River Cities Reader Issue - # 789 - October 13, 2011

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 2011� Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 2011 �Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

uniforms. A landscaping firm would have to list its checks to a liberal third-party group before applying to maintain a national park.

Clearly, such rules could foster political discrimination. Obama would enable his administration to deliver literally billions of dollars in government contracts to pro-Democrat businesses while denying billions to pro-Republican firms.

And when the GOP takes the White House again, that administration could turn around and practice the exact same kind of discrimination against Democrat-friendly contractors.

And the favoritism would not necessarily be confined to contracting work. The entire federal government would be made aware of private firms’ political affiliations. Other agencies could use that information to determine where and how to award billions of dollars.

Even the appearance of political favoritism would be a problem.

The Agriculture Department, for example, might hire a company to upgrade 30 regional offices. That firm may have backed Obama’s campaign and other Democratic causes. It also could finish its work on time, under budget, and with elegant results. Nonetheless, a losing, pro-Republican bidder might cry foul – even though it lost to a truly superior bidder, picked by honest public servants with no partisan axes to grind.

When awarding contracts, federal decision-makers should consider only one issue: the bidders’ merits. Officials should evaluate the price and quality of the products and services on offer, the supplier’s performance under previous contracts, and how closely each bid follows federal contract rules.

This proposal is generating bipartisan opposition. Connecticut independent Senator Joe Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats, and Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, who chairs the Government Contracting Subcommittee, have both publicly opposed the executive order. Twenty-seven Republicans senators signed a letter urging the president to scrap this plan.

Imposing campaign-disclosure requirements on government contractors sets the table for a feast of patronage based not on the content of each contractor’s character, but on the color of his PAC money.

Thomas A. Schatz is president of Citizens Against Government Waste.

Transparency Measure Is Ripe for Abuseby Thomas A. Schatz

The lowest qualified bid by the most competent contestant traditionally wins the government contract.

Unfortunately, the “Change” gang now wants to fiddle with this decades-old, generally reliable formula.

President Obama hopes to throw another item onto the scale as bureaucrats weigh bids: political donations. A draft executive order would instruct federal officials to consider the political contributions of prospective government contractors. While this move is being portrayed as a matter of increased transparency, it will actually fuel unintended consequences and indirectly overturn an important Supreme Court decision on free speech.

Forcing companies to disclose political gifts supposedly will expose covert “pay to play” schemes and ensure that private industry does not unduly influence Washington’s decisions when awarding lucrative contracts. Rather than depoliticize procurement, this practice would empower public officials to scrutinize a particular company’s political philanthropy. The Obama administration’s supporters could score government deals while opponents leave with empty pockets and a simple message: “If you want our checks, show us yours.”

The executive order could transport such old-fashioned, Chicago-style wheeling and dealing from Lake Michigan to the Potomac.

This executive order – drafted in April – requires contractors to disclose annual donations of more than $5,000 that were made in the past two years and paid to political candidates, parties, or independent political groups. Directors, officers, and other top managers would have to declare their personal political contributions from the past two years – even if they were made without their employers’ knowledge or consent.

This order is in part designed to thwart last year’s Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which lifted certain restrictions on the donations corporations and labor unions can make to campaigns and independent organizations.

Congressional Democrats quickly tried to counteract that ruling by re-limiting the third-party donations. But a House-approved bill sputtered in the Senate.

Because the legislation will not be passed, Obama is trying to accomplish that same goal through the executive order. A clothing company would have to reveal its donations to a conservative advocacy not-for-profit before bidding to manufacture military

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ILLINOIS POLITICS

Pat Quinn has been trying to get rid of Illinois Power Agency (IPA) Director Mark Pruitt almost since the day the

governor was sworn into office. He finally did it, but the move is backfiring.

The governor is a big cheerleader for alternative power sources such as wind and solar. But Pruitt, whose main job is negotiating contracts with electricity generators on behalf of consumers, refused to sign some alt-energy contracts because they’d cost consumers too much money.

Pruitt’s IPA was created after mega utility ComEd announced that it intended to buy electricity via a weird reverse auction system that was roundly slammed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan and every other reasonable political leader in Illinois. As a result, Pruitt claims to have saved Illinois electricity consumers $1.6 billion since 2007, and he has the numbers to back him up.

The IPA was created by House Speaker Michael Madigan, who to this day lists the creation as one of his greatest accomplishments. Pruitt wasn’t initially Speaker Madigan’s guy, but the speaker grew to respect him and found himself protecting Pruitt against Quinn’s hostility, eventually passing a bill this past spring that removed the Power Agency from Quinn’s direct control. Quinn, in a move he’ll likely regret, vetoed Madigan’s proposal this summer.

Pruitt is most certainly an egghead, not an administrator. He initially tried to run the IPA by himself, which resulted in an embarrassing report by the Illinois Auditor General. And although the Quinn administration denies it, word from inside is that the governor has blocked Pruitt from hiring staff, and Quinn has repeatedly taken money from Pruitt’s special fund to shore up the rest of the state budget. That turmoil is mainly why Speaker Madigan finally stepped in and attempted to insulate the Power Agency from Quinn’s meddling.

Back in June, Quinn tried to replace Pruitt with a lawyer who works for the attorney general’s office. The Senate Democrats decided that the lawyer didn’t meet the state law’s job requirements and quietly demanded that his name be withdrawn.

Quinn’s people still insist that the man was qualified. But they also claim, in a bizarre

bit of pique, that he was actually pressured into withdrawing by the attorney general. The attorney general’s office flatly denies this allegation.

The governor’s folks say they asked Speaker Madigan for names to replace Pruitt, but heard nothing back. That’s not surprising considering Pruitt is Madigan’s guy.

Quinn finally ousted Pruitt last week and replaced him with Arlene Juracek, a retired ComEd executive. Juracek actually testified on behalf of the much-ridiculed reverse auction and admits to owning Exelon stock, but she won’t say how much.

Exelon, ComEd’s parent company, will be on the other side of the table when Juracek negotiates power prices. The Quinn people say the job requirements are so strict

that they had little choice but to name Juracek to the post. Plus, they say, the Illinois Commerce Commission can veto any unfavorable deals Juracek might negotiate with her former parent company, which is cold comfort to the attorney general.

The bottom line here is that the governor has made a move that would’ve caused a gigantic uproar if Rod Blagojevich had done the same thing. Just imagine the hostile reaction if Blagojevich had appointed a ComEd retiree who still owns shares of her former parent company’s stock as the point person for negotiating power prices with that very company.

And below that bottom line is an even bigger problem. The governor has angered both the House speaker and the attorney general just weeks before the start of the fall veto session, which was already looking like a disaster for Quinn as members prepare to override or reject almost all of his vetoes.

It’s not certain yet that Juracek’s nomination is doomed, but it is sure starting to look that way. The governor spent last week flying around to various Downstate media markets to gin up public support for his veto of ComEd’s “Smart Grid” bill. How he can bash ComEd on the one hand and hire a ComEd veteran to negotiate electricity prices on the other is more than a bit beyond me.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a daily political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.

by Rich Miller

Quinn Gets His Way with Power Chief, but at a High Price

The bottom line is that Quinn has made a move that would’ve caused a gigantic uproar if Rod Blagojevich had done

the same thing.

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Evans told IowaPolitics.com that it “would be huge” if the state could help increase teacher salaries to make the state more competitive. She said teacher salaries in Burlington range from $30,126 to $66,428.

“We’re competing with people in all the states around us, Missouri and Illinois and Minnesota,” she said. “We need the help from the state of Iowa.”

As for performance-based teacher pay, Evans called it “inevitable.”

A decade ago, Iowa was on a path to become the first state to implement performance-based teacher pay. But Democrats didn’t embrace the plan once they took control of the legislature and governor’s office. Glass on Monday assured that there is no “cash for test scores” component of the proposed new plan.

Passing Exams to Graduate

The new education plan also would require high-school students to pass end-of-course exams in core subjects such as English, algebra, biology, and U.S. history or government to graduate. Students could receive remedial help and retake the exams multiple times.

“The difference between end-of-course exams and an exit exam is this is a suite of exams,” Glass said. “With several end-of-course exams through a student’s career, you can get deeper into content than if you just had a student take a two-hour exam once during their high-school career. The purpose of this is to try and more tightly align instruction at the high-school level with what the standards are.”

The plan also calls for all 11th-graders to take either the ACT or SAT college-entrance exam, with the state picking up the tab. This past year, the 22,968 Iowa students who took the ACT represented 61 percent of last spring’s graduating seniors, a slight increase from the previous year. Iowa has one of the lowest participation rates in the SAT, with 3 percent of public-school students taking the test.

Links to Branstad’s education-reform plan and audio of his unveiling press conference can be found at RCReader.com/y/branstad.

This article was produced by IowaPolitics.com. For more stories on Iowa politics, visit RCReader.com/y/iapolitics.

critical juncture where children transition from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn,’” the report states.

But state Representative Sharon Steckman (D-Mason City), a retired educator who will be the ranking member on the Iowa House Education Committee next year, said the idea is punitive.

“I have always felt as an educator that you get much more out of children, out of employees, out of anyone with positive feedback to those kids,” Steckman said. “I think holding a stick over their head is really not” the way to go.

Linda Fandel, the governor’s special assistant for education, said she was skeptical of the plan until she saw that fourth-grade reading scores in Florida are now higher than in Iowa.

“What the [Florida] program did was to use a very strong stick of third-grade retention to get everyone’s attention, from educators to parents, on the importance of making sure kids read before they get out of third grade,” she said.

Fandel said 13 percent of Florida third-graders were retained when the program started in 2002, and that decreased to 5.9 percent by 2009.

Performance-Based Teacher Pay

Branstad’s plan would also move the state from seniority-based teacher pay to a performance-based system.

Under the plan: • Teachers would move through a four-

tier teacher-compensation system with apprentice, career, mentor, and master levels.

• The state would increase beginning teacher pay, which is a minimum of about $28,000, but the amount of the increase was not specified. Iowa teacher salaries range from roughly $30,000 to $75,000, and the idea of the new plan is that teachers wouldn’t have to wait as long to reach the higher pay levels.

• Teachers could get paid more if they taught in shortage areas, worked at high-poverty schools, took on larger class sizes, earned National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, or earned performance-based awards designed locally.

• All new teachers would participate in the performance-based system, which would be optional for current teachers.

Burlington schools Superintendent Jane

Governor Terry Branstad on Oc-tober 3 unveiled a 10-year plan to transform Iowa’s education

system that would end promoting third-graders who read poorly, change the pay system for teachers, and require students to pass end-of-course exams to graduate.

“Instead of spending all of our time fighting over the issues of the past, we really want to focus on the things that will ... systemically reform and improve Iowa’s education system,” said Branstad, who added that earlier debates over ending state-funded preschool and zero-percent allowable growth in school funding will not be revisited.

“This is a plan for the next decade,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass, who noted that the plan is intended to be a comprehensive package and should not be viewed as a list of options to be cherry-picked. “This plan ... should be the blueprint for where our resources now and in the future go into education.”

But Democrats were skeptical, especially because Branstad and Glass declined to set a price tag for the proposal and don’t plan to do so until shortly before the legislature reconvenes in January.

“We could propose anything that looks great, not have a budget on it, and then when we look at the money, go, ‘Oh my God,’ and then blame the legislature for not passing his bill,” said state Representative Bruce Hunter (D-Des Moines).

Iowa State Education Association President Chris Bern said any education agenda needs to put students at the center of reform, taking into account everyday life experiences in the classrooms.

“While the governor’s blueprint remodel has a lot of ideas, it is still short on details,” said Bern, whose union represents more than 34,000 educators. “We still await a clear vision of how to move these ideas forward, how to fund them, and what the real application of these plans would be.”

Requiring Reading for Promotion

The “education blueprint” follows a Florida model of not allowing third-graders to move to the fourth grade unless they can read.

“Being able to read after third grade is a

Branstad Unveils 10-Year Education Plan; Democrats Concerned About Price Tag

by Lynn Campbell IowaPolitics.com

IOWA POLITICS



The Top Censored Stories of 2012by Project Censored

Project Censored annually publishes its list of the year’s top “censored” stories. “We define modern censorship

as the subtle yet constant and sophisticated manipulation of reality in our mass-media outlets,” its Web site states. “On a daily basis, censorship refers to the intentional non-inclu-sion of a news story – or piece of a news story – based on anything other than a desire to tell the truth. Such manipulation can take the form of political pressure (from government officials and powerful individuals), economic pressure (from advertisers and funders), and legal pressure (the threat of lawsuits from deep-pocket individuals, corporations, and institutions).”

Put differently, these 25 stories represent the most important news that Project Censored felt was under-reported over the past year.

Censored 2012: Sourcebook for the Media Revolution, by Mickey Huff and Project Censored with an introduction by Dr. Peter Phillips, is available (along with more detailed media analysis and sources for these summaries) at ProjectCensored.org. The book is published by Seven Stories Press.

(1) More U.S. Soldiers Committed Suicide Than Died in Combat

In 2010, for the second year in a row, more U.S. soldiers killed themselves (468) than died in combat (462). “If you ... know the one thing that causes people to commit suicide, please let us know,” General Peter Chiarelli told the Army Times, “because we don’t know.” Suicide is a tragic but predictable human reaction to being asked to kill – and watch your friends be killed.

(2) U.S. Military Manipulates the Social Media

The U.S. military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social-media sites by using fake online personae to influence Internet conversations and spread pro-America propaganda. A California corporation has been awarded a contract with U.S. Central Command (CentCom), which oversees U.S. armed operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, to develop an “online persona-management service” that will allow one U.S. serviceman and woman to control up to 10 separate identities based all over the world. The CentCom contract stipulates that each fake online persona must

have a convincing background, history, and supporting details, and that up to 50 U.S.-based controllers could operate false identities from their workstations.

The multiple-persona contract is thought to have been awarded as part of a program called Operation Earnest Voice, which was first developed in Iraq as a psychological-warfare weapon against the online presence of al-Qaeda supporters and other extremists resisting the U.S. military and political presence in Iraq. This effort proved successful and is now being used elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond with assurances that none of these interventions would happen here at home, as it would be unlawful to “address U.S. audiences” with such technology.

(3) Obama Authorizes International Assassination Campaign

The Obama administration has quietly put into practice an “incomplete idea” left over from the George W. Bush presidency: creating a de facto “presidential international assassination program.” Court documents, evidence offered by Human Rights Watch, and a special United Nations report allege that U.S citizens suspected of encouraging “terror” had been put on “death lists.” Reports of the “death list” say Obama’s director of national intelligence told a Congressional hearing that the program was within the rights of the executive branch of the government and did not need to be revealed. At least two people are known to have been murdered by Central Intelligence Agency operatives under the program. When the program was challenged in a New York City court, the judge refused to rule, saying, “There are circumstances in which the executive’s decision to kill U.S. citizens overseas is constitutionally committed to the political branches and judicially unreviewable.”

(4) Global Food Crisis ExpandsA new worldwide spike in agricultural-

commodity and food prices is generating both predictable and extraordinary fallouts. The search for causes once again leads to a combination of flawed policies in trade, environment, finance, and agriculture that is likely to produce more dangerous volatility in years to come. Over the past year, food prices around the world shot sharply upward, surpassing the previous price surge in 2007-8 to set a new record, as measured by UN’s Food & Agricultural Organization.

