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Oscar Night--What's New And What To Do
Hello, everybody!
First of all, I'd like to shout out a "Happy Birthday" greeting to my good friend, Joni (she knows who she is!). Happy birthday, girlfriend!
Well, tonight's the big night! The night we've all been waiting for! The Oscars! Gee, willakers, I wonder who will win? We've got ten pictures up for the top prize instead of the five we've been accustomed to for the past 47 years. I guess they'd rather have ten nominees instead of giving comedy pictures their own "Best Picture" Oscar category the way that the Golden Globes do, and the way the Emmys do with television sitcoms. Oh, well. If this is the only way comedy pictures will have a shot at Oscar gold, then so be it, but just as it is in school politics, no matter who runs for class president, the class clown will always lose out the more serious honor student. Happens every time.
I don't know about you, but I've notice how much better movies have gotten over the past decade, ever since the turn of this past century as a matter of fact. It seems to me that as the quality of television programs have dwindled over the past decade (some of those reality based programs are really nothing to write home about), the quality of theatrical releases have increased. True, increased somewhat a little bit, but increased just the same. Just think about it. We now have ten Best Picture nominees for the first time since 1943, and I know for a fact that none of those pictures are total goof balls. Say what you want about the Golden Guy, but one thing's for sure: Oscar does not suffer fools, meaning, he doesn't honor nothing but the cream of the crop (maybe that's the reason why comedies were never nominated for Best Picture!).
Now that we've talked about the ceremony itself, let's talk about what to eat while watching the ceremony. Oh, there's plenty of selections, but if you're into movie time tradition, nothing beats a good bowl of hot, buttered popcorn and your favorite fizzy drink! What is It? Coke? Pepsi? 7up? Sprite? Or maybe you're into something that doesn't have any bubbly pizazz, like Hawaiian Punch or Sunny D? Or, if you're one of the modernists that many Generation Xers and Generation Yers are, you'd probably be more interested in a can of Pringles and some Lipton's Tea, either home brewed or bottled from the store, either black tea or green tea. Or maybe you're more into chocolate treats, like M&M's or Hershey Kisses or Reese's Peanut Butter cups (I prefer the bite size Reese's Minis. I find I can control how much I eat and, therefore, control my weight!) No matter what you choose to eat during the Oscars, anything you eat while watching is sure to be a winner to your tummy!
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to help the quake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
First of all, I'd like to shout out a "Happy Birthday" greeting to my good friend, Joni (she knows who she is!). Happy birthday, girlfriend!
Well, tonight's the big night! The night we've all been waiting for! The Oscars! Gee, willakers, I wonder who will win? We've got ten pictures up for the top prize instead of the five we've been accustomed to for the past 47 years. I guess they'd rather have ten nominees instead of giving comedy pictures their own "Best Picture" Oscar category the way that the Golden Globes do, and the way the Emmys do with television sitcoms. Oh, well. If this is the only way comedy pictures will have a shot at Oscar gold, then so be it, but just as it is in school politics, no matter who runs for class president, the class clown will always lose out the more serious honor student. Happens every time.
I don't know about you, but I've notice how much better movies have gotten over the past decade, ever since the turn of this past century as a matter of fact. It seems to me that as the quality of television programs have dwindled over the past decade (some of those reality based programs are really nothing to write home about), the quality of theatrical releases have increased. True, increased somewhat a little bit, but increased just the same. Just think about it. We now have ten Best Picture nominees for the first time since 1943, and I know for a fact that none of those pictures are total goof balls. Say what you want about the Golden Guy, but one thing's for sure: Oscar does not suffer fools, meaning, he doesn't honor nothing but the cream of the crop (maybe that's the reason why comedies were never nominated for Best Picture!).
Now that we've talked about the ceremony itself, let's talk about what to eat while watching the ceremony. Oh, there's plenty of selections, but if you're into movie time tradition, nothing beats a good bowl of hot, buttered popcorn and your favorite fizzy drink! What is It? Coke? Pepsi? 7up? Sprite? Or maybe you're into something that doesn't have any bubbly pizazz, like Hawaiian Punch or Sunny D? Or, if you're one of the modernists that many Generation Xers and Generation Yers are, you'd probably be more interested in a can of Pringles and some Lipton's Tea, either home brewed or bottled from the store, either black tea or green tea. Or maybe you're more into chocolate treats, like M&M's or Hershey Kisses or Reese's Peanut Butter cups (I prefer the bite size Reese's Minis. I find I can control how much I eat and, therefore, control my weight!) No matter what you choose to eat during the Oscars, anything you eat while watching is sure to be a winner to your tummy!
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to help the quake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Happu Birthday, You Tube!
Hi, hi, hi, y'all!
So, this was one of those weeks that was going a little slow, and there's very little to report about. The Oscars are next week, as all of you know, and I, for one, am looking forward to watching them, as I do every single year. Chile had a major earthquake last night, one of the largest ever recorded. Caused a lot of damage, from what I saw on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, and about 300 people so far are dead, but of course, that number will be going up in the coming days and weeks ahead. There was a tsunami watch all across the Pacific, including here in Southern California, which was called off early this morning. Japan also had a major earthquake yesterday, but it wasn't as strong as the one in Chile. All of these earthquakes makes you wonder when Southern California will be visited by the often-talked about "big one."
One thing we can talk about is something that happened very recently. You Tube turned 5 years old a couple of weeks ago. Yes, that You Tube. The one that all of us spend a lot more time with on the Internet than we do with most of our office work and our school work. Ever since it debuted five years ago, You Tube has been an instant Internet sensation. And the reason is quite simple. For the first time ever, people could literally broadcast themselves, just like the You Tube slogan says. You didn't need an agent, you didn't need to be "discovered," all you needed was a web cam, and a lot of moxie, if not talent. Also, through You Tube, you could also broadcast a lot of cool stuff that was on TV and the motion picture screen from the past. That's how I located that Apple McIntosh computer commercial from 1984.
