It’s on the house
Untitled Document Volunteers are pouring heart and sole into rehabilitating the home of Dorothy Milford, the 70-year-old grandmother profiled by Illinois Times two weeks ago [see “The way back home,” April 5]. Milford, who is legal guardian to six grandchildren ranging in age from 5 to 14 years, had been forced to move her family…
Schlockapalooza
Untitled Document The Condemned Running time 1:40 Rated R Parkway Pointe Four new movies are opening nationwide this week, but you wouldn’t know it if you were to scan your newspaper for reviews. Seems that the studios behind Next, The Invisible, and Kickin’ It Old Skool decided, the less you know, the better. What’s ironic is…
Can the can for fresh ham
Untitled Document My mother called. She and her man had ham-in-the-can for Easter dinner. Her voice was filled with a mixture of disgust and disappointment. The meal was nearly inedible, she reports, with a foul odor and sci-fi texture that she couldn’t erase from her memory. She would be making ham salad of the leftovers,…
Short-circuiting the dream
Untitled Document It’s only 3,400 workers whom Circuit City booted out the door, so what’s the big deal? Had the workforce at this electronics retailer grown too large? No, Circuit City is hiring 3,400 new workers to replace those fired. Had the fired workers been poor performers? No, they were the corporation’s most knowledgeable and…
People’s Poetry
Untitled Document ypoolceiling poem #2 what does fit the y pool ceiling ismiss clavel she’s that big center disk the small disks her twelve little girlswho certainly are in two straight linesI read madeline to my five year oldgranddaughter about a dozen timesone weekend a few days later she hada stomach ache told her parentsit…
Movie watching
Untitled Document All it takes is a murder to make the subject of voyeurism acceptable to mainstream audiences. Without the violence factor, the subject is just plain sick. Disturbia plays it safe in that regard, but it takes a huge risk by borrowing a plot device from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954). James Stewart stars…
Letters to the Editor
Untitled Document We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. IRV INVENTED THE INTERNET?!! I just finished reading the article on Irv Smith [“Party animal,” April 19], and I have but…
A bloody good thing
Untitled Document The name may be a little off-putting. The orange exterior, streaked or mottled with vermilion and/or brownish purple, may bring to mind a nasty bruise rather than something good to eat. However, the first sight and taste of blood oranges’ flesh reveal why they are so sought after. Blood oranges aren’t new, though…
Blow to go
Untitled Document Picture this: You’ve got floor seats for a sold-out concert, a date with the object of your obsession, a full set of fresh threads, and your hair looking like it just can’t help being perfect. You’re cruising toward St. Louis when suddenly you hear beeps that don’t harmonize with the tasteful tunes on…
Growing herbs in containers
Untitled Document Growing plants can be great fun — especially if the plants are easy to care for. The plants that grow in my yard must do so with minimal care, and that’s why my favorite group of plants is culinary herbs. Not only do these plants add a variety of color to the landscape…
Election shockers
Untitled Document The real electoral surprise last week was not in Chicago, where five tired old incumbent hack aldermen went down to defeat. The big shocker was the Carbondale mayor’s race, where Sheila Simon — daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon — was trounced by Republican incumbent Brad Cole. Simon lost by a…
Colorado calling card
Untitled Document Over the last several years a mighty wind has blown from Colorado to the Midwest, carrying with it a bluegrass/folk sound that echoes across the prairies. Fans of Drew Emmitt and Vince Herman, founding members of Leftover Salmon, sprouted up all around here, drawn to this organic acoustic music flavored with a twist…
Packaging waste
Untitled Document There is so much waste in packaging — from water in self-serve bottles to all the foil and cardboard wrapping for new print cartridges. What is being done to make packaging more “green friendly,” including cutting out as much of it as possible? Thanks to forward-thinking action by the European Union, people around…
The advocate
Untitled Document Brigit Dyer-Reynolds thought she was done with social-service work. She’d performed well during her time with Catholic Charities, but it had been a lot of responsibility and, at times, a lot of frustration. When a little antique shop on Amos Street came up for sale, just as she was looking for a change,…
Fowl play
Untitled Document He’s been attacked by flocks of crows and fought a six-month bout with the pneumonia-like birdborne disease histoplasmosis. When he was just 4, he almost became an eagle’s meal. “If it happened to you, you won’t ever like a bird again,” says James L. Soules, who turns 85 in June. A lifetime of…
John Fahey’s worthy successor
Untitled Document Of all the acoustic guitarists to glom on to the great John Fahey, Glenn Jones might have the most cred. He had the honor of actually collaborating with the late master, on 1996’s The Epiphany of Glenn Jones, and could claim him as a longtime friend. Jones, the leader of Cul de Sac, an…
Sale away
Untitled Document The Phoenix Center — a nonprofit organization that provides testing, counseling, and housing for people with HIV and AIDS — is closing its Marketplace resale boutique after less than two years. All merchandise will be disposed of Saturday in a rummage sale beginning at 8 a.m., followed by an auction beginning at noon.…
BEEwitched, Bothered, and BEEwildered
Untitled Document The first reported disappearances came late last year in Florida. By January, investigators had determined that millions of individuals had gone missing, leaving few if any clues as to why. The bizarre phenomenon has prompted a nationwide scientific inquiry. In late March, a congressional subcommittee held a hearing on the matter. As the…
A family matter
Untitled Document I’ve been asked to explain away a family gaffe. Follow me, please, down to the basement, back to the irregular room where we handle “these matters.” The quickest way is straight on through the great room, but let’s take the scenic route, through the small door, into the cartoon-rat room, past Cyrano de…
