Movie Review – Spirited Away
Spirited Away Spirited Away not only has brilliant animation and marvelous storytelling, but it’s also head and shoulders above what’s happening in American cartoons. The latest film by revered Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, whose Princess Mononoke was released in the U.S. by Disney in 1999, Spirited Away mostly eschews digital technology in favor of old-fashioned…
Heart Healthy
Genda Freeman leads a group of eight people through Schnuck’s supermarket, pointing out an obvious fact of life: if you want to be healthy, you have to focus on fruits and vegetables, not candy and chips. Freeman, a clinical dietitian at St. John’s Hospital, explains how to read nutritional labels on cereal boxes and blocks…
Bards of the Sangamo 2-20-03
Under the Dome Down the street from Lincoln TowerUnder the dome in the seat of powerHeavy are the heads that wear the crownsBecause five billion dollars must be found. Bipartisan effort come on let’s thinkAs we face a budget deficit on the brinkNot higher taxes that’s what they are cryin’To clean up this mess left…
Pulliam’s pit
A recent archaeological dig in west central Illinois has revealed a bit of early Sangamon County history. Robert Pulliam, believed to be our area’s first settler, was remembered as a rough-and-rowdy pioneer who led a band of three men and one woman into present-day Sangamon County in the fall of 1817. They grazed cattle, hunted,…
Now Playing 2-20-03
Old man winter has been having a regular party lately, with us as his uninvited guests. Not deterred were some patrons of the arts and partakers of the spirits. A few shows were cancelled last weekend, but the Robbie Fulks concert at the Underground City Tavern was not thwarted by the inclement weather. And just…
Getting in with the in crowd
What could a motorcyclists’ advocacy group possibly have in common with the Illinois Arts Council? Members of ABATE (A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education) champions the right to ride without helmets, while the arts council wants more money for music, art, and poetry. But both organizations know their way around the Capitol dome and, more importantly,…
Not tonight, honey: there’s a war on
One sure-fire way to get men to lay down their arms is for all the women to keep their legs crossed. That’s the premise of the play Lysistrata, a bawdy anti-war comedy first performed in 411 BC and the subject of performances worldwide on Monday. Written by the Greek satirist Aristophanes, the play tells how…
The Floodgates
The Floodgates Democrats won’t let the budget stop a deluge of bills. Ten years in the minority frustrated Illinois Senate Democrats. They would sponsor bills that had passed the House with huge bipartisan majorities–and often significant public support–only to watch them quietly die in the Senate Rules Committee, which was controlled with an iron fist…
Your Turn 2-27-03
Lincoln Library Shortens Sundays Beginning March 2, the Lincoln Library at 326 S. Seventh will shorten its hours of operation on Sundays. The library will now open at 12:30 p.m. and close at 4 p.m. The new Sunday hours are a cost-cutting measure. Starting May 11, the library will be closed on Sundays for the…
A new fight for equal rights
Three pieces of legislation were debated a few weeks ago at a low-key hearing of the Illinois House’s civil-law committee. One bill would allow trusts for pets. Another would grant elderly victims of crimes the right to give depositions at home. Both proposals were sent to the full House with no objections, 18 to 0.…
Jammed packed
Even people who aren’t supporters of Karen Hasara will admit she’s done a lot of good during her two terms as Springfield’s first woman mayor. She’s furthered the development of downtown and helped to build the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. She’s brought in outside experts to suggest ways to beautify the city.…
Dead air
If you noticed a camera crew shooting around town this week, don’t get too excited: Reese Witherspoon and Sally Fields aren’t back. In fact, this is one production you definitely don’t want to be an extra in–unless, that is, you have a case of progressive rigor mortis. It’s a pilot for a television show tentatively…
Front yard runners
Beth Ross’s lawn is attracting double takes. While most of her neighbors have planted signs touting their favorite mayoral candidates, Ross’s yard looks like it belongs to someone who’s proud to remain undecided: It has side-by-side signs for Tim Davlin and Tony Libri. “It’s made for a good conversation piece,” Ross says with a laugh.…
