In Our Community
During the Christmas season, many Christmas themed movies will be shown on television. One of the most popular is White Christmas. Of the main stars, Danny Kaye played off of Bing Crosby in a manner that no one else could do. During the 1940’s, Danny had a short lived radio program that didn’t live up to his visual talent.
The Danny Kaye Show premiered on CBS January 6, 1945. If judgment is reflected by popularity poll rather than Hooper rating, Kaye’s show was one of the most popular in the land. At least Radio Daily thought so. The magazine ranked him in fifth place among all shows. His Hooper of 12-plus wasn’t a disgrace either, though writer Goodman Ace later described the show as a bomb. Kaye was on for just over a calendar year, broadcasting for Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. A veteran of vaudeville, Broadway, and movies, Kaye’s stage training made him a superb radio comedian, a master of tongue-twisters and double talk, at home with any dialect. His company included Eve Arden, Lionel Stander, and Harry James and His Music Makers. Ken Niles announced; Dick Mack directed. Writing for the series was Ace, Abe Burrows, and Sylvia Fine, who was Mrs. Kaye in private life. This was a solid variety show. His program included skits, music and a variety of very enjoyable entertainment. He wasn’t big like a Jack Benny or Red Skelton, but he could hold his own on stage and the screen which he did many times. Listen to KDTH’s Big Broadcast on Sunday nights from 6 to midnight and you might catch Danny “gat gat gettle.” 
‘Holiday Tags’ Available for Solid Waste Collection Customers
DUBUQUE, Iowa — The City of Dubuque is continuing its annual distribution of a complimentary “holiday tag” for extra garbage to its solid waste collection customers. The tags will be available until Jan. 3, 2019.
Customers requesting a holiday tag will need to present the original top portion of their November 2018 utility bills, which have holiday tag information printed on them. Renters in housing units where the owner pays the City utility bill will need to request a holiday tag from the owner or property manager. Paperless billing customers requesting a holiday tag do not need to print their bill; however, verification of paperless billing status will be confirmed by City staff at the time of request. Customers may pick up their holiday tag during normal business hours at the following locations: • Municipal Services Center, 925 Kerper Ct.
• Utility Billing office, first floor of City Hall at 13th & Central • Housing and Community Development office, third floor of the Historic Federal Building, 350 W. Sixth St. • Leisure Services Department office, 2200 Bunker Hill Rd. • Multicultural Family Center, 1157 Central Ave. The holiday tags may be used for refuse on any collection day in the future. For additional information, please contact the Utility Billing Department at (563) 589-4144.
New Boss for Troubled DC VA
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Better Than a Traditional Christmas
I look forward to the Christmas season each year. Why? Because one of my Christmas traditions is savoring the unique flavor of Starbucks Christmas blend coffee, which is offered no other time of the year. It makes the Christmas season special. Starbucks also offers a Holiday blend at this time of year, but I pass on it because I want to keep “Christ” in the name of my coffee, which only the CHRISTmas blend does.
Okay, I’m not being serious (although I do like the flavor of Starbucks Christmas blend). Your relief is valid; you’d expect me to focus on something more important at this special time of year than Christmas blend coffee! My tradition of drinking Starbucks Christmas blend is just one of the countless traditions of Christmas: putting up a Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, listening to Christmas music, going to Christmas parties, enjoying a Christmas dinner, and attending Christmas church services, concerts, or programs. Such traditions add meaning to the Christmas season for us, but they can also distract us from focusing on why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Imagine if Joseph and Mary, while tending their newborn baby in the stable, could have seen how we celebrate Christmas 21 centuries after that first Christmas? I suspect bewilderment would be their response to our Christmas trees, Santa, Christmas sales, the story of Scrooge, Frosty the Snowman, flashing colored lights adorning the outside of homes, Christmas towels in bathrooms, and all the other aspects that make up our contemporary Christmases. The good news is that we don’t have to be a Scrooge and drop our Christmas traditions to get back to the core of Christmas (after all, I don’t want to give up my Starbucks Christmas blend). We can use our Christmas traditions to prompt us to refocus on the central theme of Christmas, the coming of God into the world as one of us, born as a baby, Emmanuel (God with us). The lights of Christmas can be a reminder that He’s the light of the world and wants to be the light of our life; the gift giving can prompt us to remember He Himself is our greatest gift; the Christmas parties can be an expression of the joy we have in Jesus being born into our world – you get the idea. Our Christmas traditions can propel us beyond the traditions themselves and on to the core truth of Christmas, and that, after all, is the way to really celebrate Christmas! “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:8-11) 
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The other day at the mall, a gentleman that comes to walk at the mall for exercise and guy-talk with friends, stopped at our “ladies” table and said he was doing a casual survey concerning cast iron skillets. He wanted to know if any of us still use cast iron skillets.
Yes! Many of us still use our cast iron skillets for our favorite dishes. He had stated that during his survey he found out that many women had inherited their cast iron skillets from their mothers or grandmothers and would never part with them. Since I have three sizes of cast iron skillets, I decided to check out on the computer a little information about their history. This is brief information but I thought you might be interested in a little history of this cookware. It seems that in 220 A.D. the Han Dynasties in China, were the first people to use cast iron cookware and perhaps they developed the technique for making the cast iron skillet. Thus, the use of cast iron products spread throughout Europe. And now the whole world knows how to produce cast iron cookware. Ironically, cast iron cookware had run its course and declined in the 20th century, but its coming back. One reason this is happening is because there has been some concern about the chemical release of toxic fumes when using non-stick coated pans. Another reason is because cast iron cookware lasts a long, long time, as a matter of fact for hundreds of years. Also, some restaurant owners use the cast iron skillet to deliver food to the customer sizzling with the prospect of a juicy delicious steak cooked to perfection. I have three cast iron skillets. Years ago, before microwaves, I used my 5-inch for heating up small portions of food. In my 7-inch skillet I make a yummy 2-egg, ham and cheese omelet. And, there is no better pot of goulash then that cooked in my 10-inch cast iron skillet. It is so simple and easy to make for the evening meal. You cook the hamburger, add, sauteed onions, cooked in the 5-inch skillet, pour in cooked macaroni, and canned diced tomatoes. I season the goulash with salt and pepper half way through the cooking process. I can only imagine the wonderful recipes readers of The Golden View could share with others. Why not dig through your recipe box and pass on one of your favorite dishes cooked in a cast iron skillet? |
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
2008’s Mamma Mia! was such a wonderful movie that it was safe to assume a sequel had to be coming sometime. It took 10 years but it finally arrived in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in 2018.
When we left Mamma Mia #1, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and her fiancé postponed their wedding at the last minute and decided to explore the world together. Mamma Mia #2 finds Sophie returning to the Greek Isle where she lived while her mother (Meryl Streep) ran a hotel. Now that her mother has passed, the best way Sophie could honor her mother would be to restore the hotel and throw a fun-filled restoration party. For whatever reason that aspect of the film was not presented in chronological order, which made for a certain amount of confusion. Also, in Mamma Mia #1 many of ABBA’s hit songs were used. Some were used again in Mamma Mia #2, but the focus seemed to be on ABBA songs that did not become mega hits, which I found disappointing because I am a big ABBA fan. Even though I have a couple of negatives I still highly recommend this film because of its heartfelt charm and love-of-life flair. Cher has been added to the cast as Sophie’s grandmother and in a matter of months Sophie will make her grandmother a great-grandmother. This film is rated PG-13 and is available at most Redbox locations. 
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