The Reader 1-20-2011

jan. 20 - 26, 2011 VOL.17

48

news 7

Problems Easy to Spot

dish 18 Q Up

theater 24

Envelope Pushing Expletive

Teaching Peace music 27 Sticks and ’Bones

Greg Mortenson on the connection between peace and education, American policy in Afghanistan and the restorative power of failure cover story by brandon vogel ~ Page 13

OMAHA JOBS 2

Weird 38

MOjo 40

FUNNIES 41

Full-time Academic Cardiologists Medical center seeks BC/BE physicians with a commitment to excellence in research, teaching and patient care. Rank is dependent upon qualifications. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Account rep r e s p i r a t o r y Leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence. We have 42,000 employees worldwide in more than 60 countries, and our products are sold in over 140 countries. For more information, visit OmahaJobs.com.

Application Specialist II, Environmental, Compliance & Internal Audit Responsible for gathering business requirements and assess to be business processes, then design and build software solutions which meet the business requirements and enable targeted business processes for environmental management and compliance, general compliance, and internal audit functions. Check out Omahajobs.com for detailed job posting.

Full-time Assembly technician Claas Omaha Robbin. galdeano@claas.com Check out OmahaJobs.com website for more details.

Assistant Manager/MIT The job duties of a store assistant manager include driving sales, customer care, supporting store manager by assisting in store operations.This position is a precursor to Managing a store within the organization. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Collision Repair Technician (BODY MAN) The candidate for this position will be able to demonstrate skills and abilities necessary to restore damaged vehicles back to original and pre-loss condition.

For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Food Service Worker Assists with the preparation, presentation, and serving of food items. Assures all food stuffs, paper goods, forks, knives, etc. are stocked/maintained in preparation for the daily operation of assigned shops/areas.

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Dir of Performance IMPRO V EMENT Oversee and monitor the implementation of the Performance Improvement program; Serve as the leader for Performance Improvement activities including the patient safety program. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Friends of the Union Pacific Museum Community Relations Coordinator balindqu@ up.com Check out OmahaJobs.com website for more details.

Ivy League Gardening Hydroponic/Gardening Store Retail Salesperson Bail1992@gmail.com Visit www.omahajobs.com today for details.

Marketing Communications Account MANAGER The account manager is responsible for building and fostering on-going client relations, development and implementation of marketing communication plans, and project management of assigned accounts. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com

Marketing Communications Account MANAGER Full-service marketing communications and advertising agency, seeks an Account Manager for our Omaha office.

For more information visit Omahajobs.com.

Sales Representative StaTE FARM INSURANCE Thad Hamilton Agency Thad.hamilton.1tv7@statefarm.com Check out Omahajobs.com website for more details.

Director of Performance IMPROVEMENT Oversee and monitor the implementation of the Performance Improvement program; Serve as the leader for Performance Improvement activities including the patient safety program; Review/revise the PI Program and assist in developing compliant policies & procedures; Communicate PI activities to the organization. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Family Physician Department of Family Medicine is currently recruiting for two full-time academic faculty positions. Highly desired are faculty with clinical experience (one position to include OB experience) and a desire to further develop and share these skills. Candidates must be Board Certified.

Obstetrics is required for one of the positions.

For more information, visit OmahaJobs.com.

Florist Distributing Wholesale Floral Sales Person – Sales Associate mmontanye@fdionline.net Check out OmahaJobs.com website for more details.

Work From Home Earn 3-5k monthly! Fast and easy since 1972. Quick start for only $149 www.prepaidlegal.com/hub /jcornerjr (402) 216-9905

Full Time Merchandiser position in Omaha, The position pays $14.90/hour and has benefits including health, dental, 401K and pension. For more information please visit OmahaJobs. com.

Graphic Designer Work with creative team designing advertisements for our print publications such as The Reader, El Perico, Directorial Latino, Vision Latina, Today's Omaha Women and numerous other client print publications.

For more information, visit OmahaJobs.com.

Great Plains Auto BODY Auto Body Specialist bhcrashman@gmail.com Check out Omahajobs.com website for more details.

Interventional Radiologist Medical Center is recruiting for a Board Certified radiologist position in Interventional Radiology who has demonstrated teaching, clinical and research skills.

Compensation and academic rank will be commensurate with experience. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Lead Story Editior The purpose of this position is to create the final edit of televisionshow incorporating all elements, footage, audio, motion graphics, etc., into a completed story. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Humboldt Specialty Metal Worker dmccarty@ hu m b o l dt s p e c ia l t y. c o m Check out Omahajobs.com website for more details.

Florists Wanted 24th & Vinton Street location; Full-time and Part-time positions available; Responsibilities include floral design, customer service, merchandising, ordering merchandise and supplies, and controlling inventories. Must have 2 years previous floral experience and be bilingual Spanish/English.

We provide a positive work environment, training, great career opportunities, and a competitive benefits package.

Apply in person 11163 Mill Valley Road • Omaha, NE 68154 Or Call Joe @ (402) 399-9244 x 115 Fax resume to (402) 399-0264

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Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

omaha jobs

JOB FAIR APRIL 6, 2011 MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! Omahajobs.com will be hosting their first of five job fairs for 2011 on April 6th at CoCo Keys Resort from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. FREE to the public.

Many great companies have already signed up to do recruiting that day. Bring plenty of resumes and dress for success. Adults looking for employment, career change and education opportunites. Please plan to attend. Omahajobs.com job fair.

Lead Quality Control INSPECTOR Duties include inspecting, testing, sorting, sampling and documenting high-precision machined aerospace and dental parts for defects or deviations from production specifications. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com

Metal Worker Applicant must be experienced in metal working, including welding. Applicant must be skilled in the operation of plasma cutting table, brakes, milling, welding, tube bending and powder coating. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com Matheson Linweld Automation Specialist ljones@mathesongas.com Check out Omahajobs.com website for more details.

Good Fellas NIGHT CLUB Daners 402.341.9030 Check out OmahaJobs.com website for more details.

Ambitious?

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Pioneer Publishing, a fast growing local media company with over 10 channels, both print and online, is seeking Marketing Solutions Experts for full-time, parttime and freelance positions. Successful candidates must be ambitious, creative, outgoing, super helpful with a passion for solving problems and building relationships. If you have a background in sales, marketing or customer service, especially in the bar, restaurant, automotive or media industries, we want to talk to you!

We need team members who are ready to meet new people, understand marketing needs, close the deal and deliver ongoing value. Spanish proficiency is a plus.

Graphic and Web Design Openings Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, Expression Engine experience a PLUS. Work with creative team of Local Print and Digital Media. Varying M-F schedules. English and Spanish required.

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Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

P.O. Box 7360 Omaha, NE 68107 Phone 402.341.7323 Fax 402.341.6967 www.thereader.com OUR STAFF

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EDITORIAL

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this week new etc.

7 Top News 8-9 News Hound —=———————————————

heartland healing

11 Eating Healthfully is not Food Elitism ———————————————

j a n . 2 0 - 2 6 , 2 0 11 V O L . 1 7 n o . 4 8

cover story

lazy-i

Teaching Peace:

Greg Mortenson on the connection between peace and education, American policy in Afghanistan and the restorative power of failure

dish

hoodoo

31 Lift Update ————————————————

film

18 Coffee That Cares 18 Crumbs: Food News ————————————————

35 Lie Space 35 Cutting Room: Film News 36 Slight Sting 36 Report Card: Film Grades 37 Flaming Pants, Burning Loins ————————————————

eight days

20-21 This Week’s Top Events ————————————————

culture/books

news of the weird

23 Orphan Trail 23 Booked: Literary News ————————————————

38 Scum Manifesto ————————————————

mojo

theater

40 Planet Power Horoscopes ————————————————

24 Envelope Pushing Expletive 24 Cold Cream: Theater News ————————————————

funnies

41 Modern World, Red Meat, Dr. Mysterian ————————————————

art

25 Wall of Fame 25 Mixed Media: Art News ————————————————

30 Backyard Notions ————————————————

music

27 Sticks and ’Bones 27 Backbeat: Music News 28 The Shoppe Turns 16 ————————————————

Interns

Jessica Stensrud The Reader is published every Thursday by Pioneer Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 7360, Omaha, NE 68107, 402.341.READ, Fax 402.341.6967. The Reader is free in the Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs area. Domestic subscriptions area available for $35 a year. Opinions expressed herein are those of the writer(s) and may not reflect the opinion of The Reader, its management and employees or its advertisers. The Reader accepts unsolicited manuscripts. For more advertising rates contact sales@ thereader.com. To send comments to the editor, contact letters@thereader.com

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contents

| THE READER |

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

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Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

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notableevents

Q From Poverty to Prosperity: Sunday, Jan. 23, 5 p.m., The Attic Bar & Grill, 33rd and Harney. Fundraiser to benefit Mayor Suttle’s youth and employment programs. 345.5423 Q GOYP – Breakfast with a CEO: Tuesday, Jan. 25, 7:30 a.m., Omaha Press Club, 1620 Dodge St. Have breakfast with three Omaha media leaders and discuss the changing landscape of news reporting. omahayoungprofessionals.org Q Unmarketing-Marketing solutions that work: Wednesday, Jan. 26, 8 a.m., Greater Omaha Chamber, 1301 Harney St. Brent Pohlman of Midwest Labs discusses marketing via blogs and social media. omahachamber.org

Finding solutions among recall rhetoric more difficult

I

by Brandon Vogel

n the seven weeks since nearly 29,000 citizens consented to potentially recall Mayor Jim Suttle, headlines in Omaha have read like a political thriller. But among the fraud allegations, busing controversies, court dates and political bickering, the two questions that started it all continue to get lost: What’s wrong with Omaha, and how do we fix it?

Dave Nabity has an idea.

“I think our problem is we’ve had elected officials that have been funded and sponsored by the labor unions that negotiated their own contracts,” he says.

With a better negotiator in place, Nabity believes Omaha wouldn’t have needed the 2.3-cent property tax increase, $50 wheel fee on residents and commuters, or 2.5 percent tax on restaurant tabs it got under the mayor’s 2011 budget.

On Aug. 17, the City Council approved a new police contract that raised some officers’ retirement age, closed a projected $620 million pension liability and froze pay for 2009 and 2010.

The contract finally eliminated spiking — preventing officers from inflating retirement packages by loading overtime and vacation into their final years on the force.

Suttle’s camp hailed it as the first major pension reform in 30 years.

Nine days later, the Mayor Suttle Recall Committee announced it was exploring a recall.

Nabity, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2006, has become one of the most outspoken critics of Omaha’s Democratic Mayor. A

e d i t e d

percent of their pay, up from 14.55 percent. The Omaha police union also agreed to a 12.8 percent decrease in benefits for a total increased contribution of 14.5 percent, a fact police union president Aaron Hanson says frequently gets lost.

“Both sides paid the same amount,” he says.

“The police had the option to pay in cash and benefits. The city didn’t have that option because they don’t own the benefits.

Hanson says Suttle achieved pension reform that hasn’t happened elsewhere.

“There’s a lot of rhetoric and politics behind the recall,” he says, “but what Suttle did was unprecedented.” dave nabity The fire contract is entering its fourth year of negotiations. The state labor court ruled early this year that the city owed its firefighters $2.2 million in raises from 2009 and 2010. The firefighter’s union agreed in 2009 to a pay freeze for both years if a new contract was approved. With no contract in place, the union sued the city in December to protect the pay raises.

Nabity, a financial advisor, wants the city to restart the negotiations from scratch. He says Omaha Alliance for the Private Sector has urged the city to bring in outside negotiators and provided the city council with detailed proposals reducing costs in the fire and police departments by as much as $26 million.

The mayor’s tax increases fire] unions realize they received a pension perk were a driving force behind the recall effort. they shouldn’t have gotten. That pension is way But Mayor Suttle Recall Committee spokestoo rich. We have a formula that no other mayor man Jeremy Aspen acknowledges that the or city council would approve.” city’s $4.7 million budget deficit in 2010 Under the police agreement, the city’s pen- may have required some tax increase. But he sion contribution increased from 20.17 to 33.67 doesn’t think new taxes like the restaurant and percent — a 13.5 percent increase. Omaha police commuter taxes were the best solution. officers are also paying more, contributing 16.35 continued on page 10 y

numberscruncher

Source: Nebraska Accountability & Disclosure Commission

a n d r e w

n o r m a n

Mixed reactions to governor’s budget proposals

potential candidate for mayor if Suttle is recalled, Nabity founded the recall group Citizens for Omaha’s Future and helped raise funds for the Mayor Suttle Recall Committee. He spent much of 2010 hammering away at the police and fire contract negotiations as president of Omaha Alliance for the Private Sector, a group formed in 2009 to “free the private sector from excessive government.” His solution for Omaha goes beyond a simple change in leadership.

“We have to change the pension formula,” Nabity says. “We have to make the [police and

LATE PUSH: Number of late contributions greater than $1,000 made to anti-recall group Forward Omaha last week: 12 Total amount contributed: $76,500 Largest donation: $50,000 (from philanthropist Dick Holland) Number of contributions greater than $1,000 made to the Mayor Suttle Recall Committee since Dec. 22: 0

B y

upfront

Problems Easy to Spot

topnews People affected by Gov. Dave Heineman’s budget recommendations, released in his annual State of the State speech Jan. 14, had reactions ranging from enthusiasm to caution and concern.

The governor said Nebraska is doing well in spite of its budget challenges. He proposed holding higher education funding steady over the next two years. University of Nebraska President JB Milliken says, in normal times, that would be disappointing, but these are not normal times.

And Milliken is enthusiastic about Heineman’s endorsement of $25 million toward renovating the 4-H building and building a research and development building on the former State Fairgrounds in Lincoln.

“Over time, successful development of this phase one, with an initial investment from the state of $25 million,” Milliken says, “will result in many multiples of investment from the private sector in the innovation.”

Heineman is also proposing to hold state support for K-12 education constant, but with the ending of federal stimulus aid, that could mean a loss of up to $140 million in overall aid to schools next year. That could be partially offset by $59 million in another federal appropriation, but schools would be still down $81 million. Sen. Greg Adams of York, chairman of the Education Committee, says that could have significant effects.

“Collective bargaining can be affected, property taxes can be affected, employment can be affected, programs can be affected, all kinds of things,” he says. “But I’m convinced the schools will try to hold everything together as best they possibly can before they have to take those kinds of measures. I certainly hope they do.”

The governor’s budget also calls for a 5 percent cut in fees paid to many health care providers reimbursed through Medicaid. Dave Buntain, a lobbyist for the Nebraska Medical Association, says that cut could make it harder for people on Medicaid to get care.

“Right now the system is such that reimbursement rates under the Medicaid program are well below what providers received from other payers,” he says. “And to ask providers to swallow an additional 5 percent cut will be, I think, detrimental to the providers themselves and could affect access.”

Buntain said a cigarette tax increase could offset the need for Medicaid cuts, but Heineman opposes such a move. The state’s revenue forecasts could still be revised upwards or downward before lawmakers make final budget decisions this spring.

— Fred Knapp This story was produced by NET. Read more at www.NETNebraska.org.

theysaidit they “The game is over and we won. But now they want a fifth quarter. They can’t accept the fact that they lost.”— Mayor Jim Suttle describing the recall effort in a Jan. 8 Wall Street Journal story examining the rise of recalls nationwide. In the past two years, mayors in Kansas City, Akron, Toledo, Miami and Portland have all faced recall elections.

news

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jan. 20 - 26, 2011

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thenewshound

REFRESH RENEW REDISCOVER

P O L I T i C O | law and order | B usiness and D e v elopment New bill offers more pipeline control

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January Workshops 1.22

10 a.m. FUSED GLASS FOR THE FAMILY with Barb Greene at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture

1.29

10 a.m. LAMPWORK BEADMAKING with Margie Shanahan at Hot Shops, Studio #304

February Workshops 2.05

10 a.m. PAINTING & VALENTINE’S CARDS with Paula Wallace at Hot Shops

2.12

10 a.m. PAINTING & VALENTINE’S CARDS II with Paula Wallace at Hot Shops

2.19

2 p.m.

2.26

10 a.m. FUSED GLASS AND KILN CARVING with Barb Greene at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture

POP-UP CARDS with Ying Zhu at Min l Day Architecture

March Workshops 3.05

2 p.m.

3.12

10 a.m. GLASSBLOWING with Ed Fennell at Hot Shops

3.19

2 p.m.

BEGINNING UKULELE with Mark Gutierrez at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture

3.26

2 p.m.

BEGINNING BLACKSMITHING with Elmo Diaz at Hot Shops

8

BEGINNING CARICATURE with Tom Kerr at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

news

mission to vote on the recall and offered them For Nebraskans who felt powerless to stop the employment on election day.

On Jan. 12, Forward Omaha provided transKeystone XL pipeline, a few state lawmakers portation for voters — many of them homeless have proposed an answer.

State Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton in- and living at the Siena Francis House — to the troduced the Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Noti- polling place and trained approximately 60 fication Act, LB 340, Jan. 12 that would require people to go door to door in a “get out the vote” pipeline operators to undergo an extensive ap- campaign for the Jan. 25 election day. Workplication process and seek final approval from ers who completed the half-hour training sesthe Nebraska Public Service Commission before sion were paid $5, but Forward Omaha mainpumping oil through the state. The bill also calls tains the payment was not an incentive to vote for public hearings to be held on any potential against the recall.

Suttle — who has donated pipeline. It would restrict the more than $100,000 to the Forright of eminent domain until the ward Omaha campaign — called state approved the project. the decision to combine voter If passed prior to a federal transportation and offers of emdecision on the Keystone XL ployment a mistake. Former Sutpipeline, the bill could apply to tle campaign manager Marlon that project. The U.S. State DeFreeman was hired to take conpartment is currently reviewing trol of voter transportation and the environmental impact of the operate the program separately pipeline and is expected to apfrom the election day training prove or deny a permit to build provided by Forward Omaha. state sen. annette dubas early this year.

In Nebraska, the pipeline would cross the Niobrara and North Platte Riv- Nebraska gets D+ on public schools ers and run through the heart of the Ogallala report card Aquifer — the state’s largest source of drinking Nebraska’s public schools aren’t making the and irrigation water, according to the U.S. Geo- grade, according to the latest annual review of the nation’s public schools from Education Week. logical Survey.

The “Quality Counts 2011” report gave Nebraska an overall grade of D+, joining South Voter busing prompts investigation Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine asked the Dakota and the District of Columbia as states Nebraska State Patrol on Jan. 13 to investigate who received the lowest grades. Nebraska’s the actions of anti-recall group Forward Omaha overall score of 68.6 was the lowest in the counafter Mayor Jim Suttle’s supporters bused home- try. Nationwide, public schools received a C less people to the Douglas County Election Com- grade (76.3).

murderink they new shootings: Milton Jackson, 54, was shot and killed Jan. 6 inside the Shell Rapid Lube near 114th and Center. Police have made no arrests.

2011 HOMICIDES: 3 (THERE WERE 0 HOMICIDES AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR)

The report ranks schools on chances for success, K-12 achievement, school finance, standards and assessment, transitions and alignment, and the teaching profession. Nebraska received a Bgrade in chances for success, but an F in transitions and alignment, including a failing grade in college readiness. This marks the second-straight year Nebraska has received a D+ grade. The state received a C- in 2009.

