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: 1981-1985

1981 – The Town Talk started printing a morning paper in 1981, which meant that most of us in the composing room worked the night shift. I would work nights the last 24 years of my time with the Town Talk. The page makeup department would work from 4:30 PM till 1:00 AM.

1982 – Another year in which I am drawing a blank, as to what happened during that year. Nationally, the Gannett Corporation published the first copy of USA Today, which makes it 31 years old today.

Gasoline cost 91 cents in 1982. The first CD player was sold this year. A Sony 19 inch color TV was being sold for $499. You can buy a RCA 19 inch color TV at Wal-Mart today for only $124, a savings of $375 thirty-one years later.

One of the major events for me was that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was opened this year in Washington, D.C. The memorial is of particular interest to me, since the soldier that replaced me in Vietnam died two months after I left and his name and the name of my cousin from Maine are both on the wall. My cousin was a warrant officer flying a helicopter when shot down and killed.

1983 – This was the year we went to Disney World in Orlando, Florida and tickets only cost $18 back then. Epcot Center had opened the year before, so we also went to Epcot Center while at Disney World.

Later that summer we went to Greeneville, Tennessee to see my dad and his wife. You could walk out their back door and see the Smoky Mountains.

The Town Talk celebrated their 100th anniversary by giving each employee a coin, which can be cashed in during the year 2033. The paper will be 130 years old on March 17 of this year.

You could buy a Dodge RAM 50 truck for $5,665. You could buy a toy General Lee car from Dukes of Hazzard for $5.99.

1984 – By this time the years were running together with no particular memory of this year. By 1984 the price of a gallon of gas had skyrocketed to $1.10 a gallon, compared to 91 cents only two years earlier. The same Dodge RAM 50 truck that cost $5,665 in 1983 was selling for $8,995 in 1984. Movie tickets cost only $2.50.

1985 – Another year with no personal memories of it. Looks like when I hit my 40′s my memory bank had deposits less often.

Gasoline was a cent cheaper, than in 1984 with the price now $1.09. A Tandy computer and monitor system was $999. Bacon was a $1.65 a pound in 1985.

A Rolls Royce car for kids were being sold for $500. The vehicle was motorized with a top speed of 5 MPH and featured working headlights and brakes.

Stuckey’s: Roadside Landmark in America

Stuckey’s was a place where you could fill up with gasoline, go to restrooms and shop for souvenirs and the famous Stuckey’s pecan candy.

There was their famous pecan log rolls, pecan divinity and of course pecan pralines. I have to debate with myself whether my favorite was the divinity fudge or the pralines.

First Stuckey’s Physical Building Opened in 1937

The first Stuckey’s building was opened in 1937 and expanded into 350 stores. Stuckey’s merged with Pet Milk in 1967 and the 350 stores dwindled into 75, during the Pet Milk operation of the company. Most of the Stuckey’s stores sold Texaco gasoline back then.

William S. Stuckey Sr., got the idea for the company when he had a bumper crop of pecans in 1930. His wife went to work in the kitchen and experimented with different candy recipes, which were the main drawing card for Stuckey’s, when they opened their first physical store in 1937.

Box of Stuckey’s Pecan Pralines on display.

After the fortunes of the company declined during the Pet Milk ownership period, the son of Stuckey, who was U.S. congressman William S. Stuckey restored the Stuckey’s name by purchasing the company and there are now 200 Stuckey’s in the United States at the present time.

Stuckey’s are found as far north today as Connecticut, but surprisingly there are no stores in either New Jersey or New York. Most of the stores are concentrated in the southern states, but there are stores in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

Stores are only located in 20 of the 50 states. I was surprised recently to see a Stuckey’s returning on a trip to Houston and the store sold gasoline, souvenirs and had a Popeye’s Fried Chicken place inside the store. There are nine Stuckey’s located in Texas, but the only Stuckey’s in Louisiana according to their website is a store in Opelousas.

It was exciting to see signs for Stuckey’s, since we knew we could get off the road for a while, while we browsed the souvenir shop and found candy to munch on as we continued on down the highway. It is great to know the company still exists 56 years after our 1957 trip from Louisiana to our eventual destination of Maine to visit my uncle and aunt and their family.

Stuckey’s has had its ups and downs since the first store was opened in 1937, but it is good to know, that the company is thriving again, now that the Stuckey family once again own the stores. We want to thank them for restoring our memories of that 1957 trip, when Stuckey’s were a mainstay on the U.S. highway system.

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.

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:

http://www.biography.com/people/steve-jobs-9354805

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/

 

 

 

 

 

Big Brother 13: HOH Part 2 Winner Revealed: Spoilers Alert!!!!!!!!!!!

SPOILERS ALERT!!!!

SPOILERS ALERT!!!!

SPOILERS ALERT!!!!

SPOILERS ALERT!!!!

HOH PART 2 WINNER REVEALED

DO NOT READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW 

THE RESULTS TILL THE WEDNESDAY FINALE

Big Brother 13 started July 7 and the season will end Wednesday night after a season in which veterans of past Big Brother seasons competed against eight newbies.

Porsche Briggs of the newbies side will battle veteran Rachel Reilly to see which one will win the final HOH of the season. Rachel had won Part 1 of the HOH, while Porsche defeated Adam Poch in Part 2, setting up Wednesday’s battle.

Rachel and Porsche apparently plan to take each other to the final two, as of today at least, but that could change.

It seems to me that a smarter game move for Rachel or Porsche would be to take Adam to the final two. It would almost insure them of winning the $500,000 since Adam has not done much, in the way of winning competitions till lately.

On the other hand Porsche and Rachel, have been better overall competitors, with Rachel winning three HOH’s and Porsche trying to win most of her competitions, since she finished second so often.

This is all still conjecture, since it depends on who wins Part 3 and what their decision will be on Wednesday night. If Porsche or Rachel think it through, they may realize taking Adam to final two, would be the smart thing to do financially.

There is only 2 days and 12 hours from this minute on Monday morning, till the last show will be televised.

If there was any doubt that the producers manipulated the show this season, it was removed when Porsche couldn’t resist taking the $5,000 for herself from Pandora’s Box. CBS knew it would be too tempting for Porsche to pass up the chance to win the money. They also knew by unleashing the duo twist again, that it would keep two of their biggest drawing cards on the show, in Rachel and Jordan. Rachel true to form won the veto and saved her or Jordan from going home that week.

Then when Rachel opens Pandora’ s Box, Tori Spelling and Jessie Godderz were unleashed on the house, which didn’t affect the game at all. Will never forget Rachel watching the other house guests talking to Tori and shopping for free clothes, while Jessie is trying to distract her by posing and giving her products with his name on them.

This has to be one of the most successful shows ever, in the ratings and we undoubtedly will see CBS producers manipulate the show even more in the future to keep the high ratings.

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.

Haley Reinhart Received 25 Million Votes of 95 Million Votes Cast

Haley Reinhart polled over 25 million votes Thursday night.

Haley Reinhart apparently didn’t even come close to being one of the two finalists of Season 10 on American Idol.

Producer Nigel Lythgoe tweeted that Reinhart had garnered over 25 million votes, without giving hte exact number.

If she did receive 25 million votes that would leave a total of 70 million votes divided by Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina.

