Selling Nostalgia: Coke In A Bottle

There’s a ritual I have with my son. I pick him up from school and when he tells me about something he learned or tells me his behavior was good, I reward him.  We usually stop at a store and I’ll buy him an afternoon snack. Usually it’s a muffin, some dark chocolate (his favorite) or a soda. (Pop… if you are in the midwest.)

Today, my son picked up a muffin and then he wanted something to drink with it. At the store he noticed a strange bottle of Coca Cola. It wasn’t the usual plastic bottle. It was a small glass bottle of coke.  “Dad, what kind of Coke is that?” I told my son that’s how I remember Coca Cola as a kid. It was in a bottle and you couldn’t twist off cap.

Coke in a Bottle

Coke in a Bottle

Just then, I had flashbacks to when I was a kid.  Hot days, fishing,and getting a hair cut at the local barber shop came rushing in to my head and all with all these memories I had a bottle of Coke in my hand. WOW!!!

Sure people will say that Coca Cola isn’t the right thing to give a 7 year-old, but heck, this is nostalgia. I bought the Coke for my son and pried the top open in the car and we had a nice conversation about old Coca Cola machines.

So Coca Cola sold me on nostalgia. It’s a pretty ice cold and refreshing  marketing technique and it worked. It was also nice to share a coke with my son and talk about the old days.

We had a Coke and smile.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Palm Beach Real Estate

Palm Beach Real Estate

I was vacationing in south Florida last year and I noticed something about the houses on Palm Beach Island, otherwise known as the Town of Palm Beach. The property in Palm Beach were some of the biggest and most beautiful houses I have ever seen in my life. Palm Beach is home to some of the richest people of the world. Even Donald Trump has homes in Palm Beach.

Palm Beach Real Estate

Palm Beach Real Estate

Can you call these homes or investment properties in Palm Beach? I guess you could call them both. Palm Beach is a beautiful area of Florida. Driving through the town reminded me of pictures I have seen of Beverly Hills.

I looked at the real estate listings for Palm Beach, Florida and couldn’t believe the prices on some of these homes. Well, I guess I can’t really call them homes, more like castles or mansions. The Palm Beach Real Estate is just simply fascinated myself. If I had the money I would probably buy some property in Palm Beach.  There weren’t too many homes for sale in Palm Beach Florida that’s because I think that the people that own property in Palm Beach are snow bunnies and keep these houses to themselves so they can fly down to the area in the winter.

Could a guy like me afford a great piece of Palm Beach Real Estate? Probably not. But in any case I’ll keep saving my pennies so that one day I could possibly afford to buy property in Palm Beach. Maybe a brick.

Popularity: 1% [?]

What is the official language of the United States?

What is the official language of the United States?

I have to keep reminding myself to keep the politics off Facebook and keep it on the Bragger.

You get mad when you are asked to press #1 for English, why? The United States has no official language. Some states have declared that they will only conduct legislative business using English.  However English is not the official language on the United States….either is Spanish, German, Polish or any other language.

People still get mad. Aren’t you forgetting that more than half of the U.S was colonized by Spain at one time?

The U.S. even owns a Spanish-Speaking territory. Puerto Rico. Do Puerto Ricans HAVE to learn English? Of course they don’t.

There is no law in the United States that prohibits anyone from speaking their native language.  Until then….you have the right to choose. Press 1 for English or Press 1 for Spanish.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Brooklyn Ohio Shutting Down American Greetings

Brooklyn Ohio is a money grubbing city.  I know this from personal experience. I got two tickets in one year from this city.

One ticket was for driving while on a cell phone. The other ticket was for turning left into Giant Eagle from Biddulph road. The “No Left Turn” sign isn’t visible until you start making the turn. There were also painted arrows on the road brooklynohio 150x150 Brooklyn Ohio Shutting Down American Greetingsindicating that a left turn was okay. To this day, I avoid driving thru Brooklyn, Ohio. I won’t even patronize businesses in the city.

Now the city of Brooklyn, Ohio pimped slapped local business and everyone is going to have to pay for it.

Brooklyn Ohio raised the payroll tax from 2% to 2.5%. For a corporation that makes a billion a year that’s a lot of money. This was a slap in the face to Brooklyn Ohio American Greetings. American Greetings, the nation’s largest publicly held greeting card manufacturer, is exploring moving its global headquarters from Brooklyn to another city maybe even out of state – with lower taxes.

