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What I Heard This Week 02-22-2024

What I Heard This Week February 21, 2024

 

In Arizona (you thought I was going to say Florida, didn’t you), an alligator floating in a pond received quite a few 911 calls from concerned residents. One person reported they saw three live alligators – one under the bridge and one that was swimming around; while another person stated that the alligator bit their boyfriend’s fishing line and they had to cut it. The only problem was that the very realistic-looking, single alligator was made of foam and had been placed there by the City of Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities so that the ducks, birds, turtles, and other animals would have a place to gather and hang out. They also added a fake crocodile and two fake hippos. This is one good example of why you can’t believe everything you hear… read… OR SEE.

More positive vacation news. A disruptive incident (fistfight/brawl) occurred onboard, in the air, on a Southwest flight from Oakland to Kauai. There is even an available video, foul language, hitting and blood. The two men are now facing criminal charges of up to $37,000. Together or each – don’t know. I just hope it includes jail time, losing their jobs, plus a lifetime ban on flying. It just doesn’t make any sense that people are so unhappy, now believing that any kind of behavior is acceptable.

I have officially resigned from adulthood. Decisions will be made using the eenie-meenie-miney-moe method and arguments will be settled by sticking out my tongue. I’ll be at recess if you need me.

Have you heard of West Side Story, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, or the song, Send in the Clowns? This past weekend I worked with several new and old friends, bussing tables and washing dishes as ticket holders were served a Valentine dinner of salad, lasagna, and crème brulee during a musical presentation of Side by Side by Sondheim at Center Stages.  We are so lucky to have such talented individuals in our community to pull off something as grand as this performance, especially since tickets were just $40, for dinner theatre! Even better were discussions of the lyrics of the Sondheim songs I heard from Mary while we worked.  If you think you might enjoy being a volunteer in art, theater, science, space, or music, or even washing dishes, there is a place for you at The Center for the Arts and Sciences. They are having a Volunteer Open House on March 2 from 11 am to 1 pm. This will give you an opportunity to check out the art gallery & studio, two theaters, science museum, and planetarium, all while visiting with staff and volunteers. There are opportunities for museum attendants, set builders, art classes, servers at intermission… the list is endless. Volunteering helps you live longer, relieves stress as it releases endorphins that encourages prosocial behavior, empathy, concern for others, and puts you in such a good mood that you don’t get into fights on planes. Surely, I have convinced you! If you want to volunteer, you couldn’t ask for a better place. Questions: Contact ahelms@bcfas.org or 979-265-7661. This Thursday is the BASF Planetarium Scholastic Bowl, an evening of trivia and fun. You may want to have your own team answering questions about art, science, pop culture and local interests. It is SO MUCH FUN.

I was raised to be charming, not sincere. Stephen Sondheim

Daylight Saving Time: I am really enjoying the daylight lasting longer each day. Teller and I go walking downtown in the afternoons, and he really enjoys it, smelling and hiking his leg on EVERYTHING. On March 10, 2024, if all goes well, we will SPRING forward again.

Charlotte the Stingray, age 12-14 years, is about to give birth…any day now. The problem is that Charlotte hasn’t been around any male stingrays in her tank at the North Carolina aquarium. One possibility is either Larry or Moe mated with Charlotte… but Larry and Moe are little sharks. The only other explanation is that Charlotte is going through a very rare process called parthenogenesis, where eggs develop on their own without fertilization and create a clone of the mother. The last study of parthenogenesis in stingrays took place 25 years ago. When Charlotte gives birth (she could have as many as four pups), and if they survive, they will have to double the size of Charlotte’s current home. DNA testing can then be performed to determine if they’re a mixed breed (mutt) or clones of their mother. They called it a once in a blue moon experience. Isn’t science and nature great. Where there is a will, there is a way.

“In French, you don’t say ‘I miss you.’ You say, ‘Tu me manques’, which means ‘you are missing from me.’ I love that.”

According to the Presidential Greatness Project, the New Survey of Scholars finds Abraham Lincoln is the favorite and remains America’s Greatest President. Here is the list. Some may surprise you; some may NOT surprise you.
2024 Ranking of Presidents
#1. Lincoln  2.FD Roosevelt  3.Washington  4.T Roosevelt  5.Jefferson  6.Truman  7.Obama  8. Eisenhower  9.LB Johnson  10.Kennedy  11.Madison  12.Clinton  13.J Adams  14.Biden  15.Wilson  16.Reagan  17.Grant  18.Monroe  19.GHW Bush  20.JQ Adams  21.Jackson  22.Carter  23.Taft  24.McKinley  25.Polk  26.Cleveland  27.Ford  28.Van Buren  29.Hayes  30.Garfield  31.Harrison  32.GW Bush  33.Arthur  34.Coolidge  35.Nixon  36.Hoover  37.Tyler  38.Taylor  39.Fillmore 40.Harding  41.Harrison  42.Pierce  43.Johnson  44.Buchanan  45.Trump.

