BY JOLONDA YOUNG     As the weather cools, and the leaves turn shades of autumn, central Illinois has a wealth of festivals to keep you busy while enjoying the brisk days of fall. One might get carried away at the Lincoln Art and Balloon Festival, which fills the air with colorful balloons, live entertainment, crafts, food vendors and more. Held Aug. 28 through 30 in downtown Lincoln and at Logan Airport, highlights include helicopter and tethered balloon launches and rides, rock climbing, bungee jumping, carnival rides, wine tasting, craft fair, bocce ball tournament, a car show and professional wrestling matches. Musical performers include True Blue Barbershop Quartet, Country Mavericks, The Brat Pack Live, and Glory Days. $5 admission. $8 wine tasting. Lincoln also hosts its annual ... 08/30/2009

        Just when you have lost faith in human kindness, someone who teaches at Kean Elementary in Wooster , Ohio forwarded the following  letter.  The letter was sent to the Principal's office after the school had sponsored a luncheon for the elderly.  An old lady  received a new radio at the lunch as a door prize and was writing to say thank you.  This story is a credit to all humankind. Forward to anyone you know who might need a lift today.     Dear Kean Elementary:   God bless you for the beautiful radio I won at your recent senior citizens luncheon.  I am 84 years old and live at the Sprenger Home for the Aged.  All of my family has passed away.  I am all alone  now and it's nice to know that someone is thinking of me.  God bless you for your kindness to an old forgotten lady.  M... 08/28/2009

    BY TOM IRWIN     The blues style of music originated as a form of deep therapy that allowed people to self-proclaim problems through lyric, rhythm and melody in the hopes of dispelling those troubles. The blues is a way of singing out the bad stuff, somewhat like talking to a friend about tough times, not that it makes the yuk go away, but it helps you feel a little better just getting the whole business off your chest. So here is my blues romp on the upcoming Old Capitol Blues and BBQs festival. Even though the event sports a tremendous lineup of varied blues performers, I've heard some grumbling among the masses. Comments abound such as, "I've never heard any of these bands," and "Why couldn't we get somebody big?" and "How come no local bands are playing?" and "I don't like to b... 08/28/2009

 Lauren Sherman, It hasn't been an easy year for New Yorkers, what with the fall of Wall Street, a media-industry shakeout and a significant decrease in consumer spending that has forced many of the city's venerable retailers--including jeweler Fortunoff and women's clothing chain Searle--to file for bankruptcy protection. These financial stresses have brought a shift in priorities for singles: Living in New York City no longer requires making your first million by the age of 30, but instead means finding happiness with another person (though having achieved the former certainly can't hurt with the latter). With an unemployment rate of 8.2%, many of this metro area's finest unmarried folks--who make up 28% of the overall population--are taking advantage of generous severances and enjoyi... 08/09/2009

 These great questions and answers are from the days when ' Hollywood Squares' game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted, as they are now. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions, of course..   Q..  Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat? A. Paul Lynde (About fifteen minutes later):  Loneliness! And the audience laughed for another 10 to 15 minutes. Hollywood Squares:   Q. Do female frogs croak? A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough. Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be? A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it. Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years. A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes. Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. A... 08/07/2009

Eight-year-old Daniela Earnest has made lemonade out of lemons in more ways than one this week. Hoping to raise money for a family trip to Disneyland, the Tulare girl opened a lemonade stand Monday. But because Daniela didn't have a business license, the city of Tulare shut it down the same day. From that came a radio station's offer of Disneyland tickets to Daniela's family - in exchange for 30 cups of lemonade - and an appearance in front of the Tulare City Council on Tuesday night that will likely lead to a compromise allowing her lemonade stand and other pint-sized business ventures to operate legally. The story began Monday morning when Daniela and her stepmother, Marisa Earnest, set up shop at Cartmill Avenue and Hillman Street in north Tulare. The lemonade was freshly squeezed an... 08/06/2009

