Lincolnite

Here's a weird and random question for you film buffs out there: It is common in romantic movies for there to be a scene in which the male and female characters dance while they are angry or annoyed with each other. It is so common, in fact, I would call it a cliche. In what movie and with which actors did that cliche originate? Any guesses?

A quick plea to the Global Warming passionistas: Please refrain from from using local, short-term weather patterns as your evidence for global warming. Lincoln's recent heat wave doesn't prove global warming; it proves that it is summertime. When you use short-term events as the weapons of your crusade, you set yourself up for really annoying conversations like this: Global Warming Dude: See how hot it is? That's cuz of global warming. Fan of Fossil Fuels: No it isn't, it's just summer. GWD: No, Al Gore says it's Global Warming, and I believe him because he made a really great movie. FFF: You trust the dude who invented the internet to predict the weather? GWD: He didn't claim to invent the internet! FFF: Whatever, dude. Besides, it snowed in Johannesburg today. First time in 25 years. If anything, we're entering an ice age. GWD: What? That's baloney. It did not snow in Johannesburg. FFF: Did too. I saw it on The Weather Channel. GWD: Well that just proves that global warming is happening. FFF: What?! How the heck does snow prove global warming? Snow is cold, moron! GWD: No, see, Global Warming is just a shorthand name. It's really all about Global Climate Change. Global Climate Change explains everything from the heat wave in Europe, to your snow in South Africa, to droughts and monsoons. FFF: So basically if the weather isn't precisely average, then it's the result of Global Climate Change? GWD: It explains everything, because it's happening right before our eyes. FFF: Are you familiar with the word "tautology"? And on and on it goes. I realize "global average temperatures have trended upwards since the dawn of the Industrial Age, and the rate of increase is accelerating" doesn't sound sexy, but c'mon, you're never going to win an argument by pointing out that it's hot in the middle of summer. By the way, my plea can be applied to passionistas in other areas, too. I'm only picking on the Global Warming crowd because they've been chirping a lot lately about how hot it is.

Good news! The criminal justice system in Lincoln is so under worked, they have the time and energy to bicker about whether or not a porn star's nipple covering was opaque, or merely translucent. As a responsible citizen, I demand to see the photographic evidence so I can make up my own mind. Which raises another topic: Lincoln's anti-nudity ordinance is a laugher. C'mon, people, does anybody actually believe that the difference between naked and clothed is the opacity of material covering one's nipples? I really wish I had been at the City Council meetings where that topic was debated.

Have you ever held a baby in your arms and watched him laugh in his sleep? It's adorable.

Hy-Vee plans to build a new 84,000+ square foot store at 84th and Holdrege. Hy-Vee will also build a gas station at the site. It's easy to ho-hum a new grocery store, but the announcement should be received as good news by many of the people who are concerned about the impending closing of the 70th and O Hy-Vee. Granted, 84th and Holdrege is quite a hike from 70th and O, but given the drastic differences between old Hy-Vee buildings and their newer crop of stores, many shoppers will find the longer drive worthwhile.

Man, there sure is a lot of anger and frustration in Lincoln these days. Can you feel it? It's palpable to me. Some of it is justified, and some of it is a tad irrational. But whether or not one person's disgust makes sense to another person isn't really the point. It is there regardless. Mayor Seng doesn't seem to recognize the problem. She canned the fire chief, said some angry words, and then disappeared. Hardly the sort of leadership that builds trust in the wake of a controversy. The City Council doesn't act like they care. They recently aborted discussion on a controversial topic, fostering further distrust from an already distrustful -- and vocal -- segment of the population. Nobody in the private sector is stepping up, either. LIBA, for example, only seems to make itself known when it wants to be contrarian, and the Updowntowners' decision to kill off July Jamm -- although probably the right decision for them -- didn't exactly boost the community spirit. There are so many things I want to do and say to try to make things better. But it's tough when I am, for all intents and purposes, just another guy who thinks he has answers. Why should anybody listen? I guess that's why I'm working so hard behind the scenes on Lincolnite. It's my little soap box, for one, but it's also a way to show Lincoln's beauty and to open communication about the community. That's what Lincolnite was intended to be all those years ago when I first started thinking about the project in my dorm room at UNL, and that's still my goal for it today. I'll get 'er there eventually. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. Does anybody else feel the tension in Lincoln? Or is it just me?

Robbie slept over nine hours last night, and dad slept like a rock for eight. I haven't had eight uninterrupted hours of sleep in what seems like ages. Ahhhhh... In other Robbie news he's working on rolling over. He has a ways to go, but he'll get there. His neck strength is still really good, and he still jabbers like a used car salesman. As The Missus' grandmother used to say, "He's such a person!" I really need to get some more photos posted, don't I? I'll get on that ASAP.

Some random thinking for this fine Wednesday morning: Let's say LPS sticks with its current $1.05 tax rate. Considering how much property valuations went up this summer, that will mean a substantial rise in income for the district, and a hefty increase in property taxes for more Lincoln residents. It stands to reason that substantially higher property taxes would generate a lot of anger among Lincolnites, and LPS would burn a lot of good faith by not spending less. But I wonder if, from the district's perspective, this isn't a very good time to tick off the taxpayers. The voters just approved a big bond issue back in February, so LPS probably won't be around to ask for more money for a couple years. By the time they return with another bond issue, its possible the voters will have cooled off enough to be willing to give the bond a fair shake. Then again, Lincolnites can hold a grudge as well as anyone, and it may take more than just a couple years to restore faith in the district. Other bonds for local government would face the axe, too. And the current school board members would be on the hot seat the next time they're up for election. I don't actually think LPS would do something like that, but it's kind of fun to think about the strategic implications of such a move. Me, I think the rate will end up around $1.03, and wherever it ends up this year it will be back to $1.05 within three years.

Lincolnite's own D.M.B. is headed for the greener pastures of Imperial, Nebraska where he has accepted a broadcast position with a local radio station. He will be doing play-by-play of local sporting events, among other responsibilities. It's a great gig doing what he loves. Congratulations, D.M.B.!

My apologies if posting is a little light this week. I don't know if it'll turn out being a lighter week than normal, but it's shaping up that way so far. I haven't been sleeping worth squat, and in most of my spare time I have been working on Lincolnite behind the scenes. In fact, some of you may have caught a sneak-peak yesterday afternoon when I accidentally made some changes go live. I'll get things back to normal as quick as I can.

The City Council gave the OK to bike lanes Downtown on 11th Street from K to Q, and on 14th Street from L to R. It's not much, but it's a good start in a long-fought battle to try to give bike riders a little more security Downtown.