By John E. Schott
In December of last year, I purchased some gift certificates from (a local restaurant). Last Friday night, I went to (the restaurant now operating under new ownership) and was informed by the owner that my gift certificates would not be honored.
The owner explained to me that when they opened, they were honoring the (previous restaurant’s) gift certificates. However, as time went on, too many certificates were showing up and he decided to no longer honor them.
He went on to say that the gift certificates were discussed when the business changed hands but he has now made a decision to cut his losses by no longer taking the certificates. To me, his accountant made a huge error by not including these gift certificates as another liability on the books and include them in the transaction.
At this point, I think the certificates should be honored as a cost of doing business as opposed to the negative good will that will be generated by not taking them.
The owner tried to put the blame on the previous owner and said I needed to take up my issue with him. I have made several attempts to contact him without success. Individually, it’s not much money, but collectively, it is several thousand dollars outstanding with small consumers like me.
Needless to say, my family and I did not eat there but proceed to (a chain restaurant) instead. We were not in the mood to give any locals our business.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to recover my losses and as a public service to others in my shoes, please advise The Daily Star blog at www.hammondstar.com or me at my e-mail address, johneschott@hotmail.com.
— John E. Schott, Tickfaw
Friday, June 30, 2006
Should Britney move back to Kentwood?
An article in In Touch magazine claims that Britney Spears is moving back to her hometown of Kentwood. However, her publicist denies the report.
What do you think? Should Britney move back to Kentwood? Would it help with her problems with the paparazzi, or would it just turn Kentwood into a photographer's paradise?
What do you think? Should Britney move back to Kentwood? Would it help with her problems with the paparazzi, or would it just turn Kentwood into a photographer's paradise?
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
'Nacho Libre' latest in lackluster summer movies
OK, I admit it. I saw “Nacho Libre” during its opening weekend.
The too-stupid-to-be-funny Jack Black vehicle was pretty offensive, not least because of its skewering of Mexican culture. Black, today’s version of the late Chris Farley, plays a friar-turned-wrestler struggling to win money to feed the orphans in his charge.
Children’s network Nickelodeon produced “Libre.” With a better director, it could have been a heartwarming, genuinely funny tale. But gratuitous farting and shirtless shots of a portly Black derail the film and make the viewer forget the point.
Jared Hess, director of “Napoleon Dynamite,” also helmed “Libre,” and it seems absurdity has become Hess’ calling card.
But perhaps what’s more absurd is the summer movie landscape itself. It’s almost July, and there have not been any real blockbusters. Tom Cruise’s eccentricities seem to have had an effect on the reception of “Mission Impossible III.” “X3: The Last Stand” made $102 million in its opening weekend, but its popularity has dropped off considerably since then. Romantic comedy “The Break-Up,” starring real-life couple Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, suffered from dismal reviews and media oversaturation.
According to a report by Greg Hernandez of the Los Angeles Daily News, box office receipts are actually up 4.81 percent compared with 2005. So, people are still watching. But that small change certainly hasn’t made the movies any more redeeming.
Movies just aren’t that exciting anymore. One must look no further than ticket prices to understand why. An average movie ticket costs $7. A family of four can expect to pay no less than $30 for two hours of “entertainment,” and that doesn’t include popcorn.
Seeing a movie has become an all-day affair. Going to the theater is no longer a carefree outing. To get decent seats, audience members must arrive at least an hour before show time. I usually buy tickets online a day ahead of time to avoid long lines. That necessitates me scheduling my weekend almost like a work day.
And after the audience has waited an hour for the feature presentation, it gets to see at least 20 minutes of annoying previews. The only good thing about them is that they let viewers decide not to spend any more of their hard-earned money on uninteresting films.
Yet there is one sector in which people are enjoying films again — as rentals. For less than the price of one movie outing, families can sign up for monthly services such at NetFlix, which deliver DVDs right to their doors. With these rental services, there are no late fees and a wide selection of films to choose from. NetFlix alone offers 60,000 titles.
And the best part is, you never have to leave the house. All the peripheral aggravations of going to a theater go away with the ease of totally skipping the DVD previews. Show times begin whenever your signficantly-cheaper popcorn comes out of the microwave.
