'Welcome Back Kotter'a Juan Epstein Is Dead at 60

Robert Hegyes, the Jersey-born actor who played Jewish Puerto Rican wheeler-dealer Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the 1970s classic "Welcome Back Kotter," died from an apparent heart attack after suffering chest pains at age 60.

Hegyes was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where my Grandmother used to live. He was one of four children. What you may not know was that he is the cousin of singer Jon Bon Jovi

Robert made his Los Angeles stage debut to rave notices as "Chico Marx" in the Westwood and National Touring Company engagements of, An Evening with Groucho. Upon returning from the tour, Robert was cast by Producer Barney Rosenswieg to star as a series regular portraying undercover detective "Manny Esposito" in the Emmy Award-winning drama, Cagney & Lacey, starring Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless.

When I was a teen I hated to miss an episode of this show. From the excuse notes from "Epstein's Mother" to a young John Travolata and Horschack's Ooh-ooh-ooooh!" (Used with raised hand when Arnold gets excited because he believes he knows an answer to Mr. Kotter's question. The shout was an imitation of Joe E. Ross's phrase from Car 54, Where Are You?.) to Washington's "Hey, Mister Kot-taire" (how he addresses Mr. Kotter)this show didn't just make me laugh out loud it helped me be the teacher I am today.

After all a little laughter makes the learning go down so much easier. Please do not believe for one moment I was anywhere near as funny as Kotter but my "sweat hogs" were and are just as loveable as these guys were.

Robert Hegyes died on January 26th, 2012 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey from an apparent heart attack. He was taken there after suffering chest pains at his Metuchen in the morning. He was 60.

Publix Best Meals Happen At Home

I was so excited about this deal I kind of jumped the gun by publishing it too soon.

So I want to remind you to take advantage of great savings on some of your favorite participating brands during the “Best Meals Happen at Home” event at Publix from January 26th through February 1st.

As of Jan 26th look for in-store for coupons that will be valid through February 15th

Visit BestMealsatHome.com to sign up and receive emails with weekly recipes and coupon offers that will help you save up to $200 this year.

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway where you have the opportunity to WIN a $25 Publix Gift Card. In keeping with the FTC rules I would like to inform you that I received no financial compensation for this post. The Publix gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Fernbank Presents Georgia Natural: Photographs by Diane Kirkland,

In the new gallery exhibition Georgia Natural, Fernbank Museum of Natural History showcases the diverse landscapes of Georgia in a series of black-and-white and color photos by local artist Diane Kirkland. Georgia Natural will be on view at the Museum from February 4-April 29, 2012.

Georgia Natural includes 35 framed photographs, which highlight Kirkland’s appreciation for the many sanctuaries in Georgia that have remained largely unchanged for thousands of years. She works to portray the mysterious and primordial qualities of each scene while capturing the evocative, other-worldly appearance the natural world can convey in soft and low light.

“I hope my pictures show that these places are worthy of our attention and that we don’t allow these sanctuaries to disappear,” Kirkland said. “Because often, we don’t keep what we don’t value.”

The photos include rivers, streams, trees, swamps, outcrops and more, while moments of fog, dusk, mossy trees, and blooming flowers add depth to the view. Kirkland explores patterns and designs to discover cohesiveness in seemingly random, unrelated elements of nature, which she says requires intense observation to the uniqueness of a view.

“Subtlety enlivens our senses,” she said.

Kirkland’s photos not only capture the beauty of the landscapes but they also capture the essence of the moment. In several coastal plain and barrier island images, a mysterious fog coats the landscape, slow to reveal exactly what has been captured in the lens. Crisp reflections in the water of Sweetwater Creek in the Piedmont region swell and recede as rocks below distort, revealing what appear as upside-down apparitions, sunlit cliffs, or something else. Sunlight pierces through the steam of Moody Swamp, cutting through the dampness that can almost be felt through the photograph. In another image, a glorious expanse of ephemeral clouds greets the viewer in Morning Marsh.

The collection of images includes documentation of the variety of landscapes found in Georgia’s Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, and Barrier Islands regions. All are represented in rich compositions. Kirkland framed her subjects in a manner that leads the eye on a journey within each piece, from swirling vines and roots that lift the eye up and out of an Ocmulgee River Flood Plain to a journey deep into Brasstown Bald Trail.

Kirkland has a long relationship with Georgia’s natural spaces. A 25-year staff photographer for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Kirkland has traveled extensively throughout the state to capture the natural beauty of Georgia’s geographic regions. The Georgia Council for the Arts selected Kirkland to join their 2008-2010Touring Artist Rosters, and she was also invited to join the Southern Arts Federation, which is a multi-media artist registry that spotlights outstanding artists who live and work in the South. In addition, Kirkland was the recipient of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources 2007-2008 Artist in Residence Grant.

