What Does Beatdown Really Mean?

By the time you read this blog post, former NBA star Charles Barkley will have completed serving a three-day sentence on a drunken driving charge.

Maricopa County sheriff’s Deputy Lindsey Smith says Barkley reported to Tent City on Saturday morning.

The 45-year-old basketball great pleaded guilty last month to two misdemeanor DUI charges stemming from his December 31 arrest shortly after leaving a Scottsdale nightclub and failing a field sobriety test.

Barkley said last month that he made a mistake and just has “to take the beatdown.”

While I appreciate Mr. Barkley’s admitting his mistake and pleading guilty—if he did make a mistake and was guilty. That’s commendable. However, what’s the “beatdown” that you are talking about? Were you afraid of getting “beaten down” in prison? Were you afraid of the “beatdown” you were going to get in the media? From your family? Friends? What’s the beatdown you had in mind, Mr. Barkley?

From what I understand, the former NBA star has just re-signed a TV deal to be a basketball analysis. Doesn’t sound like a beatdown to me. I still see where you are traveling and playing golf across the country. Again, no beatdown there. I can only assume you are still gambling with sums of money that I’ll never make in my entire lifetime. Okay, I’ll give you this one—you may get beatdown here, seeing how much money you’ve actually lost over the last year or so at the tables or with cards or even pitching pennies in a back alley, whatever your source of “fun” is.

But, come on Mr. Barkley. There’s no beatdown here. Serve your time. Then, get back to your golf and gambling. But, please, don’t come back to Alabama to run for governor as you are always threatening to do, I mean, promising to do. I’m afraid that even your credentials from Auburn University won’t stop you from truly getting that beatdown that you mention here. The people of Alabama won’t be voting for you. Not in 2010 or 2014 or any time after that.

Tuesday A+ Award of the Day

Today’s A+ Award goes to Dale Bell and his son Spencer.

Their story really does sound like a sequel to the movie Footloose. Do you remember the movie? It seems that the small-town officials in Dale’s town tried to shut down his “saloon” by threatening him with an antiquated ban on outdoor dance halls.

In August, Dale and Spencer finally triumphed in his fight against a citation accusing the Arizona restaurateur of violating a 1962 Pinal County zoning ordinance by allowing patrons to swing their hips in the open-air courtyard at his Queen Creek, Arizona, venue, named San Tan Flat Saloon and Grill.

Arizona Superior Court Judge William O’Neil overturned the local government’s injunction, which had threatened to fine Bell $700 for every day that the restaurant continued to create a nightclub-type atmosphere in its outdoor area. According to court documents, San Tan Flats would be considered in violation of its commercial zoning permit if its owners did not physically restrict patrons from dancing. (The local government had graciously said that if Mr. Bell wanted to use his restaurant’s small stage for mime and puppet shows, that would be fine. Just not dancing.)

Dale Bell, 58, co-founded San Tan Flat in November 2005 with his son Spencer, now a 17-year-old senior at Arizona State University. The Western-themed family restaurant serves 3,000 to 5,000 customers a week and plays recorded and live music.

Three months after San Tan Flat’s opening day, the county began receiving noise complaints. The sheriff's deputies tested the sound levels multiple times, but never found the saloon to be in violation of the county’s noise ordinance.

But Bell claims that the county continued to come down hard on his business, sending officials to inspect everything from San Tan Flat’s health-code compliance to its firewood stacks. “They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us,” Bell said.

Bell lost his first two rounds of legal fighting: The citation was upheld first by a county hearing officer, then by the local Board of Supervisors. But in August, a state judge sided with Bell. The county does not plan to appeal.

Well, I’m not much for dancing or going to saloons. Never been very good at dancing personally. However, I have had a few run ins with city hall and local government officials who want to use what little power they actually have to make life miserable for the rest of us. So often, I’ve come away with the attitude of “Why even try to fight city hall! After all, they are always going to win in the end!” Well, in this case, they didn’t win! Strike one up for the small guy!

So, Dale and Spencer Bell, today’s A+ Award goes to two people who fought the law and won! Way to stand up. Way to stand up for what you believe to be right and fair! Now, I just hope the local government folks will leave you the heck alone!

