Category: Iowa

  • Iowa Ivermectin Bill is Funnel Proof and Apparently is Still Alive and Other Anti-Vaccination Bills (Updated 5:45 PM today)

    Iowa Ivermectin Bill is Funnel Proof and Apparently is Still Alive and Other Anti-Vaccination Bills (Updated 5:45 PM today)

    According to a Des Moines Register story today “Which bills in the Iowa Legislature lived and died after 2nd funnel?” by Steven Gruber-Miller and Marissa Payne March 20, 2026: “Other bills remain in play, including legislation restricting the governor’s emergency powers, allowing Iowans to buy ivermectin over the counter without a prescription and limiting tuition…

  • Waiting for the Second Funnel in Iowa Legislature on Anti Vaccination Bills 2026

    Waiting for the Second Funnel in Iowa Legislature on Anti Vaccination Bills 2026

    I’ve been trying to track the two anti-vaccination bills heading into the 2nd funnel in Iowa and I guess I’ll just have to wait until tomorrow’s news reports. One of them is HF 2171 which would eliminate Iowa’s requirement that children in grades K-12 receive vaccines before they can attend school. The other is SF…

  • Iowa Blizzard Update!

    Iowa Blizzard Update!

    The blizzard started yesterday evening. I put out the garbage this morning and scraped out a path to our doorstep in case we get the cribbage boards delivered today from Canada. I’m not expecting it. It’s still blowing snow around. The stuff is freezing on the driveway and the sidewalks. I’m surprised the garbage can…

  • Ivermectin Bill Looks Like It’s Dead-For Now

    Ivermectin Bill Looks Like It’s Dead-For Now

    This is a quick followup on the progress of Governor Reynolds MAHA bill which included a piece endorsing making Ivermectin available over-the-counter in Iowa. I just read a story about what looks like the disappearance of the ivermectin from Reynold’s bill. The story, written by Laura Belin, comes from a webpage called Bleeding Heartland: An…

  • Rash of Bigfoot Sightings in Ohio, So What About Iowa?

    Rash of Bigfoot Sightings in Ohio, So What About Iowa?

    Actually, I should refer to the multiple sightings of Bigfoot as a flap. That’s proper terminology. The news story shows a video with the cryptid on it although I think it looks more like somebody smeared a chocolate bar on the camera lens. There’s an organization called Bigfoot Society that is tracking the story. The…

  • Upcoming Sven Squad Movie “Friday the 13th”

    Upcoming Sven Squad Movie “Friday the 13th”

    The upcoming movie with the Svengoolie Sven Squad this Saturday the 14th comes a day late. It’s the very first “Friday the 13th.” I’ve never seen it, but I think I’ve seen a couple of the 35 sequels. I always have to stop and think about how to distinguish the 1978 slasher “Halloween” from the…

  • Iowa Flags at Half Staff in Honor of Two Iowa Soldiers Killed in Kuwait

    Iowa Flags at Half Staff in Honor of Two Iowa Soldiers Killed in Kuwait

    Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered all Iowa flags to be flown at half-staff until the final day of interment in honor of two Iowa soldiers killed in Kuwait: Major Jeffery O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa. 

  • Iowa Ivermectin Bill Heads to the Senate

    Iowa Ivermectin Bill Heads to the Senate

    I see the Iowa House passed HF 2676 including the ivermectin section which would make the anti-parasite drug available over-the-counter (OTC) in Iowa, despite arguments against it about the medical indications for the drug, which don’t include treatment of cancer and Covid-19 infection. There’s a high probability that some people might use it to treat…

  • Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry and The Break-Dancing Koala Bear

    Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry and The Break-Dancing Koala Bear

    I ran across an old Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry (CPCP) presentation by a couple of sharp medical students in 2014. They presented it at one of my morning consult rounds and it’s about Charles Bonnet Syndrome. They did a very nice job and it compares fairly well with the University of Iowa Ophthalmology Dept…

  • The Big Mo Blues Show Highlights Women Singers

    The Big Mo Blues Show Highlights Women Singers

    Last night the Big Mo Blues Show focused on women vocalists, partly because he said he got phone calls urging him to play more music from female performers. It was an exceptionally good show and I can mention 3 of the women singers who really impressed me. Early in the show, he played a song…