Here’s a wonderful video clip of Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds singing (although her singing was dubbed by Martha Mears) Irving Berlin’s classic song White Christmas from the film Holiday Inn.

I watched Holiday Inn over the Thanksgiving break. It really is a wonderful movie but I was reminded of two things during Bing’s number honoring ol’ Honest Abe in song and dance: (1) I forgot all about this scene and (2) acts of what we would now classify as racism and bigotry are a near-certainty in many movies that we now deem “classics”.

We would not allow this to exist in movies released in the 21st century (barring one silly, tropic example) without immense media criticism and backlash at the studio, writers, and actor(s).  And so I asked myself:  Do we let these instances slide in movies of the past (the “classics” especially) as products of the era and are we simply too hypersensitive in 2009?  Might it not be helpful to make fun of ourselves and poke fun at our insensitive history – would that not potentially alleviate some of the racial tensions?

Check out the scene in question:

Beginning in the mid-1980s, several stations cut this entire scene from their broadcasts of Holiday Inn.  I disagree with this decision because the use is only insensitive by our standards, not those of the 1940s.  True, Jim Hardy’s (Bing Crosby’s) plan to perform in blackface is a selfish attempt to keep his lady (played by Marjorie Reynolds) disguised from Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) but it is an attempt at costume rather than insult.

Exploring the “legacy” of blackface, historian Gary Giddings wrote in Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams, The Early Years 1903-1940:

Though antebellum (minstrel) troupes were white, the form developed in a form of racial collaboration, illustrating the axiom that defined – and continues to define – American music as it developed over the next century and a half: African-American innovations metamorphose into American popular culture when white performers learn to mimic black ones.

This is a complicated question.  I’ve wasted some time at work mulling it over and writing this out… now I will be resume the pre-holiday rush that is the norm in higher education.

World's worst dog, clearly disappointed in her mom for her poor goal completion

Well, these goals just aren’t going too well.  Not well at all, actually.  A quick summary of my progress, or lack thereof:

1 – Do something nice for our neighbors. Nope.  Oh, unless you count the incredible self-control I exercised in not staring at our creepy neighbor for more than a few seconds as he angrily paced his yard today.  (Normally I stare through the windows for a few minutes at least, trying to figure out what in the hell he’s doing out there.  What are you doing, neighbor?  Why not mow your lawn now, when it’s light out?  You’re outside, you’re not doing anything except angrily pacing…why wait until dark to mow?  So weird.)

2 – Exercise. Nope.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I did climb up to the attic about 100 times yesterday to bring down boxes of holiday decorations.

3 – Make a pie crust from scratch.  I’ve already admitted to failing on this one.  However, I did make the chocolate-bourbon-pecan filling and it was divine.

4 – Donate some time and take my daughter along for the ride. Not yet.  However, I will complete this goal at least once in December.  I promise.

5 – Donate to soldiers. As above.

6 – Perform random acts of kindness. Sadly, not yet.  At least, I don’t think so.  In my defense, I have been shut in the house with the flu since Wednesday afternoon.

7 – Eat breakfast.  I’ve started doing this.  Breakfast bars, mainly.

8 – Make all kinds of trifle. I’m not worried about this one.  There will be trifles-a-plenty in December.

9 – Watch my favorite Christmas movies. Yep.  I did have Holiday Inn on in the background today as I made dinner.  It was, as expected, as good as ever.

10 – Give my husband some kind of meaningful gift. I still have a few weeks to work on this one, but I’m stumped.   Must keep mulling this over.  I welcome suggestions (read: I am really stumped).

I’m not giving up.  I will complete these goals this December.

So, my hope is that you’ll read this update and say to yourself, “hey, there’s an honest lady who’s trying to do the right thing but has no problem admitting when she falls short.  I like her.”  Please don’t go for the other option and say to yourself, “hey, there’s one lazy lady with some serious trust issues when it comes to her neighbors”.  Now, the latter part of that last option may be true.  As for the former part, I swear I’m not lazy.  I’m just a regular lady with the flu (who is great at rationalizing).

Merry Christmas is on the threshold. People are anxiously waiting for Christmas holidays. Now to get around a city or an attractive place during holiday, the advance hotel booking is necessary. This festive season is the ideal time for outing. So, have a gala time with your near and dear ones by booking a hotel which offers discount packages on Christmas. There are lots of discount packages available and among them you can pick one which can be considered as the best hotel package of this Christmas.