In February, the UN’s food-price index rose for the eighth consecutive month, to the highest level since at least 1990. As a result, since 2010 began, roughly another 44 million people have quietly crossed the threshold into malnutrition, joining 925 million already suffering from lack of food. If prices continue to rise, this food crisis will push the ranks of the hungry toward a billion people, with another 2 billion suffering from “hidden malnutrition” of inadequate diets, nearly all in the developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. That deprivation will shorten lives and stunt young minds, hitting the most vulnerable populations, such as the urban poor of food-importing countries in cities such as Cairo, Tunis, and Dhaka.

(5) Private Prison Companies Fund Anti-Immigrant Legislation

Over the past four years, roughly a million immigrants have been incarcerated in dangerous detention facilities in our taxpayer-financed private prison system. Children were abused, women were raped, and men died from lack of basic medical attention. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer received substantial campaign financing from Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and GEO Group, which are the nation’s two largest companies that design, build, finance, and operate prisons. CCA (based in Nashville, Tennessee) and GEO Group (a global corporation based in Boca Raton, Florida) are the principal moving forces in the behind-the-scenes organization of the current wave of anti-immigrant legislative efforts.

Both CCA and GEO rely almost exclusively on revenue from tax dollars at the local, state, and federal levels and profited from the incarceration of immigrants apprehended by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement. CCA’s top management in Tennessee contributed the largest block of out-of-state campaign contributions received by Governor Brewer. Brewer employs two former CCA lobbyists as aides that assisted signing SB 1070 into law on April 23. CCA, which already has several detention facilities in Arizona and is hoping to expand its immigrant business in that state, is expected to show a huge increase in revenues when SB 1070 is implemented.

(6) Google Spying?Last year the Federal Trade Commission

(FTC) investigated Internet search-engine

giant Google for illegally collecting personal data such as passwords, e-mails, and other online activities from unsecured WiFi networks in homes and businesses across the United States and around the rest of the world. Google has claimed the data was accidentally picked up by its Street View cars while driving the world’s streets. Clearly this is an invasion of the public’s privacy, and yet the FTC has done basically nothing about it, not even a slap on the wrists for Google. In late October 2010, David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, sent a two-page letter to Google attorney Albert Gidari saying that the FTC has ended its inquiry into the matter with little more than an assurance from Google that it will make “improvements to its internal processes” and “continue its dialogue with the FTC.” Why was nothing done about it?

Less than a week before the FTC’s decision to drop the inquiry, President Obama attended a $30,000-a-person Democratic-party fundraiser at the Palo Alto, California, home of Google executive Marissa Mayer. Also, Google’s former head of public policy, Andrew McLaughlin, joined the Obama administration as the deputy chief technology officer in mid-2009. Other Obama administration officials include Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, who serves as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology. Katie Stanton joined the administration after serving as a Google project manager; she is now the director of citizen participation. The former head of Google.org’s global development, Sonal Shah, is now the head of the White House’s Office of Social Innovation. These facts suggest that the Obama administration may have a conflict of interest in its handling of the company’s civil-rights violations.

(7) U.S. Army and Psychology’s Largest Experiment – Ever

In the January 2011 issue of American Psychologist, the American Psychology Association dedicated 13 articles detailing and celebrating a $117-million collaboration with the U.S. Army called Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF). It’s being marketed as resilience training to reduce if not prevent adverse psychological consequences to soldiers who endure combat. Because of the CSF emphasis on “positive psychology,” advocates call it a holistic approach to warrior training.

Criticism arose shortly after the initiative was announced – including ethical questions about whether soldiers should be trained to

COVER STORY


by Project Censored

be desensitized to traumatic events. There were also methodological concerns about large-scale programs similar to this – which have not worked or had adverse effects in the past. Also problematic: This program is adapted primarily from the Penn Resiliency Program, which had very little success with a nonmilitary population, and now on its first trial run is going to incorporate 1.1 million soldiers. How about trying it out on small groups of soldiers first?

Lastly, the CSF program measures soldiers’ “resilience” in five core areas: emotional, physical, family, social, and spiritual. The spiritual component of the assessment contains questions written predominately for soldiers who believe in God or another deity. This means tens of thousands of nonbelievers will score poorly and be forced to use religious-imagery exercises that are counter to their personal beliefs – not likely to foster resilience.

(8) The Fairytale of Clean and Safe Nuclear Power

Nuclear power presents a security threat of unprecedented proportions: It’s capable of a catastrophic accident that can kill hundreds of thousands of people, with a byproduct that is toxic for millennia. To call nuclear power “clean” is an affront to science, common sense, and the English language itself, yet industry backers, inside and outside of government, are attempting to establish a new “Clean Energy Standard” to promote nuclear power. These proposals suffer from three fundamental misconceptions: (1) that pollutants other than carbon dioxide are irrelevant when defining a “clean energy”; (2) that because radiation is invisible and odorless, it is not a toxic pollutant; and (3) that nuclear power is carbon-free. None of these is true.

In its most recent report, released in 2005, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences determined that no safe level of radiation exposure exists; every exposure to radiation increases the risk of cancer, birth defects, and other disease. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepts the linear no-threshold hypothesis – which states that any increase in dose of radiation, no matter how small, results in an incremental increase in risk – as a conservative model for estimating radiation risk.

(9) Government Sponsored Technologies for Weather Modification

Rising global temperatures, increasing population, and degradation of water supplies have created broad support for the growing field of weather modification. The U.S. government has conducted weather-modification experiments for over half a century, and the military-industrial complex stands poised to capitalize on these discoveries.

One of the latest programs is HAARP, the High-Frequency Active Aural Research Program. This technology can potentially trigger floods, droughts, hurricanes, and earthquakes. The scientific idea behind HAARP is to “excite” a specific area of the ionosphere and observe the physical processes in that excited area with the intention of modifying ecological conditions. HAARP can also be used as a weapon system, capable of selectively destabilizing agricultural and ecological systems of entire regions.

Another program is atmospheric geo-engineering or cloud seeding, which has found new life since the global-warming scare. Cloud seeding is cirrus clouds created from airplane contrails. Unlike regular contrails, which dissolve in minutes, these artificial contrails can last for several hours, even days. Once the artificial clouds have been created, they are used to reflect solar or man-made radiation.

At a recent international symposium, scientists asserted that “manipulation of climate through modification of cirrus clouds is neither a hoax nor a conspiracy theory.” The only conspiracy surrounding geo-engineering is that most governments and industries refuse to publicly admit what anyone can see in the sky or discover in peer-reviewed research. The Belfort Group has been working to raise public awareness about toxic aerial spraying – popularly known as chemtrails. However, scientists prefer the term “persistent contrails” to describe the phenomenon, to move the inquiry away from amateur conspiracy theories.

Coen Vermeeren of the Delft University of Technology presented a 300-page scientific report titled “Case Orange: Contrail Science, Its Impact on Climate, & Weather Manipulation Programs Conducted by the United States & Its Allies.” He stated clearly: “Weather manipulation through contrail formation ... is in place and fully operational.” Vermeeren mentioned a 1991 patent now held by Raytheon, a private defense

contractor, with “18 claims to reduce global warming through stratospheric seeding with aluminum oxide, ... thorium oxide, ... and refractory Welsbach material.” Authors of the study expressed concern that Raytheon makes daily flights spraying these materials in our sky with minimal government oversight. Raytheon is the same company that holds the HAARP contract with the U.S.

Other countries are also experimenting. The Chinese government announced in April 2007 the creation of the first-ever artificial snowfall over the city of Nagqu in Tibet. China now conducts more cloud-seeding projects than any other nation.

(For a River Cities’ Reader commentary on this topic, see RCReader.com/y/spray.)

(10) Real Unemployment: One Out of Five in U.S.

The corporate media wants America to feel secure during a time of unemployment crisis, but people deserve to know what is really happening rather than a statistical lie. The latest unemployment report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that the unemployment rate has held steady between 9.0 and 9.2 percent since April, giving an illusion that our economy is stable. But these numbers are skewed because of seasonal employment, and after a person has been unemployed for a year, the government doesn’t include them in the statistics anymore, even though they are still unemployed.

According to ShadowStats.com, the real unemployment rate is well over 20 percent, which is more than double than what corporate media claims. It seems that the government is keeping people in the dark about the real unemployment so that the government is praised for its success in lowering or stabilizing unemployment.

(11) Trafficking of Iraqi Women Rampant

Human trafficking occurs throughout the world yet has become increasingly more prevalent in Iraq due to the instability produced by the Iraq war. Many Iraqi women and girls are widowed or orphaned by wartime casualties. Currently, more than 50,000 Iraqi women have fled to Jordan and Syria and are trapped in sexual servitude with no possibility of escape. Unable to support themselves or their households due to new goverenment restrictions, thousands of Iraqi women have been preyed on by sex traffickers taking advantage of this chaotic environment.

In June 2010 the State Department released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which laid out a picture of human trafficking across the globe and reaffirmed the U.S.’s commitment to ending this scourge.

These trafficked women have received scant attention from American policymakers who have the power to alleviate these women’s suffering and condemn the countries that allow it to flourish. The U.S. holds the solution: It can protect these vulnerable women by making Iraqi trafficked women a priority resettlement group and putting greater pressure on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to follow suit. Doing this would finally provide Iraq trafficking victims with a resettlement option that is fast and effective enough to actually help them.

(12) Pacific Garbage Dump Many people do not realize that there is a

swirling mass of plastic in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that qualifies as the planet’s largest garbage dump. The 5 Gyres Project estimates that there are 315 billion pounds of plastic in the ocean right now. Much of the world’s trash has accumulated in part of the Pacific Ocean (roughly 135 to 155 degrees west and 35 to 42 degrees north), based on the movement of ocean currents.

Not all plastic in the recycling bin gets recycled, and people carelessly toss plastics away. Plastic litter often ends up in waterways, and currents carry it out into the ocean. These pieces of plastic have a dire effect on marine life. Turtles confuse plastic bags for jellyfish, and birds confuse bottle caps for food. They ingest them but can’t digest them, so their stomachs fill with plastic and they starve to death.

At the moment there is no easy way to clean up this major trash accumulation.

(13) Will a State of Emergency Be Used to Supersede Our Constitution?

A program dating back to the Eisenhower era of emergency measures for an America devastated in a nuclear attack could be converted to bestow secret powers on the president for anything he considers an emergency. The National Emergency Centers Establishment Act was introduced several times in Congress and called for the establishment of “national emergency

Continued On Page 22

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 201110 Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

The play’s other two performers, Melissa Anderson Clark and Jonathan Grafft, are no less notable, although their Annette and Alan are less neurotic than Veronica and Michael, and the roles don’t require them to emote as grandly as Madunic and Platt. Still, Grafft impressively suggests Michael’s efforts to maintain control of his annoyance and anger through the course of the show, using vocal inflection and physical stance to alter his characterization from the “social Michael” speaking with the others to the “business Michael” handling a client on his often interruptive cell phone. Clark, meanwhile, shines brightest when her Annette has imbibed a bit too much, going from a polite, obliging mother to a strong-willed, loose-limbed, over-dramatic, and somewhat obscene individual.

Clark also has the honor of performing an act not many actors can say they’ve done on stage: puking. Anyone familiar

with Reza’s script knows that projectile vomiting is an important part of its staging, and the effect, here, is not at all disappointing, with Bertelsen rigging an effective, vomit-spewing machine of some sort that delivers a realistic expulsion of Veronica’s stomach contents. The contraption is so well hidden, I couldn’t see the moment coming until Clark was actually throwing up all over the floor and coffee table. And even as she was vomiting, I couldn’t determine from where the fake puke originated – it’s that well executed, as is the entire show. From its pacing to its characterizations to its vomit, I can’t think of one thing I’d change about New Ground’s God of Carnage. In fact, it’s one of the rare shows I’ve seen that I want to see again. And, perhaps, again after that.

For tickets and information, call (563)326-7529 or visit NewGroundTheatre.org.

husband, Platt uses an awkward, similarly forced laugh of his own. Yet these seemingly unimportant sounds are actually brilliant vocal choices on the parts of Madunic and Platt, and that’s hardly where their brilliance ends.

It was fascinating to watch each actor closely when they weren’t speaking, as their body language often spoke as loudly as their voices. From Madunic’s tapping of her pen in frustration with her husband to the thoughtful, faraway distance on Platt’s face, these two actors have obviously put a lot of work into shaping their characters, and their efforts pay off through portrayals that seem unforced and effortless. And to see their carefully calculated man and wife descend into frenetic, uncivil, beastly people is wonderfully entertaining to behold; God of Carnage features perhaps the best work I’ve seen from these two consistently impressive actors.

New Ground Theatre’s God of Carnage is one of the funniest shows,

if not the funniest, I’ve seen on a Quad Cities stage so far this year. Not only is the script by playwright Yasmina Reza sharp, surprising, and witty, but director Derek Bertelsen’s handling of the pacing and his cast’s character choices had me laughing embarrassingly loudly at Thursday’s performance. Even two days later, I find myself mentally inserting quotable dialogue from the play into conversations (though I’d rather not quote any of it here, as most of the best lines involve the “F” word).

The play’s premise is simple. Two couples meet to discuss an altercation between their sons after one boy hits the other with a stick, knocking out two of his teeth. That plot point serves as the catalyst to what becomes a study of the four people involved in the discussion, exploring who they are as marriage partners and as individuals. Through the course of their evening together, the polite, carefully maintained masks they wear with each other at the show’s beginning begin to crack, revealing their truer, uglier natures. And while that may sound altogether too serious, it’s actually hilarious to watch these people descend into hysterics and chaos, both psychologically and physically.

As the parents pressing for the meeting, Jackie Madunic and Jason Platt have the good fortune to portray the play’s most dramatically varied characters, Veronica and Michael. One thing that’s especially fascinating about their performances is that each makes use of a laugh to shape character. As the mother forcing opinions of her own, “superior” parenting style on her guests, Madunic often laughs with a pointed, forced chuckle; as her fairly submissive

The Parents TrappedGod of Carnage, at the Village Theatre through October 16

By Thom [email protected]

Vol. 1� · No. ��October 1� - ��, �011

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THEATRE

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Melissa Anderson Clark, Jonathan Grafft, Jason Platt, and Jackie Madunic

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 2011 11Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com


River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 2011 1�Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

THE IDES OF MARCHAudiences demanding insight, or

even much depth, from director George Clooney’s The Ides of March will no doubt leave the film disappointed – unless, that is, the revelation that political candidates and their staffers routinely lie and spin and backstab strikes any of those viewers as a newsflash. Yet if you enter this tale of Machiavellian (and, as its title suggests, Shakespearean) intrigue not expecting trenchant analysis so much as a good, gripping yarn supremely well-told, you’re in for a major treat. Smart and fast and gratifyingly vicious, Clooney’s latest is a drama that plays like a thriller, and it’s full-to-brimming with sequences you want to watch over and over again; for those conversant in West Wing-ese, the movie suggests a juicy episode of Aaron Sorkin’s TV series if every character in it was played by Ron Silver.

