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Connie Wilson - Sat 23 Aug 2008 06:31 PM CDT
altheakims - Tue 19 Aug 2008 04:28 AM CDT
Richard - Sun 17 Aug 2008 06:57 PM CDT
sspl05 - Sat 02 Aug 2008 07:21 AM CDT
ihatehogconfinements - Mon 21 Jul 2008 06:45 PM CDT
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Friday, December 30
A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER NEW YEAR'S EVE IN QC AREA
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 30 Dec 2005 07:34 PM CST
 A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER NEW YEAR'S EVE IN QC AREA
NEW YEAR'S EVE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2005
MAKE A RESERVATION NOW!
SEE THE JOHN DENVER PEACE QUILT
BOLL’S COMMUNITY CENTER
428 RIVER DRIVE
PRINCETON, IOWA
ON THE MISSISSIPPI
5:30-9:30PM
COME JOIN US FOR AN EVENING
OF FEEL-GOOD, HAND-CLAPPING MUSIC
THAT EVEN THE KIDS WILL ENJOY!
BRING YOUR OWN INSTRUMENT.
GET YOUR SINGING VOICES READY
AND BE PREPARED TO DANCE AND HAVE FUN!
IT’S A POTLUCK, TOO.
BRING A COVERED DISH OR DESSERT.
PLACE SETTINGS & SILVERWARE PROVIDED.
**CALL 563-289-1300 TO MAKE A RESERVATION**
SPONSORED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL/SUSTAINABILITY/ENERGY FORUM OF PROGRESSIVE ACTION FOR THE COMMON GOOD
Email: MJREGAN@MCHSI.COM OR visit WWW.QCPROGRESSIVEACTION.ORG
Thursday, December 22
Group Delivers Petition To Deny the Broadcast License of KGAN Channel 2
by
Trish Nelson
on Thu 22 Dec 2005 04:00 AM CST
 Group Delivers Petition To Deny the Broadcast License of KGAN Channel 2
Iowans for Better Local Television to hold broadcaster to a higher standard of service
Iowans
for Better Local Television (IBLTV) are gathering at the offices of
KGAN-TV to deliver a copy of their Petition to Deny the License Renewal
to Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The petition requests that
KGAN-TV Channel 2’s application for license renewal not be granted
until a public hearing is held to ascertain whether the broadcaster has
met the “statutory public interest” standard.
Television
station licenses are granted by the FCC for an eight year term. The
deadline for Iowa television stations to apply for license renewal was
October 1, 2005. The public has until December 30, 2005 to file
petitions to deny these renewals, or informal comments to the
FCC. Thus, it will be another eight years before citizens have a
chance to examine the performance of their local stations. According to
IBLTV Co-Chair Trish Nelson, KGAN and its corporate owner, Sinclair
Broadcast Group, have failed to meet the FCC’s programming and
management standards required of all television license holders.
The
petition states that KGAN owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, appears to
have lied to the FCC, violates the FCC’s ownership rules, has a
technically inadequate signal, fails to meet standards for children’s
programming and does not do an adequate job of reporting local issues.
“Filing
a license challenge against a broadcaster is an enormous effort,”
Nelson said. “We’ve met to work on the petition twice a month for the
past year; we’ve visited KGAN nearly a dozen times; we’ve recorded,
watched and analyzed hundreds of hours of KGAN programming; we’ve read
hundreds of public comments; many of us have even taken vacation time
from our jobs to complete the project by the FCC’s deadline.”
In the
coming months the FCC will review IBLTV’s license challenge and report
back its findings to the group. “If the FCC is ever going to deny a
television station license renewal, this is the case,” IBLTV member
Arron Wing said. “Sinclair, honored by Business Week as one of the
worst managed companies in the country, manages to increase profits,
while its revenues decrease, by engaging in joint operating agreements,
cutting staff, and totally ignoring its statutory and moral obligations
to the community. If the FCC won’t deny a license renewal for one of
the worst television stations, and worst broadcasting companies in the
United States, perhaps there ought to be a congressional hearing on the
FCC’s performance as well.”
Iowans for Better Local TV -
IBLTV.Org
Thank you, Iowa!
10 more signatures needed
to reach 500 by Thursday noon!!
Click here: There is still time to
sign
our petition to the
FCC
Monday, December 19
Non-partisan 'Families' Focuses on Middle-Class Economic Issues
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 19 Dec 2005 04:00 AM CST
 Non-partisan 'Families' Focuses on Middle-Class Economic Issues
The Dyersville Commercial
The following is an excerpt from a story in the December 14, 2005
issue of The Dyersville Commercial, a small town paper that still provides excellent
reporting on local topics of importance to citizens. The Commercial is available in print only.
by Josh Jorgenson
A new grassroots organization is doing its part to shift the
national political focus back to middle-class economic issues. Working Families Win held one of its first Iowa town hall meetings in Dubuque Wednesday night. Some of the issues the group hopes to address
are support for increasing the minimum wage, opposition to trade deals like
NAFTA and CAFTA, stronger union rights and the protection of health care and
pension benefits.
