"Wanna see the new truck?" Higginson's Fire Chief, Marvin Mathis, could barely contain his excitement. The new tanker truck has his fingerprints all over it. He went to the factory where it was built and knows the truck inside and out.

"Only if I can drive it," said I.  I've always loved learning to drive anything with an engine and wheels.

"OK. Hop up there. Get the bay door open."

Hop wasn't what I did - I climbed. Four huge steps up got me into the driver's seat, looking at a very different dashboard and controls. Ignition on the left, it was an automatic, but had only D, N, and R. Marv said that neutral was park.

With the bay door up, I eased the monster of a truck out of the fire station a whole 30 feet, the length of the truck, to park it in  front. Marvin had a lot to show off, so my adventure didn't end there.


The brushed stainless steel and the size of the equipment itself was mind boggling. The truck came with new air tanks, new everything. The size of the fill hose itself was huge, as is needed to fill the 2,500 gallon tank.

Spigots to shoot pressurized water came out all over the place on that truck. There was even a different place to attach a fill hose when getting water from ponds, creeks or rivers. It held a huge filter right inside the cap that took Marv two hands and quite a bit of oomph to unscrew.

"Oh man," I said, "anything with threads would goof me up." I should've kept my mouth shut because when Marv went to put that cover back on the fill spigot, he didn't do much better than I would lining those threads up.

"When we leave a scene to refill, we have a portable tank we can leave on site while the truck is gone," and Marv proceeded to flip up the latches on the long side of the truck. A huge, hinged door dropped down, and it took two firemen to unfold and set the canvas tank up.


That's Marv back there, facing me. The engineering, the sheer size and the incredible strength of this fire truck and all it's attachments will stick with me for a long time.

I now know more about what is behind fighting fire than I could ever have assumed, and believe me, TV doesn't come close to capturing what really goes on. The protective suits firemen wear are not only hot, but very heavy, and it takes a good deal of physical strength to maneuver while wearing one. Most of the equipment on the trucks take at least two men to use. Even the levers to release water took me two hands and a good leg brace.

I don't remember how much it cost for the tiny town of Higginson to buy this new truck, but after seeing it in action, it doesn't matter. It just isn't a consideration when it comes to saving lives.

by Bill Smith, ARRA Editor and 22 year Veteran: Today, Arkansas will rally at 4 pm in front of the Army-Navy Recruiting Station in Little Rock to show support for our military. While most of the media, elected officials, and Commander-in-Chief Obama have ignored this terrorist attack in Arkansas, the rally participants will show their respect for our military and will mourn the loss of soldier Pvt. William Long, and will express concern for wounded soldier Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, for their military comrades and for the families of the victims of this terrorist attack in the heartland of America.

Both soldiers were gunned down by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, a 21-year-old African-American man who had changed his name from Carlos Leon Bledsoe after he converted to Islam. In Arabic, the word mujahid is the singular form of mujahideen, and it literally means one who engages in jihad. It appears that Abdulhakim operated as a "lone wolf" which is described in an article for STATFOR, a civilian global intelligence firm. The article by Scott Stewart and Fred Burton is titled: "Lone Wolf Lessons" and is identified on the STATFOR website as a "Global Security & Intelligence Report." It has a good rundown on the concepts and dangers of the "Lone Wolf" terrorist. However the most chilling part of the article is the allegation that the administration had ordered the FBI to “back off” of counterterrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts. An Arkansas source, a retired Army colonel, expressed that "this is a very damning allegation against the administration. . . . any administration. And yes, I am PO'd!"

Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad was reportedly already under investigation by the FBI joint terrorism task force after he traveled to Yemen and was arrested there for using a Somali passport. However the details of the probe have not been revealed. But, it is now it is clear that the FBI had a prior interest in this "lone wolf terrorist."

Skipping the article's "Challenges" and "Limitations" in dealing with the Lone Wolf terrorist, let's note the text that literally jumps off the pages of the report:

However, politics have proved obstructive to all facets of counterterrorism policy. And politics may have been at play in the Muhammad case as well as in other cases involving Black Muslim converts. Several weeks ago, STRATFOR heard from sources that the FBI and other law enforcement organizations had been ordered to “back off” of counterterrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts. At this point, it is unclear to us if that guidance was given by the White House or the Department of Justice, or if it was promulgated by the agencies themselves, anticipating the wishes of President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.

