Happy new year and words we don't like

Good morning and HAPPY FRIDAY!

The worst words of 2011
This morning we had a lot of caucus news and an overnight chase, but it was a couple of lighthearted stories that really got us talking and laughing during the commercial breaks. A college in Michigan releases a list of words or phrases each year that are overused, useless and should be banned. Some of them this year include "babybump" and "new normal." That got us thinking about some of the phrases that make us cringe and we came up with quite a few. Dan said his least favorite word is "actually." Mine is "like." Brett came up with "epic fail." We were also laughing about how words get shortened or altered over time. For example, "bestie" instead of "best friend." Or is spelled "besty?" I guess I don't even know how to write these "new" words!
Furthermore, does this list represent the idea that our use of the English language is going to pot? Or have Americans always had fun coming up with new ways to communicate and the list is just a way of showing that? I have a feeling a lot of long-time English teachers must wonder what the h*&# is going on with the way we talk and write.

Goodbye 2011
As we say farewell to the year, it's custom for people to make a list of things they want to do differently in the year to come. The ol' New Year Resolutions! I have to admit, it's kind of cheesy, but I always do it. Most of them never stick, but occasionally I make a change that becomes habit. Of course, every year I vow to exercise more and lose weight. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it doesn't. But I have found the ones that are specific and not too difficult are the ones that have staying power. For example, last year I decided that I would make the bed every day right when I got home from work. I am happy to report I am now a regular bed-maker! In fact, it's helped inspire me to keep the house a little more in order throughout the day. I haven't decided what will go on my list this year, but I think it will have something to do with keeping the clutter in my house under control. What are your resolutions? Or do you make a point not to make them?

This is the last blog of the year. I hope you all actually have a wonderful weekend and a, like, epic New Year's Eve! :)

Happy Wednesday

This morning I had the pleasure of working with Dan Winters. He's filling in for Patrick the rest of the week. Even though we work under the same roof, we rarely get to have a conversation that's more than, "hey... how are ya?" This morning we got to swap stories about our kids and catch up. Dan also has this way of making everyone laugh with his humor and impersonations. And laughing is a GOOD thing at 5 a.m.

Caucus Countdown

The candidates are pulling out all the stops this week. Lots of stops for all of them this week. And the latest poll basically shows a three way tie between Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich. But it could still be any one's game. The same poll shows 12 percent of likely caucus-goers still haven't decided.

Occupy Des Moines Protesters

This morning we aired part of the speech one of the Occupy protesters made last night at "The People's Caucus." The gentleman got up and said everyone should get a free education. Doesn't matter if it from a Community College or a Ph.D. My question: who pays for it? Should educators volunteer their time? Aren't some of them already underpaid? I understand to an extent the protesters' frustration with certain corporations and campaign funding rules , but when their message becomes entirely self-focused, you lose me. And I imagine, a lot of others, too.

Coffee Revelation

Dan made the coffee this morning at work and I noticed it tasted different. He told me in put in some of his Pumpkin Spice Dunkin' Donuts coffee with the regular and it was delicious! My new favorite.

As Jeriann would say, Happy Humpday!

Brooke

Counting down the Caucuses and 2011

The Morning Buzz is back after a Christmas break. Patrick is off this week enjoying some down time and I am coming back after a week off. It was a wonderful break, but as much as I love what I do for a living, coming back to work after vacation AND the holidays is downright dreadful. Excuse me while I go eat a few more pieces of leftover Christmas candy to make myself feel better. Speaking of candy... I think I am ready for some serious sugar detox. I don't know if you feel the same way, but I think I need to eat raw celery for about a week straight to get all this sugar out of my system. Wait, who am I kidding, I'll leave that for New Years.

The caucuses will happen just one week from today. And the campaigns are pulling out all the stops. Between the calls, the tv ads and the mailings, who could blame anyone for wanting this whole process to be over. Seven days is a long time in the world of politics and it looks like there's really no clear leader at this point. And for those of us who work in tv, this is exactly what makes the Iowa caucuses SOOO much fun to cover.

Hope you enjoy the sunshine today!

Occupy, Chuck Norris and A year at an End

Good Morning.
Last blog from me before the new Year. I will try to keep it brief.

Occupy
So the peaceful protesters of Occupy decided to lunge at the former Speaker of the House screaming at the top of your lungs?
Yeah...that's going to work out for you every time.
I thought you were the ones that wanted to have a substantive discussion?
I get it. The TV cameras haven't been down to any Occupy events lately, and 98 of the 99% moved on from the disorganized chaos of the Occupy movement. Occupy had a chance to seize momentum from a national movement and squandered it. Most of the rest of us busy living our lives realized there is no real message or momentum to change anything...instead there are 1000 messages from this group, and a lot of them are the tired retreads of professional protesters that come without any realistic solutions.
If they wanted to ask Gingrich a question they could do it at any one of his public events by standing up and asking a civilized question. They could move the discussion one event at a time. The only problem? That doesn't always make the Evening News. So what's the point of all of this? I'm left to wonder.

Chuck Norris
Bret McIntyre had the line of the morning. We were talking abut north Korea and the outlandish claims it's made about the late Dictator Kim Jung Il (Kim allegedly had 11 holes-in-one in his 1st round of golf).
Bret observed that the NK propagandists could have just gone to ChuckNorrisFacts.com to find some lines and replace Norris's name with Kim's.
Try it out...

Spirit
If snow is the thing that gets you in the Christmas spirit...you're out of luck. On Facebook this morning, we were looking for the one thing...the trigger for your Holiday Spirit. My favorite: Political Commercials.

Year at an End
As I said this is my last post of 2011. I hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year.
Thank you to all of the people who visit this blog on a daily or weekly basis. It's fun to have a place where we can actually have a conversation every once in a while. I appreciate your indulging me.
Thank You to the best crew in morning Television!
I tell people all the time, I could never get out of bed at 2am if I had to work with people I didn't like. It's much easier coming to work with this group of dedicated people who really care about making ours the best Morning newscast in Central Iowa. We also have a lot of fun.
The next week or so will be filled with the reminders of how insanely blessed I am. It should allow me to reflect on how I might be a better person and hopefully will recharge me for the a great 2012.
I hope you have a great end of the year.
See you in 2012!
PWD

New Poll, None of the Above and Big Brother Part 2

Good Morning!
Three days of desk solitude down and one more to go before a little Vacation. There's a lot to talk about and as you'd expect most of it has to do with politics


New Poll
The timing of this morning's Iowa State is interesting given the fact that I heard two stories about Ron Paul, his supporters and his organization here in Iowa yesterday. The Poll Shows Paul with 27 percent Support but it also has a large margin of error Newt Gingrich is in second and Mitt Romney hold in third.
Some interesting things about Paul supporters from this poll: They are younger, less affluent and generally less religious than supporters of other candidates. I hear younger and cringe a little. That, combined with a story about a kid from out of state who is working for Ron Paul here in Iowa and I think Howard Dean.
You have to feel bad for Rick Santorum. More people are undecided in the poll that are declared Santorum supporters. The question is will his numbers change given two big endorsements?

None of the Above
I think we answered some of the lingering questions about The Family Leader's influence in Iowa when the group couldn't pick a candidate to support. Instead The Groups leader BVP makes a personal endorsement of Rick Santorum. See yesterday's post.
If Santorum is the guy who best fits this guy's picture of who the nominee should be, and the candidate has been as consistently low in the polls as he has been; what does that say about the judgement of the Leader? It would see he is so far out of touch with the mood, opinions and politics of conservatives that he's picked their last choice.

