In My View.......

A City Comes to Its Senses, For Now

2012-02-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Every now and then people in power whether at the federal, state or city level get reminded that one of their primary roles as elected "public servants" is to make life more reasonable and understandable for their constituents rather than difficult and complicated. There are many ways in which they can accomplish this noble end, but none is more profound than city officials adopting suitable zoning ordinances to regulate the orderly growth and development of their municipalities. Some cities take a more open and permissive view of how they want things to happen and, therefore, have fairly un-restrictive ordinances. By contrast, other cities want to control everything from where buildings are built, how they are built and what they look like to what services can be performed in those buildings, what hours they can operate and who can be served. Since people often times choose where they are going to invest capital, work and/or live based on what end of this spectrum they find most appealing, there is an expectation that the established rules of the game should be somewhat static and not be whimsically changed.

Just recently, however, the City of Little Rock, decided it would revise an ordinance dealing with uses normally permitted by right to require that a Conditional Use Permit be obtained at certain businesses throughout the city. Ostensibly, the intent as reported by our local newspaper was to clean up some on-going nuisance problems with various commercial operations like "convenience stores, pawnshops, group homes and treatment centers". However, this effort came to light almost on the very day the local Veterans Administration office announced that they had entered into a contract to purchase and renovate a property on Main Street where they could consolidate and improve many services now offered to homeless veterans in separate locations in the city. Given the fact that Little Rock's past history in dealing with the homeless population is less than stellar, even being tagged the "meanest city in America" several years ago when they proposed to close down some homeless encampments, the timing of this initiative obviously became highly suspect. But to be fair, the City recently did enter into a partnership with another homeless service provider to create a day resource center for the general homeless population, even though it is far removed from the downtown area where many other support services like public transportation and feeding centers exist. For those unfamiliar with Little Rock, Main Street is a major commercial business thoroughfare in downtown along which there are many buildings and storefronts that have been vacant for years, so it is still unclear just how this proposed new VA center would adversely affect the area. The City's contention is that the timing was just a coincidence, but the proposed ordinance had an emergency clause which would have made its mandate effective immediately upon being passed, so you be the judge.

In any event thanks to some apparently very persuasive and cogent arguments made during a three hour Board of Directors meeting this past Tuesday night, the matter was thankfully tabled for further study and consideration. Whether this is the end, who knows, as city governments always have the power to bring something they do not like to a screeching halt. Regardless, when our public servants get to the point where they feel that enacting less than subtle, retro-active zoning changes is a good idea, then it's time to get some new faces on our governing board. Some members are up for election this year, others are up in 2014.

Topical Tapas

2012-01-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

With the smorgasbord of news items that have accumulated since the first of the year, what better way to nibble away at this cornucopia of juicy current events than to offer them up as tidbits for instant absorption, rather than feasting on an entree which would require greater mental digestion. So, bon appetit!
1. Mr. President, You Are Welcome Anytime - Contrary to recent comments by certain Republican operatives in Arkansas that President Obama has never come to our state because he would be snubbed by Democrats, I believe he would be welcomed with open arms. After all, there is a strong history of presidents visiting our state going back to both Roosevelts, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, both Bushes, Nixon, Carter and others, so why would the first African American elected to that high office want to avoid the state which in 1957 was the face of strident racism, but has overcome that stigma and begun to move progressively forward? Then, there is the obvious fact that fellow Democrat Bill Clinton, the only Arkansan ever elected president, has his Presidential Library and School of Public Service located right here in Little Rock, both wonderful venues, along with Little Rock Central High School, for public appearances. Finally, we have one of only three elected Democrat governors among the thirteen "deep south" states, so come on down, Mr. President. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the hospitable and supportive reception you would receive here.
2. Welcome to Little Rock, Veterans - Once again our city leaders have found it in their hearts to dissuade the establishment of a downtown facility for the homeless. Only in this case it is one that would provide needed services to those who risked their lives in battle to ensure our freedoms. Instead of accepting their congregating at the corner of Markham and Cross each day, as I again witnessed just last week, the Veterans Administration has opted to convert an old automotive dealership building on Main Street which has been vacant for years into a day resource center to minister to their needs. And what was City Hall's response? Of course, it was the same as several years ago when they stopped a homeless shelter from being established at 900 West Capitol. When will they learn?
3. Mitt Romney Meet Win Rockefeller - While Mitt Romney continues to plod away at seeking the Republican Party's nomination for president, he would be well advised to take a page from the history of one of our former governors of Arkansas, Winthrop Rockefeller, also a Republican, whose 100th birthday was posthumously celebrated this past Thursday evening at the Governor's Mansion here in Little Rock. Unlike the stiff and reticent Mr. Romney, "Win" never shunned coming from a very wealthy family and wore that fact well, but he also knew how to connect with the common man and do many good deeds to their benefit in the process. As highlighted in The Governor's Proclamation dated December 22, 2011, he created a viable two-party political system; made government more efficient; led the efforts to improve health care, education, race relations and cultural offerings; and set the example for Arkansans to look beyond themselves through philanthropy. In short, he was the primary force in setting our state on course for the progressive prosperity we enjoy today.
4. And the Killing Rolls Right Along - There have been five violent deaths in Little Rock in just the first three weeks of 2012, a year in which we could establish another record at this rate. What more is there to say?
5. The Other Side of General Lee - I was struck by the dedication of the entire Editorial Page of the January 19th edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to Gen. Robert E. Lee in recognition of his 206th birthday on January 19, 1807. As President Lincoln's first choice to lead the Union Army, which he declined out of devotion to his beloved Virginia, he championed morality on the battlefields of that awful civil war which ripped our country apart for four long years. Unlike his ruthless counterpart, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, whose famous march to the sea destroyed everything and everyone in his path, Gen. Lee fully recognized the difference between civilian and military targets and so commanded his troops to avoid "wanton destruction of private property", to "make war only upon armed men" and "not take vengeance for the wrongs our people have suffered". Too bad he is more often cast as an icon of the more deplorable faction of southern sentiment at the time.
6. That Keystone XL Pipeline is Just That, Nothing More - While many supporters of this project are railing against President Obama for not approving the construction of this pipeline, as they feel it would create jobs and lessen our dependency on foreign oil, Cornell University issued an independent assessment of this project last fall which, basically, refutes those arguments. First, that report concludes that it will create far fewer jobs in the U.S. than its proponents claim due to flawed data provided by the oil industry, and that, in fact, it may even "destroy more jobs than it creates". And, more importantly, this pipeline is just a means to transport toxic tar sand oil 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada through the heartland of America to the ports of Houston and Port Arthur, Texas for refining. From there most of it will then be exported to foreign countries, rather than being consumed domestically, so there is no real energy benefit to America. Read it for yourself at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/01/20/the-truth-about-keystone-xl-few-jobs-no-energy-security-60041.
7. Gee Thanks, Boeing - When the Boeing company sought help from the State of Kansas to secure a $3.5 billion government contract to build 18 tankers for the Air Force at their Wichita facility, of course the economic development machine in that state revved up to answer the call. After all, they were promised that not only would the 2,100 jobs be preserved but an additional 7,500 jobs would be created. Who could say no to that? But a funny thing happened after Boeing was awarded that contract last February. In November Boeing decided that production costs were too high there and that they would parcel out the work among their other plants in the U.S. So, having enjoyed over $650 million in tax breaks from various government entities in Kansas over the past thirty years, they break their promise and say adios to Wichita. There is a profound lesson to be learned here by other states, counties and cities all across this nation who go out of their way to give away millions of tax dollars in hopes of attracting jobs, but get short-changed in the process. Be careful what you wish for!

Thumbs Up!

2012-01-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

With the holidays firmly behind us, we can all focus on the new year with our respective obligatory resolutions to do a variety of things to improve our lives (e.g. eat right, drink water, exercise more, lose weight, help someone, attend church, etc.), most of which will be either discarded or forgotten by the end of this month, if not sooner. But one endeavor we cannot escape will be the ever increasing drumbeat to promote a select group of movies that are up for an Oscar this year. You know some of the contenders - The Artist, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Descendents, Hugo, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, Margin Call, Shame, Tree of Life, Bridesmaids, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and War Horse, just to name a few. However, there is one movie that is strangely absent from any best movie list for reasons that totally escape me - Another Happy Day, which I would like to plug. It certainly beats dwelling on the crazy scenes in Iowa and New Hampshire of the past few weeks.

To begin with, it has an outstanding cast which includes Ellen Barkin (one of its producers), Ellen Burstyn, Demi Moore, Thomas Haden Church, Kate Bosworth, George Kennedy and Ezra Miller. Yes, it centers around a totally dysfunctional family that makes one of my all-time favorite movies Parenthood, the prototype for the most popular series on TV by the same name, seem like Bambi, but it is beautifully written by Sam Levinson, as recognized by the Sundance Film Festival, and superbly acted. In reality it could have been more accurately titled Another Unhappy Day, but that would probably have driven even more viewers away than have seen it to date. In all honesty, my wife and I saw it only out of default because there was no other movie playing at the time which we were interested in seeing, and we were two of only three people in the theater at the time it showed.

While some critics have tried to frame it as a failed comparison to Rachel Getting Married just because a family gathering for a wedding is the setting, I never even gave that link a thought while watching this movie. From the opening scene to the final fade away, I was captivated by this family's history and dynamic. It all begins with Lynn's (Barkin) road trip to her parents Joe (Kennedy) and Doris' (Burstyn) home with two of her sons, Elliott (Miller) and Ben (played by Daniel Yelsky) to attend the wedding of her oldest son, Dylan (played by Michael Nardelli). Along the way young Ben can't help but record the event with a camcorder while his older brother Elliot, just out of drug rehab, continues to prod his mother with cutting and hurtful remarks. As expected, that ribbing culminates in an emotional reaction that exposes the torment Lynn feels about her life which stays with her pretty much throughout the movie. Naturally, her ex-husband Paul (Church) and his new wife Patty (Moore) will be there to add to her angst, but unknown is whether Lynn and Paul's daughter Alice (Bosworth) will even show up, as she has her own issues from the past with her abusive father. Add to the mix Lynn's absent-minded and ailing father and a mother who has also reached her breaking point in dealing with all of this family trauma, and you know this is not going to be a Father Knows Best experience for her. When Alice does finally appear, tension begins to rise, and you really begin to feel Lynn's pain. It is an adult movie with raw, powerful and poignant emotion true to probably more real life situations than most of us care to admit, which alone sets it way above most of the movies coming out of Hollywood today. For that reason, coupled with a wonderful screenplay, great cinematography and superb acting, it gets my nod for one of the best movies of 2011. But for the lousy distribution, Another Happy Day would have been more widely available in mainstream theaters, thus allowing a greater audience the opportunity to see it, in which case this movie might have earned the higher degree of respect from the critics it deserves. Thumbs way up for me!

Was It Worth It?

2011-12-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

As the military withdrawal from Iraq proceeds on schedule with the official end of the war declared in a ceremony today in Bagdad, no doubt we all can savor a collective sigh of relief that the major part of that conflict is now over. But, obviously, it remains to be seen if the government of Iraq will be able to provide a safe and flourishing environment for all of its people and thwart any outside intervention and interference from Iran or other neighbors in the region. Time will tell. However, the main question that is probably on the minds of most Americans is "Was it worth it"?
As we ponder that question, perhaps just a few of the known facts to date about the nine year war in Iraq might be helpful in framing an answer, so please consider the following and decide for yourself.
1. American soldiers killed - 4,485.
2. American soldiers seriously injured 32,219.
3. Tax dollars spent through 2011 - $1 trillion.
4. Funds lost or unaccounted for funds - $9 billion.
5. Funds lost and reported stolen - $6.6 billion.
6. Lost or unaccounted for guns - 190,000.
7. Missing material provided to Iraqi security forces - $1 billion.
8. Funds mismanaged and wasted funds - $10 billion through just 2006.
9. Portion of $20 billion paid to KBR deemed "questionable" by Pentagon - $3.2 billion.
10. Cost of deploying one American soldier - $390,000.
11. Iraqi police and soldiers killed - 10,125.
12. Iraqi civilians killed - somewhere between 100,000 and 600,000.
13. Iraqis displaced inside Iraq - 2,225,000.
14. Percent of Iraqi professionals who have left Iraq - 40%.
15. Average daily hours Iraqi homes have electricity - 1 to 2.
16. Iraqis without access to adequate water - 70%.
So, it is not as if the population of Iraq has not suffered great loss, too. What is not known is the cost to America's prestige, credibility and moral leadership in that part of the world at the very time we need them the most in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. And then there is still Afghanistan to worry about. Yes, a malevolent dictator is gone, but many others still remain around the world. And even though an elementary form of democracy may exist, strong sectarian and tribal passions still boil underneath that seemingly calm surface which could erupt with a vengeance at the slightest of provocations. Consequently, it would be very interesting to know if the majority of Iraqis feel that they are better off today than they were nine years ago.
In any event, with Christmas just around the corner I think we all can at least share the joy of the thousands of American families who for the first time in almost a decade will be able to enjoy this holiday season together with the return of their military members from Iraq. It is in that spirit that I extend my very best wishes to all for a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Also, please note that future blogs will be suspended until after the first of the year.

The Other One Percent

2011-12-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

With all of the recent publicity about the 1% of wealthy Americans who own 40% of the nation's total wealth but who pay a proportionately lesser personal income tax than the remaining 99%, there is another 1% of our population on whom we need to focus. They are the 1% who constitute our all voluntary military who are now fighting two concurrent wars in the Middle East, as well as defending our other interests all around the globe. In the process they are constantly separated from their families for extraordinarily long periods of time which Colin Powell contends even eclipses that experienced by our military during WWII. Furthermore, they are experiencing more life altering injuries to their brains and extremities due to the preponderance of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), land mines, armor-piercing rockets and suicide bombers. And, finally, they often times return home to find their domestic and financial situations in a total state of turmoil, compounded by such difficulty in finding a job that Vice-President Biden felt it necessary to make a public appeal just last week for employers to give special consideration in hiring our veterans.
By contrast, service in the U.S. military has historically been an involuntary part of our national fabric dating back to 1778 when the Continental Congress first recommended states draft men from their militias to fight in the Revolutionary War. However, that early draft was not very successful so, subsequently, an attempt was again made to institute conscription during the War of 1812, but it, too, failed. It was not until the Civil War that there was any success with mandatory drafts when both the Confederate and Union forces employed them in 1862. But it was President Woodrow Wilson's Selective Service Act of 1917 that corrected most of the flaws of previous legislation by mandating military service for all male citizens for WWI. After that draft effort ended, another attempt was made by the Army in 1926 to develop an even more workable conscription program. That initiative became the basis for the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 which created the first peacetime draft in the United States when signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on September 16, 1940. In fact it became the cornerstone of manpower recruitment following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 which continued throughout WWII, and with some later modifications in 1948, 1951 and 1955 formed the basis for the current Selective Service System. Oddly, the very existence of a draft prompted an estimated 11 million men to volunteer for military service either through active or reserve enlistments from January 1954 to April 1975.
However, for most male Americans born after 1973 service in the military became a non issue, as that was the year the mandatory draft ended and the United States went to our existing all voluntary military. That brings us back to that nagging "Other One Percent%" and whether it may be time to reinstate involuntary military service in America. Will that ever happen? Probably not, but there might be a rationale for requiring some form of mandatory service to this country whether in a military capacity or otherwise. First, it would definitely spread the sacrifices of war among the remaining 99%. That alone might just cause those in power who make such decisions, and may have never served one day in the military themselves, to think twice about sending our fathers, mothers, sons and daughters into harm's way. Just last week Mark Weisbrot of McClatchy-Tribune News Service opined in our local newspaper that a majority of Americans now want our troops out of Afghanistan and two thirds think we should have never invaded Iraq in the first place. I wonder if it would have taken ten years to come to these same conclusions if a broader cross section of America's young men and women had been over there fighting those battles since 2001. Another plus would be to instill in our youth a deeper sense of responsibility about serving their country and not just take their secure and safe worlds for granted. There are many other viewpoints on this issue, but please go to http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Mandatory_military_service and decide for yourself.
In just two days we will once again honor that Day of Infamy on December 7, 1941, which, as a direct result of the draft, was met with a huge mobilization of men and material to fight and win WWII. If nothing else, that terrible four year conflict should have at least taught us the value of not having just 1% of our population fight the battle for the remaining 99%.

Where Have All the Centrists Gone?

2011-11-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

Was anyone really surprised with the recent failure of the "Super Committee" to find consensus on a debt reduction/increased income/tax reform package and move this country forward given the utter gridlock that has taken over and paralyzed the legislative process for months? With built-in automatic budget cuts of $1.2 trillion scheduled to kick in January 2013, no doubt we will see further jockeying to either postpone, reshuffle or eliminate them entirely. It makes one wonder what has happened to the elected representative model of legislative compromise that has been the bedrock of our democratic system for almost a quarter century. Ironically, even in 1776 our founding fathers sought common ground on issues including the very composition of Congress that has evolved into the stagnated body we endure today, which Ben Stein compared on CBS's Sunday Morning show this morning to a group of zombies.

According to a study of voting practices in the Senate over the past thirty years conducted by CBS News and the National Journal, moderates have been disappearing at drastic rates ever since 1982, as reflected by the table below which categorizes liberals as BLUE, moderates as YELLOW and conservatives as RED.
YEAR       BLUE       YELLOW       RED
1982             10                 60                 30
1994 29 36 35
2002             45                   9                 46
2010 45 0 55

Not only does this study confirm the total absence of any centrists in the Senate today, it also reveals a marked trend toward conservatism during this period which has been obvious to anyone who follows the news. But even during Ronald Reagan's presidency there was at least a spirit of cooperation and compromise because of the existence of conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans who actually enjoyed socializing on a personal level with their counterparts. Although they may have fought heated battles in the chamber over policy issues, when push came to shove they recognized the absolute imperative of achieving legislative progress to avoid the very stalemates that have been the norm for the past several months. However, in today's world such interaction with one another seems to be taboo, and personal assaults seem to be the order of the day. But the over-riding question is why does this poisoned atmosphere exist? Matt Cooper, Editor of the National Journal believes it may be a result of:

1. Redistricting along more partisan divides.
2. Special interest groups which "pound" Senators to vote a particular party line even if they may represent a more moderate district.
3. Influence of highly partisan media which "stovepipe" their message to the exclusion of other views.
Let me add a fourth, MONEY, either through direct campaign contributions, unlimited funding of tax exempt organizations with set political agendas or personal gifts. So, is it any wonder that the Super Committee was destined for failure from the very beginning?

What is interesting about this poisonous divide is the fact that the fastest growing group of voters today is independents, who tend to be more moderate and centrist in their political views. Also, I find it interesting that you now hear rumblings about the formation of a Third Party and even a newer effort known as Americans Elect whose purpose, as reported by Krissah Thompson in The Washington Post, is to hold a political convention via the Internet to place a third presidential candidate on every state ballot in 2012. Could this approach possibly tap into that huge reservoir of centrist voters and break the current gridlock in Washington? I have no idea, but you can learn more about their effort at http://americanselect.org. In addition a host of really drastic measures may be necessary to mend the current sad state of affairs and restore a sense of true public service for the common good among our elected officials, including:
1. Forbid lobbying on Capitol Hill altogether. Elected representatives with the help of their paid staffs should be able to figure out for themselves what legislation is best for America. *
2. Outlaw paid staff members from ever becoming lobbyists. *
3. Outlaw gifts of any kind to elected officials. Simply put, the ethics law can be written in two words: "ACCEPT NOTHING"!
4. Encourage legislators to quit signing silly pledges.
5. Establish term limits for all members of Congress.
6. Shorten campaign periods.
7. Fund campaigns with tax dollars.
8. Eliminate the Electoral College.
9. Somehow temper the partisan media.
10. Enforce the laws against tax exempt organizations funding political activities, or write new ones.
* Even Jack Abramoff, the former king of lobbying, agrees something has to be done in these areas (re: his fascinating November 6th interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57319075/jack-abramoff-the-lobbyists-playbook/).

In short, until major reforms, whether those listed above or others, are established to create a more level playing field for all who desire to run for office the opportunity to do so, nothing will probably ever change to break the current gridlock and allow for the return of the centrists to help balance the political extremes that exist today.

Success with Honor

2011-11-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I had the occasion to discuss with friends the relative merits of various athletic programs around the nation which provided me the perfect opportunity to praise one of my long time heroes and programs, Joe Paterno and Penn State University. My argument was how could you not laud a man who had spent almost a half century of his life as head coach at the same university compiling a winning record unmatched in college football totally free of scandal and sanctions, all while achieving a 90% graduation rate among his players. In fact I had planned to make that remarkable graduation rate the subject of a separate blog. However, all of that well deserved record of achievement came crashing down with the subsequent revelations this past week about alleged child sexual abuse by a member of his coaching staff over a period of several years dating back to at least the late 1990's. If ever there was a living example of the adage that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation, but only one mistake to destroy it, this tragedy certainly qualifies.

While there probably will be many further revelations about this situation before it is over, at least the powers that be at Penn State have taken immediate and decisive action to remove all of those individuals connected with these horrendous acts, including even those who committed sins of omission by not contacting the proper authorities at the time they supposedly occurred. No doubt everyone involved in this particular incident will eventually pay a heavy price for the misdeeds that have revealed a darker side of major college sports which Susan Page of USA Today terms a "conspiracy of silence". In fact "Buzz" Bisinger, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Friday Night Lights and columnist for the The Daily Beast, minces no words in his opinion of this "closing of ranks around their own", going so far as to call it the "evil" within college sports and comparing it to the Mafia's code of "omerta". You can read his column and the various responses which followed at http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/10/joe-paterno-and-penn-state-s-code-of-omerta-in-the-sex-abuse-scandal.html. He also has proposed a total separation of sports from academics in which collegiate athletics would be licensed to schools that would pay a set fee for teams playing under their banner. Under this arrangement players could even be paid for their services, something I have heard others suggest. Frankly, I do not know how all of this would work, but if nothing else comes out of this mess, maybe there will be a re-evaluation of all major college sports and the potentially corrupting influence of the hundreds of millions of dollars that flow into these programs each year.

One thing that should be remembered in all of this is that Penn State University has a long history of following the motto of Success With Honor. Adherence to that motto was never more proudly displayed than last night's student prayer vigil on campus for the victims of this past abuse, and continued through today's difficult, emotional and heartbreaking 17 to 14 loss against Nebraska. The game began and ended with a huge outpouring of support from 100,000+ students and fans for their home team and coaching staff, even including a gathering at midfield of both teams and staffs before the game to pray together instead of apart. Coming back from a 17 to 0 deficit, the Nittany Lions fought back and actually had a chance to either tie or win the game, but time simply ran out. So, in the end, this sordid affair is not about one person or even a group of people, as they all can and will be replaced. Rather, it is about a storied institution, its history, heritage, traditions and the manner in which they plan to move forward. From what I observed today watching that game which ended about a hour ago, that healing process has already begun and Penn State will emerge much stronger as a result, further achieving that Success with Honor.

