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Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024
Good morning to you!

I am currently reading “Drinking in America: Our Secret History,” a book my friend Paula lent to me. It is a historical read, albeit with some conjecture, about the impact of alcohol on our earliest settlers. I don’t recall these stories being shared in school, but they seem to be a somewhat honest depiction of the heavy reliance on beer and liquor.

The names in the book are ones we most all know: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, John Adams, Benedict Arnold and more. While reading this, I was instantly taken back to elementary school. I was also taken back to the living room floor of the home I grew up in, right in front of our console TV watching “Looney Tunes” cartoons. Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepe Le Pew and more.

No, Bugs Bunny was not doing rum shots, at least not that I know of. He was sharing tidbits of American history to many youth like me, though.

Some of you may remember “Yankee Doodle Bugs,” a 1954 cartoon with Bugs Bunny and his nephew, Clyde, who is struggling to remember dates and events in American history while preparing for a school exam. Bugs offers to help, explaining the impact rabbits had on history. The cartoon consists of eight segments, but three stuck with me.

In one segment, Bugs is with Benjamin Franklin and asks, “What’s up, Benny?” Mr. Franklin replies that he is trying to discover electricity and has Bugs tend to his kite. A storm cloud approaches, and lightning hits the kite, traveling down the string and electrocuting Bugs. Mr. Franklin runs back, picks up Bugs — who is flashing off and on like a lightbulb — and exclaims, “I discovered electricity!”

In another segment, Bugs tells Clyde about the Boston Tea Party. In Bugs’ story, the King approaches the Royal Tea Warehouse in Boston with a box of hardware tacks in his hand. He orders a warehouse worker to “spread these tacks on the colonists’ tea.” The worker tells the King, “But, your Majesty, these are carpet tacks.” The King dumps the tacks all over in an insane manner and yells, “Well, they’re tea tacks now!”

My favorite segment, though, is when Bugs visits the home of Betsy Ross and sees her sewing an American flag with 13 red and white stripes and a blank blue field. Bugs comments to Ms. Ross that something is missing. He paces back and forth, thinking about what could go in the blue section. Bugs then steps on a rake, and the handle pops up and hits him in the head. The circle of stars that forms around his head gives him an idea that he shares with Ms. Ross.

Those of you who are familiar with all this may recall how this cartoon ends. Clyde goes to school with his newfound lessons and returns home to have Bugs ask him how the test went. Clyde puts a dunce cap on his head and says, “Does THIS answer your question?

It certainly does. Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See Shane Goodman's other columns here.

 
 

Clear Mortgage meteorology

Spotty shower chances today through Friday morning as temperatures stay warm. Better rain chances come Saturday and again on Monday as temperatures cool.

For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage.

 
 
Featured in the SEPTEMBER issue of CITYVIEW
 

JOE'S NEIGHBORHOOD
Lost in a big box store

By Joe Weeg

Well, here I am in a big box store, and it’s happened again.

The start is simple enough. My wife goes one direction to get granddaughter clothes, and I go to the men’s department to buy my own clothes. And, yes, this is a relatively new experience for me — I’m 70 years old, and I’m now purchasing my own pants like a big boy. I’m pretty proud of that.

And I’ve even developed a fashion sense. My style is baggy pants, baggy shirts, baggy shorts, baggy jackets, and hats for a really fat head. Oddly enough, my wife is not keen on this Paris-driven, high-end fashion look. I’m all right with that. Not all of us can be cutting edge.

 
READ MORE
 
 
The 2024 results ...
CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines®
 
Best Local Camping Spot
1. Jester Park Campgrounds
2. Prairie Flower Recreation Area
3. Yellow Banks Park
 

Read all the 2024 results.

Cast your votes in the 2025 Best Of Des Moines Poll now! Open until Nov. 22. Results to be published in the February 2025 issue of CITYVIEW.

 
 
Featured home for sale
 
Attention, Realtors, post your listings here for $50. Contact jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com for details.

$630,000                                                           5638 N.W. Fifth Court, Des Moines, IA 50313

Welcome to this beautiful walk-out ranch home that offers everything you've been dreaming of! Situated on 1.3 acres, this 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom gem features a first-floor primary bedroom and first-floor laundry for ultimate convenience. With a spacious 3-car attached garage plus a 2-car detached garage, there is plenty of room for vehicles, storage or hobbies.

See the listing here.

 
See More Homes For Sale
 
SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction
 

3700 PRAIRIE FIRE N.W., ALTOONA
SALE DATE: 2024-06-27
SALE PRICE: $5,250,000
SELLER: CWP WEST CORP
BUYER: HURD MCW ALTOONA LLC
ACRES: 1.501
SQUARE FEET: 6,488

 

Woebegone Wednesday
"Nostalgia is the sound that tradition makes when it is being yanked from its roots." — Unknown old guy

Fighting "wonky genetics." Norway is by far the world's greatest farmer of salmon. (Don't be impressed when you see "Norwegian salmon" on a menu.) There are 90 salmon for every human in the country. By contrast, there are only 23 hogs per human in Iowa. Salmon farming is now expected to decline. Wall Street Journal reports that analysts anticipate a sharp slowdown as governments move to curtail farming, concerned in part that farmed salmon, bred selectively to gain weight quickly "are escaping their nets and spreading their wonky genetics to their cousins in the wild." Canada, a top producer, recently stopped granting new licenses to coastal open-net salmon farms in British Columbia to protect the state’s wild salmon population.

