thenorphletpaperboy: A Moroccan Shortcut

thenorphletpaperboy: A Moroccan Shortcut:                      A   MOROCCAN SHORTCUT Marrakech, Morocco, September 15, 2006             I’m the tour guide since Vertis and ...

A Moroccan Shortcut

                     A  MOROCCAN SHORTCUT

Marrakech, Morocco, September 15, 2006

            I’m the tour guide since Vertis and I’ve driven through Morocco twice during our time in Libya, and we know the roads. We’re with 3 other couples, and I expect it to be a fun trip with good friends. Our group is in two cars, and I’m driving the lead car as we leave Marrakech heading across the Atlas Mountains to Warzazat, the movie producing capital of Morocco. A number of American movies have been shot there, and one is currently in production.

I been on the road to Warzazat through the pass twice, and I don’t think we’ll have any trouble. It’s a steep, winding road, but it’s paved. The drive through the pass usually takes two hours.

            We’re leaving early, but I’ve just been pulled over by the local police, and now I am paying a cash fine to the officer for questionable speeding. A few minutes later and we’re whizzing toward the pass without any problems. Just on the other side of the pass, about ten miles off the main highway, there is an ancient casaba. We decide to take a look, and in 20 minutes we pull up to a remarkable sight. A large multi-floored series of mud plastered buildings are spectacular, and we’re spending a couple of hours touring the partially ruined structures.

The buildings are a major attraction, but the families who lived in this particular casaba cooperated with the French when the country was a French Colony, and they took the
French side when Morocco sought their independence. The result was, anybody who had worked with the French or helped the French during the independence struggle, was shunned. The families fled to France.  However, the stain of pro-French tainted the casaba, and even though it could be a very interesting tourist attraction, it was left to survive the elements. The use of a mud-like stucco for construction means the building must be repaired after rains, and if the structure isn’t kept up the building will slowly crumble.  

            We’re about to leave, when I pull out our Michelin Road Map to see how much farther it is to Warzazat. As I look at the map I notice a secondary road leading from where we are straight to Warzazat. The map has the road yellow, indicating it’s not completely paved, but it’s a much shorter route, and I suggest we take it instead of backtracking to the main road. After all it’s only about 40 miles, and the main road is twice that far. It’s a shortcut that will save us an hour of driving.

            “Hey, everybody; check out this map. If we take this shortcut and don’t go back to the main road, we’ll be in Warzazat in less than an hour. This Michelin Map says it’s a secondary road, but it shouldn’t be too bad. It’s less than 40-miles.”

            Everyone agrees, and we head across some of the Atlas Mountain’s foothills in the direction of Warzazat. After about 30 minutes of driving, I’m becoming concerned, because the foothills are turning out be the understatement of the year. I think we’re back in the center of Atlas Mountains as the road winds up and up and up. I’m guessing we’ve come about 15-miles, and I’m about to panic. The road is a lot narrower and the terrain is actually rugged mountainous. I want turn around, but I figure we are over halfway, so after we talk, the vote is to continue on. Ten minutes later and I know we have made a huge mistake. The road winds higher and higher into the rugged Atlas Mountains, and at times the rocky road is only slightly wider than our car. On top of that the road is hugging the side of a mountain. One slip and we’ll tumble 1500 feet straight down into the valley. I take a deep breath as I look down at the valley below.

“My God, Richard! Your back tire was hanging over the cliff on that last curve!” Edwin yells.

But dropping into the valley and dying is only part of the problem. As we continue, the road is so rocky that I am sure we are going to knock off the oil pan and be stranded. At times the cars drag on rocks so badly that I just cringe.

“Oh, my gosh!”

It’s a fork in the road, and to the right there’s a little village hanging on the side of the mountain. Then to my left, I spot a man on the side of the road. Diane can speak a little French so she hops out and after some hand waving, he sends us to the left toward Warzazat, and now we’re going up the steepest road I have ever seen.

 “Oh, no!”

We’re hanging off the side of the mountain and here comes a tractor. Of course there’s not room to pass. A bicycle couldn’t pass us. I’m out of the car talking to the driver negotiating with him, and about $20 dollars later, he’s backing up for about a hundred yards to let us pass.

