Year in review: national politics in 2009 (part 1)
January 2009 Bill Richardson withdrew his name from consideration for Commerce secretary. President Obama named Leon Panetta to head the CIA. Bruce Braley became a vice chair of the Democratic...
View ArticleYear in review: Iowa politics in 2009 (part 1)
January 2009 In a Des Moines Register interview, Chet Culver evaluated his first two years in office and said he was aiming to be the best Iowa governor in history. His comments inspired this post on...
View ArticleYear in review: Bleeding Heartland on food and parenting in 2009
January 2009 Food Democracy Now advocated for the “sustainable dozen,” “a list of 12 candidates for the crucial Under Secretary positions [at the USDA] that will stand up for family farms, safe food,...
View ArticleWeekend open thread with events coming up this week
Saturday, February 6: Senate candidate Roxanne Conlin is holding several campaign events: beginning at 11 am, she will be at the Sac City Public Library, 1001 Main Street. Beginning at 1 pm, she will...
View ArticleRepublican “family values” on display in Iowa Senate
The full text of Senate File 2270 is here. Excerpt: 1 19 1. An employer shall provide reasonable unpaid break time or 1 20 permit an employee to use paid break time, meal time, or both, 1 21...
View ArticleCDC birth control guidelines could reduce breastfeeding
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine warns that recently updated "birth control guidelines released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could undermine mothers who want to...
View ArticleWeekend open thread: Mother’s Day edition
First, I recommend this reminder about "the radical history of Mother’s Day. The holiday now commonly marked by flowers, long-distand phone calls, and special meals began as an appeal for mothers to...
View ArticleMore Iowa women are breastfeeding their newborns
More than three-quarters of Iowa mothers are breastfeeding their newborns at the time of discharge from the hospital, according to the latest figures released by the Iowa Department of Public Health. A...
View ArticleIowa women may breastfeed their children in any public place
An unfortunate incident at a public pool in Dubuque prompted that city to update its written policies this week to permit "breastfeeding in a public swimming pool or deck area at the mother’s...
View ArticleWeekend thread: Terrible U.S. diplomacy edition
“The U.S. soybean industry’s worst fears are coming to pass today,” the Iowa Soybean Association said in a statement as the first round of tariffs between the U.S. and China went into effect on July 6....
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