22
Jun
2004
• Any American can now help troops in contingency operations phone home. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is authorized to sell pre-paid calling cards for deployed troops to any person or group. Now, anyone (even those with no military affiliation) can help deployed troops call home from one of the AAFES call centers in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF). For service members to receive the best calling rates, senders should purchase the Military Exchange 550 Unit Prepaid Card with minutes that never expire and with no hidden charges or connection fees. Anyone can log on to (http://www.aafes.com) and click the "help our troops call home" link. Authorized Exchange shoppers such as retirees can purchase the calling cards through their regular online shopping pages, by calling (800)527-2345, or by visiting a local exchange. Those wishing to pay for troops to call home can send a pre-paid calling card to an individual at his or her deployed address or to "any service member" deployed or hospitalized. AAFES will coordinate distribution of donated cards addressed to "any service member" via the American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society, or the Fisher House Foundation. AAFES operates 31 call centers in Iraq, 19 in Kuwait, and four in Afghanistan.
• The Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy has received a $485,000 investment from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative to reduce gun crime through existing local programs. Project Safe Neighborhoods seeks to achieve heightened coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement, with an emphasis on tactical intelligence gathering, more aggressive prosecutions, and enhanced accountability through performance measures.
• Last month was the best May on record for the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County for passengers boarding at the Quad Cities International Airport. A total of 35,059 passengers boarded, surpassing the May 2003 record of 33,251 passengers boarding. The highest increase compared to last year was experienced by Northwest Airlink, with a 58-percent increase over last May. Overall, airport boardings for the calendar year are up 4 percent over last year.
• The Iowa Farm Safety Council was awarded $20,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase the effectiveness of fire operations and to support firefighter safety. Specifically, this grant helps the Iowa Farm Safety Council fund the purchase of firefighting equipment, fund firefighter-health and -safety programs, enhance emergency-medical-services programs, and conduct fire-prevention and -safety programs. DHS expects to announce grants weekly, and will distribute $746 million to fire departments across the country this year. For more information on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, visit (http://www.usfa.fema.gov).
• The newest traveling exhibition at the Family Museum of Arts & Science in Bettendorf is "Team Up! Explore Science & Sports." The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, July 17, and runs through Sunday, September 12. Geometry, physics, force, and friction play major roles in nearly every sport. While touring the 14 areas of the exhibition, visitors will learn how these principles are applied in common sports such basketball, baseball, soccer, and tennis, as well as in more extreme sports such as snowboarding. Funding was provided in part the National Science Foundation under a grant, with additional support provided by the Scott County Regional Authority and the Riverboat Development Authority. Group tours and sports-themed birthday parties are available. For more information about "Team Up! Explore Science & Sports," visit (http://www.familymuseum.org) or call (563)344-4106.
• The Web site (http://feminists4firearms.com) is an "online community dedicated to encouraging women to seek self-empowerment through armament, to informing women about the benefits of gun ownership, and to engage women in active participation in the ongoing struggle for Second Amendment rights." Not much material there now, but it could be interesting.
• Trinity's Parish Nurse Program is offering the chance for registered nurses to merge their health-care experience and their personal faith through an orientation course beginning October 5. Orientation classes are scheduled for 14 sessions through December 9. Classes are open to registered nurses who have at least two years of nursing experience and a strong faith background. Class highlights will include history and overview of the Trinity Parish Nurse program, church culture and leadership, documentation of practice, elderly issues, health education and promotion, complimentary therapies, grief and end-of-life issues, medical ethics, parenting issues, spirituality over the life span, family dynamics, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness, and stress management. Nurses who would like more information on Trinity's Parish Nurse orientation course or churches interested in introducing this program may call (309)779-5204 or visit (http://www.trinityqc.com/parishnurse). The course has been approved for 42 hours of Iowa continuing education unit credit. The application deadline is September 15.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that administration of cannabis improves night vision in a dose-dependent manner, according to the findings of a case study to be published in the July issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Researchers administered oral THC to one individual; analogous field studies were performed on three separate subjects before and after smoking cannabis. All four subjects were field-tested for night vision with a Scotopic Sensitivity Tester-1. Abstracts of the study are available at (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03788741) or at (http://www.NORML.org).
• The Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy has received a $485,000 investment from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative to reduce gun crime through existing local programs. Project Safe Neighborhoods seeks to achieve heightened coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement, with an emphasis on tactical intelligence gathering, more aggressive prosecutions, and enhanced accountability through performance measures.
• Last month was the best May on record for the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County for passengers boarding at the Quad Cities International Airport. A total of 35,059 passengers boarded, surpassing the May 2003 record of 33,251 passengers boarding. The highest increase compared to last year was experienced by Northwest Airlink, with a 58-percent increase over last May. Overall, airport boardings for the calendar year are up 4 percent over last year.
• The Iowa Farm Safety Council was awarded $20,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase the effectiveness of fire operations and to support firefighter safety. Specifically, this grant helps the Iowa Farm Safety Council fund the purchase of firefighting equipment, fund firefighter-health and -safety programs, enhance emergency-medical-services programs, and conduct fire-prevention and -safety programs. DHS expects to announce grants weekly, and will distribute $746 million to fire departments across the country this year. For more information on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, visit (http://www.usfa.fema.gov).
• The newest traveling exhibition at the Family Museum of Arts & Science in Bettendorf is "Team Up! Explore Science & Sports." The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, July 17, and runs through Sunday, September 12. Geometry, physics, force, and friction play major roles in nearly every sport. While touring the 14 areas of the exhibition, visitors will learn how these principles are applied in common sports such basketball, baseball, soccer, and tennis, as well as in more extreme sports such as snowboarding. Funding was provided in part the National Science Foundation under a grant, with additional support provided by the Scott County Regional Authority and the Riverboat Development Authority. Group tours and sports-themed birthday parties are available. For more information about "Team Up! Explore Science & Sports," visit (http://www.familymuseum.org) or call (563)344-4106.
• The Web site (http://feminists4firearms.com) is an "online community dedicated to encouraging women to seek self-empowerment through armament, to informing women about the benefits of gun ownership, and to engage women in active participation in the ongoing struggle for Second Amendment rights." Not much material there now, but it could be interesting.
• Trinity's Parish Nurse Program is offering the chance for registered nurses to merge their health-care experience and their personal faith through an orientation course beginning October 5. Orientation classes are scheduled for 14 sessions through December 9. Classes are open to registered nurses who have at least two years of nursing experience and a strong faith background. Class highlights will include history and overview of the Trinity Parish Nurse program, church culture and leadership, documentation of practice, elderly issues, health education and promotion, complimentary therapies, grief and end-of-life issues, medical ethics, parenting issues, spirituality over the life span, family dynamics, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness, and stress management. Nurses who would like more information on Trinity's Parish Nurse orientation course or churches interested in introducing this program may call (309)779-5204 or visit (http://www.trinityqc.com/parishnurse). The course has been approved for 42 hours of Iowa continuing education unit credit. The application deadline is September 15.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that administration of cannabis improves night vision in a dose-dependent manner, according to the findings of a case study to be published in the July issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Researchers administered oral THC to one individual; analogous field studies were performed on three separate subjects before and after smoking cannabis. All four subjects were field-tested for night vision with a Scotopic Sensitivity Tester-1. Abstracts of the study are available at (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03788741) or at (http://www.NORML.org).
