A Journey into Illinois: Remembering Everett Dirksen

At the time of the Illinois primary, we stopped to consider a statesman of the 20th century not too much recalled these days Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician of the Republican Party. He represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives (1933–1949) and U.S. Senate (1951–1969). As Senate Minority Leader for over a decade, he played a highly visible and key role in the politics of the 1960s, including helping to write and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Open Housing Act of 1968, both landmarks of civil rights legislation. He was also one of the Senate’s strongest supporters of the Vietnam War. He was know as “The Wizard of Ooze” for his oratorical style. In this Journey into Illinois, we speak with Frank MaKaman of the Dirksen Congressional Center in Pekin, Illinois, Dirksen’s hometown. He reminds us that Senator Dirksen was a partisan but a Republican who worked with Democrats to get things done – a bi-partisanship lacking into today’s polarized political environment. He also was one of the first political leaders to embrace the new media of television (You can imagine how different history might be if JFK debated Dirksen, not Nixon in 1960). MaKaman also briefs us on the “historical collections” (Dirksen Collection, Bob Michel Collection and Ray Lahood Collection) and “Congress in the Classroom”, and “Congress Link”, all coming out of the Dirksen. In all, why Dirksen shopld still matter. To hear the podcast, go to http://conversationsontheroad.podbus.com/?p=725

A Journey into Louisiana: Poppy Tooker of Lousiana Eats on the New Orleans Roadfood Festival

This year only 11% of eligible voters participaed in the Louisiana Primary. The weather was beautiful and it was festival time so folks stayed outdoors. One of those festivals was the New Orleans Roadfood Festival. For it four blocks in the French Market were lined with dozens of top Roadfood cooks from New Orleans and all of Louisiana as well as from all across America, each offering a unique specialty. This was NOT typical and expected festival fare: it was a taste of America’s most celebrated dishes, all gathered in one place: a foodie’s dream. Many participants came from Louisiana but others came from as far away as Texas (Louie Mueller Barbecue of Taylor), Arizona (Tucson Tamale Company), and New York (Abbott’s Frozen Custard of Rochester). Portions were right-sized and priced to provide everyone a chance to taste the maximum number of great regional eats as they stroll through the French Market inhaling delicious smells that range from real Texas pit barbecue to Pecan Pie to artisan boudin sausage made by Cajun country’s most beloved butchers. There were book signings, cooking demonstrations and live music. There was even a Beignet Eating Contest. Our guest, acclaimed author and radio personality Poppy Tooker of Lousiana Eats talks about this unique event, about New Orleans and Louisiana as unique places and about the whole idea of Roadfood. http://www.neworleansroadfoodfestival.com/Events/ http://poppytooker.com/Home.html To hear the podcast go to: http://conversationsontheroad.podbus.com/?p=722

A Journey into Hawaii:Lost Kingdom: Hawaii’s Last Queen, the Sugar Kings and America’s First Imperial Adventure

Posted by: emodel // Category: Uncategorized // 12:23 pm Travelers to Hawaii love the beaches, the scenery, the pineapples and the culture. To most visitors, America’s 50th state just grew out of a mutually beneficial relationship between the islands and the mainland. As with so much else in life, the explanation is not quite so simple. The flip side of that story — how it all looked to the native Hawaiians — is much darker. It is all found in LOST KINGDOM: Hawaii’s Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America’s First Imperial Adventure; By Julia Flynn Siler; Atlantic Monthly Press. At the center of the story is Lili‘uokalani, the last queen of Hawai‘i. Born in 1838, she lived through the nearly complete economic transformation of the islands. Lucrative sugar plantations gradually subsumed the majority of the land, owned almost exclusively by white planters, dubbed the “Sugar Kings.” Hawai‘i became a prize in the contest between America, Britain, and France, each seeking to expand their military and commercial influence in the Pacific. In this Journey, author Julia Flynn Siler traces Hawaii’s fraught history, from Captain Cook to American annexation. At http://conversationsontheroad.podbus.com/?p=720