921 Reader Pages

Vote Weighting Option
Calls Election Integrity Into

Question Page 3
Doctor Strange: Marvels Best

Movie Yet Page 13
Slow-Moving Lava: The

Midwest Writing Centers
Steady Progress Page 9
Vile, Mysterious
Mailer Caps Off Foul
Campaign Page 4
Whats Happenin: John
Prine, Kavita Shah, Art
Above 66 33' Page 10
#921
November 10 - 21, 2016
River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016
Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com
WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER
By Todd McGreevy
Vote Weighting Option Calls Election Integrity Into Question
ow meaningful is the media-fueled

binary battle between the deplorables
and the corruptibles when the very
election systems used to count the votes are
susceptible to manipulation and fraud? Its a
topic very few wish to engage with. For, if true,
all the spent energy and resources and the lost
or frayed friendships over such a contentious
national election would be for naught.
Scott County has used the Global Election
Management System (GEMS) for dozens
of elections. From the manufacturers Web
page (RCReader.com/y/voting1): GEMS
is a Microsoft Windows-based electionmanagement and -tabulation software. It
allows election administrators to easily and
completely control every step of the election
process, from ballot layout to election reporting, all in one proven application.
In May, BlackBoxVoting.org, a venerable and credible election-watchdog
organzation (RCReader.com/y/voting2),
began publishing a series of essays Fraction Magic: The Decimalization of Votes
(RCReader.com/y/voting3).
The essays, along with a poorly produced
video, allege that GEMS has the capability
built right in the software to manipulate
valid election results by modifying the

counting of a single vote or ballot to be a
fraction of a whole vote, using decimals. And
that a predetermined percentage of all ballots
cast, for a candidate or issue, can be realized
through allocation of such fractional values.
Most alarming, this can all be done invisibly,
and still show integers as results. According
to the essay, GEMS is used statewide in seven
states and in select counties in 20 states.
Days after the statewide election in 2014, I
visited with Scott County Auditor Roxanna
Moritz and asked if her office had experienced any anomalies in the recent election.
In the 2012 election, her office had issues
with the electronic memory chips that store
the ballot-count results getting compromised
due to static electricity. In 2014, Moritz stated
that public testing revealed vote-allocation
issues with the new memory chipsets, and
they had to be shipped to a Canadian vendor
for reprogramming days before Election Day.
The evidence of third-party programing of
the chipsets being used in Scott County election equipment is indisputable. This alone
should give alert citizens pause. And it points
to how a GEMS fractional-counting scheme
could be inserted into a local election system.
All of the computation that

goes into computing the
grand total in an election
ought to be transparent, and
people ought to be able to
check the results. Douglas
W. Jones, University of
Iowa Computer-Science
Department
On October 26, I e-mailed Moritz and
auditor-office Operations Manager Roland
Caldwell a link to the Fraction Magic
essays and requested a meeting to review
these allegations about the very system used
in Scott County. I stated that the goal of
[the] meeting is to understand how the Auditors office is ensuring that this fractionalvoting feature of GEMS cannot [be], has
not been, or is not being implemented in
Scott County. This is not an allegation that
fractional voting has been implemented on
your watch. This is a concerned citizen, [a]
taxpayer, looking in on the systems that this

government is utilizing. As of press time
November 8, there was no response.
The auditors office is also currently
reviewing proposals from three vendors,
ostensibly investing $500,000 of taxpayer
funds for new election equipment to be
implemented in 2017. In August, ES&S
(owner of GEMS), Dominion, and Unisyn
reps all made presentations to a small group
of county staff and citizens. In that group
was Douglas W. Jones, a University of Iowa
computer-science professor. In addition to
being the author of the book Broken Ballots:
Will Your Vote Count? (BrokenBallots.com),
Jones was a member of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission Technical
Guidelines Development Committee. Hes
published numerous commentaries and
analysis on election equipment, software,
and processes (RCReader.com/y/voting4).
Jones reviewed BlackboxVoting.orgs
Fraction Magic essays and the companion video Detailed Vote Rigging Demonstration (RCReader.com/y/voting5).
The 25-minute video shows a Tennessee
Continued On Page 8
ILLINOIS POLITICS

By Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
Vile, Mysterious Mailer

Caps Off Foul Campaign
he innocuous-looking mailer began

arriving November 2.
Whoever sent it used plain, manila
envelopes with first-class postage. Usually political campaigns use bulk mail,
but those have permit numbers, making
them traceable. First-class mail isnt so
easily traceable.
The printed labels were addressed to a
generic registered voter recipient and
had no return address.
Inside was a picture printed on
somewhat-expensive photo paper.
Got Avery? was the headline above
a poorly Photoshopped picture featuring
the head of state Representative Avery
Bourne (R-Raymond) and someone elses
nude body.
It was probably the vilest thing to
happen during a legislative campaign
that Ive seen in all the years Ive been
doing this.
Stamped on the back of the photo was
a date of October 7 which likely shows
that this mailer had been planned for
quite some time, and it could provide
investigators with a clue about where it
was produced and maybe even who did it.
As I write this before the election, the
mailer hadnt been widely sent, perhaps
because of the cost of both the postage and
the paper. But its distribution wasnt confined to Bournes Downstate district. The
first to report receiving it last Wednesday
was an official at the Sangamon County
Farm Bureau, which is north of Bournes
district. The Farm Bureau quickly notified
Bourne, and she went over there to pick
it up.
Others saw it in their mailboxes that
day, too. Bournes Democratic opponent
Mike Mathis was called by a high-level
House Democratic staffer who had been
forwarded the mailer. Mathis called
Bourne Wednesday evening to express his
shock and to deny all involvement.
Bourne told me last week that many of
her campaign contributors got the piece,
suggesting that the culprit or culprits used
publicly available information. The state
police told her that her endorsement list
couldve been used as well.
Bournes grandmother and greatgrandmother both received the mailer.
They were, of course, appalled.
A friend of Bournes opponent also
received the mailer, even though the guy,
Im told, isnt at all involved in politics.
The immediate, private reaction from
the top on both sides was to blame the
other side. Was it a false flag operation

designed to hurt Mathis, or was it an
incredibly dirty Democratic trick?
But that speculation was probably ludicrous, and eventually everybody calmed
down enough to admit it. The Republicans
wouldnt ever do something as disgusting
as publicly humiliate the youngest woman
in the House like that (or any of their
female candidates, for that matter) in an
effort to gain some electoral advantage.
And the Democrats arent stupidly insane
enough to put their own candidate at
risk by doing something that despicable
to Bourne.
So both sides initial reactions seemed
to be more about self-preservation during
the inevitable finger-pointing.
If I had to guess, Id say the culprit
is likely some local weirdo with an ax
to grind who has just enough political
knowledge and experience to make him
or her dangerous.
Unfortunately, there are more than a
few of those types out there in our current
age of weaponized misogyny. You dont
have to spend much time on Twitter or
Facebook to see this type of behavior.
But posting a Photoshopped picture
on Twitter takes very little effort. These
envelopes were likely stuffed, labeled, and
stamped individually by hand. That takes
time and, to me, makes this even creepier.
Whether that person simply wanted to
hurt Bourne or damage Mathis campaign
or possibly do both things at once is
something we might never know. But I
gotta figure that anyone who is this loathsome will want to brag about it and/or
was stupid enough to leave a clue here and
there. The fact that the letter was apparently sent to one of Mathis nonpolitical
friends means whoever did this has some
local knowledge.
Mathis, for his part, did all he could
to strenuously deny his involvement and
denounce the mailer. He even showed up
for Bournes press conference last Thursday to show his solidarity. He did the
right thing by a woman who was horribly
wronged.
But right or wrong, the opponent usually gets the blame for this stuff in voters
minds.
What a truly awful way to end one of
the foulest campaign seasons ever.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol
Fax (a daily political newsletter) and
CapitolFax.com.
COVER STORY
Winners and Favorites from Our 2016 Short-Fiction Contest
he River Cities Readers 2016 shortfiction contest, presented with the

Bettendorf Public Library, received
more than 130 submissions. Here are
the winners and some other top scorers.
For more of our judges favorites, visit
RCReader.com/y/2016fiction.
Contestants were limited to 300 words
beyond using one of 10 prompts from the
work of author Ethan Canin, who picked
the first-place winner from among six
finalists chosen by our judges: Hedy
Hustedde and Barb Reardon of the Bettendorf Public Library; Michael Hustedde and Emily Kingery of St. Ambrose
University; and Lauren Wood, Mike
Schulz, and Jeff Ignatius of the River
Cities Reader.
Many thanks to Canin, our other
judges, and all who entered the contest!
Sixth Place
We land at the airport as the snow is
beginning to fall heavily from an angry,
late-afternoon sky. In the backseat of our
rented car, Sadie nestles sleepily against
me. She reminds me of a bird, feather
light, little legs encased in brown tights,
her tiny chest rising and falling rapidly
as she sleeps. My hand finds her fingers
and grips them, bone and tendon, fragile
things. In the front seat, my husband
sings incoherently as he peers through
the icy windshield. Nothing but static
can be heard from the radio but hes
oblivious. Keeping the car on the road
requires all of his concentration.
The roads wind through the Irish
countryside, seemingly little more than
rutted pathways in an unexpected sea of
white. Branches heavy with snow reach
out and brush against the car windows.
The starlings that usually dot the fields
are nowhere to be seen. I hope their
small bodies can survive this onslaught
from Mother Nature. I wonder if theyve
frozen to death. I lean ever more protectively over Sadie.
Two snow-covered cars parked in
front of the house witness the end of our
journey. Light pours from the kitchen
window, creating an untouched, magical
path across the snowy yard. We promise Sadie she can play in the snow in
the morning.
The house is warm but eerily quiet.
We hurry up the stairs, stray snowflakes clinging to our hair. The room is
darkened and hushed voices greet us. We
made it in time to say goodbye but not to

make amends for the past.
In the morning, the snow is already
beginning to melt. We gather in the
kitchen with our memories and hot mugs
of tea. The starlings are back in the fields,
picking optimistically through the stalks
for seeds.
Mary OLeary, Davenport
Perhaps the clock was to blame.

Quarantined in his room, Franklin was
forever subjected to the incessant ticktock-tick-tock-tick. Nightly, he twisted
around, burying his head beneath
pillows, blankets, anything to block out
the repetition.
Each afternoon, the sickly teen
lounged atop his wrinkled comforter,
staring at his latest book. Sometimes,
he found concentrating a chore, despite
his enjoyment of reading. His parents
deemed reading safe enough and bought
him a new book weekly. This weeks was
nonfiction, his parents favorite, about
war and laws and important things.
Franklin stopped at the word eagle.
He often sat at his window, sketching the
eagles circling in the heavens. Once, in a
dream, he drank a chemical to transform
into an eagle. The world spun and grew,
until the table nearby was four times
his height. One wobbly step followed
another as he adjusted to his new form.
Hopping onto a window sill, he flew, feeling wind in his feathers as he soared. He
felt majestic.
The stuffy scent of dust and paper
overwhelmed him then. He tossed aside
the book in his haste to open the window,
the rumbling of a plane reverberating
through the glass and into his fingertips.
Searching for the plane, he climbed onto
the sill for a better view. His parents
would faint if they knew his dangerous
habit. Worse, they would probably move
him to a windowless room.
Its for your own good, they would
recite.
Franklin balanced on his sill, watching the plane. The clock was still ticking
in his ear, and he realized that nothing
could do him more good than to regain
that feeling of majesty. He needed to be a
plane or an eagle, flying in the heavens.
The plane roared and tilted, in his chest
the lightness of escape, then lift.
Bridget Quesnell, Bettendorf
It was easier to sneak off on my birthday

than I would have ever expected. It was
as simple as waiting until everyone in the
house was asleep after the party. They
didnt even notice. I was gone before it
even dawned on me that I was really doing
this, that I had successfully run away. The
park was only a short walk but I ran it. I
wanted to feel the cold bite of the winter
night. It reminded me that I was alive,
that I was here, in this moment. Its easy to
forget that I exist in this world.
There are trees lining the park that are
decades older than me, that have seen
countless condensed worlds like me walk
by their bare branches. If I focus hard
enough I think I can see scripture in the
frost on the bark. I knew what I needed to
do, where to go. I had been to this same
spot many times while the suns rays
harshly beat down instead of the moons
soft light.
I was here to meet her. I had finally
accepted what I felt for her was more than
platonic. We werent just best friends
anymore. What we are is so much more
than that and that is exactly why we were
meeting with only the dead stars as witnesses. I had finally found someone who
would love me the way my parents claimed
God always would. There were nails in my
palms and her kiss on my lips as I walked
into church the next day. The summer
I turned 18 I disappointed both my
parents for the first time and they would
never know.
Alyssa Dutil, Davenport
Second Place
Mom stays by the front door, waiting

