Story by Jonathon Kirkham, Illinois National Guard Command Historian Intern

SPRINGFIELD, IL (07/02/2012)(readMedia)-- Today commemorates the 19th anniversary of the Great Flood of 1993, which lead to Operation Wave Rider, the largest state active duty mission in the history of the Illinois National Guard. More than 7,000 Soldiers and Airmen were activated after heavy rains led to record flooding of the Mississippi, Illinois, Rock, Sangamon and Wabash rivers.

On July 1, Illinois Governor Jim Edgar alerted Maj. Gen. Donald Lynn, The Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard to prepare for a potential flood mission. Three days later, Lynn activated units for Operation Wave Rider.

Soldiers and Airmen provided support to 44 counties declared natural disaster areas by state and federal officials. Operations included security, levee maintenance and repair, sandbagging, search and rescue, water distribution, medical assistance and aviation support.

Despite the extensive damage, Soldiers and Airmen proved valuable assistance to the disaster relief and cleanup resulting in zero loss of life. By Dec. 1, only 33 Guardsmen remained in the hardest hit areas to provide additional security.

Campaign Announces July is Veterans for Obama Month

 

DES MOINES - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley announced the Veterans & Military Families for Obama Steering Committee.  He was joined by two members of the Committee Marc Wallace from Des Moines and Sarah Petersen from Sioux City.

 

The President knows that we owe our veterans and their families the care they were promised and the benefits they have earned. The Steering Committee will engage fellow veterans across the state about the importance of this next election. They will help lay out the choice between President Obama and Mitt Romney's plans and what they really mean for veterans and their families.

 

"The men and women who serve in our military make incredible sacrifices to keep America free and strong," Braley said. "President Obama understands that the debt we owe our veterans is more than just gratitude - it's giving them opportunity and care when they return home.  That's why he's worked so hard to jumpstart veterans hiring, improve educational opportunities, and strengthen mental health care for our vets."

 

President Obama:

·         Kept his promise and ended the war in Iraq. When he took office there were over 140,000 combat troops serving in Iraq; today there are none.

·         Refocused our efforts on dismantling and defeating Al Qaeda, brought Osama bin Laden to justice and began bringing our troops home as we transition security responsibility to the Afghan people.

·         Signed two tax credits into law to encourage businesses to hire unemployed veterans and those with service-connected disabilities.

·         Implemented and improved the most comprehensive educational benefit for veterans since the original GI Bill of 1944.

·         Boosted the Veterans Affairs budget to ensure that as record numbers of veterans enter the VA health system they receive timely access to the highest quality benefits and services.

·         Made it easier for veterans suffering from PTSD to get the benefits he or she needs and every VA medical center provides services for veterans suffering from PTSD.

·         Ended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Our military is stronger and safer now that patriotic gay men and women no longer have to live a lie in order to defend the country they love.

 

"The President knows that we have a sacred trust with our veterans and their families the care they were promised and the benefits they have earned," said Petersen. "That's why he is committed to ensuring that veterans can find work when they return home, receive the health care and benefits they've earned and have the chance to get a college education through the post-9/11 GI Bill. As millions of our servicemen and women return home from war, now more than ever we must fulfill our duty to them."

 

From providing education and job opportunities for our veterans to ensuring they have the health care they deserve, President Obama will fulfill our commitment to our service members.

 

"Veterans know President Obama has their backs - but they're left to wonder what Mitt Romney would do as Commander-in-Chief," said Wallace. "Romney doesn't seem to care about honoring the sacred trust America has with veterans and their families. Judging from his record, policies and promises, he would break that trust. In Romney's 160-page, 59-point plan for jobs and economic growth, veterans weren't mentioned at all. Not once."

·         As Massachusetts governor, Romney cut veterans' programs by hundreds of thousands of dollars in his first month in office, and he even tried to cut the funding for veterans by more than 11 percent in his first budget.

·         The Congressional Republican budget, which Romney endorsed as "marvelous" would -- if applied across the board -- slash funding for Veterans' Affairs by $11 billion a year

·         Romney suggested privatizing veterans' health care making veterans use vouchers to buy health care - even though that would leave many veterans unable to pay for the essential health care they earned and need.

