Four More Days, Best and Worst and Advice

Good Morning!

We had a lot of conversation on the set this morning ranging from Politics to the worse Halloween candies. We'll talk about all of it.

Four More Days
Who's sick of the ads? Just so we don't keep this entirely serious. Brooke pointed out this morning there's a statehouse race where a guy named Olive is Running against a guy named Bacon. Now all we need is some water chestnuts and toothpicks and we've got an Hors'douvers tray.
What's with the heated sidewalks. These commercials reference them as a proposal that was floated at the Statehouse. I can't say I remember that. And aren't the flower beds downtown paid for via private donors? I thought I remembered that Ruan paid for it.
To me, if this is the best you can do to try to win an election...you've grasping at straws. Notice none of these ads actually say what the candidate running the ad IS for. I have to say I respect the candidate on the ballot in front of me a lot more if they lay out their priorities in a compelling way and then let me decide.

Airport Search
So the TSA is trying to get people to go through those full body scanners. As added incentive they're saying there will be "enhanced" screenings by TSA personnel if you refuse the full body scanner. Remember, the last guy who tried to blow up a plane hid the bomb in his tighty-whities so if they're expanding the search area...well you can full in the blanks there. P.S. Men will be screening men and women screening women.
Point me toward that full body scanner.

Worst Treats
So we've got a poll going and we gave a running conversation on our Facebook page of the worst Halloween candies...
Mary Jane's are the Orange and Black wrapped peanut butter candies. I don't like those. Anything black licorice...blahhhh. Vote on the poll, we'll keep it up through the Halloween weekend.
On another Halloween note, why is trick or treating so late? 6-8PM? We used to start at 4pm and go till 9. It would make it hard to get our kiddos out to the neighborhood. they usually go to bed at seven, but I may suggest they go to bed later Sat night. Maybe we'll just dress em up and let them answer the door.

Advice
So I'm going over to Lincoln for the Nebraska/Missouri game. I have never been to Lincoln for a game so I am soliciting suggestions from the Cornhusker fans I know we have in the blogosphere.
Anyone have suggestions for pre-game activities? Is there something I should see in the Stadium?
I have to say my friend who's going with me seemed a bit apprehensive about sitting among thousands of Nebraska fans. I have to say I'm not worried. They were always the nicest visiting fans when I was in Columbia. Of course that's when MIZZOU was a guaranteed win on the schedule. Times have changed.

So there you have it. Vote on the poll, comment on whatever you like. We'll be back Monday.
PWD

Dispatch, Interviews and TV

Good Morning! The end of the political season is just about here. I don't know about you... but I am ready for the ads to stop. And the calls! Patrick said he got one yesterday and it woke one of his boys from their nap. Ah! If that doesn't make you want to vote AGAINST the candidate calling... I don't know what will.

Lots to talk about including two live interviews on Today in Iowa... so lets get to it.


Dispatch worker
This was our lead this morning. We got to listen to the 911 call made from people inside the Boone Hy-Vee store after a former worker started running through the ailes with a knife. In the call... you hear the dispatcher ask the guy inside the Hy-Vee to try to get closer to the man with the knife so police could have a better description of him. Probably NOT the best advice ever given by a call center worker. The Boone County Sheriff's Office says it has talked to this employee about the mistake made. But, it makes you wonder if someone could have been hurt for trying to get close to a person like this. Who knew if he had a gun... and who knew what he was capable of doing? And did officers really need a description? I mean, he's probably going to stand out just a little from the other shoppers in the store. Luckily no one was hurt.

Face Time
We had Governor Culver in the studio this morning and Former Governor Terry Branstad on the phone this morning for interviews. We started with Governor Culver and asked him about I-Jobs, does he deserve another 4 years in office and what does he think of the possibility of leading our state with a Republican majority Statehouse. Pat and I both agree the Governor seemed fired up and going into this final stretch fighting hard to stay in office. You have to think you're running on pure adrenaline when you make 72 stops across the state in just 12 days. When we asked him about why voters should give you a second chance when you've admitted to mistakes, his answer was full of some of the things he thinks he has done right. Alternative energy... getting through natural disasters.. and getting the state debt down. And at the end... he asked Iowans for their vote. Pat and I agreed... that's not something you hear many politicians do during news interviews.

Terry Branstad joined us via phone from Burlington where he's starting a tour today of the eastern part of the state. In the past couple of days, you can tell the tone of his campaign is focusing on getting supporters to the polls... and not taking his lead in the polls for granted. Yesterday, Mississippi's Governor Haley Barbour was in town campaigning for Branstad and used the example of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal losing his first bid for Governor by just a few votes even after a commanding lead in the polls leading up to the election. Barbour warned supporters about this happening here.. and asked them to push hard these final days. In an Iowa election... I guess you never know what can happen. Just ask Jim Ross Lightfoot!

