Where Are They Now: Max Baer Jr.: Jethro on Beverly Hillbillies

Max Baer Jr. portrayed Jethro Bodine, the nephew of Jed Clampett on the Beverly Hillbillies. He couldn’t find work for the first three years after Beverly Hillbillies finished its run on television in 1971.

He finally found himself an acting job by producing Macon County Line in 1974. The movie grossed over $18 million according to Box Office Mojo with a budget of $225,000.

However, the Internet Movie Database shows the movie earning $35 million with an initial investment of $100,000.

Max Baer Jr.'s father Max was the World Heavyweight champion from June, 1934 to June, 1935.

Max Baer, his father, was recently the subject of the movie Cinderella Man in which a ring opponent Frankie Campbell loses not only the match, but his life in a match with Baer.

Baer Jr. said his father cried over the death of Campbell and sent the kids of Campbell to college. The movie angered him and he was upset with Ronny Howard portraying his father that way in the movie.

It makes me wonder what other movies are not telling the truth about the characters in that movie.

This following articles tell about the movie with the second article directly referring to Baer being upset with Howard.

http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/cinderellaman.htm

Today Max Baer Jr. is a successful businessman, who is 73 and was last seen on television in a 1991 episode of Murder She Wrote.

Playing Jethro Bodine more or less ended his chance of ever being taken seriously as an actor.

The Voice: NBC Singing Competition Debuts April 26

Mark Burnett who produced The Survivor and The Apprentice, is one of the producers of the The Voice, a NBC singing competition show.

The show debuts on Tuesday, April 26, so won’t be shown on the same night as American Idol. The host of the show will be Carson Daly.

Unlike American Idol, The Voice calls their judges coaches. In reality they are combination judge and coaches.

This should be an interesting concept, with the same coaches that are helping them, critiquing them when they are sitting on the judge’s panel.

The prize for winning the competition pales, when compared to an American Idol contract, since the winner takes home $100,000 and is signed to a recording contract.

Meanwhile the upcoming X-Factor debuting this fall pays even more, with the winner receiving a $5 million recording contract.

That doesn’t mean the winner of The Voice is less of a singer, than who wins the other two shows. It just means they won’t be rewarded as well financially.

The judges will be Christiana Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine.

The website for the show tells how the competition works:

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/about/

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.

Man Blows Chance To Share $319 Million Jackpot

Everyone who has bought a lottery ticket, knows the chances of winning are extremely small. One worker in New York, said he wasn’t feeling lucky and passed up a chance to win the $319 Mega Millions jackpot.

He would have won $16 million lump sum after taxes, if he had shared the winning ticket, with the other workers.

It will be interesting how this worker accepts the situation. He really has nobody to blame but himself. While his co-workers have no reason to keep working, he has no choice, but to continue working.

Most people will never win a lottery in their lifetime, but this guy had the chance and blew it.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/he_out_of_luck_SFNCcaLtOfTb8ry5Pj6WKK

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.

 

Does American Idol Need Simon Cowell?

 

American Idol is thriving in Season 10 despite the loss of Simon Cowell.

Like many other American Idol fans, I thought the loss of Simon Cowell, would deal the reality show, a jolt that it wouldn’t recover from.

That combined with the firing of Kara DioGuardi and the resignation of Ellen Degeneres, seemed like too much, for the show to withstand.

American Idol is still one of the highest rated shows on television, with the new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez along with returning judge Randy Jackson are doing fine without Cowell.

Cowell’s barbed criticism may have attracted fans to the show in the past, but the main focus of the show is the contestants.

He could be intimidating to the contestants, in the first nine years of the show but now the intimidation factor is gone.

New judges Tyler and Lopez and returning judge Jackson seem to really care about the contestants. They never struggle for the right words to say, like Ellen Degeneres did last year. She seemed to be more interested in trying to be funny, than in judging the contestants.  It was like pulling teeth to get her to finally make a judgement on a contestant. She hemmed and hawed before finally saying anything meaningful.

It is easy to say that Degeneres was by far the worst judge ever on American Idol. To her credit though, she walked away rather than put the American Idol producers in the position of having to fire her.

Lopez and Tyler give constructive criticism while Jackson is the same Jackson of seasons past with his favorite phrases – too pitchy, yo yo (usually a sign he is going to say something bad after a performance) you blew it out of the box and that’s what I’m talking about.