As part of today's Steering Committee launch, the campaign announced that July is Veterans for Obama Month.  Campaign staff and volunteers will show their support at 4th of July parades and events this week.  Additionally, veteran-to-veteran phone banks will be hosted to allow people to share their stories and to share the accomplishments of the Obama Administration in providing for those who serve. Iowa veterans and family members will arrange and host local events and house parties to bring veterans together to celebrate their service, discuss the next election, and get them involved in the campaign. The first event will take place in Polk County on July 19.

 

The members of the Veterans and Military Families for Obama Steering Committee include :

·         Billy Langham, Ames: Retired Air Force Master Sargent who worked in the NSA and spent 15 years overseas; in countries including Italy, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Korea, and England. Upon returning, he worked in manufacturing and project management.

·         Lucas Beenken, Belmond: Served in the National Guard and used the GI Bill to attend Drake University. During his senior year, Lucas was deployed to Iraq. He went on to complete his Master's Degree at Drake and was elected to the Wright County Board of Supervisors. Lucas led the Pledge of Allegiance at the President's grassroots event in Des Moines this May.

·         Art Heyderman, Bettendorf:  Served 3 years active duty, including a tour in Vietnam, and for 27.5 years in the Reserves. Art was a member of Corps of Engineers, working in both research and development and as a nuclear weapon specialist and spent many years as an Army civilian.

·         Will Overstreet, Cedar Falls: A life-long Iowan, Will is a member of the Iowa National Guard.  He was deployed to Afghanistan, and currently is a teacher with the Waterloo School System.

·         Jerry Huffman, Cedar Rapids: Served 20 years in the U.S. Army, serving in many locations including the Aleutian Islands, Japan, Korea, Turkey, and Honduras.

·         Amanda Irish, Coralville: Enlisted in the Marine Corps weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, feeling compelled to serve her country. Amanda is a leader of the University of Iowa Veterans Association and is currently pursuing a B.S. degree in human physiology and pre-medicine.

·         Sam Reno, Des Moines: From 1990 to 1996, Sam served in the United States Marine Corps, assigned to the Rock Island Arsenal Recruiting Command and 4th Marine Division General Support Maintenance Company. He is currently pursuing a Master's Degree from Drake University and is a Neighborhood Team Leader for OFA in Northwest Des Moines.

·         Marc Wallace, Des Moines: Served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps and the Iowa National Guard.  Marc is a prosecutor in the Marion County Attorney's Office and the Iowa Public Defender's Office. In 2008, Marc was the State Chairman of Iowa Veterans for Obama.

·         Ron Healey, Dubuque: Served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971. Ron is retired from Deere & Company and has been working with veterans through the UAW veterans group and the Veterans and Military Families for Progress, which is concerned with suicide prevention and issues facing returning service members.

·         Stan Klein, Lu Verne: In 1965, Stan went to Vietnam on the U.S. Army's 3rd plane into the country.  He served as a Captain in Vietnam for a year and remained in the Guard Reserve for 23 years. He currently is farming in Northern Iowa.

·         Jake Krapfl, New Vienna: Served in the U.S. Army, seeing two tours of duty in Iraq as a Paratrooper. He is currently an English and writing instructor at Northeast Iowa Community College.

·         Terry Phillips, Riverside: Joined the Navy at 17 in 1965 and was based in Hawaii and served on a number of ships in a communications capacity. Terry returned to graduate from the University of Iowa and started his own business as a contractor.

·         John Pomberg, Salem: Served in the Navy from 1967-1988 in the Tonkin Gulf, Persian Gulf, Southern Atlantic, and Caribbean on air craft carriers and destroyers. John currently works for the Iowa Department of Corrections.

·         Larry Olk, Sheffield: Served in U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1968 in the 2ND Field Forces. Larry is retired from a civilian military career and serves as the Franklin County Democrats Chair.

·         Sarah Petersen, Sioux City: Military wife whose husband served two tours overseas

To learn more about Veterans & Military Families for Obama go to www.barackobama.com/veterans.
Expert Points to Science-Validated Answers in Ancient Texts

Thanks to popular documentaries and programs like "Fearless Planet" and "Through the Wormhole" on TV's Discovery and Science Channel, studying the universe is no longer reserved for academicians in lecture halls.

"Because filmmakers and producers have made it entertaining and present science in language everyone can understand, there's an increased interest in the genesis of the universe, and its future," says Sanjay C. Patel, (www.SanjayCPatel.com), author of God Is Real, a book that explores similarities between modern science and ancient cosmology.

