Local news covers shopping small and local for Small Business Saturday

Happy Small Business Saturday! I begin today's celebration with WPIX11 News in New York, which interviewed Marlene Cintron, the regional director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, who explained Small Business Saturday: Impact of shopping local.

Nearly 200,000 small businesses are based in New York City.

Marlene Cintron, the regional director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, talks about how Small Business Saturday impacts vital mom-and-pop shops on PIX11 Morning News.

Cintron provided a good overview. WESH 2 News in Orlando added some numbers in Small Business Saturday: Shoppers favor local stores over big retailers.


Here are the numbers, which show that more people are planning on shopping small and local this year than ten years ago.


The campaign is working, so good job to the people and organizations promoting Small Business Saturday and to the consumers, who are doing something sustainable at the intersection of society and economy!

I return to the Big Apple for more numbers from CBS New York reporting Black Friday, Small Business Saturday kick off holiday shopping season.

The National Retail Federation predicts sales this holiday shopping season could hit nearly $1 trillion. As CBS News New York's Alecia Reid reports, a record number of people are expected to shop online and in stores over the next couple days.

One trillion dollars — wow! I won't know if that happens until after Christmas, but I plan on checking sales figures on Cyber Monday.

I would usually stop here and tell my readers to stay tuned, but this is a Metro-Detroit-based blog, so I'm sharing CBS Detroit telling its viewers to Shop in Wyandotte for Small Business Saturday as an encore.

Kick off your holiday shopping in Wyandotte for Small Business Saturday.

I'm not going to drive down to Wyandotte today, but I will be shopping at a nearly small business, which is holding a sale on pet supplies today for Small Business Saturday. I am literally putting my money where my mouth (or my fingers typing on my keyboard) is!

That concludes November's blogging. Stay tuned for three more holidays, a special observance of World AIDS Day as the Sunday entertainment feature, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday to kick off December. I love holidays!

Day of the Dead as covered by 'TODAY,' 'Nightline,' and WPIX

I closed 'SNL' shares scary news for Halloween 2022 by telling my readers "That's it for Halloween, but spooky season continues for one more day with Day of the Dead. Stay tuned." I begin with the Today Show reporting Day Of The Dead Celebrations Are Becoming More Popular.

In the U.S. and around the world, the Day of the Dead, a holiday celebrating those who have come and gone before us, has become increasingly popular. It has also inspired a colorful art exhibit in Manhattan. NBC’s Morgan Radford reports for TODAY.

In case Isabel Hernandez's 15-foot high ofrenda looks familiar, I included a video featuring it in last year's post, where I remarked "That is quite the ofrenda! I don't recall ever seeing a taller one." I think it was worth seeing again.

The Today Show segment included a brief clip from "Coco." So does the next segment from ABC News' "Nightline": Thousands pay tribute to life during Dia De Los Muertos, ‘The Day of the Dead’.

In Los Angeles, nearly 80 families created touching altars to lost loved ones as a part of the Hollywood Forever festival, the largest Dia De Los Muertos celebration outside of Mexico.

While I watched this, I was wondering why, having grown up in Los Angeles, I had never heard of this particular celebration. It's because it started in 2000, eleven years after I moved to Michigan. Too bad. It reminds me a lot of what I saw during Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico, eleven years ago.

I toured a cemetery during the night of Halloween. In the U.S., only the thrillseekers and vandals would be there. In Oaxaca, entire families were having picnics on the family plots. The atmosphere was festive with the local orchestra playing, fireworks, and vendors just outside the gates of the cemetery.

Hollywood Forever and the celebrants perfectly recreated that in Los Angeles.

I don't have a cocktail recipe to share for today, but I do have PIX11 News sharing Tasty Day of the Dead dishes to try.

Amy Labelle, a lifestyle expert and the co-owner of Labelle Winery, joined New York Living on Monday to chat about the holiday and sample some dishes.

I found that both educational and entertaining. Too bad it cut off so abruptly.

So ends spooky season at Crazy Eddie's Motie News for 2022. Stay tuned for a return to this blog's regular programming, whatever that is.

Celebrate Father's Day on Juneteenth with the Colberts reading cards, parades, and martinis

Happy Father's Day on Juneteenth! Since this is Sunday, when I usually post an entertainment feature, I'm starting with Stephen Colbert reading First Drafts: Father's Day 2022 feat. Evie Colbert.