The Ides of March follows smooth-talking, seemingly principled press secretary Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) as he and his team, in a last-ditch effort in Ohio, attempt to secure the Democratic presidential nomination for their idealistic candidate (Clooney), and the film’s origins as a stage play – Beau Willimon’s Farragut North – are apparent right off the bat. Though your mind might reel at the ensemble-performance possibilities in a work featuring Gosling, Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Jennifer Ehle, and Max Minghella, it’s actually rare when more than two of them share any given scene; designed as a succession of quiet – and

oftentimes quietly threatening – one-on-one encounters, the movie’s “action” is restricted solely to its verbal altercations. (Hoffman, playing Clooney’s beleaguered campaign manager, is granted one of those lengthy, actor’s catnip monologues whose thematic relevance you could miss only if you were in the lobby during its delivery.)

Remarkably, however, The Ides of March doesn’t feel the least bit stagnant, because even when cinematographer Phedon Papamichael’s camera remains all but immobile, Clooney’s screen images are filled with alert, probing tension. Every once in a while, the director overplays his hand; one particular shot featuring the disenchanted Meyers silhouetted against an auditorium-sized American flag pushes the moment’s irony to the point of distracting obviousness. But far more often than not, Clooney’s scenes of near-stillness hum with a sensationally vital “What’s gonna happen now?” electricity: the slow crawl toward Clooney’s town

car, where Hoffman, in the back seat, is receiving some very bad news; the exchange of knowing glances between Clooney and Gosling, one of whom is holding a phone that he should absolutely not be holding. With its screenplay by Willimon, Clooney, and Grant Heslov, the dialogue in The Ides of March is always snappy and frequently inspired, yet happily, this is also the

rare theatrical adaptation that manages to be supremely engaging on a visual level.

And it should go without saying that the assembled cast gives you as much to look at as listen to. I wouldn’t, for instance, ask for one minute less of Hoffman’s or Giamatti’s snaky, opportunistic bluster. But these brilliantly cagey performers actually tell you everything you need to know about their characters and their impassioned rivalry with one silent, smirking, backstage face-off, and time and again, the actors’ expressions and reactions provide emotional pull equal to or surpassing that which is found in the script. (In the haunting climactic shot, Gosling’s eyes display a long-hidden lifetime of gestating bitterness, while Clooney’s easy, aw-shucks grin, here, has never felt so enticingly malevolent.) It ain’t Julius Caesar, but The Ideas of March is still a great time, and those dreading a liberal screed from Clooney may have the greatest time of all: It turns out that absolutely none

of the villains in this particular political imbroglio are Republicans. With Democrats like these, who needs Republicans?

REAL STEELI had such fun, and such unexpected fun, at

Real Steel that I’ll even forgive director Shawn Levy’s futuristic action comedy for not being titled Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots: The Movie, as we all know it should’ve been. In outline, the film is beyond ridiculous, with former boxing pro Hugh Jackman and estranged pre-teen son Dakota Goyo leading their feisty ’bot toward a world-championship bout; if you threw Rocky, The Champ, and Michael Bay’s Transformers pictures into a blender and hit “purée,” the results would look a lot like Real Steel. Against all odds, though, the movie works, and works with such stellar enthusiasm and sincerity that it leaves you a little blindsided. There’s hardly a moment in the narrative that you can’t see coming four scenes in advance. But boasting awesome effects, the film is staged with terrific skill and performed with brio (Jackman and Goyo appear to be having a blast together), and while you’ve no doubt seen dozens of training and fight montages before, you’ve never seen them as exquisitely funny as they are here. Loosening up his metallic pugilist with some fly dance moves, Goyo, at one point, actually teaches his robot how to do “the robot.” Now that’s witty.

For reviews of Courageous and other current releases, visit RiverCitiesReader.com.

Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com/MikeSchulzNow.

by Mike Schulz • [email protected] Mike Schulz • [email protected]

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George Clooney, Max Minghella, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Ryan Gosling in The Ides of March

Primary ConcernMovie Reviews by Mike Schulz • [email protected]


This exhibition features iconic lithographs by prominent 19th-century artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Alphonse Mucha

and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The posters on view include promotional materials for cabaret performances at the

Moulin Rouge and large-scale ads for consumer products.

Find a schedule of exhibition programs and events at www.figgeartmuseum.org

Turn of the Century Posters from the Krannert Art Museum Collection

through January 8, 2012

Sponsored in part by the River Cities’ Reader

This exhibition and its programs are supported in part by Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The views and opinions expressed by this program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities Iowa or the National Endowment for the Humanities

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Divan Japonais, 1893,Crayon, brush, spatter, and transferred screen lithograph, Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Davenport, Iowa • 563.326.7804 www.figgeartmuseum.org

Figge Art MuseuM Presents

Transparency Measure Is Ripe for Abuseby Thomas A. SchatzWORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER



RiverCitiesReader.coma

presentation

ON SALE NOW!presents

OCTOBER 30 • 7PM

NOVEMBER 13 • 7PMADLER THEATRE – DAVENPORT

BOX OFFICE | TICKETMASTER.COM | | 800-745-3000DISCOUNTS FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND GROUPS! CALL 563-326-8522

forsaking all subtlety, which is why the show borders on irritating. The production hovers on the line between amusingly silly and intolerably overdone – not quite crossing over into the latter, but coming close – because Hartwig appears to have directed her adult actresses to play 17-year-old girls by actually having them play 10-year-old girls. I think this is an attempt at suggesting the nostalgic innocence of the 1950s, a motivation I understand. As performed, though, it does require some suspension of disbelief to buy that the Wonderettes are months away from graduating high school. (Playing their parts so youthfully does, at least, help make the 10-year gap between Acts I and II unmistakably clear, with the actresses managing much more believable, age-appropriate performances in the show’s second half.)

This is rather nitpick-y, though, because The Marvelous Wonderettes isn’t meant to be merely about the romantic trials and tribulations of high-school girls, even though those plot points were obviously conceived as platforms for the included music. In this jukebox musical, the “drama” weaving the songs together isn’t supposed to be the focus so much as is the music itself, a celebration of pop hits of the ’50s and ’60s with added interest supplied by the girls’ personalities. And McMillan, Griffiths, Sparks, and Wheeler certainly aren’t without personality, effectively adding character-appropriate inflections to their vocalizations of each musical number.

For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.

I found the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse’s The Marvelous

Wonderettes to be sweet, well-sung, and, frankly, borderline an-noying.

In the first act of the show, playwright Roger Bean presents a selection of smile-inducing ’50s and ’60s pop songs set against the backdrop of a high-school “songleader” squad performing at their senior prom. In the second act, more period favorites are sung during the girls’ 10-year reunion. And on September 30, I found it hard not to bop my head along to the happy music, with its titles including “Mr. Sandman,” “Lollipop, Lollipop,” and “It’s in His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song).” Were the show simply a concert of 34 songs (if I counted correctly), it would be hard to find fault with the production and its quartet of actresses.

As the feisty Betty Jean, the boyfriend-stealing Cindy Lou, the disciplined Missy, and the excitable Suzy, Shannon McMillan, Adrienne Griffiths, Kirsten Sparks, and Megan Wheeler, respectively, are full of playing-to-the-balcony energy – and are more than easy on the ears – as they croon, belt, and harmonize their way through the musical’s tunes. It’s an absolute pleasure to hear them sing, whether in solos or quartets. And thanks to Gregory Hiatt’s brightly colorful, era-appropriate costumes that flow beautifully with director/choreographer Barbara Hartwig’s dance steps, it’s a pleasure to watch, too.

However, The Marvelous Wonderettes isn’t simply a concert performance of popular ditties. Bean gives each character here a backstory and attempts to weave the songs together by crafting plotlines around them that make narrative use of the numbers’ lyrics. Each girl is interested in a boy (or man), confesses her love, and then either demands his love in return or tells a tale of love lost, and the results are often somewhat clunky – particularly in the second act, as each girl’s storyline switches quickly simply because of which songs she’s singing.

Hartwig tackles the material by

Prom/Prom GirlsThe Marvelous Wonderettes, at the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse through November 5

By Thom [email protected]

THEATRE

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Kirsten Sparks, Megan Wheeler, Shannon McMillan, and Adrienne Griffiths


River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 201118

What’s Happenin’MusicThe Chris Greene QuartetThe Redstone RoomSunday, October 16

For the latest presentation in Polyrhythms’ Third Sunday Jazz Series, the

Redstone Room will host an October 16 workshop and concert with the lauded Chicago musicians of the Chris Greene Quartet, whose saxophone-playing front man was described by DownBeat magazine as “a stupid-funky tenor and soprano player.” Ironically, that’s exactly how people described me in my youth. Except it was in regard to my involvement in choir. And they didn’t say “player.” Or “funky.” I don’t really want to talk about it.

Chris Greene, though, I’m more than happy to talk about. A native of Evanston, Indiana, who graduated from the prestigious Indiana University Jazz Studies program, Greene spent the early 1990s playing in such bands as the Trippin’ Billies and Kevin O’Donnell’s Quality Six, and subsequently performed or recorded with such noted artists as Common, the Temptations, Sheena Easton, Michael Manson, Andrew Bird, and Liquid Soul.

In 2005, the much-in-demand sax player formed his own jazz unit, and the ensemble has seen no musician turnover since its inception, with Damian Espinosa performing on acoustic piano and electric keyboard, Marc Paine on acoustic bass, and Steve Corley on drums. Together, the Chris Greene Quartet plays regularly at such famed Chicago venues as the M Lounge, Andy’s Jazz Club, and the Jazz Showcase, and has released four CDs to date,

with 2010’s Playtime praised for its “delicious band interplay” on JazzChicago.net.

And Greene’s plaudits don’t stop there. JazzTimes magazine wrote that the artist “threads each tune with high-octane uplift.” The Huffington Post called him “an almost impossibly nimble sax player.” JazzChicago.net described him as “one of the best young players in the city.” And raving that “Greene has some set of chops,” JazzWax.com advised, “Keep an eye on this kid.” Which is also something people said about me in my youth. And again, I don’t want to talk about it. Why must you keep bringing up these painful memories?!

The Chris Greene Quartet will present an all-ages jazz workshop at 3 p.m. and an evening concert at 6 p.m., and more information on the day is available by calling (309)373-0790 or visiting Polyrhythms.org or RedstoneRoom.com.

TheatreReal Girls Can’t Win!Augustana CollegeFriday, October 14, through Sunday, October 23

Running October 14 through 23, the first

theatrical production in Augustana College’s 2011-12 season is titled Real Girls Can’t Win!,

and among the subjects explored in this comedy are body image, self-worth, friendship, competitiveness, objectification, popularity, and the occasional insidiousness of social-networking sites. That’s all well and good, but it would’ve been nice if Augie had produced a play with themes that students could actually relate to.

Ah, I do love to kid my alma mater! In truth, it sounds as though Augustana’s latest is a stage work that practically everyone, even those housing a Y chromosome, can relate to.

In this offering by author Merri Biechler (pictured) – the winner of the 2009 Women Playwrights Series competition held by New Jersey’s Centenary Stage Company – a smart, sensible, first-year student named Katie decides to stand up for “real girls” everywhere by vying for the title of “Miss Freshman B Dorm” against the clique-ish clothes-horse Dakota Evans. What seems, on the surface, an unbalanced competition in Real Girls Can’t Win! quickly turns into a subtly vicious (yet funny) battle royale between supposed “haves” and “have-nots,” one that the Web site NJ.com praised for the play’s “comic edge” and “important message for those using technology as a forum for self-expression.”

Directing the Augustana production is theatre-department Assistant Professor Scott Irelan, who says he

was attracted to Real Girls Can’t Win! because it “offers strong women characters, written by a strong female voice in contemporary U.S. theatre.” As for playwright Biechler, whose recent Dolley Madison & the Secret History Club was a work commissioned by the White House Historical Association, the Ohio University graduate is a member of both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America, and her film and TV credits include roles in He Said, She Said; Murphy Brown; Judging Amy; and ER. So, having spent so much time in Hollywood, she obviously knows nothing about body-image issues, competition, or hateful gossip.

Ha ha! Kidding again, Augie folk! (They’re so wishing I had gotten a poli-sci degree right about now ... .)

Real Girls Can’t Win! will be presented in Augustana’s Potter Hall theatre on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306 or visiting Augustana.edu.

MusicDarden SmithAdler TheatreThursday, October 20, 7 p.m.

If you’re a neophyte singer/songwriter and your debut album

manages to boast harmony vocals by Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith, you’d think your career would have nowhere to go but down.

Happily for music fans, though, that wasn’t the case for the Texas-based Darden Smith. Twenty-five years after the release of his first album, Native Soil, the country, folk, rock, pop, and roots guitarist continues to earn critical acclaim and play to sold-out crowds nationwide. Local audiences, meanwhile, will be able to appreciate Smith’s considerable talents when the artist plays Davenport’s Adler Theatre on October 20, in a concert presented through the Rock Island Arsenal chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA).

Smith’s Adler concert, a benefit performance for the Wounded Warriors program, will find the lauded performer playing from his incredible – and incredibly eclectic – discography, one that features such hit songs as “Little Maggie,” “Day After Tomorrow,” “Midnight Train,” “Frankie & Sue,” and the top-10 pop single “Loving Arms.” And with the All Music Guide describing him as

“a singer/songwriter blessed with an uncommon degree of intelligence, depth, and compassion,” Smith has earned particular kudos for his most recent

CD, 2010’s Marathon, which the Austin Chronicle praised for its “atmospheric instrumentals with a tableau of folk, jazz, and blues that’s equally introspective and hard-hitting.”

Yet Smith’s professional accomplishments aren’t limited to his formidable gifts as a performer. He’s currently in the process of adapting Marathon into a stage musical. In 2003, he founded the not-for-profit “Be an Artist Program,” a series of workshops that encourage students to explore their creativity through songwriting. And in 1999, he was commissioned by the Austin Symphony Orchestra to write the symphony Grand Motion ... despite the fact that Smith had never learned to read music. Which is kind of like my getting a job as a newspaper journalist without possessing a journalism degr – .

Um.Listen: Pretend you didn’t read

that, okay?Tickets to Darden Smith’s Adler

Theatre concert are available by calling (800)745-3000, and more information on the night can be found at AdlerTheatre.com.

NOW PLAYING

WWW.PUTNAM.ORG/TRANSFORMERS

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 2011 19

MusicKelly Willis & Bruce RobisonCentral Performing Arts CenterSaturday, October 15, 7 p.m.

Ask most touring musicians, and they’ll likely say that one

of the hardest aspects to being so frequently on the road is spending so much time separated from their loved ones. Country-music stars Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, however, seem to have solved that little problem quite nicely: They got married and tour together.

At least they do on occasion, as audiences will see when the duo shares a stage at the recently opened Central Performing Arts Center in DeWitt. Appearing at the new area venue on October 15, Willis and Robison will perform from their extensive repertoire of beloved country tunes; the Oklahoma-born Willis’ discography includes such CDs as Translated from Love, What I Deserve, and Bang Bang, and Texas native Robison – the songwriter of such chart-toppers as the Dixie

Chicks’ “Travelin’ Soldier” and George Strait’s “Wrapped” – boasts such hit albums as Eleven Stories, The New World, and 2010’s From the Top.