What many people don't realize, says Patel, is that ancient Indian yogis, Israelites and early Christians all agreed on the origins of life and the universe. Moreover, new studies indicate many of their ancient beliefs correspond with the findings of modern science
For instance, the scientific age of the universe is 13.7 billion years old, says Patel. When comparing this age to the Bible, if it is divided into six equal days spanning 2.28 billion years each, biblical Genesis's timeline across all seven "days" suddenly corresponds with past and future episodes in our galaxy and Earth. In total, 21 major correspondences emerge.

One among them is the following timeline:

Science says: the Sun and moon formed about 4.6 to 4.5 billion years ago.

Bible says: On Day 4 - "God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night." This would be 4.56 billion years ago. (2 days or eons ago since we are currently at the beginning of day 7.)

Other interesting correspondences:

Science says: Volcanic fire scorched India about 118 million years ago. Nearby oceanic volcanoes submerged about 100 million years ago. These submarine volcanoes suck in seawater through cracks and pores and remove salt from the water. They then expel the desalinated water back into the ocean through hydrothermal vents.

Ancient Yogis said: Volcanic fire scorched India about 120 million years ago. Related volcanoes in the ocean south of India submerged about 117 million years ago. "The submarine Fire exists in the ocean. It drinks the seawater and removes its saltiness. It then expels the desalinated water from another opening."

For those who believe 2012 marks an end - be it because of the Mayan Long Calendar's end or some other prophecy - Patel offers this far-future convergence:

Science says: In about 2 billion years time, Earth will be so hot there will be no life on it. Volcanism will be common and the planet's surface will be scorched by the fire of lava and sulfur.

Ancient Yogis said: In about 2.35 billion years time, there will be no life on Earth due to volcanic fire.

Bible says: in about 2.28 billion years - by the end of day 7 - life on Earth will end in volcanic fire and brimstone (sulfur).

Patel has found 121 points of agreement across 30 years of analysis and research based on expert translations of yoga literature dating back to 1500 B.C., biblical texts which date back to about 1000 B.C., and translations of the Talmud - an equally ancient biblical tradition.

"So many correspondences cannot be coincidence," says Patel, whose research has appeared in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Marine Scientist in the United Kingdom.

About Sanjay C. Patel

Sanjay C. Patel studied theology, Sanskrit, ancient cosmology, advanced yoga and meditation techniques, among many other subjects, earning a degree in Divinity at the BAPS Swaminarayan Ashram in India. He continued studies of modern science and ancient spiritual texts for 30 years. His discoveries regarding the convergence of science and ancient texts were published in mainstream science journals and presented at the 22nd International Congress of History of Science in Beijing.

PLATTEVILLE, WI (07/02/2012)(readMedia)-- University of Wisconsin-Platteville graduate student Clementine Uwineza of Davenport, Iowa, earned a Master's degree in Project Management.

UW-Platteville awarded 965 diplomas, including 124 master's degrees, during its 188th commencement ceremony.

UW-Platteville, founded in 1846, is located in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin, near the Iowa and Illinois borders. The University, the fastest-growing four-year school in the 13-college University of Wisconsin System, enrolls approximately 7,500 undergraduate students.

Tamms offer would compete with effort to open Thomson as a federal prison

[WASHINGTON]  - Governor Pat Quinn's offer last week to sell a state prison in southern Illinois to the federal government could doom a two-year effort by Illinois' Congressional delegation to create more than 1,100 jobs in northwest Illinois by opening the vacant Thomson Correctional Center as a federal prison.

In a letter to the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons released Friday, Quinn said the 14-year-old Tamms supermax prison - which still houses state prisoners - would be a valuable addition to the federal prison system. Quinn's offer to sell the Tamms Correctional Center comes on the heels of ongoing efforts by U.S. Reps. Don Manzullo (R-IL), Bobby Schilling (R-IL) and other members of Illinois' Congressional delegation to ink a deal for the federal government to purchase the vacant state prison in Thomson, IL and open it as a maximum security federal prison, creating more than 1,100 much-needed jobs in northwest Illinois.