Thank God for Mississippi

2011-11-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Arkansas in the 40's, 50's and 60's, it was not uncommon to hear the declaration "Thank God for Mississippi", as it was always made in defense of our state for at least not being the very last in per capita wealth or education. In that context it was not a very complimentary expression. With the advent several years ago of casino gambling to that state in places like Tunica and Gulfport, hundreds of millions of dollars flowed into Mississippi's state coffers that brought about major infrastructure improvements, new factories, increased jobs and improvement in education, all of which pretty much made that expression fade away.

Now, all of a sudden, a new draconian legislative initiative comes along that makes one wonder what has happened to all of that progressive thinking and notable achievement. Specifically, it is Amendment 26 - The Mississippi Personhood Amendment which, if approved, would amend Article III of their state constitution to define a person or persons to "include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof". In short, every fertilized egg would become a person with all of the rights, privileges and protections now afforded all of the other living, breathing and functioning humans in Mississippi, including criminal prosecution of anyone who destroys that egg whether intentional or not. As reported on ABC News on November 4th, this definition "....goes beyond what most anti-abortion politicians and groups advocate, which is to define life at conception and limit abortion only to cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is in danger", so it is very clear what the true intent of this initiative is and where it's headed. In fact their own website at http://personhoodmississippi.com/amendment-26/what-it-says.aspx admits that if this amendment is approved then "...abortion will be outlawed in our state; cloning and other forms of medical cannibalism will be effectively stopped; and a challenge will be set up to Roe v Wade". In a more drastic practical application of this ill-conceived law, if a couple engages in sex and then use a morning after pill as a form of now legal birth control, they could be prosecuted for murder. More problematic is what happens in cases of in vitro fertilization procedures when unused eggs are destroyed after a successful pregnancy is achieved. So much for a legal lifeline that medical science has created for otherwise childless couples.

This issue was discussed at great length during the Diane Rehm Show this past Monday, October 31st, so go to http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-10-31/consequences-granting-legal-status-fertilized-human-egg listen to the entire discussion. And you thought the spooks and goblins of Halloween were scary? It would almost be funny if the implications weren't so serious. Some of the more interesting reactions to this topic have ranged from wanting to claim such eggs as dependents for tax purposes, to wanting to know if a mother dies during childbirth could the egg be charged with manslaughter, to why there is not as much concern for the living children of Mississippi now unwanted and living in foster homes, to wanting to know if a mother who miscarries can be charged with murder, to personal injury attorneys having a field day with the accidental death of that fertilized egg. Ever heard of unintended consequences? Well, this initiated act is chocked full of them, not the least of which is an absolute assault on the rights of women to make their own determination concerning family planning. Furthermore, forget about innovative medical procedures being developed in Mississippi to aide women in that planning, which is one of the reasons why almost every medical group in that state is against this measure. I had held out some anticipation that Governor Haley Barbour might bring some reason to this ballot question, but I noticed in an AP article yesterday that he has already voted for it, so I can only hope that the good people of Mississippi will come to their senses and vote this bad boy down next Tuesday. If not, then "Thank God for Mississippi.

Cheer Them in the Middle East, Arrest Them in America

2011-10-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

All of the recent publicity and rhetoric about the Occupy Wall Street movement just begs a comparison with the Arab Spring protests of several months ago when most western democracies including ours were cheering the courage and bold action of thousands of citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Libya. Besides risking beatings, imprisonment and torture they were also placing their very lives in jeopardy to achieve the same democratic liberties we enjoy here in America, among them the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression which Occupy Wall Street exemplifies. Setting aside for the moment whether you agree with the OWS message, do you not find the police reaction of forced removal and arrests in some cities (most notably Oakland, Denver and Nashville) to be similar to the police conduct in the Middle East? It's as if we are becoming them instead of the other way around. I thought riot gear, tear gas and over-whelming police force were part of our past, not our present. And for Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain to label the demonstrators as "un-American," "anti-capitalism" and "anti-free market" just shows a total ignorance of history, as well as what this initiative is all about.

So, exactly what is driving this Occupy Wall Street movement? Well, you can start with the huge income and wealth disparity between the top one percent of our population which has grown by 275% over the past generation while the remaining ninety-nine percent has grown only 18% during that same period. One of the reasons cited for this disparity by the Congressional Budget Office is the lack of college degrees among our young people who, in this climate of ever-changing globalization, are simply unable to compete with the more educated Chinese and Indians who will work for much less. Compounding the problem of those diminished job opportunities for our youth, which robs them of their dreams for the future, is the mountain of student loan debt incurred by those who do seek to achieve that very college education that is being sold as the key to one's economic success. Then there is the loss of existing jobs which has caused financial devastation among millions of adult Americans who are unable to pay the mortgages on their homes, as well as just meet day-to-day living expenses for their families. And, finally, there are the ethical lapses and criminal activities within the financial community that almost brought down the major economies of the industrialized world which have gone largely unpunished. Conversely, our masters of the universe seem to have gone right back to the same questionable practices and exorbitant personal enrichment of the past that are further widening that income gap and creating an elite economic imbalance which Alexander Stille of the New York Times calls "....one of the most unequal democracies in the world". Frame all of these concerns within the context of a feckless and paralyzed congress that seems either unable or unwilling to address these systemic problems in a bold and meaningful way and you've got yourself the platform for all of the dissatisfaction, frustration and anger now being expressed by Occupy Wall Street.

One of the main criticisms being leveled at this movement is its lack of common theme or central voice. Those of us old enough to have lived through the Vietnam War and the anti-war demonstrations that raged across America in the late 60's and early 70's will recall a somewhat similar critique in the early stages of that initiative, but it did not take very long for those disparate anti-war actions to meld into the central message of "End that war". We all know what happened as a result - it ended. The same thing happened with civil rights abuses. It's all about raising the national consciousness and public debate to the point where corrective action is forced on our policy makers. I suspect that as the Occupy Wall Street movement spreads and gains support, both moral and financial, we will see a more effective organization that may well play a significant role in the 2012 elections not unlike that of the Tea Party in 2010. In fact, Elizabeth Warren's senatorial race in Massachusetts may well be the bell-weather test of this possibility, as evidenced by the outpouring of support from OWS sympathizers at one of her recent rallies. Surely, these impassioned citizens will at least be allowed to exercise their lawful right to peaceful protest and expression without fear of intimidation and arrest at these legal assemblies, if not public parks and spaces.

Pedaling Across America

2011-10-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's New York Times Travel section featured a wonderful article by Bruce Weber as he completes his second 4,000 mile cross-country bicycle trip which began this time from Astoria, Oregon on July 20th and is scheduled to end on the Isle of Manhattan, New York soon, if it hasn't already. What grabbed my attention to his journey was not only the sheer physical accomplishment of the feat at age 57 versus eighteen years ago when he first made the trip at age 39, but the almost de Tocqueville quality of his observations of Americana along the way made from a middle-aged perspective of not being in a hurry. Also, it was relevant to a couple of personal cycling experiences, which I will get to in a minute.
Contrary to his first trip as a younger man, he admits that his current trans-continental trip has a much more contemplative quality, as this time one's mortality factors into the equation. Gone is the drive to ride at break-neck speed from sun-up to sun-down with a fearless determination to cover as many miles as possible in the shortest period of time. Also, there is now a deep appreciation of the risks involved in such an adventure in terms of traffic and road conditions that has triggered much more caution and awareness. But the trade-off is a heightened consciousness and appreciation of this nation, generally the kindness of its people, which he terms "the default temperament of decency" and the spectacular beauty of the countryside. From the River Gorge of Oregon, over the majestic Rockies, across the plains of Montana and North Dakota, to the headwaters of the Mississippi in Minnesota, through the heartland of Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio to the Great Allegheny Passage in Pennsylvania, 300 miles short of his final destination when his chronicle was written, one just cannot be anything but awed. In his words "This was an American journey by a New Yorker who became more American as he went along".
While he also confesses that the physical demands of this trip almost took its toll, his defining moment was on August 13th, the day he crossed the Continental Divide. After seriously considering taking a lesser route to avoid a grueling 11-mile climb to the top, he was persuaded by a stranger in Whitefish, Montana that it would be "awfully silly to be so close to one of the justly celebrated rides in America and not taking advantage of it". And I just loved his equating the exhilaration of the moment with that when as a 17-year old boy he got kissed by his 17-year old girlfriend - "It was exactly like that". His journey is unquestionably a metaphor for life that can be summed up by his own conclusion to live in the present. To learn more about it and see images from this amazing trip, go to http://nytimes.com/travel.
Now, let me share those personal experiences. On April 2, 2010, a friend and I were at the Toltec Mounds Museum between Scott and Keo, Arkansas when we crossed paths with a man from California who was in the seventh year of an on-going bicycle journey across America. It happened to be his 64th birthday, so I persuaded him to let me take his picture and e-mail it to his wife just to let her know he was alive and well. I filed that encounter away and had almost forgotten about it when out of the clear blue last December 14th I received an e-mail from Joel thanking me for that picture, and letting me know he made it to Memphis OK, but flew back to California. However, he had resumed his trek last September riding from Rapid City, South Dakota to Sioux City, Iowa, thus completing the final leg of his "across-America" ride which he admitted his wife only allowed him to do in "little pieces each year". Just like Bruce Weber's journey summarized above, what started out as just riding a bike soon morphed into weaving a quilt of personal encounters that became his main focus of interest, and just by happenstance my friend and I had become a part of that fabric, for which he again thanked me. And then, once again out of the blue Joel e-mailed me on May 16th of this year voicing his concern about the recent storms and flooding that had occurred across the south last spring and wondering if we were OK. I greatly appreciated and thanked him for his inquiry and concern, as our house had been a victim of a fallen tree the prior month.   Obviously, that "default temperament of decency" cuts both ways.
And, finally, within the past ten days it has been my true pleasure to take two mini bike rides, the first through the vineyards of Napa Valley, California with my wife, children and their respective spouses, and the latest this past Saturday, which was an individual ride through Two Rivers Park here in Little Rock, a place about which I first wrote on August 14, 2011. While both were leisurely and soulful rides through pristine and beautiful places with little physical agony, I can only imagine what strength and commitment it must take to pedal across America, particularly during middle age, whether all at once like Mr. Weber or piecemeal like my new found friend, Joel. Gentlemen, I applaud you both!

History Comes Full Circle

2011-10-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Almost one year ago to the day, I included in my October 24th blog POTPOURRI III mention of meeting one of America's foremost artists, Will Barnet, at a screening of a documentary film on his life in New York the previous week. That opportunity was a direct result of going to Maine two months prior and reconnecting with a dear high school friend who lives there (re: my RECONNECTIONS blog of August 29, 2010) and who, along with her husband, was involved with the production of that film. Unbeknownst to me at the time, those two events helped plant the seeds for what has now blossomed into the current spectacular showing of a collection of Will Barnet's drawings at the Arkansas Arts Center which are on exhibit from now until January 15, 2012.

For those like me who until last year were unfamiliar with Will Barnet, allow me to briefly acquaint you with this most remarkable man. Born 100 years ago in Beverly, Massachusetts on May 25, 1911, where he began painting self-portraits in the basement of his parents' home, he then progressed to formally studying art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in his teens during which time he added seascapes and family cats to his portfolio. In 1931 he left for New York and began his 50 year association with the very Art Students League where I was privileged to see the documentary film mentioned above, as well as meet his lovely wife of 59 years, Elena. As revealed in Robin Finn's article in the New York Times last October, the city became his muse where he began "sketching the forlorn and angry faces he saw on every corner" developing his style of "stark, brooding social realism". At the same time he focused on and mastered print techniques at the Art Students League where he taught Mark Rothko in that process. In addition he has taught at Cornell University, Cooper Union, Yale University, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Montclair State University in New Jersey where he was a visiting art professor from 1940 to 1945, and where his son, Peter, has taught art for forty years. His body of work has been featured over the years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Gallery in Washington D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Whitney Museum of American Art, so the Arkansas Arts Center is in very good company.

Over the last eight decades he has constantly elected to travel the road less traveled artistically by opting to pursue that which was neither popular nor easy. As noted in Finn's NYT article, his work "morphed from social realism to a nuanced abstraction that used flat planes of color to convey emotion and depth". A clear example of this unusual technique is demonstrated in the lithograph "WAITING" depicting a group of women forlornly awaiting the return of their husbands from the sea, a recurring theme of Mr. Barnet's, which you can see at the Arts Center alongside his prototype pencil drawing of that very scene. In fact color is so important to him in his paintings that he has been known to experiment for months if not years trying to blend the precise shade and hue of a particular color to achieve those artistic dimensions. He also prides himself in saying that "I love moving on and finding fresh ways to use color and form. That's been my excitement".

Even though as a centenarian he still continues to engage in his passion of art by spending three to four hours a day creating it, albeit from a wheelchair, he is not oblivious to his mortality, as related in a story he told for the same NYT article about his grandfather's impending death at the age of 96. At the age of six, Will was taken to say goodbye to his grandfather who said to him at that time: "Do you think it's easy to die at the age of 96?" Consequently, we in Central Arkansas are truly blessed to have this marvelous 85-piece collection of Will Barnet drawings at our doorstep which are beautifully arranged chronologically from 1928 to 1990 to show the evolution of the style and content of a truly amazing artisan who refuses to quit. To get a glimpse of his remarkable range and talent please visit the Arkansas Arts Center between now and January 15, 2012. You will not be disappointed.

As a late PS, there is a featured article on Will Barnet in the Arts and Leisure section of today's New York Times, so our exhibition here in Little Rock is very timely.

"Let Them Eat Cake"

2011-09-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Recent news stories and studies about the plight of the young, poor and hungry in America caused me to reflect on the French Revolution (1789-1799) which, essentially, was prompted by a growing disparity between the rich aristocracy and the peasantry who sought equality and rights as a result of a shortage of their main food staple, bread. Whether you believe the famous quote of "let them eat cake" actually came from Marie Antoinette is irrelevant because it generally reflected the selfish attitude of the French upper class at the time, of which she was a most prominent member. What is important to remember is that things did not turn out very well for her or the aristocracy in general, a historical lesson that may well apply today.
Fast forward two hundred years and we see alarming trends in our society which seem to mirror 18th century France. Let's start with the growing inequality between the rich and poor in America and how it is infecting our national soul and purpose. As reported last May in VANITY FAIR in an article by Joseph Stiglitz entitled Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%, the top one percent of Americans now earn 25% of all income and control 40% of all wealth, a situation he compares with Russia and Iran, as well as some countries in the Middle East where less than 1% of the population controls the majority of wealth. He further contends that such income and wealth inequality shrinks opportunity, undermines efficiency and lessens investment in infrastructure, research and education out of reluctance of the wealthy "to spend money on the common needs" of society. As the rich become richer, they lose their sensibilities toward government helping the less fortunate with things like parks, education, medical care and security because they (the rich) are able to pay for all those things themselves. It's just the classic mindset of "I've got mine, now you get yours". The main goals of many wealthy people always seem to be to lower taxes and reduce regulation. But perhaps the greatest cost to our society in Mr. Stiglitz's view is "the erosion of our sense of identity, in which fair play, equality of opportunity, and a sense of community are so important". In fact he notes that Alexis de Tocqueville even observed these qualities as being part of the American fabric and called them "self-interest properly understood". However, in this context "properly understood" are the key words, as they refer to the self-interest of others, or the common welfare, which is a precondition for one's own ultimate well-being. Put another way by the author, even though the rich can afford the best of everything, they do not seem to understand that "their fate is bound up with how the other 99 percent live".
Framing this message in current terms, consider the following facts as a confirmation of "shrunken opportunity":
1. In 2010 the poverty rate of 15.1% (46.2 million people) was the highest since 1933.
2. In 2010 the rate of those without health care insurance was 16.3% (49.9 million people).
3. 5.9 million (14.2%) young adults between age 25-34 now live back home with their parents in what could be termed "re-filling the empty nest".
4. Over 14 million Americans (9.1%) are still unemployed.
5. Only 55.3% of young adults between 16-29, which some now refer to as the "lost generation", are currently employed, the lowest level since WWII.
6. The poverty level among those under 25 years of age is 37%.
7. Anywhere between 700,000 and 2 million people are homeless in America on any given night, 36% of whom are families with children.
Without laying blame for the dismal condition of our national economy, as there is plenty to go around, the question of what to do now looms large over the political horizon. Currently, the administration's proposed American Jobs Act seems to address a wide spectrum of concerns on both sides of that landscape including tax relief for wage earners and small businesses, increased revenue from the rich, closed tax loopholes for large corporations and "spending money on the common needs" mentioned above (i.e. infrastructure, education and research). As such, it would seem to be in the best interest of America to learn from history, pass this legislation and hopefully avoid the fate of the rich French and their disconnect with the poor as evidenced by their shouting "Let them eat cake"!

Day if Infamy - 21st Century Style

2011-09-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Having been born just before December 7, 1941, I grew up with the term "Day of Infamy" sealed in my memory. Today, 70 years later, we observe the 10th anniversary of another "Day of Infamy", when four hijacked airliners attacked this country, two destroying the World Trade Center in New York, one striking the Pentagon in Washington DC and the fourth being denied reaching its final destination in Washington due to the extreme bravery of the passengers on board who overtook the cockpit and forced the crash landing in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Just as with those who remember where they were on that day in 1941 when Pearl Harbor among other Pacific locations was bombed, we who are old enough today remember exactly where we were on September 11, 2001.
While it would be easy to default to the horrors of that day, I will leave those memories to the multitude of programs which have been and will be aired on the many radio and television programs dedicated to what has become known in its abbreviated term as 9/11. Rather, I would like to focus on the manifestations of what President Franklin Roosevelt termed "the unbounded determination of our people" in his famous Day of Infamy speech on December 8, 1941. While his commitment to "make certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again" obviously missed the mark, the changes both good and bad that have ensued over the past decade have clearly changed our lives forever. However, our commitment to memorialize those who made the ultimate sacrifice, pick up the pieces, adjust to the circumstances, rebuild and move on clearly embodies that boundless American spirit in times of tragedy and destruction to which Roosevelt referred. It just seems to be part of our national DNA.
There is no better symbol of that quality of persistence than the construction of the World Trade Center Memorial being dedicated today, as well as the new Freedom Tower presently under construction. Not only does the new tower reflect what one person connected to the project termed a "visible symbol of survival and strength", it does so in a truly magnificent and beautiful way. It is also a tribute to our country's engineering genius in that it will withstand any future attack such as that which destroyed the twin towers ten years ago. See for yourself at http://www.nyc-tower.com/category/videos/.
And as if all that has been achieved at ground zero and the spectacular repair of the Pentagon in one year is not enough, the courage and bravery of the passengers aboard Flight 93 that caused it to plow into a Pennsylvania field instead of hitting its intended target is also being remembered with the dedication of a memorial this weekend. Thanks to childhood friends whose son was responsible for raising funds for that memorial, you can hear about it in their own words below which are included with their full permission and consent.

Dear Relatives and Friends,

At 10:03 am on September 11, 2001 United Flight 93 became the fourth plane, out of the quartet of four hijacked passenger jets, to crash in a rural area of Pennsylvania. Forty passengers on the plane made a decision to storm the cockpit in hopes of taking back control of the aircraft. Instead, through their valiant efforts, the hijackers were forced to crash the plane, killing all on board, thus bringing to a close the horrific events of 9/11/2001. At the time of the crash the plane was less than 200 miles from its intended target, our Capitol Building in Washington DC.

Next Saturday, September 10, 2011, the first part of the Flight 93 National Memorial will be dedicated near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. For the last few years our son, King Laughlin II as an employee of the National Park Foundation, has been responsible for the national effort to raise funds to complete the Memorial. Linda and I will be in attendance on September 10^th and 11^th at the Dedication.

For those of you who may be interested in following the Dedication events on September 10^th the event will be streamed live at www.history.com/flight93 or http://www.honorflight93.org/remember/?fa=anniversary beginning at 11:30am CDT. In addition CBS News will be broadcasting from the Flight 93 Site on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 6:00-9:00am CDT. It is very likely that all the other networks, CNN and Fox News will carry extensive coverage of the Dedication.

You can see more about the Memorial at www.nps.org/flight93 or www.honorflight93.org or www.flight93memorial.org or www.foxnews.com/freedom August 25, 2011 program.

Fly your American Flag next weekend to honor all who gave their lives and especially to honor the Forty Souls on Flight 93 who struck the

first blow against the terrorist and saved our Nation’s Capitol.

Thank you,

Linda and King Laughlin

“God Bless America”

Enough said.

