Sugar was first domesticated in New Guinea 10,000 years ago. Sugar cane spread to Asia and Europe, but was initially only available to the wealthy. Christopher Columbus first introduced sugar cane to the New World during his second voyage in 1493. Sugar cane grew well in the hot, humid conditions in the Caribbean. Native peoples […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
Why you should learn to cook
There are so many benefits of learning how to cook. You can control what goes into your body. You can prepare the foods you want to eat the way you like to eat them. You can set a budget that works for you and you can then stick to it. It became apparent to me […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Resilience
It’s been more than a decade since Dr. Kemia Sarraf, a physician and mother of four, founded genHkids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and wellness of children and families in central Illinois. Alarmed by the growing incidence of weight-related illnesses being diagnosed in children, and desiring to engage the community about the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Please, help me get some sleep
According to the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 40 million Americans experience difficulties with falling or staying asleep every year. Insomnia is associated with difficulty remembering and performing tasks, irritability, depression and anxiety, and fatigue. Poor sleep is also associated with high blood pressure, memory loss, diabetes and weight gain, poor immune function, and increased risk […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Health opportunities
Tai Chi for beginners Mondays, Jan. 27-Mar. 30, 5-6 p.m. Tai Chi practice offers many benefits to improve your health, such as mental clarity, flexibility and muscle toning. This class can be adapted for all ages and stages of life. Tai Chi is also a movement form of meditation that harnesses the energy from our […]
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It’s all in your head
Despite the fact that exercise has many powerful physical and psychological benefits, approximately 50% of people who begin an exercise program are not exercising within six months. If you have recently begun a new exercise routine or plan to, there are proven ways that you can continue on your way to your fitness goals and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
New year, new you
Some people start the New Year with gusto, resolutions firmly planted, determined to make big changes. Often the goals relate to health and fitness. Some prevail. Many do not. If that is you, go for it. But, if New Year’s resolutions aren’t your thing and you aren’t totally committed to what seems like a lot […]
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Valentine Love Notes
Send a love note to that special someone. There is no charge. They will be published in the January 30 and February 6 issues of Illinois Times based on space availability. Fill out my online form.
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Down on the farm
The seeds of a trade war, severe weather, plummeting prices and corporate farming competition mean that many farmers are harvesting a bumper crop of problems, especially those people loosely defined as “family farmers.” “They call them ‘the farmers in the middle,’ and their numbers are declining pretty rapidly,” said National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson. […]
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First Night Springfield 2019
If you want to ring in 2020 the right way then you’ll want to be downtown Springfield on New Year’s Eve. This year marks 33 years that the capital city has hosted the annual celebration of the arts. “I’ve celebrated New Year’s Eve with my husband and friends at First Night Springfield since it began […]
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Baseball on the Fourth of July
The Fourth of July and baseball are irretrievably linked. The celebration of American independence in midsummer and the game share many traditions. Across America on the Fourth of July, baseball tournaments and games were played as part of celebrations of America’s birthday. Major League baseball is a foremost part of the July Fourth tradition. The […]
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A fondness for baseball’s past
Taking a brief respite from the travails of the Springfield Sliders, who as I write this column have completed a quarter of their season and find themselves with a record of six wins and nine losses, I find this an appropriate moment to share some passing thoughts on a few more global baseball matters. When […]
