Vote results, Tiger Trouble, and Thanksgiving

Good morning. I hope you all had a good thanksgiving weekend with family or friends.

We did. More on that in a moment.

To the News:

Votes

AFSCME Union members vote on contract changes that would mean about 500 workers get to keep their jobs. How do you vote No on this one? You're giving up a week's pay and about $75/month in contributions to keep 500 people working.

Tiger Trouble

When my brother in law and a friend started debating this over the weekend I thought they were joking. The story of Tiger's one car crash late at night/early in the morning is bizarre for sure. Here's my take on it. He has no obligation to expand on what he's said about the accident. He issued a statement saying he's embarrassed, that it's his fault, and that his wife helped him out of the car. I would feel differently if he'd been on a public street or had damaged public property. For those without background, Tiger lives in one of, if not the, most exclusive gated community in the US. It's private property. If he ruins the fire hydrant, it's the association's problem (thought I can't imagine he won't pay for the damage).

Think about it this way, if it was anyone else that lived in Isleworth, we wouldn't care. Why do we care about Tiger? Because he's famous?

Does this tarnish his stature as a good guy? I'm not sure a lot of people think of him as a "good guy". He's private to the point of being reclusive, he runs a foundation but doesn't go around preaching about how great a person he is...he just does it. The fact that he makes a gazillion dollars shouldn't be a factor here. He doesn't owe the general public any explanation. His neighbors are a different story.

12 days of Christmas

Every year this company adds up the cost of all of the gifts in the song, The 12 Days of Christmas. This year they said the4 cost went up about $800. The total cost is like $87,000.

Yikes. The story prompted an email from a viewer who tells us his understanding of the song is that the "5 golden rings" is actually "5 gold rings". The viewer claims this is a reference to pheasants, not actual rings of gold. Looking it up online, there are references to the "5 gold rings" actually being the first five books of the bible. So there's some debate over what is actually on the list, but we'll call this cost index the cost of the Ms Piggy vrsion of the song. Anyone who has any musical taste, of course, prefers the Muppet's version of the 12 days of Christmas with that legendary crooner Mr John Denver.

MIZ....

Great win over Kansas this weekend, and I get bragging rights in my house until basketball season. ...ZOU!

Thanksgiving
Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving. We had a great meal, put up the tree on Friday as is our tradition, and I put up lights outside the house Sunday. We're ready for the holidays!

Have a great day!

PWD

Noon Blogging for Mom

Good afternoon,

Sorry I didn't get to this earlier, but it's been a busy few days at our house. I'm sure most of you can relate. My sister came to Iowa last night for the T-giving weekend and we celebrated my nephew's birthday yesterday Happy Birthday Henry!
Add to all of that the day to day business of our household and it means Sally needed a hand.
The result was an email from my mom this morning, disappointed there was no blog. So this one's for you Mom!

News:

Home Invasion
Around three thirty this morning we started to hear reports over the police scanner saying a woman came downstairs to find her husband bloody and blood all over the place. That call turned into a report of a home invasion and a search for three suspects. Still no good description from the victims.

Travel
Wherever you're going this Thanksgiving I hope you travel safely. Remember, Police and highway Patrol in just about every state get extra money to do extra patrols on weekends like this one. Slow down, get where you're going in one piece. Interesting this noon hour we're still some 20 million travelers short of the numbers we saw Thanksgiving weekend 2005.


Can Someone Explain?
I've been on twitter trying to get a response from some famous Iowans. I wanted to know what they were doing for Thanksgiving...what their favorite traditions are and favorite T-giving foods. No response so far but this may be operator error. How do you get someone to respond on Twitter? What am I doing wrong?

Thanksgiving Disaster Averted
Sally went to pick up the big bird this morning and when she got the the butcher counter...no bird. We always reserve a fresh turkey...the biggest they can find. You should see the thing after we're done with it. it doesn't matter if we have four or fourteen people for dinner. We're going to use all that turkey.
I called about a week ago to reserve the turkey...looks like the kid who took my call didn't actually write down my name. Soooo what to do. Well the good guys behind the Hy-Vee meat counter searched for a turkey for us and found one. I can pick it up after the Nooner. Disaster averted.

Back to the Birthday
So as I said we went over to my brother's house to celebrate Henry's birthday. He's three.
The time at my brother's brought one of those flashes I've been having lately. All five of these boys are going to be big enough to run around soon. I often think it's a little chaotic when we all get together. I haven't seen anything yet.

OK so we'll blog for Thanksgiving tomorrow. We've got an expert coming on the show to answer questions about cooking...especially turkey so leave them in the comments if you like. I'll be up at Chuck's restaurant for their annual celebration. Hope you have a good day!
PWD

Thanksgiving and corn casserole

Good morning! Did you hear the thunder this morning? And, by the way, how bizarre to hear thunder in November. Actually, Jeriann says it's not that rare. And I guess she is the expert. It sounds like a little bit of snow is on the way. Am I the only one looking forward to snow? I think it helps me get in the mood for Christmas. Not that I need help. We put the tree up this weekend and our house already looks like a bad Christmas display. We sort of have a hodgepodge of collections from over the years. Everything from sunflower tree decorations (from days living in Kansas) to plastic snowmen. But they all have memories attached to them and I guess that's why they keep going up every year.

