Lincolnite

Did any of you have a chance to do the Pershing tour yesterday? I really wanted to, but instead I was reffing soccer matches in the rain yesterday afternoon. (On the plus side I got to eat at Cristina's in Crete afterwards. Yum!) If you went, what were your thoughts?

The Lincoln Turco Star has a new story on some young entrepreneurs who are trying to establish hip-hop entertainment here in town. They also kindly hit us over the head remind us about how hip-hop is associated with crime and violence. But of course.

Counterfeit $10 bills are roaming the streets of Lincoln. Think only businesses and banks need to worry? Think again. If you receive one, you're out ten bucks. And if you try to use one, well, I hope you cleared some time out of your schedule to have a short chat with LPD.

I have a nomination for Least Surprising Headline of the Week: Nobody booking flights from Scottsbluff to Lincoln At $600 round trip, who is surprised?

Today's editorial in the JournalStar starts out pretty difficult to disagree with. Government should be accessible to the people, they say. Bravo! I think we can agree that accessible government is a good thing. But then the editorial goes the other direction. It proposes drastically speeding up the City Council's ordinance-passing process, squishing something that normally takes three meetings into just one. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. It's a common complaint that government is too slow and too messy. But to see the LJS's editors succumb to the "speedy government is good government" fallacy is disappointing. In fact, speed is a substantial threat to quality, accessible, accountable government. Knee-jerk ordinances will cause far more problems than those that have a chance to sit and simmer for a while. Apparently the LJS favors the microwave dinner approach to government; me, I'll take barbecue every time.

I noticed a commercial for The Mill on TV tonight. I'm pretty sure that's the first time I have ever noticed them advertise in any media other than print. Drooping sales? Proactive marketing? As a non-coffee drinker I have no idea what to think. It was just strange seeing a local legend of sorts advertising. I thought, "What are they doing running tv commercials? Everybody knows The Mill!" Which of course any marketer will tell you is a silly think to think.

[tongue in cheek] Does this mean that I scooped the LJS by three months? And to think they didn't even credit me! [/tongue in cheek]

Boy oh boy, who would have believed that an agency as benign as the State Historical Society could be such a wasteland of fraud and waste. They couldn't even get a simple lease right. You have to wonder how that sort of mess can last so long.

LES wants to take less of your money earlier than expected. Any complaints?

Should Nebraska's public power utilities be able to sell broadband to its customers? On the one hand, there are a lot of similarities between internet access today and power last century. On the other, public broadband would put government in direct competition with private companies. Should LES (et al.) be allowed to sell you broadband? Would you buy it from LES if it were available?

The Foster CARE Closet sounds like a great service for foster parents. I had heard vague mentions of the program, but I had no idea how much it had grown. It's a great example of the power of an entrepreneurial spirit combined with the desire to do good.

You know, you've really got to love the pairing of the literal and metaphorical gray skies over Memorial Stadium these past few days, and forecast through the week. It really adds to the mood. Well I, for one, have no desire to wallow in despair. I'm going to go look at puppies.

I got a kick out of reading Hagar the Horrible in today's Journal Star. It's really an awful comic, and today's strip helps demonstrate just how awful it is. In fact, it's so bad, the editor couldn't even be bothered to read the strip to catch a rather obvious error. Well, maybe not that obvious. The Missus didn't catch it, but I think that's only because the strip instantly lulled her to sleep.

If you had to pick today, which of the four West Haymarket proposals would you pick? Why?

The body formerly known as the Lincoln-Lancaster County Women's Commission is back as the Mayor's Commission on Women, a private group no longer receiving local funds. That should take care of one of the biggest critiques against the old Commission, while allowing the group to do the job that many people say still needs to be done. Meanwhile, look for the Journal Star commenters to sarcastically demand that a Mayor's Commission on [insert group name here] be appointed to provide equal time for their favorite snarky cause.