Before Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein became icons of the 20th Century, they were dreamers. Steve Martin thinks so anyway. In his 1996 play Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Martin explores the unusual (fictional) meeting of young artist Picasso and science genius Einstein before they created history-changing works and ideas - during a time they had only the visions in their heads to rely on. Richmond Hill Players is performing the play in Geneseo through October 13.

Iowa candidates for public office should be ashamed for not filling out Project Vote Smart's National Political Awareness Test (NPAT). What message does it send to voters when our incumbents and challengers are unwilling to share their views with voters? And what does it say about the parties and political consultants who discourage candidates from such basic disclosure? This refusal to inform voters is part of the systemic problem that perpetuates lack of accountability of the body politic.

• The audio alchemists of Negativland have done it again, challenging listeners with an electronic cacophony to accompany their latest "art damage" project, entitled Death Sentences of the Polished & Structurally Weak.

When the Davenport City Council on Wednesday considers raising fares for the city's mass-transit service by 50 percent, it's doing so with the risk that the move could backfire. While the city has estimates on how much revenue the fare increase might generate, history and the size of the hike suggest that the benefit might not be enough to bring the service out of the red.