by A.F. "Tony Branco:
[Original Source]
Tags: dogs life, Americans, on a leash, liberal government, Barack Obama, A.F. Branco, political cartoon
Howard A. Nobles -- a Benton resident, proud father of the great The Hawg, poet, retired educator and all around swell guy -- has published his second book of poetry.
What is it called? Lost in Limerick Land. What's it about? A collection of clean, humorous lyrics written over a period of about five years.
Where can you read all about it? Right here.
Barnes & Noble released the Nook Tablet back in November and it's caused more than a bit of a stir in the "budget" Android tablet market.
Does it live up to the hype? I like mine, but there are some severe limitations to the machine.
Want to read more? Just click here and you're on your way, sports fan!
Merry Christmas to one and all! In the spirit of the season, the crew over at First Arkansas News has posted not one, not two but three sparkling old time radio (OTR) episodes for your listening pleasure.
What's over there? Episodes from Burns and Allen, Jack Benny and Mayor of the Town that are sure to please.
Want to give them a listen? Sure you do! Just click here and you're on your way.
We've had a fair amount of real estate news here in Arkansas over the past week, so let's take a look at a few of the stories that should be of interest to Natural State residents.
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| Politically Generated Layoffs? |
The below situation was highlighted today in an email by the Republican Party of Arkansas quoted below:
... [Read Full Story]
Tags: Arkansas, Governor, Mike Beebe, Arkansas Forestry Commission, John Shannon, Robert Araiza, Matt DeCample, overspending, underfunding, tradition and practices, Plantation Politics, Curtis Coleman To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service.
Gallup released its poll last week detailing what Americans fear as the greatest threat to them. While Barack Obama and the Occupy groups have attacked the wealthy and and conservatives have expressed concerns about the abuses of unions, the survey shows that Democrats, Republicans and others have increasing agreed that the biggest threat in the last two years during Obama's presidency is Big Government.
Summary stats:
- 64% of Americans say big government is the biggest threat to the country
- 26% say big business which is down from the 32% recorded during the recession
Since 2009 to 2011, all political groups have noted the growing threat of Big Government:
- Democrats From 32% to 48%
- Republicans from 80% to 82%
- Independents from 59% to 64%
Additionally, while Occupy Wall Street . . . anti-big business message may not be resonating with majorities in any party. Republicans, independents, and now close to half of Democrats are more concerned about the threat of Big Government than that coming from big business."
Tags: Gallup, biggest threat, Big Government, big business, Big Labor To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service.
Tags: Christmas, Christmas Cartoons, Political Cartoons, Santa, U.S. Capitol, William Warren To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service.
Three boards of Realtors in the northwest corner of the state will vote next month on whether to merge.
Should the members approve, the new board will be the largest in the state.
Click here to see the whole story and just how large that new board might be.
Man, I hope these are just a bunch of false accusations floating around -- the founders of Angel Food, their son and an employee have been indicted for ripping off the charity.
If the four under indictment are found guilty, they deserve the worst the courts system can throw at them. Angel Food, which is based in Georgia, has helped around 500,000 families in the nation by providing them with heavily-subsidized meals. Churches here in Arkansas had embraced the program and volunteers spent countless hours working to improve the lot for people in their communities through the program.
It was a great program that ended earlier this year due to what those in charge of it called economic difficulties. A federal indictment suggests that's kind of true -- when people in charge of such a charity are stealing millions of dollars for it, perhaps the phrase "economic difficulties" does fit.
At any rate, click here to read all about it. Prepare to get angry.
Earlier this year, Tokyo House opened in west Little Rock.
What is Tokyo House? Simply put, it's probably the best "Asian buffet" restaurant in central Arkansas. It may well be the best in the state.
Tokyo House -- a Japanese restaurant -- offers up sushi and hot meals for $18.95 a person. The food is fresh, the variety is incredible and the quality is far ahead of what you might expect in such a restaurant.
I'll put it this way -- that $18.95 is a bargain when you stop and consider how much quality and variety you get for the money. If you're in the area, pay the place a visit.
You can read more about Tokyo House over at FirstArkansasNews.net.
A few months ago, the happy-go-lucky crew at First Arkansas News was lucky enough to attract the attention of Dr. Zodiac.
Who is Dr. Zodiac? Not only is he the inventor of the Crystal Quija Rune Board (an incredible piece of scientific equipment), he is a self-described astrologer, master of the occult and general-purpose mystic. Dr. Zodiac agreed to submit weekly horoscopes (he calls them StarForecasts, actually) to us. You can read the current horoscope here and see what the stars have in store for you every week by clicking here.
Enjoy!
What was the housing market like in central and northwest Arkansas in October? Yes, you're just dying of curiosity, aren't you?