Police reviewing gun policy following school shooting The Omaha Police Department is reviewing its gun policy for off-duty officers after Robert Butler Jr. used his father’s police weapon in the Jan. 5 shooting at Millard South High School.

The department’s current policy reads: “Officers will not store or leave a firearm in any place within No hens allowed the reach or easy access of a minor or unauthorized individual.” The policy is approved by the Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation Standards. Gun safes or trigger locks are not required for Omaha police officers.

Officers are required to purchase their own weapons, with up to $533 available per year for reimbursement from the department. Police Chief Alex Hayes reversed department policy one day after the shooting, making the purchase of gun safes eligible for reimbursement.

Immigrant rights group receives state’s Trailblazer award The Fremont group that spent much of 2010 opposing the city’s immigration ordinance was rewarded for its efforts at Nebraska’s Martin Luther King Celebration at Lincoln’s capitol building on Jan. 14.

One Fremont One Future was awarded the Dr. Mathew O. Ricketts Trailblazer award.

Named after Nebraska’s first black state senator, the award recognizes “those who have made a difference in furthering the rights of others.”

Fremont’s city ordinance penalizing those who hire or rent to undocumented immigrants passed in June, but has not yet taken effect, pending constitutional challenges in federal court.

Young Professionals Summit March 3

8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

If you’re interested in contributing to business and the community, join us and get inspired.

Featuring

Cory Booker

Mayor of Newark, New Jersey

Early registration price $99 by Jan. 14 Register at

OmahaYoungProfessionals.org/YPSummit

Sponsors

Creighton University College of Business HDR, Inc. TD AMERITRADE

No hens in Bellevue A proposal to allow hens within Bellevue city limits was defeated by a 4-0 vote, with two councilmembers absent, at the City Council meeting on Jan. 13. The Council could reconsider the motion at its Jan. 24 meeting.

Shooting Rounds James Williams, 61, died Jan. 11 after his gun accidentally fired while he was cleaning it at his home at 4527 Decatur St. Police do not suspect foul play, and are continuing to investigate.

—Brandon Vogel

news

| THE READER |

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

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■ The public spoke and, after thinking about it, the Big 10 didn’t listen. Conference officials announced last week that the league would keep its universally panned division names of Leaders and Legends for at least the 2011 season.

League commissioner Jim Delany decided to review the decision back in December and there was legitimate hope that maybe the conference would adopt something normal. Apparently Delany didn’t read the Internet, where coming up with more ridiculous sounding names became a bit of a sports blog parlor game.

SEC fans have always poked fun at the Big 10 as a stodgy, out of touch conference, but now everyone’s piling on. As the newcomers here, I’m not sure how we’re supposed to defend ourselves when Nebraska plays in the Legends conference.

Technically it’s flattering, but it doesn’t sound all that hip.

■ With Brazil set to host the 2014 World Cup and Russia and Qatar buying — excuse me, winning — the right to host the tournament in 2018 and 2022, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this Friday will be the only chance to see a World Cup squad in Omaha in our lifetimes.

The Omaha Vipers will take on members of the 1994 World Cup team in an exhibition match Jan. 21

in what, I think, will be the most fascinating sporting event of the year.

So many questions here. Did Alexi Lalas’ powers truly reside in his red goatee?

Can these guys still play? Why are they still playing? Does Tony Meola still have a ponytail? Will current Creighton assistant coach Johnny Torres rip them apart?

Answers, along with tickets, start at just $9 and are available at omahavipers.com.

■ I’m glad the Omaha Nighthawks listened to my Twitter suggestion and swiped former AmeriTrade CEO Joe Moglia from the Virginia Destroyers and installed him as coach here. It will be like watching a live human interest story unfold. CEO turnedcoach-navigates from the boardroom to the locker room and finally gets the shot to prove his ability in big time football.

And, since you asked, if I were to illustrate said human interest story I’d go with a shot from the knees down of Moglia in old-time, Knute Rockne football pants and socks, with wingtips on the grass. Magic.

— Brandon Vogel

THEJUMP

Currier & ives seasons of Joy: Currier

The Jump takes you behind the local headlines. Email jump@thereader.com and look for daily updates at twitter.com/brandonlvogel.

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| THE READER |

y continued from page 7

“Before you can institute new taxes, you first have to work on cutting expenses, making real tough decisions which may have been unpopular but ultimately would have benefitted the city,” he says. “There were missed opportunities — employee furloughs, combining city and county resources, decreasing staffing in the fire department. Past solutions deserve to have been on the table and they weren’t.”

In the short term, Suttle’s solutions appear to have worked. At the end of November, the $4 million budget gap was down to less than $700,000. Credit rating agency Moody’s restored Omaha’s triple-A bond rating in October, allowing the city to refinance some of its $37.5 million in outstanding loans at lower interest rates. The city says that should should an estimated savings of $6 million over the next five years.

But if the mayor’s choices are getting results, why is his job on the line? Suttle has admitted he didn’t do a very good job of communicating with the public, and promised improvement in a pair of YouTube videos posted over the holidays.

“The tone deafness is a really big deal,” Aspen says. “I’ve spoken with city council members who are frustrated they weren’t able to get through to Mayor Suttle. He heard the ideas, he just didn’t take them into account.”

The man who’s pushed so hard for the recall, Nabity says he won’t decide whether he’d run for the office until and if there’s a race. He says the recall is really about people’s faith in politics and holding politicians accountable.

“He needs to be recalled, and the rest of the politicians need to take note. The citizens are not going to put up with the politics as usual.” ,

n e w

heartlandhealing

a g e

h e a l t h

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w e l l n e s s

Eating Healthfully is not Food Elitism

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recent article in Newsweek drew attention to the Great Food Divide in America. I emphasize “America” because our concerns about food are relatively different from the concerns of the other seven billion eaters on the planet. Americans worry more about what we’re eating. Much of the rest of the world worries about if they’re eating.

That’s not to say that all Americans are well fed.

We must continue to solve the issues of hunger and food insecurity. However, much of the solution is not about provision or even poverty. It’s not that the planet cannot produce enough food for our population. It can. In fact, the planet already produces more than twice the amount needed. Distribution is the real challenge.

In the United States, it’s often not a lack of funds that causes malnutrition, hunger and obesity. It’s possible to eat nutritious and wholesome food, even for lower income families. Information, education and initiative are key ingredients that are lacking.

“I’d like to feed my family fresh, chemical-free or organic food. I’d like to feed them what I know is better. But you try fitting that into a family budget.”

I hear that all the time, even from the well-heeled soccer mom, often delivered at a farmers market as she pushes a stroller with one hand and sips a fourdollar latté with the other while junior tugs at the straw in a box of Juicy-Juice, little more than colored sugar water. The core of the argument is that processed food, industrial and sugary junk food is cheaper than healthful food. That argument leaks logic on many counts.

Faux food. First, is processed food really food?

That is far from a specious question. The answer is “No.” It is infuriating to see otherwise intelligent (well, maybe that is debatable,) persons writing about food costs and comparing food items based on caloric content. I have often read that calories in the produce aisle cost more than calories in the processed food section. I actually heard a “registered dietitian” announce on network television something to the effect that “purchasing the 2000 daily calories recommended by the government in the produce section costs more than buying the same amount of calories in the processed food aisles.” Well, duh! Sugars, corn syrup and fats do have more calories. But it’s nutrition that should be compared, not calories. Calories are what you don’t want. Nutrition is what you do want.

Eating healthfully is as easy as the Three C’s: Consciousness, Choice and Cooking. First, be conscious of what is real food and what isn’t. This may take some education. In the Newsweek article profiling one family’s predicament of eating breakfast on a budget, the family is described as eating “bodega food,” a

Heartland Healing

B y

m i c h a e l

b r a u n s t e i n

New York-ism for quick shop fare. Typical breakfasts are egg-and-cheese sandwich for the daughter, muffin and soda for the son and two Dunkin’ Donuts and a latté for mom. No prices are given but conservatively the muffin, sandwich and soda have to be at least a dollar each and a good guess that a couple donuts and a latté have to set you back three bucks. Make it a very conservative six bucks for the family.

Bulk up. Compare that cost to a version of my favorite breakfast at one-eighth the cost per person: organic oatmeal, two-thirds of a cup from Whole Foods’ bulk section (18 cents); a handful of raisins, same source (10 cents) and a splash of bulk honey from No Name Nutrition (two cents) for a total of 30 cents or less. Times three and I make it a nutritious and much less fattening breakfast for the entire family at less than a dollar, total. And if I hear the “time factor” argument, I will personally come over and get your butt out of bed 15 minutes earlier if need be.

When a poster on the Newsweek website noted the option of bulk foods such as that, the son (named Ta-Shawn) posted in response that they do have “4 boxes of oatmeal” in the pantry and that he eats that on some days. The problem is that Ta-Shawn has not learned that boxed, packaged, flavored and processed oatmeal in single-serving envelopes is not the cost-effective, nutritious option he needs to learn about.

And when Ta-Shawn gets home after school, he could pop a big russet potato in the oven for an hour while he does homework, steam a large stalk of broccoli, butter them both and enjoy with chopped tomato and avocado on top. Here is one place my menu splurges. The huge organic russet was a dollar, the stalk of broccoli 40 cents, the avocado and tomato serving a dollar, totaling a whopping $2.40 for dinner before butter. That’s just one version of a nutritious, satisfying and cheap dinner option.

One myth that Americans fall for is that meat makes the meal. Uh-uh. Our meat-centric diet is most of the problem. Before one leaps on the “gotta have protein” buckboard, consider this. The potato, avocado and broccoli described above have more and higher-quality protein than a quarter-pound of ground beef. And a diet doesn’t have to be vegetarian to be affordable; just plant-centric, which is better for you anyway.

Yes, in general, government subsidized industrial junk food is cheaper per calorie than vegetables, fruits and real food. But in the long term, the hidden costs of obesity, malnutrition and social self-esteem bear examination.

Helping all Americans become conscious of what real food is, make the choice to implement that knowledge and take the initiative to learn to cook will go further to end malnutrition and hunger in this country than all the food technology Monsanto and their investor shill Bill Gates can come up with.

Be well. ,

by Michael Braunstein examines various alternative forms of healing. It is provided as a source of information, not as medical advice. It is not an endorsement of any particular therapy, either by the writer or The Reader. Access past columns at HeartlandHealing.com

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JAN. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

coverstory

teaching peace

Greg Mortenson on the connection between peace and education, American policy in Afghanistan and the restorative power of failure

S

Greg Mortenson with Gultori schoolchildren IN Pakistan

by Brandon Vogel

ome stories are inescapable. They get passed from friend to friend, mentors to mentees, supporters to skeptics. They end up on nightstands and in carry-ons of the unsuspecting with no other directive than to simply “read this.”

Greg Mortenson’s life is one of those stories.

His 2006 book Three Cups of Tea details a failed bid to climb K2, the world’s second tallest mountain, and how that led Mortenson to devote himself to the construction of schools in the remote villages of Central Asia. In two weeks the book will likely spend its 208th consecutive week — four complete years — on the New York Times best-seller list with worldwide sales topping 4 million copies.

It’s now required reading for all U.S. military officers and Special Forces troops deployed in Afghanistan.

Mortenson released his second book, Stones Into Schools, in paperback in November.

It hasn’t left the bestseller list yet, either.

But book sales ultimately aren’t the results that matter to Mortenson. The numbers that matter are these: Since cofounding the organization in 1996 the Central Asia Institute has helped construct

more than 170 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, educating more than 60,000 students — most of them girls who otherwise might never have set foot in a classroom — and employing more than 700 teachers.

The Reader interviewed Mortenson before he delivered a Jan. 14 lecture to a sold-out crowd of 700 at KANEKO. The Reader: What is the connection between education and peace?

Greg Mortenson: Education isn’t the only

thing but it has a profound role in peace. It mainly has to do with girls’ and women’s education.

When a young girl learns how to read and write and goes on to become a mother she can educate an entirely new generation. Women who are educated are much less likely to encourage their son to get into violence or terrorism or gangs. I’ve seen that happen in Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s primary recruiting grounds are often illiterate, impoverished society. I’m not saying all, but many educated women will risk their lives to refuse to allow their son to join the Taliban.

Education takes generations but it also has an impact on reducing population growth. One of the biggest problems we have in the world today is there are too many people on this planet, especially if we look forward three to five generations.

Forty years ago in Bangladesh the female literacy rate was less than 20 percent. The average woman in Bangladesh in 1970 had nine live births.

cover story

If she’s a grandma that means 80 grandkids. Today the female literacy rate has gone to 65 percent and the average woman has 2.8 live births and the main reason for that is simply female literacy.

Pakistan is a very volatile country. The female literacy rate there is about 35 percent and Pakistan is going to double in population in the next 27 years. It’s the fourth fastest growing country in the world. It’s pretty scary if you think about what’s going on in Pakistan now. What will happen when the population doubles?

Wars are often the result of too many people.

Only the first one or two sons and daughters will get land and the others have to move out.

As someone who has been in Afghanistan for the entire American occupation of the country, what’s the reception like locally for U.S. troops?

| THE READER |

continued on page 14 y

Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

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coverstory y continued from page 13

Most people there don’t identify by nationality. In the U.S. we’re very proud of being an American citizen. In Afghanistan people will first identify by their faith — whether they’re Sunni or Shiite.

If you ask me, I’m a Minnesota Norwegian Lutheran. Now I might die for my faith but I’m not sure. I might die for my country, but not because I’m a Minnesota Norwegian.

Over there they will die for their faith. They will die for their tribal persuasion. For their country? That’s a different question. Nationalism is a very different concept over there.

What do they think about Americans? If we go over there and we listen to them and respect the elders they will have great respect for us.

Something else that few people really think about is that most people I meet over there never even heard about 9/11. They never even heard about it. Now they will see B-52s, they’ll see American soldiers, but if they have a water well in their village that’s going to mean more than how many Americans are there.

I’ve seen a huge learning curve in the military. I think the military out of all our government entities really gets it. It’s about empowering the elders and listening and working with the people to come up solutions.

Has your work setting up an educational infrastructure in one of the most remote sections of the world changed the way you look at our infrastructure in America?

I think so. We have the finest higher education system in the world, but we are faltering now. In the top testing scores — science, math, other things you study — the U.S. continues to slip. That’s kind of scary.

I think what’s also a key in education is not just reading, writing, and math but also learning from our elders and that’s where the U.S. falls behind. We’ve got to work hard on all the basics but, because it’s not happening in the homes, we have to use schools also as a way to mold men and women who are going to go out into the world.

At our schools we have our elders come in twice a week. One of the things that I think is amazing that very few people in the U.S. know about is a UNICEF study that found in 2000 there were 800,000 students in Afghanistan, mostly boys, age 5 to 15. This is 11 years ago, before 9/11. This is the height of the Taliban.

Today in Afghanistan there’s 8 million children in school, including 2.5 million females.

It’s one of the greatest increases of any country in modern history. I’m amazed that more people in our government or media don’t reference that.

We can take some credit for it but the real credit is the people themselves. We’ve obviously been a part of that but it’s really because the people will do anything for their education.

Greg Mortenson with Khanday schoolchildren IN Pakistan

You went to Pakistan with a mission to climb to the top of K2 in honor of your sister. You didn’t quite make it but came away with a very different goal. Do you think that failure spurred your desire to succeed elsewhere?

At that point, and it’s very hard to remember, I was very despondent. I was emaciated. I was exhausted. I was basically kind of clinging to life just to get home, but the huge thing in my heart was failure.

If you read Three Cups of Tea do you know what the first chapter is called? Failure.

When I submitted the original manuscript to the publisher they said, “Greg, you never start a book with the word failure.” But I said,

Lalander schoolchildren IN Afghanistan

“You know, it’s okay to fail.” At that time I felt as though I’d really let my sister down.

If I make a promise I really want to keep that promise. I can’t always do it but I really try to keep a promise. Now that I have kids I realize that if you tell your kids something you really better stick with it because if you don’t it will devastate them.

Any new books in the works?

I’m doing two children’s books. I’ve talked to a lot of children and educators and my son is going to help with one of the books. My daughter helped with the young reader’s edition of Three Cups of Tea. A book is very difficult. I generally get up at two or three in the morning and then I write for four hours or five every single morning. It’s a lot

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| THE READER |

cover story

of discipline. I thought I would get inspired to write but then I realized you just have to sit down and get organized.

Three Cups of Tea took about 14 months to write and Stones Into Schools took about nine months.

One of the new books is called Listen to the Children and it’s for three- to six-yearolds. The other is the young reader’s edition of Stones Into Schools and that’s for about 4th through 8th grade.

We received some criticism because Three Cups of Tea didn’t include a map or a glossary or a timeline so all of those things are in the young reader’s editions. , More about Afghanistan on page 16 y

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| THE READER |

Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

15

coverstoryextra

the next generation

y continued from page 13

Old UNO/Kabul U. partnership takes new turn

U

by Leo Adam Biga

NO communication professor Chris Allen recently returned from a twoweek needs assessment trip to Afghanistan. His journey was part of a federally funded journalism faculty-student development program between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Kabul University.

As Afghanistan attempts normalization in this post-Taliban era, the nation’s indigenous media uneasily co-exist with Islamic law and government ambivalence. Allen says “a surprisingly vigorous and developing media system” exists there.

Consider two vastly different television shows: the incendiary Niqab has masked women detail abuse they’ve suffered; the popular Afghan Star is an American Idol riff.

Training the next generation of Afghan journalists requires access to resources and modern practices. That’s why UNO and Kabul University are connecting aspiring and working journalists in academic, professional and cultural exchanges. Funded by a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. State Department’s Fulbright program, this three-year partnership renews old ties between the two institutions and is the latest example of UNO’s decades-long work with Afghanistan.

UNO’s School of Communication and its Center for Afghanistan Studies are collaborating on the program. Allen was accompanied by CAS director and dean of International Studies and Programs Tom Gouttierre, and CAS assistant director Raheem Yaseer.

The university’s Afghanistan connection dates to 1972, when two campus geography professors began research collaboratives. A donated collection of Afghanistan materials has grown to 12,000-plus items. In 1975 a linkage with Kabul University began.

To date, the center’s received some $60 million in grants and contracts for technical assistance programs, training and educational exchanges. Hundreds of Afghans have come to UNO for training to help rebuild their nation’s infrastructure. Hundreds of Americans come here to train as liaisons in reconstruction efforts.

The center maintains a Kabul field office and Team House, where Allen stayed. It also operates the UNO Education Press, which printed the new

16

AfGhan GirlS STUDY AT A REFUGEE CAMP IN PAKISTAN

Jan. 20 - 26, 2010

Afghan constitution and the ballots for the first democratic elections there in decades.

Even during the Soviet occupation and war, the Taliban reign of terror and the U.S.-led invasion to oust terrorists, Gouttierre says the center remained in contact with education and government officials in Afghanistan or in exile in Pakistan.

He says a model for this new collaborative is the center’s 2002-2005 teacher education project, which brought Afghan women educators for an immersion experience as part of reopening the nation’s schools. Just as those visitors did, Afghan journalists will stay with Nebraska host families.