. . . [Read the Full Article & Concluding Comments]

Bill Smith, ARRA News Editor: Yesterday, we heard the shocking news that a Muslim convert "with political and religious motives" shot two uniformed soldiers outside a Little Rock, Arkansas military recruiting center. Private William Long, 23, died, and Private Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, was wounded and is currently in stable condition. According to Lt. Col. Thomas F. Artis of the Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion, the two soldiers had completed basic training within the past two weeks and were not "regular" recruiters. In the military terminology, the Army had allowed these two young men to return home after basic training for a designated period of time before reporting to their next military dusty assignment if they would work with recruiters and assist them in recruiting and talking to potential recruits.

Little Rock police are commended for quickly located and arrested Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 23 who was previously known as Carlos Bledsoe before he converted to Islam. The scuttlebutt is that Abdulhakim relocated to Arkansas from Memphis, TN after converting to Islam and attending a terrorist training camp. He was reportedly already under investigation by the FBI joint terrorism task force after he traveled to Yemen and was arrested there for using a Somali passport. However the details of the probe are not yet known.

When arraigned this morning, Muhammud / Bedsloe entered a not guilty plea. However, Lt. Terry Hastings, of the LRPD said that the accused said, "He saw them standing there and drove up and shot them. That's what he said." Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said, "Interviews with police show Muhammad 'probably had political and religious motives for the attack.'"

Of interest is the use of terminology describing this crime. The the news media are issuing the term "killed"and other plain wrapper terms with regard to the cold blooded murder of an American soldier and critical wounding of another. However, the news media used more inflammatory words like "murder " with respect to the recent shooting of late term abortionist Dr. Tiller.

Also, while the Obama administration under Attorney General Holder felt it was necessary to activate U.S. marshals to provide protection to various civilian individuals based on attack on Tiller, there has been no show of concern by the Obama administration over the attack on these young military servicemen on U.S. soil. Where are the compassionate public words of Commander-in-Chief President Obama or any of his key staff in regard to the death of one and wounding of another servicemen . This morning we reported on President Obama's announced nomination for the Secretary of the Army. However , the "Commander-in-chief" has not expressed concern for the fallen and injured servicemen in Little Rock. Again - there has been no condemnation of the killing of an American serviceman and the wounding of another in the heartland of America.

Also, there has been no expressed concern for the victims' families or for the recovery of the wounded soldier. Also, where is the expressed concern by the aforementioned Attorney General Holder or by the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. With Obama's planned meetings with Muslim Middle East leaders, Obama and his administration seems to be choosing to ignore this situation. The shooting of a military serviceman used to be a Federal crime? The Silence is deafening!

Bittersweet Refinements is another book that I have been given to publish. If it gets to sounding an awfully lot like a broken player stuck on repeating the same old wrong song over and over again that is because it is to a fairly great extent. For most of it contains rewritten parts of the Bitter/Sweets that were published here before. Hopefully, it will get to sounding a lot better to you very soon, and for the benefit of those who do not have access to multiple versions of our Heavenly Father's Holy Bible, numbered Scripture references in the text (for example, [1]) provide links to such through Bible Gateway this time around. The same also applies to verses included in the text. Please go [here] to consider Chapters XXIV-XXVI.

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, the following video provides a chilling reminder of the price of war but presented in a most patriotic way. "Remember, it is about the warrior and not the war." The song is presented by the Trace Adkins & the West Point Cadet Glee Club! God Bless our military and our veterans! Wounded Warrior Project!

This is the new version of FIVE FOR FRIDAY. As with the former, it is the SOLE purpose of this weekly series to call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another. Please, go see for yourself, and [this week] such sites can be seen as:

Conway's Kris Allen overcame long odds - and a celebrity judge who long ago crowned his opponent the heir apparent - to win this year's "American Idol" crown.

