05 Jun 2012

Male Giraffe Calf Born at Niabi Zoo

By Marc Heinzman

Coal Valley, IL- June 2, 2012 - Niabi Zoo is extremely happy to announce the birth of its second male giraffe calf on Friday, June 1, at 2:59 am. This is the fourth giraffe born at Niabi Zoo since 2007.

The baby giraffe, which has not yet been named, was born to Twiga, Niabi Zoo's 6 year old female. This is Twiga's second baby. Zuri, a female, was born in April of 2010. The father is Kenya, a 6 year old male. The baby weighed 152 pounds and stands about 6 feet tall.

"Twiga and her new son are doing very well," says Interim Zoo Director Marc Heinzman. "We're all very excited to have our fourth giraffe born here in only five years. We had been waiting for a long time for Twiga to have her baby, so it's great to have him here finally."

Twiga and her son will be kept off display for a few days to allow the two giraffes time to bond in a quiet setting. Later this week she will be out for public viewing.

The giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, is the world's tallest mammal. Average height for an adult giraffe is 14-19 feet and the average weight is 1,800 - 3,000 pounds. They are herbivores, using their 18 inch tongues to help pull leaves from the branches of tall trees. Although their necks are unusually long, they have only seven neck vertebrae, just like humans.

After a gestation of approximately 14 months, giraffes give birth standing up. The calf drops five to six feet to the ground. This fall helps the calf take its first breath. Calves can stand usually within a few hours and run with their mothers within ten hours. Six feet tall a birth, calves normally weigh 100 - 150 pounds and can grow as much as one inch per day.

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05 Jun 2012

The late Milton Glick receives award from Augustana College

By Keri Rursch

ROCK ISLAND, IL (06/01/2012)(readMedia)-- The late Milton Glick, Rock Island, Ill., was honored by Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., at the college's annual alumni association awards banquet on May 19, 2012.

Glick posthumously received the Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award. The Outstanding Achievement Award is presented to one or more members for having achieved distinction in their respective vocations.

Glick was a renowned structural chemist and a leader of public higher education par excellence in America. In his career spanning more than four decades, he taught as a faculty member and served in the capacities of dean, provost, vice president or president at five universities: Wayne State University, Detroit, 1966-83; University of Missouri, Columbia, 1983-88; Iowa State University, Ames, 1988-91; Arizona State University, Tempe, 1991-2006; and the University of Nevada, Reno, 2006-2011.

Glick was scheduled to retire in the summer of 2006 from the provost position at Arizona State to become a university professor, "a job that would allow him to teach, mentor younger faculty and serve as a special assistant to the president." But friends say he worried whether that position would be fulfilling for him. When he was asked to apply for the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) presidency, he saw the offer as an opportunity to make a lasting contribution.

Glick led UNR through a period of unprecedented progress and growth, despite economic challenges. Under his leadership, the university reached several new heights of national stature for teaching and research. His emphasis on increasing retention and graduation rates led to gains, and enrollment grew to the largest in the university's history. In 2010, UNR graduated its largest class, marking a 66 percent increase in the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded over 10 years.

Upon assuming the presidency, Glick issued a campus-wide challenge to recruit more National Merit Scholars. Today, the university is recognized as a National Merit Sponsor school and last year, had a record number of National Merit Scholars. Glick also shepherded the opening of several student or research-centered buildings on the Reno campus.

Augustana honors Glick posthumously with the Outstanding Achievement Award for his prodigious scientific research, aggressive technologic innovations and academic contributions, and his tireless enthusiasm in promoting quality higher education.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers nearly 90 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 182 full-time faculty and has a student-faculty ratio of 12:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.

05 Jun 2012

Donald Morrison Receives Award from Augustana College

By Keri Rursch

ROCK ISLAND, IL (06/01/2012)(readMedia)-- Donald Morrison, Rock Island, Ill., was honored by Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., at the college's annual alumni association awards banquet on May 19, 2012.

