http://www.arktimes.com Daily Arkansas news, politics and entertainment. Featuring the state's most trusted blog, dining guides and dining reviews, movie times and more. en-us Copyright 2010 Arkansas Times. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Arkansas Times readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Arkansas Times. editor@arktimes.com (Arkansas Times Editor) robert@arktimes.com (Arkansas Times Webmaster) Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:01 -0600 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 04:00:00 -0600 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-line-is-open http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-line-is-open Max Brantley
I'm off to laud Ernie Dumas at a benefit for Arkansas Community Organizations. 5:30 at the Darragh Center of the library, if you've a mind to join in.
Otherwise, it's over to you.
UPDATE: At 7:30 power still interrupted in a patch of downtown thanks to a dump truck that hit a power pole at 4th and State about 5:30 p.m. City Hall meetings interrupted among others.
A nice crowd at Ernie Dumas tribute, which raised maybe $5,000 to continue the grassroots work that ACORN once did. (Ball-boy tip money for the Billionaires Club, I know, but a nice sum for a group that's always gotten by on grit and principle, not money.) Lots of "scary grannies" in the crowd. They're not scary, by the way, unless you're afraid of the truth, Timmy. I told several of them that I'd like to see a cage match between the Scary Grannies and the Graffiti's Doctors Wives. The docs' wives would have an edge on youth — and maybe plastic surgery — but not on backbone.
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http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-line-is-open?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379637&id=comments 14 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:05:24 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/so-much-for-ethics-reform-now http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/so-much-for-ethics-reform-now Max BrantleyI was pleased, and indicated as much, to get this note this morning from House Republican leader John Burris about the minority party's interest in good government. It said in part:
We are in the process of sorting through some ethics proposal. We have some small stuff (travel reimbursment, double-dipping, cool-off period, etc). We can pass all that, but I know we need more.Here is what I want.
A constitutional amendment referred to the people for a vote that does the following:
1) Adopts the Wal-Mart rule for lobbying
2) Reforms legislative salaries. Very roughly, I'm thinking basically double the salary, keep a limited office reimbursement, and pay mileage for all Legislators to come to committee. No per diem.
I think Burris intended to write me on background, not for quote, though he didn't say so. It apparently got the discussion going. Ron Breeding of KUAR has just posted a followup story that says this:
One idea being tossed around is the so-called Walmart rule. The Bentonville-based retailer, the world's largest, won't allow its employees to accept any gifts from suppliers, not even a cup of coffee. Represenative John Burris of Harrison says he's not sure what form his ethics proposal would take, but he can't support the Wal-Mart rule for lobbyists and state lawmakers. Burris says legislators are working a full-time job for part-time pay ($15,000 yearly) so it would be hard to take away from them the free lunches they've come to expect. One idea, Burris says, would be to tie implementation of the Walmart rule to an increase in pay for lawmakers.
Full interview with Burris at the link. I had suggested that legislators as a sign of good faith adopt a no-gift rule now and THEN ask voters for a pay raise. I didn't really expect to see much support for that good government. I give Burris credit for being frank about how much legislators count on the freebies, though it tends to confirm the worst suspicions about, essentially, how cheap and easy it is to buy the good will of an Arkansas legislator.
End the damn free lunch.
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Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/so-much-for-ethics-reform-now?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379627&id=comments 3 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:53:58 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/hearne-makes-history http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/hearne-makes-history Leslie Newell Peacock[slideshow-1]
One artist couldn’t go to his own opening because his mother was black. One sold his paintings door-to-door for food. Another was inspired by a newspaper article that said black folks couldn’t paint. A fourth, born into affluence, ended his career in France, where he was seen as an artist, not a black man.
Robert Scott Duncanson (1821-1872), Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901), Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923) and Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) are painters whose names are familiar to art historians and collectors. They will be better known to students and the community after Hearne Fine Art opens the exhibit "Pioneers of the Paint: Masters of the 19th Century" Friday at the gallery at 1001 Wright Ave.
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Art exhibits http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/hearne-makes-history?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379623&id=comments 0 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:49:15 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/arts-center-update http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/arts-center-update Leslie Newell Peacock
Rush Harding, a member of the board of the Arkansas Arts Center, has made a “six-figure” donation to help the Arts Center pay off its $1.34 million loan from the Arkansas Arts Center foundation.
The sum is what’s owed on two lines of credit extended to the Arts Center for the World of the Pharaohs exhibit, an exhibit that was supposed to be a revenue generator but sapped the Arts Center’s bottom line instead. The Arts Center owes the foundation another $960,000 for a previous line of credit. The foundation makes a yearly contribution to the Arts Center and owns its art collection.
Harding told fellow board members at their monthly meeting Monday that he made the gift in honor of Curt and Chucki Bradbury for their longtime support of the institution.
Harding said if the Arts Center had to make up its debt from its operating budget it would “dilute the quality of the programs the Arts Center could offer.” He added that while he thought the Pharaohs crisis was “outside the scope of the board’s control, when something didn’t work like you hoped it would it’s the board’s responsibility to deal with it.”
Interim Director Joseph Lampo told the board he and the foundation are discussing ways to address the debt. Today, he told me he couldn’t elaborate.
The board also learned Monday from its director of operations Laine Harber that employee 403(b) retirement plans had been created inappropriately, since the Arts Center is not a 401c3 non-profit but an entity created by city ordinance. He said he’s working to get the retirement plans into different accounts by the first of the year and that he was told that the penalty for creating the plans would be only around $1,000.
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Arkansas Arts Center http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/arts-center-update?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379541&id=comments 0 Arts Center update Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:35:57 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/takes-one-to-know-one http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/takes-one-to-know-one Max BrantleySays here that George W. Bush thinks Barack Obama is a failed president and that Sarah Palin is unqualified to be president.
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Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/takes-one-to-know-one?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379534&id=comments 31 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:28:16 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/asu-picks-welch-as-president http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/asu-picks-welch-as-president Max Brantley Dr. Chuck Welch, currently president of Henderson State University, has been chosen to be the new president of Arkansas State University, KAIT has reported.
He was one of three college administrators interviewed for the job this week. Their selection followed a problem-marred candidate review process (sometimes open to the press, sometimes not) in which — mirabile dictu — Welch emerged as a last-day candidate. It was in keeping with an old Arkansas higher education tradition in which a national search is proudly announced and a last-minute insider is chosen, giving every appearance — if not the fact — that the fix was in from the outset.
No contract details announced.
Here's Welch's application letter.
News release follows:
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Education http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/asu-picks-welch-as-president?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379483&id=comments 7 Ark. State U. picks Welch as president Dr. Charles "Chuck" Welch Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:58:29 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/advice-sought-on-house-election http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/advice-sought-on-house-election Max BrantleyGov. Mike Beebe has asked Attorney General Dustin McDaniel for an opinion on what to do about House District 24 in Hot Springs, where the winner, Keith Crass, died shortly before the election.
The law states that a vacancy is declared in the case of death of a candidate certified the winner, as Crass is likely to be. But the Constitution now conflicts on what to do. Normally, the current officeholder, Rick Saunders, would continue in office until the next election. But under the newer term limits provision, Saunders' time in the House is limited to six years.
Beebe wants to know if he can call a special election to fill the vacancy.