A lot of people seem to think that You Tube is the reason why MTV had to take the "music" out of its "Music Television" title, which it had for almost thirty years. You see, before You Tube, you only had to watch videos on MTV (or VH1, or BET), and the selection was very, very small. In other words, you had to be famous to get on MTV. Even Michael Jackson had a very hard time getting on MTV before Thriller. But now, on You Tube, not only can you watch whatever video you want to, you can watch it whenever you want to. Heck, you can even watch the same video over, and over, and over again. As a matter of fact, I've heard that many recording artists are debuting their videos on You Tube instead of MTV now. Even politicians are getting on the You Tube band wagon, doing their campaigning on You Tube first before anywhere else. Now, MTV is more famous for its reality shows than for its videos. And to tell you the truth, many of the homemade videos on You Tube is much more clever, more funny, and more entertaining than anything that was ever broadcast on MTV, except maybe Michael Jackson's videos. Now they were cool!
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to the people of Haiti!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
So, this was one of those weeks that was going a little slow, and there's very little to report about. The Oscars are next week, as all of you know, and I, for one, am looking forward to watching them, as I do every single year. Chile had a major earthquake last night, one of the largest ever recorded. Caused a lot of damage, from what I saw on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, and about 300 people so far are dead, but of course, that number will be going up in the coming days and weeks ahead. There was a tsunami watch all across the Pacific, including here in Southern California, which was called off early this morning. Japan also had a major earthquake yesterday, but it wasn't as strong as the one in Chile. All of these earthquakes makes you wonder when Southern California will be visited by the often-talked about "big one."
One thing we can talk about is something that happened very recently. You Tube turned 5 years old a couple of weeks ago. Yes, that You Tube. The one that all of us spend a lot more time with on the Internet than we do with most of our office work and our school work. Ever since it debuted five years ago, You Tube has been an instant Internet sensation. And the reason is quite simple. For the first time ever, people could literally broadcast themselves, just like the You Tube slogan says. You didn't need an agent, you didn't need to be "discovered," all you needed was a web cam, and a lot of moxie, if not talent. Also, through You Tube, you could also broadcast a lot of cool stuff that was on TV and the motion picture screen from the past. That's how I located that Apple McIntosh computer commercial from 1984.
A lot of people seem to think that You Tube is the reason why MTV had to take the "music" out of its "Music Television" title, which it had for almost thirty years. You see, before You Tube, you only had to watch videos on MTV (or VH1, or BET), and the selection was very, very small. In other words, you had to be famous to get on MTV. Even Michael Jackson had a very hard time getting on MTV before Thriller. But now, on You Tube, not only can you watch whatever video you want to, you can watch it whenever you want to. Heck, you can even watch the same video over, and over, and over again. As a matter of fact, I've heard that many recording artists are debuting their videos on You Tube instead of MTV now. Even politicians are getting on the You Tube band wagon, doing their campaigning on You Tube first before anywhere else. Now, MTV is more famous for its reality shows than for its videos. And to tell you the truth, many of the homemade videos on You Tube is much more clever, more funny, and more entertaining than anything that was ever broadcast on MTV, except maybe Michael Jackson's videos. Now they were cool!
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to the people of Haiti!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Tigers and Dandelions
Helloooooo everybody!
So, the Tiger finally held a press conference and told the whole world about the error of his ways, and how he is profoundly sorry for his actions. Was he sincere? Well, only he knows that for sure. It sure made for very good television theater, though. I mean, everybody was tuned in Friday morning before going to school and to work. The TV tabloid shows had their hands full later on that day as well. And as for the print tabloids? Well, they really hadn't laid off of this story since it broke late last year. But enough about this. Tiger said he was sorry, all is forgiven, and now, it's time to move on to something else.
Now, we Catholics are fully into the Lenten season, and you know what that means. Yes! We now have approximately six more weeks to the start of Easter, and Spring Break Week! (Applause here!) Soon it will be time to kick back with a hot video game and a cold soft drink (not necessarily in that order!) and leave the school books and homework behind, if only for one week! I just hope neither of my parents come up to me and my brother this year and announce to us "I think the house needs painting this week!" or "The garden sure could use a few more plants!" I know there's a lot that need to be done around the house, and I know that during Spring Break, there's a lot of time to do them, but come on! There's a lot that we kids have to catch up with as well, such as playing the latest video games and watching all those movies and programs that we Tivoed on school nights! (I know what a lot of you are saying: what about reading? Well, we kids do read a lot! More than many of you grownups would expect us to!) I know that a lot of sensible grownups use their vacation time to get a lot done, but just remember, folks, this is our vacation, too.
So, what do I plan on doing in just a few weeks? Well, like I said before, I plan on kicking back with the Beatles (through their Rock Star video game) and some Capri Sun, if there's nothing more to do around the house at that time. I've been checking around the house, and the paint job seems to be just fine, and we have enough plants and flowers in both the front and the back yards, and there are no weeds out in the yards, except for the occasional dandelion patch that dots our front and back lawns, and we pluck those, dry them and make dandelion tea out of them. It's the best tonic in the world! Well, anyway, I also plan on watching a few shows and movies that I saved on the Tivo on school nights, such as the episodes of Lost and some stuff on Cartoon Network, and a couple of movies on Turner Classic Movies. I might even find time to finish a new book I've just started. You've probably heard of it. It's called The Catcher in the Rye. It was written by a guy named J.D. Salinger. I heard he recently died. That's why I'm reading his book. Pretty good reading, so far.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to the people of Haiti!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
So, the Tiger finally held a press conference and told the whole world about the error of his ways, and how he is profoundly sorry for his actions. Was he sincere? Well, only he knows that for sure. It sure made for very good television theater, though. I mean, everybody was tuned in Friday morning before going to school and to work. The TV tabloid shows had their hands full later on that day as well. And as for the print tabloids? Well, they really hadn't laid off of this story since it broke late last year. But enough about this. Tiger said he was sorry, all is forgiven, and now, it's time to move on to something else.