Morrison received the Honorary Alumni Award. The Honorary Alumni Award is presented to friends of Augustana who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the college. Recipients are considered honorary alumni of Augustana and members of the Alumni Association. This is not an honorary degree.

Morrison, director of the Augustana Choir from 1966-1993, taught choir members about music and about life. In rehearsals, he introduced different music styles and composers, as he shaped the group into a unified choral ensemble. He shared the history and contexts in which pieces were written, as he helped students to discover the relevance of the pieces in their own lives. Morrison also allowed choir members to experience the unexpected emotional and spiritual elements that could bring them to tears in their performances. And whether they were music majors, business majors or biology majors, Morrison taught everyone that each of them had a voice-and their voice mattered.

When the choir stepped on the risers for a performance, whether in a rural church in Iowa or on the stage of Chicago's Orchestra Hall, the students were poised, polished and professional. When they went on tour and performed the same program for several weeks in a row, Morrison would remind his vocalists that "this" performance was the only one that "this" audience would hear, so the choir owed their guests its best effort. He taught students the invaluable lesson of striving for excellence in all they did, whether it was for themselves or others.

Morrison received his B.M. degree from Drake University in 1953 and an M.S.M. degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1957. He also studied at the University of Southern California, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Oakbrook University. He received the Phi Mu Alpha Sinphonia Fraternity Orpheus Award in 1993.

Augustana honors Morrison for his extraordinary achievements and national recognition in choral conducting and his role as a 27-year ambassador for the college.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers nearly 90 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 182 full-time faculty and has a student-faculty ratio of 12:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.

05 Jun 2012

Kendra Maxwell Receives Degree from Georgia Tech

By Lisa Grovenstein

ATLANTA, GA (06/01/2012)(readMedia)-- Kendra Maxwell of Davenport, IA, has earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

Kendra was among approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students who received degrees during Georgia Tech's 242nd commencement exercises.

The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's leading research universities, providing a focused, technologically based education to more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Georgia Tech has many nationally recognized programs, all top ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked in the nation's top ten public universities by U.S. News and World Report.

As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 interdisciplinary research centers operating through the Colleges of Architecture, Computing, Management, Engineering, Sciences and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry and business.

For more information, visit Georgia Tech's website at www.gatech.edu.

05 Jun 2012

'Domestic Terrorists' Prey on Kids in Summertime

By Rick Martin
Advocate Offers Tips to Prevent, Spot, Child Sexual Abuse

Instances of child abuse increase during the summer, with some shelters and child advocacy centers actually doubling their caseloads, according to anecdotal reports.

While these tragedies include everything from neglect to beatings, child advocate  Michelle Bellon, author of The Complexity of a Soldier (www.MichelleBellon.com), says parents and caregivers should be especially alert to one of the most easily hidden and underreported crimes: child sexual abuse. Her novel centers on this epidemic, and aims to raise awareness about it.

"Children may be less supervised during the summer, or they may be in the care of extended family members so their parents can save money on child care," she says. "Both situations put children at risk; the former for obvious reasons and the latter because 90 percent of child sexual abuse victims know the offender."

Child predators are terrorists, Bellon says. Like the terrorists we deploy armies to battle overseas, they prey on innocents and subject them to physical and emotional torture. The consequences can be devastating and lifelong, including post-traumatic stress disorder and separation anxiety, according to the American Psychological Association reports.

"Does this sound like anything else we have heard about since 9/11? To me, it is very similar to what victims of terrorism face, and what soldiers face after fighting wars," Bellon says. "I think child predators should be called what they are - domestic terrorists."

Bellon shares these guidelines from a number of sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, to keep children safe this summer.