“Superman Returns,” Hollywood’s next big attempt at a blockbuster, hits theaters today. Perhaps the super hero craze that made successes out of the “X-Men” and “Spiderman” franchises will bode well for “Superman” and its unknown leading man, Brandon Routh. For me, however, “Superman” just marks another unexciting film in a genre that needs a little bit of a rest for now.
But if you’d rather enjoy movies from your couch than from a sticky theater chair, here are some upcoming DVD releases to enjoy.
July 4: “The Matador” (Pierce Brosnan), “Libertine” (Johnny Depp)
July 11: “Basic Instinct 2” (Sharon Stone), “Grilled” (Ray Romano and Kevin James)
July 18: “She’s the Man” (Amanda Bynes), “ATL,” “Edison Force” (Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J)
July 25: “Final Destination 3,” “The Benchwarmers” (Rob Schneider, David Spade), “Ask the Dusk” (Salma Hayek, Colin Farrell), “Hudson Hawk” (Bruce Willis)
The too-stupid-to-be-funny Jack Black vehicle was pretty offensive, not least because of its skewering of Mexican culture. Black, today’s version of the late Chris Farley, plays a friar-turned-wrestler struggling to win money to feed the orphans in his charge.
Children’s network Nickelodeon produced “Libre.” With a better director, it could have been a heartwarming, genuinely funny tale. But gratuitous farting and shirtless shots of a portly Black derail the film and make the viewer forget the point.
Jared Hess, director of “Napoleon Dynamite,” also helmed “Libre,” and it seems absurdity has become Hess’ calling card.
But perhaps what’s more absurd is the summer movie landscape itself. It’s almost July, and there have not been any real blockbusters. Tom Cruise’s eccentricities seem to have had an effect on the reception of “Mission Impossible III.” “X3: The Last Stand” made $102 million in its opening weekend, but its popularity has dropped off considerably since then. Romantic comedy “The Break-Up,” starring real-life couple Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, suffered from dismal reviews and media oversaturation.
According to a report by Greg Hernandez of the Los Angeles Daily News, box office receipts are actually up 4.81 percent compared with 2005. So, people are still watching. But that small change certainly hasn’t made the movies any more redeeming.
Movies just aren’t that exciting anymore. One must look no further than ticket prices to understand why. An average movie ticket costs $7. A family of four can expect to pay no less than $30 for two hours of “entertainment,” and that doesn’t include popcorn.
Seeing a movie has become an all-day affair. Going to the theater is no longer a carefree outing. To get decent seats, audience members must arrive at least an hour before show time. I usually buy tickets online a day ahead of time to avoid long lines. That necessitates me scheduling my weekend almost like a work day.
And after the audience has waited an hour for the feature presentation, it gets to see at least 20 minutes of annoying previews. The only good thing about them is that they let viewers decide not to spend any more of their hard-earned money on uninteresting films.
Yet there is one sector in which people are enjoying films again — as rentals. For less than the price of one movie outing, families can sign up for monthly services such at NetFlix, which deliver DVDs right to their doors. With these rental services, there are no late fees and a wide selection of films to choose from. NetFlix alone offers 60,000 titles.
And the best part is, you never have to leave the house. All the peripheral aggravations of going to a theater go away with the ease of totally skipping the DVD previews. Show times begin whenever your signficantly-cheaper popcorn comes out of the microwave.
“Superman Returns,” Hollywood’s next big attempt at a blockbuster, hits theaters today. Perhaps the super hero craze that made successes out of the “X-Men” and “Spiderman” franchises will bode well for “Superman” and its unknown leading man, Brandon Routh. For me, however, “Superman” just marks another unexciting film in a genre that needs a little bit of a rest for now.
But if you’d rather enjoy movies from your couch than from a sticky theater chair, here are some upcoming DVD releases to enjoy.
July 4: “The Matador” (Pierce Brosnan), “Libertine” (Johnny Depp)
July 11: “Basic Instinct 2” (Sharon Stone), “Grilled” (Ray Romano and Kevin James)
July 18: “She’s the Man” (Amanda Bynes), “ATL,” “Edison Force” (Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J)
July 25: “Final Destination 3,” “The Benchwarmers” (Rob Schneider, David Spade), “Ask the Dusk” (Salma Hayek, Colin Farrell), “Hudson Hawk” (Bruce Willis)
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Meow? Is anybody home?
