TAMPA, Fla. - BluePearl Veterinary Partners is launching the BluePearl Beastly Costume Contest, a nationwide Halloween costume contest for pets, on Friday.

The contest is scheduled to run from October 18 through 27 with the winner to be announced October 30.

To enter, participants   must upload a photo of their cat or dog in a costume to the BluePearl Beastly Costume Contest on http://www.facebook.com/BluePearlVeterinaryPartners.

The winner will be determined by the number of Facebook votes received, so participants are encouraged to have their Facebook friends and family vote for their pet.

The five photos to receive the most votes will become finalists.  A winner from the finalists will be selected by judges from BluePearl.

For every vote, BluePearl Veterinary Partners has pledged to  donate $1 (up to $5000) to Frankie's Friends, a  charity dedicated to saving pets whose families would otherwise not be able to afford lifesaving specialty or emergency treatment.

The grand prize winner will receive $100 to spend at Posh Puppy Boutique or Cat Palace USA. Additionally, the winner will receive a 16 x 20 archival, stylized print of their pet by photographer and artist, Carla Ciuffo. The total grand prize value is estimated to be worth $700.

About BluePearl Veterinary Partners
BluePearl Veterinary Partners employs more than 1,350 people including more than 350 veterinarians. BluePearl hospitals offer referral-only, specialty care services and most offer 24-hour emergency care. BluePearl does not provide primary care. The company is one of the world's principal providers of approved veterinary residency and internship programs. BluePearl also participates in clinical trials that investigate the effectiveness of new veterinary drugs and treatments, providing pet families access to cutting-edge medicine that is not yet commercially available. BluePearl is headquartered in Tampa, Fla.

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SAAMBAA'S PLATFORM PROVEN TO ADD REVENUE IN FIRST MONTH

San Diego, CA. (October 11th) - saambaa recently launched their new mobile entertainment app platform for publishers with five AAN member publications: Pittsburgh City Paper, Tucson Weekly, Style Weekly, Folio Weekly and Jackson Free Press.  The platform allows any publisher to add revenue by creating a powerful mobile app, which showcases local event and entertainment content.  Saambaa's first publisher to launch, Little Village in Iowa City, saw mobile ad sales approaching $5k in their first month; they expect to double that by year-end.

"This product really helps augment the revenue models for these businesses.  We can help them increase mobile revenue by 10X."  Said saambaa CEO and co-founder, Matt Voigt.  "Over 1.5 billion smartphones are used every day and the average user spends over two hours per day on them.  Mobile websites are not enough - Nielsen reports that people prefer using apps over mobile browsers 5-to-1.  This massive structural change in behavior has opened the door for new revenue possibilities for publishers.  Our product helps publishers take advantage of this by providing technical and strategic resources they wouldn't otherwise have access to."

Saambaa does not charge fees for its platform.  Publishers get their own unique, custom-branded iPhone and Android entertainment app as part of a revenue sharing partnership with the Company.   And because it's a revenue-sharing relationship, saambaa acts as an extension of the publisher's team to ensure they're not left alone to navigate the complexities of mobile.

About saambaa:

Saambaa's apps leverage proprietary technology that gives readers the power to share listings with friends using text messages, emails and push notifications - sent by readers to their friends.  Saambaa has deep mobile experience, with technology chosen by Apple from over 500,000 apps and featured in the App Store.  This allows saambaa to be uniquely positioned to help the publishing industry transition into mobile with a best-in-class platform.

 

The name saambaa is inspired by the Brazilian tradition of music, dance, energy and people coming together - in-person - to have fun.  Download some example publisher apps and discover more about saambaa at www.saambaa.com.

Audio from Senator Grassley's October 17th Capitol Hill Report is available here.

2 Experts Say 'Cheat Days' Can Do a Body GOOD

It's hard to stick to a low-calorie diet day after day to lose weight, but new research shows you don't have to, says Dr. Susie Rockway, a veteran nutritional and biochemical expert in the U.S. health industry.

"Recent studies show you can lose 10 to 30 pounds in eight weeks through alternate-day fasting," she says. "Every other day, dieters in the study ate only lunch - no breakfast or dinner - between noon and 2 p.m. The following day, they could eat whatever they wanted. Not only did they not 'gorge' as expected on the feed days, most had an easier time sticking with it."

Dieting is as much about the mind as it is about the body, and most people have a difficult time staying with any sort of very strict regimen, says Sebastien Hebbelinck, a 20-year-plus veteran of the nutraceutical industry.

In the alternate day fast studies conducted by Dr. Krista Varady of the University of Illinois at Chicago, participants on average consumed only 110 percent of their energy needs on feed days, Rockway says. Lunch on fast days was 400 to 500 calories for women and 500 to 600 calories for men.

