Two More Stars In The Heavenly Sky
We begin this blog with some sad news, as the music industry suffered two devastating losses this past week.
The first was the loss of one of the first true showmen of the modern day music era, a person who had inspired many artists in the music industry, including me. Many people, from hearing his music, would have assumed that Johnny Otis was African American, but he proved that you don't have to be African American to have soul. And, you don't have to be African American to make sweet soul music. His now classic Hand Jive has inspired many, and had also inspired other similar sounding songs and even a couple of TV commercials. It had even inspired a song that I, myself had written, Otter Pop, about a talking sea otter. It's hard to believe how a simple little song such as Hand Jive could bring many people of many races, religions, and classes together, but it did. Johnny Otis will surely be missed.
The other major loss we suffered was expected, because she was ill for a very long time, but it also is no doubt just as devastating. Etta James was, far and away, one of the first great female crooners of the rock era. Her signature song, At Last, is just as timeless as Hand Jive, and I think it also was used in at least one TV commercial. Her style of singing brings to mind another top notch singer, Amy Winehouse, whom we also lost just a few months ago. Amy, just like Etta, was one of those artist that young girls such as myself would stand in front of the bedroom mirror and emulate as we would sing into our hairbrushes. Etta James will be equally as missed as was her very good friend and college, Johnny Otis, will be.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well. and remember to help the disaster survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
The Hostess Without The Mostest (Sales)
Hello, hello--hello!
Well, folks, when it rains, it pours. Last week, I told you about Sears and Kmart's money woes. This week, I have to tell you of another well known company whose future is uncertain. This past week, The makers of Twinkies and Ding Dongs has filed for bankruptcy--for the second time in its history.
Interstate Bakeries Corp, the parent company of Hostess, maker of the aforementioned Twinkies and Ding Dongs, are blaming union contracts and pension costs for their financial troubles. The 82-year-old country obviously survived the first Great Depression, but it might not survive this current one, and the reason is quite obvious to everyone. You see, the real reason isn't the problem with obesity in this country, as it is the problem with diabetes.
You see, back in the 1930's, we didn't nearly have as much, say, "pleasingly plump" people in the country, because a lot more kids spent time playing outdoors instead of watching a TV or computer screen because, of course, TV and computers didn't exist back then, and they were able to burn up all that cake and cream filling. However, we also didn't have a big diabetes epidemic back then either, so everyone was able to eat as many Twinkies to their little hearts' content. Fast forward a good eighty years to 2012. Everyone's having a hard time fitting into their jeans and worrying about getting diabetes, especially those who have a history of it in their families. So the more people are watching their health, the less likely they are to indulge in snacks like Twinkies. Add the fact that, because of this fact, sweet snacks no longer are advertised during youth programming on TV, and it's plain to see why Hostess is having a hard time selling its snacks today.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and remember to help the disaster survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Sears And Kmart: The End of An Era?
Hello, everybody, and Happy New Year!
Well, we begin the new year with some unbelievable news that none of us wanted to hear, but just might become a reality: According to recent lackluster sales at both these stores, it looks as if Sears and Kmart just might go the way of Montgomery Wards and Woolworth. That's right. Sears and Kmart, which is owned by Sears, are going to shutter a combined 120 stores across the nation, which means more lost jobs in this country, which means, more of a strain on an already weakened national economy. And, according to some, this all could signalize the beginning of the end of what was once both two of the most profitable department and retail stores, respectively, in the United States.
Once the nation's biggest and most popular department store, Sears began in 1886, when Richard Sears, a watch salesman, teamed up with partner Alvah Roebuck, creating Sears, Roebuck, and Co., Sears' original name and a name Sears went by for many, many years. They started selling merchandize through the now famous and fabled Sears, Roebuck, and Co. catalog, which many people all over the country knew as "The Big Book," because of its immense size that resembled a telephone book. (Before the Scott brothers invented bathroom tissue, the "Big Book" was known for something else as well, as many people took it into the privy room, and not just to read it, either.) Around the 1920's, Sears, Roebuck opened their first department store, which, like its catalog, sold everything from furniture to hardware supplies. However, when specialty stores such as Home Depot and Living Spaces started cropping up, this was what signaled the beginning of the end of major department stores like Sears, because people no longer had one stop place that they had to go to buy everything they needed, which is sad, because I really enjoyed going to the Sears we have here in the Baldwin Hills mall. I hope Sears, and Kmart, stick around for a very long time.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and remember to help the disaster survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
2011--What An Eventful Year!
I'm writing my blog a little early this week, because the New Year starts Sunday, and, quite naturally, I'd like to take Sunday off. So, as 2011 officially comes to a close tomorrow night, we look back at what we all can say was a very eventful year, both in world politics and in nature.
First of all, I'd all say that we have to talk about that humongous earthquake in Japan that happened in March, which caused that big tsunami and that even bigger nuclear disaster at Fukashima, which still has ongoing ramifications to this day, and quite possibly, for many years to come. Some say it was just as bad as Chernobyl (which commemorated it's 25th anniversary this year), some say it was even worse. But one thing's for sure, the Japan triple disaster is one we all won't soon forget.