Read the rest of the article.

ARRA News Service - The National Republican Congressional Committee put together a commercial linking Rep. Vic Snyder (D-AR) to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and highlighting his vote for $800,000 to repave a runway a what is essentially John Murtha's (D-PA) private rural airport used by only around 20 passengers. Though Arkansas' conservative values are apparent to anyone who opens their eyes, Vic Snyder votes with ultra-liberals Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha 97% of the time in Congress. Is this who Arkansans need representing us in DC?

Jason Tolbert, The Tolbert Report: This could mean trouble for Snyder. The fact that the NRCC is starting to spend money seems to indicate that Snyder could face a challenge in 2010. This could be a result of the poll showing Snyder’s reelection at virtual toss-up at 43% to 41%. . . . several individuals are looking at running, including Conway businessman David Meeks.

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about, websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time. Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.” This is subject to change, however. In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while. For rants promote change, and change can be good—right? Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told). A review of the music of [Delaney (C.) Walsh] is posted this week.

Back during my childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and I after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived. Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again. Go [here] to see more of such sites as:

By NOAH TRISTER
Associated Press Writer

It's lunch time at a restaurant in Kris Allen's hometown. A few sports-focused TV screens are on overhead, a brief respite from the "American Idol" fever that has swept through the area.

Then someone walks over to the jukebox and puts on "Apologize," the song Allen performed on Fox singing competition earlier in the week.

Everywhere you turn in this city of 55,000 in central Arkansas, there's some reminder of Allen's run on "American Idol." He's one of two singers who will compete in next week's finale.

Windows are decorated with supportive messages, shirts and signs are everywhere, and last Friday a crowd estimated at over 20,000 packed the streets when the 23-year-old contender performed live downtown.

"I'm definitely rooting for Kris not just because he's from Conway," said 19-year-old Jansen McGuire, who works at an Old Chicago restaurant downtown. "He has talent."

Read the rest of the article here.

Bittersweet Refinements is another book that I have been given to publish. If it gets to sounding an awfully lot like a broken player stuck on repeating the same old wrong song over and over again that is because it is to a fairly great extent. For most of it contains rewritten parts of the Bitter/Sweets that were published here before. Hopefully, it will get to sounding a lot better to you very soon, and for the benefit of those who do not have access to multiple versions of our Heavenly Father's Holy Bible, numbered Scripture references in the text (for example, [1]) provide links to such through Bible Gateway this time around. The same also applies to verses included in the text. Please go [here] to consider Chapters XXII-XXIII.

This is the new version of FIVE FOR FRIDAY. As with the former, it is the SOLE purpose of this weekly series to call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another. Please, go see for yourself, and [this week] such sites can be seen as:

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about, websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time. Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.” This is subject to change, however. In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while. For rants promote change, and change can be good—right? Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told). A review of [Rusty Rose] is posted this week.

Hell yeah!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be DELETED without prejudice.

Back during my childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and I after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived. Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again. Go [here] to see more of such sites as:

Previously on All Arkie Army, the ARRA News Service reported on a new audio political ad from the NRCC titled Marion Berry - No Blue Dog - Lap Dog for Speaker Pelosi . Now some more good news: John Allison, III, a fellow Arkansas blogger at America, You Asked For It! has cleverly designed the following video for the NRCC ad. Enjoy!
The citizens of the Arkansas 1st Congressional District don't need a Pelosi "Lap Dog" or even a "Blue Dog" representing the 1st District. They need a real "Bull Dog" Conservative standing for Arkansas values, limited government and individual liberty.

Bittersweet Refinements is another book that I have been given to publish. If it gets to sounding an awfully lot like a broken player stuck on repeating the same old wrong song over and over again that is because it is to a fairly great extent. For most of it contains rewritten parts of the Bitter/Sweets that were published here before. Hopefully, it will get to sounding a lot better to you very soon, and for the benefit of those who do not have access to multiple versions of our Heavenly Father's Holy Bible, numbered Scripture references in the text (for example, [1]) provide links to such through Bible Gateway this time around. The same also applies to verses included in the text. Please go [here] to consider Chapters XIX-XXI.

