Time for my fearless NCAA predictions

By Jeff Orvis

Okay, the time has finally come. I realize that there are legions of basketball fans out there who have printed off their NCAA basketball tourney brackets and have had their pens poised, just waiting for me to release my predictions. Normally, I make my predictions round by round, so if there are too many upsets in the first round, my whole bracket isn't ruined. But this time, I decided to get the whole thing over with at one time.

Before you take the following picks as gospel, you might want to consider this: Years ago when I was still in Independence, our city clerk, Clark Madison, conducted a friendly tournament pool. We each chipped in a few bucks with dreams of winning enough to make a car payment or a rent payment. Alas, most every year, after the first round, he would stop by my office with the crushing words, “Thanks for the donation,” meaning my picks were so far off-base, I had no chance.

Each year, I try to watch as many tournament games as I can. It was a tradition that I would take a couple of days of vacation to catch the first round games during the day, throw a corned beef brisket in the oven in honor of St. Patrick's Day and sit back and relax. I usually have a few teams I like to follow for various reasons. This year, three teams have Iowa connections. Iowa State opens with the defending national champs from Connecticut with the promise of facing the nation's best team, Kentucky, in round two.

I like North Carolina because one of its big stars is Harrison Barnes from Ames. Creighton is also in the field this year. The Blue Jays feature former UNI Coach Greg McDermott and his son, Doug.

I'm also interested in how four other teams do this week. Murray State deserves a long run because that little team that few have heard of finished with a 30-1 record. Virginia Commonwealth is back in the field after shocking the nation and the so-called experts last year before losing to Butler in the Final Four. I like Duke because I think that Coach K is one of the best of all time. My last sentimental favorite is Harvard, which is in the field for the first time since 1946.

With the preliminaries out of the way, here are my fearless predictions:

First round winners – Kentucky, Iowa State, VCU, Indiana, UNLV, Baylor, Notre Dame, Duke, Michigan State, St. Louis, New Mexico, Louisville, Murray State, BYU, Florida Missouri, Syracuse, Kansas State, Harvard, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Florida State, Gonzaga, Ohio State, North Carolina, Creighton, California, Michigan, North Carolina State, Georgetown, St. Mary's and Kansas.

Second round winners – Kentucky, VCU, Baylor, Duke, Michigan State, New Mexico, Murray State, Missouri, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Ohio State, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgetown and Kansas.

Third round winners – Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State, Missouri, Syracuse, Ohio State, North Carolina and Kansas.

Final Four – Duke over Missouri and North Carolina over Syracuse.

National Champion – North Carolina.

There could be some surprises along the way, that's why they play the games, I guess. I realize that the Big Ten Conference was acknowledged to be one of the best conferences in the nation this year, but it's hard to pick against the ACC. I also realize that most folks think Kentucky will win it all, but they proved last weekend that they can be beat.

Three other teams with ties to Iowa or the Quad-City area are in the NIT Tourney. Iowa takes on Dayton and UNI plays St. Joseph's. I'm also interested in Stanford, which plays Cleveland State. One of Stanford's top freshmen is Chasson Randle, who played his prep ball at Rock Island and was Mr. Basketball in Illinois last year. Every time I saw his highlights in his senior season at Rocky High, I was reminded of the film clips of LeBron James when he wowed the state of Ohio a few years ago.

So get ready for what Dick Vitale calls the “best three weeks of the year.” The action starts Tuesday night.

As a post-script, as I write this, the women's tournament bracket show is a couple of hours away. I probably won't make any big predictions on this tourney, although I hope Iowa and Iowa State both make the field. I'll also be hoping Maryland and Coach Brenda Freese of Cedar Rapids and Connecticut and Kia Stokes of Linn-Mar (Marion) also do well.

The loss of a mentor and friend

By Jeff Orvis

If you have been fortunate to find a career that has been fulfilling and at least a little rewarding, chances are you've had a mentor along the way. When I think of a mentor, I think of someone who has been there to show you the ropes, encourage you along the way and someone who is not afraid to kick you in the backside if you sometimes go astray.

I have been very fortunate to have several people in my life who mentored me one way or another as I traveled through the crazy world of community journalism for more than 35 years. But two men immediately come to mind when I think of those most responsible for my appreciation of paying attention to details and picking up on the little things of a story that people want to know.

These two longtime newspaper editor-publishers have book-ended my professional journey to this point. One, Harry Ryder, got me started in this business when I happened to mention that I didn't think his Bettendorf News was giving enough attention to my high school, Pleasant Valley.

