being chosen the best on Live with Kelly and Michael. Then the total for Team Plan B was announced and they raised $419,539. When combined with the money Team Power raised it totaled over $670,000 raised for the American Red Cross, which was Adkin’s charity.
Team B was sent upstairs to watch Team Power while they battled each other in the boardroom. Trump and the two advisors wanted to know who raised how much money but Roderick or Omarosa couldn’t give them a total, in which the numbers didn’t add up. I feel Omarosa was low-balling Michael’s total by mentioning he gave $15,000, while Michaels said he collected over $25,000.
Roderick had raised $132,000, while rapper Lil’ John raised $60,000 according to his total, but $55,000 according to Omarosa. Roderick finally decided to bring Bret Michaels and La Toya Jackson in with her to the boardroom, while the rest of Team Power went upstairs. I have no idea why La Toya Jackson was brought back into the boardroom, since Omarosa didn’t have a clue as to how much each team member had given and her total didn’t match with the total raised by Team Power.
Once Roderick, Michaels and Jackson returned to the boardroom it looked like Michaels would be going home. Trump who repeatedly said that Michaels should not have returned to the show. If he was that concerned about Michaels he could have refused to let Michaels return.
Trump then asked Michaels how he (Trump) could fire Roderick when she raised $132,000, which was over $100, more than what Michaels had raised, then told Michaels he was fired.
The show may be an hour too long, as the boardroom sessions seem to last longer and longer. Don’t know if I will be in the mood to watch this two-hour program week after week.
Fans that love confrontation should see plenty of it as the season progresses. Omarosa by herself provides enough drama to keep the shows interesting and can see her and La Toya Jackson won’t be best friends on the show. There should be more confrontations between her and Piers Morgan, as long as he remains an advisor. I have a feeling Trump will avoid firing Omarosa as long as he can avoid it. He knows her value as a troublemaker on the show, to push buttons of the other contestants.
One question I have about the show is how many times will the celebrities ask their big money contributors to contribute. I can’t imagine T. Boone Pickens donating another $100,000 if Adkins needs to raise money again this season.
One down and 13 contestants to go.
Note: This is the 900th article posted on Nostalgia and Now since it was first published in April of 2009.
Undercover Boss of O’Neil Clothing Offered Weed, Checkers Boss Closes Store On the Spot
Jesus, an employee at O’Neill makes a bad impression on Undercover Boss Toby Bost of O’Neill Clothing by telling him he knows where to get some good weed and asks the boss if he ever thought about opening a pot dispensary.
Toby Bost the CEO of O’Neills Clothing was shocked when he encountered an employee named Jesus in one of his stores. Jesus didn’t win any points by saying the clothes were clothes a five-year old would wear. He won even fewer points by telling his boss, who was disguised as Frederick that he knew where to score some weed. Jesus even went so far as to ask Frederick if he ever thought about opening a pot dispensary. He also revealed he took drugs before going to work to make it through the workday. Bost said in a film snippet that he was worried that Jesus might offer other employees or customers some weed. Surprisingly he didn’t fire him on the spot, but I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had.
Toby Bost left, is shown by employee Jorge how to make a T-shirt at the print shop.
Bost then meets the polar opposite of Jesus at the print shop. Jorge loves his job and is patient with Frederick as he shows him to make T-shirts. However, Jorge has a sad back story as he talks to Frederick on a break. He asks Frederick if his children are healthy, then tells about his child having a rare disease and telling about how the child is being fed by a tube.
Won’t go into details about the other employees he encounters, since these were the two most interesting employees to me.
Jesus, Jorge and the other employees featured on the program are sent to meet with someone about how Frederick did on the job. They are really there to meet Toby Bost the CEO of O’Neill Clothing, who reveals his true identity to them. It was not a fun meeting for Jesus, as Bost tells him how disappointed he was in his behavior at the store and mentioned that about the weed and pot dispensary. Jesus asks if he is fired, but Bost says he is not fired but will have to undergo a training program to learn how to treat customers and fellow workers with respect. Jesus thanks Bost for the second chance and at the end of the show it is mentioned that he may even stop smoking.
The meeting with Jorge went much better as Bost thanked him for his company loyalty and then offered a large sum of money to help with the medical expenses of Jorge’s sick child. This is when the show really connects with the audience, when you see someone who did their job the right way be rewarded.
Rick Silva CEO of Checkers and Rallys fast food restaurants appeared as Alex Garcia, who had a pharmacy go out of business in Philadlelphia. trying to find work in the fast food business.
Rick Silva the CEO of Checkers and Rallys fast food restaurants went undercover as Alex Garcia in an episode of Undercover Boss. He learned that almost none of the staff had been trained for their jobs. He took particular interest in a worker named Todd who worked hard, but was constantly being hounded by the general manager. Todd needed the job to help support his mom and was trying to go to culinary school to be a chef.
The behavior of the general manager upset Alex enough to talk to him in the parking lot, about how he treated his employees. The general manager named Stevens said he had to yell at them, for them to pay any attention to him. Alex finds out during the conversation that Stevens was thrust into the general manager’s position after completing only three weeks of the six weeks training course. He reveals to Stevens that he is the CEO of Checkers, so he lost his secret identity as Alex to correct the situation.
Alex then apologized to Stevens for not providing more training before he was promoted to the general manager position. Alex tells Stevens that he is closing down the store immediately. He then reassures the employees that they still have their jobs and apologizes to them for not making sure they had been trained properly. He then tells the employees that he is going to have several general managers in the store next day, to train the employees and to get the restaurant back on track.
When Todd goes to meet the boss after Alex has returned to being Rick Silva again he is not shocked since he already knew Alex was really Rick the CEO. Silva tells Todd how much he appreciated him as a worker then tells him he is giving him $15,000 to go to culinary school and to help his mother.
These two episodes of Undercover Boss made me realize how good this show is. It shows how CEO’s don’t have a clue, as to what is happening at their stores and how inept they are at doing the work of the employees. It also shows how CEO’s can be compassionate, when they learn about their employees struggling to pay their bills.
This show is reality television at its best. There is more real emotion in the last 15 or 20 minutes of this show, when the CEO’s reveal themselves and help their workers financially, than most reality shows have in an hour.
This article tells more about the Checkers episode and has photos of the show:
Magazine Ads From the Past
These ads will bring a lot of memories to the old-timers among us and will let the younger generation know about the days, when you could buy a Coca-Cola for 5 cents and a pack of gum for 5 cents.
A combination radio-smoker which provided smokers with a place for their cigarettes, cigars, pipes and tobacco, while listening to their favorite radio programs on this $49.95 radio.
This is the precursor of the Sony Walkman for only $7.95, before shipping and federal tax.
Not many restaurants today feature a seven course dinner for $1.75.
Cigar smokers today are not likely to find this two cigars for 5 cents special.
A one pound bag of Bazooka Bubble Gum will set you back $7.99 today after inflation kicked in.
You could look up and down every aisle of every grocery store in the United States and not find these prices. Two boxes of Wheaties probably cost at least 25 cents nowadays and two pounds of coffee has probably doubled to 50 cents.
Barber shop prices of the 1900′s on the left. No date given for the prices on the right.
Barber shop prices over a 100 years later. The shave and a haircut of the 1900′s cost a total of 60 cents. That same shave and haircut today costs $33.00.
Memories of a Lifetime: 2011-2013
2011 – We were living in Sulphur, Louisiana, a city of about 20,000 at the start of 2011. We were living on Live Oak Street in Sulphur and we found a home church in Calvary Baptist Church on Lewis Street. We were impressed by the pastor Rev. W.D. Darnell, who lived what he preached and only used the King James Version of the Holy Bible. We made many friends, among the members of the church. Rhonda was very involved with the activities at the church and I often sang special music on Sunday and Wednesday nights. Rhonda and me sang duets a couple of times and she sang On The Wings Of A Dove with another lady one time.
Rhonda liked living in Sulphur, since she had a sister and her mom living there. We lived close to the neighborhood, where my daughter and family had lived before moving to Groves, Texas.
I would return to working as a caregiver again in November of 2011. I worked with a disabled man with diabetes and lost the job at the end of the year, when his family changed to another caregiving company.
An international news story was when an earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan took 15,840 lives.
President Obama announces the death of Osama bin Laden on May 1.
Casey Anthony was acquitted of the murder of her daughter Calee Marie Anthony, in a controversial verdict by the jury.
Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computers dies on October 5 of cancer.
House were renting at $955 a month in 2011.
A gallon of gas cost $2.89.
Movie tickets were selling for $8.20.
2012 – I worked as a crossing guard at a school in Sulphur for a few weeks, toward the end of the school year. It was interesting work and enjoyed the job. The job could turn out to be the last job I will ever work, since I haven’t worked since becoming sick a couple of months later.
We moved to DeRidder, Louisiana in July and are living in a trailer, that is about halfway between Merryville, Louisiana and DeRidder. We are living in the country and liking it so far.
Knew something was wrong when I began vomiting up blood and lost about 35 pounds in less than two months during the summer. Found out in October in Houston VA Hospital, that I had duodenal cancer. It was a very disease to diagnose, since it mimics acid reflux and duodenal ulcers. It is very rare disease with only two percent of gastrointestinal diseases being duodenal cancer.
Surgeons in Houston performed a resection surgery on Oct. 16 to remove a blockage, which was cancerous and was successful. However I found out in November, that duodenal cancer has a history of returning and has a relatively low survival rate.
Chemotherapy started at the VA hospital in Pineville, Louisiana on Dec.13 and have had three chemo IV’s since that date, with five more to go. Have finished six of a 24 week program of chemotherapy. It seems like the side effects have been worse with each chemo IV. Had difficulty walking in a straight line after the last IV and sort of lurch from side to side.
2012 was a life changing year for us, with us being evicted, moving to a new city and finding out that I had cancer and had surgery a few days later. Spent a total of 32 days in hospital in Houston.
July 20 would be the first of two mass shootings in the United States, when a gunman killed 12 and injured 58 in an Aurora, Colorado theater.
December 14 would bring the second mass shootings of 2012, when a man kills 20 children at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, along with six adults, before killing himself.
A gallon of gas would rise to $3.89 during 2012. It is about 64 cents a gallon cheaper now in 2013.
House rent average goes over the $1,000 mark for the first time, as it rose to $1,045 a month.
A pound of bacon which was $2.96 in 2008 had risen to $4.48 in 2012.
2013 – This year should be a very interesting year, as the chemotherapy continues through May and it will be interesting to learn the results of the bloodwork after the last week of chemotherapy. May 21 will be another important date for us as we return to Houston for another C-scan, which will show if the cancer is completely gone or has returned.