Your Turn 2-20-03
Credit due In last week’s paper, we mistakenly lopped off the name of Illinois Heritage, the magazine of the Illinois State Historical Society, which published the original version of Stacy Pratt McDermott’s article on Abraham Lincoln, divorce lawyer. Divorce is still bad Dear Illinois Times, As a lifelong resident of central Illinois who has…
Anatomy of a Playwright
Eve Ensler, the 49-year-old author and sometime performer of The Vagina Monologues, is on a pay phone at the Denver International Airport. She’s about to board a transpacific flight bound for Melbourne, Australia. “My head is spinning,” she says. In the six years since The Vagina Monologues opened off-Broadway, the play has turned into an…
Bards of the Sangamo 2-27-03
All Hail the Native Sons Of that renowned pair in whose universal fame this copperhead city basks in dubious honor– a poet and a politician– the former drank Lysol and the latter hopped an east-bound train, grew a beard and never came back. —Frank Stokes Local poets were writing about contemporary events in the Sangamo…
Now Playing 2-27-03
Here we are again, diehard champions of the nightlife: Fighting the elements to find a place to raise some spirits and enjoy live music. Start off this week with a Thursday night visit to Floyd’s Thirst Parlor, soon to be celebrating one year as a downtown Springfield watering hole. The orange neon reflects off the…
Parole officer
Nancy Bowman, 45, has been a parole officer for 13 years. Originally from Salisbury, North Carolina, she relocated to the Springfield area after graduating from Southern Illinois University. Last week she spoke with writer Traci Moyer about her career choice. She sat in a high-backed chair, which dwarfed her petite five-foot-two-inch frame. Her soft Southern…
Homegrown
You could say Dan Heffelmire likes corn. “That’s his life,” says his wife, Connie. “It’s his passion and obsession. He’s out there in the summer trying to create hybrids and hand-breeding corn for the future. His life has revolved around corn. He would do this job if he didn’t get paid.” The Pleasant Plains couple…
Seeking asylums
In a 40-year-old photo from the Jacksonville Developmental Center, an unidentified woman crouches in a hallway with walls marked by divots and flaking paint. Her face is hidden under her arms. A caption reads, “Did this woman have people who loved her? Did they visualize her huddled in this corner? How could we not care…
Movie Reviews – The Pianist, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
The Pianist Roman Polanski’s The Pianist approaches the Holocaust by telling a personal story of despair and ultimately triumph against the broad canvas of World War II. Polanski and writer Ronald Harwood put a face on this massive tragedy by focusing on Wladyslaw Szpilman, a renowned Polish-Jewish pianist, passionately portrayed by Adrien Brody. Though tragedy…
Stop the music?
When Ken Duffy took over Walko Music Co. in 1980, the store had been renting band instruments to Springfield schools for 25 years. But last semester Duffy saw a “25 percent” drop in his rental business. The decline will become even more drastic if District 186 continues to cut funds to band programs. That outrages…
Homeland Insecurity
Before the United States was thrown into uncertainty and grief on September 11, 2001, Springfield residents were the target of a terrorist attack. In the spring of 2001, only months before the World Trade Center tragedy, a group of terrorists were discovered on the Illinois Sate Fairgrounds during a defense department exercise. They were mixing…
Bards of the Sangamo 3-6-03
Sonnet for Springfield How we try to rise above the prairie, Minds in constant flux, reach stars from heaven, Pull beautiful dreams from far and airy Realms overruled by good old Orion. Yet we live to flows of rivers, seasons, And the fits and starts of constant commerce In the heartland of the rich in…
Policing the police
The City Council meeting was packed with angry citizens outraged over the latest scandal in the Springfield Police Department. Mayor Karen Hasara tried pounding her gavel, she tried apologizing, and she even tried publicly admitting that, yes, “there is racism in the department.” Finally, she tried promising a citizen review board, and police chief John…
Pat Quinn rendered speechless!
