2019

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?  No, it's time to again review the things I wanted to have happen this year, and consider some things I would like to see happen in 2019.  As usual, we start with the prior year's list, with comments in ALL CAPS:

-The failure of Bitcoin, not as an idea, but as an investment.
BITCOIN'S SHARE PRICE WENT FROM OVER $15,000 TO UNDER $4,000.  THESE DAYS, IT'S AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

-An NCAA scandal so large they will have to start allowing players a cut of revenues.
THERE WAS/IS A RATHER LARGE SCANDAL RELATED TO SHOE COMPANY REPS GETTING MONEY TO DIRECT AMATEUR BASKETBALL PLAYERS TO CERTAIN SCHOOLS.  BUT SO FAR IT'S ONLY LED TO A FEW COACHES BEING FIRED.

-More destinations and ways to fly on Southwest Airlines.
WELL, THEY ADDED A DIRECT DES MOINES - PHOENIX FLIGHT.

-A widespread ability to charge devices without a cord (also asked for this for 2016).
NOPE.

-A new governor / lieutenant governor elected for Iowa.
IT LOOKED LIKE THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A SURPRISING DISAPPOINTMENT.

-Let's try this -- exponential growth in the cannabis industry to the extent all states will want a piece of it through taxation.
ALMOST READY TO SAY THIS HAPPENED.  [I JUST COVERED THIS IN MY LAST POST.]

-Greater national and international awareness of CRISPR (genome editing) technology.
THERE HAVE BEEN MORE NATIONAL STORIES ABOUT THIS.

-Smaller entree portions served in restaurants, for a reduced price.
THE PORTIONS MAY HAVE GOTTEN LARGER.

-Fewer national weather disasters, but more understanding of climate change.
ANOTHER ITEM THAT MOVED FARTHER AWAY FROM HAPPENING, NOT CLOSER.

-The resignation or impeachment of a mentally unstable and unqualified president -- again, no names.
CARRYING THIS ONE OVER TO NEXT YEAR.

Now, for 2019 I'd like to see these things happen:

The resignation or impeachment of a mentally unstable and unqualified president -- again, no names.

The electric vehicle becoming America's fastest growing (by percentage) seller.

Alabama and Clemson and New England to have poor football seasons.

Some major medical breakthrough, perhaps a vaccine to eliminate a dread disease.

Consistent, moderate summer rain in central Iowa.

A priest actually arrested and charged and jailed for past sexual abuse.

More cities allowing app-based scooter rentals.

Another scandal that ruins another Fox TV personality.

U.S. restaurants that allow payment by app, OR that bring the credit card reader to your table.

Me traveling to one of the five continental states in which I've never set foot.

Rocky Mountain High

A relative's wedding in the Denver area gave me an excuse to spend a few days in Colorado recently.  I hadn't been there for any length of time since a week-long family vacation in the late 1990s.

I came back thinking I should spend a lot more time there.  What's not to like about the place?

It has cool cities.....Denver is hugely populated, but it's spread out enough not to notice, and it also has a pedestrian-friendly downtown, similar to Portland or Seattle.  Colorado Springs must be one of the largest cities in America without a bona fide skyscraper, helping make it visitor-friendly, with a great daily view of Pike's Peak.  I also spent time in the Denver-area towns of Golden (a modern day version of a formerly dusty western town) and Parker (a modern day version of a formerly sleepy bedroom town).

It has cool attractions.....The Red Rocks Amphitheater is a marvel of semi-natural modern architecture.  The Royal Gorge area is a mecca for active folks, including white water rafting and zip-lining, the latter which I did for the first time ever.  And don't forget about the mountains and ski resorts -- even in the summer, including the Breckenridge area that I visited for a few hours.

It has great weather.....The air is light and the sun shines 300+ days a year.  Sure, it snows in the winter, but it doesn't get bitterly cold, at least not for extended stretches.

And last but not least, it has free-minded enough people that it allows the sale of recreational marijuana.....This cannot be discounted.  Keeping some cannabis / edibles in the house is no different than having a six-pack of beer in the refrigerator.  Except that the cannabis is safer and healthier.

2018

Another New Year's Eve (eve) is here, so it's time for my annual review of the things I wanted to have happen in the past year, and a fresh list of things I want to have happen in the next year.  Here's the 2017 list, with comments in ALL CAPS:

-Again:  At least some progress on medical marijuana in Iowa,

THE GOOD NEWS IS, SOME PROGRESS WAS MADE.  IT'S GOING TO BE A TAD BIT EASIER FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT TO GET IT.  THE BAD NEWS IS, IOWA IS STILL NOT FULLY COMMITTED TO IT.

