Bustos introduces another Farm Bill in U.S. House

Dissatisfied with action taken last week by the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos joined two of her Iowa colleagues on Wednesday to introduce another five-year Farm Bill in the House.

But the bill introduced Wednesday by Bustos, the 17th District Democrat from Moline, isn't really a new bill. It is the bill that already have been passed by the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan vote.

Bustos and Iowa congressmen Dave Loebsack and Bruce Braley, both Democrats, hope to get a bipartisan vote in the House and get a bill sent to conference committee with the Senate so farmers can get certainty.

"Our entire region of Illinois has been thirsting for the certainty and predictability of a bipartisan, five-year Farm Bill," Bustos said after the bill was introduced. "Our economy needs a Farm Bill, I fought to move this process forward, and partisanship sadly stood in the way of a House version. We owe it to the American people to get this done, so I'm calling on House leadership to swiftly schedule a vote on this bipartisan Senate-passed Farm Bill. It may not be perfect, but Senate Democrats and Republicans were able to come together to get a bill passed, and the House should do the same."

The House defeated its version of the Farm Bill last week after an amendment was added to it that would stiffen work requirements for those applying for food stamps. This after the bill already would have severely cut the food stamp program, including for seniors and families with young children. Until that amendment was approved, there was a good chance Democrats would have voted for the bill to get it to conference committee where differences could be worked out to produce a single bill.

The Senate version of the bill, passed June 10, also includes cuts to the food stamp program, though not nearly as deep.

Bustos, Loebsack and Braley all supported the House version last week in order to get it to conference committee so agreement could be reached on the cuts.

"After voting down the farm bill last week, the House must act quickly to move the farm bill process forward. The Senate voted in a strong bipartisan fashion to move the Farm Bill forward and it is time House leaders bring up this legislation and allow a vote on the bill," Loebsack said. "I know the Farm Bill is critical for Iowa's farmers, rural communities and economy. While the Senate legislation is not perfect, Congress must provide our farmers and rural communities some certainty. Partisan bickering will only further delay enactment of a long-term Farm Bill."

Said Braley, "It's time for the House to do its job and pass a long-term extension of the Farm Bill. It's a necessity for rural America. Farmers and agricultural producers need the Farm Bill so they can have the assurance they need to continue to invest in the future, create jobs, and grow the economy. The Senate has passed a bipartisan Farm Bill and it's time the House does the same."

Colin Milligan, communications director for Bustos, said the Congresswoman believes a new Farm Bill is needed because the current one, which was extended already, expires in September. "We'd prefer a new bill to another extension to give farmers some certainty," he said.

Even though the bill introduced in the House Wednesday by Bustos, Loebsack and Braley is the exact same text as the Senate bill, the belief is the House would likely attach amendments that would force it into conference committee.

"Congresswoman Bustos doesn't agree with everything in the Senate bill, of course, but sees it as a way to move it forward, to get a five-year bill to a bipartisan vote and into conference committee," he said.

No work on the bill has been scheduled, Milligan said.

The Great Race a big draw in Peoria

Rich McKone wasn't about to let a little pain stop him from competing in his 20th consecutive Hemming Motor News Great Race, even when that pain ended up putting him on the operating table.

Last Thursday, as McKone was heading to St. Paul, Minn., for the start of the race, the pain got bad enough he stopped at a hospital in Waterloo, Iowa. He was diagnosed with appendicitis and surgery was performed.

By noon that day he was released and was on his way. On Friday he was in his 1936 Ford Tudo Sedan for a trophy run and on Saturday, when the 2013 Great Race began in St. Paul, McKone joined his driver. Dan Moore of Cuba, Ill., and they were on their way in the nine-day race that will end Sunday, June 30 in Mobile, Ala.

"Right now I'm still feeling a little weak. But I'm getting better every day," said McKone, a Peoria dentist, when the 89-car Great Race made a stop for lunch on Peoria's downtown riverfront on Monday. "I couldn't miss this."