We don’t know what this year holds, but we plan to remain positive, even if the news is bad and I don’t plan on being negative, regardless of what happens in 2013.
Memories of a Lifetime: 2006-2010
2006 – I would return to my job at Louisiana Community Care, after losing my job with Coastal Culvert. I primarily worked in a group home with seven guys at the time. It was a very demanding job as I had to assist them with their hygiene and washed and dried all their clothes. I would walk in the door at the group home at 4:30 PM and wouldn’t sit down for the first time till about 11 PM, when I had to write down the events of the day for each individual client.
One time a client who ate too fast threw up and I was mopping up the mess and he came up to me and hit me in the head and stomach with a 1-2 punch. Needless to say I was more wary around that client from then on. Another time he woke up during the night wanting chips and when I didn’t give him any he overturned a table and dumped a pitcher of Kool-Aid on the kitchen floor.
I made a point of having all the clothes washed and put away and the floors all swept and mopped, by the time the 12:30 AM relief worker came in. I worked there till around Christmas and retired, since I was now 62 and eligible for Social Security.
Andrew and Rhonda in 2006 at Matthew’s baseball game.
Wikipedia lists very few newsworthy events during 2006 in the United States, with Twitter being launched that year, which turned out to be the most newsworthy event of the year.
Gasoline was selling for $3.03 on August 11, but had dipped to $2.21 by November 17.
2007 – We moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in August of 2007, as we followed my daughter, son-in-law, when he was named manager of a Knoxville Domino’s store. About three weeks later, when things didn’t work out well with the job they moved back to Pineville, Louisiana.
Since we had used our savings to make the move we remained in Knoxville till December of 2010.
We had a traumatic event that August, when Rhonda was driving down a Knoxville street and was hit by a car turning out into traffic, from an apartment parking lot. Rhonda sustained a broken foot in the accident and was unable to go for a job interview, that was scheduled the next week. We moved to another apartment in the same apartment complex in September and Justin and me moved everything by ourselves, which was a day long job, since Rhonda was unable to help.
Then I went to work for Luxottica, a company that makes lenses for eyeglasses in Knoxville. It was another typical manufacturing job, with pressure to produce the most lenses in the least time. I was operating four machines at once in the fining department. After finishing the fining, we would take the lenses to the next department the polishing department, which made the lenses look even better. This was another temporary Westaff job, so the job played out soon and was without work again. We were given an eviction notice from the apartment on Thanksgiving Eve, but managed to stay there till I found work the next month.
I went to work as a caregiver with Evergreen Ministries in Knoxville, whose headquarters are located in Haughton, Louisiana in December of 2007. The job went well and I remained there till August of 2008. I was required to take a test, to be allowed to administer meds to the clients and scored 91 on the test. I wasn’t allowed to give meds, till I had passed the test, but it made it easier to work in homes, that needed a certified meds person, since some workers never were certified to give meds.
This was the year that the Va. Tech student killed 30 people. My brother lived next to the campus and was driving on campus toward work, when he saw several police cars speeding toward the site of the shootings.
The big news in technology was the introduction of the iPhone and the Nintendo Wii.
Average income was over $50,000 but doubt many of those people worked at the Alexandria Town Talk.
Price of a gallon of gas was $3.38, which is more than it is now six years later, with it being in the $3.25 range in DeRidder, Louisiana area.
An ounce of gold is $630, compared to when I was growing up, when it was $35 an ounce. Someone that had bought 100 ounces of gold at $35 an ounce for $3500 would have seen their gold raise in value to $63,000 for that 100 ounces in 2007.
2008 – Would continue to work for Evergreen Ministries till August of 2008, when Rhonda found a better paying job at Comcast working in their call center. We only had one vehicle, since our Ford Contour had been totaled in the wreck in August of 2007, so only one of us could work.
Would move into this house in Knoxville in 2008:
Our home in Knoxville, Tennessee from August 2008 till December 2010.
We joined Piney Grove Baptist Church in Knoxville and would sing special music there many times and would sometimes be a replacement song leader. The prayers of the congregation had a lot to do, with Rhonda surviving a life or death surgery in 2010.
The average income dipped $10,000 during the year to $40,000.
Gasoline had risen one cent to $3.39 in 2008, while a barrel of crude oil was selling for a record $147.
The average rent for a house was now $800 and the housing market totally collapsed as the value of houses declined precipitously.
2009 – Rhonda drove me to Groves, Texas to spend time with my daughter’s family in June and attended a Astros-Cubs game on June 9. Rhonda drove back to Knoxville, while to boarded a plane to Knoxville from Houston later. While I was gone a tornado hit our home in Knoxville, but luckily the only real damage was to the deck as a tree fell on it.
A tornado hit our deck in June of 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Rhonda would experience the first signs of having a serious health problem about November of 2009, when she was sent home from work being very sick. The next year would see Rhonda have her large intestines removed and will have more on that in the 2010 post.
Monthly rent fell to $675 in 2009, while a gallon of gasoline dropped to $2.73, which is about 52 cents cheaper, than it is in 2013. A barrel of oil which had peaked at $147 in 2008 was now only $53 a barrel.
2010 – Westaff found me a temporary job working at a call center, which involved taking orders for Talbots a clothing company, which had an office in Knoxville. Temp job is an apt description for this job, since it lasted for about two hours. I completed one transaction and then heard the customer telling someone “If this order comes out right it will be a miracle”. My career as a call center employee came to a screeching halt about two minutes later.
March 1, 2010 was a monumental day for Rhonda, as she had her large intestines removed that day and she also smoked her last cigarette that day and hasn’t smoked since. The surgeon found out she had colon cancer that day, but the colon had already been removed and he also found out that Rhonda had diabetes.
The surgery was on Monday and it was on the Thursday night before Rhonda was to go home, that everything went terribly wrong. She went into septic shock and was moved into intensive care. The doctors were at a loss of what to do, before deciding the next day to perform an ileostomy on Rhonda. Her organs were shutting down and was having problems breathing when the surgery started. The surgery went well, but the surgeon told us, that he didn’t expect Rhonda to be alive the next Monday, after the Friday surgery was performed, but was shocked to see that she was still alive.
Rhonda and me after her second surgery in four days, while she was in a six day coma at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in March,2010.
Rhonda was in a coma for six days and didn’t wake up till March 11 on the 16th birthday of Justin. Her sisters had driven from Louisiana to Tennessee, but Rhonda was in the coma the whole time they were there. I did all the housework till Rhonda was feeling able to do it that next summer.
I would return to work at Evergreen Ministries in July of 2010 and would remain there till a couple of days, before we moved to Sulphur, Louisiana. I enjoyed the work and didn’t miss any days of work. Had one close call, when driving the clients home and the brakes failed. I managed to get up on the sidewalk, to avoid hitting a car and drove into a parking lot and stopped the company van.
After the hospitalization and recovery we were ready to return home to Louisiana and left Knoxville. It was 16 the morning we left Knoxville, but when we arrived in Sulphur it was 78 degrees, which is even warm for Sulphur late in December.
Our relatives helped us unload the truck in about a half hour or so. It had taken us three days to load the truck in Knoxville, so it was good to unload it fast.
2010 was a slow news year, with no major story listed at the Wikipedia site.
The Apple iPad is released in 2010.
A gallon of gasoline cost $2.73 and a barrel of crude oil was selling for $73.00 a barrel, which was $20 more than the 2009 price.
Price of gold had skyrocketed to $1237 an ounce, which was $1202 more than the price I remembered as a youngster.
Memories of a Lifetime: 1986-1990
For some reason my memory of the 1986-1990 period in my life is drawing a blank for the most part. Anyone with memories of what happened in Pineville-Alexandria during these years are welcome to comment.
1986 – Halley’s comet appeared in 1986 and won’t reappear till the year 2061. It had last appeared before 1986 in 1911. IBM launches the first laptop computer 27 years ago. Smoking was banned on all public transportation, in the United States which had to be tough for smokers on coast to coast airplane flights. The nicotine patch was invented in 1986. A Plymouth Colt could be purchased for $4,999. A gallon of gas only cost 89 cents. Average rent was $385 a month. Top Gun, Platoon and Crocodile Dundee were popular movies in 1986.
1987 – A Private First Class in the Army was earning $9,385.20 a year. When I joined the Army in 1962 a recruit earned $936 a year as a E-1. A gallon of gas was 89 cents, the same price as in 1986. The U.S. stock market crashed on October 19 with a 508 point drop. Fox Broadcasting made its debut 26 years ago. A seven-day Caribbean cruise cost $1195.
1988 – The price of a gallon of gasoline remained relatively stable, rising to only 91 cents, after being 89 cents the previous two years. Movie tickets were $3.50 and average rent was now $420. Yellowstone National Park had 250 separate fires in 1988 that destroyed 793,880 acres of the park, which was a third of the total acreage of the park. A Logitech mouse cost $89.99, while a Amiga 500 with a color monitor cost $849.
1989 – I had surgery in July of 1989 at Rapides Hospital. I would be off work for six weeks. I would then work from 1989-2004 at the Town Talk , while missing a total of one day of work and was in the hospital that day, after being admitted from emergency room, due to emergency room physician thinking I may had a blood clot, but it turned out to be a muscle tear. I think I got my work ethic from my dad who didn’t miss a day of work over a 40 year period.
That same month before the surgery I had gone to grocery store to get snacks to watch the 1989 All Star game. By the time I got back an earthquake had hit the San Francisco area and film was being shown of the players leaving the stadium with their families. Then we saw hours of coverage of the devastation in the area. Hard to believe 24 years have passed since that date.
Other big news in 1989 is that the Yugo cars went bankrupt. The Yugo is 39th on the list of worst cars in history. One feature was the rear window defroster, which kept your hands warm, while you pushed it. The car looked like it had been assembled at gunpoint. The article also has this to say about the Yugo:
The engines went ka-blooey, the electrical system — such as it was — would sizzle, and things would just fall off.
1990 – I think this is the year my son Steve played football for the Pineville High School Rebels. He played end and endured practices from summer till the end of the season, but only played in the last game of the season, for only one play and the worst thing is that his mom had left the stadium, by the time he played in the game and I was at work, so no family member was there to see him in that one play. I still respect his work ethic to stick with it all season, even if he didn’t get to play but in that one play.
Gasoline had skyrocketed to $1.34 by 1990. Today gasoline is in the $3.25 range in our area. A Super Nintendo cost $159. Cabbage Patch Kids were $29.99. A six volt Batman car could be purchased for $199 and had a top speed of 3 MPH. A Smith Corona Daisy Wheel Typewriter could be purchased for $179, while a cellular car phone could be bought for $325.
