Davlin vs. Strom
Untitled Document Tim Davlin rides a Harley. Bruce Strom sings in a barbershop quartet. Davlin, Springfield’s incumbent mayor and a Democrat, is easygoing and gregarious. Strom, a three-term alderman and a Republican, is mild-mannered and quiet. Davlin always seems be having a good time at Springfield City Council meetings, occasionally joking around — even with…
A matter of timing
Untitled Document W hen it comes to zeitgeist, timing is all, and the so-called freak-folk scene, with which Noah Georgeson is perhaps unfairly associated, is due for a backlash. Already blogosphere wags are mocking Devendra Banhart’s dirty bare feet, the same feet they were kissing a year ago; how much longer before they sink their…
Something fishy
Untitled Document What are the pros and cons of marine aquaculture, of raising ocean fish instead of catching them in the wild? Marine aquaculture has grown in popularity in response to dwindling supplies of wild fish in the world’s oceans. According to the Pew Oceans Commission, a blue-ribbon panel of fisheries and marine-biology experts, high-tech…
Lincoln, Stevenson, and Obama
Untitled Document One reason Barack Obama chose the Old State Capitol as the site where he would launch his presidential campaign is the reason it was built there in the first place: It is at the center of the state, in a town of good, honest people. In 1837, soon after Springfield was chosen as…
Norbit is a rare bit
Untitled Document Norbit Running time 1:40 Rated PG-13 ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East It is woefully obvious when Eddie Murphy is just showing up for a paycheck or when he’s determined to create something distinctive. His latest film, Norbit, sports the thinnest of premises and contains far too many simplistic slapstick moments, but, by taking on…
People’s Poetry
Untitled Document friendquote poem #6 my friend saidshe couldn’t go to the sex toy partybecause shehad to servebrowniesat the synagogue © Jacqueline Jackson 2006 Though parents know that their children will grow up and away from them, will love and be loved by others, it’s a difficult thing to accept. Massachusetts poet Mary Jo Salter…
Big-top Barack
Untitled Document Like it or not — regardless of whether you think he has a mortal or political death wish or are concerned that he’s too green, too black, or not black enough — Barack Obama is running for president. This weekend, the Democratic junior senator from Illinois will make his candidacy official in Springfield.…
Misquoted
Untitled Document The reporter is one smart dude, and his questions will be hard-hitting — so I hire a public-relations expert to help me spin the answers. Reporter Luke is well prepared: He has two pages of questions listed in his notebook. Each question is followed by plenty of blank space for notes — excellent…
Celebrating Lincoln’s life
Untitled Document For the fourth year, we’re delighted to present poems about Abraham Lincoln’s life, written by author and professor Dan Guillory as though the Great Emancipator had penned the verse himself. Chronicling the events and people in the life of the 16th president, the poems offer a glimpse into the great and mundane events…
Outward bound
Untitled Document What do Illinois, Florida, and California have in common? More folks left those states last year than moved into them, says St. Louis-based United Van Lines after tracking 227,254 household shipments in 2006. United’s 30th annual Migration Study illustrates the kind of mobility pattern the country’s been shifting toward for years — an…
A cure for winter blues
Untitled Document This winter is really getting old. I’m tired of it, in spite of the fact that I like cool weather. My weather complaints are usually focused on muggy heat rather than winter chill, but the two ice storms this winter have resulted almost a week’s worth of power outages and major damage to our…
From Congo Square to Lincoln’s hometown
Untitled Document Roger Kimball relocated to Springfield from New Orleans in 2005, only a few months before Hurricane Katrina hit. His wife took a position with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and so they just missed the disaster. An all-around musician known for his saxophone work, Kimball grew up just south of New…
Bush’s healthcare tax
Untitled Document Look out, everyone — George W. Bush has had another idea! The guy who told us that occupying Iraq would be a really smart thing to do has now focused both of his brain cells on healthcare in America. Here’s his plan: (1) The 47 million Americans who have no health coverage will…
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. THE CHOICES BEFORE AMTRAK Before Amtrak took over, I knew of three different ways passenger trains went from Chicago to St.…
Love is blind
Untitled Document For months, most Statehouse observers have predicted a battle royal between the state’s three top Democrats. The three men aren’t getting along — and the relationships between House Speaker Michael Madigan and Gov. Rod Blagojevich and between Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones are particularly strained. So far, Jones and Blagojevich are getting…
School movies with bite
Untitled Document Mrs. Hart (Cate Blanchett), the new art teacher, inspires one of her teenage male students in Notes on a Scandal, but not in a good way. Female teachers who have sex with male students have long been fodder for the news media, but the movie industry seems more comfortable with the endless parade…
Some help from Cupid
Untitled Document Cupid left a voice mail last night. With the annual archery tournament in just a few days, he wanted to check in: Would I be needing any extra assistance this year? A bow-polishing, perhaps? A prompt response would be appreciated, for his travel schedule is jam-packed with visits to nervous archers whose aim…
People’s poetry
Untitled Document Grief can endure a long, long time. A deep loss is very reluctant to let us set it aside, to push it into a corner of memory. Here the Arkansas poet, Andrea Hollander Budy, gives us a look at one family’s adjustment to a death. For Weeks After the Funeral The house felt…
Chip off my shoulder
Do me a favor: Skip this column. If you’re a regular reader, you already know the truth; if you’re not, you likely won’t care. If you don’t avert your eyes now, you’re going to get a shot of a middle-aged reporter’s full-frontal pettiness, and it isn’t going to be pretty. I’ve tried other options. Forgiving,…
