The Muscatine Art Center has received funding from Humanities Iowa, a private, non-profit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, to host the presentation, "Grass Between the Rails", by Denny Rehder at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, Muscatine Art Center, 1314 Mulberry Avenue, Muscatine. A cultural resource for Iowans since 1971, Humanities Iowa offers many cultural and historical programs and grants to Iowa's communities. The performance is free and open to the public.

Denny Rehder created this program as an official Iowa Sesquicentennial event in 1996. His appearances around the state have been funded by Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities ever since. This will be his 89th performance.

Rehder has been a musician all his life. He has combined that ability with his love of Iowa history to produce "Grass Between the Rails," a celebration of Iowa's railroad heritage in words and original music. His songs cover the gamut of Iowa railroad history from the race for Council Bluffs to the Burlington Zephyr. Through his music, he visits the worst wreck ever, Iowa's best-known railroad hero, the road through Paradise, the one elephant circus and his family's ties to the Illinois Central.

He has been involved in the publication of several books on Iowa history. Four were published by his own Waukon & Mississippi Press, including his first book, "Grass Between the Rails," the history of the Waukon, Iowa, branch of the Milwaukee Road. He also wrote and published "The Shampoo King," the history of the F. W. Fitch Company and the famous Fitch Bandwagon radio show.

Now retired, he has been a professional writer and photographer for more than fifty years.  His work has received local, regional and national awards. Rehder grew up on a farm near Gladbrook overlooking the Chicago Great Western mainline.

More and more, we are living in an age of information, the substance of which is increasingly difficult to ignore, says animal rights advocate Santosh Krinsky.

Are our coffee and chocolate products fair trade? Were poor workers in developing countries brutalized in the process of making our clothes? How was the food sourced in the groceries we buy, and what exactly is in it, anyway?

Increasingly, the answers to these questions matter to more consumers, Krinsky says.

In the same vein, Rep. Jim Moran is sponsoring the Humane Cosmetics Act, which would phase out animal testing for U.S.-made cosmetics within a year and imported cosmetics within three years.

"Consumers value cosmetics and manufacturers want them to be safe for daily use, but we do not have to blind, maim and kill scores of animals to ensure our beauty-enhancing products won't hurt us," says Krinsky, head of the international personal-care brand Beauty Without Cruelty (www.beautywithoutcruelty.com) -- the first to ban animal-testing for its products in 1963. BWC's products are all produced with no animal testing and contain no animal ingredients.

"In the past, testing was done on dogs, but now it's done on rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and rats. These are conscious creatures with the capacity for immense suffering. Think about it: Tests are done on these animals because they are biologically similar to us. Doesn't that also mean we should be especially empathetic to their suffering?"

Krinsky, who recently partnered with the Humane Society of the United States' "Be Cruelty-Free" campaign, urges voters to call their U.S. representative and ask for him or her to vote in favor of H.R. 4148. Follow up with a personalized mail or email asking reiterating your request.

He reviews some of the tests that mainstream cosmetic companies still commonly conduct on animals.

•  Acute dermal toxicity ... uses 20 rabbits, guinea pigs or rats to determine how much substance causes half of the tested animals to die within two weeks of exposure. A chemical is applied to their shaved skin for 24 hours, and a patch is used to cover the area so they do not lick or clear off the tested area.

•  Eye irritation or corrosion ... tests one to three rabbits; a chemical is applied to their eyes to determine how severe the resulting irritation or damage. The exposure tests for signs of redness, ulcers, bleeding, blindness and other forms of damage.

•  Developmental toxicity ... examines either 480 rabbits - 100 adult females and 480 kittens (babies) - or 1,300 rats - 100 adult females and 1,200 pups - to test for birth defects. Usually by force-feeding, a pregnant female is exposed at the beginning of an implemented pregnancy; exposure persists throughout the term. She is then killed on the day before she is expected to give birth, which is about 22 days for rats, or 31 days for rabbits. Her young are extracted and evaluated for signs of developmental abnormalities.

