River Cities Reader - Issue #754 - June 10, 2010

8/9/2019 River Cities Reader - Issue #754 - June 10, 2010

1/28


2/28

River

CitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,2010

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKnow

RiverCitiesReader.com

Things we want you to know: New two-year agreement (subject to earl y termination fee) and credit approval required. A $3 0 activation fee may apply. Regulatory Cos t Recovery Fee applies; this is not a ta x or government-required charge. Additional fees, ta xes, terms, conditions and coverageareas apply and vary by plan, ser vice and phone. Promotional Phone subject to change. U.S. Cellular Visa Debit Car d issued by MetaBank pursuant to a license fr om Visa U.S.A. Inc. Allow 1012 weeks for processing. Car d does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant loc ationthat accepts Visa Debit Cards. Card valid for 120 days after issued. Mobile Internet Plan is $14.95 per month. Premium Mobile Internet Plan is $19.95 per month. Smartphone Plans start at $24.95 per month. Application and data network usage charges may apply when accessing

applications. Mobile Broadband on 3G Network only available with select handsets. Users can expect an average download speed of 768Kbps and an average upload speed of 200Kbps. Modem Access Discount: $49.95 access discount valid for the first month of a new two-year agreementwith 5GB Wireless Modem Plan. Use of service constitutes acceptance of the terms of our Customer Service Agreement. See store for details or visit uscellular.com. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. 2010 U.S. Cellular.

Let us help you find a location: visit uscellular.com or call 1-888-BUY-USCC

Only U.S. Cellulargives you Free Incoming Calls, Texts and Pix from anyoneon any phone or network at any time. Enjoy them on our speedy 3G Network.

SCHOOL MAY BE OUT, BUT connectingHAS NEVER BEEN MORE IN.

Get a free Wireless Modem

and a free month of servicewhen you activate a new modem.Access Facebook, watch videos and surfthe Web at 3G speed on your laptop.After $50 mail-in rebate that comes as a Visa Debit Card.Requires new 2-yr. agmt. and 5GB Wireless Modem Plan.

Get a special deal on greatphones for grads:

SAMSUNG FREEFORMTM

freeAfter $50 mail-in rebate that comes as a Visa

Debit Card. Requires new 2-yr. agmt. and 3-mo.Mobile Internet Plan. $30 act. fee may apply. LG MYSTIQUE

TM

$7995After $50 mail-in rebate that comes as a VisaDebit Card. Requires new 2-yr. agmt. and 3-mo.Mobile Internet Plan. $30 act. fee may apply.

HTC TOUCH PRO2TM

WINDOWS PHONE

$14995After $70 mail-in rebate that comes as a VisaDebit Card. Requires new 2-yr. agmt. andSmartphone Plan. $30 act. fee may apply.

Follow us on Facebook.

L

AfteDebMo


3/28

BusinessPoliticsArts

CultureNowYouKnowRiverCitiesReader.com

Ri

verCitiesReaderVol.17No.754June10-23,2010

necessary reserves to meet their obligations to

members. Te graver issue here is that the study

does not include 2008 through May 2010, so noneo the lings include any downturn in pension

portolios aer the nancial meltdown. You can bet

the situation is ar worse than the study shows.Is it any wonder that SEIUs great poseur Andy

Stern is at the helm in aggressively lobbyingPresident Barack Obama and Congress to

approve a $165-billion bailout or not only its

own union, but also or the eamsters union,International Brotherhood o Electrical Workers,

Laborers International Union o North America,

International Association o Machinists, UnitedBrotherhood o Carpenters, and the national

plumbers association, to name a ew. Tis isunconscionable.

SEIU would like to blame their pensions gross

underunding on the poor economy, except that theSEIUs union ocers pensions are doing splendidly

by all standards. In act, Stern and his ellow

cronies are unded at 103 percent! Te rank-and-le membership, however, is acing decits, with

less than 80 percent o required assets to pay itsobligations to workers (considered an endangered

pension, as dictated by the Pension Protection

Act o 2006) and less than 62 percent o necessaryassets (classiying each o these with critical

pension status).

Te truth is that blatant mismanagemento rank-and-le-membership pensions is the

only reason or such dismal and hypocritical

stewardship. Union leadership has known or atleast 10 years that underunded pensions are a

monumental problem. Yet instead o orthrightlydealing with the problem, they have deceived the

membership, conspiring with elected ocials to

dra legislation S.560 and H.R. 1409: EmployeeFree Choice Act (EFCA) o 2009 that would allow

unions to remedy the problem on the backs ononunion employers and workers through coercivecontributions via mandatory memberships without

secret ballot/voting, and through governmentintervention through mandatory arbitration to

execute ederally written contracts i companies

and unions cannot agree within 120 days o initialnegotiations. Tis second provision could orce

nonunion companies out o sound, well-unded

pensions and into larger but underunded pensions

Union Ocers Pensions OkayWhile Employees Pensions Perish

by Kathleen McCarthy

[email protected]

Anyone with a a hint o common senseknows you cant spend (borrow andconsume) your way out o debt into

nancial recovery, let alone prosperity. Secondly,the most recent jobs report indicated that o the431,000 new jobs created via the stimulus bailout,390,000 were government jobs, mostly or theCensus Bureau, leaving a paltry 41,000 new jobscreated in the private sector, which is the onlysector that pays its own way. Furthermore, most othe 390,000 employed in the Census Bureau will belaid o this summer, because those jobs are comingto an end. Tis is hardly recovery.

When the government creates jobs in thepublic sector, the wages o those olks are paidby taxpayers because the public sector does notcreate its own revenue. Tereore, the governmentcoercively takes part o the revenues created by theprivate sector (the wages you and I earn) by meanso taxation (IRS).

Te stimulus money used to und the newlycreated 390,000 census-bureau jobs came romeach and every taxpayer. It is a most inequitablearrangement, especially considering the infatedwages and benets paid to government employeescompared to their counterparts in the privatesector. Tis does not include the excessive waste

that prevails in the public sector because at the endo the day, the money being spent does not belongto those spending it. Tere is zero incentive tomanage expenses as they relate to revenues becausethere are zero consequences or overspending.No amount o regulation has overcome thisincompetency because the ox is watching the henhouse.

Now comes another monumental insult totaxpayers in the orm o both a $165-billion bailoutrequest rom the largest public-sector unions,coupled with intrusive legislation designed to levelthe playing eld by mingling these mismanaged

pensions with those o workers who contribute towell-unded, responsibly managed pensions as ameans o an additional bailout or nancial loserslike Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

According to the Hudson Institute, which did astudy o the 20 largest public-sector-union pensionsincluding SEIUs, over hal are either endangeredor critical. Hudson examined the 2005 through2007 5500 lings required annually by the Bureauo Labor Statistics that compare assets and liabilitiesto make sure pensions are in compliance with the

Clean well maintained clubsNon-intimidating atmosphereSupervised child care

Knowledgeable staffGet in shape for less

Boot Camp Training Classesfor all levels

Weight loss specialists

Best in exercise equipmentPersonal training

O

BOOTCAMPRESULTSGUARANTEED

S U M M E R

FITNESSXPRESS

IOWA CITY319-351-1729

1059 Hwy 6 EIowa City, IA 52240

DAVENPORT563-386-2348

109 E 50th St.Davenport, IA 52806

FITNESSGET FIT FASTwww.fx247.com

OFOR THE FIRST 50 PEOPLEHURRY! OFFER EXPIRES 6/30/10.

SUMMER SHAPE UP

Must be at least 18 years of age or 12 with guardian. Plus a one time processing fee of $20 and $24.99 monthly dues on eft on a 12 month contract.

Check club for details. Offer expires 6/30/10.

DAYS OF

FREEFITNESS

5

FITNESS

FITNESS

OR

$ ENROLLMENT

Continued On Page 21


4/28

River

CitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,2010

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKnow


o the U.S. Senate contest by the White House.

Nobody had any real basis or those claimsexcept a strong belie that the horric trenddictated that Giannoulias would be gone anyday.

But then something happened that turned allo that smug punditry on its head.

It turns out that Congressman Kirk is a serialexaggerator.

Te Washington Postreported over MemorialDay weekend that Kirk had alsely claimed oryears that he had won the Navys IntelligenceOcer o the Year award when his unit

actually won an award rom a private group butrecommended byNavy brass.

Over the next ewdays, Kirk was orcedto admit a wholehost o untruths.He hadnt served in2003s OperationIraqi Freedom. Hewasnt a veteran o1990-91s OperationDesert Storm. Kirk

had to backtrackrom comments hemade about beingshot at by the Iraqis.He hadnt served in

Iraq, as his recent V ad claimed. He also didntcommand the Pentagons War Room.

Kirk didnt pull it o well, either. I simplymisremembered incorrectly was his excuseto the Sun-imes, whatever that means. Youshould speak with utter precision, he admittedto the ribune, even though most o these alse

claims had little to do with precision andmuch to do with overstating his service record.So, will this years-long stream o

prevarications ruin Kirk? Well, he has certainlydamaged his credibility, particularly with hismany riends in the media. Te current trendwould say hes in bad shape indeed.

Still, this is a long campaign. Tere will nodoubt be much more mud slung back and orthbeore its over.

I I had to guess, Id say Kirks bizarreoverstatements will most likely knock him ohis high horse and orce him to actually engage

with Giannoulias, rather than be content toconstantly deride the treasurer as unt or oce.But hes showing no sign o that yet.

