The future is here. TSA Pre-Check at Reid International in Las Vegas unveiled new self-screening, futuristic-looking pre-check equipment, complete with do-it-yourself instructions telling passengers how to pass themselves and their carry-on luggage through pre-flight screening with little or no help from uniformed TSA officers. Hmmm. Having just gone through pre-check several times last week while visiting my son in Boston for his thesis, I would guess it will probably, eventually save time, but wouldn’t you feel better if the human sitting next to you on your flight had been required to look eye-to-eye with a human being before he/she got on the plane. Just saying. At one airport security, they separated us into groups of two, then a security dog (outfitted with a cute little apron that said Do Not Pet Me) walked in front of us, then behind us. I think I would trust the dog more than a machine.
I had the slowest, rudest, and most impatient cashier today. I am so done using self-checkout.
A couple of weeks ago, my Ring doorbell sent me a neighborhood post stating that morning, a man out for a walk had seen an alligator on the sidewalk. The nice part about Ring neighborhood posts is that you can support your announcement with a picture, and there it was… somewhere on the corner of Creekside Lane and Rock Rose off Old Angleton Road in Richwood, an alligator.
Gardening Tip: When you bury a body, cover it with endangered plants so it’s illegal to dig it up.
Last week, I found Rat cheese, the yummiest cheddar ever, at Stewart’s in Brazoria. The taste brought back memories from childhood when we would go to Nemechek Brothers meat market in West, Texas, get fresh ring bologna, cheese, linked wieners connected to each other, and fresh baked bread from the Czech bakery next door.
EARTH Day is Monday April 22. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 with hopes that it would bring attention to issues affecting our environment. The main message of Earth Day 2024 is the need to commit to ending reliance on plastics, says EarthDay.org. The goal is a 60 percent reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040. Plastics are bad for the environment, and a growing body of research indicates they have an adverse effect on the major systems of the body, including immune, respiratory, digestive, and hormonal systems. Studies show that we now have micro plastics in our bloodstreams. You can take your soft plastics to LJ City Hall to a collection box, and benches will be made out of the plastics.
Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year – enough to circle the earth 436 times. It is not biodegradable, so it never decomposes.
A Georgia man wanted a woman to terminate a pregnancy because he didn’t want the child. When the baby’s mother gave birth, she remained hospitalized for a period of time. The father of the child would pick up bottles of breast milk then deliver them to the child’s grandmother who was caring for the infant, but not before he added antifreeze to the bottles. The man was found guilty and sentenced to 50 years in prison and 10 years’ probation. Sorry, this would be a life sentence if I was on the jury. Or worse. Or better yet, let him order his favorite meal serve it with antifreeze cream sauce and antifreeze sprinkles. His cell mates will not favor him for messing with a baby.
O.J. Simpson died of cancer at 76. Most of us, even if you weren’t alive in ‘94, know the story of the white Ford Bronco, low-speed chase with Orenthal James Simpson sitting in the backseat and his best friend and former teammate, Al Cowlings, driving. That day Simpson was supposed to turn himself in after being charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. It was broadcast over live TV and radio by helicopter news, so everyone knew it was happening, while it was happening. Cars pulled over in the path and waited to witness the chase, with large crowds of people cheering and holding handmade signs. A procession of police cars followed gently behind because it was reported that O.J. had a gun to his head. It was a big deal. O.J. was an icon, a hero in our eyes, not just an accomplished athlete, but he appeared in movies, commercials (Hertz: Run, O.J., Run, PowerBurst, AT&T, RC Cola, Golden Pioneer Chicken, Boy’s Club, Made in the USA, Chevrolet, Schick, TreeSweet Orange Juice, Dingo Boots… & probably more) … O.J. had everything going for him. Sigh. Since O.J.’s death, the current owners of the Ford Bronco say the time is now for selling it, with the latest offer for the Bronco around $750,000. The owners say they are looking for at least $1.5 million. It is, after all, the 30th anniversary. They will probably get it.
Trina Robbins, comic book creator (in 1986, she was the first woman to ever draw a full run of Wonder Woman) and historian, died at 85. In the early 60’s she posed nude for men’s magazines. In her 20’s, she started a boutique named Broccoli in the East Village of Manhattan where she designed, and dressed people like Donovan, Cass Elliot, David Crosby, Jim Morrison, and she even inspired a verse in Joni Mitchell’s song, Ladies of the Canyon. As a cartoonist, she always felt shut out by her male peers, and they were all male. She also created a Marvel comics character, Misty, geared toward young women; and co-founded Friends of Lulu, a nonprofit organization that promoted the reading and creation of comics by women.
When was the last time you passed up a Lemonade Stand?? I try not to ever pass by one without stopping. Two weeks ago, there were two kids close to Buc-ee’s and Plantation Drive. I turned the car around and went back to give them a donation because as adults, it is what we are supposed to do. So, this Friday April 19th from 9am to 11am, Brazosport Christian School (200 B Willow Drive LJ), is sponsoring Lemonade Tails – A Sip & Save Serve Day. The elementary students are hosting a lemonade stand with all their proceeds benefiting the SPCA. Surely you have time for a cup of lemonade for the kids and all the abandoned fur babies. Hope to see you there.
Donation Day at SPCA. Saturday April 20th from 9am to noon. Bring your gently used donations to the SPCA at 141 Canna Lane and they will transport the items to the Thrift Shop. Clothes, shoes, purses, kitchen items, décor, sports equipment, books, DVDs, hats, jewelry and so much more. There are a bunch of fur babies in need of help. Clean out the closet. If you need a box, let me know.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her ex-fiancé Ken Urker now have matching husky dog tattoos as a symbol of their strong bond. Oh, my. She is also divorcing her husband that she married while in prison.
Dominique Sachse says, never say never. Her next chapter finds her back in the news in Dallas, as a part of Dr. Phil McGraw’s Merit Street Media. She is cohosting Morning on Merit Street in a program “like most morning news programs covering the latest news while also offering a lifestyle-focused approach with such topics as health, fitness, parental advice, financial guidance and more.” Go to MeritsStreetMedia.com/channel-finder/ to find out where to watch.
The infamous Mr. Darcy, wet, white, ruffled shirt that Colin Firth wore in the BBC 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries sold at auction for $32,000. The 26-year-old gun supervisor and armorer for Alec Baldwin’s Rust movie, received 18 months in prison after finding that she brought live ammunition on the movie set, which was responsible for the death of their cinematographer. She was acquitted at trial of allegations she tampered with evidence in the investigation and pleaded not guilty to a separate felony charge that she carried a gun into a bar in Santa Fe where firearms are prohibited. NOTE: I’m not sure how you selfie-video yourself carrying a firearm into a bar. Hmmm. At an 80th birthday bash, 11 people became violently ill after eating their Uncle John’s infamous pea and ham soup that took him three days to prepare. Uncle John also just happened to be the birthday boy. Someone needs to tell Uncle John that after the first day, pea & ham soup is considered leftovers with just a three day life expectancy. An adored 32-year-old father died after contracting a serious infection which led to multiple organ failures, after receiving a tattoo from a man who operated his tattoo parlor from a garden shed in the back yard. Needless to say, the studio was not licensed. Campbell’s Chunky soup honored Eagles’ Jason Kelce’s retirement with a Legend #62 Edition of 620 collectible soup cans with his cute, bearded face, plus a $62,000 donation to his charity.
Happy Earth Day. Don’t forget to plant a tree so that the next generation can get air for free.
LISA
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
