July 29, 2015 by justin
in On The Tube
“Wet Hot American Summer” Friday, July 31 (Netflix) Series Debut: You either loved 2001 cult flick “Wet Hot American Summer” or hated it — or liked the first half and meh-ed the second; opinions vary wildly. The new eight-episode Netflix “prequel,” subtitled “First Day of Camp,” reassembles the original cast
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July 29, 2015 by justin
in Joe's Neighborhood
The nasal, clipped tone of the August 1945 radio broadcast reaches across 70 years. It is up-to-the-minute coverage of the loud celebration in downtown Des Moines after the announcement that Japan would surrender. WHO Radio is reporting: “Des Moines tonight personifies the State of Iowa at the end of the
Read More →Kasey Chambers “Bittersweet” Warner “Bittersweet” is Australian-born Kasey Chambers’ first solo album in four years, and her first music of any kind since splitting with husband Shane Nicholson in 2012. One would expect such an album to be fraught with the emotion of nostalgia and heartache. Well, you may be
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July 29, 2015 by justin
in Tech Talk
The Internet is not immune to embarrassing trends. Whether we’re talking America Online chat rooms or keeping a Friendster profile well past 2004, there are dozens of shifts in online communication that, in hindsight, were just silly. Today, we don’t need hindsight to understand that the ridiculous web-enabled discourse of
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July 29, 2015 by justin
in Your Money
Paid on July 21 Amount: $1,500 To: Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center For: Other services and charges Amount: $10,000 To: North Des Moines Girls Softball League For: Miscellaneous charges Amount: $216 To: Goering Plumbing For: Licenses and permits Amount: $12,436.48 To: Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority For: Mental health
Read More →R&B singer Angie Stone, 53, was arrested on March 10 for domestic aggravated assault after she assaulted her 30-year-old daughter. Stone told police her daughter punched her in the face, and then Stone defended herself with a metal stand but accidentally hit her daughter in the face, knocking out her
Read More →Featured as one of this month’s Midwest Connections picks, “The Cherry Harvest” is a coming-of-age novel and love story set in Door County, Wisconsin, during World War II, around the time of the cherry harvest. With food rationed and money scarce, Charlotte barters what she can to keep food on
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July 29, 2015 by justin
in Belly Up To...
According to Bridal Guide magazine, the No. 2 wedding theme for 2015 is “rustic chic,” while “flea market,” “country style” and “vintage living” are trending searches on the Better Homes and Gardens website. Charming barns are sought after as backdrops for senior pictures, and antique tea sets sell in several
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July 29, 2015 by justin
in Civic Skinny
If you’re awaiting sentencing on federal charges that could send you to prison for up to 25 years but hoping you can cut a deal for lesser time, it’s probably not a good idea to drink 12 ounces of rum and then beat up your wife. And then get in
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July 29, 2015 by justin
in Food Dude
The worst part of caucus season is the pandering to outdated rural stereotypes. Event planners import bales of hay, fiddlers and square dance callers to modern Des Moines corporations. That encourages candidates and national media to mock contemporary Iowa. Agriculture built the state and made it rich and powerful, but
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