Jon's Blog

Nero really doesn't like winter anymore. I'm assuming that it's a sign of middle age, because he used to love romping around in the cold and snow. Most days, he'd now rather rest indoors! Except when it comes to doggy daycare!

Our standard poodle still enjoys going to doggy daycare throughout the week. I warned them that he'd probably prefer staying inside rather than play outside, but they still managed to capture some pics of him socializing out in the frigid cold today!

Check it out:

I shared last week that the Salvation Army will be hosting a temporary winter daytime warming shelter here in Iowa City in order to provide warmth and protection during the winter months. It opened this week on the 14th and will run through mid-March. The warming shelter will be open in the mornings at a time when other resources, such as the Shelter House and the Crisis Center are not available for access.

Johnson County Social Services' director spoke to the Board of Supervisors earlier today to discuss the warming shelter. One of the supervisors raised concerns about the fact that Johnson County General Assistance staff will spend about five hours monthly at the Salvation Army.

Supervisor Janelle Rettig was concerned that Johnson County staff can now work at any church in this community. Meanwhile, Supervisor Rod Sullivan and Social Services director Lynette Jacoby argued that this is a community program operated by the Local Homeless Coordinating Board (LHCB) and that it's taking place at the Salvation Army, but that it's not exactly a Salvation Army program.

Rettig countered that a Salvation Army press release clearly advertised that it was their program and that others were going to be staffing it and that this was an unjust mingling of tax dollars for church programming. She also argued that the Salvation Army was describing the program as their program on their website and that people who wanted to volunteer there were being asked to sign up with the Salvation Army. (Jon's Note: I just checked and I'm not seeing that at all. But it's very likely that somebody contacted the Salvation Army after this meeting that that it's been removed from the website since this morning.)

Here are some Facebook posts that have arisen since this morning on the subject:

and...

Bottom line: The majority of the Board of Supervisors supports this temporary daytime warming center and members of the General Assistance staff will spend about five hours per month there assisting shelter participants with things like food assistance applications.

There was an interesting observation from the Social Services staff at this BOS meeting that GA staff regularly refer community members to church-sponsored events that provide a variety of services, including food, clothing, school supplies, and Christmas gifts. We do it also at my program. But we're certainly not serving as volunteers at those programs -- certainly not during work hours anyway. Rettig's concerns about church/state co-mingling certainly exists here and I'm sure that this conversation will come up again in local politics.

I learned today that there is a "nude cleaning service" based out of Mason City, IA. As reported by North Iowa Today:

NIT recently spoke to a person who claims she, along with several others, are involved in running a nude cleaning service here in Mason City. The woman – who spoke to NIT on the condition of anonymity – says that she was recently homeless. After scrambling to find a roof over her head, she devised the idea to offer cleaning services – something she had done in the past – but add the twist of nudity to the money-making equation.

This business charges $50 per hour, plus travel expenses. There are currently three women currently working for this business, plus some men, and they all clean in the nude. The business is advertised on Craigslist. Lastly, there is no sexual contact. Just cleaning.

As long as the work is being done inside and on private property (and presumably as long as there continues to be no sexual contact), this appears to be legal in Mason City.

Earlier this week, the City Council in Jacksonville, FL, held a public hearing on the expansion of the city's Human Rights Ordinance to include "sexual orientation, gender identity and expression" to the list of protected populations and characteristics that you cannot discriminate on the basis of.

Of course, the church communities came to the meeting to speak out against this change. Because it involves LGBT people and religious people too often do not want consequences when they discriminate against LGBT people.

Tuesday's meeting took a turn for the weird when one of the opponents offered his opinion for why the Human Rights Ordinance shouldn't be expanded -- and, in the process, confessed to repeatedly molesting children and always evading legal consequences:

“I lived most of my life sexually assaulting kids and never went to jail. Because why? Kids believed me that hey this is, you’re alright son. This is not a problem. Okay? This happens in homosexual lifestyle,” Bay said.

