Memorial Day: In Remembrance
All across Iowa families and friends are remembering on this Memorial Day the newly fallen. Those soldiers from Iowa who have given their lives in Iraq are:
Joshua Knowles
Jeffery Bohr
Ben Carmen
Michael Deutsch
Trace Dossett
Paul Fisher
Kurt Frosheiser
David Kirchhoff
Bradley Korthaus
Kenneth Nalley
Aaron Sissel
Bruce Smith
Michael Speer
Brandon Sturdy
We remember that our differences about the war in Iraq are not about the soldiers and sailors who do the bidding of our government. Our differences are rather about the government who fails to do the bidding of the people.
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Monday, May 31
Memorial Day: In Remembrance
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 31 May 2004 06:56 PM CDT
DFA/DFIA Meet Up This Wednesday, June 2
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 31 May 2004 11:05 AM CDT
DFA/DFIA Meet Up This Wednesday, June 2
[The QC Meet Up meets on Thursday, June 3.] In an odd sort of synchronicity, the State Group leaders from the NYC Meet Up suggested that all the Meet Ups nationwide participate this Wednesday in the verified voting movement. This was well received amongst the State Group leaders and approved by DFIA Meet Up Coordinator Karene 'kid' Nagle for Iowa. Most of us had agreed that going offline was a great idear, and that we would ask our Meet Up hosts to download the petition at VerifiedVoting.org. This happened just days before Gov. Dean's Count Every Vote online petition came out, which, I might add, now has over 100,000 signatures. In the meantime, a regular BFA blogger, known as "jc," created an offline version of Gov. Dean's Count Every Vote petition. You can download the Count Every Vote petition here to pass out to your Meet Up members. Please print out one for each member and ask them to fill them up and return them to you. Alison at DFA asks that you enter the CEV petition information you collect into a spreadsheet and email it to her at blog@democracyforamerica.com. The DFA CEV petition asks for email addresses. If you would prefer to work with the Verified Voting petition, which is mailed in to VerifiedVoting.org once you fill up the page, you can download the petition here. You can also find a five-page summary of the Verified Voting topic and a two-page flyer here. Iowa was also ahead of the curve with the Bridge The Gap For Health Care Event scheduled for June 19th. Original DFIA member Bev Clark suggested we participate in this a month ago. Come to find out, the day I was going to post this, we got a message from the mothership asking us to announce this at the June 2nd Meet Up, and to join with any other events already scheduled or to set up our own events. The last time I checked, which was this morning, there was one event scheduled -- in Iowa City. Go here for more information. To coordinate your own local event, go here. Also from the State Group leaders, Liz Herbert, who runs DeanRR, now known as the Rapid Response Network, has asked us to mention Iowa RR at the June 2nd Meet Up. I'll send out a blurb about that from Liz when I receive it. You can sign up for DeanRR - Iowa here. And, last but not least, you will find the June 2nd Meet Up agenda here. Oh, and don't forget to turn in your Meet Up report to DFA this week. Last month, only two Meet Up hosts from Iowa turned in their reports. One advantage to turning in the report is that your name and contact info then appear on the list of Meet Up hosts for the next month in case anyone is looking to hook up with a Meet Up. Thanks for all your hard work! Linda Thieman and DFIA Meet Up Coordinator Karene 'kid' Nagle
Connie Wilson: Fifty Ways to Leave Iraq, Now!
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 31 May 2004 06:33 AM CDT
Fifty Ways to Leave Iraq, Now!
By Connie Corcoran Wilson (Sung to the tune of Simon & Garfunkel's "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover") The situation's not as bad as that, they said to us…. The answer's easy if you only learn to trust… We'd like to help them in their struggle to be free. And then it's: 50 ways to leave Iraq, now. Give Iraqis back their land, now. That said, it's really not our habit to intrude… I hope our meaning won't be lost or misconstrued… So let's repeat this phrase, at the risk of being rude… There must be: 50 ways to leave Iraq, now. Chorus: Just give back the oil, Doyle. Jump on the plane, Dwayne! Put a local in charge there. Just listen to me. We'll never be welcome; it's a problem that's large, boys. It certainly looms large, in the search to be free. They said, "It grieves me so to see you in such pain… We wish there were something we could do to make things sane. I said, "I appreciate that. Then would you please explain? About… The 50 ways to leave Iraq, now. Bush said, "Why don't we both just sleep on it tonight? And I believe, that, some time soon you'll see the light. And then a bomb exploded, obscuring our plain sight Of the 50 ways to leave Iraq, now. (Chorus repeats) (Copyright, 2004, by Connie Corcoran Wilson. Feel free to reproduce the above, as long as you do not change it and give proper attribution. Please try singing it, first, as I think it will be far more humorous if I can imagine all of you singing. Order my book "Both Sides Now" from Barnes&Noble or Amazon.com if you wish to read similar comedic pieces. And check out the interview now running on www.Booksandauthors.net (me and the DaVinci code dude.) Today, we remember those who've gone before us and those who've served. Sunday, May 30
Bush Tax: Summer programs feel pinch of budget cutbacks
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 30 May 2004 04:23 PM CDT
Bush Tax: Summer programs feel pinch of budget cutbacks
Des Moines Register Budget cuts have become the norm for local school districts this year, forcing administrators to make sweeping cutbacks. That trend will continue into the summer months as the Waukee and West Des Moines school districts decrease or eliminate summer school and enrichment programs. As an alternative to completely eliminating summer classes, West Des Moines schools will rely partially on donations - and heavily on fee-based programs. The district has received money from Mercy Medical Center for special education courses and funds from PTAs for traditional enrichment courses. (more) Want to help? West Des Moines Community Education is seeking volunteers to assist teachers. To participate, contact Community Service Learning chairwoman Jane Maxwell at 633-5012 or maxwellj@home.wdm.k12.ia.us. For other inquiries, call the Learning Resource Center at 633-5001.
