20 Jul 2012

Braley Leads Iowa Delegation Letter Asking for Immediate Vote on Bipartisan Farm Bill

By Jeff Giertz

Failing to pass a Farm Bill will only make impact of drought worse

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today authored a letter so-signed by all five members of Iowa's Congressional delegation and sent to House leaders asking for an immediate vote on the bipartisan Farm Bill, especially in light of the worsening drought affecting Iowa and the Midwest.

Even though the House Agriculture Committee passed a version of the Farm Bill that earned bipartisan support last week, House Speaker John Boehner has not signaled when the bill will come to the full House for consideration. The Senate passed their version of the Food, Farm and Jobs Bill last month.

"Iowa farmers are struggling through the worst drought in decades, and failing to pass a Farm Bill would only compound the problem they face," Braley said. "Much of the disaster assistance funding in the 2008 Farm Bill has already expired, leaving many farmers without a safety net this year. If Congress fails to act by September 30^th, the Farm Bill will expire and revert to the outdated 1949 Farm Bill.

"Just like millions of small businesses around America, farmers need certainty and confidence in the farm safety net they depend on. Now more than ever, getting the Farm Bill done is too important for political games."

Last night, Braley hosted a telephone town hall with Iowa farmers to discuss the Farm Bill and the impact of this year's drought.

Braley has hosted a dozen listening sessions on the Food, Farm and Job Bill across eastern Iowa this summer. The listening sessions have taken Braley to Grinnell, Independence, Manchester, Marengo, Marshalltown, Peosta, St. Ansgar, Strawberry Point, Toledo, and Vinton. Also, Braley joined USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at listening session events in Maquoketa and Cedar Rapids last month.

Text of the Iowa delegation's letter to House leaders follows:

July 20, 2012

The Honorable John Boehner

Speaker of the House

H-232, the Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Minority Leader

H-204, the Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Eric Cantor

Majority Leader

H-329, the Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Steny Hoyer

Minority Whip

H-148, the Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, Majority Leader Cantor, and Minority Whip Hoyer,

We are writing today to request quick consideration of a multi-year farm bill on the House floor. As you know, the House Agriculture Committee favorably reported a bipartisan bill last week that is prepared for quick floor action. The need to extend assistance for farmers gets more urgent every day, given the worsening drought that is blanketing more than half the country.

Just like millions of small businesses across the country, farmers need certainty and confidence in the federal programs that affect their lives. In the United States some sixteen million jobs depend on the success of American agriculture, and the Farm Bill has a huge impact in our home state of Iowa. Agriculture and related industries account for one in six jobs in Iowa and contributes $72 billion into the state's economy annually. Failure to quickly pass a farm bill will have a devastating impact on our constituents and the agriculture industry across the country.

As the agriculture industry across the country faces the worst drought in decades, we're particularly concerned that failure to act on a farm bill quickly could only exacerbate the current challenges faced by thousands of farmers. Much of the disaster assistance funding in the 2008 Farm Bill has already expired, leaving many farmers without a safety net this year. Without action prior to September 30, the bill's remaining programs will expire reverting to laws passed under the outdated 1949 Farm Bill. It is vital that we get a Farm Bill passed out of the House prior to the August recess.

Farmers feed our nation, and we need to make sure to provide them the tools they need so that they can continue to deliver safe, affordable food to the table. Every American has a stake in this bill.

Please do what you can to bring forward the multi-year Farm Bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee. We stand prepared to work with you in a bipartisan manner to accomplish this goal.

Sincerely,

Bruce Braley

Tom Latham

Leonard Boswell

Steve King

Dave Loebsack

# # #

20 Jul 2012

How To Write A Happy Ending

By Ginny Grimsley

By: Joe Thomas of Left Brain Digital

I can't even fathom the number of conversations I've had with new clients suffering from a severe case of "I Just Don't Get It!" disease. The stories of why they wrote their books or developed their products are all different, but the endings are the same: They're not selling diddly. Squat. Nada.

Before we get too far into the whys and why nots, let me warn you, I am not going to tell you what you want to hear. There's no magic form for you to fill out to get instant access to my "Special Report," nor is there a download of secret "For Your Eyes Only" information designed to get you on my mailing list. (My next rant is going to be about buying into the web marketing trap.)

Instead, I'll go straight to the "why," which is as complicated as it is simple: People can't buy what they can't find.

