21
May
2002
• Potential Scott County voters have until May 25 to register to vote for the June 4 primary election. To register, you can visit the Scott County Auditor's Office at the Scott County Courthouse weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The Auditor's Office will be open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on May 25 for in-person registration. In addition, mail-in registration forms are available at banks, post offices, city halls, libraries, and state agencies, as well as on the last page of the government section of the U.S. West telephone directory. You can also print a form off the auditor's page on the Web site (http://www.scottycountyiowa.com). The June 4 primary looks like it will be very important, so if you haven't registered to vote, please take five minutes and do your bit for democracy.
• The 7th Annual Mississippi Valley Young Adult Writers Conference will be held on Wednesday, June 5, at Erickson Hall on the Augustana College campus in Rock Island. This evening of writing workshops presented by successful authors is designed for youth ages 12 to 17. Registration begins at 6 p.m., and the last session ends at 9 p.m. The $15 registration fee includes all learning and writing sessions, an orientation packet, a conference T-shirt, and snacks. All facilities are handicapped accessible. For a registration form or information, visit (http://www.midwestwritingcenter.org) or call Matthew or Pamela Clemens at (563)323-6014. Deadline for mail-in registration is June 1. This is a great conference, and I'll be there helping.
• A total of 48 trees were planted during the months of May and April by the Bettendorf Trees Are Us Committee as part of its Spring Tree Planting Project. The trees were planted at a variety of sites including schools, along the Duck Creek Recreation Trail, and along several street right-of-ways throughout the city. The project was funded in part by the Million More by 2004 Tree Planting Program through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The balance of the funds came from the City of Bettendorf Parks & Recreation Department budget and a Trees Please Grant from Mid-American Energy Company. More than 1,000 trees have been planted by the Bettendorf Trees Are Us Committee over the past 10 years.
• With all the festivals and fairs throughout the year in Davenport, there was a need to provide a means to evacuate the sick or injured from mass gatherings. The Davenport Fire Department, a paramedic-level first-response service, recently purchased a John Deere six-by-four Gator vehicle capable of transporting a sick or injured patient. The department researched available equipment and picked a John Deere Gator equipped with a "med bed kit," the same configuration as what is used in the NFL for transporting injured players off the field. The Gator, appropriately named "Gator One," will be equipped with the latest in lifesaving equipment including oxygen and a defibrillator.
• The Department of Justice is seeking the dismissal of the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Office of Homeland Security (OHS). In a brief submitted to the U.S. District Court in Washington, the Department of Justice argues that OHS is not an "agency" and therefore is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act's open-government requirements. The brief argues that the OHS "functions solely to advise and assist the president and does not exercise substantial independent authority." It likens the OHS to the National Security Council, which the D.C. Circuit Court in 1996 held was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. The Electronic Privacy Information Center is seeking the disclosure of documents relating to OHS Director Tom Ridge's efforts to create a "trusted-traveler" card and his plans to standardize state driver's licenses to create a de facto national-identification system. For more information, see the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Homeland Security Page: (http://www.epic.org/open_gov/homeland/).
• To continue its support of National Mental Health Awareness month, Transitions - a community-based, private, not-for-profit organization providing rehabilitation, education, advocacy, and support services to persons with mental disorders, their families, and the general community - will offer silver ribbon-shaped lapel pins for sale to the public as part of the "Silver Ribbon Campaign for the Brain." Available for only $3, the pins can be purchased throughout the remainder of the month at Crooners Restaurant, a work-rehabilitation property managed by Transitions and located at 2326 16th Street in Moline. Pins are also available at the Transitions office, 805 19th Street in Rock Island. Similar to pink breast-cancer support ribbons, the silver color denotes advocacy for brain illnesses and disorders, including mental illness. The pins are endorsed by NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. For more information, contact Transitions at (309)793-4993 or (http://www.transrehab.org)
• According to statements made by White House Drug Czar John Walters, advertisements paid for by the federal government to deter teens from using drugs might actually be encouraging some viewers to experiment with marijuana. Walters' admission came just days before the release of a federally commissioned report announcing that the government's $1.8 billion dollar anti-drug ad campaign has failed to discourage teens from using drugs and, in some cases, might actually encourage use. The evaluation noted that among 12- and 13-year-old viewers, the ads were more likely to encourage the use of marijuana. To date, federal officials have spent nearly $2 billion - half of it funded by taxpayers, the other half coming from media donations - on the campaign. According to the study, adolescents are exposed to the White House anti-drug ads an average of 2.7 times per week. Despite the campaign's admitted failings, the Drug Czar is asking Congress to continue funding the program at present levels - approximately $180 million annually. Walters said that he will manage the monies more efficiently than previous administrations.