Plans call for a group of Afghan professors to arrive in late spring, with additional contingents of faculty and some students arriving later this year. More UNO School of Communication

| THE READER |

cover story

faculty are to visit Afghanistan in the coming months. Program visitors on each side will observe best practices and shadow their peers.

Because UNO’s Chris Allen was in Kabul during finals week he didn’t observe classes, but he did speak with faculty.

“I really didn’t know anything about them and they really didn’t know anything about me and to sort of start off on an even footing was a really good thing,” he says. “I didn’t want to go in with preconceived notions that might prejudice the questions I would ask. I could ask really naive questions, and I did that, and I think that served as an icebreaker to say, I need to understand what you guys are doing and what your media are doing as much as you need to understand what we’re doing.”

Allen says the Afghans expressed a need for assistance on both teaching and practical

levels. He says many wanted to improve teaching techniques by moving from lecture-oriented approaches to more hands-on student participation. He says Afghan educators are hampered by limited facilities and resources, such as teaching television without a studio, cameras or editing equipment, but that a media center is in the works.

The most glaring need Allen saw was for more classroom computers. He says the basic reporting class has 10 computers serving 50 students.

“I’m not sure how they’re getting that done.”

He also marvels at how working media, faculty and students brave forbidding conditions, including security and transportation issues.

He’s told that journalism graduates readily find jobs in the Afghan media, which many call “a growth industry.”

Admittedly, he says, his lack of Persian language skills limited him, but it didn’t prevent his noting some arcane story structure problems in print and broadcast reports. Despite shortcomings, he and Gouttierre say the media is a vital presence. Dozens of independent print publications have launched. Saad Mohseni, chairman of the largest independent media company there, MOBY Group, is Afghanistan’s first media mogul. The government-run media enterprise RTA is ubiquitous.

Radio is the most pervasive medium, says Allen, because it’s accessible and doesn’t require high literacy.

Gouttierre says the UNO-KU project comes at a transformational time.

“Now we have this situation for UNO faculty and students to be engaged right up close with a country’s media that is trying to leap frog in a sense. It kind of reminds me of when I first went to Afghanistan in the early ’60s as a Peace Corps volunteer and the country was just emerging as a constitutional, parliamentary democratic process. The press was becoming independent at that same time.”

He anticipates each side will learn much from the other, though he suspects Americans may have the most to gain.

“It’s surprising how far Afghans have taken themselves with few resources and how much we can learn from their creativity and initiative in very trying circumstances. It’s shocking to see how much they’ve accomplished with so many obstacles.” ,

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Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

O

by Lainey Seyler

n a slushy winter night, the dimly lit and quite romantic Q Consumables cradles diners from the cold in a neighborhood just as cozy. The restaurant, which touts a menu of items made fresh and from scratch daily, opened in the former Café de Paris in Little Italy back in September. Owners John and Allison Querry have a lot to live up to after the Café de Paris closed some years ago; it was the city’s only restaurant to receive a prestigious Michelin star. Q Consumables The couple holds their own on the quiet street, serving inventive entrees with warm service.

Their goal to make everything from scratch is impressive and starts with even the ketchup, a cloveheavy concoction of tomato sauce and vinegar that is pleasantly not Heinz.

“We watch the specials at the grocery store and markets,” says John Querry. “That’s how we decide what to make at any given time. I’ve been to four grocery stores in three days.”

Today’s menu (very similar to the one I selected from last week) includes coffee- and cocoarubbed pork tenderloin, a flank steak with South American chimichurri sauce, root vegetable chips and a beet and arugula salad with simple hors d’oeuvres going for $3 or $4 and entrees selling for up to $16 for seared mahi mahi.

“We really like to play with seafood on the weekends. It’s always fresh and never frozen,” says Querry.

On a Thursday evening, my dining companion, a vegetarian, was delighted with the salty root vegetables chips, crispy and fun (to think, something other than potato chips!) with house ketchup and a buttermilk peppercorn sauce (akin to ranch I would say). However, he had few vegetarian options for an entrée. He settled on and

| THE READER |

dish

was happy with the fresh beet and arugula served with bleu cheese and vinaigrette. I had a cornucopia of tempting options and went straight for the mussels with feta cheese and bacon. It was inevitable considering it’s a pairing of some of my favorite foods — bacon, cheese and mollusks served with fantastic twice-fried steak frites. The mussels were tasty and filling. We ordered a pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon, and lulled by the candlelight and a Sigur Rós lullaby, I couldn’t resist a second glass.

Lunch at Q brings sandwiches such as BLTs, pork tenderloin (John claims to be a big fan of pork) and a crab and spinach melt with prices in the $7-$10 range.

Q Consumables serves as interesting a weekend breakfast as it does dinner and lunch. Prices

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84th Street Café Serving delicious cost-conscious food.

8013 S. 83rd Ave. • 597-5003 www.facebook.com/84thstcafe

n In celebration of Spirit World’s 3-year anniversary under new ownership, the longstanding wine and spirits store is launching a new Scotch Lovers Club, with the initial meeting Friday, Feb. 11, 5-8 p.m. at the store, located at 75th and Pacific. The single malt tasting event will be led by Spirit World’s own Scotch expert, Devin Coyle, with special guest Scotch expert Monique Huston, formerly of the Dundee Dell. It’ll cost you $15 to get in, but you’ll get $5 back toward the purchase of any of the featured scotches. Membership is free, and comes with benefits like a discount program, discounted prices for future tastings and advance notice of hard-to-find and limited release scotches. Go to spiritworldwine.com to learn more or call 391.8680 to sign up. n Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and if you haven’t made reservations, now’s the time. Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are two of the busiest for restaurants. Not only does that mean it’ll be hard to score a reservation, but if you do, know that the restaurant you’re at will likely be operating at full capacity: completely full with the kitchen working harder than Courtney Love’s lawyers to stay on top of orders. It’ll also mean that you might not get the fawning, personalized attention you’re expecting.

It’s a special night for everyone, not just you. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

— Kyle Tonniges

range $4 for a breakfast sandwich, $5 for butterscotch steel-cut oatmeal, up to $10 for the Cajun omelets and $11 for the Morning Coma. Most items hover around $7-$8 for the a.m. crowd.

At 9 a.m. Sunday, my friends and I made it just before an unexpected rush cleaned out the restaurant of its eggs. One server handled the entire dining room while someone ran to the grocery. The wait for sweet-cream slathered French toast and an order of the Morning Coma was long though not unpleasant. The three slices of Texas toast were topped with a just-sweet whipped cream cheese, fresh berries and apples. Soggycrisp, they went down easy. Too bad I couldn’t finish all of them. The Morning Coma, true to its name, was enough to put someone to sleep.

Diced sautéed potatoes were topped with eggs, biscuits and gravy littered with sausage. It was country breakfast done right, even though the plate was mistakenly delivered with scrambled

n The Jewish Community Center with the adjoining Rose Blumkin Jewish Home began a Friday lunch deli between 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. last fall. The kosher kitchen serves a selection of hot and cold turkey, pastrami and corned beef sandwiches with steak fries or sweet potato fries for less than $10. Weekly specials include a choice of kreplach or matza ball soup. Various knish, fried dumplings stuffed with potatoes, eggplant or meat, are also available. The community center also sells challah bread for Shabbat. Call 330.4272 for more information. n The Strategic Air and Space Museum is hosting a winter chili cook-off Jan. 29, dubbed the Chili Bomb. The event pits amateur or professional registrants against each other in a visitor-judged competition. The museum will be showcasing inside peeks of some bomber planes at the event for a day of good clean fun. Visit sacmuseum. org or call 994.3100.

— Lainey Seyler Comments? Questions? Want more? Check out our Booked blog online at thereader.com. Or email us at booked@thereader.com.

eggs instead of eggs-over-easy. We left as three amiable diners thankful for a reason to venture into Little Italy only a little late for church. , Q Consumables, 6th and Poppleton, is open Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.- 10 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sun. 8 a.m.4 p.m. Visit qc.qconsumables.com or call 916.5052 for information or the day’s menu posting.

Nowen!

Op

We are more than just coffee!

NEW SUNDAY HOURS Opening for dinner now!

8am- 2pm – brunch 2 pm – 5pm – light menu 5pm – 8pm – Dinner menu

Closing Monday at 2pm

Crane Coffee Cafe • 14th & Farnam CraneCoffeeOmaha.com | THE READER |

Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

19

8 days Jan. 20

Pecha Kucha Night #10

Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. 8:20 p.m., FREE/donations accepted pecha-kucha.org/cities/omaha/10

It’s the 10th edition of the internationally acclaimed 20-slides-in-20-seconds show, organized locally by Design Alliance Omaha (daOMA).

Boasting and brimming with inventive tastemakers and aesthetic trend pushers, this time around is hosted by the Bemis Center for Contemporary hesse mcgraw Arts curator, Hesse McGraw. The local lineup includes Sean Ward, Callyann Casteel, Holly McAdams, Bryan Day, Jody Boyer, Colin C. Smith, Andy Colley, Jeff Day and Stuart Chittenden. If you dig creative minds and inspiring chatter, this showcase is for you.

— Brent Crampton

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Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

t h e r e a d e r ’ s ente r tainment picks J an . 2 0 - 2 6 , 2 0 1 1

THURSDAY20

FROM SHELTERBELT WITH LOVE

Jan. 20

Con Dios w/ The So-So Sailors

O’Leaver’s, 1322 S. Saddle Creek Rd. 9:30 p.m., $5, facebook.com/oleavers Con Dios is the new local supergroup featuring the songs of Phil Schaffart. Schaffart plays guitar and sings and is ably backed by Matt Maginn on bass (Cursive), Pat Oakes on drums (Ladyfinger) and Dan McCarthy on keys (McCarthy Trenching, The Mynabirds). The band has been in “residency” at O’Leaver’s and this will be one of its last performances as Schaffart hits the road to tour as a guitar tech with Bright Eyes for the better part of 2011. The musicians are more than capable and Schaffart writes songs that are both enjoyable and distinguished. This show will be a great opportunity to catch two of Omaha’s up and coming bands and to also enjoy the basement-barroom vibe that O’Leaver’s has made such an intrinsic part of the our local music scene.

— Jesse D. Stanek

Jan. 20-Feb. 14

From Shelterbelt With Love 10

Shelterbelt Theatre, 3225 California St. Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 6 p.m. no show Feb. 6, $15, $12 student/seniors/ TAG members, $8 Jan. 20-23 $10 Thurs., Sun. and Valentine’s Day 341.2757, shelterbelt.org Get ready for tears and cheers once again at the 10th annual From Shelterbelt with Love featuring eight short plays around the theme of love — in good times and bad. The plays come from awardwinning playwrights such as Chris Shaw Swanson of Ohio, author of the first short, “People Like Us,” a dramedy about love and disability. The second show, by award-winning playwright Monica Bauer, of Connecticut, “Answering,” takes audiences through a time-lapse of a woman’s family life.

“The Stand In” playwright Molly Campbell hails

| THE READER |

picks

from the windy city, exploring the role of technology in dating. In “Turning Trixie,” a play by Pittsburgh writer Carol Mullen, a mother’s hobby stirs the life of her daughter. “The Last Anniversary” stars Omaha Theatre Arts Guild award-winning actor Bernie Clark and his wife, Kay Clark, as a couple at the twilight of a relationship. “Ecobabble” by New York playwright Esta Fischer looks at love and the green revolution. The Clark duo again stars in “Feeding Time at the Human House,” a play by California writer David Wiener. The show concludes with Virginia poet and playwright Brett Hursey’s “Wedding Belles” where one girl’s dream wedding is in jeopardy because of a fashion faux pas. “The mood ranges from hilarious and light to serious and heartfelt, but most of the scripts are fairly lighthearted, so it will be a guaranteed good time,” says Craig Bond, Shelterbelt Executive Director.

— Sally Deskins

SATURDAY22 Jan. 22

Band Build: A Concert to Benefit Habitat for Humanity w/ Satchel Grande, Midwest Dilemma, The 9’s, Brad Hoshaw & the Seven Deadlies and The Half Hearts

Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. 7 p.m., $12, onepercentproductions.com Good dance music and a good cause — what are you waiting for? With an impressive lineup including local funk bands Satchel Grande and The 9’s, and Americana music courtesy of Midwest Dilemma and Brad Hoshaw, the event is rounded out by Twin Cities rock stars The Half Hearts, bringing an odd sound which is at once rootsy and rocking. So help put a roof over people’s heads, and hear some good music.

— John Wenz

t h e

r e a d e r ’ s

Jan. 22

Vagos Burns Night

Barley Street Tavern, 2735 N. 62nd St. $5 or a traditional Scottish dish, 9 p.m., 21+ 554.5834, barleystreet.com The Scots are proud of many things, but high on the list is poet Robert Burns. So much so that there’s the rich tradition of the Burns supper which entails consumption of haggis and whiskey and recitation of Burns’ works. Barley Street is doing its own version of this feast (celebrated typically around the poet’s birthday) with a little more rock ‘n’ roll flair. Of course the venue is encouraging the traditional dishes, like haggis, the infamous intestinal delicacy, and traditional dress.

But they’re also bringing in local rockers Vago, Michael “Wry Mouth” Campbell, Wee Willie Arab, All Young Girls are Machine Guns, Jason “Man-Strength” Ferguson and The Right Reverend Pfloyd. So whether Scottish, whiskey soaked or just curious about whether haggis could possibly be any good (answer: probably), this will certainly make for an interesting night.

— John Wenz

e n t e rta i n m e n t tion as he develops exhibitions for the three main gallery spaces. His background in New York City as assistant director at The Max Protech Gallery and founding director of Paragraph in Kansas City makes him an ideal candidate to share his experiences. He discusses the transformative possibilities that contemporary arts holds for our shared public life, while Omaha native Bushon performs

p i c k s

J a n .

material recorded under his “Fathr^” moniker.

Bushon’s ability to invoke loss, desperation, vulnerability and serenity through emotive sensation creates a unique performance that captivates his audience. Each performance adequately conveys the realism of growing up fatherless. A wine and appetizer reception with the artists follows.

— Kyle Eustice

omaha comic book convention

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2 6 ,

2 011

Jan. 22-Jan. 23

River City Mixed Chorus “Our Family Tree”

First United Methodist Church 70th and Cass Jan. 22, 7 p.m.; Jan. 23, 4 p.m. $20 ADV/$25 DOS $15 seniors, students, children rcmc.org Omaha’s outstanding GLBT chorus is marking more than a quarter-century of musical magic with its performance of “Our Family Tree.” The program is the organization’s second of the season and the first for the full chorus. Interim artistic director Wayne Moore calls the show a reflection on all our families, nuclear, families of choice and global families. He promises some of the music will be familiar, including favorites like “We Are Family” made famous by Sister Sledge, the traditional “Motherless Child,” White Christmas’s “Sisters” and “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” This is RCMC’s last performance until June and it should be a good one. “I think they (the audience) can expect to reflect on their own families and come to the realization that we are all connected,” Moore says.

— Andy Roberts

Jan. 23

Omaha Comic Book Convention

SUNDAY23

Executive Inn and Suites, 3650 S. 72nd St. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., FREE epguides.com/comics

Jan. 23

Masters and Music Series w/ Hesse McGraw and Dustin Bushon

With the last decade’s influx of comic book movies delving into Batman, Spiderman and X-men series, interest in comic books has seen a massive resurgence. Whether you’re a proud, seasoned fan, or it’s a newfound interest, the Omaha Comic Book convention hosts a variety of topics for every type of comic book fan. Dealers from other states will be on hand, looking to buy old comics, along with action figures and other collectibles. Here’s your chance to break out that old box of comics you have stored away in case “they might be worth something someday.”

— Chalis Bristol

UNO Gallery, 6001 Dodge St., 5 p.m., $15/FREE for UNO students, 554.2402

The latest installment of The University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Masters and Music series boasts two very special guests. Collaboration and Syncopation features Hesse McGraw, curator of The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, and musician Dustin Bushon. McGraw’s interest in socially engaged, cross-disciplinary art fosters collabora-

picks

| THE READER |

Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

21

So Much To See And Do... www.oldmarket.com

12th & Jackson Old Market 341-5827

Ice Cream made the Old-Fashioned way using Rock Salt & Ice

22

JAN. 20 - 26, 2011

Best Ice Cream Shop

| THE READER |

402.342.2885

bigbrainomaha.com

Mail-Order Kid finally sent home

A

by Sally Deskins

According to Coffey’s research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Library, the Orphan Train Movement involved 100,000-500,000 children relocated from New York City orphanages by rail to Nebraska and every other state from 1854 to 1929.

Unlike most of the written stories of the orphan experiences which stop at the relocation without exploring the life-altering affects, Coffey’s Mail-Order Kid tells Martin’s story from

uthor Marilyn June Coffey says she tears up every time she reads this part of Teresa Martin’s story: “As she slipped her wide foot into her shoe, she felt like Cinderella donning the glass slipper. Up from ashes. She marilyn june coffey could hardly breathe. After all those school children’s taunts, after the years living with the hurtful Biekers, the years scrubbing floors, the lonely fight to be educated, after a lifetime of being mail-order orphan, now, at last, in her seventies, blood relatives had claimed her. She blinked back tears.”

It’s the moment Martin meets her blood relatives after years of hardship; being one of the hundreds of thousands of orphans shipped from New York City to unknown lands and family in mid-America.

For Martin, it was Hays, Kansas in 1910, at age three.

“She had so much fear, such low self-esteem, she thought they couldn’t be her family,” says Coffey, “This was the most powerful moment — when she accepted being part of a family, and miraculously, they accepted her.”

Omaha resident Coffey wrote her third novel, 2010’s Mail-Order Kid, her memories in the orphanage, after four years of weekly interviews and study throughout her childhood with an with Martin and additional years of research on abusive adoptive family, her marriages, children and library career, to her death the Orphan-Train Movement.

Before meeting Martin, Coffey spent five in 2001.

“Mail-Order Kid is a story of transformation,” years touring Nebraska as a speaker with the Nebraska Humanities Council performing as vari- writes Coffey in the book’s preface, “This biograous orphan train riders she’d researched — from phy depicts how the abuse Teresa experienced as inspirational stories of children placed in loving a child weakened her self-esteem. It shows how homes, to heart-wrenching stories of abuse and she at first accepted this self-deprecation and then fought it until, through her efforts and the forced separation.

love of others, she no longer needed to apologize for having ridden an orphan train.”

Coffey didn’t read about Martin’s story in the library, however. Their friendship started with a hand-written note by Martin mailed to Coffey in the midst of her speaking-traveling days, in 1992, while Coffey was teaching at Fort Hays State University, and her activities were publicized in The Hays Daily News.

Martin wrote, “How can you lecture on orphan trains when you’ve never heard my story?”

Coffey agreed. Although she’d been performing as an orphan train rider, she had never actually met one. Coffey planned on a 20-minute acquaintance, but upon meeting the “warm and thoughtful” Martin and her closet stacked with documents from her life, the project blossomed into one of inspiration and life-learning which became Mail-Order Kid. Martin had her hand in each chapter through her death, which Coffey wrote from conversations and notes taken herself. Martin was thrilled with the result, as stated in the book’s preface, “she beamed, ‘It makes my life alive again!’”

Of the writing process for the book, Coffey writes, “I learned from Teresa the value of genuine humility. In her lack of pretension, she showed me the joy of connecting with other people by not putting herself above them — or below them.”