I think his reply was something like, “If you think you can do a better job, give it a try.” So, along with my high school studies and activities in band, chorus and manager of the football, basketball and track teams, I began writing recaps of our games and submitting them to the paper as a correspondent.

We lost my most major influence to my professional life last week with the passing of Don Magdefrau, longtime editor and publisher of the Belle Plaine Union and South Benton Star Press. In 1996, after more than 17 years as a reporter at the newspaper in Independence and a one-year failed attempt to publish a competing weekly newspaper in the same city, I was once again looking for a job. Don had an opening at his newspapers and invited me to apply. Apparently he and his partners were satisfied with my interview and I had a new job. But though we liked our home in Independence, we knew the hour-long commute to Belle Plaine would soon have to end. Don and I also knew that in order to immerse yourself in your community, you had to live there.

We found a nice house to live in for the first year. But we knew that the owner was planning on retiring and moving into the house the next year. As time began to run out, Don came through again, this time offering to rent us his boyhood home. So for the next 10+ years, he was my landlord as well as my boss.

By the time I landed in Belle Plaine, Don had been in the business more than 40 years. Going to work each day was like going to school. In his quiet, even-tempered way he let you know when you were doing a good job. I remember one time when I slacked off on a story, the only time he really got mad at me. But even as he reprimanded me, I sensed more disappointment than anger in what he said.

One of the activities he enjoyed almost as much as publishing a quality newspaper each week was his work with the Iowa Newspaper Association. I'm sure he made hundreds of good friends from every corner of the state, as well as neighboring states, over the years. He made sure his staff was able to attend the annual state convention and one year, when he won a prestigious state award, he offered to allow us to stay overnight in downtown Des Moines so we could celebrate in the President's Suite into the wee hours without the long drive back to Benton County.

Don and Fran's son, Jim, was the managing editor of our papers, working side-by-side with his dad for many years. They were responsible for the décor of our office, as we had more state award plaques than wall space to display them. When I joined the staff, Jim had a political ally. His father was a strong figure in Benton County Republican politics. Jim and I were on the other side of the political spectrum and I really enjoyed Jim's subtle needling of his father in their quiet debates. But Don's connections proved quite valuable, as I got to meet governors, a congressman and a senator when they came to town.

Shortly after I went to work in Belle Plaine, Don and his partners got an offer they couldn't refuse and sold the company to the Des Moines Register. It was a good move for them financially and I'm sure they felt it was a good opportunity for their employees. We enjoyed a good association with our new owners for a few years, as they wisely kept Don on in charge of the Benton newspapers. But as I've written about in earlier posts, our newspapers eventually succumbed to the economic realities and corporate downsizing found its way to our operation.

On the day I decided to put Belle Plaine in my rear view mirror for the last time, I stopped by Don and Fran's house to let them know that the house was empty and I was finally on my way to Davenport. We both had tears in our eyes as Don almost apologized for bringing me into a situation where I would ultimately be forced to leave. But I reminded him that he had thrown me a career lifeline 14 years before and that I had learned a lifetime worth of lessons working for him.

From the time I left Bettendorf until I arrived in Belle Plaine I worked for more publishers than I can remember. Each one taught me a few things, either how to be a better newspaper reporter or sometimes what not to do. But none had the love of nor the respect for community journalism that Harry and Don had. I fear that as we move toward more electronic journalism and people like these two leave us, so too will a little bit of the soul of this state.

Music jolts a memory

By Jeff Orvis

The other night I was sitting in a church choir practice session at Asbury United Methodist Church and something on the cover of a piece of music we had just received revived some memories. The copyright on the music was 1972. Quite often, the name of the store where the music was purchased is stamped on the cover page. This music was purchased at Cook's Music Store in downtown Davenport.

That fact may not mean a lot to most folks, but it reminded me of my first full-time job. For a brief period, I was a salesman at Cook's Music Store. Besides journalism, one of my other loves is music. I was a willing participant in Mrs. Kessler's general music class at Riverdale Elementary School and began playing cornet for Mr. Charles Dcamp and Mr. Ardys McIntosh in the sixth grade. In a pleasant odd twist of fate, I sing in the bass section of the church choir alongside Dr. Dcamp now, these many years later.

