Lawrence Salvages “Mockingjay – Part 2”
And so it finally comes to an end, as Francis Lawrence’s Mockingjay-Part 2 brings the curtain down on the big-screen adaptations of Suzanne Collins’ cash cow The Hunger Games. Those who have read and re-read the author’s books can attest to whether these films have been true to their source; as for me I’ve been hooked…
Huang speaks
In my column of May 6, 2010, “Making room for the Huangs,” I described Wenguang Huang, the Chinese translator and journalist who emigrated to the United States in 1990, specifically to Springfield, where he earned his second master’s degree from the public affairs reporting program offered by what was then still Sangamon State University. Huang…
“Peanuts” a Pleasant Greatest Hits Affair
Within the first ten minutes of Steve Martino’s The Peanuts Movie, we are re-introduced to all of the key characters in Charles Schulz’s universe, Charlie Brown has been upended on the pitcher’s mound – his clothes scattered to the four winds- after his best fastball has been rocketed back to him, Snoopy has stolen Linus’…
“All-American” Drowns in Schmaltz
Angelo Pizzo’s My All-American is a movie with the best of intentions, most of them presented in a manner that would be better suited to a film from the 1950’s. All of the characters here have the depth of a shallow puddle, all conflicts are surmountable through hard work and determination and America is a…
Moving forward
The Springfield City Council is expected to approve the purchase of this house on 10 ½ Street for $59,350 to make way for an underpass as part of the city’s railroad relocation project. PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON The city of Springfield is proceeding with land acquisition for a massive railroad relocation project despite failing to…
Kitchen concoctions
Jim Davison enjoys corn dogs at the Cozy Dog Drive In in Springfield. PHOTO BY TOM UHLENBROCK/TNS Writing about diners and diner food lately (see “Off the menu” and “Breakfast of a champion”) has left me hungry to know what other contributions to the nation’s waistline can be traced to this part of the world.…
What’s the price on Jeb Bush’s integrity?
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE If you are a presidential aspirant and you have to tell people that you are a person of integrity – there’s a very good chance that you are not. And those odds at least quadruple if you have to hire a talking head to attest to your honor;…
Budget negotiation is all in the details
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS The concept of a public meeting on Nov. 18 by the four legislative leaders and the governor sounds nice, but will it actually move the ball forward and break the months-long governmental impasse? As you probably know, a group of good government types recently called on the state’s leaders to sit down and…
Letters to the Editor 11/12/15
PHOTO BY ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/TNS LIGHTS NOT A PRIORITYInternet sites that facilitate the donation of small amounts of money by large numbers of people, known as “crowdfunding,” are a wonderful innovation. Many teachers, for example, use crowdfunding to purchase classroom resources and fund field trips in an effort to give children in less wealthy school…
Editor’s note 11/12/15
This was the week that the ice began melting at the Statehouse. Child care cuts were largely restored. Cuts to home care for seniors were reversed. Unemployment compensation reform may be on the way. There’s hope for opening up the road fund to fund roads again. It looks like Gov. Bruce Rauner may allow the…
The most dangerous place in the world
The most dangerous place in the world on Aug. 15, 1950, was the Pusan Perimeter. On that day, Second Lieutenant Bob Evans arrived in-country, part of the under-strength, poorly equipped and ill-prepared 2nd Infantry Division, shipped directly from Ft. Lewis, Washington. North Koreans had launched a massive surprise attack on June 25, and quickly overwhelmed…
Terrific triskelion
On Thursday, Nov. 12, from 5:30-7:30pm, join local authors Barb Olson, John Knoepfle and Sandy Baksys as they sign and read short bits from their new books – The Aloe of Evening (poems) by Knoepfle, On the Rez (short stories) by Olson and A Century of Lithuanians in Springfield (history) by Baksys. Held at the…
The case for bipartisanship
PHOTO BY MONICA CABRERA/TNS Throughout his career in Washington, Raymond LaHood has purported that partisan pettiness is hindering our nation’s ability to successfully face its challenges, which range from a crumbling infrastructure to terrorism to economic growth. A Washington veteran, LaHood worked as chief of staff for the House minority leader, served as a representative…
A classical concerto
This Saturday, relax and enjoy a solo concert by classical guitar virtuoso William Yelverton. His acclaims and accolades are large in scope, including being named a Prize Winner in the Guitar Foundation of America International Competition. His recent recording, Harpsichord Music on Guitar, has earned rave reviews by Guitar Review and Soundboard Magazine. Yelverton is…
