Letters to the Editor 11/04/10
BEWARE LAME DUCKSGambling interests and lawmakers are working behind closed doors on a massive expansion of gambling that includes video gambling/slot machines at racetracks, a land-based casino in Chicago (twice the size of other casinos), 800 more gambling positions at existing casinos, and casinos in Lake County and Danville. This proposal could triple the amount…
Many buildings. Many battles.
“What did I know about restoring old buildings when I started out? Absolutely nothing,” recalls Carolyn Oxtoby, who is often called “the patron saint of downtown Springfield” for her work as a real estate developer. Recently Oxtoby was in Chicago to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from Landmarks Illinois as part of the Richard…
Report: Early prisoner release not a scandal
Illinois’ early prisoner release controversy was no scandal, according to a recently-released report from Northwestern University School of Law, which claims stopping early release may have actually made the state less safe. The report dated Oct. 28 claims that most news stories on early prisoner release have been false and the issue has wrongly turned…
Choice and responsibility
There is limited seating for this interesting, existentialist drama directed by LLCC Assistant Professor of Theatre Mark Hardiman. Imagine being locked in a windowless room with two other people whom you don’t like — forever. That is the premise of Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit. A three-dimensional-design class is in charge of the set space…
Record-breaking year for campaign spending
This election cycle is turning out to be the most expensive in Illinois’ history, and campaign finance reform advocates are troubled by what that means. The Chicago-based Illinois Campaign for Political Reform says the race for governor will likely end up costing $33 million in the general election alone, which will likely shatter the previous…
Park
Warning, warning this is only a reunion show. Please do not get extremely excited about Park doing more recording or touring. Miles Parkhill reports all band members including Ladd, Alex and Aaron are proud papas and plan to continue devoting precious time to the family. Nevertheless they all miss music a lot and you can…
Adult themes are Megamind’s kryptonite
Pixar Studios is the master when it comes to animated films that amuse kids with wondrous visuals and elaborate gags while engaging adults with its deft handling of mature themes. Other studios have tried to emulate their success with decidedly mixed results. Dreamworks Animation enters the breach once more with Megamind, an over-hyped riff on…
RENEWABLES RELAY
As the wind pushed, Illuminati Motor Works solved Tom Weis’s problems with a 100-mile pull. Tom Weis last week stopped in Springfield with his electric assist “Rocket Trike” on his Ride for Renewables, a public education tour promoting a 100 percent renewable energy grid by 2020 [See “Rocket trike stops in Springfield,” Oct. 28 at…
‘A little bit of a challenge’
Like people, streets suffer midlife crises. MacArthur Boulevard between South Grand and Wabash has been going through one for years. The former West Grand Avenue, one of Springfield’s four grand avenues before it was renamed in 1942 for the general some regard as a military hero, once was the cool place to shop, to cruise,…
A November for live music lovers
Now with Halloween and October safely behind us, we look forward to the upcoming holiday season with all the entertainment entities ahead. It’s never too early to brush up on your bridge lyrics for “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or to practice those tricky little rumpa-pum-pums in “Little Drummer Boy.” I know, I know, let’s…
A word of advice to the new governor
I will never forget the night Paul Lis was fired. My parents were at my house, but I refused to budge from my barstool because I couldn’t miss this. Not for them. Not for anybody. Lis was a bigtime political fixer back then. He has known just about everybody who was anybody in Illinois and…
Syrian official says resolving Arab-Israeli conflict key to peace
The Syrian ambassador to the United States visited Springfield last week, urging better relations between the two countries and an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking at the University of Illinois Springfield, Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha discussed Syrian-U.S. relations and answered questions from the audience of about 130 people. Syria is on the eastern shore…
Baking pies to build a better neighborhood
Except for college and four years in Chicago when my husband was in dental school, I’ve always lived in the country. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s wonderful having our own woods with wildflowers, massive trees and wildlife; and enough land for privacy, gardening, picnics in warm weather, and bonfires in fall. But…
Pumpkin pecan pie
Here’s a solution for those who struggle with the dilemma, “Do I want pumpkin or pecan pie?” For tips on making pie pastry as well as a recipe and thoughts on the best shortenings to use, see my 10/22/08 RealCuisine column. 1 unbaked deep-dish 9-inch or 10-inch pie shell 1 beaten egg, 2 T. reserved…
ICE ART
Aaric Kendall is a regular renaissance man. His normal job is running a backhoe, but his passion is carving ice into beautiful sculptures. That passion earned the 31-year-old Argenta resident two medals at two different Cultural Olympiad events. He won a gold medal in a 12-hour endurance carve competition held in conjunction with the 2010…
Flying the un-friendly skies
It can be amusing to read the business section of newspapers, because corporate coverage tends to be carefully couched in phrases that either obfuscate what’s really going on or are outright Orwellian. For example, a recent New York Times article on rising airline fares and fees did a rhetorical tiptoe around the core issue. The…
The urgency of shopping local
It was a sad day at The Party Tree Oct. 31, when we made our final closing announcement and bid farewell to our customers and employees. I wasn’t sure how closing day would be since the month leading up to it was like a roller coaster ride. Emotions were running high. Even former employees, who…
Area educators weigh in on state budget
General state aid, mandated programs and pre-kindergarten funding have been and should remain top education priorities for the state as it muddles through yet another budget process with record-breaking deficit projections, area educators told the Illinois State Board of Education last week at a public hearing held in Springfield. Though primary and secondary education has…
Froggie Limericks
There once was a fellow named Mitch,whose traveling story was rich!While riding in a foghe picked up a frogAnd now they can’t tell which is which! There once was a critter named Frogwho wanted a ride on a hog.Impaled on the frameof a bike with no namehe now has ten states in his log.…
Tombstone tracing
Michael McNerney, American Resources Group, Ltd., presents a program titled, “A Shape in Time and Space: Tracing the Neck Discoid Grave Marker.” As an outgrowth of research on various human-effigy folk gravestones in southern Illinois, this presentation focuses on one variety believed to be derived from an older Celtic tradition having roots in England, Scotland…
Buddhist conflicts
Arjia Rinpoche, a Tibetan high lama who fled Tibet in 1998, addresses the audience in a 45-minute lecture followed by a question and answer session and book signing. Rinpoche shares his story of the turbulent years in Tibet during the Cultural Revolution that included 16 years in a forced labor camp and his rise to…
Superman an effective rallying cry for reform
Davis Guggenheim’s Waiting for Superman has become a hot-button film and it’s easy to see why. Using facts and figures, dramatic charts and simple cartoons, he vividly documents the various failures of our national school system. Americans have known this for years, but the way in which the film zeros in on specific aspects of…
Words, art and music
A poet and artist, Vachel Lindsay’s 131st birthday is celebrated Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an open house at the Vachel Lindsay Home at 603 S. Sixth Street. Later that same day, in a similar note, poetry and words meet art as the Women Writers Association present and read from their…
Modern moves
Modern dance is spectacular to watch – the emotive, complex moves and motions transport you into their story as if your empathy was quadrupled. The Paul Taylor Dance Company is one of the most critically acclaimed dance troupes in the world, with Taylor touted as one of the world’s greatest living choreographers. The New York…
Ponzi on the prairie
Pointing at two of three computers, James U. Dodge one day early this year explained to three guests in his west side Springfield home how the financial world he claimed to master could work in his favor every time. His guests were friends, curious about his guaranteed return investment strategy. With his small audience watching…
