The Reader April 17 - 23, 2014

WE’RE GROWING! McFarland Truck Lines. We need Class A company/drivers and owner/operators. Great pay/ benefits package. Stay in the Midwest; be home on weekends. www.mcfgtl.com. Call Scott 507437-9905 (MCN)

ATTENTION: Small and Emerging Small Business Program Participants. RicMan Construction, Inc. is soliciting cost proposals for the City of Omaha; OPW 52223 (CSO), South Interceptor Force Main – North Segment from Small and Emerging Small Business, and other entities defined as socially and/or economically disadvantaged Subcontractors/Vendors for Trucking, Aggregates, Misc.

Concrete, and Site Restoration.

Bids will be opened: Wednesday, May 07, 2014 @ 11:00 AM. Those interested in providing a quote for this project are encouraged to contact Lloyd Lambrix, Ric-Man Construction, Inc., Phone (586) 739-5210 Fax (586) 739-8290 email: llambrix@ric-man.com, Ric-Man Construction, Inc. is an Equal-Opportunity Employer.

CRETE CARRIER SQL Developer. Contact Elizabeth Coker at ecoker@cretecarrier.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Faculty, Administrator, Staff Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information KINGHORN GARDENS Nursery Yard Supervisor. Contact Dan at dan@kinghorngardens. com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

ARROW STAGELINES Bus Driver/Motorcoach Operators (FT & PT). Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information.

DOUGLAS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS Corrections Officer. Contact Natalie Wilson at Natalie.wilson@ douglascounty-ne.gov. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

OMAHA STEAKS Freezer Assembler. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

FIRST DATA Now Hiring Multiple Positions.

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CABELA’S Softlines Department Manager.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more Information.

WEST CORPORATION Now Hiring Multiple Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for info.

CONVERGYS Insurance Service Representative. Contact Lois Padgett at lois. padgett@convergys.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for information.

WEIGAN-OMEGA Brandies Residential Concierge.

Contact Stephen Tipton at s_lor@ hotmail.com. Go to OmahaJobs.

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT Centralized Scheduling Specialist-Harrah’s and Horseshoe Casinos. Go to OmahaJobs.com.

SECURITAS SECURITY SERVICES, INC. Security Supervisor/Rover. Contact Shannon Gernandt at Shannon.gernandt@securitasinc.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

HY-VEE Now Hiring Multiple Positions.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for info.

VON MAUR Full-Time Sales Associate. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more info.

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APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

SUNCO Landscape Install. Contact Bobbie Feldhaus at bobbie@suncolawns.com. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information.

| THE READER |

AAA LIFE INSURANCE Customer Sales & Service Representative. Contact Jessica Rudol at jmrudol@aaane.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

THE THOMPSON COMPANY Corporate Safety Coordinator/ Logistics Analyst. Contact Jim Hoss at jhoss@tobafoods.com.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

GEICO Full-Time Outbound Insurance Sales Agent. Contact job4you732@msn.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

STERITECH Pest Route Professional (SS).

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

PLANET FITNESS Overnight Staff. Apply at apply@ pfomaha.com or call at (402)9323737. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

EMS, INC. Guest Services Associate. Contact Janelle Hyman at jhyman@ emscrm.com. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information.

omaha jobs

MINNEAPOLIS BASED COMPANY Expanding across nation. We need sales reps with excellent opportunity to move into sales management. Excellent commissions. We train. Ag/construction experience a plus. Call 1-888372-0594 ext405 (MCN)

JACOBSON TRANSPORTATION Now Leasing On Owner Operators. $3500 Sign On Bonus!

We Run Mid-West Freight and No North-East! Steady Weekly Miles, Consistent Home Time.

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PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000 a week mailing brochures from home! Genuine Opportunity! No experience required. Start Immediately! www. localmailers.net (VOID IN SD) (MCN) HARVEST HELP WANTED Looking for harvest help May through December. Combine Operator: Experience Preferred.

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No Experience required. Start Immediately www.mailingmembers. com (AAN CAN) AIRLINE CAREERS begin here – Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students.

Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN) AFRICA, BRAZIL WORK/ STUDY! Change the lives of others while creating a sustainable future. 6, 9, 18 month programs available.

Apply today! www.OneWorldCenter.org (269) 591-0518 info@ OneWorldCenter.org (AAN CAN)

Pioneer Publishing, the parent company of El Perico and The Reader, has co-working space available near the heart of South Omaha for creative professionals looking for a great work atmosphere for as little as $75/ month, including internet service. Perfect studio space available for the right person.

Please contact Clay Seaman, clays@thereader.com or 402-341-7323 x108 if you are interested.

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heartlandhealing

A G E

H E A L T H

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W E L L N E S S

What We’re Reading

T

hree interesting books came across the desk in the past weeks. In-depth reviews may follow for each in the near future but for now, we’ll give a capsule summary of each.

Modern Esoteric: Beyond Our Senses Brad Olsen. San Francisco, CCC Publishing, 2014.

482 Pp. $17.95 (paper), $7.69 Kindle.

Brad Olsen is the author of over a dozen books and this title is the most recent in his brilliant Esoteric Series. A seasoned world traveler now a longtime San Francisco resident, Olsen made his mark in the publishing world with his travel series, beginning with the World Stomper Series of books then examining cultural significance in his Sacred Destinations Series. Olsen contributed exclusive articles for each issue of Heartland Healing Magazine during its publication run from 2004 through 2010. This new Esoteric Series establishes Olsen as a leading author in the field of New Age investigation of alternative perspectives on cultural history and modern reality. From conspiracy theories to just plain facts, Olsen has developed into a respected authority on how we have been sold a bill of goods by mainstream media, the dictatorial elite and arcane power-hungry groups seeking to control human existence since the beginning of time.

The introduction of Modern Esoteric alone is the most thought-provoking piece I’ve read in years.

This book is for two kinds of people: Those who already know or suspect that the world is not as we have been led to believe and for those are just beginning to figure that out.

For readers who already know a lot about the esoteric and hidden realities that exist, then this book confirms, supports and validates that which you may suspect and then takes you a step further. For readers who are just beginning to realize that the world may have a hidden reality, then this book will have something new for you on every page.

I have never read an author who has a deeper knowledge and greater grasp on all the connected dots that will amaze and astonish. Olsen doesn’t appear to have any particular axe to grind or position that he demands of the reader. He simply asks, “What if there’s a different way to look at the world?” and then Olsen exposes evidence why that is a valid question. From chemtrails and ancient cults that still exist today, to conspiracy theories that have been shown to be truth, to exposing the cartels that control civilization and much much more, Olsen will keep the reader spellbound and bouncing from one google search to another. You’ll go, “Wow, is that really true?” then do a google search and find out: “Yes, Olsen knows what

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he’s talking about.” And finally, it’s gratifying that in the end, Olsen takes a positive and optimistic stance on what can sometimes be a very depressing and hopeless topic. Read it. ★★★★★ Digestive Intelligence: A Holistic View of Your Second Brain. Irena Matveikova, M.D. Scotland, Findhorn Press. Release Date: July, 2014. 176 Pp. $16.99 (paper), Kindle TBA. I saw a presser on this book and asked Findhorn for a review copy. The subject is compelling, investigating the impact of the living being that comprises the human gut. Fact: 90% of the cells living in a body are not human. We have a massive population of bacteria and fungi numbering in the billions. Though traditional medicine such as ayurveda and Chinese medicine (and most other cultures throughout history) have always acknowledged that the human being is an holistic event. But Western medicine is reductionist, teaching that humans are simply a conglomeration of separate systems that can be treated and understood as free-standing events, each with a singular function.

The brain drives neural function. The heart pumps.

The gut digests. The kidneys pee. But in fact, we must remember that each system has more than one function. It all works together. Matveikova opens our eyes to the idea that when we say, “I’ve got a gut feeling about that…” we are really talking about an essential intelligence that our digestive system plays a part in.

Great read for those seeking a better understanding of how the mind/body works and its role in things like irritable bowel, Crohn’s Disease and more. ★★★ The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business. Christopher Leonard.

New York, Simon & Schuster. February, 2014. 384 Pp. $28.00 (hardcover), $12.99 (Kindle) Since 1906 and the roman à clef novel by Sinclair Lewis, The Jungle, we should all know better than to eat industrial meat. From Lewis’ searing exposé of the meatpacking industry over 100 years ago, things have only gotten worse. Former cattle rancher Howard Lyman told us more in his 2001 triumph Mad Cowboy and movies like Food, Inc. and King Corn tell us even more about the horrid qualities of modern meat packing. In The Meat Racket, Leonard takes on the history and ethical drive of the Tyson meat megalopoly. The dangers of a vertically integrated and controlled meatpacker pay consequences that are dire for animals, eaters and the planet. More to come on this one. ★★★★ Be well. ,

VISIONS FROM FIVE MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE • APRIL 17, 2014 • A comprehensive look at home ownership will reveal that purchasing a home typically costs more than the buyer can ever hope to recoup, thanks to property taxes, maintenance costs, and bank fees. The study will show that, for the average American, in

costs less to rent than to own a home.

This will result in something called the "mass unloading," when millions of Americans will dump their homes on the market and become renters.

Owning a permanent residence will be seen as an indulgence in the future,

Embrace Creativity!

April 19

10 a.m.

$35

Print Making with Maranda Allbritten

May 10

10 a.m.

$35

May 24

10 a.m.

