A pair of films bringing the joy of the holiday season is coming to the big screen with a classic Christmas double feature of "TCM Presents: 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Christmas in Connecticut,'" brought to you by Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.  See the beloved 1938 version of the holiday classic, "A Christmas Carol," and the 1945 romantic comedy, "Christmas in Connecticut," on Sunday, December 7 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time in select cinemas nationwide.
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has been the subject of more than 40 feature films, TV movies and short films but perhaps none was as revered as the 1938 version, with Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge. Also on the bill is "Christmas in Connecticut," which is about a writer in New York (Barbara Stanwyck) who publishes a series of well-regarded articles about her non-existent country Connecticut farm. When faced with hosting a Christmas party, she attempts to create the life her fictional articles portray.
"TCM Presents: 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Christmas in Connecticut'" will be shown at the following cinemas in your area:
Cinemark Davenport 18 with IMAX 3601 E 53Rd St Davenport IA
Tickets are available now at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in more than 630 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network.  For a complete list of theater locations and prices nationwide, click here - theaters and participants are subject to change).

DAVENPORT, Iowa (November 10, 2014) - The Ferris wheel at Modern Woodmen Park was a revolutionary success in its first season of operation, and on Monday Ballpark Digest named the Ferris wheel the Best Ballpark Improvement in all of baseball for the 2014 season. Ballpark Digest publisher Kevin Reichard made the announcement at Modern Woodmen Park during a Monday press conference with River Bandits owner Dave Heller and government officials from the City of Davenport. The publication has recognized the 83-year-old stadium in its annual award for best ballpark improvement in four of the past seven seasons.

On May 24, the Quad Cities River Bandits became the first team in Minor League Baseball to open a Ferris wheel inside its ballpark. It was part of the debut for a full lineup of amusements - including the Mediacom Drop'N Twist, Space Camp gyroscope and dual zip line - that opened every weekend, including non-game days, for the Quad Cities community to enjoy through November 1. The amusements welcomed more than 68,000 riders combined in 2014.

"The Ferris wheel has elevated family-friendly entertainment to a new level in the Quad Cities, both literally and figuratively, so we are pleased to accept this great award on behalf of this entire community," said River Bandits owner Dave Heller. "Ballpark Digest is widely respected and known as the industry standard, which makes this award that much more meaningful. Our great partnership with the City of Davenport has been critical to beautifying and enhancing Modern Woodmen Park, and our fans and community partners have bought into that vision to make this ballpark the best in America and the pride of the Quad Cities."

A year after Modern Woodmen Park was voted the Best Minor League Ballpark in America by readers of USA TODAY and 10Best.com, the ballpark drew its largest average attendance - 3,885 per game - in franchise history.

"We are humbled and grateful for the record support of our fans this season, and for the national recognition of the Best Ballpark Improvement award for the Ferris wheel," said River Bandits General Manager Andrew Chesser. "These achievements energize and propel us further toward our goal of making Modern Woodmen Park the central gathering place for the people throughout the Quad Cities region."

The Ferris wheel joins an award-winning lineup of several other improvements to Modern Woodmen Park under Main Street Baseball's ownership, including the iconic corn field, sports lounge, Pepsi Loge Boxes and Budweiser Champions Club - all previously recognized by Ballpark Digest.

"It's always a treat to return annually to Modern Woodmen Park ? there's always something new to see and experience," said Kevin Reichard, Ballpark Digest publisher. "Adding a Ferris wheel to the ballpark is a great move: the views of downtown Davenport and the ballpark are spectacular, and, besides, who doesn't love a ride on a Ferris wheel?"

The Ferris wheel stands atop the ballpark's left-field berm, 105 feet above the playing field, with 20 gondolas seating up to six adults or eight people including children. Riders from two months to 100 years - and four-generation families together - have enjoyed the unparalleled views of Modern Woodmen Park, the Centennial Bridge, the Mississippi River, and both the Iowa and Illinois sides of the waterway. With millions of color combinations from the LED lights on the ride, fans and riders have enjoyed an entirely different light show each night.

