Gov. Beebe, Tire Plant Yes, Electrical Plant No!

While Gov. Beebe is working with Texas to convince that nasty, dirty Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. to keep its tire plant in Texarkana open, the Sierra Club and Audubon Society are trying to keep a coal-fired power plant in Hempstead County from being built. Gov. Beebe is working hard to keep those jobs and income from taxes in Arkansas.

Texarkana's plant has 1,400 workers. Local officials say Cooper Tire annually pays between $90 million and $100 million in direct wages.

The Sierra Club and Audubon Society are working to further impoverish the people in southwest Arkansas.

But Turk (plant) represents an economic boost to supporters in southwest Arkansas, where it would generate about $38 million in sales- and property-tax revenue and an annual payroll of $9 million.

Isn't this just rich! Gov. Beebe is working hard to keep a tire manufacturing plant (think oil product) in Arkansas because of the devastation the lost of jobs will have on Texarkana not to mention the loss of tax revenue. I don't imagine that a tire manufacturing plant is any less polluting than a coal burning electricity plant. Why isn't Gov. Beebe working just as hard to get the Turk plant built? Not only will it bring jobs and tax revenue but it will keep electricity inexpensive for customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.

Ahh, global warming! The biggest scientific hoax in history is once again going to devastate the poor.

No Wind, But A Lot Of Hot Air

A listener from Fayetteville got in on the Rush Limbaugh show where Jason Lewis was subbing for Rush. The caller mentioned an article in the NW Arkansas Times about the wind turbines at St Thomas Episcopal Church. The caller also mentioned Stephan Pollard who he said had declared in a discussion about energy that we need to "eliminate all forms of carbon." That doesn't surprise me because deep down the environmental extremists want to eliminated all life from Earth, particularly human. Anyway, Jason went off on wind turbines. He bluntly said they are a mis-allocation of resources.

I grew up hearing about how we needed to convert to solar and wind power. After 4 decades wind and solar still need government subsidies because they aren't viable. They are not going to be able to replace coal and natural gas plants. Jason mentioned some health hazards that the news article didn't feel obligated to print. There is the noise of the turbines, the flicker of the blades which interfere with drivers and pilots. Ice can form on those blades and fling them off. Do you want to be driving by those blades when they do that? Of course, we all want to see those visually offensive turbines on all of our mountain tops. I'd like to see them try to sticking one of those up on Mt. Sequoia or Mt. Kessler.

Jason finished off by quoting Christopher Booker in that 100,000 acres of wind turbines produce the amount of electricity as a 15 acre coal plant. Well, I couldn't find that quote but I found this

Mr Obama floats off still further from reality when he proposes spending $15 billion a year to encourage "clean energy" sources, such as thousands more wind turbines. He is clearly unaware that wind energy is so hopelessly ineffective that the 10,000 turbines America already has, representing "18 gigawatts of installed capacity", only generate 4.5GW of power, less than that supplied by a single giant coal-fired power station.

It's too bad you can't talk cold, hard, common sense science with these environmentalists. The wind/solar thing makes them feel like they're doing something for the environment. Feelings are more important than facts.

The War Against Peanuts

The health Nazi's are at it again. A Washington lobbyist group is attempting to ban peanuts from all schools. It's not only eating peanuts, it also touching them. You got to be careful in the halls of schools because you might get peanut cooties.

"Just a small amount of food on your hands can get on desks, books, playground equipment," warns the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.

The CDC's data shows that food allergy affects only 4% of children and about 1% of those are peanut allergies. So, why are these people trying to eliminate a food that has wonderful health benefits and affects only an extreme minority of children? With today's tough economy it doesn't make sense to eliminate an excellent low cost protein source for children. I grew up in a low-income family and PB&J sandwiches were something we ate for lunch nearly every day. We couldn't afford anything else.
Banning peanuts is unjust, even mean, to the 99 percent of students for whom peanut butter is the most practical source of protein they will eat. It is cheap, delicious, and won't spoil as meat or cheese might. For the sake of a few students, thousands are seriously inconvenienced. For Gods sake, if your kid is allergic to peanuts, have the school stock epinephrine. Don't deprive all the other children of peanuts. We don't need to be tyrannized by the minority.

Lioneld Jordan, New Mayor of Fayetteville

Channel 5 and Channel 40/29 have declared Lioneld the winner in the Fayetteville mayoral run-off election. Congratulation Lioneld!

An Epidemic of Ignorance in America

No, it's doesn't surprise me at all that most people failed a basic test about history, government, and economics. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute reported the results of its study on American Civic Literacy.

More than 2,500 randomly selected Americans took ISI’s basic 33 question test on civic literacy and more than 1,700 people failed, with the average score 49 percent, or an “F.” Elected officials scored even lower than the general public with an average score of 44 percent and only 0.8 percent (or 21) of all surveyed earned an "A."

What's really disturbing is that elected officials who make decisions about education are failing too. How can we expect our kids to learn when our leaders aren't learning either? The study sure explains why our leaders are making such lousy decisions. Congress is making major decisions on the economy and they are demonstrating how ignorant they are about history and economics. I swear we don't have learned men and women making informed decisions. What we have is the Keystone Cops, the Stooges and a circus of clowns running America.

"The most expensive commodity we have in the United States is ignorance." (Rush Limbaugh)

It's your turn. Take the test. Yes, I did get an A, but I sure don't know anything about philosophers. Hey, they are boring! I'm surprised I got the ones on economics. Well, multiple choice questions are easy to answer right because most of the time you can easily eliminate the wrong answers.

CQ Press, Metropolitan Crime Rate Rankings

According to CQ Press the Pine Bluff Metropolitan area ranks number 1 in its Metro Crime Rate Rankings. The Pine Bluff Metro area includes Cleveland, Jefferson and Lincoln counties. CQ Press says it's using an index that was once used by the FBI but has discontinued it because there were flaws in the data collection.

It was concerned that the Crime Index was inflated by a high number of larceny-thefts, which account for nearly 60 percent of reported crime, thereby diminishing the focus on more serious but less frequently reported offenses, such as murder and rape.

CQ Press also indicates other limitations in the data.

Although law enforcement agencies collect common information on crimes reported to and discovered by them, each state has slightly different criminal laws, and each law enforcement agency has its own policies and procedures for recording activity. This makes it very difficult to compare statistics across agencies, and to classify criminal activity consistently

I find it hard to believe that Pine Bluff has more crime that New Orleans, unless Hurricane Katrina forced the criminals to relocate to Arkansas. Of course, my experience is limited in that I've never visited South Arkansas. CQ Press's rankings would make one reconsider a visit to Pine Bluff. Can you imagine trying to get businesses or companies to relocate there?
Other Arkansas notables. QC Press has the Little Rock Metro at 10th , Texarkana Metro at 24th, Hot Springs Metro at 35th, and Jonesboro Metro at 113th.