$65

Mixed Media with Dori Settles Blacksmithing with Elmo Diaz Information and Registration OmahaCreativeInstitute.org Rebecca@OmahaCreativeInstitute.org 785-218-3061

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

heartland healing

| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

3

TRILETY WADE AND MEGAN THOMAS OF TWO BIRDS BAKERY

NICK BARTHOLOMEW OF OVER EASY

I

grew up a few miles west of the Union Stockyards in South Omaha. On windy days when the sun burned hot and bright in a blinding blue sky the acrid sent of manure would fill my nostrils while I worked alongside my parents and siblings picking pole beans and tomatoes in our garden. When I look back to my youth, before my parents were divorced, before South Omaha transformed from one kind of ethnic community into another, I think of our garden and the bright and blinding summer sun.

My parents weren’t exactly hippies, but they did name me Summer, and my older brother narrowly escaped the name Wolfgang. My dad always packed a lunch for work. The idea of eating out was unthinkable, and my mom made homemade yogurt, with a little warming device that now sits in the bottom of my kitchen cupboard. We grew most of our vegetables, and we often visited a now-defunct health food store in Ralston called The Granery. The building still stands, as does its name, but carved out cubbies for small business have replaced the rows of sushi balls and cardboard flavored grain-snacks my mother made us eat. The taste of health food has evolved considerably since the hippie revolution, where people like my parents included food in their back-to-the-earth philosophies.

Some of today’s most recognizable national food brands such as Eden Organic and Bob’s Red Mill started or came of age during that time. The ’60s and ’70s organic, small farm and health food movements were the first wave of the food revolution.

They are the foundation for the locavore and organic obsession of the past 20 years, which marks the second wave.

Now that many restaurants promote their favorite farms on chalkboards or menus, and you can walk down the aisle of a mainstream grocer like, Hy-Vee, to find local, honey, jams and produce, what will the next 20 years of Omaha’s local food scene look like? Each person I interviewed had different thoughts on how the movement will continue and what it needs, but one thing is certain, they all believe it’s here to stay.

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Local food is reaching beyond fine dining establishments like the Old Market’s The Boiler Room and Midtown Crossing’s The Grey Plume and into casual breakfast and lunch places like the Kitchen Table, on 14th and Farnam, west Omaha’s Over Easy at 168th and Q, a hip delicatessen like Dundee’s French Bulldog, and the charming and cheerful Two Birds Bakery in Elkhorn.

Last year, Trilety Wade and Megan Thomas, opened Two Birds Bakery on Main Street in an old Elkhorn post office. The two friends actually started their bakery years earlier by selling baked goods through the Nebraska Food Cooperative, an online year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service. Eventually, they took the cakes offline and out of their home kitchens to invest in a brick and mortar structure.

“We chose the location we did, because this building was in my family,” explained Trilety. “My great grandfather built the building. He was a farmer and during the winter he would do construction.”

While she is thrilled with the amount of repeat business they have from people who seek out their classic or vegan muffins, cookies and rolls, Trilety said they may have inflated the role local food would play in bringing people to the bakery.

“For us, personally, we knew we were going to do as much as we could with local food. Peo-

| THE READER |

cover story

ple here find [the local farm information] interesting, so we do our best to promote and educate customers on the value of locally sourced ingredients, but I don’t think that’s why people come through our door,” explained Trilety.

Two Birds Bakery sources butter, eggs, honey and milk from local producers noting that sometimes weather forces all parties involved to be creative.

“We source our butter from Clear Creek Organic Farm. One night … he couldn’t deliver our order, but someone who attended a lecture he was giving lived in Elkhorn, so Clear Creek gave it to him and that guy delivered it to us,” Trilety said with a bit of a chuckle.

Late last year, Over Easy, the homemade pop tart-serving local food restaurant with a drive through window, took over a strip mall space where a Blimpie’s sandwich shop had been.

The owner, Nick Bartholomew, transformed it into a contemporary breakfast and lunch diner, where local suppliers are touted on a chalkboard embedded into a mosaic wall made from wood. Nick explained over coffee

and juice one day that as a small business owner who wants to support local, you have to get creative about how you are going to allocate your money.

For Nick, that meant adjusting his marketing dollars by trading a neighbor gift cards for advertising space on the back of her fence and distributing drink coasters to bars across the city printed with an abbreviated menu and the mantra, “Friends don’t let friends cook breakfast hungover.”

Whether the quirks of buying directly from the farmer are seen as opportunities or challenges, many people are seeking streamlined distribution models. The Nebraska Food Coop is one model where consumers pay a membership fee, not unlike Costco, and order from their website, nebraskafood.org. Farmers list what they have available and the shopper picks it up at a delivery site. Lori Tatreau, manager for Lone Tree Foods, a network of local producers in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska is working towards a variation on that model. Many of these efforts, including Lone Tree, are funded through grant money and volunteer hours, which can lead to concerns over continuity and longevity.

“Lone Tree is trying to be a food hub. Farmers working together to aggregate and distribute their product,” explained Lori. “Ideally you would have a warehouse where farmers would truck in their product, drop it off, then it would go off to restaurants, grocery stores and schools the next day.

Most importantly it would stay source identified so you are still tracing the food from the farm to the plate as much as possible.”

The grant funding Lori’s position will expire in September, which means this organization is in a state of administrative transition.

“The local food hub model tries to keep more money in the farmer’s pocket. They are going to pay Lone Tree Foods or any food hub something to administer the buying, selling and distribution process, but our system is going to be owned by the farmers,” explained Lori. “The goal is to get it out of grant funding, so being an LLC makes the most continued on page 6y

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2 year lease required. W/D included, – Outside: Fully enclosed yard, screened in porch.

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2 Year Lease Required, Small Brick Apartment that has been recently renovated with newer kitchen and baths.

Brick Ranch duplex with finished basement and attached garage. New finish on hardwood floors.

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2719 N. 48 Ave • $975 3 bed, 2 bath, 1070 sq. ft.

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Updated 3 Bedroom in South Omaha.

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4426 Marcy St • $1095 3 bed, 1.5 bath, 1168 sq. ft.

3306 Poppleton Ave • $1150 3 bed, 1 bath, 1600 sq. ft.

4186 Cass St • $1250 3 bed, 2 bath, 1600 sq. ft.

2 Year lease required. Beautifully preserved home in Midtown. Hardwood floors, large kitchen.

Beautiful townhome in the historic Field Club area. Original hardwood floors, lots of natural sunlight, high ceilings.

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3204 Marcy St • $1295 4 bed, 2 bath, 1340 sq. ft.

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2 Story home nestled between Midtown & Dundee. Refinished hardwood floors.

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2 Year lease required, Walkable to Downtown Dundee. New windows, new siding, refinished hardwood floors.

| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

5

y continued from page 4 sense, which is what will likely happen. It’s got to fly this year or its not.”

Local food has also recharged a desire to not just eat, but eat well at home. Grocery stores like Whole Foods and Hy-Vee offer cooking classes but specialty retailers like Provisions, a soon to open retail store at Midtown Crossing, and private inhome classes are also gaining momentum.

Beth Richards and Sharon Olson teach canning classes out of a home they purchased together in their Minne Lusa neighborhood. Their goal focused more on building community, than starting a business. For a small fee and a smile they will teach anyone to can almost anything. They just picked up a bulk order of 3,000 canning jars this spring.

Most recently we have seen Chad Lebo, founder of Cure Cooking, grace the city with his passion for teaching curing, cooking and baking traditions. Chad moved to Omaha in June 2013 and six months later he opened Cure. Those interested in taking classes on cheese making, smoking, dry curing, sourdough breads or fermentation can register for classes online at curecooking.com. He will teach them in-his home or yours. Prior to moving to Omaha, Chad lived in Madagascar, where using what was available and a do-it-yourself approach to cooking was a way of life. Formally trained as a teacher, he combined his passion for the classroom with his love of craft food.

“We’ve had great interest here in Omaha with people who want to learn how to make traditional foods rather than just going out and buying what is available to them,” explained Chad. “By teaching these foodmaking methods you are keeping some of these traditions alive.”

Passing on food traditions is critical for Lebo who says much of what he sharing isn’t difficult just forgotten. This summer he will offer a class

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for children through the community gardening organization City Sprouts.

In the future, he hopes to teach Cure Cooking classes as part of classroom learning in the schools.

“We can teach history, science and math through educating children about and preparing traditional foods with them. They get to be the scientist. Only instead of having something meaningless to them at the end of the experiment, they get to eat it,” Chad said.

Once we’ve sourced our food locally, learned how to prepare it at home and found a little respite in a restaurant or two, the real work begins. Perhaps what is most likely to propel the local food movement to the next level is when local food advocates become the policy makers. Organizations like the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, the Metro Omaha Food Policy Council and No More Empty Pots among others are working on various levels to impact local food policy. The Center for Nutrition was instrumental in facilitating farm to school relationships, while

| THE READER |

cover story

No More Empty Pots addressess food security issues and the recently formed Metro Omaha Food Policy Council is working to create an equitable, nutritious and sustainable local food supply, primarily through community awareness and engagement efforts. William Powers, farmer and executive director of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society would like to see local food people in policy-making positions.

“As long as the consumer continues to seek local foods, and foods associated with place, the culture will continue to grow and evolve,” explained Willia. “The local foods revolution has been around long enough already to not be a fad. As more people of all demographics gain accessibility and knowledge of that local food system, the more it will be in demand. The challenge with local foods is we need more farmers utilizing local markets and sustainable agricultural principles, which is predicated on community and place.”

By now consumers have grown accustomed to the quality of local produce – fresh sunflower sprouts to

mix up our salads, tomatoes arriving every August to remind us why we suffer through July’s heat, and squash, potatoes and winter greens that sustain us through the cold, grey months of winter. We’ve even come to realize asparagus, if grown locally, can be tender when it’s as thick as our thumbs and discovered the nutty wonder of prairie plants like Jerusalem artichokes. Now that we’ve tried them, we want them not only at the farmers market, but also at the grocery store, not just for special nights out, but also casual lunches, breakfasts and quick bites on the run.

