A mononym. What is it? Break the word down, and you will see it has to do with the number one. And “nym” kind of sounds like “name.” So, if you guessed “one name,” you are correct.
Some people are so popular they are known only by one name. I was reminded of this when I heard a Christmas song on the radio by Liberace — the flamboyant and influential pianist who played and sang classical and popular music. Who else could have that name?
Seeing his name on my radio display made me think about others who are so popular that we know them by one name. Not today’s rap or hip hop artists. They all seemingly try to go by one name — and spell it oddly, too. I mean bona fide celebrities whose names are known by people from multiple generations.
The greatest, of course, is the king of rock and roll — Elvis. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time with sales estimates ranging from 500 million records to more than a billion worldwide. Nice try, Elvis Costello, but there is only one Elvis.
Cher. Maybe Sonny. Probably not. Cher is an American singer, actress and TV personality who has been described as “embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry.” She rose to fame in 1965 as half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny and Cher before releasing a series of solo top-10 singles. Sorry, Sonny.
Then there are the sports celebrity one-namers, most noticeably in professional basketball. Kobe. Kareem. Lebron. And you can now add Caitlin to the list.
How about Charo, the Spanish-born actress, singer, comedian and flamenco guitarist who rose to international prominence in the 1960s and 1970s. Cuchi-cuchi.
Don't forget Lucy, the American actress, comedian, producer and studio executive who was recognized by Time magazine in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for her work in all four of these areas. Like many of you, I love Lucy.
There is only one Dolly. With a career spanning more than 60 years and selling more than 100 million records worldwide, she is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. If you haven’t listened to her “Rockstar” album from 2023 (her 49th), check it out. Dolly continues to amaze.
I would be remiss if I did not include Jesus to this list. As an elementary-aged student in religion class, I remember the teacher asking if anyone knew the last name of Jesus. I blurted out, “Christ,” and I quickly learned that Christ is a title that means “the anointed one” and is not the last name of Jesus. Unlike the others on my list, Jesus did not have a last name. Lesson learned.
What other famous one-named folks did I miss? Send me a note and let me know.
Have a magnificent Monday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
See Shane Goodman's past columns here. |
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FROM KCCI: Close Up: Reviewing work of AEAs, remembering longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Leach ...READ MORE
FROM WHO-TV: Thousands of wreaths placed on veterans’ graves at Iowa Veterans Cemetery . ...READ MORE
FROM WOI: Owen Freeman's career-best 22 points lead Iowa in 104-57 win over New Orleans ...READ MORE |
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Clear Mortgage meteorology
We should see at least some sunshine by this afternoon, and mild temperatures will be with us the next two days. Light snow is possible Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. Turning colder after that.
For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage. |
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| Read the latest CITYVIEW | | | SOUND CIRCUIT
Mannheim Steamroller brings Christmas to Des Moines
By Jackie Wilson
Photo by Matt Christine Photography
Classic holiday albums sung by Bing Crosby, Mariah Carey and Elvis Presley stand the test of time. Yet one band, Mannheim Steamroller, took it a step further and created its own genre of music.
Mannheim Steamroller’s “Christmas” album debuted in 1984 with music the band referred to as 18th century classic rock. That album, along with “A Fresh Aire Christmas,” consistently make the top Christmas albums of all time with more than 41 million albums sold. The Grammy award-winning band was named after Mannheim, Germany, where Mozart lived. | | | READ MORE |
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Back to the Biz
"Forged gras" is coming soon. Sydney-based company Vow has begun selling their lab-grown faux foie gras in gourmet capitals Singapore and Hong Kong and is taste testing it in Paris and New York. Paris company Gourmey also has been making lab-raised foie gras substitutes. Both companies have applied to sell their product in the U.S. "Forged gras" is made with cells from quail, not geese or ducks. Only 10% of Americans have ever tried foie gras, so the companies are betting that price will trump taste. Vow said it can sell forged gras for less than $50/pound. Foie gras has been banned in New York City, Chicago and California. All those bans are being fought in courts. (Washington Post)
Looking back at the year in food and hospitality
The Scandal of the Year? This one is easy. Our Iowa Legislature damaged their brand and integrity in 2024 by passing an ambiguously written law that made it necessary for a legal THC consumer to buy two and a half times as many cans of infused beverage to get the same amount of buzz. Missouri loosened their THC restrictions at the same time, perhaps the first time since statehood that the Show Me State looked smarter than their northern neighbor. THC is now also much more expensive than in neighboring states. Trash from THC is now more plentiful. The only winners in this absurdity are Big Booze, neighbor states and illegal drug pushers.
While a much safer buzz was made exponentially more expensive for legal pot users, booze can still waste people on almost any budget. Ironically, Republicans made this happen in a year when their party was successful advocating for an end to corruption in the food and drink industries, and the bureaucracies that "regulate" them.
Monday's deals
• "Grower Champagne” generally refers to wines from the Champagne region of France that are made and bottled by the same person who grew the grapes. This is different from wines produced by Champagne houses — think Veuve Clicquot — which typically blend grapes grown by dozens, or sometimes even hundreds, of individual grape growers. This year's Grower Champagne class at Cheese Shop (833 42nd St., Des Moines) tonight will sample lots of Champagne with food pairings — $80 per person, 6 p.m. for reception, class at 6:30 p.m. Reservations: 515-528-8181.
