Dorman Downer or Smilin’ Todd?

I received this e-mail from reader Jim Mead Thursday morning:
Todd,
I finally figured out why I so often skip your column. It’s your picture! I look at your face and think oh, it’s going to be a column about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket and there’s nothing we can do about it. [...]

Go for the Gusto

Reader Rich Lyle, who is among many great folks who told me how to quench my thirst for Grain Belt Premium around these parts, sent me this proud rendition of his tailgating flag. Rarely have I seen such pride and dedication on the part of a Schlitz aficionado, but I understand completely. It’s a great American brewing [...]

Tornado thoughts

I’ve been debating for a couple of days whether to write anything about the tornado that smashed Parkersburg and parts of neighboring towns on Sunday. I really didn’t think I had much to add, opinion-wise. It’s a horrific scene and my heart goes out to everyone touched by the tragedy. I have friends and family from [...]

Vocabulary Corner — High Gas Prices

Today’s $4 word, from the Urban Dictionary
STAYCATION — A vacation that is spent at one’s home enjoying all that home and one’s home environs have to offer.
Usage — “Even though I live and work in New York, I don’t always get to enjoy all it has to offer, what with my work commitments, but I [...]

Today’s Column — Revisionist Herstory

Democratic front-runner Barack Obama stood on an Iowa stage Tuesday night, delivering a rousing speech to a big crowd at a big moment. Nice visual, but Iowans have seen it before.His rival, Hillary Clinton, was also still standing a few states away, passionately fanning her flickering hopes to win the nomination with a forceful speech [...]

Awkward Moment

Date: Friday, May 16
Location: Cedar Valley Trail near downtown
Level: Minor
I was walking along the trail around midday when I encountered a running woman.
Running Woman: “Are you that Tom who writes those articles?”
Walking Me: “Uh..yes.”
Running Woman: Offers some sort of very kind compliment that I can’t accurately quote now. (I wasn’t carrying a notebook and pen at [...]

Friday Mailbag — Postville Raid

My column on the Postville immigration raid drew quite a bit of mail. Most agreed with me that congressional paralysis on both immigration reform and on reining in the excesses of the nation’s meatpacking industry made Postville’s trauma possible.
I received lots of mail, but the most poignant paragraph came from Roger Engstrom of Postville, a Vietnam vet who [...]

Pierogi Persecution

Let this be a cautionary tale for our local local pierogi peddlers, or any dancing kolaches.
From the St. Petersburg Times:
CLEARWATER – Goodness knows there are plenty of baddies roaming the streets of this city.
Drug dealers.
Thieves.
Killers.
You name it.
But Clearwater is now safe from one brazen – or should we say braised? [...]

Gov. Sexy?

From Radio Iowa:
Iowa’s 42-year-old chief executive is ranked near the top of a list of the nation’s “sexiest” governors. The ranking was done a panel of strippers, organized by Playboy Radio.
The strippers were asked which U.S. governors were most “doable” — a conversation sparked by former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s resignation after Spitzer [...]

Thursday’s Column – Postville

POSTVILLE – The sprawling Agriprocessors packing plant on the outskirts of town is imposing and intimidating even if you don’t know about the jaw-dropping lawlessness our government says went on inside these fences.Knowing sends a chill up your back.
So it’s probably lucky you can’t stay long. Tuesday, a stern, but polite, woman told Gazette video [...]