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Doctor Who in Iowa City!

April 2, 2014, 4:24 pm
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Gay Marriage in Iowa Turns Five!

April 3, 2014, 4:41 pm
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It has been exactly five years since the Iowa Supreme Court issued its unanimous ruling in the Varnum v. Brien case. That's the court case that struck down Iowa's DOMA law and made it so that same-sex couples could get legally married in this state. My blog was still over at Beliefnet at that point and this was my immediate reaction back on April 3, 2009:
Good news!  Iowa's Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling striking down the state's DOMA law.  In less than a month, all couples -- mixed-gender or same-sexed -- will be able to obtain marriage licenses!

What this doesn't mean: Churches and ministers will not be forced to marrry gay couples.  They are not forced to marry any straight couple right now and this will not change.  Churches can set whatever wedding policy they want: no weddings; only weddings for members; only weddings for members or family members of members; only weddings for members of their denominations or faith; etc.  If First Congregation United Church of Christ in Anytown, IA, decides that it doesn't want to marry Jim & Jerry, nothing can force them to do this.

What this means: I'm engaged to my husband, Mark!  No specific plans currently exist, but we are going to get a marriage license to protect ourselves and our children.

Even with a DOMA law in place, we were able to wed at my church, Faith United Church of Christ, back in 1997.  It was a purely symbolic ceremony.  Even if the state wasn't going to recognize our union, it was important to both of us to find a church that was willing to unite us as a couple.

The church honors our marriage.  Our state doesn't.  Still doesn't until we obtain a license.

Now we have the opportunity to become legally married.  We will definitely do a "justice of the peace" type ceremony.  We want to make it clear to anyone and everyone that this license has nothing to do with God, with the church, or with religion.  It's a license that offers specific state-honored rights and responsibilities.

It is possible that we will hold a follow-up religious wedding.  That's still being considered.  But we already did that nearly 12 years ago.

Either way, it's an exciting day for us and many other Iowans!!!!
Pretty much everything that I said back then remained true -- though we did end up having a second church wedding instead of a "justice of the peace" ceremony.

I must have had a planned vacation day back then. I remember that I was at the gym that day when I heard the news. I was getting dressed following my work-out and shower and I remember watching that portion of the news-cast in that crowded locker room.

I remember going with Husband Mark and the boys to the UI Pentacrest that afternoon and celebrating at an impromptu marriage equality rally. My pastor and his wife were there. Several of the families from my now-defunct gay parenting group were there. It was a lot of people cheering and celebrating and planning ahead for some not-too-distant moment when we would be able to get legally married.

Iowa was an important victory. We're this small state in the middle of the country and nobody ever thinks of us as a gay anything state. And then we became the 3rd state in the nation to allow gay marriage. People were like, "Wow! If it could happen in Iowa then it can happen anywhere!" -- And it has!

Since then, same-sex marriage has spread across the country. It's in 17 states plus Washington DC plus several American Indian tribes plus it's pending in several other states -- plus there are four other states with fairly comprehensive civil union/domestic partnership laws. Let's face it. A lot has happened in five years!

Congratulations Iowa on achieving this milestone!
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Deadpool's Bride Revealed!

April 3, 2014, 5:28 pm
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Several months ago, Marvel Comics revealed that Deadpool was going to get married. But they were keeping the identity of his future bride a secret. But then they spoiled the identity of his bride in an online preview of DEADPOOL #27 earlier today.

Deapool's mysterious bride? It's a demon named Shiklah, Queen of the Underworld:


I have no clue who Shiklah is. I don't know if she's made previous appearance in any of Deadpool's comic books or anywhere else. But I do know that she's attracted to Wade and that she's never vomited on him, which are two strong factors towards the development of a marriage with a healthy long life. Who can argue with that?
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Where Did the "Bar Rescue" O'Face Bar Fight Video Come From?

April 4, 2014, 6:51 am
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A couple weeks ago, Spike TV aired an episode of Bar Rescue featuring the O'Face Bar in Council Bluffs, IA. The episode has become infamous because of the bar's out-of-control owners and employees, which led to Jon Taffer quitting this particular make-over.