Take a Hike
That's what we're all going to do come January 1st. It looks like Congress is going to stay deadlocked over a Payroll tax break that everyone agrees should be exteded. The disagreement comes over paying for it.
Republicans have painted themselves into a bit of a corner here because no one wants to vote for a tax hike in an election year. My conservative friends point out that this is playing politics to lower income Americans...and they're right. the average household is going to get $1000 back over the year. Now that's not chump change in my house...but over 26 pay periods? You're talking about enough to go out to dinner one more time...or pay your cell phone bill, or maybe your water bill.
I saw this analysis of the standoff in The Washington Post last night and this is the part I can't get past. It looks like Republicans WANT the fight. They want to make a point. they don't seem that interested in making the government work. If they do, they risk people feeling as if things aren't broken. that would be good for the President. This one may blow up in their faces though. I think people are more frustrated with the fact that these guys are quoting Braveheart and digging their heels in then they would be with an honest debate that didn't go the way they wanted it to go.
I can't stand it...it makes my skin crawl. It brings to mind words like squirrely, weasel, vindictive and weak. And let me be clear... Democrats are no better. They'd be doing(and in fact , did!) the same exact thing if the two sides switch places...

Big Brother Part 2
So ISU is working on technology that allows digital advertisements, the kind you see at the Mall, to look back at you, identify who you are and come up with an ad that matches your demographic. That's a little scary. I don't feel like I need that kind of targeted media in my life but I guess its coming anyway.

iPad2
So I am downloading apps for the iPad and I am interested to hear any opinions on the best apps for kids. I don't want games..Ii am looking for something that has a learning component to it. What are your favorites?

As always opinions on these or any other stories you are interested in are welcome. I hope all of you have a good day!
PWD

Endorsements

Flying solo this week so Brooke can have some well deserved time off with her family for Christmas. Still, it's busy around here with Caucuses coming up and the County renaming buildings.

Here we go

Endorsements 1
Polk County Supervisors aren't giving out an endorsement, but they're selling the naming rights to Vets. We'll dispense with the rehashing of the naming debate. From our Facebook post this morning it still looks like a lot of you aren't happy with the CCCU name going on the side of the building, even if it includes Veterans Memorial first.
I understand your feelings on this, n one respects the sacrifice Military Veterans have made to this country more than I do...but this is also about the financial health of the County. The money CCCU contributed helped the County finance the renovations for Vets. The renovations will help the Events enter bring in more money and in turn the County more tax dollars and revenue. There is a larger business benefit. Whether you think changing the name is worth the benefit? That's your opinion and you are entitled. I think it's a gross overstatement and totally inaccurate to say the Supervisors are down there thinking up ways to sell out Veterans.
Now that I'm done defending them, I'll also criticize the quotes I saw in the paper this morning. Some of the Supervisors, including the Chairman sounded stunned that anyone would think the County wanted to disrespect Veterans with the renaming.

“To me, it’s always going to be Veterans Memorial,” Supervisor John Mauro said late Monday. “I’m not sure how other people will see it. But the Veterans Memorial is on the top, and that’s where it belongs.”

What? So we're either supposed to believe the Chairman didn't agree with renaming Vets, or that he sold the naming rights to a local company never actually intending to call it anything else.

This isn't the end of the world. You can call it what you like. There are parts of this that certainly could be handled differently.

Endorsements 2

The Family Leader will hand out its endorsement today. We'll see if it helps the candidate they tap.
Funny enough, a Bible passage was rolling around in my head this morning as I thought about the Family Leader, its positions and its endorsement.

"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Call it proof I was actually listening in Catholic School. That one always resonated with me.

Post Nuclear Family

That's what I am calling us now. We just acquired a third Apple product to keep around the house. Our latest, the iPad2 is supposed to be an e-reader for Sally. We'll see how much the rest of us use it. I am already impressed and I've only played around with it for about a half hour.

Please feel free to comment on these or any other story you saw today. I'd love to hear about it.

PWD

Adventureland, endorsments, and Off air Debate

Good Morning!
Getting to this very late but it's giving me a few more things to talk about.

Adventureland
The Theme Park had another off season fire early this morning. We have a nice network of scanner hounds who listen to police traffic and call us every once in a while when they hear something. We heard about the fire from a friend who heard it all the way out in Grinnell! Thanks Danny!

Endorsements
Republican endorsements are funny. When the Family Leader put out its marriage pledge, you figured there were only a couple candidates who might get it. Now it seems it's open to whoever is ahead in the polls, not named Romney. It gives some credence to the theory a lot of Republicans have floated talking to me. The organization isn't actually a Kingmaker...it just wants to say it is.
That said, you have to respect the group of Republicans led by former State Rep Danny Carroll. They got up and said Michelle Bachmann is the only "Biblically qualified" candidate, and therefore had the group's endorsement.
Now I don't know what Biblically qualified means...and I would have to ask...does someone have to be Biblically qualified to be President? Doesn't that disqualify any non practicing Christian? Doesn't that go against freedom of religion? Doesn't it sound a lot more like an Islamist State than the United States?
Still, there's part of me that respects the group for sticking to its narrow list of principles and supporting a candidate, not because she's the flavor of the week, but because she adheres to their view of what a President should be.
Finally, if former Delaware Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell said she wanted to endorse you...wouldn't you say no??? She said on CNN today that she decided that Mitt Romney was her guy because, "he's been consistent since he changed his mind." I don't know what to say.

Newt
While we're talking Republican Caucuses, I saw a clip of the Occupy protesters invading Newt Gingrich's appearance in Iowa City. First, I will miss the human microphone when it's gone. Second, are these people listening to themselves?
"Mr Gingrich we are here to protest your speech!"
Nothing says power to the people like restriction of free speech.
And while we're on the subject of Occupy, the news releases we're getting in the newsroom talking about Occupy are starting to look like a who's who of protesting over the last ten years in Des Moines. They used to send us news releases under the names CCI and...well...Ed Fallon. Now we're supposed to believe this is a group of people rising up to fight the 1%? This is more like an Protesting All-Star team. Same people, same issues repackaged.

Vets
That's what it will always be to me. But the Polk County Board of Supervisors announced it sold the naming rights to Community Choice Credit Union. I live in the real world so I understand why naming rights make sense. I don't understand how this one played out.
We got a news release that said the Events Center and the County wanted to continue to honor Iowa Veterans with the naming of the building. Great. Honor them by taking the name OFF the building??
Even more or a fumble, CCCU. Why not give em the two and a half million and then tell people it's to PRESERVE the name Veterans Memorial Auditorium? That's the right thing to do and would be so out of character for a corporate naming rights deal that the publicity you get would be worth every dime. people would switch to your Credit Union because you actually showed you respect Veterans! This one is a major blunder and CCCU should move to change course as soon as possible.

Off Air Debate
We had a good one going this Morning about the speed cameras. Brad and Jeriann say they are Big Brother watching over you. Jeriann sees a scenario where cameras are on every corner and someone is looking into your living room monitoring your treatment of your kids...
I think they are just mad cause they actually have to follow the posted speed limit. It's not even that bad...you can still break the law...by eleven miles and hour! I think 71mph is plenty fast on 235. We drive the roads knowing at any time or around any turn...someone could be monitoring our speed and could give us a ticket for breaking the limit. You didn't have a problem with that before these cameras came out...now you do, just because there's not a human behind the radar gun?
Of course this isn't about safety...that's a political argument...it's about $$. Cities shouldn't count on this revenue, but I have no problem with collecting fines from someone who is breaking the law.
Now we need fines for people who go to slow on the interstate and the ones who can't seem to master the art of merging into traffic. Those are public safety problems!

Well there's a lot to yell at me about today...so have at it.
See you tomorrow!
PWD

Cameras (again), Being Iowans, and Period (space space)

Good Morning!
The starts of my day gave me another gem from my son.
JT was asking Sally to wake me up this morning after he got out of bed. Sally told JT that I was at work andthat we would have to "call Daddy". JT proceeded to scream, "DAAADDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!" I'm not sure he's clear on the phone concept yet...but we're working on it.

