12 Jul 2012

Riverside Theatre to Hold Wine Tasting Fundraiser Saturday, July 14 at Vesta

By Sarah Burnett

Iowa City, Iowa - Riverside Theatre, Iowa City's resident professional theatre invites area residents to a wine tasting party Saturday, July 14 from 6-9 p.m. at Vesta, 849 Quarry Road, Suite 100, in Coralville. Vesta is located on the round­about of the Coralville Mar­riott, near 1st. Ave. and Inter­state 80.

The event will feature samplings of a variety of wines from Vesta's wine menu. Vesta will also be serving appetizers, to complement the wine selections.

Tasting tickets are $40 and include wine tasting and two full pours. Non-tasting ticket are $25 and include non-alcoholic beverages.

$20 of every ticket is tax-deductible and includes food.  To order tickets call the Riverside Theatre Box Office at 319-338-7672.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Riverside Theatre.

For more information visit www.riversidetheatre.org.

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12 Jul 2012

FRATERNITY MEN CYCLING ACROSS COUNTRY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES RIDE INTO DAVENPORT

By Joey Haynes

DAVENPORT, IA - The 25th Journey of Hope team will arrive in Davenport on Thursday, July 12. The team will arrive around 1:00 p.m., please contact Ricky Rascon to confirm time and location. The team will have lunch at Happy Joe's at 2:00 p.m. That evening at 6:00 p.m., the team will have dinner and a Friendship Visit with the City of Davenport Parks and Recreation.

What: The Journey of Hope, organized by Push America, is a cycling trek that raises funds and awareness on behalf of people with disabilities in hopes to enhance the quality of their lives. Every cyclist commits to raising at least $5,500 on behalf of people with disabilities before the trip begins. Combine their individual efforts with corporate sponsorships and the Journey of Hope 2012 teams have raised more than $650,000 for people with disabilities.

 

When: Thursday, July 12th 1:00 p.m. (arrival) and 6 p.m. (dinner & Friendship Visit)

 

Where: Lunch:

Happy Joe's                         

201 W 50th Street

Arrival & Dinner/Friendship:

Please contact Ricky Rascon

 

Who: Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity members from across the country.
11 Jul 2012

Schilling Honors the Rock Island Arsenal's 150th Anniversary

By Andie Pivarunas
Washington, DC - Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) today released the following statement in honor of the 150th Anniversary since President Abraham Lincoln signed Public Law 37-122, establishing the Rock Island Arsenal:

"The 17th Congressional District of Illinois is home to many remarkable folks and features, one of them being the Quad Cities' Rock Island Arsenal.  In the 150 years since its establishment by President Lincoln on July 11, 1862, the Arsenal has played an invaluable role in our national security and our region's economy, directly employing nearly 8,000 folks from both sides of the river and both sides of the aisle.  

"Representing the hard-working men and women of the Rock Island Arsenal is an honor.  I look forward to continuing my work with Congressman Loebsack and the rest of the Illinois/Iowa delegation to preserve the Arsenal's future and help ensure it can continue providing for our troops and contributing to our region's economy for another 150 years."

On June 29, 2012, Schilling and Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02) introduced a bipartisan Resolution in the House of Representatives to recognize the 150th Anniversary of the Rock Island Arsenal and its ongoing contributions to our nation's security and the Quad Cities economy.  In May, they partnered with area senators in introducing the bipartisan and bicameral Army Arsenal Strategic Workload Enhancement Act, which would help to keep arsenals like Rock Island warm and employees' skills sharp by requiring that the Army produce a plan to ensure they are properly workloaded.  

In the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Schilling and Loebsack included a landmark provision lifting the cap on the number of public-private partnerships that arsenals are able to enter into, maximizing the possibility for private-sector job growth at installations like the Rock Island Arsenal.  They also included in the 2012 bill a provision designating the Rock Island Arsenal as a Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence, further improving its ability to enter into public-private partnerships, provide for our men and women in combat, and strengthen the Arsenal's core skills and manufacturing abilities.  Both provisions were signed into law as part of the comprehensive Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.  

In the Fiscal Year 2013 House conference report, Schilling and Loebsack built on their prior successes and included language ensuring that the Department of Defense recognizes in its overarching national security strategy the critical manufacturing work done at facilities like the Rock Island Arsenal.  It also reviews how to maintain those skills and therefore the employees doing the work.  They also partnered with area senators in introducing the bipartisan and bicameral Army Arsenal Strategic Workload Enhancement Act, which would help to keep arsenals like Rock Island warm and employees' skills sharp by requiring that the Army produce a plan to ensure they are properly workloaded.

