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Sunday, August 28
IOWA'S NEW BOHEMIA SOLAR PROJECT
by
Molly Regan
on Sun 28 Aug 2005 11:00 AM CDT
 Iowa's New Bohemia Solar Project
by Cliff Day
A group of enthusiastic volunteers recently completed installation of
the LARGEST PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAY EVER CONSTRUCTED IN IOWA (7,200 Watt) in
the New Bohemia neighborhood of Cedar Rapids (3rd Street and 10th
Avenue SE). This project was made possible by collaboration between the
Iowa Renewable Energy Association (I-RENEW), Alliant Energy, The City
of Cedar Rapids, the Thorland Company, Plan B, and the Iowa Department
of Natural Resources. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of
Energy. This new photovoltaic array will provide power to Alliant
Energy's Second Nature renewable energy program customers and serve as
an educational resource on renewable energy for the community.
The New Bohemia Solar Project in Cedar Rapids. (Look at the
chem trails criss-crossing the sky in the background!)
The New Bohemia Solar Project was completed under the technical
guidance of Dennis Pottratz of Go Solar. Mr. Pottratz is one of Iowa's
foremost experts on installation of solar and wind energy equipment.
The project manager is Rich Dana of Plan B. Mr. Dana is a renewable
energy consultant who is currently serving as the Iowa renewable energy
outreach coordinator for the Union of Concerned Scientists. The project
was organized as two three-day workshops that provided the volunteers
both classroom instruction on photovoltaic design and actual hands-on
installation experience. For more information on the project, you may
contact Mr. Dana at: (319) 530-6051 or by e-mail at rich@gotoplanb.net.
The project will be formally dedicated on Friday, September 9, by Peter
Dreyfuss, Director of the Chicago Region of the U.S. Department of
Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency andRenewable Energy. On
Saturday, September 10, Mr. Dreyfus will be keynote speaker at
I-RENEW's Energy Expo 2005 at the Prairiewoods Franciscan Center in
Hiawatha, Iowa just north of Cedar Rapids. Mr. Pottratz will also be hosting introductory
photovoltaic workshops at Energy Expo 2005.
The following links provide more information on the New Bohemia Solar Project and Energy Expo 2005:
Plan B (Rich Dana): http://www.gotoplanb.net/
New Bohemia Solar Project photos: http://www.gotoplanb.net/solarpix/
Go Solar (Dennis Pottratz): gosolar@oneota.net
I-RENEW: http://www.irenew.org
I-RENEW Energy Expo 2005 Speakers and Workshops (Sep 10 & 11): http://www.irenew.org/expo.html
Saturday, August 27
Iowa State Association of County Auditors Aligns With the Iowa House to Prevent the Passage of Paper Audit Trails
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 27 Aug 2005 11:00 AM CDT
 Iowa State Association of County Auditors Aligns With the Iowa House to Prevent the Passage of Paper Audit Trails
by Tom Slockett, Johnson County Auditor and Elections Commissioner
The Senate passed verified
audit trails unanimously last session. This was supported by the
Governor, the Secretary of State, the League of Women Voters, the
AARP, and the Des Moines Register, among others. Governor Vilsack
said he would veto any elections legislation that didn't contain
verified audit trails.
In spite
of the unanimous Senate support, Iowa House leadership refused to allow
a vote. The Iowa House and Iowa State Association of County
Auditors (ISACA) allied to block legislative action. They
succeeded. The House, with it's 100 elected state
representatives, and ISACA, with it's 99 elected county auditors,
killed the unanimously supported Senate legislation without a vote and
with no accountability of elected officials. They continue to be
allied to prevent any action in next year's legislature.
While
many auditors have stated that they intend to purchase paper audit
trails in their counties they have never-the-less joined with those
opposed to them in a nearly united front of auditors who appear to
oppose making them mandatory.
While
ISACA continues to
align with the Iowa House to prevent the passage of paper audit trails
in next year's legislative session, there has been no public
accountability, no compilation of the public position of Iowa county
auditors who, by every indication, are, behind the scenes, nearly
united against mandatory paper audit trails for every Iowa vote.
Neither
state representatives or auditors who have worked together to block
this legislation have been held publicly accountable for their actions.