Just remember that this race isnt over oreither candidate. Dont let anybody tell you itis. Politics is always ull o surprising twists andturns, and Im sure there are lots more aheado us.

What weve seen here is an equalization osorts. Both candidates are now damaged goods.But the trend on election day is the only onethat matters.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a dailypolitical newsletter) and TeCapitolFaxBlog.com.

by Rich Miller

Political reporters and pundits have abad habit o saying, I present trendscontinue ... . Te truth is, in politics,

present trends almost always change.Last week, Illinoisans were treated to a classic

example o how that overused phrase can sooen be horribly wrong.

Lets take a look back, shall we?For years, the Republican powers that be in

this state have dreamed o nding a perectstatewide candidate.

Social liberal, scal moderate without a hinto scandal. Tats the key to winning statewide

in Illinois. Finding thatperson hasnt been soeasy, however.

Ten GOPCongressman MarkKirk decided to moveup the political ladderto U.S. Senate. Kirk ispro-choice, pro-gay-rights, and tough onguns, but hes a scalhawk in the traditiono Jim Edgar.

Best o all, Kirkserves in the NavyReserves. Reporters,as a class, love militarymen, and Kirks stories about his daring eats obravery have made the tough-nosed Chicagomedia drool all over him.

A decorated naval intelligence ocer worksgreat with voters as well. Kirk could separatehimsel rom average politicians by pointingto his honorable service. Despite some bumpsalong the way, the military has long been one o

the most respected institutions in this patrioticnation.

A recent USA oday poll ound that by amargin o two to one, Americans would rathervote or a candidate who has never served inCongress over one with experience. And sinceRepublican congressman polls even lowerthan congressman, Congressman Kirk wouldbe at a serious disadvantage without that navalservice.

Until last week, Kirk looked to many likea slam-dunk winner or as much o one as aRepublican could be in this state. Te trendagainst the Democrats was certainly workingin his avor. And Kirks Democratic opponent,Alexi Giannoulias, had been pummeled le andright over stories about how his now-deunctamily bank had made loans to mobsters andhad other nearious ties.

Giannoulias endured one o the worst threemonths o any candidate Ive ever seen, startingshortly aer he won the February Democraticprimary. He was hammered relentlessly in themedia, and the pack was ull-on engaged theday his amilys bank was seized by ederal

regulators.Unsourced speculation abounded that the

youthul state treasurer would be pushed out

Bot U.S. Senate CandidatesNow Damaged Goods

Something happened

that turned all of that

smug punditry on its

head. It turns out that

Congressman Kirk is a

serial exaggerator


5/28

BusinessPoliticsArts

CultureNowYouKnowRiverCitiesReader.com

RiverCitiesReaderVol.17No.754June10-23,

2010

Kilcreases salary rom $210,000 to $367,000without board approval. Kilcrease was red in

March.

Candidates to ReceivePetition from PastorsAgainst Same-Sex Marriage

All statewide and legislative candidateswill receive a letter and petition signed by 834

Iowa pastors and ministry leaders in supporto traditional marriage (between a man and

woman), the Iowa Family Policy Center andPurpose Ministries announced outside the IowaCapitol.

Te groups have long been saying the 2010

elections will be a reerendum on same-sexmarriage. Iowa Family Policy Center PresidentChuck Hurley said that while all threeRepublican candidates or governor give lipservice to being or traditional marriage, onlyone has said that he will do something about it.

Te Iowa Family Policy Centers political actioncommittee endorsed Bob Vander Plaats o Sioux

City or governor.Hurley said the petition comes aer 167

religious leaders he called pseudo pastors senta petition in support o same-sex marriage to

lawmakers earlier this year. One thing legislatorsand lawmakers can do, even i they cant do manyother things, is they can all count, Hurley said.

Te Interaith Alliance o Iowa last weekresponded to Hurleys reerence to the 167clergy members who signed on to the Interaith

Alliance o Iowa letter supporting same-sexmarriage as pseudo pastors.

Interaith Alliance o Iowa advocates or

many things, but o highest priority is the needor civility in our public discussions, said Connie

Ryan errell, executive director o the InteraithAlliance o Iowa. Te Iowa Family Policy Centerwas disrespectul to the many clergy who choseto sign our letter supporting marriage equalityor same-gender couples. We ask that IFPCretract its statement calling ordained and licensed

clergy pseudo pastors and show respect or thediversity o opinion held by clergy and otherpeople o aith across our state.

Hurley later explained the term pseudo

pastors as someone who is a wol in sheepsclothing ... someone who would lead their

fock astray on issues o moral and particularlyspiritual matters. And certainly someone whowould so directly violate the revealed word oGod in all o the major aith traditions Jewish,Muslim, Christian would easily qualiy as aalse pastor or alse shepherd.

For an expanded version o this article, visitRiverCitiesReader.com.

Tis weekly summary comes rom IowaPolitics.

com, an online government and politics newsservice. Reporter Andrew Duelmeyer and othercorrespondents contributed to this report.

by Lynn Campbell, IowaPolitics.com

State lawmakers got an explanation lastweek about how $8,680 in taxpayer dollarswere used to pay or a trip to Bora Bora

by a ormer Iowa Association o School Boards(IASB) executive but many legislators werentsatised with the explanation they heard.

Kevin Schick, ormer chie nancial ocero the IASB, and attorney Charles Gribble onTursday told members o the legislaturesGovernment Oversight Committee that heused the IASB credit card or his personal tripto Bora Bora aer his personal credit card wascompromised.

Te trip to Bora Bora was always my personalvacation. It was never intended or business,Schick told lawmakers. I did not want publicunds to be used or my personal trip. ... At nopoint did I want taxpayer money to pay or that.

Schick said repeatedly that the IASB creditcard was really a personal credit card in hisname, even though it used the IASBs name andaddress. He also maintained that taxpayer dollarswere never used to pay or his trip because hereimbursed the IASB with two checks o $7,500and $1,180 earlier this year.

Tere were not public unds expended orthe trip, Gribble said. IASB was promptlyreimbursed beore they had to pay this.

But Representative Ralph Watts (R-Adel)pointed out that it took Schick a month to givethe IASB the rst check, or $7,500.

One o the committees most vocal members,Senator Tomas Courtney (D-Burlington), wasalso unhappy with the explanation. I it was yourcredit card, whyd you give them a check? Whydidnt you just write a check to the credit-cardcompany and pay it? Courtney asked. Whatkind o bookkeeping does the IASB have i theyre

paying other peoples credit cards? ... Tis is thecraziest thing Ive ever heard o. What on earthare they doing paying or your credit card?

Earlier in the day, one o the whistle-blowerswho alerted the IASB Board to problems testiedbeore lawmakers. Susie Olesen, director o SkillsIowa and a 10-year employee o the IASB whowas paid $77,000 last year, told lawmakers howshe alerted auditors to the problems, including adouble draw-down o unds.

She described the stressul time last all whenIASB workers received an e-mail saying theassociation was in nancial jeopardy and that a

lot o people would lose their jobs. She also saidshe was sworn to secrecy and directed not totalk to the board.

Olesen wasnt red rom the IASB but wastold to buy hersel some lunch, pack up herthings, and work out o home. She was also toldthat shed be reporting to a separate not-or-prot rather than the IASB. I was fabbergastedbecause no one had even talked to me aboutit, she said. I elt like I wasnt welcome thereanymore.

Former IASB Board President Jack Hill alsotestied beore the committee, saying he was not

aware that Schick had an IASB credit card. Healso said he didnt recall signing the documentthat increased ormer Executive Director Maxine

Former IASB OcialExplains Trip to Bora Bora


6/28

River

CitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,20

10

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKnow


America Needs UnionCompetition

by Mark W. Hendrickson

who eel that the benets they receive romtheir mandatory NEA dues are outweighedby the NEAs practice o spending those duesoverwhelmingly in support o liberal Democraticcauses. Tese teachers would be ree to join acompeting union that supports GOP initiatives,or, alternatively, a completely apolitical union.

Tink o the job-security issue: Given theabject ailure othe UAW andother monopolisticunions at preservingthe jobs o their

members, wouldntit be airer i workershad the option to

join unions thatemphasize long-term

job security overhigher compensationpackages in theshort run? Underthe current system,union bosses haveevery incentive to

pay themselves lavish compensation, even as they

cannibalize the jobs o their rank and le.I unions had to compete or members, surely

there would be ewer scandals o union brassusing union treasuries as personal piggy banks.

Another needed reorm is to end the unionshop principle. Americans need to be ree to

join or not join whatever organizations theychoose. How can a person be considered reewhen he or she is either prohibited rom joiningor contributing to an organization that he orshe admires or, conversely, compelled to joinor contribute to an organization that he or sheloathes? Te right to join was protected when the

Norris-LaGuardia Act o 1932 outlawed yellowdog contracts under which employers deniedworkers the right to join a union. Te right not to

join is violated by the Wagner Act o 1935 and thea-Hartley Act o 1947, under which workersmay be compelled to pay dues to a monopolisticunion as a condition or having a job. Tose actsshould be amended.

In short, lets end union monopoly and orced-dues privileges, and let new unions emerge andcompete to best serve their members interests. Ithere had been open competition between unionsover the past century, who knows what creative

and eective nongovernmental solutions wouldhave been ound to address workers concernsabout pensions, health care, unemploymentinsurance, etc.?

oo many American workers have beendenied the benets o competition or ar toolong. Enough is enough. Let competition betweenlabor unions begin today. Let the number ounions prolierate, and let workers choose to allythemselves with whatever unions best serve theirneeds.

