Quadsville

If you are out shopping today, let us know what it's like out there. Call  online editor Rick Rector at (563) 383-2235 or e-mail  newsroom@qctimes.com while you are out and let us know where the bargains are, what kind of traffic you are encountering, how long the wait is to get into the stores and/or examples of people with the holiday spirit (or without it - one Quadsvillager reported quite a skirmish already at the Elmore Ave. Wal-Mart). Rick's posting a running account of shopping activities on qctimes.com.

And speaking of giving thanks, I want to thank all the Quadsvillagers who sent those sweet notes out to their online friends yesterday or posted about the things they are thankful for. Those were heartwarming reads. I'm thankful to be "mayor" of such a terrific community.

Cheers!

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Phone: (563) 343-3591

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The Jewish Center was packed this year. I didn't even get a bulletin and was lucky to get one of the extra chairs they brought in. I really enjoy seeing all the different traditions merge for one night. The focus is on giving thanks. The offering goes to Churches United for their food pantry and other social ministries.

Rev. Williamson asked us last night to show with our actions our "attitude of gratitude," whether to a higher power or to our families, friends and loved ones. What are some of the ways you demonstrate your "attitude of gratitude" at your Thanksgiving feasts? Does everyone take a turn around the table saying what they are thankful for? What traditions do you keep?

This thread will be open until Friday, since I'll be off at my own family gatherings on Thursday. So share your Thanksgiving moments here. And if you have any recommendations for traveling tunes to get everyone in the Thanksgiving mood, share those too! Some of us have some long car rides ahead!

First off, QCTimes.com has relaunched its Quad-City potholes map. You do not want to break an axle on the way to grandma's house, so check this map before you go. If you see any car-eating pavement out there, snap a photo if you can and plot it on the map to warn others. City governments have been responsive to these reports, too, so hopefully we'll be able to start taking potholes off the map before long.

Stressing about the big Thanksgiving meal? The University of Illinois Extension Office is here for you. This Web site contains EVERYTHING you need to know about stuffing, baking and carving the bird. There are also instructions for Thanksgiving crafts for kids, a list of local turkey farms and a collection of turkey lore. My favorite little-known turkey tidbit: "In England, during the 1700s, turkeys were walked to market in large herds. Turkey farmers often covered the birds' feet with little booties to protect them on the long journey to the London market."

If you are one of those brave souls who starts Black Friday at the crack of dawn, credit cards in hand, we want to hear from you. Online Editor Rick Rector will be giving updates on crowds and great deals all day long at qctimes.com. So let him know what you find. Or check in from your computer or smart phone before heading into the fray. And don't forget to check your Quad-City Times for all the shopping inserts before you go!

So what are your plans for Thanksgiving? I'm headed to Galesburg and Monmouth to make rounds to the family. I am in charge of bringing the chocolate meringue pie. Mmmm....

Here's a dispatch from St. Ambrose student Catie Osborn who is studying in the UK.

Tyson Danner's take on the Lord's Prayer has quite a discussion going.

QuadCityImages has some photos of the Festival of Trees parade.

And Anne-Marie Hislop questions how much is too much when it comes to staying in touch.

Let's make this really difficult for our judge and photo editor Kevin Schmidt. I want to see about 20 awesome photos in this round. (That will make it challenging for us, too, as we vote on Quadsvillagers' Choice.)

And a reminder, you can only win a prize once a month. You can still submit your photo, but if you've won in the last four weeks, you're not eligible to win. So check out the upcoming themes and plan your strategy.

Don't forget to tell people to vote for you. Photos can be submitted until 9 a.m. Thursday morning. Voting starts at 9:01 and ends at 3 p.m. Friday.

Good luck!

I give Congress credit for realizing that it's best to have a solid plan in place before releasing billions of dollars to rescue a private industry. How many times has the Wall Street bailout plan changed in the last two months?

However, I can understand worried experts who say it could be more costly to our already struggling economy to let the Big Three fail. One in 10 U.S. jobs are tied to the auto industry. If GM goes under (as it has suggested it might before the end of the year), that ripples out to multiple tiers of parts suppliers, to the finance sector, to dealers, to retirees. GM has ditched several sports partnerships, pulling the plug on two NASCAR tracks, a PGA Masters tournament, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and it has said it will not run any Super Bowl ads this year.

Where do you stand on bailing out the Big Three? Do they deserve to fail for making poor business decisions? Is refusing to help them cutting off our own proverbial nose to spite the face? Is there an option other than a bailout that Congress and average citizens could get behind? How about letting the oil companies bail out Detroit with some of their "record profits" money? After all, they are a big part of the reason U.S. automakers have clung to their fossil-fuel-filled vehicles for so long. Are unions to blame for pushing hourly labor costs too high? Where does this bailout business stop? Taxpayers can't give handouts to every industry.

