From the monthly archives:

August 2006

Above and beyond employee appreciation

by Joe Vandal August 12, 2006

I called our local Valley Glass a couple years ago to inquire when an order would arrive and be installed. I was surprised when the guy told me it could not be installed for two weeks because all the employees were going on a cruise the next week. I laughed and congratulated the guy for [...]

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Drum Circle

by Joe Vandal August 11, 2006

I propose a drum circle in Idaho Falls during fair weather months.
Drum circles don’t require special musical ability because anyone can slap their hands in rhythm. Other complimentary musical instruments should be allowed. Drum circles are being held in schools, hospitals, churches, and public areas across America.
Drum circles need a cleared area large [...]

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Follow-up thoughts from KIDK interview

by Joe Vandal August 10, 2006

I appreciated KIDK and Teresa Priolo respecting my privacy concerns and still going ahead with reporting on this website.
I want to follow up with a few points that were not aired. I do not mean to criticize Teresa or KIDK in the least. I understand they have to boil down our hour-long conversation to [...]

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Our Anonymous Community

by Joe Vandal August 9, 2006

Idaho Falls residents are starting to talk more about anonymity and privacy vs. responsibility and accountability. This is an overdue discussion.

Our local Post Register newspaper requires letters-to-the-editor submissions to include the author’s real name and contact information. If the author is unverifiable, their opinion is sent to the ’round file’. They say they are upholding [...]

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Quarter Design Poll Results Emailed to Governor’s Office

by Joe Vandal August 9, 2006

The IdahoFallz.com poll asking what state quarter design we liked best was small but clearly indicated the peregrine falcon version was the least favorite. Poll respondents clearly favored the mountains design where the river flows out into the Idaho state outline.
The poll has changed now, but in a last-ditch effort to save Idaho pride for [...]

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Electronic Sign Strategies in Idaho Falls

by Joe Vandal August 8, 2006

Idaho Falls must be in the grip of an uber-sign salesman lately. I’m seeing more of these electronic signs cropping up around Idaho Falls and hope our local business community will listen to consumer advice about them.
The electronic signs I refer to range from simple scrolling text like on the Mason’s Lodge to the [...]

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Suggested Billboard Change at Public Library

by Joe Vandal August 8, 2006

I suggest that our local Idaho Falls Public Library change the location of the community events billboard that is currently at the bottom of the ramp going up to the second level.
The reason is the billboard always holds great local event information, but the location in a traffic zone keeps many people from stopping to [...]

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One Hell of a Sandwich

by JeremyPlo August 7, 2006

The other day, my wife and I were visiting our good friends the Hansons who recently opened a new salon on A street, and we suddenly found ourselves craving some sandichey goodness. Across the street, we found Geraldine’s Bakery, and decided to give it a try.
Geraldine’s makes one hell of a sandwich.
So this gave [...]

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Societal implications of morning-after pill

by Joe Vandal August 7, 2006

Plan B, the morning-after pill, is an example of modern advancements negating previously contentious moral issues.

There is the whole issue of Bonneville county opting out of providing the morning-after pill at the local district 7 health department, and of Madison county’s recent fumblings in trying to do the same. (Sidenote: I didn’t care much either [...]

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Religion Discussion

by Joe Vandal August 6, 2006

Part of the reason I created IdahoFallz.com was because I tired of the back-and-forth spewing from the Brad Stowell/Boy Scout controversy played out in the Post Register. I wanted to provide a place for people who felt the burning passion to debate the subject to continue their debates, while the rest of us could move [...]

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Attack of the Debates!

by Joe Vandal August 6, 2006

The roller coaster is about to start again. Stick your hands and feet out where they’ll catch on something, please.
I created the religion discussion article a few months ago to channel that topic into an area that I wouldn’t have to read about it, because I’m not passionate about it either way. I was getting [...]

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Fork in the IdahoFallz.com road

by Joe Vandal August 6, 2006

To quote Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
One prominent question asked about IdahoFallz.com is our future direction. What do we want it to become? What role does it play [...]

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Expand Saturday Morning Markets

by Joe Vandal August 5, 2006

I like the Idaho Falls Farmer’s Market, and am excited about the new Artisan’s Market located just across the pedestrian bridge. The two cultures seem be symbiotic rather than competitive. It’s a little strange they hold different hours, they should sync it up.

Moscow hosts one of Idaho’s best farmer’s markets, and is a good [...]

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Do titles affect the world at all?

by Joe Vandal August 5, 2006

“Go33amit, an entire generation of pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves to the white collars.
Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shi! that we don’t need.
We’re the middle children of history, man, no purpose or place.
We have no great war, no great depression. Our great war is [...]

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Famous Artist Tags Idaho Falls Bridge?

by Joe Vandal August 4, 2006

I recently discovered something in Idaho Falls that not many would recognize but is hidden in plain sight.
There is graffiti on the Taylor pedestrian bridge (like the rest of Idaho Falls lately), but one stands out because it is obviously painted by stencil. I instantly recognized it from an article I read in Wired magazine [...]

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Wean Idaho Universities Off Remedial Courseloads

by Joe Vandal August 3, 2006

I suggest Idaho forbids our full universities from offering any remedial courses (marked as non-credit, 0-level courses like Math 051). Instead, Idaho should task the community college system with providing remedial courses that students may need before they can enter universities.
The first reason I suggest this is that these remedial courses are usually things students [...]

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Idaho community college system should be part of larger education solution

by Joe Vandal August 2, 2006

I attended a discussion forum on community colleges at the recent Democratic convention in Idaho Falls, and wrote a lengthy article about it. I’ve been following the discussions published around the states, and I see that interim Governor Jim Risch is planning to spend our surplus on property tax relief. This is a big issue [...]

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August 1 2006 State of the Blog

by Joe Vandal August 1, 2006

We publish a short update on the first of each month regarding IdahoFallz.com visits, updates, and highlighting some of the best-written stories in the past month. We do this in the interest of conducting open and honest business, and to update our stakeholders. We consider IdahoFallz.com stakeholders to be not just business advertisers, but Idaho [...]

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