To the News:
Cameras (Again)
Windsor Heights is talking about putting up those speed cameras on I-235 and a mobile speed camera in various locations around the City. I got a call on our newsline. The woman was looking for Jan Mickelson's voicemail...Anyway she wanted to tell me that these cameras were simply about Big Brother infringing on her freedoms.
I'm sorry I know the argument about these cameras being about safety is bogus, but the other extreme isn't the answer either. Infringe on what? Your freedom to speed? Is someone arguing that the City is taking down data about your car or your movements or where you buy eggs? I doubt it. A City that can't even staff the streets with enough people to control speeding isn't exactly a candidate to track your personal movements.
there's a simple answer to this. It IS about money. the City needs it and you don't want to pay more in taxes. This is a way for Windsor Heights to get people from Des Moines and Urbandale and Altoona to pay for services in Windsor Heights.
there's also an easy solve here. Don't speed, and don't run red lights.

Being Iowans
There's been a lot of talk about an article in The Atlantic about living in Iowa. It was authored by a University of Iowa Professor who's lived here for 20 years (thought living in Iowa City is NOTHING like living in the rest of Iowa).
Read the article and draw your own conclusions. Here are a few of mine:
He makes some points that are hard to refute. That said, I am wondering what his article has to do with the lead-of Caucuses? You can write the same article about any state in the Union. Each would have characteristics that make it a less than ideal place to hold first in the nation influence in the nominating process. What the author misses in the fundamental argument for the Iowa Caucuses. There is no other place in the country where a less well known candidate could come and succeed. The cost in any other state would be prohibitive and then we'd all complain only the truly well funded candidates could win.
I'd also argue that Iowa is unique in that the voters here...Republican and Democrat take the responsibility seriously. Name another state where voters would be as engaged in the process. Name another place where employers would give employees time (and a place) to hear the candidates speak during the work day. Name another place where you can go to a neighbor's house and talk to a man or woman that might be President some day. You can't do it.
Iowa's size is EXACTLY the reason it should remain first.
As for Iowa's diversity, I seem to remember the pundits talking about how forward thinking Iowa voters were when it was the Democrats giving President Obama the Caucus win. How is it that Democrats in the state can be so progressive and Republicans so backwards?
Iowa opens the process to a broad field. That isn't always comfortable for some people. But shining light on the fringes of the political spectrum is good for the conversation overall.
If you've got a better system, I'm all ears, but it's going to be hard to convince me that any other state could handle the responsibility of being first like Iowa does.

Period (space space)
I just wanted to admit I'm doing it wrong...or at least this article says I am. Slate.com says we shouldn't put two spaces after each period in a sentence. One of the fundamental rules of my childhood is apparently wrong. So I guess it's one space from now on. I don't know how long it will take to break me of this rule. I will try harder tomorrow.
Feel free to comment...
Have a good one
PWD

The Bet, Ship it, and Cereal Killer

Good Morning!
I hope you all had a good weekend. We really did. Back to work find us without or regular Producer and reminds me this will be the stretch of the year where at least one of us will be missing for a while. It's our Producer Lisa this week. Next week it's Brooke and JR...the week following it will be me. All well deserved breaks!
To the News

The Bet
I am shocked, shocked I say, that everyone is focusing in on the amount of the "bet" Mitt Romney offered Rick Perry Saturday night. Has no one ever offered up, "I'll bet you a million dollars!" I have. Does that make me out of touch?
It's a figure of speech. Actually, I have a running total going with my wife. At this point I think I am up two and a half gazillion dollars. Though she is fond of saying she hasn't sent me her bill yet.
It does show a lack of preparedness on Romney's part. You knew that one was coming. How about..."I'll bet you $1000 donation to your campaign" ...or "I'll bet you $1000 to your favorite charity." Better yet, if you're Romney get in a good dig and say, "Thanks for the opportunity to correct you (slight pause) again."
On Perry's part, why push this one? I know you think everyone is looking for a reason to hate on Romney but you also open yourself up to this kind of story. The headlines say you're mistaken...again.

Ship it
It's Green Monday...another color coded shopping holiday. I guess you are supposed to get online again. Shipping deals are going to be my goal. We were trying to complete a few orders last night and we actually just clicked off a few places that didn't offer free shipping. This is what you get. If companies are going to offer so much free shipping, people will come to expect it. Now it's totally unreasonable for me to expect they will ship me this stuff at significant cost to them, but no cost to me...still, I do.

Cereal Killer
What a buzzkill to find out so many of the guilty pleasure cereals you like are simply sugar snacks...as if we didn't know that already. The fact that Fruit Loops were at the top of the list reminds me of the breakfast I used to down before High school every once in a while. I ate two of those small boxes of Fruit Loops and a Mountain Dew before class. Oh, to be young and be able to burn three thousand calories a day.

Off to buy milk for the kiddos.
PWD

Roadside Mystery, Payroll and Who's Coming to Dinner?

Good Morning!

We're celebrating Brooke's Birthday today. I brought some cookies in this morning..Bridget brought cheesecake...Jeriann brought Red Velvet cake. So we're all going to be fat, and Brooke's having a Happy Birthday.

Add your well wishes if you like.

The News:

Roadside Mystery

Polk County Sheriff's office says it's investigating how a man got badly injured last night near Highway 141. They're telling us someone reported the person by the side of the road around 9 last night. When Paramedics showed up the victim couldn't even communicate what was wrong. The man did have severe injuries. The Medics took him to the Hospital but The Sheriff's office wants to know what happened...so if you were in the area and you think you can help call the Sheriff's office or Crimestoppers.

Payroll

So the President is throwing down with Congress telling them to stay on the job till they pass the Payroll Tax extension. We'll see. This is one where everyone wants it to pass but how to pay for it is up for debate.
I just don't get the Republican strategy here...approval ratings are at an all time low, you are FOR the tax break...but you attach a bill approving a Pipeline for the OIL INDUSTRY?!?!? Why would you connect one of the things people like best about your party's politics(lower taxes) with something almost no one likes (the oil industry)?

Ads
I'll be covering the Perry Campaign Caucus night so I am watching the debate over Gov Perry's new ads with some interest. I think I see what the Gov is trying to say(please do not read that I am agreeing or disagreeing with any of the statements he made)...I'm just unsure any of that message is going to make it through the firestorm these ads have created.

Aside from the ad, I just don't understand the debate. If the premise is that Christians are being discriminated against in some way, why is it that I can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Christmas tree in December?

If you want to call it a Christmas tree...that's what it is.

If the State calls it a Holiday tree to avoid littering the Capitol rotunda with every religion's holiday paraphernalia..do you really care? It's still Christmas and no Government can change that...whatever or however you want to celebrate that season. There is no mandate on how you personally celebrate. Your kids can wear shirts that say Merry Christmas to school. You can give people gifts anytime you like. You just can't foist your religious beliefs on anyone else. In a school run with public tax dollars, you can't force kids who may practice another religion to celebrate Christmas if they don't want to.

You have to think of this in the reverse. If the majority of Americans were Jewish, would you want your kids to be forced to celebrate Hanukkah? I also find it ironic that the people who complain about this want to be able to practice their religion and force their beliefs on anyone they like, but when someone tries to make a symbol of the holiday a little more inclusive...they get bent.

It doesn't seem at all in line with the message of the season complain and argue about this... Why can't people look at the message of Christmas, or Hanukkah or any other holiday and try to reflect personally on how that message might apply to them, or how they might incorporate that message into their life to make the world a better place?

Tantrums

The message of our story about kids and tantrums was interesting...but I'm not sure it's practical. The story talked about the stages of tantrums and that you should try to move kids quickly through anger and sadness and right on to consoling them. The other big piece of this was just to ignore kids. Easier said than done.

Each kid is different and each parent is different. The best response I saw on Facebook was to be firm and consistent. I think my job as a parent is to set boundaries for my kids and keep them safe. It's hard to remember sometimes that the behavior is normal, and not take it so personally.