-Some type of institutional or legal control over fake news / social media.

FACEBOOK HAS TAKEN SOME ACTION, ALBEIT TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.  AT THIS POINT, IT'S HARD TO GET IN FRONT OF IT, BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT LIVES IN A VIRTUAL REALTY WORLD THAT HE WANTS OTHERS TO BELIEVE IS NORMAL.

-Related to the above, more critical thinkers, fewer idiots who believe everything they hear.

THERE ARE MORE CRITICAL THINKERS ON THE LEFT, AND LET'S JUST SAY FEWER CRITICAL THINKERS ON THE RIGHT.

-GPS technology used in major sporting events, e.g. to mark the ball in football games, and for the strike zone in baseball games.

NOPE.  LOSERS.

-More working from home by me.

THIS HAPPENED, BUT TO ONLY ABOUT 25% OF THE LEVEL IT SHOULD HAVE.

-The return of popular mainstream rock bands and rock music.

THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN, HOWEVER, I SAW RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS AND JOE WALSH AND TOM PETTY (AND SCHEDULED TO SEE BOB SEGER) IN CONCERT.  SO IT WASN'T ALL BAD.

-Implementation of the fiduciary rule, and the demise of commission-based financial advice.

THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION ALLOWED THE RULES TO GO INTO EFFECT, BUT THERE WILL BE NO ENFORCEMENT UNTIL AT LEAST 2019.  SO, NO.  AND SINCE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ARE IN THE REPUBLICAN'S POCKETS, MIGHT AS WELL FORGET ABOUT THIS FOR A FEW MORE YEARS.

-The resignation or impeachment of an unqualified president -- no names, any one will do.

NOT AS CRAZY AS IT SOUNDED LAST YEAR. WILL ADD PUSH THIS FORWARD.  IT WON'T BE ANY FUN TO ASK IT FOR 2019 BECAUSE BY THEN IT WILL BE LIKELY.

For 2018 I'd like to see:

The failure of Bitcoin, not as an idea, but as an investment.

An NCAA scandal so large they will have to start allowing players a cut of revenues.

More destinations and ways to fly on Southwest Airlines.

A widespread ability to charge devices without a cord (also asked for this for 2016).

A new governor / lieutenant governor elected for Iowa. 

Let's try this -- exponential growth in the cannabis industry to the extent all states will want a piece of it through taxation.

Greater national and international awareness of CRISPR (genome editing) technology.

Smaller entree portions served in restaurants, for a reduced price.

Fewer national weather disasters, but more understanding of climate change.

The resignation or impeachment of a mentally unstable and unqualified president -- again, no names.

Iowa Pride

This past weekend, I attended another Iowa - Iowa State football game in Ames.  I've gone to a lot of these games over the years, and while the product on the field isn't always great, and some (Hawkeye) fans are irrational about their team, the pre-game tailgating and camaraderie are always above par.

For example, a picture that went viral (at least in Iowa) was of two men wearing Iowa State gear lifting a wheelchair-bound Iowa fan -- later identified as a relative of an Iowa player -- up some steps into the stadium.  This is the kind of routine nice that you usually see in Iowa.

It got me to thinking that I've been spending too much time thinking about what's wrong with Iowa.  Things like our politicians, our weather, our meth labs, and did I mention our politicians?

Anyway, there are plenty of good things about Iowa and its residents, including but not limited to.....

* Generally relentlessly friendly people
* Generally intelligent people
* Wide open spaces
* Low crime rate
* Low cost of living

.....and at the end of the day, it's better to focus on these things than on Iowa / Iowans' shortcomings.

But it's easier to spot and write about the shortcomings, so that's going to keep happening.

Again Not Thankful

Here's the 6th annual edition of my Thanksgiving-time list of things for which I am not thankful. You can get to the trail of prior lists here or by using the label Thanksgiving.

As with prior years, this list is in no particular order:

Both a) rioters who disguise themselves as protesters, and b) white privilege.

'Follow the leader' gutless politicians.

Complicated wireless phone plans, and those entities which provide them.

Extreme winter weather in November.  (Basically, a repeat of 2013)

Enabling helicopter parents.

States like Iowa that can't even muster a conversation about medical marijuana legalization, while other states are already legalizing marijuana for recreational usage.

Those who proudly display their debt.

Really big butts, and the pop culture that currently glorifies them.

Social media trolls.

People who want you to think they care, but who really just want your attention.  (This would include anyone who did the ALS ice bucket challenge this year without actually donating money.)