Even if those votes were divided equally that would give McCreery and Alaina 35 million votes each, so Reinhart would be 10 million votes behind the leading vote-getter.

She could be even further behind if the leader picked up a lot more votes than the 35 million votes.

At least Reinhart knows that she is still the third place finisher in Season 10 but in no way was she a threat to win it all.

She was my personal favorite since I like the kind of music she sings except for the more current songs she sang this season. Her music has a bluesy feel that should sell well, but doubt that she will sell in the multi millions like Scotty McCreery might do.

Jimmy Iovine of Interscope-Geffen-A&M played a song for Lythgoe that might be on Reinhart’s debut album.

Something tells me we haven’t heard the last from Haley Reinhart.

$2 Million Lottery Winner Still On Food Stamps

Leroy Fick 59, won $2 million in the Michigan lottery but despite telling food stamp officials that he won $2 million in the lottery, was told to keep using his food stamp card.

It is a mystery why he continues to use his food stamp card, since there is no way someone with $2 million would need food stamps.

It is almost a certainty that the law will be changed, but it should have been changed long before it got to this point.

Too many hardworking taxpayers are paying taxes to fund the food stamp program and they won’t be happy to learn about this waste of state money.

This man is rich enough to buy the grocery store, yet continues to draw from the public trough and is having his cake and eating it too.

It will be interesting to see how much longer this millionaire continues to buy his groceries with food stamps.

The complete Detroit News article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_localdtw/20110518/ts_yblog_localdtw/2m-michigan-lottery-winner-defends-use-of-food-stamps

Flash Mobs Turning to Crime

This flash mob turns to crime as they rob this store in an undisclosed location.

Flash mobs used to be about large groups of people freezing in place, unexpected singing in places like malls and surprise wedding mobs.

Now the criminal element is embracing the mob mentality, by entering stores in large numbers, stealing what they can get their hands on, then leaving the stores en masse.

The store employee in the above video is helpless in the face of a huge mob entering the store and stealing everything in sight, before making a mass exit. There is no way one employee can stop stealing marauders like these criminals. Hiring a security guard probably would not even help in a situation like this.

Crimes like this will force stores to place their merchandise, on shelves behind locked glass doors. The thieves may be able to break the glass but may sustain injuries that may make it easier to apprehend them if store cameras can identify them.

These flash mob thieves steal clothes from this high end clothing store.

Flash mob thieves have no respect for anyone as all they are worried about is to get their greedy hands on as much merchandise as possible.

The following article and video tell about flash mobs stealing from Chicago stores:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/03/02/mag-mile-shops-on-alert-after-flash-mob-thefts/

I am reluctant to give the mob thieves publicity that might encourage others to form mobs and steal from stores. On the other hand, it may alert law enforcement authorities to devise ways to stop this form of thievery before it starts in other cities across the United States.

Watching flash mobs on You Tube used to be fun, but now joining a flash mob to steal merchandise, may be fun for the thieves, but it won’t be fun when stores start locking them in after they enter the store with no way out, but for the police to take them out of the stores in handcuffs. These miscreants may be not be joining any other flash mobs, but instead will be joining the mobs of criminals in state prisons.

How Former American Idols Are Selling at Amazon.com

We may see several American Idols from Season 10 making albums. That doesn’t mean those albums will sell well as this list of former American Idols and their current ranking among all music sales at Amazon.com shows:

Lee DeWyze – Live it Up – November, 2010 – 857th in sales

Crystal Bowersox – Farmer’s Daughter – December 2010 – 32nd in sales

Kimberly Caldwell – No Regret – April 2011 – 625th in sales

Danny Gokey: Danny Gokey: My Best Days – March 2010 – 2.216th in sales

Allison Areheta – Allison Areheta: Just Like You – December 2009 – 9,369th in sales

Jason Castro – Jason Castro – April 2010 – 4,641st in sales

Kris Allen – Kris Allen – November 2009 – 6,358th in sales

Constantine Maroulis – Constantine – August 2007 – 48,975th in sales

Adam Lambert – Adam Lambert: Glam Nation Live -  March 2011 – 130th in sales

David Cook – David Cook – November 2008 – 1,115th in sales

Melinda Doolittle – Coming Back to You – February 2009 – 7,938th in sales

Brooke White – High Hopes and Heartbreak – July 2009 – 20,620th in sales

Katherine McPhee – Unbroken – January 2010 – 18,743rd in sales

Chris Daughtry – Leave This Town – July 2009 – 1.094th in sales

Paris Bennett – Princess P – May 2007 – 95,703rd in sales

Taylor Hicks – Taylor Hicks – 2006 (no month shown) – 324,392nd in sales

Ruben Studdard – Soulful – December 2003 – 99,525th in sales

Blake Lewis – Heartbreak on Vinyl – October 2009 – 90,540th in sales

David Archuleta – The Other Side of Down – October 2010 – 7,791st in sales

Carrie Underwood – Some Hearts – November 2005 – 468th in sales (which is amazing considering it was released about 5 1/2 years ago.)

Kellie Pickler – Kellie Pickler – September 2008 – 14,943rd in sales

Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted – March 2009 – 1,842nd in sales

There were too many American Idols to include them all in the list. This list shows being the American Idol doesn’t always translate into album sales as Taylor Hicks has found out. He may have sold the least albums of any American Idol, but I look for Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze to also have trouble selling their albums.

So when Ryan Seacrest announces the winner of Season 10 next month, don’t feel too bad for the runner-up as they may outsell the winner.

Nostalgic Memories From the Past

These are just some of my memories of the good old days:

When the  ice man brought ice to place in your icebox.

When milkmen brought your milk to the house with cream at the top of the bottles.

When attic fans were the only way of getting any air in a house.

When we would walk on the Murray Street Bridge and see the Red River below, when there were missing slats.

When we were hot and didn’t think about it being hot because it was all we knew since nobody had air conditioners then.

When television shows didn’t come on  till 3:30 PM.  Howdy Doody and Pinky Lee started the telecast day on KALB-TV in Alexandria, Louisiana in the 50′s.

When we listened to old time radio shows like Dragnet and Breakfast Club on the radio, while my mom listened to her soap operas like Just Plain Bill, Stella Dallas, Lorenzo Jones and Guiding Light.

When people would go to local appliance store at night and watch television through the display window at Jimmie Walker’s Appliances on Main Street in Pineville.

When we would come home from school and watch our cowboy heroes in action.

When nativity scenes could be seen in public places before ACLU raised such a fuss, that you can’t find one in a mall today.

When stores like Penneys, Sears and Montgomery Ward were located in free standing stores, before the advent of the shopping centers and malls.

When kids would trick or treat until 10PM at night, filling grocery bags full of candy, with no special Halloween bags.

When families went to drive-in movies together, while teenagers would sneak a extra kid in the trunk, to avoid paying for them.

When theatergoers would throw tomatoes at the movie screen if they were upset with a bad movie.

When Larry McHale of KALB – TV was advertising cigarettes and started coughing, but regrouped and said “Just thinking of those other brands makes me cough.”

When eating TV dinners were more popular than fast food.

When McDonald’s had 15 cent hamburgers.

When you could get a haircut for less than a dollar.

When it cost a dime to see a movie.

When it cost a dime for a school lunch in 1950 at Pineville Elementary in Pineville, Louisiana.

When kids collected baseball cards and put them in bicycle spokes.