.....Model Purchases Are Foreign Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Four of the top five models sold so far under the U.S. "cash for clunkers" program, aimed at boosting the auto industry, are made by foreign automakers, according to Transportation Department data. Ford Motor Co.'s Focus was the top seller, followed by Toyota Motor Corp.'s Corolla, Honda Motor Co.'s Civic and Toyota's Prius and Camry, data from the department showed today. Initial clunkers legislation sponsored by Representative Betty Sutton, an Ohio Democrat, would have barred discounts for new vehicles manufactured overseas and offered higher payments for cars and trucks produced in the U.S. than for those made in Canada and Mexico. The "Buy American" provision was dropped from the final legislation because of opposition from fore... 08/04/2009

  The following letter, read on Glenn Beck's show, is rapidly circulating around the country. Americans everywhere identify with this 53-year-old woman. She has given us a voice. Once you read this, you will want to forward it to all of your friends....   GLENN BECK: I got a letter from a woman in  Arizona  . She writes an open letter to our nation's leadership: I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in  Washingt... 08/04/2009

Here is a little something someone sent me that is indisputable mathematical logic. (It also made me Laugh Out Loud.)  Remember, this is a strictly mathematical viewpoint. It goe s like this:What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:If:A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Zis represented as:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.Then:H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%andK-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%But ,A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E1+20+20+9+... 08/03/2009

by Eric Mack While we've already named our picks for trucks and cars that seem to outlast the competition, there's still plenty of SUVs out there that can keep you rolling for (hundreds of) thousands of miles. Toyota comes up big in this category, taking up four spots out of our top 10 (including the Lexus RX300 and 330 crossover), but there's still plenty of love to go around for some modern American classics like the Ford Explorer, which we've noticed is an especially big favorite of Vehix readers. Once again, we didn't use any fancy calculus or other scientific formula to come up with this list. It's based on readily available reviews, ratings, online chatter, stories our friends from Alaska told us and a number of other sources. So, if you think we made a glaring omission, or that a... 08/01/2009

House  #1  A 20 room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house, all heated by gas. In one month this residence consumes more energy than the average American household does in a year. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2400 per month.. In natural gas alone, this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not situated in a Northern or Midwestern 'snow belt' area. It's in the South. House  #2  Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university. This house incorporates every 'green' feature current home construction can provide.. The house is 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled in a high prairie in the America... 08/01/2009

A friend sent this email to me today.............I don't know if it works but the next time I'm driving  in a downpour I will certainly try the sunglasses while driving in the rain. How to achieve  good vision while driving during a heavy downpour. We are not sure why it is so effective; just try this when it rainsheavily. A suggestion from a police friend - who had experienced It and confirmed it.  It is useful...even driving at night.  Most motorists turn on HIGH or FASTEST SPEED of the wipers during heavy downpour, yet visibility in front of the windscreen is still bad...... In the event you face such a situation,  just try your SUNGLASSES (any model will do), and miracle! All of a sudden, your visibility in front of your windscreen is perfectly clear, as  if there is no rain. Make s... 07/30/2009

Enter your local new or existing streetside garden in Springfield In Bloom and do your part for our community's beautification along with your chance to win a lot of fantastic prizes. There are five categories to compete within: Residential, Business, Neighborhood, Nonprofit and Makeover Projects. Click here for details. Thank you - Voting is now closed for the 2009 Springfield in Bloom Contest Entrants will be notifed and results will be awarded at the August 6th reception. Finalists will be determined by combination of popular vote and peer judging. 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and some merit awards will be presented in each of our categories The winners will be announced on Thursday, August 6th at our awards ceremony PLANT THE TOWN RED It's time to Plant the Town RED! Join us in preparation f... 07/29/2009