McKone was presented an award for his 20th race by the Great Race organizers when he arrived in Peoria from Davenport, Iowa, the second overnight stop of the race. He was the first to arrive. He and Moore also were among the first to leave Peoria to continue their way to Hannibal, Mo., where the third leg ended Monday night.

All told the race this year will drive through 10 states along the Mississippi River, crossing the river 12 times as it weaves its way to Mobile.

The race, which began in 1983, is not a speed race. Rather, it is a "time/speed/distance rally" where drivers and their navigators are scored on following precise instructions that detail their every move down to the second. Cars are penalized for every second they are early or late. The ultimate goal is for cars to finish one minute apart, which is how they start the race.

To be eligible cars must have been manufactured before 1969. Most participating vehicles, which this year included cars and trucks, including an antique fire truck, were built before World War II. The oldest car in the race is a 1907 Renault.

The winner of this year's race will receive $50,000 from a total purse of $150,000.

On Monday a large crowd gathered on the riverfront to welcome the racers. There were also other vintage vehicles in Festival Park that people could see.

But most stuck to the race participants, all of which were adorned with multiple stickers representing race sponsors and other cities where they were scheduled to stop. The crowd had as many seniors climbing in and on the cars as it did kids, with the oldest cars getting the most attention.

"What is that? I don't think I've ever seen that kind of car before," was the kind of comment heard more than once.

"Looks like it came right out of a gangster movie," was another.

Cheers were heard as each car pulled into the park to much fanfare and cameras were shooting all over the park.

Each day racers stop in a different city for lunch, then continue to a different city for overnight. The other overnight stops along the route are in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on June 25; in Germantown, Tenn., on June 26; in Vicksburg, Miss., on June 27; in Baton Rouge, La., on June 28; in Covington, La., on June 29; and in Mobile on June 30.

The event was started in 1983 by Tom McRae and it takes its name from the 1965 movie, The Great Race, which starred Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk. The movie is a comedy based on the real life 1908 automobile race from New York to Paris. In 2004, Tony Curtis was the guest of the Great Race and rode in his car from the movie, the Leslie Special.

The Great Race gained a huge following from late night showings on ESPN when the network was just starting out in the early 1980s. The first entrant, Curtis Graf of Irving, Texas, is still a participant today and will be racing a 1916 Packard again this year.

The event's main sponsors are Hemmings Motor News, Hagerty, Coker Tire, Reliable Carriers, Meguiar's and Steele Rubber. The lunch stop sponsors on Monday were The Peoria Park District, the Gateway Building, the City of Peoria and the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Wet weather doesn't dampen Summer Camp: Part 2

Editor's note: The Peoria got a couple press passes and sent a freelance writer, Julian Watkins, and our own Stu Clubb (and his camera) to the Summer Camp Music Festival to review the event. Here is their second installment.

As the headline suggests, weather did not dampen the fun at Summer Camp, but Mother Nature sure gave it a good shot. Scampers woke on Saturday to a steady rainfall that sent many festival goers to local businesses, buying out all stock of rainboots, ponchos and other rain gear. In a Woodstock '69 type atmosphere, Three Sisters Park became a field of muddy pathways of ankle deep sludge, but this did not hinder the atmosphere of the festival.

There were many epic performances on Saturday, but the main story was that of Allie Kral.

Kral has been a longtime member of the band Cornmeal. That ended at Summer Camp Music Festival as Kral announced this would be her last show with Cornmeal. Saturday afternoon began with Kral joining up with Giraffe Dodgers mandolin player Ben Larson for a mellow, folky performance.

Later Kral joined Cornmeal for her last performance. This was one of the more memorable performances throughout the weekend. Cornmeal brought the same energy that it always does, but Kral played as if her fiddle was on fire. Jamming out to solos amidst the bluegrass sounds, Kral was in a different world. The band shared a heartfelt moment in which they thanked Kral for her years of playing with the band. Kral had to remove her sunglasses to wipe away the tears and gave a wave and a bow to the crowd before continuing to rock out her fiddle as if she would never play again, leaving everything on the stage. There was nothing more for us Scampers to desire from this performance.

