Okay, so Lettuce is Giving Everyone Uncontrollable Diarrhea?

America has been facing a large number of cyclosporiasis cases. It is a parasite that makes someone really sick to the point they have explosive, watery, unstoppable diarrhea. Not a fun time, in other words. People have been hospitalized due to how sick they've gotten, and enough Taco Bell restaurants have been liked to cases that in various locations they have stopped putting certain vegetables in their meals--and that's a restaurant generally associated with blowing up the toilet! It seems the culprit may be lettuce and other salad greens that were contaminated. Basically, if you needed an excuse to pass on the salad and instead dig into a bag of potato chips, here you go.

In all seriousness, the fact that our current government has massively cut funding to the CDC, and parasite monitoring as well makes it less-than-surprising that it has taken a bit of time for anyone to get much of a lead on this. Everyone likes to say certain government programs/initiatives/whatever are pointless and we should save money by getting rid of them. Then, lo and behold, something that certain people said was a waste of cash turns into a huge issue (hello there, screwworm). Public health is like an escalator, in some ways. You don't particularly take note of it when everything is working as intended. Then, somebody decides not to worry as much about maintenance, the escalator breaks, and we all become very aware of it being an issue as we trek up the stairs that should be carrying us up. Things may only get worse, I worry, as the results of things that, "Aren't important," getting cut continue to become apparent.

Television Tuesday: The Upcoming, "Crystal Lake," Show Has a Teaser

The series, "Crystal Lake," was announced a number of years ago when the rights to, "Friday the 13th," and the (generally) main character, Jason Vorhees, were in a bit of a legal limbo. Then, it was in a sort of development Hell as the showrunner/s kept changing and such. However, everything eventually got figured out and we're getting all eight episodes of, "Crystal Lake," this October 15th. The last, "Official," flick with, "Friday the 13th," branding was a weak remake/reboot back in 2009, but this prequel show is prepped to take us to the 1970s, and it seems other, "Vintage," horror is ready to come back ("Nightmare on Elm Street," has a new flick planned, we'll see when it is set, though). Everything old is new again, and we're going to meet Linda Cardellini's take on Pamela Vorhees soon! Anyone who has watched the first movie knows that Jason is hardly in it as he is instead talked about fondly by his mother (Pamela) as a young boy who drowned when counselors weren't paying attention...before it is revealed she's murdering folks. Hence, a prequel show all about the town and its camp set a year after Jason died, and Pamela has not yet developed a taste for killing, maybe, does sound like a fun mix of horror and thriller genres. An official teaser dropped, and it doesn't show much, but there is enough to pique my interest:

I mean, Cardellini is a fantastic actress, I've got Peacock (where it'll be streaming), and I'm a fan of the franchise. Hence, yeah, I'll watch it. Hell, it doesn't even have to be great, considering that this franchise has some real stinkers of entries, I'll settle for decent/good. We'll see what we get come October 15th.

DC Has Warned Retailers Not to Price Their Exclusive Variants Too High

Retailer-exclusive variants have been around for some time. A store buys the rights to make their own variant for a (potentially) popular comic, pays an artist to create some cool artwork, and then seel a number of copies--often one that has the text/"Trade Dress," and one with just the artwork/a "Virgin," cover. It's a thing that has exploded lately with, "Absolute Batman," however. Some stores release quite limited variants with pretty high prices compared to the, "Cover price," of a comic if it were a standard, "A," cover. Something that's normally $4.99 gets sold with the variant cover for $50-$100, depending on the material (cardstock, foil) and any signatures or such--with remarques/little drawings on the cover causing prices to sometimes get astronomical! Apparently, DC has concerns about being associated with any accusations of, "Price-gouging," on these Absolute Batman titles as they're beginning to warn retailers they should only, "Upcharge," a certain amount higher for any retailer variants (around 5 times for unsigned and 10 times for signed and such). In other words, if the cover price on a carstock variant comic is $4.99, they should only ask $25-ish for the comic. A foil that's priced at $8 shouldn't generally exceed $40, and so forth.

