Toby the kitten is getting bigger! He still loves Casey. Casey is the only animal in the house that will tolerate playing with him for any length of time. The other cats are well into adulthood and they really don't enjoy rough-housing. It doesn't stop Toby from trying, but the cats eventually evade him. They probably wouldn't agree with me, but Toby's running around has saved them from being old fogies. "All this stuff about how different Barack Obama is, they're not just used to somebody really smart. They're just not used to somebody who's really well educated. They just don't know quite how to handle it. Cause if he's as smart as Barack is he must not be from my neighborhood."
Go and welcome another blogger to our growing Arkansas family. Joseph Wood is the current State Treasure for the Republican Party of Arkansas. He has made a few comments about Senators Obama and McCain along with his impression of Gov Sarah Palin. He was at the GOP convention and has a few observations and pictures. Joseph is also welcoming any comments about his blog and any hints to make it better. Happy Blogging, Joseph!
I have never cried over the opinion pages much less a cartoon on the opinion page. There was, at first, the absolute shock of such a graphic picture and then the understanding of what emotions Harville was producing. I applaud the editors of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for actually putting the cartoon on the page. There may be some that would object to such a vivid picture, but there is no denying that it produces extremely strong emotions. This is my Son Joe Cook. He has two other brothers who have both served in Iraq. I am proud of all three of them. I am so proud of all our brave young men who have served their country.
Most of the increased expenses are for personnel costs, fuel increases and increases in technology contracts, such as computer program updates,
"That's the job of the City Council, is to amend and approve the budgets. We will present to you what we think is the best. You can go back through there and cut programs, raise taxes, change things around. By law, that's your job,"said Coody.
The national stage she’s now been given means her choice could have much wider significance and constitute an enormous symbolic leap ahead for children with Down syndrome and their parents.
I appreciate and agree with your article about how Trig’s life could have an enormous impact on changing how many pockets of our society look unfavorably upon children with special needs. I am happy to say that in Northwest Arkansas, we are not one of those pockets. We have a 9-year old, Caleb, who was born with mental and physical disabilities due to Hydrocephalus. He is an inspiration to his family, his therapists and everyone else that spends two seconds with him. He was our first child, and we have had four more children since, each two years apart. The reaction we get from people, wherever we go, is not one of disapproval, but admiration. I cannot remember a single time anyone has ever approached my wife or me to question whether we made the right decision.
As an example, after Caleb was born, my work associates at Tyson Foods, Inc. threw us a baby shower. There were so many people that showed up to show their support, folks were spilling out of the large conference room and were lining the halls. As soon as my wife and I stepped into the hall with Caleb in her arms, everyone began to cheer. I have seen the same reaction with others that have brought special children into the world.
I believe God has a special plan for each of us, and can use children with disabilities to give perspective and inspiration to others like no one else can. Perhaps God blessed the Palin family with Trig for the very purpose of bringing perspective and inspiration to a Nation in desperate need of both.
Biden had an awkward moment during a rally in Columbia, Mo., Tuesday. At the start of his remarks, he pointed out several state lawmakers in the audience for praise. When he got to Chuck Graham, a state senator from Green Meadows, Biden urged the lawmaker to "stand up Chuck, let 'em see ya.” But Graham, who is in a wheelchair, can't stand up - a fact Biden quickly picked up on.
Sensible Fayetteville was formed in 2007 as a coalition made up by members of the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology, the Green Party of Washington County, the University of Arkansas student branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and the Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas Inc.
I'm at a Tribute to Cindy McCain lunch in Minneapolis. Elizabeth Hasselbeck from The View is emcing and she just announced : "Unlike the wife of another political candidate who shall remain nameless, [Cindy McCain] didn't come [to cohost The View] with a list of topics we weren't allowed to touch."
We have a water cat in the house. Toby has discovered running water and tries to play with it every chance he can. The bathtub has become a place he can jump in and play. Well, the bathtub is next to the toilet, so he figures that if you're sitting there you can play with him.Being a mother of a Down syndrome child, raising five children, rising, without money or family influence, to the governorship on an anti-corruption and commonsense platform, in addition to trying to run the largest-sized state in the union, critical to both the energy and defense security of the nation, all that should have made liberals and feminists, if reluctantly, nevertheless appreciative of her success in a mostly male political world.