Most of all, I want to know how you will be personally affected if any or all of the Big Three go bankrupt. Do you feel insulated from this impending catastrophe? Or are you making contingency plans?

Comment below.

Who was there: Teenager, Fly on the Wall, V, Robbi, Tonya, John T Moeller, Julie Abdel-Fattah, Tim D'Avis and me.

Topics discussed: Pirates, mixed martial arts, awkward Facebook moments, high school band memories, deer hunting, the challenges of online moderation, good engineering schools ... and those were just the conversations I was part of.

It's a beautiful sunny day out there even if it is a little chilly. Here are a few things to keep your day warm and bright.

• Join us at 1 p.m. for "Thanksgiving with all the Fixin's," a live Web chat with Jan Temple of the Iowa State Extension office. She will answer all of your questions on preparing the big meal. Don't have any questions? Drop in and share your recipes and suggestions.
• Today is the last day to enter this week's photo contest. The theme is "Harvest." There are some very cool photos already submitted. The deadline to submit is 9 a.m. Thursday. Then you can log in and vote for your favorite.
• Finally, join me tonight at Mojo's Cafe inside the River Music Experience, 2nd and Main in Davenport, for our first Quadsville monthly meet-up. It sounds like we've got a good group. Fly on the Wall, RiverCity Rose, Julie Abdel-Fattah, Gerdo, V and some others have all said they are coming. Tim D'Avis will be there, too. Just drop in anytime between 5:30 and 7 p.m., grab a coffee or a cookie or a sandwich and join in the conversation.

So, we have invited Jan Temple, a Nutrition and Health Field Specialist with Iowa State University Extension, to chat with us about how to cook the bird (and all the other stuff that goes with it). The live web chat, "Thanksgiving with all the fixin's," will be 1 p.m. Wednesday here in Quadsville. Even if you've hosted Thanksgiving 20 times, you might get some fresh ideas for side dishes and presentation (and you can share your tried and true tips with other readers).

Jan has worked for Extension for more than 35 years and focused specifically on nutrition and food safety for the past 15 years. She has partnered with KCRG-TV9 in Cedar Rapids for the past 12 years to respond to Thanksgiving Day food preparation and safety questions. In other words, she knows her stuff(ing)!

(Note: Council group is automatically accepting members now, so you should be able to click Join Group and then immediately comment.)

You will see notices and special offers from these businesses in the blog stream from time to time. We hope you check them out and visit their profile pages for more information.

OK ... snip! You're official!

Mobhistory's photo taken at Loud Thunder was Photo Editor Kevin E. Schmidt's pick. Dustin's "Autumn at Oakdale" received the most online votes and takes the Quadsvillagers' Choice award.

There were many stunning entries this week. Kevin had his work cut out for him. He wrote, " Several of the images this week were excellent but the image of one of the picnic areas at Loud Thunder State Park put all the elements together to take first place. Composition, color and the perfect time of day gave this image that extra snap that made it stand out from the others. Excellent image."

Click here to view this week's winners and to enter next week's contest. The theme is: Harvest. Start snapping those photos now...

So, I'm starting monthly Quadsville meet-ups which we will hold in various places around the Quad-Cities. The third Wednesday of the month seems like an auspicious day. Let's make it date from here on out. Say, 5:30-7 p.m.

The first one will be at Mojo's Cafe in the RME on 2nd and Main in Davenport on Wednesday, Nov. 19. It will be super casual. Whoever shows up, we'll just sit around and talk about whatever people want to talk about, while sipping some lattes or sodas or eating cookies or whatever trips our triggers. And if you want to stay out later, Mojo's open mic night starts at 7 and you'll already be there.

I'm open to suggestions for future meet-up locations. I'd like to make it around to everyone's various neighborhoods.

See you next week! 

This week's theme is Fall Foliage for our Quadsville Weekly Photo Contest. Photos can be submitted through Thursday at 9 a.m. Voting starts at 9:01 and ends Friday at 3 p.m.

The contest link is now conveniently located below the Most Recent Photos stack on the Quadsville Community Page. Check back often to submit photos, view the entries and vote.

Kevin's Pick (judged by Quad-City Times Photo Editor Kevin E. Schmidt)

"Centennial Bridge Mist" by Helen Hardy

Kevin writes, "The combination of composition and subject matter give this image just the right eerie feeling that I like on Halloween night."

Click here to enter next week's contest and to see the themes for the next few weeks. Entries are accepted each week until 9 a.m. Thursday when voting begins. Voting closes at 3 p.m. Friday.

Here are the instructions on how to participate. Great thing about this is you can do it from your cell phone while you are waiting to vote. All of you Quadsvillagers can participate, even if you don't have a Twitter account. Let's put the QC on the Twitter Vote Report map!

And don't forget... we are chatting live about all things election-related from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. here in Quadsville. Join us!