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Community Events Community Events Sponsored by:
Insperity’s Community Events... Page 4,5,6,7 Happy Birthdays...4 Military Minutes...8
American Idol News..14 Apple News... Texas Takes...18 Penny Uselton...19 Sex in the Woods...20 Home Country...21 World & Local...22 Crossword...24 Business Block...30 The Dam Gossip Rumor Has It...36
San Jacinto County Office of Emergency Management to Host CPR Class When the heart stops beating or someone stops breathing, there is only a 6-minute window for oxygen to reach the brain. A lack of oxygen can result in brain damage or death. By performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation—or CPR— there is a greater chance of survival until professional help arrives. Cardiac arrests can happen at any time, and are more common than people realize. Eightyeight percent of cardiac arrests occur at home, that’s nearly 383,000 heart attacks per year. According to the American Heart Association, if more people had CPR training, the number of individuals who die from sudden accidents such as a heart attack would decrease drastically. If a loved one life’s depended on you, would
you be prepared? No one should ever be placed in such a horrifying position, and that’s why the San Jacinto County Office of Emergency Management is happy to announce it will be hosting a series of CPR courses one Saturday of each month starting in April. The first CPR class will be held at the EOC from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.: Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 51 East Pine Ave, Coldspring Currently, the class is open to 16 students on a first come-first serve basis. A $10 donation will be asked to cover the cost of course materials. For more information on how to register, please contact 936-6533823 or 936 653-3395.
Michael Pace Ralph Howard Laura Maddox Troy Grooms Joe Leblanc Nena Sledge Julie Salyer Doyal Pat Stephenson Denise Laws Jennifer Hood Karen Pruitt Kerry Cassity Maire Avila-Moffet Karen Seal
Emily Petix Dr. Elizabeth Jarvis Amanda Jones Cassie Bryan JIm Ohmart Lynde Phillips Debra Clifton Elizaeth Kinsey Bob Lutz Jessica Sewell Kathleen O’Reilly Jamie Brown Powell Debbie Gustafson
It’s your birthday! Treat yourself to some HOMEMADE ice cream at Shuky-Deez! 202 N. Washington Ste 300, Livingston, TX 936.327.4144 (Pic:Crystal & Ceasar)
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Coldspring Area Public Library 2013 Donation Drive at Brookshire Brothers Grocery Brookshire Brothers Grocery Store is holding a donation drive for the Coldspring Area Public Library. This event will begin on Sunday April 14 and will end on Sunday, April 21, 2013. Customers at Brookshire Brothers will have an opportunity to make a donation when checking out. Contributions can be $1.00, $5.00, or whatever one wants to donate. This donation drive is being held during National Library Week, to emphasize the importance of our library to the Coldspring community. The library provides resources and services to the citizens of Coldspring and the surrounding area that would not otherwise be available. The Coldspring Area Public Library depends on community support for operating expenses – in fact, governmental sources (city and state governments) supply only 20% of the funding necessary to operate the library. Eighty percent (80%) of operational funds come from the community through donations and fundraisers such as this one. Monies raised through donations and fundraisApril 2013
ers provide income to pay for electricity and maintenance as well as the purchase of new resources for library patrons. Library Director Pam Neely said, “This community established our library over 25 years ago and has consistently contributed to its upkeep and operation. Those of us who work daily at the Coldspring Library are excited to have the support of Brookshire Brothers again in 2013! I hope that everyone in the community will participate in this drive. As always, we are grateful to the employees at Brookshire Brothers for their time and effort! Please say “yes” when asked if you would like to contribute at Brookshire Brothers checkout line”.
COLDSPRING Coldspring Area Business & Merchants Association 936.653.2332 Coldspring / San Jacinto County Chamber of Commerce P O Box 980, Coldspring, Texas 77331 936-653-2184 ccc@coldspringtexas.org Old Jail Museum - OPEN 200 Slade St Coldspring, Texas Hours: 2nd & 4th Saturday 10 am - 4pm 936-653-2009/2331 SJC Historical Sponsors Trades Day April 27th and the 4th Saturday of every month thru December. April Artisans looking for homemade items, artists, composer, painters; anyone that makes things with their own hands. More detailscall Barbara Shelton- Historical Chairperson or Betty Fisher 936-653-4788 Coldspring United Methodist Women are holding their sixth annual garage sale in the Church Fellowship hall from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, 2013. Furniture, household items, books, toys, ladies' accessories and much more will be for sale at very reasonable prices. Proceeds from the event will benefit mission projects both locally and worldwide. For more information, The Dam Good Times
contact the church office at 936-653-2287. LIVINGSTON Polk Co. Chamber of Commerce: PO Box 600 1001 US Hwy. 59 Loop N. Livingston, TX 77351 (936) 327-4929 or (800) 918-1305 Fax: (936) 327-2660 chamberadmin@livingston.net Livingston's "Art in the Park" will be held April 13th. The park is one block off South Washington and the Livingston courthouse. The park is on Tyler Street. Our picture shows Eddie Martin, owner of The Whistle Stop Restaurant, viewing his recently commissioned painting of his restaurant by local artist and instructor, Rose West. Many downtown scenes have been made into postcards and stationery. They will be for sale at the festival. GALVESTON www.galvestonchamber.com 2228 Avenue C #101 409.763.5326 After-5 Business Mixer hosted by the Beach Hut April 18, 2013 Thursday 5-6:30 pm The Beach Hut 731 Seawall Boulevard Galveston, TX 77550 (409) 770-0089 Erin Kay
Galveston Chamber of Commerce (409) 763-5326 ekay@galvestonchamber.com WINE FESTIVAL! Galveston Island, TX It’s that time again. The fourth annual Galveston Island Food & Wine Festival returns with exciting new additions. Last year’s event included 25 vineyards and over 130 different kinds of wine, and this year the event expects to surpass those numbers. The 4th Annual Food and Wine Fest kicks off with a preevent Blind Tasting on April 11, then the real deal starts April 19th with entertainment continuing through April 21st. From $20 to $115 there is a package that fits any budget and enough wine selections to satisfy the most critical palate. Pour into bliss this April and join in for a special springtime event that transforms Galveston Island’s Uptown Entertainment District into a food and wine lover’s paradise. With specialty food items, culinary events, sophisticated parties, and live musical entertainment, it is sure to be the event of the year. Enjoy wines from around the world paired with delicious local food, and learn first-rate tips from popular chefs and renowned winemakers. Page 5
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San Jacinto County Women’s League Meets April 11 The Women’s League of San Jacinto County will meet on April 11, 2013, at the Coldspring Community Center. Members and their guests should arrive at the Center between 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Lunch ($15.00 per person) will be served at noon. Judy Benestante, retired educator and local
winemaker, will present the program. She will tell us about her Coldspring vineyard. In April, members of the SJC Women’s League conduct their annual meeting. At this meeting the Nominations Committee presents a slate of officer candidates for 2013-2014. Membership dues for 2013-2014 will also be collected.
Members of the community are invited to attend this meeting and/or join the Women’s League of San Jacinto County. Membership dues are $15.00 per year. For more information call Arnette Daughterty at 936-377-3906.
Shop Local
Margaret and her sister travel to Mexico often and come back with a trailer full of goodies. I would check in regularly with them as you just never know what these two will find next! Jack Michael owns Jack’s Pawn and Auction Services. Jack and Helen have always jumped in and helped as auctioneer and money keeper (lol) at any function we hold to raise money fo rThe Youth Club of San Jacinto. Need an auctioneer for hire? Looking fo ra pawn shop and more? Call Jack! Bear Heating and Appliance is here for you this summer! Call them up if your AC goes out, you need a new one, you need service or you need an appliance fixed. They are fast, courteous and community driven. Jeanie’s Sweets & More...OMG! Have you SEEN this woman’s cakes? Who needs a fancy bakery in Houston when you can have Jeanie? No ONE! If you haven’t seen, or better
yet, tasted her work you are denying yourself the basic necessity in life...CAKE! Store@Coldspring can handle all of your storage needs. Need to store your boat or RV? Need to store extra furniture? Hide stuff from your ex? Well, we have just the spot for you! Coldspring also is home to the San Jacinto Republican club and The American Legion has a post (629) right on 3278 across from Browders.
It’s important to support your local businesses. On page 13 you can see a variety of businesses in Coldspsring, TX. Shabby Sheek Hair Salon is a funky, fun, inviting place where you can get highlighs, a trim or an overall new look! Stop by sometime and meet Kay Lynn and Katherine! Ever wanted to take art lessons in Oils? Well, Lisa Shewmaker is your girl! Art lessons for Coldspring area residents are $20 and supplies are furnished. Her website is shwmk3.wix.com/artclass. Paradise Gardens has a wide variety of gifts, furnishings and more! They were voted best gift shop in San Jacinto Co.! Coldspring Trading has been trading junk, err I mean antiques, since I have lived in Coldspring! What a wide variety of old world meets new world meets mix it all together! April 2013
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Livingston Art League
WHISTLE STOP CAFE: The Livingston Art League with Downtown Main Street will be hosting its' first outdoor art show this April 13. An in-
vitation is extended to all to view, and buy, the art work on display. Come on out and enjoy the arts and craft in the outdoors. Photo by Penny Uselton
They have live music often, steak night, poker runs and more! They are very committed to our veterans and are always sending care packages to our troops. Support them any way you can!
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Military Minutes Sponsored by... The USO’s Continuing Support for the Troops By Crystal Laramore On March 27 several USO officials from the Arlington, Virginia headquarters visited selected organizations and individuals in Dallas, Houston and Livingston. They lunched at Manny’s Seafood Restaurant with longtime supporters, Jack and Penny Uselton. The Uselton’s were updated on the many facets of work that the USO is now doing with special emphasis on a relatively new program called “Operation Enduring Care.” This program started several years ago at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany operated by the Department of Defense. For years, Landstuhl has been a place of refuge for soldiers and American civilians serving our country overseas if wounded or injured. In recent years, the USO started by handing out toiletries and new clothes to the hospitalized. This evolved into programs such as the USO in a Box , USO Free Calls Home, USO Free Internet and now Operation Enduring Freedom. Operation Enduring Freedom has expanded into a full time operation where a home-like atmosphere for the recovering, and April 2013
their families, adjacent to the hospital are being provided along with recreation opportunities; family events; and general outreach for the needs of the service personnel. BAMC (Brooks Army Medical Center) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio has one of the latest USO’s centers in Texas. Shown in our picture is a rendition of the recently opened Fort Belvior (Virginia) Warrior and Family Center. On November 7, 2011 groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the Walter Reed National Medical Center at Bethesda’s (Maryland) USO Warrior and Family Center. The work of the USO for our troops and their families is done by a small group of salaried employees; thousands of volunteers; and paid for by many, many donations. From foundations, charities and YOU, and I, come the dollars and cents for the operations. The United States Government does not and has never funded the USO. Since its inception February 4, 1941 they have helped millions of troops through entertainment (12% of their work); USO Centers at bases, airports and upfront military positions; ALWAYS
bearing in mind their first mission to uplift the troops; give them hope by making a difference in their morale. Please make a difference by joining the USO efforts with a contribution.
OOriginal riginal & LLargest argest GUN SH SHOW OW in TTexas exas uddyy, B udd ring A FFr riend!” “Tell A Buddy, Bring Friend!” -Burton -Burton Gilliam Gilliam
HGCA HGC A Gun Gun S Show how April pril 20th - A April pril 21st Saturday Saturday 9am-5pm Sundayy 10am-4pm Sunda RELIANT CENTER - H Hall all A Admission: $10 Admission: Children hildren 12-17 $5 • under 12 FREE
FFor or M More ore Info: Info:
www www.hgca.org .hgca.org
(www.uso.org/operationenduring-care.aspx) This is a rendition of the two story center recently opened and dedicated to lifting the spirits of our wounded, ill and injured troops, their families and caregivers throughout the rehabilitation process. It is one of many centers planned under the USO's "Operation Enduring Care."
