WHEN: April 9, 2011

TIME: 1 - 3 p.m.

WHERE: Whistle Stop Java Shop, 400 4th St. W., Milan, IL 61264

WHAT: Donna Mander-Fiser, a resident of Milan, IL, will be available to sign copies of her book, Waiting for Pete to Go Home.

The first time I saw Pete, I thought he looked like a total fool. I was seventeen years old, out of high school, and working at my first job in Springfield, Illinois. Pete was a twenty-year-old college student, and he was thrashing about without any rhythm. It was obvious that he thought he was pretty cool. He was a total turn-off, but little did I know...we would fall in love. While Waiting for Pete to go Home, Donna Mander-Fiser experienced over a year of doubt and frustration. She treaded lonely and unfamiliar waters while caring for her husband in his dying days. She could never have imagined the unresponsive reaction of some friends and the fear of feeling single again. After Pete's death, Donna took comfort in memories of the life she and Pete shared by reminiscing about wedding anniversaries, family traditions, and Pete's fantastically told stories. Join first-time author Donna Mander-Fiser as she learns how to cope with illness, losing a loved one, and finally regaining her own life.

For more information, contact Jeff Fisher at 888-361-9473 or jfisher@tatepublishing.com

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I beg your indulgence here. I think most of us would agree that something is deeply wrong with the economy and American governance in these times. For most, the problems are too big to tackle, let alone contemplate for very long. Generally speaking, today's activists, whether liberal or conservative, are likely to have had a personal experience that motivates their "getting involved," or they have been recruited - some for pay.

The percentage of those involved for personal reasons, compared to those actually being paid for some form of civic activism, is dismally small. And that is one of the core problems in these times. Our grandparents and great-grandparents would be shocked to see the utter lack of civic participation that defines our era. Such participation was part of their daily lives back in the day. Town squares, city halls, and county seats - all were bustling places of communication and influence by regular citizens, resulting in politicians who took the voters far more seriously.

So what is the price of civic laziness? Look around. For the first time in the history of our country, our generation is financially worse off than our parents, and our children will be worse off than us. Furthermore, our liberties are being increasingly eroded by legislation that the average American knows nothing about, which essentially means laws and policies are systematically being enacted without our consent.

Raymond BensonWhen John Gardner retired from writing James Bond novels (after 15 years and 14 books) in 1996, the company that oversaw creator Ian Fleming's literary estate chose as his successor somebody with impeccable credentials.

Despite being an American, Raymond Benson knew 007 - both the literary and cinematic character - backward and forward. In the mid-1980s, he had written and designed three Bond-based games: two computer titles and a role-playing adventure. More importantly, he had researched and authored The James Bond Bedside Companion, an unauthorized and exhaustive look at Fleming and the Bond books and movies that was originally published in 1984 and updated in 1988.

From 1997 to 2002, Benson wrote six original James Bond novels, three novelizations based on Bond movies, and three Bond short stories.

But it would be a disservice to pigeonhole the 55-year-old Benson - who lives in the Chicago suburbs - as merely a Bond writer. He has had a varied career in theatre, music, video games, and novels beyond his Bond output. His latest book, Homefront: The Voice of Freedom, is a prequel to the upcoming video game Homefront. (The book was co-written by John Milius, who also wrote the game.) And in September, Benson will publish the first of what he hopes to be a five-novel series of adventures aimed at women called The Black Stiletto. As he put it in a phone interview last week: "I've moved on from Bond."

Well, mostly. Benson will be discussing the British super-spy at a March 30 lecture at the Bettendorf Public Library, and like the Bedside Companion, his lecture will cover all things Bond.

WASHINGTON - January, 26, 2011 - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), today announced they introduced legislation to create job opportunities for veterans returning home from war and help businesses create jobs.

"These men and women are extremely capable," Grassley said.  "They have a lot of skills to offer in the workplace.  This legislation will clear some bureaucratic hurdles and add a financial incentive to encourage employers to seek out veterans.  These steps are a logical follow-up to my effort to increase the IRS' hiring of veterans.  The IRS saw the value of this pool of potential workers and followed through on increased hiring of veterans.  Other employers, including small businesses, should have similar opportunities."