The voters have not been informed whether county auditors or state
representatives support mandatory documentation. Statements such as "I
have no problem with paper audit trails" have been accepted when this
doesn't answer the key question as to whether such a statement
represents support or opposition to mandatory paper audit trails.
It is too bad that not a
single newspaper, radio, or television station has produced a full
compilation of the positions of the decision makers in the House and of
county auditors on this key issue. No news organization has bothered to
ask the 199 people whose organizations killed the bill what each of
their positions is on the unanimously passed Senate bill for mandatory
Voter Verified Paper Audit trails covering each and every Iowa vote.
Why
have elections with paper audit trails been blocked in Iowa and
what are the positions of those who have blocked them? This information
remains unavailable to Iowa voters. Why?
 Join Rapid Response -
Iowa
and
Thursday, August 25
Iowa State #2 - In Student Debt
by
Chad Thompson
on Thu 25 Aug 2005 12:36 PM CDT
 Iowa State #2 - In Student Debt
This morning's Iowa State Daily had a rather shocking back-to-school statistic:
Iowa
State ranked second in the nation among public institutions in highest
debt among graduates, according to a recent survey. Iowa Board of
Regents members say recent tuition hikes may not be the reason for the
ranking, though.
Sixty-eight
percent of ISU students graduated with an average debt of more than
$27,000, according to a study published by U.S. News and World Report
2006 Edition of America's Best Colleges. Only Idaho State University's
graduates carried more debt among public universities, with 69 percent
of graduates carrying an average debt of nearly $30,000.
The
reasons that are specified are not exactly clear, but the reason that
Iowa's college graduates leave the area have another component:
why take a big paycut to stay in Iowa when your college debt is
near-crippling for a new member of the workforce?
(What's
not entirely clear is why Iowa State's students face higher debts that
University of Iowa or UNI students - the tuition rates should be about
the same?)
In other
"Iowa State" related news, Washington Monthly published their own
rankings of colleges and university, measured in terms of how good the
school is for the health of the nation overall. (Measuring
research, public service, enabling of social mobility, etc.)
The article points out that Iowa State Beats Princeton:
Princeton
finished behind schools such as the University of Arizona and Iowa
State—schools with which it probably does not often consider itself to
be in competition—not just because of its comparatively low research
numbers, which are perhaps to be expected given that the university
doesn't have a medical school and considers its mission to be teaching,
not research. What really did in Princeton were mediocre scores on
national service and social mobility, categories in which it should
have excelled.
As a personal note, that's enough "Iowa State Blogging" for this University of Iowa graduate!
Sunday, August 21
Congress About To Slash Food Stamps in Favor of Corporate Farming Subsidies
by
Trish Nelson
on Sun 21 Aug 2005 04:00 AM CDT
 Congress About To Slash Food Stamps in Favor of Corporate Farming Subsidies
by Mike Owen
At the
Farm Bill hearing in Des Moines last week with Agriculture Secretary Mike
Johanns, at least four speakers in the first 55 minutes of testimony
stood up to support Food Stamps against exorbitant farm payments – not
that you’d know it from the media coverage.
George W. Bush proposed $600 million in Food Stamp cuts as part of $9 billion in
Ag cuts — 7 percent. Congress knocked down the Ag figure to $3
billion. Any amount of Food Stamp cuts is indefensible in the
face of tax cuts for the wealthy (and more tax cuts are coming,
folks). Using the Bush’s own 7 percent standard, the Food
Stamp cuts should be no more than $200 million.
There
are those who would make all or most of the Ag cuts come from Food
Stamps; there are serious efforts to make it $2 billion – two-thirds of
the Ag cuts. Both Senator Harkin and Senator Grassley are on the
Ag Committee and favor holding down the Food Stamp cuts — in fact,
payment limits are a big issue for Grassley, who will have a pivotal
role as Finance chair and a majority member of the Ag Committee for
whatever happens with both Food Stamps and Medicaid.
In
addition, there are efforts to block-grant Food Stamps or make other
changes in the structure of the program that would allow states to gut
Food Stamps – this is an assault on the concept of a national safety
net.
Time is
short – but there is time to write letters and make calls, and to raise
the visibility of critical issues affecting the most vulnerable Iowans.