And finally... Too much TV
This was the story that didn't shock me... but at the same time bothered me. A new study out by researchers finds 66% of pre-school age children watch more than 2 hours of tv a day. And the children who watch the most, are those in at-home daycare centers. They get about 4 hours a day! What! I certainly don't think tv is a bad thing (if it is age appropriate) but shouldn't kids be playing with their trucks, running around outside and doing other things kids do? Does tv allow them to use their imagination and creativity? Everything in moderation... right? Four hours is not moderation! Any thoughts on this?

Hope you survive the wind again today. It's going to get better! Have a good day!
Brooke

Elections and Weekend Recap

Good Morning,

Sorry for the Delay of the Monday Blog...It's so delayed...it's Tuesday. Better late than never.

To the News

Elections

Anyone else glad there's only a week more of this? Why is it that this year, more than most, the political commericals seem like some sort of satire... Have you heard the PSA? "Someone's Teddy Bear has always fought for the people...Someone's Teddy Bear is a family man who believes what you believe..." I feel like that's the script for every one of these ads.

On a side note I wonder sometimes how these candidates can sleep at night? Who comes up with the idea of tearing someone down so personally? How do you expect to make ethical decisions when you know you are misleading the voter? It's happening over and over on both sides of the aisle.

The only answer I can come up with is that these people are being told to do what they have to to win...at all costs. 'Cause you can't do anything if you're not elected. It's OK to mislead the voters cause you really want what's best for them...The other guys started it...

I think I know why no one in their right mind is willing to put themselves up for public office right now.

For the Cure

From Friday when I left the Studios until about One in the afternoon Saturday, my life was all about Race for the Cure. It was interesting to see the whole thing come together behind the scenes.

I got to volunteer with two great groups of kids. The first was the Dowling Football team...or at least part of it. They came down to the capitol and helped us unload about a million cases of water. At least that's what my arms estimated after we were done.

The Second group was from the North High School ROTC. Talk about impressive. They reassured my faith in the future.

The volunteers who did everything from setting up garbage cans to taking donations to picking up trash made the event go off without a significant hitch. My only regret is that working behind the scenes I did not get a chance to get out and meet some of the amazing survivors who walked or ran. These are women (and some men) who have already gone through the fight of their lives and are not working to make sure no one else has to go through what they went through. Talk about impressive. The photo on the right is our family race day.

Visits

As mentioned before Sally's Mom and my sister came to town for the race.

My sister and my Mother-in-law were both her for race and we had simply could not have done all we needed to without their help. I am posting some photos of the visit in a bit (read: after the Nooner)...

Other than that...not much to report.

Have a good day.

Debate, Donations and More Judges...

Good Morning. I'm dragging but it's for a good cause this morning
I was honored to be asked to Emcee the March of Dimes Signature Chef's Auction out at the Meadows last night. It's a unique fundraiser...no rubber chicken here...Each Chef creates a special dish or two for the people who buy tickets.
Jeriann and her husband Rob came out with us along with some other great friends that we haven't seen in a while.
If anyone who reads this was at The Meadows last night, email some pictures and I'll post em here.
Bedtime didn't come till about 10:30. My alarm was set for the same time this morning.


To the News
Debate
One of my colleagues said it best last night when I asked, Not a lot of new information coming form the final Governor's debate. I read several places, people observing; if Governor Culver had the kind of energy and could have articulated his message that well for the last year and a half, he might not be so far behind in the polls.

Juan
SO who thinks Juan Williams should have been fired from NPR? The NPR reporter went on Bill O'Riley's show and basically said when he sees someone in traditional Muslim dress board an airplane, he gets nervous. He said that while making the point that generalizing about a group, as he'd done in his head, was WRONG.
I read a lot of stories on this one and it seems clear, Williams had been warned about putting opinions out there. It was against NPR policy. So did he do this knowing he was going to get fired, then quickly re-hired by Fox? I don't know, but I know this: the best commentary on this whole flap was from Dori J. Maynard, the President of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education( it trains minority journalists)
She points out NPR missed an opportunity. why not host a town hall-style program, or even a series of stories about the reasons behind Williams' reaction.

"I hate what he said," Maynard said during the Associated Press Managing Editors
conference in St. Petersburg, Fla. "But he didn't say something, unfortunately,
that other people aren't thinking. So we have to talk about it. Not talking
about things don't make them go away."

Aside from the double negatives littered in her quotes...I agree.

Donations
I hope to see many of you out at Race for the Cure tomorrow. Full Disclosure: My Wife works for the Des Moines affiliate of Komen for the Cure. That aside, I would still say going to the Des Moines race is a moving experience. There will be thousands of women who are survivors at the race including my Mother-in-law, who is a two time survivor. Hearing their stories, and seeing how they celebrate their health, their fight, and their mission to find a cure for Breast Cancer is really amazing. So is the picture you get from the west steps of the Capitol Building after the race starts. 25-thousand people in pink flooding downtown streets shows the community support for this cause.


