• Have you ever wondered how your favorite restaurant or grocery store does on its health inspections? Although food-establishment inspection reports have always been available to the public by coming to the Health Department, you can now log on to the Scott County Health Department's Web site at (http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/health) to see the reports in the comfort of your home. Inspections done after January 1, 2002 feature the inspector's actual comments following the violations. Food establishments are inspected one to three times a year, and not all have been inspected yet this year. Inspections will appear as they are done.
• AWeb bug is a graphic on a Web page or in an e-mail message designed to monitor who is reading the page or message. Web bugs are often invisible because they are typically only one pixel in size. In many cases, Web bugs are placed on Web pages by third parties interested in collecting data about visitors to those pages. The word "bug" is being used to denote a small eavesdropping device, not a programming error. Bugnosis is a neat piece of software from the Privacy Foundation that monitors Web pages and e-mail viewed on a computer and makes its analysis available to the user of that computer. I have it installed on my computer and was quite surprised at the number and type of Web bugs that can be found. See for yourself at the Bugnosis Web site at (http://www.bugnosis.com).
• Glass Impact has announced the acquisition of a 5,800-square-foot building located at 1616 2nd Street in the District of Rock Island. The new facility will triple the space of Glass Impact and allow for an expanded class schedule and the fabrication of larger and more custom work. The new educational facilities, appropriately called "The Learning Lab," will allow students and artists to work on their pieces in a more spacious environment and to work and experiment with all forms of glass art. A schedule of weeklong workshops and weekend seminars will also be developed. The new location should be open in time for the June 21 Gallery Hop.
• Niky Bowles has announced her candidacy for the new 41st Senate District as a Republican and will face incumbent State Senator Maggie Tinsman in the June 4 primary election. Bowles was involved in the successful effort for a referendum on the county's $5 million contribution to the River Renaissance project and says her campaign topics include education, a better economic environment, affordable health care, and elimination of pension taxes for seniors. The 41st State Senate District includes Bettendorf, Riverdale, and the eastern half of Davenport. Her Web site is at (http://www.nikyforiowasenate.com).
• The Electronic Music Defense & Education Fund (EM:DEF) is concerned about a bill quietly making its way through Congress. HR 3782, titled CLEAN-UP Methamphetamines Act of 2002, contains a section that would hold "entertainment event" promoters criminally liable for the illegal conduct of event attendees. Under Section 305, anyone who promotes an entertainment event "that takes place under circumstances where the promoter knows or reasonably ought to know" that illegal drugs will be sold or consumed could be sentenced to up to nine years in federal prison. EM:DEF is concerned that this law could be used to prosecute the promoters of any well-attended entertainment event, whether it's a rave, a concert, a major-league sports game, or even a high-school dance. There is also a concern that this legislation would make event promoters less likely to allow drug-prevention organizations and harm-reduction groups to distribute their information inside an event for fear of self-incrimination. Learn more about EM:DEF and its efforts at (http://www.emdef.org).
• May is National Melanoma & Skin Cancer Detection & Prevention Month, and Genesis Medical Center's Cancer Program, the American Academy of Dermatology, and Quad City area dermatologists are encouraging residents to participate in a free skin-cancer screening on Saturday, May 4. This event is for people who have never had a screening for skin cancer. The screening will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Genesis Cancer Center, located at 1401 West Central Park Avenue in Davenport. The screening is aimed at helping increase public awareness about malignant melanoma and other skin cancers, according to Judy McFarlin, administrative director of the Genesis Cancer Program. "The cure rate for skin cancer is greatly improved when all skin cancers are brought to a doctor's attention before they had a chance to spread," she said. "That's why it's just as important for patients to see their dermatologist on a regular basis." Appointments for the free screenings are required and can be made by calling Genesis On Call at 421-2000 or (800)383-2575.
• Bettendorf Mayor Ann Hutchinson's campaign for Congress has announced contributions of more than $181,000 between January 1, 2002, and March 31. Hutchinson filed her quarterly report with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) showing total receipts, as of March 31st, at $266,453.75, with $220,138.19 cash on-hand. She has received 299 individual contributions with more than 70 percent from contributors residing in Iowa's First Congressional District.
• At the recent 2002 Computers, Freedom & Privacy (CFP) conference in San Francisco, Privacy International announced the "winners" of the Fourth Annual United States Big Brother Awards. Winners were selected by a judging panel made up of lawyers, academics, consultants, journalists, and civil-rights activists. The award for "Most Invasive Proposal" went to the Expanded Computer Assisted Passenger Screening Program's plan to profile and spy on travelers. The title of "Greatest Corporate Invader" was given to Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, for backing a national ID card plan using his software. "Worst Public Official" was awarded to Attorney General John Ashcroft, for attacking privacy and freedom of information, and the "Lifetime Menace" award went to Admiral John Poindexter and the new Office of Information Awareness. You can learn more about the awards at (http://www.privacyinternational.org/bigbrother/us2002/).
• May 9 will mark the opening of the Colonel Davenport House, located on the north shore of Arsenal Island. The all-volunteer staff will take visitors on guided tours between the hours of noon and 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. All visitors will be required to enter through the Moline gate and are subject to a random vehicle inspection. The Colonel Davenport House is the oldest residence in the Quad Cities. The newly constructed west wing houses a gift shop. Recent improvements include air conditioning, heating, ventilation, and plumbing. All individuals over 16 years of age must have a valid picture identification. Further information can be found at (http://www.davenporthouse.org).