Well, you no longer have to wonder -- now you can know (and knowing is half the battle, isn't it GI Joe fans?) Click here for the central Arkansas report and here for northwest Arkansas.
Oh, and those are from FirstArkansasNews.net -- the li'l ole site that posts housing market reports before anyone else in the state and offers the most "stat heavy" reports, too. Quite a feat...
Well there's a reason for that -- the bulk of my attention has been focused on FirstArkansasNews.net since April 2010. Why? That's more of a news site than this one is and, hey, I actually make a few bucks with that one.
Besides, there's something to be said for owning your own server space and installing WordPress on it. Ah, the joy.
At any rate, one of the things we've focused on at the aforementioned site has to do with original projects. For the absolute latest project, click here to listen to Wikipedia Brown, an original bit of modern audio theater featuring some actors from the Royal Theater here in scenic Benton, Ark. Fun stuff. We hope. Maybe....
The crew over at First Arkansas News has produced a modern audio theater series -- the Super Weasel Lawyer Team!
What's it all about? Essentially, a bunch of weasels who sit in their offices in the Strip Mall of Justice and scheme up ways to make cash. It's all in good fun. Honest.
Want to listen to the first two episodes in the series? Of course you do! Just click here and you're on your way. Ah, Weaselmania. Catch it!
For America, a conservative activist group, has produced a video to support the group’s “Cut, Cap, and Balance” pledge – cut the deficit, cap spending, and balance the budget. It has some farm humor and notes that "chickens tend to flock together, often following each other without a real sense of direction."
ForAmerica is headed has over 1.2 million Likes / Followers their FaceBook Fan Page: ForAmerica. See you at the Pledge! View the video:
Tags: Don't Be A Chicken, Cut, Cap, Balance, budget, debt ceiling, video To share or post, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bill Smith, Editor, ARRA News Service: In the "yesteryears" we used the term "the domino effect"to illustrate the spreading of communism. Cartoonist William Warren has now used dominoes in his latest political cartoon (below) to depict the coming collapse of the American economy.
Is there anyone "who cares" at the White House or in the Senate Democrat leadership and is also willing to stop or to help mitigate the coming economic collapse of America? Mr. Obama, we do not need anymore campaign rhetoric! The progressive liberals and even a few anarchist from odd political variations may be looking favorably toward the collapse of our country, but the rest of America is not.
Many House Republican have demonstrated their concern. They came to Washington with a clear understanding that they have no promise of returning for another term. They also understand that time is running out for certain problems to be resolved. They know they might be "out on the street" with their follow Americans if the economy collapses. Also, rumors are spreading of fear of a potential dictatorship operating out of the White House in the future if an economic collapse were to occur.
Yesterday, the ARRA News Service posted about 103 House Republicans supporting the the House Republican Study Committee's "Cut, Cap, and Balance” response to the debt limit and the bigger debt crisis that’s just over the horizon. It’s a simple, three-part plan:
- Cut spending to slash the deficit in half next year (requiring about $380 billion in spending cuts according to CBO)
- Cap spending so it aligns with average revenues (ratcheting quickly down to 18% of GDP from current 24%).
- Send a strong Balanced Budget Amendment to the states for ratification (with high hurdle for tax hikes and 18% of GDP spending cap).
[Snip - Remainder of Article]
By William Warren: "Today my cartoon looks at the debt crisis which is spreading from Europe to the U.S."
Tags: European Central Bank, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Political Cartoons, Portugal, Spain, U.S. Debt Crisis, William Warren, the economy, collapse of America, Anthony Weiner, US House, US Senate, White House, Cut, Cap, Balance, Bill Smith
Yes, indeed. The crew over at First Arkansas News is working on a new project -- a Lum and Abner comic strip.
Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.
PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!
Guest post from: Constance Rodgers
I am excited to begin my career as a freelance journalist but there are a bunch of things I need to do before I really get myself off the ground. I’ve got the writing chops but I need to get a www.domainnames.com purchased so I can get a website up there. Without a site I can point potential clients to in order to show off my work, I may as well be going door to door! My friend Jennifer is going to help me design the site but I’ve got to make sure to do it very professionally so I’ll earn some credibility. It doesn’t help my case that I’m so young so I want my online presence to really show my work for what it is. I hope I’ll soon gain notoriety for my work but in the meantime, I’ve got to get my name out there and this is the best way I know how. Soon I’ll be beating editors off with a stick but until then, it’s all about marketing myself!
Thank goodness for competition, huh?
What does a company do when it's market share is falling due to intense competition from other organizations with a ton of good ideas? If you're Mozilla, you come up with a new browser in an attempt to retain your user base, make gains on the dominant Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, keep your competition at bay and attract more users.
So, Firefox 4 is out there and it's a pretty solid browser. Want to read a full review of it? Just click here.
