And you thought we had a problem with farm-raised salmon? The newest Year of the Rat infested the world with new forms of dread and old ways of spreading them. Food, it turned out, was the most likely cause for the coronavirus. And that’s not a Mexican beer joke. Just
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Belly Up To...
Wear a cheesehead hat for an Instagram-worthy pic at this Wisconsin-themed bar. Wisconsinites, celebrate! If you want to experience a bit of Wisconsin in the heart of Iowa — complete with cheese, beer and the Packers — look no further. The Wisco Grub and Pub is the place to be.
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March 04, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Art News
DMAC show is Karla Black’s first solo effort in the United States. Karla Black is an abstract 3D art sculptor whose work explores the physicality of materials as a way of understanding and communicating the world around us. Her current retrospective at the Des Moines Art Center (DMAC) — “Karla
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March 03, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
A bill now awaiting debate and a vote in the Iowa Senate is quite short. It adds a mere 10 lines to the Iowa Code. But those 10 lines are an important legal statement Iowa lawmakers should adopt before they finish their work for 2020. Senate File 2331 says employees
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February 25, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
If you are looking for something in government that can be quite messy, even under the best of circumstances, look no further than the power that allows presidents to issue pardons. I’m not a member of the Donald Trump Fan Club, as my friends and readers can deduce. But President
Read More →Make plans now to attend the Annual Spring Arts & Crafts Show on March 6-8 at the Varied Industries Building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. This is Iowa’s largest show, with over 300 talented exhibitors from 7 states presenting and selling the Midwest’s finest handcrafts. The
Read More →Quotes of the Week “Art invites us to know beauty and to solicit it, summon it, from even the most tragic of circumstances.” -Toni Morrison (1931-2019) born Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison, known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist, essayist, book editor, and college professor. Featured Cultural Offering MOONSHINE IN
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February 18, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
Members of the Iowa Legislature are in the midst of tying themselves into knots over the issue of equality, and that’s unfortunate. The knot-tying involves what these lawmakers call “religious freedom.” That has a patriotic ring to it. Who would disagree? Our constitutional right to freedom of religion sets the
Read More →Quotes of the Week “Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters.” -Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman.
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February 11, 2020 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
Forgive me, but I think some government officials forget they work for the people of Iowa, or maybe they just don’t want the public asking too many questions, especially if those questions could be embarrassing. Regrettably, I come to this conclusion because every week or two I hear about another
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