The poetry of food, farm and friends
Had the pleasure of heading out this weekend on an adventure and attending a Slow Food Springfield luncheon at Prairie Fruits Farm in Champaign. The wind (well, really wheels) carried us east from Springfield to Urbana and kept us cool under the June sun. It was a gorgeous day to see to the goats, pigs,…
ROCK THE BLOCK
The Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association is bringing back a lost form of community revelry: the block party. Their neighborhood block party, called Rock the Block in Enos Park, is a celebration of all the area has to offer, and they’re hoping to make it a tradition. The chief attraction of the party will be…
Illinois leaders campaign for federal immigration reform
Several prominent public figures in Illinois are pushing for passage of a federal immigration reform bill, which President Barack Obama called “the best chance we’ve had in years to fix our broken immigration system.” The Senate could pass the bill by July 4, though it faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives. For…
Midnight a bracing look at the realities of love
Richard Linklater’s Before films are a special collection of movies that not only takes an unique look at romantic love but reminds us how engaging the fine art of conversation can be in capable hands. Before Sunrise (1995) introduced us to Jesse (Ethan Hawke), a young American tourist on a train to Vienna who meets…
Purge lacks the strength of its flimsy convictions
James DeMonaco’s The Purge hints – and I mean hints – that it might be a socially relevant film that imagines that today’s divide between the “Haves” and the “Have Nots” will develop into a blood sport in the near future. Its premise of Social Darwinism in action is an intriguing one and, in braver…
Les Mis local
Joshua Ratz could have done anything on Father’s Day. He could have spent time with his 19-year-old stepson. He could have helped his pregnant wife care for their infant. He could have worked on a motion in his role as assistant attorney general. Instead, Ratz was doing what he’s been doing for the past 10…
No Clark makes for cold Steel
One of the crucial aspects of superheroes is the notion of the secret identity, the physical and psychic split in the character that delineates the real person from the heroic persona. Whenever this narrative conceit is examined the conversation always turns to Superman and Batman. They were the first two of the modern superheroes, arguably…
Wanted: A new sheriff
The Republican primary for Sangamon County sheriff is nine months away, but the candidates have been prepping for years. That Wes Barr is running to replace Sheriff Neil Williamson isn’t surprising. Barr, a former lieutenant who retired from the sheriff’s department last month after nearly 30 years in law enforcement, set up a campaign committee…
Stalemate sells steaks
Michael Higgins loves America. The owner of Maldaner’s restaurant in downtown Springfield pays his taxes, votes and keeps abreast of current events, perhaps moreso than the rest of us, by going to a fair number of city council meetings. But, in at least one way, Higgins sees the world differently. “We used to love Rod…
Latest numbers in governor’s race
In a sign that some truly awful publicity for her father may be hurting her possible gubernatorial bid, Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s poll numbers have plunged in the past several months. And Bill Daley has considerably improved his standing since he announced his candidacy. Back in January, a We Ask America poll had Ms. Madigan…
Inside the House of the Rainbow
In a humble house by the railroad tracks, a recently released ex-con sits idly on a worn-out couch, smoking a cigarette and ashing in a tuna can. He’s explaining his views on society with an air of irreverence, as one who has seen just about everything. He gives a pseudonym – Tom Bennett – to…
A teaching forest
Guy Sternberg planted his first trees when he was five years old – in his sandbox. The silver maple seeds he collected on the way home from kindergarten class would sprout and begin to grow. For the founder of Starhill Forest Arboretum near Petersburg, this tiny sandbox forest would inspire a lifetime of planting, learning…
UIS’s spirit of academic innovation
Must innovation be a huge departure from what preceded it? Can an innovation be a small variation of what went before, creating or filling a new need? Must it be as dominant as the iPhone to be known as innovative? What may be more important is the spirit that stimulates efforts to create new advances…
A commanding General Tso’s chicken
“We had friends who went to China, and they went to Peking where they make the ducks, and what they say is that the food over there is not as good as here. You can’t get a sauce as sweet and thick over there.”– Eugene Levy in the movieWaiting for Guffman Ah, sweet-and-sour chicken. I…
Coitus frustratus
