The Cities, WQPT's public affairs program, goes on location with host Jim Mertens interviewing Vice President Joe Biden during his visit to Davenport on Wednesday and Bishop Gene Robinson, who is in town to discuss religion and sexual identity at Augustana. It's all tonight on The Cities with Jim Mertens at 6:30 pm., with an encore presentation on Sunday at 5:30 pm.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - America's sweetheart, Julia Roberts, once said about love, "I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn't matter what you do, or who you are or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together." Love is a powerful emotion. True love even more so. Set in New Mexico - the romantic Land of Enchantment - Amber's Ambitions (published by AuthorHouse) is a new esoteric love story by author Janice I. Meissner.

In Amber's Ambitions, Amber meets a kind gentleman named Armand from Albuquerque - the two instantly become enamored with one another and their love for one another quickly blossoms.

An excerpt from Amber's Ambitions:

"My dearest love, there are no words in any language which could express my love for you because of all the work you do in the business and in our home. Your energy gives me help when I need it. I appreciate your unconditional love. It goes without saying how much my male character is admired when we find our bliss. My love, your touch is so special for me. It could only be found with you, Amber. I love you as completely as I know how. I admire you, I adore you, and realize you were meant for me to love, which I certainly do."

"Many men look at women only as sex objects," says Meissner. "Women are not held in high esteem, whereas Armand loves, adores and totally respects Amber. He reflects the love she has for him."

About the Author
Janice I. Meissner is a native Iowan who spent 35 years in Minnesota. After retiring she and her husband moved to New Mexico, where she works as a floral designer and instructor.  Meissner is also author of Oh! Rachel.

MOLINE, ILLINOIS - Tune in Fridays at 7 pm when WQPT brings you "Artists in Profile," a new production that takes a look at the creative process in the words of visual and performance artists.

"Last year the Illinois Arts Council contacted us to offer production assistance for a program that highlighted the accomplishments of our areas artists.  After talking with our producer, Lora Adams, we began pre-production on 'Artists in Profile' and taped three hour long performances in late October 2011," said Rick Best, General Manager for WQPT.  "Being able to showcase the creativity of both visual and performance artists has been a wonderful addition to our local programming."

Michael Romkey and The Bucktown Revue are featured in the first half hour episode that airs March 23 at 7 pm. Upcoming episodes feature Jason Platt (cartoonist), Erin Freund (harpist) and Susan Holgersson (set designer) on March 30th; Tristan Tapscott (actor/producer), Ellis Kell (musician), and Kate Askegaard (visual artist) on April 6; The Westbrook Singers on April 13; Catie Osborn (smash poetry), Bill Gustafson (muralist) and Kelly and Tammy Rundle (filmmakers) on April 20th.  "Pages from a Young Girls Life" a ballet from Ballet Quad Cities portrays the life of Anne Frank and was choreographed in 2005 by Johanna Jakhelln. The special hour long program will air on April 27.

The series is funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. Three one hour music specials have also been taped and aired on WQPT as a result of the grant. The first was a Christmas concert performed by The Westbrook Singers in December of 2011 and in March 2012 The Westbrook Singers also appeared in an hour long gospel music special along with an hour featuring The Bucktown Revue.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University located in Moline, Illinois.

WHEN: 3-31-12

TIME: 1 - 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Barnes & Noble, 320 W. Kimberly Rd., Davenport, Iowa 52806

WHAT: Dorris, a resident of Davenport, IA, will be available to sign copies of his book, Life Is Too Short: Life Is What We Make It.

Fear not, for in Life Is Too Short: Life Is What We Make It, author David Dorris shows you how to approach life's problems and that making the right choices is easier than you think. Life is like a baseball game where the pitcher is constantly throwing you curveballs. As this is the case, do you want to simply be a spectator, or do you want to get in the game and face life head-on? Although it may sound simple sometimes, life is not an easy game to play. There are many challenges to overcome and many choices you have to make. None of you have a choice as to how you come into the world; however, you do have a choice as to the kind of life you live. Follow David in Life Is Too Short: Life Is What We Make It, and find out for yourself how you too can knock life's curveballs out of the park.



For more information, contact Jim Miller at 888-361-9473 or jim@tatepublishing.com

###

The Bells of Balangiga
by Dr. Eleonor Mendoza

NEW NOVEL EXPLORES LOVE AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE PHILIPPINE INSURRECTION AND WORLD WAR II

The Bells of Balangiga, by Dr. Eleonor Mendoza, brings to life two inextricably linked love stories set against the Philippine Insurrection and World War II.

The novel, which takes place in the Philippines, reflects the customs, traditions, and charm of the time. The story is set with Lieutenant Jack Stewart, a West Point graduate assigned to the Nueva Ecija Province in the Philippines in 1940. Jack falls in love with a young Filipina woman named Neneng, but when his parents visit to attend a reception for the officers, Jack's mother reveals that Jack has a sweetheart back home.

Crestfallen, Neneng seeks comfort in the arms of her mother Clara, who divulges that she was once engaged to Jack's father during the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902). Since then, Clara has been haunted by the sounds of the bells of Balangiga, three church bells taken by the United States Army from the Philippines in 1901. To her, they embody the conflict that shaped her early life. The book goes on to narrate each woman's story and the wars that got in the way.

"We talk of countries going to war, but it is the people who go to war, who fight, who lose loved ones, who are killed," says Dr. Mendoza. "The Bells of Balangiga shares two stories of people who fall in love, against the backdrop of human conflict."

