Since the November 2006 election, the sentiment of the majority of Americans to end the war in Iraq continues to increase. A July Gallup Poll reported the highest-ever level of opposition to the war with 62 percent saying the U.S. made a mistake sending troops to Iraq.

On Thursday, September 6, the "Nina" - a replica of Christopher Columbus' favorite ship - will open itself up to the public in Davenport. The ship will be docked at Oneida Landing, adjacent to the Boathouse Restaurant, until her departure early on Monday, September 17. While the ship is in port, the general public is invited to visit for a self-guided tour. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, and $3 for students; children four and under are admitted free. The ship will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit (http://www.thenina.com).

 

Reader issue #647 When the lineup for the third River Roots Live festival was announced, I know I wasn't alone in my reaction: America?!

AmericaIn retrospect, everything turned out well, but Dewey Bunnell was skeptical when America was presented with an opportunity to record its first album for a major label in more than 20 years.

"I had my hesitations in the beginning," Bunnell said in a phone interview last week, "'cause it had been so long, and we had suffered disappointments with the previous projects of all-new material in the '90s. ... Nothing much happened with those, so I was very guarded going into this."

Charlie HunterIf you casually watch the Charlie Hunter Trio on stage, something might nag at you. It sounds like there's a bassist, but ... there's no bassist. Just Hunter and his guitar, drummer Simon Lott, and keyboardist Erik Deutsch playing jazz fusion with the direct appeal of rock music.

Some other details might get under your skin. Hunter's hands don't move in quite the same way as a typical guitarist's, and if you look closely, you'll notice that his instrument has seven strings.

William Elliott Whitmore If you've ever heard William Elliott Whitmore's singing - or read reviews of his work, which typically note that he has the weathered pipes of someone at least twice his age - you might snicker at this statement from the singer-songwriter: "I always wished I could sing like Frank Sinatra, or Morrissey, or fucking Dean Martin - those real crooner guys," he said in a phone interview this week.

Reel Big Fish Reel Big Fish's new record, Monkeys for Nothin' & the Chimps for Free, features "Another F.U. Song," which begins "Hey kids! It's time to use the 'F' word!" and includes, among its tamer phrases, "with a big rusty pole or a splintery post." You can guess the context in which those words are sung.

But it's a gleeful minute-long screed, not at all bitter. And that's quite a change for the California ska-punk band, which spent most of this millennium on a record label that wanted nothing to do with it.

The AtlasThe Young Emerging Writers will celebrate the release of The Atlas on Friday, August 30. The Atlas is a literary magazine put together by 11 interns, ranging from 15 to 19 years old, that includes poems, short stories, comics, and other writings by the interns and people they asked to submit work. The party will start at 7 p.m. in the third-floor conference room of the Bucktown Center for the Arts in downtown Davenport. Copies of the issue will be distributed free (while supplies last), and the magazine's contributors will read selections from the issue. This event is part of the Bucktown Final Friday series, which begins at 6 p.m.

 

Last week, it was reported that the Rock Island-based engineering firm eServ is close to finalizing a $6 million-plus, 15-year TIF (Tax Increment Financing) deal for its new $24 million-dollar facility sited in Davenport's 53rd Street corridor. In turn, eServ promises to bring 240 jobs to Davenport in the next three years, with an average compensation of $61,000. On its surface, it sounds like a fair bargain - but is it, really?

Are you watching the same city council I am? (See "Ever Thought About Running for Office?" River Cities' Reader issue #644, August 1-7, 2007.) You're choosing to support the worst of the worst!

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