River Cities' Reader - Issue 798 - February 16, 2012

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012� Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

The less you spendgetting to work, the more that staysin your pocket.Simple math. And Metro can help.

Metro’s new Get On Board program offers employees a reliable, cost-effective means to work.

And it offers employers tax benefits and confidence knowingemployees have a reliable ride to work every day. There aredifferent levels of participation, all offering advantages forboth employees and employers.

Which makes it a WIN-WIN for everybody.

Ask your employer about the Get On Board Program today.

w w w.getonboardmetroqc.com

SAFE, RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION

LOWER CAR EXPENSES

SAVE ON PRE-TAX INCOME

HELP THE ENVIRONMENT

Employers-Contact Heather Roberts at309-786-3503 for more information.

READERAD8_19 8/22/11 10:46 AM Page 1

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 �Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

Has the First AmendmentBecome an Exercise in Futility?

by John W. Whitehead [email protected]

GUEST COMMENTARY

Living in a representative democracy such as ours means that each person has the right to stand outside the halls of govern-

ment and express his or her opinion on matters of state without fear of arrest. That’s what the First Amendment is all about.

It gives every American the right to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.” It ensures, as Adam Newton and Ronald K.L. Collins report for the Five Freedoms Project, “that our leaders hear, even if they don’t listen to, the electorate. Though public officials may be indifferent, contrary, or silent participants in democratic discourse, at least the First Amendment commands their audience.”

As Newton and Collins elaborate: “‘Petitioning’ has come to signify any nonviolent, legal means of encouraging or disapproving government action, whether directed to the judicial, executive, or legislative branch. Lobbying, letter-writing, e-mail campaigns, testifying before tribunals, filing lawsuits, supporting referenda, collecting signatures for ballot initiatives, peaceful protests, and picketing: All public articulation of issues, complaints, and interests designed to spur government action qualifies under the petition clause, even if the activities partake of other First Amendment freedoms.”

Unfortunately, through a series of carefully crafted legislative steps, our government officials – both elected and appointed – have managed to disembowel this fundamental freedom, rendering it with little more meaning than the right to file a lawsuit against government officials. In the process, government officials have succeeded in insulating themselves from their constituents, making it increasingly difficult for average Americans to make themselves seen or heard by those who most need to hear what “we the people” have to say.

Indeed, while lobbyists mill in and out of the homes and offices of members of Congress, the American people are kept at a distance through free-speech zones, electronic town-hall meetings, and security barriers. And those who dare to breach the gap – even through silent forms of protest – are arrested for making their voices heard. The case of Harold Hodge is a particularly telling illustration of the way the political elite in America have sheltered themselves from all correspondence and criticism.

On a snowy morning on January 24, 2011, Hodge walked to the plaza in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building with a sign around his neck. The three-by-two-foot placard read: “The U.S. Gov. allows police to illegally murder and brutalize African Americans and

Hispanic people.” Hodge, a 45-year-old African American, stood silently at attention in front of the building displaying his message. There weren’t many passersby, and he wasn’t blocking anyone’s way. However, after a few minutes, Hodge was approached by a police officer for the Supreme Court. The officer informed Hodge that he was violating a law prohibiting expressive activity in and around the Supreme Court building and asked him to leave.

According to federal law (U.S. Code 40 U.S.C. § 6135), “It is unlawful to parade, stand, or move in processions or assemblages in the Supreme Court Building or grounds, or to display in the Building and grounds a flag, banner, or device designed or adapted to bring into public notice a party, organization, or movement.” The penalty for violating this law is a fine of up to $5,000 and/or up to 60 days in jail.

Hodge, steadfast in his commitment to peaceably exercise his right to assemble and petition his government, politely refused. Over the course of some 35 minutes, several more police officers gathered and began to slowly circle Hodge. After ordering Hodge two more times to disperse, the officers placed Hodge under arrest, handcuffing his hands behind his back and leading him to a holding cell within the Supreme Court building.

Hodge is not the only person to be arrested for demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court building. Recently, 14 anti-death-penalty demonstrators were arrested for unfurling a banner on the Supreme Court steps. In October 2011, Cornel West, the Princeton University philosopher and activist, was arrested on the steps of the Supreme Court while protesting the influence of corporate money on the political process. In January 2008, 34 demonstrators protesting the indefinite detention of inmates at Guantanamo Bay were arrested for demonstrating outside the Supreme Court. D.C. Superior Court Judge Wendell P. Gardner Jr. stated that most of those demonstrators would be sentenced to probation, but that he would perhaps jail those who had prior convictions for civil disobedience so that they would stop doing “the same thing over and over.”

This desire to insulate government officials from those exercising their First Amendment rights stems from an elitist mindset that views them as different, set apart somehow, from the people they have been appointed to serve and represent. It is nothing new.

The law under which Harold Hodge was prosecuted was enacted by Congress in 1949. Since then, interactions with politicians have

shop the NEW

ACTIVE ENDEAVORS

CONNECT WITH US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE DETAILS SEARCH: QCACTIVE_ENDEAVORS

3950 ELMORE AVE • DAVENPORT, IA 52807

ACROSS FROM LOWE’S • 563-441-9488

Not valid towards gift certificates, special orders or previous purchases. Cannot be combined with other offers. Prices as marked. Some exclusions may apply.

selectitemsWI

NTER

SAVI

NGS

SALE25%- 50% OFF

Continued On Page 15


Slug_0-7

Title:

1st insert:Version:

Pubs:

Color/B&W:Pickup ref:

Live:Trim:

Bleed:Gutter:

Scale:

Art Director

Copywriter

Project Mgr

Print Prod

Studio Mgr

Buddy Check

Creative Dir

Acct Mgmt

Proofreader

Legal

Client

Product Info

2-3-2012 1:37 PMUpdated:Printed at:

PUBLICIS & HAL RINEYSAN FR ANCISCO

ApprovalsEPro:Production notes:

Job: 6768CON2033-025011

Prints Newspaper Colors:- Slate prints 96C 11M 41Y 20K- Blue prints 100C, 60M, 0Y, 5K- Red prints 0C, 100M, 69Y, 5K- .5 pt. black keyline on trim prints

Final Art:- All type and logo

FPO Art:- Photographic art, burst art and text scan

cgibson

Released

025011-CON2033-USC_N121.inddDocument01

02-03

Promo 1B ROP - 4C

By Date

Mike Whelan

Joe Bultman

Kristina Lees

Michelle Wells

Inks, Images & Fonts : Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

QR_Why_Switch_to_U.S._Cellular.eps (12%), USC_red_blue_4C_News.eps (46.29%), BURST_8_Lower_V2_LR.psd (CMYK; 409 ppi; 36.66%), 279977AC01zn100.jpg (CMYK; 324 ppi; 22.19%), 279977AF01n100.jpg (CMYK; 365 ppi; 19.72%)

Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk (Medium Condensed, Light Condensed), SanukOT (Bold, Regular, Medium), Matrix II Script USC (Reg, Bold)

Inks, Images & Fonts Cont'd :

4C

None10" x 12.5"NoneNone1" = 1" @ 100%

80.7%2-15-12N121Per ad rotation dated 1-12-12

CTA verifi cationToll-free#/Acct Mgmt

URL/Acct Mgmt

Email/Acct Mgmt

By Date

Toll-free#/Proofreader

URL/Proofreader

Email/Proofreader

By Date

Things we want you to know: While supplies last. Requires new account activation and a two-year agreement (subject to early termination fee). Agreement terms apply as long as you are a customer. Credit approval may apply. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies; this is not a tax or government-required charge. Additional fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by service and equipment. Promotional phone subject to change. Smartphone Data Plans start at $30 per month or are included with certain Belief Plans. Application and data network usage charges may apply when accessing applications. Bill Credit: To receive $100 credit, customer must register for My Account or, if already registered for My Account, log in to My Account within 14 days of activation. Trade-In Offer valid through 3/31/12. To be eligible, the Smartphone must power on and cannot be pin locked. Smartphone must be in fully functional, working condition without any liquid damage or broken components, including, but not limited to, a cracked display or housing. See store for details or visit uscellular.com/Tradein. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. See store or uscellular.com for details. ©2012 U.S. Cellular.

Why switch to U.S. Cellular?Text SCAN to 43588 to download a QR reader—and find out why.

To learn more, visit uscellular.com or call 1-888-BUY-USCC.

USC-PRD-12-006 USC-PRD-12-007 BURST_8_LOWER_V2_NEWS

BREAKING UP CAN HAVE AN UPSIDE—

UP TO $250.Switch to U.S. Cellular® and get a $100 bill credit when activating any device—and $50 to $150 more when trading in a qualifying smartphone.

MOTOROLA ELECTRIFYTM

an Android-powered phoneHTC HERO STM

an Android-powered phone

See our selection of the latest AndroidTM-powered devices, including:

40000 Version:01 02-03-12 jv


ILLINOIS POLITICS

Governor Pat Quinn outlined a plan last week to reform the state’s troubled pension systems. In doing so, Quinn

appeared to outright reject some pension ideas offered up by House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate President John Cullerton.

The governor said pension-reform negotiations, which have dragged on for well over a year, are in need of a fresh start. Republican Leader Cross’ reform proposal raises employee pension contributions to force public employees into either a lower-cost system or to a 401(k)-style plan. The state’s pension plans have billions of dollars in what’s called unfunded liability, and the idea is to lower that liability by reducing retiree pension payouts.

The governor all but said Leader Cross’ plan, which is hotly opposed by labor unions, needed to be tossed out. “I don’t think there’s a lot of enthusiasm by members of either party and either house for that particular bill,” the governor said. “We’re going to start from scratch, and everybody will have a voice and we’ll get to a good place.”

Quinn claimed he wants “meaningful reform” of the pension system and laid out four “key variables”:

(1) Employer contributions. This idea would force local school boards and universities to finally pay a significant share into the pension funds. Quinn said the contributions could be phased in over time. The governor also said that the transfer of responsibility from the state to the schools and universities wouldn’t necessarily result in higher local property taxes, which are capped, but could be done via economizing by employers. Senate President Cullerton said much the same thing. All three Democratic leaders have said they favor this concept, so watch for it to move forward.

(2) Employee contributions. The governor now favors increasing employee pension contributions out of their paychecks. Senate President Cullerton’s chief legal counsel has suggested using various incentives to hike employee contributions by 3 percent, which could raise hundreds of millions a year if you include all state workers, public-school teachers, and state university employees. With the governor including the item on his list, the idea appears to be seriously in play.

It also doesn’t hurt that the Chicago Tribune’s

latest poll showed that 50 percent of Illinoisans want to see employees contribute more to their pension funds to help pay for the billions of dollars of taxpayer underfunding over the past several decades. No other option presented by the newspaper’s pollster came even close to that number. The next highest was “Cut other state-funded programs,” which was backed by

30 percent.(3) Cost-of-living

adjustments. Some of the talk at the Statehouse has been about possibly basing annual cost-of-living raises on the original retirement income, rather than basing the increases on the previous year’s amount. By doing

that, the state would switch to “simple” interest and avoid the “magic” of compound interest, which really adds up over the years. This COLA readjustment was done for future hires during the last round of pension reforms. The COLAs could also be lowered or even possibly eliminated.

(4) Retirement age. The retirement age has already been raised for future hires, but Quinn now wants to do that for current public employees.

Despite Quinn’s claim last week that any pension reforms would have to be “done in a constitutional manner,” AFSCME – which represents thousands of state workers – pointed out that a legal analysis prepared at the governor’s own behest in 2010 completely rejected the idea that pension benefits could be changed after an employee was hired.

The Illinois Constitution declares that public pension benefits are an “enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.” AFSCME and many others contend that the language means once a worker starts paying into the pension fund, the benefits can never be reduced in any way.

The governor also appeared to reject Senate President John Cullerton’s idea to adjust the pension “ramp” that ultimately requires a 95-percent pension funding ratio by 2045. The idea is to have 95 percent of all pension payouts for the next 30 years. Cullerton has said that ought to be lowered to 80 percent, which could save lots of money.

“I think we should look at the ones I mentioned,” Quinn said when asked about the Cullerton idea.

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

by Rich Miller

Quinn Calls for Reboot of Pension Negotiations

A legal analysis rejected the idea that

pension benefits could be changed after an employee was hired.

ALWAY

S SMOKE-FREE!

I-280 and Hwy 92, Exit 11-A, Rock Island, IL309-756-4600 • 800-477-7747Open 7am-5am dailyIf you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537).

Get in the middle of the fun! We go live with our music every Friday and Saturday from 8pm-Midnight! And there’snever a cover–ever!

February 17 & 18 The Funk DaddiesSPECIAL: February 19 Live Band Karaoke 7pm-10pmFebruary 24 & 25 Tailfi ns

I-280 and Hwy 92, Exit 1130099-75756-6-4646000 • 800-477-7747OpOpenen 7 7amam-5am ddaillyIfIf yyou or sor someonmeone yoy ku knu know how how has aas a gam gamg blinl g probleoblemm, criscrisis cis counsoun elineling ang and red refferr lal serviervicesces can can bbe abe accescesccessedsed sed bby cby cby c llialliallialling 1ng 1ng 1g -800-800 GAM-GAMG BLERERBLER (1 (1-( 800-800-426-426 25377)).