Hebbelinck, the CEO of Apax Business Development, which produces the water-soluble fat-binding supplement Lineatabs, www.lineatabs.com, offers these other suggestions for indulging your taste buds while losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight.

• Eat your bigger meals earlier in the day. Avoiding large meals at dinnertime is effective in helping to lose weight, particularly abdominal fat. In fact, another fasting study -- presented at this year's American Diabetes Association conference - showed that dieters who ate big meals at breakfast and lunch and skipped dinner lost more weight than participants who ate six small meals a day.

• Don't belly up to the buffet bar. Whether it's a cheat meal or a cheat day, throw all those studies out the window if you gorge on huge quantities of food. Eat controlled portions of healthy, nutritious foods. You can enjoy a nice lunch with a glass of wine and even a dessert, but don't go back for seconds and don't order the Decadent Chocolate-for-Four if you have no plans to share!

Rockway adds the following tips based on her nutritional and biochemical expertise.

• Include plenty of fiber and water (stay hydrated!). Unlike most nutrients in foods, we don't absorb fiber. It passes through our digestive tract, and if it's soluble fiber, it can help us feel full since it forms viscous gels. High-fiber foods include legumes, beans, avocados, nuts, whole fruits (versus juice), and whole-grain foods such as whole wheat spaghetti. On a cheat day, you may splurge on    a higher fat hamburger or fries, which case this is the perfect time to take a fiber-rich fat-binding supplement such as Lineatabs before the meal to help prevent some of the excess fats from being absorbed. Rockway likes Lineatabs because, unlike other fat-binding supplements, it dissolves in water and is consumed as a beverage, making the fiber soluble in the stomach and immediately available to bind to fats. It then forms a viscous fiber in the small intestines to form a barrier to reduce absorption. AND you get the fluid your body needs!!

• Healthy eating: Plan meals that are higher in lean protein and lower in simple carbohydrates. This will help you avoid a sugar spike that will leave you feeling hungry soon afterward. It also stabilizes your insulin levels, and protein foods are the most satiating.  If you are satisfied after you eat, you will be less likely to snack later. Some great high-protein choices include turkey or chicken  breast, pork loin chop, tuna and salmon and whey protein shakes. Avoid foods high in simple carbs, such as syrups, soft drinks and jams.

About Dr. Susie Rockway, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Dr. Susie Rockway, Ph.D., C.N.S., is a veteran nutritional and biochemical expert and decades-long health industry expert. Rockway has worked for multiple companies in executive capacities, including as an executive director of product development, a director of research, and a manager for science developing health and wellness products, where she communicated nutrition and new science updates to consumers. She has also designed testing strategies for clinical efficacy studies.

About Sebastien Hebbelinck

Sebastien Hebbelinck is an internationally recognized business entrepreneur who has been active in the nutraceutical industry for more than two decades. He is the founder and CEO of Apax Business Development, a 21-year-old company that has experienced major success in Europe with the dietary supplement Lineatabs, www.lineatabs.com. The product contains Solusitan, an all-natural fat-binding complex contained in an innovative delivery system that dissolves in water, making it immediately available in the stomach to bind with fat molecules in food.

UK guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Joanne Shaw Taylor is currently touring the US and will be making a stop at The Muddy Waters, 1708 State Street, Bettendorf, IA on Friday, November 15. This exceptional show is being presented by The Mississippi Valley Blues Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the general public about the native art form of blues-related music through performance, interpretation and preservation. Joanne's performance will start at 9:00 p.m. with a $15 cover charge, or $12 for members of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.

When Joanne Shaw Taylor was called to the Buckingham Palace stage by Annie Lennox, 17 million viewers were asking "who's that girl?" She was an unintimidated 16-year-old, played a savage Les Paul solo, and brought an attitude that indicated she was going to be a star. Soon enough, the buzz built and the new-girl-on-the-block soon became the "Best British Female Vocalist" at both the 2010 and 2011 British Blues Awards.

Joanne never imagined any of that at the start. She was just a country schoolgirl, bored with the music she heard on late-'90s pop radio, and decided to drop out of school and try her fate in the music industry. As destiny would have it, her demo tape landed in the hands of Eurythmics icon Dave Stewart. Stewart recalls that "she made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end", and his phone call the following day proved the start of a lasting friendship. Joanne accompanied Stewart's supergroup across Europe in 2002.