In the political news, three real baddies went on to their final rewards, which could be in a pretty hot spot, right about now. The first was the notorious Osama Bin Laden, whom we all know was responsible for 9/11 (which commemorated its 10th anniversary this year). The second was Mummar Kadafi, one of the biggest scheming despots of the Middle East. The third was Kim Jung Il, the biggest scheming despot of Asia.
And finally, I can't end this year-end blog without a final mention of the biggest, most shocking death of this past year, that of Amy Winehouse, who, no doubt, was the greatest singer-songwriter this generation ever had. That was the one death that I would say blew many people away and knocked many more for a pretty big wallop. I guess she should have gone to rehab. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, that's all for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, remember the disaster survivors, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
December Is Holiday Time
Hello, hello--hello!
I'm writing this blog a couple of days early because Sunday, my normal blogging day, is Christmas Day, a much deserved holiday for one and all, so I'm writing this blog now to get it out of the way for the holidays.
With the big day only two days away now, I'm sure you are all now counting down the hours until the big guy with all the goods comes to town, and I'm sure you've all played Santa's little helper and have gotten all your gifts by now, as well as your Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners as well. As for myself and my family, we all can't wait for that chicken and sausage gumbo and the roast turkey, baked ham, and oyster dressing we're going to have on the respective Christmas Eve and Christmas nights.
The December month is a special holiday month for one and all. With the Hanukkah celebrations of our Jewish friends, the Kwanza festivities of those of African descent, and the winter solstice commemorations of others in the world, as well as the big day of Christ's birth, December is a time to spend with everyone's family and friends. No wonder everyone of every faith, creed, and color wishes one and all, "Happy Holidays." For, it is a happy holiday for one and all.
And, everyone has their special way of eating at this particular time. Potato pancakes topped with apple sauce, monkey bread and gumbo, turkey, ham, stuffing, and all the wonderful deserts such as sugar cookies, gingerbread, teacakes, and the ever popular pumpkin and sweet potato pies, December is indeed a wonderful month for celebrations, and for seasoned eatings, with family and friends alike.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, remember to help the disaster survivors, and, happy holidays to all, and to all, a good night.
Warm wishes to all,
Marley Sue
The Gift Of The Gods
Hello, hello--hello!
Well, we now officially have exactly one week until Christmas, and exactly two weeks until we enter into the notorious New Year of 2012. Everyone, it seems, is going into the home stretch. The trees are up, the decorations are out, and the menus are prepared, and the ingredients are gotten. So are the gifts. Now, I'm sure you all have been good Santa's little helpers and gotten everything for all your loved ones this year: dolls, trains, stuffed animals, candles, colognes, and of course, the edible gifts: cookies, cakes, and the official confection of the Yuletide season, chocolate.
Yes, chocolate is the most favorite candy to give, and to get, this time of the year. It even beats out peppermint, which comes in at a very close second. And it isn't very hard to see why. So dark, so rich, so very decadent. And that was before the milk and sugar and nuts and fruit (and, yes, peppermint) were added. Ever since the Mayans had made cocoa a gift to the Spaniards, chocolate has become the gift to the entire world. And we all know the names of the main distributors of this gift, many of whom have become household names over the past century: Baker's, Giradelli, Nestle, Hershey, Mars, See's, Godiva. But the most special you can get is the one someone made for you in their own home.
Take this recipe for homemade fudge. All it is basically is cocoa, condensed milk, sugar, and butter stirred together in a heated dutch kettle, poured into a greased square cake pan and allowed to set before cutting into bite sized squares. Now this is the chocolate your grandmother used to make to give as Christmas gifts back in the day. A true testament that the greatest gifts are the ones you make yourself.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and remember to help the disaster survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Mighty Fine Christmas Eve Gumbo
Hello, everybody!
Well, the Christmas holiday season is officially underway, and I'm sure many of you already have your trees up and decorated by now, as well as most, if not all, of your gifts. Yes, it is once again the time for everyone to dust off their old nutcrackers and ornaments and plastic poinsettias and holly and mistletoe (they're safer for pets and small children) and your old vinyl albums, yes, the ones with all the scratches that skips the lyrics, and the CD's and Ipod selections for those who've upgraded, and the DVD's of your favorite holiday movies and TV shows, 'cause Christmas time is here, and so is the Yuletide cheer.