• When choosing a summer program, ask about employee (and volunteer) screening and how interactions are monitored. A criminal background check is not sufficient to ferret out sexual abusers, since many have never been charged or convicted. Instead the program should look for warning signs in written applications and interviews. For instance, some predator adults spend all of their time with children and have no significant adult relationships. Policies on interactions between adults and children should include examples of appropriate and inappropriate conduct, and definitive steps for both monitoring and addressing concerns and complaints.

• Ask about the training. Staff and even temporary volunteers should undergo training to recognize signs of sexual abuse and to learn when it's appropriate to report concerns. There should be a designated person to handle reports. Training should be required for staff and volunteers who come on board midway through the summer. Policies should include procedures for handling not just potential abuse, but also violations of the code of conduct for interactions.

• Ask about interactions between older and younger children. Some programs allow older children to serve as "junior counselors" or activity assistants. Ask about the guidelines for these situations, including whether and how long children may be unsupervised by an adult.

• Make sure children understand "personal boundaries." Teach children the importance of recognizing and respecting the invisible barriers that separate them from other people. They should be able to recognize their comfort zone - and that of others! - and know that they can and should speak up about setting limits. Start at home by respecting a child's right to say "no" to physical contact, such as tickling and hugs. Never force a child to kiss a relative.

• Recognize signs of a problem. Children often won't or can't tell you what's happening, but there are signs to watch for, including changes in behavior such as withdrawal or unprovoked crying, night terrors, bedwetting, eating problems, unexplained injuries, suddenly avoiding a particular person, and unusual interest in or knowledge of sexual matters.

About Michelle Bellon

Michelle Bellon earned her associate degree in nursing, and lives with her husband and four children in Olympia, Wash. She is the author of four novels, including "The Complexity of a Soldier," which deals with the issue of child sexual abuse.

05 Jun 2012

Grassley, Smith ask about release of foreign nationals with deportation orders

By Grassley Press

Inquiry prompted by recent arrest of murder suspect

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley and Representative Lamar Smith are asking for a full accounting from the Department of Homeland Security of the number of foreign nationals who have been released from federal and state prisons but not deported because their home counties failed to cooperate and how many of those individuals have been convicted of additional crimes.

In a letter to Secretary Janet Napolitano, Grassley and Smith described the case of a man suspected of killing five people in San Francisco in March after having been released from prison in 2006 but never deported because his home country of Vietnam did not provide necessary documents.  When the individual was arrested this year, an official for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not say how many foreign nationals with deportation orders were released after home countries refused to respond.

A 2001 Supreme Court case said foreign nationals facing deportation cannot be held for more than 180 days.  In their letter today, Grassley and Smith also asked if the Obama administration would support legislation to allow the Department of Homeland Security to detain these individuals beyond six months.  They also asked for detailed information about federal efforts to get cooperation from home countries.

Grassley is Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Smith is Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives.

Click here for a pdf copy of the Grassley-Smith letter.


05 Jun 2012

Simon talks pension reform with child care providers

By Justin Stofferahn
CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will address the need for public pension reform on Saturday at the Women's Business Development Center's annual Child Care Business Expo. Without reform, rising pension costs will squeeze out funding for other government expenses, putting child care funding for low-income families at risk, Simon says.

The Child Care Business Expo offers child care businesses the opportunity to gain critical information about the  industry and meet with government officials, financial advisors, child care related companies, vendors and industry experts. The Women's Business Development Center provides programs and services to support and accelerate women's business ownership, strengthening the impact of women on the economy.

EVENT: Women's Business Development Center's annual Child Care Business Expo

DATE: Saturday, June 2

TIME: 8:10 a.m.

LOCATION: University of Illinois Chicago Forum, 725 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago

NOTE: Simon will speak at 8:10 a.m., present awards at 9:15 a.m. and cut a ribbon to officially open the Expo's exhibition at 10 a.m.

 

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05 Jun 2012

From the Ashes of The Red Avocado...

