What I Heard This Week! 07-23-2020
Welcome back. Hope you had a great week. What did you think about the lightning storm on Monday night? I seriously thought that something at Dow had exploded. The rain has been nice for the trees, grass, birds, animals…and for people. I think it has been cleansing for all of us. Enough of that. What I want to tell you is that I am not recommending that you read the next paragraph unless you have a strong stomach. Just pass it up and go to the next paragraph about imitation crab.
This month, The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene published a story about a 25-year-old woman that went to the hospital with pain and irritation in her throat that had been bothering her for five days. She said her symptoms began after she ate assorted sashimi. Doctors proceeded to remove a1.5-inchblack worm from her tonsils with tweezers. I saw the picture and it looked like a skinny little earthworm. After testing, it was determined that it was a parasitic roundworm that normally infects marine mammals such as walruses and seals. HOWEVER, humans can contract the worm by eating raw fish or squid. When it IS found in humans, it is usually in their stomachs. Well, boys and girls, I think my sushi days are over. This makes imitation crab look pretty dang good. Read on.
There are veggie burgers and Tofurkey, but what exactly is imitation crab and why should I eat it? Well, imitation crab is about 50% white fish (like Alaskan pollock) and the other half is egg whites, starch, salt, sugar, or sweeteners, and natural or artificial flavors to give it crab-like taste. Hmmm. If it isnatural flavor,wouldn’t that be real crab… So, the next time you go to Subway and ask for the seafood salad sandwich…know that your sandwich is about 10% crabmeat and 90% surimi made from Alaskan pollock. Surimi, which is Japanese for “ground fish,” is bits of fish, blended together to form a paste – that’s where the egg whites and starch come in, so it can be molded into preferred shapes. Crab sticksare often used for sushi, specifically to make California rolls. Red food coloring is painted on the outside of the sticks, then they are cut into strips so they look more like crab legs. According to The Japan Times, “surimi has been used in Japan for over 800 years in the form of kamaboko, a kind of seafood log that can be produced in various shapes and colors, which is sliced and most commonly added to soups.“Some brands add other fillers like sorbitol for preservation, vegetable oil for texture and to extend shelf life, and monosodium glutamate (MSG) for flavor.Fun Fact: Surimi is made right here in the U.S.
The personnel director is interviewing a young man for a particularly important position within his company. He asks, “A year is missing from your resume, what did you do in 2020?” The young man answers, “I washed my hands.”
Some of the large retail chains that are now requiring masks in their stores: Costco, Starbucks, Apple, Walgreens, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Target, Best Buy, CVS, Kroger, Kohls, Whole Foods, American Eagle, Verizon, H-E-B, PetSmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, ALDI, Macy’s, Gap… Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. There is an exception for children under 2 and people with health conditions. We could have changed the world if retailers had taken a stand and done this several months ago.
It happened again. I was on Dixie Drive, picking up an ad from Frank’s Dixie Meats because our email was out at the office. Next thing I knew I was in line at Whataburger ordering a single with cheese, small fries, and another little bitty kid size Dr. Pepper shake. So incredibly good. That is twice in two weeks.
An 18-year-old woman was arrested and charged with the murder of a man found unconscious and unresponsive, wrapped in a plastic bag, and placed on top of the roof of a McDonalds in NY. She is jailed on charges of murder, tampering with evidence, and concealing a corpse. She claims that two men helped her with the crime.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Geoffrey Rush is 69.Singer David Hodo is 73. The construction worker of The Village People.Musician Carlos Santana is 73. Woodstock alumni. Actress Diana Rigg is 82. Emma Peel in The Avengers, Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones.Busy woman. Rock musician John Lodge is 77. The Moody Blues. Prince George is 7.
SingerKim Carnes is 75. The New Christy Minstrels, Bette Davis Eyes. Rock musician Jay Jay French is 68. Twisted Sister. Rock musician Paul Cook is 64. The Sex Pistols. Actress Donna Dixon is 63. Married to Dan Aykroyd since 1983. Actor Dean Winters is 56. He portrayed “Mayhem” in a series of Allstate Insurance commercials. Rock musician Stone Gossard is 54. Pearl Jam. Actress Elizabeth McGovern is 59.Downton Abbey.Actor James Brolin is 80. Baseball Hall of Fame Joe Torre is 80. Musician Ricky Skaggs is 66.Country singer T.G. Sheppard is 76.
Joanna Cole, author of The Magic School Bus, died at age 75. She sold more than 93 million copies of The Magic School Bus in 13 countries, in addition to writing over 250 books. Derek Ho, world champion Hawaiian surfer, died Friday, July 17, 2020 in Hawaii after suffering a heart attack, then taking himself to the hospital. He was 55. Rep. John Lewis, 80, died of Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Hewas known as the Conscience of the United States Congress.
In July 1972, chess kings Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky had the Match of the Century, Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern asked SenatorThomas Eagleton to be his running mate in a move to unseat President Richard Nixon, and a National Airlines Boeing 727 made an unscheduled landing at a tiny Lake Jackson airport with a 5,000-foot runway (that was close to where Tractor Supply is now). On July 12, 1972, a plane had been on route to NY from Philadelphia when they were hijacked by two men, and they turned the plane around and returned to Philadelphia. When it landed, the pilot escaped, and passengers were released. The hijackers demanded $600,000 in ransom and another plane in order to make their way towards Jamaica. Armed with parachutes and about $500,000, the hijackers, along withthe co-pilot, flight engineer, and four flight attendants, left Philadelphia, flying over Dallas then Houston Intercontinental Airport, towards their final destination of Jamaica. Oops. This might have worked except for the fact that they were almost out of fuel, so they landed in Lake Jackson. As the jet touched down, the crew intentionallyhit the brakes causing the plane to swerve and blow out two tires, allowing the flight engineer and co-pilot to escape during the confusion. Federal and local authorities started negotiations, and soon a flight attendant was released. Negotiations continued. They wanted another jet. The FBI refused. Jessica Savitch was working for Channel 11 at the time and had quite a scuffle with authorities. The hijackers finally agreed to surrender to the FBI, but not Texas authorities. The remaining flight attendants were released unharmed and the 21-hour of craziness came to an end. But how do you get a 727 back in the sky on a short runway? On July 14th, they lightened the load of the plane, tires were replaced and just enough fuel added to get the plane to Intercontinental. The hijackers were convicted of air piracy and each received lengthy sentences, but were released from federal prisons in the early 1980’s. I think I have written about this before but I was reminded of the event while looking at Remember in Lake Jackson when…on Facebook. It is a great story, and I found a nice video from Dave Wardonline that I had never seen before. I was told that people loaded up their kids and drove over to watch it unfold, like it was a movie.
Last week I told you about a 6-week-old infant in Corpus Christi that had tested positive, and later died. In Nueces County, there are now 85 infants under a year old, that have tested positive. That is scary.
I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned.
Tampon Tax: Sometimes finding information for this column is so much fun, but absolutely ridiculous at the same time. In February, a debate erupted in the Tennessee state legislature about women hoarding tampons and other menstrual products. Democratic lawmakers had proposed a bill to include menstrual products in the yearly three-day sales tax holiday, but one senator expressed his concern that this might lead to out of control tampon-buying. Hmmm. So, I wonder if he has ever questioned people hoarding socks, underwear, clothing, computers, and other such stuff during sales tax holidays. Bet his mother is proud.
Things That Tell You the Truth: Small children, drunk people, and yoga pants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said this week, the U.S. could “shut down transmission” and have coronavirus under control in four to eight weeks if every American were to wear a face mask.
Single use plastic bags are a problem because they can take 20 years before breaking down, they end up in our waterways, (in the bellies of large fish who think they are jelly fish), and most recycling centers don’t accept them because they are difficult to sort and clog their machines. A reusable plastic bag needs to be used 37 times to match the footprint of a disposable plastic bag. A cotton bags needs to be used anywhere from 100 to more than 1,000 times. Your next trip to the store, either take your own bag or carry out your stuff without a bag.
A friend sent me a text this morning wishing me a happy 21st anniversary of “giving-birth” day.Cute.Sometime in early 1999, I went to see Dr. Nick Giannone (Industrial Medicine) about an upper respiratory infection that I could not seem to get rid of. During our visit, he walked back into the room with the little dial that we had back in the ‘olden’ days, that told you when you could expect your baby. Yikes. I had a two-year-old at home, I was 43 years old, and I never really considered that I could or would be blessed with another child. I was wrong. I was so wrong. Fear, happiness, confusion. It didn’t last long because a couple of months later, I started The Source Weekly and I never had time to even think about being pregnant, but I did not share the pregnancy information with anyone outside the family until I was almost 6 months along. Everyone was called together for a meeting, and I explained that there would be one more tinyperson at the office in just a few months. They all expressed a sigh of relief, because as they stated, “Oh, is that all? You’re just pregnant? We thought you were shutting the office down.”(It had been a rough, sleepless start at The Source Weekly.)Well, on Wednesday July 21st, we put the paper out and I was at Brazosport Memorial early the next morning, Thursday, July 22, 1999, for the birth of Anne-Elisabeth Inez Baker, right around lunchtime. It was a perfect day for induced labor (working around that ski trip), and I believe she and I went back to work less than a week later. Anne-Elisabeth has been with me ever since. She was a great co-worker, took wonderful long naps and was absolutely the best. She learned to climb up the stock shelves, played Legos, baby dolls, and was blessed to have so many men and women atthis office that have loved and helped raise her.It is hard to believe that she is now 21, a junior Industrial Design major at UH and well on her way to an active,respectable adult life. Anne-Elisabeth, I love you. Some things bring you joy for a moment, but you have brought me joy for a lifetime. Momma
BREAKING NEWS…oh, what now!😊
Have a great week, remember to be thankful for all the good things that we DO have in our lives right now. Wear your mask, wash your hands, & remember to bring joy along, wherever you go. And sell something. Or buy something. Small businesses desperately need your help. Your purchase may mean the difference between them staying open or closing.
Lisa
