Obama’s triple surge into Afghanistan
Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to war we go! As President Barack Obama begins winding down the Bush war in Iraq, he is building up his own war farther east. We’re told that it will be a new, expanded, extra-special American adventure in Afghanistan, involving a vigorous surge strategy to “stabilize” this perpetually unstable land. The…
The questionable future of FutureGen
When U. S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu met with the FutureGen Alliance on Monday to discuss whether to proceed with a large-scale coal gasification demonstration plant near Mattoon, he faced enormous questions. Can the companies involved take two relatively untested technologies and combine them in a way that will produce “clean” energy from coal? If…
Letters to the Editor
Schools and “the village” As we go to choose the school board on April 7, let us remember that we are choosing our children’s future [see “The ABCs of school board candidates,” by R.L. Nave, IT, March 26]. I have three nieces in the school system right here in Springfield. It’s the hip thing and…
Support the troops
On March 19, the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war, Adjutant General William Enyart asked Illinoisans to reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve in the Illinois National Guard. “While opinions on the war may vary, what we cannot question is the sense of duty, honor and selfless service each…
IT Picks
THEATER | Poetic performance World renowned St. Louis Black Repertory Company, known as The Black Rep, performs The Strong Men at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum Friday night. The show, also tagged as a choreo-poem, displays powerful voices and delicate humor of African-Americans who have made major contributions to American history. It features selected poems…
Some ‘tried and true” blue perennials for your garden
It’s time to begin thinking about adding new plants to our gardens. One of my favorite colors is blue. Unfortunately there are only a handful of blue-flowered perennials. Recently I had the privilege of attending a program given by Richard Hawke, plant evaluation manager at Chicago Botanic Garden. Richard does comparative evaluation of herbaceous perennials…
Quinn picked two 29-year-old directors over these more experienced men
{image-1] When Gov. Pat Quinn chose a young West Point graduate to head the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs last month, he skipped over a highly decorated veteran who served eight years as deputy director of the agency scheduled to receive $80 million in federal stimulus funds. Harold A. Fritz, who received the Congressional Medal…
Sub conscious
“Oh, I’ll just sub.” At some point, the thought of substitute teaching enters the mind of every unemployed worker and fresh-faced college graduate not sure of what to do with their life. But these days, landing a substitute teaching gig isn’t as automatic as it used to be, depending on where you live. With unemployment…
Illinois women scorned
You’re an Illinois woman in the middle 1800s and you find yourself pregnant after your sweetheart — who promised marriage — left. Your reputation and chance of finding a husband are ruined and you have to depend on your family for support. What to do? Sue the cad’s sorry behind. In those days, dumped pregnant…
Illinois EPA takes hands-off stance toward manure regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has expanded its investigation of the Illinois EPA, according to a group seeking improved regulation of factory farms. The group, Illinois Citizens for Clean Air and Water, petitioned the EPA a year ago asking the EPA to formally revoke the IEPA’s authority to issue certain types of permits [see “Plan…
Old Lux = old school = delicious
“A guy goes out to eat in the evening after a long day in the office — he don’t want on his plate something that he has to look and think, ‘What the — is this?’ What he want is a steak. ‘This is a steak. I like steak…. Mmmmm, I’m happy.’” — From the…
Ten years of The Station
Please join me in offering hearty congratulations to The Station as they commemorate 10 years together as a working band in 2009. Over the last decade, the Chatham-based group spent about half of that time playing on the road, released three CDs, including a double live set, Speed of Sound (2008), and won in two…
Adventureland features roller coaster of love
For those of us who lived through the ’80s as teenagers, Greg Mottola’s Adventureland — a poignant, nostalgic look at that time — will prove irresistible. With its disco-inspired fashion, slacker attitude and eclectic soundtrack, it perfectly captures that decade’s sense of carefree optimism, as seen through the eyes of a group of young people…
Fertility in the age of the Octomom
As specialists in the field of fertility, we cringe every time a higher order multiple pregnancy (three or more gestations) receives special attention. Almost every Mother’s Day contest for “Mother of the Year” selects a woman who has carried and delivered four, five, or six babies at once. “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” which chronicles…
Danger: Baby BOTTLES
If you’re concerned about what your baby sticks in his mouth, add his bottle to the list. That’s the message behind the Child-Safe Chemicals Act, a proposed Illinois law that would outlaw baby bottles, sippy cups and any other children’s food containers that contain the chemical bisphenol-A. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastic, used to…
Change for the homeless
Springfield will seek its share of $1.5 billion in federal funds for homeless services. The funds were set aside by Congress “for short-term rental assistance, housing relocation and stabilization services for families who may become homeless due to the economic crisis.” Sandy Robinson, the city’s community relations director, says the capital city’s portion would total…
The Illinois that Lincoln knew
Abraham Lincoln surrounds visitors to and residents of central Illinois. The Lincoln image the region presents and sells to the world, however, is often a caricature. Tourists may encounter Lincoln lookalikes, visit Lincoln sites and buy Lincoln souvenirs without ever contemplating his motivations or the impact that his contemporaries and his surroundings may have had…