My boyfriend is a very spiritual person who practices yoga, meditation, etc. He showed me a website about karezza, which basically involves deriving sexual pleasure through long, drawn-out, non-vigorous physical contact without experiencing an orgasm. It sounds nice and all, but I would greatly miss the orgasm part of sex. Well, he recently revealed that…
Temple of the Law
The words audi alternam partum – roughly, “hear the other side” – are inscribed on the wall of the Illinois Supreme Court chambers in Springfield. As a maxim to guide the administration of a state court system, it doesn’t rank with “liberty and justice for all,” but in Illinois, you don’t want to aim too…
A jumpin’ June to enjoy
There’s so much to talk about I’m not going to pretend to fabricate an introduction or lead you down a merry path of assumed meticulous and attempted mellifluous wordplay and just get on with the long to-do list for this week. First up is a memorial show for Jim Pearl hosted by Johnny Slu and…
Let us commence toward the common good
Ironically, June is both the month of the summer solstice and of America’s biggest annual blizzard. I don’t mean a weather event blowing in from the Arctic, but a merciless storm of words blowing from commencement speakers at high school and college graduation events. This year, I was one of the blowhards, the chief speechifyer…
Letters to the Editor 6/20/13
MAKING GOOD BETTERMany thanks to IT for your kind article of June 13 about the Regional Planning Commission, its staff and our work (“Planning a better Springfield”). Particular thanks to Pat Yeagle, who was able to tell the story of who we are, what we do and why we do it far better than I…
CASH FOR A PASS
Members of Illinois’ congressional delegation this week put their collective weight into moving Springfield’s 10th Street rail consolidation forward. They sent a letter to U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood, an Illinois boy, asking for money to build an underpass at Carpenter Street and 10th Street. Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Mark Kirk, Rep. Aaron Schock and…
What thou Will
When the “about” section of a band’s Facebook page says, “A malicious onslaught of diabolical debauchery and brutal blasphemy!!!!!” you know they mean business. What thou Will, a Springfield-based metal band that “combines traditional and nontraditional elements of death, thrash, melodic and black metal to create a unique brand of metal,” began in 2004 as…
Fun fitness
If you have children 12 and under, mark your calendar to attend Get Fit on Route 66 Walk, Run, Roll, Sat., June 22. This Generation Healthy (genHkids) Kids Coalition event, sponsored by Springfield Electric, St. John’s Children’s Hospital, BUNN and Southwind Park, has so much fun in store, your kids will hardly believe there’s exercise…
Yards of green
Lincoln Land Community College’s Workforce Development division offers workshops this summer for the general public to learn or improve their work skills, but others with a personal interest in the subject matter may sign up, too. Sessions include topics such as welding, forklift safety and biodiesel production. One course caught our eye – Sustainable Lawns…
estate sale poem #1
one should not feel regretfor the things not boughtat an estate sale after all I gotthe presents for my grandkids’joint birthday bash due that nighta fleet of bright little motorcycleswell-made 50c each and an artsydragon music box that played arather unmagical puff for onlythree bucks but what I reallywanted was the worn pull toyfrom the…
Talking spirits
Here’s your chance to delve into the mysterious and the strange. Haunted America Conference returns to central Illinois for its 17th year June 21-22 at the haunted Lincoln Theater in Decatur. A host of experienced ghost hunters and speakers will share their experiences with ghosts, hauntings, monsters and the supernatural. Friday night includes a meet…
News Quirks 6/20/13
An end to doughnut breaks• Police in Lowell, Mass. agreed to allow global-positioning systems in patrol cars to track officers. The Lowell Patrolmen’s Union had expressed concerns about the GPS devices being used to discipline officers found not to be where they’re supposed to, but the union agreed to their implementation in exchange for a…
Moonrise in Illinois
Reacting to my “In defense of the politician,” a veteran State of Illinois employee told me that he thought it would be fun to work under a governor like Jerry Brown. Younger readers might be interested to know that Illinois very nearly had its Jerry Brown, in 1982 and 1986, when the 11-year U.S> Senator…
Buying time
Rich Miller reported on June 11 (Caps off for general if busted in primary) that HB 2418 passed both chambers and is likely to be signed by Mr. Quinn. The bill stipulates (speaking very broadly) that if Bruce Rauner or any other rich guy busts the contribution cap in a primary race and wins the…