The judges deserve accolades, for choosing so many outstanding singers, in the auditions. Several of the singers this year, are much better than Crystal Bowersox or Lee Dewyze, the two finalists in Season 9.

For instance Lee Dewyze the winner of Season 9 recently sang in a bowling alley. Granted it may be an upscale bowling alley but it is not the venue you would expect to hear a American Idol sing.

America will have to make a lot of tough decisions, after some of the weaker candidates go home in the next couple of weeks.

It would be interesting to see how much weight, America gives to the judge’s opinons of the contestants, on performance night.

The following poll asks if American Idol fans are happy Simon Cowell has left American Idol.

The next poll question is if this is the best group of American Idol contestants ever.

Lizard Lick Towing Fan: Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley says Tru TV's Lizard Lick Towing is the BET for whites.

Charles Barkley said that the Lizard Lick Towing show on TruTV, is the white BET. He is entertained, by the way Ron Shirley owner of Lizard Lick Towing and his partner Bobby Brantley, repossess cars.

The show drew 1.9 million fans for the TruTV network during the last quarter tying it with their other repo show Operation Repo.

This is the answer Barkley gave an interviewer when asked what comes on after the TruTV basketball coverage on Sportsradiointerviews.com:

What followed you on truTV after the post-game analysis?

“Well once I found out we were going to be on truTV. They actually have a show called…first of all…truTV is really the white BET, truTV is white entertainment television. Dude, it’s some of the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen in my life. They got this one show called ‘Lizard Towing,’ Well they got these two big old boys from the south who be repossessing people’s cars and they end up chasing them down the street, fighting them every week. It is hilarious. These guys sneak into people’s houses. First of all, they seem like great guys, but they two big old country boys and they be stealing people’s cars back. It is the funniest thing in the world. They have people fighting with them all of the time. You’re just laughing the whole time. I’m telling you dude, it’s like white black entertainment television.”

Hanging Jail: DeRidder, Louisiana

The DeRidder jail became known as the "hanging jail" after two murderers were hung there in 1928 for the robbery and murder of a taxi cab driver.

DeRidder, Louisiana is a small city of 9,000 (according to the 2000 census) but is known for its hanging jail. The jail is now 97 years old having been built in 1914.

The double hanging took place on March 9, 1928 some 83 years ago, when  Joe Genna and Molton Brasseaux hung for robbing and murdering 45 year old J.J. Brevelle, a taxi driver.

The jail was closed in 1984 which is 27 years ago, but it still is drawing interest from paranormal groups.

LA Spirits is a paranormal group that explored the facility. After setting up their equipment they said they heard footsteps, heard a shower running and could smell pipe smoke.

There is a website that give many details about the jail, the crime which caused the two murderers to be hanged and how they were apprehended.

This website also features a video taken inside the jail and the webmaster is to be commended for their research.

http://itsphotography.wordpress.com/

Tragic Japanese Earthquake Photos

This article from the Daily Mail in England tells the story of the earthquake in Japan so well there is nothing to add to it.

You will see a ship on a city street and a large boat that is atop a building.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366395/Japan-tsunami-earthquake-Rescuers-pick-way-apocalypse-wasteland.html

Naimi Apparently Being Shunned By Other Idol Females

Naimi Adedapo seems to be on the outs with the female contestants on American Idol.

Naimi Adedapo isn’t feeling the love of the other female contestants on American Idol. According to eonline.com the other contestants more or less ignored her on Thursday night’s show.

The other four girls Thia Megia, Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart and Pia Toscano may not have meant to, but it sure appeared  they didn’t include Naimi in their group.

While the other girls were congratulating Haley on being safe, Naimi was sitting on the edge of the couch.

However, Naimi was trying to encourage Casey Abrams during the show. There is no romantic connection since she is married, but she seems to get along better, with Casey than the girls.

Eonline.com gives even more details on the Naimi situation and other American Idol notes.

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b232861_behind_scenes_american_idol_naima.html

Kimberly Bell Relates Bonds Saying He Was Using Steroids

Kimberly Bell former girlfriend of Barry Bonds shown on the right tesified today that Bonds told her the steroids he were taking caused an injury to his elbow.

Kimberly Bell, the former girlfriend of Barry Bonds testified today, that Bonds spoke of taking steroids. This would refute the testimony Bonds gave to a grand jury in 2003 that he didn’t know he was taking steroids.