for the ambulance. Not that it will do any
good. Im still in Grandmas room, looking over her bird-like body, skin sunken
and grayed, stomach bloating with the
gas byproducts of organic decay. I know
an ambulance is unnecessary, but Mom
doesnt. Or rather, shes not ready to
believe it.
After a dozen unanswered calls to her
mother over the past 24 hours, Mom
dragged me out of my Saturday-morning
hangover. Thats what tells me she at
least suspected it: She wrangled me here

because she knew she could count on me
to go in first.
Its for the best. She shouldnt have to
see this. She still talks about her mother
as a vibrant, dynamic woman, brave and
creative. I, on the other hand, only knew
Grandma when she was old, with a shuffling walk, delicate, forgetful. Shed sent
me Happy Sweet Sixteen birthday cards
three years in a row and often misspelled
my name.
Mom lets out a pitiful cry, unlike any
sound Ive ever heard her make, cutting
into my heart, mind, and guts.
I lean down, looking into Grandmas
face, which has recessed into a frown she
never would have worn in life. My hand
finds her fingers and grips them, bone and
tendon, fragile things. I touch the top of
her head with my other hand. Her scalp
is ice cold, but her hair is still as soft as
a babys.
I stroke her white curls and kiss her
forehead as the paramedics bang on the
front door like theyre delivering a pizza.
Itll be okay, Grandma, I tell her. Ill
make sure everythings taken care of.
Stepping around the medics, I go to
comfort my mother. I guide her out of
the apartment and lie about how serene
Grandma looks, all snuggled into bed.
Melanie N. Hanson, Davenport
Fourth Place
The flowers on the Buddleia are even
more abundant this summer than last.
Davi would have been enchanted. Last
summer, Davi, at age five, could identify
all the butterflies in the garden: the Tawny
Crescent, the Viceroy, the Question Mark
and Mourning Cloak. Michael and I were
so proud we called her our Nature Girl.
Last October, just before her sixth birthday, Davi disappeared like a migrating
butterfly that has never returned to her
favorite garden.
Earlier that year, Michael had cut the
Buddleia down to the ground, leaving
stumps of brown, dead twigs poking from
the cold soil. Davi cried.
It will grow back, we promised her. It
has to be cut down to grow stronger.
The same cannot be said for people.
I cannot tolerate the sight of the shrubs
lush blooms.
I get the pruners from the garage and
Continued On Page 6
COVER STORY
Continued From Page 5
2016 Short-Fiction Contest

take them to the far edge of the garden
where the Buddleia stands silent like a
monument.
Michael yells from the back porch.
Stop! Its too late. It wont survive.
Neither will I.
I attack the branches. Purple flowers fall
around me, but its not enough.
I drop to my knees as if I am going to
pray. Instead, my fingers dig into the earth,
soft and yielding despite the dry summer.
Im going to rip this living creature from
the ground and kill it.
I unearth stones, roots, worms, white
blind squirming horrors. Deep below the
surface, I feel something soft, softer than
stones, unnatural.
My heart knows.
My hand finds her fingers and grips
them, bone and tendon, fragile things.
White against the loamy soil.
I turn my head to find Michael. He is
no longer on the porch. I need not have
looked so far.
He is beside me. He is holding a spade.
I see it coming.
I do not flinch.
Mary Kay Lane, Muscatine, Iowa
He looked through the curtain at the

crowds. Their spirits were buoyed in
spite of the bitter cold and spitting snow
driven by a stiff breeze. He fingered the
hand warmer, thoughtfully provided
by someone, in his topcoat pocket. The
wintery weather, which he would be
standing in shortly, gave him no pause of
concern. Successions of Montana winters
had accustomed him to much worse. He
would have preferred his shearling sheepskin jacket with its broad collar, though.
Getting used to new surroundings was

something he would have to work on. His
life was changing radically, just as he had
sought it to.
While he waited, his mind wandered.
The summer I turned eighteen, I disappointed both my parents for the first time.
They should not have given up on me.
He pondered what he had done to get to
where he was today. Some things had been
honorable, but most were not. He was
compelled ... no divined by Another, to do
what he had. Once committed, he had not
hesitated. He could not have allowed matters to continue as they had. If he had not
acted, what had gone before, his struggle,
would have been for naught. Fortunately,
people had believed in him.
His reverie changed focus as someone
ushered him outside. The workers have
done a great job in moving the snow. The
people will be happy.
Suddenly, he was no longer in thought,
but mindlessly talking ... no reciting ... no
repeating something that an official in
front of him was saying. All else was quiet.
He was the focus of attention.
... and faithfully discharge the duties
of the President of the United States of
America ...
Dan Moore, Davenport
Fifth Place
We were silent, standing in his darkening apartment, and I tried to imagine what
the world was like for him.
Daniel made no move to turn on a
light, and I stood near the window, unsure
of what I should do. Where were the
switches? Did the light fixtures contain
bulbs? Surely he had guests on occasion.
Dusk grayed the apartment as I followed
Daniel to the sofa. The lowering light felt

almost awkwardly intimate, but Daniels
tone and cadence remained the same.
Arent blind people supposed to be able
to sense emotion more easily? Why wasnt
he catching on? Though, it was our first
date. Maybe Id sounded a little nervous
the whole night. I couldnt blame him too
much for missing out on that tiny detail.
The light was almost gone. My eyes
strained to see what they could before I
suddenly closed them. Instead of imagining what it was like in here for Daniel, why
not feel it? It was dark enough that no light
seeped in through my eyelids.
I heard the changes of Daniels tone
more clearly than I had while I was worrying about the lights.
We continued to talk until the room
was so dark that I couldnt tell a difference
between having my eyes open or shut.
Finally, Daniel realized how late it was getting, and offered to walk me to the door.
Hold out your hand, he instructed.
I did, and he took it after only a couple
of seconds. He led me easily to the door,
avoiding every obstacle. I opened the door
and light flooded in. I blinked quickly to
help my eyes adjust, and leaned in to give
him a kiss on the cheek.
What was that for? he asked.
For letting me see what you see, I told
him.
Crap. Did I forget the lights again
tonight?
Laura Webster, Forreston, Illinois
The day after Thanksgiving my mother

was arrested outside the doors of J.C. Penneys, Los Angeles, and when I went to get
her I considered leaving her at the security
desk. It wasnt the first time I had considered leaving her somewhere; after all, she
had left me when I was nine. And it wasnt
the first time she had been arrested, either,
but it wasnt her fault, of course.

I paused, staring blankly at the officer
whose curious expression filled the silence.
Suddenly, I blurted out, Im here to get
my mom.
I regretted those words the moment
they left my mouth, but it was too late. Out
she came fighting and fussing with the
280-pound security guard that towered
over her.
She stopped, hands on hips, and said,
Took ya long enough!
Once in the car she finally ended her
tirade with an emphatic Humpf. Slowly,
I began my heartfelt prepared speech. By
prepared I mean mulled over since childhood. When I finished, I breathed deeply,
feeling the sting of familiar tears seep into
my soul. I bit my lip and looked over cautiously. My mother was sound asleep.
Laughter escaped my lips and I covered
my mouth, letting out my own muffled
Humpf. I breathed deeply, pulled the
car over and got out, quietly closing the
door behind me. A cool breeze hit my hot
cheeks. I would like to say I never looked
back, but I did. One last longing look. What
I saw, for the first time, was a child. A frail
wrinkled woman with two gray braids and
a small trickle of drool, sleeping like a baby.
The hotness that filled my body melted.
That night, eating leftover turkey in a
dark apartment (which happens after they
shut off your electricity), I felt a moment of
relief rise within me. I was no longer bound.
And I never did mind leaving that car
behind. It was stolen anyway.
Marsha Husar, Davenport
Third Place
I stood outside the kitchen window and
waited, staring at the grass, until Mom
noticed me out there. My shame wouldnt
let me knock on the door.
I didnt have to wait long before she
threw the screen door wide and loped

down the steps, crying, Oh! Oh! Oh!
As she embraced me, I dropped my suitcase. I let it stay in the mud as she pulled me
inside, babbling about how hungry I must be.
The kitchen seemed less pleasant than
I remembered. Id grown accustomed to
my own, with its bright new curtains and
flatware and all my favorite teas right above
the microwave. Mom had liked the chamomile. I asked if she had any.
Oh, we drink coffee, she said
with a wave.
I listened for sounds coming from other
areas of the house. All was silent. No the
television murmured in the front room. I
recognized the sounds of a football game.
Before I was aware of it, Id already
walked down the darkened hall. He looked
as Id seen him last: sitting in the recliner,
wearing his ball cap, his stubbly face illuminated by the flickering blue television.
He left ya, he said, without looking
at me.
I left him, I mumbled.
He grunted, as if he knew everything
already. Maybe he did. It was a small town.
I imagined he might have softened
over the past two years. Maybe he would
stand and, while walking past me toward
the kitchen to grab another beer, mutter I
could stay there until I got on my feet.
Instead, what my father said was, You
pays your dime, you takes your choice,
which, if you dont understand it, boils
down to him telling me one thing: Get out.
Barely aware of Moms protests as I left
the house, I plucked my suitcase out of the
mud, determined to be out of sight before
she could gather any kitchen scraps hed let
her get away with.
Melanie N. Hanson, Davenport
The jumpmaster, Travis, hitched the

strap around my waist and buckled it. I felt
his hand brush over my hip.

Tighter, I said.
Thats tight, he said.
Brandon said, Mom.
Check his. He was taller than me now.
The goggles made his eyes buggy and bewildered. This boy had sat on my feet while
I cooked dinners, running his police cars
along my calves. He had afternoon stubble
and a divot in his eyebrow from that damn
bolt on the swingset when he was five.
This is the love of my life, I said. You
hear me? And its his birthday.
Travis scanned him, yanking the straps
that swaddled his jumpsuit. Happy birthday, he said.
Thirty hours of labor. Doctor put him
in my hands and I said, thats the love of
my life. In front of his father, too.
Travis nodded and said, Just keep your
feet together.
Shell get it once we land, Brandon
said. Right?
Travis hooked his carabiner to my belt
and said, 3116.
What?
Jumps. I looked at the pack strapped to
him. It didnt look big enough to hold safely,
to cradle two human lives back to earth.
Then this is 3117, I said.
3116. I always count the jump coming.
Isnt that superstitious?
Five, Brandon said, bracing his legs.
I looked back and forth between them.
One, I said, heaving out the word.
Let go, Travis said, looking at our hands.
The plane roared and titled, in my chest
the lightness of escape, then lift.
Ill never let go, I said. Travis reached
across me and jerked the cord, unleashing
Brandons chute.
Geronimooo! Brandon threw
himself into the tunnel of light, howling
and fearless as the day he tore out of me.
And as I have every day since, I threw
myself after.
We leapt together, and the sky caught us.
Misty Urban, Muscatine, Iowa
First Place
The day after Thanksgiving, my mother

was arrested outside the doors of J.C.
Penneys in Los Angeles.
A gruff voice woke me out of a deep
sleep that chilly Black Friday morning.
The caller informed me, with surprisingly
pleasant cadence, that a Ms. Lorna Tuffing-ton was in their custody and would
I please come to the security office as
soon as possible to discuss the situation.
I replied, like any good daughter would,
that she could tell my mother to go to hell.
Only I didnt say it. Instead, I dragged
my sorry frame out from under the
warmth of a drooling black lab and pulled
on last nights jeans and sweatshirt. Its
never easy waking up in a strangers place,
and I hoped to get out without rousing
the man whose foot was hanging over the
edge of the bed. A foot attached to one
well-built, handsome, intelligent guy. Or
at least thats how I was going to remember him. Wine clouds your judgment ... .
Thankfully, traffic on the 405 was light
when I went to get her, and the trip from
the Valley to the grimy downtown holding room on the third floor took less than
an hour.
Im here to pick up my mother, I told
the harried-looking man across from me.
And which one of these crazy old bats
is yours? he asked, waving his arm at a
trio of gray-haired ladies huddled together
on a bench along the wall.
That one, I said, pointing to the
elegant woman in the T-shirt plastered
with the message Fur Is Murder.
My mother came toward me, gave
me a hug, and told me under her breath
that I desperately needed some mouthwash. I considered leaving her at the
security desk.
Alex Lemke, Bettendorf
The light in the kitchen flipped on.