While I started at the store in Davenport, it wasn't long before we made a big move to the Cumberland Square Shopping Center in Bettendorf. Moving a music store is a lot more work than it might seem. We had a whole room full of sheet music to pack up and move, undoubtedly including that same piece of music I held in my recent church choir rehearsal.

I'm a person who likes stability. I envy folks I have known who were born and raised in one place and have found happiness in the same place all their lives. But you might not know it from my work record or from the number of places I have called “home” over my adult life.

After overseeing a small record department and attempting to sell quality guitars, I realized that my heart was still in the newspaper business. I had been a part-time reporter for the Bettendorf News since high school and one day, the editor said he should probably hire me full-time or risk losing me part-time. So I made the move to the newspaper office for the princely sum of $75 per week.

Before long, I was on the move again. This time, the Bettendorf News had the opportunity to relocate to a former law office less than a block away. I seem to remember that we moved a lot of the stuff from the old office by simply picking it up and walking it down to our new headquarters. We were quite happy in that location. But sometime later, we either lost our lease or our company decided to cut costs and we moved to a storefront less than a block away.

So in less than five years of my career, I had moved a music store once and a newspaper twice. But that was just the beginning. My first venture away from the security of home and family came when I accepted a reporter's job in Independence. I doubled my salary, but also suddenly became responsible for paying rent and other living expenses.

Our office was a storefront on Main Street, which housed not only the editorial and sales offices, but also one of the first offset printing presses in the state. A couple of years later, the decision was made to sell that press and get a newer and better one. The new press wouldn't fit in the old building, so the bosses decided to move us to a former car dealership building a block away. We were happy there, but when the economy took a downturn and the decision was made to curtail printing in our local plant, we no longer had need for that much floorspace and we moved once again up the street to the former Pinicon Hotel.

In another bit of irony, this was the same building where I lived for a week when I first moved to Independence. It was a nice, clean hotel with a coffee shop on the main level and a nightclub in the basement. I think I paid $30 for the week's stay.

When my job ended with that newspaper and I went to work in town at a new start-up paper, I started in one location and we soon moved to a larger office suite in the same building. For those of you keeping score, that's two moves with one newspaper and one with another.

My next stop was Belle Plaine. The newspaper was located in an old bank building that had been the town's hospital before that. My boss's office was actually the former bank vault. We knew where to go if we had bad weather!

After working a couple of years in that location, we had the chance to move to a much newer building on the south edge of the city. Everything was bright and newer and the bathrooms worked well!

In a 37-year career, I have moved a music store once, one newspaper twice, another newspaper twice and another newspaper once. As I seek another position, I guess one thing I should put on my resume is that I am certainly not resistant to change, at least in the places I have worked!

The move urge also was apparent in where I've lived. In about 17 years in Independence, I lived in seven places. I think I was always a good renter, always paying on time, etc. But in each move, I believed I was moving to a better place. At least two of the places I lived in are no longer there. And each time I moved, more than 500 record albums went with me. Three of those places were upstairs apartments. I probably wasn't too wise in my earlier years. Maybe I'd better leave that fact off the resume.

I know I'm getting too old for the nomadic life. One more job and one more move to an apartment or condo and I'll be good to go until it's time to start shopping for that senior citizens' apartment. I know any move to a place not on ground level will also have to be in a building with a strong elevator!

It truly was a Super Sunday

By Jeff Orvis

This may come as a shock to some of my Republican friends, but there are times that I am blessed (or cursed) with the gift of an open mind. Such was the case on Sunday, also known as the second greatest food day of the year, Super Bowl Sunday.

I'll admit that my anticipation level wasn't very high before the big day. In the first place, my Chicago Bears were spending the day much the same way I was, on the couch watching TV. Of course, their TVs were undoubtedly a bit bigger and their food was probably a bit fancier. It was another Super Bowl where the Bear fans were on the outside looking in with envy.

When I heard that NBC had planned more than five hours of fill before the kickoff, I had prepared to take a nap waiting for the magical start hour. I figured the bean counters in New York wanted to grab as much time before the start of the game to generate ad dollars. I'll bet the rates went up hour after hour until the start of the game, where a 30 second spot cost a whopping $3.5 million.

The thing is, I never got that nap. NBC actually did a pretty good job keeping our attention all afternoon. Sure there were spots of explanation of football plays that only a former quarterback, offensive lineman or coach could fully appreciate. But there were also plenty of human interest stories and interviews that gave us a glimpse of the humanity of those big guys covered with protective gear and helmets.

