Briar Patch flower shop opens today

20130119-01WILLIAMS—Just in time to get those Valentine’s Day gifts and flowers reserved (guys!), Carl and Mariah Funderburg opens the Briar Patch today. The Briar Patch Florist and Gift Shop is located at 226 W. Route 66, next to Circle K.

The shop will provide flowers, plants, balloons, cards and gifts for a variety of occasions. They plan to deliver to Ash Fork, the Grand Canyon and to Flagstaff. The phone number to the store is (928)635-5366.

In addition they offer custom woodwork, restoring and building custom furniture and even refinishing rifle stocks.

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Special Report: Lost hooves, dead cattle before Merck halted Zilmax sales

A cowboy moves livestock in a cattle feedlot next to a Tyson slaughterhouse near Pasco(Reuters) – The U.S. beef industry’s dependence on the muscle-building drug Zilmax began unraveling here, on a sweltering summer day, in the dusty cattle pens outside a Tyson Foods Inc slaughterhouse in southeastern Washington state.

As cattle trailers that had traveled up to four hours in 95-degree heat began to unload, 15 heifers and steers hobbled down the ramps on August 5, barely able to walk. The reason: The animals had lost their hooves, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture documents reviewed by Reuters. The documents show the 15 animals were destroyed.

The next day, the hottest day of the month, two more animals with missing hooves arrived by truck. Again, the animals were destroyed, the documents show.

The animals’ feet were “basically coming apart,” said Keith Belk, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Belk said he reviewed photos of the lame cattle, though he declined to say who showed them to him.

Read more at Reuters

Where President Obama’s Promise Zones Can Meet Rand Paul’s Economic Freedom Zones

Across the aisle, Senator Rand Paul introduced a bill to Congress to create “Economic Freedom Zones” that would reduce taxes and ease government regulation in distressed areas.

imgres2Income inequality is the name of the political game in 2014.

Democrats and Republicans alike have taken on the challenge of addressing America’s rampant, deep-seated inequality as the cornerstone of their platform for the upcoming midterm elections.

President Obama made it clear in his 2013 State of the Union address that the growing income gap in America is the greatest challenge of our time. And just this week, Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman Paul Ryan – both potential White House hopefuls – have made the issue their own, with Rubio proposing his own changes to anti-poverty programs and Ryan discussing it with NBC’s Brian Williams.

To be sure, this has traditionally been a Democrat issue and we have recently seen the Democrats push to increase the federal minimum wage and extend unemployment benefits.

Read more at Forbes

McDonald’s pulls ‘McResource’ site warning workers against fast food

By Carly Rothman/The Star-Ledger

mcdIt was an embarrassing nugget in the news this week: McDonald’s own employee website seemed to be advising employees to steer clear of the chain’s own fast food.

Now, tired of defending the McResource line against this and other criticism, the company has yanked it, the Wall Street Journal reports. The site was operated by a third-party vendor.

“Unfortunately, as you may have seen in the news over the past few days and weeks, a number of stories have scrutinized some content and advice found on the well-intended website. Given that the content has been taken out of context and that we are unable to screen and approve all content posted on the site, we decided to remove it from our suite of resources,” read a memo reviewed and quoted by the Wall Street Journal.

Read more at NJ.com

Top Secret: Do not read unless you are authorized.

Flag-military-surplus
black-opsTHIS IS A SHOPPING ALERT. IT IS RUMORED THAT HIGH-END BOX STORES SHALL BE CONDUCTING OPERATIONS KNOWN AS “BLACK FRIDAY” SALES. THESE OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO ATTRACT LARGE CROWDS CAUSING EXTREME TENSION AND SCUFFLES IN OBTAINING ITEMS WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY USELESS IN AN URGENT SITUATION.

FLAGSTAFF MILITARY SURPLUS HAS ISSUED NOTICE OF A COLLISION AVOIDANCE MISSION KNOWN AS THE BLACK OPS FRIDAY SALE. 33% OFF OF EVERYTHING IN THE GUN CASE, 40% OFF OF ALL CROSSBOWS AND BLOWGUNS OR 20% OFF OF ANY ONE ITEM OF YOUR CHOICE. NO RAIN CHECKS, SPECIAL ORDERS OR COMBINED DISCOUNTS.

STOCK INCLUDES BACKPACKS, SLEEPING BAGS, TENTS, WINTER AND LIGHT GLOVES, MEALS READY TO EAT (MRES) AND OTHER NECESSITIES WHICH MIGHT BE USEFUL IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. OR FOR JUST HAVING FUN CAMPING AND FISHING.

FURTHER ITEMS INCLUDE PINS, HATS FOR VETERANS OF VARIOUS ERAS, BUMPER STICKERS AND MILITARY MEMORABILIA.