Typical Day In Small Town America 60 Years Ago
This ten minute video shows what life was like in small town America in 1952. It is sickening to read the comments made by those who viewed this video. They turn what was a special time to those of us, who grew up in the 50′s, into a platform for hatred of races.
Even the ugly remarks can’t ruin a video that brings so many fond memories of the past.
I was eight years old when this video was filmed so can identify with what happened during a typical day 60 years ago.
It was a simpler time, before cell phones, I-pods, laptop computers and HD television sets. The television sets back then still had the huge tubes, that made them so bulky, unlike the lightweight television sets of today.
Growing up in the 1950′s was a special time and this video captures the feeling from having grown up in that era.
Cajun Justice: Latest Cajun Reality Show
Louisiana has recently been the subject of many television reality shows. The latest is Cajun Justice which can be seen at 9PM CDT and 10PM EDT on Thursdays on the A&E television network.
The Cajuns have their own brand of frontier justice, as can be seen on these shows. This clip is an example of how out of hand things get in Cajun country:
definition-of-cajun-justice-20275390?pfilter=ALL%20VIDEOS#20275390
Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois is the sheriff for Terrebonne Parish. The following page has a short biography of Sheriff Bourgeois and his ten deputies.
http://www.aetv.com/cajun-justice/meet-deputies/keith-bergeron/
Cajun Justice was originally going to be named Cajun Blue, but guess any name with the word Cajun in the title is more likely to attract viewers.
There are presently eight television reality shows, that have been filmed in Louisiana. Four of the shows are being filmed above Alexandria and one is filmed in Alexandria and the other three are being filmed south of Alexandria.
This page tells more about the shows and a map depicts, where the different shows are being filmed:
http://www.louisiana-destinations.com/louisiana-reality-tv-shows.htm
Kris Allen: May Be Time To Pull Plug On American Idol
American Idol producers can’t be too happy with Kris Allen, after he said it may be time to pull the plug on American Idol. It is surprising that he would say that, considering that without American Idol he probably would be singing at grocery store grand openings. It wasn’t that long ago that Lee DeWyze sang at a bowling alley opening, which is not saying much for how the career of Allen and DeWyze is going.
To his credit Allen’s latest album Thank You Camellia has 12 reviewers giving it a 5 star rating out of 15 reviewers.
The following article and video from TMZ.com includes a poll at bottom, that is showing that 74 percent of the voters think American Idol should be canceled, which has to be troubling for American Idol producers and may signal more losses in viewership in Season 12. This is a fairly large sampling of over 51,000 voters, so this tells me there is still some backlash, after Phil Phillips became the fifth guy in a row to win American Idol.
kris-allen-american-idol-finale
After viewing the video, am not sure that Allen said what he reportedly said in the article, unless he made some remarks, not shown in the video. Anyway, the alarming poll results have to be a huge concern.
We can’ t help but wonder if X-Factor and The Voice are killing the American Idol reality star.
Will A Girl Ever Win American Idol Again?
Phillip Phillips became the fifth consecutive boy to win the title of American Idol last night in Hollywood defeating Jessica Sanchez.
It really was no surprise when Ryan Seacrest announced, that Phillip Phillips was the Season 10 American Idol. He became the fifth consecutive boy to win the coveted title. He joins David Cook, Season 7 winner, Kris Allen, Season 8 winner, Lee DeWyze, Season 9 winner and Scotty McCreery, Season 10 winner as American Idol winners, since Jordin Sparks won in Season 6.
Kelly Clarkson won Season 1, while Fantasia Barrino won Season 3, Carrie Underwood won Season 4 and Jordin Sparks was the Season 6 winner and are the only girls to win American Idol in 11 seasons.
The girls won three of the first four seasons, but the guys have won six of the last seven seasons. Jessica Sanchez was a much better singer, than Phillip Phillips, yet saw her American Idol dreams dashed last night.
American Idol needs to address the voting issue, to keep this trend of guys winning from continuing, whether they are best singer or not. The more votes cast, then the more chance of a guy winning.
I have a feeling that the girls are voting early and often for the guys, especially when 132 million votes were cast on Wednesday night. It may be time to forget about announcing these huge vote totals and allow one vote per person. That change should give the girls a better chance of winning.
Taylor Hicks and Lee DeWyze are two guys that may have never been voted as American Idols, if the voters had been limited one vote. I know that American Idol doesn’t want the final vote for each singer released, but it would give us an idea of how the voting is slanted toward the guys.
Just my opinion but I think Josh Ledet and Jessica Sanchez should have been the two finalists last night, but Phillips voters kept Josh from having a chance to make the final two.
Jessica was very fortunate that the judges hadn’t used their save on someone like Heejun Han, or she wouldn’t have been saved. It is difficult to believe that she received the fewest votes that week, since she was showing week after week, that she was the best female singer on the show.
American Idol lost almost six million viewers, compared to the 2011 final performances. The final performance show drew a record 31.78 million viewers in Season 5, but only 14.85 million voters tuned in on Wednesday night, a drop of almost 17 million viewers from the record.
The ratings for the finale last night have not been announced, but I look for it to be lowest total for a finale night.
The Voice and X-Factor have caused a huge dent in American Idol ratings. With The Voice and X-Factor returning in September, viewers may have tired of watching reality singing competitions even more, by the time American Idol returns next January. X-Factor is hoping to increase their ratings with the addition of Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, as judges to replace the departed Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul.
American Idol producers will be making changes to the show, hoping to slow the declining ratings. American Idol isn’t the juggernaut it once was, but it is usually near the top in the ratings.
Now American Idol has to deal with Phil Phillips having surgery very soon, since he will need four to six weeks to recover from his surgery and ma y not even be available for rehearsals for the summer tour.
Angel Food Ministries Founders Indicted On Fraud Charges
Linda and Joe Wingo have been charged with fraud in a 49 count indictment listed in a 71 page document that details their misuse of funds in the name of the Angel Food Ministries that provided food at affordable prices for those in need.
The Angel Food Ministries organization has helped less fortunate families put food on their table at reasonable prices.The organization was founded in 1994 by Joe and Linda Wingo. They provided groceries for struggling families for about half the price, of what they could be bought at a grocery store.
However due to the Wingos being indicted on fraud charges, the ministry no longer exists. Greed seems to be the motivating factor that caused the Wingos to focus more on themselves, than the people they were supposed to be helping.
Michael J. Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia made this statement about the charges:
“As alleged in the indictment, these Defendants raised money in the name of Christian charity, and then used a number of schemes to defraud the organization.”
The ministry reportedly had expenses of $17,000, while reporting revenue of $96,000 in 2006. Meanwhile the Wingos and their two sons reported income of $2.1 million for the year. One of the more egregious law violations was that Joe Wingo set up a corporation to buy a personal jet, then leased the jet to Angel Food Ministries for a $10,000 a month profit.
Menus were posted on website to show what foods were on the menu for a certain month. The following menu shows the food items on the September 2010 menu:
If convicted of the fraud charges Joe Wingo could receive a 105 year prison sentence, while his wife Linda would receive a 85 year sentence. Linda also told an employee to remove a hard drive from a computer and destroy it to thwart a federal grand jury investigation.
I was doing a search for Angel Food Ministries to see they had a local distribution point, when I encountered many articles about the Wingos being indicted.
Could find no information about a trial, so the prosecutors are probably still gathering evidence and should announce a trial date sometime in the future.
It is sad that a Christian ministry was enriching their own bank accounts, while seemingly concerned about those who couldn’t afford to pay exorbitant prices, for their groceries at local supermarkets.
Angel Food Ministries no longer is an active ministry, thanks to the Wingos who founded the ministry 17 years ago. Instead of focusing on the ministry the Wingos were busy padding their bank account, by using unscrupulous methods to enrich themselves.
The ministry was a good one, until the Wingos saw there was money to be made through the ministry. They funneled money to themselves instead of the ministry, but justice may have finally caught up with them. Wearing shackles to the courtroom may have given them the message, that they are in serious trouble, even though they deny any wrongdoing.
For more information on Angel Food Ministries and the charges against the Wingos:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/angel-food-ministries-founders-indicted-on-fraud-charges-64054/
Lizard Lick Towing Averages 2.5 Million This Season
TruTV network’s Lizard Lick Towing drew the largest audience in the 18-34 age demographics, in the first quarter of 2012. The show featuring Ron and Amy Shirley and their co-worker Bobby Brantley average 2.5 million fans per show this last quarter.
Only Hardcore Pawn, which average 3.2 million fans a show, attracted more fans per show than Lizard Lick Towing among TruTV shows in the first quarter.
Lizard Lick Towing fans will be glad to know that there will be new episodes of the show returning on June 11.
Big Juicy Coming To Clayton, Louisiana
Big Juicy will be appearing at Clayton Park in Clayton, Louisiana on May 5 at 10:00 AM, then will be appearing as part of All Star Pro Wrestling’s Last Man Standing match. Big Juicy will partner up with Hank Wiley better known as Pretty Boy George against Giant Kamala, Jr. and his manager Jounger Jean.
It is two months away but Big Juicy is looking forward to the new season starting June 11, making these comments about the return of the show:
TO ALL OF THE LICK NATION!!!! WE WILL BE BACK IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS SO BE PATIENT, GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT AND TRUST US, THIS NEXT SEASON OF LIZARD LICK TOWING IS GOING TO BE CRAZIER THAN A THREE EYED DOG IN A HUBCAP FACTORY!!!!!
Lizard Lick Trivia: Bobby Brantley started working at Lizard Lick Towing after Ron had repossessed his truck.
To stay up to date with what is going on with Ron, Amy and Bobby you can go to the website to see if they are appearing in your area:
http://www.lizardlicktowing.com/
There are a lot of towing shows on television, but none of them are as much fun as Lizard Lick Towing. Ron, Amy, Bobby and Big Juicy like to have fun, but they take care of business when someone tries to cross them.
This is a list of all the episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 of Lizard Lick Towing:
http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/lizard-lick-towing/episodes-season-1/328821
World of Kardashians Crumbling?
The Kardashian family franchise may be showing signs of crumbling in the last few months. First of all there was the backlash, after Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries. There are questions now if their wedding was genuine or a made for television sham that had nothing to do with reality.
Kourtney Kardashian is having a second baby born out-of-wedlock with Scott Dissick the father. That only shows a weakening of family values in American society, when a family with one child out-of-wedlock has another one on the way. Apparently Kourtney is still waiting for Dissick to prove his worth as a father for the children, but to me that should have been decided long ago. Of course Ryan Seacrest who produces Keeping Up With the Kardashians wants this kind of tension between Kourtney and Scott to continue, since drama drives ratings and the more drama the better for the E network.