North by Northwest (Arkansas, that is)

2011-09-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life will unknowingly hit you with a spate of pleasant surprises when you least expect them. Such was the case last week when my wife and I made a spur of the moment road trip to the bustling region of Northwest Arkansas to meet and have dinner with our son, who had flown in from California for a business meeting. Since we rarely travel to that section of the state, even though we both graduated from the University of Arkansas in the early 60's, we had decided to take in some of that area's sites and attractions, some already known to us, some unknown.
First, we took advantage of its proximity to visit the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art presently under construction in Bentonville through the generosity of Alice Walton, one of the heirs of the founder of Wal-Mart. As many already know, millions of dollars are being spent to construct a spectacular facility to house and display one of the great collections of works by American artists. But the real surprise was the beautiful walk through the woods to get to the observation deck to view the building itself which is scheduled to open this November 11th. When completed, it is expected to draw people from all over the world to enjoy this great body of work, but to see for yourself the status of this endeavor, please go to http://crystalbridges.org.
Next, of course, was the obligatory visit to the U of A campus in Fayetteville to seek out old haunts and memories. One of the first things to grab our attention was the face of the campus. With the exception of the area of green space that still exists in front of Old Main, virtually every square inch of land seems to have some sort of new structure on it including a library, dorms, fraternity houses, sorority houses, parking garages and, of course, the huge athletic complex which is soon to undergo another multi-million dollar expansion. Another thing that caught our eye was the undergraduate dress code, or lack thereof. Long gone are dresses, slacks, khakis, button down shirts and blouses. Boys now wear baggy shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops, and girls go for short shorts, T-shirts and ball caps and all are perennially linked into their tech gadgets, be it cell phones, smart phones or I-pods. Think beach. Naturally, as the old folks searching for our chiseled names in our respective senior walks, we were the object of their humorous entertainment, but we persevered and actually found them. But thanks to the digital age, those names have both been recorded for posterity, so, thankfully, we will not have to suffer that embarrassment again.
Our last stop before leaving campus involved a trip to my wife's old sorority house, Kappa Kappa Gamma. Three young members greeted us on the porch, one of whom escorted us through the downstairs and brought my wife up to date on what was happening within the "Kiss Kiss and Giggle" crowd, including the fact that 135 had just pledged, so they both were happy about that. Additionally, they got a kick out of comparing notes on life in KKG now verses then, including no date call, pledging freshmen instead of sophomores, many members living outside of the house due to shortage of space and having to conduct chapter meetings elsewhere for the very same reason. In bidding our goodbyes, I asked the girls why they weren't upstairs studying, to which one held up her I-Phone meaning, I guess, that in fact she was.
As we were leaving the campus, we happened by Underwood's Jewelers on Dickson Street, which held some fond memories for me. For one, Bill Underwood, an old friend, had played an instrumental role in my acing one of my senior business school classes which I have never forgotten. For another, he had been the source of several purchases through the years, not the least of which were the wedding rings that adorned both my wife's and my fingers. Hers had grown tight over the years, so I thought this would be a perfect time to get the original creator to fix the problem. As it had been twenty-five years since I last dropped in to visit with Bill, I fully expected him to have retired, but lo and behold he was not only there but was still doing what he had always done - creating unique and beautiful pieces of jewelry. What was intended to be a fifteen minute visit turned into over an hour of enjoyable quality time with an old friend and one talented guy still plying his craft. And, yes, we left her ring to be fixed by the old master.
And, finally, on the way home we detoured slightly to the north and east to see what was going on at the Medieval Castle currently being constructed outside of Lead Hill, Arkansas, which presented a true contrast to all of the new and modern structures we had been exposed to above. No one is in a hurry here. Started in 2009 on sixty acres of donated land, these committed artisans are doing it the old fashion way from making the tools they use, quarrying the stone, chiseling and laying the sections in exact patterns, constructing ancillary structures true to that period in support of their work (e.g. a blacksmith shop, horse stable, working farm, etc.) and actually dressing the part. Unlike many modern construction projects, this one has a twenty year time frame, so the investors are not in it for the quick buck. You can learn about it all at
http://www.ozarkmedievalfortress.com/en-us/visit-the-medieval-castle.
Having done the "north by northwest" bit, perhaps our next trip will be south by southwest area of the state with which neither of us has a history or any knowledge. In the meantime Happy Labor Day weekend to all!

At Least One Fat Cat Gets It!

2011-08-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Watching eight of the sixteen declared Republican presidential candidates in their faux debate in Ames, Iowa last week for some reason reminded me of the children's rhyme Ten Little Indians. You remember, "One little, two little, three little Indians, four little, five little......" with reverse counting back to only "One little Indian boy". The telling moment came when they were all asked if they would reject any proposed compromise on new revenues even if it were a 10 for 1 deal - i.e. $1.00 in new revenue for every $10.00 in spending cuts. True to form they all raised their hands as one would expect, but it was the way in which they did it that caught my attention. After exchanging glances among each other to make sure this was a question they all really wanted to answer, the first to raise his hand was Rick Santorum, followed by Michele Bachmann (who dropped hers only to raise it again later), then Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman (who was more than evasive in explaining his reason for doing so, calling it a "nonsense question" on ABC's This Week program this morning), Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and, finally, Herman Cain. A ten for one deal is one any rational person would take in a heartbeat, but not one came forth in this extraordinary display of group think. With that kind of intransigence, do we really think things will get better? Well, maybe there is a possible solution to our current deadlock.
As you might recall from my post Dysfunction in DC two weeks ago, I raised the question of where is the business community in all of this madness. Well, one of the most powerful single voices in that community finally reiterated his long felt belief that taxes were way too low in a powerful Op-Ed piece in the August 15th issue of the New York Times entitled "Stop Coddling the Super-Rich". In it he lays bare the notion that increased income taxes should be off the table for consideration by the congressional super committee of 12 and argues that they should in fact be raised on those making over $1 million a year including dividends and capital gains. Why? Because, as he further explains, most wealthy people are taxed at a much lower 15% rate (if at all) because of the way in which they earn money. Instead of receiving a payroll check each period that is subject to automatically deducted payroll taxes, they earn it from investments which allow them to qualify for the much lower rate. By contrast most wage earners are subject to those mandated payroll taxes which can drive their tax rates up to above 33% or, in the case of the 20 people he polled in his office, as high as 41%. Read his entire treatise at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-the-super-rich.html?_r=1&ref=opinion.

In addition I think it is well past time for Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric, current head of President Obama's Jobs Council and his liaison to the business community, to follow Mr. Buffett's lead and start beating the drum for the business community to publicly decry all of this talk about no new taxes. (To learn more about the Jobs Council go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/advisory-boards/jobs-council). As head of a multi-national corporation that is hoarding billions of dollars in off-shore profits and paid zero tax in 2010 despite $14.2 billion in worldwide profits, some might argue if he is the right person to persuade other corporate executives to pay more taxes. However, if Mr. Immelt would simply lead by example his would be the perfect voice to call upon others to do the same. Besides paying their fair share of higher personal income taxes, as well as the corporate taxes they are sheltering abroad, these corporate heads should also start spending some of the $2.5 trillion in cash they are collectively sitting on to kick start the economy. And, finally, in that regard Mr. Immelt needs to set another example for corporations by focusing GE's job creation efforts more in America instead of China, another area in which his duel leadership as head of the Jobs Council could be transformational. In other words, it's time for other fat cats, as so graphically depicted on the current cover of The New Yorker to step up to the plate.

ARTISTS - Visual and Musical
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
Phoebe Lichty at http://phoebelichty.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Two Rivers Park

2011-08-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

As a relief from all of the turmoil that took place within the past week including starvation in Somalia, riots in London, a raging war in Afghanistan that continues to deteriorate and the wild ride on wall street, my wife and I took advantage of the cooler cloudy day yesterday to try out the newly opened Two Rivers Pedestrian Bridge here in Little Rock.

Officially dedicated on Friday, July 8th, at a cost of $5.3 million, 80% of which was paid by federal tax dollars (more on this later) and 20% by Pulaski County, this is the second such bridge to be constructed over a body of water that opens up a whole new range of recreational possibilities for our citizens. The first, The Big Dam Bridge, completed in October 2006 at a total cost of $ 13 million, again 80% financed with federal tax revenue, was built on top of the existing Murray Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River just east of I-430. It was the final link to a 15 mile circular bike and walking trail that joins Little Rock with our northern neighbor North Little Rock and its expansive Burns Parks. In addition it facilitates access to approximately 70,000 total acres of city, county, state and federal park land.

By contrast, the Two Rivers Bridge spans the Little Maumelle River to connect with Two Rivers Park, a 1,000 acre green space of hiking and riding trails 550 acres of which are owned by Pulaski County and 450 acres of which are owned by the City of Little Rock, including the terminal point. As an added plus, this bridge also opens up connectivity to Pinnacle Mountain and 200 miles of hiking trails in the Ouachita Mountains. This was not our first venture into Two Rivers Park, as we have transported our 1972-vintage matched pair of Raleigh bikes out there before for early morning rides that made you feel like you were pedaling in Provance (re: picture below from June 2009 ).

However, this new access did provide a huge advantage in time and distance in getting there, as it eliminated the need to go all the way out west to Pinnacle Valley Road and then travel back east on County Farm Road. You now just have to go basically beneath the I-440 Bridge and hop on this new bridge.

Being a Saturday morning we expected it to be a popular place but as the day wore on it became more so. In fact by the time we returned from our two hour walk, all parking lots were full, so we were glad we went early. Besides being an easy and pleasing way to knock off a few miles (3.8 to be exact), we encountered many friends along the way, one of whom we had not seen in several years, which is the reason it took two hours. Additionally, we spotted four deer in a field toward the western end of the primary trail at County Farm Road, saw a couple doing their birding thing and heard the sound of some wild creature in the distant woods that was totally unfamiliar to us. All and all it was a most enjoyable and relaxing way to enjoy the outdoors, so kudos to Judge Buddy Villines and all those who made this bridge and park possible, as they are both true assets to our community. Our only complaint, and it's a big one, is that the attractive restroom facility on County Farm Road at our western turn around point was locked up tighter than a drum, so we, as well as a whole slew of bike riders we saw there, were denied access to an essential public facility with no notice or explanation. What's with that? If it is not going to be open for the true "convenience and necessity" of the public for whom it was built, on perhaps one of the most used days of the week, then why even have it?

That issue aside, I also could not help but wonder how many of the throngs of people who were out there yesterday thoroughly enjoying the day harbored the same belief system as that which is currently strangling our political system - i.e. no new taxes! Who do they think financed that very amenity they were enjoying free?   Please keep that in mind as this nation struggles to right its financial ship and justify revenue increases. They really do achieve good things for all of us.

ARTISTS - Visual and Musical
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
Phoebe Lichty at http://phoebelichty.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Dysfunction in DC

2011-08-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Having just witnessed the debt ceiling spectacle in Washington over this past few weeks, I hardly know where to begin commenting about what is happening in Washington DC where the political environment has become so rancorous and toxic that the Speaker of the House now ignores phone calls from the President of the United States. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times compared the tactics of the Tea Party and their followers to the horror classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", with a reference to "eating their own party and leaders alive". Nicholas Kristof, also of the New York Times, called it "the warts of democracy". And Robert Draper, who is writing a book on this whole sordid affair, likened it to a "WWE SmackDown" (to hear his entire fascinating interview on NPR go to http://www.npr.org/2011/08/03/138922932/inside-the-tea-partys-rising-influence). With that less than flattering backdrop, consider the following random issues and conclusions that bubbled up as a result of this messy process.
1. There seems to be visceral hatred of President Obama that began almost the day after he was elected for reasons that totally escape me. Is it his education, world view, trying to protect the poor, the color of his skin or his policies? Take your choice, but it is obviously the avowed purpose of many on the far right to paralyze his administration and make him a "one term president" regardless of the ultimate costs to our country, financial or otherwise. How American is that?
2. Then there is the debt limit itself and whether it is even needed. James Surowiecki in an article in the August 1st edition of The New Yorker lays out a compelling argument that it is not, as every other democratic country except Denmark gets along fine without one. But for some reason we still feel the need for a questionable law that was enacted during WW1, according to an editorial the New York Times on August 8th, "to persuade gullible taxpayers that Congress is exercising responsible oversight over borrowing". As we have just experienced, it has just become a foil for a game of chicken to showcase partisan brinkmanship that only adds stress to an already difficult situation, which Mr. Surowiecki argues is absolutely the worst environment in which to make such important decisions. He and the NYT both agree that it is time to remove this self-induced problem of a debt ceiling and deal with the real problems facing this country.
3. What about the far right's refusal to accept the need for increased revenues when almost all of our nation's economists on both sides of the political spectrum agree that they are absolutely essential to a long term fix of our fiscal problems? And then for Congress to leave town for a month before formally approving the FFA budget which cost the government $30 million a day in lost income from passenger fees until it was temporarily restored this past Friday was a total abdication of their responsibilities as strong stewards of the purse which conservatives pretend to be. God help us if this retro starve-the-beast mindset hits the state, county and city levels of our country as they pursue their various tax proposals to make up the loss in federal funds that will result from this by-product legislation. Normally, it's just a routine matter to approve a new debt ceiling to pay existing commitments of the United States, so is it really necessary (see #2 above)?
4. With all due respect for John Brummett, a noted local political analyst who writes a weekly column for the Arkansas Times, I'm not so sure there is that much "good" that came out of that deal. For one thing it seems woefully lacking in size and structure. In the words of David Brooks, a national political analyst for the New York Times, the conservative right let President Obama's "deal of the century", which proposed $4 trillion in cuts and only $1 trillion in revenues, slip away. Obviously, the business and financial communities were not impressed, as evidenced by this past Thursday's collapse of the stock market and Standard and Poor's downgrading yesterday of our credit rating to AA+? Both speak volumes about our true commitment to reduce our debt. And, speaking of the business community, where were they in this process?   It's as if they had been muzzled.
5. And while we're on the subject of corporate America, what about the reported $2.5 trillion corporations are hoarding in cash while many multi-nationals pay no corporate income tax at all through various loopholes including sheltering their foreign profits offshore? Yet, they are making no attempt at improving the employment rate in the United States by hiring some of the 9.1% unemployed with some of those trillions. When corporations like Apple supposedly have more cash on hand that the United States Treasury (re: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/07/29/apple.cash.government/index.html), then something is terribly out of whack.
6. Will forming another bi-partisan committee solve anything? We've been down this road before with the Simpson-Bowles Commission which did a terrific job in making some very substantial recommendations, which were summarily ignored, to address our long term financial problems. Even though I seldom agree with Charles Krauthammer, I think his suggestion that this new super committee not "reinvent the wheel" and simply make the hard choices from those outlined in the Simpson-Bowles report is right on target. Furthermore, to quote the co-chairs of that commission, Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, "It's time to go big (i.e. in formulating a comprehensive plan) or go home".
7. As recently pointed out by both Paul Krugman and Lawrence Summers, GROWTH rather than worrying about the debt ceiling is what this country really needs. Mr. Krugman proposes a Harry Truman-like campaign to sell a big job creation proposal by President Obama, and Mr. Summers suggests absolutely letting the Bush tax cuts expire next year, extending the payroll tax cuts, adopting an infrastructure maintenance program and continuing unemployment benefits as the easiest ways to achieve badly needed economic growth.

Considering all the misbehavior and sordid politics that have just taken place which have fueled public angst, worry, disgust and an 82% overall disapproval rating of Congress, one wonders if now might be the time to explore other methods of electing public officials as proposed by Americans-ELECT 2011 at https://secure.americanselect.org/, a link sent to me by an old friend from California. While I do not necessarily endorse this approach, given the current sorry state of affairs in Washington, something dramatic needs to be done to reform the existing political system if our elected representatives can't get their act together, leave their ideology at the doorstep and compromise on a genuine bi-partisan long term solution to our financial woes .

ARTISTS - Visual and Musical
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
Phoebe Lichty at http://phoebelichty.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Rite of Passage

2011-07-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Recently, my wife and I were invited to attend a Quinceanera celebrating the 15th birthday of the daughter of a Hispanic friend. Being our first, we had no idea what to expect and were somewhat apprehensive as to what the exact protocol would be. More on this later, but first let me provide some background and history on this event of which I had very little knowledge.

Many cultures and religions have their own unique way of celebrating the maturation of their young. They include events like Bar Mitzvahs, Bat Mitzvahs, Debutante Balls, First Haircuts, Sweet Sixteen Parties, Baptisms, Confirmations, Hazings and Circumcision, all known to most of us, but less known are the practices of Breeching (Western European), Dokimasias (Greece), Russ (Norwegian), Scarification (many cultures), as well as a whole host of ceremonies from Hinduism, Buddhism and Native American origins. But it is the Quinceanera from the Hispanic culture that is today's topic. It usually begins with a religious ceremony to honor God and then progresses to a festive social event that involves family, friends, music, food and dance which can last for hours. Our experience began with the reception which began at 4:00pm and was scheduled to end at 1:00am the following morning.

We arrived at 4:30 and were warmly greeted at the front door of the event center where all tables had been elaborately decorated with red and white table cloths, angelic figurines and miscellaneous items which turned out to be favors for attendees. In addition there was a separate table, obviously for the honoree and her court, as well as a table full of ornately decorated cakes. At that early hour there were many empty tables so we chose one in the center of one side of the room. Almost immediately the mother and sister of honoree came over to thank us for coming, after which we were served our own large bottle of soft drink. Shortly thereafter delicious food began arriving starting with a soup, then chips and salsa and ending with a plate of beef, rice and tortillas. As the evening progressed, the room began to fill up with family and friends of all ages in an array of festive dress, even including very young children who added a fun element to the occasion because they seemed to enjoy themselves the most. Throughout the meal soft melodic music played in the background at the direction of the master of ceremonies who manned a very impressive sound system on an elevated stage located at one end of the room.

Sometime around 6:30pm the honoree and her court, which turned out to be four young men, made their entrance to the delight of all who had gathered by then. She was dressed in an ornate full-length ball gown and they in formal attire. At that point the flavor of music changed to Latino, to which they made a grand entrance that was beautifully choreographed with intricate steps and precise movements, ending with her being elevated on the shoulders of two members of the court as confetti inundated the room. At that point she was presented with a large box containing gifts from her many girl friends who were there. Then the honoree was seated in the center of the room where her fraternal grandmother placed a tiara on her head, followed by the gift of her last doll (dressed similar to the honoree) from her maternal grandmother which was then taken away by her maternal great-grandmother all in a very precise and ceremonial fashion. A sparkling beverage was then poured into champagne glasses for everyone to toast the honoree. Her father began to dance with her to the wonderful music which had continued throughout all of these proceedings,
followed by an arranged set of relatives all individually announced as they tagged in (think wedding reception).

After the above dancing segment, the honoree and her court left the room which by now was full of friends and guests. Sometime later they all re-appeared in informal clothing and began another choreographed dance sequence with the honoree dancing separately with each of the members of her court to entirely different music and steps. How she was able to persuade four young teenage boys to master all of the moves they showed beginning with their grand entrance is beyond me, but I do know that they all practiced for many weeks prior to the evening because I asked one of them how they mastered everything. By then the music was getting louder and more youthful, so my wife and I bid our goodbyes and quietly left. I understand that the celebration did in fact continue until 1:00am, but for the four and a half hours we were there we had one of the most fun, entertaining and enlightening evenings we have ever had, including being warmly welcomed by everyone there. It just goes to prove that one should always welcome the opportunity to engage in experiences outside one's culture and comfort zone. To learn more about this amazing celebration in the life of a young Hispanic girl, go to http://www.quinceanera-boutique.com/quinceaneratradition.htm.

ARTISTS - Visual and Musical
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
Phoebe Lichty at http://phoebelichty.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

The Moment of Truth - A Missed Opportunity?

2011-07-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

As the current discord over debt, taxes, budget and jobs goes on, it makes me wonder what certain members of our congress think they were elected to do. Obfuscate? Destroy? Play games? Position themselves for the 2012 election? How about they just do their job and protect the true interests of all Americans by passing a comprehensive bill to put our country on long term sound financial footing that would eliminate the confusion and angst that now exist, and position the United States to expand its economy and regain world confidence. Right now we are being compared to Greece because of rampant political posturing and paralysis in Washington. Yes, it will require compromise on both sides which is at the center of all landmark legislation.

From all I have been able to glean from very knowledgeable journalists including Ezra Klein, Paul Krugman, Nicholas Kristof, David Brooks and Henry Blodget (yes, that Henry Blodget), it is without question time we address these issues head on in a comprehensive manner and not "kick the can down the road" which seems to be modus operandi of some in congress. My concern is that it may be too late. However, before that process can begin each side needs to quit blaming the other for being the responsible party who created this mess. In truth, both Democrats and Republicans did, so admit it and move on. The next step is for both sides to realize that there are merits to both cutting spending and raising revenue, and for those 236 Congressmen and 41 Senators who signed that silly pledge to never do the latter to tear it up. The Economist magazine called such a position "economically illiterate and disgracefully cynical". And, finally, if bi-partisanship is what will make a comprehensive plan acceptable, then there is one on the table right now that should be adopted and passed as written - i.e. the proposal submitted last December by The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, often referred to as either the Bowles-Simpson Commission or the Simpson-Bowles Commission, depending no doubt on one's political affiliation, but take your pick.

In essence this report, sub-titled "The Moment of Truth", minces no words in clearly laying out the challenges of adopting its recommendations, as well as the perils if we do nothing. Of course there are things each side will not like which is what makes it so acceptable in my view. But it really tackles the spending cuts and added revenue divide that has stopped all progress thus far and could well be applied to the "The Mother of All No-Brainers" conclusion David Brooks wrote about in the New York Times on July 4th, wherein he also labeled a White House proposal to cut $4 trillion in spending as "the deal of the century". In short, this report clearly lays out its mission to address the "looming fiscal crisis" by succinctly outlining the principles and values embraced to meet its mission to balance the budget by 2015 and improve our long-run fiscal outlook by addressing the following six main categories of concern:
1. Discretionary Spending Cuts
2. Comprehensive Tax Reform
3. Health Care Cost Containment
4. Mandatory Savings
5. Social Security Reforms to Ensure Long-Term Solvency and Reduce Poverty
6. Process Changes
It is a remarkable document which should serve as the blueprint for President Obama's written plan the Republicans constantly call for him to submit to congress, and should be quickly adopted by both chambers. As such, I strongly urge everyone to read about The Moment of Truth in its entirety at http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/TheMomentofTruth12_1_2010.pdf and, hopefully, avoid a missed opportunity.

ARTISTS - Visual and Musical
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
Phoebe Lichty at http://phoebelichty.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Uncle Sam, We Hardly Know Ye

2011-07-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

In celebration of our country's Independence Day, I thought I would answer a question posed by my son-in-law this week which is certainly relevant to the occasion. In so doing, this will be light in tone and short in content.

The question was "How did Uncle Sam originate?". The only answer I could muster up was he was an imaginary figure conceived during World War I to help recruit enlistees. While that was, in fact, one of Uncle Sam's purposes, it was way off the mark for a complete and truthful answer. Thanks to Google, I learned that it actually can be traced back to a Samuel Wilson, the person responsible for inspecting all meat purchased by the government following the declaration of the War of 1812 against England, who was commonly called "Uncle Sam". A contractor named Elbert Anderson would label his containers of such provisions "E.A.", for his initials, and "U.S." for the United States, the latter of which were not familiar to his employees. When one suggested that "U.S." stood for Uncle Sam, Samuel Wilson's nickname, the tag stuck and by 1820 became a common reference for the United States. However, it did not become personalized into character form until the Civil War when another character named Brother Jonathan, who had been the popular icon of the United States and was depicted in cartoons with striped pants, tails and a top hat, morphed into the first version of Uncle Sam.   Images were subsequently refined by Thomas Nast, a popular artist of that time who also was responsible for our popular image of Santa Clause, until the one resognize today was developed in 1876. Read the complete history at http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/.

With that short story, please remember the wonderful freedoms we all enjoy, and very best wishes to all for a very happy and safe 4th of July!