Fayetteville's Development Blues

I'm afraid that the Renaissance Tower and the SouthPass developments have pretty much killed any future public/private deals. The Fayetteville City Council has demonstrated that they aren't up to making any real estate deals. Somehow the concepts that large developments cost a whole lot of money and the good times sometimes end just did not cross their minds.
I was thinking the same thing as Doug Thompson

My check into the SouthPass issue reached an early conclusion that nothing else shook: The City Council's resolution to let the mayor make this deal was vague enough to authorize just about anything.
I'm no lawyer, but I have hindsight and no scruples about second-guessing. Some phrase in that resolution that any deal was "subject to further council approval" would have been nice.

How did they ever let anything like this pass without getting an idea of how much it would cost and would it be possible for the city to afford it? The City Council is complaining that it might cost over $26 million dollars but they've had nearly 4 years to get some estimates and start to plan for it. Fayetteville Parks and Recreation have made plans such that they already have the money for the first phase of the park and have ideas on how to raise money for the rest of the park.
Sigh, why is it when it comes to big projects the City of Fayetteville somehow manages to screw it up?

Comparing the Snoopers

I guess that Ohio's inspector general doesn't take improperly accessing people's records as seriously as the St. Vincent Health System. What I find interesting is that those at St Vincent got fired because they just couldn't curb their curiosity. The little slap on the wrist by Gov Ted Strickland is really sickening. What he has done is made it plain that any citizen that makes a comment on any candidate will have their entire lives a subject of intense scrutiny. Anyone who investigates a citizen solely for the purpose of destroying them for a political purpose isn't going to be punished.

When someone speaks out, "Their government should then not try to discredit them and ruin their reputation by releasing information," [House Speaker Jon]Husted said. "You shouldn't want the government under anyone's control to do those kind of things to individual citizens."

Thanks, Ohio, for helping to kill free speech.

Agility Trial in Springfield

Casey and I went to an agility trial in Springfield this weekend. I had hoped that we'd pick up where we were earlier this year before I sprained my ankle. Boy, was I wrong. Casey acted as if this was his first time at a trial. People were so nice about it. "He's such a happy dog!" and "He looks like he's having a lot of fun!" Dang dog went ADD on me! He didn't Q on most of his runs because he was losing time greeting the bar setters and running around the ring instead of the course. Still, he came home with a mess of ribbons and the judge gave me some ideas to help with training.

More dogs at Friday Ark.

The Cup is Half Full

Doug Thompson nicely explains why I voted for annual legislative sessions.

Adjusting to too much in state tax collection was bad enough. Now the economy’s going to pot. Adjusting to too little won’t be fun. Another session in 2010 will come in handy. The new law requires every other session to focus just on budget matters. It’s hard to argue against giving more focus to budget matters.

I'm constantly monitoring my budget especially now that the Democrat's economic manipulation has caused an economic disaster. My budget is a minuscule fraction of Arkansas's budget but I think they should devote the same time and effort I do.
As for Doug's bitching about having to drive more often to Little Rock, it's call job security. Newspapers are laying people off in droves so Doug should be thanking Eric for the extra work. Heck, after awhile Doug may be able to ask for a raise.

Lioneld Jordan and Dan Coody at Republican Women's Meeting

Lioneld Jordan and Dan Coody spoke and answered questions at the Washington County Republican Women meeting today. Lioneld noted his open door, transparent government and that he intends to properly manage taxpayers money. Lioneld asserted that he would be a better mayor. Lioneld when asked about his rejection of the SouthPass Development answered that he was concerned that the city of Fayetteville couldn't afford a project that could be in excess of $25 million dollars. He stated that he was wrong to vote for the original resolution in 2004.

Dan responding to the same question about SouthPass noted that there was a contract and the resolution passed in 2004 was binding. To rejected the contract would subject the city of Fayetteville to lawsuits. Dan said that the current cost quote was negotiable. Dan went on to explain that he was trying to get a number of smaller business into Fayetteville to partner up with existing businesses. He noted that a number of companies from Sweden were looking into moving to Fayetteville.

I went back to the city council meeting minutes from 2004 to see what really happened. The resolution clearly states that it would authorize the mayor to execute an agreement with the SouthPass Development Company. Later on in the minutes Kit Williams noted that "if the Council passes this resolution tonight, they will be authorizing the Mayor to sign the contract." I didn't noted much discussion about the cost of the project in the minutes. They spent more time talking about the landfill and the park. I think they should have paid more attention to a comment by Barbara Moorman who said "the city was committing themselves to a large subdivision and all the costs of the roads, sewer etc. She questioned if this developer has anything in his past that has been successfully completed." Well, what's done is done. Now it's time for the city council to get the best deal they can for Fayetteville.

In other news, Lioneld slipped in that he had a press conference later today to announce that he had gotten Steve Clark's endorsement.

Google The Flu, Maybe?

It seems like it might be a good idea. After all, Google is the most popular search engine and if you're sick chances are you're going to check symptoms and a diagnosis.

Tests of the new Web tool from Google.org, the company’s philanthropic unit, suggest that it may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu a week to 10 days before they are reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data that Google is collecting may not be that accurate. According to Google, Arkansas is experiencing a moderate flu outbreak. However, the Arkansas Health Department says that there hasn't been one confirmed case of flu.

Dr. Sandra Snow, medical director of communicable diseases, and Dr. Haytham Safi, senior epidemiologist, both of the Health Department, said the recent mass flu vaccination effort in Arkansas could be behind the high number of flu searches from Arkansas on Google. "We just finished doing our mass clinic, with over 108,000 people getting the flu vaccine. It's very possible that while we were doing this, people were looking up (sites related to the) flu on Google" Snow said.

They were offering flu shots everywhere. There was a lot of publicity to get people to get a shot. My employer gave us free shots and I even saw that Sam's Club was offering shots for $20. All that publicity generated people's interest so they Googled for more information. Google's new tool registered interest in the flu because of publicity not because people were feeling the symptoms. At least the Arkansas Health Department did note the trend and were able to explain it. It would be interesting to see if the Google tool will be able to identify a real flu outbreak.

SouthPass Regional Park Landfill Update, The Whole Truth

The Iconoclast has posted a letter from Mike Robinson of the ADEQ to Connie Edmonston the Parks and Recreation Director. Wasn't that just the sweetest thing to do for us! But wait, I have that same letter in my fat little hands and there is something different. The Iconoclast left something out, something very, very important. Now why wouldn't The Iconoclast publish the whole thing? I mean, The Iconoclast wouldn't deliberately try to manipulate information to his own selfish ends, would he?

The need for corrective action at the old landfill has not yet been determined. Likewise, a corrective action plan has not been developed. However, efforts are continuing every day toward a decision on this project. The site closure assessment will be finalized in the near future, and the ADEQ Director will determine whether there is a need for corrective action. Should it be decided contaminants pose a hazard to public health or contaminants endanger the environment, corrective action may be deemed necessary. The Arkansas Landfill Post-Closure Trust Fund (A.C.A 8-6-1001 et. al.) is available for the prevention and/or abatement of releases to the environment. This fund specifically exists to address contamination of the environment from any certified closed landfill. The Department uses this fund on other closed landfill projects and monies from this fund will be expended on this project if and when a corrective action plan is put into place as determined necessary by the Department.

