Eli and Tigger, Where's the Food?

Oh man! It's no fun putting the cats on a diet. Every time I walk into the kitchen the cats come running looking for food. It's really hard to resist their pleading little eyes.

"Let go sneak over to Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats and beg for food."

Fayetteville, Walker Park Neighborhood Master Plan

What you are looking at is the compilation of a week long charrette of Walker Park and the surrounding neighborhoods. Karen Minkel, long range planner from the City of Fayetteville presented the ideas from the groups that met. The master plan calls for more streets and sidewalks so that residents had better access to the park and downtown Fayetteville. People wanted Jefferson School to remain a center point in the neighbor, something like the Square in downtown Fayetteville. There were a lot of ideas for Walker Park itself. It's amazing how little of the park is utilized. Residents asked for a dog park, an amphitheater, a splash pad, more walking trails, community gardens and a children's park on the north side. The residents and city employees have really done a great job. The plan looked really great. Too bad it's going to take years to produce.

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Grand Opening

Finally, after a lot of hard work, the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks are going to be officially open. They will be celebrating from Saturday, Sept 29th through Sunday, Oct. 7th. There will be lots of activities to enjoy. Go here for the full schedule.

French Wine and Cheese

I think it's time to start buying French wine and cheese again. There has been a change in France's attitude towards Iran.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy piled pressure on Iran at the United Nations Tuesday, saying it would be unacceptable for the Islamic republic to get hold of nuclear weapons.
"Iran has the right to nuclear energy," Sarkozy told world leaders at the General Assembly's 62nd session here. "But allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons would mean an unacceptable risk for regional and world stability."

Hopefully Europe wakes up to the danger of a nuclear Iran. They are the ones that will be suffering the most if Iran decides to use it on Israel.

Columbia University, President Bollinger, Ahmadinejad

Well, they did it. The Left have given Ahmadinejad his platform to promote his propaganda. They gave him a world stage to spew his evil. President Bollinger gave Ahmadinejad a microphone and a prestigious stage. He legitimized Ahmadinejad's fanatic rantings and ravings. Since when has the pros and cons of terrorism and genocide been legitimate subjects to debate?
I don't care what scathing introduction Bollinger gave. It sounded contrived, for the benefit of his critics. He described Iran as the enemy and yet he gave American's enemy the stage, audience, prestige and credentials.
What was worse was the student's reactions and applause for Ahmadinejad in the background. That appalled and scared me the worst. The student's approved his hatred of the Jews and America, his hatred of freedom, his use of terrorism and the killings of women and gays. These students should have been taught not to embrace and support tyrants like Ahmadinejad. They should have been taught to fight and oppose tyrants like him everywhere.

Karen Ray, "Be Careful"

Karen Ray, the Arkansas Republican Party's executive director really stepped in it last week. Some of our Republican state legislators have been looking into the illegal immigration costs to our state government.

In recent weeks, state agency heads appeared before legislative committees detailing what they had found. To those Republicans, it appeared they were making progress by bringing attention to an aspect of illegal immigration that hadn't been considered.

This isn't sitting well with Karen Ray or the rest of the National Republican leadership. The intellectual elites of the Republican Party don't want to upset the big businesses who profit from illegal immigration, nor do they want to upset any illegals who could in the future vote Republican.

In one e-mail to Ray, Woods related that he'd talked to Tyson's Archie Schaffer, who apparently didn't like all the attention on illegal immigration. Woods said in the e-mail that Schaffer had told him he would oppose bills dealing with immigration.
That evoked a response from Ray, in which she began lecturing the lawmaker:
"I understand that fighting hard for your constituents' wants is very important. But I think as an elected official, it is more important that you fight for what they need, not necessarily what they want." "I'm going to side with the businesses on this one. Be careful!!" she warned.

Naughty, naughty Jon, you're not suppose to work for the wants of the people, you suppose to work for the needs of the Republican Party leadership. Karen Ray has make it quite clear that the Republican's leadership in more concerned with the state's special interests than the legitimate concerns ordinary citizens have on an increasingly important issue.

