Meatloaf (the Meal, Not the Fat Guy)

By: Mr. Wilson on November 30, 2005
Where's the best place in town to get good meatloaf? Bob's Gridiron Grill had pretty decent meatloaf when it first opened, but the quality dropped over time, and Bob's is closed now anyway. Eighth Street Iron Works had awesome meatloaf, but it's gone, too. That leaves me with just Granite City and my mom's kitchen on my list of places to get a decent meatloaf. Of any place in town I would bet that Stauffer's might have good meatloaf, but I haven't been there yet, so I can't say for sure. Any suggestions?

Choose Your Poison

By: Mr. Wilson on November 30, 2005
Mr. T sent along a link to an article from USA Today that describes how the FCC, in a dramatic reversal, now wants satellite and cable operators to let consumers choose their channels. So-called "a la carte" subscription methods would give the consumer more power over their channel lineup. I like the idea of giving consumers more choice, but I strongly dislike the idea that we might get there "thanks" to FCC meddling. The FCC is taking its latest stand for a single reason: the FCC is run by prudish, uptight bureaucrats who want to force their vision of morality upon all Americans. OK, that's a little harsh, but only a little. This move is part of the FCC's post-Super Bowl boob effort to "clean up" television and radio entertainment. That's not inherently an unworthy goal, but the FCC's methods to date have tended toward government censorship and the stifling of free expression. Their desired ends, though reasonable enough, are being pursued with unacceptable -- and likely unconstitutional -- means. What I find most amusing about the FCC's latest push in favor of "consumer rights" (a wolf in sheep's clothing if I've ever seen one) is that it is in reaction to the failure of the FCC's own policies and practices. The FCC has long supported current "block" channel packages. Likewise, the FCC has for years pushed for program ratings and filtering technology that ostensibly allows parents to block certain programs or channels. The infamous V-Chip, for example, required in all televisions since 1996, has been a complete failure. Few critics were surprised. Solutions to the problem -- and identifying the presence of a problem in the first place -- should be determined by the marketplace, not by government bureaucrats trying to score political points. Why is it that government's response to failed meddling is never to apologize and back away, but rather always to come up with a "new and improved" way to regulate, intervene, and interfere? Even if the FCC's new stance is a good one, their involvement is far more likely to make the television experience worse for the consumer than better. One of the potential side effects of a la carte channel menus is that less popular, "minor" channels will no longer be affordable for cable and satellite companies to carry. The end result is fewer channels, a heavier reliance on "mainstream" channels, and less variety and fewer consumer choices -- the exact opposite of the stated goal of a la carte proposals. The FCC will eventually realize that, and they will have a solution: more regulation. They will tell cable companies to add surcharges to customers' bills to support the minor channels, or maybe the FCC will require customers to add one minor channel for every X number of mainstream channels he picks from the menu. In any event, the consumer is stuck with fewer choices, higher costs, or both. In short, the notion of a la carte channel selection is compelling, but such a system should be driven by the market, not by the government. If it were such a great idea, one of the major cable or satelite providers would already be offering it, and the others would quickly follow. Consumers have toyed with the idea for a long time, and cable and satellite providers are very aware of it. The fact it is not yet available is not a sign of marketplace failure, but of success. I have no doubt that a la carte menus and 100% on-demand pay-per-view options are in our future. But let's let the people who know best -- the consumers and the providers -- determine when the market is ready to support those systems in a way that maximizes consumer choice and minimizes costs.