Can't make it? Want to donate? I'll make it easy for ya! Just click on this link.



More Judges...
I don't know why but I can't get this Judge retention vote out of my head.
I've tried to frame the arguments here in terms that make a little more sense to everyone.
The legal argument can be confusing. It basically says that the law created a group that was denied the same rights afforded anyone else, based on sexual orientation.
The ruling says that's a violation of the Equal Protection clause of the Iowa Constitution (ArticleI SecVI).
The ruling in full is very interesting to read and I think before you vote a Judge out based on this ruling alone, you might want to read it. But I digress....
Lets frame this argument in another way, using the same logic opponents of same sex marriage use.
Lets say the Legislature passed a law and the Governor signed it barring Gun owners from running a child care facility in their homes. Seems to me there's a significant public safety interest in making sure that kids aren't exposed to guns, right? Owning a gun is a choice right? You don't HAVE to own a gun.
Here's the problem with that: The law would create a special class of people (gun owners) excluded from their right under the law to run a business; a right afforded to anyone else who qualifies under Iowa statute. The Courts would have a responsibility to make sure The Constitution isn't violated. The remedy would be to strike that portion of the Iowa Code.

Other Random Thoughts
-I think I lost my phone in my car. Not sure though. Every time I think about going out to try to find it I realize the best way to look for the phone would be to call it. Problem with that? No phone when I am out by the car.


-#1 Oklahoma visits Columbia, Mo this weekend to play my Tigers. College Gameday makes it's first visit to Columbia for its Saturday morning program. Signs are already up to greet them...



I will be taping Gameday to watch after we get home form the race.
See you this weekend!
PWD

Random Thoughts for a Wednesday

Good Morning!
Judges Debate
It didn't sound like a forum on judges changed too many minds last night.
It was a discussion between Bob Vander Plaats and two former Iowa Supreme Court Justices. The two sides were talking about an effort to unseat the Justices based on one ruling.
Here's what I think.
I think Bob Vander Plaats argument falls flat. Justices were asked to interpret the constitutionality of a law and they did. The legislature is welcome to pass any law it likes to further define who should and shouldn't get a marriage license. The Legislature makes the law. It is WELL within the preview of the Courts to strike a law down. that is exactly what happened here. NONE OF THIS would have happened without the legislature passing a law that defined marriage.
A second thought. I think the people on the side of the Justices might find more support if they didn't sound so haughty. It's as if they're put out having to explain to us mere mortals how the law works. I get it...you're smarter than me.
Finally, Titleist...in response to your post yesterday. The Justices did send the law back to the Legislature...they struck down the definition the legislature wrote. The consequence of the ruling was that any partnership can go out and get a marriage license. But that is not the law. The law says you need a license to get married.
I pose this question...
If the Legislature passed, and the Governor signed a law defining a "hunter" as a man. Would that violate the equal protection clause of the Constitution?
If we defined a "driver" as a woman who has a full time job; would that violate equal protection?
Of course it would.
If the Government issues a License, it must issue a license to everyone equally...and before you bring up an age restriction on driving, in that case the government proves significant public safety interest in issuing licenses to people 16 years-old or more. Proponents of the marriage law showed no compelling public interest in restricting marriage.
The issue is the license. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, :

"The legitimate powers of government," extend to such acts only as
are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there
are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

Believe what you want, have your church sanction your marriage profess your beliefs from the rooftops, but in this case, make no law restricting anyone else's belief system.
And to the question at hand in this election...The Justices entire body of work and their conduct on the bench should be considered.
I have no problem voting any of them out as long as the voter does it because they believe the Justice is in some way not living up to the job, to interpret law.
Finally let me be clear, this may not reflect my personal beliefs about marriage. I am writing here about the law.

Talks Underway
The New York Times has been doing some good reporting on the talks that are apparently underway to end the war in Afghanistan. At some point this has to end, and an ending with some buy-in from the people we're fighting would probably be better than an ending where small factions still exist and disrupt life in Afghanistan. I found it interesting. The Times points out that it was asked specifically by the White House to withhold the names of the Taliban participating in the talks.

Expansion
Glad to see Kemin Industries expanding in Des Moines. Not only does the company do groundbreaking work, it also creates jobs for the best scientists in the world. If those people are based in this community, we are all better off.

Running Amok
I love it when that phrase is used so here's the article to go with it. Who has a 300lb chimp as a pet?

Big Matchup
My Missouri Tigers are undefeated and playing Oklahoma in Columbia this week. College Gameday will be there for the first time. ESPN's Chris Fowler tweeted this morning that they were looking for MIZZOU celebrities as guest game picker. Brad Pitt, Sheryl Crow and Brad Smith are unavailable... No one has called me, but I am also unavailable.

