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Having stood next to Moo's Soft Serve for years, Betty Lou Moo has gone missing. The poor little fiberglass mascot was taken by thieves Friday night during business hours. The reward is up to $50, and the owners just want the poor little calf back.  The Las Vegas Mercury did a series of stories on the obsessed: local collectors were rounded up and forced to tell their stories to the world. While a rather generic set of collectors, it's fun to hear them talk about their love:
 Years ago, Timothy J. Hughes packed up his coin collection and wanted to try something different. His new obsession: collecting old newspapers. Eventually, as with most collectors, his hobby turned in to the business of his expertise - and he does $750,000 in sales of old newspapers each year. If only we could all turn our obsessions into business; I suppose it takes something rare and wonderous to really make it. You can see Hughes' website at rarenewspapers.com.  Racist items are a touchy issue; some places refuse to sell it, worried it will disenfranchise customers of a certain race. Others consider it of important historical value; others find it entertaining. The Dayton Beach Journal published a thoughtful article on the art of collecting racist memorabilia. I'm of an age where these items seem quaintly antiquated, but to many people the sight of a caricatured black child eating watermelon still carries a sharp sting of bigotry.  A few weeks ago, I linked an article that focused on the lack of collectibles amongst the cars of the 1980s. Well, American Collectors Insurance, Inc. thinks otherwise: They have released their 10 most collectible cars of the 1980s. At number one: Ferrari Testarossa, the undisputed star of Miami Vice. While others are also film stars (Delorean, Trans Am), one is downright a shocker: The Pontiac Fiero. Due to mechanical problems with the odd engine configuration, lack of anything resembling a back seat, futuristic styling, and scary rumors that they spontaneously caughtt fire, the Fiero didn't really go anywhere. Later model Fieros had fixed many of their problems, but public opinion had already killed off customer demand. The early-model Fieros do have a distinctively 1980s feel, reminiscent of it's Ferrari companions, and just for that belongs on a list of classically 80s cars.
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