In an internal memo sent to employees on Wednesday, the company said that because the City of Brooklyn voted to increase the city’s payroll taxes 25 percent last spring, to 2.5 percent from 2.0 percent, “we are launching a study to consider whether or not we should move the company’s world headquarters to another location.”

Brooklyn Mayor Richard Balbier said: “If they pull out, that would be a tremendous blow to Brooklyn. It would be like Ford pulling out of Brook Park or Chevy pulling out of Parma.”

He said that with about 2,000 employees at its headquarters, American Greetings is the city’s largest employer, followed closely by KeyCorp., which is cutting about 150 jobs from its Tiedeman Road operation later this year.

With that news and Hugo Boss’s announcement that it plans to shut down its Brooklyn suit plant, cutting another 300 jobs, “we’re taking in less money now” than before the tax increase, Balbier said.

American Greetings said that while it understands Brooklyn is facing economic challenges, “we’re particularly disappointed that the city has taken this action.”

Spokeswoman Patrice Sadd said the company is open to leaving Cuyahoga County, or even Ohio, but that it has made no formal decisions. “It’s completely open,” she said.

“American Greetings has been committed to the Greater Cleveland area for many years and we will certainly be considering all options, including those in Northeast Ohio, as we determine the best location for our world headquarters,” she added.

American Greetings told employees: “We have engaged an outside real estate firm to help us consider the pros, cons and issues of moving the corporate headquarters.”

“We are just now beginning this study, but we want to make associates aware that it will be taking place. Because such a study takes a long time and includes many factors for consideration, we do not anticipate that a decision will be made in the near future.”

American Greetings, founded in 1906, employs more than 18,000 workers including about 2,000 in Brooklyn. The company had sales of $1.69 billion in fiscal 2009.

Brooklyn Ohio Shutting Down American Greetings

Popularity: 2% [?]

2009 List of Celebrity Deaths

2009 has been an odd year. It seemed every 3 weeks a celebrity died. I also lost two family members this year.

Sorry for such a morbid post but 2009 was an odd year. Gas prices started out low now they are high again,  the economy is still in bad shape and all I hear on the radio and TV is doom and gloom.

I lost my job in April of 2009 only to rebound and do better than I was at my old job.

As for a list of celebrity deaths, here it goes. (List courtesy of  Horroryearbook.com)

January

January 2:  Jett Travolta (Age 16)  : Son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston.  Pic : COD:  Fatal blow to the head after seizure.

January 3:  Pat Hingle (Age: 84) : Commissionor Gordon of first Batman series.  Pic : COD: Leukemia.

January 6:  Ron Asheton (Age 60) :  Notable guitarist and co-writer lyrics for Iggy Pop’s The Stooges.  Pic : COD:  Apparent Heart Attack.

January 7:  Bob Wilkins (Age 76)  : Creator and host of Creature Features.  Pic :  COD: Alzheimer’s disease

January 13:  Patrick McGoohan (Age 80) : Actor from Scanners, Silver Streak, & Braveheart.  Pic : COD: Death after short illness.

January 14:  Ricardo Montalban (Age 88) : Most famous for his Khan role on Star Trek.  Pic : COD:  No official cause yet.

January 18:  Bob May (Age 69) : Played The Robot on Lost in Space.  Pic : COD:  Congestive Heart Failure

January 22:  Veatrice Rice (Age 60) : Played a foul-mouthed security guard on Jimmy Kimmel Live!  Pic : COD: Cancer

January 25:  Kim Manners (Age 58) : Notable TV series director which shows included X-Files and Supernatural.  Pic : COD: Lung Cancer.

January 27:  John Updike (Age 76) : American Novelist famous for Rabbit series.  Pic : COD: Lung Cancer.

January 28:  Billy Powell (Age 56) : Keyboardist for Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Pic : COD:   Heart attack.

January 29:  John Martyn (Age 60) : British guitarist who has worked with Phil Collins and Eric ClaptonPic : COD:  No official cause yet.

January 29:  Hank Crawford (Age 74) : Sideman sax player for Eric Clapton and Ray Charles.  Pic : COD: Complications from a 2001 stroke.