Since my Bears were not involved, it took me a couple of minutes to decide who to root for in the game. I used my own set of criteria that may seem strange to others. I wanted to swear my allegiance to the NFC representative and I never have been much of a fan of Tom Brady. So it was logical that I would pull for the Giants. Besides, I was anxious to see quarterback Eli Manning become more than Payton's little brother. In fact, it's easy to like the entire Manning family. Dad Archie, who had a good career as the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, admitted he often gets up and paces in the luxury boxes at the stadium on some game days. Mrs. Manning is the typical mom, worrying about whether her boy will get up after hard hits.

When the first offensive play of the day for the Patriots resulted in a safety and the next Giant possession resulted in the first touchdown of the game, I thought the rout was on. Instead, the game was exciting from beginning to end. Anybody who strayed from the TV to hit the bathroom, snack table or to talk with a friend for even a couple of minutes might have missed something.

I'll admit that Brady is probably headed to the Hall of Fame. When the outcome of the last game of the season comes down to a final play, a Hail Mary pass play in the end zone that gets knocked away at the last minute, it's been a good day.

I've already said that the pregame stuff was much above average. A lot of folks admit they tune in to Super Bowl Sunday to watch the ads. There were some pretty clever ones. They should be when the time alone costs more than $3 million. Some of the companies probably paid hundreds of thousands more in securing celebrity guests and other production costs.

When it was announced that Madonna would be the halftime entertainment, I wasn't overly excited. Like some people, I am not a big fan and I wondered just how much the old girl had left in the tank. Was I surprised! Mesmerized might be a better word. She's almost as old as I am, but she displayed a level of energy that most of us could only wish for. The production was nothing short of spectacular. I thought it was probably put together by the same director that produced recent Olympics opening ceremonies.

Unfortunately, a few morons had the nerve to knock her performance in chat rooms the next day. But anyone who has ever stepped on a stage, played a musical instrument or sang in a concert in school or church must have appreciated the level of performance she turned in. Somehow I think Michael Jackson must have been watching from Heaven and smiling. He was reportedly a performance perfectionist.

Way back in August, there was a strong threat of a shortened or canceled NFL season as owners and players tried to iron out a new contract. After millions of fans sweated out that prospect with an agreement coming just in time to get the season started, we deserved the kind of day we witnessed on Sunday. The beat goes on. The NFL Network will be bringing us reports from the scouting combines later this month and then it's time to get ready for the NFL draft in late April.

Thanks, NFL. Come back soon!

Perry is gone...no corrals on the White House lawn

By Jeff Orvis

Bad news for Texas. You are going to get your governor back. Rick Perry announced this week that he is turning the old horse homeward and will give up the dream of installing a corral and barbecue pit on the White House lawn.

What happened to you, Texas? You produced legendary political figures like Lyndon Johnson, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and former Governor Ann Richards. Jordan was a gifted orator, sort of a female Martin Luther King. Johnson, though he presided over the ill-fated Viet Nam war, he also championed the civil rights movement and the war on poverty. My favorite memory of Richards was her address to the Democratic convention one year. In speaking about the first George Bush and his back-pedaling on a promise of “no new taxes,” she said, “Poor George. He can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth!”

But most recently, it seems all you could give us was another George Bush, who presided over eight years of a generally failed presidency. Then Perry, who at least realized that he was in way over his head with this presidential fantasy.

A recent passage in the autobiography of Walter Mondale sent chills up my spine. He described how he and President Carter were concerned with holding off contenders from their own party in their re-election bid. Meanwhile, the GOP had this guy who had some pretty “wacky” ideas, seemed misinformed on a lot of issues and tended to over-simplify crucial issues. I thought I was reading about Ron Paul. But this was another “Ron,” with a last name of Reagan. Presto! Before you could say “Iranian hostages,” we had eight years of those wacky ideas.

In a recent Saturday Night Live skit, actors portraying the Republican candidates were present for a debate. The moderator said the winner of the debate would be determined by the candidate who could utter the name “Ronald Reagan” the most times in 30 seconds. It seems like when the candidates aren't trying to boast about being more conservative than the other guy, they are invoking the name of that guy who went from being a second-rate actor, to governor of the fairy tale state on the west coast to president for eight years. You never hear a candidate claiming they want to be just like George H.W. Bush or his gem of a son, little Georgie. Why not, guys?

