What I Heard This Week! 06-17-2021
MacKenzie Scott, bless her heart, is troubled by increasing concentration of wealth, so she has given away another $2.7 billion of her fortune to 286 non-profits. In her divorce from Jeff Bezos, Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon. Shares of the stock rose during the pandemic, so despite giving away billions since, her wealth continues to grow. What a lovely problem. Her net worth estimated at $36.1 billion in October 2019, has increased by some $23 billion since then. The really great part of this story is that she just gave $3 million to Brazosport College, one of the largest donations in the college’s history. Yeah, to a woman that will leave a legacy like no other…education for all.
“The only Father’s Day tradition in my family is the annual conversation he and I have where I say, ‘Hey, Dad, what do you want for Father’s Day this year?’ and he says, ‘Nothing.’ Then I ask my mom what I should get him, and she says, ‘He likes sandalwood soap, dangly jewelry and Chanel No. 5 perfume.’”
Michael Showalter
Harvey Weinstein is serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual sex act convictions in NY State, in a medical unit dealing with his cardiac, back, eyesight, and dental problems. His latest request to delay extradition to California was denied this week. Weinstein’s lawyers feel that he needs to stay where he is for treatments. “They don’t get to pick when and where they get the treatment,” the assistant District attorney argued. “It’s Los Angeles. It’s not some remote outpost that doesn’t have any sort of medical care.” In California, Weinstein is facing 11 counts of sexual assault. Some people create their own storms and then get mad when it rains.
“We wondered why when a child laughed, he belonged to Daddy, and when he had a sagging diaper that smelled like a landfill, ‘He wants his mother.’” Erma Bombeck
This was taken from a Newsweek feed (because I could not figure out how to repeat it).People have tried to auction their souls on eBay. The e-commerce website promptly shut down those attempts because the sellers can’t deliver what they are promising. eBay also explained another reason why it forbids soul selling, stating “if the soul does exist then, in accordance with eBay’s policy on human parts and remains, we would not allow the auctioning of human souls.” Huh. This sounds way too much like National Inquirer.
Which leads me to this. An Italian visual artist recently sold an invisible sculpture for over $18,000. In other words, an artist sold something that does not exist, for real money. What? Do auction houses actually allow people to sell something that does not exist. Hey, it says it even comes with a certificate of authenticity. Am I just not keeping up or is our society getting a little weird?
Attn: Texans: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a conservation alert citing “tight grid conditions” amid potential record electricity demand. ERCOT operates separately in Texas from the rest of the country. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking residents to reduce their electric use as temperatures rise, only four months after Texas plunged into a freezing blackout that left millions without power. With a fireplace and gas stove, I can live through a freeze. I cannot do, no AC.
I’ve been to war. I’ve raised twins. If I had a choice, I’d rather go to war. George W. Bush
FOOD: After 60 years on the McDonald’s menus, non-carbonated Hi-C Orange Lava Burst went away. Fans petitioned, and now it’s back! Sonic has new Cheesecake Blasts. It says, Real cheesecake. Real ice cream. Real delicious. Creamy cheesecake swirled with real ice cream & buttery graham cracker pieces, topped with real cheesecake plus more graham cracker pieces. Only 940 calories. Hmmm. And it comes in strawberry, too. Starbucks now has Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew, a cold non-dairy coffee.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Singer Anne Murray is 76. Snowbird. Home repair show host Bob Vila is 75. Singer Lionel Richie is 72. Actor John Goodman is 69. Bassist Michael Anthony of Van Halen is 67. Actor Nicole Kidman is 54. Bassist Twiggy Ramirez (aka Marilyn Manson) is 50. Actor Bernie Kopell of The Love Boat is 88. Actor Monte Markham is 86. Actor Mariette Hartley is 81. Musician Ray Davies of The Kinks is 77. Actor Meredith Baxter of Family Ties is 74. Actor Michael Gross (Baxter’s co-star on Family Ties) is 74. Country singer Kathy Mattea is 62. Singer Eddie Kaylan of The Turtles is 74. Guitarist Jeff Beck is 77. Singer Todd Rundgren is 73. Actor Lindsay Wagner of The Bionic Woman is 72. Actor Michele Lee is 79. Singer Cyndi Lauper is 68. Singer Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon is 77. Actor Meryl Streep is 72.
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys is 79. Singer Alan Osmond of The Osmonds is 72. Actor Ted Shackelford of Knots Landing is 75. Actor Frances McDormand is 64. Drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac is 74. Actor June Lockhart is 96. Lost in Space, Petticoat Junction. Singer Carly Simon is 76. Keyboardist-saxophonist Ian McDonald of Foreigner and King Crimson is 75. Actor-comedian Jimmie Walker is 74. Dy-no-mite! Keyboardist David Paich of Toto is 67. Actor Ricky Gervais is 60. Jazz pianist Dave Grusin is 87. Singer Billy Davis Junior of the Fifth Dimension is 83. Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 85. Me and Bobby McGee, Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, A Star Is Born. Not much of an actor or singer, but mighty fine to look at.
