CENSORED!
Untitled Document There are a handful of freedoms that have almost always been a part of American democracy. Even when they didn’t exactly apply to everyone or weren’t always protected by the people in charge, a few simple but significant rights have been patently clear in the Constitution: You can’t be nabbed by the cops…
Prairie wildfire
Untitled Document Vern LaGesse steps into the swaying prairie grasses at the Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary, a sprawling 120-acre refuge for flora and fauna located 12 miles southwest of Springfield near Loami. A burly man with encyclopedic knowledge of nature, LaGesse stretches to pull a yellow compass plant down to eye level and spouts facts about…
Springfield’s Indian night
Untitled Document It wasn’t love at first bite — it wasn’t even love at second bite — but, when I finally fell in love with Indian food, I fell hard. I’ve always been an adventurous eater, eager to try new things, so it’s strange that I didn’t initially appreciate Indian food, but it was really…
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. SMOKING CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING? I won’t argue with Dr. James Piephoff’s assertions about the dangers of cigarette smoking, which were already…
The way to Contention
Untitled Document Hollywood studios rarely bankroll Westerns anymore, and when they do the film in question is often a revisionist view on what is arguably an exhausted genre. Perhaps the most refreshing element in James Mangold’s remake of 3:10 to Yuma is that it isn’t concerned with presenting a gritty, realistic version of the old West.…
The Funny Bone is no joke
Untitled Document Hey, after last week’s comment about the Redneck-American booth at the Ethnic Festival, I suppose I should leave the humor to the professionals. But surely you know I’d be the first in line for my baloney and beer if they actually had a tent. I know, I know, then suburbanites and yippies will…
Get on the bus
Untitled Document Three years have passed since a determined bunch of local residents demanded that the Springfield Mass Transit District find ways to bring evening bus service back to the capital city. Legislation pending in the Illinois House, which would allow the SMTD to expand its taxing authority to all portions of Capital, Springfield, and…
Looking for lessons in a drought
Untitled Document It was already dry in southern Illinois early this summer when I went down for my class reunion. As a group of us from the Mount Vernon Township High School class of 1967 gathered for lunch before the festivities, somebody said that they’d heard that David’s mother had recently died. She had been…
Perils of washing
Untitled Document What are the best kinds of dishwasher and laundry soaps for the environment? The average North American produces between 60 and 150 gallons of wastewater every day, much of it a result of dishwashing and laundry. Municipal water-treatment facilities do their best to filter out the synthetic chemicals common in most mainstream dishwasher…
Beer cake!
Untitled Document “Homemade layer cakes seem to have gone the way of the spotted owl,” writes Seattle-area chef Greg Atkinson in his book West Coast Cooking. It is an unfortunate but true statement about the state of our dessert plate; however, given my woeful skills in cake construction and icing art, I’ll hold off from…
Peace train
Untitled Document Two internationally renowned peace activists will visit Springfield next week during Days of Decision: We the People Declare Peace, a series of peace-and-justice events that will culminate on Sept. 21 with the International Day of Peace. Eric Le Compte, a national organizer for the School of the Americas Watch, will present “Commit to…
Enjoy winter squash
Untitled Document The fruits of summer may be nearing their end for the year, but winter squash, which comes in hundreds of varieties and a plethora of sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors, is a tasty, nutritious fall treat. Butternut squash is one of the most popular winter squash. This long, tan, pear-shaped squash has a…
People’s Poetry
Untitled Document lakepoem #14 gosh guys I know it’s been grimin that relentless blistered heathere in vermont it’s the oppositethermal longjohns piling on the coversburrowing into sleep sacks youexpect the lake to hold steadybut even it has done a nosedivetoday the waterbug colonies thatalways spin expansively inseparate galaxies wide as washtubsare all scrunched together…
Made in America
Untitled Document Goodness gracious, China — clean up your act! The news is filled with horror stories of China’s nasty exports that are coming to our shores — toy ovens that burn our children, seafood laden with toxics and antibiotics, tires that come apart on the highways, pet food that kills pets, and the list…
Chasing ACES
Untitled Document Nine months after the expiration of the state’s 10-year freeze on electric rates, and nearly a year of caterwauling by Ameren and Commonwealth Edison customers and their elected representatives, Illinois finally has in place a $1 billion relief deal. Rebate checks and bill credits have captured most headlines across the state, for good…
Time to upgrade turfgrass
Untitled Document Fall is the best time to give your lawn some extra attention, because what is done for the turf this fall will have a big impact on cool-season grasses next summer. Most central-Illinois lawns contain cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue. As hard as we try…
Send a salami to your boy in the Army
Untitled Document Arron Patton is hot. Really, really hot. So hot that just thinking about him makes me sweat. While the members of the Iraqi Parliament flee their responsibilities this month to seek relief from the scorching heat and U.S. and coalition forces and civilians stationed in the Green Zone enjoy the comforts of air…
A maze to amaze
Untitled Document You can do just about anything with corn — eat it, feed your pigs with it, concoct bourbon whiskey with it, and most recently, fill up your gas tank with it. But when the dog days of summer yield to fall’s feel-good temperatures, there’s only one thing to do with the yellow wonder:…
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. PERVERSE AND UNBALANCED Nothing can stop me, not even Doug Bybee’s nonsense, from loyal readership of your publication, which I’ve been…
Leaves are ch-ch-changin’
Untitled Document Corn and soybean fields aren’t all Illinois has to offer in the landscape department. Pockets of magnificent foliage are scattered throughout the Land of Lincoln. This autumn, take advantage of the state’s scenic back roads and nature preserves as their trees’ leaves change colors. Hop into the car, fill up the tank, and…
Power to the pumpkin people
Untitled Document The people have spoken — and they want their flying pumpkins. Earlier this summer, the Morton Chamber of Commerce, which has coordinated an annual punkin-chuckin’ contest since the mid-’90s, dropped a bomb by announcing that the contest would be suspended indefinitely. Despite the popularity of the sport, the number of entrants, who design…
Resting places
Untitled Document When the air turns cooler, the leaves change colors, and the rhythm of life settles into that steady pace that’s found only between the start of school and the frenzy of the holidays, it’s the perfect time to gather up your significant others, pack a lunch, and go find a shady spot where…
Foul Balls
Untitled Document Amidst Christopher Walken’s many film credits, I doubt that the latest, the uproarious but uneven Balls of Fury, will be cited in Walken’s obituary, but it is a prime example of how an actor who fearlessly goes out on a limb can make a sow’s ear into at least a passable knockoff handbag.…
Robbing Peter to pay Paul?