Now, we Catholics are fully into the Lenten season, and you know what that means. Yes! We now have approximately six more weeks to the start of Easter, and Spring Break Week! (Applause here!) Soon it will be time to kick back with a hot video game and a cold soft drink (not necessarily in that order!) and leave the school books and homework behind, if only for one week! I just hope neither of my parents come up to me and my brother this year and announce to us "I think the house needs painting this week!" or "The garden sure could use a few more plants!" I know there's a lot that need to be done around the house, and I know that during Spring Break, there's a lot of time to do them, but come on! There's a lot that we kids have to catch up with as well, such as playing the latest video games and watching all those movies and programs that we Tivoed on school nights! (I know what a lot of you are saying: what about reading? Well, we kids do read a lot! More than many of you grownups would expect us to!) I know that a lot of sensible grownups use their vacation time to get a lot done, but just remember, folks, this is our vacation, too.
So, what do I plan on doing in just a few weeks? Well, like I said before, I plan on kicking back with the Beatles (through their Rock Star video game) and some Capri Sun, if there's nothing more to do around the house at that time. I've been checking around the house, and the paint job seems to be just fine, and we have enough plants and flowers in both the front and the back yards, and there are no weeds out in the yards, except for the occasional dandelion patch that dots our front and back lawns, and we pluck those, dry them and make dandelion tea out of them. It's the best tonic in the world! Well, anyway, I also plan on watching a few shows and movies that I saved on the Tivo on school nights, such as the episodes of Lost and some stuff on Cartoon Network, and a couple of movies on Turner Classic Movies. I might even find time to finish a new book I've just started. You've probably heard of it. It's called The Catcher in the Rye. It was written by a guy named J.D. Salinger. I heard he recently died. That's why I'm reading his book. Pretty good reading, so far.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to the people of Haiti!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
When the Saints Come Marching In!
Hello young (and old) lovers!
So today is Valentine's Day, the day that's traditionally for lovers. Traditionally, because, as of just a few short years ago, Valentine's Day was the day that was strictly put aside for those looking for a mate and for those who already have one. However, in today's time, this being the twenty first centrury after all, the definition of true love comes in as many shades as the color blue (which I think is around forty). Today, you not only can love your significant other, whoever that may be, you can also love your parent, you can love your pet (like I live my Yorkie Bootsie), you can love your best friend (which can also be your pet), heck, you can even love your favorite food, such as chocolate, which is a Valentine's Day staple. Yes, thanks to the progressive times, one is free to love whoever and whatever the heck they want, and don't forget to send them a Valentine's Day card.
Whoever is your special Valentine this particular day, there's one particular team we're all feeling the love for: The New Orleans Saints. Yeah, baby! The Saints finally came marching in, and they made it all the way to the Super Bowl championship! None of us who were watching last Sunday could believe it, and, I'm sure, neither could anyone else who was watching. From what I recall, that was the most watched television program in history, replacing the 1983 series finale of M*A*S*H, and that's no easy feat by a long shot. Since my father's family hails from New Orleans, the Super Bowl victory was even more special. It was sort of like home town guys making it good. It gave us all who have ties to the Big Easy a certain amount of hometown pride.
One of the most memoriable aspects of the Super Bowl, of course, are the commercials. That's the reason why we females watch the Super Bowl in the first place. I'm telling you, many of the Super Bowl commercials from past years have become classics. Take, for example, the Apple Computer MacIntosh commercial from the 1984 Super Bowl, which was a satrical parody of-- what else?--the great literary classic, 1984. It involved an audience sitting in front of this dictator-like character on a large television screen, and all of a sudden, this Olympic sprinter runs into the auditorium carrying a sledge hammer, stopped in the middle of the isle, hurled the hammer at the screen, and shattered it into a million pieces as the stunned audience looked on in shock and silence. The announcer then announced the arrival of the new Apple computer, the MacIntosh, and told the audience that "You'll soon see that 1984 won't be, like 1984." That was totally awsome! This year's memoriable Super Bowl ad featured three television powehouses: talk show hosts Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Oprah Winfrey, who was sitting in between them watching the Super Bowl on TV and eating potato chips. If the advertisers were digging for comedy gold, they sure hit pay dirt.
Well, that does it for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to give what you can to the people of Haiti!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
So today is Valentine's Day, the day that's traditionally for lovers. Traditionally, because, as of just a few short years ago, Valentine's Day was the day that was strictly put aside for those looking for a mate and for those who already have one. However, in today's time, this being the twenty first centrury after all, the definition of true love comes in as many shades as the color blue (which I think is around forty). Today, you not only can love your significant other, whoever that may be, you can also love your parent, you can love your pet (like I live my Yorkie Bootsie), you can love your best friend (which can also be your pet), heck, you can even love your favorite food, such as chocolate, which is a Valentine's Day staple. Yes, thanks to the progressive times, one is free to love whoever and whatever the heck they want, and don't forget to send them a Valentine's Day card.
Whoever is your special Valentine this particular day, there's one particular team we're all feeling the love for: The New Orleans Saints. Yeah, baby! The Saints finally came marching in, and they made it all the way to the Super Bowl championship! None of us who were watching last Sunday could believe it, and, I'm sure, neither could anyone else who was watching. From what I recall, that was the most watched television program in history, replacing the 1983 series finale of M*A*S*H, and that's no easy feat by a long shot. Since my father's family hails from New Orleans, the Super Bowl victory was even more special. It was sort of like home town guys making it good. It gave us all who have ties to the Big Easy a certain amount of hometown pride.