It’s all aboutME

at Jumer’s!

Everything we do is all about you. Come experience the diff erence.

.

$999*Surf ‘N’ Turf Buff et

Friday, 3:30pm–10pm*With IMAGE Players Club card,

$14.99 without card.

$999*All-Day

Surf ‘N’ Turf Buff etSaturday, 10:30am–10pm

*With IMAGE Players Club card,$14.99 without card.

enjoy greatdining values!

All-You-Can-EatPrime Steak &

Lobster Tail BuffetWednesday, 4pm–9pm

$2499


State Pension-Fund Shortfall Grows to $�.7 Billion

by Lynn Campbell IowaPolitics.com

IOWA POLITICS

The gap between the promises Iowa has made for public employees’ retirement benefits and the money

set aside to pay for them has grown to $5.7 billion – a 1,643-percent increase over 11 years, State Auditor David Vaudt said February 6.

“We had just a $327-million liability at the end of 2000. That has now grown to $5.7 billion, and that’s equal almost to one year’s general-fund budget,” Vaudt said. “We’re going to need substantial resources in the future to improve the funded status of this particular plan.”

A report last year by State Budget Solutions, a national not-for-profit advocating for fundamental reform of state budgets, pegs Iowa’s unfunded liability as even larger – $21.3 billion as of last March.

“The official estimate of the unfunded liability is based upon the state’s promise to get a return on investment that is literally impossible,” said State Budget Solutions Editor Frank Keegan. “Taxpayers have to make up the difference, and that’s going to cost a lot of money. ... I’m worried that governors and legislatures don’t really realize the magnitude of it.”

Keegan said the average Iowa household will have to pay more than $800 in additional taxes every year for the next 30 years just for the existing unfunded pension promises. He said that’s in addition to all other taxes and tax increases, no matter what pension reforms are enacted.

Assets in the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) were $23.2 billion as of June 30, 2011, up from $19.9 billion the previous year, IPERS spokesperson Judy Akre said. The estimated value is a snapshot that fluctuates, depending on the stock market.

The assets are enough to pay for 80 percent of the pension fund’s long-term liabilities, Vaudt said. That’s down from 98 percent in fiscal 2000. Vaudt said Iowa got into this situation because contributions to the fund haven’t kept up with the amount needed to pay out to participants.

“The key thing is, if we’re going to promise a certain level of benefits, then we’re going to have to actually fund those at a level that’s appropriate to carry those out,” Vaudt said. “The good news is we’re 80-percent funded. The bad news is we’re 20-percent underfunded, and that means somebody in the future is going to have to

help make up that difference.” Yet Iowa’s state pension plan does

well when compared to those across the country. State pension plans nationwide were 78-percent funded in fiscal 2009, down from 84 percent in 2008, according to a report last year by Pew Center on the States, a nonpartisan think tank.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, advises states to have at least an 80-percent funding level for their pension systems. Thirty-one states fell below that threshold in Fiscal Year 2009, including Illinois, which was funded at 51 percent.

“I think over time, IPERS is really sound – more sound than 95 percent of the other pension systems in the United States,” said Iowa Senate Appropriations Chair Bob Dvorsky (D-Coralville).

Vaudt said states should aim to be more like New York and Wisconsin, which were funded at 101 and 100 percent, respectively, according to the Pew report.

Shoring up the state pension fund’s long-term finances means putting more money into the fund by increasing contribution rates by both the state and its employees, Vaudt said. Maximum contribution rates were frozen at 3.7 percent of wages for employees and 5.75 percent for employers for nearly three decades – from July 1979 to June 2007 – but have had several increases since then.

Contribution rates increased 0.5 percentage points each year from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2011. The current rate is 5.38 percent for employees and 8.07 percent for employers. When that rate took effect in July 2011, an employee with weekly wages of $1,000 had $6.80 more deducted each week. This July, the rates will go up to 5.78 percent for employees and 8.67 percent for employers.

IPERS benefits were also cut with House File 2518, approved in 2010. Under the law, it takes seven years instead of four years for an employee to become eligible for benefits. New employees must reach the age of 65, rather than 55. The wage used to determine benefits comes from averaging an employee’s five highest annual salaries, instead of highest three. Benefits for early retirement also were reduced.

This article was produced by IowaPolitics.com. For an expanded version of this article and more stories on Iowa politics, visit RCReader.com/y/iapolitics.

MITSUBISHI

MITSUBISHIMITSUBISHI

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 7Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

Winter Photography ContestPHOTOGRAPHY

Our winter photo contest – the first such reader competition we’ve

held since 2008 – brought 80 submissions over three categories: attraction, resistance, and ambivalence. Thanks to all who entered!

In these pages are the top five finishers in each category as judged by the River Cities’ Reader staff. We considered both the technical merits of the photograph as well as how well it fit or played off the category in which it was entered. Accompanying each photo is a short statement from the photographer.

While we restricted photographers to three entries, some entrants placed more than one photo among these top 15. Ambivalence, First Place, Aric Keil

“This was taken along a fence line outside of Lost Nation, Iowa, in 2011. All of the goats (except one) seemed timid yet curious when I stopped to take the photo. They did not approach me or run away from me; they just stared ambivalently.”

Ambivalence, Second Place, Kathleen Lenaghan“I took this on the lake at Loud Thunder on a foggy morning. It was difficult to

tell what was real and what was reflection.”

Ambivalence, Third Place, Aubrey Downey“When I think of abstraction, the idea of meditation often comes to mind. I

thought this meditative photo would be good to symbolize ambivalence.”


Ambivalence, Honorable Mention, Erica Aloian“This photo depicts the ambivalence of a young man’s decision to ‘tie the knot,’ with

his bride-to-be and daughter getting ready in the background.”


Attraction, First Place, Derek Rogers“Red-billed gulls, native to New Zealand, forming a pair bond in the shape of a

heart. I especially like the detail of their shoulders touching.”


Ambivalence, Honorable Mention, Derek Rogers“Photographed in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, this man had lost his leg after

being stranded on a mountain for six days. His spirit carries him up tracks that people with both legs struggle with, as seen in the background. His face, however, shows the pain of his circumstances. Ask him about the matching artwork on his prosthetic leg,

though, and you get a glimpse of his wry smile.”

Attraction, Honorable Mention, Mary L. Anderson“My photo titled Butterflies on a Sunflower was taken in a large sunflower field outside of Morrison, Illinois, in August 2010. The owner of the property was kind enough to

let me photograph in his sunflower field when full blooms were attracting hundreds of colorful butterflies. I understand that later birds come in masses to feed on the mature

seed heads. The photo was taken with a Nikon D70 camera.”

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 201210 Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 11Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com


Resistance, Honorable Mention, Mark Siedlecki“I used my Canon 50D with a 18-270-millimeter Tamron lens. I was walking to the

pond at the zoo in Coal Valley, and I see a blue heron standing on a branch very close to the sidewalk. I walked down slowly and started snapping before he flew off. Then

to my amazement he jumped in the pond and flew back up on the same branch with a bluegill in his beak.”

Resistance, Second Place, Sean Nagle“Walking through some old farmland in Grand River, Iowa, with some family. In the distance I saw this chimney standing all on its own. When I got right up to it,

the cinder blocks outlined the foundation of what was once a small cottage that had burned down. With the chimney still standing strong. It was taken with a Canon Rebel

XT, f/4, at 80 millimeters.”

Attraction, Honorable Mention, Terry L. Herbig“This picture was taken in Moline at a backyard birdbath. A male cardinal is feeding a

female cardinal.”



Attraction, Second Place, William Taylor“I captured this image during an outing to actually photograph eagles along Concord Street in Davenport.

However, once I saw this image, I could not resist the challenge. The Interstate 280 Bridge has been dedicated to a Purple Heart recipient from Iowa, Sergeant John F. Baker Jr. Arrangements are currently

being made to forward an enlargement of this image to Sergeant Baker’s family.”

Resistance, Third Place, Aric Keil“This is one of a series of macro photos I’ve taken using food coloring and multiple light sources to show the immiscibility of oil and

water. Although an unusual photo, I thought that two unmixable liquids would fit the category of resistance.”

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 1�Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

Resistance, Honorable Mention, Gloria Keeslar“Taken at Sunset Marina in Rock Island. It is obvious that these two seagulls are not at all in agreement with whatever the subject matter is. It was quite a discussion and

indeed included body language.”

Attraction, Third Place, Michael Fitzgerald“We all learn that, in nature, the bumblebee is attracted to pollen to feed its young.

The bee collects, transports, and spreads the pollen to other flowers. This symbiotic relationship, born of a strong attraction, brings us the bounties of nature: food and

seeds. The secret of this attraction is out in this photo.”


Dressing RoomiesScenery, at the District Theatre through February 25

By Thom WhiteTHEATRE

The District Theatre’s production of

Scenery boasts the most range I’ve yet seen from actor Ed Villarreal, who is obviously growing as an artist after notable performances in the (then-) Harrison Hill-top Theatre’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Jesus Christ Super-star last year, and New Ground Theatre’s Bad Habits last month. Dur-ing Thursday night’s show, he incorporated an accent, plus shifts in vocal inflection and projection, to punctu-ate either the humor or emotion of his lines, and in so doing, successfully shaped his Richard as an aging actor resigned to his status.

Villarreal’s performance would perhaps be even more remarkable were he working with better material. Playwright Ed Dixon’s script isn’t bad, but it often struck me, while watching the play, that some of the lines were meant to be more clever than they actually are. The audience’s laughs were few and far between, although it should be said that the laughs that were elicited by Dixon’s words and director James Fairchild’s cast were hearty ones. In his story of two married actors on the opening night of their latest play, Dixon manages to sneak in some fairly witty double entendres and innuendo – jokes that take a bit of time to sink in before they’re understood. In particular, there’s a line about Richard not being able to go down on a ship that, in the context of the conversation, could almost be taken literally, yet the sexual joke is masked just enough to render it funnier for not being so blatant.

It’s unfortunate that Dixon’s work is good rather than great, as the material he’s working with is rife with comedic

potential. In Scenery, we’re privy to discussions between Villarreal’s Richard and Molly McLaughlin’s Marion as the performers prepare themselves for the curtain, freshen up during intermission, and ready themselves for the opening-night party. The entire play takes place in their shared, backstage dressing room, and through their conversations, we learn that Richard is gay, but that he and Marion are married for business purposes, which has served them well in their stage careers.

While Richard appears blasé about being an older actor, Marion seems bothered that she’s no longer an ingénue – not even an aging ingénue – and the humor of the piece comes from their talk of acting superstitions (saying “Macbeth” aloud or having peacock feathers backstage), reviewers (who, we’re told, tend to hate two-person plays nearly as much as one-person plays), and audiences who routinely cough, unwrap candy, talk on cell phones, and excuse themselves to use the bathroom. Consequently, many of Scenery’s jokes, which are maybe best understood by people who’ve worked in theatre, are a bit too inside, and oftentimes fall a bit flat.

For her part, perhaps due to opening-night nerves (and/or knowing there were reviewers in the audience), McLaughlin didn’t allow her performance on Thursday to breathe. She nailed every line right on cue, but that actually created the problem; every sentence followed its cue too quickly, with McLaughlin not pausing, or allowing for emotional beats, while her character thought of what to say next. With the show running

an hour and 15 minutes, including the intermission, the pacing was quick and steady, but could have used some emotion-driven variety.

It also could have used some more interesting movement. Despite the inherent staging limitations in two-person plays – and that fact that Scenery’s characters don’t actually do much beyond talk – Fairchild too often has his actors sitting in chairs at their dressing tables, or standing behind those chairs, or sitting together on a couch; the action does occasionally pick up, particularly in Act II, but the piece would benefit greatly from more physicality. It is worth noting, however, that Fairchild gives Villarreal’s Richard some amusing things to do at his dressing table, including plucking his eyebrows and trimming his nose hair. Perhaps that’s the key to improving this play, or any of those critic-unfriendly two-person plays: more manscaping.

Scenery plays at the District Theatre (1611 Second Avenue, Rock Island) through February 25. For tickets and information, call (309)235-1654 or visit DistrictTheatre.com.

Vol. 1� · No. 7��February 1�-��, �01�

River Cities’ Reader 532 W. 3rd St.

Davenport IA 52801 RiverCitiesReader.com

(563)324-0049 (phone) (563)323-3101 (fax) [email protected]

Publishing since 1993

The River Cities’ Reader is an independent newspaper published every other Thursday, and available free throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding areas.