"With his new offer to sell the Tamms state prison to the federal government, Gov. Quinn may have doomed our efforts to open Thomson as a federal prison and create more than 1,100 jobs in northern Illinois," Manzullo said. "In these very tight financial times, we have been working hard to find the federal money needed to buy Thomson, and now the Governor has thrown a new option on the table that will compete with our efforts. The federal government certainly doesn't have the money to buy two state prisons in Illinois."

"The Illinois delegation has been working closely to find a bipartisan way to advance Thomson Prison," Schilling said. "But to really move this forward, we need the Governor to focus in on and join us in our efforts. I remain optimistic that we can get Thomson opened, and will continue working to see it through."

The operation of Thomson as a federal prison is expected to create more than 1,100 jobs and provide $19 million in local labor income and $61 million in local business sales each year. Total local economic impact, both direct and indirect, is expected to be at least $202 million each year. That annual economic impact would provide more than $20 million in direct federal income tax revenue, $6.2 million in direct state income tax revenue, and $3.8 million in sales tax revenue.

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July 5th. 2012 : I.S.E.
" Of Laughter and Forgetting: Purposeful Ambiguity: the Unbearable Lightness of
Being: The limits of human possibilities. " 

Further insights into the concepts and message of Milan Kundra  

The theory of Nietzsche , the love story , the politics. 

Co- Presenters are Michael Rosenthal and Narveen Aryaputri. 

Michael Rosenthal has done  Graduate work on Nietzsche at the University of Iowa
during his extensive work in theology, philosophy and psychology at Western
Illinois University, and St. Paul Seminary and the University ofnIowas. 

Narveen Aryaputri has her M. A. in English Literature from Meerut University,
India. 

Reference will be made to the thesis by Miguel B Llora "MILAN KUNDERA: AN
INDICTMENT AGAINST LIGHTNESS" which he presented for his Master of Arts
requirements . 
Freely available on the net. 

Independent Scholars Evenings. 7.00 pm 
2nd fl of The Moline Commercial Club
1530 Fifth Avenue. Moline. Illinois. 61265
wine, beverages and light hors devours are provided. 

The Independent Scholars Evenings are sponsored by The Institute For Cultural
and Healing Tradition, Ltd. a 501(c)3 at State and Federal levels since 1996

The Institute for Cultural and Healing Traditions, Ltd. 
www.qcinstitute.org
www.atthephoenix.com
www.themolinecommercialclub.com
www.themolineclub.com
July 2, 2012                                                            

Moline, IL... Representative Rich Morthland (R-Cordova) partnered with
Riverdale Superintendent Ron Jacobs, Silvis Schools Superintendent Ray
Bergles, United Township High School Superintendent Jay Morrow, Rock
Ridge Superintendent Chester Lien, Whiteside County Regional
Superintendent Bob Sondgeroth, and Rock Island Regional Superintendent
Tammy Muerhoff, today to dispute claims from the Quinn administration
that schools can afford a pension shift. The data released in June by
the Illinois State Board of Education affirms that the proposed shift
would devastate already struggling school districts.

"This is an attack by the Governor's Office on downstate and suburban
tax payers. There is no reason to do this. This shift will either lead
to a $20 billion property tax increase or more cuts in the classroom,"
said Morthland. "Our schools have already been forced to make cuts to
athletic and music programs, close buildings, and pass on filling
vacant positions. They have little left to cut and we cannot afford to
shift more of a burden to our community and once again the plan asks
nothing of Chicago. How much more of this do they think we can take?"

As of July 1st, every school district in Illinois will be owed money
by the state that totals $800-$900 million.

"The Governor's end of the year fund balance numbers falsely suggest
that schools have millions in reserve. It is extremely misleading to
include early property taxes and restricted funds that cannot be used
to pay for pensions. The truth is that many school districts are
running deficits. What reserves they had are quickly being devoured as
they are forced to bail-out the state budget. School districts cannot
afford to prop up the state's pension system as well. Quinn and other
Chicago politicians are using this as a tactic to stall making any
meaningful pension stabilization reforms until after the November
election. This pension crisis in Illinois has been created over many
years; it is time we take responsibility and fix this mess. We need to
head back to Springfield and clean this up."
#####
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - 07/02/2012 - Mark Davis of Mt. Ida, Arkansas, has won the Bassmaster Classic in 1995 and is a thorough fisherman. He's a threat to win any bass tournament he enters and to catch the biggest bass in the tournament. Davis is one of the 18 pros who John E. Phillips' interviewed for his new $0.99 Kindle eBook "How to Catch the Biggest and Most Bass in Any Lake."