Ned Beatty died at 83. In 1972, he made his film debut in Deliverance, starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds.Network, Superman; the list of great movies is long. He also voiced the villainous tortoise mayor in Rango, and Lotso the Huggin’ strawberry-scented teddy bear who ruled Sunnyside Daycare like a prison in Toy Story 3.
To mark the 40th anniversary of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Steven Spielberg’s 1981 masterpiece is being re-released July 9, 2021, for a one-week special engagement in theaters across the country. It will have to keep you satisfied until July 29, 2022, when “Indiana Jones 5” starring Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Mads Mikkelsen, is released.
Join the Chappell Hill Lavender Farm and Windy Winery on August 14th for their annual Lavender & Wine Fest. Two locations: Chappell Hill Lavender Farm and Windy Winery. FREE admission. $1 parking. Music, vendors, and activities at both locations. A great way to spend the day for the entire family!
The best things in life aren’t things.- Art Buchwald
Dr. Bronner’s, a popular natural soap brand that I love, especially the peppermint and eucalyptus, is sharing Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One Chocolate and will sell online by fall. It is dairy-free chocolate and will come in six different flavors: roasted whole hazelnuts, crunchy hazelnut butter, salted whole almonds, salted almond butter, salted dark chocolate and smooth coconut praline. The bars are made from cocoa grown through regenerative organic practices, and are made with lower-glycemic coconut sugar. Organic, vegan, and certified Fairtrade product. (And did I mention it is chocolate.)
Just in time for July 4th, a second bronze statue of the Statue of Liberty is leaving France for the US, more than a century after the larger version made the same journey. “The statue symbolizes freedom and the light around all the world,” said the administrator of the National Museum of Arts and Crafts in central Paris, where it has been installed since 2011 in the museum’s garden. “We want to send a very simple message: Our friendship with the United States is very important, particularly at this moment. We have to conserve and defend our friendship.” The statue, 992 pounds, and just shy of 10 feet tall, was first made in 2009, an exact replica of the original 1878 plaster model preserved by CNAM. Destination is Washington, DC, where it will be displayed for 10 years at the French ambassador’s residence. Merci.
The Senate unanimously passed a bill to make Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the US, a public holiday. Kelly Clarkson is set to take over Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime slot.Covid-19U.S.death toll is approaching 600,000. Wow. A Texas family welcomed their third child with the same birthday. A Goliath grouper, a species at one point near extinction, was caught in South Carolina. The homemade sign said “My cat is a thief. Please take these items if they are yours.” Next to the sign is a small clothesline with 12 gloves and a face mask. I bet that cat was so proud. A very muscular, and tattooed man was tired of seeing the wedding dress of his ex-fiancée hanging in his closet, so he decided to sell it. A buyer wanted to see what it looked like on, so the guy with muscles and a ton of tattoos wore it himself, sharing the snaps in a Tik Tok video. She did not buy the dress.
Having children is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain. Martin Mull
My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.” “We’re not raising grass,” Dad would reply. “We’re raising boys.” Harmon Killebrew
A North Dakota man skipped his niece’s wedding for a Las Vegas poker tournament, coming home with $367,800 in winnings. “I just had a really strong feeling about this tournament,” he said. “I had to go. I don’t really know what it was, but I thought I could take it down, or get real close to it. I can get (Macie) a better wedding present now.” Miller has been playing poker for about 15 years and has won more than $500,000.
You can tell what the best year of your dad’s life was because they (dads) seem to freeze that clothing style and ride it out. Jerry Seinfeld
You have heard the story…Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, is going to travel into space. His brother, Mark, will join him on a Blue Origin flight, the rocket company that he owns. They will launch 62 miles above the Earth’s surface aboard the company’s first human flight on July 20th, just 15 days after Bezos steps down as Amazon’s CEO, a role he has served in for 27 years. A mystery person paid $28 million at an auction that attracted interest from more than 140 countries, just to travel with them. They will have to endure up to 5.5 gigs of force during the ascent but will return to Earth in just 11 minutes. But that is old news. A man named Jose Ortiz set up a petition on Change.org titled “Petition to Not Allow Jeff Bezos Re-Entry to Earth.” He jokingly said, “Jeff Bezos is actually Lex Luthor (evil DC Comics character that Bezos looks like), disguised as the supposed owner of a super successful online retail store.” “However, he’s actually an evil overlord hell bent on global domination.” Ortiz concluded. “Sign the petition. Share with your friends and family. The fate of humanity is in your hands.” Hmmm. Read on.
If you asked me if I would like to sit and have a meal with Jeff Bezos, I would not get really excited. I personally think that at some point we (you, me, your neighbors) will be paying $11 for a loaf of bread, and we will ONLY be able to order it from Amazon. But here is another goofy story, so I will finish. There is another petition with thousands of signatures, again on change.org. They are calling on Bezos to do something that would change the course of culture and civilization forever…buy and eat the Mona Lisa. Yes, the painting, which, by the way, is not even for sale. 😊 Obviously, there are people out there that need to get back to work and apply their brilliant skills elsewhere. Thank you so much for reading us this week. Thank you for getting vaccinated.
LISA
