Opinion

A bilingual look at first impressions of the United States from an 18-year-old woman who recently moved to C-U from Colombia.

The Loyal Opposition nominates the Dixie Chicks as pop icons of W’s presidential years for standing up while others sat down.

Tim Kaine is a Democrat? Rob McColley doesn’t think so either.

Springer reminisces about time spent in the slammer, and considers how signing up for a Facebook account may have been the best thing he did over the holidays.

We spent our holidays sprucing up the place. Continue reading to discover the new Smile Politely.

You tell us: What topics matter to you in 2009?

Introducing, Don Gerard.

With global warming a concern, Santa Claus may need to check out the real estate listings.

I have had an affinity for Aikido since the late 1990s when I studied it briefly at a dojo in Champaign. And although my lack of practice and discipline in recent years has made me …

“So little of what could happen does happen.” –Salvador Dali In the next room, my kids are listening to a book on CD about the “dead days of winter” – those days between Christmas and …

The hilarious Municipal Governance story of the month, as usual, is also the alarming Municipal Governance story of the month. Usually the humor is dark, because the governance is ridiculous. And that’s why it’s so …

If threatened with waterboarding, I might recount to you my childhood Christmas memories: going to Grandma’s house in the country, hoards of cousins, broken bits of hard candy in cut glass bowls, playing with the …

PHONE RINGS TWICE, WOMAN ANSWERS. Woman: “Yeah?” […] WOMAN’S UNINTELLIGIBLE VOICE HEARD IN BACKGROUND. MAN GETS ON PHONE. Man: “Whaddaya want? I’m busy trying to pay the bills over here.” […] Man: “Our recommendation is …

This is definitely The Preschooler’s first Christmas. He pulls out each ornament from storage with delight and screams “I WANT TO TOUCH IT!” when I pull out the expensive ones. He has his own side …

Unless you’ve spent the last week on a vision quest in the Australian Outback, you have no doubt heard that Blago was caught trying to sell President-elect Obama’s Senate seat. In some ways, we could …

Rick Warren was supposed to be the new, reasonable face of conservative Christianity. He was going to avoid the arrogance of Jerry Falwell, the bigotry of James Dobson and the weird-crazy of Pat Robertson. His …

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” — William Morris I know what you’re thinking: Oh, for heaven’s sake, not another anti-consumerist screed about …

Do you think Caroline Kennedy is more qualified than the other 19,297,728 New Yorkers to be Hillary Clinton’s place-holder in the Senate? Here are her qualifications: Ambassador Joe Kennedy, President John Kennedy, Attorney General Robert …

So. I’m delivering afternoon newspapers over 140 miles of country roads. It’s what I do. There sits Dorothy, today as every day, peering through the screen door, despite the weather, waiting for me to bring …

It’s been a little over a year since Smile Politely left beta and went live. Tradition dictates that the one-year anniversary gift is paper, but we’ve already seen too many newspapers go down the drain …

What can be said about The War on Christmas® that hasn’t already been angrily shouted by Bill O’Reilly or snidely lampooned by Jon Stewart? Apparently, not much this year. Christmas warrior James Dobson has had …

Competitive, hierarchical, physically demanding, time-consuming and under-recognized by the masses, it is a “sport” unlike any other. The demands are great, and rewards often few and far-between: a mention on the third page of a …

It’s that time of year again for holiday tackiness. It comes in a variety of forms, including (but not limited to) gaudy sweaters and neckties, rotating Christmas trees, dogs barking jingle bells and garish yard …

One morning, you wake up and discover that your planet is being demolished. It’s disheartening. You’d put so much work into your planet. It’s the same feeling you get when you find out that your …

It looks like trickle-down economics has only seven more weeks of life left before Barack Obama is sworn in and shuts the party down. No more tax cuts for the wealthy so they can create …