Saturday also had a performance from the Henhouse Prowlers, another bluegrass band that always puts on a good show. The band recently had all of its gear stolen at a show in Oakland, Calif., but the show must go on. The Prowlers, again, gave an amazing performance at Summer Camp.

Saturday evening had us Scampers scrambling around to catch all the action. There were back-to-back performances on all different stages that none wanted to miss. It began with Karl Denson's Tiny Universe playing a funky, soulful performance. This was immediately followed by Thievery Corporation, which became a huge dance party with a wide variety of musical styles. Anywhere from heavy jams to reggae, Thievery Corporation had anything that anyone could have wanted from a Summer Camp performance. These guys are definitely a must-see for any music lover.

Then came what we referred to as the moe./Umphrey's sandwich. The two bands each played two alternating sets on different stages, which proved to be almost too much music to handle. Even though the rain begin to pour down as hard as it had all weekend, all four sets were packed with Scampers dancing and raging out to every second. The bands even decided to do covers of each other's songs. Moe. covered the popular Umphrey's McGee song "In the Kitchen," while Umphrey's played moe.'s Rebubula. Both of these performances left the crowd amazed at how well each of them perfected the other's musical stylings. As usual, neither band disappointed and both left Scampers completely satisfied. What a great way to end a Saturday night.

Mother Nature continued to show her ugly face on Sunday, but many hardcore Scampers were not deterred. By Sunday afternoon, Three Sisters Park was covered in nearly a foot of mud, making the trek between shows difficult, to say the least.

Again, the side stages hosted some remarkable performances, one of those coming from Champaign-Urbana natives Zmick. This four-piece has played at Summer Camp the past few years and is a combination of progressive rock and funk. Every year the group obtains a larger fan base and this year was no different.

Another funky performance came from the group Lettuce. The Moonshine stage area was a mud pit filled with Scampers dancing to the groovy melodies of the band. Lettuce brought many different musical elements from rock to reggae, including a horn section, which added an extra layer to the performance. The band has stated in the past that it wants to make people dance and it surely lived up to that with this performance.

Sunday evening at Summer Camp started with hip-hop artist Big Boi rocking the stage for a short, yet impressive performance. Playing favorites from his duo Outkast like "Rosa Parks" and "Bombs Over Baghdad", Big Boi gave a high-energy performance that kept the crowd moving and hip-hop lovers like myself singing along to every word. The show might have become a little too energetic due to the fact that it ended with Big Boi jumping across the stage and severely injuring his knee, causing the performance to end abruptly. It was announced that the show would have to end, which left the audience disappointed but still satisfied.

The weather became more severe as the night progressed. High winds picked up and heavy rain began to pour as darkness fell. The night ended with a performance by Phish lead man Trey Anastasio. Starting off the show with Phish's "First Tube", the crowd was completely energized throughout the entire performance despite the stormy weather. While the thunder roared, the crowd roared even louder, leading to one of the most unforgettable performances of the weekend.

After an hour of playing a power-packed performance, the band announced it would be back for a second set after a short break. However, after getting through only a few songs, it was announced that the show would have to be postponed due to weather. Much to the fans' disappointment, it was never resumed, but it was understandable given the weather conditions. Tents were uprooted and thunder and lightning filled the skies for the remainder of the evening, causing most Scampers to take residence in tents and gazebos for the remainder of the evening.

Even though weather stopped the music, it did not stop the party. While Summer Camp is mostly about the music, a strong aspect of the festival is the time spent with friends in such a free and liberating environment. No music was heard from the stages through the end of the evening, but many memories were made. No two trips to Summer Camp are exactly alike. While you generally know what to expect, there is always a curve ball which makes it a completely new experience every time.

One trip to Summer Camp is never enough to get the full experience of what the festival is about. With that being said...see you next year Scampers!

Our Favorite Things: Documentaries

Ever since Michael Moore burst on the scene with the 1989 film “Roger and Me” about General Motors and the decline of Flint, Mich., we seem to be in a golden age of documentaries. This week we take a look at some of our favorites.