David Osterberg, the executive director of the Iowa Policy
Project, recited statistics that
indicated a declining number of Americans have health insurance. The former Iowa state legislator noted 25 percent of all positions
in the U.S.
are non-standard positions, which he defined as being part-time or temporary
jobs. Of those with non-standard positions, Osterberg said 79 percent are left
without health insurance.
The outsourcing of positions has also hurt American workers,
said Merle Duehr, the business representative for United Steel Workers Local
1861. Duehr noted the shrinking
workforce at one Dubuque
based company alone in the last four years. Currently, Flexsteel Industries has
285 employees, compared with around 600 in 2001. “We’ve got a problem in this country,” Duehr
said. “We need to elect officials, and I don’t care what party they are from,
that are going to support fair trade policy.”
Despite an abundance of regional Democratic Party elected
officials and candidates, along with a number of union members, at the event,
[David] Leshtz, the meeting facilitator,
said the program is intended to be a non-partisan. He noted Republican
gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Congressman Jim Nussle, along with other GOP
First Congressional District candidates, were invited to the event.
The Working Families Win initiative is coming to seven
states. The Dubuque meeting was the second of
such held in Iowa.
Iowans for Better Local TV -
IBLTV.Org
There is still time to
sign our petition to the
FCC
Thursday, December 15
SLAUGHTERHOUSE BLUES
by
Molly Regan
on Thu 15 Dec 2005 01:13 PM CST
SLAUGHTERHOUSE BLUES
ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH, I READ THE FOLLOWING TO THE EAST MOLINE,
IL, CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR AND NEARLY 400 OTHERS IN A CROWDED HIGH
SCHOOL AUDITORIUM. WE HAD GATHERED TO VOICE OUR OPINIONS ON A PROPOSED HOG SLAUGHTERHOUSE IN THE EAST MOLINE CITY LIMITS:
LOCATING A HOG SLAUGHTERHOUSE ON A FLOOD PLAIN IS UNCONSCIONABLE. THE
REASONS WHY SHOULD BE OBVIOUS… A FIFTH-GRADER COULD FIGURE IT OUT.
A SLAUGHTERHOUSE IS ONE OF THE WORST TYPES OF INDUSTRIES TO COME TO A
COMMUNITY. THE AIR AROUND A HOG SLAUGHTERHOUSE AND AROUND THE HOG
CONFINEMENTS THAT WILL BE BUILT TO SUPPLY THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE IS
TOXIFIED WITH DEADLY HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND AMMONIA. ACCORDING TO
DR. KAY KILBURN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN HIS BOOK
“CHEMICAL BRAIN INJURY,” HYDROGEN SULFIDE FROM HOG WASTE KILLS.
PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO IT CAN CAUSE CONVULSIONS, SEIZURES, AND
DEATH. DR. KILBURN IS “THE NATION’S FOREMOST AUTHORITY ON
HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE HUMAN BODY.” THIS PER A
SEGMENT ON IOWA PUBLIC TV’S ‘MARKET TO MARKET’ WHICH AIRED IN JANUARY,
2003.
HOG CONFINEMENTS WILL INCREASE DRAMATICALLY IN WESTERN ILLINOIS AND
EASTERN IOWA TO ACCOMMODATE THE DEMAND FOR NEARLY 16,000 PIGS A
DAY. THE NEED FOR PIGS TO BE DELIVERED ALIVE IS CRUCIAL TO A
SLAUGHTERHOUSE’S SURVIVAL.
TRUCKING PIGS FROM ONLY ABOUT 50-80 MILES AWAY MEANS MORE WILL LIKELY
LIVE DURING TRANSPORT. SO THE HOG CONFINEMENTS NEED TO BE CLOSE
BY. THE RESULTING EXPLOSION OF HOG CONFINEMENTS IS A BAD IDEA.
ASTHMA RATES FOR CHILDREN ARE WORSE FOR THOSE LIVING CLOSE TO THESE
SITES BECAUSE ANTIBIOTICS ARE USED ON MANY HOGS IN CONFINEMENTS.
A REPORT BY DR. JAMES MERCHANT OF THE COLLEGE OF RURAL HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA SUBSTANTIATES THIS.
THE STRESS THE HOGS ENDURE, AND THE SMELL OF THEIR OWN STENCH FROM
LIVING IN CLOSE QUARTERS, CAUSE THEM TO BECOME ILL. THIS IS ONE OF THE
REASONS ANTIBIOTICS ARE NEEDED.