Georgia Natural is included with Museum admission, which is $17.50 for adults, $16.50 for students/seniors, $15.50 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children 12 and under and for members. Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road, NE in Atlanta. Tickets and information are available at www.fernbankmuseum.org and 404.929.6300/404.929.6400.

Ryan Brunn - Convicted Child Killer Dead in Jail Cell

Ryan Brunn had just pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the murder of Jorelys Rivera. Jorley was killed December 2nd at a north Georgia apartment complex where she lived.

Jorley was reported missing after she left the complex's playground to retrieve sodas at her apartment for her friends. Brunn described in detail to the court how he lured the girl into a vacant apartment and sexually assaulted her. Brunn said he was afraid she would tell her parents so he "cut her." When she didn't die right away, he beat and stabbed her.

Brunn placed her body in a garbage bag and dumped it in a trash compactor at the complex where it was found.

You may remember that Brunn's family was adament that there was no possible way Ryan could have done such a heinous thing.

"There's just no way he would do something like this. He's just a kindhearted person. This is just some big mistake. I just honestly think this was a big setup," Connor Brunn said.

I was glad that the judge had sentenced him to life in prison without parole but honestly it was a case that made me wrestle with the death penalty. When someone commits such a violent act upon a young child it's difficult for me to get past the desire for justice in the form of the death penalty. The fact that he was not eligible for parole made me feel that at the very least he was being removed from the general population and would protect other children from him.

According to spokeswoman Kristen Stancil,at the state prison in Jackson, said Ryan Brunn was found unresponsive at 4:15 p.m. Brunn was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:37 p.m. of an apparent suicide."

It is interesting to note that Braunn was on suicide watch when this happened. An autopsy on his body has been scheduled for tomorrow. The outcome of the autopsy will determine the cause of his death.

Jimmy Castor Dies Of Apparent Heart Failure

Back in 1975 there wasn't a kid who didn't love the Beartha Bump Boogie. Even now when I hear it I can't help but want to get up and dance. Me like! Me like!

Castor is best known as a fun disco/funk saxophonist, with his biggest hit single being 1972's million seller, "Troglodyte (Cave Man)".



Castor had been hospitalized in November before undergoing a quadruple bypass surgery.

Jimmy Castor died of apparent heart failure in a Las Vegas hospital, family members said Tuesday. He was 71. He was a great showman and an amazing talent.

It's Puppy Love For Casey Anthony

More photos were posted by the girl who hates being on camera via Twitter. Don't worry, she's not posting about the loss of her daughter. She just wants to share new photos of her and her future victim, I mean dog.

Life goes on for Casey. secretly dating a new man, is frequently out in public and has even been attending church. It's even rumored that she is working for this new man. I hope he sleeps with one eye open.

Who is this new man? The name Rob Hensley, a landscaper from Kansas has recently surfaced. Now you're probably asking yourself, just how does a landscaper from Kansas get to meet a quality woman who was aquitted of murdering her child. It appears that Hensely, Casey's new squeeze is her defense former attorney Jose Baez's cousin.

With this in mind would it surprise you to learn that Mr. Hensley may very well be the source of the videos and photos.

While it might surprise us that some genius decided the woman most of America believes killed her toddler daughter was a good candidate to adopt a living creature of any shape or size you might be comforted to know that that Hitler loved his dog Blondi. Well he did until he killed it by giving Blondi cyanide capsules.

When Blondi died Hitler became completely inconsolable, however if I remember correctly Casey wasn't inconsolable when her own daughter Caylee died. The again, Casey was found not guilty of killing her daughter now wasn't she.

Jose Baez Quits Casey?

It appears that the sick parasitic relationship between Baez and Casey may have finally come to an end. That's right. Jose Baez has decided to REMOVE HIMSELF from Anthony’s legal team.

Am I the only one who feels the timing of his jettison from team Casey after her videos went viral. Baez is smart enough to realize that his toxic client is not the hot commodity he had hoped she would be.

Meanwhile, Dorothy Sims, a member of Casey's defense dedicated to appealing her fraud conviction, filed paperwork in an Orlando court seeking to remove herself as the client of record for the case. Does this mean the rats are abandoning the sinking ship?

I'm willing to be that Jose is still planning to use this case as his cash cow. After all Jose's been getting plenty of face time while his meal ticket patiently waits for her big payday.

Breaking News - Casey Anthony Got Her Nose Pierced

Amazing. Simply AMAZING. In this second installment of America's most hated sociopath she once again speaks about her favorite subject, herself. I'm sure you'll be very excited "woo" about her nose ring.

