Category > From the Flyover Zone
Last winter, looking for a rest stop off the interstate south of Pueblo, Colorado, my family came across a small picnic park with a monument to the victims of the "Ludlow Massacre," a bloody 1914 incident that occurred during a standoff between striking miners and the National Guard. In the end, 20 people died, including many women and children who suffocated in underground bunkers when the army set fire to the strikers' tent city. You can actually walk down into …
Chicago is packed full of adventures beyond the Shedd Aquarium, Water Tower Place and Wendella boat tours. But sadly, for many of us, that is about all we seem to manage on our summer day trips up to the windy city. With or without kids, we spend hundreds of dollars on tickets, parking and food, and yes, we come away with pleasant memories, but somehow I think we often miss a very real and vibrant side of Chicago that sometimes …
It's been over ten years, but I finally made it back to Wrigley Field last year to watch a game with my youngest son. Walking from the Red Line "L" stop, I prepared myself for the worst: hoards of frat-boys guzzling beer, businessmen with their Blackberries in hand and tourists from the far far west suburbs. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by how genuine the place still seemed, with its emphasis on the actual game of baseball and the nitty-gritty …
Every spring break for the past eight years our family has camped on a rugged state park beach in an area of northern Florida relatively untouched by the real estate development so ubiquitous in other parts of the state. The key word here is “relatively,” because in the course of these past years, even in one of the sparsest populated counties of the sunshine state, we’ve witnessed large tracts of shore-front land turn from long leaf pine and palmetto forest …
Last night I received emails from friends interested in my opinion regarding the seven candidates for school board. Champaign voters will have the opportunity tomorrow to pick three of these candidates, and many voters, my friends included, have no clue who these people are. And although I try to follow educational issues in the area, I too am scratching my head a bit on this one, and may have to take my ouji board to the polls. That's not to …
Every March, I get road trip fever. The promise of warmer weather, the arrival of summer camp brochures in the mail, the melting rivulets of road ice that suggest, for those like me with desperate imaginations, kayak runs or water-park slides, all get me in the mood to research trip itineraries, dust off the kayaks and picnic basket, and make camping and cabin reservations. In fact, most of my outdoor family trip brainstorming for the rest of the year gets …
Political scientist Hannah Arendt was right about the banality of evil. Certainly, if ever an educational evil was perpetuated on children, the current standardized testing system is one of them, and yet here in Illinois we are strangely silent. Just like the famous studies that show how quickly people fall into complicit behavior patterns characterized by concern with details, bureaucracy, and following orders, Illinoisans mutter under breath about all the ill-effects of testing, but don't do anything about it. In …
Way out on the southwest outskirts of town, in the middle of farm fields ripe for upscale development, an immense structure has arisen that has attracted the attention of quite a few folks around here, most notably those folks with young children. Why? Because within it's cavernous walls lies a veritable "neverland"-esque indoor play-space that is free, open to the public, and conveniently located just off the new Windsor Road highway exit. When parents enter this space for the first …
In the weeks leading up to Obama's inauguration, it has been easy to get sucked into the hype and hero worship, considering the historical significance of the event, Obama's promises of change and our deep emotional need for someone and something to believe in. Because of this, it is increasingly difficult to separate our cherished image of Obama as liberator-in-chief from his actual politics. Yet there are those who have been able to look beyond the media images and rhetorical …
“So little of what could happen does happen.” –Salvador Dali In the next room, my kids are listening to a book on CD about the “dead days of winter” – those days between Christmas and New Year’s – and I’m lying on the couch reading an Andrew Porter short story about a kid who disappears into a backyard hole. Christmas is only ten days away, it’s cold and dark outside, and really I just want to hunker down inside my …
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Thanks for that, Louis CK.
Your call to stay pissed is precisely why global warming fanatics will fail. Emotion has no place in hard science. The problem with the issue of global warming is that is has been pumped full of emotion and politics, and the science is becoming a by-product. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204301404577171531838421366.html?KEYWORDS=global+warming
Clearly the Postal Officials in favor of this cannot make an economic argument, as this saves the post office $0. What is their rationale?