When families would go on picnics at the city park, letting the kids play on the playground equipment.

When going to stores we would see white and colored water fountains. One black man tried both kinds and said they tasted the same.

When we watched No Time For Sergeants three times in a row at the movie theater. (One of the funniest movies ever, with Don Knotts being a dexterity expert, that became discombobulated by Andy Griffith’s character.)

When we used to drink Hawaiian Punch and Delaware Punch.

When we used to pay a nickel for a 6 ounce coke out of a machine. Now they charge over a $1.50 for a 20 ounce coke, when in the old days a 24 ounce coke would cost 20 cents.

When we walked a mile to school everyday for the entire 12 years of elementary and high school.

When there was no middle school back in the 50′s.

When Gov. Earl K. Long of Louisiana gave free chickens to voters during a gubneratorial election.

When going fishing meant taking a cane pole and not a expensive rod and reel.

When I bought a $6.50 Nokona baseball glove for $6.00 when the hardware store owner found out I didn’t have enough money to pay the full price.

When we celebrated Christmas by running around with sparklers.

When we would see the miniature church on the city square in Alexandria every Christmas.

When Christmas music was played downtown during the Christmas season.

When we used to play marbles in school.

When playing with a yo-yo was cool.

When hula hoops were the hot fad.

When high school kids rode bikes to school instead of driving cars.

When familes went to church together.

When families actually ate dinner together at a table, instead of in front of the television.

When kids made money by delivering newspapers on bicycle.

When we drank grapefruit juice at breakfast even though we didn’t like it.

When we ate Wheat Chex at breakfast even though we didn’t like it.

When we used to get excited about another school year starting.

When we went to special Christmas Eve services on a cold night in December and watching Christmas movies on television when we got home.

When we had a train set over our bed as a kid.

When we took a trip in 1957 and saw the Howard Johnson restaurants with the orange roofs.

When we got together as a family to hear mother read from the Bible.

When we used to listen to records on the record player.

When homemade ice cream was better than any ice cream bought in a store.

When pizza was delivered to the house the first time.

When mom and pop stores went out of business because of Wal-Mart.

When there used to be neighborhood groceries scattered around in residential neighborhoods.

Yes, those truly were the good old days.

Old Time Radio Poll

The last old time radio show aired on September 30,1962. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar being the last old time radio shows to be broadcast.

The poll today breaks down by age groups of people who have heard old time radio shows either live from 1920′s till September 30, 1962 or media such as MP3 CD’s and downloads:

$6,000 Toilet With Touch Screen Remote Control

The Kohler company will introduce a new $6,000 toilet later this month. The toilet will include amenities like an MP3 player and a touch screen remote control.

The innovative toilet should sell well, even at $6,000. There are too many rich people, who like to be first to have a new product, for it not to sell well.

A complete toilet and tank can be bought at Home Depot for about $55. A consumer could buy 109 of the $55 toilets for what it cost to buy the $6,000 toilet.

This link shows what the toilet looks like:

http://www.toptechreviews.net/tech-news/new-kohler-toilet-will-appeal-to-tech-saavy/

Used Baby Racket Problem

This morning I listened to the Used Baby Racket episode of This is Your FBI on my MP3 player.

The story tells about a lady who sells her baby for $1,000 to someone who wanted to avoid the long wait to adopt a baby.

Her husband sends a recording on a record saying he is coming back home from Germany. She is worried because she has sold their baby to a stranger, and needs to buy the baby back, since her husband is coming home.

She tells her brother about her problem and he comes up with the idea of pretending to be an FBI agent, and tell the lady that the baby was kidnapped. His plan works perfectly as the lady gives the baby back to him.

They then resell the baby to another mother. Then the husband calls and says he is at the airport and will be home in 20 minutes. The lady and her brother were planning on reselling the baby again, but the husband coming back ruined their plans. So they take off with the baby, so they can sell it again.

They had a list of parents who wanted to adopt babies, making it easy for the criminals to sell the same baby several times, then use the FBI ploy to take the baby back free and then resell again.

This was a true case in the FBI files and the entire episode can be heard at this website:

http://www.dumb.com/oldtimeradio/listen/10457/Detective_This_Is_Your_F_B_I/This_Is_Your_F_B_I/47_04_04_The_Used_Baby_Racket_mp.html

The show was originally broadcast on April 4, 1947. Babies are still being sold 64 years later by criminals who are out to make money off of mothers desperate to have a baby.

Extreme Couponer Being Investigated

Jaime Kirlew, who was recently featured on Extreme Couponing is being investigated for fraud while using coupons.

She allegedly used $4 Schick Razor coupons to buy Schick Shaving Gel. You would think the coupons would be rejected.

This is such a complicated matter it may be better to go to this link, which explains in great detail, exactly how she is using the coupons.

http://jillcataldo.com/node/16170

100,000th Visitor To Nostalgia and Now

Nostalgia and Now had the 100,000th visitor yesterday, since the website started, in April of 2009. After a slow start, in which only 529 visits were made to the site, in the first full month, 12,071 visits were made last month.

There was one blip in October of 2010 when there were 14,039 visitors, mostly because of an article about the death of Barbara Billingsley, the mother on Leave it to Beaver.

The average number of visits per day has risen from 14 in April of 2009, to 94 in April,2010 and is 495 so far this April.

Over the last four weeks, the number of visits per week has been 2,437, 2,720, 3,320 and 3,757.

The yearly totals have increased from 8,932 in 2009, to 60,955 in 2010 and to 30,511 in the first three months and eleven days of 2011.

None of this would be possible without the loyal readers of Nostalgia and Now.

Lately, I have had writer’s block on nostalgia, so would appreciate any readers with nostalgic ideas to send them to me at Niteowl049@msn.com

I want to thank every reader who has ever visited this website, and hope they have found something interesting.

To find the more nostalgic postings, look further back in the archives to 2009. This 2009 post about A&W Root Beer stands, is an example of the nostalgic posts:

http://nostalgia049.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/aw-root-beer-stands/

What Year Did McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Etc. Start?

It is interesting to look up when a certain fast food company first started, plus how many years they have been in business. This list will make it easier to find out when each of these companies started:

A&W Root Beer Stands………………………..1921 – 90 years

Arby’s…………………………………………………1964 – 47 years

Blimpie’s…………………………………………….1964 – 47 years

Bojangle’s……………………………………………1977 – 34 years

Burger King………………………………………..1953 – 58 years

Captain D’s………………………………………….1969 – 42 years

Checkers…………………………………………….1986 – 25 years

Chick – Fil – A………………………………………1946 – 65 years

Church’s Chicken……………………………….1952 – 59 years

Dairy Queen………………………………………..1940 – 71 years

Dunkin’ Donuts…………………………………..1950 – 61 years

Hardee’s………………………………………………1960 – 51 years

Kentucky Fried Chicken……………………..1952 – 59 years

Krispy Kreme………………………………………1937 – 74 years

McDonald”s…………………………………………1940 – 71 years

Popeye’s………………………………………………1972 – 39 years

Quizno’s………………………………………………1975 – 36 years

Sonic Drive In……………………………………..1953 – 58 years

Subway………………………………………………..1965 – 46 years

Taco Bell……………………………………………..1962 – 49 years

Wendy’s……………………………………………….1969 – 42 years

Whataburger……………………………………….1950 – 61 years

It is surprising that no company on the list was founded less than 25 years ago. The oldest company on the list is A&W Root Beer which started 90 years ago in 1921.

