Lincolnite

Is it worth $1,500 to help prevent youth suicide? Most people, I think, would say that $1,500 is peanuts, and that of course saving a life is worth such a paltry sum. So why are folks' panties in a bunch over a suicide prevention grant discussed before the City Council and County Board this week? Because the grant's target is gay youths. The explicit message from Robin Eschliman, Bob Workman, and others, is that if you're gay, your life isn't worth a measly 1,500 bucks. It might "cause grief", as Ms. Eschliman put it. I'll bet a dead son or daughter would cause a lot of grief, too, gay or not. Amusingly, the grant's funds originate from keno proceeds. No word yet from the "family values" crowd on why it's OK to celebrate the fruits of that vice while rallying against another.

If you had to create new LPS student transfer policies, what would they look like? How would you balance the district's needs to prevent overcrowding, with families' needs to maintain continuity in their children's education?

Some of you may have noticed some odd goings-on in the Forums lately. In particular, there are five little stars above each post. If you are logged in, you can rate each post on a 1-5 scale. The feature is part of a project I'm working on for a client. I'd appreciate if you give it a try and let me know how it works for you. FYI, I don't plan to keep the rating system around once I wrap up the project for the client. If you want to convince me otherwise, feel free to give it a go.

I have to give Mayor Seng credit: it takes some cojones to veto the recent group home agreement, putting Lincoln at risk of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and perhaps destroying Lincoln's current zoning restrictions on group homes. That doesn't mean I agree with her decision, though. In fact, I think she acted foolishly. Lincoln's current group home restrictions -- they must be at least one-half mile apart if they house four to fifteen residents -- are unnecessarily restrictive. The settlement offered to Lincoln -- removing the distance restriction on homes with four or five residents -- was reasonable. True, it would have created a differentiation between the number of unrelated disabled persons able to live in one home (four or five) and the number of unrelated non-disabled persons able to live in one home (three). But I don't see that as a problem. The two restrictions serve different purposes, and therefore need not necessarily be identical. With her veto, Mayor Seng has put Lincoln's zoning restrictions in a precarious position. Disabled persons are a protected class under the law, so Lincoln will have to make one heckuva case to justify the distance requirement. If the City fails, not only will we face hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and legal fees, we may lose a tremendous amount of local zoning control. Mayor Seng said her actions are pro-local control, and that's fantastic. But I fear that in the eyes of the courts she will make the City instead appear anti-disabled persons. That's not a position in which we want to find ourselves.

Want a drag strip north of Lincoln? Despise the thought? Either way, go voice your opinion at today's tomorrow's Planning Commission meeting at 1:00pm. But get there early; seats may be hard to come by.

My home desktop computer is still humming along ok (knock on wood), but after four years it's about time I supplemented it with something both more powerful and more mobile. Would anybody out there care to help me find the best laptop brand and/or line for my needs? Some notes:

• Sorry, no Macs. It's possible I may venture over to the fruity side in the future, but the switch just isn't going to happen right now.
• I'm looking more for a desktop replacement than a lightweight, ultra-mobile device. I value power over portability.
• My rule of thumb with these sorts of purchases is to go for something that's above the midline, but doesn't cross into premium territory. I don't need top-of-the-line right now.
• Big monitor = good.
• I'm not leaning toward (or away from) any particular brand. I have always had good luck with Dell, but I know that experience isn't universal.

I, for one, would not mind seeing a few digital billboards pop up around Lincoln. They are more efficient for the billboard companies, they are more effective for advertisers, and, once the initial "oooh, ahhhh" factor wears off, they won't be any more or less of an eyesore than current billboards. My only potential concern is excessive light output, but I'm sure there is model legislation around the country we can mimic to take care of that issue.

Don't let it be said that the Journal Star is above a little good sensationalism. There's a small chance of snow mid-week. It probably won't amount to anything, and even if it does, it probably won't last through the end of the day. But that didn't stop the Journal Star from running a photograph that implies something a bit more extreme: [Link updated at 10:20am]

This is just a quick note to let all of you winter-haters know that there's a 20% chance of snow on Wednesday. Commence gnashing and wailing...now.

Goodyear workers are on strike, so here are five things they can do to entertain themselves:

1. Count the number of trains that roll along Cornhusker Highway, and have a party for every 100th one.
2. Hold a Prettiest Picket Sign contest. Award extra points for Best Use of Glitter.
3. Stand guard at Lincoln High in case any rabid mothers try to get into fights.
4. Break the world record for most rides on the train around the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
5. Hunt for elk on Superior Street.

It's official: Robert can now roll from front to back and from back to front. The latter milestone was achieved last night, three times in a row. Unfortunately for Robbie, he isn't a big tummy fan, and he still can only go from front to back every now and then. I wonder if we'll have ourselves a little tumbleweed in time for Grandma and Grandpa's visit at Thanksgiving?

There's an interesting sign at 56th and Old Cheney: "Trains are running again." It's a very unassuming, small, easy-to-miss sign on the side of the road. I guess that means the tracks along Highway 2 are going to be used again, after several months of inactivity. But I wonder if anybody told the road markings crews? The RXR markings at several intersections have been removed.

It has been a while since The Missus and I have heard an eyebrow-raiser related to Robert, but yesterday she got a good one:

I didn't know an adopted kid could be so pretty!

Construction has started on the southeast corner of 14th and Q for a coffee shop of some sort (according to one of the construction guys), just a few meters west of Amigos. Anyone know what chain this will be? (if it is a chain)

Awesome. Now, within walking distance of my house are Midwest Seafood, Smokehouse Deli, and Grain Bin. 48th and Highway 2 is a specialty foods heaven. Don't forget the restaurants, hardware store, and bars. Even though it isn't the most attractive chunk of real estate, it is definitely my favorite corner in Lincoln. What's your favorite corner?