It appears 2011 will be a banner year for the mortgage interest deduction -- it could either be scaled back, cut out or retained (thus ensuring it will burrow further into the tax code, of course).
The facts are, quite simply, these. The government is broke after bailing out every group under the sun over the past couple of years. Last year, the feds decided it might be good to cut back a bit on spending. It appears 2011 will be the day (or, rather, year) of reckoning.
In this climate, then, it's no surprise that the federal government is taking a hard look at the mortgage interest deduction as something to eliminate in an attempt to raise some revenue. It's also not a surprise that money-flinging interest groups such as the National Association of Realtors are throwing a fit about suggestions to touch the deduction at all. And the general public? Polls show they want to keep the deduction.
First Arkansas News has launched a series taking a hard look at the deduction. You'll find the first part of tat series here and the second part will show up, well, when it shows up, you know?
Tags: Obama, Talking, both sides, AF Branco, political cartoon To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
| Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) "Failed Leadership" |
Today, April 6th, Representative Rick Crawford, now joined even more US Representatives have in another letter addressed Senator Reid's "reckless, partisan strategy of shutting down the government."
Crawford writes in the second letter to Senator Harry Reid, "With all due respect, if you do not plan to fulfill your responsibilities as Senate Majority Leader, perhaps it is time to step aside." The letter goes on the state, "Mr. Reid, it is time to stop denying the dire straits of our nation's fiscal health. "It is time to pass a bill."
[Full Story with the two letters and the list or Representatives who signed the letters.]
Tags: US Congress, letters, Rick Crawford, Arkansas, Senator, Harry Reid, time to resign,
Who is more fiscally responsible: Charlie Sheen or Washington? Duh! Charlie the Warlock. Washington spends $30 million, the same as Charlie’s salary, in less than five minutes. Now that’s a fastball… At least Charlie knew not to spend more than Two and a Half Men was paying him.
Washington's habit of spending far more than it takes in has driven the country into debt. And our economic situation is projected to only get worse.
The solution is clear, but not easy: spending cuts. History shows that reducing government spending leads to sustained economic growth. And that's something (even Charlie Sheen) can get behind.
With the help of Charlie (sort of), our latest video explains that after years of spending far more than we take in, Washington has driven us deep into the red. And there’s only one viable solution. Check out the video below and then sign up to be one of the first to receive our latest products!
Excerpt:
Charlie Sheen (impersonator): “Yeah, well, being a ‘rockstar from Mars’ is expensive. Duh. But I still brought in more than I spent. WINNING. You can’t say the same for Washington. LOSING.”
Here are a few facts:Last year, Washington brought in 2.3 trillion in taxes, and spent it all, plus a lot more. One and a half times to be exact. Losing!We need solutions NOW and Public Notice’s latest video shows what we already know to do. Cut Spending!
It took over 200 years, and every president from George Washington through Bill Clinton, to rack up a $ 6-trillion debt. But Washington politicians have more than doubled that in just 10 years. Losing!
Our current debt of more than 14 trillion means every American household is on the hook for $130,000. Losing!
We pay almost $1 trillion, every year, on interest payments alone. Losing!
After World War II, the U.S. government cut spending from 44 percent of the economy to 11 percent.
If Charlie Sheen can figure out how to turn a dire situation around, there just might be hope for Washington.
Tags: Bankrupting America, Charlie Sheen, data visualization, debt, deficit, Government Overspending, Government Spending, new video, video, who is more responsible, Who's more responsible: Charlie Sheen or Washington?, winning Via ARRA News Service.
Well, here's some more great news for the housing industry -- CoreLogic says the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has overstated its national sales numbers by as much as 20 percent.
Ruh-roh, Scooby. That's a scary accusation if it proves to be true, considering how often the NAR's report is used by economists, analysts, journalists, etc. It's also scary when you realize that the number of months in supply is directly tied to sales -- lower sales could mean more months in supply than we thought, meaning it will take longer to get housing inventory thinned out than we previously believed.
Click here to read about this whole mess.
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It was in the courtroom of Judge Bruce Anderson, Bradley County District judge, in Warren, Arkansas that the first two cases of that county were tried, two remarkably similar cases with inexplicably different results.
Read Full Story
Before the reputations of more Arkansans are damaged, before more jobs are placed at risk, before more family financial resources are consumed, and before any further enforcement of the animal cruelty laws are enforced, more education on the law is necessary for law enforcement, prosecutors and, of course, judges! Legislators are encouraged to re-evaluate their former efforts and reaffirm or even improve the “safeguards” placed in effect to protect property owners against frivolous lawsuits and charges when protecting their properties, persons and livestock from the threat of roaming dogs belonging to or abandoned by irresponsible pet owners.
At the end of June, I went out and bought my first full-sized pickup truck -- a Dodge Ram 1500 SLT with a crew cab.
