Jacqueline Jackson
travelpoem #3 a donkey fell in the cloutie well and drowned of course the well isn’t sacred anymore for you can’t have a thing like that happen and retain sanctity they found a nearby pool with the requisite hawthorn its branches now boast the scraps of paper the ribbons the moistened handkerchiefs bearing prayers for…
Smoke gets in their eyes
Even before it takes effect, Springfield’s new smoking ban may be loosened. Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards has proposed exempting private clubs from the ban, which is scheduled to take effect in September. The proposed exemption made it through first reading on a voice vote at the Feb. 7 City Council meeting. Edwards says that…
Hoffman’s Capote
When I heard that Philip Seymour Hoffman had been cast as Truman Capote, my initial reaction was “absolutely perfect.” I couldn’t imagine another actor more convincingly handling Capote’s well-known physical quirks. His performance easily rises above the level of mere mimicry. We see the painful transformation Capote undergoes through his investigation into the murders that…
“Crackpot”
By most accounts, Andy Martin has an uphill fight if he hopes to become the Republican Party’s nominee for governor. But even if he somehow manages to win his party’s nod and the general election, he may not be eligible to hold office, according to an Ohio lawyer. On Dec. 29, Canton, Ohio-based attorney Craig…
Going negative
The latest Chicago Tribune poll appears to track closely with recent polls conducted by two Republican statewide contenders. The poll found Judy Baar Topinka leading the GOP governor’s race with 38 percent, followed by Jim Oberweis at 17 percent, Ron Gidwitz finally breaking into double digits with 11 percent, and Bill Brady bringing up the rear…
Illinois, poverty capital of the Midwest
There is an air of unreality to the progressive but dishonest state budget proposed this week by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. It is hard to object to “Preschool for All,” the governor’s proposal to allow all 3- and 4-year-olds to enroll in state-funded preschools, and the big election-year capital spending program will buy some needed improvements.…
A killer friendship
You can tell that Pierce Brosnan in having fun in The Matador, the smart new dark comedy from writer/director Richard Shepard. Best known for his James Bond roles, Brosnan gleefully dismantles his suave screen persona as Julian Noble, a burned-out assassin who carouses with hookers, tries to pick up teenage girls, and drinks himself into…
Spyin’ and lyin’
As we’ve seen in his botched handling of everything from the Iraqi occupation to the Katrina disaster, George W. Bush is not much of a president. But let’s give credit where it’s due — Bush has been a heck of a performer in two areas: spying and lying. Both have come to the…
Competition’s limits
I was surprised to read a recent commentary in these pages that suggested that the Kerasotes theater chain avoids films with gay content — surprised because it isn’t true. Many have been brought to Springfield by Kerasotes over the years, such as Philadelphia, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mulholland Dr., and Bound. If Kerasotes dared…
Earth Talk
Dear “Earth Talk”: What are religious leaders and organizations doing to communicate the importance of safeguarding our natural environment? — Peter Toot, Taos, N.M. Perhaps it’s not surprising that those who care for God’s creation take environmental issues seriously. But only in recent years have Sunday sermons and other religious services put green topics front…
Hostile environment
Ray Coleman makes sense as a park ranger. Tall and bewhiskered, with a powerful yet easygoing demeanor that commands respect, the former conservation worker bears a strong resemblance to Smokey Bear. The likeness doesn’t stop there; like Smokey, Coleman has spent a good part of his life fighting fires, albeit of a different kind. A…
Jury deadlocks
Embattled Illinois State Police Capt. Steve Fermon was on trial again last week, facing a second accusation of retaliating against an underling. This time, the jury deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial. In April, a federal jury found Fermon and his supervisor, Lt. Col. Diane Carper, guilty of retaliating against former ISP Lt. Michale Callahan by…
School of hard knocks
A mother at a Springfield mission is pleased with her four children’s experiences in the local schools. “Oh yeah, they like school. Oh yeah, the teachers are good,” she says. Her children are making friends, and although they could ride the bus, she walks with them most days. Living at the mission, she has “more…
Not just crying Woolf
From the opening harmonica run to its last acoustic-guitar strum, Cindy Woolf’s Simple and Few radiates a wholesome heart and a caring soul at work. Nothing is angry or rushed or too soothing or pushed, either; the album just seems to flow from an unending source of decency and goodness. “Most everything I do is inspired…
Blind Joe Death lives
Is it wrong to look a tribute album in the mouth? It seems nasty, I know, to compare well-meaning musicians to gasbag grandees hogging the dais at a televised funeral (R.I.P., Coretta Scott King), but let’s face it: Are the assembled homage-payers truly interested in honoring the honoree, or are they just hitching a ride…
Letters to the editor
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address, and daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length, and clarity. Send letters to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. AVOID BREED-SPECIFIC LEGISLATION A terrible tragedy occurred with the attacks on little Brandy, Carla Covington, and…
The duck, the shtick, and the best valentine ever
The note on Tommie “Snorts” Sullivan’s Christmas card, saying that Sister Mary Serene had recently passed to her reward, surprised me only in that she decided to call it quits after 101 years. She could have lived forever, if so inclined — she was magic. Most of my early memories have blurred centers and chipped…
A few good men
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, in a sense, worked her way up to the nation’s greatest leader by first producing several acclaimed political studies of some of the 20th century’s best-known presidents. Her journey to Abraham Lincoln began with another wartime leader whose political career ended unhappily. Goodwin, who earned a doctorate in government at Harvard…
