In case you forgot today is the last annual Harkin Steak Fry. This is an annual fundraiser that helps pay a lot of bills for the Iowa Democratic Party. We can’t go this year due to previous commitments, but we do encourage all others. In case you hadn’t heard (do you live in a cave?) the headliners this year are that family from Arkansas, the Clintons.

We have been to a couple of these events. Always ran into friends from across the state. This was the main attraction for us. We did see an up and comer from Chicago name of Obama one year. I think that odd name may have held him back from going anywhere in politics.

Were you paying attention last week?

1) First the bad news. Oktoberfests in Germany are being threatened by a strike by the makers of what?

2) Jack Hatch claimed Branstad “can’t buy back his integrity.” What was Hatch referring to?

3) Eric Cantor couldn’t wait to leave his old job to get to his new job. How much will Cantor make in his first year as a Wall Street lobbyist?

4) Mitch McConnell’s campaign manager quit. This man is the central figure in the bribery conviction of what former Iowa state senator?

5) Amid crises in the Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq what group met in Wales last week?

6) A federal judge in New Orleans ruled Thursday that what company was guilty of “gross negligence” in the 2010 Gulf oil spill?

7) What would be football pioneer was released by the Rams and is now a free agent?

8) What scion of a notable American political family left her job as an NBC reporter, raising speculation one of her parents would run for president?

9) Thursday marked a major job action by workers in what industry?

10) Spontaneous combustion was blamed for a fire near Sioux Center that burned a large amount of what?

11) From the governor’s mansion to the jail house. The last governor of what state is now facing decades in jail after being convicted of corruption?

12) In a major breach of privacy what were leaked and posted on the internet?

13) President Obama pledged to defend what states against a threat from Russia?

14) A judge in Chicago had a two-fer Thursday when he overturned gay marriage bans in what two states at one time?

15) What company announced the siting of its giant battery factory in Nevada after a huge multi-state competition?

As most know, Joan Rivers died last week. She was truly a unique personality.

Now for some answers:

1) Pretzels. Pretzel bakers are threatening a strike just before Oktoberfest.

2) The hush money scandal that continues to swirl around the Branstad administration.

3) $3.4 million. That is about $10,000 a day.

4) Kent Sorenson

5) NATO

6) BP. finally someone is standing up to them.

7) Michael Sam

8) Chelsea Clinton.

9) Fast food industry protesting low wages.

10) Corn, about 2.7 million bushels.

11) Virginia. Governor Bob McDonnell

12) private celebrity nude photos, apparently hacked from a cloud storage site.

13) the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia)

14) Indiana and Wisconsin

15) Tesla. The plant is expected to employ 6,500.

Should be good fall weather for the Harkin event. I hope everyone enjoys it.