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Law http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/advice-sought-on-house-election?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379477&id=comments 4 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:54:28 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/beebe-to-continue-tax-paring http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/beebe-to-continue-tax-paring Max BrantleyGov. Mike Beebe will submit a state budget Wednesday that includes another half-cent reduction in the two-cent tax on groceries, down from 6 cents when Beebe started reducing it. He figures the budget can accommodate the spending reduction, though it will necessarily tighten spending elsewhere at least a little. There will be no other proposed tax increases or reductions.
Revenue has been picking up. Forecasters are expecting something like a 2 percent increase in spending for education, which means an overall budget increase somewhere in that range. State employees undoubtedly wonder what it means to them. Spokesman Matt DeCample says he's not at liberty to discuss further elements of the budget.
The half-cent will cost roughly $15 million, based on past figures. Why not go for the whole enchilada, a small cost in a multi-billion-dollar budget. "It's still a tight budget," DeCample said. "We're going to be cautious and conservative."
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Taxes http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/beebe-to-continue-tax-paring?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379470&id=comments 4 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:16:09 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/el-dorado-and-now-yale http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/el-dorado-and-now-yale Max BrantleyYale University is financing a program to pay for any public high school graduate in its home of New Haven to go to any public college or university in Connecticut and it will provide $2,500 a year for students attending private universities.
It's the New Haven Promise, like the El Dorado Promise.
Wouldn't a Little Rock Promise be a wonderful thing? It might make people settle in Little Rock rather than a suburban city.
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Education http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/el-dorado-and-now-yale?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379281&id=comments 5 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:04:31 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/StreetJazz/archives/2010/11/09/fayetteville-should-say-thanks-but-no-thanks-to-generic-walk-of-fame http://www.arktimes.com/StreetJazz/archives/2010/11/09/fayetteville-should-say-thanks-but-no-thanks-to-generic-walk-of-fame Richard DrakeGee, just like Hot Springs.
Fayetteville’s Advertising and Promotion Commission, while making the wise decision to support events taking place in the New York City of the Ozarks, made a detour into Silly Land when it decided to spend $5,000 for the “Arkansas Entertainment Walk of Fame.”
The idea, put forth by music promoter Butch Stone, would honor Arkansas natives who have become famous in the fields of literature, music or film. The names would be placed on bronze plaques along the sidewalks along Fayetteville’s “music and entertainment district” - otherwise known as Dickson Street, for those who still live on planet Earth.
All well and good, I suppose, except that this is a venture that Comrade Stone may be selling to other Arkansas cities, as well, Hot Springs, of course, has had their own Arkansas Walk of Fame since 1996, with almost the same criteria that Stone presented to the city of Fayetteville.
In Hot Springs, according to their website (http://www.hotspringsattractionguide.com/attraction-brochures/143-arkansas-walk-of-fame-hot-springs-) the criteria are:
* Were born in or lived in Arkansas
* Made a significant contribution in their field
* Are recognized nationally.
Too bad ya’ll can’t use the Internet, huh?
This is the list of names that Stone presented to Little Rock and the Peabody Hotel when their partnership was announced.
Bill Clinton
Kris Allen
Billy Bob Thornton
Maya Angelou
Levon Helm
Johnny Cash
Black Oak Arkansas
Mary Steenburgen
Al Green
Ben Moody
Glenn Campbell
Alan Ladd
Conway Twitty
KT Oslin
Jimmy Driftwood
Charlie Rich
Yeah, that’s pretty generic.
I guess the point of my little diatribe is this - I really, really love Fayetteville. I believe that we have more creativity per square foot here than most communities in Northwest Arkansas, all the way from singers on the square to slam poets to world-famous writers.
We don’t need no stinkin’ list of generic names on some generic sidewalk, that can be found in a dozen other cities across the state. While some of the names above might belong on a Fayetteville Walk of Fame, others don’t.
Let’s be provincial, and just for once, let’s revel in it.
The Walk of Fame (but let’s change the name) is a good idea, but only if we honor folks from Northwest Arkansas. We have more than enough to fill the street.
Besides being a source of civic pride, I believe it would be a real tourist attraction, as opposed to a sidewalk that they can see in Little Rock, or any other city that Stone can convince to go along with this idea.
******
Quote of the Day
A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. - Robert Benchley
*****
On the Air: Diary from the Dome: Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina
Paul A. Harris, author of Diary from the Dome: Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina, will be the guest on my show this week.
Harris, who spent time in the Superdome when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, recounts the terrifying ordeal. During his days in the dome, Harris saw first-hand behavior that showed humanity both at its best and at its worst.
Show days and times
Tuesday - (noon)
Saturday -(6pm)
C.A.T. is shown on Channel 18 of the Cox Channel line-up in Fayetteville.
Those outside the Fayetteville viewing area can see the program online at:
http://www.catfayetteville.org/
Programs online are shown in “real time,” meaning that they are shown at the same time as they are shown on C.A.T.
rsdrake@cox.net
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http://www.arktimes.com/StreetJazz/archives/2010/11/09/fayetteville-should-say-thanks-but-no-thanks-to-generic-walk-of-fame?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379278&id=comments 0 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:00:54 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/stifft-station-catnapper http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/stifft-station-catnapper Max Brantley
The Capitol View/Stifft Station neighborhood is up in arms about an apparent catnapper. Many cats are missing and one neighbor reports a violent encounter with a man trying to stuff a cat into a cooler.
Channel 7 had a full report last night.
Fox 16 notes it reported the rash of cat thefts last week.
UPDATE: David Koon talked with the LRPD, which is cautious about joining the neighborhood alarm. However, it is pursuing a suspect and is on the trail of one this afternoon. Please read on:
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Police beat http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/stifft-station-catnapper?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379222&id=comments 30 Stifft Station catnapper UPDATE Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:52:45 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-zoo-snuffs-out-cigarettes http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-zoo-snuffs-out-cigarettes Max BrantleyBreaking news from the Little Rock Zoo, through spokeswoman Susan Altrui:
The Zoo Board of Governors unanimously passed a ban on smoking in the Zoo last night. There will be no designated smoking areas for the public, only a designated smoking area for staff that is not within view of the public and is determined by the zoo director. The resolution also allows smoking 100 feet from the entrance of any building during after-hour events where children are not allowed and where everyone attending the event must be at least 21 years of age. This would apply to fundraising events such as Zoo Year’s Eve and Wild Wines of the World and More. The resolution was passed unanimously by all members of the board accept Rene Doty who was absent from the meeting. The board currently has only 8 members. JJ Vigneault resigned from the board recently leaving a vacancy. The resolution originally said that if a patron refused to comply with the policy after being asked by zoo staff to comply that the Little Rock Police Department should assist in the removal of the patron from the premises However, to require the Little Rock Police Department to do as such would require an ordinance from the Board of Directors so the Zoo Board of Governors changed it to state that the zoo director will take action as he deems appropriate. The resolution was delivered to Bruce Moore this morning and will go into effect immediately. I’m attaching a copy for you to view. The resolution was introduced by Tad Bohannon.
Vigneault's departure didn't hurt. He's been a tobacco lobbyist. The Zoo still falls short of the city's suggested guideline on no smoking in city parks. Any preservation of a smoking area for employees or guests is in violation of that policy, which is not enforceable since it has not been adopted by ordinance. Somebody is still hanging hard onto the cancer sticks, but this is an improvement.