Likewise, Coffey hopes the story gives the readers such optimism as well. Martin’s story seems a far cry from Coffey’s first novel, 1973’s Marcella, the first novel in English to use female autoeroticism as a main theme, though Coffey relates them as stories about young women struggling with “more than they could handle.”

Her second novel, Great Plains Patchwork (1989), featuring short-story memoirs of her family, brought rave reviews from national media.

Coffey is currently at work on her fourth novel, Thieves, Rascals and Sore Losers, an historical book about Harlan County, Nebraska. She’s also

books

n What books will you be reading this year? Kenneth Slawenski’s portrait of the Catcher in the Rye author, J.D. Salinger: A Life is rumored to be the most in-depth biography yet. O: A Presidential Novel by an anonymous author that proudly claims to “have been in the room with Barack Obama” is said to be “about aspiration and delusion, set during the presidential election of 2012 and written by an anonymous author who has spent years observing politics and the fraught relationship between public image and self-regard” could very well be this year’s Primary Colors. Or not. n April sees the release of The Pale King, the much-anticipated final work from the late David Foster Wallace. Although the book was unfinished at the time of his death, the 496-page novel said to cover “questions of life’s meaning and of the value of work and society” is sure to give fans plenty to chew on and debate. n Speaking of chewing, few chef memoirs have generated as much advance buzz as NYC chef Gabrielle Hamilton’s Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef. Rumored to be as incendiary as Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, and hailed by Bourdain himself as “the best memoir by a chef ever,” this should make every foodie’s short list. n Another much buzzed-about debut is Tea Obreht’s The Tiger’s Wife, a novel that follows a young doctor as she travels to a war-torn country in the Balkans to work at an orphanage and learn more about her grandfather’s mysterious death.

Named by The New Yorker as one of the 20 best American fiction writers under forty and included in the National Book Foundation’s list of 5 Under 35, Obreht is one to watch. n Remember James Frey, the bestselling author of A Million Little Pieces that was called on the carpet by Oprah herself for fabricating parts of his book? His next novel, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible, due out this spring, will likely generate just as much publicity and rancor. The book imagines what might happen if Christ returned to Earth today and was living in New York City and having plenty of sex with both men and women.

booked

Orphan Trail

culture

— Kyle Tonniges Comments? Questions? Want more? Check out Booked online at thereader.com. Or email us at booked@thereader.com.

publishing a book of poetry, Pricksongs, featuring her Pushcart Prize-winning poem by the same name — which she’ll read from at this March’s Lit Undressed performance at RNG Gallery. (Full Disclosure: I produce this event.) She lives and works in Omaha with her longtime partner Jack Loscutoff, a science fiction writer. ,

| THE READER |

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

23

theater Shopping and F***ing challenges theatergoers at Bancroft Street Market

Y

by Warren Francke

It’s also twisted and brutal. Don’t look for someone to root for, though you might find Eric Grant-Leanna’s Mark the likeliest candidate as the junkie who is “trying to get myself sorted.” Or you might prefer Ferguson’s Gary, who after a putdown of Mark, reveals that he’s only 14, his hard cynicism the product of an abusive step-dad.

But it probably doesn’t help you root for Brian (Kelcivious Jones better known earlier as Kelcey Watson) just because he sobs at the beauty of a cello or the story of The Lion King. Not when

ou could credit Bob Fischbach’s review (“Shock factor feels out of place, but message resonates”) for the sold-out house for Shopping and F***ing. But it ran Saturday so that doesn’t explain the full shopping and f***ing house Friday.

Was it the title F-bomb disguised as “Expletive” in the aforementioned daily? Was it the warning about “very explicit sex” or, golly gee, the real possibility that director Randall Stevens had a high-quality cast presenting a serious and substantial play?

In my case, it was partly curiosity about the site, the Bancroft Street Market on South 10th Street. No problems there, other than the fact it looks totally dark from the outside, like nobody’s home. Inside, it’s spacious and reasonably comfortable with nice rest rooms and drinking fountains.

What happens on stage is much less comfortable for anyone unaccustomed to simulated buggery. Not that it’s new to drama, but maybe it seemed part of something more significant in the award-winning Angels in America.

So, yes, there’s the shock factor, but the “explicit sex” doesn’t involve much in the way of nudity other than the jock strap worn by Colin Ferguson as Gary, the teenage prostitute. Don’t bother if you’re hoping to add to your collection of stage images of bare he threatens Lulu and her roommate Robbie (Brian Zealand) with a hideous fate unless they breasts or genitalia.

If you read that Lulu (Kirstin Kluver) re- come up with money, not when he forces them moves her blouse, sorry boys. She reveals only to recite, “Money is civilization” and “civilization a zebra-striped bra to go with the leopard-print is money.”

Here’s a quick and soapy summary of how it mini-skirt over her tights and striped stockings.

Kluver’s costume adds to the persona that helps gets to that point: When Mark goes into rehab her provide most of the humor that brightens a and deprives Robbie and Lulu of his financial support, Lulu “auditions” for Brian (yes, the dark story.

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jan. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

theater

blouse thing) who hires her to peddle E for Ecstasy which she foolishly gives to Robbie who starts popping the pills and then giving them away at a dance and getting beaten in the bargain so they owe Brian 3,000 pounds which they try to repay by performing phone sex.

There’s so much more, of course. As I walked past producer Patricia Lilyhorn after the regional premiere of the Mark Ravenhill play ended, a man and woman thanked her for “a wonderful play.”

I couldn’t bring myself to call such an ugly, brutal play “wonderful.” But Stevens deserves full credit for bringing distinctive performances to life and his cast offers the possibility of understanding the forces that drive their characters to want what they want from life. As pathetic as their desires may seem at worst, most playgoers should be able to identify with the high cost of their low hopes.

So, yes, there is shock value, but I’m not sure what it means to say it’s “out of place.” It certainly doesn’t belong at the Omaha Community Playhouse or in our schools.

But it belongs in Omaha, according to the mission statement of Lilyhorn/Martin Productions, which took it over after Andrew McGreevy scheduled it for SkullDuggery, then stepped aside. Lilyhorn/Martin “endeavors to create visceral and provocative theatre experiences for the culturally savvy and those who crave something beyond the standard.” The statement refers to “provoking” and “jolting” audiences.

I liked Fischbach’s reference to the play’s “intended squirm factor.”

I guess I felt more squirmy than provoked.

Make no mistake, I loved it when the Blue Barn challenged audiences with Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?” But the challenge from Ravenhill requires tolerance that goes well beyond being “culturally savvy.” , Shopping and F***ing runs Jan. 14-23, Fri.-Sat. 7:30 p.m. and Sun. 6 p.m., at Bancroft Street Market, 10th and Bancroft. Tickets are $15, $5 for students w/ id. Age 17 and up only. Call 208.0150.

coldcream

Envelope Pushing Expletive

n When The Odd Couple debuted at the Omaha Community Playhouse in 1968, the great Frank DeGeorge played Oscar the slob and won a Fonda-McGuire award after the Neil Simon show became the season’s most popular with a week’s extension of its run.

So I welcomed a point made by its current director, Judith K. Hart, about the fun of seeing fresh faces in familiar roles. If you’ve seen Anthony ClarkKaczmarek do comedy, you’re eager to see him as the finicky Felix Ungar, a role many of us recall more from Tony Randall on television than Jack Lemmon in the film.

Hart doesn’t want her cast trying to recreate the icons, such as Walter Matthau and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison. She has a fresh new Oscar Madison, a less experienced actor named Ed Cutler.

He works as an anesthetist in Fremont.

But don’t expect Cutler, who has performed in Fremont and Gretna, to put you to sleep.

I’ll spare you such trivia questions as who was the first Playhouse Felix. (Okay, it was C. Richard Draper, who won his Fonda-McGuire award the year before when he starred in dramas by Arthur Miller and George Bernard Shaw.) The most recent local Felix and Oscar?

Aaron Zavitz and Scott Kurz in the Brigit version downtown.

The latest opens this Friday, Jan. 21, at the Playhouse and runs through Feb. 13 on the main stage. n Leading Ladies doesn’t exactly jump out at you as a title, but Ken Ludwig’s name does as its playwright, promising plenty of laughs when it opens Friday at the Bellevue Little Theatre.

I just read a Washington Post review that damned it with high praise. It reminded me of a New Yorker article that puzzled over how so many of us could enjoy such poorly written books as the Steig Larsson trilogy.

In other words, the Post panned all Ludwig plays in terms threatening that this one might be as funny as his Lend Me a Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo. You know, like critics who complain that a romantic comedy becomes predictable … as if we don’t want all to end well for Reese Witherspoon, Meg Ryan or Drew Barrymore.

Lorie Obradovich directs a cast featuring Andy Niess and Adam Hogston as two Shakespeareans who pose as a wealthy woman’s nieces to inherit her fortune. It runs Jan. 21-Feb. 6 in Bellevue’s Olde Towne.

— Warren Francke Cold Cream looks at theater in the metro area. Email information to coldcream@thereader.com.

art 2010 OEAA visual arts nominees enjoy their 15 minutes in Hot Shops show

a specific time period. Shows in private homes or studios do not qualify.

Visual Arts chairperson Gilmer is determined that these awards not devolve into a popularity contest, and for future reference he explains the vetting process:

by Michael J. Krainak n Nominations made by the public first hen the Omaha Entertainment and during the allotted time period must include the Arts association holds its annual name of the show the artist participated in. n Public nominations and the total numawards ceremony Feb. 13 at Harrah’s ber of votes will be compiled by the OEAA’s Casino, patrons will no doubt enjoy a celebration devoted to area artists in three mediums, accounting firm and then passed on to Gilmer knowing they helped put them in the spotlight. and his committee. n The visual arts committee will then valiYet, while the audience will again be entertained that Sunday evening by music and drama, nomi- date the people’s choices based on the above criteria and narrow the nees in the visual arts who list in each category to also anxiously await to be art by watie white 5-7 nominees based on named winners in their top vote getters and the categories, will enjoy their committee’s additional own 15 minutes of fame recommendations in an exhibit at the Hot n The final list of Shops Art Center. visual arts nominees is This exhibition, orthen passed on to the acganized and hung by Rob counting firm which then Gilmer, visual arts comcompiles an official balmittee chairperson, artist lot to be voted on by the Sora Kimberlin and Hot OEAA board and visual Shops Manager Tim Barry arts committee. Winners features 2D and 3D work are then announced on from 20 solo nominees in awards night. six categories as well as “We want the dozens more from several voting process to be as past group shows. transparent as possible,” Visual arts categories Gilmer says.

“In the past we’ve seen too many and their nominees include Best 2D artist: Claudia Alvarez, Gilmer, Josh Powell, Kim Reid-Kuhn, Bart votes cast by the public for artists who didn’t show Vargas and Watie White; Best 3D artist: Alvarez, during the designated time or at real shows. We Mary Day, Leslie Iwai, Matthew Schrader, Ther- think the more people understand how this works man Statom and Renee Ledesma; Best emerging the more they will get involved. We’re even placartist: Rebecca Herskovitz, Powell, Tana Quincy, ing greater demands on our committee.”

In 2010 the visual arts committee consisted of Dana Rose and Adrianne Watson; Best Group Gilmer, Brigitte McQueen, former manager of the Show: Labor/Labour, Omaha Print Guild’s Last Bemis Underground, photo-artist Larry Ferguson, Exhibition, Out of the Woods, Panoptic and Women Who Weld; Best New Media artist: Jamie Burmeis- artist-instructor Eddith Buis and yours truly. For ter, Tim Guthrie, Iwai, Alex Meyers and Statom; 2011 Gilmer added arts collector Steve Carter and Best Solo Show: Alvarez, Day, Ledesma, Michael Janet Farber, director of the Phillip Schrager ColScheef, Statom, Vargas and White; Best Visual lection of Contemporary Art. “It’s a very diverse group with a good backArtist in 2010: Larry Ferguson, Day, Iwai, Powell, Statom and Vargas. To be eligible, nominees had ground,” Gilmer adds. “Think about it. There to have exhibited in a legitimate show between are artists, academics, gallery owners past, Sept. 1, 2009 and Aug. 31, 2010. A legitimate show present and future, curators, collectors and an is one that is organized and curated with a pub- arts writer. As time goes by we can use these crilic opening in a designated public gallery within teria to add members.”

W

Gilmer says the committee will hold bimonthly meetings and require its members to make notes and keep journals regarding the shows they attend. “Our goal is 100 percent attendance at qualified shows by as many members as possible. It’s the only way to give these awards the credibility artists and their public deserve.”

On that note he promises that artists on the committee will not nominate themselves during the vetting process and will abstain from voting for themselves if nominated on the final official OEAA ballot.

The Visual Arts Show at Hot Shops has its own appeal because it’s here that the nominees are truly on view and can say, “I earned the right to be here.” There are many fine works on display, but what follows are 10 pieces that perhaps best represent what this year in art had to offer, at least as seen in this exhibit: n “Super Nova #3,” a vibrating pinwheel of color in the form of a geometric wall hanging from Bart Vargas in his show at Anderson O’Brien. n “Bacchus (Caravaggio),” a witty painting

by Watie White that cleverly messes with Slippery Humanist Values, his marvelous show at the former Jackson Artworks. n “Corn Dog w/ Mustard,” another satirical painting, but with darker undertones, this one from Claudia Alvarez from one of the year’s strongest exhibits, Corn Eaters at the RNG Gallery. n “Polaroid Test Shot,” a large blow-up selfportrait by Rob Gilmer complete with blemishes, a study of lost youth, tender, wistful and romantic. n “Your Sadness Caught Up to You/And You Decided to Run,” another stirring offering here, this one a richly expressive painting from Rebecca Herskovitz, a sublime portrait of sexual vulnerability. n “I Take It We’re Going Back to Your Place,” a humorous mix media pastiche of dating mores and pop culture icons from emerging artist Josh Powell. n “Photographs and Artifacts” from what may be the best installation of the year, Holding My Horses by Leslie Iwai. n “Untitled,” by Tana Quincy, an anatomically detailed painting of muscle and sinew, the most understated piece of feeling and expression in this show. n “Song Study,” Mary Day’s ephemeral, cosmic cityscape sculpture from her impressive Scaffolding exhibit at the Fred Simon Gallery.

art

n The Bluffs Arts Council’s 2011 membership drive began this month, seeking new members among local businesses and residents. The BAC’s programming includes artists in schools, art exhibits, concerts and movies in Bayliss Park, art camp for children, lecture series, an annual photo contest and more. Last year, the drive funded a number of projects, including scholarships for underprivileged kids to attend art camps, an expanded concert series and a lecture about Grant Wood’s experiences in the Bluffs. Almost all of the BAC’s programming is free. Contact the BAC at 712.328.4992 or go to bluffsarts.org. n The Joslyn’s latest show, The Glory of Ukraine, opens Feb. 12, and the museum is getting ready to unveil a wealth of programming surrounding the show. It includes two collections that tell the story of the Eastern European nation. The show includes objects from famous churches, cathedrals, bell towers and underground caverns of the nearly 1,000-year-old Monastery of the Caves. Programming includes the members-only opening Friday, Feb. 11, from 5:30-8 p.m. Programming continues through the run of the show and includes public lectures, a family fun day, a series of jewelry making workshops, painting classes, an Easter egg making class and an icon workshop. Visit joslynartmuseum.org. n The Durham Museum’s latest exhibition explores the life of the country’s sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln. With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition is curated by the Library of Congress and charts Lincoln’s growth from prairie lawyer to president and details the issues he faced: slavery and race, the dissolution of the Union and the Civil War included. It marks the Library’s largest gathering of Lincoln collections and includes letters, photographs, political cartoons, period engravings, speeches and other artifacts that include Lincoln’s notes and personal scrapbook. Visit durhammuseum.org.

mixedmedia

Wall of Fame

— Sarah Baker Hansen Mixed Media is a column about art. Get local art updates at weekfiftytwo.com. Send ideas to mixedmedia@thereader.com.

n “Vermin Me,” another sighting of androgynous, miniature sculpture from Jamie Burmeister that seem to appear any and everywhere like a Bansky logo, including the corner entrance to the gallery. , The Visual Arts Show opens officially this Saturday, Jan. 22, 6-9 p.m. at Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas St., and continues through January. Visit hotshopsartcenter.com.

| THE READER |

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

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art

OpeningS

MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART (MONA), 2401 Central Ave., Kearney, 308.865.8559, monet.unk.edu/mona. A FLOCK OF MONA’S CRANES: Selection of artworks illustrating Sandhill cranes, opens Jan. 25-May 15.

NOMAD LOUNGE GALLERY, 1013 Jones St., 884.1231, nomadlounge.com. TRUNK SHOW: New work by Mark Gonzales, opens Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m.

SHELDON ART GALLERY, 12th and R, UNL, Lincoln, sheldonartgallery.org. ART BEYOND SIGHT: A round-chair discussion, opens Jan. 22, 2 p.m. AN AMERICAN TASTE: THE ROHMAN COLLECTION: Opens Jan. 21-May 1. POETICAL FIRE: THREE CENTURIES OF STILL LIFES: Group show, opens Jan. 21-May 7.

UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD MUSEUM, 200 Pearl St., Council Bluffs, 501.3841, uprrmuseum.org. ABRAHAM LINCOLN COLLECTION: Through Mar. 2011.

UNL ROTUNDA GALLERY, Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, 472.8279. BENEATH THE SAND: A PHOTOJOURNEY OF OUR YEAR IN NAMIBIA: New work by Kelly and Larkin Powell, opens Jan. 24-28.

UNO ART GALLERY, Weber Fine Arts Bldg., 6001 Dodge St., 554.2796. COLLABORATION AND SYNCHOPATION: MASTERS AND MUSIC: Bemis Curator Hesse McGraw will speak follwed by a musical performance by Dustin Bushon, opens Jan. 23, 5 p.m., $15.

ONGOING

THE 815, 815 O. St., Suite 1, Lincoln, 261.4905, the815.org.

ARTISTS ON THE EDGE: Group show, through Jan. 9 MUSES STUDIO, 2713 N 48th St., Lincoln. NEW WORK: Pam Hardimon, through Jan. ANDERSON O’BRIEN FINE ART OLD MARKET, 1108 Jackson St., 884.0911, aobfineart.com. EMERGENCE: Thomas Prinz, through Jan. 23.

ANKENY ART CENTER, 1520 SW Road, Ankeny, IA, 515.965.0940, ankenyartcenter.com. MEMBERS ART EXHIBITION: Group show, through Jan. ARTISTS’ COOPERATIVE GALLERY, 405 S. 11th St., artistscoopgallery.com. 35TH ANNIVERSARY RED CARPET CELEBRATION: Group show, through Jan. 30.

BEMIS CENTER, 724 S. 12th St., 341.7130, bemiscenter.org.

STILL LIFES: New work by Vera Mercer. ANOTHER NEBRASKA: Group show by the Nebraska Arts Council individual artist fellows. Both shows through Apr. 9.

BEMIS UNDERGROUND, 724 S. 12th St., 341.7130, bemiscenter.org. GROUP SHOW: New work by Kenneth Adkins, Dan Crane and Victoria Hoyt, through Feb. 26.