I was wowed by the semi-truck styling of the thing, that mango tango paint job, the car-like comfort of the ride and a stout V-8 under the hood.
The fuel economy is terrible and parking the thing can be a nightmare, but I just had to buy the truck. Now that I've had it a few months, the time is right to review it.
Hey, the 2011 Rams are virtually unchanged, so people looking at one of those might want to know what someone thinks about a 2010 model after a few months. Am I still glad I shelled out $32,000 for a gas-guzzling pickup truck? Click here and find out.
Yes, the crew over at First Arkansas News has started something new -- old time radio (OTR) serials.
Yes, we're talking about those multi-episodic story arcs that kept people coming back week after week, month after month and year after year to hear what happened next.
That's some fine entertainment, kids featuring the likes of Lum and Abner, Superman, Flash Gordon and Little Orphan Annie. Want to head over and listen to some episodes?
Sure you do! Just click here and you'll be on your way to old time radio heaven.
Tags: Bob Parks, commentary, Black History Month, history, blacks, democrats, republicans To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". H/T ARRA News Service.
The economy is a mess and we're seeing all levels of government taking action to get people working again.
Here in Arkansas, one area of concern has to be with contractors who hire illegal immigrants (we've seen a lot of bills written around the nation that appear to be in direct response to the "they took our jobs!" mantra that's common these days). The Arkansas Legislature is due to take up H.B. 1013, which is sponsored by State Rep. Jim Nickels (D-Sherwood). That bill, simply put, would punish contractors who knowingly hire people who are not authorized to work in the United States.
What is interesting is the broad appeal that this bill will likely attract. Why? It addresses an issue embraced by both conservatives and liberals (to an extent) and the bill has already drawn the support of union leaders here in the Natural State.
Want to read more about H.B. 1013 and what the unions are doing to support it? Sure you do! Just click here...
Yes, it's the Atari Lynx -- the portable gaming system that was ahead of its time but was absolutely stomped into oblivion by the Nintendo Game Boy.
The Lynx had a lot of advantages over the Game Boy -- color graphics, better sound and a groovy innovation or two that should have made it a contender in the market. However, it also had wretched battery life and lacked the marketing dollars, third-party support and the franchises that Nintendo enjoyed. Still, the Lynx was a fine little system and I still play mine quite a bit.
Interested in an overview of the Lynx? Sure you are! Click here to read all about it.
While the latest housing news out of northwest Arkansas might not be great, it sure looks good compared to the dismal sales reports up there -- and from around the nation -- over the past few months.
Union Pacific Corporation owns one of America's leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and provides Americans with a fuel-efficient, environmentally responsible and safe mode of freight transportation. Union Pacific's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad emphasizes excellent customer service and offers competitive routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways. Union Pacific connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major gateways to Mexico, making it North America's premier rail franchise.
Union Pacific's Steam Program
No other railroad in this country has retained its steam locomotives and historical rail car fleet like Union Pacific. The preservation of this equipment speaks to the high value Union Pacific places on its heritage and its role in America's history. Our two steam locomotives have run thousands of miles as UP ambassadors of goodwill:- The Challenger No. 3985 was designed by Union Pacific and built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company, and is the only operating engine of its class in the world today – the largest and most powerful operating steam locomotive.
- The No. 844 is the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad, and was delivered in 1944. No. 844 was placed in freight service in Nebraska from 1957 to 1959, then was saved from being scrapped in 1960. No. 844 celebrated its 50th anniversary of Special Train Service in 2010.
After the departure of former Arkansas Realtors Association (ARA) Chief Executive Officer Andy Schaus in September, the search has been on for a new CEO.
The ARA ran a search for a few months and the new hire, Mark Marchand, started at the organization on Monday.
Oddly, the ARA didn't make that information public. However, First Arkansas News confirmed that Marchand was, indeed, at the ARA and you can read the full story by clicking here. Yes, that's a First Arkansas News exclusive story, so check it out.
It seems all good things must come to an end.
Yes, Ryan Mallett -- one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the University of Arkansas -- has decided to skip his senior year and enter the NFL draft.
That's a shame.
A real shame.
However, he won some great games with the Razorbacks and any fan worth his salt ought to wish Mallett well in the NFL.
You can read the story about Mallett's departure here.
I've collected a ton of Nintendo Entertainment (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment Systems (SNES) over the years.
The games pretty well last forever but the hardware needed to play them doesn't. What's a retrogramer to do? I looked at one of those Chinese-made systems that are cheap and new to use with my collection of vintage video games a few months ago and have been pleased with the results so far.
Want to read all about my nifty little red and gold game horse and how it's held up over the past few months? Sure you do! Just click here for a review of the Retro Duo and you may just decide to pick one up for yourself.