I was very surprised that Sonic Drive In had been in business for 58 years, since I had never heard of Sonic till they moved into central Louisiana.

The newest company on the list is Checkers which was founded in 1986 and celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

 

 

 

Extreme Couponing: Couponer Pays $8.27 on $684.56 Grocery Bill

This grocery bill receipt added up to $676.29 before subtracting coupons. After coupons were subtracted the couponer paid a total of $8.27.

 

Extreme Couponing debuted on TLC last night and will be seen on Wednesdays, at 9PM EDT and 8PMCDT.

The show follows the couponer being featured in the episode, from clipping out the coupons, then follows them as they shop and then to the checkout register.

Some of the couponers actually pay websites, to send them coupons in bulk. One couponer last night was shown going from door to door of neighbors and businesses, to pick up coupons friends had saved for them.

Another coupon takes her family dumpster diving to find coupons. The couponers featured on the show are also hoarders.

One man had 1,000 bottles of body wash stocked in his garage. The same man bought 300 toothbrushes, while shown shopping in the episode last night. He also almost filled up a shopping cart with deodorant.

When he went to the grocery store, he had $4,000 of cereal he had pre-ordered waiting for him. The cereal only cost him $150. To his credit, he did give some of the cereal to a local food bank.

The clerks at the checkout line have to dread seeing a couponer headed toward their lane. One lady couponer was shown checking out, when a serious problem arose. She had exceeded the 1,000 items allowed on one ticket.

The clerk had her break up her order, which freaked out the couponer. She seemed to lose track of which coupons, went with which product, but it ended well for her.

When shopping, the couponers have notebooks telling them which products, they have coupons for. It tickled me when one kid picked up a box of cereal, with Spiderman on it but the couponing mom told him, that she didn’t have a coupon for that item.

The most exciting part of the shopping trip for couponers, is totaling up the damage, then watch the computer screen, as the coupons are subtracted, from the original price. Even the couponers, start to worry when seeing the total price of the groceries. If they paid attention to details, they still walk away with huge savings.

By then a crowd of people, including store employees and customers, have gathered to see how much money the couponer has saved.

I am not sure this much attention, being paid to the extreme couponers, is good for them and other couponers.

The coupons don’t hurt the grocery stores since they are reimbursed for the coupons, but the manufacturers could cut way back on coupons being offered if too many customers start using coupons.

However, the couponers are a disruption to the routine at a grocery store, with one cashier tied up for an extremely long time, while checking a couponer with between 500 and 1,000 separate items. In one scene from the show several grocery store employees were shown pushing shopping carts toward the checkout lane.

An average shopper, doesn’t have the storage space to be an extreme couponer, but they still could use coupons to save money on a much smaller scale. For instance they could buy $200 for less than $10 if they have enough coupons.

The key is to have enough coupons, go on double or triple coupon days which results in receiving many products free.

To watch some of the extreme couponers in action (video will start automatically):

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/extreme-couponing

Dallas Cowboy Spends $54,896 On Meal For Teammates

Dez Bryant spent over $54,000 on his Dallas Cowboy teammates at the Pappas Brothers Steakhouse.

Dallas Cowboys rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant, knows how to get on the good side of his teammates spending $54,896 on one meal for the entire team.

Bryant originally only planned to take the offensive players out, but the defense also ate at the expense of Bryant.

The big winners in the situation were the players eating out on Bryant’s money, plus the Pappas Brothers  steakhouse had to be ecstatic over receiving $54,896.

Nobody has claimed Bryant to be a good manager of money as he has been sued for $850,000 for bills he ran up in anticipation of him signing a a multi-million dollar contract.

One man is suing Bryant for $588,500 worth of jewelry, $15,850 in tickets and $11,000 in cash. Bryant agreed to pay what he owed the man by July 30, 2010. This is not totally Bryant’s fault, but he still should have made sure his agent paid this money on time. His agent should have told Bryant, this money has to be repaid or you will end up in court.

Now in addition to the money owed, Bryant will have to pay lawyer fees, when it should have been taken care of months ago.

A good agent would have told Bryant not to spend any money,  until the contract was actually signed. Athletes today need sound financial advice on how to spend this much money. If he had been in a car accident that crippled him for life, there would be no way to pay the $850,000 back, if he hadn’t signed a contract.

Maybe the people who lend money to players, in advance of them signing a contract, will think it over because of the Bryant case and let someone else lend them the money.

Bryant also owes a New York company $246,000 for jewelry purchases. How much jewelry does Bryant need? Why did he buy six men’s watches?

If Bryant doesn’t get his finances straightened out he will suffer the fate of M.C. Hammer and find himself penniless by the time he retires.

Hopefully Bryant and his agent learned a lesson from these lawsuits.

Hardcore Pawn: Detroit Pawn Shop on TruTV

Seth Gold, Les Gold and Ashley Broad (Gold) of the American Jewelry and Loan pawn shop in Detroit, Michigan depicted in Hardcore Pawn on TruTV.

Anyone who has seen Pawn Stars on the History channel, may expect more of the same kind of show, with Hardcore Pawn on TruTV, but they are completely different shows.

While Pawn Stars is more of a laid back show, Hardcore Pawn is more confrontational. While there may be some mild confrontations, on Pawn Stars, they pale in significance to those experienced, by the employees on Hardcore Pawn.

The actual name, of the pawn shop is American Jewelry and Loan. It is located in a neighborhood, that is not that safe. There are security guards nearby in the pawn shop to quell any disturbances that may arise. To show what kind of a neighborhood the show is filmed in, the camera focuses on the Eight Mile road sign.

The owner, Les Gold is a no-nonsense type of guy. He sometimes finds himself, breaking up fights between his son Seth and daughter Ashley. They are both headstrong types, who believe their way is the right way.

The following video shows a man who loses at the casino, pawns some items, then returns to the pawn shop after losing again.

One man in the video claims he was told he was told he could get $255, for the items he was wanting to pawn. The owner tells him he will get the $155 or could go home. The man becomes belligerent and is thrown out of the pawn shop by the security guards.

A lady comes in to pawn her wedding ring, after losing at the casino expecting to get a lot of money  to pawn it. She said her husband give her $300 to pay some bills, but she lost it at the casino. She winds up getting $30 and heads back to the casino.

The next customer brings in a OB-GYN examination table and takes $50 for it. Ashley, the daughter of the owner who made the deal is worried, they won’t be able to resell it. However,  a customer comes in and buys it for $200.

Pawn Stars has been a powerhouse in the ratings for the History channel, drawing over six million viewers an episode. Hardcore Pawn has not done so well, drawing only a little over two million viewers an episode.

While Pawn Stars focuses more on the value of the items brought in to be pawned, Hardcore Pawn features more of what is going on behind the scenes.

The pawn shop management decides to have a raffle in one episode, but it goes terribly wrong, when nobody has a winning number, after calling a bunch of numbers. The crowd becomes upset, but it ends well.

 

Missing Price Tags at Wal-Mart

Scanner found in Wal-Marts to tell customer price of an item from the barcode.