UPDATE: Altrui says this policy will not go into effect immediately. City Hall is now saying — though it has never said this before relative to zoo smoking rules — that it might be necessary for the City Board of Directors to approve any rules relative to smoking in the zoo. The new policy will be on hold, until that question is resolved.
Here's a simple solution for the City Board: Pass an ordinance banning smoking in public parks.
UPDATE II FROM ZOO: "City Manager Bruce Moore says that the policy is consistent with other city policies and that he will uphold the resolution."
This is all kind of weird, don't you think?
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Environment http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-zoo-snuffs-out-cigarettes?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379157&id=comments 22 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:04:13 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/fire-in-the-catfish-hole http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/fire-in-the-catfish-hole Max BrantleyFire reported last night in Fayetteville's Catfish Hole, a popular joint and site of the weekly Bobby Petrino radio show. Channel 4 reports.
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Police beat http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/fire-in-the-catfish-hole?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379139&id=comments 8 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:18:16 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/a-trade-for-better-ethics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/a-trade-for-better-ethics Max Brantley I've heard this morning from Rep. John Burris, the
Burris is thinking in broader, even exciting, terms, too. Specifically: A constitutional amendment that would adopt the so-called Walmart rule on lobbying (lobbyists could give nothing of value to public officials, the same policy the giant retailer sets for dealing with vendors) but would also increase pay of elected officials, perhaps by doubling the roughly $15,000 legislators now receive.
My first thoughts weren't wholly laudatory. Legislators would be swapping free meals and drinks and the occasional golf junket for a 100 percent pay raise. It would appear to admit that legislators see tangible benefits in the perks they receive and believe they should receive something in return if they give them up. (The appearance is pretty much reality for some lawmakers.)
The proposal is somewhat akin to the last amendment that granted pay raises, with COLAs, to public officials. It included an end to "public relations accounts," an extralegal salary supplement for constitutional officers.
I agree that legislating has become nearly a full-time job. We now have annual sessions. I've always thought a case could be made for higher pay. It is probably true that voters might not go along with that prospect on an up-or-down basis without some givebacks. But there's a way to do it with more of a good government sheen.
The lobby rule could be adopted by statute. It would be a dramatic expression of good government if legislators would adopt that rule and THEN ask voters to increase their pay at the next election, not simply say they wouldn't do one without the other. (And don't forget that cooling-off period on becoming a lobbyist, Rep. Burris.)
That's my kneejerk reaction anyway. What's yours?
Democrats, will you play this worthy game, or hold on to business as usual?
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Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/a-trade-for-better-ethics?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1378994&id=comments 17 A trade for better ethics? Rep. John Burris Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:33:59 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/dithering-on-tax-cuts http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/dithering-on-tax-cuts Max BrantleyAnother pickle for Democrats in the lame-duck session is the question of extending Bush tax cuts, particularly those for the wealthy. Pre-election Democratic dithering created this dilemma and many others.
It still looks simple to me. Democrats should propose not to extend the tax cut for the wealthy. Or, alternately, demand that Republicans list specific cuts to pay for the billions those tax cuts will continue to cost. Then call the damn roll.
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Taxes http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/dithering-on-tax-cuts?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1378993&id=comments 25 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:18:08 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/another-victim-of-last-weeks-vote http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/another-victim-of-last-weeks-vote Max BrantleyOpen military service by gay people seems likely to be another victim of last week's election. There's little chance time enough remains in the lame duck Congress to repeal the prohibition. It was always a lie that Republicans wanted a survey of troops before acting. They just wanted to stall. The survey has been done. The troops are fine with the change. The older commanders — mirroring the age gap that exists on the issue — are less enthusiastic. Republicans remain beholden to the Religious Right, in which this discrimination is deeply embedded. Too bad. Time, I still believe, will eventually dissolve the calcified fear and bias against equality.
Meanwhile, married same-sex couples will increasingly turn to the courts to combat discrimination against them in the law, such as the inability to qualify for insurance benefits given other married couples.
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Human rights http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/another-victim-of-last-weeks-vote?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1378964&id=comments 5 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:07:14 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/congressional-redistricting http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/congressional-redistricting Max BrantleyThe Arkansas legislature will turn next year to adjusting congressional district lines to account for population changes. The 2nd and 3rd districts will shrink because of population growth, the 1st and 4th will grow. John Brummett today suggests giving 4th District U.S. Rep. Mike Ross Sebastian County and its reliably Republican vote. I still vote to give him Saline for an entirely different set of reasons.
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Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/congressional-redistricting?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1378963&id=comments 6 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:02:03 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-the-godfather http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-the-godfather John Tarpley
'THE GODFATHER'
7 p.m., Market Street Cinema. $5
Films, by the nature and definition of the word, should be seen on the big screen, with a roomful of people being drawn in to the talking, moving, acting figures projected onto the screen. Sure, you won't miss out on the full "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" experience by watching it for the umpteenth time on your blown-out 14" Sanyo, but for sprawling, cinematic epics that define "classic" like "The Godfather," you owe it to yourself to take it in with a proper theatrical viewing. Unfortunately, repertory theaters are nowhere to be found in Arkansas, leaving local cinephiles with precious few opportunities to see the greats the way they were meant to be seen. But with this, the latest installment of KARN and Market Street Cinema's invaluable monthly "classics" series, our local art-house is offering up the chance to see (spoiler alert) Luca Brasi get strangled, Sonny get riddled with bullets and Kay get betrayed the way Coppola intended.
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What's going on Film http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-the-godfather?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377341&id=comments 1 Tuesday To-Do: 'The Godfather' Tue, 09 Nov 2010 05:20:06 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-ben-kweller http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-ben-kweller John Tarpley
BEN KWELLER
9 p.m., Juanita's. $15 adv., $17 d.o.s.
Even before I was able to turn my opinions about music into a way to pay the light bill, I've been a big fan and proponent of Ben Kweller, the nebbish Texan power-popper who, for reasons beyond me, has toiled away on the sidelines of fame since fronting teen-rock act Radish as a 14-year-old and finding himself semi-famous because of it. Sure, his earnest penmanship can steer him closer to "indie rock for your little cousin" territory instead of the critically-preferred Jerry Jeff Walker, et al. roads, but to my ears, he's remained one of the most endearing, biting songwriters of his generation. From his 2002 teen-pop debut, "Sha Sha," which for eight years has had a permanent place in my "on the road essentials" CD binder, to last year's "Changing Horses," his matured, 10-track exercise in traditional country storytelling and saloon harmonies, Kweller has managed to keep me — and thousands of others in his dedicated fanbase — interested.
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What's going on Music http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-ben-kweller?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377339&id=comments 0 Tuesday To-Do: Ben Kweller Tue, 09 Nov 2010 05:16:42 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/08/last-night-vincent-gallorriiccee-juanitas http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/08/last-night-vincent-gallorriiccee-juanitas John Tarpley
VINCENT GALLO/RRIICCEE
Nov. 5, Juanita’s
“Wait…what?!”
That was the general consensus when news of Vincent Gallo’s last-minute Little Rock gig spread through town, immediately followed by…
“That guy’s a dick!”
