History, Ooops, and Chef's Auction

Good Morning...

I am through a full pot of coffee by 6:30 this morning after a late night. I was out helping with the March of Dimes Signature Chef's Auction last night.
It was a great event out a Prairie Meadows. They tell me MOD raised more than $120,000. The money will help the research and development of treatments and procedures that give kids a better chance at a healthy start. We saw some old friends and made a few new ones. Sally was a trooper. She went with me even though she threw out her back this week. I think it's going to be a quiet weekend at our house. Lots of naps and Aleve.

History
We learned late last night the only church in the town of Martinsdale lost it's only church to a fire. You'd hate to think someone would do this intentionally but the fire spread so fast...it's hard to not consider it.
The thing that struck me about this morning's church fire in Martinsdale is the number of people who gathered to watch. These are the people who have an emotional tie to that building. I can understand. I haven't been to an actual church service in my home Parish in years...but the building hold emotional significance for me. Much of my family was baptized, had their first communion, or were married in that building and we've also mourned family members and friends who've died. The Church is certainly more than just a building but it's funny how much a place can mean to you.

History II
So I was on my way home from the MD event at about ten thirty and the radio announcers had buried the Cardinals for the season already. I caught the Seventh inning and thought the Rangers had it in the bag. The comeback makes an already great World Series even better.

Oooops!
On the Subject of the World Series

One of the webheads at Fox 4 in Dallas is gonna get called into their manager's office:

No word on how that happened but it was an honest mistake for sure. To me it's more of a comment on how fast we expect to see headlines after they happen.
I imagine Sports radio is going to have something to say about it.

Have a good weekend
PWD

Games I, Games II and Game of Honor

Good Morning
I was going to blog today. I wrote the entire thing and the computer locked up...didn't save and erased it...
Sorry.

Random and Gross Morning

Good Morning!
I made it out of bed this morning thanks to my son JT. He decided 1:55 AM would be a good time to start a full blown conversation with himself. Thankfully my alarm was going to go off in 5 minutes anyway. It took very little convincing to get him back to sleep. Lets hope it lasts.

The Random news of the day:
-First the good:
Megan Reuther had the sendoff for the Jasper County Honor Flight. Three generations of Vets will visit the Washington D.C. monuments built in their honor. The organizers think this is the first Honor Flight to include Vietnam and Korean Vets.

-A lot of Coffee can help reduce the risk of skin Cancer. Drink up!

-Anyone see the Northern Lights? The pictures are spectacular.

And, the Bad:

-Unfortunately this is one of the stories I found FIRST this morning when I came in to work.
It's a story about a Woman cured of a seemingly untreatable bacterial illness in her colon with "fecal transplant".
It is exactly what it sounds like...
...Recurrent C. diff infection, a potentially life-threatening bacterial illness that causes severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. It comes back again and again, resisting most treatments, except, as it turns out, an infusion of stool from a healthy donor.
A new review of more than two dozen scientific reports involving 317 patients, some dating back 50 years, finds that fecal bacteriotherapy, commonly known as fecal transplant, cured the problem in 92 percent of the cases. Nearly all got better after just one treatment. That's a better record than other treatments, including probiotics, toxin-binding molecules and an experimental vaccine.
There was much debate in the newsroom about this one. Some people thought they'd want an anonymous donor instead of a spouse. I'm not sure I get past the fact that this is happening anywhere.

Weekend Catchup

Good Afternoon.

Life will return to it's own version of "normal" in the Dix House this week. Sally is finally done with Race for the Cure.
Our new Normal got off to a rousing start this morning around 3:50am.

I awoke to the sound of my cell phone going off....never a good sign, and Brooke's voice on the other end of the phone. "Are you in today?" Yep...on my way. Ouch.

I'd set my alarms for an early wake-up call for Race for the Cure this weekend and didn't reset them Sunday night.

So, fueled by a shot of adrenaline, I raced to get ready and made it with some time to spare. It's never a good way to wake up...late on on Monday morning.

