The Reader Oct. 27, 2011

OCT. 27 - nov. 2, 2011 VOL.18

dish30

Stamping Out Hunger

picks32 Snake Island!

culture35 Scream Week

all the winners cover story ~ page ~ cover photo by brycebridges.com

music40

Drawing a Bigger Landscape OMAHA JOBS 2

Weird 50

MOjo 56

FUNNIES 5

36

156th & Maple Full-time Full-time Part Time Bi-Lingual Office Administrator $11$12 to start TONS of potential, Midtown Omaha great benefits. Send resume to kari.cook@remedystaff.com. $12.50 to start Bi-Lingual Collections Agent. Starting 11/7 parking provided, casual dress.

Earn commissions once converted to full-time. 2 shifts available. Send resume to kari.cook@remedystaff.com.

EMS, Inc. Contact pfleharty@emscrm. com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Hayneedle Contact pflynn@hayneedle. com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

2

Americana Companies.

Electrical/Maintenance.

Contact kfort@americanacompanies.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Boys Town.

Family Teaching Couples. (house parents) Contact april.brown@boystown.org.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Convergys.

Sales Representative III. Apply online. www.convergys.com/careers. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

AIM Institute/ Careerlink.com Contact justin@ careerlink.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Oct. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

Variety of Part-time Opportunities

3 Flexible Scheduling 3 Benefits Including: 3 Part-time Medical and Dental Insurance 3 Disability / Life Insurance 3 Vision Insurance 3 401(k) with company match

Visit www.Hy-vee.com to apply Please select Omaha #10

| THE READER |

omaha jobs

Full-time Full-time

Full-time

Full-time

Boys Town.

Crisis Counselor. Contact brown@boystown.org. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Avis Budget Group.

Rental Sales Associates.

Contact amartin@peoplescout.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

New York Life Insurance Company Contact petersonj@ ft.newyorklife.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Nebraska Technical Services. Sales. Contact joe@nts.omhcoxmail.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Vatterott College Contact juliewiethop@vatterot.edu. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Metropolitan Community College Contact dormandy@mccneb. edu. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

UGL Services Unicco Contact tevans@na.ugllimited.com. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information.

O & H Investments.

Store Manager–New Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt Store.

Contact robi@oandhinvestments.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

AAA. 30 openings for customer service reps in Omaha call center. Contact kajohnson@aaane.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

True Construction Contact jdoll@roofally.com Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Retail Data LLC. Multiple Data Collectors Needed Immediately. Contact frances.owens@retaildatallc.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

American Security & Investigations Security officers. Contact bwinburn@marsden.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Pawz Pet Services.

Associated Pet Services.

Contact Nicole@pawzpetservices.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Prudential Contact shelly.larsen@prudential.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

City of Omaha (Human Resource/Fire) Contact dmchale@ ci.omaha.ne.us. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

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| THE READER |

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

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USC-ILL-10-115_E USC-PRD-11-177 oct.

27 - nov. 2,USC-PRD-11-176 2011 | THE READER | Document

USC-PRD-11-077

USC-PRD-11-170

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BURST_3_Upper_A

topnews

Convening at the Council Omaha is not alone in fighting for immigrants

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5IVE

MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE bit.ly/mUdjj3 | OCT. 27, 2011

The Halloween of the future will be

wears a mask resembling the guest

a showcase for homemade

of honor. As always, masks of

costumes, especially as rapid

celebrities will be popular, but

prototyping machines become

because they are so customizable,

common. It will be easy to use

the celebrities will be of unexpected

inexpensive computer apps to

celebrities. Steve Buscemi will be

design rubber masks. These can be

quite popular, as will, for some

printed up at home and worn

reason, Mario Lopez. People will

immediately. People will become

also make masks of other body

quite playful with this technology.

parts, so it won't be unusual to see

Husbands will dress up as wives

people will fists for heads, or feet,

and vice versa. People will wear

or, if the party is especially risqué,

masks of their own faces, but

other body parts.

printed to be five times larger than life-size. Surprise parties will be thrown in which every attendant

by: DR. QUENTIN MARK MYSTERIAN and BUNNY ULTRAMOD

by John Heaston

irst, they came here. Last week, a small group of Omahans went to the Americas Society and Council of Americas, meeting similarly-placed individuals and their organizations from immigrant gateway cities across the country -- including Atlanta, New Orleans, Birmingham, Nashville and Portland, Oregon -at their headquarters on Park Avenue in New York City.

Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1965, AS/COA has brought together opinion leaders to exchange ideas and create solutions to the challenges in the Americas, “from the Arctic Circle to the tip of Argentina.”

The Council has over 200 blue chip companies as members, representing the majority of U.S. private investment in Latin America.

The group from Omaha included myself, Andrea Skolkin, CEO at OneWorld Health Center, Dr. Jonathan Benjamin-Alvardo, professor of political science, Bob Herrera, Mutual of Omaha, and Karen Mavropoulus, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

In late 2009 the AS/COA partnered with the Omaha Community Foundation and the Nebraska Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to bring their Hispanic Integration Initiative to Metropolitan Community College’s South Omaha Campus.

Titled “Pathways to Economic Prosperity and Business Competitiveness,” local speakers, including Mayor Jim Suttle, former mayor and OCF chairman Mike Fahey and Tyson Food’s Council Bluffs Manager Ray Hankes addressed a packed audience of hundreds on the socioeconomic contributions of Omaha’s Latino population and how workplace integration policies can lead to greater business success.

Parts of America, however, aren’t getting the message.

Through 2010, a coordinated and well-funded effort to increase local anti-immigration policies has expanded from cities like Hazelton, Pa. and Fremont, Neb., to reach the state level, negatively impacting immigrants in Arizona, Georgia and Alabama. In response, AS/COA hosted an off-the-record, full-day working meeting concluding with a public event, the “Summit of Gateway Cities: Trends in Latino Integration and Immigration Policies.”

“A very heady experience,” is how Benjamin-Alvardo described it, “it was impressive to see that the issues impacting other ‘gateway’ cities were similar across the board. I was also impressed by the thoughtful and articulate responses on the part of community leaders in addressing the attacks and legislative shenanigans they are being subjected to.”

“I thought it was enlightening and an honor to be included with the other cities and to have such a great exchange of information,” said Skolkin. “I think it was really important for capacity building in each of the cities

news

and good to know that we’re not alone. What the other city’s have going that we don’t are strong collaborations including city leaders and private business. That’s an opportunity for us.”

“I was impressed with New York City’s willingness to share their current practices with other cities,” said Herrera. “I am hopeful that this meeting will lead to more cooperation and sharing of information between cities.”

The event marked the release of the AS/COA’s latest white paper, “The Economic Impact of Immigrant-Related Local Ordinances.” From research conducted by University of Houston political science professor Jeronimo Cortina and his team, the report compared the average effects of restrictive versus non-restrictive ordinances on a city’s business environment from 2006-2009.

Restrictive policies generally fell into four categories: verifying employee immigration status and verifying tenant immigration status, both of which are included in Fremont’s local anti-immigration ordinance, and English-only and ordinances giving local law officials immigration enforcement powers. The analysis shows that on average, restrictive immigration ordinances have a negative impact, measured by the decline in the number of employees in those communities. Local communities are more likely to lose jobs after passing restrictionist ordinances.

The impact is significant. Compared to more open communities, anti-immigration cities show an approximately 26% lower number of employees. “For instance, if the number of employees in a city that enacted a nonrestrictive ordinance was 10,000,” the report stated, “the model predicts, on average, an observation of 2,600 fewer jobs in a city that enacted an employmentrestrictive ordinance.”

With such strong evidence, the only answer seems to be messaging and community-building to address the anti-immigrant organizations.

“From what I learned from other cities, there is a lot more room for relationship-building with the private sector,” said Skolkin. “We haven’t done the work that needs to be done in that area. We need to identify and find some champions in the business community that already recognize, but haven’t really vocalized, the importance of the Latino community for the city’s and state’s economies.”

“The importance is two-fold,” explained BenjaminAlvardo. “First, the rolling out of the report provides empirical evidence of what many had assumed to be the case regarding restrictive legislative measures - they hurt the local economy significantly. Second, it was a sharing of best practices from an engaged group of individuals.”

“The city of New York’s presentation was fasicnating as a welcoming community, not concerrned with origin of immigration, but more concerned with the diversity that grows the economy,” added Skolkin. “Of course, it’s a huge city, but it speaks to why it’s very vibrant. What I found scary was Alabama.” ,

| THE READER |

OCT. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

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heartlandhealing

n e w

a g e

h e a l t h

a n d

w e l l n e s s

Before It’s News

E

very published pundit revels in a scoop. We all love to boast: “You read it here, first.” Fact is, that’s hardly ever true. Sure, there have been plenty of times when this column featured issues and insights years in advance of the mainstream media. But it’s also true that there is nothing new about New Age. The modern era of New Age could arguably date its renaissance to the decade following the tumultuous 1960s. After an explosion of psychedelics-fueled introspection and inner revelations, (and the realization that all the protests, chanting and activism wasn’t really changing the world like we thought it would,) the youth culture turned to some serious navel-gazing. Some of it was good; some a waste of time. That era spawned what many called New Age. But looking at it more closely, there is nothing really novel about resurgent interest in historical cultures, spirituality and health. The wisdom of Yoda could be called a rehash of Zen. Herbal therapies that found their way to Walgreens by the year 2000 AD have been in use since before 2000 BC. Jesus was preaching that belief manifests healing far before the power of thought was recognized by modern medicine — or The Secret, for that matter.

So, bottom line? At the core, don’t expect to really find anything new in this column. That said, tidbits and bytes often hit my computer screen before mainstream media.

So here’s part of the news.

Oprah sighting in Iowa My sources tell me that Oprah was “in the house” last week in Fairfield, Iowa. Her private jet landed at the small regional airport there on Wednesday. She and her entourage were whisked away in a pair of sleek, black Chevy Suburbans, Secret Service-style.

Now what was the powerful media mogul doing in a rural Iowa town with of population of just over 9000?

Winfrey, despite hers being the largest private jet seen in Fairfield, is not the first high-flyin’ jet-setting celeb to visit the small one-time farming community. Mike Love of Beach Boys fame, movie director David Lynch, singer Donovan, members of ZZ Top, Deepak Chopra and a host of others have flitted to Fairfield since the late 1970s. What draws them all is the presence of the Maharishi University of Management campus and the surrounding ayurvedically based community.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is the Indian guru who came to the West in the 1950s bringing a method of meditation known as Transcendental Meditation. He founded MUM in 1974 on the former campus of Parsons College. Since then, Fairfield has become ground zero for meditational activity using the TM method. The famous visitors to Fairfield are meditators who come for various programs and to meditate in one of the two Golden Domes that have been built on the campus.

I was told that during Oprah’s visit last week, she was admitted to the exclusive Golden Dome area to meditate with the TM elite. While there, her crew videotaped her sitting on a foam mat and meditating for

B y

m i c h a e l

b r a u n s t e i n

about 20 minutes. She was reported to have learned TM a few months ago and in a video interview with Facebook, she revealed that she now requires her employees to meditate twice daily.

My Fairfield source said Oprah exclaimed, “How did you keep this quiet for so long? I will no longer keep it quiet.” Presumably that means Miss “O” will be touting the benefit of TM and the Fairfield experience on her television network any day now. The real question is, with all her New Age contacts and interests, how did Oprah miss it?

Sweet Surgeon General Warning? Americans are fat.

Americans are getting cancer at phenomenal rates. Americans are getting most of their calories from sugars. Is there a link? And will high fructose corn syrup become the tobacco of the next decade? Researchers and the corn syrup industry disagree on some major points. One thing is certain: Americans eat a lot of the sweet stuff.

Though the industry maintains that HFCS is the same as sugar from other sources like beets or cane, researchers from UCLA have found that cancer cells metabolize fructose sugars differently from glucose and that fructose contributes to faster cancer growth.

It’s pretty alarming news so if you practice the standard American diet, it might be of interest.

Sugar in the form of HFCS is ubiquitous. It’s in almost every processed food you can think of. Try a very simple experiment to convince yourself. Walk down the bread aisle of your normal supermarket and pick up various brands. See how far you have to go before you find a loaf that has no added HFCS. Go ahead. Try it. You’ll get the picture pretty fast. Americans are eating more sugars than ever, especially HFCS. After the bread experiment you may find yourself wondering and looking at other foods spiked with HFCS. At the store you’ll find cereals, crackers, pickles, lunchmeat, pasta sauces, salad dressings and more.

The list is seemingly endless. And fast foods? Forget it!

They’re laced. Ketchup may be obvious but what about French fries, burger buns, salad croutons, potato salad, Cole slaw, applesauce, peanut butter, pancakes, fried chicken and more?

Americans love sugar and cancer cells do, too. What the scientists found was that pancreatic cancer cells (the type they used for their research,) prefer fructose. The research is pretty sobering.

From the full report: “…data indicate that the contribution of fructose to nucleic acid synthesis is considerably greater than glucose and that cancer cells preferentially use fructose via TKT-mediated metabolism to synthesize additional nucleic acids to facilitate increased proliferative capacity.” And, “…findings provide important insights into recent epidemiologic studies that have identified refined fructose as an independent risk factor for pancreatic cancer.” In English, that means that cancer cells prefer fructose to grow. Fructose is in nearly every processed food you can think of, including your soda pop, and what’s good for cancer cells isn’t so good for you.

Be well. ,

Heartland Healing 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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Oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

| THE READER |

heartland healing

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| THE READER |

OCT. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

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coverstory

all the winners

T

he results are in! From June 1, 2011 through August 15, 2011, over 1150 Omahans made a minimum 23 nominations recognizing businesses as the best in their category -- resulting in over 27,000 individual business nominations across 133 categories.

One of Omaha’s largest local accounting firms, Hancock & Dana, with whom we have no other business relationship, tabulated the results. At Hancock & Dana, giving back to the Omaha community is an important part of their history and mission.

year are Bungalow/8, Statement and Dantes’ Pizza. Hinrichs said she likes being part of making Omaha a better place.

“I like celebrating culture here by supporting the new, amazing, unique and phenomenal right here in my own hometown,” she said. —Elizabeth Elliott

Stephanie Schultheiss (Generation Y)

Since 1996, The Reader has conducted an annual poll asking the public to nominate the best businesses in specific industries and categories. We were the first local “Best Of ” poll to use an outside accounting firm to tabulate results and to utilize registrations and IP blocking to insure one person, one vote. In 2010, The Reader first partnered with WOWT-NBC.

Stephanie first moved to Omaha when she was 10. A resident of the Hanscom Park neighborhood, Stephanie particularly likes the Old Market area and nearby attractions. “I absolutely love the Henry Doorly Zoo,” she says.

“It’s a world class zoo.

So, besides the Henry Doorly Zoo, what are Stephanie’s favorite top picks in this year’s poll?

“Oh, definitely M’s Pub in the Old Market,” says Stephanie. “I enjoy Joslyn Art Museum. It’s a treat to spend time there. I just love Omaha, I guess,” she says. “I think Omaha is just so affordable and unparalleled to anywhere I’ve ever lived.” —Deb Walters

Recognition Levels

Steve Schwarting (Baby Boomer)

Winners will fall into four levels of recognition, but can only fall into one per category. Every nomination is a “Best Of ” vote, and often very small percentages separate the levels of recognition. Because there are so many businesses in each category, a small percentage of the total nominations can lift your business into one of these recognition levels. Your business is truly among the best of an often very crowded field or industry.

A) Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Any winner with more than 50% of the votes cast in that category or the top vote-getter. Only one winner unless it’s a tie.

B) Readers’ Choice: Any vote-getter with at least 20% of the votes cast in that category or up to the next top two vote-getters after Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O with at least 10% of the votes cast in that category.

C) Readers’ Recommended: Any vote-getter with at least 10% of the votes cast in that category or up to the next top three vote-getters after Readers’ Choice with at least 5% of the votes cast in that category.

D) Readers’ Refer: Any vote-getter with at least 5% of the votes cast in that category or the top vote-getters to round out six winners in a category.

Steve lives in Bellevue and has been in the Omaha area for close to 20 years. This is his first year participating in The Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O poll. He loves Sgt Peffers because of the different flavors and crust and types of pizza they have. He likes that Omaha is a good place to raise a family. -—Elizabeth Elliott

Who Picks These Businesses?

We asked a select number of nominators, those who nominated the most businesses or had answered our final question -- “What’s one of the best things about the Omaha Metro area?” -- to share a little bit about themselves.

Kristin Armendariz (Generation X) A former Creighton University science major and GIS enthusiast, Kristin Armendariz is a homemaker in Papillion. She has lived all over the country, from rural Maine

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oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

brycebridges.com

History

to downtown Atlanta and even Kansas City, Missouri. She has been in the Omaha area for two years. This is Kristin’s first year participating.

“I like Omaha because it has a small town feel, but there is plenty to do,” says Kristin. “Omaha is a good place to raise a family. My husband, Greg, is an Omaha native.

“I guess you could say that my specialties are GIS, digital imaging processing, teaching and supervising people,” offers Kristin.

Kristin’s supervision of people these days, it appears, includes cuddling cute little Emily. —Deb Walters

Sarah Chamberlain (Generation X) Sarah is in the accounting profession and has been living in Omaha since she was 18 years old. Chamberlain lives in the Benson area and goes to many places in Omaha to play.

For the last five years, Chamberlain has participated in The Reader’s Choice Best of the Big O poll. She does this because she wants to let the businesses get recognized for the wonderful services they provide. Her favorite pick this year is The Pizza Shoppe in Benson. She said it has a wonderful environment for family. She also enjoys Mics karaoke bar because she loves to go out and do karaoke.

Chamberlain likes the people best about Omaha.

“I love the people because everyone is so friendly,” she said. —Elizabeth Elliott

| THE READER |

cover story

Nick Delman (Generation Y) For the last 10 years or so, Delman has been participating in voting for the Reader’s Choice Awards; and although many traditionally popular establishments seem to always make the list, he believes that the voting is also a fine tool to help recognize the new, young businesses and try to expose them to the rest of the city.

The Dundee neighborhood, the call center supervisor’s stomping grounds, is peppered with a plethora of long-standing shops and restaurants that are a tradition to many. “You know it’s not just Dundee, either. There are so many different neighborhoods and cultures, Omaha has a really eclectic mix of great food,” Delman said. —Joe Shearer

Carolyn Moore Hinrichs (Generation Y) A native of Omaha, Hinrichs is the owner of STEP Group, an experiential marketing firm. The company creates brand experiences through special events. Hinrichs lives near Westside high school and Countryside Village. She works in Midtown Crossing and plays in Benson, Dundee and Midtown among others.

Hinrichs, who likes surveys, said she votes in the Best of surveys at every opportunity. She said her favorites this

Luke Walsh (Generation Y) The Blair-born Omahan is a project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers and believes that appreciative customers need to do more than just shop to show their support. Walsh has had his stake in the Reader’s Choice Awards for the last five years, and he attests that the process represents Omaha’s best businesses quite well.

Walsh lives out in Northwest Omaha, but he enjoys spending time on the other side of town. Anytime there is a good gig in town, which happens to be quite often in this city, he frequents the multitude of venues around downtown and Midtown. Whether he’s in standing room on the Waiting Room’s floor, the Orpheum’s loge or the Century Link Center’s arena seats, it doesn’t matter to Walsh. He’s just looking for a good show.

A fan of the Irish culture, he enjoys visiting spots like the Brazen Head or the Old Market’s crowd-favorite Dubliner Pub. Irish bar or not, though, Walsh admits that the drinking crowds in every part of town are quite amicable. It’s a fine trait he says a lot of other cities do not possess.

“It doesn’t matter where you go; Midtown, downtown, West Omaha. You can go out and feel like you’re part of the crowd,” Walsh said. —Joe Shearer

Proudly born and raised in omaha.

Founded in 1857, First National Bank has provided exceptional service for more than 150 years. Whether it’s helping you achieve your goals or helping a business grow, we’re committed to making this entire city a better place to live.

