Features

Pet of the week

My name is Sparky. I am a 2-year-old pit bull/Lab mix. I weigh 65 pounds. I am good with older children and other dogs. I am very sweet, lovable, and I love to ride in the car. I was brought to the shelter as a stray and no one has claimed me. Don’t condemn me because of my breed. I am not a fighter, just a lover. I can make a good pet for a loving family.

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Must be a sin to have this much fun

OK, this video reviewing column is getting personal. Starting as a way to research the appropriateness of games for kiddos, my 9-year-old gamer son included, the column has now forced me to enjoy myself and has become a HUGE distraction to making dinner, doing laundry and other daily mommy jobs. In fact, I nearly missed the deadline for this review because it was “my play.”

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Microsoft offers ‘Health Vault’ for medical records

For the past few years, I have been using two primary methods for recording personal medical information. One method I have been using to keep track of my personal medical information and records is an 8 gig flash drive attached to my car key chain along with a large, red, aluminum, engraved medic alert logo.

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Will need not be notarized

Q. I have a will that was prepared some time ago. It is not notarized. Is it still valid?

A. In Texas, a printed or form will is valid if it is signed and witnessed by two people. There is no requirement that a will be notarized. Having said that, however, there are two things in your question that suggest you might want to get a new will prepared.

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Corporate firing never felt so good

Although this movie will hardly be anointed the comedy of the summer, it does benefit from the royalty cast as its leads. The pairing of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts brings a respite from super heroes and clanking robots, and it’s a welcome offering even though it has some weak spots, mainly its premise.

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Smiling and waving as we go

On a recent trip to Georgia to visit my relatives and to take care of some pressing business, I learned a valuable lesson from my longtime sister in law, Teresa Fowler Stancil. We have been in the same family for more than 40 years and have shared much humor, some illness, hundreds of Scrabble games, lots of other good times, a few sad ones, child rearing secrets, and years of life experiences. She is quite the teacher and I have found myself gleaning tidbits from her vast table of knowledge.

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Region’s lakes in better shape than you might think

The bass fishing club that I belong to is not looking too good. A few days ago I went out to check on the water level and had to blink a couple of times to believe my eyes. The boat shed was almost high and dry, and there was nothing under the hull but dried mud. On one of the nearby trees, there were several buzzards surveying the scene and feeding on dead carp. An alligator was laid up in the reeds with only its toothy snout showing. Fishing on that particular lake has been sucked dry by the continuing drought.

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Keep an eye out for the parks department’s drawing booklet

As we open the month of July, keep in mind that the booklets for lottery hunts are about due. I contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Austin and was told the Special Drawing and Regular Permit Hunting Opportunities booklets would be in Austin either the last week of June or the first week of July. If you entered the drawings last year, a book will be sent to you. Otherwise they should be available at the local TPWD on Eastex Freeway in Beaumont.

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Schoolhouse comedy gets mediocre marks

‘Bad Teacher’

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel

Director: Jake Kasdan

Rated: R

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Despite ban, city will explode in celebration

Despite the ban on the sale and use of fireworks in Jefferson and the surrounding counties, the show must and will go on!

The city of Beaumont’s traditional Fourth of July celebration with music, concert, food, drinks and the grand finale — fireworks — will be as big, bright and booming as it has been for the last 25 years.

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