Petit Jean Mountain State Park

I spent my childhood as well as many of my adult years in the state of Arkansas. Due to some life changing events, I left there in 2002. I now live in the great North West, here in Oregon. It rains a lot during the fall, winter and the spring. It is really wet and yet we do not let it keep us from enjoying life. While I may enjoy living here in Oregon, where I can walk its sandy beaches I have very fond recollections of Arkansas. I can honestly say that Arkansas still runs deep within me, and probably always will. Growing up I developed a huge interest in Photography and Hiking which is a great combination. And like a lot of nature nuts, my favorite singers were John Denver, Michael Martin Murphy, and a few other folk artists. The same as many teen-age boys, I drove my Father crazy, with my semi-long hair, just below my collar. Now I have none to speak of, what's up with that? I even read a few of the books by Euell Gibbons. Once I became old enough to drive, I did a lot of camping on my own, not always by choice mind you, just the way things worked out. My favorite place to camp, hike and photograph was Petit Jean Mountain State Park.

Petit Jean Mountain is located near Morrilton Arkansas. It has an incredibly rich history. There is also a wonderful story for how this oasis of paradise got her name. Once you reach the top of the mountain, you will want to stop at Stouts Point. Located at the east end of the mountain, this is a great place to experience the true beauty of an Arkansas sunrise. It is here that you can find the sign which tells the story for her name. From this point you can also see the Arkansas River valley below.

On a clear day you can watch the eagles soar through blue skies. See the river barges as they make their way up the Arkansas River. The view from Stouts Point, is only one of her many treasures. You will find more of these treasures on Red Bluff Drive and all around her ridges

The Cedar Creek Trail  is another one of my favorite places. This is not a real hard trail, fairly easy and offers a lot to see. Other trails include the Cedar Falls Trail. This trail is a little harder, and well worth taking.  There is also the Canyon Trail . This is part of the Boy Scout trail.  Petit Jean Mountain State park has many trails, for those who have the aspiration and fortitude to take the journey Nevertheless if Hiking is not your image of fun or in the event you are unable to, because of health concerns. Do not lose heart. You can still enjoy her magnificence by visiting the many overlooks throughout the park. Red bluff drive is a must; last time I was there it was a very well maintained gravel road. I remember right there at the intersection, there is a little dairy bar. They were only open about nine months out of the year. I can tell you, they served some really good burgers, milk shakes and orange floats. I have been told by park officials that it is out of business though, hopefully someone will reopen it.

 After a long day of hiking and sightseeing, there is nothing like sitting back and enjoying a nice camp fire. Roasting hotdogs, making S'mores or just gazing at the stars, on more than one occasion I was invited, by my neighbor to join them around their campfire. I have met some of the nicest and most musically talented people while camping at Petit Jean State Park.

  If I tell you everything about her, you would have no reason to make the journey, to see her.  I talk about this place as though it was a person, a lady. Indeed I do, once you make the trip you will too. I made several trips to see her and photograph her. It did not seem to matter what time of the year it was she always gave me some great photographs, and a lot of good memories. Every time, that I was there I would hike down to Cedar Falls. Something about that place that would bring about calmness, it was a place to forget about the world an all of its problems.  Just when I thought, I had seen everything she had to offer. I would discover something new about her. She was always there for me, when I just needed to get away from things.

 Petit Jean has seen her fair share of marriage proposals, weddings, and Honey-mooning couples.

Petit Jean has so many things to offer, to so many people. I have not been there in a few years. I cannot imagine that too many things have changed. The park service is very diligent in preserving the park and keeping it as natural as possible. Although I understand that there has been some major renovations made to Mather Lodge at Petit Jean Mountain State park. This park has camping available for RVs as well as tent camping, boating, fishing. If you live in Arkansas and have not visited Petit Jean you are cheating yourself of a wonderful experience. If you are on the road just passing through the state you need to visit Petit Jean  and create some memories of your own, you will be so glad that you did.

Standing Up For What You Believe In.

