27 Dec 2006

The Cingular Deal: What Could Have Been

By Administrator

The announcement last week that Cingular Wireless has selected Davenport for a 510-job call center was great news, but with a big asterisk.

There's no denying that the jobs (which will pay an average of just over $21,000 a year) are welcome. They probably won't attract new people to the Quad Cities, but they will provide a substantial number of people with higher incomes.

And a $3.4-million loan from the City of Davenport - to be repaid through taxes from increased property values at the call-center site - seems a fair incentive, given the magnitude of the project and the fact that the jobs will actually be new.

But the location of the call center combined with the size of the incentive gives me pause. These jobs might merit millions of dollars in assistance, but that money should be used to encourage development where it wouldn't happen otherwise. In other words, this is a project that deserved tax-increment financing downtown, but not at the northern-Davenport site Cingular is considering.

27 Dec 2006

Half-Baked Taste: The Human Aftertaste, "Loose Ends"

By Administrator

Calling a CD Loose Ends is dangerous - with the implication that a band is emptying its junk drawer of songs - but for a local act that hasn't broken yet, it's downright lethal.

I had hoped that the third CD from Iowa City's Human Aftertaste would merely be misnamed, but Loose Ends is a perfectly appropriate title. There's an EP of good material on this collection, but at 45 minutes it's fatty and self-indulgent. Two versions of the cover "Goodbye Horses," a live track, and a mostly spoken-word piece drag it down, and much of the remainder is undistinguished.

27 Dec 2006

Algae Are the Future of Biofuel

By administrator

I spent yesterday researching biodiesel technology and companies to invest in, and then I picked up the Reader and saw your request for information on local stations that sell it.

These links are to maps and lists of stations that sell E85 and biodiesel across the country. Click here for E85 Stations. Click here for Biodiesel stations.

I just want to say that I think the corn-based biodiesel is just setting corn farmers up for a big bust. Corn will yield 18 gallons of biodiesel per acre, while algae will produce 10,000. (Yields of common crops: click here.) I'm putting my money on algae biodiesel.

27 Dec 2006

Holiday Wishes for the State's Politicos

By Administrator

Dear Santa,

As I look back on things, I realized that you've been pretty darned good to me over the years. You brought me that electric guitar I wanted when I was nine, the telescope I begged for when I was 10, the Daisy Pump-Action BB gun with scope I craved when I was 11, etc., etc., etc.

As I grew older, your presents became more sophisticated. Stereos, vacations, computers, cell phones, fine Irish whiskey. I've just been overwhelmed by your generosity and thoughtfulness. I can't imagine what I've done to deserve your grand beneficence throughout these many years, but, trust me on this one: I've appreciated every gift you've bestowed upon me.

In fact, Santa, you've been so overwhelmingly kind that I hope this year you turned your attention to others and showered them with presents instead. Here's my list of what some people need.

20 Dec 2006

Due Vigilance

By Administrator

The November elections demonstrated that the real power in politics still belongs to America's citizenship - the voting citizenship, that is. Republicans were unseated not because Democrats could or would provide better leadership, but because the people believed that Republicans categorically failed in this mission on their watch.

20 Dec 2006

Are We a "Christian Country" by Law?

By Administrator

The controversy over "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" requires that we examine what has happened to our right to "petition the government for a redress of grievances." This is one of our inherent and inalienable rights. We have a "property" in that right. This means that any prior restraint placed on that right constitutes a "taking of property without due process of law" unless we are given something of equal value in return.

20 Dec 2006

Leader's European Visit Upsets Some Republicans

By Administrator

After losing five state Senate seats and ending up on the wrong end of a veto-proof majority, there's bound to be a lot of second-guessing and finger-pointing. But Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson probably did himself no favors by going to Europe for 10 days just a month before the November election.

20 Dec 2006

Environmentalism Goes Beyond Posturing in 2006's Music Scene

By Administrator

Kelley Stoltz - "Below the Branches"Kudos go out to Sub Pop Records and its commitment to alternatives to fossil fuels. Earlier this year, the label purchased enough wind-powered Green Tags to be 100-percent Green-e Renewable Energy certified, and it debuted the first-ever "green" album with Kelley Stoltz's Below the Branches. Green Tags financially support the generation of power from renewable sources, and are meant to offset a business' or household's consumption of fossil fuels.

20 Dec 2006

Community-College District Receives Job-Training Grant

By Administrator

Eastern Iowa Community College District (EICCD) received more than $1.5 million to provide job training for people in the Quad Cities area. These funds were made available through the U.S. Department of Labor's Community Based Job Training Initiative. Although the job-training project was developed specifically for those working in the transportation and warehousing industries, the skills that will be taught are valuable for local workers in several other industries, including health care, food processing, wholesale/retail trade, and office services. These industries employ 45 percent of the Quad Cities area's available workforce. 

 

15 Dec 2006

Best of 2006

By Administrator

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