February

February 4:  Tom Brumley (Age 73) : Steel guitarist of Buckaroos and Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band.  Pic : COD: No official cause yet.

February 4:  Erick Purkhiser a.k.a. Lux Interior (Age 62) : Lead singer and founding member of punk band The Cramps.  Pic : COD: Heart condition.

February 6:  James Whitmore (Age 87) : Actor who starred in Shawshank Redemption and The Relic  Pic : COD: Lung Cancer

February 10:  Jeremy Lusk ( Age 24) : American motocross rider.  Pic : COD:  Head injuries due to a stunt.

February 14:  Louie Bellson (Age 84) : Acclaimed jazz drummer.  Pic : COD: Complications of Parkinson’s disease.

February 19:  Kelly Groucutt (Age 63) : Former Bass player for Electric Light Orchestra, ELO.  Pic : COD: Heart Attack.

February 19:  Miike Tenkula (Age 34) : Lead guitarist and songwriter for metal band Sentenced.  Pic : COD: No official cause of death.

February 20:  Robert Quarry (Age 83) : Portrayed Count Yorga, the vampire, in notable Vincent Price films.  Pic : COD:  No official cause of death – apparent natural causes.

February 22:  Howard Zieff (Age 81) : Director of My Girl, My Girl 2, and Private Benjamin.  Pic : COD: Complications from Parkinson’s disease.

February 25:  Randall Bewley (Age 54) : Guitarist for band Pylon.  No Pic:  COD : Heart attack.

February 26:  Clarence Swensen (Age 91) : A Wizard of Oz munchkin. Pic : COD: No official cause of death.

February 27:  Alan Landers (Age 65) : Model for Winston cigarettes.  Pic : COD: Cancer.

March

March 1:  Robert Bruce (Age 65) : Professional wrestler and had a small role in A Clockwork Orange.  Pic : COD: Died suddenly after short illness.

March 1:  Marquis Cooper (Age 26) : Professional football player for Oakland Raiders.  Pic : COD:  Possible hypothermia and/or drowning.

March 1:  Corey Smith (Age 29) : Professional football player for Detroit Lions.  Pic : COD: Possible hypothermia and/or drowning.

March 3:  Sydney Earle Chaplin (Age 80) : Son of Charlie Chaplin and actor of Satan’s Cheerleaders.  Pic : COD: No cause yet determined.

March 4:  Horton Foote (Age 92) : Novelist and screenwriter who wrote the screenplay for To Kill A Mocking Bird.  Pic : COD: Apparent natural causes.

March 4:  John Cephas (Age 78) : American blues guitarist.  Pic : COD: Natural causes.

March 8:  Willie King (Age 65) : American blues singer and guitarist.  Pic : COD: Heart attack.

March 11:  Charles Lewis Jr. (Age 43) : Co-founder of MMA fighting clothesline label called TapouT.  Pic : COD: Car crash.

March 14:  Altovise Davis (Age 65) : Widow of Sammy Davis Jr. with a short stint of acting.  PIC : COD: Stroke.

March 14:  Jeff Komlo (Age 52) : Former QB for Detriot Lions and Tampa Bay Buccs.  Pic : COD: Car crash.

March 15:  Ron Silver (Age 62) : Actor who was in Timecop and The Entity.  Pic : COD: Esophageal Cancer.

March 18:  Natasha Richardson (Age 45) : British actress married to Liam Neeson. Pic: COD: Traumatic brain injury.

March 18:  Moultrie Patten (Age 89) : Actor in television series Northern Exposure.  Pic : COD: Pneumonia.

March 24:  Uriel Jones (Age 74) : Drummer for Funk Brothers. Pic : COD: Complications from a heart attack.

March 29:  Maurice Jarre (Age 84) : Composer for the films Ghost, Dead Poets Society, Fatal Attraction, and Dreamscape.  Pic : COD:  Cancer.

March 29:  Andy Hallett (Age 33) : Actor in Angel TV series.  Pic : COD: Heart failure.

April

April 2:  Lou Perryman (Age 67) : Actor who had roles in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Poltergeist.  Pic : COD: Murdered by stabbing.

April 5:  Wouter Barendrecht (Age 43) : Producer who produced such films as Vampire Hunters and Shortbus.  Pic : COD:  Heart failure.

