>>The market soared today, with the Dow up more than 300 on positive housing news.<<

It's Obama's fault! Plain and simple. A case of him misreporting reality just to get re elected.

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Hugh Mann, if you're on this evening, I appreciate your response to my inquiry about Charles Allbright on last night's thread. He was my favorite of the Gazette writers, though I did enjoy Richard Allin. I thought I remembered him writing about his name being spelled with one "l", but a quick Google confirmed your version.

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Places to go, people to see, lots to do. It's Christmas!

Of COURSE you want to watch the most-watched YouTube videos of 2011!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/20/t…

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Afraid of burning in Hell?

Then drink more U.S. produced soft drinks:

"Flame retardant chemical found in US soft drinks

http://www.naturalnews.com/034448_brominat…

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FAIR WARNING

If three women walk up the your office reception desk and one want to make an appointment, one has a broken cell phone and needs to use yours, and the other is asking directions to the restroom.............THEN YELL OUT, "EVERYONE GRAB YOUR PURSES BEFORE THESE WOMEN STEAL THEM."

They have hit 6 medical/dental offices that I knew of and at least 3 retail establishments.
Within minutes they spend $2500+ at Exxon, WalMart or Target.

Police have multiple photos and even know at least one of the women by name, but the spree continues. At least no violence has occurred.

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Avec le monde entier doing whatever French is for "falling apart," and just before the revolution, as that old queen who lost her head over a basket said, "Let them play pinball."

Or she would have had there been CT Light back in the day. Yes, Razorbabies: live pinball on the side of a building.

Maybe URBAN FLIPPER can revitalize Main Street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe…

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.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Department of Correction says a prison guard on horseback shot and wounded an inmate when the inmate charged at him with a blade he was using to cut grass.

http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story/Ark-…

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Yo, DBI- check out the Arkansas Encyclopedia entry for today and give us a paragraph on Indochinese (50,000+) into western Ark in the 70's

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Max, here's one of your threads for tomorrow:

Unqualified court translator gets murder conviction thrown out in Washington County:

"A man convicted of rape and capital murder recently had his court case overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Questions arose on the accuracy of a translated interview José Luis Méndez gave police in Spanish. The translation came from an uncertified translator at the Washington County Prosecutor's Office.
.....
The translation said Méndez confessed to the crimes, when Méndez’s defense attorney says he didn`t.

Yancey didn't talk about this specific case, but said the outcome is never positive when translation mistakes are made.

"If the person who is doing the interpreting or the translating isn`t qualified and hasn`t been tested and shown that they are capable of doing that then you are going to have mistakes," said Yancey.

Yancey said less than 25% of those who take the preliminary certification test pass it.

http://www.5newsonline.com/news/northwesta…

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HATE shopping and HATE big stores, oh hell yes I do. So, acting on a tip from a pal, went this afternoon to the gift shop at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, 401 President Clinton Ave.

Wow, Lordy mercy, and Woooo pig suey. Just about anything folks on your Christmas list would want, ranging in price from $20 to $6,400.

I’m talkin’ splendid stuff: Nothin’ from Chiner — everything Arkansas-made, and by The Natural State’s best and most creative artists: Dazzlin’ men’s and women’s jewelry (Tap, the cuff links will knock yer socks off); and a wide variety of pottery; and glassware, including lighted glassworks; and woodcarvings; and ceramics; and numerous paintings, including oil on canvas and acrylics; and sculptures, bronze and clay; and books; plus the most whimsical chandelier I’ve ever seen.

Was so pleased with my purchases that I locked ‘em in the trunk and walked a couple o’ blocks to Big Whiskey’s to celebrate. Check out the Butler Center if you need a few more gifts, folks. Would tell you more, but the Hogs are fixin’ to play basketball on the teevee.

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There were two translations, one by an employee of the Prosecutor's office who had failed his state certification exam, another by a certified translator. In the prosecutor's translation, the Defendant said he did it. In the certified translator's version, the Defendant said he didn't do it. The judge told the jury that it could believe whichever version it chose. WRONG, said the Supreme Court. All translations in Court must be by a certified translator. The judge should have known better, and probably did, but he was trying to get the case over with. He should never have let the translation by the uncertified prosecutor's office employee to have been admitted. Really, how much credence can you give to a translation done by an employee of the Prosecutor. He' s going to undo his boss's case? I don't think so. So, there will be a new trial. More expense; justice delayed. Let's hope the judge does better the next time.

I remember a quote from years ago by a beleaguered public defender when I was a deputy prosecutor after a long, difficult day in court. "Do you really think we have anything to do with seeing that justice is done," he asked me.

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Durango--thanks for the shopping tip. I hate crowds, shopping malls etc. and I"m always interested in a place to find unique gifts.

GO HOGS!

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SNL must me A-OK if Pat is after 'em.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/tim-teb…

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Durango - Mrs. Goof always appreciates your business. It's a unique place and all of the artists and CALS take great pride in what they do.