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Get YOUR Copy of TDGT Coldspring American Legion Post 629 Browder’s Marina Bear Heating & Appliance Coldspsring Cafe Coldspring Library Crystal’s Bistro El Taquito Frank’s Liquor Lucky Star Cleaners Shell Valero
Livingston Bear Arms Car Care Corner Coburn's CB’s
FNB of Livingston Gigs of Knowledge Indian Hills Marina My Place Cafe
People’s State Bank Pedigo Furniture Post Net Premier Tire Pueblo Viejo Signs & Printing Shrimp Boat Manny’s Shipley’s Donuts Shuky-Deez Urgent Doc Clinic
West U El Paso Furniture Kirby Cleaners Krogers Randalls Rice Epicurian Specs Collectors Firearms on Fondren & Richmond ALSO On Line at thedamgoodtimes.com Powered by: Gigs of Knowledge
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Boundsautoplex.net Letter from the Editor: We know there are a million places to place your advertising dollars and we are not only grateful you choose to place your hard earned money in our hands but we want to assure you it’s the RIGHT place! We are a group of networkers at heart; from the people who read/subscribe to the people who contribute to the people who do our ad-work all the way to our editors. We are addicted to networking! Currently we have distribution in 17 states and from Clear Lake to Lake Livingston and a lot of places in between. Wherever your business is...it is in the right spot to advertise with us! The Dam Good Times travels all over the world getting attention. Recently one of our Livingston readers had our paper in New York and now we have our THIRD subscriber there! Now, that may not sound like a lot but seriously, its us we’re talking about! The Dam Good Times paper has spread across this country in a way that humbles my heart. We are passed out at gun shows and various conventions throughout Texas as well. We have been seen and read by some of the most influential people in the United States of America and April 2013
have received countless accolades for our unwavering patriotism. We support our troops in word and in deed and we love, love, love our country and our constitution. Know that when you spend money advertising with us the gig isn’t up just yet...we talk about our advertisers in our daily lives, we facebook for our advertisers, we tweet about you and you are visible on our website for anyone in the world to see you. We are continuously at events and we are continuously newtworking...I think I said that once already...In essence, we are passionate about our publication and our advertisers! When you advertise with us people know you are a trustworthy source of information and/or services. Our goal is to have a small group of loyal advertisers who believe the way we do; in a strong America, a strong military, the right to bear arms and a small government. We believe in freedom, liberty and justice for all! It's a win-win for our advertisers. They receive ads in a widespread, appreciated newspaper and their advertising dollars continue to support our constitutional rights. Who is John Galt? Crystal Laramore crystal@thedamgoodtimes.com.
Colorado Shooting Competition Canceled in Wake of New Gun Control Laws
Organizers of the Rocky Mountain Western States Regional IDPA Championship scheduled to take place in Montrose, Colorado, canceled the competition due to the state’s new gun control laws. IDPA reported: Organizers of the Rocky Mountain Western States Regional IDPA Championship, initially scheduled to take place July 4-6 in Montrose, Colorado, have announced that the match is being canceled in the wake of Colorado’s recently passed gun control laws. An estimated 300The Dam Good Times
plus shooters from the neighboring states and across the country were expected to attend the three-day competitive shooting event. This is the second shooting competition to abandon the state after a recent announcement by firearms maker Ruger that it was moving the 2013 Ruger Rimfire Challenge World Championship out of Colorado. “With these new Colorado laws going into effect July 1, and based on the ambiguous way in which they were written, we have decided to cancel the Rocky Mountain
Western States Regional IDPA Championship,” said event organizer Walt Proulx of Grand Junction. “Due to the growing number of hunters and shooters choosing to boycott Colorado, and the risk that these laws as written will turn lawabiding citizens into criminals, we were left with no other choice but to cancel what was planned to be one of IDPA’s major regional championships, and one strongly supported by Montrose-area businesses.”
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46 Senators Voted to Turn Your Gun Rights Over to the UN! Sent in by the Colorado Bureau of TDGT The anti-gun senators are all Democrats or socalled Independents. Note that both Colorado Senators voted yes. Fortunately, the odious, anti-American treaty was again voted down by the full Senate, but 46 Senators voted in favor of handing over our Constitutional rights to the UN. Senator Jim Inhofe (ROK) offered Amendment 139 that was passed with a 53 to 46 vote. His Amendment contained language to affirm that
foreign treaties would not trump the U.S. Constitution. “Mr. President,” Inhofe said on the floor of the Senate, “I want to make sure that everyone understands what the United Nations trade treaty is. The trade treaty is a treaty that cedes our authority to have trade agreements with our allies in terms of trading arms.” He went on to say, “I want to very briefly read this so nobody over there or over here misunderstands what this amendment does. This is right
out of the amendment. Uphold the Second Amendment rights, that is one thing. And secondly, prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations arms trade treaties.” But many Democrats simply didn’t agree with Inhofe’s insistence that the U.S. Constitution trump the UN. Forty-six DemocratsIndependents favored ceding your Constitutional rights over to the United Nations. SEE LIST ON PAGE 12
Free Veteran Legal Clinic FREE Legal Advice For U.S. Veterans Saturday, April 13, 2013 9 a.m. - Noon Texas A&M University Galveston Mary Moody Northen Student Center Seawolf Parkway/Pelican Island Galveston, TX 77554
advice and counsel; financial guidelines apply for free legal representation. Clinic open to all U.S. veterans and spouses of deceased veterans. Sponsored by the TAMUG Student Veterans Association, the Galveston County Bar Association and the Houston Bar Foundation For information call 713759-1133 www.hba.org.
No appointment necessary. Legal issues may include family law, wills and probate, consumer, property, tax, disability and veterans benefits, as well as other legal problems or questions. All veterans can receive legal April 2013
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Senators Voted to Turn Your Gun Rights Over to the UN! Baldwin (D-WI) Baucus (D-MT) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Coons (D-DE) Cowan (D-MA) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN Gillibrand (D-NY) Harkin (D-IA) Hirono (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Klobuchar (D-MN) Landrieu (D-LA) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Reed (D-RI) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)
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Open leer to Governor Hickenlooper Dear sir, As it is now known that you have signed into law three new pieces of legislation curtailing my inalia civil rights I would like to know exactly how these laws are to be enforced so that I might avoid the pitfalls of unintentional violation in which many will be ensnared. I address my questions to you sir, since I am sure that you, as a public servant sworn to uphold both the US and Colorado constitutions would never endorse a law without fully understanding all of its ramifications. I understand that if I were to purchase a firearm from my neighbor I will now be required to undergo a CBI background check. To accomplish this I understand that both I and my neighbor must find a gun store, wait in line, and hope that the licensed
dealer is willing to conduct the check for me and also hope that he has time in his busy schedule to do that instead of selling guns or ammunition that is flying off the shelf for real profits. I also understand that this licensed dealer will be entitled to charge a fee for his time in conducting the check and maintaining the records of my sale. I believe that fee commonly varies among dealers between 35 to 40 dollars in addition to the 10 dollars nowpayable to CBI, thus adding 25 to 50 dollars onto the agreed price of the gun. I also understand that CBI has a considerable backlog of checks pending and thus we might have to wait and return again to the dealer after several days to a week when the check has finally been completed by CBI. Question 1. Is the
ATTENTION Republicans! The Polk County Republican Club meets the first Tuesday of each month and beginning in March (5) the meetings will be held at Shrimp Boat Manny’s.
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state going to pay this “fee” back to citizens who are exercising constitution rights or does the Democratic party also intend to impose similar “fees” on Colorado residents intent on exercising their right to free speech, religion, voting, trial by jury etc.? Question 2. Who is liable under this law? Is it the buyer or the seller or both? If it is somehow learned that a firearm was transferred without a background check who goes to jail? Question 3. Is every FFL dealer required to conduct checks for private transactions or can he refuse to check any buyers not purchasing from his own inventory? Question 4. Since this is an imposition on the dealer's time under what authority can you or the legislature require a dealer to conduct checks if he chooses not to do so. Question 5. Is there a limit on the fee a dealer
can charge for conducting these checks? Question 6. How is a law enforcement officer to know if a private transaction was conducted before or after the law took effect, or for that matter how is he to know any transaction ever occurred at all if neither party reports it? Question 7. Since it appears that compliance with this requirement is pretty much voluntary just how does this enhance public safety to impose restriction and financial penalties on the law abiding when those who choose to ignore the law can do so with near impunity? Question 8. Lastly, do you expect me to be stupid enough to vote for you or any of the Democrat fools in the Colorado House or Senate who shoved this new law down our throats? Thank You, Pat Pentland, Ph.D.
The Dam Good Times is now HIRING Trained Sales Professionals, who want to lead a team, for the Clear Lake/League City/Friendswood Area. Send Resume to news@thedamgoodtimes.com or mail it to POB 911 Coldspring, TX 77331
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East Texas OWNS American Idol
Amber Holcomb By Crystal Laramore And Amber owned “Lately” by Stevie Wonder last week when she sang like a girl on fire and earned a standing ovation from the judges! Mariah said, “And THAT was Tour de Force! Does anybody know what that means?!” She went on to explain but it was just a series of bleeps...I assumed it meant really flippin amazing! Randy Chimned in with “The best vocal of the night!” To be honest I didn’t know that girl had THAT voice inside of her! I was especially glad that she took Niki’s advice and wore pink lipstick which Niki acknowledged. Amber Holcomb is from Shepherd, TX which is next door to Coldspring, TX. Maybe next time Amber is home she can sing at Crystal’s Bistro! We’re rooting for you girl! Holcomb previously April 2013
auditioned in season 11, Kree Harrison but was cut in the Las the age of eight, little Vegas round where she Kree was chosen to perwas grouped with season form on The Rosie O'12 finalist Curtis Finch, Jr. Donnell Show's “Most and season 11 finalists Talent Kids” episode! She Shannon Magrane and appeared as a guest on Joshua Ledet. the show four times by the time she was twelve. Kree Harrison The experience found Harrison developing relaGrowing up in tionships with manageWoodville, TX Kree has ment companies and been performing since record labels. She signed she was three years old. a record deal with Lyric She was named after ac- Street Records when she tress Cree Summer. At was ten, but disagreed
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with their vision for her. "They very quickly started talking about a Disney sitcom to launch a pop singing career for me. Suddenly I was singing music that wasn't the sound I wanted to make, which was traditional country." As her first brush with career confusion set in, Harrison received some tragic news. Her father had been killed in a plane crash when she was eleven. That experience led Harrison to return home to Texas and put her music career on hold. At age thirteen, Harrison returned to Nashville with her sister. Trey Bruce signed her to a publishing deal with
Chrysalis at sixteen and began to work on an album when she was once again hit with bad news. Her mother had passed away in a car accident when Harrison was nineteen. Harrison's deal with Chrysalis eventually fell through. Prior to American Idol Kree worked as a demo singer. She has the eye of Smoky Robinson on the show and he even called up his long-time pal and neighbor, Aretha Franklin, and told her she should watch Kree’s performance of her song on the show. Not only did Aretha, the queen of soul, watch the performance, but she called into the show live and told Kree what an amazing job she did singing "Don't Play That Song for Me". The message brought tears to Kree's eyes and Mariah to her feet. It was a very powerful moment. What a joy it has been to watch this season knowing there is so much talent representing East Texas! And, there are a couple of other amazing women on the show too. Janelle Arthur and Candice Glover are in it to win it as is Angie Miller. But as for the men...they can all go ahead and go home...their music is falling flat this season. I predict all five women are left at the end and it’s show after show of “good-bye to you” for the boys.
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Spring into Action with a Fresh Look at Skin Trends! Do some spring-cleaning on your face by sweeping away those old skin cells and uncover fresh skin with a laser peel by Dr. Monsalvez. April Special: Laser Peels only $225 That = a $150 savings! Experience how the laser peel tones your skin, sweeps away old skin cells, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, fades acne scars, treats acne prone skin, lightens pigmentation and much more. This is not your ordinary peel; it’s much more than just laser resurfacing and the result is fresh, beautiful healthy skin! Schedule your peel at this special price today! Dr. Monsalvez will be in the office performing the laser peel Thursday, April 11th. Schedule your appointment today! First come, first serve!
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SJC Women’s League 2013 Spring Luncheon and Style Show The SJC Women’s League annual Spring Luncheon and Style Show, held on Thursday, March 14, 2013, was extremely successful. One hundred forty tickets were sold for this event, which raised over $3600.00. In addition to the luncheon, which was prepared by the Church Ladies, those attending the event were treated to a style show presented by Sue’s on the Lake in Onalaska. Members of the League modeled spring fashions and accessories. Those attending also participated in a silent auction featuring items donated by League members and businesses in the community. These items included artwork by Mary Nicklow, flower-filled pottery, kitchen accessories, home decorative items, baked goods, gift certificates to area businesses, and many other treasures.