Wednesday's A+ Award of the Day

In mid-September, in Phoenix, Arizona, a family arranged a Family Game Night at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Jackie and Matt Behm, who own an online rental group set up several Wii and PS3 stations so families could play games like Mario Kart Wii together.

The idea for the game night was born out of the realization that families involved with hospital stays don’t get to do activities together like they used to; playing games might be one of the few things everyone can do together.

“What little we do for [the patients and their families] is not anywhere near enough, but hopefully we are doing something invaluable for them,” said Jackie Behm to the Arizona Republic. “If they’d let me, I’d bring a Wii down there every Friday if I could.”

Matt Behm said that about 70–75 people attended the event, which was held in the hospital cafeteria; roughly 30 kids who were hospitalized showed up, with about 20 parents and a number of hospital staff joining in to play games with the patients and families.

My brother’s oldest daughter has had multiple life-threatening illnesses in her young life. She has been in and out of Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, more times than I can count. Most of those hospital stays required days, if not, weeks of hospital stays. My family has always been appreciative of organizations like Ronald McDonald House that provides housing for the family members of the hospitalized children. They have been life-savers! We always appreciated countless others who gave of their time and energy to help during those long hospital stays.

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Behm for your commitment to the children of Phoenix, Arizona, and the surrounding area! Thank you for your love of the children, families, and hospital staff. May your tribe increase—not only in Phoenix, but all across the world.

Way to Go! Truly, an A+ Award goes to the Behm family!

Can You Hear Me?

The adorable picture above is our dog, Peanut. Peanut is a mixed breed dog. We were told that she is a mix between a Chihuahua and a Dachschund. I don't know whether or not that is true. Peanut is long like a Dachschund and she is short like a Chihuahua. We got Peanut from a rescue organization. I'm not sure I want to know what she was rescued from. Some things, you just don't want to know. Understand?

Anyway, Peanut is the smartest dog I've ever had. She knows how to sit, roll over, play dead, shake hands, etc. She also knows more words than any dog I've ever known. I've read the average dog "knows" 200 words or less. Peanut sure seems to know more than that.

But, as smart as she is, I've never taught her what may be the most important lesson she needs to know. I read an article over the weekend about what took place in Phoenix, Arizona. Buddy is a trained German shepherd who saved his owner’s life by dialing 911 when he began having a seizure.

In listening to the recorded 911 call, Buddy is heard whimpering and barking after the somewhat confused dispatcher answers the phone and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help.

“Hello, this is 911. Hello ... Can you hear me? Is there somebody there you can give the phone to,” says the dispatcher, Chris Scott. Buddy barks loudly when police arrive about three minutes after the call is placed. An officer asks Buddy’s owner, Joe Stalnaker, if he’s OK. Stalnaker coughs, and the call ends.

Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said Stalnaker spent two days in the hospital following the seizure and has recovered. “It’s pretty incredible,” Clark said. “Even the veteran dispatchers—they haven’t heard of anything like this.”

Clark said police are dispatched whenever 911 is called, but that Stalnaker’s address was flagged in Scottsdale’s system with the fact that an assistance dog dials 911 when the owner cannot. He said Buddy made two other 911 calls when Stalnaker was having seizures, the first last August. He said Stalnaker's seizures are the result of a head injury he sustained about 10 years ago during a training exercise in the U.S. military.

Clark said Stalnaker adopted Buddy when he was eight weeks old and trained him to get the phone if he began to have seizure symptoms. Buddy, now 18 months old, also is trained to press programmed buttons until a 911 operator is on the line, Clark said.

He said Stalnaker got Buddy through Michigan-based Paws with a Cause, which trains assistance dogs nationwide for people with disabilities.

Now, that would be good for Peanut to know. That’s more than a trick or something to show off to guests who come over. This feat could save my life!

But, I do have a question, how do I train her to do this without actually getting the police on the phone and at my door?

So, what’s the best trick you’ve ever taught your pet? I know many of you aren’t pet owners and this post won’t make much sense to you. That’s okay. But for the others, share your favorite story.