Khloe and Lamar Move To Dallas
The relationship of Lamar Odom and his wife Khloe is being tested by the trade, that sent Odom to the Dallas Mavericks from the Los Angeles Lakers. Odom has not played well since joining the Mavericks and it could be that he is still incensed over being traded, so is not the player he was with the Lakers. He is too good of a player, to suddenly become a terrible player.
Odom is earning over $8 million this season and will continue to be paid his salary. The situation can’t be helped by the filming of Khloe and Lamar. All the drama during the filming may make for good television, but it can’t be good for the relationship or for Odom’s basketball career.
The situation became even worse last week when Odom was demoted to the developmental team but in the last 22 minutes that move has been rescinded. The same player who was voted the best sixth man in NBA last year is having a season to forget.
A quick look at Odom’s percentage numbers this season compared to last season show badly he is playing this year. His field goal percentage has dropped from .530 last season to .357 this season. His free throw percentage fell from .675 to .577 and his scoring has almost been cut in half from 14.4 points per game last season to only 7.7 points per game this season.
Back To Lawsuit
Meanwhile back to the lawsuit, it raises the question, of if celebrities who endorse products should be financially liable, if that product is not as advertised. Assuming that the Kardashians actually used QuickTrim, they should have some idea of whether it is a good product or not. If they knew it was not as advertised and continued to endorse it, then they may be liable. However, it may be impossible to prove in a courtroom, that they knowingly endorsed a less than effective product, while knowing that product was not worthy of their endorsement.
One positive outcome from the suit is that it may warn celebrities, to really check out the products they are endorsing and not just assume they are as advertised.
This situation is reminiscent of when Pat Boone appeared in commercials touting Acne-Statin which was supposed to clear up skin blemishes. This Wikipedia entry tells about what happened to Boone, when it was proved that Acne-Statin was not what it was cracked up to be:
In 1978, Boone became the first target in the Federal Trade Commission‘s crackdown on false claim product endorsements by celebrities. He had appeared with his daughter Debby in a commercial to claim that all four of his daughters had found a preparation named Acne-Statin a “real help” in keeping their skin clear. The FTC filed a complaint against the manufacturer, contending that the product did not really keep skin free of blemishes. Boone eventually signed a consent order in which he promised not only to stop appearing in the ads but to pay about 2.5% of any money that the FTC or the courts might eventually order the manufacturer to refund to consumers. Boone said, through a lawyer, that his daughters actually did use Acne-Statin, and that he was “dismayed to learn that the product’s efficacy had not been scientifically established as he believed.”[14
It will be interesting to follow the class action suit against the Kardashians, to see if they have to make restitution or whether they can emerge from the lawsuit, without having to pay anyone.
There are plans for even more Kardashian spin-off shows on the E channel. It is surprising that people still watch these shows knowing there is very little reality involved in the so-called reality shows. Ryan Seacrest is getting richer and is making all the Kardashians richer from these shows.
Maybe the Kardashian family will be more cognizant of the fans that buy the products they endorse and make more of an effort to insure that those products do what the Kardashians say they will do.
Their world may not be crumbling, but there are signs of cracks in the foundation.
Where Have All The Delivery People Gone?
A man shown delivering blocks of ice to a home from a Oscar Mayer truck so the residents could keep their food cold in their icebox.
There was a time back in the 50′s and 60′s when a multitude of delivery men, or women delivered products to a typical home. Back in the day there were delivery people for milk, eggs, ice, groceries and the local cleaners would pick up clothes and deliver them when finished cleaning them. The florists would also deliver flowers to a home. Today a florist is about the only one still delivering to a home, among those delivery people mentioned above. There were more people back then who didn’t own a car, so delivery was the only option in some cases.
There were ice cream trucks playing their music, as they drove through neighborhoods both back then and they can still be heard years later selling ice cream to neighborhood kids. However they were not considered delivery people, since they didn’t deliver from house to house, but only stopped when they made a sale. An ice cream truck playing The Entertainer. There is some online grocery websites that do deliver groceries today, but probably are limited only to larger cities:
Home delivery for the most part has disappeared from the American scene, but those of us who grew up in the 50′s and 60′s will always remember the delivery people of those years.
Louisiana Gambling History: From Smashing Slot Machines To 22 Casinos Operating Today
Gov. Robert F. Kennon was governor of Louisiana from 1952-1956.
It was almost 60 years ago when Louisiana State Police Superintendent Francis Grevemberg started making surprise raids on gambling establishments in the 50′s and seized and smashed slot machines, rendering them to the point of which they were completely useless.
Grevemberg and his associates made 1,000 raids and destroyed 8,229 slot machines during 1952-1956 when Gov. Robert F. Kennon was the governor of Louisiana.
Gangster Frank Costello was forced out of the slot machine business in New York City when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia destroyed the machines and pushed them into a watery grave in the 30′s.
Senator Huey P. Long sensing a chance to make some quick money offered Costello a deal, where he could set up his slot machines in Louisiana, with Long demanding ten percent of the profits.
That is how Louisiana became saturated with slot machines and Grevemberg was given the task of ridding the state of slot machines.
Former Louisiana governor, Edwin Edwards was a Crowley attorney at the time and argued that the slot machines were legal, since they were being taxed by the state. For more on the raids and the history of slot machines see this Eunice Today article:
- Louisiana State Police Superintendent Francis Grevemberg shown smashing slot machines during a raid in the 50′s on a gambling establishment during the Gov. Robert F. Kennon administration.
Governor Earl K. Long took office in 1956 and ordered a stop to the destruction of slot machines. Little did Long or anyone else for that matter foresee that the gambling industry was down, but not down for the count.
Now it is almost 60 years later and slot machines are in operation, by the thousands in Louisiana casinos. There are now 22 casinos in operation currently in the state of Louisiana.
With the proliferation of casinos today in Louisiana, the chances of slot machines being destroyed are slim and none. The taxes from the casinos are pouring into Louisiana coffers and any opposition to gambling casinos is probably a waste of time.
So instead of smashing slot machines being smashed, they are kept in good repair, so the state of Louisiana can continue to reap tax dollars from their use.
Simon Cowell Wants Sing-Off With American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor Winners
Simon Cowell is so desperate to elevate X-Factor winner, up to the same playing field as American Idol and The Voice winners, that he is proposing a sing-off between the winners of the three shows.
For instance if was held between the winners last year, it would pit Scotty McCreery, Javier Colon and Melanie Amaro against each other with Cowell being the host.
American Idol producer Nygel Lythgoe has stated that the American Idol winner would have been a star, before the competition and is opposed to the idea.
To further complicate things for X-Factor, there are rumors circulating that The Voice will have another season this fall, which would give them two winners the same season, not to mention possibly competing directly against X-Factor, depending on the scheduling of the two shows.
X-Factor is in third place in ratings among the three shows, since even The Voice has bettered the X-Factor ratings so far in 2012. American Idol is showing signs of weaker ratings, but when they get into the live shows it will be the real test, since some fans don’t really follow the show until they know the 12 finalists.
The Voice doesn’t have the mass auditions, like American Idol and X-Factor, so they can have a second season this year, which would be Season 3 of the singing competition.
The way I look at it is that the singers have competed enough by the time they win one of the singing competitions and are ready to start their career, instead of appearing in yet another singing competition.
If The Voice does have a second season this calendar year, we could see even more erosion in the ratings. There is such a thing as overkill and The Voice and X-Factor could see falling ratings if they go head-to-head this fall.
http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1679472/american-idol-voice-x-factor-simon-cowell.jhtml
1968-1969: Years of Assassinations, Moonwalks and Protests
Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.
1968 and 1969 were years defined by the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, American astronauts being the first to walk on the moon, anti-war protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the New York Jets and the New York Mets were surprise Super Bowl and World Series winners.
Super Bowl II would be won by the Green Bay Packers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders on January 14.
Mister Roger’s Neighborhood would be seen for the first time on February 19, 1968.
March 16, 1968 would be one of the low points of the Vietnam War when between 374-504 unarmed civilians were killed at My Lai by United States troops. 2nd Lt. William Calley was charged with 22 of the deaths and sentenced to life imprisonment, but only served three-and-a-half years of house arrest.
President Lyndon B. Johnson announced on March 31 that he would not be running for president in the 1968 election. His decision resulted in the Democrats only having one president elected in the next 24 years, when Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976. It would be 1993 before Bill Clinton took office as the 42nd president and he would become the first Democratic president to serve two complete terms since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
April 4, 1968 started a year of assassinations and demonstrations, when Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on the balcony of his Memphis motel room. Ironically only seven days later the Civil Rights Act bill was passed by Congress, which outlawed racial discrimination, which Dr. King had been fighting before his death.
Then only two months and one day after the assassination of Dr. King, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated while celebrating a win in California primary during his 1968 presidential bid. Sirhan Sirhan is arrested for the murder of Kennedy.
If Kennedy had lived to win the Democratic nomination, he may have defeated Richard Nixon in the 1968 election. Instead Nixon defeated Senator Hubert Humphrey by half a million votes.
The Yippies led by Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman would descend on Chicago and the streets of Chicago turned into a riot zone as the Yippies and other radical groups battled Chicago police, U.S. Army and National Guard, while the Democratic convention was being held.
The chaos on the streets of Chicago poured onto the Democratic Convention floor when Senator Abraham Ribicoff denounced the use of Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago. His remarks enraged Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago would could be seen yelling at Ribicoff.
Anti-war protesters in Chicago may have hurt their own cause. In retrospect they may have protested at the wrong convention since the Democrats were more on their side than the Republicans. The Republican convention in Miami was turmoil free, in contrast to the chaos in Chicago.
Richard Nixon would go on to defeat Senator Humphrey in the general election.
1969 was another year with many newsworthy events and January 12 of 1969 would see the New York Jets defeat the Baltimore Colts 16-7, after Jets quarterback Joe Namath had predicted the Jets would upset the Colts.
Richard Nixon would take office as the 37th president on January 20. The Beatles who had first sang in America almost five years ago would hold their last public concert on January 30.
Sirhan Sirhan admits assassinating Bobby Kennedy on March 3. Ironically seven days later James Earl Ray would plead guilty to assassinating Dr. Martin Luther King. Later that month former President Dwight D. Eisenhower died on March 28, 8 years after finishing his second term as president.
The first American troop withdrawals of the Vietnam War were made on July 8. Senator Teddy Kennedy would end any hope of becoming president, when he drove his car off a bridge on July 18, in what became known as the Chappaquiddick incident. Mary Jo Kopechne would die at the age of 28 in the submerged car.
Two days later on July 20, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, when the lunar module Eagle landed on the moon. It had to be ranked as one of the biggest stories of the 20th century. The first flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903 would have been another major advance in the 20th century. Their flight led to commercial flights by airlines in later years.
