Author Archive
Time does take its toll, and in the recent years, we’ve seen a lot of good people go. Yesterday, it was Jimmy Dean’s turn. The country singer cum sausage king passed away on Sunday at the age of 81.
In his early years, he grew up in Plainview, Texas. His childhood years were not kind to him, but he got his break in the 1950s as a country singer. He is best known for his song Big Bad John, which became a hit in 1961. Now considered a classic, the song is about a coal miner who acted heroically by saving his fellow miners during a mining accident. The song got so big that Jimmy Dean got a Grammy for it.
Later on, the country singer expanded his horizons and founded Jimmy Dean Meat Co., which earned him a different kind of reputation. The sausages produced by the company basically became a household fixture for countless Americans. Aside from these activities, Jimmy Dean was also involved in other projects, one of which was as a host of The Morning Show (a CBS program).
The iconic entertainer and businessman had been suffering a variety of health problems, according to his wife. However, they were not that grave for them to think that the end was near for Jimmy. On Sunday, though, as he was sitting down in front of the television while eating, he quietly passed away.
He may have left this world, but let us not forget Jimmy Dean, one of the greatest entertainers of our time.
We have all heard about the volcano that erupted in Iceland and how air travel all over Europe has been affected. You might have had a personal experience, or you might know someone who suffered. It certainly has cost a lot of people (and businesses) considerable amounts, but Iceland is not taking it sitting down.
In fact, the government is taking this chance to highlight all the other things that their country has to offer visitors. The volcanic eruption has placed the country’s geothermal assets into the forefront. After all, the very same geological reasons for the eruption make Iceland the foremost destination for hot springs!
Indeed, the government has offered all stranded travelers free access to the eight hot pools of the capital, Reykjavik. The temperatures in these pool range from 29 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius (84 to 108 Fahrenheit). The pools are known for their relaxing and healing properties and are frequented by both locals and visitors alike. Iceland has one of the highest concentrations of these kinds of pools in the world, thanks to its geological resources.
The response of the people has been encouraging, as the government’s offer has not been ignored. In fact, the government says that there are so many people taking them up on their offer that the pools have been full!
The eruption took place (is taking place, rather) under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier and countless airports in Europe have been affected by the ash. Some airports have resumed their operations while others are still at a halt.
This piece of news is so hot, but I do not fully understand why. Still, everyone’s talking about it, I might as well jump into the bandwagon. Earlier this day, all the girls at the office were saying: It’s the end of the world! This hunk of a guy is gay, and he’s proud of it. What’s to become of us?
Is he indeed gay? Well, the news came straight from the horse’s mouth. Ricky Martin, the cute little boy who was the youngest member of the 80’s boyband (when that term hadn’t been coined yet) Menudo, has come out of the closet. He has been quoted all over the place as saying: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”
This was what he posted on his Twitter – both in English and in Spanish. Alright, I have to say that most of us knew that anyway, right? Then again, I guess it’s different when the person actually comes out and says it. I still don’t get the “fortunate homosexual man” part. Can someone enlighten me?
Anyhow, the 38-year-old is supposed to be writing a book – surprise! According to him, the memoir will highlight his struggle to hide his real identity. So what triggered this honesty? He is now a father of twins (born via surrogate by the way) and he says that he cannot hide who he is anymore.
I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more of this in the near future.
It is every librarian’s nightmare: library users NOT returning books on time. In school libraries, penalties are laid down left and right because students tend to forget that the book they borrowed is due on a certain date. Many students even forget to return the book forever – resulting in huge fines at the end of the school year.
In public libraries, it is harder to lay down measures and actually “get” the person who does not return books. After all, you can’t go after each and every person that does this. Sooner or later, they remember that they need to return the book and they do so. Of course, they have to face the consequences, don’t they?
But, have you ever heard of someone returning a book that has been overdue for 45 years? Yup, that’s exactly what happened at a British library recently. Dinnington Library is located near Sheffield in northern England. According to its principal assistant, Alison Lawrie, they received a Penguin first edition copy of “Quartermass and the Pit” by Nigel Kneale in the mail. It is not everyday that a library receives an overdue book through the post, and it is even rarer that this overdue book should have been returned in October 15, 1965! I was not even born yet!
As can be expected, the book was mailed with no return address. I do not blame the person – he or she is probably scared of the hefty fine that comes with the book! Lucky for him or her, the library’s records do not go as far back as 1965. Still, Lawrie says that they would love to know the story behind the book’s return and that the person will NOT be fined. Come forward, whoever you are!