What The Iconoclast conveniently left out was that whatever is in that landfill will eventually be cleaned up. There is money already available to accomplish it. The ADEQ has noted that there is some leakage but they haven't completed their studies to know exactly what is leaking and just how extensive it is. It doesn't matter. Nothing is going to be built on or near it until it gets cleaned up. It's time for people to stop running around like Chicken Little declaring a disaster and stop getting your tidy whiteys in a bunch. I know how much you want to take down Mayor Coody but this is not the way to do it.

Fayetteville's Regional Park, A Step Closer

After 4 years it's finally coming together. Fayetteville is very close to getting the land for the Regional Park. The City Council voted to annex 855 acres into the city and then voted for the SouthPass PZD. There were a few residents present to make comments on SouthPass. I found the comments by those opposed to the development a bit disturbing. Barbara Moorman, I think represents the critics of the development quite well when she said that it was “too big, too costly and too disruptive”. Then there that’s old dump that’s appears to be quite toxic and is supposedly contaminating the whole site. Sitting there and listening to the comments made by the Council and residents I realized the biggest problem facing everyone was FEAR.
One of the biggest election issues in the mayoral race has been about economics. How is Fayetteville going to overcome its business unfriendly image and bring more businesses into Fayetteville? We aren’t going to get any large companies to come into Fayetteville when the City Council is afraid that a project is too big and too costly. I don’t see how Fayetteville expects to grow with that kind of fear. How are we going to succeed when people complain that a project is too big? How about we get some perspective about project size. The Louisiana Purchase was 524,800,000 acres and the Alaska Purchases was 375,303,680 acres. You know, 855 acres is pretty piddling. How about the cost issue? If we considered costs then we shouldn’t have built the Walton Arts Center, the XNA airport, the NWA mall, I-540 and a whole host of projects and buildings. Disruptive? This project is not going to be anymore disruptive than any other project. Of course, careful planning and addressing issues as they come up will alleviate most problems.

Interestingly, it was fear that pushed the City Council to vote for SouthPass. Kit Williams reminded the Council that the developers have complied with all the legal obligations and ordinances in bringing this development forward. The developers have worked with city staff and have been approved by the planning commission. If the City Council decided to deny the project solely based on the perceived fears then the developers could sue the city of Fayetteville for millions of dollars. Alderman Adella Gray summed it up nicely. She said the city asked for a partner to develop a park, the city needed the park, and the developers have jumped through all the hoops the city required. She said the City Council has an obligation to honor its contract with the developers. I restrained my desire to clap.

D’oh-bama’s Gaffe

The Republicans got shellac by the Democrats Tuesday. While I am somewhat disappointed and very concerned about the future I am hearten by the fact the next 4 years will be bringing in Obama's and Biden's notorious gaffes. President-elect Obama at his first press conference, answering a question about whether he had spoken to any previous president:

In terms of speaking to former presidents, I have spoken to all of them, uh, that are, uh, living ... obviously, uh, President Clinton, uh ... [laughter] ... hey, I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan, uh, thing about doin’ any seances...

An extraordinary cheap shot at Nancy Reagan, who is currently recovering from a fall in which she broke her hip. Isn't Obama Classy? Tag! You're next Biden! I tell you the next 4 years are going to be a hoot.

Election Day!

I am so glad I voted early. I was a poll watcher in Farmington. I arrived before 7 AM to introduce myself and setup. There was already a line starting to snake around the church. Once the poll opened at 7:30 it was non-stop. The lines were long and people were saying they had waited an hour to vote. This polling place had a couple of workers call in sick and they had to adjust. They weren't able to have a third line going. Those ladies at the poll worked really hard. They made sure everyone show some ID. One poll worker even had her own son show his ID. Those ladies were absolutely great and I was glad that a number of people did thank them for the work they were doing.

Late afternoon I joined a number of people lining Wedington Ave holding up signs of their choice. I was there for Craig Honchell. I worked several hours and left just before I got dark. Holding up signs out there is a bit boring so I bought my MP3 player and plugged in to some ABBA. OK, so I had a little fun out there. Yes, I was dancing. You just have to dance to ABBA. Well, I may have looked a little funny, but I sure stood out with that Craig Honchell sign.

I spotted Dan Coody and Lioneld Jorden campaigning out by the polling place on Wedington Ave. Lioneld said he was over at the polling place on Mount Comfort for several hours and he said that it was packed. I didn't talk too long, Lioneld was eyeing a couple getting out of their car. Whew, the polls are almost closed and it would be nice if this election would be over.

Circuit City is Closing in Fayetteville

Circuit City on Joyce Blvd is closing.

Circuit City Stores, Inc.
List of Closing Stores
November 3, 2008
Store # Store Name Street Address City State ZIP
3280 ANNISTON 704 SOUTH QUINTARD AVE ANNISTON AL 36201
829 TRUSSVILLE 3555 ROOSEVELT BLVD TRUSSVILLE AL 35235
3240 FAYETTEVILLE 744 EAST JOYCE BLVD FAYETTEVILLE AR 72703

I think Circuit City was in trouble before the economic downturn so it's hard to say how much the economy pushed them to this move. I do know that I've only been in that store a couple of times. I always seem to go to Best Buy or Amazon for my electronics. I guess I like BB better because they have better customer service than CC. BB's sales people know their electronics and are always hanging around waiting to help (can be a bit annoying sometimes). I must admit that I'll go to BB and ask about something and purchase it on Amazon if the price is better. I wonder how much impact this closing will affect Fayetteville's sales tax collection. Hopefully another retail store will take CC's place real soon.

John Boozman Bus Tour

Would you like to spend two days on a bus with these guys? The Boozman Bus Tour stopped in Springdale for a short rally at the Washington County Headquarters. The bus made stops through out the 3rd district. With all that time on the bus they had time to memorize all the places they stopped. Yeah, they demonstrated the little chant they made up.


I realized that I'm going to have to study up a bit on Arkansas history because they were giving away prizes at each stop to those who could correctly answer Arkansas history questions. Hey, give me a break! I'm from California!


The tour gave local candidates the opportunity to meet with John Boozman and they had an opportunity to speak about their campaigns. Earvel Fraley is a candidate for Washington County Judge.

Name Change

At lunch time I sat down to read the Northwest Arkansas Times article about the candidates for District 89, Gene Long and Jim House. As I was ending the first column I noticed that Jim was now running against some one named Baker. Who the hell is Baker? I continued reading and the article kept on mentioning this dude Baker. Ok, the options are: 1) Gene Long has changed his name to Gene Baker 2) this dude Baker iced Long and is taking over his life or 3) the writer and editor were up drinking all night. At least the on-line article is correct.

