WHAT: Quad City Arts Art @ the Airport

WHEN: September 9-October 30, 2013

WHERE: Quad City International Airport Gallery, 2200 69^th Ave., Moline, IL

WHO: Paintings by Michael Acerra and Peter Xiao (pronounced Shouw) with ceramic sculptures by Dusty Hanson

Exhibiting in September and October at the Quad City International Airport Gallery is Michael Acerra of Galesburg, IL, Peter Xiao of Rock Island and Dusty Hanson of Bettendorf, IA.

Michael Acerra uses oil paints and pastels to create paintings which capture a moment in time. From still-lives to landscapes, Acerra's style and technique are reminiscent of Reubens. His color palette is similar to French painters like Pisaro and Degas. Michael can often be found painting on location in downtown Galesburg.

Peter Xiao presents a series of oil, acrylic and mixed media paintings which explore personal memories of "Mao's so-called Cultural Revolution and human life's fragility and travails." Peter is a painting instructor at Augustana College and has exhibited at Quad City Arts in the past.

Dusty Hanson builds sculptures from solid blocks of clay. He carves, manipulates and textures the clay into anthropomorphic forms. Ranging in size from tabletop pieces to life-sized, Hanson's work begs touching and must be seen from all angles. This is Dusty's first major exhibit with Quad City Arts.

Art @ the Airport Gallery never closes and non-ticketed passengers can drop by the airport to see the exhibits, with just one dollar for parking.

The Quad City Arts Center Gallery is located at 1715 Second Avenue in the Arts and Entertainment District of Rock Island. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Quad City Arts is dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the Quad City region through the presentation, development and celebration of the arts. This gallery and exhibit is generously sponsored by the Quad City International Airport.

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What:  Gov. Terry Branstad will present a proclamation declaring October 9 as Healthiest State Walk Day and will officially introduce the 2013 Healthiest State Walk sponsors, including Delta Dental of Iowa, Mercy Health Network and UnityPoint, who will support the walk and the new Focus Five priorities.

Who: Speaker Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Delta Dental of Iowa Vice President of Public Affairs Suzanne Heckenlaible, UnityPoint CEO Bill Leaver, Mercy Cancer Center Medical Director Dr. Richard Deming, and Healthiest State Initiative Chairman Ric Jurgens will be available for interviews and photos.

When: Tuesday, October 8 at 9:15 a.m.

Where: Iowa State Capitol, West Terrace*, 1007 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines

Background:

The Healthiest State Initiative has set an ambitious goal for Iowa to become the healthiest state in the nation by 2016. Since the Initiative was launched in 2011, Iowa has improved from 19^th to ninth in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Walking can help manage weight and improve strength and physical fitness. Walking also slows mental decline, improves sleep, lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke.

Nearly 600,000 Iowans have participated in the Healthiest State Initiative's walks in 2011 and 2012. This year, many organized Healthiest State walks will be held at noon on October 9, but walks are encouraged throughout the day. A kilometer is about 7.5 city blocks, a 12-minute stroll for the average walker. Walkers can sign up for the event at www.iowahealthieststate.com.

Along with walking and remaining active, the Healthiest State Initiative has also identified five priority areas most likely to improve our state's ranking:

• Decrease the number of Iowans who smoke,
• Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables to five or more servings daily at least four days a week,
• Increase the number of Iowans who are learning or doing something interesting every day,
• Increase the number of Iowans who have visited the dentist in the last 12 months, and
• Increase the number of working Iowans who feel their boss treats them like a partner at work

More information about the Focus Five priorities can be found at www.iowahealthieststate.com.

*In case of inclement weather the event will be moved to the Rotunda of the Capitol.

DALLAS - Oct 2, 2013 - The Energy Professionals Association (TEPA), a non-profit organization 501 (c)(6) committed to upholding the integrity of the deregulated retail energy market, has announced that it will host its annual conference on November 13-14, 2013, at the Hotel ZaZa - Dallas.  More than 300 of the nation's top brokers, providers, executives, thought-leaders and policymakers will attend the conference to discuss opportunities and challenges facing the energy procurement industry.

"Our annual conference plays an important role in the health of the retail energy market," said Michael Harris, president of TEPA. "Energy procurement is continually evolving based on a host of market variables.  Our TEPA conference creates a critical common ground for energy providers and brokers to meet and identify the challenges and opportunities that will make working with REPs easier for consumers.   Part of the conference will include the presentation of important research related to the availability, reliability, sustainability and profitability of the market."