Who's Coming to Dinner

We ran a story about a poll where people identified who they'd want to invite to dinner and who they would want to cook for them. My top Chefs/guests didn't even make the list. I think I'd have to have Giada come cook for me....errr... us. Sally likes her recipes.... Bobby Flay or Michael Simon would also be good choices. I'd love to get some schooling in better grilling.

As for guests, John Stewart sounded like a good choice to me. What an interesting conversation that would be.

As always we want to hear what you have to say. Please feel free to comment or question anything I've said here. I enjoy hearing your thoughts.

PWD

Monday Catch-Up

Good Morning!
Looking to catch up a bit on the news this morning so here goes:

Occupy Caucus
I'll be interested to see how the Occupy Protesters will handle the Caucus protests. If they come in and interrupt a candidate and just yell at them...I think they lose A LOT of credibility. Agree or disagree with them, the Iowa groups have been largely peaceful, law abiding and civil.
If they disrupt a Candidate's campaign event by yelling at them...that degrades the movement to heckler status. I hope, instead, they go to events as any other Iowa voter would, raise their hand, and ask an issues based question the candidate can answer. Then, I hope they let the Candidate give their answer.
You may not like the answer but if we're talking about "engaging candidates" in "Civil discourse", that's the way it's got to happen.
On a side-Political note, Sally and I saw Ides of March while we were in Chicago ofter Thanksgiving. What a depressing movie. We both walked out of the movie and said, "I bet that's EXACTLY how it works."

Cuts
The Des Moines City Council has some hard decisions ahead of it. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. That said, informed Pubic input on these decisions might help. The City is looking at cutting more than three million dollars from its budget each of the next two years. That won't happen without cuts to services and some lay-offs. I predict there will be a loud group of people who will complain no matter the decision. We've now covered each of the public forums talking about each of the departments that could potentially be cut. We told you about this morning's budget forum, and we told you there will be more public presentation on the budget in the weeks to come. Lets see who gets informed, involved and engaged in the City's future.

Bowling
As a Missouri Fan I expected the Big 12 to totally screw with the exiting member of its conference. Everyone is saying the right thing, but the fact is, Bowls associated with the Big 12 are looking at the future of the relationship and taking teams that will still be around. Missouri got passed over for three bowls by three teams they beat by a combined 54 points...
That said, I am happy for Iowa State. Those kids exceeded expectations this year and deserve a post-season reward.
Iowa fans can't complain about going back to a warm weather bowl. Good luck with Oklahoma.

Zach and Tiger
I had a lot of fun watching Zach Johnson go tow to toe with Tiger Woods Sunday. Zach showed how gritty he is and just how good a player he is when he's putting well.
That said, anyone who doesn't think Tiger Woods is back in top form is kidding themselves. He will win at least one more Major in 2012.

Vacation
Overall vacation was just a chance to get away with Sally (which we did for three days in Chicago). A chance to catch up on some sleep (which I did), to catch up on my Honey-do list (mission partially accomplished) and to relax.
We caught up with some old friends in Chicago and remembered how much we miss being with people who we've known our whole lives. We also got caught in mid-week traffic in Chicago and remembered why we love Des Moines.

I hope you all had a good start to the week. As always, please feel free to ask questions, comment on stories or share your two cents. We love hearing from you!
PWD

Whoot Whoot... it's Friday!

I loved hearing some of the comments about staying healthy this time of year. Between the healthy drinks, proper diet and exercise, I think the suggestions are good ones. And, there certainly is something to be said about a balanced diet and a little exercise to keep your body in shape to fight off illness. I suppose there isn't a so-called "silver bullet" for fighting the flu, but Jeriann and I suspect getting sleep is also a key element. 2:30 a.m. wake-up calls are probably not part of the healthy living plan. :)

Pinterest

Have you been on this website yet? My neighbor got me hooked and now I am officially addicted. It's basically the best pictures, decorating ideas, crafts and recipes from the best magazines all in one spot. Everything looks so pretty and perfect that you cannot look away. Not sure who actually takes the inspiration to the next level and actually USES the tips.. but it's fun to dream.

Here's one recipe that caught my eye last night. And NO, this doesn't fit into the balanced-eating-trying-to-stay-healthy routine. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Newt's New Confidence
Newt Gingrich seems is the candidate with all the buzz right now. A recent Rasmussen Poll asking Iowa Republicans to rank their favorite contender, put him ahead of Mitt Romney by almost 20 percent. Gingrich told ABC News that he predicted he'd be the nominee. The timing of his rise seems perfect. And, six months ago the people who talk about politics for a living would have laughed had anyone predicted this. You gotta love politics!

Hope you have a great weekend. Stay safe on Saturday with the ice and snow expected to hit. See you Monday morning with Pat back in the saddle again!

Brooke

Hot peppers and health

Good morning and Happy Hump Day (as Jeriann likes to say)! I don't have a lot of time but I thought I would share something Jeriann and I have been discussing the past couple of days. For the past three weeks (or maybe even longer) we have been battling sinus infections, bad colds and the stomach flu and so have our kids. It's such a drag! Thanksgiving was a mess for both of us as our families were either throwing up or coughing up something. I told Jeriann I was talking to the contractor who is doing some work in our basement about our unhealthy family and he told me I need to start eating more peppers. And not just any peppers, but hot peppers. He swears they keep him healthy and he never gets sick. And this is coming from a guy who spends winters outside for 8 hours a day and has two young kids who are always bringing home "something" from school. So, yesterday I decided, "what the heck?" Jeriann laughed but I am dead serious. I couldn't really find any research to back me up on this, but I did come across an article about Hillary Clinton and how she eats them every day to stay healthy. So, we'll see what happens. My husband thinks they may give me an ulcer... but I am thinking that might be better than the stomach flu and a sinus infection again!

Brooke

Teens making news, more bad news for Cain and the best gift you ever got

Good morning everyone.. It's Brooke again. As I sit here at my desk writing this post, the sunshine is coming in through the windows behind me and it looks beautiful outside. Jeriann says the wind and cold temperatures will make it feel awful today, but as long as we have a little sun I am a happy camper!

Teens making news
We do a lot of stories on teenager who inspire us but the past couple of days it seems like all the bad news come from teenager making bad decisions. When I first got in to work this morning, Lisa our morning producer was talking about a late night high speed chase that started when officers tried to pull over someone speeding. The driver took off and ended up at Otter Creek golf course when patrol officers put down stop sticks that punctured his tires. That's when he took off on foot and got away. Police finally caught up with him two hours later at a gas station where he was trying to call a cab. Oh, and investigators found drugs and a gun in his car. Police on the scene called him "dangerous." But the most disturbing detail of all is that we found out he was 15!

Another story from the morning involved a guy who watched his car get stolen from his driveway. The man chased the thieves and they tried to beat him up when he finally caught up with the them. And again, the worst detail in this story is that the thieves were 14 and 15.

Cain's campaign trouble
You have to wonder how much longer Presidential candidate Herman Cain will stay in the race. Yesterday, another woman came forward and said she had a 13 year affair with him. Whether any of this is true or not, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which he'll be able to regain his footing in this race.

Goodwill Oops
This is the story that me feel the worst this morning. An 80 year old Quad Cities man donated his old suits to a Goodwill store recently and forgot that he had stuffed $13,000 dollars in one of the jacket pockets. Who stuffs that much cash in their clothes and then forgets about it, you may ask? Well, apparently he hid his cash life savings in different garments in his closet. It's hard for most of us to understand why anyone would do that, but for anyone who has lived through the Great Depression or shortly after, may have a legitimate fear of banks losing their money. That's because it really happened! Goodwill says it is searching for the money. I pray the man gets it back.