Which might be one of the reasons we’ve been awarded ‘Best Bank’ by the 2011 Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O awards.

So to Omaha and everyone who voted for us, we say thank you. Stop in to one of our 36 convenient area locations today, or call 402.346.3626 to see how we can be the best bank for you.

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Job # FNCM7790 2011 Born & Raised General print Client: First National Bank Publication: Reader

READER | Approval| THE Slip (date & initial)

10/21/11 3:22:01 PM

OCT. 20 - 26, 2011

Proofreader____________________________ Copywriter_____________________________

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HEALTH AND PROFESSIONAL Best Allergist Practice

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Midwest Allergy and Asthma Clinic Readers’ Choice: Asthma & Allergy Center, Bellevue Readers’ Recommend: Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Dr. William Ingram Readers’ Refer: Boys Town Allergy

Best Chiropractic Practice

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Heritage Chiropratic Readers’ Refer: Chiropractic Wellness Center, Clark Chiropractic, Koca Chiropractic, Schieber Chiropractic

Best Cosmetic Surgeon

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: James Martin Davis Readers’ Refer: Kevin Ryan, Marc Delman, Randy Paragas, Robb Gage

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Aesthetic Surgical Images Readers’ Choice: Dr. Jeffery Popp Readers’ Recommend: Dr. Colleen Stice, Dr. David Finkle, Dr. Joel Schlessinger, Dr. Jason Miller

Best Attorney - DUI

Best Counseling

Best Attorney - Criminal

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Robb N. Gage Readers’ Choice: Randy Paragas Readers’ Refer: Marc Delman, Michael Meckna

Best Attorney - Family

Readers’ Refer: Edith Peebles, Jeremy C. Jorgenson, Jim Reisinger, John Kinney, Marc Delman, Margaret O’Connor, Nick Taylor, William Bianco

Best Attorney - Personal Injury

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Hauptman O’Brien Wolf & Lathrop and Michael Dyer Readers’ Refer: Craig Kelley, Marc Delman

Best Bank

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: First National Bank Readers’ Choice: US Bank, Well Fargo Readers’ Recommend: Bank Of The West, Great Western Bank Readers’ Refer: Security National Bank

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Associated Counseling Professionals Readers’ Choice: Mary Slominski Counseling Readers’ Recommend: Great Oak’s Counseling, Heartland Family Services, Lutheran Family Services Readers’ Refer: Alegent Health, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Behavioral Health, Great Plains Counseling Center, Spence Counseling Center

Best Credit Union

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: SAC Federal Credit Union Readers’ Choice: Centris Federal Credit Union Readers’ Recommend: Metro Health Services Federal CU Readers’ Refer: Crieghton Federal Credit Union, First Nebraska Educators Credit Union, Omaha Federal Credit Union, Omaha Fire Fighters’ Credit Union, Omaha Police Federal Credit Union

Best Dentist Office

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Dr. Roger Curry Readers’ Refer: Dr. Marty J. Matz, Horizon Dental, Rainbow Dental, Today’s Dental

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Midwest Eye Care Readers’ Recommend: Malbar Vision Center Readers’ Refer: Brumm Eyecare, Millard Family Eyecare

Best Dermatology Clinic

Best Orthodontist Office

Best Health Clinic

Best Pawn Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: MidWest Dermatology Readers’ Choice: Braddock Finnegan Dermatology, Dr. Joel Schlessinger Readers’ Recommend: Dr. Robert Fonda, Dermatology Specialists, Scott DeBates (Methodist Health Systems) Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Alegent Health Readers’ Choice: Methodist Physican’s Clinic Readers’ Recommend,Creighton University Medical Associates Readers’ Refer: Bellevue Family Practice, Lakeside Family Practice, OneWorld Health Center

Best Massage Therapy Practice

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Massage Envy Readers’ Choice: Omaha School Of Massage Therapy Readers’ Recommend: Ashley Lynn’s Readers’ Refer: Creative Hair Design, Karmic Healing and Massage, Massage Heights, Oasis Massage

Best OB/GYN Practice

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Methodist Health Systems Readers’ Choice: Alegent Health Readers’ Recommend: Mid-City OB/GYN, Omaha OB/GYN Readers’ Refer: Kolbeck Nabity Bossert & Simmons, Sarpy County OB/GYN

Best Optical Store (Eyewear store)

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: America’s Best Readers’ Choice: Eye Masters, Lens Crafters, Shopko Optical Readers’ Recommend: Malbar Vision Center Readers’ Refer: PearleVision, Walmart

Best Optician

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Dr. Kort Igel Readers’ Choice: Dr. Alfred Longo Readers’ Recommend: Dr. Thomas Huerter Readers’ Recommend,Dr. Dennis Weiss, Adams Orthodontics Readers’ Refer: Dr. Timothy Sheehan, Dunlow Orthodontists Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Sol’s Jewelry and Loan Readers’ Recommend: Mid-City Jewelry & Loan Readers’ Refer: Brown’s Loans, EZ Money, Pj’s Jewelry & Loan

Best Pediatric Practice

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Readers’ Choice: Boys Town Pediatrics Readers’ Recommend: Methodist Health Systems Readers’ Refer: Village Pointe Pediatrics

Best Pet Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: PetSmart Readers’ Choice: Petco Readers’ Recommend: Three Dogs Bakery Readers’ Refer: All Paws, Long Dog Fat Cat, Nebraska Humane Society Readers’ Refer, Petland, Pets R Us

Best Pharmacy

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Walgreens Readers’ Choice: Hy-Vee Readers’ Recommend: Baker’s, Target, CVS Pharmacy, Walmart

Best Veterinary Clinic

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Bellevue Animal Hospital Readers’ Recommend: 24th Street Animal Hospital, Best Care Pet Hospital, Ralston Veterinary Clinic Readers’ Refer: Mobile Animal Clinic, VCA

The Perfect Gift Personalize just about anything and show you care!

• Grooming • Daycare • Boarding NOAH’S bARK 3548 Center St | (402) 933-0808 www.inoahsbark.com

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| THE READER |

cover story

Order TOday!

4 Seasons Awards & Engraving 8430 Park Drive • (402) 339-0660 4SeasonsAwards@gmail.com

FOR VOTING US AS THE BEST BANK Born and Raised: FNB Repeats as Best of the Big O

W

hen you’ve been an Omaha bank for more than 150 years, you know the community and your customers like you know your family. That’s First National Bank. Founded in Omaha in 1857, First National Bank has been part of this city since the beginning.

With their new “Born and Raised” advertising campaign, First National Bank wanted to show some of that history, as well as show their pride in being a part of Omaha. The new campaign is meant to evoke a great sense of community pride between the bank, their employees and the people of Omaha. It also shows First National Bank’s understanding of the community and the people that live here.

“Our latest advertising campaign says a lot about the character, history and pride of First National Bank. It’s not about products or bank benefits. It’s about a bank that truly cares about the community and the people it serves,” said Dan O’Neill, president of First National Bank. “We wanted to demonstrate the connection we have with our local communities. We wanted to promote relationships before products. And we wanted to do both in a manner in which employees and community members alike would be filled with pride and passion for their hometown. The Omaha community is a great place, because it’s where our core values were born and have grown to become synonymous with what makes this a great city.”

In their long history, First National Bank has always prided themselves on contributing to the communities they serve. One way they give back is through sports sponsorships.

First National Bank is currently the official bank of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and has recently become the official bank of the Big Ten Conference.

One of the biggest ways they contribute to the community is by being an excellent employer.

First National Bank employs over 2,500 associates in the metro area. First National Bank has consistently been voted one of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” by Working Mother magazine. Recently, they’ve received the Well Workplace Platinum Award from the Wellness Council of America and the Nebraska Governor’s Excellence in Wellness Award.

Since 1857, First National Bank has grown from one branch to almost 40 and from two employees to thousands – making them the largest privately owned banking company in the nation. They’ve also invested more than $300 million in downtown development and built the tallest building between Chicago and Denver. But despite all of this growth, First National Bank remains incredibly grounded in its roots. They’re just as proud to serve Omaha as they are to have been born and raised here.

VISIT ONE OF OUR M ANY OM AHA- M ETRO LOCATI ONS:

www.firstnational.com cover story

| THE READER |

OCT. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

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Getting Around Best Airline

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Southwest Air Lines Readers’ Recommend: Delta, Frontier, United Airlines Readers’ Refer: American, Continental

Best Auto Dealer Service Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Woodhouse Readers’ Choice: Performance Auto Readers’ Recommend: Baxter, Huber, Superior Honda Readers’ Refer: Atchley Ford, Lexus

Best Auto Dealership Group

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Woodhouse Readers’ Choice: Performance/Baxter Readers’ Recommend: H & H Chevrolet/Kia Readers’ Refer: Sid Dillon, Superior Honda & Acura

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| THE READER |

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Best Auto Detail Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Dolphin’s Readers’ Choice: Cornhusker Auto Readers’ Recommend: Russel Speeder’s, Stacey’s Readers’ Refer: Egs, Ming’s

Best Auto Parts

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: O’Reiley’s Readers’ Choice: NAPA Auto Parts Readers’ Recommend: Advanced Auto Parts, Auto Zone

Best Auto Repair Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Jensen Tire & Auto Readers’ Choice: Exclusive Honda Readers’ Recommend: Tuffys Readers’ Refer: Auto Specialists, Charlie Graham, Havers, Midas, R & G

Best Bike Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Bike Rack Readers’ Choice: Trek Readers’ Recommend: Greenstreet Cycle, Olympia Cycle Readers’ Refer: Bike Masters, The Bike Way

Best Boat Dealer

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Omaha Marine Readers’ Choice: Valley Marina Readers’ Refer: A-1 Marine, Buddy’s Marina, Hat’s Off Motorsports

Best Buy Here/Pay Here

Readers’ Refer: Car Hop, DJ’s Cars and Trucks, Paul Gerber

Best Car Audio

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big : Stereo West Readers’ Choice: Nebraska Furniture Mart Readers’ Recommend: Best Buy, Metro Audio Dynamics Readers’ Refer: In Phase Audio

Best Car Wash

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Russel Speeder’s Readers’ Choice: Dolphin’s Readers’ Recommend: Fantasy’s Readers’ Refer: Bucky’s, Cornhusker Auto, Stacey’s, Tornado Car Wash

Best Gas Station/Convenience Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: QUIK TRIP Readers’ Choice: Bucky’s Readers’ Refer: Fantasy’s, Hy-Vee, Kum & Go, KWIK Shop

Best Luxury Auto Dealer

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Lexus of Omaha Readers’ Recommend: Gorges Volvo, Markel BMW, Mercedes Benz of Omaha Readers’ Refer: Acura of Omaha, Infiniti

FOR VOTING US AS ONE OF THE BEST PET STORES!

Best New Auto Dealer

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Baxter Chrysler Readers’ Choice: Woodhouse Readers’ Recommend: Atchley Ford, Performance Volkswagen Readers’ Refer: Huber, Superior Honda

Best Pre-owned Car Dealer

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Carmax Readers’ Choice: Woodhouse Readers’ Recommend: Performance Auto Readers’ Refer: Baxter, Honda Cars of Bellevue, Superior Honda

Best Tire Store & Service

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Jensen Tire & Auto Readers’ Recommend: Firestone, Midwest Tire, Walker Tire Readers’ Refer: Sams, Tires Plus

Best Transportation/Long-Distance Travel Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: AMTRAK Readers’ Choice: Enterprise Rental Readers’ Recommend: Southwest Air Lines Readers’ Refer: AAA, Arrow Stage Lines,, Enchanted Honeymoons Travel Agency, Megabus

C

Quality and Fun Put Three Dog Bakery Among the Best

ustomer service, only the best products and events are what places Three Dog Bakery as one of the best pet stores in The Readers’ Choice 2011 Best of the Big O poll.

“Our employees know their animals, many are vet technicians or volunteer in animal rescue,” says owner and lifelong animal lover Krystal Talha. “We also had to find products that were the highest quality. I test every product we sell on my two little dogs (Maurice and Chuckles) and my family’s big dogs.”

The former Nebraska Humane Society educator opened Omaha’s first independently-owned and operated Three Dog Bakery in 900 square feet at the brand new Village Pointe in June 2007. The idea started in Kansas City in 1989.

“I had been going to Three Dog Bakery for ten years before I opened one when I visited family at least twice a year,” says Krystal. “They had really good, healthy treats and they were lots of fun.”

The store’s biggest seller, of course, is its oven-baked dog food -- one of only three oven-baked dog food companies in the United States. All the treats are made from all-natural ingredients and baked daily without additives, fillers, preservations, artificial colors or flavorings. Because it’s slow-cooked with the right ingredients, it’s healthier and denser than your store-bought wet or ovenextruded (dry) foods.

“When you oven-bake by hand, you roll it into a dough, cut it into its shape and slowly cook on a bread oven conveyor belt to keep all the nutrients and flavors,” says Krystal. “It doesn’t have to be sprayed with anything and it’s much more dense and digestible.

“So the dog’s don’t need to eat as much so you’re saving money and there’s less clean-up for the owner,” says Krystal.

The quality isn’t just in the ingredients, it’s also in the presentation.

“The carrot cake is the bestseller. Our birthday cakes are a huge hit,” says Krystal. “Our bakers can do custom cakes so they will have something amazingly deli-

cious to inhale for their birthday.”

Three Dog Bakery also offers a wide variety of pet accessories. “Customers really like our selection of collars and harnesses,” says Krystal. “We try to find a lot of different fun patterns that are going to be comfortable and durable.”

Customer service comes naturally to Three Dog Bakery’s team of bakers, retail specialists and groomers.

“The fun of the store is having lots of dogs in the store,” says Krystal. “So to work here you need to be fun, friendly and love all breeds of dog.”

Nowhere is that more evident than in the care put into the store’s Spaw, now available at their newest location in Midtown Crossing and a new, 4000-square- foot space in Village Pointe.

“It’s full-service grooming.

Giving a dog a bath and haircut is not something they typically enjoy, so the same person handles the dog the entire time which is less stressful for the dog,” says Krystal. “We use premium shampoos.

We don’t dilute them. We use all-natural ingredients so they smell really good and we get them very clean.”

That love for animals and commitment to fun shows through in the monthly events held to raise funds for the Humane Society.

Three Dog Bakery just hosted their biggest event of the year -- Growl-O-Ween with over 200 dogs at Midtown Crossing’s Turner Park. Ice cream socials are big in the summer, pictures with Santa is coming up next. “We love doing events,” says Krystal. “Anything to get people out socializing with their dogs.”

Fitting then that the gourmet bakery partners with a local restaurant with outdoor seating that would accomodate pets to host a Dog’s Night Out. “You order off the menu for yourself and we have a catered meal for your dog inspired by the restaurant.”

You best friend can also be a part of holiday meals. For takeout, they will offer a Thanksgiving Beast Feast for pre-order, “so they can share in the festivities too.”

VISIT ONE OF OUR TW O OM AHA LOCATI ONS: 17151 Davenport Street #105 3201 Farnam Street #6108 (402) 614-3647 (402) 715-4500 www.threedogomaha.com

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shopping and services Best Barber

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Great Clips Readers’ Refer: Gentille’s, Jason Berge, Sport Clips

Best Beauty Salon

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big : Garbo’s Readers’ Recommend: Gloss Salon & Day Spa Readers’ Refer: Ashley Lynn’s, One Drake Place, Simply Pure Salon and Spa, Trios

Best Bookstore

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Barnes & Noble Readers’ Choice: Borders Readers’ Recommend: 1/2 Price Book Store, Bookworm, Books-A-Million, Jackson Street Booksellers

Best Cell Phone Provider

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Verizon Wireless Readers’ Choice: Sprint Readers’ Recommend: AT&T Readers’ Refer: Cricket, US Cellular, Virgin Mobile

Best Church

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big : Christ Community Church, Divine Shepherd Lutheran

Church, Mary Our Queen Readers’ Refer: King of Kings, Thanksgiving!

Lutheran Church, Westside Church

Best Day Spa

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Gloss Salon & Day Spa Readers’ Choice: Creative Hair Design, Faces Readers’ Recommend: Kimberly Spa, Simply Pure Salon & Spa, Sanctuary Day Spa, Shine Day Spa

Best Daycare

Best Engagement Ring Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Borsheims Readers’ Choice: Brodkeys Readers’ Recommend: 14 Karat, Helzberg, Kay Jewelers Readers’ Refe: Greenbergs, Zales

Best Farmers’ Market

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Old Market Farmers Market Readers’ Choice: Aksarben Village Readers’ Recommend: Village Point Readers’ Refer: Benson Farmer’s Market, Florence Mill, Midtown Crossing

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O,Millard Childcare and Preschool Readers’ Choice: Alegent Health Sick Kids, Child Saving Institute, Kiddie Kampus Readers’ Recommend: Morning Star Readers’ Refer: Bere‚Äôs Childcare, Cradles to Crayons, Garden Patch, It’s A Wonderful World, Small Miracle

Best Fitness Center

Best Dry Cleaner

Best Fitness Equipment

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Max I Walker Readers’ Choice: Armstrong Cleaners, Fashion Cleaners, Nu Trend Readers’ Recommend: $1.99 Any Garment Cleaners, Camelot Cleaners, Omaha Lace & Laundry Readers’ Refer: Hy-Vee

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: 24 Hour Fitness Readers’ Choice: Lifetime Fitness, Prairie Life Fitness Center, YMCA Readers’ Recommend: Aspen Fitness Club, Crossfit Omaha Readers’ Refer: Urban Active Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Body Basics Readers’ Refer: Nova Fitness Equipment

Best Florist

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Hy-Vee Readers’ Choice: Piccolos Readers’ Recommend: Stem’s Floral, Taylor‚Äôs

| THE READER |

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Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Hy-Vee Readers’ Choice: Baker’s Readers’ Recommend: Bag-N-Save, Fareway Readers’ Refe: Trader Joe‚Äôs, Whole Foods

Best Health Food/Nutrition Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Whole Foods Readers’ Choice: No Name Nutrition, Trader Joe‚Äôs Readers’ Recommend: Hy-Vee, Jane‚Äôs Health Market Readers’ Refer: GNC

Best Jewelry Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Borsheims Readers’ Recommend: Brodkeys, Helzberg, Kay Jewelers Readers’ Refer: Goldsmith Silversmith, Greenbergs

Best Manicure/Pedicure Salon

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Mohegan Nail Spa Readers’ Choice: Martini’s Readers’ Recommend: American Nail, Legacy Nails & Spa, Nouveau Nail Salon Readers’ Refer: Bella Dea Day Spa, Pretty Nails

Maple Heights 402-445-0331 3328 N 108th

Maple 402-399-8288 9203 Maple St

Applewood 402-592-4003 9757 Q Street

Hawthorne Court 402-891-8200 17676 Welch Plaza

Hillsborough 402-445-0100 4008 N 144th

Underwood 402-556-4999 5022 Underwood

Western Springs 402-333-0792 2563 S 177th Plaza

Plaza North 402-572-6349 5649 N 90th

Pepperwood Village 402-493-4790 593 N 155th Plaza

Twin Creek 402-291-1011 3604 Twin Creek Bellevue

Linden Market 402-493-1335 737 N 132nd

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

Best Grocery Store

Brentwood 402-593-8900 8114 S 84th, La Vista

Whispering Ridge 402-289-1833 17009 Evans Plaza

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Readers’ Refer: Beyond the Vine, Janousek Florist, Voila

Wolf Creek 402-291-1772 10503 S 15th Bellevue

Monarch Place 402-339-1646 11425 S 72nd Papillion Veteran’s Square 402-289-2828 20330 Veteran’s Dr Elkhorn Aksarben 402-551-0161 6303 Center St Westwood Plaza 402-334-9170 12113 W Center Walnut Grove 402-896-2030 4971 S 155th

Best Music Lessons

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Russo’s Guitar Center Readers’ Choice: Dietze Music

