The Reader April 2016

| THE READER | APRIL 2016 3

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4 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | omaha jobs

ANALYSTSR Business Analyst for Kiewit Corporation (Omaha, NE). Coord & comm w/ customers rgrd-ing app’n supp, maintenance, config’n & deploym’t in our SAP financials environm’t. Reqs: Master’s* deg in Mgmt Info Sys’s, Finance, or Accting. 3 yrs exp as a Sr. SW Engr, Analyst Programmer, or rel’d. Posts Bach’s exp req’d (3 yrs. w/Mast’s or 5 yrs. w/Bach’s) & must incl: Config’g/troublesh’g SAP to PeopleSoft interfaces using IDocs, TRM, IHC, BCM & banking processes; Integ’n of FICO new GL with MM, SRM, SD, ETM, ALC, Payroll, Proj Sys’s, Hard Dollar, Workflow, ICR Tool, Intercom-pany IDoc proc; Config’n/troublesh’g Vertex, LCR Dixon, Apay, Kofax, GLSU, Concur, BPC/BW; & Req’s Gathering, Config’g & ABAP Debug’g/Trou-ble Shooting SAP FICO using ITIL & ServiceNow. *Employer will acc a Bach’s deg & 5 yrs exp in lieu of a mast’s deg & 3 yrs exp. Apply on-line at http://www.kiewit.com/careers/ & ref req#51041.

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VIP LIMOUSINEIs looking for a Car Detailer & a Chauffer. Expe-rience preferred but not required. Must be 25 or older with a good driving record. Apply in person at 2318 S. 24th Street, Omaha, NE 68108.

FINANCIAL ADVISORPaid advisor training for four and half years. (This is not a draw against commissions or a payback system). Benefits including medical, dental, vision, and 401k with company match. Office space in our building free of rent and fees for other office supply materials. A wide variety of products both on the insurance and investment side. Succession Plan-ning for your practice and much more. For more information, visit OmahaJobs.com.

HOUSEKEEPING SUITE ATTENDANTAre you interested in connecting with real people from all over the world each and every day, be-coming part of a fun and exciting team? We are currently looking to hire housekeeping suite at-

tendants for the upcoming season. For more infor-mation, visit OmahaJobs.com.

COUNTER HELPOur Team Members do many tasks at here, from snack bar operations to include light cooking, serv-ing pop or alcoholic drinks, cleaning tables/floors etc., handing out bowling shoes to cash register op-erations. Must be 19 years or older. For more infor-mation, visit OmahaJobs.com.

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LICENSED PLUMBERWork for a great company & receive a $1,000 sign on bonus! Do you have 3 years experience? Then we want to speak with you about a great opportunity! For more information, visit OmahaJobs.com.

SOFTWARE ENGINEERWe are adding a Software Engineer to the team. This group supports health care related claims recovery. We are seeking an experienced individual who can work in a collaborative environment but also take a

project and run with it. Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office products required. For more in-formation, visit OmahaJobs.com.

CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT - PRNOur Designated Nursing Assistant/Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A) is responsible for providing direct resident care including nursing/clinical care, person-al, nutritional and restorative care in the skilled nurs-ing operations and other areas throughout the com-munity as appropriate. We deliver high-quality care with a personal touch and encourage our residents to enjoy life to the fullest. For more information, visit OmahaJobs.com.

REGISTERED NURSEYou would be accountable for the pre-procedures, intra-procedures and post-procedure clinical nurs-ing care of patients receiving conscious sedation for invasive interventional procedures. The ac-countability involves the application of specialized, clinical nursing knowledge and skills in a self-di-rected manner in the delivery of direct patient care. Focus areas in this practice setting also include pain management and patient/family education. This position requires on call status for after hours and on the weekends/holidays For more information, visit OmahaJobs.com.

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contents | THE READER | APRIL 2016 7

MOREINFO:WWW.THEREADER.COM

08 COVER STORY GREEN CITY

15 PICKS COOL EVENTS IN APRIL

20 CULTURE TWO BECOMES ONE

23 HEALING THE IRON GURU

31 ART WET EXHIBIT

37 CULTURE BREAKING MOLDS

39 EAT SUSTAINABLE ATTAINABILITY

42 HOODOO APRIL HIGHLIGHTS

44 FILM SUMMER PREVIEW

46 MUSIC JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

48 OVER THE EDGE FEEL THE BURN

50 MYSTERIAN DOCTOR IS IN

Publisher John Heaston [email protected] Director Eric Stoakes [email protected] Editor Mara Wilson [email protected] Editor Tara Spencer [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSheartland healing: Michael Braunstein [email protected]/visual: Mike Krainak [email protected]: Sarah Locke [email protected]: Ryan Syrek [email protected]: B.J. Huchtemann [email protected]: Wayne Brekke [email protected] the edge: Tim McMahan [email protected]: William Grennan [email protected]

SALES & MARKETINGDinah Gomez [email protected] Falk [email protected]/DIGITAL

Clay Seaman [email protected]

OPERATIONS AND BUSINESS MANAGERKerry Olson [email protected]

P H O T O B Y D E B R A S . K A P L A N

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8 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | cover story

“Nebraska’s wind resource as a state is in the top five nation-ally. Additionally, we are in the mid-20s in terms of installed

capacity among the other states,” said David Levy, Partner and Chair of the Real Estate Section at the Baird Holm Law Firm and lobbyist for a wind energy company.

So why does Nebraska lag behind Iowa when it comes to using wind energy? Levy explained this is partly because some of Nebraska’s utilities have been resistant to what they see as competition for their generating fleets.

cover story | THE READER | APRIL 2016 9

“In part, our public power structure and laws in the state prevented our utilities from developing these fa-cilities themselves and made it risky for private compa-nies to come in and do it,” he said.

Winds of changeLevy said Nebraska has changed those laws in terms of reducing risks to private companies but there are still laws in place that erect barriers around the state when it comes to a private company trying to develop a wind farm here and then turning around and selling that energy outside the state.

“As a state, we can generate at least five and maybe 10 or more times as much electricity with our wind re-source as we can use in the state, so the export oppor-tunity is tremendous but we have to remove the regula-tory barriers to that,” Levy said.

This is something Levy and other supporters of wind energy are working to fix through a bill currently in the legislature, LB 824. He said the bill is meant to remove the regulatory barriers. Though the bill has lots of sup-port, Levy said there are a few senators and one utility who are trying to keep the bill out of committee.

But Levy said because the legislative session ends April 20th, we will know by then if the legislature is go-ing to take steps to remove those barriers in Nebraska.

“If LB 824 were to pass, it’s likely 2000-3000 mega-watts of new wind generation would be constructed in Nebraska in the next few years, but if we are con-servative about it and assume it would only open the door to 1000 megawatts, that would mean somewhere between one and a half to two billion dollars in new private investment and would result in over six million dollars in brand new property tax revenues each year,” said Levy.

Statewide, Nebraska currently has about 850 mega-watts of installed capacity with another 400 megawatts under construction by Berkshire Hathaway Energy in Holt County. Levy explained when that project is opera-tional, Nebraska will have between 1200 and 1300 megawatts, which is less than a third of what Iowa has in terms of installed capacity.

“Should the bill pass, there’s a group in Cherry County that has over half a million acres of land in an association they created and they are looking to attract a wind developer, so that could potentially could be a large wind farm,” Levy said.

Some are concerned that using more wind energy would cause electric rates to rise in the state. But Levy said the fact is thousands of megawatts of wind energy are being developed all around us. Since 2009, the utilities in Nebraska have been part of a regional mar-ketplace, where electricity is sold and bought.

Levy said whatever will happen to electric rates will happen but by keeping these barriers in place, all we are doing is ensuring the economic development and

property tax benefits go to Iowa, south Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma.

“The real benefit of wind is that the fuel is free and you can predict wind amazingly well all year long. Plus, you can farm right up to a wind turbine and only lose a tenth of an acre per turbine of farmable land,” said Levy.

Let the sunshine inThe good news is Nebraska has a high solar potential. The bad news? Nebraska is well behind most states in solar production.

“In Omaha, there are very few installations and the Metro will fall further behind the capital city of Lincoln with Lincoln’s recent commitments to move forward with more solar,” said Graham Christensen, President of GC Resolve, LLC.