            Now, we’re passing a tiny village and kids are putting rocks in the road to make us stop, where they can offer to move them for a few coins, but I’m so ready to get that ride over with that I just run over the rocks, and I can hear them banging against the oil pan. Steve, the driver of the other car stops, pays a little money and then follows. Finally, we’re dropping into the valley, but as we round a curve, I see Steve’s car sliding into a rock wall. We have walkie-talkies and Steve yells, “I can’t go on!” Well, he scraped the side of the car, drug the oil pan across bare rock but did go on. I’m glad we took the full insurance for the rent-a-cars.

The road is better now and after a few more miles and one hellacious hill, we’re on the main road to Warzazat. As soon as we pull onto the pavement everyone jumps out of the cars cheering. We feel like kissing the ground, we are so happy. We’re composing ourselves, when a car drives up.

            It’s a French couple. The man walks over and asks the condition of the road we had just traveled. We wave, yell, and tell him the horror stories of nearly being killed, but he just politely smiles, gets back in his car and drives down the road we had left. I guess the Frenchman thought we’re spoiled Americans and not used to rough, back roads. I’ve driven halfway across Libya without any roads, across the mountain of Mexico, been through Colorado back country and south Arkansas swamp roads, but in all of my travels, I’ve never seen a road even as close to as bad as that Moroccan road. As the couple drives off it’s getting dark, and of all the bad things I can imagine, the worst would be to try and drive that road at night. I’m sure they’ll end up at the bottom of one of those canyons somewhere deep in the Atlas Mountains.

thenorphletpaperboy: I'm for increasing the Arkansas minimum wage

thenorphletpaperboy: I'm for increasing the Arkansas minimum wage:        I’m for Increasing the Arkansas Minimum Wage I noticed in the paper recently that our governor, lieutenant governor, and th...

I'm for increasing the Arkansas minimum wage

       I’m for Increasing the Arkansas Minimum Wage

I noticed in the paper recently that our governor, lieutenant governor, and three of our four congressmen will vote no on the ballot proposal to raise the minimum wage. That brought back memories of how I was disinvited to not be a part of a ski vacation. It was a number of years back, but the subject matter of the discussion around the dinner table that night is still pertain to today’s minimum wage discussion. The group of men on that ski trip were primarily executives representing a number of companies who were headquartered in the United States, but had factories in other countries.

One evening after dinner, the table discussion centered around why companies had manufacturing facilities right across the border in Mexico.  As the conversation continued, it was obvious the primary reason was because labor costs were much lower. Then a newspaper story about overseas manufacturing crossed my mind. The article focused on labor cost. However, what caught my attention was the conditions of the workers. In some countries, the pay was so low that workers were literally living in refrigerator crates or something so sub-standard in housing that we would all be appalled to even think about living in. It was obvious these workers were not receiving a living wage. Then the discussion moved to what is a living wage, and I took the position that a company should feel an obligation to pay its workers enough to assure them simple necessities such has housing, food, and medical care. The companies should pay its workers enough to where the employees could purchase these necessities. That got some negative looks, and I knew I was treading on shaky ground, when one of the executives commented.

“No, Richard. It is not our responsibility to pay any more than the going wage.”

“Really?”

“Of course not, Richard. We’re not the Salvation Army.”

Well, that brought a chuckle from around the table from everyone but me, and then, when I replied, I knew my comments made sure I wouldn’t be with the group when they returned next year.

“I read recently where some workers who were employed by American companies overseas were being paid so little that they were living in refrigerator crates.  If you had workers living in those conditions wouldn’t you feel an obligation to pay them enough where they could have decent housing?”

Yes, that got an icy stare from more than one of the executives, and after another man reiterated the pay was based on local standards, I replied, and I knew that my comment confirmed an invite for a return trip with this group wouldn’t be forthcoming.

“How would you like to sleep in a refrigerator crate after working 12 hours a day being paid twenty-five cents an hour?”

Of course, after that zinger the host of the meeting could see things about to become a shouting match, and he said: “Let’s go into the den for an after dinner drink.” Which everyone nodded, and I left the table knowing I wouldn’t be invited back next year.

Yes, I know workers in the USA aren’t living in refrigerator crates, but are the people we depend on for our great standard of living being paid a living wage? Of course, it’s not just the unskilled labors, but its professionals such as school teachers, who many times are forced into second jobs just to make ends meet.  Considering the current Arkansas minimum wage, it’s obvious we are behind the times and numerous other states are considerable ahead of us, and leading the way, Amazon has just raised its minimum wage to $15/hour. The ballot proposal won’t solve all of the problems we have with low wages, inadequate health care, high taxes, and other problems, but it will help.