Best Music Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Deitze Music Readers’ Choice: Guitar Center, Russo’s Guitar Center Readers’ Recommen: Schmitts Readers’ Refer: Guitar Garage

Best Nail Salon

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Mohegan Nail Spa Readers’ Choice: Nouveau Nail Salon Readers’ Recommend: Legacy Nails & Spa, Martini Readers’ Refer: American Nails, Oasis

Best Organic Selection

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Whole Foods Readers’ Choice: Trader Joe‚Äôs Readers’ Recommend: Hy-Vee Readers’ Refer: Costco, Jane‚Äôs Health Market, No Name Nutrition, Omaha Farmer’s Market

Best Pet Grooming

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: PetSmart Readers’ Recommend: 3 Dog Bakery, Best Friends Pet Grooming, PetCo, Susie’s Pet Grooming Readers’ Refer: Ashley’s Pet Spa, Tail Waggers

Best Sporting Goods

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Scheel’s Readers’ Choice: Dicks Readers’ Recommend: Sports Authority Readers’ Refer: Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, Canfields

living

Best Apartments - Downtown

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Old Market Lofts Readers’ Choice: Lofts at 15th Readers’ Recommend: Tip Top Apartments, Cornerstone Apartments Readers’ Refer: Kensington Tower, Orpheum Towers

Best Apartments - Midtown

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Midtown Crossing Apartments Readers’ Choice: Broadmoor at Aksarben Village Readers’ Recommend: Urban Village Readers’ Refer: Loveland Apartments Readers’ Refer: Ontario Place Apartments, Spring Acres

Best Apartments - Uptown

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Embassy Park Apartments Readers’ Recommend: Southwest Gables Apartments

Best Tanning

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Ashley Lynn’s Readers’ Choice: Tan World Readers’ Recommend: Paradise Bay Readers’ Refer: 4 Seasons Tanning, Allure Tanning, Shine Day Spa

Best Tattoo Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Big Brain Readers’ Choice: Black Squirrel, Dr Jack’s Ink Emporium, Liquid Courage Readers’ Recommend: American Tattoo, Grin & Barrett Readers’ Refer: Authentic Ink

Best Thrift Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Goodwill Readers’ Choice: New Life Thrift, Thrift World Readers’ Refer: Big Wheels to Butterflies, Hand Me Ups, Salvation Army

Best Unique Gifts

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Afternoon Readers’ Refer: House of J, On a Whim, Souq, Spencer’s

Best Yoga Studio

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: One Tree Yoga Readers’ Choice: House of Lotus Readers’ Recommend: Fitness FAST, The Yoga Path, Yoga Med Readers’ Refer: Bahdra, Legacy Pilates, Lululemon, Omaha Yoga School, Yoga Rocks the Park

Readers’ Refer: Bentley Apartments, Camelot Village, Park Terrace Apartments

Best Apartments - West

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Biltmore Apartments Readers’ Choice: Breckenridge Apartments Readers’ Refer: Benz Place, Harrison Hills Apartments, Steeplechase, Torrey Pines Apartments

Best Assisted Living

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Brookstone Village and Hillcrest Care Center Readers’ Refer: Lakeside Village, Mabel Rose Estates, New Cassel Retirement Center

Best Carpet/Flooring Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Nebraska Furniture Mart Readers’ Choice: Kelly’s Carpets Readers’ Recommend: Carpet Land Readers’ Refer: Do It Yourself Flooring, Lowe’s

Best College or University

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: University of Nebraska at Omaha

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for voting us the Best Electrician in Omaha Advanced Electrical Services Remembers the Little People

A

dmit it, you have no idea where that white wire goes or how to hook up that HDMI cable to your new television.

You hit the power switch and nothing happens.

That’s where Advanced Electrical Services steps in. Founded in 2003 by owner Tobias Sommer, A.E.S. was built on passion.

“I’ve wanted to be an electrician since high school. I was in a construction manufacturing class at Benson that actually went out and built a house from start to finish,” Sommers says.

“As soon as the electricians came in, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. That’s how I got into the trade.”

Unfortunately, most kids are going to school to become doctors, lawyers or computer programmers these days. Blue-collar jobs are more the minority, but Sommers is someone who still believes in a solid work ethic.

“It’s hard to find young people that want to work.

Everyone wants to make money, but nobody wants to work for it. There’s a lack of good apprentice help.

Everyone was told you need to go to college and get a white collar job, then they get out of college and there are no jobs. The romance of having a hard working job is not there anymore,” he says.

However, A.E.S. is doing extremely well even with those challenges. Sommers managed to hire an incredibly hard-working staff and fine-tuned his customer service department. From 2009-2010, he turned the company from a $300,000 a year business into over a 1 million dollar business. He credits this to the importance his places on his clients.

“Customer service has really expanded. I don’t want a customer to say one bad thing or think that we were out to get them. I wouldn’t say we’re the cheapest in town, but our service is really the value,” he assures. “You’re paying for the experts. Anyone can come repair something, but by the time we’re done, you’ll give us the keys to your front door because we’re committed to excellence and it shows. We fix it right every time, fast and with no surprises.

That’s my core business motto and that’s how we run our business.”

What makes A.E.S. unique is not the fact that they have good technical skills, but the fact that they know how to communicate with the customer. Whether you need help installing your home theater system or bringing your home up to safety code, A.E.S. goes over each step and adheres to their strict “no surprises” policy.

“We’re about a 50/50 shop. We do a lot of new commercial construction. We did 4 Panda Expresses, a Men’s Warehouse, our second Pizza Ranch, 2 remodels for Walmart and a church this year, but that’s not really where I want to focus my energy,” he says. “My biggest focus is working for John Q. Public. We come in and we’ll actually do everything from adding an outlet for your T.V. to rewiring your hot tubs. We also do a lot of panel change-outs. That’s my biggest target market right now. We want to be the small guys that can handle everything.”

Sommers and his staff are doing just that. In this market, there is a lot of competition. There are hundreds of electricians in the Omaha Metro area, but very few have the type of integrity Sommers exudes. It’s what makes A.E.S. the best.

“Our commitment to service is really what keeps us out there. I’m in the business not for the short money; I’m in the business to make sure the client understands we’re going to be here for a long time. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that they are taken care of,” he explains. “Our customers say it all in their reviews. We quote a job on the spot; we’re very professional and show up when we say we’re going to show up. We’re in the business for the customer, not just to make money. When you put the customer first, obviously the business will be there and the referral business will be there. That’s my big claim to fame.”

Perhaps this policy alone will secure Advanced Electrical Services’ place in the market and increase its client base. Sommers is optimistic. While the early years were a bit of a struggle, 2011 is looking bright despite the poor economy.

Read more online at www.thereader.com

4146 S. 89th St. Suite 201, Omaha, NE 68127 402-932-1361 www.finbestelectriciansomaha.com

Readers’ Choice: Creighton University Readers’ Refer: Bellevue University, University of Nebraska Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Best Condo Development

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Midtown Crossing Readers’ Recommend: Riverfront Place

Best Electrician

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Advanced Electrical Services Readers’ Recommend: Roberts Electric Readers’ Refer: AC Electric, Andersen Electric, Miller Electric, Trede Electric, Vaughn Electric

Best Exterminator Company

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Lien Termite & Pest Control Readers’ Choice: Presto X, Terminex Readers’ Recommend: Orkin Readers’ Refer: Affordable Pest Control, Pest Solutions

Best Furniture Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Nebraska Funiture Mart Readers’ Refer: 7 Day Furniture, Mrs. B’s, Niche

Best Garden Center/Nursery

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Mulhall’s Readers’ Choice: Earl May, Lanoha Nursery Readers’ Recommend: Canoyer Garden Center, Lowes Readers’ Refer: Ace Hardware

| THE READER |

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Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Mulhall’s Readers’ Choice: Lanoha Nursery Readers’ Recommend: Green Life Gardens Readers’ Refer: Carson Enterprise, Jay Moore’s Landscaping, Kinghorn Gardens, Patera Landscaping

Best Men’s Clothing Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Men’s Wearhouse Readers’ Choice: Jerry Ryan Readers’ Recommend: Kohl’s, Lindley Clothing Readers’ Refer: JC Penney, Parsows, Von Maur

Best Men’s Shoe Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: DSW and Haney Shoe Store Readers’ Recommend: Von Maur, Younkers Readers’ Refer: Dillards, JC Penney

Best Plumbing Company

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Burton Plumbing Readers’ Choice: Eyeman Plumbing Readers’ Recommend: Micro Plumbing, Rybin Plumbing Readers’ Refer: Aksarben Plumbing, Backlund Plumbing, Roto Rooter

Best Realty Company

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Ace Hardware Readers’ Choice: Lowes, Menards Readers’ Recommend: Home Depot Readers’ Refer: CJ’s Homecenter, Johnson Hardware, True Value

Best Home Builder

Best Storage Facility

Best Home Theater Store

Best 2-Year Degree, Tech or Vocational School

Best House Cleaning Service

Best Women’s Clothing Store

Best Interiors Store

Best Women’s Shoe Store

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Hearthstone Homes Readers’ Choice: Celebrity Homes Readers’ Recommend: Charleston Homes, KRT Construction, Inc., Advanced Design & Construction, Malibu Homes Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Nebraska Furniture Mart Readers’ Choice: Best Buy Readers’ Recommend: Stereo West Readers’ Refer: Custom Electronics, Schaefer’s Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Merry Maids Readers’ Choice: The Maids Readers’ Recommend: James Alan Carpet Cleaning, Jeannie’s Cleaning Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Nebraska Furniture Mart Readers’ Refer: House of J, Interiors by Joan, Target Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Bed Bath

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

Best Landscaper

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: CBSHome Real Estate Readers’ Choice: NP Dodge Readers’ Recommend: Deeb Realty, Prudential Ambassador Readers’ Refer: Boyer Young, Century 21, Keller Williams

Best Hardware Store

Best Kitchenware Store

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& Beyond Readers’ Choice: Sur LaTable Readers’ Recommend: Nebraska Furniture Mart, William Sonoma Readers’ Refer: Category One, Target

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Dino’s Storage Readers’ Choice: Milt’s Mini Storage Readers’ Recommend: Pods Readers’ Refer: A Place to Store, Center Street Storage, U-Haul

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Metropolitan Community College Readers’ Recommend: Iowa Western Community College (IWCC), ITT Technical Readers’ Refer: Xenon International Academy Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Kohl’s Readers’ Recommend: J C Penney, Von Maur, Younker’s Readers’ Refer: Be Yourself, Gap, Maurices Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: DSW Readers’ Choice: Von Maur Readers’ Recommend: Dillards, Payless Shoes Readers’ Refer: Famous Footwear, Shoe Carnival, Younker’s

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MY COMMUNITY | MY COLLEGE

SATURDAY•NOV 19•8PM Holland Performing Arts Center • 402.345.0606 • Ticketomaha.com

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oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

| THE READER |

produced by EXCEPTIONAL ARTISTS

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It’s really a great place to learn. It’s inspiring, and you get a lot of hands-on experience and that was the number one thing that I wanted.

WINTER QUARTER BEGINS DEC. 2.

NIGHTLIFE & PLAY

Best Bar for an Internet Date

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Homy Inn Readers’ Choice: Clancys, Cork Screw Readers’ Refer: Aksarben Cinema, Baja Grill, Brothers, Flixx, Fox and Hound

Best Bar for Conversation

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Homy Inn and Jake’s Readers’ Recommend: Brazen Head Readers’ Refer: Brix, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dundee Cork & Bottle, Flixx, Mr Toads, Myth, Phoenix Food & Spirits

Best Bar for Hiding Out

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Homy Inn Readers’ Recommend: Brothers, The Hideout Readers’ Refer: Green Onion, Grover Inn

Best Bar for Smokers

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Jake’s Readers’ Choice: Havana Garage Readers’ Recommend: Big Red Keno, Choo Choo’s, Jerzees, LaVista Keno, Ravenite

Best Bar for Spirits Selection

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Dundee Dell Readers’ Choice: Liv Lounge Readers’ Recommend: Brix, Jake’s

John’s Billiards Readers’ Choice: Upstream Brewery Readers’ Recommend: Fox and Hound Readers’ Refer: Big Fred’s, Brothers Readers’ Refer: Fort Crook Billiards

Readers’ Recommend: Dave & Busters, Fun Plex Readers’ Refer: Aksarben Cinema, Papio Fun Park, Sempecks

Best Casino Slots

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Horseshoe Casino Readers’ Choice: Ameristar Casino Readers’ Recommend: Harrah’s Casino Readers’ Refer: Winnavegas

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Tiburon Golf Club Readers’ Choice: Pacific Springs Readers’ Recommend: Champions Run Country Club, Miracle Hills Course Readers’ Refer: Stone Creek, Tregaron

Best Casino Table Games

Best Happy Hour Bar

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Horseshoe Casino Readers’ Choice: Ameristar Casino Readers’ Recommend: Harrah’s Casino

Best Dance Club

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Max Readers’ Recommend: Capitol, Whiskey Tango Readers’ Refer: Flashbacks, Guaca Maya, Nomad Lounge, Ozone

Best Darts Bar

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Fox and Hound Readers’ Choice: Billy Froggs, Brothers, O’Connors

Best Family Entertainment Center

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Amazing Pizza Machine #1 – OmahaChoice: Reader (The Reader) Readers’ Family Fun– TBD Center

Best Golf/Golf Course

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Blue Sushi Readers’ Choice: Kona Grill Readers’ Recommend: Old Chicago, Roja Readers’ Refer: DJs Dugout, Hiro, Homy Inn, Urban Wine Company

Best Karaoke Bar

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Mics Readers’ Recommend: Boondockers, Winchesters Readers’ Refer: Moe & Curly’s, Wayside Tavern

Best Live Music Venue

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: The Slowdown Readers’ Choice: Harrah’s Stir Concert Cove Readers’ Recommend: The Waiting Room Readers’ Refer: Holland Performing Arts Center, Qwest Center, Sokol Auditorium

Best Lounge/Ultra Lounge

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Liv Lounge Readers’ Choice: Nomad Lounge Readers’ Recommend: Lit Lounge, Myth, Vegalou Readers’ Refer: Red, The Interlude, Voodoo Lounge

Best Movie Theater

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Aksarben Cinema Readers’ Choice: Marcus Twin Theater Readers’ Recommend: AMC Theatres, Rave Readers’ Refer: Midtown Cinema

Best Neighborhood Tavern

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Homy Inn Readers’ Recommend: Dinker’s Readers’ Refer: Brothers, Danny’s Bar & Grill, Dundee Dell, Elbow Room

Best Outdoor Festival

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Summer Arts Festival Readers’ Choice: Jazz on the Green, MAHA, Taste of Omaha Readers’ Recommend: Red Sky, St. Stanislaus Polish Festival Readers’ Refer: Omaha Gay Pride, Playing with Fire, Shakespeare on the Green continued on next page y

Best Bar for Stiffest Pours

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Green Onion Readers’ Refer: Brothers, Clubhouse Lounge, Flixx, Homy Inn, O’Leavers, Oppermans

Best Bar to Study for the Bar

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Homy Inn Readers’ Recommend: The Blue Jay, Brothers Readers’ Refer: Barrett’s, Dundee Dell

Best Bar with Live Music

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: The Slowdown Readers’ Choice: The Waiting Room Readers’ Recommend: Two Fine Irishmen, Loose Moose, Ozone Readers’ Refer: DJs Dugout

Best Beer Selection

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Old Chicago Readers’ Choice: Crescent Moon Readers’ Recommend: Upstream Brewery Readers’ Refer: Beertopia, Dario’s, Dubliner, Jake’s

Best Billards Bar

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Big

Best Live Music venue thank you for naming Harrah’s stir concert cove #1 Must be 21 or older to enter the Outdoor Concert Cove. Schedule and artists subject to change. Must be 21 or older to gamble.

Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETSOFF (In Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700. ©2011, Caesars License Company, LLC.

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10/12/11 2:36 PM

Best Sand Volleyball

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Digz Readers’ Choice: O’Leavers Sand Volleyball Readers’ Recommend: Barrett’s, Spikers Readers’ Refer: Arena, Harold’s, The Blue Jay, Winchesters

Best Sports Bar

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: DJs Dugout Readers’ Choice: Brewsky’s, Ice House Readers’ Recommend: Buffalo Wild Wings, Oscars, Tanner’s

Best Theater

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Orpheum Readers’ Choice: Omaha Community Playhouse Readers’ Recommend: Blue Barn Theatre, Rose Theater

Best Tourist Attraction

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Henry

food and dining Best Bakery

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Pettit’s Pastry and Wheatfields Readers’ Choice: Panera Bread Readers’ Recommend: Jones Bros. Cupcakes, The Cake Gallery Readers’ Refer: Hy-Vee, Orsi’s, Paradise Bakery

Best Bargain Restaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Taco Bell Readers’ Choice: McDonald’s Readers’ Recommend: American GI Forum Readers’ Refer: Runza, Spaghetti Works

Best BBQ Restaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Famous Dave’s Readers’ Choice: Hartland BBQ Readers’ Recommend: McKenna’s, Smoke Pit, Swine Dining Readers’ Refer: Red Zone BBQ

Best Buffet

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: China Buffet Readers’ Choice: Valentino’s Readers’ Recommend: Old Country Buffet Readers’ Refer: Ameristar Casino, Golden Corral, Horseshoe Casino

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Doorly Zoo Readers’ Recommend: Old Market Readers’ Refer: Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, College World Series, Durham Museum

Best Vinyard/Winery

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Soaring Wings Readers’ Choice: Jame Arthur Vineyard Readers’ Recommend: Kings Crossing Readers’ Recommend: Slattery Vintage Estates Readers’ Refe: Schilling Bridge, Silver Hills

Best Wine Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Brix Readers’ Choice: Spirit World Readers’ Recommend: Hy-Vee, Urban Wine Company Readers’ Refer: Cork Screw, La Buvette, Wine Styles

Best Burger Joint

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Stella’s Readers’ Choice: Five Guys Readers’ Recommend: Dinker’s, Red Robin, Smash Burger Readers’ Refer: Fuddrucker’s

Best Café/Diner

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Petrow’s Readers’ Choice: Shirley’s Diner Readers’ Recommend: 11-worth Café, Lisa’s Radial Café Readers’ Refer,11-Worth Café, Farm House Café, Leo’s Diner

Best Chinese Restaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: China Buffet Readers’ Choice: China Road Readers’ Recommend: Golden Palace, J C Mandarin, Three Happiness Express Readers’ Refer: Rice Bowl

Best Coffeeshop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Scooter’s Readers’ Choice: Crane Coffee, Starbucks Readers’ Recommend: Aroma’s, Caffeine Dreams Readers’ Refer: Blue Line

Best Doughnut Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Krispy Kreme Readers’ Choice: Pettit’s Readers’ Recommend: Donut Professor, Donut Stop, Winchell’s Readers’ Refer: LaMars Donuts continued on page 24 y

AMERICAN LANDSCAPE Contemporary Photographs of the West Through January 8, 2012 Prints in Landscape: A Three Film Series @ Film Streams Tuesdays @ 7 pm: November 1: Rancho Deluxe November 8: Lone Star November 15: The Last Picture Show Artist Panel Discussion with Martin Stupich, William Wylie, & Steve Fitch Sunday, November 13; 1–3 pm

This exhibition presents work by fourteen photographers who have explored the geography, history, and culture of the West over the past three decades, creating a direct and clear-eyed appraisal that incorporates the entire landscape – picturing not only its topography, but also the evidence of exploration, settlement, and development.

