On the right track
Untitled Document Tuesday, 9:18 a.m.: The train arrives at the Alton station on time, and a mother, cradling her baby, boards. Once seated, she pounds on the window. The clamor interrupts an elderly couple’s card game and wakes the man across the aisle. On the platform below, Grandma waves goodbye. Welcome aboard the northbound Texas…
Springfield’s hotties
Untitled Document A middle-aged African-American woman from Springfield and a white male professor from the local university recently discovered they have something in common with hot celebrity actress Cameron Diaz as well as billionaire venture capitalist John Doerr. What could it be? All four recently spent a week holed up in a Hilton in Nashville,…
In Vietnam, peace gets its chance
Untitled Document Our guide called Vietnam “the land of 10 million motorbikes,” and they all seemed to be zooming down the street between the Lucky Hotel and Hoan Kiem Lake, the centerpiece of old Hanoi. There is no tidy stoplight or crosswalk; pedestrians just step out into the traffic and most survive to the other…
Winter citrus on ice
Untitled Document I’ve long subscribed to the notion that winter is an ice-cream-free zone. Even when snow fails to make an appearance or the temperature feels more like spring, winter is dark — and darkness makes us turn inward. We fold up the patio furniture and retreat indoors. We brood over bowls of broth and…
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. PROHIBITING ALL “BAD” THINGS Wow, what an article by Nick Gillespie [“The race to ban,” Jan. 4]! I am surprised someone…
A legislative “miracle”
Untitled Document Sometimes even big corporations can’t get what they want from Congress. But — hey — that’s why they have special friends in high places. Aon Corp. is a Chicago-based global conglomerate that counts Sterling Life Insurance Co. among its subsidiaries. Last year, Aon lobbyists had written a little amendment that would have made…
Voice of experience
Untitled Document Before Dave Barry, the Miami Herald columnist, decided that he had enough money and went to live on the Internet, now and then he’d compose a list called “16 (or 20, or 25) things it took me over 50 years to learn.” The lists are well worth your time; Dave Barry is a witty…
Come on up, the stage is open
Untitled Document Open mics offer a great opportunity for the entertainment expert and novice to meet and mingle. Generally these events have a host and a signup sheet — and you, the aspiring musician, add your name to the list and patiently wait your turn to grace the stage. The host starts the night with…
Love is blind
Untitled Document My grandmother tells the story of when she met John F. Kennedy. It was back in 1959, as Kennedy was still gearing up for his presidential run. Grandma and my grandfather, an active Teamsters Union member and a Democratic precinct committeeman in Kankakee, traveled to Chicago for a labor event featuring JFK. Kennedy,…
People’s poetry
Untitled Document angerpoem #21,500 for sixty years we milkeda hundred cows a day at firstby hand but in the twenties forthree hundred bucks my grandpahad the high wire come fromtown he then bought six surgemilking machines surge becamea household word just think thedifference if the trillions we’vepoured into this deadly war hadbeen marshalled into…
Cooking for my veg-heads
Untitled Document One of the most interesting aspects of parenthood has been watching my three children evolve into unique individuals. Their similarities and differences have given a whole new perspective to that “heredity vs. environment” argument in my Psych 101 class. Nowhere is this more evident than in my daughters. They’re both redheads (which has…
Taking a stand
Untitled Document Ward 2 Ald. Frank McNeil wants the City Council to pass a resolution that calls for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. In last November’s general election, 59 percent of voters in Capital Township supported a similar advisory question. McNeil says it’s now incumbent upon on the council to tell President George…
Three of the year’s best
Untitled Document January is traditionally the worst month for movies. Hollywood releases its best product at the end of the year, then dumps the junk in January. With awards season upon us, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the best films of 2006. The current blockbuster mentality prohibits the wide release of…
Nothing but “characters”
Untitled Document Yep, Joe Carnahan’s Smokin’ Aces is a teen boy’s fantasy come to life. Every character has a signature line or action; every problem is solved with a kick, jab, or gun blast. In short, Aces is hardly a revolutionary film. Buddy “Aces” Israel (Jeremy Piven, at his most irritating) is a lounge-lizard magician who…
Green threads
Untitled Document Where can I find fashionable clothing brands that use organic materials? Increased environmental concerns worldwide have not escaped the notice of the fashion industry, which has been fast incorporating organic materials into its designs. Materials such as hemp and bamboo are coming on strong, but organic cotton is by far the fabric of…
When anywhere is local
Untitled Document They may hail from balmy Miami, but the Postmarks certainly have a yen for the changing seasons. Their debut full-length boasts such climatologically perverse song titles as “Summers Never Seem to Last,” “Looks Like Rain,” and “Winter Spring Summer Fall” — concepts that are as far removed from most Floridians’ experience as thermal…
