"Christmas?an aspirin for the soul or cold-turkey celebration of the birth and life of Christ? It has to be a measured bit of both, doesn't it?"?Ian Anderson, The Jethro Tull Christmas Album

What a year it's been. We've had kids getting micro-chipped in the public schools. Congress, the courts and the White House working in cahoots to erode our privacy rights. The Transportation Security Administration fumbling its way through national security. Hurricane Sandy ravaging the Eastern shore. The police state merging with the surveillance state to keep us tagged, tracked and under control. The military industrial complex lobbying to keep the nation at war and defense contractors in the money. Individuals getting fined and arrested for violating any number of vague and overreaching laws. Homes getting raided and innocent Americans killed by rampaging SWAT teams armed to the hilt.

After endless months of being mired in gloom and doom, we now find ourselves just a few weeks away from Christmas, struggling to latch onto that spirit of joy, excitement, innocence, magic and hope we had as children. Even if one is successful in momentarily blocking out the political gloom and doom, it still takes a monumental effort to get past the Grinches and Scrooges who can you make you feel like yours is anything but a wonderful life. And then there's Christmas itself, which has become embattled in recent years, co-opted by rampant commercialism, straight-jacketed by political correctness, and denuded of so much of its loveliness, holiness and mystery.

Despite all of this humbuggery, however, there are still a few steps you can take to reclaim the magic of Christmas and enjoy the season. For a start, do something nice for someone else?whether it's a family member, a neighbor or a stranger on the street. Turn off the news and turn on a Christmas movie, one of the oldies but goodies?something full of good will, sweetness and heart. And then, to top it all off, add some Christmas tunes to the mix, whatever fits the bill for you?be it traditional carols, rollicking oldies, or some rocking new tunes. What I love about Christmas music is how the sacred and irreverent meld into an atmosphere of joy and wonder. Listen to them over dinner, in the car, on your iPod. Hum them under your breath as you do your shopping. Belt them out in the shower or while gathered together in a group setting. Before you know it, you'll start feeling like it's Christmastime again.

Out of the hundreds of Christmas albums I've listened to over the years, the following are ten of my favorites, covering a broad range of musical styles, moods and tastes, but each in its own way perfectly capturing the essence of Christmas.

It's Christmas (EMI, 1989): 18 great songs, ranging from John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas." The real treats on this album are Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas," Kate Bush's "December Will Be Magic Again" and Aled Jones' "Walking in the Air."

Christmas Guitar (Rounder, 1986): 28 beautifully done traditional Christmas songs by master guitarist John Fahey. Hearing Fahey's guitar strings plucking out "Joy to the World," "Good King Wenceslas," "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas," among others, is a sublime experience.

Christmas Is A Special Day (The Right Stuff, 1993): 12 fine songs by Fats Domino, the great Fifties rocker, ranging from "Amazing Grace" to "Jingle Bells." The title song, written by Domino himself, is a real treat. No one has ever played the piano keys like Fats.

Christmas Island (August/Private Music, 1989): "Frosty the Snowman" will never sound the same after you hear Leon Redbone and Dr. John do their duet. Neither will "Christmas Island" or "Toyland" on this collection of 11 traditional and rather offbeat songs.

A Holiday Celebration (Gold Castle, 1988): The classic folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary, backed by the New York Choral Society, sing traditional and nontraditional holiday fare on 12 beautifully orchestrated songs. Included are "I Wonder as I Wander," "Children Go Where I Send Thee," and "The Cherry Tree Carol." Also thrown in is Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind."

The Christmas Album (Columbia, 1992): Neil Diamond sings 14 songs, ranging from "Silent Night" to "Jingle Bell Rock" to "The Christmas Song" to "Come, O Come Emmanuel." Diamond also gives us a great rendition of Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." A delightful album.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy, 1988): 12 traditional Christmas songs by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. The pianist extraordinaire and his trio perform "O Tannenbaum," "The Christmas Song" and "Greensleeves." Also included is the Charlie Brown Christmas theme.

The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (Fuel Records, 2003): If you like deep-rooted traditional holiday songs, you'll love this album. The 16 songs range from "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" to Ian Anderson originals such as "Another Christmas Song" and "Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow." With Anderson on flute and vocals, this album has an old world flavor that will have you wanting mince pie and plum pudding.

A Twisted Christmas (Razor Tie, 2006): Twisted Sister, the heavy metal group, knocks the socks off a bevy of traditional and pop Christmas songs. Dee Snider's amazing vocals brings to life "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," "Deck the Halls," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," among others?including "Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days of Christmas)." Great fun and a great band.

Songs for Christmas (Asthmatic Kitty, 2006): In December 2001, independent singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens set out to create a Christmas gift through songs for his friends and family. It eventually grew to a 5-CD box set, which includes Stevens' original take on such standards as "Amazing Grace" and "We Three Kings" and some inventive yuletide creations of his own. A lot of fun.

One more thing. We must never forget that the Christmas holiday is named after the Prince of Peace. So in the midst of the giving and the getting and the making merry, let's not forget to do our part to make this world a better place for everyone. As John Lennon sings in "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)":

And so this is Christmas,
For weak and for strong,
For rich and the poor ones.
The road is so long.
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white,
For yellow and red ones.
Let's stop all the fight.

Merry Christmas, and in the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us everyone."

