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Take the Survey Now Since Essential Estrogen began publishing more than two years ago, the women of Iowa have expressed their reasons and perceptions regarding involvement in politics. The three things we’ve heard repeatedly are: 1) Time. Let’s face it, women today are pulled in a million different directions at once. Each day they need [...]

Iowa’s two U.S. Senators — Chuck Grassley, a Republican, and Tom Harkin, a Democrat — are floating party line stances in their first two statements regarding Pres. Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court. “A lifetime appointment requires a thorough vetting, and I expect Judge Sotomayor to receive fair and [...]

If you’ve ever wanted to be a fly on the wall when a mostly rural person ventures into a large city, then you’re going to want to read an essay that recently published in the New York Times. Written by children’s author Sarah Shey, who also happens to be the daughter of an Iowa veterinarian, [...]

Iowans will bid farewell to another former female legislator on Saturday, May 23. Elaine Szymoniak, who represented the Des Moines area for more than a decade as a state senator, died this week following a recent stroke. Memorial services will take place at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Des Moines. Szymoniak, who was 88 at [...]

On Thursday morning, May 14, I looked forward to a full day of conference calls with members of the Iowa congressional delegation. I also looked forward to running a few personal/family errands in between the calls. I was on my way home from one such errand on the west side of Cedar Rapids, when the [...]

As most of the world is already aware, Shawn Johnson earned the coveted mirror ball trophy on this season of Dancing with the Stars. Congratulations to both Shawn and her partner Mark Ballas. It was a well deserved victory. For those who aren’t addicted to the show, here’s my favorite of Shawn’s dances from the [...]

When Anna Jarvis founded Mother’s Day in 1912, she never intended the day to be anything more than a series of small, personal celebrations. It was a day for each individual family to come together and honor the mothers that have blessed their lives. Jarvis, who had only two years before buried her own mother, [...]

I would not entrust the care of my children to Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher. That being said, however, my hesitations do not extend to all plumbers, or even to want-to-be plumbers. It is sad to think that even today there are some people who feel comfortable painting an entire segment of the population based on stereotypes [...]

UPDATE — A little bird just whispered in my ear that Robinson will be a special speaker at the monthly meeting of Connections tomorrow (Tuesday) evening in Iowa City. More information is available on the Connections Website. From the Connections site I learned that Ed and Lynn Fallon (I’M for Iowa) are coordinating Robinson’s visit [...]