© 2012 River Cities’ Reader

AD DEADLINE: 5 p.m. Wednesday prior to publication

PUBLISHER Todd McGreevy

EDITOR Kathleen McCarthy

EDITORIAL Managing Editor: Jeff Ignatius • [email protected]

Arts Editor, Calendar Editor: Mike Schulz • [email protected]

Contributing Writers: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny, Lynn Campbell, Michelle Garrison, Rich Miller, Bruce Walters, Thom White

ADVERTISING Account Executive:

Jason Farrell • [email protected] Ben Wallace • [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator: Nathan Klaus

Advertising rates, publishing schedule, demographics, and more are available at

QCAdvertising.comDESIGN/PRODUCTION

Art Director, Production Manager: Shawn Eldridge • [email protected]

Graphic Artist: Nathan Klaus • [email protected]

ADMINISTRATION Business Manager: Kathleen McCarthy

Office Administrator, Classifieds Manager, Circulation Manager: Rick Martin • [email protected]

Distribution: William Cook, Cheri DeLay, Greg FitzPatrick, Tyler Gibson, Daniel Levsen, J.K. Martin, Jay Strickland

Ed Villarreal and Molly McLaughlin

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 1�Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

become increasingly manufactured and distant. Press conferences and televised speeches now largely take the place of face-to-face interaction with constituents. For example, in 2011, 60 percent of members of Congress did not schedule a town-hall meeting with their constituents during the summer recess. Other members of Congress, such as Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), held luncheons instead, charging $10 to $35 per admission ticket. Meanwhile, politicians in Virginia have considered changing the meeting rules for their public officials, making it possible for officials to “meet” electronically or by phone, thus

eliminating the two-way dialogues and face-to-face interactions that are inherent to a physical meeting.

Additionally, there has been an increased use of so-called “free-speech zones,” designated areas for expressive activity used to corral and block protesters at political events from interacting with public officials. George W. Bush used “free-speech zones” excessively during his first term as president and both the Democratic and Republican parties have used them at various conventions to mute any and all criticism of their policies.

Perhaps the most egregious instance of

imposing a free-speech zone upon protesters came in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention. It was there that Boston Police constructed a cage of jersey walls and chain-link fences out of sight of the convention center into which protesters were huddled. After seeing the designated area, Judge Douglas Woodlock stated, “One cannot conceive of other elements put in place to make a space more of an affront to the idea of free expression than the designated demonstration zone.” Such an area is obviously not designed to respect the American people’s right to free speech and to peaceably assemble

and petition their government officials.Clearly, the government has no interest

in hearing what “we the people” have to say. Yet if Americans are not able to peacefully assemble outside of the halls of government for expressive activity, the First Amendment has lost all meaning. If we cannot stand silently outside of the Supreme Court or the Capitol or the White House, our ability to hold the government accountable for its actions is threatened, and so are the rights and liberties that we cherish as Americans.

That’s where Harold Hodge comes in. With the help of the Rutherford Institute, Hodge is now challenging the constitutionality of the statute barring silent expressive activity in front of the Supreme Court. It will be an uphill battle, given that it challenges the domain of the elite, but it’s a battle that must be fought.

The Supreme Court has already dismissed one challenge to the law. In United States V. Grace (1983), a case challenging the ban on expressive activity in front of the Supreme Court, the justices ruled that “[t]he Court grounds are not transformed into ‘public forum’ property merely because the public is permitted to freely enter and leave the grounds at practically all times and is admitted to the building during specified hours.”

Hopefully, freedom will win out in the end. As Justice John Paul Stevens noted in his dissent in Minnesota Board for Community Colleges V. Knight (1984): “We need not consider whether executives or legislators have any constitutional obligation to listen to unsolicited advice to decide this case. It is inherent in the republican form of government that high officials may choose – in their own wisdom and at their own peril – to listen to some of their constituents and not to others. But the First Amendment does guarantee an open marketplace for ideas – where divergent points of view can freely compete for the attention of those in power and of those to whom the powerful must account ... .

“There can be no question but that the First Amendment secures the right of individuals to communicate with their government. And the First Amendment was intended to secure something more than an exercise in futility – it guarantees a meaningful opportunity to express one’s views. For example, [the Supreme] Court has recognized that the right to forward views might become a practical nullity if government prohibited persons from banding together to make their voices heard. Thus, the First Amendment protects freedom of association because it makes the right to express one’s views meaningful.”

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute (Rutherford.org). His book The Freedom Wars is available at Amazon.com.

GUEST COMMENTARY Continued From Page 3

Has the First Amendment Become an Exercise in Futility?by John W. Whitehead [email protected]

DEADLIN

EFebr

uary 22

!

DEADLIN

EFebr

uary 22

!


MusicMaggie BrownRiver Music ExperienceSunday, February 19, and Monday, February 20

The late, great Duke Ellington was quoted as saying, “By and

large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with.” Let’s be thankful, then, that this sentiment wasn’t adopted by legendary composer Oscar Brown Jr., or the modern jazz scene – as River Music Experience patrons will soon realize – would’ve been deprived of one awfully gifted daughter.

Appearing locally on February 19 and 20, the soulful, Chicago-based jazz singer Maggie Brown will perform in two special events at the Davenport venue: as the featured musician and educator in Polyrhythms’ monthly Third Sunday Jazz series, and on Monday in Brown’s touring showcase on the history of African-American songs titled “Legacy: Our Wealth of Music.” As fans of her frequent Windy City gigs and her 2010 CD From My Window will attest, Brown

brings emotional exuberance and subtle power to her renditions of classic jazz standards and pop favorites, and has earned numerous raves for her efforts. The Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich lauded “the interpretive depth of her work” and Brown’s “uncommonly expressive alto,” while the Chicago Defender’s Earle Calloway called her “a phenomenal artist who has loads of individual style.”

Yet while Brown has delivered impassioned takes on tunes by such disparate talents as Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln, Sade, and even Prince, critics agree that her most heartfelt performances are of compositions written by her father Oscar, who passed away in 2005, and whose output, as Reich describes, “remains as dramatically

potent and socially relevant as when he penned them decades ago.”

So plan on hearing a number of her father’s signature works during Brown’s RME appearances, because as the singer says, “I find myself in his music and lyrics ... . It’s really hard to walk away from Daddy’s songs.” I say the same thing whenever people catch me humming the German drinking song “Ein Prosit.” Man, I wish Dad had a more varied repertoire.

On Sunday, Maggie Brown will lead a 3 p.m. jazz workshop and perform a 6 p.m. concert, and on Monday, she’ll deliver performances of her one-woman educational entertainment at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information on Brown’s area appearances, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

What’s Happenin’

EventProfessor Smart’s Fun with PhysicsMoline High SchoolSaturday, February 18, 4 p.m.

Arriving with an hour of comedy and a healthy amount of real-life magic, the latest guest

in the Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Series is acclaimed professional clown Todd Victor, whose stage production Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics promises to be so entertaining that your kids won’t even realize how much education they’re amassing.

A graduate of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, Victor has spent the past

several decades as a comedian and juggler with the internationally acclaimed Jest in Time Circus of Fools. Yet through his alias as

Professor Smart, he’s found a way to mix the foolish with the utterly fascinating, teaching family audiences about gravity, air pressure and propulsion, gyroscopic properties, and other physics-related matters through amazing and hilarious stage experiences that have wowed crowds in 10 countries worldwide.

In Victor’s February 18 performance in the Moline High School auditorium, guests will marvel as Professor Smart stands volunteers’ hair

on end, sends toilet paper sailing through the air, makes objects levitate, and even – through an optical illusion – shrinks his own head. But while I could describe more of the sights that Saturday’s audience will be enjoying, it’s a lot more fun to view them, so check out this YouTube video for some of the enticing wonders on display in Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics.

And if you’re reading this piece in print form rather than checking in out online ... um ... . Cool photo, huh?

Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics will be performed at 4 p.m. on February 18, admission is free (though donations are encouraged), and more information is available by calling (309)793-1213 or visiting QuadCityArts.com.

DanceLove Stories: Love on the Run!Augustana CollegeFriday, February 17, and Saturday, February 18

For the professional dance company’s third-annual presentation of mixed

repertoire under the blanket title Love Stories, Ballet Quad Cities has added the subtitle Love on the Run! Don’t, however, presume that this means the dancers will be performing their group numbers and pas de deux at warp speed.

“Because the Capitol Theatre closed,” says Ballet Quad Cities Artistic Director Courtney Lyon, “which was where we normally performed Love Stories, we actually had no idea where we were going to be performing this one. And we were thinking that if we didn’t have a formal theatre space, we could just find really cool places around the Quad Cities and do a traveling show – a ‘ballet on the run’ kind of thing. So Love on the Run! was kind of a tongue-in-cheek joke just for ourselves, but that’s what we ended up calling it.”

Happily, though, attendees won’t have to race around the area trying to find the production, as the company did find a venue in Augustana College’s Wallenberg Hall, where the latest Love Stories will be staged February 17 and 18. “It’s a really, really cool place for us to be performing,” says Lyon. “It’s being done in the round, and we’ll be up close to the audience, so it’s going to make for a much more intimate

atmosphere.”Included on the

program are seven short works of mixed rep, staged

by such talents as Ballet Quad Cities resident choreographer Deanna Carter, guest artist Rebekah von Rathonyi, former Artistic Director Johanne Jakhelln, former company member Lynn Andrews, and current member Kelsee Green, a 21-year-old presenting, says Lyon, “the first piece that she’s choreographed on professional dancers. She has a background not only in classical ballet but in hip-hop and jazz, and has set a jazz piece on our entire company.”

In addition to jazz, the eclectic Love on the Run! presentation will feature snippets from the Romeo & Juliet ballet, the Black Swan (and Black Swan) pas de deux from Swan Lake, and Jakhelln’s Prelude to Eternity scored to Beethoven. Plus, in what Lyon describes as “like one of those candy hearts filled with chocolate,” Carter’s 12-minute “NEWSFLASH,” which finds recognizable musical motifs from the ’50s and ’60s (the Lassie theme, the Mr. Clean jingle, Bert Parks’ “Miss America” song) “woven into a love story between this tabloid couple that everyone’s reading about. Like an Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt kind of thing.”

So while we probably shouldn’t cross our fingers that Jennifer Aniston will be in attendance, Love Stories: Love on the Run! will be performed in Wallenberg Hall at 8 p.m. on February 17 and at 2 and 8 p.m. on February 18, and tickets and information are available by calling (309)794-7306 or visiting BalletQuadCities.com.

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 17

MusicMaggie BrownRiver Music ExperienceSunday, February 19, and Monday, February 20

The late, great Duke Ellington was quoted as saying, “By and

large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with.” Let’s be thankful, then, that this sentiment wasn’t adopted by legendary composer Oscar Brown Jr., or the modern jazz scene – as River Music Experience patrons will soon realize – would’ve been deprived of one awfully gifted daughter.

Appearing locally on February 19 and 20, the soulful, Chicago-based jazz singer Maggie Brown will perform in two special events at the Davenport venue: as the featured musician and educator in Polyrhythms’ monthly Third Sunday Jazz series, and on Monday in Brown’s touring showcase on the history of African-American songs titled “Legacy: Our Wealth of Music.” As fans of her frequent Windy City gigs and her 2010 CD From My Window will attest, Brown

brings emotional exuberance and subtle power to her renditions of classic jazz standards and pop favorites, and has earned numerous raves for her efforts. The Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich lauded “the interpretive depth of her work” and Brown’s “uncommonly expressive alto,” while the Chicago Defender’s Earle Calloway called her “a phenomenal artist who has loads of individual style.”

Yet while Brown has delivered impassioned takes on tunes by such disparate talents as Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln, Sade, and even Prince, critics agree that her most heartfelt performances are of compositions written by her father Oscar, who passed away in 2005, and whose output, as Reich describes, “remains as dramatically

potent and socially relevant as when he penned them decades ago.”

So plan on hearing a number of her father’s signature works during Brown’s RME appearances, because as the singer says, “I find myself in his music and lyrics ... . It’s really hard to walk away from Daddy’s songs.” I say the same thing whenever people catch me humming the German drinking song “Ein Prosit.” Man, I wish Dad had a more varied repertoire.

On Sunday, Maggie Brown will lead a 3 p.m. jazz workshop and perform a 6 p.m. concert, and on Monday, she’ll deliver performances of her one-woman educational entertainment at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information on Brown’s area appearances, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

by Mike [email protected]

What Else Is Happenin’


MUSICThursday, February 16 – Rave

on: A Night of Rock ’n’ Roll. Period hits performed by the Circa ’21 Bootleggers and cast members from the theatre’s production of Grease. Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $12-15. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.

Thursday, February 16 – Gaelic Storm. Standards and originals with the acclaimed Celtic musicians. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $25-35. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

Friday, February 17, and Saturday, February 18 – Great River Show Choir Invitational. High-school and middle-school show choirs compete for Grand Champion prizes. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). Friday – 5:30 p.m. competition; Saturday – 8 a.m. competition, 7:30 p.m. finals. $4-14, $16 all-weekend pass. For information, call (563)322-3660 or visit GreatRiverShowChoir.com.

Friday, February 17 – The Toasters. Noted ska, reggae, and pop musicians in concert,

EventProfessor Smart’s Fun with PhysicsMoline High SchoolSaturday, February 18, 4 p.m.

Arriving with an hour of comedy and a healthy amount of real-life magic, the latest guest

in the Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Series is acclaimed professional clown Todd Victor, whose stage production Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics promises to be so entertaining that your kids won’t even realize how much education they’re amassing.

