Brucemore will offer a new series?Thursday Night Lineup: Brucemore Evening Specialty Tours?beginning on March 7 at 6:00 p.m. Every Thursday night will feature a different specialty tour focusing on topics for all interests, including arts and culture, Midwestern industry, gardening, landscape design, architecture, preservation, behind-the-scenes at Brucemore, and growing up in the early twentieth century. The schedule for the Thursday Night Lineup in March includes:

March 7, 6:00 p.m. - Standard Tour: Explore over a century of Cedar Rapids history through the lives of the three families who called Brucemore home. The families of Brucemore were business and community leaders in a century of evolution of the Midwest. The changes they made to their estate, the impact they had on their community, and the stories they left behind shape our understanding of modern Cedar Rapids, eastern Iowa, and the American Midwest.

March 14, 6:00 p.m. - Nooks & Crannies Tour - Visit every floor, peek into closed rooms, and satisfy curiosity through this all-access pass to the Mansion. Marvel at the Skinner pipe organ room, discover the architecture and oddities in the attic, and experience the sight and sound of a "rain storm" in the basement Tahitian Room. Examine the superior craftsmanship and learn about ongoing preservation work. The tour is not recommended for children under ten or individuals who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

March 21, 6:00 p.m. - Historic Landscape Tour: Cover 26 acres and over 125 years of history during this exploration of Brucemore's landscape. Each of the historic owners of this estate used the landscape differently. The changes they made to their gardens and grounds reflect their distinct personalities and the times in which they lived. The foundation of this tour is the design of noted landscape architect O. C. Simonds whose 1910 design still defines the way Brucemore is used and preserved today.

March 28, 6:00 p.m. - Hired Help Tour: Working on a Country Estate: Join a costumed interpreter during a tour exploring the lives of Brucemore's domestic servants in the early twentieth century. Consider what it was like to live and work on one of Iowa's grandest estates while discovering the servants' living quarters and the Servants' Village, an area only open to the public during this tour. Documents, photographs, and other materials from Brucemore's collections enrich visitors' understanding of the relationships between the employers and their staff.

Space is limited; advance ticket purchase recommended. Weekly tour topics for April and May, admission fees, and further details are available at www.brucemore.org or by calling (319) 362-7375.

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

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Tuesday, February 5, 2012

Klobuchar, Grassley Reintroduce Legislation to Crack Down on Anti-Competitive Pay-for-Delay Deals

Legislation would help put an end to pay-offs by brand-name drug manufacturers to keep cheaper generic equivalents off the market and help make sure consumers have access to cost-saving generic drugs they need

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released a report indicating a significant increase in the number of potential pay-for-delay settlements over the past year

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today reintroduced legislation to crack down on anti-competitive pay-for-delay deals. The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would help put an end to the practice of brand-name drug manufacturers using pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market and help make sure consumers have access to cost-saving generic drugs they need. A report released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shows the number of potential pay-for-delay agreements rose over 40 percent in 2012. Klobuchar and Grassley introduced similar legislation in 2010 following a resurgence of patent settlement agreements. 

"These pay-for-delay deals keep more affordable generic drugs off the market, hurting consumers and stifling competition," said Klobuchar. "I have long supported efforts to crack down on this behavior and the recent rise in pay-for-delay agreements underscores the need for legislation to help make sure people have access to the drugs they need at a price they can afford."

"Clearly, pay-for-delay deal-making is an obstacle to getting cheaper prescription drugs on the market," Grassley said.  "These anti-competitive patent settlements between brand and generic drug companies hurt consumers' access to affordable medications, and they hurt taxpayers who pay for prescription drugs under both Medicare and Medicaid.  It's a practice that puts the interests of drug companies above the interests of consumers, and it's time for it to end."

Pay-for-delay settlements occur when brand-name drug companies seek to eliminate competition by paying generic manufacturers not to sell their products for a period of time. These agreements delay generic entry into the market nearly 17 months longer on average than agreements without payments. These pay-off settlements (also known as "reverse payments") delay consumer access to cost-saving generic drugs, which can be as much as 90 percent cheaper than brand-name drugs.

The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would make it illegal for brand-name drug manufacturers to use anti-competitive pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) expects that enacting this legislation would accelerate the availability of lower-priced generic drugs and generate over $4.7 billion in budget savings to the Federal Treasury between fiscal years 2012 and 2021.

The Muscatine Art Center is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition, "The Other Side of the Earth" by Chun Arthur Wang. The exhibition will open on Sunday, March 10 and run through Sunday, April 21, 2013.

In conjunction with Wang's exhibit, the Muscatine Art Center is offering a class on the art of Chinese calligraphy. An instructor from the Confucius Institute, a branch of the University of Iowa's International Program will be conducting the class. There is no experience needed, and all supplies will be provided.

The English word "calligraphy" refers to that which is "beautiful writing", which includes both aspects of calligraphy- as a practice and as an art form. Chinese calligraphy is functional as a means of communication- at its basic level calligraphy is focused on writing well. However, calligraphy is also considered an art form in its own right, where works are appreciated more or only for their aesthetic qualities. Calligraphy has also led to the development of many different forms of art in China, including seal carvings, ornate paperweights, and inkstones.

CLASS DETAILS:

What: Chinese Calligraphy Class

When: Thursday, March 28, 2013

Time: 5:15 PM

Fee: $10.00 /$9.00 for Friends Members

Where: The Muscatine Art Center's Art Studio

To register, please contact Katy Doherty, Program Coordinator, at 563-263-8282 or by email at kdoherty@muscatineiowa.gov. Registration is appreciated no later than Wednesday, March 27. Class size is limited. For more information about the University of Iowa's Confucius Institute, please visit: http://international.uiowa.edu/confucius.

The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine, Iowa. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday evenings until 7:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated. Go to www.muscatineartcenter.org for more information about programs and events and to download a class brochure.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Truman State University has released the Fall 2012 President's List. To qualify for this list, an undergraduate student must attain a semester 4.0 grade point average and must complete 12 semester hours of credit.

Local students attaining this honor include Scott Joseph McKillip of Davenport majoring in Health Science, Business Administration

Also, Truman State University has released the Fall 2012 Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs List. To qualify for this list, an undergraduate student must attain a semester 3.50-3.99 grade point average and must complete 12 semester hours of credit.

Local students attaining this honor include Andy Wang Yang (Computer Science) and Logan Christian Carney (Business Administration) both of Bettendorf; Aubrey Danielle Bailey (Biology, Exercise Science), Aubrey Ann Crowley (Health Science), Allison Jean Fullenkamp (Exercise Science) and Kayleen Marie Green (History, Pre-Education/Secondary) all of Davenport; and Simone Lorraine Kazel Collins (Psychology) of Rock Island.

Founded in 1867, Truman is Missouri's highly selective public liberal arts and sciences university. Truman has the highest graduation rates among Missouri's public colleges and universities and approximately 50 percent of Truman's graduates pursue an advanced degree immediately upon graduating. Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine listed Truman at No. 19 on its list of 100 "Best Values in Public Colleges" and featured the University in the February 2013 issue. U.S. News & World Report's 2013 edition of "Best Colleges" ranked Truman as the No. 1 public university in the Midwest region and Truman was recognized in the Washington Monthly September/October 2012 magazine as the No. 6 master's university in the nation. Truman was the only public Missouri school on the entire Top 100 Master's Universities list. The University, located in Kirksville, enrolls more than 6,100 students.