thenorphletpaperboy: The Lady Be Good

thenorphletpaperboy: The Lady Be Good:                           The Lady-Be-Good Midnight, August 15, 1964. I’m 26 years old and in a hell of a mess. I’m lost in the m...

The Lady Be Good

                          The Lady-Be-Good

Midnight, August 15, 1964.

I’m 26 years old and in a hell of a mess. I’m lost in the middle of the Libyan Sahara Desert.

I steady myself on the top of my Land Rover, and look out over a barren wasteland from the crest of a 100’ tall sand dune and pray I’ll see something to point me in the direction of the camp at Rig 2, I left 12 hours earlier.

Surely to God, I’m not lost, flashes through my mind. But now, as the dusty blackness closes in around me, I know I’m lost. Not only am I lost, but I am in the middle of a sandstorm, and all I have with me is a canteen of water, a sandwich, and my Land Rover is about out of gas.

How did I let myself get in this mess? I have been driving across this desert for month.

                                                                        &

I think back on a day without a hint of a problem. Up at 5 o’clock and head to the drilling rig to look at the samples. The driller hollers at me, “Ain’t seen nothin’ but old black shale.”

My work for the day will take 20 minutes, and that’s when an idea crosses my mind and I walk over to talk with Clyde McFarland, the tool-pusher.

“Hey, Clyde! How far is it to Kufra?”

            Kufra is an oasis in the Desert, and it was the staging point for the British Long Range Desert Group in the World War II. I’ll be a tourist and see if the Brits or Rommel left anything of interest.

Clyde yells back, “’Bout two hours—due east, but watch out for land mines. Last week one of ‘em got an Italian Jeep and killed the geologist drivin’ it.”

“Yeah, I heard about that. I’ll watch out when I get close to the oasis.”

“Well, you’ll be okay once you get to the oasis… Shoot, if you get to Kufra, you oughta go see the old Lady-Be-Good, the World War II, B-24 bomber that got off course after a bombin’ raid and landed in the desert.

“How far is it from Kufra?”

“”Bout an hour south. You won’t have no trouble findin’ it.”

I set my compass, and soon I’m driving east toward Kufra across open desert. As I get closer to the oasis, I drive by stacks of land mines are piled up on the edges of the landing strip. They aren’t even rusty. Before the War, a tribe would move from place to place with the elders leading them. After losing a few elders to mines, the tribes started sending the camels and women out front.

I continue past the airfield toward the oasis, where I park near a group of men sitting near a water well.

“Kaifa al-haak?” I say as I walk up. That’s one of the few Arabic phrases I know; a greeting that means, “Hello, how are you?”

The men all stand and greet me, spewing out Arabic that I don’t understand. Finally, one of the younger men steps forward and speaks in fairly, good English.

After a few pleasantries, I ask directions to the Lady-Be-Good. As soon as I say, Lady Be Good, everyone points south and chatters away in Arabic. But before I can get in my Land Rover, a lunch invitation comes from the young man. I look over across from the well where there’s a tent, and a steaming pot over a low fire. They have made an invitation I can’t refuse. It will be an insult to the tribe if I turn them down.

 “Na-rhan, shukran,” which means, “Yes, thank you,” and I follow the men over to a steaming bowl of couscous that has been spiced up with chopped lamb, camel, and parsley. Then we all sit on the ground cross-legged around the bowl, everyone takes flat bread, and we reach into the steaming bowl of couscous, dip, and begin to eat. Finally, after we finish, everyone accompanies me to my Land Rover, and I head south following some obvious tracks.

            In a little over an hour I top a rise and there, sitting in front of a low sand dune, is one of the strangest sights I have ever seen. An American B-24, World War II bomber, the Lady-be-Good, is sitting there looking as if it has just landed. The plane, which looks intact from the outside, is completely stripped inside of anything that can be unbolted or prized off.

After a few minutes of walking around the plane, I climb into the cockpit, then look into the interior, and I’ve seen all there is to see. I think about what the men faced when they scrambled out of the plane. In 1959, they found the remains of the crew. They had tried to walk to Kufra.