MAJOR SPONSORS Douglas County

Contributing Sponsor

Additional Support provided by: Joslyn’s Bodmer Society Joslyn’s Contemporary Art Society

Martin Stupich, Parker Dam, Colorado River, California and Arizona, 1988, ink jet print, courtesy of the artist

www.joslyn.org | (402) 342-3300 | 2200 Dodge St. | Omaha, NE

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Best Greek Restaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Greek Islands Readers’ Choice: Jim & Jenny’s, Katie’s Greek Restaurant Readers’ Recommend: Feta’s, King Kong Readers’ Refer: Amsterdam Falafel, Mediterranean Bistro, Victor’s

Best Ice Cream Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Ted & Wally’s Readers’ Choice: Cold Stone Creamery, Dairy Queen Readers’ Recommend: eCreamery, Goodrich, Red Mango Readers’ Refer: Maggie Moo’s

Best Italian Resaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Lo Sole Mio Readers’ Choice: Olive Garden, Vincenzo’s Readers’ Recommend: Grisanti’s, Malara’s Readers’ Refer: Nicola’s

Best Japanese Restaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Kobe Steakhouse Readers’ Choice: Blue Sushi, Hiro Readers’ Recommend: Sakura Bana Readers’ Refer: Genji Steakhouse, Mt. Fuji, Sushi Japan

Best Kid-Friendly (Not Kid-Focused) Restaurant Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Red Robin Readers’ Choice: Applebee’s Readers’ Recommend: Spaghetti Works, Valentino’s Readers’ Refer: Mama’s Pizza, Texas Roadhouse

Best Late Night Restaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Village Inn Readers’ Choice: Taco Bell Readers’ Recommend: Alverado’s Mexican Food, Blue Sushi, Old Chicago Readers’ Refer: Amsterdam Falafel, Hiro

Best Local Food-Serving Restaurant Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: The Grey Plume Readers’ Choice: Dixie Quicks Readers’ Refer: Lazlo’s, McFoster’s, Petrow’s

Best Mexican Restaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: La Mesa Readers’ Choice: Hector’s Readers’ Recommend: Fernando’s, Nettie’s Readers’ Refer: Rivera’s, Roja

Best New Restaurant

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Ingredient Readers’ Choice: Twin Peaks Readers’ Recommend: Grey Plume, Sinful Burger Readers’ Refer: Baja Grill, Cilantro’s, Crave

Best Nouveau Cuisine

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Grey Plume Readers’ Choice: M’s Pub Readers’ Recommend: La Buvette, Le Voltaire Readers’ Recommend: Taste, V Mertz Readers’ Refer: 360 at Harrah’s

Best Pizza Parlor

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Zio’s Readers’ Choice: La Casa Readers’ Recommend: Big Fred’s, Mama’s Pizza, Sam & Louie’s Readers’ Refer: Pitch continued on page 26 y

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THANK YOU, OMAHA!

♦ Bellevue ♦ Benson ♦ Council Bluffs ♦ Eagle Run ♦ Millard ♦

“Best Bakery” ♦ Regency ♦ Village Pointe

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“Best New Restaurant”

♦ 173rd & West Center

“Best Bar for Spirits Selection”

♦ 1101 Harney Street

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Best Restaurant Specials

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Blue Sushi Readers’ Choice: Applebee’s Readers’ Recommend: Sam & Louie’s Readers’ Refer: Jazz: A Louisiana Kitchen, Kona Grill

Best Retail Deli Counter

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Hy-Vee Readers’ Choice: Bag ‘N Save, Wohlner’s Readers’ Recommend: Baker’s, Whole Foods, Spirit World

Best Retail Meat Counter

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Fareway Readers’ Choice: Hy-Vee, Wohlner’s Readers’ Recommend: Just Good Meats, Stoysich Readers’ Refer: Bag ‘N Save, Whole Foods

Best Retail Produce Selection

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Best Tapas/Small Portions

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Espana Readers’ Choice: Lit Lounge Readers’ Recommend: Taste Readers’ Refer: Blue Sushi, Brix, Urban Wine Company

Best Tex-Mex

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Julio’s Readers’ Choice: Stoke’s Readers’ Recommend: La Mesa, Roja, Taco John’s, Fernando’s, Romeo’s

Best Thai Restaurant

Best Retail Wine Selection

Best Vegetarian

Best Steak House

Best Wine Selection (Restaurant)

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Texas Roadhouse Readers’ Choice: The Drover Readers’ Recommend: Gorat’s, Johnny’s Readers’ Refer: Anthony’s, Outback Steakhouse, Piccolo Pete’s, Sullivan’s

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Jones Bros. Cupcakes Readers’ Choice: Hollywood Candy Readers’ Recommend: Delice, Old Market Candy Shop Readers’ Refer: Candyopolis, Cupcake Island, Wheatfield’s

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Hy-Vee Readers’ Choice: Whole Foods Readers’ Recommend: Baker’s Readers’ Refer: Bag ‘N Save, Fareway, Super Saver Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Hy-Vee Readers’ Choice: Brix Readers’ Recommend: Spirit World, Trader Joe’s Readers’ Refer: Baker’s, Urban Wine Company, Whole Foods

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Best Sweets Shop

Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Thai Spice Readers’ Choice: Thai Pepper Readers’ Recommend: Bangkok Cuisine, Taste of Thailand, Thai Kitchen Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: McFoster’s Natural Kind Café Readers’ Choice: Blue Planet Readers’ Recommend: Amsterdam Falafel, Biaggi’s, Whole Foods Readers’ Refer: Daily Grub Readers’ Choice Best of the Big O: Urban Wine Company Readers’ Choice: Brix Readers’ Recommend: Boiler Room, Sullivan’s, V Mertz Readers’ Refer: Le Voltaire’s, M’s Pub, Mark’s Bistro

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for voting for us one of the best in Omaha for Restaurant Specials!

Cajun-Style Restaurant Spices Up Downtown

N

ew Orleans may be over a thousand miles from Omaha, but you can still get a taste of the Big Easy at Jazz in the Old Market. The Omaha location is one of six in the country and inside you’ll discover tantalizing dishes- from its signature Jambalaya to authentic blackened chicken. General Manager Jordan Jackson has been with the company for the past five years and has watched the restaurant grow into a booming business. Along with head chef Justino Gomez, the team of individuals running Jazz give it something special.

“Our head chef has been cooking this food for over 20 years.

He’s actually worked himself into an ownership position so he’s not just head chef/kitchen manager. He tends to care more than as if he were just making an hourly wage. He has stock in the restaurant. He really cares about what type of products we’re putting out and the quality, as well, “ Jackson says. “We also do live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. We are one of the few places with live dinner music. We do jazz and blues usually, but I’m always looking for new acts so I don’t have the same people playing all the time. I’m always listening to CDs and trying to get new people in there.”

Since opening in 2006, Jazz has added plenty of flavor to the downtown area. It isn’t some knock-off of a Louisiana kitchen, it’s the real deal. Modeled after famed New Orleans restaurateur Paul Prudhomme, the owners of Jazz took his concept and ran with it.

“The actual founder basically took this idea, which was a derivative of Paul Prudhomme’s restaurant, K. Paul’s, in New Orleans, which is still functioning in New Orleans today. He’s really big. He’s opened many different restaurants. The founder went down and worked with him for a year and actually paid royalties to Paul Prudhomme for his ideas,” he explains. “He came up with the blackening thing. His big thing was black and red fish, which was on our menu

for a long time. It’s definitely his concept.”

And the concept is working well. Although, the 15th and Farnam area was rather undeveloped at the time of it’s opening, the area is continuing to grow and with such close proximity to The Holland Center, The Orpheum Theater, Civic Center and Century Link, the foot-traffic is increasing. Their amazing food helps, of course. You might wonder how they come up with such authentic Cajun dishes, but that’s easy to explain.

“Usually our owners go down once a year to New Orleans and jump around to a bunch of different restaurants. They basically go down and eat, see what’s new down there and see if there’s anything we want to bring back. I haven’t gotten to go yet, but I’m hoping I get to next time,” Jackson says. “I think they’ve been there for Mardi Gras, but they tend to go when it’s slower. It’s hard to go around that time because of all the people. It’s not conducive to what they’re trying to do which is bring back some new ideas for the restaurant. It’s all business.”

Jackson clearly loves his job, which shines through in his business practices. It takes an exceptional type of person to inject their passion into running a restaurant and a brave one, at that.

“I worked construction before I came here. It wasn’t that bad of a gig, but I’m a people person and I like to get around and chat with people.

Working in the restaurant industry gives me that ability to talk with not only the customers, but marketing and advertising people and radio stations we work with,” he says. “I definitely couldn’t be that 9-5 guy that sits in the cubicle all day. I’ve become a foodie over the past few years. I’m not a total snob, but I definitely love trying things and getting new ideas. Somebody offers me a pork belly or a beef cheek, I’m quick to try to it.”

1421 Farnam St. (402) 342-3662

Catering: omahacatering@jazzkitchen.com General Inquiries: info@jazzkitchen.com

Read more online at www.thereader.com

www. ja z z k itc h e n . c o m

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OMAHA READER crop ad to 4.9 x 4.9

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

NOVEMBER 9 • THE THEATRE AT QWEST CENTER OMAHA Get Tickets at Qwest Center Omaha box office • All Ticketmaster Outlets Charge By Phone: 800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com ®

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Stamping Out Hunger SNAP benefits success at farmer’s markets

T

omaha farmers market

by Summer Miller

he end of farmers market season marked the beginning of a food revolution in Omaha.

For the first time people receiving SNAP benefits, formerly known as Food Stamps, could use those benefits to purchase fresh, local food at three Omaha Farmers Markets.

“We didn’t have any numbers in mind when we started the program, but we definitely exceeded our expectations,” said Heidi Waltz co-project manager for the Omaha Farmers Market. “Our vendors were very pleased with it. They felt like it increased sales, brought in new customers and they were very happy simply from the mission perspective of getting fresh food those who need it most.”

Approximately 70,000 people per month in Douglas and Sarpy counties receive SNAP benefits.

Increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables is important in any population but is considered critical to a low-income population that consists mainly of children and seniors.

“In Nebraska, we are not good. We do not get enough fruits and veggies in our diet. We are in the bottom ten in the country and for our low-income families it’s a primary concern. Our low income areas don’t have the same access to high quality fruit and veggies to feed their families,” said Wanda Koszewski, director of Nutrition Education Program for Limited Resource Families at UNL. A Wednesday evening farmers market located in the parking lot of the Charles Drew Health Center, 2915 Grant Street, served multiple purposes by increasing access to fresh produce for those in a low income area, accepting SNAP benefits and special

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) farmers market coupons.

“We were really glad to participate in the Charles Drew farmers market,” said Jodi Welchert of Ken Welchert Gardens. “We had a huge response with the WIC coupons and the SNAP benefits. A lot of people brought their kids with them so we also had some great teaching opportunities.”

Waltz said the Charles Drew market focused primarily on the special WIC coupons, so SNAP transactions were minimal, but between the Saturday Downtown Omaha and Sunday’s Aksarben Village Farmers Markets vendors saw and average of 32.5 transactions per week.

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dish

When the Farmers Market acquired machines to process SNAP benefits it opened the door for those who forgot to bring cash to use their debit or cards.

Although debit and credit card transactions were considerably less, they still averaged about 16 per week between the two markets.

Shoppers purchase tokens from one location on site and then use the tokens to purchase food. Vendors cannot give change for SNAP tokens due to government regulations, but they can for credit or debit card tokens. Every three weeks vendors give their tokens to the market managers who calculate the total and then issue the vendors a check the following week.

Part of the program’s success can be attributed to the amount of research and energy Waltz and her team conducted prior to implementation. The token system used at the market is pretty common among farmer’s markets across the nation, but Waltz added token pouches and labeling systems to help organize currencies for the vendors.

For Welchert, whose family manages 25 acres of produce just six miles east of Bennington, the addition of SNAP benefits to the farmers market selling process was smooth. The only exception was when someone using a $1 SNAP token, for example, purchased food priced at .75 cents. Because vendors can’t give change for SNAP tokens, they would often discount produce to give the customer a full dollars worth.

Even still Welchert is grateful to be a participating SNAP vendor.

“To me, the kids were the best part. It’s not like they hadn’t seen a vegetable before but it was just seeing the food in a different way. A lot of them were used to seeing green beans in a can for example, in this environment we could say, ‘Look this is what a green bean looks like when it’s fresh from the garden.’” , Contact the writer at miller.summer@gmail.com

crumbs

dish

n Fruit over fruit loops is the underlying motive for Slow Food USA and its chapters to address why it’s easier and less expensive to eat junk, or is it? On Sept. 17, Slow Food USA launched the “$5 Challenge,” asking people to cook slow food for the cost of fast food.

More than 30,000 people stepped up to create 5,572 meals, according to Emily Walsh, public relations manager for Slow Food USA. Those wishing to participate can still host an event or create a meal and post the recipe to their website at www.slowfoodusa.org/5challenge through Food Day Oct. 24.

n In Omaha, Food Day will be celebrated at Aksarben Village Sunday, Oct. 23, from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. Food Day was created to encourage people to eat real food. Part of Sunday’s events will include free breakfast for kids provided by Hunger Free Heartland, a movie screening of Good Food will be showing at 1:30 p.m. at Aksarben Cinema, cooking demonstrations

by Metro’s Culinary Arts Institute and booths providing children’s activities. n If you want to celebrate Food Day indoors rather than out, but you feel like eating out rather than in, stop by Dante Pizzeria. Chef Nick Strawhecker just returned from a flavor finding mission in Italy. Those who get their reservations in on time can relax and enjoy a multi-region, five-course menu using local foods in Italian dishes. Each dish will be paired with a specially selected wine. To make a reservation email infor@dantepizzeria.com or call 402.932.3078 — Summer Miller Crumbs is about indulging in food and celebrating its many forms. Send information about area food and drink businesses to crumbs@thereader.com

Will Donato

Paul Jackson, Jr.

Daniel Davis

Saturday, November 5, 2011

$50.00 – Exclusive VIP Seating

7:00 pm • Metropolitan Community College Fort Omaha Campus – Institute for Culinary Arts

$30.00 – Adults

Includes Reception @ 5:00 pm - Mule Barn (Bldg. 21 - across from Culinary Arts Bldg.)

Swanson Conference Center - Bldg. 22 (Enter at 32nd & Sorensen Parkway)

Purchase tickets at Homer’s Records in the Old Market (cash only) or LeFlores New Look Fashions at 1806 N 24th Street.

Douglas County Improvement Fund

A benefit for: National Council of Negro Women and Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership (ENCAP).

Hosted by: North Omaha Foundation. For further information contact: (402) 707-8915.

Charles Drew Medical Center

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8 days TOPTV “American Hoggers”

Wednesdays, 9 p.m. (A&E)

Truth be told, the title “American Hoggers” didn’t fill me with anticipation for this new reality series. But it turns out to be a fascinating look at boar hunters in Texas, where the feral beasts are terrorizing landowners. Veteran hog expert Jerry Campbell and his kids come to the rescue with horses, lassos and hounds equipped with GPS tracking systems – and despite all the weaponry, it’s still a fair fight.

“The boars are smarter than we are,” the Campbells admit. The family’s nighttime raids are epic battles, with equal cunning on both sides. Part of the fun of American Hoggers is that you never know what will come out of the Campbells’ mouths. Just when you start to think Jerry is a simple backwoods dude in a bushy beard and cowboy hat, he alludes to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Meanwhile, his son compares the boars to “Chaucer’s demons.”

These animals may well be smarter than the Campbells, but I doubt if they’re as well read.

—Dean Robbins

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THURSDAY27 Oct. 27

PICKOFTHEWEEK

Pretty Lights w/ Mimosa and Inflect Sunday, Oct. 30 Pershing Center, Lincoln 8 p.m. Tickets are $30/ADV and $35/DOS www.onepercentproductions.com

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past few years, you’ve most likely heard some dubstep, a form of electronic music characterized by it’s glitchy ‘wamp, wamp’ sound and reverberant drum patterns. There are all sorts of variations to the genre and each artist or producer lends it their unique touch. Pretty Lights, real name Derek Vincent Smith, isn’t overtly dub-step, but his music often falls into that category. The Ft. Collins, Colorado-native uses vintage funk and soul samples, soaring synth lines and organic beats to accompanying the deafening bass that underlines each track. Pretty Lights is currently one of the most talked about electronic artists on the scene and his popularity seems to be exploding. He now owns his own label, Pretty Lights Music, and is so involved that he handpicks the artists himself. As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, he is in the midst of a nationwide tour and makes a pit stop in Lincoln this Thursday — Kyle Eustice

FRIDAY28 Oct. 28

Mason Jennings w/ The Pines

The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. $17, 8 p.m., onepercentproductions.com The ever-resilient Mason Jennings continues to enjoy a passionate clutch of fans that are drawn to his literate, but hooky brand of folkpop. Jennings started his recording career in Minneapolis and spit out a handful of independent releases while building his fanbase.

Jennings steered clear of the major label system until Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock talked him into expanding his audience more with

| THE READER |

picks

Sweet Couture

Embassy Suits, La-Vista 12520 Westport Parkway, 2 p.m., $35. facebook.com/sweetcoutureomaha

I

f you don’t think an edible fashion chocolate shoes show would ever come to Omaha, get ready to eat your hat. Or, at the very least, bid on a chocolate hat from the Chocolate Hat Fashion Show. The Chocolate Hat Fashion show features dresses designed by Kate Walz that will be shown off by live models donning the aforementioned chocolate hats. Also available will be chocolate shoes, cakes molded into purses and blown sugar jewelry. Additionally, there will be a chocolate fountain, fresh fruit and champagne for attendees to enjoy. This event also features an educational portion wherein each of the chefs will do demonstrations of what went into creating their showpiece. According to Vivace’s/M’s Pub executive chef, Bobby Mekiney, “Sweet Couture will give Omaha a sense of the high level of talent we have here.”

— Paul Clark

2006’s Boneclouds. After touring behind that album, Jennings departed his major label home for Jack Johnson’s successful Brushfire Records imprint. Jennings issued two more albums for Brushfire, including 2008’s excellent In the Ever. Now both family man and touring musician, Jennings is out and about behind his latest Minnesota, which ruminates on the 36-year-old’s newer roles as father and husband.

—Chris Aponick

Oct. 28

Visita Al Barrio

South Omaha area, 5 p.m., $25 www.midlandslatinocdc.org.

Celebrate “Dia de los Muertos” in South Omaha!

“Visita Al Barrio” is an event prepared by the different South Omaha communities for anyone to enjoy. This program by bus tours is designed for people of Omaha to learn about the many contributions being made by the different communities in South Omaha. A variety of places will be visited on this tour. One stop will be the Historical Vinton Vusiness District. Another stop will be the 24th Street Business corridor. There will also be stops at El Aguila, Guacamaya, the Intercultural Center for Elderly and El Dorado Restaurant.

Cultural entertainment will be provided by Xiotal and Mariachi Patria Juvenil. There isn’t a better place in Omaha to celebrate “Dia de los Muertos.”

—Paul Clark

t h e r e a d e r ’ s entertainment picks oct . 2 7 - no v . 2 , 2 0 1 1 Paintings by Ed Forde

Fred Simon Gallery, 1004 Farnam St. Opening reception from 5-7 p.m., Free nebraskartscouncil.org Painter Ed Forde is the current artist featured by the Nebraska Arts Council in its Fred Simon Gallery in Omaha. Forde, a professor of art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, specializes in a cross section of city and rural culture. “My work has been described as western imagery engulfed by urban graffiti. I strive to find a new art vocabulary for the contemporary western world in the 21st century,” Forde says in his artist statement. This exhibit, which continues through Dec. 2, concentrates on the power and action of bull riding which along with cattle in general he says are seldom depicted in western genre painting. A cattle rancher himself, Forde is “impressed with the majesty of these animals every day…I try to exploit dramatic color and gestures of bulls and bull riders, to capture the emotions of the spectacle.”

—Michael J. Krainak

Oct. 28

Nebraska Appleseed

New BLK, 1213 Jones St., 7-10 p.m., Free thenewblk.com The New BLK Gallery will host a one-night only pop-up fundraiser on behalf of Nebraska Appleseed, a non-profit, non-partisan law firm devoted to helping low-income families, immigrants and children in foster care. The fundraiser will feature $35 posters from such design artists as Justin Kemerling, Jason Davis, Paul Berkbigler, Doe Eyed, Ella Durham and Sam Rapien, Peter Morris, Oxide Design Co., Cathy Solarana and Jake Welchert. All proceeds will go to Appleseed’s efforts “to advance equal justice and opportunity for all and building a stronger Nebraska for everyone.”

