Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack recently called on leaders in the House of Representatives to extend a program, which is designed to ensure faster disaster recovery through economic growth and development.  Created by Loebsack and Senator Grassley in the aftermath of the 2008 Floods, Midwestern Disaster Area Bonds allowed for $2.6 billion for Iowa in tax-free bonding authority to be used for job creation and economic development.

Unfortunately, this authority expires at the end of the year, despite only $800 million having been used in Iowa.  Loebsack called on the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee to extend this job creation tool until 2015. Governor Branstad also supports an extension of the authority.

"The State of Iowa has worked hard to utilize much of this authority, but has been hit doubly hard with devastating floods on top of the worst recession since the Great Depression," Loebsack wrote to the Committee.  "Providing for an extension of Midwestern Disaster Areas Bond authority makes sense on a number of fronts, the foremost being job creation and economic growth.  I respectfully urge the Committee to include this common-sense extension which has broad bipartisan support in the Congressional Delegation, the State of Iowa, and the Midwest."

This bonding authority has aided many projects in Iowa, including a recent announcement by Iowa Fertilizer that they are considering building a $1.3 billion fertilizer plant in Southeast Iowa.  This bonding authority is being used to help attract the plant to Iowa and is projected to create 165 long-term jobs, as well as 1,500 to 2,000 jobs during its construction.

A copy of the letter can be seen here.

###

Bill would reverse regulation threatening Marshalltown refrigeration manufacturer

 

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today joined Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03) to introduce a bipartisan bill that would remove burdensome government regulations on refrigerated deli-style display cases that threaten the future of their manufacture in the United States.

 

The Department of Energy has interpreted a 2005 energy efficiency law passed by Congress to include refrigerated deli display cases in the same category as standard refrigerators.  However, the Department of Energy acknowledges that the inherent design of display cases makes it impossible for them to reach the minimum efficiency standards established in the 2005 law, effectively outlawing their manufacture.

 

Braley and Westmoreland's Better Use of Refrigerator Regulations Act will simply create a separate product category for refrigerated deli-style display cases, effectively reversing the Department of Energy regulation.

 

Lennox Industries, Inc., manufactures the deli-style display cases covered by the regulation in their Marshalltown, Iowa, facility.

 

Representative Bruce Braley (IA-01) said: "When government regulations defy common sense and put jobs at risk, it's time for a change.  With their regulation, the Department of Energy has effectively outlawed refrigerated display cases commonly found in grocery stores, delis, ice cream shops, and restaurants.  This regulation is unfair and harmful to manufacturing in Iowa and America.  Our bipartisan bill will reverse this misguided regulation and protect American jobs.  I'm proud to work with Representative Westmoreland to create a common sense solution that will appeal to people on both sides of the aisle."

 

Representative Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03) said: "Sometimes smaller issues, like this one, are overlooked in a federal government as large as ours.  But that doesn't mean they aren't important and don't impact the livelihood of many Americans, including many of your friends and neighbors here in Georgia.  By creating a separate product class for these display cases, we are allowing American manufacturers to continue to make and sell them - saving American manufacturing jobs - and we can do so at no cost to the American taxpayer.  It's bipartisan bills like this that show both sides of the aisle are opposed to the overregulation that has become commonplace in Washington.  The more regulations and red tape created by bureaucrats in Washington, the harder it is for American companies to succeed, making it harder for them to expand and hire new employees.  By eliminating unnecessary regulations, we are able to encourage job creation and economic growth.  I'm proud to have joined Congressman Braley in introducing the bipartisan BURR Act and encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in eliminating this unnecessary regulation."

 

A copy of the Better Use of Refrigerator Regulations Act can be downloaded at the following link: http://go.usa.gov/VAq

 

A photo of the refrigerated deli-style display cases manufactured by Lenox in Marshalltown can be viewed below:

 

LIIRefrigeration_ServiceDeli2 (2)

 

# # #

Washington, DC - Even as they successfully added language that would help protect arsenal workload to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) yesterday, Congressmen Bobby Schilling (IL-17) and Dave Loebsack (IA-02) yesterday introduced H.R. 5706,  The Army Arsenal Strategic Workload Enhancement Act.  This legislation builds upon their historic wins in the FY 2012 NDAA and their success in including a Rock Island Arsenal (RIA)-boosting provision in this year's NDAA committee report.

