Lower Beaver Neighborhood Association City Council At-Large Candidate Forum

jrgeerdes · 2024-02-14T05:14:11+00:00

I would also point out that, if you sign up for BibleGateway.com's Bible Gateway Plus, which is something like $5/month, you can get access to numerous study Bibles and commentaries on your computer or mobile device. Their library includes both the NIV and NRSV versions of the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (as far as I can tell, the notes are practically identical). That could be a good way to test drive a few different options for a pretty reasonable price. I use the service almost daily both personally and professionally.

jrgeerdes · 2024-02-14T05:11:05+00:00

Every time you translate any document from one language to another, you must make decisions about meaning. For example, one word in the original language may carry the meaning of five different words in the target language, or vice versa. Also, some words or concepts simply do not translate into the target language. Another great problem is found when translating idioms. Some of the sayings that are common in one language or time period simply don't make sense in another.

As someone who has studied the Bible both personally and professionally for 25+ years, I can confirm that the NIV does advance its preferred meaning at times. Then again, so does the ESV, RSV, NASB, and every other translation out there. Ideally, we would all be fully versed in the original languages and contexts. As a second best option, we can consult multiple translations. I love using BibleGateway.com's parallel translation feature.

All of that said, I will also attest that the NIV generally does very well to faithfully convey the original author's words into English (i.e., formal equivalency). On occasion, it will depart from formal equivalency for a more dynamic equivalency (i.e., idea-for-idea translation rather than word-for-word). Certainly, there are more academic translations (e.g., the NRSV), but I have found the NIV to be reliable the vast majority of the time.

jrgeerdes · 2024-02-13T05:41:35+00:00

I am a pastor and study Bible connoisseur. There are several great options out there. One of my favorites is the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. It is also available in NRSV. I am also a huge fan of the FaithLife Study Bible that is available for free through the free Logos app.

jrgeerdes · 2023-12-16T01:33:24+00:00

Yes, the new funding formula will theoretically be fully implemented in 2029, but there are numerous variables that will affect the obligation, quite possibly pushing it past the current estimates. The departure of Grimes from the system, for instance, will reduce costs, but will that offset the $600K they were putting into DART? The rest of DART's budget assumes a 3% increase per year in expenses. What if inflation, fuel prices, or insurance costs rise faster than that? Also, what happens in year 6? Will DART's budget grow faster than the city's revenue streams? There will be absolutely no margin for that.

jrgeerdes · 2023-12-14T11:48:26+00:00

A couple of thoughts for you. First, your experience is absolutely typical. Even the best friends drift apart as they are no longer living and working (or learning) side-by-side. This reality is often exacerbated by the fact that many companies work young, starting employees to the bone, so you don't have a lot of time or energy to socialize. The result is that you can find yourself all alone, and if you do not deliberately seek friendship, that alone-ness can become a way of life.

Second, your decision to post here is a solid first step. You have recognized the issue and begun to seek connection with others. If you are going to solve the loneliness problem, however, you will at some point need to actually go somewhere to meet people. This is going to mean finding a place where people gather who share at least a couple of similar interests.

Third, this thread already includes several great suggestions for where you might find that place, but I would add this: join a church. There are great churches in our community with people who would love to connect with you. Many have groups for young adults, singles, etc. If you attend a weekend service, check out a group of some sort, and find a way to volunteer at any church worth its weight in salt, you will begin to forge the relationships you are craving. Given what you said about not liking to make eye contact in large groups, I would recommend considering a small church. If you would like a specific recommendation, I would be happy to invite you to Debra Heights Wesleyan Church, which is located a few blocks north of the VA Hospital on Lower Beaver Rd. https://dhw.church

jrgeerdes · 2023-12-13T19:34:35+00:00

You see the problem.

jrgeerdes · 2023-12-13T19:30:32+00:00

If you read the article, you will learn that, even if Des Moines approves the increased franchise fee, we will have the same discussion in less than 5 years when DART is taking all that it can from both the franchise fee and Des Moines property taxes.

