Zoo Day

Noah and Paul about to take a train ride.

A few Tuesday’s back was one of the fun days to be a parent. It was Zoo Field Trip Day for Noah and his classmates from Rooms 10 and 11.

We had a good time going to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. We’ve been there before with Noah, but he says he remembers, but not sure if he does or not. That’s what I’m here for, to document things for his embarrassment later.

I drove separate which allowed Noah to sit with his friends on the way to the zoo and back. You notice Noah looks like a flower child in the pictures. That’s because his school puts the kids in the same shirt so they can easily be spotted across a crowded Zoo, park or Science Center. It is the same approach we did for National Youth Gathering in trying to keep people together.

I did shoot a few pictures, but here’s a few videos of the experience.

The first video is while we wait for our train ride.

If that’s not enough fun for you, how about a trip to feed the fish?

And we do a final wrap up here. But this time though, Noah was tired and hungry and ready for dad to stop asking so many questions. How many times have you heard that about me?

After this video, we got to have a picnic with all the kids and their parents. That was fun.

Don’t touch me and unbreakable windows- Videos of the week

I found a couple of videos this week that I thought you may all enjoy.

This is the second installment of  my “Videos of the Week.” The first included yo-yo fool, We Built Sioux City and Jim Brockmire. Here’s the link to the post on those videos.

Now to this week’s entries. My reporter friends are used to having public relations folks close by when you’re on their turf. I think hospitals, factories and banks.

But I’ve never had a PR person get this close and be with me, ah, so much. This comes from San Francisco and is at a town hall meeting in a hospital. The reporter hits the target when she walks in, camera rolling and mic in her face. That approach bothers me, but this goes a bit further.

A note to PR folks, this approach doesn’t work. At least, with this reporter. This is a longer clip than I first saw. This clip shows a second confrontation.

Yikes.

A few years ago, I was sending my resume tape out to TV stations looking for a job. I’m sure my tape to Doug Merbach at KIMT-TV looked a lot like this.

But I know I didn’t include video of myself not being able to break a car window. This TV reporter really struggled to break the window with a hammer. It gets funny, then he gets the a little extra parting gift.

I’ve had some memorable stand ups. Thank goodness YouTube is only 5 years old and I’m the only one who has those blooper tapes. By the way, I don’t even know where those tapes are.
Enjoy.

Forgiveness Links

Season 3 of The Iowa Journal is in the books and on-the-air. Now, it is online. Forgiveness was our topic.

Here’s your links page.

The entire show lives here.

The show is in several parts.

The first part includes a set up piece with Joan Becker, Simon Estes and Mary Hayes Grieco. The features look at each of their stories of forgiveness and how it has influenced their lives. The story link is here.

I wrote a lot about their stories in this preview post.

Mark Becker

Joan Becker’s son, Mark shot and killed beloved Aplington-Parkersburg High School Football coach Ed Thomas. Here is an extended interview with Joan. It runs about 12 minutes.

This is her story in her own words as told to producer Nancy Heather Brown of Iowa Public Television.

Also in his own words is world-renowned opera singer Simon Estes. He’s travelled the world, performing on stages from Cape Town to Paris to New York City. But, a story early in his life shaped him in many ways. Here’s Simon’s full story of forgiveness. It involves the death of his father and racism.

Bestselling author Gail Sheehy recently spoke in Des Moines as part of the DMPL’s Avid series. She is talking about caring for your aging family members, mostly talking about caring for your parents. Click the word ‘here‘ for the story.

Again, here’s the link to the full show. Original air date was May 27, 2010. This is the link to watch the following people appear on The Iowa Journal: Simon Estes, Joan Becker, Pastor Brad Zinnecker, Mary Hayes Grieco, Sandy Hoenig, and Dr. Nathaniel G. Wade. Plus Gail Sheehy.

We took a picture after the show of the crew to mark the end of the season. I’ll write more about this group later, but here’s the picture of some of the people who were proud to bring you The Iowa Journal.

The Iowa Journal production crew, May 27, 2010.

Thank you.