Ahhh Kids

Jeriann started it.

She sent me a super cute photo of Luke yesterday. I guess he goes out with his Dad for coffee most Saturday morning's. Jeriann told him he needed to have shoes on because it was cold last Saturday. Luke came back with this outfit on.

Nice boots!

We went on a walk with our guys around the block. it took us about 45 minutes to get around because there were so many things to stop and look at.

Adirondack Chairs on someone's lawn made for some physical comedy, as the boys could not get out once they were in the chair.

Then there was this old stump. They had a great time just jumping up and down on it. Great to see the world through their eyes.

So have a good day and please feel free to comment on anything here.

PWD

Two Weeks, Busy Weekend and Stale Coffee

Good Morning...

I went downstairs in a fog to turn the coffeemaker on this morning. It had already been a long night. JT has a bit of a cold and so he was up much of the night. We're out of practice from last winter so we forgot to suck all the snot out of his melon before he went to bed.
That meant we had to do it about 12:30am, and that meant he was up for a while.
Frankly I would be too if someone stuck one of those bulb things up my nose.
So anyway I was a little sleepy.
I totally forgot I'd left Sunday morning's coffee in the pot until the brew cycle was about halfway through. So I pounded two cups of coffee , hoping the pot wouldn't overflow. Happy Monday Morning!



Two Weeks Out
-So will Michelle Obama make a difference on the campaign trail for Democrats? I doubt it. This has nothing to do with The First Lady and as much as I think people really do like her, I think voters will express their discontent despite the charm offensive from Dems.
-The Negative ads in the 3rd District Race here in Iowa are a turn off.
-The CR Gazette endorses Gov Branstad. Here's the part I hope he pays attention to:
Branstad is not a perfect choice, by any means. We urge him to reconsider his desire to take civil rights away from gay and lesbian Iowans, and to take a stand against the political assault on Iowa’s courts.

The issue is not same sex marriage. It's the independence of our courts. The Courts can't (and did not) overturn "the will of the people" as is so often said.

The courts interpreted the Constitution and they did it unanimously. If judges think they are going to be thrown out of their jobs based on a small group's ideology, then we've lost the thing that makes the US Court system great...it's Independence. The Courts MUST be a check on the Legislative and Executive branch.

And by the way if you believe the Judges should be ousted...and you believe this Pastor in Sioux City has it right asking the IRS to challenge his Not for profit status in court...you might want to rethink one of the two positions. They are contradictory.

The IRS code, is the will of the people. We've made it law that the organizations we give special tax protections to (like churches) can't be political organizations. Under the logic used by the group asking voters to remove Iowa's Supreme Court Justices, the Pastor is asking judges to "legislate from the bench".

Now I actually don't think that's true. The Pastor, in my opinion, is welcome to challenge the law and we should abide by the court's decision. Just like we should in the case of the ruling that struck down Iowa's definition of marriage.

Busy Weekend

Saturday was a hectic day but I had a lot of fun.

I started out playing golf with a group of guys who "won" me in an auction. The Science Center's fundraiser auctioned off a round of golf with me, and a round with John Bachman. I played with the winning bidder and a couple of his friends this weekend.

Jeff Barnhardt, his Friends Mike and Stu were great to hang out with for the morning. They also have the distinction of being my witnesses to a first on the golf course for me.

We were playing at Tournament Club of Iowa and I hit the shot of my life on #14. The card says it's 301 yards, Par four.

I have been trying to drive that green since TCI opened, and this time I got it. The ball bounced once and landed about ten feet from the cup. I should have taken more time with the eagle putt cause I blew it by by about five feet. But I made the comebacker for birdie. Great round, great guys. I hope I get the chance to play a round with them again!

We had a great lunch to end the morning with Jeff's wife Melissa (who I think actually did the bidding at the auction) and their daughter Shae. It was great to meet them all. BTW Jeff shot the best round.

Saturday Night I had the honor of being the Emcee at the Living History Farms Farmstasia. It was a fun party with a committed group of supporters. The event reminded me a lot of where the Science Center's Auction was about ten years ago. It was smaller (at the old SCI), but it grew quickly as the young families who used the Science Center came out to support the organization and make it a fun annual party. I hope for the same at Farmstasia as the event grows. LHF is certainly a worthy organization to support.

Why I am an Idiot

Sunday morning we tried to go to the store but found ourselves pinned in the driveway by more than seven thousand runners! There weren't any signs telling me that the Marathon was going to go by my front door (I'd only been telling people about the street closures ALL WEEK!!!!); but there they all were!

So we waited a bit to go grocery shopping and instead brought the boys out to cheer on the runners. Maybe next year we'll plan ahead and have a brunch Marathon Morning.

Congrats to all the runners!