The success of the Ferris wheel and amusements at Modern Woodmen Park also made a tremendous impact in the local community. For each ride in 2014 on the Ferris wheel, Mediacom Drop'N Twist, Space Camp gyroscope, and zip line, 50 cents will be donated to Genesis Health Services Foundation, benefiting Camp Genesis, Genesis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Genesis Flu-Free Quad Cities. With ownership personally making up any difference, the River Bandits pledged a $50,000 cash donation to the Genesis Health Services Foundation. In addition, the Ferris wheel opened on May 24 with the Inaugural Ferris Wheel Ride event and fundraiser. Proceeds from the pre-sold 300 tickets and the Inaugural Ferris Wheel Ride event went to benefit the Genesis Health Services Foundation in the Quad Cities.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The River Bandits ownership in 2014 made one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 105 feet over the playing field, opened May 24, Space Camp opened June 20; the new Drop'N Twist debuted in July; and the newly expanded 300-foot long zip line also reopened.

PELLA, (11/10/2014)(readMedia)-- Davenport native Daniel Kuttler will perform across the Midwest with Central College's A Cappella Choir. This 60-voice ensemble performed Nov. 7-9 at schools, churches and performing arts centers near Des Moines, and the group will make an extended Midwest tour in May.

Director Mark Babcock, an associate professor of music, said tour performances help the group to raise their artistic vision and serve as ambassadors of Central College. "I am extremely proud of their professionalism, consistency and persistence this fall," Babcock said.

Central College is a residential liberal arts college dedicated to the education of 1,500 undergraduate students. Founded in 1853, the college is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and NCAA Division III athletics. Central is a recognized leader in study abroad as a result of its international, residential programs. The college is located in Pella, Iowa, a thriving community of 10,000 two minutes from the state's largest lake and 40 minutes southeast of Des Moines. Learn more at www.central.edu.

"The Three Sexual Lives. "
ByMichael Grady, Independent  Scholar
November 13th. 2014
Please join in.
Public input in the discussion  is requested
7.00.p.m.
Independent Scholars Evenings*
At
The Moline Commercial Club
Above The Phoenix Art Gallery.
About the author: Michael Grady is a frequent presenter at these Evenings reserved for area Independent Scholars. Please review archives at The Institute's website to see his work.

Communion Clubnights in November are right around the corner with another incredible new lineup! Every month Clubnights brings together a roomful of talented artists for a unique musical experience and November is no different. We are excited to announce some of this month's artists including Highasakite, Count This Penny, The Soil and The Sun, and Mikhael Paskalev. Check out the full lineup's for all cities and get pre-sale tickets at www.communionmusic.com

Oslo residents, Highasakite make pop music, but an adventurous brand of indie pop full of contrasts. Once you hear Highasakite you'll wonder how you ever got by without them, they have an endless sound oscillating between density and spaciousness. Their debut album, Silent Treatment is filled with radical texture and startling immediacy, Ingrid Helene Håvik's idiosyncratic vocals perfectly joins the albums eccentricity and accessibility. With drummer Trond Bersu, Øystein Skar and Marte Eberson on synthesizers, and Kristoffer Lo on guitar, flugabone and percussion make up the rest of the band. All of this combined gives the band a richer texture and more potent sound.

Count This Penny formed in 2009 when Amanda and Allen Rigell cancelled their cable and picked up a couple guitars. In the time since, they've appeared on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, seen their debut EP chart in the iTunes singer songwriter Top 10, and shared stages with The Head & The Heart, Shovels & Rope, Kacey Musgraves and The Lone Bellow.  After amassing sold out shows throughout Wisconsin, they were named one of "10 Wisconsin Bands to Watch" by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The duo has since expanded to a four piece band for their forthcoming EP Wolves Are Sheep. Catch them at Communion Club Nights in November.