Now, this is not intended to be a complete list of the best documentaries ever – just the ones we really, really like. We left off some of the bigger one from recent years (“Super Size Me”, “Fahrenheit 911”, “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" and the “Paradise Lost” series). But some of our favorites are definitely some of the best. And hopefully some of them will become (or already are) your favorites too. Enjoy!

By Bill Knight, Kevin Kizer, Steven Streight, Terry Towery and Mike Cameron

“Harvest of Shame” – 1960

While documentaries have experienced increased popularity in the last decade, my favorite remains Edward R. Murrow’s 1960 expose of migrant workers’ lives and labor, “Harvest of Shame,” and it may be even more valuable now for providing a glimpse of changes in the economy, politics and journalism in the last 53 years.

First, the 55-minute documentary – telecast as part of “CBS Reports” just after Thanksgiving that year – reveals the overlooked reality of how Americans’ food was picked and processed for consumption, but the poignant conversations with migrant workers show that exploited labor pool to be much more diverse than 21^st century viewers would probably expect. There are whites and African-Americans, military veterans and women with kids, all commenting on their plight, whereas today the subjects would no doubt be predominantly Hispanic.

Next, while the agribusiness voices speak in a predictable boilerplate that sound remarkably like current Chamber of Commerce points of view, government perspective is startling in its attentiveness, especially Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Labor Secretary, James P. Mitchell. Confronted with migrant workers’ little-known or conveniently ignored wages, hours and working conditions – and living conditions, Mitchell seized the opportunity and helped shepherd through Capitol Hill reforms to alleviate the worst circumstances the farm workers suffered. The honest and brave cabinet member is so forthright, in fact, many will realize that few Democrats today would take such a stand, much less Republicans.

Finally, the journalism anchored by the legendary Murrow helps the 2013 audience realize an absence of what commercial networks used to routinely provide in the way of public-affairs reporting. Besides Murrow – in his best-known and last documentary for CBS – “Harvest of Shame” benefits from the steady hand of executive producer Fred Friendly and the hands-on talent of producer and field reporter David Lowe, who conducts most of the location interviews with struggling Americans, who seem right out of a Dust Bowl scene if not a Grant Wood painting.

Compared to what passes for investigative reporting on today’s TV-cable-satellite-Internet universe – with hundreds of more outlets available to feature such journalism – “Harvest of Shame” reminds news consumers of what was great, and what could be great again.

- Bill Knight

You can watch the entire documentary on YouTube:

“Marjoe” – 1972

“Just as sure as you’re listening to me! Just as sure as you’re listening to an eight-year old voice! Just as sure as you’re playing a record! It’s just as sure that you’re going to go to hell if you are not saved!” Those were the opening words of a 1950’s record from MarJoe Gortner, who by the age of eight was already a well-seasoned evangelical and the world’s youngest ordained minister.

During the ‘50s and ‘60s, Little MarJoe was taken around the country by his parents, whipping religious crowds into frenzies while convincing them to part with their hard-earned money. He drew crowds everywhere he went because of his ability to deliver dramatic, fire-and-brimstone sermons at a very young age. By the time he was a teen, his parents had amassed upwards of three million dollars. It all ended when his dad left the family and took off with the money. That’s when MarJoe dropped out of the evangelical movement and joined the counterculture of the ‘60s.

Later in the decade, desperate for money, MarJoe hit the preaching circuit once more but his conscience finally got to him. So he decided to make one final tour – this time with a film crew on hand with the goal of exposing the tricks of ministers who had become rich off the faithful. The documentary won an Academy Award in 1972 and is as jaw-dropping to watch today as it was when it came out 40 years ago.

