03 Oct 2011

HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST OPENS FOR 2011-2012

By Rachel Gillespie

HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST OPENS FOR 2011-2012

BEING AN AMERICAN ESSAY CONTEST FOCUSES ON CONSTITUTION

Students and Their Teachers Compete for Cash Prizes Up to $1,000

Arlington, VA - U.S. high school students and their teachers are invited to participate in the Bill of Rights Institute's sixth annual Being an American Essay Contest.

The largest contest of its kind in the country, the Being an American Essay Contest explores the Founding principles outlined in the Constitution. The contest is administered by the Bill of Rights Institute, a non-profit educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area devoted to educating young people about the Constitution and Founding principles. The 2011-2012 contest is sponsored by the History Channel.

"This contest is unique in that it gives students the opportunity to think about the important Founding principles communicated in our Constitution," said Dr. Jason Ross, Bill of Rights Institute Vice President of Education Programs. "This context is vital to helping students see their Founding principles as a meaningful part of the American experiment of self-government."

Specifically, students are asked to share their thoughts on the Constitution by answering the following question: "How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?"

The top three student winners from each of the five geographical regions will be awarded cash prizes of $1,000 (First Place), $500 (Second Place), and $250 (Third Place). Teacher sponsors for each student winner will also receive a cash prize of $100.

"The contest not only honors and awards sponsoring teachers, but also equips them with free lesson plans and other supplemental materials that meet state and national academic standards so they can easily incorporate the essay contest into their classrooms. The Contest is really a tribute to the excellent work teachers do in the important task of civic education," said Ross.

Over 80,000 students have participated in the essay contest since it began in 2006.

"We are pleased to support the Bill of Rights Institute's Being an American Essay Contest," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, SVP, Corporate Outreach and Chief Historian, History Channel. "The contest encourages students to think critically and truly makes the past relevant in their lives today."

Complete contest details can be found below.  Further information, including submission criteria, lesson plans and background information on the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Founders and the Founding principles are available at www.BillofRightsInstitute.org/Contest.

 

MEDIA FAST FACTS:

BEING AN AMERICAN ESSAY CONTEST

2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR PARTICIPATING REGIONS:

North Eastern Region:
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

Southern Region:
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia as well as Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands

Mid-Western Region:
Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin

Central Region:
Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming

Western Region:
Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington as well as Guam, American Samoa, and American Armed Forces Schools Abroad (APO)

SPONSORING ORGANIZATION: Bill of Rights Institute, Arlington, VA.

The Bill of Rights Institute, founded in 1999, is a nonprofit educational organization. The mission of the Bill of Rights Institute is to educate young people about the words and ideas of America's Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our Founding documents, and how our Founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society.

FUNDING PROVIDED BY: History Channel (New York City, NY).

CONTEST GOAL: To help promote dialogue among students and teachers about American Founding principles. The Essay Contest serves as a key part of the Bill of Rights Institute's mission to educate young people about the words and ideas of America's Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our Founding documents, and how our Founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society.

ESSAY QUESTION: "How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?"

ELIGIBILITY: Students in grades 9-12 who are U.S. citizens or legal residents and are either attending public, private, religious, or charter schools, being home-schooled, or participating in a GED or correspondence school program but are no older than 19 years of age.  Military bases and U.S. territories are also invited to participate.

ESSAY LENGTH: No more 1,000 words.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

  • Adherence to Essay Question
  • Originality
  • Organization
  • Writing Style
  • Depth of Analysis

JUDGES: High school teachers

STUDENT CASH PRIZES: Three cash prizes per region will be awarded to students:

  • First Prize: $1,000 each
  • Second Prize: $500 each
  • Third Prize: $250 each

TEACHER CASH PRIZES: Cash prizes of $100 will be awarded to the teachers of all winning students:

CONTEST START DATE: September 17, 2011

DEADLINE FOR ESSAY SUBMISSIONS: December 15, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PST. All essays must be submitted at www.BillofRightsInstitute.org/Submit.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: February 2012

WEB SITE AND CONTEST GUIDELINES: www.BillofRightsInstitute.org/Contest

03 Oct 2011

Senate Designates October as "National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month"

By Rick Martin

Senate Designates October as "National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month" 

 

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today adopted a resolution designating the month of October 2011 as "National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month" to raise attention to the problem of prescription medicine abuse, especially by teen-agers.  Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa co-sponsored the resolution as co-chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. 

