CLINTON, IOWA - June 5, 2012 - A Clinton teenager with a family history of child abuse is saying "Enough!" and built a team of over 44 people to walk with her for the End. McKenzley Morris has raised hundreds of dollars in pledges and inspired local teachers to build a team of their own.

The 1,000 Mile Journey is a one mile walk for the end of child abuse going from the Courthouse to Bandshell Park in Clinton, Iowa and these local young people are taking that stand with hundreds of others.

On Sunday, June 10th, at 1:00 pm McKenzley Morris and Hanna Roth, Founder of The Rainbird Foundation will be speaking to those walking in The 1,000 Mile Journey. The event is sponsored by Brenton Williams Financial, Ashford University, and Clinton Printing. Local non-profits working in the area of ending child abuse will have booths including the Discovery Center, YWCA, Big
Brothers Big Sisters, Make a Wish, and Every Child Matters.

Live music by David Smith and activities for children make for a fun day for the kids. Proceeds go to the local participating non-profits and to the local Iowa affiliate of The Rainbird Foundation, a 501(c)(3) committed to the end of child abuse.

"It's a community effort," says Walk Director Shirley Darsidan. "We're asking Clinton, the Quad Cities, and surrounding communities to join us by walking one mile. 1,000 people walking one mile is easier and more fun than one person walking 1,000 miles. Ending child abuse requires the same, each person taking the next step, small or large, will make the difference. The 1,000 Mile Journey can be the next step."

Registration for children 12 and under is free, teens are $10, twenties are $20, and adults 30 and older are $30. Each participant is encouraged to raise pledges, funds that will be granted to local organizations, and prizes will be given to the top pledge earners.

Organizers are asking people to register online in advance at www.1000milejourney.org or from 6-8pm Friday the 8th at Riverside Restaurant on 2nd Street. For more information, please contact Shirley Darsidan at shirleydarsidan@rainbirdfoundation.org.

Q:        What is required of Congress in making a budget plan?

A:        The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 says Congress should annually adopt a budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year and at least the following four fiscal years.  The annual budget is to be adopted as a concurrent resolution, so it is not presented to the President for his signature and doesn't become law.  Rather, when adopted by Congress, the budget resolution is as an agreement between the House and Senate on a congressional budget plan.  It provides the budget framework for subsequent legislative action during each congressional session.

Q:        Is there an annual deadline?

A:        The congressional budget timetable sets April 15 as a target date for completing action on the annual budget resolution.  Before 1986, the date was May 15.  According to the Congressional Research Service, budget resolutions have been adopted, on average, almost 37 days after the target date.

 

Q:        How is it that the Senate hasn't passed a budget for more than three years?

A:        The Senate last adopted a budget resolution on April 29, 2009.  Since then, the majority leadership of the Senate has not produced even a proposal for consideration.  The only conclusion a person can draw is that the Democratic leadership either doesn't have a plan or doesn't want its fingerprints on one.

 

Q:        The President proposed a budget; why not just use that?

A:        The President's budget proposal has been unanimously rejected.  In April, the House of Representatives voted 414 to 0 against President Obama's budget.  In May, the Senate voted 99 to 0 against the President's budget.  President Obama's proposal would do little to change the nation's dangerously unsustainable debt path.  And, rather than reduce spending, President Obama proposed $2 trillion in tax increases to increase government spending above current levels.  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the President's policies would lead to a fifth consecutive year of $1 trillion deficits, 2009 to 2013.  In addition, under the President's plan, after 10 years, the national debt would be 76.5 percent of America's gross domestic product.  The historical average since World War II is just 43 percent.

Q:        What are the repercussions of the Senate's not passing a budget?