I see this from various angles, as do others. I mean, if you don't want to spend too much on a special variant cover...don't buy it. You can always buy the standard, "A," cover of a comic and completely disregard special store variants, even if they've got snazzy artwork. I also know stores need to pay the artists who make the cool covers a, hopefully, good paycheck. Then again, is manufactured scarcity with ultra-limited and high-priced covers going to be healthy for the comic-book market, or will this be something that contributes to a potential new bubble reminiscent of the 90's? DC's Absolute comics have been fantastic for the comic-book industry in terms of great stories for readers, steady/solid sales for stores, and just getting more folks excited about comic-books in general. It makes sense retailers want to capitalize on this any way they can to not just survive, but hopefully thrive in a field that can be like a rollercoaster in terms of successes and failures. I understand that, but I also don't think milking the fans who are the lifeblood of this industry for every dollar they have is wise. I suppose we will see how retailers react to what DC said and if it stands firm, offers some leeway, or how this all develops.

Lindsay Graham Died, Sam Neill Died, and People Think the GOP is Faking Mitch McConnell's Alive ? What a Week!

This week marked the sudden passing of Senator Lindsay Graham, and not too long later, the unexpected passing of Sam Neill. Graham's passing resulted in a ton of jokes and vitriol. Everyone pointed out how much he hated Donald Trump and seemed to have principles...before suddenly becoming one of Trump's biggest cheerleaders and excusers when it served him to keep his political power. Also, the supposedly open secret that he was gay in his personal life, whilst in his political career, pushing an extremely anti-LGBTQ agenda, has been covered extensively. 

Few seemed to mourn him, while Sam Neill's passing had a ton of folk upset. He had shared a cancer diagnosis some years ago, but was in remission. He'd discussed how he wasn't afraid of dying but it would, "Annoy," him. Neill was, by all accounts, a really nice person and skilled actor who wasn't afraid to lean into the humor about how he was, "The Jurassic Park guy," with that being one of his most beloved roles. I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, but I will say I'd hope that when I die, people react more in a manner like with Neill than Graham.

While all of this has been going on, the internet has, for a handful of weeks, been debating if Mitch McConnell is alive and healthy, on life support, brain-dead, or simply dead, period. He had a mystery health scare and didn't appear in public or say anything for weeks. Fellow members of the GOP, friends, and aides claimed they had chatted with him on the phone for 20 minutes or more, and he was perfectly fine...but then freaked out when asked to give Mitch a ring. Rumors swirled this was to stop a special election or such, and once we hit August, then it would be revealed Mitch had, "Suddenly," died. With Graham's passing the jokes got even crazier about it being a conspiracy/distraction or proof that Mitch must be fine because how could his death be hidden if Graham's went public so fast? From riffs on, "Weekend at Bernie's" and more, everyone has been cracking wise, with a supposedly, "Casual," photo of McConnel feeling perfectly fine after needing some hospitalization due to a simple fall (with a recent newspaper just happening to be nearby), only inadvertently egging the jests on more.

The one thing I, personally, find hilarious is anyone in the GOP acting offended at these, "Mean liberals," stating hurtful things about Graham or McConnell. Anytime someone Donald Trump disliked has died he wastes no time in saying despicable things about them. Rob Reiner was mocked and Robert Mueller's death was greeted with the statement that it was, "Good," that it happened. When your party's poster child says worse things online than even the meanest high school bullies, you can't exactly clutch your pearls when people quip about Graham's funeral being, "Open closet," or put an AI video of a zombie McConnell dancing to, "Thriller," on TikTok. 

It goes to show just how bad the reputation of Republicans has become when people don't even believe the party stating one of their Senators is recovering just fine and chilling in a hospital bed as opposed to a slab in the morgue. I mean, Trump tells more lies than truths while at the same time having no filter, so maybe ask him about it so he can say, "Oh yeah, Mitch is doing fine, such a shame he's dead though. Oh, did I tell you about my latest cognitive test?" and that'll settle the mystery. For now, we know Graham and Neill are dead, and the public had very different reactions. As for McConnell...stay tuned?

Check Out My Friend's Doctor Who Club

I'm friends with Wayne Judge and his son, Victor. They are both big fans of, "Doctor Who," and have taught me a bit about the franchise, as I know very little about it compared to other fun sci-fi. A club dedicated to, "The Doctor," will be meeting this coming Sunday, July 19th, at the Saint Louis City Library Buder Branch from 1:30 PM-4:00 PM--at no cost to attend! If you have any questions, you can send an email to vhjudge@gmail.com and learn more!

The July 2026 ToyMan Show Was Stellar!

Today was another superb ToyMan Show, and they are always incredible fun and full of cool stuff. I started the show by chatting with my friend Jack Thomas of Fortress Comics and then checking out the snazzy comics for sale by Tim Metzger. 