The travel destinations are huge to opt from during Christmas celebration. The hotels of these travel destinations make proper arrangement for the guests and also the hotels offer various facilities in affordable price. The travelers gather from various parts of the world and that is why the hotel accommodations become full. On the eve of Christmas the big chain hotels also offer Discount Hotel packages. These hotels are easy to find because all the major cities of the world has big chain hotels. To name some of them are Hilton hotels, Hyatt Residency, Holiday Inn, Fairfield Inn, and ITC Hotels etc. These grand luxury hotels offer high quality accommodation at much discounted rates during Christmas and New Year Celebration.

Have a nice get-together at your favorite city anywhere in the world to celebrate Christmas. The budget travelers can also do the same for this is the right time for tour because the discount packages can help to curtail the expenses to some extent. So book discount hotels through Hotel Finder to avail hot Christmas deals. So, start packing bag and get ready for the tour. Take the opportunity of such lucrative offers because discount packages are not only confined to hotel accommodation but the discount offers include discount air fare, discount shopping, etc. Enjoy a great holiday ahead with your friends and family.

Source by  :  Grab the Best Hotel Packages This Christmas !

Brad Boyink is all about bigger and better. Several years ago, the Christmas light display on his Spring Lake Township home became such a popular attraction that it overwhelmed his neighborhood. Long lines of cars waiting to see the display forced Boyink into a difficult decision to shut it down early.

This season’s shows for the public will begin Thursday night, Thanksgiving, and run through Dec. 26.

Boyink said he has invested $35,000 of his own money over the years. He said it will be the second-largest neighborhood Christmas light show in the nation behind Pickerington, Ohio.

While Boyink’s display has more lights, the Ohio show has more houses involved — 19 in all. It’s a technicality that has piqued Boyink’s competitive spirit.

“They only have 65,000 lights and 25 computers running it,” he said. “So, technically, mine is bigger.”

He’s also proud of the fact that the computers are running on a wireless network.

He keeps in touch with other holiday light enthusiasts across the country on a Web site. “There’s a lot of buzz going on in the industry about what I’ve done here,” he said.

See Video Here!

[Via Mlive.com]

Xmas is almost upon us. It’s meant to be a joyous occasion but is often spoilt by . . . . families, and the need to spend time amongst them.

Particularly irksome, and often the source of resentment and arguments amongst couples is the visit by the dreaded ‘mother-in-law’.

This year, however, could be different. Holiday Inn is offering special rates (25% discount) for mother-in-laws booking accommodation between 23rd – 29th Dec at any of their 194 hotels across the UK.

There’s sure to be a rush so book your mother-in-law in early to avoid disappointment !!!

Source . . .

What a busy weekend!!

What with shoots, a viewing, delivery of orders and then I had a table at the Guildford Baby Fair at the Holiday Inn, Guildford which was sponsored by the ABC magazine, Surrey in which I advertise.

It was one of the best fairs I have been to and was thrilled with the response of families there to my work.  I usually don’t expect to be commissioned that day and use the fairs as a showcase of my work and for families to meet me and start to build on the initial contact.

Ashley Prytherch came along from www.ashphotos.co.uk who was taking shots of the different businesses and he has very kindly forwarded the piccies of me!  Thanks Ashley!

Annie Armitage – Photographer

Annie Armitage is a photographer who specialises in producing timeless images.  She is a contemporary, lifestyle family photographer and produces images of pregnancy, newborn, babies of all sizes, families, teen (seniors) and also has a commercial side to her business which is predominantly  headshots as well as formal but approachable portraits for annual reports or PR purposes.

Nursery photography is also amongst Annie’s portfolio and for details of her wedding business that she has in partnership with Geraint Davies please go to www.armitagedavies.com

Annie is based in Kingston upon Thames but is available for commission throughout the UK and Ireland.  Her main working areas within London are:- Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Thames Ditton, New Malden, Wimbledon, Wandsworth, Putney, Richmond upon Thames, Barnes, Fulham, Chelsea, Clapham, Hampton, Twickenham, Teddington, St Margarets and throughout Surrey including Guildford, Godalming, Woking, Cobham, Weybridge, Esher.

