Cap City
Untitled Document HOG HEAVEN It’s hard to believe that the recent floods brought good news to any living creature, but that’s just because you haven’t heard about Doctor, Nicky, Sleepy, and Bucket Head. They’re four of the 65 pigs rescued from a 20-mile stretch of the “Big Ditch” levee in Oakville, Iowa (just across the…
Corn plastic no answer
Untitled Document What are the environmental pros and cons of corn-based plastic as an alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastic? Polylactic acid, a plastic substitute made from fermented plant starch (usually corn) is quickly becoming a popular alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics. As more and more countries and states follow the lead of China, Ireland, South…
Beyond good and evil
Untitled Document We’ve suffered from a superhero glut at American cinemas this year, so much so that if I don’t see another costumed do-gooder before 2009 I’ll be more than thrilled. Still and all, when the dust settles at the end of this film year, Christopher Nolan’s Batman feature The Dark Knight will wind up on…
Glimmer of hope
Untitled Document To the average motorist, the difference between clear car windows and slightly tinted windows is hardly worth noticing. To Mike and Jeanette Slover and their son, Michael Jr., however, this minor difference offers a glimmer of hope that they won’t spend the rest of their lives in prison. The Slovers, formerly of Decatur,…
The rest of the story
Untitled Document Kevin Young discusses the Kickapoo Indians with a certain familiarity and fondness, as if he and the native Illinois tribe are old friends. “We’ve just kind of followed each other over the years,” he says. Young was born in Rossville, two hours from Springfield in Vermilion County, near Kickapoo State Park. After watching…
Horns of plenty
Untitled Document What do you get when you put five flügelhorns, four tenor horns, a helicon, and several percussion instruments together in the same band? Besides the very good possibility of hearing a terrifically raucous sound and seeing seldom-seen brass instruments, you have the makings of a contemporary gypsy brass band. Believe it or not,…
A stop on the freedom train
Untitled Document Part of the intrigue of the Underground Railroad is its mystery — we’ll never know the whole story. Its activists tried to keep their work secret, so they kept no official records; many African-American participants couldn’t read or write, which prevented them from leaving records. What we know comes from oral histories, journals,…
A little pruning goes a long way
Untitled Document The word “pruning” actually means “to cut in layers” — something to keep in mind when you start whacking away at your shrubbery. “We prune to make selective cuts, to maintain the natural form of a plant by preventing overgrowth, rubbing branches, and to direct future growth,” says Richard Hentschel, a horticulture specialist…
Tomato terror
Untitled Document Here we go again. In 2006 it was Escherichia coli and spinach. This year it’s Salmonella serotype Saintpaul and tomatoes — and, recently, jalapeño, serrano peppers, and cilantro. It’s certainly important for public-health agencies to find the source of the outbreak and for producers, purveyors, and consumers to take the appropriate precautions. It’s…
The Green dream
Untitled Document From the stage of the Chicago Symphony Center, Rich Whitney struggles to regain control of the more than 500 delegates and proxies to the Green Party’s national convention. At issue is one item contained within the party’s proposed platform that calls for temporary-worker programs for immigrants who hold jobs in the U.S. but…
Three steps
Untitled Document The United States of America uses approximately 20 percent of all energy generated worldwide. Per unit of economic output, our economy is twice as energy intensive as Germany’s and nearly three times as energy intensive as Japan’s. Our buildings alone are responsible for nearly half our energy use — that’s almost 10 percent…
Dried-out and delicious
Untitled Document One of my kids’ friends once said that she thought I was a reincarnation of an American Indian because I routinely find a use for leftovers or odd bits and trimmings that most people throw away. I took it as a compliment. Back when most folks grew or made their own food, using…
First domino to fall
Untitled Document Because she doesn’t want her name used, I’m going to call her Sue. For more than 10 years Sue has worked for a drug-abuse and mental-illness treatment center in Decatur. Her job is administrative; she doesn’t deal directly with patients — at least not at work — but Sue has a drug-addicted son…
People’s Poetry
Untitled Document lovepoem #11 damaris supple lithe half century in age up since three to fly here from afar she charges back and forth the porch’s length stamping striding flinging wide her arms I ease out perch on a bed watch her move watch her sway from side to side her body now a…
Rousing the Lincoln in you
Untitled Document Andrew Ferguson’s personal saga tracing the Lincoln industry and influence began when he was a kid, visiting New Salem and other Lincoln shrines (thus called until recently) with his family, following the Lincoln Heritage Trail. My brother-in-law, with Wisconsin Public Radio, read Land of Lincoln over the air and pressed it on me:…
IT Picks
Untitled Document More than gore Titus Andronicus, one of William Shakespeare’s earliest and bloodiest tragedies, opens this weekend at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Shakespeare paints a grisly picture of politics in this tale of revenge pitting Titus Andronicus, a Roman warrior, against his archenemy, Tamora, queen of the Goths. Titus kills one of Tamora’s sons…
Friends and family
Untitled Document Last year, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan was able to use his alliance with the House and Senate Republicans to thwart Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Senate President Emil Jones at almost every turn. Whether it was the budget, or the governor’s health insurance expansion, or one of a multitude of other issues, Madigan…
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. WHY DID SYMPHONY LET ROSSI GO? For a number of years my husband and I have enjoyed traveling to Springfield to…
Lawmakers cash in as lobbyists
Untitled Document Old Congress critters never die — they just flitter away to K Street. Take Dennis Hastert. Actually, he’s already taken. The longtime Republican lawmaker retired last November, but, rather than just return to Illinois, he has alighted a few blocks from the Capitol, at the blue-chip lobbying firm of Dickstein Shapiro. The firm…
How the SAAP began
Untitled Document In the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a series of decisions that provided indigent defendants the means to appeal. In Illinois, the financial responsibility for these appeals (providing legal counsel and a free copy of the original trial transcript) fell to each county’s board. In 1970, a team of 15 idealistic young…