Hate. It has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet. Maya Angelou

Golf legend Tiger Woods announced his 27-year partnership with Nike is over. This comes right after Nike announced plans to cut $2 billion in costs over the next three years. Velvet Taco is opening their first airport location at Hobby. If you have never, ever had a Velvet Taco, you’re in for a treat. Cat Food: I’ve said this before, check the ingredients in your cat food. Many popular brands, even ones labeled healthy or natural, contain powdered cellulose derived from wood pulp, also known as sawdust.

Estate Planning: Legendary songwriter genius, Beach Boy Brian Wilson recently lost his wife of almost 30 years. She was his caregiver and managed his daily needs before her death on January 30. But there was no successor to his late wife. His family has now filed to put Wilson under a conservatorship because of his recent diagnosis of dementia. Two longtime Brian Wilson representatives, his publicist and manager, will now oversee his personal and medical decisions, but not his estate and finances.  Jay Leno has filed for conservatorship over his wife’s estate after her dementia diagnosis, in order to create a living trust so that she has managed assets in case of his death.

Sitting here at my desk eating the remains of my lunch, a salad from Luby’s with sunflower seeds, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, purple cabbage, mushrooms and of course, lettuce. There are so few places in town to get a good to-go side salad, so I just thought I should remind you. It was such a nice addition to my lunch of my roasted chicken, fried okra, and mashed potatoes. Yeah, Luby’s. Liver and onions next week.

You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.  Oscar Wilde

Capital One is set to buy Discover for $35.3 billion. The credit card industry is dominated by Visa, Mastercard and American Express, with Discover in 4th place. The most interesting part of this is hearing Americans are deep in debt with a record high of more than $1.1 trillion. On the morning news it said 49% of cardholders carry debt from month to month, and an average credit card balance is $6,088. The Rule of Thumb: pay off your credit card balance every month except for emergencies. A $5.25 Starbucks Caramel Macchiato is NOT an emergency.

William “Bill” Post died at 96. Who in the heck is Bill Post? Well, in the early 60’s, he was plant manager at Hekman Biscuit Co. One day a bunch of suits (VP’s) showed up with their vision – a piece of pie in the shape of a slice of bread, complete with fork marks around the edge… basically just two pieces of dough with filling. The guys requested they needed something like that… except they wanted it toaster-ready. Post promised them he would have something in two weeks. They were originally called fruit scones, but Andy Warhol’s pop art was very popular, so it became Pop-Tarts. In 1964, there was strawberry, blueberry, brown sugar cinnamon and apple currant. In 2022 consumers bought 3 billion Pop Tarts…that’s almost a billion dollars in pop-tarts sales. I know I ate plenty when I was a kid. Bet you did too. Hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading us this week. Please sell something.

Lisa

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 12-01-2022

What I Heard This Week November 30, 2022

Today I walked into my office and found the evil ants… again. So, I put out a little ant appetizer, then watched them march from all over the office to devour it. The ants will be gone in the morning; I will vacuum, and all will be well. Then I read this story about a man in India sitting down to a dinner that his wife had just prepared and found ants in his rice, so he demanded an explanation. An altercation occurred and she strangled him with her scarf. Gentlemen, if you find any ants in your rice, first off, hide all the scarves, then try Terro Ant Bait before you mention anything at all to your partner.

The ants and the bees are, in many ways, far more intelligent and ingenious; they manage their government with vastly less quarreling, wastefulness and imbecility.  H. L. Mencken

Most of us know that we need to minimize our exposure to Teflon. Yeesss, you do. I was texting a friend today about the carbon steel pan that I just ordered for my son for Christmas. My son’s request. He wants a carbon steel pan, an air-fryer, and boots. My own carbon-steel pan is fantastic. I seasoned it once per the instructions it came with. Just like an iron skillet except you use salt and high heat, and I haven’t had to season it again in the past year and half. Nothing really sticks. I wash it out by hand each time I use it using just a little soap and a swish of a sink brush, then dry it out with paper towels. So easy. It’s light weight (that was so important to me) and I wouldn’t trade it. So, if you’re looking for a great Christmas gift… there you go. Just like in a restaurant, so don’t expect it to be pretty and shiny, but it won’t expose you to health issues like testicular cancer, low birth weight, infertility, liver disease, kidney issues and thyroid disorders. Look up Teflon Coating Health Risks.

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason. Mark Twain

General Motors revealed a new electric SUV that is expected to be the cheapest compact electric SUV on the market. The Chevrolet Equinox EV will have a starting price around $30,000 which will make it among the cheapest electric vehicles of its kind. The average electric vehicle available today has a base sticker price of about $47,500, according to Edmunds.com.

Experts estimate you can reduce up to 15% of electricity used by your refrigerator by cleaning off the dust. When I read this, I immediately pulled the front panel off my kitchen fridge, and I was surprised to learn that I’m a super nasty person. Most of the time I only look behind my old appliances when they have to install a new appliance, or when I move to another house. There before me the nicest collection of dog hair, cat hair, dust, and dog & cat treats, but it’s clean now. Dust buildup makes the fridge use more energy to cool your food. In case you missed it, November 15th was National Clean Out Your Fridge Day, just in case you need more encouragement to get out the Windex and paper towels.