This Veterans Employment Transition Act, or the VETs Jobs bill, would reward employers for hiring qualified veterans who have recently completed their service in the military with a tax credit of up to $2,400 per veteran.  A previous version of this credit, which was part of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, was designed to help employers hire veterans but expired at the end of 2010.  The new version of the legislation would reinstate the tax credit and make it easier for veterans and small businesses to use.  As a result, servicemen and women who have been recently discharged would be able to provide documentation directly from the Department of Defense without having to go through the tax credit's current certification process

Any veteran who has left active duty in the past five years who has discharge paperwork showing 180 days of qualified active duty would be eligible for the credit. This would include those men and women who were activated by their states as members of the National Guard.  The bill also helps service members market themselves to prospective employers by requiring the military to educate service members about how the credit works

Noting that the unemployment rate for veterans is higher than for non-veterans nationwide, the senators first introduced the VETs Jobs bill last May.  The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and other veteran service organizations are strong supporters of the legislation.

The text of the legislation can be found at http://finance.senate.gov/legislation/.

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WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley has asked 20 law firms in Philadelphia for information about their billing of the Philadelphia Public Housing Authority as part of a larger review of how the housing authority has misused federal tax dollars.  Grassley said he is going directly to the firms for information about the amount billed and the kind of work performed because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which awards federal funds to local housing authorities, has told him it doesn't maintain records about such legal payments and, in the case of the Philadelphia Public Housing Authority, news organizations have reported how the housing authority structured settlements in at least four sexual harassment cases and one case where the failure to inspect a building before demolition resulted in the death of a resident.

"The local housing authority reportedly has a record of trying to cover its tracks where it's spent tax dollars either inappropriately or in a way that would embarrass its leadership.  And, the federal agency that provides most of the money that local housing authorities have to spend has continued to provide tax dollars even after it's clear that there's not responsible stewardship of those dollars," Grassley said.  "Both situations are an affront to taxpayers, and taxpayers deserve an accounting of what's gone on so that it can be stopped."

Grassley's review of abusive spending of federal housing dollars was prompted by the dramatic increase in federal funds going to local housing authorities, even those with histories of mismanagement, by way of the federal government's economic  stimulus program.

A copy of the letter Grassley sent today is available by clicking here.  The same letter went to the following Philadelphia law firms:  Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP; Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP; Cozen O'Connor; Duane Morris LLP; Fox Rothschild; Buchanon, Ingersol & Rooney PC; Blank Rome LLP ; Eckert, Seamans, Cherin & Mellot, LLC; Bowman Kavulich; Archer & Greiner; Margolis Edelstein; Reed Smith LLP; Haines & Associates; Kolber & Freiman; Flaster/Greenberg; Cohen & Grigsby; Greenberg Traurig, LLP; Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin; Kelly, Monaco & Naples; and Smyler & Gentile.  Previous letters from Grassley regarding the expenditures of the Philadelphia Housing Authority are available by clicking here.

Last week, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that in September 2009, the then-executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority had spent $15,920 on expensive bags from Nordstrom for himself and 19 other executives of the housing authority.

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Friday, December 17, 2010

President Obama today signed into law an extension of tax relief.  The bipartisan package extends a series of provisions Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa sponsored and shepherded into law as chairman of the Finance Committee in 2001 and 2003 and as a leading supporter of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.  The Finance Committee has exclusive Senate jurisdiction over taxes.  Grassley made the following comment on the President's signing of the bill into law.

"This will be good for taxpayers and the economy.  Raising taxes would have been the worst thing we could do with unemployment at nearly 10 percent. Continued tax relief gives people the ability to keep more of their money to use as they see fit, whether it's buying groceries or investing in their small business.  Sending more money to Washington would just result in more spending, which is the last thing the country needs.  The restoration of the biodiesel tax credit and continuation of the ethanol tax credit, along with 49 other tax incentives for different sectors of the economy, are part and parcel of job retention and creation.  Biodiesel has lost nearly 23,000 jobs because the credit lapsed.  Ethanol has 112,000 jobs at stake.  These industries offer the most effective alternative to expensive foreign oil from unfriendly countries."