IPTV This Week – May 28, 2010

Just because there’s a holiday on the horizon, doesn’t mean we shut the transmitter off here at IPTV. Plenty of good TV options if you need break from the sunny and 85 degree weather.

There are a few programs with the Memorial Day weekend theme.

Here’s the official release from IPTV:

Tonight at 6:30 The Iowa Journal examines why forgiveness is necessary and how to effectively practice it. You can also watch The Iowa Journal at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on IPTV WORLD, and online at http://www.iptv.org/iowajournal. (my preview post on show is here.)

At 7:30 tonight, watch a special one-hour edition of Iowa Press, featuring the three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for United States Senate—Roxanne Conlin (D-Des Moines), Tom Fiegen (D-Clarence), and Bob Krause (D-Fairfield). The program can also be seen Saturday at 9 a.m. on IPTV WORLD, Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on IPTV, and online at http://www.iptv.org/iowapress.

Tonight, Market to Market will air at a special time of 8:30. This week the program examines a lawsuit settled by the EPA with environmental groups over large-scale livestock operations and a dramatic improvement in the outlook for U.S. agricultural trade. The program also follows members of the “Greatest Generation” as they take an Honor Flight to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. You can also watch Market to Market Saturday at 8 a.m. on IPTV WORLD, Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on IPTV, and online at http://www.iptv.org/mtom.

On Sunday at 5:30 p.m., tune in for Medal of Honor. This program profiles America’s greatest heroes, recipients of our country’s highest honor for military service.

National Memorial Day Concert will air live on Sunday at 7 p.m. The 21st annual broadcast will be hosted by Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna, two actors who have dedicated themselves to supporting America’s troops. The concert will be repeated Sunday at 8:30 p.m.

Visit military cemeteries around the world where American military men and women are buried during Hallowed Grounds on Monday at 9 p.m.

On Tuesday at 8 p.m. Depression: Out of the Shadows tells the dramatic stories of people of different ages and from diverse backgrounds who live with various forms of clinical depression.

Nebraska farmer Ben Kuroke became the first Japanese-American war hero and spoke out against racism. Learn more about his story Wednesday at 7 p.m. during Most Honorable Son.

Explore the largely untold history of African-American participation in America’s armed forces, from the earliest days of the Revolutionary War to the conflict in Afghanistan during For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Forgiveness on our final Iowa Journal

We are getting ready for what will likely be the final Iowa Journal in its current weekly format. This will mark the end of season 3 of TIJ.

The show will be about forgiveness. Take that for what it means, but our show will look at the importance of forgiveness not just for our peace of mind, but also what it can do to our bodies. The show topic is something you’ll only see on public television. Here’s a earlier post about the show.

We will hear stories of forgiveness from Simon Estes involving the death of his father and how his mother told him he had to forgive the doctor. Also, Joan Becker, mother of Mark Becker will be featured on the show. Her story of forgiveness comes from those involving her son, Mark. Mrs. Becker saw our program on mental illness and said more people need to see that show to better understand the things she’s lived with for so many years.

Our studio discussion includes:

Dr. Nathaniel G. Wade, associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University who has studied the effects of forgiveness counseling since 2000;  Sandy Hoenig of Ames, a retired school counselor who has been a forgiveness workshop leader for more than 10 years and authored the book, “The Joy of Forgiveness;” and Mary Hayes Grieco, the director of The Midwest Institute of Forgiveness Training in Minneapolis. Grieco is an international forgiveness teacher and the author of books and CDs, including “The Peaceful Heart” and “Be A Light: Illumined Essays for Times Like These.”

We also will hear from Gail Sheehy as she talks about who is taking care of our parents and what can we do to make sure we are getting the best care for them.

See the Iowa Journal #331 at 8p Thursday on Iowa Public Television. The show will re-air Friday at 630p then live on http://www.IPTV.Org/IowaJournal forever and ever. Or, you can click here to see the show online.

Now, back to the background of the show.

The Iowa Journal is not going away and no one has lost their jobs. It is just our jobs are changing a bit, as is the show.

As of now, the Iowa Journal will return in the fall, but not on the weekly format you’ve come to know and love. Ok, maybe know of on occasion when The Office or Grey’s Anatomy were in reruns, or you’ve lost your remote.

