The word barber comes from the Latin word barba, meaning beard. In my office, I have a barber pole displayed right next to my grandaddy’s barber chair. We all know that a barber pole (mostly red and white stripes, but sometimes red, white, and blue in the U.S., as a show of patriotism) represents a place to get a haircut, but why the stripes? Glad you asked. The pole was a very clean symbol painted in ‘bandage’ white paint with ‘blood’ red stripes. Way, way back, barbers were sometimes called barber-surgeons, doing many other procedures like tooth extractions, wound treatment, broken bones; even cupping, leaching, enemas, amputations, and bloodletting – a procedure done because it was believed that too much blood in one area of the body could lead to illnesses like the plague. Now, back in the 1930’s my grandaddy actually owned both his barber shop and the dry cleaners in Lorena, Texas. I’m not sure how that happened, but he had both.
(In South Korea, barber’s poles are used both for barbershops and for brothels, or often, brothels disguised as barbershops, which are likely to use two poles next to each other, often spinning in opposite directions.)
In 1961, my grandaddy opened his new six-chair barbershop at the Lake Air Mall in Waco, Texas. He also had two shoeshine chairs, operated by Buster who polished my shoes, the shoes of many a gentleman customer waiting for a haircut, and always told me the best stories about life when I just went to see grandaddy or get my hair cut. A big treat was a couple of pieces of Double-Bubble from his cabinet. His shop was right next door to Lake Air Records and across from the Piccadilly Cafeteria where he and grandma would take us to lunch. Mashed potatoes and red Jell-O. Grandaddy took us to Walgreen’s Grill for cherry Dr. Pepper’s with plastic monkeys hanging on the side. In the late 60’s, or early 70’s, grandaddy left for Vidal Sassoon school, arriving home with his first blow dryer, telling us all that he was now a hair stylist, not just a barber – he didn’t just cut hair, he now styled hair. I was so proud of him and still miss him something terrible. In a world so scared of change, he just wasn’t afraid.
Far and away, the greatest threat to the ocean, and thus to ourselves, is ignorance. But we can do something about that. – Sylvia Earle
In an effort to bolster Canada’s environmental standards, the country has now banned cruise ships from dumping wastewater and sewage close to the shoreline. Measures governing discharge of the pollutants had previously been voluntary. Huh? Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport has been named one of the world’s best airports. The Port of Galveston is on track to welcome an estimated 1.3 million cruise passengers this year. Royal Caribbean has a new terminal that opened in December, which allows the line’s large Oasis-class ships in Galveston for the first time.
It’s so weird being the same age as old people.
According to US military intelligence and national security, the U.S. is hunting for malicious computer codes that they believe Chinese hackers have hidden inside our networks controlling power grids, communication systems and water supplies that feed military bases in the U.S. and around the world. Essentially a ticking time bomb that would give China the power to interrupt or slow U.S. military by cutting off power, water, and communications to bases. But the impact would, duh, also affect all of us.
Self-Employed. My boss drives me crazy.
Use dry ground beets as a substitute for red food coloring. For those that think (because they’ve never actually tried them) that they hate beets, I promise you’ll never know that the recipe has beets in it and the color is so beautiful.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Bassist John Lodge of the Moody Blues is 80. Actor Willem Dafoe is 68. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau of Doonesbury is 75. Actor Elizabeth McGovern of Downton Abbey is 62. Actor Helen Gallagher (Maeve Ryan of Ryan’s Hope) is 97. Singer Don Henley of the Eagles is 76. Composer Alan Menken of Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors is 74. Actor-comedian David Spade is 59. Singer Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls is 60. Dancer Michael Flatley of Lord of the Dance is 65.
Invasive fruit flies have forced a 79-square mile area of Los Angeles County to have all fruits and vegetables quarantined. Residents are advised NOT to move any fruits or vegetables from their property, but the people can come and go as they please. The California Department of Food and Agriculture detected more than 20 invasive Tau fruit flies, native to Asia, in Stevenson Ranch, an unincorporated area near Santa Clarita. This same type of fly has been spotted in California three times since first detected in 2016 but was successfully eradicated all three times. This is the first time the fly invasion has resulted in a quarantine in the Western Hemisphere.
Robert Bowers, the shooter who massacred 11 people at a Pittsburg synagogue in 2018 has been sentenced to death after a two-month trial. At the end of the trial, one by one the survivors and relatives of the worshipers who were killed stepped up to a microphone and explained their grief. All while this was happening, the gunman, who raged against Jewish people during the attack and has expressed no remorse since then, looked the other way and flipped through a stack of papers.
Lori Vallow (convicted of the murders of her two kids and husband’s previous wife) has now received multiple life sentences, served concurrently without possibility of parole. This is what she had to say: “Jesus knows me. And Jesus understands me. I mourn with all of you who mourn my children and Tammy,” she said. “Jesus Christ knows the truth of what happened here. Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case. Accidental deaths happen. Suicides happen. Fatal side effects from medications happen.” I wonder what He really thinks about this.
A woman was mowing her lawn in Texas when a snake fell from the sky and wrapped around her arm, striking at her face, breaking her glasses. Then a hawk swooped down and began attacking the woman while trying to regain his hold on the snake. The woman said, “I just kept saying, ‘Help me, Jesus. Help me, Jesus.” She thought she had been bitten by the snake, but each time it had struck her glasses, leaving snake venom on them. Jesus WAS listening.
A woman abandoned her dog in a stroller at Pittsburgh International Airport parking, boarding her flight after being told that she couldn’t bring her dog on the plane because it needed to be in a crate in order to fly. Oh, yes, the woman was flying to a resort destination but I’m sure that means nothing. A microchip was located on the animal but attempts to reach the owner were unsuccessful. The pictures were so sad. A cute little French Bulldog curled up in an umbrella stroller. Hmmm. You know what I think.
Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world. Malala Yousafzai
Moms & Dads: Save money this weekend with the Sales Tax Holiday. This applies to MOST clothing, MOST footwear, and MOST school supplies, but pulling up the entire list would be best before you go shopping. It’s a huge list or yes or no on what’s covered. What I found interesting is that baby diapers and adult diapers are exempt from taxes. Have a great weekend and don’t forget we print obits.
😊 LISA
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