Best Holiday Gifts
Finally, our friend over at Life 107.1 radio station were asking listeners today to share their favorite Christmas present that didn't cost a thing. It got some of us talking about our favorite gift, and it's inspired me to make something for Christmas this year. My favorite gift came from my brother and sister-in-law last year. They took all of my husband's late mother's recipes and typed them on index cards and put them in a recipe holder. As someone who loves to cook, this was just about as good as it gets. It not only gave me a small glimpse of a woman I never got the chance to meet, but it was incredible practical. I have made a lot of those recipes this past year and it's been a walk down memory lane for my husband. This year, I have decided to make something for my family that I hope they will enjoy just as much. I can't share the details, but I think they are going to love it. And best of all, it won't cost me more than a couple of bucks!

Have you done anything similar?

Have a great day everyone!
Brooke

Losing a friend

Good morning everyone. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. Patrick is off the rest of the week, so I will be doing your Morning Buzz.






This morning I write this post with a heavy heart. Some of you may have already heard that Bobbi Silvernail, one of our former WHO Today in Iowa anchors passed away over the weekend. I met her when I first started working at WHO in 2000 and I was lucky to count her as a friend over the years. She was a lively spirit and I she always put a smile on my face. I talked to her husband yesterday and he told me doctors still don't know what happened. She stopped breathing Thursday morning and never recovered. I will never understand the pain her family is going through, but I hope they can focus on the good times and that big smile of hers, like I always will.

Hope you all were able to count your blessings over Thanksgiving. I know I did.

Rest in Peace Bobbi.

Thanksgiving, Shopping and Taking a Break

Good Morning!
I hope you all survived your Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends. I'll share a few photos from last night at our house. Thanks to a great organizer and Head Chef...we had a great meal and all of the cooks made it look easy getting it to the table.
We had Seventeen people at our house which meant we had to move a little bit of the furniture around to fit some long tables.







My brother Matt brought over a turkey so we did did a little dual carving and we set up a buffet in the dining room rather than serving from the table. it made things a lot easier.
















One more thing; I saw this quote and used it for our Grace before dinner last night. I kept thinking how easy it was to be thankful with Family and friends around us; how easy it is to appreciate what you have when you are eating his wonder meal.
The trick is to make more days of the year like Thanksgiving. This quote reminded me of that:

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.
- William Arthur Ward

Just a thought about saying thank you every once in a while.

Shopping
Tens of thousands of people went out last night looking for good deals at stores and Malls across the Metro. Jordan Creek estimated they had 50,000 people at the Mall last night from Midnight to 2AM. That's crazy. I see the appeal in getting some good deals and if it's stuff you were going to buy anyway...it makes sense...but this tradition is getting earlier and earlier.
We reported on the incident where shots were fired at Valley West Mall this morning just before the place opened up. West Des Moines police assured us no one was hurt and that it was perfectly safe to go shopping. We tried to emphasize that all morning long. It was an awkward story to report. We didn't want to overstate the seriousness of the report, but at the same time...someone fired a gun at a Mall on one of the busiest days of the year. It's hard to ignore.

Taking a Break
I leave you in the well qualified hands of Brooke and Jeriann for the next week. Sally and I are taking a break. I wouldn't call it a vacation cause I'm not going to be laying by a pool or on the beach. Still, it will be nice to be at home with the boys a little more and to have some alone time with Sally. We have both planned.
I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend. We'll see you in a week!

Travel, Pandering? and Speed

Good Morning!
Morning fog will slow some people down as they head off for their Thanksgiving break. it's a lot better than snow! My own family is leaving Chicago as we speak. It will be a full house by the time we get to dinner tonight.

The News
Travel is in the news. Des Moines will open its cash registers as unwitting travelers speed through the curve at Polk Blvd and get zapped for excessive speed. The City has issued 4400 citations so far with its speed cameras and red light cameras. Not all of those people have paid, but the City is making up a tiny fraction of its budget shortfall for sure...
I am not sure what people are complaining about with these things. You are speeding. If the City had a camera on the street and it caught you breaking into a business...they would prosecute you. Why not catch people speeding with cameras?
I'm still hoping the City of Windsor Heights passes an ordinance making it a requirement to be able to merge if you are going to use the highway. Seriously people, it's NEVER the safer option to just STOP at the end of the ramp. It's the daily 4pm bad driver back-up on 235.

Pandering
Just saw the Highlights of the debate last night...I'll tell you why in a moment...
The one that stuck with me this morning was Governor Perry's answer on Border Security.
He said in the first twelve months of his administration...the border will be sealed off...secure.
Even if he spent every hour of every day working with all of the border states to try to get that done...and even if a Republican controlled Congress would appropriate the funding it would take to make it happen...I still don't think you could get that done.
Sometimes I am not sure if these Candidates think it's better to "Go big or go home"...Than it would be to give an honest answer to the question. Is it pandering or an overinflated sense of what you can get done?

Facebook
Other people's comments on Facebook make me reflect on my own participation.
I try not to comment on someone's status unless I have something to say that is directly to the point of what they posted. I may give a recommendation for a place to eat. I may offer congratulations on a new job. I try not to give a random comment that turns the Friend's post into a story about me. Yet, this is what seems to be happening so often. You ask a direct question on Facebook and someone turns their comment into the written equivalent of a two year-old jumping up ad down yelling "Look at me!"
I admit to posting my share of gratuitous videos or pictures of my kids or the fun stuff we're doing. I'm sure other people look at it an roll their eyes. One person's fun update s another person's annoyance. I'm sure if I were honest about it...I do it, in small part, to attract comments about how cute my kids are or how great a family we are. Who doesn't? That's excusable...even understandable. I love seeing pictures of other people's fun times, or debating a good question I have an opinion on. I don't turn it into a venue to comment about how bad my own life is so that other people will comment how sorry they are for me.
It's makes me sad to know there are people out there craving attention that badly and who feel forced to seek it out this way. Maybe this Thanksgiving, reach out to a friend you haven't connected with for a while on Facebook and exchange a couple messages. See how they're doing...ask for a picture of their family...inquire how their job is going. Maybe you'll make that person's day.

Chores
So we went out and got the Christmas tree last night. It's a four year streak now. The first tree we pulled off the pile is he one we took home. It's a little skinnier than the one we had last year...but last year we didn't have furniture in the Living Room.
The Boys are excited. They "helped" us pick the tree out. We tried to go get haircuts beforehand...it didn't work. The line was too long...or if you believe J.T. "I'm too busy to get a haircut."

Family Picture this afternoon so time for Dad to go get a haircut.
See you tomorrow morning!

Superfail, Occupy?, and Catching up from a Crazy Weekend

I tried to start this yesterday and didn't get it done. It's a mirror of a lot of other things in my life right now.

Super Fail

So The Congressional Supercomittee didn't do its job. The trillion dollars in cuts that were supposed to kick in as a penalty? Well, maybe they won't actually kick in. It's like a parent giving a two year-old and ultimatum and then backing off and giving the kid what they want anyway. the kid never learns and neither does Congress. Last election cycle the message from a lot of voters was "kick the bums out". I can't imagine the message is going to be any different this time around. Voters are sick of watching these guys go to Washington to make nearly 200k and not get ANYTHING done. It's really fascinating to watch a group of people you would think is pretty bright, be so clueless about the mood of the people they serve.

Occupy?

So an Occupy Des Moines protester had marijuana on him when he went into a bank trying to be arrested? Not smart. Another distraction and an opportunity for people who were ready and willing to dismiss this movement...to do it.

Then there's the protest this weekend against the School of the Americas. If this is a movement against Corporate greed, someone stop other groups from trying to co-opt it.

We see...and cover the protest of the School of the Americas EVERY YEAR! Dressing it up as an Occupy Protest makes it look like you either can't get coverage for the protest when it's presented on its merits...or that the Occupy Protests have yet another goal...muddying the water further. Either way it's a weekend full of headlines leading to legitimate questions about how serious this movement is.

