LeBron James’ team reject his $3,000 birthday cake; baker gets angry

By Kelly Dwyer

There is an old axiom, that has nearly become accepted fact, that the richer you get, the more you tend to receive free things. All manner of swag, including suits, gift bags, German automobiles, or even a $3,000 birthday cake that you summarily reject without having to explain why. At least that’s the case so far, forLeBron James.

According to the Miami Herald, an area baker named Alethea Hickman was offered heaps of free publicity for designing a cake to be presented to James during his 27th birthday celebration at a Miami nightspot last week. A “sponsorship,” and no actual money, was the payoff according to party handler Jared Galbut.

Then the cake, and the communication between Hickman and Galbut, went a bit pear-shaped:

“I don’t even know where my cake went,” Hickman said. “I was mortified. They had me do it in the middle of the holiday crush and I hired additional people. Someone needs to pay.”

Galbut said James’ people decided Hickman’s work wasn’t fit for the king: “It just wasn’t what was expected. When LeBron’s people saw it, they just didn’t want to use it and decided to bring their own cake. I can’t tell LeBron James what birthday cake to eat. It’s LeBron James, for Christ’s sake.”

As for how much Galbut would pay Hickman if he were asked, he just said: “That cake couldn’t be worth more than $600. It’s flour, eggs and water.”

No, it’s not just “flour, eggs and water,” you idiot. It’s “workers, hours, wages, delivery, passed-over revenue streams that were let go so as to service James,” and also “things that go on and in a cake besides flour, eggs and water.”

With that in place, Hickman was probably way off in thinking that the possible publicity from her massive cake could more than make up for the money and effort her company put into creating the confection.

[Related: LeBron James gets engaged to longtime girlfriend | Photos of LeBron, fiancee]

It seems like she was more than willing to allow for the loss of income just to be associated with a star; they have names for people who do these sorts of things, and we shouldn’t feel too bad when she was the one who signed off on giving a free birthday cake to LeBron in the first place. It’s not his fault he didn’t want to eat the thing, much less pay for it after she agreed to provide it pro bono.

All in all, another case of hopelessly entitled people (barely including James, who probably never even saw the cake) and their less-deserving-but-just-as-entitled handlers acting out of touch in an era that doesn’t really deserve that sort of disconnect. Marie Antoinette would be proud.

As cute as this looks- and there are those of you who are thinking “4th of July Wedding ideas”, move on! What you don’t see is the whole table cloth catching on fire from the sparklers and the cloud of acrid smoke that resinates into the room after the sparkers go out. Great for this one photo op but downhill from there. How do I know? Could say I’ve “been there, done that” and learned the hard way! LOL

Happy New Year!

Monday, December 26, 2011

My disclaimer: Most brides are totally normal. Not everyone is, though, and although encountering a bridezilla-type can be frightening at first it can be funny in retrospect. I hope that this amuses you.

Let me preface this by saying that I’m not the only person who got this letter. Several other wedding businesses that I know of also received it. One business said that they keep a file full of letters like this and when they need a laugh they get them out and read them.

This also came with a supplement, pictured at right, of the ad rates for buying advertising in the wedding program.

The abridged letter reads:

Dear Sir or Madam:

It is my pleasure to invite you to become an esteemed sponsor of our wedding. I hope that this remarkable event in my life will be more beautiful with your cooperation by providing financial assistance and other wedding services.

…On the wedding day, many influential people in the communities of ———- will be present to participate in the celebration and for wishing me a happy married life. For this reason, I want to make this celebration in a grand style that will be remembered as a great example of a beautiful life. I believe that you will have a great opportunity to advertise your company products and services during the wedding.

The wedding celebration will be at ——– in the presence of approximately 500 guests. I have started my wedding website on which I will write about the wedding celebration details. This publication will keep updated all my relatives, guests, and friends about my wedding. Along with the aforementioned positive aspects of becoming a sponsor, the following are other aspects that could definitely help your company to expand your clientele in the ever growing, billion dollar wedding industry.

-Your generous sponsorship would be highlighted on announcements and programs which would be sent out to our entire guest list regionally and nationally that will reach 500+ guests.
-Your generosity will be highlighted during the introduction at the reception by the speaker.
-Signage placed on a specific table recognizing contribution at the reception.
-Advertisement from your company to be placed in our newsletter afterward.
-Recognition on our facebook page and website
-A representative of your company would be welcome to attend so that we could thank you personally for your support.
-Photos would be released which will also provide great scope to show people how your company helped manage our wedding in a beautiful style.
-Last but not least, a potentially tax-deductible donation.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Well, you can’t lose anything by asking, but really? I have nothing else to add. Until Wednesday, when I have an awesome overreaction to show you.

Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes in Richmond VA

For adults age 40 or older, the FDA says, eating 2 ounces of black licorice a day for at least two weeks may lead to arrhythmia, or irregular heart rhythm, which could land you in the emergency room.

Just in time for Halloween, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning people away from eating too much black licorice.

The culprit is glycyrrhizin, a sweetening compound derived from licorice root. In large amounts, glycyrrhizin can cause the body’s potassium levels to drop, which in turn, may lead to abnormal heartbeat and high blood pressure. It can also cause water retention and swelling, which is a particular risk for people with congestive heart failure.

This isn’t exactly a widespread risk — the FDA says that the agency received one report of a black licorice-related problem last year — but studies in several medical journals have linked the candy to health problems in people over 40 (some with a history of heart disease or high blood pressure).

The good news is that your potassium levels go right back to normal once you stop eating black licorice, with no permanent health effects. And if you like the taste, you’ll be glad to know that many licorice-flavored products don’t actually contain any real licorice; they’re usually flavored with anise oil instead.

Also, although licorice root has long been used as a folk remedy in many cultures — it’s purported to treat heartburn, stomach ulcers, sore throat, cough and even some viral infections — there’s no evidence that it has any such health benefits, the FDA reports.

Black licorice can interfere with some medications, however, such as heart drugs and birth control pills, as well as some herbs and dietary supplements, so the FDA advises consumers to check with their doctor, if they have concerns.

“No matter what your age, don’t eat large amounts of black licorice at one time,” the FDA says. If you have been eating a lot of it and have an irregular heart rhythm or muscle weakness, stop eating it immediately and call your doctor.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/10/28/trick-or-treat-fda-warns-against-too-much-black-licorice/#ixzz1cOYb6NvE