The Morningwood News

The Morningwood News will down until September 10th for upgrades and maintenance.

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Wal-Mart is one of the most celebrated American businesses of all time. College students spend entire semesters studying the company’s supply-chain system. Founder Sam Walton is celebrated as one of the world’s greatest business leaders.

But popular opinion about Wal-Mart is rapidly changing. Anytime you become as successful as Wal-Mart, you are going to make enemies. Once, rated as the “America’s Most Admired Business” two years in a row by Fortune Magazine, Wal-Mart slipped down to the 19th spot in 2007.

So what’s driving down Wal-Mart’s popularity?

Wal-Mart’s critics claim that Wal-Mart stores hurt small communities. It puts local small merchants out of business, puts a strain on the local pubic infrastructure and pollutes the environment.

And some of Wal-Mart’s biggest critics are right in the company’s back yard. Northwest Arkansas.

Boomtown

The largest retailer in the world operates its corporate headquarters in the Northwest Arkansas city of Bentonville. In 1970, Bentonville was a tiny town of 5,508 people. Back then, Wal-Mart had only 18 stores in the region. Today, Wal-Mart has nearly 7,000 stores under its corporate umbrella worldwide and Bentonville’s population has swelled close to 30,000.

Bentonville’s growth has had a ripple effect in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area, commonly referred to as the Northwest Arkansas region. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the region added more than 90,000 new residents from 2000 to 2006. That’s nearly 13,000 people a year. The Census Bureau projects the 2007 population to 438,000. Up from 347,045 people in 2000.

The majority of growth is related to Wal-Mart suppliers. To help “facilitate” good business with Wal-Mart, many suppliers have set up shop near the Wal-Mart headquarters. Procter and Gamble, Motorola, Nestle Purina, General Mills, Kelloggs, and many others have established satellite corporate branches in the region.

But Wal-Mart is not the only driver of the area’s population boom. Springdale is home of the world’s leading producer of poultry and beef, Tyson Foods. Lowell, which sits halfway between Springdale and Rogers, hosts the nation’s largest publicly owned truckload carrier, J.B. Hunt. And, Fayetteville is home to the state’s largest University, The University of Arkansas.

But like the many people who criticize the effect that Wal-Mart Stores have on small communities, many are also critical of the effect that big businesses have had on Northwest Arkansas.

“It’s turned into cement city,” says Elkins resident Mary Lightheart. In May 2000, Lightheart received national media attention from an act of civil disobedience. After Fayetteville City Council members approved a building permit, ignoring the city’s tree ordnance, that allowed a grove of 225-year-old oak trees to be cut down to make way for a strip-mall, she staged a sit in. The 53-year-old grandmother climbed up one of the trees in the grove and refused to leave. She stayed there for three weeks.

The grove was still cut down and the strip-mall was built. But, Lightheart’s protest set in motion a series of events that led to the mayor and many city council members losing their office.

Springdale residents have also been vocal about the uncontrolled growth in their city. Springdale Minister Josh Jenkins was passionate enough about the issue to start a website, springdalevotes.com. The website aims to inform fellow Springdale citizens about livability issues and hold city officials accountable for the decisions they make.

Springdale incumbent city council member Jessie Core is running on a platform of improving city streets and creating a sign ordnance to reduce the size and height of signs used by businesses.

Most public officials in the region, if they want to stay in office, make an effort to listen to their voters. But most lack the influence to effect projects beyond their city borders. And, this is really uncharted territory that most small cities never face - uncontrollable growth.

On the surface, things that appear to be solutions turn out to be part of the problem. Case in point: Interstate-540. Built in 1999, it’s intended purpose was to serve as a North-South by-pass, west around the major cities of Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers. Supporters of the interstate claimed that it would keep the traffic out of those cities. Instead, businesses are sprouting up along the interstate. Causing even more traffic than before.

“Business interests are quickly making matters worse. Rogers is the leading offender,” said Art Hobson in an editorial in the Northwest Arkansas Times. “Developers plan to make a bundle out of lining I-540 with seven huge new shopping malls and a hospital complex.”