The 2013 conference will feature presentations by recognized experts from the Texas legislature, private energy sector, leading brokers and representatives from the retail energy sector.  This year's conference will also introduce a new breakout session, "Energy 101" for new brokers.  This breakout session will help new brokers understand how the energy market functions, as well as the importance of following ethical standards when representing buyers and providers during an energy procurement deal.

"This year TEPA has taken its first steps to become a national organization," said Harris.  "In August, we met with brokers and providers in the Northeast to introduce them to TEPA.  As a result, we've created our first national chapter outside of Texas.  The new Northeast TEPA Board will be announced during our annual conference."

The 2012 conference will feature exciting social events in addition to hosting some of the industry's most dynamic speakers. Registration is $300-$350 per person; group rates may apply. Those interested in attending can register online by clicking the link. More information about the 2013 annual TEPA Conference can be found at www.tepaUSA.org.

The Energy Professionals Association (TEPA) is a 501 (c)(6) organization that establishes a standardized code of conduct, serves as an educational resource and advocates legislative initiatives for the Texas deregulated energy market. TEPA members include Aggregators, Brokers, and Consultants (ABCs), Retail Electricity Providers (REPs) and affiliate members. TEPA members exhibit expertise, ethical practices and a high level of professionalism to help consumers buy electricity in the restructured Texas marketplace. For more information contact Aaron Cook at ACook@TPRM.com,

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Prepared Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee

Hearing on "Continued Oversight of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act"

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding today's hearing on the continued oversight of the FISA intelligence gathering programs that have been the subject of ongoing media attention.

Although the government has been partially shut down due to partisan differences over various issues, we are continuing our bipartisan oversight of this important matter here today.

We last held a hearing on this topic a few months ago, in late July.  At that time, I expressed the view that the reports in the media had called into serious question whether the law and other regulations currently in place strike the right balance between protecting our civil liberties and our national security.  This was especially so concerning the public revelation that under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the government is collecting Americans' phone records in bulk.

Additional public disclosures since our last hearing have underscored my concern.

Indeed, since that time, the Administration has declassified legal opinions reflecting significant errors by the government before the FISA court in implementing both the Section 215 and 702 authorities.  The good news is that these appear to have been, for the most part, unintentional mistakes that the government brought to the court's attention on its own accord.  The bad news is that, even with all the checks and balances built into the system, these kinds of errors can still occur.

Even more unsettling, other reports since July have suggested that there have been cases of intentional and willful misuse of intelligence authorities by NSA employees to spy on their spouses and neighbors.

These disclosures have created a broader crisis of trust in the legitimacy of our intelligence gathering methods generally.  In my view, had these programs been more transparent from the start, this trust deficit wouldn't be as severe as it is now.

This brings me to the President's response to this crisis, which has been baffling.  The President held a news conference in early August in which he defended the bulk collection of phone records as "an important tool in our effort to disrupt terrorist plots," and suggested some areas for reform.  Since then, as far as I know, he hasn't said a word in public about these issues.  If the President truly believes in the importance of these programs, he should be publicly defending them as part of our national debate.  He shouldn't be contracting out that job solely to the intelligence community.  Simply put, as in so many other areas, the President is failing to lead where he wants others to follow.

In any event, I'm pleased that we've taken a number of steps to follow up on some of these disturbing reports since July.  A bipartisan group of members of this committee requested that the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community conduct a thorough review of the implementation of these authorities.

Additionally, I wrote to the NSA Inspector General and received a public accounting of the handful of documented instances where NSA employees intentionally abused their authorities.  It was heartening to see how few cases of intentional misconduct exist.  But on the other hand, it is alarming to know that the possibility of employees engaging such behavior is very real.

The NSA Inspector General's response to my letter reflected that many of these cases were referred to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.  I was planning on following up about how those referrals were handled with Deputy Attorney General Cole at this hearing.  However, the Chairman chose not to invite an Administration witness to provide a legal perspective on these matters.  Therefore, I will be following up with the Department of Justice about these cases with a letter to the Attorney General today.

The balance between protecting individual liberties and our national security is a delicate one.  Reasonable people can disagree about precisely where that balance is best struck.  I probably don't agree one hundred percent with any member of the two panels of witnesses we have with us today, including Professor Cordero, whom I have invited to share her valuable perspective as a lawyer with hands-on experience in the intelligence community.  But I welcome them all, and I'm pleased to hear their views as we consider various reforms to FISA and related surveillance authorities.

Thank you.