We have all heard about the big hullabaloo, over Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-a. Dan Cathy strongly supports  the biblical definition of marriage.  So strongly that Chick-fil-a, has donated several millions of dollars in support of traditional marriage between one man and one woman. As well as for traditional moral family values. Dan Cathy's Stance on this issue could wind up costing Chick-fil-a and its franchisees several millions of dollars worth of future business. This has not kept mister Cathy from standing up for what he believes in. It has come time for all Christians to stand up for what we believe in, in spite of what the cost might be. I see Dan Cathy's actions and views to be an inspiration to all of us, who believe in the teachings of the Holy Bible.

Politicians all over the country have said that they will ban chick-fil-a from opening in their city. While Michael Bloomberg mayor of New York city welcomes the fast food chain to open more restaurants in New York City. At the same time Christine Quinn a New York city council-woman who is currently in a same sex marriage. Supports kicking Chick-fil-a out of town. Mayors in cities such as Boston, San Francisco, and Philadelphia; are in support of keeping the fast food chain out of their cities. They all accuse Chick-fil-a of discrimination. Now look who is calling the kettle black. Is that not what these big cities are doing; discriminating  against Chick-fil-a for their religious beliefs. Even Washington DC has said that they will keep Chick-Fil-a out. Our nation's capitol city is going to discriminate against the fast food chain. The Jim Henson company is pulling its toys out of the kids meals, cutting off all ties to Chick-fil-a. This is totally understandable since Ceo Lisa Henson, is in favor of same sex marriages. Ms Henson has also directed that the payment received from Chick-fil-a will be donated to GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)   Councilman Jim Kenney of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly and sisterly love made a comment that there was no place in their city for that kind of hatred, in Philadelphia. I do not recall Dan Cathy saying that he hated anyone.

I really don't know if these politicians or blind or plain stupid. Chick-fil-a is a franchise company. This means that these restaurants  are owned by individuals. So when you are kicking the Chick-fil-a off of the university campus, you are kicking some poor business owner in the gut. When you ban one from moving into your city you are hindering the creation of new jobs. Now maybe it is just me, I would think that in a down-turned economy that creating jobs would be a good thing. Furthermore  are you not violating first amendment rights. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

There is always this confliction about the separation of church and state. Since this is over the religious values of a man and his company it is not only about discrimination against Chick-Fil-a direct violation of the first amendment. I have not found anywhere or anything that says chick-fil-a is going to ask customers if they are gay; serving them according to what their answer is. So now city governments want to crucify a man and his business for their religious views. I find that funny. The message that I come away with, is that we want separation of church and state when it serves the needs of local government.

Not to worry because Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-a, also have supporters. Former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee is planning a Chick-fil-a appreciation day. As of the moment this article  was posted 410,000 Americans have pledged to eat at their local chick-fil-a, on Wednesday August 1st. These customers support his views on traditional marriages. It seems that a McDonalds restaurant has also jumped on to the support wagon.

 However on the flip side of that a gay and lesbian organizations are planning to have a same sex kiss day in front of selected chick-fil-a restaurants. Don't know about you but I find that rather repulsive. I am interested in what you have to say about this situation. I encourage all Christians to make a firm stand on your beliefs. It is the only way that we can reverse the moral decline of our country. God Bless America.

Human Trafficking, the Modern Day Slavery By Ron Downing

Human trafficking for sexual exploitation is a huge problem, which most of us are oblivious to. It is a colossal global problem that people need to take notice of. Human Trafficking is tied with imprisonment the illegal arms, as the second largest criminal industry.  Anyone can become a victim of human trafficking, though most of these victims are between the ages of 10 and 30 years of age. Consequently a majority of the victims are females, who serve their masters in the sex trade. In various aspects of the pornography industry the victims are often forced to work as Escorts, Prostitutes, Magazine models, Movie actresses and even in live sex shows.

The monsters that engage in human trafficking come in all professions, sizes, color and nationalities. According to my sources these monsters do a very good job of disguising themselves as well as their illicit activity. Quite often the victims of Human Trafficking are recruited in various methods Force which includes rape, beatings and imprisonment to manipulate the victims.  Forceful brutality is used to help break them down making them more manageable.  
Fraud is also a way that young women are recruited. This would entail spurious job offers. Women will respond to an ad for a position as a

maid, waitress or perhaps a dancer. Another deception tactic used is fictitious matrimony proposals. Then when they arrive at their destination they are taken into captivity and forced in to the sex trade. Coercion is more sinister the victims are forced to do what they are told through diverse terror tactics. Such as threatening the victims of beatings, death or perhaps the physical torment or death of a loved one in the country from which they were taken from. Human traffickers in some cases will present the victim with a transportation charge upon arrival which they can never pay back thus they are in bondage until they do.

