What I’m about to tell you doesn’t matter. I mean, if it were important, the Illinois State Police would have punished the guy who did it, right? Instead, ISP director Larry Trent allowed this guy to retire with the maximum pension, plus paperwork showing that he resigned in good standing. You might want to keep […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
Reviving the perennial garden
Fall provides a great opportunity to review garden performance and plan for next season. “After the long, hot days of summer, the cool crisp days of fall are always welcome. Many perennial gardens reach their glory in the summer and then slowly fade away,” says Barbara Bates, a horticulture educator with the University of Illinois […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Why the world’s children die
Dear “Earth Talk”: What are the leading causes of child mortality around the world, and what can be done about it? — Susan Hale, Oquawka, Ill. The statistics are staggering. In the world’s poorest countries, more than 30,000 children under the age of 5 die each day of preventable causes related to conditions of extreme […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Scavenger hunt
We’re approaching the fifth anniversary of an event that forever changed the fabric of American life, an event that shook us to our core — or might have, if anybody had bothered to notice. No, I’m not talking about 9/11. I’m talking about the disappearance of the Big Chief tablet. I got to thinking about […]
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Sage advice to cut thyme
As a group, culinary herbs are my favorite garden plants. Easy to grow, they require little care, are subject to few insect and disease problems, and generally prefer moderate soil fertility levels. They also add fragrance and beauty to the garden. Many herbs, such as lavender, sage, and purple basil, are ornamental and work nicely […]
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A passion for friendly competition
When I was a child, my mom shared her love for gardening with me. She gardened simply because she enjoyed it and because her garden provided our family with fresh vegetables during the summer and extra produce for canning or freezing. Although I now enjoy gardening, as a small child I saw it as a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Heating up
Dear “Earth Talk”: In what ways is global warming already affecting us in North America? — Tyler Merson, New York, N.Y. There are many examples of climate change’s real and present impact. For one, the 20 hottest years since recordkeeping began in the 1880s have all occurred since 1983, and until this year 2005 was […]
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You’re screwed
Your insurance policy got canceled last month. Didn’t receive your notice in the mail? Me neither. I just happened to stumble across it recently while doing some research. The good news is, you’ll probably never, ever need this insurance. The bad news is that it’s kinda like an earthquake rider — a safety net you […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Electric vehicles
Rethinking paper Dear “Earth Talk”: Is bamboo really an environmentally friendly alternative to wood for making paper? If so, why are we still cutting down trees to keep our copiers and printers humming? — Ali Forte, by e-mail Bamboo is a fast-growing and renewable resource, and it has long been used throughout Asia as a […]
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Fuzzy queen of fruit
Peaches and ice cream is my all-time favorite summer treat. Nothing tastes better than a tree-ripened peach, and, thanks to a mild winter and heavy blooms, locally grown fresh peaches are abundant this year. Peaches, known as the queen of fruit, rank second in popularity to the apple. A medium-sized peach is a healthy treat […]
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Help tomatoes beat the heat
The most exciting garden event of the summer arrives when juicy, fresh tomatoes are ready for harvest. Last weekend my family and I were delighted to enjoy an armful of this tasty fruit. We ate our tomatoes with a little salt, with white gravy, and in BLT sandwiches. Our passion for tomatoes is shared by […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Hot Flash
When it’s hot and humid out and the air conditioner’s not running, America suffers. Babies break out in rashes, couples bicker, and computers go haywire. In much of the nation, an August power outage is viewed not as an inconvenience but as a public-health emergency. In the 50 years since air conditioning hit the mass […]