"We've made significant progress over the last year and a half in paving the way for more public-private partnerships at the Rock Island Arsenal, but our work preserving the Arsenal as an economic engine and national treasure is far from over," Schilling said. "I will continue fighting however I can to protect the Arsenal and promote its highly-skilled workforce for the economic well-being of our region, the benefit of our warfighters, and the security of our nation."

"The men and women who work at the Rock Island Arsenal have a proven track record that is second to none and this initiative ensures they will continue to be able to rapidly get our troops the equipment they need, when they need it," said Loebsack.  "I have worked in a bipartisan, bi-state and bicameral fashion to expand the public private partnerships.  This is the next step in strengthening Rock Island Arsenal, supporting the good job it provides, and ensuring it continues to be a key component of our national security and our region's economy."

The bipartisan and bicameral Army Arsenal Strategic Workload Enhancement Act, which was also authored by area senators, would help to keep arsenals like Rock Island warm and employees' skills sharp by requiring that the Army produce a plan to ensure they are properly workloaded.  Though the Army creates such plans for some of its divisions, it currently does not for arsenals. Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by other members of the Illinois and Iowa Congressional Delegation representing the Quad Cities - Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Mark Kirk (R-IL).

The Illinois and Iowa Delegation supported Schilling and Loebsack's efforts on the House Armed Services Committee to include in last year's defense bill the landmark provision lifting the cap on the number of public-private partnerships arsenals are able to enter into, maximizing the possibility for private-sector job growth at installations like the Rock Island Arsenal.  Schilling and Loebsack also included in last year's bill the provision designating the Rock Island Arsenal as a Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence, further improving its ability to enter into public-private partnerships, provide for our men and women in combat, and strengthen the Arsenal's core skills and manufacturing abilities.  These provisions were included in last year's comprehensive defense bill and signed into law by the President.

# # #

House to hold a hearing on FDIC structured loan process and
nationwide complaints regarding Lennar, Rialto and others.

Witnesses include FDIC and Lennar as well as damaged borrowers.
Please forward this message widely. Send to at least 10 others.

Each recipient of this message who has been damaged by the FDIC
structured loan process should write testimony or a letter to submit
for the record. You can modify any testimony you've already written
and send it again. A simple letter that explains what happened to you
is fine.

Please send a copy of your statement to American Land Rights at
ccushman@pacifier.com <mailto:ccushman@pacifier.com>
or alra@pacifier.com <mailto:alra@pacifier.com>.

If you have not been damaged but know someone who has, please forward
this message to them and send their contact information to
ccushman@pacifier.com <mailto:ccushman@pacifier.com>
. Please forward this message to as many people as possible whether
or not you know the FDIC, Lennar, Rialto or others have damaged them.


You can mail your statement to:

Randy Neugebauer, TX, /Chairman/
House Financial Services Committee
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC. 20515

Attention: Hearing Wednesday, May 16th.
2:00 pm Eastern Time.

E-mail your testimony to or call:
cliff.roberti@mail.house.gov <mailto:cliff.roberti@mail.house.gov>
(202) 226-1231
gisele.roget@mail.house.gov <mailto:gisele.roget@mail.house.gov>
(202) 225-7502

The Hearing is available on the Internet streamed live at:
www.financialservices.house.gov
<http://www.financialservices.house.gov/>

At the time of this e-mail the hearing had not been listed on the
website. It should be listed by the end of the week. Go to
About Us to find videos or call their general number for
information at: (202) 225-7502

House Financial Services
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee

Republicans:
Randy Neugebauer, TX, /Chairman/
Michael G. Fitzpatrick, PA, /Vice Chairman/
Peter T. King, NY
Michele Bachmann, MN
Stevan Pearce, NM
Bill Posey, FL
Nan A. S. Hayworth, NY
James B. Renacci, OH
Francisco "Quico" Canseco, TX

Stephen Lee Fincher, TN

Democrats:
Michael E. Capuano, MA, /Ranking Member/
Stephen F. Lynch, MA
Maxine Waters, CA
Joe Baca, CA
Brad Miller, NC
Keith Ellison, MN
James A. Himes, CT
John C. Carney, Jr., DE

*Problem:* FDIC Bank Closure Process destroying small businessmen,
killing jobs, undermining communities and slowing the economic
recovery.

The FDIC and its Wall Street Hedge fund partners like Lennar, Rialto
and Multibank and others are using billions of taxpayer dollars
interest free to fund for profit real estate investments with all
their legal bills paid by the FDIC.