For more than 20 years Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn has proudly cast himself as a people’s advocate. He helped create the 150,000-member Citizens Utility Board, which has acted as a trusted consumer watchdog of the utility industry since 1983. Quinn has long raged against the political clout wielded by the company formerly known as Ameritech,…
Life and Debt
In the early 90s documentary filmmaker Stephanie Black had been vacationing in Jamaica for several years, but every time she stepped off the plane she felt mired in a deepening quandary. She was an American, but the presence of Americans–and their dollars–seemed to be changing the very character of the country. With every return trip,…
Now Playing 3-6-03
As the winter weather hangs on, and those warm rays elude your paling skin, you might want to try the next best thing to sunshine–artificial lighting in a smoky bar. You can watch the weather on TV and down a libation while waiting for the live music to crank up. If that doesn’t work–well, you…
First Draft
In January, as U.S. troops massed for a possible war with Iraq, Congressman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) proposed something no lawmaker had done in years: legislation to reinstitute the draft. Rangel’s idea sparked several weeks of lively debate in the halls of government, on TV pundit shows, and in the op-ed pages. Proponents and opponents of…
Made men
At the end of primary election day on February 25, Mark Mahoney got some good news. He not only finished first among four candidates for alderman of Springfield City Council Ward 6, he got more votes than the other three candidates combined. Mahoney says his success was due to his simple promise to be a…
A peace marcher’s progress report
On February 15, I was in New York City for the international day of protest called “The World Says No to War.” It was biting cold, and I had to double up on everything: two pairs of socks, long underwear plus my warm pants, earmuffs under a hood, finger gloves covered by mittens. The huge…
On guard
Springfield’s oldest crossing guard, Herman Hamilton, works down the block from Dubois Elementary School. He directs traffic at the corner of Monroe and Lincoln while puffing on an ever-present pipe. On Valentine’s Day, Hamilton bought an exact number of suckers for every child on his watch. He handed out the candy as he talked to…
Tradition with a twist
Taking advantage of the lull between the lunch and dinner crowds, Michael Higgins sits down at a white linen-topped table in the dim bar at Maldaner’s, the city’s oldest restaurant. As co-owner, Higgins spends his time buying, planning, and preparing food. Now he’s taking a few minutes to discuss it. With his glasses, gray mustache,…
Movie Reviews – Cradle 2 the Grave, The Life of David Gale
Cradle 2 the Grave If anyone can build an acting career on a glower, it’s DMX. The vowel-deficient rapper started his film career in the underrated Belly and then moved on to Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds. He sports a steely, narrow glare and tightly drawn mouth whether shooting bad guys, cracking wise, or…
Mayor Davlin’s right-hand woman
The revolution is manifest in the decor of the spacious corner office overlooking Monroe Street. The centerpiece is a rocking chair on a colorful rug. The credenza holds a handmade pottery tea service. A trio of colorful papier mache birds perches on the window sill. And the bookshelf brims with volumes by Maya Angelou, Alice…
Still making the case for ethanol
For years ethanol has been touted as a homegrown solution to satisfy America’s unquenchable thirst for oil. It’s made from renewable sources–any substance with sufficient amounts of sugar, or material that can be converted into sugar, like the starch in corn. When burned, ethanol creates less pollution than gas. Every year nearly 2 billion gallons…
Bottoms up for Tony Libri
So it’s Wednesday night and you’re flipping around the TV channels looking for something–anything!–worth watching, and there on cable access channel four is Republican mayoral contender, Tony Libri. Ah, let’s see what Libri’s talking about tonight. Is it economic development? Neighborhood revitalization? How to solve all the problems at the police department? No. As it…
Movie Reviews – X2: X-Men United, The Lizzie McGuire Movie
X2: X-Men United Director Bryan Singer delivers the first subtle superhero movie. Yes, there are great stunts and flexing muscles. Heroes slice and dice their foes, shoot fire and ice, transport across time and space, and perform many other tricks. But it’s obvious Singer and screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris are far less interested…
A beautiful day in the neighborhood
Last Saturday was a good day. In the morning I shopped it up at a neighborhood yard sale. I came home with a chinchilla stole ($4) to wear on Halloween, a vintage handmade felt Christmas stocking decorated profusely with sequins ($2), a yellow twig dogwood shrub ($5), and a handful of trinkets. I even found…
Quiet American irony
Long before it opened nationwide in the United States, The Quiet American premiered in Vietnam to great fanfare. I saw it in Saigon last December, when the Vietnamese government literally rolled out the red carpet for director Phillip Noyce, actor Brendan Fraser, and the press. The reason? As one of the Vietnamese representatives put it…
Backstage Pass
If you’re planning to take in Charlotte’s Web at the Springfield Theatre Centre over the next two weekends (May 9 to 11, and 16 to 18) you might consider going twice. Director Nancy Miller has cast the leading role of “Charlotte” with two of Springfield’s strongest young performers, Talor Lutz and Molly Mathewson. It might…
Now Playing 5-8-03
Heads up, people. There’s music all around you. Here are some highlighted events taking place this week in our pearl of the prairie. Who’s not a sucker for a beer garden? Outside in the spring, sipping on a cool drink, listening to music, watching the world go by–sounds good to me. Alamo proprietor Barry Friedman…
Bards of the Sangamo 4-10-03
“Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight” is Vachel Lindsay’s most famous poem. Written at the beginning of World War I, it portrays Lincoln walking the streets of Springfield sharing Lindsay’s concern at the coming of war. Here is a poem with a less elevated tone that celebrates a Springfield landmark only slightly less well known than…
Movie Reviews – Phone Booth, Basic, The Core and A Man Apart
Phone Booth Who would have guessed that Joel Schumacher–the director of bloated, empty movies such as Batman and Robin and the Anthony Hopkins-Chris Rock spy turkey Bad Company–would be capable of delivering a riveting film that depends on economic, narrative filmmaking. He does just that with the taut thriller Phone Booth, a tight 81-minute claustrophobic…
Your Turn 3-6-03
Hindsight isn’t 90-90-90 Dear Illinois Times Editor: We commend the Illinois Times and journalist Pete Sherman for covering education-related topics in the article that appeared February 6 [“Dis-integration”]. In my discussion with Pete for that article, I mentioned that district representatives visited a 90-90-90 school in California. I’d like to take this opportunity to clarify…
Death penalty politics
State Representative Mary O’Brien, a Democrat from Watseka, chairs the Illinois House committee on criminal justice. Given the Democratic Party’s takeover of Springfield and her own landslide reelection in November (she received 70 percent of the vote), you might suspect O’Brien and seven committee members passed a bill to abolish the death penalty last Friday…
The governor’s permanent campaign
Say what you want about Rod Blagojevich, he sticks like Super Glue to his top priorities. Unfortunately, his highest priority is running a permanent campaign. Pundits used to accuse Bill Clinton of the very same thing, but it worked for Clinton. Blagojevich undoubtedly figures he can ignore the grumbling of statehouse “insiders” and succeed with…
Your Turn 3-13-03
Heck no, he won’t go To the editor, Re: reviving the draft? [“First Draft: The battle to create universal national service has just started. Here’s how it can be won.” by Paul Glastris, March 6.] What are you guys, nuts or something? Now I don’t know what kind of dipstick Mr. Glastris is, but this…
Canned radio
A.J. Woodson knows how to say no. As a late-night deejay on WNNS-FM “Lite Rock 99,” he has received hundreds of phone calls over the years from listeners wanting to hear their favorite songs. If the song was on the station’s playlist, Woodson was happy to oblige. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t. Or rather, couldn’t.…
Why Andy Won’t Die
The homemade flyers appear all around town like a tragic folk art series. Some feature a snapshot of three smiling boys–a young father holding his two little sons. Some feature a morbid photo of that same father, bruised and bleeding, sustained by a ventilator and IVs. The text below the picture is always something sensational…