So why should we give a damn? We shouldn't. Why is it newsorthy? Well it seems that Jose Baez claims an investigation has been launched into what he says is the illegal hacking and leaking of his client's online video diary. Legal action will be taken against the guilty party. Gee Jose, do you think it was the meter reader or her Dad that hacked her computer?

It seems to me that this is all about Casey. It always has been about Casey. She craves the limelight. Sadly, it never seems to occur to her that her celebrity is due to her infamy because many still believe she killed her daughter Caylee. For some people fame at any cost is worth the price and I believe this is true for Casey.

Casey Anthony's Baaaaack

Yes it's really Casey. According to her lawyer, Chaney Mason, the video release was "unauthorized" and "inappropriate."

He insisted Anthony — who sports a blond bob in the video instead of her long, dark hair — did not release the video. Mason suggested it may have been hacked.

Poor Casey, it's never, ever her fault.

As always with Casey it's me, me, me, my, my, my,mine, mine, mine. My computer. My audio recordings. I have something I can call mine. My camera, my phone. My dog. These things are MINE!!!

By the way Casey what about YOUR daughter. Thought of her lately?

I know it's been said many times many ways but Casey appears to be the epitome of the word Narcissist.

She's self-absorbed, unaware of others' needs and of the effects of her behavior on others, and insistent that others see her as she wishes to be seen. In this video she displays her sense of entitlement and obviously has unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with her expectations.

Michael Plumadore Pleads Not Guilty To Murder Killing Aliahna Lemmon

Michael Plumadore, the man accused of killing Aliahna Lemmon, pleaded not guilty to murder charges today. Plumadore previously confessed to committing the crime and is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and removing a dead body from the scene of a crime.

Allen Superior Court Magistrate Samuel Keirns asked Plumadore whether he understood the charges and proceedings. Plumadore answered each question with "yes, sir."

We already learned that Aliahna was living in a trailer park infested with child molesters where almost half of the homes in the park included at least one name on the Indiana Sex Offender Registry database.Sadly we discover even more about the horror that this little girl endured in her short life. Today we learn that Aliahna Lemmon was sexually assaulted in in 2010 by Kurtis Allen Kennedy.

According to the affidavit, in January 2010, Kennedy admitted to Centerville Police Officer Jeremy Cole and DHS case worker Sarah Bakerduring that he "partially disrob[ed] Aliahna Lemmon, a seven year old child, and plac[ed] his hand on the child’s bare buttock."

The affidavit also states that the victim, Aliahna Lemmon, confirmed Kennedy's admission. At the time of the sexual assault, Aliahna was seven years old and Kennedy was 19 years old.

Later in July, Kennedy was arraigned on a charge of indecent contact with a child, which is an aggravated misdemeanor. In July 2010, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison

When will we stop this insanity? When will we say enough is enough? When are we as a nation going to put our children first?

If you live in the Ft Wayne area there will be a memorial gathering and service has been planned for 9-year-old murder victim Aliahna Marie Maroney Lemmon.

Services are set for 7 p.m. Thursday, January 5 at the First Assembly of God, 1400 West Washington Center Road in Fort Wayne. A gathering will begin one hour prior to the service.

2011 Sweepstakes Wins

Do you remember how you told yourself "No one WINS those sweepstakes"? Not true. I win some. Not as many as I like but I still win an awful lot. These are the prizes I won last year from sweepstakes and contests. I may have forgotten a few here and there but it's definitely been a great year.

January

Knight & Day DVD
FREE Soft Drink From Einstein's Bagel
FREE Soft Drink From Einstein's Bagel
FREE Soft Drink From Einstein's Bagel
$25 Walmart Gift Card
NFL tote and coupon
Breakfast from Hardee's for the office

February

a gift certificate for 2 to Cracker Barrel
Vow Renewal with the FISH radio station
Revlon Red Lipstick
NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU book win
When The Stars Go Blue book win
$25 1800flowers Gift Card
High Impact Mascara from Clinique

March

Free Fries from Hardees
Advance reading copy of Planting Dandelions by Kyran Pittman


April

$100 Visa Gift Certificate
$100 Red Lobster Gift Card

May

$50 ProFlowers
$25 Chili's GC
$50 Land’s End gift card

June

Kill Bin Laden - Book win
$100 Cooking.com gift card - recipe contest
Free Coffee and Hash Rounds on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome
Free Coffee and Hash Rounds on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome
$1 Off Six Dollar Burger™ Combo on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome
$1 Off Six Dollar Burger™ Combo on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome
Free Small Fry on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome
Free Small Beverage on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome!
Free Coffee & Hash Brown Nuggets on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome
Free Small Fry & Small Drink on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome
$1 Off Any Shake or Malt on the Carl's Jr. Wheel of Awesome
10% off one meal at a participating California Pizza Kitchen location
Whispers in the Sand - book win
Win Your Meal Ticket to the Big Apple - Trip to 3 day/2night stay in NY + $250 towards dinner for 2 at Maze
Trip to Pearl River Resort includes transportation Two nights, two dinners, one breakfast, Golden Palace Hotel
$20 Chili's Gift Card (blog win)
$20 Chili's Gift Card (this is from a different blog)
Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge (book win)
two movie tickets
$100 Babies ‘r’ Us Gift Card