A:        As President Obama has said, the annual budget is "an economic blueprint for this nation's future."  A budget blueprint would lay out priorities for deficit reduction, economic growth or a path to balance.  Today, along with having now gone more than three years without a budget, America is in the midst of the fourth consecutive year of trillion-dollar deficits.  Yet, there is no one in the Democratic leadership, which controls the U.S. Senate, willing to take charge, even while our nation continues on a path of deficits and debt.  Republican senators offered three alternative budgets for consideration this year, yet all were rejected by the Democratic majority.  The President has refused to get involved in a serious way to provide moral and political leadership.  Instead, a commitment to solutions is needed for today and future generations.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Joins Chairman Forbes in Expressing Concern about Senate's Failure to Halt Sequestration

Rockford, Illinois - Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) and House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Subcommittee on Readiness Chairman Randy Forbes (VA-04) this week toured the Rock Island Arsenal, the Quad Cities' largest employer, and held forums in Moline with Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and in Rockford with Congressman Don Manzullo (IL-16) on defense manufacturing capabilities and how local communities will be impacted by defense cuts if sequestration is not avoided.  

Participating in the Moline forum with Forbes, Schilling, and Loebsack were a number of stakeholders and employees from the Quad Cities.  This morning Forbes and Schilling joined Don Manzullo at Rockford's SupplyCore, one of the area's top military contractors.  SupplyCore provides supply chain management services and distributes maintenance, repair, and operations materiel.  SupplyCore this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and has approximately 90 employees in Rockford.  

"Our national debt, which is approaching $16 trillion - or $50,000 for every person in this country - is a national security threat and we must find ways to bring our spending under control," Schilling said. "Our military makes up 20 percent of our federal budget, but has contributed more than half of the deficit reduction measures we've taken thus far.  Military leaders and defense contractors alike are concerned about these cuts.

"It's important that Congress works to address America's spending crisis and national debt in ways that don't put our warfighters at additional risk or provide them with subpar equipment," Schilling continued. "Placing our warfighters at risk isn't the solution to our debt problem."  

During last summer's debt ceiling negotiations, the Senate majority, which now hasn't passed a budget in more than three years, put forward a plan that didn't address the underlying spending problem.  Schilling and his colleagues in the House, on the other hand, repeatedly voted to tackle deficits over the long term while avoiding government default.  

If an alternative plan is not approved, across-the-board spending cuts will be enforced under the Budget Control Act that will result in an 8 percent cut to non-defense discretionary spending and a 10 percent cut to the Department of Defense, beginning in January 2013.  The Administration agrees that these cuts would be "catastrophic" and "disastrous".

Immediate action can be taken by Congress and the President to responsibly reduce the deficit, but only the House has passed legislation that works towards these shared goals. On May 10, Schilling voted for a proposal to replace the first year's cuts with spending reforms.  He is also a cosponsor of H.R. 5872, the Sequestration Transparency Act, which requires a report from the Administration on its plans for implementing the sequester.  

"I'm honored to serve the employees of the Rock Island Arsenal and all those men and women from our area who work so hard to provide the best possible tools and equipment to our service members," Schilling said. "My sincere thanks to Chairman Forbes for taking the time to come to our area and see firsthand the assets to our national security and our local economy that I'm fighting to preserve and strengthen.  I will continue working with the Chairman and our colleagues in the House on policies to preserve our national security, provide for our warfighters, responsibly reduce our deficit, and give military leaders and defense contractors the certainty and transparency they need from the Administration moving forward."

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To send Congressman Schilling an e-mail, click here

The Family Museum Offers a Place for Buyers and Sellers to Meet

Bettendorf – Closets filled with toys and games. Beds hiding sports equipment and puzzles. Kids acquire mountains of stuff through the years, and the Family Museum offers a perfect place to sell these under-used and forgotten items: the annual Young Entrepreneur's Market. This year the Market will be held on Saturday, June 9 from 8:30-11:30 AM. It's free to shop, but sellers must be pre-paid and pre-registered by Wednesday, June 6.

This event is designed to teach young entrepreneurs about sales, marketing, and merchandising. Participants are welcome to sell their artwork, crafts, toys, sports equipment, clothing, costumes, or any other gently used items at this popular "garage" sale. This is a great opportunity for kids to clean out their toy boxes, empty their closets, and sell the things they no longer play with or have outgrown. It's also a great venue for kids to sell crafts, artwork, and other handmade items.

The Young Entrepreneur's Market is open to all youth ages 5-14. Sellers must be accompanied by an adult. Each parking space is $10. Participants must be pre-registered by Wednesday, June 6 to attend. For more information or to reserve a space, call Julie Klein at (563) 344-4170.

