News - Monday, January 21, 2013

In his Foreward of the book “How Money Walks” by Travis Brown, economist Dr. Arthur Laffer states, “Finally, we have a book that addresses one of our nations most critical fiscal issues: the migration of working wealth as a direct result of personal income tax rates.”

Kim Burks (right) is given an honorary gavel in appreciation for her service the past year as president of  the North Pulaski Board of Realtors, during the board’s general membership meeting at Verizon Arena. Pictured with Burks is 2013 President Shirley Miller. (Jay Edwards)

Today’s column is guest written by Jeanne Huber is the author of 10 books about home improvement. She writes a weekly column about home care for the Washington Post.

Winter’s doldrums got you down? Grab a screwdriver and a hammer and fight back with easy home repairs that’ll raise spirits and get your house ready for spring.

It’s not so easy being a college kid these days. The job market for recent graduates has been shaky while, at the same time, students are leaving school with more debt than ever before. If you have children who will someday be attending college, should you be worried?

Who wouldn’t want to take a quick dip in the water during the winter months? For those looking to mix up the winter doldrums, the Polar Plunges of Arkansas is the answer. The best part is that trying something new by plunging gives back to a great organization – Special Olympics of Arkansas (SOAR).

Colonel Brian Robinson of the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville joined the North Pulaski Board of Realtors for their monthly Tabletop Meeting on January 14 to talk about some of the current projects at the base and what’s been happening at the base over the last year. Robinson himself is a member of the 19th Airlift Wing, which, in addition to training and equipping the largest concentration of active C-130 forces in the U.S. Air Force, is responsible for what he calls “resourcing and defending” the base. He compared these responsibilities to kind of a mayoral position, as those in charge are responsible for making sure that utilities are working, and that resources and equipment are adequately distributed across the base. There are about 5,300 personnel in this wing. 

Associate Pastor Edd Spurlock from First Baptist Church and the Benton Chamber of Commerce addressed the Benton Bryant Realtor’s Association about the initiative to clean up Benton. Spurlock has been with First Baptist Church for about nine months and intends to stay. He says that he and his church would like to be more involved in their community, and part of that effort involves making Benton cleaner and more visually appealing. 

I remember a brief moment in the small kitchen of the house on Vandeventer Avenue in Fayetteville that I shared with three friends during those last days of college life. There was an old motor oil calendar pinned up on the wall, probably there to cover some hole. I flipped over December and read – January 1980. I remember how strange that number looked to me – like some futuristic foreboding of adulthood. It was almost time for us to move out of that house and begin our working careers, which the previous five or six years had prepared us so well for. 

I usually don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but not because I think I don’t need to change anything in my life – especially my eating habits! If I need to alter something in my life, why wait until a certain time of year to do it? I’d like to say it helps me to maintain the change, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. When it comes to food and changing certain habits in my eating, I’m basically a loser.

Warren Simpson and his wife Cindy enjoy a recent UALR game from prime seats at the Jack Stephens Center on the LR campus. Enjoying the game with them was their son, Preston Pitts and his friend Jackson Owens. (Jay Edwards)

Since it’s the first month of a new year, I thought a puzzle on “firsts” would be fun. See how good you can do with the questions below!

1. How old was Moses when he died? 200; 134; 110; 120.

2. Who was the oldest president at the time of election? George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; Ronald Reagan; Thomas Jefferson.

Fill in the blanks in the quote using the following words:

Live, watching, sing, earth, dance,
heaven, hurt, love, listening

“You’ve gotta ____ like there’s nobody _____ , _____ like you’ll never be _____ ,
_____ like there’s nobody_____ , and _____ like it’s _____ on _____ .” 

All’s well that ends well, or so the saying goes. I suppose that’s true to a degree. I certainly found it to be the case, only a few moments ago, as I watched the end of “Silver Lining Playbook.”

It had been a frustrating week at the movies. Missteps, bad timing, and desperation had conspired to place my unenthusiastic butt in a seat on a drizzly Wednesday morning to watch “Silver Lining.” The romantic comedy, or drama, or whatever it is had come out in the fall, or early winter, or whenever it was, barely made a blip, and then disappeared. But The Weinstein Company, which is distributing the indie effort, has schmoozing the Academy down to a science, and the movie somehow simultaneously received a Best Picture nomination for 2012 and re-appeared in theaters. Hmmm...

When I bought my new car, it came with chrome trim and accessories. I later learned it was “iced-out.” But ICE on a cell phone doesn’t mean it has pretty little rhinestones and a fancy carrying case.

Our Army-son has attended several different training schools this year. Last week, he came home from one such training day and said he entered my cell phone number in his cell phone as his ICE number. Savvy phone users probably know what ICE is about, but I had to ask questions.

The Old State House on Markham on December 27, 2012. 

A view of the Big Dam Bridge from Overlook Drive.