The fabulous Evie Colbe[r]t returns for a very special Father's Day edition of everyone's favorite late night greeting card segment, First Drafts.

That was cute and enough for me to wish to see more of Evie, who was a big part of Colbert's shows from home during the first year of the pandemic.

Now for three Juneteenth parades and marches, beginning with Good Morning America reporting on The celebration of the first federally observed Juneteenth in Galveston, Texas, last year.

ABC News’ Marcus Moore is in Galveston, Texas, this morning where Union troops traveled on June 19, 1865, to inform slaves of their freedom granted by the Emancipation Proclamation.

That looked like a joyous set of celebrations. Sunday Today showed one with a more somber tinge this morning in Celebrating The History Of Juneteenth, Lessons In Modern America.

This year, the first in-person Juneteenth celebration is marching back to life in Buffalo, New York since the start of the pandemic. NBC’s Rehema Ellis reports in this week’s Sunday Spotlight on the first year Juneteenth will be widely celebrated across the country and the history of the Buffalo festival.

Samantha Bee mentioned the Buffalo mass shooting when she reminded us that "Congress Has the Power to Stop Mass Shootings," but this is the first time I've posted anything specifically about the massacre, making this a post about guns as about holidays.

Now for an event that combines both holidays, Brooklyn march celebrates Black dads on Juneteenth from PIX11 News (WPIX).

The march will be a celebration of Black fatherhood., and the goal is to salute and empower Black and Brown fathers everywhere, organizers said.

That's the kind of story I was looking for today, and I'm glad it exists and I found it.

Today is also National (now World) Martini Day, so I close with National Day Calendar's MARTINI DAY – June 19.

This adult beverage has grown to become one of the best-known mixed drinks. A traditional or perfect Martini is made with equal parts gin and vermouth. For anyone who has never had a Martini, we have a list of terms to help get you started.

Martini Lingo
Dirty – This Martini includes olive brine or juice from the olive jar.
Dry – The vermouth is decreased significantly in the Martini, and gin becomes the primary spirit. Extra dry tips the ratio even further.
Gibson – Instead of an olive, bartenders garnish the Martini with a pickled onion.
Shaken vs. Stirred – Most bartenders will tell you that the better Martini is stirred. Shaken Martinis tend to be inferior due to a couple of reasons – ice chips water down the drink, and shaking the Martini adds air to the cocktail. A stirred Martini results in a smoother, fuller experience.
Straight Up – This Martini may be either shaken or stirred, but it is strained and served without ice – the opposite of a Martini on the rocks.
Smoky or Burnt – Scotch whisky replaces the vermouth in this Martini. A twist of lemon garnishes the glass. Wet – Where the dry Martini has less vermouth, this one has more.
With a Twist – The bartender adds a thin strip of citrus peel to the Martini as a garnish or in the drink.

I might just feature a Vesper martini recipe on October 5, James Bond Day. In the meantime, stay tuned for more holidays, with American Eagle Day, National Seashell Day, the Summer Solstice, World Giraffe Day, World Rainforest Day, and National Detroit-Style Pizza Day all on the agenda.

PIX11 on movie and TV presidents for Presidents Day 2021

Happy Presidents Day! For today's celebration, I'm returning to the theme of last year's The best movie and TV presidents, real and fictional, for Presidents Day weekend with Watchu Talkin’ About: Presidents from TV and film, which PIX11 News just uploaded this morning.

In honor of President’s Day, PIX11 News’ Ojinika Obiekwe is joined by founder of the new entertainment app PopViewers Chris Witherspoon to celebrate some fictional presidents on the big and small screen.

Two of the fictional presidents on the list at 4:30 are former winners of Best Television President, Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman on "Designated Survivor" for 2019 and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer on "Veep" for 2020. Louis-Dreyfus as Meyer is not eligible for this year's Golden Coffee Cups for Television, but Sutherland as Kirkman is. I started working on the shortlists for this year's awards yesterday, so watch for the post announcing them later this week. Stay tuned, everyone!