Home Visit

By: Mr. Wilson on November 30, 2005
Our case worker dropped by the house last night for our home visit. The visit was part interview, part information session, and part real estate appraisal. The interview portion was easy enough. She didn't really ask any questions we weren't prepared for. In fact, many of her questions were similar to items we had responded to on the questionnaires that we each completed. There were a couple tricky questions, though. One that caught us off-guard was "What are the biggest challenges in your marriage right now?" It's not that we don't have our ups and downs -- every relationship has them -- but honestly, the biggest challenge we could come up with was deciding where to go to dinner each Date Night. I think part of the reason we had such a difficult time identifying any major challenges is that The Missus and I are very much in tune with each other right now, and it's mostly because of the adoption process. Not only has this process forced us to think and talk about a whole host of topics (and come to some sort of a consensus on many of them), we're also on a "we're going to be parents!" high. After we've had a few sleepless nights with a screaming baby I'm sure we'll have identified a few challenges in our marriage. Our case worker also updated us on what comes next. In short, after completing just a little more paperwork, we will officially be approved to begin the "Pick me! Pick me!" process. It may seem strange to think of it that way, but in the open adoption process that's not too far from how it actually works. Generally speaking, a placement with a boy happens within around five months, while girls take about eleven months. That's not to say that five months from today we'll have in our arms a baby boy, or eleven months from today we'll be holding a baby girl. Those are just averages. There are far too many variables to consider to say that we'll have a child in our home by X date. Likewise, there are too many variables involved to say at this point whether we will adopt a boy or a girl (we have not expressed a preference). The "real estate appraisal" actually was pretty basic. Our case worker noted the number and type of rooms in the house, number of smoke detectors, size of the yard, and other pieces of information that might be relevant to the appropriateness of our house for a child. We're getting closer. Hopefully before the end of the year we'll be able to say that we are "expecting". The major difference will be, of course, that we won't have any idea when our due date might be.

Deena Winter Helps Bash Wal-Mart

By: Mr. Wilson on November 29, 2005
I'm awfully disappointed in Deena Winter after reading her article on the City Council's discussion of a new Wal-Mart near 84th and Adams. This paragraph is what bothers me:
A series of Wal-Mart opponents testified against allowing another Wal-Mart into Lincoln, going through a litany of beefs about the world's largest company and its well-publicized business practices: the number of its employees on government assistance and health care programs and the effect the company has on independent businesses and wages.
In that paragraph Ms. Winter has managed to imply negative things about Wal-Mart's so-called "well-publicized business practices" without actually stating them. It's a classic case of allowing the reader's imagination to conjure up images that are worse than reality. She doesn't state "the number of [Wal-Mart's] employees on government assistance and health care programs" (Is it 1%? 50%? 100%?), nor does she cite "the effect the company has on independent businesses and wages". It is, quite simply, lazy and biased. In all fairness to Ms. Winter, it's not like she was writing a story about the virtues and vices of Wal-Mart. The article was about a City Council meeting, and she reported what she heard. It's not her fault the public's comments were not accompanied by silly things like "facts" and "data". Still, a little context would have been nice. Many people take these sorts of things at face value, and Ms. Winter needs to recognize that. The activist public feeds off of these sorts of articles because they fuel existing biases with pseudo-data, while the passive public only remembers the catchy baseless claims (Wal-Mart "will create excessive traffic, crime, litter and light and noise pollution"), pleas to emotion, and non sequiturs ("A man ... said he has seen the impact Wal-Mart has had on floral shops, optical stores, paint stores, garden centers, grocery stores, shoe stores and clothing stores in small towns. He said the owners and employees of those stores contributed to their towns for years, until Wal-Mart came to town"). The discussion in this situation ought to focus on only one thing: is a regional shopping center, including a large discount retailer, appropriate for the intersection of 84th and Adams? That, in and of itself, is an interesting question, but it is one that has more or less already been answered in the affirmative. The current discussion is rooted not in a rational analysis of the situation, but an emotional, ideological, and elitist drive to stifle consumer choice in favor of inconvenience and higher costs. In other words, it's a discussion best held around the water cooler, on blogs like this, and on the opinion page, not in a local news story. [Note: Do you hate Wal-Mart, and the proposed 84th & Adams Wal-Mart in particular? Write up a solid, well reasoned article and I'll post it in the Opinion section. Send it to me at MrWilson at Lincolnite dot com.]

