Latest Blog Posts
Congratulations, Mr. T!
Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and applaud the great and wonderful Mr. T. One of his posts is the first result if you search Google for...well, see for yourself.
Miers?
I don’t know anything about this person. And apparently, no one else does either (yet). If I were to bet money, I would say that makes her a no-pass. At least Roberts had a record that could be scrutinized and - in many bipartisan quarters - admired for intellectual consistency. Miers is apparently a Bush family insider and that alone is a negative in the minds of many. Its one thing to be nominated by Bush and have a relatively moderate record, like Roberts. Its another to be nominated by Bush, and have no public record. I’m guessing the dems will tear into her during the senate hearings and she will be borked. An early prediction…
Attention Downtown Diners
Noodles & Company will finally open the doors of its Downtown location next week. I’ve managed to snag a few invitations to free “sneak peek” meals this Wednesday evening and Thursday noon. I’ll let y’all know if I end up with any extras.
Game 4: Nebraska 27 Iowa St. 20 (2OT)
Nebraska got a very good win against Iowa St. on Saturday. And don’t down play going to overtime with Iowa St. who usually is Nebraska’s whipping boy when it comes to playing in Lincoln. This isn’t your grandfathers Iowa St. people.
I’m Glad THAT’s Over
Boy oh boy, I had one of those weekends where, when Sunday evening rolls along, you say “Thank goodness!” I’m one pooped puppy. I reffed two soccer matches today in the heat and wind. The heat and humidity were tough enough, but that wind can really suck the life out of you.
Yesterday was a really long day. I left the house at 8:30am and I walked back in the door at 10:01pm. In between, I drove 3.5 hours to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and reffed two soccer games, one of which went into double overtime. While in Sioux Falls I noticed that Satan’s lady bugs are back in season. I hate those things. I’ve hated them ever since millions of them ruined a late-fall camping trip at Indian Cave by covering our camper and everything else. The little bastards pack a punch when they bite.
Hopefully this week I’ll have a chance to finish up some projects I haven’t been able to get to for a while. I need to plant some grass in the back yard, do some maintenance in the rest of the yard, put up a couple ceiling fans, paint the office and the bathroom, finish staining some outdoor furniture… and so on.
Ten bucks says I only get one of those things finished.
Mixed Experience at Sher-e-Punjab
I had the pleasure to lunch at Sher-e-Punjab today, located in the mini-strip mall at 17th and Q. I have been there previously and always been impressed. If you have not been there, and you are an Indian food fan in Lincoln, run…do not walk, to Sher-e-Punjab. Let me note that, having lived in Southeast Asia for close to 5 years and traveled to Malaysia over 20 times, I know my Indian curries. Outside of Birmingham, England and the subcontinent itself, Malaysia is regarded as the best place in the world to get north and south Indian cuisine, as well as its regional variations. So don’t argue with me about curries. Sher-e-Punjab offers a menu clearly from the Moghul inspired strain, with a fair selection of meat-based curries and variety of breads.
Unfortunately, this is still the USA, and in the USA Indian food is served “entrée” style for lunch at Sher-e-Punjab rather then the way it should be: with a collection of 3-5 sweet, spicy and creamy curries, black and yellow dhal, as well as yogurt and a variety of chutneys to be shared amongst the group with a pile of naan, rotis or rice. Nonetheless, I ordered the Chicken Tikka Naan while my companions ordered Chicken Vindaloo and Gosht Korma.
The problem was, my Chicken Tikka Naan didn’t really make sense because the Chicken – which I though would be a curry – was what appeared to me to be just hunks of dry Chicken Tandoori. Not that I don’t like Chicken Tandoori, but if you get some naan with the meal, you need some curry sauce to dip it with. When I first saw my plate, it was one of those WTF moments. Although I was a bit miffed, I didn’t mention it to my dining companions. I just ended up asking one companion to pour some of her Chicken Vindaloo curry on my plate and also stole a dip from Mr. Wilson’s Gosht Korma. Both tasted excellent to me.
Hmmmm. Well, definitely consider
this post a recommendation of Sher-e-Punjab, but also a warning: if you are going to order the Chicken Tikka Naan (listed at the top of its entrée menu), also be prepared to order a side dish of dhal or curry sauce for your naan. Otherwise, it may be better to just go with a vindaloo or korma entree plate. Sheeesh!
Tickets for Sale: NU vs. ISU
For sale: Two tickets to the NU vs. ISU football game on 10/01/05. $90 for the pair (face value). Cash payment only, please.
The tickets have been sold.
“They’re Hard to Believe”
A federal judge has ordered the release of 70 photos and 3 video tapes depicting abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The photographs are said to include “blatantly sadistic” scenes of “rape and murder.” Seventeen photographs and one video tape will not be released. Why not? Hopefully not because those items depict actions that are that much worse.
America has lost its humility. Perhaps a healthy dose of deserved embarassment will do us some good, both nationally and globally. The American people need to see what can happen when a government gets drunk on power—and then tries to cover up its abuses. Indeed, had the government been open and honest from the start, and had higher-ups—rather than just individual patsies—rightly been held responsible, this current situation probably would have been avoided.
The government is accountable to its citizens. Let’s do our job.
