I Won't Dance...Don't Ask Me

Good afternoon.
Back in the anchor chair after a morning at the Iowa Speedway. I'm impressed. They've put on a good show so far in every event they've hosted, now the big boys are in town. NASCAR says it's impressed with the Speedway too. I wish everyone a fun day tomorrow in Newton. We'll be there for Today in Iowa Saturday. At least I will.
Gates open at 6am and They're telling me the earlier you get there, the better. Make a day of it. It should be entertaining.
That brings me to this morning. I will not happy dance. My foot sway this morning was as close as you're gonna get. Brad said he'd buy breakfast for the morning crew if I did the full out dance.
I believe dance is an expression of one's soul...if my foot tapping is all my soul could muster this morning I think Captain Traffic owes us some eggs and bacon. I like mine scrambled with some ham and peppers.
BTW we did get some breakfast in the Speedway Media center this morning...Eggs to order. It was gooooood.

To answer questions left on yesterday's blog. As far as we can tell, the bunnies are doing well. We saw them come out of the nest but stick close to home for a few days, but those things grow like weeds! They're out of the middle of the yard now. I know 'cause I mowed. No bunnies.

Second, the carpet is up. I hope someone thinks this adds to the charm of my home. We paid someone to do it and I'm glad. they were much more efficient than Sally and I would have been taking care of babies and cutting up carpet. I like the floors. They're in GREAT condition. We're off to buy some area rugs this afternoon. Sally is worried the boys will be uncomfortable on the hardwood even if we lay a couple blankets under them.

Today, my sister Katie starts another month-long run of guests in our house. We're excited to see her. She's excited to see our boys. Such is life these days.
PWD

Home Alone, Beer Summit, and Tearing up my Home

Good Morning.

I'm a little scared to go home this morning. We're tearing out the carpet in my living room and dining room. We know there are finished hardwood floors under the carpet. The previous owner told us they were jut refinished before they re-carpeted...but they also told us they never got water in the basement. Two ruined carpets and a $5000 sump pump system later...we've finally been bone dry in our basement for the last four years. So, I'll believe it when I see it.

Some friends agreed to help us tear out the carpet.

If Sally and I tried to do it we'd screw it up somehow. We're not what you might call "handy"... And before someone makes a crack about not needing to be handy to rip up carpet...trust me.

To the News:

Home Alone

Allegations against a Warren County child care provider are disturbing; especially to a new parent considering childcare options. How are you supposed to tell if or when someone will make a bad choice like this?

Gov on Burt

The Gov says he doesn't know what happened to Rep Kerry Burt between the reception the two attended and the time he got pulled over. I believe him.

Mark Hansen has a great article in the Des Moines Register this morning about personal responsibility and bad choices. What do you think?

Beer Summit

So the President is sitting down with Harvard Prof Henry Gates and the Cambridge Cop who arrested him. The Prez invited the two to the White house for a beer. It's an invitation I don't imagine you turn down. Besides who wouldn't want to say they had a beer with the President?

We were talking and I think It's part PR move for sure...but the political talent this President shows is in taking an issue that's spiraled out of context and out of control, and solving it with a simple face to face. He makes people feel like he isn't above them. Sitting down and having a beer is the perfect image. It's something everyone can understand.

Now, there are going to be a lot of you out there that will argue this is stupid. There are serious issues this country has to face and this guy is spending his time at a picnic table having a beer with a cop and his Harvard Professor buddy. There is merit to that argument but let me be clear, I am, again, marveling at the President's skill in the realm of PR.

The policy and what's actually getting done to fix problems is a different matter. Still you have to give the President credit. He didn't create a committee or task force or commission to investigate the problems of race and law enforcement in the United States. That would be a massive overreaction to an overreaction. He simply said...let's work out our misunderstanding. If more people did that...maybe there wouldn't be so many incidents where Police feel unjustly criticized, and African Americans feel unjustly accused.

BTW, I want to know what kind of Beer you'd have if you were invited to the White House Today. Be as creative or as honest with your answers, but please don't pontificate on why this Beer summit is a dumb exercise. That's a debate for another day. This is about BEER!

