State, local officials working to keep Pilgrim’s in El Dorado

By JOHN WORTHEN
News-Times Staff
Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said that he is willing to personally meet with officials from Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. if it would help sway the company’s decision to stay in Union County.

Beebe, who visited South Arkansas last week for a groundbreaking ceremony at TETRA Technology’s new calcium chloride plant in Parkers Chapel, spoke candidly about the poultry giant’s future in El Dorado.


“Certainly we want to do what we can to keep Pilgrim’s Pride here,” Beebe said. “We will see what we can do within our legal limitations to ease (the company’s problems) so that they can maintain the plant. I would be happy to sit down with them if that would help.”

Pilgrim’s Pride announced earlier this month that if quality control and financial issues at its Union County facilities are not immediately addressed, then a full closure may be imminent.

According to Pilgrim’s spokesman Ray Atkinson, quality and productivity records at the Union County plants are falling “well below other Pilgrim’s facilities.”

Atkinson added that Pilgrim’s hasn’t recouped any of the costs from recent upgrades and renovations here.
Pilgrim’s operates a processing plant on South West Avenue, a feed mill on Arkansas 7 and a hatchery inside the Union County Industrial Park.

The company employs more than 1,600 workers, along with hundreds of contract growers in Union County and northern Louisiana.

Since Pilgrim’s Pride’s grim announcement, local and state officials have been scrambling to figure out how they can enhance the company’s local operations.

Officials with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission are already drafting proposals to present to top-level management at Pilgrim’s Pride in hopes that something can be done to bolster worker performance.

Without citing specific plans, Steve Sparks, division director for training with the AEDC, said that success of his agency’s proposal to Pilgrim’s will rest on how well the company receives change, and “whether or not they want to invest what it will take to turn things around.”

Sparks said a proposal will be presented to Pilgrim’s Pride officials sometime this week.

The AEDC has in its arsenal “successful tools and programs to help retrain deficient workers at plants like Pilgrim’s,” according to the agency.

These tools have already been used with success at several Arkansas manufacturers, and Beebe and other state officials seem confident that they can work at Pilgrim’s.

Beebe cited Hino Motors, a Japanese truck manufacturer that operates a parts facility in Marion, as a specific example of how successful the AEDC programs can be.

That company saw worker turnover rates as high as 50 percent before the AEDC intervened, Beebe noted. Now, Hino’s turnover rate is hovering around 1 percent.

“We have turned Hino around with these programs,” Beebe said. “Hino was not that happy in Arkansas... . We came in and structured a program that put their workers through simulated workforce training and now they area happy as they can be.”

On the local front, Don Wales, president of the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce, said he had a “very positive” meeting last week with the state’s top economic official.

Maria Haley, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, spent several hours with Wales and other local officials discussing the future of Pilgrim’s Pride in Union County.

“We are working as quickly as we can to get results,” Wales said. “The AEDC understands our situation, and they are very concerned about that. I think things can be turned around to Pilgrim’s satisfaction, but it will take real commitment on the part of Pilgrim’s Pride’s management, and from the state and local community.”

Like Beebe, Haley has also pledged to do whatever she can to help sway Pilgrim’s officials to keep their Union County facilities open.

But, she cautioned, it will take high levels of interest from everyone involved.

“Unless you have a three-way partnership, it’s not going to work,” Haley said. “We are currently involved in ongoing discussions with (local) leadership about what they need to do to take care of issues at Pilgrim’s. We are very engaged on this matter.”

Meanwhile, Pilgrim’s officials are mum on the future of their operations here. Atkinson said last week that “there are no new developments,” and that the company is “still evaluating the situation on a daily basis.”

“We know that changes are needed there, and they are needed right now,” Atkinson said. “This is a very serious situation.”

New Orleans pics

I had a great time in New Orleans during Carnival. I wasn't actually there on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) but was still able to see dozens of parades and catch more beads than I know what to do with. Here are a few pictures. Some of them aren't that great because it's hard to stop and pose a photo while your in the middle of a mob of people trying to catch beads. I will post more later and write a narrative of my experience.