# # #

To send Congressman Schilling an e-mail, click here
11 Jul 2012

TONIGHT - LIVE STREAM - GEN. JERRY BOYKIN - USA & ISRAEL

By The United West
LIVE STREAM - TONIGHT - 7pm (edt)
Gen. Jerry Boykin
The USA & ISRAEL
"The Ties That Bind"
LTG Jerry Boykin (ret.)
Do not miss General Boykin detail the importance of our relationship with Israel in these dangerous days!
???
  • 36 years in the Army
  • Original member of the US Army's Delta Force.
  • Commanded all the Army's Green Berets
  • Special Warfare Center and School
  • Served a tour with the CIA
  • Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
  • Grenada, Somalia, and Iraq
  • Teaches at Hampden-Sydney College (Virginia).
  • Black Hawk Down in 1993
  • Books include Never Surrender:
A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom
  • Team leader for Team BII Report, Shariah - The Threat to America
  • Expert on defense policy, terrorism and the US-Israel relationship.
???
APPEARING WITH GEN BOYKIN
RABBI JON HAUSMAN
Ahavath Torah Congregation
Stoughton, MA 02072
TOM TRENTO
The United West
???
TONIGHT
WEDNESDAY JULY 11, 7pm (edt)
Please donate $25.00 to help us continue
LIVE STREAMING
JOIN THE FIGHT - SIGN UP AT
11 Jul 2012

Coalition Ad Campaign Warns White House and Senate: "No More Defense Cuts"

By Rick Martin
Washington, D.C. July 12, 2012:  Today, the Coalition for the Common Defense launched a national advocacy campaign aimed at preventing further, draconian cuts to the U.S. military of $500 billion dollars or more in January 2013 pursuant to the "sequestration" mechanism created under the Budget Control Act of 2011. The campaign will feature a series of video advertisements demonstrating the dangerous absurdity of the sorts of deep and - worse-yet - indiscriminate, across-the-board defense spending cuts now in prospect. The first spot premiered today and can be viewed here: (http://youtu.be/9GOnUVsCbQs). The campaign is designed to encourage the American public to express their opposition to these cuts.  The Coalition will facilitate such communications with the White House and Senate through a portal at its web-site here: (http://action.forthecommondefense.org/7301/dont-let-washington-disarm-our-soldiers/).
Regarding the campaign launch and the need to avert sequestration, Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., a member of the Coalition for the Common Defense, remarked:
"Defense has already paid its fair share into deficit reduction and we cannot safely and responsibly try to balance the budget on the backs of our men and women in uniform.  This campaign, and specifically the Coalition's ads, will bring home to the American people the reckless absurdity of these defense cuts - and the need to avoid the train-wreck they will precipitate."
The mandated sequestration cuts come on top of an already budgeted $487 billion reduction over the next 10 years as part of Budget Control Act of 2011.
The additional $500 billion in sequestration cuts would prove devastating, both militarily and economically.  Militarily, this would result in the smallest ground force since 1940, the smallest Navy since 1915, and the smallest Air Force in history.  Economically, sequestration could result in $62.9 billion in lost revenues for defense contractors, projected job losses of over 1.3 million, and an $86.4 billion decrease in Gross Domestic Product.
The House of Representatives has already acted on legislation that would stave off these budget reductions and their attendant impact for at least a year, giving the executive and legislative branches time to devise a different, less reckless approach to deficit reduction.  The Senate has yet to act, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama insisting that any such relief must be accompanied by tax increases.
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. continued:
"The American people do not want the White House and the Senate to hold our military hostage to budget gamesmanship.  It is unconscionable to play politics with the arming, training and sustaining of our troops - particularly if, by so doing, the President and Senate leaders may be jeopardizing not only their missions, but their lives."
The Coalition for the Common Defense is an alliance of like-minded individuals and organizations who believe that without provision for the "common defense," as articulated by the Founders, the freedom that has allowed unprecedented opportunity and prosperity to flourish in this country would soon be imperiled. In this new age of budgetary cuts, the Coalition rejects the false choice between military strength and economic health contending that economic prosperity depends on a strong national defense. Through a series of events and strategic partnerships, the coalition is calling on elected officials, candidates for office and others who share our commitment to the common defense to uphold these principles.  We must return the United States to sensible fiscal principles without sacrificing our national security.
A full statement of principles can be located here. The Coalition of the Common Defense can be found online at www.forthecommondefense.org.
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11 Jul 2012