Speaking of something I do every year. Corn Casserole. This must be an Iowa thing. I was trying to explain it to Megan Ruether the other day and she had no idea what I was talking about. This has to be my absolute favorite Thanksgiving side dish. It's so sinful. I guess any time you add a stick of butter to anything, it's going to be good. Anyway, I went looking for a "healthier" version of the dish and came up with one from Cooking Light. I tried it out last week and I have to say I think it might even taste better than the real deal. And I am not usually one for low fat versions of anything. I posted the recipe below if you want to give it a try. Anything else (besides the usual green bean casserole and sweet potatoes) you have to make for Thanksgiving? I need one more dish and I want to try something new this year!


Corn Casserole
1 box corn muffin mix
3 egg whites
1/3 cup fat free milk
1 can chopped green chiles, drained
1 can cream style corn
1 tsp. cumin
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Combine and bake in greased 9 x 13 pan at 400 degree for 15 to 20 minutes.

Have a great day!

Thanksgiving Week, Weekend Visit, and Bowling

Good morning,
I'm home blogging again this morning...just wanted to see the boys before they went down for a nap. We had another good visit with family this weekend. I'll say a little more about that later...first, the news of the day:

CO
Carbon Monoxide can be deadly when you breathe too much of it. Most commonly, it can get dangerous in the form of exhaust from a generator or car. In the case of one church in Des Moines lat night it was a gas generator. If you use one of these things, please be careful, keep a CO detector in you home or business.

Health care
So the bill passed a hurdle and can now be debated in the Senate. Three Moderate Democrats may hold the whole thing up though. It seems to me the way to get something you want in Congress is to find the bill where you're the swing vote, then hold the whole process hostage until you get something in return for your vote. Bet me that won't happen here.

Black Friday Deals
So I guess the paper had the first indications of where the Black Friday deals were going to be. The woman featured in the story we ran is actually a friend, which makes it even worse that we misspelled her name. Anyway, Chris is one of those Black Friday shoppers who really gets into it. Maps out the route, knows where she's shopping and what she's shopping for. It means that her Christmas budget gets stretched a lot further than anyone I know. If you can do it...God Bless!

Bowling
So all of the Hawkeye fans won't go to the Rose Bowl, but I think the Hawks should go to the Fiesta Bowl. They deserve it. a 12-0 win over Minnesota was the kind of football you've come to expect from this team. Lota heart, Lota Defense...not so much on the offense.
Sorry, Cyclone fans. Missouri came through for me this weekend and helped me avoid a year of ridicule.
On a related note that I'm sure you Iowa fans are going to like. Northwestern beat Wisconsin Saturday. That means Northwestern is going to be tied for fourth in the Big 10. They have a tiebreaker with the team they're tied with...Wisconsin. I know Wisconsin is likely going to have a better record overall, but shouldn't conference record matter here? Northwestern beat Wisconsin but Wisconsin is going to get a better bowl game. Wildcat fans will just have to live with the knowledge that we beat two top ranked teams in conference play, traveled more people to a bowl game last year and had MUCH higher ratings on TV when that bowl game aired...and still got screwed.

Weekend Visit
My parents were in town this weekend and we had a great time. I think they leave here a little worn out. The reason is pictured here. Those five grandsons under the age of five are a handful. They were over here for dinner Saturday night. I don't even notice anymore just because it's a part of our routine but my Mom was commenting on the amount of work it takes to get the boys fed, changed, and down for bed. It does. We're happy to have a few extra pairs of hands to help. Sally's family and my sister are here this week.
We also had a lovely dinner with friends last night. Our friends The Groves and the Eckermans got together and were nice enough to invite us too. Lynnette, you can flat out cook lady!

-The Jane Lynch Xbox commercials are funny
-I love it when the house smells like bacon a full 24 hours after cooking the bacon.
-I am looking forward to stuffing...both the dish and the actual act of stuffing myself
-I'm about a quarter of bad football away from giving up on the Bears this year and hoping for some growth next year.

Hope you have a great day.
PWD

Workin on the Weekend, Quads and Christmas Shopping

Good morning...

I'm glad to see Friday for a few reasons, not the least of which is that my parents are headed to town. They actually drove halfway last night. They found a hotel in Iowa City they like so they stay there when they make the trip. It gets them to town a little earlier which makes a long trip a little more worthwhile.

To the news:

Workings on the Weekend

The US Senate will be working this weekend on Healthcare reform. I haven't been able to get to the bill but we've been bombarded with emails from opponents who are making all kinds of claims about the language. I'm sure there are more than a few things tucked away in this bill, but here's my objection to some of these complaints: If they twist the wording...even a little it hurts the argument. I've said before...there's more than enough in this bill that offers an opportunity for genuine debate. Attempts to score cheap points by creating controversies that may or may not result from reform are simply a waste of time and an indication politicians think we're all stupid. Read the bill, ask questions and call your Senator if there are things in the bill you object to. Don't just believe what you read on some Kook's blog...HA Ha!

Traffic Tips

Brad told us that section of High street past The QT and up to the Qwest building in Des Moines is open now. Thank goodness. What an annoying detour that was for the summer.