ARTISTS - Visual and Musical
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
Phoebe Lichty at http://phoebelichty.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Truly One of a Kind

2011-06-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

One of my earliest memories is a picture of my mother apparently taken in 1947 at the Hardscrabble Country Club Open in Fort Smith having just completed hitting one of her drives. She was an avid golfer, played in many tournaments there and around the state of Arkansas and had a whole passel of golfing friends as a result. While this photo did a great job of capturing the finish of her powerful swing, the remarkable thing about it was the following handwritten inscription in the lower right corner. As I recall, it read: "To Ruth: With love to you, Tom and the kids". "Babe". Babe in this case was Babe Didrikson Zaharias who died from cancer on September 27, 1956, and would have been 100 years old yesterday.

I had all but forgotten about that photo until just by chance I caught a tribute to her yesterday on ESPN, which I rarely watch, but then got home later to read a wonderful article in the New York Times sports section also commemorating her centennial. So, for those of you who are not familiar with Babe and her remarkable life and sports achievements, I am going to take the liberty to borrow some of that article written by Don Van Natta, Jr., author of the book: "Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias" because many of her sports accomplishments are unparalleled even today. To quote W.L. Pate, Jr., president of the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Foundation and mayor pro tem of Beaumont, Texas: "Every time I tell her story, people have trouble believing everything she was able to do during her life...and she did so much in so little time". Mr. Natta even labels her "perhaps America's greatest all-around athlete, male or female".

Born on June 26, 1911, in Port Arthur, Texas, she grew up in her teens playing baseball as well as basketball with the boys because they provided much better competition. She was a brash, tough talking and very confident woman who would often declare before a golf tournament "The Babe's here! Who's going to finish second?" But no one excelled more at sports and games than she, becoming an all-American basketball player, a two-time Olympic track and field gold medalist and winner of 32 golf tournaments including 14 in a row, a feat unmatched to this day by either male or female golfer. She was one of the founders of the L.P.G.A., the first woman ever to play against men in a PGA Tour event and the first American to win the British Women's Amateur Championship. And golf actually came later in her life after being outstanding in baseball, softball, tennis, billiards, swimming, diving and bowling.

But her most spectacular achievement probably occurred at the amateur track and field championships in Evanston, Illinois on July16, 1932. She singularly comprised the entire team representing Employers Casualty Insurance Company of Dallas, Texas and competed as a "one-woman track team" (her own words) against other company teams of up to 22 members. Over the course of that afternoon she sprinted from event to event where she finished first in five events (broad jump, shot-put, javelin, 80-meter hurdles and baseball throw) and tied for first in a sixth event (high jump). At the end of the day she had qualified for three Olympic events and compiled 30 team points for her team, followed in second place by the Illinois Women's Athletic Club with 22 team points which, coincidentally, matched exactly the size of their team at 22 members. "Implausible is the adjective that best befits the Babe" is how Arthur Daley described her amazing accomplishment in the NYT. She went on to win gold medals in the javelin and 80-meter hurdles and a silver medal in the high jump in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and thus became the most famous female athlete in the world.

Following that high point she found very few places where she could compete, and then the economic depression hit which all but eliminated any sports opportunities. After traveling around the country performing quirky gigs like riding donkeys around baseball parks in small towns across America, she finally turned to golf the toughest game for her, but one she mastered by practicing up to 10 hours a day. By 1938 she had married George Zaharias, a professional wrestler who helped in her personal makeover to the public and the press. In 1946 and 1947 she dominated the game by winning those 14 tournaments in a row mentioned above, one being the Hardscrabble Open, and continued the game until April 1953 when she was first diagnosed with rectal cancer. At that time doctors told her she would never play professional golf again. However, fifteen months later after her surgery she won the United States Women's Open at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Massachusetts by a phenomenal twelve strokes. She then became an active crusader against cancer often talking about her illness at a time when public figures remained silent on such matters.

Two years after her amazing victory at Salem she was dead but not forgotten. In fact, upon learning of her death, President Dwight Eisenhower opened one of his news conferences with this tribute: "She was a woman who, in her athletic career, certainly won the admiration of every person in the United States, all sports people all over the world, and in her gallant fight against cancer, she put up one of the kind of fights that inspire us all". In short, she was truly one of a kind.

ARTISTS - Visual and Musical
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
Phoebe Lichty at http://phoebelichty.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Long on Ambition, Short on Detail

2011-06-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

After City Hall concluded its first round of public hearings, the citizens of Little Rock finally got their first glimpse of the proposed new sales tax initiative last week which is intended to plug an on-going financial problem with meeting the needs of this city. While fully recognizing that something has to be done on the revenue side to address those needs, I must say that the general proposal as recently publicized may be a tough sell. For one thing, while ambitious in its attempt to fund many worthwhile issues, it falls way short of detail in explaining exactly how this money will be spent and what oversight mechanisms will be installed to ensure public accountability. Also, I think it is strategically flawed in its bifurcated structure which only serves to complicate the tax proposal for consideration by our citizens.

Unless I have missed something, it is to have two tax rate increases, one for 1/2% tax to raise approximately $205 million for capital needs which will expire after eight years, and another 3/4% perpetual tax to raise approximately $38 million for general operations by the fourth year assuming a 2% annual growth rate. In regard to proceeds from both taxes the breakdown is as follows:
                                           CAPITAL NEEDS       OPERATIONS
Public Safety         $   44,400,000       $   15,000,000
Public Works                     $   70,000,000       $     5,000,000
Economic Development        $   40,000,000                     -0-
Parks, Recreation,                $   40,300,000       $     4,000,000
     Zoo and Tourism

Miscellaneous                       $   10,000,000       $    14,000,000

                       Totals           $ 204,700,000       $    38,000,000

Aside from being much too general and vague, it appears to be the same old Christmas tree tax proposal that once again is designed to be debated and voted on during the sparsest time of the year for public input in order to maximize a positive result. Just look at the schedule for the second round of public hearings which start tomorrow, June 13th and conclude on June 25th, a popular vacation period for many citizens. Having led a sales tax increase initiative in 2003 to raise $100 million over five years to just address the basic infrastructure needs of this city (i.e. streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, drainage system, etc.) which eight years ago totaled over $500 million, I get the timing. What I don't get is the resistance to fully disclose more detail about both tax proposals which only raises doubts and creates suspicion among the voters. At least in 2003 we identified some specific projects throughout this city that needed to be fixed.

In addition, if some citizens of Little Rock are still complaining about the lack of accountability for the $200,000 that is gifted to the Chamber of Commerce each year for economic development, just imagine what questions will be raised regarding a proposed $40 MILLION economic development fund! And, of course, the "least of these" apparently get left in the wake again with no discernible provision in either tax proposal that I can find to fund a homeless day resource center which has been discussed for years. Yet we are asked to provide who knows what to house and maintain animals at the Little Rock Zoo which reflects a total disconnect in priorities in my view. And, relative to providing additional tax revenue for "tourism", don't we already pay a special sales tax in Little Rock to the Advertising and Promotion Commission dedicated just for that purpose? So, Mr. Mayor, City Directors and Mr. City Manager, please be more open with your citizens and not be so reticent to provide the additional detail on these proposed hefty sales tax increases at the very time you are asking us to support them. We all need many more specifics on how you intend to spend this additional revenue which would make it much easier for you to get what you want.

And, finally, getting back to a point made earlier, why not just consolidate these two separate proposals into one simple 1% permanent sales tax with a dedicated split between operations and capital needs? Surely, an additional $50 million annually is enough to make needed repairs, purchase equipment, build buildings and operate this city for a long, long time without possibly coming back asking for more tax in eight years.

For more of what information does exist on these two proposals, please go to the Arkansas Times blog at http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2011/06/07/little-rock-sales-tax-talk.

ARTISTS - Visual and Audio
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
Phoebe Lichty at http://phoebelichty.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

"We Want Peace"

2011-05-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

One bi-product of taking a leave of absence from blogging is that the world continues piling up stories of conflict, abuse of power, sex scandals, political shenanigans, education turmoil, etc., all of which provide great fodder for not only print journalist and television talking heads, but also for those of us who are much less formally qualified but still have a passion to offer commentary on such issues. The problem is simply choosing one subject from this vast array of topics. However, one recent event in the news just screams for attention if for no other reason than its profound importance to the world. Specifically, I am referring to the seemingly endless Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

First, let me offer a little personal history on this subject. On March 13, 1956, while on a trip to the Middle East as part of a Mediterranean cruise with my grandmother, aunt and three cousins, we were on the way from Beirut to Damascus to visit the Holy Land by car when our caravan was stopped at the Syrian border for routine passport checks. When what should have been a simple brief event turned into a prolonged process, it became apparent that something was wrong. To make a long story short, my grandmother and I were informed that we would not be allowed to enter Syria because they thought we were Jewish and the tour operators could not guarantee our safety. The point being that this was my very first experience with the same discrimination that many Jews have long felt which some think caused many to flee their Arab neighbors for Europe, so I am not insensitive to their situation. In any event our entire family elected to abandon that segment of our trip and return to Beirut and accept the kind invitation of a Lebanese politico, whom we had met on board ship after one of his lectures on the Arab/Israeli conflict, to visit him at his home in Tripoli should we have time. Little did we know at the time that we would. This brings up the second point of this little sidebar - i.e. he was the very first person I can ever recall framing this problem in the historical context of having gone on for centuries, and that it may take centuries to solve it. History seems to be confirming his prophesy, which brings me back to the subject at hand.

Since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 there have been 13 different Prime Ministers (four served subsequent second terms), most of whom have proclaimed "We want peace". My first personal memory of this position goes back to Golda Meir in 1969, followed in succession by Yitzhak Rabin (who was assassinated in 1995 for his support of the Oslo Peace Process), Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and now Mr. Netanyahu again. What's astounding to me is that several of these leaders also supported some form of land grant back to the Palestinians, most notably Ehud Olmert who actually proposed the very same pre-1967 War plan suggested by President Obama this week which caused the current prime minister to make such a big issue of something that had been discussed for years by parties to the on-going peace negotiations. And then for him to object to these borders just as a starting point stating that they are "indefensible because of certain changes on the ground" was somewhat disingenuous, as he actually was referring to the thousands of Jewish settlements which President Nixon first called "illegal" and President Reagan then termed "not constructive". But that did not stop Mr. Netanyahu from ordering while still here this week that 1,500 more be built.

Even George Mitchell, the venerable and highly respected former senator who has been working tirelessly to resolve this conflict until his announced resignation, confirmed the validity of the pre-1967 War borders as an accepted starting point just today on ABC's This Week with Christiane Amanpour. In his words there is "no major shift" in policy and that protecting Israel's interests "with agreed swaps" is "significant" because it addresses the settlement issue mentioned above. With the entire Middle East now in the throes of revolution and reform, it's quite possible that Israel might find itself odd man out if continued intransigence prevails, particularly if the Palestinians are successful in getting the United Nations to grant them statehood this fall. King Abdullah II of Jordan on the same ABC program got it right by suggesting that it's always easy "to find an excuse why not to do the right thing". To watch both and hear their exact statements go to (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obamas-comments-israel-1967-borders-major-policy-shift/story?id=13658890.

To lighten up the atmosphere and shamelessly promote a very talented daughter, may I suggest that you enjoy some great new original music now available free at http://phoebelichty.com/.

Mr. Brooks, Meet Mr. Krugman

2011-05-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

First, in answer to several inquiries as to the absence of posts since March 27th, I have been dealing with some personal issues that caused this hiatus, not the least of which was a tree falling through our house one month ago today during the first wave of recent tornadoes that swept across Arkansas and the south. With recovery well under way, my hope is to resume postings again on a regular basis, but as I have said here before, events will always trump intentions.

Now, to the current issue at hand which was addressed by both David Brooks and Paul Krugman on the very same page of last Friday's New York Times - i.e. the budget debate raging in congress. Not surprisingly, Mr. Brooks in his own unique way has boiled the solution down to a marriage between "spending caps" which the Democrats hate, and "deficit caps" which the Republicans hate, as the former would drastically change Medicare as we know it, and the latter would trigger tax increases. To get around this divide, if substantial spending cuts could be negotiated between both parties, then that would open the door for support for a tax reform package that would raise major tax revenue through closing various loopholes, but leave tax rates in place to conform with a Republican pledge never to raise. It really just gets down to semantics, as the end result is exactly the same, tax revenue is increased which is essential to any successful future budget plan.

Right next door to Mr. Brooks' column is Paul Krugman's slant on the budget question which takes an entirely different tack in that he views any reduction in spending created by "spending caps" would severely reduce funding the very social programs like Medicare on which an ever increasing number of Americans will come to rely. To illustrate his point, if you take the proposed spending cap of 20% of GDP bantered around in both Mr. Brooks' and Mr. Krugman's columns and apply that to health care for our older population that is expected to increase from 20.9% of Americans 65 or older per 100 members of the working population in 2007 to 31.7% in 2025, a 52% increase, and then compound that with ever increasing costs of that health care, there will be a multitude of older Americans who would be devastated by that loss of support. However, he also points out that the older population represents a mighty powerful voting bloc which should cause the Republicans some real heartburn as they attempt to drastically curb spending on very popular social entitlement programs like Medicare.

And then there is the looming issue of using approval of a raised debt limit by both sides as their wedge to achieve their respective objectives. Some say not raising it would trigger an economic Armageddon, others say it really will have little effect. Frankly, I have no idea who is right, but I do know that it's not a risk I would be willing to take were I a voting member of congress. Having suffered through one of the worst economic periods since the great depression that is still in a fragile recovery, I would think most Americans would have little patience with those who would make that irresponsible gamble with our future, as well as a very long memory should the catastrophic theorists be correct.

Packing Heat in the Pews

2011-03-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

Just when you think that our state legislature has exhausted their capacity to craft unnecessary and sometimes mindless legislation, along comes proposed House Bill 1958 "TO ALLOW A CONCEALED HANDGUN LICENSEE TO CARRY A CONCEALED HANDGUN IN CHURCH OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP". In truth, this bill just amends the current prohibition against carrying concealed weapons to church by allowing all churches and other places of worship to decide for themselves who may carry such weapons, but that does not make this legislation any less onerous Go to http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Pages/BillInformation.aspx?measureno=HB1958 to learn more about this bill and its sponsors, as well as http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Bills/HB1958.pdf for a copy of the bill itself.

What is it about the New Testament that the 65 members of the House who voted yea don't understand? I was always taught that it is, essentially, a message of love, tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance as described in various verses including 1st Corinthians 13:1-13 (the Love Chapter), Galatians 5:22-23 (listing the Fruits of the Spirit) and Matthew 5, 6 & 7 (The Sermon on the Mount), to name a few. So, what's next, preachers suiting up with ammunition belts crisscrossed against their chests holding a rifle much in the image of Pancho Villa just to set the tone of the service? Or maybe churches could sell guns and ammunition in their vestibules as fund raising events. It brings an entirely new dimension to the expression "Clinging to God and guns" which got so much attention in the 2008 presidential campaign. If there is one place on earth where we should all feel free of any possible chance of armed violence, it is sitting in our place of worship regardless of faith. If Jesus chased the moneychangers from His "house of prayer" for their contemptible acts, I wonder what he would do today with people packing heat in his temple?

And, finally, isn't it the responsibility of the state legislature to protect its citizens with prudent and reasonable statutes, rather than create the possibility of a "Gunfight at the OK Corral" environment, particularly in a place of worship? This is one really bad piece of legislation among some 3,235 total bills filed just this session (go look for yourself at http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Pages/SearchBillsByRange.aspx ) that should immediately be, pardon the pun, shot down in my view.

When Will It All End?

2011-03-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

When will it all end? After experiencing one of the most deadly years in history last year (re: ABC video at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/2010-deadliest-year-12506831 ), we are now on track to possibly exceed that record this year with a wide array of natural disasters having already happened including droughts in China; floods in the Philippines, South Africa, Australia, Brazil and the northeastern United States; tornados (178 in the US alone this year); wildfires in Australia; snow storms in the United States; and devastating earthquakes in China, Myanmar, Chile, Argentina, Pakistan, New Zealand and now Japan for the second time. Not included are the continuing effects of the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 killing 230,000 people, as well as Haiti's earthquake just last year where another 230,000 may have died. And this list does not even consider the man-made disasters that have wreaked havoc on mankind, most notably the BP oil well debacle last year right off our own gulf coast.

But it is the horrific devastation of the recent 9.0 earthquake and tsunami and possible nuclear reactor meltdown ("The China Syndrome" playing out in real time) now threatening Japan on which world-wide attention is currently focused that has caused the most recent alarm. For those of us living in Arkansas this concern is more than just casual for two reasons. First, while there has been some concern about the possible connection between 950 earthquake events that have occurred in Faulkner County in the past few months and the drilling of injection wells nearby, attention also needs to be focused on the existence of Arkansas' one and only operating nuclear power plant located just a stone's throw to the southwest of this seismic activity and only 75 miles west of Little Rock where the shock of the 4.7 quake, the largest thus far, of February 7th was felt. Just imagine an isosceles triangle 75 miles per side and you've got the relevant distance between earthquake activity, nuclear reactor and the most populated metropolitan region in our state. While I am sure every precaution and safety measure have been taken to protect the public against such an event, I'm sure the same, if not even to a greater degree, were taken in Japan, and nature still got the upper hand.

For the second thing, we need to also recognize that there may be an even greater threat to public safety than the situation described above, and that is the New Madrid Fault that traverses northeastern Arkansas approximately 100 miles to the east from the Faulkner County activity. In 1811 it caused an earthquake of such magnitude that among other things it is believed to have caused the Mississippi River to flow backward for several hours, and has been periodically active ever since to a much lesser degree. Just this year there have been almost two dozen relatively small seismic events along that fault, but we are 30 years overdue for 6.3 or stronger earthquake to happen with 20 times more devastation than in California due to the geological formations in this region of the United States (learn more at http://www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/geores/techbulletin1.htm ). Consequently, prudence would dictate that some careful planning and forethought be given to these possibilities.

And if you don't have enough to worry about locally, just consider what may lie ahead for planet earth in the coming years at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGgEKgAGdxE. It's enough to make one believe that we're watching a Biblical prophecy unfold right before our very eyes.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

And the Winner Is

2011-02-22T06:01:00.000-08:00

With the annual Academy Awards scheduled for this Sunday, it seems an appropriate time to weigh in with my picks for Oscar winners, but only in the major categories. In so doing I will first list who I think will win followed by whom I would like to win. However, as a prelude to those selections, I would like to comment on two movies, Barney's Version and Another Year, both of which seem to have been ignored by the Academy this year for reasons that totally escape me.

The first tells the story of a blunt, over-bearing, self-absorbed individual who seemingly has no knack for diplomacy when dealing with his spouses, employees, friends or casual acquaintances. But beneath that abrasive exterior is the heart of a man who ultimately shows deep and abiding love for the last of his three wives while slowly spiraling downward in the funnel of Alzheimer's. The cast and acting are superb and there are none of those slow monotonous segments found in many movies that make the viewer wish he were watching it on Tivo and had a fast forward button. So, I'm just dumbfounded as to why the only attribute the Academy found worthy of recognition was in their Best Achievement in Makeup category. Besides my own rating of excellent, many other qualified movie critics also gave very favorable reviews of this movie, some of which you can read for yourself from a list of 83 at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1423894/externalreviews. At least the star, Paul Giamatti, did receive the Golden Globe award for best actor, Rosamund Pike and Minnie Driver were recognized by the London Critics Film Awards for Actress of the Year and Supporting Actress of the Year respectively, and Rosamund Pike again for Best Actress in a Supporting Role by the Satellite Awards.

As if to illustrate the exact opposite of the high octane approach to relationships Barney took, the second movie centers around the long-term, stable, genteel and happily married couple, Gerri and Tom, and four seasonal episodes they experience with some fairly dysfunctional friends which bring them full circle with the beginning of "another year". However, it is Mary, played by Lesley Manville, who keeps reappearing and slowly deteriorates from a seemingly happy-go-lucky individual into a real mess who becomes the real focus of the movie. While painful to watch, it is a brilliant piece of acting along with the entire ensemble cast who play their parts flawlessly, just as you would expect a group of talented British actors to perform, much in the tradition of Masterpiece Theater. Even though the Academy, like with Barney's Version, did nominate Another Year for a single entry for "Best Writing for a Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen" (is that the same as Best Original Screenplay?), fortunately, other film groups recognized the broad excellence of this movie, to wit:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award - Lesley Manville for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated for British Independent Film Award - Jim Broadbent for Best Actor, Ruth Sheen for Best Actress, Lesley Manville for Best Supporting Actress and Mike Leigh for Best Director
Nominated for Chicago Film Critics Award - Lesley Manville for Best Actress
Nominated for London Critics Circle Film Award - Jim Broadbent for Best British Actor, Lesley Manville for Best British Actress, Ruth Sheen for Best British Actress, Peter Wight for Best Supporting Actor, David Bradley for Supporting Actor and Best British Film
Won National Board of Review Award, USA - Lesley Manville for Best Actress
Won San Diego Film Critics Society Award - Lesley Manville for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated for SDFCS Award - Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville and Ruth Sheen for Best Ensemble
Nominated for Washington DC Area Film Award - Mike Leigh for Best Original Screenplay
Once again, read from 159 other reviews at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431181/externalreviews.

And then there are Blue Valentine and Rabbit Hole which my wife thinks did not get their full measure of recognition, even though each got a Best Actress nomination, but time and space prevent further comment. In any event here are my major picks for Sunday night:
Best Actor: Colin Firth/Colin Firth
Best Actress: Natalie Portman/Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale/Geoffrey Rush
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo/Amy Adams
Best Movie: The King's Speech/The Social Network *
* If for no other reason than the powerful social significance of Facebook in today's world (think Middle East and North Africa), as all nominees are worthy of Best Picture in my view.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Tears of Joy

2011-02-13T11:55:00.000-08:00

What an amazing 18-day transformation the world was privileged to watch unfold in Egypt and end this past Friday with unbridled jubilation in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Tectonic, seismic, transformational and unbelievable are just of a few of the adjectives used to describe a process whereby the strong will of the people freed themselves from a dictatorship in a peaceful and orderly manner. Not only was their success aided and abetted by technology ( the subject of a prior blog The Era of Faceless Revolutions on January 30th), it was fueled by a brand new demographic of young Egyptians that the old guard regime never seemed to fully understand or appreciate. In addition the "people" had the full and unwavering support of the military who fully controlled the situation without firing a shot, almost unheard of in any part of the world, much less the volatile Middle East. Also absent from this entire process were shouts of "death to America" or "kill the infidels", which signal that this may truly be a sectarian movement driven by an educated segment of a society deeply committed to seeking true freedom devoid of theocratic overtones and dogma. In the words of President Obama "It was the moral force of nonviolence - not terrorism and mindless killing - that bent the arc of history toward justice once more".