Forum

The Family Leader held its forum over the weekend and I can't say there were any major surprises out of this one. The people who believe in this groups message heard what they wanted to hear. I can't say I think this made any difference at all in the overall race...it's not as if Caucus night we're going to be standing there saying..."That Family Leader Forum...that was a turning point.". In that way this forum is a lot like some of the other debates.

Weekend
This is really an extended weekend isn't it? You have family coming no later than Wednesday night if they're coming from out of town. if you're like us, that meant a lot of work this weekend so you don't have to do it all at the last minute.
I find Thanksgiving isn't one big project...it's a million little five minute things that need to get done. That's how my weekend went and how my week is going.
Sally and I did a lot of cooking this weekend. We put some stuff in the freezer for the boys to eat over the next week or so, made some meatloaf, made stew for the night before Thanksgiving, we did the shopping for Thanksgiving (ouch), and came up with a plan for where we're going to put all seventeen people at the dinner table. We also managed an outing to the skywalk Sunday morning so the boys could blow off a little steam. They've been cooped up cause they've been sick.
Today we start the run-up to Thanksgiving. I have to test all the light while the boys are napping. We'll get haircuts for the boys followed by the purchase of a Christmas tree. Tomorrow everyone shows up, but before they do, we're going to get a family picture for our Christmas card. It's a full dance card.
I say this without an ounce of complaint. As I said, a lot of small projects done over a few days (we hope) will reduce some of the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving weekend.
Hope you have a great day.
PWD

It's Friday

That means this will be a random collection of thoughts...
Let's begin.

Stabbing
What's the deal in Des Moines lately? We've had more than our share of overnight news lately. This stabbings the latest event. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt.

Occupy 2 Months
The marches and gatherings are starting to blend together...Still no cohesive message or goal. Corporate America Bad is not a goal.
I heard an interview with a guy who was part of the occupy Boston movement yesterday on NPR. He now has a job in the corporate tower overlooking the Boston encampment. He and some friends say they are looking at developing a website for more people to get involved, help them learn how to run for local office etc. Bravo! He gets my vote for the first constructive thing I've heard out of this group. Being mad and protesting is one thing. I have great respect for the people who have a beef and then try to follow through with constructive ideas.
A side note. My cousin's car was stolen. Police located the car near the Occupy encampment in her city. Here's her Facebook post describing how she found the car:

So... my stolen car was recovered, and apparently the thief had been living in it. Found amid the expected multitude of cigarette butts and bags of Doritos were: a laptop case containing no laptop but instead a "Laptop" magazine with a porn magazine hidden stealthily inside it; 3 backpacks full of VERY dirty clothes; a lot of towels, tarps, and bungee cords; environmentally-friendly laundry detergent and bleach; many packages of mayonnaise and butterscotch pudding; a jar of hydrogen peroxide; a rubber skeleton-hand glove; a foot-callus scrubber; and a portable pet carrier with the book "Cockatiels for Dummies" inside of it. Let the detailing begin...

I'll let that speak for itself.

Bachmann
I'm impressed with Michele Bachmann's response to a student at Drake University yesterday. She was explaining her Healthcare plan and the kid blurted out..."So just screw the homeless and the poor?" I'd expect a more nuanced question from someone getting a world-class education. If you dislike Bachmann, and I have been critical at times...that's fine. You don't have to go to her speech. If you are there, she deserves the respect we should give a candidate for President. Questioning her plans and engaging the candidate with tough questions is surely a good idea...blurting something like that out is not high minded debate.

Coach?
Missouri's head Football Coach Gary Pinkle was arrested for DWI the other day. Pinkle apologized immediately. he didn't lawyer up...he took responsibility and had the best explanation of a situation like this. He said he preaches good decision making to his kids all the time. He made a bad decision and never should have put himself or the University in that position.

Ok I hope you all have a good weekend.
PWD

Deadline, Part-Time and The Cup

Good Morning!
The Infirmary was open this morning in the WHO-HD Newsroom. Brooke Jeriann and I are all sick. I thought I'd jumped out ahead of it but I guess not. So some drugs and a lot of paper towel later...We all got through he show.
Our boys are still on Steroids...any of you who've had two year-olds on these steroids knows what I mean when I say they're moody. I mean crying one minute...laughing and playing the next...hitting each other and themselves the next...I think we need a rubber room. Some of the stuff they say is pretty funny, JT just can't stop crying and Will is very dramatic with his swings...throwing himself into a heap like Scarlet O'Hara and crying. We just have to remember it's the steroids talking.

To the News
Deadline
So the Super Committee has to come up with its recommendation and pass it by next Wednesday? Good luck with that. And if the Super-committee Doesn't pass anything? these automatic cuts? Can't a future Congress just reverse the damage?
I hate to break it to all the people that want to blow up the Federal Government and start over but compromise and a little medicine for everyone will probably still be the best solution. If you Cut Federal workers and lay off more people how is that going to help increase revenues?
And, please, save your...Washington has a spending problem. You don't have to preach to me... You are also living in an alternate Universe if you actually believe there won't be unintended consequences to severely cutting budgets without finding ways to increase revenue as well. Think about it...it doesn't make sense.

Part-Time
Rick Perry proposed a part time Congress while on a swing through Eastern Iowa. I'm sure some of you think that sounds good too. He wants to cut Congressional pay in half and cut the time they spend in Washington by half.
This is one of those things that sounds good. We should all have the best health care in the world...Our kids should all be in safe drug free schools...I should get everything on my Christmas list. These kinds of things are the easiest lies politicians tell.
The 2010 elections swept a new Tea-Party wave into Washington. A lot of the Freshman campaigned on the fact that they were going to cut government and they're doing exactly that. It's also what Democrats did when they won Congress in 2006.
Here's the problem...governing is the art of compromise. Coming in and sticking to a hard line...not even listening to the other side makes good TV. It helps raise more money for re-election but it's compromise that makes good government. I don't expect my Congressional Representative to turn his/her back on their principles but at the same time, I do expect them to be reasonable people.
The problems we've got are the result of decades of bad decisions. They aren't going to be sorted out by people who have one answer.

Park it
The Occupy Wall Street folks got kicked out of the Park they were living in. The City says they can protest there all they want...but they can't set up a permanent tent city.
I couldn't agree more with the decision the City of New York and the Judge who backed the decision made.
As Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday, the 1st Amendment gives you the right to assemble, to protest and to speak freely. You can do all of that without setting up a tent City in the middle of New York.
The coverage of this event was mind-boggling. Some of the protesters came to the "General Assembly" to complain that they'd been disenfranchised by the Occupy leaders. The people camping out started calling some of the group's leaders, the 1% of the 99%. Their reasoning? The group has raised a ton of money...but this group of campers hadn't been provided with the supplies they needed to live comfortably in the Park in the winter.
So just so I have this straight. You've been disenfranchised by the Economy as a whole and see it as the responsibility of those with more to give you some of what they earned. Then, when you form a group of like minded people, you've been disfranchised from the group of protesters because they won't give you the resources donated to the group so you can survive? Anyone see a pattern here?
I actually thing the Occupy Des Moines group has made a better case for themselves. One of the very noticeable things about the Des Moines protest? They're generally following the law an recognize they are protesting on City property...it doesn't just belong to them.
Second...the camp is empty during the day. A lot of these folks have jobs. They work during the day and are trying to bring about some change is their free time.
I am not sure what the solution s to help build a stronger middle class. This country certainly needs one. It's the driver of the economy. I do know this...it isn't just going to happen because wealth shifts from one group to another. It's a lot more complicated than that.

The Cup
The President's Cup starts overnight tonight in Sydney. they're actually seventeen hours ahead of us...so the math is a little harder to do....I am DVRing all of the Golf Channel and NBC coverage. Watching team golf is one of my favorite things to do.