BENSON GRIND, 6107 Maple St., thebensongrind.com. NEW WORK: Ashley DeVrieze, through Jan. BURKHOLDER PROJECT, 719 P St., Lincoln, 477.3305, burkholderproject.com. 23RD ARTISTS CHOOSING ARTISTS SHOW: Group show, through Jan. 29. NEW WORK: Johanna Sawyer, through Jan. 29. THE SANTA FE COLLECTION: Ongoing.

CATHEDRAL CULTURAL CENTER, 3900 Webster St., 551.4888, cathedralartsproject.org. NEW WORK: Regional Latino artists, through Feb. 4.

CHADRON STATE COLLEGE, 1000 Main St., Chadron, NE, 800.242.3766, csc.edu. NEW WORK: Marilyn Nelson, through Jan. 28.

DURHAM WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, 801 S. 10th St., 444.5071, durhammuseum.org. SCHOOL HOUSE TO WHITE HOUSE: THE EDUCATION OF THE PRESIDENTS: Through Mar. 27. WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition, through Mar. 20.

FRED SIMON GALLERY, Burlington Building, 1004 Farnam St., nebraskaartscouncil.org. NAC IAF VISUAL ARTS SHOW: Group show, through Feb. 25.

GALLERY 9, 124 S 9th St., Lincoln, 477.2822, gallerynine.com.

CLEANING HOUSE SILENT AUCTION: Group show. FRESH PERSPECTIVE: Student work. Both shows through Jan. 30.

GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE EXHIBITION, 1425 H St., Lincoln, nebraskaartscouncil.org. NEW WORK: Jason Jilg, through Feb. 4.

GRAND MANSE GALLERY, 129 N. 10th St., Lincoln, grandmanse.com. BLUE CAT: David Christiansen, through Jan. 21.

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jan. 20 - 26, 2011

GREAT PLAINS ART MUSEUM, 1155 Q St., Hewit Plc., Lincoln, 472.0599, unl.edu/plains/gallery/gallery.shtml. DOUBLE VISION: New work by Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, through Mar. 27.

HAYDON CENTER, 335 N. 8th St., Lincoln, 475.5421, haydonartcenter.org. THERE IS NO PLAN B: New work by Lenore Thomas, through Feb. 5.

HILLMER ART GALLERY, College of St. Mary, 7000 Mercy Rd., 399.2400, csm.edu. RECENT PAINTINGS: Jeffrey Spencer, through Mar. 4, reception Feb. 17, 5 p.m.

HOT SHOPS ARTS CENTER, 1301 Nicholas St., 342.6452, hotshopsartcenter.com. POTLUCK: Group show, through Jan. 30.

INTERNATIONAL QUILT STUDY CENTER AND MUSEUM, 1523 N. 33rd St., Lincoln, 472.7232, quiltstudy.org. MARSEILLE: WHITE CORDED QUILTING: Through May 8. REVISITING THE ART QUILT: Through Apr. 3, gallery talk Apr. 3, 3 p.m.

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, 333 S. 132nd St., 572.8486, jccomaha.org. SCREAM TRUTH AT THE WORLD: Emanuel Ringelblum and the Hidden Archive of the Warsaw Gutter, through Feb. 25.

JOSLYN ART MUSEUM, 2200 Dodge St., 342.3300, joslyn. org. SEASONS OF JOY: Currier and Ives Holiday Prints from the ConAgra Collection, through Jan. 23.

KANEKO, 1111 Jones St., 341.3800, thekaneko.org. FREE. FOLDED SQUARE ALPHABETS & NUMERICALS: Sculpture exhibit by Fletcher Benton, through Feb. KIECHEL FINE ART, 5733 S. 34th St., Lincoln, 420.9553, kiechelart.com. THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE (PART TWO): New work

by Neil Christensen, through Feb. 5.

KIMMEL HARDING NELSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 801 3rd Corso, Nebraska City, 874.9600, khncenterforthearts.org. NEW WORK: Eric Nels Peterson, Dan Terpstra, through Mar. 3.

KRUGER COLLECTION, UNL Architecture Hall, 10th and R, Lincoln, 472.3560, krugercollection.unl.edu. THINK GREEN: Interior/green design and miniatures, through Mar. 18.

LAURITZEN GARDENS, 100 Bancroft St., 346.4002, omahabotanicalgardens.org. A TROPICAL PARADISE: Amazing tropical plants, through Apr. THE LICHEN, 2810 N. 48th St., Lincoln, thelichen.com. NEW WORK: UNL Graduate sculpture student group show, through Jan. LUX CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 48th and Baldwin, Lincoln, 434.2787, luxcenter.org. VIS-A-VIS: Group show, through Mar. 1. PULP: Group show. SELECTIVE MEMORY: New work by Arjan Zazuety. Both shows through Feb. 26.

MODERN ARTS MIDWEST, 800 P St., Lincoln, 477.2828, modernartsmidwest.com. SMALL WORKS: Larry Roots, through Jan. 29.

MORRILL HALL, 307 Morrill Hall, Lincoln 472.3779, museum. unl.edu. AMPHIBIANS VIBRANT AND VANISHING: Photographs

by Joel Sartore, through Nov. 30.

MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART (MONA), 2401 Central Ave., Kearney, 308.865.8559, monet.unk.edu/mona. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM: Through Jun. 5, 2011. A GREATER SPECTRUM: African American artists of Nebraska, 1912-2010, through Apr. 3. OF PEN, PAPER, PENCIL: Group show, through Feb. 27.

THE NEW BLK, 1213 Jones St., 403.5619, thenewblk.com. POSITIVE SPACE: Daniel Muller and Justin Beller, through Jan. NOMAD LOUNGE GALLERY, 1013 Jones St., 884.1231, nomadlounge.com. SCRATCHING THE SURFACE: New work by Nicholas Pella, through Jan. NORFOLK ARTS CENTER, 305 N. 5th St., Norfolk, 371.7199, norfolkartscenter.org. THROUGH THE EYS OF A FRIEND: Nita Erickson, Gale Jones, through Feb. 25. INTO THE ASHES: J. Marlene Mueller, through Feb. 25.

NOYES GALLERY, 119 S. 9th St., Lincoln, 486.3866, noyesartgallery.com. FOCUS GALLERY: Group show through Jan. 31.

OLD MARKET ARTISTS, 1034 Howard St., Lower Level of Old Market Passageway, oldmarketartists.com. SOUP AND NUTS: Group show, through Jan. OMAHA’S CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, 500 S. 20th St., 342.6163. ocm.org. BIG BACKYARD: Through Apr. 10.

PARALLAX SPACE, 1745 N St., Lincoln, parallaxspace.com.

TWEEN: Anne and Michael Burton, through Jan. 31.

PIZZA SHOPPE COLLECTIVE, 6056 Maple St., 556.9090, pscollective.com. NEW WORK: Steve Schutz, through Jan. PROJECT ROOM, 1410 and 1416 O St., Suite #8, Lincoln, 617.8365, projectroom.us. NEW WORK: Matt Hilker, Ying Zhu, Maggie Tobin, through Feb., reception Feb. 4, 7 p.m.

RETRO, 1125 Jackson St., 934.7443. UNFINISHED THOUGHTS: New work by Meganne Horrocks, through Jan.

| THE READER |

art/theater listings

SCIENCE CAFE W/ REBECCA LAI & JENNIFER GERASIMOV, red9, 322 S. 9th St., Lincoln, 6:30 p.m. A discussion of discoveries in the area of DNA biosensing at the nanometer scale.

WRITER’S WORKSHOP, F St. Rec Center, 302 S. 11th St., Lincoln, 5 p.m.

LISA LANDRY, Funny Bone, Village Pointe, 17305 Davenport St., funnnyboneomaha.com, 493.8036, 7:30 p.m.

check event listings online!

RNG GALLERY, 1915 Leavenworth St., 214.3061. LINE BY LINE

BY LINE: New work by Susan Night and Rob Gilmer, through Feb. 6.

SHELDON ART GALLERY, 12th and R, UNL, Lincoln, sheldonartgallery.org. BETTER HALF, BETTER TWELFTH: Women artists in the collection, through Apr. 1, 2011. ORLAN & MIND OVER MATTER: Through Jan. 30.

TUGBOAT GALLERY, 14th and O, 2nd floor, Lincoln, tugboatgallery.com. F TO THE YES!: Group show with Alex Borovski, Alison Van Volkenburgh, Meghan Sullivan, through Jan. 29.

UNL HILLESTAD TEXTILES GALLERY, 35th & Holdrege, 2nd Floor, Home Econims Bldg., Lincoln, textilegallery.unl.edu. PERSPECTIVES AND POTENTIAL: Indian textiles and costumes, through Feb. 11.

UNO ART GALLERY, Weber Fine Arts Bldg., 6001 Dodge St., 554.2796. UNO ART FACULTY EXHIBITION: Group show, through Feb. 10.

W. DALE CLARK LIBRARY, 215 S. 15th St., 444.4800. HOMAGE TO LUIGI: Group show, honoring jazz musician Luigi Waites, through Jan. WESTERN HISTORIC TRAILS CENTER, 3434 Richard Downing Ave., Council Bluffs, 515.281.3858, iowahistory.org. OVER HERE, OVER THERE: Iowa and WWI, through Fall 2010. ART IN DAILY LIFE: The art of Native Americans, through Jan. 2011.

WORKSPACE GALLERY, Sawmill Building, 440 N. 8th St., Lincoln, sites.google.com/site/workspacegallery. NEW WORK: Priya Kambli, through Feb.

theater oPENING

FROM SHELTERBELT W/ LOVE, Shelterbelt Theatre, 3225 California St, 341.2757, shelterbelt.org. Opens Jan. 20Feb. 14, Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 6 p.m., $15, $12/students & seniors, special rates available, visit shelterbelt. org for online sales.

LEADING LADIES, Bellevue Little Theatre, 203 West Mission Ave., 291.1554, bellevuelittletheatre.com. Opens Jan. 21-Feb. 6, Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 2 p.m., $15, $13/ seniors, $7.50/students.

THE ODD COUPLE, Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St., 553.0800, omahaplayhouse.com. Opens Jan. 21-Feb. 13, Wed.-Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. & 6:30 p.m., $35, $21/students.

oNGOING

G.I. CHRISTMAS, Millard Plaza Ballroom, 5339 S 139th Plz, 891.0779, millardplazaballroom.com. Opens Jan 7-8, 14, 21-22, 28-29, 7 p.m., $40.

LITTLE WOMEN, Chanticleer Theatre, 830 Franklin Ave, Council Bluffs, chanticleertheater.com/index.php.

Through Jan. 30, Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun., 2 p.m., $17, $14/seniors, $9/students.

SHOPPING AND F***ING, Bancroft Street Market, 2702 S. 10th St., 680.6737, bancroftstreetmarket.com.

Through Jan. 23, Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun., 6 p.m., $15, $5/military & students.

poetry/comedy thursday 20

AS THE WORM TURNS, The Bookworm, 87th and Pacific, 6:30 p.m., 392.2877, bookwormomaha.com. (3rd Thursday.)

IGNITE LINCOLN, Bourbon Theatre, 1415 O St., Lincoln, ignitelincoln.org, 7 p.m., FREE. PECHA KUCHA, Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., theslowdown.com, 8:20 p.m.

PROVOKE, Benson Grind, 6107 Maple St., 7-9 p.m. Hosted by Jack Hubbell. (1st & 3rd. Thu.)

FRIDAY 21

TIM TINGLE, South Omaha Public Library, 2808 Q St., omahalibrary.org, timtingle.com, 4:30 p.m., FREE. Reading and book signing.

WELCOME BACK COMEDY NIGHT W/ PETE LEE, Nebraska Wesleyan, O’Donnell Auditorium, 50th & Huntington Ave., 9 p.m., $5.

LISA LANDRY, Funny Bone, Village Pointe, 17305 Davenport St., funnnyboneomaha.com, 493.8036, 7:30 p.m., 9:45 p.m.

SATURDAY 22

ADALYN STONE, The Bookworm, 87th and Pacific, 392.2877, bookwormomaha.com, 1 p.m. Author will sign No Therapy Needed.

CIVIL WAR BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP, The Bookworm, 87th and Pacific, 10 a.m., 392.2877, bookwormomaha.com.

THE FIRST ANNUAL VAGO BURNS NIGHT, Barley St. Tavern, 2735 N. 62nd St., 9 p.m., $5. A celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns.

LISA LANDRY, Funny Bone, Village Pointe, 17305 Davenport St., funnnyboneomaha.com, 493.8036, 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Sunday 23

MARILYN COFFEY, The Bookworm, 87th and Pacific, 1 p.m., 392.2877, bookwormomaha.com. Author will sign Mail Order Kid. OMAHA COMIC BOOK CONVENTION, Omaha Executive Inn & Suites, 3650 S. 72nd St., epguides.com/comics, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

LISA LANDRY, Funny Bone, Village Pointe, 17305 Davenport St., funnnyboneomaha.com, 493.8036, 7 p.m.

monday 24

DUFFY’S COMEDY WORKSHOP, 1412 O St., Lincoln, 474.3543, myspace.com/duffystavern, 9 p.m. Free comedy workshop (every Mon.) POETRY AT THE MOON, Crescent Moon Coffee, 816 P St., Lincoln, 435.2828, crescentmoon@inebraska.com, 7 p.m. Open mic and featured readers. (every Mon.) WWII HISTORY BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP, The Bookworm, 87th and Pacific, 2 p.m., 392.2877, bookwormomaha.com.

tuesday 25

SHOOT YOUR MOUTH OFF, The Hideout, 320 S. 72nd St., 9 p.m. sign-up, 9:30 start, 504.4434, myspace.com/shootyourmouthoff, spoken word, comedy, music and chaos (every Tues.)

WRITER’S WORKSHOP GROUP READING, Indigo Bridge Books, 7th & P St., Lincoln, 5 p.m.

WWI HISTORY BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP, The Bookworm, 87th and Pacific, 6:30 p.m., 392.2877, bookwormomaha. com.

Wednesday 26

ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC FOR MUSICIANS & POETS, Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 S. St., Lincoln, 8 p.m., 477.2007. Hosted by Spencer. (every Wed.) COMEDY NIGHT, Side Door Lounge, 3530 Leavenworth St., Omaha, 8 p.m., $5.

MIDWEST POETRY VIBE, Irie, 302 S. 11th St., 9 p.m., poetry, R&B, Neosoul music, live performances, concert DVD and food and drink. (Every Wed.) NEBRASKA WRITERS WORKSHOP, Ralston Library, 5555 S. 77th St., 331.7636, ralstonlibrary.org. Poetry/scripting/fiction. (every Wed.) PECHA KUCHA, Bourbon Theatre, 1415 O St., Lincoln, ignitelincoln.org, 7 p.m., FREE. PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL: THE GARDEN, McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Farnam, 7 p.m., FREE. After the riots of 1992, the city of Los Angeles set aside fourteen acres of land not far from the downtown area to be used as a community produce garden, the largest such parcel in the United States. (every Wed.)

Bonerama’s rock/brass puts trombone center stage

B

by Jesse D. Stanek

‘n’ roll-ish lineup consisting of electric guitar, drums and electric bass. The band plays a mix of brass band, rock and funk, offering excellent covers of staples like The Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post” and The Beatles “Helter Skelter.”

“I personally grew up in the suburbs of New Orleans,” Mullins says, “but Craig was a lot more in

bonerama efore you start questioning the source of the band name here, I offer one word to clarify: Trombone. The brass family instrument is usually found in Big Band Jazz, Dixieland Jazz, Ska and occasionally in other genres as a token or backing sound. But how often have you heard music where the trombone is the main instrument? This larger horn, usually characterized by a telescopic slide used to vary pitch, has long been content to lurk in the shadows, to ably back its horn brethren, the trumpet and saxophone. New Orleans based Bonerama is changing that, playing tunes as a six-piece rock/brass band featuring three trombonists at its core. The two founding members, Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, both came up playing as part of Harry Connick Jr.’s big band.

“We were eight years or so into the Harry thing,” says Mullins, “when he started doing more TV and movies and we found ourselves at home a lot more. We thought, you know, we should do something featuring the trombone. Craig had seen a band in New York City that was doing this trombone thing with Afro-Cuban music and we thought we should do that but with the New Orleans’ sound. So, we packed up that van and that’s what we did. You don’t see the trombone in rock bands, maybe you see it here and there as a member of a section, but you never see it as the lead instrument.

That’s what we wanted to do.”

The Big Easy was more than hospitable. touch with the social club, brass band side of things There is a rich history of brass band social clubs in New Orleans. That’s where the balance in the that often play street parades as part of funerals band comes from, each of us kind of adding what we when the casket is transferred from church to know best to the mix. But New Orleans is definitely cemetery. The city also has a rich history of mu- a special place for this kind of music. Sitting on the sicians fusing brass sounds with rock, funk and ground that Louis Armstrong once walked on is every other kind of music under the sun. Mul- definitely something special for a horn player.” lins and Klein added another trombonist, Greg The band has five recorded pieces to its Hicks, and filled out the band with a more rock credit dating to 2001’s Live at The Old Point

and including 2008’s You’re Not Alone EP with OK Go. The music definitely draws its core sound from the three trombones, but the rock instrumentation that backs the horns is refreshing, inventive and intriguing. The sound is an amalgamation of trombone notes, rock steady rhythm and a permeating improvisa-

tional feel. Let there be no doubts, this band jams and they jam in a way that is refreshing and like nothing else you’ve heard. This is a show for which you’ll want to strap on your very finest pair of dancing shoes. , Bonerama plays The Holland Center 1200 Club, 1200 Douglas St., Saturday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30. Visit omahaperformingarts.org.

music

n Peace of Shit, a rotating cast of garage punk musicians headed by songwriter Austin Ulmer, celebrated the release of the group’s debut release, a 10-song cassette. The show featured performances by Watching the Train Wreck and one-manband Mosquito Bandito. Peace of Shit’s set was a romp through fast-paced garage punk, highlighted by a wall of guitars and the rat-a-tat drumming of Brimstone Howl’s Calvin Retzlaff. The tape, released by local imprint Rainy Road Records, was recorded by Ulmer and Watching the Train Wreck’s Ben Allen. Check out rainyroadrecords.bigcartel.com. n Slumber Party Records is now taking pre-orders for the latest Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship album Hanga-Fang. The label is offering the Feb. 22 release as an MP3 download and an LP and download package. The album’s first and third tracks are available for download from the Slumber Party Record’s website. Check it out at slumberpartyrecords.com/albums/hanga-fang. n My interest in seeing the upcoming Tapes ‘N Tapes show, Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Waiting Room, just went from “not really” to “can’t miss” thanks to the strength of the Minneapolis band’s just-released third album Outside. The album, put out on the band’s own Ibid Records, streamlines from the big-rock sound that producer Dave Fridmann put on the band’s sophomore effort Walk It Off. Outside falls more in line with the band’s breakthrough debut The Loon, but comes off more assured than the try-every-style approach that placed The Loon afloat on blog buzz. Check out the solid gold on tracks like “SWM,” “Desert Plane” or the shimmying “One in the World.” n Yet another sign of a youth movement that could pave the way for Omaha’s next indie rock resurgence comes from Cymbal Rush, a three-piece indie rock band fronted by 18year-old Papillion-La Vista high School student Ryan McKeever. The band, which includes Ben Eisenberger and Chris Atkins, celebrates it’s second self-released album Which Apocolypse? with an 8 p.m. show Feb. 4, at Slowdown. The album will be released as 150 hand-screen printed copies. The band formed in 2008 and recorded its first album August in 2009. McKeever split time in 2010 recording solo efforts and putting those out in limited runs. Tree, Everyday/Everynight and In Love open the $7 release show. Listen and download past Cymbal Rush releases at cymbalrush.bandcamp.com.

backbeat

Sticks and ’Bones

music

— Chris Aponick Backbeat takes you behind the scenes of the local music scene.