The Soil & the Sun is corn-fed, Michigan-made, Experiential Spiritual Orchestral Rock. Originating in 2008 as a two-piece band, the group has grown and matured into a seven-piece community of friends and musicians. Oboe, violin, guitars, accordion, percussion, piano, keys and vocals, cooperate to create complex harmonies, layered melodies, and driving rhythms. The careful orchestration and intentional instrumentation will speak to your soul.

Mikhael Paskalev makes pop music with a twist, but roots in indie and alternative country rock, inspired by names such as Paul Simon, The Shins, Edward Sharpe, The Mamas and the Papas and The Everly Brothers. His songs are recognized by the instrumentation, unusual structures and strong melodies. At times they are shamelessly catchy, but never leave the lovely and raw soundscape in which he and producer wonderkid Joe Wills chooses to operate.

Listen up New York City, this month's clubnight will be running their Les Amis thrift store in support of The Bowery Mission. The Bowery Mission feeds over 8,000 people on Thanksgiving day alone! All the money raised will go directly to feeding the homeless on Thanksgiving day so come out on Tuesday, November 4th at Rockwood Music Hall and shop for a good cause.

We couldn't be more excited to bring all of these artists to you! It's been one year since we launched Clubnights in the US, and we're glad to have such a fantastic community of artists and listeners in our family. With over a year of tours under our belt -- we still feel the best is yet to come and we'll be back next month with another round of specially curated shows. Stay tuned!

Thanks for your support and we can't wait to see you at the shows! Thursday, November 20, 2014 in Rock Island at RIBCO Daytrotter.

Looking Beyond Premiums & Secretary Burwell Response

Earlier this summer, the I AM (Still) ESSENTIAL coalition sent a letter to HHS Secretary Burwell alerting her of various access-to-care issues patients have experienced during their first year of enrollment in qualified health plans. Signed by 333 patient organizations, the letter outlined key areas of concern including limited benefits (particularly related to prescription medications and provider networks), high cost-sharing, and lack of transparency and uniformity. In her response received last week, the Secretary addresses some of the issues that we raised.

As we look forward to year two, we are eager to review the 2015 qualified health plans when the open enrollment period begins on November 15th. The I AM (Still) ESSENTIAL coalition and the patients we represent, especially those living with chronic health conditions, are anxiously awaiting plan details. We will be examining plans closely this year, beyond simply focusing on premiums, to ensure that the 2015 plans are better for patients than those in 2014.

Below is a list of questions that we will be asking as we review the plans. Finding answers to these questions will be the best way to determine if the concerns that we detailed in our letter to Secretary Burwell have been addressed.

1.       Have prescription drug formularies narrowed or expanded?

  • Plans must include the greater of at least one drug per class or the number of drugs in each class as contained the state's benchmark. In 2014, some plans exceeded the benchmark requirements while others simply met the minimum drug coverage requirement. Some plans did not include combination therapies.

2.       Have medications approved over the past two years been added to the formularies?

3.       Have deductibles decreased or increased, including separate prescription drug deductibles?

  • Some plan deductibles were as high as the maximum patient out of pocket costs, which means that the plan would only begin to pay for costs after the beneficiary has spent $6,300 for an individual.
  • According to a RWJF study, exchange plans had an average combined medical and prescription deductible of $2,763 in 2014. Among the plans with a separate prescription drug deductible, the average was $933.

4.       Are plans utilizing co-insurance instead of co-pays, and if so, at what percentage?

  • An Avalere study found that 59 percent of Silver plans on exchanges across the nation use coinsurance for consumer cost-sharing on the specialty tier.
  • The analysis also found that 23 percent of plans have coinsurance rates of 30 percent or more on the highest formulary tier.

5.       Are plans utilizing discriminatory practices by placing certain classes of drugs all on high tiers and does this include generics?

  • The ACA prohibits issuers from using "benefit designs that have the effect of discouraging the enrollment in such plan by individuals with significant health needs". In 2014, some plans placed all drugs, including generics, in a certain class on the highest cost-sharing tier.

6.       Are patients able to access complete drug formularies and provider networks easily?

  • In 2014, users of plan websites found it difficult to locate complete lists of drugs that the plan covered or a directory of medical providers in each plan's network.
  • For 2015, CMS is requiring plans to list one single web address with complete plan formularies and provider directories without a consumer having to log on.

7.       Are patient cost-sharing and utilization management policies clearly defined? Is utilization management being more widely used?

  • In 2014, consumers found it difficult to determine how much they had to pay for their medications. CMS will be requiring plans in 2015 to include tiering information.
  • The use of co-insurance makes it even more difficult for patients to determine their out of pocket costs.  An analysis by Avalere of exchange plans found that plans on the exchange were more likely to use utilization management techniques than employer plans.
  • CMS has said they will be reviewing plans "that are outliers based on an unusually large number of drugs subject to prior authorization and/or step therapy requirements in a particular category and class."

Angela Ostrom

Chief Operating Officer

Epilepsy Foundation

301/918-3766

aostrom@efa.org

 

Carl Schmid

Deputy Executive Director

The AIDS Institute

202/669-8267

cschmid@theaidsinstitute.org

 

Andrew Sperling

Director of Federal Legislative Advocacy

National Alliance on Mental Illness

703/244-7893

Andrew@nami.org

Can Trauma Spur Creativity?
After His Devastating Loss, a Man Finds Healing
Through Writing

Can an emotional trauma flip a switch in the creative brain? Does profound loss offer a new perspective from which to peer into one's soul?

For LeRoy Flemming, author of the "Timelightenment" series (www.timelightenment.biz/) and volume one of "Soulsplitting," the answer is a resounding yes! And, there's psychological research supporting this idea.

In role-playing, veterans who've endured trauma resulting in PTSD "were better able to represent the boundary between reality and the role-playing, to immerse themselves in the scene, to enact identifiable characters consistent with their setting, and produce complex and interactive scenes that told a coherent story," compared to non-PTSD vets, according to researchers Robert Miller and David Johnson.

The non-PTSD group created more stereotyped, and unimaginative scenes, despite a higher education level and greater role-playing experience, the two wrote.

"I was never diagnosed with PTSD, but I know profound emotional trauma can trip all kinds of coping mechanisms in the brain and soul, including creativity," Flemming says. "When I suddenly lost my mother, it was a profound, life-altering shock. She was fine when I saw her last - Dec. 25, 1999 and she died on Jan. 1. That's what started me writing."

His mother was, by far, the most stabilizing and inspiring person in his life, he says, and losing her rocked him to his core. Rather than seeming abstract, the larger questions in life became the most important, and that's when he knew he had to write.

"I didn't have much of a background in writing," he says. "But since her passing, I've been in close contact with a part of my soul that has spawned several books, all of which have helped me heal."

The creativity caused by pain is a cycle, "because the creative process has significantly healed me," he says. "I'm not surprised that creativity increases within those who've suffered; it makes sense."

How does a grieving individual make something good out of a heart-wrenching loss? Flemming offers perspective.

•  Don't force it. One of the last things a grieving person needs is an assignment they don't want. Grief is a process that entails a host of negative emotions: denial, confusion, anger and more. Prescribing creative therapy to oneself or another before one is ready for it can backfire.

•  Let it flow naturally. We are all unique individuals and, though we know in the backs of our minds that we'll someday face the loss of a loved one, we can't predict how we'll handle it.

"Grieving and creativity actually share some traits," Flemming says. "Both are processes, and both prompt individuals to express feelings in their own terms. When creativity can be used in conjunction with the grieving process, the catharsis can be profound."

•  You have many options. When a person is desperate for an outlet, he or she will often gravitate toward what he knows. A onetime aspiring painter, for instance, may return to that familiar and comforting form of self-expression.

