Underappreciated

Ya know, sometimes people work hard behind the scenes.
Their work is important, probably as important as the ones in the limelight.
Being behind the scenes doesn’t allow for a lot of recognition.
And sometimes the “behind the scenes” person gets thought of as a slacker.
That bites.
Merriam-Webster defines “underappreciated” as “not duly appreciated,” and “appreciate” as “to grasp the nature, worth, quality, or significance of.”
Come on. Not everyone jumps and hollers when they complete a task and they shouldn’t have to.
There’s a lot of people who fall into the underappreciated category.
With a little bit of research I found that farmers and teachers fall into the underappreciated category. Maintenance and janitors, persons who clean motel rooms, festival and event organizers and retail store clerks are also listed online.
I scoured the Internet and found a story by CTV, touted as “Canada's largest private broadcaster,” titled “Underappreciated workers unhappy with their jobs” that ran in 2005.
The story featured a poll showing that 38 percent of employees say that in order to feel most productive, they want to be valued, 23 percent said they needed to feel supported.
Then comes my favorite quote of the story: “None of these requests are as expensive for a company as extra vacation time or more pay might be. And yet, needs go unmet.”
I realize the economy is in the toilet but come on, give someone a pat on the back once in a while. It’ll make them feel good and you’ll feel good too.
Mary Meaux, the sometimes underappreciated reporter

It's the Sears Tower!

Not the Willis Tower.

And no, we're not in Chicago — in fact, not many Southeast Texans have never been to Chicago. But that shouldn't matter. You don't have to live in New York to know that the Empire State Building is a famous landmark.



I grew up near Chicago. The Sears Tower is the first structure you can see approaching the city from miles away. It's the largest building in the country. And now, some British Insurance company is about to buy out office space, paying almost $15 per square foot. Who ever owns the most square feet of this building then gets to change the name of the building to their company's name.

So, if these Brits have their way on our land, BAM! Just like that, they get to rename it the Willis Tower.

It just doesn't roll off the tongue.

I'm not against anyone buying office space and creating jobs. No, the more jobs, the better. But to me, there should also be cultural aspects to be considered. The Sears Tower is a Chicago icon, shoot, as the tallest building in the country (and at one point, the tallest in the world), it's also a national icon.

A grassroots website has been set up as an attempt to let the Willis Group Holdings, Ltd. upper-ups know that we, the people, don't mind them conducting their business — we would just like them to keep the name Sears Tower.

www.itsthesearstower.com

I mean, come on...what if Best Buy bought the majority office space of the Empire State Building? Tourists flocking to the Big Apple to see the Best Buy Building just doesn't seem right.

And aliteration aside, it's also not right.

What do you think? Do you agree? Or do you say, who cares?

Grind that...and let me know!

Mike Tobias
Port Arthur News

Also, for a cool website that shows off and explains the history of the building's that held the title of 'World's tallest building," check out this link:

http://coolpics.110mb.com/coolpics/travel&locations/tallestbuildings.php

Could wacky-weed be the answer to to California's recession?

A California legislator thinks he may have the answer to save the sinking economy of his state.
Legalize marijuana and allow the state to regulate and tax its sale.
Yea, you read it right. Legalize pot.
Time Magazine reported that Democratic State Assembly member Tom Ammiano introduced legislation last month that would legalize pot and allow the state to regulate and tax its sale - a move that could mean billions for the cash-strapped state.
According to the story “pot is California's biggest cash crop, responsible for $14 billion in annual sales, dwarfing the state's second largest agricultural commodity — milk and cream — which brings in $7.3 billion annually,” citing the most recent USDA statistics.
The state's tax collectors estimate the bill would bring in about $1.3 billion in revenue a year, offsetting some of the billions in service cuts and spending reductions outlined in the recently approved state budget.
So instead of a pot smoker going through a dealer the pot smoker can go to the local convenience store and choose from a variety of weed.
I can see it now. Store owners would have to rearrange their cigarette area to accommodate pot.
Does that mean a pot smoker, at least 21 of course, could clip coupons for Northern Lights, Panama Red, Skunk or Power Skunk, Gold/Red Seal or Purple Haze? (No, I didn’t come up with these names on my own, I found them on www.weedguru.com).
What are your thoughts? Will legalization of marijuana help California’s economy?
Or will legalization become a burden on the state due to people needing rehab in the future?
Marijuana is called the “gateway drug” — does this mean that the government would be putting people on the first step towards harsher drugs?
Let us know.
By Mary Meaux

