SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn today swallowed a spoonful of cinnamon live on a Chicago radio show, in order to . . .

Actually we're not sure why he did it.

It's something called the "Cinnamon Challenge," which has been making the rounds on YouTube. Rich Miller at Springfield's Capitol Fax newsletter explains it here and has the video. (Make sure to read the comments.)

We'll leave it at that. Except to add, in case you missed it lately, that Illinois still has a multi-million-dollar structural budget deficit, a multi-billion dollar backlog of unpaid bills, and a roughly $85 billion long-term public pension shortfall. Quinn said in his annual State of the State speech this week that he wants to spend about $500 million more for a jobs-and-economic-development program, but hasn't said how he will pay for it.

(UPDATE: Upon researching the "Cinnamon Challenge" and reviewing the video, it appears that Quinn cheated, by taking a drink of water immediately after swallowing the cinnamon.)