Bell’s testimony could be a key, to whether Bonds is convicted of perjury before the grand jury in 2003. However, it depends on how much weight the jury places on her testimony, whether it affects the outcome of the trial.

I am sure the defense attorneys will do whatever it takes to impugn the testimony of Bell. Right now she is the prosecutor’s main witness, unless they have some surprise witnesses that may called before the trial is over.

There is a plethora of circumstancial evidence against Bonds, but very little if any concrete evidence that he took steroids.

His chances of getting an acquittal greatly improved with the refusal to testify by his former trainer, Greg Anderson.  Anderson has spent time in prison in the past for his refusal to testify. It is possible Anderson is refusing to testify to not keep Bonds from going to prison, but to prevent from being charged with criminal offenses himself.

That raises questions as to why he would refuse to testify, while Bonds has been able to walk free.  If he walks free this time again this time, it would not be a huge surprise.

Bonds exhibited every symptom of steroids use with his shoe size increasing from 10 1/2 to 13. His cap size also increased. He exhibited the anger that usually goes with steroids use by these statements to Kimberly Bell:

“He was just increasingly aggressive, irritable, agitated, very impatient, almost violent,” Bell said.

Asked by prosecutor Jeff Nedrow what Bonds would tell her, she replied, “That he would cut my head off and leave me in a ditch.”

She testified that Bonds mode those threats more than once, and also said, “That he would cut off my breast implants because he paid for them.”

It remains to be seen whether the prosecution has a smoking gun, that could send Bonds to prison. This couldn’t have been a good day for Bonds, to hear his ex-girlfriend tell the courtroom that he admitted to her, that he was taking steroids.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2011/03/barry-bonds-trial-ex-girlfriend-talks-of-aggression-steroids-impotence/1

Demonic Activity in American Idol Mansion?

Zak Begans of the Ghost Adventures crew, thinks there could have been demonic activity, in the American Idol Mansion.

The contestants were removed from the mansion last week, after some spooky incidents. Begans wants to bring the contestants back into the house, to see if that would trigger more demonic activity.

I am sure the producers of American Idol won’t go along with this idea, since the contestants have too busy of a schedule, to participate in the investigation by Begans and his crew.

Begans thinks one of the Idol contestants may have attracted the negative forces in the house.

Personally, I think this is a ploy by Ghost Adventures to make a bigger name for their show.

As for the sheet floating in the air, wonder if anyone captured that image on their cell phone camera?

All of the unusual activity could probably be easily explained. It may be simply a leaky roof, loose wiring and a spider infestation is not that unusual.

A commenter on the TMZ article below says they think Naima may be the cause of the demonic activity after she danced or rather flailed while singing last week.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/03/27/american-idol-haunted-mansion-ghost-adventures-crew-haunted-spirit-zak-bagans-travel-channel-mansion-exorcist/2/#comments-anchor

Lizard Lick Towing Staged?

Amy and Ron Shirley are starring in Lizard Lick Towing and All Worked Up on TruTV.

Not too many fans of Lizard Lick Towing,on Tru TV, may know the names of Ron and Amy Shirley, but they will recognize them as the owners of Lizard Lick Towing and Recovery in Wendell, N.C.

The TruTV website says in a Lizard Lick trivia game, that the town got its name from a bunch of lizards licking themselves.

However newsobserver.com says the name was derived from a 19th century whiskey, that attracted small four legged reptiles.

These are a few of the sayings spoken by Shirley:

• “I wasn’t the toughest guy on the block,” he explains. “But the toughest guy sent me Christmas cards.”

• “But being on TV don’t make you important any more than being born in an oven makes you a biscuit.”

• Amy – “She’s tougher than a $2 steak”

Lizard Lick Towing was first featured as part of the All Worked Up series on TruTV. It was so popular the network gave them a show of their own. Lizard Lick Towing recently finished their first season.

It is almost a sure thing that the series will be picked up for a second season.

Bobby Brantley, Shirley’s cohort on the repossessions had this to say about whether Lizard Lick Towing is in effect a reality show by saying:

“Some does, and some they stage,” he says. “I’m not gonna tell you any stories. Sometimes we have to egg ’em on a little bit: ‘What you got? What you got? What you gonna come get me with?’ We might have to … poke ’em a little bit, to get them riled up.”

