Xstream Cleanup, presented by Riverboat Development Authority, is seeking hundreds of volunteers to clean up 32 waterways in the Quad Cities on Saturday, August 19 from 8:30 a.m. until noon. This annual event is presented in collaboration with nationally-known, Quad City native Chad Pregracke and his Living Lands & Waters team. Cleanups will take place in Bettendorf, Davenport, and LeClaire, Iowa, and East Moline, Milan, Moline, Rock Island, and Taylor Ridge, Illinois. The main focus of Xstream Cleanup 2006 is an illegal dumping site in Bettendorf where Crow Creek drains into the Mississippi River; that site, discovered during last year's Xstream Cleanup, has an estimated 3,000 tires scattered along the creek and will be the primary work site for Pregracke and his crew. Those interested in volunteering should register online at (http://www.xstreamcleanup.org) or call (563) 468-4218. Volunteers receive a free T-shirt and a light breakfast; no previous experience is necessary and supplies will be provided.

In conjunction with this year's Music Guide, the River Cities' Reader has added new music-related features to its Web site.

You might notice that our print Music Guide no longer lists local bands, bars, and performance venues. That's because we've shifted that content to our Web site. As a result, it's searchable, and registered users can claim and edit their listings or create listings for their new bands or venues. In other words, the people who have the most to gain from accurate listings - whether they're bands, bars, or restaurants - will ensure that our database is as comprehensive and up-to-date as possible.

The Wizard of Oz

Timber Lake Playhouse beginning Thursday, July 27,

and Prospect Park Auditorium beginning August 4

The article this sidebar accompanies is less about ethanol than it is about government encouraging agricultural practices that aren't sustainable and do more harm than good to communities. Author Kamyar Enshayan argues that the federal government, in particular, should divert some agricultural subsidies into re-building sustainable local economies. Championing ethanol as the savior of the Midwestern farm, he claims, is a losing proposition.

To be clear, Enshayan said that ethanol is superior to gasoline in terms of its desirability as a source of energy. "Gasoline is terrible," he said. But he added that conservation and other options aren't being considered as alternatives to ethanol and gasoline. "We're in an addictive situation," he said of the United States' energy consumption. "What do we do to get out of it?"