A large majority of the victims which are trafficked into the United States come from Central America, South America, and Asia. I would have to say that this is largely due to the fact that American men have a strong appetite for Latin American women as well as Asian women. The traffickers use a wide variety of techniques to make their victims manageable. This can include daily beatings, rape, gang rape, confinement, starvation, shaming and a long list of emotional and mental abuse. Forced drug use is extremely common. This makes the victims easy to control.

Human traffickers will usually house their victims in houses in various neighborhoods. You could be living next door to one, and not even know it. If the victim is to be sold, they will usually put them up in a house, once they have been broken down. They need to move them as quietly and quickly so they do not raise any suspicions. I would imagine that would be done late at night or very early morning. If they are pimping the girls directly from that house these are some things to look for.

·       Large Consistent amount of traffic in and out of the house.

·       Variety of nice cars that you wouldn't normally see

·       People that do not appear to belong in the neighborhood.

·       Occupants do not fit the traditional family setting. ( Mom, Dad and a few kids)

·       Spotting several different girls who appear to live there, going in and out of the house, constantly escorted by men.

·       Any suspicious behavior, which you feel is out of the ordinary or odd.

·       How are they dressed?

·       How do they walk (Appear to walk lethargic , Head up or head down)

·       When you greeted them, did they talk to you? (While you were out getting the mail , or walking the dog etc)

          

If you suspect a house in your neighborhood, of being used for this sort of criminal activity call the proper law enforcement agency. Never ever confront them yourself. Don't put yourself in danger. This is the criminals livelihood expect him or her to protect it at any cost. First call your local police department to report your suspicions. If for some reason you feel uncomfortable notifying the police, then contact your local FBI field Office or the following agencies

 National Human Trafficking Recourse Center  1-888-373-7888 

 Homeland Security Blue Campaign  1-866-DHS 2ICE (1-866-347-2423)

I hope that you found this to be helpful and informative. If you suspect that someone is in this situation then pick up the phone and make the call you could save someone's life. Check back often as I will be posting more articles concerning this topic.

Peace In The Middle East

The Middle East, also known as the Near East, is a region made up of the lands of Southwestern Asia and Northwestern Africa. The Middle East encompasses several countries. However, the countries that we are most familiar with are Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria. Other areas like the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are also in the news a lot. It is a known fact that there has never been lasting peace in the Middle East; even before Moses. These countries have rarely, if ever, gotten along with each other. It has been this way for well over two thousand years. The United States, Great Britain, and the United Nations, have sent troops to this region of the world on several different occasions in an effort to restore peace. For world peace to exist in the Middle East forced long-term occupation, marshal law, and a conditional government is an absolute certainty.

Most of the fighting in the Middle East is over land and religious differences. In this region most of its population practice Islam and Judaism. The majority of the fighting in the last two centuries has been between the Arabs who are Muslim and Israel who follow Judaism. This struggle started in the early 1900’s over control of Palestine. This was an area that the Arabs had occupied for many years. In the late eighteen hundreds Jews moved into the area in large numbers. This was brought on by European intellectuals who began supporting the idea that Jews should settle in Palestine, which is described in the Bible as the Jews ancient homeland.

This movement became known as Zionism, and was based on European Anti-Semitism. This hatred toward the Jews resulted in violent attacks against them. Palestine at that time was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, which was centered in modern day Turkey. In the beginning the Jews and the Muslims lived in peace and got along. However, as more Jewish immigrants move in they started having conflicts. The United Kingdom gained control as a result of World War I, and then as a result of the Holocaust and World War II most of the countries that defeated Germany supported the idea of creating a place where Jews would be safe from persecution. In November of 1947 the United Nations approved a plan to divide Palestine in to two states. One Jewish (which became Israel) and the other Palestinian, Zionist leaders accepted the plan after all half was better than nothing.