Earlier this year, our regular, weekly show was part of IPTV’s answer to the state’s required 10% budget cuts.

We have life though, as a special series at IPTV. We will keep the Iowa Journal name and likely produce 5 topics over the year. How exactly they are presented to you may vary from topic to topic. But each topic may have multiple parts to it.

I could be making a lot of this up as I go, but we hope to know more by June or July. By then, I’ll be knee-deep in productions of Iowa’s Simple Pleasures and The Iowa State Fair.

Thank you to each and every one of you for reading this note, sending an email, helping set up an interview, coming to our Johnston studios and every thing in-between. We greatly appreciate it. Thank you for taking time to be a part of the first three seasons of The Iowa Journal. We hope for 3 more.

Curious about what we’ve done over those three years and what you may have missed? Here’s our complete rundown.

The World of Physical Education (#330)

Iowa Economic Round Table (#329)

Music Education – Is Iowa Losing It? (#328)

The Beer Industry of Iowa (#327)

Green Living in Iowa (#326)

Food, Inc. More on the Story: An Iowa Journal Special (#325)

Quality of Life in Iowa (#324)

Educational Innovation – Beyond Technology (#323)

Iowans Discuss Chronic Mental Illness (#322)

Iowa Refugee Services Ending (#321)

Iowa Floods of 2010? (#320)

Unemployment in Iowa (#319)

Proposals to Change Iowa’s Tax Credits (#318)

What’s Iowa’s Future (#317)

Iowa’s Natural Heritage (#316)

Crime Victims in Iowa (#315)

Iowa Wine Industry (#314)

Avoiding Holiday Debt (#313)

Chronic Health Concerns (#311)

Art in Public and Honor Flight (#310)

Iowa’s Tax Credits (#309)

Kathryn Koob (#308)

H1N1 Flu in Iowa (#307)

World Food Prize (#306)

Iowa’s Natural Heritage (#305)

The Pope In Iowa – 30 Years Ago (#304)

Health Care Reform, Khrushchev’s Iowa Legacy (#303)

Current Topics of Interest (#302)

New Role for Principals (#301)

Iowa’s Long-term Flood Recovery (#231)

Twitter and Other Social Media – Iowans Connect (#230)

DTV – Reception Questions Answered (#229)

Coping with Financial Difficulties (#228)

Autism in Iowa (#227)

Swine Flu Pandemic – Viewer Questions about H1N1 (#226)

Council Bluffs – An Emerging Economy? (#225)

Same Sex Marriage Ruling – The Iowa Constitution and Civil Rights History (#224)

Culture in Iowa (#223)

Iowa’s Economy – After the Stimulus Package (#222)

Safety in Iowa Hospitals (#221)

Iowa’s Sustainable Colleges (#220)

Affordable Higher Education & Apprenticeships in Iowa (#219)

Who will report – when the reporters are gone? (#218)

Arts Crossroads – Growing the Arts (#217)

Iowa and the Economic Stimulus Package (#216)

Wetlands as Flood Control (#215)

World Class Schools (#214)

Iowa Government Efficiencies (#213)

Financial Literacy in 2009 (#212)

Public Service – A Boon for Iowa? (#211)

Iowa 2008 in Review (#210)

Economic Overview (#209)

Iowa Floods of 2008 – Looking Back (#208)

Iowans by Choice – One of the best states in the U.S.? (#207)

The Politics of Ethanol (#206)

Your DTV Transition Questions – Call-In (#205)

Iowa Angles on U.S. Economic Crisis (#204)

Iowa District 1 – Congressional District Profile (#203)

World Food Prize (#202)

Iowa District 4 – Congressional District Profile (#201)

Iowa District 2 – Congressional District Profile (#178)

Iowa District 3 – Congressional District Profile (#177)

Racing in Iowa (#176)

Iowa Flood and Disaster Recovery – A Live Call-In (#175)

Iowa District 5 – Congressional District Profile (#174)

Water Management – Flood Prevention (#173)

Gambling in Iowa – Davenport’s View (#172)

Olympic Iowans (#171)

