Visit every floor, peek into closed rooms, and satisfy curiosity through this all access pass to the Mansion during the Nooks and Crannies Tour, Brucemore's most popular specialty tour, Saturdays, October 6, 13, 20, and 27 at 9:30 a.m.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.

Advance ticket purchase for the Nooks and Crannies Tour is required. Space is limited. Purchase tickets online at www.brucemore.org, by calling (319) 362-7375, or by visiting the Brucemore Store and Visitor Center. Admission is $15 per person and $12 for Brucemore members.  The tour is not recommended for children under 10 or individuals who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.  

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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September 4, 2012 - Charlotte, North Carolina

Delegates and fellow Americans, it is an honor to be with you this evening.

And it's an honor to represent the great state of Illinois, the home of President Barack Obama!

Tonight, I want to talk to you about a scary subject for many, many Republicans. I want to talk about facts.

You know, I watched the Republican National Convention last week.

And I heard a lot of things that are simply not true.

One of our founding fathers, President John Adams of Massachusetts, once said that "facts are stubborn things."

But last week, as they nominated a very different man from Massachusetts, Republicans stubbornly smeared President Obama's excellent record of reforming welfare.

They went on and on, pretending that he weakened its work requirement.

Everyone knows that is a ridiculous charge.

Even the Republican author of welfare reform says Romney is wrong.

Fact-checkers have called this talking point "blatantly false," "a drastic distortion," "widely debunked," and "a mind-boggling act of untruth telling."

In Illinois, we know President Barack Obama.

We know his record.

And we know that President Obama has made sure that work is always part of welfare.

As an Illinois State Senator, Barack Obama spearheaded welfare reform in the Land of Lincoln.

And the fact is, under President Obama, states can get flexibility only if they move 20 percent more people to work.

Let me repeat that for our Republican friends: more people working, not less.

Then there's Medicare.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan want to take away the promise that makes Medicare, Medicare. They want to give seniors a voucher that caps what Medicare will cover, and then tell seniors they're on their own for what's left.

That would cost seniors thousands of dollars a year. And if they don't have the money, it could cost them their lives.

But that didn't stop Romney and Ryan from telling the American people that their plan won't hurt seniors. The fact is, it will.

President Obama's plan will protect Medicare, and protect our seniors.

Facts are stubborn things.

Now, when Paul Ryan got his turn, he blamed President Obama for a plant that closed under President George W. Bush.

Here's a fact:

When President Obama took office in January 2009, the Chrysler plant in Belvidere, Illinois, employed just 200 people.

Today, because President Obama saved the auto industry, that same Chrysler plant is employing more than 4,000 American workers.

There's something else the Republicans left out of their convention: any explanation of why they call Mitt Romney "Governor Romney."

We already knew this extreme conservative man takes some pretty liberal deductions. Evidently that includes writing off all four years he served as governor of Massachusetts.

And if you want to know how someone's going to govern the country, look at how he governed his state.

Mitt Romney promised Massachusetts three things: more jobs, less debt and smaller government.

Then he left his state 47th out of 50 in job growth, added $2.6 billion in debt and on his watch, government jobs grew six times faster than private-sector jobs.

What does Romney promise today?

More jobs, less debt and smaller government.

But he didn't do it then, and he won't do it now.

From day one, President Obama has told you where he stands, what he believes and what he is doing to make our middle class strong again.

America is moving forward under President Obama's leadership - and that's a fact.

Now it's our job in the next nine weeks to make sure that the American people know the facts.

Your vote is a valuable thing. Entrust it to someone who respects you enough to tell you the truth.

Join me in voting for President Obama and together let's make the will of the people the law of the land.

Thank you very much.

While they're the place we go for healing, all hospitals have the potential to be a hotbed  for contagious infections.

But there are precautionary measures patients can take, both to reduce the need for a hospital stay and to condition the body to ward off infection and minimize pain when surgery is necessary, says Letha Hadady, a nationally-recognized herbal expert and author of Naturally Pain Free, just published by Sourcebooks (www.AsianHealthSecrets.com). Letha has been documenting in real time her recent hip replacement, preparation and recovery, in a video blog on her global website.

"We are fast approaching a time when antibiotics will be outdated because infectious bacteria - Superbugs - have become resistant," she says. "We have to protect ourselves with the gifts of nature that germs cannot adapt to - foods, minerals, herbal remedies and other natural products that build our defenses."

There are 600,000 knee-replacement and 300,000 hip-replacement surgeries performed each year in the United States, a number that has doubled in the past 10 years and continues to grow, Hadady says. As a health expert cited by NBC News, AP Radio, Newsday, the Daily News, the San Francisco Chronicle and Barbara Walters, she says she is concerned about the risks, pain and fear as many people face both major and minor surgeries.

"These surgeries are only going to become more frequent as the baby boomer generation ages. People 50 and older with osteoarthritis are most likely to need hip- and knee-placements," she says. "But plenty of younger people are affected, too. Runners, dancers, tennis players, soldiers - even high school students who suffer sports injuries. It could be you on the operating table!"

Hadady offers these tips to naturally condition the body before surgery:

· Herbal strength: A few weeks in advance of her operation, Hadady ramped up her intake of herbal supplements. A key herb was Yunnan Paiyao, a traditional  medicine used in Chinese hospitals and by their soldiers to prevent excessive bleeding. Other herbs can be taken to help build up resistance to bacteria.

· A calm and focused mind: Stress increases inflammation and is a burden on internal organs. A calm, centered mind -- attained through techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, and mineral baths - can help the body weather the trauma of surgery, she says.

· Knowledge is power: While researching "Naturally Pain Free," Letha tried alternative treatments for arthritis ranging from traditional Asian remedies to cutting-edge stem cell injections. Before her operation, Hadady asked questions and researched her hospital, doctors, the procedure, and insurance coverage. This allowed her to better prepare for the operation and gave her peace of mind.

· Follow hospital recommendations: In addition to alternative therapies, it's important to heed the advice of one's doctors, before and after a procedure, she says. With her supplements, Hadady restricted her vitamin C intake, which thins blood, and she received an antibiotic ointment to ward off MRSA -- an antibiotic-resistant superbug that can cause life-threatening infections.

· Diet and exercise: "This may seem obvious, but it's a message we cannot emphasis enough for overall health," she says. One reason why replacement procedures are so prominent is due to the "sitting lifestyle" so many now have. Muscle atrophy from too much sitting can be a cause for joint-replacement, she says. "Sitting is the new smoking!"

About Letha Hadady

Letha Hadady has been called the "Martha Stewart of herbs" for her expertise in traditional Asian and alternative health. The author of five books, including her latest "Naturally Pain Free," Letha has appeared widely on TV--including CNN, Today, The View ? talk radio, and the internet. Letha is an adjunct faculty member for New York Open Center, and The Renfield Center for Nursing Education, Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. She has led stress-management workshops and acted as a natural product consultant for Sony Entertainment Inc., Dreyfus, Ogilvy & Mather, and Consumer Eyes, Inc. in New York.