The Grassley-sponsored tax-relief bill enacted in 2001 was the biggest in a generation.  It lowered marginal rates and created the 10-percent bracket.  It made tax-free savings plans for college a permanent part of the tax code, created the deduction for tuition, and secured the tax deductibility of interest on student loans.  If this tax relief wasn't extended in 2010, on average, Americans' tax bills would have gone up by 10 percent.  Without action:

--the tax deduction for college tuition would have gone away

--the expanded part of the tax deduction for interest on student loans would have gone away

--the 10-percent tax bracket for low-income workers would have ended

--six million very low-income taxpayers removed from the tax rolls altogether in 2001 would have been taxed again

--the tax-free treatment of employer-provided educational assistance would have gone away.  Across America, one million workers who go to school at night or part-time benefit from this tax relief.

--the tax benefit for certain bonds to improve and build schools would have gone away

--the tax-preferred expanded part of education savings accounts would have gone away

--there would have been a higher tax penalty for marriage

--the child tax credit would have been cut in half (from $1,000 to $500)

--the refundable child tax credit for many people who don't pay taxes would have gone away

--savers, investors and seniors would have paid higher taxes on dividends and capital gains

--the estate tax would have come back in full (to a 55 percent tax rate and $1 million unified credit exemption amount).

For more information on the biodiesel and ethanol tax credits enacted today, click here.

Mythical travelers using portals to move through centuries of time.  Political scandal and cold-blooded murder, written about from the confines of an insane asylum.  Anthologies of horror, dark fantasy, and supernatural fiction.  If you haven't read any works by Paul Thomas-Ferguson, you should!  Rivermont Collegiate is excited to present Dr. Ferguson, a local author from Rock Island, for an Open House and Book Signing to be held Thursday, November 18th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on the Rivermont campus in Bettendorf.

Dr. Ferguson holds a Ph.D. in U.S., Urban, and Middle Eastern History and an M.A. in Medieval History.  He is a full-time government archivist and part-time history professor at St. Ambrose University.  Dr. Ferguson's works include A Life in Chiaroscuro (2008), The Ports and Portals of the Zelaznids (2009), and Dark Highlands Anthology: Volume I (2010), all available on Amazon.com.  He is Submissions Editor for Dark Highlands, a creative arts company that showcases regional writers, artists, and performers.

Dr. Ferguson attended Rivermont Collegiate (formerly St. Katharine's-St. Mark's) in 1984-85 for his freshman year of high school and cites this year as the most significant of his education.  Rivermont is the Quad Cities' only private, independent, nonsectarian preschool through twelfth grade college preparatory school, with a 126 year tradition of excellence!  We invite you to join us for an open house in conjunction with Dr. Ferguson's book signing and explore our campus and philosophy.  Cindy Murray, Director of Admissions, will be on hand to answer questions and provide tours.  At Rivermont, you'll find a family-like learning environment that nurtures intellect, stimulates personal growth and character, and encourages critical thinking and creativity.  Come explore what we're all about!

Rivermont Collegiate is located at 1821 Sunset Drive, directly off 18th Street behind K&K Hardware in Bettendorf.  This event is free and open to the community.

For more information about Dr. Ferguson and his work, visit www.darkhighlands.com.

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate or Thursday's Open House and Book Signing, contact Cindy Murray at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

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Mark Your Calendar!  Tom Cordaro , author of "Be Not Afraid," is presenting a Seminar: Be not Afraid: An Alternative to the War on Terror, Living Unafraid: a Biblical Path to Freedom.

Tom has worked for many years at the National level of Pax Christi. He organized anti-war disarmament, economic justice and peace campaigns. Tom has a Masters Degree in pastoral studies from St. Thomas University, Miami, Fl.

  • Seminar Date: Sat. Sept 11, 2010 from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

  • Place: St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa in the New Hall Building lower level at the corner of Gaines and Lombard Streets. Parking is available across Gaines St.

  • Early registration: $8.00. Call Ollie 563-332-1007 - at the door $10.00 Students with ID free.

  • Sponsors: Pax Christi QC, Sisters of Humility, Davenport, IA, Sisters of St. Benedict, Rock Island, IL, Ambrosians for Peace and Justice, Davenport, IA.