This means that borrowers and landowners cannot compete with Lennar,
Rialto, Multibank and others in the legal process. They are up
against the deep pockets of the taxpayer competing in the courts.

It is important to understand that most small businessmen facing the
attack by Lennar, Rialto and others on their personal assets were in
good standing when their bank closed. Their only guilt was being in a
bank closed by the FDIC.

-----Please forward this message as widely as possible to all
possible victims of the FDIC bank closures, Lennar Corp., Rialto
Corp, Multibank Corps other Wall Street Hedgefunds developing
structured partnerships with the FDIC.

The FDIC is continuing to close approximately 2 banks a week. They
have closed over 100 banks each of the last two years. That means
that thousands of additional small businessmen, landowners and
borrowers are being destroyed putting a huge drag on the economy.
Hundreds of local communities are suffering as a result.

*Solution:*
* *
Congress must reign in the FDIC and subject them rigorous oversight.
The structured loan process must be stopped or FDIC must insist that
borrowers with loans at failed banks be allowed to work out
reasonable settlements where they have the resources to do so.

ALRA can help provide specifics to facilitate a closer look at the
FDIC, its main partner Lennar Corp and it's Wall Street hedge fund
subsidiaries such as Rialto and Multibank.

Bottom line, an agency of the federal government (FDIC) has and is
forming numerous For Profit Entities  to liquidate notes and
related real estate collateral left over from failed banks. On its
face, OK, what's the problem?

These new For Profit entities are not authorized, protected or
empowered by FIRREA [the federal regulation that gives the FDIC super
powers] and the loan transfer documents confirm it.

The FDIC then arranges interest free loans from the US Treasury to
capitalize the new private for profit LLC FDIC partners created to
own the notes and operate the liquidation process.

They use low-ball fair market value valuations and then borrow 100%
of that amount from the Treasury Dept. FDIC corporate guarantees the
debt. They then sell a 40% interest to a "winning bidder" for pennies
on the dollar, typically to a publicly-traded company like Lennar,
Rialto, Multibank etc., who also guarantees their pro-rata portion of
the loan.

Now we have a Wall Street company (Lennar, Rialto, Multibank and
others) as 40% owner of a For Profit LLC using public funds interest
free and a 100% loan with all their legal bills paid by the FDIC to
shake down and foreclose on damaged borrowers (damaged when their
bank failed) for additional dollars before taking the property away
from them to in turn make a profit for themselves and the FDIC.

If that wasn't enough, Rialto and other Wall Street Hedgefunds are
then going after the deficiencies of the borrowers. That means taking
their homes, cars and anything else they own because the borrowers
often pledged personal assets to the bank to get the original loan.

The FDIC has sicked predator organizations like Lennar, Rialto and
Multibank on innocent private citizen borrowers destroying them
financially and guaranteeing they cannot come back and hire people
and help the economy recover.

Remember that in most cases the borrowers did nothing wrong. They
just happened to be doing business with a bank that was closed by the
FDIC.

Also keep in mind that most borrowers in the process were making
their payments and in good standing before the FDIC closed their
bank.

These PPIP's (Lennar, Multibank, Rialto etc) are borrowing billions
in interest free dollars from the U.S. Treasury. To make matters
worse, all their legal bills are paid by the FDIC. The small
businessmen cannot compete in the courts and cannot afford to hire
the lawyers to stay in the game.

The FDIC has created a situation where there is no opportunity for
the borrower to gain equal access to justice.

There are numerous aspects of this that are morally and ethically
wrong.

-----A. FDIC is using / risking tax payer funds with no return to the
taxpayer.

-----B. FDIC has created an un-level playing field favoring a federal
agency and private Wall Street hedge funds and substantially
disadvantaging private enterprise and small businessmen. That is
contrary to government's function.

-----C. The FDIC is a profit-making partner to the tune of a 60%
share in each of the structured loans involved in the process. So the
FDIC has become the enemy of the taxpayer borrower. The FDIC continues
to be a 60% owner of each of the structured partnerships. So of course
they have slanted the playing field and given unusual powers to their
own partners.

-----D. If FDIC can do this for Wall Street, why would they not work
with the original Borrowers that were damaged when their bank failed
or at least include them in the workout solution -- give them a
chance to participate and get their investment back? The Borrowers
have the property knowledge that would be very valuable to any
development resolution down the road, especially critical on
development loans.

-----E. The FDIC has become the enemy of local economies. They and
their giant Wall Street hedge fund partners intend to make a profit
on the property taken from the failed bank's borrower's with no
compensation for the property they take. Often the FDIC actions yield
a much lower settlement than if the FDIC allowed the borrowers to work
out their loan.