…or “creep” or “jerk,” “hack,” “weirdo.” “Sleaze,” probably. Surely no one said “a peculiar fellow.” “Dick” was the go-to direct object du jour.
“Yeah, so are we carpooling there or what?”
If people were dismayed by the notorious provocateur’s visit to town, it wasn’t enough to keep 80 or so curious locals away from his show at Juanita's. Gallo, the director/actor/model/musician is infamous for a laundry list of reasons including, but not at all limited to: a, (successfully?) “hexing” Roger Ebert with cancer, b, unchecked pretension; c….
Nevermind. Listen, he’s the “snakey-lookin’” guy that directed “Buffalo ’66,” now a ‘90s classic, and followed it up with “The Brown Bunny.” Yep, that’s the one with the 6-minute, XXX close-up of him getting blow-jayed by Chloe Sevigny. It made him a household name, not to mention solidified his place as one of the most intriguing, controversial filmmakers in the weird, dark history of indie film.
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Reviews Music http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/08/last-night-vincent-gallorriiccee-juanitas?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377961&id=comments 3 Last night: Vincent Gallo/RRIICCEE @ Juanita's (The RRIICCEE show had a strict "no cameras" rule, so a quick MS Paint sketch may have to work.) Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:01:19 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/08/more-hockney-art http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/08/more-hockney-art Leslie Newell Peacock
Crystal Bridges at the Massey is letting down its hair with its new exhibit, "David Hockney: Six Fairy Tales"; a news release about the show is on the jump.
The show opens with a reception from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11; CB at the M will follow that up with a story-telling and art-making programs for kids and families, all free.
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Art exhibits http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/08/more-hockney-art?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377952&id=comments 0 More Hockney art "Boy in a Fish" Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:31:04 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-line-is-open http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-line-is-open Max BrantleyI'm turning it over to you.
* Can the poultry industry buy its way out of a pollution lawsuit by pumping money into campaigns of Republicans elected in Oklahoma? Looking that way.
* A reading recommendation, first posted in a comment earlier by Silverback:
If you are interested in public education and the debate on school reform, read this article by Diane Ravitch on the "myth of the charter school." I've mentioned the work of this former school reformer before. If the charter school advocates like Jim Walton were really serious about true competition in the marketplace of ideas, they'd fly Diane Ravitch down to testify when they trot out shills for their proposition to take the lid off charter schools in Arkansas. Their numbers just don't bear up under scrutiny — not in achievement by charter schools, not in the supposed dire state of conventional public education, not in what factors are most critical in shaping student performance. Ravitch also makes the broader point that America's great leveler — the public schools — are in peril. Charter schools are a surrogate means, since vouchers were unpopular, to privatize schools with public dollars — often by for-profit entities.
Public education is one of the cornerstones of American democracy. The public schools must accept everyone who appears at their doors, no matter their race, language, economic status, or disability. Like the huddled masses who arrived from Europe in years gone by, immigrants from across the world today turn to the public schools to learn what they need to know to become part of this society. The schools should be far better than they are now, but privatizing them is no solution.In the final moments of "Waiting for Superman,” the children and their parents assemble in auditoriums in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Silicon Valley, waiting nervously to see if they will win the lottery. As the camera pans the room, you see tears rolling down the cheeks of children and adults alike, all their hopes focused on a listing of numbers or names. Many people react to the scene with their own tears, sad for the children who lose. I had a different reaction. First, I thought to myself that the charter operators were cynically using children as political pawns in their own campaign to promote their cause. (Gail Collins in The New York Times had a similar reaction and wondered why they couldn’t just send the families a letter in the mail instead of subjecting them to public rejection.) Second, I felt an immense sense of gratitude to the much-maligned American public education system, where no one has to win a lottery to gain admission.
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Charter schools http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-line-is-open?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377949&id=comments 18 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:15:27 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-party-of-ethics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-party-of-ethics Max BrantleyJohn Brummett offers some more specifics to back up his column Sunday suggesting the Republicans in the legislature go after ethics reform.
Could the FOI be improved, he wonders?
Could it! A few suggestions and more where these came from:
* The law is a mess on records retention. It MUST require retention of e-mails and other electronic documents (Talking about you, UA Athletic Department.)
* The blanket FOI exemption for gubernatorial records should be ended, at least after a post-administration cooling off period. Few other states allow governors to run off with their hard drives and papers and leave nothing for historians to dispassionately and honestly review. But much of the work of the governor's office should be open contemporaneously, if not his truly personal working papers.
* The unconstitutional sham of cities and other public agencies passing money to chambers of commerce should be ended. But if it isn't, the law should specifically require accounting of such money. I think a court will eventually rule properly on this issue, but we can't be too careful. Statutory guidelines would be better still.
* End the crazy secrecy extended to the Correction Department surrounding executions. If the state is to be taking lives, every element of that practice should be transparent.
Also:
* UPDATE: in addition to ending lobbyist freebies to legislators, put a two-year cooling-off period on legislators and key staffers turning into lobbyists. How could I forget this one?
* Let's end corporate campaign contributions. They can spend independently if they must.
* Let's require financial reporting of all entities that do political advertising, not just commercials expressly advocating defeat of a politician.
* Let's require searchable data bases for campaign contributions and personal financial disclosure forms.
* The statements of financial interest are woefully inadequate. More and more specific disclosure should be required. Follow the congressional model.
* And here's an idea: You know the Republican convict who ran for state House in western Arkansas and thinks it unfair that someone blew the whistle on his criminal past? How about we require all candidates for public office to waive privacy on their records for an NCIC search of their criminal background. That would avoid such misunderstandings as Tommy Fite's.
A reminder to Democrats: YOU could be the party of ethics, too. It doesn't HAVE to fall to the Republicans even if you're a few decades late.
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Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-party-of-ethics?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377886&id=comments 9 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:41:55 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-rich-and-political-spending http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-rich-and-political-spending Max BrantleyThe National Institute on Money in State Politics has analyzed the political spending of the 20 people identified by Forbes as the richest Americans in 2005-08.
The local angle is Walmart and Walton family spending. It was considerable — $6.8 million. Republicans were the primary beneficiaries.
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Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-rich-and-political-spending?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377879&id=comments 1 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:19:26 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/voters-short-memories http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/voters-short-memories Max BrantleyDavid Weigel writes in Slate that the race for 2nd District Congress in Arkansas — and the huge victory by a veteran Bush administration political henchman, Tim Griffin — is as good an illustration as any of why George W. Bush's record just doesn't matter.
Elliot tried to drape Bush around Griffin's shoulders, especially his involvement—still much disputed—with the Bush re-election campaign's effort to "cage" voter registrations by sending first-class mail to their addresses and seeing if it bounced back.Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/voters-short-memories?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377822&id=comments 19 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:43:27 -0600 Arkansas Times"It was not hard to explain," she told me, reflecting on the race. "It was absolutely out there. But it absolutely did not take hold with people." Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington dubbed Griffin one of the "Crooked Candidates of 2010." Griffin simply called CREW a "fringe left-wing group," and newspapers thwacked Elliot for harping on her opponent's past. Elliot attacked Griffin over the "caging" scandal, so he said she wanted to "make this election about defending ACORN." She fired her guns; the bullets bounced like rubber.
http://www.arktimes.com Daily Arkansas news, politics and entertainment. Featuring the state's most trusted blog, dining guides and dining reviews, movie times and more. en-us Copyright 2010 Arkansas Times. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Arkansas Times readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Arkansas Times. editor@arktimes.com (Arkansas Times Editor) robert@arktimes.com (Arkansas Times Webmaster) Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:01 -0600 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 04:00:00 -0600 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-line-is-open http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-line-is-open Max Brantley
I'm off to laud Ernie Dumas at a benefit for Arkansas Community Organizations. 5:30 at the Darragh Center of the library, if you've a mind to join in.