Reality TV goes to the cats in Animal Planet's "Meow Mix House"
Riveting reality television has seen its share of catfights. Just tune
in to MTV's groundbreaking hit "The Real World," and there's bound to be a conflict among the housemates threatening to turn physical.
But on Animal Planet1s "Meow Mix House," promoted as a mix of "The Real World" and "The Apprentice," real fur could fly.
Show organizers in New York City devised a kitty penthouse complete with scratching posts, sofas and other scaled-down amenities even some humans can barely afford. Then, with the help of animal rescue organizations from around the country, 10 homeless cats were flown in to populate the feline palace. Passersby can view the cats at 425 Madison Ave., and every lazy move can be seen through Webcams available at www.meowmixhouse.com.
However, all is not catnip and toy mice. Each week competitions are
held, including "best sleeper" and "best mouse-catcher," according to
Reuters news service. Votes from the show's "panel of experts" are then tallied to boot off the least popular feline, who is banished to live with a loving adoptive family while enjoying a year's supply of Meow Mix. Meanwhile, viewers can place online votes for their favorites to win the "viewer's choice award."
Only on "Meow Mix House" can you lose a sleeping competition and be
rewarded with the chance to sleep almost indefinitely for the rest of your existence. That fate almost seems more enjoyable than the grand prize. The winning kitty will become Meow Mix's official "Feline Vice President of Research and Development." (Move over, Donald Trump.)
It sounds like the folks at Meow Mix have done a lot of production work for what amounts to a once-weekly three-minute show. But perhaps they know something about television viewers many of us can't bring ourselves to admit.
According to Reuters, officials with the cat food company say they want the show to promote cat adoption, and, obviously, the Meow Mix brand. But this show, perhaps more than any other show on Animal Planet or elsewhere, sharply focuses on our mostly-ludicrous need to humanize companion animals. And we'll watch every minute of it with enthusiasm.
The show1s Web site is cheery bordering on cheesy, just like the show
itself. It literally looks like a bright yellow animated Meow Mix cat food box. The site's introduction reminds viewers that this is the company responsible for MeowTV, an online television channel for cats, and Meow Café, a New York City feline eatery. I don't know a lot about the world of cat food promotion, but I'm guessing Meow Mix is king (and there's big points for creativity).
Dig a little deeper and you'll find that each cat has a biography page
and his or her own Weblog. Zen is the calm one, Opry is from Nashville and loves country music and Bambi is the feline equivalent of a desperate housewife.
According to Reuter's, Meow Mix's Keith Fernbach said the show's
producers "try to give [each cat] a personality for TV."
It's true that companion animals have personalities to some extent. But at what point does anthropomorphizing become crazy rather than endearing?
We've created a dollhouse for living creatures where we can gawk at them and manipulate them. Someone logs onto the Internet to write a Weblog from a cat's point of view, creating a character and consciousness that exists, yet really doesn1t.
Cats obviously don't know the difference between country and hip-hop,
but we're claiming that Opry loves it.
Am I the only one who thinks this is a little weird?
Weird or not, any show that has the potential to increase cat adoptions is worthwhile in my opinion. I'm just thankful "Meow Mix House" is a three-minute quasi-advertisement instead of a full-fledged production. But I wouldn1t be surprised if that changed in the future.
"Meow Mix House" airs Fridays on Animal Planet for the next nine weeks.
Riveting reality television has seen its share of catfights. Just tune
in to MTV's groundbreaking hit "The Real World," and there's bound to be a conflict among the housemates threatening to turn physical.
But on Animal Planet1s "Meow Mix House," promoted as a mix of "The Real World" and "The Apprentice," real fur could fly.
Show organizers in New York City devised a kitty penthouse complete with scratching posts, sofas and other scaled-down amenities even some humans can barely afford. Then, with the help of animal rescue organizations from around the country, 10 homeless cats were flown in to populate the feline palace. Passersby can view the cats at 425 Madison Ave., and every lazy move can be seen through Webcams available at www.meowmixhouse.com.