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Funds earned by this and other Women’s League fundraisers are used for scholarships and donations to civic and service entities in our community. Photo 1: During the style show Brenda Shuttlesworth modeled this bright summer outfit. Photo2:Thanks to Spring Break, several granddaughters got to attend the event. They even participated in the style show. Photo 3: Luncheon dessert was peach cobbler and ice cream – what could be better? Photo 4: Joan Sikkelee wowed everyone with this colorful skirt and tunic!! Photo 5: The models, all members of Women’s League, took a much deserved bow at the end of the show. Photo 6: Silent Auction items were a huge success! Thanks to every-
one who donated an item!
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SEQUESTER PAKISTAN - SEND MONEY TO EDUCATE OUR TROOPS WASHINGTON-Ted Poe Mr. Speaker, America’s young warriors risk it all to protect and serve the rest of us. They put themselves in harm’s way not only to protect America, but to defend the freedoms of people they have never seen in lands they have never been in. Some join right out of high school with the promise that they can further their education while in the military. This helps not only our troops, but an educated military helps America. Now the administration has broken another promise. Thousands of troops can no longer go to college because the education program has been scuttled. For the sake of politics, the “Chicken Little Administration” has handpicked programs to cut that would make Americans feel the sequester the most. One of those programs is the Military Tu-
ition Assistance program. Mr. Speaker, tuition assistance for our military is not much money. The Pentagon, the Department of Defense, has a budget of $700 billion. This little program is 0.1 percent of the $700 billion Department of Defense program. The Tuition Assistance program is great because it’s one of the ways our government can take care of our men and women who help us. It has allowed members of the military to take 870,000 courses and graduate 50,000 individuals for several degrees. That is remarkable. But the program is gone, thus saith the White House. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hearing from several southeast Texans who are disappointed because Washington has broken another promise. Dr. Norman Lefee, a science teacher at Klein High School in Texas, said this: “I encourage
my students to join the military as a way to open up a possibility for higher education. Oftentimes, they come from families where they are the first high school graduate and the first person to graduate from college. Now that opportunity is being taken away from them. It’s not fair. I got these kids to join the military. Now the Administration has broken its promise.” Brian wrote me this: “I am Active Duty Coast Guard and one of your constituents. I was one class away from obtaining a master’s degree and the Tuition Assistance program was now canceled. Why?” Jerri from Houston wrote me this: “As a combat medic in the National Guard, I currently use my tuition assistance to pay for my Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. I want to stay in the military. I hope to move directly to a commission on Active Duty as a psychiatrist or psychologist in
the Army and serve soldiers with PTSD.” Education is the greatest equalizer, and service members’ access to af fordable education will only make our country stronger. Restore our tuition assistance. There’s more, Mr. Speaker, Last year, the marines spent roughly $47 million on tuition assistance -- $47 million out of a $700 billion Department of Defense budget. However, education assistance is not being cut for everybody. During the same year, Washington spent $12.7 million on higher education in Pakistan. That’s right, Mr. Speaker. We spent more than one-fourth of what we spent on education for the marines to fund higher education for the Pakistanis. And that’s not all. Since the sequester, the administration has approved $37 million in foreign aid to Pakistan. Why are we funding education programs for our Benedict Arnold ally
when we can’t fund – or don’t fund – the education for our military? And to Pakistan of all places, where hatred for America is at its highest. Washington should watch it’s spending and prioritize. It’s time, Mr. Speaker, to sequester Pakistan. Why are we cutting the aid for our military and educating the people in Pakistan. The Administration has the power and ability to make it right; but if this program is not reinstated, I am going to introduce legislation to withhold nondefense foreign aid from Pakistan until this wonderful program for our troops is fully funded. The President should stop punishing our troops. We have a moral obligation to take care of our warriors that protect us. The President says he is the education President. Well, Mr. President, let the troops go to school. And that’s just the way it is.
Historical SJC Jail Museum Needs a Few Good Volunteers! Do you love history? Well, we’d love to have your assistance! We want to share the amazing history of the San Jacinto County Old Jail Museum with the public and we need volunteers! We are seeking adult volunteers to give only three hours of their time on a rotating basis. There are two shifts: 10am - 1pm and 1pmApril 2013
The Dam Good Times
4pm on the 2nd or 4th Saturday of each month. Volunteers may occasionally be asked to give tours on additional days. Training will be provided. Our jail has provided education and entertainment for years, not to mention it’s the best site in the county for the Hallowee Hay-Rides! Children from all over our area love to visit our
jail...as well as adults! Interested parties should contact either Barbara Shelton at 713-628-2402 or Brenda Wiggins at 936-577-4204.
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Commentary Texas Takes Belief
By Matt Bruner I just read an article talking about how stupid people must be, based on what they believe. Some people believe in fairies, some in unicorns, some deny the moon landing, some deny global warming. False premise - what people believe and what they deduce from facts is often different. The foundations of religious faith are based on beliefs counter to evidence. Were it otherwise, we would currently be worshipping iPads, not our world panoply of benevolent but judgmental creators. Further, the ability to entertain conflicting information is a sign of intelligence, not stupidity. Many scientists are Christians even though they understand that their faith conflicts with science. Many Africans believe in Catholicism and Animism, and are not troubled by the rational conflicts. American Indians are content with conflicting Christian, traditional and scientific views. It is not a sign of stupidity - it is a sign of April 2013
who and what they are. At worst, it might be considered hedging. At best, it embraces a complex world, where there can be more than one answer to an important question. Everyone has beliefs beyond what can be seen and touched. Even attempting to believe in only what can be seen and touched denies the existence of life itself. We are more than just buckets of amino acids. These people with beliefs contrary to those of the article writer are not stupid. Maybe the writer of the article is just intolerant . Several years ago, while I was still living in Atlanta, I left my rental properties to go home for several hours to catch up on a project there. I was accompanied by my able assistant Martin’. About half way between house and apartments, we came upon a very sad sight. A worker had been driving a big open truck filled with the remains of someone’s roof – a huge load of shingles, tar paper and nails. The load had become unrestrained and spilled into the street in a trail about forty yards long and a lane and a half wide. We saw the driver, alone, sitting at the side of the
road about to cry. I drove past and then turned around. As fate would have it, we had shovels, brooms and trash cans in the back of my pickup. Without discussion, we pulled up and went to work. The truck driver saw us, his face lit up, and he joined in. Hard work for sure, but we made a quick job of it, returning all of the hazardous and unsightly mess back into the truck bed. About the time we finished, the police arrived. The officer instantly came to me, being the non-brownskinned one, and surely the boss. I explained to him that I was not the boss, it was not my truck, the mess was not mine, I did not know the driver, I had no responsibility in the matter, but I just wanted to help. I don’t think he believed me, but I turned and walked away, Martin’ and I hopped into my truck and we drove off. I don’t claim Karma specifically, but I do think we get some kind of reward for our good acts, The Dam Good Times
beyond bragging rights. One of my favorite quotes is from Vice-Admiral Stockdale: "Do the right thing even if it means dying like a dog when no one's there to see you do it." This from a man who lived that quote in the face of torture and really expected to be killed. Cleaning up someone’s pile of shingles and nails seems pretty pathetic by comparison, but it was
my good deed, but maybe not in the way you would first think. Martin’, my assistant, was a man of very few words, particularly in his limited English vocabulary. He would say “thank you” for a good lunch, for his pay, or for help with a dirty or difficult task. He lived with several other men, no car, no phone, very limited social life. See Texas Takes Pg. 17 Page 18
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What Difference Does It Make NOW?
By Penny Uselton It makes ALL the difference in the world! When something happens to us, whether it be good or bad, it often behooves us to know how we got to that point. If the result was good,
maybe we want to repeat how we went about achieving such a pleasant result. On the other hand, if we are unhappy about the results of something we did, and don’t want to repeat it, it may make a difference in our future approach to the problem. We should want to learn from our mistakes and not suffer future repeated consequences. So former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, it does make a difference NOW and HOW Americans were killed and not protected, or rescued, by our government! Benghazi was a FIASCO of the first order! Someone messed
Liberals Sure Do Love to Tax the Rich (and Other Popular Myths) By Marcus Ebenhack Pearland, TX marcusandlori@comcast.net I am tired of the myth that liberals want the rich to pay more taxes. And that it is accepted as gospel, or even worse, scientific consensus. It’s complete hogwash. I originally wrote this in response to a question as to why liberals would oppose a flat consumption tax, as it would be a very progressive tax in that it would be borne more by the rich, who consume more, than the poor, who consume less. To the questioner’s mind, “this is what liberals want, isn’t it?” No it isn’t. Liberals don't want the rich to pay April 2013
more taxes. They just want us moronic voters to think that they want the rich to pay more taxes, and it's worked like a charm for them for a very long time, hasn’t it? 'Investment' is liberal code for spending they like. 'Loophole' is liberal code for 'spending they don't like' , though I must confess to being hard pressed to identify much spending that liberals don't like, so I think what it means is spending on 'the rich' that can be blamed on evil Republicans, but the rich still vote so they are reluctant to alienate them completely. Yes, I know, technically a 'loophole' isn't spending at all, rather the government allowing you keep a little
up royally; NO ONE wants to take the blame; five American men were killed; 34 were saved by two of the men and we are still trying to get the information from our government to rectify the mistakes made and keep those mistakes from reoccurring. Now we have been told that, “You (that is us) didn’t build that business yourself! Somebody (government) did it for you.” Huh? What difference does it make that our president, and many of his cronies, believe this? It makes all the difference in the world! They just don’t get it. They don’t understand more of your own money, but remember, we're talking about liberals here and to them it isn't 'your' money we're talking about, it's 'our' money, so allowing you to keep more of it has, is, and to them, always will be, 'spending'. In the same vein, why don’t liberals want means testing for Social Security and Medicare? So they can say that these are programs that benefit 'everybody' , and as they do in fact benefit the rich as well as the poor, the rich won't oppose them, though these are still, in net, wealth redistribution schemes, although, interestingly enough, more from young to old than rich to poor, yet somehow, a win for them none the less. I tried, but can't figure this out either. But let’s get back to The Dam Good Times
Economics 101 or what it takes to start, build and run a business while all the time having to jump through hoops to follow “government regulations.” Our president, with his pal advisors, knows well how to make end runs around The Constitution of the United States which is the law of this country. Instead he is making his own rules; appointing his own people to government positions; and, in general, dictating the rules without any vote, or approval, by Congress. That is making a mockery of our representative government and it does make a difference! Our representatives,
in both houses of Congress, are not effectively keeping the Executive Branch of government in check. What difference does it make now? By not keeping the balance of power as it should be, the president is exercising near dictatorial powers by not being forced to consult Congress or to get their approval on policy, legislation and appointments. Congress is at fault by not keeping our government economically stable. That is what I call the “easy come, easy go syndrome.” Very few in the democrat party are risking their necks for the USA! Politics and getting
the liberal passion for taxing the evil rich. Our tax code is the root of all evil, it is most of what ails our country today. A consumption tax, or even a flat income tax, makes so much sense that it would be dead immediately upon arrival on Harry Reid's desk, on the off chance it ever made it that far. If our elected representatives scrapped our serpentine tax code in favor of something as sensible as a consumption or flat income tax it would instantly eliminate the power they have to bestow favors upon those willing to pay lots and lots of money for those favors. Companies like GE and Google paying ZERO taxes on BILLIONS of dollars of revenue, Democrats 'looking out for the middle class' and
'asking everyone to pay their fair share' notwithstanding. The tax code is, quite simply, the life blood of the crony capitalism that is destroying our Republic and it is what makes a Senate or House seat worth the millions of dollars spent to acquire one. It saddens me to say it but we really do have the best government money can buy. So I suppose the short answer to the question as to why liberals, or to be completely fair, any politician, would oppose a consumption or flat income tax , is that it's not about fairness, or about making the rich pay more, they obviously don't want to, or they would. It's about nothing more than power and greed, their code for this is 'public service', it really is that simple. Page 19
See What Difference Pg.
