10
Sep
2002
• River Action has launched the Retain the Rain program, an initiative to conserve water and lower flood levels in area rivers and streams by making rain barrels available for citizens and businesses at a reduced price. The idea is that the simplest action that can be taken to reduce runoff is to collect the rain from residential homes and commercial buildings. Grant funds have paid for the initial purchase of a bulk quantity of rain barrels and the storage of them until they are sold to residents for $25 each. By allowing gutters to empty into collection basins, rainwater can stored for use in irrigating lawns and gardens, washing vehicles, or watering indoor plants. Collection reduces the amount of water flowing to streams and rivers and can therefore help lower flood levels. You can get more information about the program by calling River Action at (563)322-2969. More information on River Action and its activities can be found on its Web site at (http://www.riveraction.org).
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Privacy International recently released the fifth annual Privacy & Human Rights survey. The report, which was unveiled at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., reviews the state of privacy in more than 50 countries around the world. The report finds that many new anti-terrorism laws adopted by national governments since the September 11 terrorist attacks threaten political freedom. The report, which runs more than 400 pages, covers a wide range of other topics, including biometrics, genetic privacy, national ID cards, spy TV, and privacy-enhancing technologies. You can find a copy at (http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/phr2002/).
• Habitat for Humanity - Quad Cities will break ground for its 25th and 26th homes on September 14 at 1025 15th Street A in Moline. The groundbreaking is being held to celebrate Habitat for Humanity International's annual "Building on Faith" week, a time each year when Habitat for Humanity International celebrates its partnerships with churches around the world by simultaneously building houses as a global symbol of faith in action. The groundbreaking begins at 10 a.m. For more information on Habitat for Humanity-Quad Cities, call (563)359-9066 or look on the Web at (http://www.habitatqc.org).
• A total of 184 individuals donated blood during the third annual Labor of Love Blood Drive to help boost the local blood supply going into the Labor Day weekend and to encourage individuals to donate a pint before starting their holiday. Every three seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Everyone participating in the drive received a Labor of Love mouse pad and a chance to win an angel sculpture by Davenport artist Patty Anderson. For more information on how you can donate blood, look at the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center's Web site at (http://www.bloodcenter.org) or call (563)359-5401.
• At the end of last year, the number of people in prison or jail or on probation or parole in the United States hit an all-time record of 6.6 million, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The number increased by 147,000 from that in 2000. The Bureau of Justice Statistics report "Probation & Parole in the United States, 2001" is available online at (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ppus01.htm). More information also can be found at (http://www.sentencingproject.org) and at (http://www.november.org), the Web site for an advocacy group for drug-war prisoners and their loved ones.
• Telemarketers are cashing in on the post-September 11 adoration of firefighters. The Iowa Attorney General's Office has reported that the Iowa Professional Firefighters Association has taken in nearly $400,000 this year, but only $168,000 has gone to firefighters' charities and programs. The rest paid for overhead, including the Florida telemarketing firm hired to make the calls. Most of Iowa's larger fire departments - such as in Davenport, Bettendorf, Waterloo, and Des Moines - are not part of the association. Other cities have withdrawn from the association or formally asked that calls not be made in their areas. The best way to help your local fire department is to donate directly.
• Rock Island artist Peter Xiao's oil painting Oval Players, No. 2 will be permanently displayed at Black Hawk College. The painting and two others by Xiao will be unveiled September 20 at a reception for the artist in the lower lobby of Building 1 of the Quad Cities campus, 6600 34th Avenue in Moline. The reception will run from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the lower lobby. Xiao, a Rock Island artist, was chosen from 12 local artists who submitted samples of work for possible display in the lobby. A selection committee of community members and college employees reviewed the applications and chose Xiao as the finalist. Black Hawk College received a $2,000 matching grant from Quad City Arts to help pay for the artwork and installation.
• An initiative to repeal the Massachusetts state income tax is gaining momentum. The Committee for Small Government collected 120,000 signatures to win the measure a place on the November 5 ballot. Backers still face an uphill battle, though. On August 29, the Boston Globe released a poll showing that 40 percent of likely voters support the tax-abolition measure. But the poll was taken before the committee's full-page ad appeared in the 1.2-million-circulation paper. The Committee for Small Government claims the measure - which would take $9 billion each year out of the state's $23 billion annual budget and put it back into the hands of taxpayers - would not be harmful to Massachusetts. The committee says ending the tax would give $3,000 every year to the state's 3 million workers and create 300,000 new jobs, while forcing the legislature to cut wasteful spending. Even if the measure passes, some observers believe the Massachusetts state government will attempt to repeal it. For more information, look at the Committee for Small Government Web site at (http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/index.html).
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Privacy International recently released the fifth annual Privacy & Human Rights survey. The report, which was unveiled at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., reviews the state of privacy in more than 50 countries around the world. The report finds that many new anti-terrorism laws adopted by national governments since the September 11 terrorist attacks threaten political freedom. The report, which runs more than 400 pages, covers a wide range of other topics, including biometrics, genetic privacy, national ID cards, spy TV, and privacy-enhancing technologies. You can find a copy at (http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/phr2002/).
• Habitat for Humanity - Quad Cities will break ground for its 25th and 26th homes on September 14 at 1025 15th Street A in Moline. The groundbreaking is being held to celebrate Habitat for Humanity International's annual "Building on Faith" week, a time each year when Habitat for Humanity International celebrates its partnerships with churches around the world by simultaneously building houses as a global symbol of faith in action. The groundbreaking begins at 10 a.m. For more information on Habitat for Humanity-Quad Cities, call (563)359-9066 or look on the Web at (http://www.habitatqc.org).
• A total of 184 individuals donated blood during the third annual Labor of Love Blood Drive to help boost the local blood supply going into the Labor Day weekend and to encourage individuals to donate a pint before starting their holiday. Every three seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Everyone participating in the drive received a Labor of Love mouse pad and a chance to win an angel sculpture by Davenport artist Patty Anderson. For more information on how you can donate blood, look at the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center's Web site at (http://www.bloodcenter.org) or call (563)359-5401.
• At the end of last year, the number of people in prison or jail or on probation or parole in the United States hit an all-time record of 6.6 million, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The number increased by 147,000 from that in 2000. The Bureau of Justice Statistics report "Probation & Parole in the United States, 2001" is available online at (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ppus01.htm). More information also can be found at (http://www.sentencingproject.org) and at (http://www.november.org), the Web site for an advocacy group for drug-war prisoners and their loved ones.
• Telemarketers are cashing in on the post-September 11 adoration of firefighters. The Iowa Attorney General's Office has reported that the Iowa Professional Firefighters Association has taken in nearly $400,000 this year, but only $168,000 has gone to firefighters' charities and programs. The rest paid for overhead, including the Florida telemarketing firm hired to make the calls. Most of Iowa's larger fire departments - such as in Davenport, Bettendorf, Waterloo, and Des Moines - are not part of the association. Other cities have withdrawn from the association or formally asked that calls not be made in their areas. The best way to help your local fire department is to donate directly.
• Rock Island artist Peter Xiao's oil painting Oval Players, No. 2 will be permanently displayed at Black Hawk College. The painting and two others by Xiao will be unveiled September 20 at a reception for the artist in the lower lobby of Building 1 of the Quad Cities campus, 6600 34th Avenue in Moline. The reception will run from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the lower lobby. Xiao, a Rock Island artist, was chosen from 12 local artists who submitted samples of work for possible display in the lobby. A selection committee of community members and college employees reviewed the applications and chose Xiao as the finalist. Black Hawk College received a $2,000 matching grant from Quad City Arts to help pay for the artwork and installation.
• An initiative to repeal the Massachusetts state income tax is gaining momentum. The Committee for Small Government collected 120,000 signatures to win the measure a place on the November 5 ballot. Backers still face an uphill battle, though. On August 29, the Boston Globe released a poll showing that 40 percent of likely voters support the tax-abolition measure. But the poll was taken before the committee's full-page ad appeared in the 1.2-million-circulation paper. The Committee for Small Government claims the measure - which would take $9 billion each year out of the state's $23 billion annual budget and put it back into the hands of taxpayers - would not be harmful to Massachusetts. The committee says ending the tax would give $3,000 every year to the state's 3 million workers and create 300,000 new jobs, while forcing the legislature to cut wasteful spending. Even if the measure passes, some observers believe the Massachusetts state government will attempt to repeal it. For more information, look at the Committee for Small Government Web site at (http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/index.html).
