What I Heard This Week! 11-28-2019
A former NASA contractor was sentenced to two years of probation for stealing nearly $15,000 in flight jackets and then reselling them on eBay. He showed remorse, apologized to the court and was able to pay back the value of the stolen items so he was not given prison time.
We keep a potato masher in a drawer because it’s fun to not be able to open that drawer.
Carl’s Jr. has always been known for getting attention through their advertising. Heidi Klum licking a burger, Kim Kardashian lounging in a bubble bath and Paris Hilton in a revealing swimsuit washing a Bentley. Their statement was “We believe in putting hot models in our commercials because ugly ones don’t sell burgers.” Then came #Me Too movement and they are now planning an ad campaign in the spring that’s meant to put distance between the chain and its old image. I’ve never seen the ads, but I immediately thought of Bob Dylan singing, “The times they are a changing. You better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone…”” Speaking of sinking stones…
The recent interview that 59-year-old Prince Andrew gave in order to explain and/or defend his friendship/relationship with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is now considered to have been a total disaster. One described this: “I expected a train wreck. That was a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion-level bad.” It was his failure to show compassion for Epstein’s victims that was most concerning. One described it as “total lack of empathy.” Andrew has now stepped back from the royal role he embraced his entire adult life and is facing an uncertain future. His private secretary was reportedly let go for encouraging him to do the interview. The Queen canceled a lavish celebration that was planned for his 60th birthday. A royal historian, says, “His entire public existence has been wiped out by his own behavior.” Hmmm.
Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. Ernest Hemingway
The Crown is a British drama chronicling the reign of Britain’s beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth and the new Season 3 is now upon us. 33-year-old Claire Foy (Season 1 and 2) was replaced by 43-year-old Olivia Colman for Seasons 3 and 4 which begin in the year 1963. Now I see that 63-year-old Imelda Staunton is expected to step in as the Queen for Seasons 5 and 6 which will not air until 2021. For Harry Potter fans, Staunton played Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies, and in real life is married to Downton Abbey star Jim Carter. (I admit it will be hard to watch her without imagining the torture of all those poor Hogwarts students. She still scares me.) Some people were rooting for Helen Mirren for the final time period, but I bet Staunton will be great in the role.
Change is not your enemy, but rather, a difficult friend. Moritz Skaugen
According to BioScience, more than 11,000 scientists from 153 countries are warning us that “untold human suffering” is unavoidable unless we make large and lasting lifestyle changes to curb global warming now. They declared a “climate emergency” and warn that accelerating climate change will cause large disruptions to the environment, society and the world economy, “potentially making large areas of the Earth uninhabitable.”
With my mail yesterday, came the notice that Dr. Richard Hardoin is retiring from active practice at Brazosport Pediatric Clinic. Dr. Hardoin & Dr. Bottenfield are the best. Happy retirement, Dr. H. Thank you from all the children in Brazoria County that you helped us raise.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Talk show host Larry King is 86. Fashion designer Calvin Klein is 77. Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad is 70. Rock musician Matt Sorum is 59. Guns n’ Roses. Actress Meg Ryan is 58. When Harry Met Sally. Actress Jodie Foster is 57. Actress Brenda Vaccaro is 80. Author poet Margaret Atwood is 80. Entertainer RuPaul is 59.
Actress Linda Evans is 77. Her book, Recipes for Life, is an assortment of photographs, stories and recipes enjoyed by Linda and her friends. It has the special place in my kitchen right now on the recipe stand. I read a little bit each day as I cook. Actor Owen Wilson is 51. Actor Laurence Luckinbill is 85. Married to Lucie Arnaz since 1980. Actress Marlo Thomas is 82. Actress Juliet Mills is 78. Basketball hall of fame Earl Monroe is 75. Actor director Danny DeVito is 75.
The tombstone of Mel Blanc, the famed voice of cartoon characters Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Tweety Bird and Porky Pig, reads: “That’s all folks.”
Art Car Museum: Their 14th Annual Open Call Exhibition is Landscape. It will run from December 7th (opening night) through February 23, 2020. The first 100 artists to register on a single designated day are included in this show. The theme was announced in the summer allowing the artists a few months to create a piece. LANDSCAPE promises to be a powerful and diverse exhibition. Artcarmuseum.com
The highly anticipated IN-N-OUT Burgers opened last week at two new locations, 12611 S. Kirkwood Road and 1010 Katy-Fort Bend Road. I saw on the news that the traffic on day #1 was insane. They’re really great burgers and fries, still owned and operated by a real family. No franchises.