The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been. Madeleine L’Engle

Sigh. A Florida woman (yep, Florida again) has filed a lawsuit (asking for up to $5 million) against Kraft Heinz’s for their Velveeta Shells & Cheese instant macaroni product, saying that it is not the easy, cheesy macaroni that it is advertised as. It takes too much time and too many steps to prepare. If you include ripping off the lid, adding water, and stirring in the prepackaged cheese sauce, then it takes longer than the 3-1/2 minutes advertised as the cooking time in the microwave. I say, what kind of attorney would take on a case like this. Then I answer myself with, “the kind of attorney that you probably wouldn’t want to represent you.”

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: TV personality Bill Nye (“Bill Nye the Science Guy”) is 67. Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. is 93. Singer Randy Newman is 79. Country singer Kristine Arnold of Sweethearts of the Rodeo is 66. Musician Paul Shaffer of Late Show with David Letterman is 73. Singer Gilbert O’Sullivan is 76. Actor Judd Nelson is 63. Blues musician John Mayall is 89. One of my all-time favorites. Actor Diane Ladd is 87. Musician Chuck Mangione is 82. Director Joel Coen is 68. Actor Brendan Fraser is 54.

Actor director Woody Allen is 87. Singer Dianne Lennon of the Lennon Sisters is 83. Singer-guitarist Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult is 78. Drummer John Densmore of The Doors is 78. Actor-singer Bette Midler is 77. Actor Treat Williams is 71. Actor Charlene Tilton is 64. News anchor Stone Phillips is 68. Singer Ozzy Osbourne is 74. Actor Daryl Hannah is 62. Actor Julianne Moore is 62. Actor Cathy Lee Crosby is 78.

Singer and actor Irene Cara, best known as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical Fame, and was the voice behind Flashback… What a Feeling, which she co-wrote, has died at 63. Actor Clarence Gilyard of Walker, Texas Ranger, died at 66. French-American actor Robert Clary died at 96. He was a survivor of the Nazi death camp during WWII. What I found most interesting was that he was most famous for his role as a feisty prisoner of war Corporal Louis LeBeau in the unlikely 1960s sitcom Hogan’s Heroes. Before 1980, he remained silent about his true wartime experiences. He also had recurring roles in the soap operas Days of Our Lives, and The Bold and the Beautiful, along with live theater performances and was a wonderful artist.

Businessman and politician, governor of Kentucky (1979 – 1983) John Y. Brown Jr., died at 88 from complications of Covid. Brown established Kentucky Fried Chicken as a worldwide name and global corporation after he bought it from Harland Sanders in 1964. He also owned three basketball clubs, including the Boston Celtics. In 2009, Harvard Business School honored Brown as one of the top American Business Leaders of 20th century, along with Ray Kroc, Sam Walton, Walt Disney, and Bill Gates. Brown married three times, once to former Miss America Phyllis George and once to a former Mrs. America.

Lauri Cherian is a local actor, teacher, volunteer, mother, wife, great friend, and is now a writer of poetry. Lauri will be holding a poetry reading open to the public at the Lake Jackson Library on Friday, December 2nd from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Congratulations Lauri and thank you for your hard work in the kitchen at Madrigal Feast. Madrigal Feast is now at The Center for the Arts and Sciences. The meal, dessert, and show are absolutely fantastic. You should try to come. It’s a great memorable way to start the Season. 979-265-7661. A Night of Worship W/ Justin Gambino + Friends is planned for Saturday, December 10th at 5pm, at the Brazoria County Courthouse. Everyone loves Justin. Congratulations Brazoswood Water Polo teams, (boys earned in the very first Class UIL 6A State Championship and the girls are the Texas UIL 6A State Runner-Up). Most of all, congratulations to Coach Robert Brown, the man who worked so hard in past years for my own child, for my friend’s children, and for continuing his tradition of being one of the most beloved and respected coaches at BISD. Hard-working assistant coach is Kiel Haner.

A new Alzheimer’s drug shows promise for slowing the disease but may contain significant risks such as brain bleeds, swelling and other side effects. A Buddhist temple in central Thailand has been left without a single monk when they all tested positive for methamphetamine. Oh, dear. Two never-before seen ‘alien’ minerals were found in a 2.5-ounce slice of a gigantic meteorite weighing 16.5 tons, discovered in 2020. Meteorites are meteors that survive traveling through the Earth’s atmosphere and land on the ground. A third mineral may have been identified, but it is still being reviewed. What will they find if they look through all 16.5 tons?

This one is fun. A man posted a TikTok video that showed him cutting off the zip-ties where a neighbor had attached her snow fence to the man’s guttering on his house. The next video he posted said, Update: this morning the neighbor put these two things in her window facing our house where the snow fence is. People responded saying that the two objects were motion detectors. Along with this information came ideas and encouragement to trigger the motion detectors 100% of the time… so the words I should use would be constant motion. Hmmm. How about a bird feeder that you never let go empty. How about a perpetual motion waving cat or an inflatable lawn decoration, then pray for wind. It’s my new favorite show. Who is bringing the popcorn?

A 1969 orange Dodge Charger, one of four built and previously owned by John Schneider, who played Bo Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard, recently sold at auction for $194,400. A Harley-Davidson FLH Electra-Glide motorcycle purchased by Marlon Brando in 1970, just sold for $216,000. Do you remember the Gianni Versace dress that Princess Diana wore in a photo shoot in 1991, that was used on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Tribute to a Princess issue in 1997. It was figure-hugging shimmering blue-green, and her hair was slicked back where it looked almost wet. Well, that dress just sold for $172,800.  A Marilyn Monroe worn dress from her final film in 1962, Something’s Got to Give, recently sold for $313,200. The figure-hugging silk crepe dress is printed with scattered painterly roses in shades of persimmon and deep cherry with a plunging V back. Very pretty.

Teller the Wonder Dog loves to chew on things, so I bought some bones with yummy centers. You know, very expensive fake marrow. He loved them, but I discovered that they shed crumbs of fake marrow and attracted many of our very dependable office ants, so I decided to take the bones to the SPCA for the outside dogs to chew on. Teller just doesn’t go outside during the day unless he is on a leash, so I loaded up the bones in a plastic bag with Teller very curiously watching me as I took them to the car, constantly giving me the look that was supposed to remind me that they belonged to HIM. Just imagine the longing look on a baby’s face when you take away their pacifier or bottle for the last time. That’s the look that was on his sweet little face when we dropped the bag off at the door of the SPCA. I had rolled down the window on his side and he kept looking back at the bones, then looking back at me like saying, “Wait, you forgot something, the bones, you forgot MY bones.” They grow up so fast.

Tom Cruise is set to become the first actor to shoot a movie in outer space. Yep. Plans are to take a rocket up to the Space Station and shoot part of a movie, but most of it would be shot on Earth. Does Tom realize that he just turned 60? I bet it’s hard to get him insured on a set.  James Cameron’s sequel to Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, is expected to be a huge box office hit. It opens on December 16th. Avatar made history 13 years ago by becoming the top-grossing film of all time with $2.92 BILLION in ticket sales. The Way of Water is three hours and 14 minutes long. It stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang. Newcomers are Vin Diesel and Kate Winslet. I just loved the first Avatar. Taylor Lautner is an actor best known for playing shapeshifter Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga film series. He just married and his new wife, also named Taylor, was Team Edward before they started dating, not Team Jacob. Silly girl.

In a symbolic break from the Middle Ages, Camilla, Queen Consort, has dispensed with the title of ladies-in-waiting, instead appointing a group of five personal assistants who will be known as Queen’s Companions. Queen Elizabeth’s remaining ladies-in-waiting will stay on, helping King Charles host events at Buckingham Palace. They will now be called “ladies of the household.” A name all working women share. Have a great shopping week. Remember, memories are the best gift.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 06-02-2022

What I Heard This Week June 1, 2022

Everyone is aware of the baby formula shortage. How did we get here? It is described as a perfect storm of supply-chain issues, plus the recall of three types of infant formula by Similac/Abbot after possible contamination with Salmonella and Cronobacter bacteria. Four babies were hospitalized with one death, after ingesting formula. I honestly just loved nursing my two children. I was so lucky that I was able to do that, but it was because I was able to take my babies to the office with me. Not everyone has that opportunity. Adoption, inability to nurse, careers and many other obstacles stand in the way of nursing. Every situation is unique and not all women can breastfeed. That’s where formula comes in. For me, breastfeeding was convenient, easily digestible, great antibodies, always warm, but most of all, it was affordable. I had no clue how expensive formula is. I was so surprised to find that a 30.8oz. can of Similac powder is $36.99 online at Target. It’s one scoop of powder to two oz. water, and if a bottle is 8oz. Yikes. A can won’t last very long with a hungry baby. Target did have a stock of formula on Memorial Day week-end. FYI.

It’s a long list. This time it is graduation caps and gowns. Balfour and Jostens are among the makers of graduation regalia that have been working overtime to ship robes, caps, hoods and tassels to grads in time for ceremonies. Staff shortages, supply chain issues from the past year, and new COVID-related shutdowns in China are to blame. Don’t you think it’s about time we start re-using ‘stuff’ and decide just how important it is to have something ‘new’ – it should be priority to look nice on that day, but the expenses related to that one graduation moment are pretty ridiculous. Surely, we could all learn to recycle caps and gowns. Last month my daughter used her brother’s gown to trade a friend for his sister’s gown because it was shorter, and the friend is tall like my son. Perfect fit. Then I found her cords from high school, and she used those instead of buying the ones which were not provided – something like $40. Total savings: over $100.

Lydia (our office baby who is now going into first grade in the fall) was at this office this week for a playdate with Teller. She didn’t bring any lunch so I offered to share my lunch with her, then I suggested to her that perhaps we could make some stone soup. I shared the story of stone soup with Lydia, but I was really the one that benefited, all the time reminding me of how much easier life is, when we share and work together. Perhaps we should all make stone soup this week, especially some of our politicians.

In case you don’t remember the story, Wikipedia says: Some travelers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty cooking pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share any of their food with the very hungry travelers. Then the travelers go to a stream and fill the pot with water, drop a large stone in it, and place it over a fire. One of the villagers becomes curious and asks what they are doing. The travelers answer that they are making “stone soup“, which tastes wonderful and which they would be delighted to share with the villager, although it still needs a little bit of garnish, which they are missing, to improve the flavor. The villager, who anticipates enjoying a share of the soup, does not mind parting with a few carrots, so these are added to the soup. Another villager walks by, inquiring about the pot, and the travelers again mention their stone soup which has not yet reached its full potential. More and more villagers walk by, each adding another ingredient like potatoes, onions, cabbages, peas, celery, tomatoes, sweet corn, meat (like chicken, pork and beef), milk, butter, salt and pepper.  Finally, the stone (being inedible) is removed from the pot, and a delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by travelers and villagers alike. Although the travelers have thus tricked the villagers into sharing their food with them, they have successfully transformed it into a tasty meal which they share with the donors.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Country singer Don Reid of the Statler Brothers is 77. Guitarist Fred Stone of Sly and the Family Stone is 75. Financial expert Suze Orman is 71. Drummer Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden is 70. Saxophonist Kenny G is 66. Actor Robert Englund aka Freddie Krueger is 75. Playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein is 70. Hairspray. Actor Virginia McKenna of Born Free is 91. Singer Nancy Sinatra is 82.

Singer Tom Jones is 82. What’s New Pussycat? Talk show host Jenny Jones is 76. Actor Liam Neeson is 70. Actor James Darren is 86. Gidget, The Guns of Navarone. Singer Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night is 80. Singer Boz Scaggs is 78. Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams is 65. Rapper Ye aka Kanye West is 45. Sports commentator Dick Vitale is 83. Guitarist Mick Box of Uriah Heep is 75. Actor Michael J. Fox is 61. Actor Johnny Depp is 59. Actor Adrienne Barbeau of Maude is 77. Drummer Frank Beard of ZZ Top is 73. Singer Graham Russell of Air Supply is 72.

Ray Liotta, the good-looking actor from New Jersey, best known for his role as hustler Henry Hill, who rats on his crime family in order to get out of the mob in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, died in his sleep at a movie location, at 67.

A man died when he fell through a sunroof of an industrial warehouse in Cypress. Three men gained entrance to the industrial lot because one of the men had a key, then used a crane with a basket to get on the roof, where they were walking about 40 feet high. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff said the men, who are in their 20s, appeared to be drinking alcohol prior to the incident. It is amazing how smart and stupid alcohol can make you.

My daughter took a recent big trip by herself, to NY, Boston, and North Carolina. I was not excited to watch her leave, but it was time. She has never taken self-defense, and pepper spray and tasers are a struggle to use or get out of a purse or backpack, and not hurt yourself, plus airlines will not allow you to carry the products on the plane with you, and she wasn’t checking baggage. So, I helped myself feel better by buying her a Birdie. It is a personal safety alarm that has a 13db alarm (loud!) and a flashing strobe light, all designed to deter an attack. I told her to trust her instincts in any situation, pull the top and bring all eyes towards HER. It just pops together and attaches to the outside of a purse or backpack. She said there was one occasion that she kept her hand on the Birdie as she walked in Brooklyn. I also sent one to my son in Boston and ordered one for myself.

Beer is now cheaper than gas. DRINK. Don’t drive.

Listen up. I am going to tell you this one time, then I will not mention it again because it won’t make a difference. There won’t be any tickets left, so therefore nothing to even tell you about. Here goes: Tickets for Brazosport Center Stages’ summer musical, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, are ON SALE NOW! July 8-10 and 15-17 in the Freeport LNG Theater. Friday and Saturday night shows are at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 pm. The last time Center Stages performed Beauty and the Beast it was absolutely the most outstanding theater production you could ever imagine.

Are YOU able to: adopt an animal, foster an animal, walk a dog that would otherwise have to stay in a cramped living space all day long… then come over! My kids and I started out by walking Teller in the afternoons at the SPCA because he had never been on a leash. Teller is such a gift to our family now. The shelter is full to critical-capacity level. Please help if you can. What a great volunteer job for your kids this summer! adopt@spcabc.org or call 979-285-2340

Momma June (of Honey Boo Boo fame) Shannon, 42, married her boyfriend Justin Stroud, 34, a tattoo artist, after less than a year of dating. A fire broke out on the Carnival Freedom recently while the ship was docked in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The flames were put out quickly and no one was hurt. The grieving husband of one of the slain Uvalde teachers died of a heart attack after visiting his wife’s memorial. Yes, you can die of a broken heart.

Supposedly… an anonymous Russian intelligence officer is claiming that President Vladimir Putin is on the verge of losing his eyesight and has a short lifespan because his health condition is deteriorating from a rapidly progressing cancer, and he has been given a max of three years to live by doctors. Now, whether this is true, or wishful thinking, only time will tell.

Milan fashion house Dolce & Gabbana said it will drop the use of animal fur in all its collections this year, and transition to eco-friendly faux fur. It joins Armani, Gucci, Prada, and Moncler in adhering to guidelines set by the Fur Free Alliance.

When is the human brain fully developed? I was sitting here at my desk wondering, so I Googled it. We have always given so much credit to kids when they turn 18. They can vote, do military, buy fireworks, get tattoos, change a name, buy lottery tickets, or alcoholic beverages. The list continues with jury duty, signing yourself out of high school, buying tobacco, skydiving, getting married, a passport, buying a house or mortgage, donating blood, booking a hotel room, or adopting a child. What I found along with this search were many articles about the teen brain not being fully developed until age 25. In fact, an 18-year-old brain does not even weigh as much as a 21-year-old brain. (Then after age 50, about the time we start getting some stuff right, the brain begins to gradually lose small amounts of weight…geez.)  Some scientists agree that the brain even continues to develop into the early 30’s. So, back to my actual point. Should an 18-year-old be allowed to buy an assault rifle when they do not even have a fully developed brain? One article said that it eliminates completely the ability of young adults of the mechanism of defending themselves, should you take away this privilege. What!?! My mind now tends to wander several times a day, to thoughts of a classroom of 9 & 10-year-old babies calling 911, trying to get someone, anyone, to help them. I picture my own children at that age. It is so hard to shake that image. How terrifying it must be to sit and know your friends have been killed. How do you fix that? In September 2021, the shooter asked his sister to help him buy a gun and she “flatly refused.” Hmmm. At this point, just praying is not going to fix it.

In Lafayette, Louisiana, the makers of Tabasco recently discovered a religious painting of The Last Supper, complete with a bottle of their original hot sauce setting on the table within passing distance to Jesus and his 12 apostles. The painting was hanging on the wall of a church. I love a fun story.

Don’t you just hate it when you try to take a bite of your bulging food-filled burrito, all the good stuff falls into your lap? Four engineering seniors at Johns Hopkins University were eating lunch while brainstorming the perfect invention for their product design course, when Erin’s tortilla on her burrito opened, and the inspiration for the design fell into her lap. Today their prototype product is called Tastee Tape. It is clear and edible so look out, no more messy wraps and burritos in our future. Have a great week. Thank you for taking the time to read and shop with us.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 05-26-2022

What I Heard This Week May 25, 2022

When my kids were little, I always told them when they woke up each morning the devil would be sitting on one shoulder and good choices would be waiting on the other side. It was up to them. This morning I fixed myself a smoked turkey, cheese, and Wickle Pickle sandwich with fresh spinach, then grabbed the lonely bag of Lay’s potato chips that had been sitting in my cabinet for a couple of months. I’m a pretty healthy eater… most mornings it is Greek yogurt and raw oats for breakfast. But this morning on the way into office, the devil happened to be sitting on my shoulder ranting and raving about how good it would be to eat those chips, so I did what any red-blooded Texan would do, I opened the bag and ate about half of those delicious Lay’s potato chips. Oh, gosh, there’s just nothing better than old fashioned potato chips, licking salt off your fingers, then brushing off your face because it’s inevitable that you WILL have crumbs left, no matter how dainty you eat. Just wanted you to know that one must make a bad choice every once in a while.

There is no such thing as ‘away’. So, when we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.”
– Annie Leonard – (I just took a non-working microwave to Stella Roberts Recycling in Pearland along with all my recycling, including shredding. Last visit, I took fluorescent bulbs. Don’t just throw away stuff without thinking about where it is going.)

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has announced a new partnership with H-E-B which will provide funding for conservation projects along the Texas Gulf Coast, black bear restoration in West Texas, and establishment of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park in north Texas, our state’s newest park. Since 2012, H-E-B has contributed more than $13 million to over 500 environmental organizations in land and water conservation, habitat and coastal preservation, and community cleanups. This includes more than $2 million in grants to organizations such as Keep Texas Beautiful, Texas Conservation Fund, and the Nature Conservancy of Texas. If you’re looking for ways to do your part, try Field & Future by H-E-B, a line of household and personal care products that are kind to Texas families and the environment.

The City of Freeport and Port Freeport have been negotiating with Volkswagen of America to make Port Freeport its new port of entry, receiving vehicles from Europe and Mexico for processing and delivery to dealerships. Ohhh, just think of the new jobs that could be available for our area. A 60-year-old South Carolina man strangled his girlfriend, then died of a heart attack while burying her body in their backyard. Karma. Russia has permanently banned more than 900 Americans from that country including Biden, Harris, and Zuckerberg. But not Trump. Hmmm.

The morning of my daughter’s graduation, I discovered there was a sheetrock screw in one of my tires. Hmmm. I needed to leave pretty soon for University of Houston because my goal had been to arrive two hours early, so I could scope out the best locations to record my daughter’s speech. I called David Novosad at Brazosport Tire and explained the situation. David didn’t hesitate and told me to get right on over there, so I threw on some jeans and walked out the door. But first, I had to pick up my car from the wonderful guys at Tri-City Auto Repair. David was outside and took my car straight into a bay while Teller and I waited out front. In a matter of minutes, he told me his favorite graduation story, then sent me on my way. When I arrived home, I realized it had only taken me 45 minutes from the phone call to driving back into my driveway. I jumped in the shower, washed my hair, and still arrived one hour before graduation. That my friends, is exactly why you should deal with local business owners who live, work, and raise their kids in your own community. Thank you, David & Bart.

Visit the LJ Historical Museum for their Shakespeare Exhibit, on view through July 9th. 249 Circle Way, LJ. Admission by donation. 979-297-1570. Don’t forget to grab a selfie with the bard himself and see some of the fabulous gowns and costumes from the Elizabethan Madrigal Feast, which by-the-way, is scheduled to return to The Center for the Arts and Sciences in late fall.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Anthony Geary of General Hospital is 75. Singer LaToya Jackson is 66. Actor Annette Bening is 64. Actor Rupert Everett is 63. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 61. Actor Lisa Whelchel of The Facts of Life is 59. Guitarist Lenny Davidson of The Dave Clark Five is 78. Country singer Wynonna Judd is 58. Actor-director Clint Eastwood is 92. Singer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary is 84. Actor Sharon Gless of Cagney and Lacey is 79. Actor Tom Berenger is 72. Actor Parker Stevenson is 70.

Actor Lea Thompson of Back to the Future is 61. Actor Brooke Shields is 57. Singer Pat Boone is 88. Actor Morgan Freeman is 85. Guitarist Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones is 75. Country singer Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn is 69. Actor Lisa Hartman Black is 66. Actor Ron Ely of Tarzan fame is 84. Actor Stacy Keach is 81. Actor Jerry Mathers of Leave It to Beaver is 74. Comedian Dana Carvey is 67. Bassist Too Slim of Riders in the Sky is 74. Singer Suzi Quatro is 72. Actor Bruce Dern is 86. Singer-actor Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas is 78.

The famous Gosselin sextuplets, Hannah, Aaden, Leah, Alexis, Joel and Collin, celebrated their 18th birthday last week. The father, Jon, has a relationship with Hannah and Collin, while the other four are still with their mom, Kate. What a mess for those kids.

Rosmarie Trapp, eldest child of famed Captain Georg Johannes von Trapp and Maria Augusta von Trapp, who inspired The Sound of Music, died at age 93. Maggie Peterson, best known for her role as Charlene Darling on The Andy Griffith Show died at 81. NBA Hall of Famer Bob Lanier died at 73.

The super-rich are getting so much richer. The report said, a new billionaire was minted nearly every day during the pandemic. On his first trip to Asia since taking office, President Biden said that the U.S. would respond militarily if China tries to take Taiwan by force. 35 tons of baby formula arrived in Indiana on a U.S. military aircraft from Germany to help with the nationwide shortage, but none of it will be available on store shelves in the U.S. because the formula is a specialized prescription and will be for babies that can’t tolerant protein in cow’s milk. Saturday Night Live said good-bye to Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson. A Milwaukee man charged with a hate crime in 2019, for throwing acid on the face of a US citizen born in Peru, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison.

A Wisconsin couple saw a bear eating from one of their bird feeders, so they opened a window and yelled, trying to get the bear to leave. The bear turned around, broke through a window and into the house. The couple stabbed the bear with a kitchen knife, then used a firearm to kill it. She was a momma bear just protecting her baby because a cub was seen running off. No wonder she charged them; she thought her baby was in harm’s way. Remember, the bears were here first.

A second set of human remains have been found at Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, as water levels continue to fall. The first body was discovered in a barrel and was likely a murder victim who died from a gunshot wound sometime in the mid ’70s to early ’80s, based on clothing and footwear. The lake’s low water level exposed one of the reservoir’s original water intake valves recently. The valve had been in service since 1971, but it can no longer draw water. Since this reservoir is used to make electricity, this is more than just a drought, it is a tragic situation.

A man in India has a collection of old cell phones in perfect working condition, 2,300 of them to be exact, mostly Nokia. His dream is to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Friend: Hey man, what’s your cell number?  This guy: Well, it’s complicated.

Last week I read about a lady that couldn’t get a certain politician to talk to her, ignoring many requests, so the lady and her friend wrote a nice peaceful, cordial, and polite message in chalk on the sidewalk in front of the politician’s home. Evidently, the news media got ahold of the chalk message story, then it was posted by absolutely everyone, therefore getting far more attention than the politician ever wanted or expected. The ladies were accused of defacing the sidewalk in this article, which made me laugh. My kids obviously defaced plenty of sidewalks in their lifetime. The article also mentioned the Streisand Effect. Hmmm. I didn’t know what that was, so, I looked it up on FourWeekMBA. The following is what it said:

Understanding the Streisand Effect: The Streisand Effect was named for American actor and singer Barbara Streisand. In 2003, Streisand attempted to suppress aerial photographs of her Californian home by suing photographer Kenneth Adelman for an invasion of privacy. Adelman, who Streisand assumed was paparazzi, was instead taking photographs to document and study coastal erosion. As part of the study, an image of Streisand’s private residence had been uploaded to a database where it had been viewed just six times. After a barrage of cease-and-desist letters, the case received public attention and the image was later viewed over a million times. In her quest for more privacy, Streisand’s efforts had the opposite effect.  They went on to say, The Streisand Effect can be avoided in business by establishing protocols relating to customer service and public relations. Organizations must not attempt to hide or suppress information they see as damaging to their brand. Often, the effects of suppression are far worse than tackling the problem head-on.  You owe me nothing for this lesson.

David Letterman has a Netflix series called, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” I bet everyone already knows about this because I’m always the last one to the party. The show’s theme song and bridging music were written and recorded by Letterman’s long-time bandleader, Paul Shaffer. Some of Letterman’s guests so far have been Robert Downey Jr., Lizzo, Melinda Gates, Kanye West, Jerry Seinfeld, George Clooney, Barack Obama and more. I have watched interviews with Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell, Will Smith and Cardi B. So far, I think it is an outstanding and very entertaining show. I’m going to watch him interview Ryan Reynolds this evening if I don’t fall asleep.

Remember Jaws 2? “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.” That was a great catchphrase and saying that we all remember and understand today, just like we did in 1978. Well, today I was thinking the same thing… just when we thought it was safe to go back to our familiar life after Covid. Dang. Monkeypox. Experts believe monkeypox is spreading between people by respiratory droplets or direct contact with lesion material. Pus. The symptoms of monkeypox in humans can be similar to the symptoms of smallpox, except for the fact that monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell. The incubation period, or time from infection to showing symptoms, for monkeypox is usually seven to 14 days. It starts with fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion and usually within one to three days, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face and then spreading to other parts of the body. Now let me stop right here and tell you to look up pictures. It is NOT pretty. The disease is terrible looking. The lesions keep getting bigger, become filled with fluid, scab and fall off. At least with Covid, there were no tell-tell signs (but, yes, I realize that was a problem too). Monkeypox usually lasts for two to four weeks. In Africa, the disease causes death in as many as 1 in 10 people. Don’t forget to look up those pictures.

The Brazoria County SPCA is in desperate need. THE SHELTER is full. If you can adopt, foster an animal, volunteer to walk a dog, become a monthly donor, or donate food, cat litter, paper towels, towels…pretty much everything is needed right now. Adopt@spcabc.org OR CALL 979-285-2340.  Thanks for reading us this week.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

  • What I Heard This Week 10-26-2023

    by on October 25, 2023 - 0 Comments

    Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, recently remarried for the fourth time, which also happened to be on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. This time it was to Dr. Anca Faur, his 63-year-old, long-time companion (who looks like she wants to be 27), has a PhD in chemical engineering, and is now the executive vice president of Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures.  He was first married to Joan Ann Archer in 1954 until divorcing in 1974. The next year he married Beverly Van Zile; they divorced after three years. His third marriage was to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 on Valentine's Day, divorcing 23 years later. Looks like he hasn’t given up on ‘love’ quite yet. He has sued two of his children and his former business manager claiming they stole money from him and are slandering his legacy, and that they also undermined his "personal romantic relationships" by forbidding him from getting married. His children say he is also spending money at an alarming rate. Sounds like those children are out of luck. There is a new sheriff in town and her name is MRS. Aldrin. ☹ Notes: Aldrin is also a strong advocate for human exploration of Mars. In 2002, he escaped assault charges after punching a man who demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was not staged. Good for him. He also said, “Tang sucks. “

  • What I Heard This Week 11-30-2023

    by on November 29, 2023 - 0 Comments

    Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, recently remarried for the fourth time, which also happened to be on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. This time it was to Dr. Anca Faur, his 63-year-old, long-time companion (who looks like she wants to be 27), has a PhD in chemical engineering, and is now the executive vice president of Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures.  He was first married to Joan Ann Archer in 1954 until divorcing in 1974. The next year he married Beverly Van Zile; they divorced after three years. His third marriage was to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 on Valentine's Day, divorcing 23 years later. Looks like he hasn’t given up on ‘love’ quite yet. He has sued two of his children and his former business manager claiming they stole money from him and are slandering his legacy, and that they also undermined his "personal romantic relationships" by forbidding him from getting married. His children say he is also spending money at an alarming rate. Sounds like those children are out of luck. There is a new sheriff in town and her name is MRS. Aldrin. ☹ Notes: Aldrin is also a strong advocate for human exploration of Mars. In 2002, he escaped assault charges after punching a man who demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was not staged. Good for him. He also said, “Tang sucks. “

  • Much Ado About Nothing - Texan in Winter

    by on December 6, 2018 - 0 Comments

    The power went out at my house last night for four hours. While this may not seem like a major catastrophe as it was the middle of the night and […]

  • Much Ado About Nothing - “Human Bait”

    by on January 16, 2020 - 0 Comments

    My dad always told me to have a backup plan in case my current job doesn’t work out. I wasn’t sure what that’d be until I saw this ad: “HUMAN […]

  • What I Heard This Week! December 20, 2018

    by on December 20, 2018 - 0 Comments

    The AK-47 is a type of assault rifle originally manufactured in the Soviet Union in 1949. A 17-year-old Humble High School student accidently shot herself recently with an AK-47 that […]

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