Send tips, comments and questions to backbeat@thereader.com.

| THE READER |

Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

27

music

The Pizza Shoppe celebrates sweet 16

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jan. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

music

by Jesse D. Stanek

for the past four years, giving performances that are legendary in some circles. He is an accomplished guitarist who has won several regional contests as well as National Fingerstyle Championship honors and the Wyoming State Championship Flatpicking title. When you add his original songwriting and energetic performances to the mix, you get one of the most engaging solo

ixteen years ago when The Pizza Shoppe opened at 6056 Maple Street, Benson was a much different neighborhood. As music venues popped jalan crossland up, including one connected to The Pizza Shoppe called The P.S. (or Pizza Shoppe) Collective which opened around 2005 (Full Disclosure: I booked shows at the venue years ago), the area became a much more bohemian destination. It was a place to catch shows, chill at corner bars and enjoy a variety of art offerings. The Pizza Shoppe has been a Benson icon through all of this growth and change and will continue to be a vital part of the neighborhood well into the future.

The Pizza Shoppe celebrates its Sweet 16 Birthday Thursday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m.

Ten dollars gets you in the door to see local performer Matt Cox and Wyoming native Jalan Crossland. The venue will offer a host of food and drink specials, including $3.50 New Belgium drafts and $3 pizza slices. Cox is a perfect fit for the party as he has graced The P.S. Collective stage as much or more than any other performing artist. Known for soulful acoustic performances and his more electrically charged acoustic performers of our time. As Crossland shows with The Matt Cox Band, the troubadour so eloquently put it on his website, “I ain’t great at anything, but if you are half-assed at enough is among the best local Americana performers.

Crossland can be considered a friend of the things and roll ’em all together, you can amount venue as well. He has visited at least once a year to more than one whole ass.” ,

Desc.: (1/13) Omaha Reader 10” x

Final Mats: PDF File

Artist: Lori

Rev: 2

PETE YORN

WITH BEN KWELLER

FEBRUARY 19

Tickets available at whiskeyroadhouse.com or by phone at 1.888.512.SHOW.

I-29 South, Exit 1B | horseshoe.com

Must be 21 years or older to attend shows or to gamble. Know When to Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF (Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700 (National). ©2011, Caesars License Company, LLC.

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| THE READER |

JAN. 20 - 26, 2011 1/7/11

29

10:21 AM

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Backyard Notions: Visions of 2011, Pt. 3

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gibson ~ emg ~ dimarzio ~ zildian crate ~ epiphone red bear ~ hamer

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hese “predictions” have dragged on long enough. In my defense, other than complaints about live reviews, I get more feedback about my annual predictions column(s) than anything I write. People just love being told what’s going to happen (or maybe they love being told what to do). Just to be clear: There is no “insider information” being let slip below; no rumor or innuendo being repeated. These visions are pure hocus-pocus; absolute hunches fueled by coffee and fatigue and all those annoying voices arguing inside my head. Do with them what you will.

This final chapter will explain what will happen in the local music scene in 2011. Read on, if you dare … n Omaha’s festival season gets a lot more crowded with MECA’s mega orgy of music, the Red Sky Music Festival to be held at the TD Ameritrade baseball stadium. In its first year, ticket sales will fall below their projected target as MECA realizes no one is interested in dropping big bucks for the six-day ride pass, and even fewer want limited-access tickets to the B- and C-list bands playing outside the stadium. Disappointing ticket sales will cause the Red Sky/MECA/Live Nation team to rethink its booking approach. Look for even more mainstream (i.e., country, jam, bland pop) acts lined up for 2012. n In a year when it needs to differentiate itself from the Red Sky and other outdoor music events, MAHA will take fewer chances than last year for fear of messing up all the good it accomplished in 2010. Instead of forking over big bucks for major indie stars (i.e., Arcade Fire), they’ll go for an easyaccess, locally grown act, and ticket sales will suffer. The good news: It’ll wake up organizers and force even riskier behavior in 2012, including the realization that the answer isn’t going to be found at Lewis & Clark Landing, but at a baseball stadium of their own. n The local interwebs are going to get mighty crowded in ’11, but the fact is, Linoma’s small handful of local music fans don’t need seven or eight “one-stop-shop” music resources to figure out what to do on Friday nights. Watch as a couple of the online outlets fail to catch traction with readers and lose interest in updating their content, beginning that slow, familiar slide into “404 Not Found” obscurity. Meanwhile, one website will emerge as the true winner of an online war where victory is counted in clicks rather than dollars. n In a completely unexpected turn, at one least one local over-the-air radio station will take the plunge and commit to a “new music” college format

s c e n e

b y

t i m

m c m a h a n

that includes CMJ-caliber indie rock in regular rotation. And it won’t be The River. n Get those Facebook protest pages ready. Another long-running local music venue will be in danger of being gobbled up by a developer. Can anyone save this lovable dump? n Despite all the doom and gloom talk about the end of the Compact Disc, Homer’s Records will have one of its best years in recent memory in ’11, and will consider opening a new storefront in Benson. n Riding high on the new Bright Eyes release and a resurgence of interest in The Mynabirds, Saddle Creek Records will add another local band to its roster. The choice will surprise no one who follows the local music scene. n I know I say it every year, but this time I mean it: Another band will emerge from Linoma and attract national attention, and it won’t be a Saddle Creek act. Could Nebraska become the next capital of the punk music world? n Speaking of record labels, watch as another enterprising young businessman comes out of nowhere and launches a new subscription-based vinyl records club like Simon Joyner’s Grapefruit Records, but with a focus on 7-inch singles a la the Sub Pop Singles Club. Sign me up! n With every other influential old-school local indie band reuniting over the past couple of years, one more will take the stage in ’11, if only for one song. Better dig that guitar out of the closet, Mr. Nansel. n A new band will add a unique twist to the recent rage over classic ’90s-era rock as its members will consist of musicians who are the progeny of members of one of those classic ’90s-era bands — carrying on Omaha’s fine music tradition as the next generation of punk bands — literally. n Two new live music venues will open in Omaha in ’11. One will be located along an already crowded Maple Street in Benson (and I’m not talking about The Hole). The other will be the first live music venue west of 72nd Street to book serious local and touring indie bands since the good ol’ Ranch Bowl met a wrecking ball. n Emerging from the carnage of the winter recall election — and flying in the face of record deficits — the City of Omaha will get behind the return of a “youth concert” in Memorial Park that was left bending in the wind during the Suttle administration. n Lady Gaga will return to Nebraska, and this time she’ll be wearing a pork-chop dress (because pork is the other “white” meat. Get it? Wearing white? Get it? All right, it’s a stretch). n Bright Eyes will once again be nominated for a Grammy, but this time it’ll be for their music. And (surprise) they’ll win. ,

Lazy-i is a weekly column by long-time Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on the Omaha music scene. Check out Tim’s daily music news updates at his website, lazy-i.com, or email him at lazy-i@thereader.com.

30

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

lazy-i

B L U E S ,

R O O T S ,

A M E R I C A N A

A N D

Lift Update, Blues Music Awards, Lots of Local Shows

S

hoodoo

M O R E

B Y

B . J .

consider these

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a holiday after-party

Thursday, Jan. 20 Mash Up There are a couple other great shows Thursday, Jan. 20, besides the Hamilton Loomis performance at The New Lift. At the Waiting Room it’s a funk and rock extravaganza with Voodoo Method, The Whipkey Three and Son of 76 & the Watchmen. Son of 76 is fronted by occasional Reader contributor Josh Hoyer.

Down the street at Pizza Shoppe Collective, the Benson eatery celebrates its 16th Anniversary. Matt Cox Band opens for the Jalan Crossland Band. “Trailer park troubadour” Crossland is an acclaimed fingerstyle guitarist and banjo player whose humorous songs “about 21st Century rural life” include “tales of hobos, tires, mobile homes, strippers, motorcycles, trucks, cars, vice-presidents and methamphetimines (‘Drugs are bad,’ says Jalan.)”

Crossland performs in Lincoln at The 7th Street Loft Saturday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. See lafta.net.

Property: Harrah's Council Bluffs Project: Rave On Show: 1/6/11 Vendor: Omaha Reader dMax: Trim: 4.9" x 7.47" Live: 4.625" x 7.22 VO: ~ x ~ Final Mats: PDF File Desc.: (1/13) Omaha Reader 4.9” x

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ince last week’s column hit there have been new developments in The New Lift Lounge story. Terry O’Halloran reports he and the new owners of The New Lift, John Anderson and Chad Kelderman, are working out final closing details on the bar. So O’Halloran will continue to operate The New Lift for a short period. He expects the ownership transition to take place later the week of Jan. 17 or within the next two weeks.

O’Halloran also has good news for local blues fans.

“The new owners have agreed to give the Thursday blues matinees a shot, which will give me time to move it to a suitable venue if necessary.” So if you value this local series, get out and support the coming shows. A good audience turnout may extend the life of blues at The New Lift. The Thursday blues shows begin at 5:30 p.m. Keep an eye on omahablues.

Rockabilly Night com and sign up for the weekly email Local fans have formed an update that O’Halloran issues in his role Omaha Rockabilly page on as Blues Society of Omaha president.

Facebook and are launching Coming Thursday, Jan. 20, is a monthly rockabilly night. popular Texas blues-rocker Hamilton The first event is scheduled Loomis. Loomis has been featured in HAMILTON LOOMIS for Thursday, Jan. 27, at Gator Guitar Player magazine and Blues ReO’Malley’s, 12143 West Center vue magazine. The Delta Blues Festival raves, “Hamil- Rd. K.C.’s rockabilly DJ Johnny 2Tone spins music ton is the future of the electric blues.” Music News in 8-10 p.m. At 10 p.m. The Blacktop Ramblers perHouston, Texas, writes “he’s a singer, musician, com- form. poser, actor, and all-around high-powered entertainer who puts his own personal stamp on blues.”

Blues Music Awards Thursday, Jan. 27, catch the Randy Oxford You can vote in the 2011 Blues Music Awards. All you Band from Washington. They performed as part of have to do is join the Blues Foundation. Nominations last summer’s Playing With Fire concert series. Trom- were announced Dec. 15. Go to blues.org to see the bonist Oxford is veteran bandleader and multiple Pa- nominations as well as join and cast your vote. Voting cific Northwest award-winner. His horn-driven group ends March 1. Happy to see Hoodoo favorite Curtis features sultry vocalist Jada Amy. They’re headed to Salgado is nominated again in the Soul Blues Male Memphis where they compete in the International Artist category, which he won the award for last year.

Blues Challenge, representing the Washington (state) Blues Society. The Randy Oxford Band goes on at 7 Hot Notes p.m. Come early and catch The Lil’ Slim Blues Band New Orleans trombone masters Bonerama gig at the at 5 p.m. Lil’ Slim is Magic Slim’s son and has soaked Holland Center Saturday, Jan. 22. Also at the Holland up his dad’s gritty Chicago blues sound. The band Saturday, Feb. 5, catch trumpet icon Wynton Marfeatures some of Lincoln’s best players including salis performing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center OrZoo co-owner Jeff Boehmer (bass), occasional Reader chestra. See omahaperformingarts.org. contributor Josh Hoyer (sax/keys), Chris Siefkes (harMatt Gagne & the Blues Experience rock Gamonica) and Bo Rose (drums). tor O’Malley’s Friday, Jan. 21, 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 3, the series brings back one of my Saturday, Jan. 22, catch popular bands Satchel new favorites, Davina & the Vagabonds. This horn- Grande and Midwest Dilemma headlining a benand-keyboard-focused ensemble has a refreshing efit for Habitat for Humanity at the Waiting Room. sound that combines jump-blues and New Orleans Vago presents its First Annual Burns Night at piano jazz. Davina Sowers fronts the Minneapolis- the Barley Street Tavern Saturday, Jan. 22. It’s a celbased quintet with a rich, versatile voice that is equal ebration of all things Scottish, named for poet Robert parts jazz and blues. They’ll knock you out.

Burns. See 8 Days for details. , Hoodoo is a weekly column focusing on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a Reader senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who has covered the local music scene for nearly 20 years.

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V3_48697.3_4.9x7.47_4c_Ad.indd 1

| THE READER |

1/7/11 JAN. 20 - 26, 2011

31

10:46 AM

livemusiccalendar SEND CALENDAR INFORMATION — including addresses, dates, times, costs and phone numbers — to The Reader’s calendar editor. Mail to or drop off information at P.O. Box 7360 Omaha, NE 68107; email to listings@thereader.com; fax to (402) 341.6967.

Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to issue date.

thursday 20

THE BLAGGARDS, (celtic/rock) 9 p.m., Barley St. Tavern.

REGGAE NIGHT, (DJ) 9 p.m., Bricktop, FREE. OPEN JAM, 9 p.m., Chrome.

SHITHOOK, (karaoke) 9 p.m., Duffy’s.

CHAD LEE, (country) 8 p.m., Firewater Grille, FREE. NOVAK & HARR, (jazz) 6 p.m., Jazz Louisiana Kitchen.

THE GOLDEN HOUR, PERFECT STRANGERS, MY

BROTHER, (rock) 9 p.m., Knickerbockers.

STEVE SPURGEON, (acoustic) 8 p.m., LIV Lounge, FREE. DANIEL CHRISTIAN, (acoustic) 9 p.m., Myth, FREE. HAMILTON LOOMIS, (blues) 5:30 p.m., New Lift, $10.

READER RECOMMENDS CON DIOS, THE SO-SO SAILORS, (rock) 9:30 p.m.,

O’Leaver’s, $5.

R-STYLE, (jazz) 6:30 p.m., Ozone, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS JALAN CROSSLAND, MATT COX, (bluegrass/country) 9

p.m., Pizza Shoppe Collective, $10.

SWAMPJAM, (blues) 8 p.m., Pour House, FREE. JR HOSS, (acoustic) 9 p.m., Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. NATHAN WADE, (country) 9 p.m., Uncle Ron’s.

VOODOO METHOD, THE ALLENDALES, (rock) 9 p.m.,

Waiting Room, $5.

COVER ME BADD, (cover) 9 p.m., Whiskey Roadhouse.

MIDWEST DILEMMA, THE AMALGAMATORS, ORION

WALSH, (folk/indie) 9 p.m., Zoo Bar, $5.

GEORGE WALKER, (blues/jazz) 5 p.m., Zurlo’s, FREE.

FRIDAY 21

DJ CAYALA, (DJ) 9 p.m., 415, $5.

LEMON FRESH DAY, (cover) 9 p.m., Arena, FREE. WAKA WINTER CLASSIC W/ SFS, THE MIDLAND BAND,

CORNERSTONE DUB, FUNK TREK, VIBENHAI, (jam) 8

p.m., Bourbon, $5, $7/under 21.

COVER ME BADD, (cover) 9 p.m., Brewsky’s Park Drive,

FREE. JUST DANCE FRIDAY’S W/ DJ XL, (DJ) 9 p.m., Bricktop,

FREE. ALTER EGO, (rock) 9 p.m., Chrome.

OPEN MIC W/ JES WINTER, 4 p.m., Clancy’s East, FREE. JAZZ SERIES, (jazz) 7 p.m., Crescent Moon, Coffee, FREE. JR HOSS, (acoustic) 5 p.m., Cunninghams, FREE. SHUR THING, (cover) 6 p.m., Del Mare, FREE. JITTERBUGS’ NIGHT OUT, (jazz/dixieland) 9 p.m., Eagles

Lodge, $10.

5 MAN TRIO, (rock) 9 p.m., Firewater Grille, FREE. MATT GAGNE AND THE BLUES EXPERIENCE, (blues) Gator

O’Malley’s.

BUCKY MCCANN, JOHN CREWS, (blues) Havana Garage.

READER RECOMMENDS AMERICAN BEAUTY W/ KISMA JORDAN, (symphony) 8

p.m., Holland Center, $15.

STREET RAILWAY COMPANY, (jazz) 7 p.m., Jazz.

SICK OF IT ALL, MOTHER OF MERCY, OUTBREAK, BENT

LIFE, (rock) 9 p.m., Knickerbockers.

DJ LUCAS KRANCE, (DJ) 9 p.m., Lit Lounge.

FISH HEADS, (cover) 9:30 p.m., Loose Moose.

READER RECOMMENDS BRAD HOSHAW, ORION WALSH, AMY SCHMIDE, SARAH

BENCK, (singer-songwriter) 9 p.m., Louis.

ROUGH CUT, (cover) 9 p.m., Ozone, FREE. SKRETTA, ETC., (singer-songwriter) 9 p.m., Pizza Shoppe

Collective, $5.

GROOVE PUPPET, (cover) 9 p.m., red9.

PRODDER, (country) 7 p.m., Redneck’s.

ARTILLERY FUNK, HOT FROM FAR, BIG ELEPHANT,

32

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

music listings

REGGAEJUNKIEJEW, FADED, (rock/hip-hop) 7 p.m.,

Sokol Underground, $7.

EVICTED, FATE UNTOLD, (rock) 9 p.m., Stir Live, $5.

CONFIDENTIALS, (cover) 9 p.m., Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. NATHAN WADE, (country) 9 p.m., Uncle Ron’s.

DJ SHIF-D, (DJ) 9 p.m., The Underground, FREE. SCREAMING FOR SILENCE, AFTER THE FALL, CALOUS,

VULSAFIRE, (rock) 9 p.m., Waiting Room, $7.

CHRIS SAUB BAND, (cover) 9 p.m., Whiskey Roadhouse THE BLUES PROJECT, (blues) 5 p.m., Zoo Bar, $4.

LEVI WILLIAM, (blues) 9 p.m., Zoo Bar, $5.

SATURDAY 22

ALEXSED, HUTSADY, (DJ) 9 p.m., 415, $5.

JALAN CROSSLAND, (bluegrass) 7:30 p.m., 7th St. Loft.

LEMON FRESH DAY, (cover) 9 p.m., Arena, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS 1ST ANNUAL BURNS NIGHT W/ VAGO, MICHAEL CAMP

BELL, ALL YOUNG GIRLS ARE MACHINE GUNS,

JASON FERGUSON, (various) 9 p.m., Barley St., $5.

WORDS LIKE DAGGERS, DEAD ECHOES, SILENT HAVOK,

(rock/hardcore) 6 p.m., Bourbon, $5, $7/under 21.

THE KILLIGANS, IDEAL CLEANERS, BANJO LOCO, (celtic/

punk/rock) 8 p.m., Bourbon, $5, $7/under 21.

DJ VALID, NICK THE QUICK, DJ DARYL, (DJ) 9 p.m.,

Bricktop, FREE. MONSTERS IN THE BASEMENT, (rock) 9 p.m., Chrome.