Floats galore


More parades



This guy was dressed up like a space man, or something. He had a little noise maker in his mouth that made sounds every time he moved. Really cool art.



Beads on a light pole. This is a common sight during Mardi Gras.


Hangin out in Jackson Square during Mardi Gras.


I promise this guy sounded just like Hendrix! I thought it was a recording of the master. He was sooooo good.


Another float on Canal St.



This guy was in costume in the French Quarter. Just thought it made a cool pic. He was promoting local art. I wish I had more money, I definitely would have bought some of the amazing pieces on display.



Darth Vadar. What more needs to be said?


One of my favorite views of Canal Street.


At one point in history, steam calliopes were popular. This is one of the original ones, and it was played as it rolled along St. Charles Ave. It was quite a sound to hear it, accompanied by the vintage steam tractor pulling it, chugging down the avenue. Kinda of eerie, yet very cool.


I thought this was a really cool pic. It's taken in the French Quarter.


One of the many floats I saw.



Having fun in the Quarter. I wasn't drinking, I swear.


The HULK reigned the Bacchus parade. I caught one of the Dabloons bearing his profile. Pretty cool.

Ozark retreat center offers blissful getaway

We’re perched on a small wooden deck watching the sun creep over the Ozark Mountains. It’s cold — bitter for late March — and everyone’s wrapped in wool blankets that curl open each time we sip from our steamy coffees and exotic teas.

Mist drifts skyward from a small pond below the deck as morning’s first light bathes our chilled bodies with welcomed warmth.

It’s the last day of a weekend Yoga workshop at the Wattle Hollow Retreat in northwest Arkansas, and my fellow retreaters and I are enjoying what owner Joy Fox calls “silent sunrise.”

This is a special time here, where visitors are asked to reflect on themselves, their beliefs, and anything else that makes them feel at peace.

Fox, a rugged woman with thick, wiry black hair that hangs to her shoulders, prides herself in helping guests clear their minds of cobwebs, whether they’re here to enjoy high-level Yoga, or on an overnight self-indulgent getaway.

To Fox, Wattle Hollow is about reexamining life’s intentions and making adjustments in areas that just don’t feel right anymore. She often jokes with first-time guests about “Wattle Warp,” a sort of time blur that happens when you free your mind of cluttered thoughts.

It’s the first step in rediscovering yourself, she says.

“When people come here and they are ready to change something in their lives, then they forget about whatever else was bothering them,” says Fox, who is in her late 50s but is still as sprightly as a 20-something. “It’s basically when you can’t remember what it is you thought you had to do, so you can focus on things that are important.”

It’s easy to focus and reflect on the simple things when you’re at Wattle Hollow — there are no tvs, radios or any other distractions, just a sense of peacefulness that gently tugs your mind into park as soon as you stop at the end of the retreat’s bumpy, pockmarked driveway.

Fox has created a modern-day utopia in the lush green mountains 15 minutes south of Fayetteville, where bright purple wisteria hangs like a lavish curtain over the forest floor, and where the only sound for miles is that of quail and bullfrogs.

The retreat offers many different options for those who stay here — think of it as a customizable buffet for the soul. Each month features new activities and events, from Tibetan chant masters sharing their ancient practices to experts on Vipassana, a form of Theravadan Buddhist meditation.

Classes are usually broken up throughout the day with generous chunks of private time, giving visitors plenty of chances to scout Wattle Hollow’s rugged 40-acre landscape.

Wildlife abounds here, with owls, hummingbirds, whippourwill, woodpeckers and countless other creatures fluttering through the treetops and around the forest floor.

If you’re feeling really adventurous, there’s plenty of hiking and exploring to keep you busy. One of my favorite hikes is to an ancient creek bed that’s carved through the mountains 300 feet below Wattle Hollow.

To get there, you'll follow a stone path that twists down to Wattle Creek; it's a fairly rigorous climb, but well worth the effort.

During spring and early summer, frigid water roars over Volvo-sized boulders that are scattered along the creek bed. This is one of the most private places at the retreat and a must visit for those who can handle the climb.

One other popular feature at Wattle Hollow is the “Peace Path,” a narrow trail that winds around the property’s eclectic mix of cabins and buildings, eventually leading to the meditation hall.