However, all is not catnip and toy mice. Each week competitions are
held, including "best sleeper" and "best mouse-catcher," according to
Reuters news service. Votes from the show's "panel of experts" are then tallied to boot off the least popular feline, who is banished to live with a loving adoptive family while enjoying a year's supply of Meow Mix. Meanwhile, viewers can place online votes for their favorites to win the "viewer's choice award."
Only on "Meow Mix House" can you lose a sleeping competition and be
rewarded with the chance to sleep almost indefinitely for the rest of your existence. That fate almost seems more enjoyable than the grand prize. The winning kitty will become Meow Mix's official "Feline Vice President of Research and Development." (Move over, Donald Trump.)
It sounds like the folks at Meow Mix have done a lot of production work for what amounts to a once-weekly three-minute show. But perhaps they know something about television viewers many of us can't bring ourselves to admit.
According to Reuters, officials with the cat food company say they want the show to promote cat adoption, and, obviously, the Meow Mix brand. But this show, perhaps more than any other show on Animal Planet or elsewhere, sharply focuses on our mostly-ludicrous need to humanize companion animals. And we'll watch every minute of it with enthusiasm.
The show1s Web site is cheery bordering on cheesy, just like the show
itself. It literally looks like a bright yellow animated Meow Mix cat food box. The site's introduction reminds viewers that this is the company responsible for MeowTV, an online television channel for cats, and Meow Café, a New York City feline eatery. I don't know a lot about the world of cat food promotion, but I'm guessing Meow Mix is king (and there's big points for creativity).
Dig a little deeper and you'll find that each cat has a biography page
and his or her own Weblog. Zen is the calm one, Opry is from Nashville and loves country music and Bambi is the feline equivalent of a desperate housewife.
According to Reuter's, Meow Mix's Keith Fernbach said the show's
producers "try to give [each cat] a personality for TV."
It's true that companion animals have personalities to some extent. But at what point does anthropomorphizing become crazy rather than endearing?
We've created a dollhouse for living creatures where we can gawk at them and manipulate them. Someone logs onto the Internet to write a Weblog from a cat's point of view, creating a character and consciousness that exists, yet really doesn1t.
Cats obviously don't know the difference between country and hip-hop,
but we're claiming that Opry loves it.
Am I the only one who thinks this is a little weird?
Weird or not, any show that has the potential to increase cat adoptions is worthwhile in my opinion. I'm just thankful "Meow Mix House" is a three-minute quasi-advertisement instead of a full-fledged production. But I wouldn1t be surprised if that changed in the future.
"Meow Mix House" airs Fridays on Animal Planet for the next nine weeks.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Lot sizes in Tangipahoa Parish
Lot width is only one of many factors that determine the quality of life in a residential area.
Equally important is the quality of the development: layout, streets, walks, utility location and the enforcement of subdivision and municipal regulations.
For example, if a residence is surrounded by junk and abandoned cars, lot size is of small importance.
Smaller lots do not necessariliy mean the end of the world... or do they?
Equally important is the quality of the development: layout, streets, walks, utility location and the enforcement of subdivision and municipal regulations.
For example, if a residence is surrounded by junk and abandoned cars, lot size is of small importance.
Smaller lots do not necessariliy mean the end of the world... or do they?
Sunday, June 04, 2006
What do you watch?
Hi, I'm Renee. I have been writing a television column for the Star, and I need your opinions!
Obviously, I can't watch everything on TV (even though I wish I could). But I want to make sure what I'm writing is something you guys care about.
So... what shows and/or networks do you love? What do you love about them? Is there anything you really dislike? What would you like to see in my column? Show recaps, information about upcoming programs, etc.?
Also, if you know of any Louisiana or Northshore residents who are going to be featured on a reality show, please leave me a note on the blog or email me at reneechristine@bellsouth.net. It's always interesting to read about locals in the national spotlight.
Thanks a lot!
Obviously, I can't watch everything on TV (even though I wish I could). But I want to make sure what I'm writing is something you guys care about.
So... what shows and/or networks do you love? What do you love about them? Is there anything you really dislike? What would you like to see in my column? Show recaps, information about upcoming programs, etc.?
Also, if you know of any Louisiana or Northshore residents who are going to be featured on a reality show, please leave me a note on the blog or email me at reneechristine@bellsouth.net. It's always interesting to read about locals in the national spotlight.
Thanks a lot!
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