This is a guest post from my wife, Laura.

Well, things are getting a tad-bit crazy here in Conway, Arkansas.

Kris Allen T-Shirts

Just trying to get a Kris Allen T-shirt here in town is an ordeal. I spent an hour after work yesterday at HipSway, waiting on a T-shirt, only to leave empty-handed. I was told to come back this morning at 9am to pick up my shirts.

I then left for Ace Hardware (they're selling the official Kris Allen T-shirts) to see if I could get a look at their T-shirt design. I was initially told they would have a shipment of T-shirts delivered at 6pm, but the delivery was put off until 8am Friday. I liked the looks of the official design, so I decided to go back Friday morning and buy one. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at 8:05 am and their huge parking lot was full! There were two LONG lines: one to get your ticket(s) - limit 6 - and the other to get your shirt(s). Well, an hour later, I got my shirt and two more for my coworkers.

Kris Allen Concerts

When I got to work at Acxiom this morning, my coworker told me that her son (who works at the University of Central Arkansas - Kris Allen's alma mater) told her that people were in line, early this morning, to get tickets for the 3pm concert at Reynolds Hall. By 11:00am, the line had wrapped around the building. They started issuing tickets at noon. Doors opened at 2:15pm today.

We also heard people had spent the night downtown at Simon Park, to save their seats for the 5:30pm concert later today.

Kris performed at the Little Rock Riverfest Ampitheatre today at 11:30am. The crowd was estimated to be around 15,000. I-40 was locked up this morning from Conway to Little Rock as the fans traveled to see Kris perform at the Ampitheatre this morning.

Kris Allen likes Holly's Country Cooking!

My husband, Paul, picked me up for lunch and took me to Holly's. While paying for our food, Paul joked with Holly, the owner. When she asked if that's all we wanted he said, "Yeah, and we also need a plate for Kris Allen." She said, "Okay!" I told her he's just kidding. Holly said she actually has a huge order for him later on today. I told Paul I wouldn't be surprised if the American Idol crew asked Kris where they could get some good home-cooking and Kris said, "Holly's!"

Kris Allen likes Stoby's Too!

Paul called me a little bit ago to report that as he drove by Stoby's (which is three blocks from our house), he saw it was packed out and there were police cars and a black stretch limo out front. I told him I'm sure Kris is inside. Stoby's is another local Conway favorite, offering burgers, fries, their famous original cheese dip and other American cuisine. I personally like Stoby's for their crushed ice or as I like say, "the good ice!" Stoby's has a big banner on the roof that says, "Stoby's Supports Kris Allen With a Lifetime Supply of Cheese Dip." Funny, huh? Paul estimated there were about a hundred people outside of Stoby's waiting (cameras at the ready) for Kris to come out with ketchup on his shirt.

Paul checked our our 16-year-old son, Dylan, out of school early. He told him Kris Allen was eating lunch at Stoby's. Dylan's immediate response was, "I don't see why he would want to eat there, when he could've eaten at Holly's." Hehehehe!

Judges' Choice

It's just been announced that the song the judges picked for Kris Allen to perform Tuesday night on American Idol is "Apologize" by One Republic. I think it's a good choice.

Conway Downtown Parade and Concert

I plan on going downtown after work for the parade and concert. It's going to be fun to see how far away I'm going to have to park and how close I can get to the action.

I called into Alice 107.7 yesterday trying to win tickets to the American Idol tour at the Alltel Arena in Little Rock on July 25th. I was the winning caller, but I answered the trivia answer incorrectly! Dern. The question was, "When Kris Allen was in the Top 13, what song did he sing?" I guessed 'Man in the Mirror'.

Survey says.... EEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!

The right answer was "Remember the Time". I choked. I would've Googled for the answer, but I was in shock that I was caller #10. Can you say CHOKE!

Thanks for reading!






Related Posts:

Kris Allen's Homecoming Itinerary

Kris Allen and American Idol Are Coming To Conway!

Kris Allen: Conway's American Idol Sensation


Until next time,

Eat Well. Live Well.





