March 10, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
Iowans take considerable pleasure in enumerating the various ways our state stands apart from the other 49 states — beyond our endangered first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. For many years, we pointed with pride to the fact that Iowa’s high school graduation rate was tops in the United States. We like to
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March 09, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Joe's Extra
Dogs just aren’t my thing. Sorry all you dog lovers. It’s just the way it is. Sure, I’ve had more than my share of the mangy critters. Why? Because my wife and kids keep bringing them home — over my loud objections. And it’s always the same. I feed the newest
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 1
Iowans embrace the state’s quirks. We believe wiener schnitzel should be made with pork instead of veal and served on a bun, and that French dressing should be orange and very sweet. We drink more Black Velvet Canadian whisky than any kind of Bourbon or Scotch. We are still proud
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 2
Humans yearn for orderliness: Where do things stand?… How high are those things stacked?… How far away is this?… What’s the pecking order of that? After understanding where stuff is in relation to other stuff, then our minds are free to ponder: Why?… What can we do to improve?… Who
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Business Feature
Walk into most any coffee shop in downtown Des Moines, and you’ll see laptops open, phones out and patrons typing away. Some will be using their own mobile hotspots, while others will have logged into the business’ public wireless network. Head to the service station, the car wash or even
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Civic Skinny
Marty Tirrell, the smooth-talking scammer and loud-talking sports-radio host, has been kicked out of the Door of Faith residential treatment center where he was awaiting his April 7 sentencing in federal court. And now he’s in jail in Greenfield, Massachusetts. At the Door of Faith, Tirrell was deemed to be
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Political Mercury
Win or lose, primary or general, Des Moines businesswoman Theresa Greenfield rolled off one of the better observations about small-town living I’ve heard, a comment that shows she understands the distinctions between our communities. We share values, to be sure, but life is different in Carroll than Creston, and residing
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Film Review
After an animated backstory of Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s journey to becoming Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), she breaks up with the Joker as only Harley can: BOOM! goes Ace Chemicals. Unaware of the impact of her unique announcement, Harley finds she has no shortage of scumbags gunning for her who were
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Food Dude
My grandfather, a longtime farmer, said that success was like the morning dew, it could settle just as easily on a rose bud or a cow turd. Epic novelist Larry McMurtry, who grew up on a ranch, later wrote the same thing about the love of a good woman. Just
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Your Neighbors
“Jill of Many Skills” teaches local beekeepers to be honey-production maximizers. A 5,500-year-old jar of honey — the oldest known honey in existence — was found within a noblewoman’s tomb in Eastern Europe in 2012. The purpose of the honey’s placement at the VIP’s final resting place isn’t known, but
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