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Our GOP Congressmen, by spineless inaction, voted to increase our taxes $1,000 a year. So much for the "no tax increase" pledge to Grover Norquist instead of to us. Disgusting. Griffin! Grow a pair and stand-up for something except your corporate overlords.

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Thanks for the Robertson link
Cato. Looks like ol Pat will be up next for a good fry.

How do you imagine SNL will do it? I'm thinking on the news segment. JC (Sudekis) will make an appearance and cook that old blood diamond trader real good.

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"Flame retardant chemical found in US soft drinks"

Water?

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Smith's Alternative Arkansas History on this date:

20-Dec 1917 George Carlisle forced to kiss the American flag in federal court at Pine Bluff for insulting two military recruiting officers.

20-Dec 1898 Secretary of State Alex C. Hull reported that the state library has almost 60,000 volumes and recommended that an extension to properly house collection be built on north side of west wing of the statehouse.

20-Dec 1965 Arkansas Supreme Court reverses injunction issued by Chancellor Claude Love prohibiting Carpenters Local Union No. 1684 from picketing Ark-La Construction at El Dorado.

20-Dec 1988 Fire destroys Miss Martha's Tamale factory at 11800 Arch Street Pike in Little Rock.

20-Dec 1996 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Whitewater reporter Patricia Manson told Griffin Smith, Jr. she believes she was demoted because her "accurate reporting offended your conservative political views."

20-Dec 1998 Congressman Asa Hutchinson, after voting in favor of Articles of Impeachment, named House Manager to prosecute the case against President Bill Clinton.

20-Dec 1999 Former Lonoke High School Principal George Edward Davis, who said he turned to the Internet because he was lonely, admitted he had child pornography on his school computer and was sentenced to 21-months.

20-Dec 2000 Circuit Judge David Clinger dismissed a felony charge of violating a minor against Rev. Don Allen Nichols, a Rogers minister accused of pressuring a teen-age church pianist into a sexual affair.

20-Dec 2001 Federal grand jury charged Tyson's Inc. and six executives in 36-count indictment with cutting costs in poultry factories by smuggling illegal immigrants from Mexico and providing fraudulent work papers.

20-Dec 2004 Death of legendary blues guitarist Frank "Son" Seals (photo) of Osceola, where he began playing at the Dipsy Doodle before moving to Chicago in 1971.

20-Dec 2005 Bentonville Superintendent Gary Compton asked that a fourth grade student from Elm Tree Elementary School be expelled for “a terroristic threat," and the Bentonville School Board went along with it.

20-Dec 2006 Karl Rove’s political operative Tim Griffin of Magnolia sworn in as U. S. Attorney by Judge Leon Holmes without confirmation by the United States Senate.
--by Stephen Smith, PhD

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The mkt went up on lower than expected Spanish yields at auction and the housing number was all multi-family housing. Not good. You'd know this if you...uh hm...looked under the hood. This was a monkey's market rally today. Very low volume which is key and the robots were driving it not active portfolio managers. Black boxes. Most were selling into strength and the euro up took the dollar down so the .97 inverse correlation US dollar to stocks and many commodities (how about gold breaking its 200 day?) played out as it should've. Dollar down = stocks up. Bill Gross called it the Santa Claus rally and warned about potential recession, China slowdown, and Europe still. Most of the rest of the worlds stock markets have crashed or are crashing. 1270 on the S&P might still be reached before year end though. If so it will get the monkeys jumping for joy. Keep your powder dry my friends.

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Found on YouTube - Pulaski County Quorum Court Lake Maumelle Watershed Vote Motion to table.wmv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=valN_hx6ZDk

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StopChronologyPosingAsHistory

Gack! Don't read it.

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Here's more on the Quorum Court's action on the Lake Maumelle Watershed:

"Occupy Little Rock rallied Tuesday night against the proposed plan, along with land owners and those who drink water from Lake Maumelle. At issue at the meeting was an amendment allowing tens of thousands of new houses to go up around Lake Maumelle. Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines only permitted speakers to comment on the amendment."

For those who have been scoffing at the Occupy movement in general and Occupy Little Rock in particular, the article quotes some exchanges between reps of Occupy Little Rock and Judge Buddy Villines.

http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story/Lake…

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Goof, it was wholly a pleasure doing bidness with Mrs. Goof. That her works are being exhibited and sold at the ASI tell me that she’s in high cotton. Something else tells me she’s not the nice young woman with purple hair who helped me yesterday, LOL.

NVR, if you get down to the ASI’s Butler Center, be sure to visit Concordia Hall and the exhibition of 35 vintage Arkansas-related movie posters. Some of those old films go all the way back to 1926. I spent an hour looking at the posters and reading about the flicks they promoted. Lotta very interesting film history there.

(BTW, I already miss the rose — but the Christmas poinsettia ain’t half bad.)

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Thanks Durango--that sounds like an interesting exhibit. Don't worry, the rose will be back. I just felt like adding a little holiday cheer to the blog.

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