- Kevin Kizer

Watch the whole documentary on YouTube:

Here are a few excerpts:

“Ken Kesey Intrepid Traveler and his Merry Band of Pranksters Look for a Cool Place: North to Madhattan” – 1995

This isn’t so much a documentary as just a batch of original footage of Ken Kesey and his Merry Band of Pranksters making their way to “Madhattan” in 1964 to celebrate the publication of his second novel, “Sometime a Great Notion” and to visit the World’s Fair.  They bought a bus – the now famous Further -- painted it, outfitted it with a sound system, and hooked up movie cameras and tape recorders to film and record everything along the way.  The bus was driven by none other than Neil Cassady, who had been immortalized in “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac. In fact, during their trip they stop to see Kerouac, just a year away from death, for a very un-happy reunion. They also stop by Timothy Leary’s rambling mansion in Millbrook, NY, where they run across Allen Ginsberg, among others.

The footage sat idle for fifty years until Kesey and fellow Prankster Ken Babbs published it in the ‘90s. It finally got a theatrical release in 2005 and is available online. In 1996, I ordered a copy of the footage from Kesey’s website and was thrilled to discover that my copy (a VHS) was signed by the author himself. In fact, while taking a second look at the packaging for this story, we discovered the video box itself was dip-painted to achieve its psychedelic look.

- Kevin Kizer

It’s hard to find any of the footage on YouTube, but you can find out more about the documentary here.

"I Dream of Wires" – 2013

This is an upcoming, independent documentary film about the phenomenal resurgence of the modular synthesizer — exploring the passions, obsessions and dreams of people who have dedicated part of their lives to this esoteric electronic music machine. It is written and directed by Robert Fantinatto with Jason Amm (Ghostly International recording artist Solvent) serving as producer and co-writer.

Inventors, musicians and enthusiasts are interviewed about their relationship with the modular synthesizer — for many, it's an all-consuming passion. Established musicians such as Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Carl Craig and John Foxx show off their systems and explain why they opt to use this volatile but ultimately rewarding technology. Meanwhile, a new generation of dance and electronica artists including Clark, James Holden and Factory Floor explains why they've stepped away from laptops to embrace the sound and physicality of modular synthesizers. Innovative companies like Modcan and Doepfer, driven by a desire to revive modular synthesizers, discuss how they planted the seeds that have now grown into a major cottage industry. What started out as a vintage-revival scene in the '90s has grown into an underground phenomenon with a growing market of modular obsessives craving ever more wild and innovative sounds and interfaces. Today, the modular synthesizer is no longer an esoteric curiosity or even a mere music instrument — it is an essential tool for radical new sounds and a bona fide subculture.

- Mike Cameron

Watch the extended trailer:

Other Favorites:

“American Movie” – 1999 (KK)

About one man’s attempt to make a horror film.

“Inventor of the Synthesizer: Moog” – 2004 (MC)

About the man who invented the synthesizer.

“Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse” – 1991 (KK)

About Francis Ford Coppola’s struggle to film “Apocalypse Now”.

“Roger and Me” – 1989 (KK)

About one man’s attempt to confront the owner of General Motors.

“The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia” – 2009 (MC)

About the death of the patriarch of a rough-and-tumble family West Virginia family.

“When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts” – 2006 (SS)

About the devastation of New Orleans during (and after) Hurricane Katrina.

“Eyes on the Prize” – 1987 (TT)

About the African-American Civil Rights movement from 1954 to 1985.

"Food Inc." – 2009 (SS)

About the power and of the industrial food industry and consumers who are turning the tables.

"Don't Look Back" – 1967 (SS)

About the rise of Bob Dylan and featuring one of the most iconic music videos.

"No Direction Home" – 2005 (SS)

About the life and times of Dylan by Martin Scorsese.

"Eat the Document" – 1972 (SS)

About Dylan’s tour in 1966 with The Hawks (who later became The Band)

“The Source” – 1999 (KK)

About the rise of the writers of the Beat Generation, with dramatic readings by John Turturro (Ginsberg), Johnny Depp (Kerouac) and Dennis Hopper (Burroughs).

"All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace" – 2011 (SS)

About how we have been colonized by the machines we’ve built.

"The Atomic Cafe" – 1982 (SS/KK)

About the history of the atom.

“An Ox’s Tale: The John Entwistle Story” – 2006 (KK)

About the greatest bass guitar player in rock-n-roll history.