Across the apartment, Pepper and I
exchanged looks. The Big One was rummaging for food, giving us only a few
minutes to make our planned escape. We
quickly finished gnawing through the
tape over the hole in our cage, but just
before we could dive through, the Big One
plopped on the sofa and turned on the TV.
We were stuck. Luckily, the Big One was
soon snoring, and the TV still flashing. We
squeezed through the freshly gnawed hole.
I sniffed the air no sign of the Clawed
One. Without hesitating, Pepper took
off towards the edge of the table, I on her
heels. We climbed down the leg, scampering across the ground, so soft and unlike
our cages wood chips. As we neared the
Big Ones feet at the edge of the sofa, he let
out a large snort.
We froze in fear. We were silent, standing in his darkening apartment, and I tried
to imagine what the world was like for
him. What would life as free gerbils be like
for us?
He snorted again and rolled to the other
side. We quickened our pace, climbing the
bookcase towards the open window. After
all of our planning, the time had come.
Pepper went first and disappeared over
the edge. I stopped.
I couldnt do it. I was too scared. My
home was here. How could I leave? I
turned and ran as fast as I could down the
bookcase, across the carpet, up the table,
through our hole, and back into my cage.
I could see Pepper, looking back in. She
looked confused, then sad. I turned and
curled into the corner under the water
bottle, ashamed. I heard one last squeak,
and Pepper was gone.
Colin Sommers, Moline
WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER
Vote Weighting Option Calls Election

Integrity Into Question
computer programmer, Bennie Smith, demonstrating how GEMS can fix an election
using fractional- or decimal-valued votes
and go undetected. BlackBoxVoting.org
founder Bev Harris (featured in the Emmynominated HBO film Hacking Democracy)
provided Smith nearly 40,000 votingmachine files from 2003, and Smith wrote a
program using these files as the test subjects
and produced a system that can alter results,
without transparency, in seconds.
Here are Jones comments on the essays
and video:
GEMS and all the other voting-system
vendors election-management systems contain a huge number of optional features that
can be toggled on and off in each jurisdiction. Generally, a state will approve a voting
system for use in that state if, in principle, it
can be configured to follow the law of that
state. It then falls to local election officials to
figure out how to set the zoo of option toggles
for the machine to conform to the law.
The kinds of things you can toggle
include ballot rotation, abandoned ballot
rules, and straight-party voting. In this context, weighted voting is just another option
that needs to be turned off in public elections
in the United States.
For over a decade, Ive suggested to
vendors that all of the toggles for turning
on and off the various options on voting
machines be put into a single file, and that
file be approved by the state election authorities and then required to be used in elections
in that state.
But, of course, theres a question: Why
does any voting system sold in the U.S. offer
the option of weighted ballots? I dont know
for sure, but I can think of several reasons:
Weighted voting has been seriously proposed for use in public elections in the U.S.
In 2004, there was a proposal in California
called Training Wheels for Citizenship that
would have given 14-year-olds a quartervote, and 16-year-olds a half-vote.
GEMS is not used only in public elections. Many county election offices have let
universities, unions, or other organizations
(who may have fractional-voting schemes)
vote on their machines.
GEMS is not used only in U.S. elections.
The developers certainly wanted to sell their
equipment globally. Some other countries
may have fractional-voting schemes.
I am not as alarmed by the presence of
a toggle allowing fractional vote-counting
as I am by the fact that it is silent. If fractions
are enabled, Id expect all the output of the
machine to expose this for example, by
putting decimal points after the vote counts
and showing you the fractions.
Doing fractions silently, so that the numbers merely add strangely, seems to be a very
strange design decision that flies in the face
of election transparency and auditability.
The video spends too much time flooding the screen with little windows I dont
understand while hinting at some serious
allegations that it doesnt really explain.
But the recommendations at the end,
What You Can Do, are correct. All of the
computation that goes into computing the
grand total in an election ought to be transparent, and people ought to be able to check
the results. The advice about photographing
precinct tapes, reconciling them with county
results, and reconciling the county results
with race-wide results is exactly right.
The Fraction Magic allegation that
there is a fix this election password that lets
you, after the fact, adjust the weights of votes
by precinct or by county in order to get the
same total of votes cast while changing who
won is fascinating. But the video does not
really lay out its cards clearly enough that I
can see what it is talking about.
Bevs allegation has truthiness on its side,
but her blast of windows flickering across the
screen without explanation doesnt convert
truthiness to truth. Part of it is her sensibility
in filmmaking. Its an advertisement or a call
to action, not a careful investigative report.
I want to see a proper report. But if anyone
asks, her prescription is right. Transparent
vote accounting is essential.
The Fraction Magic essays show
screenshots of how the Microsoft Access
software feature inside GEMS allows the
toggling of the field attributes for a data
record to choose integers or floating point
values, represented by int or double
(RCReader.com/y/voting6). I asked Jones
specifically: Do you find that the tool referenced to permanently remove all decimals,
while still maintaining fractional math,
does exist in GEMS?
His answer: I cant say that I have any
findings, but from watching the video, my
impression is that the default behavior of
GEMS is to round the double values to
the nearest integer, hiding the fact that it
uses double values internally. Not having
examined the code myself, Id lay odds that
it always uses double to represent votes
internally. That is, fractions are always
potentially present.
My guess about the history of this is that
it dates back to using int back in the era of
16-bit microprocessors, when type int was
limited to values under 32,000 or so. On
those machines, 32767+1 gives -32768. The
easy and dumb way around this is to move
from type int to type double. In that case,
32767.0+1 gives 32768.0. Problem solved (but
vulnerability created).
We should all be demanding that county
auditors do an actual audit. That is not a
recount, which is governed by strict statutory
requirements; they are different actions.
What is the downside of randomly handcounting the ballots in one or two races, in
two or three precincts in a county, before
the results are shipped upstream? If issues
are found, they can be corrected. If no issues
are found, then we can believe all the energy
exerted to elect your candidate was not for
naught ... in your county.
learning workshops and small groups that

meet on specific photography topics, and
occasionally offers interesting shooting
opportunities. The club meets at 6:30 p.m.
the first Thursday of the month September
through June at the Butterworth Center,

1105 Eighth Street in Moline.
PHOTOGRAPY
Featured Image
from the Quad Cities
Photography Club
(The River Cities Reader each month
will feature an image or images from the
Quad Cities Photography Club.)
his composite image was created by

Tom Pickering and shown in a recent
meeting of the Quad Cities Photography Club. He saw the Davenport scene
at the top of the stairs at Scott and 6th
streets, which has brick on the street and
a nice view of the Centennial Bridge and
the riverfront. He captured it in July 2014
with a Nikon D5000 camera on a tripod
and with a Sigma 18-200-millimeter lens
at f/22, 1/6 of a second, and ISO 200.
The bike was photographed at Psycho Silo
Saloon in Langley, Illinois, in July 2016. He
used the same camera and lens at f/22 and
ISO 200 shooting three images with a high

dynamic range and on a tripod.
Tom explains that this event featured numerous motorcycles and show
cars, which ... proved a rather crowded
background, so I searched for a better
image to merge it with and thought this
Davenport scene worked very well with it
showing off both bike and location.
He processed both images in Lightroom, cropping and adjusting tonality.
Then in Photoshop he masked out the
messy background from the bike shot and
merged it into the Davenport scene. He
then added a shadow to ground the bike
in the scene to finish off the image.
The Quad Cities Photography Club welcomes visitors and new members. The club
sponsors numerous activities encompassing
many types and aspects of photography. It
holds digital and print competitions most
months. At its meetings, members discuss
the images, help each other to improve,
and socialize. The club also holds special
For more information on the club, visit

QCPhotoClub.com.
Since 1993
November 10 - 21, 2016

River Cities Reader
532 W. 3rd St.
Davenport IA 52801
RiverCitiesReader.com
(563)324-0049 (phone)
(563)323-3101 (fax)
info@rcreader.com
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.
2016 River Cities Reader
AD DEADLINE:
5 p.m. Wednesday prior to publication
PUBLISHER
Todd McGreevy
EDITOR
Kathleen McCarthy
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor:
Jeff Ignatius jeff@rcreader.com
Arts Editor, Calendar Editor:
Mike Schulz mike@rcreader.com
Contributing Writers: Amy Alkon, Jeff Ashcraft, Hannah
Bates, Rob Brezsny, Dee Canfield, Rich Miller, Frederick
Morden, Victoria Navarro, Brent Tubbs, Bruce Walters
ADVERTISING
Account Executive:
Lauren Wood sales@rcreader.com
Advertising Coordinator:
Nathan Klaus
Advertising rates, publishing schedule,
demographics, and more are available at
QCAdvertising.com
DESIGN/PRODUCTION
Art Director, Production Manager:
Spencer Rabe spencer@rcreader.com
Graphic Artist:
Nathan Klaus nathan@rcreader.com
ADMINISTRATION
Business Manager: Kathleen McCarthy
Office Administrator, Circulation Manager:
Rick Martin rick@rcreader.com
Distribution: Cheri DeLay,
Greg FitzPatrick, N. Ingalls, H. Keyser,
N. Rice, Jay Strickland
The most comprehensive events calendar in the QC
RiverCitiesReader.com/Calendar
ARTS
By Jeff Ignatius
jeff@rcreader.com
Slow-Moving Lava
The Midwest Writing Centers New Address at the Rock Island Library Is Its Latest Incremental Change
mall organizations tend to reflect the

personalities of their leadership, and thats
certainly true of the Midwest Writing
Center and its executive director, Ryan Collins.
Collins, now in his fifth year running the
group, is not what one would call an exciting speaker. He doesnt oversell the centers
accomplishments or agenda, and he doesnt
really sell it at all. In an 80-minute interview late
in the summer in anticipation of the Midwest
Writing Centers move from the Bucktown
Center for the Arts to the Rock Island Public
Library he simply and effectively described
the organizations slow and steady expansion
over the years.
It feels like slow-moving lava, he said. And
thats okay, as long as its moving in the right
direction. ...
Were a small organization thats trying to
cast a big shadow. Thats why I want to keep the
range and hours of the programming up.
Collins said his annual benchmarks for
the organization are 300 hours of programming with 3,000 people served goals that the
center has met for the past several years. Thats
remarkable for a not-for-profit with annual
expenditures well under $100,000.
Major programming includes the David R.
Collins Childrens Literature Festival and the
David R. Collins Writers Conference, along
with various contests, workshops, and writing
groups. (Upcoming events can be found at
MWCQC.org.)
Theres also the SPECTRA poetry-reading
series at Rozz-Tox (now in its fifth year), which
includes an open-mic component. Its provided a lot of people opportunities to read with
pros, which isnt necessarily an opportunity
they get at [other] open mics. I know [that for]
some people its helped their work.
The Midwest Writing Center press has
released more than three-dozen publications,
including 11 volumes of The Atlas youth literary magazine and several winners of the centers chapbook contest. In October, it published
the mystery Clouds Over Bishop Hill by Mary
R. Davidsaver the first book selected through
a committee process.
Weve published other books, but weve
never quite done one this way, Collins said.
The objective was to find a book to publish
through the writing conference, someone who
was attending the writing conference. And we
Photo by Josh Ford
Vol. 24 No. 921
Ryan Collins
did that; they happened to be local. We hope to
be doing more of that.
The press, he said, is an opportunity to
occasionally publish local authors. Its a way
of engaging with a larger literary community.
... Its an opportunity for somebody to get that
[publishing] experience. ... Its giving writers an
opportunity. Its giving us some profile. Its that
literary-citizenship thing; theres a lot of facets
to that.
A Marriage of
Readers and Writers
The Midwest Writing Center (MWC) was

created in 1973 one of its co-founders was
David R. Collins, Ryans uncle and first had
a physical location in 2002, in the District of
Rock Island. It bought a condo in Bucktown
in 2005. The sale by MidCoast Fine Arts of its
majority stake in the building to Y&J Properties for new downtown-Davenport housing
was the impetus for the MWCs relocation to
the library.
Although the move was completed last
month, the new MWC is still a work in progress, with packing boxes the defining feature
of the two-room library space last weekend.
Collins said that because the MWCs October
calendar included 14 events including the
Childrens Literature Festival at the RiverCenter
the new location was a secondary priority.
Until now, the Midwest Writing Center has
been a neighbor to the visual arts in Bucktown and before that next to MidCoast Gallery
West. While Collins said the physical presence
of the MWC has been good for both visibility
and programming, the Rock Island Library
represents a more-natural fit.
Were hoping that this will be a good
marriage of readers and writers, he said in
August. Pretty much anything youre going
to get out of the library somebody wrote. ... So
were hoping to tap into that. ... Its somewhere
people are already coming, ... expecting to find
that kind of programming. We can just make
ourselves available in that context more, and
that will help build up some visibility and build
some relationships.
But Collins doesnt expect that to just happen
by being in the library, and his vision for the
MWC is expansive. In our summer conversation, he discussed a business-communications
initiative and a hope for writing programs in
local schools.
He made a strong case that the MWC isnt
and shouldnt be just a place for literary types
to toil on their novels or poetry. Writing, he
emphasized, is essential to everybody.
Its a skill most people, in some shape or
form, possess, he said. An ability. It can be a
skill. It can be sharpened into a skill. ... I dont
know anyone whos gotten worse for becoming
Continued On Page 14
10
Whats Happenin
continues to play sold-out engagements throughout the United