The following articles, give more background on Lizard Lick Towing, telling much more about Ron, Shirley and Bobby.

http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/lizard-lick-towings-ron-shirley-and-the-mythical-promises-of-reality-television/Content?oid=2174307

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/01/31/958027/lizard-lick-towing-the-tv-show.html

Grandson Pitches Combined No-Hitter

My grandson Matthew pitched a combined no-hitter and took the win in an 8-0 win on Friday, March 25 in Groves, Texas. Matthew pitched four innings of no-hit baseball plus he hit a two run single.

Matthew struck out six and walked two and if I remember correctly no ball was hit to the outfield. His six strikeouts combined with two popups caught by the catcher and two comebackers to Matthew combined for 10 of the 12 outs he recorded.

He was taken out of the game to avoid hurting his arm and the reliever Hayden pitched two hitless innings of his own to preserve the no-hitter.

 

 

D.B. Cooper: Still Missing 40 Years Later

 

Forty years ago this November, D.B. Cooper hijacked a Northwest Airlines flight enroute from Portland, Oregon to the Seattle – Tacoma, Washington airport.

In January of 1971 All in the Family debuted on the CBS television network. The Colts defeated the Cowboys in Super Bowl V that same month.

That March the Ed Sullivan Show was seen for the last time. Then in April Charles Manson is sentenced to death but his sentence is commuted to life imprisonment in 1972.

Amtrak starts inter-city passenger service on May 1. On August 11 construction is begun on the Superdome in New Orleans.

Walt Disney World opened in Florida on October 1 of 1971. Then on November 24, 1971 D.B. Cooper’s hijacking of a Northwest Orient plane makes the headlines.

Still Missing After All These Years

Only D.B. Cooper knows if he is still alive. He may have succeeded in the only unsolved hijacking in world history, or he may have died the same night he parachuted out of the plane enroute to Seattle-Tacoma airport.

His ticket cost for the approximately 150 mile trip was $18.42 plus tax.

The hijacker was said to have been in his late 40’s which would place him in his late 80’s if he is still alive.

U.S. News Online published this article in 2000 that names Duane Weber as the hijacker and is considered to be the one most closely resembling the D.B. Cooper sketches:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/cooper.htm

It is almost certain that D.B. Cooper, was not the real name of the hijacker. There are many more questions than answers regarding D.B. Cooper:

Was D.B. Cooper really Duane Weber?

Did he land safely and live under the name Duane Weber or any other name the rest of his life?

Did the hijacker’s parachute fail to open and died upon impact?

What happened to the money given to the hijacker?

Was the hijacker wearing a toupee to change his appearance?

Did the hijacker suffer a lifetime injury from hitting the ground after the jump?

Was the hijacker a professional parachute jumper or was he a novice who knew only the fundamentals of parachuting?

The following Wikipedia article gives much more information assuming it is correct:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper

American Idol’s Casey Abrams Has Another Blood Transfusion

Casey Abrams saved by the judges last Thursday on American Idol has had to have another blood transfusion.

Casey Abrams had to have another blood transfusion last Thursday morning, before apparently being eliminated from American Idol, on Thursday night. He has had internal bleeding problems at least three times now.

The judges used their save to allow Abrams to continue in the competition for American Idol. After the show Abrams started hyperventilating and fell to the floor in the hallway.

It is beginning to look like the health of Abrams, may prevent him from going much further into the competition. His poor health may either help him get sympathy votes or may convince voters that he is not able to stand up to the rigors of several more weeks of American Idol competition.

When Randy Jackson stopped Abrams from finishing his song during his attempt to be saved, Abrams looked like he was in pain, but recovered when told he had been saved, by the judges.

Ironically Abrams was singing Don’t Need No Doctor when in reality he did need a doctor.

http://news.lalate.com/2011/03/26/casey-abrams-blood-transfusions-continue-from-ulcerative-colitis-reports/

General Electric: $14.2 Billion Profit, $0 Paid in Tax

General Electric has reported that the company made $14.2 billion in profits, in their worldwide operations. It is a sad situation, while the Social Security coffers are reportedly being depleted,  a huge corporation like General Electric is paying no tax.

The company has invested millions of dollars, while pushing for changes in tax law.  Worst of all, President Obama has appointed Jeffrey R. Immelt a GE executive, to help formulate plans, to discuss corporate taxes. It is evident that Immelt will not suggest, or support any changes, that would cause GE to pay taxes.