For
Iowa-oriented information about the federal budget issues, see the Iowa
Fiscal Partnership site and the Iowa Human Needs
Advocates site. Also, the
Annie E. Casey Foundation has good information from Kids Count. And check out the Center
for Rural Affairs.
Thursday, August 18
Peace Vigil Gets Wide News Coverage; Spin Goes Against Bush
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 18 Aug 2005 04:00 AM CDT
 Peace Vigil Gets Wide News Coverage; Spin Goes Against Bush
The Iowa Channel almost spins it correctly, calling Cindy Sheehan "Peace Mom." That's a far cry better than other media who have been smearing her this past week.
Anti-War Vigils Held In Support Of Peace Mom
According to The Daily Iowan, Iowa City saw 150 peaceful protestors.
Locals Rally to Back Sheehan
From the Quad-City Times, the added local slant about QC resident Caryn Unsicker, who traveled to Crawford to join Cindy.
From the Heart
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covers it locally.
Hundreds Join Vigil for Peace
National
news actually covers the story. Looks like Cindy is striking such a
nerve with middle America that the spin is turning against the
cold-hearted Bush.
The San Francisco Chronicle spins it Cindy's way.
She reopened debate about war, and, boy, is she hearing about it
In the
Minneapolis Star Tribune, David Sarasohn says that last week, Cindy was
a California mother. This week, she's a movement. Wonder
if ignoring Cindy really looks like the best tactic now? [The link
below seems to only work occasionally - sorry about that.]
David Sarasohn: Staying away from a mother and a question
If you
choose to read just one story, I recommend a great piece, very
reflective, in the Washington Post by columnist Peter Beinert. See the excerpt below.
Why has Cindy Sheehan - the bereaved mother camped outside [Bush's] Crawford ranch - transfixed the nation?
...Sheehan's
vigil says ... something
important about [Bush]. Sheehan, after all, has only one
demand: She wants to confront [Bush] face to face. The demand is
so provocative because one of George W. Bush's defining qualities is
his aversion to exactly this sort of challenge.
...[H]e
dislikes being challenged by his political competitors - as the
country learned during last year's first presidential debate, when Bush
repeatedly scowled during John Kerry's answers. In fact, Bush aides
were so scrupulous in shielding him from criticism during the campaign
that they routinely expelled people wearing Kerry paraphernalia from
ostensibly public rallies.
...When
Cindy Sheehan first met with Bush, and tried to discuss her slain son,
she encountered this self-protective filter firsthand. "He didn't want
to hear anything about Casey," she told CNN. "He wouldn't even call him
'him' or 'he.' He called him 'your loved one.' Every time we tried to
talk about Casey and how much we missed him, he would change the
subject."
Tuesday, August 16
Ed Fallon Places 2nd At State Fair
by
Chad Thompson
on Tue 16 Aug 2005 12:59 PM CDT
 Ed Fallon Places 2nd At State Fair
As
August rolls on, we turn the "Candidate Watch" to the State Fair.
Many times you'll see just staged photo ops and a few recycled stump
speeches. One thing I don't recall: seeing a candidate
enter a Fair contest.
Ed Fallon did just that by entering (not for the first time) the State Fair Accordion competition - and placing 2nd.
Via Radio Iowa:
Ed
Fallon, a Democratic candidate for governor, did a little squeeze play
at the Iowa State Fair on Monday afternoon. Fallon won second place in
the 2005 Iowa State Fair accordion competition. He's been fair champion
twice before and finished third once, too. "My grandmother taught me
when I was about seven or eight, and I've been at it ever since,"
Fallon says.
...
If
the political speeches are good and the accordion music is good, I
think they'll probably settle for either," Fallon says. "I think Iowans
demand quality and hopefully I can deliver both on the accordion and at
the political stump."
A self-identified "conservative blogger" posted a live report of the accordion competition, along with a few impressions of her meeting with Fallon.
Another Fair Note: Garrison Keillor noted that Iowa's State Fair is something to be proud of:
"This fair is such a classic fair, where others tend to be more like amusement parks," he said.
Monday, August 15
Former State Legislator and Fellow Progressive Minnette Doderer Dies at 82
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 15 Aug 2005 05:06 PM CDT
 Former State Legislator and Fellow Progressive Minnette Doderer Dies at 82
Iowa City Press-Citizen
(Blog for Iowa apologizes for the delay in getting this post up today - the system was down for maintenance.)