States, Canada, and Europe?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.
But why should I say anything at all when far more significant talents a rock god, a multiple Grammy winner, a Pulitzer
Prize winner, even a freaking Nobel Prize winner have
already said it for me? Wanna see just how much of a legend the
legendary John Prine is? Try matching the following statements
about Prine and his output with the talents who said them.
1) His is just extraordinarily eloquent music he lives on that
plane with Neil Young and Lennon.
2) Prines stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern
mind-trips to the nth degree.
3) You hear lyrics like these, perfectly fitted to Prines quietly
confident style and his ghost of a Kentucky accent, and you
wonder how anyone could have so much empathy.
4) Hes so good, were gonna have to break his fingers.
Music
John Prine
Adler Theatre
Friday, November 11, 7:30 p.m.
eyond the fact that hes a bona fide living legend making a
special area appearance at Davenports Adler Theatre on
November 11, what is there to say about John Prine?
That hes a beloved singer/songwriter and hugely accomplished guitarist of more than 45 years? That hes responsible
for such classic songs as Angel from Montgomery, Sam
Stone, Paradise, and Hello in There? That Prines signature country-folk stylings have earned him two Grammy
Music
Kavita Shah
First Presbyterian Church of Davenport

Saturday, November 12, 7:30 p.m.
ike all Quad City Arts Visiting Artists, jazz vocalist/

composer Kavita Shah will end
her current area residency with
a public performance, with the
native New Yorkers being held
at Davenports First Presbyterian
Church on November 12. Also
like all Visiting Artists, Shah
will spend several days beforehand leading presentations for
hundreds of local schoolkids,
so dont be surprised if your
children come home one day
with keen insight into vocalization and composition. Given
Shahs accomplishments, dont
be surprised if they also come
home with a yearning to play
Carnegie Hall, deep knowledge
of the Afro-Brazilian region,
and the ability to speak Spanish,
Portuguese, and French.
Awards, induction in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame,

and renown as the first singer/songwriter to read and perform
at the Library of Congress? That his compositions have been
covered by disparate luminaries including John Denver,
Bonnie Raitt, George Strait, Carly Simon, and Bette Midler?
That his latest album For Better, or Worse, released mere weeks
ago, finds Prine performing duets with artists such as Miranda
Lambert, Iris DeMent, and Lee Ann Womack? That he
A child of Indian parents

who immigrated to New York
in the 1970s, Shah was raised in
Manhattan, and as she states on
her KavitaShahMusic.com biography, There was a lot of pop in
the house: The Beatles, Michael
Jackson, Frank Sinatra. She
began playing piano at age five,
but her musical world expanded
further when Shah joined the
award-winning Young Peoples
Chorus of New York City at 10,
appearing in venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and performing
repertoires that required the
youths to sing in no fewer than
15 different languages.
While her love for jazz was
initiated in the Young Peoples
Chorus and led to Shah winning
the ASCAPs Young Jazz Composers Award for her collegiate
composition Moray, her musical interests extended to genres
ranging from bossa nova to hiphop, with Afro-Brazilian music
the focus of Shahs senior thesis
at Harvard. She then went on to
earn a masters in jazz voice from

the prestigious Manhattan School
of Music a period in which Shah
was also named Best Graduate Jazz Vocalist by DownBeat
magazine and quickly became
a fixture in New Yorks thriving
jazz community, with regular
sets at such locales as Joes Pub,
Cornelia Street Caf, 55 Bar, and
Mintons Playhouse.
In recent years, Shahs jazzinfluenced yet genre-defying
vocal stylings have found her
headlining concerts at the Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, and Paris
Sunset/Sunside, and shes also a
featured member of numerous
music ensembles, among them
the Steve Newcomb Orchestra,
the Brazil Trio, and the 3rd
World Orchestra. But while shes
always been a favorite of industry professionals, with jazzsaxophone master Steve Wilson
raving about her truly unique
vision shaped by her influences,
Shah reached a whole new level
of respect with her 2014 album
C) Roger Ebert
D) Bob Dylan
For tickets to John Prines Adler Theatre engagement,

in which hell be joined by special guest Patti Griffin, call
(800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Answers: 1 A, 2 D, 3 C, 4 B. Kristofferson, by the way,
said it as a compliment. And obviously it wasnt Ebert who made
that statement, because that guy was all about the thumbs.
A) Roger Waters
B) Kris Kristofferson
debut Visions, which features

everything from original compositions to singular covers of
Joni Mitchells Little Green
and Stevie Wonders title track.
The Boston Globe called
Visions a sparkling debut.
LAJazz.com described it as as
intertwined and delicate as a
colorful silk scarf. Colorados
Examiner.com wrote that Shahs
heavenly voice found her
transforming jazz into a revelatory, blossoming dream just on
the other side of the world. And
with BlogCritics.com labeling

the album a home run, Midwest Record decreed that Shah
hit one out of the park. So
after their time with the Visiting
Artist, dont be surprised if your
kids know a little something
about baseball, too.
For tickets to Kavita Shahs
public performance at the First
Presbyterian Church of Davenport, call (563)326-1691, and
for more information her area
residency, call (309)793-1213 or
visit QuadCityArts.com.
11
By Mike Schulz
mike@rcreader.com
Exhibit
Art Above 66 33'

Augustana Teaching
Museum of Art
Friday, November 18,
through Thursday,
February 10
n November 18,
the Augustana
Teaching Museum
of Art opens its new
Lisa Gorens Landscape with Licen, Antarctica, 2004
exhibition Art Above
66 33', a visual and
aural exploration of the issues, history, and environments of the Earths polar regions.
Under ordinary circumstances at this time of year, Id be hesitant about directing you
toward an exhibit so heavily themed on ice and cold, given that its not unusual for us to
already be freezing our tails off and even enduring a snowfall or two by Halloween.
But considering that its close to 66 degrees in my early-November writing of this article,
what do I care? Bring on the artistic tundra!
Of course, the 66 33 of the exhibits title doesnt refer to temperatures. Those are latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, explains Augustana Teaching Museum of Art
Director Claire Kovacs, and this is a collaboration between the museum and the Augustana Center for Polar Studies. There are a number of faculty members on Augies campus
that do research in both of those regions, and last year they approached me because they
were interested in finding a way for us to get people, through the visual arts, to think
about the complex issues that face those regions, and our entire planet.
What Kovacs and the Polar Studies faculty devised was a group show in which, says the
museum director, people would leave thinking about the long history of those regions,
thinking about climate change, thinking about the repercussions of oil drilling ... . To really
have a more complex grasp of that region. Or at least to really begin thinking about it.
Included in the exhibit, says Kovacs, are a small handful of works that are part of
Augustanas permanent collection prints from Cape Dorset, which is an Inuit printmaking workshop in Alaska. We actually have quite a large collection of prints from
workshops and cooperatives up there, and were featuring three in this exhibition.
But the remainder of the works, she continues, are by artists not represented in
Augies collection, but rather artists whose works my colleagues in the Center for Polar
Studies and I were interested in. Featured talents whove created evocative renderings
of the Antarctic Circle include Michael Bartalos, Lisa Goren, Oona Stern, and William
Stout, the latter of whom a fantasy artist/illustrator who has worked on more than
30 feature films will be present for November 30s Art Above 66 33 artist talk and
gallery preview.
The Arctic Circle, meanwhile, will be represented in works by Jonathan Harris,
Andrea Polli, and LeClaire native Ben Huff, plus Danish photographer Morten
Hilmer, who, on November 16, will participate in his own gallery talk and gallery
preview. A documentary on the artists output titled Silence of the North will follow
Hilmers presentation.
The media varies quite a bit, says Kovacs of the exhibits variety. We have everything from very quiet, beautiful watercolors of whale bones to a sound installment that
considers and utilizes weather data from a NOAA [National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration] weather station near the North Pole. It turns that data into a sound
experience, and then its combined with photographs from that weather station.
And if you have young fans of the animated Ice Age movies in your family, feel free to
bring em along. We even have some paintings of dinosaurs, says Kovacs, because it
wasnt always the frozen Antarctic tundra we usually think about. Better warn the kids
in advance, though: This will be an Ice Age completely free of Scrat.
Art Above 66 33 runs through February 10, its opening reception begins at 5 p.m.
on November 18, and more information on the exhibit and its related programming is
available by visiting Augustana.edu/arts/art-museum.
What Else Is Happenin

MUSIC
Friday, November 11 Legendary

Shack Shakers. Kentucky-based
rockabilly/blues musicians in concert,
featuring an opening set by Chuck Mead.
Rock Island Brewing Company (1815
Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $15.
For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit
RIBCO.com.
Friday, November 11 Ben Hunter &
Joe Seamons. Concert with the Blues in the
Schools artists-in-residence, presented by
the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. Figge Art
Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport).
6 p.m. Free. For information, call (563)322-5837
or visit MVBS.org.
Saturday, November 12 Brett
Newski. Independent singer/songwriter
and former member of The Nod in concert,
with an opening set by Dan Hubbard. RozzTox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m.
$5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or
visit RozzTox.com.
Saturday, November 12 Mr. Little
Jeans. Concert with the Norwegian, Los
Angeles-based singer/songwriter Monica
Birkenes. Village Theatre (2113 East
11th Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $15. For
information, visit EventBrite.com.
Sunday, November 13 Quad City
Music Guild Youth Chorus: Music of
Stage & Screen. Selections from Music
Guilds past productions of A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum, The
Sound of Music, 42nd Street, and more
under the direction of Valeree Pieper,
accompanied by Randin Letendre.
Prospect Park Auditorium (1584 34th
Avenue, Moline). 1:30 p.m. $5-10. For tickets
and information, call (309)762-6610 or visit
QCMusicGuild.com.
Friday, November 18 Alan Jackson.

Chart-topping, Grammy-winning
country-music superstar in his Keepin
It Country Tour, with an opening set by
Lauren Alaina. iWireless Center (1201 River
Drive, Moline). 7:30 p.m. $44.50-74.50.
For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit
iWirelessCenter.com.
Friday, November 18 The Ragbirds.
Folk-rock musicians in concert, with
an opening set by Christopher the
Conquered. The Redstone Room
(129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30
p.m. $11.50-14. For tickets and
information, call (563)326-1333 or visit
RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, November 18 The Cerny
Brothers. Concert with the folk-rock
musicians and siblings Robert and Scott.
Daytrotter (324 Brady Street, Davenport). 9
p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, visit
Daytrotter.com.
Friday, November 18 Bucktown
Revue. Variety show in the tradition of A
Prairie Home Companion, with emcee Scott
Tunnicliff, area comedians and musicians
including the Barley House Band and
Milltown, and special guests. Nighswander
Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport).
7 p.m. $13 at the door. For information, call
(563)940-0508 or visit BucktownRevue.com.
Saturday, November 19 Holiday
Pops: Communities in Concert! The
Quad City Symphony Orchestras annual
concert featuring Ballet Quad Cities in
an Audience-Choice Nutcracker, the
Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian
Church of Davenport and Quad Cities
Choral Arts under the direction of Jon
Hurty, a Hallelujah Chorus sing-along,
The Ragbirds @ The Redstone Room - November 18
12
What Else Is Happenin

RiverBend Bronze, the Quad City Youth
Choir, and more. Adler Theatre (136 East
Third Street, Davenport). 2 and 8 p.m.
$13-53. For tickets and information, call
(563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.
Sunday, November 20 Manuel Lopez III
& Friends. Polyrhythms presents a 6 p.m. Third
Sunday Jazz concert with Lopez on drums,
Corey Kendrick on piano, Andy Crawford on
guitar, and Ron Wilson on bass, preceded
by a 3 p.m. all-ages jazz workshop. The
Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport).
$10-15 concert; $5 workshop, free for kids.
For information, call (309)373-0790 or visit
Polyrhythms.org or RiverMusicExperience.org.
3CHULZmS2EVIEWOF
THE,ATEST-OVIES/N$EMAND
+(//25+,*+:$7(5
THEATRE
Thursday, November 10, through

Sunday, November 13 Mary Poppins.
Tony-winning musical fantasy based on
Disneys Oscar-winning film. Alleman
High School (1103 40th Street, Rock
Island). Thursday through Saturday 7:30
p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $5-7. For tickets and
AllemanHighSchool.org.
Thursday, November 10, and Friday,
November 11 The Diary of Anne Frank.
Albert Hacketts and Frances Goodrichs
Tony-winning stage adaptation of the
famed World War II memoir. Sherrard High
School (4701 176th Avenue, Sherrard). 7
p.m. For information, call (309)593-2175 or
visit SHS.Sherrard.us.
Friday, November 11, through
Sunday, November 20 Stocking
Stuffers. Holiday-themed comedy
vignettes by Geff Moyer, directed by
Jacque Cohoon. Playcrafters Barn Theatre
(4950 35th Avenue, Moline). Friday and
Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $13. For
tickets and information, call (309)762-0330
or visit Playcrafters.com.
DANCE
Saturday, November 19 Augustana

Dance Company: Dance with a Purpose.
Choreographed pieces by members of the
company showcasing genres including
lyrical, jazz, ballet, and more. Augustana
Colleges Centennial Hall (3703 Seventh
Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $3-8, ages 12 and
under free. For tickets and information, call
(309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu/arts.
LITERATURE
Thursday, November 17 SPECTRA 24.