One of the most memoriable aspects of the Super Bowl, of course, are the commercials. That's the reason why we females watch the Super Bowl in the first place. I'm telling you, many of the Super Bowl commercials from past years have become classics. Take, for example, the Apple Computer MacIntosh commercial from the 1984 Super Bowl, which was a satrical parody of-- what else?--the great literary classic, 1984. It involved an audience sitting in front of this dictator-like character on a large television screen, and all of a sudden, this Olympic sprinter runs into the auditorium carrying a sledge hammer, stopped in the middle of the isle, hurled the hammer at the screen, and shattered it into a million pieces as the stunned audience looked on in shock and silence. The announcer then announced the arrival of the new Apple computer, the MacIntosh, and told the audience that "You'll soon see that 1984 won't be, like 1984." That was totally awsome! This year's memoriable Super Bowl ad featured three television powehouses: talk show hosts Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Oprah Winfrey, who was sitting in between them watching the Super Bowl on TV and eating potato chips. If the advertisers were digging for comedy gold, they sure hit pay dirt.
Well, that does it for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to give what you can to the people of Haiti!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
The Fishy Blog
Hello, everybody!
So, what to write about today? It's been kind of a slow week, both in my life and in the news, and I've haven't got a clue as to what to write about. The Grammys were a week ago, and the Oscar nods were announced a couple of days later (along with the Razzies, which "celebrates" the flip side of Oscar excellence). Other than that, there just wasn't all that going on this past week.
Well, since Ash Wednesday and the official start of Lent is about a week or so away, I guess we could talk about seafood and other meatless dishes. Yeah, I guess we could talk about that. As many Catholics like myself know very well, Lent is a time when we abstain from eating meat, starting on Ash Wednesday and every following Friday until Easter Sunday about six weeks later, and traditionally, Lent is a time when we eat a lot of fish, crab, oysters, clams, and macaroni and cheese. Tuna is a popular staple this time of year, and many of my friends and relatives do make cheesy tuna macaroni casserole with boxed mac and cheese and canned tuna, or salmon, which is a very good substitute.
Speaking of salmon, there is a lot of wonderful ways to prepare the canned version of this wonderfully delicious fish, but the most popular is making them into patties more commonly known as croquets, which is sort of like crab cakes, only you make them with salmon instead. All you have to do is take a couple of cans of salmon, about a cup or two of cooked mashed potatoes, one chopped onion and one chopped garlic, and a lot of herbs and spices, mix then all together, form them into patties, and bake for about 45 min.
Canned sardines are also popular this time of year as well, and many of us kids bring sardine sandwiches to school every Friday during Lent. I, for one, prefer sardines that were packed in ketchup, in between two pieces of wheat toast and two slices of 2% American cheese singles, with a small glass of Sunny Delight or Capri Sun. Some people prefer kippered fish in between their sandwich bread, and some even use mackerel, if you can believe that. My Yorkie Bootsie is also quite fond of sardines, but with the economy being what it presently is, I've been leaving the sardines for myself. She'll have to be satisfied with Alpo instead.
I would like to say one lat thing about the latest fish that has been gaining in popularity. Talapia is a very tasty whitefish that is as versatile as catfish and halibut, and can be prepared fried, baked, boiled, or grilled. You can buy it fresh from the seafood section of your local supermarket, or you can buy it, boxed and already prepared, by Gordon's. All you have to do is heat it in the oven.
Well, that's all the time we have for today. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to the Haitian survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
So, what to write about today? It's been kind of a slow week, both in my life and in the news, and I've haven't got a clue as to what to write about. The Grammys were a week ago, and the Oscar nods were announced a couple of days later (along with the Razzies, which "celebrates" the flip side of Oscar excellence). Other than that, there just wasn't all that going on this past week.
Well, since Ash Wednesday and the official start of Lent is about a week or so away, I guess we could talk about seafood and other meatless dishes. Yeah, I guess we could talk about that. As many Catholics like myself know very well, Lent is a time when we abstain from eating meat, starting on Ash Wednesday and every following Friday until Easter Sunday about six weeks later, and traditionally, Lent is a time when we eat a lot of fish, crab, oysters, clams, and macaroni and cheese. Tuna is a popular staple this time of year, and many of my friends and relatives do make cheesy tuna macaroni casserole with boxed mac and cheese and canned tuna, or salmon, which is a very good substitute.
Speaking of salmon, there is a lot of wonderful ways to prepare the canned version of this wonderfully delicious fish, but the most popular is making them into patties more commonly known as croquets, which is sort of like crab cakes, only you make them with salmon instead. All you have to do is take a couple of cans of salmon, about a cup or two of cooked mashed potatoes, one chopped onion and one chopped garlic, and a lot of herbs and spices, mix then all together, form them into patties, and bake for about 45 min.
Canned sardines are also popular this time of year as well, and many of us kids bring sardine sandwiches to school every Friday during Lent. I, for one, prefer sardines that were packed in ketchup, in between two pieces of wheat toast and two slices of 2% American cheese singles, with a small glass of Sunny Delight or Capri Sun. Some people prefer kippered fish in between their sandwich bread, and some even use mackerel, if you can believe that. My Yorkie Bootsie is also quite fond of sardines, but with the economy being what it presently is, I've been leaving the sardines for myself. She'll have to be satisfied with Alpo instead.
I would like to say one lat thing about the latest fish that has been gaining in popularity. Talapia is a very tasty whitefish that is as versatile as catfish and halibut, and can be prepared fried, baked, boiled, or grilled. You can buy it fresh from the seafood section of your local supermarket, or you can buy it, boxed and already prepared, by Gordon's. All you have to do is heat it in the oven.
Well, that's all the time we have for today. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to the Haitian survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
In Praise of Mainstream Journalism
Hello, hello, hello!