Now, traffic jams are a common site along the interstate and public officials have proposed two solutions: another North-South bypass further west or, expanding I-540 to eight lanes.

As George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The Future of the Region

The Chamber’s of Commerce in the Northwestern Arkansas cities are quick to point out all the benefits of living in the growing region. They are more than happy to advertise the region as the retail capital of the world. They pitch the region as having a growing economy with high paying jobs and all the conveniences of the big cities but in a the quiet country setting.

Northwest Arkansas has a lot in common with the boomtowns of Old West. It grew rapidly and had a tremendous influx of money and people in a very short amount of time. Like the boomtowns of the Old West, it’s now struggling to meet the needs of the people rushing into the area.

It also shares another common characteristic of the boomtowns of the Old West. Boomtowns usually relied on just one resource to fuel its economy. Most of the time it was mining. For Northwest Arkansas, its the retail industry. As long as the retail industry does well, so will Northwest Arkansas.

But many fear that all the great qualities that bring people to the region are quickly eroding. People go to Northwest Arkansas to get away from traffic, noise and pollution. They like the idea of having a high-paying job and low cost-of-living. But Northwest Arkansas is rapidly become that which everyone there was trying to escape.

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 There has been drama surrounding this story than the ending of the Sopranos. And how the hell did Springfield, VERMONT become the official home of the Simpsons? I have never found myself watching an episode of the Simpsons and said to myself, “You know, that Bart Simpson really has a New Englander accent.” WTF.

The Boston Globe
Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. –In Springfield, Illinois, and Springfield, Massachusetts, they’re saying D’oh! But in Springfield, Vt., they’re celebrating.

The southeastern Vermont community has been declared the winner among 14 communities of the same name nationwide that competed for the title of the official hometown of the Simpsons, of TV comedy fame.

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I was reading a wiki on Mystery Science Theater 3000 when I ran across Kurt Vonnegut’s name. Since I remembered that he had recently passed away, I decided to check him out.

It’s unfortunate that we don’t always appreciate someone and/or someone’s work until they are dead and gone. Maybe it was the public education that I received but, I never knew who Kurt Vonnegut was until after he passed away.

Since I’m such a cheapskate, I tried to find a bit of “free” stuff that Mr. Vonnegut had written before I splurged $10 for one of his books or actually went to the library to check out one of his books.

That led me to a short story that Mr. Vonnegut had written entitled “2 B R 0 2 B”. It’s pronounced, to be or “naught” to be. Pretty clever. I found 2 B R 0 2 B on the The Gutenberg Project website. You can check it out here.

The popular blog Boing Boing pointed the short story out a couple of months ago but pretty much left it at that. I guess they were too busy finding other “wonderful things” to talk much about the story.

Anyway, I read the short story and came away very, very impressed. I not going to spoil Mr. Vonnegut’s work by trying to give you a recap of the story. Just go read it.

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Man am I getting old. Nevermind came out when I was a freshman in high school. It was, to me, a

groundbreaking album that defined my generation. The baby on the cover, Spencer Elden is now 17.

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Note: 1. I’m not a music writer/reviewer. For that matter, I’m not even a writer. 2. I use the term album here to meaning “a group of songs released together as one body of work” AKA: CD, LP etc.

I’m dying to know what the Jack White “Code” is. What makes this man tick? Did he sell his soul to Satan? If he did, it sounds like Jack the better end of the deal. If he didn’t sell his soul to the devil, he clearly has been touched by His Noodly Appendage.

But whatever it is, I wish I had “it”. I envy his creativity and his ability to execute that creativity. If the Jack White “Code” was pill, I’d take it. If it were a drug, I’d smoke it. No questions asked. There’s alot I’d sacrifice just to be able to tap into it.

I must confess, I’ve been listening to the Icky Thump album for about a week now. It’s been all over the internet, and I just couldn’t wait until June 19th.