I hope you

Another Violent Overnight, Good News and The Poll

Good Morning
I hope none of you thought it was out of bounds to do a little tongue and cheek poll about all of us being trapped in a mine. I hope no one thought we were making light of a serious situation. This one had a very happy ending and so one of my first thoughts was, could I do it? Then Jeriann brought up the idea "what if we were all trapped down there?". Anyway, Jeriann is leading the poll, by a lot. I hope no one misunderstood. This is a poll asking, which one of us would argue they should be first to the surface? Does that change your vote? And why are all of you voting for Jeriann?

Another Violent Overnight
Along with another shooting, Lisa said someone was waving a gun around in the middle of the street and some guy led police on a chase. I don't know what's going on...but I can't remember a stretch over the last decade where we've had this much violence.

Politics
Still annoy me. I watched some of the highlights of the Senate debate in Nevada. Sen Harry Reid is in a dogfight with a Tea Party Backed Candidate Sharron Angle. I didn't think either candidate really did a very good job last night. In this case Reid may be on the losing end as a result of voter disgust with Washington. Tom Daschel went out the same way. Check out the New York Times this morning. They've got a very interesting article about how much influence the Tea Party Candidates could have if elected. We could be looking at a very powerful little coalition of new lawmakers.

Politics Take Two
Can't wait to see Dave Price and John Bachman's Interview with the candidates for Governor here in Iowa.
We saw a preview this morning where Dave asked the Gov about his I-Jobs Program...
The Governor's response was curious...
He started laughing and commented that Dave sure loved that I-jobs program.
Well, Dave has been trying to ask about it for months now and hasn't had a lot of success getting an answer...check that...still hasn't gotten an answer. As Dave Pointed out, we should all be interested when the state borrows more than 800 million dollars with the promise it will create jobs. As Dave pointed out, the jobless rate has actually gone up at a higher rate here in Iowa than it's gone up nationally since I-jobs started.
The Governor's staff emailed Dave later and told him Iowa's unemployment rate would have been even worse without I-jobs.
I'm still waiting for an answer to the actual question...

40 under 40
One of my best friends little brother made the Fortune Magazine list of forty most influential people under 40 years old.
It's weird cause he's just the kid I grew up with...
Now, he's actually one of the more powerful and influential business people in the world.
I stopped reading the article when I got a bit depressed over the lack of accomplishment in my own pre-40 life. Maybe I'll do better from 40-80?
I told my friend he's still funnier than his brother. He responded that he's about to burst with pride over what his brother has accomplished. I'd agree, and he's not even my brother.

Golf
I will likely play me final round of golf for the year tomorrow morning. John Bachman and I auctioned off a golf foursome for the Science Center of Iowa's auction this august and this was the first date I could coordinate with the winner. Should be a lot of fun, though I think they'll walk away with a poor opinion of my game. It's not in good shape.
Tomorrow night I'll be your Emcee at the Living History Farms Farmstasia Gala. They'll be honoring the Teacher of the Year at LHF. If you've never been to the farms it is a REALLY interesting experience. They do a wonderful job with the interpretations. If a city kid like me can be interest for the day...that's saying something!

I hope you all have a great weekend!
PWD

Miner Miracle, Two Sides, and Happy Ending

Good Morning!
Hope you all enjoy our more Fall-like forecast. I love this weather...


To the News:

Miner Miracle
So I know it's a HUGE news story and I think it's very compelling, but I have to say I am surprised at the number of people commenting on Facebook while watching the Chilean Miners being brought to the surface. These guys are amazing. How would you react after being underground for weeks? I thought the best was the guy who brought souvenir rocks to the surface for all the rescue crews. That's funny.
Jeriann just commented...if the Today in Iowa Crew was trapped in a mine, who do you think would want to get out first? I'll put a poll up.

Happy Ending
We come up with two word headlines for the stories in our "open" every morning.
This morning Brooke wrote the open and used the phrase, "Happy Ending" as her headline for the miners being rescued in Chile. It, of course, is a "happy ending" for the Chilean Miners. The number of people who giggled when they heard that phrase caused our producer to change it to "Miner Miracle".
Brooke and Jeriann think we're all sophomoric.
It's true.

Two Sides
It's easy to forget, or take for granted the feelings of the family of the young man who killed his girlfriend and took his own life. It would be easy to think of that family as having something wrong with it. We naturally think something must have been wrong for a young person to do something so drastic. Hearing Robert Sears' Dad talk, I couldn't help but think...that could be anyone. We all like to think we're good parents. Our kids have been brought up in a loving home. We've set a good example. My kid would never do that. I'm sure that's what Craig Sears was thinking.
My point is, we have no idea. It's a tragedy and that's probably all any of us can say with certainty.

