Category: Iowa

  • Some Whys and Wherefores of the Mason City Ys

    Some Whys and Wherefores of the Mason City Ys

    This is just a reminiscence. I know the word “wherefores” in the title is old-fashioned, but I’m an old guy and so what? When I was a young guy living in Mason City, Iowa where I grew up, I could not afford to rent an apartment. Shortly after I became an emancipated minor, I was…

  • Fill a Bag and Help Feed Families Program

    We’re filling a bag to help families in the program affiliated with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). Letter carriers in Iowa City will be picking up bags of non-perishable food items placed beside mailboxes on the second Saturday in May, which is on May 14, 2022 this month. Edward James Olmos is the…

  • Total Lunar Eclipse Starts May 15, 2022

    Total Lunar Eclipse Starts May 15, 2022

    We’ve never seen a total lunar eclipse, but it’ll happen May 15-16, 2022. It happens over several hours. For us in Iowa City, Iowa it starts at around 8:30 PM on May 15, 2022 and ends at around 2:00 AM on May 16, 2022. You don’t need any special eclipse glasses and you can see…

  • NAMIWalks Today and Beyond!

    NAMIWalks Today and Beyond!

    We drove by Terry Trueblood Recreation Area today and were amazed by the big crowd of people. We found out about the NAMIWalks today because of the signage and people everywhere at the park. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has been around since 1979, and you can read more from the top fundraiser…

  • COVID-19 Transmission Level Medium in Johnson County, Iowa

    COVID-19 Transmission Level Medium in Johnson County, Iowa

    The CDC has reported that the level of COVID-19 transmission in Johnson County, Iowa is Medium. It’s recommended to adopt appropriate safety precautions accordingly. The Swiss Cheese Model is an easy way to remember: Learn more about how to keep yourself and others safe.

  • University of Iowa Participating in COVAIL Trial on Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters

    University of Iowa Participating in COVAIL Trial on Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters

    University of Iowa Health Care is participating in a multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating various additional COVID-19 vaccine boosters. It’s the COVID-19 Variant Immunologic Landscape (COVAIL) trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Allery and Infectious Disease (NIAID). The trial “will test new and existing booster vaccines in various combinations to see which ones…

  • Black Psychiatrists in Iowa: A Brief Update

    Black Psychiatrists in Iowa: A Brief Update

    I was just googling the search terms “Black Psychiatrists in Iowa” and “African American Psychiatrists in Iowa” recently after finding a broken link in my 2019 blog post “Black Psychiatrists Iowa.” I always think it’s funny that the results of my web search invariably show mainly a couple of mistakes. One is that I typically…

  • Iowa City Nature Challenge Begins!

    Iowa City Nature Challenge Begins!

    The Iowa City Nature Challenge began on April 29, 2022. It’s sponsored by the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability and the Environment. According to their web site: “From April 29th to May 2nd, find and photograph plants and animals in your backyard, in parks, along city streets, on school grounds—anywhere you find nature in…

  • The Big Mo Blues Show KCCK Radio 88.3

    The Big Mo Blues Show KCCK Radio 88.3

    Whenever John Heim gets a request from out there to hear something from the Tedeschi Trucks Band, he always plays “Tell The Truth,” which I like of course. On the other hand, I really like to hear a song from them I can relate to and which speaks to how important it is for people…

  • New Hawkeye Wave Anthem Strong Contender

    New Hawkeye Wave Anthem Strong Contender

    I formally nominated “I Lived” by OneRepublic to be the new Hawkeye Wave Anthem. On the other hand, I just noticed there is a strong contender for the new Hawkeye Wave song. Dalles Jacobus is a former Hawkeye football player who recently submitted his song, “We Wave.” He has a lot going for him. He’s…