The red meat con
Untitled Document Fast-fingered con artists used to dupe people with the old shell game at county fairs and carnivals, but the con has now gone corporate and moved inside the offices of government regulators. Agribusiness powers are currently playing a shell game with the “fresh” meat sold in stores across the country. One clear sign…
A push for Obama
Untitled Document Seeing Marc Miller hover over a stack of papers scribbling energetically, you might think he’s doing his taxes or cramming for a midterm that starts in 10 minutes. Instead, Miller, a volunteer for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, is tallying the number of potential voters he’s talked to and assigning them codes…
When deer attack
Untitled Document My husband has our children trained to look for deer when we go for a drive. Watching these fascinating animals graze is enjoyable — unless it’s your rhododendrons they’re eating. The degree of deer damage on a property may vary from year to year, depending on deer-population density, the availability of food, and weather.…
Everybody’s responsible
Untitled Document Unfortunately, many moviegoers will shun Robert Redford’s new film, Lions for Lambs. Some will say it’s too political; others will object, sight unseen, to what they suspect is its liberal agenda; many will put forth the tired excuse that they don’t go to the movies to think, they go to be entertained. To…
Love potion
Untitled Document I suppose you’re thinking that with a name like Kitchen Witch I would have been busy boiling up something in my cauldron in honor of the recent All Hallows’ Eve. Unfortunately, this witch has been in no mood for tricks. Instead, with a much longer holiday season just weeks away, I’ve been hard…
Composting better than disposals
Untitled Document Why have some cities, including New York, outlawed kitchen-sink garbage disposals, at least in homes? Kitchen-sink garbage disposals are not necessarily earth-friendly in and of themselves, but they do play a valuable role in grinding up food scraps into small enough bits for local sewer or on-site septic systems to handle. In the…
Letters to the Editor
Untitled Document We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. PIECE OF OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE Thanks so much for Bill Janssen’s reminiscences on his musical life in Springfield [“No regrets,” Nov.…
People’s poetry
Untitled Document unalloyedpleasure poem #2 a while ago I spoke too soonthere are many unalloyed pleasuresin this life add in that first painfulscrunch yes that’s a pleasure of ababy’s jaws clamping down on thetaut nipple of the sore and swollenbreast then the gush of milk intothe eager mouth the babe may chokea moment but…
Illinois politics: What’s deeply wrong?
Untitled Document Dan Hynes, the state comptroller, had it right when he said recently, “There is a growing sentiment out there among everyday people who normally don’t follow state government that this is ridiculous.” The legislative session, with its childish bickering and frustrating delays, drew a similar conclusion from those who do follow state government.…
Cuckoo redux
Untitled Document What has to be the most exciting stage show of the fall is the upcoming One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the stage version of the classic 1962 Ken Kesey novel, directed by Matt Schwartz for two performances, Nov. 16 and 17, at the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Studio Theatre. Most people associate…
Loose change
Untitled Document When Brenda Johnson began working with the homeless, she didn’t know that creativity was part of the job description. But after two years as executive director of Springfield’s Helping Hands homeless shelter, she learned quickly that funding increases don’t exactly follow utility, minimum-wage, or cost-of-living increases. “It’s a problem,” Johnson says. “When you…
Gaming-board games
Untitled Document In the hyperreactive world that is the Illinois Statehouse, every move made by every major player is analyzed to death in an attempt to figure who’s zooming whom. Speaker Michael Madigan’s Illinois Gaming Board reform plan is a case in point. The proposal, which Madigan unveiled last week, has drawn praise from reformers…
Hey, chick: Take it all off!
Untitled Document The roast chicken is a common culinary conundrum — it’s the “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya” item in a beginner cook’s repertoire. Although you might love tearing into a properly seasoned, tender-fleshed bird, you may also stop short when it’s your turn to pull out the roasting pan. The dual challenge…
Building equity
Untitled Document The Springfield Project-Home Ownership Program for Equity will soon break ground on five new homes for low-income residents, with an additional 10 to follow, thanks to funding allocated by the City Council this week. The city had previously given $200,000 for home-construction costs to TSP-Hope Inc. for the new homes, and on Tuesday…
Grave robbers and academics
Untitled Document The subtitle of David LaVere’s Looting Spiro Mounds is a footnote to perhaps the greatest public grave robbery in history: Howard Carter’s 1924 discovery, opening, and emptying of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. That story, which ran in The Times of London and captured headlines around the world, legitimized treasure…
And the servers respond . . .
Untitled Document It was 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday at Magic Kitchen, at the height of its crazy busyness. My husband and I threaded our way through clumps of people waiting in the parking lot. Inside the crowded dining room, we immediately looked at the waiting room: standing-room-only, people packed like sardines. Oh well, coming…
Musical barstools
Untitled Document A quick survey of last week’s Pub Crawl, the best and most accurate entertainment listing in our area, conveniently located in our illustrious paper, shows 112 separate happenings over a seven-day period. Breaking down the overall events into live music vs., well, not live is an interesting way to while away the hours.…
Nature’s medicine?
Untitled Document Grafton resident Jamie Clayton participated in a study from 2003 to 2005 with 50 others suffering from peripheral neuropathy, a painful nerve disorder that often affects people with HIV/AIDS. According to the researchers, patients who smoked three marijuana cigarettes each day for one week reported a decrease in pain. “I was amazed at…
