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Happy Friday
Published on 2012-03-16 10:57:00
Curbing It on the Edge of the Ghetto
Published on 2012-01-29 14:12:00
When you live in a part of a city that could sometimes bedescribed as “the edge of the ghetto,” you discover peculiarities that peopleliving in other parts of the city are unfamiliar with.For example, one of my friends posted on Facebook how sheand her husband were recently trapped in their garage until police arrived after a crazy woman followed their vehicle into the driveway and proceeded torap on their door for 10 minutes. When the police came, the woman flashed her“floppity meth boobs [..] > read more
Paterno’s Cheerleaders Highlight America’s Blind Obsession With Sports
Published on 2012-01-22 15:41:00
I’m afflicted by waves of nausea. I don’t feel feverish, andI’m certain it’s not the flu. Rather, I am sickened by the overwhelming numberof social media posts hailing Joe Paterno since the announcementof his death today. Sports fans are posting “RIP Joe Pa,” and similarsentiments all over Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.Those sentiments just go to prove how sports-obsessed thiscountry is, even to the detriment of our children. I’ll concede that Paternowas an outstandin [..] > read more
SOPA Sucks and Piss on PIPA
Published on 2012-01-18 11:15:00
I'm pretty sure that I can't make my blog go dark today without deleting it, but I want my readers to know that I'm against legislation that seeks to limit and police the Internet under the guise of stopping piracy. Write to your legislators and tell them to shove these bills where the sun don't shine. Enter your zip code on Wikipedia for the contact information for your state. > read more
The Atheist Who Loved Xmas
Published on 2011-12-19 22:22:00
I’m officially going on record about two things: 1) I’m anatheist. 2) I love Christmas.I don’t generally write “Christmas,” though; I write “Xmas.” The holiday just isn’tabout Christ to me. I don’t hate Christians or Christianity. I just don’tbelieve in the religion — or any religion, for that matter. Oh, sure, theChristmas story is nice and I can appreciate it. I just don’t believe it’sfactual. To me, Xmas is about family, traditions, friends, generosity, arespite befo [..] > read more
There Really Is No ‘War on Christmas’
Published on 2011-12-16 16:40:00
Did you know there’s a war on Christmas? Indeed, I’ve heard conservative talk radio hosts complaining about it twice this week on KFAB. Sheesh, where’s Tom Becka when we need him?“The war on Christmas” is what some Christians call it when more fair-minded people do things like maintain separation of church and state or choose to say “happy holidays” rather than “merry Christmas.” It seems these people believe that all kids should have a Christmas program and party at school, an [..] > read more
Down With DST
Published on 2011-02-15 12:58:00
Every year, twice a year, I lament daylight saving time and the idiocy that encourages the continuance of this antiquated practice. Two states — Arizona and Hawaii — have already nixed DST, and I was excited at the thought that Nebraska might joi > read more
Dram Shop Liability Laws? Yes, Please
Published on 2011-01-03 22:27:00
When I first started bartending, I was 18 and lived in Michigan. There, all bartenders had to take an alcohol awareness class and pass a test in order to serve alcohol. This class taught how alcohol’s effects differed based on whether the drinker w > read more
The Myth of the ‘Crazy Cat Lady’
Published on 2010-12-19 10:10:00
I’ve been thinking a lot about cat people and dog people lately. I started a new job, and meeting new people can be tricky for a cat person, as it’s all too easy to be labeled the “crazy cat lady” when you’re surrounded by a pack of dog lov > read more
Dog Person or Cat Person: Who Would You Vote For?
Published on 2010-11-12 10:28:00
In September, Macleans columnist Scott Feschuk wrote how it was unfair for Canadians to have to choose between two cat lovers for prime minister with nary a dog lover in sight. Evidently both candidates, Stephen Harper and Michael Inatieff, are well- > read more
Mixing Up the Melting Pot
Published on 2010-10-10 10:41:00
I’m still stuck on the call from Jade on “The Dr. Laura Show” in August. When the call began, Jade had a real problem with her (white) husband’s friends and family asking questions about the African-American culture. She considered it “raci > read more
The Power of the N-Word
Published on 2010-10-01 09:51:00
In August, Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced that she would be quitting her radio talk show. Her decision came after an African-American caller named Jade sought Schlessinger’s advice about her perceived racism from her white husband’s friends and > read more
The Post-Recession Workforce
Published on 2010-09-01 18:56:00
This recession is going to be bad for business — and not only in the obvious ways. Having been a part of a large corporate layoff, I have a lot of friends who have struggled with losing their jobs, experienced long stretches of unemployment, been u > read more
Taxed to Death
Published on 2010-08-25 12:26:00
This week, the Omaha City Council approved several of Mayor Jim Suttle’s proposed tax increases, although the amounts approved by City Council were less than those proposed by Suttle. Nevertheless, here we are, living in Omaha and paying some of th > read more
The Pain of Growing Older
Published on 2010-06-22 12:29:00
As I grow older, I sometimes curse the aspects of aging that my mother never warned me about. In my 20s, it was the fact that gravity took over my butt. All of the sudden, skinny as I was, I had developed a butt. I suppose if I’d thought about it l > read more
The Trouble With Father's Day
Published on 2010-06-16 09:43:00
Father’s Day is rapidly approaching, and I am faced with the quandary I encounter every year at this time: finding the perfect Father’s Day card. The one that expresses how I feel about my dad in just the right words.The problem is, I’ve yet to > read more
To Scan or Not to Scan
Published on 2010-06-08 21:44:00
Today Omaha’s Eppley Airfield implemented the TSA’s new full-body scan technology, much to my chagrin. A discussion on Tom Becka’s Facebook page revealed that some Omahans aren’t concerned about the invasiveness of the scanners. More modest r > read more