As much as we love dining out, dining in has taking on new meaning as well. We have a renewed interest in what we offer for dinner, even if its just fresh pole beans served to your brother nearly known as Wolfgang. , Find out more about Local Food at the Paradigm Gardens Local Foodshed Area at Earth Day Omaha this Saturday, April 19, in Elmwood Park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Compassion Omaha www.Compassionomaha.org

BOEING

BOEING

APRIL 18 – MAY 11

Five Planting Days of Compassion the seeds for a better Omaha April 15-19, 2014

Five days of simple actions anyone can do. We’re all in this together.

Find Compassion Omaha on Facebook and inspire others by telling us or posting a photo of what you do each day!

• Day 3 • VOlunteer day:

Organize a canned food drive at your office, sponsor a family in need, donate coats to a shelter or pet food for an animal rescue/shelter... See our website for more ideas!

• Day 2 • Pay it FOrward day:

• Day 4 • KeeP it GOinG:

Be randomly kind, thank your teachers, give a compliment, donate to a favorite charity, smile, say hello to someone you don’t know... How many kind acts can Omahans do in a single day?

Go to: CharterForCompassion.org and sign The Charter to promise to treat others the way you’d like to be treated.

• Day 5 • COmPassiOnate Planet:

Join us at Elmwood Park on Earth Day. Learn something new to make the planet better for all of us!

• Day 1 • Omaha VisiOn:

6915 CASS STREET | (402) 553-0800 | WWW.OMAHAPLAYHOUSE.COM sponsors:

media sponsor:

FRIEND OF THE PLAYHOUSE

Available all five days! What’s your vision of a perfect Omaha? How can Omaha be a more compassionate city? What can we actively do to be more understanding of others? Add your note to the wall at one of the locations listed. Artists will turn notes into art for a future art show!

thanks to our media sponsors:

thanks to our partner:

OM

April 15-18 - Noon-5pm • OM Center: 1216 Howard April 19 - 11am-6pm •Elmwood Park

CENTER

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Singin’ in the Rain

Saturday, April 26 at 8 pm Holland Center Ernest Richardson, conductor

Presenting Sponsor

| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

7

BY LEO ADAM BIGA

E X P E C T P L E N T Y O F B O O M S AT L O U D E R T H A N A B O M B YO U T H P O E T RY F E S T I VA L F I N A L S

I

n the hybrid realm of slam poetry, where free verse, theater, oral storytelling and forensics converge to make a verbal gumbo, personal expression rules.

Impassioned teen anguish stirs the pot to create a heady brew during the Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB) Great Plains Youth Poetry Festival. After weeks of competition, the team finals throw down April 17 at 7 p.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center.

Teams competing in the finals are: Millard South, Lincoln North Star, defending champion Lincoln High and Waverly. Individual finals take place April 26 in Lincoln. The events are free but donations are accepted.

On the heels of nurturing the local adult slam poetry community and inspired by LTAB Chicago, the Nebraska Writers Collective (NWC) launched its youth festival in 2012. In that short span the fest’s found a niche at area schools, growing from 12 to 19 to 32 participating teams.

NWC director Matt Mason, who’s led Neb.’s team at the National Poetry Slam, says as more schools have gotten involved from urban and rural locations the work’s broadened.

“You have so many different people and voices and experiences. There is such a diversity of subject matter.

You go to a bout and you see four high schools putting up teams, all with different experiences. Some have certain styles, some are kind of all over the place.

“You get poems talking about things in the news today as well as poems about dating, spurned love, successful love, conflicts, being bullied, racism, sexism. You get the universal themes brought in and wrapped up in very personal stories.”

Omaha Central High English teacher Deron Larson, who sponsors the Eagles’ LTAB team, says the work isn’t just about releasing angst or speaking to hard things.

“A couple members on our team have gone out of their way to make people laugh,” he says. “At a recent bout one poet waxed poetic about her collection of socks. There’s a full gamut of things they write about.”

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Diversity also shows up in the teams’ composition, where gays and straights, jocks and geeks, are respresented. “It’s fantastic to see how these teams of very different students come together” to collaborate and communicate, Mason says.

Paid teaching artists hired by the Collective serve as coaches. Sponsoring classroom teachers recruit and facilitate and in some cases co-coach.

World champion adult slammer Chris August from Baltimore, Md. is NWC’s first resident teaching artist. He’s come to appreciate what makes the area poetry scene so vital and LTAB a hit here.

“The Omaha and Lincoln scenes have always been open and embracing and are among the places that put the most energy into fostering their youth poetry

dents often expose their most intimate, vulnerable selves in the work.

Mason says the slam form lets students articulate personal issues weighing on them, including gender and sexual identity issues. “It is maybe this more than any other element that allows slam poetry to so lovingly respond to a need so present among so many young people,” says August.

NWC education director Andrew Ek says the Collective has done “a lot of deliberate work making sure our students feel like their stories, ideas and experiences are being honored,” adding. “A lot of that involves letting them read and not getting in the way of that process.”

“It’s a very positive space,” says Bellevue West 10th grader Ari Di Bernardo, a first-year participant. “No

scenes. When I think about what an art form like slam poetry can bring to young people, the word I immediately think of is ‘permission.’ Twenty years ago I was a weird, artsy teenage boy in a rural high school with virtually no diversity. Back then, the idea of a safe and empowering outlet for voices of any kind speaking on any truth at all would have seemed impossible.”

Mason says, “I think this is a great outlet for anybody, especially for teenagers, to process what they’re going through and to give voice to it. They’re permitted to have a venue to get this across rather than just bottling it up and dealing with it.

“It’s about teaching these folks to write and to get this performance experience and to be comfortable in front of people and to vocalize what they’re feeling.”

Everyone associated with LTAB hails the supportive environment at practices and bouts. At the “friendly tournament” poets celebrate other poets, even those on opposing teams. The safe space created by LTAB is particularly important because stu-

one feels like an outcast because that’s not what LTAB is about. It’s about connecting through this very beautiful thing we do. For me it’s the feeling of belonging.

Like I finally have a safe place to just open up and give up all the feelings I’d been harboring. I can be honest.

I’m not afraid to say what I need to now.”

“It’s uplifting to have everybody there have your back,” says Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln senior Francisco Franco. “The feeling is just warmth and good vibes. It is a competition but everybody’s there to support you, nobody’s there to put you down.

Of course, there’s scores but it’s your words, your poems, so you can listen to the scores or believe in yourself. I choose to go up there and to have as much fun as I can.”

“It’s good to be in a competitive environment where everybody roots for everybody instead of against everybody,” says Franco’s teammate, Chanel Zarate.

Matt Mason says it’s not just the high energy, communal love-in that gives LTAB a following but the

DROPSQUAD

| THE READER |

culture

work itself. “Yeah, people are yelling and cheering for poets, but the poems are also interesting, funny, beautifully put together. It exceeds your expectations of teen poetry. These kids are smart, creative.

It would not surprise me if a lot of these poems get published in magazines or eventually books.”

Central High teacher Deron Larson is impressed by how much work his students put into making poems as powerful as they can be, doing draft after draft, all under the guidance of teaching artist Greg Harries.

“They become invested in words in a way I don’t get to observe every day in the classroom. They make a commitment that goes beyond doing homework a teacher assigns. They make their own homework and just conquer it and take it 10 steps beyond where they thought they were going to go.

“The mentoring poets that duck into my classroom and share their love for words really touch the students in a way I can’t do. As much as I love words there’s a process over the course of the year where they get tired of hearing the same thing I have to say.

If a 20something comes in they’re much closer to my students’ experience. The message carries differently and then the students just run with it.”

Larson’s pleased slam poetry has found a footing in schools but he’s not sure it would benefit from being a formal academic program.

“If we put it into a curriculum it almost feels like we might change it an elemental way. As an after school club and extra that definitely deserves our support it feels like it might work better. If we try to write it into lessons I think there’s a possibility we might kill something that’s so vibrant right now.”

NWC artists also work with youth at a Lincoln juvenile detention center. Audio recordings of these youths’ poems will play at the finals to allow “their voices to be heard,” Mason says. , For festival details, visit ltabomaha.org. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com.

AN OPERA FOR ALL AGES

BUILD a

Poverty and oppression have never yielded such grace.

future

doing what you love.

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You’ve fallen in love with creativity and you want your work to make a difference; but you need to make a living too. How do you turn your passion into a career?

Bellevue University can help you bridge the gap between art and entrepreneurship with our NEW MFA in Creativity.

• Explore the true meaning of creativity.

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• Present the business plan you’ve created to potential investors.

Ready to make a living doing what you love? Get started now, and we’ll help you build something that lasts.

April 25 | 7:30PM April 27 | 2:00PM Orpheum Theater

(402) 345-0606 | OPERAOMAHA.ORG Enter promo code READERFY14

START YOUR SOMEDAY

AT BELLEVUE.EDU 1-877-299-0009 A non-profit university, Bellevue University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools • www.ncahlc.org • 800-621-7440 • Bellevue University does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disabilityin the educational programs and activities it operates. Bellevue University, 1000 Galvin Road South, Bellevue, Nebraska 68005. 3883-0214M

Follow live reviews from our Tweet Seats performance on April 23 @operaomaha and #oocinderella.

Brought to you by First National Bank.

| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

9

8 DAYS TOPTV “FAKING IT”

Tuesdays, 9:30 p.m. (MTV)

In this new series, best pals Amy (Rita Volk) and Karma (Katie Stevens) are high school nobodies trying desperately to be popular. Then they’re mistaken for lesbians, which turns out to be the ticket to success at their hyperprogressive high school in Austin, Tex. Karma wants to milk the ruse for all it’s worth, while Amy is skeptical. “Please, being gay finally made me interesting!” Karma pleads.

