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September 10, 2014 by justin in Sound Notes

This summer, the Des Moines Symphony held its sixth annual “Yankee Doodle Drive Against Hunger,” in conjunction with its annual Yankee Doodle Pops program. This year’s final tally was the largest in the event’s history, with about $12,000 and more than 2,200 pounds of food being collected for the Food

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September 10, 2014 by justin in Civic Skinny

Sen. Tom Harkin gets ready for the final Steak Fry. He has been Iowa’s worrying mother and rich uncle.

Tom Harkin is on his final lap. Instead of spending his days and nights campaigning for a sixth term in the United States Senate, he and his wife and children and grandchildren took a trip to Australia late last month. Instead of making endless calls to raise millions to run

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September 10, 2014 by justin in Book Review

‘Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt’

Courtesy of Beaverdale Books Review by Harriet Leitch W. W. Norton & Company  March 31, 2014 $27.95 274 Pages Michael Lewis has taken a highly complex and detailed subject, high frequency trading on Wall Street, and wrote a compelling and disturbing account of the development of the stock markets of

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September 10, 2014 by justin in Joe's Neighborhood

And the rain keeps falling

The rain is coming down so hard there is nowhere for it to go but up. Water washes over the roads and creates small ponds at intersections making you hesitate about driving without a life jacket. Will your car actually float? Is this a good time to find out? The

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September 10, 2014 by justin in Food Dude

Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the Chinese buffet is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. People either love them or hate them. Their history in America has been notorious. Las Vegas’ first all-you-can-eat buffet was Chinese. The genre also seems too often beset with problems. Eastern Sushi Hibachi

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September 10, 2014 by justin in The Sound

A conscious decision

Eric Church is blowing up. His last album, 2011’s “Chief” hit No. 1, and included two singles (“Drink in my Hand” and “Springsteen”) that also hit No. 1 individually. This year’s follow-up album, “The Outsiders” has been every bit as hot, debuting at No. 1 and selling more than 700,000

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September 10, 2014 by justin in Your View

Register editor: ‘content coach’

[Cityview’s Civic Skinny column on Sept. 3 about changes in the newsroom at The Des Moines Register] contains several errors…. In terms of the process, decisions will NOT be made by me, another Gannett editor and an HR representative. The interviews will be conducted by a team made up of

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September 10, 2014 by justin in Belly Up To...

Dinner, drinks and groceries in one trip at Food Depot

How many times have you gone out to dinner and realized you forgot to pick up groceries? But you’re tired from the big meal you just ate, and you don’t really want to make another stop. What do you do? Well, if you’re at Food Depot Bar & Grill, you

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September 10, 2014 by justin in Political Mercury

Ernst says what Jindal doggedly dodged on potential abortion penalties

State Sen. Joni Ernst deserves points for candor on her pro-life stance on abortion. The Red Oak Republican’s stated position would be that the person performing the abortion should be punished — if the leading goal of her social ideology is realized, and abortion is criminalized. Her exact words, reports

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September 10, 2014 by justin in On the Move

Pottery painting studio open in Ankeny

Bulldog Ceramics opened recently at 200 S.W. State St. in Ankeny. The studio offers pottery painting parties and classes in painting techniques. Bulldog owner Tina Norris offers parties in house and on location, providing the potter and paints to locations such as child care centers, at-home birthday parties and nursing

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