What you can do
What can one person do to help curb global warming? Most of our own direct contributions to global warming pertain to the modes of travel we choose. For starters, air travel burns more fossil fuels per person than any other form of transport, so if you can opt for other forms of long-distance travel you…
Remember what’s important
“God invented Christmas as a trial for women,” a friend said to me many years ago. I laughed — it was funny — but I also felt a little sad that she was so cynical. Every year since then, however, her words have come to mind as I begin to prepare for the holiday season.…
Hot and bothered
As with the March tornadoes, nothing but praise has gone to work crews from the Springfield Department of Public Works and City Water, Light & Power in response to the ice storm that paralyzed Springfield for most of last weekend. However, at Tuesday’s meeting of the City Council, several members of the council had questions…
Sharing warmth
The knock on my hotel-room door came early in the morning, just a few minutes after my alarm went off. I opened it to find a male co-worker offering me a pair of his underwear. There was nothing kinky about his gesture. In fact, I’m not sure which one of us was more embarrassed —…
Stunning revelations
Taser International Inc. maintains that its stun guns are “changing the world and saving lives everyday.” There is no question that they changed Jack Wilson’s life. On Aug. 4, in Lafayette, Colo., policemen on a stakeout approached Jack’s son Ryan Wilson as he entered a field of a dozen young marijuana plants. When Ryan took…
Peoples Poetry
deathwatchpoem #1 so, I packed too hastily to fly to the hospice bed of my sister-in-law wherever her heaven is I don’t think she’ll begrudge me the panties I stole from her underwear drawer nor the black socks which turned out (when you look close) to have a very nice argyle pattern woven in ©…
Cocaine case starting to crack
When Springfield police raided the Guemes Court home of Larry Washington in the early morning hours of March 17, 2005, they found a half-kilo of cocaine powder hidden in a box of graham crackers. Washington’s arrest made front page news the next morning, with one officer telling the State Journal-Register that Washington was “huge, probably…
Pioneers’ day
Political columnists usually focus on the dark side of politics, but indulge me today while I say goodbye to three of the best legislators I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. All three are hardworking, honest pioneers. Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis, R-Zion, born in Greece, was the first woman in Illinois history to become a member…
Get your jollies with holly
My favorite winter scene is branches of bright green holly leaves with sparkling red berries against fresh winter snow. Holly is a great addition to the landscape, but careful consideration must be given its planting. Several holly species will provide colorful fruit for three to six months of the year, but fruit persistence depends on…
Buy this Bond
Every now and then the James Bond films need to scale back to a sense of reality. The Roger Moore Bonds became a bit too spacey, but the Timothy Dalton cure didn’t take hold. A fine actor, Dalton is too blandly serious for the acerbic spy. Pierce Brosnan was an improvement, but the gadgetry and…
On her own, untethered
Hot on the heels of Ballad of the Broken Seas, Isobel Campbell’s album of duets with Mark Lanegan, Milkwhite Sheets finds the Glaswegian cellist/chanteuse all by her lonesome again, with mixed results. Anchored by Lanegan’s saturnine growl, Campbell’s little-girl coo seemed uncharacteristically womanly; the dichotomy served both singers well, evoking the archetypal pairings of Nancy…
Mass killers strike again
If terrorists and drug pushers had lobbyists and made campaign contributions, Washington probably would coddle them. For an example of Washington coddling an “axis of evil,” look no further than R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, and the other corporate members of the global tobacco cartel. For decades these greedheads have intentionally addicted millions of people for…
Paint your cracks
Our house has plaster walls with many minor cracks. Is there a special paint that will camouflage these cracks? I can’t afford to replace the walls. Texture paint, a heavy-bodied paint that leaves a much thicker coating than regular paint does, will conceal some blemishes in walls or ceilings — but if the cracks widen…
Letters to the Editor
We welcome letters. Please include your name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; e-mail to editor@illinoistimes.com; fax to 753-3958. CAN YOU FEEL A DRAFT? Everyone, please pay attention to Congress. They are considering bringing back the draft! While I can be…
Dad, please pass the torch
Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of Chicago blues great Lonnie Brooks, recently released his third CD, aptly titled The Torch. The younger Brooks, a staple in his own right on the Chicago-blues scene, spent years playing in his father’s band before heading out to conquer other worlds. He is quite proud of his musical heritage and…
Piggy makes good pie
Mexican-cooking diva Zarela Martinez cooks with it. Your grandma, too. Food writer Nina Planck sings its nutritional praises. I’m talking about lard, the rendered fat of a pig that’s coming back into culinary vogue. Shunned by low-fat cheerleaders for nearly a generation, lard is earning some newfound respect in the kitchen. As a member of…
Lend a hand
Illinois Times invited local nonprofit organizations to tell our readers what’s on their wish lists, other than financial support, for the holidays. The first list of groups was published Nov. 23; other organizations will be featured in coming weeks. Contact Ministries 1100 E. Adams St., 217-753-3939 Contact Ministries is a crisis/intervention agency that serves individuals…
Diamond in the rough
In striving to deliver not only a bracing action film but a socially relevant exposé on the dire state of modern Africa as well, Edward Zwick succeeds in rattling viewers. Without question, Blood Diamond has a timely and worthwhile agenda and is at its best when showing the horrendous conditions facing the millions of poor…
People’s Poetry
coloradopoem #1 a perfect perfect kid day struggling barefoot up towering tawny dunes for the joy of kangaroo leaping down the other side waving arms making sand angels clothes peeled to underwear sunny sky cloud puffs striated sand dune shadows ridge after ridge tiny tracks of tiny things mice lizards something wee that hops we…