Otherwise, it's over to you.
UPDATE: At 7:30 power still interrupted in a patch of downtown thanks to a dump truck that hit a power pole at 4th and State about 5:30 p.m. City Hall meetings interrupted among others.
A nice crowd at Ernie Dumas tribute, which raised maybe $5,000 to continue the grassroots work that ACORN once did. (Ball-boy tip money for the Billionaires Club, I know, but a nice sum for a group that's always gotten by on grit and principle, not money.) Lots of "scary grannies" in the crowd. They're not scary, by the way, unless you're afraid of the truth, Timmy. I told several of them that I'd like to see a cage match between the Scary Grannies and the Graffiti's Doctors Wives. The docs' wives would have an edge on youth — and maybe plastic surgery — but not on backbone.
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http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-line-is-open?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379637&id=comments 14 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:05:24 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/so-much-for-ethics-reform-now http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/so-much-for-ethics-reform-now Max BrantleyI was pleased, and indicated as much, to get this note this morning from House Republican leader John Burris about the minority party's interest in good government. It said in part:
We are in the process of sorting through some ethics proposal. We have some small stuff (travel reimbursment, double-dipping, cool-off period, etc). We can pass all that, but I know we need more.Here is what I want.
A constitutional amendment referred to the people for a vote that does the following:
1) Adopts the Wal-Mart rule for lobbying
2) Reforms legislative salaries. Very roughly, I'm thinking basically double the salary, keep a limited office reimbursement, and pay mileage for all Legislators to come to committee. No per diem.
I think Burris intended to write me on background, not for quote, though he didn't say so. It apparently got the discussion going. Ron Breeding of KUAR has just posted a followup story that says this:
One idea being tossed around is the so-called Walmart rule. The Bentonville-based retailer, the world's largest, won't allow its employees to accept any gifts from suppliers, not even a cup of coffee. Represenative John Burris of Harrison says he's not sure what form his ethics proposal would take, but he can't support the Wal-Mart rule for lobbyists and state lawmakers. Burris says legislators are working a full-time job for part-time pay ($15,000 yearly) so it would be hard to take away from them the free lunches they've come to expect. One idea, Burris says, would be to tie implementation of the Walmart rule to an increase in pay for lawmakers.
Full interview with Burris at the link. I had suggested that legislators as a sign of good faith adopt a no-gift rule now and THEN ask voters for a pay raise. I didn't really expect to see much support for that good government. I give Burris credit for being frank about how much legislators count on the freebies, though it tends to confirm the worst suspicions about, essentially, how cheap and easy it is to buy the good will of an Arkansas legislator.
End the damn free lunch.
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Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/so-much-for-ethics-reform-now?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379627&id=comments 3 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:53:58 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/hearne-makes-history http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/hearne-makes-history Leslie Newell Peacock[slideshow-1]
One artist couldn’t go to his own opening because his mother was black. One sold his paintings door-to-door for food. Another was inspired by a newspaper article that said black folks couldn’t paint. A fourth, born into affluence, ended his career in France, where he was seen as an artist, not a black man.
Robert Scott Duncanson (1821-1872), Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901), Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923) and Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) are painters whose names are familiar to art historians and collectors. They will be better known to students and the community after Hearne Fine Art opens the exhibit "Pioneers of the Paint: Masters of the 19th Century" Friday at the gallery at 1001 Wright Ave.
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Art exhibits http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/hearne-makes-history?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379623&id=comments 0 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:49:15 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/arts-center-update http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/arts-center-update Leslie Newell PeacockRush Harding, a member of the board of the Arkansas Arts Center, has made a “six-figure” donation to help the Arts Center pay off its $1.34 million loan from the Arkansas Arts Center foundation.
The sum is what’s owed on two lines of credit extended to the Arts Center for the World of the Pharaohs exhibit, an exhibit that was supposed to be a revenue generator but sapped the Arts Center’s bottom line instead. The Arts Center owes the foundation another $960,000 for a previous line of credit. The foundation makes a yearly contribution to the Arts Center and owns its art collection.
Harding told fellow board members at their monthly meeting Monday that he made the gift in honor of Curt and Chucki Bradbury for their longtime support of the institution.
Harding said if the Arts Center had to make up its debt from its operating budget it would “dilute the quality of the programs the Arts Center could offer.” He added that while he thought the Pharaohs crisis was “outside the scope of the board’s control, when something didn’t work like you hoped it would it’s the board’s responsibility to deal with it.”
Interim Director Joseph Lampo told the board he and the foundation are discussing ways to address the debt. Today, he told me he couldn’t elaborate.
The board also learned Monday from its director of operations Laine Harber that employee 403(b) retirement plans had been created inappropriately, since the Arts Center is not a 401c3 non-profit but an entity created by city ordinance. He said he’s working to get the retirement plans into different accounts by the first of the year and that he was told that the penalty for creating the plans would be only around $1,000.
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Arkansas Arts Center http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/09/arts-center-update?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379541&id=comments 0 Arts Center update Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:35:57 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/takes-one-to-know-one http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/takes-one-to-know-one Max BrantleySays here that George W. Bush thinks Barack Obama is a failed president and that Sarah Palin is unqualified to be president.
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Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/takes-one-to-know-one?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379534&id=comments 31 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:28:16 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/asu-picks-welch-as-president http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/asu-picks-welch-as-president Max Brantley Dr. Chuck Welch, currently president of Henderson State University, has been chosen to be the new president of Arkansas State University, KAIT has reported.He was one of three college administrators interviewed for the job this week. Their selection followed a problem-marred candidate review process (sometimes open to the press, sometimes not) in which — mirabile dictu — Welch emerged as a last-day candidate. It was in keeping with an old Arkansas higher education tradition in which a national search is proudly announced and a last-minute insider is chosen, giving every appearance — if not the fact — that the fix was in from the outset.
No contract details announced.
Here's Welch's application letter.
News release follows:
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Education http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/asu-picks-welch-as-president?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379483&id=comments 7 Ark. State U. picks Welch as president Dr. Charles "Chuck" Welch Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:58:29 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/advice-sought-on-house-election http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/advice-sought-on-house-election Max BrantleyGov. Mike Beebe has asked Attorney General Dustin McDaniel for an opinion on what to do about House District 24 in Hot Springs, where the winner, Keith Crass, died shortly before the election.
The law states that a vacancy is declared in the case of death of a candidate certified the winner, as Crass is likely to be. But the Constitution now conflicts on what to do. Normally, the current officeholder, Rick Saunders, would continue in office until the next election. But under the newer term limits provision, Saunders' time in the House is limited to six years.
Beebe wants to know if he can call a special election to fill the vacancy.
