The Kid's Favorite Lunch

Category:		Pasta
Style:		American
Special Consideration:		Kids

Ingredients:
1 box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Some milk and margarine
Ketchup (Catsup) to taste

Hot dogs, of you're extra hungry

Directions:
Open box, dump noodles into pot of boiling water. Drain after 8-12 minutes (depending on your elevation). Return noodles to pot, tear open little packet of cheese flavored powder, and some butter or margarine and just a little milk* and stir. Serve with hot dogs, or cut hot dogs into medallions and stir into Mac&Cheese to make a tasty "casserole." Garnish with Ketchup. Your kids will love it! You'll be their hero!

*If you're a real freak, you could substitute milk for water, beer, or soy-milk substitute. You can really fancy it up by adding some Velveta, or part of a can of cream of cheese soup! Or... if diet isn't a problem, add a spoon of sour cream. Most kids won't like these modifications, but grandparents might be convinced that you went to more work than you really did.

King embarasses Iowa AGAIN

When Scott McClellan, Bush’s former spokesman, testified before Congress about Bush lying to the American people, Steve King again embarrassed Iowans and made national news with this statement to McClellan:

“Couldn’t you have taken this to the grave with you and done this country a favor?”

If you can’t believe he would actually say something that unpatriotic, watch this clip:

steve-king-r-ia-to-mcclellan-why-couldnt-you-just-shut-up

If you are tired of being embarrassed by Steve King, please, PLEASE vote for Rob Hubler for Iowa's 5th District. At least pay a visit to http://hublercongress.com

Congressman Artur Davis, who serves on the committee with King, reminded King of Teddy Roosevelt’s words:

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

If there was any doubt that the distinctions could be starker between Steve King and Rob Hubler, King’s affinity for embarrassing his constituents at every turn and Rob’s defense of constitutional principles surely erased them.

Holiday Road

Vacationing with your kids can be a lot of fun. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but work can still be fun.

We had the audacity to take our girls, 3, 6, and 9 years old to supper in the Amana Colonies one night. I’m still not entirely convinced that they’re old enough to appreciate the historical or cultural significance of the experience.

“This place is SO awesome!” declared the three year old when we first entered, but it wasn’t long before she was dancing beside her chair and trying to escape our table to wander around to other people’s tables. This particular Amana establishment made things fresh and from scratch, this isn’t quick enough for any 3 year old attention span, believe me.

Our six year old was sulking. She’d enjoyed the Children’s Museum at the Coralville Mall so much that she was crushed that we had left the Iowa City vicinity. Our nine year old was sentimental about the restaurant’s music, since it reminded her of their late great-grandfather’s favorite radio show, Polka Party.

But none of them enjoyed the sweet sour kraut or the pickled ham appetizers. Guess it was a good thing that we ordered the chicken rather than knackwurst.

Middle children have it rough. Our six year old was particularly vexed when she found out that instead of another museum or the living history museum in Des Moines, we’d have to push on to get home in time for her older sister’s softball game. Amazing how one phone call to check the schedule changed it from “the best week in my entire life,” to “the worst summer EVER!” My hope is that if she gets the drama out of her system now, adolescence will go pretty smoothly. Right?

Ah, but the most fun was closest to home, when the circus came to Denison. We expectations as low as we could; “I don’t know, we’ll see… it depends on what’s going on that day… we’ll have to see how much it costs… so long as we don’t have anything else going on… as long as neither of you have ball games…you know, the fairgrounds were under a lot of water just last week…” and of course, “I heard from someone who went last year that it wasn’t really that good.”

In spite of our best efforts, the six year old was more wound up about the circus than she is on Christmas Eve. Asking when we were going every ten minutes, telling everyone that we were going etc. etc.

Finally the time had come. Six and Nine scurried upstairs to rouse Three from her nap by excitedly announcing that it was time to go to the circus. This evoked absolute TERROR in the three year old. I don’t remember her throwing such a fit. There was no way that she was going to this circus. She insisted that I stay home with her. The problem, an irrational fear of clowns. She’s three, she hasn’t read any Steven King novels, she’d never even seen a clown before in her short life. Somehow I calmed her down and reasoned enough with her to convince her to come with us, promising that I’d protect her and that there would probably be animals.