 I set my compass northwest, and after an hour of driving, I know the rig should be 20 miles ahead, but the wind is picking up, and soon it is blowing some 30 mph. It is a giblie as the Libyans call these sandstorms, and the sand and dust drops the visibility to zero. Hours later, it’s dark, and I still haven’t found the rig, and I began to worry about running out of gas. I drive up a big sand dune and climb up on the top of the car. I’ve been standing on top of my Land Rover for about 15 minutes, trying to see a glow in the night sky, which would be the gas flares at Zelten, the ESSO Camp.

What am I going to do? crosses my mind as I yank the door open and settle into my seat.

This is one of those moments, when you wonder how someone from Norphlet, a small, oil-field town in South Arkansas, winds up lost in the Libyan Desert. The fate of the The Lady Be Good crew flashes in my mind again, as I lean back in the seat to wait out the giblie. The wind is rocking the Land Rover and in a few minute I’m asleep. It seems as if I’ve been sleeping for several hours when something happens, and I sit up startled. No wind! I jump out of the Land Rover, and the first thing I see are the Zelten flares. I'm less than a mile from the ESSO Camp, and the burning gas is so bright it’s like daylight. I can't believe I was so close to Zelten, and couldn’t see the flares. In a few minutes I’m at the camp to spend rest of the night in the crew quarters.

                                                            &

Morning comes quickly, and I soon I’m driving across the desert again to be back to rig two for my morning report.

“Mason here, Gerhard; Rig 2 report, ninety eight seventy-five T. D. made 365’ Heira Shale, black shale, no shows. Over.”

“Mason, where the hell have you been? George was about to send out search parties. Over.”

“Went over to Zelten to pick up some supplies and got caught in a giblie. Over”

“….Okay,… but keep in touch better. Over.”

No, I don’t think Esso needs  to know the details.

                                      

thenorphletpaperboy: Jobs, But Not Just Any Job

thenorphletpaperboy: Jobs, But Not Just Any Job:                              Jobs, But Not Just Any Job Of course, there is a reoccurring need in our state for jobs and as more and ...

Jobs, But Not Just Any Job

                             Jobs, But Not Just Any Job

Of course, there is a reoccurring need in our state for jobs and as more and more folks enter the marketplace it is important we have work for them. However, it is my opinion that our fair state has never seen a job it didn’t like, and yes, of course, there are bad jobs.  Well, are we are still recruiting bad jobs? Hey, you bet we are! This ain’t Vermont. It can be a hog farm on the Buffalo Watershed or a polluting Chinese Pulp Mill or a maximum security prison. “Bring “um on if they create jobs, seems our goal.

During the six years I served on what was then the Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, many times the question, when a potentially threat to the environment came up when considering a permit, the question was, “How many jobs will that create?” Not “How will this plant or permit impact our environment?” In the past, and sadly even today, any job created in the state is welcomed with open arms. A lot of these jobs here today came to our state because we had and still have lax environmental regulations.

Well, times have changed in our country, but has our state changed, or do we still have the old mantra, there are no bad jobs? Let’s consider a few facts for a moment. Fact number one, the country is at full employment, and there are over 6,000,000 want ads out there looking for workers. In other words, if you have a pulse, you can find a job.  Fact number two, there are good jobs to recruit and there are bad jobs. Fact number three, obviously, we should recruit just the good jobs, but we aren’t. First, let’s talk about what are bad jobs. I guess it’s a gimme to say that if a job has a negative impact on the air, water, and land in the state, it sure doesn’t come out as a job we want to recruit. Of course, the hog farm on the Buffalo River Watershed flashes before my eyes, but of course that not the only source of bad jobs. What about a Chinese pulp mill? You can’t process pulp without some pollution, and we already do our Nation’s share of pulp wood processing. The Chinese pulp mill is five miles from Arkadelphia, and unless the Chinese have come up with a non-polluting paper mill, you can’t process pulp without some pollution.  Just for a moment visualize all those Chinese who wear masks because their air is so polluted, and then consider them building a pulp plant in Arkansas.   Anyone who has been anywhere within 20 miles of a paper mill knows the smell. I’ve even smelled the mill near Pine Bluff in Little Rock, So when the fans sitting in the stands during the football “Battle for the Ravine” get a whiff of paper processing that will make them want to gag, will they just say, “Oh, wonderful. It smells like jobs and money!” No, at that moment most of the folks are going to say “stinking paper mill.”  I think you get the idea. There are good jobs and a polluting plant’s jobs aren’t good jobs. I opposed that paper mill when Union County was in the running for the plant, and a few years back when Union County was close to getting a new maximum security prison, I and others opposed it.