I fear the political pendulum is swinging far to the right. But we still have about 10 months to see how this goes. Regardless of what the so-called “experts” may want to make you believe, a lot can happen between now and November.

Maybe this is the real way to fix Congress

By Jeff Orvis

Those of us who still believe that Barack Obama has a chance to be a great president, who agree with him when he expresses frustration with the obstructionist members of Congress seem to think the only fault lies with the opposing political party. It seems many of those on the other side of the aisle feel if they hold up important legislation or approval of presidential appointments, it will be their way of eventually getting rid of him in the next election.

Haven't a lot of us had that “If I ruled the world for a day” moment, figuring we could fix all the ills of Washington if somebody would give us a chance? But it's not quite as simple as having the power to stifle the Republicans and rubber-stamp everything the Democrats propose. The whole system, in place long before any member of the legislative or executive branch were born, may be to blame for so much gridlock.

I am currently reading the autobiography of former Vice President Walter Mondale. In “The Good Fight, A life in Liberal Politics,” he tells the story of the delays, frustrations and ultimate triumphs he witnessed and had a part in as a member of Congress during the 1960s and '70s, when some of the most important legislation in this nation's history were enacted. He not only ran into opposition from the other party, but since a lot of the landmark legislation dealt with civil rights, southern Democrats were also a major roadblock.

He details the efforts some senators used to block some of this legislation. Some of them were well-versed in the rules of Senate procedure and used every clause they could find to stall these bills.

Various presidential candidates over the years have pledged to reform the federal government. But some of the things explained in Mondale's book are truly frightening and show just how difficult real reform will be. Gov. Rick Perry suggested that Congress should have its pay cut substantially and go to a part-time basis. He apparently failed to realize that there's a little difference between the Texas Legislature and the legislative body charged with governing more than 300 million people and maintaining this country's status as the last remaining super power.

I suspect that most of the members of Congress have great respect for the history of this country. They realize that the decisions they make will be documented for many generations to come to study and dissect. But I wonder if all this respect muddies the waters of careful and prompt deliberations. Before a bill becomes law, it often has to go through a lengthy process including research, informal meetings among senators or congressmen, initial drafts, rewrites and several congressional subcommittee and committee hearings. Then just when you think you have a bill ready for final approval, somebody doesn't like the idea of including the approval of a pipeline in a bill meant to extend benefits to the unemployed and you have to start all over.

Spend a couple of hours watching C-Span when Congress is in session and you begin to wonder how those folks ever get anything done. When a senator rises to address a point of one of his colleague, it's “The gentleman from Minnesota” not “Sen. Jones.” I'm sure that language is based on tradition. But it's outdated and takes unnecessary time.

Sometimes, usually late at night, you might see some member of Congress speaking to a chamber of empty chairs. In this era of trying to watch every penny, why do we still condone this practice? How much money is wasted in overtime for the clerks and other personnel that have to stay at work so some senator or congressman can read something into the official record? The rules should be changed so that nothing can be read on the floor of the Senate of House unless there is a majority of members present.

The time is long past when our laws and legislation should be simplified so that you don't need to be a lawyer to understand what's going on. Every bill should be limited to a specific matter and not a catch-all for pet projects that have nothing to do with the initial reason for the bill.

There was great concern when one of the initial drafts of the health reform law was well over 1,000 pages. No bill should be more than 50 pages. And somebody should make sure that the language is clear and easy for the majority of the electorate to understand.

These are just a few of many aspects of congressional life that need to be changed. I'm sure that many first-term congressmen or senators wonder if they got in over their heads when they were first elected. That goes for members of both parties.

To be sure, agreeing to represent a segment of the population is an honor and a very heavy responsibility. It should not fall only to those who can afford to mount an expensive campaign or can navigate through the shark-infested waters of outdated tradition.

Then if we get all that fixed, we can go back to blaming the Republicans, or the southern Democrats or the representatives of rural or urban areas, or Libertarians, or the free-spending Democrats, etc., etc.

Don't dis my home state!

By Jeff Orvis

Last summer, I had the opportunity to take a trip to the southeastern part of this country. It marked my first visit to several states, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, a little bit of Georgia and Florida. Probably because of my coverage of city government in three Iowa communities over the years and my desire to someday get away from Iowa's normally harsh winters, I started trying to picture myself living in some of the cities and towns we passed through.