A graduate of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, Victor has spent the past

several decades as a comedian and juggler with the internationally acclaimed Jest in Time Circus of Fools. Yet through his alias as

Professor Smart, he’s found a way to mix the foolish with the utterly fascinating, teaching family audiences about gravity, air pressure and propulsion, gyroscopic properties, and other physics-related matters through amazing and hilarious stage experiences that have wowed crowds in 10 countries worldwide.

In Victor’s February 18 performance in the Moline High School auditorium, guests will marvel as Professor Smart stands volunteers’ hair

on end, sends toilet paper sailing through the air, makes objects levitate, and even – through an optical illusion – shrinks his own head. But while I could describe more of the sights that Saturday’s audience will be enjoying, it’s a lot more fun to view them, so check out this YouTube video for some of the enticing wonders on display in Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics.

And if you’re reading this piece in print form rather than checking in out online ... um ... . Cool photo, huh?

Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics will be performed at 4 p.m. on February 18, admission is free (though donations are encouraged), and more information is available by calling (309)793-1213 or visiting QuadCityArts.com.

TheatreL.A. Theatre Works’ The RivalryEnglert TheatreThursday, February 23, 7:30 p.m.

On February 23, Iowa City’s Hancher Auditorium will present the latest offering in the venue’s

2011-12 series of Visiting Artist events: L.A. Theatre Works’ Englert Theatre staging of Norman Corwin’s The Rivalry. As this production is a dramatic re-creation of debates on such matters as race, freedom, equality, states’ rights, and America’s future, it should go without saying that the play in question is set more than 150 years ago.

What’s that? It shouldn’t go without saying? Hmm. I guess you might be right about that ... .

A stage depiction of the legendary 1858 Illinois Senate race debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, The Rivalry employs oratory taken from historical transcripts to not only illustrate the urgency behind the men’s ideological clashes but to offer shrewd commentary on the partisan politics of the present. And with the Los Angeles Times praising its “consistently superb work” and American Theatre magazine calling the company “original, exciting, and highly theatrical,” the visiting members of L.A. Theatre Works are sure to deliver a memorable evening of impassioned rhetoric and emotional fire in The Rivalry, making centuries-old debates feel newly, powerfully relevant.

As a way of boning up on the play’s content, try your hand at this quiz to the right. Which of the following were spoken by Lincoln during the debates, and which by Douglas?

Ticket prices range from $18.50 to $42, and seats for The Rivalry can be reserved by calling (319)335-1160 or visiting http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.

Answers: 1 – B, 2 – B, 3 – B, 4 – B, 5 – B. Jeez, that Lincoln snagged all the best lines.

1) “Let us discard all these things, and unite as one people throughout this land, until we shall once more stand up declaring that all men are created equal.”

2) “No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle.”

3) “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.”

4) “If we cannot give freedom to every creature, let us do nothing that will impose slavery upon any other creature.”

5) “I leave you hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal.”

A) Stephen DouglasB) Abraham Lincoln

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 20121�

For many gamers, “downloadable content” (DLC) inspires, if not con-demnation, at least suspicion. Many

modern video games seem overloaded with attempts to make money off of play-ers after the initial pur-chase. “Microtransactions” parcel out minor aesthetic options or mechanical bo-nuses in exchange for cash. At its worst, downloadable content means additional fees for core features, as in Assassin’s Creed II and Deus Ex: Human Revolu-tion, in which segments of the main narrative were omitted and sold as DLC. At its best, well, it’s the DLC for Fallout: New Vegas.

New Vegas ’ DLC includes four major pieces, each a complete story the length and breadth of a smaller single-player game: Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, and Lonesome Road. There are also two smaller pieces, Courier’s Stash and Gun Runners’ Arsenal, that are of the more common, largely inconsequential variety. All are collected with the original game in the recently released Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition.

New Vegas itself seemed on its first release in late 2010 like a cash grab: a spin-off of Bethesda’s exceedingly successful Fallout 3, using that game’s engine and much of its art, handed off to another studio – Obsidian Entertainment – known for producing sequels to other developers’ games. But like Obsidian’s Knights of the Old Republic II, which followed up Bioware’s hit first game, New Vegas is better-written, better-designed, and just generally more interesting than its predecessor. (It’s also worth noting that most members of the New Vegas team are former employees of the collapsed Black Isle Studios, which developed the first two Fallout games and was developing a third game similar to New Vegas when the company went under.)

New Vegas is an open-world role-playing game in which you’re free to roam the post-apocalyptic but recovering Mojave Desert. Superficially, it’s similar to Fallout 3 (as well as Bethesda’s Oblivion and Skyrim) in both its strengths and weaknesses. As with Bethesda’s games, objects and people often seem disconnected from the world on a physical level, and combat is never as interesting as it seems intended to be. In the DLC, this last problem becomes

by Grant [email protected]

Far More Than a Cash Grab: Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition

GAMING

more significant, as combat is frequent, repetitive, and often frustrating.

But unlike Bethesda’s games, New Vegas and its DLC truly dedicate themselves to creating living worlds in which every choice the player makes has consequences.

Some players might even think there are too many consequences in New Vegas. Small decisions reverberate throughout the game. Often it’s not even clear that you’re making a choice, a sharp distinction from the games of Bethesda and Bioware, which

go out of their way to clearly telegraph every consequential option.

It’s possible to reach the end of New Vegas without killing anyone. Conversation is as common as combat, and success requires more than just increasing your character’s numerically rated skill at “speech.” The interwoven plot threads create a story about different groups of people trying to build a new world from the ashes of the old one, each failing in their own way.

The plot is surprisingly mundane, often centering on logistical issues; but its focus on basic necessities such as food and water grounds the game and makes it feel real. The player isn’t trying to save the world, instead working to determine something smaller but critical to this world and its inhabitants: who will control Hoover Dam, the last source of electrical power in the nuclear wasteland.

If New Vegas has a serious fault, it’s that the world can seem too dryly political at times, so concerned with negotiating the various factions’ alliances and rivalries that other aspects of the game – such as the well-written characters – fall into the background. New Vegas’ DLC reverses this, as each major piece is laser-focused on just a few characters and examining a theme given shorter shrift in the main game.

For players who miss Fallout’s sense of survival in unforgiving conditions, the main game offers a “hardcore” mode that requires players to eat, drink, and sleep regularly and makes healing more difficult. Such players may especially enjoy the first piece of DLC, Dead Money, with a constantly dangerous environment in which the player is stripped of equipment and forced to scavenge a remnant of the old world. Ultimately, though, the player’s


River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 1�

THE VOWEven though I’m frequently

annoyed, if not downright appalled, by them, I really don’t ask a lot from traditional romantic weepies. If the actors involved share more-than-sufficient chemistry, and the film provides at least a decent amount of legitimate passion and pathos – with a few good jokes thrown in to keep the proceedings human – I’ll generally feel that I’ve gotten my money’s worth. And happily, I got my money’s worth at The Vow. I’d hardly argue that director Michael Sucsy’s love-among-the-mental-ruins effort is a good movie, but despite never being as interesting as it keeps threatening to be, this audience-friendly drama fulfills its basic requirements with the utmost sincerity and even something approaching wit.

If only it were wittier! Though inspired by a true story – and, blessedly, not a book by Nicholas Sparks – The Vow is as Hollywood as they come, telling of a Bohemian sculptor (Rachel McAdams’ Paige) who survives a violent car crash and awakens from her coma with no memory of her devoted husband Leo (Channing Tatum) or their last four years together. What she does remember is being the dutiful, sheltered daughter of an affluent Chicago couple (Jessica Lange and Sam Neill) and the fiancée to a handsome, smirking d-bag (Scott Speedman), a situation positively rife with intriguing thematic possibilities. With Paige

conveniently unable to recall any events that took place after she walked away from a promising law career, her intended, and her folks – Paige’s parents, we learn, had never heard of Leo – the young woman’s amnesia seems almost willful, a means of rejecting what the struggling artiste might consider four years’ worth of poor choices. How do you return to a life that you not only don’t remember but aren’t even sure you want? And how, if you’re Leo, do you convince your beloved that the things she thinks she wants are things she actually detests?

Those are fascinating questions, and unfortunately (and unsurprisingly), the film’s four screenwriters don’t appear to know how to address them. Instead, they hit all the expected narrative beats: the early, let’s-start-over scenes of Paige’s and Leo’s cohabitation, with her blushing at hubby’s casual nudity; Speedman’s jerk attempting to use Paige’s amnesia to his romantic advantage; Paige’s dad ordering his little girl back to the suburbs, sneering at Leo with a threatening, “We know what’s best for her.” (I’d say it’s nice to see the formerly ubiquitous Neill on-screen again, but in this hackneyed role, it’s not.) In real life, the couple that Paige and Leo are based on got their Happily Ever After, but you don’t need that information to know, unquestionably, that a similar fate

awaits The Vow’s leads; Sucsy and his co-writers scrape away anything potentially edgy or discomforting in the material in favor of bland, doe-eyed reassurance, and they’re hardly ones for subtlety.

(True story or not, did the eatery where our heroic pair rekindles their affections really need to be called the Café Mnemonic?)

Its blitheness, though, actually ends up working in the film’s favor. The first line heard comes when Leo, exiting a movie theater on a wintry night with Paige on his arm, says, “It was barely an inch when we went in.” Alas, he’s talking about the snow, but the couple’s shared, frequently spiky humor and easy rapport are believable from the start; you enjoy McAdams and Tatum together so much that Sucsy doesn’t have to force-feed their woes for you to be touched by their plight. McAdams’ freshness and naturalism mesh perfectly with Tatum’s emotional openness – their responses to one another feel true even when their situations are contrived – and the stars’ earnestness and friendliness and obvious affection for one another give The Vow the feeling-good-about-feeling-bad kick that too many of its genre forebears have lacked. You could easily ask for a better movie for its leads, but I’m not sure you could ask for better leads for the movie.

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND

At first, I was thrilled to see my Saturday-matinée screening of the family adventure Journey 2: The Mysterious Island so packed, as it meant these patrons were at least opting for director Brad Peyton’s dopey but genial outing over the 3D re-release of The Phantom Menace. (No, I didn’t see the film this past weekend, and no, I’m not going to; life’s too short to sit through crap movies twice.) Yet considering its spotty visuals and wan slapstick and horrific mugging by Luis Guzmán, did the crowd really feel the need to applaud at the end? Dwayne Johnson certainly energizes this Jules Verne-ian lark with his indefatigable comic spirit (and wickedly funny impression of co-star Michael Caine), but as Journey 2 all but defines “mediocre family entertainment,” I’m a trifle concerned that the results merited clapping. Admittedly, one of Caine’s final lines in the movie is, “Don’t just sit there – applaud!” But audiences, even the youngest of audiences, do know that Caine himself can’t hear them, right?

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

Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com/MikeSchulzNow.

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

Listen to Mike every Friday at �am on ROCK 10�-� FM with Dave & Darren

Movie Reviews by Mike Schulz • [email protected]

Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum in The Vow

The Time-Traveler Wife

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012�0MOVIES

Silence Is (Gonna Be) Golden: 2012 Oscar PredictionsAfter tying my personal best two years

ago, when I guessed correctly in 18 of the 24 individual Academy Award

races, I experienced a rather sizable setback in 2011, amassing only 13 right. How am I feeling about my predictions this year?

Well ... I’ve certainly felt worse. I’ll likely feel better when I invariably

change several of my selections in the technical categories, after their respective guilds name their winners prior to February 26’s Academy Awards ceremony. (Last year, all of the eventual victors in the Oscars’ cinematography, editing, art-direction, costume-design, and sound categories received guild awards beforehand.) And I’ll probably feel even better than that if – as I promise to every damned year – I start predicting more with my brain than my heart, the latter organ causing me to wrongly back Hailee Steinfeld and David Fincher last year ... and a certain Best Actor candidate this year.

Nevertheless, here’s where we stand at the moment. For you fellow participants in annual Oscar pools, feel free to use this as a cheat sheet when marking Xs on your ballots ... though I beg you: Until you’re absolutely ready to turn in your guesses, mark them in pencil.

BEST PICTUREThe ArtistThe DescendantsExtremely Loud & Incredibly CloseThe HelpHugoMidnight in ParisMoneyballThe Tree of LifeWar HorseIt’s a comedy. It’s a black-and-white film.

It’s a (mostly) silent film. It’s a foreign film. Hell, it’s a French film. And after The Artist’s Golden Globe, Producers Guild Award, Directors Guild Award (DGA), and Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) wins, it’s your Best Picture for 2012. You realize you’re running out of excuses for not seeing it, right?

BEST DIRECTORWoody Allen, Midnight in ParisMichel Hazanavicius, The ArtistTerrence Malick, The Tree of LifeAlexander Payne, The DescendantsMartin Scorsese, HugoThe winner of the DGA has won the Best

Director Oscar 56 times over the former’s 63-year history, and the victors have matched up every year over the past eight. I see no

reason for the streak to be broken just because The Artist is a comedy. And black-and-white. And silent. And French.