One of the things that I wondered out, but ultimately didn't include in my earlier blog article about what the fight video that Jon Taffer revealed at the end of the show. It featured a fight between bar owner Matt and bartender Dave. There were some other shenanigans, but Matt slapping Dave was the big event that finally convinced Taffer to abandon O'Face Bar.


Let me tell you a bit about my background. Way back in high school, I took a video production class. I can assure you that every bit of equipment that I worked with back in 1990 is completely out-of-date, but it offered me some perspective about the process of video production. Didn't the quality of footage seem good for an amateur video? Who edited it together?

Where exactly did that video come from???


Turns out that others had the same question and the Bar Rescue Update blog did a little investigation to find the answers. Follow the link to read the whole thing, but it appears that the infamous O'Face Bar Fight Video most likely came from their Spike TV audition tape:
When Bar Rescue comes to a city, they tell multiple bars they are under consideration and that Jon will be coming to 1 of the 3 bars (see question 3 in this link).  This probably encourages the bars to do things that they think will make for good TV in hopes of getting picked over the other bars.  Producers probably told this to O'Face, so they decided to stage not 1, but 2 fights in hopes of getting a free makeover.  This also lets Jon Taffer claim that nothing is scripted as they do not tell people what to do, but let them know they need to be interesting to be picked.
The camera quality and sound quality on the video of Matt slapping Dave is pretty good and not too shaky as you normally see on regular Youtube videos.  Also, there is no reaction from the camera operator filming this fight (no narration or "Ohhhhh") and the other people besides Bryan in the video don't react either.  So, I will buy that it was staged and that assume that Bar Rescue producers are the ones that filmed the fight.  I don't think there was an "unnamed source" that provided Jon with the video of this.  Whether Jon knew about this fight the first day or found out later could be debated I guess, but you would assume he would have known.
Bar Rescue Update pulls together various comments and tweets from the O'Face Bar owners and staff asserting that the fights were fake and staged for the program.
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Des Moines Man Cited after Hiding Pet Goat from Animal Control Officers

April 5, 2014, 7:08 am
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I learned something new today. I already knew that it's okay to raise chickens within the city limits of Des Moines, IA. But it's illegal to raise a goat within the city limits of Des Moines, IA.

Last Thursday, animal control officers were notified of a "goat running loose" in a Des Moines neighborhood. The responding officer arrived in the area and eventually identified the goat in question.

The goat -- identified in the comments section of this article as William (yes, I'm being serious) -- was in the yard of Lonny Kirschbaum. Kirschbaum refused to surrender his goat and helped William escape from the animal control officer into his home.

Kirschbaum was later discovered sneaking William out of the house and hiding behind a car. William was then taken into custody by the animal control officer. Kirschbaum was cited for illegally keeping a goat within city limits. This was not the first time that he has been cited on this issue.
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INHUMAN #1: Change Comes to the Inhumans

April 5, 2014, 4:25 pm
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I just finished reading INHUMAN #1. It's an interesting new chapter for Marvel Comics' Inhuman characters.

Before 2013, the Inhumans were a mutant race of former humans who lived in servitude under Black Bolt, Medusa, and the Royal Family. After the Infinity cross-over, we learned that there appear to be several secret break-away Inhuman communities hidden across the planet (though, to be fair, we already knew of at least one of those offshoot Inhuman communities populated by Red Raven and several bird-people), plus several humans with unrealized Inhuman DNA who are just waiting for exposure to the Terrigan Mists to jump start those powers.

Most earlier Inhumans were joined together culturally. They worshiped the same gods. They followed the same leaders. They grew up with the same goals and avoided the same taboos.

But these new Inhumans are different. They hold no loyalty to the Royal Family -- or to any of these offshoot Inhuman communities. They are culturally diverse. They are religiously diverse. They may be genetic Inhumans, but they are not cultural Inhumans. Some may indeed embrace their new heritage, but others won't. Or they may band together to form their own kingdom. Who knows?

That's the beauty behind INHUMAN.