—Michael J. Krainak

THREEupTHREEdown snake island! with goth ball 2011 hostess veronica noir

Saturday, Oct. 29

Goth Ball 2011: Venom w/ Snake Island! & KobraKyle

Slowdown 729 N. 14th St. 8 p.m. $12 ADV; $15 DOS theslowdown.com

H

ard rockers and Omaha Entertainment Award-nominated Snake Island!, headline this year’s annual Goth Ball — and fittingly so since this year’s GB theme is “Venom.” Lead guitarist Allan Schleich took time to discuss with The Reader the band’s first studio release, nudity and what and what makes their sound unique compared to other bands in Omaha.

You guys had a photo shoot for the Goth Ball show this Saturday that you’re headlining. I was told that it was a nude photo shoot. Was this your first experience posing in the nude for pictures professionally or otherwise?

dale heise

Oct. 28

(Laughing) Only one of us ended up being naked in that photo shoot. We have not. That was our first naked photo shoot.

One thing I find unique about Snake Island! is that you guys run your vocals through a guitar amp. What was the idea behind that?

You have a new CD that you’re about to release. How do you feel it stacks up against Snake Island!’s last release?

Part of that is none of us are that great of singers.

(Our lead singer) has definitely improved by leaps and bounds. When we first started out, we were like, “We need to do something about this.” Originally we started with reverb and a little distortion played through a PA. Then we realized that some of the old blues guys would sing though harmonica mics like Papa Lighfoot. We though we could emulate that and hide our roughness of singing. It’s been working very well for us. I haven’t seen very many bands do that.

—James Derrick Schott

It’s not a CD we’re releasing. It’s a 10-inch vinyl with a digital download. This is Snake Island’s first release that we’re selling. We had a couple of demo tracks that we put up on our Myspace and Reverb Nation. They were really rough, recorded in a room with a single microphone. We had our friend Justin Haze come up here from Kansas City to record us.

It was his first time recording a band other then his own. Van Sloan at Focus Mastering did the mastering for us once we completed the overdubs.

picks

| THE READER |

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

33

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From small specters to grown ghosts, spooky fun for everyone!

T

by Cheril Lee

They’re baaaaaack! The dinosaurs have returned to the Omaha Children’s Museum. Dinosaurs: Dawn of the Ice Age is on view through January. Tyrannosaurus Rex greets you with a big growl as you enter the exhibit. Continue and you will encounter an assortment of dinosaurs and ice age mammals. Be warned, dracula the dinosaurs move and make noise, which may be scary for younger children. New additions to the exhibit include the Saber-toothed Tiger and the Woolly Mammoth.

Younger children will enjoy walking through the notso-scary Cobweb Castle. They can visit the spooky graveyard, wander through the find-yourway forest and enter the castle.

Once inside, they can explore the pirates’ parlor, Casper’s closet and vampire’s batty bedroom. New this year, the Museum will offer a spooky science area full of slimy items to touch. Healthy trick-ortreat nights take place October 20 and 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Admission to the Omaha Children’s Museum is $8 for kids over the age of 2 plus $2 to see the Dinosaurs Exhibit.

Kids under the age of 2 are free. The museum is located at 500 S. 20th Street.

Call 342.6164 or visit ocm.org.

Omaha Symphony Are showers really necessary? You may re-think your answer after watching Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Psycho at the Holland Center Saturday, October 29. The 8 p.m. performance features live musical accompaniment courtesy of the Omaha Symphony.

Resident Conductor Ernest Richardson said “The score is set to a timeline that aligns with what’s happening in the movie, so as long as you keep an eye on that, you’re fine. It’s challenging but really neat.”

On Sunday, October 30 at 2 p.m., the Symphony presents its annual Symphony Spooktacular at the Holland Center. Ernest Richardson conducts the performance which features spooky musical favorites and magic by Keith West. West choreographs his illusions to the music on the program. Richardson said there will be a costume contest for the orchestra and the kids.

Tickets for Psycho are $15-$65. Admission for the Symphony Spooktacular is $9.75. The Holland Center is located at 1200 Douglas Street.

Call 345.0606 or visit ticketomaha.com.

Ballet Nebraska Wear a scarf over your garlic necklace and head out to the Orpheum Theatre for Dracula on Friday, October 28th. Dracula is the first production of Ballet Nebraska’s second season. Artistic Di-

rector and Dancer Erika Overturff said the production features colorful and elaborate period costumes. Eerie and visually lavish sets include Dracula’s gothic and foreboding castle and a jeweled Venetian ballroom. Overturff said the production centers on Dracula’s struggle to change his nature. The curtain goes up on Dracula at 8 p.m. on the 28th. The show is not recommended for kids under the age of 10. For an additional charge ticket buyers may attend a dessert reception with the company after the performance.

Tickets for Dracula are $19-$45. The Orpheum Theatre is located at 409 S. 16th Street.

Call 345.0606 or visit ticketomaha.com.

Henry Doorly Zoo Lions and tigers and bears at night! The whole family will enjoy a spooky tram ride through the Henry Doorly Zoo on October 14th and 15th as the zoo presents its Haunted Safari from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event includes a tram ride through the zoo, a hot dog dinner and marshmallow roast, and games for the little kids, and animal viewings. Kids are encouraged to wear their costumes and dress warmly.

The bats fly free during the zoo’s Spooktacular event. New this year, the event will be held at night and the lights will be turned on in the Kingdoms of the Night exhibit. Visitors will see the nocturnal animals during their active period.

Guests will also enjoy boo bowling, trick-or-treating and musical pumpkins.

The Spooktacular takes place October 21, 22, 29 and 30, 2011 from 6-9 p.m.

Admission to the Haunted Safari is $15 per person. The cost to attend the Zoo Spooktacular is $10 per person. Children under 2 are free. Reservations are required for both events. The Henry Doorly Zoo is located at 3701 S 10th Street. Call 733.8400 or visit omahazoo.com. ,

theater

n The best part of enjoying a fresh new show is not only having it meet high expectations, but surprising you with the unexpected. That’s what happened with Flyin’ West at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

You expect to be drawn close to the pioneer homesteaders in the wooden warmth of their rural Kansas home, thanks to a rustic set designed by newcomer Ahna Packard in the close confines of the Howard Drew Theatre. That deal is sealed with the friendly sparring between the oft-scowling Sophie, seldom without a shotgun at the ready, and Miss Leah (Phyllis Mitchell-Butler), the fiesty elder she has sheltered in her home.

The audience takes to Miss Leah’s wisdom and good humor but Sophie (Denise Chapman) tries to resist it before yielding with a big smile and hearty laughter. It’s also easy to find Francesca Hogan’s treatment of the younger, sweeter Fannie and her fondness for Carl Brooks’ strong but gentle neighbor endearing from the outset.

Then enters the villain Frank, played by Chad Cunningham, who brings his wife Minnie, Fannie’s younger sister (Rusheaa Smith-Turner) home for a visit. He’s a mulatto full of selfloathing of his “colored” (the racial identifier of choice in Pearl Cleage’s pay) half, and contemptuous of prairie life in Nicodemus, Kansas, after living in London.

And the unexpected comes in the audience reaction to the arrogant wife-abusing Frank.

They don’t quite hiss him, but they cheer when Sophie stands up to him and they even applaud when the women do more than confront him.

Director Susie Baer Collins reminded me before the show that Frank is also a victim.

Though he passes as white, he’s rejected by his white father.

That’s true enough but not nearly true enough to make him sympathetic when he beats his wife and tries to steal the land the women love. So let us applaud those members of the audience who fall in love with the good women of Nicodemus and cheer Frank’s downfall. n Two casts of students open productions that we haven’t seen for lately. We know The Wedding Singer as cinema, but director Moira Mangiameli will bring the musical to the Iowa Western Community College stage this weekend, and Creighton University promises a Wild West treatment of Will Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor starting Wednesday, Nov. 2.

coldcream

Scream Week

culture

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

| THE READER |

OCT. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

35

school students along with current designers as well as a retail element at each evening’s post-show event. “We are encouraging attendees to consider purchasing what they see on the runway,” said Hudson. Show attendees with be able to place orders for custom pieces, buy ready to wear items and meet the designers in person after each runway show.

“All of this is part of evolving the fashion industry in Omaha and nurturing the talent that exists here,” said Hudson.

Omaha Fashion Week’s spring 2012 shows will take place March 19-24 at KANEKO on 1111 Jones St. in Omaha’s Old Market district. Tickets will be available starting in January at omahafashionweek.com.

■ RNG Gallery opens its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 1, 3-9p.m. at its new location in Council Bluffs, 157 West Broadway. The new building has been in “the works” for over a year according to owner Rob Gilmer, opening the first exhibit featuring Stephen Azevedo and Christina Renfer Vogel, Nov. 4. Dixie Quicks, the adjacent restaurant, will be open as well.

■ A new multi-genre arts and entertainment organization, The Apollon, set to open a “hub” in downtown Omaha in 2015, produces its first live event this week in Lincoln. Out of the Lips of Silence, a collaborative arts experience of performance, visual and culinary arts, runs Oct. 26-29, 6pm and Oct. 30 at 12p.m. at Lincoln’s Haymarket Theatre. The performance, investigating the relationship between human experience and agricultural growth, rooting, death and renewal as inspired by Willa Cather’s poem “Prairie Spring,” includes dinner, gallery exhibit, and live performance. Apollonomaha.com.

■ University of Nebraska-Omaha art professor David Helm exhibits his work this month at the Wayne State College Nordstrand Visual Arts Gallery in Wayne, Neb.,

through Nov. 2. Helm shows his breadth of medium in the show including projection technology, photography, installation and sculpture.

■ October 29 at the Bancroft Street Market in Omaha, the Mexican American Historical Society of the Midlands presents Mensajes De Las Mariposas: Dia De Los Muertos Exposicion 2011 (Messages of the Butterlies: Day of the Dead Exhibit 2011), through Nov.12. The exhibit includes presentations and an exhibit including work by artists Linda Garcia, Doug Boyd, Ken Diaz, Michael Giron, Deb McColley, Ronee Smith and more.

■ Love’s Jazz and Arts Center’s The Urban Collective Part I exhibit ends October 28, featuring art by Tyrone Beasley, Pam Berry, Celeste Butler, Gerard Pefung, Pam Conyer Hinson, Herb Thompson, Bryan Bell and Phillip E. Hodges.

FASHFLOOD

— Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik is a stylist, costumier, wife and freelance writer based in Omaha, Neb. Her style blog can be found at fashflood.com.

MIIXEDMEDIA

SEVEN AD 5 x 5

Big changes were announced this week regarding the next season of Omaha Fashion Week shows.

KANEKO, an organization fostering creativity in the arts through progressive exhibitions and programming, will host the upcoming spring fashion shows scheduled to take place in March 2012.

“The event has grown to the point where we need a larger space, plus we love the idea of working with Kaneko. What we do in terms of fostering creativity in fashion design fits so well with their mission,” said Omaha Fashion Week producer Nick Hudson in a press release.

In addition to utilizing a larger venue, KANEKO was also chosen to align Omaha Fashion Week with fashion weeks in larger US markets such as New York and Los Angeles. “The backdrop in KANEKO is a blank canvas,” explained Hudson. “It’s literally all white – and we want to keep it that way so the clothes you see on the runway are the focus.”

Along with the venue change, an educational component will be offered for junior high and high

— Sally Deskins

Mixed Media is a column about local art. Send ideas to mixedmedia@thereader.com.

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37

art

OpeningS

BANCROFT STREET MARKET, 2702 S. 10th St., (402) 6806737. DAY OF THE DEAD EXHIBIT: Group show exploring Day of the Dead, opens Oct. 29-Nov. 12, reception Oct. 29, 4 p.m.

EL MUSEO LATINO, 4701 S. 25th St., (402) 731-1137. GALLERY TALK: Gallery talk is on Oct. 29, 1 p.m., in conjunction with the Day of the Dead Installation, on view through Nov. 19.

HOT SHOPS ART CENTER, 1301 Nicolas St., (402) 342-6452.

AT THE MOVIES: Group show of art depicting movies, opens Nov. 1-Nov. 27, reception Nov. 11, 5 p.m.

INTERCULTURAL SENIOR CENTER, 2021 U St., (402) 4446529. CELEBRATION OF DAY OF THE DEAD: Featuring Mariachi, Folklore Dances, Latin Music Groups, food and more, opens Oct. 28, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

W. DALE CLARK LIBRARY, 215 S. 15th St., (402) 444-4800.

IN A NUTSHELL: THE WORLDS OF MAURICE SENDAK: Exhibit strives to reveal the push and pull of new and old worlds in Sendak’s work and shows how his artistic journey has led him deeper into his own family’s history and Jewish identity. Opens Oct. 30-Dec. 16.

ONGOING

THE 815, 815 O St. Suite 1, (402) 261-4905. THE ART OF AUTISM: New work presented by Art Planet, through Oct. 31.

ARTISTS’ COOPERATIVE GALLERY, 405 S. 11th St., (402) 342-9617. PERCEPTIONS: New work by Jerry Jacoby, Glenda Musilek, Dale Shenefelt and Pete Wroblewski, through Oct. 30.

BIRDHOUSE COLLECTIBLE, 1111 N. 13th St., Suite 123, biz@ birdhouseinteriors.com. AND HE LABORED TO REALIZE THE ENDLESSNESS OF THE SKIES: New work by Caolan O’Loughlin, through Nov. 5.

DURHAM WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, 801 S. 10th St., 444.5071, durhammuseum.org. GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER: The life and work of an extraordinary man, through Oct. 30.

EL MUSEO LATINO, 4701 S. 25th St., (402) 731-1137. GRAPHICS OF LATIN AMERICA: Group show exploring the graphics of Latin America, through Dec. 28.

GRAND MANSE GALLERY, 129 N. 10th St., (402) 476-4560.

NEW WORK: The 815 at The Grand Manse presents new work

by Becky Rea and Tim Frisch, through Oct. 31.

GREAT PLAINS ART MUSEUM, 1155 Q St., (402) 472-0599.

PASSING AMERICA: New work by V....Vaughan, through Dec. 11, reception Oct. 7, 5 p.m.

INTERNATIONAL QUILT STUDY CENTER AND MUSEUM, 1523 N. 33rd St., Lincoln, 472.7232, quiltstudy.org. ELEGANT GEOMETRY: AMERICAN AND BRITISH MOSAIC PATCHWORK: Through Jan. 1, 2012. YVONNE WELLS: QUILTED MESSAGES: New work by Yvonne Wells, through Feb. 26.

JOSLYN ART MUSEUM, 2200 Dodge St., (402) 342-3300.

AMERICAN LANDSCAPE CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE WEST: Featuring the work of fourteen photographers, through Jan. 8. FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA: CURRIER & IVES PRINTS FROM THE CONAGRA FOODS COLLECTION: Nathaniel Currier and James merritt Ives offered affordable color prints that remain a vivid picture of nineteenth-century America, through Jan. 15.

KIECHEL FINE ART, 5733 S. 34th St, (402) 420-9553. DEFINING AMERICA: IMAGES OF THE 20TH CENTURY: A show that pairs heroic scenes of American history with intimate insights into artists’ private lives, through Nov. 25.

LUX CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 48th and Baldwin, Lincoln, 434.2787, luxcenter.org. TREELINE: NATURE’S ICONIC FORM: Group show that pays homage to the noble stature and presence of trees, through Nov. 1. RECLAIMED: ART MADE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS: Group show that examines and questions the state of our throw-away culture/society, featuring new work by Jake Balcom, Elizabeth Frank, John Garrett, Daphnae Koop, Jennifer Maestre and Conrad Quijas, this show continues through October 29. THE SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: Comic book art by nationally known artist Bob Hall, through Nov. 26.

MODERN ARTS MIDWEST, 800 P St., (402) 477-2828. ONE TRICK PONY: New work by Watie White, through Nov. 12.

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

by Joel Sartore, through Nov. 30. FIRST PEOPLES OF THE PLAINS: TRADITIONS SHAPED BY LAND AND SKY: This mod-

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OCT. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

ern exhibit explores the enduring traditions of Native American cultures of the Great Plains.

MOVING GALLERY, Garden of the Zodiac, 1042 Howard St., (402) 341-1877. PORTRAITS: New work by Gerhard Kassner and Christian Rothmann, continues through Dec. 6.

MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART (MONA), 2401 Central Ave., (308) 865-8559. NEBRASKA NOW: CHAD FONFARA: New glass work by Chad Fonfara, continues through Jan. 8.

OLD MARKET ARTISTS GALLERY, 1034 Howard St., (402) 346-6569. WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS: New work by Frank Costanzo, through Oct. 31.

OMAHA’S CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, 500 S. 20th St., 342.6163. ocm.org. DINOSAURS DAWN OF THE ICE AGE: Stomping and roaring robotic dinosaurs are invading the museum, through Jan. 8.

PASSAGEWAY GALLERY, 417 S. 11th St., (402) 341-1910. HARVEST OF COLOR: New work by Pam Cates, through Oct. 30.

PEERLESS, 3517 Farnam St., Ste. 7108, contact@wearepeerless.com. BREATHING ROOM: New work by Bethany Kalk, Caleb Coppock, Daphne Eck, Cora Rasp and Cale Oglesby, continues through Oct. 29.

PERU STATE COLLEGE ART GALLERY, 600 Hoyt , (402) 8722271, kanderson@peru.edu. BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND A DAY JOB: New work by Andy Acker, through Nov. 5.

SHELDON ART GALLERY, 12th and R, UNL, Lincoln, sheldonartgallery.org. HISTORIES: Works from the Sheldon Permanent Collection, through Jul. 15, 2012. HARLEM RENAISSANCE SCULPTOR: Work by Richmond Barthe, continues through Jan. 15. THE ART AND SCIENCE OF CONSERVATION: WALT KUHN’S ‘APPLES IN WOODEN BOAT’: Presents findings of recent examination of the artwork including x-rays taken on Sep. 26 at BryanLGH Medical Center West, continues through Dec. 31.

UNO ART GALLERY, 6001 Dodge St., (402) 554-2796. ALMUTANABBI STREET STARTS HERE: Exhibition features letterpress broadsides, artists’ books and a documentary film made to honor the book center of Baghdad, which was destroyed by a car bomb in 2007. SELECTED WORKS ON PAPER AND VIDO: PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF CRACOW: New work by faculty and students from the University of Cracow Fine Arts Department. Curator Rafal Solewski, chair of art theory and art education for the department, selected the works to highlight the schools range.

WORKSPACE GALLERY, 440 N. 8th St., workspace.gallery.lincoln@gmail.com. POSTMORTEM: A STUDY IN DECOMPOSITION: New work by Darryl Baird, this show continues through Nov. 3.

theater oPENING

BALLET NEBRASKA PRESENTS DRACULA, Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St., (402) 444-4750. Opens Oct. 28, 8:00 pm, $19$45. Choreographer Winthrop Corey‘s stunning Dracula is at once haunting, action-packed, beautiful, and romantic.

MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN, UNO Studio Theatre, 6001 Dodge St., (402) 554-3167, uno.theatre.publicity@gmail.com.

Opens Oct. 26, Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 29, 7:00 pm, FREE. The play can be thought of as a sequel to the autobiographical Long Day’s Journey into Night.

SHELTERSKELTER 16, Shelterbelt Theatre, 3225 California St., (402) 341-2757. Opens Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 29, Oct. 30, Oct. 31, 8:00 pm, Adults: $15; Seniors and Students: $12. Be afraid, be very afraid - Shelterskelter returns with a whole new lineup.