Yet while you’ll no doubt appreciate the performers’ musical

chemistry as a duo during their DeWitt engagement, how well-versed are you in their solo works? Check out the list of eight titles above: Which is a Bruce Robison song and which

was performed by Kelly Willis?The Central Performing Arts

Center is located at 519 East 11th Street in DeWitt, tickets to the Kelly Willis/Bruce Robison concert are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, and reservations can be made by calling MidwesTIX at (515)244-2771.

by Mike [email protected]

What Else Is Happenin’MUSIC

Thursday, October 13 – The Van-Dells. Popular rock-and-roll revue of ’50s and ’60s tunes. Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $22.50-25. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.

Friday, October 14 – Roots & Boots. Songs and stories with country-music stars Sammy Kershaw, Joe Diffie, and Aaron Tippin. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf ). 7:30 p.m. $20-30. For tickets, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.

Saturday, October 15 – The Beggarmen. Fundraising performance with the Irish music ensemble, featuring an opener by Irish step dancer Taylor J. Best. Riverside Theatre (213 North Gilbert Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $15-20. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.

Saturday, October 15 – American English. Award-winning Beatles tribute band in concert. Ohnward Fine Arts Center (1215 East Platt Street, Maquoketa). 7 p.m. $25-30. For information and tickets, call (563)652-9815 or visit OhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.

Saturday, October 15 – Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Concert with the pedal-steel-guitar virtuoso and


MusicThe Chris Greene QuartetThe Redstone RoomSunday, October 16

For the latest presentation in Polyrhythms’ Third Sunday Jazz Series, the

Redstone Room will host an October 16 workshop and concert with the lauded Chicago musicians of the Chris Greene Quartet, whose saxophone-playing front man was described by DownBeat magazine as “a stupid-funky tenor and soprano player.” Ironically, that’s exactly how people described me in my youth. Except it was in regard to my involvement in choir. And they didn’t say “player.” Or “funky.” I don’t really want to talk about it.

Chris Greene, though, I’m more than happy to talk about. A native of Evanston, Indiana, who graduated from the prestigious Indiana University Jazz Studies program, Greene spent the early 1990s playing in such bands as the Trippin’ Billies and Kevin O’Donnell’s Quality Six, and subsequently performed or recorded with such noted artists as Common, the Temptations, Sheena Easton, Michael Manson, Andrew Bird, and Liquid Soul.

In 2005, the much-in-demand sax player formed his own jazz unit, and the ensemble has seen no musician turnover since its inception, with Damian Espinosa performing on acoustic piano and electric keyboard, Marc Paine on acoustic bass, and Steve Corley on drums. Together, the Chris Greene Quartet plays regularly at such famed Chicago venues as the M Lounge, Andy’s Jazz Club, and the Jazz Showcase, and has released four CDs to date,

with 2010’s Playtime praised for its “delicious band interplay” on JazzChicago.net.

And Greene’s plaudits don’t stop there. JazzTimes magazine wrote that the artist “threads each tune with high-octane uplift.” The Huffington Post called him “an almost impossibly nimble sax player.” JazzChicago.net described him as “one of the best young players in the city.” And raving that “Greene has some set of chops,” JazzWax.com advised, “Keep an eye on this kid.” Which is also something people said about me in my youth. And again, I don’t want to talk about it. Why must you keep bringing up these painful memories?!

The Chris Greene Quartet will present an all-ages jazz workshop at 3 p.m. and an evening concert at 6 p.m., and more information on the day is available by calling (309)373-0790 or visiting Polyrhythms.org or RedstoneRoom.com.

TheatreReal Girls Can’t Win!Augustana CollegeFriday, October 14, through Sunday, October 23

Running October 14 through 23, the first

theatrical production in Augustana College’s 2011-12 season is titled Real Girls Can’t Win!,

and among the subjects explored in this comedy are body image, self-worth, friendship, competitiveness, objectification, popularity, and the occasional insidiousness of social-networking sites. That’s all well and good, but it would’ve been nice if Augie had produced a play with themes that students could actually relate to.

Ah, I do love to kid my alma mater! In truth, it sounds as though Augustana’s latest is a stage work that practically everyone, even those housing a Y chromosome, can relate to.

In this offering by author Merri Biechler (pictured) – the winner of the 2009 Women Playwrights Series competition held by New Jersey’s Centenary Stage Company – a smart, sensible, first-year student named Katie decides to stand up for “real girls” everywhere by vying for the title of “Miss Freshman B Dorm” against the clique-ish clothes-horse Dakota Evans. What seems, on the surface, an unbalanced competition in Real Girls Can’t Win! quickly turns into a subtly vicious (yet funny) battle royale between supposed “haves” and “have-nots,” one that the Web site NJ.com praised for the play’s “comic edge” and “important message for those using technology as a forum for self-expression.”

Directing the Augustana production is theatre-department Assistant Professor Scott Irelan, who says he

was attracted to Real Girls Can’t Win! because it “offers strong women characters, written by a strong female voice in contemporary U.S. theatre.” As for playwright Biechler, whose recent Dolley Madison & the Secret History Club was a work commissioned by the White House Historical Association, the Ohio University graduate is a member of both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America, and her film and TV credits include roles in He Said, She Said; Murphy Brown; Judging Amy; and ER. So, having spent so much time in Hollywood, she obviously knows nothing about body-image issues, competition, or hateful gossip.

Ha ha! Kidding again, Augie folk! (They’re so wishing I had gotten a poli-sci degree right about now ... .)

Real Girls Can’t Win! will be presented in Augustana’s Potter Hall theatre on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306 or visiting Augustana.edu.

1) “Not Forgotten You”2) “Whatever Way the Wind Blows”3) “Bad Girl Blues”4) “All Over But the Cryin’”5) “Heaven’s Just a Sin Away”6) “Go to Your Heart”7) “Angry All the Time”8) “If I Left You”

A) Bruce RobisonB) Kelly Willis

Answers – 1 – B, 2 – B, 3 – A, 4 – A, 5 – B, 6 – A, 7 – A, 8 – B. Let’s hope they don’t sing those last two numbers directly to one another in DeWitt, ’cause that’d be really awkward.


Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 calls for precision, and the orchestra showed minor rhythmic instability. Although the orchestra played the first movement with grit and intensity, it struggled to find a consensus tempo. Like trying to jump aboard a moving bus, players occasionally mistimed entrances, disrupting the rhythmic vehicle that makes this movement such an icon of classical music. In the legato second theme, the strings were deeply resonant and rich in sound color, but the winds struggled to find dynamic balance.

The slow second movement was played with warmth and strength. The winds were dramatic and triumphant as a group, while principal players elegantly exchanged solos in softer sections.

Basses and cellos showed agility in the third movement – mysteriously smooth in the beginning with careful attention to Beethoven’s subtle dynamic markings and then bang, like a machine gun in the second section.

The hypnotic transition to the fourth movement was magical. With only the soft, pulsating timpani and meandering violin, the music contained all the tenuous uncertainty and suspense needed to make the entrance into the last movement the triumph it should be.

In the final movement, the orchestra intensified Beethoven’s great rhythmic engines and grinding, repetitive melodic fragments, creating a propulsive energy that moved inexorably to an exciting final cadence.

Antonin Dvorak’s splashy Carnival Overture opened the concert with fast, acrobatic strings characteristic of the composer’s folk-inspired pieces.

But there were problems. While directional trumpets and trombones played into or slightly aside their music stands, the wooden reflecting panels bounced raw horn sounds out into the audience, making them sound out of balance. And there were a few ragged entrances brought about, in part, by the ensemble’s struggle to maintain the consistent tempo.

Those didn’t detract, however, from a performance that was exciting overall.

The Quad City Symphony’s next Masterworks concert, Poems on Fate, will be performed November 5 and 6. For more information, visit QCSymphony.com.

Frederick Morden is a retired orchestra-music director, conductor, composer, arranger, educator, and writer who has served on the executive board of the Conductors Guild.

Passion proved to be the Quad City Symphony Orchestra’s strength in its season-opening program at the Adler

Theater on October 1, but the performance was vulnerable to imprecision.

While the program was titled Beethoven 5, the highlight of the concert was a brilliant performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff ’s demanding Third Piano Concerto by guest pianist Haochen Zhang with bold yet sensitive accompaniment by the symphony under the direction of Music Director and Conductor Mark Russell Smith.

Claimed by Rachmaninoff as his “favorite,” the third concerto is one of the five most difficult in the entire piano-concerto repertoire. But the 21-year-old Zhang didn’t seem intimidated, bringing a staggering technical prowess and erudite vision to his performance. His slight stature belied powerful hands, filling the Adler with prodigious sound and demonstrating that the new Steinway concert grand piano can be both percussive and poetic.

At times, Zhang pushed the tempo of technically demonic passages to nearly incomprehensible virtuosity. Although he played both melodic and accompanying notes with each hand, he clearly differentiated them, making the performance easily understood despite the score’s complex and contradictory melodic passages.

While the concerto spotlights the soloist, the orchestra made the most of the moments when it was the main attraction. It produced huge, lush, passionate sound but let softer, introspective moments rest in the hands of the principal players. The oboe and French horn, for instance, played with resonantly full sound and expansive expression.

This performance was a triumph for Zhang and the orchestra, but also for Smith, who merged the soloist and ensemble into a cohesive musical statement from the podium. The concerto rarely had a strict, clock-like beat; it was more like a rubber band stretching between the conductor and soloist, with each pulling the other along or holding back. Smith followed Zhang at times, adroitly moving the orchestra into the ever-changing pace of the soloist, listening for the pulling and translating the message to the orchestra. At other times, Zhang followed Smith.

The audience got it, leaping to its feet, an effusive reaction to a stunning performance. If the house lights had not been turned up before the applause ended, there might have been an encore.

Where Rachmaninoff requires passion,

Passion Sometimes Lacking in PrecisionThe Quad City Symphony Orchestra, October 1 at the Adler Theatre

by Frederick MordenMUSIC

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his ensemble. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $25. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org. For a 2007 interview with Randolph, visit RCReader.com/y/robertrandolph.

Thursday, October 20 – National Chamber Choir of Ireland. Ireland’s acclaimed choral ensemble in a Hancher Auditorium presentation. St. Mary’s Catholic Church (220 East Jefferson Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-45. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.

Friday, October 21 – Survivor. Legendary pop-rock musicians in concert, following the University of Iowa’s homecoming parade. University of Iowa Pentacrest (Iowa Avenue and Capitol Street, Iowa City). Free admission. For information, call (319)335-3395 or visit http://Scope.UIowa.edu.

Friday, October 21 – The Bucktown Revue. Stage presentation of an old-time radio show, featuring emcee Scott Tunnicliff and music by the Barley House Band. Nighswander Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). 7 p.m. $10. For information, visit BucktownRevue.com.

Friday, October 21, and Saturday, October 22 – Smooth Jazz Fall Festival. Great Sound promotions concerts with pianist Bob Baldwin and trumpeter Joey Sommerville on Friday, and guitarist Peter White on Saturday. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $50-55 Friday, $65-70 Saturday. For tickets and information, call (563)324-4208 or visit SmoothJazzSeries.com.

Saturday, October 22 – The Calder Quartet. Noted string ensemble in concert, in a co-presentation in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Signature Series and the Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Series. Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre (1717 West 12th Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $7-18. For information and tickets, call (563)322-7276 or visit QuadCityArts.com.

Saturday, October 22 – The Buckinghams. Concert of hit ’60s and ’70s titles including “Kind of a Drag,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” and “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song.” Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf ). 7:30 p.m. $10-15. For tickets, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.

Saturday, October 22 – Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. New Orleans jazz, funk, soul, rock, and hip-hop with the Grammy Award-nominated musicians. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $18-20. For tickets and information, call

(319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.Sunday, October 23 – Matt Maher &

Laura Story. Christian-music recording artists in their “The Love in Between Tour,” featuring guest singer Andy Cherry. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. $15-30. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

Sunday, October 23 – Symphonic Moments. Fall concert by the Quad City Wind Ensemble, featuring principal trumpet player David Greenhoe. St. Ambrose University’s Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 Gaines Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. $8-$10 for adults, students free. For information, visit Quad-City-Wind-Ensemble.webs.com.

Tuesday, October 25 – MarchFourth Marching Band. Big-band musicians in a concert event featuring stilt-walkers, unicycles, fire eaters, puppets, flag twirlers, burlesque dancers, clown antics, acrobatics, and more. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8:30 p.m. $12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RedstoneRoom.com.

THEATREFriday, October 14, through Sunday,

October 30 – Chicago. Kander & Ebb’s musical-comedy classic, directed by David Turley. The District Theatre (1611 Second Avenue, Rock Island). Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $15. For tickets and information, call (309)235-1654 or visit DistrictTheatre.com.

Thursday, October 20, through Sunday, October 30 – Sex Please, We’re Sixty! Farcical comedy by Michael and Susan Parker, directed by Jalayne Riewerts. Richmond Hill Barn Theatre (600 Hk Robinson Drive, Geneseo). Thursdays through Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 4 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (309)944-2244 or visit RHPlayers.com.

Thursday, October 20, through Saturday, October 29 – War of the Worlds. John Turner’s adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel and Mercury Theater radio broadcast, directed by Steve Flanigin. Scott Community College Student Life Center (500 Belmont Road, Door 5, Room 2400, Bettendorf ). Thursdays through Saturdays 7 p.m. $7 at the door. For tickets and information, e-mail [email protected].

Friday, October 21, through Monday, October 31 – The Rocky Horror Show. Do the “Time Warp” again with the musical-comedy cult classic, directed by Matt Mercer. The District Theatre (1611 Second Avenue, Rock Island). Fridays and Saturdays midnight, October 25 through 27 and

30 through 31 8 p.m. $20. For tickets and information, call (309)235-1654 or visit DistrictTheatre.com.

Friday, October 21, through Saturday, October 29 – Seussical Jr. One-act version of the Tony Award-nominated storybook musical. Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (311 Riverview Drive, Clinton). Fridays, Tuesdays, and October 29 7:30 p.m. $15. For tickets and information, call (563)242-6760.

Saturday, October 22, through Sunday, October 30 – The Wizard of Oz. Student-performed version of the L. Frank Baum classic, directed by Tyson Danner. Davenport Junior Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). Saturdays 1 and 4 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $5 at the door for ages three and older. For information, call (563)326-7862 or visit DavenportJuniorTheatre.com.

LITERARY ARTSWednesday, October 19 – Harriet

Brown. Author discusses Project BodyTalk and her book Brave Girl Eating: A Family’s Struggle with Anorexia, in a presentation hosted by the Quad Cities Eating Disorders Consortium. St. Ambrose University’s Rogalski Center (518 West Locust Street, Davenport). 5 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (309)779-3077 or visit QCEatingDisorders.com.