April 7:  Jack Wrangler (Age 62) : Porn actor who, majorly preformed in gay adult films, was in Devil in Miss Jones 2 and Guess Who’s Coming?  Pic : COD: Lung disease.

April 9:  Nick Adenhart (Age 22) : Baseball pitcher for the Anaheim Angels.  Pic : COD: Car crash.

April 9:  Lee Madden (Age 82) : Director of Night Creature, The Night God Screamed, and the comedy horror film Ghost Fever.  Pic : COD: Pneumonia.

April 12:  Marilyn Chambers (Age 57) : Legendary porn actress who starred in Behind the Green Door.  Pic : COD:  Unknown cause of death.

April 19:  J.G. Ballard (Age 78) : British Novelist of the celebrated novel Crash later turned film directed by David Cronenberg.  Pic : COD: Prostate Cancer

April 22:  Jack Cardiff (Age 94) : Cinematographer who’s work included Rambo: First Blood II, Conan The Destroyer, and Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye.  He also directed The Freakmaker.  Pic : COD: No Cause of death but apparent natural causes.

April 22:  Ken Annakin (Age 94):  Director of The Longest Day and The Hellions.  Pic : COD: Complications from a heart attack and stroke in February.

April 22:  Kim Weiskopf (Age 62):  Writer of a few episodes of Full House and Married with Children.  No Pic: COD: Pancreatic cancer.

April 25:  Beatrice Arthur (Age 86):  One of the Golden Girls.  Pic : COD: Cancer.

April 28:  Buddy Rose (Age 56):  Professional wrestler nicknamed “Playboy.”  Pic : COD: Unknown cause of death.

May

May 1:  Danny Gans (Age 52):  American entertainer who circuited on the Vegas strip and was also a pro baseball player as well as an extra in Bull Durham.  Pic: COD: Fatal reaction to painkillers.

May 1:  Marc Rocco (Age 46):  Writer of The Jacket and Dream A Little Dream.  Pic:  COD: Unknown cause of death.

May 4:  Dom Deluise (Age 75):  American actor who played in numerous Mel Brooks movies such as Space Balls, Robin Hood:  Men in Tights and History of the World Part I.  Pic:  COD: Kidney failure and respiratory problems.

May 5:  BJ Flores (Age 30):  Professional boxer who held the U.S. Amateur Heavyweight Belt 2001-2002.  Pic:  COD: Collapsed during fight and died 5 days later by possible body/head injuries.

May 6:  Ean Evans (Age 48):  Bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Pic: COD: Cancer.

May 7:  Micky Carroll (Age 89):  One of the munchkins from The Wizard of Oz.  Pic: COD: Natural causes.

May 7:  Linda Dangcil (Age 67):  Sister Ana on the Flying Nun TV show.  Pic: COD: Throat Cancer

May 8:  Dom DiMaggio (Age 92):  Baseball player and brother of Joe DiMaggio.  Pic: COD:  pneumonia.

May 8:  Blue Iris (Age 62):  Member of Howard Stern’s The Wack Pack and a performer in granny porn.  Pic:  COD:  Heart attack complications.

May 9:  Stephen Bruton (Age 60):  Guitarist who performed with Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and more.  Pic: COD:  Throat Cancer.

May 11:  Mark Landon (Age 60):  Small time actor and eldest son of Michael Landon.  No Pic:  Unknown cause of death.

May 13:  Frank Aletter (Age 83):  Tv actor who became a regular in older shows such as Bring Up Buddy and It’s About Time.  Pic: COD: Cancer.

May 15:  Bud Tingwell (Age 86):  Aussie actor who had roles in Dracula:  Prince of Darkness and Murder She Said.  Pic: COD:  Prostate cancer.

May 15:  Wayman Tisdale (Age 44):  Former pro basketball player and jazz bass guitarist.  Pic: COD: Cancer.

May 18:  Robert Anthony Burton II (Age 21):  Atlanta based rapper named Dolla.  Pic: COD:  Shot to death during fight in L.A.

May 18:  Wayne Allwine (Age 62):  The voice of Mickey Mouse since 1977.  Pic:  COD:  Complications from diabetes.

May 20:  Lucy Gordon (Age 28):  Actress in Spider-Man 3 and The Four Feathers.  Pic:  COD:  Suicide by hanging.