If Amy and Karma recall madcap female duos from TV history (they even name-check Lucy and Ethel from “I Love Lucy”), “Faking It” is still an up-to-the-minute bulletin from the high school battleground. The delightfully wordy script captures the way cynical teenagers snark and snipe at each other in 2014 – not to mention the way they occasionally support each other, too. Even the minor characters jump off the screen, especially a mean girl (Bailey Buntain) determined to keep Amy and Karma from turning the social pyramid upside down. “There is a natural order to high school,” she whines, “and all this is against nature!” In this particular war against nature, “Faking It” wins.

— Dean Robbins

10

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

T H E R E A D E R ’ S E N T E RTA I N M E N T P I C K S A P R I L 17 - 2 3 , 2 014

THURSDAY 17

TOKYO POLICE CLUB

April 17-May 11

THE BATTLE OF BATTLES

Shelterbelt Theatre, 3225 California St. Tickets: $10-15 www.shelterbelt.org Machiavelli maneuvers Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo into a competition so that his populace, sick of war, will find solace in the new beauty characteristic of their time. “Could it work?” asks Omaha playwright Joe Basque in his world-premiering play The Battle of Battles. Shelterbelt Theatre brings it into perspective as it also did with his writing about contemporary history in 2005’s Ping Pong Diplomacy. That went on to score points off-Broadway. The next year Shelterbelt produced Basque’s Defending Marriage concerning gay people vowing to love, honor and cherish. Basque has been keeping body and soul together by practicing law. Witness his next endeavor.

—Gordon Spencer

FRIDAY 18 April 18-May 11

BOEING BOEING

Howard and Rhonda Hawks Mainstage Theatre Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. Tickets $21-$35 www.OmahaPlayhouse.org It’s a bird. It’s a plane. Actually it’s three birds on planes, French, American and German, who, in the 1960s, are up in the air dressing-up international flights as stewardesses. On land, they all are in love and engaged to and undressing for the same chap, Bernard. They don’t know each other but new jet technology speeds things up and they’re bound to collide in Bernard’s swinging pad. Lots of doors and drawers will fly open and shut: the essence of farce. Marc Camoletti’s bouncy comedy Boeing, Boeing, translated by Beverly Cross and updated by Francis Evans, had a successful flight on Broadway in 2008. Evidently, this is the most performed French play all over the world. Fasten your seat belt.

—Gordon Spencer

| THE READER |

picks

SATURDAY 19

April 19

April 19

Love’s Jazz and Arts Center 2510 N. 24th St. 8 p.m., Tickets: $15/non-members, $10/members www.lovesjazzartscenter.org

TOKYO POLICE CLUB W/GEOGRAPHER, SAID THE WHALE Slowdown, 729 N. 14th. St. 9 p.m., Tickets: $15 www.onepercentproductions.com

Tokyo Police Club has nothing to do with Japan or the police; and it’s not a club, it’s a band. As if the name isn’t misleading enough, the band members are from Canada yet put out their debut album, Elephant Shell, with Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records in 2008. David Monks, Graham Wright, Josh Hook and Greg Alsop have been playing together since the early 2000s, but have jumped around labels like it’s going out of style.

Their latest offering, Forcefield, finds them with the New York City-based independent label Mom + Pop Music, which is also home to artists such as Sleigh Bells, Andrew Bird and Wavves. According to the always-positive reviews doled out by Pitchfork (sarcasm), “Forcefield is the only Tokyo Police Club album that appears to be in tune with prevailing trends. In case you haven’t realized it yet, indie rock is basically pop now and Tokyo Police Club seem energized by not having to pretend like their candy hearts don’t pump Kool-Aid.” Whatever the case, they hit the Omaha stage in all their pop glory this Saturday.

—Kyle Eustice

POTASH TWINS W/ CURLY MARTIN JAZZ TRIO

Called the “Twin Horns of Jazz” by NPR, Potash Twins are not only incredible jazz musicians, but self-proclaimed foodies, as well. Comprised of brothers Adeev and Ezra Potash, the Omaha natives blossomed in 2012 out of a mutual love for Wynton Marsalis (with whom they took several lessons from), coordinated clothing and of course, food. At a mere 20-years-old, the Potash Twins have done more in their short careers than many seasoned veterans. From performing at large concert halls in New York City and sharing the stage with Marsalis and fellow jazz great Jon Faddis to playing at Austin’s SXSW and participating in October’s TEDx Omaha event on the Creighton University campus, the boys are off to a promising start. In fact, they were recently appointed the role of “Artistic Directors” at the Love’s Jazz and Arts Center in the historic jazz district of North Omaha. Their album, Twintuition, is out now.

—Kyle Eustice

| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

11

SATURDAY, APRIL 19 11AM – 6PM ELMWOOD PARK

MAIN STAGE

BANDS | FOOD | FAMILY FUN | DEMONSTRATIONS BEER GARDEN |ELECTRONICS RECYCLING | 100+ BOOTHS l ATM will be available all day l dogs welcome! l Food Booths 11a-6p l Beer Garden sponsored by Pizza Shoppe Collective & New Belgium Brewing 12p-6p

NEW THIS YEAR!!

SCHEDULE

l Facilitated Recreation Tree Climbs from Tree Climbing Planet and ReTree Nebraska l Slack Line course from Backwoods l Composting at Food and Beer Garden Area sponsored

by Prairieland Dairy l Electronic Recycling 10:00AM-4:00PM Sponsored by Midwest Electronic Recycling (Located in the parking lot by the baseball fields) l Bike Parking: 11:00PM-6:00PM Sponsored by ModeShift Omaha and Omaha Bikes

11:00 AM 11:40 AM 11:50 AM 12:00 PM 12:40 PM 1:00 PM 1:40 PM 1:50 PM 2:00 PM 2:40 PM

3:00 PM 3:40 PM 4:00 PM 4:40 PM 5:00 PM

MUSIC: David Corbin, UNO Professor and 350.org organizer Carlos Morales, City of Omaha Bike Coordinator Angie Eikenberry, Modeshift Omaha MUSIC: Faerie Tones EDOC Friend of the Environment Awards MUSIC: Hector Anchondo Nancy Williams, Local Food-No More Empty Pots Bill Gotschall, BOLD Nebraska MUSIC: Linoma Mashers Tapan Pathak - Extension Educator, Climate Variability, UNL School of Natural Resources/Climate Change MUSIC: Southpaw Bluegrass Band John Hansen, Nebraska Wind Advisory, Farmer’s Union MUSIC: Traveling Mercies Graham Jordiston, Beyond Coal Campaign, Sierra Club MUSIC: The Bishops

DEMONSTRATION TENT

Rain Barrel Demonstration, Tree Planting Demonstration and other events throughout the day.

HEALTH & WELLNESS 11:00 AM: 12:00 PM: 1:00 PM: 2:00 PM: 3:00 PM: 4:00 PM:

Omaha Tai Chi Association Capoeira Angola Yoga Rocks the Park The Omaha International Folk Dancers Young Spirit - Native American Youth Dance Group Sahaja Yoga

CHILDREN’S AREA

EARTH DAY 2014 EXHIBITORS, VENDORS AND MORE BOOTH/VENDOR

A1 Big Dogs Huge Paws, Inc. / Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue A2 Mercy for Animals A3 HUMANE SOCIETY A4 Nebraska League of Conservation Voters A5 Nebraskans for Civic Reform A6 Nebraskans for Peace A7 Omaha Atheists A8 OMAHA (Omaha Metro Area Humanist Association A9 R.E.A.S.O.N. A10 WasteCap Nebraska A11 Slow the Food Express A12 Nebraska Interfaith Power & Light

LOCAL FOOD SHED

A13 CITY SPROUTS COMMUNITY GARDEN A14 Benson Plant Rescue A15 WeCompost A16 The Big Garden A17 Omaha Farmers Market

12

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

| THE READER |

MORE INFORMATION AT

Kite building, nest building, marble painting and other events throughout the day.

A18 No More Empty Pots A19 Prairieland Dairy A20 Armour-Eckrich A21 Edible Omaha A22 Massena Farms A23 Nebraska Farmers Union A24 Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society A25 Nebraska Vegetarian Association A26 Paradigm Gardens A27 Paradigm Gardens B1 PeaPod Face Painting B2 Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue, Inc. B3 Omaha Organics Lawn Care B4 Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc. B5 Arbor Bank B6 US Cellular B7 The Reader B8 Omaha Public Power District B9 MOTAC B10 inCOMMON Community Development

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

B11 Heartland Healing B12 African Culture Connection B13 Aligned Health & Wellness B14 Clover Leaf Botanicals B15 Compassion Omaha B16 International Sanatana Dharma Society B17 It Works Global B18 Sahaja Yoga Meditation B19 The Wellness Connection B20 Fontenelle Forest B21 Visit the Prairie B22 The Nature Conservancy B23 Nebraska Forest Service - ReTree Nebraska B24 / B25 Nebraska Sierra Club B26 Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, Inc. B27 Nebraska Wildlife Federation B28 Nebraska Environmental Trust B29 Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc. B30 Friends of Extension & 4-H Foundation B31 Backwoods

www.earthdayomaha.org C1 Green Omaha Coalition C2 Metropolitan Community College C3 AA Windows ‘N’ Doors C4 HDR, Inc. C5 Felsburg Holt & Ullevig C6 Universal Windows Direct C7 Restoration Exchange Omaha C8 Habitat ReStore C9 / C10 Sunroom Design of Nebraska C11 Nebraska Renewable Energy Association C12 Home Performance Guild of Nebraska C13 Nebraskans for Solar, Inc. C14 Maple 85 C15 C16 Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance C17 Transition Omaha C18 Second Unitarian Church of Omaha C19 / C20 Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District C21 Omaha Astronomical Society C22 University of Nebraska at Omaha C23 University of Nebraska at Omaha The Division of Continuing Studies C24 University of Nebraska at Omaha Green Basis