April Fools

In honor of April Fool's Day (or is it April Fools' Day?), I wanted to set out a list of a few facts that should be April Fool's/Fools' Day jokes, but aren't:

* There are now successful reality TV shows based on hoarding, pawn shops, doomsday prepping, housewives, duck whistles, alligator catching, arm wrestling, dance moms, teen moms, naked survivalists, and other narcissistic freaks.

* Climate change.

* Most Major League Baseball teams start the year with virtually no chance of making the playoffs, and this is supposed to keep sports fans occupied all summer.

* A full jumbo jet was lost in the south China Sea and no one has the faintest clue exactly how or where.

* Fox News.

* This winter wasn't the coldest and windiest on record.

* Steve King is a U.S. Congressman.

* [This one gets added effective on April 2, 2014:  The U.S. Supreme Court again rules that there is a First Amendment protection given to those who want to make unlimited financial donations to political campaigns, and that said protection won't corrupt politics.]

Weathering The Weather

Check out this screenshot I took of the weather conditions in Des Moines on January 6, 2014:

Now, check out this screenshot I took of the weather conditions in Des Moines on August 30, 2013:

We love to talk about the weather in Iowa.  It starts virtually every conversation - it's crazy.  It's primarily because agriculture is our economic engine, and the weather has the biggest impact on agriculture.  (Well, that and government subsidies.)

But when you see weather extremes like this.....a 115 degree temperature change in a four month period, not to mention a 142 degree "wind chill to heat index" temperature change?  Even I think it's something worth discussing.

Here's what not to include in that conversation - that somehow the very cold temps mean global warming doesn't exist.  That's ignorant.  If anything, this is an argument that climate change (a more apt term to describe things) is in fact happening. Weather extremes support that, cold or hot.

More East Coast Media Bias

I've written before about how weather events affecting the major east coast cities get so much more media coverage than if they occur in other major cities.  Today I'm writing about a similar phenomenon that impacts sports.

Why does it seem that whenever a pro sports team from New York or Boston wins a title, it's treated by the media as bigger than when it happens anywhere else?  It's happening again now, after Boston won the World Series yesterday.

That's fine, congrats to them, but just like the two other times they won in the last decade, it's getting so much more media coverage than it deserves.  Let's just admit, it's a lot less than when San Francisco or St. Louis each won it twice recently.

Today, national sportswriters and broadcasters are saying Boston's win 'transcended' sports and "defined' the city, while also fawning over the fact that while they've won it before, it had been almost 90 years since they won it at home.  The thing is, no one outside the northeastern seaboard thinks nor cares about those things, especially for a baseball team that finished last in their division last year.

This media self-infatuation carries over to football, too.  In the past decade or so, when Boston (New England) or New York (Giants) won a combined 5 Super Bowls, the media coverage is both breathless and endless.  But when a place like Indianapolis or New Orleans or Green Bay wins it, the coverage is much more muted.

We can only hope no Boston or New York teams win any pro sports titles again in our lifetime.  Meanwhile, this once again proves my theory that for all of the so-called toughness of the major east coast cities, they really are drama queens when it comes to wanting more national attention for events that happen everywhere.

Pictures From A Vacation, Sort Of

Went to Phoenix for a few days again last week, and lucked out with the weather again, too.  70-75 degrees and sunny every day.

This year's trip was much like last year in other respects as well, but a few new observations:

I highly recommend the Talking Stick Resort.

Visit Apache Junction, AZ for a trail-walking, ghost town-visiting, and saloon-imbibing good time.

There is no non-private golf course in the U.S. in better condition than We-Ko-Pa in Fort McDowell, AZ.

I gained firsthand knowledge of what a jumping cholla can do to a golfer if they aren't careful.  (Another reason to not hit the ball into the desert scrub.)

It sure seems easy to get around in Phoenix, it's spread out and there's lots of pavement for driving.  However, if you have trouble on the 101 or the 202, it's easy to get directions, like this.

Praising Arizona

Got away for a few days of R&R in the Phoenix, Arizona area this past week.  I've been there several times before, and the older I get, the more I like it.  (If you visit there in the winter months, you can plainly see this attitude is shared by a lot of older Americans.)

A few observations about the trip:

*I'll take Arizona winter over Florida winter anytime.  No humidity, no daily thunderstorm threat, no bugs (unless you count scorpions).

*Played another awesome golf course there.  I've now played 5 different resort-style courses in the Phoenix area, and only one didn't meet or exceed expectations.  The price/value isn't any better than in Iowa, but the courses are more scenic and in better condition.

*Speaking of scenic, I can't imagine a more scenic city/area than Sedona, Arizona.  Plus, it's cyclist-friendly.

*The Phoenix area is currenly on sale.  Tons of property in on the market, no doubt for a fraction of what it might have cost a few years ago.  Basically, it's the desert version of what's been going on in Florida - lots of empty property originally bought to rent out to now non-exisitent vacationers.