This came to mind in the last few weeks as our state was visited by hundreds of folks who want to be president, work for a president or report on a future president. While they were here, members of the national press were, for the most part, gracious in their assessments of how the candidates were treated in our small and large municipalities. Unfortunately, within hours after they got on their planes and headed back to New York or Atlanta, the wise cracks about those folks who lived out in the sticks began.

It seems like many folks who live in cities of 500,000 or more develop this thick skin and put up their defenses. Soon, it's second nature for them to jump in their car and drive five miles on four-lane streets for the privilege of buying a quart of milk. They pay big money for a house or condo of under 2,000 feet in search of safe, quiet neighborhoods. Unfortunately, this lifestyle means their circle of friends and acquaintances may be a small group of co-workers, a few people they may know from their church or club. When you commute by vehicle from your suburban home into the city for your job, it's very seldom you will encounter the same person more than once in a week or month.

So maybe it's understandable why these folks might feel like they are preparing for a trip to a foreign land when they follow a candidate to places like Newton, Pella or Vinton. Existing on their hefty TV network expense accounts, they are frustrated when they come into a town and can't find somebody to shine their shoes, somewhere to buy a $5 cup of coffee or find a dinner of prime rib or lobster, except maybe on Friday or Saturday night. If they drive down an Iowa small town Main Street and somebody smiles and waves at them, they probably feel threatened. They may not understand why the whole town might mourn at the passing of a longtime resident or why all businesses close down when the local high school basketball team plays in the state tournament.

I understand that national media members operate on fierce competition, constant pressure and a “what have you done for me in the last 10 minutes” from their bosses back at the home office. But that's still no reason to put down the lifestyle of a section of this country after just a couple of days and a frenzied trip back to urban insanity.

On our trip this summer, we saw some towns I could picture living in, a few I wish I had more time to visit and one or two I have no desire to see again. Nashville at noontime on a weekday was crazy. Birmingham at rush hour was nearly impossible. Montgomery was depressing, a major victim of the recession. Much of our travels through the state of Alabama were on four-lane, divided state highways. Several times, we were slowed on the outskirts of smaller cities by four-way stops. You got a glimpse of some of these towns, but some of them made you long for a closer look.

Jacksonville, FL is one of those cities that was fun to visit, I wouldn't mind visiting again, but I sure don't know why anybody would want to live there. The area boasts a population of nearly 1 million and it is spread out over one of the widest areas of any city in the country. My sister and brother-in-law were certainly gracious hosts. Along with my niece and nephew, we got to see many of the highlights of the Jacksonville area, as well as a nice day in St. Augustine and another great trip to Daytona Beach.

But none of these places felt like home, like a place I would want to live in. My sister and her husband have lived in the Dallas area, Shreveport, LA and now Jacksonville. I only half-jokingly asked her how many years of her life did she think she has spent behind the wheel of a car. It seems like if you don't have a cell phone and a reliable car, forget it.

Fortunately, because of their upbringing and just because of the people they are, my sister and her husband aren't the snobbish-type of people who popped into our state in the last few weeks before jetting off to New Hampshire. But after living in places where a trip to the mall might be a monthly experience, I realize that we travel in two different worlds. They have to figure on at least an hour commute to their jobs. I could walk to work in about 10 minutes. They live for the opportunity to pull up at the drive-thru and fork over a five-spot for a cup of coffee drink with some sort of fancy flavoring and froth on top. For that same $5, I could stop by a diner on Main Street and order a sandwich and fries to go with a cup of regular coffee.

When I left the Quad-Cities nearly 35 years ago, I was a shy, introverted person who had a bit of that suburban hard shell. But it wasn't long before that shell fell away and I was smiling and waving at folks I passed on the street of Independence. You had to, otherwise people would talk about you! The funny thing is, since moving back to Davenport, I've tried to retain the friendly attitude I cultivated in Independence and then Belle Plaine. I try to make brief conversation with the check-out folks at the local stores. And what may confuse some of those folks from the big cities out east, if you speak in a civil tone to someone who is making change for you at the grocery store, even in Davenport, they will often talk back in an genuine friendly tone.

Scientists are constantly seeking the secrets to long life. Reporters report on their research. I don't know how long I will live, but despite a lifestyle that's long on fatty food and short on meaningful exercise, I'm nearing the big 6-0 in relatively good health. Just maybe the secret is the fact that more than half my life I've lived in small town Iowa.

So, I say to the big-city snobs who have put down Iowans, come back sometime with a little more time and an open mind. Try us, you might like us!