Thursday, October 20 – Susan Orlean. Multimedia event with the author of the new Rin Tin Tin, combining literature, film, video, and music to help illuminate the story of the iconic dog. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $10-15; $27 for two tickets and a copy of the book. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

MOVIESFriday, October 21 – Night of the

Living Dead: RiffTrax Edition. A screening of George A. Romero’s classic horror film, with ironic commentary by Mystery Science Theater 3000 stars Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett. The Establishment Theatre (220 19th Street, Rock Island). 9:30 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (309)786-1111 or visit EstablishmentTheatre.com.

Saturday, October 22 – Against All the Odds. Sandra Pfeifer’s award-winning documentary about the city of East St. Louis, Illinois – “America’s only all-black city” – followed by a Q&A session with Pfeifer. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). 6:30 p.m. Free with $4-7 museum admission. For information, call (309)786-8698 or visit AfroLegacy.org.

KIDS’ STUFFSaturday, October 15, through

Sunday, May 20 – Turtle Travels. Exhibit allowing kids to interact with turtles, walk in turtles’ footprints and experience life as they know it, play a life-sized board game, and more. Family Museum (2900 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf ). Mondays through Saturdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursdays 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sundays noon-5 p.m. Free with $4-7 museum admission. For information, call (563)344-4106 or visit FamilyMuseum.org.

Friday, October 21 – Disney Live! Phineas & Ferb. New stage adventure with the popular Disney Channel characters. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 4 and 7 p.m. $15.75-33.75. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.

Saturday, October 22 – Teen Anime Day. Ages 12 and older can dress as their favorite anime characters, display their artworks, enjoy classic anime features and refreshments, and more, in an event co-sponsored by the Davenport Public Library and QC Anime-zing. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). Noon. $5. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.

Tuesday, October 25 – Children’s Literature Festival. A Midwest Writing Center-sponsored event for grades 3 through 6, featuring 2011 Newbery Award winner Clare Vanderpool, Titanic expert Rick Sundin, and numerous other authors and illustrators. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 8:45 a.m. $5 admission. For information, call (563)340-1585 or visit MidwestWritingCenter.org.

EVENTSWednesday, October 19 – National

Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China. Acrobats use chairs, plates, and other everyday objects to perform dazzling acts of contortion, martial arts, and dance in a Hancher Auditorium presentation. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $12.50-30. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.

Friday, October 21 – The Midwest Writing Center’s Bohemian Ball. A 1920s-themed party featuring music by the Terry Hanson Ensemble, vaudevillian comedy with Joshua Kahn, a silent auction, entertainment, games, prizes, and more. Hotel Blackhawk (200 East Third Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $25-30. For tickets and information, call (563)324-1410 or visit MidwestWritingCenter.org.

Continued From Page 19

What Else Is Happenin’

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 201122Continued From Page 9

The Top Censored Stories of 2012by Project Censored

centers” in major regions in the U.S. The stated purpose of these centers is to provide “temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency, major disaster” or to “meet other appropriate needs” determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Recent “continuity of government” planning has quietly removed time-honored constitutional protections and increased the militarization of civilian law enforcement. For the first time in U.S. history, military troops are allowed to do police actions (versus local law enforcement) in U.S. cities. There is good reason for the constructive friction between existing law-enforcement agencies: so that power is distributed in a democracy, and local law enforcement is responsible to local citizens.

Recently the U.S. Army established an active-duty brigade trained to manage civil unrest and crowd control. Historically this has been illegal according to the longstanding Posse Comitatus statutes. It should concern us all that there has been a loss of local authority and sustained preparations for the possibility of martial law.

(For a River Cities’ Reader commentary on this topic, see RCReader.com/y/emergency.)

(14) Family Pressure on Young Girls for Genital Mutilation Continues in Kenya

Girls as young as nine years old were threatened with death if they tried to escape the Kamunera location, where they awaited female genital mutilation in the Mt. Elgon District in Kenya. Many girls have been forced to cut short their studies and married off at a young age while some of them are still in hiding because their parents would disown them after running away to avoid circumcision. More than 100 girls were targeted for circumcision in December in this region but were rescued by Maendeleo Y Wanawake officials. Parents and grandparents in this area tell the young girls they will never get married and no man would want them if they don’t do the procedure. Not many women in this region are left to pursue education beyond the standard age of eight years old. Young women are told that education was not meant for women because they were supposed to get married and take care of their husbands. Uncircumcised women generally get looked down upon and discriminated against for not doing the genital mutilation. Because of

this, young girls agree to go through with the surgery so that they can be included in the rites of passage and that their community will accept them.

(15) Big Polluters Freed from Environmental Oversight

The Obama administration has distributed billions of dollars in stimulus money to some of the nation’s biggest polluters and granted exemptions from basic environmental errors. The administration’s main goal in Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s words was to “get the money out and spent as quickly as possible.”

The administration awarded more than 179,000 “categorical exclusions” to stimulus projects funded by federal agencies, freeing those projects from review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Coal-burning utilities such as Westar Energy and Duke Energy, chemical manufacturer DuPont, and ethanol maker Didion Milling are among the firms with histories of serious environmental violations that have won blanket NEPA exemptions.

Even a project at BP’s maligned refinery in Texas City, Texas – owner of the oil industry’s worst safety record and site of a deadly 2005 explosion, as well as a benzene leak – secured a waiver for the preliminary phase of a carbon-capture and -sequestration experiment involving two companies with past compliance problems. The “stimulus” funding came from the $787-billion legislation officially known as the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, passed in February 2009.

Documents show the administration has devised a speedy review process that relies on voluntary disclosures by companies to determine whether stimulus projects pose environmental harm. Corporate polluters often omitted mention of health, safety, and environmental violations from their applications. In fact, administration officials said they chose to ignore companies’ environmental-compliance records in making grant decisions and issuing NEPA exemptions, saying they considered such information irrelevant.

(16) Sweatshops in China Are Making Your iPods While Workers Suffer

Apple suppliers such as Foxconn, Dafu, and Lian Jian Technology routinely violate China’s Law on the Prevention & Control of Occupational Diseases. Several manufacturers

replaced alcohol with n-hexane, which is used to clean parts. It is a chemical that works better than alcohol but poisons workers. In these factories, the workers – often women in their teens or 20s – were forced to work with the poison in unventilated rooms.

Because of the chemical in Lian Jian Technology’s plant Suzhou No. 5, People’s Hospital admitted 49 employees who fell ill. More employees were likely poisoned, but many were pushed out before they fell ill, and Lian Jian forced them to sign papers saying they would not hold the company accountable. They left with 80,000 to 90,000 yuan ($12,000 to $14,000) that they got in exchange for their lives and health, with fees and medical costs they would have to pay for the rest of their lives.

(17) Superbug Bacteria Spreading Worldwide

Lethal superbugs are emerging that do not respond to any known drugs. The World Health Organization states that the New Delhi – also known as the NDM-1 – superbug was recently found in UK patients and has reached a critical point. These superbugs are resistant to carbapenem antibiotics, which is a major concern to experts because these drugs are used for hard-to-treat infections that evade other medications.

Already 25,000 people die each year from superbugs in Europe, and there are a number of bacteria that are now resistant to all drugs. That figure will increase to even greater numbers unless new, more powerful antibiotics are developed.

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics is leading to “unprecedented levels” of resistance, and a lack of development of new drugs means we could see current treatments become useless. The problem is worsened because drug companies have put off developing new antibiotics because they are seen as not profitable enough.

(18) Monsanto Tries to Benefit from Haiti’sEarthquake

In May 2010, six months after an earthquake hit Haiti, the American multinational Monsanto donated to the country 60 tons of corn and vegetable hybrid seed. The United States Agency for International Development took charge of the seed distribution.

A month later, around 10,000 Haitian

farmers demonstrated against Monsanto’s donation. “If Monsanto’s seed enters Haiti, farmer’s seed will disappear,” said Doudou Pierre Festil, member of Papaye Farmers’ Movement and coordinator of the National Sovereignty & Food Security Network. Haitian farmers denounce that Monsanto’s seeds can’t be reused each year, which leads to the necessity of buying new seed from the multinational every new sowing season. Moreover, the organization Farmer’s Route has warned that Monsanto’s seeds could force the farmers to depend on the company. This dependence could also extend to the fertilizers and herbicides required by the American multinational that also produces them.

“Haitian government is using the earthquake to sell the country to multinationals,” declared Chavannes Jean Baptiste, coordinator of Papaye Farmer’s Movement. Monsanto is the world’s biggest seed company; it controls 20 percent of the seed market and the 90 percent of agricultural biotechnological patents.

(19) Oxfam Exposes How Aid Is Used for Political Purposes

In a March report, Oxfam found that billions of dollars in international aid that could have transformed the lives of many people in some of the poorest countries in the world was spent on unsustainable, expensive, and dangerous aid projects that donor governments used to support their own short-term foreign-policy and security objectives.

This type of aid often bypasses the poorest people and dangerously distorts the line between civilian and military activity. This report also showed that even though aid increased between 2001 and 2008, more than 40 percent of this increase was spent in just two countries: Afghanistan and Iraq. The remainder of that was shared between 150 other poor countries.

Last year, the report showed that 225 aid workers were killed, injured, or kidnapped in violent attacks, compared to 85 in 2002. The politicization and militarization of aid has in some places made it much harder for aid agencies to provide help to those in need – especially in Somalia.

(20) U.S. Agencies Trying to Outlaw GMO Food Labeling

There is growing concern over the

COVER STORY


a Class 3 felony if they “knowingly perform abortions for these reasons.”

• On the federal level, House Republicans took the first two months of the new year to marginalize the rights of women. First, they tried to exclude certain victims – including women who are drugged, women who do not physically fight off the offender, and some minors – from abortion coverage by redefining rape. Representative Joe Pitts (R-Pennsylvania) then introduced the “Protect Life Act,” a bill that would put the health of the fetus above that of the woman carrying it. Feministe.us claimed: “It gives doctors the green light to let pregnant women die if they have a life-threatening condition and need an emergency abortion.”

(25) Extension of DU to LibyaPresident Obama’s undeclared and

congressionally unauthorized war against Libya may have been compounded by spreading toxic uranium oxide in populated areas of that country.

Concern is being voiced by groups such as the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons, which monitors the military use of so-called depleted-uranium (DU) anti-tank and bunker-penetrating shells.

In March, the U.S. introduced its A-10 Thunderbolts, known also as Warthogs, into the Libyan campaign. The A-10 has a particularly large automatic cannon which fires an unusually large 30-millimeter shell. These shells are often fitted with solid uranium projectiles.

A-10s were heavily used in the Balkan conflict, and Kosovo officials were dismayed to learn that some 11 tons of uranium weapons were fired there, leaving dangerous uranium-dust fallout in their wake.

The U.S. military is fond of DU weapons because the material – made from uranium from which the fissionable U-235 has been removed – is extremely heavy, and, in alloy form, also extremely hard. Because of its mass, such projectiles can penetrate even the heaviest armor. Then, in the heat caused by the collision with an object, the uranium bursts into flame, causing an explosive (and toxic) inferno inside a tank or other vehicle. Soldiers inside a target vehicle are incinerated. The problem is that the resulting uranium oxide produced by such explosions, besides being highly toxic, is also a microscopic alpha-emitter, which if inhaled or ingested by human beings is extremely carcinogenic and mutagenic.

by Project Censored

health impact of growing and eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The World Health Organization has identified allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, gene transfer, outcrossing, gene stability, susceptibility of non-target organisms (insects), and loss of biodiversity as potential issues of using GM seeds.

Currently, most health studies are done by GM companies that have a natural conflict of interest that can lead to biased research or reporting. Many countries such as Japan, Australia, China, and the European Union recognize the possible risks and require mandatory labeling for products made with GMOs. There is a growing call for more comprehensive, independent research.

However, the official position of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture is that there is no difference between GMOs and non-GMOs. These agencies have also proposed to the Codex Alimentarius Committee that no country should be able to require GMO labeling on food items. The FDA and USDA say that mandatory labeling of GMOs is “false, misleading, and deceptive, implying there is a difference between GMO and non-GMO ingredients.”

(21) Lyme Disease: An Emerging Epidemic

Lyme disease is one of the most political and controversial epidemics of our time. Lyme originates from a bacteria transmitted through the bite of a tick and can remain hidden – often being called the great imitator, mimicking other diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, ADHD, and other neurological conditions. And it is growing: New cases of Lyme occur each year at a rate 10 times higher than AIDS and the West Nile Virus combined.

Current Lyme treatment guidelines were developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (ISDA), a group associated with pharmaceutical, insurance, and university interests that are profiting from the diagnostic criteria, vaccines, and recommended treatments for Lyme. These guidelines, endorsed by the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, define the treatment of Lyme as a two- to four-week course of antibiotic therapy.

Physicians who believe Lyme is a more chronic condition needing long-term treatment risk losing their medical license for treating patients outside IDSA guidelines. And insurance companies refuse to pay for longer treatments despite evidence that

illustrates the chronic nature of the condition and the effectiveness of long-term therapies. This leaves thousands of Lyme patients suffering from a commercialized medical community that won’t acknowledge the chronic nature of their illness, and it also leaves the public uneducated about a growing epidemic.

(22) ParticipatoryBudgeting – A Method to Empower Local Citizens & Communities

“Participatory Budgeting” (PB) is a process that allows citizens to decide directly how to allocate all or part of a public budget, typically through a series of meetings, work by community “delegates” or representatives, and ultimately a final vote. It was first implemented in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1990, and has since spread.

PB has recently taken root in Canadian and American soils.

Chicago’s 49th Ward, for example, uses this process to distribute $1.3 million of annual discretionary funds. The ward’s residents have praised the opportunity to make meaningful decisions, take ownership of the budget process, and win concrete improvements for their neighborhood – from community gardens and sidewalk repairs to street lights and public murals. The initiative proved so popular that the ward’s alderman, Joe Moore, credits PB with helping to reverse his political fortunes.

The wave is not stopping in Chicago, either. Elected officials and community leaders elsewhere – from New York City to San Francisco and from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Springfield, Massachusetts – are considering launching similar initiatives.

(23) Worldwide Movement To Ban or Charge Fees For Plastic Bags

Shoppers worldwide are using 500 billion to 1 trillion single-use plastic bags per year. The average use time of a plastic bag is 12 minutes. Plastic bags pollute our waters, smother wetlands, and entangle and kill animals. This eventually affects our health, because larger animals eat small, plastic-laden creatures, and plastics work their way up the food chain until we consume animals that have eaten some form of plastic. Plastic is non-biodegradable and is made from a

nonrenewable resource: oil. An estimated 3 million barrels of oil are required to produce the 19 billion plastic bags used annually in California.

Now 35 countries have already banned the use of plastic bags, nine countries have passed levies and fees on their use, 12 countries are considering bans or fees, and 26 states in the U.S. have introduced a form of legislation concerning plastic-bag use. Most plastic contains harmful chemicals such as BPA and phthalates, which can be unsafe for human consumption or use. These can be avoided by using alternative materials such as reusable cloth bags, stainless-steel water bottles, and other wooden, glass, and metal substitutes.

