Lincolnite

Did anybody else notice the partial lunar eclipse this morning?

As a follow up to Mr. Wilson's original post on the topic - I found it fitting to share some of the rumors I've been hearing about the "real reason" why Klein's is closing its doors today (since it is closing day). Hell, I live a few blocks away and talk to a lot of my neighbors so word travels fast. Ok here goes- And this is based on rumors (some credible, some not) partly pieced together with personal observations and a half-assed knowledge of the law: It was reported in the LJS that Klein's is losing money. This I can definitely believe. Although I've only lived in the near south area for a few years, most people in the neighborhood seem to drive or walk over to Russ's IGA on 17th and A. Klein's is the kind of place within walking distance where most people pick up a few things they forgot to get at the larger grocery stores. I go to Klein's about once a week to pick up $1-$4 worth of items: laundary detergent, a carton of orange juice, a soda, etc.. I doubt the place has sold more than $75 to a single customer in one visit in a few years. The two twin sons seem cool to me. After all, I am a regular patron, and I give them kudos for being hospitable and friendly to their patrons. Having said that, I have also witnessed/overhead directly - or heard hearsay (albeit from sources I tend to trust) - of horrible confrontations between the owner and his sons and the employees. And when I mean employees, I mean some of the older women who still work there as cashiers. And that's where the rumor mill kicks in. Rumor is: the owner - whether a mix of intentional calculation or poor management - underpaid employees for years. And when I mean years, I mean many years. So one day, the good old sweet grandmas who have been working there finally wise up and hire an attorney or two. A few weeks later, the Klein's gets a letter - I imagine registered by US postal - asking for backpay. Like around, say, $50,000 in backpay. Maybe its just a coincidence that the bankruptcy regs are changing now? Perhaps the attorney's involved have been brushing up on their corporations law? So we all know the story. Liquidate everything now (Klein's has been selling all goods 50% off for the past week or so). File for bankruptcy. Terminate the corporation. Simmer on medium heat and stir until....Walla! You have an entree called "Semi-immunity from a lawsuit." So what's next? Well one rumor is the Klein's will incorporate anew and put in a new "liability-free" store. After all, I guess they have first dibs since they own the entire building. The other neighborhood rumor is that the owner's of the Mexican-American discount next door (who also own the grocery and taco shop on 13th across from the community center and the El-Charro restaurant) will move in and put in a grocery (although I kinda doubt this since they will be competing against the Russ's on 17th and A that has really been pounding on expanding its market for near south's Latino/Hispanic population). Ahhhh, well. I will report more on Klein's Corner as things unfold. Remember, these are all rumors...

Many people say things like "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Well what happens when the enemy of your enemy is your enemy? And what if those two play football this weekend? How the heck is a guy supposed to decide who to root for? My head hurts.

Jack Snider, professor emeritus in the School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, puts the smack on modern marching bands. Excerpt:

While watching the bands at Lincoln High’s Marching Band Contest last Saturday, I saw band after band wander around the field. Apparently we don't march together anymore. In a way this is fine. The kids don't have to think about keeping in step, they just wander about getting to the next spot without running into anyone. To my way of thinking, marching bands aren’t marching bands anymore. I think the name should be changed to "Show Bands" and forget about playing, since they do it so poorly.

That probably isn't hilarious to those of you who aren't in to marching bands or who don't know Jack Snider. But to those of us who are (or were) and who do, it's a hoot. In the words of the philosopher Homer, "It's funny because it's true."

In less than 24 hours I'll be sitting in the Lied Center watching Blast. What's Blast, you ask? Blast is what happens when you stick a Drum and Bugle Corps on a stage. Think Riverdance meets marching band. But without that guy who scares the bejesus out of Chandler. I've been in love with Blast ever since I first became aware of it in 2000. I've watched the show on video about 30 times, and I've seen one and a half live productions (a half show at California Adventure, and the whole show at the Orpheum in Omaha a couple years ago). If you decide to buy tickets, try to get balcony seats. The show is much better seen from above than from straight on.

The Smoking Gun has posted all sorts of Harriet and George correspondence. I didn't make it past this whopper on page 2.

[Update 10/28/05: This post is getting a ton of hits from people searching for information about Scrumpy Jacks. Welcome! I have good news: I am going to chat with Scrumpy Jacks owner Jeff Crandon on Monday morning (10/31/05). A feature article will follow shortly thereafter. And to those who are wondering, no, Scrumpy Jacks doesn't have its own website yet. But it's coming soon. I will post updates here. In the mean time, won't you check out the rest of our blogs?] The Missus and I ate at Scrumpy Jacks last night. Scrumpy Jacks is a new restaurant in Edgewood, where Shogun used to be located. It reminds me a bit of Eighth Street Iron Works, which has since closed. Food options include burgers, chicken, steaks, and seafood, but the entrees are not prepared or presented in your every day way. Prices range from about $7.00 to $20.00; average entree price is probably around $12.00. I had the Scrumpy Sand (what happened to the wich?), an open-faced steak sandwich with sauteed mushrooms and onions. It was served with an arugula salad and Scrumpy's homemade waffle potato chips. The sandwich was fine. Not excellent or poor. Just fine. The chips were a nice change. They were still warm when they were served, and they had a distinctive homemade taste. The Missus had some sort of chicken sandwich (my memory fails me). She really enjoyed her entree, enough that she kept eating long after she was full. Some miscellaneous notes:

