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What video gambling did to me
Twenty-six years and eight months ago I walked into the Aloha to play my guitar and the songs that people liked. Everything was there that had been there the night before – the rice cooker, the Hawaiian figureheads, the piano bar, the jukebox, the cigarette machine.

Toward a farm-fresh food system
Today, the Illinois Farm Bureau is one of several agencies that have taken on the responsibility of telling central Illinois where the farm fresh eggs are. In January, the IFB will host in Springfield a conference devoted in part to expanding the markets for locally produced foods.

‘The Hammer’ gets nailed with a new nickname
Tom DeLay, a once-upon-a-time Republican powerhouse, has accumulated an unusual assortment of nicknames in his professional life. As a Texas legislator in the 1980s, he was known as “Hot Tub Tommy,” a donothing member who preferred partying to lawmaking.

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Lovepoem
my brother-in-law listened to a life-weary friend of many years. “Have you learned to love yourself?” my brother-in-law asked. “I try,” said the friend, “but I don’t succeed. How about you?” “I try too,” my brother-in-law said “but don’t succeed much either.

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Some signs of courage in civil unions vote
All but one of the six Republicans were suburbanites. Bill Black, who is retiring later this month, was the only Downstater. Reps. Suzi Bassi and Beth Coulson were suburban “Yes” votes who are not returning next year. Reps. Mark Beaubien, Rosemary Mulligan and Skip Saviano were the other Republican “Yes” votes, and all three are suburban legislators.

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FREEDOM OF AND FROM RELIGION
The Springfield American Civil Liberties Union erected its second annual display in the Capitol rotunda Tuesday, but is hoping to avoid the same backlash from right-wing critics who last year argued that the group was cleverly trying to stamp out God.

HOLIDAY SYMPHONY
Though Christmas music can be annoying when piped through the tinny speakers of every grocery store and shopping mall, it’s much more enjoyable when played in person by a talented group of local musicians.

New east side center steers youth in the right direction
Leannette Black grew up in San Francisco, where she remembers her mother making and selling hot tamales and hamburgers out of their home to raise money for drum and bugle corps costumes.

Beyond civil unions: What’s next?
As Republicans spoke out against a civil union bill approved by both the House and Senate last week, they argued that the measure would open the door to same-sex marriage, a prediction advocates for the gay and lesbian community say is precisely on target.

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Study urges caution on underground CO2 storage
Carbon dioxide leaks from deep underground wells could make otherwise good water undrinkable, a study by two scientists at the Duke University Center on Global Change found in a study released earlier this year. Opponents of a “clean” coal project in Taylorville say the study helps make their case against the project.

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Tracks on 10th
The bright red bricks of the boxy building at 427 S. 12th St. in Springfield stand out boldly against the drab colors of winter. A remnant of Springfield’s past, the building incorporates windows, doors and other materials from the house that eventually became the Dana-Thomas House.

Benefits
Traffic delays due to trains, which the study group has identified as one of the most common complaints among Springfield residents, would be vastly reduced, the study predicts.

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Tracks on 10th
John’s Hospital, Memorial Hospital and the Mid-Illinois Medical District. Delicate equipment used in the hospitals could be damaged or miscalibrated by train vibrations, they say, and traffic delays due to trains could impede access to the hospitals by emergency vehicles.

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A green beauty
Architect John Shafer’s new office building at 1230 S. Sixth St. in Springfield recently won an award for sustainable design from the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Not only is it a “green” building, it is also lovely to behold.

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Chocolate cockroaches, a 19th-century treat
Sound like the Addams Family version of Clement C. Moore’s famous poem? It’s easy to picture macabre little Wednesday Addams licking her lips at the thought of eating nasty bugs instead of sugar plums. This riff on Moore’s ode refers to an Addams-like Christmas tradition practiced by late 19th-century Illinoisans and other Victorians.

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Holiday Calendar
Dec 15, 22, 5-8pm, Discover the charm of downtown - free entertainment, horse-drawn trolley rides, lighted holiday tree, extended shopping hours, Santa House (Also open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Christmas at Fifth and Adams. Kids receive free photo and candy cane.

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Accessory revolution
Despite the recession-y conditions in which it was unveiled, Apple’s new tablet device has been the most successful product launch in the company’s history – even bigger than the iPhone launch just a few years ago.

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iPad stands
If you’re going to use the iPad for reading you’ll likely want a way to prop it up, since it’s quite a bit heavier than eReaders such as the nook and Kindle. (Said weight and the difficulty of reading in bright sunlight are two of the few criticisms of the iPad, and one reason why the sales of eBook readers like the Kindle continue to be robust.