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - 06/05/2012 - Catch a lot of catfish, and build a memory that will last a lifetime. Most youngsters prefer to catch fish, than fish for fish. The more fish they catch, the more excited they get. One method for catching catfish at this time of year is fishing with Catch-O-Matics (automatic fishing reels also known as Yo-Yos). A Yo-Yo works by simply tying a string attached to the Yo-Yo to a green limb of a tree that hangs-out over the water. Next, pull the line out on the other end of the Yo-Yo that has a hook and bait on it. As you pull the string out with the baited hook, a string inside the Yo-Yo is caused to compress. When a catfish takes the bait, it trips the trigger, making a spring inside the device uncoil. This process sets the hook and keeps tension on the line as the catfish tries to swim away.

 

To collect your catfish, you can land small fish by pulling on the line. To land bigger catfish, you may have to use a dip net. But, check state rules and regulations about using Yo-Yos, before you fish with them. Another technique for catching a lot of cats and having a lot of catfish this summer is to jug fish for cats.

 

In John E. Phillips' new book, "Catfish Like a Pro," he interviews some of the best catfishermen in the world, to learn the techniques for not only catching big catfish, but also for catching large numbers of eating-size catfish. You can go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, and type-in the name of the book to find it.


 

Tips for Tasty Catfish

 

* Catfish in some areas may have an off-flavor or a fishy taste to them. To solve this problem, put your catfish fillets in an ice chest or a large container, cover the fillets with ice and then cover the ice with 7UP. Allow the catfish to stay in the ice and 7UP for at least 2 or 3 hours; then remove them from the ice, and cook them anyway you like. The meat will be sweet and tasty.

 

* The meat of catfish will be firm and tasty when frying, if you'll put your fillets in ice and water for at least a minute, before you batter and fry them. By following this procedure, when that cold catfish hits that hot oil, the meat will stay firm and delicious.
By: Gordon Filepas

As a father, you understand the incredible importance of keeping your family healthy, happy, lean and long-lived as easily and inexpensively as possible.   As the president of our country, you understand the importance of educating U.S. citizens about how to do the same.

My concern then is, as the most prominent role model in the land, why do you smoke cigarettes?  Why do you eat so many fatty foods, as physicians have publicly noted?  Why are there so many campaign tour photos of you eating unhealthy foods?  At the same time, your wife is campaigning to end childhood obesity.  Doesn't this send a mixed message to most everyone in America?  This at a time when America's disease, obesity and health insurance rates are skyrocketing, with no end in sight?

Why does America spend only 4% percent of its health-care budget on prevention and education yet over 75 percent on disease treatment? Is the goal to make Americans authentically healthy, or to make a few industries wealthier? These are questions my own children have asked me around the dinner table, so now I'm asking you Mr. President.

From all the research I just completed, I now know that Americans aren't getting fatter and sicker because they're lazy; they're getting fatter and sicker because of the steady stream of misinformation that is fed to them and that defies common sense. They're confused about the true biological causes of poor health and disease.  You can understand then why, to the American public, it almost appears that governmental health policies are designed to cultivate disease and illness, purely for profit, rather than to authentically protect the health of American citizens.

The signs are everywhere. A recent example is the fact that food manufacturers don't have to label GMO (genetically modified organisms) foods in America, when other countries do.  Why?  People certainly deserve to know what's in their food!  A country as a whole is only as strong as the health of its individuals.

As a concerned father, I wanted to ask you these questions. Because, when I give my children a kiss or a hug or tell them I love them each day, I want only the best for them.  As a father, I know you want the same for your own children.   And, every other parent in our country wants the same for their own children.  What does the future hold for our children if America doesn't change its ways right now and do what it needs to do to end its disease and obesity epidemics?

As a concerned American citizen, I know that you have the power to make America healthier, leaner, fitter and stronger.  You can also choose to do nothing and give into the various lobbying interests purely for their profit and political purposes, while the citizens of our country continue to get sicker, fatter and weaker, thereby making America even less competitive in the world.

