November 04, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in The Culture Buzz
From Iowa’s cultural epicenter, Mainframe Studios at 900 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines, Iowa comes your Listener-supported Community Voice, the Award-Winning indie radio station, KFMG-LP 98.9 FM (streaming simultaneously at www.kfmg.org), bringing you music, literature & cultural content. Quote of the Week – “We don’t stop playing because we grow old;
Read More →
October 30, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Morain
When ideology takes top priority, America’s world leadership is in jeopardy. The Trump administration’s threats to academic freedom at leading American universities could slow the pace of the nation’s scientific research and subsequent entrepreneurial development of what that research turns up. Our race to stay ahead of China, for instance,
Read More →
October 28, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in The Culture Buzz
From Iowa’s cultural epicenter, Mainframe Studios at 900 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines, Iowa comes your Listener-supported Community Voice, the Award-Winning indie radio station, KFMG-LP 98.9 FM (streaming simultaneously at www.kfmg.org), bringing you music, literature & cultural content. Quote of the Week – “It is better to be poor and
Read More →
October 28, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
Not surprisingly these days, free speech on college campuses is back in the headlines. That makes it worthwhile to highlight the seven-page policy the Iowa Board of Regents wrote to proclaim how it values and protects freedom of expression at the three state universities. Before getting to that, it is
Read More →
October 21, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in The Culture Buzz
From Iowa’s cultural epicenter, Mainframe Studios at 900 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines, comes your Listener-supported Community Voice, the Award-Winning independent radio station, KFMG-LP 98.9 FM (streaming simultaneously at www.kfmg.org), bringing you music, literature & cultural content. Quote of the Week – “There is no such thing as conversation. It
Read More →
October 16, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Morain
As I write this column on Sunday, October 12, the United States government is still shut down. Federal employee are not getting paid. No, wait, that’s not quite true. MOST federal employees are not getting paid. Who’s still receiving a paycheck? That would be President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance,
Read More →
October 14, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in The Culture Buzz
From Iowa’s cultural epicenter, Mainframe Studios at 900 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines, comes your Listener-supported Community Voice, the Award-Winning independent radio station, KFMG-LP 98.9 FM (streaming simultaneously at www.kfmg.org), bringing you music, literature & cultural content. Quote of the Week – “We will only attain freedom if we learn to
Read More →
October 13, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
The nation’s founders got right to the point when they laid out how to treat the First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, the press and the rights of people to assemble and to petition the government. They used only 45 words, without asterisks. Their simple words should lead to simple
Read More →
October 09, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Press Release
“Dopesick” author, award-winning journalist, headlining Des Moines book festival this Saturday. The Political Mercury’s Douglas Burns will interview Macy in featured event on her book. Through what political scientists might call a deep canvass into her own culturally polarized family in rural, de-industrialized Ohio, author Beth Macy gives us a riveting, devastating
Read More →
October 09, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Morain
Kathy and I returned last Friday from three days in the Black Hills, communing with two of my graduate school former housemates and their spouses. It’s a reunion that takes place somewhere in the U.S. on an irregular basis, always enjoyable and nostalgic. Both housemates are professors emeriti, one from
Read More →