What impressed me the most was watching the pure joy expressed on the faces of the multitude of men, women and children who poured into their ground zero to be a part of one of the most important historical events to take place in Egypt's long and rich history. Tears were flowing and proclamations of "God is great", "Lift your head high in pride, you're Egyptian", "Democracy is coming", "Egypt is free", "Egypt is born again" and "I am somebody" reverberated throughout Tahrir ("Liberation") Square. More miraculous was that people of all stripes, classes, ideologies and religions, including even Muslims and Coptic Christians, stood side by side sharing and enjoying this new-found freedom. What's even more exciting is the possible wide-ranging effect this bottom up, as opposed to top down (e.g. Iraq war), drive toward democracy may have on the entire Middle East. In the words of Thomas Friedman, "The sense of self-empowerment and authenticity - we did it ourselves, by ourselves - is what makes Egypt's democracy movement such a potential game changer for the whole region".   The date 02/11 may be Egypt's 09/11 but, obviously, for much different reasons.

So, a country which has survived since 3,000 BC with a series of pharaohs, kings and generals notably including King Tutankhamen, all the many Ramesses, Cleopatra, King Farouk, Gamal Nasser, Anwar al-Sadat and now Hosni Mubarak now has its first real chance to experience democracy. Yes, there are many unknowns and treacherous paths that this new journey may take, which is why it is so critically important that it have the full and active support by all Americans minus the cynicism and second-guessing that, sadly, is already starting to take root. Should progress start to falter, those tears of joy could quickly change into tears of rage, in which case "the people" know the way back to Tahrir, but I fear it won't be such a peaceful second trip.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Cagney Knows Best

2011-02-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying that I am normally not a big fan of print cartoons which appear in daily newspapers throughout this country. However, there is one created jointly by John Deering and John Newcombe featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that has recently caught my fancy, thanks to my wife. For one, it is centered around a dog named Cagney who, as anyone familiar with the breed will attest, is no ordinary dog. In fact Cagney is America's one and only home grown breed, a Boston Terrier. Not only have Mr. Deering and Mr. Newcombe created a story line filled with humor and relevance, they are spot on in their depiction of the true personality of this breed. As my wife and I have learned over the years, they are smart, independent, insightful and very demanding, all characteristics that allow Cagney to be the inspiration for today's blog.

It all started at the end of last year when Cagney decided to start a blog. In the canine world the medium was naturally a fireplug, recognized universally as the prototype place where dogs best express themselves by leaving their well-known scents. Just like one would expect in the real world, Cagney's first post was met with criticism from one of his fellow pooches followed by negative comments from other "uninvited bloggers". With his feelings duly hurt by these initial responses, Cagney decides to take his blog down by covering the fireplug up with some new fallen snow. However, he is soon confronted by some other pooches who want to post a comment on his blog, so upon Cagney's advice they proceed to dig out the snow from around that fireplug. Postings resume, one being that rather than using their conventional method of posting maybe they should "just shake paws instead".   Cagney questions the fun in that method and seeks guidance from his master who, while in the middle of watching a television program, quickly dismisses Cagney. Naturally, this rebuff causes Cagney to feel "no one ever listens to me", and then conclude "No wonder I feel the need to blog".

Well, there you have it, the essence of why many of us may "feel the need to blog". It's more of being a personal catharsis than being alluded into thinking that our commentary will have any meaningful impact on what family, friends, casual acquaintances or unknowns think, much less affect public policy in any substantive way. And that's what makes it worthwhile. Another John Deering cartoon entitled Strange Brew summed it up beautifully last April when a young son lamented to his father who obviously was admonishing him that he could be anything he wanted to be in life by responding "I don't really care whether anybody in America could grow up to be president. We can all have blogs!"

What's left out of this conversation is something I never really thought about until a friend posed the question to me recently about the range of audience reached by my blog. Yes, I wrote about the power and influence of the Internet last week as witnessed first in Tunisia and now in Egypt, but frankly, I had just assumed that "In My View...." was pretty much confined to a very small group of family and friends who for whatever reason chose to read my weekly posts. Well, much to my surprise I discovered that it has been viewed by every conceivable browser and operating system all over the continental United States and Alaska plus nine foreign countries including Canada, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, France, Netherlands, Australia, Ireland and Latvia. So, unlike Cagney's localized fireplug, in the real world of blogging one never knows where this stuff will end up, which further emphasizes the absolute need for a rational and civilized message. To that end I hope Cagney and I have been true to our mission.

Oh, yeah. My heart is with the Packers, but my mind says the Steelers by three.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

The Era of Faceless Revolutions

2011-01-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

While definitely alarming for many reasons, it is also fascinating to watch the latest of four upheavals of long time dictatorships in the Middle East in just this month of January. First, there was Tunisia, then Lebanon, then Yemen and now Egypt, with at least the first and last sharing the common aspects of being totally fueled by the Internet in the absence a central figure or force driving them. Martin Indyck, former U.S Ambassador to Israel and now Foreign Policy Director for the Brookings Institute labeled it on Meet the Press this morning as a "21st century revolution" in which it is impossible for existing regimes to suppress the will of their people. In that segment he also referenced the Tweet Deck visual that depicted the real time exchange of the thousands of those very Internet messages that are sustaining the current uprising in Egypt.   You can go to Tweetdeck.com, sign up and see for yourselves.

Interestingly, just last week Alec Ross, senior adviser for innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, gave a compelling presentation on this very same subject entitled "Diplomacy in a Digital World" at the Clinton School of Public Service here in Little Rock. In his capacity Mr. Ross is responsible for monitoring Secretary Clinton's 21st Century Statecraft initiative at the State Department which employs the latest technology in American diplomacy around the world. Watch his entire program at http://www.clintonschoolspeakers.com/lecture/view/diplomacy-digital-world/, and you will get a much better sense of just how important these new-found revolutions are to our national security. Since our track record has not been all that great in the past (remember Iran in 1979?), maybe by being fully engaged into the very cutting edge technology which is driving these tectonic political changes in that part of the world where we have so many vital interests, as well as huge investments in American lives and treasure, we will be more successful in this new era of revolutions.   In the words of Thomas Friedman, even though we have conflicting objectives as they relate to Egypt and its president, it is absolutely imperative that we be on the right side of this conflict this time, as they are the current lynch pin of stability in that region.

As a post script to last week's blog about Teach for America, interestingly Mr. Ross first became enthused about the power of technology while working for Teach for America. And just this past week it was announced in two separate articles that TFA was the beneficiary of a $100 million endowment, its first ever, from three separate national charitable foundations, as well as a $25,000 local contribution from Pine Bluff Cable Television and the Trinity Foundation to add teachers to the Pine Bluff School District. You may remember that is the Arkansas city where the young TFA teacher from Ohio mentioned last week was assigned. To echo a point made in that blog, the Superintendent of the Pine Bluff Schools, Mr. Frank Anthony, originally very skeptical of the program, was quoted as saying " He quickly realized we had struck a gold mine with the six we got. Their knowledge, ability, desire and professionalism were all there." Enough said.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Sargent Shriver Would Be Proud

2011-01-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

This past week the nation mourned the loss of R. Sargent Shriver, who first answered the call in 1961 for national public service from the then President of the United States, who just happened to be his brother-in-law, by becoming the founding director the Peace Corps which will this year have nobly served the needy of this world for a half a century. Throughout his remarkable life he championed public service in many forms and was one of its most ardent solicitors for participants, particularly from the younger generation that was so energized by the famous words of President Kennedy in his inauguration speech "...ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country".

Besides his known work with the Peace Corps, Shriver also notably worked on President Johnson's 1964 War on Poverty by serving as the first director of the Office of Economic Opportunity which spawned such programs as Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), Community Action Program (CAP), Jobs Corps, Head Start and the Neighborhood Youth Corps; served as ambassador to France from 1968-1970; founded the Congressional Leadership for the Future (CLF); was actively involved in a variety of political activities; ran as George McGovern's vice president in 1972; and in the 1980s and 90s served as Chairman of the Board of Special Olympics International. What is less known about Sargent Shriver was his public service in education in the 1950s by directing the Catholic Interracial Council, which was established to desegregate the schools, as well as serving the Chicago Board of Education.

It is that last attribution that brings me to why I think he would be most proud today. Specifically, we continue to struggle nationally to improve public education systems all over America that produce a large percentage of graduates who need remedial courses in college before they can even enroll in courses for credit (55% in Arkansas in 2009) and 25% of whom cannot even pass the Army's basic entry exam. Some of the more popular programs to address these problems, as discussed in the recent documentary movie Waiting for "Superman", include among others merit pay, charter schools, longer school days and years, a variety of student assessment programs, and teacher accountability. However, there is one public service program devoted to education that is actually making a real difference now where it is needed most and that is Teach for America. Learn more about this amazing organization at http://teachforamerica.org.

As showcased just today in our Sunday edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, this marvelous program melds perfectly with Sargent Shriver's repeated calls for public service to the youth of our nation 50 years ago with a current systemic and measurable need. In our state we hired 169 of these young people this school year who commit two years of their lives to go into mainly impoverished areas sorely in need of teachers to augment their existing staffs. More times than not these young people lack any formal teaching education, for which they more than compensate with their intellect, as many come from elite universities, and enthusiasm to help others and make a difference. Teach for America is so popular that they are able to hire only 10% of those who apply (4,500 out of 46,000 applicants in 2010). More importantly, and maybe just because of their lack of traditional training, these teachers incorporate many new and innovative ideas and concepts into their teaching methods that excite the students and get overall classroom participation. Learn the full story of how "fears turned to hope" for the school superintendent and principal in one of our Arkansas cities in need thanks to a committed young lady from Ohio who works for Teach for America at http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/jan/23/program-filling-gaps-thin-teacher-ranks-20110123/?subscriber/arkansas.

One amazing fact that you will also learn from that article is that our state Department of Education contributes only $3,000 per teacher for up to 100 such teachers from this program while our old nemesis Mississippi contributes $13,000 per teacher from Teach for America! Does "Thank God for Mississippi" have any relevance in our world today? One superintendent in our Delta region, where teacher salaries are only 72% of what is paid in the larger metropolitan school districts in Arkansas, is so impressed with the results they have experienced that she has created a "retention plan" to keep these Teach for America teachers in her community. In short, this program is to be commended and rewarded with our full support both morally and financially.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Healing of the Heart and Cleansing of the Soul

2011-01-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the Arizona tragedy and on the eve of celebrating Martin Luther King Day, all of the apparent conciliation, cooperation and toning down of political rhetoric seems to be an appropriate and welcomed tack for this country to be taking. Time will tell if ill winds return and blow us off course to possibly achieving some badly needed bi-partisan results for our country.

On this positive note it also seems that now would be an excellent time to admit to the root causes of all the anger and mistrust that has built up over the past few years. In the view of many renown spiritual leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Dr. King and Rev. Billy Graham among others, the true reason for our feelings goes much deeper than the external forces with which we are all familiar (e.g. recession, economic disparity, war, unemployment, global competition, immigration policy, etc.). In short, it goes straight to the human heart which is affected by a multitude of stimuli and emotions including greed, ego, pride, hate and revenge which all tear at the fabric of our soul. Each of us in our own way knows how our conduct is influenced by these spiritual flaws and recognize that it takes an act of personal redemption to restore faith in ourselves as the first step in collectively restoring the spiritual well-being of mankind as a whole. Once that "healing of the heart" has taken place, it might be helpful to then embrace the message of that well-known Serenity Prayer which begins:
"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."
But, please go to http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/special/serenity.html to read it in its entirety.

And, finally, let me suggest that one way we could practice another important admonition in that prayer of "Enjoying one moment at a time" is by taking advantage of the wonderful world of art that is open to all of us on so many levels including painting, music, plays, movies, etc. and at so many venues. In that regard I am pleased to add to my list of studio artists, Julie McNair, whom I was privileged to meet a year ago this past September in Telluride, Colorado while attending their film festival. As a direct result of that chance encounter, Julie was invited to participate in Little Rock's annual Sculpture in the River Market event last October. Like all of the others listed, she is a truly talented artist whose work I find unique and sometimes with a whimsical flair that I find most enjoyable and uplifting. Go to her website at http://juliemcnair.com and see for yourself.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

What's It Going To Take?

2011-01-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

As has been noted in this blog before, events trump intentions, and the recent tragedy in Arizona just begs to be addressed on so many fronts that it immediately jumps to the front of the line. Once again a deranged young man with easy access to a lethal weapon, allowed to be carried with little or no restriction, snuffs out the life of six individuals including a nine year old child who shared her birthday with that ghastly date of recent infamy, September 11, 2001. So who do we blame this time? Genes? Society? Childhood environment? A wild wild west mentality? Lack of effective gun control? Immigration policy? General anger in America? Absence of security? Or hostile political rhetoric that literally "targets" members of the opposition, and references using "bullets rather than ballots" as a means to deal with those with whom they disagree?
In fact the one lone survivor who is now the focus of our national attention and concern, Representative "Gabby" Gifford, herself commented last spring during the heated health care debate about those in the opposition who literally placed her, among others, in their cross-hairs by stating such words do "have serious consequences". This same warning was amplified by former President Bill Clinton in his address before the Center for American Progress Action Fund on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing when he stated "....words we use really do matter because there's this vast echo chamber and they go across space and they fall on the serious and delirious alike; they fall on the connected and unhinged alike". How prophetic in both instances.
Who actually knows what the true cause of this latest heinous act was, but more and more those in law enforcement and elective office are starting to talk about reining in the vitriolic language now present in our public discourse. The national news media began that open conversation yesterday on all the major talking head shows and it continues on most networks even today. However, as our own legislature commences its session this month with a reported list of highly charged legislative bills which I understand will include an "open carry" bill that would allow a permitted gun owner to carry a firearm wherever he or she pleases gives me great pause. If correct, this would offer an excellent opportunity for Arkansas to do the courageous thing, set a high standard for the nation to follow and say enough is enough by stopping this onerous piece of legislation before it even gets to the floor for a vote. That would at least be a start in doing what it will take.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Renewal 2011

2011-01-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

As the new year begins, now is the traditional time for all of us to renew our minds, body and spirit with resolutions of how we will better ourselves in all three areas, many of which will be either broken or forgotten by Valentine's Day. Such is the nature of the human condition, and I do not exclude myself. However, thanks to one of my resolutions I was treated to an inspiring lesson in yesterday morning's Sunday school program which I would like to share.
The basic thesis of this first of a five-part series centered on the question "What legacy do you wish to leave the world", based on the recently published book ILL FARES THE LAND by Tony Judt. Embedded in that question and much less obvious is the notion of do others really even notice or care what we do? Years ago I heard a speech by one of Little Rock's most prominent citizens in which he approached that very question from a different angle by asking is it really in one's best interest to actually say "I really don't care what people think about me" as a response to his or her public conduct? His point was that you should care, as it is impossible to know for sure who might look upon you as a role model and be strongly influenced by your words or actions. In effect we all create a legacy whether we know it or not, so what we say and do should reflect a degree of high moral character and integrity.
Today's lesson then used a Baccalaureate Address by Bill Moyers to the students of Hamilton College on May 20, 2006, as the perfect setting in which to explore the concept of "legacy" since most such speeches focus on what one generation passes on to another. In short, it began with an apology for ".....the mess you are inheriting" including "....the war in Iraq, ....huge debts, ....the polarized country, the corporate scandals, the corrupt politics, our imperiled democracy, ....sprawl and our addiction to oil, and ....toxins in the environment". His admonition after posing that list of what was wrong with America was "Good luck in cleaning it up".
However, thankfully, his message did not end there. Instead, as you would expect Bill Moyers to do, he re-focused that Class of 2006 on the positive ways they could "....respond to the dissonance in our culture, the rivalry between beauty and bestiality in the world, and the conflicts in your own soul" by quoting Albert Camus' feeling about that conflict between beauty and humiliation in the world who noted that "....we have to strive, hard as it is, not to be unfaithful....in the presence of one or the other". Mr. Moyers concluded his message by relating his favorite story about Shalom Aleicheim and his "passing of the bread". To get the full flavor of this story, read about it as contained in his speech at http://www.hamilton.edu/documents//commencement/moyers.PDF.
Another way to convey the essence of my message on this beginning of 2011 is best expressed by the recurring verse from that wonderful hymn which was used to close our lesson "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me". Happy New Year!

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Christmas 0000

2010-12-19T04:40:00.000-08:00

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one unto his own city.
And Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, unto Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

The Gospel According to LUKE 2:1-14 (Authorized King James Version)

Very best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas 2010 and Happy New Year 2011!

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick - NOT!

2010-12-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

Having just read a fascinating bestseller account of one of the lesser known chapters in the life of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, I couldn't help but wonder if Wiki Leaks had existed in 1905 how history might have been changed. To quote its author, James Bradley, who also wrote Flags of Our Fathers, Roosevelt's conduct during this period ".....lit the fuse that would - decades later - result in a number of devastating wars: World War II, the Korean War, and the Communists revolution in China". While definitely a page-turner, it's very difficult to condense this book into a blog-readable synopsis, but I will try.

To better understand what happened, it is important to know that the United States for the most part was unquestionably racist toward people of any color back then whether red, yellow, brown or black. Notwithstanding our own Civil War, there was a very strong feeling in the 1800s and early 1900s to continue the sixteenth century English myth of Anglo-Saxon superiority by pushing westward at all cost, as evidenced by the forced relocation of the many Native Indian tribes to Oklahoma (i.e. the infamous Trail of Tears) beginning in 1838, the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, and the savage 25-year Indian Wars, the longest in American history, which were capped with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. Once the Pacific Ocean was reached, those same eyes began looking even farther west to the Philippines and Asia with similar intent, to wit the opening quote in this book from Theodore Roosevelt on October 29, 1900: "I wish to see the United States the dominant power on the shores of the Pacific Ocean". This position was made even clearer by his declaration that "Our future history will be more determined by our position on the Pacific facing China than our position on the Atlantic facing Europe". How prophetic that statement was, but obviously in a much different context than exists today.

So it was into this cauldron of racism and western expansionism that Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was born on October 27, 1858. "Teddy", unlike his later rough and tumble somewhat manufactured persona, was actually a very frail and sickly child who suffered from asthma throughout his life, was raised and educated in a confined environment, read numerous dime novels full of racial stereotypes and had little contact with the outside world. However, he was encouraged by his father to "embrace manhood and thwart overcivilization (sic) with a rigorous bodybuilding program". Later he overcompensated for this upbringing by becoming increasingly more aggressive and ruthless. At his first school, Harvard, he quickly assimilated with the very rich and counted among his favorite professors one Nathaniel Shaler who taught white supremacy based on the same English tradition of the 1500s noted above. I believe both of these life experiences were integral to shaping his philosophy of "Speak softly and carry a big stick" which, even though romanticized in most historical accounts of his life, did not serve this country well, as we shall see.

Fast forward to his first experience on the national political scene. After serving as member on the ill-fated and corrupt New York Police Board, he lobbied hard and finally won an appointment in April 1897 to the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the McKinley administration where, in his boss's absence, he again put his lobbying skills to work, only this time to start a war to grab the Philippines. In a memo to a West Point professor he put it this way: "In strict confidence...I should welcome almost any war, for I think this country needs one." Well, he got his wish times two. On May 15, 1898, the USS Maine accidentally exploded in Havana Harbor but, fueled by the May 18th edition of the Hearst New York Journal quoting Roosevelt that it was not an accident, resulted in a national drumbeat for war that President McKinley reluctantly answered by signing a declaration of war. "Teddy" volunteered for service and thus the famous Rough Riders, a name taken directly from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, were born. While sold on the theme of "benevolent intentions" ("Speak softly...."), it was anything but. The Platt Amendment was canceled, Cuba was forbidden from making treaties with any other country, we forced them to give us Guantanamo Bay and Cuba lost their independence ("....and carry a big stick"). Then came the Philippines which were tagged as "The Cuba of the Far East" in an 1898 article in the North American Review. Same song, second verse where we offered to help Emilio Aguinaldo, their freedom-fighting first president in his country's fight for independence from Spain, by assuring him that "the United States is a great and rich nation and needs no colonies" ("Speak softly...). After sailing into Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, neutralizing the Spanish Navy and letting the Filipino freedom fighters do the grunt work on land, we did exactly the opposite and began a brutal and vicious campaign to take over the Philippines ("....and carry a big stick"). There is much more to this sad chapter in our history but time and space does not permit a full accounting. At least on June 12, 1898, the Filipinos celebrated their first Independence Day, even though they would not repeat that celebration for another sixty-four years.

Then there is the disastrous diplomacy employed in our dealings with the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese which was further complicated by a secret mission commissioned by President Roosevelt in 1905 on which this book is primarily based. It commenced on July 1st and involved his daughter, Alice, Secretary of War William Taft, seven senators and twenty-three congressmen along with their wives and aides. In effect they were to tour Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, China and Korea while he continued to negotiate various agreements with the leaders of Japan, Korea and China with absolutely no congressional knowledge or authority to do so. Among many other things he befriended the Japanese who were engaged in a conflict with Russia leading them to believe that they should adopt their own version of our Monroe Doctrine for Asia, thinking they could "Americanize" that region; persuaded Korea to sign the U.S-Korea Treaty in which it was declared that there "shall be perpetual peace and friendship" between the two countries, with Korea believing that the United States would protect them from "western predators" when Roosevelt was quoted in 1900 as saying "I should like to see Japan have Korea", ostensibly, to provide a check on Russia; and destroyed a long standing and beneficial commercial relationship with China. In short, there were a series of blunders and mistakes built on ignorance, arrogance, duplicity and imperialism for which we are paying a heavy price to this very day. Since there is absolutely no way I can relate all of the intricacies of what actually transpired and convey the true depth and atmosphere of that period, I strongly suggest that those of you who have any interest in this phase of our history please read this book and decide for yourself whether "Speak softly and carry a big stick" actually worked in our best interests. You will not be disappointed.