134 Lives Saved With Early Diagnosis of Melanoma

By Dr. Carl W. Soderstrom
11 Jul 2012

National and Local Talent at Bluesmore 2012: Janiva Magness, The Chris Beard Band, and BF Burt and the Instigators

By Tara Richards

Music lovers and blues enthusiasts alike will revel in the live performances on Brucemore's First Avenue lawn at the 19th annual Bluesmore on Saturday, August 4 from 4:00 to 9:30 p.m. Presented by Brucemore and the Linn County Blues Society, Bluesmore will feature Janiva Magness, The Chris Beard Band, and BF Burt and the Instigators.  Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust sponsors Bluesmore 2012. Home Town Restyling sponsors the Back Porch Stage. The co-media sponsors are The Gazette and KCRG-TV9.

Janiva Magness, a charismatic performer known for her electrifying shows, is among the premier blues and R&B singers in the world today. Her voice possesses an earthy, raw honesty and beauty born from her life experience. As a teenager, Janiva discovered her musical calling at an Otis Rush show. She formed her first band in 1985, Janiva Magness and the Mojomatics. She released a series of Indy albums before making her major label debut, What Love Will Do, on Alligator Records in 2008. Janiva has given her heart and soul to the blues during her nearly 30-year career, but the award-winning singer has reached a whole new level of intimacy in her recently released tenth studio album, Stronger for It. A gusty and dynamic musical powerhouse, Janiva has received a total of 17 Blues Music Award nominations to date. In 2009, she received the coveted Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year?only the second woman to ever win this award?and Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year for the third time.

Chris Beard, "The Prince of Blues," is a modern blues guitarist and singer like few others. His assertive voice and exciting guitar are a seamless combination of traditional blues with a contemporary edge. Born in 1957, Chris is the son of Joe Beard, a blues guitarist who grew up on Beale Street in the 1950s before moving to Rochester, New York. When family friends like Matt "Guitar" Murphy and Buddy Guy stopped by, young Chris became their willing pupil.?After years of playing the clubs in and around Rochester, Chris was offered the opportunity to record. In 1998, he released his debut record, Barwalkin', and earned a W.C. Handy nomination as Best New Blues Artist.

BF Burt and the Instigators have been touring the Midwest for over a decade with what they call "American Music," a mix of American blues, rock, soul, and funk. The band met in Iowa City at the Yacht Club's Monday night Blues Jam and formed a four piece group of drums, bass, guitar, harmonica, and vocals. They have had the opportunity to observe, work with, interview, and perform with blues legends like Koko Taylor, B.B.King, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, and many more. From local "battle of the bands" and Iowa Blues Challenge winners, the Instigators have won numerous awards. They have been featured at the Top 25 Unsigned Blues Band Competition and the International Blues Band Contest.

Advance Bluesmore tickets are $13 per adult and $12 per student or Brucemore/Linn County Blues Society member. All tickets are $15 at the gate - no discounts are available the day of the event. Children age 10 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.  Advance tickets must be purchased by August 3 and are available through Brucemore by calling (319) 362-7375, by visiting www.brucemore.org, or at the following outlets: Brewed Awakenings, Chappy's Safari Lounge, Checkers Tavern, Music Loft, Guitar Center, J.M. O'Malley's, The Longbranch Hotel, Music-Go-Round, Parlor City Pub and Eatery, and West Music (Cedar Rapids). Tickets are non-refundable.

Gates open at 3:00 p.m. Bands will perform from 4:00 to 9:30 p.m. on the First Avenue lawn at Brucemore, 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. No on-site parking is available except handicap parking by entering on Dows Lane. No pets, coolers, or outside food is allowed during the event. Food and beverage vendors are available on-site, including the Jaycees beer tent. For further information on Bluesmore, please visit www.brucemore.org, www.lcbs.org, or call (319) 362-7375 or (319) 399-5105.