Along the path, you’ll pass one of the most unique buildings at Wattle Hollow: An adobe and rock structure dubbed the “Cob Castle.” This round one-and-a-half-story building looks like something from a child’s dream, with ornate stained glass windows that shower the entrance hall in brilliant blues, greens and reds.

The castle sits atop a 300-foot cliff and is nestled under high stretching oak trees that tower over a nearby tulip garden. Just down a pathway from the castle sits the main cabin, where classes and meals are held. This building is the central focus of Wattle Hollow and offers a spectacular view of the mountains from its deck.

The deck is also a popular spot for visitors to socialize and share stories after classes.

It’s where I meet Patricia Wyatt of Fayetteville, a refined woman who has become a repeat visitor to Wattle Hollow. She’s on her second retreat, and like most of us, has already felt the effects of "Wattle Warp."

After her first night here, Wyatt, 59, says she’s starting to make a lot of small changes in her life that are making a big difference.

“Beginning the day with a short yoga practice and then a meditation, using Joy’s deep breathing techniques —even in meetings — has helped me,” she says. “This place is a spiritual vortex, where you can breath more deeply. It’s one of those Ozark secrets that you just hear about word-of-mouth.”

But like all good secrets, this one’s slowly being revealed.


Getting here
Fayetteville is approximately 340 miles from the DFW area. Travel north toward Sherman and Denison, continuing on U.S. 69 through Oklahoma to the Interstate 40 interchange near Checotah, Okla.

Proceed on Interstate 40 East for approximately 78 miles to the Interstate 540/Interstate 40 interchange. Proceed on Interstate 540 North toward Fayetteville.

Take exit 52, also the exit for Devil’s Den State Park. Turn left (west) toward the park, following Arkansas 170 (Devil's Den Road) signs for approximately 14 miles. At the sign that says “Devil's Den State Park, 4 miles,” continue on Arkansas 170 another half mile.

There will be a 'Wattle Hollow' sign on the left, just before the driveway (there is a stone cairn also on the left, and a small white house with mailboxes on the right). Go left down the driveway for one mile, then take the right fork in the drive and continue to the end of the road.


Lodging and rates
Lodging options at Wattle Hollow include the Cob Castle, Ocean View Lodge, Great Mother Room, Grotto Room, Teacher’s Cabin (usually reserved for visiting instructors) and the Dogwood Lodge and Crystal Palace, both of which feature dormitory-type environments.

There are only two flush toilets at Wattle Hollow, located at the Cob Castle. Visitors are encouraged to use the compost toilets — out houses that are well constructed and quite comfortable.

Hot showers are available.

Wattle Hollow is available for private events or single getaways; most of the
cabins and bunk houses can be rented throughout the year.

Retreat rates differ depending on the instructor. During retreats, organic food is included in the price, but you're on your own otherwise. There are two full service kitchens on site; drugs and alochol aren't permitted.

For uninstructed retreats, single rates run $35 for the first night and $25 for each additional night.
Couples rates run $45 for the first night and $35 for each additional night. Groups of three to ten will be charged $30 for the first night and $25 for each additional night.

In addition, tent space is available for those who feel the urge to camp.

Pets are also welcome at Wattle Hollow.

Travel tips
• Bring bug repellant, as ticks and other tiny critters run wild through the forest floor.
• Bring a camera and journal to document your time here.
• Bring at least one pair of slip-on shoes, as many buildings at Wattle Hollow don't allow shoes.
• Bring towels, pillows and blankets. Depending on where you stay, you may need extra.

More information is available by logging on to www.wattlehollow.com.

TM-speak ruining America?

Every now and then I see something that makes me cringe. And this story did it. According to a recent Associated Press article, middle school teacher Julia Austin is noticing a new generation of errors creeping into her pupils’ essays. Things like “b4,” “ur” and “wata” — words that mean nothing to adults but are part of the teens’ everyday lives.

Welcome to the world of instant-message speak.This new “language” emerged more than a decade ago and is often used in e-mails and cell phone text messages; most teens are familiar with this tech talk and use it to flirt, plan dates and gossip.