There is actually more good news though. Chris-tensen explained there is more interest in solar in the

state than ever before. He said it seems like Nebras-kans are really just starting to explore solar to help re-duce both their bills and carbon emissions.

“Traditionally. there has been more interest from the residential solar market. Recently though, more and more businesses, both large and small, have been exploring the possibilities of solar energy. Business is seeing benefits both financially and also with customer perception,” he said.

Christensen believes things are getting exciting be-cause both individual homeowners and businesses are starting to better understand the many great benefits of harvesting the sun.

“Nebraska should be a world leader in utilizing our natural resources for energy generation. By developing more of our resources we can help lower greenhouse gases, conserve water, and create valuable new prop-erty tax revenues that go directly into our schools, all while stabilizing rapidly rising electrical rates long into the future,” said Christensen.

There are things he said we can do to reap all the benefits of solar. These include improving state policy. Christensen said increasing net-metering payments would help, as well as creating a policy for projects bigger than 25 kilowatts and offering incentives to help accelerate the solar industry in Nebraska.

“There are many reasons other states are far ahead of Nebraska in solar development. One reason is be-cause traditionally Nebraska has had extremely low energy prices making it tougher for solar energy to compete economically,” explained Christensen.

The energy market changes fast and Nebraska has not been able to adapt as quickly as hoped, which has led to inflating electric rates. At the same time, solar has become more affordable than ever. Thus, Chris-tensen believes this is an opportune time for Nebraska to invest heavily into solar energy.

Lack of understanding regarding how solar energy works has been a big obstacle to Nebraskans adopt-ing solar. Many don’t know who to talk to about solar energy. They also don’t realize there are incentives and financing available that can make it easier to afford installing solar panels on a home or business.

“As Nebraskans, we need to be asking more ques-tions in order to better understand how the solar indus-try works. Solar developers, utilities, green organiza-tions and electricians are great sources of information on solar industry,” said Christensen.

He said increased investment into natural resources would put Nebraska ahead in many areas for genera-tions. And, Christensen said solar development is a great fit for public power.

He said when you harvest your own sun potential, you are the definition of public power, people produc-

continued on page 10 y

GRAHAM CHRISTENSEN


ing the state’s power, while receiving the economic and environmental benefits for this power generation.

“We all have an obligation to help leave planet Earth better for the next generation. We also have obligations to take care of our family and loved ones. Solar energy gives Nebraskans a unique opportunity to do both,” Christensen said.

Energy efficiency vegetables, renewable dessertsCraig Moody, Managing Partner at Verdis Group and

candidate for the OPPD Board of Directors, Sub-District 5, said “Lighting is usually one of the early and most important opportunities for an organization to become more energy efficient. The cost of LEDs is coming down dramatically. As a result, we are seeing lots of large institutions give LED technology a serious look when it comes to doing large scale lighting retrofits.”

He said another area that is often overlooked is basic envelope insulation. A building’s envelope consists of the exterior walls and the roof. Moody explained the more porous it is, the more you have to heat and cool the inside of the building which then just pushes all that conditioned air right out of those holes.

“So you want to tighten up the envelope so you don’t have that air infiltration,” he said.

After looking at the less expensive fixes, businesses can then work on things that cost more money like

cooling equipment, heating equipment and moving air around. Those things usually require larger investments.

Businesses are more likely to retrofit than consumers mainly due to the cost for retrofits. Moody said busi-nesses look for the payback period. If they’re investing $10,000 in a lighting retrofit, they want to know how long before they recoup those costs and notice energy savings.

But Moody said there are plenty of opportunities to get payback periods under five years by making chang-es in process, procedure or behavior. The best part? It doesn’t cost any money. It just takes a little time and effort to educate people.

Moody said there are two important areas that are worth pursuing when it comes to businesses trying to

become more building efficient: The operation of the building and the behavior of the occupants in the building.

In terms of building operation, Moody said you can have the most efficient equipment in the world but if you’re not operating it at an optimum level it’s a waste to have all that really super-efficient equipment.

He said many organizations of-ten forget about people’s behavior while in the building.

“The way people behave in the building has a direct effect on the energy that’s used and that needs to

be used. Humans are irrational and you can never be 100% sure how they will behave. Getting people to be-have in specific ways can be complicated,” said Moody.

Some examples of behaviors that increase energy ef-ficiency include an employee turning off the lights when they leave their office for the day and unplugging sup-plemental equipment like cell phone chargers, radios or space heaters when not in use.

Verdis Group helps large organizations identify and implement ways to be more sustainable including en-ergy efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, waste reduction and recycling. Moody said they are doing a lot of mobility work right now helping organizations fig-ure out how to get their people around in a more sus-tainable way, including busing, biking and carpooling rather than driving around in their cars.

Moody said there are three reasons it’s important to be more efficient in terms of building operation.

First, he said if you’re not efficient then you’re using extra energy unnecessarily which is costing you more money. So, there are cost saving implications

Second, there are environmental benefits. Moody said right now we are largely reliant on burning fos-sil fuels to produce energy and that’s not good for the planet.

And third, he said renewable energy is seen as pretty sexy.

“Early on in the process, a lot of people ask us when they can get solar panels in and we tell them they need to eat their energy efficiency vegetables before they have their renewables dessert,” said Moody.

CRAIG MOODY

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He said there are so many opportunities to be more efficient with energy use in any building. Moody said reducing your current energy load through energy effi-ciency and conservation is an important first step before you have a solar array installed. He said once you’ve squeezed out every drop of energy you can through conservation, then you can start looking at renewables.

Doing what’s best for its customersThe majority of OPPD’s renewable portfolio right now

is made up of wind and some landfill gas at Douglas county landfill. OPPD uses methane gas to create electricity.

“By the beginning of 2017, we will have over 800 megawatts of wind available to us and landfill gas will be at 6 ½ megawatts,” said Tim Yager, Manager of Special Projects for OPPD.

Yager said OPPD’s newest wind project is going on-line this year and means they will be able to close three of their oldest coal facilities at their north Omaha power plant.

“In 2014, OPPD released the results of a resource op-tions study we had performed that looked at our electri-cal generation going forward. The results of that study indicated that it would be the right thing to do to close three of our oldest coal facilities. There are five total units there. The ones we are closing include the oldest one, which began operation in 1954,” said Yager.

Two of them will be closed by mid-April 2016 and the third will be switched to gas by the end of the year.

OPPD signed the wind contract that’s coming online this year before the study was completed. So they knew what their total wind availability was and they are mak-

ing up those retired megawatts with that additional wind and increasing focus on their demand site management program.

“A large piece of that is energy efficiency, using LED lights, HVAC Smart (rebates for more efficient furnaces) and Cool Smart (credits for not running you’re A/C at peak usage times on summer days),” said Yager.

He said OPPD considers at all energy saving oppor-tunities to see if they fit. In 2014, when they released the results of the study, OPPD looked at the amount of re-newables they would have on hand by the end of 2016.

“And we saw we would be one of the nation leaders in the percentage of renewable energy generated first versus our retail load. 30-35% of our retail load will be covered by renewable energy,” he said.

The retail load is the amount of energy customers are using. It doesn’t look at what OPPD would generate and sell to other entities out of state.

For now, OPPD is more focused on wind energy than solar. Yager said there are a couple solar projects out in the community. OPPD’s Omaha center has solar pan-els and Creighton University has some, but Yager said those are behind the meter type projects versus generat-ing energy from the panels and selling it to customers.

“We are looking at a community solar project but that idea is in its infancy,” he said.

Yager explained OPPD would look at some type of so-lar farm. He said they would get participants who were willing to be part of it for a special rate. OPPD hasn’t figured out all the details yet and they don’t know how big the farm or community solar project would be at this point.

With solar energy costing more than other renew-ables, Yager said it’s not as economically competitive as wind energy, which is also easier to use than solar energy, at least as of today.

“OPPD has shown that we are committed to renew-able energy with our path forward. We will continue to look at all opportunities including wind and solar. As long as they’re the right thing to do for our customers, we will continue to expand our portfolio into the renew-able arena,” Yager said. ,

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“II’m afraid to drink the tap water or that my kids drink directly from it. I prefer drinking from a water jug and when

we don’t have that I’d rather boil some wa-ter so that we don’t get sick,” said Marisol Ramos, a housewife from Omaha.