Your Turn 5-8-03
Ahead of her time To the editor: Many thanks for Cinda Klickna’s fine retrospective on 1930s Springfield, gleaned from Lucy Williams’ remarkable diary [“The Lost City,” May 1]. The photos and the history revived plenty of memories and perhaps stirred new appreciation for Vachel Lindsay, the poet who gave our town a literary legacy despite…
No Child Left Unrecruited
The Iraqi Peace Coalition, which is considering a name change so it can take on more issues, wants Springfield parents to know that the U.S. military is interested in their children. “The No Child Left Behind Act requires high schools to provide the name, address, and phone numbers of all juniors and seniors to the…
Don’t walk this way
In 1998 Terry Moore purchased a home in Lake Forest Estates, a new subdivision in the southeastern part of town. One day on a walk around the block, he came to a corner and stopped. Instead of finding a sidewalk leading to the street, he was left standing before only a stretch of grass. After…
Death of a Killing Machine
Overshadowed here by legislative debate over possible death-penalty reforms, a milestone in the history of the American death penalty has been sneaking up on us. Nebraska’s legislators are expected to vote this spring to quit using the electric chair, sanctioning a switch to lethal injection as the state’s execution method of choice. Nebraska will be…
Bards of the Sangamo
Snow Geese on Lake Springfield Thousands of wings in flight Hover, flutter, clutter Witness to an unprecedented sight Going north for summer —Linda S. Anderson Local poets were writing about contemporary events in the Sangamo Journal as early as the 1830s. People’s Poetry wants you to share your thoughts on what’s happening in Springfield todayÑin…
Emilio’s taste of Mexico
“In Mexico, the men never touch the kitchen,” says Emilio Lomeli, laughing. “It would be considered a women’s place.” Lomeli is sitting in Emilio’s Mexican Food, his restaurant in downtown Springfield. He’s dressed in a white apron, explaining how U.S. restaurants differ from those in Mexico. Lomeli, who spends most of his 12-hour workdays over…
Rustic retreat
Pat Adamski once dreamed of operating a quaint tearoom in the woods. After living in Israel for more than two decades–leading an adventuresome life as an archeologist–she was ready to return to central Illinois and settle in the peaceful countryside. She didn’t quite find her tearoom in the woods, but she came close. For the…
Bards of the Sangamo 5-8-03
Collected Stones And so it’s the end; it was all Or nothing and now It’s the end. Every good thing Dies, so it may live again and Now it’s the end of my Passionate friend—collected stones From the ancient river hold Secrets of time forgotten On their journey to the sea. Time to move—to stay…
Homeless in winter
The homeless are often called “lazy” or “crazy.” Writer John Jermaine spent last weekend in the freezing cold, talking to homeless people as they tried to stay warm. He says there is no one type. “I have discovered men who defended this country, people who do volunteer work, and those driven to the streets by…
The incredible egg
The egg pops up this time of year in a variety of forms, from the real thing dyed in subtle shades to the plastic and chocolate varieties. The simple yet complex egg, in its humble shell, has been acknowledged since ancient times as a reminder of spring and rebirth. The American Egg Board—based in the…
Now Playing 3-13-03
It’s the Ides of March. It’s St. Patrick’s Day. It’s the Roman-Irish connection all over again. Where’s my Book of Kells? Who saved Western Civilization and why? Who created it and what for? Oh it’s all just too much sometimes. Let’s hear some music and drown our searching. Friday marks the return of the Screamin’…
Sins of omission
The only racism in the Springfield Police Department is reverse racism–the kind where blacks get better treatment than whites. That’s one of the conclusions reached by the Peoria law firm Husch & Eppenberger, which was hired last November to investigate the Springfield Police Department’s handling of two cases involving black officers. The firm’s 99-page report…
Backstage Pass
Springfield Theatre Centre is presenting Tennessee Williams’ drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof this weekend, March 14 through 16, in a production directed by Ed Smith. If you’re wondering why STC seems determined to revive old Williams plays (it produced A Streetcar Named Desire in 2001), perhaps these 50-year-old war horses are back in…