Well, I'm sure you all have gotten the President's State of the Union address last week, and, of course, we all found out that the union is in a very bad state (no surprise there!). He did touch on many subjects that are near and dear to our hearts, though, such as health care and bringing our troops home as soon as possible, and he also stated that we're all in this together, and, since we are all in this together, we might as well stick together and work together to get ourselves out of the mess that Bush and his cronies got us into. And please be patient, because, after all, these things do take time. At least, that how I took the State of the Union address.
So J.D. Salinger died this past week. Not to be disrespectable and all but, from the way he kept our of public sight, I thought he was already dead (as I'm sure many of you did as well). Well, anyway, he did write one of the most respected and treasured (and banned) books of the past century, Catcher in the Rye, which I haven't read yet but am sure to get around to reading it very soon. I hear it's a very good read, about teenage angst and feeling like a stranger in a strange land (which pretty much sums up the adolescent years, folks). Totally unlike all the books my generation have read. Of course, all my generation seemed to have ever read was Harry Potter and Marvel comic books. Hardly the literary masterpieces that Catcher in the Rye was, if you want the truth.
If you want to know what the saddest part of this whole thing is, it's this: If Catcher in the Rye was written today, it probably wouldn't get published. Why, you may ask? Is it because this generation is more illiterate? Hardly! The majority of people today do know how to read. It's just that they choose not to read, and when they do read, they choose to read that which does not offer very much mental or intellectual enlightenment, such as tabloids. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of stuff being sold in book stores today is as heavily steeped in tabloid journalism as a Lipton tea bag is in very hot water. You see, in Salinger's time, books were mainly published for the intellectual value they gave the reader, and if it was a best seller, that was an added bonus. Now, the main thing that many publishers go by as far as publishing books are concerned is whatever sells. And, it seems, that tabloid journalism is what's selling today. Just look at all of the celebrity tell-all books that are selling very well in the stores today, as well as the tabloid-style fictional novels as well. A lot of people seems to think this all goes back to Jacqueline Suzann's' Valley of the Dolls, and they could be right. Well, anyway, a normal, mainstream writer wouldn't stand a chance in today's literary market, and, I really do believe, that's the reason why many writers have taken to blogging on line, because they can't make a descent living writing and they have to turn to blogging just to keep their writing skills fresh and up to date.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next week, be well, stay well, and don't forget to give what you can to help Haiti!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Well, I'm sure you all have gotten the President's State of the Union address last week, and, of course, we all found out that the union is in a very bad state (no surprise there!). He did touch on many subjects that are near and dear to our hearts, though, such as health care and bringing our troops home as soon as possible, and he also stated that we're all in this together, and, since we are all in this together, we might as well stick together and work together to get ourselves out of the mess that Bush and his cronies got us into. And please be patient, because, after all, these things do take time. At least, that how I took the State of the Union address.
So J.D. Salinger died this past week. Not to be disrespectable and all but, from the way he kept our of public sight, I thought he was already dead (as I'm sure many of you did as well). Well, anyway, he did write one of the most respected and treasured (and banned) books of the past century, Catcher in the Rye, which I haven't read yet but am sure to get around to reading it very soon. I hear it's a very good read, about teenage angst and feeling like a stranger in a strange land (which pretty much sums up the adolescent years, folks). Totally unlike all the books my generation have read. Of course, all my generation seemed to have ever read was Harry Potter and Marvel comic books. Hardly the literary masterpieces that Catcher in the Rye was, if you want the truth.
If you want to know what the saddest part of this whole thing is, it's this: If Catcher in the Rye was written today, it probably wouldn't get published. Why, you may ask? Is it because this generation is more illiterate? Hardly! The majority of people today do know how to read. It's just that they choose not to read, and when they do read, they choose to read that which does not offer very much mental or intellectual enlightenment, such as tabloids. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of stuff being sold in book stores today is as heavily steeped in tabloid journalism as a Lipton tea bag is in very hot water. You see, in Salinger's time, books were mainly published for the intellectual value they gave the reader, and if it was a best seller, that was an added bonus. Now, the main thing that many publishers go by as far as publishing books are concerned is whatever sells. And, it seems, that tabloid journalism is what's selling today. Just look at all of the celebrity tell-all books that are selling very well in the stores today, as well as the tabloid-style fictional novels as well. A lot of people seems to think this all goes back to Jacqueline Suzann's' Valley of the Dolls, and they could be right. Well, anyway, a normal, mainstream writer wouldn't stand a chance in today's literary market, and, I really do believe, that's the reason why many writers have taken to blogging on line, because they can't make a descent living writing and they have to turn to blogging just to keep their writing skills fresh and up to date.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next week, be well, stay well, and don't forget to give what you can to help Haiti!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Three Strikes? Don't Count Us Out Yet!
Hi, everybody!
Well, I just cannot believe what had happened this week! Can you believe it? A Republican ended up with Edward Kennedy's Senate seat! And in so-called liberal Massachusetts, too! I had to call up one of my cousins who live in Boston and ask, "What the heck happened? How could Coakley possibly lose the most important Senate seat in modern history to a--a--Republican?" Well, she said that, from what she heard, people are not too happy with how slow the current Administration is in solving all the problems this country is currently facing, and people just got tired of waiting. They wanted to send some kind of message to Washington (well, they did just that) that they'd better do something about getting things done, or there will be a repeat of what just happened in Massachusetts, happening all over the country come November. Well, sure, it's taking a little more time to get things done in this country, but we must also remember exactly what kind of bummed-up shape the previous Administration left this country in (two senseless, meaningless wars, jobs being shipped to everywhere but within this country, stores closing right and left all over this country, a deep recession, being careful not to call this a depression) and sometimes, dear friends, cleaning up mess takes a little longer than we had expected it would.