I am not against corporations making a profit, but when they are earning billions of dollars in profits, while not paying any taxes, it is time to question the whole corporate tax situation.

Hopefully, President Obama will realize something needs to be done now, or the economy will only get worse, as companies like GE lay off workers. Then the government has to spend money to retrain those workers or support them financially as they receive financial assistance from federal and state agencies.

President Ronald Reagan made an effort to force companies like GE to pay their fair share of the tax, but now the companies are focusing on avoiding taxes. The worst thing is they are getting away with it and will continue to avoid paying taxes, unless the government puts an end to what amounts to stealing from the government.

N.Y. Times has a four page article detailing how GE is cheating the government out of millions and maybe billions of taxes they should be paying.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html?hp

Gas Prices Soaring

Most drivers feel like the prices of gasoline today are asking for an arm, leg and firstborn like this sign says.

America Got it Wrong On American Idol Vote

Casey Abrams received the lowest number of votes, this week on American Idol but was saved by judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson.

Casey Abrams had the fewest total votes, when American Idol voters cast their votes, but was saved by the judges, who decided to save him and allow him to continue on the show.

It was a major shock when Ryan Seacrest announced, that Abrams had received fewer votes than  Stefano Langone and Thia Megia.

Then Seacrest went into his building up the drama act, twice reminded Abrams that he was singing for his life (as if he didn’t know). Seacrest likes to build up drama with the dimming of the lights, the earlier appearance that Paul or James may not be safe, while they were there only to be told by Hulk Hogan that they were safe.

Personally, I think America got the vote wrong. Stefano Langone, Thia Megia and Naimi could have been sent home and I wouldn’t have been surprised.

Abrams may not have been at the top of his game every time out, but I thought he did fine on performance night singing I Heard it Through the Grapevine.

Last night’s vote was a wakeup call, for voters to not take for granted that the better singers will always get the most votes. Now that Abrams is in danger of being eliminated, he will have to sing even better next week, or he may be one of the two eliminated next Thursday night.

We are only a couple of weeks from seeing some very good singers eliminated, so the competition will be even tougher when there are only five contestants remaining in about a month.

One surprising note is that Ashton Jones is the only wild card pick sent home after three weeks.

James Durbin continues to “blow it out of the box” every time out similar to the way Adam Lambert consistently gave strong performances, week after week two years ago. I will be surprised if he isn’t in the final two but one bad performance could derail his train to becoming the American Idol.

For more details on the elimination show last night:

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20476206,00.html

Funny Job Applicant Behavior

 

 

Personnel managers when interviewing someone for a job, encounter some of the strangest behavior by the applicants.

The article linked to below, tells of applicants showing up for an interview with their large dog, another lady told the interviewer, she could listen to her Walkman and the interviewer at the same time.

Another applicant wasn’t interested in a job, because it paid too much. One job candidate said they didn’t really want a job, but had to prove to employment agency, that they were looking for a job.

One applicant went as far as to ask the interviewer, if they wanted some cocaine, before the interview.

There are 35 examples of weird behavior by job applicants in this article:

http://work911.com/articles/humorinterviews.htm

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

American Idols Move Out of “Haunted House”

The American Idol contestants had some strange happenings in their home away from home and moved out on Monday:

American Idol contestants have moved from the palatial mansion they were living in this season after some paranormal activity.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/03/23/american-idol-contestants-move-out-house-hollywood-hills-mansion-ghost-spiders-leaking-haunted/

Roy Riegel’s Wrong Way Run

Roy Riegels running the wrong way in the 1929 Rose Bowl.

The Golden Bears of University of California Berkeley, were playing Georgia Tech, in the 1929 Rose Bowl, when Roy Riegels ran 65 yards for what he thought was his own goal line.

Instead of running toward the Georgia Tech goal line, when  Riegels the center for the Golden Bears picked up a Georgia Tech fumble, he ran 65 yards to his own goal line.

This clip shows Roy Riegels running the wrong way in the 1929 Rose Bowl.

His teammate and quarterback Benny Lom slowed Riegels down enough, to prevent  him from running into the end zone. He was finally tackled by Georgia Tech on the Tech one yard line.

The Golden Bears attempted a punt but it was blocked by Georgia Tech for a safety giving the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 lead.

Georgia Tech won the game 8-7, with the wrong way run by Riegels before the safety causing the loss. Riegels did play well after the blunder.

