Lovely County Citizen: Opinion

Columnists

Beth Bartlett

Country Bookseller >>

Small, Slow and Local >>

Wisecrack Zodiac (09/01/10)
Aries:Feeling edgy? If you had all the answers, you would be able to account for those missing days in Vegas last month. Don't worry, all will be revealed soon. Very revealed. Taurus:It's the little things that make life worth living. Like being a little crazy, a little humble, and finally achieving a little ass that fits into those skinny jeans. Good work...

The Natural Way (09/01/10)
Vitamin D3 continues to be the supplement which enjoys the most grand of cotillions. For decades we were told to be careful and not take too much for fear of becoming toxic. So, we dutifully starved ourselves of proper amounts and helped create or contribute to many kinds of ailments...

Another View - Show a beautiful talent (09/01/10)
This is my first year here, so what do I know about this Folk Queen contest? Maybe it's the purest, most righteous contest in the nation... all about girls' and boys' native beauty, intelligence, and genuine talents. But I will tell you of my experiences with -- and thoughts about -- small-town beauty contests... or even "Miss Universe Beauty Pageants," the most recent one so much in the news these late days...

Citizen Forum (09/01/10)
Editor, I find the "issues" delineated by mayoral candidates myopic. 1. Parking and parking meters? Hasn't Eureka Springs been promoting itself as a tourist destination since the 1970s? Why is parking still an issue after four decades? 2. Sidewalks? Another problem that could have been, should have been solved decades ago...

Out of Arkansas - Campaigning 101 (09/01/10)
In order: Kiss the baby. Pet the dog. Get it? Got it. Good. P.S. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. The hand in this case would be the residents of our town, meaning those who pay tourist taxes and property taxes, and city sales taxes, and county taxes, and state taxes, and CAPC taxes...

Editorial - Just say NO (09/01/10)
In the latest front/affront in the war on a medicinal herb, the U.S. government, with help from the Arkansas National Guard, state police and the sheriff, invaded the gardens of Carroll County residents, terrorizing citizens, endangering lives and wasting resources. Shame on all those participating in these unconstitutional, tyrannical, police state tactics...

Citizen Forum (08/25/10)
Editor, I don't know Carl Bowles, and perhaps he didn't really mean what he wrote to the editor in last week's Lovely County Citizen. A person can misspeak and be grossly misunderstood. A letter might imply things the writer may really not mean. Can that possibly be the case? I know most readers of the Citizen won't give Mr. Bowles the benefit of the doubt...

The Natural Way - Mercury in retrograde (08/25/10)
This week, I'm sharing a letter received in response to my column on high fructose corn syrup. Draw your own conclusions. Dear Mr. Fain, I am writing on behalf of the Corn Refiners Association, which represents the manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup in the United States. ...

Wisecrack Zodiac (08/25/10)
Aries: Not even Peter Piper could pick the pickled predicament you're in. Pimp up a peace offering, and if the pissed person doesn't take it, feel free to pee a little before you're pummeled with your own pepper. Taurus: You're going to have something on Tuesday that's rarer than a naked hot chick on Chatroulette: an actual, honest-to-goodness lucky break. Enjoy your good fortune, then frame it, scrapbook it or blog it so everyone will be jealous...

Out of Arkansas -BOO Who? (08/25/10)
Eureka is vying for Branson's claim of being one of the world's largest parking lots. Take a look around downtown. What do you see? A sea of metal signs and parking meter heads peeking around the corners of winding streets, limestone walls, and 100-year-old buildings...

Editorial - Boys and their toys? (08/25/10)
The men who flew over our gardens last week in camouflage clothes paid for by us, or in black t-shirts that said Sheriff (paid for by us) or dea (paid for by us from a covert fund) in borrowed helicopters with unstrapped pistols on their sides, might not have cared about their mission. It wasn't just a job, it was an adventure...

THE NATURAL WAY (08/18/10)
Arkansas has the third-highest number of diseases per capita, beaten only by West Virginia and Tennessee. Seven diseases that cost the state $13.9 billion are heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, lung conditions, mental disorders and stroke. Medical treatment would cost $2.6 billion, and with lost productivity including missed workdays by employees, family and friends who are caregivers, as well as lower output, costs reach $11.3 billion...