Iowa Stuff – What to do about Trash (#170)

Iowa and the state of Labor Unions (#169)

General Aviation (#168)

Iowa Rivers – 72 Thousand Miles of Recreation (#167)

Flood of 2008: Impact on Children (#166)

Iowa Journal Disaster Resources Call-In (#165)

The Floods of ’08 – Iowa Water’s Rising (#164)

Workable Options for Immigrant Workers in Iowa (#163)

Aftermath of Parkersburg Tornado (#162)

Iowans Remember the Korean War (#161)

Food for Ethanol – Causing Starvation? (#160)

Dealing with $4 Gasoline (#159)

Sewage in Iowa’s Water (#158)

Iowa’s Film Industry (#157)

Iowa 2010 – Did we meet the challenge? (#156)

Green Interiors in Iowa (#155)

Legal Addictions (#154)

Wind Energy in Iowa (#153)

King Corn – A Controversial Movie in Iowa? (#152)

Juvenile Justice in Iowa (#151)

Green Construction in Iowa (#150)

Rural Foundations – Iowa Small Towns (#149)

Iowa’s Music Industry (#148)

Donald Kaul – Columnist Interviewed (#147)

When Parents Age – Caring for Iowa Parents (#146)

Rehabbing Old Iowa Malls (#145)

5 Years of War – The Iowa Angle on Iraq (#144)

The Role of Community Colleges in Iowa (#143)

Juvenile Justice in Iowa (#142)

Iowa’s Infrastructures – ICN, Trains, and Other Ways We Connect (#141)

Iowa’s Music Industry (#140)

Biotech Industries in Iowa (#139)

Gambling in Iowa (#138)

Author – Columnist Leonard Pitts (#137)

The Influence of Lobbyists in Iowa (#136)

The Role of Community College in Iowa (#135)

Multitasking (#134)

The Quantity and Quality of Iowa’s Water (#133)

Roads and Bridges (#132)

Disproportionate Minorities in Iowa Prisons (#131)

The Iowa Prison System (#130)

Student Debt (#129)

Legislative Preview (#128)

Walkable Communities and Fitness (#127)

The Caucuses are Upon Us (#126)

Caucus Primer (#124)

Economics of College Sports (#122)

Immigration Issues (#121)

2008 Campaign Debates (#120)

Holiday Credit (#119)

African Americans In Iowa (#118)

Mortgage Crises (#117)

Mental Health (#115)

Adult Illiteracy (#113)

The Real Cost of the War (#112)

Iowa Workforce (#111)

Undecided Voters (#110)

The Iowa Film Industry (#109)

Iowa Deer Collisions (#108)

Alternative Energy: Ethanol (#107)

Climate Change (#106)

Former Iowa Governors Terry Branstad and Tom Vilsack (#105)

The World Food Prize (#104)

Festivals, Fairs & Fun (#103)

Local Food Movement (#102)

Entrepreneurial Education (#101)

Special Coverage of President Obama’s Ottumwa Town Hall Meeting (#2)

The President on Health Care: An Iowa Journal Special (#1)

If you want to watch of these programs, click here.

Slipknot on The Iowa Journal

This has been a tough week for fans and the band members of Slipknot. The Des Moines based band lost their left-handed bass player and heart and soul of the band in Paul Gray. He found dead in a hotel room in Urbandale on Monday.

Grey was on a piece of video seen here when we talked about Iowa’s music industry. The small feature is here. That program also featured the Quad City based website Daytrotter, which is run by Sean Moeller.

During that program, we had M. Shawn Crahan on the program to talk about the music scene for Slipknot and also The Nada’s as Jason Walsmith was on the program as well.

We then had Crahan on again, who is a percussionist and founding member of the band, back on 2010. This time we were talking about the vision for Iowa’s future. This program included Michael Gartner, Kesho Scott and Daniel Shipton. My post on the program can be found here.

A story about the background of what Paul Gray meant to the band and the music scene, here’s Kyle Munson’s column in the Des Moines Register.

More attention for Van Meter

Good to see Van Meter schools getting more attention. WHO-TV in Des Moines went for a visit to the school for a story recently. Jannay Towne filed this report on the Van Meter way.