Most web marketing gurus will tell you that Search Engine Optimization can help direct potential customers to your book or product, and why you should hire them to get you listed front and center. I am not that guy. Oh, I believe in the power of Google, but there are major caveats:

1. Search engines are great if you know what you're searching for. Type in your name and/or book title into Google and look at the results. You may be at the top of page 1 and even have 22 different listings on the first and second pages. You may get the same results on Bing and other search portals. You might even show up first on Amazon.com, where your book is right there, for sale to the masses. But you're still not selling many books are you? Here's the tricky part: YOU know your name and your book title, don't you? But, people can't search out your name and book title if they don't know them.

2. People can search for my incredibly, fantastical keywords, can't they? Well sure they can - and they do. Let's assume for a second you have a book and it's about Politics, Money, Religion, Employment or any number of topics. Now go to Amazon and type in your keywords - you know, Politics, Money, Religion, Employment ... You just discovered there are 672,481 books using your Incredibly Fantastical Keywords, right? Now type in those same keywords along with your name and/or book title. Eureka! There you are. I now direct your attention to No. 1 above.

3. Your website is totally gorgeous but it's not getting you sales. The first part of this quandary is, LOOK AT No. 1, above. Are people actually visiting your site? Have you checked out your server logs to see what your traffic data looks like? You're probably thinking your webmaster takes care of all that, right? Unless your webmaster is getting a piece of the profits from every item you sell, odds are he/she doesn't really care. Let's be honest here, you're paying your webmaster whether you sell or not. Now, if your traffic data is showing that you're getting a boatload of traffic but no sales, maybe you need to be more realistic about how gorgeous your site really is. Looking good and converting visitors into buyers are two different things. But before you start blowing up your site, go back and LOOK AT No. 1, ABOVE.

Here's a bit of free advice: If your marketing plan to reach 100,000 book or product sales is based on people finding you without a clue who you are, keep your day job and forget about buying the fancy car with your profits. You need exposure. You need to get your name and the name of your book, product or business in the news - in newspapers (they all put their content online nowadays), magazines and e-zines and blogs. Get yourself interviewed on talk radio and TV, if you can. Get your social network sites up and active and build a following.

Plenty of people do it themselves. If you find that too difficult or time-consuming, hire professionals to do it for you. There are 5 hundred million thousand books and products for sale online. If you want folks to know what to search for, they have to know that you exist and what you have to offer.

And the happy ending will come.

About Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas is the founder and owner of Left Brain Digital (www.leftbraindigital.com), a web development company. He's an award-winning web designer/developer with more than 18 years of experience in print and web design and development. Thomas' work became a major influence in graphic and web design in the "Y2K" era of the Internet's dot-com explosion.

20 Jul 2012

IOWA LIVESTOCK FARMERS AMP UP FOCUS ON ANIMAL WELFARE DURING DROUGHT CONDITIONS, HEAT WAVE

By Laurie Johns

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - July 20, 2012 - Like many Iowa parents and homeowners, Ben Albright of Lytton set up the sprinkler on the Fourth of July. But it wasn't for the enjoyment of his young son or for the sake of his scorched grass, it was for the comfort of his cattle. As temperatures climbed into the triple digits (again), Albright spent most of his time making sure his herd had access to shade and water.

"Even on hot holidays, farmers are taking care of their livestock," said Albright. "It's a 365-day, 24/7 type of job."

This summer's heat has caused near-drought conditions for much of Iowa; taking its toll on the crops and pastures. Livestock producers depend on both: grain for feed and pastures for grazing. Farmers are watching crop prices increase and seeing pastures dry up, so it takes extra effort to make the most of their water sources, pastures and buildings. According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/press/cropAndWeather.asp), only 1 percent of Iowa's pasture conditions are rated excellent, with 26 percent rated very poor. Farmers are concerned about providing enough forage for their livestock and protecting the soil and environment, as well.

Randy Dreher, a cattle farmer near Audubon, carefully manages his herd's grazing systems, rotating the cattle among his pastures to allow the cattle to find sufficient forage and keep the areas growing and sustainable.

"I've worked closely with my Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) representative, setting up a system that provides many environmental benefits including increased water infiltration, reduced soil moisture evaporation and better manure distribution," said Dreher.

Daily, Dreher measures how much forage the cattle eat, how much his pastures can supply and preparing himself to offer hay as a supplement. Because of his close attention to managing his natural resources, he says he's able to feed more cattle per acre than if he didn't use such a system.

