What I Heard This Week! 01-30-2020
Boeing apologized after internal communications suggested employees were aware of issues with its now grounded 737 Max before the two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. Boeing was forced to published over 100-pages of internal communications as part of the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority and Congress’s investigations into issues with the 737 Max. The planes have been grounded globally since last March. Some of the remarks issued were, “This airplane is designed by clowns, who in turn are supervised by monkeys…” Another message described working on the plane as “patch[ing] the leaky boat.” Another said, “I still haven’t been forgiven by god for the covering up I did last year…” “This airplane is ridiculous,” an employee wrote to another in one message. “We are having issues with every update we do.” Employees talked about using “Jedi mind tricks” to convince regulators and customers that their training proposals were safe. “At this point, there are more nails than wood in the coffin,” one message said. Unacceptable. Did they not think ahead to what could, and did ultimately happened?
ABC is reviving “thirtysomething.” Nearly 30 years after characters Michael and Hope advanced into their 30’s and then off the air, the children of Timothy Busfield (62), Patricia Wettig (68), Mel Harris (63) and Ken Olin (65), who are reprising their original roles, will be the focus of this remake. New cast members have not been announced. I loved the original show.
Yer sweeter than candied yams dipped in honey covered in syrup with them big ole pieces of white sugar on ‘em & a dadgum cherry on top…
In 1970, the population of giant tortoises on Espanola Island in the Galapagos, was only 15. Thanks to the heroic efforts of Diego, a more than century-old male tortoise who was quite the ladies’ man, these numbers are now over 2,000. As of January 10th, 2020, Diego was retired from the breeding program (and says the child support was killing him.) Just kidding.
Eli Manning wanted to retire from the NFL after 16 seasons and he did just that last week. His plans include being an assistant coach on his daughter’s third-grade basketball team.
At the office, we were discussing how much The Wizard of Oz scared us when we were little. Think flying monkeys and wicked witches that looked like our aunts. Stupidly, then we started talking about Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte with Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland, which then led us to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. We must all be mentally scarred for life.
The Apple iPad is celebrating a 10th anniversary. It has changed everyone’s life but seems it’s been with us for as long as we can remember. Happy Anniversary to my sweet neighbors…Bill and Diane Tasto. 36 years.
Just read a great idea for getting kids dressed for school. Buy a sweater organizer that hangs in the closet. Label each slot with a different day of the week, then let them pick out clothes for a whole week on Sunday evening when you have more time. Hanging clothes for the week can be right next to the organizer.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been appointed to a five-year term as chancellor at Queen’s University in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. She will have three primary roles, presiding when degrees are handed out, advising senior management and serving as an ambassador to “open doors” for the institution.
A 16-year study in Europe of more than 450,000 men and women who had two or more glasses of soda daily, were at a higher risk of premature or early death from digestive disease. Trade in your sugary soda for water, black coffee and unsweetened tea. You can do it. It’s a new year.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actress Piper Laurie is 88. Actress Linda Blair is 61. Actress Diane Lane is 55. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 52. Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 84. Singer songwriter Ray Stevens is 81. Singer songwriter Neil Diamond is 79. Singer Aaron Neville is 79. Country singer Claude Gray is 88. Actress Leigh Taylor-Young is 76. R&B singer Alicia Keys is 40. And a special Happy 90th Birthday wish to Mr. Freddie Brown of Lake Jackson.
What has roamed the earth for 350 million years? That’s almost forever. I’m talking about the cockroach and it is said that they could even survive a nuclear blast. I even saw something that mentioned they may outlive Keith Richards. So, let’s say that you are looking for the perfect gift that shows that your love is endless and will last forever. Like a cockroach. For just a $5 fee you can be a part of the Endless Love campaign at Cockrell Butterfly Center. This is a great idea for kids and grandkids, too. You could even name one after your ex… our love drug on like an infestation of roaches!! These are Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and proceeds will go directly to improving the butterfly center. The museum is retrofitting a large dollhouse in a plexiglass box so all named roaches will be on display so you can show the world how strong your love is. Sweet. I bought two. My kids thought this was a great idea, so Anne-Elisabeth and Gage are now on display. I can only tell you how to have some fun in life, but I can’t go have fun for you. hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/endless-love or call 713-639-4629.
What is the unofficial food of America’s biggest annual sporting event? Chicken wings. So, I pulled up Super Bowl recipes and this popped up. You can use the crockpot and the pictures looked super yummy so I thought I would share it. Google it so it might be easier to follow. This only serves 4 so you might want to double the recipe depending on your crowd. Plus, I love leftovers for lunch. It’s called Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili.