Tales of fright, mystery, the macabre and dark comedy too. Our annual anthology of short plays dealing with horror, suspense, the macabre and dark humor is back! This year we are featuring 9 original plays.

THE WEDDING SINGER - THE MUSICAL AT THE IWCC ARTS CENTER MAIN STAGE, Iowa Western Community College, 2700 College Rd. , (712) 325-3200. Opens Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 29, Oct. 30, Nov. 3, 7:30 pm, $8; Students and Seniors: $5. Based on the romantic-comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, this play looks back on the music, fashion and fun of the 1980s.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS, Circle Theatre, 55th & Leavenworth St., (402) 553-4715. Opens Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 29, Nov. 3, 6:30 pm, Dinner & Show: $23; Show Only: $13. The play is a three-act drama, which takes place on a single night in 1912, and focuses on the prosperous middle-class Birling family, who

| THE READER |

art/theater listings

SATURDAY 29

check event listings online! live in a comfortable home in Brumley, “an industrial city in the north Midlands”.

[SPACE]; OR, THE GODS ARE DANGEROUS, The Mastercraft, 1111 N. 13th St.. Opens Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 29, 7:30 pm, $10.

A challenging experimental performance brought to you by the Aetherplough collective.

OUT OF THE LIPS OF SILENCE: ONE WILLA CATHER POEM EXPERIENCED IN FOUR FORMS, Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q St., (402) 477-2600. Opens Oct. 26, Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 29, Oct. 30, 6:00 pm, $30; Students: $25. n original production by Joel Egger, produced by Omaha’s The Apollon, includes dinner and a gallery exhibition and featuring the music of South of Lincoln PROJECT #1, Temple Building, 215 Temple Building, 402-4722072 . Opens Oct. 26, Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 30, 7:30 pm, $6.

An original piece based on the concepts of identity and fear. It is created by a forgotten generation, searching for identity in a plastic world where fear is the new American dream.

FLYIN’ WEST, Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St., (402) 553-4890. Opens Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 29, Oct. 30, Nov. 3, 7:30 pm, $35; Students: $21. The story of a small group of African-American women whose lives changed when the West was opened up for people willing to settle in a harsh and untested region.

ENRON, Nebraska Wesleyan, 51st & Huntington St., (402) 4652395. Opens Oct. 27, Oct. 28, Oct. 29, Oct. 30, 7:30 pm, $10; Seniors: $7.50; Students: $5. A story that has been ripped from the headlines and put on the stage.

MEDEA, McDonald Theatre, 53rd St. & Huntington Ave., (402) 465-2384, theatre@nebrwesleyan.edu. Opens Nov. 3, 7:30 pm, $10; Seniors: $7.50; Students: $5. The Greek tragedy of Medea.

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, Creighton University Lied Center, 2500 California Plaza, 402-280-2509. Opens Nov. 2, Nov. 3, 7:30 pm, N/A. A comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare’s only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life.

poetry/comedy thursday 27

PARK TEEN CENTER UNDERGROUND OPEN MIC COFFEEHOUSE NIGHT, Park School 855 S. 8th St.. 10:35 am, $1. Open mic/slam poetry/acoustic music for students grades 8 through 12. Last Thursday of the month.

WOMEN’S FUND FALL LUNCHEON, Ramada Plaza Hotel 3321 S. 72nd St.. 11:30 am, $75.

BRIAN DUNKLEMAN, Funny Bone Comedy Club 17305 Davenport St., (402) 493-8036. 7:00 pm, $13. A comedian and actor best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of American Idol.

BACKLINE IMPROV PRESENTS: SKETCH SHOWCASE, INTERROGATED AND POWERHOUR, Studio…Gallery 4965 Dodge St., (402) 660-0867. 8:00 pm, $5.

COMEDY SURPRISE NIGHT, Mojo Smokehouse & Ales 2110 South 67th St., (402) 504-3776. 10:00 pm, FREE. Hosted by Nick Allen.

FRIDAY 28

NO NAME READING SERIES WITH ERICA ROGERS AND HALI SOFALA, Zen’s Lounge 122 N. 11th St.. 4:00 pm, FREE. BRIAN DUNKLEMAN, Funny Bone Comedy Club 17305 Davenport St., (402) 493-8036. 7:00 pm, $15. A comedian and actor best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of American Idol.

POETRY READING W/ NICK DEMSKE, DIONA POFF, JOSHUA WARE, sp ce 14th & O St., Lincoln, (402) 617-9221. 8:30 pm, FREE.

WORKSHOP: CERAMICS CREATION, Hot Shops Art Center 1301 Nicolas St., (402) 342-6452. 10:00 am, $45. Workshop with Tim Barry.

BRIAN DUNKLEMAN, Funny Bone Comedy Club 17305 Davenport St., (402) 493-8036. 7:00 pm, $15. A comedian and actor best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of American Idol.

Sunday 30

BRIAN DUNKLEMAN, Funny Bone Comedy Club 17305 Davenport St., (402) 493-8036. 7:00 pm, $13. A comedian and actor best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of American Idol.

monday 31

LEVEL 3 IMPROV CLASS, Studio…Gallery 4965 Dodge St., (402) 660-0867. 7:00 pm, $75. Learn how to completely perform a Harold, the primary learning form of Long Form Improvisation.

Send an email to backlineimprov@gmail.com to register. $75.

GHOST STORY OPEN MIC, Crescent Moon Coffee 8th & P St., (402) 435-2828. 7:00 pm, FREE.

tuesday 1

OPEN MIC POETRY, Indigo Bridge Books 701 P St. Suite 102, (402) 477-7770. 7:00 pm, FREE. LEVEL 1 IMPROV CLASS, Studio…Gallery 4965 Dodge St., (402) 660-0867. 7:00 pm, $75. Learn how to improvise solid 2-person scenes off a single suggestion and learn the basics of Long Form Improvisation. Send and email to backlineimprov@gmail.com to RSVP for the Level 1 Class.

TUESDAYS WITH WRITERS WITH SHOSHANA SUMRALL FRERKING AND HEIDI HERMANSON, South Mill 4736 Prescott St.. 7:00 pm, FREE. FIVE DOLLAR COMEDY NIGHT TUESDAY: 88 IMPROV, Pizza Shoppe Collective 6056 Maple St., (402) 932-9007. 8:00 pm, $5.

SHOOT YOUR MOUTH OFF III, The Hideout Lounge 320 S. 72nd St., (402) 504-4434. 9:00 pm, FREE.

Wednesday 2

WHAT ARE YOU READING? BOOK CHAT, The Bookworm 87th & Pacific St., (402) 392-2877. 12:00 pm, FREE. Join us to chat about your favorite reads. Group meets every first Wednesday.

LUNCH AT THE LIBRARY WITH REX WALTON, Bennett Martin Public Library 136 S. 14th St., (402) 441-8500. 12:10 pm, FREE. Writer and director of local writing programs presents lecture “Our Spoken Word--How ‘Lit Out Loud’ is going over in Lincoln and Nebraska.”

NAKED WORDS, Soul Desires 1026 Jackson St., (402) 8987600. 6:00 pm, FREE. Hosted by Heidi Hermanson, first Wednesday.

TRUTHSPEAKS LOUNGE LIVE BROADCAST: “OCCUPYING SPACE AND PURPOSE”, House Of Loom 1012 S. 10th St., (402) 505-5494, info@houseofloom.com. 7:00 pm, FREE. A weekly two-hour radio program dedicated to the non-mainstream side of hip-hop, hosted by a new, vibrant, intelligent voice in hip-hop, Self Xpression! A Special Broadcast, Live from the “House of Loom” will bring together the Omaha community for a Forum discussion on the “Occupy Wall Steet/ Occupy Omaha Movement; giving updates, history, dicussing revelance, purpose and much more!

CURTIS LECTURE ON PUBLIC LEADERSHIP, O’Donnell Auditorium 50th St. & Huntington Ave.. 7:00 pm, FREE. Interfaith Youth Core Founder and President Eboo Patel presents lecture entitled, “Interfaith Leadership in a Time of Global Religious Crisis.”

THE PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL: COUNTDOWN TO ZERO, McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe 302 S. 38th St., (402) 3457477. 7:00 pm, FREE. Traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident.

THE MIDWEST POETRY VIBE, Arthur’s 222 N. 114th St., (402) 706-2491. 9:00 pm, Ladies: $5; Guys: $7.

El Aguila

NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

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Friday, November 4, 2011 Embassy Suites, La Vista

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Conference: 8:30am – 5:00pm Awards Gala: 6:00 – 9:00pm Entertainment: 9:00pm Register on-line & learn more at www.heartlandlatino.org General Registration: $150 | College Students: $50 | High School Students: $25 Must show student ID on-site at registration to be confirmed for the discount.

Thank you to our Diamond Sponsors:

| THE READER |

OCT. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

39

Drawing a Bigger Landscape Cold War Kids expand their horizons

by Chris Aponick

J

on record. It definitely came into play as they wrote songs.

“It’s hard because you think of what that song will sound like live,” Willett says.

So the band left town and hooked up with producer Jacquire King (Norah Jones, Kings of Leon). They hit the sessions with a bunch of song ideas, but with little material finished.

Instead they built everything with King. Willett says the luxury of being in the studio is they had the resources and time to capture ideas that they hadn’t previously.

udge the Cold War Kids by their covers.

The California band aims to let the covers illustrate just what sounds lie lurking within, singer Nathan Willett says.

Each album’s distinct differences are highlighted by the artwork, done by the band’s own bassist Matt Maust. Their 2006 debut Robbers & Cowards feacold war kids tured lively pictures of friends and carried an upbeat vibe.

The follow-up Loyalty to Loyalty skewed darker, but led off by the hurtling single “Something Is Not Right With Me.” That album was paired with simple, stark black-andwhite illustrations.

The new album Mine Is Yours features the album name scrawled out simple, scribbled blue, black, red and yellow colors all over the cover, with the band name printed in the center.

There’s a vibrant urgency to the design coupled with sense of a newer, more concrete approach.

“I definitely see our records through his visual lens,” Willett says.

Mine Is Yours, which came out January 2011, was the product of a the Cold War Kids jumping up to a bigger sound.

Willett says the band deliberately sought to make the latest album in the Willett says there was still a feeling that if studio and pursue a bigger budget to match their the band chose to run with an idea in the stusonic ambitions. dio, it had to be pretty strong. It was pretty The idea was to make a clear break from just four draining being logging so many hours in the guys at home making a record on their computers. studio.

Willett says having exposure to bigger bands at “It’s a lot of self-imposed pressure,” he says. festival dates and while opening for Death Cab For Still, the band wanted to expand their scope Cutie shaped how they play and had an effect on their on their songs. Willett says previously worked songwriting, even if it was only subconsciously. with a degree of minimalism on their records.

The live mindset really was the main thing They band wanted to retain those hallmarks, but that shaped their desire to make a bigger sound on a larger landscape.

40

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

| THE READER |

music

“It was definitely what we put our money into,” he says.

Willett says at first glance, people took the idea that the bigger-sounding Cold War Kids record meant that they were going to churn out an album that sounded like Def Leppard.

Songs like “Royal Blue” prove that the Cold War Kids never betrayed who they were, even while expanding their sound on Mine Is Yours. The song started with Maust and Willett writing together, with Jonnie Russell providing the guitar part. The big sound of the song connects to the Kids’ hallmark shambolic, soulful energy.

“We always want that to be the core of what we do,” Willett says.

And live, all the songs from the albums blend together, despite the differences of each release.

Willett says the band is still just figuring out how to make albums. The studio sessions for Mine Is Yours taught them tons and now the band has talked about how to make future recordings and put them out in more creative ways.

“It’s hard to say exactly what we’ll shoot for next,” Willett says.

Willett says he now follows his songwriting instincts much better. The band’s first record was mostly fictional and the second contained more autobiographical writing. The third was a mix of the two.

“I’m learning what I do well and maximizing that,” he says.

There might be other releases before the band makes another full-length. Willett says the band has always been about spontaneity and looseness.

“We always had the most fun putting out like six song EPs,” he says. , Cold War Kids w/ Young Man play the Slowdown, 729 North 14th St., Monday, October 31st at 9 p.m.

Tickets are $16 in advance, $18 day-of-show. For more information, visit onepercentproductions.com.

n I will be checking my mailbox obsessively for the next week or so. Digital Leather’s Infinite Sun test pressings are reportedly on the way to all the people that donated money to the band via Kickstarter.com earlier this year. A limitedtime only download code was sent to donors a few months ago. Regular edition copies of the album will also be available from Volar Records. n Alternative country mainstays The Gourds are flying through Nebraska under the radar. They play the Pla Mor Ballroom, 6600 West O St. in Lincoln, Monday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m. The Austin, Texas, band has been around since the mid-’90s and just released their tenth studio album Old Mad Joy in September. n Saddle Creek Records has re-releasing three Two Gallants titles on vinyl. What the Toll Tells, The Scenery of Farewell and Two Gallants are all available on saddle-creek.com and at the Saddle Creek Shop, 721 N. 14th St. To celebrate the releases, Noisey.com has posted a five part video series on the San Francisco-based duo, which includes interviews and live versions of songs recorded in Chicago. n Baby Tears have joined Facebook, if only to prevent singer/guitarist Todd Von Stup from having to continually send mass texts from his phone whenever the three-piece band has a show. The new online home comes hot on the heels of the band’s new vinyl-only single todd von stup “Homeless Corpse”, released by Rainy Road Records. The single is limited to 200 copies on regular, black vinyl and 100 copies on gold vinyl. The gold vinyl can only be bought via mail order at rainyroadrecords.com.

Both versions include an MP3 download code.

The band has also made a video for the single’s flip side “She Sell Eggs”, which is on YouTube. com. The video is a homemade collection of images shot while cruising Omaha and Council Bluffs after dark. n Mark Thursday, Jan. 26, on your calendar now.

Alternative rock weirdo Evan Dando is bringing his Lemonheads through to play his seminal work, It’s A Shame About Ray. The short, but sweet 1992 album will be played in its entirety at the Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. — Chris Aponick

backbeat

music

Backbeat takes you behind the scenes of the local music scene. Send tips, comments and questions to backbeat@thereader.com.

| THE READER |

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

41

presents

DRACULA "VĂŒÂœLiÀÊÓnĂŠUĂŠnʍ“ÊUĂŠ"“>Â…>Â˝ĂƒĂŠ"À…iՓÊ/Â…i>ĂŒiĂ€ Tickets from $19!

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OCT. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

| THE READER |

Presented with the support of

| THE READER |

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

43

lazy-i t h e

o m a h a

m u s i c

Baby on board: Maria Taylor’s family plan

S

inger/songwriter Maria Taylor is having a baby.

She dropped that bomb during an interview last week with the Arizona State University student newspaper, The State Press. And although the Saddle Creek Records chanteuse, who is also half of the duo of Azure Ray, is on a tour with a new solo album, I couldn’t think of a more important topic of discussion.

“Well, I can tell you that I met my boyfriend at a show in Washington, D.C.,” Taylor said while lying down in the tour van before her show Monday night in Portland. “He’s the first non-musician I’ve ever dated. He’s a Chief of Staff for a politician -I’m not going to tell you who.”

The reason for keeping his anonymity: “I haven’t asked him if he wants me to talk about it,” Taylor said. “He’s a really wonderful person. If I’m going to move to Washington, D.C., he must be a wonderful person. I remember driving into (Washington) before I met him, I was sitting in back-to-back traffic as always and I said, ‘Watch me meet someone from here and have to move to this f***ing town.’”

She went on to say Washington isn’t that bad.

In fact, the more she experiences its history, museums and parks, the more she likes it. So the plan is to move to Washington, have the baby and then start touring again with baby in tow. “And my mom will be tour nanny,” Taylor said. “She just retired and wants to see the country. I plan on working on an Azure Ray record before having the baby to get as much done as we can. So the Azure Ray tour will be the first baby tour.”

They say having a baby changes everything, but does that include the way you write music? “I feel like it will,” Taylor said. “I draw from what’s happening in my life when I write. I imagine my disposition will be different, and it will even affect the sound as well as the lyrics.”

Taylor, both as a solo artist and in Azure Ray, has defined her music with deeply personal love songs, a style that seems almost passé as she’s about to enter a different stage in life, but she’s still not sure if she’ll leave love songs behind. “I haven’t written a song since I found out I was pregnant,” she said. “I might feel like focusing on different aspects of life, but what if I’m not good at that? I need to start writing again, but right now I’m real sick and on tour, and I don’t write when I’m on tour. I’ve been throwing up a lot. I haven’t felt creative.”

She said she didn’t think she would be sick just three months into the pregnancy -- her due date is April 30 (“A Taurus,” she adds), and she won’t find out if it’s a boy or girl until after the tour.

Lazy-i

s c e n e

b y

t i m

m c m a h a n

“I was told I would feel amazing, but my body just shuts down at 9 p.m. and I get shaky and go to bed and get sick again” she said. “I can’t drink and I have social anxiety. It’s not the same experience to tour pregnant, but I feel like I’m conquering my fears. I’m talking to people every night and battling sickness.

“The cool thing is that I feel like the baby has all of its organs and just grows and gets bigger,” she added. “I can’t help thinking that I’m teaching it rhythms. It feels the vibrations. We really rock out, so I think it’s going to be a drummer or bass player.”

With songs like guitar-driven grinder “Matador” and strobing, soaring album opener “Masterplan,” Overlook, Taylor’s new album released this past August, may be her most diverse collection to date. The album balances the rock with Taylor’s usual delicate, reflective material, like the dreamy “Happenstance,” and somber “This Could Take a Lifetime.” Critical response also has been rather diverse -- reviewers either love it or say the record sounds too rushed.

“I feel like I shot myself in the foot in the press release,” Taylor said, laughing. “I said I locked myself in a room and wrote it in two weeks. I feel like (critics) think I didn’t spend enough time and that it was thrown together. I could have written all my records that way. If I said I’d spent two years on it, they would say it was my best record yet. People who loved it probably didn’t read the press release.”

Overlook marks a return to Saddle Creek after Taylor strayed to Nettwerk to release 2009’s Ladyluck. She said the label switch was merely testing different waters. “There are pros and cons about each label,” she said. “Nettwerk put a lot of money into it, but we didn’t make it back, so I didn’t make money. With Saddle Creek, you can recoup and make money, and that’s hard to do these days.

I don’t want to have to wait tables or go back to school.”

For now the biggest question is how Taylor will balance her career and motherhood. While her life is about to change forever, she said her new arrival won’t keep her from making music.

“When I’m on stage that one hour, I’m 100 percent happy,” she said. “I have social anxiety, but I feel like I’m connecting with people, and singing is my favorite thing to do in the world, especially on stage with my friends and family. I can’t imagine going through the rest of my life not doing that. I need that.” , Maria Taylor plays with Big Harp and Dead Fingers Sunday, Oct. 30, at Slowdown, 729 No. 14th St.. Showtime is 9 p.m. Admission is $10. For more information, call 402.345.7569 or visit theshowdown.com.

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.

44

OCT. 27 - nov. 2, 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

Gurf Morlix and 112 North Duck

D

ean Dobmeier’s and Gary Grobeck’s Sunday Roadhouse presents a remarkable night for Americana music fans Sunday, Oct. 30, at The Waiting Room at 5 p.m. They’ll showcase an acclaimed new Americana documentary and music from Austin singer-songwriter Gurf Morlix.

Blaze Foley: Duct Tape Messiah tells the story of Foley, whose songs have been covered by Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, John Prine and Willie Nelson. Lucinda Williams wrote her song “Drunken Angel” for Foley and his friend Townes Van Zandt created “Blaze’s Blue” for him. Foley was killed in 1989 in a tragic incident that was either self-defense or part of an ongoing dispute. Filmmaker Kevin Triplett will be present to talk about the creative process behind the documentary. See blazefoleymovie.com. Foley’s friend Gurf Morlix will play songs from his tribute to his Foley’s music, a collection called Blaze Foley’s 113th Wet Dream. The CD received lots of recognition including 16 weeks in the Top 20 of the Americana Music Chart.

