Onward and Upward
As I rounded the corner to the stair well, the radio-controlled timer reacted to the tag on my shoe, reminding me with a loud “BEEEEEP” that there was no turning back. I was participating in the American Lung Association’s Fight For Air stair climb at the Hilton Hotel in Springfield, and all I could think…
Water and politics
University of Illinois at Springfield’s “Political Art and the Public Sphere” series resumes for the spring 2010 semester with the viewing and discussion of the film Flow. Flow is an award-winning documentary investigation into what many experts call the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st century. The film builds a case against…
Many moods of meatloaf
In 1984, Arizona’s prison system instituted an unusual punishment for its most recalcitrant inmates. When the news broke, many were outraged. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit, calling it “cruel and unusual punishment.” A prison spokesman responded, saying “This is a last resort disciplinary measure. It was designed to deal with prisoners who…
Meatloaf Master Recipe
RealCuisine RecipeMeatloaf Master Recipe This meatloaf master recipe provides a palette for both novice and experienced cooks for experimentation. The large amount of breadcrumbs is unusual, as is the buttermilk, but they make the meatloaf exceptionally light and moist. Beef, pork and veal, usually two parts beef to one each of pork and veal are…
REO Speedwagon rolls home
“When I look down the tour itinerary and see towns like Springfield and Champaign, the word that immediately comes to mind is ‘home,” says REO Speedwagon’s lead singer Kevin Cronin, 59, with an audible lump in his throat. “I know that probably seems hackneyed but its absolutely, 100 percent, true. The Beatles had the Cavern…
Letters to the Editor 2/18/10
LIBRARY LOVE So we raise the city sales tax and lay off employees at Lincoln Library? Furlough days for everybody. Can someone explain to me why our city fathers forgo sales tax revenues from multi-billion dollar corporations, as well as allowing city and library property taxes to slip through their fingers when these loopholes could easily…
Mad for ‘Mad Men’
From the bored housewife and the determined workingwoman to the philandering businessman, the television drama “Mad Men” explores a cast of 1960s archetypal characters, and displays them warts and all. This Friday, Feb. 19, the wildly popular show will serve as a catalyst to look back at the pivotal decade during the symposium, “Mad World:…
Sweet sap
Walk into Lincoln Memorial Gardens’ sugar bush as the garden taps its maples during Maple Syrup Time. Take part in one of multiple demonstrations taking place each Saturday and Sunday. Collect the sap as it flows from the trees and cook it down into pure maple syrup. Kids can help turn the brace and bit…
Low marks for state’s infrastructure
The state’s infrastructure earned failing grades in a report issued last week by the Illinois chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. If the situation does not improve, civil engineers say, drivers may see more potholes on roads and highways, train travelers may experience more delays while waiting for tracks to clear and farmers…
The Seething Coast
Formed in 2006, The Seething Coast draws its peculiar name from a lyric in a song by indie-rock legends The Mountain Goats. With Jason Perry on guitar and vocals matched with Jay Vanselow doing the same, the quartet fills out with Aaron Stallone on drums and Matt Natale, formerly of the Timmys, on bass as…
THE AIR UP THERE
Late comedian Mitch Hedburg used to joke that an escalator can never break; it can only become stairs. “You would never see an ‘Escalator temporarily out of order sign,’ just ‘Escalator temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience,’ ” he said. This Saturday, taking the stairs at the Hilton Hotel in Springfield will be less of…
Slow-pay state starves charities
Valerie Lies, the president and CEO of Donors Forum, says that the state’s inability to pay its bills is “wreaking havoc on the fiscal health of nonprofit organizations.” Foundations are also struggling to raise funds and can’t fill the state’s gaps, she adds, forcing nonprofits to limit or terminate programs. “For them, it’s a triple…
The Wolfman returns, a fresh take on a classic
The initial reviews for Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman have been mixed at best and it’s easy to see why. Its opening moves far too fast, one of its key actors phones in his performance and its third act flirts with silliness. To be sure, this is not your grandpa’s Wolfman as Johnston pulls no punches,…
A tough time to be a kid
A 10-year-old girl started pulling out her hair because she was so concerned about her family’s economic security. A teenage boy pleaded with his parents to let him drop out of school so he could work and support his struggling family. Kathy Ryg, president of Voices for Illinois Children, has heard dozens of stories like…
Fabulous February finds
Better lick your wounds from last week’s Mardi Gras spectacular and spruce up for another superb weekend of live music in the capital city. The nightlife is jampacked with more stuff than you could shake a stick at, if that’s your idea of having fun. Let’s start with our most recognized and praised live music…
CABBAGE PATCH KIDS
Most kids turn their noses up at cabbage. The look, the texture, the smell — it’s just no match for chicken fingers and pizza. But what if there’s a bonus? The Springfield Civic Garden Club is calling on area third-graders to grow their own cabbages for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. The program,…
Gospel greats
Performing on the Sangamon Auditorium stage is the Grammy-award winning singing group with special guest John Hammond presented in cooperation with the Friends of Brookens Library to celebrate Black History Month. Formed some six and a half decades ago, The Blind Boys of Alabama predate Elvis, Little Richard and Al Green, yet even in their…
Where in the world is the U.S. going?
Isn’t it interesting that so many people walking through life today seem not to see or be aware of the most spectacular scenery of events the world has ever produced? We live in a pivotal epoch of an overcrowded world of breakthrough technology while facing environmental stress and climate change along with the world-historic economic…
The people’s choice
The obituaries for the political career of the unfortunate Scott Lee Cohen list as the cause of death all the common viruses of Illinois politics, from dunderheaded party leaders and lazy reporters to voters happy to buy a pig in a poke if the pig squeals the right way. But Mr. Cohen was not only…
Green
“Green,” a lyric adapted from The Endless Pavement musical do you believe in green grasses and trees? well I do, well I do do you believe there were blossoms and bees? well I do, well I do what did green look like? how did green feel? what did green taste like when green was real?…
Can We Do That? Yes, we can!
Christians need to talk more about sex. That’s the idea behind Can We Do That? — a new book written by Dr. Wesley Robinson-McNeese that encourages Christian couples to explore various aspects of human sexuality, such as masturbation, oral sex and sexual intercourse. McNeese, the pastor of New Mission Church of God in Springfield and…
Corporate welfare roulette
One thing that governors and mayors absolutely love to do is win a prize in the national game called “Corporate Welfare Roulette.” It’s a simple casino-style game in which politicos put down a big stack of taxpayers’ money on an out-of-state corporation as an “incentive,” hoping that their bet outbids other states and cities trying…
Brady needs to learn a new language
One of the biggest doubts about state Sen. Bill Brady’s gubernatorial campaign — assuming he survives a potential recount of the Republican primary — is whether he can transform himself from a primary candidate into a serious general election candidate. Like most members of the state House and Senate, Brady has never once faced a…
Water contamination
Join Sangamon Valley Sierra Club, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Prairie Rivers Network and King Corn movie producers Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis who traded their farming combine for a canoe to produce another 30-minute sequel movie entitled Big River. Big River documents how pollution from heartland agriculture is blamed for herbicide and storm water runoff causing…