Fayetteville Frisco Trail, Hoover Memorial

I didn't get a chance to go to the dedication early this afternoon. I stopped by after work to see it and take Casey out for a walk. What a beautiful day! The Monument is just off of Center street. The Fayetteville Arts Council and Parks and Recreation picked a perfect spot for it. It really fits quite well with the rest of its surroundings and doesn't interfere with the natural areas along the trail. The piece is titled "City Fragments". The Monument is in place to honor the Hoover family who were tragically killed in an accident last year. The estate of the Hoover Family donated a piece of Steve Hoover's artwork. They refurbished and powder coated the piece back to its original orange color.

Help the Fayetteville Library

The Fayetteville Library is facing some budgetary uncertainly because the decline in the stock market has affected the Fayetteville Public Library Foundation. The library may have to ax programs due to cuts in funding from the Foundation. The library was set to ask the Fayetteville City Council for additional funding for an increase in operating hours and more materials. With a difficult economy people have been utilizing the library more frequently. However, there is an opportunity to help the library.

The Friends of the Fayetteville Public Library will host the Annual Silent Auction from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15. The group is currently asking residents to donate new and gently used items for the sale. Items being accepted include jewelry, household items, electronics, artwork and furniture.

All right, I know we all have something that we can donate to the library. It'll be a good time to do some cleaning out of your closets, decluttering the coffee table or reducing the number of nick-knacks.

Washington County, Vote at Rodeo Grounds

The closure of the Washington County courthouse parking deck may be an inconvience some early voters may ignore. It certainly can be an adventure riding the Ozark Regional Transit shuttle from the parking deck at Central United Methodit Church. For those of us who really don't want the hassle of finding a parking spot or riding the shuttle there is another option. You can vote early at the Rodeo Grounds Community Center in Springdale. The hours are Noon till 6 PM Mon -Fri this week and next. You can also vote there this this Sat and next (Nov 1) from 10 Am till 2 PM. There is plenty of parking available.

A New Word for Racism

I wonder what history book Lewis Diuguid has been reading. He probably got a hold of one of those alternative history books. Where else could he get such a dim-witted idea that socialism is a code word for being black? Nope, I checked the dictionary and it still says its code for someone who believes in wealth redistribution and total government control. It doesn’t say anything about some one who dares to contradict, challenge or quantify Obama, the One and only Messiah.

Biden Doubts Obama's Ability to Lead

Biden’s gaff stumbles into the truth. Obama’s inexperience and his stated preference to talking rather than action are going to invite some country to initiate an international crisis. It appears that Biden even doubts that Obama and any of his advisers will respond to the crisis that would arouse any confidence in his ability to lead.

"And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."

We already know that Obama is soft on terrorism and that he’s going to abandon Iraq. You can bet that we’re going to have more killings of Americans if not another attack in America. Iran will get the nukes it wants because Obama’s lips will be to busy flapping to act on Iran. Israel would lose the support of America and will be facing Iran on its own. How about we select a leader that no country or organization is going to mess with. Why don’t we have a President in office that’s not going to abandon our friends and will protect us from our enemies? Why don’t we elect a President who has character, guts, courage and loyalty? How about we elect John McCain for President and not worry about an international crisis.

Craft Fairs, War Eagle and Bella Vista

I took time this week to go to a couple of fairs. What a beautiful day! The weather was perfect, cool and sunny. War Eagle was as crowded as ever. I also hit the Bella Vista fair. This one is very similar to what the Applegate Fair was like. I am not going to go 100 miles to go to it's new location at Mulberry Mountain, especially since there are so many fairs closer to home.

I stopped by Lori Ellyn's pottery booth. I like her work and I have several pieces of her work. Unfortunately, she had a large platter that looked exactly like Eli so I had to get it. She had a new line of pots that looked cute, but I had already spent too much money.

There were a few new items this year. A lot of the time you start seeing the same old things and you wonder if it's worth it to keep coming to the fairs. The one thing I didn't see were primitive Christmas ornaments. I decorate my Christmas tree with them and I usually am able to purchase several. I may have to go to the Christmas fairs to pick some more up for my collection. Shopping was successful. I stayed on budget and purchased most of my Christmas presents.

Grand Opening, Scull Creek Trail

Bikes, bikes everywhere and bikes of every type. While there were some walkers who showed up for the opening it definitely was a day for the bikers. There were a few more exotic bikes and a couple of homemade bikes. One of the homemade ones was an adapted water paddle boat. People were talking about the ability to bike to shops and restaurants. They were showing off their bike baskets and bags to store their shopping purchases. Wade Colwell was really pleased at the turnout and kept saying "Wow".

They were serving up hot dogs, vegi hamburgers, cookies and drinks for several hours with live music in the background. The Beaver Water District handed out free water bottles, which I really needed because I forgot to bring mine. Dot brought some really delicious red/white and blue cookies. Mmmmmm!

Mayor Coody and Matt Mihalevich drew the names to win the "trail" prizes. Dang! I didn't win anything. The City construction crew did a really great job in getting the trail completed for the Grand Opening. The Fulbright Tunnel was free of water and gravel and it was lit. They solved the seepage problem by carving gutters on the side. I hope it works when there is heavy rain. Judging by the number of people on the trail I'd say that the event was wildly successful. Matt and the construction crew have done an absolutely wonderful job!

The Staycation

I am on vacation this week. With money being tight this year I'm taking the opportunity to repair the rock wall and brick patio I put in over ten years ago. I didn't know what I was doing when I first put up the rock wall so the rocks were falling down. Also, the truckloads of dirt I put in had settled down so it needed to be re-leveled. When I saw the rocks I had originally put up, I can't believe I did such a bad job of it. Oh well, live and learn. Before I started putting the dirt back in, the supervisors, (Eli, Bows and Toby) inspected my handiwork.

I've been using more appropriate rocks this time and putting in gravel and rocks behind the wall to re-enforce it. I even put down a concrete bed on the one corner to help stabilize it. Toby has been a real pain in the butt while I've been working. He's either been chasing all the bugs I've disturbed or running up the hills of dirt or along the trench. I've had to keep checking where he was before I threw in some dirt or gravel. Oh, the life of a kitten!

More cats at Friday Ark

From Joe the Plummer

Interview Excerpts

You start giving people stuff, and then they start expecting it – and that scares me. A lot of people expect it now. They get upset when their check’s late, they get upset when they don’t get as many benefits as they used to, or when different government agencies are cut or spending is cut here and there for whatever reason – people get upset at that. And that’s because they’re used to getting it and they want more. I mean, everyone’s always gonna want more. People work the system left and right to get more out of welfare, to get more out of state assistance, federal assistance. And if government’s there for them, they’re gonna keep on trying to manipulate it to get more out of it. You got people that come along and say, “Hey, I wanna help you people,” I mean, they’re all ears! They’re like, “Hey, you can help me more, I don’t have to work as hard, I don’t have to do as much, and you’re gonna give me this?

Oh, gee! He's describing the people in the Democrat party.

There’s a lot of things I wish McCain would say. As far as this, yes, I would like him to speak. Not so much about small businesses, but just people in general that make this money. It’s not up to them to help America, I mean – let me rephrase that. It’s not – they shouldn’t be taxed more because they’ve succeeded. That’s envy and jealousy. Get off your butt and go work. Don’t sit there and expect the government to give it to you.