-----F. The FDIC guarantees to pay most or all of the legal bills
necessary to make Lennar, Rialto, Multibank and other structured
partnerships function and attack borrowers. The Lennar, Rialto etc
come into court with five or ten attorneys intimidating the court.
The borrower has no chance at a fair crack at the legal system. The
borrower is swamped with legal bills;.

These same borrowers are unable to refinance to move the loan in
today's environment. The banks are not lending and the regulators,
state and federal, have told the banks that they will be criticized
if they engage in making acquisition & development loans,
construction loans and even commercial real estate loans.

So they take the loans and underlying collateral, attempt to bully,
intimidate and frustrate the Borrowers on the one-hand while they
compile the properties to partner with Wall Street and make a profit
with the other.

To be sure, there are bad Borrowers out there that need to be
addressed as such. But the majority of Borrowers are good people that
honored their loans. They have good histories of honorable dealings
with the banks that were closed. They were not the problem.

In many cases, especially acquisition & development and construction
loans, the FDIC just "repudiated" a valid loan contracts, refused
funding, put the borrowers out of business and breached the terms as
a Lender default.

According to reports from borrowers, Lennar, Rialto and others make
no effort to deal with the borrowers fairly or even equitably under
the law. The borrower is often given little or no opportunity to work
out a solution. Lennar, Rialto and others and their representatives
use the IRS and litigation as a threat to intimidate.

Remember the FDIC uses funds from the banking industry [insurance
fees charged banks] to guarantee depositors' accounts. They do not
use taxpayer money for their primary function, so why are they
allowed to use taxpayer money interest free to run over small
businessmen borrowers, take their property and make profits with a
Wall street partner (Lennar, Rialto, Multibank and others)?

*Action Items:*

-----1. Write up your story. It can be one, two, three pages or more.
You don't have to be perfect. Just explain what happened to you and
how you were treated by the FDIC, your bank, Lennar, Rialto,
Multibank or other company or agency that is working with the FDIC.

Be sure to send a copy of your statement to American Land Rights at
alra@pacifier.com <mailto:alra@pacifier.com>
and ccushman@pacifier.com <mailto:ccushman@pacifier.com>
.

-----2. Contact your Congressman to talk to the staff person who
handles Banking, Financial Services and/or the FDIC. Get his or her
e-mail and forward our material plus your own personal letters. Be
sure to send a copy of your personal letters regarding the FDIC,
Rialto, Lennar and others to American Land Rights. Call any
Congressman at (202) 225-3121.

-----3. Contact both your Senators to do the same as above. You may
call any Senator at (202) 224-3121.

-----4. Contact the two coalitions working to stop this extreme FDIC
abuse: FDIC Rialto Affected Borrowers Coalition (FRABCo), 10013 NE
Hazel Dell Ave #237, Vancouver, WA 98685?FRABCo.org@gmail.com
<mailto:FRABCo.org@gmail.com>
-- 503-972-4080. Check out the FRABCo website:
http://reactioncommittee.com/ <http://reactioncommittee.com/
>

-----5. Second coalition is the FDIC Bank Closure and Foreclosure
Coalition formed by the American Land Rights Association, PO Box 400,
Battle Ground, WA 98604, (360) 687-3087. It is operating under
American Land Rights and working cooperatively with FRABCo. Website:
www.landrights.org <http://www.landrights.org/>
Contact: Chuck Cushman at ccushman@pacifier.com
<mailto:ccushman@pacifier.com>
.

-----6. Call any local or regional newspapers in your area to alert
them to the hearing. Forward this message to their business
reporters.

-----Please forward this message as widely as possible. The more
allies you and American Land Rights have the more we are able to help
you protect your property rights and your community.

It is important for other groups, individuals and communities to know
where to go to get help when threatened by the FDIC, Lennar, Rialto
and Multibank bank closure scandal.

If you are not already a member, we hope you decide to join and help
ALRA help other groups compete in the political process.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*Join or donate:*

*Please consider supporting American Land Rights* by visiting our
membership page http://www.landrights.org/members.htm
to join or donate." ALRA is working hard to keep you informed.
E-mail is not that expensive but ALRA also sends tens of thousands of
faxes and letters to alert your allies and friends about your issues.
In addition we maintain a full time office and staff to serve our
members and allies. Your support at this critical time would be
appreciated. Thank you, Chuck Cushman, Executive Director.
ccushman@pacifier.com <mailto:ccushman@pacifier.com>
. Look up Chuck Cushman or American Land Rights Association on
Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Please click the Like button.