IT IS MY SUGGESTION THAT THIS ISSUE BE TABLED UNTIL SUCH TIME THE
COUNCIL VISITS A MIDWEST HOG SLAUGHTERHOUSE. HAVE ANY OF YOU BEEN
TO ONE OR EVEN TO A HOG CONFINEMENT? IF ALL OF YOU HAVE NOT DONE
THIS, HOW CAN YOU VOTE ON THIS?
TAKE TIME TO DETERMINE FIRSTHAND THE IMPACT ON A COMMUNITY THAT HAS
EXPERIENCED ONE OF THESE. THE SAFETY ISSUES SHOULD ALSO BE OF
GRAVE CONCERN. THIS TYPE OF FACTORY INDUSTRY HAS AN ATROCIOUS
RECORD OF PERMANENT INJURY AND DEATH.
SOME LOCAL WORKERS MAY WANT TO INITIALLY BE EMPLOYED AT A HOG
SLAUGHTERHOUSE, BUT USUALLY ONLY STAY A YEAR OR SO. THIS
INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BY THE GLOBAL RESEARCH ACTION CENTER FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT OR G.R.A.C.E
OFTEN IMMIGRANT AND OR MIGRANT WORKERS ARE DRIVEN TO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE
TO WORK, AND ARE NOT AWARE THAT THEY CAN SPEAK OUT IF SAFETY IS A
CONCERN. MANY OF THESE WORKERS LIVE IN HOUSES OWNED BY “THE
COMPANY”. OUT OF THEIR WAGES COMES MONEY TO PAY FOR THEIR ‘RENT’
AND FOR THEM BEING DRIVEN TO WORK. ALSO PAYMENT FOR THEIR MEALS AT THE
SLAUGHTERHOUSE IS AUTOMATICALLY DEDUCTED.
IN ONE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, WHEN A FIRE BROKE, 25 PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE THEY
HAD ALL BEEN LOCKED IN DURING WORKING HOURS. DOES THIS SOUND LIKE
A SAFE INDUSTRY?
SO PLEASE VOTE NOT TO BRING THIS DANGEROUS FACTORY TO THE AREA. BRING
INSTEAD A MORE BENEVOLENT BUSINESS: TRY TO ATTRACT A FLAG MAKING
COMPANY, OR A WIND GENERATOR MANUFACTURER, OR A COMPOSTING COMPANY THAT
MAKES INSULATION BRICKS. HUNDREDS OF OTHER TYPES OF BUSINESSES
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.
THE WASTE ALONE FROM THE HOG CONFINEMENTS THAT MUST SUPPORT THIS
SLAUGHTERHOUSE IS MUCH MORE THAN OUR LAND CAN SUPPORT. THE WATER
IN THE AREA WILL NOT BE FIT FOR USE, AND TOURISM WILL SUFFER AS A
RESULT.
THOSE ATTENDING THE JOHN DEERE CLASSIC WILL SMELL HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND
AMMONIA INSTEAD OF NEWLY MOWED GRASS. THESE SMELLS CARRY. THE DAY
BEFORE THANKSGIVING WHEN THE 40MPH WINDS WERE FROM THE NORTH, THE SMELL
OF MANURE WAS PICKED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF MOLINE.
THE BIX WILL BE MORE SMELLY THAN SWEATY. EVEN THE FAIRS AND
OUTDOOR MUSICAL EVENTS WILL BE EFFECTED. A FEW DAYS OF STAGNANT
AIR IN WHICH THERE IS NO AIR MOVEMENT SUCH AS HAPPENED FOR 3 DAYS LAST
FEBRUARY WILL KEEP THE SMELLS FROM MOVING OUT OF THE AREA. THE
AIR QUALITY INDEX WILL BE EXTREMELY HIGH FOR THOSE WITH RESPIRATORY
PROBLEMS.
THE COST TO THE COMMUNITY IN INCREASED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS 5, 20, 50 YEARS FROM NOW WILL NOT BE WORTH IT.
THERE IS A BULLY IN THE ROOM. IT IS CALLED TRIUMPH. IT IS TIME TO STAND UP TO IT.
VOTE NOT TO APPROVE THIS REQUEST. THANK YOU
.....THEN AFTER MOST OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT TIME, TRIUMPH FOODS
CAME INTO THE ROOM. ITS GOLDEN BOY CHOSEN TO SPEAK WAS CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER, RICK HOFFMAN. NOT ONLY WAS IT ODD THAT THE
COMPANY OFFICIALS WEREN'T IN THE ROOM FOR MANY OPINIONS ON THEM COMING
TO TOWN, BUT THEY CAME FROM BEHIND A CURTAIN!
MR. HOFFMAN SPENT TIME TELLING US HOW MANY WONDERFUL JOBS THEY WOULD
BRING. BUT THIS COMPANY HAS NO TRACK RECORD. IT WAS CREATED
IN 2003 BY A CONSORTIUM OF PORK PRODUCERS WHICH INCLUDES CHRISTIANSEN
COMPANY. THE ONLY OTHER PLANT THEY'VE BUILT IN ST. JOSEPH, MO.,.