In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of parents and children in the same situation the Palins are now facing. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances. Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord. I've been the beneficiary of that forgiveness and restoration in my own life countless times, as I'm sure the Palins have. The media are already trying to spin this as evidence Gov. Palin is a 'hypocrite,' but all it really means is that she and her family are human. They are in my prayers and those of millions of Americans.
What a great weekend I had! I took Friday off and spent most of the day in Devils Den hiking and doing some geocaching. One of the first thing I saw entering the park was this truck stuck on the corner. I had to cross into the ditch to get around it. It took them several hours to get it unstuck.
I took Casey with me because he enjoys running around while I'm looking for those caches. A number of really great caches have been placed in Devils Den the past week. I highly recommend any geocachers to look for them especially if you have children. There are a lot of trinkets in the caches for them.
Today I took a friend with her kids geocaching. They were so excited to find the caches and get a trinket. I took the opportunity to present them a Travel Bug in their name in appreciation for helping me when I sprained my ankle. They came over and mowed the lawn, weeded the flower beds and cleaned the house. I really hope their TB travels far and long.Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on; 'Twas not given for thee alone, Pass it on; Let it travel down the years, Let it wipe another's tears. Pass it on." -- Rev. Henry Burton
As for you, it was in your mind to do me evil, but God has given a happy outcome, the salvation of numbers of people, as you see today. (Gen 50:20)
It's an idea that maddens Samantha Stevens, 18, of Heidelberg, who was among those who pulled up to Avenue A across from the plant's entrance throughout the day. She said she has been unable to find a job since she graduated from Heidelberg High School in the spring and blames, in part, the willingness of companies to hire illegal workers.
Arkansas continues to have one of the nation's highest poverty rates and lowest median household incomes, as high gas prices and housing worries still trouble the country, new U.S. Census Bureau data shows.
"The reality of these numbers are worse than what they're showing us," said Kevin Fitzpatrick, a sociology professor at the University of Arkansas. "There are more people looking into shelters and showing up in soup kitchens and trying to access services this year in 2008 than ... last year."
Put 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid cars - cars that get 150 miles per gallon - on the road by 2015, cars that we will make sure are built here in America.
I've had a scooter for several months now. I purchased a used one when gas was just over $3 and quickly rising to $4 and rumors that it would go up to $5. As work is less than 10 miles away, I thought the scooter would work fine for me. I have been extremely pleased with it. I have saved quite a bit of money and I am able to utilize my truck on the weekends without having to shell out more money. I would like to have more parking spaces for motorcycle and scooters. I do park in a regular parking space, but I feel bad about taking up the whole space. I also worry that people think a space is empty, pull in and realize that there is a cycle there and hit it. I like how Dickson Street has the cycle spots in front of Jose's. There needs to be more of them around Fayetteville. It would be nice if the larger retailers were to re stripe a few parking spaces and designate them for cycles. 
I manned the Republican Party's booth at the Washington County fair for a few hours tonight. Oh boy, it was so nice and cool! Other summers it has always been so hot. Candidates are stopping by and talking to people. We put Mark Martin to work blowing up balloons. Working the booth is fun because you get to eat, drink, hang out and talk. 
Erval Frayley, Washington County Judge Candidate, has quite a crew working for him. They've put up a really nice booth and he has everyone working hard. 
I was reading through a section of today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette where I notice that there were several large ads regarding the energy issue. One ad was from a coalition of diverse businesses, one from the American Petroleum Institute. and one from a research group. The ads were placed toeducate consumers on America’s energy resources and the need to increase domestic supplies to help create jobs, grow the economy, and lower energy costs for American families. Thomas Pyle, president, issued the following statement:The pressure against the Democrats is still growing strong. The Republicans are going to make this a major issue come November. McCain has used the Russian invasion of Georgia to emphasize why American needs to have supply of oil that is not compromised by unfriendly countries.
"Liberal activists have treated American energy like a four-letter word for decades, even though it’s the key to our prosperity and our high standards of living in the United States," Pyle said. "These individuals and organizations would have American citizens believe that their country is running out of oil and natural gas, that what does remain cannot be produced safely, and that development would only have a negligible effect on price. These assertions are patently false."
By the time he was nominated, Clarence Thomas had worked in the Missouri Attorney General's office, served as an Assistant Secretary of Education, run the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and sat for a year on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the nation's second most prominent court. Since his "elevation" to the High Court in 1991, he has also shown himself to be a principled and scholarly jurist.
Obama isn't yet four years out of the Illinois state Senate, has never held a hearing of note of his U.S. Senate subcommittee, and had an unremarkable record as both a "community organizer" and law school lecturer.
Yet the San Francisco ballot measure completely ignores the prostitution of children. The measure simply states, "Law enforcement agencies shall not allocate any resources for the investigation and prosecution of prostitutes for prostitution." Astonishingly, there's no exemption that encourages police to enforce the law for minors."
His name is Tobias, or Toby. His name means "God is Good" and boy, has God been good to this boy. I picked him up several months ago when he ran in front of my truck on Wedington in the middle of the day. Lord, I don't know how he survived the run across 5 lanes of road. I stopped and braved the mosquito infested drainage ditch and pulled him from a bush. He was bleeding from several tears to his mouth, (fought something and lost) so I got blood on my shirt. I left him overnight at the vets because he need to have his lips repaired. The original thought was to foster him until he was healed and then get him adopted.
I was in trouble as soon as Casey saw Toby. Casey pretty much figured that he was Toby's mother and Toby absolutely adores Casey. Not content with wrapping Casey around his paws, Toby proceeded to charm the rest of the cats. At night he snuggles up to Bows. Bows has found her mothering instinct, too. I didn't realize it but the household of pets have become rather staid. Toby has certainly liven the place up. Anyway, I have come to rationalize Toby's continued presence in the house. Trixie is having a really difficult time getting up and down now. I rarely take her out of the house because she has difficulty walking. I'm expecting her to die anytime soon. I had thought to get another dog to keep Casey company, but since he has adopted Toby I'll just drop that idea. I didn't really want another dog, it's easier to travel with just one dog and less expensive to board. That's my rationalization and I'm sticking to it.A total of 22. 4 percent, or 477, 434, Arkansas adults smoked last year, down from 26. 3 percent in 2002, according to the Arkansas Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System.
State Rep. Gene Shelby, D-Hot Springs, said he’s considering legislation to increase Arkansas’ cigarette tax by about 50 cents per pack. Raising the tax could help pay for a trauma system to help coordinate emergency medical care statewide, said Shelby, an emergency room doctor.
Does the Fayetteville Arts Festival generate enough revenue to justify the city coughing up money to fund it? I've heard the question ask but the answer has always been "we don't know". The city has had to give up a lot of things in the last budget that I think are more important than the Arts Festival. If the Festival was generating enough revenue to cover the city's donation, I'd have no problem with giving it money.The arts festival's ideal budget is $54,000, said Daniel Keeley, the director of Fayetteville Downtown Partners. So far, the group has attracted about $14,000 in in-kind donations and another $10,000 in private contributions. Another $15,000 puts the festival at $39,000.
Two of these bridges will be installed near the intersection of Prospect and Frisco Streets (named Cleveland and Frisco Bridges) and the last bridge will be installed north of Van Asche Dr. in the CMN Business Park (named CMN Bridge). The bridges will be installed by Kinco Constructors with the Cleveland bridge being the first to be installed starting at 8:00 am. The CMN Bridge will then follow at around 10:00 am and the Frisco Bridge will be installed around (?). The public is invited to watch the bridge installation, but will be required to stay a safe distance from the work area.