C25 University of Nebraska at Omaha Engineers Without Bordors C26 Prairie-Ice Productions C27 Metropolitan Area Planning Agency C28 Bold Nebraska C29 City of Omaha Environmental Services C30 City of Omaha Parks & Recreation C31 Sweet Kiss Designs C32 Goodwill Industries, Inc. C33 Baby Junk C34 Omaha Area Natural Parents C35 Wild faces C36 Audubon Society of Omaha C37 Omaha Public Library C38 Repieced C39 Youth for Understanding C40 Montessori International School of the Plains C41 Montessori Parents Co-op for Children C42 Zoo Academy BIKES D1 Community Bike Project Omaha D2

TRANSPORTATION

T1 / T2 Performance VW T3 Omaha Biofuels Coop

FOOD VENDORS

F1 Frosty Treats, Inc. F2 Prairie Fire Pizza F3 Scotty’s Go Go Grill F4 Blue Line Coffee F5 Renear Inc. F6 Lindsey Enterprises F7 Lauren Beth’s Popcorn F8 The Tea Smith F9 Dante Pizzeria

ELECTRONIC RECYLING

Parking Lot Midwest Electronic Recycling

FARMERS MARKET

Branched Oak Farm Chisholm Family Farm/Orchard Hill Creamery Cure Cooking Wenninghoff Farm

| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

13

Half a

Billion Dollars

Back to Nebraska and Its Environment

Since 1993, the Nebraska Lottery has raised more than $518 million for its beneficiaries, including $217,592,120 for the Nebraska Environmental Trust and projects like:

Wildlife Habitat

Water Quality

Lakes

Recycling

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Urban

Carbon

$24 Million $18 Million tal Education Greening Management $98 Million $52 Million $11 Million $8 Million $2 Million nelottery.com Must be 19. Please play responsibly. Problem Gambling Help Line: 800-522-4700.

14

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

| THE READER |

overtheedge

NOW OPEN

LIFESTYLE COLUMN BY TIM MCMAHAN

The Saga of the MINI Cooper: Pt. 1, The Porsche Years

I

’ve waited for years to write this column — a column I threatened the executives in the highest offices of MINI BMW that I’d write, but never did because, well, I was afraid to. Now that it’s gone, the story of my MINI Cooper can be told.

But before I get into the gory details, I have to admit I’ve never had much luck with cars. Before my MINI it was my Porsche.

The year was 2002. I had been driving a mid-’90s VW Cabrio, which had been a good car. No complaints. I had bought it new and it ran fine for years, but it was time for a change. I wanted something… nicer. My dad connected me with a guy who attends auto auctions around the country. I told him I was looking for a used silver Audi TT, just like the one Donald Fagen presumably used to drive.

Off he went to Milwaukee. A day later I got a call.

“There’s a silver TT here, and I can get it for a good price,” my auction-going friend said. “But I thought I’d let you know that there’s also a gorgeous silver ’99 Porsche Boxster I can get at an even better price. Low miles. Look, if you don’t like it, you can turn around and sell it for a profit.”

Porsche. There is no substitute. I told him to do it, and within a few weeks, I was driving a sweet silver Boxster with ruby-colored leather seats — a gorgeous car by any standard. And it was fast. Very fast, at least compared to my VW. But it didn’t take long to realize two things about driving a Porsche Boxster. First, they’re designed for… little people. At least people littler than me. To get into the Boxster meant folding my 6-foot 2-inch 235-pound mostly-shoulders frame into the car’s low, cramped cockpit. While I did have plenty of head room, my shoulders felt they were being squished together by the narrow “sport seats.” Every time I twisted to grab the seat belt or check if the driveway was clear, I felt like a baby turning inside its mother’s womb.

Then there’s the asshole factor.

It’s here I should point out that I grew up in a “car family.” My dad always admired the finest automobiles and had a collection that was the envy of everyone in our neighborhood. He had everything from a 1944 Jaguar convertible to a Maserati to an Austin Healy to a Jensen Intercepter to a Citron to an Avenger GT 12, along with a small fleet of VW Beatles and microbuses and typical family station wagons. And, of course, a Porsche.

Dad’s collection included a number of “classics,” and more than just drive the cars on weekends, dad often entered prize examples into local auto shows.

That meant us kids spending our Saturday afternoons washing, then polishing every inch of the vehicle pri-

or to display. I cannot tell you the numbers of hours I spent tediously hand-polishing chrome on wirespoked wheels.

As reward for our hard work, we got to spend endless hours walking around the lower level of the Civic Auditorium staring at parked cars with their hoods up, while dad talked to guys about carburetors and in-take manifolds.

The point is, back then everyone admired a great car, and whenever I got a chance to sit in the passenger seat of one of dad’s classics as we rolled through the neighborhood, I felt proud and lucky, knowing every kid on the block wanted to go for a ride.

It wasn’t like that when I finally got a “classic” of my own. I blame the media and the movies, which depict Porsche drivers as leather-glove-wearing, sunglassesat-night, smug-faced rich-guy creeps.

The first time I heard it was on an unseasonably warm late-spring afternoon. It was so warm, in fact, I decided what-the-hell I’m going to put the top down.

As I slowly drove down Underwood Avenue through the heart of Dundee someone yelled from the sidewalk near the Underwood Bar, “Sweet Porsche!”

I smiled and turned, but didn’t see who it was. Then as I continued driving west past what was Trovato’s, out of nowhere came “Asshole!” I never saw who yelled it; I just kept driving.

Shortly after that I began noticing the stale looks when I drove up next to Omaha’s fleet of beige Hondas, Cavaliers and mini-vans, cars people drive not because they want to, because they have to. To them, a car was merely transportation. A Porsche, on the other hand, was an ego-mobile. I called it “The Asshole Look” — when someone glanced over, noticed the car in all its shiny glory, and then with squinty eyes assessed the guy driving it. There is no hiding when you drive a Porsche with the top down.

There’s also no avoiding the psycho greasers driving late-model muscle cars and the suburban kids behind the wheels of Japanese pocket rockets with ridiculous “scoops” bolted to the back. Up they would idle at red lights, revving their engines and gripping their furcovered steering wheels, as if reenacting a scene from American Graffiti or The Fast and the Furious.

Half the time I was fumbling for something in the car and didn’t notice them until the light turned green and SQUEEEEEEE! off would tear the Lexus or Mustang or Hyundai that had been idling next to me.

For two years I managed to convince myself I liked driving the Porsche. It took a major mechanical problem that cost $2,600 to repair before I finally had enough and sold it on eBay to some guy in Park City, Utah. Now it was his turn to be called “asshole.”

After all that, I figured it was time for something more practical, something… humble, like a MINI Cooper... ,

ALL ITEMS ONLY 99 CENTS! $0.99

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GOOD FOR YOU. GREAT FOR THE COMMUNITY!

501 S. 13TH STREET • OMAHA, NE 68102 MONDAY-SATURDAY 11AM-9PM, SUNDAY 11AM-7PM

OVER THE EDGE is a weekly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com. And be sure to check out his blog at Lazy-i.com

over the edge

| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

15

Presented by

Spice of

South O

Friday, May 2

Celebrate with us as we dedicate our new Maibaum (May Pole)

24th & N 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM

GREAT FOOD ~ GREAT BEER BOLZEN BEER BAND MARK VYHLIDAL BAND GERMAN FOLK DANCERS AND SINGERS

Food, Fun and Fiesta on Friday!

Food selections of Schnitzel, Wurst, Saurkraut, Pommes Frites and more.

-Authentic Mexican fare and margaritas - Live music all evening, contests and more - Free shuttle service to and from South High parking lot (23th & J) by Shamrock Limousine

We are inviting all with an early or late model German car to show their vehicle.

GERMAN

CLASSIC CAR SHOW

CELEBRATE THE READER’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY Portion of proceeds benefits Salvation Army Kroc Center

$5 entry for any classic

GERMAN-AMERICAN SOCIETY www.CincodeMayoOmaha.com | info@cincodemayoomaha.com

Sometimes I wonder,

they say math is the language of science.

Can science please explain my phone bill?

3717 S. 120TH ST. ~ 402-333-6615 www.germanamericansociety.org

Porsche, VW, Mercedes, Audi or BMW Car show check-in: 9am to 10am Awards 3pm. For show info contact: maifestcarshow@germanamericansociety.org

INVITE YOU AND A GUEST TO ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO

REGISTER TO WIN TICKETS AT STYLELOUD.COM

LIKE US ON FOLLOW US AT

/43KIXOmaha /43KIXOmaha

Rated R for graphic nudity, sexual content, some violence and language.

Passes are available on a first-come first-served basis.

While supplies last. No purchase necessary. Limit one admit-two pass per person. Employees of participating sponsors are ineligible. Arrive early! Seating is first-come, first-served.

62nd & Maple jakescigars.com 16

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

| THE READER |

OPENING AT FILM STREAMS APRIL 18 UnderTheSkinMovie.com • @undrthskn Facebook.com/UnderTheSkinMovie

BY B.J. HUCHTEMANN

Jim Suhler, Walter Trout

T

exas blues-rock guitarist Jim Suhler returns to the metro this week with his band Monkey Beat. Suhler is out touring in support of his mid-February release, Panther Burn (Underworld Records). It’s a fine recording that showcases Suhler’s thoughtful approach to the music. He’s a great blues guitarist, but he doesn’t overplay it. The CD is full of deep grooves, with plenty of Suhler’s stomping, wickedly fine signature blues-rock sound, slide work and great arrangements. It’s the sound fans of the band’s live show have come to expect with added depth and special guests including Kim Wilson and Jason Elmore.