Mark W. Hendrickson is an adjunct aculty

member, economist, and contributing scholar withTe Center or Vision & Values at Grove CityCollege.

Iagree with President Barack Obama that weneed more labor unions. However, I disagreewith his approach.Full disclosure: I have been a dues-payer to

both the United Auto Workers (UAW) and theNational Education Association (NEA) unions.My sympathies are heavily tilted toward theinterests o the men and women who do the workthat makes America go.

For that reason, Istrongly oppose thedishonestly namedEmployee Free Choice

Act, which aims todeprive workers o secretballots when votingor or against unionrepresentation. Youdont benet workers bystripping them o basicdemocratic protections.

eam Obama madeanother anti-democratic,anti-worker, pro-unionmove on May 10. TeNational Mediation

Board (with an Obama appointee providingthe tie-breaking vote in a two-to-one decision)overturned 75 years o established policy by rulingthat aviation and railway workers can unionizewithout the approval o a majority o members.Now, union organizers only need to obtain amajority o votes actually cast. By manipulatingwho votes, as well as when, where, and how,union organizers will be able to thwart genuinelydemocratic decisions.

Tere are better ways to increase the numbero labor unions. Let us revise existing labor lawsto make it easier or unions to orm in ways

that increase the number o unions rom whichAmerican workers could choose.First, lets amend the Clayton Antitrust Act

o 1914. Tat law was designed to preventmonopolies, but it explicitly exempted laborunions. Lets repeal that exception.

We generally agree that monopolies are badand that competition is good. Why do we end upwith the best cars, the best cell phones, the bestpersonal computers, etc.? Simple: Te relentlesspressures o competition drive companies toprovide more value or ewer consumer dollars.And what explains the abominable perormance

o many public schools, the higher death ratesin the United Kingdoms nationalized health-care system, and the lousy quality o Americancurrency (Federal Reserve Notes having lostapproximately 98 percent o their purchasingpower in less than a century)? Equally simple: Telack o competition to which these government-mandated monopolies or near-monopoliesare exposed. Introduce competition into thesemarkets, and quality would improve markedly.

Te same principle holds true or labor unions.I unions had to compete to represent workersbest interests, they would be more accountable

and responsive to the workers whose dues theytake.For example, think o Republican teachers

If unions had to compete

to represent workers bestinterests, they would be

more accountable and

responsive to the workers

whose dues they take.


7/28

BusinessPoliticsArtsCultureNowYouKnowRiverCitiesReader.com


2010

By Thom White

As a requent theatre-goer, both

proessionally and preerentially, itsrereshing to see amiliar material

presented in a dierent way. Such is the case

with the Clinton Area Showboat Teatresproduction oRent. Director PatrickStinson and his cast abandon mosto the

conventions o the Broadway production,creating their own interpretation andconsequently instilling more un into this

musical story o Bohemian lie in NewYorks Alphabet City.

Tis is mostly due to the cast having

such un being part o this iconic piece omusical theatre. On Saturday night, I couldsense the delight waing rom the stage

as the actors belted their way through theshows amiliar tunes... although, in truth,the Showboats production is better sung

than acted. Te men and women portrayingRents characters dont seem to understandtheir depth, and, or the most part, ail to

connect in their interpretations. However,they do get that this is an exciting show,that its exciting to be a part o it, and that

the audience is most likely excited to see it.(Tey even play some jokes directlyto theaudience.) Tats why its so much un... at

least or the rst act.What drives Act I pulls Act II back,

since as with too many musicals Rents

most upbeat numbers heavily populatethe rst hal o the show, leaving theemotionally heavy and more serious songs

or the second. And g iven this casts lack oconnection to their characters, Act II drags,plodding along through the storyline.

Making matters worse, Stinson haschosen to remove the song Contactaltogether. I will argue to my dying day that

the character o Angel is less poignant thanintended by the shows creator, JonathanLarson. Contact, however, at least addsemotion to Angels death, with its instant

fip o eeling mid-song; withoutthe song,

By Jill Walsh

Character conusion makes or anenjoyable, lighthearted comedy

in Richmond Hill Barn Teatrescurrent summer oering, FunnyValentines. And though the opening-night

perormance had a slow and somewhatshaky start in terms o line deliveries, theactors quickly settled into their roles and let

their characters quirks shine through.D.R. Andersens script concerns Andy

By Thom White

It doesnt eature a question mark,but the Circa 21 Dinner Playhouses

Whodunit... the Musicalmay stillnot have the right question in its title;aer viewing Saturdays perormance, I

was instead asking mysel, What is it?Te shows book, or the most part, isa straightorward murder-mystery, the

majority o its songs make or a brightand cheery musical, and the climax anddnouement are straight out o drawing-

room arce. Its an identity crisis bigger thanthe mystery aoot in the shows plot.Set in the summer o 1931, creator

For previews o Quad CityMusic Guilds Guys & Dolls,the Harrison Hilltop TheatresSunday in the Park with

George, Genesius GuildsAndromache, and ve other

area productions, see theWhats Happenin and WhatElse Is Happenin sections othis weeks issue, starting on

page 14.

Also visit


eac Monda or new

teatre reviews:

Monda, June 1Harrison Hilltop TheatresSunday in the Park with

George (running June 10-26)

The Curtainbox TheatreCompanysArt(running June10-27)The Circa 21 Dinner

Playhouses Go, Dog, Go!(running June 10-29)

Quad City Music Guilds Guys& Dolls (running June 11-20)Monda, June 1

The Clinton Area Showboat

Theatres Noises Of(runningJune 17-27)Countryside CommunityTheatres Oklahoma!(running

June 18-27)Genesius GuildsAndromache

(running June 19-27)

Te Plas Are te Tings

More TeatreCoverage in TisIssue and Online

Funny Valentines, at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through June 13

Romper Room

Robbins (Nathan Johnson), a childrensbook illustrator whose proessional

successes were the result o hiscollaborations with his now-ex-wie, EllenRobbins (Stacy McKean Herrick). When

Andys agent, Howard Williams (Archie

Williams), and television program-director,Zan Wilkinson (Kady Patterson), show

up with a proposal to create a V empirecentered on Beanie, the Robbins popular

Kady Patterson, Nathan Johnson, and Archie Williams in Funny Valentines

Rent, at the Clinton Area ShowboatTheatre through June 13

New Lease on Life

Tom Walljasper, Carrie SaLoutos, andAutumn ORyan in Whodunit... the Musical

Songs in te Ke of Aaaaaaa!Whodunit... the Musical, at the Circa21 Dinner Playhouse through July 10

Ed D ixons Whodunittakes place in themansion o its deceased owner. Carrie Innis

(Carrie SaLoutos) rents the home or aweek, bringing along maid Liddy (AutumnContinued On Page 20



Adam Michael Lewis, Aaron RandolphIII, and Mike Schulz in Art

Ensemble members in Rent


8/28

River

CitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,20

10

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKnow


drought or Pisano.You dont even

realize that whenyoure going throughlie, youre pickingshit up, and itsticks to you, hesaid o that period.It eventually gotto a point whereI had enough shitsticking to me that Icouldnt relate to that[songwriting] part o

me. Tere wasnt thissense o closenessand proximity tothings I was tryingto express, becausethere was so muchstanding betweenmysel and my ownmind and my ownheart.

But the darknesso that time, Pisano said, was released lateone night when he w rote six songs, our o

which made the cut or Inter-Be.Pisano speaks o that night vaguely but

not evasively; it sounds as though hes stillnot sure what happened. Having w rittenthose songs and having allowed that voiceto escape me, things that I had writtenbeore, things I had said beore, things I hadexperienced already just all made sense now.A song like Crutch & Cane, which was [anolder song] very much without a home andwithout a voice, all o a sudden made perectsense to what I had started in that night.

Beore, he said, he considered himsel ateacher, a riend, a boyriend, and writingsongs was something I got rustrated aboutsometimes. It [songwriting] just all o asudden played a very dierent role in mylie. ... Nothing else makes sense, and thisis a thing that I do when everything else isvery conusing to me. Tis is a thing thatsvery clear.

Put dierently, Pisano discovered thatsongwriting demanded his blood: I believethat all growth comes rom suering. ... Youcan either look at growth in a much more

morbid sense, or you can look at suering in

by Jef Ignatius

[email protected]

Roughly 100seconds into

Down DownDown, the third trackon Peter Wol Criersdebut Inter-Be, thedrums kick in. Tatsthe duo in microcosm,as Peter Pisanos ullyormed guitar-and-vocalsongs are amplied bythe drums and otheraccents Brian Moenadded relatively late in

the process.Te band will perorma Daytrotter.com show atRIBCO on uesday, June22, and the moral o thePeter Wol Crier story isto ollow things wherethey lead.

Pisano, guitarist andvocalist o the now-deunct Wars o 1812,had planned to turn these s ongs into a soloalbum. He arranged and cut demos, and

Moen (o the band Laarks) was supposed torecord new versions.

Te goal at that point was to recordthese solo olk songs and be done with it,Moen said. Tey tracked the guitars andvocals, and Pisano asked Moen to adddrums to a ew s ongs. I just got carriedaway and added drums on everything,Moen said. Once I had laid down drumson everything, it really started to eel likeI wasnt just a placeholder on the recordanymore.

Brian to me was the g reatest drummerthat Id ever seen with my own eyes, Pisanosaid o his decision to record with Moen. Ihes not playing drums, it didnt even matter,because I trust his instincts as a musician. ...

When I brought them [the songs] toBrian ... everything else w as entirely upor grabs. ... Everything became negotiableagain.