YOU MUST ACCEPT THIS MISSION. HOWEVER, IF YOU CANNOT ACCEPT THIS MISSION, CALL THE NUMBER BELOW IMMEDIATELY AND FIND OUT THE “SECRET” COMPONENT OF THIS SALE.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING. THIS IS NOT AN OPTION.

MESSAGE ENDS.

Operational Area
Further Information and contact
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Williams dresses up for Mountain Village Holiday

Grand Canyon Railway spiffed up for the Polar Express.

Grand Canyon Railway spiffed up for the Polar Express.

20131105 005WILLIAMS—The City of Williams and the Grand Canyon Railway are dressed up for the Mountain Village Holiday. This is the time when the City and local businesses dress up in lights for the Polar Express which starts its run today. Bearizona Wildlife drive-through park will also be open through the Mountain Village Holiday which ends early January.

The Zipline will also be running, weather permitting.

This event really kicks off after Thanksgiving. The annual Parade of Lights and lighting of the City Christmas Tree on historic route 66 takes place on the 30th starting at 6:30. A Fine Art Show, live entertainment, hot chocolate and other holiday activities, including shopping for unique gifts, are added to the venue.

Western Outfitters is offering denim stockings by Wrangler for the holidays.

Western Outfitters is offering denim stockings by Wrangler for the holidays.

Come early to shop at the 10th annual SAVE-Meant to Rescue Craft Show which benefits animal rescue efforts in Williams and the surrounding area. Their show starts at 10 am and runs until 5 pm. The show will be at the World Famous Sultana Theatre and you can contact Nadine for more information at 928-897-8710.

Bearizona will be hosting its annual Wild Wonderland event for annual pass holders only. This event will be held on the 30th from 4 to 6 pm in Fort Bearizona. Santa Claus will be making a special appearance at the event. Of course you will be able to stroll through the animal exhibits, as well. A reservation is not required, but they request an RSVP with the number of people attending by November 22nd. You can RSVP to Jocelyn(at)bearizona.com or by calling 928-635-2289.

There is a lighting contest which encourages residents to decorate their homes. So plan a tour of the City as homes and more businesses decorate for the holiday.

You can find more information at the Williams Visitor Center on Railroad Avenue across the street from Circle-K.
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On Labor Day 2013, Welfare Pays More Than Minimum-Wage Work In 35 States

Avik Roy

Since 2009, the Fair Labor Standards Act has dictated that the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Some people think that’s too low; others think it’s too high. But it turns out that, in 35 states, it’s a better deal not to work—and instead, to take advantage of federal welfare programs—than to take a minimum-wage job. That’s the takeaway from a new study published by Michael Tanner and Charles Hughes of the Cato Institute.

“The current welfare system provides such a high level of benefits that it acts as a disincentive for work,” Tanner and Hughes write in their new paper. “Welfare currently pays more than a minimum-wage job in 35 states, even after accounting for the Earned Income Tax Credit,” which offers extra subsidies to low-income workers who take work. “In 13 states [welfare] pays more than $15 per hour.”

Read more at Forbes

Don’t Believe The Debt Ceiling Hype:

The Federal Government Can Survive Without An Increase

Jeffrey Dorfman, Forbes

Ignore what you hear and read in the news. The federal government actually reached the legal debt ceiling about four months ago. Since then, the government has been financing its monthly budget deficit by stealing/borrowing money from other government funds, like the federal government employees’ pension fund. In about two weeks, the government will run out of tricks to keep operating as if nothing has happened. If the debt ceiling is not raised by then, the government has to balance its budget.

That’s right. As much as the politicians and news media have tried to convince you that the world will end without a debt ceiling increase, it is simply not true. The federal debt ceiling sets a legal limit for how much money the federal government can borrow. In other words, it places an upper limit on the national debt. It is like the credit limit on the government’s gold card.

Read more at Forbes

Donald Trump says he’ll pay for fallen warrior burials cut by shutdown

Billionaire Donald Trump has offered to pick up paying a “death gratuity” to families of four soldiers and a Marine who died in combat in Afghanistan over the weekend after the Pentagon announced it is suspending immediate payments to families of combat fatalities because of the government shutdown.

When service men and women are killed in combat, the Pentagon normally pays families $100,000 to cover funerals and the cost of families to travel to receive the remains of their loved ones.

The Pentagon suspended those payments after the government shutdown, stirring outrage on Capitol Hill.

Read more at BizPac Review

Arizona Firearms and Collectibles gun show this weekend

FLAGSTAFF—The Arizona Collectibles and Firearms gun show will be held this Saturday and Sunday the 21st and 22nd at the Coconino County Fairgrounds on Ft. Tuthill loop. The show times are from 9 am to 5 pm and 9 am to 4 pm respectively. The cost to enter the show is $7 for one day and $10 for both days. Look for a $2 discount coupon. Gun show dealers and purchasers are reminded that they are obligated to follow all applicable laws.