Annie has a “Annie Armitage Photography” page on Facebook – www.facebook.com/anniearmitagephotography

and on Twitter come and follow her – anniegolightly

To contact Annie about your requirements – please go to the contact form on her website or alternatively email her at  annie@anniearmitage.com or call her on 07711 391919

All images and text are copyright Annie Armitage. All rights reserved. Please do not copy.

Listening to: Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra

*Photo Credits to Zijun

I’m lovin’ some of these pics from Tracey and Chris’s October wedding!! The ladies got ready at the Holiday Inn in Oakland (down the street from the University of Pittsburgh), where we celebrated into the night, and the ceremony itself was at the gorgeous St. Therese in Munhall. Tracey and Chris are sweet and outgoing, a pleasure to work with, and I had a wonderful time shooting them with Christina (Thanks for your help!!).

Enjoy a few of my favorites… starting of course with a detail shot! Love the ribbon flowing through the shoes

How about this great flower girl moment?? Adorable.

I loved that Tracey’s veil flowed all the way out the bathroom door on this one…

And then off to St. Therese’s for the big event! Here’s a shot from the ceremony itself,

and then here are a couple from just afterward, of the happy newlyweds…

Then it was off to Schenley Plaza, in front of the Carnegie Library by the carousel. It was positively freezing, so we did a couple of running shots to keep warm. Love the emotion in this one! (Sorry it’s a bit tough to see in the smaller format!)

Once the bridesmaids and groomsmen were finished, it was just Tracey and Chris with me for a bit. I love love Tracey’s white peacoat! So smart!

And gotta love the anklet ties on those shoes…

How about this one for sass! I love it!!

We had some fun spinning around with that big veil…

…and then I let THEM have some fun off by the fence!

I’d started some detail shots at the reception when Tracey’s wedding planner Sumer tracked me down to take a couple more photos of the newlyweds. Tracey spotted some fall foliage nearby so off we went! I’m a sucker for those yellow trees myself!

And I had to toss in this next one because it so reminds me of a runaway bride! It was sooo cold, so as soon as we finished our mini-shoot on the street, off went the bride!

Of course gotta share a reception pic or two. Love this entry shot!

And I’m a big fan of this cake (and the backdrop/lighting). They have a miniature of their dog Barli on top!!

Gotta toss in this next one last. It’s one of my personal favorites from the session and seems to fit perfectly here. The sign they made is adorable!

I was questioning my sanity as I drove through a Nor’easter towards Baltimore last Thursday. “DeShae had better appreciate this!” I grumbled to myself. I knew she did. I just wasn’t having any fun at that moment. She was on a plane from Oklahoma heading towards Baltimore. The storm system was moving slowly, so she might be just enough ahead of it not to even notice it. Or not. Besides she was surrounded by the IWP. I was not worried about either of us.

We both arrived without incident. We had a delicious meal at the hotel since neither of us was willing to venture out again in the rain. The Nor`easter had arrived and it was pretty nasty out. We knew this because she had to go outside to smoke and I had to take Sally out to potty. Tamu had his private latrine inside. God bless Holiday Inn for being pet friendly.

The next morning DeShae had an appointment with Caroline Kenner. It was interesting the way it had fallen into place a month ago when we began planning this. The flights were reasonable in cost and timed perfectly for DeShae, the hotel was convenient and we found out that Caroline works best of Fridays and that the 13^th is especially powerful for her. I had been asking the Po`e Aumakua for their blessings and help. They heard and they agreed, because it turned out to be an incredibly powerful time for both of us!

Hopefully, DeShae will write an article for the blog about her experience??

The drive back on Saturday was uneventful for me. The storm had pretty much begun to break up and besides, I have connections!! I LOVE the Rain God, Tlaloc. He has never let me down yet! Just so you know, Tlaloc loves chocolate, especially chocolate candles. Even the drive from Baltimore to Silver Spring was only a light mist, not the heavy downpour of the night before.

I ‘met’ The Rain God while reading a wonderful book about 10 years ago called Sastun. He was only mentioned in a sentence or two, but there was a strong connection. The little old man had said simply, “the rain god loves chocolate.” I bought a couple of Hershey bars and had no clue what to do with them. But, as with everything spiritual, it is intention that counts the most. At the time I was living in New Mexico and had three large dogs that had to be walked on a leash. It was pouring rain. I announced out loud to this Rain God that I needed to take my dogs out and would appreciate it if the rain could stop. Within 10 minutes the rain stopped. I grabbed my raincoat and leashes and out we went. As soon as we came back in, the rain started up again. It was as if it had been turned off and on like a faucet (it had). So, from that moment on I have a great love, admiration and respect for the Rain God. I only recently found out his name is Tlaloc and he has a great sense of humor!!