Te piano that Moen added to For Nowwas one early augmentation that hintedat a relationship o equals, but Pisano saidhearing the drum work on Down Down

Down or the rst time was a revelation:Tose drums were unique and theyre verymuch Brian. Tey had their own subtlety to

them. At the same time, it didnt distract ortake away; it only complemented the song.

From there, the pair overdubbed new

textures, and the solo olk songs becamesomething greater, both sonically and inthe intensity o eeling. Peter writes thesereally emotional songs, and then I try to livethrough those songs and try to bring thatemotion up another notch, Moen said.

Te drummer/engineer called the demosvery raw-sounding olk, but that hasbeen replaced on Inter-Be with robust,active arrangements and big drums in anunvarnished lo- setting. Standout Hardas Nails starts patient but anxious, buildsand escalates, and closes with intertwined,

almost pained harmonies. Teres atouch o Bon Ivers sad, haunted-soundingballadry in the mix here ... , wrote theOnion AV Club oInter-Be, but also arereshing exuberance ... .

Peter Wol Crier sel-released thealbum last year, and earlier this monththe Jagjaguwar label (home o Bon Iver,Dinosaur Jr., and Sunset Rubdown) re-released it. So although Pisano initiallypenned much o the album two years ago,to the rest o the world, this is something

that just happened, he said.Inter-Be originated with a writing furryin summer 2008, ollowing a songwriting

Beautiul SueringPeter Wolf Crier, June 22 at RIBCO

Vol. 1, No. June 10 , 010

532 W. 3rd St.

Davenport IA 52801


(563)324-0049 (phone)

(563)323-3101 (ax)

Publishing since 1993

The River Cities Readeris an independent newspaper

published every other Thursday, and available reethroughout the Quad Cities and surrounding areas.

2010 River Cities Reader

DEADLINES

To purchase a display ad,

([email protected]): 5 p.m. Wednesday

To purchase a classifed ad,

([email protected]): 10 a.m. Monday

PUBLISHERTodd McGreevy

EDITORKathleen McCarthy

EDITORIALManaging Editor: Je Ignatius [email protected]

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

Contributing Writers: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny, Lynn Campbell,

Luke Hamilton, Rich Miller, Jill Walsh, Thom White

ADVERTISINGAccount Executive:

Chris Walljasper [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator: Nathan Klaus

Advertising rates, publishing schedule, demographics,

and more are available at

QCAdvertising.com

PRODUCTIONArt Director, Production Manager: Shawn Eldridge

[email protected]

Graphic Artist - Nathan Klaus

Production/Design Interns - Nathan Kuhn , Julie McDermott

ADMINISTRATIONBusiness Manager: Kathleen McCarthy

Oce Administrator, Classifeds Manager, Circulation Manager:

Rick Martin [email protected]

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



9/28



2010

And it was so weird, continues

Brancato, with a laugh, because it was likethis Pandoras Box o creation inside methat I never knew about. I was a perormer,

but it turned out I also knew how to sculpt,I knew how to paint; I never had training,I just sort o had a knack or it. And over

the course o about our years, I became thecompanys designer and created projectswith Liz, designing masks and puppets or

all o our shows together.

His ascination with puppetry eventuallyled Brancato

to theUniversity oConnecticut

the school,he says, isthe only

one in thecountrythat oers a

masters inpuppet arts and to the

ConnecticutRepertoryTeatre,

which staged a 2009 production oBrancatos and collaborator Michael BushsIcarus, a large-scale spectacle that employed

puppets or its telling o the Greek myth.I think that puppetry is kind o a

brilliant way to bridge the gap betweenwhat you can see in your minds eye and

what you can create in the real world, on

stage, says Brancato. And thats what wewant to ocus on in D avenport. Tat you

can create anything that you can dream up.While both Junior Teatre workshops

will give registrants a primer on the arts o

puppetry and mask perormance, Brancatosays that the primary ocus o the teencourse is really going to be about creating

an ensemble, and creating little vignettesand stories. Depending on what talents theensemble comes with, were going to use

dierent means o perormance puppetry,acting, dance, music and nd ways toincorporate those talents into whatever

pieces we work on.With the adults, however, were also

going to be doing something along the lines

o pageant puppetry, continues Brancato,which involvesgiantpuppets that areprobably going to be around 28 eet tall.

And Ive also been tinkering with this ideaokite puppets puppets you actually fy inthe air and perorming a piece with these

giant puppets that we make.As the workshops will also introduce

participants to the ancient tradition o

When director/designer Steano

Brancato characterizes hisorthcoming theatre workshops

as boot camp, the description is initially

surprising, considering that the ocus othe week-long area courses is puppetry.Aer all, as the 30-year-old Brooklyn

resident says, in a lot o puppetry, theperormer, the puppeteer, is in a kind ostatic position, and not necessarily part o a

pieces main action.

Yet or the two workshops that hell beconducting

throughDavenportJunior

Teatre onedesigned orteens, one or

adults, andboth runningJune 14

through 19 boot campdoes seem an

appropriatephrase, asBrancato

states that he and Junior Teatres artisticdirector, Daniel D.P. Sheridan, were hopingto break the rules a little bit in terms o

what a puppetry course could entail.When we were trying to develop what

the curriculum would be, we wantedto incorporate a physical element, says

Brancato, who holds an MFA in puppet

arts and directing rom the University oConnecticut. And in ancient civilizations,

puppetry and mask work were very closelyrelated, so the workshops are going to bethis sort o blend o puppetry and mask

perormance. Well be making puppets,but well also be discovering how theperormers body can be a main source o

emotional expression.Its an artistic blend that the instructor

himsel has long been practicing, as

Brancatos immersion in puppetry beganwhile pursuing his BFA in acting romMarymount Manhattan College, during

a stage collaboration with noted theatreveteran (and ony Award-nominatedcomposer) Elizabeth Swados.

We were creating an original piece orher theatre company, Company M.U.D.D.,called Te Golem, he says. It was based

on the Hebrew myth, and she wantedpuppets in it. And I had never designedanything in mylie. But she was one o

my idols growing up shes done lots oexperimental theatre and I would have

done anything or her, so I said Id do it. Icreated these our puppets, and then this18-oot-tall Golem puppet, and ... .

Te Puppet MasterStefano Brancato Leads Two Davenport Junior Theatre

Puppetry Workshops, June 14 through 19

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]


Stefano Brancato at the Ballard Institute of Puppetry

38th Annual

Grant Wood

Art Festival

Sunday, June 13, 2010Anamosa, Iowa

Original Grant Wood Artwork Exhibit Grant Wood Impersonator

Juried Art Competition Art Vendors Kids Activities

Lectures Music Food

Rain or Shine at the Lawrence CommunityCenter, Main and Scott Streets

For More Information:

www.anamosachamber.org319-521-4486

CELEBRATING ART IN THE HEARTLAND!


10/28

RiverCitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,20

10

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKnow


10

GET HIM TO THE GREEKIt probably says less about the movie than

our current movie culture when I say that, ormy money, Nicholas Stollers Get Him to theGreek is the smartest,shrewdest, and overallbest lm Ive yetseen in 2010. Tecompetition, aer all,is in no way erce; i

orced to composea 10-best list at thisadmittedly early pointin this regrettably weakyear, Id include Stollersraunchy comedy,Roman Polanskis TeGhost Writer, and thenrespectully plead the Fih.

Still, what an exceptionally ne surpriseGet Him to the Greek turns out to be! Fans oForgetting Sarah Marshall and a dozen-or-so viewings later, I consider mysel more azealot than a an certainly had reason to eeloptimistic, as the him in this sequel-cum-spino isMarshalls gloriously vain British rockerAldous Snow, portrayed, then and now, by theeverishly inventive Russell Brand. But eventhose o us avid or a cinematic reunion withthis sweetly lunatic pop gure might be shockedby what Brand and writer/director Stoller havein store or us here. For Get Him to the Greekdoesnt merely provide the hilarity, randomnon sequiturs,and subtly (and not-so-subtly)parodistic songs wed hope or in an Aldous-driven eature. Were also given a ull-fedgeddissection o Aldous character, and the great joyo the lm is that he turns out to have character tospare this Aldous is unny, yes, but also wildlyconficted, and pitiable, and even borderlinetragic. Co-produced by the ubiquitous JuddApatow, the movie pulls o what last summersFunny People didnt; it exposes the undamentalemptiness at the heart o a seemingly charmedcelebrity lie without sacricing laughs, andwithout wallowing in sel-pity or maudlin excess.Te lm is a lark, but as larks go, its damned near

proound.As Im potentially making Get Him to the

Greek sound less enjoyable than it actually is,let me also say that Stollers movie is cheerullyproane, sometimes aggressively gross, andpresentationally buoyant even in its darkestmoments. Its also, or those who care about suchthings, unapologetically skimpy on plot, whichconcerns the eorts o good-natured record-label upstart and Aldous Snow devotee AaronGreen (Jonah Hill) to get his idol rom Englandto an L.A. concert in three days a trek madechallenging by Aldous insatiable hunger ordrugs, liquor, and women, in roughly that order.(Proudly sober in Forgetting Sarah Marshall,Aldous alls o the wagon hard when his

Arican ChildCD is universally derided as the

worst thing to happen to Arica since apartheid.)At rst, its jarring to see Hill and Brand teamed inthis manner, as Hill was so hysterical asMarshallsAldous-obsessed Hawaiian waiter, and the echoes

are intensied when weretreated to a brie repriseo Aldous signature (andriotous) Inside o Younumber. However, thetwo quickly establishan entirely dierent yetequally satisying comicchemistry here Aldoussubtly coercing hisaable nitwit chaperoneinto requent acts orock-star debauchery and their aection

or one another, as characters andperormers,eels utterly genuine. At times, Greek managesto suggest a Hope-and-Crosby road picturewith absinthe, vomit, and a baggie o heroinuncomortably smuggled through airport security.