When Bay made his statement the meeting nearly stopped. He was speaking against the ordinance saying homosexuals don’t need the protection. Bay said he was molesting kids in restrooms most of his life, he’s never been charged with a crime and there is no record he ever did it. Now the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is looking into it.

You can listen to his whole speech here. You can also hear the audience cheer for him because -- despite admitting to sexually assaulting kids -- he eventually found Jesus.

As noted above, authorities are now looking into Roy Bay's confession.

Bay came to the meeting with a group from Evangel Temple. The church's pastor later expressed surprise at Bay's confession and said that they are taking action to make sure that the church's children are safe from harm.

I posted this earlier this week, which was probably a bit of a mistake because it touched a little too close to work and because there's controversy attached to it. That story involving the local Salvation Army's winter warming station was the latest in a series of Salvation Army-related connections that I've encountered within the past two weeks. First, there was the initial story about the temporary winter warming shelter that's currently placed at the Salvation Army. Then I received a DVD collection of a 1983 British television services featuring the Salvation Army called "Hallelujah!" Then I happened to listen to a series of 2010 podcasts featuring my friend Andrew Marin at a youth pastor training event involving the Salvation Army. Then came the latest back-and-forth involving the local Board of Supervisors and one person's concerns about the Salvation Army and the county government's involvement with it.

The latest story got me looking at the local Salvation Army's website, which features a video claiming that they do not discriminate against LGBT people. Which linked me to a variety of other videos on YouTube that also assert that the Salvation Army does not discriminate against LGBT people -- and they never have!

Which is interesting, given that I had literally just listened to a couple hours worth of training videos from 2010 featuring SA youth pastors who were figuring out how to deal with LGBT teens and other services offered by the Salvation Army. Most people that I heard in that video had really strong (and negative) reactions to LGBT people -- not to mention gay Christians! ("Gay Christians? How stupid! That's like saying that I'm a murderer Christian or a thieving Christian!")

I'm not saying that there aren't wonderful service ministries that have helped millions of people -- including LGBT people. But they have also worked hard over the years to support laws that penalize LGBT people. Example, the Salvation Army of the United States tried pushing through policies with the Bush administration in 2001 that would allow religious charities that accept federal funds to be exempt from local ordinances that bar anti-gay discrimination. They shut down programs for the homeless and the elderly in San Francisco in 1998 because they refused to provide spousal benefits for gay employees. And they have a mixed history when it comes to employing LGBT employees -- even non-ministerial employees. (source)

That said, the Salvation Army of the United States really does now seem to be stressing that it should not discriminate against LGBT people -- particularly when it comes to service provisions -- including allowing gay or lesbian families to remain intact while living in shelters. Employment is still problematic, but mostly with officers (ministerial staff). Supposedly, it shouldn't affect social workers and other non-ministerial staff. Supposedly.

I have written twice before (here and here) about KICI Radio 105.3 FM. It's a new local radio project that will be debuting in Iowa City sometime soon in 2016! I don't know that I've mentioned it before on this blog, but I have plans to debut a weekly program on KICI Radio 105.3 FM that's tentatively called "Iowa City Geek" once this radio station launches! "Iowa City Geek" will celebrate everything fun and geeky locally, statewide, and beyond!

However, KICI Radio 105.3 FM will also feature local news and talk programming (both political and arts) every day. It will also feature programming from PRX, as well as other programs like "Democracy Now,""This Way Out," and "Handicap This." The radio signal will hit Iowa City, Coralville, and parts of North Liberty. But we will also be broadcasting some of our locally produced programs as podcasts for friends, family, and fans who live beyond those borders!

