Hair today, unprocessed tomorrow
March 9, the University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience Speakers Series presents the documentary, Natural Women, and a discussion with filmmaker Cindy Hurst. Natural Women chronicles the journey of a diverse sampling of African-American women who decided to wear their hair in its natural state. Also interviewed are Psychologists Dr. Na’im Akbar and…
The Farrellys explore familiar themes in Pass
While it might not seem so on the surface, there’s a heart beating at the center of the Farrelly Brothers’ films. Sure, we remember the gross-out gags from There’s Something About Mary and Me, Myself and Irene, but these films do take an intelligent look at relationships and people’s insecurities as well. Their latest, Hall…
Schock: Obama’s budget ‘unsustainable’
Congressman Aaron Schock may be young, but he’s not shy about putting his foot down. Schock highlighted several areas of President Barack Obama’s budget, which he says would raise taxes by $1.6 trillion over 10 years. “Even with $1.6 trillion in new taxes, if we passed them all…over a 10-year period, we would more than…
Crybabies commit corporate lawsuit abuse
Not all of the bullies are in schoolyards these days – quite a few have graduated to the executive suites of corporate America. Take Charles and David Koch, two multibillionaire brothers whose lives of privilege and bloated sense of entitlement have turned them into such spoiled brats that they can’t even take a joke. Last…
This may be the year for ‘concealed-carry’
Bipartisan and law enforcement support may be the ticket for successful concealed-carry legislation in Illinois, an issue that been passed back and forth in the state since the 1990s. Concealed-carry would allow residents of Illinois to carry a concealed weapon at age 21, with restrictions for past criminal convictions. The concept is not new but…
springfieldpoem #11
I once knew our presidents in order a little confusion withthe polks and tippecanoes butI usually made it past teddyup to franklin d which is whereI was in school but here in spfldpresidential streets are raggedy madison jefferson washingtonadams monroe jackson’s in theresomewhere not much of a streetbut that’s not its fault lincoln is shunted…
GOOD CONDUCT
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra is nearing the end of its search for a new conductor to replace long-time maestra Karen Lynne Deal, who led the orchestra for more than a decade. Five finalists from around the country have been chosen as possibilities to replace Deal, and each will get a chance to guest conduct the…
OUT WITH THE OLD
Next week might be the ideal time to do a little spring cleaning – at least when it comes to switching out old, inefficient appliances. Springfield’s public utility, City, Water, Light and Power, is offering rebates to customers who buy new ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators, dishwashers or dehumidifiers between March 7 and March 13. Rebates…
Great American Taxi
Formed in March of 2005 when former Leftover Salmon fellow Vince Herman (vocals, guitar, mandolin) joined with Chad Staehly (vocals, keyboards) to make an offhand, all-star group for a Rainforest Action Group benefit performance in Boulder, Colo., the show went so well Great American Taxi drove on. Over the years band personnel solidified into Jim…
Brooklyn Fare
In the world of restaurant ratings, Michelin guides have long been at the top. Partially that’s because they’re the oldest. Begun in France in 1900, the first red Michelin Restaurant booklets were given free as tire promotions. Suddenly, traveling near and far wasn’t just commonplace for the wealthy, or a sometime experience for the expanding…
American-made trio
Chicago’s The Modern Sounds are a trio mixing vocals, guitar, string bass and drums to play a plethora of music from the 30s, 40s and 50s. These guys look good, play good, sound good, and that equals a great night of music for you. An evening bonus, singer/songwriter and double-neck guitar guru, Deke Dickerson, returns…
The greening of Springfield
Welcome to the most eco-friendly home in Springfield. You’d never guess the carpeting is made of recycled plastic grocery bags, or the bathroom countertops come from recycled cardboard and paper. The speckled rubber flooring of a workroom consists of recycled tires, and the simulated wood deck is actually recycled plastic soda bottles. The place simply…
Our clothes reveal the story
I washed two loads of laundry one weekend while trying to follow the unfolding events in Egypt, Bahrain and Wisconsin. A label on my running shorts – “Made in Egypt” – caught my attention, so I checked the rest of the labels. At the top of one stack, my Nike sweatpants from Pakistan covered underwear…
Houston calls for better enforcement on blight
Springfield has too many abandoned buildings, according to mayoral candidate Mike Houston, but he says he has a plan Standing in front of the dilapidated, boarded-up house at 826 N. Fourth St., Houston told reporters on Feb. 24 that he will attack Springfield’s problem of abandoned properties if elected mayor. The frontrunner in the…
Bringing back MacArthur Blvd.