About the Weekend

Thanks to the thousands of people who came down to Race for the Cure Saturday. I spent my Friday helping with the setup. Boxing, loading, unloading, stacking, unfolding...etc. There's a lot to do in the 24 hours before that race.

I continue to be so impressed by the passion and commitment that so many of these volunteers show to make the race happen. Many of them have been doing it for 20 years now.

I snapped this picture after sneaking up on the stage. If you've never been a part of the race, I recommend it for a beautiful Saturday in the Fall. Very inspiring.

-We went to The Zoo for a little trick or treating on our post-race Sunday. It's nice for the Zoo that it was packed, but I'm not sure they should be asking a lot of the families back.

The amount of trash on the ground was embarrassing!

I can understand little kids dropping wrappers. I have two of them. So I put it on the Parents. You're watching your kids right? If they had a wrapper in their hands and now they don't...look around and pick one up!

We also had a run-in with a lovely woman from the Zoo Foundation. We went left instead of right when we went into the Zoo. We weren't trying to cut in line or do our own thing...our 2-year-old kids went left so we did too. I've learned if the boys are set on a direction...it's best for all involved to let them go if at all possible.

Anyway, this women looks at us and says..."You're going the wrong way".
OK well thanks...my donation will be in the mail next week. We love taking our kids to the Zoo, and I know you have to have a traffic flow. I just thought that one could be handled differently. If you don't want kids to wander off to the left...block it of. Every other exhibit in the place was blocked...why not that?

A Couple of News items:

What does it say about a Presidential Campaign that they don't know the entire paid staff of a lead-off state resigned?

A friend sent me this article from the New Yorker last week. it's long but hang in there. I think it's worth reading. I think it gives some insight into the frustrations that lead to the Occupy Protests.

Speaking of...I stopped by the McDonald's closest to the Occupy encampment. I asked how it was going and the lady told me they come over for large orders...80 hamburgers and orders of fries at a time.

Congratulations...That's sticking it to the "Corporate Man"!

Another plug for those of you who are philanthropically inclined. I will be emceeing the March of Dimes Signature Chef's Auction this Thursday night. I think they still have spots open if you want to come out to The Events Center at Prairie Meadows.

Gameshow, Animals, and Chew on This!

Good Morning!
I'll get right to it.

Game Show
What a nightmare last night on CNN!
I tuned into the last 15 minutes or so of the Republican Debate and I was embarrassed for a few people involved.
-First, for Anderson Cooper. The fact that he didn't take more control of the stage when the candidates started bickering with each other means he either, A. Didn't know how, or B. Didn't want to. The first conclusion makes him a bad choice for moderator, the second makes him a bad journalist.
-I thought the answer on Foreign Aid was a stunning example of Politicians who either didn't know what they were talking about or were so eager to pander that they would lie. Only Romney acknowledged how complicated the issue of foreign aid is. Ron Paul gave his standard answer and you have to respect his consistency on this issue. It's not going to make him real popular in some GOP circles.
What many of the candidates miss is that pulling money from other countries sounds like a great idea, until you realize that much of that Aid goes to other countries in the form of American made goods and services. The money never actually goes to the foreign country. It's a way to prop up a company right here at home. Not exactly that way to protect American jobs.
-Does Rep Bachmann have a list of prepared lines that she has to get to before the end of the debate? She hijacked the end of the debate so she could deliver a line right out of left field.
I see a SNL skit coming this weekend.
Update: not so out of left field... go to 11:36 on the timecode of this video:


She had a News release ready to go and needed to deliver the line...
Here's the headline from that Release:

Bachmann Commands Stage at CNN Presidential Debate
Bachmann: "The cake is baked – Barack Obama will be a one-term president".

The Cake is Baked? I don't know what that means...
-In all none of the candidates looked Presidential in this debate.

Animals
Who keeps lions and tigers and wolves at their home?
I love animals, I think they should be protected to an extent and treated with a certain amount of dignity. I think Zoos are a place where we can learn so much that we might never see or hear. I don't ever think it's appropriate for an individual to keep a zoo on his or her property without being regulated like any other Zoo would be.