BEST ACTRESSGlenn Close, Albert NobbsViola Davis, The HelpRooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon

TattooMeryl Streep, The Iron LadyMichelle Williams, My Week with MarilynAfter seeing The Help, I tweeted, “Just

give Viola Davis the Oscar now.” It’ll have taken six months, but I’d bet money that even Streep is voting for her.

BEST ACTORDemián Bichir, A Better LifeGeorge Clooney, The DescendantsJean Dujardin, The ArtistGary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyBrad Pitt, MoneyballIf you’re looking to make money in your

office’s Oscar pool, do not go with Pitt. Go with Globe and SAG winner Dujardin. (Or the Globe-winning, slightly-less-likely choice Clooney.) But as my immediate response to Pitt’s performance was the same as it was to Viola Davis’, I’m sticking with my guns, and with my gut feeling that this category is totally ripe for an upset.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Bérénice Bejo, The ArtistJessica Chastain, The HelpMelissa McCarthy, BridesmaidsJanet McTeer, Albert NobbsOctavia Spencer, The HelpThe chances of Spencer losing this

category are about equal to my chances of winning it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with MarilynJonah Hill, MoneyballNick Nolte, WarriorChristopher Plummer, BeginnersMax von Sydow, Extremely Loud &

Incredibly CloseA late-breaking studio push for von

Sydow makes this a tighter race than it was a few weeks ago. After his numerous precursor wins, however – to say nothing of the standing ovations he’s received for them – Plummer not emerging victorious would look like an intentional dissing, and considering the breadth of the 82-year-old’s astonishing career, does anyone have the heart to dis Captain von Trapp?

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Artist, Michel HazanaviciusBridesmaids, Annie Mumolo, Kristen WiigMargin Call, J.C. ChandorMidnight in Paris, Woody AllenA Separation, Asghar FarhadiThis could easily go to Hazanavicius,

despite (or perhaps because of) the irony in a screenplay award going to a movie with fewer than two dozen spoken words. But it’s been a quarter-century since an Oscar presenter began an acceptance with, “Woody Allen couldn’t be here tonight ... ,” and haven’t we all kind of missed that?

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

Hugo, John LoganThe Ides of March, Georle Clooney, Grant

Heslov, Beau WillimonMoneyball, Aaron Sorkin, Steven

Zaillian, Stan ChervinTinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bridget

O’Connor, Peter StraughanAt the moment, I’m thinking degree of

adaptation difficulty will allow the Moneyball team to edge out the Descendants team. Yet for Oscar-pool purposes, just go with whichever screenwriters win this category at the February 19 Writers Guild Awards ... though you should keep an eye out for Tinker Tailor, which maybe boasted the highest degree-of-difficulty challenge of all, and whose O’Connor passed away not long after she and husband Straughan completed the script.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

A Cat in ParisChico & RitaKung Fu Panda 2Puss in BootsRangoViewed comparatively, Octavia Spencer is

the longest of longshots.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG“Man or Muppet?”, The Muppets“Real in Rio,” RioThe Muppets – and Flight of the

Conchords’ Bret McKenzie, who wrote the tune’s music and lyrics – are taking the one. And if I’m allowed a runner-up guess ... hmmm ... gosh, I dunno ... maybe the Rio song ... ?

Uggie and Jean Dujardin in The Artist

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 �1

a moderately effective rule-of-thumb in correctly predicting the short-film victors is to always go with the longest title, so I might’ve just picked the category’s runner-up instead.

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

PentecostRajuThe ShoreTime FreakTuba AtlanticA choice based solely on the film being

written and directed by previous Oscar nominee Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father), and its starring the great Irish actor Ciarán Hinds, who’ll hopefully receive an Oscar of his own one day soon.

BEST ANIMATED SHORTDimanche/SundayThe Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Norris

LessmoreLa LunaA Morning StrollWild LifeYou can view this ode to the joys

of literature on YouTube, and I highly recommend that you do; it’s funny, moving, inventive, and gorgeously animated. And check it out! Longest title, too!

The 2012 Academy Awards ceremony will be telecast on Sunday, February 26, at 7 p.m. on ABC. Follow Mike’s reactions to the broadcast at Twitter.com/MikeSchulzNow.

voters will want to reward the Best Picture also-ran (and total-nomination victor) with at least a few tech wins, though a War Horse – or even a Transformers – two-fer wouldn’t shock me.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTSHarry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2HugoReal SteelRise of the Planet of the ApesTransformers: Dark of the MoonHail Caesar!

BEST MAKEUPAlbert NobbsHarry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2The Iron LadyAnd I pray that, while watching the Meryl

Streep movie, those responsible for the aging makeup in J. Edgar took notes. Lots and lots and lots of notes.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement

God Is the Bigger ElvisIncident in New BaghdadSaving FaceThe Tsunami & the Cherry BlossomAt last! The categories in which nobody

ever knows what the hell is gonna happen! Having seen a grand total of zero of the above offerings, and based solely on their subject matter, I’m going with the film about the Japanese-tsunami aftermath. However,

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

Bullhead (Belgium)Footnote (Israel)In Darkness (Poland)Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)A Separation (Iran)I’d say the film’s inclusion among the

screenplay nominees gives A Separation the edge, but that reasoning sure didn’t help recent contenders (and presumed front-runners) Amélie and Pan’s Labyrinth in this category. With no equally acclaimed competitor in the foreign-language field, though, I’m staying put. And will no doubt regret it.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Hell & Back AgainIf a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth

Liberation FrontParadise Lost 3: PurgatoryPinaUndefeatedI’ve only seen the moving (though

directorially intrusive) wounded-soldier doc Hell & Back Again and the fascinating eco-terrorist study If a Tree Falls, and either would be a deserving choice here. But I’m really, really hoping for a Paradise Lost 3 victory, as it would be fitting public acknowledgment of Joe Berlinger’s and Bruce Sinofsky’s indefinably vital roles in bringing attention to the notorious West Memphis Three case. If the filmmakers do win, expect a lengthy, thunderously loud ovation.

BEST ORIGINAL SCOREThe Adventures of TintinThe ArtistHugoTinker Tailor Soldier SpyWar HorseA silent movie?! Tell that to composer

Ludovic Bource and his nearly uninterrupted 100 minutes of pitch-perfect music!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHYThe ArtistThe Girl with the Dragon TattooHugoThe Tree of LifeWar HorseAside from Dragon Tattoo, I’d say that the

other films all have a decent shot, yet even the haters have to concede that if Tree of Life is about anything, it’s about cinematography. It’s actually about far, far more than that, but you know, you don’t wanna rankle the haters.

BEST COSTUME DESIGNAnonymousThe ArtistHugoJane EyreW.E.In contrast, I think every single title here

has a solid chance. But since 2007, all of the Costume Design winners have been films featuring European royalty (if you count Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts, and I do). So chalk up a win for Anonymous – this category’s third win in the past 15 years for a movie that finds a Queen Elizabeth among its characters. Then again, one of the Elizabeths is also a character in W.E., so ... .

BEST FILM EDITINGThe ArtistThe DescendantsThe Girl with the Dragon TattooHugoMoneyballI think its editing is far more clever and

accomplished than many realize, and The Artist’s Best Picture front-runner status makes me want to back it all the more here. But don’t count Hugo out by any means. Thelma Schoonmaker is a star among editors the way Scorsese is among directors, and his films have landed her two more Oscars that he’s received.

BEST ART DIRECTIONThe ArtistHarry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2HugoMidnight in ParisWar HorseAn early Artist win here would portend a

major sweep, but if Hugo has any category in the bag, it’s this one.

BEST SOUND EDITINGDriveThe Girl with the Dragon TattooHugoTransformers: Dark of the MoonWar Horse

BEST SOUND MIXINGThe Girl with the Dragon TattooHugoMoneyballTransformers: Dark of the MoonWar HorseHugo, however, definitely doesn’t have

these awards in the bag. In four instances over the past six years, one film won both sound categories, and that seems entirely possible this year, too. So let’s presume that

by Mike [email protected]

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012��

1611 W. Locust St. | Davenport, IA 52804 | 563.326.1847

www.dolandjewelers.com | Look for us on Facebook.

We get to know our brides pretty well. That’s why Doland brides are invited to select from a range of beautiful jewelry to accessorize their wedding gown for free!

Visit us at Doland Jewelers for complete details.

wedding day?

Free jewelry for your

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 ��

in 1911. A recognized authority on anatomy and a teacher for more than 30 years, she earned the title “First Lady of Chiropractic” and her rightful place in the Heritage Court.

The sculptures and wall are clearly meant to be viewed from the paved court. However, a small plaque on the back of the central and oldest sculpture states, “Herein rest the ashes of Daniel David Palmer.” A similar plaque is on the back of his son’s bust.

When one considers that a growing health-care field with some 75,000 practitioners was founded here, that this college is held as the fountainhead of its profession, and that the ashes of the founder and developer are interred here, these four busts convey an appropriate sense of importance and dignity.

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].

Art in Plain Sight: Palmer BustsArticle and photos by Bruce Walters

In the Heritage Court on the Palmer College of Chiropractic campus (at 1000 Brady Street in Davenport) are

four large bronze busts. Sculptures of D.D. Palmer, his son B.J. Palmer, and his grandson David Palmer are placed sym-metrically on a curved brick and stone wall with the incised words “The Foundation of Chiropractic.” These men collectively presided over the Palmer College of Chiro-practic for its first 81 years, beginning with its founding in 1897.

Slightly to the north is a bust of Mabel Heath Palmer, who is recognized as the “First Lady of Chiropractic” and was B.J.’s wife and David’s mother.

Created by three different artists over a period of nearly 70 years, the sculptures are stylistically distinct. They are unified, however, by their consistency in height. Each bust is approximately five feet tall. Positioned on the two walls, they each reach a total height of about 12 feet. They also work together because of the consistent use of materials and conformity to a sculptural form from antiquity – the bust. During the Roman Empire, important families celebrated their achievements and honored their deceased relatives by displaying these sculpted portraits prominently and publicly.

The central bust of Dr. Daniel David (D.D.) Palmer (1845-1913) has a commanding quality. The founder of chiropractic care, D.D. Palmer performed the first spinal adjustment in 1895. Two years later, he founded the Palmer school. To put these dates in perspective with other health-care milestones, viruses were discovered only three years before the first adjustment; more than a decade would pass before the first vitamins were discovered.

Befitting the title of “Discoverer and Founder” on the plaque at its base, the sculpture’s deep-set eyes seem to gaze to the horizon. The solemn face is framed by a classically stylized, magnificent beard. Though not signed or dated, the bust is attributed to a chiropractic student, George Barton. It was unveiled to the public in 1921.

The bust of Dr. Bartlett Joshua (B.J.) Palmer (1881-1961) was created by Luis Antonio Sanguino, an internationally renowned sculptor whose expressive and gestural style was well-suited to his monumental The Immigrants in New York and to his massive sculptures of bullfighters in Madrid. Sanguino’s use of rugged textures gives the bust an energetic surface that reflects the active life of its subject.

B.J. Palmer assumed responsibility for the Palmer School of Chiropractic in

1904 while still in his early 20s. He would preside over the college for more than a half-century. The author of 38 books, B.J. also amassed a collection of artworks and artifacts from his world travels. His Little Bit o’ Heaven, which included live alligators, was a Quad Cities tourist attraction for more than two decades.

Among his many enterprises, he was president of the Central Broadcasting Company, Tri-City Broadcasting Company, Stereocolor (a pioneering Technicolor and 3D studio in California), and the International Chiropractors Association; owner of the Clear View Sanitarium; director of the B.J. Palmer Chiropractic Research Clinic; and a supporter of Sarasota, Florida’s Circus Hall of Fame.

Among the first to understand the potential of radio, B.J. purchased WOC radio in 1922. The call letters, though assigned arbitrarily by the government, became known to stand for “Wonders of Chiropractic.” Operating atop the Palmer school, the station was the first commercial station west of the Mississippi and one of the most powerful in the nation. WOC branched into television in 1949.

Following B.J. Palmer’s death, his

son Dr. David D. Palmer (1906-1978) became the third president of the college. Projecting a sense of confidence and steadfastness, the bust of David Palmer is nonetheless more conventional than the others. It was by his wife Dr. Agnes Mae High Palmer, who was both a chiropractor and a sculptor.

The school became the College of Chiropractic under David Palmer’s leadership. In addition to obtaining not-for-profit status for the college and forming its first board of trustees, he laid the foundation for the college’s accreditation. The faculty tripled in size.

The bust of Dr. Mabel Heath Palmer (1881-1949) was also created by Agnes Mae High Palmer. Though it is approximately the same size as the others, the angular shoulders and facial details as well as the strong patterning in the clothing and turban make it strikingly different. Set directly on its base, it seems more massive than the other three, which rise from slender stands.

