The perils of premature morality
A lot of people, I suppose, thought that George McGovern had died a long time ago when they heard in October that he had passed away. Some of them could even have put a date on his demise – election night 1972, when he lost his presidential campaign to the incumbent Richard Nixon in a…
Vote for funny
Get ready to cast your ballot for funny. March on down to the Hoogland Center for the Arts Nov. 3 for Second City for President. It has our vote, and we’re sure it will have yours, as Chicago’s legendary sketch comedy theater takes on the election. Laughter will erupt at the expense of both sides…
Wallflower a sincere look at teen troubles
While everyone was falling all over themselves praising the films of John Hughes for their keen insight on the plight of teenagers, I couldn’t help but scoff at the “sincerity” found in The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and others of their ilk. I always felt that the cast, and Hughes himself, was commenting on…
Jail doctor in good standing despite deaths
What’s a leg worth? Ten thousand dollars, at least in the eyes of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which in August fined Dr. Stephen Austin Cullinan of Peoria that amount for not properly treating an ankle fracture suffered by an inmate in the Macoupin County jail in Carlinville. Instead of sending Jason…
How sick was Lincoln?
The theories are plentiful: Abraham Lincoln was gay, or had Marfan’s syndrome, or syphilis or mercury poisoning; Mary Lincoln was insane, and on and on. But, are they true? It’s been 80 years since someone wrote a book addressing questions about Lincoln and his mental and physical health. A lot of new information and speculation…
Letters to the Editor 11/02/12
SUPPORT RAPE VICTIMSAs a rape victim advocate, I want every public official who makes a deplorable, victim-blaming statement to simply say, “I am sorry. I will never say that again.” Whether a person is a dogcatcher, U.S. Senator or the President of the United States, that person is out of touch when they say that…
Venues make a comeback
Not long ago Springfield was sorely lacking in club venues capable of handling a few hundred folks to see national touring acts. Now within a few months, voila!, ask and ye shall receive, here you go, we have the spaces. Some months back Catch 22, located downtown, near the corner of Fifth and Adams began…
All gone
Jeffrey Parsons and his company, THR and Associates, owe more than $467.2 million to consumers, tax collectors, media outlets and various other entities from coast to coast, according to recently filed documents in federal bankruptcy court that show taxpayers are owed the most. The 390-page list of creditors and amounts owed includes debts ranging from…
METER MADNESS
Two City Water, Light and Power retirees have reimbursed the city more than $12,000 for power bills going back as far as a decade. The retirees had been paying half what they should have for electricity, thanks to mechanical meters that had been running at half speed due to tampered gears, said Eric Hobbie, CWLP…
Poetic party
The public is invited to hear award-winning poets Allison Joseph and Jon Tribble at Quiddity’s fifth anniversary celebration. Held Nov. 7 in the historic Brinkerhoff Home on the campus of Benedictine University at Springfield, Joseph and Tribble will read, Springfield High School Jazz Band will play Dixieland-style music and the local Vachel Lindsay contest winner will…
A PRANK AND A CRANK
Sangamon County prosecutors are mulling whether to file charges against nine former Sacred Heart-Griffin students who filled thousands of paper cups with water and placed them on the floor of a school commons area last May. Those responsible for the senior prank were quickly identified – word soon spread (wonder how that happened) – and…
Humor licentiously
Dynamic Patterns Theatre presents three performances at the Hoogland Center for the Arts of the comedy Last of the Red Hot Lovers by Neil Simon. Middle-aged Barney Cashman has a wife, three kids, a Buick, a successful seafood restaurant and a desperate, timid fear that life will never offer him any of its illicit goodness.…
Helping Republicans find real voter fraud
Republican officials are having a major problem with their widely ballyhooed claim that they must create new barriers to voting in order to ensure the “integrity” of the ballot. The problem is this: Their high-decibel effort is completely devoid of integrity. The real electoral fraud is the GOP’s frantic claim that hordes of ineligible Democrats…
Four wettings and a funeral
My hubby and I had our first child last year, and we’re so happy and proud to be the creators of the most adorable creature either of us has ever seen, but our marriage is tanking. We aren’t naive; we expected change. But we’re both stressed and exhausted and we never have sex. Our lives…
Better choices than Obama vs. Romney
There are countless news stories and discussions about the idiosyncrasies that differentiate President Obama and Gov. Romney. Maybe it’s just the UIS Radical Student Union that’s confused by this, but when we look at the present election we see two right-of-center, corporatist parties posturing as opposites. Sure, there are some important differences between the parties,…
it’s a strange world poem # 1
had some interesting talk at writers groupt’other night yosh told how a stranger cameinto the flower shop stood by her and recitedichi, ni, san, shi, the japanese numbers to tenyosh has never learned the language she wasnonplussed she recited back at him uno, dos,tres, cuatro, up to ten the man walked outpeg’s story echoed this…
Illinois’ escalating super PAC arms race
Independent expenditures in state legislative races are closing in on the $2 million mark since July 1, with most of that spending coming in the month of October, Illinois State Board of Elections records show. Last March, a federal judge struck down Illinois’ law capping contributions to so-called state super PACs. Since then, according to…
Southern Foodways Symposium
My eyes were riveted on my laptop screen like a prepubescent adolescent’s anxiously awaiting Justin Bieber concert tickets to go on sale. The last few minutes went by with excruciating slowness, my hands poised over the keyboard. Suddenly the registration link activated. One click and it filled the screen. Hurriedly typing in my personal and…
Democrats get their Statehouse chance
The Republican legislative hegemony in Springfield is in peril. For the first time in almost 20 years, Springfield seems poised to help elect at least one – maybe even two – Democrats to represent the city in the Illinois General Assembly. On Nov. 6, voters in the near north and southeast area of Springfield will…
Atlas tries but dies
To be sure, the big screen adaptation of David Mitchell’s best-selling novel Cloud Atlas is an ambitious undertaking. Its very nature has led some to say it’s a property that could not be done justice to as a movie, and there may be something to that. It’s a sprawling story composed of six different stories…
Fantastic flicks
The Route 66 International Film Festival presents some of the best independent films from around the world. Submissions are reeled in from every continent except Antarctica and many are nominated for Academy Awards. The festival’s new home at The Legacy Theatre proves to be a perfect fit. Friday, Nov. 2, kicks off the two-day fest…
Randy Houser
His father worked as a professional musician and by age thirteen, Randy Houser was fronting his own band. From his native Miss., Randy took off for Nashville in 2002. One of his first cuts was a co-write of the Top Five hit, “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.” With that song establishing him as viable country music maker,…
Chicken purloo
Chicken purloo • 1 approximately 4-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces• Kosher salt• 3 T. bacon fat or peanut or other vegetable oil, divided• 2 c. diced yellow onions, NOT supersweet• 1 c. diced celery• 2 T. minced garlic• 1/2 c. diced green or red bell pepper• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes or to…