Carolyn Wonderland and Ray Benson are featured with Suhler on a gospel rave-up, “All God’s Children Get the Blues Sometimes.” Suhler wrote most of the material himself and produced the disc. See jimsuhler. com. Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat plays Lincoln’s Zoo Bar next Wednesday, April 23, and hits The 21st Saloon Thursday, April 24. Both shows are 6-9 p.m.

Zoo Bar Music A new band with familiar faces from Lincoln’s music scene, The Wondermonds plays the Zoo Bar Friday, April 18, 5-7 p.m. The band’s focus is on instrumental funk with influences like The Meters and Booker T. & The MG’s. The band includes Ben Kushner (The Mezcal Brothers, Josh Hoyer & The

hoodoo

Shadowboxers), Tom Harvill (Tijuana Gigolos, Nebraska Jazz Orchestra), Mike Keeling (Ideal Cleaners, Self-Righteous Brothers) and Ted Alesio (Ideal Cleaners, The Return). See facebook.com/ thewondermonds. Louisiana’s Josh Garrett returns to the Zoo for a 9 p.m. show on Friday, April 18. An excellent guitarist and vocalist, Garrett mixes up Louisiana’s distinctive musical styles with some Chicago blues. See joshgarrettmusic.com.

Walter Trout in Omaha Veteran blues guitarist Walter Trout is now at The University of Nebraska Omaha’s Lied Transplant Center. Trout’s health has been failing and he is in urgent need of a liver transplant. Trout’s wife Marie posted to his web page that they had arrived in Omaha last week, where Trout was evaluated. His wife subsequently posted to Trout’s YouCaring page that Trout has been placed on the Lied’s waiting list for a liver transplant. Trout previously had been an inpatient at UCLA’s hospital for weeks, where progress toward a liver transplant had been very slow, according to Marie Trout’s updates. Fellow musicians, friends and fans have been rallying to raise financial support for the transplant and for Trout’s family. For updates visit waltertrout. com. UNMC’s Lied Transplant Center is where Oregon soul-blues musician Curtis Salgado received a lifesaving liver transplant in September 2006. ,

CIGARETTES © SFNTC 2 2014

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.

MIKE BIRBIGLIA THANK GOD FOR JOKES

For more information on our organic growing programs, visit www.sfntc.com

TOUR 2014

Holland Performing Arts Center THURSDAY, MAY 15 7:30PM SHOW

Tickets: Ticket Omaha Box Office 1-402-345-0606 • Ticketomaha.com STEVE LITMAN PRESENTS

hoodoo

Omaha Weekly Reader 04-17-14.indd 1

| THE READER |

3/25/14 APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

17

1:33 PM

livemusiccalendar

SEND CALENDAR INFORMATION — including addresses, dates, times, costs and phone numbers — to The Reader’s calendar editor. Mail to or drop off information at P.O. Box 7360 Omaha, NE 68107; email to listings@thereader.com; fax to (402) 341.6967. Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to issue date.

THURSDAY 17

THE BEL-AIRS, (Blues) 6 pm, 21st Saloon, $8.

DURTY THURSDAY W/E BROWN, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, Bar 415, FREE. NEW MOON SONGWRITERS NIGHT, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 7 pm, Crescent Moon Coffee, FREE. CHRIS SAUB, 8 pm, Harney Street Tavern, Contact venue for charge.

JOEY ZIMMERMAN, WILL DOUGHTRY, RYAN DOUD, JAMES LINDSEY, JOSHUA VOSSLER AND PERRY PIRSCH, 9 pm, Knickerbockers, Contact venue for charge.

2014 MAHA LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT, 7 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, FREE. SMOOTH JAZZ THURSDAYS AT THE OZONE LOUNGE W/4 THE OCCASION, (Jazz) 6:30 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, FREE. THE SWAMP BLUES JAM NIGHT, (Blues) 7:30 pm, Rusty Nail Pub, Contact venue for charge.

THIRD THURSDAY W/THORNBUG, LUEBBE AND O’KEEFE, 8 pm, Side Door Lounge, Contact venue for charge.

MARCUS LEWIS BIG BAND, (Jazz) 7:30 pm, Slowdown, $10.

SOARING WINGS VINEYARD KARAOKE NIGHT, 7 pm, Soaring Wings Vineyard, Contact venue for charge.

REGGAE NIGHT, (Reggae/Island) 8 pm, The Hive Lounge, Contact venue for charge.

ACOUSTIC NIGHT, 8 pm, The Tavern, FREE. ACOUSTIC MUSIC THURSDAYS!, 8 pm, Two Fine Irishmen, Contact venue for charge.

COUNTRY ROAD 5 EMMET BOWER BAND, 9 pm, Vega, Contact venue for charge.

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ILLMATIC: A NAS TRIBUTE ARTILLERY FUNK W/CONCHANCE & BOTH, 9 pm, Waiting Room, $5.

ACOUSTIC JAM, 1 pm, Western Historic Trails Center, FREE. JOHN WALKER AND FRIENDS, 6 pm, Zoo Bar, Contact venue for charge.

FRIDAY 18

3D IN YOUR FACE, (Rock) 9 pm, 21st Saloon, $5.

HOTT2TROTT, 9 pm, Arena Bar & Grill, FREE. STEPHEN BILLS & JOE GUELDEN, 9 pm, Bar 415, $5.

BANJO LOCO! DEBUT CD RELEASE W/MORNING AT SEA AND THE TINDER BOX, 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $5.

ALL TIME LOW W/MAN OVERBOARD HANDGUNS, (Rock) 7 pm, Bourbon Theater, SOLD OUT. THIRD FRIDAY FUNK W/LUCAS KELLISON & THE UNDISCO KIDS, 8 pm, Duffy’s Tavern, FREE. RED DELICIOUS, (Cover Band) 8 pm, Firewater Grille, Contact venue for charge.

MARCUS LEWIS JAZZ ENSEMBLE, (Jazz) 8 pm, Harney Street Tavern, Contact venue for charge.

GOOSENECK PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS: ‘GUNG HO VOL 1: SON OF A GUN’ BY KING 16BARZ, 8 pm, Hideout, $10.

THE GREEN FAIRY - LIVE BURLESQUE AND CABARET, 8 pm, House Of Loom, Contact venue for charge.

KARAOKE THEATRE, 9 pm, House Of Loom, FREE. SCUFFY AND THE JANITORS, HOMEMADE CRAZY, DIRTY TALKER AND BOGUSMAN, 9 pm, Knickerbockers, Contact venue for charge.

CHARM SCHOOL DROPOUTS, 8 pm, Loose Moose, FREE. THE BRIGADIERS W/THE SONS OF AND NEW LUNGS, 9:30 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, $5.

ROUGH CUT, 8 PM, OZONE LOUNGE AT ANTHONY’S STEAKHOUSE, Contact venue for charge.

BEATLES AND MORE!, 7 pm, Pizza Shoppe Collective, FREE. KARAOKE, 9:30 pm, Rusty Nail Pub, Contact venue for charge.

QUICKSAND DEVIL W/SANDSKIN AND SURVEYING THE DEAD, 8 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill, Contact venue for charge.

1% PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS SAY HI & BIG SCARY, 9 pm, Slowdown, $10 ADV | $12 DOS. SOARING WINGS FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC W/AN EVENING (A JOHN DENVER TRIBUTE), 7 pm, Soaring Wings Vineyard, FREE. TAKE THE STAGE KARAOKE, 8 pm, Stir Live & Loud, Contact venue for charge.

CHRIS SAUB, 7:30 pm, Stories Coffeehouse, Contact venue for charge.

PIMPS OF JOYTIME, 8 pm, The Hive Lounge, Contact venue for charge.

HI-FI HANGOVER, (Rock) 9 pm, Two Fine Irishmen, Contact venue for charge.

EARTHSTOCK FEATURING AZP, THIRST THINGS FIRST & A FEROCIOUS JUNGLE CAT, 9 pm, Vega, FREE. SHERRY DRIVE W/SHIVER AND JORDAN SKY, (Rock) 8 pm, Venue 51, Contact venue for charge.

SATCHEL GRANDE CD RELEASE W/BUCK BOWEN AND JAZZ TRIO, 9 pm, Waiting Room, $7.

KARAOKE, 9 pm, West Lanes Bowling Blue Magoo Lounge, Contact venue for charge.

JOSH GARRETT, 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $8.

WONDERMONDS, 5 pm, Zoo Bar, Contact venue for charge.

SATURDAY 19

NAÏVE FILTER W/MATT BANTA BAND AND NEW DAY TRIO, 7:30 pm, 402 Arts Collective/ Aromas Coffeehouse, $6.

FIND YOUR VOICE -- INTRO INTO SONGWRITING, (Class) 3 pm, 402 Arts Collective/ Aromas Coffeehouse, FREE. THE RUMBLES, (Rock) 8 pm, Ameristar Casino, Contact venue for charge.

FEVER AND THE FUNKHOUSE, 9 pm, Arena Bar & Grill, FREE. DESTRO, 9 pm, Bar 415, $5.

THE TRAVEL GUIDE W/LOW LONG SIGNAL AND NICHOLAS HOLDEN, 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $5.

NEW DAY TRIO, 3 pm, Beansmith Coffee Roasters, FREE.

Omaha Performing Arts Presents

Swan Lake

featuring Moscow Festival Ballet April 30, 2014 | 7:30 PM | Orpheum Theater | Slosburg Hall Tickets start at $20 | TicketOmaha.com | 402.345.0606 All productions, performers, prices, dates and times subject to change.

