Fighting the Fat
The name of this blog might be “Get FIT,” but that seems to be getting harder for more and more Americans. I know awareness on the issue of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. is improving, but are our habits really becoming healthier? A lot of times I think living a healthy lifestyle can be…
Efficiency group gets organized. Slowly.
Nine months after Sangamon County voters approved the formation of a government efficiency commission, organizers hope to get the final three members of the 23-member body named so that meetings can begin. Boards of school districts, which have two seats on the Citizens’ Efficiency Commission, have yet to designate representatives. Water district boards, which are…
Letters to the Editor 9/1/11
SOMETHING NOT BETTER Seriously, when you think of a neighborhood, do you think about a car lot? Why would you? Are you imagining air power tools to drown out those noisy carillon bells? “Neighborhood” is an important distinction surrounding MacArthur Blvd. A lot of research and community input led to conceptualizing quality redevelopment. The idea…
Including agriculture in the broadband plan
Illinois farmers have been taking a new approach to managing their crops, with a little innovation and a little assistance from their cell phones. New mobile technology, plus the effort to make broadband coverage more available in rural areas by the National Broadband Plan of the Federal Communications Commission, is reshaping the technology scene in…
lakepoem #17
lakepoem #17 as a kid I spied this sight several times in shallow reedy water of a small wisconsin lake a seething black platter made up of wriggling tiny bodies each smaller than a finger joint each a perfect replica of the two huge sleek whiskered bullheads fatherand mother slowly circling the peripheryprotecting their young…
Dark Undone by Sub-Par Pixies
A steady buzz has been building around Don’t be Afraid of the Dark, the latest creature feature from the mind of Guillermo del Toro, whose overrated Pan’s Labyrinth put him on the map as far as Hollywood is concerned. Though he’s not behind the camera this time, his name is front and center as the…
Jason Sturgeon perseveres with luck
Willie Nelson – and he should know – got quoted saying to be successful in the music business takes perseverance, perseverance, perseverance and luck. Actually that particular Willie-ism fits most of life, if not the complete run of it all, but without a doubt in the finicky world of the music industry it sits well…
Mad about Illinois River Valley melons
They’re luscious, ripe, and ready. At their succulent best, their quintessential peak. Melons – specifically watermelons and cantaloupes. Every so often my grandfather used to grow watermelons and cantaloupes. But they were never more than just OK. Our black, loamy soil was much too rich. Papa knew that was why, but it aggravated him that…
Grilled watermelon
A decade ago if anyone had asked me if it was possible to grill watermelon, I’d have laughed at such a ridiculous notion. That was before I first tasted grilled watermelon at Bacaro, a restaurant in Champaign whose chef, Thad Morrow, is a longtime friend. I ordered it out of curiosity and trust in Morrow’s…
Until it rains, water your trees
Second place is usually considered to be a good thing. But placing second for the driest August in history isn’t a good thing. With only a few days left in August, the Springfield area had received less than 1/4 inch of rainfall for the month. We need rain! We could ask for a miracle and…
Why Democrats are angry at each other
A few weeks ago, I ran into a fairly high-level Illinois Democrat at a party in Springfield. He said he’d taken my advice and was reading the New York Times’ “Disunion” Civil War blog. He also said he’d come to the conclusion that President Barack Obama should follow President Abraham Lincoln’s lead by suspending habeas…
THIS OLD, OLD HOUSE
The James J. Eldred House in Eldred, about 45 miles south of Jacksonville, will be open to the public for the first time in a decade the weekend after Labor Day as part of Greene County Days. “This is the first time that we’ve really felt comfortable allowing people in the house again,” said Seth…
Scottish tragedy
Shakespearean actor Rob Clare and television and off-Broadway actress Reiko Aylesworth return to the Theatre in the Park outdoor stage in a 90-minute adapted performance of MacBeth. Clare’s credits include the UK National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. Aylesworth stars in “24” and “Lost.” The show also includes Kevin Purcell…
ON THE RUNWAY
Breanne Harney is flirting with the fashion big leagues. The lifelong Springfield resident graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in June and is looking for a job, but she’s on her way to receiving a major resume boost. Harney is one of 22 semi-finalists in the second annual FASHION|NEXT initiative, a…
