Jalapeno mayonnaise
2 T. minced, pickled jalapenos, either hot or mild 1 T. pickling liquid from the jalapenos 1 large fresh, free-range organic egg 1/3 c. chopped scallions 1 T. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 c. neutral-flavored vegetable oil, such as canola or peanut Put all ingredients into the container of an electric blender or food processor…
Cedar Rapids worth visiting
The ghost of Frank Capra looms large over Miguel Arteta’s Cedar Rapids and there’s nothing wrong with that. Ed Helms (The Hangover) stars as Tim Lippe, an insurance salesman from Wisconsin who’s sent to the big city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to a convention to save the company he works for by getting the coveted…
Buddy Holly tribute
John Mueller’s Winter Dance Party is a tribute concert from the Winter Dance Party Tour that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were performing in before their fateful airplane crash. Endorsed by all three estates, the show includes: John Mueller as Buddy Holly, Ray Anthony as Ritchie Valens, Jay P. Richardson, Jr. as…
Letters to the Editor 03/17/11
AFGHANISTAN CONT.Although I agree that the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have lost all purpose and reason, I caution you not to hope that the invasions will end anytime soon [See “The longest war,” March 10]. The reason is simple: In order to end the invasions and bring our people home, Washington, D.C., will have…
UIS incident involves coach, parent and athletic director
The University of Illinois Springfield’s campus police department is investigating allegations of harassment involving the school’s outgoing athletic director, a controversial coach and a former player’s parent, who is also well known to the U of I system for his activism. All three – athletic director Rodger Jehlicka, women’s basketball coach Marne Fauser and parent…
before superhighways poem
“IF YOUDON’T KNOWWHOSE SIGNSTHESE AREYOU CAN’THAVE TRAVELEDVERY FAR” . . .but did youknow anyonewho ever USEDburma shave?
My pimento cheese
lb. extra-sharp cheddar cheese 1 large red bell pepper, roasted* or from a jar Jalapeno mayonnaise, recipe follows Worcestershire sauce to taste If you are going to grind the ingredients in a food processor, have the cheese at room temperature (or even a little warmer); if grating the cheese, make sure it’s cold to make…
Slave history
Seven family-friendly performances are slated at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum for Charlayne Woodard’s play, Flight. Be transported back to a Georgia plantation in 1858 as a community of slaves tells stories of their lives, consoling themselves after the disturbing displacement as one-of-their-own is sold and sent away from her husband and young son. Based…
The Backliners
With a set list filled with songs that your average rocker already knows and loves, The Backliners easily achieve the self-proclaimed aspiration of being “all about having a good time” and “getting the crowd out on the dance floor.” A sample set list includes classics like Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild, Led Zeppelin’s Houses of…
HEALTH CARE AND RACE
Learn about race, class and ethics in 21st century health care in a free presentation by Congresswoman Donna M. Christensen, a U.S. Delegate for the Virgin Islands. The event will be Monday, March 28, in partnership with the University of Illinois Springfield at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine on 801 Rutledge St. A reception…
Can’t get enough pimento cheese!
Northerners have eaten it for years, too. But American Southerners eat more, and, moreover, celebrate and claim it as their own. It’s one of the iconic foods that defines the region, right up there with fried chicken, biscuits, grits, collard greens and red-eye gravy. Pimento cheese. Originating down South sometime in the early 1900s, it’s…
How Springfield ‘landed’ the National Museum of Surveying
The official grand opening of the National Museum of Surveying, 521 E. Washington, at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 19, marks the end of a birthing long in labor. Admission on the special day is free to all comers. Otherwise adult individuals pay $5 a person, families $10 and there are discounts for students, active duty…
The pipes are calling
In our contemporary world of instant change and constant flux, generational pastimes are a lost presence, seemingly passed by for the latest and greatest new thing, barely becoming rooted before being cast aside for another practice. Will you share a Wii moment with your future grandchildren, pass on the family iPod for generations to cherish,…
Illinois Muslims gather at Capitol for ‘action’
Teenage Muslims knelt for afternoon prayer on the floor of the Statehouse after a rally on Muslim Action Day, March 9. Nearly 1,200 Muslim faithful converged on the state capital to push for education reform, civil rights and the environment. The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, United African Organization, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant…
Park board race draws field of newcomers
The Springfield Park Board will have a new set of players after the election on April 5, when four candidates, plus a write-in, will run for three seats on the park board. Candidates include current park board trustee and middle school teacher Tina Jannazzo; Ted Flickinger, a former president of the Illinois Association of Park…
Taxing retirement income won’t fly
One of the main reasons the Democratic Party did so poorly across the nation last year and lost ground in Illinois was the defection of senior citizens to the Republican Party. On election day, 2006, national exit polling showed voters 65 and older split their ballots 49-49 between the two parties. In Illinois, however, senior…
The corporate/GOP attack on America’s middle class
The most revealing comments by politicians are rarely revealed. This is because they’re made in unrecorded conversations, when politicos let their guard down. However, in a recent sting, blogger Ian Murphy recorded a revealing phone call he made to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Murphy pretended to be David Koch, the far-right-wing billionaire who pumped more…
Please keep Springfield Green
No matter what you think about Tim Davlin’s effectiveness as our mayor, no one should question the success of his efforts to clean and green Springfield. But we have to wonder how many people (including the three candidates for mayor) realize the size and scope of the success of the Springfield Green organization. In May…
Chicagoland, Chicagoland
While the pundits debate whether Illinois is leaning to the left or the right, the U.S. Census Bureau, deciding on better evidence supplied by the 2010 population count, has concluded that Illinois is leaning toward the northeast. Yes, some Downstaters were cheered to learn that the City of Chicago, their ancient nemesis, lost some 200,000…
Hood a real howler
Oh the horror that is Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood ! This update of the classic fairy tale is undone by a ludicrous script, jumbled direction and a central performance that dominates the film in all of the wrong ways. Obviously pitched at the Twilight set, which the director helmed as well, the film seems…
March music madness
After experiencing the wild and wooly St. Patrick’s Day Marching Band Parade I must admit to ambivalent feelings. The partier in me goes, “Woo-hoo! This is awesome!” and the kinder, gentler side looks around at the trash littering the streets and stumbling drunks on the sidewalks and thinks, “We should be proud of this?” I…
Country titan
Willie Nelson performs for central Illinois fans as his Country Throwdown tour moves through Springfield stopping at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. If Nelson could be called the anything of country music – the most appropriate might be – the titan of country music. This singer/songwriter is legendary; his fame is so widespread and fine-aged,…
FITNESS IN THE PARK
Start stretching: Fitness in the Park is back for a second season. Beginning next week on Tuesday, March 22, Andy Dickerson will lead outdoor exercise classes every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Washington Park. Starting at the Botanical Gardens’ front fountain, participants will walk through the park, pausing along the…
