Taking the public out of transit
My four months of struggle with Springfield’s public-transportation system makes me sure that people who don’t have cars here are victims of discrimination. Like most residents of my native Kazakhstan, I have never driven in my life. When I came here, I was sure that public transit would be better than it was at home.…
movie review
Grab a bag of Oreos and ponder the meaning of it all This movie spoke to me loud and clear, and it said, “You’re just too stupid to write a review of me.” First, there’s a lot of lecturing about the unifying structures of the micro- and macrouniverse, and that makes my head hurt. Quantum…
Seeing stars
At 21, Marissa Cerar moved from Athens, the sleepy, one-stoplight town 15 miles north of Springfield, into a duplex in Burbank, Calif., five miles north of Hollywood. She remembers the day she left: “I said to my family: ‘See ya — I’m gonna be famous in five years.'” Now 24, Marissa’s feeling anxious. She came…
now playing 12-2-04
I have no sense of time, but it seems to me that it was only a year and half or so ago when Stolie, a publicist/whatever-needs-to-be-done person at Bloodshot Records in Chicago, e-mailed me about the Songwriter Circle acoustic get-together I host at the Underground City Tavern. Our little therapy group meets on Wednesday nights…
Ten days in Cuba
We are middle-class Americans from Springfield, Ill., coming to Cuba with pockets full of cash. We don’t like the stereotype, but travel here is on a strictly cash basis. In the Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí, I catch the eye of a slight, gray-haired, grandmotherly womanstanding just outside the restrooms. She holds a roll of toilet…
Knoepfle 12-2-04
first day of the month sleet rain in buckets wind to knock out your teeth showers of ice then the snow snatches the house water in the basement cold shocking the windows even the christmas lights wonder what happened now in the morning you scrape the car unlock the left front door with a hair…
quick takes 12-2-04
BELOVED BABY In October, when we met Jessica Stock, she was a young, newly married, expectant mother, pining away for her husband, Jeremy, stationed with the Illinois Army National Guard 3625th Maintenance Company at Camp Anaconda in Iraq. Since being featured in a recent Illinois Times cover story [Dusty Rhodes, “Beloved soldier,” Oct. 21], one…
common sense 12-2-04
Talk about bitter irony. George W. Bush wrapped himself in the flag and campaigned under a political theme of “support our troops,” yet, even as he campaigned, troops in Iraq continued to die precisely because he failed them. Propaganda won’t stop roadside bombs and other blasts. For the deadly reality of war, our troops need…
Healthy debate
The battle over public health services in Springfield isn’t new, but the fight scheduled for Tuesday night’s City Council meeting looks like it may be one of the most colorful bouts in this long-running debate. A variety of organizations — ranging from the crimson-and-cream Delta Sigma Theta sorority sisters to the pin-striped Greater Springfield Chamber…
lend a hand
LEND A HAND Illinois Times invites area nonprofit organizations to submit holiday wish lists. To participate, send a brief description of your organization and a summary of your needs. Fax the information to 217-753-3958 or e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. There is no charge for this service. MERCY Communities 108 E. Cook St., 217-744-1126 MERCY Communities is a…
How to avoid the Great Backlash
The next time you get discouraged about Illinois politics, take a look at Kansas. Or South Dakota, where U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin spent the week before Election Day campaigning for the doomed Tom Daschle. “South Dakota was the most incredible political scene I have ever witnessed,” Durbin recalled as we sat in his Springfield office…
music notes 12-2-04
• Recycled Records, your civic leader in recorded-music sales and selection, now brings you live music during Downtown Springfield Inc.’s holiday walks. From 5-9 p.m. today, Thursday, Dec. 2, singer/songwriter Jill Manning and a funky bunch of friends host a Christmas hootenanny. On Dec. 11, elevator shoe unaffected grooves for customers from noon-5 p.m. Musical…
letters 12-2-04
Letters policy We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity. Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois 62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com IN A SELECT GROUP Thank you for the article on Rudy Davenport…
Springfield remembers
About five years ago, some veterans holding a reunion at a downtown hotel asked Larry Edwards to take them to Springfield’s World War II memorial. “You can imagine how I felt when I had to tell them we didn’t have one,” Edwards says. A group was soon formed to remedy that situation, and Edwards,who served…
people’s poetry 12-2-04
My Father Dreams My father is dying. His hands shake. Despite their involuntary vibrations, he tries to wipe “the sticky” from his chin, a joke we share from when I was the child. In death he is not deceived, but at times he slips into a place you or I perceive as dream. For him…
January surprise
After the Republicans lost full control of the Illinois General Assembly eight years ago, they rushed through several bills in January 1997, just before giving the House gavel to the Democrats. The state Constitution requires that lame-duck General Assemblies muster a three-fifths majority to pass any bills that take effect after the next May 31.…
sound patrol 12-2-04
Chicks on Speed 99 Cents (Chicks on Speed Records) The shopping season is upon us, a grim reminder that ours is a fat, frivolous, reckless nation, drunk on debt and self-destruction. Still, even Adbusters subscribers and anarchists deserve Christmas presents, and it’s a safe bet that they won’t recoil in horror to find 99 Cents,…
Get fired up about food
Food just tastes better when it’s eaten outside in the fresh air and warm sunshine. Even a lackluster lunch is enhanced by al fresco dining. But what to do during the dreary winter months? Try dining in front of a crackling fire. The next time you’re deciding where to dine, why not choose a place…
