And you can pick anybody from this site to back you up, who are you choosing?

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Has 9 days to comply. Bad day for him and mayorkas.

You know, in case you had that prop in DraftKings.

Is it a thing in Iowa? It is here.....




2,3,1,4







http://video-monitoring.com/beachcams/lakeworthinlet/pics/v18/mar2619a/m260916a.mp4

A White House official was confronted by Fox News' Bill Hemmer Monday on a long list of foreign policy blunders under President Biden's leadership following Iran's direct attack against Israel.

Biden had warned Iran not to attack Israel over the weekend, saying, "Don't," but the Islamic Republic fired 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles towards Israel on Saturday, according to the IDF.
"Joe Biden said, don't do it. But [Iran] did anyway. John Kirby is with us now," Hemmer, co-anchor of Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom," said while introducing the White House national security communications advisor onto the show.

"You got your hands full," Hemmer said.

"I was looking back at the track record for President Biden. Here's what sticks out: The Afghanistan withdrawal was a mess. We failed to stop Putin from going into Ukraine. The war with Israel and Hamas has been absolutely dreadful and destructive. Again, it's the first time Iran has aimed at Israel. China's military buildup is substantial. And that was just this morning what I came up with. Can you argue that American strength and persuasion is better today than it was four years ago globally?" he continued.

Hemmer also asked Kirby about whether the administration plans to reconsider allowing Iran to access billions amid the sanctions waiver on the country.

"Iran has been a pain to your administration. It has been a pain to Israel when you consider its support for Hamas in light of Saturday's events where Iran hit Israel for the first time… Is it time to rethink allowing Iran access to billions of dollars in electricity sales between Iraq and Iran? Will that policy be stopped, sir?" Hemmer asked.

Kirby responded by pointing to the Trump administration.

The interview followed Kirby pointing the finger at former President Trump for supposedly emboldening Iran on Fox News Channel Sunday.

GOP senators have criticized what they see as Biden's continued weakness on deterrence after the Iranian regime ignored his request.

"So much for President Biden telling bad guys ‘Don’t’ actually being an effective deterrent. Every time he says ’Don’t,' they do," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wrote in an X post on Saturday.

"Under President Trump, Iran was broke. President Biden gifted them billions of dollars and then naively said 'don’t,'" said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. "'Don’t' is not a foreign policy. Joe Biden’s policies have funded Iran’s attack on Israel."

Biden said after Iran's attack, "Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks, sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel."

The blinding sun belied the bitterly cold temperature early Saturday morning.



Some streets still had not been adequately plowed and the windchill was subzero at 9 a.m., but that did not stop people from crowding into an Ankeny Public Library conference room on Jan. 20. Volunteers scrambled to find extra chairs for the crowd that spilled into the massive lobby, and the public braved cold blasts of air every time the doors opened. But their full attention was on the stories shared about the positive impact Area Education Agencies have made on their neighbors’ lives and community. “I have only been in legislature this year and I have received thousands of letters — not one is in support of this bill” Rep. Molly Buck told the crowd.


There are thousands of similar stories across our great state. This and the number of times the executive branch story has changed regarding the overhaul of the AEA system beg the questions: why is this happening? And which experts were consulted?





Let’s all take a collective deep breath and hit pause for a moment. Since when did the voices of Iowans with years of training and valuable experiential knowledge become drowned out by bureaucrats with little subject matter expertise? It is time our executive branch reestablish relationships with exiled experts. In order for all Iowans to have freedom to flourish, we must build systems that don’t cause them undue burden. Or in this case, not destroy the system that is serving them well.


In the past year, major changes were made to programs serving Iowans. Medicaid eligibility and boards that protect our health and safety are just a couple causalities of destructive overhauls. The word “modernize” now has become synonymous with chaos, inefficiency, and fiscal irresponsibility.


Al Womble of the AFL-CIO spoke about the positive downstream impact appropriate and timely services can have on families as well as on greater society. “Because of the assistance of AEA my daughter went from a full-time supported classroom to a mainstream classroom. She has a driver’s license, has had a job for 10 years, has received a couple promotions, and is now working on a college degree in IT. She Is a productive member of society. The former athlete became emotional. “My daughter has had a full life thanks to heartland AEA.”


The vast majority of us don’t like to overpay for services or programs. But where are the data to support the notion that the changes that we have endured in the past year are saving Iowans money? So far we have seen confusion, the potential for more administrative costs due to bureaucratic hurdles, inefficient approval and information processes, and fewer Iowans being served.


Had the original proposal moved forward, the consequences would have been dire for some families. ”In rural Iowa there is not access, so a child has to be removed from school one day every week and drive four hours to get service, how does that effect their education?” Rep. Buck asked. And this is assuming the family has a car, can afford gas, and can get time off work.