The long and short of it is, Mr. President, the choice really is yours. You are the ultimate role model for America.  The buck starts and stops with you.

Whoever becomes the next President in the upcoming election, I wonder what the parents on their staff and throughout all the other influential government offices would wish for their own children's future: profit or health? Frankly, it really is easy to have both if America's health-care system were to be redesigned properly and if all Americans were taught to give their bodies what they need biologically in the first place to prevent disease and illness.  Providing everyone with health insurance is a noble proposition but it does nothing to prevent or end even a single disease state.

Wouldn't it be great to be remembered as the president who solved America's health and obesity problems, and made America the longest-lived country in the world with among the lowest healthcare costs?

The choice is yours.

About Gordon Filepas

Gordon Filepas spent 20 years researching Lean And Healthy To 100, (www.adviceformychildren.com), interviewing physicians, attending seminars, and reading medical journals and other health-related literature. He is the founder of TGM Partners, a consulting and investment firm. Filepas says he was motivated to learn more about the specific requirements for optimal health following the deaths of his father and brother from cancer within three years of each other. He hopes to ensure the good health of his family, including his wife of 25 years and three sons.

Volunteers for Symphony would love to take your donations of gently used items. 2nd Fiddle is in the same location this year as last, the Village Shopping Center on Kimberly Road between Shoe Carnival and Godfather's Pizza. The most direct entrance is the stop light on Kimberly Road by the Family Restaurant.
The days remaining to accept to make donations to this fundraiser are:
Wednesday, June 6, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday, June 7, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, June 9, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday, June 11, from 12 noon to 8 p.m.

For 29 years, Volunteers for Symphony has been hosting the area's largest sale of gently used items to support the education programs of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association. This is your opportunity to buy from an enormous selection of furniture, home furnishings, antiques, jewelry, furs, clothing, books, toys, games, sports equipment, collectibles art pieces, and more.

 

Tickets for the Preview Party on Thursday, June 14, are $10. Admittance on Friday and Saturday is free. Tickets are for sale at the door or at www.qcsymphony.com
Folks from the Quad Cities, Peoria, Rockford, Iowa City, and Madison---mark your calendar for the Hillcrest Music Fest June 15th and June 16th. Come out to one of the area's only outside event center-The Hillcrest Event Center and enjoy a country music concert Fri. June 15th and a rockin' good time with rock concert on Sat. night June 16th.  Saturday night's special Legendary Southern Rock headliner- Jimmie VanZant- keeping Southern Rock ALIVE! Come the entire weekend and camp with us with affordable rates for a weekend of fun and music!  (more info about Jimmie VanZant Band-  www.Jimmievanzantband.net)

This Hillcrest Music Fest will feature TWO nights with 7 BANDS at ONE OUTDOOR VENUE, with admission prices tailored so that everyone can come out for a weekend of fun and music.

Friday night's concert will be 5pm-1am with country bands including Wild Oatz, Dirt Road Rockers, Slough Buoys, and Dani Lynn Howe Band for an unforgettable country concert.

Saturday's concert will run from noon til 1am with an entire rockin' day and evening of  rock bands:  Sinners & Saints, Wicked Liz & The Bellyswirls, Meet The Press, Dani Lynn Howe Band, and Headlining Southern Rock Band---The Jimmie VanZant Band! There will also be a Father's Day Golf Outing for you and your father for $40. that covers  9 holes of golf, cart and all you can eat pancake breakfast.

Food and Food vendors will be available all weekend.

The Hillcrest Event Center is located at the Hillcrest Resort- 16262 E. 350th St.-Orion, Il 61273 and is the site that the new reality TV show, "American Resort" is being filmed.  Call (309) 755-6550 for more info including special camping rates for festival! Tickets are $40. per person, which include admission for BOTH days and FREE TENT CAMPING!  You can't beat that price for a weekend of fun and music!  For an added $40.00, you get a RV site with water and power.   Limited VIP tickets are $100.00 per person which includes VIP parking; Platinum tickets are available for $200. per person-includes food & beverage; sponsor and vendor are available (call for pricing-limited tents are available.) To purchase Hillcrest Music Fest tickets online, please go online to: www.hillcrest-resort.com    or hillcrest-resort.inticketing.com/events

There aren't any outdoor event centers between Chicago and Des Moines, and the Hillcrest Event Center has worked to make it THE special events venue within a 3-4 hour radius.  The Hillcrest Resort includes a sports bar/restaurant, a 9-Hole Golf course, 68-site campground, and Olympic Size swimming pool-everything for your comfort and relaxation for a great time. Located on the edge of two states (Iowa and Illinois) the Hillcrest Event Center will quickly become your favorite place for events at affordable rates with a comfortable and relaxing setting.