•  Acute oral toxicity ... subjects seven rats to determine how much of a chemical causes half of the exposed animals to die within 14 days of exposure, when the substance is swallowed. The rats are force-fed the substance, causing them to experience convulsions, diarrhea, bleeding from the mouth, seizures, paralysis and sometimes death.

"The European Union has already banned cosmetics that use these practices, and I think Rep. Moran's efforts are a sign of things to come here in the U.S.," Krinsky says. "In fact, many consumers prefer lipstick, mascara, shampoo, lotion and other products consisting of material that's so safe that they don't require animal testing."

About Santosh Krinsky

Santosh Krinsky has been in the natural products industry since 1974. He has founded and built a number of companies that offer positive alternatives to the toxins and environmentally unfriendly ingredients found in many products, while focusing his attention on developing awareness about the issue of animal testing of cosmetics, which he opposes. Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC) products brand www.beautywithoutcruelty.com was founded in England in 1963 by BWC Charitable Trust, an animal welfare organization. Lotus Brands obtained the American rights to the BWC brand in 2010. BWC Features a complete line of hair, skin and facial/body care products and an extensive range of color cosmetics.

Bill Streamlines Access to Medication, Improves Consumer Health

SPRINGFIELD, IL - HB3638, designed to streamline the medication coverage approval process by insurance companies and improve transparency on the Exchange, was signed into law by Governor Quinn earlier this week and becomes effective immediately. The bill aims to improve the state's Health Exchange by requiring insurers to provide consumers with additional information about insurance coverage and medication costs in each plan.

It also guarantees that a prior authorization request for medications must be approved or denied by an insurance company within 72 hours, improving a bottleneck that has resulted in massive and dangerous delays for patients to get the medications prescribed by their doctors.

"Access to medication and transparency around this process is critical for many - it affects their ability to go to work, care for their families and live their day-to-day lives," said Rep. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, the chief sponsor of the legislation in the House. "The signing of this legislation is a huge win for patients across Illinois, eliminating what sometimes can be weeks of delay waiting for crucial medications."

The legislation was supported by dozens of health advocacy organizations in Illinois, including the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, American Nurses Association Illinois, Arthritis Foundation, Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, Epilepsy Foundation of North-Central Illinois, Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Southern Illinois, Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago and several mental health advocacy organizations such as Mental Health America and Mental Health Summit.

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New State Police Building Provides Forensic Capability for Southern Illinois Law Enforcement Agencies

BELLEVILLE - Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by state and local officials to open a new State Police Metro-East Forensic Science Laboratory in Belleville. The facility will provide the Illinois State Police (ISP) and police agencies throughout the region with enhanced crime-solving abilities. The event is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to ensure the safety of all people in every community across Illinois.

"Our law enforcement agencies must have the best resources available to investigate crimes and arrest offenders," Governor Quinn said. "This facility gives local authorities access to the very latest tools and technology to help them conduct investigations more efficiently and effectively while protecting the safety of the people of Illinois."

The 64,000 square-foot, $41.6 million forensic laboratory, funded by Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program, includes state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for crime scene services, trace chemistry, drug chemistry, polygraph, latent prints, firearms and forensic biology/DNA testing.

The facility is located on land purchased in 2007 from Lindenwood University. The construction project was administered by the Capital Development Board, which oversees all non-road state-funded construction projects.

"The new forensic lab will meet the infrastructure requirements of today's highly technical scientific equipment and serve our most important clients - the victims and their families," Illinois State Police Director Hiram Grau said.

For more than two decades, the Illinois State Police had leased 15,000 square feet of renovated office space as its laboratory in Fairview Heights. The rented space could no longer accommodate the agency's technological changes, casework growth and staffing needs.

"This lab will give police and prosecutors better tools to advance justice and avoid improperly arresting and convicting innocent people," State Senate Majority Leader James F. Clayborne (D-Belleville) said. "This project is thanks to a fruitful partnership between the state and Lindenwood's Belleville campus, which will improve educational opportunities for its students."

"This new facility will make it easier for Illinois' police officers to do their jobs," State Representative Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) said. "The state-of-the-art technology will also provide the most effective tools in assisting local and state investigators and ensuring public safety."

The Metro-East Forensic Science Laboratory project is part of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which is supporting more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation.