15
Jul
2003
• According to a new report by the conservative watchdog group Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), Iowa has the 15th lowest cost of government among the 50 states, while Illinois has the 12th highest. The study, published in each of the past 11 years, is designed to show key policymakers and the public the cost of government at the local, state, and federal levels. The report, which is available at (http://www.atr.org/pdffiles/2003cogd.pdf), says that Cost of Government Day - the day average Americans have earned enough money to cover the costs of government and its regulations - fell on July 11 this year. But in Iowa, which has relatively low taxes and regulations, the day fell on July 1. In Illinois, the date is July 12. The study measures the burden of government spending plus the cost of federal, state, and local regulations. The report says that regulations act as hidden taxes that make goods and services more expensive to consumers. Iowa taxpayers finished paying for government spending after 120 days. Regulations cost another 63 days.
• The Mississippi Valley Writers Conference kicks off its year-round programming at Midwest Writing Center in the District of Rock Island on September 26 and 27 with best-selling novelist R. Karl Largent of Angola, Indiana. Mel Boring of Rockford, Iowa, will lead an advanced manuscript workshop November 7 through 9 with co-instructors Judie Gulley of Orion and Jill Esbaum of Dixon. Other workshops will feature Michael Garrett, who was Stephen King's first editor, and Lee Gutkind, editor of Creative Nonfiction magazine. Dates and details for these and other workshops for beginning and advanced writers will be posted on the Midwest Writing Center Web site, ,(http://www.midwestwritingcenter.org). News on upcoming Mississippi Valley Writers Conference workshops is announced via the Midwest Writing Center electronic newsletter. To receive the newsletter, e-mail (beej@qconline.com). Information will also be posted at the Midwest Writing Center, 1629 Second Street in Rock Island.
• Nominees are now being accepted for Honorary Survivor Chair of the 15th Annual Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure. This honor will be awarded to a participating supporter of the event and a survivor of breast cancer, the nation's second leading cause of cancer-related death among women, according to the American Cancer Society. Eligible individuals must be breast-cancer survivors of at least two years and have an optimistic attitude and passion for helping others in the community. The position will require time and effort to participate in interviews during the day and evening hours and a willingness to share personal experiences. Nomination forms are available at the Genesis Cancer Center by calling (563)421-1909, or they can be downloaded off the Web site (http://www.qcraceforthecure.org/survivors). Nominations must be received by August 20.
• Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has vetoed the Help America Vote Act bill, saying that a state law to bring Iowa into compliance with a federal law designed to make it easier to vote shouldn't make the process more restrictive. The bill, referred to as HAVA, went beyond the federal requirements. In vetoing this bill, the governor stated that Iowa's bill, approved along party lines, violates the spirit and objective of federal law by including unnecessary changes to Iowa's current laws on voting. The federal act provides funding to the states to replace out-of-date voting machines, implement a statewide voter-registration system, and make other election improvements. Iowa could receive as much as $30 million for complying with the federal legislation and by appropriating the necessary state matching funds.
• Motivated by the Defense Advance Research Program Administration's TIA system - originally called Total Information Awareness but now labeled Terrorism Information Awareness system - the MIT Media Lab has come up with Government Information Awareness (GIA). The premise of GIA is that individual citizens have the right to know details about government, while government has the power to know details about citizens. The goal is develop a technology that empowers citizens to form a sort of intelligence agency - gathering, sorting, and acting on information they gather about the government. The system presents itself to users as a Web site but is actually a suite of information technologies that actively peruses data, accepts contributions, and posts alerts about government. The system will accommodate information of almost any type, allowing users to sort through volumes of information that would otherwise be unusable. The system also allows people to submit any information anonymously while still being identified as a consistent source. Another feature of the site is that any subject of a submission - whether individual, agency, or organization - is notified of the submission and asked to respond. It's important to note that, like an FBI file, submissions are not purged when denied. See for yourself at (http://opengov.media.mit.edu).
• The Rock Island Public Library recently participated in a grant project between the Northern Illinois Library System and River Bend Library System called "Grantseeking: The Next Level." As part of this project, the library received new books on seeking grants. Patrons can find these new books in the Reference Department. The library also received, as part of this grant, a subscription to the Foundation Center's Search Online. To obtain the password that will enable you to access this database from any computer, call the Rock Island Reference Desk at (309)732-7341. In addition to this grant, the library, as a member of the Foundation Center in New York, also receives books on grant-writing. These may be found in the Foundation Center Collection or in the circulation collection at the Main Library, 401 19th Street, Rock Island.
• The Pharmos pharmaceutical company has announced the commencement of the first-ever Phase III U.S. study on the effectiveness of the synthetic marijuana derivative Dexanabinol for the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). An estimated 270 U.S. patients in some 15 trauma centers will take part in the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Patient recruitment is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Worldwide, Pharmos has already enrolled some 630 patients in Europe, Australia, and Israel in the trial. Results from the trial are expected to be available late next year. A previous Phase II trial by Pharmos of 67 Israeli patients found that Dexanabinol reduced mortality and eased intracranial pressure in patients suffering from severe head injuries. A 1999 report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine concluded that marijuana's neuroprotective qualities are the "most promient" of its potential therapeutic applications. If you are interested, point your Web browser at (http://www.pharmoscorp.com) for more information on Pharmos and what it's doing.
• The Mississippi Valley Writers Conference kicks off its year-round programming at Midwest Writing Center in the District of Rock Island on September 26 and 27 with best-selling novelist R. Karl Largent of Angola, Indiana. Mel Boring of Rockford, Iowa, will lead an advanced manuscript workshop November 7 through 9 with co-instructors Judie Gulley of Orion and Jill Esbaum of Dixon. Other workshops will feature Michael Garrett, who was Stephen King's first editor, and Lee Gutkind, editor of Creative Nonfiction magazine. Dates and details for these and other workshops for beginning and advanced writers will be posted on the Midwest Writing Center Web site, ,(http://www.midwestwritingcenter.org). News on upcoming Mississippi Valley Writers Conference workshops is announced via the Midwest Writing Center electronic newsletter. To receive the newsletter, e-mail (beej@qconline.com). Information will also be posted at the Midwest Writing Center, 1629 Second Street in Rock Island.
• Nominees are now being accepted for Honorary Survivor Chair of the 15th Annual Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure. This honor will be awarded to a participating supporter of the event and a survivor of breast cancer, the nation's second leading cause of cancer-related death among women, according to the American Cancer Society. Eligible individuals must be breast-cancer survivors of at least two years and have an optimistic attitude and passion for helping others in the community. The position will require time and effort to participate in interviews during the day and evening hours and a willingness to share personal experiences. Nomination forms are available at the Genesis Cancer Center by calling (563)421-1909, or they can be downloaded off the Web site (http://www.qcraceforthecure.org/survivors). Nominations must be received by August 20.
• Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has vetoed the Help America Vote Act bill, saying that a state law to bring Iowa into compliance with a federal law designed to make it easier to vote shouldn't make the process more restrictive. The bill, referred to as HAVA, went beyond the federal requirements. In vetoing this bill, the governor stated that Iowa's bill, approved along party lines, violates the spirit and objective of federal law by including unnecessary changes to Iowa's current laws on voting. The federal act provides funding to the states to replace out-of-date voting machines, implement a statewide voter-registration system, and make other election improvements. Iowa could receive as much as $30 million for complying with the federal legislation and by appropriating the necessary state matching funds.
• Motivated by the Defense Advance Research Program Administration's TIA system - originally called Total Information Awareness but now labeled Terrorism Information Awareness system - the MIT Media Lab has come up with Government Information Awareness (GIA). The premise of GIA is that individual citizens have the right to know details about government, while government has the power to know details about citizens. The goal is develop a technology that empowers citizens to form a sort of intelligence agency - gathering, sorting, and acting on information they gather about the government. The system presents itself to users as a Web site but is actually a suite of information technologies that actively peruses data, accepts contributions, and posts alerts about government. The system will accommodate information of almost any type, allowing users to sort through volumes of information that would otherwise be unusable. The system also allows people to submit any information anonymously while still being identified as a consistent source. Another feature of the site is that any subject of a submission - whether individual, agency, or organization - is notified of the submission and asked to respond. It's important to note that, like an FBI file, submissions are not purged when denied. See for yourself at (http://opengov.media.mit.edu).
• The Rock Island Public Library recently participated in a grant project between the Northern Illinois Library System and River Bend Library System called "Grantseeking: The Next Level." As part of this project, the library received new books on seeking grants. Patrons can find these new books in the Reference Department. The library also received, as part of this grant, a subscription to the Foundation Center's Search Online. To obtain the password that will enable you to access this database from any computer, call the Rock Island Reference Desk at (309)732-7341. In addition to this grant, the library, as a member of the Foundation Center in New York, also receives books on grant-writing. These may be found in the Foundation Center Collection or in the circulation collection at the Main Library, 401 19th Street, Rock Island.
• The Pharmos pharmaceutical company has announced the commencement of the first-ever Phase III U.S. study on the effectiveness of the synthetic marijuana derivative Dexanabinol for the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). An estimated 270 U.S. patients in some 15 trauma centers will take part in the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Patient recruitment is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Worldwide, Pharmos has already enrolled some 630 patients in Europe, Australia, and Israel in the trial. Results from the trial are expected to be available late next year. A previous Phase II trial by Pharmos of 67 Israeli patients found that Dexanabinol reduced mortality and eased intracranial pressure in patients suffering from severe head injuries. A 1999 report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine concluded that marijuana's neuroprotective qualities are the "most promient" of its potential therapeutic applications. If you are interested, point your Web browser at (http://www.pharmoscorp.com) for more information on Pharmos and what it's doing.