We know companies will complain that higher wages will drive them out of business, but that was the complaint back in the early 1900s when unions were formed and child labor laws were passed. The resulting higher wages from that time forward have made the United States the unequaled economic powerhouse in the world. Along with higher wages came a working class of people who bought more goods, sent their kids to college, and the increased productivity made our manufacturing companies more money.

Of course, of all times to increase the minimum wage this is the best of times, because the country is stronger than ever after rebounding from the Great Recession, and the recent huge corporate tax cut has given corporations in this country record earnings. Just take a look at some of the quarterly earnings reports that are flooding in, and you will be shocked at the astronomical amount of money corporations are making.

Now, let me comment about the opposition to the proposal. But before I do, I’ll give you my prospective on the political situation in our country. I believe one of the strongest parts of our democracy are the two major political parties that vie for congressional seats and the presidency. If one party ever dominates the system to the point where the other party is irrelevant, we will have seriously weakened our democratic foundations.  I believe our country is a series of checks and balances and that goes for our political system. What I’m saying is that the Obama administration and the Trump administration are good for our country in a way that is so much a part of our underlying democratic strength that it can’t be overemphasized.

So after saying that, you might understand why, after Trump was elected I didn’t wail and panic, because it was just the pendulum swinging back and forth and the American people, the swingers of the pendulum, wanted to move it back closer to the center. Well, that has happened. In fact the pendulum passed the center several months back. But back to the discussion on the Minimum Wage. It shouldn’t have surprised you that our Republican Governor, Republican Lieutenant Governor, and three Republican Congressmen opposed raising the minimum wage. That’s what Republicans do, and since where talking about what Republicans do, let’s take it a little further.

We’re already said Republican are for lower wages for workers, but they don’t stop there. They are against health care for those workers, retirement funding, and a host of other benefits for the average workers. But they are for a lot of stuff too. Lower taxes…for corporations. Fewer environmental regulations for corporations, and they used to be for free trade, but not anymore. Ask an east Arkansas soybean farmer how much less he or she is receiving after our president did away with free trade.

Whether you are a Republican, Independent, or a Democrat, I urge you to vote for an increase in the Arkansas Minimum wage proposal. History proves an ever increasing minimum wage, especially when the country is in an economic upswing is not only more money in the pocket-books of hourly workers, it actually boosts corporate profits by increasing the demand for goods. Arkansas has spent too many years on the lower rung of wages. It’s time to give our hourly workers a raise.

Gender Discrimination In Arkansas

        Gender Discrimination in Arkansas.

In overall gender discrimination the state of Arkansas ranks 41^st out of 50 behind Mississippi 30^th and Alabama 33^rd. Almost all of the low rankings are in southern states, where women’s rights have long languished. The survey covers equal pay, political appointment, health care, and several other critical items all of which are places where gender discriminations occurs.  But I know some of you who are reading this don’t believe women are discriminated against. Sure, women have equal rights, but that doesn't keep them from suffering discrimination.  Equal rights also doesn’t mean women get equal pay for doing the same job as men, and equal rights certainly doesn’t keep corporation boards and public commissions from being made up of all men.

Of course, it’s worldwide discrimination that women are subjected to. Up until recently, in Saudi Arabia, women couldn’t even drive a car unless accompanied by a man. Yes, it clearly is a worldwide problem, but it can be tackled locally. Of course, we Americans always like to think we’re leading the world in just about everything you can imagine, and hey, we’re doing that in a lot of ways, and I couldn’t be prouder of our country, but gender equality is not something to brag about.

Just to give you an example of how far behind we are, let’s consider the new cabinet members of Spain: 11 are women and 6 are men. It’s almost impossible to even imagine an American Presidential cabinet having a majority of women. That’s how far behind we are, and most of the entrenched men who make up the leadership of our corporations, state, and government entities, the ones who make the promotions and appointments, consider a token woman equal representation.

If we consider the inequality of women on a worldwide basis, the economic potential that would result if we elevated women too an equal position is staggering. One study says if women worldwide were brought to equal status with men, productivity and the subsequent creation of goods would soar as much as one trillion dollars a year. Naturally, that translates into a giant increase in a worldwide standard of living.