The three men have their choice of beer and this morning the LA Times is reporting The president will be having a Bud Light, Gates will have a Red Stripe and Sgt Crowley will have a Blue Moon.

The Blue Moon is a good choice...no fruit, but I would go with Prof Gates' choice of Red Stripe. I love that beer...

Jeriann says she'd have a Michelob Golden Light.

Brooke may have had the best answer...Boddingtons!

So what would you have?

Serve it up!

Have a good one,

PWD

Mid Week

Good morning! Hope everyone gets out to enjoy the perfect forecast for the day. It's another day with some random thoughts rolling around in my head...and some interesting stuff I've seen online already.

-If a Healthcare bill passes before the end of the year and it has a lot of "compromise"; did the President plan it that way...oversell the deadlines to motivate people and expect something less than Universal healthcare? Or, is this a victory for Republicans, reflecting the more conservative tendencies of the American electorate when it comes to spending money?

-If you are a public figure or have taken any oath to hold your job, you are going to be held to a higher standard. The problem is, when people take some of these jobs they come with some power. It's power that makes people feel they no longer have to follow the rules, and can sometimes lead to bad decision making.

-If you ask me Colin Powell is an unimpeachable voice in American Politics. Discredit the guy all you like...I'm going to listen to the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Former Secretary of State and an African American who's lived through discrimination and succeeded. As usual, he's said it right...both sides in the arrest of Prof Henry Gates should have found a way to back down and resolve the situation before it escalated.

-Tanning beds bad for you? Who saw that one coming???
Who knew putting yourself in the equivalent of an Easybake Oven would be bad?
I did...that's why I still have like 20 hours of tanning on an account my roommate convinced me to open in Peoria. That's 50 bucks I'll never see again.

-This is another great article on the "Birthers" as they're being called. Bad nickname. I'd drop the conspiracy theory just so people would stop calling me a "birther".

-Bret Favre is not going top play for Minnesota this year...Really.
Thanks for giving Bears fans one more reason to Laugh at Minnesota and Green Bay.

-My golf trip is intact. We're going to Orlando later in the year. Let me first say my wife saved this one for me and she continues to be the BEST WIFE EVER. I ave to give some props to the junior wives of this group. Many of them have also just delivered their first kids and are knee deep in diapers and burp cloths. They're still letting their husbands participate in this five day golf marathon we go on every year and I am grateful. I imagine this year's trip may have a slightly different tone. Sleep will be a priority.

Monday Blogging

Good Morning,
Before the conspiracy theories start...I wasn't ignoring the question about Mark. He did announce he's leaving Television for a Job with Catholic Charities.
I know Brooke and Jeriann share my disappointment he's leaving, and my wishes for his success.
Along with being the most talented writer I've ever worked with, Mark is also one of the best people to have around the newsroom. He helps keep the atmosphere light and is always willing to help a colleague. Personally, people who know Mark know he's one of the kindest people you'll ever meet. We will miss him.

On to other Topics:
-We just got a report back into the newsroom about another accident involving a pedestrian and a DART bus. We'll have more on this as the week continues, but you have to ask yourself....what's going on?
-Why are some members of Congress trying to prove they can pass this Healthcare reform by the end of the summer? It would appear Americans are in no hurry for the change. I would think you could still make the case for changes as quickly as is responsible without letting the issue go entirely.
-High Speed Rail between Council Bluffs and Chicago is a great idea...but only if the train makes as few stops as possible. I'm thinking Council Bluffs to Des Moines...To Newton (Has to stop for race fans), to Iowa City to The Quad Cities, to DeKalb (Nothern Illinois University) to Chicago. If you did this the ride to Chicago would be considerably shorter than driving and if it's cost effective, it would be a much less stressful trip that flying. Speaking of, watch the fares to Chicago drop if the airlines have to compete with trains.
-School Board may be the most thankless job in the elected world, but the people who sit on that board control a large portion of the money that you pay in property taxes. Rather than treating this like a throw away election , more people should really get to know the people running for office.
-If someone is dying of cancer and a little marijuana can ease their pain before dying, and a doctor signs off on that treatment, tell me why it's a bad idea? I wouldn't endorse shops selling pot poppin up all over the place, but if a pharmacy can doll out Vicidin, why not marijuana? I'm honestly asking your opinion on this stuff.
-Someone lay out the etiquette for me. When is the appropriate time to wear the Blue tooth Headset. If you wear it all the time you're "that guy". So important he needs to be connected with the world around him all the times and at a moment's notice.
Also he looks a little like a character off an early Star Trek episode.
If you keep the thing in your pocket....it can get lost or broken, to say nothing of the fact that you can't get the thing on your ear and answer it in time if the stinking phone rings. So someone tell me what the rules are.
-Great weekend...
I had a chance to play golf with friends Saturday I haven't seen in a long time...too long.
- We went to a wedding Saturday night for two friends. Always nice to have a reminder of your own wedding day. Nice to be reminded of the promises you made to one another. The boys came with. First wedding. No crying until everyone started clapping at the end. JT startles easily.
-Sunday morning we had brunch: Pancakes and bacon. Spent the day with the boys and Sally before BBQ for dinner....Great day.