Fawn Juan
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon I’m a 31-year-old single guy with a problematic pattern. Women I ask out seem to love how I’m open and very complimentary from the start, but then, suddenly, they get cold feet. It seems that once women know they’re desired they’re done with you. My guy friends tell me…
Censored: Ten big stories the news media ignored
In 1976, when Carl Jensen, a professor at California’s Sonoma State University, started looking into news media self-censorship, nobody had ever dreamed of the Internet. Most computers were still big mainframes with whirling tape reels; Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had just figured out how to make a personal computer, but sales were in the…
From Lithuania to the land of Lincoln
A Century of Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois by Sandy Baksys, 2015 My advice is always to “read locally,” but you’ll find when you read about Springfield’s Lithuanians, you’re reading globally. A Century of Lithuanians is an account of these immigrants – the first wave early in the century, why they left their homeland, how they…
You’re in ’luck
Get your casserole dishes ready! The holidays are almost here, which means potlucks are sure to be soon filling up your calendar. Potlucks are a popular choice for the season because they allow everyone to contribute to the meal. This lessens the workload for everyone since each guest is only worried about one or two…
Cult of personality
Donald Trump feels the love at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. PHOTO BY LEE MILNER Midway through his hour-long address Monday, Donald Trump acknowledged the weirdness of this election season. “You can say anything about anybody and their poll numbers go up,” Trump told what was billed as the largest crowd ever to gather at…
Making Springfield cool
The crosswalk at Sixth and Washington streets depicts Abraham Lincoln and family in the style of the Beatles’ famous Abbey Road album cover. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Just keep swimming. That was the message of Sustainable Springfield last week as the progress-minded group shared its vision for building a more attractive city, one small piece…
Some doctors uneasy about medical marijuana
Although Illinois’ medical marijuana program rolled out this week, some doctors aren’t participating, potentially limiting the program’s success. Two of the four main medical institutions in Springfield have advised their doctors to avoid the program out of uncertainty over a potential crackdown by the federal government. The Illinois General Assembly approved the medical marijuana pilot…
COUNTY FUNDRAISER
Call it the scofflaw express. Starting Jan. 1, Sangamon County will start mailing out offers that many speeders and other minor traffic violators can’t refuse. Instead of making people go to the courthouse to ask for court supervision, the county will allow folks who get traffic tickets to get breaks by mail and receive supervision…
MUSEUM MAY REOPEN
The Illinois General Assembly passed a bill on Tuesday to reopen the Illinois State Museum, but it’s too late to prevent some of the damage caused by its closing. The museum system, with its main campus and its Research and Collection Center located in Springfield, closed to the public on Oct. 1 on the order…
Past haunts tepid Spectre
Daniel Craig as James Bond in Spectre. PHOTO COURTESY SONY PICTURES Calling Spectre the biggest misstep in the James Bond franchise may be a bit of an overstatement; to say that it’s a missed opportunity of titanic proportions would be more accurate. Failing to build on the momentum he so brilliantly generated with the game-changing…
Music matters most
Mary and the Immaculate Rejections play a CD release show at Black Sheep Cafe on Sat., Nov. 14. Ah, November comes and I feel the sadness and sorrow in my bones, even with these wonderful, extra sunny days. That normal slowing down of fall combined with the time change just knocked me for a loop.…
Enamel
With Kevin Wasmer (vocals, guitar) and Sam Ganci (drums) as the core of the band’s hard-hitting, melodic sound for several years, the recently recharged Enamel added Nick Beal (bass) and Tyler Landess (lead guitar, vocals) for a first show on Halloween after only five weeks of heavy-duty rehearsals. Nick and Sam are longtime members of…
compassion poem #3
I hear trump visitedOur Fair City last nightconvention center filledheard people clappedwhen he vowed he’d notlet syrian refugees intothe country those clappersundoubtedly to a persondescendents of faminewartorn immigrants hesaid this in abe’s home townhow very far we’ve fallen
Prudhomme recipes
Barbequed shrimp PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ Last week I wrote about Paul Prudhomme, the chef who first brought Cajun cooking to America’s forefront. Below are three of my most favorite Prudhomme recipes. This is what Prudhomme made at Chicago’s Fancy Food Festival. While it doesn’t contain traditional Cajun ingredients except his spice blend(s), it’s a…
Trump rump 2016
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