Oh yes, its name? THE IMPERIAL CRUISE

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Potpourri IV

2010-12-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

Since we are rapidly closing in on the end of this year, now would be the perfect time to once again purge my inbox of carry-over items, and prepare to start 2011 with a new clean slate of issues. So, with your indulgence, here they are.
1. NIMBY - Once again "Not In My Back Yard" raises its ugly head and threatens to kill the latest site for a homeless shelter in Little Rock. What exactly are people afraid of, particularly in an industrial zone across from a scrap yard? Is it better to have our homeless population roam the streets of our city in a scattered fashion and set up shop in their de facto day resource center on the southwest corner of Markham and Cross Streets, or have a clean, sanitary, safe and protected place for them to go? The need is urgent and the time is now, so I trust our city fathers will not once again cave on this issue and instead will do the absolutely right thing and make that proposed 9th Street location the proud new home for our homeless population. And please don't use that tired old excuse of no money. How about re-appropriating that annual $200,000 unaccounted for gift to the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce as start?
2. Vive la France, and Hawaii, Too - Several years ago there was a flap about extensive, and in some cases questionable, travel of some Little Rock City Directors to foreign countries. One of the off-shoots of that issue as I recall was that at the very least the travelers owed the taxpayers a report of what was learned or gained to the benefit of the city as a result of those travels. Has any such reporting of recent foreign travels by city representatives been made to the public?
3. Here We Go Again - Once again it's time for the revolving door of replacing superintendents of the Little Rock School District to start spinning. At least this time it has taken 3.3 years to make another change when the average tenure of a LRSD superintendent since 1978 has been a dismal 1.7 years (yes, we've had 18 during the past 32 years, some of whom were interim, others repeats). By that measure I guess we should rate the current occupant of this office as a major success. Do the names Masem, Kelly, Jones, Williams, Carnine, James, and Brooks, to name just a few, ring a bell? With all of the challenges that this district has gone through during these past three decades, it would seem that the one thing we need more than any other is stability in leadership, including a firm commitment to this community. In that regard is it necessary to again spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to conduct a national search to find another superintendent (see above list for the track record of that method) when, in fact, there may be other excellent candidates within the State of Arkansas, if not Little Rock, who have a deep appreciation of our history, as well as the professional knowledge, to bring that needed stability to our local situation?
4. I've Got Mine, Now You Get Yours - So, let me get this straight. Our congress is now debating the merits of whether to extend unemployment benefits to those in our country who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own during the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression , but only if the top 2% of the richest members of our society get their reduced taxes extended. What's wrong with this picture? Are we so selfish in this country that we would further penalize those who have been impacted the most by this latest recession at the very time they so desperately need help, and add another $700 billion to our $14 trillion debt in the process? Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Ted Turner among others don't think so, and neither do I.
5. Good-By to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" - Simply put, it's past time to put this policy of asking many our brave military personnel to live a lie when they are risking their lives daily to defend our freedoms, one of which is to not be persecuted for sexual orientation. I would suspect that among the multitude of young men and women in uniform under 25 years of age this is a non-issue, so it seems to be influenced by demographics with some post-Vietnam generals just not able to face reality. Somehow we have got to purge ourselves of this homophobia not only in the armed forces, but in our society in general.
6. Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil - Listening to and reading about all of the reaction to the Wiki Leaks matter, I must confess some ambiguity. On the one hand, if the release of all of those documents has caused irreparable harm to our national security and diplomatic apparatus and put people's lives at risk, not unlike the Valerie Plame outing in 2003, then it is obviously a bad thing for which appropriate legal measures should be taken against the perpetrator(s). However, if it is a release of information to which the public is entitled anyway, then my reaction is somewhat tempered. Also, it calls into play the question of how the world might have been different had the public been privy to the truth at critical times in our history had we known about them at the time (e.g. our early engagements with Cuba and the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century, the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, the truth about the Iraq War, etc.). If nothing else I trust this affair will place all diplomats and others in public service on notice to be much more circumspect in their comments, lest they bear the brunt of them being publicly disclosed.
7. The Last Station - As history marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Leo Tolstoy at the Astapovo train station in the bleak cold winter of 1910, may I recommend the movie "The Last Station" about his life and that event. It's a great story with a cast of marvelous actors.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Arrogance of Power

2010-11-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

Forty-four years ago Arkansas' own Senator J. William Fulbright published The Arrogance of Power which reflected his deep concern over the growing imperial attitude of the United States fueled by our military power as it was specifically applied to the ever expanding Vietnam War. He called it the "fatal impact of the rich and strong on the poor and the weak". Since that time there have been numerous other tomes written on this subject up to and including those dealing with the similarity between the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq. More recently a different slant on the arrogance of power was written by a Dr. Robert R. Owens just this past March over his belief that "Americans face a naked power grab by those who seek to turn America into a regimented collectivist society", about which you can read more at http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/21252 . Since it is a theme that lives on with many variations, I would like to apply it to some more contemporary examples of "arrogance of power" involving public officials whether elected, appointed or hired.
On the national scene, how many times have we witnessed a fall from grace by members of our congress, as well as their lobbyist cronies, as a result of a blatant abuse of power driven by pure arrogance and, often times, money? Some have even been sent to jail for their misdeeds. Most recently, we have watched a long term veteran of the House of Representatives with a fifty year distinguished career in military and public service to this country, including chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, be convicted and censored by his own peers for his self-inflected mistakes. How sad to witness the picture of a dejected and beaten man, a victim of his own form of arrogance. Ironically, it was our own Wilbur Mills who, as chairman of that same committee, suffered a similar fate many years ago.
Then, we have state-wide examples of that same arrogance in state employees who game the retirement system by entering into brief periods of retirement to, essentially, double dip into the state treasury; state lottery officials who award themselves comp time, pay unsubstantiated and excessive travel expenses, fail to file proper financial reports, enter into unauthorized contracts and hire people without proper background checks (per an article by John Lyon of the Arkansas News Bureau at http://arkansasnews.com/2010/11/21/problem-filled-audit-report-may-lead-to-closer-scrutiny-of-lottery/ ); and then there is the mother of all examples of arrogance of power the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission which wants to write its own set of laws. Thankfully, in every one of these cases it has been that ever present and pesky press which has exposed these practices and, thereby, brought about some correction and needed reform to them.
And, finally, there is the local situation surrounding our Little Rock National Airport's recent experience with inappropriate spending of public funds by its Executive Director. This is an example of what could be best described as "Cookie Jar Arrogance" where responsible parties treat their access to the public treasury as if it were their own private account and spend it accordingly. In this case, thanks to one particularly vigilant Airport Commissioner and, once again, the press, this misdeed was exposed, appropriate contrition expressed by the offender and full restitution made by the recipient of these errant funds.
But the obvious danger in all of this type of misbehavior is that it completely destroys public trust in our political institutions, the people running them and those in oversight positions whose job it is to play watchdog over their activities. Along with that mistrust is the nagging feeling of what other indiscretions these people might be engaged in that we know nothing about. Or, just as disgraceful, will they resume practicing that same exposed "arrogance of power" once the dust settles? The key is to make sure that people of the highest character, ethics and judgment are placed in those positions to begin with and that they are made abundantly aware of what is and is not acceptable conduct.

On a more positive note, as we go into the holiday season, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

Meet the New Alexander Pushkin

2010-11-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

As the old saying goes, "Life is full of surprises", and I was richly treated to an extraordinary one this past weekend while visiting my son and his family in California and being his guest at a most unusual and unique event (thus the reason for no new post on Sunday). The occasion was the unveiling of an amazing creation by one of the many brilliant Silicon Valley innovators who, out of respect for his desire to remain nameless shall be referred to as Mr. X, collaborated with Francois Junod, considered one of the world's foremost builders of automates. As defined by Ron Decourte in February 2005, "an automate is a combination of art, sculpture and mechanics used to create articulated, moving models resembling life and fantasy in all its forms". To learn more about Monsieur Junod and his dazzling art form, please go to http://www.francoisjunod.com/index.php?id=539.

Briefly, as I understood from the presentation, Mr. X's idea was to utilize the well-known, old world watch-making skills of the Swiss to construct a mechanical replica of a known poet from history which would be able to compose and illustrate randomly generated short poems. In addition this particular creation would be able to actually hand write multiple variations of these poems in the exact font of the original person, while previous automatons of this type have always been limited to writing just one repetitive sentence over and over in some standard font. To accomplish this feat this automaton would rely totally on a series of intricate gears that would be energized solely by winding mechanisms much like antique wall clocks which would be able, in the exact words of the invitation, "....to implement through purely mechanical means a grammar, a random number generator, a motion memory bank, and a memory address offset calculator". As such, no electrical sources, batteries or microchips of any kind would be used. While seemingly simple in concept, I cannot begin to relay the enormity of the many difficult challenges that were encountered in this project, not the least of which was a communication problem in the beginning between Mr. X and Monsieur Junod. In fact this obstacle was eventually solved by Mr. X writing a complex computer program to generate a rotating three dimensional model of exactly what he wanted. Then there were the added difficulties with physics, mass, size, weight, friction, etc., as well as just the practical aspects of hand crafting every one of the almost 3,500 mainly movable parts. And, finally, the exact physical features and period dress of the chosen poet had to be duplicated. Remarkably, all of this highly technical and complex development was driven strictly out of intellectual curiosity, as no commercial purpose is intended.

The end result of all this effort was the birth of the new Alexander Pushkin who you will meet in a moment. As a point of reference, the original Alexander Pushkin, born in Moscow in 1799, was Russia's premier poet and the first to use everyday speech in his poems. Also, he was one of the founders of modern Russian literature, and died in 1837 (learn more at http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/puskin.htm). The new Mr. Pushkin, conceived in a factory in Switzerland in 2003 but actually born only just this year, is approximately 45% of his namesake's size, has no heart, no brain, no sight, no hearing or other bodily functions whatsoever but can create poetry just the same. I was privileged to watch him do it firsthand, but now thanks to the wonderful world of technology you can also enjoy his marvelous creativity, as well as observe his internal mechanizations, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivIHcHwR6b0. You will be richly rewarded, too, so enjoy!

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com

NOTE: Regular weekly postings will resume on Sunday, November 21st, with the exception of December 26th following Christmas Day.

POLITICAL SMACK-DOWN

2010-10-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, in approximately 48 hours this crazy and wacky mid-term election cycle will come to an end and not any too soon. It has been a true sight to behold as various campaigns devolve into the political equivalent of a WWE SmackDown or, even worse, extreme cage fighting, to wit:
1. Political operative stomps on the head of a subdued female protester in Kentucky.
2. Private, para-military "security guards" arrest and handcuff a reporter in Alaska.
3. A candidate in New York threatens another reporter to "take you out".
4. A candidate in Nevada recommends a "second amendment solution" to the current political situation.
5. Unauthorized uniformed thugs with batons man a polling precinct in Philadelphia.
6. A candidate in Ohio participates in Nazi war re-enactments, and is endorsed by the potential new Speaker of the House.
7. A candidate in Rhode Island tells the President of the United States to "take his endorsement and shove it".
8. A candidate in Delaware who proudly dabbled in witchcraft in her youthful years, and seems to know very little about the very Constitution she constantly wants to invoke.
And then there is the avalanche of campaign money that is expected to top $3 billion, $250 million of which has been provided by just three candidates to their own respective campaigns, as if personal wealth is all that is required to run for office. By the 2012 cycle it is estimated that the total may exceed $10 billion!

When you have the volatile mixture of anger and endless money, I guess this is what you get. But the truly sad thing is that while candidates beat up on each other in what Tom Friedman terms a "dysfunctional political system", the rest of the industrialized world proceeds to pass us by in education and technological development, as summarized in his column in the New York Times on October 27th. Specifically, he references last month's updated version of a 2005 report from the National Academies that recommended 10 actions our federal government could take to "enhance science and technology so America could successfully compete in the 21st century". Entitled "Rising Above the Gathering Storm Revisited: Rapidly approaching Category 5", this latest report concludes that despite all of the efforts of government and the private sector, America's ability to compete has "further deteriorated over the past five years" ( go to http://www.ucar.edu/oga/pdf/Revisited%20Hearing.pdf and learn more). Here are just some of the rankings to ponder:
1. 6th in global innovation-based competitiveness, but 40th in the rate of change over the past 40 years.
2. 11th in the fraction of 25-34-year-olds who have graduated from high school.
3. 16th in college completion rates.
4. 22nd in broadband Internet access.
5. 27th in the proportion of college graduates with degrees in science or engineering.
6. 48th in the quality of K-12 education in math and science.

Finally, we learn that China has built the world's fastest computer which has enormous implications for our defense, energy, finance, science and mainstream businesses (i.e. our total economy). This is just the latest achievement in China's quest to become a technological superpower, so it comes as no real surprise. When are we going to wake up to the fact that while our politicians engage in all of this outrageous and unacceptable conduct we are slipping from being number one in practically all of these categories? It's almost as if we are watching a combination of the TV reality program SURVIVOR, the movie JACKASS and a national Halloween Party. But the truly scary thing is that next Tuesday's election results will just be a pit stop on the way to 2012!

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Potpourri III

2010-10-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Once again the in-box is brimming full and needs to be emptied to make room for more directed posts in the future. Included under old business will be the first two which were triggered by last week's FEEDBACK post on health care and taxes.
American Health Care: Thanks to one of my good doctor friends with whom I have an on-going exchange on a variety of subjects, he has provided me with the following statistics compiled by the United Nations International Health Organization which makes one once again ponder the question of whether our health care system is "the finest in the world".
1. Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis: U.S. - 65%,       England - 46% and Canada - 42%.
2. Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months: U.S. - 93%, England - 15% and Canada 43%.
3. Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months: U.S. - 90%, England - 15% and Canada 43%.
4. Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month: U.S. - 77%, England - 40% and Canada - 43%.
5. Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people: U.S. 71%, England - 14% and Canada - 18%.
6. Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health": U.S. - 12%, England - 2% and Canada - 6%.
When compared with only two other countries on these six criteria, we obviously rate very high, but what about the rest of the world and the many other factors which need to be considered in making this evaluation?
Taxes and Wealth: I am not sure how many went to the link provided by another good friend who posted his comment, but it has a wealth (no pun intended) of information that I found very interesting, but too lengthy to summarize here. Instead, go read the full report "Who Rules America" at http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html.
Elitism: With all of the anger against what some activists on the right call the "elite" of our society only because of their broad intellect and excellent educations at some of our finest universities, I wonder if they have any problem with a small group of conservatives who come from that wealthiest segment of our society, capsulated in the above referenced report, who supposedly will be meeting in California to decide on the destiny of our country as seen through their gilded prism. How elite is that?
Process: One of the interesting facts about watching Sunday morning news shows is that if you wait long enough someone on one network will eventually say something with which you agree that totally contradicts an earlier comment by someone else on another network with which you disagree. Call it balance. Today's subject was "process" in the context of government operations. One talking head on ABC surmised that "No one cares about process", while another talking head on NBC had a "firm belief in process". With almost fifteen years in public service I can say with a high degree of certitude that "process" does matter. Often times it is the only thing that matters, because if the electorate are part of a well established, open and transparent process to determine public policy, they will more often than not buy into the final decision whether it succeeds or fails. I learned the hard way that those public entities which choose to conduct their affairs in secret among a select few will bear the price of such arrogance. The recent revelations about the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are a case in point.
What Are You?: Thanks again to my good doctor friend mentioned above, I received a link to a really interesting and fun link at http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz where you can take a quick test termed the World's Smallest Political Quiz that helps you determine your political identity if you do not already know it. You might be truly surprised. I was.
Will, I Hardly Knew Ye: Last week while in New York I had the unexpected pleasure of being invited to a screening of a documentary film on Will Barnet, a famous American painter who in 1992 gave 75 pieces of work to the Arkansas Arts Center. The invitation came from my old friend, Tinka, with whom I reconnected in August (re: my post RECONNECTIONS of 08-29-2010), and who was central to its production. While there, I had the added pleasure of meeting Will, who is up in years but still very active, and his lovely and gracious wife, Elena. As a result I have added the following link to his marvelous work at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501 to the list of featured artists below. Please go there and enjoy!

Growing national debt still at http://usdebtclock.org.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Feedback

2010-10-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

Since one never knows exactly what the general reaction to these weekly posts is, as they may go unread, be quickly discarded or sent to Spam, reply e-mails and published comments are always welcomed and appreciated. However, when readers go to the trouble to mail printed documentation to either support or refute a point made in my postings, it signals that I have hit a nerve. Such was the case recently when issue was taken with my thoughts on heath care ("American Health Care - Laudatory But Extravagant" on 09/06/10) and taxes ("Ironies of Ironies" on 09/26/10).
In the first instance, my dear friend Judy was quick to challenge my statement that our health care system "was the finest in the world". To support her thesis that it is not, she sent me a copy of an article by T.R. Reid from the August 23, 2009, edition of The Washington Post entitled "5 Myths About Health Care Around the World" which are summarized below based on the author's worldly travels, with #5 presenting the most salient argument against the above characterization.
1. It's all socialized medicine out there. Not so.
2. Overseas, care is rationed through limited choices or long lines. Generally no.
3. Foreign health-care systems are inefficient, bloated bureaucracies. Much less so than here.
4. Cost controls stifle innovation. False.
5 Health care has to be cruel. Not really. Here the author concludes that due to the patch-work for profit nature of our health care system in the U.S. compared to others around the world, which are designed "only to pay people's medical bills", we have ended up with a system that "punctures the most persistent myth of all that America has the finest health care in the world". The rationale is that "almost all advanced countries have better national health care statistics than the United States where "700,000 Americans are forced into bankruptcy each year because of medical bills". My definition was more centered on physical facilities, doctors and technology with no consideration as to the cost burden, but you be the judge.

Now to taxes, a more complex and arcane subject to debate. Another old and dear friend, Charlie, sent me a packet of graphs, statistics and newspaper articles that I am still digesting, but I think his main rebuttal is that based on the latest IRS tax data of 2007, which predates the latest economic downtown, the top one percent of taxpayers paid over 40% of the federal income taxes collected, the highest among all groups, even though it was at an average effective tax rate of only 22.45% (see comment on effective versus applied tax rates below). Further, this data also points out that the top 50% of all taxpayers paid over 97% of all taxes collected, with the bottom half paying only 3% of the total taxes at an effective tax rate rate of the same 3%. So what? Isn't that the purpose of a progressive income tax schedule - i.e. for higher income earners to pay a higher rate of tax? That is exactly Warren Buffett's argument which was referenced in the Irony of Ironies blog of September 26th. Also, the above data just confirm another point made in that same blog that the effective tax rate paid by the wealthy is much lower than the applied tax rate because of tax credits and deductions allowable under the tax code. However, if you go to their website at http://taxfoundation.org you will see that based on the most current data of 2008 that previous 40% of total tax paid by the top 1% dropped to 38%.
Another point made by my friend came from an article by Walter Williams in the October 5th issue from I assume the Wall Street Journal, his favorite publication, that makes the case that all corporate tax increases and policies which restrict capital formation ultimately hit the middle class in the form of either increased prices, reduced dividends or layoffs. Consequently, Mr. Williams' opinion is that capital gains taxes, low depreciation and corporate taxes do not "serve the interests of workers, investors and consumers", and, therefore, we might be "much richer" without them. He may be right if getting rich is the main purpose in life, but what's not mentioned in that article are the other alternatives corporations have to the three options he mentions including reducing extraordinarily high executive compensation which is now a reportedly 300 times that of the average worker, curbing extravagant and unnecessary business expenditures and investing some of the trillions of dollars they have now accumulated in R&D and new technologies to enhance productivity.
All of this is to say that health care and taxes are tough issues to get one's head around, and there are many differing opinions as to the best approach for structuring both.

Growing national debt still at http://usdebtclock.org.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Reeling in the Big Ones

2010-10-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

On November 2nd the voters of Arkansas will once again be asked to address the issue of providing government incentives to attract businesses to our state under the auspices of creating jobs by modifying the existing language of Amendment 82 passed in 2004. The tag line in this morning's ADMZ labeled it "Toss business-lure rules, voters urged". Specifically, under proposed Issue 3, the current requirement that target companies spend at least $500 million in capital expenditures and create at least 500 new jobs would be eliminated, thus allowing greater flexibility in appealing to a wider range of businesses, as few companies can meet the above criteria. The exact language can be found at http://votenaturally.org/2010_elections/hjr1007.html.

While such corporate subsidies have been used successfully in Arkansas, as well as surrounding states, I have always been struck by the irony of how readily corporations are to accept these gifts, more commonly termed "incentives", from the taxpayers while at the same time the business world in general seems to always decry taxes of any kind. In addition some of these arrangements appear to be disproportionate to the size of the investment. For example, it was recently announced that the City of Fort Smith is getting ready to pony up $80 million in incentives including bonds and infrastructure improvements, to attract a $100 million wind turbine plant. Gosh, what business wouldn't love to have that same level of help. And then there is the validity of the impact studies themselves that are made to justify these commitments which, we assume, are based on realistic and supportable data. Since there is virtually no public transparency about these deals, even though public funds are used to finance them, it's impossible to know. (This same argument was made for government contributions to local Chambers of Commerce in great detail in an April 4th article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, but that's a possible issue for another day). The absence of transparency is, in fact, exactly why the Arkansas Public Policy Panel refuses to take a position on Issue 3. And, finally, what follow-up is made after these funds are expended to verify those impact studies, and what happens if the level of job creation on which they were based does not materialize? Or what happens if there are general employment layoffs after the fact as has occurred during this economic downturn? Does the state get its money back? Also, there are the contemporaneous "incentives" from cities and counties which historically are offered, too, which need the same level of scrutiny and safeguards, not to mention the $1.6 trillion in cash corporations are now sitting on which raises the question of why they even need financial help in the first place.

No one, including me, will argue with the need for governments at all level (i.e. city, county and state) to create a business friendly environment to attract companies and create jobs. My only point is that the taxpayers within those government locals need to be assured that the highest level of economic justification is made before doling out those dollars, as well as a continued assessment of that investment to ensure that all job creation benefits actually accrue to the city, county and/or state as proposed. If not, then there should be a mechanism to recoup that taxpayer investment, in my view. That said, I am confident that Issue 3 will no doubt pass, as the need to keep up with the competition and pressure to address employment issues are simply too great.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW!

2010-10-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

"WOW!" That was the expression used by Lesley Stahl in her interview with the departed commander in Iraq, Gen. Raymond Odierno, on 60 MINUTES yesterday when he told her that "it is yet to be determined" whether Iran will become the biggest beneficiary of the Iraq war. This was after it was reported in the New York Times that the newest attempt to form a coalition government in Iraq now includes the supporters of Moktada al-Sadar against whom American and Iraqi troops fought so violently in 2007, and who the current administration feels would have strong ties with Iran, thus increasing their influence in Iraq. So, after seven years, 4,500+ lives lost, no telling how many hundreds of billions of dollars spent and a Middle East now more fragile than ever, we learn that the very country we would least want to rise in influence in that region is now on the verge of doing that very thing. I agree - WOW!