August 9, 1969 was a day of violence as Charles Manson followers killed actress Sharon Tate and four others. The next day August 10, they would murder Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their home.
August 15, 1969 will always be remembered as the day the Woodstock Music Festival kicked off on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York. The promoters were expecting 50,000 fans, but those numbers were very conservative, considering 500,000 fans showed up.
August 17 would be another deadly day, this time because of Hurricane Camille which hit the Mississippi coast killing 248 people and causing damage of $1.5 billion.
The first ATM was installed in Rockville Centre, New York on September 2, while on the same day Ho Chi Minh, leader of North Vietnam died.
The Chicago Eight trial begin on September 24 in Chicago, but was changed to the Chicago Seven, when Bobby Seale a Black Panther was sentenced to four-year sentence for contempt of court.
Another New York sports team would win a championship, when the New York Mets defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. Seven years earlier the Mets had been the laughingstock of baseball when they posted a 40-120 record in 1962.
On a lighter note Sesame Street would be seen for the first time on the National Education Network on November 10.
While 250,000-500,000 demonstrators were protesting against the war in Washington, D.C. on November 15, Dave Thomas is busy opening the first Wendy’s in Columbus Ohio.
American astronauts would walk on the moon, only four months after the initial landing, four months prior to the Apollo 12 landing. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean would both walk on the moon.
With the year drawing to a close, a draft lottery was put in place on December 1 and would be the last major event of 1969.
A quick rundown of the events in 1968-1969:
1968
Dr. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy Assassinated
Unarmed Vietnamese Citizens Killed By U.S. Troops
President Lyndon B. Johnson Announces He Will Not Run For Presidency
Anti-war protesters riot during the Democratic National Convention
Richard Nixon is elected president in general election.
1969
Richard Nixon takes office of presidency
Withdrawal of Vietnam troops commences
Teddy Kennedy drives car off bridge in Chappaquiddick incident
Four astronauts become first men to walk on moon
Charles Manson followers kill seven in two days
500,000 anti-war protesters attend Woodstock Music Festival
Hurricane Camille kills 248 persons
First ATM installed in Rockville Centre, New York
Ho Chi Minh Dies
Chicago 7 Trial Begins in Chicago
250,000-500,000 demonstrate in anti-war protest in Washington, D.C.
Dave Thomas opens first Wendy’s
Sesame Street shown for the first time on National Education Network
Draft lottery is instituted
X-Factor: Steve Jones, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul Leaving the Show
- Three of the five X-Factor cast from the 2011 season won’t be returning for the 2012 season, since Steve Jones, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger have been told by Fox that they won’t be part of the 2012 show leaving only Simon Cowell and L.A. Reed from last season.
Simon Cowell may have made a huge mistake, when he predicted X-Factor would draw 20 million fans. He may have raised the expectations so high, that it doomed the first season of the show. The show never got past the 13 million mark and mostly drew, between 10 and 12 million viewers for most of the shows.
Now with the first season over, the host Steve Jones and a judge, Nicole Scherzinger have been told they will not be returning and it has just been announced today that Paula Abdul has also received the same news.
Jones Departure No Surprise
It was not a huge surprise that Jones would be leaving, since he seemed out of his element on the show and seemed discombobulated and not tuned in to what was going on around him. The firing of Scherzinger was not entirely unexpected, since her lack of decisiveness sent Rachel Crow home. She couldn’t make a decision, forcing the judge’s panel to be in a deadlock. The show then had to use the America’s vote, which ended the dream of winning X-Factor for Crow, when it was disclosed Crow had garnered the fewest votes that week.
Personally, I thought Paula Abdul did an efficient job as a judge, but apparently the producers wanted a more goofy Paula. She was paid only a million dollars for her work as a judge. She had reportedly left American Idol when she found out that Ryan Seacrest was being paid millions more as a host than she was being paid as a judge.
Paula Given Groups To Mentor
When Paula was given the groups to mentor, it showed the producers didn’t want her team to win, which was evident in the voting. Groups are an afterthought in singing competitions, since viewers identify more readily with a solo artist.
Cowell is wanting to take the show in another direction. With him and L.A. Reid the only returnees from the 2011 season, it will be interesting to see just what that other direction will entail.
My hope is that the group category will be eliminated from next year. How can a viewer identify with a group, especially when the show made groups out of solo singers? It takes time to form a group and make them a cohesive unit and the new groups weren’t allowed the luxury of having that time.
Cowell May Scale Back On Production Numbers
Cowell, who didn’t seem to go for the big production numbers, may try to scale back on the glamor and glitz and focus more on the singers and their performance. He will definitely need a host who is more comfortable onstage than Steve Jones. I am sure he would like to have Seacrest as his host, but Mr. Seacrest has so much on his plate already, doubt that will happen
It will be critical that the new judges will connect with the audience and be prepared to make hard decisions, without falling apart like Scherzinger did last season.
Paula-Simon Pairing Didn’t Draw Viewers
The general consensus was that Simon and Paula being together would help the ratings. However, that didn’t seem to be the case with X-Factor drawing 7 or 8 million viewers per show less than American Idol.
It is not like X-Factor was a complete failure, since most shows would be tickled to have 12 million viewers tuning most weeks. More viewers mean more money from the sponsors and Cowell realizes that.
Cowell has eight months to fine tune X-Factor, assuming the next season will start in September again. So we have to wait till then. to see what direction Cowell is taking the show.
Big Bang Theory Tops American Idol In Early Ratings
Those that are saying there are too many singing competition shows, gained some more ammunition last night, when Big Bang Theory drew 15.5 million viewers to 15 million viewers for American Idol.
It was the second consecutive week that Big Bang Theory topped American Idol in the ratings. The Voice and X-Factor may have played in a part in the American Idol decline in ratings.
Too Many Singing Competition TV Shows?
Apparently music fans don’t like the idea of three singing competition shows, when considering that American Idol drew over 20 million fans in almost every show last year, but this year is floundering around the 15 million mark lately. Most shows would be happy to have 15 million tuning in, but for Idol it is a staggering blow to attract only 15 million fans.
Now the question is if the three judges really disagreed on the talents of some of the singers on the show last night, or was it a ploy to increase ratings in the future. Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson have got along well, for the most part since the three became the judging team in Season 10. Maybe it was a one-time thing, but it seems like the American Idol judges, may be trying to emulate the tension between Simon Cowell and the other judges on X-Factor.
Producers May Be Contemplating Changes
The producers are probably re-evaluating the show, now that the show is not No.1 in its time slot. American Idol has been a juggernaut in the ratings, but now Big Bang Theory has shown they can post even better ratings.
The Voice Returns on Super Bowl Sunday
The Voice will return on Super Bowl Sunday for another season. That could make things worse for American Idol having two singing competition shows on each week.
I don’t think anyone thought we would see a situation comedy beating the No.1 singing competition show, but Big Bang Theory has done just that.
Ratings May Jump During Hollywood Week
American Idol may regain the top spot when they get into Hollywood week, with all the drama that comes with Hollywood week. I still remember someone tell Scotty McCreery he wasn’t good enough for his group, then Scotty went on to become the American Idol, showing he was more than good enough for their group.
The ratings should be even better when the singers for the live show are chosen, then once they are chosen viewers may pick a favorite and watch till their favorite is voted off.
American Idol doesn’t seem to be that different from past years. It may just be the victim of overkill when it comes to singing competition shows and American Idol is paying the price by receiving lower ratings.
Have The Voice and X-Factor Killed Off The American Idol Star?
Erika Van Pelt a DJ and wedding singer was the best singer on the Thursday night American Idol show.
Hallie Day had one of the most impressive auditions on American Idol on Thursday night’s show and has a great chance of being in the Final 12 in Season 11. Hallie should go far in the competition, if she can get past Hollywood week which has been known to end singing careers, before they even get off the ground.
Fewer Viewers Than Last Year
American Idol drew less fans on Thursday night, than they drew in any audition or Hollywood show last year. 21.89 million was the lowest number of viewers, in the auditions before the final 24 show last year.
Only 14 million viewers tuned into American Idol last night, which was less than any show last year. It could be that fans are experiencing singing competition burnout after a heavy dose of American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor. It will be interesting to see if The Voice makes a dent into the American Idol franchise, when it debuts on Feb. 5 on Super Bowl night.
The magic was still there for me in both American Idol shows telecast this week. However, The Voice and X-Factor fans may not be as likely to watch American Idol as in the past.
There is still little likelihood that Javier Colon and Melanie Amaro, who won The Voice and X-Factor respectively, will come close to having the name recognition of Scotty McCreery, who may have won only $250,000 but has sold over a million albums in three months.
It is not likely that The Voice and X-Factor have killed off the American Idol star, since American Idol drew over 20 million in almost every show in 2011, while X-Factor maxed out at 12.59 million on finale night. The American Idol finale drew 29.29 million when Scotty McCreery was voted the American Idol.
The American Idol franchise may be a little shaky, but I look for ratings to get better as fans choose their favorites and follow them as long as they survive the cuts during Hollywood week.
American Idol: Still King of the Singing Competition Hill
The return of American Idol last night signaled that the No. 1 singing competition show, by far outshines The Voice and X-Factor. The other shows have their moments, but neither show comes close to matching the drawing power of American Idol.
Shaun Kraisman was one of the most interesting contestants, as he did an excellent Ryan Seacrest impression, but didn’t advance to Hollywood despite singing very well in my book, but the judges didn’t agree.
My personal favorite was Shannon Magrane, the daughter of former major league pitcher and MLB Network analyst Joe Magrane. The judges coaxed Shannon into bringing her family to the audition room, so they learned, that she was going to Hollywood the minute the judges told her the good news.
The last singer at the Savannah, Georgia audition was Phillip Phillips, who impressed the judges so much that he was asked to sing a second song. Phillip will be a singer to watch when the Hollywood week round starts.
American Idol was a breath of fresh air after The Voice and it’s chairs that turned around, to reveal the singer that was singing, if the judge liked the song, plus it reminded us how much we disliked the constant bickering of the X-Factor judges. The bickering between Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul was a huge distraction, not to mention the annoying host Steve Jones, who seemed to annoy the judges, as much as the fans.
There is no doubt that American Idol is still the best singing competition. It may be difficult to follow-up the success of Season 10, when Scotty McCreery won the title of American Idol. Even more impressive was that Scotty sold a million copies of his debut album, only three months after being released. His sales far eclipsed those of Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze, whose record sales never did take off.
It is safe to say that Scotty is the most successful recording artist, after winning American Idol, since 2005 when Carrie Underwood won Season 4.
