Lincolnite

Check out The Matrix, ascii-fied.

Democracy is, by design, a bit ugly. What do you expect when you try to let everybody have a say in their government? Its ugliness is one of democracy's most interesting traits. Often the public doesn't want to see the unpleasantries of government at work, but sometimes they really do want to take part and get their hands dirty. When government officials try to prevent citizens from participating, the citizens can get a bit unruly. Case in point: a public meeting in Davis, California, was taken over by citizens when the government officials leading the meeting were a bit too closed-minded about how the public ought to be able to participate:

About 30 minutes into the session, audience members revolted against the format, arguing that residents should be able to speak. [Mayor Ruth] Asmundson abruptly halted the session and directed the panel to leave the City Hall dais. Opponents of the spraying took over the meeting and quickly restored order. They elected as their leader a local woman who had caught the virus.

Good for them! And best of all, "the meeting ended nearly on schedule with a polite round of applause." Those are my kind of citizens. We need more of 'em.

The Missus and I dined at Eighth Street Iron Works this evening. It was our first -- and probably last (see below) -- trip to the Haymarket restaurant. Iron Works is in a bit of a difficult location within the Haymarket. Sitting on the northwest corner of 8th and Q, the site has seen several restaurants fail. Iron Works has a lot going for it, including a cozy interior that invites diners to sit and stay a spell. The servers were very friendly and helpful. The menu is contemporary American, with prices on the high side for Lincoln. The Missus ordered a dish that featured stuffed squash (zucchini) with mushrooms, quinoa, and drizzled with truffle tea. I had the bacon-wrapped meat loaf with mashed potatoes and fresh sweet corn. Both of us really enjoyed our dishes. The emphasis at Iron Works is definitely on quality before quantity; the Missus and I are both big eaters and we could have used a bit more on our plates. Nevertheless, we were pleased with the overall experience. The reason I'm not putting more effort into this informal review is that it seems Iron Works won't be with us much longer. I couldn't help but overhear our server speak with another customer about the restaurant's impending close. I didn't catch many details, but few were needed: if you want to catch Iron Works one more time (or for the first time), get there quickly. That's too bad, because I think the type and quality of food at Iron Works is a welcome addition to the Haymarket atmoshere. I suppose this news should technically still be filed under "rumor" since one server's chat with a customer isn't official. But when a server talks about having to find a new job while on the job ... well, that's not a good sign.

I fixed a bug that made the primary website menu (Articles, Blogs, Classifieds, Directory, etc.) display incorrectly in some browsers. At least, I hope I fixed it. Can any Opera and Safari users let me know if the menu is behaving properly now? (Paging Abe of Lincoln...)

A while back I asked a friend if he would be interested in doing some sports-related blogging here on Lincolnite. At the time he wasn't able to commit to it because he had about 12 different jobs and neither blogging nor sleeping fit into his schedule. Now, however, his load has lightened somewhat and he has agreed to share his sports wisdom with his fellow Lincolnites. There's one catch: this new sports blog needs a name. He and I are brainstorming names as I write this, but I figure I should give you all a say in the matter as well. What do you think? What would you call a sports-related blog by a Lincolnite who happens to be a huge Minnesota Vikings fan? Any ideas?

Iowa's new locker rooms have taken on a unique hue.

Well, Chuck Hagel finally went and did it: he called the Iraq War Vietnam. (Upon hearing the news, Don Walton had a massive orgasm.) I remain convinced that Hagel is pulling these media-friendly tricks as part of an elaborate plan to gamble his way into the White House in 2008. Will the gambles work? Time will tell. I just hope Senator Hagel remembers Rule Number One of gambling: the house always wins. And he is going up against a pretty darn powerful house. Depending on how events play out, I see Hagel going down in history either as one of the most beloved or most reviled of all Nebraska senators. He has left himself very little room to leave a legacy anywhere in the middle. Update: Hit and Run is following this story and, as always, there are plenty of good comments to chew on.

I finally added a favicon to the site. Look up in your URL bar. I'n't it cute? And there was much rejoicing. (Yea.)

My first college soccer game is in the books. Laramie County Community College defeated Concordia University 5-2 in a scrimmage. The LCCC women almost won 6-2, but their last-second shot was still 10 yards shy of the goal when time ran out. The game was great as a first game. It was very low-key, slow-paced, and zero pressure. In fact, it felt a lot like a Class A girls high school game more than a college game. That gave me a chance to learn the routines college referees go through before, during, and after games. I have a couple upcoming games that won't be nearly so laid back, including AR assignments at Nebraska Wesleyan and Creighton. Those mens games will be much faster paced and the intensity will be much higher. I can't wait!

Steve carried through on his promise to write an article putting gasoline prices into perspective over at his blog. I just have one question for him: Where the heck does ribeye steak come in pints? [Homer Simpson]Mmmm, liquified ribeye steak ::drool:: [/Homer Simpson]

There's something very disturbing about this screen capture from CNN.com...

No you don't.

Gas prices are a popular topic of conversation these days. But there is at least one perspective from which gasoline prices aren't too shabby.