Healthcare, Andrews, and Leaves of 3 Let it Be!

Good morning!

Good posts outa you...especially the last one. I'll explain in a sec why no post yesterday. I was in fear if my imminent death by insect.

To the News:

Healthcare

I watched the President's news conference start to finish last night and he had some good moment but I don't think he went far enough explaining to people how his plan would work or why it's important. He started to, telling us our premiums are going up and services are being taken away. I agree, but how is this system going to change that? I got the impression they haven't figured it out.

What I did hear the President say is, if you make $1 million per year...you're paying for the people who don't have healthcare. I was encouraged hearing the President say I shouldn't have to pay for other people's medical neglect. If you don't take care of yourself, my premiums shouldn't go up. Problem being, if you get the government involved, no one has incentive to lower their costs...If I get sick...The Feds will take care of it.

I did have a thought as I watched. Assuming a single payer system is coming (they've got the votes), why not treat it like the Pentagon. Bid Healthcare out to Private companies. Make them compete for a broad range of contracts and services that might meet the needs of people in certain categories. Once a Private company secures the contract, I can buy into it along with other Americans who are generally in the same health category as I am. There may be a cheaper option in a better health classification. If I, the consumer meet some sort of incentive, I can move up to the better plan. That way we don't actually have the government running healthcare, just administering a system. The Docs, Hospitals, Insurance companies, can compete and innovate, and can still be rewarded winning contracts that would come up every three or four years. The pretenders will fall away, and a niche provider can still make it in the marketplace.

Please pick apart my ideas.

Erin Andrews

Nude Video surfaced of ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews this week. Some perv recorded her in her hotel room and slapped it up on the Internet. So this is a clear violation of her privacy and the people who took the videos should be prosecuted. When you take a job on TV your life certainly becomes more public. This crosses the line. I hope everyone who downloads the video gets Malware on their computer.

Christine Brennan...a well respected female sports reporter for USA Today caused a big stir when she sent a tweet out yesterday. Some people thought it suggested Andrews deserved this! Does she? if you use your looks to advance your career is this fair game. Please tell me you think NO is the answer there.

Leaves of 3

So I didn't blog yesterday cause I thought I was going to die. After a weekend wandering in the woods looking for golf balls, I found what I thought was a spider bite on the back of my arm. Someone suggested it might be a Brown Recluse Spider that bit me so spent the Noon show thinking my arm was going to decay and an enormous hole was going to appear in my upper arm right after I slipped into a coma.

The doctor eased my fear telling me I'd simply wandered into some poison Ivy or Oak or Sumac. My wife said this would teach me to hit it straight. I replied, No, it's going to remind me to ear long sleeves and pants next time.

One more thing, we saw three of our baby rabbits in the front yard last night. They all look good and confirm for us, their mom didn't go far.

Hope you have a good day.

PWD

Soggy Ride, Struggling and Starbucks

Good morning...