The clown was no threat. There was only one. He didn’t have crazy hair or even a face full of white makeup. Heck, he couldn’t have been more than twelve years old himself. It was a “family” circus after all.

Six year old won a balloon, making it “the greatest day of her life.” Then there was the elephant ride afterward. Six year old wanted it most, and Three year old was the most apprehensive. Nine year old was an old hand at this sort of thing because she’d already ridden one back in preschool.

Of course once we mounted the huge beast, things changed. Let me tell you, for adults, elephants aren’t nearly as comfortable as horses, especially if you’re stuck on the tail bone because three little kids got to sit in front of you. The three year old warmed up to it right away, but the six year old was in a sheer panic the while ride, sort of like her father is when I go on roller coasters.

This, along with the denial of an additional pony ride turned the experience into “the worst day of my life, EVER.”

What do you think?

Some folks around here have talked about how our town needs a website. Now I haven't bothered talking to the mayor or the council or really anybody yet, but I did have some fun putting this graphic together. Tell me what you think- both about the graphic and whether or not Charter Oak needs a website.

What d'ya think?

Some folks around here have talked about how our town needs a website. Now I haven't bothered talking to the mayor or the council or really anybody yet, but I did have some fun putting this graphic together. Tell me what you think- both about the graphic and whether or not Charter Oak needs a website.

Dream Ticket?

Things I learned in Professor Jones’ Class

There was a discount movie theater near our house growing up and one summer, Raiders of the Lost Ark was playing there. My brother and I went to see it at the midnight movies every night in a row for two weeks. By the second week we were driving people crazy, sitting in the front row, reciting lines before the actors would.

So last week when I was back in Arizona form my niece’s baptism, I was pumped when my five year old nephew invited me to see the latest Indy movie with them.

Five year old boys have an uncanny ability to recite lines, describe plots, and especially to emulate sound effects from action movies. Daniel has worn out two of the three videotapes he has of the earlier movies, so it was like old times for me and his dad.

People who dissect the Star Wars movies looking for literary merit have credited George Lucas with crafting a new mythology. What he does with the Indiana Jones movies is to capitalize on preexisting myths by repackaging them with a big dose of good old American pop-culture. He and his partners cooked up another serving of cultural iconography like no one else can. Lucas, Spielberg, composer John Williams and Harrison Ford all make gold of any project they touch, but in combination- they have mythological powers.

So what if Doctor Henry Jones Jr. is just a fictional character on the movie screen, he still has impacted at least two generations of Americans with the lessons only he could teach- and not just in archeology, ancient art and antiquities.

For instance, from Raider’s we learn:

• Always wear a jacket, even if it’s a hundred degrees and humid as a Yucatan rain forest.
• Don’t be afraid of spiders.
  
• Try to replace whatever you take with something about the same size.
  
• When a problem gets too big, you must whip it.
  
• Always bring a gun to a knife fight.
  
• Pay attention in Sunday School.
  
• Be careful meddling with powers you don’t understand.
  
• Always read both sides of everything.
  
• Don’t eat dates if you notice there’s a dead monkey around.
  
• Never trust NAZIs and be wary of Frenchmen.
  
• Snakes can be dangerous.
  
• There’s always a way out of anything, even if you have to make it up as you go.
  
• When someone thinks they’re about to unleash the power of God, close your eyes and keep them closed.
  
• And, the government maybe keeping a lot of secrets, but they don’t know what most of them are.

From the Temple of Doom:

• Your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.
  
• You can travel from China to India very quickly, but you may not enjoy the ride.
  
• Monkey brains should be served cold.
  
• Never eat anything that looks back at you.
  
• If someone tells you to eat your heart out, don’t let their hand get anywhere near your chest.
  
• Potato shaped rocks may look worthless, but they may be important to someone.
  
• Children are treasure.
  
• When working in mines, make sure your mine cart has good brakes.
  
• Before you go cutting ties, grab something to hold on to.