However, my 2005 New Year’s resolution was to stop ripping off the artist’s that I like. So if I like the album, now I buy it. It’s the only way I can sleep at night. Personally I think that the White Stripes, Gorillaz, The Bloodhound Gang, Afroman and a select few other musical artists deserve monetary compensation for what they created. But that’s my personal opinion.

Back to the album. Icky Thump contains what most fans would say is the traditional WS sound, without sounding too much like an album that we have already heard before. Jack still plays the hell out of the guitar and belts out rock solid thundering lyrics. And Meg still beats the hell out of the drums. And like all other WS albums, they throw in the right balance of new stuff that sounds cool.

True to The White Stripes, Icky Thump doesn’t disappoint. I personally think that Jack’s songwriting came a long way on this album. So many “experts” dog Jack for his songwriting.

I’m Slowly Turning Into You is my favorite song on Icky Thump, followed closely by Effect and Cause. The song Icky Thump would probably be third.

Three songs are pretty unique. Prickly Thorn. But Sweetly Worn is a Scottish sounding ballad complete with bagpipes. That songs leads into St. Andrew which is a prayer to the Saint sung (talked) by Meg. Conquest is another unique sounding song. It has an almost epic feeling featuring a mariachi sounding trumpet.

Most memorable lyrics on the album come from the song Icky Thump: “White Americans, what?
Nothing better to do? Why don’t you kick yourself out You’re an immigrant too?. Who’s using who? What should we do? Well you can’t be a pimp and a prostitute too”.

It’s almost unfair to compare an album by the White Stripes to an album by any other band. But if I were to, I’d give Icky Thump a 9 1/2 out of 10. Compared to their own albums, 8 out of 10.

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Just when I think that Michelle Manhart’s 15 minutes should already be up, I get another Internet keyword report that shows that she is still one of the most searched women on online.

In the most recent WordTracker keyword report, she was the 14th most search keyword for the last 48 hours. Right in between “youtube” and “play game”. What’s more astonishing is that she is the second highest searched woman, trailing behind only Paris Hilton and well ahead of Jessica Alba and Britney Spears. Not bad for a former enlisted U.S. airman.

Michelle Manhart Wiki

Michelle Manhart Myspace Page

Recent News

Michelle Manhart Nude Photos Still Online

Ex-Sergeant Named Calendar Cover Girl

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Last night as I was dozing off and watching TV, I stumbled upon one of those Saturday Night Live “look backs.” The entire show was some of the best skits of Chris Farley.

I didn’t realize how much I missed seeing that guy. This December 18th will be the 10th anniversary of his death. I don’t think there has ever been and may never be another actor like him.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a big fan of Adam Sandler. But he doesn’t do the kind of comedy that he did 10 years ago. I wouldn’t say that he has “sold out”. But I guess he has just moved on to bigger and better things.

And, I like Jim Carey. But again, I get the feeling that he isn’t as hungry as he was in his earlier days. I think Carey really started the whole “hyper-animated” comedian-actor thing. But Chris Farley took it to another level.

I think Chris just raised the bar for comedians and actors to many people in my generation. At least for me anyway. It’s not enough for an actor or comedian to just be funny anymore.

Farley was on SNL from 1990-1995. The same years that I was in high school. So I guess you could say that I grew up on him. During those years, I was just old enough to start to “get” SNL humor. And, I don’t think that I missed an episode.

My favorite skit was the one where Chris strips like a Chippendale. Another great one was lunch-lady skit where Farley dances around Adam Sandler as he sings “Lunch Lady Land.”And who could for get the skits of Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker, AKA: “The man who lives in a van down by the river.”

Now that I am getting older, a whole 30 now, I guess I’m getting nostalgic for all of that stuff from back in my high school days. Wouldn’t it be great to see a movie based Chris Farley’s life?

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 This is great. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been on the subway and I think to myself, “I would just love to watch “Dick In a Box” right now.

San Jose Mercury News
The Associated Press

AIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - YouTube co-founder Steve Chen said today consumers in many parts of the world will have access to the popular video-sharing Web site on their mobile phones by next year.