Politics
So let me get this straight, The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is pulling its' money out of Iowa's 3rd Congressional District race because they're confident Rep Leonard Boswell will win. Meanwhile Republicans haven't given any support to Republican State Sen Brad Zaun because there are other races where the margin is greater that they want to concentrate on? Meanwhile the New York Times published an article yesterday essentially saying Dems were hitting the panic button on some races they thought they were going to win, and are now not so sure of.
I think this all adds up to a very interesting three weeks before election day, and a VERY interesting election night.

Supply and Demand
I am hosting some friends for the Iowa State/Missouri game this year and have been looking for tickets for a while now. I see the prices getting a little lower each week on Craigslist. I think I'll wait until after the Oklahoma and Nebraska Games.

Pure Joy
I had to give Sally a ride to work yesterday and we stopped at Starbucks downtown for a cup of coffee. We had the boys with us obviously. We left them in their Pajamas and just took em inside. We got to know the crew at Starbucks pretty well in our pre-child days, sitting downtown reading the paper on a Saturday or Sunday morning. They'd been asking about the kids for months and we'd never made it in, so I wanted to show them off.
Well, it turns out the boys love Starbucks! JT loves it so much he squirmed out of my arms and got up on to the table and started dancing. Will, seeing how much fun his brother was having, decided to join it. It was pretty funny to watch people's reaction to two toddlers in their PJ's dancing on the tables as they waited in line for a cup of coffee. You don't see that every day. I hope we spread at least one or two smiles to start someone's day.
I hope you have a good start to your Wednesday!
Make sure you weigh in on the poll!
PWD

Overnight, Politics and Blog 1000

Good Morning!
I looked down at the Blogger website this morning and saw that this morning's post will be the 1000th blog we've posted here. I hope you've found a little to think about and a lot to laugh about on this blog. I also hope you got a better sense of the people who work so hard to bring you the news every morning on Channel 13. We have fun putting this together most days. I appreciate you all indulging my rants.

So here's to #1000!

Overnight
More violence overnight. In Des Moines a man committed a murder suicide and ended up shooting another woman. We talked a little off air this morning about the fix for this. Court records show this guy had a restraining order on him...but somehow he got a gun and got to this woman. There's nothing that will fully protect women from something like this happening. If someone is crazy enough, they can find a gun and kill the woman. There are underlying issues we should be dealing with in society for sure, but why is is so easy to get a handgun? I am all for the private ownership of guns for hunting, for protection in your home. I can't get past the fact that this woman died needlessly because this man who was ordered to stay away from her by a court still managed to get a handgun and kill her. Combine that with the Randall Moore murder trial and there are a couple good examples of places law enforcement either needs more resources or better laws.

Politics
I'm feeling sick of politics. Sick of the bickering, sick of both sides straight out lying out their position, sick of people who want to keep power but have no real intention of working for the voters. I'd say more but I'd get in trouble.

Cats
Before you email me about my pet comments this morning let me be clear. I love my cat. I think she makes life in our home a little better every day.
She's our pet.
In my mind, there is a very thin line that separates people like me who love their pet unconditionally and would do just about anything for them...to the people who actually treat their pets like people. The thin line for me? They are still animals.
But anyone can feel free to disagree.
Comment if you like, we would love to hear from you and would be happy to answer any questions we can.
PWD

Debate, Drinking and LATE

Good morning.
It really hasn't been so far. If I look a little haggard this morning it's because I didn't wake up until 4am. For those of you who read the blog you know that's about two hours late for me. It hasn't happened in a while but I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing on the bedside table. I'll blame my son this morning who woke up twice last night. I took the bullet and went in to sit with him for a few minutes to get em to go back to sleep. I have to say, the interrupted sleep is not good but the feeling of getting an upset kid calmed down, back to sleep on your shoulder, stand up without waking him up and get him back down into the crib. I have a four step process I use to get JT back to sleep and it usually works like a charm. The only problem is, spending a half hour doing this twice a night made me even sleepier than normal. So thanks to Lisa for getting me up and going this morning. Apologies for my bad hair and hastily shaved face.

Debate
So the question in a lot of political campaigns is, how far can you push an attack so that you look aggressive and engaged without looking like a whiner, or just plain mean. I think Gov Culver found out last night, sometimes you can push too hard. He got booed for attacking former Gov Branstad for his fiscal proposals. Now it doesn't matter if Culver is right. it seems to me voters have an even shorter fuse than normal this year for the bickering. They want to hear what YOU are going to do, not just that you're opponent is going to do worse than you.

Unemployment
Is there any town that's personified the economic hardships and resiliency of the economy more than Newton Iowa?
Yesterday we found out another 167 people would lose their job from the Iowa Telecom merger. The Mayor is among them. He's been criticized by some but I've rarely seen a leader working harder to keep his community afloat.