On another note, my friend Audrey broke her ankle a few weeks ago. She finally gave me permission to work on her and I immediately began working on her. (note: we will not pray for anyone or do any type of healing without explicit permission from the recipient. Please feel free to send requests for help to the Fellowship!)

After I had been working on her for a few days, she emailed that she had lost her fear of fragility and her energy had returned.

The next note received from her was this morning. She said that she kept waking up every 3 to 4 hours and wanted to get up and dance a jig. Could I please ask them to send the energy during the day so she could get some sleep at night? Adjustment to the `ano`ano was made and she now sleeps very well

I just LOVE the Po`e Aumakua!!!

Redoing your kitchen? Lousy cook? There are plenty of reasons why many West Michiganders won’t be enjoying a Thanksgiving meal at their own tables this year. Fortunately, there is a pleasant alternative to spending the holiday arguing with your brother-in-law over which football game to watch or whether anyone really wants brussel sprouts. You can come down to Jack’s Restaurant (located inside the Grand Haven ~ Spring Lake Holiday Inn) where those decisions have been made for you, and you leave the hard work of cooking and cleaning to someone else.



Service With A Smile @ Jack's Restaurant!

Our Thanksgiving menu will include the following:

Slow Roasted Breast of Turkey $19.95

with house made gravy and traditional stuffing. Served with green beans braised with Roma tomato and basil, and roasted garlic mashed redskin potatoes.
Fillet of Sole Roulade $22.95
Stuffed with shrimp and crab, with a rich tarragon cream. Served with buttery wild rice pilaf and fresh steamed medley of vegetables.

Thyme & Garlic Crusted Beef Tenderloin $24.95
With pinot noir demi-glaze. Served with green beans braised with Roma tomato and basil, and mashed redskin potatoes.

Parmesan Chicken $17.95
With white wine, lemon, and artichoke. Served with fresh steamed carrots, broccoli, and zucchini over a brown & wild rice pilaf.

Choose from a classic Caesar salad or our house salad to start and apple or pumpkin pie for dessert.

Kids Turkey Dinner is $9.95 (12 & Under) - Regular Kid’s Menu also available

Reservations are Highly Recommended!
(616) 846-1370

House overtaken by overnight guests? Have them stay with us!

http://www.higrandhaven.com

Die feinsten Grappe des Hause NONINO wurden persönlich von Cristina Nonino, Unternehmerin im HolidayInn in Villach präsentiert.

Das BusinessFrauenCenter, Rotary Club Villach und Frauen mit BISS Ness Villach luden zu dieser einmaligen Veranstaltung ins Holiday Inn.

Christina Nonino eine der vier Nonino Damen präsentierte mit viel Charme, Witz und Know How exellente Grappas und erzählte vom Aufbau des Familienunternehmens welches von Benito und Giannnola Nonino sowie ihren drei Töchtern Elisabetta, Antonella und Christina geführt wird.    Bei der Verkostung der exellenten Grappas kamen alle auf ihren speziellen Grappa Geschmack.

Für mich war der Grappa  Monovitigno Fragolino (mit 38 % Vol.) er erinnert an Heidelbeeren und Waldfrüchte und ist außergewöhnlich aromatisch sowie der Picolit Gru Grappa Monovitigno Nonino  (mit 50 %  Vol.) –  er erinnert an den Duft nach Akazienblüten, reifen Quitten und frisch gepflückten Feigen – absolute erste Sahne.  Weiteres durften wir einen Nonino Monovitigno Moscato mit 42 % Vol, sowie einen Grappa Nonino Monovitigno Prosecco in Barriques und einen Grappa Nonino Riserva Anticacuve in Barriques gereift mit 43 % Vol kosten.

Heribert Brumnik  (in einem super geilen Kärnten Hemd) vom Blitzlicht.at machte die exklusiven Bilder die ich hier ausstellen darf. Von ihm gibts leider keines, sonst hätte ich ihn präsentiert. Vielleicht ein andermal. Dafür muss ich meine Kamera mitnehmen. Vielleicht ist er beim nächsten BFC Treffen in der Klagenfurter Messehalle mit dabei und dann stelle ich ihn mal vor.