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Sex in the Woods The Big Bad Buck vs. Baby Wipes in the Wild
By Crystal Laramore Recently my AC sent me an article re: Elk Hunting. Grrrr. Sounds manly right. Makes you ladies think about dirty men uh? I mean manly men who are dirty…well, seriously…manly men covered in dirt…is that better? I digress…makes ME think about manly men with 5 O’clock shadows, wearing Carhartt coats and big boots. I think about manly men with hunting knives out, blood on their hands, a sliver of Bahia grass between their teeth sitting around a campfire shooting whisky-cuz they can. Got a visual NOW? Try this: Can you see their silhouettes pressing through the dense, smoky fog on an early Colorado dawn, tracking their way through muddy fields, up and down rocky slopes, stalking their prey in the wilderness God made especially for them to be Wild at Heart? Can you see the shotgun slung over their shoulApril 2013
ders, huge knife firmly in it’s holster, jerky in a bagjust in case, and plenty of ammo for the elusive big one that is sure to pass their way today? Or, do you see a bunch of sniveling guys cooking on a stove top in a pop-up camper using plenty of hand sanitizer and baby wipes to make sure they don’t get any germs? Who are THOSE guys? Those certainly are NOT the guys that are successful at other types of hunting, I’m just sayin’. Those guys are at daddy day camp or something. Seriously, children are the ones who need baby wipes and hand sanitizer; not hunters. I am actually appalled that a respectable, manly-by-all-accounts magazine, actually put out an article encouraging great men who hunt, ELK no less, to start packing in hand sanitizer and baby wipes nestled in next to their 30 aught 6 shells. Ok, next we’ll be telling them to
scratch the scotch and whisky for a little whipped vodka and muddled raspberries with a sugar rim. Well…why not? Let’s just dumb our men ALL the way dowwwwwwnnnnnn. Reason would dictate that a man who wants to go hunting in the first place should have enough germ fighting antibodies that he don’t need no stinkin baby wipes. I can just see the looks on my brothers’ faces if their wives or girlfriends or anyone else for that matter, asked them “Hey honey, did you get your hand sanitizer and your baby wipes all packed up?” Actually, if you people just say it out loud you can hear how utterly ridiculous and UNmanly it sounds. Hunting baby wipes and hand sanitizer DO NOT go to-
gether. Now it HAS come to my attention that our armed forces in the field are also now asking for hand sanitizer and baby wipes, but that’s just because of the don’t ask don’t tell rule. Next thing you know their camo uniforms will be complete with starched creases and a matching gun sling and ascot. Bahahahahaha… My thoughts, not for the article but just another thought - I’m thinking due to our men NOT being Wild at Heart enough they don’t have manly immune systems to be able to overcome all the stuff like they used to….If they were out in it day in and day out, around the farm, fishing on weekends. Our men aren’t hunting, etc. , If
they were, they’d have the natural resistance to combat some little bug in the dirt. The fact that apparently dysentery in hunting camps has become an issue of late is yet another sign of the “pansying” of our men. Men who are not being the Wild-at-Heart men God designed them to be!! The buck stops here. Man up! Hunt fearlessly! Leave the baby wipes and the hand sanitizer with the kids. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
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281.592.8960/866.592.896 The Dam Good Times
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go back in the henhouse, better known as "Home." She doesn't get fooled by artificiality the way Gunsil does. We've learned that a midnight visit to the bathroom is fine as long as you don't turn on the light. If the light switch goes on, out comes Gunsil from his henpecked existence and he begins telling the world it's time to get up and start laying. If a person were to have several cups of coffee before bedtime, the result the next morning is a bedraggled, exhausted, confused
HOME COUNTRY
By Slim Randles Irma has it figured out. She's a bona fide, egg-laying member of the "Production Red" hen sorority and she knows her rights. This is really remarkable when you consider the braincase of your average barnyard chicken is wedged between some feathers and those big expressionless eyes and has about the
Texas Takes He had a wife and three children in Mexico and worked for them, sending probably ninety percent of his earnings home and he planned to retire after about five years working in our foreign land. That day was different for Martin’. By turning around and returning to the mess in the street, I allowed Martin’ to do a good deed, and he thanked me for that a couple of times. To another man, it might have just meant more work that day, probably unpaid and encroaching on lunch time, a reason to be angry or bitter. But my simple act allowed Martin’ to help another, a rare event in his temporarily sheltered life. Our lives are filled with belief in the irrational. We play the lottery when the odds are against us. We rest on
same capacity for rational thought as that of an amoeba. But somehow this hen of mine has figured it out. The sunlight triggers it, I believe. Sequential logic. When the daylight comes enough to make out the outline of the house, Gunsil (the rooster) starts telling the world how wonderful he is. When the sun hits the house, The Guy Who Takes Away the Eggs (aka T.G.W.T.A.T.E.) comes out and puts food in the dish. When it gets dark, it’s time to
rooster who is mad enough to want to whip the neighbor's German shepherd. It's almost worth it. But Irma isn't fooled by light coming through the bathroom window. She waits for the real thing. Daylight. The sun. The sun's rays slowly slide down the walls of the house until they hit the bricks of the patio. When the bricks are illuminated by the morning light, she waits exactly 17 seconds for The Guy Who Takes Away the Eggs to emerge with scratch and laying mash. Then she goes to work. Buoyed by a sense of femi-
nine assertiveness and egged on by an empty crop, she strides across the yard, across the patio bricks, up to the very gates of House itself, the sliding glass doors. Then Irma pecks at the glass until T.G.W.T.A.T.E. emerges with breakfast. There aren't a lot of perks to being a chicken. One must insist on the few one has. ---------Brought to you by the award-winning book Home Country, available at http://nmsantos.com/Books/ Home/Home.html.
Sundays. We stop to help another get the ox out of the ditch, when we know we will get spattered with mud and dung. We provide for the poor and infirm, when their suffering deaths would just mean a bigger share for us. We honor the dead with great ceremony and ritual, and deny ourselves good fertilizer or soup base. We honor marriage vows and deny ourselves lots of carnal pleasure. We forgive, when it seems more natural and safe just to keep hating or fearing. We are not animals, and belief contrary to fact is why. Cynthia Thibodeaux is the owner of Cynthia’s Station. Cynthia has studied abroad in France and brings the most innovative techniques in Haute Coiffure right here to Houston, TX! Cynthia has been a practicing stylist for over 20 years and graduated top in her class. Cynthia has practiced at the most prestigious salons in Houston before branching out on her own. Cynthia takes into account each individual face shape, hair texture and more when she consults with her clients on anything from hair color to dramatic hair style changes. Live in Houston? Looking for a new stylist or a new look? Look no further!
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World & Local U.S. Sen. Cruz on Heller, The Second Amendment WASHINGTON, DC – Some media outlets have incorrectly characterized what U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said at yesterday’s Judiciary Committee markup on guns. In particular, some commentators have attacked a straw-man, falsely claiming Cruz argued the Heller v. DC case did not allow any restrictions at all under the Second Amendment. Sen. Cruz said Heller makes clear that laws prohibiting weapons “in common use” for self-defense are unconstitutional. Thus, under Heller “dangerous and unusual” weapons—like fully automatic machine guns and sawed-off shotguns—can be restricted, but weapons like so-called “assault weapons” which are undoubtedly “in common use” (with over 4 million owned by Americans) cannot.
April 2013
DEFUNDING OBAMACARE By Ted Cruz All 45 Senate Republicans presented a united front and voted unanimously in favor of Sen. Cruz’s amendment to defund Obamacare in the upcoming Continuing Resolution. Unfortunately, the amendment was defeated on a party-line vote; all Senate Democrats voted against it. While it’s disappointing the amendment did not pass, Sen. Cruz is proud that all Senate Republicans recognized the threat Obamacare poses to our still-struggling economy and came together to force this matter
for a vote in the U.S. Senate. Shortly before the vote, Sen. Cruz delivered his first major speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, highlighting many of the promises Obamacare has already broken. Last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation to ban assault weapons, limit the size of magazines, and require universal background checks. Sen. Cruz, along with all the other Republicans on the committee, voted against this legislation, which is now headed for the Senate floor. During the committee The Dam Good Times
meeting, Sen. Cruz raised serious constitutional concerns with Congress infringing our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. President Obama came to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans last week. During the meeting, Sen. Cruz opened up a discussion with the President about the best ways to achieve economic growth and create jobs, specifically by enacting meaningful tax reform and regulatory reform. President Obama said he believed there should be agreement between Republicans and Democ-
rats when it comes to corporate tax reform and also suggested a Senate task force be created to examine regulatory burdens and find ways to make it easier for businesses to thrive. Sen. Cruz welcomed those suggestions and looks forward to working hard to make progress in the Senate on economic growth.
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story.” He signed the exchange, “Lock and load. my colleague's email.” jmitchell.” Mitchell, who has been Two days later, Mitchell a member of the Alabama again emailed Maxwell, legislature since 1994, but offered no apology or contends the emails were acknowledgement of his merely intended to exprevious comments. plain to Maxwell that “Eddie, a person withAfrican Americans have a out the power to exercise different understanding of a threat cannot be a racist the state constitution, because he or she will be telling the Associated eliminated,” Mitchell wrote Press that black residents in the email. “A person have been disenfranwho can, by merely stepchised by Alabama's conping back on the sidewalk’ stitution in the past, ore [sic] being quiet can whereas white residents support racism and benelike Maxwell have not. fit from the ‘first hired,’ afSeriously? When is firmative action, this type of behavior, from preferential treatment fosanyone-white or black or tered by systemic racism brown or purple-going to and bigotry.” be unacceptable? One “It is unlikely that I, strike your out should be through sharing my many the policy for anyone experiences on the reholding public office. ceiving end, will convince Public officials, elected ofyou of your errors,” ficials, should not be this Mitchell added. “For that angry or this racist. matter, you will never conCan you imagine the vince me that our discomOUTRAGE if a white forts were comparable. politician had said anyLet the next generations thing remotely as inflamaresolve this continuing tory as this? Just sayin’.
State Representative Joe Mitchell (D-Mobile, AL) a Racist? Alabama State Rep. Joe Mitchell (D-Mobile, AL) raised eyebrows last week after a local blog picked up an email he had sent, to a constituent, blasting the man's "slave-holding, murdering, baby-raping, incestuous" ancestors. No, black people aren’t racist...not at all. This is absurb at it’s lowest level that a person can hold a public office and rattle off this kind of hatred and racism. WHEN IS the healing going to begin when men like this hold PUBLIC office??? An Alabama conservative blog, Yellow Hammer Politics, reported that Mitchell, who is black, sent the racially charged email to Alabama resident, Eddie Maxwell, in January in response to a mass letter Maxwell sent to state legislators demanding they “not violate their oath of office by introducing additional gun
control bills or by allowing those already enacted to remain in the body of our laws.” About an hour later, Mitchell responded to Maxwell with the following email: “Hey man. You have used the word ‘except’ when I think you mean somethin’ else. Hey man. Your folk never used all this sheit [sic] to protect my folk from your slave-holding, murdering, adulterous, baby-raping, incestuous, snaggle-toothed, backward-a**ed, inbreed [sic], imported criminal-minded kin folk. You can keep sending me stuff like you have however because it helps me explain to my constituents why they should protect that 2nd amendment thing AFTER we finish stocking up on spare parts, munitions and the like. Bring it. As one of my friends in the Alabama
Senate suggested – “BRING IT!!!!” JOSEPHm, a prepper (’70-’13) Mobile County” Maxwell responded two weeks later and told Mitchell his email was “not the type of reply I expect to receive from a state legislator,” calling Mitchell’s words “especially offensive.” He criticized other members of the Alabama legislature -who were included as recipients on the full correspondence -- for not speaking out against Mitchell’s email. “The lack of response to your racist comments from your fellow members speaks volumes about the state of our legislature as a whole,” Maxwell wrote. Maxwell’s second email prompted Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) to condemn Mitchell’s remarks, writing to Maxwell that she was “saddened by the tone of
What Difference...