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Law http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/advice-sought-on-house-election?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379477&id=comments 4 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:54:28 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/beebe-to-continue-tax-paring http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/beebe-to-continue-tax-paring Max BrantleyGov. Mike Beebe will submit a state budget Wednesday that includes another half-cent reduction in the two-cent tax on groceries, down from 6 cents when Beebe started reducing it. He figures the budget can accommodate the spending reduction, though it will necessarily tighten spending elsewhere at least a little. There will be no other proposed tax increases or reductions.
Revenue has been picking up. Forecasters are expecting something like a 2 percent increase in spending for education, which means an overall budget increase somewhere in that range. State employees undoubtedly wonder what it means to them. Spokesman Matt DeCample says he's not at liberty to discuss further elements of the budget.
The half-cent will cost roughly $15 million, based on past figures. Why not go for the whole enchilada, a small cost in a multi-billion-dollar budget. "It's still a tight budget," DeCample said. "We're going to be cautious and conservative."
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Taxes http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/beebe-to-continue-tax-paring?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379470&id=comments 4 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:16:09 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/el-dorado-and-now-yale http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/el-dorado-and-now-yale Max BrantleyYale University is financing a program to pay for any public high school graduate in its home of New Haven to go to any public college or university in Connecticut and it will provide $2,500 a year for students attending private universities.
It's the New Haven Promise, like the El Dorado Promise.
Wouldn't a Little Rock Promise be a wonderful thing? It might make people settle in Little Rock rather than a suburban city.
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Education http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/el-dorado-and-now-yale?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379281&id=comments 5 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:04:31 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/StreetJazz/archives/2010/11/09/fayetteville-should-say-thanks-but-no-thanks-to-generic-walk-of-fame http://www.arktimes.com/StreetJazz/archives/2010/11/09/fayetteville-should-say-thanks-but-no-thanks-to-generic-walk-of-fame Richard DrakeGee, just like Hot Springs.
Fayetteville’s Advertising and Promotion Commission, while making the wise decision to support events taking place in the New York City of the Ozarks, made a detour into Silly Land when it decided to spend $5,000 for the “Arkansas Entertainment Walk of Fame.”
The idea, put forth by music promoter Butch Stone, would honor Arkansas natives who have become famous in the fields of literature, music or film. The names would be placed on bronze plaques along the sidewalks along Fayetteville’s “music and entertainment district” - otherwise known as Dickson Street, for those who still live on planet Earth.
All well and good, I suppose, except that this is a venture that Comrade Stone may be selling to other Arkansas cities, as well, Hot Springs, of course, has had their own Arkansas Walk of Fame since 1996, with almost the same criteria that Stone presented to the city of Fayetteville.
In Hot Springs, according to their website (http://www.hotspringsattractionguide.com/attraction-brochures/143-arkansas-walk-of-fame-hot-springs-) the criteria are:
* Were born in or lived in Arkansas
* Made a significant contribution in their field
* Are recognized nationally.
Too bad ya’ll can’t use the Internet, huh?
This is the list of names that Stone presented to Little Rock and the Peabody Hotel when their partnership was announced.
Bill Clinton
Kris Allen
Billy Bob Thornton
Maya Angelou
Levon Helm
Johnny Cash
Black Oak Arkansas
Mary Steenburgen
Al Green
Ben Moody
Glenn Campbell
Alan Ladd
Conway Twitty
KT Oslin
Jimmy Driftwood
Charlie Rich
Yeah, that’s pretty generic.
I guess the point of my little diatribe is this - I really, really love Fayetteville. I believe that we have more creativity per square foot here than most communities in Northwest Arkansas, all the way from singers on the square to slam poets to world-famous writers.
We don’t need no stinkin’ list of generic names on some generic sidewalk, that can be found in a dozen other cities across the state. While some of the names above might belong on a Fayetteville Walk of Fame, others don’t.
Let’s be provincial, and just for once, let’s revel in it.
The Walk of Fame (but let’s change the name) is a good idea, but only if we honor folks from Northwest Arkansas. We have more than enough to fill the street.
Besides being a source of civic pride, I believe it would be a real tourist attraction, as opposed to a sidewalk that they can see in Little Rock, or any other city that Stone can convince to go along with this idea.
******
Quote of the Day
A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. - Robert Benchley
*****
On the Air: Diary from the Dome: Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina
Paul A. Harris, author of Diary from the Dome: Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina, will be the guest on my show this week.
Harris, who spent time in the Superdome when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, recounts the terrifying ordeal. During his days in the dome, Harris saw first-hand behavior that showed humanity both at its best and at its worst.
Show days and times
Tuesday - (noon)
Saturday -(6pm)
C.A.T. is shown on Channel 18 of the Cox Channel line-up in Fayetteville.
Those outside the Fayetteville viewing area can see the program online at:
http://www.catfayetteville.org/
Programs online are shown in “real time,” meaning that they are shown at the same time as they are shown on C.A.T.
rsdrake@cox.net
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http://www.arktimes.com/StreetJazz/archives/2010/11/09/fayetteville-should-say-thanks-but-no-thanks-to-generic-walk-of-fame?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379278&id=comments 0 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:00:54 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/stifft-station-catnapper http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/stifft-station-catnapper Max BrantleyThe Capitol View/Stifft Station neighborhood is up in arms about an apparent catnapper. Many cats are missing and one neighbor reports a violent encounter with a man trying to stuff a cat into a cooler.
Channel 7 had a full report last night.
Fox 16 notes it reported the rash of cat thefts last week.
UPDATE: David Koon talked with the LRPD, which is cautious about joining the neighborhood alarm. However, it is pursuing a suspect and is on the trail of one this afternoon. Please read on:
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Police beat http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/stifft-station-catnapper?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379222&id=comments 30 Stifft Station catnapper UPDATE Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:52:45 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-zoo-snuffs-out-cigarettes http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-zoo-snuffs-out-cigarettes Max BrantleyBreaking news from the Little Rock Zoo, through spokeswoman Susan Altrui:
The Zoo Board of Governors unanimously passed a ban on smoking in the Zoo last night. There will be no designated smoking areas for the public, only a designated smoking area for staff that is not within view of the public and is determined by the zoo director. The resolution also allows smoking 100 feet from the entrance of any building during after-hour events where children are not allowed and where everyone attending the event must be at least 21 years of age. This would apply to fundraising events such as Zoo Year’s Eve and Wild Wines of the World and More. The resolution was passed unanimously by all members of the board accept Rene Doty who was absent from the meeting. The board currently has only 8 members. JJ Vigneault resigned from the board recently leaving a vacancy. The resolution originally said that if a patron refused to comply with the policy after being asked by zoo staff to comply that the Little Rock Police Department should assist in the removal of the patron from the premises However, to require the Little Rock Police Department to do as such would require an ordinance from the Board of Directors so the Zoo Board of Governors changed it to state that the zoo director will take action as he deems appropriate. The resolution was delivered to Bruce Moore this morning and will go into effect immediately. I’m attaching a copy for you to view. The resolution was introduced by Tad Bohannon.
Vigneault's departure didn't hurt. He's been a tobacco lobbyist. The Zoo still falls short of the city's suggested guideline on no smoking in city parks. Any preservation of a smoking area for employees or guests is in violation of that policy, which is not enforceable since it has not been adopted by ordinance. Somebody is still hanging hard onto the cancer sticks, but this is an improvement.
