If you liked their synthesized baroque concerts with scented smoke rolling off the stage, and their perennial Christmas albums in the couple decades after that, you’ll love the latest from Mannheim Steamroller — a holiday album for Halloween!
Iowa business chases "Paranormal" reports
October 31, 2006 By
Ghost stories abound during Halloween — but one central Iowa organization spends all year trying to hunt down things that go bump in the night. Joseph Leto is the founder of “DIEPART,” which stands for Des Moines Iowa Extreme Paranormal Advanced Research Team. Leto says DIEPART sets out to explain the “paranormal.”
Leto says they’re things that aren’t normal, chairs floating, water falling from a place where it shouldn’t fall. Leto says he goes out with a team of three or four people, and usually come up with an answer. He says 99-percent of the time they can come up with a rational explanation. “You know like trees rubbing up against a widow’s house.” In that case Leto says they may cut down the tree. Leto says there is that other one-percent of the time when they can’t really explain what’s going on.
Leto says they scratch their head and can’t figure it out. He says they’ve had cases where they’ve seen items move, seen light shoot through houses, or heard noises and voices they can’t account for. Leto says if they have something that’s really hard to explain, they may refer the person to a priest. Leto says he’s been chasing the paranormal for 10 years and started this business three years ago to get some help.
Leto says his team does the investigation for free. Leto says they don’t charge, as he says they’re trying to help people and debunk the problems as much as they can without sensationalizing things. Leto says they try to use science to help people. Leto says they ask potential clients a series of questions before taking the case and also have psychotherapist that interviews clients to be sure it’s not just something going on in their mind. For more information, you can surf to:www.diepart.com.
Related web sites:
DIEPART website
Group says Halloween most dangerous for kids
October 31, 2006 By
An advocacy group says Halloween is the most dangerous night of the year for costumed kids to be scurrying around our streets. Alan Korn, public policy director for Safe Kids Worldwide, says Iowa children are four-times more likely to be killed in a car-pedestrian accident on October 31st than any other night of the year.
Korn says “That may be surprising to you but if you think about it, it makes sense. Every adult you know is going to be heading home at rush hour. At the exact same time, every child you know is going to be heading out trick-or-treating. That combination can be really deadly, so you want to think about visibility and predictable behaviors on Halloween to make sure it’s both safe and fun.”
The Iowa D-O-T says in the past five years, one pedestrian was killed, six sustained major injuries and 16 received had minor injuries in vehicle/pedestrian crashes in the five days surrounding October 31st. There were 17 other Iowa crashes reported where injuries were possible, but not confirmed. Korn says parents need to be sure their kids can see out their masks clearly and to make certain drivers can see the kids, starting with light-colored costumes.
Korn says “Make sure you accessorize the costume a little bit to take into account reflectivity so that cars can see you. Have parents carry flashlights or have the kids themselves carry glow-sticks or flashlights.” There’s also reflective tape you can buy at any hardware store and place strategically on the costume. He also suggests getting a practical trick-or-treat bag that has reflective tape built-in.
Korn says parents need to beware of possible treat-tampering and should closely check over the candy haul. Korn says it’s not a big issue but it’s still a good idea for parents to sit down at the table with their kids after the trick-or-treating and go through every item, throwing out candy that’s opened along with homemade candy, unless it comes from someone who’s known. For more tips, surf to “www.safekids.org”.
Related web sites:
Safe Kids Worldwide
Conference focuses on treating meth addiction
October 31, 2006 By
Tough new laws locking up ingredients used to make methamphetamine may have cut down the number of local drug-labs, but the drug and its many users are still a problem. Thursday and Friday, more than 200 substance-abuse and mental health professionals will gather in Omaha to learn about advances in treating methamphetamine addiction.
Program Coordinator Nicole Kennedy says meth affects the body in a different way than other addictive substances. So, she says there are issues regarding the detox time. Kennedy says meth actually has psychotic effects on your brain, so until the drug’s out of your system, “we don’t even know if we’re dealing with you or if we’re dealing with you under the effects of meth.” She says it’s a challenge to provide treatment until some of those physiological things have been resolved.
Kennedy says meth users often also struggle with addictions to alcohol and other drugs. In the last ten years, as meth has become an increasing concern in the Midwest and other parts of the country, Kennedy says researchers have learned more about the drug and how to treat it. They know it’s different, she says, but now they need the specific skill-set to help them actually deal with the differences. The conference runs Thursday and Friday at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Company ranks safety of cities
October 31, 2006 By
A company that gathers statistics on half a dozen major crimes publishes an annual report ranking the safest cities to live in. While we don’t make the top of the list for safest places to live, we also don’t show up on the most dangerous end of the scale.
Cedar Rapids is the 93rd safest, Sioux City is number 148 on the list, and Des Moines’ 195 in the rankings of safest cities, out of nearly 400 ranked by the publisher.