But junior high and high school teachers nationwide say they see a troubling
trend: The words have become so commonplace in children’s social lives that
the techno spellings are finding their way into essays and other writing
assignments.

“The IM-speak is so prevalent now,” Austin, a language arts teacher at
Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Orlando, told the AP. “I’m always having
to instruct my students against using it.”

I think it’s fine to use this type of language in things such as text messaging
and instant messaging, but when it spills over into academia, that’s when
we’ve got a problem.

The fact that kids think it’s OK to use such language in research papers
concerns me. To think that they don’t know the difference between “ur” and
“you’re” is astounding. Perhaps they do know the difference — maB they R
just 2 laZ 2 chnge how they spek.

Regardless, it’s a disturbing trend that teachers must address right away.

According to the AP, some educators like David Warlick, 54, of Raleigh, N.C.,
see the young burgeoning band of instant messengers as a phenomenon that
should be celebrated.

Teachers should credit their students with inventing a new language that is
perfect for communicating in a high-tech world, said Warlick, who has

authored three books on technology in the classroom.

“I would encourage teachers to assign writing assignments that allow IM-
speak,” he said. “We need to respect the language to the point that we
sometimes allow it.”

Is this guy serious?

Respecting something that is a blatant error couldn’t be more ridiculous.

That’s like asking a cop to respect someone breaking the law. If you are a
teacher, you cannot allow your students to write improperly. You have to
encourage them and instruct them on the proper way to write and speak.

Anything less is a disservice to students and to our nation.

L.A.'s senseless violence

Charlene Lovett clutched an enlarged photograph of her daughter as she prayed with friends and relatives on a recent sunny day in Los Angeles.

The photo, which shows Cheryl Green’s infectious, bright smile in full form, is all Lovett has left to remember her daughter’s beautiful face — that and 14 years worth of memories.

Green, 14, was gunned down recently in Los Angeles, the victim of a racially motivated attack as she sat on her scooter talking to friends. Green was black.

The bright-eyed eighth grader loved junk food and watching Court TV with her mother, according to a story printed in Wednesday’s New York Times, and all she wanted to do on the day she died was hang out with her schoolmates.

Problem is, the neighborhood where Green lived is a war zone.

It’s not Baghdad, but it might as well be. There’s even a “do not cross” line drawn in this neighborhood known as Harbor
Gateway. In recent months, tension has grown so severe that blacks and Latinos formed a dividing line on 206th street with the understanding that neither side crosses.

Green didn’t cross the line that day, but she came close enough to lose her life.

What a tragedy.

How could this happen on the streets of America? And more importantly, who is to blame?

For one thing, the 204th Street gang, which is Latino, had harassed blacks and Latinos alike and effectively kept the two groups divided, according to the New York Times.

If this is true, why isn’t someone stopping this gang from terrorizing the streets of Harbor Gateway? If everyone knew this was going on, why didn’t the police do something to stop it?

Also, certain stores in this neighborhood were apparently “off limits” to blacks because the Latino gang had deemed them as such.

On the other side of the line, blacks had apparently been responsible for killing a Latino gang member before tensions rose between the two groups, and Latinos stepped up violence against blacks as retaliation. This according to an unnamed source for the New York Times.

Regardless, the city must crack down on these problems now. How many years have we heard about gang violence in Los Angeles? And now it seems to be getting worse. L.A.’s mayor, Antonio R. Villaraigosa, along with police officials, is promising to talk to the FBI about the violence with hopes of curbing it substantially. But will there be results?

Probably not.

Our country is facing many obstacles right now, but rising crime rates in major U.S. cities should definitely be at the top of the list of things to change. And as gang violence continues to increase, our politicians are assuring us that they are working hard to keep America’s cities safe.

I would love to see Villaraigosa explain to Green’s mother about winning the war against crime. L.A. is losing this war, and so is the rest of America. It’s just sad that innocent lives have to be lost in the crossfire.

*Editor's note: Picture credit goes to the New York Times.

iPhone, woohoo!

Five hundred dollars for a phone? I’ve been asking myself that question since Apple announced its ultra-cool, über-sophisticated iPhone Wednesday. Would I actually pay $500 for a phone?