1 lb. ground chicken
15 oz. canned white navy beans (drained and rinse)
14.5 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 – 1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce (start with 1/4 cup and add more at end if needed)
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz. cream cheese (my office of great cooks believe 2-3oz. would be plenty)
Blue cheese crumbles (optional)
Instructions: Brown ground chicken, then place in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients except for cream cheese and blue cheese and give it all a stir to combine, then place cream cheese on the middle and cover. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Stir and add additional wing sauce if desired. Top individual bowls with blue cheese crumbles if desired. (I think it would be good without the wing sauce which is just vinegar, butter and hot sauce) and blue cheese, instead have toppings of cheddar cheese, guacamole, chopped cilantro and chips – which is what I did and my kids loved it.) You could also precook chicken in the crockpot, breaking up meat before you add the next ingredients. One less pot to wash. 😊 Super Bowl LIV is Sunday. Grammy nominated pop singer Demi Lovato will perform the national anthem, with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performing at halftime. I have no idea who is playing. I’m just in it for the food and commercials.
The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat. Lily Tomlin
Years ago, the vet told me that my dog Hensley, had coronavirus. I laughed and teased that she had partaken of too much beer. It just doesn’t seem that funny right now. The CDC has announced it will expand screenings to 15 additional airports which includes George W. Bush Intercontinental.
Last week, Lydia, our ‘office baby’ who is now a big girl of 4, came by for her weekly visit. As one of her doting stand-in grandmothers, I bought her some puffy stickers from Frozen. She pulled Marshmallow, the frozen snow monster/personal bodyguard of Elsa the Snow Queen and stuck it on my sweater, where I wore it the rest of the day. At least I thought I did. What I didn’t know is that it moved and re-stuck on the arm of my sweater. I went to run errands after work with it stuck there. Dillard’s for make-up, and some dish towels marked down in kitchen wares. Two opportunities for someone to mention it. Target for paper towels. Tractor Supply for bird seed. And all this time, no one ever told me that I had a frozen marshmallow monster stuck to my arm. I just happened to look in the mirror when I changed clothes later that night.
According to the Office of Emergency Management and Houston Fire Dept., about 450 structures were damaged following the fatal explosion at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing in Houston. It rattled nearby neighborhoods, destroyed homes, killed two employees who were using the gym facilities at the business and injured about 20 residents. The chemical involved was polypropylene, but no word on the cause.
As it turns out, the man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in an elevator at an H-E-B in the Heights is the suspect in a different sexual assault case, is also a convicted sex offender who failed to register when he moved and was convicted for indecent exposure with a child back in 2015.
Seen on Facebook: When a dog attacks and scars a child for life, it is put to sleep. Why don’t we do the same to child molesters?
Words matter. It’s always interesting to me to find out what the word of the year is. This is determined by how many times a word has been searched or looked up. Merriam-Webster has announced that the 2019 ‘word of the year’ is ‘THEY.’ This word has been used more recently to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary and is now recommended to be used in place of he or she. Lookups for ‘they’ increased by 313% in 2019 over the previous year. Other words on the top ten list were 1. Quid Pro quo. Something for something. 2. Impeach. To charge with a crime or misdemeanor or to cast doubt on. 3. Crawdad. ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ made it to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. 4. Egregious. Boeing pilot used the word in describing an issue with 737 MAX planes – “conspicuously bad” in modern English. 5. Clemency. The governor of Tennessee granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown, a woman serving a life sentence for murdering a man as a 16-year-old victim of sex trafficking. 6.) The. The Ohio State University filed a trademark application in August for the word ‘the’ with the U.S. Patent Office, in order to protect new branding logos. 7. Snitty. Attorney General William Barr used the word to describe a letter sent to him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. 8. Tergiversation. The word was used in an article by Washington Post columnist George Will. 9. Camp. A gala event celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” the newly opened fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 10. Exculpate. – Robert Mueller used the word exculpate in his testimony before members of the House of Representatives – “The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed” – the word saw a dramatic increase in lookups, spiking 23,000%. It’s defined as “to clear from alleged fault or guilt.” Do you feel smarter now? Nah, me neither. Dictionary.com said their top-searched word was Quid Pro quo.
If you look on the front page of this paper it says, Volume 22 No. 1. That means we have been doing this for a pretty long time and we want you to help us celebrate by finding something to sell. If you mention that you’re selling it because of our birthday, then the ad is free. You can also email me with kind words. I love kind words. Thanks so much for sticking with us all these years.
Lisa