“I was told it had lead in it, and that is very dangerous. Because of that I also try to keep my family from drinking directly from the faucet,” said Ernestina Lucas Ri-vas, another resident in Omaha.

“I feel that it has a weird taste even af-ter I put a filter on it at home. It is why I tell my wife we should always have water jugs at home,” said Martin Chavez, owner of a local business.

“My mom says I shouldn’t drink directly from it and that I should drink bottled water, or else my tummy will hurt, or I’ll get worms in my belly,” said Ramiro Jacinto Herrera, a 4th-grade student in Omaha.

With this overview, one could think that the water supplied by M.U.D. for the city isn’t safe.

However, to verify this idea, we analyzed the An-nual Consumer Trust Report, a report catalogued as the most precise source of information regarding water quality.

Said report is reviewed by the Nebraska Depart-ment of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as it aims to comply with the norms established by the United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) regarding Safe Drinking Water.

We must mention that the water provided by M.U.D. to the population of Omaha is obtained from the Mis-souri and Platte rivers, as well as from the Dakota

aquifer system. This liquid is pumped from locations or wells maintained by the district.

In this process, M.U.D. works on softening, clarifying and disinfecting the water so that it can comply with the Safe Drinking Water rules.

This is why it is obligated to present a report that shows the results of a wide range of safety tests, both for the “final” water as well as for the water that is treated at its plants and distributed to consumers’ taps and faucets.

We are happy to report that M.U.D. complies with all Safe Drinking Water federal and state laws, and it even exceeds the norms established by the EPA. This report is public, and those who wish to request a copy can do

so by calling the department’s Customer Service line (402.554.6666).

It is false that there is lead in Omaha’s drinking water.

We must point out that M.U.D. tests for lead every month, and said element has not been detected in the “raw” water source, in the “final” water that exists its treatment plants or in the distribution system (the main water piping).

This means M.U.D. produces stable and non-corro-sive water. In fact, the water that consumers receive is treated so that it does not corrode pipes.

We must also highlight that lead is generally a local issue. This means that some consumers might have lead piping in their houses or pipes that were welded with lead. This is why some house in Omaha or other communities might have lead piping if their homes were built before 1950.

On that note, we want to inform you that the service piping is the line that connects a house’s pipes to the main piping that is usually located under the street. You are the owner of the service piping. But, if you wish to learn about the information that M.U.D. has about the material from which your service piping is made of, you can call them at 402.554.6666. You can also hire a plumber to inspect your service piping.

Many people believe that a water filter guarantees that this precious liquid can be ingested safely. How-ever, experts state that one of the worst things people can do is have filtered water and not change the filter. In fact, once the filter is full of chemicals and the wa-

ter goes through it, what will happen is that said chemical products will end up in the water.

A filter is a personal preference, but it could end up doing more harm than good if it’s not properly serviced.

You can rest assured knowing that opening a faucet and drinking directly from it is completely safe for the families of Omaha.

On top of that, M.U.D. has an agree-ment with Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance (OHKA) to examine the drinking water of homes that could contain lead. It periodi-

cally issues public statements regarding its quality standards as it aims to reach the

entire population they serve, and they also issue bilingual reports.However, consumers must know that they can

greatly contribute towards making sure the wa-ter’s quality continues to be the same in the city.To help, you must know that it is forbidden that you

dispose of any medication by throwing it into the toilet. You also shouldn’t pour residue into the sewers. On top of that, the use of fertilizers, pesticides and toxic cleaning products must be reduced.

Marisol, Ernestina, Martin, Ramiro and the entire population can feel better knowing that Omaha’s wa-ter is of the highest quality thanks to the great work of M.U.D. in the city.

If you have any other questions about the city’s drinking water, you can call the EPA Safe Drinking Wa-ter Hotline at 800.426.4791 or visit: http://water.epa.gov/drink/. ,

To request a free review for lead in your piping, please call Customer Service for M.U.D. at 402.554.6666.

IS THE WATER THAT M.U.D. DISTRIBUTESIN OMAHA SAFE?

BY BERNARDO MONTOYA

picks | THE READER | APRIL 2016 15

Saturday, April 23

COMEDYAmy SchumerCenturyLink Center, 455 North 10th Street8:00 p.m., $37-$123www.amyschumer.com

If you have yet to see the movie Trainwreck, staring Amy Schumer, and if you enjoy a feel-good comedy with a self-destructing, dynamic character, that will help resolve your own conflicting issues about your past relation-ships and mistakes, stop reading this. Now, go rent, stream or buy one of the funniest movies I have seen this past year and prepare to laugh, just a little bit. You may also feel awkward, that may have just been me. However, the awkwardness matched with the main character’s quirky one-liners and let’s be honest here, promiscuous attitude are what make this movie shine as comedic work. Schumer’s character precariously jumps from man to man until she finds one who is trying to break her routine. The thing about Schumer, based on reviews, articles, her personal social media and interviews, her refreshing free spirited and outspoken attitude are not acting. If you follow my advice and end up liking the movie, purchase a ticket to Schumer’s one night stop in Omaha for her Spring Tour. While you are on an Amy Schumer spree, pre-order her book, The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo. The book will officially be released on Aug. 16 and I am sure, once more, we can expect chuckles, giggles, chortle and bursts of laughter from this multitalented woman.

— Mara Wilson

16 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | picks

Friday, April 8 MARK TWAIN TONIGHT Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas Street8:00 p.m., $30-$50www.omahaperformingarts.org

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter,” said Mark Twain. Certainly 91-year-old actor Hal Holbrook doesn’t mind telling his age. He takes pride in his on-going 62-year performing career. He comes to Omaha’s Holland Center in what’s billed as “the longest running show in American Theatre his-tory,” wherein he has been channeling Twain, as a (now) somewhat younger man, about age 60. As you may know, Twain increased his fame enormously by giving public lectures. They put him on the map as a delightful enter-tainer. Holbrook delved into Twain’s many pages and created this show, Mark Twain Tonight! which had its de-but in 1954. You could ask, if you’ve a mind to, how can this keep going? Wouldn’t everyone interested have seen it all by now? You must be joshing. There are so many wonderful things that Twain wrote that you could attend several times and yet hear something new. Of course, much of it bears repeating. It’s probable that this version of Mark Twain Tonight! will include some serous mate-

rial: excerpts from Huckleberry Finn. There Holbrook, as Twain, pointedly takes on the sound and inflections of that ornery rural lad, ultimately rejecting legal and social norms of the time to aid black runaway slave Jim seek freedom. “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened,” Twain commented. But this event is happening and, as always, remains something worth remembering.

— Gordon Spencer

Saturday, April 9VINTAGE FASHION SHOWMetropolitan Community College’s Fort Omaha Campus’ Swanson Conference Center, 32nd and Sorenson Parkway12:00 p.m., $50-$75www.douglascohistory.org

The Douglas County Historical Society’s (DCHS) will be hosting their sixth Annual Women Defining His-tory Luncheon and Runway Show. Dazzling and Daring: Fashions of the 1920s and 30s is the theme for this year featuring vintage fashions from “Yesterday’s Lady,” a Susan McLain vintage clothing museum and salon. The DCHS will also be presenting their annual “Women De-fining History” award to Carol Gendler. This award hon-ors a woman who inspires and challenges others and is a true model in strengthening the community by demon-strating courage, tenacity and creativity through philan-thropic outreach. Another highlight of the annual event is the chance to purchase vintage jewelry separately or during the silent auction. A Patron Champagne Recep-tion and jewelry preview will kick off the event at 11:30 a.m. Jump back in time with the DCHS and honor how women define history, then and now.