There are also rankings of metropolitan areas, which show Cedar Rapids 35th, Ames 39th in the rankings, Dubuque number 55, Waterloo 84th and the Sioux City metro area 89th. Morgan Quitno publishing, based in Lawrence, Kansas, totaled cases of six major crime categories to assemble the report — murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor-vehicle theft, and compared them with crimes per capita, in cities of 75-thousand people or more.
Hollywood star in Iowa to campaign for Culver, Boswell
October 30, 2006 By
During a campaign appearance in Des Moines on Monday afternoon, t.v. sitcom star Michael J. Fox waded into the political debate in Iowa about stem cell research.
Fox, who has Parkinson’s Disease, campaigned with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver because Culver promises to change the state law which has effectively prohibited embryonic stem cell research in Iowa. “It’s no secret I am a vocal advocate for medical research,” Fox said. “I have every confidence that the future of science will improve the lives of people living with numerous diseases and disorders, including cancer, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, but I am not alone. A majority of the United States House, a majority of the United States Senate and over 70 percent of the American people support expanding funding for stem cell research.”
Fox told the crowd gathered in the student union at Drake University that he’s often asked what his “Family Ties” character, the conservative Republican “Alex P. Keaton,” would think of his outspoken support of embryonic stem cell research. “I think he’d probably tell me to put my tie back on no matter how hot it is,” Fox said. The crowd, most of whom had waited for over an hour in a stiflingly hot room, laughed. “But I think he would tell me I’m doing the right thing.”
Fox has been campaigning in U.S. Senate and governor’s races around the country where the candidates differ on the use of embryos in stem cell research. “And I’m supporting candidates who support all stem cell research in races where their opponents simply don’t,” Fox said. “The idea of restricting one of the most promising areas of research is simply shortsighted.”
Fox not only praised Culver, the Democratic candidate for governor, for his position on the issue, but Fox praised Congressman Leonard Boswell, a Democrat from Des Moines, for backing embryonic stem cell research, too. Then Fox lambasted the Republicans who’re running against Culver and Boswell. “Both Jim Nussle and by the way, President Bush, his name is Jeff Lamberti oppose expanding the current stem cell research policy,” Fox said, ribbing Bush for slipping a couple of times last week at a Lamberti campaign rally and calling Lamberti “Dave” instead of “Jeff.” “They both side with President Bush to stall research and its potential.”
Fox briefly referred to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh who questioned whether Fox had manipulated his meds so his symptoms would be at their worst when he taped campaign ads for candidates who support embryonic stem cell research. “I recently had a — you might have heard about this — had a run in with a not-so-compassionate conservative who suggested that I not talk to anybody until my symptoms go away when actually they just want me to go away, but I’m not going anywhere,” Fox said, as the audience applauded. “I’m not going to go away and the people on this stage are not going to go away and you’re not going to go away until the diseases go away and let’s get that done.”
Congressman Boswell earlier had told the crowd “a top Republican” had taken the debate about stem cell research “into the gutter” but Boswell added that if anybody was “qualified” to “speak about prescription drugs” then it would be Limbaugh, who in the past has faced legal questions about how he acquired prescription medications.
A crowd of over 1,000 gathered to hear Fox speak, and he closed with this. “Embryonic stem cell research transforms embryos already marked for destruction into potentially lifesaving research. I can think of no better affirmation to the culture of life,” Fox said. “The future has been stalled by a lack of belief in science and our leading researchers and a lack of action. Forgive me, but it’s time to get back to our future.”
As you may know, Fox starred in a trilogy of “Back to the Future” movies.
Click on the link below to read another Radio Iowa story about the stem cell research debate in Iowa.
Related web sites:
Frozen embryos part of stem cell debate in Iowa
Iowa State coach says he focused on finishing strong
October 30, 2006 By
Iowa State coach Dan McCarney does not want to talk about his job situation. Expected to contend for the Big-12 North division title the Cyclones dropped to 0-5 in conference play after a 31-10 loss at Kansas State. I-S-U hosts Kansas this weekend and McCarney says he is focused on finishing his 12th season as head coach in a positive way.
McCarney says every ounce in his body right now is focused on winning games for the seniors and the coaches. McCarney says it would be unbelievable to win their last three games and go to a bowl game. McCarney says despite their recent struggles their is not a problem with the attitude of the team. McCarney says that attitude is what makes the losing so hard.
McCarney says the normal problems associated with losing are not present. McCarney says there’s not lack of leadership, no one is throwing in the towel. McCarney says he knows what’s going on with the team and he doesn’t see the problems.
McCarney says he has been through tough times before and he will get through these as well. He says he didn’t take the job to try and lose games, and says they didn’t build the team to go to bowl games and have winning seasons to just turn it around. McCarney says he has a lot of family and friends who he is leaning on and that helps him.
McCarney says running back Stevie Hicks will miss the Kansas game. He will have his injured knee scoped this week. Receiver Todd Blythe may return after missing the game at K-State with a virus. He says Blythe has been a sick as anyone he’s seen.