Drinking
A new study came out saying pregnant women should actually drink a little during their 9 months. The study said children of women who didn't drink at all actually tested as badly by age five as the women who were binge drinkers during pregnancy. I forwarded the study to Jeriann and the automatically generated subject of the email was "Pat Dix recommends Light Drinking During Pregnancy...
Nice.

I hope you all have a good weekend!

Anniversary, Events and Shadow

Good afternoon...
Gettin to it late again today.

Anniversary
We're beginning the tenth year of the war in Afghanistan and there's a lot of debate over who we're fighting and what the focus of operations should be. All of this as Iowans enter the theatre of operations. I think it's going to be a tense year here in Iowa for a lot of reasons.
More Kudos to Sonya for bringing us the soldiers stories from California. More tonight!

Events
Downtown this weekend we've got another great line-up of things to do. Seriously, I know some of you are going to laugh but if you have a minute you should duck into the quilting show...$40,000 in prizes...this stuff is truly art.
The world Food Festival is this weekend in the East Village. If you haven't gone in the last five years, you should go sample the variety of food the Des Moines Metro area has to offer.
I am sorry to admit I still haven't been down to the Madison County Covered Bridge Festival. It's is also this weekend. It's on my Iowa Bucket List.

Other stuff
-Glee was great this week! Grilled Cheesus, and a Debate about religion. Sprinkle in a few zippy lines from Sue Sylvester and you have a great show.
-The Event wasn't as good as the first episode but I am still hooked. I want to know what happened.
-Parenthood is also a favorite...tugging at all of the insecurities parents feel as they try to be disciplinarian, friend, advisor, and the coolest person your kid knows all at once. My kids are 19 months old and I told Sally the other day, I'm giving up on trying to be popular in my house. I'm their Dad, I hope one day they'll count me as a friend...and that's enough.

have a good one

Speech, Sandwich and Naughty

Good afternoon,
A little late is better than never

Speech
So what do you think is the Westboro Baptist Church Protests protected by the right to free speech or does it infringe on another citizen's right to practice their religion freely. that's the question before the Supreme Court. I would love to say that group can't protest at the funerals of soldiers but every citizen has the right to protest. that doesn't make it right.

Sandwich
Did you see the Emmenecker challenge that Jethro's is serving up? it was a little much at 6 this morning. I wouldn't do well trying to eat all that meat, AND the fries in fifteen minutes. Lets see if the guy from the Travel Channel can do it.

Naughty
As I go to find Halloween costumes for the kids I am left with a question. Why does it seem that every costume for a woman ends with "Sexy""naughty" or "dirty". When did Halloween become a good excuse for every couple who wants to experiment with a little role playing in the bedroom?
I am not the guy you'll find complaining about a lack of material on just about any woman's costume...but I was thinking, if I were a father of a teen age or soon to be teen girl. This is not the message I would want her to get.

Great surprise visit from our friend Melinda and her daughter Dana last night. The boys were melting down but Melinda and Dana distracted them from whatever it was that had their undies in a bunch. We got a short, but very nice visit with Melinda and Dana got some new fans.
It's nice to have friends who are close enough that you really don't care what your house looks like, or that you are eating your dinner on the fly, standing in your kitchen.
Have a good day!
PWD

Red Lights, And in 9 Months...Birthday Break

Good Morning!
Hope you all had a good weekend. Anyone who wants to see Brooke blog more...raise their hands! Great one yesterday! I keep telling her people want to hear from her more and stop my yammering...please encourage her writing more.


To the news:


Red Lights
Clive has a few more reminders for drivers that they shouldn't try to get through that stale yellow light. Three more red light cameras are up and running as of this morning. So just take it easy when you are headed to one of those intersections. Here's another thing I think would help reduce accidents. The people who'd been waiting at a red light need to check and make sure the traffic is clear before they pull out into the intersection. I'm guilty of getting a little focused in on the light changing and not being aware of the traffic around me. In this case, situational awareness is more important.

Sleep and Weight
Another study confirms what Sally has been saying to me for a while now. If I got more sleep, my time at the gym might be a little more effective. The study from University of Chicago shows people who get less than six and a half hours sleep lose 56% less in body fat when they exercise. So I have to work twice as long at the gym for the same effect? It's another study showing balance in your life is the key.

And in 9 months...
So we had a baby boom in September in Des Moines and that's not so unusual...but some people are tracing the spike back to the weather nine months ago. If you remember our particularly cold harsh winter...apparently some of you had nothing better to do than, "stay warm".

Birthday Break
A belated Happy Birthday to my bride. I wrestled her away from a busy job and hectic household for a break. It was short but I think it was much needed. We went down to Kansas City for the night and stayed at the Hotel Raphael. What a great place, and very friendly people too. I love KC and the Plaza. We didn't do much, just slept mostly but we needed the time just the two of us. It's funny how far something small like that can go toward making the otherwise hectic day to day a lot better.
While we were down there we had lunch at Houston's. They had a special artichoke appetizer. They grilled a whole artichoke, finished it with butter and paired it with a remoulade. It was pretty darn good. Sally is a fan of the artichoke and said she's never seen it grilled. It weas really good and carried that smokey flavor well. Of course nothing can be that bad dipped in what is essentially mayonnaise.