Be Not Afraid;  An Alternative to the "War on Terror", Tom Cordaro

Grounded in history and a faith tradition, Be Not Afraid invites us to overcome the narrative of fear in our country promoted by the "War on Terror" and the attacks of September 11, 2001. Instead, we are called to embrace an alternative narrative of hope and freedom. This alternative requires that we, as individuals and as community members, act to reclaim the civic and religious principles at the core of our national story, principles that can build genuine peace rooted in justice at home and around the world

Named "Best Book by a Small Publisher" in 2008 by the Catholic Press Association and "Peacemaker of the Year" award from the Independent Publishers.

We are often told that the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, changed everything and that we must support an endless, ongoing "War on Terror." But is this what we are called to as Christians? What if we chose a different path? What if the fear-based story?the narrative?we are asked to believe is not the only alternative?

In this challenging book, long-time peace activist Tom Cordaro helps us first to understand terrorism in a historical context and to examine the story we are told we must believe after 9-11. Then, he outlines what the creation of an alternative story might look like.

We need to tell such a different story, one grounded in the underappreciated and often unacknowledged U.S. history of a democratic republic founded on principles and ideals now under attack by the "War on Terror," a story that continues the work-in-progress of our country, a nation continually striving to more fully live up to its ideals. This alternative story is based not on fear or on a view of peace as enforced order, but on the concept of peace as an enterprise of justice. We need to tell this different story, a story linked to our great Christian narrative: the hope and promise of God as revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

This book invites us to overcome the narrative of fear in our country. It invites us instead to embrace a narrative of hope and to play an active role, as individuals and as members of a community, in reclaiming our U.S. story from those who would seek to delete it.

Updated and reissued 2010--with a new preface addressing the Obama Administration.

My Life with Ewa: The Early Years offers readers adventure, romance, international travel and celebrity intrigue.

Des Moines, IA (PRWEB) August 8, 2010 -- My Life with Ewa: The Early Years debuts on August 10, 2010. Library Tales Publishing (out of the literary capitol of New York) is pleased to introduce this true story to the national media. Beginning in his home state of Iowa, Pratt will be available for interviews, podcasts, and local author nights. He is also available for national media conversations and commentary.

My Life with Ewa is immersed with unique sub-story stepping stones. First person narratives, such as an encounter with President Jimmy Carter and the late Pope John Paul II, add to this spell-binding romantic biography. My Life with Ewa provides a voyeuristic view into a husband's courtship of his wife.

Tim Pratt beautifully sets an intriguing atmosphere for his audience. Starting with a simple traffic ticket, his latest work is well traveled against landscapes such as the cold-war of the seventies & Rouen, France. My Life with Ewa appeals to a wide-demographic of literary aficionados. The book is laced with cultural references, including football and barbershop harmonies. Baby boomers will find both Pratt and Ewa especially easy to relate to. A reflection of life, love and the journey to holy matrimony- Library Tales is certain My Life with Ewa will be a contender for a variety of best-seller lists.

Tim Pratt was born and raised in Iowa. Currently, he is Director of Wealth Management for a large accounting firm. Pratt resides in Des Moines, Iowa , with his wife of thirty-two years.

Library Tales is arranging book signings and story-telling events for Tim Pratt. JumpStart Ink has been engaged to credential multi-media requests for My Life with Ewa: The Early Years.

To schedule a book signing or story-telling event for Tim Pratt please contact: Usher Morgan at www.librarytalespublishing.com or www.mylifewith ewa.com,
347-394-2629

WHEN: 5-15-10

TIME: 1-4 p.m.

WHERE: Barnes & Noble at North Park Mall, 320 W. Kimberly Rd., Davenport, IA 52806

WHAT: Louise will be available to sign copies of her Christian Living book, Longing for Wholeness.

When you look in the mirror, who do you see–what do you see? Are you living the desires of your heart? Do you long to awaken with a joy and feel so alive? Longing For Wholeness is a compassionate and conclusive work written in a fresh style. You will stay engaged as Linda Louise fits the bits and pieces of her life together to fill the emptiness that yearns for worth and loving acceptance. In her compelling story, she reveals the dynamics of a life riddled with shame and contempt. Inside this book, Linda shares her experiences to inspire hope and how she found the freedom to express who she believes she was born to be. You will never question the hope that fills the words written here.

For more information, contact Terry Cordingley at 888-361-9473 or terry@tatepublishing.com

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