Sorted by date Results 1036 - 1060 of 1148
“... Switzerland melds the best of all worlds — and adds a healthy dose of chocolate, cowbells and cable cars.” — Rick Steves Not mentioned by Steves is the more than 2,000 antennas the alpine country has built to roll out 5G technology, which some cantons have recently suspended. One must wonder, “Why?” In Brussels, former Environment Minister Fremault stated that the people are not guinea pigs whose health can be sold at a profit and a pilot project is not feasible with the current radiation standards. Current Minister Ma...
Last Saturday I attended Hinsdale’s town hall meeting with U.S Rep. Sean Casten. After speaking for approximately 10 minutes, Rep. Casten opened the floor to questions. The first question was about Rep. Casten voting not to continue the federal ban of fentanyl. He believes that illegal drugs will always be available provided there is a demand. He stated enforcing the fentanyl ban is like a game of “whack a mole”. Since we can’t completely stop the illegal drug trade, it’s pointless fight it. It was a very telling answer. W...
Back in the olden days, when I taught literature, I often began with a broad discussion of what "comedy" and "tragedy" mean. Broadly speaking, classical comedy is a structure; the stories may begin with mayhem, but they end by bringing people together. Song and dance are the most frequent-used symbols of this social harmony. Comedy, strictly speaking, is not necessarily funny; it can be humorous, but that's not what "makes" a comedy a comedy. When we laugh at something on a...
As former area school board members, we understand that the First Amendment’s freedom of speech is the cornerstone of American democracy, and the Open Meetings Act extends that non-negotiable right to hold public officials accountable and guarantee a transparent decision-making process. On Dec. 12, Meeta Jain Patel, MD, Kara Kuo and Kim Notaro attended a public meeting of the D86 Board to share concerns about changes to the district’s nationally recognized science program which would limit course offerings. Respectfully and...
I am a Millennial, and I moved back to Hinsdale to wrap myself up in its historical cocoon. The beautiful homes and tree-lined streets hearken back to an age gone by, perfectly juxtaposed to the ever-forward, ever-faster pace of technology. Hinsdale was a reprieve from it all until 5G and its small cell towers started knocking on my door. It is assumed I am all for the faster Internet, the smart homes and the self-driving cars, but alas I am not. Thus, I call myself a ‘Millennial Luddite.’ These advancements come with com...
I seldom write to newspapers, magazines, television, and radio. But this time (after Pamela Lannom’s Feb. 6 column), it seems worth it. There’s a song that goes like this: “Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, Shake your booty, shake your booty, Oh, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, Shake your booty, shake your booty ...” And, that’s pretty much what the halftime show was all about at this year’s Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is one of — if not the — biggest “sports” event in the world. I believe the halftim...
Some moments in life feel like they are straight out of a movie: your first day of high school, summer nights with your best friends or driving around in the car with the windows down. These are moments when you feel extremely blessed and grateful for the life you have. For me, where I work is one of these special gems. When I decided I wanted to get a summer job, I knew exactly where I wanted to work and what I wanted to do. I wanted to work at a place where I could interact...
Ainsley was excited about a book she brought home from school the other day - "Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History" by Vashti Harrison. She said she recognized the cover, as I had given her another book in the series - "Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World." Both books, designed for kids, are visually appealing, with the women drawn by Harrison as little girls so readers can identify with them. I confess I find the books just as enticing as Ainsley does. T...
Happy Valentines Day! Tomorrow is the designated day for showing love, but we find plenty of examples in our town of how to lead with one’s heart every day. To these people, we bestow our 2020 “valentines.” • Liz Joseph puts her heart into her volunteer work at Elm School, serving as vice president of the PTO exec board and overseeing all the room parents, class parties, teacher gifts and more. She also devotes many hours to the Art Appreciation program and SELAS activities, from conception to fruition. • Hinsdale Central’s...
The small stack of elderly firewood beside my garage occasionally reminds me of Chet and Ron. They were my first two project bosses after I was hired by a management consulting firm, soon after grad school. Guys in their late 50s, Chet and Ron were managers of big consulting contracts for airlines, insurance companies, manufacturers. As a rookie "green pea" analyst, my job was to collect data and run my thinking by them before parading it before a client. My chief task,...
Everyone seems to be able to agree on one thing about Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show. It was sexy. So sexy, in fact, that my 11-year-old covered her head at one point with a blanket and remained hidden for most of the performance by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Two adult friends shared their feedback with me Monday. One guy, married with no kids, said he appreciated the Latina influence and enjoyed watching Shakira and J-Lo try to out-dance one another. The other, a mom who...
Hearts are everywhere this month — but not all of them are for Valentine’s Day. For the past 56 years, February has been American Heart Month. President Lydon B. Johnson issued the first proclamation in February 1964, nine years after he suffered a heart attack. Science has advanced medicine in exciting new ways since that time, but heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of Americans, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined. Seventy-two percent of Americans don’t consider themselves at risk for heart disea...