The second big shock that happened this week is the fact that the Supreme Court of the land just gave American citizenship to--the big butt corporations of America. That's right! You heard me! The United States Supreme Court has just decided that the corporations in this country has the same rights as human beings and, therefore, they have a right to be heard as well, especially around, oh, I don't know, election time, maybe? And you know what that could mean. It could mean that those candidates with the biggest bucks behind them, could have a better chance or winning elections. If this sounds like something that you should be afraid of, you're right, for someone who is not as qualified, but has a lot of corporate money behind him or her, could have a better chance of getting into office than someone who is qualified but doesn't have a lot for financial backing. Hmm. sounds exactly like what just happened in Massachusetts to me.
The third big blow to us progressives that happened this week is the death of that progressive radio network, Air America, something that, to tell you the truth, was not as unexpected as what just happened in Massachusetts and in the Supreme Court. We progressives saw this day coming many years ago. Air America started out with a good idea, giving progressives the same voice on the radio that conservatives always had, but, really folks, this ship was never properly run. The network was primarily run by writers and well knowns who wanted to show how progressive they really were, but it was never run by professional broadcasters, which conservative radio always was. That's the reason why it had to go. However, just because it's the end of Air America does not mean it's the end of progressive radio. Just as long as the airwaves exist in one form or another, we progressives will always have a soap box to stand on and tell it to you like it really is. And as long as we progressive stick together, we can fight anything, even when it seems that the cards a severely stacked against us.
Well, that's all for today. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget our brethren and sisteren in Haiti. Give what you can!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Well, I just cannot believe what had happened this week! Can you believe it? A Republican ended up with Edward Kennedy's Senate seat! And in so-called liberal Massachusetts, too! I had to call up one of my cousins who live in Boston and ask, "What the heck happened? How could Coakley possibly lose the most important Senate seat in modern history to a--a--Republican?" Well, she said that, from what she heard, people are not too happy with how slow the current Administration is in solving all the problems this country is currently facing, and people just got tired of waiting. They wanted to send some kind of message to Washington (well, they did just that) that they'd better do something about getting things done, or there will be a repeat of what just happened in Massachusetts, happening all over the country come November. Well, sure, it's taking a little more time to get things done in this country, but we must also remember exactly what kind of bummed-up shape the previous Administration left this country in (two senseless, meaningless wars, jobs being shipped to everywhere but within this country, stores closing right and left all over this country, a deep recession, being careful not to call this a depression) and sometimes, dear friends, cleaning up mess takes a little longer than we had expected it would.
The second big shock that happened this week is the fact that the Supreme Court of the land just gave American citizenship to--the big butt corporations of America. That's right! You heard me! The United States Supreme Court has just decided that the corporations in this country has the same rights as human beings and, therefore, they have a right to be heard as well, especially around, oh, I don't know, election time, maybe? And you know what that could mean. It could mean that those candidates with the biggest bucks behind them, could have a better chance or winning elections. If this sounds like something that you should be afraid of, you're right, for someone who is not as qualified, but has a lot of corporate money behind him or her, could have a better chance of getting into office than someone who is qualified but doesn't have a lot for financial backing. Hmm. sounds exactly like what just happened in Massachusetts to me.
The third big blow to us progressives that happened this week is the death of that progressive radio network, Air America, something that, to tell you the truth, was not as unexpected as what just happened in Massachusetts and in the Supreme Court. We progressives saw this day coming many years ago. Air America started out with a good idea, giving progressives the same voice on the radio that conservatives always had, but, really folks, this ship was never properly run. The network was primarily run by writers and well knowns who wanted to show how progressive they really were, but it was never run by professional broadcasters, which conservative radio always was. That's the reason why it had to go. However, just because it's the end of Air America does not mean it's the end of progressive radio. Just as long as the airwaves exist in one form or another, we progressives will always have a soap box to stand on and tell it to you like it really is. And as long as we progressive stick together, we can fight anything, even when it seems that the cards a severely stacked against us.
Well, that's all for today. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget our brethren and sisteren in Haiti. Give what you can!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
A Time Of Crisis, A Call To Action
Hello, hello, hello!
Well, I'm sure you all must have heard by now of the utter devastation on the Island of Hispaniola this past week. I mean, Haiti was just obliterated by that 7.0 earthquake. I mean, there was practically nothing left. This tragedy has hit my family particularly hard because, my father's family is from Haiti. My great, great grandmother, Mary Hathaway, came from Haiti in 1871 and settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she worked as a paid cook for an Irish immigrant, Harland Harley, who was a potato and poultry farmer (the Harley farm is still in existence in New Orleans, having survived Hurricane Katrina, and is today the Harley family homestead), so you could say that, on my father's side of the family, I am of proud duel heritage, Irish and Haitian. (My mom's family is Scottish and Moroccan.) We got in contact with some of our family in Haiti this past week, and they said that the tiny village where Mary Hathaway originated is gone. There's nothing left, except a lot of rubble and torned-up roads. I mean, I'm telling you all, the people of Haiti have nothing now. And the saddest part of all is, they had very little to begin with.
Even sadder than that is the attitude towards this catastrophe of some of the people in this country who have everything. Take Rush Limboar, for example. He said that people in America shouldn't donate to help these people, and that they already donated, through their tax dollars. Now, let me get this straight, people. This was the same guy who was hospitalized a few weeks ago for some kind of heart problem. I just don't get it, because I always thought that you had to have a heart to have heart problems. Another work of art is this preacher from the Christian Broadcasting Network, whose name escapes me for the moment, but I'll never forget what he said about the people of Haiti making a pact with the Devil in order to get out from the oppression of the French. Now, I might be wrong, but if you sell your soul to the Devil, aren't you supposed to get money and fancy cars and luxurious mansions and stuff? Something that the people of Haiti never had? I might be wrong. Maybe I saw the Damn Yankees DVD one too many times.
