movie review
Soaring budgets have film studios hedging their bets and taking as few risks as possible. That’s why sequels to major hits are made; why proven concepts, such as big-screen adaptations of hit TV shows, receive the green light. Some adaptations (The Fugitive) work well; others (The Beverly Hillbillies and Wild, Wild West) fail miserably. The…
sound patrol 6-23-05
On De Nova, their second album (and major-label debut), the Redwalls deliver ’60s-era blues-based Brit rock with an audacity peculiar to the very young and the not-so-terribly bright. The quartet’s fetching mop tops, mod-inspired duds, and shameless pilfering of the classics suggest one of the following possibilities: (1) It never occurred to them that they’re from…
flicks 6-23-05
Batman definitely has issues, but that’s what sets his character apart from other comic-book heroes. Superman has powers far beyond the capabilities of the mere mortal Bruce Wayne, who moonlights as the crazed vigilante in a bat suit, but there has never been a blander hero in all of fiction. Give me crazy anytime. Batman…
Jacqueline Jackson 6-23-05
jamaicanpoem #1 the heat is searing but these many-hued glossy-skinned liquid-eyed jamaican schoolkids in tan shirts and trousers in green pleated jumpers and snowy blouses are like crickets the hotter it gets the higher they leap the shriller they chirp © Jacqueline Jackson 2005
earth talk 6-23-05
Dear “Earth Talk”: What exactly constitutes “ecotravel” or “ecotourism”? — Jeannette Peclet, Norwalk, Conn. Although tour operators and travel agents around the world may tout their trips as “ecotours,” environmentally conscious travelers take a variety of considerations into account when determining whether any given excursion qualifies as such. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as…
Code red
David Gill, an emergency physician at Dr. John Warner Hospital in Clinton, often tells the story of a 73-year-old woman with a throat so swollen that she could hardly breathe. Suffering from an allergic reaction, the elderly woman put off seeking medical attention for five hours, afraid of the medical bills she might incur. Only…
common sense 6-23-05
Don’t you wish you had a rich and kindly old uncle whose chief mission in life was to give things to you? Well, if you lived in Alaska, bucko, you’d have a generous relative, and you’d call him Uncle Ted, as everyone else does. This year, Uncle Ted has given $645 million worth of stuff…
gardening 6-23-05
You’re sure to walk away with ideas on sprucing up your garden after attending one of the many upcoming area garden walks. • Enjoy “Town and Country Gardens,” 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 25, hosted by the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners of Champaign County. Featured gardens include some in the Champaign-Urbana area and…
User friendlier
Richard M. Yon isn’t your typical tourist. As a Florida university student, pursuing his Ph.D. in political science, Yon’s visit to Springfield over Memorial Day weekend was part of his 5,000-mile tour of various presidential sites. “I’m such a nerd,” he laughs. Over the phone, it’s hard to tell whether he’s being self-deprecating or brutally…
Northern exposure
When the family and friends of Olga McAnarney gathered during Christmas week last year to mourn her death, the traditional repast after the burial was an occasion that reunited many current and former residents of the old North 22nd Street neighborhood near St. Aloysius Church on Springfield’s North End. The mourners, many of them now…
Tearing down the house
The Springfield Historic Sites Commission is calling on the Illinois Audubon Society to save the Adams House, a move that boosts efforts by local activists to preserve the antebellum structure. The 147-year-old Adams House, located on the grounds of the Adams Wildlife Sanctuary, would be razed to make way for a new 2,000-square-foot office building,…
appetite 6-23-05
June is Dairy Month, an annual tradition that promotes the dairy industry and its many contributions to society. OK, besides giving us ice cream, milkshakes, and assorted other summertime treats, what has the dairy industry done to deserve a month of devotion? Well, consider that June is also Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month, Turkey Lover’s Month, National Accordion…
letters 6-23-05
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 ON THE SIDE OF HOPE The Arc of Illinois represents over 180,000…
art seen 6-23-05
If you’ve always thought that an artist waited deep inside you, eager to burst forth, now may be the time to tap that latent passion and make the most of it. It’s also the time to wrestle the Nintendo and TV away from the kids, introduce them to new friends, and discover talents you’ve suspected…
quick takes 6-23-05
GINNY LEE ON THE NET Springfield professional photographer Ginny Lee displays her work on a new Web site, www.ginnyleephoto.com, designed by Katerie Gladdys and Roger West of Springfield. The site includes examples of some of Lee’s fine-art prairie landscapes shot with the use of infrared film. Lee specializes in portraiture in addition to landscapes. She…
Illinois meditations
When I signed up for a meditation course at the Illinois Vipassana Meditation Center, I was hardly expecting a peaceful, relaxing vacation. It would be meditation all day, every day, for 10 days; I was accustomed to half an hour a day, max. But I assumed that if people who’d never meditated before were welcome,…
now playing 6-23-05
Twenty-five years ago, Jason Ringenberg played the bars of downtown Springfield. A young college student in Carbondale, straight off the family farm, he was trying to find his place in the world of music. Decked out in his fringed jacket, harmonica rack, and acoustic guitar, Ringenberg sang old country songs and tunes by Bob Dylan,…
Cold Rod
Yet another statewide survey shows big trouble for Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The Glengariff Group’s poll of 600 registered Illinois voters found Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka leading Blagojevich 33 percent to 31 percent. The poll was taken June 2-4, after the legislative session ended and the governor had received his first positive media coverage in months.…