Holiday Shopping

Don't be scared guys, this is going to be an easy, and painless way to Christmas shop. Suggest to your wife that you go down to the Junior League's Gift Mart this weekend. Here are my arguments for this trip:

-The stores are unique, so it's stuff you're not going to find at 6:30 Pm on Christmas Eve when you remember that you haven't bought a gift for your wife.

-You can follow your wife around and see what she likes. If you're really sneaky you can figure out a way to buy some of this stuff. The you get the double bonus of actually buying her something she wants and you get the "You were listening to me" points as well.

-Good Husband Points: This happens when the other wives who are at gift Mart comment to your wife what a good guy you are for coming with her to Gift Mart, or What a good husband and Dad you are for watching the kids while she shops. This is probably good for at least one Sunday on the couch watching football.

Gift Mart is 9-9 today and 9-3 tomorrow at the plex. Tickets are $5.

On Thin Ice

Brenton Skating Plaza opens this morning for a skate with Van and Bonnie. Doesn't seem like skating weather just yet. Jeriann says it's going to be in the high fifties this weekend.

Oprah

So Oprah fans may be a little sad at the office.

Not me. I actually enjoyed hearing her interviews from time to time years ago, but lately I think Oprah's gone a little off the ranch. It's time to go. I think she's going to run for Senate in Illinois if a Democrat doesn't win President Obama's old seat.



HD Uni-brow

I wish I'd saved the email but I didn't. Someone emailed to tell me that the stray hairs between my eyebrows were distracting in HD. Who knew?

I used to have a horrible uni-brow. Being on TV takes care of that quick. Yesterday the gal who cuts my hair looked at it and said it needed a little maintenance. Still hurts when they pull that wax and paper away.

Quads!

Watching the story about the Dotzler quadruplets took me back. I'm glad the outlook is good for all four kids, but I remember the feeling of watching my boys hooked up to all of those machines. It scared the crap out of me, and there's nothing to do to prepare for it. I spent the first 48 hours staring at the monitors, asking the nurses what was going on every five minutes. It gets easier, they get better, they get off the machines and eventually they go home.
We all wish them the best.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

PWD

Light Reading, Good Reading and Foggy Start

Good Morning,

I knew it was going to be bad when I pulled out of the driveway this morning through a could of my own exhaust...
The air was pretty heavy and pretty soggy this morning and we got a lot of fog as a result. The funny part was none of the rural areas (which usually get a lot of fog) were that bad. So I hope you had an easy commute in.

Light Reading
The Senate unveiled it's Healthcare Reform Bill late yesterday. If this one doesn't get your attention, I don't know what's going to.
Put simply this is about your future, and your family's future. I say that because both sides of the debate actually believe it. The difference is that one side thinks this will lead to socialized medicine and the other thinks it will lead to lower costs and a "fairer" system.
I'd encourage you to look closely at the bill and think about it...carefully

Turkey Talk
We're already talking about our Thanksgiving and day after Thanksgiving shows. I have to admit they're two of my favorite days to work. that may sound weird, but Thanksgiving Day is just a lot of fun...we're getting up with a lot of the people who are going to cook the big meal for their family, and it's usually the kickoff to a season of unselfish giving. I hope we can highlight both. BTW, your dinner is going to cost a dollar ninety less this year on average. Great, that's a medium cup of Starbucks coffee I can buy.

Exercise..a lot more
A new study says exercising four or five days a week will give you the heart of a thirty year old when you get into your sixties. But what if my body looks and feels like it's sixty?

Didn't Need to Know
Somebody had the bright idea that counting calories in a bucket of popcorn at the movies was going to be helpful. it's not. The study basically says I'm downing about 2000 calories every time I see a move at the theatre. Good thing I don't have any money to go see a movie.

Good Reading
I just finished Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol. It was really good. I'd heard it was The Da Vinci Code set in Washington D.C.. Maybe, but Da Vinci Code was a good story and I liked the history. I bought it Friday, and finished it Monday.
The second book I'm reading now was a gift. it's called Have a Little Faith. It's a page turner so far. I'll report back at completion of this one.
Anything else I should be reading now?

Noon Update:

I walked into the Living Room this morning to find this:

This was likely the first of many times I will say, A: How did you get there? or B: Stop standing on your brother!
Hope you have a good day!
PWD

Behind the scenes at Meredith

Good morning everyone! It's a rainy morning which means I may need some extra coffee to get through the morning. Something about overcast weather makes me tired. Doesn't make me down or grumpy. Just tired! I understand why Starbucks was created in Seattle.

Anyway, Pat asked me to do the blog this morning and share my Meredith experience. I did a story that ran last night about the Meredith Test Kitchen. It's a pretty busy place which is easy to understand when you consider Meredith produces about 150 publications. The company estimates about 75 million women alone use its websites or buy its books and magazines each year. That's a lot! Anyway, a lot of those websites and publications feature recipes for you to try out. And before those recipes ever get to you, they are tested, tasted and photographed right here in Des Moines. Twelve women who are trained in culinary arts spend their days baking and cooking recipes. After they're done, those cooks meet with editors and taste the food. Not a bad gig, huh? This often requires a lot of discussion about taste, texture and whether it was easy to make. Once everyone agrees the recipe is just right for you to try, the food is prepared again for a photo shoot. It's not always easy making food look good! Every detail has to be perfect. Meredith employs people called food stylists. The people make the recipes and make sure the food looks perfect. The day I was there, the stylist was preparing bacon, fig and basil pizza for Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. He was using tweezers to get every piece looking centered and fresh. He said he sometimes uses a mister to make the bacon look fresh and juicy. There's also a set director who picks out the table cloth and things like the plate and silverware that will be used with the food. Meredith has an entire room full of plates and accessories for this purpose alone. The photographers are also amazing. They know how to make anything look like it is the most delicious food you have ever seen. It was a pretty cool experience seeing goes from an idea to a published recipe. And if I ever get fired from WHO, I might beg Meredith to hire me!