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Community Wish List
Forever Home Feline Ranch is an organization created to provide a “forever home” to every cat in need. The ranch is a sanctuary where cats have a second chance to live a full life in a no-cage, no-kill environment.

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All systems go
Do you remember the last time you used your phone to actually make or take a call? All kidding aside, the truth of the matter is that today we rely on our phones more and more for web browsing, e-mailing, GPS, shooting photos and video, tweeting or doing any number of things that there’s an app for.

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Verizon
memory in addition to an 8GB miroSD card (expandable to 32GB). The 5GB camera/camcorder records DVD-quality 720x480 video at 30fps. The Droid 2, which runs on a 1 GHz processor, can support up to five devices as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

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iOS
Apple’s operating system is no stranger, as it powers iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads, and is prominently displayed in the ubiquitous television commercials for each.

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A few of my favorite things
If you’re looking for gifts for the cooks on your holiday shopping list, here are a few suggestions. They range from inexpensive stocking stuffers to items a bit more substantial, but still moderately priced. All have become indispensible in my kitchen and are things I’ve given as gifts to my kids, relatives and friends.

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Warrior’s Way an entertaining, bloody hoot
The warrior does his best to fall off the face of the earth and landing in Lode (the “Paris of the West” it modestly proclaims) would seemingly do the trick. Sporting a population of 500, all of its citizens are circus folk who are intent on building a Ferris wheel that will revitalize the town.

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Seasonal samplings
’Tis the season to be jolly and by the looks of upcoming events, being jolly includes listening to music. From the constant holiday songs on WQQL 101.

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Hipbone Sam Band
About two years ago Kevin Hawkins decided to make a living playing music and that’s exactly what he’s done. Now known all over central Illinois as the fun lovin’, music makin’, get-a-party-goin’ Hipbone Sam, the guy who yells “Let me hear you say yeah!” played nearly 200 shows in 2010.

PUB CRAWL
Big Mouth, FocusedXMinds, Cave Bear, Burdened, Last Legs, Spite.

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Saturday December 11
Find more details and gigs in our online calendar at www.illinoistimes.com.

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The Santaland Diaries
Written by NPR humorist David Sedaris, this adult production follows not just any merry elf, but Crumpet, an out-of-work actor trying to earn some bread, who tastes so much Christmas craziness this could go down as his worst gig ever.

THE CALENDAR
Zuiderveld, organist, leads Christmas Carols. Free lunchtime concerts on Wednesdays during Advent. First Presbyterian Church, 321 S. Seventh St, 528-4311..

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The Springfield Handel Choir
The Springfield Handel Choir, a 56-member local choir, presents the Christmas portion of The Messiah: An Oratorio.

All Ages Christmas Dance
David Strawn Art Gallery, 331 W. College Ave, Jacksonville, 243-9390..

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White Christmas
Springfield Theatre Centre presents a traditional holiday musical for the family. Based on the 1954 film and directed by Leigh Ann Smith, two evening performances and two matinees are planned with audience members having a chance to win gift certificates or a diamond necklace from Denney Jewelers.

THE CALENDAR
Saturday each month, join Middle-Earth Fellowship and discuss Tolkien, his works and major influences. All ages and degrees of knowledge welcome. dpbnlb@yahoo.com.

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HISTORY | Romantic-era customs
See and learn about 19th century Christmas artifacts as the Springfield Art Association begins its new series of history talks beginning Dec. 9 with Dr. Marcia Young, site superintendent of David Davis Mansion.

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PUBLIC NOTICES
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEV- ENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT SANGAMON COUNTY, ILLINOIS ESTATE OF MADALYN MAXWELL, Deceased. CASE NO.: 2010-P-659 CLAIM NOTICE Notice is given of the death of MADA- LYN MAXWELL. Letters Testamentary were issued on November 23, 2010 to Jay Stevenson of Springfield, Illinois.

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FIND LOCAL CLASSES
TRY IT! NON-CREDIT CLASSES OFFERED BY LINCOLN LAND COLLEGE COMMUNITY LEARNING.

NEWS QUIRKS
Curses, foiled again Randy King, 53, admitted stealing an antique wrought-iron fence from a house in Duluth, Minn., after police confronted him with the evidence: the fence itself, which King had installed around his own house, a few blocks away.

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FIND LOCAL REAL ESTATE
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE 7TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT SANGAMON COUNTY - SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS Marine Bank, Springfield,PLAINTIFF Vs. Peter J. Summers a/k/a Pete Summers a/k/a Pete J. Summers Jr.; et. al.

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You tech my breath away
People romanticize chance meetings over highly calculated search algorithms. They swoon telling the story, “If I hadn’t filled in for the night nurse the evening he lopped off his thumb…” as opposed to “If I hadn’t typed 16 very specific terms into a...

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