Jeriann is trying to pin down a tricky forecast for this afternoon. She's sure about the rain this morning...She says it's going to clear out for festivities in Indianola tonight...it's this afternoon giving her fits. I told her this morning my lawn and my flowers need the rain. Easy for me to say, I'm not on a bike.



Speaking of...

RAGBRAI

We welcome hundreds of riders to Indianola today. Looks like everyone's ready for the party. I'm always amazed at the varied ways these small Iowa towns welcome RAGBRAI. Indianola looks like it's ready. Balloons will be a part of the celebration. They're also going to try to set a world record. Something about hands in concrete. If you go down to Indianola tonight, bring your patience.

Michael Morain from the Des Moines Register continues to let us in on some of the great stories from the RAGBRAI route each day. Today a pig named Harry and a Church in need of a little TLC made the list. He also says he had a burger at 9:30 yesterday. I gotta get on this ride some year!



Struggling

We were all struggling for one reason or another this morning. I can only speak for myself when I say...I blame my children. JT in particular has been a little rowdy at night.

It was like I was wrestling a calf last night at one am! The kid just didn't want to go to sleep. He wasn't hungry, I changed his diaper and he still wasn't having any of his crib. The bottom line is, I was up around one this morning instead of the 2am I'd been getting used to.

We went to bed a little later 'cause the stupid cat decided to puke on the covers so overall, it's not been a restful last 12-18 hours.



Starbucks

Enter my friends at Starbucks who are running a promotion this morning for a free pastry with your cup of coffee. I'm in. I needed the extra 1.21 Jigawatts of caffeine anyway...the raspberry scone is just a bonus.



So there ya have it.

Thanks, Patrick for getting Starbucks for us. He made the run and had to get a little wet. We love you! It's been a long time since I have had a cappuccino. I love the milk foam.

Sometimes on the police scanner we hear some pretty wild stuff. This morning we are paying attention to an accident on 1-35 near Ames. As if the accident isn't bad enough, apparently there is a woman stuck in the traffic from the accident who is pregnant and having complications and needs to get to the hospital right away. But she's stuck. So, it sounds like police are on the way and trying to get to her so she can get some medical attention as soon as possible. You may be hearing more about this later today on the news.

Patrick mentioned that he is struggling this morning after not getting much sleep last night. I have to say I am feeling a little sluggish, too. Last week I was out sick a couple of days from a bacterial infection and am still recovering. I am pretty certain I was also just really run down from not getting enough sleep. So, last week I vowed I would start going to bed early starting Monday. Well, Monday rolled around and last night I was still up at 8. So, I failed my first attempt at developing new habits. I guess I just need to leave the dirty dishes in the sink!

I couldn't resist sharing this picture. I call it kissing cousins. Evan is doing his best at showing his affection for my cousin Myranda's daughter, Meeah. Gentle, Evan! Gentle!

Hope you all stay dry! See you tomorrow!
Brooke

Ragbrai, Heartbreak, and The Weekend

Good Morning. Hope you had a great weekend.


RAGBRAI
The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa...RAGBRAI is underway. I have a secret wish to ride RAGBRAI. My wife nixed the idea of going with me but said I was welcome to go on my own. She's more of a lounge chair umbrella drink kind of vacationer. I agree, but I've never done anything like this. I wonder if I'm up to the task. I know I'll never run a marathon or do a triathlon...but RAGBRAI I might be able to handle.
Maybe I'll convince the boys to go with me one day.
We'll be talking to Michael Morain from the Register all week long. He is on a mission for the perfect piece of pie. He also was interested in the "fainting" goats he found on the side of the road yesterday. I guess people tried to get the goats to "faint. Here's a video example.

Brad Ehrlich used to work in a Petting Zoo (no jokes please), and says they had a pair of fainting goats. He said you'd just make a loud noise in their general direction and down they'd go!
Anyone ever done this? What's the best way to make a goat faint?
You never know what you're going to get on RAGBRAI!

Heartbreak
Too bad for Stewart Cink. He's probably one of the most likable guys in golf and one of the most talented players never to have won a major. His first comes at the expense of 59 year-old Tom Watson. I can't image anyone not wanting Watson to win. You knew it was coming...the missed putt on 18 was predictable and the six shot loss in the ply-off was understandable. the old guy just ran out of gas. Still, it was one of the more memorable opens in recent history.

