Greetings, Cultural Catalysts: There is a diverse and appealing array of cultural indulgences awaiting the Cultural Adventurer in Central Iowa. Leave the personal devices behind and savor the rich offerings that performing arts, exhibitions and more offer. Sally forth and reward yourself. Featured Cultural Offering: Celina Karp Biniaz will be
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March 20, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
The altar at the First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls was decorated with bouquets of beautiful flowers last week. Dozens of people gathered there to celebrate the life of a wonderful woman at the conclusion of her 84 years on this Earth. Those blossoms offered especially poignant symbolism. Ruth
Read More →“Greta” R | 98 minutes A sweet, naïve young woman trying to make it on her own in New York City, Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz), doesn’t think twice about returning the handbag she finds on the subway to its rightful owner. That owner is Greta (Isabelle Huppert), an eccentric French
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March 13, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
If you had your ear cupped just right and were listening closely Sunday afternoon, you might have heard my head explode. The pressure inside the old noggin has been building for months, thanks to what can be called politics as usual in Washington, D.C., and Des Moines. So, my friends
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March 06, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
Sunshine Week will be observed across the nation next week. The week shines a spotlight on the important role open government and citizen accountability play in our democracy. Open meetings and open records are the tools that enable the public to know what their government is doing, or not doing, in the
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March 06, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 1
Meet the people behind the wheel and getting us from Point A to Point B. A former Uber driver, a limousine chauffeur and a shuttle star open up about the people taking a backseat. Getting from Point A to Point B when you are without wheels and in a hurry is
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March 06, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 2
Why everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Benjamin Disraeli, no friend to the Irish, warned about the three types of falsehoods: “lies, damned lies and statistics.” (Mark Twain stole that line). According to the U.S. census, the most famous guardian of the third kind of lies, Iowa’s
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March 06, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 3
Three Des Moines bouncers unleash memories of life protecting the door. The best moments. The worst situations. And the laugh-out-loud incidents. The Des Moines area is home to nearly 300 bars. Not all have security personnel in place, but when it comes to the busier entertainment districts, bouncers can almost
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March 06, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Civic Skinny
A federal grand jury has charged Marty Tirrell with mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and fraudulent use of another person’s credit card. The charges follow years of scams by the one-time sports broadcaster and talk-show host, scams in which he defrauded friends and
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March 06, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Political Mercury
She backs reparations for slavery in the form of $100 billion. Marianne Williamson contends the United States needs a visionary more than a “political mechanic.” It’s why the high-profile author and lecturer — a well-known guest on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” — is running for the presidency. Williamson — who
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