Arab governments and the Palestinians saw this as a theft of Arab land.  British rule over Palestine ended in 1948. The very next day Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, and Iraq attacked Israel. Israel fought back and absorbed most of the land that the UN had set aside for them. Palestine, Egypt and Jordan occupied the rest of the area. The war ended in 1949. As a result seven hundred thousand Palestinians became refugees. There was the Suez Canal crisis in 1956. Then more conflict in 1967, When, Gamal Abdel Nasser the ruler of Egypt closed the Gulf of Aqaba to Israeli shipping. This was Israel’s only access to the Red Sea. In 1973 we have even more conflict as Israeli and Egyptian troops attack each other across the western border of the Sinai Peninsula. These conflicts keep going. Treaties are signed and broken throughout this same time period. As we can see, these countries just cannot get along for love nor money, oil, land, or anything else for that matter.   

Over the last three thousand years this region has fallen under the rule of several, different, Empires .The Assyrians, from what is now Northern Iraq. Then the Medes, what is now northern Iran. The Persians came from what is now Iran and Afghanistan. In 331B.C The Macedonian King Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East. In 30 B.C the Romans had conquered most of the Middle East. During Roman rule Jesus Christ was born, Christianity became the major religion up until the  600’sA.D Along about  610 A.D the Muslim religion was born. Various groups gained control of different parts of the Middle East. The Turks, European Christians in, 1096, and Mongols from Central Asia invaded in the 1200’s and again in the 1400’s. The Ottoman Empire was the worlds most powerful of Empires during the 1500's-1600’s during this period they tried to conquer Europe twice attacking Vienna and Austria. They were basically overthrown by Franc, Italy and the United Kingdom. This region of the world has been ruled, over-ruled, conquered again and again. They have never really known what peace is. It is time to do something and take action, an action that should have happened sixty years ago.

A lot of people oppose this war that we are in and rightly so, no one in his or her right mind enjoys war. The reality of it is that even if these countries did not have weapons of mass destruction, they do possess the knowledge on how to build one. And more than likely they have the various components to assemble it. If they don’t they know how to get them. The United States over the years has realized along with other nations that these types of weapons are never a good answer to diplomatic problems. That, there is not a problem that cannot be talked about first before the use of strategic arms are used to directly wipe out critical defense and storage locations. When talking has led us nowhere, this is why we are there today. 

Some people feel that it is there country their problem just let them fight it out. That is good idea and maybe we should but that takes us back the misuse of weapons of mass destruction. It is the opinion of some that all we are going to do is create more hostility over there toward Americans thus creating more terrorist attacks. Oddly enough there has not been any more terrorist attacks on U.S soil since 9/11 and our invasion of Afghanistan and then into Iraq. In the past countries have over ruled the Middle East out greed and the thirst for power if the U.S. were to do this it would strictly be to preserve world peace and the spread of democracy. It is my belief that the United States may have made an error in judgment. Instead of having a few bombing raids to clean out critical defense locations, to gain their attention We should have gone in and leveled every single building that even looked like it was being used by the military every palace. All there planes, motor pools, and anything that resembled a military vehicle.

Once we had defeated them and wore them down then send in the ground troops to flush the guerrillas and any combatants that might not have gotten the word that there was a new government in town. War is messy you are going to lose a few troops. Think about it this way if we had taken these action years ago, how many lives would we have saved on both sides. Would 9/11 or Lockerbie have ever happened.  When law and order is restored then you seize their assets. The oil wells, the refineries, factories, farms, weapons, and other valuable state owned properties. Impose Marshall Law and establish curfews. Then assess the damages and take inventory of what you have to work with. Establish a conditional government and start the rebuilding process.

   The long term occupation would need to be at least one hundred years. The reason for the one hundred year occupation is because it will take the life of at least two generations of peace to instill the younger generations with the desire to maintain peace. As for creating more hostility the biggest majority of the population, already dislike the United States and that is putting it kindly. Most of these attitudes of discontentment toward Americans are instilled in the younger generation through the elders. The one hundred year occupation would help to eliminate this over time

Some will say that this whole idea is absurd that we do not have the strength, fire power, or the man power to undertake such an operation of this nature. I for one really believe that we do. It would definitely take everything that we had at this moment. But just as we did during World War II and other wars, you gear up; you prepare before hand, and create a surplus of arms and weaponry. So that you are ready for a long and dangerous fight. Some would say that this makes us just as bad as the other empires that have come before us. Going in peacefully would be nice. But I highly doubt that if we just go marching in to these countries and tell them that in an effort to have world peace we are here to take over your country and teach you about how to maintain a peaceful existence. And once we have done this we will turn it back over to you in one hundred years. They are not going to be very accepting of our generosity.