Earlier today I received this response from the President’s office (via e-mail) - Dear Jason: Thank you for taking the time to write and share your thoughts. I deeply regret the embarrassment that the anonymous email incident has brought to our great University, and the personal hardship…
This posting expresses frustration—where is the investigative reporting about the current situation at the university? There are news reports, but basically no investigation? Why? None of the potential news outlets seem to be digging, unless doing so in the quiet of the night—not CU Access, the DI,…
Thank you Childrss for the correction. I actually only know a very small bit about Miscanthus specifically (and not much, obviously). My support for cellulosic has more to do with all the various upsides. The stalks and husks of feed corn, for instance, could provide a secondary…
More on Miscanthus can be found at http://miscanthus.illinois.edu Depending on market demand, miscanthus CAN impact food costs if it becomes more profitable to grow Miscanthus on land rather than foodstuff crops. While Jason didn’t explicitly state it (so I don’t want to imply that he was wrong)—it…
“Doing so would leave the entire university community without a way to send mail.” Ever heard of a mailbox? I can tell you where some are. “The Green Street office is always busy ...” Wrong. In fact, back in the day, I would go there during the…
I still have a very strong belief in bio-fuels as a sensible alternative, so long as it’s done sensibly. The one that makes the most sense, in my opinion, is producing ethanol from cellulose instead of grain. It’s essentially turning a waste product into a usable fuel…
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best for you <a >chanel bags 2011</a> for promotion code
Nope. It’s the back (east) side of Urbana Tire Company at 202 S. Vine. How much is a hug and kiss worth? Do I have to take them all at once or can I break it up?
FACT: Silverfish feed only on carbohydrates, such as starches and sugars. They will not consume proteins or fats (the main materials from which human beings are constructed). THUS: That was not actually a human waiter we were conversing with, but rather a lifelike simulacrum created from semi-digested Fruit Loops.
nice fishnets you’ve got there, dan!
is that illini auto on main?
The geniuses at the News-Gazette site have it all figured out. This happened because we don’t have the Chief!
Pamela - Are the roasteries in Seattle as clean as CSR? It always disturbs me a little that it is so clean in there.
Now you will be able to munch on pizza and shrimp cocktails in downtown Urbana (whilst a DJ spins?) after your dissolution of marriage http://www.news-gazette.com/news/business/features/its-your-business/2012-02-05/its-your-business-new-pizza-place-downtown-urban Is this a franchise of a Reno pizza joint, or just a coincidence of name? http://www.blackrockpizza.com
Signs someone is “fishing” for a factual anchor: 1. Starts call to radio with: “I’ve been an Illini fan for (XX) years” or “I’m a diehard fan,” as if somehow that unverifiable claim will justify the 5 minutes of B.S. that follows. 2. Makes reference to KenPom…
That’s what she said.
Black dog and Siam terrace is where I always go after my divorces.
Love CSR. Apart from making my way through the regular roasts in 1/2 pound increments, I also like to pick up some of the little sample packets of the flavored stuff for when the lady and I feel like getting crazy. Sticky Bun is pretty nice.
If you happen to be getting a divorce, or fighting a DUI prosecution, downtown Urbana is a great place to eat.
HUUUUUUGE fan of their Black Velvet roast…It makes up about 75% of my coffee intake. LOL CSR is definitely one of those Champaign institutions that I brag about to people not from here. :-)
We like CSR too! We french press at home and I leave the lid off while it steeps—letting the ground beans bloom. Then, like in your tasting, I scoop off the top layer before pressing. We really need to invest in a burr grinder though, as I…
Confidential? In this state? Hahahahahahahhahahaha
just confirmed: there will be white russians served. the art abides.
big lebowski at the art. mark it, dude.
There’s a great video promo out for “Company” too: http://vimeo.com/36077847
Wow, His Majesty took the time to answer your polite plea. It’s been a while since I spoke fluent arrogance, but allow this attempt at a translation: “I deeply regret the embarrassment…” = I wish we hadn’t got caught and it wasn’t a big deal really. “...and…
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Wow, His Majesty took the time to answer your polite plea. It’s been a while since I spoke fluent arrogance, but allow this attempt at a translation: “I deeply regret the embarrassment…” = I wish we hadn’t got caught and it wasn’t a big deal really. “...and…