Is it just me or does it seem like prices are missing from more items at Wal-Mart lately? It is aggravating to not find a price, on the item or the shelf. Then the hunt is on to find a scanner which is not always easy to find.

Speaking for myself, I won’t buy an item without a price on it or on the shelf. Then the tricky part is matching an item with the price on the shelf. A lot of time is wasted by customers, looking for the same bar code number on the shelf, as is on the item.  This becomes even more of a problem when the item is out of place so its barcode number doesn’t match the number posted on the shelf.

You would think Wal-Mart would rather post a price, than to have the line at the register, held up by the cashier finding someone to find a price for them, if it doesn’t show up at the register either.

I like to avoid sticker shock so won’t even put an item with a disputable price in the basket, and just leave it on the shelf.

Sometimes the bar code scanner area is a dumping place for items, more expensive than thought as seen in the msnbc.com article.

The pile of goods abandoned beneath aisle bar code scanners at stores like Macy’s and Target prove that consumers don’t know how much things cost unless they go hunting, Dworsky said.

For those wanting more information on the missing price tags at stores:

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2011/03/another-nail-in-the-coffin-of-price-tags.html

Technology We Don’t Need: Radio-Toaster

 

 

Just when we thought there was no other appliance to combine a radio with, Delonghi has given us a radio-toaster.

There is an ad for it at Amazon.com, but the radio-toaster is presently out of stock. The radio is a Kenwood which usually is a good thing, but not according to this reviewer,who purchased the radio and left this one star review at Amazon.com. :

Barely Adequate Toaster, Dreadful Radio!, April 6, 2006
By
Anchoret (California) – See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Kenwood TT756SL 2-Slice Radio Toaster with FM Radio (Kitchen)
I have to say that this is one of the most dismal products I’ve ever bought. The toaster barely toasts, even when turned all the way up, and helpfully flips over when you press down the handle. It takes two hands to use. The radio, in addition to being the worst-sounding radio I have ever encountered, has to be reset to your channel each time the radio is turned on, and that has to be done by a blind search button. How convenient is that?

I assumed that coming from Kenwood, the radio would at least be a decent unit. Wrong.

This thing is merely a gag product, and the joke’s on the buyer.

Right now there is probably someone thinking of a way to combine a radio, with an electric can opener, if it doesn’t already exist.

The Great Depression

 

It wasn't easy to find work during the Great Depression.

Before the Great Depression the stock market was flourishing, many average citizens had invested money in the stock market and installment buying was the rage.

This video tells about how the 1929 stock market crashed.

Even though October 29 is regarded as the day the stock market crashed, the day before had seen even larger drop than on Black Tuesday. On October 28 the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell from close to 300 points, to $260.34 for a fall of 38 points and stocks decreased in value by 12.82 percent.

Some investors who lost large sums of money took their lives when the stock market crashed:

After the initial crash, there was a wave of suicides in the New York’s financial district. It is said that the clerks of one hotel even started asking new guests if they needed a room for sleeping or jumping. – Randomhistory.com

Then on Black Tuesday stocks dropped another 30 points to 230.07, losing another 11.73 percent in value. Even though the stock market was a major factor in the resulting Great Depression falling real estate prices in 1925, had caused rumblings, about the economy not being strong.

The smart investors had bailed out of the stock market when they saw the writing on the wall and knew it had reached the top.

The Great Depression as bad as it was, did not affect 40 percent of the population. The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1941. World War II spurred the economy as workers were needed for defense plants and for other war-connected industries.

President Herbert Hoover sealed his fate when he said the worst was over in 1930 when in fact it wasn’t over till 1941.

My dad was 15 years old when the stock market crashed and lived through the Great Depression.

Unemployment was a major problem with Toledo, Ohio having an unemployment rate of 80 percent at one point.

Randomhistory.com has an excellent list of 50 interesting facts, about the Great Depression,  that  shed more light on the tenor of the times.

http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/04/12_great-depression.html

 

 

Review: Beverly Kenney Sings For Playboys

My friend David Gasten who writes great reviews is writing a post today that will be shared with Nostalgia and Now readers.

He is writing about the Beverly Kenney Sings For Playboys album. As David mentions in his review the album is available for downloading at Amazon.com for $7.99. It is an even better bargain when you consider there are no shipping charges for downloads.

The David Gaston review from Amazon.com:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most perfect albums you’ll ever hear (review for the “Nostalgia and Now” blog), March 4, 2011

By 

David Gasten (Denver CO USA) – See all my reviews

This review is from: Beverly Kenney Sings For Playboys (MP3 Download)

“A word to Playboys: I would not recommend this album as Music to Make the Romantic Approach By. You’re apt to get more interested in Beverly than the girl you’re trying to impress.” –Steve Allen

1950′s lady jazz vocalist Beverly Kenney looked like she had it all going for her. She had performed with many of the jazz greats of her day, and was even part of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra for a time. The musicians and artists in New York City’s Greenwich Village scene respected her musical talent, and jazz fans from the period perceived her to be an heir apparent to Billie Holiday. She had even appeared on national American television, rounding out a May 18, 1958 episode of The Steve Allen Show. But on the evening of April 13, 1960, this promising and lovable vocalist committed suicide by ingesting a lethal mixture of Seconal and alcohol. She was only 28 years old.

To this day, jazz enthusiasts still ask amongst themselves: why did she do it? It’s a question that we still don’t have a complete answer to. But what we do have is a body of recordings that provide a whole new way to hear the vocal jazz genre. And of Beverly’s six LP’s, the true masterpiece is “Beverly Kenney Sings for Playboys” (1958), an almost perfect album that everyone who loves Vintage music needs to own.

Imagine a calm evening when you are up late, wrapped in a cozy blanket, with a book, the glow of a reading lamp, a crackling fireplace, and the moon peeking through a window as your only companions. You are thinking about someone you love, who is away and cannot be with you, and you wish so much that they could be there at your side. “Beverly Kenney Sings for Playboys” is this situation’s unofficial soundtrack. The melancholy solitude, the disarming warmth, the romantic longing–they’re all here on this album. And the album gently spills it all forth as effortlessly and quietly as the night itself.

The instrumentation is sparse–Beverly Kenney on vocals, Ellis Larkins on piano and celeste, and Joe Benjamin on bass (there are no drums or percussion). But there may not be a better example in the world of “less is more”. Beverly Kenney’s voice is so uninhibited and human, and as delicate as a fine crystal figurine. She does not worry about singing notes perfectly, or at least not in the way that we are trained to think “perfect” to be. While other jazz artists obsess over perfection and technique, Beverly lets you fall in love with the vulnerable, fragile, and slightly sad little girl that she is, and makes you want to wrap your arms around her and keep her safe from the world. No amount of perfectly sung notes stand a chance next to something–someone–this soft, this gripping, this tender–this REAL.

Listening to Beverly Kenney Sings For Playboys for the first time may end up being the longest and shortest 35 minutes of your life, all at the same time. The album opens with a playful, light-hearted version of the Gershwin standard “Do It Again”. Then track two, “A Woman’s Intuition”, unleashes the stilling, arresting intimacy that dominates the album. The song grips you like a kiss or touch that comes at just the right time and in just the right way–or rather the memory of this kiss or touch from someone who has since left your life. The album continues to grip you in silence, leaving you bordering on tears from the gently aching romantic void that it opens up. Occasionally another light, playful track gives you a slight break before Beverly and her accompanists go in for the kill–a soft, gentle kill, but a kill nonetheless–all over again. As another famous standard (which she covers on this album) says, “It’s Magic.” Unbelievable, absolute magic.