By The Red Avocado

...arises Burt Family Food Services

Most of you probably already know that The Red Avocado is now out of business. This is the last newsletter to inform you of continuing services from Chef Dave. Please follow the links to find out more about any particular subject. We hope you will support us by following our new blog and "liking" our new Facebook page.

We have started a new business called Burt Family Food Services. Chef Dave is preparing weekly meals for pick up once a week - standard is 4 meals for 2. This service continues the successful Meal Plans that were available the last few years at The Red Avocado. All meals are vegan and 99% organic.

Cooking classes are ongoing through Kirkwood Community College and New Pioneer Food Co-op. These focus on vegan and seasonal cooking including a 4 part vegan whole foods series, vegan 3-course meals and intensive classes focusing on one particular ingredient. We will also be presenting free cooking demos throughout the year at various locations. Look for us at the market this summer, at the Field to Family Festival in September and at Willowwind School in the Fall.

Our original recipe veggieburgers are available locally and larger shipments can be arranged nationwide. Email burtfamilyfoodservices@gmail.com to arrange an order. If you are outside of Iowa City, our teas, frozen veggieburgers and other dried goods can be shipped. Within a month or so we should have online ordering available via PayPal.

Around town, veggieburgers are available at The Wedge Downtown, New Pioneer Food Co-op delis and The Trumpet Blossom Cafe. In the future we hope to have the veggieburgers available from the frozen section of the Co-op again as well as the tea blends that were so popular.

We hope to be shipping veggieburgers via Buykind, a website that specializes in delivering vegan foods from restaurants around the country.

Private Nutritional and cooking consultations are also available. Email burtfamilyfoodservices@gmail.com to arrange an appointment specific to your needs.

If you'd like to subscribe to our bimonthly newsletter please reply to this email with "subscribe" in the subject line. The newsletter will include links of interest, local news, nutritional information, recipes and special offers.

If you are interested in the meal plans and would like to receive the menus with no obligation to purchase please reply with "meal plan" in the subject line.

If you'd like both please reply with "subscribe meal plan" in the subject line.

Again, please visit our website and our Facebook page, as we continue to grow.

Thanks for your ongoing support.

05 Jun 2012

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE CELEBRATES NATIONAL FISHING AND BOATING WEEK

By Kim Betton
June 4th - A Day of Fishing with Urban Youth, Constitution Gardens Pond
Washington, DC

On June 4, 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will celebrate the start of the National Fishing and Boating Week and Great Outdoors Month with the 23rd Annual D.C. National Fishing and Boating Week Youth Fishing Event.  On this day, urban school children will drop their lines in the Constitution Gardens pond for a day of fishing and natural resource education presentations. The Service leads the event in coordination with the National Park Service, and other Department of Interior bureaus, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, Catch a Special Thrill Foundation and numerous other local, state and federal agencies and nonprofit organizations.

The youth participating in this event are from areas where opportunities to fish are limited. This angling event highlights the Service's priority to help all young people, including special needs youth, to move outdoors and enjoy America's rich and diverse natural resources.

During this year's event, all of the youth fishing event planning committee agencies, bureaus and organizations are highlighting their strong commitment to provide and expand outdoor recreational opportunities for special needs youth throughout the United States.

This event serves to foster natural resource stewardship in America's youth and expose them to careers in natural resources. It also celebrates Great Outdoors Month highlighting the benefits of fresh air, exercise and the many forms of outdoor recreation.

WHO:                U.S. Department of Interior (Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation
Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service)
U.S. Forest Service
Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation
American Recreation Coalition
C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation

WHAT:   National Fishing and Boating Week Youth Event

WHEN:   June 4, 2012 (Monday)
Official "VIP Speeches"/ MOU Signing / Press Conference
10:00 a.m. to 11:00a.m. (EST)

WHERE:          Constitution Gardens Pond, National Mall, Washington DC.  (The event is located near the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 17th Street, NW, at the eastern end of the pond, along the northern edge of the National Mall.)
05 Jun 2012

Families encouraged to assess their comprehensive fitness

By Carlos Cruz

The Army is the strength of the nation. Soldiers are the strength of the Army. Families are the strength of the soldier.

