Thursday, January 31, 2008

Here Fishy, Fishy!


This is weird. I've had this Betta fish for months. Eli has finally discovered that there is something moving in the tank. He's been pawing at the tank trying to get it. I just hope he doesn't figure out how to take the top off the tank.

More cats at Friday Ark

Benton County's Cost of Being Dry

You know, I never thought about this.

The (Benton)county's private club system -- restaurant guests buy memberships in exchange for the privilege of consuming alcohol -- is confusing and costs the area major events, said Annette Nichols of the Hyatt Place in Rogers.
Those groups take a pass on scheduling events in Benton County when they learn of its dry status and the complications of getting a liquor permit or selling memberships for what might be a three-day event.

Benton County is losing a lot of tax revenue by being a dry county. I wonder if the loss of business is enough for residents to vote to change Benton Country's dry status?

Only Eight?

The Massachusetts GOP has a new website devoted to the eight reasons why John Kerry should get the boot. It seems that Kerry has only been the lead sponser of only 8 bills during his 24 years in the U.S. Senate. Seems to me that's the ideal legislator. The fewer laws they pass, the better off we, and the country, will be.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Fayetteville HS, Graduating Failures

I'm assured that I am still going to be able to find a job when I'm in my 70's and 80's. The students that will be graduating are going to be too damn stupid to fill any jobs.
With a unanimous vote, the Fayetteville Board of Education approved no longer requiring high school seniors to achieve a minimum 2. 0 grade-point average to graduate.

Of course, this also means that these kids are going to be earning little money to put into Social Security that would allow me to retire comfortably. Sighhh! I guess no condo in Florida.
I guess that eliminates the stress that teachers had attempting to get students to actually graduate with a 2.0 GPA. Boy, people actually expected them to teach and inspire students to learn and succeed.

Story

Red Oak Park, Again and Again

The Red Oak Park was the subject to a long discussion again at the Ward 4 meeting. The same old stuff was rehashed again. We had a suggestion of redoing the storm drainage in the neighborhoods so that water is no longer flowing into the park. Wow, is that an economically feasible option! Aubry once again preach the Gospel of Rain Gardens. Again, this should have been done in the initial planning of the neighborhoods. There is no way the City can legally force people to maintain rain gardens on their property. Look, a lot of these residents are renters who have a difficult time keeping their homes garbage free. No way are they going to upkeep a rain garden. The Parks and Recreation are looking into what it would take to put in a detention pond. I don't think there is enough room for it and even if there is, it would destroy all the trees and vegetation on the south end of the park. The south end also has the most usable part of the park. It currently has a small track and a playground. Say goodbye to that! That leaves the plan that Mr Dale Evans has proposed. Sad to say, no decision was reached. Well, there was a decision to have another meeting. Arghhhh!

Friday, January 25, 2008

Gene Long Campaign Kickoff, Fayetteville

Last night Gene Long started his campaign for State Representative District 89 with a fundraiser at the Fayetteville Town Center. His uncle, State Senator (Louisiana) Gerald Long was the guest speaker. Senator Long is a former resident of Rogers. He spoke about the need for leaders with integrity. He described several standards that voters should look for in their candidates. Accountability, availability and transparency. Standards, he said, Gene had and that with Gene, what you saw in public was who he was in private.

Gene's campaign is off to a good start. The fundraiser was well attended and a number of the local Republican leaders were on hand to give him support.

(Pictured left to right: Gene Long, Sen. Gerald Long, and former state representative Doug Matayo)

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Brace Yourself


Yup, that's 65 lbs of dog racing towards you. Yes, he's going to hit you and he's enjoying it! The Clabber Creek trail is one of Casey's favorite running spots.

More dogs at Friday Ark. and canine carnival

The Tax Rebate

We have tax rebates! So, a number of us will be getting a little money back from the government. Wheee!
Individuals who pay income taxes would get up to $600, working couples $1,200 and those with children an additional $300 per child under the agreement. Workers who make at least $3,000 but don't pay taxes would get $300 rebates.

Interesting bit there, people who don't pay taxes are going to get a tax rebate? Huh! Meanwhile, people who pay the most in taxes are going to get diddly squat.
The rebates would phase out gradually for individuals whose income exceeds $75,000 and couples with incomes above $150,000, aides said. Individuals with incomes up to $87,000 and couples up to $174,000 would get partial rebates.