SOUNDBITE, (cover) 9 p.m., Corner Bar. ACOUSTIC CONCERT SERIES, (singer-songwriter) 8 p.m.,

Crescent Moon, Coffee.

SHUR THING, (cover) 6 p.m., Del Mare, FREE. THE ESCAPE CLAUSE, DISCOURSES WITH THE DIVINE, I

AM THE NAVIGATOR, (rock) 9 p.m., Duffy’s.

RIVER CITY MIXED CHORUS: OUR FAMILY TREE, 7 p.m.,

First United Methodist Church.

DEREK VENTURA, (cover) 6:30 p.m., Gorat’s, FREE. ELVIN JAMES AND THE WAY OUTS, (rock) 9 p.m., Grant St.

Tavern.

BUCKY MCCANN, JOHN CREWS, (blues) Havana Garage.

AMERICAN BEAUTY W/ KISMA JORDAN, (symphony) 8

p.m., Holland Center, $15.

BONERAMA, (brass/funk/rock) 8 p.m., Holland Center,

$35/adv, $40/dos.

KAJAM, (jazz) 7 p.m., Jazz Louisiana Kitchen.

SECTION 8, DIRTFEDD, AS EMPIRES BURN, FOR

EDWARD, (rock/metal) 9 p.m., Knickerbockers.

FISH HEADS, (cover) 9:30 p.m., Loose Moose.

MIDWEST MUSIC SHOWCASE W/ CONCHANCE, MAJOR

TROUBLE, E-NUTT, NONSENSE, JUMP OUT SQUAD,

TARIFIC, GOONIE, MUKIE LOC, (hip-hop) 9 p.m.,

Louis.

112 NORTH DUCK, (blues) 7 p.m., McKenna’s, FREE. ROUGH CUT, (cover) 9 p.m., Ozone, FREE. RASCAL FLATTS, LUKE BRYAN, CHRIS YOUNG, (country)

7 p.m., Qwest Center, $25-$70.

QUARTUS, (cover) 9 p.m., red9.

TED DEAD, FAITH BURIED IN FLAMES, WEED SCUM,

(rock/metal) 9 p.m., Shamrock’s, $5.

GORILLA WARFARE, STRAIGHT OUTTA JUNIOR HIGH,

A SUMMER BETTER THAN YOURS, EASTERN

TURKISH, CAPSLOCK FRIDAY, (rock/punk) 6 p.m.,

Sokol Underground, $5.

THE BIG DEEP, THE BROTHERS TANDEM, ADELAIDE,

(rock) 9 p.m., Stir Live, $5.

CONFIDENTIALS, (cover) 9 p.m., Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. NATHAN WADE, (country) 9 p.m., Uncle Ron’s.

DJ SHIF-D, (DJ) 9 p.m., The Underground, FREE. BLOODCOW, NEVER DIVIDED, SHAKEN BABIES, (rock/

metal) 10 p.m., Venue 162, $5.

READER RECOMMENDS BAND BUILD: A CONCERT TO BENEFIT HABITAT FOR

HUMANITY OF OMAHA W/ SATCHEL GRANDE,

MIDWEST DILEMMA, THE 9’S, JAKE DILLEY AND

THE COLOR PHARMACY, THE HALF HEARTS,

(various) 7 p.m., Waiting Room, $10/adv, $12/dos.

HI-FI HANGOVER, (cover) 9 p.m., Whiskey Roadhouse,

FREE. DANIEL MARTINEZ, JARANA, (flamenco) 9 p.m., Zoo Bar,

$6.

SUNDAY 23

SUNDAY GOLD W/ GREG K, (DJ) 9 p.m., 415, FREE. 80’S NIGHT W/ OL’ MOANIN’ CORPSE, (DJ) 8 p.m.,

Bricktop, FREE. IRKUTSK, DARK FRUIGHT, LIGHTNING BUG, ROCK N

ROLL COMBO, (rock) 9 p.m., Duffy’s.

LIVE GUITAR, 6 p.m., Espana, FREE. RIVER CITY MIXED CHORUS: OUR FAMILY TREE, 7 p.m.,

First United Methodist Church.

UNO BOCH FESTIVAL, (classical) 2 p.m., Holland Center,

$10.

YOUNG ARISTS NIGHT: BROADWAY SONGBOOK W/ DAVE

BARRUS, (showtunes) 7 p.m., Holland Center.

JOSHUA BELL, (violin) 3 p.m., Lied Center, $42-$56, $21-

$28/student.

READER RECOMMENDS MASTERS AND MUSIC W/ HESSE MCGRAW DUSTIN BUSH

ON, 5 p.m., UNO Gallery, $15.

AUDITION NIGHT W/ HANDSOME ROB, (cover) 9 p.m.,

Whiskey Roadhouse, FREE.

MONDAY 24

SOUP AND SONG W/ KYLE & ANDY, (singer-songwriter) 8

p.m., Barley St. Tavern, FREE. MIKE GURCIULLO AND HIS LAS VEGAS LAB BAND, (jazz)

6:30 p.m., Ozone, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS AND COLLAPSE, GOODBYE FAIRBANKS, PAINT THE

COASTLINE, A SUMMER BETTER THAN YOURS,

(rock) 8 p.m., Slowdown, $8.

MOVE NIGHT: RESPECT YOURSELF - THE STAX RECORD STORY, 8 p.m., Waiting Room, FREE. PIANO HAPPY HOUR, 5 p.m., Zoo Bar, FREE. Z-JAM OPEN STAGE, 9 p.m., Zoo Bar, FREE.

TUESDAY 25

VIC NASTY, (DJ) 9 p.m., 415, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS DARREN KEEN, (DJ) 9 p.m., Duffy’s.

LYNCH MOB, BANG TANGO, (rock) 6:30 p.m., The Grove.

JUST IVORY, MICHAEL FANCY, HARRISON AND KOEHLER,

(singer-songwriter/rock) 9 p.m., Knickerbockers.

TIM KOEHN JAM, (acoustic/blues) 7 p.m., Louis, FREE. AMY SCHMIDT, (acoustic) 6:30 p.m., Ozone, FREE. CHRIS SAUB, (acoustic) 8 p.m., The Phoenix, FREE. MARK “SHARKY” SANFORD, (piano) 6:30 p.m., The Reef.

JAZZOCRACY, (jazz) 6 p.m., Zoo Bar, FREE.

Wednesday 26

E BROWN, (DJ) 9 p.m., 415, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS THE TURFMEN, (celtic) 7 p.m., Brazen Head.

THE ALLENDALES, VOODOO METHOD, (rock) 9 p.m.,

Duffy’s.

ZEBRA JAM, (rock) 9 p.m., Gator O’Malley’s, FREE. JORGE NILA JAZZ JAM, (jazz) 7:30 p.m., Indulgence

Lounge.

EMILY FAY, (acoustic) 8 p.m., Lit Lounge, FREE. JR HOSS, (acoustic) 7 p.m., Loose Moose.

THE PERSUADERS, (oldies) 6:30 p.m., Ozone, FREE. UNDERDAWGZ, KUSH AND THE CLOCKWORK, MEAN

SWAG, CHAMP DA HILLBILLY, LON MEEZY & YUNG

ASSASSYN, MR. F.U., ROY BOI, (hip-hop) 9 p.m.,

Knickerbockers.

TRIBAL SEEDS, FORTUNATE YOUTH, 77 JEFFERSON,

(rock) 8 p.m., Sokol Underground, $10.

BLU SIMON, (rock) 9 p.m., Your Mom’s Downtown Bar,

FREE.

VENUES

Ameristar Casino, 2200 River Rd., Council Bluffs, ameristar.com Arena Bar & Grill, 3809 N. 90th St., 571.2310, arenaomaha.com BarFly, 707 N. 114th St., 504.4811 Barley Street Tavern, 2735 N. 62nd St., 554.5834, barleystreet.com Bourbon Theatre, 1415 O St., Lincoln, 730.5695 Downtown Blues, 1512 Howard St., 345.0180 Duffy’s Tavern, 1412 O St., Lincoln, 474.3453, myspace.com/duffystavern The Hideout, 302 S. 72nd St. Knickerbocker’s, 901 O St., Lincoln, 476.6865, knickerbockers.net LIV Lounge, 2279 S. 67th St., 884.5410, livlounge. com Louis Bar and Grill, 5702 NW Radial Hwy., 551.5993 McKenna’s Blues, Booze & BBQ, 7425 Pacific St., 393.7427, mckennasbbq.com New Lift Lounge, 4737 S. 96th St., 339.7170

0 O’Leaver’s Pub, 1322 S. Saddle Creek Rd., 556.1238, myspace.com/oleaverspub Ozone Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, 72nd and F, 331.7575, ozoneclubomaha.com.

Pizza Shoppe Collective, 6056 Maple St., 556.9090, pscollective.com Qwest, 455 N. 10th St., qwestcenteromaha.com Side Door, 3530 Leavenworth St., 504.3444.

Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., 345.7569, theslowdown.com Sokol Hall, 2234 S. 13th St., 346.9802, sokolundergound.com The Sydney, 5918 Maple St., 932.9262, thesydneybenson.com Stir, 1 Harrahs Blvd., Council Bluffs, harrahs.com Venue 162, 162 W. Broadway, Council Bluffs, 712.256.7768, myspace.com/venue162 Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St., 884.5353, waitingroomlounge.com Whiskey Roadhouse, Horseshoe Casino, 2701 32nd Ave., Council Bluffs, whiskeyroadhouse.com Zoo Bar, 136 N.14th St., Lincoln, zoobar.com

UPCOMING SHOWS

Screaming For Silence (*S4S*) was officially formed in the fall of 2005, and has been hitting the midwest music scene hard ever since. *S4S*’s “sound” has allowed them to play with a wide variety of national acts. Their sound is influenced by a genre combination of Hard Rock and Metal in conjunction with Nu-Metal and Alternative tendencies.

Friday, 1/21/11 9:00PM @ the waiting rooM

SCREAMING FOR SILENCE

SPOtlIGHt SHOW

w/ After The Fall, Calous, & Vulsafire

2234 South 13th Street Omaha, NE 68108 346 - 9802 www.sokolundground.com

thurSday, 1/20/11 9:00PM @ the waiting rooM

Saturday, 1/22/11 7:00PM @ the waiting rooM

Monday, 1/24/11 8:00PM @ the waiting rooM

VOODOO METHOD

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BENEFIT

MONDAY MOVIE NIGHT

thurSday, 1/27/11 9:00PM @ the waiting rooM

Friday, 1/28/11 9:00PM @ the waiting rooM

Saturday, 1/29/11 9:00PM @ the waiting rooM

w/ The Whipkey Three & The Allendales

Respect Yourself The Stax Records Story NO COVER CHARGE!!!

MusicOmahaShow.com Thu 1/21/2011

fri 1/22/2011

Artillery Funk w/ MC GrinGo, Hot FroM FAr, rJJ & FAded GorillA wArFAre & SoJH w/ A SuMMer Better tHAn yourS, eAStern turkiSH, And CApSloCk FridAy doorS @ 6:00 SHow @ 6:30 $5 At tHe door

Christmas SUNDAY, FEB. 6 | 9 P.M. Music Episode

THE SHOW IS THE RAINBOW

GUNK GETS PHYSICAL!

CONDUITS KILL COUNTY

w/ Kobrakyle, $pencelove, and Inflect

With Special Guests:

w/ The Machete Archive & Prairies

PLAIN WHITE T’S w/ Parachute & Miggs

Rock Paper

MANNY COON Dynamite DOWN WITH THE SHIP DUFFY’S TAVERN | 1412 O ST.

$5 (A PORTION OF PROCEEDS BENEFIT HEAR NEBRASKA)

Janurary Music Episode

Saturday, 1/29/11 8:00PM @ Slowdown

With Special Guests:

w/ Iration & Orgone

REBELUTION

Landing on the Moon

Sunday, 1/30/11 4:00PM @ the waiting rooM

GORILLA PRODUCTIONS Battle Of The Bands

2/2/11 EuforquEstra 2/3/11 BluE Bird 2/04/11 kris lagEr Band 2/05/11 M.o.Caiaus/JiMMY Hooligan 2/6/11 supEr Bowl partY 2/7/11 a triButE to J dilla 2/09/11 intErpol 2/10/11 Big gigantiC 2/11/11 lEarning to floYd 2/11/11 aurasing

Monday, 1/31/11 8:00PM @ the waiting rooM Monday MoVie night the laSt waltz NO COVER CHARGE!!!

2/12/11 BEst Coast / waVVEs 2/13/11 gorilla produCtions 2/13/11 uMpHrEY’s MCgEE 2/14/11 tHE toastErs 2/15/11 CalEB HawlEY 2/15/11 as i laY dYing 2/16/11 fanCY partY CoMEdY 2/17/11 YaMn 2/18/11 tEnnis 2/19/11 dEErHoof

More Information and Tickets Available at

WWW.ONEPERCENTPRODUCTIONS.COM QUENLUEN.COM

music listings

| THE READER |

JAN. 20 - 26, 2011

33

An Evening with Steven Soderbergh.

Academy Award-winning director of Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Out of Sight, The Informant!, and the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy.

interview by Kurt Andersen, with an introduction by Alexander Payne.

Sunday, February 20, 2011 Holland Performing Arts Center

Event Chairpersons: The Weitz Family

More information and tickets at filmstreams.org or (402) 933-0259 ext. 13.

All proceeds support Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater, Omaha’s nonprofit cinema.

FEATURE PARTNERS

dESigN PARTNER

7646 Cass Street

Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater 14th & Mike Fahey Street (formerly Webster Street) More info & showtimes 402.933.0259 · filmstreams.org Facebook & Twitter: /filmstreams

34

JAN. 20 - 26, 2010

This Week I Love You Phillip Morris First-Run (R)

Directed by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa. Featuring Jim Carrey & Ewan McGregor.

Starts Friday, January 21 “The funniest, most subversive film of the year.” —Peter Debruge, Village Voice “Jim Carrey makes the role seem effortless; he deceives as spontaneously as others breathe.” —Roger Ebert

| THE READER |

Night Catches Us First-Run (R) Directed by Tanya Hamilton.

Friday, January 21 - Thursday, January 27 “MESMERIZING. Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington couldn’t be better. Tanya Hamilton”s first feature is something to cherish.

Remember her name. She’s a genuine find.” —Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Film Streams Members Select:

The Godfather 1972

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Saturday, Jan 22, 3pm (FREE for Members!)

Sunday, Jan 23, 3pm Thursday, Jan 27, 8:30pm

Family & Children’s Series The Marx Brothers:

A Night at the Opera 1935 January 22 - February 3 (Saturdays, Sundays, Thursdays)

e d i t e d

DVD Discovery: Catfish offers a whopper of a facebook tale

A

by Ben Coffman

lthough 2010 won’t go down as The Greatest Year of Filmmaking Ever, it is becoming more and more notable as The Year that Documentaries Blew Our Minds.

The latest evidence supporting this assertion is Catfish, a compelling catfish and timely documentary that is nearly impossible to describe without spoiling it for everyone.

Freshly released on DVD, Catfish tells the story of a young New York City photographer named Nev Schulman who becomes pen pals with an admiring clan of Michiganites (themselves also artists of varying degrees) after they see one of his photographs published in a newspaper. For an ostensible lack of anything better to do, his brother Ariel Schulman and friend Henry Joost, both filmmakers, decide to document Nev’s long-distance relationship with the family.

To put it simply, the main controversy surrounding the film involves its representation of reality. At times, Nev’s gleaming white

smile and natural charisma seem too Hollywood; the shaky hand-held camera perspective seems too Cloverfield.

Catfish’s closest analog in 2010 was street artist Bansky’s Exit Through the Gift Shop, a film so riddled with nuance, misdirection and good ol’ fashioned monkey-shining (for lack of a better idiom) that sales of Rogaine temporarily spiked as a result of collective, aggressive head-scratching. The reality is that both of these films are a sign of the times — we are a generation raised on This is Spinal Tap, living in an age of instant

information and misinformation. Hucksters and snake-oil peddlers have been allowed to set up shop in the marketplace of ideas, and we have to be suspicious. Right?

Coincidentally, the reality of our day-to-day lives (with Facebook prominently figuring into our lives) is a theme throughout the film. Whether documentary or crockumentary, Catfish is a worthy piece of filmmaking and a startling look into the mirror. After following its increasingly strange narrative and reaching its train-wreck conclusion, we’ve spied on Nev’s world via pixilated close-ups of Facebook walls. When Nev and company fly, we see their plane arc across a Google map.

When they’re driving, we see the Garmin giving them directions. They are us, and we are them.

A DVD bonus includes a 24-minute interview with the film’s principle players that mostly centers on the real-or-not debate. The true conspiracy theorists among us likely won’t be swayed by the filmmaker’s answers, but, regardless, it’s a lot of fun to hear a filmmaker directly rebut his or her critics — even if theirs isn’t the final word on the matter. ,

GRADE: A-

B y

r y a n

s y r e k

I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life. Well, at least not all of it. I just want to tell you how to live your life on a few specific days. So grab a pen and get to stuffin’ your schedule. n By now you’re all kinds of aware that the Omaha Film Festival (omahafilmfestival.org) runs March 2-6 at the Great Escape Stadium 16 Theatre, right? That’s cool, but why wait for March when the party starts Feb 5, from 6-10 p.m. at the North Sea Films Building, 2626 Harney St. The OFF’11 Release Party will kick the shindig off right, with no admission fee and plenty of passes, posters and T-shirts. And just like in a rap video, after the party there’s another party. Then Feb. 27, from 6-11 p.m. at the Nomad Lounge, 1013 Jones St., the OFF’scar Party is the best way to watch Hollywood give itself a high-five. See, like I said, feel free to write this stuff on your calendar in ink. n This next one is a bit sudden, but I believe there’s a rule about offers and refusals that’s going to spring to mind. Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theatre (filmstreams.org) is finally showing The Godfather. The winner of the annual “Film Streams Members Select” vote this year, the classic will screen Saturday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 23, at 3 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 27, at 8:30 p.m. And the first screening is free for Film Streams Members! Even if you’ve seen it before, if you haven’t seen it on the big screen, well let’s just say the experience is still more shocking than equine decapitation.

cuttingroom

Lie Space

film

— Ryan Syrek Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com. Check out Ryan on the radio on CD 105.9 (Fridays at around 7:30 a.m.), on his blog at thereader.com/film/C19 and on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).

uwmidlands.org film

| THE READER |

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

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film m o v i e

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r e v i e w s ,

c o m m e n t a r y

Slight Sting: Rogen and company take on The Green Hornet

T

by Justin Senkbile

here should be no doubt that director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is a genius; unfortunately, his 3D action/comedy spectacle, The Green Hornet, isn’t. It’s really more of a by- the green hornet the-book bro-mantic comedy at heart, which is no surprise since it was written

by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad). Still, it is an interesting step taken by an interesting director and does have a handful of thrills and modest laughs.

A thinned-down Rogen, displaying little trace of his previous schmucky, star-making roles, is Britt Reid, your average egotistical playboy. He’s left in charge of a major L.A. newspaper when his father (Tom Wilkinson) turns up dead. Britt becomes close with his father’s super-genius mechanic, Kato (Jay Chou), and before you know it, he decides that what he’d really like to do is fight crime.