• AWeb bug is a graphic on a Web page or in an e-mail message designed to monitor who is reading the page or message. Web bugs are often invisible because they are typically only one pixel in size. In many cases, Web bugs are placed on Web pages by third parties interested in collecting data about visitors to those pages. The word "bug" is being used to denote a small eavesdropping device, not a programming error. Bugnosis is a neat piece of software from the Privacy Foundation that monitors Web pages and e-mail viewed on a computer and makes its analysis available to the user of that computer. I have it installed on my computer and was quite surprised at the number and type of Web bugs that can be found. See for yourself at the Bugnosis Web site at (http://www.bugnosis.com).
• Glass Impact has announced the acquisition of a 5,800-square-foot building located at 1616 2nd Street in the District of Rock Island. The new facility will triple the space of Glass Impact and allow for an expanded class schedule and the fabrication of larger and more custom work. The new educational facilities, appropriately called "The Learning Lab," will allow students and artists to work on their pieces in a more spacious environment and to work and experiment with all forms of glass art. A schedule of weeklong workshops and weekend seminars will also be developed. The new location should be open in time for the June 21 Gallery Hop.
• Niky Bowles has announced her candidacy for the new 41st Senate District as a Republican and will face incumbent State Senator Maggie Tinsman in the June 4 primary election. Bowles was involved in the successful effort for a referendum on the county's $5 million contribution to the River Renaissance project and says her campaign topics include education, a better economic environment, affordable health care, and elimination of pension taxes for seniors. The 41st State Senate District includes Bettendorf, Riverdale, and the eastern half of Davenport. Her Web site is at (http://www.nikyforiowasenate.com).
• The Electronic Music Defense & Education Fund (EM:DEF) is concerned about a bill quietly making its way through Congress. HR 3782, titled CLEAN-UP Methamphetamines Act of 2002, contains a section that would hold "entertainment event" promoters criminally liable for the illegal conduct of event attendees. Under Section 305, anyone who promotes an entertainment event "that takes place under circumstances where the promoter knows or reasonably ought to know" that illegal drugs will be sold or consumed could be sentenced to up to nine years in federal prison. EM:DEF is concerned that this law could be used to prosecute the promoters of any well-attended entertainment event, whether it's a rave, a concert, a major-league sports game, or even a high-school dance. There is also a concern that this legislation would make event promoters less likely to allow drug-prevention organizations and harm-reduction groups to distribute their information inside an event for fear of self-incrimination. Learn more about EM:DEF and its efforts at (http://www.emdef.org).
• May is National Melanoma & Skin Cancer Detection & Prevention Month, and Genesis Medical Center's Cancer Program, the American Academy of Dermatology, and Quad City area dermatologists are encouraging residents to participate in a free skin-cancer screening on Saturday, May 4. This event is for people who have never had a screening for skin cancer. The screening will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Genesis Cancer Center, located at 1401 West Central Park Avenue in Davenport. The screening is aimed at helping increase public awareness about malignant melanoma and other skin cancers, according to Judy McFarlin, administrative director of the Genesis Cancer Program. "The cure rate for skin cancer is greatly improved when all skin cancers are brought to a doctor's attention before they had a chance to spread," she said. "That's why it's just as important for patients to see their dermatologist on a regular basis." Appointments for the free screenings are required and can be made by calling Genesis On Call at 421-2000 or (800)383-2575.
• Bettendorf Mayor Ann Hutchinson's campaign for Congress has announced contributions of more than $181,000 between January 1, 2002, and March 31. Hutchinson filed her quarterly report with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) showing total receipts, as of March 31st, at $266,453.75, with $220,138.19 cash on-hand. She has received 299 individual contributions with more than 70 percent from contributors residing in Iowa's First Congressional District.
• At the recent 2002 Computers, Freedom & Privacy (CFP) conference in San Francisco, Privacy International announced the "winners" of the Fourth Annual United States Big Brother Awards. Winners were selected by a judging panel made up of lawyers, academics, consultants, journalists, and civil-rights activists. The award for "Most Invasive Proposal" went to the Expanded Computer Assisted Passenger Screening Program's plan to profile and spy on travelers. The title of "Greatest Corporate Invader" was given to Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, for backing a national ID card plan using his software. "Worst Public Official" was awarded to Attorney General John Ashcroft, for attacking privacy and freedom of information, and the "Lifetime Menace" award went to Admiral John Poindexter and the new Office of Information Awareness. You can learn more about the awards at (http://www.privacyinternational.org/bigbrother/us2002/).
• May 9 will mark the opening of the Colonel Davenport House, located on the north shore of Arsenal Island. The all-volunteer staff will take visitors on guided tours between the hours of noon and 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. All visitors will be required to enter through the Moline gate and are subject to a random vehicle inspection. The Colonel Davenport House is the oldest residence in the Quad Cities. The newly constructed west wing houses a gift shop. Recent improvements include air conditioning, heating, ventilation, and plumbing. All individuals over 16 years of age must have a valid picture identification. Further information can be found at (http://www.davenporthouse.org).