There are three main players in this book. First, there is Medusa. She is the Inhuman Queen who just lost her king and her kingdom. She is charged with picking up the pieces (literally) after Attilan falls from the sky. Can she reunite and reorganize her scattered people? And where does she start with this daunting task?


Then there is Lash. He is from one of these other Inhuman communities. It's a city called Orollan. For many generations, they had enough Terrigan energy to transform a chosen few. We don't know much about him yet, but one can assume that Lash (and possibly the others from Orollan) believe in the power of eugenics. He seeks out those in the midst of terrigenesis. If he approves of their abilities and their control, then they live. If not...


Lastly, there is Dante. He's a young musician from Des Plaines, Illinois. He and his mother were sleeper Inhumans. He survived the process. She did not. Want to guess his powers?:


INFERNO #1 ends with a choice. Will Dante side with the Fallen Kingdom of Attilan or will he turn to the Hidden City of Orollan? Or maybe he choose something completely different...

"Genesis" is written by Charles Soule, drawn by Joe Madureira, and colored by Marte Gracia.
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World Vision USA Board Member Resigns Over Gay Marriage Flip-Flop

April 6, 2014, 1:03 pm
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(Fuller)
World Vision USA created a firestorm two weeks ago. It became known that the Christian charity had expanded its employment policies to include married gay people. Christians responded by canceling roughly 10,000 child sponsorships. Within 48 hours, World Vision USA's CEO announced that they reversed their policy and would no longer employ married gay people. World Vision USA then apologized profusely to the Christians who had abandoned them for their mistake. As far as I can tell, they still haven't acknowledged any error with how they have treated their LGBT and progressive Christian supporters.

Earlier this week, one of World Vision USA's board members resigned in direct response to the ministry's reclaimed anti-gay family policies:
Jacquelline Fuller, director of corporate giving for Google Inc., said in an email Wednesday to The Associated Press that she remains a “huge fan” of the group’s work on behalf of the poor, but she resigned Friday “as I disagreed with the decision to exclude gay employees who marry.”

She declined to comment further...

Fuller had served on the board for just over two years. World Vision President Richard Stearns released a statement thanking Fuller for her service.
So far, Fuller has been the only World Vision USA board member to resign since this whole controversy erupted. 
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Easter Bunny Comes to Riverside, IA, on April 12, 2014

April 6, 2014, 1:24 pm
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I've written before about Trek Fest. It's an annual celebration of Captain James T. Kirk's future birthplace in nearby Riverside, IA. I noticed today that they recently updated their website. In case you were wondering, Trek Fest XXX is scheduled for June 27-28, 2014! (More on that on a later date!)

But they also have a list of other 2014 events, including an upcoming event titled "Easter Bunny Comes to Riverside, Iowa," which immediately made me think of the accompanying image! This is Trek-related, after all!

As of this moment, I don't know much about this event. But I assume that it will involve a giant rabbit, lots of children, and lots of hidden eggs and candies. You can experience the fun at Hall Park in Riverside, IA, next Saturday, April 12th at 10 AM. Have fun!
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Acting Legend Mickey Rooney Dead at Age 93

April 7, 2014, 5:31 am
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Legendary screen actor Mickey Rooney died yesterday at his home at the age of 93. He appeared in over 300 films throughout his life, spanning from silent films in the 1920s to very recent movies like "The Muppets" and "Night at the Museum."

Rooney is connected to Iowa City and University of Iowa playing the role of the late Bill Sackter and two made-for-TV movies ("Bill" and "Bill: On His Own") back in 1981 and 1983. Based on real life, these two movies told about the mentally disabled Sackter and his journey from being institutionalized in Minnesota to living on his own in Iowa City and running his own coffee shop.

I remember watching Bill in one of my social work classes at Luther College. Rooney did a great job with this role (as did a very young Dennis Quaid, who played the role of Barry Morrow). In fact, he won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Bill Sackter.

He will be missed.
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Archie Andrews to be Killed // LIFE WITH ARCHIE to be Canceled with Issue #37

April 8, 2014, 10:21 am
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The big comic book news today is that Archie Comics will be killing off Archie Andrews in July 2014. Additionally, LIFE WITH ARCHIE will be canceled effective #37.

For those who don't read comic books, Archie will still exist as a living teen in his ongoing comic book. And he will continue fighting zombies in AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE. But the adult versions of Archie featured in the split comic book title LIFE WITH ARCHIE will be killed off by some unknown menace.

I'm sure I will write more about this later, but I only have so much time during my lunch hour. Suffice it to say that I am deeply conflicted about this development. I absolutely love LIFE WITH ARCHIE. It is the title that got me back into reading Archie Comics comic books. But I also knew that it would be difficult to maintain this serialized comic book for too long.

Archie's death will occur in LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36 and Riverdale will react in issue #37.
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Nero at Daycare -- 04/10/14

April 10, 2014, 5:21 pm
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Nero really enjoyed the warmer weather today. From the looks of these photos, most of the dogs were hiding in the shade. But not Nero! He was strutting his stuff and showing off for the cameras! Check this out:

 
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Nigerian Child Bride Kills Husband & Three Others With Rat Poison

April 10, 2014, 6:42 pm
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A 14-year-old Nigerian child bride is facing charges of culpable homicide after killing her 35-year-old husband and three of his friends:
Police... quote 14-year-old Wasila Umaru as saying she used rat poison in the food because she was forced to marry a man she did not love. The couple was married last week. The 35-year-old groom had invited a dozen friends to celebrate at his village 100 kilometres from the north Nigerian city of Kano over the weekend.

Child marriage is common in Nigeria and especially in the mainly Muslim north.
Before anyone points to slippery slopes of gay weddings leading to weddings between adults and children, it is worth nothing that Nigerian does not recognize any LGBT rights or protections.
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Toni Topaz Reunites with the Bettys -- and Nero!

April 11, 2014, 2:36 pm
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Stuffed Animal continues to forward his artwork to me featuring his vision of the Archies as they age and develop their musical talents. Somehow Nero gets involved with many of their acts and more recently my drag alternate Jonniemae Trouten has also found herself dipping her toe in their musical adventures.

Earlier today, I received new material featuring one of my favorite lesser known Archie Comics characters: Toni Topaz. Toni has appeared in a small handful of comic books over the past few years. But she's made a huge splash on the covers of most of their recent comic book digests. So how cool was it to find my favorite cover girl performing with my favorite standard poodle? Not only that, but we got ourselves a reunion of my favorite girl group, the Bettys!

Check this out:



Thanks again, Stuffed Animal! I can't get enough of your work!
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Utah AG to Gay Couples: "Sorry for Causing You Pain!"

April 11, 2014, 2:47 pm
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Utah continues to appeal an earlier federal court decision overturning that state's same-sex marriage ban. The New York Times has a long article detailing the process and the court challenge. The three-judge panel seems divided. We shall see how this develops.

But what got my blood boiling were these paragraphs towards the end of the article:
As Mr. Kitchen and the other plaintiffs chatted and exchanged reassuring pats on the shoulder in the courtroom, they were approached by Utah’s attorney general, Sean Reyes, whose office has taken the lead role in defending the same-sex marriage ban. Shaking hands and greeting the plaintiffs, Mr. Reyes crouched down and told them: “I’m sorry that we’re causing you pain. Sometime after the case is over, I hope we can sit down.”

After the hearing, Mr. Reyes said he had told the plaintiffs that the legal confrontation was not personal, and that he knew that the plaintiffs’ families were as important to them as his own was to him. But he said it was unclear what would happen to the unions and benefits of Utah’s newly married same-sex couples if the state prevailed in its appeals. Utah has previously raised the possibility that those marriages could be dissolved.
What the hell???

Might I suggest one way that Mr. Reyes could alleviate the plaintiffs' pain: Stop leading the charge to maintain Utah's anti-gay family policies and stop trying to invalidate Utah's existing gay marriages.
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"Archie: Riverdale Rescue": Easter!

April 12, 2014, 10:36 am
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I began writing about the "Archie: Riverdale Rescue" iOS gaming app back in October 2013. Since then, the game has expanded to PC users. It's an oddly addictive game where you are tasked with the improvement and beautification of Riverdale USA using a variety of recognizable characters, such as Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. A big part of the game also involves building emotional bonds between the various characters, leading to romantic couples, BFFs, and overall friends. I thought it would be fun to discuss aspects of the game that I find exciting, disappointing, and/or note-worthy.

The "Riverdale Rescue" game was upgraded earlier this week. This latest upgrade is an Easter update. Unlike previous holiday/season-themed upgrades, this Easter upgrade didn't introduce any new Quests. But there were lots of other upgrade elements that really got me excited.

Here is the concept. Dilton has been experimenting on Bunnies in his lab. I'm not sure what happened (maybe PETA pulled a liberation effort), but the Bunnies escaped and are slowly swarming Riverdale! If left unchecked, they will eat up all the local vegetation!


Here is something important to realize as you begin playing after the Easter upgrade: It takes a while for the Bunnies to appear. Pretty much everyone I know who plays "Riverdale Rescue" did the Easter upgrade and then stared at their game expecting to see tons of Bunnies, but saw nothing.

I reached out to The Archie Game twitter account and asked for a tip. They told me that it takes about 12 minutes for Bunnies to appear within the game. If you are walking Runty (like I was early in the game -- more on him below!!), then that will also delay the Bunnies' appearances. Also, it seems like it's a slow build-up. Initially, you will find one or two white Bunnies. As your game progresses, it looks like the number of Bunnies increases and the types of Bunnies will diversify.

In order to protect Riverdale, game players are tasked with collecting the liberated Bunnies! If you see a Bunny, you just need to tap them and they will get trapped -- and presumably sent back to Dilton's lab for future experimentation!! There are three types of Bunnies and you earn points for each Bunny that you capture. Your points will vary depending on the type of Bunny that you capture:


This Easter upgrade marks the first time since the initial launch of "Riverdale Rescue" where a new character was introduced to the game: Runty! You'll be forgiven if you don't remember Runty. He was introduced in late 2012 in the digital exclusive comic book REGGIE & ME (here), but he's also appeared in print once in ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #244 (here).


Runty is not a free character. He costs about 150 soda pop points, if I remember correctly. You can definitely earn soda pop points for free by playing the game, but unless you've been playing a really long time and stockpiling it'll take a long time to get enough to "buy" Runty in for free. If you don't have enough soda pop points to pull Runty into the game, then you can purchase him through iTunes. (I'm not quite sure how PC players purchase buy-in characters like Runty or Hot Dog or Kevin Keller, etc...)

Runty in "Riverdale Rescue" is very much like Hot Dog. Unlike Hot Dog, Runty doesn't clean up the trash or tall grass, nor does he repair the torn up landscape. But he does enjoy going for walks with other characters.

More importantly, he collects Bunnies!! Not only that, he collects a lot of Bunnies! Runty can gather up more Bunnies in one walk than you can hope to gather up without him. Every time you walk him, you'll end up with 80-90 captured Bunnies and those Bunny points add up quickly!

Here is something important to realize as you begin playing after the Easter upgrade: It takes a while for the Bunnies to appear. Pretty much everyone I know who plays "Riverdale Rescue" did the Easter upgrade and then stared at their game expecting to see tons of Bunnies, but saw nothing.

I reached out to The Archie Game twitter account and asked for a tip. They told me that it takes about 12 minutes for Bunnies to appear within the game. If you are walking Runty (like I was early in the game -- more on him below!!), then that will also delay the Bunnies' appearances. Also, it seems like it's a slow build-up. Initially, you will find one or two white Bunnies. As your game progresses, it looks like the number of Bunnies increases and the types of Bunnies will diversify.

 So why should you collaborate with Dilton the Animal Experimenter? What's in it for you? As I noted above, you earn Bunny points for each captured Bunny. You win prizes as you hit Bunny point milestones, including a Bunny hutch, new outfits, and various monuments. Check these out:


Once you are rewarded for your hard work, you can then upgrade your own private Riverdale, which can be a lot of fun! Check out some of the work I've been up to this week:




As usual, there are lots of new outfits introduced with this upgrade. Some are rewards. Some are for sale. One is an automatic addition.