From David Sanders
More comments here

Rita's Bad Week

Rita has had a particularly bad week. Go send prayers and good thoughts her way.

NW Arkansas, POW/MIA Tribute Ride and Drive

Last week, President Bush declared Sept. 21, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Friday, September 21, 2007, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. I call upon the people of the United States to join me in honoring and remembering all former American prisoners of war and those missing in action who valiantly served our great country.

Saturday, a group of riders turned out for the 1st Annual Greater NW Arkansas, POW/MIA Tribute Ride and Drive. The Ride started at the NWA Mall and ended at the Rogers VFW Post 3031. The Ride was sponsored by the National Ghost Rider Association.

Co-founder James Bailey said "We have not forgotten, they will not be forgotten. Because of their service to our country we can be free." James said "The riders and drivers purpose today is to be a living memorial to those who gave all."

A special group of patriots: those who have been prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action. We are forever in their debt. Their courage, sacrifice and dedication has preserved our freedom.

Quiz, How Smart is Your Dog?

I took this quiz. Casey scored a 90. I knew he was a smart cookie, which he is asking for since he's such a good boy. Now if only he can tell me what he's allergic to. I had to take him to the vet Friday. He's been stinking really bad lately and nothing I've done has gotten rid of it. He got a steroid shot, antibiotics, fish oil capsules and a shampoo. I got the shampoo for free, the vet is testing it out on Casey. It's been a couple of days and while Casey hasn't stopped completely stinking, it is much more tolerable.

Eli Doesn't Play With Dogs

This is Zeus, the neighbor's dog. Zeus really wants to play with Eli, but Eli considers him a irritating little rodent. Zeus keeps barking at him until finally Eli gets mad and tries to chase him off. Which is exactly what Zeus wants, some one to chase him.

More cats and dogs at Friday Ark

Immigration Reform, Federal or State

States being over run by illegal immigrants are trying to cope with the criminal and financial problems they create. Arkansas has more than its share of illegals and a group of legislators are studying the effects of illegal immigration on the state. However not every one thinks the state should get involved in something that is the Federal government's responsibility. State GOP chairman Dennis Milligan

"The party's position on immigration, coming from me, the chairman, is that is a federal issue that has got to be determined by the president and Congress," Milligan said. "They've got to come to a meeting of the minds. Anything that's done internally statewide (through) legislation is probably going to have a difficult time ... trumping federal law."

Yes, it is the Federal government's responsibility. However, Congress and the President(s) have done little to enforce immigration laws. They have decided to hand out citizenship as if it were candy and leave our borders unprotected. State Rep. Rick Green, R-Van Buren

said it is too soon to say what kind of legislation, if any, may result from the interim study, but he said in the absence of immigration reform at the federal level, the Legislature has a responsibility at least to study the issue.

What are states like Arkansas to do? We can't afford to keep letting illegal immigration get out of hand.

But with both the executive director and the chairman of the state Republican Party speaking against immigration reform at the state level, the party leadership appears to be at odds with Green and other Republican lawmakers who say the state may need to act on immigration.

The whole Republican leadership from the national to the state level are out of step with local Republican legislators. The Democrat and Republican leadership are looking at the illegal immigrants as potential voters. That's not how we in the local towns and cities see them. We see them as criminals, deadbeats on the government dole, reducing salaries, taking our jobs, crowding our hospitals, taking our children's education, and insulting our laws. I think it time the Republican leadership remove their lips from the illegal's rear and return to taking care of the American citizen's concerns.

Blew steam off this.

The Truck Died

I had a meeting tonight at work except I didn't make it. I had left work at the usual time and went home so that I could get everyone fed and get some chores out of the way so I wouldn't have to do them later after the meeting. So, time to get back to work for the meeting, I turn the key and nothing. The truck wouldn't even turn over. Sighhh! I think and hope it's the battery. At least I was home and not stuck somewhere else. I'll have to call AAA for a jump (if it's the battery) or a tow. Tomorrow morning is going to be an adventure.

Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time, Stopped

Fantasy author Robert Jordan has died of a chronic illness. He was one of my most favorite fantasy authors. He was the author of the "Wheel of Time" series. It has always been hard waiting for his next book to come out. When it did, I usually re-read the previous book to remind myself what was happening. Jordan was working on a 12th volume of the series at the time of his death. Since he knew he was dying he left plenty of notes and told his family how it was to end so his fans will have the ending to his story. Millions of fans will be chomping at the bit to read the conclusion to his epic fantasy series. That will be a bittersweet day. I hope they do something special to remember him.

Moveon.org's Ad, Bad for Democrats

The Moveon.org's utterly disgusting ad in the New York Times, may not have been all that good for the Democrat Party. The refusal of any of the Democrat leaders to condemn the ad has put them firmly on the far left side of the party. They have widen the gap between them and the average Democrat voter. Hillary Clinton will have the most to lose by not condemning Moveon. She needs to be more centrist during the General Election. She needs to show that she supports the troops and is willing to protect the country. By not condemning Moveon she has in effect approved what they said. Heck, she actually told General Petraeus that he was a liar. She said "The reports that you provide to us really require the willing suspension of disbelieve." The Democrats have shown that they are enslaved to the far left wing of their party. If the Democrats get control of the White House and Congress, the U.S. is so royally screwed. We will be hit with every socialistic program they can dredge from the cesspool of Marxism.

Moms Encourage Terrorism

Sorry Sally, but there are a lot of moms who have actively encouraged their children to war.

Parents are also portrayed in Palestinian society as supporting their children's death. "Al-Ayyam" newspaper quotes a mother who encouraged her sons to sacrifice themselves for Palestinian beliefs:
"The danger of injury to the boy Tzabar Ashkaram, 18, paralysis and permanent disability, just added to his mother's determination to encourage her sons to participate in the intifada riots... the fact of his injury by a live bullet did not cause her to mourn. She said she had previously lost her older son, Iyyad." (Nov. 1, 2000)
Another Palestinian mother was quoted in the London Times: "I am happy that [my 13-year-old son] has been martyred. I will sacrifice all my [12] sons and daughters to Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem."
BBC broadcast a video of a proud Palestinian mother embracing her son and sends him proudly on his way to kill Jews. "God willing you will succeed," she says. "May every bullet hit its target, and may God give you martyrdom. This is the best day of my life."

Sally Fields, another brilliant example of the total intellectual and moral vacuum of Hollywood.

Sunday Morning Catch-up

Boy, I have been so busy that I haven't had time to really keep up with what's happening in the world. I sat all Sunday morning reading. It was really quite enjoyable. The morning was perfect to sit on the patio with a cup of coffee and a stack of stuff to read. Eli and Bows made sure that none of the papers would fly off the table.

Eli, A Cappella

Any one have any requests? Whadda ya mean I sound awful! I sound like a screeching what? Some people just don't know anything about music!


More cats at Friday Ark

Fayetteville, Sam's Club Opening

I managed to pop in on the ribbon cutting of the new Sam's Club in Fayetteville. As you can imagine most of Fayetteville's leadership was on hand to welcome the opening. Sam's Club will be generating a lot of revenue for Fayetteville. I popped in later for lunch to check out the store. It's pretty much laid out like the one in Bentonville. I think it's a bit smaller. It does have the deli which has a few prepared meals, very nice. It has the gas station and the gas appears to be the cheapest in Fayetteville, but I think it's still cheaper up north. Well, it close to work and home, so I may be shopping at this store instead of the one in Bentonville.
This store is a bit unique. It sits next to a ecologically sensitive area, Clabber Creek. Sam's Club has work with the Audubon Society and Sierra Club to protect the land and a few endangered species. This retention pond cleans water coming off Sam's Club before it is dumped back into the creek. A lot of the cleansing is done by plants specifically planted for that purpose. It looks a bit disturbed now but within a year it should look gorgeous and be a beautiful site for bird watching.