We won’t know until May who wins Season 11 of American Idol, but fans will have fun watching the shows, till the winner is revealed by Ryan Seacrest.
Cajun Pawn Stars: Hometown Reality Show
Jimmie DeRamus, owner of Silver Dollar Pawn Shop in Alexandria, Louisiana is being featured in Cajun Pawn Stars which recently debuted on the History Channel.
It may never draw the viewers garnered by the original Pawn Stars on the same channel.
There have even been reports, that the owners of the original Pawn Stars show, filmed in Las Vegas, were less than pleased, when they found out about the spinoff show.
They reportedly had not been notified by the network, that the Cajun Pawn Stars show was even in the works. They claim to have in their contract, that there would be no spinoffs, from the original Pawn Stars shows. They are probably concerned, that with two reality pawn shop shows, on the air will lower the rating for their original Pawn Stars show.
For those who don’t get the History Channel on their cable service, they will be pleased to know, that the shows can be viewed, in their entirety at the History channel website.
I recently watched the first two shows and the main difference, between the two shows is that DeRamus offers more money for items brought to his pawn shop. DeRamus even offered twice the value for one item. That is not normal practice for most pawn shops.
Having grown up across the river from Silver Dollar Pawn Shop it makes it more interesting to watch. Folks from the area are probably seeing people, that they actually know on the show. I have been in the store a couple of times myself.
DeRamus really wanted the first record ever made by Jerry Lee Lewis, that the expert verified was authentic, but the owner, who just happens to be married to Jerry Lee’s sister, decided he couldn’t part with the record, even though the offer by DeRamus was more, than what the record had been valued at.
He also tried to buy a pair of $5,000 and $10,000 sister bills, but came up empty, when the owner turned down his $500,000 offer, then DeRamus upped that offer, but it was no deal.
The pygmy goat that was leaving souvenirs, for someone to clean up was sold for $40, after DeRamus declined to buy it for $60.
The show to me was an excellent representation, of life in Central Louisiana. It may not be able to compete with the flashy Pawn Stars reality show, being filmed in Las Vegas, but I look for it to catch on, as the weeks go by. This show seems to give more background on the customers, than the Las Vegas based Pawn Stars show, which for the most part, doesn’t come close to offering the money, that is offered on Cajun Pawn Stars.
It was almost like going home again for me, since we live 125 miles from Alexandria now.
X-Factor Season Drawing To Close
X-Factor has sent four acts home in the last two weeks, with the finale only 17 days away. We have seen LeRoy Bell, Lakoda Rayne, Astro and Drew sent home during the last two weeks. The field has been reduced from nine singers to five singers, over the last two weeks so the season will soon be drawing to a close.
The first three acts mentioned above, that were sent home were no surprises, but to see Drew sent home last week, tells me that the voters will have an even tougher decision, each week the rest of the way.
Before looking at the final five acts remaining, would like to congratulate Astro, on handling his elimination so well. After acting very childish two weeks ago, when he found himself in the bottom two and threatened to not even sing, he has acted much better, but the damage probably had already been done.
Astro was a one trick pony for the most part, working his rapping into whatever the theme was for a particular week, without really singing. However, Astro was very good at writing and rapping, which should result in his being signed by a record label.
Final Five Singers
Chris Rene – Chris will probably suffer the fate of Astro this week, unless he can come up with two great performances, with each contestant being required to sing two songs this week. Chris is my personal favorite, since it would be a great story if he won, since he would be going, from being a drug addict picking up garbage, to winning a $5 million recording contract. He may pick up some of Astro’s voters, since he is only remaining rapper on the show.
Marcus Canty – Marcus has been living on the edge lately, finding himself in the bottom two often, but his ballad that saved him last week, was one of the best performances of the entire season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the bottom two again next week. I look for Marcus and Chris to be in the bottom two this week.
Melaine Amaro- Melanie is the best singer in my book, that remains in the competition. I can see her winning on finale night in two weeks. She is definitely the best female singer remaining.
Rachel Crow – Rachel is another that just may win this competition, because of her likeability factor. She sings well, but not at the level of Melanie or Josh. Rachel will be a star in some form of entertainment world, in the near future. She is tailor-made for the Disney Channel and may wind up there, if she doesn’t receive the $5 million recording contract.
Josh Krajcik – Josh has a powerful voice, which could be his ticket to winning the recording contract. However I can’t see him drawing more votes than Rachel or Melanie. I am surprised that Nicole Scherzinger, the mentor for Josh hasn’t had him adopt a cleaner look, as far as facial hair is concerned. His fan base probably won’t come close to that of someone like Rachel.
Predicted Winner
My prediction is that Rachel Crow will win the $5 million recording contract, unless she falters badly in the last two weeks. Melanie is by far a better singer and can belt a tune with the best of them, but I have a feeling that Rachel’s voters are very loyal and could propel her to victory.
Summary
Simon Cowell’s gaffe of having Drew remain seated in a chair, probably cost Drew her dream of winning X-Factor. My personal thought is that the singers should be able, to choose their own songs. Simon knows he is the reason, that Drew made an early exit from the show.
If the singers choose the wrong song, at least they will know, that they didn’t lose because of a mentor making a bad song choice. It was heartbreaking to see Drew so upset, about being eliminated and it hurt Simon too, since he knew it was his fault.
The ratings prediction by Simon that predicted 20 million viewers, for X-Factor never materialized. The show is drawing about half that many viewers, with rating numbers close to the 10 million mark.
X-Factor may never be the ratings juggernaut, that American Idol has been, but it is still drawing well enough to win the nights, on which it appears.
EDITORS NOTE: I am now working a full-time job, after being retired for the last year, so the posts will be sporadic, as long as I am working. Thank you to the readers for understanding the situation.
Andrew Godfrey
Evolution of Phones: From Wall Phones to iPhones That Convert Speech Into Text
This wall phone reminds me of the wall phone at my grandpa's farm in Allendale Missouri on his 80 acre farm, back in the late 50's.
This rotary phone was seen in most American homes in the 50's and 60's.
This touch tone phone was found in almost any office for many years for office workers with a phone at their desk.
The latest cell phone today is the Apple iPhone 4s which looks nothing like the phones we grew up with over 50 years ago.
I remember back in the old days, when we would have to rent our phones from Bell South, paying a monthly charge to use the phones.
Now after the evolution of the phone from a wall phone, to a rotary phone, then to a touch tone phone found in most offices and also used at home.
It seems like it was only yesterday, when we only used phones to make phone calls and receive phone calls. Nowadays cell phones not only make and receive calls, but allow you to not call at all by using texts to transmit messages back and forth.
Cell phones have become a multi-purpose electronic device that enables owners to listen to music, watch television shows, movies and videos.
They can be used to play games, pay bills, make bank transactions on the phone, take notes, take photos and shoot HD quality videos. The iPhone 4s also can browse the web and remind you of an important event, that is approaching. If you get lost, you can use a built-in GPS to find your way.
The Apple 4s also has an intelligent assistant named Siri which will let you use your voice to ask questions:
It knows what you mean.
Siri not only understands what you say, it’s smart enough to know what you mean. So when you ask “Any good burger joints around here?” Siri will reply “I found a number of burger restaurants near you.” Then you can say “Hmm. How about tacos?” Siri remembers that you just asked about restaurants, so it will look for Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood. And Siri is proactive, so it will question you until it finds what you’re looking for.
This is taking smart phones to a whole new level.
It helps you do the things you do every day.
Ask Siri to text your dad, remind you to call the dentist, or find directions, and it figures out which apps to use and who you’re talking about. It finds answers for you from the web through sources like Yelp and WolframAlpha. Using Location Services, it looks up where you live, where you work, and where you are. Then it gives you information and the best options based on your current location. From the details in your contacts, it knows your friends, family, boss, and coworkers. So you can tell Siri things like “Text Ryan I’m on my way” or “Remind me to make a dentist appointment when I get to work” or “Call a taxi” and it knows exactly what you mean and what to do.
One of the best features is that the iPhone 4s takes dictation, then converts your spoken words into text. If you are sitting at a dinner table, trying to make conversation with a 4s user, it will be a futile endeavor, since they will be too busy using the features of the 4s, to even notice you are in the room.
iPhone 4S takes dictation.
Here’s another amazing way to get things done: just use your voice. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard. Then say what you want to say and iPhone listens. Tap Done, and iPhone converts your words into text. Use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web, and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write and send Instagrams.
Summary: We have come a long way from the wall phones of the past, which couldn’t be used to text or send emails, shoot videos or play music, to phones that are the electronic center of what is going on in our lives.
My problem is that I don’t have a cell phone, so still use a regular home phone to make and receive calls. The new technology is astounding, but if you can’t afford it, then it becomes worthless.
We all remember the high telephone bills of the past, when making a lot of long distance calls in a month. Owning a cell phone today may actually be cheaper, if someone was having $150 worth of long distance calls, month after month.
It becomes cost prohibitive to own a iPhone, a iPod and a iPad and a laptop not to mention paying for monthly cable and internet service.
Steven Jobs Dies at 56 in Palo Alto, California
A young Steven Jobs pictured with three Apple computers.
Steven Paul Jobs was born February 24, 1955 in San Francisco. Jobs died yesterday (Oct. 5, 2011) at the age of 56. He was given up for adoption by his parents, who were two University of Wisconsin graduate students. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs and grew up in Silicone Valley.
His dad taught him how to take apart electronics and then rebuild electronics. He would spend a lot of time at Hewlett-Packard during his high school years and met his future business partner Steve Wozniak during those years.
Jobs quickly tired of the college scene, dropping out of Reed College in Portland, Oregon after only six months. He then went to work as a game designer for Atari, but left that job to travel to India and dabble in psychedelic drugs.
He and Wozniak founded Apple Computers when he was 21 years old and funded their operation by him selling his Volkwagen bus and Wozniak selling his scientific computer.
They developed computers which were smaller and easier to use. Their first computers were sold for $666 each and were part of the Apple I line. They earned $774,000 from the sales of that model. Then the Apple II took off and the sales totaled $139 million three years after its release.
By 1980 the value of the company was $1.2 billion. Then came a devastating blow when Apple president John Scully phased Jobs out of Apple. He left Apple in 1985 and bought an animation company, which later would become Pixar. He then invested $50 million of his own money into Pixar. The company would make huge hits like Toy Story and Finding Nemo and the company has made $4 billion in sales.
Jobs would return to Apple in 1997 as CEO with a contract of $1 a year. He was discovered to have pancreatic cancer in 2003. That tumor was removed in 2004.
The year 2007 would see Apple stock worth $199 a share. The company also recorded a profit of 1.58 billion with $18 billion in the bank. Even more amazing was the fact the company didn’t owe any debt.