 

"Prescription drugs are so common that a number of teen-agers use other people's drugs, thinking they're safe," Grassley said.  "This can be dangerous and lead to serious injury.  Parents should educate themselves and their teen-agers about the potential for abuse before it's too late."

 

The text of the bipartisan resolution follows here.

 

S.RES.261 

Designating the month of October 2011 as 'National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month'. (Introduced in Senate - IS)

SRES 261 IS

112th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. RES. 261

Designating the month of October 2011 as 'National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month'.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 13, 2011

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. MANCHIN, and Mr. PORTMAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

Designating the month of October 2011 as 'National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month'.

Whereas over-the-counter and prescription medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration have been determined to be safe and effective when used properly;

Whereas the abuse of such medicines can be extremely dangerous and produce serious side effects;

Whereas according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the nonmedical use of prescription drugs has risen, with 2.5 percent of the population engaging in nonmedical use of prescription drugs in 2008 and 2.8 percent of the population engaging in such use in 2009;

Whereas the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health illustrates that the abuse of prescription medications such as pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives is second only to marijuana, the most commonly abused illegal drug in the United States;

Whereas the 2010 Monitoring the Future survey, funded by the National Institutes of Health, indicates that approximately 5 percent of teenagers in the United States report having abused an over-the-counter cough medicine to get high, and prescription and over-the-counter drugs account for 8 of the 14 most frequently abused drugs by students in grade 12;

Whereas the 2010 Monitoring the Future survey also indicates that the intentional abuse of cough medicine among students in grades 8, 10, and 12 is at 3.2 percent, 5.1 percent, and 6.6 percent, respectively;

Whereas according to research from The Partnership at DrugFree.org, more than one-third of teenagers mistakenly believe that taking prescription drugs, even if not prescribed by a doctor, is much safer than using street drugs;

Whereas the lack of understanding by teenagers and parents of the potential harm of such powerful medicines makes it more critical than ever to raise public awareness about the dangers of the abuse of such drugs;

Whereas when prescription drugs are abused, such drugs are most often obtained through friends and relatives;

Whereas parents should be aware that the Internet gives teenagers access to websites that promote the abuse of medicines;

Whereas the designation of 'National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month' promotes the message that over-the-counter and prescription medicines should be taken only as labeled or prescribed, and such medicines can have serious or life-threatening consequences when used to get high or in large doses;

Whereas the designation of 'National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month' will encourage parents to educate themselves about the problem of abuse of over-the-counter and prescription medicines, and talk to their teens about all types of substance abuse;

Whereas observance of 'National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month' should be encouraged at the national, State, and local levels to increase awareness of the abuse of medicines;

Whereas educational tools, training programs, and strategies have been developed by the national organization that represents 5,000 anti-drug coalitions nationwide and the association representing makers of over-the-counter medicines, in order to help local coalitions demonstrate the best ways to engage and educate parents and grandparents, teachers, law enforcement officials, doctors, other healthcare professionals, and retailers about the potential harms of cough medicine abuse;

Whereas a partnership of nonprofit associations specializing in raising media awareness about substance abuse and organizations that represent the leading makers of over-the-counter drugs have developed a nationwide prevention campaign that utilizes research-based educational advertisements, public relations and news media, and the Internet to inform parents about the negative teen behavior of intentional abuse of medicines, in order to empower parents to effectively communicate with their children about this dangerous trend and to take necessary steps to safeguard prescription and over-the-counter medicines in their homes; and

Whereas educating the public on the dangers of medicine abuse and promoting prevention of medicine abuse are critical components of what must be a multi-pronged effort to curb prescription and over-the-counter medicine abuse: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) designates the month of October 2011 as 'National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month'; and

(2) urges communities to carry out appropriate programs and activities to educate parents and youth about the potential dangers associated with medicine abuse.

03 Oct 2011

Q&A: Oversight of the SEC

By Grassley Press

Q&A on the Securities and Exchange Commission

with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

Q:        What's the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission?

A:        The SEC was created during the Great Depression, in the wake of the stock market crash of 1929, when the public's faith in capital markets needed to be restored.  The agency is supposed to strengthen investor confidence by providing transparent, reliable information and rules for fair, orderly and efficient markets.  This should help facilitate the capital formation necessary for economic growth and job creation.  When the agency fails to meet its mission, the negative repercussions can impact anyone with investments monitored by the SEC, including investments in pension and other retirement funds.

