ST. LOUIS (December 9, 2010) - In the season of giving, Iowa farmers can get into the holiday spirit by registering to win $2,500 for their favorite nonprofit organizations through the America's Farmers Grow Communities^SM program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. One farmer in each of Iowa's 99 participating counties will win.

As the holidays are quickly approaching, so is the Dec. 31 deadline for registration. Farmers can apply online at www.growcommunities.com or by calling 1-877-267-3332 for the chance to direct $2,500 to organizations such as 4-H, FFA, local libraries or fire departments.

Farmers, age 21 and over, who are actively engaged in farming a minimum of 250 acres of corn, soybeans and/or cotton, or 40 acres of open field vegetables, or at least 10 acres of tomatoes, peppers and/or cucumbers grown in protected culture, are eligible.

Pilot programs in 10 states resulted in $1.2 million being donated to nonprofit organizations in rural communities. Now, farmers in more than 1,200 counties across 38 states have the opportunity to support youth organizations, schools and community groups of their choice.

In addition to the $2,500 donation to a local organization, local United Way chapters will receive a $1 donation from the Monsanto Fund with each farmer sign-up, providing yet another opportunity for farmers to make a difference in their communities.

Eligible counties in Iowa include Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clay, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, O'Brien, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth, and Wright.

Visit www.growcommunities.com to sign up and to learn more about the America's Farmers Grow Communities program. This opportunity is open to qualifying farmers, and no purchase is necessary in order to enter or win. Monsanto Fund will announce winning farmers and recipient organizations in February 2011.

The program is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund to invest in farm communities, in order to highlight the important contributions farmers make every day to our society. To obtain a copy of the official rules for this program, visit www.growcommunities.com or send a written request to Eileen Jensen, 914 Spruce St., St. Louis, MO 63102.

About Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company.  Incorporated in 1964, the Fund's primary objective is to improve the lives of people by bridging the gap between their needs and their resources. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org/asp/welcome.asp.

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There's a New Politico story about the Omnibus Federal Land and
Water bill below and about the Lame Duck Congress.

Lame Duck Congress now could continue until December 17th or later.
You could not be in more danger.

Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have put together a massive bill with
hundreds of Wilderness and land lock up bills inside that have not
yet passed the Congress in 2010.

Things are being done in secret. No bill number yet. Included will be
all the Wilderness Bills, Billion Dollar LWCF Trust Fund, Corps and
EPA Land and Water Jurisdiction Grab and many, many more.

-----Reid is going around to the Republicans and getting them to
agree to sign on. You must make it clear to the Republicans that this
vote is a threat to rural America and you and will be remembered
forever.

When you call, do not threaten. Just make it clear that this is a
terrible bill where they have lumped together hundreds of bills that
no Senator has read completely.

Let them know you are telling all your neighbors, friends, allies,
and business associates about the Omnibus Federal Land and Water Bill
and will remember how they vote on this bill when you vote in the
future.

- - - - -

-----You must urge your Senators to filibuster, place a hold on, or
otherwise delay the Omnibus Lands Bill. They must agree to vote
against it when it comes to a vote. The Senate has a limited amount
of time in the Lame Duck Session. Every day your Senator delays the
bill gives rural America a better chance to survive this onslaught.

-----Do Not Make The Mistake Of Ignoring the Omnibus Land And Water
Bill because it does not yet have a number. Harry Reid is trying to
keep the bill in secret.

- - - - -

Here is a new story about what the Greens are doing to pass the
Omnibus Bill:

Politico

Dems aim for 100+ bills in 1 swoop
By: Darren Goode
December 6, 2010 04:43 AM EST

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=B88D7B5B-EF00-974C-679165CBCA7CAD93

Democratic efforts to push through more than 100 public lands and
water bills in the lame duck session are reaching a fever pitch, with
the recognition this is the last chance many of them have to become
law.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has tasked Democratic
leaders on at least three committees to come up with a list of bills
that could get past a GOP filibuster.

They may also need to be able to secure the two-thirds support that
would be needed if the House tries to expedite the package without
amendments in a tight legislative calendar.

Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer
(D-Calif.) told reporters Thursday that she has given Reid a draft
list of bills to consider. That evolving list is believed to include
plans to provide protection to the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Lake
Tahoe, the Gulf of Mexico and the San Francisco Bay.

"The issue is getting 60 votes, which we think we can," Boxer
said.