I caught up with Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, then looked at some of Nate Nauert's awesome comics! I also saw Larry from Bug's Comics, who had an, "Absolute Batman," comic for a solid price I picked up. Check it out:

As the show went on, I stopped by the table of my friend Tom Millister, and we talked about how life had been. Tatertot Comics and Collectibles was selling a bunch of interesting items, Jacqueline James had her fun books in the upstairs area, and 573 Collectibles had a mix of comics I enjoyed digging through, too. My friend Bruce Reynolds had a whole bunch of cool books for sale, and talented author Jessica Mathews had a new book for sale, which I excitedly got to give Gibson for his birthday, "Ninjas the Beach." Here it is:

Whenever I go to a ToyMan Show I'm astounded by the sheer volume of interesting items for sale. Trading cards, Funko Pops, Legos, die-cast cars, comics, Funko Pops, movies (in all formats), retro toys, newer gadgets, and viny/cassettes/CDs are present and keep the crowd busy admiring all the awesome wares. At this show, there were some vendors with tents outside near the entrance, as well, for the crowd to check out. That was neat! I'd encourage anyone close enough to make sure they visit the next ToyMan Show on August 23rd. It'll be a cool way to conclude a hot Summer!

Gibson Turns Three!

Today is Gibson's third birthday. He has really grown a lot in the past 12 months, having quite a burst of speech starting back in January of this year, and since then getting more and more verbal. He loves to identify colors, talk about the weather, ask questions about the tiny bugs he sees outside, point at the wild rabbits in our yard to talk about the, "Bunnies," declare when he needs a snack, ask for milk (his favorite drink), and otherwise is a sweet little guy. 

Gibson continues to love eating almost any food item he's offered and eagerly will discuss the Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, or Bluey with folks. He's extremely friendly and gets excited to say, "Hello," to other kiddos. We're working on toilet training even though the big potty can, "Be scary," and he's getting skilled at brushing his teeth. Gibson loves his mom, dad, and big brother Clarkson, whom he calls, "C," very much. Happy birthday to Gibson, he's an awesome little dude!

The Latest Roku Update is Atrocious

Roku updated its design from being relatively minimalist and simple to a weird mess full of, "Helpful," AI slop features, tiny squares for the features/apps you actually want, and a lot more invasive advertisements. It's hideous, and I hate it, along with many others. There is ample discussion about how to try to make things look like they used to on Roku televisions/devices, but we shouldn't suffer Roku forcing these buggy and ugly updates on us. Change can be good, but this seems intentionally designed to be worse in the name of forcing random alterations nobody asked for down our throats and putting more ads on the page. I'm displeased.

"White Boat," #3 Finally Was Released and is a Stellar Finale

The first issue of, "White Boat," came out from DSTLRY back in mid-2024. It took some time, but the second issue was released as well, and a hoot. Then...delays. It got to the point DSTLRY announced a temporary shutdown/pause, and it had me worried there wouldn't be a third and final issue. Thankfully, they got back up and running, with, "White Boat," #3 finally hitting stands this week. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Francesco Francavilla have crafted a masterful tale of surreal genetic experiments, ancient secret technologies, and a big ol' superyacht. 

Considering how long it took for all these issues to come out, it did take me a minute to remember a few plot details, but by the issue's end, I was just as engaged as back in 2024 with the first issue, and this tale that, at its heart, is about the love one has for their sibling/s through good and bad. Plus, the magazine-size format lets Francavilla's art truly sing. There will be a full collection of, "White Boat" before long, and I'd highly encourage folks to pick it up so they can enjoy it without any extensive waits between chapters.

5 out of 5 Stars.

"Big Brother," Season 28 Starts Today

Today will mark the premiere of the 28th season of, "Big Brother." There have been some amazing seasons, some pretty awful ones, and plenty that were hit-or-miss. The theme this season looks to be a mix of time travel and roadtripping with, "Time Trip." Whenever a new season kicks off, you honestly can't predict what we're getting with much certainty, as the show is, essentially, happening mostly live. The episodes show events from within the past 48-72 hours and if you've got a Paramount+ subscription, you can watch live feeds of the house (whenever they don't black it out to keep certain things a surprise). 

The cast has been mostly announced, and at least one person is a returnee--Angela Murray--and some folks have been on other reality shows as well. Plus, we've got a batch of new people from many walks of life, which always results in a lot of fun moments, drama, and so forth. I'll be excited to tune in at 8PM Eastern/7PM Central tonight for the extra-length 90-minute special premiere!