Mistakes Were Made
You have no idea how positively giddy I am that a federal bureaucrat has actually come out and admitted that his agency screwed up to the tune of at least $250 billion. NASA chief Michael Griffin has declared both the shuttle program and the International Space Station to be mistakes. I’m not happy about the lives, money, and time lost pursuing those efforts, nor am I especially pleased that NASA now insists on blowing taxpayer bucks on pleasure cruises to the moon and Mars. But for the head of a federal agency to come right out and say that his agency has been going the wrong direction for over three decades takes cojones and some degree of integrity. Not to mention the fact that it makes Griffin a major outlier among Bush’s responsibility-free administration.
ZT in the Big O
Omaha is fighting Zero Tolerance nonsense after a butter knife fell out of a four-year-old’s backpack.
Battle of the Desperate Network Poo-Bahs
Middle of the 2005 Fall TV season. From my vantage point - seems like ABC is the winner so far among the 3 networks for keeping their recent hit shows “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” strong (and I am biased as a big “Lost” fan); shoring up so-so formulae shows like “Boston Legal” at a respectable pace; and looking to the future with a strong gamble in “Commander in Chief” (Geena Davis/Donald Sutherland). In the meantime, looks like CBS is hedging on CSI and its cookie cutter variations and the same old reality show shit, and NBC’s bets are hedged on Martha and Donald.
I am waiting to see if “Commander in Chief” can somehow better NBC’s now tiring “West Wing” - inevitable comparison- in a creative, refreshing and challenging way. I don’t have TIVO so I switched from CIC to the season’s second “The Office.” Seems like an odd placing ratings-wise because both (according to press rumblings) are intended to/will appeal to white collar workers: Geena Davis/Donald Sutherland-white house family-friendly drama vs. dark comedy/Carrell fans.
By the way - “The Office” this season is sooooo much better than it was in the in its first chaotic no-identity/no-concept season.
City Council Doublespeak
It’s a bad policy, but we’re going to keep it around anyway.
That’s the word from the Lincoln City Council regarding Lincoln’s ban on movie theaters outside Downtown with more than six screens. By all accounts Lincolnites oppose the ban. That’s a surprise to Councilmembers:
Councilwoman Robin Eschliman said she long has supported Lincoln’s theater policy but was shocked by the public’s opposition to the policy and Douglas Theatre Co.’s domination of the movie market. The Grand and all of Lincoln’s first-run theaters are owned by Douglas.
“Lincolnites have had 20 years to get used to this policy, and they still do not support it,” Eschliman said.
That’s right, Ms. Eschliman. They don’t support it because it’s bad policy. A policy doesn’t magically earn support merely by virtue of its age. Apparently, though, 23 years is too old for a policy. “Eschliman favors changing the policy in a few years.” Well, sure. Three years make all the difference. Or maybe seven, says Jon Camp. Ken Svoboda thinks five to seven years sounds good. Or “down the road,” according to Patte Newman’s wishes. Or even “perhaps at a certain date or based on economic criteria downtown,” says Annette McRoy.
“To do nothing is to somewhat endorse a single (theater) operator,” Eschliman said. “I believe we need to be a welcoming community, not a community that turns its back on those who want to invest in us.”
Wait wait wait. Wait. To do nothing is to endorse a monopoly. We need to allow businesses to invest in our community. And therefore we are going to do nothing, continue endorsing a monopoly, and prevent businesses from investing in our community?
Councilman Dan Marvin makes the valid point that “it wouldn’t be fair to Doug
las to change the rules now” because “we’ve asked Douglas to play by certain rules [and] they’ve played by them.” Normally I would scoff at that sort of statement, but the City of Lincoln really has jerked Douglas around. The City played hardball in getting Douglas to build The Grand. Although Douglas is a willing recipient of the perks associated with having a monopoly in town, the City is the one that has provided that monopoly.
Had the Council flat-out supported the theater policy, I would have been disappointed. But at least they would have showed conviction. As it stands now, however, the Councilmembers have, yet again, proven to have the backbones of jellyfish. They admit the policy is flawed, yet they will neither overturn it nor commit to its revocation according to specific and predictable criteria. We are truly governed by boobs.
Light The Night for Murod
I don’t think I have ever panhandled on Lincolnite, and I don’t plan to make it a habit. But I do support a few causes. One such cause showed up in my inbox this morning:
It is hard to believe, but tomorrow it will be five years since my brother, Murod, passed away from Leukemia at the age of 21. As most of you know, every year many of our family and friends participate in the annual Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk, raising money for Leukemia and Lymphoma research. This year’s walk is this Friday, September 30.
Murod was my best friend back on South 44th Street until his family moved to St. Louis shortly before we entered kindergarten. We used to love to play Atari games, battle it out with our Star Wars figures, and dive through the open windows of his mother’s car while playing Dukes of Hazzard. I saw Murod once each year in the few years before he died, when he and his brothers came to their annual Husker football game.
In a curious coincidence I once underwent medical testing on the suspicion that I had leukemia, not too long before Murod was diagnosed. Fortunately in my case the doctors concluded that I just have naturally unusual levels of an unusually large number of components in my body. Somebody’s got to be at the far end of the bell curve, so it’s just as well me as anybody.
If Leukemia and Lymphoma research is something that hits home for you, or if you feel like having one less cup of Starbucks coffee each week, or if you just really like me, consider dropping a donation in the bucket. Thanks, gang.
The Blogs
-
The blog that covers everything Lincoln
-
The home of the Wilsons
-
In which Mr. T mutters and muses
-
Local and national sports chatter
The Blogroll
The Archives
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004