From Last Crusade:

• Don’t be selfish, some things belong in a museum.
• The Boy Scouts can teach you a lot, especially how to be prepared.
  
• If you have to get chased by bad guys on a train in the desert southwest, make sure it’s not a circus train.
  
• Listen to your father.
  
• When it comes to treacherous NAZI spies, beautiful Austrian women are as dangerous as ugly German men.
  
• Likewise, you can’t always trust American business men.
  
• Penitence is important.
  
• Let your footsteps be guided by God’s word.
  
• Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith.
  
• Jesus isn’t into flashy jewel-encrusted gold chalices, like any carpenter, His cup is just a simple clay pot.
  
• A good relationship with your Dad is worth more than youth or power.

And from Crystal Skull:

• Always carry a compass.
  
• Greedy friends will turn on you.
  
• If you need to survive an imminent nuclear blast, hide inside a lead-lined refrigerator.
  
• No matter how much you do for your country, people will still question your patriotism.
  
• A real friend is someone who will sacrifice a job for you.
  
• Never bring a knife to a gunfight.
  
• If you want to be an archaeologist, you’re going to have to get out of the library.
  
• Finish school.
  
• Relationships are more important than careers.
  
• It’s important to always return things that don’t belong to you.
  
• The greatest treasure is knowledge.
  
• Don’t mess with ants.
  
• And too much of human existence is lost in waiting, but it’s never too late to start again.

And above all, the right hat can make a man a legend.

America, this is our moment

Hillary Clinton made history by coming so close to winning the Democratic nomination on June 3.

Barack Obama graciously called her “a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.”

More history was made that night. Only two sitting Senators have ever been elected President, Warren G. Harding, and John F. Kennedy. No matter who wins in November, they will be the third. Arizona Senator John McCain (age 71) is the oldest man to ever run for President.

I believe that history was made Tuesday, June 3, not because a Black man had accumulated enough delegates to win a party nomination, but when Sen. Obama told us that “Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.”

McCain’s speech that night was about Barack Obama, about how McCain doesn’t think Obama is qualified to be President and that his rhetoric about hope and change is just rhetoric. Hillary Clinton’s speech that night was about herself and how many people voted for her and how she deserves power. Obama’s speech wasn’t about a Black man making history, it wasn’t about himself or his rivals (except to praise them). His speech was about providing jobs, making taxes fair for the middle and working classes, making college and health care more affordable and restoring our reputation in the world.

Hillary supporters need to pull together behind the Democrat’s new nominee. Democrats will only hurt their chances in the Fall if they continue to campaign using fear, innuendo, and division. Those were the tactics of the Bush administration. Obama showed what he was made of when he stuck to the high road.

"What you won’t hear from this campaign or this party,” he told the crowd in St. Paul that Tuesday night, “is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon – that sees our opponents not as competitors to challenge, but enemies to demonize."

Frankly, I think that’s been a problem afflicting our nation since the days of Joseph Mccarthy.

Religion should be a tie that binds, not a tool for political leverage. So-called conservative Christianity is neither genuinely conservative or at all Christ-like. It’s radical and legalistic, like the Pharisees who were constantly trying to trap Jesus in the Bible.

The Right-wing religion introduced into the public square by the likes of Jerry Falwell back in the 1980’s is about fear, anger, and a need to control culture. It’s about prohibiting and preventing. It’s against a lot of things- but what is it for? It opposes things but what does it propose? Does it propose we feed the hungry? Refresh the thirsty? Invite in the stranger? Clothe the needy? Visit the sick and imprisoned? What would Jesus do?

TRUE patriotism is standing up for the principals embodied in the Declaration, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights- not just the flag or the pledge or a car magnet shaped like a ribbon. It's not a lapel pin.

Choose hope over fear? Yes we can.

I hope that Hillary supporters will unite with Obama supporters to truly change the direction of the Democratic party. So that it will be bottom-up and not top-down. So that it won’t be politics as usual. Millions of small donors on the internet instead of millions from corporate donors and special interest groups and lobbyists.

I also hope that Republicans who are sincere in their concern for traditional values, for families and for honest people who work hard for a living will find something about Senator Obama that they can agree with and be leery of the faux-maverick promises of John McCain.