UPDATE: Altrui says this policy will not go into effect immediately. City Hall is now saying — though it has never said this before relative to zoo smoking rules — that it might be necessary for the City Board of Directors to approve any rules relative to smoking in the zoo. The new policy will be on hold, until that question is resolved.
Here's a simple solution for the City Board: Pass an ordinance banning smoking in public parks.
UPDATE II FROM ZOO: "City Manager Bruce Moore says that the policy is consistent with other city policies and that he will uphold the resolution."
This is all kind of weird, don't you think?
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Environment http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/the-zoo-snuffs-out-cigarettes?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379157&id=comments 22 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:04:13 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/fire-in-the-catfish-hole http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/fire-in-the-catfish-hole Max BrantleyFire reported last night in Fayetteville's Catfish Hole, a popular joint and site of the weekly Bobby Petrino radio show. Channel 4 reports.
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Police beat http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/fire-in-the-catfish-hole?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1379139&id=comments 8 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:18:16 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/a-trade-for-better-ethics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/a-trade-for-better-ethics Max Brantley I've heard this morning from Rep. John Burris, theBurris is thinking in broader, even exciting, terms, too. Specifically: A constitutional amendment that would adopt the so-called Walmart rule on lobbying (lobbyists could give nothing of value to public officials, the same policy the giant retailer sets for dealing with vendors) but would also increase pay of elected officials, perhaps by doubling the roughly $15,000 legislators now receive.
My first thoughts weren't wholly laudatory. Legislators would be swapping free meals and drinks and the occasional golf junket for a 100 percent pay raise. It would appear to admit that legislators see tangible benefits in the perks they receive and believe they should receive something in return if they give them up. (The appearance is pretty much reality for some lawmakers.)
The proposal is somewhat akin to the last amendment that granted pay raises, with COLAs, to public officials. It included an end to "public relations accounts," an extralegal salary supplement for constitutional officers.
I agree that legislating has become nearly a full-time job. We now have annual sessions. I've always thought a case could be made for higher pay. It is probably true that voters might not go along with that prospect on an up-or-down basis without some givebacks. But there's a way to do it with more of a good government sheen.
The lobby rule could be adopted by statute. It would be a dramatic expression of good government if legislators would adopt that rule and THEN ask voters to increase their pay at the next election, not simply say they wouldn't do one without the other. (And don't forget that cooling-off period on becoming a lobbyist, Rep. Burris.)
That's my kneejerk reaction anyway. What's yours?
Democrats, will you play this worthy game, or hold on to business as usual?
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Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/a-trade-for-better-ethics?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1378994&id=comments 17 A trade for better ethics? Rep. John Burris Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:33:59 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/dithering-on-tax-cuts http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/dithering-on-tax-cuts Max BrantleyAnother pickle for Democrats in the lame-duck session is the question of extending Bush tax cuts, particularly those for the wealthy. Pre-election Democratic dithering created this dilemma and many others.
It still looks simple to me. Democrats should propose not to extend the tax cut for the wealthy. Or, alternately, demand that Republicans list specific cuts to pay for the billions those tax cuts will continue to cost. Then call the damn roll.
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Taxes http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/dithering-on-tax-cuts?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1378993&id=comments 25 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:18:08 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/another-victim-of-last-weeks-vote http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/another-victim-of-last-weeks-vote Max BrantleyOpen military service by gay people seems likely to be another victim of last week's election. There's little chance time enough remains in the lame duck Congress to repeal the prohibition. It was always a lie that Republicans wanted a survey of troops before acting. They just wanted to stall. The survey has been done. The troops are fine with the change. The older commanders — mirroring the age gap that exists on the issue — are less enthusiastic. Republicans remain beholden to the Religious Right, in which this discrimination is deeply embedded. Too bad. Time, I still believe, will eventually dissolve the calcified fear and bias against equality.
Meanwhile, married same-sex couples will increasingly turn to the courts to combat discrimination against them in the law, such as the inability to qualify for insurance benefits given other married couples.
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Human rights http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/another-victim-of-last-weeks-vote?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1378964&id=comments 5 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:07:14 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/congressional-redistricting http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/congressional-redistricting Max BrantleyThe Arkansas legislature will turn next year to adjusting congressional district lines to account for population changes. The 2nd and 3rd districts will shrink because of population growth, the 1st and 4th will grow. John Brummett today suggests giving 4th District U.S. Rep. Mike Ross Sebastian County and its reliably Republican vote. I still vote to give him Saline for an entirely different set of reasons.
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Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/09/congressional-redistricting?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1378963&id=comments 6 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:02:03 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-the-godfather http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-the-godfather John Tarpley'THE GODFATHER'
7 p.m., Market Street Cinema. $5
Films, by the nature and definition of the word, should be seen on the big screen, with a roomful of people being drawn in to the talking, moving, acting figures projected onto the screen. Sure, you won't miss out on the full "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" experience by watching it for the umpteenth time on your blown-out 14" Sanyo, but for sprawling, cinematic epics that define "classic" like "The Godfather," you owe it to yourself to take it in with a proper theatrical viewing. Unfortunately, repertory theaters are nowhere to be found in Arkansas, leaving local cinephiles with precious few opportunities to see the greats the way they were meant to be seen. But with this, the latest installment of KARN and Market Street Cinema's invaluable monthly "classics" series, our local art-house is offering up the chance to see (spoiler alert) Luca Brasi get strangled, Sonny get riddled with bullets and Kay get betrayed the way Coppola intended.
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What's going on Film http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-the-godfather?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377341&id=comments 1 Tuesday To-Do: 'The Godfather' Tue, 09 Nov 2010 05:20:06 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-ben-kweller http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-ben-kweller John TarpleyBEN KWELLER
9 p.m., Juanita's. $15 adv., $17 d.o.s.
Even before I was able to turn my opinions about music into a way to pay the light bill, I've been a big fan and proponent of Ben Kweller, the nebbish Texan power-popper who, for reasons beyond me, has toiled away on the sidelines of fame since fronting teen-rock act Radish as a 14-year-old and finding himself semi-famous because of it. Sure, his earnest penmanship can steer him closer to "indie rock for your little cousin" territory instead of the critically-preferred Jerry Jeff Walker, et al. roads, but to my ears, he's remained one of the most endearing, biting songwriters of his generation. From his 2002 teen-pop debut, "Sha Sha," which for eight years has had a permanent place in my "on the road essentials" CD binder, to last year's "Changing Horses," his matured, 10-track exercise in traditional country storytelling and saloon harmonies, Kweller has managed to keep me — and thousands of others in his dedicated fanbase — interested.
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What's going on Music http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/09/tuesday-to-do-ben-kweller?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377339&id=comments 0 Tuesday To-Do: Ben Kweller Tue, 09 Nov 2010 05:16:42 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/08/last-night-vincent-gallorriiccee-juanitas http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/08/last-night-vincent-gallorriiccee-juanitas John TarpleyVINCENT GALLO/RRIICCEE
Nov. 5, Juanita’s
“Wait…what?!”
That was the general consensus when news of Vincent Gallo’s last-minute Little Rock gig spread through town, immediately followed by…
“That guy’s a dick!”
…or “creep” or “jerk,” “hack,” “weirdo.” “Sleaze,” probably. Surely no one said “a peculiar fellow.” “Dick” was the go-to direct object du jour.