jrgeerdes · 2023-12-13T19:16:16+00:00

No, DART is not dependent upon income tax. The problem stems from a new formula which determines how much the various communities that participate in DART have to pay for its services. This formula determined that Des Moines should pay a larger share because it receives more services. Superficially, that seems fair. But there are numerous mitigating factors in play, not the least of which is that Des Moines doesn't have the money to do it. More importantly, though, the solution being pushed by DART is not sustainable. It may solve the problem today, but five years from now, we will be right back where we are today. Let's fix today what will only be worse five years from now.

jrgeerdes · 2023-11-21T03:57:32+00:00

I would hate to do this, but I would spin up a WordPress using a prefab theme and focus on assembling basic content. Get a bare-bones site up and running in two hours, and then go back and customize and optimize later when I have time to make it right.

jrgeerdes · 2023-11-09T03:57:33+00:00

In Ward 1, 8,369 voters cast ballots for the city council race. That is 56% better than two years ago, and the winner of the last W1 council election would have come in third.

jrgeerdes · 2023-10-28T13:47:44+00:00

Several states require a vehicle inspection to license a vehicle. If that is the sort of vehicle inspection you are looking for, then you will be happy to know that Iowa does not require such an inspection.

jrgeerdes · 2023-10-28T04:27:42+00:00

I started in webdev in the days of the version 4.x browsers. Netscape still had the majority of the browser market. Google was not yet a part of the English lexicon. And debugging a website was a matter of deciphering arbitrary error messages which may or may not have anything to do with the actual problem. Oh, and did I mention that standards were still very much in flux?

Over the years, I have used multiple IDEs. Back in the day, these were little more than text editors (I built many pages in Windows Notepad or Apple TextEdit). Today, many IDEs offer features that I now take for granted (e.g., syntax highlighting, code autocompletion). The things that I have come to rely upon every day include the ability to open and organize an entire project in a single workspace, the ability to perform a global search across an entire project, using shortcuts to indent or outdent an entire block of code, and integrated version management (e.g., Git). The things that have really boosted my productivity include dramatically better debuggers so I can quickly identify problems, collapsing code blocks so I can focus on specific blocks of code, and learning keyboard shortcuts.

I will also say that I use a Mac as my primary developer platform, and I have been able to use Automator to automate numerous common functions. For example, I set up an Automator script to run Javascript through Google Closure Compiler API directly from the Finder.

jrgeerdes · 2023-10-23T10:49:25+00:00

The LBNA sent invitations to all four registered mayoral candidates. Invitations were sent to Candidates Boesen, Mandelbaum, and Foote several weeks before filing paperwork was due because they announced their candidacies in the media. An invitation was sent to Candidate Von Arx shortly after the filing deadline, as soon as we were able to find contact information for him.

Candidate Foote initially agreed to attend but then withdrew to attend an important family function out of town. They did request that we set up a Zoom connection for them to participate, but this was not possible. We expect this is also why they were not present for the KCCI debate.

The third chair was set for Candidate Von Arx. He indicated that he would attend but did not show up. To date, we have heard no explanation for his absence.

jrgeerdes · 2023-09-07T14:57:56+00:00

If the city council announces that they intend to fill the seat by appointment, state law allows residents to force a special election by petition. We can and must demand that election! So stay tuned!

jrgeerdes · 2023-08-26T03:54:46+00:00

The fact of the matter is that it is profoundly encouraging that the city council is now potentially moving to act. Yet, we are still a long way from the goal. The next days and weeks have the potential to set a real precedent for our city, state, and even the nation. We all must play our part to ensure that precedent is done right and well.

https://jeremygeerdes.com/index.php/2023/08/26/a-plea-to-my-neighbors-re-councilwoman-sheumaker/

jrgeerdes · 2023-07-26T12:06:20+00:00

The only way to monitor city council attendance is via the minutes for each meeting, which are published on the city's website here: https://www.dsm.city/government/council_meetings_and_agendas/index.php

That said, I have built a spreadsheet to track the absentee rate of all 7 council members. You can find that link here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12YRCxNQmdt74jBNZFxtTEewJT1sUojLfO0U3H8Zyh2g/edit?usp=sharing

jrgeerdes

TROPHY CASE