A glimpse back, a look ahead
Let me mention some of the many good things that happened on area stages in 2004 before taking a look at what’s planned for the Springfield-area theater scene this year. The Hoogland Center for the Arts is undoubtedly the main story of the arts community this past year. Not a week goes by in which…
prairie notes 1-6-05
It’s hard to find a food with a longer history than milk, a staple of the human diet. For at least 10,000 years, milk and foods made from milk have nourished children and adults in nearly every culture on earth. During the 1930s, pasteurization was introduced as means of making the milk supply safe from…
Ethical spectacle
I am an ethics outlaw. Recently I received formal notice that I had failed to complete the required ethics training for state employees. The notice, which included the threat of a $5,000 fine and disciplinary action, was the result of my disagreement with the answers given on the ethics quiz. In other words, I gave…
Critical piece
Illinois ranks among the toughest states for poor people to find decent housing, and state lawmakers can do something to change that. The lame-duck General Assembly, which wraps up business on Jan. 11, must act on bills to create a critical rent-subsidy program — similar to the federal government’s Section 8 program — or see…
Second coming
At first glance, the 80-plus paintings on display at Prairie Art Alliance are a circus of styles, techniques, and colors, ranging from black-and-white to psychedelic. What’s striking is the diversity of abstracts, dancers, wildlife, portraits, and skyscapes. More remarkable is the fact that all of these works were produced by one man: John E. Erickson.…
Maytag moves to Mexico
GALESBURG — Many Americans dream of getting rich. Aaron Kemp had more modest ambitions. “I wanted to work at a decent job and earn a decent wage, with decent benefits, so I can raise my kids, give them a decent education and maybe take them out to Pizza Hut on a Friday night. I don’t…
quick takes 1-6-05
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS REPORT Jim Morris, Sue Morris, and Mike Armstrong, members of the Living Stones Pilgrimage, will discuss their recent trip to Israel and Palestine at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at Lincoln Library, Seventh Street and Capitol Avenue. The Morrises belong to Pax Christi Springfield, which is sponsoring the presentation. The goal of the…
common sense 1-6-05
Look for a big push by the Bush administration this year to restrict your right to sue corporations that harm or cheat you. President George W. Bush claims that you unruly citizens are treating big corporations unfairly, constantly filing “frivolous lawsuits” against them. So to protect the poor corporations, Bush says, he must limit your…
letters 1-6-05
Letters policy We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity. Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois 62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com NEEDED: AN ALL-AGES CLUB I really enjoyed your piece “Re-Solutions to ‘Springfield…
You never know where a job here might take you
Like most other capital cities, Springfield has always had a certain transient population whose ebb and flow are governed not by the moon but by the rising and falling tide of work necessary to efficient state governance. Some people come here to work, become attached to Springfield, and end up spending the rest of their…
Taking aim
A coalition of influential left-wing political organizations has initiated a campaign to hit Sinclair Broadcast Group where it hurts — in the pocketbook. The group, led by Media Matters for America, has launched a national letter-writing campaign to Sinclair’s advertisers that charges the company with misusing the public airwaves. “[Sinclair is] unfairly using its assets…
sound patrol 1-6-05
Beans Shock City Maverick (Warp) Two years after the demise of his trio Antipop Consortium, hip-hop iconoclast Beans is keeping busy. In 2003, the New York-based MC and producer released his first solo album, Tomorrow Right Now, and an EP, Now, Soon, Someday. In late 2004, after attention-getting stints touring with such underground-rock hotshots as…
movie review
Time for sexual healing Like any good scientist, Alfred Kinsey was simply looking for facts when he began his landmark study of human sexuality. What he found, in addition to a wide range of responses to the comprehensive survey he and his assistants administered, was a degree of controversy he could not have imagined. Bill…
Mother always said
My mother used a vast repertoire of pithy proverbs in her attempts to raise me right. I shudder when I hear myself repeating them to my kids, but only because it shows I’m getting old. The aphorisms themselves are, as Mother would say, good as gold. “Let sleeping dogs and babies lie,” was one of…
now playing 1-6-05
You’ve heard of them, haven’t you, those “open mic” things that bars hold on off nights? Usually the management hires a popular host to pull in amateurs who play for free. You’ll probably see acoustic guitars and cases piled around the stage. Most people either hate open mics or love them to death. The open…
music notes 1-6-05
• Prepare to rock as the band Low as I releases Shot Heard Around the World on Friday, Jan. 7. The band formerly known as Mindfold will be selling and signing the new CDs after an acoustic show at Samuel Music (3730 Wabash Ave.). The celebration continues around 10 p.m. the same night at Viele’s…
People’s poetry
La Pie Elle envie la pie à coté Du cottage jaune, Parce que là, On trouve la neige d’hiver, Le ciel, le soleil, et la pais D’une palette par Monet. She envies the magpie beside The yellow cottage, Because there One finds winter snow The sky, the sun, and the peace Of a Monet pallet.…
Jacqueline Jackson 1-6-05
kinquote poem #1 when I told my daughter ‘d been asked to do a poem a week for the downstate newspaper she said I’m not telling you how to run your life or anything, mom, but why would you want to take on something new when you’re always trying to get rid of stuff? but…
Earth talk 1-6-05
Dear “Earth Talk: What are the environmental and health risks of genetically engineered foods, and do they outweigh the benefits such as reduced pesticide use and increased crop yields? — Liz from California Genetic engineering is a technology in which the genes of organisms are manipulated and transferred between species. Although genetically engineered (GE) foods…
