Iowa City Owl

Des Moines: Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival and Beyond

The month of love is sizzling hot with big names and bacon! That’s right, Des Moines will be hosting its 5th annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. This festival is extra crispy with a rich history that was started by a group of Iowans in Crystal Lake. With a true passion for bacon, these Iowans have developed an event that teaches and entertains all who are interested in everything bacon. There are classes, lectures, tastings, a song writing competition, and even a jelly-bellied pig mascot named Blue.

Cedar Rapids To Host Anime Convention

This February, Cedar Rapids is going to see something pretty unique as anime characters will be coming to life as fans celebrate for a four-day convention.

Joe the Plumber: Pushing The Limits of Viral Fame

Remember “Joe the Plumber,” the disgruntled voter who questioned then-Senator Barack Obama about his tax policy during the 2008 campaign? He’s back. We’ll, he never really went away. The “plumber” turned media star, political commentator, author, and Tea Party headliner announced on Wednesday that he would be running as a Republican candidate for Congress in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.

Chasing Shade - Iowa City Music You Should Hear

It’s 8:45 p.m. on a Thursday. Amid the downtown disarray, three twenty-something-year-olds are illuminated under green and pink stage lights. They pluck the strings of their guitars and stroke the snare heads for last minute tuning adjustments. The crowd waits in anticipation. Their set begins.

Verum's Interview with Raj Patel

On the eve of the November 8^th city council election, Raj Patel and his family hosted a large gathering at Takanami for friends and supporters. The room was silent and tense as I walked in just ten minutes before the official election results were announced. The ‘Remember the Titans’ instrumental in the background only made the tension more clear. My first glance of Raj revealed a feeling of overwhelming nervousness as his family created a barrier between him and the crowd.  His gestures switched between wiping sweat from his temples and taking gulps of a drink with his shaky hand.

Hawkeye Football Searches for a New Defensive Coordinator

For the first time since I was finishing my senior year of high school or 1999, the University of Iowa is conducting a search to fill a major coaching vacancy on its football team.

Sports Economics 101

I’m writing to tell you what you should already know but recent events have caused me to sadly acknowledge is a reality so many whom are fans of professional sports teams are refusing to deal with. Money rules the world. All of it. That includes sports. Professional sports franchises hire athletes and executives to make the franchise a winner in the financial realm as a first priority.  Winning on the field of play is secondary to that because the organizations have to pay to play.

Destination Des Moines: December

You're thrashing your arms, alternating kicks with your legs,  while attempting to maintain your rhythm. The trumpet has your hips moving and you’re getting tossed around like one of the lotto balls inside a drum before a Saturday night Powerball drawing. Anywhere else  people might mistaken you for someone diagnosed with epilepsy. So what might be the catalyst for this bizarre behavior? It's not so much a question of what, but more a question of who. The who is Reel Big Fish, a ska band from southern California who’s fans come together to let loose while engaging in the unique dance form of Skanking. To get your skank-on come down to Peoples Court this Friday where RBF will be sure to show you why everything does not suck. 

2011 B1G Field Hockey Season Review

2011 was another successful season for field hockey teams across the Big Ten, the University of Iowa included. Four teams from the Big Ten made it into the field of sixteen competing for a national championship. Schools from the Big Ten ranked among the best in the country throughout the season and individuals on the teams led the country in important statistical categories.

Occupy Wall Street Being Cleared From Park

Police in riot gear have corralled members of the Occupy Wall Street and begun systematically throwing away the property of Occupy members and destroying tents while trying to clear the park under the order of the city's mayor.

Destination Des Moines: November

You're home for the holidays, vegging out and reuniting with family. By day two you realize you’ve gained 10 lbs and need to get out of the house. It's been a while since you’ve been in Des Moines, or maybe it's your first visit, so whats there to do other then meeting friends at your favorite watering hole?

Even Governments Need Lobbyists

If there's one message that's clear from Johnson County Board of Supervisor's recent decision to join a coalition to hire lobbyists for the corridor region, it's that even state politicians are grossly out of touch with constituents. Worse off, the only constituents they can pay attention to, are those with the best lobbyists.