— Mara Wilson

Sunday, April 10HERITAGE Jewish Community Center, 333 South 132nd Street7:00 p.m., Freewww.omahachambermusic.org

The concert is called “Heritage.” The Amernet String Quartet gives it. Calling attention to Jewish heritage in the last century, including music by two composers mur-dered in Nazi concentration camps. Austrian/Czech Vik-tor Ullmann died in Auschwitz after surviving two years in Terezín. Dutchman Leo Smit was killed in Sobibor. He had been creating his only string quartet while awaiting death. His unfinished composition also shows no sign of sorrow or fear, likewise life-affirming. The one finished movement has been arranged by American Jewish com-poser Jeff Hamburg who also lived in Holland. This per-formance offers many kinds of discovery, suffused with tradition, inspired by heritage.

— Gordon Spencer

Wednesday, April 13Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood LiveOrpheum Theater, 409 South 16th Street7:00 p.m., $15-$30www.ticketomaha.com

PBS hit series “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” is the lega-cy of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood.” Similar to the icon-ic childhood show filled with imagination, life lessons, and puppet friends, “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” is also centered in a make-believe world. Daniel, the ani-

mated tiger, wears a familiar red sweater and he and his friends learn social skills necessary for school and life. The show uses musical strategies developed by Fred Rog-ers and with the help of imagination, creativity, and story telling, the characters and audience learn about the life of a preschooler. In this vibrant and interactive musical Daniel will take the audience on a trolley-ride and share his stories or friendship, helping others, and celebrating new experiences. This is one grr-ific experience you and your preschooler will want to attend.

— Mara Wilson

Thursday, April 14BALLET FOLKLORICO “QUETZALLI” DE VERACRUZOrpheum Theater, 409 South 16th Street7:30 p.m., $10-$25www.ticketomaha.com

This show has been labeled as a cultural treasure because of the traditional dance, Mexican music and flamboy-ant costumes. In 1985 Ballet Folklorico “Quetzalli” de Veracruz was founded by Maestro Hugo Betancourt and call home Xalapa, the capital of the Eastern Mexico gulf state of Veracruz. This group has toured internation-ally in more than 20 different countries performing this traditional dance along with “Carnaval Veracruzano,” an Afro-Caribbean dance. The company has been the official representative for the Secretary of Tourism and Economic Development for the State of Veracruz since 1986. The history of the Mexican dance began in ancient cultures during the 3000 years before the arrival of the first Europeans. The Spanish arrived in 1500 A.D. and implemented their own culture into Mexico, which added new elements. Each region in Mexico has its own unique dances corresponding with the physical climate and cultural traditions. Such as with Veracruz, another element can be seen, the influence of African rhythms. This was added into the dances during the colonial times when slaves worked the sugar cane. See for yourself if this dance is as colorful, flamboyant and a cultural treasure like they are saying.

— Mara Wilson

“DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD”

HERITAGE

HAL HOLBROOK AS MARK TWAIN

Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16NEBRASKA WRITERS GUILD SPRING CONFERENCE AND PITCHAPALOOZA!LaVista Conference Center, 12520 Westport Pkwy Conference $80-$100 and Pitchapalooza $20-$30www.nebraskawriters.org

Nebraska Writers Guild Spring Conference is back again and this time with a special event for writers who are ready to publish. The conference will feature Chip MacGregor, owner/agent of MacGregor Literary. Linda Camacho, a literary agent from Prospect Agency. Nina Amir, an inspiration to creation coach. Chris Soth, the developer of the Mini-Movie method and The Pitcha-palooza. On top of the amazing, educational and inspi-rational sessions from the conference an hour after the last session is over on Saturday evening, Pitchapalooza will take place. To sign up to pitch you have to purchase a copy of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It. 20-25 people from the pool will be randomly selected by having their names drawn to give a one-minute pitch. Writers will pitch their book ideas to publishing experts Arielle Eckstut and Da-vid Henry Sterry. The winner receives an introduction to

an appropriate agent/publisher for their book. Anyone who buys a copy of the book will receive a free 20-minute consultation. The Pitchapalooza is not included in the price of the Spring Conference.

— Mara Wilson

Sunday, April 17 FAMILY YOGA WORKSHOP Kaneko, 1111 Jones Street1:00 p.m., $10-$15www.thekaneko.org

Art is the expression of human creative skill and imagination through different forms such as painting

or sculpting. Yoga is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic dis-cipline. It is a form of expression and way to practice health and relaxation by tapping into your mind, body, and spirit. Both art and yoga are forms of expression, so why wouldn’t they go hand in hand? Come celebrate and learn about both during the Family Yoga Workshop at Kaneko presented by Kaneko and The Block Yoga and Art Studio. This event allows participants to receive an introduction to the practices of yoga through solo or group activities, while experiencing art in a whole new way. The WATER exhibit currently on display at Kaneko will provide a tranquil background while families learn the basics of yoga, mindfulness and meditation. The ac-tivities will be led by professionals from The Block Yoga and Art Center in Council Bluffs, IA.

— Mara Wilson

Sunday, April 17SACRED CONVERSATIONJoslyn Art Museum’s Witherspoon Hall, 2200 Dodge Street2:00 p.m., $33www.omahasymphony.org

Music from the past century merges with century-old traditions in expressions of religious faith in “Sacred Conversation,” a Symphony Joslyn concert. The content ranges from 1800 to 1978 in works by composers famed around the world, Franz Joseph Haydn, Igor Stravinsky, Japan’s Toru Takemitsu and the U.S.A’s John Adams. To-gether they offer a cross-cultural experience connecting the homage and emotion in human lives moved by spiri-tual ones. Haydn and Stravinsky have never been much known for these kinds of works, but both wrote them. These performances focus on what they created in their sixties. Latin texts. Christian liturgy. Prayer. A Mass. A Te Deum. Stravinsky wanted his Mass to be “cold mu-sic” meaning bare rather than chilling. Nonetheless ex-pect warm, flowing moments amid much counterpoint. Clearly, though, in his Te Deum, Haydn sought to cre-ate a hymn of praise doing so with “bright harmonies” according to program annotator Paul Schiavo. Toru Takemitsu’s Requiem for String Orchestra is certainly intended to evoke somber reflection. The Omaha choral group Résonance unites with members of the Omaha Symphony. Ernest Richardson conducts. One needn’t be in a cathedral or even believe in a specific religion to grasp the beauty and drama of what such music does. Witness for yourself.

— Gordon Spencer

Through April 23F+W15 UNION FELLOWS GROUP SHOWThe Union for Contemporary Art, 2520 North 24th StreetGallery hours: Wed. 4-7:00 p.m., Sat. 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.www.u-ca.org

The Union for Contemporary Art strives to provide art-ists with an opportunity to share their work and the tools they need to develop professionally in the arts community. Each artist receives professional photo-graphs of their work for their portfolio, a one-on-one critique with an art professional, and assistance with developing an artist statement. The current exhibition is artwork created by the Union’s Fall+Winter 2015 Social Practice Fellows. The artists featured in this exhibit are Joe Addison, Camille Hawbaker, Jave Yoshimoto, Sarah Jones, and Dan Crane. Addison’s work has been includ-ed in over 30 national group exhibitions and his solo exhibition list is quite lengthy as well. Hawbaker is an emerging artist working in print and fiber media where she blends the techniques to simultaneously create and destroy her work. Yoshimoto is a first generation Asian-American artist and believes in creating works that are socially conscious and authentic to the self. Jones is an interdisciplinary artist, originally from Indiana, working with a variety of materials. Crane was born and raised in Omaha. Visit the Union’s website to find more infor-mation on each artist with direct links to their artwork. Please note the gallery has a new location, listed above.

— Mara Wilson

Through April 23 KWAIDANUNO’s Weber Fine Arts Building, 6001 Dodge StreetOpens Tuesday, Apr. 12Wed.-Sat. 7:00 and 9:00 p.m., $6-$16 www.unomaha.edu

As you wander through alien spaces, you may wonder where you’ll be taken. Be aware that within one frag-ment of an evening you will find yourself witnessing what seem like bizarre events. Kimono-clad guides guide you. Look over your shoulder. Slowly. You don’t want to shatter the spirit, shake the spirit. Surrounding you, mir-rors gleam, candles glow, chimes shimmer, voices sing.

