Thirty hours in Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois

My Kansas Kronikles: Goodbye to Kansas, the last of a 39 post series

My Mississippi Manifest Destiny: A 41 Post Series

Upper Peninsula Upventure: Escanaba
An important shipping point for lumber and iron ore, Escanaba is the Upper Peninsula's third largest city. It's on the Lake Michigan shore, on the so-called "Banana Belt," the part of the U.P. which is, compared to the rest of the peninsula, relatively warm. As you can see in the mural, Escanaba was founded in 1863.

Roger L. Simon: Postpone Copenhagen global warming summit
There's a statue of Hans Christian Andersen in Copenhagen, the Danish capital. So I guess it's fitting since one of the great storyteller's most famous tales is "The Emperor's New Clothes," in which hucksters convince a monarch to purchase a suit of "invisible" thread. Man-made global warming hucksters will descend upon Copenhagen next week. All of them, metaphorically speaking, will be naked.Pajamas Media's Roger L. Simon, an accomplished storyteller in his own right, wants the Copenhagen nudist bash postponed.Related post:

Antoine Walker: Slumlord
Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker, joins a couple of other famous Chicagoans, Barack Obama pals Valerie Jarrett and Tony Rezko, by having this moniker added to his accomplishments: slumlord.The Chicago Tribune does a full court press on Walker's substandard buildings.Technorati tags: Illinois

Upper Peninsula Upventure: Moose quilt
Now, the series--which will conclude next week--takes an artistic turn.During my second night on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I stayed in the White House Hotel in Mohawk. Yes, this is another Keweenaw U.P. post. The owners are a married couple, a woman from S

2010 storm crowds brewing for Dems
Liberal Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page takes a look at some troubling poll numbers for the Democrats.Are storm clouds brewing on the horizon for Democrats? That's the bad news for Dems from a source that usually prefers news that makes Republicans look bad. When voters