Mabel Palmer became a doctor of chiropractic in 1905 and founded the Sigma Phi Chi sorority, the oldest continuous chiropractic organization,

B.J. Palmer

ART

David Palmer D.D. Palmer Mabel Heath Palmer

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012��

choice the player doesn’t even remember making. Surrounded by ruins of the old world, including a fleet of dormant nuclear missiles emblazoned with the American flag and waiting to strike again, Lonesome Road’s incredibly tense climatic conversation asks, at both the smallest and largest scale possible, whether we will continue to fight the same war and destroy the world all over again or, if war never changes, whether there’s a way to avoid it altogether.

Grant Williams is a developer at Sedona Technologies who hijacked an English degree to study video games.

with openers The Dropsteppers. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $12. For information and tickets, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, February 18 – Anthony Gomes. Chart-topping Canadian blues musician in concert with opener Nick & the Ovorols. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $10-15. For information and tickets, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Tuesday, February 21, through Friday, February 24 – James “Super Chikan” Johnson. Performances with the Blues Music Award-winning artist, appearing locally as a guest in the Mississippi Valley Blues Society’s “Blues in the Schools” program. Tuesday – Black Hawk College’s Hawk’s Nest (6600 34th Avenue, Building 4, Moline), 10:30 a.m., free admission. Wednesday – River Music Experience (131 West Second Street, Davenport), 7 p.m., free admission. Friday – The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf ), 9 p.m., $5 suggested donation. For information, call (563)322-5837 or visit MVBS.org. For a 2006 interview with Johnson, visit RCReader.com/y/chikan.

Friday, February 24 – Brad Paisley. Country-music superstar in concert, with special guests The Band Perry and Scott McCreery. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7:30 p.m. $25-59.75. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.

Friday, February 24 – Texas Tenors. Country-music concert with the vocal ensemble from America’s Got Talent.

Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf ). 7:30 p.m. $15-25. For information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.

Saturday, February 25 – Thy Blackened Reign Tour 2012. Concert with metal musicians The Horde, Bible of the Devil, and A Hill to Die Upon. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9:30 p.m. $5. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.

Saturday, February 25 – The Candymakers’ CD Release Show. Concert with the winners of the 2011 Iowa Blues Challenge. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $7. For information and tickets, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, February 25 – Joseph Hall’s Elvis. Las Vegas tribute performer in concert. Ohnward Fine Arts Center (1215 East Platt Street, Maquoketa). 7 p.m. $13-25. For tickets and information, call (563)652-9815 or visit OhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.

Tuesday, February 28 – The Hackensaw Boys. Acclaimed bluegrass musicians in concert. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $10. For information and tickets, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

THEATRESaturday, February 18 – Sudden

Theatre. New Ground Theatre presents performances of short plays written and staged over a 24-hour period,

featuring works by Jason Platt, Michael Callahan, Jacqueline DeVore Madunic, Shea Doyle, and Dana Moss-Peterson. Village Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Village of East Davenport). 7 p.m. $5 at the door. For information, call (563)326-7529 or e-mail [email protected].

Saturday, February 18, through Sunday, February 26 – Mia the Melodramatic. Stage version of Junior Theatre alumna Eileen Boggess’ comic novel, directed by Jessica Sheridan. 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. For an article on the production, visit RCReader.com/y/melodramatic.

Sunday, February 19 – Doubt: A Parable. John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, presented by the Montana Repertory Theatre. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 3 p.m. $20-35. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit TheOrpheum.org.

Thursday, February 23, through Sunday, February 26 – The Toymaker’s War. Playwright Jennifer Fawcett’s drama about a journalist in Bosnia, presented by Working Group Theatre. Riverside Theatre (213 North Gilbert Street, Iowa City). Thursday-Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $12-15. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit WorkingGroupTheatre.org.

Friday, February 24, through Sunday, February 26 – The

Plagiarists. Aaron Randolph III’s debuting comedy on relationships and art, directed by Corinne Johnson. St. Ambrose University’s Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 Gaines Street, Davenport). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $7-11. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu/galvin. For a 2011 interview with Randolph, visit RCReader.com/y/aaronrandolph.

COMEDYFriday, February 17 – The Capitol

Steps: Election Year. Musical political satire with the famed touring performers. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa). 8 p.m. $25-30. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

SPORTSSaturday, February 25 – Iowa

Barnstormers. Arena football with the Des Moines-based team versus the Chicago Rush. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7 p.m. $10-30. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.

EVENTFriday, February 17 – DubStar

Presents Minute 2 Win It. Fundraiser for the Quad Cities Autism Center based on NBC’s Minute to Win It, featuring games, team challenges, prizes, and comedian Brian Gale hosting. The Pub (4320 North Brady Street, Davenport). For information, call (563)528-5465 or visit Facebook.com/DubStarQC.

Continued From Page 17

What Else Is Happenin’

survival depends not on looting but on overcoming greed and suspicion to cooperate with a cast of distrusting and unstable companions.

Honest Hearts , meanwhile, goes in the other direction, contrasting the political machinations of the Mojave with a vision of an innocent world untainted by the apocalypse. It presents a surprisingly nuanced and respectful portrayal of religion – never a common subject in video games – and asks the player to determine the worth of faith when the harsh reality of the world intrudes.

The final two pieces of major DLC directly confront the specter of the old

by Grant [email protected]

Far More Than a Cash Grab: Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate EditionGAMING

world that has always haunted the Fallout series. Every Fallout game begins with Ron Perlman’s gravelly incantation that “war never changes,” a statement of powerlessness that the agency offered by New Vegas especially drives the player to rebel against. While you can pitch the battle for Hoover Dam in favor of one side or another, it’s a testament to how much choice the game affords players that it’s disappointing when there is no changing that there will be a battle, and that it will be over a relic of the old world rather than how to build a new one.

Old World Blues is a largely comedic story about a group of old-world scientists


who have survived as literal brains-in-vats, but it becomes clear over the course of the narrative that the broad, hit-and-miss jokes at its start are there to cover darker, more bitter humor about the dangers of science untethered from morality – the same capriciousness that produced nuclear weapons and, in Fallout’s world, the apocalypse.

Finally, Lonesome Road, the most powerful piece of DLC, boils all of Fallout’s themes to their essence. Amid a truly apocalyptic environment of storms and quakes, the player grapples alone with a hate-filled man named Ulysses, who rages about the unintended consequences of a

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 ��

physical performance here, in the way she sensually slides her hand down her side before collapsing on the floor, is both stunning and hilarious. As Harry, Mark Ruebling exudes remarkable passivity, allowing Sarah’s constant pokes to roll off his back (with a smile), and

delivers his lines in that unexpected, quirky way that tickles me every time I see him on stage. When he performs “Sorry-Grateful,” though – one of my all-time-favorite love songs – he tackles it gently, and with respectful sentiment.

Sara King, another local favorite of mine,

delivers beautiful moments of sad contemplation in Marta’s number “Another Hundred People.” While employing her impressive belt voice, King also softens her vocals at appropriate times, driving home the song’s more somber themes as she explains to Bobby the pulse of New York City. And Jenny Winn brings down the house with bride-to-be Amy’s “Getting Married Today.” The song, with its rapid-fire lyrics, would leave anyone breathless. Winn, however, doesn’t miss a beat; she delivers every word clearly (while making exceptional use of her facial expressions) to punctuate the song’s humor, and her awe-inspiring performance elicited the loudest and longest applause.

There’s so much to be applauded in Turley’s production. Erin Lounsberry’s ditzy April, Bobby’s stewardess girlfriend, is a delight. Playing Bobby’s friends David and Jenny in the marijuana scene, John VanDeWoestyne’s utterly believable coughing fits are well-matched with Christina Myatt’s talkative, almost sing-song-y state of highness. As Bobby’s girlfriend Kathy, Tracy Pelzer-Timm exudes a welcome sweetness, one equaled by Paul Workman’s Paul as he puts up with fiancée Amy’s hysterics. Christopher Tracy and Wendy Czekalski have strong chemistry as divorcing couple Peter and Susan. And with Brian Nelson lending graceful, jovial support as her husband Larry, Angela Elliott offers a heartfelt, grave delivery of rich bitch Joanne’s “Ladies Who Lunch,” performed in stark contrast to the condescending, wise-cracking delivery of the rest of her portrayal. Even with this Company’s not-fully-fleshed-out Bobby, there’s a great deal that’s very good about this evening of entertainment.

Company plays at the District Theatre (1611 Second Avenue in Rock Island) through February 18. For tickets and information, call (309)235-1654 or visit DistrictTheatre.com.

At the start of the intermission to Febru-ary 3’s District Theatre performance of Company, my partner turned to me and

said, “I don’t remember this show being that funny.” He was right, because director David Turley accentuates the funny parts in this musi-cal by composer Stephen Sondheim and writer George Furth. He does so, however, with subtle nudges and winks that almost cross over into silliness but don’t, and that keep the production from sinking into sappy sentimental-ity.

There are plenty of opportunities for directors to get overly emotional with this story of Bobby (Bryan Tank), a man still single in his mid-30s despite the invasive efforts of his married-couple friends, all of whom are trying to get him hitched. Sondheim’s lyrics and Furth’s script explore various kinds of marital relationships and the ways in which love plays out, and allow Bobby to consider the characteristics of the women in his life (among them his three girlfriends).

In this production, though, Tank is as difficult to pin down as Bobby is; on February 3, it didn’t seem that the actor had fleshed out the character quite yet, so we were left with mere hints about Bobby’s motivations and personality. In one scene in which Bobby got high with friends, Tank did manage to suggest a contemplative observer of life who refuses to alter the thoughts and behaviors keeping him from marital commitment, and it was evident from this sequence (and from past productions in which I’ve marveled at Tank’s efforts) that the actor has the talent to deliver a notable performance. But it seems he needs a director to help him shape his portrayals, and considering the lack of movement in his scenes – with Tank often looking somewhat uncertain about where to go and what to do with his arms – I’m guessing that Turley took a hands-off approach with Tank, when he maybe should have aided Tank in molding his character.

As it stands, Tank’s Bobby disappears into the rest of Company’s crowd of strong personalities. And in a way, that’s okay, because the others are so entertaining. Linda Ruebling has a fascinatingly funny moment in which her Sarah – a woman who constantly needles husband Harry about his drinking habit – appears to be approaching orgasmic climax as she holds a bite of brownie centimeters from her lips, craving this treat her diet doesn’t allow. Ruebling’s

Not Getting Married TodayCompany, at the District Theatre through February 18

By Thom WhiteTHEATRE

John VanDeWoestyne, Christopher Tracy, Mark Ruebling, Bryan Tank, Brian Nelson, and

Paul Workman

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012�� Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

a guy whose intellectual “spirit animal” is probably the amoeba.

Fools rush in, but the real fools find themselves face-down in a pool of “boy, was I dumb” and get busy coming up with reasons why staying there is a wise idea. In The Folly of Fools, anthropologist Dr. Robert Trivers explains self-deceptions such as yours, noting the difference between intelligence and consciousness: “You can be very bright but unconscious.” When you realize you’ve been unconscious, you can choose to wake up and cut your losses – before you start saying cutting things to your goodhearted sexy simpleton. To live less sleepwalking-ly in the future, reflect on what got you into this – what void you tried to fill by telling your rationality to shut up and go sit in the corner so you could congratulate yourself on the great love you found. And goody for you on what you actually found – some really great sex – but let’s call a cabana boy a cabana boy, lest you turn a story that should be “My Hunky Winter Vacation” into a move-in special.

I’m with CupidWhat’s with all the Valentine’s Day

haters? Some of my single friends celebrate V-Day ironically, and I sense that they look down on my boyfriend and me for celebrating it for real, as if we’re just buying into a giant marketing campaign.

– Romantically Uncool

Occupy Wall Street is so 2011. Trendsetting inequality-haters should be occupying Hallmark: “If we don’t get love, you don’t get love, either,” and “This is what a woman without a boyfriend looks like!” Valentine’s Day has been hijacked to sell everything short of heart-shaped rubber vomit. I even got a Valentine’s-linked press release pitching surveillance services. Right. Nothing says “I love you” like installing a key-logger on your partner’s laptop. The louder the hyping of the day, the louder the message that somebody’s a loser if they have nobody to buy a bunch of red merch for. So your single friends’ cooler-than-thou attitude is understandable, but there’s something better than being cool, and it’s being happy. Let them have their black-frosted cookies with the little dead cupids and their marches against romance-colored corporate greed ... well, until next year, when they’re sneaking into Godiva to buy chocolates for the girl they fell in love with after they got pepper-sprayed together.

Dim and HerI’m having a whirlwind romance with

a man I met online on Thanksgiving. I moved across the country to live with him on December 20, and we’re now building a life together. The problem is I have a high IQ (137), and he’s very unintelligent and illogical. It’s hard to have a good conversation unless we talk about sex. It’s too late to leave now, so ... any advice on how to keep our IQ difference from ripping us apart when things are less new and exciting? I really love him, as he’s pure of heart. And boy, is he sexy and great in bed! So far, I’ve held back from telling him when he’s gullible or irrational, but I worry that I’ll eventually call him something nasty – like “idiot.” I don’t want to hurt him. I crave his company and love him for who he is, not what he knows.