Let’s consider just a couple of the all-male Arkansas boards, and for a moment forget about the hundreds more and several thousand additional boards with a token women: First the Arkansas Highway Commission: If an equal number of women were on that board, I don’t have a doubt that our highway right-of-ways would be more attractive, and that the 50 yards of bare ground on either side of our roads would be reduced, and we wouldn’t have an interstate running through a historic neighborhood. If the Game and Fish Commission had an equal number of women, the lakes and rivers that have Game and Fish Facilities would be more attractive, have proper restrooms, and the Commission’s publications would feature recipes and other ways to prepare wildlife. And to mention another board with a token woman if women were equally represented on the Board of. Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Quality, there wouldn’t be a hog farm on the Buffalo River Watershed and Arkansas would have adopted all the standards of the National Clean Water Act. Those are just my observation from working around women. If you want a job done give it to a busy women. She’ll get it done.

 Across this country there are thousands of all male boards. Can anyone say the only qualified candidates for these positions are men? Of course not. So why do our male elected officials, continue to appoint a much higher percentage of men, and appoint only men to certain boards? Of course it's discrimination. There is no other word for it. It is discrimination as sure as the South's Jim Crow laws were, and don’t give me that old whine, “It has always been a male board.”

I’ll continue the Gender Discrimination in Arkansas column with a question for the candidates for governor, Asa Hutchinson, Jared Henderson, and Mark West.

To the candidates: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the State Highway Commission are all male appointees.  Will you commit to appoint a woman to the board of each of the above commissions when the next vacancy occurs, and will you work to promote gender equality on all of the boards and commissions under your authority?

To the candidates: This is a yes or no question, and any other answer such as “the most qualified candidate” or “no answer,” will be considered a “no” and be published as a “no” in my column. Actually, trying to hide under the “best candidate” is so discriminatory that it’s a disgrace to infer that out of over a million Arkansas women there aren’t two that are qualified for the above noted commissions. And just to be sure the candidates can’t say they didn’t read my column, I’m sending them the question by registered mail.

Of course, trying to hide behind, “It’s always been a male only board, or men are more qualified because they hunt or fish or drive more trucks or more business orientated to business is just trying to come up with reason to discriminate against the +50% of the population in our fair state. For a person to say “Equal pay for equal work would be hardship on many employers,” deserves a slap in the face---if I were a women---and a man said that to me. The facts are self-evident with the thousands upon thousands of women across our state who keep our economy humming, while doing the work for so many male company heads.

On January 1^st, 2018, Iceland became the first country in the world to make pay inequality illegal.  Companies that cannot prove pay equality will be fined almost $500 a day if the gap continues to exist. Yes, equal pay for equal work is a worldwide problem, and we do need the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) to move the process along.

Studies have shown that having an equal number of women on a board or commission actually greatly improves the work and mission of the commission. Even a token woman board member matters to. Companies in every sector, not just tech, perform 5 percent better when they have even just one woman on the board, according to Credit Suisse, which examined 3,000 companies. There is a current bill just signed by the governor of California that mandate at least one woman on every company board headquartered in the state.

The two state commissions I listed are just a fraction of the boards and commissions across the state, but they are glaring examples of the inequality present in every community in the state, and if you don’t think that’s a true statement, check with your city hall. You will be shocked.  

The intent of this column is to focus on the gender inequality present on the most visible of the many state boards and commissions, but the problem begins in the selection of local boards and commissions. I urge you to confront your local candidates for elective office to commit publically to work for equal representation by women on all city boards.

 

thenorphletpaperboy: Electric Scooters, Sidewalks, and Trails

thenorphletpaperboy: Electric Scooters, Sidewalks, and Trails:            Electric Scooters, Sidewalks, and Trails “ Times They Are A-Changing. ” If I remember right, that’s an old Bob Dylan song ...

Electric Scooters, Sidewalks, and Trails

           Electric Scooters, Sidewalks, and Trails

“Times They Are A-Changing.” If I remember right, that’s an old Bob Dylan song that cropped up in the 60s, and things they were a-changing, but nothing like they are a-changing today.  I know some of the rapid changes seem to be gradual, but that’s because we live in a world that seems to be spinning faster and faster, and a today’s gradual changes would have been earthshaking events that would have rattled us back in the ancient 60s. So, let’s look at a change that is coming down the pike faster than anything I have ever seen.

Are you ready to ride an electric scooter to work? No? Well, I think, in five years, 20 percent of Arkansawyers, who live in town, will be riding scooters to work every day. I know you’re shaking your head, but get ready, they’re coming, and in places such as Fayetteville (Just try to find a parking place near the University during classes) the numbers will be above 50%. Yes, electric scooters are coming, and I can’t wait to ride to work on one.  The head-shakers are going at it again, but those are the same ones who shook their heads at the idea that El Dorado would have Uber. We do.