The iPod and the iTunes music downloading service account for half of the revenue earned by Apple. The iPhone and iPad have kept the Apple name at the forefront of technology today.
Jobs resigned from his job as CEO of Apple on August 24, 2011. He died about six weeks later, yesterday in Palo Alto, California.
For a more extensive biography of the life of Steven Jobs:
Has TLC’s Extreme Couponing Show Created a Monster?
An Extreme Couponer shown with folder in store and dumpster diving for coupons with her family in an episode of Extreme Couponing showing on TLC network.
When Extreme Couponing first aired on the TLC cable network, my first thought was that this is going to cause problems, down the road for all couponers.
That has become a reality as some stores take measures to make it tougher to use large amounts of coupons. Smaller grocery stores can’t afford to have their cashiers tied up, with one customer for two hours or more. One episode of Extreme Couponing showed a couponer, who spent eight hours in a store, between shopping and checking out.
Dumpster-Diving For Coupons
One of the major problems for extreme couponers is finding the coupons. They have made dumpster-diving an art form, bringing their kids with them, to dig through garbage, which is not healthy to start off with.
There is little mention made of how much the extreme couponers spend, to find the coupons online and print them out. All we see at the end of the show is the original total and the total after coupons.
Other coupon users have opened newspaper racks, only to pay for one paper and steal many more, so they can have more coupons at less cost.
Shelves Stocked With Food, Supplies
It seems to me that some of the couponers are only using coupons, to stock up on stuff they may never need. One couponer on Extreme Couponer said they had some stuff they didn’t even use.
When a couponer on the show “buys” 300 toothbrushes for free, it makes me wonder if he will ever use 300 toothbrushes in his lifetime.
Veteran Couponers Not Happy Campers
The veteran couponers can’t be too happy, about the increased attention on couponers, since if the TLC show attracts negative attention on them, it could greatly reduce their profits, if coupon use is restricted.
The manufacturers could make it much tougher on coupon users, if they reduce the value of their coupons and try to make it impossible for couponers to find free food and supplies.
Not Always Welcome
Couponers are not always welcome to shop at grocery stores, when they have to use several shopping carts and tie up the checkout lane, for hours at a time. Cashiers are the ones that have it the worst, first having to total the prices of the products, then add up all the coupons to find the total price.
Grocery stores often have to come up with solutions, when the cash register stops functioning after the register reaches its limit on how many items it can handle.
This article gives even more information on how the Extreme Couponing has inspired many new couponers to try their hand at saving money.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44493132/ns/business-retail/t/extreme-couponing-sparks-backlash/
S.H. Kress: Out of Business For 30 Years
This is the original S.H. Kress building built in the 20's or 30's before new building was built many years later on Third Street.
It seems like it was only yesterday that we were shopping at the S.H. Kress store in downtown Alexandria, Louisiana.
The original store was built on Third Street and would later be replaced by a new structure on the same street.
When we were kids, we did most of our Christmas shopping at stores like Kress where you could buy a lot of stuff with very little money.
The Christmas tree would have a lot of presents under it, but most of them would be from stores like Kress, Morgan and Lindsey and Ben Franklin.
One of my fondest memories is that of smelling the popcorn cooking in the popcorn machine in the store.
S.H. Kress stores became a center of controversy, when they refused to let blacks sit at their lunch counters and were sued numerous times for that refusal.
Part of growing up in central Louisiana were trips to the Kress store on Third Street in downtown Alexandria.
The first Kress store was opened in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania in 1887. Kress became a chain of 5-10-25 cent stores in 1896. Genesco purchased Kress in 1964 and 17 years later the company would no longer exist in the United States, and ceased operation in 1981. It missed by six years of surviving for 100 years.
Alexandria would see many other stores like Kress closed when their companies went out of business. Other chain stores that were located in Alexandria or Pineville including, W.T. Grant, Woolworth’s, Woolco, Ben Franklin, Morgan and Lindsey and many more that ended their presence in Alexandria or Pineville.
It has been thirty years now since Kress went out of the retail business. It was the same year that President Reagan took office on January 20 and would be shot in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley on March 30 of that year.
Other events that year include:
May 13 -
Pope John Paul II is shot and almost killed by a Turkish gunman inside Vatican City.
August 1 – MTV is launched.
October 6 – President of Egypt Anwar Sadat is assassinated during a parade.
December 28- Elizabeth Jordan Carr becomes the first test tube baby to be born and grew up to be a newspaper journalist.
Changes in My Lifetime: Things That Are Out of Style Now
Drive-in Movie theatre located next to a railroad track.
My home state of Louisiana has no drive-in theatres, left in existence the last time I checked. I can remember when we had the Fox Drive-in , Joy Twin Drive-in, Showtown Drive-in and Kings Drive-in located in Alexandria and Kingsville.
There are probably some others that were thriving at one time in the Cenla area.
I will never forget the speakers by the side of the car that let us listen to what the actors were saying on the screen. I remember stories of kids hiding in the trunks of cars to avoid paying to see the movies.
Five years ago we went to a drive-in theatre in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. We saw a cartoon that night, so wasn’t too memorable, except for turning back the clock that one night, going back in time, even though the new technology let us hear the movie over the radio, if turned to a certain frequency.
Eight track players came and left before I ever owned one.
Think most of us owned a record player before we owned a television since it
was only form of home entertainment before the radio and television in most homes.
I can still remember my dad wearing hats like these in the 50′s and
it used to be common for men to wear hats like these to baseball games.
A typical soda fountain back in the day.
There was something special about a trip to a soda fountain. Whether you bought an ice cream cone, a banana split, a root beer float, a milk shake or a sundae, it just tasted better coming from a soda fountain. I still have not found a cherry coke with the taste of a soda fountain cherry Coke.
Who can ever forget those 15 cent hamburgers at McDonalds when you could get a combo for less than a dollar. Those days are gone forever, but the memories of those days lingers on about 50 years later.
The Paramount Theater in downtown Alexandria where I watched No Time For Sergeants three times in a row without having to pay for the second and third showings.
I can still remember kids delivering newspapers on their bikes. I also remember them selling papers on the street corners downtown. The demise of the afternoon newspaper ended for the most part the delivery of newspapers by kids as the grown-ups began to deliver papers in their cars and trucks, very early in the morning. The Alexandria Town Talk carriers would start their deliveries about 1 AM in the morning, but the last papers might not be delivered to 6 or 7 in the morning.
I know next to nothing about cigars, but am almost certain that there are no five cent cigars being sold in 2011.
The five cent cigars in the photo were apparently being sold during the 1968 presidential campaign by Senator Hubert H. Humphrey.
That campaign was 43 years ago, but it still may have been near the end of a time when cigars were being sold for five cents.
When was the last time you told a gas station attendant to “filler up”? There may be some full service gas stations still around, but they are getting harder to find all the time. The full service gasoline stations would fill your tank, wipe your windshield, check your tires and give or sell you a map, so you would know how to get to your destination. You used to get glasses or some other item when you bought gas. All you get now is high prices for gas we used to pay about 50 cents for.
I can remember selling books of 20 five cent stamps for a dollar in the Army post office in Hawaii and Vietnam. The five cent price went into effect in January of 1963 and didn’t increase to six cents until 1968. So the five cent price stayed the same during my entire time working in the Army post office.
The penny postcard had risen to four cents by 1963.
Today the five cent stamp of 1963 has risen to 44 cents and the $1 book of stamps is now $8.80. The penny postcard has risen to 29 cents.
Lizard Lick Towing Returns Monday, August 22 at 9:30 PM
Bobby Brantley, Amy Shirley and Ron Shirley return for another season starting August 22, 2011 at 9:30 PM on TruTV.
The gang from Lizard Lick Towing will start their second season next Monday at 9:30 PM on TruTV. We can expect more of the drama we saw last season, when Ron and Bobby pulled into yards to repossess vehicles, boats or whatever they were trying to repossess at the time.
There are a lot of repossession shows on television today, but to me the best is still Lizard Lick Towing, We have been seeing Ron and Bobby in action on All Worked Up, since Lizard Lick Towing completed their last season.
Now they return with their own 30 minute show. We can expect to see Big Juicy in the office to protect Bobby when he is outnumbered or even if he isn’t outnumbered. I thought she was actually part of the staff, but she isn’t shown as a member of the staff at the Lizard Lick Towing website. However, the website does show there are a lot more members of the staff than are shown on television.
Ron seems to find the humor in any situation. He will even throw out some of his humorous sayings in the middle of a fight. One thing about Ron and Bobby, they almost always get their vehicle or whatever they are picking up and if they don’t it is because they are dodging bullets and even the best repo men are no match for bullets headed in their direction.
Even former basketball player Charles Barkley is a fan of Lizard Lick Towing, since he has mentioned the show before.
Welcome back Ron, Bobby and Amy for another exciting season !!!
American Idol: Scotty, Lauren Alaina and Pia Shown In Debut Videos
Scotty McCreery singing I Love You This Big in his first video that was recently released.
Scotty has been keeping a hectic schedule this summer on the American Idol tour, but found time to release his first video. The tour is a real moneymaker for the American Idol franchise, but it prevents the American Idol winners, from devoting more time to their career.
Lauren Alaina has released her first video Like My Mother Does.
Lauren Alaina may have been second in the American Idol voting, but I can see her becoming a top recording artist in country music. There is no doubt that she was born to sing country music.
She may not sell as many albums as Scotty when releases her debut album later this year, but she will hold her own and should be one of the top country music stars for years to come.
Pia Toscano singing on her debut This Time video.
There is no doubt that Pia Toscano was the best singer on American Idol. She may not have been the most popular though, having been sent home during the fourth week.
For some reason, voters just didn’t connect with Pia and went for the younger Scotty and Lauren Alaina. While the other American Idol singers were still in the competition, Pia was making moves to jump-start her career. She used the time between leaving the show and embarking on the summer tour wisely by singing on television shows, keeping her name out there, even though she had been eliminated from American Idol.
As time goes by we will be able to tell which one of the three singers featured in this article will be the most successful, but for right now I think that Scotty, Lauren Alaina and Pia will all have long careers.
Jessie Godderz of Big Brother 10, 11, No Longer Mr. Nice Guy
Jessie Godderz of Big Brother fame is now an Impact wrestler.
It seems like forever since Jessie Godderz of Big Brother 10 and 11 was being the arrogant and cocky house guest that almost nobody liked.
Jessie Godderz as he appeared on Big Brother when he was very shy about showing off his muscles on a nationally televised program.
Now that he is a professional wrestler, Godderz is still the same cocky, arrogant person he was on Big Brother, magnified about 20 times since he is now known as Mr. Pectacular as he calls himself now.