And one sort of non-Arizona thing:  I don't understand why anyone would want to fly on any other airline than Southwest, if possible. Cheaper fares, friendlier employees.  Yeah I know, no first class seating - that only makes it better.

Still More Things For Which I'm Not Thankful

For the third consecutive year, I present my contrarian Thanksgiving week entry, listing in random order those things for which I'm not thankful.  (If you want to catch up on the prior versions, see 2009 here and 2010 here.)

Republican presidential candidates stumping in Iowa, and their related advertising and robo-calls.

The cold and darkness. (To avoid confusion, here I’m referring to the weather, not the Republican presidential candidates again.)

The curerent state of the economy.

Any TV reality series based solely on cameras following people living their ‘normal’ lives. (I’m looking at you Kardashians, Duggars, teen moms, hoarders, and housewives)

Dreamers without pragmatism, a/k/a leaderless political movements.  (Tea partiers and Occupiers, go away, your 15 minutes is up.)

Paying people to not work.

That the NBA lockout is keeping EJ, Kenny, and Charles off the air.

The politically far right and the politically far left.

Anyone who thinks insurance should be used as an investment vehicle.

Speaking when not speaking would have been just as good.

[This list gets longer every year.  That's either a bad omen, or a sign that I'm quickly becoming a malevolent old man, or both.]

The Wimpiest Generation

So there's a heatwave gripping the Midwest. Near 100 degrees all week with stifling humidity. Can't walk three steps without somebody complaining about the weather and asking, "Is it hot enough for you?" Constant media alerts about the heat index, and how dangerous it is to be outside too long.

Gimme a break. Would somebody please tell me what the big deal is? (Alert: I'm about to go off on an "I remember when....." rant.)

When I was really young, heat like this didn't stop us from going outside to play all afternoon - and not at the swimming pool, either. We had no real alternative, other than watching soap operas on one of the three TV stations from which we could choose, but we did it without complaining. And we didn't stop every five minutes to take a drink either.

When I was a teenager, it was the same deal, except instead of playing outside I was doing farmwork outside. Day after day after day. It seemed like the hottest days were reserved for baling hay or straw (a task equally as itchy as it was hot). And we're not talking about the labor-saving round bales they make today, either. I mean the rectangular ones that you had to lift and stack. Of course, since we operated a livestock farm, if we had nothing better to do we could always haul manure (a task equally as smelly as it was hot). Oh, and we didn't stop every five minutes to take a drink then, either.

Needless to say, when I became an adult with a wimpy office job, I didn't complain about the heat. Still don't.

But the current city-fied, under 30 generation, now they are a different story. This is the sedentary generation, a group raised on cable TV and video games. Anything above a climate-controlled 80 degrees is enough for them to start bitching, maybe even take the day off. The media coddling doesn't help, alerting us to take breaks, stay indoors, and of course, make sure our pets aren't outside. (Somewhere up there, my old dog Teddy is shaking his head.)

I get that each generation lives better than the one before it, and I don't expect people to be outdoors if they don't have to be. But please, please stop complaining about the heat. It makes you and the country look like a bunch of wimps

East Coast Media Bias

A lot has been made over the years about media bias, especially as it relates to politics. Somebody is always breaking down a news report, looking for key words or angles that are questionably liberal or conservative. This is really stupid, because even if it is true (and Fox News, I'm looking at you again), the last I checked everyone has the free will to made up their own mind. (Exception: Those who watch Fox News seem inclined to just swallow anything that Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity will say.)

But when it comes to one topic - weather - there is no doubt that we have media bias. To wit, this week the top story on the national morning news shows was always Hurricane Earl. Even when Earl was just a baby storm thousands of miles from the U.S. east coast, we were so very concerned about the threat. Now that it's scraping along the east-northeastern seaboard as an average-sized hurricane, it's like the end of the world.

So we have a storm, with literally days to prepare for, that may or may not affect the U.S., but that doesn't matter. The east coast has the largest population concentration - also TV viewers - in the country, and the east coast based networks need to make sure the nation knows about a potential weather event that might ruin their Labor Day weekend plans.

Note to news media: THE OTHER 99% OF THE COUNTRY DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HURRICANE EARL. It's had to imagine how anyone taking precautions would be harmed by this storm, yet in places like the Midwest we lose lives and property to sudden weather events all of the time. Ever see that get this much media coverage? Of course not.

It doesn't matter if it's weather, or news, or sports, the east coasters are the drama queens of the U.S. We've got real issues to talk about that impact the entire country, maybe we could focus on that?