The one-time spurt in retail sales from the rebates may please retailers, briefly, but can't sustain the broader economy. Making the tax cuts permanent would have a long term impact on the economy. Handing out tax rebates without fundamentally lowering tax rates is a waste of money. Fortunately, it won't hurt economy. It's just pure election year politics, placate the masses.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

What's Going On?

I'm having a really busy week so I'm doing little blogging. I've been in Little Rock the past couple of days helping out with a lab inspection. I drove down Monday afternoon, which was a good thing since I was able to miss out on all the ice problems on I-540.
I finally got to see the duck parade at the Peabody. Ok yes, they are cute. I had a really nice dinner with a group of technologists from Texas. One of them was into dog sports like me so we could talk about our dogs. I really enjoyed inspecting a lab that had everything together. (OK, I enjoyed it while the lab supervisor was a bit anxious.) It was nice to have an inspection go smoothly and I only offered a few suggestions and ideas. I like sitting down with other techs and talking about issues we have to deal with in the lab and what we do to resolve them. I even managed to pick up a few ideas to incorporate in my office. This was probably the best inspection I have done.
I drove back late Tuesday to find everything had iced up and my trash not picked up. (It didn't get pick up today either). Any way, I'm really behind in catching up with the news. It's particularly difficult when the political and economy news is changing so fast.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Michael Yon & the NY Times

What a surprise! The NY Times does a good article on Michael Yon.

Hillary Clinton, Controlling the Economy

"I'm from the government and I'm here to help". Hillary Clinton hopes to say that to us.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said that if she became president, the federal government would take a more active role in the economy to address what she called the excesses of the market and of the Bush administration.
Mrs. Clinton put her emphasis on issues like inequality and the role of institutions like government, rather than market forces, in addressing them.

Man, that just really scares me shitless. Can you imagine the Federal Government meddling with the economy? (More than it does already). Her plan is a sure guarantee to push the country into a recession. I wonder if she'll go as far as
Hugo Chavez?
President Hugo Chavez threatened on Sunday to take over farms or milk plants if owners refuse to sell their milk for domestic consumption and instead seek higher profits abroad or from cheese-makers.

How about Clinton telling you the salary you can have, how much you can charge and what you can buy? Just watch your freedoms drain down the toilet if Hillary get into office.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

New Toy

When I opened the order I had gotten from Lambert Vet Supply I found that they had included a little toy (Thank you very much!). Tigger is subduing the thing and making sure that it isn't a danger to the house. I think he's doing a pretty good job of giving it a solid thumping.

More cats at Friday Ark

Scentaholic


Casey's favorite activity when we go out for walks is to go off sniffing around and hunting. He actually doesn't really catch anything but he has a lot of fun trying to follow the trails of any animals that go through those fields.
More dogs at Friday Ark. and canine carnival

Icy Morning Drive

I woke up this morning and saw that there was a light dusting of snow. I thought it was quite pretty. However, once I got on the road I was thinking something different. What a bad drive to work this morning! There were so many accidents, all of them on/by any bridge or overpass. I got hung up behind the accidents on I-540 and Fayetteville exit. I managed to divert to HWY 112 and passed the hospital just in time to see a truck slide off the Fulbright/Gregg overpass. Said a prayer for all the police and emergency people who are working their butts off. What a mess!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

An Republican Activist

Ohhh! I've been labeled a Republican activist. Wow! I've never thought of myself as one. Have I done enough to be called one? Of course, Max probably meant it as an insult, but hey, got to turn a lemon into lemonade. Do I get some sort of button or award? Is there a ceremony? I officially dub you an "Activist".
Well, thanks very much Max! I really appreciate the recognition.

Huckabee is Morphing Into Huckanut

O.K. Mike! I admit it! I am part of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy!
I'm the only guy who's just getting hammered from some of these special interest groups, and I think that'll really turn for me and against some of these folks. Because it's pretty obvious that, there's gotta be, almost this, I don't want to use the word conspiracy, but there's just an anxiety that exists in the Washington power circles about our candidacy.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Martin Luther King, Fayetteville Street