-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - -

Many of our allies in stopping this giant FDIC Bank Closure Scandal
are making contributions on a monthly bases. Contributions are
voluntary in the interest of getting Congress to stop Lennar, Rialto,
Multibank and other Wall Street Hedgefunds from destroying small
businessmen across the country and taking their personal assets to
pay deficiencies.
You can join American Land Rights with a basic membership by going to
www.landrights.org <http://www.landrights.org/>
at the bottom of the home page or by mailing a check for $25 for new
members, that's a special $10 off the regular $35 for membership, to
PO Box 400, Battle Ground, WA 98604.

You can go online and make a contribution. Supporters often give $500
or $1,000 or more. But even $5 or $10 helps the cause. Your support
will make a big difference.

Many members send extra contributions beyond their regular
memberships to help American Land Rights build this national
coalition to be even more successful stopping the FDIC and its Wall
Street hedge fund partners.

Your extra contributions make the difference in how fast ALRA and you
achieve success. There is little question that you will win
eventually. The key is to keep up the pressure on Congress as well as
Lennar, Rialto, Multibank and others in the press.

American Land Rights must have the resources to keep up the pressure,
educate the press and public about this amazing abuse of power by the
FDIC and its partners Lennar, Rialto, Multibank and others.

The FDIC continues to close over 100 banks a year. There are tens of
thousands of small businessmen and borrowers who are facing extreme
duress. Many more are in the pipeline.

It is extremely expensive to reach out to these borrowers, get
information to them to help them, and organize a nationwide coalition
effort to pressure Congress to bring a close to this excessive abuse
of power by the FDIC and its partners Lennar, Rialto, Multibank and
others.

American Land Rights is sending hundreds of thousands of e-mails,
faxes and letters to build allies in Congress.

Together we can stop the attack on your deficiencies and bring this
FDIC scofflaw agency back under control. Congress must take action.
Your continued pressure can make that happen.

The result of the attack on small businessmen by the FDIC, Lennar,
Rialto, Multibank and other companies is the destruction of thousands
of small businessmen and their companies thus eliminating many
thousands of jobs and holding back the ability of communities to
recover from the recession. Instead of helping solve the economic
crisis, the FDIC is actually impeding the recovery. Congress must get
the FDIC and its structured loan partners under control.

Please forward this urgent message as widely as possible.

Chuck Cushman
American Land Rights
ccushman@pacifier.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Look Chuck Cushman and American Land Rights up on Google by typing in
the following search terms: Chuck Cushman, Charles Cushman, Charles S.
Cushman, American Land Rights Association, National Inholders
Association and League of Private Property Voters.

President called for program in January's State of the Union address

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) introduced legislation today to create a national Veterans' Jobs Corps, a program that would seek to put unemployed veterans back to work using skills they developed in the military - to improve national parks, serve as police officers and firefighters, and work in communities.  Braley is the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

In his January State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to create the Veterans' Jobs Corps.  Yesterday in Albany, New York, Obama included the Veterans' Jobs Corps on a Congressional "To Do List" to create jobs.  Braley consulted with the White House while crafting the bill.

"One out of every four veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan is out-of-work.  The Veterans' Jobs Corps will reduce that number," Braley said.  "Men and women who've put their lives on the line for our country deserve every opportunity when they return home.  Why not provide them the chance to keep contributing to the nation they love, whether as firefighters, cops, or park rangers?  They've already rebuilt Iraq and Afghanistan.  It's time to give them the chance to help rebuild America."

The Veterans' Jobs Corps Act would allow the executive branch to create the Vets Jobs Corps program as a cooperative project between federal agencies.  Members of the jobs corps could be employed to improve public lands and national parks, prevent forest fires, work in public safety jobs like police and fire departments, and control floods.  Participation in the corps would be open to unemployed veterans and unemployed widows of veterans.

In his capacity on the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Braley has worked to reduce unemployment among veterans and create jobs for returning servicemembers.  Last October, Braley co-hosted a series of bipartisan field hearings on veterans' unemployment with Indiana Republican Marlin Stutzman.  In November, President Obama signed into law a pair of tax credits Braley had championed to give businesses incentives to hire unemployed veterans.  In February, Stutzman and Braley held another veterans' unemployment hearing in Washington.