Godderz is perfect for portraying the part of the bad guy as an Impact wrestling villain. The 25-year-old wrestler is training with Bully Ray as he gets ready for his career with Impact. The contract is only through the end of this year, so he will have this one shot to make it. Ratings for the wrestling show should increase when he actually steps into the ring for the first time.
Gasoline Price Wars: Now Ancient History
With the price at 24 cents, a driver could purchase 10 gallons of gas for a total of $2.40, which is about a dollar less than it costs today for one gallon. 15 gallons at 24 cents a gallon cost $3.60, which is close to the price of gas today for one gallon in some locations.
Using $3.50 a gallon as a benchmark price today, 10 gallons would cost $35 today instead of the $2.40 during that gasoline price war in 1969. 15 gallons would cost $52.50 today compared to the $3.60 price during the 1969 price war.
Drivers today are paying about $49 more per 15 gallons than the $3.60 price of 1969.
The American people are being held hostage by high gasoline prices. Drivers who drive 25-30 miles to work one way today are seeing a lot of their income eaten up, by high gasoline prices. For instance a driver who drives 60 miles a day to and from work, who uses 20 gallons a week, would spend close to $65 a week for gasoline, while driving 300 miles.
That is a total of $260 a month spent on gasoline. The politicians in Washington don’t seem to care about gasoline prices, since senators and congressmen earn $174,000 a year in 2011.
So while our lawmakers more or less ignore the high gasoline prices, the middle class is paying more at the pump each year as gasoline prices continue to rise, with no relief in sight.
American Idol Update – June 24, 2011
- Jennifer Lopez hasn’t made a decision yet on whether to return for Season 11 of American Idol.
Jennifer Lopez is in negotiation for two film roles. It remains to be seen how she can be an American Idol judge, travel across South America to find talent for the new reality show Q’Viva (The Chosen) and star in films.
American Idol ties her down during the audition process in several major cities, plus once the live shows start next year, she will be keeping an extremely hectic schedule.
$12 Million Salary
It won’t be easy for her to walk away from $12 million salary she earns as an American Idol judge, but she could make even more from the new reality show and her recording and film career.
It is just my opinion but I think she would like to return, but I look for her to decide to leave the show after considering how little time she would have with her family, since making the movies could use up months of her time.
I didn’t always agree with Jennifer’s comments as a judge, but respect her concise remarks, with no stammering around like we had from Ellen DeGeneres in Season 9. I could tell she truly cared about the contestants and how much it hurt her to tell Chris Medina he wouldn’t be one of the final 24.
American Idol Rejuvenated With New Judges
The American Idol franchise was rejuvenated with her and Steven Tyler as new judges. The main thing I liked about all three judges including original judge Randy Jackson was that they never seemed to be at a loss for words. The loss of Simon Cowell turned out to be a non-event. Ellen DeGeneres wasn’t missed but I thought Kara DioGuardi did an excellent job as a judge.
American Idol might have problem keeping judges, that are trying to restart their career like Jennifer Lopez. While she has not made her decision yet on whether to continue as a judge for Season 11, I look for her to leave due to her busy schedule.
American Idol Notebook
Randy Jackson is pitching his own talk show to the networks. So far, there has been no official response. I can’t see a Randy Jackson talk show being successful, but with television you never know….There are rumors that Ryan Seacrest will replace Regis Philbin on Regis and Kelly, which would probably be re-named Ryan and Kelly if that actually happens. Since Seacrest has most of his work based in California, the show may have to move to California for it to work for Seacrest. With his multitude of jobs already it may be too much for him to do Ryan and Kelly, American Idol, his radio show, his E News program, his producing of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and other reality shows he produces. I can see how he could do the Ryan and Kelly show if he drops his radio show, since it would be telecast in the morning, while American Idol would be shown at night.
Pia Toscano has finally signed a record deal with Interscope. There were reports that she had signed a recording contract shortly after leaving American Idol, but those reports proved to be false. Even though she finished ninth in the voting, I look for her to be one of the most successful singers from Season 10….Auditions for Season 11 begin in St. Louis on June 28 about a month after Scotty McCreery became the American Idol for Season 10. It is unknown if the three judges will be there for the auditions but that should be known, once the auditions start.
Barry Manilow said last night on Piers Morgan Tonight that he thinks singers on shows like American Idol are making it too fast, without paying their dues, like most singers have to do….The American Idol summer tour starts in West Valley City, Utah on July 6 and ends on September 10 in Rochester, New York.
For more information on the tour:
http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/4886
Gene Simmons – Shannon Tweed Relationship On The Rocks?
- The Gene Simmons family with Nick Simmons, Sophie Simmons, Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed.
The first episode of Season Six of the Family Jewels reality show about Gene Simmons and his family showed Shannon Tweed walking out on Gene.
It is questionable if this really happened but was only a ploy to draw more viewers to the series.
Shannon Reaches Breaking Point
Everyone has their breaking point and apparently Shannon had hers in the first episode that aired on June 14.
Gene repeatedly told anyone who would listen including Shannon and his therapist, that he does not like being told what to do.
Shannon saw a photo of Gene posing with some girls he had brought along to a business meeting, while she and their children Nick and Sophie were waiting for Gene to show up for a family dinner.
Shannon Waiting For Sophie To Leave For College
It seems like that Shannon was waiting for Sophie to leave for college, to finally voice her opinions of Gene’s behavior. He says he is going to a therapist, but instead Shannon finds out he went to a movie.
Then he does go to the therapist to pacify Shannon, but he shows little remorse for his behavior while being questioned by the therapist. The therapist suggest that Gene bring Shannon to the next therapy session.
Shannon Walks Out of Therapy Session
Shannon agrees to go with Gene, but once inside the therapist’s office, Gene doesn’t seem to be serious about working out a resolution to their relationship problems and Shannon leaves in the middle of the session.
Gene returns home and finds Shannon has left. It will be interesting to see if Gene finally does something to heal the relationship or if he continues to look out of for No.1, with no regard for the other members of the family.
Real or Just More Hype?
At the end of the show, viewers can’t help but wonder if their relationship problems are real or only a way to hype the new series of Family Jewels.
My opinion is that it is real, because Shannon has the same tight-lipped expression she had on the show, when she has appeared on network TV shows hyping the new season.
Season 5 had 26 episodes. Wikipedia lists eight shows so far this season which brings the total episodes count to 123, but apparently there will be more added to the list as they are completed.
August 7 will be the fifth anniversary of the show.
Johnny Lee: Looking For Love – Plus Story Behind the Song
Johnny Lee singing his signature song Looking For Love and talking to Ralph Emery.
It doesn’t seem possible that it has been about 31 years since Johnny Lee recorded Looking For Love. It went to No.8 on the country music charts in the U.S and was also featured in the movie Urban Cowboy.
Lee was about 34 at the time he recorded Looking For Love. Now he is old enough to retire at 65. Lee wasn’t a one hit wonder as he would record 20 albums and five of his songs would reach No.1 on the country music chart.
Johnny Lee’s No. 1 songs
Looking For Love
One In A Million
Bet Your Heart on Me
The Yellow Rose Of Texas (With Lane Brody)
You Could’ve Heard A Heart Break
The Yellow Rose of Texas video with Johnny Lee and Lane Brody.
Johnny Lee and Lane Brody singing Yellow Rose of Texas again over 30 years later at a country music reunion.
An audio only version of Johnny Lee singing You Could’ve Heard A Heart Break
Johnny Lee may not have had a Top 100 hit since 1989 or recorded an album since 2006, but from 1980-1984 he had 12 songs in the Top 10 country music chart.
Since appearing in Urban Cowboy Lee has been seen in many television series and sang Looking For Love in the 2002 movie The New Guy.
Looking For Love had been rejected by 20 artists according to allmusic.com before Lee made it a gigantic hit, mainly because it was sung in Urban Cowboy.
Lee married actress Charlene Hilton from the Dallas television series in 1982 but their marriage had collapsed by 1987.
Like many celebrities he found out his management had been taking much of the money he had earned during the time when he was earning the most money.
He may never be voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, but for five years he was one of the hottest country music stars in the business.
American Idol News: June 7 Edition
Lauren Alaina runner-up on American Idol Season 10.
Lauren Alaina To Start Work On Album, Appear on Grand Ole Opry
Lauren Alaina the runner-up for Season 10 of American Idol will be in Nashville this week to start work on her debut album for Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings, Interscope.
Friday will be a special day for Lauren Alaina when she will make her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
Lauren Alaina because of her young age of 16 can only work a limited schedule so it may be a long time before the album is actually released.
She may be one of the most successful runner-ups ever on American Idol, but it is way too soon to know for sure since she is just getting started on her post-American Idol.
One thing for sure, Lauren Alaina may be the nicest and most liked contestant to ever appear on American Idol.
Paul McDonald, Nikki Reed Engaged After Two Month Courtship
Paul McDonald of American Idol fame and actress Nikki Reed have announced their engagement.
It is usually not a good thing for an American Idol contestant to finish eighth for the season, but in the case of Paul McDonald it was a blessing in disguise.
It gave him a head start on his romance with “Twilight” actress Nikki Reed and has culminated in them announcing their engagement on the 2011 MTV Movie Awards Show.
He may have entered the American Idol competition to advance his singing career, but more importantly he has met the love of his life. If not for the show Nikki Reed probably never would have met him.
McDonald was eliminated from American Idol the week after the shocking elimination of Pia Toscano.
I am sure when he tried out for American Idol he had no idea he would be engaged to an actress about a week after the show ended.
It was his goal to win American Idol, but doubt if his next goal was to find an actress who liked him enough after a whirlwind courtship to agree to marry him.
We want to wish both of them a long and happy marriage.
Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina Appear on Today
The American Idol Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina recently appeared on the Today show on the NBC television network. Scotty was interviewed by Meredith Viera before singing his debut single I Love You This Big.
Scotty McCreery being interviewed and singing his debut single on Today show last week.
Lauren Alaina singing Like My Mother Does on Today show with her mother watching her sing.
Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery singing I Told You So.
Those who were lucky enough to see Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina sing in their mini-concert, outside the NBC studios in New York City not only got to hear some great singing, but also were able to see how humble both of them are.
Both of them should never be affected by their fame, because they are too down to earth to let fame and fortune change them.
They have something some of the recent American Idols don’t have. This is nothing against Lee DeWyze but he has almost been an anonymous American Idol. Few people could even tell you who won Season 9 of American Idol.
I look for Scotty and Lauren to far exceed Lee in record sales and concert receipts. Scotty’s bass voice and Lauren Alaina’s tone should be selling records for years to come. Whether they will ever approach the sales of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson remains to be seen, but right now it looks like they both have bright futures.