Wanting to tell you something. You may have to decide what that is. But this is not Halloween, even if the terri-tory seems haunted. You are at Kwaidan-Japanese Ghosts and Demons, immersive theatre at UNO. Folk tales and legends personified. They speak to a world of spirit from a world of spirit. Embracing traditions. One hour may not seem long. But, with small, incremental elements, centuries may seem to have passed before your eyes and ears to take hold of where you live. Advisory: It is recom-mended that you not bring personal items such as jack-ets or purses. However, they can be stored outside the pathway into what awaits.

— Gordon Spencer

Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 2415TH ANNUAL SPRING OPEN HOUSEHot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas StreetSat. 12:00-8:00 p.m., Sun. 12:00-5:00 p.m.www.hotshopsartcenter.com

Hot Shops Art Center, home to over 80 artists and ar-tisans, invite you to their 15th Annual Spring Open House. This is one hot art event you will want to spring into. The artists are spread out over 54 studios and they will be displaying their newest work along with demon-strating how they do it. This is a family friendly event with hors d’oeuvres and beverages available to guests in the individual studios. You can expect artwork in the form of drawings, paintings, photography and digital imagery to sculptures, installations, pottery, glass art,

VIA THEKANEKO.ORG - FAMILY YOGA WORKSHOP

picks | THE READER | APRIL 2016 17

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ERNEST RICHARDSON VIA OMAHASYMPHONY.ORG

weaving, custom furniture, and clay, iron, brass, and aluminum cast architectural pieces. Beyond the painting, sculpture and photography demonstrations in the studios, you will see bronze pour-ing, clay work and raku firings, iron forging, and glass blowing taking place in the south side of the building. The artists will be on hand for the various shows on dis-play during the month of May.

— Mara Wilson

Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30KARRIN ALLYSONUNO Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall, 6001 Dodge Street 7:30 p.m., $4-$5 www.karrin.com

World- famed jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson swings into town. The UNO alum accords with chords echoing on the same campus where she once lifted her voice before soaring off into stardom. The focus of her performance spins off from her 2015 best-selling Grammy-nominated CD “Many a New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein.” Given she now has 16 CDs in circulation, no surprise other Grammy nominations named her. The UNO Jazz Ensemble and the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra share the spotlight in R & H songs. Allyson and the Ensemble merged before in 2011. It makes sense

she and the other musicians unite now. They are part of an ongoing 10-year anniversary celebration

of the birth of UNO’s College of Fine Arts and Music “The nice thing about singing

jazz,” Allyson remarked, “is you can keep doing it the rest of your life,

and you can hope that it only gets better.”

— Gordon Spencer

Through April COOL ABSTRACTION #3Modern Arts Midtown, 3615 Dodge Street

Opening Reception: Friday, Apr. 1, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat. 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

www.modernartsmidtown.com

Sculptor Les Bruning will present two 8’ stain-less steel pieces constructed on the basis of a series of carefully wrought 16”-18” maquettes, much as Fletcher Benton’s approach of presenting small beautifully made metal sculptures to suggest the larger possibility. There’s a simple elegance to Bruning’s new work that will fit well with the modernist aesthetic of today’s world. Sculp-tor Stuart Wheat will offer painted wood assemblages somewhat reminiscent of Frank Stella’s in popping color to please the Midwest eye. Lincoln’s Marjorie Mikasen’s super-clean hardedge geometrics will offer an approach based on symbols from math and science which clearly have crossed over into visually pleasing shape and color combinations. Also included in the April show are Gary Day, who recently moved to Florida after many years teaching for UNO, past UNO instructor and abstract painter Peter Hill, Lincoln’s Barb McCuen, now in her 60’s but new to the art scene with work that focuses on mid-century Architects Walter Gropius and Phillip John-son, and sculptor Chris Cassimatis.

— Eddith Buis

Through May 8ONCE UPON A TIME: TWISTED FAIRY TALESRNG Gallery, 157 West Broadway, Council Bluffs, IAOpening Reception: Saturday, April 9, 6:00-9:00 p.m.www.dixiequicks.com

Cinderella, Maleficent, Snow White, the Evil Queen, Ra-punzel, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, the Seven Dwarves, Rum-pelstiltskin and many, many more beautiful, mysterious and wicked characters have filled stories of our lives passed on in various forms. “Once Upon a Time: Twisted Fairy Tales features a new roster comprised entirely of female artists. The fairy-tale inspired group exhibition will provide a platform for female artists to explore the age-old tradition of fairy tales. What if Sleeping Beauty was never awoken from her deep slumber? What if the Beast did not fall in love with Belle and have a change of heart? What if Cruella de Vil managed to steal a few of the little Dalmatian puppies? As most of you are aware, the original fairy tales did not have the neatly tied bow ending, as the Disney versions demonstrate. Such as the original stories were written, these artists will create thought provoking works that question the values of the happily ever after and the archetypal heroine we knew from our youth. Do not attend this art show expecting

to see the beautiful Snow White with her Prince standing by her side or Cinderella in her magnificent dress smiling because she was rescued from her nightmarish life. This show is gritty, it’s dirty, and most of all, it’s twisted.

— Mara Wilson

Through May 27SKERONEPetshop, 2725 North 62nd StreetOpening Reception: Benson First Friday, Apr. 1, 7:00-10:00 p.m.Gallery Hours: By appointment, [email protected]

Most street artists catch the bug for creating when they are influenced by something that opens their eyes. Ben-son fixture Alex Roskelley is no exception. “Skerone” fea-tures the spray paintings of this Utah native who felt an urban calling when introduced to hip-hop and graffiti by an east-coaster as a teenager in Salt Lake City. While his career started out ‘less-than-legal,’ decorating overpasses and trains, the now-owner of four businesses (Jake’s Lincoln & Omaha, Beercade, & St Andrew’s) is com-missioned for public projects, documented in national publications and provides callings to youth at the Kent Bellows program. Another new influence prompted Ro-skelley’s upcoming solo exhibit at Petshop. A recent trip to Thailand & Cambodia set a tone inspired by the his-tory, symbolism and spirituality of Southeast Asia as re-flected by its vibrant colors and rich lifestyle and culture. The spirit that Roskelley gives to the murals that embody the neighborhoods they live shows in the work inspired by his travels.

— Melinda Kozel

Through June 5 CURRENTSSunderland Gallery, 3900 Webster Street. Opening Reception: Sunday, Apr. 24, 1:00-3:00 p.m.Gallery Hours: Tues.-Fri.11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Sat. 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., and every 3rd Sun.11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. www.cathedralartsproject.org

The Cathedral Arts Project is launching Currents, an exhibition by EDGE, an international contemporary fi-ber arts group. The show in CAP’s Sunderland Gallery will run the gamut of fiber-design approaches using watercolor, screen print, quilting, and both hand and machine- stitched constructions. Eleven artists will show 17 works with a promise to display a strong personal

vision ranging from Omahan Karen Stiehl Osborn’s “A Sense of Loss” to themes of cherishing our environ-ment and working through our worries about its future. “Smoke & Ashes,” is a 36”x36” marvel of craftsmanship which began life as digitally derived photos, then printed on silk, layered, fused, painted and stitched. This is the third fiber arts presentation of EDGE at Cathedral Arts Project. Along with Kaneko’s huge fiber show launched in February 2015, and the upcoming Sheila Hicks fiber installation in June at Joslyn Art Museum, it is clear that this art medium has much to offer today’s viewers in the Metro. Currents is juried by Gina Adams from the Visual Arts faculty at Naropa University at Boulder, Colorado and curated by Sharon Bass of Lawrence, Kansas.

— Eddith Buis

Through June 12TERRA FIRMA: A SELECTION OF NEBRAS-KA LANDSCAPES FROM THE MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART Gallery 1516, 1516 Leavenworth Street Gallery Hours: Fri.-Sun. 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., First Fridays 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.www.gallery1516.org

When Gallery 1516 opened last fall, it promised to be a showplace for the work of Nebraska artists past and present. Its opening salvo, a tribute to the late Kent Bel-lows and friends, provided a solid cornerstone on which to build its future. That foundation is even firmer now with the debut of Terra Firma: A Selection of Nebraska Landscapes from the Museum of Nebraska Art, which is the gallery’s first official, large-scale cross-institutional col-laboration dubbed MONA2Omaha. The exhibition, or-ganized by MONA’s curator Russ Erpelding, spans more than a century of landscapes in various media by artists who either made Nebraska their home or the subject of significant work. It provides an overview of the impres-sions that the state’s big skies and rolling fields have

made on those captivated by its subtle beauty. Recogniz-able historical names include Albert Bierstadt, Augustus Dunbier and more. Among contemporary artists, work is included by Dan Howard, Keith Jacobshagen, Michael James, Deborah Murphy and John Spence, to name a few. One of the biggest surprises in the show is a trio of large ghostly Great Plains abstractions by Jessie Nebras-ka Gifford, whose work is seldom seen in the area.