Start 'Plaining Governor Huckabee

The Club for Growth have been hounding Mike Huckabee on his tax and spend record in Arkansas. They have now set up a web site outlining his economic policies while Governor of Arkansas.

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has taken to calling himself a “fiscal conservative,” but who ever heard of a fiscal conservative who raised taxes and spending through the roof while governor of Arkansas? Mike Huckabee is also calling himself “a different kind of Republican,” but that’s just a codeword for a big-government Republican who wants to cover up his tax-and-spend record with folksy talking points and one-liners. Sorry Tax Hike Mike. No dice.

It might make the more conservative Republicans back off of Mike. At some point Mike is going to have to explain his tax increase record while Governor of Arkansas.

I Still Cry, Remembering 9/11

I still cry when I still pictures or videos of the towers. I still feel sorrow for those who needlessly died. I cry particularly for those who perished knowing that they were trapped and the terror they must have felt. I can never forget the images of people leaping from the buildings.
I cry tears of rage for the ones who would plan such acts, those who wrap themselves around their god. This was a very evil act and a religion which approves of such acts owes their allegiance to Satan.
I cry tears of frustration at the politicians who think this is just one event that we as a nation need to deal with. They are only looking at their current political career. They aren't concerned with the generations to come. They lack the understanding that this is but one battle in a war. A war that has been going on for thousands of years. They are willing to give in to evil and are even willing to work with evil.
I have wept tears of grief because over the past 6 years I have seen the Nation begin to lose it's soul and character. The Nation is slowly being led by people who have forgotten how to fight for freedom and security. They want to forget, to go back to the way things were before 9/11. The enemy isn't forgetting, they aren't giving up. They are plotting the next 9/11. I wonder, if another attack comes will we eventually forget that too?

Fayetteville Parks & Recreation, 2008 Budget

I came in late last night. Boy, was I exhausted. The Parks and Recreation meeting ran longer than usual. We went over the 2008 Operational budget. It's really amazing how much work the staff at P&R get accomplished. Anyway, they are planning for the next couple of years to be slim for the City of Fayetteville. Heck, I understand that, I'm finding ways to cut back in my own budget.
The Parks and Recreation have seen an increase in their workload. The City of Fayetteville has added a number of parks and trails and they need to be maintained and/or developed. Yeah, they have to do this without an increase in personnel. I didn't realized how many part-time people they employ. They commented they have difficulty in hiring and retaining employees. Parks and Recreation staff have decided to consolidate some of their part-time positions into full time positions. This will have some added costs because the full time positions will get benefits. Staff have figured out if they increase the cost of recreational programs (sport leagues, youth camps) by $10 they will cover the additional costs of the new full time employees.
One of the biggest concerns the staff had was that the amount of work would eventually overwhelm the current staff. This would force the staff to consider limiting the number of times they may groom the parks. The parks could start looking a little scraggly. Well, if this happens and people start complaining I'm going to make sure to direct their complaints to the Mayor and City Council.

Present From the Cats

I stepped out on the porch to putze around the backyard. I slipped into my shoes which I keep handily placed by the door. Huh, there was something in my shoe! I took it off and shook it out. A Mouse! It had taken refuge in my shoe. I guess the cats had been hunting it earlier. I was lucky it didn't bite me.

Bows, Smelling the Flowers

Saturday was my big weeding day around the house. Bows rolled around in all the dirt I was generating on the sidewalk. She did show her appreciation for my work by dutifully sniffing the flowers. I think she approves.

More cats at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Protecting The Children

Michelle Malkin has a story which makes it imperative that the proposal to ban unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children gets put on the ballet. While Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel rejected the current wording, Jerry Cox, the Family Council president hopes to be able to make the needed changes to get it certified.

Members of his organization and its supporters, who helped campaign for the state’s ban on gay marriage in 2004, have been looking for a way to keep homosexuals from adopting or becoming foster parents. The group failed to push through the General Assembly this spring a bill that would have banned all homosexuals and cohabiting couples from adopting or becoming foster parents.

While there is a desperate need for foster parents, we shouldn't have to send children into a worse situation then what they've escaped. What we particularly don't need is case workers to be so politically correct that they fail to protect the children they're responsible for.