• The atmosphere was nice. Very similar to Iron Works. Dark, cozy. A little noisy, though.
• Our server was very average. Other servers looked like they were doing a good job.
• Scrumpy Jacks features a "frost bar." The bar was, well, frosty. I'm not sure what the point is, but apparently it's pretty nifty. I'm not really the s it-at-the-bar type, so what do I know?
• The owner stopped by our table and we chatted for a while. Jack was his father (who passed away about 12 years ago). He added Scrumpy because he thought it sounded good. The owner designed the restaurant's distinctive -- and, in my opinion, very well-done -- logo.
• The neighboring Dough Boy restaurant is owned by the same guy. It will open in a month or so.

I will review Scrumpy Jacks more formally after a follow-up visit.

Congratulations to Gary Walker, who won the right to use his Freedom Flyer as a smokers' haven outside the Hi-Way Diner. Next up: the Lincoln City Council bans smoking in private vehicles.

I don't necessarily disagree or agree with the Planning Commission's decision to deny a U-Stop and McDonald's just north of Lincoln High School. But this caught my eye:

Several commissioners noted high schoolers would be crossing busy Capitol Parkway to get to McDonald's.

Since when was having to cross the street to get to a business a reason to deny a zoning change request? Are Links incapable of crossing streets? Odd, that, since many of their parking spaces are across one or more streets from the school.

Creighton men's soccer coach Bob Warming doesn't like referees. He yells at them, he insults them, and he disagrees with pretty much everything they do. And now he wants the world to know: referees are screwing him over (BugMeNot). I don't mind that coaches tend not to agree with referees. They aren't supposed to agree, at least not when calls go against their team. They want to protect their team. I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem when coaches sink to the levels that Bob Warming sinks to. On the soccer field referees have let him get away with far too much over the years. He goes leaps and bounds beyond the line separating simple disagreement from abuse. And now he has taken his cause to the pages of the Omaha World-Herald. Writer Steven Pivovar has given Warming free reign to say pretty much whatever he wants to say, and Pivovar takes his words at face value.

Particularly bothersome to Warming are the past two matches - the tie with UMKC and the loss to Illinois-Chicago. Creighton dominated play in both matches, outshooting UMKC 27-9 and Illinois-Chicago 26-6. In both games, the Bluejays had a goal disallowed by an offsides [sic] call. A check of the tape, Warming said, indicates otherwise. "We've looked at the tapes and we have unrefutable proof," Warming said. "Usually you have a call like that a year, when you look at the tape and say, 'Wow, that was close, that was a tough one to call.' That's not the case here." (Emphasis added)

Pivovar never bothers to check up on Warming's "unrefutable proof." That's sloppy journalism. In fact, it's not even journalism. Apparently it goes without saying that the referees that do Creighton's games are idiots. How difficult would it have been for Pivovar to solicit soccer experts to review the tape? Or even to review the tape himself? How about including frame captures from the video along with the article, so that the reader could judge for himself? Or even posting video clips on the OWH website? Warming's suggestion -- that all Division I referees be given copies of the game tape to review following the game -- is a good one. I supported that even before I read this article. His motives are almost certainly not pure, but the outcome -- improved opportunities for self-review by game officials -- is a good one. Few referees would disagree. The problem with guys like Warming is that they assume referees have some sort of internal motivation to screw up. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sports officiating is a game of its own. Every good sports official wants to "win" the game-within-the-game every time out on the field. A college referee would be devastated to learn that he had erred to a large enough degree to have altered the outcome of the game. And at the Division I level he would be penalized, since each game is followed by a referee assessment. I haven't seen any of the game tapes Warming is questioning, although I have tried to find a copy of them. It's too bad Mr. Pivovar couldn't be bothered to do the same. Heaven forbid he practice journalism.

Klein's Food Center is closing its doors. After three generations, the old-timey grocery store just couldn't compete any more. It's a huge body-blow for the neighborhood around 11th & 'G' Streets. It's also not a surprise. Klein's is an anachronism, a store for the wrong age. It's also dirty and cluttered, and the prices are high. It has been mis-managed for years. A source with insight into the store's inner workings has related to me many stories of financial disaster and inventory messes. It's some wonder the store wasn't forcefully shut down months -- or even years -- ago. Still, there's a certain sadness to seeing a multi-generational "mom 'n pop" store go under, especially in a neighborhood with few grocery options. Area residents will now have to go to 17th & South or 17th & Washington for their groceries. That's no easy jaunt for the many who do not own or cannot afford to operate a vehicle. Expect a "fast money" business to have moved into the store's location within weeks.

Actions speak louder than words, of course, but it looks like Osborne might just be serious about his "let's make government more efficient" plank. Gov. Heineman has said similar things, but where is the action? He is already in office. Wouldn't it be wise for him to start pursuing his campaign promises today, rather than waiting until after he's re-elected?

Your household will have to pony up $1,900. Don't you want to know what that money will be spent on?

I haven't picked on Harriet Miers much, though I've considered it. But why should I bother, when others are doing it so well?