Taiwan-born Chen made the remarks as he spoke to a group of enthusiastic Web users at a forum on Internet development in Taipei.

Videos of between 30 to 60 seconds could best serve the needs of commuters on subways or buses, while files of up to 10 minutes will be sufficient for train riders, he said.

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Get over it. The term “gentrification” has become the new “discrimination”. And thus, a shiny new weapon in the arsenal of people like Al Sharpton to claim that minorities are being discriminated against.

You never see this much bellyaching when farmers have to sell off their land because encroaching suburbs jack up their property taxes. You never see this much bellyaching when slums encroach on posh neighborhoods.

Just like everyone else, they have to sell out and move. Never mind that the farmer or someone who has to move because their neighborhood has gone to hell, may have lived there for decades or maybe even several generations.

This is just the economic reality of living in a free-market society. Maybe the residents of Little Haiti should take a little field trip to big Haiti. That might give them a greater appreciation for their situation.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel
By Erika Slife
With new luxury condos moving in, Delray Beach’s `Little Haiti’ might have its days numbered.

Delray Beach · The two worlds meet at the corner of Southeast Second Avenue and Southeast Second Street.

At one end, a sand-colored strip mall teems with small businesses: a barber store, beauty shop, clothing store and telecommunications outlet, one-stop shopping for local Haitian customers.

At the other end, bright “For Sale” signs call out to drivers on Southeast Second Street like billboards on a highway. Half-built high-rises, skeletons of condos, cast shadows over the nearby stores for shutter supplies and windows.

The condos are moving in. Businesses in “Little Haiti” wonder if they’re to move out.

This is the north end of the Osceola Park neighborhood, a community of quaint cottages and small homes, half of which are more than 50 years old. The onetime industrial district is being swallowed by the creeping gentrification of downtown Delray Beach.

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Personally I think prostitution should be legal. Consensual sex between two adults should not be crime. The police should be using my (our) tax dollars making sure that I am safe. They should be “patrolling” the streets to prevent me (us) from being carjacked on the way to  going to a shopping mall.

Good luck Arlington on your attempt to shut down the oldest profession in human history.

Houston Chronicle
AP

ARLINGTON — The Arlington Police Department has begun posting the photos of men and women busted for prostitution on its Web site as it tries to cut down on criminal activity.

The photo postings are part of a larger effort to clean up an area near the city’s entertainment district that has high rates of prostitution, drug crimes and violent offenses, police said.

The photos “could put some pressure on people to modify their behavior,” police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said.

The photos of 27 men arrested in May were posted on the site Wednesday.

The department also is mailing postcards to anyone arrested for prostitution. The cards include a photo of the person arrested and a toll-free phone number and Web address for information from the Centers for Disease Control about sexually transmitted diseases.

About 100 postcards related to arrests since December 2006 already have been mailed, police said.

Gilfour said police hope the postcards generate pressure on the arrestee by drawing the attention of other people in their household, such as a spouse.

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Ever notice that it’s hard to find cool kid sized T-shirts? My son, who’s 8, likes the same kind of music I do. And, he likes to dress like his old man as well.

Most of time I just wear discount department specials. I rarely like something so much that I want to wear a t-shirt about it. However, I have a Stewie from Family Guy shirt, a couple White Stripes shirts, a couple of Nirvana shirts etc.

The chain store Hot topic is a perfect example. They never have kid size shirts. We end up getting adult smalls which are still too big for him. He has a Gorillaz and Misfits shirt that won’t fit him until puberty. By then he he will probably rebel against me and want to wear country-western tees.

We did get lucky one time with a DHARMA Initiative shirt shirt I bought at Hot Topic. The shirt was so crappy that after I washed the size “large” shirt the first time, it shrunk to about an XXSmall. My son now wears that shirt.

I was happy to see this though.  http://www.threadless.com/catalog/kids

But most kid sized shirts are so rated G it makes me puke. And, all the ones from T-shirt Hell are a bit too XXX for my son.

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