JULY

You won 2 AMC Theatres® tickets and 2 large fountain drink coupons – perfect for date night!
$20 Chili's GC from another blog

SEPTEMBER

Congratulations! You won an X Factor Poster! Please allow 6-8 weeks to receive your prize.
Star Wars Light Saber

OCTOBER

Grill Master BBQ set

NOVEMBER

$50 American Express Gift Card

DECEMBER

Coupon for free Dove Bar

My New Year's Horoscope

Admit it. We all do stupid things on the first day of the new year. Maybe it's breaking the resolution we made just the night before. Maybe it's buying some high priced exercise machine that will wind up as an over priced place to hang your clothes. Me? Well I always check my horoscope the first day of the year. Preferably one that tells you what to expect in the year ahead but I do it even though it's really not something rational to do.

Today I was checking the TV guide to see if there were any made for TV marathons that I'd be interested in watching. Low and behold they had one of those fortune telling things right there on the side of the page and for a lark I decided to let it "read my tea leaves"

So what's in the leaves for me?

As the steam from the tea evaporates, I see many interesting events in your future! Is the kindness you have shown others about to be returned tenfold? The many triangular shapes present in your cup say it is so.

Near the top of the cup I see a chair. An unexpected visitor may bring you joy. I also see a queen. Romance is coming to you soon. Are you ready for love ... or just lust?

At the bottom of the cup is grapes, suggesting that caution may be key now. Think twice before speaking if you're angry. I also see a wheel. It may be a long but steady climb to the top. Enjoy the view along the way.

All the shapes reveal themselves in a clear clockwise spiral within the cup. Your future is moving quickly toward you. The letter D is apparent in the cup. Someone with this initial may offer you a chance at a new beginning.

If you're a Leo like I am then here's what's in store for you in the year 2012

The position of the Saturn and Uranus for the Leo Horoscope 2012 highlights that all your plans for which you have been working for past two years would reach its fruition.

Great opportunities would be there on your way. The position of the Sun too is favorable, which adds reinforces energy and zeal. This would enhance your vitality and make you more enthusiastic at work and other matters that concern your family and loved ones. You might be caught up planning some household events and playing the generous host.

Leo’s have a tendency to erupt all too soon. This is helpful at times, but can also act otherwise. 2012 involves a great amount of family involvement, where you might have to put up with few relatives with whom you might get into disagreement.

In such cases handle the situation by logically reasoning out than getting into combative arguments.

According to Leo forecast 2012, health is something that you might have to take special care of. Especially for working women. There are chances of getting affected by allergies, abdominal aches, and other digestive problems that may prolong for a while.

There would be more facilities given to you at work, which would help to increase your performance. New challenges would be there where you have to play the role of a leader. At some point of time the work pressure might seem unbearable. This is more towards the months of July and August. You fellow workers will gain a lot from your leadership and company. Leo’s look for recognition. Acknowledgement and respect for the work done is what they expect first and foremost. The monetary rewards can tag in later. People around you certainly understand this fact, and hence you are noted for your excellent business strategy and achievements. You would get concrete results for all the hard work taken towards the end of the year. This is when you are up for a promotion and even an income raise.

When it is about love it’s about transformation and role change. You would undergo layers of evolvement. There will be times when you will feel that romance has become all too mundane and regular. This is just going to be a phase from where you mature and evolve. Most Leos would discover how they look at love this year. If you are married this is a vital time that strengthens your bond. There might be some acid tests, but it is only there to testify your emotional stability. The best advice one can give here is to follow your heart and don’t regret a single moment.

This is a year where you must focus on your savings the most. The influence of the Jupiter and Sun will influence you to splurge more. This is exactly where you need to do a budget control and balance your spending vis-à-vis your savings. Legal cases related to property would give their verdicts. This is what suggests your property gains.

Transformation, union in love and career advancements is what the Leo Horoscope 2012 primarily talks about.

Having checked on this information do I take it as gospel? Absolutely not. Do I consult the stars before making any important decisions? NO. So why bother? For that question there really is no answer except maybe next year I should make it my New Year's Resolution NOT to check my horoscope.