Q:        How did you get involved in oversight of the SEC?

A:        I'm committed to the work of congressional oversight, and there's a great need for it with the SEC.  Four years ago, based on information from a whistleblower and the work of my investigative staff, I spelled out in a comprehensive report (with then-Senator Arlen Specter) how the SEC Inspector General failed to investigate credible allegations by a former SEC attorney that his supervisor pulled punches in an investigation because of one Wall Street witness' political clout.  The report hit a nerve and, ultimately, the SEC attorney who blew the whistle was vindicated.  Last year, the SEC finally obtained a $28 million settlement from the capital management company in question and paid the attorney years of back pay in a settlement related to his termination.

Adding to that, last March, a new Inspector General of the SEC issued a stinging rebuke of an agency program created more than 20 years ago to help target insider trading and securities fraud by rewarding agency employees who spoke up and shared valuable information.  Last summer, knowing that the SEC missed the biggest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history in the Bernard Madoff case, a colossal mishap that might have been avoided if the SEC had paid attention to whistleblower information, Congress passed legislation I authored to dramatically beef up a whistleblower office inside the SEC.  I'm still working to make sure that office is strengthened as the law calls for, and not weakened by institutional ego.  Every source of information is needed to combat financial fraud.  Both investors and taxpayers are exposed by wrongdoing.  I want to see the SEC embrace whistleblowers because they can help with the mission.  Whistleblowers could help stop another Madoff.

Q:        How can the public have confidence that the SEC isn't too close to the industry it oversees, especially the big players?

A:        A revolving door between agency staff and the investment firms and banks they oversee has led to concerns of coziness and the soft-pedaling of potential criminal cases.  Last year, the SEC Inspector General identified cases where the revolving door appeared to be a factor in staving off enforcement actions and other types of oversight, including cases involving Bear Stearns and the Stanford Ponzi scheme.  I offered an amendment to the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial services reform bill to extend the cooling-off period at financial agencies to two years and to require a list of former agency employees who are representing clients before their former agencies.  Unfortunately, my amendment was blocked by the bill sponsors.  These reforms plus better record-keeping by the SEC are needed to help maintain the regulator's integrity and preserve the public trust in a balanced playing field.

This year, I'm working to make sure the SEC is held accountable for what it does with referrals of suspicious trading activity from one of the biggest and most powerful hedge funds.  How the SEC handled specific referrals will shed light on how the enforcement system works.

I also highlighted the big divide between the stated policy of the SEC and its actual practice of providing information to the securities industry about the criminal law enforcement intentions of the Department of Justice.  The SEC enforcement manual, which was revised after the 2007 Grassley-Specter report, is undermined if the SEC relays to potential targets of investigation exactly what the Justice Department has in store for them.

Separately, I've helped to shed light on the actions of the SEC's former General Counsel David Becker.  After missing the Madoff scam, the top leadership of the SEC let one of its own who profited from a Madoff account craft the commission's position on how to treat Madoff victims.  The agency let this major conflict of interest slide and then tried to cover it up.  After a comprehensive report, the Inspector General has referred Mr. Becker's case to the Justice Department, but the SEC's ethical standards need to be stronger, consistent and uniformly applied from the executive suite to the rank-and-file employees.

 

Q:        Where else have you scrutinized what's going on inside the SEC?

A:        This year, an enforcement lawyer at the agency wrote to me and outlined what he said was the agency's destruction of least 9,000 files between 1993 and 2010, all related to initial inquiries into possible wrongdoing on Wall Street.  The lawyer said these files were destroyed as a routine matter of internal SEC policy, but that the shredding might have compromised enforcement cases against Madoff, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers, and the SAC Capital hedge fund.  I pressed for a full accounting.  In response, the National Archives said the SEC "did not have the authority to dispose of" the records in question under federal law.  And, the SEC directed staff to stop destroying preliminary investigative documents until further notice.  Keeping records is common sense in law enforcement.  You never know what might be valuable information.  Complete records also may help keep the agency honest and inoculate against compromised ethics and biases.

The promises of financial system reform will be empty if the top enforcement agency for free and fair markets is ineffective.  I will continue to work for accountability and necessary reforms of the SEC.