And, of course, now is the time most of us are making preparations for the holiday feast, which, for most of us, would consist of two days, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For those of us who have relatives who came from the southern part of the United States, such as myself, the traditional Christmas Eve dinner is a chicken stew called gumbo, which is relatively easy to fix. All it is, is a chicken stew with a floured rue made of flour, corn starch, and a little chicken broth, fried for about five minutes on very minimum heat on top of the stove. After the rue is cooked, it's added to the stew made up of a stewing chicken, smoked sausage, turkey necks, and, if your family came from the American Gulf Coast, crab meat and oysters. The Christmas Eve gumbo is usually served with crackling corn bread and dirty rice, which, incidentally, also serves as the basis for the holiday dressing, to which we add canned smoked oysters and Mrs. Cubbison's seasoned dressing to the dirty rice. The Christmas Day main course could be any bird of your choice: chicken, turkey, or, the most traditional, goose, which is quite good, I might add. But, a lot of people choose turkey as their traditional Christmas bird, which is also just very fine by me. Seasoned eatings!
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and remember to help the disaster survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
A Warning To All Homeowners
Hello, hello--hello!
As you know, we all live in very tough economic times, and, with these being tough economic times, I'm sure there's a lot of you who are doing modifications on your home loans, and a lot of people are out there saying that they can help you with this task. However, there's also a lot of con artists out there as well, and many people are not who they claim to be, and they can cost you even more than before you got involved with them. But there is a way you can tell the difference, and, this being the official "Information Station," I will tell you what to look out for, so that you, and your house, won't get soaked.
First of all, the really great lawyers don't use junk mail or spam to look for new clients. If anything, you have to go looking for them, usually through the Better Business Bureau's website. So, if you get anything in the mail that you didn't ask any information for, or someone you didn't contact first, throw it out, because they could be a scam. Second, the really great lawyers also don't ask for any fees upfront, and they also never, ever, tell you they won't go through with your case until you pay the whole upfront fee. Great layers and even the good ones always wait until they win your case for you to pay them. And third, and the most important rule of all, good lawyers never tell you to stop your mortgage payments so that you can pay them their upfront fee. Everyone on the level always tell you to continue your monthly mortgage payments.
Look, everybody knows that the fakers and frauds are out there, and it's up to each and every single one of us to alert each other to what's going on out there and try to warn everyone so that they won't fall for the okey doke, and help each other keep what we've worked so hard for. Hope I was of help to you today.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and remember to help the disaster survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
How To Get Your Holiday Shopping Done Without Even Trying
Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving dinner, folks, as, of course, my family and I enjoyed ours. It came off without a hitch. Candied yams? Tasty. Pumpkin pie? Went down easy as pie. Pineapple upside down cake? It flew off the plate like--well, you know, a piece of cake. And the turkey? Well, let's just say that, by the end of the evening, the guest of honor went home with many of the guests. Yeah, Thanksgiving was pretty much a success at our house, as, I'm sure, it was the same as yours as well.
Now, there's only one more holiday left in this year. Do you know what it is? That's right! Christmas! The one we've all been waiting for each year, every year. And I'll bet you've got your Christmas shopping all done already, right? You HAVEN'T?! Why, after all this time, I really thought that you, of all people, would have gotten everybody on your list at least one gift by now. I never thought that you would be amongst the ones who wait until the very last month to do all your holiday shopping.
So, how to get all of your holiday shopping over with, and avoid the traditional Black Friday rush? Well, it's very simple. Just do what I do every year. Catch all the sales the stores have the rest of the year. You see, starting in January, I keep my eyes peeled for all the great sales that pop up through out the year, compare prices, and buy the ones that are the most reasonable. Then, when the end of November comes along, I've already accumulated enough stuff for practically everyone on my list (that is, not counting the stuff I had to use because I had to replace something, of course). Small appliances, costume jewelry, and, of course, CD's, DVD's, and video games, you just never know what kind of bargains you can find the rest of the year.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until time, be well, stay well, and remember to help the disaster survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Have A Happy, And Healthy, Thanksgiving
So, This coming Thursday is the annual day in which we offered a sacrificed bird to ensure that the coming year will be a fruitful one, known to millions of Americans as Thanksgiving Day. And, in being Thanksgiving Day, we all are going to be thankful for another year of being a little more heathy, if not necessarily a little more wealthy. So, in honor of the "being healthy" part, I will now present to you some tips on having a more healthy Thanksgiving dinner.
Of course, we all know that Thanksgiving is more about tradition than about anything else, but, of course, times do change, and some traditions become more and more outdated with the coming decades, and what was considered healthy just a couple of generations ago may not be so healthy today, and might even cause obesity and other life threatening diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. One of the most notable culprits is the holiday dressing, which can be chock full of all kind of tasty, and not so healthy, tidbits, such as ground pork (which is a very popular ingredient in dressing recipes, especially the ones that originated in the South). Unfortunately, due to the high instances of high blood pressure and heart disease in our country today, especially in the African American and Latino American communities, ground pork is one ingredient that's being left out of many modern day dressing recipes, including one that's been in my family since the first Depression. The dressing can still be very tasty and healthy, though, just substitute ground turkey for ground beef, use ground up giblets sparingly, and spice it up with plenty of health inducing herbs and spices such as ginger, onions, and, of course, garlic, which is perfect for keeping blood pressure numbers in control. After all, there's nothing to be more thankful for the most than being around after Thanksgiving.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and remember to help the disaster survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue