Funny: In Houston, a carjacker slammed a stolen Chevy Malibu into a KPRC-TV news van with a news reporter and her photographer inside on their way to cover a story. The thief said, “I’m stealing your vehicle. Get out.” About that time a pair of police officers happened by and stopped to help, thinking it was just a vehicle accident. The thief pushed one of the officers down and then dragged the other one out of the police cruiser, eventually gaining control of the officer’s patrol car which just happened to have a detained juvenile in the back seat. The thief released the16-year-old kid a few blocks away and officers found the police vehicle about an hour later, abandoned. Hmmm. I would guess the 16-year-old had quite a tale to tell the next day about how you can now treat a police officer like this and not get shot.
A terminally ill US Navy veteran was worried that his sisters might have to pay for his funeral, so he planned and executed a yard sale which also served to get rid of all his worldly possessions. He was already stressed trying to find someone to care for his family of three dogs. Two gentlemen shopping the sale listened to him talk about his treasured possessions and his disappointment with the health care system for veterans, then decided that the 2 of them were going to set up a fundraising account to help cover his funeral costs. After about a month, they were able to raise $475 from friends and relatives, then the blessing came. A local news outlet covered the story and donations started pouring in from across the country and within a few days they had more than $58,000. Since this is more than enough to cover his funeral costs. Willie Davis is starting a foundation that will help pay for funeral or burial cost of other veterans. He says that this has helped him to deal with his terminal diagnosis. “I’m dying, so I was seeking something that would give me more purpose.” What a strong man. Eyes are wet.
“History does not entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
A friend brought okra from his garden. I cut it into pieces, added plum tomatoes and cubes of eggplant, tossed all of it with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasted everything at 425 for about 20-25 minutes. I’m sitting at my desk eating leftovers right now. What is it about roasting vegetables that brings out all the sweetness and flavor that you didn’t know existed when you slather them in ranch dressing.
In Scotland, a 60-year-old bottle of Macallan Vlaerio Adami 1926 single malt whiskey, described as “one of the rarest and most desirable bottles ever produced” or “the Holy Grail” of the dark alcoholic spirit, sold for just over $1.1 million for a 750-milliliter bottle. No matter how much money I had available to spend on whiskey, I believe a sip (or approximately $27,000 worth) would not go down smoothly when you thought about the cost.
In case you haven’t heard, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry are expecting a child in the spring.
Crayola flavored candy canes come in six different fruit flavors and each one turns your mouth a different color. Let’s face it, candy canes come in so many different colors and flavors…pickle, pumpkin pie, Sriracha, Cinnabon, bubble gum, wasabi, bacon, and even molasses and gravy flavor, but now the newest flavor in holiday treats is Mac-and-Cheese. I guess this way you can have your comfort food and sweets all in one bite. If that’s the case, I’m voting for grilled cheese and tomato soup flavors.
The United States Postal Service has filed notice of a price change that will take effect next year, which includes a 5-cent increase in the price of a first-class Forever stamp, from 50-cents to 55-cents. I can hear the whining, but my opinion remains…55 cents is still a fantastic deal for getting a letter anywhere across the US. How much do you pay a month for internet and cable TV? Just saying.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Mark Harmon is 67. International Tennis Hall of Fame Jimmy Connors is 66. Pro Football Hall of Fame Eric Dickerson is 58. Actor Keanu Reeves is 54. Actress Salma Hayek is 52. Rock musician Sam Rivers is 41. Limp Bizkit. Actress Valerie Perine is 75. Lex Luthor’s girlfriend in Superman. Actor Charlie Sheen is 53. We haven’t heard much from him lately.
Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 32. Dance-rock musician Redfoo is 43. His dad is Berry Gordy. Movie director Brian De Palma is 78. Scarface, Carrie, The Untouchables, Mission Impossible, The Bonfire of the Vanities. Musician composer, DJ, record producer, singer, songwriter, and photographer. Moby is 53. Singer Harry Connick Jr. is 51. Rapper Ludacris is 41. Singer Jerry Lee Lewis is 83. ‘The Killer’ has been described as “rock & roll’s first great wild man.” A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1956.
Nobel Peace laureate Lech Walesa is 75. President of Poland from 1990 to 1995. Author Anne Rice is 77. Interview with the Vampire. Actress Susan Sarandon is 72. Actor Christopher Waltz is 62. Actor Liev Schreiber is 51. Rock singer Brian Johnson is 71. AC/DC. Astrophysicist author Neil deGrasse Tyson is 60. I love this man. Actress Kate Winslet is 43.