Well, the City Council changed the name of 6th Street to Martin Luther King. No surprise there. Around MLK's birthday some city is naming a street after him. While some do so because they really want to honor him, others do it because they don't want to be called racists and it's a chance for an outgoing Mayor to put another notch on their record. I have news for the Council, I'm still going to call it 6th street. That's how I've always know it and it'll be too difficult for me to change, particularly to something that's way too long to say.
I have another street in mind that they should change to MLK. I would have mentioned it but I could see the Council squirm in embarrassment and shame. We have a street that is named after a man that was a proud racist.
For most of his life and public service, Fulbright was a supporter of racial segregation. He signed The Southern Manifesto opposing the Supreme Court's historic 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. He subsequently joined with the Dixiecrats in filibustering the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as voting against the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Wikipedia

Fulbright was everything Martin Luther was fighting against. It would be honorable and sweet poetic justice if the Council had renamed the Fulbright Express to the Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

First Geocache in Fayetteville


I had gotten a hand-held GPS for Christmas and I finally got a chance to go and find my first geocache. I was surprised how accurate it was. Very nice! NW Arkansas has an amazing number of geocaches so there are plenty to find. Let the fun begin!

Annie in Fayetteville

Last night I went to see Annie at the Walton Arts Center. Fortunately, the night was cool and not freezing. It was a full house, nearly every seat was filled. There were an awful lot of kids that got to stay up way past their bedtime. The play was very charming, a very good play to take kids to see. This isn't the best Broadway play I've seen but it was fine. The part of Ms Hannigan was done by an understudy who flubbed up a couple of lines. More practice!
While Mr. Warbucks was telling Annie that he loved her (a tear-jerking minute), a number of us were chuckling. I can only image what the actors were thinking. When Mr. Warbucks told Annie he loved her, a little voice in the row behind me chirped, "I love you Mommy and Annie too". You would have laughed too! This night was definitely for the children.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Computer Triumph

Hallelujah! I've been working all evening on my computer. I've managed to get my profile back! I had to use System Restore to get it back. I had to go back to the 2nd of January which is really strange. I did manage to save all of the e-mail I received after the 2nd. I'm going to have to start backing up my e-mail. I was really lucky this time.

The Bookends

Eli and Tigger would really like to encourage Pope Ratzinger to write his book of cat stories.
After the funeral of his friend Pope John Paul II., Joseph Ratzinger thought he'd be able to return home to Germany after 24 years in Rome. He had a plan - writing stories, stories about cats.

There is always room for one more book about cats. You'd never associated the desire to write about cats with a Pope. Well, if I ever meet Pope Ratzinger I know I can talk about my cats.

Full Story

More cats at Friday Ark

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Computer Woes

I'm working off my laptop today. I lost my local profile on my desktop yesterday. So, I'm in the process of trying to recover it. I have several options to try. I sure hope one of them work. If they don't I'll be spending the weekend rebuilding my profile.

Change, Change, Change

I am so sick and tired of hearing that stinking phrase. The candidates, pudits and MSM are all calling for change. What kind of change does everyone want to make? Would some one explain what they mean by change and how they will achieve this change.
Why make so much about change? The economy is for the most part doing well, most people are working, the War on Terror is being won, we haven't been attacked since 9/11, we've overcome some really difficult tragedies and most people are basically satisfied with their lives. Those who want and call for all this change can't deal with the fact that many things (never everything) is doing just fine. This is America, the Land of Opportunity, and things are still basically great.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Obama, 1st Woman Prez

President Bill Clinton was declared our first black President. The NY Post has decided that Barack Obama would be first woman President if elected.
Yet it's not only Obama's policies and strategies that appeal to women. He is like a woman: slim, good looking, with long elegant fingers, appealingly dressed - all terms more typically ascribed to female candidates. Women are gravitating to Obama out of a different urge - the desire to invite him to our book club, join him for coffee or have him coach our child's soccer team. He embodies many of the positive characteristics we tend to regard as feminine: sensitive and empathetic, seeking to find common ground and minimize conflict, not taking power for granted. We've yet to catch Obama beating up an opponent

Bill Clinton took the "first black President" as a compliment. I don't think Obama would consider the title "first woman President" as one. Really, what real man wants to be described as a woman.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Arkansas, Ripping Off Charity

Was this what state legislators wanted to do charities?
State taxes are cutting away at the money once raised for local charities, said post quartermaster Randy George.(Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Springdale)
The money raised through the game funded two to five $500 college scholarships each year before the state taxation. Only one scholarship was offered in 2007 because the bingo game raised less money, he said.