Yet even given the lms happy crudeness and

the leads winning camaraderie, what makes thiscomedy so memorable, and so unexpectedlyresonant, is its insistence on presenting Aldousas an actual human being. Te character isridiculous, to be sure, but thanks to Stoller andespecially Brand, hes absolutely no joke. Troughencounters with his ex-lover (a sensational RoseByrne) and his ather (the ever-great ColmMeany) that are simultaneously satirical andemotionally honest, the ull picture o Aldouscomplexly troubled history gradually comes intoview, and the rockers drug use, while occasionallymined or humor, is also treated with welcome

and necessary gravitas; the movie neither rewardsnor ully absolves Aldous or his sel-destructivebehavior. Brand, meanwhile, plays his characterscontradictions and they are legion withdazzling economy and wit, creating a trenchant,even moving portrait o a once-gied talent gonespectacularly to seed. In Forgetting Sarah Marshall,Brand lent the proceedings vitality and originality.In Get Him to the Greek, he lends it soul.

Ill admit that, in terms o the narrative and thegags, the movie is a little repetitive, and a ew oits comic gambits such as the disastrous attemptat a mnage trois between Aldous, Aaron, and

Aarons girlriend Daphne, played by ElisabethMoss with her usual combination o eccentricityand charm are a little unsatisying. But GetHim to the Greek is still marvelously textured andceaselessly entertaining, and I havent even gottenaround to mentioning its bevy o deliriously weird,drug-ueled images, none nuttier the sight oSean Combs powerully unny as Aarons short-tempered boss eating his own head. Maybe youhad to be there, but I highly recommend makingthe trip.

For reviews oSplice and other current releases,

visit RiverCitiesReader.com.

LISTEN TO MIKE EVERy F RIDAy AT AM ON ROCK 10- FM WITh DAVE & DARREN

Sex? Drugs? Rock n Roll!

Jonah Hill and Russell Brand in Get Him to

the Greek

Movie Reviewsby Mike Schulz [email protected] Mike Schulz [email protected]

Movie Reviews

presents

309-762-6610www.qcmusicguild.com

June 11, 12, 13,

17, 18, 19, 20Prospect Park Auditorium, Moline

Curtain Times 7:30pm Thurs, Fri, Sat, and 2:00pm Sun

Tickets: $15Children $10


11/28


Riv

erCitiesReaderVol.17No.754June10-23,

2010

11

Feels likeVegas!

Tastes likeVegas...

Looks likeVegas...

Looking for real Vegas-style gaming excitement? The loosest and

biggest selection of slots? Weekly slot and poker tournaments? Youre going to love

Jumers Casino & Hotel, voted the Best Casino in the Quad Cities!

Welcome back...What a Deal Wednesdays!Get exciting midweek perks like:

Our Classic Evening Buffet (4pm9pm) just $6.99(With IMAGE Players Club card; $9.99 without card)

Free Bust the Bank scratch card*

Every card is a potential winnerup to $1,000!

Receive up to 10 additional cards based on play!

Special $1 Bud Light draws and $2 Bud Light longnecks!

Shrimp Cocktail only 99...Wednesday & every day!

$1,000 Live-Action Blackjack Tournamentnow Wednesdays at 6:30pm!

Music? Weve got the Edje! We bring you the Quad Cities finest live entertainment.

Showtimes are 8pm-12am Fri. & Sat. Never a coveralways FREE!

June 11-12 Smooth Groove June 18-19 The TRaSh 80s

June 25-26 SLAMABAMA July 2-3 Smooth Groove

Its trulyStyleat Jumers!

ooking for reVegas

www.jumerscasinohotel.com309-756-4600 800-477-7747 Open 7am-5am daily

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services canbe accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). *With IMAGE Players Club card.

ALWAYS

SMOKE-F

REE ! Visit Us On Facebook


12/28

RiverCitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,20

10

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKno

w


1

*


13/28


Riv


2010

1


14/28

RiverCitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,20

10

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKno

w


1

Wats happeninTheatre

Sunday in the Parkwith GeorgeHarrison Hilltop Theatre

Thursday, June 10, through Saturday, June 26

On June 10, the Quad Cities willsee the premiere o a highlyregarded, ony-winning stage workboasting emotion, laughs, complicated

relationships, and subtle meditations on the fner points o Art*.Te work in question? Sunday in the Park with George, in whichcomposer Stephen Sondheim and book writer James Lapine

celebrate lie, love, and creativity through a musical explorationo the artistic expression o pointillism.

And I know exactly what youre all thinking: Oh, jeez, that

old plot ... ?Seriously, though, perhaps only Sondheim could make

something so universal outo so specifc a subject, as

audiences will likely gleanwhen the Harrison HilltopTeatre stages the mastersmodern classic through June

26.Described as audacious,

haunting, and touching by

the New York Times, Sundayin the Park with George is amostly fctionalized take on

the lie o noted painter Georges Seurat, detailing the mans feryartistic temperament, his adoration or a loving woman named(appropriately) Dot, and the process o creating his amed

pointillist masterpiece,A Sunday Aernoon on the Island o LaGrande Jatte. And thats just thefrstact. In the second, whichtakes place a ull century later, Seurats grandson is dealing with

an artistic crisis o his own, and ... .Oh, but why spoil it? For a measure o the shows quality,

you need only knoreceive the Pulitze

production, it boasJames Bleecker, SaAngela Elliott, Ma

with Quad City MAnderson Clark (pIn last summers re

inappropriate to suin honor o Andershow about a lie-si

For tickets to Su

6371 or visit Harri

* Tere are actu

day, with the otherproduction o Yasthrough June 27. Adissuaded rom wr

so ... . Whoops.

ComedyLaughter ReliefAdler Theatre

Friday, June 18, 8 p.m.

Feel like a laugh?Davenports AdlerTeatre knows you do,and the venue is planning

to deliver wa-a-a-ay thanjust one with its June 18stand-up-comedy concert

Laughter Relie which,ironically enough, is exactlythe phrase we Reader

employeesuse to describe

our weekly sta meetings.O course, in that

situation, its a relierom laughter.But I digress. Serving as emcee

is Detroit-based comedian Martini

Harris, whowill introduceQuad Cities

audiences tothe comedystylings o two

other MotorCity stand-ups CoCo and

Cool-Aide.(Anyoneelse eeling

thirsty?) Andthe eventsheadliner

is lm andtelevision

comic DeRay Davis (pictured), wholast graced the Adler stage in 2008sDeRays Comedy Campaign tour,

and whose list o proessional creditsincludes the V series Entourage, MyWie & Kids, and Reno 911!, and the

movies Scary Movie 4, License to Wed,and Imagine Tat.

Appreciated or his quick wit and

riotous storytelling abilities, Davis isalso becoming rather well known orplaying a wide range o characters

with disyllabic names. How well doyou know them? ry matching Davisdisyllabic roles with the movies in

which he appeared:

1) Bee Bee

2) E.J.3) Junebug

4)5)6) S

7) S

A)

B)C)D)

E)F)G)

ic$25 t

callinAdler

TheatreAndromacheLincoln Park

Saturday, June 19, through Sunday,

June 27

For Genesius Guilds annualmasked presentation o aGreek tragedy, the venerabletheatre organization has chosen

to stage Euripides post-rojanWar dramaAndromache.

And or those whove neverbeore attended one o theseproductions, I can attest thatdespite their oentimes dark

and complex subject matter,the ones Ive seen in RockIslands Lincoln Park have been

an awul lot o un, mixingthe traditional classicism (andeature-hidden perormers) o

ancient are with the down-and-dirty nastiness o your avoritemodern-day soap opera.

Yet Im also aware that someaudiences may avoid GenesiusGuilds Greek dramas earing

the stories will fy over theirheads, which I think might bepartly due to the characterssomewhat imposing names. So

lets try an experiment.I ound a great synopsis

oAndromache on Shvoong.

com, and have taken the libertyo substituting the character

names o Andromache,Neoptolemus, Achilles,Hermione, and Menelaus with,

respectively, the more soap-riendly Ashley, Chet, Kirk,

Skylar, and Brock. ry this introon or size, and see i it doesntmake Genesius Guilds season-

opener a little less intimidating:

Following the end o the

War, Ashley is taken as a warprize by Chet, the son o Kirk.Chet goes to Delphi, and his

jealous wie, Skylar, plans to getrid o Ashley. Despite Ashleys

plea to Skylar that she hasno desire or Chet, Skylar isconsumed by jealousy, and plotsto kill Ashley with the aid o her

ather, Brock.

See what I mean? otally un!

Andromache will beperormed on Saturdays andSundays, June 19 through 27.

Admission is ree, thoughdonations are accepted

and appreciated, and moreinormation is available byvisiting Genesius.org.

6B,7D.labic.Ijustwantedtosee llabicintooneofthese


15/28

BusinessPoliticsArtsC

ultureNowYouKnowRiverCitiesReader.com

Riv


2010

1

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]


Wat ElseIs happeninMUSIC

Sunday, June 1 West Music Parking Lot

Jam. Sixth-annual outdoor concert eaturingdozens o area youth musicians, many playingpublicly or the rst time. West Music Quad

Cities (4305 44th Avenue, Moline). 3 p.m. Freeadmission. For inormation, call (309)764-9300 orvisit WestMusic.com.