Boxer, most of the Democrats on her panel, Energy and Natural
Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Sen. Carl Levin
(D-Mich.) were among those who gathered with Reid off the Senate
floor during a vote last Monday to talk options. More formal meetings
were also held Tuesday.

Several Senate Republicans are cosponsors of individual bills that
could be included but the GOP appears likely to object to the package
as a whole.

"There's no way a giant omnibus like that would gain support
among Republicans," said Robert Dillon, spokesman for Energy and
Natural Resources ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
"There's bills in there we would like to see passed but not this
way. We don't have the time to fix all the problems."

A potential Democratic package could include more than 100 measures
from at least three panels. Energy and Natural Resources has passed
72 public lands bills that are pending on the Senate calendar and
there are others the panel has not yet voted on; the Environment and
Public Works Committee has so far given more than a dozen bills to be
considered; while the Commerce Committee Friday sent over a list of 13
bills.

A Boxer spokesperson said bills being considered for the package were
reported from several committees with bipartisan support. "They
represent the work of committees and senators over the course of this
Congress and, for many, over the course of a career and they deserve a
vote," the spokesperson said.

Bingaman spokesman Bill Wicker said the panel's bills are not
controversial and many were approved with no opposition. Bingaman
staffers are holding off on providing a final list to Reid in case
additional bills not voted on by the panel could be added.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Environment and
Public Works Committee has threatened to block swift approval of a
land and water omnibus bill if it includes, for example, the version
of the Chesapeake Bay protection bill that passed the panel by voice
vote with the understanding that work on it would continue.

That bill "still needs significant changes, principally with
respect to restricting the broad, and unprecedented, scope of
authority it grants EPA over state permitting programs," Inhofe
said last week. Inhofe said he wants to keep talking with the bill's
chief sponsor, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

"But it won't be reached today or if this bill is thrown together
with several other bills, many of which are too expansive and set
unrealistic authorization levels," Inhofe said.

Inhofe aides sent POLITICO a list of water bills the committee has
passed that the Oklahoma Republican thinks are fine in their current
form. They include protections for Lake Tahoe, the San Francisco Bay,
Gulf of Mexico and marine turtles.

The chances of passage for the package in a packed calendar this
month is further complicated by the demand last week of all 42 Senate
Republicans not to allow any measures to come up until the Senate
agrees to extend a set of Bush-era tax cuts.

A Reid spokeswoman simply said that a lands and water package is on
"a long list of items to consider and not much time to do so."

If the Senate were able to move the omnibus measure, the House would
still need to follow suit.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) could pass the measure in five
minutes if she can round up a two-thirds majority to avoid any
amendments and tricky GOP motions to recommit. But that's no sure
thing.

House Natural Resources ranking member Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) - who
is in line to chair the panel in the next Congress - pushed back
last week at any attempt to quickly pass what he deemed "a
Frankenstein" bill.

"This omnibus lands bill will have significant impacts on American
jobs, our economy and our nation's energy, environmental and
land-use policies," he wrote to House Democratic leaders Thursday.
"Such a significant bill should not be hastily pushed through
Congress without thoughtful and careful consideration."

Some Democrats also may not just simply want to green light a list of
Senate bills without adding their own input.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) - who chairs a key Natural Resources
subcommittee overseeing public lands - wants his committee to come
up with its own list to offer House Democratic leaders.

"I feel it is imperative that the House Natural Resources Committee
and House leadership has equal say in what legislation is included in
a final package," Grijalva wrote. "If the Senate develops a list
of bills to package, the House should be able to do the same."

REID, MCCONNELL, BAUCUS, GRASSLEY HAIL SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO ENSURE SENIORS, MILITARY FAMILIES CONTINUE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY DOCTORS

Senate Leaders' Bill Would Fix Medicare Physician Payment Formula to Ensure Doctors Can Continue Seeing Medicare, Tricare Patients

Washington, DC - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today applauded Senate passage of legislation extending through 2011 a fix to the Medicare physician payment formula to ensure seniors and military families can be confident they will be able to continue seeing their doctors.  The legislation would ensure Medicare and Tricare, the health care program for active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees and their families, will continue to pay physicians who participate in those programs at current levels.

"This bipartisan agreement gives peace of mind to seniors and military families in Nevada and across the nation," said Senator Reid. "We ensured that our seniors and veterans can continue seeing their doctors and getting the treatment they need.  I appreciate the leadership of Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Grassley for leading the effort to work across the aisle and reach this common-sense solution."