Chew on This
See our Facebook question for the responses to our question this morning. Sen Tom Harkin is one of four Senators calling for a ban on chewing tobacco in MLB. So, we asked if the league should ban players from chewing?
I am surprised more people aren't for the idea. I don't agree there should be a ban, but I'm surprised more people aren't for it. What do you think?

-One more thing: On a trip to the bookstore yesterday we picked up our second installment in the "Pete the Cat" series. If you are a parent in search of a fun book for your kids, these are great. Each comes with a free downloadable reading of the book that includes a song. Our guys love it.

I'm off to a breakfast meeting.
I always love to hear what you have to say so comment away!
PWD

One Month, Marathon Morning and Bad Breakfast

Good Morning!

It was a great weekend. We got some sleep, went to a great event and the boys were even relatively well behaved. Can't ask for a lot more these days.

One Month

One month in, and the "Occupy" protests are still growing.

I feel like I should clear up something about what I've written here. My posts have sounded negative towards the protests. I've been thinking about it a lot and I really do support peaceful protests.I don't like what happened on Wall Street. I've written here before about the shameful decisions CEO's have made about pay in the last few years. I simply don't believe it's Wall Street's responsibility to level the playing field...it's not Government's either. More than ever, entrepreneurial opportunities are available for creative people who want to go out and get them. If that's not the case, why are we hearing every day about people who've started a new business, developed an app that makes them millions of dollars? I guess I just want to know...if everything went exactly the way the Occupy protesters wanted it to...if the top 500 CEO's from across the country and said...ok...We'll do whatever you say...what would that look like? I need a goal.

The second part of my thoughts is dismay at the official entrance of the Unions to the protests. Here's where an organic movement turns into your blueprint political rally. I can tell cause Al Sharpton was screaming at me about how "we" are going to take back the Country.

I had to laugh a little...this would be like Newt Gingritch trying to portray himself as a Washington outsider. Sharpton is the ultimate Democrat insider.

In the words of a very famous liberal writer:

We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you
who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections."

Marathon Morning

Congratulations to all of the runners in the IMT Des Moines Marathon! You all looked great from the comfort of my lawn chair as you passed by my house. The boys had a great time cheering on the runners and running up and down the sidewalk keeping pace with the marathoners. It made for a great Nap! The boys also got cowbells from the Marathon Event staff. I am not sure I thank you for that.

Bad Breakfast

We decided to go out to breakfast with our neighbors and their son after the Marathon was over and it was a bust. We don't go out to a sit down meal a lot anymore. It's just not a good idea with our boy's attention span....but we tried. What a bust...Not because of the boys attention span but because of the horrid food. Our server, God bless her, was patient, attentive and really tried to make things right...but our food was downright nasty. I say this only because the disappointment was so magnified. I really enjoy going our for breakfast and when you go out and spend the money...it's disappointing to have it taste so bad.

Farmstasia

Thanks to the folks out at The Living History Farms for having us out to help with the Farmstasia event Saturday night. it was a chance to see some good friends and to support the good work they do at LHF. Speaking of, if you are inclined...the Family Friendly Halloween celebration gets started this Thursday and goes through the following weekend. Get out there to have some fun and support the off season work LHF does.

One more note. I found out Saturday night LHF is bringing in a traveling exhibit called Lipstick and Line drives next summer all about women's professional baseball. Sounds like a good one. I'll be there.

Also next weekend is the Race for the Cure. I hope you will come out and be one of the 20,000+ women (and some of us men) supporting research and prevention of Breast Cancer. If you can't make it cause you are going to Iowa State or Iowa Homecoming...you can still register and support the cause. If you are so inclined...visit my fundraising page and help me reach my goal!

I hope you have a good week!
PWD

Afternoon Blogging

Good afternoon!

Just a couple of things from this morning and this afternoon that I thought might add to the conversation that's ongoing on a couple of fronts:

-The GOP Debate last night was interesting. I think a lot more people found out about "9-9-9" and may take some time to consider what it would look like in their lives. I have a few friends who say they'd welcome it.