In 2011 Obama made it clear that the U.S. would pull all troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. He had to do something after all 2012 was an election year. It was obvious that he was not worried about Iraq. Even after top military leaders and a handful of senators had advised President Obama against pulling all of the troops out of Iraq. After almost nine years of fighting in Iraq we pulled out. During that nine year stretch we ousted Saddam Hussein from power at the loss of almost 4500 American troops and an estimated price tag of $700 Billion. While Iraq lost tens of thousands of citizens, Perhaps if we had gone in from the very beginning and taken over we would have lost only half as many brave men and women at a far-less price tag. Not to mention the fact that the United States could have recouped some of its expenses after seizing government assets such as oil and gas fields.  

 If this were to happen it could be a good thing for all the countries involved. Because, some of the medical facilities that these countries have are lacking Doctors from the United States could do there residency there providing better medical care than they have probably had in the past. Gas prices in the United States would drop and possibly stabilize for once. It would open the doors for the expansion in all kinds of jobs Teachers, medical professions, Businesses, and engineers just to mention a few.  As time passed we would gradually give them back some of the power to govern themselves. Helping them to build a democratic society as time passed, supposedly we are trying to do this in Iraq already. This helps but it won’t be near as effective as having the three or four countries that have the biggest problem getting along with each other, all getting the same indoctrination simultaneously. Because the minute we leave Iraq It is all going to start all over again. Iran, Israel, Jordan, Syria, stubborn insurgents allied with Shi'ite Militiamen and Al Quaeda forces.  Either by themselves or as a group will start something. 

History will repeat itself because this is all they know. As for those who say we have no business there I disagree. As long as they are fighting in the Middle East, other countries in the world are not safe from the affects of their inability to get along. We have lost enough young men and women to their so called causes. I know that this will probably never take place but until it does happen, or something else of the same magnitude occurs, world peace remains nothing more than a sweet dream.

Vacation at Bull Shoals State Park

The Ozark Mountains are a wonderful place to visit, camp, and take a family vacation. The Ozark Mountains run through North Arkansas and Southern Missouri. If I was ever asked what I missed about the State of Arkansas this would be at top of my list. It is absolutely beautiful with the rolling hills; the lakes, hiking trails, and fishing streams, the small family farms, and the rich history that make up this region of the state are unforgettable. The people are friendly and some still observe the lifestyles of days long gone: practicing such crafts as furniture making, wood carving, crafting musical instruments, quilt making, black-smiting and candle making. Most of the towns in this area are small and quaint the people are laid-back. If you ever have a chance to visit this part of the country then you should for its scenic beauty, its dynamic pioneering traditions, and wholesome delight. Bull Shoals State Park was one of our family's favorite place to camp and fish.

     I guess the reason that I like this area so much is, because some of my fondest recollections as a child were created here. From the time that I was five years old until I was about ten, my family would vacation at Bull Shoals State Park along the White River. The River is so cold that it will quickly turn your toes blue and make them feel deadened it is so clear that you can always see the rocky-river bed below. In the morning she is serene shallow and the fog is so thick you can not see five feet in front of you. Often by mid afternoon she is awake, she becomes a powerful and swift river  Her picturesque banks are so captivating that newcomers make the error of judgment watching where they have been instead of where they are headed and end up in serious trouble. The flow of the White River is controlled by a hydroelectric dam which formed Bull Shoals Lake: one of several man made lakes in the area.
My father loved to fish for trout and taught each of his three kids how to enjoy it as well. Since the best fishing took place in the early morning and late afternoon it left the middle of the day and the evening for sightseeing, Amphitheater shows, roasting hot dogs over a camp fire or frying up some of the fresh trout that were caught during the day. The smell of fish would permeate the air as other campers around you were doing the same. As the sun would set and the sky would grow dark you could see the orange glow of campfires throughout the whole park and on a clear night you could see the stars and the moon in this area called the Ozarks. There was also artistic culture that was distinctly different from the city.