18

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

| THE READER |

music listings

TIL THE SMOKE CLEARS FT. STYLUST BEATS, 8 pm, Bourbon Theater, $4.20-$10.

SWITCHBAK, 8 pm, Coyote Willy’s, $5.

BLAZIN’ PIANOS W/GREG ASADOORIAN AND DAVINA YANETTY, (Cover Band) 9 pm, DJ’s Dugout West, Contact venue for charge.

CHRISTOPHER THE CONQUERED W/GLOOM BALLOON, 8 pm, Duffy’s Tavern, FREE. KARAOKE, 8 pm, Firewater Grille, Contact venue for cover charge.

LUKE POLIPNICK “MODERN JAZZ”, (Jazz) 8 pm, Harney Street Tavern, Contact venue for charge.

THE BOTH ALBUM RELEASE & NATIONAL RECORD STORE DAY PARTY, 9 pm, House Of Loom, Contact venue for charge.

DROWNING IN THE PLATTE, GORGATRON AND GAROTED, 9 pm, Knickerbockers, Contact venue for charge.

ALL AGE: ACADEMY OF ROCK, (Rock) 6 pm, Knickerbockers, Contact venue for charge.

CACTUS HILL, 8 pm, Loose Moose, FREE. THE MAX CHILL SHOW W/HOST BOB GURNETT FEAT ADAM HRABIK, PATRICK JAMES, PRESTON TOMPKINS, 9:30 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, $5.

CHRIS SAUB, 9 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, Contact venue for charge.

JOSH HOYER & THE SHADOWBOXERS, (Rock) 8 pm, Parliament Pub Downtown, Contact venue for charge.

PORKBELLY CD RELEASE W/TEN DEAD, NAKED SUNDAY, VULSAFIRE AND BURNING WISH, 8 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill, Contact venue for charge.

AUDIBLY NUTRITIOUS RETURNS, 9 pm, Side Door Lounge, Contact venue for charge.

1% PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS TOKYO POLICE CLUB W/GEOGRAPHER AND SAID THE WHALE, 8 pm, Slowdown, $15.

SUPERIOR W/EASTWOOD, GAR, BLESSED ARE THE MERCILESS, LIVE AND OBEY AND TRIALS WE FACE, 7 pm, Sokol Hall & Auditorium, $8.

DUSTIN WEST - W/AN EVENING A TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER, 7:30 pm, Stories Coffeehouse, Contact venue for charge.

PAUL SERRATO W/MARK HAAR, (Jazz) 3 pm, The Addicted Cup, Contact venue for charge.

FADED, 8 pm, The Hive Lounge, Contact venue for charge.

HIDDEN AGENDA, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Two Fine Irishmen, Contact venue for charge.

SATCHEL GRANDE CD RELEASE PARTY W/TATANKA, 9 pm, Vega, 21+ $8 | 18-20 $10.

BEN KWELLER WITH SEE THROUGH DRESSES, 9 pm, Waiting Room, $15.

FABTONES BIG BAND, 6 pm, Zoo Bar, $6.

JERRY PRANKSTERS, 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $6.

SUNDAY 20

4/20 VARIETY SHOW W/BOGUSMAN, MC TEACH, WET RADIO, JAY SAY, FEAR SIGHT, 7 pm, Bourbon Theater, $5 ADV | $6 DOS. JESSE LAFSER W/CLAY, EVAN BARTELS BAND, 8 pm, Duffy’s Tavern, $5.

SALSA SUNDAY W/ LATIN MADNESS, 7 pm, House Of Loom, $5.

O’LEAVER’S OPEN MIC NIGHT, 9 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, FREE. THE HAGUE, (Indie) 9 pm, Vega, $5.

KEEPLOVE, 7 pm, Venue 51, Contact venue for charge.

THE PAPER PLANES CONCERT 4/20 SHOWCASE, 9 pm, Waiting Room, $10.

NEBRASKA STONER, SLUDGE AND DOOM METAL PRESENT: 420, 6 pm, Zoo Bar, Contact venue for charge.

MONDAY 21

OPEN MIC NIGHT, 6 pm, 402 Arts Collective/ Aromas Coffeehouse, FREE. OPEN MIC & SONGWRITER SHOWCASE, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, FREE. FIRST CUT INDUSTRY NIGHT W/ DJ DRDRIGGS, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, House Of Loom, FREE. GOON SALOON W/LEECHES OF LORE, 9:30 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, $5.

MIKE GURCIULLO AND HIS LAS VEGAS BAND, (Cover Band) 7 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, Contact venue for charge.

A BENEFIT FOR RALPH REMMERT, 8 pm, Waiting Room, $15.

WAITING ROOM MUSIC QUIZ, 8 pm, Waiting Room, FREE. ZOO BAR HOUSE BAND, 7 pm, Zoo Bar, $3.

PIANO HOUR W/ EMILY BASS, 5 pm, Zoo Bar, Contact venue for charge.

TUEDAY 22

VIC NASTY, 8 pm, Bar 415, FREE. OPEN MIC NIGHT, 9:30 pm, Dubliner Pub, FREE. CHRIS SAUB, 6 pm, Jackson Street Tavern, Contact venue for charge.

GREAT PLAINS MASSACRE AND DAVE LEVERETT, 9 pm, Knickerbockers, Contact venue for charge.

ZACH MYERS OF SHINEDOWN & JUSTIN MOORE OF INGRAM HILL W/ LIKE A STORM, MORSE CODE, MATT DIBAISE, 8 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill, Contact venue for charge.

1% PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS SLEIGH BELLS, 8 pm, Slowdown, $20. $2 TUESDAYS FEATURING SPUTNIK KAPUTNIK & DUDE WON’T DIE, 9 pm, Vega, 21+ $2 | 18-20 $4.

OPEN MIC HOSTED BY DAVE YOBLE, 8 pm, Venue 51, FREE. DJ RELIC SOUL PARTY, 8 pm, Zoo Bar, FREE. JAZZOCRACY, (Jazz) 6 pm, Zoo Bar, FREE.

WEDNESDAY 23

KRONEN, 9 pm, Bar 415, FREE. DICEY RILEYS, 7 pm, Brazen Head Irish Pub, FREE. CHRIS SAUB, 6 pm, Dolce, Contact venue for charge.

RAY MICHAEL, (Country) 8 pm, Firewater Grille, Contact venue for charge.

WHIPKEY WEDNESDAY FEATURING BRAD HOSHAW, 8 pm, Harney Street Tavern, Contact venue for charge.

TARIM AND ALTERNATE REVOLUTION, 9 pm, Knickerbockers, Contact venue for charge.

DAYBREAK, 8 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, Contact venue for charge.

LOST IN THE TREES W/ALL TINY CREATURES, 8 pm, Slowdown, $10.

DESERT NOISES W/ THE WINTER SOUNDS AND JOHN KLEMMENSEN AND THE PARTY, 8 pm, The Hive Lounge, Contact venue for charge.

ULTRAVIOLET HIPPOPOTAMUS W/LUCAS KELLISON & THE UNDISCO KIDS, 9 pm, Vega, 21+ $5 | 18-20 $7.

ULTRAVIOLET HIPPO W/LUCAS KELLISON & THE UNDISCO KIDS, 9 pm, Vega, Contact venue for charge.

THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK ALBUM W/TRAVIS HOWE, 9 pm, Waiting Room, $25.

JIM SUHLER, 6 pm, Zoo Bar, $10.

JOHNNY REEF AND THE SHIPWRECKS W/PAT NICHOLS BAND, 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

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| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014 4/14/14

19

1:10 PM

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

Noise Is Golden

T

he Formula One circuit is generally thought to attract fans as a showcase of motorcar technology and racing skill, but organizers of the Australian Grand Prix (the first of the 19 races on the annual circuit) threatened a lawsuit in March against Formula One management because the races should also be showcases of noise. Formula One has softened cars’ power this year in order to make breakthrough achievements in fuel efficiency, but that also tamped down Formula One’s “trademark ear-shattering roar,” according to a Business Insider report. Fans are less likely to buy tickets, the organizers fear, if they lose the deafening, 100-decibel vroom that is a “visceral element of the fan experience.”

The Championship Brackets Amelia Boomker, 36, of Bolingbrook, Ill., celebrated her acceptance into the Guinness Book of World Records in March, recognized for donating more than 127 gallons of her own breast milk to critically needy babies in the Midwest. The donations came on top of supplying breast milk for her own four sons, three of whom were born during the 2008-2013 period in which she pumped out her excess for the Indiana Mothers’ Milk Bank.

-- Most Commandments Violated: James Chatten, 46, pleaded guilty in January to several Commandment violations stemming from a July incident at the Christian Horizons church in Peterborough, Ontario. Chatten brought a prostitute inside the church, for sex, after hours, and stole money to pay her from a church

20

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

| THE READER |

weird news

drawer, then lied to police about being forced to raid the drawer.

-- Prodigious Criminality: (1) John Bidmead, 65, was convicted in November at Britain’s Exeter Crown Court of possession of child pornography images that totaled, according to police count, 600,000 files -- a low number because detectives said they got tired of counting and that the final number was easily over a million. The prosecutor called it “certainly the largest find in this part of the world.” (2) Jason Bourcier, 33, reached a deal with the Virginia Department of Transportation in November to eventually pay down the $200,000 in highway tolls he had ignored for more than three years. He told a judge that, originally, a friend had told him that traveling the Dulles Toll Road to Washington, D.C., was free if the toll collectors had gone home for the evening (not true). (Bourcier told the judge he is now working as a “financial consultant” -- surely after rehabilitating his attention to detail.)