There is a planned fundraiser for KICI Radio 105.3 FM tomorrow afternoon from 2:00-4:00 PM at Uptown Bill's Coffee House (730 S. Dubuque Street) in Iowa City!:

Join us for an afternoon of great music, featuring the Chameleons! Meet other people interested in local radio! Find out how you can help get the station on the air! And pledge your financial support! It's a fundraiser for KICI Radio 105.3 FM! It's the newest project from Uptown Bill's/Extend the Dream!

Money raised for KICI Radio 105.3 FM is tax-deductible, due to our connection with Uptown Bill's and the Extend the Dream Foundation! You can give money tomorrow. Or can donate money to the radio station via our GoFundMe account. Or you can contact me via the comments or Facebook and we can discuss ways that you can help make KICI Radio 105.3 FM a reality!

I've written several times about Charlton Neo, which is a resurrection of the classic Charlton Comics lines; as well as Pix-C Web Comics, which features public domain characters from Charlton Comics as well as a few other original characters. Pix-C Web Comics features strips from a variety of genres, including superhero, horror, action, and humor romance. But Pix-C Web Comics recently launched several new strips for 2016, including a western story titled KID MONTANA!

KID MONTANA might be a new Pix-C Web Comics strip, but the character made his public debut way back in November 1957 in KID MONTANA #9! Kid Montana was created by Pat Masulli and Rocke Mastroserio and has a pretty interesting origin tale.

Kid Montana started out as Jeff Norse. He traveled to Montana when that state was young -- long before most of its fledgling towns had instituted their own laws or courts. His father had been killed outside of Braddock, MO, after he intercepted a roadside armed robbery. Jeff Norse had been trained by his father to be an expert gunman, as well as a skilled rider. But he'd also been instilled with a strong sense of right, wrong, and responsibility!

Norse came to Braddock to meet with the leader of the town's guard, Mister Burner. Unfortunately, Burner was the leader of a band of local criminals -- and the man who'd shot Jeff Norse's father! Worrying that the people of Braddock will find out that he's been the one behind all of the recent robberies outside of the town, Burner plants evidence in Norse's belongings and then sat back while a band of vigilantes attempted to string Norse up in a noose!

Fortunately, Jeff Norse was able to escape and push Burner off the ledge of a cliff. But everyone still believes that he's behind the recent robberies. So Jeff Norse takes "Kid Montana" on as a nickname in order to fight for right in the Montana wilderness -- all the while trying to clear his good name!

Kid Montana's adventures continued with Charlton Comics through the mid-60s, but you can now read a new story featuring the Kid titled "Far, Far From Home," which is written by Paul Kupperberg, with pencils by Pat & Tim Kennedy, and inks & colors by Mort Todd.

It seems that Kid Montana and Blackwind have arrived in Hogan's Pass, TX, only to find the entire community dead on the streets! I can't help but wonder what's happened to this town? It almost looks like there was an explosion that took out several of the buildings. I can't tell if the people were gunned down, or if something more subtle is responsible for their deaths. And who are those two people standing in the background??

I have no clue where this is heading, but I can't wait for the second installment of this story when it gets posted next Sunday! You too can read Kid Montana's latest adventure -- not to mention Yang, No Name, Tuffy Turtle, N.E.O., Skyman, The Knightingales, Deathwatch, The Spookman, Sadistik, Ms. Molecule, and several other great characters, by becoming a patron of Pix-C Web Comics. Those who become patrons (for as little as $1 per month) gain access to several weekly online comic strips. The more you pledge, the more perks you qualify for. I've been contributing $30 per month towards this venture. I encourage to you to become a patron too!

It's been a while since any of Iowa City's schools experienced a bomb threat (here and here), but news is emerging today that students and faculty have been evacuated from West High School following reports of a bomb:

Iowa City police Sgt. Scott Gaarde said a 911 call reporting an explosive device at the school came in at 8:40 a.m. The details of the call and the threat are still under investigation.

This message was sent out to parents by Stephen Murley, superintendent of the Iowa City Community School District:

This message is to inform you that West High School students are being evacuated and taken by bus to an off-site location due to a bomb threat that was received at the building this morning. There have been no other threats at any other District buildings at the present time. Please know that all students and staff are safe.