May 24:  Jay Bennett (Age 45):  Former guitarist for the band Wilco.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

May 25:  Matti Inkinen (Age 50):  Lead singer of the Finnish electropop band SIG.  Pic:  COD:  Apparent drowning.

May 26:  Exodus Tyson (Age 4):  Daughter of former heavy weight champion of boxing Mike Tyson.  Pic:  COD:  Accidental strangulation with a treadmill cord.

May 26:  Michael Ross (Age 89):  Writer of some episodes of All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Threes Company.  No Pic :  COD:  Complication from a heart attack.

May 30:  Don Edmonds (Age 72):  Director of the notorious naziploitation film Ilsa, She Wolf of the S.S.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death but most likely cancer.

May 31:  Millvina Dean (Age 97):  Last survivor of the Titanic that sank in 1912.  Pic:  COD:  Pneumonia.

June

June 3:  David Carradine (Age 72):  Star of the widely popular Kung Fu TV series and co-starred in Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies.  Pic:  COD:  Autoerotic asphyxiation.

June 4:  Shih Kien (Age 96):  Played major roles in various kung fu and Bruce Lee movies such as Enter the Dragon and Revenge of the Dragon.  Pic:  COD:  Natural causes.

June 5:  Del Monroe (Age 73):  Actor in the TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.  Pic:  COD:  Leukemia.

June 8:  Johnny Palermo (Age 27):  TV Actor who played in Just For Kicks.  Pic:  COD:  Car accident.

June 9:  Michael Roof (Age 32):  Actor in the xXx movies and Black Hawk Down.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

June 13:  Mitsuharu Misawa (Age 46):  Professional Japanese wrestler.  Pic:  COD:  Heart attack.

June 14:  Bob Bogle (Age 75):  Member and founder of the surf instrumental band The Ventures.  Pic : COD:  Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

June 17:  John Josep[h Houghtaling (Age 92):  Inventor of the Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed.  Pic:  COD:  Natural causes.

June 23:  Ed McMahon (Age 86):  Popular sidekick of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.  Pic:  COD:  Various health irregularities.

June 25:  Farrah Fawcett (Age 62):  Actress in popular T.V. series Charlie's Angels and former playboy model.  Pic:  COD:  Anal Cancer.

June 25:  Michael Jackson (Age 50):  King of pop music.  Pic:  COD:  Cardiac Arrest.

June 25:  Sky Saxon (Age 72):  Bass guitarists for band The Seeds.  Pic:  COD:  Died after brief illness.

June 28:  Billy Mays (Age 50):  Infomercial seller and co-star of the Pitchman show.  Pic:  COD:  Heart disease.

June 28:  Fred Travelena (Age 66):  American entertainer and comedian.  Pic:  COD:  Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and prostate cancer.

June 29:  Alberto Jiménez (Age 34-35):  Mexican midget pro wrestler.  Pic:  Murder by overdose.

June 29:  Alejandro Jiménez (Age 35-36):  Mexican midget pro wrestler.  Pic:  Murder by overdose.

June 30:  Pina Bausch (Age 68):  Modern Dance Choreographer.  Pic:  COD:  Cancer.

July

July 1:  Karl Malden (Age 97):  American actor with horror credits in The Cat O'Nine Tails and Dead Ringer.  Pic:  COD:  Natural causes.

July 1:  Harve Presnell (Age 75):  American movie and broadway actor who had memorable roles in Fargo and Saving Private Ryan.  Pic:  COD:  Pancreatic cancer.

July 1:  Mollie Sugden (Age 86):  British actress who appeared in Are You Being Served? television sitcom series.  Pic:  COD:  Natural causes.

July 4:  Steve McNair (Age 36):  Quarterback for the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens.  Pic:  COD:  Murder-suicide.

July 6:  Oscar Mayer Jr. (Age 95):  Chairman of Oscar Mayer meat company.  No Pic:  COD:  Natural causes.

July 8:  Judi Ann Mason (Age 55):  Writer of Sister Act 2:  Back in the Habit.  Pic:  COD:  Aortic dissection.

July 13:  Dash Snow (Age 27):  Photographer and sculptor who portrayed violence, drugs, and explicit sex in his work.  Pic:  COD:  Heroin overdose.

July 17:  Walter Cronkite (Age 92):  American broadcast journalist.  Pic:  COD:  Cerebrovascular disease.