Democrat's class warfare. You need to punish those who succeed and take their money away and give it to those the Democrats deem more worthy to receive it.

The GOP and Squirrels?

From their blog.

Welcome! We are a group of concerned squirrels traveling around the country in an effort to highlight Barack Obama’s relationship with ACORN, a group that is being investigated for wide-scale voter fraud.

The Internet, Good for Your Brain

Thank God!

For middle-aged and older people at least, using the internet helps boost brain power, research suggests. A University of California Los Angeles team found searching the web stimulated centres in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning.

It's certainly good news considering the amount of time I spend reading on the Internet.

Wall Street Ow!

Here we go again, down! What a roller coaster!

Retail sales fell sharply in September as consumers shunned department stores, auto showrooms and shopping malls, ratcheting back spending for a third consecutive month. Economic activity slowed across the country,

Well, we knew that was going to happen. People have been spending much more on gas, so of course we're spending less on other things. I was balancing my checking account this weekend and boy was it easy to do. Not that many checks and ATM withdraws to clear. I have definitely been spending less. It's strange that the Dow went down so much on the news that we're spending less. It's not a surprise.

Reveal Obama's Character, You're a Racist

From Melanie Phillips

You have to pinch yourself - a Marxisant radical who all his life has been mentored by, sat at the feet of, worshipped with, befriended, endorsed the philosophy of, funded and been in turn funded, politically promoted and supported by a nexus comprising black power anti-white racists, Jew-haters, revolutionary Marxists, unrepentant former terrorists and Chicago mobsters, is on the verge of becoming President of the United States. And apparently it's considered impolite to say so.

No! You are a racist! A flaming racist!

Judge Hunton, Tossing in Eminent Domain

Why? Why would you purchase a building knowing that the parking that's needed hasn't been found yet? Judge Hunton is going to end his career as a county judge on a dumb-ass decision of using eminent domain to get parking. Judge Hunton wants to destroy homes and businesses for a stupid parking lot? I'm sure the city of Fayetteville is going to be happy to lose the taxes they've been getting from those properties. It's just too bad that the Quorum Court did not plan out the parking before they bought the Terminella Building. Interestingly, Judge Hunton's plan may cause trouble for his son, Earl Hunton, who is running against Mark Martin for State Representative. Eminent Domain is extremely unpopular with voters, so Earl will have to distance himself from his father on this issue. It's possible Mark can make an issue of it. You know, "like father, like son". It must make interesting talk around the Hunton family dinner table.

Wall Street Wow!

Holy Cow! What a week! Boy, there are a lot of people who are sorry they sold their stocks last week. I was wondering why the stock market was diving last week. I was told that many people were panicking and selling off. Many mutual funds were selling their holdings to pay the people who wanted out. Today,I bet many people saw that there were many companies who stock is now undervalued and snatched it up. I sure hope that whoever is managing my funds were smart enough to do the same. LGF reminds people of the message from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Obama, Spread the Wealth Around

A plumber confronted Obama in an Ohio neighborhood, this weekend. The man asked Obama, "Why do want to raise my taxes? My business makes more than 250k a year." Obama told him he needed to "spread" the wealth to those who don't have what he has. Yeah, that guy probably worked his butt off and made a lot of sacrifices to own his own business. The Three Amigos; Obama, Reed, and Pelosi, will take it away from him to give it to some one who refused to work hard to be successful. It's against all the values America stands for. This is socialism, pure and simple.

Scull Creek Trail, Getting Ready

Today a few volunteers joined Matt Mihalevich on a tour of Scull Creek Trail. These will be the volunteers who will be leading guided tours of the trail. Yeah, yeah they are all riding bikes but there will be people doing guided walking tours. The grand opening is Oct. 18th starting at 11:00 AM. There will be food, music and a drawings for prizes. You just have to come to officially open up Fayetteville's most significant trail! See the flyer and map for parking directions.

One of the highlights of the trail will be the Fulbright Tunnel. You can go through it now but it still needs some work. There is a problem with water seepage, which at this point can't be solved but will be managed. Matt is pointing out where the troll likes to hide and scare people. OK, OK, there really isn't a troll that lives there. The tunnel does have great acoustics and there is a spooky feeling walking under the freeway.

Grand Opening Flyer and Map

Computer Lessons

This is not good for me. Eli has been teaching Toby the kitten the finer points of distrupting my ability to work at the computer.

More cats at Friday Ark

What Voter Fraud?

ACORN is doing an absolutely wonderful job! Indianapolis has registered 105% of it's population to vote. Absolutely amazing!

Investigate and Prosecute Barney Frank and Chris Dodd

Hit em and Hit em hard, John! We demand that justice be done!
via Breitbart TV.

"The fact is that the same people claiming credit for this rescue are the same ones that were willing co-conspirators in causing this problem that it is. And you know their names. And you will know more of their names. Congressman Barney Frank and Senator Chris Dodd are two of them."

Whores for Obama

CBS News' Dean Reynolds had better hope that he doesn't get re-assigned back to the Obama plane.

The McCain folks are more helpful and generally friendly. The schedules are printed on actual books you can hold in your hand, read, and then plan accordingly. The press aides are more knowledgeable and useful to us in the news media. The events are designed with a better eye, and for the simple needs of the press corps. When he is available, John McCain is friendly and loquacious. Obama holds news conferences, but seldom banters with the reporters who've been following him for thousands of miles around the country. Go figure.
The McCain campaign plane is better than Obama's, which is cramped, uncomfortable and smells terrible most of the time. Somehow the McCain folks manage to keep their charter clean, even where the press is seated.

Dean figures that the Obama campaign is just to busy to focus on mundane thinks like reporters. Dean, the truth is, you and your fellow reporters are whores from the street. Obama has bought you. You are going to do what ever he says and put up with everything he does. He bought you really cheap, so he's going to treat you like the cheap sluts you are. McCain is treating you with respect even though he knows that you've been slutting for Obama. He's like those mission people trying to get you to clean up, get off the street and respect yourself.

Potecting Criminals

Government stupidity in action.

A gardener who fenced off his allotment with barbed wire after being targeted by thieves has been ordered to take it down – in case intruders scratch themselves.

Mr Malcolm's plight comes just weeks after Bristol council angered allotment holders by urging them not to lock their sheds in case burglars damaged them breaking in.

Would this same policy apply to prisons too?

Committ Suicide, Vote Obama

I don't understand this. The thought is that Democrats are better at economics and that is the reason why Obama is gaining in the polls. However, Obama's tax and redistribute policies will not resurrect jobs, wages, or the price of stocks in American retirement accounts. Ordinary Americans who have to earn their livings outside the ivory towers of Wall Street will be not much better off two years from now. In fact, Obama's policies may make economic conditions worse. It's even odder that people would vote for Democrats whose socialist policy in regards to Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac caused the current economic disaster. Why would people let Democrats have even more control to do further damage? Why give them the chance to really screw up Social Security, Medicare and health care? Are Americans an a suicidal binge?