A copy of the Veterans' Jobs Corps Act can be downloaded at the following link: http://go.usa.gov/Vpi

Audio of Braley discussing the Veterans' Jobs Corps can be downloaded at the following link: http://www.mydigitalmanager.com/index.php?a=ViewItem&i=7523

# # #
Nudity Has Long Offered Lucrative Edge, Historian Says

As the economic recovery slogs from the worst recession since the Great Depression, businesses struggle to innovate, or else risk bankruptcy. Case in point: The Fawlty Towers Motel in Cocoa Beach, Fla. is allowing guests to take it all as of May 1.

After years of declining revenues, owner Paul Hodge was in a "make-or-break situation," he told Florida Today. Rather than lose his motel, he was able to convince his wife that going nude was the best option.

Hodge hired a lawyer and consulted the American Association of Nude Recreation. He found nothing prohibitive in his state's laws. In Texas, however, a nudist maid service had to reclassify the business as "sexually oriented," which requires a permit.

"Nudity offers a potentially lucrative edge for several types of businesses trying to tough out the anemic market," says historian Mike Foster, co-author with his wife, Barbara, of the biography, A Dangerous Woman: The Life, Loves, and Scandals of Adah Isaacs Menken (www.TheGreatBare.com). "Recession has people rethinking some of their long-held prejudices."

Nudity is not the only issue being reconsidered, he says. To ease government spending and increase tax revenue, some conservative pundits, including broadcaster Pat Robinson, are reconsidering their stance on marijuana's illegality.

Whether in recent or not-so-recent history, nudity can make people rich. Foster gives the following examples:

• Hugh Hefner: The founder and chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises was worth $43 million in 2009, according to divorce papers filed that year.

• Lindsay Lohan: She earned $1 million for a nude spread in Playboy.

• Janet Jackson: Now synonymous with terms like "wardrobe malfunction" and "nipplegate," Jackson's flashed breast earned her an incalculable amount of free press.

• Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus: Although often valued as priceless, some estimate the most iconographic nude portrait to be worth half a billion dollars.

• Adah Menken: dubbed "The Great Bare" by writer/admirer Mark Twain, Foster says Menken single-handedly created the first celebrity bombshell in the Civil War era, earning her fame and money.

Menken was a singer and actress who became famous as "The Naked Lady" for her starring role in "Mazeppa." In this drama she rode a stallion up a four-story stage mountain, apparently in the buff. She actually wore a flesh-colored body stocking, but audiences were shocked, horrified and intrigued by this blend of danger and sex appeal, Foster says.

"If you were a young woman and didn't have a father or a husband to take care of your cost of living, then times were always rough back then," Foster says. "She used her body for independence, ambition and money."

To this day, part of the appeal of nudity is the fact that it's still a salient taboo in our society - a relic from the Victorian era, Foster says.

"For the business owner struggling to keep his or her business afloat, going nude can be among the most cost-effective rebranding that comes to mind," he says. "Besides a possible need for permitting, a nudist business simply needs some patrons to go semi-nude or nude, which is after all our most natural state."

About Michael & Barbara Foster

Michael Foster is a historian, novelist and biographer who graduated from Cornell University with honors in philosophy. He earned his master of fine arts from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. "A Dangerous Woman" is his fifth book. Barbara Foster, an associate professor of women's studies at City University of New York, has published poetry and travel articles extensively, and is the co-author of three books.

Closed-End Funds a Good Investment Option

Baby boomers stand to inherit $10 trillion in the next few years and women will get the bulk of it, according to a Cornell University study, because they outlive men an average of seven years.

"Women already control 60 percent of the nation's personal wealth - they outnumber men and they are traditionally the shoppers," says financial expert Scott T. Schultz, author of Scott Schultz's Guide to Closed-End Funds (www.closedendfundguru.com).

"It's sad that, despite the fact that nearly a third make more money than their husbands and they're starting businesses at twice the rate men are, 38 percent of women ages 30 to 55 worry they'll eventually live in poverty because they can't adequately save for retirement," he says.

With the first of the boomers hitting 65 this year, the nation will see an even greater number of retirement-aged women holding the country's purse strings.

"Many will inherit money and property from their parents and/or their husbands, and many will live another 30 to 40 years," Schultz says, citing the Cornell study. "They'll need to invest their money to ensure they have enough to avoid that impoverished retirement they fear, but they - and the nation - have lost confidence in the stock market; April 2011 saw the lowest number of investors since 1999."

