Page 2

Band-aid won’t help cancer of racism
What I want to muse about during the minute or two it takes you to read this column is what seems to be a never-ending cycle of racism, be it overt or covert, that occurs in Mr. Lincoln’s hometown on a much too frequent basis.

Who gets the last word?
Poet and critic Helen Vendler has observed that an epitaph is a form of lyric that must, among other traits, “assert a final judgment.” Ah, but whose? Composing the words to adorn one’s gravestone is one of those end-of-life chores that most people put off until it’s too late, like telling the kids about that half-sister they didn’t know they had.

Holding Wall Street bankers accountable
Don’t you wish that someone in authority, someone with an ounce of chutzpah, someone with his or her head screwed on right, would direct a few obvious, pointed, even rude questions to the Wall Street honchos who have ripped off America? Questions...

LETTERS
The opinion article by Jim Hightower — “Fake rallies on the rise” (Sept. 3) — was rife with inaccuracies. Hightower seems unable to comprehend that the current administration did not receive a mandate to raise taxes, increase the deficit and encourage unemployment.

insectappreciation poem #5
here at the cottage we don’t use the bathtub the primitive septic system couldn’t take it anyway there’s the lake but the faucet drips and little drips add up so we keep the plug in after a few days there’s a couple inches stop reading if you don’t...

The Governor blames everybody but himself
“Both of them are surrounded by conflicts of interest and indiscretions in their public and private lives.” Blagojevich doesn’t detail any “indiscretions” about either Madigan’s personal lives, but he does allege that Speaker Madigan’s property tax law practice is “unethical” and “very well may be illegal.

Order in the court
When Thomas and Darlene Noreuil moved into Woodland Acres Mobile Home Park, at 3500 N. Dirksen Pkwy., in May 2004 they had recently retired from their jobs with the Illinois Secretary of State and Horace Mann and hoped to settle into a slower-paced lifestyle.

HEADMASTER’S VISIT
On Tuesday morning the president delivered a televised address to classrooms in the capital city (and across the rest of America), challenging them to set and achieve educational goals.

MADE FOR WALKING
The shoe store, which also sells purses, glass jewelry, notecards and other girly gadgets and once made IT’s list of reasons to shop downtown [see “Uniquely Springfield,” June 21, 2007], announced on its blog earlier this month that it would move in with L Chic, a clothing boutique at 3063 Hamlin Pkwy (behind Sundown One).

East side residents fear a “steel barrier” at 10th Street
“The city wants to present a unified front on this,” said Springfield NAACP president Archie Lawrence. “But it is by no means unified.” Lawrence opposes the city’s plan to send 40 to 60 extra trains down the 10th Street rail corridor as a new route for a proposed highspeed rail system connecting St.

New law prohibits involuntary sterilization
Adults with disabilities have historically been sterilized against their will in Illinois and in the rest of the country, Koelliker explains, because their guardians believed that children could inherit their disabilities or would not receive adequate care.

A world of indie film comes to Springfield
The roster of films on tap this year is one of the most eclectic put together yet and features some of the strongest filmmaking to be screened at the festival to date.

Chuck goes to the movies
With six separate sessions and 38 films set to be screened, this is by far the busiest day of the festival as well as the one in which viewers will be exposed to the widest range of film genres and styles. A rewarding marathon to be sure, it is one that will delight film lovers with its eclectic mix.

Film commission gets cameras rolling in Illinois
When the folks from Hollywood come calling and want to get cameras rolling in the state, their first stop is the Springfield and Central Illinois Film Commission. Started in 2006, the committee has a dual purpose — to help promote film production in central Illinois and bring in outside productions to be shot in the area.

2009 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
For those not familiar with film fests, this evening event will include a preview of 5-6 of the festival’s shortest entries, movie trivia with IT’s movie critic Chuck Koplinksi..

Creativity rules at the new gallery downtown
The current exhibit features a Michael Jackson tribute and includes the following artists: Rachel Hasenyager, Norman Calmese, Kyle Lamb, Raydeen James. The tribute show at Minor’e is one of two current Michael Jackson exhibits in the U.S — the other is in New York, according to Calmese.