“Yeah, so are we carpooling there or what?”
If people were dismayed by the notorious provocateur’s visit to town, it wasn’t enough to keep 80 or so curious locals away from his show at Juanita's. Gallo, the director/actor/model/musician is infamous for a laundry list of reasons including, but not at all limited to: a, (successfully?) “hexing” Roger Ebert with cancer, b, unchecked pretension; c….
Nevermind. Listen, he’s the “snakey-lookin’” guy that directed “Buffalo ’66,” now a ‘90s classic, and followed it up with “The Brown Bunny.” Yep, that’s the one with the 6-minute, XXX close-up of him getting blow-jayed by Chloe Sevigny. It made him a household name, not to mention solidified his place as one of the most intriguing, controversial filmmakers in the weird, dark history of indie film.
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Reviews Music http://www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2010/11/08/last-night-vincent-gallorriiccee-juanitas?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377961&id=comments 3 Last night: Vincent Gallo/RRIICCEE @ Juanita's (The RRIICCEE show had a strict "no cameras" rule, so a quick MS Paint sketch may have to work.) Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:01:19 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/08/more-hockney-art http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/08/more-hockney-art Leslie Newell Peacock
Crystal Bridges at the Massey is letting down its hair with its new exhibit, "David Hockney: Six Fairy Tales"; a news release about the show is on the jump.
The show opens with a reception from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11; CB at the M will follow that up with a story-telling and art-making programs for kids and families, all free.
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Art exhibits http://www.arktimes.com/EyeCandy/archives/2010/11/08/more-hockney-art?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377952&id=comments 0 More Hockney art "Boy in a Fish" Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:31:04 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-line-is-open http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-line-is-open Max BrantleyI'm turning it over to you.
* Can the poultry industry buy its way out of a pollution lawsuit by pumping money into campaigns of Republicans elected in Oklahoma? Looking that way.
* A reading recommendation, first posted in a comment earlier by Silverback:
If you are interested in public education and the debate on school reform, read this article by Diane Ravitch on the "myth of the charter school." I've mentioned the work of this former school reformer before. If the charter school advocates like Jim Walton were really serious about true competition in the marketplace of ideas, they'd fly Diane Ravitch down to testify when they trot out shills for their proposition to take the lid off charter schools in Arkansas. Their numbers just don't bear up under scrutiny — not in achievement by charter schools, not in the supposed dire state of conventional public education, not in what factors are most critical in shaping student performance. Ravitch also makes the broader point that America's great leveler — the public schools — are in peril. Charter schools are a surrogate means, since vouchers were unpopular, to privatize schools with public dollars — often by for-profit entities.
Public education is one of the cornerstones of American democracy. The public schools must accept everyone who appears at their doors, no matter their race, language, economic status, or disability. Like the huddled masses who arrived from Europe in years gone by, immigrants from across the world today turn to the public schools to learn what they need to know to become part of this society. The schools should be far better than they are now, but privatizing them is no solution.In the final moments of "Waiting for Superman,” the children and their parents assemble in auditoriums in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Silicon Valley, waiting nervously to see if they will win the lottery. As the camera pans the room, you see tears rolling down the cheeks of children and adults alike, all their hopes focused on a listing of numbers or names. Many people react to the scene with their own tears, sad for the children who lose. I had a different reaction. First, I thought to myself that the charter operators were cynically using children as political pawns in their own campaign to promote their cause. (Gail Collins in The New York Times had a similar reaction and wondered why they couldn’t just send the families a letter in the mail instead of subjecting them to public rejection.) Second, I felt an immense sense of gratitude to the much-maligned American public education system, where no one has to win a lottery to gain admission.
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Charter schools http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-line-is-open?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377949&id=comments 18 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:15:27 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-party-of-ethics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-party-of-ethics Max BrantleyJohn Brummett offers some more specifics to back up his column Sunday suggesting the Republicans in the legislature go after ethics reform.
Could the FOI be improved, he wonders?
Could it! A few suggestions and more where these came from:
* The law is a mess on records retention. It MUST require retention of e-mails and other electronic documents (Talking about you, UA Athletic Department.)
* The blanket FOI exemption for gubernatorial records should be ended, at least after a post-administration cooling off period. Few other states allow governors to run off with their hard drives and papers and leave nothing for historians to dispassionately and honestly review. But much of the work of the governor's office should be open contemporaneously, if not his truly personal working papers.
* The unconstitutional sham of cities and other public agencies passing money to chambers of commerce should be ended. But if it isn't, the law should specifically require accounting of such money. I think a court will eventually rule properly on this issue, but we can't be too careful. Statutory guidelines would be better still.
* End the crazy secrecy extended to the Correction Department surrounding executions. If the state is to be taking lives, every element of that practice should be transparent.
Also:
* UPDATE: in addition to ending lobbyist freebies to legislators, put a two-year cooling-off period on legislators and key staffers turning into lobbyists. How could I forget this one?
* Let's end corporate campaign contributions. They can spend independently if they must.
* Let's require financial reporting of all entities that do political advertising, not just commercials expressly advocating defeat of a politician.
* Let's require searchable data bases for campaign contributions and personal financial disclosure forms.
* The statements of financial interest are woefully inadequate. More and more specific disclosure should be required. Follow the congressional model.
* And here's an idea: You know the Republican convict who ran for state House in western Arkansas and thinks it unfair that someone blew the whistle on his criminal past? How about we require all candidates for public office to waive privacy on their records for an NCIC search of their criminal background. That would avoid such misunderstandings as Tommy Fite's.
A reminder to Democrats: YOU could be the party of ethics, too. It doesn't HAVE to fall to the Republicans even if you're a few decades late.
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Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-party-of-ethics?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377886&id=comments 9 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:41:55 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-rich-and-political-spending http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-rich-and-political-spending Max BrantleyThe National Institute on Money in State Politics has analyzed the political spending of the 20 people identified by Forbes as the richest Americans in 2005-08.
The local angle is Walmart and Walton family spending. It was considerable — $6.8 million. Republicans were the primary beneficiaries.
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Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/the-rich-and-political-spending?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377879&id=comments 1 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:19:26 -0600 Arkansas Times http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/voters-short-memories http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/voters-short-memories Max BrantleyDavid Weigel writes in Slate that the race for 2nd District Congress in Arkansas — and the huge victory by a veteran Bush administration political henchman, Tim Griffin — is as good an illustration as any of why George W. Bush's record just doesn't matter.
Elliot tried to drape Bush around Griffin's shoulders, especially his involvement—still much disputed—with the Bush re-election campaign's effort to "cage" voter registrations by sending first-class mail to their addresses and seeing if it bounced back.Arkansas Politics http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/11/08/voters-short-memories?show=comments#readerComments http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/Rss.xml?oid=1377822&id=comments 19 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:43:27 -0600 Arkansas Times"It was not hard to explain," she told me, reflecting on the race. "It was absolutely out there. But it absolutely did not take hold with people." Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington dubbed Griffin one of the "Crooked Candidates of 2010." Griffin simply called CREW a "fringe left-wing group," and newspapers thwacked Elliot for harping on her opponent's past. Elliot attacked Griffin over the "caging" scandal, so he said she wanted to "make this election about defending ACORN." She fired her guns; the bullets bounced like rubber.
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