Riegels says he was spun around by a tackler, facing him in the wrong direction. Riegels was named to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1991, two years before his 1993 death.

9 Year Old Tells Bible History in Nutshell

Nine year old Davis Burton tells what he learned after studying the Bible for a year and recaps in eight minutes some of the key events in the Bible.

It is amazing that he is able to relate what he learned, at such a young age, about the Bible. It also speaks highly of his comprehension of the Bible. His teachers had to teach him very well for him to remember Biblical events so well.

The following article tells more about Davis who attends the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Little Rock Arkansas:

http://www.christianchronicle.org/blog/2011/01/video-9-year-old-recaps-what-hes-learned-reading-the-bible/

Elizabeth Taylor Dead at 79

Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79 in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure.

She first appeared in a motion picture in 1942 when she acted in There’s One Born Every Minute. Her next movie was Lassie Come Home (1943)  which was nominated for an Oscar.

National Velvet (1944) would be her next movie, which co-starred Mickey Rooney. It would be one of the best known movies, she would appear in during her career.

She appeared in both Father of the Bride and the sequel Father’s Little Dividend in 1950 and 1951 respectively.

Other noteworthy movies she appeared in were Giant (1956), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Butterfield 8 (1960), Cleopatra (1963) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf  (1966).

It was ironic that she would portray Pearl Slaghoople, in The Flintstones theatrical release in 1994. She had not appeared in a movie for 17 years before her death.

This lengthy N.Y. Times obituary tells in detail about her career and her life away from the big screen:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/movies/elizabeth-taylor-obituary.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Paul Newman narrated this tribute to Elizabeth Taylor a few years ago.

Frank Sinatra: Nice And Easy – How Little It Matters

The great Frank Sinatra singing one of his up tempo songs Nice and Easy.

This is Frank Sinatra at his best singing one of his signature songs. The next video features Sinatra singing one of his lesser known songs but one of my favorites, How Little It Matters.

Sinatra singing a shortened version of  How Little We Know.

Neither of the songs included in this post were huge hits with How Little We Know reaching No.30 on the Billboard charts in 1956 while Nice and Easy topped out at No. 60 in 1960.

That doesn’t really matter to me since both songs are two of my favorite Sinatra songs. He recorded his first song in 1939 and was still singing into the 1990’s.

The following list names every song recorded by Sinatra and which year it was recorded:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_recorded_by_Frank_Sinatra

Randy Travis: 1982

Randy Travis singing 1982 my favorite song he recorded.

It doesn’t seem like it was 26 years ago when Randy Travis recorded 1982 which topped out at No.6.  It was his first song to make the Top 10 during his career.

Travis would have fifteen No.1 songs in the 80’s and 90’s but has only had one No. 1 hit since 1999 in Three Wooden Crosses in 2002. He hasn’t had a song that charted since 2004.

Southern Fried Stings

Southern Fried Stings is a scripted detective series being shown on TruTV.

Southern Fried Stings may look like another reality show, but in reality it is a scripted show that is being re-enacted for the television audience.

At least they deserve credit for being truthful, instead of trying to make us believe what we are seeing, is the way it happened.

Jay Russell is the leader of R.A.I.D. (Resistance Against Illegal Drugs). Russell is a former South Carolina state trooper who is paid to find out whatever his clients want him to find out about employees, spouses or whoever else may be suspected of  cheating, stealing or etc.

This video shows a former major league baseball player whose wife suspects he is back on steroids. As you see though he is not on steroids but is still up to no good.

While the emphasis is on drugs, Jay finds out that the one being spied on may be involved in other activities that their spouse may be intensely interested in.

Grandson Hitting Two Doubles

Grandson Matthew hitting two doubles in Groves, Texas Little League game on Thursday March 17. His team, the Cardinals, won the game 12-0 and won again on Saturday night 9-2.

Grandson’s First Hit of the Season

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150458857810111

Grandson Matthew hammering his first of two doubles on Thursday night, March 17 in Groves, Texas Little League game. His team won the game 12-0.

Flag Pole Sitting

Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly sitting on flagpole during the heyday of the flagpole sitting craze in 1920's and 1930's.

Most people are scared of heights and can’t imagine, what it would be like to sit atop a flagpole for many days.

Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly was regarded as the king of the flagpole sitters. Kelly was a stunt actor who first became known as a flagpole sitter in 1924.

