Say It Isn't So!

Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of iconic treats such as Twinkies and traditional pantry staple Wonder Bread, said Friday it is shuttering its plants and will seek to liquidate the 82-year-old business. The company, which filed for Chapter 11 in January, said it has requested bankruptcy-court authorization to close the business and sell its assets.


I'll be honest, I cannot remember when I last ate a Twinkie, but we're talking about a genuine piece of Americana here, people! Whether you favor the scrumptious treat fresh out of the package or deep-fried, as some enterprising eateries have done, this one will be missed.

Farewell, yummy old friend.

On a more serious note, a Wall Street Journal article goes on to say,

The work stoppage, launched Nov. 9 by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union to protest a fresh labor contract, affected about two-thirds of Hostess's 36 plants. The strike was making it impossible for the Irving, Tex., company to continue producing its baked goods, Chief Executive Gregory Rayburn said.

The CEO says they will be laying off most of their 18,500 employees immediately, which begs the question to the baker's union bosses:  how's that new (wage- and benefit-cutting) contract look to you now?

Are We...Well, Are We?

I received a link to this promo of a new HBO program, The Newsroom, from a friend. Take a look and see if it really grabs you by the throat, as it did me. I believe there is much truth to be found here. It almost makes me want to add an HBO subscription to our cable plan...almost.

(Oh, this is HBO, so it does have the obligatory f-bomb sprinkled lightly within)

So, I ask myself, did MY generation—baby boomers—cause the changes? Are we the ones responsible for changing America from that Bright, Shining City on a Hill to a country torn apart by this or that label? Maybe those Gen-X folks caused it, eh? One thing for sure: this clip demonstrates why I decided to turn off conservative radio, for one thing, and try to concentrate on things more positive-leaning.

So, what do you say? Is America the greatest country in the world? Was it? Should it be? Need it be? Do you give a rat's behind if we are, or not?

Surfin' USA

I happened across this video on this rainy Monday morning and just thought it was a nice "no-brainer". Besides, I love the Beach Boys tune playing along with it.



That tune, Surfin' USA, also took me back to Huntington Beach, California, during the summer of 1967...a long time ago when I had some hair and a hankerin' to try surfing myself.

The Way We Were

I received this via email from my sister, Nancy, this morning. No idea who authored it, but it does speak the truth about how we folks in the Over Fifty Crowd used to do things many years ago. Some interesting points are made and it makes me wonder how many of the current tree-hugging, Save the Earth, "Green" crowd would care to go back to doing things this way.

The "New" Green Thing vs 

Them "Olden Days"

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

That's right, they didn't have the green thing in her day.... Back then....

They returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn't have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she's right. They didn't have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts—wind and solar power really did dry the clothes! Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters or cousins, not always brand-new, expensive name-brand clothing from the mall!!!

But that old lady is right; they didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the housenot a TV in every room. And the TV had a screen the size of a small pizza, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

But that old lady is right, they didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by going to WORK so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right, they didn't have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bike to a friend's house or the bus to school, instead of turning their parents into a 24-hour taxi service!!!  They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

That older lady is right. They didn't have the green thing back in her day.