Read this!

Someone e-mailed this to me. Pretty interesting.
Can you raed tihs? I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a
wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be
in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed
it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed
ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and
I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it
on !!

Hit or Miss

The fall television season is upon us. It seems with the success of "Medium," the supernatural is becoming a hot property. In fact, one new WB show is called "Supernatural." Then there's "Ghost Whisperer" where Jennifer Love Hewitt sees dead people who ask her for help...change her to a young boy and you have "Sixth Sense."
One show that has me hooked has more of a science fiction feel. It's "Invasion" on Wednesday nights on ABC. On last week's premiere, a hurricane strikes a Florida city. This horrifyingly real storm was a cover for some type of aliens to land and, it seems, take over people's minds. Watch out for that sheriff, I don't think he's on our side. Add this to my "must watch" list.
Another show I find addictive is "Dirty Jobs" Tuesday nights on Discovery. The host visits with people who have unusual and guess what...dirty...jobs. These have included pigeon poop removers, beekeepers, a pig farmer and the one I found most disturbing, sewer inspector. Of course, he gets to do the job with them for the day. This show will break you of the habit of eating in front of the tv!

Luke Duke coming here!

Tom Wopat (ok, he's done other things besides Dukes, like being nominated for a Tony award) is coming to Springfield. He's in the cast of Chicago the Musical at Sangamon Auditorium. You can see the show next Tuesday or Wednesday. Call 206-6160 for tickets. I'll be talking to him Thursday afternoon on WNNS and I'll have some tickets to give away too. Did you know he's got a few cd's out? We'll find out more Thursday.

Here's To Your Health

Well, it's been a busy week. I'll try to do better about updating the blog. I just read that some scientists from Australia claim a diet they invented can cut the risk of heart disease. Here's what they say you should eat: 4 servings of fish a week, daily servings of 400 grams of fruit and veggies, 68 grams of almonds, 2.7 grams of garlic (guess we need to get out a scale,) 150 milliliters of red wine and 100 grams of dark chocolate. I'm sure some other study will contradict this in a few weeks. But, hey it can't hurt to enjoy some red wine and chocolate
just in case!

Puffin'

The Springfield City Council is studying whether to enact a smoking ban at restaurants and bars. As a non-smoker, the selfish side of me hopes they do. Sometimes I'll avoid going out, especially if my hay fever has me congested already. Some bars have horrible ventilation systems too. I can tell you that when I visited Oregon, there was no smoking in any of the restaurants and people were still going out in droves. It sure beats the "smoking or non-smoking" at some places around here. The problem is if you're seated in "non-smoking" but near "smoking," smoke will inevitably drift into your section. For some people with asthma, this can trigger a deadly reaction.
I think ultimately, the city will not pass the ban, but perhaps attention to the issue will lead some businesses to enact no smoking policies at their establishments. What do you think? You can post here, and better yet, if you feel strongly one way or the other, call your alderman and the mayor's office.

Red Cross donations

This week we are broadcasting live at our downtown studio, 210 5th Street, collecting money for the Red Cross for hurricane relief. If you can help out, please do. You can also call 1-800-HELP-NOW. Thanks to all who stopped by on their day off yesterday.
If anyone's reading this who has lost their home and relocated, perhaps to Springfield, our hearts are with you.

Apples!

Have you ever been apple picking? The season is here. Jennifer Fishburn at the U of I Extension office (listen to our podcast at wnns.com) told me about this cool website. It shows you where you can pick apples locally and has recepies, nutrition info and more. There are a lot of different varieties for eating and baking. Personally, my least favorite is the red delicious. Ironic to me that they're called delicious. I do love caramel apples. When I was a kid, my mom and I would melt the caramel and make our own. Could be a fun thing for you and the family to do this weekend. Don't forget the chopped nuts to sprinkle on top!
This weekend is the Ethnic Festival at the Fairgrounds. I'll probably go for the Indian food again, at least for the main course. As for dessert, we'll see what grabs me at the time. Hope you have a great weekend and don't have to travel too far.