We drove up to Chicago to see my mother-in-law over Thanksgiving, and in the hours it would take to finish preparations on the turkey and stuffing and pies and Brussel sprouts and potatoes and more, …

The “No Presents” Birthday Party went great. The little guy still ended up with plenty of presents (around four or five) from family — not too many so that he couldn’t remember what he got. …

You’ve seen them out there standing in the cold, ringing their bells. Maybe you’ve even dropped some coins into their red kettles. The Salvation Army bell ringers are even more ubiquitous than the billboards that …

Urbana’s municipal elections packet includes, of all things, a loyalty oath. It’s optional. Nevertheless, a disavowal of violent communist overthrow is the last thing I’d expect to find among materials generated by The People’s Republic …

“Impregnable packaging has incited such frustration among consumers that an industry term has been coined for it — ‘wrap rage.’ It has sent about 6,000 Americans each year to emergency rooms with injuries caused by …

T-minus seven days and counting until Black Friday. Since Smile Politely won’t be publishing next Thursday and Friday due to Turkey Day, we’re taking the opportunity today to prime you for the start of the …

In the past several years, we’ve seen a growing trend in sustainability and in “living green.” Eco-cups to eco-diapers abound. The university-run Bevier Café recently adopted SpudWare, biodegradable cutlery made from potato starch and soy …

Ed. note: In the ongoing battle against complacency, we here at Smile Politely are always looking to add new voices to our choir, if you will, but we count on you, dear reader, to help …

At first, Illinois seems to have no secrets. Everything is out in the open: the cell phone towers on the horizon of factory farm fields, the cinder blocks at the shallow bottom of an I-57 …

I am no fashion guru, but I do like to think that I have some fashion sense. I can thank my brother for this. When we were younger and not living 2,000 miles from each …

I’ve enjoyed the lively discussion between my editor and his vast readership regarding appropriate subjects for local newspapers. It recalled to me an article about porn, also from Illini Media. The article critiqued a couple …

It’s nothing at all. White light. I am tired. I am weary. I could sleep 4000 years, a thousand dreams that would await me. Every so often, searching for my mainline, I play The Velvet …

These days, fervent Chief Illiniwek supporters are a bit like PUMAs, those fervent Hillary Clinton supporters who even now still hope that she has a shot at winning the election. Unlike PUMAs, however, Chief supporters …

This past weekend I took my Music Business students on a field trip to some places in Chicago. On Friday, we visited Thrill Jockey Records, then Touch & Go Records and finally Chicago Recording Company. …

In case you haven’t heard, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is feeling the affects of the recession. Two weeks ago, University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman e-mailed university students and staff about the significance …

Local blogger and current buzz magazine Arts editor Drake Baer took a crack at writing his own “Likes and Gripes” this week in the buzz’s “Best of” issue, on newsstands now. His gripe is worth …

Greetings, Loyal Reader. I must extend my humble apologies to you for failing to complete a column for last Thursday. I know that you waited patiently at first, calmly refreshing the page every few minutes. …

Before the election, I had all but decided that if McCain were elected, I was going to renounce my pacifism and go out and buy a bunch of guns. No more threatening to move to …

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 marked what I believe to be the second most significant historical moment of my lifetime. While 9/11 brought years of questions, fears to those who were previously fearless, and many ideological …

Election withdrawal? Is not refreshing the RealClearPolitics page every five minutes leaving you with a big chunk of free time? Maybe I can help with your doledrums. Next Up — The Rove Pardon. Pardons leak …

I am sad. Winter is near. For those of you who haven’t experienced a Midwestern winter, get ready for wind, ice, rain, snow, darkness and more wind. These drastic climate changes might not affect everyone, …

The plane lands. A pleasant man stamps my passport and customs officials are actually smiling. “Welcome.” I am concerned. People are taking off their shoes and laughing as they put them into those big, gray …

As reported earlier today, the building that sat on the southwest corner of Neil St. and Church St. burned to the ground over night. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings and …