For those of you who do care, and I know there are many, because I've seen and heard of the many donations that have been made so far, there is a lot of ways you can help. One was is to get in contact with the Red Cross, and make a donation on their website, or, even better, you can just text in HAITI 90999 on your cell phone, and ten dollars will automatically be donated to the Red Cross from your cell phone bill. You can also get in contact with your churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques and see what you can do to help. These people need everything: money, clothing, dry and canned foods, baby formula, everything, and believe me, no donation is too small. Because, after all folks, it is the charity of people like you who really made this country something special.
Well, that's all I have to say for this week. Until next time, be well and stay well!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Well, I'm sure you all must have heard by now of the utter devastation on the Island of Hispaniola this past week. I mean, Haiti was just obliterated by that 7.0 earthquake. I mean, there was practically nothing left. This tragedy has hit my family particularly hard because, my father's family is from Haiti. My great, great grandmother, Mary Hathaway, came from Haiti in 1871 and settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she worked as a paid cook for an Irish immigrant, Harland Harley, who was a potato and poultry farmer (the Harley farm is still in existence in New Orleans, having survived Hurricane Katrina, and is today the Harley family homestead), so you could say that, on my father's side of the family, I am of proud duel heritage, Irish and Haitian. (My mom's family is Scottish and Moroccan.) We got in contact with some of our family in Haiti this past week, and they said that the tiny village where Mary Hathaway originated is gone. There's nothing left, except a lot of rubble and torned-up roads. I mean, I'm telling you all, the people of Haiti have nothing now. And the saddest part of all is, they had very little to begin with.
Even sadder than that is the attitude towards this catastrophe of some of the people in this country who have everything. Take Rush Limboar, for example. He said that people in America shouldn't donate to help these people, and that they already donated, through their tax dollars. Now, let me get this straight, people. This was the same guy who was hospitalized a few weeks ago for some kind of heart problem. I just don't get it, because I always thought that you had to have a heart to have heart problems. Another work of art is this preacher from the Christian Broadcasting Network, whose name escapes me for the moment, but I'll never forget what he said about the people of Haiti making a pact with the Devil in order to get out from the oppression of the French. Now, I might be wrong, but if you sell your soul to the Devil, aren't you supposed to get money and fancy cars and luxurious mansions and stuff? Something that the people of Haiti never had? I might be wrong. Maybe I saw the Damn Yankees DVD one too many times.
For those of you who do care, and I know there are many, because I've seen and heard of the many donations that have been made so far, there is a lot of ways you can help. One was is to get in contact with the Red Cross, and make a donation on their website, or, even better, you can just text in HAITI 90999 on your cell phone, and ten dollars will automatically be donated to the Red Cross from your cell phone bill. You can also get in contact with your churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques and see what you can do to help. These people need everything: money, clothing, dry and canned foods, baby formula, everything, and believe me, no donation is too small. Because, after all folks, it is the charity of people like you who really made this country something special.
Well, that's all I have to say for this week. Until next time, be well and stay well!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Of Red Ponies and Green Men
Hello, everybody!
Well, 2010 sure seems to be hitting the ground running! Already we're ten days into it! I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that this new year is going to go by just as fast as the old one did, and all the ones before that one as well! Before you know it, Spring break will soon be here (and it will be a week in which your parents will find something for you to do, you can bet that!), and then, it will be three months of total bliss as we all have a well-deserved break from school. I can hardly wait for that.
And now, for something much more serious. It's a very sad day in Gumbasia today. This past week, Art Clokey, the creator of this unique, clay world, went on to that great big clay pot in the sky. Clokey, as many of you well know, was the creator of the original "little green man," Gumby, as well as his ever present red pony friend, Pokey, as well as an assortment or supporting characters (the villainous Blockheads, Prickle the dragon, and that blue female character, Goo, who, with her blond hair, quite resembles Smurfette). He also was the creator of that staple of Catholic school classrooms, Davey and Goliath, (which is played regularly at my school), but, however, it just might be that he will be more remembered for Gumby and Pokey than Davey and Goliath (which airs every Saturday on TBN). In light of the huge contribution that Gumby has had on popular culture over the past five decades, I feel that it is my duty as the reporter of all things pop culture to take a few moments to speak about this "little green ball of clay."
As like many other pop icons, Gumby started out with a very humble beginning. He made his debut as a recurring character on NBC's Howdy Doody Show back in the 1950's (similar, you can say, to the way the Simpsons started out on Fox's The Tracy Ullman Show back in the 1980's. Coincidence, or not?!), before gaining his own show a few years later, and America, and the rest of the world, has been in love with him ever since. Like Johnny Cash, he's been everywhere, man. On Saturday mornings, on weekday mornings and afternoons, on the big screen (in Gumby, The Movie), on cable (Cartoon Network), even on Saturday Night Live, when Eddie Murphy did a hilarious parody of him in the mid 1980's. A few years ago, there even was a documentary made about his (and his creator's) life, Gumby Dharma, which is really good and I highly recommend that everyone sees it. It plays regularly on the Independent Film Channel. Of course, in the wake of Clokey's death, now would be a great time to broadcast it again. It would also be a great time to broadcast some of the classic Gumby 'toons again as well, as well as Gumby The Movie. There's an entire generation of kids who have never seen any of these very clever short films. They are certainly much more fun to watch than South Park. Funnier, too. Well, goodbye, Art. Have a nice trip.
Well, that's all for now. Until next time, be well, and stay well.
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Well, 2010 sure seems to be hitting the ground running! Already we're ten days into it! I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that this new year is going to go by just as fast as the old one did, and all the ones before that one as well! Before you know it, Spring break will soon be here (and it will be a week in which your parents will find something for you to do, you can bet that!), and then, it will be three months of total bliss as we all have a well-deserved break from school. I can hardly wait for that.
