It’s Just Trivial

July 8th, 2008 by Rachel Lemieux

On Sunday evening I was relaxing on my mismatched couch, while my boyfriend took up the loveseat that doubles as a scratching post. We were watching a DVR-ed episode of the new game show “Duel,” as most 25-year-olds going on 85 do. After blurting out many wrong answers, I finally got one.

Posted in Cat Tales | 1 Comment »

Talking Tiger

July 8th, 2008 by Eric Page

SILVIS, Ill. — Out here at TPC Deere Run, there still is a lot of talk about Tiger Woods’ against-the-odds performance at the U.S. Open last month (For those of you who live under a rock, Tiger won the Open in a playoff while playing on a severely injured leg).

Hometown favorite Zach Johnson and Sean O’Hair, two in the JDC field who are coming off injuries, marveled at Tiger’s ability to play through the pain.

Posted in Q-C Times Blog, Deere Diary | 1 Comment »

Going back to summer camp

July 8th, 2008 by Kay Luna

I’m feeling nostalgic … I just got back from spending the morning at YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln in Blue Grass, Iowa, where my oldest boy spent a week one summer when he was about 10.

Why was I at summer camp, you ask? Well, I’m writing a story about it, of course.

So, I hung out and watched the campers dance, do arts and crafts, sing songs, play games and tidy up their cabins … and I kept shaking my head, telling myself not to be so pathetic. Because every little boy reminded me of my son.

Posted in The Workin' Mom | 1 Comment »

Mr. Heller

July 8th, 2008 by Nick Schmidt

   Lots of people turned out to see the game July 7, 2008. Many showed up before the game so their kids could go out and play catch on the field. I was struggling with what to write about for this game. It wasn’t that there wasn’t anything to do or see, there were too many. I just didn’t know which one. 

   Then before I started shooting pictures, David Heller, the Managing Partner of the Quad-Cities River Bandits, came up to me to say, “Hi”. Mr. Heller was at the game with his wife and young son. I later caught up with him and was able to ask a few questions. 

Posted in Summer At The Park | No Comments »

Where Would We Be Without the French?

July 7th, 2008 by Art Pitz

Recently, I wrote a blog about the mostly positive features of British colonization related to the original thirteen colonies.  But, there’s more to the picture. It isn’t popular to give the French any credit at all, but if it hadn’t been for French support, the U.S. might never have become independent.

What were the lasting effects on America from French colonization during colonial days?  First and foremost, it was French explorers who mapped out a good part of the middle part of the U.S. connected with the Mississippi River and its tributaries.  This explains why there were so many place names borrowed from the French. Consider place names like LaSalle, Illinois; Marquette University in Milwaukee; Detroit, Michigan; and New Orleans, Louisiana.  Besides that, the French firmly implanted their language, culture and Catholic religion in Quebec, Canada as well as in New Orleans (think of the French Quarter there).

Posted in Historian On The Move | 2 Comments »

Highlights of the weekend

July 7th, 2008 by Kay Luna

Don’t have a lot of time to write here – boy, do I need to catch up with my stories for work. And my computer is acting up, so that’s taken some time today.

But I do want to share some highlights of the weekend that you might enjoy hearing:

1.) Babycakes (18 months old) caught her first frog! We were at a cookout at my brother’s house on the 4th, and she saw a little frog hop by — she exuberantly said, “HOP!” when she saw it. She bent down and picked it up. Then, she promptly put it down, and shuddered like she was grossed out. It was so funny!

Posted in The Workin' Mom | 3 Comments »

An OK Firecracker experience

July 4th, 2008 by Stephanie De Pasquale

Oh my gosh the Firecracker Run volunteers at the water stations didn’t have gloves and few who did only had one. I asked about it as I took the water from one of the volunteers and she said they weren’t given any. I hope all the volunteers washed their hands first.

But besides the gloveless waterstation volunteers and running out of all shirt sizes except XL, (those of who didn’t get one will are supposively getting one in three to four weeks) the race seemed to be run pretty smoothly and besides my first mile, the race went well for me too.

Posted in Training for Bix | 7 Comments »

Another way to look at the Fourth of July

July 4th, 2008 by Art Pitz

When one looks at the world scene, one has to be struck by the lingering effects of colonialism in much of Africa and in Asia.  Generally speaking, colonialism had negative effects and gets a bum rap. But the United States became successful after declaring independence, in large part, because of several advantages of having been British colonies. What were some of those advantages?

1) By the time the British colonies in North America had been established, England had developed a checks and balances system of government.  While the British monarch could be and sometimes was arbitrary, the House of Commons in the Parliament held much of the actual power, and there was an independent judiciary.  Most important, the principle had been established that no one was above the law.

Posted in Historian On The Move | 5 Comments »

Click, flash, and again!!!

July 4th, 2008 by Cameron Coker

It’s official; Sterling has become our publicist involuntarily since we have managed to become micro-celebrities. His call history list from his local Chinese phone is filled with numbers of news stations still requesting interviews, pictures and footage of us exploring Beijing. Since we are the first group of volunteer students from a foreign university to arrive in Beijing for the Olympics, subsequently we have become the top level of newsworthiness for the Chinese media. Journalists from the north and south provinces of China came with redundant questions of, “What is your view on China?” and “Why do you want to volunteer?” I had cameramen taking pictures of me practicing Chinese calligraphy on a chalk board, with two hovering over the top of the board and one between my legs during our lesson.

Posted in Beijing Beat | 5 Comments »

Limp along, one step at a time

July 3rd, 2008 by Deirdre Cox Baker

I just got done enjoying the terrific month of June in which I travelled to neat places where I: Helped folks in New Orleans re-build their homes after Hurricane Katrina, enjoyed and appreciated life with girlfriends in Las Vegas; and went with the family to register our 18-year-old for college in Cedar Falls.

I continued to limp slightly through it all. I tore my Achilles tendon on my heel and ankle in 2005, and have spent the last three years trying various ways to rehab it, short of actual surgery (yikes!).

Posted in HealthBeat | No Comments »