Minnette F. Doderer, 82, former state legislator, died
Friday, August 12, 2005, in Iowa City.
A celebration of Minnette's life and her accomplishments
will be held at a later date, tentatively in late October or early November.
As a state legislator, she was recognized not only in our
state but throughout the country as a lawmaker advocating women's rights, equal
rights amendments, juvenile justice, child care and many other issues. She
attained the highest position ever held by a woman in the State Senate, which
is President Pro Tempore. She was one of the founding members of the Iowa
Women's Political Caucus and Co-chair of the International Women's Year
coordinating committee. Minnette was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of
Fame in 1979. She received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her
distinguished career and in retirement, including, Reproductive Rights Award,
Business and Professional Women Women of Achievement Award, Citation from the
American Academy of Pediatrics for sponsorship of legislation for Post Delivery
Benefits and Care of Iowa's Infants, Friend of Nursing Award, Feminist of the
Year Award, Iowa City Senior Center Woman of the Year, Gold Seal Award, Iowa
Coalition Against Domestic Violence, ERA Tribute, Friend of Education Award,
Distinguished Legislative Service Award, Iowa State Education Association, and
the Good Citizenship Award.
A quote from Louise R. Noun in More Strong-Minded Women:
"Minnette Doderer, tough-minded and outspoken, is the leading feminist in
the Iowa Legislature.... Doderer's efforts on behalf of women are
unflagging."
(Click here to read the entire article)
Saturday, August 13
Monsanto's Big Deal
by
Caroline Vernon
on Sat 13 Aug 2005 04:00 AM CDT
 Monsanto's Big Deal
by Karl Beitel and Nick Parker, Food First
This
serves as a reminder of where we are heading. As you know, Iowa has
already passed the Terminator Gene Bill. In my opinion, not only is
this a crime against nature, but serves as an example of the
irresponsible decisions that are being made in our government on behalf
of the highest bidder. He with the most gold makes the rules... and
evidently, now the seeds! As a mother, do you think I should be
concerned about what I feed my children?
The
world's food system is quickly consolidating. Five corporations control
90 percent of the global grain market while five supermarket chains
control most of the global retail trade. Monsanto knows that
consolidation of the global food system in the hands of a small number
of corporations is likely to continue. Wall Street analysts believe
Monsanto's future is dependent on the success of GE seed development.
Increasing its share of the proprietary seed market will allow Monsanto
to exercise significant control over the food we grow and eat. They
already control most of the biotech soy and corn markets. Now they've
extended that reach to the global seed market.
Monsanto's
announcement of their plans to purchase Seminis, the largest fruit and
vegetable seed producer in the world, was quickly followed by a
statement that Monsanto does not intend to apply biotech to develop
these seeds-at least not yet. This is a curious assertion from a
dominant biotech company.
Biotech
crops and food remain unpopular throughout much of the world. In the
United States, biotech corporations successfully fought labeling and
slipped the foods into grocery stores, knowing that these products
would likely have been rejected if consumers had a choice.
Europeans
actively oppose genetically engineered (GE) foods to the point that
major grocery chains in the European Union have vowed to remove GE
ingredients from their name-brand products. Subsequently, biotech
corporations have increasingly turned to the developing world to find
additional markets for GE foods. Even there resistance builds.
The
biotech industry promotes GE foods by claiming these technologies will
help break the cycle of hunger and increase food production. These
claims are not supported by available scientific evidence. Tests run by
the University of Nebraska, and in Australia and Argentina, discovered
significant drops in production associated with the switch to biotech
crops on the order of 10 to 30 percent.
But what if production increases are not the only reason biotech companies invest in GE foods?
Many
have argued that the real motive driving the development of GE seeds is
expanding control over the food system. Biotech crops are not only a
profitable patented product in and of themselves, they are also a
vehicle to sell other products. Monsanto sells "Roundup Ready" soybeans
as a proprietary package in which GE seeds are conveniently mated to
their Roundup pesticide. Farmers, who traditionally save seeds each
year, are prohibited from doing so with these GE seeds, which must be
purchased anew each growing season.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
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