DAVENPORT - The Putnam Museum partners with the Quad City Engineering and Science Council for the 4^th annual FIRST Lego League Regional Competition held on December 15 & 16. The FIRST Lego Robotics Competition is a competition of regional 3^rd-8^th grade teams who are part of the international FIRST robotics program. The teams (up to 10 members) bring their self-programmed robots to face off against other teams in a live challenge for points based on completion of "missions" in a 2-minute timeframe. In addition, the teams are judged on how well they work together and on their presentation of solving a real-world problem - this year with assisting Senior Citizens. New this year: Jr. First Lego League teams!

"Iowa FIRST LEGO League has experienced growth every year since beginning in the state. This year, however, we have had a team explosion with over 400 teams participating in FLL in the state thanks in part to the overwhelming excitement of participants and volunteers plus the support from industry such as John Deere, Rockwell Collins and the Governor's STEM initiative, establishing STEM Hubs across the state and the legislature appropriating funds to support that effort through Scale Up programs like FIRST LEGO League.

We are excited for so many young people to get the opportunity to be exposed to quality STEM programming through the Iowa FLL events like those at the Putnam Museum, getting to show off all they've learned in high energy, highly supportive environments celebrating the future of innovation through every child's creativity." - CAMILLE SLOAN SCHROEDER, ENGINEERING K-12 COMMUNITY OUTREACH, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

No registration is involved for this event; registration for teams is closed for this year. We invite you to come and check out the competition for free, located in our Grand Lobby.

###

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today encouraged Iowans to get involved with their government through the boards and commissions process.

The pair highlighted the more than 180 boards and commissions that advise all areas of state government, from the governor's office to the Legislature, as well as state agencies.

This spring, more than 225 positions on Senate-confirmed boards and commissions will see their terms expire, and the governor and lieutenant governor hope many Iowans will apply to fill the vacancies.

Among those board positions are spots on high-profile boards such as the Regents and Transportation Commission, but also dozens of licensing boards and advisory boards for departments and policy initiatives.

"Iowans can achieve great things by serving on a board or commission," said Gov. Branstad. "Boards and commissions are often where the rubber meets the road - helping create policy to the implementation of administrative rules."

A listing of all state boards and commissions, along with current openings, is found here: https://openup.iowa.gov/.

Lt. Gov. Reynolds says it's a great way for Iowans to get involved, and knows firsthand, as she was selected by Gov. Branstad to serve on the IPERS Investment Board in the '90s.

"We encourage all Iowans who are interested in being a part of citizen government to submit an application," said Reynolds. "This is a wonderful way for Iowans across the state to be involved, help to hold their government accountable, and implement and maintain a government delivery system that is commonsense, and works well for its citizens."

State law requires that all boards and commission be balanced according to gender and political affiliation. In addition, geographic and ethnic diversity are taken into consideration during the appointment process.

# # #

By Jason Alderman

If you've ever tried to remove inaccurate of fraudulent information from your credit report and gotten the runaround, take heart: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is now on the case.

In July 2012, the watchdog agency, formed as a result of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, gained authority to supervise all of the major consumer reporting agencies.

The CFPB now advocates for consumers who have complaints regarding interactions with credit bureaus and identity theft protection services. This adds to the agency's consumer grievance oversight which already included mortgages, bank accounts, consumer loans and private student loans.

"Credit reporting companies exert great influence over the lives of consumers," said CFPB Director Richard Cordray in announcing his agency's new responsibility. "They help determine eligibility for loans, housing, and sometimes jobs. Consumers need an avenue of recourse when they feel they have been wronged."

You can seek assistance from the CFPB if you have issues with:

• Incorrect information on your credit report;
• How a consumer reporting agency is handling its investigation of your complaint;
• The improper use of a credit report;
• Being unable to get a copy of a credit score or file; and
• Problems with credit monitoring or identity-protection services.

Here's how the new system works:

If you believe your credit report contains incorrect or fraudulent information, you should first file a dispute with and get a response directly from that credit reporting company before contacting the CFPB. The same goes if you have an issue with how the company is handling its investigation of your grievance - for example, if they don't respond in writing within 30 days.

If, after filing your grievance, you are dissatisfied with the resolution, you may file a complaint with the CFPB using any of the following methods:

• File online at www.cfpb.gov/complaint
• Call toll-free at 855-411-2372
• Fax it to 855-237-2392
• Mail to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, P.O. Box 4503, Iowa City, Iowa, 52244.

Once your complaint has been logged, you'll be given a tracking number to check its status. Each complaint will be processed individually and sent to the credit bureau in question for response. The CFPB expects companies to respond within 15 days with information about the steps they have taken or plan to take. You'll have the option to dispute the company's response to your complaint.

Credit reporting companies issue more than 3 billion consumer credit reports a year and maintain files on more than 200 million Americans. Among other things, they track the number and types of credit accounts you use, how long they've been open and whether you've paid your bills on time.

"The consequences of errors in a consumer report can be catastrophic for a consumer, shutting him or her out of credit markets, jeopardizing employment prospects, or significantly increasing the cost of housing," noted the CFPB's announcement.

You can order one free credit report per year from the three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. (Order through www.annualcreditreport.com; otherwise you'll pay a small fee.) Proactively ordering your reports on a regular basis can help identify bad credit behavior and spot fraudulent activity or errors before they can damage your credit.

To learn more about credit reports and scores, visit the CFPB's website, www.cfpb.gov. Another good resource is What's My Score (www.whatsmyscore.org), a financial literacy program run by Visa Inc.