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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11 Jul 2012

Big Win for Baby Sea Turtles

By Sierra Club
The Sierra Club's Puerto Rico Chapter notched a huge victory when the island's governor signed a bill protecting nearly 2,000 acres of the Northeast Ecological Corridor from development. For more than 15 years, a proposal to build two megaresorts loomed over the Corridor, which includes one of the most important nesting grounds on Earth for the endangered leatherback sea turtle.

"Golf courses and baby sea turtles don't mix," says Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune. Find out how the Sierra Club Puerto Rico Chapter and other grassroots groups kept this wondrous place from being turned into condos and putting greens.
11 Jul 2012

Governor Quinn Announces Start of LIHEAP Summer Cooling Program

By Leslie Wertheimer

Assistance Available to Help Low-Income Residents Pay Electric Bills

CHICAGO - July 10, 2012. In an effort to provide relief to residents facing high energy bills in the wake of the recent heat wave, Governor Pat Quinn today announced that applications will be accepted for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) beginning July 11. Through LIHEAP, utility bill payments are made on behalf of households with incomes of up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

"Temperatures have already reached dangerous levels across the state, and keeping people safe during the heat is my priority," Governor Quinn said. "We must do everything we can to ensure Illinois' most vulnerable citizens can remain healthy, safe and cool this summer."

The LIHEAP summer cooling program will run from July 11 through July 27, or until funds are exhausted. A total of $10 million in federal funding is available for the program. Households that are responsible for their own electric bills will be eligible only under the following criteria: household income over the last 30 days does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty standard threshold; and the household includes a person at least 60 years of age, a child under 60 months of age, and a person with a disability or an individual with a documented medical condition aggravated by excessive heat. In addition, current customers under the electric Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) are ineligible for cooling assistance.

"Through the LIHEAP program, we have helped more than 378,000 Illinois families to live more comfortably and safely in their homes, while helping reduce burdensome energy bills for those who need it most," said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Acting Director David Vaught.

People can apply for LIHEAP assistance by visiting their local administrating agency, but are encouraged to call ahead, as long lines should be expected. A complete listing of LIHEAP's local administrating agencies and additional information about the program are available at www.liheapillinois.com, or by calling the toll-free "Keep Cool Illinois" hotline at 877-411-9276 between 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Seniors are among the most vulnerable to extreme heat. With temperatures remaining high, Governor Quinn urged seniors and families with small children to take special measures to stay safe. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) advises residents to stay hydrated; avoid going outdoors during extreme heat; avoid or minimize physical exertion; keep window shades drawn; wear loose cotton clothing; and avoid eating heavy meals and cooking with ovens. People taking medications should check with their pharmacist or doctor to find out about any heat-related side effects.

Governor Quinn also urged Illinoisans to take advantage of more than 120 state facilities that serve as cooling centers. The cooling centers provide a place to stay cool and comfortable during the scorching hot days of summer. The centers are located at Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) offices throughout the state and the seven Illinois Tollway Oases in Northern Illinois. They will be open to the public during regular business hours.

More information on the state's cooling centers is available by calling the IDHS toll-free hotline (800-843-6154), or search by zip code for the nearest cooling center at www.keepcool.illinois.gov.

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11 Jul 2012

House Farm Bill Needs Much Work

By Elisha Smith

By John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org, Center for Rural Affairs

The House Agriculture Committee's draft farm bill is deeply disappointing.

It would make federal subsidies for crop insurance premiums the primary farm program, but impose no payment caps, no income limits for recipients and no conservation requirements. Mega farms would get unlimited subsidies to bid land away from small, mid-size and beginning farmers.

For traditional farm programs, the draft would increase the commodity payment limit by 250 percent above generous Senate-passed levels. Unlike the Senate bill, however, it would leave current loopholes that invite widespread farm program abuse wide open. It would also reduce acreage enrollment for the Conservation Stewardship Program by a staggering 30 percent at a time when record numbers of farmers are enrolling acres into the program.

But that's not all, this farm bill would remove restrictions on subsidies intended to protect native grasslands everywhere except one small region of the Northern Great Plains. It would slash investment in programs for beginning farmers and ranchers by half. It would cut investment in proven job-creating rural development initiatives by 88 percent.

The House's draft farm bill fails to deliver for family farmers and ranchers, rural communities and the natural environment. The Committee should address these deficiencies when they take up the bill this week and, failing that, all members of Congress should prepare to debate these crucial issues on the House floor if there is any hope that this farm bill will reflect rural America's values and invest in a better future for our rural communities and the people that live there.

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