SPRINGFIELD, IL (07/16/2013)(readMedia)-- By Staff Sgt. Bryan Spreitzer, Task Force White Eagle Public Affairs Liaison and Sgt. Robert R. Adams, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Sixteen Illinois National Guard Soldiers were presented unit insignia from the Polish 25th Air Cavalry Brigade (ACB) June 22 in Afghanistan.

The unit insignia of the 25th ACB was awarded to the Bilateral Embedded Staff Team A11 (BEST A11) Soldiers. This unit insignia has never been awarded to a non-Polish servicemember. The BEST mission is liaison support with the staff of Polish Task Force White Eagle in Ghazni. The Illinois Soldiers are partnered with the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade of Tomaszow Mazowiecki, commanded by Brig. Gen. Marek Sokolowski.

Sokolowski said the 25th is a close knit, uniquely ran brigade. The decision to bestow such an honor on the embedded Soldiers was an easy one to make, he said.

"We are all family here in Ghazni," said Sokolowski. "My Illinois Soldiers display the pride and honor of a fellow 25th Soldier."

Col. Christopher Lawson of Chatham, Ill., Deputy U.S. Commander of Task Force White Eagle and BEST A11 Commander, has worked with the Polish since 1994.

"The Polish Armed Forces have a proud tradition of service and sacrifice," said Lawson. "The 25th Air Calvary Brigade is an elite air mobile infantry unit that has high standards and expectations of its members. To be recognized as one of its members is the highest honor and I am humbled by this recognition," said Lawson.

Maj. Darren Horton of Springfield, Ill., U.S. Contracting and Personnel Officer for Task Force White Eagle is in the process of getting the insignia authorized for wear as a combat badge.

"I am working with Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Virginia to request approval for our team to wear the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade's insignia as a combat badge on our dress uniforms," said Horton. "Working for a Polish Brigade has been a unique and incredible experience and it would be an honor to be authorized to wear the combat badge of the Polish 25th ACB, which has performed so remarkably."

Horton said it will most likely be a lengthy process and a challenge to get approved, but the great experience of serving with the 25th ACB is well worth it.

With the award of the 25th's unit insignia, the 16-man team from Illinois will forever be a part of the Polish 25th Air Cavalry Brigade and the Polish Land Forces. The team says its deployment experience has been very unique, and an once-in-a-lifetime moment the men of the BEST A11 will cherish for the rest of their lives. The BEST A11 is expected to be back in Illinois around Christmas.

The public is invited to join the Muscatine Art Center in welcoming Carol Ehlers, art history speaker, as she presents a 45 minute lecture on Impressionism and its influence on 19th Century modernity and fashion. The lecture will take place Thursday, July 25 at 5:30 pm in the Muscatine Art Center's Music Room. Admission is free.

From the mid-1860's to the 1880's, Paris was emerging as the style capital of the world, just when the artists who called themselves the Impressionists gained notoriety within the artistic community. The Impressionists, with their love of movement, color and light, and contemporary life, set out to capture modern life in its elemental form. This "snapshot" of society included all the nuances of the day; most specifically the fashions and trends of the time.

The mid-1880's saw the rise of the department store and the increasing presence of the fashion magazine- a possible reflection upon the pastimes of the bourgeoning society in Paris, from the operatic and yachting scenes to views of the Siene River. The Impressionists were keen to represent the sordid underworld of the glitzy Paris above, often depicting women in the cabarets dancing the Can-Can and the Bolero, with their ruffled skirts and plumed hairpieces, as well as the patrons in raggedy clothes in back rooms of the taverns sipping Absinthe. Their clothing, though not as opulent as those who frequented the ballets (another favorite subject of the Impressionists, most notably Edgar Degas), nonetheless reflected the ever changing fashion of the day.

Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity is the name of the world-traveled exhibit that has now made its way to its final stop at the Art Institute of Chicago, after having been realized at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
After having visited the exhibit in Chicago, our speaker Carol Ehlers will use the exhibit in Chicago as a starting point to her discussion about the French Impressionists and their influence on modern society and fashion in mid-19th century Paris.