When the New York City department store, Macy’s, began its holiday tradition of Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, it promised a “marathon of mirth” and has delivered year after year with intricate floats, iconic balloons and musical performances. Except for a short suspension during WWII, it has entertained us each year during all kinds of weather including 20 degrees. Some balloons are taller than a 5-or-6 story building and require 90 handlers. During 1997, a Cat in the Hat balloon veered off course because of high winds, knocking a light pole into a crowd and injuring four spectators, two with serious injuries. That same year, Barney balloon was deflated after being punctured by a light pole. Only once, in 1971, have the balloons been grounded. Based on current city guidelines, “no giant character balloon will be operated when there are sustained wind conditions exceeding 23 mph and wind gusts exceeding 34 mph.” Guess what? NY City is expected to be sandwiched between two weather systems on Thanksgiving Day with sustained winds expected from 17 to 22 mph, with gusts upward of 35 mph.
A Florida man kept calling 911 complaining about his roommate who “stole his $20 worth of weed.” The sheriff’s department finally had to call the man and explain that he had to quit calling 911, then they posted a video of the situation. Oops.
A 32-year-old Indiana man faces federal charges after he walked hundreds of miles from central Indiana to Wisconsin to have sex with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl, but was really a sheriff’s deputy working with the FBI.
Disney’s new streaming service has added a movie disclaimer to Dumbo, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book and Swiss Family Robinson, because they depict racist stereotypes. Pocahontas and Aladdin do not have it, despite some believing that those films contain stereotypes, too. Hmmm.
Random Act of Kindness: Dorothy Monroe of Freeport works at Salvation Army and lost her eye in an auto accident. Abdul Panjwani, owner the Anchor Motel (since 2003) in Surfside, volunteered at the Salvation Army after Hurricane Harvey where the two met. Mr. Panjwani decided that he was going to offer to pay for Dorothy to get an optical prosthetic which she received earlier this month. Mr. Panjwani is one of our special customers and we are very proud of his random act of kindness. What have YOU done today? The day is not over…you still have time.
Happy 50th Anniversary to Louis and Binnie Bauml of LJ. They have succeeded in something that most don’t get to claim. Fifty years. If you know them, be sure to say congratulations.
When asked on the Ellen DeGeneres Show about any upcoming Friends projects, Jennifer Aniston replied, “We’re working on something.” Bet there’s a lot of people that are listening to that reply. But not me. I have never watched a single episode. Ever.
Did you know that bulletproof vests, fire escapes and windshield wipers were all invented by women?
There is a new customer at The Source Weekly that I think you need to know about. It’s called Fibrenew and they repair damaged leather, plastic and vinyl. It’s amazing! Torn or worn leather sofas. Pet scratches. Ink or food stains. Rips, fading, holes, cracks, burns. Boats, cars, motorcycle seats. Whatever. 979-529-1265. www.fibrenew.com/pearland.
Business is down at least 70% at vaping shops as people hear of reports of people suffering lung problems and with as many as 39 confirmed deaths and hundreds more that are sick. No burning is required to vape, just a unique liquid solution that is obviously NOT healthy for you.
“Motherhood was the great equalizer for me; I started to identify with everybody… as a mother, you have that impulse to wish that no child should ever be hurt, or abused, or go hungry, or not have opportunities in life.” – Annie Lennox, singer
Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill will join Chris Pratt, twenty-five years after Jurassic Park for Jurassic World 3. In the new movie Cats, which will be released on December 20th, Taylor Swift teamed with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the new track Beautiful Ghosts. Swift is a super-fan of kitties.
This past weekend I went to my sister’s. It’s a whole different world when you live in the country. We visited a neighbor’s 50-acre pastureland for target practice. As I stood in front of the kitchen sink, I looked across the road to a quiet body of water and a pasture of horses. As we hung curtains in a bedroom, it looked out to yet another pasture and grazing horses. I was honored to gather eggs while the chickens had great conversations with me, I scooped chicken poop for my garden, threw balls to the dogs, watched for snakes (constantly) and had just a super weekend. The stars! It was a clear night and I haven’t seen stars like that for years. Sometimes I believe we all forget how noisy our real world has become. I recommend a weekend like this.
Today, as I tried to back up my phone, a problem appeared that the phone will not recover from, so I lost the notes that help me write this fascinating column. 😊 If the phone doctor at Verizon can help me, then perhaps next week’s column will be a bit more gripping, engaging, fun to read and have conversation about. P.S. Martha Stewart says to add cream cheese to your mashed potatoes in addition to butter, whole milk and heavy cream. And if Alexa lives at your house, you can now ask her turkey questions with answers straight from Butterball. “Alexa, how do I cook a Butterball turkey?” Have a great Thanksgiving, sharing food and memories with your friends and family. – Lisa