"But the mind can be unpredictable; it may be that gardening is the process that is most therapeutic for a grieving person, even though she never pulled a weed or planted a seed in her life," Flemming says. "In other words, be open to where your intuition guides you. As most grieving people understand, life doesn't always work out as planned. Be open to helpful new possibilities."

About LeRoy Flemming

Leroy Flemming is a graduate of Alabama State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Montgomery, Ala. He always wanted to show people that with spiritual guidance you can make things happen. Through his determination and inspiration from his Creator, he completed his five-part series of novels, "Timelightenment," (www.timelightenment.biz/), in hopes of demonstrating to the children of this world that they can dream big, and accomplish those dreams. Though inspired by many people, his biggest influence comes from his mother, who said shortly before she passed away, "Son, I may give out, but I never give up!" Flemming recently completed volume one of his new series, "Soulsplitting."

November 10, 2014

TRICARE and Military OneSource are co-hosting a webinar to educate TRICARE beneficiaries about the resources available to them to quit using tobacco products. The webinar, scheduled from Noon - 1:00pm EST, will take place on Thursday, Nov. 20, also known as the Great American Smoke Out. To sign up, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/296946266.

Read more at: www.tricare.mil/CoveredServices/BenefitUpdates/Archives/11_10_14_GASOWebinar.aspx.

Groundbreaking Touring Exhibition Made Possible by a Generous Grant from the Henry Luce Foundation as part of its 75th Anniversary Initiative

 

Davenport, Iowa (November 10, 2014) - A groundbreaking exhibition originated by the American Folk Art Museum in New York will be making its first stop on a national tour at the Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport. The exhibition opens this Saturday, November 15.

 

Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum features 115 artworks made between the early 18th and 21st centuries, ranging from portraits and needleworks to wooden shop figures and found-object sculptures. All are the compelling, beautifully realized work of self-taught artists which provide a fresh perspective on artistic impulse and our national character.

 

The exhibition and the national tour of Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum are made possible by generous funding from the Henry Luce Foundation as part of its 75th anniversary initiative. Dr. Michael Gilligan, president of the Foundation said, "For 75 years, the Henry Luce Foundation has fostered scholarship, innovation, and leadership?also attributes of the American Folk Art Museum. We are proud to sponsor a national tour of their exemplary collection that represents distinctive American creativity."

 

"This exhibition serves as a landmark," commented Anne-Imelda Radice, Ph.D., Executive Director of the American Folk Art Museum, "by locating the genesis of a field that has grown and become even more complex than ever before, and by clarifying its scope and substance. Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum provides new insight into the critical role of artists all-too-often overlooked."

Developed and organized by Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, Chief Curator, and Director of Exhibitions Stacy C. Hollander and Curator of Art of the Self-Taught and Art Brut Valérie Rousseau, Ph.D., the exhibition highlights the roles of self-taught artists as figures central to the shared history of America whose contributions to the national life and conversation are paramount. The works are by a diverse group of artists and represent more than 50 years of institutional collecting.

Works on view will include : Girl in Red Dress with Cat and Dog, c. 1830-1835, an oil on canvas by Ammi Phillips (1788-1865); The Encyclopedic Palace of the World, c. 1950s, a towering model designed by Marino Auriti (1891-1980) for a new museum meant to hold all of human discovery in every field; Flag Gate, c. 1876, a once-working gate by an unidentified artist to celebrate the nation's centennial, which was a donation to the American Folk Art Museum in 1962 and its first acquisition; a 6'-wide paneled watercolor, and various bound and unbound volumes of the writings of Henry Darger (1892-1973), whose archive was established at the Museum in 2000; an exquisitely stitched Whig Rose and Swag Border Quilt, c. 1850, made by unidentified slaves on the Morton Plantation in Russellville, Kentucky; the monumental Mother Symbolically Represented/The Kathredal, 1936, an ink rendering on rag paper by Achilles Rizzoli (1896-1981), who loved to play with words, and frequently used anagrams, acronyms, and neologisms in his work; works by Morris Hirschfield (1872-1946); Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900-1980); Horace Pippin (1888-1946); Martín Ramírez (1895-1963); Judith Scott (1943-2005); Mary T. Smith (c. 1904-1995); and other artists from many parts of the country, working in such media as drawing, painting, textiles, bones, wood, ceramics and more.