What brokers don't tell clients about, he says, is closed-end funds. Schultz, ranked the No. 1 Separate Account Money Manager for three consecutive years by USA Today, says he earned that national honor by relying almost solely on these limited-issue stocks. Because they're available only in finite numbers and because watchful brokers can find them "on sale," they're a better bet as an investment for those who are willing to sit on them awhile.

Why is the American public so in the dark about closed-end funds? Noting his book is the first written on the topic in more than 20 years, Schultz says there are a few reasons:

• Brokers can't generate a lot of commissions from them. Brokers move open-ended funds quickly because they earn a commission with each transaction. It's easy money for them, Schultz says. Closed-end funds require a longer term investment strategy, so brokers who want to get rich quick won't use them.

• They require more effort from the broker, who has to work to find the "sales." One advantage of closed-end funds is that they can sometimes be purchased at a discount, so the investor starts off ahead of open-end investors who are paying full price for stocks, Schultz says. Even if the fund never gets back up to its full value, any increase at all is a gain. But the broker has to be willing to work to find the good investments with good discounts. And then he or she has to be willing to sit on them.

• Closed-end funds are boring! For a lot of brokers, it's just plain fun to trade stocks in products and initiatives with an exciting ring to them, whether it's Facebook or a treasure-hunting ship. These brokers are constantly trading stocks - and generating transaction feeds, lawyer fees and underwriting fees every time - because that's what they like to do. Closed-end funds require thoughtful, sometimes tedious research before buying, and then the patience of a saint as both the broker and the investor wait for the bid price to increase.

About Scott T. Schultz

Scott T. Schultz began his career in 1983 at E.F. Hutton and was ranked the nation's No. 1 Separate Account Money Manager by USA Today for three consecutive years using GIPS verified/audited performance numbers supplied by Morningstar, Inc. Schultz was a GOP nominee for U.S. Congress in 1988, and met with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush at the White House. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism.

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today issued the following statement in response to the Department of Labor's announcement that the unemployment rate dropped slightly to 8.1 percent in April and 115,000 jobs were added.

"Unfortunately, the economy is nowhere near where it needs to be for Iowans who are out of work and still looking for a job.  To truly address this problem, Congress must put aside the games that have continually plagued any progress, and work together.

"It is frustrating when even legislation such as the Highway Bill, which has traditionally been done in a bipartisan fashion, has fallen to the Republican's political games.  This legislation would not only make our roads safer for families and more efficient for businesses and farmers, it is also an issue central to job creation and economic development in Iowa and across the country.  I have crossed party lines to try and pass this bill and I personally urged the President to become more engaged on a bipartisan basis to move forward a long-term transportation plan.

"It is critical to Iowa families, business and farmers that we move forward on both the Highway bill and a real jobs bill.  The games must end."

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Nearly every day, someone asks my advice on the best way to promote their business or themselves. I get the question at speaking engagements, at the office and, yes, sometimes at home. I don't mind at all, because I've always got a good answer:

Write a book.

"A book?" some say -- with obvious horror. "I've never written a book!"

Precisely my point. But let me back up a bit.

When I started EMSI 22 years ago, I soon realized the clients who got the attention of the media most quickly were those who'd written a book. Not just any book, mind you, but one that aligned with what they were promoting. The apple salesmen who wrote about apples were far more successful getting media coverage than those who wrote about oranges - and those who hadn't written anything at all.

Why? Because yesterday's business cards are today's books. They give their authors immediate credibility, establishing them as experts in their fields. Credibility opens the door to journalists, talk show hosts, bloggers and anyone else creating content for hungry audiences. Who will they turn to as an expert source of information when a mysterious apple worm is destroying orchards? Johnny Appleseed, author of Red All Over - The Core of the Apple Industry.

There are some caveats. A poorly conceived, poorly designed, poorly written or poorly promoted book is worse than no book at all. Your book must capably and professionally represent your unique message - and you.

Not a writer? Not a problem. There are thousands of talented freelance writers and editors out there - especially in the wake of all the newspaper layoffs in recent years - who can help. So don't worry about that just yet. The first step is planning, and that's up to you whether or not you will actually do the writing.

• Decide on your book's main idea. The central focus will be what drives the entire project, so it must match the message you want to convey and it must excite you. If you're bored from the get-go, you'll likely never see your project through to the end. A great way to test ideas is by running them through these five questions:

1. What message am I enthusiastic about that I want to convey?
2. Who can benefit from it?
3. How will it help them?
4. Why am I the one bringing this idea to them?
5. How can I make my points unique and different from what has already been said on the topic?