Criticize the Democrats, You're Racist

"Let's be honest." If Barney Frank had a shred of integrity, he would resign. No, instead he utters the most contemptible of dodges.

"They get to take things out on poor people," Frank said at a mortgage foreclosure symposium in Boston. "Let's be honest: The fact that some of the poor people are black doesn't hurt them either, from their standpoint. This is an effort, I believe, to appeal to a kind of anger in people."

Gee, you're racist if you criticize Obama, you're racist if you criticize Democrats and you're particularly racist for calling out the Democrats for pushing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into buying bad loans. What was racist was the legislation that allowed this to occur. People like Frank and his ilk were the racists. The poor were promised home ownership which was yanked away when they were lied to about being able to afford it.

McCain, Unveiling the Real Obama

It's about time McCain started discussing the hidden Obama. You know, the one the MSM has been trying to hide from the American public. He's doing a good job of it and I hope he continues it in the debate.

This crisis started in our housing market in the form of subprime loans that were pushed on people who could not afford them. Bad mortgages were being backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and it was only a matter of time before a contagion of unsustainable debt began to spread. This corruption was encouraged by Democrats in Congress, and abetted by Senator Obama.
Senator Obama has accused me of opposing regulation to avert this crisis. I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed. But the truth is I was the one who called at the time for tighter restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could have helped prevent this crisis from happening in the first place.
Senator Obama was silent on the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and his Democratic allies in Congress opposed every effort to rein them in. As recently as September of last year he said that subprime loans had been, quote, "a good idea." Well, Senator Obama, that "good idea" has now plunged this country into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
To hear him talk now, you'd think he'd always opposed the dangerous practices at these institutions. But there is absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did. He was surely familiar with the people who were creating this problem. The executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have advised him, and he has taken their money for his campaign.
He has received more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other senator in history, with the exception of the chairman of the committee overseeing them.

If McCain really wants to win the White House, he needs to come out swinging like this EVERY, SINGLE, DAY. Just ignore the whining from Obama about how mean the Republicans are being to him. And racist! Gee, I mustn't forget the racism!

The War of the Water Bottles

Earlier this year Mayor Coody declared war on bottled water. He joined the national movement to reduce the consumption of bottled water because they were filling up the landfills. He said he was not going to purchase bottled water with public funds. Of course, I poked a little fun of his joining the kool-aid crowd. If Mayor Coody believes that the lowly water bottle is evil, why he is excited about not just one, but two bottling companies who are considering moving into Fayetteville?

Bruarfoss exports bottled water and small, medium and large bulk water from Iceland's most pristine water sources, according to its Web site. The company sells water that melts from the glaciers in Iceland and is hoping to become a supplier for Wal-Mart, he said.
On Friday, the Fayetteville Economic Development Council and Global Java announced another water company, this one from Sweden, is also considering a move to Fayetteville.

I wonder what changed his mind about those bottles? Oh, wait a moment, he's up for re-election and the one of the biggest issues for Fayetteville is economic development. I guess when there's a choice between going green and economic development, green loses. Bless his little global warming heart.
I did get a little bit “holier than thou”, because I said that I filtered my water instead of buying those bottles. Apparently I’m not as green as I thought I was.

But some of those spots are being lampooned by people who point out that water filters cannot be recycled, at least in the United States. "In order to give up bottled water, you have to switch to another plastic product that’s not recyclable," said Beth Terry of Oakland, Calif., who has started an online campaign to try to persuade Clorox, the company that owns Brita, to start recycling the filters.

Dang, I so enjoyed that moment!

Thoughts on the VP Debate

I must admit that I was anxious about Sarah Palin's performance at the debate Thursday night. I should have known. Sarah did remarkably well. She was definitely more personable than Biden. There were times it appeared she struggle a bit and appeared to be vague. I guess that just comes from not have any national experience. Yet, she held her own for some one that didn't have Biden's Washington experience. I must say her "doggone it" and her winks just endeared her to me. I liked her line "Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again." I think she needs to keep reminding people that Obama and Biden seem to be running against President Bush.
Biden was doing well for awhile then he started throwing alot of bunk on foreign policy. I wish Sarah had the foreign policy experience to call him out on it. As the debate went on Biden's performance started to get disturbing. He was throwing around a lot of statements that just sounded like a lot of bull shit. Several statements I knew absolutely were wrong. I knew Obama had said he'd sit down unconditionally with M A of Iran, that McCain voted for troop funding(sans timeline), that $42,000 tax raise Obama voted for, and Biden's own stated opposition to clean coal. I must say, he showed himself to be an exceptionally liar. He made stuff up with great passion and conviction you would believe him if you didn't know better. Of course, people kept track of those whoppers. I think he showed that he knew he lost the debate when he started flinging his bull shit. I guess Biden's gravitas is derived from his ability to lie so well.

Nations Fear Russia More Than Global Warming

Russia's invasion of Georgia has caused a six nation bloc to sign a pact to fight a proposal designed to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

While Poland currently relies on its domestic coal reserves to meet 90 per cent of its energy needs, other countries in the block fear they will be trapped in permanent dependence on the Kremlin. "We are dependent on Russia for 97 per cent of our gas and more than 90 per cent of our petrol," said Jan Skoda, Slovakia's foreign ministry spokesman. "We're caught with a double-edged sword. We are concerned that dependence of any kind is not good for our or anybody's strategic interests."

These countries realize that giving up the ability to produce affordable energy exposes them to the Moscow's tyranny. Lord knows what Moscow would do to these nations if their stranglehold on the European energy market intensifies. Russia is finding they don't need nuclear warheads to threaten nations. They just have to manipulate their energy supply. What's more important? Fighting global warming or retaining the security of your nation?

Trek For Trig

I stopped in on the Trek for Trig fundraiser at the Fayetteville High School. They were having a couple of people walk the track while they were taking donations and selling T-Shirts. The T-Shirts were really nice but I didn't get one. I way too many T-Shirts as it is. I did leave a nice donation to make up for it. It was a very pleasant day to walk the track. It was cloudy so it wasn't that hot walking the track. There was a football game in progress while people walked, so they were able to tap the game attendees for donations too.

Fayetteville, Do Adults or Children Run The City?

Children, if you don't stop fighting and play nice I'll take away the toys and you can stand in the corner. Bobby sounds like a child who's going to hold his breath until he gets his way. OK, OK, I know it's just politics but it just appears childish. With this being an election year the Mayor and the City Council are not going to pass a budget before election day. They'll hold meetings and snipe at each other but they'll not do anything because it looks like they are going to be raising property taxes this year. Those running for office aren't going to have a tax hike hung around their neck.

You Can Get Credit Too Easily

I had an interesting conversation today at work. I explained that I had been to the BBB and I was wishing I could get a motorcycle. My co-worker asked why I didn't, to which I said I bought what I could afford. My co-worker thought I was nuts and that I could just go to the dealer and get credit. The dealer would be glad to work out a deal he said. I think his attitude reflects the financial problems that's occurring today. Too many people buy on credit and abhor the idea of saving your money and then purchasing what you want. People insist on instant gratification and refrain from discipline. It's sad to think that I may be part of a minority.

