China, Part 2: China has been shipping the ingredients needed to manufacture fentanyl to Mexico, where the drug is then manufactured and distributed. There is a fentanyl epidemic in the United States. One could imagine that, by getting Americans hooked on this drug, the U.S. would not have the time
By Andrew Adams A trip from St. Louis to Chicago through Amtrak’s Lincoln Service became 15 minutes quicker starting last week due to track upgrades that allow for increased speeds. The Amtrak line ran its first 110 miles per hour service Monday, June 26 an increase from 90 miles per
Ni Hao. That is Mandarin Chinese for hello. Mandarin is the official language of the People’s Republic of China. If the present trend in China’s behavior continues, it may well replace English as the lingua franca of Planet Earth. Imperial China always referred to itself as the “Middle Kingdom,” around
Imagine enjoying a light lunch al fresco when a shattering boom roars through the marketplace of Pompeii. The ground around you shakes so violently that your meal of fresh fish and red tomatoes ends up in the street. Inhabitants look to Mount Vesuvius, a massive volcano that rises above the
Aurora University students have returned from a Summer Spanish-language immersion class that included living with resident families. Aurora University Spanish professor Denise Hatcher led 16 advanced-level students to Salamanca, Spain, for the two-week immersion experience in May, Students attended classes at Colegio Delibes in Salamanca. Classmates included students from Italy,
Jean-Claude Hollerich, a cardinal clergy member from Luxembourg, right, meets with members of the Aurora Luxemburg recently in Aurora.
Napoleon III became Emperor in 1852 when the city of Paris was heavily polluted. Parisians were emptying sewage and waste into the streets and into the Seine River. There were no sewers. In 1832 there had been a massive cholera epidemic in which 20,000 residents died. A new city emerged
When Louis XIII succeeded as French king in 1610, Versailles was a prosperous hamlet set in an upland valley which was only partially cleared for cultivation. There were 200 residents near this primal woodland. The Latin word vertere means to turn the soil and immortalizes the “hard grind of the
A book-signing, blanket collection, and fundraiser, for Ukraine will be the highlight of the June meeting of Aurora Area Retired Teachers Association (AARTA). The Aurora-based nonprofit social-service group will meet at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 7, at Gaslite Manor, 2485 Church Road in Aurora. Retired teachers, administrators, support staff members,
Alongside the house at 43 Assisi Lane hung the wisteria vines and next to them were the lemon trees filled with fruit. It was a sun-filled day in Montepulciano in the Tuscan region of Italy. Maria and her beaux, Jimmy, were planning for a picnic just a few blocks past
One constant in warfare is the cranking up of the propaganda machine to maximum capacity. Each side of the conflict must get its citizenry firmly behind its government’s viewpoint and actions; must be inundated, via newsprint and airways, with lots and lots of patriotic, emotion-laden messages delineating why war is
Tuesday, the Illinois House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine on every aspect the State of Illinois has the ability to act upon and support the people of Ukraine. assistant minority leader State representative Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego, is chief
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead Once again, the programming has changed. Just like clockwork, the wall-to-wall news coverage of the latest crisis has shifted gears. We have gone from COVID-19 lockdowns to Trump-Biden election drama to the Russia-Ukraine crisis to the Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation hearings to Will
The official PeaceJam Foundation has a simple but action-oriented vision: To Make Peace a Verb. Built on the belief that young people are the key to organizing actionable, measurable, change for the better, PeaceJam is inspired by the youth around the world who manifest that passion for peace as a
The Aurora University bronze Spartan mascot statue outside Alumni Hall is adorned with a mask bearing the colors of the Ukrainian flag and a sign stating, “We stand with Ukraine.”
Hundreds of individuals participate in the Naperville Neighbors United ‘Stand With Ukraine Peace Vigil,’ Monday, March 7 outside the Naperville Municipal Center.
War! For the second time since the close of World War II, war has broken out in Europe. The first time was a regional conflict in the 1990s when Serbia attempted to hold the Yugoslav Federation together, but failed, thanks to NATO’s intervention. This time around, the war is international
You probably have heard discussions on various newscasts about how differently Americans are reacting to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. With refugees from Syria, Central America, or Afghanistan, opinions varied widely in the United States about how much we should help. For refugees coming over our southern border, there has been
The whole world is watching. The calamity in Ukraine, a country of 43 million population, is the subject of wrath perpetrated by Russian president/dictator Valdimir Putin. His invasion last week following the stationed military forces on the border of Ukraine and Russia for several weeks, accompanied by the false claim
Monday, Feb. 28Dear editor; It seems that everyone who is anyone is peddling a book these days, including some of the more regular contributors to this publication. When I happened upon several dusty unbound copies of my PhD thesis during a recent pandemic-induced decluttering effort, the thought occurred to me