July 21:  Les Lye (Age 84):  Had numerous roles on the adult children program You Can Do That on Television?  Pic:  COD:  Natural causes.

July 25:  Clayton Hill (Age 78):  Lead zombie in Dawn of the Dead and also played a priest in Hellraiser 3.  Pic:  COD:  Complications from pneumonia

July 31:  Baatin (Age 35):  American rapper of the group Slum Village.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

July 31:  Harry Alan Towers (Age 88):  British producer and screenwriter who wrote and was responsible for countless horror and exploitation classics such as Fu-Manchu, The Bloody Judge, Count Dracula (1970), 99 Women and Circus of Fear.  Pic:  COD:  After short illness.

August

August 1:  Naomi Sims (Age 61):  First African American supermodel.  Pic:  COD:  Breast cancer.

August 4:  Blake Snyder (Age 51):  Screenwriter who wrote Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot! and also wrote the kids' comedy Blank Check.  Pic:  COD:  Cardiac arrest.

August 5:  Budd Schulberg (Age 95):  Screenwriter who wrote Little Orphan Annie and On the Water Front.  Pic:  COD:  Natural causes.

August 6:  Reiko Ôhara (Age 62):  Japanese actress who appeared in Zatoichi:  The Festival of Fire and The Shogun Samurai.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death but body was discovered on this date and her death may have occured a week or two earlier.

August 6:  Jay Smith (Age 26):  Indy wrestler from the west coast known as DJ Rizz or Ravishing Rizz.  Pic:  COD:  Car crash.

August 6:  John Hughes (Age 59):  Director and writer who became famous for such films as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science and Ferris Beuller's Day Off.  Pic:  COD:  Cardiac arrest.

August 11:  Eunice Kennedy Shriver (Age 88):  One of the Kennedys.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

August 12:  Rashied Ali (Age 74):  Jazz drummer who usually worked with John Coltrane.  Pic:  COD:  Heart attack.

August 13:  Les Paul (Age 94):  Inventor of the solid-body electric guitar.  Pic:  COD:  Complications from pneumonia.

August 13:  Allen Schellenberger (Age 39):  Drummer for the American alternative rock band Lit.  Pic:  COD:  Brain cancer.

August 19:  Don Hewitt (Age 86):  Inventor of 60 Minutes television program.  Pic: COD:  Pancreatic cancer.

August 20:  Larry Knechtel (Age 69):  Keyboardist who performed with notable bands such as The Beach Boys, Neil Diamond and The Dixie Chicks.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

August 21:  Johnny Carter (Age 75):  R&B singer with The Flamingos and The Dells and is also in the RocknRoll Hall of Fame.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

August 23:  Ryan Jenkins (Age 32):  Canadian reality star who was a major suspect in the murder of a co-star.  Pic:  COD:  Apparent suicide by hanging.

August 25:  Ted Kennedy (Age 77):  Brother of John F. Kennedy and a memeber of the U.S. Senate.  Pic:  COD:  Brain cancer.

August 26:  Dominick Dunne (Age 83):  American novelist and screenwriter.  Pic:  COD:  Bladder cancer.

August 27:  Shing Fui-On (Age 54):  Hong Kong actor who appeared in such films as The Ebola Syndrome, The Killer and The Untold Story.  Pic:  COD:  Nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

August 28:  Adam Goldstein (Age 36):  A popular disc jockey who most notably survived a fatal leerjet accident with Blink-182's Travis Barker.  Pic:  COD:  Suspected drug overdose.

September

September 1:  Jake Brockman (Age 53):  Keyboards for the band Echo and the Bunnymen.  Pic:  COD:  Motorcycle accident.

September 11:  Larry Gelbart (Age 81):  Main comedy writer behind the MASH TV series and also co-wrote Tootsie.  Pic:  COD:  Cancer.

September 11:  Jim Carroll (Age 59):  Poet and music artist who formed the new wave/punk band The Jim Carroll Band.  Pic:  COD:  Heart attack.

September 13:  Paul Bruke (Age 83):  American TV actor who also played the lead role in Psychic Killer.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

September 14:  Patrick Swayze (Age 57):  Lead actor of Point Break, Ghost, Dirty Dancing and Road House.  Pic:  COD:  Pancreatic cancer.