His first stint atop a flagpole was when he sat on the pole for 13 hours and 13 minutes. After his record had been broken several times he set a new record by sitting for 49 days.

One year later Bill Penfield set a new record of 51 days, which was shortened by a thunderstorm.

H. David Werder sat on a flagpole for 439 days, which almost certainly is still the record today. He was protesting the high price of gasoline in 1980.

There is even more reason today to protest high gasoline prices but doubt anyone will resort to flagpole sitting as part of their protest.

I can’t imagine anything less fun than sitting on a platform attached to a flag pole for 449 days. Even with breaks it still had to be very uncomfortable.

From the Past: Minstrel Shows

The first minstrel shows started in the 1830's and ended about the 1960's.

Minstrel shows thrived from the 1830’s to the 1960’s and were a form of entertainment which featured blacks or whites in blackface.

It is strange to me that whites would mimic black people at the same time the KKK was running rampant. It makes me wonder if some KKK members, weren’t also appearing in the minstrel shows.

I can remember actually seeing at least one minstrel show in Pineville, Louisiana at the Community Center on Main Street in the 50’s or 60’s. I can’t remember much about the shows except the white men wearing blackface.

The minstrel shows are one of the earliest forms of entertainment in the United States and were an America only creation unlike other forms of entertainment.

Some thought of minstrel shows as a form of racism making fun of the black people and portraying them in a negative light.

Once the civil rights movement took hold the minstrel shows were doomed as they were thought of just another way whites were humiliating blacks. It was similar to the thoughts of  some blacks regarding the Amos and Andy radio program and television series.

While some blacks enjoyed Amos and Andy civil rights proponents thought of it as just another way for whites to depict blacks in a negative way. The radio program had two white men portraying black characters while the television version used black actors.

This is part of a typical minstrel show when blackface was popular.

Workers Evacuate Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

Workers have evacuated the Fukushima atomic power plant ending any hope of stabilizing the plant due to safety concerns for the workers.

The fight to contain nuclear radiation in Japan was dealt a huge blow when the Fukushima atomic power plant was deserted by fleeing workers who were being endangered by being exposed to the radiation.

This article gives the latest details on the nuclear reactor situation in Japan after Friday’s earthquake.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42084187/ns/world_news-asia-pacific/

Hindenberg Disaster

The Hindenburg airship explodes before landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937 taking the lives of 36 including passengers, crew and ground personnel.

May 6, 1937 was one of the most horrific days in United States aviation history. The airship Hindenburg exploded in mid-air shortly before landing at Lakehurst Naval Station in New Jersey.

The airship had been named for Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934), President of Germany  (1925–1934). He appointed Adolf Hitler as chancellor of Germany, which enabled Hitler to seize power when Hindenburg died in 1934.

Fourteen months after the first flight of the Hindenburg in March of 1936, the airship would make its final disastrous flight in May of 1937.

It was amazing that smoking was allowed, in the smoking room of the airship. Passengers weren’t permitted to leave the smoking room with a lighted cigarette.

Aboard the plane the fateful day of the explosion were 36 passengers and 61 crew members. 36 people died from the fire including 13 passengers, 22 crew members and one ground crew member.

Looking at photos of the fire, once it hit the ground, it is remarkable that 23 passengers and 39 crew members survived, of the  97 that originally boarded the Hindenburg.

This horrific photo shows the Hindenburg in flames on the ground at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey.

 

Herbert Morrison, a reporter for radio station WLS in Chicago was given instructions to cover the Hindenburg landing at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. Morrison went from describing a routine flight, before it exploded, to a hysterical report of it exploding in mid-air.

You could sense the disbelief of Morrison in his voice that he was witnessing one of the most tragic events in aviation history. He is still famous today for his “Oh, the humanity” line he uttered during the broadcast.

Morrison was 31 when he covered the event in 1937 and would live to the age of 83, dying in January of 1989.

Japan Devastated By Natural Disasters

This photo shows the utter devastation after an earthquake and tsunami in Japan last Friday. A Japanese girl cries in the foreground after seeing the destruction.

Television coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last week, pales in significance, after seeing photos of the destruction. A television wide shot can give an idea of the damage, but it really hits home, when seeing a photo like the one above.

It is difficult for Americans to actually comprehend what has happened in Japan. The country of Japan has been hit by an earthquake, a tsunami and the eruption of a volcano since the earthquake hit last Friday.