"The sexual orientation of the men was a significant cause of people not ‘thinking the unthinkable’.
"It was clear that a number of staff were afraid of being thought homophobic.
"The fear of being discriminatory led them to fail to discriminate between the appropriate and the abusive."

These case workers shouldn't have been bullied or frightened into not performing their duties because they might offend a citizen minority which labels anyone who questions anything about their lifestyle as being discriminatory.

The Clintons, Blocking "The Path to 9/11"?

I rarely watch an entire season of a show, even if it's one I like. I'm just not able to sit down and watch a show at the same time every week. I suppose I could TiVo it but I haven't really gotten into the TiVo thing. I've been renting the whole series from Netflix and watching the whole season at one time. No commercials!
I was looking forward to watching "The Path to 9/11". Well, it looks like that is not going to happen. A bunch of TV DVDs are slated for nationwide release this month and "The Path to 9/11" is not on the list nor is it expected to be released in the near future.

With no date for the release, questions are being raised about whether political pressure is behind its current status as a stalled or discarded DVD project. The reasons are murky, but the miniseries' writer, Cyrus Nowrasteh, believes it's crystal clear: Powerful forces are out to protect Bill Clinton's presidential legacy and shield Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) from any potential collateral damage in her bid for the White House.

Why am I not surprised. The entertainment and news media are going to do everything they can to make sure the Clintons get back to the White House. I'm sure they are going to do everything possible to make sure no one remembers just how badly the Clinton's Administration was. They are particularly going to make sure no one remembers how much the Clinton's administration was responsible for 9/11.

Springdale's Arvest Ballpark, Trashy Name

I've always thought that naming a city's sports center after a business was just plain tacky. I've always thought that such a major landmark within a city should be named after some one who had done something for the city, a hero or an outstanding citizen. It's just really pathetic to have a ballpark named just so a business can be advertised. Springdale and the Arvest Bank really should be ashamed of themselves. How about doing the right thing and give the park a name the city can be proud of.

Ron Paul, Fruitcake

The Ron Paul supporters had a booth at the Washington County Fair. The booth was a bit strange and I thought the people manning the booth was just as odd. I'm sort of listening to the GOP debate on Fox. Boy, Ron Paul has lost his mind. He just went off the deep end with the liberal talking points. I can't believe that he's a Republican. He's talking more like the Democrats. Do they have him on these debates just for comic relief?

Editors note: You'd think I'd learn to spell.

Hsu on the Lam Again

Oh Gee! You could have seen this coming a mile away. But the MSM seem to absolutely shocked that disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu failed to show up for his court date, again. This guy has spent 15 years on the lam from a felony theft conviction you think he's going to show up in court? Of course, no one asked him to turn over his passport. The judge and prosecutor are twits. Now, which country do you think he fled to?

Lake Fayetteville Trail Ribbon Cutting

This afternoon the City of Fayetteville held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly constructed extension of the Lake Fayetteville Trail. This is a asphalt multi-use trail. It's really nice for those who like to ride bikes on pavement and you can even get a motorized wheelchair on it. I myself still use the undeveloped trail, because I like the more natural feel. This trail will allow more people to enjoy more of Lake Fayetteville.

Cooling on Global Warming?

Dare I hope that people are actually realizing that the global warming freaks are frauds. Is a light bulb going off in people's mind that, "Hey! these guys are really nuts"? The BBC will be dumping Planet Relief, a big day-long TV special about Climate change.

Negative reaction to this summer’s flop Live Earth concert, promoted by Al Gore, was cited as a factor. Audience feedback found that viewers wanted serious, informed programmes about the planet’s future.

Then, reported by Roger Friedman, Leonardo DiCaprio's new film on global warming has bombed with moviegoers.

His environmental documentary, "The 11th Hour," has been a total bust at the box office. After 18 days in release, the film has grossed only $417,913 from ticket sales. The 90-minute snore-fest is playing on 111 screens this week, but that number is likely to be reduced this Friday.