September 14:  (Age 73):  American actor who had parts in The 'burbs, Gremlins 2, and appeared in the TV sitcom Boston Legal.  Pic:  COD:  Cancer.

September 15:  Troy Kennedy-Martin (Age 77):  Screenwriter who wrote the original The Italian Job and also wrote Kelly's Heros.  Pic:  COD:  Liver cancer.

September 16:  Mary Travers (Age 72):  Part of the group Peter, Paul and Mary.  Pic:  COD:  Leukemia.

September 17:  Frank Deasy:  (Age 49):  Screenwriter who penned Prozac Nation.  Pic:  COD:  Liver cancer.

September 17:  Dick Durock:  (Age 72):  American actor and stuntman who portrayed Swamp Thing in the films and in the T.V. series.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

September 19:  Roc Raida (Age 37):  A disc jockey who performed with the group X-Ecutioners.  Pic:  COD:  Complications from a car accident.

September 21:  Robert Ginty (Age 60):  Main actor in The Exterminator and The Exterminator 2.  Pic:  COD:  Cancer.

September 22:  Lucy Voddon (Age 46):  Famous for being the subject of the popular Beatles track "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."  Pic:  COD:  Lupus.

September 24:  Susan Atkins (Age 61):  A member of the Mason Family and a convicted murderer.  Pic:  COD:  Brain Cancer.

September 27:  Beau Velasco (Age ??):  One of the two members of the punk/electronica band The Death Set.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

September 30:  John Couey (Age 51):  American convicted murderer of Jessica Lunsford in February of 2005.  Pic:  COD:  Cancer.

October

October 2:  John Rivas (Age ??):  A hip-hop artist and DJ who went by the stage name of Mr. Magic.  Mr. Magic:  COD:  Heart attack.

October 6:  Tony Fein (Age 27):  Former Baltimore Ravens and Iraq veteran.  Pic:  COD:  Heart attack.

October 9:  Barry Letts (Age 84):  Director and producer of the original Doctor Who television show.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

October 10:  Stephen Gately (Age 33):  Irish pop singer of the boy band Boyzone.  Pic:  COD:  Pulmonary oedema.

October 10:  Veronika Neugebauer (Age 39):  German voice actress and dubber who voiced some of the anime Sailor Moon and dubbed voices in the Scream trilogy, The Blair Witch Project and Wild Things.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

October 12:  Dickie Peterson (Age 61):  Bassist and lead singer for band Blue Cheer.  Pic:  COD:  Liver cancer.

October 13:  Al Martino (Age 82):  An American-Italian singer and actor who appeared in all three Godfather films as Johnny Fontane.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

October 14:  Lou Albano (Age 76):  A professional wrestler known as Captain Lou also appeared on the kids television show The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! as the legendary Nintendo Mario character.  Pic:  COD:  Natural causes.

October 17:  Victor Mizzy (Age 93):  A composer who did scores for Addams Family, Green Acres and delved a little into Sam Raimi's Spiderman 2 and 3.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

October 19:  Joseph Wiseman (Age 91):  Canadian actor who portrayed the first James Bond villain Dr. No.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

October 22:  Soupy Sales (Age 83):  American comedian who worked with puppets.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

November

November 7:  Joe Maross (Age 86):  American television star who appeared in various TV shows such as Hawaii 5-0, Mission Impossible and The Twilight Zone to name a few.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

November 8:  Jerry Fuchs (Age 34):  Former drummer for the indie electronic rock band !!!.  Pic:  COD:  Fell down elevator shaft.

November 10:  John Allen Muhammad (Age 48):  Beltway/D.C. Sniper who gunned down 10 people during the late half of the summer of 2002.  Pic:  COD:  Lethal injection.

November 12:  Paul Wendkos (Age 87):  Director of The Bad Seed, The Mephisto Waltz and Gidget.  Pic:  COD:  Stroke complications.

November 15:  Ken Ober (Age 52):  Host of the MTV game show Remote Control.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

November 15:  Jocelyn Quivrin (Age 30):  French actor who appeared in movies such as Syriana and Empire of the Wolves.  Pic:  COD:  Car crash fire.

November 15:  Dennis Cole (Age 69):  Actor who appeared in Zombie Death House.  Pic:  COD:  Unknown cause of death.