Gov Beebe's Global Warming Commission, Screw Arkansans

Last week the Governor’s Commission on Global Warming decided that we, the working people trying to make ends meet, can go to hell.

By an 11-10 vote, the Governor’s Commission on Global Warming recommended Thursday that no new coal-fired power plants be built in Arkansas until at least 2020, when new technology could reduce carbon emissions.

The Commission really meant to say was that coal plants will never, ever, ever be built in Arkansas. They are part of the environmentalist terrorist group that has determined that America is never going to produce the energy it needs. If the poorest in America has to suffer, it doesn't matter because they have to save the earth from global warming, a fraudulent hoax perpetuated by corrupt scientists and politicians.
If Gov. Beebe is going to go with the Commission's decision, I want him to make the announcement in front of these people.

(Jon Woodward) He said most of the calls for food are from people who are "near homeless"and facing dilemmas such as choosing to pay the electric bill, buy gas to go to work or buy food.

Gov. Beebe, I want you to stand in front of us that are struggling and explain why you are not going to provide us with coal plants that will give us affordable energy. Explain to us why you would deny a company that would provide us with jobs. What are you going to tell those who can't pay their electrical or gas bills? What are you going to tell parents whose children are shivering from the cold because they don't have the money to provide them with heat? Are you going to tell them they should go hungry instead? Do you have dreams of a higher political office? What are you go to tell the American people that are clamoring for an energy policy that makes sure we have affordable energy? What about ensuring we have enough energy that makes us independent of foreign nations that hate us? Who are you going to serve, the ordinary citizen trying to make a living or the environmentalist wackos?

Obama's Most Offensive Ad

Last week an ad by a political group headed by James Dean, the brother of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean insult survivors of cancer across the spectrum of America. This particularly vicious political commercial attacked Sen. McCain over his bouts with cancer. Wow, people who've dealt with cancer can't seek any political office because the cancer may kill them. Living 3 years still cancer-free, I find this personally offensive that having cancer diminishes my abilities to work, play and live. Most people dealing with cancer are determined to make the most of life and deliberately step up to more challenges to defy cancer's ability to destroy life. Thankfully, MSNBC has pulled the ad and kudos to CNN for refusing to run it.

Sen. McCain's New Ad

Finally, Sen. McCain is getting the truth out about his effort to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Democrats successful effort to block it. Guest star is President Clinton admitting the Democrats were at fault. Sen. McCain needs to keep hammering on the Democrat's culpability on the failure of Fannie and Freddie. There's more than enough documentation on the Democrats determination to keep Fannie and Freddie going and their own ill-gained financial benefits.

Gov Sarah Palin Radio Interview

Boy, it was so nice to listen to her being interviewed by some one who's not going for the "gotcha". I hope she does more radio interviews. It's just so refreshing to hear some one who can succinctly describe what we ordinary people are going through.

Bikes, Blues & Barbecue, Scooter Style

I made it this year! I've always avoided going to the Bikes, Blues and Barbecue because I knew that parking and driving around it would be hell. This year I have my scooter. Yup, I drove that thing around the BBB. I imagine there were a few people chuckling, but I had a blast. Friday night I was down on Dickson street. You could just sit down with food, drink, music in the background and watch the parade of bikes and people. Man, I had a pork sandwich that just melted in my mouth.

I don't know what was more fascinating the people or the bikes. People were wearing so many different T-shirts, leather and tattoos. I did buy myself a leather vest. Heh, Heh, I'm going to look really hot riding around on the scooter with a leather vest. The variety of bikes was just awesome. Boy, did envy rear it's ugly head. I'd really like to have a motorcycle, but you can only buy what you can afford.

So, here I am in the middle of the parade waiting for it to start. Yeah, I rode in the parade. It was so great! What a blast! The best part was on Dickson Street. At the beginning of Dickson up on the University you could see the line of motorcycles all the way down to College Ave. As I came further down by Arkansas Ave I saw that the sidewalks and streets were crowded with people and bikes. What a thrill! I am definitely going to do it again next year!

Did You Really Have a Bad Day?

The next time I think I'm having a bad day, I'll just think about Dale.

"This is what we have concluded," Olds says. "Dale was burning trash out by his garden area and chopping some weeds. He saw the rattlesnake, went to get the shotgun. As he was walking to go kill the snake, the yellow jackets came up out of the ground and warmed him. When he turned to run, the gun went off. When he fell, that's when the snake got him."

Although, I do wonder about a Ranger running with a loaded shotgun.

Bailouts, Who's Next

We're heading toward bailing out the financial institutions to a tune of nearly a trillion dollars. GM, Ford, and Chrysler now have their own bailout

A bill set to be passed by Congress and signed by President Bush as early as this weekend—separate from the controversial Wall Street bailout plan—includes $25 billion in loans for the beleaguered Detroit automakers and several of their suppliers.

So, who's next in line to get a bailout from the American taxpayers? Oh wait! Here they come!

The Financial Crisis, Democrats To Blame

I have no idea if the bail out is a necessary evil or an impending disaster but my whole gut screams NO! at spending nearly a trillion dollars to bail out Wall Street and the twits stupid enough to get loans they couldn't afford. You shouldn't take money away from the taxpayers who've been fiscally responsible with their money and give it to financiers who squandered it and people who couldn't manage it. We are in this stinking mess because socialist Democrats forced banks to give mortgages to people who shouldn't have gotten them. The Democrats made the mantra "affordable housing" a must for everyone and made having a house and credit a civil right.
I swear I just want to throw up every time I hear Christopher Dodd or Barney Frank spew their false self righteousness drivel. How in the world can they stand up in front of American and blame Bush and the Republicans? Of all the Democrats who are responsible for this disaster, they shoulder most of the blame. Alan Greenspan in 2005 told Congress how urgent it was for it to act because Fannie and Freddie were heading for a disaster. Democrats led by Christopher Dodd voted against the bill that would have stopped the meltdown that’s happening today. One would hope that these Democrats would get booted out of office, but I guess people like returning corrupt politicians to Washington.

Trek for Trig, Down Dyndrome Awareness Month

The University of Arkansas College Republicans will be fundraising the entire month of October on behalf of Down Syndrome Connections of Northwest Arkansas. DSC has a goal of raising $10,000 in one month, and the College Republican are going to help them reach it!

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and they'll be kicking it off with a "Trek for Trig." They'll be taking pledged donations from around the community for how many laps we walk in honor of Sarah Palin's youngest son, Trig, who has Down Syndrome. The walk takes place Sunday, October 5th from 2-5pm and they will be taking donations, selling tees ("Trek for Trig" on the front and "McCain/Palin" on the back), and have a silent auction. Throughout October, the College Republicans will be taking up donations at the football games. The Greek houses on campus will be competing to see who can raise the most money for DSC of NWA. They are currently trying to bring a guest speaker to campus to help with the fundraising. They are also making plans to conclude the fundraiser with a Halloween party. The theme will be "dress up as your favorite Republican." Wow! That sounds like it will be a really fun party! The College Republicans plan to present all the money they have raised to the Down Syndrome Connections of NWA during halftime of the U of A's homecoming game, November 1st. They are encouraging chapters across the state and across the nation to do the same.