The Weekend
It's as active as I've been in a while on the weekend. We went out to dinner to finish up the week-long celebration of my birthday. There is nothing quite as good as a really good meal with really good friends. We had both Friday night.
Saturday morning I was up early for another one of my favorite activities. I played golf by myself. It sounds boring but I love being the first one out on the course. Tournament Club of Iowa is in the best shape I've seen it in some time.
Finished the day off Saturday by cleaning the porch and it needed it! Now we can enjoy some of this weather sitting outside.
Sunday another great round of golf with my friend Jeff White. I had a Jekyll and Hyde round. 52 on the front (I was still trying to wake up at 6am) I came back with a 40 on the back...much better.
Pulled weeds for an hour and a half or so and still didn't get them all, but the backyard looks a lot better this morning! Boy am I sore!
Hope you had a great weekend.
PWD

Of Birthdays BBQ and Bunnies

Good Morning...

A little more light hearted Friday posting that won't take too much time.

First thanks you to the many people who passed along birthday wishes.

I had a great day. Lunch over at Jethro's was really good. I know I'm behind the curve on this one...a lot of people have been enjoying their barbecue for a while now. Sally and I tried it out for the first time. First of all, the smell outside is great! The food inside lives up to the sensory expectations...I had the brisket, Sally had the pulled pork. We both used the Jethro's sauce. it was just the right combo of sweet and spicy. The fries...key to any sandwich...also really good!

After lunch I got the boys for the afternoon because Sally had a meeting. We watched the rebroadcast of the Open for a while, then when Sal got home I went out to mow the lawn. About an hour into my work I looked down and noticed a patch I just mowed had a little head sticking out of it! It was a nest of 6 baby rabbits...eyes still shut, and tucked down just far enough for me to miss them with the blade.

I got Sally and we moved them long enough for me to finish mowing then carefully placed them back in their little indentation so their mom could find them again. I hope it will happen.

Off for a fancy dinner date with my wife and friends tonight. I'm hoping I can golf at some point this weekend!

PWD

Another Year Over...And What Have You Done?

It's my 35th Birthday today...I usually try to take this day and ask...what did I do this past year? What am I going to do in the year to come?
On the question of the year past, I think I'm covered. I had quite a year and the result is three daily smiles that make my day.
On the question of what I'll do with the year to come...that's more complicated. I'm not sure. I still have a loot to check of of my "to-do" list before I'm 40. I'm certianly going to try to be a better husband and father but what that looks like...I'm not sure yet.

Other random Thoughts for the day:
-The abuse case involving a seven week old boy here in Des Moines is tragic. There is no doubt. If there was abuse, there is no excuse for it. I would caution people to jump to too many conclusions though. We all have no idea what happened in that house. The result is inexcusable and that little boy deserved a fair start at his life. The authorities will sort out who is to blame and the punishment. I prefer to see the case as a reminder of how much I love my own kids. It's a reminder that if I am ever frustrated with the crying, or the fussing or the minor inconveniences having two infants has brought into my life...It's never a reason to take any measure of frustration out on those kids.

-I am starting to believe the Republicans in my life who warned me about the massive tax increases that would come with a Democratic Administration and a Democratic Congress. Did anyone hear us this morning? If you earn a million bucks in a year...they're talking about a 45 percent tax rate. I'm not sure I'm going to try to earn a million bucks a year anymore....

-I always love watching golf. Today is particularly enjoyable because I've played the course the British Open is being played on. In 2002 I went over to Scotland with my Dad and My Uncle Jim. Both emailed this morning with their memories of the round. None of us played Turnberry's Ailsa course very well. Three eights on the card derailed an otherwise good round for me.
As we walked up the 18th fairway, the sun was going down behind us on the Irish Sea and a single bagpiper started playing on the steps of the Turnberry Hotel. It was perfect in too many ways to count and will always be one of my favorite golf memories.
For the record...I shot a 96.

Have a great day...don't waste this forecast!