-I think Mitt Romney showed again he can handle the sophomoric attacks on him about subjects we've beaten more than any dead horse. We know he was Governor when Healthcare reform passed in MA. We know he worked for Bain Capitol. There may be more than a few people out there who want a Republican in office that has proven he can work with the most liberal legislature in the nation and also run a lean efficient private sector company.

-Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann ...how did these candidates fall so far so fast in the eyes of early state voters? They can claim this is all part of the plan...but I don't think anyone in any campaign plans on dropping 20 points in a month.

-Chicago Tribune did an investigation into double and triple dipping Union Heads who are making six figure pensions for their 50k/year job. Where is the outrage from the Occupy Wall Street folks? If you look at one side of the equation, you have to look at the other.
This is legalized theft of taxpayer money and if I were a hard working Union Member, I would be so offended as to call for these guys to be kicked out of the Union. I'd want my Union to sue to get the money back into the pension fund for the guys who were actually working and I'd want to see the law changed to benefit the people who work 40 years on our streets, in our schools, or in our Police Stations and Firehouses. Offensive is offensive.

The Protesters prove they're not interested in any kind of actual justice...just retribution of the people they perceive as rich. Don't look now but the head of your Union just founded his own Fortune 500 company and installed himself as CEO.

-Apple iOS5 is out today. I'm not sure I am going to use this the right way. Some day I'd like someone to show me how to actually use all of the features on my iPhone. Someone should start a consulting business. They could follow you around for a week and watch how you use the technology...then they could take two days and teach you the best ways to use the features that are most important to your everyday life.

-Welcome to Chicago Theo. Please pardon the mess you inherit. This gives Cub fans the excuse they're looking for over the next three years.

I'm done. You don't have to be. Comment all you like.

Orchestrated Arrests

Good Afternoon...
The big story when I woke up this morning was the arrests at the Iowa State Capitol from the Occupy Iowa Protests. Just a couple thoughts on that.

-Again, no one seemed to know what this protest is about. It's about "The Man" having all the power...but that's not a very specific grievance. Is there a law these people think is unjust? Something specific we can talk about? They have money and I don't is a very difficult grievance to talk about.
If this protest is about Civil Disobedience...then there's should be a specific law or rule the protesters see as unjust, and that they're there to call attention to. Example: MLK Jr went to jail to protest unjust laws in Birmingham the discriminated against black people. He also went willingly to jail.
-I would bet all the money in my pocket that the Des Moines Police and State Patrol would have bent over backwards to get these people a permit to protest. Did they get a permit? They'd been planning on protesting for a few days. This seems more like a gathering in order to get arrested rather than a gathering to call attention to anything. One of the people we interviewed talked about old people and "a 14 year-old girl" being arrested....as is we were supposed to be outraged that the State Patrol was coming down so hard on these protesters. THEY WERE ASKING TO GET ARRESTED! No one is letting loose the fire hoses or getting the German Shepherds out.
-The Twitter feed had requests from people in the crowd who knew they could spend the night in jail to come to the front of the crowd so they could get arrested.
-In what I thought was a pretty succinct definition of these protests...one of the organizers told us, "It doesn't matter if these people have a specific grievance...even if they did, no one would listen".
Just so I'm clear...You don't have a specific goal or grievance because it wouldn't matter if you did?

-Maybe instead of organizing a protest of the fact that few people hold power, how about harnessing all of this energy to run some candidates for Congress? For City Council? Money is the problem you say? Doesn't seem to be a problem here. You are a national TV sensation. Youtube works for free last time I checked. if you're organized you can get a heck of a wave started online for very little money. It would take a lot more work...but it would actually lead to a change in leadership...isn't that what these folks are after? If the common man is so under the thumb of big business, Why is it that about 50% of people show up to vote?
I guess what I'm saying is this energy might be misplaced. More than ever...power goes to the individual who can creatively use resources available to them. Corporate America answers to individuals like this all the time. Why? because they know small groups like this can have HUGE influence. Seems more like this group has what it perceives as a few problems...they'd like someone else to do something about it for them.