Untitled Document When Gov. Rod Blagojevich makes his case for expanding healthcare coverage to the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, it’ll be with a much quieter chorus of supporters behind him than when he first began his journey back in March. Although the head of the Campaign for Better Health Care —…
Starting over
Untitled Document Ask Sheila Walk what she misses about her previous teaching job, and she ticks off a list ranging from the profound to the mundane: She misses the quaint architecture of the ancient building. She misses the students and teachers who filled its halls. She misses the “block scheduling” that allotted 90 minutes per…
People’s poetry
Untitled Document lakepoems cluster #13a full moon risingon the pond castsblack moon shadowsmy oars drip golden the lakes’ wavesfeeling out our shoreunlike steady sea surfslosh and splosh juicilyamong the rocks the leg span ofa wolf spidersidling up betweenthe dock boardsis wide as my palmI step around hergingerly a mottled green froghas chosen to sit in…
On the road again
Untitled Document On the road again Hop in the car and make music your destination By MARISSA MONSON If you’re willing to put mileage in this fall, your options for seeing live music are endless. Here’s a list of shows in an array of genres happening around Illinois this fall. ST. LOUIS Sept. 8 —…
Fall Guide 2007
Untitled Document Cribbing from lyricist Maxwell Anderson, I see that we’re approaching the time of the year when the weather turns leaves to flame and the days grow short and dwindle down. “September Song” is a love song, but it’s also a reminder that all things, good and bad, come to an end. What, then,…
Healthy school lunches
Untitled Document How can we get schools to offer healthier and more eco-friendly cafeteria food to our kids? Now that many schools have stopped selling sodas and other unhealthy vending-machine items to their students, improving the nutritional quality of cafeteria food is on the agenda of many parents and school administrators — and, luckily for…
Tastes like okra
Untitled Document On a recent Today Show, cooking kitten Giada De Laurentiis asked Atlanta chef Scott Peacock what okra tastes like, and he said, “Like okra.” I thought about the question for a minute, and in a way he’s right. Okra, the only vegetable known to ooze when sliced, tastes like okra. If blindfolded with…
Pedal Power
Untitled Document A number of videos on YouTube and a recent article in the Wall Street Journal have featured a subject that obviously captivates everyone, from the hip to the staid. What’s so intriguing? People riding bicycles in Amsterdam. And, oh yeah, they carry stuff — kids, friends, pets, groceries — while riding their bikes. This…
The oddest budget ever
Untitled Document In what has to be the most blatantly political budgetary veto in Illinois history, Gov. Rod Blagojevich last week ham-handedly attempted to punish his enemies, reward his friends, and entice some members he will need on crucial votes. The governor, who has openly warred with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate Republican leader…
Fall Guide 2007 Calendar
Untitled Document Here’s our quick guide to our favorite fall celebrations, festivals, and events in Springfield and Illinois. Look for additional information in weekly editions of Illinois Times. By MARISSA MONSON Through Oct. 27 Our Town: A Visual Journey: Celebrating the 175th anniversary of State Journal-Register, the Springfield Art Association displays more than 70 photographs…
Labor Day pains
Untitled Document Oh me, oh my — Labor Day Weekend already. Where did the summer go? Now it’s off to fall, and we’re closing in rapidly on the end of 2007, with those pesky holidays and a new year to remind us how quickly time flies — whether you’re having fun or not. For several…
Sticking to their guns
Untitled Document Despite Tuesday’s stifling 95-degree temperatures, protestors with the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence joined near the Municipal Center walkway and fountain to remember the lives of those lost in the Virginia Tech shooting and to call for stricter gun-control laws. In a brief ceremony, event organizer Christopher Boyster read the names…
Old iron
Untitled Document Andy Shireman of Chapin came to the biennial Half Century of Progress ready for field work. The event, held in Rantoul, was a lead-up to this week’s Farm Progress Show in Decatur — but 1957-style. This year’s show included field demonstrations, a new plowing record set by 48 Belgian horses pulling…
Life in Iraq
Untitled Document According to the “Dick and George Show,” broadcast daily from the White House, things are really looking up in Iraq. Hmmm. They might want to ask the Iraqi people. Ordinary folks report that life there is miserable. Violence erupts constantly and unpredictably, fear is everyone’s companion, bombings and bodies are everywhere, it’s dangerous…