Visit sundayroadhouse.com for more.

hoodoo

M O R E

B Y

B . J .

H U C H T E M A N N

Duck’s Gone Fishin’: 112 North Duck celebrates the release of Gone Fishin’ Friday, Oct. 28, with a free show at McKenna’s after 9 p.m. Lead singer Christy Rossiter’s big, soulful voice is featured on her second disc with the band performing their all-original material. Rossiter said via email, “Audiences seem to really be enjoying “Life with You” and ”Walking Hand in Hand,” our two ballads. We feel that the recording is very raw and captures our sound better than any other recording we’ve done. We were very fortunate to be able to perform them [the songs] quite a bit before recording them, music always seems to take on a life of its own once there is an audience to hear it.”

Hot Notes: The 21st Saloon presents two fine local bands this Thursday, Oct. 27. At 5 p.m. catch traditional Chicago blues from Lincoln’s Lil’ Slim Blues Band followed at 7 p.m. by the Brad Cordle Band.Kris Lager Band celebrates Halloween Saturday, Oct. 29, with a show at the Studio Gallery, 49th & Dodge, at 9 p.m. This is a BYOB space. Costumes are encouraged. Halloween night, Oct. 31, at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar after 9 p.m., Potboiler Burlesque heats up the stage with music from Snake Island!, Digital Leather and Josh Hoyer’s new combo The Shadows. ,

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. Follow her blog at hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.com.

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| THE READER |

OCT. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

45

livemusiccalendar

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

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 27

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46

REVIVAL, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, Bar 415, FREE. HELLOWEEN HOEDOWN W/ BANJO LOCO, (Rock) 9:30 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $5.

SMITH’S CLOUD, CHRISTINA DODSON, GUS AND CALL, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 6 pm, Bourbon Theater, FREE. KRISTI & KEVIN, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Firewater Grille, FREE. THE POUNDERS, (Blues) 9 pm, Gator O’Malley’s, FREE. NOVAK & HARR, (Jazz) 6 pm, Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen.

JUCIFER, CYNGE, AMERICAN GUNFIGHT, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers.

PAUL HART, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 9 pm, Myth Martini Bar, FREE. SMOOTH JAZZ THURSDAYS FEATURING: ED ARCHIBALD, (Jazz) 6:30 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse.

PRETTY LIGHTS, MIMOSA, INFLECT, (DJ/Electronic) 8 pm, Pershing Center, Advance: $30; DOS: $35.

FURIOSITY, THE CLINCHER BAND, THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, STRAP ON HALO, DEADECHOES, EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE, (Rock) 7 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill, $10.

BAD FATE, (Rock) 8 pm, Side Door Lounge, FREE. SWAMPJAM, (Blues) 8 pm, The O Bar, FREE. THURSDAY NIGHT ACOUSTIC W/ JR HOSS, 9 pm, Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. PHANTOGRAM, REPTAR, (Rock/DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, Waiting Room, Advance: $12; DOS: $14.

RATBRAIN, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Whiskey Roadhouse (Horseshoe Casino), FREE. CALENDAR FOR TROOPS, LEVI WILLIAM, (Blues) 6 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

THE LIL SLIM BLUES BAND, (Blues) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

Oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

\

FRIDAY 28

ELECTRIC SUSIE, THE PENROSE STAIRS, KNIFE.FIGHT. JUSTICE, (Rock/Cover Band) 9 pm, 21st Saloon, $5.

CHE GARCIA, BEATZ, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, Bar 415, $5.

READER RECOMMENDS

DJ KOBRAKYLE’S “THE NIGHT BEFORE HALLOWEEN”, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $2.

THE HOOD INTERNET, (Hip-Hop/Rap) 9 pm, Bourbon Theater, $10.

WILDFIRE, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 7 pm, Brazen Head.

MONSTERS IN THE BASEMENT, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Brewsky’s Park Drive, FREE. THE RESONATORS, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 8 pm, Crescent Moon Coffee, FREE. GUTS AND BONES, (Punk) 8 pm, Cultiva Coffee, FREE. TIJUANA GIGOLOS, (Blues) 5 pm, Duggan’s Pub, $5.

JITTERBUGS’ NIGHT OUT, (Jazz) 9 pm, Eagles Lodge, $10.

ACOUSTIC GROOVE, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Firewater Grille.

DADDY MAC AND THE FLACK, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Gator O’Malley’s, $5.

MARIACHI LUNA Y SOL, 6:30 pm, Hector’s, FREE. BOO GOO, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, House Of Loom, $5.

KAJAM, (Jazz) 6 pm, Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen, FREE. BOSS, MAEVA, RESULT, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers.

LEMON FRESH DAY, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Loose Moose.

MONSTERS BALL W/ SYNCHRONIZED FATE, STRAIGHT SHOT, BITTER MUSEUM, (Rock) 9 pm, Louis, $7.

READER RECOMMENDS

112 NORTH DUCK, (Blues) 9 pm, McKenna’s Booze, Blues & BBQ, FREE. THE CONFIDENTIALS, (Cover Band) 9 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, FREE. HOOKSHOT, (Rock) 9 pm, Pizza Shoppe Collective, $5.

ECKOPHONIC, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Red9.

HALLOWEEN MASQUERADE W/ LAZERWOLFE, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Rococo Theater, $5.

| THE READER |

music listings

BELLY BASH W/ RAQS AWN BELLY DANCE COLLECTIVE, 7 pm, Scout Dry Goods & Trade, $12.

HIDDEN AGENDA, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS

2ND ANNUAL HILLBILLY HALLOWEEN W/ SOUTHPAW BLUEGRASS BAND, 24 HOUR CARDLOCK, (Folk/SingerSongwriter) 8:30 pm, Side Door Lounge, FREE. MASON JENNINGS, THE PINES, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 8 pm, Slowdown, $17.

CHRIS SHELTON, (Rock) 9 pm, Stir Live & Loud, FREE. PAISTY JENNY, (Cover Band) 8:30 pm, The Grove, FREE. HI-FI HANGOVER, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. NO JUSTICE, (Country) 9 pm, Uncle Ron’s, $10.

THE PERSUADERS, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Whiskey Roadhouse (Horseshoe Casino), FREE. FAC WITH THE TOASTED PONIES, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter/ Blues) 5 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

BRAD CORDLE BAND, (Blues) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

SATURDAY 29

AVARICIOUS, (Cover Band) 9:30 pm, Arena, FREE. JAMES EHRMAN, KG, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, Bar 415, $5.

MURDER BALLADS WITH BAD COUNTRY, MATT COX, (Folk/ Singer-Songwriter) 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $5.

HALLOWEEN HANGOVER W/ HI-FI HANGOVER, (Cover Band) 7 pm, Brewsky’s Park Drive, Advance: $10; DOS: $15.

CHESHIRE GRIN, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Chrome Lounge.

BLACK COHOSH, (Folk) 8 pm, Cultiva Coffee, FREE. BLUE HOUSE, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Gator O’Malley’s, $5.

HALLOWEEN BASH W/ MARCOS & SABOR, (Rock) 9 pm, Havana Garage, FREE. SIGHTS & SOUNDS SERIES: PSYCHO, (Classical) 7 pm, Holland Performing Arts Center, $15-$65.

READER RECOMMENDS

VAMPIRE MASQUERADE, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, House Of Loom, $10.

SARABANDE, (Jazz) 6 pm, Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen, FREE. THE DAY LEWIS, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers.

THE CONFIDENTIALS, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Loose Moose.

SMOOTH & SPOOKY BALL W/ DJ FUNKBOI, BACKERS BLUES, IN THE GRUV, (Jazz/Blues) 7:30 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, $10.

ROUGH CUT, (Cover Band) 9 pm, OzoNE, FREE. BARB RYMAN, VAL KEMP, ROBERT MATTER, (Folk/SingerSongwriter) 7 pm, Pizza Shoppe Collective, $5.

DFUNK, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Red9.

TOGA PARTY W/ THE SHALLOWS, EYE HEART BULLETS, THE PENROSE STAIRS, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill, FREE. THE FIRM, (Rock) 9 pm, Side Door Lounge, FREE. 8TH ANNUAL “SOMETHING WICKED” GOTH BALL 2011: VENOM W/ DJ KOBRAKYLE AND SNAKE ISLAND, (Rock/DJ/ Electronic) 8 pm, Slowdown, Advance: $12; DOS: $15.

SLUDGEBUCKET, AURASING, THE END IN RED, THE MATADOR, AFTER THE FALL, RISE FROM RUIN, BYLETH, (Rock/ Metal) 7 pm, Sokol Hall & Auditorium, $8.

THE SMOKER’S CLUB TOUR 2011 WITH METHOD MAN, CURREN$Y, BIG KRIT, SMOKE DZA, FIEND, THE PRICKS, (Hip-Hop/Rap) 8 pm, Sokol Hall & Auditorium, $30.

DRAG SHOW, (Rock) 9 pm, Stir Live & Loud, $5.

RUDE BAND, (Rock) 9 pm, The Alley.

HOOKT, (Cover Band) 8:30 pm, The Grove, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS

THE PLURALS, MILLIONS OF RAMONES, CLASH HOWL, NEW LUNGS, (Rock/Punk/Cover Band) 9 pm, The Sandbox.

LEMON FRESH DAY, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. BREAKAWAY, (Country) 9 pm, Uncle Ron’s, FREE.

SECRET WEAPON, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Waiting Room, $7.

HEADSTRONG HALLOWEEN PARTY, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Whiskey Roadhouse (Horseshoe Casino), FREE. THE SELF RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS, (Blues) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $8.

SUNDAY 30

SUNDAY GOLD W/ GREG K, (DJ) 9 pm, Bar 415, FREE. TIME HAMMER, VAN FANTOM, SKYMAN, GUTS AND BONES, (Rock) 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $5.

DOOM TIME PRESENTS: DEVIL’S NIGHT W/ GREEN TREES, SKULLSKOWSKI, DIRTY TALKER, BEAVER DAMAGE, MORE, (Rock) 7 pm, Bourbon Theater, $5.

SYMPHONY SPOOKTACULAR, 2 pm, Holland Performing Arts Center, $9.75.

BEASTMODE BOOGIE W/ MASARIS, STEPHEN BILS, KETHRO, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, House Of Loom, FREE. BRAVO! BOSENDORFER PIANO CONCERT FEATURING NED KIRK, (Classical) 3 pm, O’Donnell Auditorium, $12; Seniors: $10; Students: $8.

NED KIRK, (Classical) 3 pm, O’Donnell Auditorium, $12; Seniors: $10; Students: $8.

SPECIAL OPPS, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Oscar’s Pizza.

THE MATT COX BAND, (Rock) 9 pm, Pizza Shoppe Collective, FREE. MARIA TAYLOR, BIG HARP, DEAD FINGERS, (Folk/SingerSongwriter) 9 pm, Slowdown, $10.

READER RECOMMENDS

SUNDAY ROADHOUSE PRESENTS: GURF MORLIX, (Country) 5 pm, Waiting Room, Advance: $15; DOS: $20.

MONDAY 31

BASSTHOVEN, TOUCH PEOPLE, UUVVWWZ, MACHETE ARCHIVE, THE OUTERSPACEMEN, (Rock/DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, Bourbon Theater.

COLD WAR KIDS, YOUNG MAN, (Rock) 9 pm, Slowdown, Advance: $16; DOS: $18.

OH SLEEPER, GREELY ESTATES, TEN AFTER TWO, AT THE SKYLINES, SECRETS, (Rock) 7:30 pm, Sokol Hall & Auditorium, Advance: $10; DOS: $12.

TEN BUCK TOUR WITH JOSHUA JAMES AND HONEYHONEY, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 8 pm, Waiting Room, $10.

POTBOILER BURLESQUE, SNAKE ISLAND, THE SHADOWS, (Rock) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $8.

TUESDAY 1

INDIAN, VICKERS, DOPE POPE, (Rock/Metal) 8 pm, Bourbon Theater, $6.

THUNDER ON THE PLAINS CELTIC JAM SESSION, (Folk/ Singer-Songwriter) 7 pm, Crescent Moon Coffee, FREE. JR HOSS, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 6:30 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, FREE. PRIL JAM, (Rock) 6:30 pm, Rookies Bar & Grill, FREE. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, GOLD MOTEL, (Rock) 8 pm, Slowdown, $23.

THE LABORHOOD TOUR W/ DJ ABILITIES, ONE BE LO, TSMC, (Hip-Hop/Rap) 9 pm, Waiting Room, $10.

ANIMATO, FUNKTION, RELIC, ZED TEMPO, (Rock) 9:30 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

Wednesday 2

READER RECOMMENDS

EAST OF THE WALL, MASSES, KMG, (Rock/Metal) 9 pm, Bourbon Theater, $5.

JAZZ AT THE MOON WITH SWING 105, (Jazz) 7 pm, Crescent Moon Coffee, FREE. BOOM CHICK, GASTON LIGHT, SNAKE ISLAND, CONFLICT BETWEEN, (Rock) 9 pm, Duffy’s, Advance: $5; DOS: $7.

KRASHKARMA, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers.

THE GREASE BAND, (Cover Band) 6:30 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, FREE. CHRIS SAUB, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 8 pm, Pizza Shoppe Collective, $5.

REAL ESTATE, BIG TROUBLES, (Rock) 9 pm, Slowdown, $10.

FUTURE ISLANDS, ED SCHRADER’S MUSIC BEAT, (Rock) 9 pm, Waiting Room, $10.

TERRY EVANS, (Blues) 6 pm, Zoo Bar, $10.

SWEET GINGER HEAT, (Rock) 9:30 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

0

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with stand

onlY $99

#2 – Omaha Reader 4.9” x 7.47”www.RainbowMusicOmaha.com Ad (3/8 pg Vert.) – 10/27/11

UPCOMING SHOWS

That’s right.

It’s The 2011 Smoker’s Club Tour. This year it features Method Man, Curren$y, Big Krit, Smoke DZA, Fiend, The Pricks, and Corner Boy P. It’s hosted by Shiest Bubz and Cuzzin Todd. It’s guaranteed to be a good time.

SaTuRday, 10/29/11 8:00PM @ SoKol audiToRiuM

THE SMOKER’S CLUB TOUR 2011

SPOtlIGHt SHOW

w/ Method Man & Curren$y

ThuRSday, 10/27/11 8:00PM @ The PeRShing CenTeR PReTTy lighTS

ThuRSday, 10/27/11 9:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM PhanTogRaM w/ Reptar

w/ All Shall Parish & Cannabis Corpse

FRiday, 10/28/11 8:00PM @ SloWdoWn MaSon JenningS (Solo)

SaTuRday, 10/29/11 9:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM SeCReT WeaPon

Sunday, 10/30/11 5:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM Sunday RoadhouSe PReSenTS:

Sunday, 10/30/11 9:00PM @ SloWdoWn MaRia TayloR

Monday, 10/31/11 8:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM Ten BuCK TouR

Monday, 10/31/11 9:00PM @ SloWdoWn Cold WaR KidS

w/ Mimosa & Inflect

FRiday, 10/28/11 7:30PM @ The WaiTing RooM The BlaCK dahlia MuRdeR

DAVID COOK NOVEMBER 26

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY

w/ The Pines

Tickets available at whiskeyroadhouse.com, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

w/ Big Harp & Dead Fingers

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.

w/ Joshua James, HoneyHoney, & Levi Lowrey

10/31/11 OH, SLEEPER 11/01/11 THE LABORHOOD TOUR 11/01/11 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS 11/02/11 FUTURE ISLANDS 11/03/11 MURS 11/04/11 A.A. BONDY 11/05/11 OWL CITY 11/05/11 BACK WHEN 11/06/11 DAVID BAZAN 11/06/11 THIN LIZZY

Gurf Morlix

w/ Young Man

11/08/11 DANAVA 11/09/11 TRIBAL SEEDS 11/10/11 I AM FINALLY FAMOUS WORLD TOUR 11/11/11 OEAA NOMINEE SHOWCASE 11/11/11 THE DEVIL MAKES THREE 11/12/11 BROKEN CROWN CD RELEASE 11/12/11 YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND 11/13/11 CITY AND COLOUR 11/14/11 CROOKED FINGERS 11/14/11 THRASH AND BURN 2011

More Information and Tickets Available at

WWW.ONEPERCENTPRODUCTIONS.COM

music listings

| THE READER |

OCT. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

47

E D I T E D

Black Power Mixtape sums up a struggle from abroad

W

THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE

by Ryan Syrek

REPORTCARD

hen recollecting on the volatile quest for racial equality in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the obvious first question that springs to mind is “What did Sweden think?” No? Must be just me then…

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 may seek to answer a question nobody asked, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling. Director Göran Olsson has stitched together vintage footage compiled by Swedish journalists who documented the birth of the Black Power movement with a peculiar fascination and surprising integrity for the time.

Although Olsson may well have cherry-picked his content, opting to only include archival materials that made his home country look objective, Sweden doesn’t exactly sport a reputation for strong political opinions and cultural judgment. Also supporting Olsson’s view is the reaction that TV Guide READER RECOMMENDS

Captain America (ON DVD) Old-school action that only a Nazi would hate.

A-

Drive Ryan Gosling is one unflappable cool cat, until he gets flapped too hard.

B-

Footloose As the song says, I recommending cutting Footloose.

D

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

48

of all publications took back in the 1960s, essentially blasting the Swedes for not blasting the Black Power movement. Ah, what would America be without the vibrant watchdog journalism of TV Guide?

Black Power Mixtape uses modern voiceover commentary by folks like Talib Kweli, Questlove and Erykah Badu to stitch together the fragmented footage of the past. It is a slightly inelegant strategy by Olsson, functioning almost like a DVD commentary track. What’s more, the contemporary conversations are more or less just “Hey, I remember that” observations that don’t serve the more interesting strategy of examining how pivotal events were played overseas.

MAY 12 - 18, 2011

The Ides of March It may be a good movie, but you won’t feel good after.

B+

The Thing BIt’s unabashedly unoriginal...so at least that’s someThing.

Moneyball Less of a home run, more of a ground-rule double.

C+

Tree of Life (ON DVD) A somber cinematic prayer…in which God talks back.

A+

Far, far more fascinating are the untainted and shockingly honest interviews with folks like the controversially imprisoned Angela Davis and incendiary Stokely Carmichael. Listening to rare, casual conversations is significantly more gripping than following Olsson’s inelegant summation of the entirety of the black struggle for equality. The gravitational pull of this movement’s significance yanks the director from a more compelling orbit, as Olsson isn’t content to be a mere compiler of clips. Instead, he tries to compose a comprehensive account of a massive and still-ongoing battle against racial iniquity and is slightly betrayed by his ambition.

Although flawed, Black Power Mixtape should by no means be dismissed. It is still a packed powder keg of historical content, frequently exploding with pull-no-punches comments from leaders who will always be remembered in the shadow of the more approachable Martin Luther King Jr. Modern American memory has plenty of room for the largely passive MLK, but Black Power Mixtape is a reminder that the role of more aggressive figures shouldn’t be minimized.

With phenomenal music and compelling footage, Black Power Mixtape may not be as revelatory as it is historically significant. Given the seeming willingness of many Americans to boil the entire equality movement down to just MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, posterity needs documentaries like this to remind us that were it not for voices loud enough to carry across the Atlantic and ring in the ears of Swedes, the cry for equality may well have fallen on deaf ears within our own shores. ,

GRADE: B+

B Y

R Y A N

S Y R E K

■ It’s always a good time in Omaha when native son Alexander Payne releases a new movie, but leave it to Film Streams (filmstreams.org) to throw a full-on party for it.

That’s right, on Nov. 20, there’s gonna be a “Waikiki Party” at The Slowdown (theslowdown.com)! Payne himself will be there to celebrate his new film, The Descendants, and for $75 you can buy a package that includes admittance to the shindig along with a priority reservation for a screening of the film afterwards. Sounds like it’s time to wash and press my favorite Hawaiian shirt and dry clean my grass skirt.

