Hostess Cakes End Of An Era. Or Is It?

When I heard the news this morning that Hostess Brand Incorporated would be shutting its plants in the United States I said, Oh No! I was remembering my Aunt who worked at the Hostess plant in Sacramento. Whenever she came to San Jose, she would bring us Twinkies, Cup Cakes, Ding Dongs, Ho Ho’s, Snow Balls and Donettes. Hostess has been around for almost a century, they opened their doors in 1930 in Irving Texas. Hostess filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and their reason was that, the company was saddled with costs related to its unionized workforce. The company had been contributing $100 million a year in pension costs for workers. Hostess said the new contract offer would've slash up to 25 million dollars a year. Now in 2012, less than a decade here they go again. The reason this time is nearly a dozen executives received pay hikes of up to 80 percent last year with the company struggling. Then thousands of members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike. They rejected the company's latest contract offer. The Bakers Union represents about 30 percent of the company's workforce. When the company finely reached a contract agreement with the union, it was not enough. Hostess decided to suspend operations and filed bankruptcy on November 16, 2012. Hostess will be letting go nearly 18,500 workers, shut down 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers nationwide and 570 outlet stores.

 People are going a crazy. In San Jose where I live, I was at the grocery store the other day and I could not believe the Hostess cake shelves were nearly bare. This one man had at least 20 boxes of Twinkies and Ding Dong. On Ebay a box of Twinkies are going for 3 million dollars a box. That is insane!!! What in the heck are people doing? With the holidays upon us this money could be put to better use. Like helping people in need! It is too bad that management and the employees could not come to an agreement. I feel that it was greed on both sides, now everyone is out of a job.

 NEWS FLASH!  Hostess management and unions agree to mediation. Judge pushes parties toward mediation to save more than 18,500 jobs. Keep coming back for updates

LM

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/11/19/twinkies-likely-to-survive/1713941/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostess_Brands

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-19/business/chi-judge-hostess-union-agree-to-mediation-20121119_1_hostess-brands-grain-millers-international-union-mediation

The Presidential Election Is Over the People Have Spoken

    

For several months the Presidential election was brutal. It got on my last nerve, all the inappropriate things that were said throughout this presidential campaign. Well, when all was said and done the people spoke. I think Mitt Romney concession speech was classy. It was a particular part in his speech that made me look at Mitt Romney a little more kindly. When he said, “The nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this we can't risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people's work, and we citizens also have to rise to occasion. We look to our teachers and professors. We count on you not just to teach, but to inspire our children with a passion for learning and discovery. We look to our pastors and priests and rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built: Honesty, charity, integrity, and family. We look to our parents. From the final analysis, everything depends on the success of our homes. We look to job-creators of all kinds. We're counting on you to invest, to hire, to step forward, and we look to Democrats and Republicans in government at all levels to put the people before the politics.” I just hope Mitt Romney means what he said and sticks to it and not be on and off the fence like he was when he was running for president. This was the most powerful election in the history of the United States. Because of the record number of people who went to the polls. I was so overjoyed with the Presidents acceptance speech. One thing that really stood out and made me so proud to me an American and to live in the best nation in the world, was when he said, "America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunities and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter, whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight. You can make it here in America if you're willing to try." I think the people understood this and that’s why they gave President Barack Obama a second chance to bring this country together. President Obama has always been willing, but he has had opposition from the start.  I think he will bring the two parties together this would be good for the United States and the world. 

LM

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romneys-concession-speech-transcript/story?id=17664448

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-helfenbein/obama-speech-election-2012_b_2086757.html?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012

Hurricane Sandy Devastates East Coast

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On October 29, 2012, I was on pins and needles worried about my family on the east coast. Hurricane Sandy was causing destruction for the people on the east coast. My mother in-law lives in Baltimore Maryland. She called a day before the storm hit. She said that she had went out and bought can goods, water and batteries for her flash lights. She also froze containers of water to keep her food in the refrigerator cold just in case the power went out. I was a little at ease but still worried sense she lives alone. My mother in-law fared pretty well. She only had a little basement flooding. My Uncle who lives in Harlem New York also fared well.

That is not the case the people living right on the coast. Atlantic City New Jersey was devastated when hurricane Sandy hit. There are still millions people living without electricity. New York was hit hard subways were flooded, this shut down the city. The City of New York was thinking about continue the New York marathon, but that plan did not go head. What were they thinking? To have all those runners risking lives running through all that destruction was utterly ridiculous. I’m wondering how this will effect Election Day. The people who have lost everything will they still go to the polls on Election Day. Hurricane Sandy is a wake up call to everyone to ready for natural disasters. That means having a plan.

LM

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-live-updates/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/27/us-storm-sandy-hurricane-idUSBRE89N16J20121027

Giant's Win World Series

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The San Francisco Giants win another World Series title. This is the Giants 6^th title, to go with their 1905, 1921, 1922, 1954 and 2010 titles. There has been one other National League team to have a sweep a team in the World Series, the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. The San Francisco Giants won two games straight at home, 8 to 3 and 2 to 0. The Giants went to Detroit won game three 2 to 0. The San Francisco Giants won the series in the fourth game with a sweep of Detroit in the 10^th inning 4 to 3. This was a team effort. San Francisco took an early lead. Pence hit a one-hop drive over the center-field fence for a double and Brandon Belt tripled on the next pitch for a 1 to 0 lead in the second inning. The third inning, Cabrera gave the Tigers a reason to think this might be their night. He hit a two run home run giving the Detroit the lead 2 to1. The Giants put a dent in Detroit's confidence. Giants Scutaro led off the sixth with a single and then Posey sent a shot that sailed just inside the left-field foul pole for two more runs giving the Giants 3 to 2 lead. Then Cabrera turned around and hit a home run tying the game 3-3. The game continued all the way to the bottom of the 9^th with the score still tied. In the 10^th inning Marco Scutaro delivered one more key hit with a go-ahead single with two outs in the 10th inning giving the Giants the lead 4-3. In the bottom of the 10^th Sergio Romo got Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera looking with his third strike for the final out.

