Afternoon Edition - 1/9/06

I Have A Blazing Dream
Derek King, 46, nephew of assassinated civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., allegedly sought mental health counseling following his arrest for starting a blaze in his apartment yesterday. “It could have been a tragedy,” said Bob Bowser, deputy chief of the Lawrence Police Department in Indiana. Arson investigators have already said the fire was intentionally set and King may face charges. King is an associate pastor at the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. “I say it’s totally accidental,” said, Rev. Thomas L. Brown, pastor of Ebenezer. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is observed Monday, January 16.

Love Me Some Karen
The legendary voice of Karen Clark-Sheard will again be front and center when she releases her newest CD, It’s Not Over. The recording is due to drop January 24, 2006. Her last CD, almost three years ago, had major play among gospel stations and some mainstream appeal. Clark-Sheard is the baby of the Clark Sisters dynasty.

Manners Moron
Today’s Manners Moron column addresses those of you needing a quick refresher regarding retail etiquette – both behind the counter and in front of it. First, we’ll address those behind the counter. When processing a customer and totaling their order at the cash register, please remember that the customer deserves your undivided attention. This means you don’t have a private conversation with Laquaia about Mariah’s boob-job while motioning to the customer with your forefinger to swipe their debit/credit card. Second, when addressing the customer use key words like, “Will you please…” “Thank you, I’ll have your receipt in a moment.” For those in front of the counter, the help are not your friends or personal wait-staff. DO NOT engage in cell phone conversations when it is your turn with the sales clerk. When asking the sales clerk questions, “Please,” and “Thank you,” are still required phrases in your conversation. Do not attempt to bait the sales person into your personal conversations with your buddies. On the real, they aren’t interested. Finally, when in doubt try to remember how you would like to be treated and act accordingly. Everything has its place and time. When conducting business transactions, both the customer and sales staff might benefit from keeping it simple, cordial and short. Enough said…

Keep passin’ the open windows…