Latest Blog Posts
Friday Five
Five things Lincoln can do to begin moving up from sixtieth place:
- Ditch the “we’re Omaha’s kid brother” mentality
- Make economic investment in the community easier;
- Actively promote and support local entrepreneurship;
- Build feelings of ownership and responsibility for local (neighborhood) parks and other public goods;
- Improve civic engagement and increase ownership of public decisions.
Those are just a start. What’s on your list?
Super Awesome Podcasts of 2006
This year has been a good year for podcasts so far. Here are a few of my favorite podcasts from the first half of 2006:
Way back in February, Studio 360 did an entire episode on violence in popular culture, featuring an interview with the author of “Fight Club,” how they make the “punching” sound effects in movies, and an essay by Jack Handey called “My Speech to the Martians.” The Handey essay is a must listen.
Episode 113 of All Songs Considered was the first time I ever heard Omaha’s Tilly and The Wall, and also has some really nice and rare tunes from Coleman Hawkins and Tommy Tutone.
The Politics of Culture did two related, excellent podcasts – “The Role of Print Media Today” and “The Media Morphs: Producing for Multiple Digital Platforms” - devoted to the future of print media, the internet, and the delivery of news and entertainment to new platforms like iPods.
Radio Open Source did a World Cup primer the week before things got started to get the blood pumping. Open Source covers all sorts of topics and its almost always informative in some way.
Finally, there is episode 110 from the Filmspotting guys. Filmspotting is the bestest, smartest, fastest, must listen/must subscribe podcast out there on popular culture that was once known as “cinecrack” for its addictive characteristics. The founder of filmspotting used to do a dinky movie review show at the University of Iowa’s KRUI a few years ago. Then he and his partner moved on to do (what is now known as) Filmspotting - one of the most popular podcasts out there with a truly international following. And now these two guys have their own show on Chicago Public Radio. Its that good. In episode 110, listen to them rip into Al Gore’s documentary, and do battle over…Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in The Lake House. Classic.
Fifty Two
Inspectors have found fifty two problems with Lincoln’s new fire trucks. Some of the problems are less serious than others. Hang on to your butts, the roller coaster continues.
I wonder: why isn’t it standard procedure for the actual instructions to the manufacturer to be sent to the City for verification? Seems like that could have headed off this problem. If Lincoln said to EDM, “Build it this way,” but Lincoln found out immediately that EDM told the manufacturer “Build it some other way”, alarms would have gone off. And if they didn’t, well, the City should have been paying better attention. Or is that how things work and the process failed in this case?
The Tamale Lady
Does anybody remember the tamale lady?
The Missus was telling me last night that when her family first came to Lincoln (circa 1992), they used to buy homemade tamales from a woman at Russ’s on 33rd and Highway 2. But there was a catch: the tamale lady was a secret. She quite literally sold her goods out of the back of the store, and only at specific times. She quickly sold out to her regulars. Then one day the tamale lady disappeared without explanation. Russ’s employees only said “She doesn’t work here any more” when asked about her.
Does anybody remember the tamale lady? What happened to her?
Sweet Sixty
Is it just me, or is Melissa Lee’s celebration of Lincoln’s sixtieth place finish in a CNNMoney poll of the best places to live a little ... off? Sixtieth place just doesn’t sound all that exciting to me. It’s not bad, mind you, but Ms. Lee’s gloating seems a bit over the top. Actually, it sounds like another example of the Journal Star’s ongoing insecurity over Lincoln in comparison to Omaha. Since Omaha was way down the list at 97, this gives the local rag a chance to strut. That’s fine, I guess.
(On second glance, Omaha isn’t number 97 at all. Omaha came in 7th in the list of cities with a population over 300,000. To me that sounds like they scored better than Lincoln, not worse, although a direct comparison is difficult since we’re talking about two different lists. Omaha typically scores better than Lincoln on these lists, so I’d be very surprised if Lincoln actually topped Omaha by 37 spots.)
In any event, I’m not all that impressed by a Top-60 finish. Even though this is just a goofy little analysis with some arguable methodological decisions, it still is a decent rough indicator of how we’re doing. I think it says we’re doing OK. We can, and should, do better than OK. I’m not saying we have to hit #1, but reaching Casey Kasem territory would be nice, don’t you think?
Too Cool
What do you keep your thermostat set at during these hot summer days? Some businesses keep their buildings really blasted cold, which makes me wonder if they are trying to freeze out their customers so they can all go home. It’s the outdoor to indoor temperature difference that really gets me. For example, if it’s 100 degrees outside and a business has their A/C set to 72 degrees, I darn near freeze my buns off. And I like to be cold. But give me a 30 degree temperature swing when I’m covered in sweat and I start to feel hypothermia coming on.