Poetry readings by Holly Amos and Vi Khi
Nao co-presented by the Midwest Writing
Center, with opening readings by local
authors. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock
Island). 7 p.m. Free. For information, call
(309)732-7330 or visit MWCQC.org.
EXHIBITS
Saturday, November 12 Mauricio

Lasansky: Kaddish. Works by the master
printmaker themed on the Jewish prayer
of mourning performed during the daily
IT
H
C
T
WA
Jay Owenhouse @ Adler Theatre

- November 12
prayer ritual. Figge Art Museum (225
West Second Street, Davenport). Tuesday
through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday
10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. Free
with $4-7 admission. For information, call
(563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
Thursday, November 17, through
Sunday, November 27 Quad City
Arts Festival of Trees. Annual Quad
City Arts fundraiser featuring more
than 100 designer trees on display, 14
special events, the Midwests largest
helium-balloon parade, childrens
activities, visits from Santa, and more.
Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third
Street, Davenport). $3-10 daily. For
QuadCityArts.com/festivaloftrees.
EVENTS
Thursday, November 10 Food for

Thought: Grow Your Love for Reading.
Annual library fundraiser featuring numerous
food and beverage stations, silent-auction
packages, live music, and more. Rock Island
Public Library (401 19th Street, Rock Island).
5 p.m. $40. For tickets and information, call
(309)732-7326 or visit RockIslandLibrary.org.
Saturday, November 12 Jay
Owenhouse: Dare to Believe! An
evening of magic and escape acts with
the nationally touring illusionist. Adler
Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport).
7:30 p.m. $29.69. For tickets, call (800)7453000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Friday, November 18, and Saturday,
November 19 Bottoms Up Quad
City Burlesque: In Your Dreams.
Traditional burlesque and vaudeville
entertainment with the area artists and
emcee Joshua Kahn. Circa 21 Speakeasy
(1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m.
$16-18. For tickets and information,
call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit
TheCirca21Speakeasy.com.
Director David Mackenzies

sun-drenched crime drama is a
strong, effective work thats an
awful lot of fun, and Jeff Bridges, in
one of his most entertaining
portrayals, earns best-in-fun
honors as an enjoyably
marble-mouthed Texas Ranger.
(Same day as DVD.)
.8%2
7+(7:2675,1*6
This visually arresting stop-motion

animation is an exciting,
emotional, all but unclassifiable
thrill with beautiful meditations on
family, duty, and self-sufficiency
that also, somehow, manages to be
a frequently hilarious road-trip
slapstick. (Same day as DVD.)
3(7(6'5$*21
A fantasy-adventure overflowing
with intelligence and true wonder,
this Disney remake is actually
quieter, graver, and considerably
more thoughtful than its forebear
a touching, genial family film that
boasts a tricky blend of naturalism
and awe. (Same day as DVD.)
#ATCHYOURFAVORITEMOVIES
ANDSHOWSFROM"# ."# #"3
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0LUS WATCHOVER TITLES
ATTHEPRESSOFABUTTON
7.4%6%.-/2% 6)3)4
mediacomtoday.com
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Movie Reviews
Cloak and Danger
DOCTOR STRANGE
Doctor Strange is the best Marvel movie

yet. I realize that, on the Internet Movie
Database, fanboys express that same
sentiment about nearly every new Marvel
movie, although usually with more capital
letters, exclamation points, and typos. But
Im thinking it might actually be true for
this fantastically clever and entertaining
endeavor, primarily because the traditional
comic-book-flick elements that are ordinarily a yawn are instead the most satisfying
elements of all.
To be clear, Im not talking about
sequences in which characters just, you
know, converse. Considering the continually
remarkable casts that Marvel Studios assembles for its blockbusters and the frequently
sharp banter, these respites are almost always
satisfying, and for my money infinitely more
welcome than the CGI shock and awe surrounding them. (At Avengers: Age of Ultron, it
wasnt the domesticity of Jeremy Renner and
Linda Cardellini that made me briefly nod
off; it was Ultron.) As delivered by the superb
Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong (so many
Benedicts in this thing!), and Tilda Swinton,
the witty chatter in Doctor Strange its script
credited to Jon Spaihts, C. Robert Cargill,
and director Scott Derrickson is similarly
refreshing. In a lovely rarity, however, the
overall happy vibes extend to the work as a
whole. Were used to Marvel outings being
funny at their openings and oftentimes in
their middles, yet this one is ticklish throughout, given that even when the dialogue stops
and the fighting begins, the images alone
inspire delighted giggles.
The origin-story arc that follows
Cumberbatchs Stephen Strange from arrogant neurosurgeon to slightly-less-arrogant

costumed crime-fighter largely adheres to the
genre blueprint: action-packed opener, narrative setup, tragic accident, training montage,
maniacal ber-psycho, minor skirmishes,
major casualty, battle for world survival,
denouement, credit cookies, fin. But from
the prelude in which a hooded Tilda and her
assailants bend time and space literally
bending their spaces via kaleidoscopic effects
that owe much to Inceptions collapsing
cityscape Doctor Strange keeps your eyes
and brain buzzing. Theres so much to look
at in this and future scenes that youre barely
aware of the formula driving them, and Derrickson and his co-writers keeping lobbing in
visuals as droll as they are evocative: Stranges
astral projection studying while his human
form sleeps; two halves of a skyscraper
unfurling like a banana peel; the doctors
anthropomorphic Cloak of Levitation gently
drying his tears. Theres plenty of Stan Lee in
the material (including the mans requisite cameo), but also M.C. Escher and the
Wachowskis and Groundhog Day a variety
of disparate signifiers and influences that
ensure continued invention and surprise, and
lead to unexpectedly nonstop enjoyment.
Astoundingly, this also applies to the
big-budget action climaxes. I think even the
most ardent Marvel fans would agree that the
studios epic battles royale tend to run on too
long and feature fewer legitimate surprises
than the less grandiose melees preceding
them. Doctor Strange, though, may reach
its ultimate peak at the very moment youd
generally start looking at your watch. While
weve all seen spectacles of this sort wrap up
with a scene of citywide demolition, I truly
never thought Id see one that, thanks to
shifts in the space-time continuum, ended
with citywide reconstruction. And while
13
By Mike Schulz mike@rcreader.com

other offerings of this
type have, in their last
minutes, boasted a
human waging war
against an enormous
inhuman deity in the
sky, none before Derricksons have made
that final confrontation both so logical
and so hilarious. Give
or take an Ant-Man,
this may be the first
closer to a comic-book
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange
movie thats designed
to hit our funny bones
but without an accompanying sugar rush. A
more actively than our nerves.
rescue saga almost plagiaristically reminisBut then again, maybe that shouldnt have
cent of The Angry Birds Movie, Trolls has an
come as such a shock, given that even the
easily ignorable plot, and its original pop
exquisitely sinister Mads Mikkelsen, in his
ditties are underwhelming. But I, for one,
role as the time-hopping thorn in our heros
barely cared, because this sprightly, agreeably
side, is allowed an excellent running gag in
throwaway family film also boasted Anna
which he repeatedly refers to his nemesis as
Kendrick on The Sound of Silence, Zooey
Mister Doctor. Imaginative, visually dazDeschanel on Lionel Ritchies Hello, and
zling, and filled with far more laughs than we
snippets of everything from Im Coming
had any right to anticipate, Doctor Strange is a
Out to Total Eclipse of the Heart to Griegs
total kick. In the scenes between Cumberbatch In the Hall of the Mountain King. Its like
and Mikkelsen, it also suggests a potentially
karaoke night in a gumball machine, but with
kickier one. Is anyone else now absolutely
fewer cavities and more Christine Baranski,
aching for a Sherlock vs. Hannibal mash-up?!
John Cleese, Russell Brand, James Corden,
Jeffrey Tambor, Gwen Stefani, Christopher
TROLLS
Mintz-Plasse, and Justin Timberlake, the
Inspired by those squat dolls with the
latter of whose rendition of Cyndi Laupers
beatific grins and multi-hued explosions of
True Colors is a low-key heartbreaker. You
hair, Trolls finds a few of its titular beings
may need kids to get into the movie without
farting glitter and crapping cupcakes, and
shame. You wont need them to enjoy the film
for its first 15 minutes it felt like the movie
without it.
was doing the same. But if your children
have strong-armed you into taking them and
For reviews of Hacksaw Ridge, Inferno, and other
you find your teeth hurting during the early,
current releases, visit RiverCitiesReader.com.
candy-coated excess of it all, hang in there:
Directors Walt Dohrns and Mike Mitchells
Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com/
animated musical comedy gets a lot sweeter,
MikeSchulzNow.
14
Ask
the
Tour of Doody
Advice
Goddess
Im a 42-year-old divorce, just back in

the dating world and using dating apps. I
have two young children who live with me.
I mentioned them in my profile at first, but
I didnt get many replies, so I took them
out. Is it okay not to disclose them there?
And if I go out with a guy, when do I have
to tell him? Id like to wait until we build a
bit of a relationship.
More Than a Mom
When men say they love surprises, they
mean the sort involving an impromptu
striptease, not one in which you wait til the
sixth date to tell them no, that child seat
actually isnt for your terrier.
Having kids shapes how you live. It isnt
like some weird hobby you occasionally do
on weekends, like roadkill taxidermy or yurt
bedazzling. And sorry even if youre far
prettier in person than in your profile photos,
being striking is just a figure of speech. Its
unlikely to cause a concussive brain injury in
a man, leading to big personality changes that
give him a sudden longing to stepdaddy up.
Not disclosing that you have kids until a
guy is emotionally attached to you is what
evolutionary psychologist David Buss
calls strategic interference using tactics
(including scammy ones) to try to get another
person to go against their evolved interests.
For example, it is not in a mans genetic interest to invest time, effort, and resources into
another mans children, which is why men
evolved to prefer women who do not already
have children, as opposed to saying, Well,
shes got 12 kids . Ill take experience over
20-something hot-itude any day!
Our emotions are our internal police
force. They evolved to protect and serve
protecting us from allowing things that
dont serve our interest. Your hiding that you
have kids will make guys angry, including
those whod be interested in you, kids and
all. The problem becomes one of character.
If youre dishonest about this, what else will
you be dishonest about?
The right thing to do in online dating is
to give men who will ultimately reject you
the info they need to do that right away
keeping them from wasting their time and
yours. (Otherwise, its like seeking a new
accountant by interviewing plumbers.)
Being honest will narrow your pool down
to those who are actual possibilities for you,
BY AMY ALKON
such as divorced dads whod be open to