After many years of being available solely as an expensive Japanese import, “Beverly Kenney Sings For Playboys” is finally available in the US as an inexpensive MP3 download from Verve Reissues. Beverly Kenney and “Beverly Kenney Sings For Playboys” have together changed this writer’s life to the point that he will never be able to hear lady jazz vocals in the same way again. He will wager that Beverly Kenney may end up becoming one of your favorites as well. So do as yet another track on the album suggests, and “Try A Little Tenderness” by downloading a copy of this record and letting it work its magic on you. You’ll never forget it.

13 iPads Stolen From Fla. Wal-Mart

One of the six thieves caught on surveillance camera as he enters into Wal-Mart before the six stole 13 iPads.

Wal-Mart store in Fort Myers, Florida will be re-examining their security measures, after 13 iPads were stolen. Six people were involved in the theft with one unlocking the case with the iPads and the others helping load them into shopping carts.

This was a well planned heist since they walked into the store individually to avoid suspicion and then waited while one of them unlocked the case.

The first question is how was this case unlocked without a key. The second question is how were they able to load the iPads into a shopping cart without being detected? Maybe because of the early hour there might not have even been a clerk in the department.

Makes me wonder if one of them diverted the attention of a clerk taking them to the other end of the electronics department away from the iPads (if a clerk was in the department).

The third question is how did the six people stuff the iPads into their clothing with them being 7.31 inches wide and 9.50 inches deep. How many people have pockets inside their clothing that are 7.31 inches wide? One of the six had to be carrying three iPads assuming they each took two each with one taking three iPads.

It would arouse suspicion if the six were all walking out of the store holding their coats closed to prevent the iPads from falling to the floor.

The main question is how did they get out the door with the iPads without the buzzer going off since they were unpaid items and where was the greeter? Did they disable something on the iPads to insure they could get out of the store without being detected?

One more question is why wasn’t someone monitoring the security camera for the electronics department? If someone was watching them they wouldn’t have time to even unlock the case .

It is inconceivable that they could steal thirteen iPads valued at $8,027, stuff them in their clothing and stroll out the store undetected.

Wal-Mart has surveillance video of the thieves but need help in identifying them.

http://www.northfortmyersneighbor.com/page/content.detail/id/508630/Tips-wanted-on-WalMart-thieves.html?nav=5164

The Crime Stoppers has more photos posted at their website and the release states that the thieves entered the store at 5:55 AM on February 25 and left the store at 6:05 AM. The photos in the following release from Crime Stoppers are very clear and it should be a matter of time before the thieves are behind bars.

All they need is some names to go with the faces. It is surprising they haven’t been arrested but they could be out of the area by now, considering it is over a week later and there are no followup stories about them being arrested. They may have been traveling hundreds of miles to hit this store and may be in another part of the country by now.

http://www.swflcrimestoppers.org/Press%20Releases/2011%20Press/110303_Photos%20Released%20Of%20Thieving%20Troop%20Who%20Stole%20Thousands%20From.html

Toy Tazers Bad Idea

My Source is selling this Toy Tazer for $3.40.

Do kids really need the Toy Tazer sold by My Source? I can’t believe a company is selling this as a toy when a real taser gun has killed 334 people in the United States between 2001 and August, 2008 according to Amnesty International.

Even if the toy only gives a a much lighter jolt than a real taser gun, it still teaches kids that a taser gun is a toy when in reality it is a gun that kills people.

Some officers almost certainly use taser guns in situations when the use of them could be avoided. The only time using a taser gun while making an arrest is justified is if it is a life or death situation where it is kill or be killed.

The low price of $3.40 makes this gun easily accessible which also troubles me knowing some parents will buy it because it is comparatively cheap compared to most electronic toys.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102×3652997

The Duggars: 19 Kids and Counting

The Duggar family can be seen on 19 Kids and Counting on the TLC network.

 

On July 21, 1984 Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were married. 27 years later they have 19 children. They didn’t want to have children until 1988 but they lost the first baby due to a miscarriage.

Both Jim and Michelle are successful real estate agents. They built a 7,000 square foot house to accomodate the children. Amazingly they built it debt free which has helped them afford to raise the kids without a huge house note.

Even then, it has to be a huge expense to feed and buy clothes for so many children. It is difficult to comprehend how they can afford the expenses connected with raising children today plus pay the huge utility bills for a 7,000 square foot house.

They do buy used merchandise to save money, shopping at thrift stores.

Besides the financial expense, raising that many young children has to be extremely tiring even though some of the older children assist in the care of their younger brothers and sisters.

It is easy to criticize them for having so many children to raise considering if anything were to happen to the mother and/or father the state and federal government would probably have to spend large sums of money to support them.

So far, I have never seen an episode in which they discussed money problems but not saying that hasn’t happened.

One episode showed Michelle demanding that one of the children look her in the eyes when she was speaking to them. That way she had the undivided attention of that child. We can all learn from the way they raise their children.

The logistics involved in preparing meals for that many children has to be overwhelming but with a schedule for each activity of the day they make good use of their time.

They have raised their children well. If they hadn’t Supernanny would have found out she wasn’t so super if she had 19 misbehaving kids to teach how to behave.

I have the utmost respect for Jim and Michelle Duggar. They have succeeded in raising their kids with Christian values.

May God bless their family as the children grow into adults in the coming years.

MP3 Players: Then and Now

Creative Nomad Zen Xtra Jukebox

It has been seven years since I purchased my Creative Nomad Zen Xtra Jukebox MP3 player and it is still working great in 2011.

The 40 GB player may not be as slim as the MP3 players being sold today but it has 4,092 songs in it that I recorded from CD’s I had in my collection which has used only 14 GB of the space in the player.

I have found that Windows Media Player is best for ripping the songs from a CD into the computer and then after that process is completed going to My Computer will find the music in the My Music folder.

Right clicking on the music folder for the album and sending it to the player is all that is needed for it to copy the music into the player.

The sound quality to me is excellent and the music can be listened to in many ways. FM transmitters can be used to play the music in a stereo system, from non MP3 radios and other music sources.

However I have encountered problems getting the exact frequency on the transmitter to listen to the music so seldom even try to use them.

When my wife bought me a record player a couple of years ago it had an MP3 connection in the back enabling me to just plug one end into the MP3 player and the other into the MP3 connection on back of the record player.

There are many speakers today that are easily connected to a MP3 player. At one time Dollar Tree had one for a dollar that while it wasn’t the best sound but it did work.

Last year I found a I-Pod radio selling at a garage sale for only $3 which also has a MP3 connection in the back and it is great to listen to music and old time radio shows.

The old time radio shows on MP3 CD’s go directly into the My Music folder in Windows after the CD has been inserted into the CD drive. So with the MP3 player connected to the computer and the folder for the old time radio shows on that CD open right clicking will send the shows to the MP3 player.

Most MP3 CD’s will hold 100 old time half hour radio shows which is 50 hours of listening pleasure. For instance I have over 800 Jack Benny episodes on 8 or 9 discs.

