“66 on 66”
Doug Waterman arrived in Illinois on Sunday, crossing the old Chain of Rocks Bridge, and made his way to Springfield by late Monday, day 27 of his California-to-Chicago bicycling trek along old Route 66. A retired 66-year-old retired teacher from Davis, Calif., Waterman is making the trip, in part, to raise funds for Habitat for…
earth talk 5-26-05
Dear “Earth Talk”: What are the implications for Montana’s Glacier National Park if the glaciers there keep melting? — Oliver Ryan, New York City The glaciers for which Glacier National Park is named are melting away as a result of increasing global temperatures in recent decades, attributable most likely to global warming. A century ago,…
people’s poetry
Decoration Day Grandma gently kneads the dark earth down on the roots of our family. Black soil streaks her gray hair and the stones of sisters and brothers passed. In starts and stops, stories we know are told again, as familiar as this place, these plots, and the soft ‘summer’ wind. Some say that time…
Jacqueline Jackson 5-26-05
aroundtownpoem #4 speaking of names we have some pretty good ones around here take dusty rhodes at illinois times a common nickname with folks named rhodes maybe with lanes and streets too but our dusty earns hers she kicks up dust then the editor roland klose you like to roll those smooth round o’s around…
movie review
I know there are some film fans out there who don’t like Adam Sandler, but I bet they’d be hard pressed to deny that the actor has a charming affability. He’s kind of like your little brother, the one who always manages to get himself out of a jam because he can make you laugh…
sound patrol 5-26-05
For a band that hasn’t existed as long as the Dubya administration, Head of Femur has carved out quite a dominion. The founding members, vocalist/guitarist Matt Focht, keyboardist/drummer Ben Armstrong, and guitarist/bassist Mike Elsener — all Nebraskans who relocated to Chicago — formed the prog-pop outfit in late 2001, while their previous group, Pablo’s Triangle,…
backstage pass 5-26-05
I’m playing town crier this week for the comedy Rounding Third, which finishes a two-weekend run at the Hoogland Center for the Arts this Friday and Saturday, May 27 and 28. It’s the first production of the just-formed ADHD Productions, and local actors Jason Goodreau and Mac Warren are performing this must-see play by Richard…
flicks 5-26-05
Bill Murray is the only former Saturday Night Live star who still knows how to choose a good movie. Whereas his co-stars and replacements generally make the kinds of movies they would have ridiculed on the show, Murray instead has developed a successful career as an indie-film actor. His most recent film, The Life Aquatic…
quick takes 5-26-05
HISTORIC SITES OPEN MONDAY The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and most state historic sites administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency will be open Memorial Day. Among the Lincoln-related sites open Monday, May 30, are Lincoln’s New Salem, the Old State Capitol, and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices. MUSIC WRITER IS A FINALIST René Spencer Saller,…
capital voices 5-26-05
We have mixed feelings about Uncle Oscar. On one hand, there’s that nasty episode with the butter cow at the Illinois State Fair; on the other hand, he’s the only family member ever to chair the MIT departments of astrophysics and applied mathematics at the same time. No matter. Feelings one way or the other…
The virile governor
I suppose the easy thing to do would be to follow everyone else’s lead and write a column about Rod Blagojevich’s potty mouth. So much has been written about the governor’s self-proclaimed “testicular virility” that you’ve probably gotten the point, however. Instead, I’ll tell you a story. Two years ago, I was at a party…
Equal time
Before I moved to Illinois, I’d never heard of Casimir Pulaski. I’ve recently learned that he was a Revolutionary War hero, the “father of the American cavalry,” and that he died at age 32 of gangrene after being shot in the leg during battle. Of course, you probably already know all that, because your children…
Lift the ban
If I hadn’t just returned from Cuba, I would have read about John Bolton’s recent confirmation woes with a bit less apprehension. Bolton wanted a U.S. biological-weapons specialist to substantiate his claim that Cuba has biological weapons. Refusing to back up the erroneous and dangerous claim, the expert disclosed that he was being harassed by…
Star warrior’s adieu
In 1977, Dr. Robert M. Bowman, head of advanced space programs for the Department of Defense, authored a report describing a new missile-defense shield system called the “Star Wars Defense.” Six years later, President Ronald Reagan announced that his administration was pushing “Star Wars” — Reagan named it the Strategic Defense Initiative — but, by…
letters 5-26-05
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 THANKS FOR STORY ON 1544TH Thank you so much for the heartwarming…
music notes 5-26-05
It’s homecoming night for Kyle Westbrook on Friday, May 27, at Jazz Central Station (700 E. Adams St., 217-789-1530) when the Springfield native returns to town as the drummer for Chicago hip-hop band Small Change. Westbrook graduated from Lanphier in 1991 and after college moved to Chicago. During the three years he’s been part of…
now playing 5-26-05
di·vul·sion n. 1. The removal of a part by tearing. (The American Heritage Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, 2nd edition. Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Co.) If you had a band and were looking to name it, would you choose “Divulsion”? If you said, “It depends on what kind of music we’re doing,” then go pick…
appetite 5-26-05
I just returned from a vacation to South Carolina, a lush land of beaches, antebellum homes, and Low Country cooking. The term “Low Country” refers to the area just north of Georgetown, S.C., which continues to the Florida border and encompasses the Sea Islands, low flat areas (“low country”) surrounded by water, east of the…
common sense 5-26-05
For years, Chevrolet has advertised its cars and trucks as the very essence of the American way of life, and its latest multimillion-dollar blitz of TV ads tells us that the newest Chevrolets are nothing less than “an American revolution.” Well you can stick a feather in my cap and call it macaroni, but wrapping…
gardening 5-26-05
Master gardeners with the University of Illinois Extension receive hundreds of calls each month from homeowners worried that their prized plants have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. A tree leafed out fine, but then the leaves quickly turned yellow and dropped. Sometimes the problem is easily remedied; sometimes it’s serious. How do you…
The road to Nashville
What route does an aspiring songwriter take to make it to the land of country-music hits? Everyone knows the way: You sling your guitar over your shoulder and scoot your boots to Nashville, Tenn., home of the Grand Ole Opry and all things related to the business of country music. In the summer of 2001,…
Star of the show
Illinois has a new movie star. Her home is in a southern suburb of Chicago, where she’s resided since before the Civil War. Now almost 150 years old, she’s only getting better with age. It’s the Joliet Correctional Center, which has served as the set for three show-biz projects since it was officially decommissioned as…