The other cool thing I got to do this weekend, was judge a cake contest at the Hy-Vee Food and Wine Expo over the weekend. Seven cake decorators brought their best creations and I had to help pick the best one. What I didn't know, is that I would also get to taste the cake. And let me tell you, I love cake! It's one of my vices. They were all incredible tasting. But one really stole the show for me. It was key lime cake with cream frosting. Sounds a little unusual, but it was to die for! The cake also won the contest. Wish I had a picture. I'll see if Hy-Vee can send me some pictures because it was amazing!

Hope you have a great day. See you soon!

Of Baptisims and Buckeyes

Good Morning!

About 10pm last night the guy sitting next to me on the flight back from Cincinnati was trying to make conversation to take both our minds off the roller coaster ride we were getting thanks to the weather. He asked..."Is there someone who will help make sure you don't have bloodshot eyes tomorrow morning when they do your make-up?" If you watched this morning you know the answer clearly no one is watching my blood-shot eyes, and if you've read the blog at all...you know there's no one around to do our make-up...I channel my inner Mary Kay.

So I did my best on a short night of sleep. It was worth it to make the trip to Cincinnati to see my Godson Evan Lammert baptized.

This is a picture of proud parents Shaun and Erin (Evan is apparently not into the photos yet). They were great hosts for family and friends.

Shaun's family, and particularly his three sisters, became like three younger siblings in college. They were just teenagers back then, it was good to see the Lammert girls all grown up.

Cincinnati is a nice town. I didn't see a lot of it on a short visit but I did get to enjoy the beautiful weather.

I was feeling very proud of myself for getting Even to smile and giggle a little. We're already connecting kid!

-Shaun and I went out to pick up his new suit for the baptism and I figured I could get someone to press my suit (I waded it up in the suitcase to get it to Cincy). So We went to a Dry Cleaners thinking they could press it quickly.

The guy told us it would be TWO DAYS! Are you going to reinvent the steam press?

Dry Cleaner #2 said..." we don't do that". Don't do what? Iron stuff? I'm imagining people all over southern Ohio walking around looking like they've just gone through the spin cycle.

We even tried Macy's where Shaun bought his suit.

I figured they would have one of those clothes steamers at the very least. It seems Macy's has one, but no one could seem to locate it. More accurately, no one gave a flying flip about locating it.

Finally we called Joseph A Banks. No problem they said bring it on down.

We were there for about ten minutes while the lady in back pressed my suit. In that ten minutes, Shaun managed to buy himself a pair of shoes, a tie, and sign himself up for the store's customer advantage program.

Now you tell me, was it worth it for the Jos. A Banks to do me a favor that cost them nothing?

-Speaking of the Jos. A Banks I am always amazed at the mental block created in the portion of the brain that controls fashion choice when someone becomes a fanatic of a particular college football team. People will do stupid things....like buy a scarlet red blazer. They had a whole rack of them at Macy's and Jos. A Banks in Cincy. Clearly a lot of Ohio State fans.

Do they give a free bowl of soup out with those things too? I mean, if your team ever falls out of the two 25 you can always use the jacket in your next job as an usher at some arena or maître d’ at a local restaurant.

-Kudos the the Des Moines Airport at it's major renovation of the terminal. The place was looking a little long in the tooth a few months ago but a fresh coat of pain and some new carpet really made a huge difference. It's a great first impression.

-I snagged Dan Brown's new book on my way out of town. The Lost Symbol is a great story. I was 200 pages in by the time I hit Cincinnati and almost done with it by the time I got home last night.

On the subject of reading I also finished another Steven Ambrose book called Ike's Spies. If you like WW2 and Cold War history, it's a good read.

-I've got a good Money Savers segment for Dan Winters...watch in the coming weeks for Holiday travel savers.

-Watching the Iowa game among some Ohio natives and Buckeye fans was fun. The looks of concern from the Ohio St faithful were priceless. If not for some dropped passes and an inexplicable decision not to go for the score with 52 seconds left, the Hawks could be going to Pasadena. According to CBS Sportsline this morning they could get a nice consolation prize...The Fiesta Bowl! I know there's a lot of tradition with the RB and all but I'd pick The Fiesta Bowl over Rose Bowl.

-I forgot to say last week's Glee was one of the best. I still need to see Modern Family. I'm still not used to setting the DVR.

I'm going home to see my boys. They were asleep, of course, when I got home last night so I didn't want to go in to see them. I always worry I'm going to wake them up.

So have a good morning!

PWD

NOON UPDATE: So I got home to find out that Will decided to sit up on his own while I was gone. I'm never leaving again.

Email bag, Brain wave toys, and An Offer I Can't Refuse

Good morning. I wrote the blog yesterday, but I didn't post it.