Brady Bunch-ing. There are also a few kidloving guys out there who never got around
to having any and would find it a plus that
you have some ready-made. All the better if
some other guys on the hook for the kids
private school, Ivy League educations, and
wintering in rehab on St. Barts.
Bert and Urnie
Ive been dating a widow for two years,

and I feel inadequate compared to her
dead husband, whom she always describes
in glowing terms. He liked to dance; I
dont. He cooked; I dont. He didnt drink;
I do. I understand that she was very happy
with her late husband, but this constant
comparison with him is wearing on me.
Mr. Boyfriend
Its always exciting to see a man rebound
after a serious setback except when youre
the new guy in his widows life and the setback is that he was cremated three years ago.
As for why your girlfriend keeps inviting
the Ghost of Husband Past into your lives,
consider that thoughts such as those
glowing ones about him are driven by
emotions. And consider that emotions arent
just internal states; they also act as signals a
form of person-to-person advertising. For
example, research by social-psych grad student Bo Winegard and his colleagues finds
that grief seems to be, among other things, a
kind of broadcasting of a persons proclivity to form devoted bonds with others. (In
other words, Trust me! I love deeply!)
As for what your girlfriends signaling with
all this late-husband reflux, maybe shes telling you to back off maybe because she fears
another big loss. Maybe she wants you to try
harder at something which isnt helpful if
its being somebody else entirely. Or maybe
she just misses her late hubby (or feels guilty
for being happy with you) and this is her way
of keeping him around in some form.
Ask her in the most non-snarly, loving
way what shes trying to communicate to
you when she waxes on about him. Tell her it
hurts your feelings, giving you the message
that youre failing her somehow. Maybe
shell start appreciating what she has instead
of being so focused on what she buried.
(Date night shouldnt involve your waving
goodbye to your girlfriend as she goes off
with a picnic dinner to the cemetery.)
Got A Problem? Ask Amy Alkon.
171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405

or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (AdviceGoddess.com)
2016, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.
ARTS
Slow-Moving Lava
a better writer. But I can think of all kinds of
ways in which people have improved, even if its
their own state of mind or their own opinion
of themselves.
Poetry and Football
Writing is one of those skills thats creative,

practical, professional, Collins explained,
discussing the wider range of programming the
MWC hopes to offer.
While most people have little interest in writing poems, he said, the skills one can get from
a poetry class are widely applicable. You learn
to compress your language, he said. You learn
word choice. You learn effect. You learn how to
modulate tone. Those things help when I write
grants when I get 500 characters or half a page
to explain a program a year in the planning. It
helps when you write a rsum; you make a case
for yourself in a small space. Im hoping we can
do more programs that transfer those skills.
For example, he said, the MWC has been
developing a questionnaire for small businesses
to evaluate their internal communications. In
the long run, he said, the center hopes to offer
classes and workshops at companies to improve
business-communication skills. A 2008
study commissioned by Cognisco estimated
that 400 American and United Kingdom
companies with more than 5,000 employees
lost tens of billions of dollars because of poor
communication.
We just want to get a sense of what the
needs might be, Collins said. We want to try
to serve as much of the community as possible.
... If thats a thing thats a problem, we have
people who are involved at the center who can
address it.
Of course, one barrier is that many people
have an attitude that I dont have to write,
Collins said. But written and verbal communication is crucial to nearly every job from sales
to nursing to policing.
Theyre already using language, he said.
Its in their best interest to be able to use it more
dextrously, more creatively, more proficiently,
more succinctly.
And better communication skills also make
people better consumers of media from
news articles to advertising. It gives them an
opportunity to be able to read into language
like advertising, marketing, sales thats meant
to put someone in between you and your dollar
or you and your time or you and your other
interests. Youre less susceptible to that.
But its important for the MWC, he stressed,
to make a connection with people. Collins
said hes given presentations to the entire
seventh-grade class at Wilson Middle School
in Moline, and hes started by showing them
an introduction to the 2014 BCS nationalchampionship game between Auburn and
By Jeff Ignatius
jeff@rcreader.com
Florida State which featured a poem by

Jake Adam York over typical football images
(Vimeo.com/83354036).
A lot of people dont put two and two
together, he said about the prevalence of poetry
in pop culture, also noting a 2014 Super Bowl
ad by Maserati narrated by Oscar nominee
Quvenzhan Wallis.
Theyre not thinking poetry and football,
Collins said of students. You show them
poetry and football. Talk about it a little bit.
Have them do some simple writing exercise.
Make it low-stakes. Give them an opportunity to be ridiculous or fail. Write something
strange or nonsensical. But theyre saying
something. Hopefully its a little bit fun. From
there theyve got a more-positive experience
with this kind of weird writing.
The Midwest Writing Center, he said, does
have resource limits, with a small budget,
Collins as the only paid regular staff, and a full
slate of programming already on the books. So
while he does have plans to work with schools
on writing programs, theyd probably start
small such as a pilot project next fall in one
after-school program.
Id like to be doing this all around the Quad
Cities, he said. And I know there are writers
around here who would like the chance to get
trained up as teaching artists. ... These are all
kind of long-term projects were looking at. ...
Were not expecting anything to be big and
huge and dramatic, he said. Nothing has been
big and huge and dramatic.
The Midwest Writing Center is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from
11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesdays by appointment. The center is located on the lower level of
the Rock Island Public Library (401 19th Street,
Rock Island).
For more information on the organization, visit
MWCQC.org or call (309)732-7330.
October 27 Crossword Answers
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Now
and then you display an excessive
egotism that pushes people away. But
during the next six weeks you will have an
excellent chance to shed some of that tendency,
even as you build more of the healthy pride that
attracts help and support. So be alert for a
steady flow of intuitions that will instruct you
on how to elude overconfidence and instead
cultivate more of the warm, radiant charisma
that is your birthright. You came here to planet
Earth not just to show off your bright beauty,
but also to wield it as a source of inspiration and
motivation for those whose lives you touch.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): How
often I found where I should be going
only by setting out for somewhere
else, said inventor Buckminster Fuller. I dont
fully endorse that perspective. For example,
when I said goodbye to North Carolina with the
intention to make California my new home,
California is exactly where I ended up and
stayed. Having said that, however, I suspect that
the coming months could be among those
times when Fullers formula applies to you.
Your ultimate destination may turn out to be
different from your original plan. But heres the
tricky part: If you do want to eventually be led
to the situation thats right for you, you have to
be specific about setting a goal that seems right
for now.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you
were an obscenely rich plutocrat, you
might have a pool table on your
super-yacht. And to ensure that you and your
buddies could play pool even in a storm that
rocked your boat, you would have a special
gyroscopic instrument installed to keep your
pool table steady and stable. But I doubt you
have such luxury at your disposal. Youre just
not that wealthy or decadent. You could have
something even better, however: metaphorical
gyroscopes that will keep you steady and stable
as you navigate your way through unusual
weather. Do you know what Im referring to? If
not, meditate on the three people or influences
that might best help you stay grounded. Then
make sure you snuggle up close to those people
and influences during the next two weeks.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The
coming weeks will be a good time to
fill your bed with rose petals and sleep
with their aroma caressing your dreams. You
should also consider the following acts of
intimate revolution: listening to sexy spiritual
flute music while carrying on scintillating
conversations with interesting allies; sharing
gourmet meals in which you and your sensual
companions use your fingers to slowly devour
your delectable food; dancing naked in
semi-darkness as you imagine your happiest
possible future. Do you catch my drift,
Cancerian? Youre due for a series of appointments with savvy bliss and wild splendor.
LEO (July 23-August 22): I have

always wanted my mouth full of
strange sunlight, writes Leo poet
Michael Dickman in his poem My Honeybee.
In another piece, while describing an outdoor
scene from childhood, he innocently asks,
What kind of light is that? Elsewhere he
confesses, What I want more than anything is
to get down on paper what the shining looks
like. In accordance with the astrological
omens, Leo, I suggest you follow Dickmans lead
in the coming weeks. You will receive soulful
teachings if you pay special attention to both the
qualities of the light you see with your eyes and
the inner light that wells up in your heart.
VIRGO (August 23-September 22):
The Passage du Gois is a 2.8-mile
causeway that runs between the
French town of Beauvoir-sur-Mer and the island
of Noirmoutier in the Atlantic Ocean. Its only
usable twice a day when the tide goes out, and
even then for just an hour or two. The rest of the
time its under water. If you hope to walk or bike
or drive across, you must accommodate yourself
to natures rhythms. I suspect theres a
metaphorically similar phenomenon in your
life, Virgo. To get to where you want to go next,
you cant necessarily travel exactly when you feel
like it. The path will be open and available for
brief periods. But it will be open and available.
LIBRA (September 23-October 22):
Modern toilet paper appeared in
1901, when a company in Green Bay,
Wisconsin began to market sanitary tissue to
the public. The product had a small problem,
however. Since the manufacturing process
wasnt perfect, wood chips sometimes remained
embedded in the paper. It was not until 1934
that the product was offered as officially
splinter-free. I mention this, Libra, because I
suspect that you are not yet in the splinter-free
phase of the promising possibility youre
working on. Keep at it. Hold steady. Eventually
youll purge the glitches.
SCORPIO (October 23-November
21): Dont be someone that searches,
finds, and then runs away, advises
novelist Paulo Coelho. Im tempted to add this
caveat: Dont be someone that searches, finds,
and then runs away unless you really do need
to run away for a while to get better prepared for
the reward you have summoned and then
return to fully embrace it. After studying the
astrological omens, Scorpio, Im guessing you
can benefit from hearing this information.
SAGITTARIUS (November
22-December 21): Go ahead and howl
a celebratory Goodbye! to any
triviality that has distracted you from your
worthy goals, to any mean little ghost that has
shadowed your good intentions, and to any faded
fantasy that has clogged up the flow of your
psychic energy. I also recommend that you
15
By Rob Brezsny
whisper Welcome! to open secrets that have
somehow remained hidden from you, to simple
lessons you havent been simple enough to learn
before now, and to breathtaking escapes you have
only recently earned. P.S.: You are authorized to
refer to the coming weeks as a watershed.
CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Musician and visual artist
Brian Eno loves to dream up
innovative products. In 2006, he published a
DVD called 77 Million Paintings, which uses
technological trickery to generate 77-million
different images. To watch the entire thing
would take 9,000 years. In my opinion, its an
interesting but gimmicky novelty not
particularly deep or meaningful. During the
next nine months, Capricorn, I suggest that you
attempt a far more impressive feat: a richly
complex creation that will provide you with
growth-inducing value for years to come.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February
18): Do you know about the Lords of
Shouting? According to Christian
and Jewish mythology, theyre a gang of
15.5-million angels that greet each day with
vigorous songs of praise and blessing. Most
people are too preoccupied with their own
mind chatter to pay attention to them, let alone
hear their melodious offerings. But I suspect
you may be an exception to that rule in the
coming weeks. According to my reading of the
astrological omens, youll be exceptionally alert
for and receptive to glad tidings. You may be
able to spot opportunities that others are blind
to, including the chants of the Lords of Shouting
and many other potential blessings. Take
advantage of your aptitude!
PISCES (February 19-March 20):
Greenland sharks live a long time up
to 400 years, according to researchers
at the University of Copenhagen. The females of
the species dont reach sexual maturity until
theyre 150. I wouldnt normally compare you
Pisceans to these creatures, but my reading of
the astrological omens suggests that the coming
months will be a time when at long last you will
reach your full sexual ripeness. Its true that
youve been capable of generating new human
beings for quite some time. But your erotic
wisdom has lagged behind. Now thats going to
change. Your ability to harness your libidinous
power will soon start to increase. As it does,
youll gain new access to primal creativity.
Homework: Compare the person you are now
with who you were two years ago. Make a
list of three important differences. Testify at
FreeWillAstrology.com.
Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsnys
EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES

& DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at
1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700
16
Crossword
OATHS OF OFFICE November 10, 2016
ACROSS
1. Sockdolager
5. Humble
10. Fills with rancor
15. Old covered walkway
19. Of a hardwood
20. Maneuvers
21. Indigenous Alaskan
22. A veggie, for short
23. Monkey
24. Jodhpurs
25. The periwinkle
26. Once more
27. S tart of a quip by Milton Berle: 5
wds.
31. Dictatorships
34. Nick at _
35. _ segno
36. Chat show name
37. Bank job
39. Weapon of old
44. Part 2 of quip: 3 wds.
47. Ill-mannered one
48. Abbr. on an envelope
49. Beverages
50. Coeur d_
51. Pole
52. Decorate
53. Slot machine part
54. Ordinary language
55. Santa _
57. River in France
58. Finnish mans name
59. Working time
60. Glossy fabric
66. Storage area
67. Advances
68. Detriment
69. Odysseus faithful dog
70. French artist
71. Early video game maker
73. Hydro
76. Russell or Uris
77. Aforementioned
78. Three-wheeler
79. Holier _ thou
80. Ames and Asner
81. Knob or stud

85. A condiment: 2 wds.
87. Expunge
88. More secure
89. Letters
90. Beam
91. By unspoken agreement
93. End of the quip: 3 wds.
100. Actress _ Blanchett
101. Red River city
102. Rends
103. Place of exile
107. Solzhenitsyns Denisovich
108. Name in a Beethoven title
109. Window
110. Mouth part
111. Remove
112. Honors with a party
113. Intuit
114. _ -free
DOWN
1. _ Me Entertain You
2. _ supra
3. Fate
4. Healers of a kind
5. Go leisurely
6. Ledgers
7. Profess
8. Brother of Cain and Abel
9. Cinnamon stone
10. Old French dance
11. Straighten: Var.
12. Forty-day event
13. Chance
14. Humdinger
15. Glowers
16. S-X link
17. Approval: Var.
18. Ethereal
28. Hotel chain
29. Parabolic antenna
30. Hop kiln
31. Lariat
32. Rice or Gantry
33. Shine
37. Steps on it
38. Laborer of old
39. Article
October 27 Answers: Page 14
40. Friends friend