By Tim Shannon, First Army Division East Public Affairs

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. ? "The days of the Army telling soldiers that their spouse wasn't issued in their rucksack are long gone," said First Army Division East Command Sgt. Maj. Edwin Rodriguez.

The Army considers the soldier's family as part of the soldier. The family is part of the team and if the team suffers, so does the Army. To use the words of the Army: "The Army is the strength of the nation, the soldier is the strength of the Army and the family is the strength of the soldier."

"We now realize that for a soldier to be 100 percent focused on the mission, things at home need to be taken care of. They play a huge role in keeping our soldiers fit and combat ready," Rodriguez explained.

But for families to keep their soldiers fit, they themselves must be taken care of as well. To that end, the Army - and Rodriguez -- encourages families to use the GAT.

The GAT?or Global Assessment Tool - is a web-based survey instrument used to assess the dimensions of emotional, social, spiritual, and family fitness. It is part of the Army's Comprehensive soldier Fitness program.

"Spouses are an equal part of the Army with their soldier because they take care of the home during deployments; they provide emotional and physical support," said Rodriguez. "We must make sure our families are taken care of too."

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness is a long term strategy that better prepares the Army community, including all soldiers, family members, and the Department of the Army civilian workforce, to not only survive, but also thrive at a cognitive and behavioral level in the face of protracted warfare and everyday challenges of Army life that are common in the 21st century.

"We want to get more families interested in taking the GAT and ... then follow up with the modules that address areas that might help them with improving their resiliency," said Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Family Program Manager Dorothy Benford. "These modules help families become more resilient, which adds to their soldier's resiliency, and hopefully the parents will then pass on to their children the role of resiliency in a military family."

There are four pillars of training within the Comprehensive soldier Fitness program: the GAT, Master Resilience Trainers, Comprehensive Resilience Modules, and Institutional training. The CSF program enhances resilience and reduces barriers to seeking behavioral health care.

"It [the comprehensive fitness program] is an excellent program and the five dimensions of strength, which consist of physical, emotional, social, family and spiritual are complimentary to the things the Army Chaplaincy is doing for the Army," said First Army Division East chaplain Lt. Col Jason Logan. "In fact our programs are mutually supporting. The counseling we provide clearly assists soldiers with their emotional, family and spiritual needs of soldiers."

"Good family fitness is an advantage and very influential to Army productivity. The Army is a family of families. The family is the incubator of who and what we become. So goes the family so goes the nation so goes the Army. Statistically, the Army remains for the most part a married Army. The research shows that people who are living in healthy committed relationships live long and do better than those who are alone. Translations, healthy families are an advantage to people and the Army. The family is a resource, a source of strength. The point is the healthier the family the more productive the Army will be," explained Logan.

Logan agreed with Rodriguez that a soldier's family plays a big part in that soldier's overall Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.

"The chaplain believes that good family fitness is an advantage and very influential to Army productivity," said Logan.

One way Division East tries to take care of families is with the Strong Bonds program.

"The Army Chaplaincy Strong Bonds program has been a real success story. It complements the CSF specifically because it is a relationship enhancing program. Our Strong Bonds program is similar to CSF in that way," Logan concluded. He encouraged families to contact their unit Chaplin for more information.

First Army Division East, headquartered at Fort Meade, Md., mobilizes, trains, validates deploys and demobilizes Reserve component soldiers to theaters around the world including Afghanistan, Kosovo and the Horn of Africa. Comprised of eight brigades, DivEast ensures soldiers receive the intense training they need to perform hands-on theater-specific operations. When they return home, DivEast members ensure soldiers receive focused-care to ensure standardized and comprehensive demobilization support to resolve physical, mental, administrative and financial issues as well as providing benefits and resources to assist in their transition back to civilian life.

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