We all need to be able to argue and debate and hash out solutions together to our problems without calling each other names or writing each other off as irrelevant or morally inferior. It really is time for some serious change.

Let’s come together “to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals."

About time

a resolution, articles of impeachment of george bush, president of the united states. resolved that president george w. bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanor and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the united states senate. articles of impeachment exhibited by the house of representatives of the united states of america in the name of itself and of the people of the united states of america in maintenance and support of its impeachment against george w. bush for high crimes and misdemeanor. it is conduct while president of the united states, george w. bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faith fully execute the office of the office of president of the united states and best of his ability, preserve protect and defend the constitution of the united states and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be safely executed has committed the following abuses of power. article i, creating a secret propaganda campaign to manufacture a false case for war against iraq. in his conduct while president of the united states, george w. bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faith fully execute the office of president of the united states and to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states and in violation of its constitutional duty to take care that the laws be safely executed, has both personally and acting through his agents and subordinates, together with the vice president, illegally spent public dollars on a secret propaganda campaign to manufacture a false cause for war against iraq. the department of defense has engaged in a years long secret domestic propaganda campaign...

Has anyone seem my friend Bobby?

Robert Francis Kennedy

November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968

If only he had not been shot down in Los Angeles in June, August in Chicago would've been different. November 1968 would've been different. We may have left Vietnam 5 years and thousands of lives sooner. And Watergate would just be a hotel and a salad. If only.

"All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.


But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?

Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.

I believe that, as long as there is plenty, poverty is evil.

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?

What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists, is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents. "

Left-wing blogger has moral qualms

Former Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s new book has created a storm of controversy. I’d like to touch briefly on some of the debris being blown around by that storm. But first, let me say a little about the cartoon sitting above this column.

Anytime you employ the NAZIs you're being heavy handed, but then again, cartoons are nothing if they're not hyperbolic. Of course, little Scotty McClellan was never as powerful as Josef Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda. Most people might think Karl Rove was more like Goebbels. From a strictly visual perspective Heinrich Himmler has Roves round face and hairline. Himmler oversaw the SS and the Gestapo, so he was a pretty bad guy too.

I’m obviously a big fat hypocrite because last week I cartooned about how President Bush compared Barrack Obama to Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister who tried to appease Hitler and now I’m comparing Bush Administration members to German monsters. My intention is not to label all right wingers as NAZIs, my intention is to make you think- hmmm, what if we had had cable TV news in the 1930s and 40’s AND to focus on that line from the Karl Rove quote “if he had moral qualms he should have spoken up.” THAT needed the dramatic force of NAZIs to get driven home.

If Scott McClellan had been Hitler’s Deputy Press Secretary, how, when and to who could he have spoken up to? I’m not here to defend him. Most Democrats figure he’s an opportunist making a lot of money for his book. But my point is, if you worked among people with the power and gravitas of the President of the United States, Karl Rove, Collin Powell, Dick Cheney, and Condaleeza Rice while they were beating the drums of war- how easy would it be for you to become a whistle blower? I think it might take me five years to say anything too.

Although, Benito Mussolini said that fascism should more properly be called "corporatism" since it was, under Mussolini, a blending of state and corporate power. Minus the cult of racism that Hitler injected into it, this pretty well describes the political and economic philosophies of President Bush and the Neocons. Which is why I’m always begging my more traditional Republican friends to scrutinize our leaders more closely.

McClellan may prove to be to George Bush what former White House Counsel John Dean was to Richard Nixon. The insider who felt that his loyalty was betrayed so he decided to stop lying and start exposing the lies of his superiors.

Congress has been issuing subpoenas for Karl Rove, Harriet Meyers, Scooter Libby and Anthony Gonzales. Congress wants to know why the anyone in the Justice Department who spoke up about their “moral qualms” got fired. They want to know who ordered the leaking of a CIA agent’s name in retribution for her career diplomat husband having “moral qualms” about the build up to the war. And now, they’re going to want to know who organized the “elaborate propaganda campaign to sell the Iraq war.”