GoodSons Food & Spirits (2815 Beaver Ave., Des Moines) now hosts "Is It an Egg?" from 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. This is a trivia game about old songs and pop culture, with prizes. 

Wednesday bargains

• Wine bottles are half price on Wednesdays at Trostel's Greenbriar (5910 Merle Hay Road, Johnston).

• Barntown's (9500 S.E. University Ave., West Des Moines) Wednesday specials are a pound of chicken tenders with fries and two sauces for $11.99, plus $13 core pitchers of beer.

• Wednesday is Biryani Festival at Chowrastha (5910 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines). Buy two and a third is free.

• Wednesdays bring steak night to Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines). Steaks are cooked to order with salad, potato and bread, $14.99.

• Kids eat free with every paying adult on Wednesdays at Chuck’s (3610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines).

• Rangemasters Training Center (10520 Hickman Road, Clive) has a Wednesday ladies day special of $13 per person for live firing range and one target. $10 handgun rentals or BYOG.

Fresh Thyme (2900 University Ave., West Des Moines) has pineapples on sale for $2.99 each through Tuesday. 

• It's cavatelli night at Eastside Eddie's (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) served with garlic bread for $10.

• Bordanaro's (6108 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) has a Wednesday-Thursday only special on carryout pizza. They start at $6.50 for a 10-inch cheese pie. Each ingredient added is an extra charge, but this pretty much adds up to half-price pies.

• Panka Peruvian (2708 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) is offering free coffee all week 9-10 a.m. with breakfast for Latino Heritage month. 

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

 
Featured in the current issue of Johnston Living magazine
 

Two generations of hosting.            Foreign exchange students in Johnston span generations

By Ashley Rullestad

As a child, Kayla Bousum’s family hosted foreign exchange students. Little did she know that they would keep in touch and that she would be hosting their nephew decades later.
“I don’t really remember exactly how it happened,” Kayla says. “But my mom, Diane Fine, was the school guidance counselor, so I think she brought home some papers about hosting foreign exchange students. My sisters and I chose a student from São Paulo, Brazil, named Mary. We chose her because she had two sisters, and we felt she would adjust well to living with me and my three sisters in Iowa.”

Mary stayed with the family for three months in 1990. The next winter, Mary’s family hosted Kayla’s family in Brazil for Christmas break. One year later, Mary’s little sister, Maysa, stayed with the family in Iowa for three months as a foreign exchange student. Mary and Maysa’s parents also traveled to Iowa for a visit. Diane stayed in touch with the family and even attended Mary’s wedding in Brazil.

 
READ MORE
 
News headlines

FROM KCCI: Knotfest 2024: What to know about Slipknot's festival in Des Moines.  ...READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Downtown Des Moines gas leak shuts down Pappajohn Sculpture Park, nearby roads.   ... READ MORE

FROM WOI-DT Local 5: Who are the Chief of Police finalists for Des Moines? ....READ MORE

 
Sports headlines
ESPN: Dolphins place QB Tua Tagovailoa on IR after concussion...READ MORE 
 
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED:  Shohei Ohtani Absolutely Annihilated His 48th Home Run Into the Upper Deck  ... READ MORE
 
CBS Sports: NBA player rankings: Biggest risers and fallers in CBS Sports' Top 100 as big names move in both directions  ...READ MORE
 
1987: “Fatal Attraction” opens in the U.S.  ... READ MORE
 
1973: Jimmy Carter files report on UFO sighting. Future President Jimmy Carter files a report with the International UFO Bureau on September 18, 1973, claiming he had seen an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) in October 1969..... READ MORE
 
1976: One million people attend funeral of Mao Zedong. More than one million people gather at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the funeral of Mao Zedong, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the People’s Republic of China since 1949. ... READ MORE
 
 
Birthdays and notables
 

Happy Birthday Steve Price!

These celebrities were born on this date: Aidan Gallagher, Jackson Robert Scott, Jada Pinkett Smith, Isabel LaRosa, Nina Lu, James Marsden, Christian Pulisic, Jason Sudeikis, Ronaldo, Luke Mullen, Lukas Forchhammer, Towanda Braxton, Jinkx Monsoon, Aisha Tyler

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

 
Morning chuckle

The answer to yesterday's riddle:

Why was the CEO brought in by the fashion police? HE HAD CRIMINAL TIES! - Gail Tomlinson. Also sending answers: William Snyder.

Today's riddle:

Why did Darth Vader go to the music store?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

 

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or Indianola, Urbandale or Clive Living magazines, contact:

Gina Chandler
Account Executive
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 323
Mobile: 641-750-6485
gina@iowalivingmagazines.com

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