Sunday, June 1 Daniel ODonnell.

Concert with beloved Irish crooner. i wirelessCenter (1201 River Drive, Moline). 5:30 p.m.

$57.50-$87.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 orvisit iwirelessCenter.com.

Sunsay, June 1 The Nova SingersOut o

the Ordinary. 25th-anniversary concert with the

vocal ensemble, eaturing emcees Brian Nelson

and J. Adam Lounsberry, and a perormance by

the improvisational comedians o ComedySportz.

First Lutheran Church o Rock Island (1600 20th

Street, Rock Island). 6:30 p.m. $10 minimum

donation. For inormation, call (309)341-7038 or

visit http://DeptOrg.Knox.edu/novasingers.

Saturday, June 1 Rock the District.

Annual outdoor concert in the District o Rock

Island, eaturing headliners Chevelle, and opening

musicians Ten Years, Janus, and Three Years

Hollow. 7 p.m. gates. $25-$28. For inormation,

visit DaiquiriFactory.com or RIBCO.com.

Saturday, June 1 Survivor. Concert with

the rockers o Eye o the Tiger,The Search IsOver,and High on Youame. Orpheum Theatre(57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 8 p.m. $30-$50. For tickets and inormation, call (309)342-

2299 or visit TheOrpheum.org.

Sunday, June 0 Jef Newells New TradOctet. Jazz ensemble perorms and educates as

that its one o only eight musicals to everPrize or drama. As or the Harrison Hilltops

ts a cast eaturing such venue veterans asa Bourassa, Pamela Crouch, Wendy Czekalski,k and Linda Ruebling, and Paul Workman,

sic Guild avorites Bryan J. ank and Melissactured) taking on Sundayromantic leads.iew oAll Shook Up, I asked: Is it totally

ggest that MGuild erect a statue o some kindon Clark and ank? As o yet, no statue. Soed theatrical painting instead?day in the Park with George, call (563)449-

onHilltop.com.

lly two such stage works opening that

being the Curtainbox Teatre Companysina Rezas Art, running at the Village Teatres one o the shows cast members, though, Imting about it in the Whats Happenin pages,

otownay-Raypooner

ugar Bones

Barbershop

Te FogFrankenhoodGet Him to the Greek

Te Seat Filleremi-Pro

Who Made the Potatoe Salad?

ets to Laughter Relie are$35 and are available by

(800)745-3000 or visitingeatre.com.

TheatreGuys & DollsProspect Park Auditorium

Friday, June 11, through Sunday, June 20

(o be sung to the tune oGuys & Dolls

classic Fugue or inhorns, the catchynumber that starts with the lyric Ivegot the horse right here, his name is PaulRevere ... .)

Weve got the show right here

Its Guys & Dolls, my dear

And you may not catch a unnier playall year!

Great gags, great jokes!But that isnt quite all, olks

Answers:1F,2E,3C,4C,5A,Andyoureright,thatlastnameisntdisyl howmanytimesIcouldsneaktheworddis

pieces.Answer:four!

EventGumbo Ya YaThe District o Rock Island

Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12

In the ocial press release or thisyears Gumbo Ya Ya estival ourareas two-day, Mardi Gras-themed event taking place in theDistrict o Rock Island the mention o the cuisine optionscomes with this disclaimer: I you dont like the Cajunfavors, traditional estival ood will also be available.

o which I say: Tank you, Gumbo Ya Ya vendors! Tatjust means more delicious gumbo, jambalaya, red beans &rice, toue, bourbon chicken, and barbecued pork, bee,and chicken or the rest o us!

O course, beyond the ood, there are quite a ew otherreasons to attend this annual celebration o Cajun culture.

Te Districts French Quarter marketplace will eature awide selection o handcraed jewelry, artworks, clothing,and accessories, and chances are good that youll be able

to leave with at least a handul o Mardi Grasbeads, as over hal a ton o them will be thrownto crowds throughout the weekend.

Perorming on two stages, the musicianslined up or Gumbo Ya Ya include some o thenest entertainers with some o the mostentertaining monikers on either side o theMason-Dixon line, among them HurricaneGumbo, Gumbohead, the Funky Butt BrassBand, the RiverCity 6, Roddie Romero

(pictured) and his Hub City All-Stars, the Stacy MitchhartBand, the Backwater Bayou Band, Dikki Du & the ZydecoKrewe, and the recent winners o 2009s Iowa BluesChallenge, the Steady Rollin Blues Band.

And Im happy to report that my weekly radio-showcompadres, Dave Levora and Darren Pitra, will once morebe hosting the annual Rock 104.9 Crawsh Eating Contest,their motto or which again, taken rom the ocial pressrelease is Pinch the tail, suck the head!

God, my riends are classy.For inormation on this sizzling Quad Cities tradition,

call (309)788-6311 or visit GumboYaYaFestival.com.

J. Adam Lounsberry, TracyPelzer-Timm, Jenny Winn,

and Nathan Bates

Te musical score provokes

Big cheers! It smokes!

Te lovely Jenny WinnAnd racy Pelzer-immAnd Nathan Bates (rom Beauty

& the Beast yeah, thats him!)All star, du-ly,With J. Adam Lounsberry.

Tis cast is pure ar-tis-try,As you will see!

A guy named Jason Platt

Wears the directors hat

Hes a Music Guild vetran and a gied cat!Without a seat

o Frank Loessers Broadway treatTe summerd be hal as sweetAnd in-complete!

(Repeat in round style until ... )

Broadway treat ... !Ar-tis-try ... !

Dolls, my dear ... !Weve got the sho-o-ow ... ri-i-ight ... he-

e-e-e-ere!

Quad City Music Guild presents themusical comedy classic Guys & Dolls June11 through 20, and more inormation isavailable by calling (309)762-6610 or visiting

QCMusicGuild.com.


16/28

Rive

rCitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,20

10

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKno

w


1


17/28



Riv

erCitiesReaderVol.17No.754June10-23,2010

1

September through June at the ButterworthCenter, 1105 Eighth Street in Moline. Te clubalso has special learning workshops and smallgroups that meet on specic photography topics.

For more inormation on the club, call(563)332-6522 or visit QCPhotoClub.com.o see works by club members, visit QCCC.SmugMug.com.

Featured Image from te Quad Cit Potograp Club

(Editors note: Te River Cities Reader eachmonth will publish images rom the Quad CityPhotography Club. Click on the image or alarger version.)

Photographer: Dave Engler has been amember o the Quad City Photography Clubor the past ew months and a member o theEldridge Volunteer Fire Department or more

than 15 years.Getting the shot: Tis photo shows Fire Chieyler Schmidt resting aer a training reor the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Department.When a house is scheduled to be torn down,the re department can sometimes use itor a training exercise. We work on severalscenarios prior to burning the structuredown roo ventilation, search and rescue,

overhaul, and more. Its great to get everyonehands-on experience in a controlledenvironment.

Te Quad City Photography Club hold s digitaland print competitions most months. At itsmeetings, members discuss the images, helpeach other to improve, and socialize. Te clubmeets at 7 p.m. the rst Tursday o the month

Technical data: Nikon D90 with 70-300-millimeter lens at 220 millimeters, /6.3, 1/640-second exposure.


18/28

Rive

rCitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,20

10

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKno

w


1

Out-text the rest to take home theU.S. Cellular Speed Text Tournament$10,000 Grand Prize.

Things we want you to know: No purchase necessary. Standard Text Messaging rates apply. Dates, times and locations of events

are subject to change. See uscellular.com/speedtext for Official Rules. 2010 U.S. Cellular

For a full list of events in your area textTOUR to 89635 or visit uscellular.com/speedtext

textyourway

to $10,000.

Think you can out-text the rest?

Visit these participating U.S. Cellular

locations to compete for $10,000.

June 14 1-7 p.m.

Davenport - 4540 Brady Street

Moline - 3900 38th Avenue

The U.S. Cellular Speed Text

Tournament will be stopping at

various festivals, ballparks and

participating U.S. Cellular locations

through the end of the year.


19/28



Riv


1

now, he said. Once you have other peopleinvolved, and especially when you have

other people investing money ... .Te duo decided not to tour until this

summer to accommodate Pisanos teaching,and they chose the May release date or

the same reason. But where it goes romhere will depend on how many p eoplebuy the record, and how many show up toperormances. At this point, it doesnt evenbelong to us, Pisano said.

Peter Wol Crier will perorm on uesday,June 22, at RIBCO (1815 Second Avenue in

Rock Island). Te all-ages show starts at 7p.m., and cover is $6.

For more inormation on Peter Wol Crier,visit kfat.com/pwc/ or MySpace.com/

peterwolcrier.

o listen to or download Peter Wol Criers

Daytrotter session, visit RCReader.com/y/pwc.

Continued From Page 8

a much more beautiul way.Te oen-cryptic words oInter-Be do

have a certain desperation to them (LordI want your kiss / Would not beg or onemore / I ones all youd give), and they areclearly deeply elt, both in the writing andthe singing.

Pisano said his new songwriting processallowed him to be completely vulnerableand lay naked. But he added that althoughthe songs are acutely personal, theyrelargely products o his subconscious.Whatever words are just alling out o mymouth just wind up on a recording, he said.He shapes them aer the act, but theykind o live their own lie outside o me. ...Lyrically, theyre almost like strangers to me.... Tey didnt even eel like they were mine.