Nutrition doesn't have to be hard. That's why there's The Pops™ and ER Fat Burn™.

---

© 2009 Thanks for reading. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content.

Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | WFN Affiliate

This is the new version of FIVE FOR FRIDAY. As with the former, it is the SOLE purpose of this weekly series to call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another. Please, go see for yourself, and [this week] such sites can be seen as:

• 9:00 pm - Kris appears live on FOX16 News at Nine

FRIDAY

• 11:30 am - Kris performs live at Riverfest Amphitheatre
• 3:00 pm - Kris performs live at Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall at UCA
• 5:00 pm - Kris Allen parade in downtown Conway
• 5:30 pm - Kris Allen performs live at Simon Park in Conway
  

Source: here

Make sure you bring your umbrella, because it's supposed to rain!

ARRA News Service - Rep. Marion Berry tries to cover his tracks when he is back home in Arkansas claiming that he is a farmer interested in agriculture in the 1st District. But as evidence has proven in the past, the only interest Berry has in agriculture is lining his own pockets with farm subsidy money. When he is home, he knows his district did not vote for Barack Obama. Sources have advised that Berry takes a few liberties and casts dispersions against Obama. But when he returns to Congress, he drops the agriculture label and is identified as a pharmacist. He doesn't want to be considered a "hay seed" in Congress with his liberal colleagues. He also turns tail and praises Barack Obama and rejoins the fold not as a Blue Dog but as a lap dog of Speaker Pelosi.

The National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) has noted Berry's antics in Washington and also the growing conservative base in Arkansas 1st Congressional District and released the following addressing Congressman Berry antics. Click for mp3 Radio Ad - Enjoy!

Berry will definitely have competition in 2010 from the republicans. One candidate, Rick Crawford, has already announced he will challenge Berry.

It's official.

Kris Allen has advanced to the final three, and American Idol will be coming to Conway, Arkansas.

All over town, there are signs saying, "Kris Allen is Kick Awesome!" You see them on banks, restaurants and even on cars. The slogan comes from an interview with Kris, where he was asked to describe his experience on the show so far. He replied that he wants to live life with no regrets and his experience has been kick awesome. So now the phrase "Kick Awesome" has become the Kris Allen battle cry around town.

Kris' wife, Katy, works at Acxiom Corporation, the same place my wife works. Every week they get emails saying, "Be sure and vote for Kris!"

There's even a rumor where our 16-year-old son goes to school. Because Kris Allen is in the 'Top 3', the kids will get out early this upcoming Friday, so they can attend a Kris Allen homecoming parade and concert in downtown Conway. Of course, along with all the hoopla, American Idol will be there filming it all.

Exciting times in good ole' Conway!

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about, websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time. Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.” This is subject to change, however. In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while. For rants promote change, and change can be good—right? Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told). [A Cure For AIDS] is considered to this week.

Back during my childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and I after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived. Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again. Go [here] to see more of such sites as:

Bittersweet Refinements is another book that I have been given to publish. If it gets to sounding an awfully lot like a broken player stuck on repeating the same old wrong song over and over again that is because it is to a fairly great extent. For most of it contains rewritten parts of the Bitter/Sweets that were published here before. Hopefully, it will get to sounding a lot better to you very soon, and for the benefit of those who do not have access to multiple versions of our Heavenly Father's Holy Bible, numbered Scripture references in the text (for example, [1]) provide links to such through Bible Gateway this time around. The same also applies to verses included in the text. Please go [here] to consider Chapter XVIII: Contractual Obligations.

This is the new version of FIVE FOR FRIDAY. As with the former, it is the SOLE purpose of this weekly series to call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another. Please, go see for yourself, and [this week] such sites can be seen as:

For my Wordless Wednesday selection yesterday, I chose a photo I took last Friday at an Arkansas Traveler's game.

Why? Because I love the heck out of baseball, that's why. Think of it. It's a warm, spring evening or afternoon and you're out at the ballpark. You've got a hot dog in one hand, a beer in the other and you're yelling, "Hit the damn ball!" What could be better than that?

