On the eve of Halloween....John Deere Middle School Students are learning Zombie Survival Skills


(Moline, IL)  Just in time for Halloween.....  John Deere Middle School has created a "Zombie Survival Club". Zombie Survival Club is made available through a partnership between Lights ON for Learning 21st Century Community Learning Centers and the Moline Public Library.

The program was created by Jan Laroche, the teen services librarian who has an interest in Zombie movies and recognized the trends in teen literature about zombies.  She says the club will focus on STEM lessons (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in a fun setting.   "Zombie Survival Club is intended to be a lighthearted, activity based program that develops educational skills through a fun after school curriculum."


Some of the lessons being taught to zombie so they can survive include :
•       Come up with list of essential needs for zombie survival-- water, food, first aid, tools, safe locations, transportation, power/electricity.  Create list for an emergency kit.
•       Discuss types of zombies and spread of infection.
•       Discuss safe drinking water and food supplies. Include how much water is needed, how to find it, and how to make it.
•       Use CDC guidelines to figure out how much water would be needed for a short-term stay.
•       Use math skills to figure out different sizes of bottles and groups of people.
•       Use survival books to discuss how to find safe water in different locations, and discuss purification methods.
•       Discuss food supplies. Include what food to keep on hand in your kit, where to find additional food in both urban and rural settings, and how to grow food.
•       Use calorie guidelines and nutrition information to figure out how long a supply would last. Discuss where food stores might be found and use survival books to identify edible wild plants. Plan a garden for future food supplies. (If necessary, discuss hunting and trapping skills.)
•       Discuss safe locations. Include being prepared to fortify for the short term, ideal locations for immediate retreat, and long-term plans for relocation. Also include discussion about transportation.
•       Discuss power/electricity issues. Include ways to survive without electricity and ways to generate power.
•       Have students research how long electricity would continue after an apocalypse. Make a potato battery and look at plans for a bicycle generator.
•       Discuss power/electricity issues. Include ways to survive without electricity and ways to generate power.
•       Discuss long-term survival plans. Include ways to communicate with other survivors, finding information, and the pros and cons of joining with others.


The John Deere Zombie Survival Club meets every two weeks for one hour (4:15-5:15).

***The media is invited to participate in this week's club meeting to interview students and teachers****

Who:  John Deere Middle "Lights ON" Students
What:  Zombie Survival Skills class
When:  Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Where:  John Deere Middle School Moline
Why:  It's ghouly fun...and the students learn science, technology, engineering and math skills

By author/contributor G. Keith Smith, M.D.

The myth that lack of health insurance is a cause of 18,000 deaths per year, along with nearly a million bankruptcies, has been promulgated yet again in The New York Times by economist Paul Krugman.

One of his outrageous fact-free claims is that uninsured people avoid the emergency rooms for fear of large bills, and so they die. But if the poor are avoiding the emergency rooms, how can health care for the poor in the emergency rooms be bankrupting hospitals? This claim is also false. Otherwise, why is there a building crane in front of every big city emergency room I've ever seen?

"So there's no real question that lack of insurance is responsible for thousands, and probably tens of thousands, of excess deaths of Americans each year," writes Krugman. But the Institute of Medicine's estimate that lack of insurance leads to 18,000 excess deaths each year is almost certainly incorrect. Richard Kronick's recent study debunks this idea completely. He concludes: "It is not possible to draw firm causal inferences from the results of observational analyses, but there is little evidence to suggest that extending insurance coverage to all adults would have a large effect on the number of deaths in the United States."

Krugman asserts that expansion of Medicaid, on which ObamaCare depends for its claim of increasing coverage, saves lives. This has been proven false by Professor June O'Neill, former director of the Congressional Budget Office. Patients might as well wear their Medicaid card around their neck rather than keeping it in their wallet. It is like a scarlet letter that precludes entrance into most physicians' offices. This card gives many, just like our Canadian brethren to the north, only a right to hope for care.

Many physicians are also curtailing their exposure to Medicare patients because of payment and regulatory hassles, threats of stiff penalties (including jail time for miscoded claims), and government price controls mandating artificially low payments.

"Coverage" doesn't mean care. It can instead be a barrier to access to care. Think about it. If you have "insurance" coverage (whatever that means) and your insurance company decides that they don't want to pay for a bone marrow transplant, or they set the payment for one so low that no one will do it (one and the same thing), you are not going to get a bone marrow transplant. Period. If the IPAB (Independent Payment Advisory Board) decides that the payment to a physician for an open heart surgery is less than anyone is willing to do it for, guess how many open heart surgeries will be done? Folks like Krugman, not the market, will be in charge of deciding what these types of procedures are worth. Even more government involvement in health care is what he is advocating.

Of the 1.5 million individual bankruptcies declared every year, 62% involve medical bills. Less well known is that 78% of those filing for medical bill reasons had insurance. These folks have "coverage." Is this the security Mr. Krugman would bring to us all?

Concerning bankruptcy, keep in mind that Krugman is the poster child for Keynesian economics, the economic thought that holds that an individual or a government can borrow its way to prosperity. This economic theory has prevailed in this country for a long time, primarily because big-government advocates love to spend the wealth belonging to future wage earners, as the future voter's wrath represents no threat to them. Krugman, as a mouthpiece for this insanity, which will bankrupt both federal and state governments, bears a lot of responsibility. The central bank and deficit spending have no greater advocate than he.

Krugman's economic myths can cause real mortality. But neither he nor The New York Times can be sued for economic malpractice.

