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MARCH 17, 2022 | The Jewish Home
According to Rystad Energy, over 4% of the world’s supply of oil is provided by Russia, and sanctions on Russian oil may bring crude oil prices to above $200 per barrel within the year. On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told a room full of energy company executives at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, “The question for us all, I think, is, ‘What else can we do in this fight?’ We are on war footing. We are in an emergency. And we have to responsibly increase short-term supply where we can right now to stabilize the market and to minimize harm to American families.” In an interview, Granholm said she is meeting with BP PLC, Shell PLC and Chevron Corp., among others. Speaking to a full conference room, she said, “I am here to extend a hand for partnership, because we’re only going to be able to meet these challenges – the challenges of oil and gas supply and the challenges of climate change – by working together.” Meanwhile, some Democrats are pressuring Biden to suspend the federal gasoline tax in order to help keep prices down.
Senate Passes $13.6M in Aid
The U.S. Congress on Thursday night took the final step in approving $13.6 billion in military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. The bill now goes to U.S. President Joe Biden for his signature. It includes money to help Ukraine defend itself, including against cyberattacks. It also offers new support for federal programs allowing the U.S. to respond to food insecurity, help refugees resettle, and address other humanitarian issues, as well as enforce the sanctions on Russia. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, “This is an area where the American people overwhelmingly support the people
of Ukraine. This is not a Democratic and a Republican issue. This is a human rights issue.” At the same time, U.S. lawmakers did not succeed in providing $15 billion for the battle against COVID-19. That money had been intended for testing initiatives, as well as therapeutics and vaccines. It was dropped at the last minute due to questions of how to pay for it. Prior to the vote, Senate Majority Leader Charles. E. Schumer (D-NY) emphasized, “We must, we absolutely must, secure more Covid money. We’re going to keep working on this. It’s too important to ignore.”
High Time for Tea
When climbing Mount Everest it’s best to keep your priorities straight: make sure to take time out from your summit-scaling to drink some tea. That’s what Andrew Hughes did last year – and he’s now earning accolades for his tea-riffic idea. The endurance athlete and adventurer from Seattle officially hosted the world’s highest tea party when he and his team sat down for hot beverages at a height of 21,312 feet above sea level on Mount Everest on May 5, 2021. The idea came to Hughes when he was preparing to scale the Nepal mountain during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hughes, who successfully reached the summit on May 23, 2021, served tea to team members Ronan Murphy, Kristin Bennett, Garrett Madison, Sid Pattison, Robert Smith, Art Muir, Helen Cokie Berenyi, Krisli Melesk, Ben Veres, Kevin Walsh, Kristin Harila, Mark Pattison, Rick Irvine, and James Walker. But you can’t just have a tea party with just tea. Of course, cookies need to be served. And for that, Hughes
lugged a selection of Girl Scout Cookies from the States so fellow climbers could enjoy a taste of home so high up in the clouds. That’s one smart cookie.
Parrot Picasso
Who says that painters need to have fingers to paint? A few feathers could be just perfect. That’s what the Maryland Zoo has discovered. An African grey parrot named Echo at the zoo is being taught how to paint. “Will she be the next bird-casso?” the zoo quipped. “Our Embassy care team is training African grey parrot Echo to paint. Painting is a great enrichment activity that keeps Echo mentally stimulated and allows her to use her natural adaptations. She sure is creating quite a masterpiece!” Echo paints by grabbing a sponge dipped in paint with her beak. She then takes the sponge to a sheet of paper and moves it in all directions. Echo also receives treats for taking part in the activity. “Painting is a great enrichment activity that keeps Echo mentally stimulated and allows her to use her natural adaptations. She sure is creating quite a masterpiece!” the zoo continued. Sounds like she’s taking to it like a duck to water.
If I Only Had a Heart
A California-based auction house said it is selling a rare piece of memorabilia: the Tin Man’s oil can from The Wizard of Oz. The oil can, one of five used
during filming of the 1939 movie, was presented to Tin Man actor Jack Haley after the film wrapped. “This piece has excellent investment potential, as items from or made for this legendary film almost never surface, including the Tin Man costume which is said to be lost,” the auction listing states. Bidding starts at $50,000 but is expected to soar to $200,000. The oil can was a pivotal prop in the beloved movie, used as a centerpiece just before the Tin Man’s introductory song “If I Only Had A Heart.” It gave him the vital oil he needed to free his body and joints from the rusted state in which he was found by Dorothy in Oz. Last year, one of the classic blue gingham dresses that Dorothy wore in the movie was found after years of having been missing. The dress was accidentally found when someone saw a garbage bag at the top of a closet in the drama department of Catholic University and decided to look inside. “I was curious what was inside and opened the trash bag and inside was a shoebox and inside the shoe box was the dress! I couldn’t believe it,” Matt Ripa, who found the missing dress, explained. Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.
World’s Longest Car
Think there were too many long vehicles blocking the roads this Purim? Be happy that Jay Ohrberg didn’t bring his super limousine to the Five Towns. Ohrberg, a car customizer, built the “American Dream” car in 1986. At the time, it measured 60 feet long. But then, Ohrberg went for broke. He restored the vehicle, and it now measures a whopping 100 feet and 1.5 inches long, nabbing the Guinness World Record for the longest car. For several years, the world’s longest car appeared in several films and then ended up in a New Jersey warehouse. Recently, Michael Man-