 I think you get the idea, but the more important point is what and where are the good jobs? The jobs we should go after.  Let’s consider one more fact. There are thousands of skilled high-tech workers who live in mega-cities, and they want out. Some are looking to early retire and other have had the traffic, pollution, and the hectic 2 hour commutes have them looking to relocate. This is what they prefer. They want a smaller attractive town with a mild climate that offers them the amenities they have become accustom to having. The towns and states that attract these skilled individuals will be the towns and states that will prosper in the 21sr century.

However, the bad news is we have very few if any towns that have all of what these individuals want, but the good news is the items they want are the same things we want. These are the quality of life perks everyone wants. These skilled individuals have jobs and the last thing on their list is an empty industrial park. Actually, our state has dozens of vacant or near vacant industrial park that should be turned into a quality subdivision, which would be attractive to these skilled workers. But let’s cut to the chase. These skilled workers want good entertainment, quality restaurants, good schools, an attractive downtown, and a low crime rate. So let’s get after it and stop trying to win the jobs lottery, and cut out the junkets to China etc. if we really want to have a growing and vital town, we will spend what it takes to create these amenities, and use our resources wisely. If we don’t, many of our towns will slowly waste away until their schools close, and they are merged with a bigger school district. In a few years many of these towns will actually cease to exist. But there are ways to stem the outflow.

El Dorado, hired Roger Brooks, a destination expert from Seattle to turn the city around, and that is exactly what  MAD, the Murphy Art’s District folks are trying to do. Mr. Brooks said, “If a town doesn’t become a destination for people to visit, it will slowly lose population and one day cease to exist.”

The results so far are encouraging. The opening of Phase One, the Griffin Restaurant, MAD Amphitheater, and MAD Music Hall drew crowds larger than the population of El Dorado, and these folks came from far and wide. Phase One is still a work in progress and the largest children’s PlayScape in the state will open on May 15^th. Phase Two will add a new 8000 square foot art museum art with display arrangements from regional and national museums. The final part of the project will be the renovation of the crown jewel, the Rialto Theater, which will be a Lincoln Center quality Vaudeville and Broadway Play venue. MAD is the key to attract the skilled tech professional who will move to El Dorado, reverse the population drain, and, create jobs.

            No, you’re right, every town in the state can’t be an entertainment destination, but our state has such an abundance of natural beauty that by focusing  our efforts and building on that natural beauty, we could make our state truly the Natural State and thus provide many of the amenities these skilled workers are looking for. Yes, that would eliminate those junkets to China and Europe, and countless other lottery level pursuits we see our towns wasting money on. If we use our limited funds wisely to enhance our towns, we will not only attract these skilled workers who will create jobs, we will increase the quality of life for all of us.

thenorphletpaperboy: Things I Like and Things I Dislike

thenorphletpaperboy: Things I Like and Things I Dislike:                              Likes and Dislikes Linsey Vonn: I think she’s great! No, she didn’t win gold, but her courage in coming...

Things I Like and Things I Dislike

                             Likes and Dislikes

Linsey Vonn: I think she’s great! No, she didn’t win gold, but her courage in coming back from what was almost a career ending accident and showing such class when she didn’t win gold, makes me proud to be an American. Her bronze medal in the Ladies Downhill makes her the oldest female ever to medal in in the toughest of the ski events. This country has a lot of Linsey Vonn’s and their courage and character are examples to our young people. Of course, it doesn’t hurt her image by being a drop-dead gorgeous blonde. 

Over the top makeup and ultra-white teeth: I don’t like them: HD TV gives us a very up close look at politicians and TV personalities and it’s such an intense look that it can be a real turnoff. You know, teeth that are so ultra-white they almost glow in the dark, and when person gives you that big toothy smile, you feel like putting on sunglasses. That combined with an orange spray-tan or heavy makeup makes those folks look like cartoon characters. Adult healthy teeth are a soft shade of white with just a hint of color. Of course, I’m all for a little soft makeup on the gals, but guys, please forget the makeup.   