Fallen Angel
When these four experienced musicians (nearly 100 years of combined playing time in area bands like Affliktion, Xavier, Passion, Kancelled, Destiny, Ariel, Blue Racer Rockhouse, Poetic Justice and fantasia) got together in October of 2009 something special happened. As the quartet discovered a shared interest in the music of superstar group Poison, the idea of…
How to make Democrats Medicare heroes
The debt ceiling debate didn’t end well for the Democrats. Faced with unified tea party delegates in the House, they were forced to cede huge cuts in federal spending without an iota of revenue increases in the final deal. It was the right move at the time – reaching a deal averted fiscal catastrophe. But…
Unscientific methods
As news goes, it wasn’t very new. The company that administers the ACT college prep tests announced recently that fewer than a quarter of Illinois’ 2011 graduating high school class met the firm’s college readiness standards in English, reading, math and science. That’s even worse than a very poor U.S. national average. U.S. Education Secretary…
Your job, Mr. President, is jobs
Having just been recently rolled by tea party Republicans in the debt-ceiling circus, Barack Obama now says that his priority is job creation. Wow, what took him so long? Jobs should have been Priority No. 1 when he first took office. But instead, the Obamacans put Wall Street banksters first, dumping trillions of dollars from…
Jury finds jailers didn’t use excessive force
It took a federal jury less than 90 minutes last week to decide that Sangamon County jailers did no wrong during a struggle with an inmate who claimed that guards used excessive force to subdue him. Despite pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a Sept. 23, 2006, struggle with guards in a…
WSEC back from the precipice
On paper, Springfield-based public television is running a deficit. But tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service can be deceiving, according Jerold Gruebel, president and chief executive officer of Network Knowledge, which runs three public television stations in central Illinois. A more telling indicator may be what is on television, and viewers of WSEC…
Pinchin’ pensions
Rita Tarr Scheibe spent most of her career helping others as executive director of social service agencies, including Contact Ministries and Catholic Charities. The jobs were fulfilling, but not ones that would pay the bills after she got divorced and became a single parent. She and her employers both paid into Social Security, but Scheibe,…
Saldana’s impassioned turn almost saves Colombiana
You have to give French filmmaker Luc Besson credit – he has no problem displaying his preference where women are concerned on the big screen. With La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element, and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc to his credit as either writer or director, you might draw the conclusion that…
When Lincoln held office hours in Springfield
When Springfield Mayor Mike Houston announced in July that he would hold regular open office hours, he was in good company. In 1860, after he became president-elect, Abraham Lincoln did the same, but his experience with Springfield office hours was quite different from Houston’s. The mayor says he began the practice because “the average person…
Home run
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra hits a home run with a free baseball-themed concert on the Old State Capitol grounds Sept. 4. You’ll hear all the songs you love about America’s favorite pastime, including “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Yaniv Segal conducts. He is New York Chelsea Symphony founder and Michigan Pops Orchestra music director.…
Stories, song, supper
“Heroes of the Civil War” is the theme of this year’s Prairieland Chautauqua, a four-day fest of stories, songs and suppers under the big tent in Jacksonville Community Park. Organizers are bringing in talent from Illinois, New York and Ohio to portray famous men and women of the Civil War, and others who will discuss…
Great taste
The Ethnic Festival has a reputation as a place for fun and great food in central Illinois, with the chance to sample world culture. All Labor Day weekend taste the food, listen to the sounds and watch entertainment from other countries at the Ethnic Festival. Food from eleven different countries will make your palette water.…
Chilled melon tomato soup
I’ve been making this cold soup every summer for more than 25 years. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also incredibly easy and quick to make. There’s no cooking involved. Just cut up the ingredients, and purée in a blender or food processor. The original recipe came from the Elsah Landing Restaurant cookbook. In…