Make your own rules in the kitchen
I‘m in love with a book and I can’t get past page 45. It’s about improv cooking, already my specialty, by using instinct and what you have around the house. I loosely followed Jean Johnson’s already open recipe for corn cakes with pepper jack. I used fish fry seasoning, the vinegar from a jar of peppers and powdered milk and didn’t even use cheese. My “syrup” was juice from sweet jalapeno relish. I’ve made three versions of this and they’re better every time.
“Cooking Beyond Measure: How to Eat Well Without Formal Recipes” is the book I love. It’s especially helpful in today’s stretch-a-dollar economy.
OK, for you readers, I went to page 192 and found brie and coconut. It’s as easy as this: Serve a wedge of brie on bed of toasted, unsweetened coconut.
Survey your random pantry. This book will tie everything together to serve on a silver platter.
Here’s the corn cake method.
To a couple beaten eggs add a half cup vinegared milk and a spoonful of oil along with a pinch of salt and soda. Stir in enough cornmeal to get a spoonable batter. Bake your corn cakes on a medium griddle and sprinkle on grated pepper jack once you flip them. Use a lid to melt the cheese while the cakes finish cooking.

Dressing up
I’ve become one of those people who pack their own salad dressing. My health kick has me on a long stretch of vinegar and olive oil, no problem. But I’ve found some new healthy packets of Cheltin House Organic dressings in a wide range of flavors. I loved a honey mustard that I put on cabbage slaw and topped it with pretzels and cracklins. I sure would have gone good with a beer, but water served just as well at lunch. Organic tastes great in red pepper vinaigrette, French, ranch and all your other favorites. Minimus presents this Organic Take-Out Salad Dressing Sampler. Minimus specializes in “all things travel-sized and individual-sized.”

Cuisine Walk to feature feast of foods
Each year a part of Boston Avenue is filled with the aroma of fried foods on a stick. Billed as famous, the Cuisine Walk is a main attraction to the Nederland Heritage Festival. Check it out from Tuesday, March 10, through Sunday, March 15.
Nonprofit vendors include:
• Port Neches Rainbow 159, funnel cakes
• Mid-County Performing Arts, sausage on a stick, burritos
• Port Arthur Little Theatre, Scottish eggs, soft pretzels
• Shriners, barbecue chipped beef and links
• Cheer FX Booster Club, chicken and beef fajitas
• Nederland Girls Softball, cheese cake on a stick
• Pilot Club, strawberry short cake
• South County Breakfast Lions, brisket links
• American Business Womens Association, Aquarius Chapter, chicken gumbo, super nachos
• Boy Scouts 232, Pork kabob, chicken on a stick
• Cub Scout Pack 232, turkey legs, tater tots
• Nederland North Little League, chicken strips, ice cream
• First United Methodist Church, stuffed baked potato
• Nederland Rotary, pizza, fried Oreo
• St. John Lutheran Church, shrimp on a stick, pistolets
• St. Joseph Catholic Church, popcorn shrimp
• Noon Optimist, corndog, chicken fajita
• N/PN Evening Optimist, hamburgers, apple chips
• Wesley Methodist, sausage bread
• Noon Sertoma, blooming onions, boudain balls
• Nederland Chamber of Commerce, shrimp gumbo, funnel cakes
• Nederland Professional Lions, boiled crawfish, curly fries
• Nederland Knights of Columbus, shrimp etoufee, corn on the cob

Siegfried and Roy and tiger make three

Those crazy illusionists Siegfried and Roy are at it again.
Roy Horn and Siegfried Fischbacher returned to the stage with the tiger that nearly killed Roy
back in 2003, for a charity performance on Feb. 28.
In an eerie bit of irony, Horn came out dressed in black robes, his face covered with a skeletal mask, while Fischbacher, dressed in white robes and a mask. The famed, or now infamous, white tiger named Montecore participated.
I guess I really don't know how to grind on this one. A tiger is a wild animal and was a part of the act. He was also the same animal that bit Horn's neck, dragging him offstage in front of a horrified audience in the 2003 performance. Horn, now 64, was partially paralyzed, suffering a damaged neck artery and crushed windpipe.
I haven't kept up with the goings on of the trio since the near-death incident but have read that Horn never blamed the tiger for the attack. I'm not even sure what happened to set him off.
Siegfried and Roy participated in the performance for a charity event to raise money to treat brain disorders like the one Horn has.
Makes me wonder what kind of disorder made him want to play with a wild tiger in the first place though.
I guess if you want to play with tigers or other wild animals make sure you're prepared for anything.
So, what are your thoughts on this latest act of Siegfried and Roy? Would you do it if you had already been mauled once?