Over in Prairieburg in Linn County, Jason Russell is tending to his livestock, too, but he's dealing with a different species and using different farming methods.

Russell raises hogs indoors, which means while the mercury climbs to the triple-digits outside, his animals have shade, water and food in comfortable surroundings. The barn is equipped with a 12-stage heating and cooling control system, sprinklers, fans and side curtains that can be raised and lowered.

"Raising hogs indoors is the right system for my family," said Russell. "It allows us to successfully manage our resources and keep a close eye on our animals. The building is cool and comfortable in the summer and warm and dry in the winter time. It's good for us and our animals' health."

Healthy animals mean healthy food. And that's good for everyone when they go to the store to buy their favorite summer meals, including burgers and brats.

-30-

20 Jul 2012

Drought-Ravaged Crops, $8 Corn, Food Cost Fallout, Global Ag Market Swings: What's Next?

By K. Firebaugh

Today's leading national economists, climatologists and market analysts bring these answers and their expertise to Ames July 23-24 for the Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit.

Among the featured speakers at the two-day event:

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Jason Henderson
Daniel Mitchell of the Cato Institute
Danny Klinefelter, Texas A&M economist
Elwynn Taylor, ISU Professor of Ag Meteorology

More than 400 farmers are also going to be in attendance to gather the latest market and drought-recovery insights from these nationally-recognized economic and ag market business leaders.

The Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit will be held at the Scheman Center at Iowa State University and is free to media.

For a complete look at the agenda, click here: http://www.iowafarmbureau.com/files/articles/2012/7/57826/Agenda.pdf

For more information or to confirm registration or arrange media interviews, please contact Laurie Johns now at 515-225-5414 or by email: ljohns@ifbf.org.

20 Jul 2012

Iowa Supreme Court Opinions July 20, 2012

By Iowa Judicial Branch

Notice: The opinions posted on this site are slip opinions only. Under the Rules of Appellate Procedure a party has a limited number of days to request a rehearing after the filing of an opinion. Also, all slip opinions are subject to modification or correction by the court. Therefore, opinions on this site are not to be considered the final decisions of the court. The official published opinions of the Iowa Supreme Court are those published in the North Western Reporter published by West Group.

Opinions released before April 2006 and available in the archives are posted in Word format. Opinions released after April 2006 are posted to the website in PDF (Portable Document Format). Note: To open a PDF you must have the free Acrobat Reader installed. PDF format preserves the original appearance of a document without requiring you to possess the software that created that document. For more information about PDF read: Using the Adobe Reader.

For your convenience, the Judicial Branch offers a free e-mail notification service for Supreme Court opinions, Court of Appeals opinions, press releases and orders. To subscribe, click here.

NOTE: Copies of these opinions may be obtained from the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50319, for a fee of fifty cents per page.

No. 10-0631

STATE OF IOWA vs. MARK DARYL BECKER

No. 11-0834

UMEKA LEWIS vs. JOHN J. JAEGER, ROBERT E. BOGE, and THE CITY OF DUBUQUE

20 Jul 2012

Braley Statement on Defense Appropriations Bill

By Jeff Giertz

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement today after voting against a $607 billion defense spending bill:

View photo in message

"While there are parts of the Defense Appropriations Bill that I strongly support - a pay raise for our troops and a provision blocking cuts to the Iowa Air National Guard's 132^nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines, for example - I cannot vote to spend nearly $90 billion to continue combat operations in Afghanistan that began over a decade ago.

"We have accomplished the objectives of our mission in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden is dead, al-Qaida has been marginalized, and the Afghan government has been stabilized. It's time to bring our brave men and women home to their families and focus on rebuilding America."

# # #

20 Jul 2012

Amazing 25 Year Old Girl Delivers Hundreds of Care Packages to Afghanistan!

By Move America Forward

LACEY CASTLEBERRY ONLY 25, DELIVERS MAF
CARE PACKAGES TO TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN!

One of our most special and important guests of this year's Troopathon was not a big-name celebrity who everyone has heard of, but someone who is just as important to our troops as anyone else on our guest list.

Her name is Lacey and even though she's just 25 years old, she has done some amazing things with MAF to help our troops in a direct way. Lacey is a civilian contractor and works out of air bases in Afghanistan and volunteers for Operation Care. She is one of the people that MAF and other pro-troop groups use to distribute our support packages to troops on the front lines. She joined us on Troopathon to tell her story.

"Most of our care packages that we get are from Move America Forward"...