Eleven o’clock football games: I can’t stand them: Well, I guess some folks will do virtually anything for money, and whoever agreed to let the TV people bribe them with sacks of money to move some of the University’s football games to the ungodly hour of eleven o’clock, should be taken out and horse-whipped. And what makes it even worse, we have to sit there and suffer through around 60 minutes of commercials to see two losers play for the cellar. Football games should be at the God-pronounced starting time of 2:00 P. M., always on Saturday. Of course, I think all students should get tickets when they pay tuition and all parking around the stadium should be on a first come basis. Yes, all of that would screw up what is passed off as a football game, and that ain’t bad. Maybe then we would get back to what the original college football games were meant to be.

Going on and on about the Royals: I can’t stand the coverage: Of course, I mean the “Royals” of England. Well, they seem to be nice people, but in reality, they are just tourist attractions, and to dwell on every little tittle and twiddle the Royals make is just clogging up the media. The hoopla about the forthcoming marriage was the lead TV story several weeks back, and I think it should have been given about as much coverage as a new ride at Disney World. So back off media and quit acting as if these people are special.

Rainy Days in Arkansas: I like them: Well, I guess when the weather man says “We have a good weather weekend ahead.” He’s a fair weather man or woman, but I’m not. Arkansas needs the +50 inches of rain a year, and when we go through a long dry spell, it really has a negative impact on our State. So, I like a rainy day. Yes, I know too much of even a good thing can create problems, but Mother Nature sometimes needs to flush out the excess with a good four to six inch rain that recharges the ground water, fills out lakes, and gives us the forests that we take for granted.

Living with Wildlife: I like it: I’m a former country boy who lived on a farm and hunted and fished at least two or three times a week from the time I was 8 years old until I went off to college. Today, I’m settled into a nice, wooded piece property in the city limits of El Dorado with two small ponds, and plenty of wildlife. We have a big wooden deck off our kitchen, and under that deck lives a variety of animals; possums, coons, snakes, and spiders. And when we finish with our Thanksgiving Turkey, it’s just put out the scraps and they disappears by morning. Nothing is left. Our two ponds have plenty of ducks, fish, turtles, snakes, and an occasional beaver. A couple of years back we had a river otter check out our swimming pool. No fish; and it left after a display of swimming and diving. Our lower pond has a small island in the center and the large willow tree there has become an egret roost with some +20 egrets roosting there. Of course we have deer---doesn’t everybody? A couple of years back a doe gave birth to twins---in our courtyard. I think the coyotes I see occasionally made the deer come in close to our house to birth her fawns. I walk and sometimes run on the bypass just a few hundred yards from our house, and recently I spotted a substantial beaver dam on Mill Creek, which crosses the bypass just north from my house. And believe it or not, Vertis, my wife, spotted a black bear crossing our neighbor’s yard about 5:30 one morning. It must have been one of the Felsenthal bears out for a stroll.

I’m a Gal-hugging Southerner: And I really like that:: But no, I am not sexually assaulting the ladies, I’m just doing what Southerners have been doing from the time there was a South, and I occasionally hug guys. Okay, I know the difference in sexually assaulting and a friendly Southern Hug, but yes, it does cross my mind when a close female friend comes to dinner, and I greet her with a hug and maybe a kiss on the cheek. However, if we quit hugging it would take away some of the positive relationships southern friends have developed. So I’m confessing, yes, I hug, and I’m not stopping.

Politicians Who Won’t Have Town Hall Meeting: I don’t like them: Of course we all know why they won’t have town hall meeting. They can’t handle the tough questions, and they don’t like folks questioning their motives for the way they vote. I’m personally inviting any one or all of our congressional delegation, especially Congressman Bruce Westerman, to come down to the Griffin Auditorium in El Dorado that holds 2200 folks for an old fashion Norman Rockwell town hall. Of course, we’ll ask Congressman Westerman to explain his comment about whether the hog farm will pollute the Buffalo. Westerman was in Hot Springs for a Coffee with your Congressman, and reportedly told the crowd in response to a question about the Buffalo River Hog Farm, that he believed swimmers put more nitrates in the river than the farm. I know it’s hard to believe he said that, but it sounds as if the fall election may be a referendum on the Buffalo National River.

            Well, of course, that’s just a few of my likes and dislikes, but I’m probably going to still watch the Hogs on TV at 11, put up with politicians who won’t have a Town Hall Meeting, and hug the gals with ultra-white teeth.