 

Friday, September 23, 2011
03 Oct 2011

2011 David R. Collins Children's Literature Festival

By Steve Hart

Event Date: October 25, 2011

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE FESTIVAL

 

Reading is FUNdamental.  It's more than a slogan.  It's an established fact.  Success in school and success in life demands that children acquire solid reading skills.  The role of teachers is crucial, but the late Moline teacher and children's author David R. Collins hoped to help teachers inspire a love of reading and writing among children by exposing them to the writers and illustrators behind the books they read.  Thus was born the Children's Literature Festival.  Now, 30 years later, the Children's Literature Festival is still reaching out to area schools and their students.  The latest?and we hope greatest?chapter of the Festival unfolds on Tuesday, October 25, from 8:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the RiverCenter in Davenport.

Quad City children in grades 3rd through 6th are invited to the Children's Literature Festival to learn from an all-star lineup of authors, illustrators, and storytellers. Included in this year's cast of presenters are: Claire Vanderpool, 2011 Newbery Award-winning author of Moon Over Manifest; Belinda Holbrook,  a Davenport author who tells stories with string figures; local poet Ryan Collins; illustrator David Houk; Chris Turnipseed, a Davenport teacher-librarian and member of the Riverbend Storytelling Guild; Pavane Gorrepati and Ramya Prabhu, author and illustrator, respectively, of A Buzzy Bee Tale; Ann Hailey, author of the Fishscale Girl series; Lisa Riebe, author of the Pond Punkies series; Cara Fonteyne and Suzy Sanchez, writer and illustrator, respectively, of Cooper Moves In; and Ann Boaden and Karin Youngberg, Augustana College professors who write novels for young readers under the penname Ann Young. These festival authors, illustrators, and storytellers will meet with assigned groups to discuss their work, share ideas, and answer questions.

Adults would find such a lineup of talent impressive.  Children should find it educational and inspirational.  Each elementary school in the Mississippi Valley community is invited to share in the excitement! Homeschooled children are also encouraged to participate.

Registration forms are available through the Midwest Writing Center and Davenport Public Library. An "Adult Supervisor" (parent, teacher, librarian, or friend) must accompany every five students. Cost for each person is $5. Students should bring a box lunch.

Books and artwork by our lineup of authors and illustrators will be available for purchase and autographing. Proceeds from these sales will be used for future festivals.

Also included in the day is an interactive voyage on the ill-fated passenger liner Titanic with Captain Rick Sundin.

The David R. Collins Children's Literature Festival is made possible by grants from the Riverboat Development Authority, Scott County Regional Authority, Moline Foundation, and Bi-State Literacy Council. Other partners include the Midwest Writing Center and Davenport Public Library.

For more information about the festival, contact Tom Miller, Children's Literature Festival Board President, at 563-332-8967.

***
03 Oct 2011

Niabi Zoo Hosts Wine Tasting and Art Expo to Raise Money for Elephants

By Marc Heinzman

Coal Valley, IL - September 23, 2011 - Niabi Zoo has announced an all-new and fun event to benefit the construction of a larger and more modern elephant exhibit. The new event, titled Wines for Wildlife & Art Expo: Presented by the Grape Life, is an after-hours wine tasting that offers attendees the chance to sample a variety of wines for a good cause. Attendees will enjoy music and appetizers in a fun and casual atmosphere. Wines for Wildlife & Art Expo: Presented by The Grape Life takes place on zoo grounds on Saturday, October 1, 2011, from 6:00 pm to 10:00pm.

"Niabi Zoo is extremely proud to be the only zoo in the state of Illinois to feature elephants as part of its collection," says Assistant Zoo Director Marc Heinzman. "Our two Asian elephants, Babe and Sophie, are the biggest stars of the Zoo, both figuratively and literally. They deserve a larger and more modern habitat, and we hope to add a third elephant sometime after construction is completed."

The estimated exhibit cost is close to $4 million, and Niabi Zoo is hoping to offset some of that cost with a variety of fundraising activities, such as Wines for Wildlife & Art Expo: Presented by The Grape Life. In addition to the wine tasting, the event will also feature an art gallery consisting of masterpieces from local artists and even zoo animals such as elephants, lions, snakes, and birds. "We have a lot of artists here at Niabi Zoo," says Heinzman, "and they love to paint."