 

"My secret to catching the most bass I can is to do whatever is required on whatever lake I'm fishing at that time of the year to catch bass," Mark Davis explains. "If I have to fish a 1/16-ounce crappie jig on 6-pound-test line in 30 feet of water to make a bass bite, then that's what I'll do. If I have to fish a Rocket Shad spinner bait in 1-foot-deep water to catch a bass, then I'll do it. To catch the most bass on any lake, you need to be willing to fish with whatever lures and tactics required to make a bass - any bass and size - to bite.

 

"If I'm going to catch the biggest bass in any lake, I'm going to fish a 3/8-ounce or a 1/2-ounce Premier Elite jig. I'll use the black-and-blue color with either a pork chunk trailer in the black-and-blue color or some type of crawfish imitation for a trailer. I'll put that jig in the heaviest cover I can find - either in shallow or deepwater. I'll fish the jig slowly to catch really-big bass. My second choice for a big-bass lure will be a Strike King Series 5 crankbait. I can fish this lure through cover really well. I'll fish it around stumps or logjams or swim it across the top of grass. If I only can pick one color, I'll select watermelon shad. This lure is pearl-colored with a bright green back."

 

To consistently catch bass, decide the obvious pattern and bait for fishing that pattern, and then do something completely different. When you break rules of bass fishing, you'll use various lures when you're not supposed to, you'll fish water that most other anglers won't fish, and you'll use tactics that break all the rules to catch more and bigger bass.

 

To learn more about how to catch bass from some of the best bass fishermen in the nation, get the new Kindle eBook, "How to Catch the Biggest and Most Bass in Any Lake" by John E. Phillips. You can go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks and type-in the name of the book to find it.


# # #

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack is continuing his focus throughout the week on servicemembers, veterans, military families, and veterans services.  Dave will hear firsthand from veterans, meet with military family members and honor the men and women who work so hard to support our troops.

Host Veterans Forum

WHO Congressman Dave Loebsack

WHAT Dave will continue a series of Veterans forums he is hosting throughout Iowa

WHERE Walden Place

2426 Walden Place

Iowa City

TIME 9:30am

 

Visit YMCA Military Kids Camp

WHO Congressman Dave Loebsack

WHAT Dave will have lunch with kids of military families who are participating in the camp

WHERE Camp Abe Lincoln

1624 Front St. (HWY 22)

Blue Grass

TIME Lunch begins at Noon

 

Visit Shelter House

WHO Congressman Dave Loebsack

WHAT Dave will meet with staff to discuss the recent grant the Shelter House received to assist homeless veterans find employment

WHERE 429 Southgate Ave

Iowa City

TIME 2:30pm

 

Attend Red, White and Boom to Present House Resolution Honoring the Arsenal's 150th Anniversary

WHO Congressman Dave Loebsack

Congressman Bobby Schilling

WHAT Congressmen Loebsack and Schilling will present a copy of House Resolution 720, honoring the Rock Island Arsenal's 150th Anniversary at locations in Illinois and Iowa

WHERE Schwiebert Park

On the river front between 17th and 20th Streets
Rock Island, IL

6:30 pm

LeClaire Park

400 West Beiderbecke Drive

Davenport

7:00pm

 

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

The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

The Center for Rural Affairs has said from the beginning, the Affordable Care Act is a perfectly legal response to the health care and health insurance challenges facing millions of Americans and rural Americans in particular. The Supreme Court's ruling will continue the already existing benefits and protections helping young adults, Medicare beneficiaries, children, and every one of us from unreasonable health insurance rate increases.

The Supreme Court decision also authorizes states to implement the system that allows Americans to purchase affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage beginning in 2014. For those of us living in rural America, where we are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured, and where local economies are even more dependent on self-employment and small business, this ruling is a true victory.

It is now time to move forward in implementing the Affordable Care Act and the federal Department of Health and Human Services as well as the states should take action to fully implement the Act and immediately establish health insurance marketplaces with serious consumer protections and a robust governing board. Congress should also continue investing in access to medical professionals in medically underserved rural areas and maintaining rural hospitals.

Now that the legal wrangling is complete, it's time to bind up the nation's political wounds and get about the business of resolving the health care challenges facing the nation and its people.

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