I thought better of posting some of the comments I had after reading a story about five men arrested for allegations of sexual abuse against kids.

I reconsidered my decision after getting this email this morning.
It read in part:

We are now watching the other channels for news and weather. Also done with 1040 AM. Your coverage was pathetic. Before you had gathered enough clear information, you portrayed these men as "pastors of the COMMUNITY OF CHRIST" These men had lay minister positions, much like reporting that four deacons were rounded up from the Methodist church. How do you think Methodists would feel about your reporting? My secretary told me that the this same thing happened to her Baptist minister who was not a lay minister, but he did not receive the same notoriety as these men. If I were in a leadership position in the Community of Christ I would consider a damage lawsuit, but my guess is that they are too "Christian" to seek revenge.

Am I the only one who thinks our former viewer missed the larger issue here? The Kansas City Star reported this morning that three of the five men arrested for brutally abusing these kids were lay ministers. One of the men preached sermons regularly. All three had a LICENSE. One had applied to be a youth minister according to a report this morning.

For the record, I also looked. We never called them pastors, just ministers...they were clearly lay ministers.

All of that said, The point I think that's being missed here is that there is no recognition or denunciation of the ABUSE! A lawsuit against us? How about a very special and warm final sentence for someone who commits abuse against a child? No one is implicating the entire church. I think the point of saying they were ministers is that they were clearly trusted members of their community. How can anyone be focused on the damage these allegations might do to the Community of Christ? What about these kids?

The thought I had yesterday is that it strikes me, we never hear from the people regularly shouting the loudest about family values and morality when a story like this comes out. Why? It a reminder that attending or even participating in a church or religious organization does not make you a good person. It's your actions that define you.

On a related note...

Who's sick of Carrie Prejean? The late summer poster girl for traditional marriage and family values isn't looking all that good lately. Again, where are the people who were coming to Miss California's defense when she was upholding "traditional" values?

Are they outraged at the sex tape that's surfaced? Are they upset she clearly lied to get out of uncomfortable situation during an interview on CNN?

I don't know cause I haven't heard anything from them. I haven't heard anything from people who spend hours on the radio criticizing other people's moral compass. The same people who spent hours glorifying Miss California's answer to a question at a beauty pageant as if it made her a moral person.

Again I say, live your life. Try your hardest to be a good person, but stop trying to make other people live by your standard or values. Something about people living in glass houses.

Aggravating the Boss

We have a senior manager who will remain unnamed for his own protection.

He is a big Ohio State fan.

Someone has been trying to aggravate him all week, but the kicker came this morning when someone put this on the front door to the TV studios...

and then put this over the carpet at the entrance.

Not the way to get in good with your boss. Go Hawks.

Brain Toys

So Megan Reuther told us about some of the Hot toys on the market for Christmas including one that, I swear, uses your brain waves to make a fan move. The fan then blows a small ball into the air. It works, and it's 70 bucks. Thank goodness my kids are still entertained by a burp cloth.

Harrison's choice

Harrison Barnes' choice of college is the best kept secret in the country. The folks who like to predict in our newsroom say they think he's staying at Iowa State. We'll run some sound from Barnes about what he wants in a college today at Noon. It's interesting, and if it is his criteria, I would say Iowa State isn't going to be the choice. I would think he's going to North Carolina.

An Offer I Can't Refuse

With apologies to Marlin Brando, I am going to be a Godfather for the first time this weekend. My friend Shaun and his wife Erin just had their 1st son Evan this summer. He'll be baptized this weekend in Cincinnati and I am honored they asked me to take a more formal role in Evan's life. I'm also excited to see Shaun's family. They are like my second set of siblings and parents. Always a good time with the Lammerts.

So I hope you all have a good weekend. Please feel free to comment on any of my thoughts. I always enjoy reading what you have to say.

PWD

Veterans Day, Val-Air, Welcome Back Voice

Welcome back voice. I've missed you.
I decided to blog from home this morning. The boys get more interesting every day and sometimes the blog keeps me from seeing them in the morning. I am lucky to have a flexible work schedule that allows me to come home to see them. It's worth it to walk in and see their toothy little grins.
To the news...

Veterans Day
If you get the chance to thank a Veteran or current Member of the Armed Services, please do it. It's not always the most comfortable thing to do but they really appreciate a simple thank you...they sure deserve it.
Services are scheduled today for Noon at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and 2:30 at Iowa State's Memorial Union. If you are in Ames and haven't ever seen the gold star hall, it's quite a tribute and a reminder that the men and women who are volunteering for service to their country are, many times, just 18 years old. They have so many options in front of them and choose to serve their country. That deserves at least one day full of people saying a random Thank You!
With that in mind you won't believe this story! Sally found it on NPR this morning. This one you have to hear to believe.