economics 101; ethics; and telling the American people “how it really is.” You know, telling the truth. 1,000 and 1,000 of pages of regulations on businesses, health providers, financial institutions, farmers “real” energy and fake” green “blow” energy IS damaging our country and our people. It is destroying their dreams and their initiative. It makes a difference NOW! Being politically correct (known as PC) with
PC enforcers lurking around and regulating speech, weakens debate, thought and the exchange of ideas. Thinking processes are almost nil! I often find progressive (liberal) ideas farthest from achieving real progress. If progressive LIBERALS had their way, just as in communism, the dictator would be in charge dictating with his top cadre and crony capitalist friends. All would be living on the backs and at the expense of the rest of us. If the coalition
19re-elected is their “foremost” job. If that means lie, they very effectively express the lie e.g. we can keep our own health insurance; obama care will not cost another dime; and what wonderful coverage we will all have. Sure so why do they have different coverage than the rest of the citizenry? Many elected Republicans are also into getting re-elected, but they seem to have a better grasp of April 2013
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devoted to the environment, animal rights and “global” warming (I got an education and DO NOT BELIEVE in manmade global warming.), had their way we would be living in lean-tos and caves, riding horses; pulling wagons and growing our own food. They want us gun-LESS so, if we wanted to have meat, we would have to raise our own domesticated animals or go hunting with a bow and arrow or spears…a decided problem in the BIG urban
areas. Who are these people aligned with…the Progressive LIBERAL democrats. How did Obama care pass? Bribery was given to hold outs for their vote and not taking time to read the legislation or study the legislation by delving into unforeseen consequences before voting. This was totally progressive democrat irresponsibility! What difference does it make now? It still makes all the difference in the world! Page 23
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Crossword Puzzle Across
Last Month?s Answers
1. Hen-peck 4. Destiny 8. Dainty 12. Exclusive 13. Esurient 14. Communication medium 16. Leonine animal 17. Hoop 18. Harvest 19. Livid 21. Matured 23. Merchandising agreement 24. Beverage 25. Fiend 27. Wonderment 29. Young kangaroo 30. Consumed 31. Pair 34. Acquiescence 37. Seize 38. Outer part of a wheel 39. A sudden impact 40. Pouch 41. The present location 42. Beer 43. Musical work 45. Fractured 47. Pole 48. Distilled from fermented molasses 49. Amphibian 50. Female swan 51. Crack in a lip 52. Consume 55. Rodents 58. Period of time
60. At that place 62. Repent 64. A small piece of anything 66. Length by width 67. Team race 68. Field sport 69. Building containing a skating surface 70. Gender 71. High-pitched bark 72. Small vegetable Down 1. Dissonance 2. Hawaiian greeting 3. DNA segment 4. At a great distance 5. Building were birds are kept 6. Undertone 7. Boundary of a surface 8. Be nosey 9. Lift up 10. Notion 11. Move about in a confused manner 12. Spline 15. Poem 20. Midday 22. Information 26. Acquire 28. Entanglement 29. Hard black form of lignite 30. Part of a circle 31. Long and
difficult journey 32. Finishing line on a racetrack 33. Presage 34. Slightly open 35. Musical composition for one voice or instrument 36. Sledge 37. Fuel 40. A quantity of money 41. Box on a pole for carrying bricks 43. Metal-bearing mineral 44. Inferior in strength or significance 45. Constrictor 46. Ecstatic 49. Exhiliration 50. Relating to punishment 51. Small boat 52. Strange and frightening 53. Walk of life 54. Hard durable wood 55. Spoil 56. Detail 57. Carbonated drink 59. Catch sight of 61. Stringed instrument 63. Oculus 65. Sharp explosive sound
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Bill to Aid Prosecution of Child Sex Assault Cases Passes Senate AUSTIN—State Sen. Joan Huffman’s Senate Bill 12 has unanimously passed the full Senate and now heads to the House for consideration. SB 12 allows evidence of prior similar sexual offenses against children to be introduced in cases of sexual assault of children, as well as other offenses such as indecency with a child, online solicitation of a minor, sex trafficking of a child, and possession or promotion of child pornography. In addition, the bill provides procedural safeguards which protect the accused’s constitutional rights. “I am proud that the Senate unanimously passed this legislation, which will give prosecutors additional tools to use in child sexual assault cases,” Huffman said. “The Senate made a resounding statement that we are serious in Texas about protecting children, who are among
our most vulnerable citizens. It is my belief that justice is better served when we seek the ultimate truth of guilt or innocence, and that should include all relevant evidence.” Huffman said her bill provides overall greater protection to children who are victims of sexual offenses. So far, 11 states have passed legislation similar to SB 12.
Spring Fever?
BOUNDSAUTOPLEX.NET Former Educator State Representative James White Seeks to Reform School Curriculum and Testing, Eliminate Federal Overreach
AUSTIN, TEXAS– Today Representative James White, a former public school educator, released the following statement regarding the increasing need for transparency and accountability in Texas’ public Senator Joan Huffman repre- schools, in light of the recent events in Lumberton, sents District 17, which Texas: comprises Brazoria, Fort “I have read numerous Bend and Harris counties. stories regarding the deHuffman currently serves as veloping situation in Lumchairwoman of the Texas Sen- berton,” said ate Republican Caucus and as Representative White. “I understand why my convice chairwoman of the Senate Criminal Justice Commit- stituents have the concerns that they have. tee. She is a member of the However, my constituents Finance, State Affairs, and do not understand why Health and Human Services the cheerleaders in Commiees, as well as the Kountze, Texas are being Sunset Advisory Commisput through a legal assion. Huffman and her family sault for voluntarily disreside in Houston. playing Biblical scripture at a football game. They also do not understand why symbols of our Judeo-ChrisGov. Perry on Bills to Fund Transporta- tian heritage, such as the Ten tion Infrastructure Projects Commandments and nativity Gov. Rick Perry today innovative, bold and fisscenes, are cally responsible options. under constant released the following statement regarding Sen- Along with using the legal threat.” Since the ate Bill 1632 by Sen. Rainy Day Fund investopen of the 83rd Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, ment for sound infrastrucHouse Bill 3665 by Rep. ture projects, I have also Legislature, both called for an end to diver- the House and Drew Darby, and House Bill 3363 by Rep. Bill Cal- sions from the State High- Senate Education committees legari: way Fund. These "These members have changes will help ensure have closely extraffic continues to flow in amined the curanswered the call to adriculum being dress our long-term infra- Texas for generations to offered to Texas structure needs with come." students, includ-
ing the online system known as CSCOPE. Also under analysis has been the method and frequency in which students are tested. “This session I am proud to be joining with other conservatives in support of legislation that will provide both transparency and scrutiny to the curriculum being provided to our students. I am co-authoring HB 5, a bipartisan effort to increase transparency and flexibility in the classroom, including our testing standards. Part of the problem is that we have a DC-Austin, big government, standardized testing program forcing our local school districts to adopt standardized curriculum, instead of allowing our classroom educators to teach our students,” stated Repre-
sentative White. “Another part of this process will also be HB 760, which I am proud to co-author. This bill will allow our State Board of Education, who are held accountable by the voters of Texas, to examine new curriculum developed outside the classroom. I am also the author of HB 704, which is designed to prevent Washington DC’s ‘common core state standards’ from being imposed on Texas’ local schools. Our local communities are capable of creating lesson plans designed to prepare their students for higher education or the workforce, and it’s time we gave our communities the ability to make these decisions for themselves.”
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Gov. Perry on Bills to Fund Transportation Infrastructure Projects Gov. Rick Perry today released the following statement regarding Senate Bill 1632 by Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, House Bill 3665 by Rep. Drew Darby, and House Bill 3363 by Rep. Bill Callegari: "These members have answered the call to address our long-term infrastructure needs with innovative, bold and fiscally responsible options. Along with using the Rainy Day Fund investment for sound infrastructure projects, I have also called for an end to diversions from the State Highway Fund. These changes will help ensure traffic continues to flow in Texas for generations to come." Statement About HB 10 I am signing House Bill No. 10 into law so the citizens of Texas may continue to receive services provided by the Health and Human Services Commission and the Department of Aging and Disability Services. This bill makes good on the 82nd Legislature's obligation to provide additional appropriations for these agencies this session, and also provides the funds needed to undo the deferral of payments to Texas school districts through the Foundation School Program. While this bill is necessary to the continued operations April 2013
of these essential services, this session gives us an opportunity to hit the reset button, put an end to budgetary tricks and pay now what is due now. Truth in budgeting is good fiscal practice and makes for good government. It is imperative that budget decisions for the 2014-2015 biennium are made with the best interests of Texas citizens and economy at the forefront. We need to do away with the practice of using dedicated funds and specific fees for anything other than the purpose for which they were intended. We should refuse to create new taxes or increase existing taxes, and resist the urge to use the growth in state revenue as a blank check to grow government. Finally, I believe we need to use the opportunity presented by the strong balance in the Economic Stabilization Fund to make a substantial down payment on future needs in transportation and water infrastructure, and look at ways to provide significant tax relief to Texans. By continuing on the path of fiscal discipline, increasing government efficiency, and limiting the growth of government spending, Texas can continue our upward trajectory as the economic engine of the country, opening the doors of op-
portunity for our citizens and our industries. IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have signed my name officially and caused the Seal of the State to be affixed hereto at Austin, this 13th day of March, 2013. RICK PERRY Governor of Texas ATTESTED BY: JOHN STEEN Secretary of State Texas has cultivated a business climate second to none, earning honors from national news outlets like Forbes and MSNBC for economic strength and businessfriendly policies. More importantly, Texas has been consistently attracting employers seeking a better place to start or expand their businesses. Economic Development The Lone Star State's combination of low taxes, reasonable and predictable regulatory structure and fair court system provides a stable base upon which to build the Texas economy, while the state's diverse and hardworking workforce is prepared to meet any need an employer can present. At Gov. Perry's urging, the Legislature has established and consistently funded two additional tools to attract and create Texas jobs the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) and Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The TEF functions The Dam Good Times
as a "deal closing" fund, enabling Texas to compete directly with incentives offered elsewhere in the country, its investments tied directly to job creation. Meanwhile, the ETF helps early-stage tech companies grow their ideas from the laboratory into the marketplace, in the process helping keep Texas at the forefront of new technologies. Action Items Gov. Perry signed legislation for Lawsuit Reform, with components of Loser Pays (HB 274), which strengthens the jobs-friendly climate here in Texas. Texas continues to buck the national unemployment trend, by adding 262,000 jobs from June 2009 to 2011. (USA Today) Texas moved past New York over the past decade to become the nation's second-largest economy. (USA Today June 2011) Texas dominate’s Kiplinger’s Cities with the Lowest Cost of Living list in 2011. (Kiplinger) The Lone Star Jobs Surge: The Texas model added 37% of all net U.S. jobs since the recovery began. (Wall Street Journal - June 2011)
Dear Editor, I know and appreciate Sen. Tim Johnson’s position on guns and the Second Amendment. I would ask him to ask the progressive liberals he is in contact with who are antigun and anti-second amendment why is it the progressive liberals acquire guns, then kill [movie goers] and children in schools'? Why are no conservative NRA members involved in mass shootings? Ft Hood Shooter: Registered Democrat and Muslim. Columbine Shooters: Too young to vote … both families were Registered Democrats and progressive liberals. Virginia Tech shooter: Wrote hate mail to President Bush and to his staff. Registered Democrat. Colorado theater shooter: Registered Democrat, staff worker on the Obama campaign, occupy wall street participant...progressive liberal. Connecticut school shooter: Registered Democrat. Hated Christians. Common thread is that all of these shooters were progressive liberal Demorats. Curious, isn't it? So I was thinking, maybe we should just make it illegal for Demo-rats to buy guns. Problem solved. I think that is a fair solution. After all, it is for the children too. Peter Burke Custer Custer County Chronicle Page 26
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National Forests and Grasslands in Texas accepting Youth Conservation Corps applications The National Forests and Grasslands in Texas is accepting applications for summer employment with the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Program, according to Forest Supervisor Mark Van Every. YCC is a summer employment program for young men and women ages 15 to 18 who work, learn and earn together for eight weeks on projects that help conserve the natural resources of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas. Projects may include building trails, building campground facilities, planting trees, collecting litter, clearing streams, building fences, office work and many other tasks. Since much of the work will be in the woods away from towns, enrollees receive instruction on how to work safely and handle tools. Gloves, protective eyewear and hard hats are provided when required by the work activity. Enrollees will work 40 hours per week and be paid minimum wage. Deadline for applications is April 30, 2013. Applications are available at the Forest Supervisor’s Office, 2221 N. Raguet St., Lufkin, and on the web at www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ycc/index. shtml For more information, contact Youth, Volunteer
Atlas Shrugged Part 3 to Begin Principal Photography Fall 2013
Los Angeles, CA March 26, 2013 - Today, and Hosted Programs co- Atlas Productions, LLC officially announced that ordinator Donna High“Atlas Shrugged Part 3”, tower-Thomas at the third and final install936-639-8673. ment of the Atlas Shrugged movie trilogy,
has been officially greenlit with principal photography to begin later this year. The movie trilogy follows the three-part struc-
ture of Ayn Rand’s epic 1957 novel, ATLAS SHRUGGED. Atlas Shrugged Part 3 takes place in a near future dystopian United States with the nation's economy quickly approaching col-
lapse. While overreaching government regulations persist in strangling the country's few remaining entrepreneurs, society’s most productive continue
to mysteriously disappear. One man has the answer. Some will stop at nothing to control him. Others will stop at nothing to save him. Who is John Galt? The producers have tapped four time Emmy® award-winner, Duncan Scott as the film’s screenwriter along with Brian O’Toole. Long before working on Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Scott worked extensively with Ayn Rand on the restoration and editing of the classic motion picture “We the Living”, based on Rand’s novel of the same title. “We’re thrilled to have Duncan and Brian back. Having sat shoulder-toshoulder with Rand, no one else could do what Duncan can when it comes to adapting Atlas. His unmatched experience and his incredible depth of knowledge regarding Atlas are absolutely invaluable,” stated Producer John Aglialoro. Aglialoro’s company produced and distributed Parts 1 and 2, and has set a USA theatrical release for Part 3 in the Summer of 2014. Parts 1 and 2 are now available on DVD, BluRay and are available for internet download. Producer Harmon Kaslow said, “Our number one goal with Part 3 is to pull the prescient message of Atlas off of the page and project it clearly onto the screen. Ayn Rand drew incredibly sharp archetypes with stark backdrops. Our goa See Atlas Page 38
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Huffman Announces Legislation to Create Mental Health Jail Diversion Pilot Program in Harris County AUSTIN: Senator Joan Huffman, R-Houston, today filed legislation to address the rise in the number of nonviolent people with mental illness in Texas jails. Specifically, Senate Bill 1185 creates a pilot program to reduce recidivism of individuals with serious mental illness in the Harris County Jail, which is regarded as the state’s largest mental health facility. On any given day, 25 percent of the inmates receive psychotropic medication. Hundreds of inmates with mental problems cycled in and out of Harris County jail five or more times from 2011 to 2012. “Keeping nonviolent people with mental health
issues out of our jails is the fiscally and socially responsible thing to do,” said Huffman. “ It costs around $137 per day to keep someone behind bars as opposed to $12 per day for community mental health services. The majority of these individuals in the Harris County Jail never received the services they needed-services that probably would have kept them out of jail in the first place.” The multi-year pilot program is designed to substantially reduce recidivism by incorporating a comprehensive array of clinical and social support services—easy access to mental health care,
Bill to Aid Prosecution of Child Sex Assault Cases Passes Senate AUSTIN—State Sen. Joan Huffman’s Senate Bill 12 has unanimously passed the full Senate and now heads to the House for consideration. SB 12 allows evidence of prior similar sexual offenses against children to be introduced in cases of sexual assault of children, as well as other offenses such as indecency with a child, online solicitation of a minor, sex trafficking of a child, and possession or promotion of child pornography. In addition, the bill provides procedural safeguards which protect the accused’s constitutional rights.