I will post more as I learn more.

Updated: I've learned that classes at West High have been officially canceled for the day.

Additionally, there is a special election today for the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. The polling station that was set up for West High School has been relocated to the University of Iowa's Athletic Hall of Fame (2425 Prairie Meadow Drive in Iowa City).

It's looking like yesterday's bomb threat at West High School might be linked to a series of similar bomb threats at schools in other parts of the USA:

Iowa City Police Lieutenant Bill Campbell said the call about the bomb threat at West came from a robotic-sounding voice and seemed to come from a computer-generated phone number.

“Certainly there were a lot of them that were received around the country about that time," Campbell said. "Obviously we'll look to see if they're consistent with the other ones that were received."

More than two dozen other schools in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Delaware also received reports of bomb threats Tuesday, and at least 26 schools in New Jersey received threats made in a robotic voice that appeared to come from computer-generated phone numbers, Reuters reported.

A bomb squad searched the entire West High campus yesterday and found no evidence of explosives.

Carly Fiorina's presidential campaign gained some negative press today after she was accused to "ambushing" a preschool field trip and using those 4- and 5-year-old kids as props for an anti-abortion speech at a Des Mines botanical garden:

The alleged ambush occurred when Fiorina hosted a “right to life” forum at the Greater Des Moines botanical garden. Entering the rally, before a crowd of about 60 people, she directed around 15 young children towards a makeshift stage.

The problem, one parent said, was that the children’s parents had not given Fiorina permission to have their children sit with her – in front of a huge banner bearing the image of an unborn foetus – while she talked about harvesting organs from aborted babies.

“The kids went there to see the plants,” said Chris Beck, the father of four-year-old Chatham, one of the children Fiorina appeared with. “She ambushed my son’s field trip.”

Needless to say, Chris Beck will not be caucusing for Fiorina in two weeks!

Fiorina's campaign issued an initial response to this story:

“We were happy that these children chose to come to Carly’s event with their adult supervisor.”

Her deputy campaign manager Sarah Isgur later expanded on the campaign's earlier comments:

It’s true. Carly has kids at her speeches on a regular basis. Last week, it was a kindergarten class in Holstein. Week before that it was a girl scout troop at Exeter…and another one in Windham. In Des Moines yesterday, a group of preschoolers along with their parents and teachers followed Carly right into the event she was speaking at for Iowa Right to Life. Earlier, she’d run into the kids in the Botanical Gardens and watched the koi with them for a while. I guess the kids must have thought she was pretty neat because then their teachers and parents and the kids all followed Carly into the event complete with Carly stickers.

So to all the left wingers who think they found their big scoop — Carly Loves Kids! Carly is Pro Life!

It's possible that some of these kids' parents were there to give Fiorina's campaign and the media permission to allow these children at Fiorina's event and to appear in the papers with her, but obviously not all of the kids' parents were aware that this field trip would turn into a media event.

Personally, I would be pissed if my kid attended My Learning Safari and his teachers spent the afternoon with my son at an anti-abortion political event.

An arrest has been made in connection to this week's bomb threat at West High School in Iowa City. It also looks like the bomb threat may have served as a distraction for a local bank robbery.

30-year-old Clifton Brinkmeyer has been arrested and charged with Threat of Terrorism, which is a Class D felony, in connection to the bomb threat. He had already been charged this week in connection to the armed robbery of U.S. Bank in Iowa City.

Brinkmeyer was first arrested on the morning of Tuesday, January 19th, shortly after the robbery at U.S. Bank:

Dispatchers received a call at 9:04 a.m. for a report of a man with a gun robbing the U.S. Bank branch at 1117 William Street. The caller said the suspect was wearing all black and had a bag in his hand while leaving the bank. A University of Iowa police officer responded, and talked to someone matching the description of the bank robber, according to a release from Iowa City Police Lt. Scott Gaarde. The officer found the man had a plastic gun in his possession. Investigators said surveillance footage and witness statements identified the suspect as the man who robbed the bank.

Brinkmeyer was charged with 2nd Degree Robbery, which is a Class C felony, in connection to this armed robbery of U.S. Bank in Iowa City. He was subsequently able to post bond and was released from jail.

Police searched Brinkmeyer's car following his initial arrest and recovered his cell phone. They determined that this phone was the one used to make the 911 call that there was a bomb at West High School:

According to a criminal complaint, GPS and cell site information were used to confirm the phone found in Brinkmeyer’s car made the 911 call.

Brinkmeyer has been re-arrested on the terrorism charge and remains in jail at this time. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of both crimes.

There was an article on KGAN's Facebook page this morning asking me if I would caucus for Superman or Batman. It's part of an effort to educate students about the caucuses, which will finally occur on February 1st. (Jon's Note: Not a moment too soon! I'm sick of the nonstop calls from campaigns and pollsters! It's getting way out of hand. And it sucks worse for us because we're part of a two-party household!! But I digress...)

According to KGAN, Superman won the Republican mock caucus and Wonder Woman and Captain America won the Democratic mock caucus. (Jon's 2nd Note: There is no way that Superman would run as a Republican, certainly not how he has been written for the past generation. Plus, there's the whole naturalized American thing, which probably applied to Wonder Woman also!) (Jon's 3rd Note: Is it even possible for two people to win one party's caucus?? I call shenanigans!!)

Anyway, I was asked if I would caucus for Superman or Batman. So I commented that I would go for a Third Party Option: Squirrel Girl! Because she has the power of friendship and the ability to overcome political gridlock in Washington DC! (Jon's 4th Note: Yes, I know that there aren't third party caucuses in Iowa. But there should be, especially if Squirrel Girl is an option!!)

Which reminded me that I never blogged about THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #3 when I was published last month!! The previous issue had begun with Squirrel Girl mysteriously transported into the 1960s -- leaving behind a present where nobody, except her BFF Nancy Whitehead, remembers that she ever existed!

Nancy figured out where (when?) to find Squirrel Girl, but now she finds herself in the unenviable position of needing to find a time-traveler who can help her get her friend back into the present. Which she does. Sadly, it's a time-displaced version of Doctor Doom -- one who is still smarting from the time that Squirrel Girl defeated him with an army of squirrels!

Doom agrees to help Nancy reach Doreen -- tricking him into believing that she had traveled back before his time in order to defeat him. Nancy was needed to talk down Squirrel Girl and once that happened, everyone would travel back to the present and all would be good and happy.

Of course, that's when the question came up why none of the time-displaced people that Doreen had discovered back in the 1960s remembered each other -- particularly since they were all computer science students at ESU. Doom reveals that they weren't protected by chronotons when they traveled backwards in time, which everyone knows protects one from being erased out of their own history during time travel trips! Doom does a chronoton adjustment to Nancy's phone in order to demonstrate this principal and reveals that the future -- and our present(!!) -- has been altered into one where Doctor Doom is Supreme Dictator of This and All Other Worlds!!

Doctor Doom immediately turns on everyone and vows to defeat all of his enemies long before they ever had the opportunities to become super-heroes!

Squirrel Girl escapes with Nancy and the rest of the time-displaced students, but why bother? After all, this is Planet Doom in the here and now!!

Incidentally, what do you want to bet that this guy in the guy who's been sending ESU students back to the 1960s??

Lastly, I love how Nancy Whitehead manages to get New York's heroes to leave Doctor Doom alone. It makes you wonder if cosplayers are routinely attacked by Marvel's costumed heroes?

"The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #3" is written by Ryan North, penciled and inked by Erica Henderson, colored by Rico Renzi, and lettered by Travis Lanham. Plus, the "Trading Card" art is by Dan Shaner!

I've written before about my love for "Degrassi," that Canadian teen franchise that "goes there." I've been a fan since the late 80s when I got hooked on "Degrassi Junior High" and "Degrassi High." I jumped on board several years later when "Degrassi: The Next Generation" debuted on cable and watched for several years while its actors aged and the program lost its title adjectives. Then, about five years ago, I lost track of the program and moved on.

A couple of months ago, I was searching on Netflicks and decided to see if they were airing old episodes of "Degrassi." They weren't, but the online network indicated that a new season would be airing in January. I received notice earlier this month that "Degrassi: Next Class" made its debut and I binge-watched the entire season earlier this week.

It shouldn't be a shocker, but I don't recognize any of these kids. I'm assuming that some of them appeared before this season, but they're all fresh and new for me. It was difficult for me to figure out most of the students' grade levels, but I suspect that this is deliberate. I like the new theme music. Familiar tune, but fresh and engaging.

If you've never heard of "Degrassi," this is how it works. It's about the teens, their romances, and their misadventures. An average episode doles out equal portions of character development in some, while exploring topical issues (such as teen masturbation, cystic fibrosis, or how to respond to a suspected STI) with other teens.

Here were some of the main plot-lines:

Maya and Zig are a power-couple at Degrassi High. Zig is happy with their relationship, though he's frustrated because Maya is focused on her new band and on her classes, and definitely because she keeps pushing back whenever he wants to get intimate. Eventually, he lets his insecurities get the better of him, which doesn't bode well for this teen romance!

Speaking of Maya, she has a golden (one might say, auto-tuned) voice and really wants to focus on her music. So she, her friend Grace, and attractive guitarist Jonah start a band and begin playing in a local bar. Maya and Jonah's collaberative relationship sets off Zig's jealousy big time.

During a performance, Maya takes offense at several incidents of sexist micro-aggressions and ends up writing a hit feminist song called "Not Okay." This attracts the attention of the school's Feminist Club and she ends up becoming the club's vice president.

Meanwhile, gay old Tristan runs for school president against his ex-boyfriend Miles. Miles wins the vote, but ultimately loses the election after Tristan reveals that Miles exceeded the campaign spending rules. Tristan spends most of the season fuming over Miles and hooking up with various gay teens.

Speaking of Miles, he finds himself struggling with family-related anxiety and begins having panic attacks. New girl Esme starts feeding him a steady supply for stolen prescription medications and pretty soon our guy is struggling with addiction!

Lastly, the Feminist Club takes aims at Hunter and his Gaming Club for being sexist and misogynistic. This leads to some serious online trolling against one of Feminist Club members. Serious stuff like anonymous rape threats, doxxing this girl, and swatting her home.

There was a bunch of other good stuff and I really encourage you to check out "Degrassi: Next Class" season one on Netflix. It will leave you salivating for season two!

Updated to Add: The first line of the first episode of the first season begins with a quote about Drake. Which got me hooting, given that he was part of the first batch of students in "Degrassi: The Next Generation!"

This is the twenty-ninth in a series of blog posts dedicated to the 40th anniversary of BBC's "Survivors" television series. "Survivors" followed a core group of characters who managed to survived a devastating viral outbreak -- one which managed to kill off somewhere between 95-99% of humanity. Society has crumbled and now those who remain must relearn the old way if they have any hope of surviving much longer.

This episode, titled "Law of the Jungle," continues with Jenny's, Charles', and Hubert's quest to reconnect with the traveling Greg Preston. They don't intersect with Greg, but they finally meet up with Ages. She had been sent back to Greg's community at the end of our last episode and conveniently meets up with our group just in time for their latest adventure!

Our group arrives at a farm where they were hoping to find shelter. Instead, it was abandoned to the rats! They get coerced by a pair of traveling hunters and taken to a camp run by a tough guy named Brod. He keeps everyone fed, but keeps them all working for their meals and lodging. Soon enough, Hubert is being trained as a hunter, Charles is lugging water to the camp, Agnes is cooking meals, and Jenny is being prepped as Brod's personal bed-companion!

Brod

Of course, nobody likes this. But the alternative is being thrown out without any horses or weapons in an area full of wild dogs!

Charles tries rallying the others to stand up against Brod and to relocate at a nearby farm, but they're too fearful of Brod's weapons and mauradering ways. Brod quickly grows tired of Charles' challenges and tricks him into stepping onto a trap. Ouch!

Charles' band decides to escape by boat. But Charles insists on waiting around until the others agree to escape with them. Charles, Agnes, Jenny, and the others spend the next ten minutes debating how to move forward when Hubert -- ever practical -- takes matters into his own hands!

Despite Charles' attentions, Brod quickly dies. But not before telling him to keep Hubert nearby as he is a hunter! Brod's people are free to leave the encampment and our group of survivors are free to search yet again for Greg!

Over all, it was a strong episode. Charles continues to be portrayed as the stymied idealist -- while Greg would have snuffed Brod out much earlier! Meanwhile, Jenny was prepared to prostitute her body in an effort to save the lives of her friends and Hubert -- whom I usually loathe -- manages to step up and save the day!

Next week will feature a Charles-centric episode titled "Mad Dog."

I wrote last November about a planned public lecturer by actress, producer, and trans activist Laverne Cox at the University of Iowa Memorial Union. I was planning on going until I realized that this would conflict with another event on 02/01/16: Iowa Caucus! This conflict was pointed out to the lecture's organizers by several local political insiders and by everyday people like myself. We were initially rebuffed, for fear of creating "any hint of controversy" and leading to the event's cancellation.

However late this afternoon, the University Lecture Committee and the Just Living Theme Semester issued an announcement that Cox's lecture has been postponed:

We are working to reschedule Laverne Cox and will update the website when a new date is determined.

The official explanation is that Ms. Cox had a "recent scheduling conflict."

Nero had a blast at doggy daycare today -- though he appears a bit conspiratorial to me in this photo! Check this out:

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump came to Iowa City yesterday. Interestingly, his campaign contacted my household with instructions on how to get tickets to attend this campaign event. Meanwhile, some friends sent an invite to me via Facebook so that I could attend a protest. I did neither due to work -- but my heart was with the protesters!

Among the excitement included a protester who was arrested for throwing tomatoes at the Donald:

Andrew Joseph Alemao, 28, was observed throwing two tomatoes at Trump, the real estate mogul and front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Alemao is charged with disorderly conduct, a simple misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $625 or 30 days in jail. He was taken into custody by the Secret Service and the UIPD after throwing the tomatoes, the release said. He was taken to the Johnson County Jail Tuesday night and released at 9:25 a.m. Wednesday, according to jail officials.

Last time that I checked, there was a GoFundMe account for Mr. Alemao, which surprised me as I'd thought that GoFundMe no longer allowed people to contribute towards others' fines or legal defenses.

Marvel Comics seems to be riffing Old Man Logan starting with THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #4.

A time travel story line has been happening in issues #2 and #3 (here and here) that has resulted in Squirrel Girl being trapped in the 1960s and being left with the responsibility of single-handedly defeating a time-displaced Doctor Doom, who plans to defeat all of Earth's super-heroes before they've even had the opportunity for origin tales. To make things worse, we know that Doctor Doom will win because we've already seen evidence (via Nancy Whitehead's wikipedia app) that Doom will successfully conquer Earth!

Issue #4 shows Squirrel Girl's fruitless effort to defeat Doom -- but ends with the addition of one final time-traveler from our present: Old Lady Squirrel Girl!!

What do you think? Can a 60-year-old woman with squirrel-based powers and forty-plus years of knowledge defeat a crazy dictator??