"On the larger bases we have a little PX, a little store, to get deodorant and shampoo but a lot of these guys who need it are at the smaller bases. So we would get these care packages out on the helicopters and out to these smaller bases that only get supplies so often. So these are the guys who get rationed food, they may not get showers for days..."

"...just to see the smiles and the excitement and the joy on these guys' faces was pretty incredible!"

- Lacey Castleberry, interviewed on Troopathon 2012

Lacey is a huge help to MAF and an important component of our operation. She is our link to the troops on the front lines and part of what makes sponsoring a care package through Move America Forward as special and unique way to support the troops!

Please donate now and help us get MORE packages to Lacey so she can get them out into the hands of the troops who need them!

DONATE NOW TO SEND SUPPLIES TO
THE TROOPS WHO NEED THEM MOST!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL CLIP
OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH LACEY !

20 Jul 2012

Another Step Forward for Keeping 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines

By Joe Hand

Defense Appropriations Bill Mirrors Loebsack Amendment to Block National Guard Cuts

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the House passed the FY 2013 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which blocks cuts to the 132nd Fighter Wing and Air National Guard units across the country for one year and requires a Government Accountability Office cost-benefit analysis of the Air Force's proposal. This action builds on Loebsack's bipartisan amendment in the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prevent cuts to the National Guard personnel and aircraft in Iowa and across the nation. His amendment was approved by the full House of Representatives as part of the NDAA in May.

"The passage of this legislation is another step in the right direction for the Airmen with the 132nd who are some of the most experienced, most cost effective, and best performing in the country. I have fought the Air Force's ill advised proposal from the beginning and I will continue to work to make sure the dedicated men and women of the 132nd do not see their positions eliminated."

Background:

February 9- Loebsack Statement on Iowa Delegation Meeting with Air Force Secretary

February 28- Loebsack Questions Air Force Leadership on Proposal to Retire Iowa Air National Guard F16s

March 6- Loebsack Statement Regarding 132nd Fighter Wing Staffing Announcement by the Air Force

May 9- Loebsack to Offer Amendment to Save the 132nd Fighter Wing

May 10- Loebsack Amendment to Save the 132nd Fighter Wing Passes Committee on Bipartisan Vote

May 18- Loebsack Amendment to Save 132nd Fighter Wing Passes House

July 12- Loebsack, Branstad Discuss Importance of Iowa's Air Guard During House Hearing

###

20 Jul 2012

Rock Island Library Lines Week 8 Summer 2012

By Rock Island Public Library

Books are Brain Food for Adults

Join us this week for our LAST Recipe Club and Swap event for adults!

Monday, July 23 at 6:00 pm in the Main Library Community Room. Chef Rachel Doumia will demonstrate a dessert and offer chocolate cake samples. Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite dessert recipe to share in the recipe swap portion of the event. (Admit it: We had you at chocolate.)

Are you reading to win? Entry forms and boxes at all Rock Island locations for the Adult summer reading club. Top prize is a new Sony® eReader. Entries due by July 27. Winners will be notified by phone Friday, August 3.

Reading is So Delicious for Kids

Wednesday, July 25 is BAT time! Join us for the Incredible Bats Show, 10:00 am, Rock Island Main Library Community Room, 401 19th Street.

Licensed USDA Class C exhibitors Sharon and Daniel Peterson have presented multimedia shows on bat education for the past 15 years. The show offers facts about the diet, living habits and many benefits of an often misunderstood and feared creature. Attendees will also meet the couple's live Egyptian Fruit Bats. The bats were born in captivity, and are one of a sub-order of Old World fruit bats, Rousettus Aegyptiacus. (Native species of bats cannot be captured, sold or traded. Most are protected by state and federal laws.) Details here.

One week left to read! The Reading is So Delicious summer reading logs are due back July 27, so keep reading!

All programs are free. No library card required. Questions, call the Children's Room at 309-732-7360,

Teens: Feed your Mind - READ!

Teens have two program choices this week (and two more next week.) Sweet!

The Great Pizza Taste Test, 5:30 pm, Tuesday, July 24. Blind taste tests of area pizzas. You pick your favorite! Rock Island Main Library, ages 12 to 18.

Teen Movie/Food Event, 5:30 pm, Thursday, July 26. Come see Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, starring Johnny Depp, and make a food craft you can eat. (Nothing too gross, we promise!) Sweeney Todd is a musical about a murderous barber, so the content may not be suitable for Sweeney Todd movie poster younger or more sensitive teens. (Better for ages 16 and up generally, but use your own judgment.)