Marching music for the New Jersey and Delaware primaries

As I promised at the end of Verge Science points out that one rocket launch can't unify America, it's time for marching music for the New Jersey and Delaware primaries! Before I begin the music, I have some news. First, CBS Philly covered both contests in Primaries Being Held Today In New Jersey, Delaware.



The polls are open until 8 p.m. in both states.
Next, New York's WPIX, PIX11 News, reported NJ voters head to the polls for primary day Tuesday.

New Jersey holds its primary Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The presidential contest may be over, but there are interesting races from U.S. Senate down on the ballot.

The last bit of news comes from Delaware Governor John Carney, who signed vote by mail legislation for the 2020 elections last week.

Governor John Carney on Wednesday signed into law House Bill 346, legislation sponsored by House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst that allows Delawareans to vote by mail in the 2020 primary, general and special elections.

That wasn't specifically about this primary, but it is important election reform news just the same.

That's it for the news. Now for the marching music, beginning with Hawthorne Caballeros 2017.



4th place - 94.38

Pier 1 Imports files for bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

Last October, I posted Pier 1 Imports closing stores, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse.  Last month, I updated the story with Company Man recounts the rise and fall of Pier 1 Imports, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse.  Yesterday, the other shoe dropped.  Watch NYC station WPIX report Pier 1 files for bankruptcy protection.

As nearly 450 Pier 1 locations are set to close in the coming year, the company announced it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The reporter mentioned Target.  That reminds me of what I wrote in October: " When my wife heard about Pier 1's troubles, she thought that Wayfair was the major competitor, not Target, as Erik suggested.  I'll go with my wife."

The Dallas Morning News also mentioned Wayfair among the chain's competitors in Pier 1 Imports files bankruptcy and looks for a buyer.

Pier 1 has struggled through multiple leadership changes and with the expense of building up a separate online business. At the same time, competitors such as Amazon and Wayfair gained market share with free shipping and often lower prices. Walmart and Target improved their home selection in recent years as HomeGoods expanded into new markets, going head-to-head with Pier 1 in neighborhood shopping centers.

Of course, Amazon's name would appear in an article about a retailer facing stiff online competition.  Still, it was good to see someone else mention both Wayfair and HomeGoods as major competitors.

By the way, The Dallas Morning News updated its readers about Forever 21's. bankruptcy.

Just last week, no other bidders came forward in the Forever 21 bankruptcy after mall developers Simon Property and Brookfield together with Authentic Brands made an initial bid of $81 million. Authentic Brands already owns 50 brands, including some it purchased out of bankruptcy in recent years such as Nine West and most recently Barneys New York, which is in the process of closing all of its stores.
...
The group that purchased Forever 21 intends to keep stores open. But other specialty chains are often sold out of bankruptcy to companies that close the stores and keep the name alive as a licensed brand. There’s not one dominant landlord in the case of Pier 1. Among the more than 400 stores closing now, Kimco Realty has the most leases with 11, and Site Centers has 10 of the rejected leases.

The article also explained what happened to Destination Maternity/Motherhood Maternity.

That was the case late last year when New York-based Marquee Brands purchased Destination Maternity Corp. out of bankruptcy for $50 million and closed its 235 stores. Destination Maternity operated 435 stores when it originally filed for bankruptcy in October. It became an example of how fast these court cases can move. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that the retailer’s investment bank contacted more than 180 potential buyers.

Wow!  Talk about an information-rich piece of reporting!  Also, talk about how fast things moved in bankruptcy!  The Retail Apocalypse is really rolling!

I'll do my best to keep track of this story along with the rest of the Retail Apocalypse.  In the meantime, stay tuned for an update to Drinks for candidates at the September and October Democratic debates.  I bet it will be time to add Bloomberg's drink suggestions.  Any takers?

Watch reports on March for Science 2018 from four U.S. cities

It's time to report on March for Science 2018.  While it wasn't as big as last year, there was still a good turnout.

One of the sponsors, The Nature Conservancy depicted the demonstration in Washington, D.C.

We were a proud sponsor of this year’s March for Science on April 14th. Here’s a look at the Washington, DC march.

New Scientist posted a montage with images from several locations.

The March for Science returned on 14 April with rallies around the globe in support of science-based policies.

That was a good street-level view of the march itself.

Follow over the jump for video reports from New York and California.