It has always been a nomadic monster, roaming the Quad Cities (usually Rock Island) in search of arts patrons. In recent years, it has squatted at The Villa, the McKesson building, and (most recently) the Rocket Theatre.

Now, in its 13th year, it has taken up temporary residence across the river in Bucktown, and it has also mutated. What was once a single-minded creature - all about selling art - has now evolved into something of an entertainer. To its already formidable arsenal it has added magic and improvisational comedy and a haunted dungeon.

It is, of course, MidCoast Fine Arts' Great Mask Halloween Bash & Fine Art Auction, scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 21, at the Bucktown Center for the Arts (225 East Second Street in downtown Davenport).

According to The Oxford English Dictionary, "justice" is defined as "maintenance of legal, social, or moral principles by the exercise of authority or power; assignment of deserved reward or punishment," "the quality or fact of being just; (the principle of) just dealing or conduct; integrity; impartiality, fairness," and "conformity (of an action or thing) to moral right or to reason, truth, or fact."

The above definitions are foundational to our democracy. When these principles fail on any level, whether in our national arena, district courts, or local civil-rights commissions, this failure contributes to the overall erosion of our system.

St. Ambrose University's enrollment continues to rise, with the university achieving a record 3,780 students this fall, according to the official 20th-day count. The record enrollment is the school's ninth in the past 10 years. Founded in 1882, St. Ambrose offers more than 75 majors in undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs, and maintains a 15-to-one student-faculty ratio. For more information, go to (http://www.sau.edu).

In 2000, Mother Jones published a commentary attacking the annual Project Censored list of major stories underrepresented in the mainstream media. The 2006 version of Project Censored starts on page 7 in this week's River Cities' Reader.