The plan is in place, a commission has been formed and an air of energy is all about, but it could be awhile before those driving up and down MacArthur Boulevard can actually see the fruits of a major collaborative redevelopment effort now underway. The MacArthur Boulevard Business Association (MBBA) last week unveiled the final…
Living too high off the hog
Springfield has become to sick people what Decatur is to soybeans, a major regional processing center in which raw materials are processed by the latest in high-tech machinery into novel products such as tennis-playing octogenarians and bankers with a 60-year-old’s bank account and a 30-year-old’s heart. According to published reports, this year the local medico-insurance…
Drive Angry a tedious ride
I don’t pretend to know what goes on in the mind of Nicolas Cage when it comes to how he chooses which movies to make but I have a theory. Whenever he’s done a film that has a modicum of intelligence, it’s ignored. I submit Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Lord of War…
Shades of blue and great
Electric and acoustic blues will rock and sway Sangamon Auditorium, UIS on March 4 in what should be a fabulous show. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and former Jefferson Airplane members, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady team up with blues icon Charlie Musselwhite and two-time Grammy-winner Jim Lauderdale. Legends Kaukonen and Casady founded the…
Springfield weathers economic storm better than other cities
Springfield took an economic hit during the recent economic recession, but the city fared better than much of the country, according to new data from the federal government. Data released Feb. 24 by the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) shows personal income in Springfield grew throughout the recession, even during times…
Happy birthday, Blues Club
Congratulations and commendations are in order for the Illinois Central Blues Club as the local organization celebrates 25 years of delivering blues to the Springfield area. No other local group involved in promoting music to the masses even comes close to the amount of work and play delivered by the many and varied dedicated members…
Madigan’s new idea: Let members have a say
After decades of dominating every tiny aspect of life in his legislative chamber, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan now appears to want his members to grow up a little and do some things for themselves. One of the first steps in that process to adulthood is handing more power to the House’s five appropriations committees…
When a fifth-grader goes to jail
Fifth-graders are better off learning fractions than serving hard time. With that in mind, Rep. Annazette Collins wants to know why there are fifth-graders in Illinois youth detention centers. Collins, a Chicago Democrat, is chief sponsor to a bill that would keep children as young as 10 out of detention centers altogether. Her proposed legislation,…
CWLP readies for greener future
A contract requiring Springfield’s public utility to be more environmentally responsible doesn’t expire for another six years, but local activists are already urging the city and its residents to start thinking now about how today’s decisions can determine City, Water, Light and Power’s seemingly distant future. In 2006, the Sangamon Valley Group of the Sierra…
The texture of accumulation
A new exhibit at the Springfield Art Association opens Thursday, March 3, with an opening reception on Friday, March 4, from 5-8 p.m. Pastiche features four American artists who each achieve, through different media and layering, a harmonious world of texture. Tennessee’s Anne Bagby builds, births and grows pattern, shape and color using paint and…
Letters to the Editor 03/03/11
LABOR UNDER ATTACKCorporate interests are attacking labor unions. They are using “divide and conquer” tactics on working Americans understandably outraged by the current economic situation. Wisconsin’s showdown is just the beginning of the end for union labor. We should fear this, and here’s why. The late 19th century was a boom time for industries, but…