As that conflict supposedly winds down with the largest movement of troops and material since WWII, we find just the reverse in the war de jour - Afghanistan, geographically separated from Iraq by only one country. Guess who? Iran. Just this past weekend I was privileged to hear an officer in our armed forces, who had just returned from Afghanistan, describe first hand what's going on there. Obviously, we all know about the surge which brings with it another significant movement of troops and material, but under much more difficult circumstances than moving out of Iraq including weather, lack of infrastructure in many places, multi-tribalism, corruption and the absence of a strong central government. What was news to me, however, is the apparent fragmentation and friction among our individual "coalition" forces (e.g. Britain, Germany, Italy, etc.), as well as with NATO itself. Much like Berlin after WWII, the country has been divvied up between coalition forces where each force is responsible for its own sector to the extent that there are sometimes even communication problems between these forces, caused not by language barriers but, rather, hardware incompatibility. While hopeful, this young man did not seem very encouraged by his experience. So, at a time we are winding down in one theater where the measure of success is very much in doubt, we're cranking it up in another where there may be even less chance to achieve a meaningful purpose, particularly if we continue to alienate Pakistan. This was another WOW moment for me.

And then there was the report in yesterday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette by David Zucchino of the Los Angeles Times that the U.S. military is now going "back to basics" and concentrate on fighting big wars. To quote that article: "Drained of grueling efforts to win over civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is refocusing on fighting and killing the enemy, not nation-building". In the words of Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, "The United States is unlikely to repeat a mission on the scale of those in Iraq or Afghanistan anytime soon. Instead, U.S. forces will probably be called on to help other countries' armies defend themselves, particularly against terrorist attacks, but also against conventional armies". To further quote Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense, "We aren't going to be doing counterinsurgency again.... We're not good at it". WOW again! What a great time to figure that out, just as we today absorb the latest travel alert for Americans going anywhere in Europe as a direct result of another more general terrorist threat.

And, finally, while we have been bogged down with these two conflicts for almost a decade, excluding Iraq 1, we now learn that China has cornered the market on rare-earth oxides that are essential in building the very arms necessary for our defense weapons to fight these wars, as well as building electric vehicles and wind turbines, both elements of our transition to a green economy. And this latest revelation is on top of them buying up all of the conventional minerals they can world-wide, purchasing billions of dollars of our debt, manufacturing a slew of our imported products which are apparently subsidized with currency manipulation and more recently slapping a tariff on our poultry exported to China. WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! We need to get "back to basics" all right, but in more ways than one, in my view.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Irony of Ironies

2010-09-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Having listened to all of the recent rhetoric about extending tax cuts for the wealthy, downsizing government, repealing the recently passed health care legislation and restoring our "lost freedoms", it occurs to me that all of those proposing these actions might want to assess their positions more carefully.

With our national debt increasing by the day to astronomical levels (see for yourself at http://usdebtclock.org ), how could any fiscally responsible person call for further increasing that debt by granting continuing tax breaks to the wealthiest 1% of our society who on the average actually pay only half of the maximum tax rate of 35%? Their good fortune in a reduced tax bill is due to the nature of our voluminous and complex tax code which contains a whole slew of perfectly legal tax breaks for those who are enterprising enough to take advantage of them. In addition in 2007 this same group shared almost 25% of our total national income for only the second time in our history. The first was 1928 and we all know what followed. While some members of this affluent group like Ben Stein complain about paying any increase in taxes as he did on the CBS Morning Show last Sunday, Warren Buffett summed it up best when he allowed that something is drastically wrong when his secretary pays proportionately more income tax than he. Also, wasn't it Oliver Wendell Holmes who declared that "taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society"? So, if these anti-tax folks get their way, what happens to our infrastructure, defense, education, transportation apparatus, legal system, emergency response capability, parks, homeland security and social services if there is a $700 billion decrease in tax revenue over the next decade as projected due to extending tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of our population?

Presumably, any reduction in the taxes collected would most likely lead to that very downsizing in government most of these same people want, but at the very time when we need it most. In the 80's it was called "starving the beast", but only five years ago the nation was clamoring to know where that "beast" was when the gulf coast was ravaged by hurricane Katrina, and only five months ago when that same coast was dealt another blow with the BP oil spill. And let's not forget how last year the "beast" virtually saved the financial structure and integrity of this nation on which so much of our economy relies, not to mention the plethora of local, county and state grants, concessions and gifts which are given each year to corporations to encourage them to build or expand plants supposedly to create jobs. Where would that pool of money come from if tax revenue is reduced?

Then, we have the clarion call by many to repeal the new health care law right at the very time its benefits are starting to kick in, some just this past week. Who can argue with lifetime caps being banned, not being kicked off of coverage if you get sick, allowing children under 19 with pre-existing conditions to be covered, being able to get emergency coverage outside of one's network, permitting children under 26 years of age to remain on parents' insurance, providing tax credits to small businesses to offset their health insurance costs and providing consumers much more information on health care options at http://HealthCare.org? As stories of those whose lives have been and will be materially improved by this new law are publicized, I suspect any attempt to do away with it will quickly vanish.

And, finally, there are the most bizarre demands of all that call for "taking back our government" and "restoring our freedoms". What does "taking back our government" mean? Does it mean demolishing the institutions of government including congress and all federal agencies which now serve over 300 million people? Or does it mean a complete overhaul of all processes under which these institutions are created and now function? And pray tell what "lost freedoms" are they talking about? Is it the very freedom of speech they now enjoy in espousing their agenda? Is it the right to bear arms which seem to expand every year with additional venues in which people can now carry concealed weapons including of all places churches and national parks? Is it the right to practice one's religion free from interference and being demonized in a country that has one of the most diverse religious populations on earth? It just seems terribly ironic to me that some members of our society who would benefit the most from a strong tolerant government and its well financed and functioning programs are the very ones complaining the loudest about them.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Potpourri II

2010-09-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

For a second time I find my "out basket" overflowing with items to the extent that just presenting random topics in shotgun fashion for comment is the most expedient way to purge that list, thus enabling more directed and focused commentary in future blogs. With rapid fire, multi-faceted news cycles being the order of the day, I suspect this will not be the last of my POTPOURRI postings, but here goes.

1. UPDATE OF HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCE: One of my readers called me to task for labeling our health care system as "the finest in the world" two weeks ago while relating my personal experience with a cut finger which required four stitches and over four hours to fix. Among other things she cited was the high incidence of staph infection that occurs in our hospitals, as well as the general level of care patients receive while admitted. While I have no statistics on either and additional information would be appreciated, I was mainly referring to the number and quality of the medical facilities themselves.

2. KUDOS TO LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH: Once again Little Rock Central High School led the state in the number of National Merit Semifinalists with 15 out of a total of 142. Congratulations to those students, their teachers, the staff at Central and the Little Rock School District for this stellar achievement.

3. ELECTRIFICATION OF CITY AND STATE: With the advent of electric vehicles the challenge for cities and states across the nation will be to provide a sufficient number of electrical power grids to the many stations that will be required to recharge these vehicles, as revealed in a recent article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Nationwide we are operating at 50% of generating capacity, and one power plant in the southern part of our state is operating at only 24% capacity (re: ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA dated March 28,2010). Consequently, Arkansas, as well as the City of Little Rock, may well be in a good spot to capitalize on this potential demand.

4. "MEANEST CITY IN AMERICA" TAG AGAIN?: Several years ago Little Rock was labeled as the "Meanest City in America" as a result of its push to shut down all of the homeless camps that existed. Thankfully, after a hue and cry from many homeless service providers in the city, that push was quickly abandoned. But now there seems to be a move afoot to pass a series of controlling ordinances that are directed specifically at the homeless including where they go, whom they encounter, what they drink and how they are fed. The real solution has been, is and always will be providing the much talked about resource center which again is the subject of an article in our local newspaper today. We will soon celebrate the tenth anniversary of the much touted 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness without achieving its main recommendation - that resource center. How much longer is it going to take?

5. WHY CAN'T WE LEARN FROM HISTORY?: As the votes continue to be counted in the recent election in Afghanistan, we learn of increased violence, voting irregularities and prevailing corruption with little assurance that things will markedly improve between now and next year when a proposed draw down may begin. With its many tribes, conflicts, warlords and increased Taliban presence and influence, is it realistic to think that Afghanistan can be converted into a centralized modern democracy from our mold even with the might of our military? I have listened to the many explanations of why our policy there is justified, but I remain unconvinced given the horrendous cost in terms of lives and treasury.

6. MADE IN AMERICA POST SCRIPT: It was with some feeling of validation that I read in the September 10th issue of the New York Times Digest provided daily by a friend (thanks Tom) that President Obama was quoted as saying "We've got to go back to making things" (re: Blogs of 08/01 and 08/20). To that end he has appointed a Harvard MBA, Mr. Ron Bloom, as a special adviser to help address the problem by creating tax credits and subsidies (the subject of a future blog unto itself) to kick-start the private sector to manufacture a wide variety of new clean energy products like wind turbines, solar panels and electric car batteries (see item #3 above). The main obstacle will be to overcome China's alleged practice of illegally subsidizing those very same products to gain an unfair competitive advantage.

7. SUPPLYING SKILLED WORKERS TO MEET DEMAND: In that very same issue of the NYT Digest mentioned above was a column by David Brooks that focused on how we have become what he terms "The Genteel Nation". While 65% of Americans think we are a nation in decline, his take is that it is a structural problem due in large measure to a seismic (my term, not his) shift in our work force leaving industry in favor of the service, professional and financial sectors to find the holy grail. The effect is a large gap in the need for skilled machinists in manufacturing relative to the supply that has exacerbated the unemployment situation. Otherwise, the rate would be 6.5%, not 9.5%, a fact substantiated just this morning by former President Clinton on Meet the Press. This is just another piece of that Made in America puzzle that must be found.

8. WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT? As I listen to all of this rhetoric and posturing about "taking back our country", "getting government off our backs", "eliminating taxes" and "reclaiming our freedoms", I would just like to know what they are talking about. We live in the most free, affluent, idolized and sought after country on earth, so just exactly how would these angry people change things if they had "our country" back; how would they pay for the many conveniences, necessities and services we all need and enjoy; and just what freedoms have they lost? If we do not represent all of the good that defines us a democratic nation (what Michael Shermer of the Los Angeles Times described back in May as "the best of times"), then why are we trying to impose our model of democracy on other countries at great cost (see item #5 above)? And for one pundit in particular to say we as a people did not vote for the massive programs enacted this year (e.g. bail out, GM take over, health care reform, etc.) as he did on one of this morning's TV programs is somewhat disingenuous. We didn't vote for two wars either.

Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Another "Day of Infamy"

2010-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Having just passed the ninth anniversary of the tragedy that befell our nation on 09/11/01, it just seems appropriate to dedicate this blog to that event and with minimum comment, as I am sure we all have vivid memories of that modern "day of infamy", where we were at the exact time it occurred and how it has impacted our lives. The full page color pictorial of the twin towers on yesterday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial page was a most vivid reminder of that day, but other moments are captured at http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/gallery/. I just hope we all as Americans can focus on rebuilding the world-wide sympathy and national unity that existed immediately following 09/11 while always remembering the fallen heroes of that fateful day.

In that regard it is encouraging to know that there are citizens out there who are still trying to memorialize that heroism. In particular I received an e-mail from an old friend just yesterday who lives in Dallas informing me that his son is Campaign Manager of the effort to raise funds for a memorial to those on Flight 93 who courageously took matters in their own hands, and thereby prevented an apparent second attack on Washington D.C. To that end a website has been established for those who might like to contribute at http://honorflight93.org.

Peace to all!

Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

American Health Care - Laudatory But Extravagant

2010-09-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

As a result of a mindless accident on my part last Saturday while working in the yard, I found it necessary to go to the emergency room of one of our city's magnificent health care institutions to get a cut finger attended to. The idea was that I would go, check in, get it stitched up and be back to my chores in fifteen, maybe thirty minutes at most, to continue enjoying being outside on one of the most glorious days of the year. As you will see that turned out to be wishful thinking on my part.

After being greeted by a lovely and accommodating lady at the receptionist's desk to whom I give the requisite insurance information, I am wrist banded and informed that there was only one person ahead of me. Great, I thought, just as planned, so I take my place in the waiting room, begin watching Georgia beat up on some lesser team and patiently wait to be called. Ten minutes pass that then turn into twenty when I hear my name called by a man dressed in scrub bottoms and a T-shirt. OK, things are on schedule, as he's no doubt the doctor who is going to take me back to his fix-up room, do his thing and I'll be gone in the anticipated maximum thirty minutes. Wrong! His function was to just take my vitals (temperature, blood pressure, heart beat), confirm the information previously provided by the lovely lady, wrap my cut finger, which by then had stopped bleeding, with an entire roll of gauze that looked like a chicken drumstick when he had finished and then usher me back out to the receptionist area. Time continues to tick away, Georgia's lead increases by leaps and bounds and the once virtually empty waiting room is now beginning to fill up.

Thirty minutes becomes an hour which then becomes two hours when I am finally called back behind two closed doors by nurse #1 who escorts me past several rooms filled with patients to a room that is empty. It is complete with bed, television, sink, cabinets and all of those medical gizmos on the wall behind the headboard you see in conventional hospital rooms. She tells me to lie on the bed and wait for one of the doctors on call. Minutes later the door opens and another kind lady from administration comes in to re-confirm my basic information including insurance coverage, and gets me to sign the ever present forms granting the facility the right to treat me, as well as my commitment to pay for any service not covered by Medicare and my supplemental insurance. She leaves and I then start watching the Texas-Rice game, as Georgia had already devoured its opponent. Later nurse #2 comes in to see what my problem is, removes my drumstick bandage, looks at my finger and agrees with me that all that needs to be done is stitch up my finger up, give me a tetanus shot and get me out of there. It is then that I first learn that there is way more than "one person ahead of me", but given the routine and minor procedure required she offers to try and get one of the doctors to handle my case with dispatch.

Over three and a half hours have now passed when the young doctor comes in, agrees with nurse #2 and my assessment of the situation and says he will be right back. Texas and Rice are tied 3 - 3 in the second quarter. When he does return several minutes later, Texas leads Rice 17 - 3. How quickly things change. It's now over four hours by the time he finishes repairing my finger with not quite enough deadening from my perspective, but by then I just want it all to be over. We exchange pleasantries, he leaves and then nurse #3 comes in, finishes the bandaging process, and gives me a handful of band aids, packets of gauze and tape. Then, surprisingly, he offers me the set of instruments just used to perform the stitching procedure, as their policy requires that they otherwise throw everything away when finished. So, four and a half hours after this experience began I am back home with a beautiful afternoon totally ruined, albeit due to my own carelessness.

What's the point of this tale? Well, first, I will tell you what it is not. It is not to ridicule our medical system in the U.S., as no one will argue with the fact that it is the finest in the world. Rather, it is simply to give one small example of how our medical system is seemingly out of whack when it comes to administering medical services commensurate with the actual need. What should have been a very minor procedure that any walk-in medical clinic could have performed in fifteen or twenty minutes turned into something that resembled performing major surgery. Is there no way to balance the two by initially assessing the injury, determine if it is major or minor and treat accordingly? No telling what this half-day ordeal cost, but I've got my suspicions that it isn't going to be cheap, and that's the rub facing any overhaul of our health care system. In that regard one of the real encouraging aspects of this experience was to learn that the nice young doctor who treated me Saturday was, in fact, a primary care specialist, a very rare breed in today's medical world where exotic high-earning specialties seem to be the order of the day. Primary care in my view is going to be one of the essential components of a comprehensive health care system from everything I read and hear on the subject.

Another reason to relate this story on this Labor Day 2010 is to acknowledge and thank the wonderful health care team who treated me, and ask you to please think of the many workers across this land like them with whom we all come in contact every day who tend to our every needs and wants to make our life so much more convenient and pleasant. Please let them all know how much you appreciate what they do for you, and have a safe and happy Labor Day holiday.

Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

RECONNECTIONS

2010-08-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

Last October I had the pleasure of attending the 50th reunion of my high school class, a landmark event that comes all too quickly in life. Even though I had some reservations about going because I had missed the two previous reunions, it turned out to be a wonderful experience visiting with old friends and acquaintances, and recalling fun times. For those who have yet to pass through that landmark threshold of life, I strongly recommend that you make the effort to attend yours when the time comes around, as such opportunities to reconnect with friends from your past will become fewer and farther between.

But that was then and this is about now, and my most recent reconnection of last week traveling to Maine to, among other things, visit with a dear high school chum who was a year older than I but very much a part of a segment of my life much like that depicted in the movie American Graffiti. There were mixed groups of all ages, drive-in gatherings, high school romances, sock hops, dances, parties at friends homes, hot rods, gags, jokes, social organizations, school groups and plays, and just generally having fun, but at the center of all of this was a nucleus of friends who had grown up together and enjoyed a shared appreciation of humor. "Tinka", an affectionate nickname only I seem to still use, was definitely a part of that nucleus. Only twice before have I traveled to distant places to renew old friendships, both of which were very successful, so my expectations ran high for this trip, particularly since I had initiated an e-mail exchange with her last year out of the clear blue not knowing what her response might be. Tinka's reply was not only quick, but heart-warming in the sense that it was as if time had stood still since 1958, the last time I saw her before she went east to college. The more my wife and I made plans for the trip, the more comfortable we became, and we were not disappointed.

From the moment we were greeted on the front porch of Tinka and her charming and gracious husband, Keith's lovely home near the Rockport-Camden-Rockland area of Maine, we felt right at home. Naturally, there was the expected conversation bringing each other up to date on our respective families including children and grandchildren. As parents, we all agreed that we were truly blessed to see our children happily married with children of their own living their lives away from us. We then were treated to a personal tour of the barn/office/studio constructed on their property as a carbon neutral structure generating more energy than it consumes about which I first wrote on April 25th dealing with a green environment. You can learn more about it at http://brightbuiltbarn.com.   (As an aside some of this technology is the same as was used by Brad Pitt's MAKE IT RIGHT FOUNDATION to rebuild a neighborhood in the ninth ward of New Orleans which was featured on Meet The Press just this morning). That evening we enjoyed a one of a kind dinner at Saltwater Farm, an organic eating enterprise and cooking school that is the pride and joy of a young lady who I quickly dubbed the Alice Waters of Maine in her approach to cooking only freshly grown products in a wholesome way. Go to and learn more about this great place at http://saltwaterfarm.com . But then the real surprise came during the evening when I was introduced to a couple in attendance, the wife of which just happened to be another high school classmate two years younger than I whom I also had not seen in over fifty years. Needless to say, it was an evening to remember.

After touring around the area and taking in all of the history, sights, museums and art the next day, we enjoyed another great evening with Tinka and Keith continuing where we left off the night before discussing variety of subjects of mutual interest including food, wine, education, the economy, some politics, art and the body of work by three generations of Wyeths - N.C., Andrew and James, which is featured at the wonderful Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. For the record Tinka is a very accomplished artist in her own right whose website I plan to add to my list below when it is ready. Just chatting with her re-energized me to resume my pitiful attempt at oil painting which I put on hold two years ago. Then all too soon the evening came to a close, as Keith had an early flight the next morning. So, we ended the experience exactly the same way we began it the evening before with a great big hug plus a promise to stay in touch and not let too much time pass before we get together again. And, of course, I have since thought of a gillion unasked questions which I knew I would, so we'll just have to keep our fingers tapping on the computer keyboards until that occasion presents itself. But the point of sharing this experience is to promote reconnecting with old friends, as you will be pleasantly surprised and richly rewarded for the effort in my view.

FOOTNOTE: In traveling from Boston to Brunswick via I-95/I-295 we paid $12.00 in toll fees, so someone please tell me again why Arkansas cannot do the exact same thing to fund the many needed road improvements now under study in our state?

Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Made in America - Part Two

2010-08-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago this blog was dedicated to the subject of how this country has lost its manufacturing base to the extent that we import everything from clothing to sophisticated electronics which, obviously, contributes to the high rate of unemployment now stifling our economic recovery. One of the comments offered in response to the points made hinted at exploiting our "willingness to pay more for American quality", an idea I would like to further explore.

Let's start with the recent turn around by General Motors who posted a $1.3 billion profit last quarter and is on the threshold of conducting a stock IPO in the coming weeks that is reported to range from $6 to $8 billion, with more coming in the future. For those who questioned the financial assistance to the automotive industry two years ago, I think this performance puts your angst to rest. Then there is Ford Motor Company who did it all on its own. But the salient point to me is that it proves we do, in fact, have the capacity to make things in America on a grand scale. What seems to be missing is the willingness to take the risk. So, how do we kick-start that process?

First, I think we start with what the true causes of our high unemployment may be. Bob Herbert, an Op-Ed Columnist with the New York Times wrote a great piece on this very subject back on July 30th entitled A Sin and a Shame which you can read at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/opinion/31herbert.html?_r=1&scp=8&sq=Bob%20Herbert&st=cse. In short, corporations began laying people off and/or reducing their employee compensation in greater numbers than actually were necessary simply to enrich their treasuries. That helps explain the $2 trillion cash hoard they have accumulated since 2008 which has gone unspent, un-loaned, un-distributed as dividends and un-invested in capital projects. During the same period productivity has increased dramatically while wages and salaries have stagnated, a contradiction to our conventional model (i.e. - where workers standard of living is supposed to go up with their increased productivity) that has occurred for the first time since WWII.

So let's think about a new approach to get these corporations to free up some of that cash for the good of the country. What if all of the major retailers in America (e.g. Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowes, J.C. Penney's, Sears, Costco, Sam's Club, etc.) banded together and started an initiative to Buy American even though the price of their commodities might be slightly higher than the same products offered by foreign competition (see paragraph one above)? Many of those same firms helped build China's economy over the past twenty or thirty years, which just surpassed Japan's for the number two spot and is on track to overtake ours by 2020 according to some predictions, so why not re-direct that same power and influence to increase demand for American made products? Would greater demand not result in existing closed factories being opened or new plants being built, banks lending money for such expansion, people being hired, and these new wage earners increasing their consumer spending, as well as buying homes in a still depressed sector, all components to getting our economy ginning again? Perhaps, along with all Americans, those 9.5% of unemployed might prefer paying slightly more for products made here with the increased income that they would be earning, rather than paying lower prices with unemployment checks for imported products that fuel foreign economic growth.

Simplistic? Idealistic? Impossible? Maybe, but nothing seems to be working now, so I'm for pursuing a Made in America campaign with the same fervor that cranked up this country to fight and win WWII, as I consider this to be a battle for the preservation of our status as the world's top economic power. Also, it might just help reduce our national debt still raging upward as shown at http://usdebtclock.org.