As a former very frequent flier, I’ve followed the news about Boeing’s 737 MAX airplane crisis and the appointment of a new CEO to drive major change. While this news hasn’t lessened my confidence in airline safety, it did prompt thoughts of my most memorable flights. My first plane ride was in 1955 at age 10. When our Memphis relatives visited us in Richmond, Ind., they invited me to drive home with them for a 12-day stay. My exciting return plan was to fly alone back to In...
Four short weeks from tomorrow is opening night for “Hinsdopoloy,” the 2020 Community Revue. I’ve been part of the revue cast for 16 years now. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the revue, it’s a fundraiser for The Community House held just about every other year. A very talented group of writers and our esteemed director create an original script and rewrite the lyrics to Broadway and popular songs to create a show that pokes fun at all things Hinsdale (wealth,...
So the Super Bowl and Groundhog Day fall on the same day this year. How crazy is that? Well, OK, not so crazy since it also happened in 2014 — although this is only the second such occurrence since the game was moved to a February date in 2002. Is it possible to properly honor both occasions, and not give one short shrift, like the fate that befalls those with birthdays near Christmas? Frankly, we don’t care. For us, as serious matters convulse our society on a regular basis, the confluence serves as prime pretext to com...
Alternative universes. They were the subject of a recent podcast from This American Life - "Gardens of Branching Paths." I enjoyed hearing the stories of a Jew imagining parallel universes without the Nazis, a speech President Bill Clinton might have given before he was impeached, twins who feared they were switched as infants and a Korean-born woman who wondered what life might have been like had she not been adopted by an American couple. At first I thought the topic of...
I am writing to thank Hinsdale residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season. Because of the generosity of donors in Hinsdale and across the United States, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.9 million shoebox gifts in 2019. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2019, the ministry is now sending 10,569,405 shoebox gifts to children worldwide. Through shoeboxes — packed with fun toys, school supplies and hyg...
It was almost midnight when we settled in by the fire and my friend said to the group, "I want to hear everyone's favorite childhood memory." Groans of protest ensued. "Come on ... a favorite childhood memory, any childhood memory," he persisted. Tired but intrigued, we gave in. I passed on the first go round, combing my brain for a favorite. Other friends jumped right in with stories that ran the gamut - an exuberant purchase of a long forbidden video game system, a broken...
In 1995 La Grange Memorial Hospital was sold and part of the proceeds were used to create Community Memorial Foundation. Who could have imagined the work the foundation would do? The foundation, which has issued more than $77 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in 27 communities, will kick off its 25th anniversary celebration tomorrow. The theme — turning Silver into Gold — reflects the foundation’s approach to working with local nonprofits. CMF works to leverage the funds it has available to provide even more finan...
When I moved my household from Washington, D.C. into storage, I got rid of about 100 books. Some were obvious choices, like the global trade textbook that was required for a class I took in 1989 but irrelevant both to me and the current study of economics. Some gave me pause, like the novel "London" by Edward Rutherford. It's an informative history of the city wrapped up in a gripping 2,000-year narrative, but it comes in at 829 pages and weighs a ton. As I went through this...
Readers of Scary Mommy and the Today Show parenting blogs know Christie Cuthbert as a contributor. Texans know her as a writer for San Antonio Woman Magazine and Alamo City Moms. Hinsdaleans remember her as a former neighbor, fellow parishioner, Juniors member - and associate editor of The Hinsdalean. Now she's also the author of a new book. "Mom! I Farted in Church," which she officially released at a launch party Jan. 9. I caught up with her over the phone Tuesday to talk...
There’s a reason why January is designated National Blood Donor Month. During the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s, about 500 fewer blood drives were hosted by volunteer sponsor groups than required to meet patient needs, according to the American Red Cross. Groups postpone blood drives during the winter holidays to avoid conflicts with travel and other seasonal activities. Life-threatening events and emergency medical procedures, however, never take a holiday. “Declines in donations can affect patient care. That’s why the...
Tonight, for the first time in almost a month, the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board will meet. A lot has happened since Dec. 12. Students and staff enjoyed winter break. A new year, and a decade, started at midnight Dec. 31. And Superintendent Tammy Prentiss announced that the district is slowing down its implementation of a “physics first” science sequence at Hinsdale Central, with the phased-in roll out set to begin fall 2021. The announcement should appease at least some of the parents who have raised loud and fre...
Each January after the holidays are over, there seems to be a renewed obligation or duty to reorganize. Everywhere you look there are articles, books and news stories that promise to help you tidy up and embrace your inner minimalist. However, for those of us who despite our best efforts can't fully commit to the minimalist movement, there may scientific validation. If you too have a beloved collection of books or a permanent stack of paperwork on the corner of your desk then...
Every January for the past few years, Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich has chosen an annual "guiding word" and encouraged readers to do the same. I heard about this for the first time over the weekend and was intrigued. Her word for 2020 is "slower" - an interesting choice, she admits, for a woman who works on deadline. As she goes on to discuss, though, slowing down rarely makes us late. "All we have to do is breathe more slowly, and we know that slowing down is a way...
