It’s Thanksgiving, the time of year when politicians — including Gov. Branstad — take time to pardon turkeys ahead of the big holiday meal… I always wonder what happens to those turkeys after they’re pardoned. I hear it can be really hard to find work if you’ve spent time in
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November 26, 2014 by justin
in GoodNightIowa
November 26, 2014 by justin
in Food Dude
Hy-Vee Market Café
After touring northern Arkansas, I came home with a new appreciation for the basic comforts of our local food scene. For instance, I ate 13 meals in the Delta and Ozarks, and only three places offered butter. Most served cornbread and biscuits. How does one eat those without butter? Two
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November 26, 2014 by justin
in Your View
Reader enjoyed ‘Doing Time’
Great cover story last week (“Doing Time in Des Moines”). I enjoyed reading of this committed activist and the challenges he faced by choosing to serve jail time. After author Steve Clemens painted his word picture of the toilet paper pillow, I felt compelled to flip back three pages to the “Paid for by taxpayers”
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November 26, 2014 by justin
in Belly Up To...
Enjoy a night of western fun at Cowboy Jack’s
At Cowboy Jack’s, Daisy Duke will be your server, and you’re sure to find cousins Bo and Luke at the bar, never meaning no harm. It is a relaxed and lively saloon-style restaurant and bar where everyone in West Des Moines is sure to make themselves right at home. But
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November 26, 2014 by justin
in Political Mercury
Q&A with Steven Leath
Why should students attend Iowa State? And can they get there faster on U.S. Highway 30? Question: For students with no planned major who are interested in a liberal-arts education, about learning who they are there, or finding that major, why should they go to Iowa State University? Iowa State is known
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November 26, 2014 by justin
in Sound Notes
The Metro Arts Alliance is now taking applications for sites and bands to be part of the 2015 Jazz in July season. This season means a lot to the Alliance, as it marks the group’s 40th anniversary. Alliance Executive Director Kim Poam Logan is looking to highlight as many different
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November 26, 2014 by justin
in Sound Check
David Bowie “Nothing Has Changed” Parlophone There are three versions of David Bowie’s new compilation album for you to choose from; I chose the massive, three CD, 79-track version, because if you’re going to go, you might as well go big. Since Bowie operates on a wavelength above that of
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November 26, 2014 by justin
in Book Review
‘Saving Simon: How a Rescue Donkey Taught Me the Meaning of Compassion’
Courtesy of Beaverdale Books Review by Harriet Leitch Ballentine Books Oct. 7, 2014 Hardcover $25 209 Pages Jon Katz, author of “The Dogs of Bedlam Farm,” also an autobiographical book, has extended his writings on animals in our lives by writing of his recent experience with Simon, an abused and
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November 26, 2014 by justin
in Center Stage
Lunacy as a group effort
Actors, Inc., has a hit on their hands. The Ames company had to put in extra seats, and as their barn-like space echoed with laughter, it grew toasty. Onstage, meanwhile, there was another kind of community spirit. A farce like “The Game’s Afoot” demands a slick ensemble. Players need to
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