Handmade City will host it's second indie arts+crafts show at the new venue Rozz-Tox in Rock Island this Saturday April 30, from 11am-4pm. Free to attend with over 20 local vendors selling amazing handmade items. Free to attend after party starts at 7:30pm with free cupcakes and live music from Centaur Noir, Chad Gooch and I Eat My Friends. Rozz-Tox will be selling beer and wine. DIY unique art & crafts all day long, unlike any other show in the QC!!!

Who is Handmade City?

We are an indie arts + crafts collective that supports and promotes local handmade artisans. We pride ourselves in being different and creating unique, high quality handmade items. Living in the Midwest we are surrounded by traditional craft shows with the same art and items you can find anywhere. We decided it was time set up our own DIY collective and host our own events.

Handmade City provides an outlet for artists who don't belong in a traditional show. We host art & craft events that are free to attend, affordable to sell at and unique compared to other craft shows in the area. We appreciate handmade, high quality art with an indie twist!?

Handmade City supports this art community online as well, showcasing featured artist interviews, vendor spotlights, artist updates and links to artists' shops. We want our handmade items to be just as available to the public as traditional art & crafts. Different is good, different is art!

When is the next show?

Handmade City's Spring 2011 Craft Show will take place April 30, 2011, from 11am - 4pm at Rozz-Tox- a new venue located downtown Rock Island Illinois. (2108 3rd Avenue) This show is FREE to attend!

There will be over 20 vendors at the Spring show! Things you will find include : knits, ceramics, art prints, original artwork, photography, home decor items, jewelry, hand-spun yarn, candles, pet goods, terrariums, accessories, baby items, handmade handbags, clothing, handcrafted bicycles, self-published books & more!

There will also be a  FREE to attend Handmade City after-party featuring live music from local bands Centaur Noir, Chad Gooch and I Eat My Friends. Party starts at 7:30pm with FREE cupcakes. Rozz- Tox will be selling beer and wine... it is going to be a good time!

Visit us online at handmadecity.org

Full Vendor List:

Betty Round?: housewares, jewelry, re-purposed clothing, spring accessories, spring (lightweight) knit goods.?
Calluxcity?: Hand-spun yarn and knits?
Dark Highlands: literary and art publication?
Doug Jack & Me?: unique paper goods
Eden Accessories: fun hair accessories (baby, girls, womens)
Eric Thomas Wolever?: Handcrafted ceramics?
Fannie's Closet?: clothing and t-shirts?
Helena Sophia: girls tutus, mini-quilts, make-up bags, stuffies, and handspun yarn?
Kara's Collections: sewn accessories, bags, aprons?
Ladynoble: jewelry, original artwork, art prints, decor items
Leah Leah:  knit hats, flower pins, art prints?
Lil' Squeaks?: Pet Items & coin purses?
Luminology: handcrafted soy candles?
Photography by Tassy?: photo prints/artwork?
Plaid Peony?: toss pillows, headbands, appliqued children's clothes/onesies, burp cloths, cloth wipes, baby blankets?
Seeded Earth Growers: flowers, terrariums & bottle crafts?
Team Tall Bike?: handcrafted bikes and bike accessories
The Adventure Orange: sewn goods, decor, art and other random awesomeness?
Undone?: small soy candles, handmade boxes

The love of reading takes center stage next month with Get Caught Reading Month, part of a nation-wide campaign to remind people of all ages how much fun it is to read!  Launched in 1999, the Get Caught Reading Campaign is promoted throughout the year by the Association of American Publishers.  Some of the nation's most celebrated public figures, celebrities, and beloved characters have championed the campaign with their visions of getting caught reading - from Laura Bush to Rosie O'Donnell to Clifford the Big Red Dog!

Research shows that the development of literacy skills through early experiences with books and stories is critically linked to a child's success in learning to read and overall success in school, yet fewer than half of young children in the U.S. are read to daily.  Research shows that children who aren't fluent readers by the end of third grade may never catch up to their peers.  Early reading experiences are recognized as being of such importance that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pediatricians prescribe reading activities along with other instructions given to parents at well-child visits.