I was able to go to McCain's fundraiser in Rogers. I'm told that this is probably the last time he comes to Arkansas. McCain started off discussing the energy problem. He chided Nancy Pelosi for not allowing a vote on drilling for oil. Americans are overwhelming in favor of drilling. He noted that while Democrats were on vacation, the Americans hit hardest by gas prices drove the furthest and drove the oldest cars. McCain said that we should pursue everything to make us energy independent. He said that for once we should copy the French who obtain 80% of their energy from nuclear power.
McCain promised that ,unlike Obama, he would not raise taxes nor would he allow government to make family health choices. He said families need to make their own health care choices. He also said that he was opposed the the Card Check bill that ,of course, Obama supports. He then turned to Iraq, declaring that we have succeeded and are winning. He said he intends to see soldiers returning from Iraq, come back in victory.
The biggest thing that struck me was the enthusiasm that McCain has for America's ability to solve it's problems. Not at all like Obama's "America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children."
The Trails Construction crew has started the section under the Fulbright Expressway. I stood in the entrance of the tunnel. Yikes, it is really dark in the tunnel! You can't see much more than 20 feet into the tunnel. I wonder what kind of lights they are going to put in? Man, it would be fun to ride a bike through this!
Arkansas is very nearly the last state Obama would waste time in. So to summarize with brutal candor: Obama's biggest political problem nationally is with white rural voters and that only so happens to be the very group that decides races in Arkansas.
A postscript: If Obama carries Arkansas, it'll mean there's one seriously massive national landslide for him. Which there could be.
I never knew the A-frame signs were forbidden. I occasionally see them around and really pay no attention to them. I haven't found one that said free lunch yet. I suppose they are a good idea for shops wanting to entice people in and really good for those shops that are tucked away in a shopping center. I suppose if the ordnance passes all the shops can put them out. Just imagine it, all those signs on sidewalks everywhere. Ummm, Oh Boy! Maybe it's not such a good idea after all. A couple of cute signs are a heck of a lot different then a sidewalk littered with them. Maybe we should leave well enough alone.
Nobody really thinks that, that, that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face. So what they are going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know he--oh, he's not patriotic enough. He's got a funny name. You know, he doesn't look like all of those other presidents on those dollar bills.
The city of Fayetteville has shelled out $3.5 million dollars and all they've got to show for it is a mosquito farm. With the current credit crunch and the price of gas it's really hard to be optimistic about the Renaissance project ever being completed. John Nock and his partners has built some good projects around Fayetteville. It's just a shame that all of that is going to be overshadowed by the Renaissance. Of course, this attitude doesn't help either.But owners and developers John Nock and Richard Alexander maintain that when they have paid the last of the liquidated damages to the city, their obligation to the city is over. "In my opinion, we've complied with the contract, done everything we said we'd do, and we still intend to build the hotel," Alexander said.
Leaders from the civil rights, African American, evangelical, agriculture and consumer advocacy communities have launched a national campaign to publicly unmask more than 100 politicians and 50 environmental extremist groups that are waging an immoral "war on the poor" by pushing policies that limit America’s ability to produce more America energy and drive energy prices skyward.
Whew! I made the NWA Geocachers meeting in Rogers. I zoomed up from the Republican Convention in LR with time to spare. It was great to meet some of the local cachers. Heh! Even meet a couple that live fairly close to me. I learned a bit about a few geocaches that were a little tricky and saw a cute mini ammo box. I found some one else who had a TB on their vehicle. In other geocaching news, my Geo-cat coin made it out to California. What a ride!