The Missus and I keep our place at 78 degrees in the summer. That, plus a couple ceiling fans, keeps things comfortable (and affordable). What’s your setting?
It’s Like a Foreign Country
International adoption is so common these days that many people seem shocked that we adopted domestically. A typical conversation goes a little like this:
Person: He’s so cute! Where did you adopt him from?
Me: Boston.
Person: No, I mean which country was he born in?
Me: The United States.
Person: ... Really?
I don’t think folks mean to be so surprised. They are just so accustomed to children being adopted from Russia or China or, thanks to Angelina Jolie, Ethiopia. And indeed international adoption is almost the default these days. Some people do it because it is easier for them. (Older couples are welcomed by some countries, for example.) Some people do it because they are afraid of open adoption. (International adoptions are almost always closed.) Some people do it because they want a white baby. (Russia is popular for that reason.) Some even do it because they feel like the act of adoption from some countries is tantamount to offering humanitarian aid. And there are, of course, dozens of other reasons that motivate folks to adopt internationally.
The Missus and I are in no position to question anybody’s motives since we stated very clearly from the beginning that some of our motivations were very selfish. Still, it’s sad to me that more people aren’t willing to adopt domestically. I wonder why not? I suspect fear—fear of legal hurdles, fear of a birth parent changing his/her mind, fear of the child seeking and finding his birth family and establishing a relationship—plays a big role. Some of the fears are no doubt legitimate, but most are probably not. I know I began with a bunch of fears. Some of them could still happen. But so far all of my fears turned out to be rubbish.
In any event, Robert is all American, born in the U.S.A. But I’ll be honest, having spent almost two weeks in Boston, it’s a lot like a foreign country. They speak funny, they drive funny, and they eat a lot of fish. To this midwestern boy that practically makes ‘em European!
Stud
Clarence Osborn is the man. I feel all tingly inside every time I see him running. I hope I can still walk when I’m his age, much less run.
Zero to Fifty
There are somewhere between zero and fifty problems with Lincoln’s new fire trucks, depending on whom you ask. Here’s a fun question to ponder: what if EDM, the trucks’ manufacturer, is right, and the trucks do meet the city’s specs, at least substantially? That’d be fun, wouldn’t it?
And by the way, it sure seems to me like a representative from the manufacturer should have been present for the inspections. As somebody involved in building the trucks, the rep might have been able to offer some valuable assistance. After all, the manufacturer will certainly want to counter with its own inspection anyway, if the City makes a formal complaint.
Make Your Cuts
What cuts would you make in the city budget? Would you try to tackle all $4 million needed to keep property taxes from going up, or would you settle for less?
Moralizing Editors
The Lincoln Journal Star editors often get accused of being too liberal. Not today. Their chock-full-of-holes defense of the internet gambling ban reads like something straight from the pen of Bill O’Reilly. The editorial refers to “the problem” of internet gambling without ever explaining how they came to the conclusion that a problem exists, and their supporting arguments consist entirely of:
- Some people misuse it;
- Young people do it; and
- People who make money off of it want to keep making money off of it.
Hardly the stuff Pulitzer Prizes are made of. The same arguments support banning, among countless other things, junk food. The nannies are all around us.
Land Grab
Lincoln is about to get 226 acres bigger at a cost of -$100,000 annually. That’s not a bad deal. It isn’t clear how many hidden costs are involved in the annexation of State Fair Park, but Lincoln will not take ownership of the buildings, infrastructure, or utilities.
Moon Watching
Daisy has been fascinated by the moon the past couple mornings. Have you ever tried walking a dog that won’t stop looking at the moon? It’s a hoot. I haven’t been able to figure out if she stares at it out of curiosity, or fear, or what. Does it look like a big bird? A Frisbee? The mothership coming to take her back to her home planet?
Happy Contrails, Husker Pilot
The Missus and I want to wish Husker Pilot a happy journey down south, where he will spend a year in intensive training learning to fly some darn big planes. Good luck, HP. There will be a Big Ass Burrito waiting for you when you return.
Welcome Skaters!
I love the USA Roller Sports National Figure and Speed Skating Championships. I haven’t ever actually been to any of the events, and it’s not the millions of dollars of economic activity the event generates that gets me excited. Rather, I love that Lincoln is the place the skaters dream about reaching. For a few thousand people from all over the country each year, Lincoln is a destination. That’s so cool. I would like to see Lincoln run with that. For example, whatever form the new event center takes, it should totally embrace roller sports. It’s a strength we could easily build on.
I admit I’m a bit ashamed I have never been to any of the skating events. I hope to change that this year. The Missus and I hope to take Robert to Pershing for at least a little while. I’m not sure which event(s) we’ll target, though. Any suggestions?
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