Scams, Legacy and Protests

Good Morning!
Had the chance to take a GREAT run last night using the trail through Greenwood Park down by the old Science Center. I always feel better in the morning when I run the night before...but the biggest difference is how little my feet hurt this morning. I know I've said this before but I'd been running in shoes that were a half size too small. Makes a huge difference to have shoes that actually fit. (PAUSE FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS)

I'm finishing up this blog after an eventful break between shows. I called home after the Morning news to hear JT SCREAMING in the background. I recognized it cause he did it to me for an hour after he got up from his nap yesterday. When he's like this...something is wrong. Turns out...there is. He and Will both have strep. We now know JT is going to get a red rash on his face and body pretty much every time he gets strep. Good to know.

Scams
I heard about this latest Wells Fargo Scam on Tuesday from our friend Lynette. She's not a Wells customer and got a call...at ONE IN THE MORNING!!! As if these scams weren't annoying enough...now they wake you up.
I've said it before...I just can't imagine this adding up to someone. even someone who has a Wells Fargo account. There's never a reason you can't ask the person on the other end of the phone to give you a number to call back...then match it up with customer service numbers that are easily available for Wells Fargo. You NEVER NEVER give anyone information about yourself unless you initiate the call.

Legacy
Steve Jobs is being remembered for the innovation he brought to the consumer electronics industry. Even people who never owned an apple have Jobs to thank for the tiny computers we carry around to communicate.
Apple pushed everyone else to build a better mousetrap. Maybe more amazing to those of us who like this kind of thing, Jobs built his company from the garage up...He risked...he invested, he micromanaged and even when it looked like Apple has been passed by...he never gave up on his dream. To top all of that off he was a pretty good corporate citizen. Very few of the people who worked for him were complaining. I had these thoughts as I was watching our next story.

Protests
I welcome the peaceful protests called occupy Wall Street, organizing here in Iowa. Protest all you like. As long as it's peaceful
I have some thoughts and questions for the protesters...I'm just curious. Where did you buy your clothes? Where did those iPods you're using to tweet come from? You say you have a college degree but no job? And it's corporate America's fault? Maybe Ancient Mesopotamian Sanskrit wasn't the best choice for a major?
My point is this. Some of these people aren't the poor and disenfranchised workers... When are we going to stop trying to blame someone else for how our lives turn out.
I've worked for corporations that were pulling 20% profits while they were cutting salaries and benefits. I've had managers that clearly held the bottom line over quality product or the people who produced it. I've also had chances to leave here...maybe find more money or more career success. I made choices and those choices have led to some good and some bad results. The key there is...I made the choices.
There are people who may have a legitimate beef in this crowd and the fact that much of corporate America is sitting on mounds of cash is a debatable point...but being against "corporate greed" is a little like painting all Union Laborers as overpaid and lazy.

Corporations, are by definition greedy. Take the best of our corporate citizens. Bill Gates? Steve Jobs? Do you really think they EVER go into a meeting and say, "how can we redistribute some of our profits to the working men and women who made it happen?" No way. They say. How can we work more efficiently, smarter...not harder...so we can make even more money...crush our competition and pay a decent wage so we goble up the best and brightest workers.
The idea that Wall Street owes anything to these people is backwards.... They tried redistribution of wealth. It failed in a little place called the Soviet Union.

Corporations should have incentive to do the right thing by their people and by the communities they serve. Consumers and the Marketplace have the ability to reward good corporate citizens and punish the bad ones. That's generally not how it works. It's our own fault. We look for the cheapest goods...the best deals.
And if these people want jobs...there are hundreds of them at packing plants and farms in the south and any number of industries these protesters see as beneath them...or not high paying enough. Do you want jobs...or do you want the job you've concocted in your mind where you make six figures and work four days a week?
In a bad economy you don't always get your first choice. Ask your grandparents if they're still alive. I bet their parents made some heartbreaking choices that crushed a little part of their spirit during the depression. It built character and in some cases solidified what was really important into rock solid values.
You can occupy Wall Street all you like...It's not going to change that Ancient Mesopotamian Sanskrit degree...