The manager Bruce Bochy had the foresight to put this team together and it paid off big time.   The pitching was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in a World Series game. The hitting of the San Francisco Giants was also spectacular! The way Giants MVP of the series Pablo Sandoval put on a hitting clinic in game one was incredible. I was so excited that the Giants won the World Series again.  I think that 2 championships in less than 3 years are pretty amazing.  This shows how great the San Francisco Giants are. San Francisco Giants fans supported their team no matter what. The Giant fans in Northern California are gearing up for a parade on October 31, 2012. All you will be seeing is a sea of orange and black. It is time for celebration for the City of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Congratulations San Francisco Giants!

LM

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2012/10/29/san-francisco-giants-sweeping-world-series-victory/

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/san-francisco-giants-beat-detroit-tigers-four-games-win-world-series-02812

  

Presidential Debates Are Over

After all is said and done the Presidential Debates, really got on my last nerve. President Obama stood back in the first one like he did not want to be there. Mitt Romney was feeling himself and spewing lies. I don’t blame the President for his lack of participation. Mitt Romney stood there changing what he had been saying for months about the economy, women’s rights, Medicare, the 47%, and foreign policy. Just listening to an idiot like Mitt Romney would make anyone wish they weren't there. President Obama would answer the question that was asked, but Mitt Romney would only talk about what he thought the President did not do in his four years. Mitt Romney is so wishy washy he reminds me of that Bush character. Overall the debates President Obama made more sense than Mitt Romney he shut Romney down in the last two.  I woke up this morning October 27, 2012 listening to the news. The media was reporting that Mitt Romney has a slight lead over President Obama. Of course the press is disguising the truth. The media makes money off political advertising, and the one thing that fuels the election cycle like none other is the presidential race. We will see on November 6, 2012 on what kind of President will have one that is for all the people or one that is for a few people. 

LM

http://news.yahoo.com/romneys-gallup-lead-drops-three-points-194406151.html

Dr. Marvin Bonham accused of running drug exchange

On October 16, 2012, Dr. Marvin Bonham of Los Gatos was arrested and accused of supplying drugs to minors and trading prescription drugs for cash. Dr. Marvin Bonham was the medical director of the Valley Health Plan, Health and Hospital System of Santa Clara County. He worked for Santa Clara County for almost five years. When authorities went to search his Los Gatos hills home on October 3, 2012, they found weapons, burnt foils that are used to smoke Oxycontin, and the straws. He was growing marijuana under the house. There was marijuana plants hanging and drying in the garage. His roommate James Schneider 32 was arrested. Dr. Marvin Bonham wrote over 1,000 pills of Oxycontin for James Schneider. Dr. Marvin Bonham is facing charges of possession of methamphetamine for sale, prescribing without legitimate medical purpose, prescribing to addicts, possession of psilocybin mushrooms, possession of ecstasy and possession of marijuana for sale. Dr. Bonham will be arraigned on October 18, 2012 in San Jose Superior Court. He could face 25 years in prison if convicted.

 I think Marvin Bonham should get the maximum sentence. He has the nerve to call himself a doctor. First of all he took an oath to do no harm. Well he sure threw that oath is out the window. Marvin Bonham, yes I’m not putting doctor in front of your name because you don’t deserve it shame on you.

LM

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=8851112

http://www.mercurynews.com/los-gatos/ci_21793106/former-santa-clara-county-medical-administrator-arrested-drug

95-Year-Old Woman Attacked In Her San Jose Home

On October 1, 2012 at 7 a.m. in the morning a 95-year-old woman was attacked in her home. A man picked the lock on her gate and kicked down her back door at her home on the 1100 block of Laurie Avenue.  The man pepper sprayed her in the face. She has lived in the Willow Glen neighborhood for 40 years. Her neighbors are upset, horrified and very uncomfortable.  Shanna Desai a mother of two who lives down the street on Laurie Avenue said “People aren't sleeping well at night knowing they could be the next target.” “ We've had too many things happen in a short parameter of time, so nobody feels comfortable.”  According to the latest numbers from San Jose police, as of September, response times were majorly lagging. Monday morning’s home invasion qualified as “Priority Two.” The latest numbers show that instead of the target eleven-minute response, it takes an average of nearly 18 minutes for officers to response. Burglaries are up 54- and 72-percent in two areas of Willow Glen, and almost 35-percent city-wide. James Gonzales, a spokesman for the Police Officer Association says “We’re down 340 officers and we’re down a gang enforcement team, burglaries are up 150-percent in areas of Evergreen.” “There should be more press releases, more information provided to the public. We've seen a systemic quelling of information about crime coming from City Hall.”

This situation is scary, because I had no idea that James Gonzales, and home invasions are up in the area where I live. I sleep with my window open I have to really change that.  This shows me that City Hall does not care about public safety. This is a very BIG problem. We pay our taxes which pay City Hall’s elected officials salaries so let’s demand they do something about this. Like starting off with the hiring of more Police Officers, so San Jose can become one of the safest cities to live in again.   

LM