Here’s the link to the Channel 13 story.

The Van Meter way is 1:1 laptop computers for all students. Schools leaders say this has opened up a new way of learning for students in the school.

We featured Van Meter and Sigourney in this piece.

John Carver is the superintendent and was on our discussion with Judy Jeffrey, the director of the Iowa Department of Education. Our topic that night was innovations in Iowa schools.

On a small world note, Mr. Carver used to teach at Johnston High School. One of his student teachers was Brian Tate, who was on our May 20th Iowa Journal discussing childhood obesity. Here’s the link to that show which also features the PE4Life program in Grundy Center. Here’s the link to the blog post about the show.

Last week we talked about overweight kids in Iowa. Next week we’ll talk forgiveness and the importance of the act. Find the preview here.

Forgiveness – On the next Iowa Journal

Our final show of season 3 ends with forgiveness.

The official press release from the IPTV press shop.

Forgiveness: How and Why?
On the Thursday, May 27 edition of The Iowa Journal

(Johnston, Iowa) –Thursday’s episode of The Iowa Journal will look at why experts claim forgiveness is a long-term solution to problems large and small. This program airs Thursday, May 27 at 8 p.m. It will be rebroadcast Friday, May 28 at 6:30 p.m. on statewide Iowa Public Television and Saturday, May 29 at 8:30 a.m. on IPTV WORLD. It will also be available online at iptv.org/iowajournal.

Whether having fallen victim to a crime or to a natural disaster like floods and tornados, or to a loss of any kind, how do people move on from their initial emotions? Some say to move on, one must forgive. The Iowa Journal talks to a few well-known Iowans including Simon Estes, an international opera singer originally from Centerville and Joan Becker of Parkersburg, whose son shot and killed a local high school football coach while struggling with mental illness. Included in the story is an interview with Joan Becker’s minister, Brad Zinnecker.

In the studio to discuss why forgiveness is necessary and how to effectively practice it: Dr. Nathaniel G. Wade, associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University who has studied the effects of forgiveness counseling since 2000; Sandy Hoenig of Ames, a retired school counselor who has been a forgiveness workshop leader for more than 10 years and authored the book, “The Joy of Forgiveness;” and Mary Hayes Grieco, the director of The Midwest Institute of Forgiveness Training in Minneapolis. Grieco is an international forgiveness teacher and the author of books and CDs, including “The Peaceful Heart” and “Be A Light: Illumined Essays for Times Like These.”

Childhood Obesity in Iowa – Links

Source: National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality

Iowa ranks 8 in overall prevalence with 26.5% of children considered either overweight or obese. That’s according to the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality.

Iowa kids are overweight and obese. So are kids from every other state in the United States. But that’s not the news about it. We know we have a problem, so how do we reverse the trend before we all end up with diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure?

That’s where Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Journal program comes in for your viewing and informing pleasure.

A little more background can be found here on a previous pre-show blog post.
Our panel included Tom Newton, the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. Newton talked off-camera about efforts by IDPH employees. Some are now using standing desks and some sitting on exercise balls to help burn more calories and build core muscles while working.

Jim Hallihan of Live Healthy Iowa, The Iowa Sports Foundation and the Iowa Games was also on our panel. Hallihan was an assistant basketball coach at Iowa State University under Johnny Orr from 1982 to 1994. He coached new head Cyclone Fred Hoiberg during that time as well. Hallihan also wanted to mention Live Healthy Iowa Kids and how that impacts kids in this state.

Also on the panel was Brian Tate. He’s the Dean of Students at Des Moines North High School. Tate is a Hoover High alum and also coached football there after his before going to play at Simpson College. Tate was at Simpson from 1987-1989 which means he played under legendary coach Jim Williams at Simpson. That was after playing for some guy named Chet Culver, who was an assistant coach while Tate was a student and player at Hoover High.

Yes, the same Chet Culver that 3 republicans from Iowa want to unseat in the fall election. Terry Branstad, Rod Roberts and Bob Vander Plaats were at IPTV on Thursday for the final debate before the June 8th primary. You can watch that televised debate here sponsored by the Des Moines Register. If you want to compare to the last debate held by the Iowa Broadcast News Association, click here. The IBNA debate was held in Cedar Rapids on May 1.