– The Smarter One

Is there a chance you cheated on your IQ test? You seem to pride yourself on your intelligence, yet you spent a few weeks chit-chatting on the Internet with some dull blade, dropped everything, and moved across the country to live with him. Now you two lovebirds are “building a life together” – that is, whenever you aren’t too busy grumbling about needing your intellectual equal and not the coffee table’s.

You might “love him for who he is,” but you also despise him for who he isn’t. Oops. Marriage researcher Dr. John Gottman found that expressions of contempt are the greatest predictor that a couple will go kaput. Of course, anybody you get involved with will have some annoying habits or flaws that challenge the relationship. Relatively benign bad habits are things like snoring, and for that, you can get those little strips to put on your partner’s nose. What’s the answer here? Strapping a piece of duct tape across his mouth?

Check out your completely lame excuse for staying: “It’s too late to leave now.” Now check your feet. Bolted to the floorboards? If not, what’s keeping you there is probably irrational thinking that economists call the “sunk-cost fallacy” – deciding to keep investing in some endeavor based on what you’ve already invested (an unrecoverable cost) rather than assessing how your investment will pay off (if at all) in the future. People are especially prone to overvalue prior investment when their ego is also invested – like when sticking around helps them continue the fiction that they’ve behaved wisely in going all-in with

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

or e-mail [email protected] (AdviceGoddess.com)©2012, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

Ask the Advice Goddess BY AMY ALKON

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 �7Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny's EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES

& DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPESThe audio horoscopes are also available by phone at

1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700

with version number 37. You’re getting closer to creating a viable method for achieving your next success. That’s why I urge you to be patient and determined as you continue to tinker and experiment. Don’t keep trying the same formula that didn’t quite work before. Open your mind to the possibility that you have not yet discovered at least one of the integral components.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): A person who emits a huge angry shout produces just

.001 watt of energy. Even if he or she yelled continuously 24/7, it would still take a year and nine months to produce enough energy to heat a cup of coffee. That’s one way to metaphorically illustrate my bigger point, which is that making a dramatic show of emotional agitation may feel powerful but is often a sign of weakness. Please take this to heart in the coming week, Capricorn. If you do fall prey to a frothy eruption of tumultuous feelings, use all of your considerable willpower to maintain your poise. Better yet, abort the tumult before it detonates. This is one time when repressing negative feelings will be healthy, wealthy, and wise.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Jeep vehicles always feature seven slots on their front grills.

Why? For the manufacturer, it’s a symbolic statement proclaiming the fact that Jeep was the first vehicle driven on all seven continents. Let’s take that as your cue, Aquarius. Your assignment is to pick an accomplishment you’re really proud of and turn it into an emblem, image, glyph, or talisman that you can wear or express. If nothing else, draw it on dusty car windows, write it on bathroom walls, or add it to a Facebook status update. The key thing is that you use a public forum to celebrate yourself for a significant success, even if it’s in a modest or mysterious way.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): A sign outside the Apostolic Bible Church in Bathurst, New Brunswick invited

worshipers to meditate on a conundrum: “Why didn’t Noah swat those two mosquitoes?” After all, if the builder of the Ark had refused to help the pesky insects survive the flood, we’d be free of their torment today. (Or so the allegorical argument goes.) Please apply this lesson to a situation in your own sphere, Pisces. As you journey to your new world, leave the vexatious elements behind. Homework: Exhausted by the ceaseless barrage of depressing stories you absorb from the news media? Here’s an antidote: ProniaResources.com.

off from some very interesting truths. In the hope of providing you with the last little push that will take you the rest of the way, I offer two related insights from creativity specialist Roger von Oech: (1) If you get too fixated on solving a certain problem, you may fail to notice a new opportunity that arises outside the context of that problem. (2) If you intensify your focus by looking twice as hard at a situation that’s right in front of you, you will be less likely to see a good idea that’s right behind you.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Thirty-two carrier pigeons were awarded medals by the United

Kingdom for their meritorious service in the World Wars. Of course, they probably would have preferred sunflower seeds and peanuts as their prize. Let that lesson guide you as you bestow blessings on the people and animals that have done so much for you, Virgo. Give them goodies they would actually love to receive, not meaningless gold stars or abstract accolades. It’s time to honor and reward your supporters with practical actions that suit them well.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): The caterpillar-to-butterfly

transformation is such an iconic symbol of metamorphosis that it has become a cliché. And yet I’d like to point out that when the graceful winged creature emerges from its chrysalis, it never grows any further. We human beings, on the other hand, are asked to be in a lifelong state of metamorphosis, continually adjusting and shifting to meet our changing circumstances. I’ll go so far as to say that having a readiness to be in continual transformation is one of the most beautiful qualities a person can have. Are you interested in cultivating more of that capacity, Libra? Now would be an excellent time to do so. Remember that line by Bob Dylan: “He who is not busy being born is busy dying.”

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): This would be an excellent time to round up a slew of new role models.

In my astrological opinion, you need to feel far more than your usual levels of admiration for exceptional human beings. You’re in a phase when you could derive tremendous inspiration by closely observing masters and virtuosos and pros who are doing what you would like to do. For that matter, your mental and spiritual health would be profoundly enhanced by studying anyone who has found what he or she was born to do and is doing it with liberated flair.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): WD-40 is a spray product that prevents corrosion,

loosens stuck hinges, removes hard-to-get-at dirt, and has several other uses. Its inventor, Norm Larsen, tried 39 different formulas before finding the precisely right combination of ingredients on his fortieth attempt. The way I understand your life right now, Sagittarius, is that you are like Larsen when he was working

ARIES (March 21-April 19): What do you typically do just before you fall asleep and right after you

wake up? Those rituals are important for your mental health. Without exaggeration, you could say they are sacred times when you’re poised in the threshold between the two great dimensions of your life. I’ll ask you to give special care and attention to those transitions in the coming week. As much as possible, avoid watching TV or surfing the Internet right up to the moment you turn off the light, and don’t leap out of bed the instant an alarm clock detonates. The astrological omens suggest you are primed to receive special revelations, even ringing epiphanies, while in those in-between states.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Have you ever gazed into the eyes of goats? If you have, you know that their pupils

are rectangular when dilated. This quirk allows them to have a field of vision that extends as far as 340 degrees, as opposed to humans’ puny 160 to 210 degrees. They can also see better at night than we can. Goats are your power animal in the coming week, Taurus. Metaphorically speaking, you will have an excellent chance to expand your breadth and depth of vision. Do you have any blind spots that need to be illuminated? Now’s the time to make that happen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the animated film The Lion King, two of the central characters are a talking

meerkat named Timon and a talking warthog named Pumbaa. Their actions are often heroic. They help the star of the tale, Simba, rise to his rightful role as king. The human actors who provided the voices for Timon and Pumbaa, Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, originally auditioned for the lesser roles of hyenas. They set their sights too low. Fortunately fate conspired to give them more than what they asked for. Don’t start out as they did, Gemini. Aim high right from the beginning – not for the bit part or the minor role but rather for the catalyst who actually gets things done.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “He who is outside his door already has a hard part of his journey behind

him,” says a Dutch proverb. Ancient Roman writer Marcus Terentius Varro articulated a similar idea: “The longest part of the journey is the passing of the gate.” I hope these serve as words of encouragement for you, Cancerian. You’ve got a quest ahead of you. At its best, it will involve freewheeling exploration and unpredictable discoveries. If you can get started in a timely manner, you’ll set an excellent tone for the adventures. Don’t procrastinate.

LEO (July 23-August 22): You’re so close to finding a fresh perspective that would allow you to outmaneuver an

old torment, Leo. You’re on the verge of breaking through a wall of illusion that has sealed you

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY by Rob Brezsny


Feb. 2 Answers: RightACHROMATISM - February 1�, �01�

ACROSS1. _ Raton5. Approval10. Money substitute15. _ -mutuel19. Analogous20. Simultaneously: 2 wds.21. Caesura22. Pizzazz23. “Golden Girls” star: 2 wds.25. Solvent: 3 wds.27. Kohl relative28. Challenge30. Counts31. Scrounges (with “out”)32. Wisdom tooth33. London gallery name34. Possessed at birth37. Hazard38. Scrooge-like one42. Secret agents43. Yield44. Yield by treaty45. Get going!46. Headless nail47. Oscar Wilde protagonist: 2 wds.49. D.C. agcy.50. Keyboard key51. Ancient Greek of Attica52. Indri54. Diminutive suffix55. Metric measure57. Away58. A metal in blocks: 2 wds.60. Links61. Loudly, in music63. Between Tyler and Taylor64. Head-on67. Burrows or Ribicoff68. Stepped onto tarmac72. Absorbed73. Caffe _75. Rescued (with “out”)77. Native of: Suffix78. Elec. unit79. Intellect: 2 wds.81. Ottoman title: Var.82. Assemble

84. Bargain85. Having wings86. Iron ore pigment87. Fruit stone89. Browbeat90. A little91. Curtain calls92. Camp boat93. Secret agent Mr. _94. On deck97. Serv. branch98. “The _ _ Show”102. Excludes, in a way105. Mt. Rainier Park water course: 2 wds.107. Pear type108. Dairy cow name109. _ Semple McPherson110. Money drawer111. Outer: Prefix112. Trapshooting113. Inert gas114. Nathan the patriotDOWN1. Bunyan’s ox2. _ -dokey3. Quote4. Like Bullwinkle J. Moose5. Sought favor6. Sackcloth and _7. _ dire8. Prov. in Can.9. Harmonium: 2 wds.10. Staircase shape11. Wicker worker12. Furrow13. Resembling: Suffix14. Nobles, collectively15. Hailstones16. Jai _17. Tortoise-hare event18. Readies a press24. Cry of alarm26. Hebrew letter29. Foreign32. Mass _33. Neaten: 2 wds.34. Lodge: Var.35. Danes, Swedes, etc.

36. Paved37. Jewish holy day38. Yoked animals39. Savior: 2 wds.40. Trunk artery41. Medicated43. _ fide44. Mount Ida locale47. Toward the back48. Oversupply51. “ _ _ no kick...”53. Jack the _54. Great scat singer56. Grammatical gaffe57. Cinnabar is one59. Bullion61. Death-dealing62. Mind64. Trap, in a way65. Noodles in broth66. Drinks on tap68. Jingle69. Gen. Robt. _ _70. Mrs. Fred Mertz71. Darling74. U-shaped pipe75. The whole enchilada: 3 wds.76. “ _ _ of a Tub”80. _ Kea81. Stone-and-wood sculpture83. Kentucky cash crop84. Swaddle anagram86. Western88. Stopper89. Kind of hound90. Bootlegged whiskey92. _ -pie93. San _94. French cleric95. Coalition96. Kiln for hops98. Trace the shape of99. Sneaker brand100. Discern101. Perry’s creator103. Sort104. Letters on a dial106. Hurry

February � Crossword Answers

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 ��Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

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

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

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

Schitzengigles -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Secret Squirrel -The Pub, 4320 N. Brady St. Davenport, IA

Tapped Out -The Office, 305 3rd St Sherrard, IL

The Blackstones -Mound Street Land-ing, 1029 Mound St. Davenport, IA

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

The Sundogs -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

The Tailfins -Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22 Riv-erside, IA

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

2012/02/19 (Sun)

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

Funday Sunday w/ Blackout Un-plugged (6pm) -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Ragbirds - Red Rock Hill -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Richie Lee (2pm) -Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22 Riverside, IA

Russ Reyman, Pianist (10am-2pm brunch) -The Lodge Hotel, 900 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Sunday Jazz Brunch at Bix Bistro (10:30am & 12:30pm) -Hotel Black-hawk, 200 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

2012/02/16 (Thu)


Fat Dawgs Productions Karaoke & DJ -Parker’s, 635 15th St Moline, IL

Gaelic Storm -Englert Theatre, 221 East Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Good Gravy -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Jam Sessions with John O’Meara and Friends -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Jason Carl -Creekside Bar and Grill, 3303 Brady St. Davenport, IA

Jordan Danielsen -Barrel House 211, 211 E. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke by Pieler Productions -The Pub, 4320 N. Brady St. Davenport, IA

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

Open Mic Night -Uptown Bill ’s Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City, IA

Rave On - A Night of Rock ‘n’ Roll -Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Soap -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Is-land, IL

The Avey Brothers -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

Thumping Thursday w/ DJ Hypnotic and Patrick Rifley -McManus Pub, 1401 7th Ave Moline, IL

University of Iowa Jazz w/ the Pad-ley/Smith Quintet (7pm) - Stacy Earle & Mark Stuart - Tim Krien (8pm) -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

2012/02/17 (Fri)

As You Were - Captains! Vessels! - TBOPRRIOF -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Battle of the Bands Wild Card Round -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Is-land, IL

Bucktown Revue -Nighswander The-atre, 2822 Eastern Ave Davenport, IA

Charles Hayes Trio (6pm) -Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

Cornmeal -The Blue Moose Tap, 211 Iowa Ave. Iowa City, IA

Corporate Rock -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

David Ramirez & Harris Collection -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

