The weather is absolutely rotten here in central Arkansas.

Yes, we're talking about 6 inches of snow on the ground, a delightful combination of rain, freezing rain and snow still falling and me stuck in the house all day.

Yuck.

Yes, it's time to start thinking about a spring trip to a scenic spot like Myrtle Beach -- a spot that gets warm early and stays warm for months. There a few things I can think of at this point that would be more fun than planning a Myrtle Beach golf trip right about now.

If you'd like to start planning early, just click the following link to find that ideal Myrtle Beach golf package and start dreaming of escaping the winter...

Over the past decade or so, we've heard plenty about broadband Internet connections, haven't we?

It was assumed that broadband access would have -- by now -- rendered dial-up obsolete. That hasn't happened, has it?

Why? There are a number of reasons for that. For one thing, not everyone needs the speed (and expense) of a high speed connection. Some people are content to check email, surf the Internet and do a number of other things that don't require huge volumes of information to be shipped here and there. Broadband for a lot of those users would be extreme overkill -- rather like using a hammer when a scalpel is needed. Dial-up, then, still makes a lot of sense to a good number of folks who want to use the Internet but don't give a hang about downloading huge files, playing online games, etc.

Also, there are a lot of people out there who live in an area where broadband Internet is either difficult to get or prohibitively expensive. Here in my town, we didn't even have DSL in a lot of neighborhoods until recently. Our cheapskate cable company doesn't provide broadband and I couldn't get DSL through AT&T until a couple of years ago. We relied on broadband for years because it was inexpensive and -- for the most part -- let us do everything we needed to do on the Internet.

So, there is still a demand for cheap dial up access to the Internet (that's particularly true when people are cutting corners in this economy). So, in comes Copper.net -- a company providing dial-up access starting at $9.95 for people wanting Internet services, but perhaps don't need to shell out the bucks for high speed access.

But if you do want high speed access, Copper.net has DSL service and satellite access starting at $19.95 -- not a bad price at all. Pay Copper.net a visit -- you might save a buck or two.

Dave Pittman of the Gassville / Mountain Home, Arkansas performs at the American Idol Dallas Audition. Dave has 'Tourette Syndrome' but when he sings the syndrome does not manifest itself. Watch this video while it is still available.

Bill Smith, Editor, ARRA News Service: Repeatedly, polls show Arkansans ready to dump Arkansas Blanche Lincoln. The question early in this race, is who will be the final nominee for the GOP to run against Lincoln. The GOP race is still wide open with some tightening but most likely their will be run-off after the Republican primary. The number of Republican candidates splitting the vote in the primary will most likely assure that no one will have 51% of the vote.

The present considerations between the Republican candidates are:
1) Vote for the person who raises the most money to oppose Lincoln's war chest.
2) Vote or don't vote to send another politician to Washington D.C.? If a politician, concerns over their voting record and deals made in the past will be evaluated by the voters.
3) Vote for person with experienced business experience needed to help balance the budget and protect small business.
4) Vote for person commitmented to ethics and accountability.
5) Vote for an person who indeed understands the global threat by other countries and terrorism.
6) Most people are looking for those committed to conservative principles both in their former and present life before entrusting them with the future of the people's seat.
7) Who is best expected to communicate after winning the election with Arkansans and not avoid them as Sen. Lincoln has done including moving her family to Virginia.

There have been several polls and in each case there has been slight variation. However, in most polls, Lincoln looses to a solid conservative Republican. The independents, many of them disenfranchised conservative who are seen the Democratic Party's slide into socialism, will have a great deal to say in the final decision beyond the old time Republicans who follow a usual path to decision making. This was proven recently with the election of Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. If the opportunity is not wasted by the Republican candidates in bitter partisan politics, Arkansas should be sending a conservative to Washington as it's second Senator after the November election. If this doesn't happen, Arkansas will have failed both itself and the rest of the country.