People might be waking up to the fact that their predictions of imminent doom aren't occurring. It might also be that the real scientific facts on the planet's climate is starting to trickle into people's brains. Hopefully, the public's disillusion with the global warming alarmism will lead to stopping the politicians from enacting policies and programs based on global warming.

NWA Times, Snubbing NWA Citizens

George Arnold is taking up the case of poor Andres Chao, the Mexican consul. Poor, poor Andres has been snubbed by that dastard Steve Womack, mayor of Rogers. Doesn't Steve understand who Andres is? Doesn't he know what an important person he is? Why he represents thousands of illegal immigrants in NW Arkansas. Why even President Felipe Calderon declared on Sunday that "Mexico does not end at its borders" and "Where there is a Mexican, there is Mexico." Why Steve is actually spitting on the representative of our glorious conquerer.
OK, enough of being sarcastic. Steve Womack is dealing with the problem of an increasing number of criminals within the illegal immigration community. He's trying to keep the citizens of Rogers safe from these often violent criminals. Apparently rounding up these criminals is more important to Steve than sucking up to the Mexican government. If Andres is just going to complain about Rogers actually enforcing our laws then I agree there is nothing to talk about.

You’d think Mayor Womack would want to hear other views, especially on a subject as touchy as this one.

Yes, this is a touchy subject. People what our laws enforced and they want to be safe in their homes and streets. George Arnold needs to remove his lips from Andres Chao's butt and actually pay attention to the concerns of the citizens of NW Arkansas.

Exploiting Illegals

The NWA Times has made a really shocking discovery.

Some employers in Northwest Arkansas may be finding a competitive advantage by exploiting immigrants.

Aren't you just well and truly shock that businesses would do such a thing? Is the NWA Times just now waking up to the fact that thousands of illegal immigrants are being abused? The problem with being illegal is that people can take advantage of one's fear of getting caught.

Townsend said that while immigrants are often working for lower wages, they are in better situations than if they did not come to the U.S. For many the risks of being an illegal immigrant are much more favorable than those of staying in their native land.

I guess that the choice one makes when they decide to come to the U.S. illegally. You run the risk of being ripped off. You can complain all you want about the unethical businesses exploiting illegals, but the fact remains illegals made their choice when they crossed the border.
None of this is going to change until the President's administration get serious about upholding our immigration laws. The President wasted too much time trying to get all these illegals citizenship when he should have been up scaling our immigration departments so they could worked in the U.S. legally.

Note: A link to the article was not available. I'll try to add it later.

War on Plastic Bottles

Bottled water is very, very bad, for the environment that is. The profusion of those bottles have led a number of mayors to prohibit those little suckers in city offices. So what happens when these eco-friendly "greenies" clash with the general public? Crapolicio.us has pictures. Why can't they just recycle? Over at Boing Boing
there is this comment.

Ironically, this aging high school football stadium has no functioning drinking fountains, no easily-accessible potable water, and even has warning signs on the restrooms that say "Do not drink water from the sinks."

Sigh! Why is it that these "greenies" act so stupidly?

Arkansas Senator Given Donations by Hsu

Another Democrat forced to give up the money they received from fugitive Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu.

(Mark)Pryor follows the lead of other politicans, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, in returning thousands of dollars from Hsu. A judge in San Mateo County Superior Court ordered Hsu handcuffed and held on $2 million bond Friday after Hsu turned himself in.

Well, I'm not suprised that the Clinton campaign is involved in shady money and characters. Mark Pryor is going to have to be careful not to get to close to the Clintons if he wants to look clean.

Labor Day Weekend

Oh my Goodness! What a great weekend! I don't think I've ever had a nicer weekend since living here. The temperatures have always been HOT! The weather was perfect. There morning were cool enough that I was able to work in the garden Saturday and hike around Lake Fayetteville Sunday. I wasn't baking went I went to the Clothesline Fair, Sunday afternoon. It was actually nice to stroll around. I am paying for all the activities. I am really sore, particularly my leg muscles. Well, I'm taking advantage of Labor Day by putzing around the house.