I think so!!

The bigger question is whether Old Lady Squirrel Girl will continue to be a presence once Squirrel Girl and friends finally return to 2016? That would be so totally and completely awesome if that became truth!!

We will find out for sure next month!

Residents of Niagara Falls, NY, have been entertained by repeat performances of the University of Iowa Fight Song almost every night for the past six months -- and nobody knows who is playing the song or why!:

There's a tinny sound dribbling out of a vacant building's open windows on the corner of Ferry Avenue and Third Street. It's the University of Iowa's fight song, a 60-year-old composition played at Iowa Hawkeyes' sporting events, which has played on a loop from about 4 to 11 p.m. on most nights for roughly six months. The winter weather has not deterred its play. Even through stretches of freezing temperatures, the sounds echo faintly for a city block in any direction.

The Niagara Gazette reports that neighboring businesses have complained for months about the looping song. The Niagara Falls Department of Community Development is reportedly aware of the issue, but hasn't gotten involved. It's unclear from the article if anyone has called the police.

I've heard speculation that this might be related to Iowa Caucus. But I sincerely doubt it.

I don't watch a lot of television these days, but it's fairly well established that I enjoy reality TV. One of the shows that I enjoy watching when I'm at the gym is TLC's "My 600-lb Life," which following morbidly obese people through their journey to weight loss, diets, and surgery.

I was looking at YouTube this afternoon and noticed a preview for the newest season of the program, which begins on Wednesday evening.

This particular clip grabbed my attention because it features a lesbian couples named June and Sadi.

June

The two-minute clip features June making a complicated food order from some taco chain. Sadi picks up the order, clearly frustrated by the situation. She notes that June was confident when they first began dating and that she enjoyed getting out of the house and doing things. Now June is essentially immobile and has turned Sadi into her caretaker.

Sadi

June is upset when the food order arrives and complains that not everything is there. She immediately calls the restaurant to complain and presumably to make arrangements for the missing food item to eventually make it back to their home. Sadi observes that June "acts like an addict. Her fix is food."

You can watch the clip here. I'm looking forward to watching this episode of "My 600-lb Life" at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, February 3rd.

Nero at Daycare -- 01/12/16

Johnson County Board of Supervisors Discuss Concerns Over County Staff Involvement with Salvation Army's Winter Daytime Warming Shelter

Mason City, IA: Nude Cleaning Service in the News

Jacksonville, FL: Man Admits to Molesting Children While Speaking Out Against LGBT-Inclusive Human Rights Ordinance

Does the Salvation Army Discriminate Against Gay People?

Fundraiser for KICI Radio 105.3 FM -- Sunday, January 17th, from 2-4 PM at Uptown Bill's Coffee Shop in Iowa City!

Who Is Kid Montana?

Iowa City: West High School Evacuated Following 911 Bomb Threat // Updated Below!

Iowa City Police: Yesterday's Bomb Threat at West High School Likely Linked to Multiple Other Bomb Threats

GOP Presidential Candidate Carly Fiorina Accused of Ambushing Preschool Field Trip // Used Children as Props at Anti-Abortion Speech Without Parents' Permission

Iowa City: Bank Robbery Suspect Charged for West High Bomb Threat

Would You Caucus for Batman or Superman? // PLUS: Vote for Squirrel Girl AND Read THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #3!!

"Degrassi: Next Class" Season One Debuts on Netflix

"Survivors" 40th Anniversary: Episode 29 ("Law of the Jungle")

Laverne Cox's UI Lecture Postponed

Nero at Daycare -- 01/26/16

Iowa City: Man Arrested for Throwing Tomato at Donald Trump

Introducing Old Lady Squirrel Girl!

Niagara Falls: Vacant Building Annoys Neighborhood with Nightly Performances of the "Iowa Fight Song"

Lesbian Couple to be Featured on Upcoming Episode of "My 600-lb Life"