What! Oct. 12, 2017
By Lisa Baker • 10-12-17
Halloween is a huge business. US shoppers are expected to spend $3.4-billion on costumes this year. Kmart corporation has been sued by a company seeking unspecified damages for unfair competition and copyright infringement because Kmart’s full-body banana costume, “has the same shape as their Banana Design, the ends of the banana are placed similarly, the vertical lines running down the middle of the banana are placed similarly, the one-piece costume is worn on the body the same way as the Banana Design, and the cut out holes are similar…this company has suffered significant financial harm and irreparable harm to its reputation as a result of Kmart’s conduct.” Hmmm. Giggle. In other words, it looks like a banana.
The Boy Scouts of America’s board of directors has unanimously agreed to welcome GIRLS into the Cub Scout program and to forge a path for older girls to pursue and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. WooHoo! My daughter always felt like she was a scout because she was there every Monday evening for meetings with me and her brother. She even went on camping trips. I’m not saying that it won’t be complicated, because it will be, but it will be a great thing for families.
Can a picture taken by a monkey be copyrighted? Back in 2011, Naruto, an anonymous macaque monkey in Indonesia, found a photographer’s camera and snapped a monkey selfie. The photo has been the subject of a very long copyright battle. Recently, PETA, (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) announced a settlement with the photographer, ending the lawsuit that they filed on Naruto’s behalf. The picture has become a personal brand for the photographer who sells signed copies of the print. As of July 2017, he will be donating 10% of the purchase price towards a monkey conservation project in Sulawesi. What about those pictures that the elephants paint at the zoo while holding the paintbrush in their trunks? Our world…sigh. See picture on page 4 of this paper. He’s cute.
Beneath the streets of London, there is what has been named the WhiteChapel Fatberg…a rock-solid collection of fat, disposable wipes, diapers, condoms and tampons and occupying 1/6 of a mile of sewer. It weighs as much as 11 of the city’s double-decker buses – more than 140 tons. It is 10-times the size of a similar mass found beneath the sewer in South London in 2013. They plan to preserve a piece of the blob for the Museum of London. I was not surprised to hear that New York, Hawaii, Alaska, Wisconsin and California are struggling with the same problems.
Scientists have created the world’s first mutant ants. Researchers at Rockefeller University modified a gene essential for detecting the pheromones (chemicals that impact behavior) that ants use to communicate. Basically, it effects the ants’ social behavior and their ability to survive in a colony. You know, like a teenager when you take away their cell phones, then they can’t communicate and refuse to survive in your colony, I mean, household.
Workers at a mine in Brazil have discovered an enormous emerald, weighing in at about 600 pounds and standing more than four feet tall.
There is now an on-demand dog-walking service through an app called Wag. Dog-owners can schedule a 20, 30 or 60-minute walk through the app and can track the walk on their phones. Sigh. Reminds me of George Jetson walking the dog on what looked like a treadmill. This service is now available in Houston, Los Angeles and New York.
Every morning when I wake up I say, I’ll never be as young as I am today. Today is the youngest day of the rest of my life. Get up and do something fun.”- Rochelle Ford, a 78-year-old Metal Sculptor.
My daughter’s friend gave her a very pretty box of chewy candy that is rose flavored (Rose Chews.) A gummy candy that sticks in your teeth and I said “ick” when she showed me. But, then I tried one. They’re pretty delicious in a weird sort of way, but I’ve never been a candy or cookie person so my opinion is not real reliable. In doing my research this week, I happened to come upon a gummy candy that I know I will like (at least it reads well.) It’s a Moscow Mule gourmet cocktail gummy candy and it said that you can buy it at Target. Lime, mint and ginger with no hangover. Sounds like a party I want to have. I know it will beat pumpkin pie spice anything. I’m on my way to Target.
“At a McDonald’s about 50 miles from Louisville, Kentucky, a woman waiting in a drive-thru line decided to pay for the order of a man with four children in a van behind her. She said to tell him, “Happy Father’s Day,” then she drove off. The man didn’t just take the free meals…he paid for the two cars behind him and all that goodness continued “snowballing” for a total of 167 drivers “paying it forward” by closing time. In a row. There is a lot of good in this world. Be a part of it.
Southwest Airlines started flying passengers on its Boeing 737 Max 8…more fuel efficient (burns 14% less fuel than the Boeing 737-800), can fly longer distances for international service, produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and is quieter. In addition, they will have the widest economy seat in the 737 market, and more personal space.