41. Howitzer part
42. Thought
43. What _ Want
45. Edible root
46. Distant
51. Spoils
52. Channing Matthew _
54. Feet, in anatomy
55. Orbiting body
56. San _ Potosi
57. Indigenous New Zealander
58. Big name in corporate scandals
59. Stockings
60. Joint
61. City in Texas
62. Fleet of ships
63. Encomium
64. Discarded portion
65. Quake
66. Winds
70. Abbr. in grammar texts
71. An Olympian
72. Bore
73. Keyboard key
74. Auto body part
75. Sore
77. Kitchen VIP: Hyph.
78. Death in Greek myth
79. Sneakers
81. Poison
82. Mac and Sanders
83. Man in Limerick
84. Mil. branch
86. Moon goddess
90. Anserine creature
91. Vetches
92. Ushers beat
93. Sour
94. Church area
95. Abbr. in citations
96. Fable
97. Beginning: Abbr.
98. No more than
99. Distress
104. _ cit.
105. Scary yell
106. Sternward
17
Live Music Live Music Live Music

Email all listings to calendar@rcreader.com Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication
THURSDAY
10
Bettendorf Park Band Fall Concert

Bettendorf Public Library, 2950
Learning Campus Dr., Bettendorf IA
Dar Williams & Richard Shindell
CSPS/Legion Arts, 1103 3rd St SE,
Cedar Rapids IA
Emily Jane Powers Julia Lucille
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave., Rock
Island IL
Farewell Milwaukee Live Broadcast
Tiny Monsters Iowa City Yacht
Club, 13 S Linn St, Iowa City IA
Flotsam & Jetsam Hatchet Helstar
Brotherhood of the Mudkat
Tong Po Black Hilt (5:30pm)
Gabes, 330 E. Washington St., Iowa
City IA
Night People Rhythm City Casino,
7077 Elmore Ave, Davenport IA
Phat Katz Jazz Connect Coffeehouse
Coffee Shop & Internet Cafe,
NorthPark Mall, 320 W Kimberly Rd.,
Davenport IA
University of Iowa Jazz: Area 51/
JRE (6:30pm) The Mill, 120 E.
Burlington St., Iowa City IA
FRIDAY
11
Back 40 Harley Corins, 1708 State St.,

Bettendorf IA
Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons
Figge Art Museum, 225 W 2nd St,
Davenport IA
Bobby Ray Bunch Riverside Grille,
1733 State St., Bettendorf IA
Bonnie Finken The Racket Upstairs
Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St,
Iowa City IA
Chucho Valds Joe Lovano Quintet
Hancher Auditorium, 101 East Park
Rd., Iowa City IA
Code 415 Rivertown Grille & Bar, 2606

W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Dizzy Wright (6:30pm) Brendan
Hanks Sier2 Attentat (9pm)
City IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (6pm)
Oculus Sports Bar - Jumers Casino
& Hotel, 777 Jumer Dr., Rock Island IL
HiFi (6:30pm) Lavender Crest
Winery, 5401 US Highway 6, Colona IL
Jazz After Five: 3 Dawgs & a Bone
(5pm) King of the Tramps Matt
Woods (9pm) The Mill, 120 E.
John Prine Patti Griffin Adler
Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport IA
Live Lunch w/ Tony Hoeppner (noon)
RME Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
The Manny Lopez Big Band (6pm)
The Circa 21 Speakeasy, 1818 Third
Ave., Rock Island IL
Night People (5pm) Rivertown Grille &
Bar, 2606 W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Playlist 11th Street Precinct, 1107
Mound St., Davenport IA
Sunjacket Us Mode Minihorse
Island IL
Suzy Bogguss (8pm) Rosie & the
Rivets (9:30pm) Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Veterans Day Live @ Five: The
Dirt Road Rockers (5pm) The
Redstone Room, 129 Main St,
Davenport IA
Wild Oatz Len Browns North Shore
Inn, 700 N. Shore Dr., Moline IL
SATURDAY
12
Brett Newski Dan Hubbard

Island IL
EastEnders Uptown Bills Coffee
House, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa
City IA
Flash in a Pan Poppa Neptune
Viva Moxie Talons Iowa City
Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St, Iowa City IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo
Harringtons Pub - Port Byron, 102 S.
Main St., Port Byron IL
The Jason Carl Band 11th Street
Precinct, 1107 Mound St., Davenport
IA
Kavita Shah First Presbyterian
Church of Davenport, 1702 Iowa St.,
Davenport IA
Lynn Allen Harley Corins, 1708 State
St., Bettendorf IA
Mr. Little Jeans Village Theatre, 2113
E 11th St, Davenport IA
Orchestra Iowa: A Night in Prague
Paramount Theatre, 123 3rd St. SE,
Cedar Rapids IA
Richard Shindell Princeton
Coffeehouse, 25 E. Marion St.,
Princeton IL
Rosie & the Rivets Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Russ Reyman Request Piano Bar
The Phoenix Restaurant & Martini
Bar, 111 West 2nd St., Davenport IA
Ted Vigil: John Denver Musical
Tribute Old Creamery Theatre, 39
38th Ave., Amana IA
Whiskeys Gone RIBCO, 1815 Second
SUNDAY
13
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (3pm)

Len Browns North Shore Inn, 700 N.
Shore Dr., Moline IL
Center, 370 1st Ave NE, Cedar Rapids IA

Rumpke Mountain Boys The Cerny
Brothers Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S
Linn St, Iowa City IA
FRIDAY
The Cerny Brothers @ Daytrotter - November 18

QuadCity Music Guild Youth
Chorus: Music of Stage & Screen
(1:30pm) Quad City Music Guild Prospect Park Auditorium, 1584 34th
Ave., Moline IL
Slewgrass & Cedar County Cobras
(2pm) Uptown Bills Coffee House,
730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City IA
MONDAY
14
Moeller Nights Village Theatre, 2113

Pup Meat Wave Chastity (6:30pm)
City IA
TUESDAY
15
Quad City Kix Band RME Community

Stage, 131 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA
WEDNESDAY 16
Bobby Ray Bunch Cru Bottle Shoppe,

221 Brady St., Davenport IA
John Paul White The Kernal The
Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA
Lewis Knudsen (6:30pm) The
Faithful Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 117 N
Cody Rd, LeClaire IA
THURSDAY
17
Black Hawk College Jazz Band Fall

Concert featuring the Corey
Kendrick Trio Black Hawk College
Theatre - Building 1, Room 306, 6600
34th Ave., Moline IL
Digisaurus Uptown Bills Coffee
City IA
Kip Moore Jon Pardi U.S. Cellular
18
Alan Jackson Lauren Alaina

iWireless Center, 1201 River Dr,
Moline IL
Bucktown Revue Nighswander Theatre,
2822 Eastern Ave, Davenport IA
Buddy Guy: Born to Play Guitar
Cedar Rapids IA
The Cerny Brothers Daytrotter, 324
Brady St., Davenport IA
Chase Garretts Blues & Boogie
Woogie Piano Stomp Englert
Theatre, 221 East Washington St.,
Iowa City IA
Flex Harley Corins, 1708 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Frankie Joe & Kinfolk (6pm)
Milltown Coffee, 3800 River Drive #2,
Moline IL
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo Green
Tree Brewery, 309 N. Cody Rd.,
LeClaire IA
Lady Luck Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
Live Lunch with Mike Cochrane
(noon) RME Community Stage,
131 W 3rd St, Davenport IA
The Low Down RIBCO, 1815 Second
Mary Gauthier Eliza Gilkyson
Gretchen Peters The Mill, 120 E.
Matt Cox Coyote Cold River City
Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S Linn St,
Iowa City IA
18
Live Music Live Music Live Music

Email all listings to calendar@rcreader.com Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication
Phat Katz Jazz Cabanas Bar & Grille,

2120 4th Ave., Rock Island IL
Sushi Roll Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside
IA
Third Sunday Jazz: Manuel Lopez
III & Friends (6pm) The Redstone
Room, 129 Main St, Davenport IA
Powell 11th Street Precinct, 1107

The Ragbirds The Redstone Room,
129 Main St, Davenport IA
Susan Werner Dave Moore CSPS/
Legion Arts, 1103 3rd St SE, Cedar
Rapids IA
Tony Hoeppner & Friends (6pm) HyVee Market Grille - Silvis, 2001 5th St.,
Silvis IL
SATURDAY
19
Code 415 Harley Corins, 1708 State

St., Bettendorf IA
Farewell, My Love The Funeral
Portrait Once Around
Switchblade Saturdays (6pm)
City IA
Frogleg EGi Iowa City Yacht Club, 13
S Linn St, Iowa City IA
The Funnies Edje Nightclub at
Jumers Casino and Hotel, I-280 &
Hwy 92, Rock Island IL
The Funnies The Cooler, 311 W. 2nd
St., Rock Falls IL
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo The Main
Event, 3819 State St., Bettendorf IA
Greg Brown Englert Theatre, 221 East
Washington St., Iowa City IA
Hairball Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, 1100
Rockford Rd. SW, Cedar Rapids IA
Hap Hazard 11th Street Precinct, 1107
Holiday Pops: Communities in
Concert! (2 & 8pm) Adler Theatre,
136 E. Third St., Davenport IA
Joe Nichols Riverside Casino Event
Center, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside
IA
Jos Sasson & Friends Uptown Bills
Brett Newski @ Rozz-Tox - November 12

Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St.,
Iowa City IA
The Knockoffs Generations Bar &
Grill, 4100 4th Ave., Moline IL
Lady Luck Riverside Casino and Golf
IA
Maks the Fox Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
U.S. Cellular Center, 370 1st Ave NE,
Cedar Rapids IA
Phat Katz Quartet Featuring CJ
Lomas The Grape Life Wine
Store & Lounge, 3402 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Sam Knutson Cedar County Cobras
Seth Wenger Illinois John Fever
The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa
City IA
Susan Werner Dave Moore CSPS/
Rapids IA
Winterland: Grateful Dead
Experience RIBCO, 1815 Second
SUNDAY
20
C. Daniel Boling Brian Fox Ellis

Ca dZan, 411 South Rd., Cambridge
IL
Iowa City Community String
Orchestra (3pm) Englert Theatre,
221 East Washington St., Iowa City IA
The Lowest Pair The Last Revel
CSPS/Legion Arts, 1103 3rd St SE,
Cedar Rapids IA
Lowfaith Archeress Deer
Surround Our Home Rozz-Tox,
2108 Third Ave., Rock Island IL
EXHIBITION OPENING
PORTRAIT of
MAQUOKETA
Through February 12, 2017
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
MONDAY
21
TUESDAY
22
Community Concerts: FIR (2:30pm)

Cedar Rapids IA
The Hunts Central Performing Arts
Center, 519 E. 11th St., DeWitt IA
Mississippi Valley Country &
Western Music Association Dance
East Moline American Legion, 829
16th Ave., East Moline IL
Moeller Nights Village Theatre, 2113
JJ Grey & Mofro Parker Millsap

The Redstone Room, 129 Main St,
Davenport IA
WEDNESDAY 23
All Sweat Productions Presents: The

Last Waltz The Redstone Room,
129 Main St, Davenport IA
Banjoy The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St.,
Iowa City IA
Blues Rockit w/ Detroit Larry
Davison Cabanas Bar & Grille, 2120
4th Ave., Rock Island IL
Bobby Ray Bunch (6:30pm) The
Faithful Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 117 N
Cody Rd, LeClaire IA
Bugeye Sprite The Office, 305 3rd St,
Sherrard IL
Corporate Rock 11th Street Precinct,

1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
Kerry & Rich Acoustic Duo Len
Browns North Shore Inn, 700 N.
Shore Dr., Moline IL
New Holland Riala Rozz-Tox, 2108
Third Ave., Rock Island IL
FRIDAY
25
SATURDAY
26
An Evening with Lisa Loeb The

Redstone Room, 129 Main St,
Davenport IA
Funktastic Five 11th Street Precinct,
1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo K & Ts Bike
Rack Sports Bar & Grill, 3303 Brady
St., Davenport IA
The Hotrods Riverside Casino and
Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Irish Christmas in America CSPS/
Rapids IA
The Last Waltz Tribute: Patrick
Bloom Nick Vasquez Stacy
Webster Jon Wilson The Mill, 120
E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA
Phat Katz Jazz Connect Coffeehouse
Coffee Shop & Internet Cafe,
NorthPark Mall, 320 W Kimberly Rd,
Davenport IA
Ragged Records Presents: Mama
The Rubs Harakiri Encounter at
L5 Condor & Jaybird Golden
Fleece Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave.,
Rock Island IL
Shock Treatment RIBCO, 1815
Second Ave., Rock Island IL
Branson on the Road Ohnward