Monday

Good Morning...Apologies to those of you who feel I've been a little short or snippy lately. Not my intention. I'll try to get more sleep and have an attitude readjustment.


To the news:
Stomayor
The judge gets direct questions from The Senate Judiciary Committee today. If yesterday's opening statements were any indication this should play out to form. There will be a couple of the Senators who will try to go after Judge Sotomayor...questioning her about statements she made away from the bench. In the end Lindsey Graham had it right. Unless she makes some sort of a monumental gaff...she's going to get confirmed.

Dancing
The story getting the most national attention outside Des Moines is the one about legalizing overnight dancing. It's a cheap joke for the rest of the country that includes all of the small town stereotypes of Des Moines. It's worth taking off the books but it doesn't help the image that it was there in the first place.

Health care
A new poll tells us, A: The American people want some sort of Health care reform. B: The American people don't want to have to pay for it. I'm not sure that's going to work.

Gas
Of course the price goes down about ten cents the day after I come off of a road trip.

Chicago
Great to see friends and family this weekend in Chicago. My sister turned 40 and I turn 35 this year so we had a couple of celebrations.
My wife kept her "coolest wife ever" title and got me a golf GPS. I got to try it out early Saturday morning with my Dad. I haven't had the chance to play with him in a while so it was a nice treat this summer.
Speaking of my Dad, my parents get the most sentimental gift award. They gave me the seal used at our family foundry. The foundry closed a few years ago when my dad merged with another business, but I have fond memories of going down to the old shop Saturday mornings with my Dad. The seal is a family treasure I will keep with pride and show my won sons one day.
Celebrations came in bunches this weekend. We also welcomed a new member of the golf group...though I think it will be a few years before he can go on our annual trip.
My friend Shaun and his wife Erin welcomed their son Evan into the world Sunday evening. Erin and Evan went through the ringer but both are doing well now. Congrats Shaun and Erin!

Have a good Tuesday...
PWD

Rehabilitation, Words and Records

Good Morning!
Some interesting stories in the news that I would hope generates conversation among you and your friends...if not here on the blog.

Rehab
Liz Klinge did, what I thought, was a really good story about rehabilitation of fighting dogs as a follow up to the arrest of four Iowans in a multi-state dog fighting ring. We got an email, in which, the viewer expressed disappointment. She seemed to feel we were saying all pit bulls are safe and gentle. I think she may need to give the story another look. To me the story was a reminder of what people do to these dogs to bring out these very base instincts. It also highlighted the fact that, with proper training, these dogs can be the right fit for SOME homes. Bottom line, they're not all vicious killers...they have the instincts to become dangerous, but they also have the capacity to be good pets for the right home.


Words
Sometimes the morning news is a bit like the movie Groundhog Day. We seem to get the same stories every year. The one I really like is the day Websters comes out with the list of words it's adding to the dictionary. This year there's a list of about 100. Comment on any of them but here are a few we liked.
Staycation: If we use it this much...it should be in the Diuctionary
Frenemy: A friend who's really an enemy...Sounds like a word that originated in a text chat between two 14 year-old girls.
Locavore: East locally produced food. So is importavore next?
Vlog and Webisode both describe web videos. We should Vlog more here.
Sock Puppet: Not just describing Lambchop anymore. This is now defined as a fake online identity.
Records
Is the debate over? Michael Phelps is the best swimmer of all time. I wonder if we've seen his best?
Speaking of the best athletes in the world..Lance Armstrong has his first big climb of the Tour today. We'll see if the old guy's legs can keep up!
John Deere Classic...the story you didn't hear
Zach Johnson fired a two under par 69 yesterday in round one of the John Deere Classic. What many people didn't hear is that he then boarded a plane to South Carolina so he could attend the funeral of Jim Byrd, father of PGA pro Jonathan Byrd.
Zach will be back for his afternoon round today. Again, character and priorities show through with Johnson's actions. It's why we all like him so much.
Weekend
Remember this weekend big events going on. The Speedway has an ARCA race...Am I saying that right? Yep...the Prairie Meadows 200. There's the Relay for life overnight tonight into tomorrow at Hoover. then there's Brewfest at Principal Park Saturday. 300 beers from about 140 different Breweries. If you like Beer...you might find some new favorites.