Hazing
I can't imagine why anyone would accept the idea that drinking so much that you get sick is the key to any kind of fraternal bond. I am a proud member of a fraternity. I had my share to drink in college. I helped clean the Fraternity house when I was a "pledge". I also helped the classes that followed mine do the same when I became a member of the house. We were one of the biggest houses on campus, always in the running for intramural sports championships, had higher than average grades and we were very active socially. I continue my friendships with many of the men I met there.
What happened at Drake University is not a reflection of fraternity life on college campuses today. More than any time in their history, Greek organizations are realizing you can have everything that makes fraternity life great and not put anyone's life in danger. There are responsible houses on every College campus. I'd like to think they make up the majority of fraternities and sororities. Greek life is not for everyone, and it is in no way a requirement to find a meaningful and fulfilling college experience.
I would offer this one piece of advice to college students and their parents. Make a deal with your kids. Join a fraternity if you like, but before you go in, set some limits with yourself. Make sure you have it clear in you mind what you re and are not willing to do to be a part of a social organization. I did. I told myself no one was ever going to hit me, force me to drink or make me risk my well being. I went though three and a half years and none of that happened...not once.
Fraternities and Sororities can be great places to make lifelong friendships but no experience, no friendship is worth putting yourself in danger. In fact if they really are worth joining, no one in that organization would ever risk your life.

Val-Air
What will boycotting West Des Moines businesses do to incet the Val-Air to quiet down? With due respect to my Waterbury neighbors, I don't think it's fair or particularly effective. I also hear the thump of the bass every time Val-Air has a late night concert. My kids are getting up at Six whether Cheap Trick or White Lion or Some Culture Club tribute band decides to pump up the volume at Val-Air. So, I too, would like Val-Air management to pad the walls. I don't think punishing the local hardware store is going to help.

Glee
My new favorite show is back tonight and the Chicago Tribune has some good things to say abut this latest episode.

Healthy Ice Cream?
So says a report on MSNBC. Ahhhh we can dream.

Hope you all have a good day. Sal just put the boys down for their morning nap. I think I should do the same.
PWD

Tuesday: Catching Up

Good Morning...I'm back and though now 100%, I felt like the voice was good enough for TV this morning. I haven't felt all that bad in the past few days but since Friday, I haven't had a voice. That worked out really well for Friday night's fundraiser auction for Prevent Child Abuse Iowa. Everyone was very generous in their compliments about the job I did struggling through with my voice...
I kind of feel like the little kid who throws up during his piano recital and then has a bunch of adults telling him..."You could hardly tell". You could tell, it was a train wreck. I feel badly because they had some great items to auction off. Not sure, but it might have gone better if people could hear me.

To the News

Union Talks
Can't imagine Union members voting down the changes to their contract. The options are, vote it down and lose about 500 members, or vote for the unpaid days off, take a hit for a week and keep all those people working.
The Union head said something interesting yesterday. He said the Legislature should be thinking about a tax increase next year. To pay for Union salaries? Not likely. I'll say it again, everyone is in the same boat here. It's not like State workers are the only ones seeing salary decreases, or benefit reductions. The Union Leader also said they were done negotiating. Also not likely. This is going to come up again next year, and the result is going to be similar.

Living Wage
While we're on the subject some non-union workers in Des Moines Public Schools are asking for better wages. Te woman we talked to says she makes less than 16-thousand dollars a year. It does seem like a small amount of money.
Now I am going to say something I think is going to make a lot of people (mostly my family) mad, but I want to preface it by saying I think teachers don't make enough money. They should be some of the most highly skilled and highly paid people in our society.
That said, a teachers aide making 16,000 a year seems like a small number until you extrapolate that out to a full 12 months of work. Teacher's aides work 9 maybe 10 months. If you add on the wages for another three months work, it's more like 20,000 per year. That's still not a huge wage, but when we have these discussions about teacher pay, we should talk about it in an apples to apples kind of way.

H1N1
Clinic in Polk County today expands the people who can get shots to anyone under 63 with a chronic health condition. It's noon to eight tonight at Vets.

Have a good one
PWD

Shooting, Big Weekend and Losing it

Good Morning. It must be something about the end of the week around here. I really tried hard this morning, but I couldn't keep my voice from cracking up. I feel fine, but my voice is just giving out. A quiet weekend would probably help but I am emceeing a fundraising event tonight. Hopefully I can rest enough between now and then to make it work.

The News:

Shooting

A Des Moines native is among the injured yesterday when an Army Major opened fire in a crowded room at Fort Hood Texas. 13 people died and another thirty plus were injured. You'll hear more details all day on this but some of the comments in the articles and online about this shooting kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

The comments say something to the effect of: This is more evidence of the continuing toll the war in Afghanistan is taking on soldiers.

I disagree. This man had never deployed overseas, and this is just my opinion, but I feel like it's an insult the the men and women who ACTUALLY ARE stressed from their deployment to compare this act with what they're going through. Those soldiers served, sacrificed and are finding out what it's like to live with that experience. This man volunteered, used the army to get a degree, and could have taken steps to get out of his military commitment. He didn't, and when he came up for deployment, he balked. That is not sacrifice, or bravery and to equate it with the legitimate issues soldiers are facing overseas is ridiculous.

Purple Matters

With apologies to my friend Dave Price (his radio show is Purple Matters on Macsworld live Tuesdays from 8-9), I wore my purple to support the hometown team and my wife's Alma Matter Northwester University this week. I enjoy watching Iowa's college teams win but for one weekend a year, I've got to root for the Cats. I know they're heavy underdogs so this isn't going to effect the inevitable outcome for Northwestern v Iowa, but I think Hawkeye fans can appreciate team loyalty over bandwagon jumping. Go Cats!