But the Bush administration refuses to testify before congress. Congress may have to exercise their power of “inherent contempt” and send their sergeant of arms out to bring people in to talk because the Attorney General has already ordered area district attorneys from enforcing House subpoenas.

This storm may just dissipate like the Iran-Contra scandal of the late 80’s. Or, it may get a whole lot messier than Watergate.

But Neither Bush nor McClellan is really responsible for the storm.

Cable news anchors rarely practice actual journalism. They present stories that viewers watch, that boosts ratings, which means that they can charge more for commercials. They blow whichever way the prevailing political wind blows. Five years ago we wanted revenge for September 11 so we let the networks beat the drums for war against Iraq. Now, with everyone on both Dems and Republicans weary of the war, Bush approval ratings in the twenties, and we want revenge for rising gas and food prices, the media is realigning to make sure that they continue making money.

There is no true journalism on the national level, only “info-tainers” If corporations didn’t control the media, than Phil Donahue wouldn’t have been fired from MSNBC or Aaron Brown from CNN, or Dan Rather from CBS. But if you think I’m wrong, then go ahead and keep watching those radical liberal-journalists Lou Dobbs and Bill O’Rielly.

We get the media we deserve. The Pentagon has tightly controlled coverage of Iraq, the White House has even prevented footage to be taken of soldiers’ coffins being returned to the U.S. If you’re convinced yourself that the media is liberal or unpatriotic, then you haven’t noticed who really controls the media. Worst case scenario, it’s CEOs protecting the interests of their shareholders. Best case, it’s the free market of consumers- which means us.

McClellan’s book may have been like chum in the water, but the sharks who smelled blood weren’t reporters, they’re we the viewers. Either enjoy the feeding frenzy or turn off the TV and read a book.

Another quote that may be read in history books

"America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth. This was the moment—this was the time—when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals."

~Sen Barack Obama, 6/3/2008

Words that will be written in history books

"What you won’t hear from this campaign or this party is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon – that sees our opponents not as competitors to challenge, but enemies to demonize."

~Sen. Barack Obama

This has been a dramatic difference between Republicans and Democrats since the days of Joseph Mccarthy in the 1950s. Religion should be a tie that binds, not a tool for political leverage. And TRUE patriotism is standing up for the principals embodied in the Declaration, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights- not just the flag or the pledge or some comfortable, capitalist, WASP way of life. It's not a lapel pin.

Choose hope over fear? Yes we can.

Sad for representative government in Iowa

What a shame. Schultz won, and won big.

He had the money- thanks to a lobbying group- to out advertise Freidrichsen big time. How tragic for Hoffman, that the voters in our district would choose idealogical extremism rather than honest and reasonable public servant-hood.

As a Christian, I want Christian voters to wake up and realize that the far right brand of religiosity that King and Schultz represent is one of pure legalism like the Pharisees, not the grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, and compassion of Jesus Himself.

Right-wing religion isn't about Jesus and His teachings, it's about fear, anger, and the desire to control society- not about helping others or first changing yourself. Stop abortions, stop gay marriage, stop immigration- We know what you hate, but what are you for?

Want to go back to the days of coat hanger abortions? Especially the girls who are victims of rape and incest.

Rather have the gay folks in freaky night clubs than mundane, monogamous domesticity?

Prefer those immigrants to be bringing all kinds of diseases, involved in crime, uneducated and wallowing in decrepit ghettos instead of working withing the system and contributing to, even though they're culturally different than you and me?

Okay then, make sure you put all of your energy into preventing anything you don't like from happening. Keep trying to make sure those you distrust are driven underground.

As a fiscal conservative, someone who opposes deficit spending and seeks accountability and reform in government- I wish that conservative voters would wake up and see that being beholden to ANY PAC, lobby, or interest group means that you have THEIR interests at heart, not your constituents. No matter how just and righteous their positions seem.

