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Just In: IA More Friendly, Still Boring
It's clearly another slow day in Des Moines: Tom Owens and Diana Helmer moved to Perry in December and engaged in an unusual habit.
They knew no one but waved at everybody.
"I've noticed the effects a wave has," Helmer said. "When you wave it's like a smile. A smile always changes your mood. You can't smile and not be changed."
OK, some might ask, what's their angle?
Others might ask why you care. link via Obscure Store.
28 Reader Comments
I don't get to use the "huh" tag often enough.
Oddly enough, none of my 55 posts as justpbob or ALAMN ever earned the coveted "huh" tag. My top tag was "environment" (17 tags). I only have three sfor smoking, but one each for Twins, weather, music and drinking.
I prefer the "WTF" tag.
On one recent walk, they offered 45 waves and got 21 wave-backs
Batting less than .500 on wavebacks. Failures.
Batting .500 on the pro waving circuit will net you gobs of cash.
But you have at least a .750 average in the minors before they'll even think about calling you up to the pro waving circuit...
It's clear they're doping. They're either using ecstasy or adderall.
I remember when the waving game was pure.
Slow day, unless you live in Postville
Postville is quite the town! I have family near there. They have a large Jewish population running a kosher butcher shop. None of the locals want to work in said slaughter house, thus they must import workers...
yeah, I was fascinated to learn that these guys from Brooklyn had re-opened a plant that was closed after some Russian Orthodox Jews moved to town; some guy has written a book about the culture clash between new immigrants and older residents.
Here it is: Postville: Culture Clash in America's Heartland.
Stephen Bloom is a Professor at University of Iowa. My Aunt Glenda was part of that book. She owns a shoe store in Postville. It is quite an interesting book.
It's more than a butcher shop, it's the largest kosher meat packing plant in the Midwest.
And the book is phenomenal.
I was searching for the correct word, and meat packing plant just wasn't coming into my brain. My grandparents lived on a farm near Postville, and then moved to a neighboring town. I am fairly familiar with the town. I agree on the book, but I am biased.
Fantastic read. I side with the townspeople. Aaron's Best is good stuff as Kosher goes, and I had to deal directly with them for a couple of large Kosher events...but I've had one too many negative experiences with the Lubavitchers to believe that the farmers in Postville are the ones being unreasonable. BTW, Agriprocessors contains the biggest Kosher meat packing plant in the entire world. And 2/3 of what they process isn't even Kosher. They're huge.
Lubavitchers, in Iowa? Weird, but it makes sense to go to the source for meat.
I agree mostly with the townspeople, but the Lubavitchers did the town a big favor by moving in there. It was a big economic boost.
Anyone notice the ads to the right?
Hee!
Well I have not read the book, but I know from experience that having one tight knit insular community depend upon a smaller tight knit insular community for economic well being is a recipe for strife.
Postville is no Pleasantville.
Bixby, alas, I cannot see the ads due to adblocker :(
Ha! Hilarious ads.
I don't think the act of waving in Iowa stands for a smile. I think it stands for: "Holy crap there's another human being here in Iowa!" instead.
:D
completely off topic, I'd like to encourage everyone to watch "The Paper" on MTV.com. It's amazing and ridiculous and all kinds of awesome. A reality show about a high school paper. Genius! This could only get better if the debate team was involved.
one of my family's rural Iowa neighbors passed away last week. one of the great things about him is that he would wave as he drove past your farmstead, even if he didn't see anyone in the yard. his wife explained that he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by not waving.
Now I live in a neighborhood where middle-finger salutes are regularly exchanged among motorists, so I kinda miss friendly waving.
I was searching for the correct word, and meat packing plant just wasn't coming into my brain.
I'm partial to abattoir, thought the connotation is slightly different.
Just read a press release about Islamic Services of America (Cedar Rapids) winning an award for their Halal collagen casing. I learned the term "slaughterman" is the correct job title for men who slaughter. I wonder if there are any slaughterwomen?
Halal collagen casing
I spent a ton of time one day looking for an non-animal casing for making home made seafood sausage. I wonder if they sell this retail?
Am I odd or do many people contemplate seafood sausage with non-natural casing and spent a few hours researching? I'm starting to think I might be slightly out of the mainstream when it comes to my intrests.
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