And here's a heads up for next week:

Final Teen Iron Chef contest, 4:00 pm, July 30, Main Library.

Mark your calendars for the Teen Summer Wrap-up Party, Tuesday, July 31! It starts at 5:30 pm in the Main Library Community Room. Teens can pick up their prizes, play Wii and other games, eat snacks, and just generally bask in their summer reading success.

Keep reading! Teen summer reading prizes include books, DVDs, gift cards, or the grand prize, an Amazon Kindle® eReader!

Like Audiobooks? Try OneClickdigital!

One Clickdigital advertisement

Rock Island Library has added OneClickdigital, a new service that allows you to download thousands of audiobooks for enjoyment on a portable listening device. All books are iPod compatible. To learn how to use it, sign up for a free online webinar to be offered on July 24, or click the link on our website to create a user name and get started. Details:

OneClickdigital subscription made possible by funding from the Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District.

Week 8 of Summer Reading

Our thanks to:

Summer Reading events and prizes sponsored by Friends of the Rock Island Public Library, Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District (Southwest Branch events) and the Rock Island Public Library Foundation (summer art and drama.)

More Ways to Stay in Touch!

Teen Facebook Page

Rock Island, Illinois > 309.732.7323 (READ) > www.rockislandlibrary.org

Rock Solid, Rock Island.

20 Jul 2012

This Week in Downtown Davenport July 20th Edition

By QC Chamber

We have a huge week ahead headlined by the inaugural Heartland Jam! The country festival kicks off tomorrow in Centennial Park at noon with performances by Justin Moore, Dierks Bentley, Danielle Peck, The Farm, Katie Armiger, and Danika Holmes. Saturday's lineup includes Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Phil Vassar, Sunny Sweeney, The Dani Lynn Howe Band, and Grazin District. Tickets are still available!

Bucktown Center for the Arts celebrates its seventh birthday on Friday with its annual BASH! Come celebrate at this FREE event with fine art gift shopping, music, wine tasting, art auctions and raffles. Bring out the kids for the Kaaba Shrine Circus at the RiverCenter's Great Hall this week, too! You can't go wrong with some family time at the circus!

We'd also like to congratulate Redband Coffee on announcing its second location at 4th & Iowa that will be opening downtown later this summer! Not far away, Cupcakes, Muffins, and More has expanded to a new location on Second Street! Stay tuned for more details in the near future.

The River Bandits have a busy week at Modern Woodmen Park. Tonight is another Thirst-Day Thursday! Fireworks will be featured this weekend and your kids will love the Mega Candy Drop and Rascal's birthday on Sunday!

Shinedown takes the Adler stage on Friday night as they bring their melodic hard rock to the Quad Cities! This group's latest album AMARYLLIS is currently standing tall at number one on the Hard Rock Album Chart. While you're at the Adler, pick up tickets now for the 41'st Annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival!

Justine Blazer comes to the River Music Experience on Friday night from Nashville. She continues to rise in her country career with her unique vocal styling of smooth soul, southern rock and Nashville twang. Live lunch series this week will feature Ellis Kell and Kelsey Lillion. Show off your musical ability at Open Mic Night, Acoustic Music Club, or Exposure - Open DJ Challenge.

Half Naked plays the Redstone Room Friday bringing a new electric live funk that is comprised of three of the best QC DJs, musicians, and producers. Other RME shows include Dream Anabelle, The Harris Collection, Friday Live at 5, Brer Bucktown's Traveling Tent Show, Kidz Days at RME, and Gospel Music Camp Concert.

The Figge Art Museum kicks off their week tonight with Thursdays at the Figge, an event that will feature Dr. John D. Johnson's presentation Discovering a Universe beyond the Cosmic Shore. Other events at the Figge this week include Fridays at the Figge, Create with Kelli, Museum Tours, and Art in the Middle. This week also begins a new weekend film series, When We Left Earth - The NASA Missions.

Finally, check out the Ruby Slipper's Semi-Annual Sale on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. They're open special Sunday hours and the sale will feature great brands at big discounts!!

See you downtown!

This Week's Events: July 19 - July 25

Thursday, July 19

$2,800 Bank It Blackjack Tournament

Where: Rhythm City Casino

Time: Registration 5 p.m. Tournament 6 p.m.

Price: $20 entry fee

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