Well, yes, and I’m not ashamed to say it either.

That’s because the new iPhone is more than just a device to call your friends and loved ones — it’s also an iPod, a computer that runs Apple’s latest operating system, as well as a fully Internet-ready machine that lets you see actual Web sites, not just text.

You can also watch movies, play games and do a host of other things on this little machine, which is hardly bigger than a standard iPod.

The iPhone, introduced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs during his keynote speech at the annual Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco, will operate exclusively on AT&T Inc.’s Cingular Wireless network and will start shipping in June. A 4-gigabyte model will cost $499, while an 8-gigabyte iPhone will be $599.

Pardon me for a moment while I gush, but this thing is cooler than cool. Logging on to Apple’s web site to take a peek, I could hardly contain my excitement as I thought about holding one in my hand.

It has a touch screen and features both portrait and landscape modes, which means when you rotate the device, the screen automatically compensates without pressing any buttons.

For instance, when you want to watch a movie or browse the net, rotate it for the landscape mode, or if you want to use the iPod feature, turn it right side up and the screen rotates once again. Every other function is controlled via a high-tech, super sensitive touch screen, which means no more ugly number buttons to push.

Awesome.

Apple has long been the leader in announcing amazing devices that have people wondering “how did we ever live without this?” I remember my first Apple experience with the old “Apple II E” machines in the mid-1980s — remember the the little green screens that let us play games like Pong and Solitaire? Back then those things were cutting edge.

Now, Apple has once again gone the extra mile to bring the world a truly inventive product that will forever change the way we think of cellular phones.

Already the Internet buzzing about this product, just like it was several years ago when the first iPod rolled off the assembly lines. But there are critics, too.

Some say the cost is way too high for a product “just to make phone calls.” I say those comments are from people who have never experienced the magic that’s unleashed when owning an Apple product for the first time.

Call me an Apple snob, but I truly believe their products are the most innovative and sleekest in the computing world. And now that same state-of-the-art creativity is being transcended into the world of mobile phones as well.

Brilliant.

I'm back, and so is the crime

Well, after a brief hiatus I thought it was time to bring back the blog. Here's an entry that also doubles as my column for the News-Times this week. Enjoy.

The war in Iraq isn’t the only battle America is losing right now. There’s a war going on here at home, too, on the streets of just about every major city. And local law enforcement officials from Los Angeles to Minneapolis are buried with unsolved crimes.

According to a report this week in “Newsweek” magazine, “A recent surge in violent crime is creating anxiety at the Justice Department and posing potential political problems for the Bush administration."

No doubt this issue will become yet another nail in Bush’s weak, inept presidency.

The report continues: “ The 3.7 percent rise for the first six months of 2006, cited in a new FBI report, was greater than expected and included a 9.7 percent spike in robberies. (Minneapolis and Oakland, Calif., saw jumps of more than 30 percent.) Police groups say the surge comes at the same time the White House has drastically cut aid for state and local law enforcement programs. ‘We don’t have the support from Washington,’ says Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton.”

What’s wrong with this picture? The chief of police in America’s second largest city feels abandoned by the federal government, all the while billions upon billions of dollars are being sent to Iraq to fund the “war on terror.”

And America’s streets are themselves becoming war zones.

Government figures show the FBI has shifted agents off standard criminal cases to work counterterrorism; the bureau has 994 fewer criminal case agents than it did on September 11, 2001 — an 18 percent drop.

According to “Newsweek,” “(A Justice Department rep says it’s “highly unlikely” the crime increase is tied to federal funding, but they’ve dispatched teams to investigate.) The numbers have also caught the attention of top Democrats on Capitol Hill.

In a recent letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller, Judiciary Committee member Sen. Dianne Feinstein called the crime increases “alarming.”

That they are.

Yet our nation’s leader is hell bent on winning a war that has been deemed unwinnable by top generals around the world.

What about domestic problems, Mr. President? Don’t those matter, too? We can’t “cut and run” from our own streets and let criminals run rampant all in the name of fighting terrorism.

Not only is Iraq in turmoil since the U.S. invasion there, but it appears that America, too, is losing her grip on civility.

Go figure.