To make things worse, the adverse conditions have caused six nuclear reactors to experience serious problems, that could result in radioactivity being released into the atmosphere.

So not only are the Japanese people dealing with the aftermath of a horrific earthquake and tsunami, they now are having to worry about being exposed to radioactivity.

In addition, many people are missing and either are dead, or have no way of contacting their families to tell them they are safe.

The day before the 9.0 earthquake (recently upgraded from 8.9), there were only five earthquakes 5.0 or higher reported in the east coast in the Honshu, Japan vicinity.

However, two days before the 9.0 earthquake, 17 earthquakes over 5.0 magnitude, were recorded. One of those earthquakes was recorded at 7.2 magnitude.

Going two days back to March 7 and March there was no seismic activity recorded in Japan on those days.

The 8.9 earthquake last Friday was the first seismic activity recorded last Friday. 13 aftershocks were felt in the first two hours following the earthquake with one registering  a magnitude of 7.1.

Nine aftershocks were recorded the next hour. Yesterday the Honshu, Japan area experienced the only 5.0 earthquakes in the world. There have been 22 earthquakes recorded so far today in Japan.

The complete list of earthquakes in the world measuring 5.0 or higher in magnitude starting on March 7 through today:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_big.php

Wacky Website: Awkward Family Photos

An excited family celebrates a birthday.

The family pictured in the above photo celebrates the somber occasion of someone’s birthday. It looks as moments before the photo was snapped, they learned McDonalds had just sold their last Big Mac in store and only had salads left.

Awkwardfamilyphotos.com has hundreds of photos, that families would like to know were hidden in drawers, never to be seen again. Instead those photos, have found their way onto the internet, where they can be shared with millions of strangers.

This family of four has their eyes focused on the camera in this happy family photo.

So don’t be surprised if that photo you hoped had been destroyed shows up on Awkward Family Photos.

Backstage Requirements for Taylor Swift and Barbara Streisand

Taylor Swift backstage demands are few compared to Jennifer Lopez.

Taylor Swift doesn’t ask much in her rider document, when she appears in concert. She mostly asks for food to be brought to her bus.

In addition she asks for food for the the busses, of the band and crew. This is very unusual, as most artists have a long list of demands, when they appear in concert at a venue.

The lists for food and beverages may be long but she doesn’t ask for anything in the rider pertaining to special arrangements for her backstage.

Her rider is only two pages which in itself shows she is not exhibiting diva behavior.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/taylor-swift-rider?page=1

(The Smoking Gun evidently does not allow links to their website so the above link may not work.)

Barbara Streisand who belongs in the Diva Hall of Fame.

 

Barbara Streisand, on the other hand, demands that there be five living room sets, five coffee tables, ten end tables and ten floor lamps backstage for the use of her and her traveling contingent.

She also asks for 35 folding banquet tables and 150 folding chairs. Streisand also requests 120 bath towels upon arrival at the venue.

Then she asks for security personnel to wear dark jackets, blazers or sweaters with no T-shirts which are usually worn by security personnel in most venues.

Streisand goes on to request parking space for 13 fifty-three foot trailers, four rental vans and 14 crew and band busses. When you include the merchandising trailer that adds up to needing space to park 32 vehicles.

This is just Page 9 and 10 of her rider no telling how much else she demanded.

I have known for years that Streisand was a diva of the first magnitude, but what sealed it for me, was when a stewardess spoke to her on a flight, then Streisand told the superior of the stewardess that she doesn’t talk to the help.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/barbra-streisand-rider

(This link is not working either so may be best to go the The Smoking Gun website which won’t let me link to their website either)

Let us hope Taylor Swift continues to behave like a non-diva, and that she never comes close to being the diva, that Streisand was during this 2006 concert.

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

 

 

Eric Carmen: All By Myself

Eric Carmen singing his 1975 hit All By Myself.

When All By Myself was sang by Pia Torcato on American Idol earlier this week, Randy Jackson mentioned Celine Dion’s version, but neglected to mention Eric Carmen, the original singer and writer of the song.

Celine Dion singing All By Myself, in what is considered the best version recorded, and it became a gold record for her. She hit high notes seldom reached at the end of the song.

She recorded it 21 years after the original version sung by Eric Carmen.

Pia Torcato sang this song as well as anyone this side of Celine Dion on American Idol on Wednesday night of last week.