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http://www.aapsonline.org/

Tenth Avenue North

The Struggle Tour

With Guests:

Audrey Assad

and

Rend Collective Experiment

7:00 PM Saturday, November 10

Adler Theater

136 East 3rd Street

Davenport, IA 52801

Brought to us by Echo Ministries

Tenth Avenue North recently announced its third studio project, The Struggle (Reunion Records), out on August 21.  The 12-track album reflects influences ranging from fan insight from the headlining artists' past two years on the road, to the addition of two new band members and a new recording process.  Produced by six-time SESAC Christian Songwriter of the Year, and two-time GRAMMY nominee, Jason Ingram (Chris Tomlin, Sanctus Real), The Struggle is a bold, creative leap forward.  www.tenthavenuenorth.com

Reserved tickets ($19 & $30 Deluxe Ticket) are on sale now.  Tickets are available at the Adler Theatre Box Office, online at Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 and Ticketmaster outlets.  Tickets are $16 for groups of 10 or more by calling 563-326-8522.  Deluxe Tickets include early admittance to a pre-show meet & greet, a commemorative tour laminate, signed poster and $5 off coupon redeemable at the artists' merchandise booth.

For more information, call 563-326-8500

Dam removal on Des Plaines River, Chicago River and other waterways will improve aquatic habitat and remove dangerous impediments to paddlers

RIVERSIDE, IL - Governor Pat Quinn today moved forward with a major initiative that will significantly improve the health of Illinois waterways by removing or modifying 16 low-head dams throughout the state over the next several years. At an event in Riverside, the governor announced the completion of the Hofmann Dam removal. The dam removal initiative is the latest by Governor Quinn to protect the environment and preserve Illinois' natural resources.

"Free-flowing rivers benefit all of Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "Removing these dams will improve waterways across our state, making them safer for kayakers and paddlers who use them for exercise and recreation, and for anglers who enjoy fishing in these rivers. This dam removal initiative will improve conservation, water quality and outdoor recreation in Illinois."

The Illinois Dam Removal Initiative will invest nearly $10 million to remove 12 dams in Cook County on the Des Plaines and Chicago Rivers, including the three that have already been removed.  Those projects included removing the Hofmann, Fairbank and Armitage dams in Riverside, which is helping to restore the Des Plaines River to a more free-flowing channel.  Removing these dams increases the diversity of fish and aquatic life, as well as eliminating dangers for undercurrents that were a threat to paddlers and fishing enthusiasts.

The removal of the three Des Plaines River dams, combined with the remaining nine removal projects planned in Cook County, are being funded through Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital program. These dams are targeted for removal over the next two years. The dams being removed or renovated have no benefit to plants and animals that inhabit the rivers or to people who use waterways for recreation. In addition, four other dams on the Vermilion River and Fox River will be modified or removed as part of the initiative.

"Removing dams improves water quality, aquatic habitat and recreational safety," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Marc Miller. "It also addresses the issue of dealing with crumbling and aging infrastructure, which would be much more expensive to repair or replace. These dams no longer serve their original purpose and removal or modification will save the state and local communities' money in the future."

Important factors that were considered in removal of the Hofmann Dam included the distribution and type of vegetation that occurs on exposed stream banks, the effects on local infrastructure and community support.  The project was implemented under an agreement between the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).  The IDNR agreed to acquire all necessary rights of way for the project.

"The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is the property owner of much of the land along the Des Plaines River, and we have been strong supporters of the removal of the Hofmann Dam since day one," Arnold Randall, Forest Preserve District of Cook County General Superintendent said. "Our mission is to maintain and preserve the natural lands of this County for the pleasure, recreation and education of the public. The Hofmann Dam removal project, and others like it, can help us do just that."

The areas extending upstream from Hofmann Dam will see the most direct physical benefit from the improvements. The upstream reach and river channel have been converted from a slow-moving, deeper pool habitat to a free-flowing stream habitat. The most important benefits include enhanced drainage system at nearby Swan Pond Park to prevent entrapment of fish, increased fish passage, restoration of the natural flow of the river and improved public safety.  More than 15 miles of the Des Plaines River, upstream of the previously existing dam, has been opened to all fish and other aquatic species and a significant increase in biodiversity will be gained.

"It's time for these dams to be removed to protect waterway users and aquatic species alike," said Margaret Frisbie, Friends of the Chicago River Executive Director. "When we eliminate these barriers we open miles and miles of the river system which is critical to restoring its health. 'Friends' has been working on dam removal with Governor Quinn from the beginning. I want to thank the Governor for once again being a champion of Rivers in Illinois."

Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program is the largest in Illinois history, supporting an estimated 439,000 construction jobs. The program, which aims to modernize Illinois' infrastructure, began in 2009.

Remaining dam removal projects include :

The North Branch of the Chicago River -- Remove or modify four low head dams and free up 55 miles of waterway from downtown Chicago to the north.  Partners include the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the Chicago Park District and other non-governmental organizations.  Total cost estimate:  $3,500,000.

·         Tam O' Shanter Dam - Removal

·         Chick Evans  Golf Course Dam - Removal

·         Winnetka Road Dam - Removal

·         North Branch Dam at River Park - Modification

The Des Plaines River -- Remove or modify eight low head dams and free up 32 miles of waterway for paddlers and fish passage. Partners include the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Total costs estimate:  $6,000,000.

·         Dam 1 -  Removal

·         Dam 2 - Removal

·         Dam 4 - Removal                       

·         Dempster Street Dam - Removal

·         Touhy Ave Dam - Removal

·         Armitage Dam - Removal (work complete)

·         Fairbank Road Dam - Removal (work complete)

·         Hofmann Dam - Removal (work complete)

Other dams being considered for removal or modification under the initiative include :

·         Blackberry Creek Dam (Yorkville, Fox River) - Removal

·         Vermilion River Dam (Danville, Vermilion River) - Removal

·         Ellsworth Park Dam (Danville, Vermilion River) - Removal

·         Buzzi Unicem Dam (Oglesby, Vermillion River) - Additional modification

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