Stewart offered Joanne her first deal, and once the dam broke, things moved fast. In 2008, she was working with veteran producer Jim Gaines (Carlos Santana, Johnny Lang, Stevie Ray Vaughan), bassist Dave Smith, and drummer Steve Potts on the songs that became her debut album, White Sugar. Since then, she's broken into the notoriously hard-to-crack US market, beaten the stereotypes of her age and gender, and won the respect of the guitar giants of today.

"There are a lot of great guitarists and singers in the blues today," says Joe Bonamassa. "What I see in Joanne Shaw Taylor that sets her apart from the rest is the ability to write a great song. Not only is she a killer guitarist and singer, but you find yourself walking away from her shows singing her songs as well."

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Monday, October 21, 2013

Other - 7:00 pm

New Liberty City Hall


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Committee of the Whole - 8:00 am

Board Room, 1st Floor, Administrative Center

1. Roll Call: Minard, Sunderbruch, Cusack, Earnhardt, Hancock

Facilities & Economic Development

2. Approval of third and final reading of an ordinance to add Chapter 13, Sec. 13-47-B(3) Parkview of the Scott County Code relative to placement of two yield signs on Scott County Secondary Roads. (Item 2)

3. Approval of IA DOT Agreements for HMA Resurfacing from Scott County Park to Utica Ridge Road. (Item 3)

4. Approval of resolution recognizing the volunteers that have participated in the "Welcome to Scott County" sign project. (Item 4)

5. Approval of resolution in support of "American Discovery Trail Day in the Quad Cities". (Item 5)

6. Update on status of Greater Davenport Redevelopment Corporation and the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center. (Item 6)

7. Approval of award of bid for HVAC Controls for the Administrative Center. (Item 7)

Human Resources

8. Discussion of strategy of upcoming labor negotiations with the County's organized employees pursuant to Iowa Code Section 20.17(3). - CLOSED SESSION

9. Approval of a three year agreement for administrative services and one year stop loss coverage AND approval of family health care premium rates for Scott County employees in calendar year 2014. (Item 9)

10. Approval of personnel actions. (Item 10)

Finance & Intergovernmental

11. Approval of Courthouse Wireless Network Project. (Item 11)

12. Approval of tax abatement requests. (Item 12)

13. Approval of FY13 year-end fund transfers. (Item 13)

14. Discussion of the FY15 Budget

15. Other items of interest.

November 1, 2013 Pesticide Applicator Testing, Scott County Extension Office, 10:00 am-2:00pm

November 6, 2013 Ornamental and Turf Applicators, Scott County Extension Office, 1:30 pm-4:00 pm

November 13, 2013 Commercial Ag Weed, Insect, and Plant Disease Management, Scott County Extension Office, 9:00 am-11:45 am

November 19, 2013 Fumigation, Scott County Extension Office, 9:00 am-11:30 am

November 26, 2013 ISU Scott County Extension Council Meeting, Scott County Extension Office, 7:00 pm

 

Visit our events calendar at our web site: http://dbs.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/

DES MOINES, IA (10/17/2013)(readMedia)-- If you think you have to dress up and go door to door in search of goodies this Halloween, think again. State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald would like Iowans to know there are plenty of treats in the form of unclaimed property in the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt. "My office has an ongoing goal of returning as much unclaimed property to their rightful owners as possible," stated Fitzgerald.

The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program has returned over $169 million in unclaimed property to more than 411,000 people since Fitzgerald created it in 1983. Unclaimed property refers to money and other assets held by financial institutions or companies that have lost contact with the property's owner for a specific period of time. State law requires these institutions and companies to annually report and deliver unclaimed property to the state treasurer's office. The assets are then held until the owner or heir of the property is found. Common forms of unclaimed property include savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed checks, life insurance policies, utility security deposits, and safe deposit box contents.

"There are no tricks, only treats," explained Fitzgerald. "Finding and receiving unclaimed property is an easy process. We are dedicated to helping Iowans reunite with their missing money and property." Check the unclaimed property database to see if the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt has property belonging to you. Simply visit greatiowatreasurehunt.com to begin your search.

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Make it Useful Information!

Challenge your friends as the Scottish Rite Masons and St. Ambrose University join together to present a

TRIVIA NIGHT!

Proceeds to to support St. Ambrose/Rite Care Speech & Language Clinic and Scottish Rite operations.

WHEN: Saturday, October 26 @ 6:00pm (Doors open at 5:30pm)

WHERE: The Masonic Center, 511 East 65th St (Veterans Memorial Parkway), Davenport

COST: Individual price $10.00 (8 per table - $80)

RSVP: To register, call 563-391-0665 or 800-944-7483

Email: davsrmasons@msn.com for more information.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - BRING YOUR FRIENDS

COSTUME THEME!

Food and soft drinks available. Personal snacks and beverages welcome. No smoking or alcohol please.

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