     It was relatively familiar for one of your neighbors to have a Guitar, Banjo, or a Mountain Dulcimer in their possession which they would begin playing. The night air was filled with the sounds of  instruments playing, people singing, laughing through out the park; along with the frogs and a few owls. Not any irritating televisions, or radios to be heard. As some folks would stroll through the park they would often stop to listen to the musicians as they would play. It always seemed like they enjoyed giving the complimentary performance. And it was predictable that other musicians from other campsites would join in forming there own little band; people they had never seen before and would likely never see again. The river set low in the valley and even in the summer night you would often need a light jacket, because it was so cool there was the absence of the troublesome bloodsucking insect known as the notorious mosquito. I can tell you that they were not missed.

    Being that the river runs as cold as she does, we would envelop a watermelon in a fishing net, tie up the end with a fish stringer, toss it in the river and tie the other end to a tree two hours later. It would be colder than if it had been in the refrigerator. My little sister tried this with an ice cream bar, but the results were not quite as promising. At one end of the park there was an area that was known as the spring where we would go swimming in the late after noon. The spring’s only source of water was from the river itself, yet it was noticeably warmer than the river. From the rivers edge to the end of the spring was an area less than a hundred feet and with its precipitous banks the easiest way to get in was to swing out on a rope that hung from a tree five feet above the water and drop. This is a part of my childhood that I enjoyed maybe even more than Christmas.

     As my father’s business took off and prospered and his military career came to an end: our camping trips to the Ozarks became less and less frequent. Then they became utterly nonexistent. At first I missed the camping trips but with the passing of each year I began to miss them a little less until I hardly gave it a single thought. This all seemed peculiar to me since we were indeed in the camping business. We should be camping and promoting the idea of camping and family unity. At times I thought this to be hypocritical but none of us seemed to have the time. My Dad was running the business, while my Mom was doing the books.  Linda, my older sister ran the accessories store, and took care of the rental fleet while I worked in the shop. Who had time for camping? We sold them, we rented them, and we serviced them, now we had no time to enjoy them. This went on until I was in my senior year of high school. One week during spring break I decided to take one of the rentals and go camping all by myself with no friends or parent just me. It just wasn’t the same. I was there for almost a week and never caught a single fish. The only pleasure that I found was that I could go where I wanted, when I wanted. The park had not changed much with the exception that they had closed the spring where I once used to swim as a child. They had also created some additional campsites which I did not find to be much of an enhancement; since they had cut down several old oak trees to do so. Nevertheless I was still alone and confused; I should be enjoying this.  It was not as I had remembered it. I did not really have any fun. I did not care to eat alone either, so I ate out, never built a camp fire. I was so bored that I finally left two days early to go home.

      Almost twelve years had passed before I returned to the Ozarks. My wife and kids had packed the fifth wheel while I was at work over the course of three days preceding our departure. I had made it quite clear that we were not taking the television, movies or the video games. The night before we were to leave I had to work late and when I returned home the family was asleep, each in their own beds for once. This gave me the perfect opportunity to make an inspection on what had been packed. I found the television, the movies and the video games and hid them in the storage building in the back yard.

      I returned to Bull Shoals State Park, with my wife, my daughter April, and my son William. I had the opportunity to show my family, who had never been there before, they didn't know what to expect of the Ozarks. We did all the things that I had done with my parents. We rented a boat; took it out on the river. I had never been in control of the boat prior to that day. I knew how treacherous the White river could be when the water was high. This made me extremely uneasy since the river could be tremendously unforgiving of mistakes.  As boy my dad had always handled the boat with confidence; at least so it seemed. April who was only about six caught her first fish. Quite by accident I might add but the joy in her face was priceless. I say by accident, I had cast her line out quite a ways from the boat, then handed her the fishing pole. While I was bating my hook, so that I could fish she had been slowly reeling her line in. It was no more than 30 feet from the boat. Just seconds prior to me casting my line, April felt the bump on the line so she jerked back and caught the fish. Once the fish was in the boat, we noticed that she had hooked it right in its side. William was only two at the time and was on a mission to explore anything and everything including Poison Ivey, bugs and even a dead snake that he had found in a bush.

  Once again it was a fun experience to be back. People still did the same things as before; they still had the campfires, roasted hot-dogs and Marsh-mellows. They still gave free concerts; once again it was as I had remembered it some twenty plus years before. It was not that they had changed or that the landscape had changed it was my perspective that had changed.  As a parent I saw the place as my parents must have seen it those twenty plus years before. It was now my turn and even my responsibility to create new memories not just for myself, but for my kids. They would have their own fond memories of the Ozarks like I had as a child. When the vacation was over, it appeared as though everyone had enjoyed themselves and had a good time. This feeling went un-confirmed for almost a year. One day my daughter came to me and asked if we could go to the Ozarks for our family vacation again. So I asked “You really want to go back there?”  William who happened to be in front of the television added an “I want to go too!” This made me happy inside I was glad to see that my kids enjoyed their vacation in the Ozarks as much as I had. It also made me think about the transformation that I had gone through. I was there as a child in the mid to late sixties, back again as a teen and once again as a parent and it was all part of the circle of life.      

Is Your Sales Career Taking a Dip?

I hear it all the time. "My sales are down and have been for the last three or four years.Of course with the economy the way it is, I can certainly understand it." Too many sales professionals buy this hook line and sinker. These are the same sales professionals who were mediocre at best when the economy was good. One of the many things that I learned from my father is that business is only bad between your ears. If you allow yourself to become discouraged by all of the negative news, and the economy reports; you sabotage yourself.

Now I am not suggesting that you isolate yourself from the world and become ignorant to what is happening around you.  Sales professionals should limit the amount of negative news that they take in. Furthermore, look at the glass as half full, rather than half empty. Use your talents to spin the negative into positives. We have all heard it, but few of us think about it in the midst of a pity party. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

When you get a NO, from a customer; Get excited! Yes you read that correctly, get excited. As a rule of thumb you will get ten NO's to one YES. Every NO puts you one step closer to the customer who says YES.  However one of your goals should be to change that ratio, resulting in more customers saying yes.

 When your sales are not as they should be, use the time between customers effectively. You can do this by networking, prospecting, following up with potential customers, and cold calling. As a professional you are probably already practicing these techniques. At the same time these are things that we should be doing even when business is better. If not then get busy. It is during these times when customers are a little tighter with their finances. Therefore you have to make the most out of every opportunity you have.

When a customer says no, don't take it personally. Don't beat yourself up over it. Learn from it. There are just a small handful of reasons why customers say no. They either do not need your product or services; they cannot afford it, have no desire, or feel that the cost exceeds the value. This is the number one reason your customer will say no. Few people wonder around the store aimlessly looking at things they, cannot find a need for, or have no desire to own. More often than not, customers will say no because of the lack of information they have about the product or services you are providing. They do not see where the benefits of ownership meets, the amount of money, you are asking them to give you in return.

There is a bright side to all of this. Most of us already know this. So if what I am going to say shocks anyone. Let us just say that they have other issues. Your customer's car, boat, refrigerator, microwave, computer, or any other important machines or devices; your customer owns; are totally unaware of the economy and its current status. They have no idea that now is not a good time to breakdown, leaving their owner in an even bigger jam. Depending on the severity of the breakdown and the cost of the repair; a large majority of people will look for a way to afford replacing it rather than investing another nickel to fix it.  In their mind they will justify making a payment and not having to worry about breakdowns for a while.

If you want to pull your sales career out of the rut it is in. Then you need to surround yourself with the successful sales people in your company. Quit hanging out with the doom and gloom club. Keep positive, keep focused, set weekly and monthly goals. You are a winner, now act like one!

Is Loud Music A Motive for Taking A Life?

I do not know about you, I really am bothered when some car or SUV pulls up around me, music so loud. So loud, that I can feel my car vibrating. If I wanted to listen to that garbage I would have it in my own car. For those of you that enjoy the music this loud, please has some consideration for those around you. Not everyone wants to hear this, or feel it for that matter. The one thing that we can all be certain of is that audiologist are going to have a lot of job security in the future. Because as you get older you are going to suffer, a significant amount hearing loss. You will eventually need hearing aids. I often get mad over this; I wish that I had a gun in my glove compartment or under the seat. Not to kill anyone but too disable the vehicle so that as I continued my journey I would not have to listen to it any longer. However, I never carry a loaded gun in my car, so there is no need to worry.