Get Caught Reading Month is a terrific opportunity to give thought to the role of books and literacy in your child's life.  Rivermont Collegiate prepares young children to read by laying a strong foundation in oral and written experiences prior to kindergarten.  In preschool and junior kindergarten, lessons in Open Court Reading present rich language experiences through fingerplays, rhymes, songs, and poems.  At Rivermont, all first grade students read chapter books by the end of the year.  As students move into the Middle and Upper Schools (grades 6-12), they are challenged daily to participate in in-depth discussions of texts and understand the relevancy of literature to both individuals and the global community.

What are you waiting for?  Get a head start on your celebration of Get Caught Reading Month by joining us for an Open House to discover Rivermont Collegiate!  No appointment required - drop in Thursday, April 28th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. to tour campus and explore our curriculum and programs.  Celebrate Get Caught Reading Month by sharing the love of the written word with a child you know - and explore what Rivermont has to offer your young scholar.

Rivermont Collegiate is located at 1821 Sunset Drive, directly off 18th Street behind K&K Hardware in Bettendorf.  Visit us online at www.rvmt.org!

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate or Thursday's Open House, contact Cindy Murray at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org

For additional information on Get Caught Reading Month, visit www.getcaughtreading.org

Total of 2,541 Iowa Students Take "Challenge"

State-by-state Results Available at www.challenge.treas.gov

WASHINGTON - As part of an ongoing effort to mark national Financial Literacy Month, the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of the Treasury today recognized the 2,541 Iowastudents and 71 Iowa educators who participated in the National Financial Capability Challenge for the 2010-11 school year. The Challenge, which includes a voluntary online exam for high school students, helps teach young Americans about saving, budgeting, investing, and other important skills critical to building a secure financial future.

The average score for Iowa students on the exam was 70 percent - compared to 69 percent nationally. A total of 574 Iowa students scored in the top 20 percent nationally and nine Iowa students received perfect scores.State-by-state results and sample questions from the exam are included below and at www.challenge.treas.gov.

"It's critical for our young people to develop smart financial skills," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "If we're going to prepare our students for 21^st century success, we have to teach them about earning and spending, saving and investing. Otherwise, they're going to learn the hard way: by making mistakes. I'm encouraged to see the steps that teachers and states are taking to make basic financial education a priority and congratulate these students on their great work."

"Empowering students with the knowledge they need to make good decisions about saving, budgeting, and investing is critical to helping them build secure financial futures," said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin. "I want to congratulate these students on their achievements and thank them for serving as examples to their peers about the importance of financial education."

Education Secretary Duncan and Treasury Deputy Secretary Wolin honored top-scoring students today at a national awards ceremony today at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC. Nationwide, more than 84,000 high school students and 2,500 educators in all 50 states, as well as in U.S. Department of Defense schools for children of military members around the world,participated in the 2010-11 Challenge. Students who scored in the top 20 percent nationally and those who were among the top scorers in their school will receive official award certificates.

The Challenge is one of many important steps the Obama Administration has taken to help empower Americans through improved financial capability. In November, the Administration unveiled a new coordinated National Strategy for Financial Literacy to help guide the ongoing efforts of the federal government and private organizations to empower Americans with the financial skills they need to strengthen their long-term economic security. Additionally, the Administration established the President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability to provide advice on how to maximize the effectiveness of existing private and public sector efforts, and to identify new approaches to increase financial capability.

State-by-state results from the 2010-11 Challenge are included below:

 