Ami Chounlamany knows firsthand the importance of AEA in rural areas. “As a teacher my AEA team members were invaluable to me, as well as throughout my career. The rural population would not have access to support and education in the early years if it were not for the AEA.” She also is a parent of a child who is a success story due to AEA services. “My daughter struggled with reading in 3rd to 5th grades and was placed with an IEP in large part due to the support of our local AEA Consultants.”

​

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As far as Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Condition of the State accusation that AEA’s are “becoming top-heavy organizations with high administrative costs,” a lot of infrastructure is needed to support the vast needs of Iowan students. An AEA expert spoke Jan. 20 about some of this infrastructure, “Administrators recruit and supervise subject matter experts — I truly don’t know how Department of Education will do this. Technology and cybersecurity — rural districts don’t have anyone to do this. We have van drivers who get things between school districts. Things that they are not thinking about, and the governor is not thinking about- they will be gone and people will wonder where they are. We have purchasing staff — they negotiate costs down so that all districts get cheaper food, technology, and materials in media centers. When they come into homes with books and equipment — we have people who get those items so they can be distributed to families. Printing and graphic design — they are at lower cost — this will be unreasonable in the private sector. Over a thousand people across the state will lose their jobs.”


A teacher from Ankeny addressed Reynolds' comment that AEAs have grown too much "beyond their core mission of helping students with disabilities.” The teacher addressed those gathered somberly, ”AEA has grown with needs of schools — how are we going to handle the implementation of new requirements?”


The growing need was sadly underscored when a participant brought up the tragic Perry school shooting. Rep. Buck responded “When that tragedy happened in Perry, the organization that was there, that wrote their reentry plan to school, it was the AEA. Perry was in the midst of horrible trauma, to expect their teachers and administrators to write a plan about how to bring people back to a building where people were shot … Kevin [an AEA employee] — will be in Perry when it reopens in case teacher has a breakdown, and they will step in. Helping a school recover and reopen — the Department of Education will not be doing that. It is ridiculous to think they will be able to. The deadlines in this bill are ridiculous. AEA staff are the boots on the ground beside teachers.”


It is hard to say where the dust will settle on the question of the AEA structure. But let’s work together to stop these demolitions to our public systems in the false pretense of government efficiency.


Chris Espersen is a Gazette editorial fellow. chris.espersen@thegazette.com

He transferred to WI from OK, so would Budmayer even have any time with him.

Possible Iowa target?

It's the polite thing to do, right?I found myself in the Tri-County area this afternoon and bought a bag of pretzels after using one of the fine restrooms that Casey's offers.

Wait, what?

Why can't I just get weed? Why all this nonsense?

THC Drinks

It always downpours in the desert. A 🧵

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Ok. What’s done is done.

B1G season starts today. Opportunity for Hawkeyes to “make a statement” that they aren’t going to let the non-conf results derail this season.

Go on the road and stick it to the Boilers!

It sounds like we may have some news regarding the visit by Drew Thelwell as soon as tomorrow. Iowa appears to be in the driver's seat here.

I'll give more details if/when something comes to fruition.

Why are they all drinking diet dr pepper?

WHT MALES ON FRONT PORCH PLAYING BONGOS, DRINKING, BEING LOUD WHITE HOUSE STRAIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM JOHN^S GROCERY PARKING LOT 4-5 MALES

Guess this family won't be voting for open borders jo!

Where do you fall on parking in the yard? Omaha Mayor vetoed allowing police to fine people for parking in their yard, not because she disagrees with the issue, but she thought the bill was not strict enough.

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Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl whose escape from the Central Park Zoo and life on the loose captivated New York, had enough rat poison and pigeon virus in his system to kill him even if he had not died after apparently striking an Upper West Side building last month.
The finding, from a necropsy conducted by Bronx Zoo pathologists after Flaco’s death on Feb. 23, validated widespread concerns about the hazards he faced living as a free bird in Manhattan for just over a year. He would have turned 14 this month.
“Flaco’s severe illness and death are ultimately attributed to a combination of factors — infectious disease, toxin exposures and traumatic injuries — that underscore the hazards faced by wild birds, especially in an urban setting,” the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the Central Park and Bronx Zoos, said in a statement on Monday.
Initial necropsy findings released the day after what onlookers described as a deadly building strike suggested Flaco had sustained an acute traumatic injury to his body, with signs of substantial hemorrhage under his sternum and in his back near his liver.
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There was also evidence of bleeding behind his left eye, but no signs of head trauma or broken bones, the society said. Flaco was in “good body condition,” with “good muscling” and “adequate fat stores.” He weighed 4.1 pounds at death, just one-tenth of a pound lighter than at his last weigh-in at the zoo.
The society said at the time of the initial findings that additional tests were needed to determine whether any underlying factors had contributed to his death.
In confirming the role of traumatic injuries, those tests found he had a severe pigeon herpesvirus, which the conservation society attributed to his eating feral pigeons.
The herpesvirus in question can be carried by healthy pigeons but may cause fatal disease in birds of prey, including owls that become infected by eating pigeons, the society said.
In Flaco’s case, the society said, the viral infection had caused severe tissue damage and inflammation in many organs, including the spleen, liver, gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow and brain.