— Janet L. Farber

KARRIN ALLYSON

“SMOKE & ASHES” BY COLORADO ARTIST CHARLOTTE ZIEBARTH

18 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | picks

SAM DANGER WHITE: CRUELLA DE VIL


ty program (now part of AmeriCorps) here in the early 1970s. Richardson, a fellow VISTA worker in Omaha, says he “came of age politically and socially,” much as Carter did, during all the fervor of civil rights and anti-war counterculture. Ironi-cally, they did things like free food programs in the black community closely resembling what the Panthers did; only as whites they largely escaped the harassment and suspicion of their grassroots black counterparts.

Earl Sandy Carter edited a newsletter, Down on the Ground, to which we Langa and Poindex-ter contributed. Richardson knew we Langa from Omaha City Council meetings they attended. With their shared liberal leanings, Richardson and Cart-er teamed to cover the trial as citizen journalists, co-writing a piece published in the Omaha Star.

Elena Carter grew up unaware of the case. Then her father mentioned it as possible subject matter for her to explore. Intrigued to retrace his activism amid tragic events he reported on, she took the bait.

“The more I read about it the more I wanted to look into this very complicated, fascinating case,” she says. “Everything I read kept reinforcing they were innocent – that this was a clear wrongful conviction. Until now, my writing has been personal – poetry and memoir. This was my first journalistic piece. This was different for me in terms of the responsibility I felt to get everything right and do the story justice.”

That sense of responsibility increased upon meet-ing we Langa and Poindexter on separate prison visits. They were no longer abstractions, symbols or martyrs but real people grown old behind bars.

“It was a lot more pressure than I usually feel while writing, but also a really great privilege for them to trust me to write about them,” she says.

She visited we Langa three times, the last two in the prison infirmary, where he was treated for ad-vanced respiratory disease. Though confined to a wheelchair and laboring to breathe, she found him “eccentric, super smart, optimistic, exuberant and still in high spirits – singing, reciting poems,” adding, “He wasn’t in denial he was dying, yet he seemed really determined to live.”

She says, “He was on my mind for a year and a half – it did become highly personal.” She found both men “even-keeled but certainly angry at the situation they found themselves in.” She adds, “Mondo said he didn’t have any anger toward Duane Peak. He saw him as a really vulnerable kid scared for his family. But he did express anger toward the system.”

Richardson, who applied for Conscientious Ob-jector status during the Vietnam War, never forgot the case. Ten years ago he began reexamining it. Hundreds of articles have followed.

“The more I learned, the more I doubted the of-ficial version of the case,” he says. “I reached the conclusion the men were innocent after about a year of my research. It was the testimony of foren-sic audiologist Tom Owen that Duane Peak did not make the 911 call (that drew Officer Minard to a vacant house where the bomb detonated) that made me understand there had been false testimony at the trial. My belief in their innocence

TWOTOONEWhen Mondo we Langa died at age

68 in the Nebraska State Penitentiary last month, he’d served 45 years for a crime he always maintained he did

not commit. The former David Rice, a poet and art-ist, was found guilty, along with fellow Black Panther Ed Poindexter, in the 1970 suitcase bomb murder of Omaha police officer Larry Minard. With his re-puted accomplice now gone, Poindexter remains in prison, still asserting his own innocence.

Poindexter and we Langa have been portrayed by sympathetic attorneys, social justice watchdogs and journalists as wrongfully convicted victims framed by overzealous officials. The argument goes the two were found guilty by a nearly all-white jury and a stacked criminal justice system for their militant black nationalist affiliations and inflamma-tory words rather than hard evidence against them. Supporters call them the Omaha Two in reference to a supposed population of American political pris-oners incarcerated for their beliefs.

The crucial witness against the pair, Duane Peak, is the linchpin in the case. His testimony implicated

them despite his contradictory statements. we Landa and Poindexter dispute his assertions. Today, Peak lives under an assumed name in a different state.

Two writers with Omaha ties who’ve trained a sharp eye on the case are Elena Carter and Michael Richardson. Carter, an Iowa University creative writing graduate student, spent months research-ing and writing her in-depth February article for BuzzFeed. She laid out the convoluted evidentiary trail that went cold decades ago, though subse-quent discoveries cast doubt on the official record of events. Just not enough to compel a judge to order a new trial.

Richardson has written extensively on the case since 2007 for various online sites, including Exam-iner.com. He lives in Belize, Central America.

Both writers have immersed themselves in trial transcripts and related materials. They visited we Langa and Poindexter in prison. Their research has taken them to various witnesses, experts and ad-vocates.

For Carter, it’s a legacy project. Her father, Earl Sandy Carter, was with the VISTA federal anti-pover-

Crime and punishment questions still surround 1970 killing that sent Omaha Two to life in prisonB Y L E O A D A M B I G A

continued on page 22y

20 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | culture

culture

trailblazer: Omaha’s most infamous cop killing happened in 1970 when Larry Minard died from a homemade bomb that exploded while responding to a phony 911 call. Black Panthers David Rice and Edward Poindexter were found guilty by a nearly all white jury. Rice maintained innocence until death. Poindexter’s never wavered about his own innocence. Supporters point to dis-crepancies in testimony and evidence used to convict the men.

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has only grown over the years as I learned more about the case.

“Also, my visits and correspondence with both men helped shape my beliefs. Mondo was unflinching with his candor and I came to have a profound respect for his personal in-tegrity. Their stories have never changed. Their denials seem very genuine to me. The deceit of the police agencies has slowly been revealed with disclosures over the years, although much remains hidden or destroyed.”

There are as many conspiracy theories about the case as folks making it a cause. Everyone has a scapegoat and boogeyman. Richardson and Carter don’t agree on everything but they do agree the men did not receive a fair trial due to mishandled, concealed, even planted evidence. They point to inconsistent testimony from key witnesses. They see patterns of sys-temic, targeted prejudice against the Panthers that created an environment for police and prosecutorial misconduct.

The murder of a white cop who was a hus-band and father and the conviction of two black men who used militant language reso-nates with recent incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.

Considerable legal and social justice re-sources have been brought to bear on the case in an effort to have it reopened and retried.

As Elena Carter wrote, “we Langa and Poin-dexter’s case has penetrated every level of the criminal justice system, from local officials to former governors to the FBI to the Supreme Court.” Yet, we Langa languished in prison and died there.

Carter reported we Langa’s best chance for a new trial came in 1974, “when he filed an appeal in federal district court, arguing the dy-namite and blasting caps recovered from his home during a police search for Duane Peak should never have been received in evidence” because the officers who entered his home “had no probable cause Duane was there.” Contravening and contradictory court rulings affecting that decision have apparently had a chilling effect on any judge taking the case on.

She and Richardson surmise no judicial offi-cial in this conservative state wants to overturn or commute a convicted cop killer’s sentence.

“Sadly, when you talk to people about a dead policeman and Black Panthers, the con-

versation sort of stops,” Richardson says.“I don’t think enough people know about this

case,” says Carter. “Why this case hasn’t been taken as seriously as it should perplexes and frustrates me.”

She and Richardson believe the fact the Oma-ha Panthers were not prominent in the party nationally has kept their case low profile. The Washington Post did report on it decades ago and Carter says, “I feel like that’s the only time a serious national publication had put it out there they could be innocent.” Until her story.

A documentary examined the case. Noted attorney Lennox Hinds has been involved in the defense effort.

Locally, Ben Gray made the case a frequent topic on KETV’s Kaleidoscope. Other local champions have included State Sen. Ernie Chambers. Then-Gov. Bob Kerrey was pre-pared to pardon we Langa, but the prisoner refused on the grounds it would be an admis-sion of guilt. Nebraskans for Peace and others keep the case before officials.