A small town seen through Springfield eyes
A Springfield native, from a long line of Springfield natives, Sarah Hathaway Thomas takes a spate of years away from her hometown when she marries an educational materials promoter/farmer living on the edge of a northern Indiana town, population 200.

No time to cook? I hear you.
“I know you’re not an elitist,” my husband, Peter, said to me. “But do you ever worry that you come across that way to readers?” Peter’s question arose from a conversation he’d had with one of his dental patients. This working mother of young children said she read my columns every week and really enjoyed them.

RealCuisine Recipe
One of the easiest ways to have no-fuss midweek meals is making extras for the freezer, something that works especially well with soups and stews that can handle microwave nuking. Here’s a favorite — a sort of cross between Italian Chicken Cacciatore and French Coq au Vin.

Movie times
Kerasotes listings are for Friday, September 11 through Thursday, September 17. Bracketed show times are Saturday and Sunday only matinees or Friday and Saturday only late shows. All times are subject to change. For updates on Kerasotes films, call 1-800-FANDANGO.

Steve an unmitigated disaster
How Mary goes from making crossword puzzles in Sacramento to being stuck in an abandoned mine with a deaf child defies all logic. I won’t even bother to mention she has to deal with a hurricane, a tornado and a plague of cicadas as well. Defying all sense of logic and far more disturbing than funny, All About Steve.

Extract details potent laughs
Bateman’s deadpan delivery and escalating suffering give us an Everyman to root for, even if he is the boss. His exasperation is palpable and when he finally explodes, it’s a comedic moment that hits pay dirt.

Celebrating the travels of Henry Miles
When I think of Henry on the sax I get emotional. Playing one Sunday at the Brewhaus I heard a beautiful sax singing behind us and knew in an instant it was Henry. The man captures a tone all his own, resonating a deep and penetrating sound filled with passion and verve that expresses a sense of beauty and purpose beyond average comprehension.

BAND SPOTLIGHT
The founding triumvirate of Flatland — Jerry Reno, Bill Dunlap and Gordy Cotter — began playing music together in grade school, shall we say, many years ago. The group, based in west central Illinois around White Hall in the Jacksonville area, formed as Flatland Band in 1980 and continues going strong nearly 30 years later.

PUB CRAWL
Big Dave

FILM
Party with friends this Wednesday night and get a taste of the main feast, the Route 66 International Film Festival. Capital City Bar and Grill hosts this free preview party where you can sample five short films (5-8 minutes in length) by independent filmmakers from all over the world.

THE CALENDAR
Submit calendar listings at www.illinoistimes.com.

ART
Forty-two artists from 10 states and Israel show and sell their original artwork this weekend including clay items by popular artist Celeste Theodore from Florida, pewter by Missouri pewter artists Kandis and Randy Lovcik, one-of-a kind pine needle...

HEALTH
Laketown Animal Hospital and Pfizer Animal Health will provide tips on diet and exercise for dogs and dog training information, while Memorial Heart and Vascular Institute and Walgreens will offer free blood pressure and cholesterol checks and wellness tips for people.

POLITICS
In an era when United States military expenditures are almost as great as all the military expenditures of all other countries combined, Retired Ambassador W. Robert Pearson makes the case for greater United States investment in diplomacy..

NEWS QUIRKS
After Chicago banker George Michael claimed his $3 million mansion was really a church, the Illinois Department of Revenue exempted him from his $80,000 yearly property-tax bill.

THE ADVICE GODDESS
I always recommend your column; however, I take issue with your slamming “Joe Spokes” for not directly asking out the girl in his bike group. Besides, only a fool would take a woman on a date and pay. It takes discipline, but if I invite a woman out, I ask her in advance to pay her way.

LOCAL BIZ DIRECTORY
offering Radiesse dermal filler treatments that deliver soft, natural-looking results you can see immediately. Perfect for smile lines, marionette lines, cheeks, chin, jaw line and more. Call 217-787-5244 to schedule a consultation and ask about the BOGO Special through September 09.