And now, for something much more serious. It's a very sad day in Gumbasia today. This past week, Art Clokey, the creator of this unique, clay world, went on to that great big clay pot in the sky. Clokey, as many of you well know, was the creator of the original "little green man," Gumby, as well as his ever present red pony friend, Pokey, as well as an assortment or supporting characters (the villainous Blockheads, Prickle the dragon, and that blue female character, Goo, who, with her blond hair, quite resembles Smurfette). He also was the creator of that staple of Catholic school classrooms, Davey and Goliath, (which is played regularly at my school), but, however, it just might be that he will be more remembered for Gumby and Pokey than Davey and Goliath (which airs every Saturday on TBN). In light of the huge contribution that Gumby has had on popular culture over the past five decades, I feel that it is my duty as the reporter of all things pop culture to take a few moments to speak about this "little green ball of clay."
As like many other pop icons, Gumby started out with a very humble beginning. He made his debut as a recurring character on NBC's Howdy Doody Show back in the 1950's (similar, you can say, to the way the Simpsons started out on Fox's The Tracy Ullman Show back in the 1980's. Coincidence, or not?!), before gaining his own show a few years later, and America, and the rest of the world, has been in love with him ever since. Like Johnny Cash, he's been everywhere, man. On Saturday mornings, on weekday mornings and afternoons, on the big screen (in Gumby, The Movie), on cable (Cartoon Network), even on Saturday Night Live, when Eddie Murphy did a hilarious parody of him in the mid 1980's. A few years ago, there even was a documentary made about his (and his creator's) life, Gumby Dharma, which is really good and I highly recommend that everyone sees it. It plays regularly on the Independent Film Channel. Of course, in the wake of Clokey's death, now would be a great time to broadcast it again. It would also be a great time to broadcast some of the classic Gumby 'toons again as well, as well as Gumby The Movie. There's an entire generation of kids who have never seen any of these very clever short films. They are certainly much more fun to watch than South Park. Funnier, too. Well, goodbye, Art. Have a nice trip.
Well, that's all for now. Until next time, be well, and stay well.
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
New Year, New Beginnings
Hello, everybody, and Happy New Year!
Boy, didn't 2009 go by so fast? I guess the reason why it seemed as if it did go by fast is because so much has happened in it. The real question now is, what does 2010 have in store for us? If what's been happening lately in this country and in this world is any indication, it will probably be more of the same. It always is every year, every decade. But it never hurts to hope for the best, does it?
Oh well, now that vacation is over, and all the trees have been stripped of their decorations and either put back into storage or put out on the curb, it's time to get back to business as usual. Time to get back to school and back to work (or get back to looking for work, as is the case for a vast majority of Americans nowadays, unfortunately). And time to put the Beatles Rock Star back in the box. You can't play video games and do homework for challenging classes like Algebra at the same time, you know. Oh well, all was fun while it lasted. At least there's the weekends to have fun with the Fab Four.
Now, it's time for resolutions. For some, that resolution could be not only looking for that job, but getting it as well. For others, it might be losing all of those extra pounds that were gained between Halloween and New Years Eve. My resolution, for one, is to maintain good grades in all my classes, particularly in the aforementioned Algebra. It's easier that I thought it would be. All you have to do is put your mind to it. But whatever resolution it might be, we're all hoping that we all have success in achieving our goals for this coming new year.
A new year has traditionally been a time for new beginnings, whether it's preparing to look for a new job or preparing to start a new project, such as health and weight management. The new year has always been a time when many people get rid of all of the "extra baggage" and "junk" that accumulated in their lives over the preceding year. This is also the time of year that many people begin hitting the "delete" button on all of the excess email in their Outlooks and Hot Mails and other on line mail boxes (I know I have to do that in my email box!). Many kids also start cleaning their backpacks and lockers of all the junk that was accumulated since last September and get everything nice, neat, and more organized (which I also have to do as well!), and some people even clean out their refrigerators of long-expired stuff (How many people actually keep milk that was best if used before December, 2004?!) Yes, sir, a new year means a new beginning for everyone, and for everything, and a new year means a new way of doing things and thinking about things for everyone as well.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next week, be well, and stay well!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Boy, didn't 2009 go by so fast? I guess the reason why it seemed as if it did go by fast is because so much has happened in it. The real question now is, what does 2010 have in store for us? If what's been happening lately in this country and in this world is any indication, it will probably be more of the same. It always is every year, every decade. But it never hurts to hope for the best, does it?
Oh well, now that vacation is over, and all the trees have been stripped of their decorations and either put back into storage or put out on the curb, it's time to get back to business as usual. Time to get back to school and back to work (or get back to looking for work, as is the case for a vast majority of Americans nowadays, unfortunately). And time to put the Beatles Rock Star back in the box. You can't play video games and do homework for challenging classes like Algebra at the same time, you know. Oh well, all was fun while it lasted. At least there's the weekends to have fun with the Fab Four.
Now, it's time for resolutions. For some, that resolution could be not only looking for that job, but getting it as well. For others, it might be losing all of those extra pounds that were gained between Halloween and New Years Eve. My resolution, for one, is to maintain good grades in all my classes, particularly in the aforementioned Algebra. It's easier that I thought it would be. All you have to do is put your mind to it. But whatever resolution it might be, we're all hoping that we all have success in achieving our goals for this coming new year.
A new year has traditionally been a time for new beginnings, whether it's preparing to look for a new job or preparing to start a new project, such as health and weight management. The new year has always been a time when many people get rid of all of the "extra baggage" and "junk" that accumulated in their lives over the preceding year. This is also the time of year that many people begin hitting the "delete" button on all of the excess email in their Outlooks and Hot Mails and other on line mail boxes (I know I have to do that in my email box!). Many kids also start cleaning their backpacks and lockers of all the junk that was accumulated since last September and get everything nice, neat, and more organized (which I also have to do as well!), and some people even clean out their refrigerators of long-expired stuff (How many people actually keep milk that was best if used before December, 2004?!) Yes, sir, a new year means a new beginning for everyone, and for everything, and a new year means a new way of doing things and thinking about things for everyone as well.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next week, be well, and stay well!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue