Where do you start with a champion like Billie Jean King? Her incredible tennis career? Her decades of fighting for social change and equality?

Billie Jean King’s legendary career in sports does seem to be eclipsed only by her endless efforts on behalf of the rights and dignity of people across the globe. The American icon spoke Tuesday night as part of the Smart Talk series at the Civic Center of Des Moines. She continued to champion a commitment to worthy causes.

King retired from competitive tennis 19 years ago, but it’s hard not to highlight some accomplishments on the court: 39 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, including a record 20 titles at Wimbledon. Starting as a 15-year-old in 1959 in her debut at the U.S. Championships, King gained international recognition just two years by winning the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon. Things just got better: for one 10-year period from 1966 through 1975, King won

• 12 Grand Slam singles titles
• 9 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, and
• 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

On March 24, 2009 at the Civic Center of Des Moines, Billie Jean King paid little homage to these statistics, instead focused on lessons learned in her extraordinary life.

Three themes framed her message -

• Accept and cherish the relationships in your life.
• DON’T make assumptions. About yourself, or others.
• Accept pressure as a privilege.

King, (named “one of the 100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life Magazine in 1990), emphasized the work that still needs to be done to achieve equality in all facets of our culture. The crusader for women’s sports, told of her passion for empowering others with “micro financing”, where small loans to entrepreneurs in poor countries can “change generations” of poverty. Of course, King has been helping people stand on their own two feet for decades – whether fighting for Title 9, or for equal rights for the Gay and Lesbian (GLBT) community.

Crowd favorite’s on Tuesday night included her illustrious victory over Bobby Riggs in 1973, dubbed the “Battle of the Sexes”, and how at the last minute she decided not to just crush opponent Riggs, but to run him all over the court. And of course her 37 year relationship with Sir Elton John, and how the #1 hit and homage to King, Philadelphia Freedom, came to be. The song was played at her entrance and exit from the Civic Center stage.

Following up in the “Meet and Greet” after the show, Billie Jean was generous and attentive to her fans, talking freely about family, human rights, her favorite tennis moment, and expressing a love for Bigelow Tea. Once she signed everything, from her latest book Pressure is a Privilege to several tennis racquets, it was clear that her championship ways included the message from her presentation, that the most important relationship is being comfortable with yourself.

Photo by flickr by The Heart Truth

Article written by David Borzo

And a good time was had by all.

The State Historical Museum of Iowa is a wonderful place. Visit frequently

• by yourself
• with your children
• with your grandchildren

Use any excuse.

They are quite pleased to tell you that they are open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s a credit to them; they serve the public first.

The museum has permanent exhibits and changing exhibits, and they are all very well done. One exhibit that seems to be a sure hit traces the history of people in Iowa and their connections to our natural resources. That’s where the buffalo above is found, along with loons, foxes, raptors, and other Iowa creatures.

When you first enter the museum, you are greeted by a mammoth skeleton. When I was there Tuesday that prompted the question, “Was it really that big?” Mammoths ranged from 9′ to 15′ tall and roamed the Midwest during the Ice Age. Read up at the museum’s site or go see for yourself.

There are also artifacts and modern representations of Native American cultures including a walk through bark shelter. While I went through it four times in both directions, my unofficial 7 year old guide was leading a fast-paced tour, and some of the details have escaped me – a decent docent nonetheless.

If you like local history Patten’s Neighborhood is terrific.

And you can visit a few exhibits on-line.

I went to the museum on Tuesday for the Irish Fest and did something for the first time: I got a green stegosaurus spray painted on my face. I thought it matched my personality.

Keep posted about the goings-on at the State Historical Museum. Until you get there, you won’t know how good it is – so go.

• visit the museum
• visit the gift shop
• use their archives
• use their libraries and special collections
• check out the education resources
• visit their remote historic sites away from Des Moines
• check out their historic preservation program
• read their publications
• volunteer and get involved

You can even rent space!

Or you can read what I said last year.

photos by James Lindberg and the Purple Wren

Doesn’t everyone love a massage?

