Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

El Campo Leader-News > Archives > News > Fireman's widow faces gender challenge: "A lawsuit filed Monday seeks to dissolve the marriage of the Wharton volunteer firefighter who died battling the Maxim Egg Farm blaze, on the grounds his wife, Nikki, used to be a man."

They Were on Her Lawn

Gun-totin' grandma spends night in jail | khou.com | Khou.com - News, Houston news, Texas News, Headlines: "A great-great-great grandmother spent Saturday night in jail after shooting a gun into the air to scare off some horses.

Evelyn Maxey, 89, insisted she didn’t intend to harm the horses or any of her neighbors."

The Name Game

@askthenamelady - Articles and Posts from ParentDish: "The #1 fastest rising girl's name is Tenley, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Kinley, Tinsley and Kinsley also made the top 20. Together, they point to a signature sound for the year's baby girls. Also keep an eye out for Everly, which placed two different spellings in the top 20.

For boys, the country's love affair with '-n' names is set to continue. More than half of the hottest rising boy's names end in that super-popular letter. Look for a fresh crop of surname names, too, especially luxurious ones like Sterling, St. John and Bentley."

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

If I Had Uncle Scrooge's Money, I'd Be Bidding

DALLAS, TX -- Paintings by Carl Barks, longtime Disney artist and creator of Uncle Scrooge, have long been among the most sought-after comic art items, with few offered for public sale and those that were most always saddled with a six-figure reserve price. On Friday, Aug. 6, however, Heritage Auctions will be auctioning 10 original Barks paintings, without reserves, in a special session devoted to the collection of Maryland radio executive Kerby Confer.

“It’s been common knowledge in the hobby for years that Kerby Confer owned most of the best Barks paintings, which is why they’ve been off the market so long,” said Barry Sandoval, Director of Operations of the Comics category at Heritage.

Though his name never appeared in a Disney comic, Barks wrote and drew Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge in some of the bestselling comics of the 1950s and 1960s. His rollicking adventure tales have been cited as an inspiration by the likes of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and mystery writer Janet Evanovich.

Life Imitates "Art"

BBC News - Moonshine 'tempts new generation': "Making and selling moonshine is outlawed in every US state and the police treat distilling liquor without a license as a serious crime.

But while official figures are hard to come by, experts believe as many as a million Americans could be breaking the law by making moonshine - also known as white lightning and white dog."

Today's Western Movie Poster

The 13 Most Lovable TV Alcoholics

The 13 Most Lovable TV Alcoholics | Ranker - A World of Lists

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien, who also pointed out why this is a bogus list. I'll let you figure it out for yourself, though.

Hey, a Guy Needs a Snack Now and Then

The Associated Press: Idaho man accused of keeping rattlers in apartment: "An Idaho man who authorities say had 25 Western rattlesnakes in a five-gallon bucket in his apartment has been issued two misdemeanor citations by the state's Department of Fish and Game.

Officials say Terry Brian Teeter had as many as 32 snakes but he gave some away and ate two others."

Hat tip to Jeff Segal.

A. O. Scott Reviews a Favorite of Mine

Critics' Picks: 'Rio Bravo' - Video Library - The New York Times

You have to sit through a brief commercial, but this guy's on my wavelength.

Secret Agent Super Dragon

Great Discussion of PB Cover Art

KILLER COVERS: “Where Utter Sleaze Meets Genuine Artistry”

Uh-Oh

Mystery trader buys all Europe's cocoa - Telegraph: "The purchase was enough to move the entire global cocoa market, sending the price to the highest level since 1977, and triggering rumours and intrigue in the City.

It is unclear which person, or group of traders, was behind the deal, but it was the largest single cocoa trade for 14 years."

Hat tip to Fred Zackel.

Here's the Plot for Your Next Action-Packed Screenplay

Chicago cop: 'Scary' growth of gangs in war zones :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Chicago Crime: "Chicago cop who served in Afghanistan and Iraq has warning: Gang members are coming home with military training"

As Long as They Stay off our Lawns. . . .

10 of the Con Artists' Favorite Ways to Scam the Elderly | Media and Culture | AlterNet

Mr. Monk Is Cleaned Out -- Lee Goldberg

I've been a fan of Lee Goldberg's books about Mr. Monk for quite a while now (as my previous reviews have revealed), so I was glad to see that another one had arrived on the scene. I believe that someone had expressed a hope that the book's title meant that Monk would be getting a colonoscopy, but that's not the case. Maybe in the next book. Instead, the title refers to the current financial mess and to the fact that Monk has invested unwisely, with a pyramid scammer along the lines of those whose names you may have seen in the news. Monk has no money, no house, no job. And that's a problem for Natalie, the narrator of these books, as well, since Monk can no longer afford to pay her.

When the witnesses against Bob Sebes, the scammer, start being murdered, Monk is convinced that Sebes is the killer. He can't prove it, however, and nobody believes him. After all, though Sebes is living in his own home, he's monitored at all times through signals from an unbeatable ankle bracelet, the Triax XG7 8210, and the signals prove he's never left his house. Could Monk be wrong for the first time in his career? I can say no more about that.

Since Monk is no longer employed, Natalie gets him (and herself) a succession of jobs. They don't last long. Imagine Monk working as a grocery clerk or in a pizza parlor. Or as a sales clerk in a mall clothing store. Along the way, he solves any number of major crimes on the fly. He can't help it. It's just the way he is.

And he's hilarious. I keep thinking that Goldberg is going to run out of situations or new ways for Monk to react to the world, but he seems to be endlessly inventive. I found myself laughing out loud more than once in the course of the book.

Monk's relationship with Natalie advances, too. I'm not saying anything more about that, but the relationship between them gets more complex with each book. This is fine entertainment, and I'm already looking forward to the next book. Even if there's no colonoscopy.

Gator Update -- Further Proof that Alcohol and Gators Don't Mix

Outdoors Notebook: Sanford man bitten twice by alligator | jacksonville.com: "A Sanford man, who police said appeared to be intoxicated, was bitten by an alligator twice last week, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The gator was crossing a road when Dirk Alan Willms, 44, grabbed the gator by the tail, according to police and the FWC.

The 45-inch reptile spun and bit Willms on the leg and ran into some bushes on the side of the road. Willms followed the gator, reached into the bushes to grab it again — and was bitten again. Willms eventually caught the gator and took it home, the FWC said."

Texas Is #9

10 Truly Ridiculous Criminal Acts - Top 10 Lists | Listverse

This Is a Joke, Right?

Now Will Smith Wants To Play Bad Boy Cain (…With Vampiric Twist) – Deadline.com: "Will Smith has attached himself to star in and produce The Legend Of Cain, an epic re-telling of the Biblical sibling tale, this time with a vampiric twist."

Sharktopus!

Sharktopus Trailer Released And It Is Awesome (VIDEO): "At long last, what we've all been waiting for: a thriller about a Navy-engineered half-shark-half-octopus killing machine! Yeah, we know it sounds suspiciously like that old Dr Octagon song from the 1990s, but it's not. Instead, it's an absurd, low-budget made-for-TV movie from B-movie king Roger Corman that's coming out on NBC's SyFy Channel sometime this year.

The Sharktopus is the 'Navy's next super-weapon'--until it gets out of control. And when it inevitably does, it turns into a killing machine with a perverse predilection for beautiful blonde women in bikinis. The ruthless Sharktopus drags them off beaches, bungee cords, and boats, and is NOT DETERRED BY MACHINE GUN FIRE!"

Trailer at the link, which was supplied by Walter Satterthwait.

Secret Agent Fireball