• Centro (1003 Locust St., Des Moines) offers half-price pizza and Peronis on Monday.
• Who's on First (810 E. First St., Ankeny) has steak night on Monday, and it's an 8-ounce filet with salad, mashed potatoes and beans for $22.95
• Pelican Post (265 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special today on hot beef sandwiches, $10.95 until 4 p.m.
• Eastside Eddie’s (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) Monday $10 special is ham and Swiss sliders with fries.
• Tito’s Lounge (3916 Urbandale Drive, Urbandale) offers all-you-can-eat wings Mondays.
• Trostel's Greenbriar (5810 Merle Hay Road, Johnston) offers half-pound steak burgers with fries or salad and a beer for a Monday-only price of $14.
• Monday brings prime rib specials to both Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) and Christopher's (2816 Beaver Ave., Des Moines).
• Johnny's Hall of Fame (302 Court Ave., Des Moines) has $12 burger baskets on Mondays and Fridays.
• Urban Cellars (640 S. 50th St., West Des Moines) offers $60 wine dinners for two on Mondays including two entrees with soup or salad, a dessert and a bottle on wine.
• Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines) has a burger basket with fries deal Mondays for $9.
• Fareway has a sale this week on four different kinds of hams, four different forms of USDA Choice beef rib roasts and two different forms of leg of lamb, through Saturday.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com |
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The 2024 results ...
CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines® | | | Best Local Real Estate Agent
1. Tim Scheib
2. Bob Eisenlauer
3. Jason Rude
The 2025 Best Of Des Moines Poll is now closed. Results will be published in the February 2025 issue of CITYVIEW. |
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| Featured home for sale | | | |
$274,000 6641 Holcomb Ave Des Moines, IA 50322
Great move in ready split foyer home with many big ticket items taken care of for you! Upstairs you'll enjoy a light filled living room with a wood burning fireplace, updated kitchen with included stainless steel appliances, dining area, an updated bathroom, a nice sized primary bedroom and two additional bedrooms with brand new carpet. ...
See the listing here.
| | | See More Homes For Sale |
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| SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction | | | 1001 LORENZ DRIVE, ANKENY
SALE DATEL: 2024-08-27
SALE PRICE: $1,610,000
SELLER: ABF INC
BUYER: TERMINAL PROPERTIES LLC
ACRES: 4.820
SQUAR FEET: 3,800 |
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Featured in the current
issue of Bondurant Living magazine | | | Unbreakable spirit
Annual softball tournament benefits Madi Meyer
By Lindsey Giardino
Shortly after her fourth birthday, Madison Meyer woke up with bleeding on her brain from a tumor that had burst open in the middle of the night. She was life flighted from the family’s then home in Kansas to Colorado, where she underwent an eight-hour brain surgery.
Shortly thereafter, test results revealed Madison had high-grade glioma — a rare, aggressive and fast-growing tumor that affects the brain or spinal cord. Madison’s parents, Bree and Ryan, were told their daughter would not be able to walk, talk or have any basic motor skills again. They were also told by doctors she had a survival chance of just 5%.
She’s proven everyone wrong.
| | | READ MORE |
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FROM ESPN: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman lands long-term extension ... READ MORE
FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Browns’ Nick Chubb Suffers Another Devastating Season-Ending Injury ... READ MORE
FROM Yahoo Sports: Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins on brink of playoff elimination with loss to Texans ... READ MORE |
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1773: The Boston Tea Party. In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The midnight raid, popularly known as the “Boston Tea Party,” was in protest of the British Parliament’s Tea Act of 1773, a bill designed to save the faltering East India Company by greatly lowering its tea tax and granting it a virtual monopoly on the American tea trade. ...READ MORE
1960: Two airplanes collide over New York City.... There were 128 people in total on the two planes. Eleven-year-old passenger Stephen Baltz described the scene: “It looked like a picture out of a fairy book. Then all of a sudden there was an explosion. The plane started to fall and people started to scream. I held on to my seat and then the plane crashed.” Baltz initially survived the crash, but died from his injuries the following afternoon. All of the other people on the planes also died..... READ MORE
1989: A terrorist bomber begins his deadly rampage. Federal Judge Robert Vance is instantly killed by a powerful explosion after opening a package mailed to his house near Birmingham, Alabama. Two days later, a mail bomb killed Robert Robinson, an attorney in Savannah, Georgia, in his office. Two other bomb packages, sent to the federal courthouse in Atlanta and to the Jacksonville, Florida office of the NAACP, were intercepted before their intended victims opened them.. ... READ MORE
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| Birthdays and notables | | | Happy Birthday Eric Toot!
These celebrities were born on this date: Jyoti Amge, Theo James, Zara Larsson, Dakota Lotus, Benjamin Bratt, Anna Popplewell, Krysten Ritter, Park Seo-joon
SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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The answer to the last riddle:What do you call a Magician who's lost his magic? IAN! Jeff Lester, Gail Tomlinson. Other answers from Rex Post.
Today's riddle: Why are people amazed by dry erase boards?
Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or CITYVIEW magazine, contact:
Aaron Burns
Advertising Sales Manager
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 330
Mobile: 712-310-3860
aaron@dmcityview.com
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