Tickets for the event are $40 for zoo members and $45 for non-members in advance, or $50 for all at the gate. The Zoo is also selling Double Mangnum 4- packs of tickets at $150 for members and $170 for non-members. Call 309-799-3482 ext. 242 or email events@niabizoo.com to purchase tickets.

03 Oct 2011

TEAM offers free data center seminars in Davenport

By Cindy Tomlinson

What:
A free, upcoming seminar will help businesses understand the difference between building or buying data center space. The "Build vs. Buy" seminar is hosted by TEAM Companies.

Deciding whether to lease data center space or build a data center requires businesses to consider the financial risk/investment, ROI, operational flexibility, future growth, and virtualization in order to determine the right solution.

Who should attend:
CIO's looking for an understanding of assessing growth, capacity, consolidation, risk, and benefits related to operating a data center or colocating equipment within a data center facility. The conversation will focus on the most effective and efficient ways to understand and determine a company's future data center strategic "Road Map." Discussion will center on real life challenges and solutions such as:

  • Determining the company's future Data Center strategy;
  • Why the company's data center always seems to be running out of power or cooling;
  • The advantages/disadvantages of building a data center or using a current hosted data center facility;
  • Recognizing when the company will run out of Data Center capacity; and
  • Risk of cooling and power capacity issues related to consolidating servers, storage, and other equipment.

When:
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011
Registration/networking begins at 3 p.m.
Seminar starts at 3:30 p.m. with happy hour immediately afterward

Where:
Hotel Blackhawk
200 E. 3rd St., Davenport

Speaker:
Jeff Gilmer, a senior partner with Excipio Consulting, has more than 30 years of IT experience. He will discuss the 'Real World' issues surrounding Data Centers today. Excipio has completed more than 400 data center assessments in the last 30 months, for both public and private organizations ranging in size from 350 to more than 100,000 employees, including: Baxter Labs, Carlson Companies, Lowes, MD Anderson, US Bank, and the states of Minn., Wash., Mich., and Penn.

RSVP:
For more information and to register, visit http://www.teamseminarseries.com

A little about TEAM
TEAM Companies provides wholesale data center lease and colocation products. TEAM data centers are designed for the high availability using state of the art design and construction methodologies. TEAM facilities are SAS 70 Type II audited with 7×24 security staff monitoring the buildings. TEAM Companies owns and operates data centers in Des Moines and Cedar Falls, Iowa; Madison, Wis.; and Eden Prairie and St. Paul, Minn.

03 Oct 2011

Nova Singers Opens 26th Season with Voices and Keys

By Nicole Andersen

Nova Singers, under the direction of Dr. Laura Lane, presents two performances of Voices and Keys, Saturday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Recital Hall, Knox College, Galesburg, and on Sunday, October 9 at 4:00 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Moline.

 

Discover the stunning blend of piano and choir in Nova Singers' 26th season opener.  These concerts feature the dramatic and virtuosic Mid-Winter Songs by Morten Lauridsen, a set of five songs that revolve around a common winter motif. Also included in the program are several charming part songs by Schubert and Brahms, and American folk songs, all featuring dazzling accompaniments.  Joining Nova Singers for these opening concerts is guest pianist Ashlee Mack.

 

Specializing in contemporary music, pianist Ashlee Mack has performed solo and chamber music with new-music organizations such as the Society for Chromatic Art, Vox Novus (New York City), New Music Forum (San Francisco), and the Iowa Composers Forum. She has given recitals across the United States, in Germany (Breisach and Freiburg), and Italy (American Academy in Rome). Her performances of Odds and Ends by Robert Morris and For Milton by Christian Carey will be featured on an upcoming CD commemorating Milton Babbitt. Her recording of James Romig's Transparencies was recently released on Navona Records (distributed by Capstone). Mack earned her degree in piano performance at Bucknell University where she studied with Lois Svard. She has furthered her studies with pianists Michael Adcock (Washington, DC) and Alan Huckleberry (University of Iowa). Mack is currently the Coordinator of Piano Instruction at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

Nova Singers, a professional vocal ensemble under the direction of Dr. Laura Lane, hopes to share this fantastic listening experience with you.  Nova Singers is known for bringing a wide variety of choral music to its audiences, and for the spirit and charm the singers impart to their music.  Dr. Lane has been serving the greater Galesburg and Quad-Cities communities for over twenty-five years, bringing her passion for music and expressive singing to audiences and singers alike.