The Mayo Clinic supports massage for relief of stress and pain as well as for promotion of the healing of various medical conditions. You may find a host of massage therapists locally using the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) website including therapists in Ankeny, Des Moines, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines, or many other communities across the country., or you can find many more in the Yellow Pages.

Jennifer Main (owner of Massage Heights in Ankeny, a franchise headquartered in San Antonio, Texas) would prefer that you visit Massage Heights. She passed along the following comments about the benefits of massage.

For many, thoughts of having a massage conjure up images of getting a relaxing rubdown in a lavish beachside resort.

While massages may have been more of a luxury item in the past, today more and more American’s are getting massages because of their health related benefits.

According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), 36 percent of adult Americans who received a massage in the past 5 years did so for medical purposes, such as for muscle soreness and spasm, injury recovery and rehabilitation, and pain relief.

Besides helping to relieve pains associated with things like muscle soreness and back pain, there are also several other not as commonly known health benefits of a massage.

Other benefits include boosting the body’s immune system, easing post-operative pain, reducing headache frequency, easing alcohol withdrawal symptoms and decreasing the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Massages have even been shown to decrease pain and anxiety in hospitalized cancer patients.

With all of these benefits, healthcare professionals are more frequently promoting the benefits of massage therapy to their patients.  Last year, the AMTA reported that 13 percent of adult Americans discussed massage therapy with their doctors, with more than half of those doctors strongly recommending it.

So when thinking of a way to reduce stress and relieve some of those aches and pains at the same consider visiting your local massage therapist.

photos by flickr by zen118

We saw more bald eagles near Saylorville Lake on Sunday February 22, 2009. These eagles were mature – white heads, white tails, not thrilled with all the attention.

For a first stop we parked and hiked down to the Lake above the dam at one of the closed camp site roads. It is an understatement to say it was cool and breezy on the shore of the lake. No eagles there. Just a couple of frozen “turkeys.”

We headed over to the Saylorville Lake Visitor Center and took in part of a talk by a ranger. He kept all of the little and large kids entertained with his props and facts. (DNR has more information.)

The ranger shared that the eaglets

• start at 3 ounces
• require early imprinting to survive
• weigh 5 pounds at 3 weeks thanks to fish every waking hour

The stages of development include

• branchers
• wingers, and
• the eaglets need their big talons to hang on to the branches in the nest.
• Even then they sometimes fall from the nest and are lost to the fall or once on the ground to predators like raccoons.

Then we were off to the Cottonwood Recreation Area (open Sunday for the Eagle Watch 2009 ). (Watch out because the map is sideways but) Cottonwood is below the dam where the water is open and open water allows the eagles to fish. Folks from the Audubon Society were set up there with spotting telescopes that gave a pretty good view. I pointed my Nikon COOLPIX through a spotter and got the picture to the right. I tried my zoom and got the thumbnail on the mainpage.

Sunday’s Eagle Watch was jointly sponsored with help from

• U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Iowa DNR
• Polk County Conservation Board
• Dallas County Conservation Board
• Des Moines Audubon Society, a branch of Iowa Audubon.

Watch for the next Eagle Watch, but in the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles when you are anywhere below the dam and near the Des Moines River. They soar, they’re big, they beat their wings slowly, and you can’t miss their distinctive white head and white tail.

photos by James G. Lindberg

Lately, we’re seeing a lot about Hoops 4 Hope, a loose consortium of activities raising money for cancer prevention, detection, and cure. Depending on who’s sponsoring it, each Hoops for Hope activity has a slightly different spin. The original Hoops 4 Hope game was in 2006 at North Carolina State University as a tribute to legendary women’s basketball coach Kay Yow while she was still alive. Kay Yow died on January 24, 2009 after a 21 year fight with breast cancer.

And here is the Des Moines connection:

Kay’s sister is Susan Yow, Drake women’s basketball coach from 1986-90. Susan Yow was NC State’s first All-American while playing for her older sister. Susan Yow is currently head coach at Belmont Abbey College in NC and coached her team on the day of her big sister’s death. The coach of her opponent that day was a Kay Yow protégé. If you knew Susan at Drake, you will recognize her in the photo at Kay’s funeral in Cary, NC.