Cell phones and the internet do make everything so much better but I find myself missing a time when we didn’t have e-mail. I miss going to the mailbox and getting a letter from someone …anyone. Last night I had 14-pieces of junk mail. Nothing else. Now, this could be because I only go to the mailbox on special occasions, like the 4th of July or an eclipse – except of course, during the holiday season because I don’t want to miss that one party that I get an invitation to 😊. Yes, I am known for sending “real” antiquated cards with “real” antiquated messages and yes, it takes a little longer but my friend, you’re worth it. Send someone a real card today. I just sent three.
Harvey could end up costing the government about $11-billion in insurance payouts.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that Hurricane Harvey caused dioxin, one of the most potent human carcinogens to leak from the San Jacinto Waste Pits (used for decades to store waste from a paper mill), and now posing a threat to fish and public health. Concentrations were 2,000 times higher than the level at which the EPA requires cleanup. After decades of being forgotten, it sounds like environmentalists and locals around Pasadena are intent on seeing the waste pits removed entirely while some officials would like to see them just pile more rocks on top of the temporary cap.
Patty, a friendly, well-liked, 31-year-old Andean bear at The Houston Zoo, has died from an aggressive form of cancer.
“I said, “Somebody should do something about that.” Then I realized I am somebody.” – Lily Tomlin
I’m here to remind you again to be careful when buying a used car that may have flood damage. The first and easiest way to start, is to pull out the seatbelt as far as it will go and inspect for moisture, mildew or grime.
Jackie Evancho is coming to The Clarion at Brazosport College, on November 3. She was the little opera singer from Season 5 of America’s Got Talent. Now, at 17, you should hear her sing “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera. I’m going.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: Author Anne Rice is 76. Actress Susan Sarandon is 71. Actor Liv Schreiber is 50. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 82. Actor Randy Quaid is 67. British Prime Minister Theresa May is 61. Astrophysicist-author Neil deGrasse Tyson is 59. Actress Kate Winslet is 42. Singer-musician Steve Miller is 74. Fly like an Eagle. Take the Money and Run. The Joker. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Football Hall of Fame “Mean” Joe Greene is 71. He is considered one of the greatest defensive linemen to play in the NFL because of his leadership, fierce competitiveness and intimidating style of play for which he earned his nickname.
“I’d rather wear out than rust out!” Denton Cooley, MD
Jack O’Neill of the O’Neill surf brand, died at the age of 94. Sixty years ago, he introduced a prototype of a wetsuit and opened one of the world’s first surf shops. This was a time when guys used wool jerseys, bonfires, liquor, and were buying clothing from Goodwill, spraying it with Thompson’s Water Seal in order to brave the cold surfing waters. He was also the first to fly hot air balloons recreationally (he would drop into surf contests in his bright yellow hot air balloon) and he invented the sandsailer, a sailboat on wheels that skirts along the sand. He was one of the first to blow foam for surfboards instead of using balsa wood. His pirate-like black eye-patch was the result of a surfing accident and became his trademark.
Scientists have discovered 91 volcanoes more than a mile below the surface of the ice in West Antarctica. I’m not sure what that means.
Harvey will likely be disastrous for oyster, shrimp and rice crops. Some farmers towards Wharton lost entire crops, hundreds of acres.
Hurricane Harvey set a rainfall record of 64.58 inches that fell over Nederland in Jefferson County near Beaumont with seven other sites recording rainfall in excess of 51 inches. In this new world of trying to find someone to blame for the flooding, especially after we humans have concreted everything, I would say that no amount of planning or any drainage system could have saved us from Harvey.
Shop your local farmers markets because it gives us the opportunity to nourish our bodies while supporting our community.
According to the Texas state climatologist, climate change means engineers must change how they design dams and other failsafe structures to withstand ferocious storms that are increasing in frequency and unleashing more rain than they did decades ago. An increase in sea surface temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius can result in a 10% increase in the amount of rain a storm produces.
After 14-years, Kay Paez retired from The Source Weekly to move with her husband J.D. to Tennessee, and take care of her parents. Up until the night before, when I saw the moving truck in her driveway, we all believed our friend would change her mind and stay, but she didn’t. Duty calls. When we hire someone at our office, we look more at whether they will fit into our office family than anything else. Kay was the mother of our office. We will miss her. Not just because she knew the office from top to bottom but her sass…or was that attitude…I get them mixed up. Kay, enjoy your new chapter of life and know that we think about our friend often. Not just when we need something.
When you get an opportunity, come by The Source Weekly and meet Pam Campbell, newest addition to our office family and our classifieds department. The road to success is always under construction.
– Lisa