“I would say the Omaha Two case shows the critical need for the news media to monitor the police and courts,” says Richardson.

No major exoneration projects or attorneys have adopted the case,

“I’m not entirely sure why that is after all these years,” Carter says. “I don’t know what their re-luctance would be looking into this case more.”

Most observers speculate nothing will change unless or until someone comes forward with dramatic new evidence.

Carter hopes “something more could be done for Ed (Poindexter) at this point.” Barring action by the Nebraska Board of Pardons or Gov. Pete Ricketts, the 71-year-old inmate likely faces the same fate as his late friend given the history of denied appeals attending the case.

“Mondo told me he was paying a debt he did not owe,” Richardson says. “Poindexter deserves a fresh look at his case. I believe in their innocence. They were guilty of rhetoric, not murder.”

View Carter’s story at www.buzzfeed.com/e6carter/the-omaha-two# and Richardson’s sto-ries at www.examiner.com/topic/omaha-two-1. ,

Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.

y continued from page 20


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For decades they called him “The Iron Guru.” For a few cherished years in the 1980s, I simply called him “Vince.” A new book by Karl Coyne, appropriately titled Vince’s Secret Locker, is the most ambi-tious and thorough compilation of what made the late Vince Gironda

one of, if not the most influential and significant bodybuilding experts in histo-ry. Gironda trained thousands in his Studio City, Calif. gym across six decades, but millions of followers could never experience the inner workings of Vince’s genius — until now. Coyne’s book takes the reader inside that small gym on Ventura Boulevard and taps into the training secrets, nutritional wisdom, phi-losophy and charisma that made Vince’s Gym a bodybuilding mecca. Make no mistake, however. While this epic 425-page Volume One details the secrets that forged world-class bodybuilders, Vince’s knowledge of nutrition, physiol-ogy and lifestyle compiled in this book will be an asset to the average person who simply wants natural, time-tested and innovative ways to reach maximum physical and mental potential, even if bodybuilding is the furthest thing from their mind.

Through careful documentation of Vince’s own newsletters and writing, plus interviews with scores of bodybuilding icons trained by Vince, (as well as some of the just plain regular folks who made it to Vince’s,) Coyne successfully trans-ports the reader to the gym floor of the windowless, intensely focused, legend-ary Vince’s Gym and into the magical mind of Vince himself. It’s a journey to a steroid-free mentality when titans carved muscles of steel using only the “magic wands” of iron and free weights. Vince not only changed bodies. He changed minds.

“No pool. No chrome. No music. Just iron.” That was the (accurate) slogan printed on plain gray T-shirts at Vince’s. I discovered Vince’s in the 1980s when the specter of Spandex, aerobics and Olivia Newton-John’s booty anthem, “Let’s Get Physical”, was driving the masses to flashy, beat-pounding, air-conditioned, meat-market mega-gyms. After nearly a decade of working only on my studio tan in the recording industry, (yes, Frank Zappa “borrowed” that for a title,) I felt it was time to get in shape.

Places like “24-Hour Fitness” and “LA Workout” were opening at a crazy pace, taking ridiculous sign-up fees, then failing in a couple months leaving members out hundreds. I wanted a gym that had been around for a while. I opened the yellow pages and boy, did I find it. I called Vince’s.

“Vince’s,” said the laconic, slightly bored voice at the other end of the line. I started asking questions. How much is it? (“We have a special.”) Do you offer training? (“First week included. Miss a day, tough luck.”) How long has the gym been open? (“Forty years.”)

After the fourth or fifth question the line went silent. “Hello? Hell-o-o-o?” Nothing. I called back. No answer. I called again, figuring I must have mis-dialed. “What do you want now?” was the answer. “Uh, are you open right now?” I asked. “I’m talking to ya, aren’t I?” the voice said. “You wanna join, come in.” Click. I was sold.

Vince’s is a state of mind. Coyne’s book won’t physically take you to that world of worn red carpet, leather-padded benches, pinewood paneled walls with mirrors, mirrors, mirrors. You won’t be able to touch the rows of hot iron dumbbells lining the east wall or the arsenal of chrome barbells on the south wall. You won’t see the scores of pictures of greats who have passed through the gym seeking Vince’s tutelage nor stand in the light washing down from the single large skylight nor will you hear the quiet, deep grunts and breaths of other gym members. But your mind will “get it.” Go deep enough into Coyne’s compilation and you’ll get there.

I wasn’t what Vince called a “physically genetic superior.” That was a term relegated to the giants who came through the door, — the likes of Arnold, Steve Reeves, Lou Ferrigno, Mohamed Makkawy, Larry Scott, Frank Zane — Mr. Universes and bodybuilding legends. But Vince and I struck a friend-ship. I was religious about going to the gym early each morning. And one

day Vince told me to go to a (pre-Starbucks) coffee place on Magnolia Blvd. to get him a latte. “Told,” not “asked.” He didn’t even offer coffee money. But what I got in return was priceless.

The Genius of Gironda. Vince forgot more than most geniuses ever knew about physiology, nutrition, energy, muscle-building and mental imaging. Ex-ample: There we were in the anti-egg ‘80s and Vince was telling students to eat dozens of fertile eggs a week in a smoothie with raw cream. “The yolk has balanced lecithin to metabolize the cholesterol in the egg.” It would be decades before modern science pardoned the egg and removed it from the “banished” list. Vince lec-tured me on kundalini and the importance of en-ergy flow. Every word was a gem. And now much of it is in available to those who missed it.

Coyne astutely lets Vince’s words themselves grace the pages. Readers are enlightened less by the musings of Vince’s former students and more by the mind of the Master himself. For those of us who knew Vince, Coyne’s book is an affirma-tion. For those who never had the opportunity, it’s a godsend. Hidden in plain sight are the newsletters, dialogs, descriptions, allusions, rev-elations, programs, methodology of the intuitive master who coached and trained the biggest stars in the field of bodybuilding and the greatest successes in Hollywood. Ferrigno to Clint Eastwood, Kay Baxter to Cher, Mr. T to Denzel, Gary Busey to Johnny Carson to David Lee Roth, Arnold to Tommy Chong. They all came through Vince’s and they all got the wisdom of the Iron Guru. Now you can, too. Even if all you want to do is be healthy, it’s the book for you.

Be well. ,

heartland healing | THE READER | APRIL 2016 23

castingtheironguru The Genius of GirondaB Y M I C H A E L B R A U N S T E I N

HEARTLAND HEALING is

a metaphysically-based polemic

describing alternatives to con-

ventional methods of healing

the body, mind and planet by

MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN.

It is provided as information and

entertainment, certainly not medi-

cal advice. Important to remem-

ber and pass on to others: for a

weekly dose of Heartland Healing,

visit HeartlandHealing.com.

.

heartla

ndhealing

24 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | earth day

earth day | THE READER | APRIL 2016 25

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Mixing art with science to help pre-serve one of our five basic elements may strike some as a bit odd.

Yet that is exactly the solution of-fered in Kaneko’s current, extensive exhibition, aptly titled Water. The exhibit doesn’t pretend to be a fix to what constitutes a global problem. Instead, in its own words, Water “examines the creative so-lutions artists, scientists and nonprofits develop to solve issues of water quality and quantity.”

By combining scientific data with fine art, Wa-ter asks the viewer “to consider their own rela-tionship with water--how water impacts our com-munity, health and perspectives.”

A timely request considering recent headlines regarding lead and other contamination found not only in Flint, Michigan’s drinking water but in nearly 2000 other American communities according to the last EPA findings. And if that isn’t personal enough, we are reminded that we are composed of 60% water. We truly are what we drink.

But what does art have to do with it? Kaneko has enjoyed a short history of approaching socio-political issues holistically by curating exhibitions and events in an “open space for your mind.”

An “open” mind one might add; open, that is, to the concept that art can advocate for social

changes for the better in ways that science alone may not.

Because scientific installations in Water speak eloquently and convincingly about pollution and sustainability on a global scale, our purpose here is to note how and what the exhibit’s major artists and their work add to the conversation conceptu-ally and visually.