Fine Arts Center, 1215 E Platt St.,
Maquoketa IA
DOSH GOSH Errol Hem
Daytrotter, 324 Brady St., Davenport
IA
Drama Major (5:30pm) RME
Community Stage, 131 W. 2nd St.,
Davenport IA
Eddie Money Rhythm City Casino
Resort, 7077 Elmore Ave., Davenport
IA
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo Riverside
Grille, 1733 State St., Bettendorf IA
Hardcore Has Heart Benefit Show
(1pm) RIBCO, 1815 Second Ave.,
Rock Island IL
Head East Riverside Casino and Golf
IA
Holiday Ramble The Mill, 120 E.
Iowa City Classical Guitar Society
(2pm) Bree Nettie (7pm)
Uptown Bills Coffee House, 730 S.
Dubuque St., Iowa City IA
Rude Punch 11th Street Precinct, 1107
Stayin Alive: A Tribute to the Bee
Gees Quad-Cities Waterfront
Convention Center, 2021 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Stone Tattoo Harley Corins, 1708
State St., Bettendorf IA
The Pines Seth Wenger CSPS/
Rapids IA
The Weepies: Completely Acoustic
and Alone Englert Theatre, 221
East Washington St., Iowa City IA
Wild Oatz Rivertown Grille & Bar,
2606 W. Locust St., Davenport IA
QUAD CITY MALLARDS
MILITARY NIGHT
Friday, November 11
@ 7:05 PM
$10 Tickets for all Military

personnel and families
SCOUT NIGHT
Saturday, November
SCOUT
NIGHT19
Wearing Military Jerseys!
7:05 PM 19
Saturday,@November
@ 7:05 PM
ANDY & DEBI

BUTLER
Rose Frantzen, with engineering assistance from Chuck

Morris and audio compositions by John Frantzen, Portrait
of Maquoketa (detail), 2005-2012, oil on multiple panels
with audio, Museum purchase with funds contributed
by: Judy Kern and Kent Whealy; James and Marcia Borel;
Andrew and Debi Butler; Mark and Deborah Schwiebert;
The Henry Family Foundation; Drs. Amir and Lisa Arbisser;
The Beaux Arts Fund Committee; Frances Emerson and
Robert McClurg; J. Hunt and Diane Harris II; Chris and
Mary Rayburn; Susan Quail; Barney and Sandra Barnhill;
Don Doucette and Lynn Drazinski; James Havercamp; Delia
and Dave Meier; Jim and Michelle Russell; Mark and Dana
Wilkinson; Tara Barney; Cynthia Carlson; John and Kay Hall;
Kay Runge; Rick and Nancy Seidler; The Friends of the Figge
and the Figge Art Museum Acquisitions Fund, 2015.1
Davenport, Iowa 563.326.7804

www.figgeartmuseum.org
Blue-line to blue-line seats: only $15 per person

Horse Shoe seats: only $12 per person
P wins a
BIGGEST GROU
th the
wi
Y
RT
PIZZA PA
PLAYERS!!!
Presented By:
ILLOWA COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
BLACK FRIDAY
SPECIAL!!
Friday, November 25
@ 7:05 PM
4- Pack Specials!!
Call the Front Office for more information: (309) 277-1364
Comedy
DJs/Karaoke/
Jams/Open Mics
THURSDAYS
Cross Creek Karaoke Hey Bryans,

1140 15th Ave., Moline IL
DJ Night w/ 90s Music Thirstys on
Third, 2202 W. Third St., Davenport
IA
Gemini Karaoke Blue Moose Tap
House, 211 Iowa Ave., Iowa City IA
Karaoke Night Bier Stube Moline,
415 15th St., Moline IL
Karaoke w/ Double Dz Purgatorys
Pub, 2104 State St., Bettendorf IA
Open Jam Session My Place the
Pub, 4405 State St., Bettendorf IA
Open Mic Night Uptown Bills
Coffee House, 730 S. Dubuque St.,
Iowa City IA
Open Mic w/ H.C. Wallace (Nov. 10)
Geneseo Brewing Company, 102
S. State St., Geneseo IL
Rock the House Karaoke Bottoms
Up on 7th, 1814 Seventh St., Moline
IL
Thumpin Thursdays DJ Night
Rascals Live, 1414 15th St., Moline IL
FRIDAYS
Cross Creek Karaoke Firehouse

Bar & Grill, 2006 Hickory Grove Rd.,
Davenport IA
DJ Dolla The Smoking Dog Pub,
1800 Second Ave., Rock Island IL
DJ K Yung Barrel House Moline,
1321 Fifth Ave., Moline IL
DJ Lacey Hawkeye Tap Sports
Bar N Grill, 4646 Cheyenne Ave.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Circle Tap, 1345
West Locust St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night The Grove Tap, 108
S. First St., Long Grove IA
Karaoke Night Miller Time Bowling,
2902 E. Kimberly Rd., Davenport IA

Karaoke Night Roadrunners
Roadhouse, 3803 Rockingham Rd.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Thirstys on Third,
2202 W. Third St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night w/ Mike Matthews
Hollars Bar & Grill, 4050 27th St.,
Moline IL
Open Mic Night Bowlmor Lounge,
2952 Brady St., Davenport IA
SATURDAYS
Community Folk Sing (Nov. 12,

3pm) Uptown Bills Coffee House,
730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City IA
Cross Creek Karaoke Jims
Knoxville Tap, 8716 Knoxville Rd.,
Milan IL
DJ Dolla The Smoking Dog Pub,
1800 Second Ave., Rock Island IL
DJ Freeze (Nov. 12, 10pm) Gabes,
330 E. Washington St., Iowa City IA)
Karaoke Night The Grove Tap, 108
S. First St., Long Grove IA
Karaoke Night Miller Time Bowling,
2902 E. Kimberly Rd., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Roadrunners
Roadhouse, 3803 Rockingham Rd.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night w/ Jim Harker
Hollars Bar & Grill, 4050 27th St.,
Moline IL
Songwriters Round Table (Nov. 12,
noon) River Music Experience
Sound Lab, 129 N. Main St.,
Davenport IA
Tw i s t e d
Mics
Music
&
Entertainment Barrel House
Moline, 1321 Fifth Ave., Moline IL
Ukulele Music Session (Nov. 19,
19
4pm) Uptown Bills Coffee

City IA
SUNDAYS
Karaoke Night 11th Street

Precinc t, 1107 Mound St.,
Davenport IA
Open Mic Night (5pm) Lynns BBQ
& Saloon, 1151 E. Iowa St., Eldridge
IA
MONDAYS
Musicians Jam w/ C.J. Lomas (Nov.

21) Theos Java Club, 213 17th St.,
Rock Island IL
Open Mic w/ J. Knight The Mill, 120
E. Burlington St., Iowa City IA
TUESDAYS
Acoustic Music Club (4:30pm)

River Music Experience, 129 N.
Main St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night My Place the Pub,
4405 State St., Bettendorf IA
Open Mic Night Broken Saddle,
1417 Fifth Ave., Moline IL
Open Mic Night Cool Beanz
Coffeehouse, 1325 330th St., Rock
Island IL
Tuesday Blues Jam w/ Mark Avey
& Detroit Larry Davison
Cabanas, 2120 Fourth Ave., Rock
Island IL
Underground Open Mic w/ Kate
Kane Iowa City Yacht Club, 13 S.
Linn St., Iowa City IA
McFate McManus Pub, 1401

Seventh Ave., Moline IL
Celtic Music Jam (Nov. 16, 6pm)
Moline Public Library, 3210 41st
St., Moline IL
Hump Day Wing & Sing w/
Marybeth Hawkeye Tap Sports
Bar N Grill, 4646 Cheyenne Ave.,
Davenport IA
Jam Session & Mug Night Iowa
City Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa
City IA
Karaoke Night 11th Street
Precinc t, 1107 Mound St.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night Circle Tap, 1345
West Locust St., Davenport IA
Karaoke Night RIBCO, 1815
Second Ave., Rock Island IL
Open Jam w/ The Channel Cats
featuring Members of The Low
Down & Earth Ascending Bent
River Brewing Company, 512 24th
St. Rock Island IL
Open Mic Night Boozies Bar
& Grille, 114 1/2 W. Third St.,
Davenport IA
Open Mic Night (Nov. 16)
University of Dubuque Heritage
Center, 2255 Bennet t St. ,
Dubuque IA
FRIDAY
11
Daytrotter, 324 Brady St., Davenport IA

Drew Lynch (8pm) Penguins Comedy
Club, 208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids IA
SATURDAY
12
Akin to Murder Skellington Manor Event

Center, 420 18th St., Rock Island, IL
Bix Beiderbomb Presents (8pm) Boozies
Bar & Grille, 114 W. Third St., Davenport
IA
ComedySportz (7pm) The Establishment,
220 19th St., Rock Island IL
Greg Hahn (8pm) Penguins Comedy Club,
208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids IA
Stand-up Open Mic (9pm) Boozies Bar &
Grille, 114 W. Third St., Davenport IA
Studio Series: Chili Three Ways (9:30pm)
The Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock
Island IL
SUNDAY
13
MONDAY
14
Bix Beiderbomb Presents (8pm) Boozies

Bar & Grille, 114 W. Third St., Davenport
IA
Stand-up Open Mic (9pm) Boozies Bar &
Grille, 114 W. Third St., Davenport IA
Studio Series: MFK (9:30pm) The
Establishment, 220 19th St., Rock Island IL

Speakeasys Laugh Hard (8pm) Circa
21 Speakeasy, 1818 Third Avenue, Rock
Island IL
Studio Series: True Story (9:30pm) The
The Circumstantial Comedy Show (9pm)

Brew, 1104 Jersey Ridge Rd., Davenport IA
Honeycombs of Comedy (9pm) Iowa City

Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City IA
WEDNESDAY 16
By Any Memes Necessary 2 w/ Mike Steele

(8:02pm) Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave.,
Rock Island IL
Comedy Open Mic (7:30pm) Penguins
Comedy Club, 208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar
Rapids IA
WEDNESDAYS
THURSDAY
Acoustic Jam Night w/ Steve
17
The After Hour w/ Andrew King (7pm)
FRIDAY
18
SATURDAY
19
SUNDAY
20
MONDAY
21

Greg Hahn (8pm) Penguins Comedy Club,
208 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids IA
Ron White (7pm) Paramount Theatre, 123
Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids IA
Standup Comedy Night (7:30pm) Grace
Performing Arts Center, 316 S Main St,
Princeton IL
Studio Series: Critical Hit (9:30pm) The
The Circumstantial Comedy Show (9pm)

Brew, 1104 Jersey Ridge Rd., Davenport IA
Honeycombs of Comedy (9pm) Iowa City

Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City IA
Trans Siberian Orchestra
Ghost of Christmas Eve
With special guests Michael Crawford and Jewel

SUN NOV 13 | 6pm
SAT NOV 19 | 8pm
SUN NOV 27 | 7pm
SPECIAL TICKET OFFER: Support WQPT by becoming a member

at $130 and receive two tickets to the Trans Siberian Orchestra
concert on Thursday, December 8 at the iWireless Center
Available online at wqpt.org/tickets or call 309/764-2400.
FIND US ONLINE
wqpt.org
20
not easy.
easy.
Bundling up a hedgehog is no fun. Neither is winter driving. Say goodbye to bad weather
car hassles by riding Metro. Track your ride at MetroQC.com. #MetroEasy

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Vote Weighting Option

Calls Election Integrity Into

Doctor Strange: Marvels Best

Slow-Moving Lava: The

November 10 - 21, 2016

River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016

WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER

Vote Weighting Option Calls Election Integrity Into Question

ow meaningful is the media-fueled

valid election results by modifying the

All of the computation that

taxpayer, looking in on the systems that this

River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

Vile, Mysterious Mailer

he innocuous-looking mailer began

other side. Was it a false flag operation

River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

Winners and Favorites from Our 2016 Short-Fiction Contest

he River Cities Readers 2016 shortfiction contest, presented with the

made it in time to say goodbye but not to

Perhaps the clock was to blame.

It was easier to sneak off on my birthday

Mom stays by the front door, waiting

least suspected it: She wrangled me here

River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

Continued From Page 5

2016 Short-Fiction Contest

He looked through the curtain at the

Getting used to new surroundings was

Daniel to the sofa. The lowering light felt

The day after Thanksgiving my mother

but it wasnt her fault, of course.

River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

threw the screen door wide and loped

The jumpmaster, Travis, hitched the

his hand brush over my hip.

The day after Thanksgiving, my mother

The light in the kitchen flipped on.

River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016

WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER

Continued From Page 3

Vote Weighting Option Calls Election

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

learning workshops and small groups that

through June at the Butterworth Center,

his composite image was created by

ISO 200 shooting three images with a high

For more information on the club, visit

River Cities Reader Vol. 24 No. 921 November 10 - 21, 2016

Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

November 10 - 21, 2016

Publishing since 1993

The River Cities Reader is an independent

5 p.m. Wednesday prior to publication

The most comprehensive events calendar in the QC

mall organizations tend to reflect the

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