Hope you have a good one.
PWD

Dog Fighting, Good Drivers? and Deere Classic

Good Morning!
Before I get started I wanted to say thank You to the Iowa Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. I sat on a panel for a lunch they held yesterday. It was an interesting discussion. Most viewers will never see the daily back and forth between communications professionals and the Media. They pitch us dozens of stories a day. Just this morning I have emails ranging from a story about fueling kids creativity with summer lunch ideas...to an interview with Tori Spelling about her Summer Make-up tips. As you can see there's a wide range of things to wade through. The topic of most of the discussion was how to get through all the noise and get a story on the air while keeping up with new trends in Media (Twitter, Facebook, blogging etc)
Anyway they were a really engaged audience and I enjoy talking about my profession.

To the News:
Dog Fighting
In my opinion, there's a very hot seat reserved in the afterlife for people who take any part in this kind of activity.
Four Iowans are accused of being part of a massive Dogfighting ring. That list of the accused includes a High School Teacher.
My questions is, What's wrong with your life that you need to watch two animals kill each other for sport? Moreover, what screw is loose in your head? That psychotic! I'd love to heard from someone who thinks this is a good idea...what possible justification could you have for killing these animals?

Good Drivers?
I've written, on occasion, criticizing Iowa drivers. Apparently Allstate Insurance thinks the Hawkeyes behind the wheel are some of the best drivers in the nation. We ranked 20th on the company's 2009 survey of the top 200 Cities. It means we crash less than most. I still don't think Iowans can merge...

...Lance Armstrong is still in second place in the Tour De France...and is still a freak.

Deere Classic
We forgot to add this to our line-up of news today and it's my fault. I thought about the start of the John Deere Classic Golf Tournament in the Quad Cities this morning before I came in, but my mind has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese at three in the morning.
There's an article on the Chicago Tribune's website this morning talking about sponsorships on the PGA Tour being in danger because of the economy. Here's another from Bloomburg along the same lines. I'll circle back to where I started this blog saying...this is a PR issue. Perception...not reality. Deere spends about eight million a year on the tournament. It's a perfect fit. They are based in the Quad Cities and the company has an exclusive deal with the PGA Tour to use Deere equipment for upkeep at PGA Tour sites.
Deere, like a lot of companies is thinking about dropping it's sponsorship. Why? Public Perception...the pressure to look like you're not wasting money...


According to the Trib:

The tournament generates about $20 million to $25 million a year for the local economy, and last year it raised $4.79 million for 500 local charities. That figure ranks sixth on tour and first in per-capita contributions -- $12.77 per person in a region of 375,000 people.

I'm sorry but if I'm John Deere I fight to keep this one.

According to those statistics, the cost of the sponsorship comes back about four fold to the community. That does not take into account the value of the advertising Deere gets during the TV coverage. I wonder how many golfers from around the country travel to the QC after watching the Deere on TV?

People who bemoan these kinds of sponsorships as a waste of money aren't looking at the big picture. Go ask a small business owner in Bettendorf and see if they want Deere to drop the tournament. Ask a Deere employee. I bet the answer is No. This isn't a junket to Vegas. It's an event that brings people in from all over the country and highlights an area that would otherwise be "flyover" to most of the rest of the nation.

That's it for me.

Hope you have a good one...

PWD

Catching Up...Again

OK OK...I didn't blog yesterday...I meant to, but I'll be honest, it's been a little bit of an effort trying to recover from taking the boys to Florida...

So, apologies but I will try to catch up on a few things today.

In the News:

G-8

An NBC report this morning suggested world leaders may ask the US to pay for another stimulus package. Meanwhile we're hearing on capitol Hill this morning that the first one is being mis-spent. My first impression of this one is to be a little ticked off. Most of the rest of the world spends a lot of time criticizing the US on any number of issues. When it's time for a crisis though they're the first ones with their hands out asking for help. I know that's an oversimplification...it's just my first thought when I heard about the request.