GLOBAL WARMING: "The Day After Tomorrow"...Fact or Fantasy?
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 30 May 2004 12:14 PM CDT
GLOBAL WARMING: "The Day After Tomorrow"...Fact or Fantasy?
By Connie Corcoran Wilson, M.S., Editor A student of mine from South Korea, Sang Jun Baek, who is currently studying to become a chiropractor at Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, recently wrote a paper on global warming for my class in "Communication Skills" at Eastern Iowa Community College. Sang Jun is already a graduate (in sports medicine) of South Korea's most prestigious university. Sang Jun's paper contained many graphs and charts illustrating the points he makes here so effectively, but it was necessary for him to download the information for this paper from the Internet in his native tongue, Korean, as (he said) it was not available to him in English. He then translated the paper into English for our class. When Sang Jun Baek wrote this paper, he had been in our country only four months. In light of the current Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhall vehicle "The Day After Tomorrow," I am reproducing Sang Jun Baek's paper with his permission and I wish to give full credit for its excellent content to Sang Jun Baek's voluntary investigative efforts. "The Greenhouse Effect": The greenhouse effect is a necessary phenomenon that keeps all Earth's heat from escaping to the outer atmosphere. Without the natural greenhouse effect, it is certain that we would all be lost. Temperatures on Earth would be much lower than they are now, and the existence of life on this planet would not be possible. The global average temperature would drop precipitously by 33 degrees from its current 15 degrees to minus 18 degrees Celsius. The Earth would become a planet of ice. However, too many greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere could increase the greenhouse effect. This could result in an increase in mean global temperatures as well as changes in precipitation patterns. [To read the full text of the report, go here.]
Iowa City: Protest doesn't slow down City's graduates
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 30 May 2004 04:51 AM CDT
Iowa City: Protest doesn't slow down City's graduates
by Rob Daniel, Iowa City Press-Citizen It was a tale of two worlds at City High's graduation Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. As the 330 graduates marched to their seats inside the arena, a group of about 15 protesters, including three children, from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., stood outside denouncing what they said was City High's enabling of the gay lifestyle. Across the street from the church protest was a counter-protest of about 75 people. This came after graduate Ilse Bendorf last week received the Matthew Shepard scholarship, a state award in honor of a gay Wyoming college student who was killed that is given to a high-achieving student who is openly gay. Bendorf declined to comment on the protests or the graduation. (more) Saturday, May 29
Iowa in the News: Elections
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 29 May 2004 04:10 PM CDT
Johnson County Sheriff's Race May Up Voter Turnout
Iowa City Press-Citizen Experienced and qualified candidates are a couple of reasons why voters and Democratic party officials say turnout will be high for the June 8 Johnson County sheriff's primary. The primary race between Keith Slaughter and Lonny Pulkrabek marks the first time the office has been contested since 1988. Sheriff Robert Carpenter, who is retiring this year, has run unopposed since his first term ended in 1992. For more information on the two Democratic sheriff candidates, go here. Thompson eager to challenge Boswell again Times-Republican, Marshalltown If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That is the tack that Stan Thompson is taking in challenging Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, for his seat in Congress this year. Thompson, a Republican challenger, said he feels good about his chances of unseating Boswell, who has fallen out of favor with at least some in the area. In particular, Thompson mentioned members of the Meskwaki Tribe, who have pledged their support for the Republican after he called for fair and open elections in the midst of the tribal dispute last year. (more)
Iowa SHARE: Strengthening Communities Through Volunteer Service
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 29 May 2004 11:12 AM CDT
Iowa SHARE: Strengthening Communities Through Volunteer Service
Have you heard about SHARE in your community? SHARE is a private, non-profit organization that builds and strengthens communities through volunteer service. The organization offers up to a fifty percent savings on nutritious food packages. Everyone who volunteers just two hours a month in her or his community is welcome to participate. There are no other income or eligibility guidelines. While many in the community know of the existence of SHARE, not many take advantage of it because of the misconceptions about the program. SHARE, in a way, is a food co-op -- buying in bulk. Many think it is only for the poor, which is not true; it is for everyone and anyone who eats. Yes, it is a good deal for those on limited incomes, but those who are not and do participate are still helping, because the quantity of food purchased gives SHARE more buying power, and volunteer labor to package the food helps to reduce the cost. Therefore, everyone who participates helps themselves and others at the same time. To get signed up one must contact a site coordinator in their area. Picking up the food is fast and easy and sign up for the next month can be done at pick up time. However, sign up is limited by dates. We need time to order the food and have it delivered, so call now and talk to your site coordinator or the SHARE office and find out what is being offered for June. Many are overwhelmed by the idea of doing two hours of community service volunteering. However, what most don't realize is that they probably already do a lot of things in their community that qualifies them to receive the packages. For more information about SHARE or to find out where the closest site to your location is, call the SHARE office in Oskaloosa at 800-344-1107 or e-mail me at gosmith@iowatelecom.net. GINA SMITH SHARE SE Iowa Developer Oskaloosa |
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