It appears that the state is the only one making money from charity games. It's taking money from the people these charities help. Legislators definitely need to take a look at how much tax they are collecting.
The church( St. Bernard of Clairveaux Catholic Church in Bella Vista) is going to try its first bingo game Thursday and hopes to hold it twice a month, said parish manager Ray Brust, a church deacon. "I was taken aback when I realized the state was taxing so much," he said. "I'm not really sure why the state felt like it needed to get involved in taxing the games." The church plans to use any money generated by the game to help needy people in the community and continue financing several area nonprofits.

I don't think the state is in such desperate need for money that it has to take it from needy people.

Friday, January 04, 2008

The Iowa Caucas

Oboy, it's been on the news all weekend long. The Iowa Caucus and what it means. I conclude after listening to as much as I can stomach, nobody can really guess what is going to happen. I think one of the biggest surprises was how bad Hilary did. It's just going to make the Democrat race more interesting. Will Hillary get down and dirty?

Huckabee's win wasn't a surprise and from what I gather he's probably not going to repeat it. I'm not particularly happy about his win. He's a Christian socialist. He's "Big Government" compared with the Republican's "Little Government". I'm afraid his approach to every problem is going to launch another government program with an increase in taxes to support it. He's extremely liberal and George Will is comparing him to John Edwards.
He and John Edwards, flaunting their histrionic humility in order to promote their curdled populism, hawked strikingly similar messages in Iowa, encouraging self-pity and economic hypochondria. Edwards and Huckabee lament a shrinking middle class.
Although Huckabee and Edwards profess to loathe and vow to change Washington's culture, each would aggravate its toxicity. Each overflows with and wallows in the pugnacity of the self-righteous who discern contemptible motives behind all disagreements with them,

It's not good when a Republican is noted to share the same message as John Edwards.
I think this is what I want to ask the Republicans in Iowa.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Snuggles


With the temperature dipping to the single digits outside, Trixie and Casey are more than willing to share the sofa.

More dogs at Friday Ark. and canine carnival

Eli, Pork Chop Thief


Do I look innocent enough? I'm hoping she can't figure out who ate part of the pork chop she had out for dinner. It's got to be me or Tigger. Not Bows, miss goody-two-shoes. "BURP"! Ahh Shoot! My breath smells like pork chop.

More cats at Friday Ark

Picture This Landing

This is absolutely amazing. All I can say is our guys are really the greatest!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

The $100 A Barrel Oil

A trader's wish to be the first to purchase oil at $100 is the reason why we are going to see higher prices shortly.

The man behind the record rise in oil prices to $100 a barrel was a lone trader, seeking bragging rights and a minute of fame, market watchers say. "He paid $600 for the right to tell his grandchildren that he was the first in the world to buy $100 oil."

Would you really want people to know that you've pushed up the price of gas? Given how people feel about the high cost of gas, that might not be such a good idea.

Why Not Voter ID?

I truly don't understand this. Democrats are always the ones complaining about election fraud, but refuse to do anything meaningful about it.
"I oppose any effort to make voting more difficult, regardless of the impact on turnout," Rep. Steve Harrelson, D-Texakana, said Monday after being informed of the study.
(Dale) Charles said requiring a photo ID would dilute the election process and keep poor people and many blacks away from the polls.

One would think that Democrats would like to stop the voter fraud that they claim is occuring. The idea that the process of getting a voter ID card would prevent mostly poor people and blacks from voting is a bunch of crap.
"You're required to have a photo ID to get a library card, buy a video from Blockbuster and get on an airplane, but you're not (to vote) for president of the United States. How sad is that?" said Rep. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, who co-sponsored the bill.

Jon is right. How much of your day to day living requires a photo ID. What Is the real reason why Democrats don't want voter ID? Is it because they know the process would reveal that they are responsible for the voter fraud they consistently complain about?

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Mike Huckabee's Ad That Isn't An Ad

I'd really like to say what I think about Huckabee, but that it would be nasty and is beneath my dignity.

I was going to say he’s gutter-crawling, slimy, scumbag, manipulative piece of cow pie.

But I won’t.

So This is 2008

Well, so far it seems a lot like 2007. I'm glad I didn't stay up late enough to see it change. I made a resolution that I'd stop procrastinating and so today I have a clean house. Yup, dusted, vacuumed and mopped. The kitchen and bathrooms are cleaned and I just put in the last load of laundry. So, I've got a lot done and I feel tired. At least for the rest of the week I don't have to pretend the dirt doesn't exist. I wonder how long I'll be able to keep my resolution?