The contenders
Now that the state’s political season is about to kick into a slightly higher gear, let’s take a moment to look at how some of the Republican candidates for governor stack up. We’ll look at the rest of the pack next week. • State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka — Her supporters say that her ideological moderation…
common sense
The Transportation Security Administration is the all-knowing, all-seeing federal agency in charge of taking our shoes off at airports — and our heroic leaders there have recently rooted out a treasure trove of invaluable data. Unfortunately, it’s not information about some secret cell of terrorists — it’s a trove of your personal information and mine.…
letters
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 DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC Whoopee! The U.S. Senate just finished its…
Movie review
Walter Salles’ Dark Water is a gripping exercise in horror that opts for subtlety over bombast as it delivers legitimately creepy entertainment and, more surprisingly, a genuinely moving love story. Jennifer Connelly portrays Dahlia Williams, a beleaguered woman who’s forced to move into a rundown apartment on Roosevelt Island, a stone’s throw from Manhattan. This does…
Sunday morning coming down
Zombies have invaded Springfield. Don’t believe me? Venture downtown some Sunday morning. You will see clots of automatons restlessly roaming the streets, trudging ever forward, but shackled by the fact that they haven’t the slightest clue where they’re going. Their eyes, wide open but unfocused, sweep slowly side to side, hopelessly, searching for . .…
The ogler’s [sic] secrets
In these times when our president struts his bottom-of-college-class standing and our governor jokes of his low ACT score, I find it easier to admit my language ignorance. Of course, our academic failures are not our fault but, rather, the fault of our respective educational systems. And I, for one, admire both the president and…
earth talk
Dear “Earth Talk”: What kind of environmentally friendly pet-care products are available for controlling ticks and fleas and washing dogs and cats? — Jeannette Peclet, Norwalk, Conn. According to Australian veterinarian Lilian Lee, pets metabolize most of the insecticide contained in mass-marketed flea collars such that the concentration is so weak that it has hardly…
sound patrol
It’s hard to hate the Ying Yang Twins as much as I should, but it’s equally hard to defend them. In the interest of full disclosure, I was ushered into puberty by the Rolling Stones — no amount of Germaine Greer could repair the damage those crafty über-misogynists wrought upon my tender psyche with “Backstreet…
now playing
Any Rooftop Roots Festival fans remember last year’s soggy bottom show? About a song-and-a-half into the event, a raging tempest helped us all decide the best way to enjoy a rooftop in this festival was over our heads. All turned out dry and well though, thanks to the helpful hands of volunteers hauling gear and…
Matching suits
Late last month, U.S. District Judge Richard Mills dismissed a counterclaim filed by the city of Springfield against Sarah Gripper, a former public-works employee who’s suing the city for racial discrimination. The city’s countersuit alleged that Gripper, who is African-American, defamed and held the city in a false light when Gripper claimed in her lawsuit…
Forward movement
The debate over the long-awaited Police Citizen Review Commission gets another airing next week, when the case is presented before Illinois Labor Relations Board hearing officer William E. Waechter. The hearing, scheduled to last two days, begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 12. The city of Springfield and Policemen’s Benevolent and Protective Agency Unit 5…
Will success change Ted Keylon?
“A total convert” Ted Keylon is still trying to change the world. Just ask him. Go ahead. The 37-year-old musician/artist/television host/producer/underground zine publisher/poet/dishwasher/paperboy and semicelebrity has never needed much prodding to get a lecture going on his ideas to improve society. For the last dozen years or so, Keylon has worked the scene in Springfield,…
gardening 6-30-05
Does anyone remember what rain looks like? According to the U.S. drought monitor (drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html), central Illinois is experiencing a moderate-to-severe drought. Some areas of central Illinois have received a little more of the liquid stuff than others have, but “little” is the operative word. In Buffalo, for example, we received one rainfall totaling just an…
Elegant setting, splendid food
Until recently, only guests of the Oaks, a restored 19th-century Victorian mansion turned bed & breakfast, could enjoy lunch at this hidden jewel. The elegant building sits on a bluff overlooking Petersburg and the Sangamon River. Just driving up the winding lane through the parklike setting of oaks trees and flower gardens to the B&B…