 

Tickets for this concert are available through Nova's office and at the door.  Admission is $16 for adults and $12 for seniors.  Students are admitted free of charge.  Voices and Keys is sponsored by OSF St. Mary Medical Center. Nova Singers' 2011-2012 season is partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. For information about tickets, recordings, or other Nova Singers performances, please call Nova Singers at 309-341-7038 or email nova@knox.edu. Information is also available at www.novasingers.com.
03 Oct 2011

Local author Gary Metivier of Davenport, condensed life story may be published in Reader's Digest.

By Nicholas Depew
Already posted on facebook.com/ReadersDigest

 

Local Dad Learns that Kids Take Things Literally

 

(New York, NY - September 23, 2011) Gary Metivier of Davenport, Iowa is one of the 150-word life stories being considered for publication in an upcoming issue of Reader's Digest magazine. Metivier's story is available for viewing at facebook.com/ReadersDigest. Locals can also show support by voting for Metivier's story or any others they like at facebook.com/ReadersDigest.

His story:

"Doctor's Orders" by Gary Metivier

 

Our five year old son's odd behavior started the night following a brother-induced head injury. Little Adam, with his scalp staples securely in place and somewhat bent spectacles pushed up high on his nose, was saying things really out of character. Examples: "I want candy before supper," and "I can do or have whatever I want." Was he just working the sympathy thing? He's not a spoiled kid, but 'was' acting quite -spoiled! A couple days later we finally asked him, "Why do you keep acting like this? You are a good kid." His answer: "The doctor said I can do whatever I want with the staples in my head. So, I have a whole week to do whatever I want!" Turns out he heard us ask the doctor if there were any restrictions as his head heals. The well intended doctor's answer, "No restrictions. He can do whatever he wants."

This is all part of the Reader's Digest continual effort to enrich and simplify Americans' lives.  This particular project "Your Life...The Reader's Digest Version" celebrates the launch of the new book, "Life... The Reader's Digest Version," which is also the first of a new series, by creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people's personal stories to be widely read and for the opportunity of one story to be published in Reader's Digest to its more than 30 million readers, plus be the recipient of a major cash award. Several runner-up stories will also receive attention and cash prizes.  Stories will be voted on by consumers and winners will ultimately be selected by Reader's Digest editors.  Americans can vote for and submit 150-word stories about lessons, simple advice, funny moments and other life stories at facebook.com/ReadersDigest.

03 Oct 2011

Braley Delivers US Capitol Flag to One of Iowa's Newest Residents

By Jeff Giertz

Braley helped end international bureaucratic nightmare for new parents of Nigerian adoptee

 

Washington, DC - On Monday in Des Moines, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) will meet one of Iowa's newest residents and present him with an American flag flown over the US Capitol.

Joseph Craig is the Nigerian-born adopted son of Jonathan and Kayla Craig of Des Moines.  In July, the Craigs learned the adoption of their son was on the verge of being blocked by diplomatic red tape and bureaucratic bungling by US and Nigerian authorities.  Scott Porter, Kayla's father and a Waterloo resident, turned to Braley for help navigating every parent's worst nightmare - and on August 27th, Joseph arrived in Des Moines.
03 Oct 2011

Braley Calls on Congress to Stay in Town and Complete Work on Flood Funds

By Jeff Giertz

Monday deadline looming, but Congress skips town before funding FEMA disaster relief 

 

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today called on Congress to stay in town to provide desperately-needed funding to FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, which includes support for Iowa flood recovery, and finish its work on a spending bill to temporarily fund government operations.   According to news reports, FEMA could run out of funding as early as Monday if no spending bill is passed.

"It disgusts me that Iowa flood recovery has gotten caught in Congress' latest juvenile partisan game.  Helping people get back on their feet after a disaster is the most basic function of government - it shouldn't be an issue bogged down in Washington politics.

 

"Rather than going home for the weekend, Congress should stay in town, do its job, and make good on a three year promise to fund Iowa disaster recovery.  Thousands of Iowans haven't gotten a day off since this year's flooding ripped their lives apart.  Why should Congress?"

 

Congress hasn't yet passed a funding bill for the fiscal year that begins on October 1st.  For the past week, House and Senate leaders have argued over bills that would temporarily fund US government operations until November 18th and add money to FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund to continue paying the cost of disaster recovery from this year's Iowa floods and other natural disasters.  No bills have passed into law.

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