“I am proud that the Senate unanimously passed this legislation, which will give prosecutors additional tools to use in child sexual assault cases,” Huffman said. “The Senate made a resounding statement that we are serious in Texas about protecting children, who are among our most vulnerable citizens. It is my belief that justice is better served when we seek the ultimate truth of guilt or innocence, and that should include all relevant evidence.” Huffman said her bill provides overall greater protection to children who
chemical dependence services, rehabilitation, and residential housing opportunities. A major benefit of the program is that it takes advantage of Harris County best practices and piggybacks onto existing resources such as crisis intervention and response teams, along with jail-based mental health services. “As a former prosecutor and judge, I’ve witnessed many stories of heartache involving families with mentally ill loved ones,” Huffman said. “It’s time we erased the stigma of mental illness. It is a medical problem that can be treated by proper care and medicine.” are victims of sexual offenses. So far, 11 states have passed legislation similar to SB 12.
The goal of the pilot project is to develop a criminal justice-mental health service model that not only reduces recidivism, but can be replicated in all of the state’s metropolitan areas—at a substantial cost savings to Texas counties, cities and taxpayers. Huffman said the program “has the potential to make the entire nation take notice.” Harris County Judge Ed Emmett applauded Huffman’s legislation. "The Harris County Jail has become the state's largest mental health institution because too many people with mental illness end up in the criminal justice system rather than receiving proper health care," Judge Emmett said. "Sen. Huffman and her legislative colleagues are taking steps to remedy
the situation. The result will be better outcomes for those with mental illness, lower costs for county taxpayers and an overall better society." Senator Joan Huffman represents District 17, which comprises Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris counties. Huffman currently serves as chairwoman of the Texas Senate Republican Caucus and as vice chairwoman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. She is a member of the Finance, State Affairs, and Health and Human Services Committees, as well as the Sunset Advisory Commission. Huffmanand her family reside in Houston.
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Dear Senator Graham, I believe, as does my family, that you did a HUGE disservice to yourself and the GOP by making belittling remarks about Senator Rand Paul’s recent filibuster! By making such remarks you extended the put down to other senators who spoke eloquently along with Senator Paul. Perhaps some of you “senior” senators should have been carrying the ball for them, and us; and, at the very least, shown up on the floor of the Senate during the filibuster. Instead you, and eleven other Republican senators, went dining with our problematic president as your big event for that day. It was a great photo-op for the president and you missed out. Although you may think that the question of drones being used in our country against fellow Americans isn’t plausible, there are many in our country that find it very believable. Our president has been running roughshod over The Constitution of the United States, Congress, our individual
states and our citizenry. It might behoove you, and the others who lacked the will, or integrity, to support the filibuster to retake your constitutionally delegated, and required, powers given to you by The Constitution. Where have you been? You talk the talk, but you don’t walk the walk! Yes, there has been a lot of “chest beating” as in the Benghazi betrayal, as I call it, of the loss of our American personnel. Maybe it is past your time, McCain’s time, and others who lack the courage and resolve to really represent those of us who elected you. It is thoroughly disgusting that you, and other senior senator buddies, are not encouraging our younger leadership and promoting their ideas! Instead of doing what you should be doing, you have castigated them publically and continued to undermine their real concerns, and the concerns of many Americans, both Republican and Democrat. That is a BIG mistake. It has not enhanced your reputation as a leader!
Woman Stops Grizzly Bear Attack With .25 Caliber Pistol This is a story of selfcontrol and marksmanship with an itsy-bitsy shooter by a woman against a fierce predator. What is the smallest caliber you trust to protect yourself? The Beretta Jetfire .25 caliber is the weapon of choice for this woman. In her own words: "My story. "While out hiking in Alberta Canada with my boyfriend, we were surprised by a huge grizzly bear charging at us from out of nowhere. She must have been protecting her cubs because she was extremely aggressive. If I had not had my little Beretta Jetfire .25 caliber pistol with me, I would not be here today! "Just one shot to my boyfriend's kneecap was all it took. The bear got him and I was able to escape by just walking away at a brisk pace. "It's one of the best pistols in my collection."
Penny Uselton
Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading. Thomas Jefferson
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Help NRA-ILA Stop Chuck Schumer From Trampling the Second Amendment! Your Second Amendment freedoms are on the chopping block RIGHT NOW and ONLY YOU can save them. Next week, your Senators are scheduled to vote on a socalled "universal background check" bill being pushed by lifelong anti-gun zealot, Senator Chuck Schumer. Schumer's bill would MAKE YOU A CRIMINAL if you simply transfer a firearm to an aunt, uncle, cousin or lifelong friend without the federal government's approval. Even worse, President Barack Obama's Justice Department says that Schumer's bill will only be effective if it's coupled with MANDATORY GUN REGISTRATION. Please call both of your U.S. Senators TODAY and tell them to vote "NO" on Schumer's "universal background check" bill. Simply call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak with your Senators by name. Call today, tomorrow, and put a reminder on your calendar to call next week too!
Think about it. Are criminals going to walk into a licensed gun dealer's store and fill out a federal form every time they want to give one of their criminal buddies a gun? Of course not! And Schumer knows it...he's just trying to play us for fools. This isn't about making Americans safer...it's about leading law-abiding gun owners down the road to gun registration and ultimately, GUN CONFISCATION - just like we watched happen in England and Australia. So please, call your Senators RIGHT NOW and tell them to vote "NO" on Chuck Schumer's "universal background check" bill! Tell them you aren't fooled and they shouldn't be either!
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Business Block Six Deadly Sins of Leadership Fortunately, some people seem to be born Being a leader is perwith self-confidence. Othhaps the hardest chalers gain it from life and lenge any of us will ever work experience and face. No matter how long come to a company fully we work at it, practicing loaded. Regardless, leadthe right behaviors is a ers can never stop pournever-ending task. Know- ing self-confidence into ing – and avoiding – the their teams. The ways to wrong ones is too. Thus, do so are myriad. Make we offer the following six sure goals are challengcommon leadership piting – but achievable. falls: Give effusive positive feedback. Remind your 1. Not Giving Self-Confi- direct reports of what dence its Due they do right. Self-confidence is the We’re not saying that lifeblood of success. leaders should blindly When people have it, extol and exalt. People they’re bold. They try new know when they’re being things, offer ideas, exude gamed. But good leaders positive energy, and cowork relentlessly to find operate with their colways to instill self-confileagues instead of dence in those around surreptitiously attempting them. They know it’s the to bring them down. gift that never stops givWhen they lack self-confi- ing. dence, it’s just the opposite. People cower. They 2. Muzzling Voice plod. And they spread Perhaps the most negativity with every word frustrating way that leadand gesture. ers underperform is by But all too often leadover-talking. That is, they ers ignore (or neglect) act like know-it-alls. They this very basic fact of the can tell you how the human condition. Why is world works, what corpoanyone’s guess. Perhaps rate is thinking, how it will they just don’t understand backfire if you try this or that it is part of their job that, and why you can’t to instill self-confidence in possibly change the prodtheir people. It may even uct one iota. Sometimes be said that it’s their first such blowhards get their job. You cannot unleash swagger from a few posithe creative power of indi- tive experiences, but usuviduals who doubt themally they’re just victims of selves. their own destructive perBy Jack and Suzy Welch
April 2013
sonalities. Ultimately, the company ends up being a victim too, because know-it-alls aren’t just insufferable, they’re dangerous. They don’t listen, and that deafness makes it very hard for new ideas to get debated, expanded upon, or improved. No single person, no matter how smart, can take a business to its apex. For that, you need every voice to be heard. 3. Acting Phony Can you spot a phony? Of course you can – and so can your people. Indeed, if there is one widespread human capability, it is sniffing out someone who is putting on airs, pretending to be who they’re not, or just keeping their real self hidden. Yet too many leaders spend way too much time creating personas that put a wall between them and their employees. What a waste. Because authenticity is what makes people love you. Visibly grappling with tough problems, sweating the details, laughing, and caring – those are the activities that make people respond and feel engaged with what you’re saying. Sure, some people will tell you that being mysterious grants you power as a leader. In reality, all it generates is fear. And who wants to The Dam Good Times
motivate that way? Now, obviously, authenticity is unattractive if it’s coupled with immaturity or an overdose of informality. And organizations generally don’t like people who are too emotionally unbounded – i.e. so real that all their feelings are exposed. They tend to tamp that kind of intensity down a bit. And that’s not a bad thing, as work is work and, more than at home, allows us to maintain some privacy. But don’t let convention wring all the authenticity out of you, especially as you climb the ladder. In time, humanity always wins. Your team and bosses come to know who you are in your soul, what kind of people you attract and what kind of performance you want from everyone. Your realness will make you accessible; you will connect and you will inspire. You will lead.
sized infusions of cash and people they need. If they did, someone might get offended during the resource allocation process. Someone – as in the manager of a weak business or the sponsor of a dubious investment proposal. But leaders who don’t differentiate do the most damage when it comes to people. Unwilling to deliver candid, rigorous performance reviews, they give every employee the same kind of bland, mushy, “nice job” sign-off. Then, when rewards are doled out, they give star performers little more than the laggards. Now, you can call this egalitarian approach kind, or fair – as these lousy leaders usually do – but it’s really just weakness. And when it comes to building a thriving organization where people have the chance to grow and succeed, weakness just doesn’t cut it.
