Stumped for gift ideas?
Christmas is upon us, and who knows where the time went? As is often the case, there are, again, more folks in need of presents than time to shop. Just figuring out what to get everyone is more than half the battle, and so, in an effort to prove useful, below are some helpful suggestions…
Power harassment indifference
In corporations, universities, government offices and elsewhere, there is usually an oppressive male culture and a repressive power structure that routinely shortchanges women on pay and on promotions. That’s bad enough, but adding insult to injury, prevailing conventional wisdom blames women for this! They’re not “career-oriented,” or they’re too thin-skinned, or they’re not aggressive enough,…
Illinois does it our way
The state constitutions of Illinois and Arizona have very similar language prohibiting reductions to pension benefits and welding pensions to contract law. But the two are very different states. In 2016, when Arizona’s legislature approved a pension reform bill to limit first responders’ pension benefits and then-voters approved amending their constitution to match that legislation…
Letters to the Editor 12/20/18
A SUCCESSFUL BICENTENNIAL The Illinois Bicentennial Coordinating Committee of Springfield worked intently to make the Illinois Bicentennial a celebration that Springfield would be proud of. Now that our work has ceased, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the many organizations, businesses, nonprofits and individuals that made this year so memorable. I certainly have…
Editor’s note 12/20/18
In her “Tips for holiday cheer” on p. 7, cartoonist Jen Sorensen addresses the dilemma we all face this week and next. What happens when we’re ready to stop for the holidays and the world keeps going? A government shutdown may be avoided, but the dissolution of Donald Trump’s presidency may come at an inconvenient…
Winter comforts
This is Roy French’s annual Christmas memoir. It is near midnight in late December. I have just returned home from a country schoolhouse. It is a very old building with uneven floors and drafty windows. The doors do not close as tightly as they did 50 years ago when a teacher and children spent time…
A ‘Tales from the Vault’ presentation
On Thursday, Dec. 20, take in a “Tales from the Vault” program titled “Marshall Field’s Christmas” moderated by Betsy Dollar, director of the Springfield Art Association. During the 1970s, Betsy created ornaments at Marshall Field’s flagship store in Chicago, which was known for its holiday window displays, giant tree and whimsical, festive decorations. During this…
The power of perseverance
When Justin, magician extraordinaire, visits Sesame Street to perform a magic show for the neighborhood, Elmo desperately wants to be part of the big show. The problem is, Elmo cannot perform magic, so he teams up with Abby and Justin to “discover the power of yet.” During Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic, Elmo learns…
Shop local for the holidays
Shop local to find delicious ingredients for your holiday meal during the December Springfield Holiday Farmers Market on Saturday, Dec. 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The State House Inn. The free event features more than 30 vendors selling a variety of products such as pasture-raised meats, eggs, honey, cheese, greens, carrots, potatoes,…
Things that go bump in the knight
I’m confused. Does treating women as equals mean not doing those things that would previously have been considered chivalrous, like opening doors and giving a woman your coat? What’s now considered polite, and what’s considered offensive? — Bewildered The response by some women these days to men’s well-intentioned acts must tempt at least a few men…
Four new holiday films
Mary Poppins Returns is magical “Everything old is new again” seems to be the mantra at Disney Studios where their movies are concerned. Never mind the Marvel Films and Star Wars franchises, when it comes to Disney properties, the powers that be at the Mouse House are plumbing the vaults, plucking out previously successful projects…
’Tis the season
The holidays are upon us, and if you don’t yet need a drink, you will. What with relatives you can’t wish away and kids rip-ripping open packages, then bang-banging drums and bleep-bleeping electronic gadgets while Mannheim Steamroller blast-blasts new age tripe that sensible folk can’t stand but once a year, you need a cocoon. Enter…
Escape winter in Illinois’ indoor gardens
When the weather outside is frightful, you may be looking for someplace delightful. Head to an indoor botanical garden and you can pretend you are in the tropics without leaving the state. Springfield, Chicago, Rock Island and just-across-the-border St. Louis all host warm and humid greenhouses as part of their botanical gardens. Once inside, you…
The Favourite a wicked delight
Does an 18th century tale of palace intrigue have any relevance for our times? Well, any story that deals with behind-the-scenes machinations to wrest power at the cost of your moral integrity doesn’t have an expiration date, and, as such, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite is timelier than ever. This film is based on the life…
Present the presents
Wow! How did we get here now? Who knows, but here we are, rapidly approaching Christmas Day and the holiday festivities surrounding the big event. Fortunately for us partygoers and lovers of live music, Christmas falls on a Tuesday, providing a full weekend of pre-holiday fun just in time. Nothing says the holidays are here…
The Mud Bugs
Originating in southern Illinois as a band of hometown friends in 2000 playing “hard-edged blues rock,” The Mud Bugs were a thing. When Kit Jones relocated to the capital city a few years later, he retooled the band with area players and added regular blues, country, soul, folk and some beach songs to the mix…
Mocktails
As a kid I never understood why grown-ups would talk about “getting through the holidays” like it was some sort of difficult trial. What could be difficult about a time filled with presents and snow days and candy canes? A lot, as it turns out. Pressure to keep the whole family happy, pressure to create…
TO THOSE WHO LIE IN BELLEAU WOOD
TO THOSE WHO LIE IN BELLEAU WOOD This poem by my mother, then Vera Wardner,was read at a memorial service held at Bois deBelleau, Aisne, France, Dec. 25, 1923.My father was also there with 30 Boy Scouts, orphaned, who’d hiked 20 miles from Chateau Thierry, where my future parents were working. Both American and French…