Dilton is the one character whose primary outfit changed once "Riverdale Rescue" got upgraded for Easter. I think I like it! I like it a lot! I think it would be cool if we could keep this skin during the next upgrade:

Easter Dilton
Then there are the outfits that you earn once you meet certain Bunny point milestones:

Easter Betty // Veronica // Jughead
Then there are the new outfits that you can purchase through the game. It took me a while to figure out Moose's and Midge's Easter outfits. They remind me of their winter outfits, but I think they're supposed to be jogging outfits. So maybe they're taking advantage of the warmer temperatures?:

Easter Reggie // Ethel // Moose // Midge
There is one other outfit that you can purchase for Easter. It's a cute Easter Bunny outfit for Archie. But I also managed to win a free safari outfit for Archie, which is pretty cool:

Easter Archie // Safari Archie
And, of course, here is a picture of Runty, who you can purchase through iTunes, along with his dog house. Notice Reggie's house, which has a mixture of Halloween and Valentine's Day decorations!:


I'm not sure how long the "Riverdale Rescue" Easter upgrades will last. I can say that I've had a lot of fun playing with Runty, re-decorating my own private Riverdale, and chasing after the Bunnies. I can't wait to see what the next upgrade will be about!
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Washington, IA, Has It's Own MRAP Military Vehicle

April 13, 2014, 9:47 am
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(Washington IA's MRAP)
I've written before that I enjoy reading the rants & raves on Craigslist. I woke to the following Craigslist rant (follow the link for the full message):
Attention citizens of Iowa City....yes, you are a "city" of only 7,000, with several thou seasonal students, but your police force recently acquired a TANK from the feds to keep you in line. Funny, that a traditionally liberal enclave of intellectual loons would see or need such a thing, but you got it. CONGRATULATIONS!...
The entire message left me scratching my head, given that our population is roughly 70,000 with our students -- and not even remotely that low during the times when the UI students leave due to Winter Break, Spring Break, and Summer.

But I was really curious about the tank. I wasn't aware that Iowa City now has its own tank.

Fortunately, another Craiglister posted this message and filled in a few more details:
Washington, Iowa, a town with a population of 7,000, has an MRAP. It was reported by the Daily Iowan, a UI student-run paper in Iowa City, and subsequently picked up by InfoWars, which is where I am guessing you got your information...
That cleared things up a bit more. Washington, IA, is a smaller community about 30 miles south of Iowa City. I worked there for about a year right out of college, but haven't been back since 1996 or so. It's hardly a "liberal enclave." Both Washington, IA, and Washington County are known for being Republican-dominated communities.

My curiosity continued to escalate, so I did some searches and found the Daily Iowan article in question, which ended up being an editorial piece. I decided to dig around a little more and found this article from early last month:
Washington Police will be getting an armored vehicle that's typically used by the U.S. military.

Tuesday night (Jon's note: March 4, 2014), in a four to one decision, the Washington City Council approved Police Chief Greg Goodman's request for a "demilitarized" MRAP or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected troop transport. The MRAP police will be getting is missing the weapons turret, other military hardware and electronics. Officials said it’s essentially a big armored truck.

MRAPs typically cost about $500,000. Washington Police are getting theirs for free under a U.S. Defense Department program that gives surplus military equipment to law enforcement. Washington Police said the only cost will be the transportation fee to bring vehicle up from Texas.

Chief Goodman calls the MRAP a big win for his officers’ safety. “Is it going to be used a lot? No. I don't anticipate that at all. But, it really only takes once to make it worth its while,” said Goodman.

Goodman said while some in Washington worry the MRAP will militarize his 11-officer department, that’s not the case. He said the vehicle will be used in special circumstances such as active shooters.
According to this Des Moines Register article, that Washington, IA, has received its MRAP.

In case you think that Washington is unique, it's not the only community in Iowa to have it's own MRAP. Mason City and Storm Lake both have MRAP. So do the sheriff departments in Buena Vista, Jasper, Scott, and Story Counties.

So there you go. I learned today that Iowa City does NOT have a tank, but Washington, IA, has an MRAP.
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Debby Boone Shows Her Support for LGBT People at This Weekend's GLAAD Awards

April 14, 2014, 4:22 pm
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Singer Debby Boone was interviewed this past weekend at the GLAAD awards where she publicly reaffirmed her support for marriage equality:
I'm really happy to be here in support of GLAAD, because I am one of the people that has made the transition from an old way of thinking to a new one. And I think that's really the crux of what GLAAD is all about...I have really good friends and family members that have changed my mind. And the couple that we're with tonight is a lesbian couple who attended the church where my husband was associate rector.
You can watch this clip for more information:



The National Enquirer published a piece last summer about Debby Boone and husband Gabriel Ferrer and how they both support equal marriage rights, rites, & responsibilities for same-sex couples. In fact, Ferrer has officiated at the weddings of gay and lesbian couples.
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Bat-Llama!

April 14, 2014, 4:53 pm
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This has been scene floating around the Internet and it's too good not to share! Enjoy!:

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Iowa May Pass Limited Medical Marijuana Bill

April 16, 2014, 5:20 am
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Medical marijuana has been one of the newer political developments over the past couples years, but not in Iowa. I mean, there have been attempts to legalize it here. But nothing serious. And neither the Iowa House nor Gov. Terry Branstad have shown any interest in budging on the issue.. until very recently.

A couple weeks ago, Gov. Branstad met with a group of parents who were lobbying the governor for help relieve their uncontrolled seizure conditions through the use of medical marijuana. Now it seems like Gov. Branstad was actually receptive to their pleas:
It appears the governor and legislators are serious about a narrowly crafted bill designed to help victims of seizure disorders. This proposal could be a constructive first step toward eventual broader legislation that, while not allowing recreational use, could help thousands of Iowans suffering debilitating pain or other severe medical problems where no other treatment has been effective.

Recent lobbying efforts by mothers of children with seizure disorders, frequently associated with epilepsy, got the attention of lawmakers as well as Gov. Terry Branstad, who met with several of them. The governor has opposed legalization medical marijuana, at least not until he sees more research on the issue. Last week, however, he indicated support for legislation that advanced in the Senate and would be limited to allowing the use of cannabis oil for seizure disorders. The oil, cannabidiol, is a compound in cannabis that has little THC, the substance that gives marijuana users a high, but greater amounts of the CBD that has medical effects, including some dramatic, documented reduction of seizure incidents. 

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and House Speaker Kraig Paulsen both indicated that the parents’ compelling testimony about their children and having to travel to other states to get cannabis oil grabbed the attention of the full legislative body, including Rep. Clel Baudler, a former state trooper who had been a strong skeptic.
Iowa's legislators don't have a lot of time to work on this proposal. Maybe a couple weeks. But this is good news for proponents of medical marijuana. If nothing else, it looks good for next year.
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Nero and the Archies -- The Final Chapter!

April 16, 2014, 4:14 pm
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Stuffed Animal informed me last week that he plans to pull away from his Archies artwork and move towards his own characters. He gave me permission to post his final cartoons featuring the Archies.

First off, Toni Topaz reunited with The Bettys. Not only that, but Nero decided to go on tour with them! Check out my favorite band:


Then we jump ahead to the year 2025. Jason Blossom has bought the rights to the Archies' music and released a compilation of their music on their Golden Sugar album. Nero's looking pretty good for a nearly 15-year-old poodle. I personally think that he's been taking botox!


While we're checking out Golden Sugar, check out the gatefold album:


Lastly, Stuffed Animal came up with "Six On A Soda," featuring this poster insert. Note that Nero did the Archies' clothing designs!


We shall see if these are indeed the final Archies cartoons by Stuffed Animal. I want to thank him for sharing the pictures that I've posted on this blog, as well as other cartoons that I haven't posted -- including some NSFW pics of Reggie, Kevin, and Clay!!!

Thanks again, Stuffed Animal!
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