In 1992 the Muscatine Art Center's collections were significantly enriched by a gift of twenty-seven works of art by Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Degas, Boudin, Chagall, Renoir, and other European artists. The collection was a gift from the estate of Mary Musser Gilmore in honor of her parents, Richard Drew Musser and Sarah Walker Musser. The paintings are on permanent display in the Laura Musser Mansion.

MUSCATINE ART CENTER

1314 Mulberry Avenue, Muscatine, IA 52761    563-263-8282

For many, the response to a cheating spouse is a no-brainer?kick 'em to the curb. But others want to reconcile despite being betrayed. They're willing to forgive and believe they can mend the marriage, says global marriage expert Mort Fertel.

"Some people just can't accept the idea of forgiving a cheating spouse, but you never know how you'll react to that situation until it happens to you," says Fertel, creator of the Marriage Fitness Tele-Boot Camp and author of "Marriage Fitness," (MarriageMax.com).

"It's easy to say that cheating is unacceptable. And of course, it is. But when you're faced with the consequences of ending a marriage?like weekends without the kids, less money, a smaller house, a lower standard of living, the prospect of dating again, and tearing up years of photos?many people can't go there. As unacceptable as cheating is, for many people it's worth it to try to reconcile rather than divorce and face that nightmare too. In other words, you shouldn't assume that someone who sticks with a cheating partner is a mentally deranged masochist."

If you're fed up, lawyer up?but if you want to save your marriage and reconcile your relationship, here's some advice:

· Don't spy. If your spouse is having an affair, then your marriage needs a leader, not a follower. Spying is another form of betrayal; it's a violation of trust. Don't go there. You'll just add to the distrust in the marriage and make matters worse. Instead, take the high road. Maintain your decency and integrity. Be a leader, not a follower.

· Hang in there. The vast majority of affairs end within a year. Your spouse may think that he or she will be the exception, but affairs are relationships built on deceit and immorality, and things planted in polluted soil don't grow well. The affair will die. Don't make an impulsive decision. Hang in there until the affair runs its natural course. At that you and your spouse might see your marriage and your future differently.

· Kill 'em with kindness. He doesn't deserve it? No kidding! But if you want to spoil his (or her) affair and turn your marriage around, don't treat your spouse the way he treats you; treat your spouse the way you want him to treat you. Adulterers wants their spouse to leave them alone, give them space, that way they can feel emotionally free to philander. But when you extend kindness, it tugs on their conscience and ruins their justification for betraying you.

· Seduce 'em. No one should ever do anything sexually they don't want to do, but if you desire your spouse then go for it. You're not doing anything wrong. The other man/woman is the mistress/mister; you're the wife/husband! And to turn this around it's helpful to rev up the sexual part of your relationship. Your friend may have told you, "Don't let him have his cake and eat it too." Yeah, you'll feel vindicated withholding sex. But what will that accomplish? It's punitive; it's not healing. Show her (or him) what she (or he) be missing if he takes his business elsewhere.

About Mort Fertel

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is looking into inspector general findings that, in several instances, the confidential tax records of political donors or candidates have been  inappropriately accessed or disclosed since 2006.  The inappropriate access most likely occurred at the IRS but since the inspector general didn't name the agency, another entity or entities, such as a state tax office, with access to federal tax records could be involved.  The inspector general is withholding details of the agencies involved and the names of the candidates and donors because of taxpayer confidentiality laws.  The inspector general found one case of access "willful" and sought Justice Department prosecution.  The Justice Department declined to prosecute.  Grassley is asking the Justice Department for an explanation of the decision not to prosecute.  Grassley comment:

"Any agency with access to tax records is required to act with neutrality and professionalism, not political bias.  The Justice Department should answer completely and not hide behind taxpayer confidentiality laws to avoid accountability for its decision not to prosecute a violation of taxpayer confidentiality laws.  With the IRS on the hot seat over targeting certain political groups, it's particularly troubling to learn about 'willful unauthorized access' of tax records involving individuals who were candidates for office or political donors.  The public needs to know whether the decision not to prosecute these violations was politically motivated and whether the individuals responsible were held accountable in any other way."

Grassley's initial inquiry to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is available here.  TIGTA's response is available here.  Grassley's letter to the Justice Department is available here.