I hope you all have a good day.
As always your comments are welcome.

Alert, Interview and Sick Season

Good Morning!
Brooke is sitting next to me and summed it up nicely..."I'm sick", she said. We all are.
Jeriann says both her boys are sic and so is she...sinus infection. Brooke said they thought Evan had a bad cough. In my house, we found out both our boys have Croup. Yikes. So it stand to reason that, despite drenching ourselves in hand sanitizers and towling off everything we touch with disinfecting wipes, there's almost no way to avoid the germs. You can only hope to contain them. Tis the Season

Alert
Overnight two campuses asked students to stay in their dorm rooms after reports of a man with a gun on or near campus. UNC Asheville sent an alert out after someone was robbed at gunpoint. University of Iowa sent a Hawk Alert out last night after news of a guy with a gun near campus came out. Police found the guy but didn't release any details about whether he was arrested.

Interview
What was Jerry Sandusky thinking? What was his attorney thinking? Maybe they think they've got nothing to lose. If you've read the Grand Jury indictment or followed the story there probably isn't much that can change your mind about the accusations. I'll say this: we got a glimpse into what Sandusky's Lawyer is going to try to do. He said they've been looking for some of the kids involved in these alleged incidents...they go unidentified in the report and would be in their 20's. It's likely they wouldn't look anything like they did when they were kids...So Sandusky's Lawyer says they've found these kids...and that they have a much different account of what happened. There's no way to verify if these were actually the kids involved.

Occupy
So the NYC Police went in and cleared the park where Occupy protesters were staying. The Protesters were predictably outraged.
Here's my thing. No one is telling you you can't protest...no one is telling you you can't be there all day every day. What they are saying is that you can't make this your permanent residence...set up housing. The Constitution doesn't give me the right to build a home wherever I like...it gives me the right to gather and protest. The Occupy people have the ability to do this the same way today that they did yesterday. You can't live there.
I encourage this group's active protest...Protest.
I've seen Unions run picket lines 24/7 for months at a time...why is that less effective? You are still occupying the park...If your message is as strong as you say...you represent 99% of the people in this country by your own estimation...why aren't there enough people to take shifts...occupy all of these cities and keep this movement alive?

I say again, it seems to me there are plenty of chances for this group to make a true difference. Standing on the sidelines complaining about how you can't get into a position of any power or decision making because money has corrupted the system...and then watching as the Mayor of your City returns to office unopposed? That doesn't make sense. How much would it have cost to run someone for Mayor? How many of these Occupy people would be willing to support a candidate who believes in their principals? Decisions are made by those who show up.
If you are the 99% it should be pretty easy to get someone elected in a City the size of Des Moines.

Hoops Returns
I was sorry to report UNI lost it's one In the morning game to St Mary's. I am glad to be reporting on College basketball again. I love the season. Iowa State and Drake play tonight.
While we're on the subject I am one of the BIG fans of the Carrier Classic game last Friday. I will watch Harison Barnes every chance I get. He's a rare talent and really fun to watch play the game.
That said, I thought the President's speech before the game was a FLOP. Don't stand on that floorwhile everyone is waiting for a great game to start and give a speech about the legislation you're trying to get through Congress! There are millions of people tuned into this game who don't follow politics. They might vote. Show em you're more than a Political wonk after a vote. You are also a basketball fan!
How about a simple thank you to the Men and women on that Carrier and the men and women serving all over the world. An acknowledgement that this game is a little way to say Thank you to them on Veterans day weekend. It's a powerful symbol of the freedom we enjoy..the freedom they protect with their sacrifice....
Stick to stuff we can all agree on.

Sexy Brooke
Cityview dubbed Brooke as one of its sexiest people in Des Moines this year. She is as embarrassed as I've ever seen her. She may have sprained her eyeballs rolling them when we talked abut it. I meant what said in the article about her. Broke truly is one of the nicest people I know. If you're truly looking for an attractive person...you might want to look for that quality first...looks like Brooke has are a bonus.

I hope if you agree or disagree with me...you'll say so. We always love to hear your comments.
Have a good one
PWD

Abuse, History and Wicked

Good Morning. My friend Tim out in Boston might say, I'm "wicked" tired this morning. Sally and I went to dinner and a show for a little date night last night. It was let when I got home...it was worth it. Good show. A little amped up sound for the first ten minutes or so, but the music and the technical crew got better as the show went on.

To the news!
Abuse
What are people thinking? If you take care of kids...anywhere, you better be prepared to have any action you take against the kid you care for scrutinized. Hidden cameras are GREAT. And a great way to make sure your kids are being cared for. I'll Quote Tim out in Boston again when he told us, "if you aren't 100% sure your kids are with someone who will protect them and make sure they're safe...you have to make a move to some other arrangement."
In this case the caregiver didn't exactly look like the brightest bulb on the tree. I hope authorities follow up.

History
A nice woman called to let me know that 11/11/1940 was a significant weather date for Iowa. Known as the Armistice Day Blizzard, a warm day turned into a blizzard and caught hundreds of hunters off guard along the Mississippi River. Here's the story from the National Weather Service.

Golf
Seems like it should be off season for golf...and it is. But Tiger Woods is playing in the Australian Open and is killing it! Tiger shot 69/67 and apparently has looked great doing it. I would love to see him win again, especially going into the President's Cup next week (on NBC). As so many people have said Golf needs Tiger.

Our Flat Matt made an appearance in the Papajohn Sculpture Garden this morning. A lot of people got that he was in the park...not many actually got the name of the sculpture. Nomade

Jaume Plensa uses letters as the basic components of much of his art, which explores communication issues whether between individuals or cultures. This work depicts a crouching, anonymous figure,
with a “skin” composed of letters from the Latin alphabet. The sculpture exemplifies Plensa’s ongoing interest in ideas presented
in written text, as well as the human body and how it perceives the world around it. He has described individual letters or
symbols as components that have little or no meaning on their own, but blossom into words, thoughts, and language when
combined with others. Plensa’s screens of letters offer a metaphor for human culture, in which a person alone has limited potential, but when formed into groups or societies, becomes stronger. Nomade engages the
viewer on many levels, from our recognition of the letters that form the shape, to our own physical interaction with the work as
we view it from afar or from inside the work’s interior space.

Good job! It's been fun doing this all week. Maybe when the Today show does Where in the World again we can revive Flat Matt.

...and one more note. Raygun t-shirts put together a "Battle of the Weathermen" t-shirt that's pretty funny. Our own Jeriann Ritter is dubbed "F-5" Ritter. I asked her this morning if she thought they were calling her powerful...or a blowhard?
I kid because I care...
Have a good one
PWD

Fire, Firing, and Flub

Good Morning.
Lost of news to talk about this morning

Fire
We've had a lot of early breaking news on Today in Iowa Lately. It's a weird phenomenon that's tough to explain. I feel bad 30 people had to spend time out in the cold this morning as the result of a fire. I'm glad there wasn't more damage. The weird part is that it makes my job a lot more interesting when something like this happens. It's not often we have "good" breaking news. The result is we all end up feeling bad.

Firing
There's no other way for this story at Pen State to end. As much as Joe Paterno has been an icon in College Football, it's not enough. He has to go and go now.
I made the mistake of reading the indictment of Jerry Sandusky this morning during the show. Two things strike me. My first thought was that I need to be honest and open with my boys about what is appropriate and what is not. It's tough reading this stuff as a parent...but these young men were stalked and preyed upon by a diabolical , insidious rapist. You see the pattern and understand this guy lived outside the bounds of human decency. The thing that shocked me was the number of people who seemed to know and never told authorities...including the authorities themselves. according the the indictment, at one point a cop told this guy "Don't shower with kids anymore". Really?
The kids who rioted at Penn State last night will look back on their actions after they have kids of their own and be ashamed of themselves. Idiotic doesn't cover it.