(24) South Dakota Takes Extreme Measures to Be the Top Anti-Abortion State

South Dakota considered extreme action against any person who performs an abortion within the state’s borders – part of some aggressively anti-abortion legislative efforts throughout the country. The South Dakota House took up a bill to redefine “justifiable homicide” that could “make it legal to kill doctors who perform abortions,” Mother Jones reported. The bill read: “Homicide is justifiable if committed by any person in the lawful defense of such person, or of his or her husband, wife, parent, child, master, mistress, or servant, or the unborn child of any such enumerated person, if there is reasonable ground to apprehend a design to commit a felony, or to do some great personal injury, and imminent danger of such design being accomplished.” The bill was ultimately tabled.

Other recent proposed restrictions: • GOP state lawmakers in Arizona and

Ohio unveiled so-called “Heartbeat Bills” to “prohibit women from ending pregnancies at the first detectable fetal heartbeat.” The heartbeat can be heard “within 18 to 24 days of conception” and “in almost all cases by six weeks” – a period in which “many women don’t even know they’re pregnant.”

• Texas Governor Rick Perry “fast-tracked” an anti-abortion bill mandating that “pregnant women be shown an ultrasound of the fetus at least two hours before an abortion.” Physicians would have to show the fetus’ dimensions, limbs, or internal organs, and – if audible – the fetal heartbeat.

• Arizona GOP Representative Steve Montenegro introduced bills to criminalize abortions if they’re sought because of race or sex. The bill would charge doctors with

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 18 No. 789 • October 13 - 26, 201124

John Turner did choose: a new adaptation of author H.G. Wells’ alien-invasion classic War of the Worlds, running October 20 through 30.

Written by Turner and directed by Flanigin, this particular War of the Worlds owes as much to Orson Welles’ famed Mercury Theatre presentation as it does to H.G. Wells’ science-fiction novel. Set

“Most of our students work jobs when they’re not at school,”

says Scott Community College (SCC) theatre instructor Steve Flanigin. “So when you say, ‘We’re going to do a play – who’d be interested?’, you have to see who’s available before you de-cide what play you can do. Because if they have to go to a job when we nor-mally rehearse – Tuesday, Wednes-day, and Thursday, from three to five – then they can’t do the show.

“I think that’s one of the challenges of doing theatre at a community college that a lot of people don’t realize,” he continues. “What we do depends on who is here in the fall or the spring, and what their schedules are like. I mean, I’d love to do Hello, Dolly!, but not with four people.”

Happily for Flanigin, he was able to secure roughly a dozen student participants for the school’s latest production. And while that number wasn’t large enough for a Hello, Dolly!, it was perfectly appropriate for the show that he and fellow SCC instructor

The Last Gasp of the Golden Age of RadioScott Community College Presents a New Version of War of the Worlds, October 20 through 30

THEATRE

in 1967, the show re-creates the familiar tale of, as Turner phrases it, “Earth being invaded by disgusting-looking creatures from Mars,” with SCC’s student actors portraying the show’s military officers, frightened civilians, and members of the press.

Taking its inspiration from the notorious broadcast that shocked America on October 30, 1938, Turner’s and Flanigin’s offering is being performed as a radio presentation during a time period that Turner calls “the very last gasp of the golden age of radio.” Beyond the prelude and finale that establish this production as a play within a play, SCC’s War of the Worlds will find its cast members delivering a

radio-drama take on Wells’ (and Welles’) tale, emoting into microphones with scripts still in hand. And the decision to present this sort of “reader’s theatre” version of the material, as Flanigin explains, was also partly dictated by the student talent available.

“Some of them are really new to theatre,” he says, “so we figured we could take the stigma of memorizing lines away from some of these actors. That whole thing of, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to learn all these pages ... !’”

“A lot of them have really good reading voices,” says Turner of the cast, “but to ask them to memorize hundreds of lines would maybe scare them too much. They could do it, but they would think they couldn’t do it.”

While this fall presentation is being newly written for SCC’s current crop of students (“We’ve been through four versions since last Wednesday” says Turner during our September 28 interview), Flanigin and Turner actually produced a different War of the Worlds for the school back in 1998, one written and staged as a radio-program rehearsal of the Wells classic. “But this time,” says Turner, “we thought, ‘Why don’t we do it like it’s an actual show? Like we’re really on the air?’

“The first one was set in 1998,” he continues, “but Steve suggested the ’60s for this one, and I really liked that idea. Starting in the early ’70s, radio began to be more talk-oriented and less entertainment-oriented. But in ’67, radio was still much more varied.”

Consequently, says Flanigin, the play has been partly designed “for people who don’t know how those radio shows were put together. And that’s where some of my background does filter in, because I did

Victoria Armas, Sara Butcher, and John Turner rehearse War of the Worlds


by Mike [email protected]

broadcasting work in radio and television. So while we’re getting the students to learn breathing techniques and how to characterize with their voices and all that, we’re also going to do all the foley work live, and have a couple characters actually do all the sound effects on a nearby mic.”

In fitting with its radio-play theme, this version of War of the Worlds will also find its participants interrupting the science fiction for occasional words from the show’s sponsors.

“We asked ourselves, ‘How do you leaven the seriousness of a Martian invasion with some comedy without destroying it?’” asks Flanigin. “And I think John has really solved that, at least in some part, with the commercials he’s written, which are time-period specific, with recognizable products and services, yet they’re really dorky.”

Laughing, Turner says, “Yeah, my used-car commercial is probably like a thousand real used-car commercials, just distilled down to the ultimate used-car commercial.”

As for the production’s main storyline, Flanigin says that he and Turner are acquainting students with the challenge of radio-drama acting through period recordings, among them Welles’ broadcast of War of the Worlds and the live disaster coverage that the Mercury Theatre performers themselves used for preparation.

“We’re bringing in the recording of the Hindenburg,” says Flanigin, referring to the famed 1937 broadcast that recounted, live, the zeppelin’s destruction. “Which is what the Welles people used; they listened to those tapes of the Hindenburg crashing dozens and dozens of times, until they could re-create that level of panic.

“From a director’s point-of-view,” says Flanigin, “the challenge and the fun with this will come from not only getting the students to act vocally, but to be familiar enough with the script and the feeling of the play that they can facially interact in character, with the other characters. Of course, we want to make the play entertaining for people who might want to just close their eyes and say, ‘Oh yes, I remember those old radio shows ... !’ But we also want to make it entertaining for an audience to watch them.”

War of the Worlds will be presented in Scott Community College’s Student Life Center – Room 2400 through Door 5 – Thursdays through Saturdays at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 at the door, and for more information, e-mail director Steve Flanigin at [email protected].


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ART

Emma Farber and Zachary Cleve, through October at the Phoenix GallerySolitary Journeys

by Michelle [email protected]

A school bus sits in an overgrown field, along with an abandoned car. A pipe bursts bright liquid in the

upper right corner, and a bird’s nest with blue eggs rests in the lower left. Keys dangle from the pipe, and a flashlight shines on the eggs. In the distance, we see an ancient-looking door emerging from a smudgy hillside in a vague landscape.

In her artist statement, Emma Farber articulates her works’ theme of overcoming life’s challenges, which she communicates through the use of significant symbols. This painting, Take Shelter, presents metaphors for shelter (the nest and door) as well as the means to access it (the keys and vehicles). The school bus has been lushly rendered, with attention to detail, and the eggs have a candy-like shine that entices the viewer. The choice of symbols reads easily to the viewer.

Take Shelter is typical of Farber’s six paintings on display through October at the Phoenix Gallery, located at 1530 Fifth Avenue in Moline. Along with Farber’s work are five paintings by Zachary Cleve, a fellow recent graduate from St. Ambrose University. Both artists present thoughtful content and areas of strong technique but could benefit from greater unity and a sense of completion.

Farber’s oil with acrylic paintings show fantasy landscapes containing scattered everyday objects. Their dreamlike quality is achieved through blurry brushwork and muted tones used for foliage and landforms, with stark lighting filtering through in areas, giving a sense of sunbeams breaking through the treetops. The images are all from an eye-level view, inviting the viewer to “walk in” to the scenes.

In Zoning, Farber deftly dictates the viewer’s visual path through compositional choices. The focal point is a large drainage pipe emerging from the top left of the canvas. We are drawn to look at this, as it is large and high-contrast.

Our eyes then follow a braided rope, or hair, snaking out of the pipe and out the bottom of the composition. From there, we are led to the bottom right corner by the strongly horizontal elements of a plant and purple rumpled cloth. On the cloth are strawberries and a champagne bottle, which create a pause as the viewer stops to study the details of the label and sparkly foil top.

Next Farber pulls the viewer into the middle-ground space by following tire tracks through the mud to a parked backhoe. The backhoe is captivating, with enough detail to spark interest but still conforming to the fuzzy painting style of

its surrounding distant space. Farber has captured unusually bright sunlight, creating a surreal environment as a warm light reflects off the machine’s surfaces.

Many areas of Farber’s paintings, such as Take Shelter and Home Base, show straight-from-the-tube paints – especially pthalo blue and green – in cases where mixing custom colors would have helped unify the works. The complexity of detail in these scenes requires color cohesion to avoid a jarring quality.

Emily does employ an effective color palette, reminiscent of surrealists such as Salvador Dali, with saturated but similar hues in the foreground objects, and an overall sanguine tone through use of warmed-up greens and blues. This influence can also be seen through her creation of textures – objects seem more gnarled or shiny than in reality.

Emily also exhibits the strongest compositional balance through its use of negative space. Farber again uses a strong visual path to lead the viewer around the perimeter of the page, finally resting on a jeweled broach hanging from a branch, mysteriously dripping purple liquid. The whole top left of the composition is light yellow sky. This element is what makes this painting effective; the presence of a relatively flat and solid space provides balance to the busy details of the grass and small objects.

Many of the objects scattered through Farber’s paintings are commonly associated with visual metaphor – keys, high heels, champagne, etc. While Farber in her artist’s statement described the paintings as autobiographical treatments of overcoming challenges, the juxtaposition of man-made objects in dreamy landscapes, with recurring themes of construction equipment and refuse (empty bottles, drainage pipes, abandoned vehicles), seems

to more obviously imply an environmental theme or an exploration of how humans alter the landscape. The also-repeated imagery of childhood, toys, candy, and a school bus further implies some connection to memories, but in a more nebulous way.

The show’s other artist, Zachary Cleve, utilizes oil on canvas to create vaguely narrative scenes, using psychological portraits to generate a mood of repression and malaise.

His subjects are placed in various dilapidated settings – an abandoned theatre, a dingy lounge, crumbling buildings. Each scene contains two to four characters, although the people do not interact with each other or the viewer. Their body language is withdrawn and listless, their clothing and hair modern yet nondescript.

At the center of the composition of Moulder is a woman, visible from waist up, standing next to a pile of rubble. Behind her are two other figures: a man staring to the left, and a woman in the distance, facing away. The whole scene takes place

outside of a crumbling building. The woman in the foreground is

rendered with strong technique. Cleve has employed large, visible brushstrokes, and thick layering. The portraits in the foreground use areas of subtly abstracted color; instead of a straightforward flesh tone, Cleve has added blue and red hues. This application of expressive color meeting realism recalls the portraits of Lucian Freud. Drips and more frenzied brushstrokes in the background enhance the building’s tattered appearance.

Vigil is also a strong work, again because of Cleve’s portrait technique. Taking place inside the ruins of a building, a man in the foreground looks off to the right, alert and pulling aside a leafy vine. Also present are a walking woman and a figure, with his back to us, sitting on a pile of debris. The foreground portrait shows the best of Cleve’s technique – utilizing color to create expressionistic style, with attention to realistic details such as the texture of the man’s facial hair.

Cleve is successful in capturing a tone of awkward social apathy through the body language and facial expressions of his subjects, the dilapidated settings, and the dark and earthy colors.

But compared to the portraits, the other space in the paintings falls short. It is unclear if the backgrounds are intended to be vague or realistic – so they require a push further in one of those directions. They lack textural diversity and seem rushed and incomplete, missing the depth of color layering and detail present in the portraits. There are also areas that contain distracting mistakes of perspective or proportion.

Both artists have a similar inclination to paint dominant elements of their pieces extremely well. Farber seems to focus on a few objects in each work, while Cleve concentrates on the portraits. I look forward to seeing what they can do when they address the whole canvas with the attention they’ve paid to their primary subjects.

Phoenix Gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays 6 to 9 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, visit AtThePhoenix.com.

Michelle Garrison is a mixed-media artist who teaches art and design at Geneseo Middle School.

TOP: Zachary Cleve Moulder; BOTTOM: Emma Farber Zoning.


RiverCitiesReader.com

a sense of place – a place that is at once in the present and ancient.

The stones aren’t overwhelming in size; only a few are too high to sit on. This human scale gives them an intimacy – an inviting quality. One feels comfortable walking among them.

As Blacklock said about the artwork: “My hope is for visitors to relax at the site and contemplate how enriched we are by the environmental gifts of the Mississippi.”

Bruce Walters is a professor of art at Western Illinois University.

This is part of an occasional series on the history of public art in the Quad Cities. If there’s a piece of public art that you’d like to learn more about, e-mail the location and a brief description to [email protected].

Nature Spiral is a circular arrangement of limestone boulders situated near

the Mississippi River in the Illiniwek Forest Preserve, near Hampton, Illinois (just north of East Moline). Ideally suited for a park named after the regional Native American tribes, the artwork blends in with its natural environment and is reminiscent of Native American and Neolithic earthworks. The spiral can be reached by Illinois Route 84, or the Great River Trail for hikers and bicyclists.

The site was chosen in 1995 by a community-wide partnership led by Quad City Arts and River Action. Public meetings were arranged for the community to express ideas for an artwork that improved awareness of, appreciation of, and access to the Mississippi River. In all, nearly 50 historic preservationists, river activists, and members of the community contributed to the project led by area artist Kunhild Blacklock, who designed the work and supervised its installation.

Completed in 1997, Nature Spiral is primarily made of 65 boulders, with outlined images of native birds, fish, insects, animals, and plants cut into the surface of many of the stones. Among the flora and fauna is a bald eagle, channel catfish, mayfly, deer, silver maple, cattail, and waterlily. Approximately 800 feet in circumference, the spiral also includes planted trees and wildflowers. A nearby informational sign provides a map of the spiral and a key to the iconic images on the rocks.

The placement of the boulders gradually spirals towards a center dark stone that has a map of the spiral cut into its top surface. This center stone is a glacial erratic, meaning that it was deposited by glaciers in the last ice age.

In this aspect, the work is like a labyrinth – a spiritual pathway that leads to the center. The outer rings of the spiral are composed of boulders, trees, and wildflowers native to this area. Yet at the core of this familiar world is something unexpected, something mysterious.

