Lincolnite

I don't know about you, but I think the mock war crimes trial of President Bush taking place at a New Jersey high school is an excellent academic exercise. It's the type of bold assignment that gets students fired up as active participants in their learning. Sure, the topic is inflammatory, but that's half the fun. And besides, the process is the valuable part of the lesson -- conducting research, formulating arguments, building a defense, communicating effectively in oral and written arguments, and so on. The verdict isn't important at all. (In fact, no verdict will be rendered at the end of the exercise.) I love hearing about teachers who go to the trouble to engage their students in this sort of captivating work. In an era of test-centric public education, it's refreshing to know that teachers aren't just throwing creativity out the window. It's not surprising that many people have a knee-jerk reaction against this sort of thing, but I would hope that upon reflection -- if they bother to go to the trouble -- they recognize the value of pedagogical approaches that stir the pot a little.

The Lincoln City Council voted to stick with the current theater policy for now. The move is laudable in that it makes the Council's intentions clear (something they typically do a pretty poor job of), but it's unfortunate in that it prevents some pretty decent economic development opportunities. The Council's support for the policy is rooted in a misguided -- but understandable -- desire to "save" Downtown. How is building resentment toward Downtown a viable and sustainable redevelopment engine? That hasn't been made clear. The Council's pro-policy stance also helps the Council save face. If they drop the policy, The Grand will be exposed for what it is: the wrong theater in the wrong place built at the wrong time. Lincoln's theatergoers know it; the Douglas Theater Company knows it; just about everybody knows it, save for a handful of people, such as Polly McMullen of the Downtown Lincoln Association. I love Downtown, and I'm all in favor of supporting a few screens Downtown. But artificially propping up an inappropriate suburban-style theater with economic development-stifling policies does more harm than good.

Those of you who've read this blog for a while know that I am a soccer referee and baseball umpire. The spring soccer and baseball seasons are about to start up, so if you're interested in officiating either one, now is the time to speak up. Sports officiating is a great way to learn more about your favorite sports, promote youth and amateur athletics, stay in (or get into) shape, and, of course, to earn a little extra cash. Lincoln desperately needs more sports officials in most every sport. This high school soccer season, for example, few sub-varsity games in Lincoln will feature a full three-referee crew, and even some varsity matches may have to do with only two referees. In youth soccer, many games are refereed by only one referee, which is a poor situation for everybody involved. The situation in baseball is only marginally better. Each year Lincoln adds more baseball teams, but umpire numbers are basically stagnant. There simply aren't enough umpires to go around. In other words, if you want to be a soccer referee or baseball umpire, you can pretty much work as much or as little as you like. You can only do two games per month? Great, we'll take you. Seven days a week through the entire spring and summer? Great, we'll take you. Soccer has no inherent age restrictions; if you can do the job, you're good to go. I think the local baseball umpire organizations have minimum age requirements, but I'm not certain what they are off the top of my head. If age is an issue, I'll help you figure it out. Whether you have zero experience or you're a pro, if you want to get started as a soccer referee or baseball umpire in Lincoln, let me know in the comments, or e-mail me at mrwilson at [this domain] dot com (e-mail obfuscated to prevent spam). I'll point you to the people you need to know in Lincoln's various sports officiating organizations and we'll get you all set up.

Looks like it's supposed to rain over the next couple days. I know it's way too early to get my hopes up, but wouldn't it be great if we could make it through spring and into summer with a nice, solid foundation of moisture in the soil and in area lakes and ponds? And have you all noticed how we went from virtually zero morning bird noise to a springtime morning symphony in the span of just about three days?

Daisy discovered the moon today. It really wouldn't have been a notable event, except that she seemed so fascinated by it. She was completely captivated, to the point that she nearly tipped over from staring upwards too long. It was inspiring to watch. I turned my head and looked at the moon, too. It was beautiful, that half moon high in the crisp, blue, springtime Nebraska sky. I looked back at Daisy, imagining how her little doggy brain must have been working overtime trying to figure out what the moon was. Maybe, just maybe, at that moment she was pondering, in puppy terms, the size of the world around her, that it was far, far bigger than the little area she gets to walk around every day. I imagined that maybe she was actually achieving some sort of canine-sized philosophical nirvana. I was so proud at that moment. Then Daisy looked me square in the eyes, leaned over, and proceeded to lick her crotch. Dogs are stupid.

I'm not crazy about the Supreme Court's (unanimous) decision to require universities to host military recruiters if the universities accept federal money. The Court's reasoning seems to indicate that freedom of association does not include freedom from association, a position I view with unease. Granted, the universities in question are suckling at the public teat (another issue altogether), and it seems reasonable for those funds to come with certain strings attached. But it is also a form of government blackmail. That our government engages in this sort of extortion all the time doesn't make it right; indeed, it bothers me how complacent Americans are about this sort of thing. If this case involved another government agency -- HUD, perhaps -- rather than the military, I don't think I would be as wary of the Court's decision. But something about the military, of all bodies, squeezing its way into private spaces where it is not welcome strikes me as foreign. A little Soviet, perhaps. Police state-ish. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting an equivalency. But it just doesn't feel right. Personally, I'd like to see our government be secure enough with itself that it doesn't have to resort to this sort of bullying. I don't see that happening any time soon.

