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It’s not the heat but the stupidity
Do such heat waves presage a permanently hotter planet? Maybe, but central Illinois has had heat waves before this one. One blighted the 1950s, which is when I was growing up in Springfield. Surviving the days was easy enough.

Fighting myths about the undocumented
While vacationing in Flagstaff earlier this month, I was heartened to discover that if the new, repressive immigration law takes effect in Arizona today, that fair city won’t be snooping at shoes or using other creative means to guess immigration status.

Grinning bankers
Last week, Congress enacted new rules to govern America’s huge banks, thus completing Washington’s response to the unbridled Wall Street greed that crashed the financial system and crushed our economy.

LETTERS
The idea of sealing the original and issuing an amended birth certificate was devised as a means to shield the “illegitimate” person from public scorn. With single parenthood now common and single parents adopting children, it has lost any need to exist.

cornpickingpoem # 1
this is a locust year at dusk the sky all pinky mauve the locusts shrill loud and louder a rhythmic pulse they fade to a chrrr stop silence then start again shrill as before we travel deep in the green rows snapping off corn ears fat with brown hair...

Who pays for Quinn’s campaign-by-governing?
Reading through the report I saw the $8.28 spent by a retired Chicago woman for food at Treasure Island. The $17.67 that a Springfield homemaker paid for Mel-O-Cream doughnuts. The $5.56 shelled out by a DuQuoin High School teacher for food at Kroger’s..

SIT, STAY, GO
Bred by nonprofit group Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), the golden retriever will eventually be given free of charge to a physically disabled adult who can benefit from her company and skills, which will include the ability to open doors, push buttons and pull wheelchairs.

Boarded properties flying under city’s radar
The walnut saplings growing from the foundation of the house at 920 S. 11th St. in Springfield have grown so large, they obscure most of the house. Whitewashed plywood covers the door and windows of this dilapidated bungalow, and rust stains the siding where the gutters have given up, leaking rainwater from the rotting roof onto the tiny front porch.

Historic stagecoach stop to be burned down
An old white building stands in Buffalo, about 15 miles east of Springfield, as a sign of a different time. Its stately porch and a smokehouse behind it give credence to its place as a relic of history. The house was built around 1840 and it is now scheduled to be burned down.

A neighborhood’s call to arms
“This is the call to arms that we’ve got to do something here,” says John LaMotte, urban planner with the Lakota Group, hired along with Mansur Real Estate Services to develop a comprehensive redevelopment plan. “It’s not a few little homes here and there that have some rough edges.

Cohen: ‘Illinois needs honesty, not perfection’
Illinois hasn’t heard the last of Scott Lee Cohen. After winning the Democratic Party’s nomination for lieutenant governor in the February primary election, Cohen bowed out of the race, and he is now running for governor as an independent instead.

Anatomy of an Advice Goddess
Although her work appears throughout the country in more than 100 alternative weekly papers, those bastions of liberalism, Alkon’s approach can sometimes be surprisingly traditional: She tends to favor standard gender roles, for instance, and often evinces a “tough love” approach to dispensing her advice.

The makeup of yesteryear
I became enlightened about this topic after attending an interesting 3½-hour seminar during the Old State Capitol’s Civil War Encampment weekend on June 12, which drew about 75 reenactors here, according to site manager Justin Blandford. (The encampment was sponsored by Memorial Medical Center and the History Comes Alive program.

RealCuisine Recipe
Many macaroni salads are bland and boring. Not this one, which gets its kick from the jalapeno mayonnaise. Don’t hesitate to make this if you don’t like spicy heat. Just use mild or medium pickled jalapenos, which are widely available. Even the regular ones only make this slightly hot; the mild/medium variety just add flavor, not heat.

RealCuisine Recipe
Put all ingredients in the container of an electric blender or food processor except the oil. Blend or process for about two minutes or until the scallions and peppers are thoroughly pureéd. With the machine still running, add the oil in a very thin stream.

Can’t beat pasta to beat the heat
Here are three pasta recipes to help you beat the heat. The first is served cold, the second at room temperature, and the third warm. But all three require minimal or no cooking except for boiling the pasta. All are delicious no matter what the temperature, so try them even if it’s not too darn hot.

RealCuisine Recipe
This one is best served warm, but the sauce is just a matter of assembling the ingredients and cooking them while the pasta drains. You can vary this recipe by using other types of canned beans for the chickpeas and/or canned tuna or clams for the salami.

RealCuisine Recipe
Use the most flavorful tomatoes you can find for this dish. Any type works well – cherry tomatoes, Romas, heirloom black, green, yellow or striped, as well as red. A combination of colors makes it especially attractive, but isn’t necessary. Put the tomatoes in a sieve and toss with the tablespoon of salt.

Movie times for July 30-Aug 1
AMC listings are for Friday, July 30, through Sunday, Aug 1. Bracketed show times are Friday/Saturday-only late shows. Weekday movie times and Showplace 12 times were not available at press time. All times are subject to change. For updates on AMC films, call 1-800-FANDANGO.

Sorcerer casts an enchanting spell
Imagine my surprise when I found myself not only entertained but delighted by this lighthearted effort that, while wholly predictable, was executed with a degree of charm and enthusiasm that makes it a winner for the whole family. Cage is Balthazar Blake, a centuries-old wizard who’s been searching for hundreds of years for an apprentice.

End of July jewels
Here we are nearing the end of July 2010 with a good forecast for upcoming live music. As August begins we head into the Decatur Celebration and then the Illinois State Fair as major music fronts, with occasional scattered area county fairs, plus pop-up shows all over town worthy of attendance.

BAND SPOTLIGHT
From humble beginnings in southern Illinois as a rockin’ country cover band, Sable now charts on the record listings and performs at major festivals while making the march toward music stardom.

PUB CRAWL
Dates, times and locations are subject to change, so we suggest calling before attending an event..

CREATIVITY
Something new and lively, happening in cities and towns around the world, starts up in Springfield Aug. 5. Locally coordinated PechaKucha Night will consist of nine creative Springfieldians each giving a six minute and 40 second (20 slides, 20 seconds each) presentation.

THE CALENDAR
Dates, times and locations are subject to last-minute changes, so we suggest calling before attending the event..

MUSIC & FILM
Filmmaker and Hollywood actor Rick Hall (whose credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, 24, Without a Trace, Seinfeld, Saving Grace).

COOKING
Learn from one of Springfield’s best chefs, as Caitie Barker offers a Farmers Market Feast cooking class. The group begins with a walk to the farmers market, located approximately two blocks south of the restaurant, to buy seasonal produce. Based on what is available, a menu will be created.

PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE UNDER ASSUMED BUSINESS NAME ACT STATE OF ILLINOIS COUNTY OF SANGAMON TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Notice is hereby given that on 2nd day of July, 2010 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of Sangamon...

WORKSHOPS
$10 a week for 30 words. To place your ad, contact your display rep or e-mail your ad and contact information to nbulli@illinoistimes.com.

NEWS QUIRKS
When two men tried to rob a 69-year-old woman sitting in her car in South Daytona, Fla., one of them smashed a hole in her windshield with a semi-automatic handgun, but the weapon fell through the hole into the driver’s lap. Carol J. Costello grabbed the gun and pointed it at the suspect, who fled to his getaway vehicle.

FIND LOCAL BIZ
Promote your local biz in print and online Call Nan for details - 753-1724.

THE ADVICE GODDESS
My wife’s a hairstylist, and I recently learned that she continues to cut the hair of a guy she had a fling with seven years ago. We’re newlyweds but dated for three years. She’s always been truthful and forthright, so I was dumbfounded that she kept this from me.