The spiral also evokes a sense of past cultures. The purposeful, geometric placement of boulders on an open field is reminiscent of Neolithic standing stone circles or earthen mounds created by people and communities lost to us through the passage of time. Even knowing that this is a recent work, it creates

Art in Plain Sight: Nature SpiralART Article and Photos by Bruce Walters



Prince HarmingI feel like a disappointment to my

boyfriend of seven months. I’m 28; he’s 35 and Mr. Smart. He is a Brit and was a top student at Cambridge. He says everyone expected him to become Prime Minister, but he decided to buck their expectations and become a portrait painter. Although he earns a good living, I believe he considers himself a failure compared with the wealthy Brits commissioning his paintings. He says I’d be “more attractive” to him if I wrote for a media blog, as it would help his filmmaking career aspirations. Well, I quit my unsatisfying graphic-design job, and I am halfway through getting my master’s in psychology and have no time or desire to blog. He’ll tell me I’m talented/beautiful/smart but add a dig like “It’s surprising you aren’t more accomplished by now” and say stuff like “You’re not very attractive when you’re anxious.” When I tell him this is hurtful, he apologizes and says he just wants to help me better myself. I want to be the strong, confident woman he says is most attractive. I felt that way when we were first dating, but perhaps my insecurity took over. How do I toughen up and develop a thicker skin?

– Eroded

Love is patient, love is kind, love is surprised you aren’t more accomplished and thinks you’re kinda uggo when you’re anxious. And okay, love isn’t Prime Minister, just some hired brush, but maybe love could paint a couple extra chins on the Duke of Oldemoneyham or Lady Footlocker instead of taking all that bitterness and self-loathing out on you.

Apparently, the next best thing to running a country is finding a girlfriend, appointing yourself her sadistic guidance counselor, and running her spirit down ’til she feels like a chalk outline of the woman she used to be. (All the better to prime her to further your career at the expense of her own.) This isn’t love; it’s insidious emotional abuse – a man doing everything to undermine his girlfriend’s confidence, only to turn around and remind her that confidence is sexy.

A younger woman who’s unsure of herself who pairs up with an older, accomplished man is most prone to get into this sick compliment-dig-apology loop you’re in. You idealized this guy and the relationship to the point where you’ve become desperate for his approval so you can crawl back up

from where he’s put you down. If you had a stronger self and a realistic view of him, you’d see his put-downs for what they are – stealth abuse passed off as loving criticism: “Here, let me help you out of a little more of your self-worth.”

Instead of wondering how you might grow body armor, ask yourself those basic questions so many in relationships forget to keep asking: Does this person make me happy? Is my life better because I’m with him? You can go back to being that strong, confident woman you once were – once you no longer have an emotional predator for a boyfriend. After you ditch him, take some time to ponder my favorite definition of love, by sci-fi writer Robert Heinlein: “Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” A guy who loves you Heinlein-style will “help you better yourself,” but by cheering you on for having the guts to change careers and by telling you you’re beautiful and sexy – without following up by whispering a bunch of sweet “you’re nothings” in your ear.

Semicolon CleansingHow important is it that personal style

and sensibilities match in a relationship? I’m 24 and having trouble agreeing to a first date with a man if he texts or e-mails me an emoticon. I majored in literature, love language, and see the emoticon as the epitome of intellectual laziness and bad expression of self.

– :(

“O Romeo, Romeo... eeuw, Romeo... you’re wearing dad jeans and a T-shirt with a wolf on it, and not in an ironic way.” As a younger woman, you’re more likely to dump guys over little things, like style crimes. But after a few years of dating, and a few rounds with some Slick Ricks, minor sensibility mismatches should pale in comparison with serial cheating and undeclared STDs. (You can steer a guy into cooler shirts. It’s harder to get a guy to throw on some ethics.) That said, as a lit hound, you aren’t “shallow” in looking critically at a guy’s emoticon use, just unwise in cutting him off before the first date because of it – assuming the rest of his e-mail doesn’t reveal scorching illiteracy and poor self-expression. Maybe this is his one area of intellectual laziness. We all have some – for example, the intellectually lazy assumption that somebody’s intellectually lazy just because he sometimes “winks” with punctuation marks.

Got A Problem? Ask Amy Alkon.171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405

or e-mail [email protected] (AdviceGoddess.com)©2011, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

Askthe Advice Goddess BY AMY ALKON


whale swallowing Jonah. Homilies like “This too shall pass” and “God helps those who help themselves” never appear in the scriptures. And contrary to the Ayn Rand-style self-reliance that evangelicals think is a central theme of their holy book, the Bible’s predominant message is that goodness is measured by what one does for others. I bring this up as a teaching about how not to proceed in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. You really do need to know a lot about the texts and ideas and people and situations upon which you base your life. (tinyurl.com/BibleFog)

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): “The artist’s job is not to succumb to despair, but to find an

antidote to the emptiness of existence.” So says the Gertrude Stein character in Woody Allen’s film Midnight in Paris. As an aspiring master of crafty optimism myself, I don’t buy the notion that existence is inherently empty. I do, however, wish that more artists would be motivated by the desire to create cures for the collective malaise that has haunted every historical era, including ours. In alignment with your current astrological omens, I invite you to take up this noble task yourself in the coming weeks, whether or not you’re an artist. You now have much more than your usual power to inspire and animate others.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): The world-famous whiskey

known as Jack Daniel’s is produced in Moore County, Tennessee, which prohibits the sale of alcohol in stores and restaurants. So you can’t get a drink of the stuff in the place where it’s made. I suspect there’s a comparable situation going on in your life, Aquarius. Maybe something you’re good at isn’t appreciated by those around you. Maybe a message you’re broadcasting or a gift you’re offering gets more attention at a distance than it does up close. Is there anything you can do about that? The coming weeks would be a good time to try.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Once you drive your car into Norway’s Laerdal Tunnel, you’re in for a long haul

through the murk. The light at the end doesn’t start appearing until you’ve traveled almost 14 miles. Using this as a metaphor for your life in the here and now, I estimate that you’re at about the 12-mile mark. Keep the faith, Pisces. It’s a straight shot from here. Can you think of any cheerful tunes you could sing at the top of your lungs? Test this hypothesis: The answer to a pressing question will come within 72 hours after you do a ritual in which you ask for clarity.

and low registers. And yet there’s not a single song she does that I find interesting. The lyrics are cliched or immature, the melodies are mostly uninspired, and the arrangements are standard fare. Does what I’m describing remind you of anything in your own life, Leo? A situation you half-love and are half-bored by? An experience that is so good in some ways and so blah in other ways? If so, what can you do about it? You may be able to improve things if you act soon.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): There’s a good chance that you will soon find something you lost a while back. It may even be the case that you

will recover an asset you squandered or you’ll revive a dream that was left for dead. To what do you owe the pleasure of this blessing? Here’s what I think: The universe is rewarding you for the good work you’ve done lately on taking better care of what’s important to you. You’re going to be shown how much grace is available when you live your life in rapt alignment with your deepest, truest values.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Chris Richards wrote a story in

the Washington Post in which he complained about the surplus of unimaginative band names. At this year’s SXSW music festival in Austin, he counted six different bands that used “Bear” and two with “Panda.” Seven bands had “Gold,” including Golden Bear. Marshmallow Ghosts was one of seven bands with “Ghost” in their names. You’re in a phase of your life when it’s especially important not to be a slave of the trends, Libra – a time when it’s crucial to your well-being to come up with original language, unique descriptions, and fresh approaches. So what would your band’s name be? (tinyurl.com/BadNamesForBands)

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): You’ve got to cry one more tear before the pungent comedy will

deliver its ultimate lesson and leave you in peace. You’ve got to make one further promise to yourself before you will be released from the twilight area where pain and pleasure became so tangled. You’ve got to navigate your way through one more small surrender before you will be cleared to hunt down your rebirth in earnest. But meanwhile, the catharses and epiphanies just keep on erupting. You’re growing more soulful and less subject to people’s delusions by the minute. Your rather unconventional attempts at healing are working – maybe not as rapidly as you’d like, but still, they are working.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): “Most people who profess a deep love of the Bible have

never actually read the book,” says religious writer Rami Shapiro. If they did, they’d know that Satan is not implicated as the tempter of Adam and Eve. There’s no mention of three wise men coming to see baby Jesus, nor of a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): If it’s at all possible, Aries, don’t hang around boring people this week. Seek out the

company of adventurers who keep you guessing and unruly talkers who incite your imagination and mystery-lovers who are always on the lookout for new learning experiences. For that matter, treat yourself to especially interesting food, perceptions, and sensations. Take new and different routes to familiar hotspots. Even better, find fresh hotspots. Cultivating novelty is your mandate right now. Outgrowing your habits would be wise, fun, and cool. Changing your mind is a luxury you need and deserve.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “My grandfather always said that living is like licking honey off a thorn,” wrote

the Slovenian American author Louis Adamic. That’s true enough. Here’s the thing, though: If you manage to get a smooth thorn without any prickles (like on certain hawthorn trees), the only risk is when you’re licking the honey close to the sharp end. Otherwise, as your tongue makes its way up the sleek surface of the rest of the thorn, you’re fine – no cuts, no pain. According to my analysis, Taurus, you have just finished your close encounter with the sharp point of a smooth thorn. Now the going will be easier.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): On the front of every British passport is an image that includes a chained

unicorn standing up on its two hind legs. It’s a central feature of the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. I would love to see you do something as wacky as that in the coming week, Gemini – you know, bring elements of fantasy and myth and imagination into some official setting. It would, I believe, put you in sweet alignment with current cosmic rhythms. (P.S. If you decide to invoke the archetype of the unicorn, unchain it.)

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I’ve come across two definitions of the slang term “cameling up.” One

source says it means filling yourself with thirst-quenching liquid before heading out to a hot place on a hot day. A second source says it means stuffing yourself with a giant meal before going out on a binge of drinking alcohol, because it allows you to get drunk more slowly. For your purposes, Cancerian, I’m proposing a third, more metaphorical nuance to “cameling up.” Before embarking on a big project to upgrade your self-expression – quite possibly heroic and courageous – I suggest you camel up by soaking in an abundance of love and support from people whose nurturing you savor.

LEO (July 23-August 22): I love Adele’s voice. The mega-famous British pop singer has a moving, virtuoso instrument – technically perfect,

intriguingly soulful, capable of expressing a range of deep emotion, strong in both her high

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September 29 Answers: Right

ACROSS1. “_, poor Yorick!”5. Talent10. Genus of fig trees15. Hindu goddess19. Additional20. Surgeon’s knife21. Take on22. Hibernia23. Generous25. Something secret: 2 wds.27. Brings back28. Performing group30. Inadequate31. American composer32. Mirror33. Sultan of _34. Hummed37. Diviner38. Literary collection42. Wild West show star43. Missive in a paper: 2 wds.46. Sloven47. OT shepherd48. Pull forcibly49. Row50. Part of IOU51. Fasten a certain way52. “The _ Mutiny”53. Fishgig54. PC button56. Put in irons58. Slot machine fodder59. Candles60. Upright frame61. Swine62. Forced open63. Sided with65. Jeweler’s glass66. Kitty: 2 wds.69. Attracted70. Covered with pitch71. _ Epoque72. _ supra73. Drink suffix74. Wise guys75. Dress in finery76. Rider’s whip

77. Insect eggs79. Private: hyph.81. CSA president82. Greedy84. Fanatical85. Nothing more86. Odd and job partner87. Auto part89. About 63k inches90. Northern93. Sonar anagram94. _ -goodness: 2 wds.98. Where to buy and sell: 2 wds.100. Illegal kind of business: 2 wds.102. Dryer buildup103. Static104. Gourmand105. Franklin or Bombeck106. Dregs107. Compact108. Clothing109. Old-time fightDOWN1. Omnia vincit _2. Run3. Son of Zeus and Hera4. Lookout5. Grew wider6. Courses at sea7. Conjunctions8. Rime9. Aromatic10. Concern of investigators11. Runs in neutral12. Scoter13. Delivery giant14. Flutes and goblets15. Campaign events16. Son of Aphrodite17. Old instrument18. Black24. Wait, in a way26. Dispense29. Reiner or Sandburg32. Water birds33. Villainous look34. Hang35. Boy Wonder of comics

36. Some common knowledge: 2 wds.37. Shell out38. Supporting column39. Circle: 2 wds.40. _ of London41. Supports43. Projecting window44. Kingdom45. Time of life48. Brandished52. Studied a bank target53. Sudsy54. Levitate55. Thrusting weapon57. Tarn58. Flow rapidly59. Without a doubt61. Homonym for 61 Across62. Of an arctic region63. Insipid64. WWII hero _ Murphy65. Nigerian port66. Notorious king67. Seething68. A little inebriated70. Tarsal bone71. Grill74. “Macbeth” setting75. Innovative76. Petted78. Valentino’s films80. Pedestal part81. Removed83. Ramble85. Colliers and pitmen87. Iron88. _ Lauder89. Prophet in Judaism90. Cotton capsule91. Sheriff Taylor’s son92. Descartes93. Related by blood94. Table d’_95. Word on a traffic sign96. Book97. Girasol99. Fish eggs101. Household god

ON THE CONTRARY · Oct. 13, 2011

September 29 Crossword Answers


Live Music Live Music Live Music Email all listings to [email protected] • Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication

2011/10/13 (Thu)

ABC Karaoke Contest -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Bebop Night at the Rozz-Tox -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Dead Larry Going Away Party - Kinetix - Magic Beans -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

DJ Jeff & Karaoke -Greenbriar Res-taurant and Lounge, 4506 27th St Moline, IL

Gong Show Karaoke w/ Rock ‘N the House Karaoke -Uptown Neighbor-hood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Jamie Kent -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Johnny O Jam Session -The Muddy Wa-ters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Jordan Danielsen -Kilkenny’s, 300 W. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Applebee’s Neighbor-hood Grill - Davenport, 3005 W. Kimberly Rd. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

Karaoke Night -The Gallery Lounge, 3727 Esplanade Ave. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -The Lucky Frog Bar and Grill, 313 N Salina St McCaus-land, IA

Kooby’s Karaoke -Headquarters Bar & Grill, 119 E. 22nd Ave. Coal Valley, IL

Live Lunch w/ Keith Soko (noon) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Lumineers - Adobanga -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Lynne Hart Jazz Quartet -Cabana’s, 2120 4th Ave. Rock Island, IL

Mixology -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Kung Fu Tofu -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Harrison St. Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ The Dukes of Hag-gard -Bier Stube Moline, 417 15th St Moline, IL

The Van-Dells -Circa ‘21 Dinner Play-house, 1828 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Troy Harris, Pianist (6pm) -Red Crow Grille, 2504 53rd St. Bettendorf, IA

2011/10/14 (Fri)

A Grateful Evening w/ Cosmic Rail-road - Omega Dog -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Big Al -The Odeon, 8025 Avenue N. Clinton, IA

Bruce Katz -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Conspiracy Theory -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

David Killinger & Friends -G’s Riv-erfront Cafe, 102 S Main St Port Byron, IL

Diet Folk -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Just Chords -Kilkenny’s, 300 W. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night (members only) -Moose Lodge - Davenport, 2333 Rocking-ham Rd Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Circle Tap, 1345 Locust St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Creekside Bar and Grill, 3303 Brady St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Paddlewheel Sports Bar & Grill, 221 15th St Bettendorf, IA

Karaoke Night -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Harrison St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night w/ Stevie J. -Biscuits Bar & Grill, 600 Front St Buffalo, IA

Kinetix - Dead Larry -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

Live Lunch w/ Ren Estrand (noon) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Night People -Cabana’s, 2120 4th Ave. Rock Island, IL