3:00 p.m. THE MODERN SOUNDS Joel Paterson and The Modern Sounds have just won the Chicago Reader's "Our Reader's Choice" award for "Best Jazz Act" (Best of Chicago, 2009 Issue). Joel Paterson and The Modern Sounds is a Chicago based rhythm trio featuring Joel Paterson on guitar, steel guitar and vocals; Beau Sample on string bass and vocals; Alex Hall on drums and vocals. This big little band is dedicated to performing many styles of traditional American music, specializing in hot jazz, western swing, rockabilly, classic blues and everything in between. The Modern Sounds are on the cutting edge of the Atomic Age - bringing you the best of the 30's, 40's and 50's. 4:30 p.m. CARL "SONNY" LEYLAND Carl Sonny Leyland was born & raised on the South Coast of England, growing up close to the ci... 07/29/2009

by Marty Nemko It's easier than you think to become a human lie detector. Look for Suspicious Behaviors By themselves, each of these behaviors can just be signs of stress, or even a person's natural mannerisms. One can occur by chance, but when two or more of these behaviors suddenly appear at a moment when lying could be expedient, you should be skeptical. Here's the top eight list of suspicious behaviors: A change in the voice's pitch. A change in the rate of speech. A sudden increase in the number of "ums" and "ahs." A change in eye contact. Normally, one makes eye contact one-quarter to one-half of the time. If suddenly, at the convenient moment to lie, he's staring at you or looking away, beware. Turning his body away from you, even if just slightly. Suddenly being able to see the ... 07/27/2009

by Nathan Adlen  Save green - go green - BE green. I'm a little sick of the term "green," but it says so much about what it is referring to. What if you want to get a used green (EPA) car and save some green (cash)? Here is a list of vehicles that are not only thrifty, but have excellent EPA numbers. In fact, all of these vehicles achieve a "SmartWay" certification from the EPA. I opted to forgo all of the used hybrids as many are common knowledge and wanted to show some vehicles that many people may not realize are very environmentally friendly. Okay, I did add a few hybrids too... they get such good mileage, can you blame me?  "SmartWay is a designation earned by those vehicles that score a 6 or better on each of the Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Scores and achieve a combined score... 07/27/2009

  News Release Capital Area Association of REALTORS® The Voice for Real EstateTM in the Capital Area   SPRINGFIELD (July 23, 2009).  The median single-family home sale price as well as unit sales in the Capital Area both increased during June 2009, according to the Capital Area Association of REALTORS® (CAAR) Multiple Information Service.   Home sales in the Capital Area during the month of June amounted to 392 units, reflecting an increase of 21.4 percent from the prior month of May and an increase of 8.0 percent over June of 2008.  Year-to-date home sales through June of 2009 revealed 1,649 unit sales, down 6.4 percent over June of 2008.  According to CAAR president, Nancy Long, BAR, CRS, GRIM, "The effects of the first-time homebuyer tax credit is certainly being felt in the June hom... 07/23/2009

Brew Doesn't Go to Gut A long-treasured belief may be heading to the myth graveyard: New research shows that beer doesn't cause a big "beer belly." An eight-year study of more than 20,000 beer drinkers was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study, which included 7,876 men and 12,749 women, found that, although it was true that the heaviest drinkers - those who drank more than a quart a day - gained the most weight, that gain didn't necessarily accumulate in the belly. When researchers measured beer drinkers to discover their waist-to-hip ratio, they found the heavier drinkers had no more chance of a "beer belly" than the lighter drinkers. So where did beer get its "beer belly" reputation? It turns out that beer is a great appetite stimulant. People who drink be... 07/21/2009

  Here's a handy fact (or at least an interesting story)!     The History of the Middle  Finger   Well, now......here's something I never knew before, and now that I know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends in the hope that they, too, will feel edified.  Isn't history more fun when you know something about it?    Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers.  Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future.  This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as 'plucking the yew'... 07/20/2009

  It wasn't too long ago that chocolate was considered about as healthy as a stick of butter. Not anymore. Chocolate has acquired quite a reputation as a not-so-sinful sweet indulgence. And though it may seem too good to be true, research does show that one type of chocolate is rich not only in flavor but also in the same protective antioxidants found in apples, grapes, green tea, and red wine. So is chocolate the new superfood? Not quite. But a growing body of evidence suggests chocolate may have more to offer than guilty pleasure. A Treat from Trees Most of us don't think of chocolate as a plant-based food, but it is. Chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. These seeds, also known as cocoa beans, are exceptionally rich in flavonoids, which are natural antioxidant... 07/19/2009