Te songwriter talks with similardetachment about his uture and that oPeter Wol Crier. eaching kids has (up untilnow) been Pisanos vocation, but he doesntknow whether hell return to school aerthe summer.

Tis is a little bit bigger than us right

Beautiul Suering

by Jef Ignatius

[email protected]

artists. Especiallyyoungartists. You want

to allow their imaginations to go wild, and

then help them gure out how to bring that

imagination to lie.

Davenport Junior Teatre will host puppetry

workshops with Steano Brancato June 14

through 19, with the 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

workshops designed or ages 13 through 18,

and the 6-9:30 p.m. workshops or ages 18

and older. Te courses will conclude with

a 2 p.m. public showcase perormance held

during June 19s Juneteenth celebration

in LeClaire Park. For more inormation,

and to register or the week-long puppetry

workshops, call (563)326-7862 or visit

DavenportJuniorTeatre.com.


shadow puppetry and the 18th Century art

o toy theatre (which Brancato says involves

miniature proscenium stages with ull

productions that are created inside them),

their instructor expects that both courses

will give participants a better understanding

o the range o artistic expression covered

under puppet ar ts. Yet above all, Brancato

hopes that burgeoning artists will take

rom the courses a renewed sense o artistic

discovery.

Te mentors I had growing up in the

theatre, he says, were always challenging

me, yet also giving me this sort o careree

attitude as an artist this idea that anything

is possible. And I think its that element

o condence that you want to develop in

Te Puppet Master

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]


Wat Else Is happeninpart o PolyrhythmsThird Sunday Jazz Matine &

Workshop Series. The Redstone Room (129 Main

Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. all-ages workshop; $5/adult, children ree; 6 p.m. concert: $10-$15. For

tickets and inormation, call (563)326-1333 or visitPolyrhythms.org or RedstoneRoom.com.

THEATREThursday, June 10, through Sunday, June

Art. The Curatinbox Theatre Companysproduction o Yasmina Rezas Tony Award-

winning comedy. Village Theatre (2113 East 11thStreet, the Village o East Davenport). Thursdays-Saturdays and Tuesdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 3

p.m. $10-$15. For tickets and inormation, call

(563)322-8504 or visit TheCurtainbox.com.Thursday, June 10, through Tuesday,

June Go, Dog, Go!Family comedy basedon P.D. Eastmans popular childrens book. Circa21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock

Island). Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays 10 a.m. and/or 1 p.m. matine perormances.For tickets and inormation, call (309)786-7733

extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.Thursday, June 1, through Sunday, June

Noises Of. Michael Frayns arcical, Tony

Award-winning play-within-a-play. Clinton Area

Showboat Theatre (311 Riverview Drive, Clinton).Thursdays-Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays and

Wednesdays 3 p.m. $16-$20. For tickets andinormation, call (563)242-6760 or visit Summer-Stock.org.

Thursday, June 1, through S aturday, June Steel Magnolias. Robert Harlings beloveddramatic comedy set in a Southern beauty shop.

Timber Lake Playhouse (8215 Black Oak Road, Mt.

Carroll). Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Tuesdays

and Thursdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 6:30 p.m. $11-

$20. For tickets and inormation, call (815)244-

2035 or visit TimberLakePlayhouse.org.

Friday, June 1, through Sunday, June Oklahoma!Countryside Community Theatres

production o Rodgers & Hammersteins musical

classic. North Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium

(200 South First Street, Eldridge). Thursdays-

Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 2 p.m. For inormation,

call (563)285-6228 or visit CCTOnStage.org.

DANCEFriday, June 11, through Sunday, June

1 Ballet Under the Stars. Annual outdoor

presentation by Ballet Quad Cities, withchoreography by company Artistic DirectorCourtney Lyon. Lincoln Park (11th Avenue and

38th Street, Rock Island). 8 p.m. Free admission.For inormation, call (309)786-3779 or visitBalletQuadCities.com.

EXHIBITSaturday, June 1, through Sunday,

August 1 University o Iowa School o ArtMFA Exhibition. A showcase o student work inpainting, sculpture, printmaking, multimedia,metals, ceramics, and photography. Figge Art

Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport).

Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursdays10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sundays noon-5 p.m. Free

with museum admission. For inormation, call

(563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArt.org.

LITERATUREWednesday, June , through Friday,

June David R. Collins SummerWriters Conerence. Annual workshops andpresentations hosted by the Midwest Writing

Center, with courses taught by Cecil Murphey,Roald Tweet, Emma Rainey, Eric Butterman,Stephen French, Twila Belk, and Steve Semken.

St. Ambrose University (518 West LocustStreet, Davenport). $65-$75/workshop, $200-$225 or the ull conerence. For inormation

and to register, call (563)324-1410 or visit

MidwestWritingCenter.org.

EVENTSThursday, June 10, through Saturday, June

1 Miss Iowa Scholarship Pageant. The ofcial

preliminaries to the Miss America pageant. Adler

Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7 p.m.

Thursday and Friday $25, Saturday $30. For tickets,

call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

Saturday, June 1 Susan G. Komen Quad

Cities Race or the Cure.Annual race and amily

walk/run, with proceeds beneting breast-cancer

research and education. i wireless Center (1201

River Drive, Moline). 8 a.m. 5K race $22-$30/adult,

$15 or ages 12 and under; 1.2-mile amily walk/run

$15-$25/adult, $15 or ages 12 and under; Sleep in

or the Cure $30. For inormation and to register,

call (563)421-2873 or visit KomenQuadCities.org.

Wednesday, June 1, through Saturday,June 1 Sturgis Mississippi RiverMotorcycle Rally. Annual estival eaturing

races, vendors, live music, the Scooter Girlscompetition, and more. Mississippi ValleyFairgrounds (2815 West Locust Street,

Davenport). Wednesday 5-10 p.m.; Thursday

and Friday noon-midnight; Saturday 10 a.m.-midnight. Wednesday ree spectator admission;

$20 Thursday-Saturday passes. For inormation,call (309)799-7469 or visit SturgisOnTheRiver.com.

Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June

1 Greek Cultural Festival. Ninth-annualevent, eaturing Greek music and dancing,perormances by Chicagos Ellas Dance Troupe,

childrens activities, a git market, a cultural center,and more. Assumption Greek Orthodox Church(4900 Kennedy Drive, East Moline). Friday 5-10

p.m., Saturday noon-11 p.m. Free admission. Forinormation, call (309)792-2912.

Saturday, June 1 Juneteenth Festival.

Annual celebration o Arican-American heritage,eaturing live entertainment, vendors, games,cultural programming, and more. LeClaire Park

(Davenport). 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Free admission. Forinormation, visit QCJuneteenth.com.

Sunday, June 0 Ride the River. Annual

Fathers Day bicycling event through parts oIowa and Illinois, sponsored by River Action.Begins at the Freight House (421 West River

Drive, Davenport). 6 a.m.-3:30 p.m. $12-$15/adult, children ride ree with a paying adult. For

inormation and to register, call (563)322-7433 orvisit RiverAction.org.


20/28

Rive

rCitiesReader

Vol.17No.

754

June10-

23

,2010

Business

Politics

Arts

Culture

Now

YouKno

w


0

Angels death carries little impact. We

suddenly hear the other characters

eulogize Angel, but since we didntexperience his death with them,

theres a disconnect between what

the characters on stage are eeling

and what we in the audience are. (Orrather, are not.)

Still, theres much thats good about

the Showboats Rent, not least o which

is Amber Grey, who plays Joanne. Ianyone on stage understands, eels,

and disappears into a character, its

Grey, who hits all the right notes,

both vocally and emotionally. (Its ashame that Joanne isnt a bigger role!)

Also too small, here, is the role o

Benjamin, which showcases Antwaun

Holleys talent and impressive vocal

ability, but leaves you wishing he wereon stage more oen.

Jeni Nobles Mimi also connects

with the emotions o her character,

though not as consistently; there area ew moments in the rst act where

Noble seems to be going through the

motions rather than ully expressing

Mimis thoughts and eelings. In thesecond act, however, Noble doesnt

miss an emotional beat, enacting love

lost, then lie lost, then the joy o living

again.And speaking o beats, some o the

cast members had trouble staying on

them, so the musicians deserve high

accolades or their ability to adapt

quickly catching up to, or slowing

down or, rhythmically-o actorson several songs. o their credit, the

musicians made such corrections

seamlessly, keeping the momentum o

the show moving.

Te same cannot be said or those

controlling the levels on the casts

body microphones, as actors on

ar too many songs to be overlooked

were all-too-oen several words

into a number beore their mics were

turned up. Its a tough task, especially

with so many microphones to manage,but its troubling to the audience when

so many lines are missed or volume

is set too high, distorting the quality

o an actors voice (as was the case on

almost all o Greys songs).

Te Showboats Rentis not a

polished production. While ar rom

perect, though, its still a lot o un in

the rst hal. Were the cast to bring

the energy o Act I to Act II, the show

would still be imperect, but youd

have too much un to care!

For tickets and inormation,

call (563)242-6760 or visit

ClintonShowboat.org.