Most years, we would expect potential Republican candidates to have potentially double digit negative numbers polling against long term incumbent Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln. But this has not been the situation. In a poll conducted earlier this week for the Arkansas News Bureau/Stephens Media by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., Republicann are polling favorably against incumbent Democrat Blanche Lincoln who has only a favorable rating of only 39% and unfavorable 41%. Polling numbers in early head to head races were:
Holt 43% Lincoln 37% [Jim Holt - Fav: 19% Unfav: 7% Unknown: 38%]
Baker 43% Lincoln 39% [Gilbert Baker - Fav: 11% Unfav: 5% Unknown: 38%]
Coleman 39% Lincoln 40% [Curtis Coleman - Fav: 7% Unfav: 3% Unknown: 77%]
Reynolds 38% Lincoln 41% [Conrad Renynols - Fav: 8% Unfav: 3% Unknown: 76%]
Cox 38% Lincoln 41% [Tom Cox - Fav: 7% Unfav: 2% Unknown: 70%]
Hendren 38% Lincoln 43% [Kim Hendren - Fav: 10% Unfav: 4% Unknown: 63%]

Yes, we've got some maniac running around thinking that he ought to be able to build seven casinos all over my state and have a state-protected monopoly so he doesn't have to deal with any mean old competitors.

I'm not a fan of casinos and I detest monopolies, so I hope the jerk fails. You can read all about this rotten move by clicking here.

Hopefully this self-serving effort fails miserably. He'll be out petitioning soon. If you do live here, please refrain from signing one and putting this ridiculous proposal on the ballot.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- one of the greatest things about the Internet is that you can find specialty stores all over the place.

The same is true for common items like mailboxes. If you want a new mailbox, you could head down to a local retailer and find two or three that may or may not suit you.

But what if you want a custom mail box or you want your home to be adorned by something that sets your post box apart from the mail boxes used by your neighbors? That's when you need a specialty store.

When it comes to mailboxes, look no further on the Internet than Mailboxixchange. There's a company that sells anything and everything in the wild world of mailboxes and offers some great customer service and fantastic prices, to boot.

The older I get, the more I rely on the Internet for guides on how to do -- you know -- stuff.

I've found advice on everything from how to tell if a strip of computer RAM has gone bad to whether that "check engine" light on my dashboard suggests that something catastrophic has happened. When I was growing up, finding any advice on how to fix even a minor problem meant heading out and buying a big, expensive book for my particular make and model or taking my chances and dragging it to a mechanic that looked trustworthy.

The fact that some solid tips for car repair -- and locating decent repair shops and estimating costs -- can be found on the Internet is not to be taken for granted. Want some advice on where to get a car fixed in a particular city? You can find something right on point on, say, Dallas auto repair on the Internet. The same goes for finding advice on reading up on common mechanical problems and repair advice on that Chevrolet Silverado or finding the ins and outs of a necessary brake job.

Ah, the Internet. No wonder kids are just wacky over it.

If there's one thing I hate it's a big old nasty, stinky casino.

The last time I was dragged to one of those things was, well, the last time I'll be caught near one of those things. You had the overriding stench of failure and desperation, cocktail waitresses who were surly and looked like dogs that had been beaten too much and decor that was so garish it looked like an alcoholic interior designer paid off his gambling debt by taking the job.

So phooey on that. If you're going to gamble, you might as well check out a much more pleasant online casino. Poker? Blackjack? Roulette? You can find it all there and more. Oh, and click the following link to find out the ins and outs of casino software, huh?

Now, folks, there’s a photo that demands attention, isn’t it?

It makes you curious – makes you wonder what it’s all about.

Just admit it – you want to find out all about the pervert. You want to know about what identified the particular individual as a pervert and what right minded people are doing about it.

Well, you can read all about the pervert (and his weird, trick sweatpants) by clicking here and heading over to the blog I maintain for my employer. The story is well worth reading. I promise.

I'm reminded (once again) of the convenience of finding good specialty stores on the Internet.

If there's something you want, the chances are good there's a specialty store somewhere on the Internet that sells it. When it comes to items like ceiling fans you could certain find some of those locally, but where do you go to find the largest selection and the best prices?

Why, you turn to a specialty store like Hansen Wholesale Ceiling Fans, of course. Regardless of what kind of ceiling fan you're looking for, you'll find it over there and at a great price, to boot.