"I'm encouraged that we were able to work together in a bipartisan way and protect access to care for America's 45 million Medicare beneficiaries in a fiscally responsible manner," said Senator McConnell. "This bipartisan accomplishment will help ensure that Kentucky's seniors and military personnel and their families won't be denied access to their doctors as a result of inaction in Washington. I'm pleased that the White House is supportive and I hope our colleagues in the House will take up this measure and pass it promptly. "

"We worked together on this longer-term solution to give seniors and military families in Montana and across the country the peace of mind of knowing they still will be able to see their doctors and get the medicine they need," said Senator Baucus. "This bill provides the security patients deserve and the certainty doctors need, ensuring seniors and military families have access to the doctors they know and trust."

"With a double-digit payment cut, some doctors would stop seeing Medicare and Tricare patients," Senator Grassley said. "This bipartisan legislation will help to ensure that older Americans and military families can continue to get quality health care."

The bill, the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010, would avoid a 25-percent cut to Medicare physician payments under the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula that would otherwise go into effect on January 1, 2011.  The proposal also includes extensions of other expiring health care provisions, including protections for rural hospitals and doctors, Transitional Medical Assistance and the Special Diabetes Program.  The legislation would be paid for by modifying the policy regarding overpayments of the health care affordability tax credit.  This policy does not change the tax credits for which people are eligible based on their income.  Instead, the proposal would change the way people pay back overpayments when they have received more credit than they are eligible for because, for example, they earned more money than expected in a given year.

Under current law there is a flat cap of $250 for individuals and $400 for families on the amount of the health care affordability tax credit people are required to pay back when they received an overpayment.  This payback cap is the same for people earning 160 percent of the federal poverty level and 360 percent of the federal poverty level.  Under this proposal for correcting overpayments, the cap on the payback amount would be on a sliding scale based on the income of the recipient of the tax credit, making the policy fairer to both recipients and all taxpayers.

The Finance Committee has jurisdiction over the Medicare program and the physician payment formula, which also sets payment levels for the Tricare program.  A summary and legislative text of the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010 can be found on the Finance Committee website http://finance.senate.gov/legislation/.  The legislation must now be passed by the House and signed into law by the President.

 

 

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ROCK ISLAND, IL (12/08/2010)(readMedia)-- Sixty-eight Augustana students will study and work in Sydney, Australia, for the first two months of 2011. The international study program known as "Augustana in Australia" places students in career-relevant positions in Sydney and immerses them in Australian culture.

The students complete a five-week on-campus internship seminar and a class in intercultural communication before leaving for Australia on January 2. In Australia, students will intern four days a week for seven weeks and use their remaining time to experience Australia.

The program exposes students to a new culture, which is very marketable to employers. "Employers are seeking entry-level employees with knowledge and experience of the world's diversity and cross-cultural understanding," said Karen Petersen, Augustana's director of business internships and program director.

The students are looking forward to exploring their career interests. Erin Christian, a senior music and mathematics double major from Aurora, Ill., will intern at ii-A, a finance and insurance firm in downtown Sydney. "This internship is exactly what I need to move forward from Augustana," Christian said. "I hope to find a job as an actuary or in the finance/insurance field so being an intern at a company of this caliber will prepare me for obstacles I might face in the work world."

The students travel together with no faculty from Augustana, which gives them a lot of independence. "Students in the program demonstrate maturity and the ability to depend upon themselves and their peer group to deal with problems and issues as they arise," said Petersen. Students do receive on-site supervision by their organizational sponsor and their internship coordinator, the Centers for Academic Programs Abroad (www.capa.org), and Augustana faculty or staff conducts site-visits about halfway through the internship.

Students will stay at a five-star serviced apartment complex in Sydney, along with Australian and other international students. During their trip, they will visit the ANZ Stadium where the 2000 Olympics were held, the Sydney Opera House and the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney. They also may travel to New Zealand or areas of Australia including Melbourne, Darwin and Cairns, where they can snorkel or dive the Great Barrier Reef. Students return to Rock Island on March 4.

You can read about students' experiences in Australia by visiting Augustana's Globablog at www.augustana.edu/blogs/international/.

Participating students from your area include :

Allison Hughes from Moline, IL, a senior majoring in accounting and business management

Lisa Schippers from East Moline, IL, a junior majoring in communication sciences and disorders

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 (ELCA). The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 70 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. 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.