I've been a fan of the Arkansas Travelers since I was just a little The Hawg. When spring and summer rolled around, it was a regular event for my dad, mom brother and I to hop in the car, make that 20-minute drive from Benton to Little Rock and go see the Travelers.

My dad taught me about baseball during those many outings and I've had an appreciation for the game since. I pretty well grew up at Ray Winder Field, in fact, and will probably go to Travelers games until I'm too old and/or sick to make it to them.

A lot has changed over the years. A couple of years ago, the team moved from the middle of Little Rock to Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. The Travelers used to be a St. Louis Cardinals farm club (a great fit because a lot of us Arkies are Cardinals fans) but is now an Angels affiliate (not a good fit at all -- who in Arkansas cares about a middle-tier team from Anaheim or Los Angeles or wherever the heck they are based?) And just last year, the Travelers got a rivalry -- the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (a Kansas City Royals affiliate) set up shop in Springdale.

At any rate, it felt rather like old times. Well, the roles of mom and dad were played by my wife and me and the roles of the kids were played by our children. Still, I was probably more relaxed than I've been in at least three months during that game and the kids had a great time (just look at the photos for proof).

So the kids are learning about baseball the way I learned -- by watching a lot of games, doing a lot of yelling and having (hopefully) a good time with the family. I do miss Ray Winder Field, but there's something to be said for putting the team in a park that overlooks the Little Rock skyline and wasn't built when the Kaiser was in power.

It was a bonehead move on the part of the Little Rock city officials who let the Travelers move north of the Arkansas River, but the city of North Little Rock has been bloodying the nose of its sister city for a few years now. So, the move wasn't really that much of a surprise. Hey, North Little Rock has gotten very, very competitive with Little Rock as of late and that's been fun to watch.

For example, Little Rock got the Clinton Library, so what did North Little Rock officials do? They put an RV park right across the Arkansas River from it. That's funny as hell and a surprisingly fitting tribute to our former president.

At any rate, the Travelers lost last Friday to the Naturals.

The score wasn't really the point of going, anyway. It never is.

This post is part of the weekly Tell Me Thursday event. Do you participate in Wordless Wednesday? Why not take part in Tell Me Thursday, too?

A rant of epic proportions. Read all about it [here].

Check back tomorrow when I submit the story behind this photo for the famed Tell Me Thursday event!

Meanwhile, why not head on over to Wordless Wednesday and submit something of your own?

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about, websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time. Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.” This is subject to change, however. In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while. For rants promote change, and change can be good—right? Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told). A [Lost Generation] is considered this week.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

This was sent to me by a fellow Arkie and one might guess this Alabama fellow dislikes Tennessee. Any SEC fan will get a kick out of this.

Back during my childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and I after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived. Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again. Go [here] to see more of such sites as:

Bittersweet Refinements is another book that I have been given to publish. If it gets to sounding an awfully lot like a broken player stuck on repeating the same old wrong song over and over again that is because it is to a fairly great extent. For most of it contains rewritten parts of the Bitter/Sweets that were published here before. Hopefully, it will get to sounding a lot better to you very soon, and for the benefit of those who do not have access to multiple versions of our Heavenly Father's Holy Bible, numbered Scripture references in the text (for example, [1]) provide links to such through Bible Gateway this time around. The same also applies to verses included in the text. Please go [here] to consider Chapter XVII: Sheltered Lives.

This is the new version of FIVE FOR FRIDAY. As with the former, it is the SOLE purpose of this weekly series to call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another. Please, go see for yourself, and [this week] such sites can been seen as:

Head on over to Wordless Wednesday and post an entry of your very own!

Kris Allen Fans Turn Out To Show Support

Conway's Kris Allen brought the Farris Center to its feet Tuesday at the official Kris Allen watch party for American Idol.

The watch party was organized by a task force made up of local business people, community leaders and friends of Allen. It was held at the University of Central Arkansas' Farris Center. Scores of fans came out to support the Conway resident and UCA student who has made it into the top seven contestants and hopes to survive through Tuesday night's double elimination, the results of which will be made known tonight.

Read the rest of the story here.