Random Tips

Dan Winters emailed me yesterday asking for ideas for his Money Savers segment and I pointed him in the direction of my sister-in-law. If you saw Dan's story last night you saw Amy Dix, my brother's wife. She is the Queen of savings and has parlayed that into a blog called Housewife Hacks. Check it out. It's all about saving locally and even making money online.

On a secondary note, if you're looking for savings and would like to0 enjoy a good cigar this weekend, I passed by David's Briar Shoppe in Merle Hay Mall yesterday. I've played golf a couple of times with the owner Greg David. Good guy. He told me he's doing a special right now. Basically the more cigars you buy the more discount you get. Any of you tailgaters who like to smoke a cigar may want to stop by before you head to Iowa City or Ames this weekend.

Pottery for Prevention

That's the name of the event I'll be hosting tonight at the Masonic Temple. It raises money for Prevent Child Abuse Iowa. I think the whole Today in Iowa team would agree the stories that bring the room to dead silence are the ones about abuse of children. If it's one thing I've learned as a new parent, it's that I need the support of a good partner, friends and family to help with the sometimes frustrating life of a new parent. I had a class before our boys were born to help me anticipate some of the red flags that could tell me when I needed to take a break or back off. All of these things are important part of the work Prevent Child Abuse Iowa provides. If you have the time tonight they're selling tickets at the door. We'd love to have you come down.

I posted a link above to more information about the event.

Quick Takes

Good Morning...
Just enough time for a few quick thoughts.

-Went to the H1N1 flu clinic yesterday. It could not have worked out better. I showed up about an hour before it started and was one of the first people in line. Sally brought the boys over right at three when it started. We were through the process in less than a half hour. I think the mid-afternoon start time prohibits some people form getting there, but there wasn't a line all night long. If you have the chance to go get a shot for your kids this might be the easiest way. the clinic starts a 3pm at the State Fairgrounds.
Megan debunked an email going around about how to avoid H1N1:

Prevent Swine Flu - Good Advice

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS, DRM, DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years.

The following message given by him, makes a lot of sense.

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing.

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after 20 initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water . Not everybody may use a Neti pot (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population. Neti pots and sinus rinse kits are available at the drug store and inexpensive….under $15.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C . If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Pass this on to your entire e-list. You never know who might pay attention to it -- and STAY ALIVE because of it.
Saltwater swabs in your nose don't work apparently.
Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

-How good a sports year would it be if we could have two legitimate conversations about National Championships? The Hawks are 9-0 and Iowa State's Volleyball team looks legit.

-The Yawn-kees win the World Series again. In other news the sun did come up this morning.
The best part about this news is that Glee will be back on next week

-The City of Des Moines wants your suggestions about saving money. There were some good ones at the 1st meeting last night. Turn off the lights at City Hall at night...Don't print a copy of the City's annual report for every home in the city...etc.
There's another meeting next Thursday at 7 at the Downtown Library.

-Jeriann says it's going to be in the 70's this weekend. Enjoy it while you can!

Results and Run-offs, Going to the Clinic, and Recipie

Good morning!
I've got a great dinner for you guys tonight and it's easy. Sally made it last night (easy for me to say it was easy). It was great. More on that in a minute...
The news

Run-offs
In Des Moines the two big city council races go to a runoff December 1st.
That's not the only place it happened.
In West Des Moines' 1st District the incumbent runs off against the same challenger he had last election. In Windsor Heights as many as four candidates will have to run off for three spots. One of the four needed only one more vote to reach the threshold where she wouldn't have needed to be a part of the runoff.
Do you need any more evidence you vote matters?
If you couldn't find the time yesterday I respect your busy schedule. It took me longer to walk from the car than it did to vote. These people control millions of dollars of tax money, not to mention local business and economic development. These are the people that are in control of the things you see and do every day. Think about that next time you complain your street wasn't plowed fast enough, or your trash wasn't picked up or a pothole not filled in.
There has been no more important time to have committed public servants in office. I'm glad to see the competition for that right Tuesday.
Meanwhile on the National stage Republican win big in Virginia and New Jersey. Pollsters are focusing on the fact that voters say the President and his policies weren't a factor. OK, how about the fact that these were centrist Republicans focusing on fiscal issues not social ones? BTW the guy who conservative Republicans put up as their poster boy in a HUGELY Republican district of New York got his lunch handed to him after the more centrist republican dropped out. I'm sorry to tell the people on the far left and right...you don't represent most of us. For all of the screaming at each other on TV, I think Americans are probably more centrist than most politicians and talk show hosts would have you believe. There's no money in it for the talk shows if we come to that conclusion on our own. Who wants to hear people agreeing with each other or finding common ground on the radio? Fighting is more entertaining, but it's good to see the voters come to the conclusion that centrist politicians are better for governing.

Going to the Clinic
So I think we're going to try to go to the Polk Co clinic and try to get the boys a shot again. Wish us luck. if you're out there...I'd like your thoughts on the process and about the flu. News that a youngster her in Iowa died of complications from the flu can't make anyone feel better about what's still to come.

Recipe
So here it is, Rachel Ray's Buffalo Sloppy Joe's. I give this one HIGH marks. Sally said it was easy to make. Just for the record, I was watching the boys while she was cooking. I just don't want anyone to think I had my feet up with my pipe and slippers on barking orders form a Barca lounger.
Sloppy Buffalo Joes
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2008

Prep Time:15 min
Inactive Prep Time Cook Time:15 min
Level:Easy
Serves:8 servings.