Dass die Grappas vorzüglich sind braucht man glaube ich gar nicht extra betonen gehören sie doch zu den Welt besten überhaupt. Was  diesem Abend so besonders machte, war die Begeisterung mit welcher Christina Nonino vom Familienbetrieb erzählte, vom langen harten Weg den Grappa Salonfähig zu machen  und wie stolz sie darauf sind mit den besten Zutaten nach altherkömmlicher Destilliermethode den besten Grappa zu destillieren.

Das Give Away für uns anwesenden Damen  – einen  Grappa Chardonnay in Barriques gereift werde ich zu gegebenen Anlass mit Genuss trinken und mich an einen schönen Abend erinnern.  Mit vielen anderen Genießern und Netzwerkern ließen wir den Abend bei einem tollen Buffet ausklingen. Wir fuhren nicht mehr mit dem Auto nach Hause. Es gab ja so viele erstklassige Grappas zu probieren. Und gute Laune erzeugen das kann er – der Nonino Grappa.

i really couldn’t give show you a better example of a perfect mash-up.  excellent song choices, perfect flow, and HOTEL, MOTEL, HOLIDAY INN! this has satisfied me 110%. download it NOW. we can thank DJ Decker for the amazing work.

grab the MP3 below:

David Guetta ft Akon [vs] MadoNNa [vs] Pitbull [vs] Shakira [vs] Lady GaGa (DJ Deker)

When football season arrives, ladies, do you feel as if you are single again? Are you overlooked on Sundays from noon until about 10-11PM, then again on Monday nights…not to mention the occasional Thursday night? For the last few years, I have used Sunday’s as “My Time” and I conveniently leave the kids at home and run errands, spend time in book stores, go grab a nice quiet bite to eat, you know, all the things that you don’t get to do when you have kids. I thought it would be nice to plan a trip for a weekend away with just the ‘girls’, staying in a hotel, using it as “My Time” to refresh myself, rejuvenate myself, reconnect with myself and my girlfriends. Even if I don’t plan little “escapes”, I try to take time out of my week to “Pamper Me”.

When planning a trip anywhere, I always think of Holiday Inn. Probably because that is the hotel that my parents often had us staying in when we went on family vacations. It wasn’t a real vacation until we stayed in a Holiday Inn. Heck, we even went a couple towns over during the winter and stayed in one during the cold winter weekend so we can go swimming in their indoor pool! I did some searching and Holiday Inn’s are all over the world! Take a look at these photos and tell me they don’t look amazing! (What I would give to visit Paris or Bali for my “girls get away” trip!!)

Holiday Inn - Paris

Holiday Inn - Bali

I have a nice little contest for you all that will get you one $10.00 iTunes gift card, which would make a great stocking stuffer, should you be selected as our winner!

To Enter: You can pick one or all of your entry options!

1. Earn TWO entries: Check out the new website for Holiday Inn and pick any hotel in the US or International. You can use this time to pretend to go to some exotic location, plan a fake trip for yourself, go where you have always wanted. Check out the actual hotel in that city and comment back to me with the name of the city you went to on your dream “girls get away” and what intrigued you the most about that particular hotel.

2. Earn ONE entry: This comment post is all about you! I want to know if you have fond memories traveling as a child, what do you wish to pass along to your children, what have you passed along to them already, I want to hear your stories!

3. Earn ONE entry: Have you taken a ‘girls get away’ trip? If so, what made your get away special? How long were you gone for, was it for a nice spa weekend, or a party on the town weekend?

4. Earn ONE entry: Tweet about this giveaway and post your tweet link!

5. Earn ONE entry: How do you pamper yourself? Does not have to be all travel related. If you just pamper yourself by enjoying a weekly bubble bath with candle and soothing music after the kids have gone to bed, or if you take the day and just hide out in some remote location, I want to know what you do to just “Pamper Yourself”.

There you have it…you have 5 ways to enter! Enter once or enter all five options to maximize your chances!

Deadline is November 30, 2009 @ midnight, CST! The winner will be awarded one $10.00 iTunes gift card! Please be sure to either register using your email address or provide it within the post so I can somehow get in touch with you should you be randomly selected as our winner!

This is so exciting for me! I can’t wait to get “Out of Dodge” as they say!