4. Lacking the Guts to Differentiate You only have to be in business a few weeks to know that not all investment opportunities are created equal. But some leaders can’t face that reality, and so they sprinkle their resources like cheese on a pizza, a little bit everywhere. As a result, promising growth opportunities too often don’t get the out-
5. Fixation on Results at the Expense of Values Everyone knows that leaders deliver. Oratory and inspiration without results equal…well, a whole lot of nothing. But leaders are committing a real dereliction of duties if all they care about are the numbers. They also have to care about how those numbers came to See Leadership Page 35 Page 30
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TDGT Travels...Back in Time
An Economy Built to Last… on Food Stamps? Food Stamp Families Growing Faster than Jobs
Mary Simpson, with Audible Hearing, found this lost photo of her and Mary Sack Dodd (Let’s all say it together...”God Rest Her Soul”) traveling with the Royal Couple and, of course, The Dam Good Times! Thanks Mary Simpson for finding this!!!!!
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Washington, D.C. – As the February jobs numbers were released, U.S. Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX), Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, challenged President Obama’s re-election claim of ‘an economy built to last’. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) reported today that the economy added 246,000 private sector payroll jobs in January and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7%. “The number of Americans forced to subsist on food stamps to avoid hunger has grown faster than those finding jobs under President Obama. That’s not an economy built to last. That’s an economy that is struggling,” said Brady. The White House frequently boasts that the U.S. economy has created 6.4 million private sector jobs since jobs bottomed out in February 2010. But more than 8 million American families were added to the food stamp rolls through November 2012 (latest data). That’s a ratio of 1.4
new people on food stamps for every new private sector job created from the jobs bottom through November 2012. “When President Clinton left office only one in 16 Americans needed food stamps. Under President Obama, it’s grown to nearly one in six. That’s the pain that families endure under the weakest economic recovery in modern times,” said Brady. President Clinton, working with Republicans in Congress, shrunk the size of government and balanced the budget, while reducing the number of food stamp recipients by 10 million, Brady noted. “President Obama could learn a thing or two from the last Democratic president. Growing the government isn’t growing the middle class in America,” said Brady. “The sign of a compassionate government isn’t more Americans needing food stamps. It is more Americans working in well-paying jobs so they no longer need assistance.”
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Can the iPad Rescue a Struggling American Education System By Christina Bonnington Matthew Stoltzfus could never get his students to see chemistry like he sees chemistry until he added a digital component to his lesson plan. Stoltzfus, a chemistry lecturer at Ohio State University, struggled for years to bring complex chemical equations to life on the blackboard, but always saw students’ eyes glaze over. Then he added animations and interactive media to his general chemistry curriculum. Suddenly, he saw students’ faces light up in understanding. “When I see a chemical reaction on a piece of paper, I don’t see coefficients and symbols, I see a bucket of molecules reacting,” Stoltzfus said. “But I don’t think our students see that big bucket of molecules. We can give students a better
idea of what’s happening at a molecular level with animations and interactive elements.” And many such students are getting this multi-faceted education on tablets. Tablets are reinventing how students access and interact with educational material, and how teachers assess and monitor students’ performance at a time when many schools are understaffed and many classrooms overcrowded. Millions of grade school and university students worldwide are using iPads to visualize difficult concepts, revisit lectures on their own time and augment lessons with videos, interactive widgets and animations. “In the shift to digital, it’s not just about replacing textbooks but inventing new ways of learning,” Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps said. “Some of the edu-
cation apps being developed for iPad are approaching learning in an entirely new way, and that’s exciting.” Sallie Severns, founder and CEO of iOS app Answer Underground, told Wired that tablets’ simplicity, ease of use and the massive range of academically minded applications available are drawing teachers and educational technologists to the platform in droves. Tablet-based learning is no longer the niche it was a year or two ago when we saw a handful of early adopters jump on board with iPad pilot studies in selected grades and classrooms. Schools and teachers are embracing the technology in a big way. A Pew study of 2,462 Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers nationwide found that 43 percent have students
pitches all have a few things in common. Here are five simple similarities shared by all successful pitches: - They explain how the new business will make a difference to customers and provide a compelling alternative to competitors. This means showing a new way of doing things to shake up the market, and explaining it in short, sharp, entertaining fashion.
- They are grounded in expert knowledge of the industry. If you are going to launch anything - a new social network, a new bank, a new fashion line – you need to demonstrate a solid understanding of the market and how you can disrupt it. - They have a realistic plan. While high concepts are fine, pitches need to illustrate how a company could work practically. This means legal, finan-
The Art of Pitching By Richard Branson One of the best things about hearing business pitches is that there is always a new idea and a new way of looking at things. I hear a huge number of pitches in a wide variety of places – we even had a pitching session while cycling in South Africa recently. But the most impressive April 2013
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complete assignments using tablets in the classroom. A PBS LearningMedia study found 35 percent of K-12 teachers surveyed nationwide have a tablet or e-reader in their classroom, up from 20 percent a year ago. The iPad is the most popular tablet option among educators. Apple sold 4.5 million of them to schools and other educational institutions nationwide last year (it sold 8 million internationally), up from 1.5 million in 2011. Tablets have proven especially popular in elementary education, and they’ve been a “revolution” for kids younger than 8 because they’re fun and intuitive, said Sara DeWitt, Vice President at PBS KIDS Digital. The taps and swipes are easy to learn, so kids spend more time learning their lessons, not their hardware. “The iPad has given us an opportunity to make technology transparent,” she said. “The touchscreen interface is
so much more natural than a mouse and keyboard, kids can jump right in.” That said, there’s more to using a tablet in the classroom than handing them out at the door. Teachers and school district administrators must decide how to best integrate them into the curriculum, considering things like the number of tablets per classroom, which grades receive them first, what content is accessed, and when. “How tablets are integrated into classrooms is key to success,” Severns said. “Planning, preparation, implementation and evaluating apps are key to using this new technology.” While adoption is broad, the ways educators are using them varies from class to class, school to district. Apple’s iTunes U is one tool making iPadbased course integration easier by helping teachers create and curate a wholly digital curriculum. Teachers can pack See iPad Page 35
cial and operational plans. It’s tough to include details in a short presentation, but the most engaging pitches manage to combine passion with pragmatism. - They are in it for the long haul. Nothing stays the same, and business changes faster than most things. Pitches latching on to the flavour of the month are all well and good, but they need to communicate how the business could grow sus-
tainably and develop in the future. - They show their strongest hand. Pitching is all about selling your idea and your business as an exciting place to be. Highlight the strengths – especially the talented people who are working on the project – and don’t be afraid to talk up your prospects.
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Apple takes top prize in Best & Worst Brands its Retina displays. Value and Selection 4th Year in-a-Row (5/10) Why? Apple placed first in five of eight categories, including reviews, design, keyboards and touchpads, display and audio, and software . Apple also grabbed second place in our tech support category. The only area where Apple falls flat is value because the brand doesn’t play in the low-cost laptop space. Overall, though, Apple continues to epitomize the best of the best.
patently Apple. Once again, Apple has shaved the fat, making both the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Retina display remarkably thin and light while cramming the chassis full of highend components. However, we’d love for Apple to add some color back into the mix, à la the iPod nano.
Reviews (20/20)
Apple simply offers the best keyboard and trackpad experience around, even beating out our perennial favorite of Lenovo this year. The 13inch MacBook Air’s keyboard has a similar feel to its predecessor, which is a good thing, as “it’s hard to improve on perfection. ”Similarly, the 15inch MacBook Pro with Retina display was cited for its “springy feedback, plenty of travel and evenly backlit keys,” which is exactly what we look for in a great keyboard. Apple’s trackpads also received high praise for their large size and smooth operation. Words such as “effortless” and “flawless” were just some of the accolades we laid out for the MacBooks’ trackpads.
A perfect 20 out of 20 is a key reason why Apple keeps its top honors again this year. Although we only reviewed three notebooks from Apple, all notched a score of four stars or higher, and all received an Editors’ Choice. The top laptop from 2012 was the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, which had a groundbreaking screen, superb performance, long battery life and a slim design. Design (14/15) Just call it the design that launched 1,000 notebooks. Ever since the MacBook Pro’s debut in 2006 and the Air’s subsequent launch in 2008, the industry has been flooded with laptops trying to copy those clean lines and futuristic minimalist designs that are April 2013
Keyboard and Touchpad (15/15)
Tech Support (13/15) We appreciated Apple’s Express Lane Web service, which pro-
poses help articles, and the accurate phone staff who answered our queries in a reasonable amount of time. Plus, Genius Bars continue to be an invaluable source of in-person support. Those factors, however, were only enough for a second-place tie with Samsung. Apple missed the top spot in this category because of its lack of live chat and help via social networking channels. Display and Audio (9/10)
Apple managed to outdo itself this past year, putting Retina displays in two of its notebooks. The 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros both feature the highest resolution displays in a notebook, with 226 and 217 PPI, respectively. All of Apple’s laptops feature bright displays and great viewing angles, including the non-Retina MacBook Air. MacBooks tend to pump out better audio than most systems in their size and weight category. Apple scored a point higher this year compared to last because of
Although Apple’s selection is still limited to two main lines, the company has added two new MacBook Pros with Retina display, expanding its total catalog to six systems. Apple’s cheapest clamshell starts at a premium $999 (the 11inch Air) and the most affordable Retina display model starts at $1,499. Apple machines are available everywhere, though, from Apple stores and Best Buy to NewEgg.com. Spec upgrades are available through Apple.com when you configure to order, but are often more costly than similar upgrades from Lenovo and Toshiba. We think Apple could use a notebook under $800 at a time when the average laptop price is around $500 and even cheaper Chromebooks are taking off. Innovation (8/10) On the MacBook Air front, Apple did little to move the innovation needle during the past year. Shoppers pretty much got spec bumps. However, the MacBook Pro
with Retina display proved the company could up the resolution ante on screens in a big way. And unlike Windows machines that have full HD resolutions, Apple didn’t make icons on the desktop so small that you need a magnifying glass to discern them. For what it’s worth, Apple is the only notebook maker that has Thunderbolt ports on all of its laptops, but there’s still a dearth of high-speed peripherals that can take advantage of these ports. Software (5/5) With Mountain Lion, Apple improved on the operating system front by adding such features as Notification Center, Mission Control and iMessage, which lets you communicate with any iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Sharing via Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and Vimeo is built into select apps . Gatekeeper keeps you safe from malware and other security threats. The iLife multimedia suite also makes a return and gives amateur artists a pretty big canvas with which to perfect their next movie, photo or tune.