• Pay attention to your own reactions as you test-drive your ideas. Which idea makes you smile? Which excites you creatively? Which hits the essence of what you're about - what you enjoy, think about and create every day? It may be an idea you never even realized inspired such passion in you.

• Consider what you really want to achieve by promoting yourself or your business. Business owners obviously want to grow their business and see it flourish; some people want to build careers as speakers. But often, there's something deeper driving us and we may not even be aware of it. Taking the time to do some soul-searching to identify your real motivation can help you clarify your message and find your book's focus.

A real-life example: When I sat down to write Celebritize Yourself, I planned a how-to book on commonly asked publicity questions.  But, when I ran that idea through the five-question test, I had trouble with No. 5.  So, I asked myself, "What do I most enjoy about my professional life?" The answer was easy: helping people identify and value what's unique about them and their message.  In writing a book about how to get publicity, I realized I needed to explain why everyone has an expertise that should be shared.

It's never too late to write your book. I know it seems daunting, but remember, the first time you do anything, it's often a challenge. Remember how hard it was wobbling down the sidewalk on your first bicycle? You may have crashed a few times, skinned your knees and bumped your head, but you got back on and kept trying.

Call on that brave 6-year-old you and start planning your book!

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. She also co-hosts "The News and Experts Radio Show with Alex and Marsha" on Sirius/XM Channel 131 on Saturdays at 5:00 PM EST.

Expert Calls for 'Economic Disobedience'

The national mood remains anxious, worried.  We have millions of Americans out of work, many of them Baby Boomers who've seen what they worked for these past 30 years disappear:  a predictable career, financial security, home equity, retirement savings. The foundation they've worked so hard to build seems to have collapsed before their very eyes.

"They feel lost. They see hedge-funders and investment bankers as having hijacked the American Dream from the middle class," says Peter Weddle, former CEO of Job Bank USA, Inc., and author of A Multitude of Hope: A Novel About Rediscovering the American Dream (www.AMultitudeofHope.com).

"Boomers - and all working Americans, for that matter - feel as if all of the opportunity has been sucked out of the land of opportunity, and they don't know how or even if they can succeed in this changed world."

But America is still the leader of the global economy and its future is as bright as it ever was, Weddle says. Why? Because Americans are individually prone to innovation and creativity, and collectively, the most diverse pool of workers in the world, he says.

"For all the unresolved immigration issues we have in the United States, we still have the best workforce on the planet.  Our diversity gives us a huge advantage over the competition in the global economy," Weddle says. "We have every kind of talent the world has to offer, while other countries such as China, India and Japan have very homogenous cultures so everyone basically brings the same talent to the table."

That talent, however, is being wasted.  The U.S. workplace has become an investor-driven market, a place where workers are treated as disposable cogs who are costs to be minimized rather than capabilities to be maximized on-the-job, Weddle says. The only way out, therefore, is something he calls "economic disobedience."  If every American stands up and demands their right to be employed as a person of talent - and if they then elevate that talent and bring it to work with them - they can reclaim the American Dream, Weddle says.

He sees Baby Boomers already beginning to do this. The number of 50- to 64-year-olds enrolled in college jumped 17 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

"These are the people who see this time as a moment of liberation - a chance to reinvigorate their talent so they can perform at their peak on-the-job," Weddle says. "And that self-reliance and individual determination is how our country will recapture its mojo."

A national human resources expert, Weddle says people don't necessarily have to go back to school or reinvent themselves. But they do need to identify their talent - their innate capacity for excellence - and take a proactive approach to integrating it into their career.

"It may be a gift for getting things organized, for resolving conflicts, for explaining complex topics in simple terms," he says. "Every single one of us has a talent and when we apply it at work, our job satisfaction - and our pay - goes up.

"Instead of work being a four-letter word, it becomes something to get excited about and to feel good about. We rekindle our self-confidence, self-respect and determination and we produce an economic revolution that restores democratic capitalism."

About Peter Weddle

Peter Weddle, a former recruiter and human resource consultant, is the CEO of the International Association of Employment Web Sites, a trade organization. He has written or edited more than two dozen non-fiction books regarding careers and employment; "A Multitude of Hope" is his first work of fiction. Weddle is the founder and former CEO of Job Bank USA, Inc., one of the largest electronic employment services companies in the United States.

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