I hope you have a good week.
Comment if you like, questions are welcome!
PWD

Lonely on the set

Good morning everyone! Pat's off this morning. Lately you've been seeing a lot of me anchoring the shows solo. Jeriann and I joke we have more time to talk when Pat is not here, but in all honesty I am ready for him to be back. It's just not the same without him. But he does deserve vacation time. Hope you're having fun, Pat!

I had a nice weekend. Not because I really did anything eventful. I saw a friend post on Facebook that you know you're getting old when you look forward to spending your weekend doing yard work. That's what Eric and I did most of the weekend. And we had perfect weather for it. We had a weed growing in our backyard that was more like a tree. In fact, Eric had to get his new chainsaw to cut it down. (The chainsaw was a birthday gift. Another sign we are getting old!) We also did some deadheading and tried to start a fire in our fire pit. But the wood just wasn't working with us. We wanted to roast marshmallows with Evan and the neighbor kids. Everyone was anxiously watching as Eric tried over and over to the light the fire but it never worked. Instead, we let the kids eat the marshmallows right out of the bag. Evan stuck three big ones in his mouth at once because I think he was scared there weren't going to be any left for him. As a result, it was 10 p.m. and I could still hear him singing in bed. Whoops. Too much sugar!

In the news... Randall Moore goes on trial today for the shooting death of his estranged wife, Tereseann Lynch Moore. A new study finds college graduates are fifty percent less likely to become unemployed than high school graduates. And, Iowa is back in the Top 15 in the AP Poll at #15! Congratulations to Iowa State, too! Two great games this weekend.

Hope you enjoy the sunshine today. See you tomorrow morning!

Jobs, Political Games and Ryder Cup Rain

Good Morning...
It's the most wonderful time of the year if you ask me...Much like Christmas, I get excited as a little kid when the Ryder Cup comes around every two years. I admit to getting up early this morning so I could go downstairs, make a cup of coffee, and spend the time I normally look over some news websites to turn on the live golf coverage from Wales. Too bad it looks like The US Team is going to have to build an Ark to replace their Team locker room. I'm not sure we know what rain is. They know rain in Wales.
So I'll be watching some golf for sure over the next few days but for the first time in a long time we have time to get some more stuff put away around the house...so we're just going to have to turn up the volume. Mothers everywhere would smell this one coming a mile away, but I'm going to offer to get up with the boys tomorrow morning (Saturday is usually my days to sleep in)...I'll give you one guess what the boys and I will be watching...USA...USA...USA.

Jobs
The Principal Financial group announced layoffs that will total about 600 jobs here in the Metro. That's not a good feeling for a family headed into the Holidays. Hopefully some of these people will get picked up by United Healthcare or can get a job in a similar field here in the Metro. This brings up a point that came up during the President's Q and A. A Priest asked about a parishioner who lost his job in manufacturing...and would he have a job soon. My first thought was...well,maybe it's not going to be here in Des Moines. In the Great depression, people moved their families to find work. It was the reality of a bad situation. Why is it different now. I wouldn't want to move my family right now, but if i lost my job, and we needed to...I think reality would be...we need to go where the work is.

Political Games
I was reading stories about California's Governor's race. The Republican candidate, Meg Whitman had someone worker for her, it turns out, was undocumented. Gloria Allred is, of course, the woman's attorney. But now Democrats are calling Whittman's position on Immigration hypocritical. I disagree. I can only take her at her word that she didn't know the woman was undocumented. If this is the standard we're going to use to judge someone on this issue, we're all in trouble.
If you've ever stayed at a huge Vegas Hotel? Eaten a piece of fruit picked in California, or eaten a piece of meat processed at a US meat packing plant? Chances are someone who is undocumented or who faked their documentation works there. Haven't' they worked for you then?
The Democrat running for Governor is the current Attorney General...is he sure there is no one working for the state, or even his department that is really an undocumented worker? I doubt he can say that.
This issue is more complicated than an ambulance chaser like Gloria Allred has time to address. She is surely not interested in finding a solution to Illegal immigration and I doubt she has any real concern for the woman who's at the center of all of this.
Does any of this mean either candidate supports or condones illegal immigration? No, of course not. They should be talking about and voters should be looking for solutions each candidate offers for the issue of how to deal with millions of undocumented workers already here, and for filling the millions of jobs Americans won't take. We should hear and scrutinize each candidates solution...and if they only talk tough about generalities...we should be asking for more specifics.
This is nonsense and a stunt. I hope the voters of California see it that way.

Hope you all have a good weekend
PWD