Saturday, June 28, 2008

Let the Good Times Roll; Louis Jordan Honored in Congress

On June 23 the House of Representatives passed two resolutions (H.Res. 372 and 1242) that are related to African-American music.

H.Res 372 resolves that Congress--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of Black Music Month;
(2) honors the outstanding contributions that African-American singers, musicians, composers, and producers have made to this country;
(3) calls on the people of the United States to take the opportunity to study, reflect on, and celebrate the majesty, vitality, and importance of African-American music; and
(4) requests and authorizes the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The House also recognized and honored the life, musical accomplishments, and contributions of Louis Jordan by passing H.Res. 1242.

In 1938 Jordan started his band, the Elks Rendez-Vous Band, and in 1939 he changed the name of the group to the Tympany Five. His prolific musical career consists of 54 hit singles including, 'Five Guys Named Moe', 'Let the Good Times Roll', 'Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin', and 'Barnyard Boogie'. In addition there were 18 number 1 hits on Billboard's R&B chart including 'Beans and Cornbread', 'Run Joe', 'Ain't That Just Like A Woman', and the 1946 hit 'Choo Choo Ch'Boogie', which topped the Billboard's R&B chart for 18 weeks. His hits made it onto the Pop charts, including 'Baby It's Cold Outside', 'Caldonia', 'Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby', 'Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens', and 'Beware'. Jordan was also featured in a variety of short musical films in the 1940s, such as the 1945 short film 'Caldonia" and played cameo roles in movies like 'Follow the Boys' and 'Swing Parade of 1946.' His 1949 recording of 'Saturday Night Fish Fry' is often considered one of the earliest musical examples of what would later become known as 'Rock and Roll.' Jordan died on February 4, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1987 and Rolling Stone Magazine named him one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Later this year Jordan will be highlighted on a United States Postal Service stamp, as part of the 2008 commemorative stamp program.

For more information visit the Louis Jordan Website or listen to samples on Amazon.

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This section highlights key legislation and links for you to contact your elected officials.

Health care reform is front and center on the nation's agenda. The group Sojourners has an interesting "Christian Health Care Creed" that can be sent to Congress. It in part says:

"I believe that Christians should seek to bring health and well-being (shalom) to the society into which God has placed us, for a healthy society benefits all members (Jeremiah 29:7).

I believe in a time when all will live long and healthy lives, from infancy to old age (Isaiah 65:20), and "mourning and crying and pain will be no more" (Revelation 21:4). My heart breaks for my brothers and sisters who watch their loved ones suffer, or who suffer themselves, because they cannot afford a trip to the doctor. I stand with them in their suffering."

A Little This..A Little That...

06/20/08
Gallup Poll: Currently, 79% of Americans hold negative views about the economy, while 13% hold mixed views, and only 5% hold positive views. In comparison, 61% of Americans held a negative view at the begining of the year, 21% held a mixed view and 16% were positive.

04/19/08
Gallup Daily: Hillary Clinton now receives 46% of the support of Democrats nationally, compared to 45% for Barack Obama, marking the first time Obama has not led in Gallup's daily tracking since March 18-20.

04/06/08...The Milwaukee Brewers are starting the 2008 Season where they belong atop the NL Central. Ben Sheets was dazzling Sunday as he helped the club sweep the Giants with a 7-0 victory.

02/06/08...A bit of old news, but the casual dining chains continue to struggle as folks like me have to look twice at our spending habits due to the high price of gas, groceries and a slumping housing market. As you know, IHOP bought Applebee's last November -- a deal that I for one questioned. Applebee's sales continue to decline and that does not bode well for the future of the chain. The management strategy for IHOP is the franchise model so the company-owned Applebee's may be on their way out faster than you can say "baby back." With the debt of the purchase, you can imagine they're under pressure to turn things around or else. Look for IHOP to make a deal with a private equity firm to take the stores off their books. The National Restaurant Association recently issued the following release: Restaurant Performance Index Declined for the Fourth Consecutive Month in December

01/26/08...The Civil Rights Project at UCLA published astyd discussing the resegregation of the public schools. The report finds that segregation of African Americans is back to what it was in the late 1960s. The only kinds of communities with high levels of school integration are the nation’s rural areas and towns, once the center of the most intense resistance. By contrast, extreme segregation is concentrated in the largest metropolitan areas. Read the report: The Last Have Become First; Rural and Small Town America Lead the Way on Desegregation

01/04/08...Federal efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care are underfunded and indicate a lack of seriousness about accomplishing the goal, according to former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher. You can view Dr. Satcher discussing health disparities and current federal legislative efforts and the factors that may influence the outcome of these efforts.

12/31/07...The U.S. Census Bureau says that on this New Year's Eve, morethan 303 million Americans of all ages are ready to greet the year 2008. Fifty years ago, the U.S. population was just over 171 million. A centuryago, it was 87 million. To show how fast the nation is growing, by thistime tomorrow, there will be some 7,800 new babies on hand to welcome the new year.

12/28/07...Sales of new one-family houses in November 2007 were 9.0 percent below the revised October rate and is 34.4 percent below the November 2006 rate. The median sales price of new houses sold in November 2007 was $239,100; the average sales price was $293,300, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The outlook for the restaurant industry continued to weaken in November. Forty-four percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline in November, up from 36 percent who reported similarly in October, according to the National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of restaurant activity. The index fell to its lowest level in more than four years. FYI...News Report on the Casual Dining Sector