• Advertisers are everywhere and getting more and more intrusive every day. Consumers are starting to fight back through education. PBS Kids just launched a media/consumer literacy site for 9- to 11-year-olds. "Don't Buy It: Get Media Smart" (http://www.pbskids.org/dontbuyit) uses games, parody ads, and humor to "sell" kids on questioning advertising, evaluating media, and becoming smart consumers. Sites such as (http://www.BadAds.org), (http://www.adbusters.com), and (http://www.commercialalert.org) help consumers fight intrusive advertising.
• The 7th Annual Mississippi Valley Young Adult Writers Conference will be held on Wednesday, June 5, at Erickson Hall on the Augustana College campus in Rock Island. This evening of writing workshops presented by successful authors is designed for youth ages 12 to 17. Registration begins at 6 p.m., and the last session ends at 9 p.m. The $15 registration fee includes all learning and writing sessions, an orientation packet, a conference T-shirt, and snacks. All facilities are handicapped accessible. For a registration form or information, visit (http://www.midwestwritingcenter.org) or call Matthew or Pamela Clemens at (563)323-6014. Deadline for mail-in registration is June 1. This is a great conference, and I'll be there helping.
• A total of 48 trees were planted during the months of May and April by the Bettendorf Trees Are Us Committee as part of its Spring Tree Planting Project. The trees were planted at a variety of sites including schools, along the Duck Creek Recreation Trail, and along several street right-of-ways throughout the city. The project was funded in part by the Million More by 2004 Tree Planting Program through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The balance of the funds came from the City of Bettendorf Parks & Recreation Department budget and a Trees Please Grant from Mid-American Energy Company. More than 1,000 trees have been planted by the Bettendorf Trees Are Us Committee over the past 10 years.
• With all the festivals and fairs throughout the year in Davenport, there was a need to provide a means to evacuate the sick or injured from mass gatherings. The Davenport Fire Department, a paramedic-level first-response service, recently purchased a John Deere six-by-four Gator vehicle capable of transporting a sick or injured patient. The department researched available equipment and picked a John Deere Gator equipped with a "med bed kit," the same configuration as what is used in the NFL for transporting injured players off the field. The Gator, appropriately named "Gator One," will be equipped with the latest in lifesaving equipment including oxygen and a defibrillator.
• The Department of Justice is seeking the dismissal of the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Office of Homeland Security (OHS). In a brief submitted to the U.S. District Court in Washington, the Department of Justice argues that OHS is not an "agency" and therefore is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act's open-government requirements. The brief argues that the OHS "functions solely to advise and assist the president and does not exercise substantial independent authority." It likens the OHS to the National Security Council, which the D.C. Circuit Court in 1996 held was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. The Electronic Privacy Information Center is seeking the disclosure of documents relating to OHS Director Tom Ridge's efforts to create a "trusted-traveler" card and his plans to standardize state driver's licenses to create a de facto national-identification system. For more information, see the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Homeland Security Page: (http://www.epic.org/open_gov/homeland/).
• To continue its support of National Mental Health Awareness month, Transitions - a community-based, private, not-for-profit organization providing rehabilitation, education, advocacy, and support services to persons with mental disorders, their families, and the general community - will offer silver ribbon-shaped lapel pins for sale to the public as part of the "Silver Ribbon Campaign for the Brain." Available for only $3, the pins can be purchased throughout the remainder of the month at Crooners Restaurant, a work-rehabilitation property managed by Transitions and located at 2326 16th Street in Moline. Pins are also available at the Transitions office, 805 19th Street in Rock Island. Similar to pink breast-cancer support ribbons, the silver color denotes advocacy for brain illnesses and disorders, including mental illness. The pins are endorsed by NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. For more information, contact Transitions at (309)793-4993 or (http://www.transrehab.org)
• According to statements made by White House Drug Czar John Walters, advertisements paid for by the federal government to deter teens from using drugs might actually be encouraging some viewers to experiment with marijuana. Walters' admission came just days before the release of a federally commissioned report announcing that the government's $1.8 billion dollar anti-drug ad campaign has failed to discourage teens from using drugs and, in some cases, might actually encourage use. The evaluation noted that among 12- and 13-year-old viewers, the ads were more likely to encourage the use of marijuana. To date, federal officials have spent nearly $2 billion - half of it funded by taxpayers, the other half coming from media donations - on the campaign. According to the study, adolescents are exposed to the White House anti-drug ads an average of 2.7 times per week. Despite the campaign's admitted failings, the Drug Czar is asking Congress to continue funding the program at present levels - approximately $180 million annually. Walters said that he will manage the monies more efficiently than previous administrations.
• Advertisers are everywhere and getting more and more intrusive every day. Consumers are starting to fight back through education. PBS Kids just launched a media/consumer literacy site for 9- to 11-year-olds. "Don't Buy It: Get Media Smart" (http://www.pbskids.org/dontbuyit) uses games, parody ads, and humor to "sell" kids on questioning advertising, evaluating media, and becoming smart consumers. Sites such as (http://www.BadAds.org), (http://www.adbusters.com), and (http://www.commercialalert.org) help consumers fight intrusive advertising.