Here in Arkansas it’s hard to imagine riding an electric scooter anywhere, but check out major cities, and you’ll find the demand for scooters outstrips the supply. It’s easy to see why. For short rides to work on any city street, the scooters are quicker, more economical, easier to park and maneuver in traffic than any other method of transportation. Your parking problems are solved and every mile you ride is a plus for the environment. That’s why they are sweeping the country.

Yes, scooters are the hot item right now in transportation, but companion links such as sidewalks and trails will naturally pick up more support. After all going back and forth to work is only one part of our transportation needs, and millions of folks live within a half  mile of where they shop, dine, and are entertained. Scooters are perfect for those little trips. But in order to really link with our coming transportation needs, we should work to extend sidewalks and trails to as many parts of our towns and cities as is reasonably possible, and that’s almost everywhere. All trails and city streets can be used by scooters, but our exercise and bicycle needs should also be a priority for every town and city in our state. We should try to emulate cities like Seattle. Believe it or not, 30% of their downtown workers either walk, ride a bike, or now ride a scooter to work.

Back in 2001 and 2002 Dr. Edwin Glasser from the University of Arkansas led a design team to El Dorado, and after a year’s work developed a comprehensive report aimed at helping El Dorado revitalize itself. It covered the entire incorporated town and included the Municipal Airport, Mellor Park Mall, the re-use of abandoned buildings, and transportation needs. As a part of this study an extensive trail study was included. Well, it’s been 18 years since that study was completed, so I know you’re interested in how much we have accomplished that was in the sturdy. An abandoned brick building in the south part of town was restored as a community center. That’s it! The rest of the study was put on the shelf. Dr. Glasser and team were obviously ahead of their time.

However, if we dust off the trail study it gives our town an outline of how to connect various parts of the community. Dr. Glasser proposed trail plan is structured to give individuals in a community the option to walk or bike, or now ride a scooter from one area of the community to another. In other words, trails can be used as an exercise route for an individual, but they should have a destination. Dr. Glasser’s proposed trail map has trails from the Municipal Golf Course to Downtown, and from Downtown to the shopping areas on North West Avenue. Trails are not just circles around a park. If you want a circle trail, go to your local high school and walk around the track. Trail should have a destination.

And now to sidewalks; as Cadillacs developed fins in the 60s our cities and towns stopped putting in sidewalks. You can easily spot the older parts of any Arkansas city or town by noting the sidewalks, and as you travel to the newer parts of town watch as the sidewalks disappear. As we look back to see how design-stupid fins on a Cadillac were, we can also see how short-sighted our city planners were to not have mandated sidewalks everywhere pedestrians walk.

Every city in our state should budget money to add and extend sidewalks, and every city should have in its building code a requirement for sidewalks to be put in every area where pedestrians are present. It’s the smart thing to do, and it’s the overwhelming focus in cities that are on the forefront of quality of life communities.

In El Dorado, we have two major shopping areas, downtown and North West Avenue, our primary entry-way into the city. Those typical shopping areas are present in almost every town in our state. In El Dorado we have new brick sidewalks downtown, but the half mile walk to the North West Avenue shopping area, or on out another three-quarters of a mile to the Walmart Supercenter will put your life at risk if you walk down North West Avenue with four lanes of fast traffic, an endless turn lane, and of course, no sidewalks, but I see folks trying to walk it every day jumping upon the curb as traffic whizzes by. The city should have put in sidewalks when the shopping expansion from downtown to North West Avenue happened, but it’s not too late. El Dorado has, as every town in the state does, plenty of right-of-ways to put in sidewalks, trees, and underground utilities, but it’s like pulling teeth to get any action. I’ve offered to plant 50 trees down the Avenue, and all the city has to do is cut the hole in the right-of ways they own. I’m still waiting.

I’ve used El Dorado as an example, but every town in our state has the same problem. We do have some cities adding sidewalks, trees, and underground utilities, but it’s like pouring molasses in January. We’re moving at Glacial Speed.

America’s west coast cities are leading the wave of the future, and if you want to see how an Arkansas town might look in 20 years, you should travel to any of the cities in that area. Some folks may not like their politics, but we will emulate them. It’s just a matter of time, and as surely as we pick up our cell phone or check our Facebook—all developed on the west coast—someday, we’ll ride scooters and put in sidewalks and trails.