Now back to Iowa kids. Tate and Hallihan are both members of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Nutrition.

Our discussion talked about serious this problem is now for our state and how it is everyone’s problem. It did take us 40 years to get here, but we need to continue to get kids in better shape, moderate their eating, changing eating habits and help families and communities better understand a healthy life.

Tate talked about how it takes a village to raise a child and the same approach needs to be used in fighting childhood obesity in Iowa and the nation.

You can view the entire program here. The show airs Friday at 630p on IPTV and Saturday morning at 830p on IPTV World.

Grundy Center, Iowa

Our discussion was set up by a visit to Grundy Center. We looked at the PE4Life program as it was shown to international visitors as part of the Global Forum For Physical Education. Rick Schupback was kind enough to spend some time with us to explain his, the administrators and the community’s role in teaching fitness for life and not just for the time during school. We also interviewed Shellie Pfohl, the Executive Director of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Pfohl had been to Grundy Center for a visit before. She’s a Dubuque native and also graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. UNI also has graduate students come to Grundy Center as part of the PE4Life. Those students use the PE4Life program to further their learning  of teaching physical education.

You can view the feature on Grundy Center here.

Newton said after the broadcast that another success story is in George, Iowa. They have a new recreation trail that was built to surround the town. It is paved and open for all. Newton said the peer pressure for everyone to take part in physical activity has been a huge positive for the community. This includes an 82-year-old man who recently got a bike and now rides around town quite often.

Hallihan added that there are good things going on in northeast Iowa as the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative.

And a last discussion point off camera was the need for more community gardens to help grown fresh food to make them accessible to more people.

We closed the show with a clip from His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet and his visit to Cedar Falls and UNI. You can see the clip here.

Again, the entire Iowa Journal program is here.
Enjoy and please share with your friends.

IPTV This week: May 21

Big week of programming this weekend with Senate and House leaders on Iowa Press. Dr. Amen and Pioneers of Television are just some of the good shows you can see on IPTV.

There’s a monster post about the Iowa Journal this week on childhood obesity.

Here now, the upcoming programming highlights as written by the IPTV press shop.

Tonight at 6:30 The Iowa Journal examines childhood obesity reduction efforts in Iowa, as well as coverage of the Dalai Lama’s visit to Iowa. You can also watch The Iowa Journal at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on IPTV WORLD, and online at http://www.iptv.org/iowajournal.

At 7:30 tonight, watch Iowa Press, featuring an interview with State Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (D-Council Bluffs) and State House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha). The program can also be seen Saturday at 9 a.m. on IPTV WORLD, Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on IPTV, and online at http://www.iptv.org/iowapress.

On Market to Market tonight at 8, watch coverage of new efforts to open foreign markets to U.S. ag exports. Also, learn about White House efforts to battle the national problem of childhood obesity, and about a watchdog group’s claims that America’s wealthiest producers continue to receive the majority of farm subsidies. You can also watch Market to Market Saturday at 8 a.m. on IPTV WORLD, Sunday at noon on IPTV, and online at http://www.iptv.org/mtom.

Saturday at 5 p.m., Dr. Daniel Amen is live at Iowa Public Television to present his program, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body.

Pioneers of Television airs Sunday afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m. This four-part program examines the people who left their imprint on sitcoms, late-night, variety, and game shows in the early days of the medium. See all four episodes Sunday.

Beginning at 8 p.m. Monday, see both episodes of D-Day, a look at the intricate jigsaw that was the Allied invasion on June 6, 1944.

Dragons Alive continues on Tuesday at 8 p.m. with a look at future reptiles and how the creatures that out-lived the dinosaurs are now on a collision course with a fast-changing world.

On Wednesday at 7 p.m., Secrets of the Dead tells the story of airmen shot down over the jungles of Japanese occupied Borneo during World War II.

Krakatoa – a program that brings the May 20, 1883 eruption to life through CGI and dramatic recreations – will air Thursday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. on IPTV WORLD.