Flub
Everyone is talking about Rick Perry's response during last night's debate. it's already dubbed the "Oops moment". It's too bad. A lot of people like Perry and think he's a good leader. I think we're finding out why the vetting process is so long.
Another thought that crossed my mind is this. just because someone is a good speaker, has the same moral code as you, or even if they're a good Governor...it's doesn't mean they will make a Good President. that doesn't erase any of the things that make them good in their present role. Rick Perry isn't an idiot...He just isn't good standing on tat stage recalling this amount of information. While that may give a voter pause about his ability to be President, it shouldn't reflect on his previous accomplishments or his character. You try it. I bet most of us would have at least one flub this big.

Flat Matt
I thought I had you guys on the clue this morning but it turns out you are all smarter than the average Bear (me).
Here's the clue:
Over Iowa's Stonehenge, if you look closely you're supposed to see cribs, It used to be owned by a Union, but not organized Labor. Ask the Reese Brothers about its name.

So you all got it. it's the High Trestle Trail Bridge.

Another clue and another show tomorrow.
As always we love to hear your comments and questions.
Please feel free.
PWD

Snow Falling, Status Quo, and Flat Matt 3

Good Morning.

I vowed you wouldn't be able to get the clue for Flat Matt so easily today.

It worked until we put the picture up.

You are all very observant. Flat Matt visited Jack Trice Stadium and the new Video Board.

wed the clue: Our Matt is right at home on this Central Iowa Landmark (Flat Matt on a Flatscreen TV).

Born September 3rd. it's actually from South Dakota (The Company that built the board is from SD)

If you missed it the first time...look North! (You can watch replays on the video board)

We'll try to make it even harder to guess tomorrow.

We also got a Facebook post criticizing us for having a little fun with this. I am not sure how much more we could have done with the weather/school closings/power outages etc this morning.

Snow Falling

Speaking of, we've got some trees down in my neighborhood. The snow was so heavy it too down a lot of branches including three or four over my neighbors house. No damage that I can

see...that's good. You could hear the trees groaning under the weight of the snow when i was walking to the car!

Status Quo

For the most part your municipalities will continue to be governed by the same people. City Councils and Mayors ran unopposed in a lot of cases. I guess you can't blame voters for ignoring the polls in that case. It's a Chicken and Egg scenario. If there were more people willing to run for positions on City Councils, maybe more people should show up. Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald reminded us that between Schools and Cities...Those elected officials control about 50% of your property tax $$. It's important.

Status Quo II

Democrats keep their slim majority thanks to a special election win by Liz Mathis in eastern Iowa. This means a Constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage is DOA.

Status Quo III

The Personhood Amendment failed in Mississippi as well. I can't say I am surprised. the amendment brings up WAY too many questions. I say again, if anyone thinks a law like this would stop abortions, they're kidding themselves. I continue to think a better use of resources would be education for young people about the responsibilities they take on if they decide to become sexually active. The goal shouldn't be stop abortion...it should be making sure that every couple who makes an informed decision to have children is able to do that, and every effort is made to avoid unplanned pregnancy before conception!

Paterno

I haven't read the indictment in the Penn St Abuse case yet. I've been told by friends that it made them angry and sick to their stomach all at once.

Off to Lincoln High to do a Career day this morning. Then today at Noon we've got some great guests. The Volunteers who helped make the Central Iowa Honor Flight happen are going to be on talking about a documentary they produced about the flights. I am excited to see it this afternoon. Tune in at Noon to find out more about why they took on the news project.

Have a good one

PWD

Priorities, Moving, and Flat Matt

Good Morning!

Monday morning and we've got some good stuff to talk about it. Lets get to it!

Priorities

If you were doing the math and were confused this morning you weren't alone. We used a bunch of statistics to talk about the priorities potential Caucus participants identified as important. The percentages didn't add up to 100% because the pollsters asked for two top priorities. I have a hard time, then, listening to any argument that says Republicans put moral issues as their top priorities. Even in the top two, issues of morality got 10%. Why then do these issues get pushed? The Register explains, even if it's small, the group identifying these issues as their top priorities are strong. They show up. Until Republicans who identify fiscal issues as their priorities show up in equal numbers...and as consistently, we'll continue to hear how important these issues of morality are.

I say this only because the poll confirms what I suspect is true. Most Republicans care about morality...they consider themselves moral people, and they vote, in part on issues of morality. I think anyone who believes anti-abortion or anti-same sex should be a top priority, is delusional.

Moving

So Missouri is going to the SEC. Make your jokes all you like. If Iowa State has a dream season and wins eight games...they'd likely still be fourth fifth or sixth in the Big 12. Mineke Car Car Bowl anyone? Heck...even the Insight Bowl is in the dead spot between Christmas and New Year...yawn.

I like the Bowl timing and the $$ for the mid-level SEC teams better.

If I were an optimist I would say this. MIZZOU could compete. If you assume three non-conference wins each year...Vanderbilt, Kentucky and (sorry Fred) Tennessee should all be wins. That gets you to six and makes three games against Georgia, Florida and South Carolina big games. We may get hammered...but I like Gary Pinkel's chances recruiting in the southeast and playing some of these teams over the long term.

Add to that the fact that MIZZOU stand to make three million more next year than they would have staying in the Big 12. I would also include the surge of revenue the University and The City of Columbia will get when SEC fans take a road trip to see their newest neighbor. Iowa state Fans don't travel to Columbia...wanna bet that Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Vandy fans will?

In Basketball it's about the same. We should be competitive will all but Kentucky. Missouri is used to having a tough road in Conference Basketball play.

Finally, i think Missouri and Kansas will find a way to work out a continuing rivalry. The Football game should move to one of the first games of the year. It would be a feature game on national TV during weekends that don't offer too many good games. In Basketball, a border showdown over Christmas would draw A LOT of fans to Kansas City.

Overall I like it.

Flat Matt

So you all got the first clue pretty easily. We'll try to make tomorrow's harder. For those of you who missed it, Flat Matt was at the AE Cows. Tomorrow's clue will go up on Facebook at 5Am. Hopefully we can redeem ourselves.

Hope you all have a good day!

PWD

Paying Attention, Jobs, and Flat Matt

Good Morning!
A Coffee delivery from my boys is on the way to the studios. So I'll get right to it on a Friday Morning!

Paying Attention
I feel like the debt crisis and the situation in the Eurozone is something we all should be paying more attention to. Our Economy is tied (whether we like it or not) to what happens over there. I just can't get myself all that worked up over it...and I don't understand it. Greece is in bad shape...that's for sure...but the Greek people don't seem to grasp the situation...and it isn't as if we're problem free.

Jobs
The new national jobs report came out today and the unemployment rate inched down by a fraction. Still the Economy isn't creating enough jobs to make any kind of a dent.
that said, I thought Dave Price's Story about Smartphone Apps was interesting. A kid not out of college yet learned how to develop these apps from Youtube tutorials and a book. It's that kind of story that leaves me thinking...succeeding in this economy is tough for sure...but if you work hard to find a need, take a risk and put a lot of hard work behind it...there are ways to make a living that have nothing to do with Fortune 500 companies. The 99 percent need to stop relying on the one percent they vilify for help. Make your own way. It's not easy...but it can be done.

Flat Matt
We are celebrating along with NBC's Today show. Matt Lauer's reviving his Where in the World segments next week. We are playing along with Where in Central Iowa is Flat Matt! Each day we'll have a clue as to where we placed "Flat Matt". There will be a clue and a picture.
Monday's picture will pop up on Facebook and on the air at 5AM. Here's part of the first clue:
NOT AS GOOD AS MOM BUT CLOSE,CHOCOLATE, BUT NO GOATS.
We'll give the rest of the clue next Monday...but chew on that for the weekend.

I hope it's a good one!
PWD