Big Ten Women’s Soccer Season Review

If you haven’t followed Big Ten women’s soccer this season you probably don’t know that for nine of the twelve universities, 2011 has ended. Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois earned berths in the field of 64 to determine a national champion and will play at least one more game. The other nine schools, Iowa included, are now engaged in a mix of looking back at the season that is behind and looking forward to 2012.

Three Cups Of Tea

Three cups of tea: first cup your a stranger, second cup your an honored guest, and third cup your family and will be treated as such till the death if need be. This is what makes this book fantastic and amazing how such a vilified and unknown culture can go out of there way to show the utmost respect to strangers and finally accept them as family as if it was meant to be this way. If only all cultures could be so pure and without malice then things that the author of this book does would be an everyday occurrence and not just an act of heroism.

Iowa City Farmers Market Closes for 2011

The Iowa City farmers market held its final market of 2011 Saturday. Located on the ground level of the Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp on East Washington Street, the farmers market has long been a place for Iowa City farmers and artisans to sell their goods.

Big Ten Volleyball Midseason Report

The Big Ten Volleyball season is now past its halfway point and it’s safe to say that the conference may be the best in the nation. Six teams are ranked in the current Coaches’ Poll (Nebraska, Illinois, Penn State, Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan). No conference has more teams in the rankings. Statistically the teams of the B1G rank towards the top in several major categories amongst the nation’s squads.

Kill Me If You Can Review

Kill me if you can is a semi thrilling thriller told in the 1st person point of view by Matthew Bannon a struggling ex wartime marine turned artist who also moonlights as a contract killer named the ghost.

Republican's Tuesday Night Fights in Vegas

With Herman Cain tied with Mitt Romney in some polls, Tuesday’s debate promised to about differing policies rather than attempts by third tier candidates to get some attention. Everyone agrees, that what occurred was a fight.

Occupy the NBA?

The word “occupy” has taken on new context in the past few weeks. The meaning of the word itself has not changed, but rather the mental image that comes to mind when a person hears or reads it. Whereas it simply used to mean that a structure had persons using it for a specific purpose, now the word invokes visions of protesters, signs, tents and in some cities, police. The movement has spread across the nation from Wall Street into many different venues. I would like to suggest one that thus far the movement has not descended upon though, and that is the National Basketball Association.

Sectarian Violence in Cairo Stirs Egypt

The most violent night Cairo has experienced since the overthrow of Hussein Mubarak left dozens killed and injured. The casualties were both civilians and military personnel leading the interim prime minister, Essam Sharaf, to call for calm and peace to quell the seeds of division.

Steve Jobs Book Sales Soar

Interest in former Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ life and work has soared after his death last week at the age of 56. Several books about the innovative technology leader will be on the market soon.

Occupy Iowa City Stands With Occupy Wall Street

Yesterday, well over 300 different people showed up to participate in Iowa City's local version of Occupy Wall Street.

Occupy Iowa City Starts Today

People will be gathering starting at 6pm this evening in College Green Park for an event they're calling Occupy Iowa City.

Comedy Central Comes To Iowa City

Comedy Central has been bringing rising comedians to campuses across the country as part of their fifth college tour, and Iowa City is included this year. This evening at the IMU, the University's Campus Activities Board presents Jermaine Fowler, Rory Scovel, and Nick Thune starting at 10pm. Jermaine Fowler has opened for Tosh.0 and has been in Knocked Up.

Occupy Wall Street History

Occupy Wall Street started as an idea on an email list in Canada. Adbusters senior editor Micah White told the Vancouver Courier, “We basically floated the idea in mid July into our [email list] and it was spontaneously taken up by all the people of the world. It just kind of snowballed from there.”

Upcoming October Iowa City Events

There are lots of great events coming up in Iowa City over the next couple of weeks, ranging from the Englert Tehatre's Anniversary Celebration to several University Speakers.

Destination Des Moines: October

If you want to get away from Iowa city for a minute Des Moines can offer you a change in scenery. During the month of October there are a few events worth breaking out of your shell to come and have a peck at. Colorado musicians Big Gigantic and Pretty Lights will be gracing the capital city with their musical talents.