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Leadership...Cont’d from 30 be. Were the right behaviors practiced? Was the company’s culture of integrity honored? Were people taken care of properly? Was the law obeyed, in both letter and spirit? Values are a funny thing in business. Companies love to talk about them. They love to hang them up on plaques in the lobby and boast about them to potential hires and customers. But they’re meaningless if leaders don’t live and breathe them. Sometimes that can take courage. It can mean letting go of a top performer who’s a brute to his colleagues, or not promoting a star who doesn’t share her best ideas with the team. That’s hard. And yet if you’re a leader, this is a sin you cannot squint away. When you nail your results, make sure you can also report back to a crowded room: We did this the right way, according to our values. 6. Skipping the Fun Part What is it about celebrating that makes managers so nervous? Maybe throwing a party doesn’t seem professional, or it makes people worry that they won’t look serious to the powers that be, or that, if things get too happy in the office, people will stop working their tails off. Whatever the reason, too many leaders don’t celebrate enough. To be April 2013
clear here, we do not define celebrating as conducting one of those stilted little company-orchestrated events that everyone hates, in which the whole team is marched out to a local restaurant for an evening of forced merriment when they’d rather be home. We’re talking about sending a team to Disney World with their families, or giving each team member tickets to a show or a movie, or handing each member of the team a new iPod. What a lost opportunity. Celebrating makes people feel like winners and creates an atmosphere of recognition and positive energy. Imagine a team winning the World Series without champagne spraying everywhere. You can’t! And yet companies win all the time and let it go without so much as a high-five. Work is too much a part of life not to recognize the moments of achievement. Grab as many as you can. Make a big deal out of them. That’s part of a leader’s job too – the fun part.
iPad Continued from Page 33 iBooks textbooks (including titles from major publishers like McGraw-Hill, Pearson Education, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), audio and video, documents, and even iOS apps into a single package that students navigate as they progress through the course. When it launched in 2007, iTunes U was a source for audio and video lectures students could use on their iPods, but Apple introduced a new app in January 2012 that leveraged the capabilities of the iPhone and iPad, adding in iOS apps, iBooks, and video to the mix. Downloads have topped 1 billion, and iTunes U is used by more than 1,200 colleges and universities and more than 1,200 K12 schools and districts. Severns said iTunes U is “paving the way for how educators teach and students learn” because it allows for unprecedented ease in distributing and accessing academic content. Simply log on and it’s there. Still, it can be easier or more beneficial, particularly in K-12 classrooms, for teachers to just round up a collection of dedicated apps (there are more than 75,000 education related apps in the App Store) for students to use. There, tablets are often supplementary rather than being used for the bulk of coursework, so a fullThe Dam Good Times
blown iPad-based course (like with iTunes U) isn’t necessary. Tablet time is often a reward, where students will get to play a game that isn’t just fun, it’s building on skills and concepts they’re focusing on in class. iOS has built-in controls that can let teachers lock an iPad into a single app and place restrictions on functions like browser access to ensure kids are learning, and not goofing off. Third party apps also can take advantage of the social networking opportunity inherent to mobile devices. Students can ask questions of each other and the teacher, something Severns said is absolutely necessary to ensure everyone understand the information. Stoltzfus, the chemistry lecturer in Ohio, said the social networking aspect allows him to poll students mid-lecture to determine how well they understand the topic. He can adjust his lesson on the fly, which he said is Continued on Page 26 iPAD... “where tablets can really, really help us in terms of progressing in pedagogy.” We are approaching the day when tablets won’t be an option, but a requirement. Arkansas State University, for example, requires all incoming freshman to have their own iPad. Many similar
policies. But as tablet adoption proliferates amongst those students and schools with the money to buy the devices, low income students and cash-strapped schools may be left behind. That could deepen the divide between those with access to the latest learning tools and those with traditional technology and limited Internet access. We’re seeing this kind of segregation already, but some of it is self-imposed. Many college freshmen, for example, are using iPads in class while many upperclassmen prefer their laptops or even pen and paper for coursework. “Five years from now when young students come into college, the expectation is going to be a lot different than it is now. They’ll be used to using tablets in middle and high school,” Stoltzfus said. “We have to be the ones that are pushing the limits.”
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The Dam Gossip Rumor Has It ...Dr. LaTonya Goffney, COISD Superintendent, has accepted a job as Superintendent in Lufkin; moving her up the ladder from a 3A school to a 5A school ...Euro Zone almost ordered Cypress to levy a 10% fee on all bank accounts over 100,000 Euros and 6.7% on lower amounts because of a bail out. There was a run on the ATM machines and banks for people to draw out all of their money. This is how depressions can begin. This is troubling and underscores how bad of shape Western Europe is in and should serve as a warning to Americans. Fortunately, this time, their efforts were thwarted. Can you imagine the federal government one day demanding, or legislation passing, taking 6.7% to 10% of your savings because of a financial crises ? Some believe if our President could he would as a way to be sure YOU paid your fair share. ...there has been an increase in food stamps of 70% since 2008? Only 1% out of 14,000,000 have left welfare and gone back to work.
April 2013
District Judge (D) Elizabeth Coker Switches Sides and becomes an (R)
...Welfare checks are commonly called "the crazy check" by recipients...this must mean they get it for nothing and isn't that crazy? ..."I trust that no one will tell me that men such as I write about don't exist. That this book has been written and published - is my proof that they do." Ayn Rand, 1957 ...Houston, TX-Craft beers can now be sold to individuals! Welcome to the rest of the country! ...Detroit a black man held four blacks as slaves ...USA-Financial institutions have written off $3 BILLION in student loan debt already THIS year! Maybe they need to teach them finance and financial repsonsibility. ...Indiana County-a man went deer hunting in a wal-mart pkng lot! Playlist Worthy: ...”Stay” by Rhianna is an amazing song with tragic meaning. I hope
Judge Elizabeth Coker with Polk County Republican Chairman, Benny Fogelman Photo by Penny Uselton YOUR daughter is not looking up to her...just sing it alone with the windows down... ”Brave” by Josh Groban; “We Are Young” by Janelle Monae; “Meant” by Elizaveta (Scandal commercial); “Baby You’re Right” by James Brown (Scandal episode); “I’m not the One” by LaVette (Scandal Episode); “Fallin” by Connie Francis (Target commercial); “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers; “I Found You” by Alabama Shakes; “Some Nights” The Dam Good Times
by Fun; “Sail into the Sun” by Gentlemen Hall (Target Commercial); “Love Interruption” by Jack White; “Be Mine” by Alabama Shakes; “Yellow” by Coldplay... ...Why is Eric Roberts on DWTS as a viewer?
comic continues to mock the network’s ratings decline on air-- a source close to the situation told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column that Leno still intends to ride out his contract through to the 2014 season. Judge Coker announced
...Kellie pickler got a standing ovation when she danced with Deric Hough...She’s in it to win it!
her move, at the Polk
...The relations between NBC and “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno are deteriorating by the day-- as the
that she was changing her
County Republican Club monthly meeting (April 2), party affiliation and joining the Republican Party. Page 36
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SNICKER Sent in by UB w/the Colorado Bureau of TDGT In the hospital where a family member lay gravely ill, the relatives gathered in the waiting room. Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and somber. "I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news," he said as he surveyed the worried faces. "The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain transplant. It's an experimental procedure, very risky, but it is the only hope. Insurance will cover the procedure, but you will have to pay for the BRAIN." The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a time, someone asked, "How much will a brain cost?" The doctor quickly responded, "$5,000 for a Democrat's brain; $200 for a Republican's brain." The moment turned awkward. Some of the Democrats actually had to try not to smile, avoiding eye contact with the Republicans. A man unable to control his curiosity, finally blurted out the question everyone
wanted to ask, "Why is the Democrat's brain so much more than a Republican's brain?" The doctor smiled at the childish innocence and explained to the entire group, "It's just standard pricing procedure. We have to price the Republicans' brains a lot lower because they're used."
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; beer take a closer look at the American Indian.” -- Henry Ford
Want to subscribe or advertise? Contact us at 936.653.8788 Just in case you’ve had your head in the sand-the time for CHANGE is here! We own several blogs and we are almost so semi-famous that we decided it’s high time for a new newspaper in our area. Soooo, mail us a check for 35 bucks if you live in San Jacinto County and 40 if you’re an outsider, aka weekender, (HEY! It takes one to know one...) and we’ll send you our amazingly clever newspaper. We’ll even lick the stamp. You just can’t find deals like this anymore. Wanna advertise? Don’t be wishy washy. Our paper is a sharp contrast to those yellow-belllied newspapers you’re used to reading & pretty soon people will be begging for ad space and we’ll be too busy to answer the phones! And just like that-YOU’RE out of the loop! (If UR not laughing-UR not living) Send checks to: The Dam Good Times, POB 911, Coldspring, TX 77331 www.thedamgoodtimes.com news@thedamgoodtimes.com
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Rolling Hills Restaurant welcomed the Polk County SPCA for a Fundraiser and Thank You to volunteers and contributors By Penny Uselton Carl Feren spoke to the group about the new facilities. When completed, it will be 9,000 square feet. The SPCA will be finishing Phase 1 of three phases which will be approximately 2,600 square feet. As soon as they are able to raise the funds for the completion of the dog kennel gates; the office and the shop that will sell pet supplies, they will open the partial facilities. Fundraiser Director Deanna Gunning spoke about the garage sales and other special events that the SPCA volunteers have done to raise additional funds. Kudos to all the hard workers including men who have been working on the building and furnishing much needed
supplies. Karen Pruitt gave us a firsthand look at her experience with animal foster care at our SPCA. She started as a foster care volunteer, when the facility we are still using had no room for an additional stray. She was a failure, however, in this volunteer position BUT she now has five wonderful dogs! It has been the policy of the Polk County SPCA to pay as you go and to keep from borrowing. So it is incumbent upon us, the COMMUNITY, to support this acclaimed group for their fiscal responsibility along with their stewardship of the homeless animals! Our SPCA needs any, and all, amounts of money in helping to complete the opening. Let’s get our puppies and kittens the
help they need: get them OUT of inclement weather; keep them from the threat of starvation and the threat of injury. They need all of us to help in any way we can. Please contact our Polk County SPCA at: 936327-7722 or spcaofpolkcounty@spcaofpolkcount y.org. They are still on Highway 190 hoping to be able to move soon to 802 S. Houston Ave. in Livingston. Their hours of operation are Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturday from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM and Monday, Thursday & Friday from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM *Our SPCA receives NO FUNDING from the federal, state, county or city government. It is up to us. Please join us!
Game of Thrones
Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime! And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun! It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men...all will play the 'Game of Thrones.' A new original series based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. Winter is coming soon to HBO. ‘Game of Thrones' will come alive for fans in an immersive, not-to-be-missed touring exhibition that will transport viewers into the breathtaking and enchanted world of Westeros. The traveling exhibit, the first of its kind by HBO, will stop in five in-
ternational cities - Toronto, New York City, Sao Paolo, Amsterdam and Belfast. Presented by HBO and international partners, the exhibition is free to the public and focuses on key characters from five of the noble houses: Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon and Greyjoy. It will showcase a trove of more than 70 original artifacts from Seasons 1 and 2, plus select pieces from this year's new season. Built by New Project LLC, the exhibition includes: Costumes, props, armor and weapons - Artisans, whose superb craftsmanship provide authenticity to the show's medieval fantasy setting, worked closely with HBO to curate the exhibit. Costume designer Michele Clapton oversaw an impressive display of extraordinarily detailed garments. Other iconic artifacts include the model
dragons, weaponry (King Joffrey's crossbow, daggers and swords such as "Ice" and "Longclaw"), armor (helmets, shields and full suits of armor worn by key characters), crowns, jewelry, books and much more. Blackwater Bay Interactive Experience - Fans will get an opportunity to participate in an exciting interactive experience that will place them amid the action of the epic Battle of Blackwater Bay from Season 2. The exhibit will also display an array of official ‘Game of Thrones' licensed collectable merchandise from the HBO Shop®. For ticket information and more, log on to www.discovernorthernireland.com/GoTExhibition/The official hashtag is #GOTExhibition.
Local Offices: The Honorable Rick Perry, Governor Office of the Governor, State Capitol, Austin TX 78711-2428 (800) 2529600 Fax: (512) 463-1849 The Honorable John Cornyn, Senator 517 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510 (202) 224-2934 Fax: (202) 228-2856 The Honorable Ted Cruz Austin Office 300 E. 8th., Suite #961 Austin, TX 78701 Phone: (512) 916-5834 Dallas Office 10440 N Central Expwy, Suite #1160 Dallas, TX 75231 Phone: (214) 361-3500 Houston Office 1919 Smith St., Suite #800 Houston, TX 77002 Phone: (713) 653-3456 San Antonio Office 3133 General Hudnell Dr., Suite # 120 San Antonio, TX 78226 Phone: (210) 340-2885 Washington Office Dirksen Senate Office Building, Suite SDB-40B Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-5922 Representative Ron Paul 203 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515 and 122 West Way STE 301, Lake Jackson, TX 77556
1501 Mockingbird Lane STE 229, Victoria, TX 77904 (202) 225-2831 (979) 285-0231 (361) 576-1231 The Honorable Joan Huffman P.O. Box 12068 Capitol Station Austin, Texas 78711 (512) 463-0117 District Addresses: 129 Circle Way, Suite 101 Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 (979) 480-0994 (979) 480-9122 (Fax) 6217 Edloe Houston, Texas 77005 (713) 662-3821 (713) 682-3842 (Fax)
Atlas Continued... l with Part 3 is to bring these characters to life as accurately as possible and celebrate Rand’s message.” Official Trilogy Web Site: http://www.AtlasShruggedMovie.com Official Atlas Shrugged Community Forum: http://www.GaltsGulchOnline.com About Atlas Productions, LLC Atlas Productions, LLC. was formed by John Aglialoro as a motion picture studio to produce and distribute movies including the trilogy of Ayn Rand’s epic novel, Atlas Shrugged. For more information, visit http://www.AtlasShruggedMovie.com.
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Winter Rates Now Apply