Ingredients
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast
•1 carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
•2 stalks celery, chopped
•1 yellow onion, finely chopped
•2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
•2 tablespoons brown sugar
•1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
•1/4 to 1/3 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
•1 cup tomato sauce
•1 cup chicken stock
•8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
•1 cup blue cheese crumbles
•2 large dill pickles, chopped

Directions
Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook 7 to 8 minutes more. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more. Pile sloppy Buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.

We used ranch instead of the Blue Cheese.

So there ya go. I hope you have a good day!
PWD

I Don't Get It, and I Got It

Good Morning,
I tried my best, disinfected everything I touched, washed my hand, tried to exercise a little more, but it didn't work. Whatever is going around, caught up with me. I got a double whammie of a cold along with the inevitable soreness I get 24 hours after a really good workout. I was cooked Sunday. The hard part about this shift is that you have to make a decision about just how sick you are about eight hours before you get up for work. By the time I get up, it's too late. Also, I decided to actually follow the advice we have been giving out for weeks. If you feel sick, don't go to work! Usually we don't follow the advice we give out...stuff like driving toward a tornado instead of away from it...
Anyway, I feel better after a day of rest. Sometimes this shift can catch up with you. I am sure I don't get "enough" sleep, I'm sure my eating habits aren't "good", and I am sure this all contributes to less than perfect health overall... It just catches up to me every once in a while.

To the News
I Don't Get It
Maine goes to the polls today to vote on upholding the legalization of same sex marriage in that state. This is the first time voters will go to the polls to uphold or strike down a law enacted by a state legislature. It sounds like it's going to be close.
I've written about this subject here before so I think my views on it are clear. Bottom line, I don't get it.
I under stand why the people who oppose same sex unions are against it. They have moral objections. I respect their beliefs. Now it's time for those people to respect someone else's beliefs. If someone can show me hard evidence that same sex marriages are making kids not graduate from school or that same sex marriage raises my property taxes or that it contributes to the general downfall of the United States, I'd be willing to at least read it. The problem is you can't.
In out system of government if you are going to afford a right to one of your citizens, you can't withhold that right from another.
Someone else's actions, moral or immoral, do not dictate how you and your family behave. A family's sense of right and wrong first and foremost has to come from the family itself. Live your life upholding the values you believe in, whatever those are. I think if some people spent a little less time trying to prove that the way someone else lives their life is to blame for the ills of the world, they would find there are fewer ills in their world.
We live in a country where there is no monopoly on culture, religion, even language. That was the idea in the first place. This country is a place where ideas should be challenged, and debated freely.
I heard someone on the radio the other day saying this is the single most important issue facing Iowa as we get ready to elect a new Governor. I can't imagine a statement that is less true. This state has a lot of issues it needs to deal with. The effect of same sex marriage, is the one that effects me the least, and is about last on my list of important issues, I want my government dealing with right now.

That's all I've got for the day. I need to go home and deal with my other car. The civic is dead, and in the garage. I don't know why it's dead, I don't know what I did, but I'm sure the Triple A guy will tell me.
Have a good one
PWD

Patrick's turn and Halloween

Good morning. It's Brooke here. Patrick is off. And yes, he's sick! This morning I kept replaying in my head the Queen song, "Another one bites the dust." It seems everyone is getting sick! I had it last week and the week before. In fact, last Thursday morning I came in to work and realized I couldn't speak after I came in and started having a conversation with our producer, Lisa. I don't do a lot of talking at home at 3 am, so I didn't know my voice was shot until after I came in. And like an idiot, I tried to do the show anyway which turned out to be a disaster. I made it to the first commercial break and then we decided I should let Patrick do the rest of the show on his own. Our producer couldn't even understand some of the words I was saying. My apologies to everyone who saw the first 10 minutes of the show Thursday morning. I have a feeling it will end up on our end-of-the-year blooper reel.

Wasn't the weather yesterday great? Evan had fun jumping in the pile of leaves our neighbor made in his yard. I am sure he was pretty pleased that all of his work was destroyed in about 10 seconds. But the smile on Evan's face was precious, so I think it was worth it. Sorry, Reeds!

We took Evan trick or treating Friday night, but it almost didn't happen. I planned to dress him as a tennis player (Roger Federer to be more precise). But, he started freaking out Friday when we tried to dress him. He wanted nothing to do with a costume and frankly, I don't think he understood what Halloween was all about, even though we've been talking to him about it all week. Despite the meltdown, we took him out to a few houses in the neighborhood and he got lots of candy. And now I think he understands that Halloween is a good thing! He carried his candy around all night and kept counting it and lining it up. He wanted to sleep with the candy, but I finally pried it from him after a few tears. The next morning he woke up and the first thing he asked was, "where's candy?" I am not sure if this was the right move, but I decided to let him eat it all and just get it out of the house as soon as possible. And , he did eat every last piece. Surprisingly, there were no major sugar highs. As for me, I had to give our leftover candy to my sister before I ate the whole bag. The white chocolate Hershey bars are my downfall!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Hopefully Pat is back and feeling well. See you tomorrow!