State	State Average Score	Participating Students	Perfect Scores	Students Who Scored in the Top 20%	Participating Educators in the State
Alabama	66.26%	1,712	5	264	43
Alaska	70.28%	154	2	32	7
Arizona	65.14%	900	1	133	26
Arkansas	68.61%	656	2	117	25
Armed Forces (Europe)	73.59%	110	0	32	11
Armed Forces (Pacific)	74.46%	165	0	51	5
California	66.12%	1,801	13	368	81
Colorado	68.13%	1,476	15	355	44
Connecticut	72.32%	1,675	13	469	62
DC	56.33%	217	0	22	4
Delaware	65.25%	348	0	29	9
Florida	69.51%	4,477	47	1024	85
Georgia	64.60%	1,612	13	268	54
Guam	75.29%	14	0	4	3
Hawaii	73.62%	171	4	58	12
Idaho	80.82%	100	1	44	7
Illinois	71.17%	1,989	26	567	71
Indiana	68.21%	2,186	18	479	63
Iowa	70.02%	2,541	9	574	71
Kansas	70.26%	455	1	121	22
Kentucky	67.75%	607	9	127	23
Louisiana	67.69%	367	1	55	9
Maine	74.14%	234	5	72	15
Maryland	66.83%	2,955	19	533	71
Massachusetts	69.06%	2,642	19	577	71
Michigan	70.51%	1,835	17	514	66
Minnesota	70.88%	1,104	16	290	38
Mississippi	67.00%	123	1	18	9
Missouri	71.81%	2,061	20	568	60
Montana	68.23%	323	1	77	20
Nebraska	72.02%	567	3	142	25
Nevada	64.38%	1,276	6	171	19
New Hampshire	70.28%	655	5	177	24
New Jersey	66.49%	4,876	18	882	106
New Mexico	66.04%	157	1	26	9
New York	69.11%	4,296	20	936	143
North Carolina	66.22%	1,438	7	245	67
North Dakota	70.26%	399	3	94	13
Ohio	67.57%	4,513	23	827	134
Oklahoma	67.03%	1,057	0	163	29
Oregon	75.60%	229	2	77	24
Pennsylvania	68.33%	7,155	40	1563	200
Rhode Island	61.72%	794	3	120	17
South Carolina	67.50%	654	4	128	29
South Dakota	76.28%	145	0	54	12
Tennessee	69.32%	1,602	8	353	38
Texas	66.02%	4,326	21	762	128
Utah	73.35%	631	7	157	22
Vermont	79.88%	145	5	80	7
Virginia	69.07%	7,328	47	1521	180
Washington	71.43%	1,830	16	449	53
West Virginia	61.51%	813	2	120	21
Wisconsin	73.23%	4,399	44	1280	123
Wyoming	69.55%	77	0	23	7

Example questions from the Challenge's online exam include the following:

1.      Carolina has $5,000 saved from working at different jobs.  She puts her money in a savings account that pays 4 percent per year in interest. How much money will be in her account at the end of the first year and at the end of the second year?

A.     End of first year: $5,100; end of second year:  $5,400.

B.      End of first year: $5,200; end of second year:  $5,400.

C.      End of first year: $5,200; end of second year:  $5,408.

D.    I don't know.

(Answer: C)

2.      Marco went to the grocery store to buy a box of cereal.  The type of cereal he liked came in three different brands and three different size boxes.  To select the brand and the box with the lowest unit cost, he should look at the:

A.    largest cereal box on the shelf.

B.     most popular brand of cereal.

C.     price per ounce of cereal in each box.

D.    I don't know.

(Answer: C)

###

Promises Made, Promises Kept

QUAD CITIES, ILL. - April 22, 2011 - The 60 Plus Association, nationally recognized as the conservative alternative to the liberal AARP, today launched a new radio ad in Illinois's 17th Congressional District, thanking Rep. Bobby Schilling for protecting Medicare during the recent budget debates.

"Rep. Bobby Schilling proved he is different from many in Washington," said Jim Martin, Chairman of the 60 Plus Association.  "Rep. Schilling did what he promised he would do:  protect Medicare for Illinois's seniors.  He voted for the House budget proposal, which strengthens and preserves Medicare, and in doing so, helped ensure the program would be available for current and future seniors.  On behalf of the 60 Plus Association, I would like to thank Rep. Schilling for standing up for Illinois seniors and protecting Medicare - just like he promised he would."

The one-minute radio ad will begin airing on April 21.  The organization has also launched a direct mail campaign this week across the district.  

To listen to the radio ad, please visit http://60plus.org/seniors-thank-schilling-medicare-radio.

- TRANSCRIPT -

ANNOUNCER:
Something unusual happened last week...in Washington, DC of all places.

Elected officials actually did what they said they would.

The House passed a budget that protects and preserves Medicare for years to come.

And our Congressman, Bobby Schilling, voted to protect Medicare and keep it secure for future retirees.

Our national debt is $14 trillion...America is literally spending money we don't have and future generations won't be able to afford.

With 10,000 Baby Boomers reaching retirement age every day, important programs like Medicare are being crushed - and could collapse if we don't act to strengthen and improve them.

No changes for seniors on Medicare now or those who will soon go on it.

Control costs by targeting waste, fraud and abuse - so current and future seniors receive the quality care they have earned.

Call Bobby Schilling at (309) 757-7630. Thank him for voting to protect Medicare and tell him to continue keeping his promise to seniors.

Paid for by the 60 Plus Association.