“Infinity War” Rights Itself After Awkward Start
Let’s be honest, directors Anthony and Joe Russo as well as producer Kevin Feige have painted themselves into a corner where Avengers: Infinity War is concerned. What with an 18 movie run-up to this event and more than 20 superheroes to juggle in a single film, is there really anyway this could live up to the…
Beyond naming and shaming
As the high-profile Bill Cosby trial winds down this week, it’s right to ask what happens to low-profile victims who get harassed in the workplace every day by low-profile lowlifes? What happens to victims who don’t happen to work in Hollywood? Naming and shaming doesn’t work so well when offenders don’t have much of a…
Examining the Kochtopus
Multibillionaires Charles and David Koch want nothing less than to supplant America’s core democratic principle of majority rule with their core plutocratic principle of inviolable property rights, also known as domination by the wealthy minority. From their early involvement in The John Birch Society, they continued their rightward march, and by the 1970s, both had…
Sam McCann’s third-party bid for governor
Several months ago, House Speaker Michael Madigan’s chief of staff Tim Mapes made copies of candidate nominating petitions for what appeared to be every single candidate in the state, regardless of party or office sought. Madigan’s spokesperson was mum when asked why. It turns out that a database was constructed of the names of all…
Letters to the Editor 4/26/18
TOXIC CAFO EMISSIONS Both the U.S. House and Senate are responsible for a dangerous provision that was inserted into the omnibus appropriations spending bill signed by President Trump. On page 2,203 of this enormous bill is a favor granted to factory farming industry advocates who have been urging legislation in both the House and Senate…
Editor’s note 4/26/18
Speaking in Springfield Saturday at the annual Illinois Innocence Project dinner will be attorney Jerry Buting, of the 2015 Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer” and author of Illusion of Justice, who speaks to the workings of an often flawed justice system, as seen from his view as co-counsel in the sensational Steven Avery. Meanwhile Avery, Buting’s…
A whale of a good idea
So long, Shamu. For more than a decade I’ve been signing the name of the world’s most famous killer whale on credit card receipts and signature pads. When I’m not in a hurry, I add a crude drawing with jagged teeth and a spray of water coming out of Shamu’s blowhole. And not once, not…
The Second City does Springfield
Chicago’s legendary sketch and improv comedy theater returns to the Hoogland Center for the Arts on Friday, April 27 at 8 p.m. with “The Best of The Second City.” This must-see show features the best sketches and songs from The Second City’s history made famous by superstars like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda…
A four-course morel dinner
Make reservations now for Slow Food Springfield’s third and final annual morel mushroom dinner, hosted at Maldaner’s on Saturday, May 5, at 6 p.m. Attendees will be treated to a four-course meat or vegetarian meal highlighting the morel mushroom followed by a Q-and-A session with chef Michael Higgins. This event utilizes open seating and is…
The Joy of Running 100 Miles
“It was sooooo much fun. I met so many amazing, grit-filled and passionate people.” Most of us can’t imagine that reaction to running more than 24 hours to cover 100 miles, with the temperature as low as 17 degrees. But, that was Joe Miller’s reaction a day after he completed the 100-mile Potawatomi Trail Run…
C-U offers lots to see and do
Driving east on I-72 on a crisp fall Saturday, you may encounter carloads of orange-clad Illini fans, heading to Champaign-Urbana to tailgate outside Memorial Stadium or cheer the football team inside. While fall can be fun on the University of Illinois campus, the twin cities offer a multitude of treasures in spring and summer. Several…
#Swee Too
Lincoln Land Community College kept a professor on the payroll for nearly two decades after students first complained about graphic sexual remarks and unwelcome advances. Former anthropology and psychology teacher Gary Swee retired in March after being accused for the seventh time of sexually harassing and otherwise mistreating students. Female students feared being alone with…
Imagination reaches for the divine
Launched in 1996 and running alternate years since, this year’s Liturgical Arts Festival of Springfield is set to present several days of events at multiple venues around town, all centered around themes of the sacred as experienced in the traditions of various faiths. “Our purpose is to bring together art and music and various media…
Troopers 2 delivers
Comedy troupe Broken Lizard’s Super Troopers 2 may be the future of filmmaking. When the group announced they were setting up a fundraising account to raise money to produce a sequel to their cult comedy hit, their goal was to raise $2 million. They exceeded that in 24 hours and the cameras were soon rolling. The result was a…
End of April music
The weather finally decided to act somewhat like April, so our outdoor venues will be kicking into full-on enjoyment mode soon. But music waits for nothing or no one, and, like ol’ man river, “jes’ keeps on rolling along.” The Curve Inn continues to support a monthly Americana night, and this Thursday brings The Deep…
The Blue Lotus Soul Revue
Roland Johnson and Gene Jackson spent their adults lives involved in the soul and rhythm and blues live music scenes in the St. Louis area – Jackson since the mid 70s and Johnson since the late 60s. After decades of making music, the two singers met up with Paul Niehaus IV, a local musician and…
Not for the rich, for the planet
It was the middle of the afternoon of my second day staging at the celebrated new St. Louis restaurant Vicia. (It’s pronounced “stah-jing. That’s French for voluntarily working your butt off for free.) I’m stemming and slicing a huge box of shiitake mushrooms as fast as I can with my brand new razor-sharp carbon steel…
n fifth st poem #48
n fifth st poem #48 two boys maybe eight or ninewalking past on the sidewalkbefore my door both whiteif that makes any differenceone familiarly twirling a largereal-looking silver pistol that kid is already a gun nutbut doesn’t know it ©2018 Jacqueline Jackson