One MP3 CD in my collection has an entire baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees in 1934 with legendary Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson as an announcer. 77 years later it is still possible to listen to a game in which Lou Gehrig is playing but Babe Ruth was out with an injury that day.

There are also MP3 CD’s that are packed with radio shows that announce the bombing of Pearl Harbor and another about the Normandy invasion and you can hear the news broadcast those days over 60 years later.

Another MP3 CD includes a typical broadcast day from 1939 which includes every show that day that was broadcast from sign on till sign off and gives an idea of what it was like 71 years ago.

With my collection of over 17,000 old time radio episodes of many different shows it is easy to transfer several episodes of a particular show to the MP3 player and then after listening to them delete them from the player since they are on a MP3 CD so I can tell immediately if I have heard a show since I have heard it the episode would have been deleted.

If someone wants to buy old time radio shows it is much cheaper to buy them in MP3 form than on a regular audio CD since an audio CD may hold only four half hour shows and a cassette tape will only have a half hour show on front and back of the tape depending on how much the tape will hold.

2GB MobiBlu Cube MP3 player.

Move the calendar ahead to 2011 and MobiBlu has on the market a very small 2GB MP3 player that  only weighs .063 ounces and it is a .94 of an inch square.

The MobiBlu player shown in the photo is currently being sold at Amazon for $111.22 which seems a bit too pricey for such a small player.

The player includes an FM radio and a clock. It also includes a built in microphone and a voice recorder.

The radio also can save music or talk shows into the player for later listening.

The price still is a little steep for a player that holds only 32 hours of MP3 music and 64 hours of WMA music.

To me it is more of a novelty than a practical MP3 player.

 

My clunky looking Creative Nomad Zen Xtra Jukebox may not be as small as the MobiBlu player but it has provided a lot of listening pleasure the last seven years.

Someday my Creative player will be obsolete since it is not compatible with Windows 7 the last I knew and I am already getting not compatible with Windows Media Player messages already but it does still work with it.

The only problem is that I have misplaced the installation CD for the player and since our computer was repaired after the virus the software is no longer in the computer so I can’t download music and old time radio shows till I find the missing software.

However I can still listen to the music and old time radio shows in the player for many years to come. Buying electronic products can produce a myriad of problems but I can truthfully say the Creative Nomad Zen Xtra Jukebox is working as well today as when I received it in the mail back in 2004.

1941 Philco console radio.

I can still listen to old time radio shows that go as far back as 1928 which is 83 years ago. The MP3 CD’s have been a amazing development that enable listeners in 2011 to go back in time to the good old days of old time radio which lasted from the 20′s till September 30,1962 the day old time radio died.

I can still recall visiting my grandparents at their Allendale, Missouri farm in 1959 and listening to radio shows and Kansas City Athletics baseball games as they were broadcast on a radio similar to this 1941 Philco console radio.

However the MP3 player enables me to relive those days 53 years later as I listen to the same great old time radio shows that were being broadcast back then.

It is exciting to listen to the old comedy shows like Fibber McGee and Molly, Great Gildersleeve, Amos and Andy and the Jack Benny show.

Detective shows of that era come alive again as Boston Blackie, Dragnet, This is Your FBI and dramas likk the Family Theater and Lux Radio Theater can be heard today bringing back memories of the good old days when life wasn’t so fast paced.

Listening to the Christmas shows from those days are a special treat like A Christmas Carol, Amos and Andy Christmas show in which Amos recites the Lord’s Prayer to his daughter on Christmas Eve. Another favorite was the Lum N’ Abner show where neighbors walk through the snow to help a destitute family.

The Family Theater Christmas episode of A Daddy For Christmas will bring tears to your eyes as a mother and her son try to make it after her husband is killed in World War II and the son’s mom winds up marrying a department store Santa Claus.

MP3 technology has made it possible for us to hear those shows on MP3 CD’s that are nominally priced with Ebay showing  621 items under the old time radio CD’s listing.

Some of the sellers are selling huge numbers of shows on MP3 CD’s and DVD’s. One seller is selling 852 episodes of Jack Benny shows for $4.89 using Buy It Now with only a $1.69 shipping charge. The only caveat is that these episodes are all on one DVD while it would take about nine MP3 CD’s for these same episodes which would drive the price higher.

These shows will play on a computer but it will take more technical knowledge than I have to play these shows on other devices but most audiophiles should have no problem.

Anyone who misses the good old days of radio can listen to the old shows at several websites if they can’t afford or don’t want to purchase an MP3 player.

OTR.NET is one of the best to listen to old time radio programs for free with over 12,000 free shows to listen to including 610 Jack Benny shows.

OTRCAT.com is one of the best places to sample shows where almost every show sold on the site has a free sample of that show.

Happy old time radio listening!!

 

1956 Thunderbird: Dream car

The 1956 Thunderbird was my ultimate dream car but that dream never materialized and surely won't now that it is a classic automobile.

This same 1956 Thunderbird is being sold on Ebay for $65,000 which doesn’t include shipping if it has to be shipped. It is the highest price 1956 Thunderbird but it only has 300 miles since the engine has been rebuilt.

The second most expensive 1956 Thunderbird has 82,510 miles but still is selling for $63,000. There are no bids on either Thunderbird.

One 1956 Thunderbird has had five bids but none of the bids have  met the reserve price. The current high bid is at $8,988.

Another of the 1956 Thunderbirds has a buy it now price of $35,000 but the high bid is $11,100 with two days left in the auction.

Sadly unless Ford changes its mind there will never be another Thunderbird built since Ford hasn’t built a new one since the 2005 model year.

Colonel Parker: From Dancing Chickens to Elvis

Colonel Tom Parker with Elvis Presley was the agent for Elvis and managed him wisely but did take a larger cut than most agents.

Colonel Tom Parker was born Andreas Cornelius Van Kuijk in Breda, Holland in 1909. He was not a real colonel but is thought to have gotten his name from a captain in the Army named Tom Parker.

He was an employee of a circus and came up with the idea of having chickens dance on a plate which had a concealed hot plate under it so the chickens danced fast to the tune of  Turkey in the Straw.

Parker would be designated an honorary colonel by Jimmie Davis the  governor of Louisiana in 1948 explaining why he was known as the colonel.

Bob Neal was the current manager for Elvis so Parker worked his way into being co-agent for Elvis until Neal relinquished his management rights completely turning over the management of Elvis to Parker.

Next on the agenda for Parker was to disengage Elvis from his contract with Sun Records. Sam Phillips told him he would release Elvis from his recording contract for $40,000. Parker had problems finding a record label for Elvis that would agree to pay him $40,000 until RCA agreed to sign Elvis for that amount.

In what would prove to be a risky but brilliant move Parker paid $40,000 to a movie merchandiser to promote Elvis Presley merchandise and by the end of 1956 there were staggering sales of $22 million. Parker got his 25 percent which came to $5.5 million for him while most managers were getting 10 percent of profits which would have been $2.2 million.

Even Parker made mistakes like booking Elvis into a Las Vegas engagement that received a cool reception since most of those in the audience were older. Parker had made the mistake of taking Elvis from his comfort zone of performing in front of screaming teenage girls into a venue where he was not accepted by an older crowd.

A more logicial move was when Parker negotiated with the television networks to have Elvis appear on national television which exposed him to the whole country at once.

