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KTRK 13 morning meteorologist Casey Curry is quickly becoming a national darling. This weekend marks her third appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America weather segment. The first was in April, the last time was just a week ago. Yes, two weekends in a row for Curry on GMA.

Normally I like to cover the news here, but Curry on GMA is almost becoming the norm. Good for her.

Here is a view from her hotel room in New York that she tweeted today.

Curry tweeted that she spent early Saturday afternoon trying to get “Anything Goes” tickets on Broadway.

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- KTRK 13 meteorologist Casey Curry back on Good Morning America

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KPRC 2 anchor Bill Balleza got cake and balloons from his co-workers Tuesday on the 6pm newscast (WATCH VIDEO). He’s been in the TV biz for 40 years. For nearly 31 years, he’s been at KPRC 2 (he started there Aug. 18, 1980).

Heck I remember when Bill was the young, new guy on the KPRC anchor desk! The only anchor that has been in Houston that long that I can think of his KTRK 13’s Dave Ward (if you count sports, Bob Allen has also been on Houston TV longer).

Turns out Balleza started his television news career in San Antonio at KSAT which is now KPRC’s Post-Newsweek sister station. Before that, Balleza’s bio says he was in the Marine Corps, “including 13 months in Vietnam where he was positioned as a scout/sniper.”

Watch Balliez anchoring with Linda Lorelle from 1/7/94:

And for you longtime KPRC fans, here is Balleza’s image in the classic Ernest P. Worrell (RIP Jim Varney) KPRC campaign.

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I haven’t talked about planking here, but I have a reason to now. KPRC 2 morning anchor Owen Conflenti said he was talked into planking live on TV Thursday morning! I’m sure there are those out there more educated in this area than I, but is Conflenti the first anchor to plank on a news desk on live TV?

I guess Local 2 Mornings is Houston’s closest version to Good Day LA?

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KPRC 2’s male staffers have a problem

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Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q in Houston (290 location) will be giving away a quarter pound of brisket to guests who bring any number of canned goods that will benefit the Houston Food Bank. PBS Daytripper Host Chet Garner will be on location to meet, greet and collect the cans. Daytripper’s new season will premiere that evening and will be show on-screen. Guests will have a chance to win gift items and additional prizes from Rudy’s and the Daytripper.

Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q
14620 Northwest Fwy
Houston, TX
Friday, July 8 - 7–9pm

I interviewed Brian Greene, the Houston Food Bank president, for a report on KIAH 39 last December. WATCH IT

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Yes it is true. Even TV anchors and meteorologists are human. They too give the finger at colleagues, but albeit in a much more public manner.

BBC weatherman Tom Schafernaker recently gave the finger to news presenter Simon McCoy live on the air for a flippant remark. Now he is in trouble. It was a gormless act for sure. He’s had other daft moments on air too.

We now move to Russia where a BECTN TV anchor does the finger thing again. That will teach the reporter to cut him off again.

(Thanks Will-E and EdB)

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I love all things UK, but there are times when the local’s language goes over my head. Laurie Kendrick thankfully has done the research and found a list of British insults (and non-insults that sound like they should be mean).

Here are a few of the insults:

big jessie (someone who’s a bit of a softie, we’d call them “Wuss”)
daft (eccentric, crazy)
div (idiot)
dosser (someone who is lazy)
gormless (lacking in intelligence, with vacant expression: “Don’t just stand there looking gormless”)
minger (pronounced like “singer”) (an unattractive person)
munter (c.f. “minger”)
muppet (silly person)
nutter (eccentric person)
pillock (silly person)
pleb (person of lower class, but typically used to mean someone without taste or refinement)
plonker (silly person)

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE OTHER LISTS

Now stop being daft and go watch those brilliant original BBC The Office episodes with this cheat sheet so David Brent seems even more like a toss-pot.

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It’s Friday…let’s go wild. The way to do that legally at your office is to view these very eye catching optical illusions. Do not sniff any glue while doing this. It won’t be necessary.

SEE THEM

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Sometimes building a boat to resemble the Batmobile on water and trying to stop Japanese whaler ships doesn’t turn out the way you thought it might. Look for a special appearance in this story by Peter Garrett who was the former lead singer of Midnight Oil and now the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts for Australia.

While we are talking water…what about the blind grandmother who landed a monster 4lb catfish and entered the record books?

(Thanks JD for both stories)

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Why would I post this on New Year’s Eve? OK, it totally makes sense. SEE THE LIST

(Thanks Brian)

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This is why I don’t even bother being a prognosticator (unless I get a DeLorean time machine that is - then I’m taking a sports almanac back to 1955 baby!)

SEE THE LIST

(Thanks Brian!)

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