ROCK ISLAND, IL (05/10/2011)(readMedia)-- The Augustana Choir will draw on tradition this Memorial Day weekend when it performs in the prestigious Carnegie Hall on Sunday, May 29, at 1 p.m. The 65-member choir received a special invitation to perform at the hall this season after organizers heard and recognized the high quality performances of the choir.

From your area this includes:

Kaleigh Wall, a sophomore from Eldridge, Iowa majoring in music.

Ricky Rector, a sophomore from Davenport, Iowa majoring in communication sciences and disorders.

Anita Cook, a senior from Davenport, Iowa. majoring in studio art.

Kjerstin Hurty, a sophomore from Moline, Ill. majoring in business and music.

Martha Ade, a junior from Moline, Ill. majoring in music and English.

Calvin Vo, a sophomore from Moline, Ill. majoring in English and theatre.

Lauren Reid, a junior from Sherrard, Ill. majoring in business and communications.

Under the director of Dr. Jon Hurty, the choir will perform a solo program of a cappella works in the 2,800-seat, five-level main auditorium. Then the choir will join Augustana's Handel Oratorio Society in a performance of "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff, also under the direction of Hurty

"It's a big performance in a really amazing hall," said Hurty.

The event restores a tradition of the Augustana Choir performing at the hall that started in the 1930s. The choir had a large New York presence in the 1950s and 1960s when it was recording with the RCA label and performing on "The Ed Sullivan Show." This year's invitation came from the largest independent contractor, MidAmerica Productions in New York, which oversees many of the productions for Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.

"The quality that they've [Augustana Choir] got, it's exciting to be able to present something like that," say Paul Torkelson, composer-in-residence for MidAmerica Productions.

For information regarding tickets for the performance at Carnegie Hall, please visit www.carnegiehall.org or call (212) 247-7800.

WASHINGTON - May 9, 2011 - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin wrote to the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in response to a new report showing that 88 percent of the powerful antipsychotic drugs being prescribed to nursing home residents with dementia were for uses that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"Nursing home residents are getting antipsychotic drugs for dementia, not psychoses," Grassley said.  "No one seems to have a good handle on whether the patients are benefiting from these medicines or whether they're being prescribed drugs that don't help and might even harm them.  The government needs to do a better job of protecting nursing home residents from unnecessary drugs.  I'll continue to work to hold the Medicare program and nursing homes accountable for the quality of care delivered to nursing home patients."

"Late last year we convened a panel of national experts on Alzheimer's and they told us that we must do a better job of providing care to the rapidly growing number of elders with dementia who live in our nation's nursing homes," Kohl said.  "As these experts told us, and as the HHS OIG report confirms, Alzheimer's patients who do not have a diagnosis of psychosis can be seriously harmed by this class of drugs. CMS must find ways to encourage the medical community to use appropriate non-pharmacological treatments for these patients, who deserve to lead dignified lives."

Grassley and Kohl commented on a report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.  The report titled, "Medicare Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Claims for Elderly Nursing Home Residents," was requested by Grassley in December 2007.

The Inspector General found that 88 percent of the powerful antipsychotic drugs being prescribed to nursing home residents with dementia were for uses that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, even though the drug labels contain "black box warnings" of an increased risk of death in elderly patients with dementia. The report also shows that 22 percent of the nursing homes failed to meet federal standards on unnecessary drug use in nursing homes. Further, more than half of the claims for atypical antipsychotic drugs were improperly paid.

Grassley and Kohl wrote to the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, seeking a description of the agency's actions to protect nursing home residents from unnecessary off-label antipsychotic prescriptions and to protect the taxpayers from improper payments for these drugs.  The text of their letter is available here.  The text of the report is available here.

Grassley and Kohl have long worked together to safeguard nursing home residents and more broadly, to inject transparency into the financial relationships between drug makers and doctors.  Last year, their Physician Payments Sunshine Act became law and will require, beginning in 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services to post on a public website newly reported payments that drug, device and biologic makers make to physicians.

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Saving the world, one mile at a time

May 9, 2011 Davenport, IA - The nationally acclaimed Green Bus Project will be pulling into the Quad Cities over Memorial Day weekend.  The Green Bus is both literally and figuratively green, running entirely on waste vegetable oil and driven by two yoga masters who are traveling from Florida to Wisconsin to raise awareness of personal empowerment, healthy lifestyles, sustainable living.  The Green Bus Quad Cities kickoff event will be on Thursday, May 26 in the Great Hall of the RiverCenter.

"The Green Bus Project carries the message that we all have the power to change anything into something positive", said Mary Davidson, organizer of the event, "Whether it be the environment, our local or global community, or our personal health and well being - we are all empowered to make things better for ourselves and the world."