Fire away...I know some of you will disagree.
PWD

Smoking, Settling and Up Hill Both Ways

Good Morning...

Blogging from home this morning as my wife has a date on the Radio pitching Race for the Cure. I'll throw in the plug for her. If you register for Race before October 9th, you get all of your Race materials mailed to you. This means no packet pick-up. You can still register after the 9th but it sure would be easier if you didn't have to go to a packet pick-up site.

Anyway, it's me and the boys here and thankfully everyone is in a good mood.

Smoking

So the Sheriff in Keokuk County is saying he thinks the County shouldn't hire people who smoke. The Sheriff's point is that the County taxpayer is shelling out a lot more money for that person's health care.

One of the County Supervisors called this a slippery slope asking what's next? Would the County ask workers to stop eating burgers or having a drink? the answer of course is...they already do. if you indulge in drinking to the point that it negatively effects your health, the County, as your employer would say something. As a Sheriff's Deputy, if you ate three cheeseburgers a day and became so obese you couldn't perform your duties...there would be a problem.

As the very least smokers should be asked to pay more for their health insurance.

Settling

So Rep Michelle Bachmann says the Republican party shouldn't settle this year. I agree. Republicans should look for the candidate who brings the most voters to the polls, who represents the broadest spectrum of Republican thinking and who...can WIN.

So someone who only represents the values of Christian Conservatives might not be the best candidate. If you vote for someone only because they are a a strong business candidate or only because they are for a flat tax or only because they are pro-life...you are settling.

I'm not sure that's the argument the Representative was making.

Up Hill Both Ways

So its International Walk to School Day. How many of you walked to school? I did. Even starting High School. I was always seemed to be just close enough to school that I wasn't eligible to take the bus. I suppose to was good for me.

Have a Great Day!

PWD

Gray's Lake Streaming and Happy Birthday

Good Morning!
First things first. It's my Beautiful Bride's Birthday! She's got a busy month ahead with Race for the Cure but we'll have a proper celebration at the end of the month. Extended Birthday Celebrations are more fun anyway.

Gray's Lake
The National Planning Association listed Gray's Lake Park as one of America's 10 great Public Spaces for 2011.
This is one of those honors that People who work for the City get pretty excited about...and rightly so. But we asked this morning...what is this going to mean for the city? There's not a lot of specifics on that front. It's never bad to get national recognition...it's an addition to our City's resume...but I think this is more well deserved recognition for City Leaders than it is something a lot of people will take notice of or pride in. We already knew it was one of the best Public Parks in the Nation.

Christie

Gov. Chris Christie isn't running. Good. Can we stop talking about it now?

No Workers

So there aren't any workers in the South to harvest Crops. We ran a story here at Noon about it. The tough new immigration laws have these workers...legal and illegal afraid they'll get arrested if they show up to work. So let me get this straight...we have millions of people out of work and no one wants these jobs? What a surprise.

So these lawmakers playing tough on immigration just raised your taxes. Call it what you want...but food just got more expensive as a result of using a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito.

There was another way here. Use a Guest Worker Program. Give each an ID card and insert a tracking chip in each. These are not US citizens. They would be here on probation, and like a lot of other people under the supervision of the authorities here...we could make sure we know where they are by tracking them. Make them pay taxes and then let them go home at the end of the season. Anyone who doesn't follow these rules gets deported. Anyone who has a card and breaks any law...gets deported. It certainly not simple...but it's a joke to suggest ANY of the American Citizen who are out of work would take ANY of these jobs. If I'm wrong...lets prove it and get some people back to work.

iPhone

So the "new" iPhone is out and the announcement has made me glad I bought an iPhone when I did. This is an upgrade of the current phone not an iPhone5. Looks like I timed it right. I should need a new phone just after the new iPhone5 comes out. BTW the 4s is faster, has a better camera and is cheaper at $99.

Streaming

Not sure if I am supposed to say so just yet but we are working on streaming Today in Iowa every day. My out of state relatives will be thrilled. I hope this allows more of you to tune in though. Brooke's Dad said he watched the show from Canada on his phone this morning!

Have a good one!

PWD