This year I decided to let a lawn-care company take care of all the weeds, crab grass and bare spots in my lawn. The price they charged was what I have been spending in the past and I wasn't getting the job done. I am so glad that I purchased the lawn treatments. My lawn is weed free, nearly crab grass free and is starting to thicken up. Best of all, some one else is doing the work. So, Eli gets to enjoy a good roll on a nice thick lawn. Mmmm, there's nothing like laying on the lawn with all 4 paws in the air.Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor. Ronald Reagan
Maliki's public utterances do not provide a reliable guide as to when it will be safe to pull out U.S. troops. Better to listen to the military professionals
In May 2006, shortly after becoming prime minister, he claimed, "Our forces are capable of taking over the security in all Iraqi provinces within a year and a half." In October 2006, when violence was spinning out of control, Maliki declared that it would be "only a matter of months" before his security forces could "take over the security portfolio entirely and keep some multinational forces only in a supporting role." President Bush wisely ignored Maliki. Instead of withdrawing U.S. troops, he sent more. The prime minister wasn't happy. On Dec. 15, 2006, the Wall Street Journal reported, "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has flatly told Gen. George Casey, the top American military commander in Iraq, that he doesn't want more U.S. personnel deployed to the country, according to U.S. military officials." When the surge went ahead anyway, Maliki gave it an endorsement described in news accounts as "lukewarm." In January 2007, with the surge just starting, Maliki predicted "that within three to six months our need for the American troops will dramatically go down." In April 2007, when most of Baghdad was still out of control, the prime minister said that Iraqi forces would assume control of security in every province by the end of the year.
The MSM is no longer hiding the fact that they are determined that Obama becomes President. This image was captured from the Chicago Sun-Times Web page today. Really, they need to change it to O-FARCE-One.!
Washington County Republican's officially opened their office in Springdale. I must say they did a really good job this time. The new office (2576 West Sunset, Skyler Center) is a whole lot nicer than the office they've had the past few years. Local and state officials, candidates and all their supporters gathered to enjoy some really great music and hot dogs with chips. It was a really good time to catch up with the candidates to see what they are doing and what they need.
Planning like the City Plan 2025 and the Downtown Master Plan; the airport funding itself; completion of Dickson Street renovation and the new senior center; improvements on College Avenue that "will knock your socks off"; a schedule for repaving streets; rebuilding intersections; three new fire stations that came in on time and under budget; forming the Fayetteville Economic Development Council; and improvements on the city's trail system were among accomplishments Coody listed.
He went on to say that a New York Times article explained that major projects - private and public - cost much more than anticipated all across the United States.
When it was revealed that it would come in over budget and behind schedule, Coody assumed the responsibility, although true legal accountability for the troubled project rested in the lap of the city’s entire sewer committee.
So the reasons he mentioned this time were familiar: The project’s original cost had been unrealistic, inflation had driven the cost much higher, as had unusually high price increases on everything from cement to steel and copper. Finally, the response to Hurricane Katrina had pushed construction costs up on other projects all over the country.
Governor Paterson, delivering a speech today at the NAACP's 99th annual convention at Cincinnati, suggested that the defeat of Senator Obama in the presidential election would be a victory for racism in America.
Like cutting the number of school districts in this relatively small state to a manageable number. Say, to 75—one for each county.
These men, dressed in the clownlike uniforms of the human powered two-wheeler, made obscene gestures and shouted at me, but they did move to the side of the road to allow my passage (a loud truck horn tends to get one's attention ).
27-49-111. Use of bicycles or animals. Every person riding a bicycle or an animal, or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway, shall have all the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except those provisions of this act which by their nature can have no applicability.
People want more parks. Parks with more baseball and soccer fields. Parks with playgrounds for the kids and walking trails for the adults. How about the dogs? We need a park for them too. What about the city's Alternative Transportation and Trails Master Plan which has 129 miles of future trails that will connect parks, neighborhoods and citizens for years to come. The Community Park in the Southpass Development is expected to have at least 20 baseball and soccer fields. The City Council has passed ordinances in order to establish parks and have even encouraged people to vote for the passage of the Trails Bond. I guess the one thing they have failed to do is plan for the care of the parks. The City Council praises our parks and trails and yet fails to hire people to take care of them. The Parks and Recreation Department is already easing up on the upkeep of the parks."But the surrounding areas, sometimes, we're mowing less and less just because we're trying to protect the active-use areas," Edmonston said. Another change has been reducing the mowing on the sides of the trails.
"As Fayetteville continues to grow in population, we need to make sure our city stays green," said the mayor, who added that the city's park system is "by far the number-one favorite"in the city survey. "Especially when we are trying to encourage more dense development and encourage more infill and walkability and livability, if we start cutting back on our greenspace, then over time we will cut back on the quality of life for our community," Coody said.