IRS goes after poor folks
You’ve gotta love the consistency of the Bushites. When they ram through their multibillion-dollar tax giveaways, it’s the super-rich and corporations that gain. And when they unleash their IRS to look into tax cheating, they don’t probe the tax shelters of millionaires or the multibillion-dollar offshore tax havens of corporate finaglers — instead, they go…
Earth Talk
Dear “Earth Talk”: What is the environmental impact of sugar, aside from its not-so-healthy aspects? I’ve heard that the industry is no friend to the environment. — Mary Oakes, via e-mail Sugar is ever-present in products we consume every day, yet we rarely give a second thought as to how and where it is produced…
Mr. Smith goes to Washington
For Richard Norton Smith, departing director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, just one thing is certain in his professional life. After leaving Springfield at the end of March, Smith will become a scholar in residence at George Mason University, in a suburb of Washington, D.C. The part-time post pays $30,000 a year,…
Pigs, ice cream, and socks
Several years ago, Dan Guillory began a series of poems about Abraham Lincoln’s life. The poems, chronicling the events and people in the life of the 16th president, are written from Lincoln’s perspective. To mark Lincoln’s birthday, we’re publishing a selection — the third year we’ve done so. — Editor Ice Cream at the Smiths…
Letters to the editor
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address, and daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length, and clarity. Send letters to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. TO BE POOR AND SICK Through a series of events, at age 49, I am in…
Selfish and self-deluded
A modern crime thriller set in England, Woody Allen’s Match Point focuses on two outsiders who get a peek at the sort of upper-crust lifestyle they can never hope to possess and the effect it has on them. Chris Walton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is a former tennis player who never made the big time but has rubbed…
Care of fresh-cut flowers
Flowers are a great way to celebrate a special occasion — holiday, birthday, anniversary, new baby. Of course, you don’t need a special occasion to enjoy fresh-cut flowers or a flowering potted plant: Sending flowers shows thoughtfulness and is a good way to brighten a person’s day. At Valentine’s Day and year-round, roses are the…
Guided by Pollard
Robert Pollard From a Compound Eye (Merge) Nestled in a black hole somewhere in the unobservable universe, there is a parallel reality in which Robert Pollard is a rock god. In this realm of total awesomeness, there is only one radio station (FM and album-oriented, natch), the human liver is eternal, and no one ridicules…
Feats of strength
When Gregg Hinds was found to have throat cancer in 2003, he underwent surgery, then 30 doses of radiation. Within weeks, though, he was back at work with the military-security police at the 183rd Air National Guard base. It’s a job that Hinds loves — and one that can mean anything from unadulterated boredom (staring…
Days of whines and poses
For years, the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois has been one of the most successful lobbies at the Statehouse. The victory that comes immediately to mind was when ABDI teamed up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to prevent direct sales of out-of-state wine to consumers. The argument then was that underage kids could buy their…
Melancholy genius
With Abraham Lincoln’s 197th birthday just around the corner, it’s worth taking a look at two noteworthy recent books about our 16th president. The authors of both will be in Springfield this weekend to take part in the Abraham Lincoln Association’s programs for the day. Doris Kearns Goodwin delves into the Lincoln field with Team…
Storm sirens over Taylorville
During heavy summer storms, central Illinois has been showered, at least metaphorically, with more than its share of cats and dogs. But once, in what must have been the most unusual downpour in this region’s history, it rained so hard that it rained amphibians — and these creatures weren’t just figures of speech. The unexpected…
Can spring be far behind?
The U.S. invasion of Iraq officially began on March 19, 2003. A month before Operation Shock and Awe began, a worldwide push to prevent the war was under way, according to Chicago-based Voices for Creative Nonviolence, formerly known as Voices in the Wilderness. From Feb. 15 through March 19, VCNV will travel to Washington, D.C.,…
Jacqueline Jackson
lovepoem #5 (technopoem #2) glen gould plays bach and hums hunched over the keyboard he plays bach and hums you listen for the humming you wait for the humming you smile when you begin to hear the drone bass to the partita you love the humming because glen gould loves bach so much he has…
Punt!
At the end of Tuesday’s City Council, a confused Springfield police officer asked reporters, “Is this a recess?” No, it was just a surprisingly short meeting, given that the council was supposed to act on the city budget, perhaps the most important piece of business they deal with each year. But thanks to a tougher-than-expected…
The Return of Dune
The extended edition of Dune (1984) arrives on DVD with little fanfare, an expected reaction to an unfairly maligned film. The source of derision is David Lynch’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic science-fiction novel. Proper appreciation of Dune will come from ignoring the source material and seeing its place in the filmography of the master…
Losing proposition
With the proposal to introduce keno now shelved, the governor and the General Assembly must devise an alternative revenue source if they are to fund the governor’s capital-development plan. However, let’s not for a moment think that we’ve heard the last of expanding the state’s lottery operations. Trust that when the inevitable budget shortfalls reappear…
The Peter Principle
So you wrote a couple of funny songs at which people laughed, and now you want to start your own band. You’ve figured out that being onstage is cool — there’s plenty of free beer, and you get lots of attention when once no one knew your name. So what’s a feller to do? Go…