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about, websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else that may tickle my fancy at the time. Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.” This is subject to change, however. In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while. For rants promote change, and change can be good—right? Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told). [Chicken a la Carte] is being served this week.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Back during my childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and I after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived. Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again. Go [here] to see more of such sites as:

Well, folks, your old friend The Hawg has been in "change mode" lately.

I woke up one day and thought it would be a good idea to have an active law license again because I've figured out a way to make money with the thing (here's a hint -- just hanging out a shingle, advertising and hoping for walk-in traffic is for suckers). So -- bam! -- I'm in the middle of getting that done.

I woke up this morning and thought I'd been slacking on things here at the All Arkie Army since, well, shortly after I started it. The original purpose of this site was to bring attention to bloggers with Arkansas ties -- to give them a site where they could link to posts on their own blogs of which they are particularly proud and post an original item or two.

So, I'm asking everyone to keep all of that in mind -- post links to your favorite items and post something new here and there if you have time. I've also started a blog list so that members of the famed All Arkie Army can get some traffic that way.

What's more, I've learned a few things about how to get attention on these here Interwebs. Backlinks are important, I reckon, so that blog list will (hopefully) help boost the page ranks of members. Furthermore, please drop me a note if you know of an Arkansas blog that should be listed on that list and I'll put it up -- if we're lucky, we'll get a reciprocal link from some of those blogs and that will help out all of us as the rank of this blog increases and pulls everyone up with it.

In short, I hope members will get more active over here, maybe recruit a friend or two and suggest some links to add to the blog list. I really like the idea of linking to more Arkansas blogs -- let's help out some other Arkies, huh?

One of the better ideas floating around out there is Tell Me Thursday -- a dandy little blog that was built on the notion that people might like to hear the stories behind items posted in the weekly Wordless Wednesday event.

If you happen to be a Wordless Wednesday participant, then I'd encourage you to take a look at the aforementioned Tell Me Thursday. That project should be getting a lot more participation than it is, so please give the site a look, huh? All you've got to do is blog about your Wordless Wednesday post and submit a link to Tell Me Thursday. I'm lazy by nature, so I love that -- I can come up with a post without a lot of effort. Dandy!

At any rate, my most recent Wordless Wednesday post is called Cobb and the The Kitten. I snapped that photo because it really says a lot about The Kitten. We've got far too many animals around here -- four cats (two of whom mostly live outside and one of whom mostly sulks in the closet in the bedroom my wife and I share) and three dogs (again, animals who spend most of their time outside).

Of the four cats, The Kitten is the only one who gets along with all the other animals, my wife and me and our two children. Two of the cats are downright skittish and the closet sulker hates everyone -- children and animals alike -- except my wife and me. For some reason, The Kitten seems to pal most easily with Cobb, our beloved rat terrier.

Why is The Kitten so friendly? I have no idea. I should point out a couple of things, however. First of all, we've had The Kitten since she was born to her mother, The Cheat, back in July. Her name isn't really The Kitten -- it's Gizmo, but her nickname seems to have stuck (you can yell "Gizmo!" all day long at her, in fact, and she won't respond).

The fact we have The Kitten at all takes a bit of explaining. A couple of summers ago, I got a call from my wife. She and my daughter were out at some store or the other and found a family giving away free kittens.

"Your daughter wants a kitten," my wife said.

"Well, tell her she can't have one. We've got two cats already and that's more than enough..."

"You tell her," my wife responded.

"No, that's a bad idea, honey..."

"Hello, daddy," my daughter said after my smart alec my wife passed her the phone. "Can I have a kitten?"

"No!"

"Please..."

"No!"

"Please..."

"No!"

"But, daddy..."

"OK. But only if I get to name it whatever I want."

That's how The Cheat arrived at our home. Also, we were supposed to have her spade, but made the appointment too late. That's how we got The Kitten. Did we plan on keeping any of The Cheat's kittens? No, but we did keep one.

Why? Because she was the friendliest of the lot and looked the coolest (it's obvious her father was a gray-and-black tabby and her mother is an orange tabby). She's been a fantastic cat, too. I do wonder what we'll call her when she's fully grown, however.

So, there you have it...