Jackson

So the anticipated circus outside Staples Center didn't happen. The two hour long service did. I didn't watch. I saw the clip of Michael Jackson's daughter later in the day. I said on air this morning, it's so hard to separate the mis-steps of this mans life from the triumphs of his music. Tragedy is a word that fits really well in all of those contexts.

Armstrong

You can watch for more news on the Tour de France now that Lance Armstrong is basically in the lead. He's a freak. No doubt about it. It will be one of the most amazing sports stories of the year if he can pull off the win.

Unpacking

So we were off to Florida for a few days last week and into the weekend. We wanted to get down to Long Boat Key to visit Sally's Grandmother. She's the only Grandparent either of us have left and we really enjoy spending time with Grandma Penny. Mostly though we just wanted to introduce "GG Penny" to our boys and spend a few days relaxing. Mission accomplished!

Getting there, in this case, was half the battle.

The people we traveled with from Des Moines to St Petersburg and back could not have been nicer!

From the Security people here in Des Moines, to the Allegiant staff at the airport...even the people flying with us were always ready to help in any way they could. We even met a woman who claims to read this blog every day. Thank God someone does!

Anyway we couldn't have made it...lugging a double stroller, two car seats and two babies through the airport without the help of strangers and the uber-organized woman I married. I make fun of her, but I would be wandering...in many ways without her.

Florida ended up being a reminder of why we love Iowa. We went from a morning of everyone asking if they could help, to a grocery store run in Florida that included people yelling at the guy in the Deli 'cause their turkey wasn't sliced thin enough! Again, I say, Iowa's a pretty good place t live.

Rude Deli customers aside, Long Boat Key is a special place for Sal. We've been there a few times since we were married and I've developed a real appreciation of why she loves it.

We went to lunch at Columbia's Restaurant (an island institution...try the 1901 salad!) We got some Ice Cream from Kilwin's and even dipped the boys toes into the Gulf of Mexico.

One of our closest friends drove up from Ft. Meyers and was a great sport about having dinner with us.

Recent Iowa to Florida re-transplants Sean and Mary Sellers came all the way over from the East Coast for lunch one day. Great to see friends!

Sally's Mom was nice enough to meet us down there and help take care of the boys. It's always good to have an extra pair of hands. We didn't get the boys out too much because it was so hot, but it was worth the trip to see the smile on Great Grandma Penny's face as she played with Will and JT.

So there ya go...hope you all had a good 4th of July.

I More later in the week.

PWD

Rescue, Moles and Packing

Good Morning!
Another great day on tap today so I hope you get out and enjoy.

The News:
Rescue
It's not often we get video showing a rescue play out like we did yesterday. We've talked about this before. You never know how you'll react when thrown into a crisis...The actions of the workers along the Des Moines Riverwalk make them heroes in my book, even if they say they aren't.

Painkillers
Too much Tylenol bad...that's the recommendation from the FDA. Scary when I look back on Sally's time in the hospital. They gave her a lot of Tylenol to manage pain. She didn't take all that they recommended. I'm glad she's tough.

80/35
I hope the Festival goes well again this year. Ben Harper and Public Enemy will draw crowds for sure. I hope people take time to sample some of the great bands we have here locally. They work hard and deserve a look.

Moles
I've used a new Mole chaser for my lawn. I'm hoping it works. For the first time in a few years I've got a beautiful green lawn. Then the moles showed up this week and put big piles of dirt and mole runs all over. I'm going to go Carl Spakler on the critters soon.

Packing
We're going to take a few days off to relax and part of that will be introducing our boys to their Great Grandma Penny. It's Sally's Grandma. She's in her 90's and after I see her I'm usually the one who's winded...She's a spitfire who doesn't often stop to let the moss grow under her feet. I hope our boys smiles will put one on her face.
So we had to pack for the trip to see Penny. I think we've packed more than Columbus did on his first Ocean crossing. We even tried to dial it back a little. the problem is, these little guys need what they need. For their comfort, and our sanity...I think we've got enough to survive.
I'll snap a few photos and bring em back for you to see.
I leave you in Brooke's capable hands.
PWD