DJ Bo-J -Greenbriar Restaurant and Lounge, 4506 27th St Moline, IL

Dueling Pianos at The Establishment -The Establishment Theatre, 220 19th St. Rock Island, IL


Great River Show Choir Invitational (5:30pm) -Adler Theatre, 136 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Jazz After Five w/ the Ryan Smith Dan Padley Group (5pm) - Anna Vogelzang - Douglas Kramer Nye - Rachael Marie (9pm) -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Jordan Danielsen -Rhythm City Casino, 101 W. River Dr. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Chuck’s Tap, 1731 W. 6th St. Davenport, IA

Karaoke Night -Roadrunner’s Road-house, 3803 Rockingham Rd. Dav-enport, IA

Kooby’s Karaoke -Wide Open Bar & Grill, 425 15th St. Moline, IL

Live Lunch w/ Mo (noon) -RME Com-munity Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Dav-enport, IA

Modern Mythology - EmJay -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

Night People (5:30pm) - Jason Carl & the Whole Damn Band (9pm) -The Rusty Nail , 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

North of 40 -Dew Drop Inn, 602 5th St Durant, IA

Richie Lee -Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22 River-side, IA

Rude Punch -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Russ Reyman Trio (5pm) -Phoenix, 111 West 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Serious Business w/ Ron LaPuma & the Penas -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

Summercamp Battle of the Bands -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

The Dirt Road Rockers -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

The Music of Dr. Joe Seng -Joe’s Club, 1402 W. 7th St. Davenport, IA

The Tanks - Jabberjosh - Los Voltage -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

The Toasters - The Dropsteppers -The Red-stone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

The Whoozdads (noon) -Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Cam-pus Bettendorf, IA

2012/02/18 (Sat)

Anna Vogelzang - Busted Chande-liers -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Anthony Gomes - Nick & the Ovorols -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

Archie Powell & the Exports -Gabe’s, 330 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA

Camden Kaufmann Fundraiser w/ Scott Millage & the Devil’s Candy (2pm) -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Caught in the Act -Generations Bar & Grill, 4100 4th Ave. Moline, IL

Christopher Bell -Cool Beanz Coffee-house, 1325 30th St. Rock Island, IL

Dead Larry - Evergreen Grass Band - The Premiums -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

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

DrFameus -RME (River Music Experi-ence), 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA



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

Grand Larsony -Crabby’s Bar & Grill, 826 W. 1st Ave. Coal Valley, IL

Great River Show Choir Invitational (8am) - Finals (7:30pm) -Adler The-atre, 136 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

Jason Carl -Barrel House 211, 211 E. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Justin Morrissey -Bleyarts Tap, 2210 E. 11th St. Davenport, IA



Keep Off the Grass -Blueport Junction, 6605 W River Dr Davenport, IA

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

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

Mutts - The Post Mor tems -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Ochos Locos Rock Show -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL


16THURSDAY

18SATURDAY

17FRIDAY

19SUNDAY

Soap @ RIBCO – Februrary 16

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012�0 Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com


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

Third Sunday Jazz Series featur-ing Maggie Brown (6pm) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Was The Word -Englert Theatre, 221 East Washington St. Iowa City, IA

2012/02/20 (Mon)

Maggie Brown: Black History Month Programs (11am & 1pm) -RME (River Music Experience), 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

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

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

2012/02/21 (Tue)

Acoustic Music Club (4:30pm) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

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

Jam Night w/ Jordan Danielsen -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Dav-enport, IA

J a m e s “ S u p e r C h i k a n” J o h n s o n (10:30am) -Black Hawk College - Quad City Campus, 6600 34th Ave. Moline, IL

Jazz Service w/ Secret Squirrel -Faith Lutheran Church - Moline, 1611 41st St. Moline, IL

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

Pretty Good Dance Moves - Reldnips & Mr. Ting -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Quad-Cities KIX Band -RME Com-munity Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Dav-enport, IA

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

2012/02/22 (Wed)

4onthefloor -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

A Party to Go Karaoke Night -Stacks Bar, 525 14th St. Moline, IL

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

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

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

Fat Dawgs Produc tions Karaoke Contest -Parker’s, 635 15th St Mo-line, IL

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

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

James “Super Chikan” Johnson -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

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

Keller Karaoke -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

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

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

Open Mic Night Contest -RME Com-munity Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Dav-enport, IA

Rocktastic 4 -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

Roster McCabe -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washing-ton St. Iowa City, IA

The Pub Unplugged: Live Acoustic Acts -The Pub, 4320 N. Brady St. Davenport, IA

Troy Harris, Pianist (10pm) -Red Crow Grille, 2504 53rd St. Bettendorf, IA

2012/02/23 (Thu)


Adobanga - Thankful Dir t - Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Bright Giant -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Davenport Central High School Bands -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

EmJay - Ren Estrand - Fast as a Cat -Cool Beanz Coffeehouse, 1325 30th St. Rock Island, IL


Jam Sessions with John O’Meara and Friends -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA



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

Open Mic Night -Uptown Bill’s Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City, IA

Rob Dahms and Detroit Larry BBQ & Blues -The Lucky Frog Bar and Grill, 313 N Salina St McCausland, IA



University of Iowa Jazz w/ the DiRuzza Quintet (7pm) - Wet Hair - Cuticle - Golden Dust (9pm) -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

2012/02/24 (Fri)

Bandwidth.org Fest -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Bandwith.org Fest -Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Battle of the Bands Final Round -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Brad Paisley - The Band Perry - Scott McCreery -i wireless Center, 1201 River Dr Moline, IL

DJ Bo-J -Greenbriar Restaurant and Lounge, 4506 27th St Moline, IL


Emanation Series: Rachel Schuldt & Randall Hall -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

EmJay - Ken Engelbreight - Pat Wil-lis -Studio Pub, 1465 19th St. East Moline, IL


Funktastic Five -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

High Drama -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

James “Super Chikan” Johnson -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bet-tendorf, IA

Jim the Mule -The Pub, 4320 N. Brady St. Davenport, IA



Kids These Days -The Mill, 120 E Burl-ington Iowa City, IA

Kooby’s Karaoke -Wide Open Bar & Grill, 425 15th St. Moline, IL

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

Mad Hoss Jackson -Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22 Riverside, IA

Nitecrawlers (5:30pm) - Corporate Rock (9pm) -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

North of 40 -Fro’s, 309 Cedar St. Wil-ton, IA

Rob Dahms (6pm) -Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

Russ Reyman Trio (5pm) -Phoenix, 111 West 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Secret Squirrel -Fargo Dance & Sports, 4204 Avenue of the Cit ies Mo-line, IL

Sudlow Jam Session (4:30pm) - Quar-ter Moon Tin Snips (7pm) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Terry & the Loan Sharks -Mound Street Landing, 1029 Mound St. Davenport, IA

Texas Tenors -Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, 1777 Isle Parkway Bettendorf, IA

The Music of Dr. Joe Seng -Joe’s Club, 1402 W. 7th St. Davenport, IA

Tronicity -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

24FRIDAY


Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots Band @ The Muddy Waters – February 25

23THURSDAY

22WEDNESDAY

21TUESDAY

20MONDAY

Children’s Book Illustrations from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Through April 22, 2012

Dive into a watercolor world where “fish is fish.” Join a little turtle on a big adventure. Head into the woods with John James Audubon. Or come face-to-face with a beautiful black-bird. Populated by an array of dazzling animals both real and imaginary, Fins and Feathers: Children’s Book Illustrations from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art introduces viewers of all ages to memorable creatures from children’s literature.

A portion of the proceeds to benefit the

Leo Lionni, Fish is Fish, 1970, colored pencil, oil stick, and graphite on illustration board, owner credit: Leo Lionni Collection, gift of the Lionni Family, © 1970 by Leo Lionni, renewed 1998 by Leo Lionni.

563.326.7804 225 West Second Street • Davenport, Iowa

www.figgeartmuseum.org

Children’s Book illusTrATions AT The Figge ArT MuseuM

River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 19 No. 798 • February 16-29, 2012 �1Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com



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

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

Mike Blumme Trio (6pm) -Skinny Legs BBQ, 2020 1st Street Milan, IL

Milk & Eggs - Jason Carl -Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL

Night People -Ducky’s Lagoon, 13515 78th Ave Andalusia, IL

Old Capitol Chorus 2012 -Englert Theatre, 221 East Washington St. Iowa City, IA

Paperback R hino (7pm) - Mutts (10pm) -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Planet 13 -Fargo Dance & Sports, 4204 Avenue of the Cities Moline, IL

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

Serious Business w/ Ron LaPuma & the Penas -The Enchanted Inn, 4815 S Concord St Davenport, IA

The Blackstones -Barrel House 211, 211 E. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

The Candymakers CD Release Show -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

The Funnies -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

The Horde - Bible of the Devil - A Hill to Die Upon -RIBCO, 1815 2nd Ave. Rock Island, IL

The Voges -Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22 River-side, IA

Tronicity -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots Band -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

2012/02/25 (Sat)

A Party to Go Karaoke Night -Wooden Nickel Saloon, 2042 W 3rd St Dav-enport, IA

BMT: Beatles Tribute Band -The Lucky Frog Bar and Grill, 313 N Salina St McCausland, IA

Bradley Nowell’s Birthday: Sublime Tribute w/ Second Hand Smoke - Stone City Rhythm Coalition -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

Community Drum Circle (10:30am) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Corporate Rock -Schneid’s, 205 Wash-ington Ave. Lowden, IA

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

Danika Holmes -The Grape Life Wine Emporium - Davenport, 3402 Elmore Ave. Davenport, IA


EmJay - Fast as a Cat -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

Expo 76 -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL


Funktastic Five -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Davenport, IA

Hardball -Greenbriar Restaurant and Lounge, 4506 27th St Moline, IL

Jam Session w/ Steve McFate -Corner Tap, 4018 14th Ave. Rock Island, IL

Joseph Hall’s Elvis -Ohnward Fine Arts Center, 1215 E Platt St. Ma-quoketa, IA


25SATURDAY

Widetrack -The Avenue Tap, 712 1st Ave Silvis, IL

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

2012/02/26 (Sun)


Anthony Catalfano Quartet (10:30am) -Brady Street Chop House, Radisson QC Plaza Hotel Davenport, IA

Funday Sunday with Dave Ellis (6pm) -The Muddy Waters, 1708 State St. Bettendorf, IA

John Statz - Jason T. Lewis -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Russ Reyman, Pianist (10am-2pm brunch) -The Lodge Hotel, 900 Spruce Hills Dr. Bettendorf, IA

Sunday Jazz Brunch at Bix Bistro (10:30am & 12:30pm) -Hotel Black-hawk, 200 E. 3rd St. Davenport, IA

The Voges (3pm) -Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22 Riverside, IA

To d d C l o u s e r ’s A L o ve E l e c t r i c (11:30am) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

2012/02/27 (Mon)

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

Hackensaw Boys - Lydia Loveless (6:45pm) - One Night Stand Open Mic (9pm) -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA

2012/02/28 (Tue)

Acoustic Music Club (4:30pm) -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

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

Jam Night w/ Jordan Danielsen -11th Street Precinct, 2108 E 11th St Davenport, IA

Mandolin Junction -RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA

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

Polica - Marijuana Death Squad - Total F---ing Blood -Gabe’s, 330 E. Wash-ington St. Iowa City, IA

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

The Hackensaw Boys -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA

V.O Marley - Rahlan Kay - The Lady-killaz - The Miserables - DJ Pat - Mr. XKL - Bam & DT - Chop Shop Musik -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

2012/02/29 (Wed)

A Party to Go Karaoke Night -Stacks Bar, 525 14th St. Moline, IL

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

Fat Dawgs Produc tions Karaoke Contest -Parker’s, 635 15th St Mo-line, IL

Great River Brewery Tap Takeover w/ Jason Carl & Doug Brundies -The Pub, 4320 N. Brady St. Dav-enport, IA

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

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

Keller Karaoke -Martini’s on the Rock, 4619 34th St Rock Island, IL

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

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

Open Mic Night Contest -RME Com-munity Stage, 131 W. 2nd St. Dav-enport, IA

Rocktastic 4 -Rascals Live, 1418 15th St. Moline, IL

The Old 57’s (6pm) - ABC Karaoke -The Rusty Nail, 2606 W Locust Dav-enport, IA

The Pub Unplugged: Live Acoustic Acts -The Pub, 4320 N. Brady St. Davenport, IA

Troy Harris, Pianist (10pm) -Red Crow Grille, 2504 53rd St. Bettendorf, IA

2012/03/01 (Thu)

An Evening with Andrew Landers Project -The Redstone Room, 129 Main St Davenport, IA



Jimkata - Attic Party -Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St Iowa City, IA


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

Open Mic Night -Uptown Bill’s Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City, IA



University of Iowa Jazz w/ the John-son County Landmark & Jazz Rep Ensemble (7pm) - Memoryhouse (10pm) -The Mill, 120 E Burlington Iowa City, IA

Todd Clouser @ RME Community Stage – February 26

26SUNDAY 27MONDAY

28TUESDAY

29 WEDNESDAY

1THURSDAY


Documents

River Cities' Reader - Issue 798 - February 16, 2012