​

Toxicity tests also determined that Flaco had been exposed to four different anticoagulant rodenticides that are commonly used for rat control in New York City.

Together, the conservation society said, the pigeon virus and rodenticide exposure “would have been debilitating and ultimately fatal, even without a traumatic injury, and may have predisposed him to flying into or falling from the building.”
No other contributing factors were identified through the extensive testing that was performed.
Toxicology tests also revealed trace amounts of DDE, a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT, which has been banned in the United States since the early 1970s. Although the levels detected did not contribute to Flaco’s death, the society said, the finding was a “reminder of the long legacy of DDT and its dire effects on wild bird populations.”
Flaco died three weeks after passing the one-year mark of living on his own. As impressive as reaching that unlikely milestone was, it did not provide immunity against the serious risks he faced amid what was, for New York at least, a seemingly unprecedented wildlife experiment.
Hatched on March 15, 2010, at a North Carolina bird park, Flaco arrived at the Central Park Zoo less than two months later. He was a long way from what would have been a natural home for a bird like him.
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The Eurasian eagle-owl, known by the scientific name Bubo bubo, is an apex predator typically found in much of Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and Central Asia. It is among the world’s largest owls, with a wingspan as wide as six feet. The bird thrives in mountains and other rocky areas near forests, swooping down at night to hunt rodents, rabbits and other prey.
For most of Flaco’s first 13 years, his life was unremarkable. That changed on the evening of Feb. 2, 2023, when someone shredded the mesh on his enclosure at the zoo and he showed up on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk. No one has been arrested; the police have said that their investigation is continuing.
There was a significant question about whether Flaco could thrive outside captivity. When he proved his doubters wrong by teaching himself to feast on Central Park’s vast banquet of rats, he became an underdog worth rooting for. Bird-watchers, ornithologists and everyday people tracked his movements in person or, often, online.
Wildlife Conservation Society employees tried several times to retrieve him but backed off after he showed that he could fend for himself. Before long, he had settled into a comfortable routine at the park’s north end, and then around Halloween he began to roam from the East Village to the Upper West Side.
Experts and others tried to temper the excitement over his improbable sojourn. Eurasian eagle-owls can live more than 40 years in captivity, but only 20 on average in the wild. And no one could predict whether, or when, urban hazards like rat poison, a building strike or a collision with a vehicle might cut his life short.

Flaco managed to avoid vehicles by mostly sticking to rooftops, water towers and other elevated elements of the built environment once he left the park. But the risk of hitting a building was great: Up to 230,000 birds a year die in New York City when they hit windows, NYC Audubon says. And once he left Central Park, the rodenticide risk rose substantially.
The use of rat poisons is halted in the city’s parks during nesting season, from February through August, or when a breeding pair of birds of prey is present in or near a park or park area, according to a Parks Department spokesman.
Outside parks, though, such restrictions generally do not apply, and the use of rat poisons is widespread.
Rats that have ingested rodenticides often move more slowly, making them inviting, and potentially lethal, targets for birds of prey. Many of the nine dead birds the city’s Parks Department sent to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation last year for a cause-of-death determination, including several red-tailed hawks, had been poisoned by rodenticide, the local news outlet The City reported on Monday.
There was always the possibility that Flaco could fall victim to more than one hazard, as appears to have happened. Barry, a female barred owl who became a fixture in the park during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, suffered such a fate.
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After Barry died in a collision with a Central Park Conservancy vehicle in August 2021, a necropsy found she had died of blunt-force trauma, according to a Department of Environmental Conservation diagnostic report. But she also had a potentially lethal level of rat poison in her system.
As for Flaco, his body was found in the back courtyard of a building on West 89th Street by the superintendent, who immediately recognized him.
The super and a resident contacted the Wild Bird Fund, a rescue organization, whose volunteers responded quickly and retrieved Flaco. He was alive then but was declared dead soon after, the Wildlife Conservation Society said.
A memorial gathering on March 3 at what Flaco followers said was his favorite oak tree at the park’s north end drew a crowd of several hundred people who left flowers, letters and other colorful mementos at the base of the trunk. Speakers read poems and shared how Flaco had inspired and moved them.
As of Monday, about 4,300 people had signed an online petition calling for a life-size statue of Flaco to be placed in Central Park to commemorate his legacy. A second online petition, this one urging that the police and the conservation society “relaunch” the investigation into who vandalized Flaco’s habitat, had more than 48,000 signatures.