Illinois

Bad Crafts: Shrunken apple heads

I am literally laughing as I type this, because over the course of my life, this is the craft that I have most passionately wanted to work, but which has resolutely failed me time and again. And even if it works, so what? All you have is a shriveled apple head, which is gross and weird. BUT I WANT IT TO WORK DAMMIT.

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Mariners Minor League Game Action Recap for June 26

The Leaning Tower of Niles

So you can’t afford to make the long journey to Italy to take a look at the Leaning Tower of Pisa like you always wanted to do? Well, have I got a sub-par solution for you! It’s called the Leaning Tower of Niles and it is a replica of the original that sits just outside of Chicago. It may not be Italian, or even the right size, but it’s still kind of impressive none-the-less.

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Superman Celebration: Metropolis, Illinois

With all the super hero hype going on right now, it’s not hard to find an event or two revolving around one famous comic book character or another. One town in Illinois, a town by the name of Metropolis, seemed fated to dedicate themselves to all-things Superman, and they went with this destiny willingly. In addition to having the country’s only Superman museum, they organize the Superman Celebration in early June of each year and if you’re a fan of Superman, it’s not to be missed.

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Water treatment plants: The best line of defense

I spent many years as a general assignment reporter covering various municipalities and the one thing they all had in common was a top notch water treatment system.

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Oil spills don’t just happen at sea

There’s been considerable talk lately that President Obama is poised to approve the Keystone XL pipeline and what impact a large scale pipeline disaster might have in the U.S. and now we actually have an example...on a small scale.

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Lollapalooza's 2013 lineup is impressive

The 2013 Lollapalooza lineup is a jaw-dropper, to be sure. This year's annual festival in Chicago will feature a diverse lineup of big name performers. If you've never been to Lollapalooza, now might be an excellent time to consider a trip to ChiTown for the big event.

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Employers asking for Facebook passwords as part of hiring?

As one who has been out of the “normal” employment sector for several years now, I had no idea that this was even happening, but apparently, some employers, as part of their hiring process, are demanding that potential employees provide them with not only the name of their Facebook profile, but also with the password to their account. They claim this act is part of a background check, though I’m guessing that could only be the case if they’re too cheap to do a proper, legal background check. Luckily, several states have enacted laws to protect their citizens against this invasive process

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Colorado passes civil unions

As a proud Coloradan, I’m happy to announce that this past week, Colorado passed a law allowing civil unions between same-sex couples. Having passed hateful legislations in the 90s that allowed employers to discriminate based on personal choices, traits and characterizes, this marks a huge push for equality in Colorado. This, along with the passing of a bill that legalized marijuana, is a huge push for our swing state to become a permanent blue.

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Bizarre summer vacation events in the U.S.

Most people, when they go trekking across the U.S. come vacation time, tend to prefer to visit the standard places. National parks, amusement parks, wonders of nature and great festivals and celebrations are common places to find people from all over the country and beyond congregating and relaxing. Some folks, however, have a taste for the unusual and may not be completely satisfied at the end of a vacation unless they have gotten in some quality time with the more bizarre and unusual attractions of the country. Being that I happen to be one of those peo

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