One of Susan Yow’s players at Drake was All-American Jan Jensen, now associate head coach at the University of Iowa.

Beneficiaries of Hoops for Hope games have been:

• The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
• Kay Yow/WBCA with lots of names you will recognize
• American Cancer Society
• and many other organizations

Speaking of cancer prevention, I read an interesting print article on cancer in Wired last week. You can read it too. It’s available on-line – seven, informative pages. Their primary point is that as a society we should focus on early detection. Cure rates of cancers are high when they are detected early (They say 90%); in contrast, cure rates are abyssmal when they are detected late (They say 10%.). The Drake women’s Hoops 4 Hope game on 2/14/2009 included a half-time speaker (a physician) who echoed the need for regular testing for early detection, especially prostate tests for men and breast exams for women. Whatever reason you might have for not following up, your reason is not good enough. Do it. I’m up-to-date. Why am I up-to-date, you ask? The Purple Wren harasses me when I’m not.

photo by flickr by ncsunewsdept

There is always something happening in Des Moines! Take your pick.

First, consider the 2008 Metro Arts Two Rivers Expo. It’s always a good time.

• Hy-Vee Hall
• Saturday, November 8 from 10-6
• Sunday, November 9 from 10 -4
• 130 local, regional, and out of state artists
• painting, drawing, mixed media, ceramics, glass, metal, sculpture, jewelry, fiber, photography, printmaking, and wood
• free to the youngsters 12 and under ; $5 for you
• activities for the kids plus music for everyone

Second, The Des Moines Home Show, organized by Ohio-based Expoproducers, runs through Sunday. Look for home improvement items and remodeling opportunities. It’s also in Hy-Vee Hall.

• Friday, November 7 from 10-7
• Saturday, November 8 from 10-7
• Sunday, November 9 from 10-5
• $6

Four items you need to know about food in Des Moines.

• The World Food Festival runs from Friday October 10 – Sunday October 12 in the East Village in Des Moines. The Cultural Cafes feature a wonderful variety of foods: American (including BBQ and Louisiana Creole), Bosnian, Ecuadorian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Greek, Indian, Laotian, Mexican, Salvadorian, Thai, Venezuelan, and Vietnamese. You will also be entertained. Better not miss it. This list is just scratching the surface of the U.S. Cellular World Food Festival.

• Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Food Festival (history) is held in conjunction with the World Food Prize headquartered in Des Moines and founded by Nobel laureate and Cresco Iowa native, Dr. Norman Borlaug. The winners of the 2008 World Prize are Bob Dole and George McGovern. Read up on why Dole and McGovern were chosen. They will hold a free public forum on Wednesday October 15 at 6:30 pm in the Iowa State Historical Museum.

• Food is also on the mind of those who will be part of the Des Moines Hunger Hike. Widely supported by local religious groups the annual event (since 1969) will be held on Sunday, October 12 beginning at 1:30 pm on the West steps of the Iowa State Capitol. The Des Moines Hunger Hike supports a variety of nonprofit agencies who provide free food to the hungry in the US and the rest of the world.

• Angel Food Ministries (one of the helping hands around Des Moines) is still going strong. Angel Food Ministries is a Georgia based food ministry dedicated to relief of hunger throughout the United States. The local group works from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and is available to everyone, not just those in need. They provide excellent food at low cost. Check the menu for this month. Order by mail or in person by Monday October 13 for delivery on Saturday October 25. I live in the neighborhood and I can tell you that they do a land-office business.

photo by flickr by bill.streeter, khalampre, and spacing magazine

Be sure to participate in artstop a cultural connection on September the 6th from 11 until 7. You can visit 6 cultural districts in Des Moines and West Des Moines and ride the free artstop bus. The stops are in the East Village, Ingersoll Avenue, Roosevelt Cultural District, Heritage Art Gallery in the Court Avenue District, Gateway West, and Historic Valley Junction. The bus schedule (the ride is free) and links to each site are at the top of the artstop website.

Andy Schlievert has a mind that doesn’t quit. Put that together with a problem-solving approach to life, and you’ve got an inventor. Add to that a business mind, just the right number of friends, and the ability to work with others, and you’ve intellectual property and a business. And that is what Andy Schlievert is up to.