For a list of various products that are, thankfully, still made in America go to http://www.madeinusaforever.com/ or http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ or
http://www.madeinusa.org/

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Potpourri

2010-08-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

Rather than focus on just one single issue this week, there are several miscellaneous items in my "out basket" that have been in the news recently, some of which have been subjects of past blogs, on which I would like to throw out some random thoughts for general comment and reaction.
STILL DIGGING FOR DOLLARS: As the Little Rock Board of Directors begins focusing on the 2011 budget, even though over four months remain in 2010, I suggest they dust off their copies of the audited Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the period ended December 31, 2009, and scour it with a fine tooth comb for areas in which savings can be achieved by reducing or eliminating city subsidies and contributions to losing operations and non-essential agencies.
WATER BILL CONFUSION: While Central Arkansas Water is to be commended for promoting water conservation by assessing a 30% surcharge for those who over-consume and applying a 15% discount for those who under-consume. Apparently, the former is based on cubic feet and the latter on gallons, which is confusing in itself. Regardless, I challenge anyone to discern from his/her monthly water bill the specific water consumption in gallons on which the credit is based. Rather, there is an unexplained conversion formula that must be applied to the cubic foot unit factor printed on the bill. Anyone know what that number is?
LOTTERY SCHOLARSHIP SURPRISE: Congratulations to the 47% of the applicant pool who received some lottery money for their college education. To the 53% who were left out of these awards thinking that any applicant who met the threshold criteria would receive one, and voted for the much ballyhooed lottery with that expectation, keep trying. Now, we'll see if these scholarships translate into raising the overall college graduation rate higher than the current abysmal 38%, as nationally we rank 12th among developed nations with college degrees in the 25-34 year old demographic, according to New York Times OP-ED columnist Bob Herbert.
CONVENIENT TRUTH: The breaking off a chunk of the Greenland glacier the size of Manhattan does not bode well for those who still insist that global warming is a fantasy. If that doesn't get your attention, then maybe the 100+ degree weather we've been experiencing all across the U.S., even beginning back in June here in Arkansas, should. At this rate we may well beat the 47 days of 100+ heat back in 1980.
DRILL BABY DRILL AGAIN? Now that the oil disaster in the gulf seems to be under control, is now the appropriate time to begin the conversation as to how and when deep water drilling will resume and under what guidelines and oversight? I just hope they don't punch another hole down below the existing cap as they seek to complete one of two proposed relief wells, or rupture the well bore that may already have cement in it from the static kill operation of a few weeks ago as they pursue the bottom up method of sealing it. Already, there is talk of some risk to proceeding with that alternative, so keep your fingers crossed.
HOMELESSNESS STILL ABOUNDS: While the announcement of an expansion at one of our local homeless shelters was great news, it still does not solve the long term problem which is growing daily nation-wide, and I suspect locally, too, due to the economy. Referencing the money crisis above, I hope a homeless resource center does not get abandoned in the City Board's budget study for next year, as the need is too great. Their just needs to be a shift some municipal priorities.
NEW REVENUE STREAM: Again referencing our money woes above, after all of the expense side items have been thoroughly examined, and if a shortfall to meet the city's essential commitments still exists, then new revenue sources have to be explored to preserve not only those basic services we all expect, but to also honor the obligations made to our city employees who have twice agreed to defer that which was promised them last year.
THE CLOCK KEEPS ON TICKING: Just so you won't forget, the national debt clock is still ticking away with reckless abandon. See for yourself at http://usdebtclock.org.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CALIFORNIA GIRLS! To my oldest granddaughter, Georgia, who will be celebrating her 9th birthday next week on the same day as her mother, Kelly, my heartfelt Happy Birthday wishes to you both.

RESUMPTION OF ARTISTS & GALLERIES: After a couple of weeks of absence, you will find the list of local artists and venues which has been expanded to include some new ones. If there are others of which you are aware that might be included, please let me know.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com

Political Static Kill

2010-08-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Unlike previous posts, this one will invoke personal privilege to set the record straight regarding a recent political pursuit of mine. This past week I had planned to file for the Little Rock Board of Directors-Ward 3, a position I formerly held from January 1, 1999, through December 31, 2002. The decision to do so was based on my belief that the current incumbent was not going to run again. Accordingly, I obtained the necessary papers at City Hall on Tuesday, which was immediately picked up by the press, and began seeking the necessary signatures of friends and neighbors on the required petitions to file with the City Clerk.

However, the situation took a significant turn two days later when I learned that she was, in fact, running for re-election, a fact that I then personally confirmed with her. Obviously, had I made that call in the very beginning, an oversight for which I apologized directly, none of this would have happened. Subsequent conversations with my wife and others whose judgment I value and trust prompted me to then reconsider my decision to seek this office. In addition to all of the known challenges of running against an incumbent, there was the added risk that such a campaign might create an awkward dilemma for many of our mutual friends who live in the same neighborhood. Those situations benefit no one.

Therefore, I am today formally announcing my personal version of "static kill" (which we all know is the method used to finally seal the blown-out oil well in the gulf) to plug my effort to run for the City Board, and thereby stem the flow of any rumor, speculation and misinformation regarding my intentions. In so doing I want to sincerely thank my friends and neighbors who signed those petitions and offered words of encouragement for this brief adventure, but now is definitely not the time. No doubt there will be many other opportunities in the future for me to engage in my passion for public service.

In the meantime I've got this blog to keep me busy.

Made in America

2010-08-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Thirty years ago owners and managers of domestic corporations used to pride themselves on selling products "Made in America" by displaying American flags and donning baseball caps with USA emblazoned on the front. As the world's premier manufacturer we were not bashful in boasting about our status. A few may still hold on to that tradition, but recent news articles in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette seem to suggest a reversal in storyline.


As an example, we learned this past week that the catfish industry which was born in the south with the mass production of a fish indigenous to this part of the country was downsizing due to increasing competition from foreign sources. No longer are catfish farmers able to make a living raising and selling that beloved product that we here in Arkansas have always recognized as being a culinary delight. When discovered by the rest of humanity, domestically raised catfish was elevated from the conventional battered and fried form we all grew up loving to all sorts of fancy dishes served in restaurants around the world, including ceviche, a raw delicacy ordinarily reserved to being concocted with just the finest and most expensive specie of aquatic life. It even spawned its own national organization known as the Catfish Farmers of America. But no more, thanks to China and Vietnam.

Then, we read that one of China's manufacturing companies has just constructed the largest solar-panel installation at a U.S. college at Rutgers University in New Jersey. This is just the latest example of how China is taking the lead in developing green energy to not only address their domestic need for more energy, but to also export their large scale solar-panel manufacturing expertise worldwide, aided handsomely by significant government subsidies. And this specialized construction does not even consider the multitude of consumer products which we import not only from China but from all over the world. For example, just look at the labels on your clothing as I did recently and see if your experience compares with mine: socks from El Salvador; underwear from Cambodia, China and India; T-shirts from Bangladesh; shorts from Thailand, Bangladesh and Dominican Republic; baseball cap from Sri Lanka; running shoes from China; golf shirts from Malaysia, Nepal and Thailand; dress shirts from the Philippines, Turkey and Hong Kong; swimsuits from Cambodia; khakis from India; windbreaker from Ukraine; suits from Mexico, Portugal and Chile; raincoat from Indonesia; ties from USA; bathrobe from Turkey; sweaters from Singapore and Hong Kong; outdoor wear from Bangladesh; tennis shorts from Thailand and the USA; and luggage with "American" in the name from China. And this list doesn't even touch on consumer and electronic items, and we all know where they come from.

But then an odd thing has happened in China's pursuit of world-wide manufacturing dominance. In a culture where gift giving is deemed very important, Chinese returning from America are now finding it increasingly difficult to buy goods here to take back to friends and relatives that do not have "Made in China" labels on them, an identification which can be insulting to the recipient. In fact it has become such a problem for the Chinese that one person has even set up a website at ChineseInLA.com to help visiting Chinese choose from a dwindling list of American made products. So, this got me thinking about how we might reverse our ever decreasing manufacturing base to not only help our own domestic job situation, but also solve this uniquely Chinese problem.

Recent ads for Chrysler's new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is billed as being "Imagined, drawn, carved, stamped, hewn and forged here in America" which "was once a country where people made things", may just hold the key for recapturing our former prominence. Forgetting about the politics of the situation and the anger it has created in the minds of some, the multi-billion dollar government bailout of the automotive industry appears to be paying real dividends for not only Chrysler but General Motors as well. Not only did those funds create jobs, they re-energized the notion that we really can still make things in America. To quote a tag line from that same Jeep ad, "THE THINGS WE MAKE, MAKE US. Going forward what needs to happen in my view is for corporate America to let loose of some of those two trillion dollars it has accumulated over the past two years as a direct result of additional taxpayer generosity, and re-kindle that same "Made in America" pride and spirit of three decades ago by funding new start-up companies itself, rather than waiting on the government to do it. Alan Greenspan and Mayor Michael Bloomberg seem to agree.

"INCEPTION" - A deception instead?

2010-07-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Let's try something new this week, the guilty pleasure of being a movie critic. As an act of full disclosure, other than being an avid movie fan, I have absolutely no formal qualification for critiquing movies. However, I do know what I like and what I dislike in movies and movie venues, so here goes.

First, a little history. One of my family's businesses was owning a movie theater, so I had unlimited access to movies growing up watching almost every Saturday's matinee which more times than not consisted of Johnny Mack Brown, Hopalong Cassidy, Tom Mix, Gene Autry or Roy Rogers westerns, with a Zorro (the original) or Lash LaRue serial thrown in for good measure. Add to that a mid-week feature show or two of whatever was popular at the time along with the ever present Movietone Newsreel of that week's headline stories, and you can see that movies became an important part of my entertainment, not to mention shaping my early view of the world. One amenity that the old Rex Theater had which I have never seen since was a crying room. It was a separate glass-encased, totally sound proof room in the balcony where mothers could take their babies whenever they became upset or their children when they misbehaved, and still watch the movie while not disturbing the other patrons. A modern day use for such a room might be for cell phone users who, despite all of the notices and requests to the contrary, still insist on viewing their e-mails, twits, tweets or whatever throughout a movie. Nothing can be more distracting in a darkened theater, unless it is a crying baby or a couple who chatters endlessly throughout a movie, but I digress.

For my inaugural review I have chosen the movie INCEPTION, which at least one reviewer has already labeled "the best of 2010 so far". I knew going in that it was a complicated story mixing dreams with reality, so I purposely waited for my wife to return from an out of town trip to go with me thinking that two minds would be better than one in keeping track of the plot. Unfortunately, that idea was quickly challenged at a venue where the production volume was the worst of both worlds in that it was so faint one could not hear the dialog (definitely not a good idea in a movie like this) but, strangely, was deafening whenever the background music came on. Appeals to the theater staff by not only us but another couple went unheeded and they finally left in frustration. Add to this distraction the intermittent rattle of an air conditioning fan and an inside temperature that approximated a meat locker, and you can appreciate the obstacles to concentration we were up against. But we persevered.

The basic premise, as I understand it, was that dreams which can become reality seldom have a beginning, so what if a person could design one (hence the definition of its title), control the thoughts and actions of others in that dream and thus alter an outcome in life? Add to that the concept of a dream within a dream carried to the next level of a dream within a dream within a dream involving six people simultaneously and you've got yourself a real doozy of a plot. However, it all began to fall apart for me about half way through the movie when all of the participants' dreams began to collide into each other much like cars in the proforma car crashes; multiple shootings with splattered blood made their repeated and gratuitous appearance; people started floating in mid air; and buildings started exploding. Just to make sure we got it, these sequences were then repeated over and over and over and over. Add to that a ski scene that seemed like it came straight out of the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and it became full of what I call filler which created a real disjointed mixed up mess of a movie that went on way too long. Sometimes being quiet and reflective are much more effective in getting points across in movies, which begs the question of why did those involved with the production of INCEPTION feel the need to default to old worn out gimmicks which for me distracted from the otherwise thought-provoking theme of this one? MOMENTO it isn't in my view, so go see CYRUS instead.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com

Getting the Short End of the Stick, Again

2010-07-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

Once again the homeless population of Little Rock ends up with the short end of the stick with this past week's announcement that the local chapter of the Interfaith Hospitality Network has run out of money, and will discontinue providing temporary housing for homeless families.

For those unfamiliar with this agency which is part of a national network, it is comprised of nineteen area churches which offer housing, meals and transportation to 14 people for one week on a rotational basis among these participating churches, and has been in operation for approximately five years. One church, First Presbyterian in downtown Little Rock, even offers access to laundry machines for washing clothes and computers to assist the homeless in finding job opportunities. While part of a national organization, they basically operate independently and are, therefore, responsible for securing their own financial support from local churches, corporations and individuals. Apparently, that effort has been negatively impacted by the down economy in recent months, as donations have fallen drastically.

All of that aside, this latest withdrawal of services for the homeless once again illustrates the need for the City of Little Rock to quit jawboning the issue of providing a shelter for the homeless and do something now. Yes, I know the City is in dire financial straits even having to defer once again the raises promised our union employees last year, plus shifting $1.3 million in funds from the street reserve fund to help make up the latest $2 million shortfall. But that does not excuse the inertia that has existed relative to building a homeless resource center for almost a decade when the City hosted with great fanfare a visit by HUD's homeless point man from Washington DC that generated great enthusiasm for doing something meaningful here. That enthusiasm then went flat for lack of active follow-up, save the formation of a homeless committee which drafted a 10 year plan to fight "chronic homelessness" which had its own unique definition. That committee then morphed into the Mayor's Commission on Homelessness which has basically just talked about the problem ever since.

While lack of money always seems to be the reason for inaction, it never seems to stop other initiatives like entertainment arenas, baseball parks, football stadiums, libraries, trolleys, pedestrian bridges, railway bridge renovations, downtown riverfront improvements, etc., all of which were deemed to be important economic drivers for the city. One common element in all of those efforts was strong leadership by local influential businessmen who joined together with our politicians to find the necessary resources to ensure success. Sadly, those same businessmen appear to be AWOL from the homeless issue which not only speaks to the soul of a community, but can affect things they do understand like image and tourism if not solved. So, my challenge to that power structure is to step forward and make this happen even if it requires supporting a new sales tax to provide the funds to not only build and operate the homeless shelter but to also give Little Rock the sorely needed capital to address our many other needs. Let's not let the homeless get short-changed again, as we're better than that in my view.

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com

Hey, Buddy, Can You Spare $13 Trillion?

2010-07-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

Last month a new Gallup Poll confirmed that the two greatest fears on the minds of Americans are terrorism and the national debt, the first time debt has shared that status with terrorism. Then, just last month Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was quoted as saying he thought the level of national debt is our "biggest national security threat" (for a full report go to http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100710/OPINION02/7100335). At the current level of $13+ trillion and rapidly growing to perilously equal our total GDP of $14.6 trillion, this subject is beginning to gain more and more public attention. Senator Everett Dirksen who famously mused that "a billion here, a billion there and pretty soon you're talking about real money" must be turning over in his grave, as "trillion" had not even entered our budget lexicon in his day. The question is what do we do about it?

In order to answer that question, I think it is important to actually know the facts about our debt and the true threat it poses. Besides the link above, you can learn much more at two of many informative sites including http://usdebtclock.org where you can watch a dizzying array of debt clocks ticking off in real time not only the actual national debt but other debt obligations as well, and The Concord Coalition's excellent website http://concordcoalition.org which further links you to several in-depth related debt reports. In essence, while our national debt has almost tripled in less than 15 years to levels heretofore never seen, it is the speed with which it is now rising that is causing alarm, as it suggests that it may be surpassing the ability of our economy's growth to absorb such accelerating debt, particularly when coupled with the state of the world economy following the financial crisis of 2008. At the current level of some $45,000 per every man, woman and child in America, it is not rocket science to figure out that this level of debt growth is unsustainable and will plague our children and grandchildren for decades if not fixed.

So, what to do? Fortunately, an eighteen member independent and bi-partisan commission known as The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has been formed to study this issue and submit a report containing their recommendations to Congress by December 1st of this year for a subsequent vote. While everything is on the table for consideration, one of its co-chairs, former Republican Senator Alan Simpson from Wyoming, has no illusions for success and has even classified it as "a suicide mission for two old goats". The other old goat is Erskine Bowles, former Chief of Staff under President Clinton, who helped balance the budget in 1997, and is the current President of the University of North Carolina. Senator Simpson was a guest on NPR's Talk of the Nation program along with Ted Koppel this past April, and was very candid about the problem, possible solutions and the many challenges including rank politics. You can go to http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125461033 and hear the entire program.

In short, his view is that we got in our present predicament beginning with two unfunded wars, the first time in our history, which was then exacerbated by tax cuts. Then, there is the fact that 6% of our population pays 85% of the taxes while 43 million pay no tax at all. Add to that the sweetheart deal that taxed many of the ultra high income hedge fund gurus at the 15% capital gains rate rather than at the marginal personal income tax rate, and it's easy to see how our government pocketbook got squeezed. That's the income side. On the expense side, it's the 800-pound gorillas of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that have to be addressed, because even if you substantially reduce discretionary spending like education, transportation, defense, homeland security, foreign aid, and earmarks together with waste, fraud and abuse they only account for a relatively small percentage of our budget. Consequently, when Senator Simpson pledges that there will be no "sacred cows" I suspect we all recognize what three of the big ones will be.

Once you filter through these basic elements of the conversation on the national debt, what are some specific proposals that have been bantered about to solve this problem? In no particular order of importance, and with their own associated consequences, they include raising taxes, imposing a debt reduction surtax, eliminating services, printing more money, growing our way out, putting more people to work, seeking debt forgiveness and making voluntary donations to reduce the debt. That last idea actually had legs in the 1980s but lost steam when the federal government began running a surplus in the 1990s. So, short of holding out a national tin cup, what are your solutions?

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com

"Independence Day (not the movie)"

2010-07-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

Today, as on every 4th of July, we celebrate one of our nation's most important holidays, Independence Day, in a variety of fun ways which almost always include the three F's - family, friends and fireworks. But I wonder how often we stop and consider the history of this date and what price was paid by our forefathers to give us all of the freedoms and liberties we now take for granted.

While it would be very easy to default to the conventional high points taught in American History classes throughout the educational process, it wasn't until I read David McCullough's marvelous Pulitzer Prize winning book "1776" several years ago that I realized how fate, weather, incompetence, poor decisions, providence and luck played such crucial roles in our quest for freedom. Essentially, our revolutionary war was fought by a poorly equipped ragtag group of civilians with little or no formal military training under the bleakest and most challenging of circumstances. In addition its commander-in-chief, George Washington, had never even led an army in battle. But, fortunately, he possessed extraordinary leadership qualities including the ability to listen to his charges and adjust course of action as the situation dictated. To further complicate matters, it was not a universally popular endeavor, as many citizens from all walks of life formed the Loyalists who considered themselves true patriots in their strong support of the King of England. However, the one thing our Continental Army did share was a uniquely "American" spirit fed by boundless determination and endless courage on which General Washington declared on July 2, 1776, "The fate of unborn millions will now depend......"

One other aspect of our fight for independence that struck me in reading "1776" was the similarity of some of those experiences to World War II, starting with the massive size of the 400 British ships that converged in New York harbor in the summer of 1776 and how that armada, while smaller in number, was relatively comparable at the time to the enormous size of the US naval forces that landed on the beaches of Normandy in 1945. Then there was the movement of the 9,000 troops, equipment, horses and supplies out of Brooklyn following the Continental Army's first big defeat on August 27, 1776, which was not unlike the dramatic evacuation of 340,000 men from Dunkirk in May of 1940. In the first instance weather in the form of a heavy fog aided its success while the latter was made possible by the sudden halt of the advancing German panzer troops who were only fifteen miles away. That decision has been labeled Hitler's first major mistake of the war and still remains a mystery. I guess the point is that all wars have their common threads, twists and turns determined by a multitude of unexplained events and circumstances.

But it is not war that we are celebrating today. Rather, it is about the numerous unbridled freedoms that we Americans enjoy which still shine as the beacon of hope around the world. Simply put, the American Spirit of 1776 still exists making us the magnet for oppressed people from all parts of the globe. God help us if that ever changes. So, take pride in those freedoms and liberties, learn more about the many aspects of this amazing Independence Day holiday you probably have never even thought of at http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Independence_Day.shtml and have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com

"One of a Kind"

2010-06-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

In exactly four days I will pass through a life-changing threshold which most people enthusiastically look forward to - RETIREMENT! To say that this event does not come without a tad bit of anxiety would be an understatement, even though its time has definitely come for a variety of reasons, not the least of which has been attending way too many funerals for friends over the past couple of years. At this juncture in my life it would be very easy to become reflective and recall many incidents from the past that have shaped who I am, but that could become very tedious and boring. Also, it would be easy to fall prey to the temptation of discussing that well known "bucket list" of things to do, but Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman seemed to have covered that subject in their classic 2007 movie by the same name. Just let me say there is a whole host of things on mine.

Instead, I would rather focus on the last 34 years of my long working life which began at age ten working for my father, and which was celebrated just this past Friday night with a lovely retirement dinner hosted by my two long time business partners. This latest and longest segment of my working life actually had its genesis over sixty years ago with my old and dear friend, Charlie, with whom I grew up two streets over in the same neighborhood. In addition we went all through grades one through twelve, except for two junior high years when a new school split us, and then we both graduated from college together. It was also Charlie and his wife who introduced me to my wife, Nancy, forty-five years ago. So, there was a deep personal history with one of those partners long before we went into business together where Charlie's vast experience in the financial world became critical. Then there is Jim who I first met through Charlie in 1976 when they both were looking for someone to help them manage their real estate holdings on a part-time basis. Our association began on a small scale early that year but exploded in December with some major acquisitions that required full-time help. Jim was the older of the three and, as such, brought his keen knowledge of construction and mature judgment to the many critical decisions we made. I just had the time.

In discussing the history of our joining together last Friday, we all agreed that it has been a truly unique and wonderful partnership that has certainly passed the tests of time and trust. Charlie and Jim had their respective business interests and pretty much left the day to day operations up to me with little or no interference. Over these past three and a half decades our comfort level with one another, as well as mutual appreciation and respect for what each of us brought to the table, only grew and grew. During this time there has never been any major disagreement or unpleasantness, even though there have been some real challenges including the 1980's savings and loan crisis when interest rates exceeded 17%.

So, it is with some degree of sadness and nostalgia that I think that this business relationship will end next Thursday, July 1st, because I will sincerely miss being associated with my partners of these past 34 years which has passed in the blink of an eye. In short, I want this to be a tribute to Charlie and Jim who have not only been wonderful business partners but great personal friends over these many years. Thanks, guys, for all you have done for and meant to me, for hosting our farewell dinner and for making our experience together truly "one of a kind".

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights

GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com