Tom White covers entertainment news

or WQAD Quad Cities News 8.

bear character, Andy has to decide whether to take

the money and run or side with his television-

despising ex-wie, whos also eight monthspregnant with his child. (Phew.) And thats just the

groundwork, laid out in the rst scene in Andys

New York bachelor apartment, beore the really

unny stu happens

Director Jalayne Riewerts did well in

utilizing this intimate space and making it eel

claustrophobic during the later scenes, when all

ve characters, including Ellens mother (Jackie

Skiles), are packed onto a uton and a single,

swiveling chair, and trying to politely conceal

particular secrets rom each other. (Te scene

is made even more hilarious by Zans ill-timedwardrobe choice.) Tis was also the scene that best

showcased the talents o the actors as a group. Te

comedic timing was rapid and natural and spot-on

here; there were none o the awkward, unbelievable

movements and behaviors a random bout o

sneezing to motivate a character toward the

bathroom, or example that punctuated a ew o

the transitional scenes.

In terms o the individual actors, I thought

Johnson was a good t or his character a man

whos predicted to be six years old or the rest

o [his] lie. His acial expressions, particularly

the open-mouthed glee he displays when excited,

emitted a nice, natural quality o innocence. I

didnt care as much or his or Riewerts decision

or him to kick his legs in the air like a child having

a temper tantrum; the gesture was unnecessary

considering Johnsons ability to show his childish

side in unique, more organic ways. (A good

example o this was his hasty stapling together o

his shirt, an act perormed because Andy doesnt

want to bother with buying new buttons.)

As the denim-jumper-clad, eight-months-pregnant ex-wie o a man with Peter Pan

syndrome, McKean Herrick didnt seem to have as

much un as Patterson did portraying the sensual,

lingerie-wearing singleton. (Hey, being eight

months pregnant isnt usually much un in real

lie, either.) But McKean Herrick did a nice job

with her maternal, even-keeled character whose

unexpected displays o stubbornness toward her

ex-husband were charmingly handled. Patterson,

however, was allowed a reer range o physical

expression with her role and she used this to her

advantage, especially during the scene in whichshe overheats and stands at the ront door,

desperately anning her bare legs while the other

emales are out o the room.

Overall, I ound Funny Valentines to be like

many other G-rated, middle-caliber comedies in

which characters conceal their relationships and

intentions rom each other and subsequently spend

the plays duration guring these things out. I

dont, however, mean to say theres anything wrong

with a show eeling amiliar or middle-caliber;

in act, I think its sometimes rereshing to be able

to sit in an air-conditioned theatre and watch ashow that simply strives to amuse and entertain

its audience. And Richmond Hills interpretation

oValentines was lively and un to watch, a jocular

romp with a character trying his best to grow up.

For tickets and inormation, call (309)944-2244 or

visit RHPlayers.com.

o lightning which are some o the most

realistic Ive yet seen on a local stage but

when lightning isntstriking, Makuchs

designs cast ominous shadows on the set,

adding to it even more texture.

Yet these eects are more ominous

than the show itsel, which would better

dramatize its plot i it werent interrupted

by songs. I like the shows book, which is

captivating and oers the right amounto humor. However, just when the

productions tempo gets going, Dixon

includes a line obviously meant as a setup

to a song, theres a pause or the musical

intro, and an actor (or group o ac tors)

sings a tune thats much cheerier than

the dialogue was, halting the pacing in

its tracks. In truth, this isnt always the

case; Strange Tings Going on has the

tone o a dark mystery (and is reminiscent

o the score to Te Secret Garden), and

Unwitting rio is cleverly built as aninterior dialogue that, unlike many o

the other compositions, appropriately


Romper Room


ORyan), niece Sally (Elizabeth Miller), and

Sallys riend, Jack (ristan Layne apscott).

Just beore Carries arrival, the house

sta quits out o ear o strange things

happening, leaving only the butler, Tomas

(Frank McClain), to tend to the guests.

And two dead bodies later, we discover

that everyone has reason to have dunit,

including a local police ocer, Mr. Jarvis

(om Walljasper).Te most stunning aspect o director

Dennis Hitchcocks production is, no

question, its set. Designer Susan D.

Holgersson has created an impressively

elaborate, two-story drawing room boasting

a gorgeous staircase eaturing a wood

banister and decorative wrought iron

railings, crown molding, and foor-to-

ceiling beams set against dark green walls.

Its t ruly, and probably expensively, grand.

(Im ready to move in as soon as the shows

run ends.) And equally impressive aredesigner David Makuchs lighting eects;

there are, o course, the requisite fashes

Songs in te Ke of Aaaaaaa!


New Lease on Life

advances the storyline. Most o the musicalnumbers, though, seem to be built arounda single, simple theme or idea, as i Dixon isstretching one note into an entire song.

And then theres the eventual revelationo whodunit, when this production thathas been designed as a dramatic comedydescends into the arcical implausible,corny, and overly sel-aware. (A characteractually says, Is he going to sing? right

beore the murderer perorms a silly, over-the-top tune that doesnt match the toneo anything leading up to it.) Suddenly, itsas i were seeing the ending to an entirelydierent show, and its an especially awkwardt since nothing preceding the climax haseven resembledarce.

Still, the cast makes a good go at it all.McClains butler is creepy, snooty, and themost interesting character on the stage...until, that is, Walljasper enters. With hisswagger and New York accent, the actor

oen makes his dialogue even unnier thanit was perhaps intended to be the show isat its most entertaining whenever Walljasper

is speaking and yet hes never hammy orcampy. While ORyan could be unnier i sheplayed her role as slightly broader, shes alsoa crowd-pleaser with her line deliveries and(especially) her physical humor. apscottbrings his dependable brand o wit to hisrole and an improving vocal quality, whichhas uller resonance on his sustained notes.SaLoutos and Miller, meanwhile, oer littlenuance, but then again, its perhaps more that

their roles oer little nuance or the actresses,whose talents have been better showcased inpast productions at Circa 21.

Whodunit... Te Musicalwould be betterserved i it stuck to one genre, or bettercombined those already incorporated. As itis, though, the audience is le not only tryingto gure out the identity o the murderer, butalso the identity o the show.

For tickets and inormation, call (309)786-

7733, extension 2, or vi sit Circa21.com.

Tom White covers entertainment news or

WQAD Quad Cities News 8.\

By Thom White

By Thom WhiteBy Jill Walsh


21/28



Riv


1

against their will.

Dont not let this legislations name ool you it is shocking legislation that every citizen,whether an employer or employee, should ghtadamantly against because it is anything butreechoice. Iowa Senator om Harkin is a co-sponsoro this legislative nightmare, so voters can maketheir objections known to him directly by callinghis oce in D.C. at (202)224-3254 or locally at(563)322-1338. He can also be reached by contactorm at Harkin.Senate.gov/contact.cm.

At a minimum, you need to read the legislationor yoursel at OpenCongress.org, Vote-Smart.org, or Tomas.gov. You cant imagine the amount

o legislation currently being considered whosenames no longer refect the provisions o the billsbut have dire consequences or us all. We needto take it upon ourselves to readthese potentiallaws o the land. How can we deeat them inecessary when we dont even know whats inthem? Congress has no ethical or moral problemsneaking provisions into bills that have nothing todo with the originating legislation. Te problemis that these provisions are binding i the billpasses, regardless o the deception. At a minimum,it should be required that bills be written inlanguage easily understood by adult citizens,

be restricted to the originating legislation, andperhaps even have a limit on page count. Tese arejust a ew common-sense policies that could help

to rein in the corruption that permeates D.C.

Senator Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) recentlyintroduced a bill related to EFCA with an equallydeceptive name S.3157, the Create Jobs & SaveBenets Act o 2010 as a ailsae to the EFCAlegislation ailing, or to work in tandem with iti it passes. It allows or the transer the unionspension obligations to the Pensions BenetGuaranty Corporation, which will provide aguaranteed retirement income to workers in amuch lower amount than originally promised bythe unions.

Te mere act that so many employee-unionpensions are endangered or critical, while

the union ocers pensions are sae and sound,should remove any doubt whatsoever that unionleadership is as corrupt as Wall Street, perhapsworse because they claim to be the very hearto Main Street. What I want to know is: Whereare the criminal and civil charges against thesethieves? Not only are such charges glaringlyabsent, but most union ocers still retain theirpositions!

What are Sterns chances o getting the $165billion? Well, not only is he the most requentvisitor to the White House since Obamasoccupation, but he was appointed to Obamas

National Committee on Fiscal Responsibility &Reorm. So what do you think? More importantly,what are you going to do about it?

but you might become wealthier in theprocess. I had some dicult decisions, but thesituations were usually so grotesque (choosing

to hunt down a group o murders andrapists or aiding their escape) that I couldntbring mysel to do anything other than the

honorable thing. For someone looking to be adastardly villain, though,its there or the taking.

Online multiplayer istaken to new heights withthe base online mode

Free Roam. Instead oa plain screen where youwait to join in online

play like other shooters,youre thrust into thesame massive game world

and can do as you pleasewhile encountering otherplayers. You can run

around solo or join up toseven other players in aposse to pursue bandits,

take on the law, hunt wild game, or even jumpstraight into competitive team battles suchas a death matches or variations on Capturethe Flag in which you grab bags o gold. Te

more you do, the more points you get ornew horses, weapons, challenges, and ancycowboy titles to announce how tough you are.

It brings an impressive number o options tothe table or both casual and hardcore players.

Te vibe o the Old West hits in ull orce

as you ride trails on horseback, trot o intothe setting sun, or watch the tumbleweeds rollby. O course you can travel by stagecoach

and skip the manual riding, but you riskmissing out on strangers to help or attack,not to mention the great view. Voice work is

also well done, w

River Cities Reader - Issue #754 - June 10, 2010

Documents

Transcript of River Cities Reader - Issue #754 - June 10, 2010