Under no circumstances is it ever Okay to hurt or kill someone for something as trivial as loud music, cussing, or drinking.  Unless you are being attacked or fearful, of losing your life; should you ever resort to this type of conduct. This is what Michael Dunn resorted to after he had asked some young men who he had pulled up next to him at a gas station in Jacksonville Florida, on November 23 2012. After he had asked them to turn it down, the teens did as he asked, for a moment. Knowing that it was going to upset Michael Dunn they turned it back up. According to Michael Dunn he could see, and thought he heard one of the teens, Jorden Davis threaten him. Then after seeing what he thought could be the barrel of gun, or a large stick. Dunn pulled the gun from his glove compartment. He put four bullets in the Suv. Now if I was being shot at and I had a gun I would definitely be shooting back. I think that most people would. There was no return gunfire. That is because there was no gun. As the Teens were leaving the scene Dunn shot at least 4-6 more times at the SUV. A total of 10 shots were fired into the vehicle. Jordan Davis had taken 3 of those bullets. If they were leaving the scene then there is no longer a threat. Therefore, why did he need to continue shooting? He didn't need to, Michael Dunn chose to.

When the teens left they drove to the plaza not far from the shooting. The police never searched the plaza, or the dumpsters around the plaza for a gun. This has led to a lot of criticism of the law enforcement agencies that were involved in the investigation. This causes a problem for the defense, because now they cannot prove beyond a shadow a doubt that Jordan Davis threatened Michael Dunn. To the best my knowledge, and from what I've heard while watching the trial. None of these teenagers had any prior police records. After emptying his 9 mm handgun, Michael Dunn sped off. He and his girlfriend registered at the bed-and-breakfast they had reserved. And then they ordered pizza. If he felt that he was justified in shooting at the SUV then why did he drive off? Why not stay at the scene and make a police report. Prior to this incident Michael Dunn had been at a wedding where he had been drinking. Yet supposedly it wasn't enough to impair his judgment.

So far Michael Dunn has denied that race had anything to do with this. It was all about Jordan Davis threatening him. And of course this makes sense, because to kill somebody over loud music would surely end in a verdict of guilty. While no one can confirm what Michael Dunn was thinking at that time we can surely speculate. Unfortunately we live in a society where we profile people by the way they look, the way they act, the way they dress, and their ethnic background. Now you have four African-American male teenagers riding around in an S UV listening to loud rap music, that a lot of people find offensive, and being somewhat disrespectful. For a lot of people that spells trouble. You be the judge.

Yet all three of the remaining teens have testified that Jordan Davis did not make any threats toward Michael Dunn. They also testified that the music was loud and that they couldn't hear anything Michael Dunn was saying. So if they could not hear Michael Dunn, then it is obvious, that if Jordan Davis had threatened Michael Dunn they would not have heard that either. According to Michael Dunn, the victim Jordan Davis was getting out of the vehicle. However, evidence shows that the trajectory of the bullets that hit the vehicle, it was not possible. There are so many things about this case that just don't add up.

It is this writer's opinion, that what we have here is a middle-aged man that made a very bad decision. I also believe that Jordan Davis and his friends, deliberately instigated Dunn's enraged state of mind. But in no way does that justify Michael Dunn's actions. I have serious doubts that the teens had a gun or any other weapon in the vehicle. If they had you can rest assure that they would returned fire, and would have been justified in doing so. It is also my belief that Michael Dunn might have consumed more alcohol than what he stated. This would have impaired his ability to make rational decisions. This whole thing is certainly a tragedy; several people's lives have been affected by this crime. I also have to wonder why this is just now coming to trial; this crime took place more than a year ago. It would appear to me that the memories of the witnesses wouldn't be as fresh. And that this would cause problems for both the defense and the prosecution. One would, also think that the more heinous crimes would go to trial much quicker.  All People need to be more respectful of others. People should not let trivial things, such as bad driving, loud music, and vulgar hand gestures, cause them to be enraged. Something that a friend told me, "Don't allow others to have free rent in your head." As you are running their dastardly deed through your mind; thinking about what you should have told them. Or what you should have done to them. They are driving merrily along, totally unaware that they have control over your thoughts.