Obama’s Job’s Act – Will congress pass the bill?

Last week the Obama administration announced a bill that would potentially help relieve the pressure of the waning job market that resulted from the lengthy economic recession. Part of Obama’s American Jobs Act proposes a tax relief specifically for businesses as a means to initiate job development and avoid layoffs.

mc chris, MC Lars, Mega Ran, and Adam WarRock play in Iowa City

mc chris (lowercase intentional) headlined a concert in Iowa City last night featuring MC Lars, MegaRan, and Adam WarRock to a sold-out crowd at the upstairs of the Blue Moose Tap House in downtown Iowa City.

Will Congress Pass the Jobs Bill?

With 2012 elections looming just around the corner, tensions couldn’t be higher in Washington. Americans are showing more and more frustration, with a recent poll putting the number of people who approve of how Congress is doing its job at a mere 12%. A low like this hasn’t been seen since October of 2008, at the height of the economic crisis. The US seems unable to come together on any issue or topic, with the exception of a blatant dislike for politicians’ plans.

Israel Grapples to Maintain Status Quo Among Crisis

The Israeli government is struggling to maintain political status quo this month after multiple diplomatic rifts with it’s regional allies, Egypt and Turkey, over the perpetual issue of Palestinian statehood.

Mitt Perry vs. Rick Romney

After placing sixth and seventh in the Iowa straw poll, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney have dominated the Republican field of Presidential candidates. The former Governors have focused almost exclusively on each other in the last two debates.

The International Community’s Response to 9/11/11

As the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, passes, it seems the fragile and politically correct analysis of each and every media publication related to the attacks is wearing away. While major news sites maintain their focus on the heroes of 9/11, the military abroad, and the families left facing devastating losses after the attacks, some are moving away from the traditional "salute to America’s heroes" stories.

Solving the Economic Crisis, the Generation Y Way

“Employers Say Jobs Plan Won’t Lead to Hiring Spur,” declares the alarming headline of an article published by the New York Times earlier today. The article went on to explain: "… many employers dismissed the notion that any particular tax break or incentive would be persuasive. Instead, they said they tended to hire more workers or expand when the economy improved."

One Laptop Per Child turns to Tablet Computers

In 2005, MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte founded One Laptop per Child, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing low-cost, low-maintenance laptops to children in developing countries in an effort to enhance children’s education. The XO laptops (pictured left) are built for the wear and tear of daily use by children – they are waterproof, built of plastic and run on low electricity.

Where is America?

In a poll of 30,000 people world-wide, the United States was recently voted the “coolest nation”. What makes Americans so cool? According to voters, things like the iPhone, Levi's, Harley Davidson and people like Jay-Z, Johnny Depp and President Obama all contributed to America’s “coolness”.

Obama to Congress: Pass this Bill

Obama's message to congress was clear as he addressed them over his new American Jobs Act

US Embassy: Jamaica Could Be Next Terrorist Haven

As a convicted radical extremist Muslim cleric returns to Jamaica to preach violence, the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica thinks Jamaica may become the next hotspot for Islamic extremism.

Who the #*@% is Ron Paul?

Ron Paul has suggested dismantling FEMA, withdrawing all of our troops from abroad, returning to the gold standard, and ending the Federal Reserve. He consistently refuses to vote for or accept new legislation due to its lack of constitutionality. His mantra has always remained the same: “less government”. He hasn't changed his positions on lower taxes and less government, even after decades in politics.

Don't Choose A "Strong" Password

Everywhere where you create a password these days, they ask you to make sure to include letters, numbers, and capital letters in some sort of variation to make a supposedly strong password. Turns out, you're just creating passwords that are relatively easy for computers to guess - yet hard for humans to remember. A brute force attack can crack your 11 character (numbers and symbols included) password in just three days.

Misfortune and Occult delight the Landlocked Film Festival

The 5th annual Landlocked Film Festival took place last weekend in Iowa City at several locations downtown. Englert Theatre, hotelVetro, Iowa City Public Library, and Bijou Theatre hosted independent film screenings, workshops and panels with directors from August 25 – 28.