Fine Points of the Law In some cultures, and now in Florida, apparently, the act of urination carries no special modesty protection. A judge ruled in March that video of Justin Bieber expelling for a urine test following his January drag-racing arrest in Miami Beach was a “public record” and had to be released to the press under Florida law. (A perhaps overly generous black box was edited into the video to make it somewhat less explicit.) In the video, only one officer is present, observing, based on protocol that respects the suspect’s “privacy” -- though the Florida judge in essence invited the entire world to watch Bieber urinate, as the video quickly made the Internet.

Oops!

(1) Kentucky state Rep. Leslie Combs, unloading her .380 semi-automatic handgun in her Capitol office in

COPYRIGHT 2014 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).

Frankfort in January, accidentally fired a shot into her furniture. Said Combs, “I’m a gun owner. It happens.” In fact, she praised herself for being “particularly careful” to point the gun away from people while “unloading” it. (2) In March, an unnamed man was rescued by bystanders who heard screaming from a maze-like storm drain, which runs 12 feet below the street in Lawton, Okla.

The man had accidentally dropped a $20 bill through a grate and climbed in after it, wandering underground for two days searching for his way out. (He never found the $20.)

Bright Ideas The Lakemaid brewery based in Stevens Point, Wis., acknowledged in January that it has been testing drone technology, with an eye to eventually delivering beer to isolated ice fishermen on Lake Waconia, Minn. The brewery reportedly found that a six-bladed drone would be necessary to carry a 12-pack for up to a half-mile. (The Federal Aviation Administration bans commercial drones, but is thought to be reconsidering the rule -- though not just yet, as it quickly ordered Lakemaid to cease the flights.)

Perspective As Microsoft founder and current world-class philanthropist Bill Gates prepared for a speech in Vancouver, British Columbia, in March, a circumcision dissident prepared to protest. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested more than $160 million on circumcision programs in developing countries based on overwhelming medical evidence (“as clear as you really can get in medical research,” said a University of British Columbia professor) that the procedure makes transmission of HIV much more difficult. Dedicated, intense-pleasure-seeking men (in this case, the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Proj-

NE

BR

ASK

ENDS A FRI

OF FOSTER

CHIL

DRE

N’S

ect) insist that the surgical snipping, especially of babies, denies males the benefit of heightened penile sensitivity.

The Place To Be On Fry Day!

Suspicions Confirmed Richard Wright of Canada’s Prince Edward Island was busy in March handing out $50 and $100 bills to strangers during a visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia, urging the recipients to “thank God” for the gift and to pass it along to others if they could not use it themselves. Wright’s spree was soon broken up as Mounted Police detained him for a “wellness check,” which led to his transfer to a mental-health facility. Wright’s daughter Chelsea told reporters that her dad worked hard for his money, had no mentalhealth issues and simply wanted to help people, and a friend described him as a “generous individual wrapped up in the acts of kindness.” However, at press time, Wright was still hospitalized.

come in for a fishbowl before or after your fish fry. drink specials all lenten season long.

Confront Your Fears Yo No Quiero: The Phoenix suburb of Maryvale was “overrun,” according to February reports, with several “packs” of up to 15 Chihuahuas each, roaming neighborhoods, frightening schoolchildren.

Coincidentally, two months earlier, in Hobart, Australia, the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced that it was overwhelmed by massive recent donations of Chihuahuas, most from one couple. Said a spokesman, “We were up to our knees in little Chihuahuas.”

-- Pennywise: England’s Manchester Evening News reported in March that local police had handled 19 cases of “clown-related” crimes in the area in 2013, ranging from a clown in the town of Bury peering into the windows of at least two homes, to a boy’s report in Rochdale that a clown holding balloons had tried to grab him on the street. The secretary of Clowns International lamented the “stupid people” who damage the reputation of the clowning “profession.” ,

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weird news

| THE READER |

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

21

cuttingroom

■ Purely to preserve the story and certainly not a strategic move to fleece more cash from tween and teen wallets, the third installment of the Divergent series will be split into two. As Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games did before it, Allegiant will be cleft in twain. I am strongly opposed to this. Not because I have strong feelings about Divergent one way or the other, but because I know three films make a trilogy but do not know the word for a four-film series. And nobody tell me what the word is! I’m saving that brain cell for something more important like a “Doctor Who” quotation.

■ At long last our collective cultural nightmare may be ending: They have found someone to head the remake of Timecop. The guy who produced The Spectacular Now, a boring film loaded with stealth misogyny, is going to take the character Jean-Claude Van Damme made modestly famous and reinvent him. Considering that literally the only thing I remember about said character was that he was, in fact, a cop protecting time, he has a lot of room with which to work.

■ If you’re like me, when you were watching Roland Emmerich’s 2012, you found yourself thinking “I think he would be the perfect man to direct a powerful retelling of a defining moment in the history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement.” Good news! Roland Emmerich will direct Stonewall, which tells of the riots that occurred in response to a hate-filled police raid on a gay bar in 1969. I think we can all rest easy knowing that this subject is in the hands of the guy who made White House Down.

■ Get excited people: Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are teaming up again! In The Nest, the pair will play sisters who spend one last weekend in the house they grew up in. Directed by Pitch Perfect’s Jason Moore and written by Paula Pell, let’s all plan on seeing it a billion times so it makes all of the money and then studios can’t say dumb stuff like “women-centered films make less money.” I mean, they already don’t make less money, but let’s really show them!

ERNEST & CELESTINE DITCHES DISNEY B Y RYA N S Y R E K

G

ather ’round kids and hear a story from the days of yore, a time when artists drew cartoons with their actual human hands and not every children’s movie had covert sex jokes for ma and pa to chuckle at. It was a time before everything was glossy and smooth, before Pharrell and his hat dropped feel-good funky dance beats over computer animation in an attempt to market a soundtrack to a wider demo.

Ernest & Celestine could have been comfortably released in the 1940s. This adaptation of a popular series of Belgian children’s books is one of the least callous, most organically charming kids’ movies from any continent. Last year’s Frozen was an instant classic that only grows better with each viewing, but it was still a shiny corporate product designed to sell toys and music downloads. Ernest & Celestine is pure childhood sweetness, with a visual motif that makes it feel like someone just finished sketching it in front of you.

Screenwriter Daniel Pennac’s adaptation of Gabrielle Vincent’s books keeps the plot not only child-friendly but toddler-accessible. Celestine (Mackenzie Foy) is an orphan mouse who is forced to retrieve discarded bear teeth that are then turned into mouse dentures. The mice fear the bears, and the bears see the tiny creatures as annoying vermin. But Celestine believes the two groups could be friends if they simply refused to see only the worst in each other.

She must put her money where her mouth is, or technically where a bear’s mouth is, when the hungry Ernest (Forest

Whitaker) nearly eats her. She convinces him not to and helps him find food, albeit illegally.

The two soon find themselves on the run from their respective communities for various alleged crimes when really the groups just don’t like the two species intermingling. Yep, it’s basically just a very approachable lesson in tolerance and not stereotyping others. Directors Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner don’t skimp on the cutesy, which is to be expected when your story is about a chubby affable bear befriending a sweet and innocent mouse.

At just under 80 minutes, Ernest & Celestine doesn’t outkick its coverage, as it is content to tell a simple message in succinct and sweet fashion. And that fashion is particularly pretty if you’re a fan of hand-drawn animation. The scrawled, scribbly

outlines of the characters produce a seemingly unfinished art effect that is particularly effective in an era when all Disney and Dreamworks movies seem to have the same CGI-created visual DNA. Also refreshing is the film’s laser-focus on its intended audience. This is a kids’ movie for kids, with kid jokes and kid themes.

While that does leave grown-ups somewhat on the outside looking in, it also prevents the film from feeling like a calculated capitalist cash grab.

Ernest & Celestine is frakkin’ adorable if simple, heart-warming if fairly unoriginal.

But above all else, it’s an artistic endeavor handmade for children who will undoubtedly love it.

GRADE = B+

—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), catch him on radio on CD 105.9 (cd1059.com) on Fridays around 7:30 a.m. and on KVNO 90.7 (kvno.org) at 8:30 a.m. on Fridays and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).

Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater 14th & Mike Fahey Street (formerly Webster Street)

First-Run Films Under the Skin First-Run (R)

Dir. Jonathan Glazer.

Starts Friday, April 18

An alien who looks an awful lot like Scarlett Johansson trolls Glasgow for male victims.

Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me First-Run

More info & showtimes 402.933.0259 · filmstreams.org Facebook | Twitter | Instagram: @filmstreams

22

APRIL 17 - 23, 2014

Dir. Chiemi Karasawa.

Through Thursday, April 24

Held over!

A documentary about the legendary 86 year-old cabaret singer and “30 Rock” scene-stealer.

| THE READER |

film

The Grand Budapest Hotel First-Run

Dir. Wes Anderson.

Through Thursday, April 24

Ralph Fiennes is a suave concierge in fictitious Zubrowka between wars on the run from an elderly lover’s greedy, murderous family with his trusted Lobby Boy.

Special Screening Best Kept Secret

Tuesday, April 22, 7 pm Followed by panel discussion!

Presented with Meyer Foundation for Disabilities & Ollie Webb Center, Inc.

Forever Young

Admission just $2.50 for kids 12 and under!

Coming Soon Finding Vivian Maier New York Film Critics Series: Locke (R) New York Film Critics Series: Chef Jodorowsky’s Dune (PG-13) Hank and Asha

Ernest & Celestine First-Run (PG)

Dir. Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar & Benjamin Renner.

April 19 & 24

A mouse and a bear form an unlikely alliance and show everyone a thing or two about friendship and bravery.

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