Around Des Moines: 10/13/2007

Mid-week I was at a local shop and the shopkeeper said there was considerable static on the radio recently.  I commented that I have heard static for a few weeks. It is sporadic but the interference is very strong and across all stations when it strikes. In addition, my Internet and web host connections have been problematic. Other people with whom I have spoken reported their e-mails disappearing then re-appearing, digital cameras that have gone on the fritz, and computer hardware that decides it’s worked long enough. All of these items are ordinary events, except that they have happened to a range of people within Des Moines in close temporal proximity.  Another person in the shop chimed in with the opinion that it probably is related to the Earth’s magnetic poles and a potential flip of polarity.That same day, while riding a bus, some passengers started to share jokes with each other. Here are those jokes, with some creative license employed:

Joke 1: A grasshopper flies into a bar and lands on a stool. The bartender walks over, cleans off the counter top, moves the pretzel dish around a bit, and asks how the grasshopper is doing. They chat for a few moments, then the bartender suddenly exclaims, “Hey, there’s a drink named after you!”  The grasshopper gets all excited and starts preening. “Really?” he asks with glee. “You have a drink named “Doug’?”

Joke 2: Where do you find trees in Minnesota? Between the twos and fours.

Joke 3: A company was having problems with absenteeism so the director of human resources instructed an intern to call employees and ask why they weren’t on the job. There were the usual reasons: jury duty, childcare problems, and general malaise. George was one of the workers not feeling well and the intern asked him what was wrong. George replied he had rectal glaucoma. The intern was a business major, not pre-med, so he asked what rectal glaucoma was. George replied, “I can’t see my ass going to work today.”

Scaffolding around the rotunda at the Capitol has been removed but work continued on the outside of the building. Over at the federal courthouse, people were checking out the roof.

The new parking meters that accept credit cards are now installed in the East Village.  I find it amusing that Iowans who will not walk a block under normal circumstances now have to walk to the center of the block, pay money, and return to their vehicles to place proof of payment on the dashboard. If the place these motorists are headed is at the other end of the block from the car, they will have to retrace their steps again.

On Tuesday, candidates for an at-large city council seat attempted to answer this question: Is it still a democracy if we hold an election and nobody knows about it? About 3,500 voters, which is less than 3% of eligible voters, cast ballots in the primary election.  

Guest Writer: M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.