"Sarah Palin has brought attention to special needs children, and the Collge Republicans wishes to honor her and her son with our "Trek for Trig.""

UPDATE: The Trek for Trig fundraiser will take place at the Fayetteville High School Track.

For more information or to participate contact:
Rachael Davis, UA College Republicans Chair
(501) 428-0161, collrep@uark.edu

National Day of Encouragement

Rats! I missed it! The idea was created at Harding University and spread nationwide with President Bush taking part along with
resolution signed by the U.S. Senate.

"It was amazing that the high school students at last year’s National Leadership Forum came up with this," said Nancy Retherford, a National Day of Encouragement volunteer at Harding University. "Each group agreed that problems facing teens include peer pressure, sex, drugs and alcohol. While discussing these, they came up with negative criticism as what the cause of all those problems and decided that what they needed was positive encouragement."

It's not easy to offer encouragement. It's much easier to criticize. I've heard it takes 10 encouraging moments to counter 1 criticism. It's great to see some of our local students efforts lead to a National Day. They just didn't complain about the problem they did something about it. The real challenge is to encourage some one more than once a year. To encourage some one every day would be a great habit to cultivate.

National Day of Encouragement

Fayetteville Arts Festival, Time to Evaluate

Did the City Council know when they voted to give the Fayetteville Downtown Partners a donation for the Arts Festival that it was so poorly managed? Would Lioneld Jordan be in such a rush to suggest giving them $32,500 if he had any idea that the leadership of the FDP was so inept? In the few years the Arts Festival has been in existence it has seen dropping attendance and dropping sales. When the City Council gives a non-profit group a donation I expect to see good management of the money and the group to show success. If it fails, then I don't want to see any more money wasted on it. I would rather it be used for a more worthwhile organization such as the Fayetteville City Library. It's been showing tremendous success and the Library has shown that it makes the most of the money it receives. The Iconoclast notes that the Arts Festival was saved due to the efforts of Sarah Lewis and Dede Peters. If there is to be future Arts Festivals, more people like Sarah and Dede need to step up and not rely on the City of Fayetteville to pull their chestnuts from the fire. The Iconoclast also calls for President Daniel Keeley to step down. I would also note that if he doesn't the FDP Board of Directors needs to remove him. Next year, if the leadership isn't in place that would apply for funding from the Advertising and Promotion Commission and get more people to donate to the Festival then the City Council should reject any requests for donations. Sarah Lewis is running for the Ward 4 Alderman position. I hope she understands the need to be careful of the taxpayer's money, particularly when the City's budget is tight and the Fayetteville citizen's is even tighter.

Chart from Northwest Arkansas Times.

From Beef to Beans

The fact that the rising cost of food is the result of Congress’s moronic mandate for ethanol production is old news. I do find that Tyson's projection of a skyrocketing chicken consumption a bit alarming. I'm in the same boat everyone else is; beef have just become too expensive. I get a shock just looking at the price of hamburger. I've been eating more chicken, particularly the less expensive parts such as thighs and legs. What concerns me is how much the demand from China and India will affect prices.

(Richard Greubel)He said that growing middle classes in China and India will push demand for processed chicken there beyond what those countries can produce locally, thereby increasing demand for export chicken in other parts of the world.

I am not going to start eating hot dogs and Spam. I ate that while I was a starving student and I swore that once I started earning a salary I was rarely if ever going to eat them again. I may have to start eating more beans. Ozark Natural Foods does have a really great dried curry split pea soup. I wonder if other people will be doing the same thing. Mmmm, maybe I should look into the Beano stock.

Renaissance Parking, Temporarily

Thank you so very much John Nock and Richard Alexander for listening to the complaints of the public.

For the temporary lot, commissioners required bike racks, repair of the curb on Mountain Street and College Avenue along the project frontage, that damaged pavement on Mountain Street be repaired to provide two striped lanes, removal of all construction debris, grading, planting seed or sod and evergreen shrubs as a buffer, and removing the existing foundation pit.

The developers have been very good in developing other projects around Fayetteville. I am please to see that they are still considerate of the citizens of Fayetteville. I know some people have been extremely harsh in their criticism of the Renaissance Tower, but I am glad that they have been able to show good faith that they are still pursuing the project. I’ve always understood that the developers were subject to economic issues over which they had no control. I’ve been hopeful that the developer’s stated commitment to the project meant that the project would eventually be completed. I just didn’t like to have such an eyesore at the southern entrance to Fayetteville, particularly just off the Square. I hope that the income they receive from the parking lot compensates for filling in the hole and putting in the lot.

Fayetteville's Lake Wilson, A Dog Park?

It's really great the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation has decided to make Lake Wilson a no-leash dog park. Unofficially, Lake Wilson is already a no-leash park. This hidden park is rarely visited. It's a bit difficult to get to and it has limited facilities (the toilet is any tree you can find). It's been a secret spot that a few dog owners have enjoyed. Lake Wilson is a small lake and the hike around it doesn't take long. It's a perfect spot for those whose dogs enjoy water.
While Lake Wilson has it's positives, it also has it's negatives. The hiking trails are at best hazardous and aren't for the casual walker. They are composed of rocks and boulders so you need to really keep on eye on where you walk. There are some problems with erosion, particularly at the northeastern slope. You must have good verbal control of your dog. The lake is surrounded by hills with rocks and forest and you can easily lose sight of your dog in seconds. You aren't going to be able to run after it. A perfect recall on your dog is a absolute must or you'll be searching for that dog for hours.
I don't know if the park will see more people with dogs. I guess if the people fishing start complaining then we'd know that it's being used more. Fayetteville still needs a dog park that people can let their dog run and not worry about it running off and getting lost. Dog owners need to join together and really push their Aldermen and Mayor to get a really good dog park that Fayetteville can be proud of.

The History of the Financial Crisis

On Friday Mark Levin gave the most serious and intelligent explanation of the current economic crisis I have heard or read anywhere. He gave a dead on description of the political and legislative history going back several administrations, but concentrated in the Clinton Administration, where the major changes that led down this road were initiated. Oh yeah, he's royally pissed at the Democrat Congress who allowed this to happen and we should be too.
The day the government decided that banks refusing to give loans to people who couldn't afford it were 'racist', was the day this crisis began. It use to be that the poor should have a roof over their heads. Now the government is advocating that the poor should be able to buy a house. It doesn't matter that they don't have to money to buy houses.
What we have now are Americans who purchased homes that they couldn't afford, banks that were forced to make loans to those who they shouldn't have, financial institutions that made hay with the system -- they're now all off the hook. And the bill will be paid by responsible working class Americans who either paid their mortgages.