However Parker knew too much exposure is not a good thing either so was happier than Elvis was about being drafted and sent to Germany. Parker made sure some new Elvis music was released while he was in the Army to keep fans happy but kept Elvis out of the public eye for the most part.

When Elvis returned from Germany Parker negotiated a contract for Elvis to appear on the Frank Sinatra Show for $125,000 for Elvis to sing two songs and be on the show for eight minutes.

For the next eight years Elvis would make very few live appearances but by now his movie career was in full swing but moviegoers would only see him about three times a year since he was making three movies during most of the Hollywood years while still releasing new music.

Since Elvis wasn’t touring at the time Parker conceived the idea of having the gold Cadillac of Elvis go on tour and 40,000 paid to see it in one day in Houston.

The 1968 NBC comeback special did not turn out the way Colonel Parker wanted. He wanted Elvis to wear a Santa Claus suit and sing Christmas songs.  The producer of the show Steve Binder was not enamored with the idea of  Elvis wearing a Santa suit and wanted Elvis to sing his old songs instead. Elvis told Parker he wanted to do the show the way Binder wanted it done and Elvis and Binder prevailed and Elvis turned in a great performance.

Now Parker was ready to give Elvis another shot at Las Vegas and was very successful this time. Then Parker somehow got Elvis to agree to a 50/50 deal with Parker and writing the contract in such a way that Parker was actually earning more than Elvis.

Parker made another brilliant decision to have Elvis appear worldwide via satellite in his Aloha From Hawaii concert. This concert was Elvis at his best and may have been the beginning of the end for Elvis as he started to get involved with drugs in the last years of his life.

Elvis actually fired Parker after Elvis had been reprimanded by Parker for attacking Barron Hilton the owner of the Las Vegas hotel he was appearing in. An employee that Elvis liked had been fired and Elvis had mentioned it on stage.

We may never know if Parker warned Elvis of the dangers of becoming addicted to drugs or if Elvis ever objected to him getting such a large percentage of his earnings. Parker refused to write a book about Elvis saying that they want dirt on Elvis and he wasn’t going to be a dirt farmer.

Parker said he quit after being told he was fired by Elvis but Parker asked for a $2 million buyout of his contract and cooler heads prevailed and he remained as agent for Elvis till his death.

Even after the death of Elvis he was quick to get Vernon Presley to let him continue to manage the affairs of Elvis in death.

Looking back it is easy to see where Parker made some brilliant decisions while managing him but at the same time he was taking  so much money for himself that it can’t be said he always had the best interests of Elvis in mind.

Despite making millions as the manager of Elvis he had huge gambling debts that left his wife with only a million dollars at the time of his death when he died in Las Vegas on January 21, 1997 at the age of 88.

 

Elvis Loved To Give Away Cadillacs

One of the pink Cadillacs that Elvis owned parked in front of Graceland.

Elvis Presley spent a lot of money on himself by buying Cadillacs but also gave a lot of Cadillacs to band members, bodyguards, his doctor and complete strangers.

One of my favorite stories is when Elvis was watching a story on the local NBC station in Denver, Colorado about him gaving away cars the anchorman Don Kinney mentioned that if Elvis was watching he wanted a new car too. The next morning a blue Cadillac Seville was delivered to the station to Kenney.

He gave many cars to Charlie Hodge the band member who handed Elvis scarves during the concert because he would give a car Hodge was driving to someone and then buy him another one since Hodge lived at Graceland until the day Elvis died.

Elvis gave Mary Jenkins his maid and cook six cars including three Cadillacs. He also gave his dentist and jeweler cars.

One car dealer honored him by giving him a plaque for being the World’s Best Car Buyer with the names of 31 people he had given cars to.

I think it is safe to say that no other entertainer was as generous as Elvis Presley. I don’t think any other entertainer bought 14 Cadillacs for $140,000 in one trip to an auto dealer like Elvis did two years before his death.

This website has more details about the generosity of Elvis when it came to giving away cars:

http://elviscadillacs.tripod.com/elvis2.htm

Complete Elvis Masters To Be Released October 19

CompleteElvis.com will release the complete collection of Elvis Presley masters on October 19.

All 711 remastered tracks released by Elvis Presley will be released by CompleteElvis.com on October 19. The collection will include 30 compact discs that will have 35 hours of his music plus a 240 page book about the songs with information about each song including charting position.

The website also states there are 103 additional rarities for a total of 814 tracks in the collection:

Also included are 103 rarities: additional masters, alternate takes, session outtakes, demos, rehearsal jams, home recordings, live performances and radio recordings This triumph of musicology is the definitive document – a magnificent audio chronicle of the inspiration, pain and genius that make Elvis the world’s most enduring musical and cultural icon.

The collection is being released in commemoration of his 75th birthday on January 8 of this year.

The website also includes a list of songs on each compact disc.

There is nothing cheap about the set since it will cost $749 plus tax and shipping. It can be pre-ordered now  but won’t be released till October 19. If they sell only 10,000 of these sets which is unlikely $7.49 million will be made from those sales not including the cost for tax and shipping.

The usual disclaimer applies in that I am in no way connected with the sale of this collection and am only letting potential buyers know of the release on October 19.

Grocery Prices of the Past

These 1940′s grocery prices are from the retrohousewife.com website.

It won’t be easy matching the prices in the above ad. Try finding coffee for 19 cents a pound today or two boxes of Wheaties for the same 19 cents.

 

 

 

 

A Chicago restaurant featured a deluxe Thanksgiving dinner for a $1.

 

If you’ve priced Thanksgiving dinners lately you will know the above ad offered a real bargain compared to the prices being charged today for Thanksgiving dinners.

The dinner included roast young Vermont turkey, cranberry sauce and all the trimmings. Try finding this deal at your nearest Holiday Inn restaurant this next Thanksgiving or your nearest Krogers grocery store.

 

 

 

These prices are from a 1930′s grocery ad.

 

Back in the 1930′s you could purchase ten pounds of sugar for only 47 cents and a quart jar of mustard for 15 cents.

In addition buyers back then had their choice of two pounds of lard or a can of peaches for 15 cents.

 

 

 

 

Watkins Products: Still Around 142 Years Later

J.R. Watkins started selling Watkins products in 1868 by horse and buggy and now 142 years later the company is still in business.

Watkins products were first sold in 1868 as the salespeople used a horse and buggy to visit the homes on their route. The company was founded by J.R. Watkins who started the company in Plainview, Minnesota. Watkins died in 1911 forty five years after he founded the company.

Their products include home health care products like liniments and seasonings for cooking.

I can remember Watkins salespersons going door to door selling their array of products. The company thrived for many years until changes in buyer’s habits during the 40′s and the company filed for bankruptcy protection in the 1970′s and was bought by investor Irwin L. Jacobs in 1978.

Wal-Mart has sold some Watkins products in their stores along with Walgreens who have also sold the Watkins products on their shelves.

Watkins today has an internet presence as it has evolved from a horse and buggy operation to using modern computer technology to sell their products.

The prognosis for the company does not look good if they don’t price their products more reasonably. One Watkins website is selling an 11 ounce bottle of vanilla priced at $14.99. A four ounce can of black pepper is being sold for $5.99 which seems very pricey to me.

Watkins products and prices can be found at this website:

http://www.watkinsonline.com/?gCatalogLocale=USA