■ Department stores usually get all the fun of heavily promoting the Christmas season immediately after the first leaf falls from a tree. Well, guess what, I want to jump the gun, too! So I’ll tell you now, and likely remind you again later, that the Dundee Theatre (dundeetheatre.com) is planning on cramming our collective stockings with a double lump of awesome this year. First, on Dec. 9 and 10t at midnight, you can catch Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, which is nowhere near as Burl Ives-innocent as the title suggests. Look no further than the R rating for “nudity and language” for proof. Then, on Dec. 16 and 17 at midnight and on the 17 and 18 at 10 a.m., the theater is showing Santa’s Cool Holiday Film Festival, which features joyful cartoons and the deliriously fantastic cult classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. I may not get my shopping done early, but at least I can check “promote demented holiday entertainment” off my Yuletide “to-do” list!

CUTTINGROOM

Short and Swede

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 Movieha!, a weekly half-hour movie podcast (movieha.libsyn.com/rss), and also catch him on the radio on CD 105.9 (cd1059.com) Fridays at around 7:30 a.m. and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).

This Week The Black Power Mixtape 1967-75 First-Run

Family & Children’s Series The Secret of Roan Inish 1994

One Night Only!

Rancho Deluxe 1975

Directed by Göran Hugo Olsson.

Directed by John Sayles.

Starts Friday, October 28

Through Nov 3 (Saturdays, Sundays, Thursdays)

Directed by Frank Perry. Featuring Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, Elizabeth Ashley & Harry Dean Stanton.

“Black nationalism lives and breathes in this remarkably fresh documentary.”

The Met: Live in HD Don Giovanni Mozart

Dirty Girl First-Run (R) Directed by Abe Sylvia.

Through Thursday, November 3

*A Prelude Talk by Opera Omaha, led

by Stage Director Jim de Blasis, will begin at 11am on Saturday, October 29.

—J. Hoberman, Village Voice

| THE READER |

film

Live: Saturday, October 29, 12pm* Encore: Wednesday, November 2, 6pm

Tuesday, November 1, 7pm.

With a post-show discussion led by Toby Jurovics, Chief Curator & Holland Curator of American Western Art at Joslyn Art Museum.

Part of the Prints in Landscape series.

More info at filmstreams.org.

!

d l i W t e G

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For your chance to receive a complimentary pass for two, email MOVIEGUY@THEREADER.COM beginning Thursday, October 27.*

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. Two admit one passes per person.

100 passes available. All emails must be received no later than 11:59 PM (CT) Monday, October 31, 2011. Employees of participating sponsors are not eligible. This film has been rated PG for crude material including suggestive references, language and comic violence.

www.JackandJill-Movie.com

IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 11 | THE READER | OMAHA READER

oct. 27 - nov. 2, 2011

49

newsoftheweird

t h e wo 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 lu s t r at i o n s b y t o m b r i s c o e

Stunned Cow

L

ondon Fashion Week usually brings forth a shock or two from cutting-edge designers, but a September creation by Rachel Freire might have raised the bar: a floor-length dress made from 3,000 cow nipples (designed to resemble roses).

Initial disgust for the garment centered on implied animal abuse, but Freire deflected that issue by pointing out that the nipples had been discarded by a tannery and that her use amounted to “recycling.” The 32-year-old Freire, who has worked with mainstream entertainers such as Christina Aguilera, was kept so busy with the animal-abuse angle that she was largely spared having to explain another issue -- why anyone would want to wear a dress made with cow nipples.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit!

Death is big business in Japan, with 1.2 million people a year passing away and overtaxing the country’s cemeteries and crematoriums. With the average wait for disposal at least several days, and space running short in funeral homes, “corpse hotels” have opened in many cities, with climate-controlled “guest rooms” renting for the equivalent of about $155 a night, with viewing rooms where relatives can visit the bodies daily until cremation is available.

The world’s real economy may be flagging, but not necessarily the make-believe economy of online multiplayer games, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal (July) and the website Singularity Hub (August).

For example, entrepreneur Ailin Graef ’s Anshe Chung Studios is worth “millions” of real U.S. dollars, earned mostly by managing rentals of make-believe real estate and brokering make-believe money transactions in the game Second Life. Graef also commands top (real) dollar for her designs of make-believe fashions for players’ game characters (avatars). Two other companies are suing each other in federal court in San Francisco over the copyright to their lucrative business models of creating make-believe animals (horses, rabbits) that sell very well to play-

50

Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2011

| THE READER |

weird news

ers who take them on as game pets for their characters or breed them to make other make-believe animals.

No sooner had Anthony Sowell been convicted in August of murdering 11 women in Cleveland and burying their remains around his property than entrepreneur Eric Gein of Florida had hired someone to fill sandwich bags of soil from Sowell’s property so that he could sell the souvenir dirt for $25 a gram on the Internet. (Gein follows well-publicized salesmen who have famously collected the pubic hair of New York prostitute-killer Arthur Shawcross, the crawlspace dirt from the house of John Wayne Gacy, and the “fried hair” of Ted Bundy -- that fell on the floor as he was executed.)

Weird Science In July, a surgeon from Britain’s Oxford Radcliffe Hospital announced a cure for a 57-yearold man with a rare condition that made, in his mind, audible and ever-louder sounds whenever his eyeballs moved. “Superior canal dehiscence syndrome” elevates the interior sounds of the body (such as heartbeat and the “friction” of muscles moving against muscles) to disturbing levels.

Artificial meat (grown in a test tube from animal stem cells) has been theoretically planned for about 10 years, but a European Science Foundation audience in September heard predictions that lab-grown sausage might be available as soon as next year. The meat is produced in sheets (“shmeat”) and would be prohibitively expensive at first, in that the largest specimen produced so far measures only about one inch long and a third of an inch wide. The biggest drawback facing artificial muscle tissue: that even lab-grown muscles require exercise to prevent atrophy.

Recent Alarming Headlines: (1) “Miami Invaded by Giant, House-Eating Snails” (up-to-10-inch-long snails that attach to, and slowly gnaw on, stucco walls). (2) “Scientists Develop Blood Swimming ‘Microspiders’ to Heal Injuries, Deliver Drugs” (spider-like “machines,” made of gold and silica, smaller than a red blood cell yet which can travel through veins carrying drugs and be directionally controlled by researchers).

COPYRIGHT 2011 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).

In an art-science collaboration in August, Dutch artist Jalila Essaidi and Utah State researcher Randy Lewis produced a prototype bulletproof skin -- or at least skin that would limit a .22-caliber bullet to only about 2 inches’ penetration into a simulated human body. Genetically engineered spider silk (reputed to be five times stronger than steel) was grafted between layers of dermis and epidermis. Mused Essaidi, we “in the near future ... (may) no longer need to descend from a godly bloodline in order to have traits like invulnerability....”

Leading Economic Indicators Turned down once before, liquor manufacturer EFAG convinced Germany’s Federal Patent Court in September to award trademark protection to its schnapps with the brand name Ficken, which in German translates directly into what in English is known as the F word.

The court acknowledged that the name is unquestionably in poor taste but is not “sexually discriminatory” and does not violate public morals. In fact, the court noted, the word is widely used in Germany. (In March 2010, the European Union trademarks authority granted a German brewery the right to call its beer “Fucking Hell” -- the first word of which is the actual name of an Austrian village and the second a German word referring to light ale.)

DMV Is a Dangerous Place (1) The Department of Motor Vehicles office in Roseville, Calif., was closed for a week in July after a driving school student crashed into the building and left a five-foot hole in the wall. (2) A young man taking a test at the drivers’ center in Brisbane, Australia, in August lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a bench outside the building, hitting his mother, who was waiting for him. (3) A 56-year-old DMV driving tester was killed in July when the woman she was evaluating ran off the road in Williamsburg, Va., and struck a tree.

People With Issues In October, a court in Ottawa, Ontario, sentenced pornography collector Richard Osborn, 46, to a year

in jail on several charges, but dismissed the more serious child porn counts. Judge Robert Fournier ruled that Osborn’s hard-core images of Bart and Lisa Simpson, and Milhouse, were not illegal, on the grounds that he could not be sure of the characters’ ages. (Baby Maggie Simpson was depicted, but she was not involved in sex.) Judge Fournier was clearly exasperated at Osborn’s perversions, among them his homemade video of swimsuit-clad youngsters, interspersed with shots of Osborn himself masturbating, aided by a Cabbage Patch doll whose mouth had been cut open. At one point, a disgusted Judge Fournier cut off the presentation of evidence. “Enough,” he said. “We are not paid by the taxpayers to sit here and torture ourselves.”

Least Competent Criminals One would think the robber of a gas station would consider filling the tank before fleeing.

However, Moses Gift, 47, was arrested in September in Winston-Salem, N.C., and charged with robbing the Huff Shell station -- shortly before running out of gas a short distance away. And in Winder, Ga., Micah Mitchell was arrested in October shortly after, according to police, he crashed through the front door of a BP station to steal merchandise. He was arrested minutes later a few miles from the station, where he had run out of gas.

News of the Weird Classic In April (1994), defendant Arthur Hollingsworth, despite previous recalcitrance, for some reason agreed, reluctantly, to waive his constitutional right of silence and to testify on his own behalf in his trial for armed robbery of a Houston convenience store.

Prosecutor Jay Hileman first got Hollingsworth to admit that he was in the store at the time it was robbed and that he was armed. Then Hileman asked, “Mr. Hollingsworth, you’re guilty, aren’t you?” Hollingsworth replied, “No.” Hileman repeated the question: “Mr. Hollingsworth, you’re guilty, aren’t you?” Hollingsworth: “Yeah.” Hileman said he had no further questions. ,

weird news

| THE READER |

Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2011

51

sports Pass and a Prayer

T Bottom line of Nebraska’s 41-14 win over Minnesota is the Huskers looked good. Of course they did… it was Minnesota. But it’s a funny thing playing a very bad team in college football. If you do everything you were supposed to do and beat a team soundly, you’re supposed to do that…of course you looked good.

For some fans who have been critical of the progress (or lack thereof) of Bo Pelini’s team, it’s easy to write it off as an “of course they should have looked good” story.

The reality is, you can look bad against bad teams. You can beat them down but get beat up by observers. You can win, but make fans feel like it was a loss.

None of that was the case for rational eyes. Nebraska took control early. They looked faster. They looked smarter. They looked like they knew what they were doing and why. From players to coaches, they looked nothing like the team that kicked the season off two months ago.

That being said, it was of course, Minnesota. Afterwards, the Gophers’ head coach Jerry Kill said moving forward he’s going to have to be more psychologist than coach the rest of the season. And for a time this year, Bo was walking that same line.

Whether he was apologizing to the fans for his team’s performance after the Wisconsin game or waving off the fans disapproval during the first half of the Ohio State game…

Whether he was telling the media nobody on the team cares what they say or telling them he’s well aware of what’s being said and doesn’t like it…

Whether his team won the game at home by 13 or on the road by 24, he was defending the so called process and as he put it, “worrying about us.”

Alright, so clearly there is plenty of worrying to do on those lines yet, but Bo’s team looked nothing like the team that started the season against Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Remember way back then? Nebraska won comfortably but there weren’t too many Husker fans who were comfortable with the outcome.

This game was different. Nebraska came out and did something they hadn’t done all year in the first half—they established the fact that they are the better team.

How that translates to this weekend’s game against Michigan State remains to be seen, but if there’s any way to head into an important divisional game, it’s playing the way the Huskers have since the second half of the Ohio State game.

The combined score of the second half of the Buckeye game and the first half of the Gopher game is 65-6 Big Red--which would indicate things pointing in the right direction.

But in the back of everyone’s mind’s there’s still the 68-9 combined score from the second half of the Wisconsin game and first half of the Ohio State game.

And now here comes Michigan State. Which half of Bo’s team will show up? l

52

Oct. 27 - NOV. 2, 2011

| THE READER |

sports

by Mike Babcock

he odds against such a finish are considerable. They favored overtime.

The play began with 4 seconds remaining, the score tied at 31 and the line of scrimmage the Wisconsin 44-yard line. Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a Hail Mary pass that was deflected out of the end zone and into the hands of the Spartans’ Keith Nichol near the goal line.

Nichol pushed forward as Wisconsin defenders pushed back. The officials ruled in favor of the Wisconsin defenders. But a video review determined otherwise: Michigan State 37, Wisconsin 31.

“I knew it immediately,” said Brandon Kinnie. “I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s across.’ ” “Absolutely, I thought he was in the end zone before they even reviewed it,” Kenny Bell said. “I thought they (the Spartans) should have charged the field . . . the second he caught it.”

Kinnie and Bell play football for Nebraska, of BRANDON KINNIE course. They’re both wide receivers. And Saturday night, after returning to Lincoln following a 41-14 victory at Minnesota in the afternoon, they were among many Huskers who watched the Michigan State-Wisconsin game on television.

They probably would have watched any game.

But Wisconsin-Michigan State had special significance. Nebraska lost at Wisconsin three weeks ago, 48-17. The Huskers play Michigan State at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. And like Nebraska, the Spartans are in the Big Ten’s Legends Division.

In fact, Michigan State leads the division with a 3-0 conference record. Had the Spartans lost, there would have been a four-way tie, including Nebraska. Even so, Bell wasn’t cheering for Wisconsin. “I didn’t care who won because I know we control our destiny,” he said.

“We want to win out. We didn’t look at it as, if Wisconsin wins, we could lose and (now) we have to win. That’s not the attitude. We want to win every football game we play.”

Because Michigan State won, the Huskers might have to win all of their remaining games in

order to play for the Big Ten championship at Indianapolis on Dec. 3. A Wisconsin victory would have provided a little margin for error. Nebraska has what appears to be a more difficult schedule to finish up.

Michigan State’s final four opponents have a combined 2-12 conference record, while Nebraska’s final four have a combined record of 8-6.

Even so, the Huskers’ Ben Cotton wasn’t pulling for Wisconsin on Saturday night, either.

“To me it personally doesn’t matter,” the junior tight end said. “This team (Nebraska) realizes we’re in control of our own future right now, and each week’s going to be a test for us. I know people say we’re supposed to be pulling for Wisconsin to try to help us in our division, stuff like that.

“But we know we’re in control of our future, and we’re confident in what we’re doing.”

Michigan State, its only loss at Notre Dame (31-13), climbed to ninth in the Associated Press rankings this week, four places ahead of Nebraska. That’s good, according to Cotton. “I’d like a team to come in here as good as they can be, you know, present us with the best test that they can,” he said.

“When you get a really good team coming in, playing their best and hopefully you’re playing your best when you play them, so it makes you look better if you do come out on top.”

The Huskers mirror their coach. “Our guys understand what’s at stake,” Bo Pelini said at his weekly news conference on Monday. “Every game is a must-win. That’s how we look at it. If you win all of your games, you control your own destiny. If you don’t, then you lose control.

“It’s pretty obvious. Our guys understand what’s at stake.”

Pelini didn’t watch the game on television. “I saw the highlights,” he said. “Crazy play, huh? I don’t know. It was a good football game. Great for Michigan State. Bad deal for Wisconsin.”

Bad deal for Nebraska, too, depending on how you look at it.

Kinnie didn’t look at it that way, though.

“I was asking some of the players on the team, ‘Hey, who do you want (to win)?’ But I really didn’t care, you know. Michigan State won, so I guess that makes our game that much better,” he said. “But it is what it is. I don’t pay attention to stuff like that. I just play ball, so I just go with it.” , courtesy huskerextra.com

Michigan State comes to town with dramaticvictory momentum

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UM… Happy Scorpio New Moon. Scorpio rules the golden dragon of death.

More beings leave this 3rd-dimensional reality (that we share) during Scorpio than at any other sign/time. Acceptance is the first step. Then, you/we are ready for the joys of love and sex and their offspring, regeneration, BIG MONEY opportunities, intrigue, enchantment, mystery and magique! Peace and love shall conquer all — even “death,” for in truth, there are no mistakes. Everything happens as it’s meant.

That’s how we give our lives meaning. If this should prove to be my last epistle, I love you all without end. AUM… —MOJOPOPlanetPower.com h SCORPIO (10.23-11.22) It’s your world.

The Sun, the Moon, Mercury (mentality) and Venus (art, love, compassion) are all behind/with you. Jupiter offers opposition to remind you that luck is not.

You’ll have to work for it this year. The planet Uranus is offering you clues (from intuition) to unusual aspects of/in your work endeavors (astrology can/could help). Pluto’s regenerating your economy philosophy. Neptune is offering you a dream house opportunity, and Saturn (in your 12th House) in Libra is offering/ suggesting that you can achieve your yogic/cosmic dance better — privately. P.S., the money is due this weekend! i SAGITTARIUS (11.2312.21) It’s your weekend!

Check out this lifetime’s karma — or it will check you out. What are you doing here? Why were you born? Sound familiar? The Moon conjuncts the North Node — the Dragon’s Head of this lifetime’s karma — on Saturday (in your sign). Give it a minute, offer yourself some (of your usual) excuses, and then party on! This Dragon will raise its ugly purple head once again around Thanksgiving. j CAPRICORN (12.22-1.20) How did you do last month? How did you stand the test of time (your mentor, Saturn)? Mortality is a bitch, but only if you fail to add it to your working philosophy. Socrates suggests that it may prove to be our greatest adventure. Singer Ben Harper suggests that, “ If it wasn’t for death, no one would give a fuck about GOD.” (Sorry, just quoting.) Now, what would you suggest? k AQUARIUS (1.21-2.19) Should I go or should I stay? Sound familiar? It will. You’ve got ’til January 24th to decide. Study your impulses as a child.

b y

mo j opo

(There are at least two ways to interpret that; retrospectively or innocently — or both.) l PISCES (2.20-3.20) Back in your element.

Take a deep breath. Ahhhh… I’d suggest sex (imbued with meaning, of course!) with an older person to see where it’s going to go… We must be in Scorpio! You’re a weekend away! Get ready now to use it! I’ll tell you why in a week, when once again, we speak. a ARIES (3.21-4.20) You’re going to have to get back to work in 2 short weeks. Enjoy what you can, while you can. To the Aries who were born in March: please read Aquarius. You two are on the same schedule. Use your intuitive “3rd eye” to “see.” It’s (perhaps) available to thee. b TAURUS (4.21-5.20) Time to hide. Too much opposition. Garner as much wisdom, power, information, experience, knowledge and resources as you can ’til Christmas, when Jupiter moves direct at 0 degrees Taurus, reiterating and reinventing whatever changes you incurred last June. c GEMINI (5.21-6.21) Love, sex, power, BIG MONEY and work, involving Scorpios, Taurians and Librans — and not necessarily in that order. Next week, it’s time to get gregarious with (a?) Sagittarius. d CANCER (6.22-7.22) Admit it! You’re horny as a dog!

Guess how the MOJO knows? e LEO (7.23-8.22) The/your servants are revolting and taking over Wall Street. They’re complaining that they don’t/ won’t have enough to eat (Mars moves into Virgo on November 10th). You’ve got one more week where they’ll listen when you speak. Kings or queens without servants become hermits. Try being nice to them. Treat them like your children rather than your slaves, and they’ll give you service/worship ’til/to their graves. f VIRGO (8.23-9.22) Sex, sex, sex. Who’s the lucky one this week? Scorpio, Taurus, Libra? And leave your brothers and sisters alone! How does the MOJO know? (Mercury/Venus in Scorpio, in your 3rd House.) How do you get everyone in Council Bluffs together at one time? A family reunion? Isn’t life great in the Midwest? g LIBRA (9.23-10.22) Wow! What a trip! You made it. Now, emphasis is on your art and how you can make money with it. Just think how hard it would be if you weren’t such good-looking dogs! Your philosophy is/will be changing during the first week in November. (Please don’t read Virgo.) ,

planet power

| THE READER |

Oct. 27-NOv. 2, 2011

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