As the only Christian country in Asia, the Philippines holds its religious ideals close. The female characters' beliefs guide their actions throughout the story, while a thorough appendix expands on the history, traditions, and military battles that Mendoza mentions throughout the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Eleonor Mendoza was born on the southern island of Mindanao, in the Philippines. A licensed physician, although no longer practicing, she came to the United States in 1974 and currently lives in Davenport, Iowa with her husband. She is on the Executive Board of the Filipino American Association of Iowa-Illinois and is active in charity organizations that aid the people of the Philippines. Recently, she has helped with humanitarian work for Typhoon Sendong victims in the Philippines' Iligan City.

We've updated several events, so this file contains the most current information. If you're getting this message as a forward, you can sign up to get future newsletters directly via the Good Reads e-mail.

Library Lines Spring 2012 (PDF)

Davenport, Iowa - March 8, 2012 - On March 4, 2012, KMXG-FM, 96.1 MIX 96 debuted a new weekend line-up featuring Syndicated Programming once featured on former sister station, 101.3 KUUL-FM.

For years, 96.1 MIX 96 has been the Quad Cities radio station for real music variety?and now, Sundays mean: THE SEVENTIES! New to MIX 96: Casey Kasem's American Top Forty-the 70's (Sundays 11am-2pm),

John Landecker with 'Into the 70's' (Sundays 2-6pm) and Steve Goddard with 'The 70's' Sundays from 9pm to midnight. These 70's shows, along with the MIX 96 Jazz Patio with Art Monroe (Sundays 8a-11a) and

Smooth Jazz Sunday night (Sundays 6-9p), give MIX 96 incredible weekend music variety.

 

Complete MIX 96 Weekend Lineup:

 

Saturdays 'Retro Saturdays'

·         Midnight-6am: All 80's (host: Maurice)

·         6am-10am:     Casey Kasem's American Top Forty-the 80's

·         10am-4pm:     All 80's (hosts: Ron and Amy from the MIX 96 morning show)

·         4pm-8pm:       Retro Pop Reunion w/Joe Cortez

·         8pm-2am Sun: Backtraxx USA w/Kid Kelly

 

Sundays

·         7am-7:30am:  Quad City Forum

·         7:30am-8am:  Viewpoints

·         8am-11am:     The MIX 96 Jazz Patio w/Art Monroe

·         11am-2pm:     Casey Kasem's American Top Forty-the 70's

·         2pm-6pm:       Into the 70's w/John Landecker

·         6pm-9pm:       Smooth Jazz Sunday Night w/Art Monroe

·         9pm-Mid:         The 70's w/Steve Goddard


Central Points Fine Arts is sponsoring a Poetry Contest which is free and is open to Davenport-area residents. There are fifty prizes totaling $5000, with a $1000 Grand Prize for the last poet standing.  Poems of 21 lines or fewer on any subject and in any style will be judged by the contest director, Dr. Joseph Cameron.

Entrants should include their name and address on the same page as the peom, and a winner's list will be sent to them.

Entries must be received by April 10, 2012, and can be submitted via mail to Free Poetry Contest, PO Box 3336, Central Point, OR 97502; or enter online at www.freecontest.com

Davenport, Iowa - February 13, 2012 - Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Eastern Iowa today announced that Jeff Ashcraft has been named Vice President and Market Manager, effective immediately. Ashcraft oversees the daily operations of the Davenport, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City markets.

As Vice President and Market Manager for Eastern Iowa, Ashcraft is responsible for recruiting and developing market teams and revenue strategies. He leverages Eastern Iowa's programming resources throughout the region and company to create the best listening experiences for the audience and solutions for advertisers. Ashcraft also serves as a Clear Channel Ambassador, overseeing the company's engagement in Eastern Iowa's communities.

"Jeff has a proven ability to lead and has demonstrated that for the last six years in Davenport," said Matt Martin, Senior Vice President of Operations - West Region, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. "We are excited to leverage his talents across these three Eastern Iowa markets. This is great next step for all of us."

Ashcraft has been with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment since 2005, serving as Director of Sales and National Sales Manager for the Davenport market. He successfully developed the sales staff into a cohesive team creating several new revenue generating projects while implementing strategies that resulted in gross sales growth. Prior to Clear Channel, Ashcraft was a Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Marycrest International University and the Regional Corporate Communications Manager for MidAmerican Energy Company.

About Clear Channel Media and Entertainment:
With 238 million monthly listeners in the U.S., Clear Channel Media and Entertainment has the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America. Clear Channel Media and Entertainment serves 150 cities through 850 owned radio stations. The company's radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM stations, HD digital radio channels, Sirius/XM satellite, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company's radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile application on iPads and smartphones, and used via navigation systems from TomTom, Garmin and others. The company's operations include radio broadcasting, online and mobile services and products, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation. Clear Channel Media and Entertainment is a division of CC Media Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: CCMO), a leading global media and entertainment company. More information on the company can be found at clearchannel.com, clearchanneloutdoor.com and ccmediaholdings.com.

###

WASHINGTON?New reports from Ayn Rand's publisher indicates that sales figures for "Atlas Shrugged" are continuing a remarkable trend.

In 2011 all English editions of "Atlas Shrugged" sold 445,000 copies.

"This is incredible," says Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. "Since Obama was elected, 'Atlas Shrugged' has sold more than 1.5 million copies. This is unheard of in the publishing industry, for a 55-year-old novel to register sales of this magnitude. And what's even more remarkable is that this is even more than the book sold in 1957 . . . when it was a best seller!"

In addition, Penguin's new "Atlas Shrugged" iPad app recently won the Publishing Innovation Award for best app in the fiction category.

"Atlas Shrugged" is a mystery story about the disappearance of America's great thinkers, industrialists, inventors and artists. Its theme is the role of the mind in man's existence. A philosophical novel of breathtaking scope, "Atlas Shrugged" has been embraced, in recent years, by people looking for answers to the problems of an ever-expanding federal government.

# # #

Pages