Open Mic Coffeehouse -First Lutheran Church of Rock Island Parish House, 1600 20th St Rock Island, IL

REMOD - Greek Gods - Emmit Wilson -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Roots & Boots featuring Sammy Kershaw, Joe Diffie, & Aaron Tip-pin -Quad-Cities Waterfront Con-vention Center, 1777 Isle Parkway Bettendorf, IA

Russ Reyman Trio (5pm) - Gray Wolf Band (9:30pm) -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Smoking Popes - Emperors Club - Lipstick Homicide -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Southern Thunder Karaoke & DJ -Hollar’s Bar and Grill, 4050 27th St Moline, IL

Spankalicious - The Floozies - Lay-Z -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

The Brat Pack -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

The Fr y Daddies (6pm) -Toucan’s Cantina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

Troy Harris, pianist (6pm) -Phoenix, 111 West 2nd St. Davenport, IA

2011/10/15 (Sat)

American English -Ohnward Fine Arts Center, 1215 E Platt St. Ma-quoketa, IA

Atom Smasher & the Charged Par-ticles - Brutus & the Psychedelic Explosions -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washing-ton St. Iowa City, IA

Back Track Band with Hollywood Dave -Greenbriar Restaurant and Lounge, 4506 27th St Moline, IL

Barlowe & James (6pm) -Toucan’s Cantina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

Corporate Rock -Daiquiri Factory, 1809 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Crocodile Brain - White Zephyr - Josh Hale - Sinjo Thraw Mash -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

David Killinger & Friends -G’s Riverfront Cafe, 102 S Main St Port Byron, IL

Deja Vu Rendezvous featuring Skynny Skynyrd -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

E11eventh Hour -Ray’s Time Out, 1815 Manufacturing Dr. Clinton, IA

Ex-Action Model - Stephanie Rearick - Utopia Park -The Mill, 120 E Burl-ington Iowa City, IA

Funktastic Five -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL



Karaoke Night -Moe’s Pizza, 1312 Camanche Ave Clinton, IA


Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison -Central Performing Arts Center, 519 E. 11th St. DeWitt, IA


Modern Mythology -The Muddy Wa-ters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

New Duncan Imperials - Halo of Flies -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

Night People -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Open Mic Morning (9am) -Whistle Stop Java Shop, 400 W. 4th St. Milan, IL

Quarter Til -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Robert Randolf Post-Show Party w/ Big Funk Guarantee -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Robert Randolph & the Family Band -Englert Theatre, 221 East Washing-ton St. Iowa City, IA

Russ Reyman, Pianist (7pm) -Phoenix, 111 West 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Sean Jones (2 & 7:30pm) -Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, 401 76th Ave. Cedar Rapids, IA


Tapped Out -The Other Place, Erie, ILThe Avey Brothers -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave.

Rock Island, ILThe Beggarmen -Riverside Theatre, 213

N. Gilbert St. Iowa City, IAThe Dawn -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust

Davenport, IAThe Lovedogs -Hawkeye Tap, 4646

Cheyenne Ave. Davenport, IAThird Rail -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State

St Bettendorf, IATyler Mallonee & Scott Stowe -Jersey

Grille, 5255 Jersey Ridge Rd, Dav-enport, IA

Widetrack -Generations Bar & Grill, 4100 4th Ave Moline IL

Zither Ensemble (10am) -German American Heritage Center, 712 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

2011/10/16 (Sun)


Dave Ellis hosts Funday Sunday Live Music on the Patio (6pm) -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bet-tendorf, IA

Glenn Hickson (11am & 5:30pm) -O’Melia’s Supper Club, 2900 Black-hawk Rd. Rock Island, IL

Jazz Brunch w/ the Josh Duffee Band (10:30am & 12:30pm) -Hotel Black-hawk, 200 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA


14FRIDAY

15SATURDAY

13 THURSDAY

Fifth World @ RIBCO - October 21

16SUNDAY



Karaoke Night -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Lake Street Dive - Bermuda Report -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Russ Reyman, Pianist (10am) -The Lodge Hotel, 900 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Terry Hanson Ensemble (10:30am) -Brady Street Chop House, Radisson QC Plaza Hotel Davenport, IA

Third Sunday Jazz Series featuring the Chris Greene Quartet (6pm) -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

2011/10/17 (Mon)

Glenn Jones - Ed Gray -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Jason Carl -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Bier Stube Moline, 417 15th St Moline, IL

Metal Mondays -Gabe’s, 330 E. Wash-ington St. Iowa City, IA

One Night Stand Open Mic -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Rubblebucket - Reldnips & Mr. Ting -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

2011/10/18 (Tue)

ABC Karaoke Contest Night -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Darden Smith (11:30am) -Davenport RiverCenter, 136 E. 3rd St Daven-port, IA

Glenn Hickson (5:30pm) -O’Melia’s Supper Club, 2900 Blackhawk Rd. Rock Island, IL


Karaoke Night -Sharky’s Bar & Grill, 2902 E. Kimberly Rd. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night w/ Stevie J. -Davenport Eagles Lodge, 4401 W. Locust St. Davenport, IA

Mason Reed - River Glen - Josh Bohn-sack -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Open Mic Night -Cool Beanz Coffee-house, 1325 30th St. Rock Island, IL

Open Mic Night -The Dam View Inn, 410 2nd St Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Alan Sweet -Green-briar Restaurant and Lounge, 4506 27th St Moline, IL

Open Mic w/ Jordan Danielsen -Bier Stube Davenport, 2228 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Open Mic w/ Steve McFate -Salute, 1814 7th St Moline, IL

Quad- Cities KIX Orchestra -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Southern Thunder Karaoke & DJ -Mc-Manus Pub, 1401 7th Ave Moline, IL

Wet Hair - Peaking Lights -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

2011/10/19 (Wed)

Chamberlin - Fort Frances - Chasing Shade -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA


Druha Trava -CSPS/Legion Arts, 1103 3rd St SE Cedar Rapids, IA

Jam Session -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Jeff Miller (6pm) -G’s Riverfront Cafe, 102 S Main St Port Byron, IL


Karaoke Night -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL


Open Mic Night w/ Alan Sweet and Siri Mason -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Karl, Mike, & Doug -Boozie’s Bar & Grill, 114 1/2 W. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Luis Ochoa -Up-town Neighborhood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Southern Thunder Karaoke -Hollar’s Bar and Grill, 4050 27th St Moline, IL

The Chris & Wes Show -Mound Street Landing, 1029 Mound St. Daven-port, IA

The Hitman (5:30pm) - Ladies Nite w/ Kooby’s Karaoke & DJ (9pm) -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Dav-enport, IA

2011/10/20 (Thu)

ABC Karaoke -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Darden Smith -Adler Theatre, 136 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Dirtfoot - Giving Tree -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA


DJ Scott Ferguson -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Gong Show Karaoke w/ Rock ‘N the House Karaoke -Uptown Neighbor-hood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Johnny O Jam Session -The Muddy Wa-ters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Jon Aanestad -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA



Karaoke Night -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

Karaoke Night -The Gallery Lounge, 3727 Esplanade Ave. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -The Lucky Frog Bar and Grill, 313 N Salina St McCaus-land, IA


Live Lunch w/ Erin Moore (noon) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Lynne Hart Jazz Quartet -Cabana’s, 2120 4th Ave. Rock Island, IL

Mixology -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Kung Fu Tofu -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Harrison St. Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ The Dukes of Hag-gard -Bier Stube Moline, 417 15th St Moline, IL

Susan Shore - Boone County Snake Chasers featuring Al & Aleta Mur-phy and Joe & Colleen Peterson -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Troy Harris, Pianist (6pm) -Red Crow Grille, 2504 53rd St. Bettendorf, IA

2011/10/21 (Fri)

Big Al -The Odeon, 8025 Avenue N. Clinton, IA

Bucktown Revue -Nighswander Theatre, 2822 Eastern Ave Davenport, IA


Fifth World -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Gray Wolf Band -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

Hal Reed & the Avey Brothers -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bet-tendorf, IA

High Cotton Blues Band -Biscuits Bar & Grill, 600 Front St Buffalo, IA

Just Cuz -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

Karaoke Night (members only) -Moose Lodge - Davenport, 2333 Rocking-ham Rd Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Circle Tap, 1345 Locust St. Davenport, IA



Karaoke Night -Stickman’s, 1510 N. Harrison St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night w/ Stevie J. -Biscuits Bar & Grill, 600 Front St Buffalo, IA

Kevin Presbrey -Kilkenny’s, 300 W. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Lee Blackmon (6:30pm) -Cool Beanz Coffeehouse, 1325 30th St. Rock Island, IL

Night People -Cabana’s, 2120 4th Ave. Rock Island, IL

Rich Robinson -The Mill, 120 E Burling-ton Iowa City, IA

Russ Reyman Trio (5pm) - Lynn Allen (9:30pm) -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Shining Star -Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22 Riv-erside, IA

Smooth Groove -Fargo Dance & Sports, 4204 Avenue of the Cities Moline, IL

Smooth Jazz Fall Festival: Bob Baldwin & Joey Sommerville -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA


21FRIDAY

19WEDNESDAY

20THURSDAY

Continued From Page 25

18TUESDAY

17MONDAY Bruce Katz @ The Muddy Waters - October 14




Katalina - Electric Machette - The Rolling Blackout -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

Kevin Presbrey -Kilkenny’s, 300 W. 3rd St. Davenport, IA


Lynn Allen -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Night People -Pebble Creek Golf Course, 3851 Forest Grove Dr LeClaire, IA

Nitrix -The Torchlight Lounge, 1800 18th Ave East Moline, IL

Open Mic Morning (9am) -Whistle Stop Java Shop, 400 W. 4th St. Milan, IL

Red Rock-it -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

Rob Dahms & Detroit Larry Davidson (6pm) -Toucan’s Cantina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

Russ Reyman, Pianist (7pm) -Phoenix, 111 West 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Shining Star -Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22 Riv-erside, IA

Skye Carrasco Record Release Show - Brooks Strause & the Gory Details - American Dust - Pure High on the Sea -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Smooth Groove -Fargo Dance & Sports, 4204 Avenue of the Cities East Moline, IL

Smooth Jazz Fall Festival: Peter White -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA


The Buckinghams -Quad-Cities Water-front Convention Center, 1777 Isle Parkway Bettendorf, IA

The Candymakers -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Survivor -University of Iowa Pentacrest, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA

Terry Stone (6pm) -Toucan’s Cantina / Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

The Calder Quartet (3pm) -Deere-Wiman Carriage House, 817 11th Ave. Moline, IL

The Horde - Helmsplitter - Cheifton 3 - Electric Machette -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

Troy Harris, pianist (6pm) -Phoenix, 111 West 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Two Peace - The Fiyah - FireSale -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Uniphonics -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

2011/10/22 (Sat)

Calder Quar tet -Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre, 1717 W 12th St Davenport, IA

Cosmic -Mound Street Landing, 1029 Mound St. Davenport, IA


First Impression -Racer’s Edge, 936 15th Ave East Moline, IL

Grand Larsony -Greenbriar Restau-rant and Lounge, 4506 27th St Moline, IL

Gray Wolf Band -Orange Street Theatre, 701 Orange St Muscatine, IA

Hal Reed & Friends -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Henhouse Prowlers - Oakhurst -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA


Karaoke Night -Generations Bar & Grill, 4100 4th Ave. Moline, IL

Karaoke Night -Moe’s Pizza, 1312 Camanche Ave Clinton, IA

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue -Englert Theatre, 221 East Washing-ton St. Iowa City, IA

Wild Oatz -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

Yes, Inferno - Avian Swarm -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Zither Ensemble (10am) -German American Heritage Center, 712 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

2011/10/23 (Sun)


Brown Bird - Al Scorch - American Dust - Skye Carrasco -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Dave Ellis hosts Funday Sunday Live Music on the Patio (6pm) -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bet-tendorf, IA

Glenn Hickson (11am & 5:30pm) -O’Melia’s Supper Club, 2900 Black-hawk Rd. Rock Island, IL

Jazz Brunch w/ the Josh Duffee Band (10:30am & 12:30pm) -Hotel Black-hawk, 200 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Koiné (5pm) -Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 2410 E. 32nd St. Daven-port, IA

Matt Maher & Laura Story (6pm) -Adler Theatre, 136 E. 3rd St. Dav-enport, IA

Russ Reyman, Pianist (10am) -The Lodge Hotel, 900 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Swing Shift (10:30am) -Brady Street Chop House, Radisson QC Plaza Hotel Davenport, IA

The Indelicates -G’s Riverfront Cafe, 102 S Main St Port Byron, IL

2011/10/24 (Mon)

Jason Carl -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Bier Stube Moline, 417 15th St Moline, IL

Metal Mondays -Gabe’s, 330 E. Wash-ington St. Iowa City, IA

One Night Stand Open Mic - Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Open Mic w/ J. Knight -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

2011/10/25 (Tue)

ABC Karaoke Contest Night -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Glenn Hickson (5:30pm) -O’Melia’s Supper Club, 2900 Blackhawk Rd. Rock Island, IL



Karaoke Night w/ Stevie J. -Davenport Eagles Lodge, 4401 W. Locust St. Davenport, IA

Mandolin Junction: Bluegrass & Old Time Music Jam -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

MarchFour th Marching Band -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Dav-enport, IA

Open Mic Night -Cool Beanz Coffee-house, 1325 30th St. Rock Island, IL

Open Mic Night -The Dam View Inn, 410 2nd St Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Alan Sweet -Green-briar Restaurant and Lounge, 4506 27th St Moline, IL

Open Mic w/ Jordan Danielsen -Bier Stube Davenport, 2228 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Southern Thunder Karaoke & DJ -Mc-Manus Pub, 1401 7th Ave Moline, IL

2011/10/26 (Wed)

Burlington Street Bluegrass Band -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA


Drum Circle (6pm) -Teranga House of Africa, 1706 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Jam Session -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Jeff Miller (6pm) -G’s Riverfront Cafe, 102 S Main St Port Byron, IL


Karaoke Night -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL


Marvels -Purgatory’s Pub, 2104 State St Bettendorf, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Alan Sweet and Siri Mason -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Karl, Mike, & Doug -Boozie’s Bar & Grill, 114 1/2 W. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Open Mic Night w/ Luis Ochoa -Up-town Neighborhood Bar and Grill, 2340 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Southern Thunder Karaoke -Hollar’s Bar and Gril l, 4050 27th St Mo-line, IL

The Chris & Wes Show -Mound Street Landing, 1029 Mound St. Daven-port, IA

The Old 57’s (6pm) - Ladies Nite w/ Kooby’s Karaoke & DJ (9pm) -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

26WEDNESDAY

25TUESDAY

22SATURDAY

23SUNDAY

24MONDAY

Susan Shore @ The Mill - October 20

Great Russian NutcrackerGreat Russian NutcrackerDecember 5 at 7:30 pm & December 6 at 2:00 pm

www.theorpheum.org TICKETS $30-$50 (309) 342-2299The Historic Orpheum Theatre 57 South Kellogg Street Galesburg, Illinois

THE ORPHEUM THEATRE

TheThe


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39888 Version:01 09-28-11 gm

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