I suppose the big news in Lincoln today is closing of 48th & O and the related re-routing of traffic. I'm sure glad I don't regularly need to pass through that area. It doesn't sound like much fun at all. On the plus side, I hope the new and improved O Street means a new and improved area all around. The new shopping area on the southeast corner will get things started, and I suspect other developments will follow. At least there are other ways to get around the 48th and O area. Imagine the troubles that'll be caused by the closing of the O Street viaduct leading to and from West O. There aren't many ways to get across the tracks to West Lincoln. I'm especially concerned for the "limited mobility" folks who can't easily add a couple miles to their journey.

When the new parking garage/high-rise proposal was first announced, I didn't think there would be much of an uproar about the Starship 9 going the way of the Dodo. The place is grungy and ill-maintained, and nobody goes there any more. Right? Wrongo. I've been impressed by the Starship Troopers, the defenders of Lincoln's two buck "dollar theater". I had no idea so many people were so passionate about the Starship. Unfortunately for them, there aren't enough of them to halt the Starship's demise. But based on what I've read and heard there ought to be enough of them to justify a replacement sooner rather than later.

A few blogs on the Lincolnite blogroll have given up the ghost over the past month or so. It's unfortunate to see them end, but I thank their authors for trying. I think this is a good time to put out the call for some new blogs to add to the blogroll. I know a lot of new Lincoln-related blogs have popped up lately. Which ones am I missing? Let me know about them in the comments.

They say the first step in correcting a problem is admitting it. I have a biggie to admit: I watch Beauty and the Geek. It's awfully hard to believe that I watch anything on The WB, but in my defense I only get 20 channels, so it's not like I'm working with a huge selection. I don't know what it is about BATG, but I've found myself coming back to it every week. It's not especially well produced, there isn't much human drama, it doesn't "challenge" me in any way, and I don't really relate to the participants. And yet, there I was last night watching Ankur and Jennipher get the boot. Oh well, I've made it this far through the season so I suppose I should declare a favorite. Of the final two pairs, I'm rooting for Cher and Josh. I'm not a big Josh fan -- he reminds me of a guy I strongly disliked back in high school -- but he and Cher are the best team remaining. Boy, first I started watching Numb3rs despite the massive suckitude of its writing. Now I'm watching Beauty and the Geek. Where will the downward spiral take me next? Come on, folks, help me feel better by owning up to some of your own dirty television watching secrets. Please?

I noticed today that Planet Sub will be moving into the location vacated by Kep's Sporting Goods on P Street downtown. It's an awfully big storefront for what appears to be a fairly simple deli, so it'll be interesting to see how they fill up all of that space. Looks like they're shooting for an April opening.

I had a great lunch over at PO Pears today. I went with the Rhythm and Bleus burger, while my dining companion, Husker Pilot, opted for a more traditional boring burger. But that wasn't the story of the day. Nope, the real story was dessert: a heapin' helpin' of fried testicles. Mmmm! It was my first experience with Rocky Mountain oysters, and I've got to say I was impressed. They were a little chewier than I expected, but the flavor was fantastic. In fact, they were good enough that they may have created a new customer for the annual Testicle Festival at the Round the Bend Steakhouse this summer. On a more general note, PO Pears is a great restaurant. What a wacky place. Every city needs a screwy restaurant like that.

I'm a big Ernie Chambers supporter in general, but when he does things like threaten to block Lincoln-related legislation merely for spite, I really loathe the guy. The source of his ire is Sen. David Landis' LB1105, which would prop up the Qwest Center with extra tax dollars. (If I understand the bill's summary correctly, the tax dollars would come from expanding taxable events at the Center, not from the general tax pool.) I completely understand Senator Chambers' anger. The Qwest is yet another large civic project built on false promises and unrealistic revenue projections. But why go after Lincoln in such a petty and childish (read: Chambers-like) way? Here's an even better question: why is Lincoln's David Landis driving an Omaha-centric bill? Shouldn't he be focusing on matters a little closer to home?

Lawyers in space? Now that's the kind of thinking I like to see from our state's leaders.

The City Council last night voted to place another bond issue before voters. This time it's a $2.7 million project to purchase 130 acres of green space adjacent to the South Beltway. The land will resemble the narrow green strip that follows Highway 2 from 17th to 56th Street. I can't help but be disappointed. In earlier discussions Lincolnites had set their sights high, proposing to extend Wilderness Park around the city as a massive and unprecedented green belt. The South and East Beltways were the perfect routes for this massive urban woodland. The bond issue that will go before voters in May is a joke in comparison. The costs of the earlier grand vision would have been astronomical, of course, and it's nowhere near certain that enough land could have been easily acquired to make the project worthwhile. But boy, wouldn't it have been fun to try? I think Lincolnites could have latched onto that vision far more easily than they've latched onto the vision of a revitalized Antelope Valley, a renewed Downtown, or even a new convention center.