Gordon Ramsay to End ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ Series in U.S. and U.K. AFTER 10 YEARS

The next batch of U.K. episodes of “Kitchen Nightmares” will be the last for

Gordon Ramsay, who announced the end of  the British and Yank editions 

of the show on his website Monday.  

“I’ve had a phenomenal 10 years making 123 episodes, 12 seasons, shot 

across 2 continents, watched by tens of millions of people and 

sold to over 150 countries. It’s been a blast but it’s time to call it a day,”.  

The cooking reality show premiered in the U.K. in 2004 and the U.S. rendition 

bowed on Fox in 2007, featuring Ramsay’s visits to struggling restaurants. 

The chef would spend one week using his expertise trying to help the owners 

rehabilitate the business.  

The format allowed Ramsay to show off his restaurateur bonafide as well as 

his attempts at family and couples counseling. Last year, the show hit its 

peak of pop culture buzz with an episode revolving around an Scottsdale, 

Ariz. eatery, Amy’s Baking Company, run by an over-the-top couple who 

produced plenty of Internet-friendly viral video moments. 

Ramsay credited “Kitchen Nightmares” for being “the show that really 

propelled my TV career.” The show has been a Friday night staple for Fox, 

with the most recent U.S. episodes airing in April and May. Fox has one 

more “Revisit” episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” in the can.But Fox still 

has plenty of Ramsay on its air, between the competition series “Hell’s 

Kitchen,” airing now, “Hotel Hell” (bowing July 21) and the “Master-chef” 

and “Master-chef Junior” franchises.

At present, Ramsay is filming four final episodes of the U.K. 

“Kitchen Nightmares” for Channel 4.

HAPPY JUNETEENTH: History of Juneteenth

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19^th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. 

The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment,the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another, is that the news wasdeliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. 

All of which, or neither of these version could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln's authority over the rebellious states was in question   For whatever the reasons, conditions in Texasremained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

Putin Not Backing Down on Ukraine Crisis Despite Obama Call

President Vladimir Putin stuck to his position on the escalating crisis in Ukraine, saying Moscow must not ignore calls for help from Russian speakers in that country. During a one-hour call with President Barack Obama on Thursday, Putin said that Ukraine’s government came to power as the result of an “unconstitutional coup” and was “imposing entirely illegitimate decision onto Crimea and the eastern and southeastern regions of Ukraine,” according to a statement on the Kremlin’s website. On Thursday, the parliament of the semi-autonomous and largely pro-Moscow region of Crimea voted to break away from Ukraine and join Russia, and set a date for a referendum on the subject for March 16. The government of Ukraine was “imposing entirely illegitimate decisions onto Crimea and the eastern and southeastern regions of Ukraine,” according to the Kremlin’s statement. “Russia cannot ignore calls for help on this matter and is responding accordingly, in full compliance with international law.” The White House earlier said that President Barack Obama had told Putin that the Russian incursion into Crimea was a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and that the United States and its European allies had “taken several steps in response.”