The
good
Another year, and another Iowa State Fair in
the record books. People took advantage of the
mild weather (sweats were popular), as fair
officials stated attendance numbers were up
about 6,000 through Saturday. President Obama
enjoyed a beer, while everyone else had to wait.
Maybe thirsty patrons led to the record number
who participated in WHO’s annual Cast Your Kernel
Booth, which had more than 72,000 people lead
Republican candidate Mitt Romney to victory
in the unscientific poll. Criminal activity
was down overall, although the highest number
of arrests came on Friday, Aug. 17 with 73 total
charges including 66 arrests. Maybe Hank Williams
Jr.’s scathing remarks about President Obama
got people fired up? If you’re sad to see the
fair end, don’t worry, it’ll be back next year,
providing just enough time for your cholesterol
levels to go down.
Although some people believe they can’t function
without their Smartphones, we all seemed to
live enjoyable lives before them. Hearing someone
talk loudly over his or her phone or sitting
with someone who is on the phone the entire
time is annoying and can ruin a good time, which
is why a California restaurant is rewarding
those who put away their Blackberrys. Eva Restaurant,
in Los Angeles, Calif., is offering customers
a 5 percent discount when they leave their cell
phones with staff. Owners say nearly half of
their customers have taken advantage of the
deal, with many expressing thanks at the chance
to let go of their phones for a while. This
will hopefully be yet another California trend
that spreads throughout the U.S.
The bad
Local police nabbed who is perhaps the most
non-observant burglar in the Greater Des Moines
area. A local resident at the 3200 block of
Third Street called police after he heard someone
enter his home last week through what was supposed
to be a locked door while he was in his basement.
He said he had a lap full of tools, so when
he recognized the voice of Keith Schwartz, 41,
yelling his name from upstairs, he did not make
a move for fear that the sound of the tools
would give him away. Instead, he quietly texted
a friend who called the police. By the time
cops arrived, Schwartz was gone. While police
were taking the report, the not-so-bright alleged
burglar showed up again in the backyard. He
was arrested.
According to a recent American Lung Association
report, tobacco use is higher in rural communities
than in suburban and urban communities, and
chewing tobacco use is (not surprisingly) twice
as common. That means country kids are more
likely to use tobacco and to start earlier than
city kids. Experts attribute this to lower education
and income levels; more exposure to secondhand
smoke due to a lack of smoke-free air laws;
rural imagery, such as the Marlboro Man, in
advertising; fewer programs and services to
help people quit; and low tobacco taxes.
The ugly
Former Des Moines Police Officer Brandon Singleton
is in trouble — again. He was pulled over last
week for allegedly failing to display front/back
license plates which led him to be charged with
carrying weapons, possession of drug paraphernalia,
possession of a weapon as a felon and probation
violation. Singleton was arrested in April after
officers discovered drugs in his patrol car.
He lost his job and was sentenced to one year
of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor
drug possession charge. As Singleton continues
to get caught for his crimes, we can only wonder
what he might have been getting away with when
he was a cop.
Two female co-workers at a meat processing
plant in China got into a food fight on the
production line over who was the fairest of
them all. Xin, 22, learned that her friend,
20-year-old Zhang, had landed a bigger financial
loan from the factory than she did, according
to Guangzhou’s Shishi Daily, which reported
that the fight broke out when Zhang took a dig
at Xin’s skin tone. “You look darker lately,”
she told Xin, who told reporters, “When she
made fun of me and said I was dark, I got mad
and lost my mind. So she grabbed a fist full
of meat floss from the manufacturing line and
chucked it in Zhang’s face. Zhang retaliated
by throwing a bunch of dried meat back at Xin.
And then they really went for each other, which
got so bad that the cops had to come in and
break the meat slingers up. CV |