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - June 5, 2012 - Energy costs are on the minds of most Americans as they watch the pumps while filling their gas tanks this summer. But, farmers are also worried about how rising energy costs, from fuel to fertilizer, can impact their businesses. On Wednesday, June 20, at 1 p.m., the Iowa Farm Bureau's Margin Management Webinar Series will offer a session discussing the implications of energy prices and ethanol margins for Iowa farmers.

The webinar will feature Matt Erickson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation. Erickson specializes in the energy/fuel markets, as well as farm diesel and fertilizer price trends.

"The webinar will discuss a variety of energy-related issues, including the current crude oil and natural gas markets, price forecast, trends, inventories and energy consumption," said Ed Kordick, commodity services manager with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. "These factors definitely have an impact on a farm's profitability."

Participants can access the free webinar at www.iowafarmbureau.com and look for the link on the main rotating banner. Registration is encouraged. To register, please contact Kordick at ekordick@ifbf.org. While the webinar is open to the public, the program will be archived, with access limited to Farm Bureau members only.

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After a year-long search, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra is excited to announce Naha Greenholtz as their new Concertmaster. Ms. Greenholtz will be publicly introduced in the North Park Mall food court where she will say a few words and give a short performance. The press and the public are invited to witness this historic occasion.


Canadian violinist Naha Greenholtz was born in Kyoto, Japan, where she began her studies on violin at the age of three. She made her solo debut at age 14 playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and was quickly reengaged for performances of concerti by Tchaikovsky and Mozart. In addition, she has been a featured soloist with the Burnaby Symphony, Kelowna Symphony Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra (Breckenridge, CO) and Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra in works by Sarasate, Bruch, Tchaikovsky and Bach. Upcoming solo engagements include concerto appearances with the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

A participant in many prominent music festivals, Ms. Greenholtz has been featured at venues such as Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival (Maine), the Taos School of Music (New Mexico), the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Italy), the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), New York String Orchestra Seminar at Carnegie Hall, and the ENCORE School for Strings. Ms. Greenholtz has also had an active career as an orchestral musician, appointed Associate Concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly the New Orleans Symphony) at age 21. One year later, she joined the first violin section of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Since 2010, she has performed frequently with the Cleveland Orchestra both at Severance Hall and on tour domestically and abroad. In 2011, she was appointed Concertmaster of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Other 2011-2012 highlights include performances as Concertmaster of the National Repertory Orchestra, and as guest Concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra Augusta. She has also performed as guest Concertmaster of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra. Last season, as part of her Concertmaster candidacy, Ms. Greenholtz was guest Concertmaster for the QCSO's February Valentine's Day concert and the War Requiem.

In 2010-2011, she was the sole participant in the prestigious Concertmaster Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music, a mentoring fellowship with William Preucil, Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and former first violinist of the Cleveland Quartet. Ms. Greenholtz received her Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School in 2007. While there, her primary teachers were Joel Smirnoff and Donald Weilerstein. She has studied chamber music with Joel Krosnick, Robert Mann, and Nicholas Mann. Other teachers have included Andrew Dawes, Judith Ingolfsson, Ilya Kaler, and Akira Nagai. She performs on a 1778 Antonio Gragnani violin ("Ex-Caressa"), and a Eugene Sartory bow.

In addition to performing as Concertmaster, Ms. Greenholtz will be soloing on this season's opening Masterworks concerts on October 6 at the Adler Theatre and October 7 in Centennial Hall, Augustana College. Subscription are for this year's Masterworks season are currently on sale at 563.322.QCSO (7276) or at www.qcsymphony.com.

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