Luckily, Kato is also a karate expert, so when Britt hits the streets under the name “The Green Hornet,” he’s actually able to upset things in the L.A. underworld and catch the attention of the nefarious Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). Along the way there’s a fantastic cameo from James Franco as a rival drug lord, Edward James Olmos as a crusty old newspaper man and Cameron Diaz as Britt’s secretary/love interest.

reportcard Black Swan A It’s like Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” … only with more sexytime.

Easy A (ON DVD) AEmma Stone more than makes the grade … she makes me swoon.

READER RECOMMENDS

The Fighter If you can be punch-drunk on crack, Bale nails it.

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| THE READER |

film

a n d

B+

m o r e

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In the hands of Gondry, Rogen and Goldberg, this 1930s radio serial becomes a spoof of superhero cinema, similar to what Rogen and director David Gordon Green did to the action thriller genre with Pineapple Express.

And after several years now of ultra-dark, hard-boiled super heroics, it’s a refreshing approach to take.

But there’s something a little too casual about The Green Hornet. It feels extremely unfocused, which is insane considering that this movie has been in the works, in one form or

another, since 1992. One big problem is how strangely so much of the dialogue is delivered.

Many conversations, especially between Rogen and Chou, feel like they’re audition footage, like the actors are slightly hesitant and uncomfortable. Much of this probably has to do with Chou’s less than perfect command of English, and perhaps because Gondry, a Frenchman, isn’t native to the language himself.

That might sound like a small criticism, but it’s one of several weak links that leave The Green Hornet less than satisfying, both for fans of Gondry and, presumably, for fans of the character. ,

GRADE: C

The King’s Speech BNot the best movie of the year, but lots of people will tell you it is.

The Social Network (ON DVD) No one can deny the brilliance of Sorkin’s script … well, maybe Mark Zuckerberg can.

B+

True Grit AYippee ty yi yay! The best Western since The Unforgiven.

M O V I E

R E V I E W S ,

C O M M E N T A R Y

Flaming Pants, Burning Loins: Carrey is one gay liar, liar in I Love You Philip Morris

J

by Ryan Syrek

A N D

M O R E

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film

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begins once more conning his way to infamy and imprisonment.

Philip Morris never hits the stride it stumbles to reach; Carrey initially plays things too broad, mugging and yukking his way along with a silly voice and disingenuous emoting.

Maybe it’s not his fault; maybe Requa and Ficarra goaded him into it, but it destroys our chance to treat Russell as real. Thus, when his emotional rollercoaster with Morris plays out, we’re nowhere near as affected as we should be.

And Morris is another problem, as McGregor’s

im Carrey has no damn luck.

I Love You Philip Morris is a darkly comic, gay Catch Me If You Can, the central role in which requires rapid fluctuation I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS from slapstick pratfalls to wrestling with AIDS. It’s exactly the type of part that scores formerly big-time actors their marquee award nomination.

If the film weren’t tonally disjointed, had more genuine romance and didn’t use a penis-shaped cloud as a narrative bookend a la Forrest Gump’s feather, Jimmy C may have defied LL Cool J adage and called it a comeback.

Based on the wickedly weird real life of con man Steven Russell, Philip Morris sports a deliciously complex lead character. Russell is a family man, married to Debbie (Leslie Mann), and police officer who trades his existence in to become a gay punchline. He takes on a Latin lover (Rodrigo Santoro), wears clothing dictated by stereotypes and starts fraudulently using credit sweet simpleton doesn’t exude the muse-like cards and other lowbrow swindles.

In the interest of fairness, let’s just assume qualities Russell supposedly sees.

I Love You Philip Morris is never boring, highthat writers/directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra’s adaptation of Steve McVicker’s book ac- ly original and marginally groundbreaking — in curately depicts Russell’s descent into the pink, that using a gay central romance for both emofrilly borders of extreme gayness and that this tional weight and laughs is far from commonwasn’t done for the miniscule laughs it affords. place. Yet nothing feels quite right. The quirky Moving from laugh-seeking to love-sharing, when never blends with the intelligence, which never Russell meets Philip Morris (Ewan McGregor) blends with the performances. The result is a while in prison, two souls find their other half. classic near-hit. Sorry, Jimbo, looks like LL still Of course, Russell being a near pathological liar gets the last word. , addicted to “living high on the gay hog,” can’t GRADE: Bleave well enough alone, and after their release

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FRIDAY 1/21 vs. USA ’94 World Cup Team 7:05pm SUNDAY 1/23 vs. KANSAS CITY COMETS 3:05PM *NOTE: Mexican Nat’l Indoor Team game on 12/12 rescheduled for FEB. ALL HOME GAMES PLAYED AT THE OMAHA CIVIC AUDITORIUM 20TH & CAPITOL

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u Saturday, Jan. 29 @ 2:05 p.m.

Creighton vs. Indiana State

u Thursday, Jan. 27 @ 7:05 p.m.

Creighton vs. Missouri State u Saturday, Jan. 29 @ 6:05 p.m.

Creighton vs. Wichita State

Men’s basketball home games played at Qwest Center Omaha (10th & Cass St.) Women’s basketball home games played at the Ryan Athletic Center/D.J. Sokol Arena (19th & Webster St.)

Tickets: 280-JAYS

WWW.GOCREIGHTON.COM

| THE READER |

JAN. 20 - 26, 2011

37

newsoftheweird

T H E W O R L D G O N E F R E A K Y B Y C H U C K S H E P H E R D W I T H I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y TO M B R I S C O E

Scum Manifesto

A

now-10-year-old church in Denver ministers to (as contemplated by 1 Corinthians 4:11-13) the homeless, the reviled, and the persecuted and formally named itself after the actual words in verse 13, the “Scum of the Earth” Church. The congregation touts nonjudgmental Christianity; owns an elegant, aging building (but holds services elsewhere due to fire code violations); and is a rough mix of anarchists, punk rockers, environmentalists and disaffected teens perhaps mainly keen on angering their parents. “Scum” (as church members matter-of-factly call themselves) tilt mildly philosophically conservative (though not nearly evangelical), connected only by the common belief that “God is love,” according to a December report in Denver’s Westword.

Great Art! ■ Among the recent works funded by Arts Council England was a “painting” consisting of a blank canvas, for which artist Agnieszka Kurant was paid the equivalent of about $2,300 and on which she intends to paint something in the future. Rounding out her exhibition were a “sculpture” that was not really present and a “movie” that had been shot with no film in the camera.

■ In October, borrowing from the U.S. Air Guitar Championship (which honors self-made guitar “heroes” playing wild rock ‘n’ roll as if they were holding real guitars), the second annual Air Sex Championship was held in the Music Hall in Brooklyn, N.Y., and eventually won by Lady C. whose performance could not easily be described.

Each contestant (solo only) had two minutes to

cover “all the bases” — “meeting, seduction, foreplay, intercourse, and, if successful, afterglow.”

Exposing body parts was not allowed.

Fine Points of the Law ■ Questionable Judgments: (1) The New Jersey Government Record Council ruled in December that the town of Somerset overcharged Tom Coulter in 2008 by $4.04 on the $5 it collected for a compact disc of a council meeting and must issue a refund. The town estimates that it spent about $17,000 fighting Coulter’s appeals and paying his attorney’s fees. (2) Brandi Jo Winkelman, 17, was charged in September in Juneau, Wis., with violating the state’s child abuse law after a schoolyard fight and risks a maximum of six years in prison. Authorities charged Winkelman even though her “victim” was a classmate older than Winkelman.

■ Police in Hyderabad, Pakistan, recently arrested a doctor for the increasingly suspect crime of insulting Islam, after he merely tossed away the business card of a man who happened to have the last name “Muhammad.”

According to a December Associated Press dispatch, “dozens” of Pakistanis are sentenced to death each year for such tangential references to the holy name of Muhammad, but the government fears that trying to repeal the law might incite Muslim extremism.

Police Report If You’re Not Safe in Your Own Home … : (1) At 2 a.m. on Nov. 13 in Akron, Ohio, a 70-year-old woman was the victim of a home invasion when Cory Buckley, 22, broke in and robbed her. According to the police report, the woman was seated on the commode at the time, and Buckley was

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JAN. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

weird news

COPYRIGHT 2010 CHUCK SHEPHERD. Visit Chuck Shepherd daily at NewsoftheWeird.blogspot.com or NewsoftheWeird.com. Send Weird News to WeirdNewsTips@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, FL 33679.

Illustrations by Tom Briscoe (smallworldcomics.com).

dressed in a clown mask. (2) Melissa Wagaman, 33, was convicted in November in Hagerstown, Md., of a February home invasion in which she broke into her neighbor’s house while wearing only a bridal skirt and veil. She later blamed cold medicine and marijuana.

Oops!

Among the Major League Baseball players (average salary: about $3.3 million) who spent time on the disabled list in 2010: Kendry Morales (Angels), who broke his leg jumping on home plate after hitting a home run; Brian Roberts (Orioles), who was out a week with a concussion when he smacked himself in the head with his bat after striking out; Chris Coghlan (Marlins), who needed knee surgery after giving a teammate a playful post-game shavingcream pie; and Geoff Blum (Astros), who needed elbow surgery after straining his arm putting on his shirt.

Medicare In Action

n The federal agency that administers Medicare acknowledged to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in November that the government often overpays for patient wheelchairs due to a quirk in its rules. Ordinary wheelchairs sell for $100 to $350, but Medicare cannot reimburse patients who buy the chairs; it can only pay for rentals (for up to 13 months), for $40 to $135 a month.

A 2009 audit found that Medicare allowed up to $7,215 for oxygen dispensers that were available for sale for $587 and $4,018 for a power wheelchair that cost suppliers $1,048.

n A December Wall Street Journal investigation turned up instances of physical-therapy doctors earning millions of dollars a year in Medicare payments by “treating” nonexistent patients or by over-treating real patients or by providing controversial “treatments” that other therapists say are useless. Describing the work of hard-partying, spike-haired Miami Beach doctor Christopher Wayne, one former physical-therapy association official likened Wayne’s expensive “treatment” to “back rubs.” Medicare law requires prompt payment to doctors but prevents the public release of doctors’ billing records — even if all patient identification is hidden — thus ensuring that any Medicare abuses can only be uncovered by a small team of federal investigators and not by the press unless, as the Wall Street Journal did, they investigate patient by patient.

The MET Opera Returns Dec. 18

Chicago Symphony Orchestra • Mondays 8 PM Live at the Concertgebouw • Tuesdays 8 PM Modern Classics • Fridays 6pm Midnight Special • Fridays Midnight Metropolitan Opera • Saturdays Noon Classical Guitar Alive • Sundays 10 AM Composer Spotlight • Sundays 11 AM Going Beyond Words • Sundays Noon From The Top • Sundays 5 PM New York Philharmonic • Sundays 6 PM

WWW.KVNO.ORG

A News of the Weird Classic (December 2000)

London’s The Independent reported from Tokyo in December on the prolonged, even “epic” sulk (a state of funk called “hikikomori”) that afflicts a million young professionals, who simply withdraw from their careers and hole up nearly 24 hours a day in their apartments (or rooms in their parents’ homes) for months at a time, emerging only to gather food before retreating inside for TV or video games.

Many psychiatrists call it merely an extreme reaction to parents who have pressured their sons to succeed. In July 2008, the Japanese software company Avex produced a video to help those men, simply featuring a series of young women staring into the lens, occasionally saying “Good morning,” so that hikikomori sufferers can practice feeling the gazes of strangers. ,

weird news

| THE READER |

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

39

planetpower w ee k l y

h oroscopes

W

elcome into Aquarius, the sign of the unexpected, unusual and bizarre. To 90 percent of humanity the season of winter is just one loooong boooring Capricoooorn that lasts until spring. Ten percent of humanity responds to the Uranian vibration and half of them (will) mess it up. Otherwise the other 90 percent would jump on board — ’cause the unusual, eccentric and bizarre is soooo much mooore fun!

— MojoPoPlanetPower.com k AQUARIUS (1.21-2.19) Expect everything to light up celestially. Jupiter and your esoteric ruler, the planet Uranus, are conjunct all of 2011. Now in the final degrees of Pisces (the Dreamer) and finishing 2011 retrograding back to 0 degrees Aries (the Initiator) by next New Year’s, so you can start all over again. What are you dreams? Which is your BIGGEST (Jupiter)? Prepare to make it happen in 2012 after this year’s preliminaries.

The planet Uranus enters Aries at Sunset, March 11.

You’ll notice the difference.

March 19 is the Full Moon in Virgo and the Sun will conjunct the planet Uranus at 1 degree Aries at Sunset, March 21, setting up a larger than life (Jupiter) unusual (the planet Uranus) spring! l PISCES (2.20-3.20) Continue sleeping (How does the MOJO know?) until the Full Moon on the Leo/ Virgo cusp Feb. 18, as the Sun slips into Pisces at Sunset. The Sun will be conjunct your esoteric ruler Neptune. You’ll either wake up psychically or drift further into the unknown. Seek the Spiritual root of your life. Nighty-night … a ARIES (3.21-4.20) Right now your energy is best spent in service to humanity, your fellow human beings, your altruistic brothers and sisters. Mars is in Aquarius for a month. In that month either your dream comes true or you see through the illusion that’s getting in the way of your dreams manifesting by Feb. 20 (Mars conjunct Neptune). Accrue some good karma by doing a good deed for another without recourse to your own benefit. b TAURUS (4.21-5.20) Enjoy/love your freedom (Venus in Sagittarius). Open up, remain optimistic and Feb. 1 you’ll (some, not all) have a shot at being receptive enough to hear/feel the Holy Word as Venus conjuncts the Hunab Ku, the GOD of the Mayans and the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. Need I say more? Listen. c GEMINI (5.21-6.21) You’re not going to be happy unless you can transcend the gravity of the situation and brighten up. Business as usual has you bored silly, but the relative security of “three hots and a cot” has you enjoying what little security you can find here in the hinter winter lands? You’re more meant to fly — but not until spring. Your friends will show up for the Chinese New Year on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2.

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jan. 20 - 26, 2011

| THE READER |

mojo

b y

mo j opo

d CANCER (6.22-7.22) The Full Moon on the Cancer/ Leo cusp just happened last Wednesday, Jan. 19. It’s been all good aspects (so far) from then? Friday night there’s an opposition — Moon opposite Neptune. Maybe a miscommunication about money? You could always hit the rack early and just dream about it … “dancing in the void” avoidance. Nighty-night … It’s your half-birthday. Dream where you want to be six short Full Moons from now, when your power returns. e LEO (7.23-8.22) Everybody’s looking at how to “get it together” and you’re worrying about how and who (who else?) is going to pay for it all. The last Full Moon Jan. 19, was on the cusp of Leo and the next Full Moon is in opposition to Neptune, the planet of illusion, confusion and delusion, Feb. 18, on the latter cusp of Leo. Anything can happen (in your dreams). It’s all an illusion.

Keep your sense of humor and learn from it. There’s money in confusion? f VIRGO (8.23-9.22) Two more weeks of business as usual and then you can freak out! With Mercury in Capricorn until the New Moon in Aquarius, Chinese New Year’s, Groundhog Day (Feb. 2-3) you can study Yoga, take care of at least one old debt, communicate with your Father (whether living or departed), write a children’s book (Mercury in your theoretical 5th House) and/or read the intro above?

Call me in two weeks? g LIBRA (9.23-10.22) Please read Taurus. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Moon moves into Libra Sunday, Jan. 23, at Sunset — with an opposition to the Jupiter/Uranian conjunction on the Pisces/Aries cusp. Moonday night Jan. 24, the Moon in Libra conjuncts Saturn. The growth will be private, alone and preferably at home. Where do you want to be for the Full Moon in Aries, Oct. 12, when the Sun will be conjunct with Saturn? h SCORPIO (10.23-11.22) Martians: Continue working “for the good of humanity.” You’ve got a month of working for your fellow human beings. If you’re not happy this coming month, you’re not “giving” enough. It takes a lot of help to be independent? Welcome to the conundrum (look it up). Plutonians: Whatcha gonna do with all that cake? i SAGITTARIUS (11.23-12.21) Boom! Amidst all this snow and blow, it’s spring in your mind. Your ruler Jupiter enters Aries, the sign of new beginnings, late Jan. 22, and stays until June. Short but sweet! Use it before you/we lose it. Time to start something! We’ll discuss tempo next week when once again we speak. j CAPRICORN (12.22-1.20) Create as much harmony, design, art and love as you can before your ruler Saturn moves retrograde in mid Libra, from Jan. 26, until mid June. Then it will be a perfect time for you to work on the harmony, design, art and love that you’ve created thus far.

It’s a two-year project. How does the MOJO know? ,

UÊ > Õ>ÀÞÊÓä]ÊÓ䣣ÊU 4HERE WILL BE ENTIRE GATED COMMUNI TIES DEDICATED TO SEXUAL FETISHES IN THE FUTURE STARTING WITH A COMMUNITY CALLED 0EEPING 4OM #ORNER IN &LORIDA IN 4HAT COMMUNITY WILL BE GATED BLOCKS

AND INHABITED BY VOYEURS AND EXHIBITION ISTS IT S MOTTO WILL BE hA TELESCOPE IN EVERY WINDOW AND NOT A WINDOWSHADE TO BE FOUND v 3OON THERE WILL BE COMMUNI TIES BUILT AROUND WIFE SWAPPING NEIGH BORHOODS FOR ORGIASTS NEIGHBORHOODS FOR

LEATHER FETISHISTS WHATEVER KINK SOME BODY HAS THERE WILL BE A GATED COMMU NITY SPECIlCALLY FOR THEM

4HE NEXT DECADE WILL EXPERIENCE AN INTER NATIONAL VERSION OF THE SUBURBAN hWHITE mIGHTv THAT HIT !MERICAN CITIES IN THE S AND S WITH WEALTHY !MERICANS mEEING THIS COUNTRY FOR BETTER JOBS AND CHEAPER COST OF LIVING ABROAD 2OUGHTLY PERCENT OF !MERICANS WILL EMIGRATE

funnies

| THE READER |

Jan. 20 - 26, 2011

41

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| THE READER |

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42

local

GAY & Bi CRUISE LINE HOOK UP FAST!

Saturday, January 22nd

OEAA ART EXHIBIT

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January 14 to January 29 from 6pm - 9pm.

2011

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| THE READER |

jan. 20 - 26, 2011

43

g h i t O N e n n l y O a midwestern town

Transformed Sunday, February 13th 6:30 PM Harrah’s Convention Center – Tickets $20 –

Tickets on sale NOW at: www.harrahscouncilbluffs.com

Post-show party at Stir Live & Loud featuring OEAA nominated DJ showcase!

Model dresses provided by:

Featuring Live Performances by:

• Best Singer/Songwriter and Best Jazz/Easy Listening nominee All Young Girls Are Machine Guns

• Best Performance By A Young Actor nominee, Ashton Taylor accompanied by Best Musical Direction nominee, James Boggess

• Best Slam Poet nominee, Felicia Webster

• Best Jazz/Easy Listening nominee, Steve Raybine • Best Rock nominees, The Filter Kings