Wisecrack Zodiac (08/18/10)
Aries:You can't expect everything to come up roses when all you lay down is crap and no seeds. Try planting a few lovely ideas in your secret garden and watch something lovely unfold. Taurus:A sudden burst of energy will grab you on Tuesday; you'll either clean the toilet or go windsurfing. Both options will make waves in crystal blue water...

Citizen Forum (08/18/10)
Editor, I was disappointed at the result of last council's discussion about Eureka's deer problem. Again, instead of taking action, council choose to defer to the voters the decision whether to have a game and fish department-controlled hunt to thin the HUGE deer herd in city limits...

Out of Arkansas - BOO (08/18/10)
According to the mayor, removing parking meters from the Historic District will cost the city $417,944.57 "plus the one hundred eighty five thousand and some odd thousand dollars for parking revenue." What? Would that be exactly "some odd thousand dollars for parking?"...

Editorial - Last chance? (08/18/10)
Friday at 10 a.m. in the Berryville Courtroom, the ordinance to create a Public Facilities Board for rural water comes again before the Quorum Court. Enough Justices of the Peace have concerns about this ordinance that it was tabled at the July meeting...

The Natural Way (08/12/10)
Mercury and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) apparently have been paired for a long time, dating back to the start of the replacement of cane sugar in too many foods and drink to list. Science has only recently looked at high fructose corn syrup. Our kids commonly get doses of each of these by drinking soda and juice beverages, although they can be found in a very long list of kids' food...

Wisecrack Zodiac (08/12/10)
Aries:Forget the frying pan and the fire; you've jumped straight into the microwave. Hold that door and backtrack your way out, or you'll explode like a five-minute burrito. Taurus:A pack of wild garden gnomes steal all your underwear, and use them to sail their Viking bird bath flotilla to conquer an all-girls summer camp. You will be contacted in the official police inquiry...

Citizen Forum (08/12/10)
Editor, There seems to be a lack of understanding among the City of Eureka Springs' government when it comes to identifying an "artist." 1. I am a photographer who has sold her art online, to stock art houses, in the E.S. Sunday Market (paid $525 fee & taxes for a season); and Magee Jewelry has displayed my photography for nearly a year. I am a "scenery photographer."...

Out of Arkansas - Nothing and Every Thing (08/12/10)
As a town we pay, via the CAPC, thousands and thousands of dollars to persuade people to visit us. When they get here we swarm them like hungry mosquitoes. Before they even get out of their cars, we begin to nickel and dime them. Here's how it goes: A visitor finally finds a parking space. He steps out of the car and is immediately shocked to find out he needs a bucketful of quarters (25 cents buys 15 minutes of time)...

Editorial - Hot enough for ya? (08/12/10)
Everybody hears that question at least once when the weather turns steamy. But when temperatures in the high 90s combine with heavy humidity it's time to admit it is hot enough for a heat-related illness to take its toll with little warning. The season's first heat-related deaths in Arkansas began to be reported in June and the numbers are rising; so it's time to take note of the symptoms of heat illnesses and the preventive measures that can save lives...

Citizen Forum (08/06/10)
Editor: Just before putting that arrow between its ears you tell yourself it's for the good of the herd -- hard philosophy to follow as that deer is the herd. Same sort of reasoning as the culling of kangaroos in Australia, or the forced march of our Native Americans on the Trail of Tears. If anything or anyone becomes "troublesome" to us, we'll just wipe you out. You go white man just because you can!...

Wisecrack Zodiac (08/05/10)
Aries:Your job performance takes a dive when you see a special hottie on Thursday. If an idle mind is the devil's playground, that divine booty you're considering is the horny one's bouncy house. Try to stay busy or you'll end up on Workmen's Comp again...

The Natural Way (08/05/10)
Is global warming causing you to sweat or is it the dog days of summer? Global warming is about Earth adjusting itself and we can't do very much about the higher temperatures and humidity. We all need to do little things on a big level to help us survive the adjustment. However, we can attend our physical needs when we sweat too much...

Out of Arkansas - Rave On (08/05/10)
Well, folks, it's that time of year. The time of year when all sorts of politicians from sea to shiny sea shine us on by kissing babies, petting dogs, wrapping themselves in the American flag, and following the time-honored psychology of assumed similarity...