Everybody knows that movies are moving pictures. And people go see them in order to see, well, moving pictures. The dialogue generally exists just to advance the plot.

Everybody knows that movies are moving pictures. And people go see them in order to see, well, moving pictures. The dialogue generally exists just to advance the plot. But every now and then the dialogue stands out on its own. Take, from the film Casablanca , two lines: "Round up the usual suspects" and "I'm shocked -- shocked! -- that gambling is going on in here." These lines are known for their high irony. And then there's Robert Niro's scary line in Taxi Driver : "Are you talking to ME?" And

A rogue wheel, loosened from a truck, bounced madly across the tollway in front of us as we headed east on I-88. Had we been a little closer, it might have slammed into our car. It was a vivid reminder, as though we needed another one, that we are not really in control of our fate.

A rogue wheel, loosened from a truck, bounced madly across the tollway in front of us as we headed east on I-88. Had we been a little closer, it might have slammed into our car. It was a vivid reminder, as though we needed another one, that we are not really in control of our fate. Control is an illusion that has been shattered over the past year as the virus flashed through the world’s population, morphing, striking, strengthening. No one could feel entirely safe. No one was entirely safe. This

High hopes! I had high hopes -- high apple pie in the sky hopes! I was going to go line dancing, learn how to play the ukulele, visit my granddaughter in California a couple of times (Toddlers grow so fast!), take a sailing cruise in Italy with a friend. After all, COVID-19 was little more than an annual flu -- from far, far away and would disappear, almost like a miracle. What? Me worry?

High hopes! I had high hopes -- high apple pie in the sky hopes! I was going to go line dancing, learn how to play the ukulele, visit my granddaughter in California a couple of times (Toddlers grow so fast!), take a sailing cruise in Italy with a friend. After all, COVID-19 was little more than an annual flu -- from far, far away and would disappear, almost like a miracle. What? Me worry? This has been a year of evolving information--a year replete with misinformation and disinformation. Our

Occasionally, our regular Perspectives contributor Elsa Glover decides to share the voices and opinions of other teachers or students with WNIJ's listeners. Today, Elsa brings us the wisdom of Kaneland 6th graders Chloe Sullivan and Katilyn Schuhler.

Occasionally, our regular Perspectives contributor Elsa Glover decides to share the voices and opinions of other teachers or students with WNIJ's listeners. Today, Elsa brings us the wisdom of Kaneland 6th graders Chloe Sullivan and Katilyn Schuhler. During this pandemic, it’s hard to find positivity. More often we see people reach out to help. The thing is, we have to keep sending positivity to others. If we don’t, returning to normalcy will be harder. This is because positivity is what keeps

Reading the history of food and agriculture in Mark Bittman’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Junk. I have been thinking about how events in history, given our hindsight, seem to have set in motion a domino effect of unintended consequences. How a choice which made sense at the time can later seem a tragic mistake.

Reading the history of food and agriculture in Mark Bittman’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Junk. I have been thinking about how events in history, given our hindsight, seem to have set in motion a domino effect of unintended consequences. How a choice which made sense at the time can later seem a tragic mistake. Take the story of Fritz Haber, a German Jew born in 1868 and a friend of Albert Einstein. Haber was influenced by William Crookes, president of the British Association for Advancement of