Elite yoga masters Moses and Zeina Love will be teaching yoga, nutrition, sustainability, personal empowerment workshops and more. Moses is the founder of I love Yoga (www.iloveyoga.com) and travels the globe teaching workshops, yoga conferences and retreats.  Zeina is a powerful public speaker, writer, teacher and co-founder of Girls Gone Gorgeous (www.girlsgonegorgeous.com), a company dedicated to empowering women and promoting self-love.  Their mission is simply to move, touch and inspire people to themselves be empowered.

The tour starts on Thursday at 4:30pm at a special yoga practice in the Gold Room of the Hotel Blackhawk.  There is a minimum donation of $15 for the one hour session followed by a VIP reception for participants and sponsors.  "This is a great opportunity for a preview of the weekend and a chance to meet Moses and Zeina" said Davidson. "The practice is open to all levels of experience, as well as those who have not tried yoga yet.  Teachers from yoga schools and studios in the area will be instructing a portion of the class, offering a sample of what is available in the community."

The Green Bus will be located in the River Center Great Hall and available for viewing from 6:30 - 8:30pm.  The general public is invited to come meet Moses and Zeina, hear about their eco-friendly travels around the country and learn more about yoga, self empowerment and healthy living at booths set up by community businesses and organizations.  A raffle will offer the opportunity to win a dinner with Moses and Zeina on the Green Bus, as well as local yoga studio passes and other merchandise.  There is a $1 minimum donation and healthy concessions will be available.

The Green Bus will be visiting three underserved and at-risk groups to use the transformative power of yoga to reduce stress and improve concentration, self-esteem and overall health and well-being.  There will be sessions with World Relief refugees settled in Rock Island, the Pre-K for All group from Skip-A-Long Development Services, and a women's group from Casa Guanajuato Quad Cities.  With all these groups, the goal is to provide the tools to develop self-awareness, and to enhance physical, mental and emotional health.  Additional events will be offered throughout the weekend, including yoga practices at area studios, a women's healing circle and a session on the Yoga of Nutrition.  A full schedule of events will be available at www.goldroomlegacy.com.

The Green Bus Project is being presented by the Gold Room Legacy Project, an effort to bring enriching, educational and entertaining events to the Quad Cities while preserving the legacy of the Gold Room at the Hotel Blackhawk.  The Green Bus Project shares their proceeds with the Africa Yoga Project, a non-profit organization that uses the transformative power of yoga to empower communities and change lives in Kenya.  Locally, proceeds will be shared with YogaG, a non-profit organization mobilizing yoga instruction exclusively in domestic violence shelters.

For more information on the events or to inquire about booth space, contact Mary Davidson at mdavidson@goldroomlegacy.org, go to www.goldroomlegacy.org or join the Green Bus Project Quad Cities on Facebook.

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Proposal Protects Illinois Consumers, Creates Jobs and Encourages Investment in Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency

CHICAGO - May 9, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced a comprehensive proposal that will protect Illinois' consumers by stabilizing energy bills, while creating thousands of jobs and encouraging investment in clean, renewable and reliable energy. The plan moves Illinois towards ensuring that 25 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources by 2025, which is mandated by state law.

"A comprehensive approach is required to address the energy challenges of today and tomorrow," said Governor Quinn. "This plan will protect Illinois consumers from high energy costs, while creating thousands of jobs by increasing energy efficiency, improving our state's aging energy infrastructure and shifting to cleaner, renewable and reliable energy sources."

The Governor's comprehensive strategy modernizes our electric grid and energy infrastructure in a way that benefits Illinois' consumers. The plan encourages investment in energy efficiency projects that shield consumers from high energy prices and supports renewable energy projects. It also creates a path for approval of clean coal projects, which will help us responsibly harness our significant coal reserves.

The proposal helps consumers invest in their own clean energy generation (i.e. solar), freeing them from the need to buy power and reducing capacity problems on our electric grid. It also guarantees that consumers benefit from grid upgrades, instead of the utility companies, by strictly defining those kinds of grid upgrades and ensuring that they create jobs.

Under the Governor's proposal, the Illinois Power Agency (IPA) will be able to effectively broker long-term contracts for clean energy, which will lock in low rates for consumers, help lower energy prices overall and allow new projects to be built, which will create new jobs. The plan will stimulate investment in clean energy that is projected to create more than 6,000 jobs over six years.

The Governor's plan also encourages energy efficiency, which reduces the amount of high-priced power consumers must buy. Every $1 spent on energy efficiency saves consumers $3 to $4. Each additional 1 percent of energy reductions gained through energy efficiency by the IPA is projected to create 4,000 jobs.

Governor Quinn today also expressed his strong opposition to House Bill 14, which would enable electric utilities to automatically raise rates annually without any prior approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission.  While infrastructure upgrades are necessary, the Governor believes there are alternative proposals that will accomplish these goals and protect consumers.

Governor Quinn's comprehensive energy plan will modernize Illinois' energy policy and helps our state produce and use power more efficiently. It encourages the development of clean, renewable power sources and a reliable 21st-century power infrastructure, while ensuring effective regulation of our state's energy providers.

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