If the music of Iowa City-based trio Wombat is any indication, Iowa City must have a thriving free-improvisation scene that I had no idea existed.

President Joe Biden's signature campaign/policy slogan “Build Back Better” (BBB) is not original to Biden. It is not an ordinary meme; rather, it is a coordinated mantra echoed by leaders worldwide to signal support for the global socioeconomic agenda known as the Great Reset, conjured by the Davos-controlled World Economic Forum (WEF).

These massive appropriations are egregiously over-broad, allowing for implementation that tends to overreach agency authorities and invites waste, fraud, and abuse, creating more problems than it solves. Ascertaining what the appropriations can actually be applied to (spent on) is difficult for this reason. It is one more critical area of vigilance and oversight that we Americans have abdicated and must resume if we ever want this out-of-control spending Pandora back in the box.

A beloved holiday tradition that has captured the hearts of families worldwide will brought to life on December 18 in the touring production of The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Musical, its afternoon performance at Davenport's Adler Theatre a thrilling spectacle of music and dance that transports audiences directly to the North Pole.

A decades-long favorite who was named by Comedy Central as one of the 100 greatest standup comedians of all time, Paula Poundstone brings her national tour to Iowa City's Englert Theatre on December 17, the gifted standup long acclaimed for her solo shows, books, political coverage, and tenure as a frequent panelist on NPR's weekly quiz show Wait, Wait … Don't Tell Me!

Described by PopMatters as “a talent to keep an eye on,” as well as “a winning songwriter who manages to mix humor with traditional country sentiment without falling into hokey pastiche,” Nashville's Alex Williams makes his debut appearance at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on December 17, his 2017 album debut Better Than Myself inspiring RoughStock to call the singer/songwriter “an artist who is right up there with Jamey Johnson, Jason Isbell, and Chris Stapleton.”

Performing locally in support of their most recent album OHBAHOY – a collection described by Maximum Volume Music as “such a staggeringly diverse 11 songs that you can only marvel at it” – the Rockford, Illinois-based talents of Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts play Davenport's Raccoon Motel on December 16, the band sure to deliver what Americana-UK calls “smooth, well-written, and well-produced power-pop packages.”

Performing locally as a holiday gift to fans, the chart-topping, seven-time Grammy-winning music legend Gladys Knight brings her national tour to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on December 16, treating audiences to a remarkable repertoire dating back to the 1960s and boasting such unforgettable hits as “Every Beat of My Heart,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.”

The most powerful private financial interests in the world, under the cover of COP26, have developed a plan to transform the global financial system by fusing with institutions such as the World Bank and using them to further erode national sovereignty in the developing world.

Frankly, I was feeling a bit smug when I entered the Spotlight Theatre on Saturday night. Like many, I've seen The Sound of Music onstage, and the film several times. I know how the scripts and songs differ, and what to expect. Yet this production still astounded me: It's a grand, rich experience.