“A Law Unto Themselves”: Jury Nullification and the Deck Stacked Against It

By Jeff Ignatius - 7/22/2010
Like most people, Mike Angelos was surprised to learn about the power of juries to disregard the law. "The courts are really stacked against people," he said.
And he's trying to change that.
For more than a year, Angelos (a retired electrical engineer) and three other people have been handing out information regarding jury rights, including the power to return a verdict of "not guilty" if jurors believe that the law itself is unjust -- regardless of the facts of the case. This is commonly called "jury nullification" of laws, and the effort to spread the word about that power is known as the "fully informed jury" movement. Click here to read more.


Americans Have Super-Powers, Too!

By Kathleen McCarthy - 7/21/2010
If you still believe that the current 111th Congress is representative of the American people, then you exist in stubborn denial, likely as a victim of the most deliberately dumbed-down mainstream media in U.S. history. But you skate on that excuse only so far. After a while, when every instinct in your civic being tells you something is dreadfully wrong with what is passing for news each day -- makes no difference whether via the networks (ABC, NBC, or CBS) or cable news (CNN, MSNBC, or Fox) -- it's time to trust yourself and seek alternative news sources. Click here to read more.

Making a Splash: Artist Heidi M. Sallows Presents "The Mermaid Show," July 23 and 24 at the 7ly Design Studio

By Thom White - 7/20/10
Local artist Heidi M. Sallows is the director of the 7ly Design Studio in Rock Island, and when she describes her venue's forthcoming The Mermaid Show as "not so much a show as an experience," you should know that she's speaking literally: If you so desire, the artworks on display will include you.
"My niece was part of what started the idea burbling in my mind," says Sallows of the event's origins. "Because last year I face-painted at a birthday party, and I painted her up like a ... . Well, I was trying to do a really cute zombie, but it was green, and it turned out looking more like a mermaid.  Click here to read more.


Iowa Politics Roundup: Democratic Governors Association Backed Anti-Branstad Group

By Lynn Campbell - 7/16/2010
A disclosure report filed Thursday with the IRS showed that the 527 organization called Iowans for Responsible Government, which ran attack ads against former Governor Terry Branstad before the primary election, was funded entirely by the Democratic Governors Association. The DGA gave $782,500 to the group and is also Governor Chet Culver's largest contributor. Click here to read more.


What's Happenin': July 20 - August 3, 2010

By Mike Schulz - 7/20/2010
Running from now through July 25 is the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre musical titled ... Show Boat. And after that production closes, the Iowa theatre that sits on a big river will present a musical titled ... Big River. I can hardly wait for the Showboat's next outing: Summer-Stock Venue Located Across the Street from a Baseball Park!  Click here to read more.


Perish (in) the Thought: "Inception"

By Lynn Campbell - 7/16/2010
Inception, the latest offering from the director of Memento, The Prestige, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight, is, I think, my new favorite of Christopher Nolan's screen works. Considering the breadth of the compliment, I briefly considered letting my review stand with that one sentence, but I suppose a few more paragraphs are in order. Besides, there's that "I think" caveat in there, and it's important to stress that this opinion is based on only one viewing of Nolan's trippy, dream-world thriller; a few more - like a dozen more - should either affirm my conviction that's it's the writer/director's masterpiece (to date) or reveal it to be as featherweight and inconsequential as ... well, as a dream.  Click here to read more.





Mother Lovers: “Cyrus” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”

By Mike Schulz - 7/18/2010
Splice came and went in the blink of an eye and Predators sucks. So if you're jonesing for a good horror movie these days, you're advised to catch Jay and Mark Duplass' Cyrus, even though it isn't any kind of conventional scare flick; Jonah Hill's title character, however, could stand proudly next to Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates in the Crazy-Ass-Mama's-Boy Hall of Fame.
The Duplass' indie comedy begins innocently enough, with John C. Reilly's depressed divorcé embarking on a tentative romance with Marisa Tomei's single mother. Yet events take a turn for the re-e-eally uncomfortable when Reilly finally meets her son, and he turns out to be Hill's Cyrus: 21, still living at home, and the possessor of some seriously disturbing mommy issues.  Click here to read more.


Sharing the Load: The Dawn, August 7 at RIBCO

By Jeff Ignatius - 7/20/10
When Sean Ryan recorded his solo debut, Lonesome Driver Music, two years ago, his group the Dawn was around, but "I just wasn't ready to take the band I had into the studio," he said.
So he employed some noted local pros -- including drummer Marty Reyhons and guitarist Kerry Tucker, both from Einstein's Sister, and pedal-steel player Tom Pickett Jr. -- in the service of his songs, and the result was an excellent snapshot of a promising young writer and performer in good hands. Click here to read more.
 

In-Laws & Disorder: "Squabbles," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through August 28

By Thom White - 7/19/10
Wednesday night's preview performance of the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's Squabbles was never funnier than when its two elder characters were engaged in the titular activity. Unfortunately, they didn't squabble as much as the show's title might lead you to believe. Fortunately, however, the parts of author Marshall Karp's play that are low on humor are high on sentiment, and created a far more touching experience than I expected.   Click here to read more.

Crowning Achievement: "Richard III," at Lincoln Park through July 25

By Thom White - 7/20/10
Genesius Guild's Richard III is not what I expected. I sat down for Sunday night's Lincoln Park performance anticipating a well-done, respectfully somber production - something along the lines of a group oration with limited movement. What I saw instead was a dynamic show filled with remarkable performances and clever staging, and delivered with proper respect for the material.  Click here to read more.

You're a Good Play, Pseudo-"Charlie Brown": "Dog Sees God," at the Harrison Hilltop Theatre through July 31

By Thom White - 7/19/10
Playwright Bert V. Royal's Dog Sees God, which is basically Peanuts set in high school, is tough to swallow; it's not easy to hear comic-strip characters - cherished for their innocence - cussing and talking about sex. Yet while it's offensive, the script is also deeply sad, something the Harrison Hilltop Theatre's current production doesn't quite grasp until the play gets really, really sad.   
Click here to read more.


Rollin' on the River: “Show Boat,” at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through July 24

By Thom White - 7/21/10
Jennifer Noble is in the wrong role in the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's production of Show Boat. That's to say, she's so good in the role of Julie that the part seems woefully small. It is, however, impossible for Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II to write more songs and dialogue for the character, so we must be content to enjoy what we can during Noble's time on stage. And enjoy it I did. Immensely.   Click here to read more.

NEW FEATURE: Read the Reader Online!

Like reading the Reader online - but prefer the layout of the printed piece?  The River Cities' Reader is now availalbe online - so you can read the issue exactly as it's laid out in our printed issue.
Want to print out a copy of the Dining Guide?  Or just prefer the printed format to the online search?  We've got you covered!
Now at the top of every page of RiverCitiesReader.com are links to the current issue and the current Dining Guide.  Click on the current issue or current dining guide, and you can read, print, or donwload a pdf. 



New Features!

The Reader has recently added many new features to its Web site. Interested in getting involved in the local theatre scene? Check out our up-to-date listings of auditions and calls for entry. Catch up on nine years of reviews with our theatre-review and movie-review indexes. (You can also find Mike Schulz’s reviews of movies currently on Quad Cities screens.) And QCA Today tracks what’s being covered by the local media.

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