Retired South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu is 87. Comedian Joy Behar is 76. Singer John Mellencamp is 67. Russian President Vladimir Putin is 66. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is 63. Recording and TV personality Simon Cowell is 59. R&B singer Toni Braxton is 51. Rock singer musician Thom Yorke is 50. Radiohead. Actress Britt Ekland is 76. The Man with the Golden Gun. Rock singer Kevin Cronin is 67. REO SpeedWagon. Actress Elisabeth Shue is 55.
Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates and owner of the Seattle Seahawks, died in Seattle at age 65 from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Over the course of several decades, Allen has given away more than $2-billion and has pledged to give away the bulk of his fortune to charity. “Those fortunate to achieve great wealth should put it to work for the good of humanity.”
The doctor that cared for David Vetter the Bubble Boy, at Texas Children’s Hospital from 1979 to 1984, has died at the age of 81.
The hotel busboy who in 1968, knelt next to wounded Robert F. Kennedy on the floor of the Ambassador Hotel in LA when he was shot in the head after his victory in the California presidential primary, has died at the age of 68. Juan Romero had stopped to shake Kennedy’s hand just moments before he was shot. He held the mortally wounded Kennedy and struggled to keep the senator’s head from hitting the floor, then placed rosary beads in Kennedy’s hands and reassured him that everything would be all right.
The upcoming movie “You Are My Friend” with Tom Hanks playing the beloved Fred Rogers, had a terrible mishap on the movie set when one of the sound crew members apparently suffering a medical emergency and fell two stories off a balcony to his death in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The movie is due for release in October 2019.
Taylor Swift is being credited with a flurry of last-minute registrations to vote after posting on Instagram that she is supporting two candidates in Tennessee and explained, “I cannot vote for someone who will NOT be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love.” Swift wrote.
A man in Michigan heard reports about meteorite pieces selling for thousands of dollars. He thought about the 23-pound rock that he had been using for a doorstop since he bought the barn in 1988 (that just happened to ‘come with’ a meteorite.) The farmer that sold him the land said that it had landed in his backyard with a big boom in the 1930’s. It is believed to be the sixth-largest meteorite found in Michigan and could be worth as much as $100,000.
Useless Information: Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45-second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho and the scene took seven days to shoot. Hitchcock made Psycho in B&W because he felt that it would be far scarier than in color. The sequels to Psycho were shot in color but they just never seemed to have the same effect.
If you haven’t watched The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society movie, then you need to. Just days after the end of WWII, a writer (Lily James) decides to interview members of a little book club that was organized during the German occupation on the island of Guernsey. What happens is unexpectedly touching in a sweet movie about a very ugly time in history.
Dr. Jim Allison, an immunologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, was awarded the first Nobel Prize in medicine for ‘cancer research.’ He said, “One out of 5 cancer patients have remained alive for 10 years due to treatment related to his teams’ method of bolstering a patient’s immune system – a sharpening of the body’s natural anti-cancer defense mechanisms.” But he plans to continue his work and do more amazing things. As a person that has used immunotherapy for skin cancers, I applaud him. In fact, I think it’s more like a standing ovation.
Former first daughter, Barbara Bush (36) married her screenwriter boyfriend, Craig Louis Coyne (36) in a small wedding in Kennebunkport, Maine. Her aunt, Dorothy Bush Koch (daughter of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush, and the youngest and only female sibling of George W. Bush, the 43rd President) officiated the ceremony with only 20 family members attending. Five weeks earlier, her fiancé had popped the question in the same spot where Bush’s grandparents were engaged in 1943. Awe. Bush said that she married quickly after that because she wanted to be sure that her grandfather was there to see the celebration happen.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have announced that they will start a 13-city paid appearances tour next month with tickets listed for $72 to $750. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will also be on a paid book tour starting in November with tickets from $29.50 to more than $3000.
The Women’s Lecture Luncheon Series presents three lectures each year along with a delicious lunch. Last week the speaker was Marc Lapadula who spoke on “Films that Changed America.” He said, “Whether intentionally or not, these films have brought social issues to light, affected laws, forwarded ideologies both good and bad, and generally changed the course of American history through their impact on society.” Wow, I could have listened to him all afternoon. The films he talked about were The Jazz Singer, I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, The Graduate, The Wild Bunch, Easy Rider, Philadelphia, The Exorcist, Jaws, The China Syndrome, and Annie Hall.
Brazosport Toastmasters Club is having an Open House on October 14, 5:30 – 6:30 pm at Clute Library. Is Public speaking an important part of your job? Do you want to improve your communication skills? You should go and see what Toastmasters International is about. Info: Jdhunt1288@hotmail.com
I thought growing old would take longer. Thanks for reading this. Lisa