HAS HAD THEIR OPENING DELAYED BECAUSE THERE WAS A FIRE. ONE WORKER
DIED AND 14 WERE INJURED.
SO MANY QUESTIONS ARE LEFT UNANSWERED. THE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
DISCUSSIONS HAVE GONE ON FOR MONTHS. ONLY THE WEEK AFTER
THANKSGIVING DID THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS RECEIVE THE PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.
IT JUST SO HAPPENED THE TWO SPEAKERS FROM GRACE (GLOBAL RESEARCH ACTION
CENTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT) HAD BEEN SLATED FOR OVER 6 WEEKS TO COME TO
THE AREA DECEMBER 3RD.
SO, NOW ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS OF SILVIS (NEXT TO EAST MOLINE) WANTS
TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS THIS COMING WEEK. THE EAST MOLINE COUNCIL
WILL VOTE AGAIN MONDAY, DECEMBER 19TH WHETHER OR NOT TO RECOMMEND TO
PROCEED WITH THE PROPOSED AGREEMENT.
SO, TIME WILL TELL. THERE ARE ALSO PERMITS WHICH WOULD HAVE TO BE SCRUTINIZED.
ONCE AGAIN, CORPORATE AMERICA TRIES TO PUT A STRANGLEHOLD ON A COMMUNITY. IT AIN'T OVER, TILL IT'S OVER.
TO CHECK ON THE GRACE FACTORY FARM PROJECT, GO TO WWW.FACTORYFARM.ORG
ALSO, VIEW IOWA FARMERS UNION WWW.IAFU.ORG BECAUSE THEY HAVE
ASKED FOR A MORATORIUM ON CAFO'S (CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING
OPERATIONS)
AND DON'T FORGET...CPR...CONSERVE/PARTICIPATE/RECYCLE
Monday, December 12
This Week in Media
by
Arron Wings
on Mon 12 Dec 2005 11:00 AM CST
 This Week in Media
The
“must read” of the week is “When Message and Medium Look to Fool” by
Leonard Pitts Jr. It takes on the Bush administration's abuse of the media both here and in Iraq.
“...while political
manipulation of the news is hardly new, Team Bush has a long and
singularly sordid record of trying to turn the media into a wholly
owned public relations subsidiary. Now they’re taking their act
on the road. And get this: They’re doing it under the guise of building
democracy. Which is rather like stealing from the collection plate
under the guise of giving to the needy."
Click here for the full
story.
Indecency
is back to center stage as Federal Communications Commission Chairman
Kevin J. Martin pressures the industry to clean up offerings and the
Congressional Research Service Study says proposed indecency rules
likely violate First Amendment.
John
Nichols and Robert McChesney, founders of FreePress have a new book
out. “Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin
Elections, and Destroy Democracy.” Associated Press article is
here, and Buzzflash review is here.
A
transcript of “Town Hall Meeting on the Future of Media” held October
5, 2005 in Iowa City is now available here. Audio is available
here.
Free Press Media Minutes are here.
Saturday, December 3
Working Families Win - A Town Meeting in Dubuque
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 03 Dec 2005 11:00 AM CST
Working Families Win - A Town Meeting in Dubuque
Working Families Win
Higher Expectations for Iowa’s
Working Families!
A Town Hall Meeting for people concerned about good
jobs,fair taxes, and a healthy future for our community
Wednesday, Dec. 7
7:00-8:30 PM
Midway Best Western
3100 Dodge
Dubuque
We know that too few of us connect the dots between public
policies and our pocketbooks, and too few of us believe that things can be
different. Health care can be
affordable. Jobs can pay good wages. Our communities can provide a safe
environment for our children who want to stay and work here as adults.
Join us to learn more and to take action!
Panelists
David Osterberg, Executive Director, Iowa
Policy Project
Amalia Anderson, Project Coordinator, League of Rural Voters
Merle Duehr, Business Representative, United Steel Workers
Local 1861
Welcome: Roy Buol, Mayor-elect, City of Dubuque
Sponsors
Dubuque
Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
Iowa Farmers Union
Iowans for Sensible Priorities
Iowa for
Health Care
Immigrant Voices Project
Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO
Iowa Citizens
for Community Improvement
Iowa Postal
Workers Union
Iowa Citizen Action Network
AFSCME Council 61
League of Rural Voters
Iowa/Nebraska Primary Care Association
Women, Food and Agriculture Network
Service Employees International Union Local 199
Intro to American Government class, Northeast
Iowa Community College
Working Families Win/Americans for Democratic Action
Education Fund
For more information, contact: Dave Leshtz, Working Families Win,
319-621-4205
Iowans for Better Local TV - IBLTV.Org
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