Working downtown for ING insurance, he regularly saw blind people struggling to navigate the Des Moines Skywalk using a white cane – encountering ramps, corners, hard objects, and moving people. Thinking every minute he put together the concepts of white cane, global positioning, voice-activation, and ultrasonic range finding or SONAR technology and the genesis of an invention emerged. The patent is pending and therefore because the product is still being developed, all you will see is a rough sketch of his invention called the Inveo but click on the image to see words associated with the components. Andy’s business is called Invesions, a contraction of inventing and visions

Curtis Chong a field director for the Iowa Department for the Blind and the Technology Director for the National Federation of the Blind has been particularly helpful. Andrew is also working toward a prototype development with an engineering design coordinator at Iowa State.

Andy was born and raised in Algona, Iowa where he attended Algona High School. While in high school he entered the Iowa State Science and Technology Fair where he qualified for the Intel International Science Fair in 2002 and again in 2005. He did well in 2002 as a 15 year old and 2005 as an 18 year old, winning a 3rd Award in the engineering category.

In Des Moines during the times Andy is not working at ING or developing his invention, he has been attending AIB College of Business where he has already earned an Associate’s degree and is working on his Bachelor’s.

Recently a couple of books have his attention. He first mentioned Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now a book that is nicely reviewed on ABC‘s website. He also cited Campus CEO, A Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimillion Dollar Business by Randel Pinkett.

You will have to watch closely for Andrew Schlievert. You will find him downtown at ING, going to school at AIB, working on his invention and Invesions, at the New Iowa Entrepreneurs Coalition meet-up group at the Pappajohn Center, or about town. He is a young man on the go, full of ideas and positive ambition.

photo courtesy of stock.xchng

photos by james lindberg

Desmund Adams is a talent magnet. In June 2005 he founded the Talent Acquisition Group of Johnston, Iowa and has served as its Principal since. Honored by Business Record in October 2007 with the Best Kept Secret Award, Talent Acquisition Group continues to enjoy a national reputation for its retained executive searches.

A native of University Park, IL (home of Governors State University), Desmund came to Des Moines and earned two degrees at Drake University, first a Bachelor of Science degree in the School of Education and then a Doctor of Jurisprudence in the Drake Law School. While in law school Desmund interned with The Honorable Louis A. Lavorato (former Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court) and with The Honorable Don C. Nickerson (formerly District Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa and now the Judge in District Court 5C of Iowa). Returning to Chicago for his first professional positions, he learned excellent career skills from Lawrence Richardson, Managing Director of Investment Banking with Wachovia and Alex DuBuclet Principal of the Exeter Group of Illinois.

But here is the measure of the man.

• First, being a great father is a closely-held value for Desmund. As a consequence he moved back to Des Moines to be close to his young son.
• Second, he and his local fraternity brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha (historically a fraternity for African-American men) have put their concern for young people into a local action program called Project Alpha. In 2006 local alumni including Desmund made a five year commitment to mentor high school students at East and Roosevelt through in-school and after-school discussions of the strengths required to be successful in business and life. One piece of advice he gives is, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow doesn’t exist. You must focus your attention on today because that will affect your consequences tomorrow.”
• Third, Desmund is National Chairman of Alpha Phi Alpha‘s College Life to Corporate Life Initiative (C2C).  He designed and developed the Champions of Change Internship Program here in Des Moines. The C2C program was based on the local Champions of Change Internship design. The national fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, has very recently built upon this program of internships for ethnically diverse high school and college men and women. National corporate participants include Wells Fargo Financial. Desmund’s experience and commitment to right action for youth have allowed him to be a strong contributor to the design and functioning of these internship programs at both the local and the national level.

A favorite book is Harvey Mackay’s Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive.

Around Des Moines you may find Desmund Adams golfing at one of the municipal courses or eating at Fleming’s Steakhouse or the sports bar Tonic.

Watch for Desmund Adams around Des Moines. At 6’5″ he’s hard to miss, and you will want to meet him.

photos by James Lindberg