"The Figge Art Museum is honored to have the opportunity to make these American masterworks available to audiences in the Midwest. Our region has a rich tradition of folk arts, from duck decoys to weathervanes, and the exhibition will deepen our understanding and appreciation of our artistic heritage," commented Tim Schiffer, Executive Director.

A fully-illustrated color catalog with essays by the curators, published by the American Folk Art Museum and Marquand Books, will accompany the exhibition, and is available for purchase in the Museum Store.

 

This exhibition is sponsored locally by John Deere Foundation and Genesis. It is funded in part with a grant from the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Self-Taught Genius will be on view at the Figge through March 15, 2015.

 

Companion Programming:

Exhibition Opening Reception/Curator Talk

Thursday, November 20

5:30 p.m. Opening Reception

7 p.m. Curator Talk

Stacy Hollander, deputy director for curatorial affairs, chief curator and director of exhibitions at the American Folk Art Museum, will discuss the vision behind Self-Taught Genius and share new discoveries about select artworks in the exhibition.

 

Exhibition Tours

1:30 p.m. Saturdays

November 22, December 6, 13

1:30 p.m. Sunday, November 23

 

Musical Tour

7p.m. Thursday, February 12

Listen to the acoustic styling of singer/songwriter Sarah Allner as she performs original songs inspired by five artworks in the Self-Taught Genius exhibition.

 

Free Family Day

Saturday, February 21

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Guided Activities

Enjoy hands-on art projects, performances and gallery activities. Free admission all day!

Kemin Industries, Council team up to recognize outstanding STEM educators

DES MOINES, IOWA - (Nov. 10, 2014) - Today, the Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Council, in conjunction with Kemin Industries, highlighted the STEM Education Award for Inspired Teaching today at the lieutenant governor's weekly press conference.

"The Council is fully committed to increasing interest and achievement in STEM education and actively engaging businesses to support this work," said Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, co-chair of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. "This is a wonderful example of how business and industry partnerships can develop STEM opportunities for our students, as well as recognize the great instruction their educators are providing."

"Business and industry increasingly are stepping up to work with schools in ways that make a real difference," said Mary Andringa, co-chair of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council and Vermeer CEO. "I'm confident that the STEM Education Award for Inspired Teaching sponsored by Kemin will encourage more companies to look at how they can help prepare students to succeed in science, technology, engineering and math. That partnership is crucial in a fast-changing, global economy."

"Iowa's educators hold the key to the future of STEM through their work with our next generation of innovators," said Jeff Weld, Ph.D., executive director of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. "It is vital that we do all we can to support them, including recognizing a job well done. Kemin has developed a generous award program enabling us to honor great teaching that impacts so many young minds."

The award will honor one K-12 educator from each of the six STEM regions across the state of Iowa for their work inspiring and encourage students to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The six teachers selected will receive an award of $1,500, with an additional $1,500 designated for classroom use.

"We're proud to support STEM educators for all they do to engage young minds and increase awareness of the numerous opportunities available in STEM fields," said Dr. Chris Nelson, Kemin president and CEO. "Science, technology, engineering and math are integral to our business, and we appreciate teachers' efforts to demonstrate to students the enormous impact they can have in these careers, not only on their lives but the lives of others."

Nominations are due December 12, 2014 and can be completed online. Anyone is eligible to submit an educator through the simple nomination form. Once nominated, educators will fill out an application to be assessed by a panel of judges who will select the six winners. Winners will be announced in March 2015.

For more information or to nominate an educator, visit stemaward.fluidreview.com.

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