Do you remember the old game show called "Name That Tune"? There have been plenty of spin-offs and reboots of the show, but I remember the one on TV in the 1980s when I was a kid. Two contestants stood across from each other and wagered about how quickly they could name a tune before it was played. more

I am writing this while sitting on a sofa that is set catawampus in a living room cluttered with stacks of cardboard boxes, pieces of furniture, luggage and computer parts, recuperating from the exertion of two hours spent unloading a truck about half the size of a railroad box car. more

Back in 1989, the animated version of “The Little Mermaid” ushered in what came to be known as the “Disney Renaissance,” an era of creative and commercial prosperity where the company reclaimed its position as the king of animated family entertainment. Now in 2023, the company is looking to a live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” to put it back on top of that mountain, minus the animation. Sure, the MCU is doing well, but the studio hasn’t really been connecting with younger audiences lately, at least not at the box office. The pandemic forced “Soul,” “Luca,” and “Turning Red” to go directly to streaming, “Raya and the Last Dragon” opened too soon after theaters reopened to be a blockbuster, “Encanto” didn’t perform as well as its legacy would suggest, and “Strange World” simply did not find an audience. The best performer since 2019 was last year’s critical flop “Lightyear” with $118 million domestic, a number “The Little Mermaid” was projected to nearly match or even beat by the end of the four-day Memorial Day weekend. more

“Catch and release” has become an important phrase in the fishing world. more

There are times that we encounter negative thoughts that can be overwhelming. more

Every summer, my mother packed my bag and dropped me off on my grandparents' farm with a week's worth of travel-size cereal boxes and a can of bug spray. more

The vacant gaze of boy soldiers stares off the page. more

As the tenth (non-spinoff) installment of the “Fast” franchise, “Fast X” has a certain duty to its fans. It needs to... more

I’ve heard enough about the “good ol’ days” of a half a century or more ago. more

My warning bark pierced the morning stillness. From my defensive position by the front window, I could see and hear the beast approaching. My furry legs are short, but my ears are mighty. I’m built for a job such as this. My canine comrades rushed to my side and saw the imminent danger. The big one let loose a string of deep, baritone woofs, and the beagle joined in with his signature howl. more

In between “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Star-)lording over the competition and “Fast X” running over anything in its path comes “Book Club: The Next Chapter.” This film’s marketing department looked at a lineup of... more

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. more

The Guardians of the Galaxy were the goofballs of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before “everyone” wanted to be the goofballs of the MCU. The first film from 2014 pulled off the unlikely feat of... more

Family protection occurs in some interesting ways in the bird world. more

Long before Missouri conservation agents would confirm their presence, some of us who hunted the remote woods of Dallas County were certain the hills and hollers along the Niangua River harbored black bears. more

It’s hard to believe that the new big-screen adaptation of the classic Judy Blume novel “Are You There God? It's Me Margaret." made only $6.8 million at the domestic box office this past weekend. The theater where I saw the movie was more crowded than usual, and the audience clearly... more

While on my regular trip to drop off items at the Polk County Recycling Center one day last week, I had the chance to visit with Ben Lee. In case you didn’t realize it, Ben keeps the recycling center organized and operational. He is a good-natured fellow with a great sense of humor, but the other day, he was a little out of sorts. Not the cranky, grumpy kind of out of sorts, and it actually wasn’t him who was out of sorts at all — it’s those of us who use the center! more

It’s weird when a super-low-budget cult movie like 1981’s “The Evil Dead” gets a well-funded... more

In Missouri, any snake found near the water or swimming in it is presumed to be a venomous cottonmouth. more

My dad wouldn’t let me take a typing class in high school. more

When I first heard that there was a movie called “The Pope’s Exorcist,” I thought maybe it was about a guy that performs an exorcism on The Pope. That could be... more

When a person is harmless, people say things like “Oh, she wouldn’t hurt a fly!” Around here, no one says that about me. They’ve seen me in action, and they know – I’m a stone-cold fly killer. more

I last talked to Angela 32 years ago. It was the evening of April 20, 1991. She called to let us know she would be coming home the next day from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. more

God makes promises. They are all throughout His word. He speaks His promises through His written word. To some, He speaks through other believers. He may weave them in our dreams or plant a seed in our gut. He finds a way to reveal promises to each of us. When I believe God has promised something or I am praying and seeking something specific, I often struggle with do I pursue it (or Him) fervently or do I wait for it (or Him) patiently? more

For many waterfowl hunters and nature viewers, the wood duck is Missouri’s – and, to a larger extent, North America’s – forgotten conservation success story. more