November 16:  Edward Woodward (Age 79):  British actor who starred in the original The Wicker Man and in Hot Fuzz.  Pic:  COD:  Pneumonia

Vitamin Eh

List of Celebrities Who Died in 2009

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2010 Stimulus Checks

2010 Stimulus Checks

If I owned a bakery and didn’t sell any cakes because the people in my neighborhood didn’t have any money…why would the government give me money? Am I going to buy my own cakes? Why not give 2010 stimulus checks to the people so they can BUY my product.   It’s absurd that our government gave billions to industries that had trouble selling products because their consumer’s didn’t have any money or credit.

If I only had money to spend.

*If I only had money to spend. A 2010 stimulus check would help.*

I think the government should strengthen big business and small business.  What’s the best way for govenment to give businesses a big boost?

Give every taxpayer a big fat stimulus check for 20 thousand dollars. Yep, that’s right. $20,ooo. How will this boost businesses?

Giving a 2010 stimulus check to people for 20k would get people to spend.

I know if I had 20 grand, I would be at Best Buy or Walmart right now.

I might even put a down payment on a new car. A smart car.

Giving taxpayers 2010 stimulus checks for 20 thousand…

It would start a spending flow chain. (consumer–> business–> manufacturer–> Employees –> Consumer)

I’m still pissed off that our government gave all that money to automakers.

You can give all the money you want to the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker, but it’s not going to get consumers to buy their products.

Bailout money and a fat 2010 stimulus check should go to the people.

We, the people, spend.

Why is the economy bad? Because people aren’t spending.

What is your take? How much should the 2010 stimulus checks be a part of the 2010 economy?

Would you want a stimulus check in 2010 for 20 grand?

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List of Celebrities on Twitter

This is an updated list of Celebrities on Twitter courtesy of Twitterrazzi. You can see their live streams just by clicking on each link.

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Imperial Avenue Cleveland Murders – Google Street View

I was looking up Imperial Avenue in Cleveland on Google Maps due to the overwhelming news about the bodies being discovered on that street. When I did a Google street view of the house on Imperial Avenue, I saw this picture. It’s some person flipping off the Google Car that took the picture.  You can check it out yourself here. Or just click the picture to enlarge it.

Imperial Ave Cleveland

Imperial Ave Cleveland

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FSC On A Pack of Cigarettes – Time To Quit

A month ago, I was smoking my usual brand of cigarettes and I noticed a funny taste. I also noticed that the cigarrette kept going out by itself.  A week later, I got an email from a friend on Facebook. She said that FSC above the barcode on a pack of cigarettes meant that they were Fire Safe Cigarettes. FSC Above Barcode

I know these cigarettes will kill me, but so will alcohol and jay walking.

It made me think, what kind of other shit are they putting in these cigarettes? If they want to keep messing with chemicals in a cigarettes, just outlaw them.

So after hearing this news. I went to stores in urban areas to get my brand without the FSC marking on the barcode. My brand is not popular in urban areas, so I know that retailers will still have the old “cause a fire and fuck it” type cigarettes. I was right. By 2010 all cigarettes have to be FSC.

But as soon as I get a pack of smokes with FSC above the barcode, I tell the retailer, I don’t want them.

It’s pretty piss-poor that they could pass legislation to make fire safe cigarettes without asking the consumer.

Wouldn’t you be pissed off if you were buying certain diapers for your child and found out that they put a chemical into the diaper to make it a fire safe diaper?

Pretty shitty. It’s time for me to quit smoking.

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Cleveland Casino – Has A Nice Ring To It

Ohio hit a royal flush at the polls. They approved casino gambling in 4 locations across Ohio. The gambling issue has been on the ballot a few times before and failed. Now that Ohio has hit rock bottom with high unemployment and the state and local municipalities trying to balance budgets, Ohio will get some much needed tax revenue.

Of course Casinos will create jobs for Ohioans. Not just Casino jobs but jobs around the casinos. Vendors from the food service industry to electricians will be needed to keep the casinos running.

Slot machines are commonplace in casinos
Image via Wikipedia

As for the naysayers that say a casino will bring crime, drugs and prostitution to the area…Well, Cleveland has never had a casino and there is plenty of of crime, drugs and prostitution in the area.  Revenue from casinos in Ohio will put more police on the streets.

There is no time to waste. Stick the shovel in the ground and start building this Cleveland Casino today.

See you at the penny slots.

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