No More Lincoln Lights

By: Mr. Wilson on November 29, 2005
The Cornhusker Council of the Boy Scouts of America won't be hosting Lincoln Lights this year. The annual holiday lights display at Mahoney Park was cancelled due to declining interest and rising costs. It's sad to see Lincoln Lights go, but I can't say I'm all that surprised. The cost per vehicle was fairly high, and the displays were too sparse throughout the park. A holiday lights display needs to be "dense" to be exciting enough to draw crowds year after year. How long will it be before we see the predictable letters to the editor in the Journal Star blaming the demise of the display on those dang "atheists" and "gay-lovers" who hate the Boy Scouts? I've got my money on Thursday.

Weekend Wrap-Up

By: Mr. Wilson on November 28, 2005
Good morning, oh cheery Lincolnites! There's nothing better than going back to work on the Monday following a four-day weekend, eh? Yeah right. I don't know about you, but I had a pretty decent weekend. I survived the in-laws and the in-laws survived me. I consumed about as many calories as I've ever consumed over a Thanksgiving weekend. The Husker football team made Colorado look awful. The only real downer of the weekend was the Husker volleyball team's five-game heart-breaker to Texas. Now here we are in a fresh week with December breathing down our necks. December. That's ridiculous. Where did December come from? How about last night's weather? I thought for sure we were going to end up with a little thundersnow, but no such luck. We will, however, be blessed with 50 -- 50! -- mile per hour gusts of wind today. Good ol' Nebraska. I know we have a few readers out in central Nebraska. How's that blizzard treating you folks out there? I'm a little jealous, to be honest. I love a good blizzard. We don't get enough of those here in Lincoln. It's easy for me to say that, though, since I make Star Tran deal with the roads. The Missus, with her 30 mile commute, isn't such a big fan. Tonight The Missus and I will be visited at home by our case worker. Tonight's home visit is the last big step before we are officially approved to proceed with the adoption process. The case worker will check out the house to make sure we can offer a child a safe home environment. She will probably also ask us some questions to follow up on our autobiographies, questionnaires, and financial records. Which reminds me: I need to send our case worker directions to our house. I suppose I should begin my work day. I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. Mr. T, I'd like some follow-up on the Jell-O and carrots salad, preferably with photos. And D.M.B., I hope your potatoes weren't too lumpy.

Gobbled

By: Mr. Wilson on November 25, 2005
Ahh, another successful Thanksgiving. The in-laws made it to Lincoln safely, the weather was decent, the food was fantastic. All in all, a great day. Why, though, did I have to finish off the remaining mashed potatoes and stuffing, and then top that off with The Missus' famous sugar-shock-on-a-plate peanut butter pie? I had to have passed the 5,000 calorie barrier. Even Daisy got into the act, with several carrots and some chicken on top of her normal food allotment. I'm not sure what everybody's plans are today, but I think "not much" applies to most of the crew. We'll probably end up having Valentino's for dinner, which will be a real trick since half the city of Lincoln is probably thinking the same thing. We may try Runza for lunch, since my sister-in-law's boyfriend has never had what I described to him as a "German calzone". Right now I'd better go take Daisy for a walk. She's beginning to get antsy and I'm afraid she'll start barking at me if we don't go soon. I don't want her waking up everybody else. Which begs the question: Why am I the one who gets up with her every morning and takes her for a walk? Oh yeah, it's because I'm a pathetic dog person and Daisy has me wrapped around her little finger.

They’re HOW Old?!

By: Mr. Wilson on November 23, 2005
Three morons have been arrested for a BB shooting spree that caused over $100,000 damage earlier this month. Wait, let me correct that: three adult morons have been arrested. Chad Renker, Zachary Collier, and Eric Chambers, ages 21, 19, and 19, were picked up at their homes on Monday. The trio is suspected of involvement in as many as 205 individual vandalism incidents in a single weekend. What's an appropriate punishment for damage on that scale? I think a $100 fine for each offense and six months in jail is appropriate. Or better yet, if they're found guilty in all 205 incidents, how about one day per incident? What would you suggest?

Thanksgiving in America

By: Mr. Wilson on November 23, 2005
The Missus works in Crete with several relatively recent immigrants and their families. My wife asked one woman if she planned to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving. The woman replied in her heavy accent: "No! I said to my sisters, who work at [a meatpacking plant], 'What is the point of coming to America, finally getting a day off, and spending the whole day cooking? No, we are going to Lincoln to eat at a real restaurant." And lo, a new family tradition is born. Priceless.

Hiccups

By: Mr. Wilson on November 22, 2005
My apologies to those of you who subscribe to Lincolnite's RSS and Atom feeds. The server's PHP software was upgraded recently, and that caused a couple minor incompatibilities with a few plugins I use. All the problems should have been fixed by now, but if you run across any strange hiccups, let me know by leaving a comment.

February Bond Issue is a Bad Idea

By: Mr. Wilson on November 22, 2005
The Lincoln Board of Education wants voters to decide in February whether to fund the construction of four new school buildings and the renovation of many others. I disagree. A February special election is a bad idea. The Board's decision is based, primarily, on financial concerns. The sooner the bond issue passes, the sooner construction can begin and, ultimately, the cheaper the project will be. I appreciate that the Board wants to proceed as inexpensively as possible, and I trust that they believe this move is in the best interests of the school district and its students. But. The special election is too soon. The Board is rushing, and the public will pick up on that. Public support for LPS is fairly strong right now, but that support should not be taken for granted. Remember how a mere decade ago public confidence in the School Board was so low? How several bond issues failed because the voters were unhappy with the Board? There is no free money for schools from this electorate. If the voters are scared, or uncertain, or if they feel the least bit unfairly pressured, they will revolt. They will vote no. I agree with the items the Board wants to fund. I am inclined to support more funding for school infrastructure improvements rather than less, and I'm no fan of greater government spending. I think Lincolnites, as a whole, recognize the need to spruce up our school buildings. But that recognition isn't enough. You know who votes at February special elections? Old people. Retirees. People who don't have school-age kids. People who tend to vote against government spending, not for it. People who resent their tax dollars funding a single-issue special election in February. Parents of school-age children don't vote in special elections b ecause it's not worth the hassle. It's too difficult to break out of the routine to go to the voting booth, fill in one little bubble, and then try to resume the daily routine. If the School Board goes through with this, they'd better pray for snow and ice to keep the old folks away from the polls. The School Board's argument that it's more financially responsible to rush the vote than to wait for the May primary is off target. That's not to say the bond issue is doomed to fail. My crystal ball is still foggy on that point. But public opinion is mixed on this topic. Unless the Board is able to put together one heckuva marketing campaign in the short time between now and February, I think the undecideds will remain undecided at the time of the vote. That may work out well for the Board, since few of the undecideds will bother to go to the polls at all. But among those who do, a no vote is more likely than a yes vote.

When Euphoria and Misery Collide

By: Mr. Wilson on November 21, 2005
What a strange feeling. On the one hand I feel like crap. I have a vicious sore throat, I only slept about two hours last night, and my body generally feels like it's been run over by a truck. I can't wait to pop a couple Tylenol Cold PM and spend the night in a deep state of unconsciousness. On the other hand, I am absolutely ecstatic right now. Why? Because I friggin' rule! Think I'm exaggerating? Well, I am. But you'd exaggerate too if you had just finished coding, using two computer languages you barely understand, a neato user interface for a nifty module that will help make Lincolnite a really unique community resource. It took me all weekend to beat JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL into submission, but I finally prevailed. I even threw in a few AJAX goodies to spice up the coolness factor. For now the module will mainly help me while I do behind-the-scenes work. Once I get some more content in the Articles, Directory, and Events sections I'll probably post something describing how the module benefits site users. I'm going to go eat a nice big bowl of ice cream, watch a little TV, and then hit the sack early. Nighty night, boys and girls.

Smoking Humor

By: Mr. Wilson on November 19, 2005
Overheard on 14th Street today, near Homer's: Man (holding a cigarette): ... because smoking makes you cool! Woman: Really? Smoking makes you cool? Man: Yes, and by hanging out with me, you're becoming second-hand cool.
 1 2 3 >  Last ›