The following was originally posted at First Arkansas News. We’re posting it here in hopes that more people will enjoy it. Why? Because old time radio (OTR) is more fan than a barrel full of monkeys and is well worth sharing.

Well, you lucky thing. It’s another weekend and that means it’s time for another fantastic show in our ongoing Weekend OTR series.

What show do we have on tap? It’s the Fabulous Mr. Tweedy, a comedy starring Frank Morgan. As usual, this week’s program is courtesy of our friends at OTRCat.com. So, listen to the show then pay The Cat a visit. Deal?

How do you listen to the show? Simply click the below link and you’re set, pilgrim.

Fabulous Mr. Tweedy – Tweedy Plays the Bassoon (1/12/1946)

My background is in journalism. To be precise, it’s on the editorial side of journalism.

What does that mean? I couldn’t sell advertising to save my life and I know it. When I worked in the newspaper business, advertising was sold by magical elves as far as I was concerned. When I started a site (not this one) that needed ad revenue, my approach was decidedly pitiful.

“Hey, uh. Like. You wanna buy an ad?”

“No.”

“OK.”

What’s the point of all this? Running an Internet site and raising revenue for it are two separate matters. One might be able to put up a great site that attracts a lot of traffic. There is a certain skill involved in doing that. However, that same person that is so brilliant in putting together a site with compelling content might not have the ability to attract advertisers. The ability to sell ads is also a skill and it’s a good idea to leave that task up to an advertising agency staffed with people who have that skill.

Go ahead and click the aforementioned link to find out about a firm with just that skill – it’s called “That! Advertising Agency” and specializes in mixed media advertising. What does that mean? It means the agency was born and bred on the Internet but realizes the importance of advertising through more traditional outlets, too. That’s right – the company seeks to reach your demographic through the channels most appropriate to it.

Sounds good, huh? Experience in various forms of media and the willingness to avoid a “one size fits all” solution in favor of a custom program sounds like a winner, doesn’t it?

Three boards of Realtors in northwest Arkansas voted down a proposal on Wednesday that would have resulted in the largest local Realtors association in Arkansas.

You can read all about the vote and such at First Arkansas News by clicking here.

Now, here’s the interesting thing – a person familiar with what went down on there said it appeared the proposal might pass until the full details of the merger weren’t released until right before the vote. Those details allegedly caused a lot of people to say “hell no” and vote against the merger.

What details was our source talking about? We’re investigating and will have more details in the near future. So, stay tuned to First Arkansas News and we’ll post that information when we get it.

Here we go again -- taking another look at how the Internet allows specialty stores to thrive. That's a topic one can never beat to death because specialization is one of those things that makes the Internet so great.

Yes, it's one thing to have a lot of common items available, but what does your local retailer have in stock when it comes to portable bleachers or aluminum bleachers? If you can find a local store that even carries such items, how large is the selection? The chances are good that any store in your town that carries such items will have an extremely limited selection. And let's not even talk about prices -- a severe lack of competition means prices are pushed as high as possible. Click on one of the two aforementioned links and you'll find plenty of items at great prices -- competition from Internet retailers means selection and attractive prices are mandatory for those companies that want to survive.

The same dynamic works when it comes to other products. How about dog exercise equipment or pet waste stations? Yep -- plenty of products and competitive prices at the Internet retailer behind the aforementioned links.

Choice is a good thing, indeed, and the Internet facilitates that very well.

I had the "pleasure" of going on my first Black Friday sale in November. Why? Because my wife wanted two items for sale in a store and couldn't grab them both by herself. So, I was recruited.

Anyone who has been through one of those things knows the drill. You've got a limited number of products and people are lined up to grab them as soon as the merchant makes them available. The crowd surges, items are grabbed and the very lucky come away with items at ridiculously low prices.

Of course, there are problems with Black Friday sales. For one thing, those are only held once a year. For another, there's all that nasty fighting and grabbing that takes place. Finally, the truly zealous Black Friday warriors tend to sacrifice spending Thanksgiving with their families as they either camp out in parking lots or go to bed early so they can be at the stores as soon as they open to the public.

Ah, but what if there was a way to get those Black Friday deals without having to go to stores, stand in lines and fight with crowds? What if you could get those deals all year long so as to avoid waiting until the day after Thanksgiving to take advantage of the best prices available? Why, you could start take care of Christmas shopping throughout the year instead of saving up your cash to blow in one, financially-inconvenient wad on Black Friday. Heck, you might even pick up some things for yourself at discount prices.

And, folks, you'll find just a place when you point your browser to Nomorerack.com, grab a free membership and start shopping. What is Nomorerack? Simply put, it's a clearinghouse for a slew of great deals. The "deals" available change regularly, so the wise shopper will check in regularly to see what's available. And you will want to check in often -- there are items over there for as much as 90 percent off, the products range from electronics such as Android tablets to tee shirts and we're talking about new products. In short, the chances are good you'll find plenty of products you'll like at prices that are hard to beat.

Want another incentive to get involved with the site? Refer friends and you'll win awards. That's right -- if you can convince some friends it would be a good idea to join up and save money, you'll be able to leverage those introductions into points that can be redeemed for free products. How's that for a heck of a deal?

Click one of the aforementioned links and give the site a look. In this economy, everyone likes a good deal, right? Nomorerack is serving them up daily, so don't miss out on some sales.

Need a vacation? Sure you do! Who couldn't use a vacation after a stressful 2011 and the "blahs" that naturally follow the holidays.

Ah, but vacations take a lot of planning, don't they? Why, it would be ridiculous to plan something at the last moment and have any hope for success, right?

That may have been the case in the past, but one of the great things of the Internet is that the tools are always at hand to make plans and carry them through efficiently and quickly. Let's say you're in Australia and you want to book last minute flights to, well, somewhere else. The Internet's got you covered. The same goes for booking last minute hotels or cheap flights.

Convenient? You'd better believe it. Now, get packing.

Sick of sifting through an inbox full of junk to get those few emails you want?

I was at a point where I was getting close to 200 spam emails a day and was starting to view my email account are largely a nuisance. If I had to dig through all that garbage to get the emails I wanted, what was the point of running an account at all?

Sure, I tried using new email addresses but the spammers always found me. I filtered spams out in Thunderbird on my laptop, but that did nothing for the mail I checked on my iPhone and Nook Tablet.

What was the cure for all of this? It's simpler than you might think -- take advantage of Google's free and very good spam filters by using Gmail to filter my mail before it hits my inbox. Want to learn how to set that up easily? Click here and read all about. And, seriously, the service is completely free. Give it a shot!

Here's another example of why the Internet is so great for consumers who want to choose from a wide variety of products rather than the one or two typically featured at local retailers -- a store dedicated to Enclume pot racks.

What is an Enclume pot rack? Simply put, it's a way to efficiently store your pots (and maybe even a pan or two) in your kitchen without taking up space in your cabinets. Just hang one of the rascals up and you're set.

Why shop for them online? Simply put, if you can find a store in your area that carries Enclume potracks, the chances are good your selection will be slim at best. Isn't it better to have several options available. Perhaps there's a price point you want to stick with or need a particular configuration to fit your individual needs. Your choices may be limited locally, but one of the reason the Internet exists is to give shoppers a full array of options.

Click one of the links in this post and get started shopping.

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.

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%

By William Warren:

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.