Tea Party Express Rolls Through Iowa

Conservatives around Iowa are awaiting the arrival of the Tea Party Express, which is scheduled to make stops in Sioux City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport, Iowa during the group’s national bus tour on August 31, and September 1. The Express is coming to rally support for the upcoming Iowa Caucus, and 2012 Presidential Election.

What's up in Iowa City this week.

Iowa City has a lot of interesting and unique events happening every week, so here are a few cool Iowa City events you might want to check out this week.

Can Google TV Survive?

Since October 2011, Google TV has been available in the United States. The next step in syncing our lives, Google TV allows users a customizable homepage, where users can keep shortcuts for their favorite channels, apps and games. It’s available by buying either a Sony internet television, Sony Blu-Ray Disc player or a Logitech Revue box set. The Logitech Revue box set also comes with a wireless keyboard because like a regular homepage, Google TV requires heavy text input in order to yield results. An example would be the search bar which sifts through all mediums to find whatever you type, so a search will yield results on both the internet and television.

Tibetan Monk Immolates Himself in Public Protest

On Monday August 15th, a Tibetan Buddhist monk immolated himself in protest of the Chinese policies related to Tibet, coinciding with the Chinese communist party's latest political moves.

Iowa City Events This Week

With Afroman having performed at the Blue Moose last night, and Kenan Thompson live in the IMU tonight, there's a lot of local stuff happening in Iowa City. Events ranging from concerts, movie screenings, and festivals happen all the time here.

Libyan Conflict Still Remains Up in Smoke

The war in Libya might finally be drawing to a close. Following the seizing of Tripoli, the Libyan capitol and last stronghold of former head of state Muammar Qaddafi, rebel leaders and the people of Libya are finally celebrating the end of sixth-months of intense fighting. But as Qaddafi’s whereabouts are still unknown and his sons remain free, many question the consequences of the old regime’s defeat.

Friday Honored For Muslims Worldwide

This upcoming Friday marks a holy day for over a billion people across the globe, as Friday marks the anniversary of the night Muslims believe the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Local Muslims will spend this night in a state of intense worship and devotion, in imitation of Muhammad, secluding themselves from worldly events, to seek and submit to God's rewards and forgiveness.

How will the 21 ordinance change Iowa 2011-2012?

With University of Iowa classes in full swing, Iowa City area businesses, bars & restaurants will be busy with the rush of new students and their families. From buying last minute supplies to grabbing a bite to eat after settling into a new dorm room, local establishments will be seeing a rush of business in the next couple of weeks. One question remains however; Heading into the 2011-2012 school year, and the 2nd year of the 21 ordinance in Iowa City, how will the downtown economy be affected?

Web Surfing At Work Good For Your Health

According to a story reported by the Wall Street Journal, web surfing at work improves performance.

Patents Are Bad For The Economy

A patent is a set of rights guaranteeing an inventor the exclusive right to develop their own invention for a limited period of time. Well, that's what they're supposed to be.

Organizers Plan a "DC Occupation"

A loose coalition of community organizers, peace activists, and supporting organizations have called on volunteers to join them October 6, 2011, for an “occupation” of Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C.

Photo Finish at Ames Straw Poll

The sixth Iowa Straw Poll took place Saturday at the Hilton Coliseum located on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The Straw Poll, created in 1979 by the Iowan Republican Party, is held every Fall before highly disputed caucus elections, and serves as a strong indicator to a Republican candidate’s strength. Although it has no official effect, the Straw Poll is a highly publicized event.

Britain Shook By Widespread Rioting

The death of 29 year-old Mark Duggan in the Tottenham borough of London domino-ed into almost a week of widespread rioting, looting, and arson in London and several other cities from August 6th until August 10th. The alleged crack-cocaine dealer and gang member was shot in the chest by a policeman on August 4th, leading to a non-violent protest march of 200 members organized by friends and family of Duggan.

Looking For Writers and Photographers

Iowa City Owl is looking for writers and photographers for both our local and world news sections. Interested individuals should email news AT iowacityowl DOT com, specifying what they are most interested in writing about.