Iowans for Tax Relief? No one likes paying taxes, but we all like decent roads, safe bridges, and competitive schools. Tax Relief is a red herring for Republicans to swindle voters out of paying attention to real issues and it always has been. ITR was an easy way to get some bucks for campaign. Lets say we want to deport all the illegal immigrants, prevent all the abortions, and deny all the homos spousal benefits- we have to have some revenue to pay to enforce all those socially conservative laws. What the Hell, let's go out on a limb and say that we are going to stay in Iraq for another hundred years. How ya gonna pay for it? Taxes are a necessary evil, my friend.

The keys are how you structure the tax burden and what you spend the revenue on. Republicans want to tax the working class the most and millionaires, billionaires and corporations the most and they want to spend the money on no-bid military contracts to corporations they hold stock in. Democrats prefer a progressive tax structure where the more you can afford, the more you're asked bare. And we want to spend it on silly, frivolous things like infrastructure, education, law enforcement, scientific research, and who knows, maybe even health care.

Even more sad than Schultz winning Hoffman's seat in the Iowa House is that the Democrats of Dist. 55 don't have their act together enough to even field a candidate to oppose Schultz this Fall. Come on team, wake up and get it together by 2010!!!

I didn't want to write about this in my actual column in the PRESS. I don't want to alienate too many of my readers, because I honor and appreciate their sensitivities to "traditional values," and I realize that to many of them King and Schultz are "favorite sons," and local boys done good. And in spite of how vehemently I've written here, I don't want to create any animosity or make any personal attack on Schultz. I'm sure he holds all of his beliefs as sincerely as I hold mine and I even imagine that he doesn't see the ITR or any other Committee or group with the experience that Clarence did, so he doesn't see anything wrong with taking their money. They're a means to an ends and the ends is just a means by which to fight for his "values." But I just had to vent, so I did it here. So here it is.

People accuse Liberals of being "elitist" snobs who think we're all better than everybody else. That's because we think things all the way through and don't oversimplify them into their most base black-and white forms. Here's what I mean; no one is "pro-abortion." I value life and love babies, but the fact is that when more restrictions are put on abortions, then abortion rates rise. The Bible may disallow homosexuality, but the Constitution guarantees equal treatment under the law, and Jesus cavorted with tax collectors and prostitutes, not religious and political leaders. And Latinos come here for jobs and a better way of life, not to dilute or undermine traditional white Anglo-Saxon Protestant society. We should investigate employers who offer them jobs at bellow minimum wage with no benefits under the table so they don't have to withhold FICA and Social Security taxes. If we don't reach out to them in their native Spanish language, we increase things like TB and other diseases among them, and increase their crime rates and decrease their literacy rates. That makes them more of a drag on our society, not less of one.

Thinking things through is not bad, and it's not snobby or elitist.

Sigh. Enough ranting. I need to finish yearbook pages, order supplies, maybe even write a real column or draw a cartoon. Isn't there anyone else in Western Iowa who can see how short-sighted our supposed representatives are?

Stop Special Interest Groups in Iowa

The Hoffmans endorse Don! Help stop the Lobbyists, the PACs, the special interest group money, Vote for Don! Vote Don Friedrichsen for Iowa House District 55!

So sayeth fmr Gov. Tom

Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor and a national co-chairman of Clinton's campaign, said Sunday: "It does appear to be pretty clear that Senator Obama is going to be the nominee. After Tuesday's contests, she needs to acknowledge that he's going to be the nominee and quickly get behind him."

Night time in the garden of good and evil

Proof that you can use your macro setting on your camera, even in the middle of the night.

The bride at midnight

facebook Ted Mallory 8:45pm Jun 1st The bride at midnight To tmal.pics@blogger.com The last of the irises to open were the white ones, but how to shoot them. White is SO tricky, so temperamental, so hard to do justice. Well, at about 10 o'clock at night I took my trusty Cannon Poershot S3 and gave it a try. NIght setting, no good, action setting, auto, no good. Okay, what the heck? Macro a gain, maybe even the super-macro. Would the flash just make a mess? No, the flash hit things BEHIND and therefore worked like a studio backlight. WOW!!! I had to share. Please leave comments if you can. Ted has shared an album with you. To view the album or to reply to the message, follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1175520010&k=ZWLTQXU43WXM5ADFVJ65YU Are your friends bothering you? You can opt out of emails from friends on Facebook.