Those artists include Susan Shutan, Susan Knight, Ran Hwang, Matt Dehaemer, Ying Zhu, Larry Sosso and Iggy Sumnik, who all created art and installations specifically for Water.

Kaneko’s ‘Water’ exhibit mixes art and science well on behalf of most basic elementUniversalSolvent

S T O R Y B Y M I C H A E L J K R A I N A K

P H O T O S B Y D E B R A S K A P L A N


art | THE READER | APRIL 2016 31

Art

tidetime: “Untitled” photo from “Acquaviva” series by artist Pierre Carreau.

Mind you, there are other artistic contributions here, specifically: Pierre Carreau’s four painterly photographs, “Aquaviva,” whose majestic beauty run counter to the reality of rising ides and climate change; five untitled images from National Geo-graphic photographer Joel Sartore, who documents nature’s seasons, flora and fauna on location but without augmentation.

Equally impressive is the collaboration of poetic and visual imagery titled “Water’s Edge: Open to Interpretation,” each a combine of photo and ac-companying poem taken from a juried exhibit and book competition organized by Clare O’Neill, proj-ect curator. Though several samplings are uplifting expressions of water’s power to move the human spirit, it can be argued that this “people’s choice” is the most down-to-earth work in the exhibit.

Of course the most elemental installations in this exhibit are the many scientific displays devoted to water pollution and sustainability from the likes of Healthy Rivers Partnership, Omaha’s Stormwa-ter Program, the Missouri River Research Station, UNMC College of Public Health and UNO’s Aquatic Toxicology Lab, all of which work to improve water quality in the Nebraska watershed and in our own backyards. Not to forget the efforts of the Planet Water Foundation which aids over one billion peo-ple worldwide who do not have access to clean, safe water.

If viewers give this many-layered exhibition the time it deserves, they are likely to leave as better citizen-scientists. The science and evidence is that convincing. Yet without the art to whet the appetite, it

could be argued that the exhibition would soon run a tad dry. At first glance, the artworks seem only to point to the water’s inherent aesthetic, but the art-ists’ collective vision here brings more to the table than enticement or embellishment.

“Using engagement in art is a powerful tool, es-pecially when playful or visually mesmerizing,” said Shutan, a Connecticut-based artist who has col-laborated with Knight on other artistic water-themed projects. “For myself…(it’s) to take the dogma of government, state and township data…and try to make sense of it through visually demonstrating the concepts laid out.”

Shutan’s focus in the past has been toxic waste and runoff in drinking water as well as environmen-tal disasters such as global oil spills. Her two ma-jor installations in Water combine the real and the imaginative in ways that are paradoxically troubling and engaging.

There are lessons in her work but they are nei-ther sugar-coated nor didactic. Her art strikes a nice balance of creativity and science. They are “think” pieces, even guilty pleasures.

For instance, in the main bowtruss gallery—now at the end of the long hallway as you enter from the west side near the library—her installation “Flow” dominates the space with its ironic title and contra-diction of life and beauty, relieved in part by the several science projects sharing the space. This is where the viewer should begin, but until Kaneko’s atrium is finished, one will be distracted by several more traditionally attractive pieces. “Flow” sets the appropriate tone for Water.

“Flow,” an undulating web of black tar roofing paper, some 40 or so feet long, is a visually strik-ing shout-out about the toxicity of our environment, particularly the impact of oil spills. There is a great deal of push/pull in this exhibit, none more so than here, as what is “flowing” are the very colorful pol-lutants Shutan has embedded into the porous, lava-like webbing.

The installation is black and menacing in its por-tent but alluring as well with its neon, phosphores-cent palette glowing within not unlike that seen in an oily pool bubbling up crude. This isn’t water flowing. Shutan has our attention but are we heeding her warning?

Back in the hallway, we pass under Larry Sosso’s clever “flying fish,” whose title, “Yellow Perch,” doesn’t do it justice, as it wisely swims above the fray. Next is Sumnik’s engaging aquarium of playful pisces who set the stage for the next stunning instal-lation on the right by Knight whose tone and vision may run counter to fellow collaborator Shutan, but nonetheless shares her environmental concerns.

“As my knowledge about water and water issues expands,” Knight said, “so does my excitement to visually express it. It actually becomes an artistic method akin to a scientific discovery process in that I collect data, deconstruct it, interpret it, and experi-ment with how to put it together in interesting ways.”

Emphasis on “interesting,” though even that is an understatement in describing her two installations, the delightful “Water Bank Boogie” and the more ethereal “Hidden Magic” across the hall in a larger gallery space. Visually stunning, the former’s rain-bow pattern is in sharp contrast to the latter’s mono-chromatic white, yet each a product of Knight’s sig-nature delicate hand and youthful imagination.

“Water Bank Boogie” does indeed move to the rhythm of Kaneko’s air currents, as if undersea, even as it descends under its own weight. The site-specific installation’s various expanding objects suggest ob-vious comparisons to bells, jellyfish, coral and sea anemone. Some may even see references to Chi-huly glass sculpture, but there is more substance in Knight’s aesthetic, underplayed as it may be.

The primary pastels of “Water Bank Boogie” are color-coded to represent clay, gravel, sand and silt that provide a network watershed to prevent runoff pollution. The work reminds us that we all live in harmony in a fragile water environment even when not fully immersed. The skeletal shadows on wall, ceiling and floor are less than subtle reminders of devastating pollution runoff as in our diminished coral reefs.

Across the hall, Knight’s “Hidden Magic” of Tyvek and Mylar paper is her “hanging garden” designed to hold rainwater runoff from roofs, pavement and other hard surfaces until it seeps back into the ground to the consternation of mosquitoes and oth-er pests—all planted with a deep root system that aids natural filtration.

White porous pods of many surfaces, like so many sponges, float before a waterfall of roots that reflect and absorb light as if it were water. The uniform icy-white color of “Hidden Magic” reinforces the gar-den’s purification process as a gentle rain seems to

32 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | art


Art

coolcolor: “Water Bank Boogie,” a multi-colored Tyvek 3D wall and ceiling installation by Susan Knight.


fall and percolate to the ground. Knight’s work has always had a transformative nature and once again she works her magic here.

On the south wall of this gallery is Shutan’s variation on a topo map of Nebraska that keys on the state’s groundwater structure and wells. In its own way this map with its prosaic title of “Nebraska Groundwa-ter Wells” is just as beautifully foreboding as Shutan’s “Flow,” as it highlights the number of polluted wells with scary hot color pompoms that easily outnumber wells marked in cooler, natural colors. The map is a rather sublime left and right brain paradox of how we destroy the very thing we rely on for growth and sustenance.

Less effective in this gallery, at least visually, is Ying Zhu’s “Passing Through the Iridescent Sea of Pearls.”

A corner installation composed of a compartmen-talized fish tank and fish, as well as other colorful particles symbolizing the scientific principle “parts per billion.” In this display, the work supports the ex-hibit’s dichotomy of water pollution and sustainability as well as the artist’s familiar themes of mutability and sublimity. But her now signature motifs of mir-rors as “pearls” of incandescent crystal embedded on tank and wall behind are a bit too ephemeral for the work’s serious nature.

Easily the most “art for arts sake” installation here, as well as the least pretentious, is the exhilarating video and sculpture of Korean Ran Hwang titled “Garden of Water.” Ran has assembled three over-


morecolor: Another vew of “Water Bank Boogie,” a multi-colored Tyvek 3D wall and ceiling installation by Susan Knight.

arttrick: “Hidden Magic,” a Tyvek and Mylar paper sculptural wall installation by Susan Knight

lapping chandeliers of crystal beads in the form of a spider web through which a gradual, then sudden, video downpour is displayed. Quite breathtaking and less cerebral than other works in this gallery, nonetheless “Garden of Water’s” network of grace, light and symmetry reinforces water’s ability to quench both body and soul.

Conversely, Kansas City artist Matt Dehae-mer’s most cerebral and inventive installa-tion, “RE: LAPSE,” is center stage at Kaneko on the second floor. Composed of corn stalks, meal, Japanese rice paper and several mov-ing parts, this kinetic wonder is so convincing that it nearly passes as a possible combination harvester/central pivot irrigation system.

“RE: LAPSE” moves around a giant pulsating blue water drop at about one revolution per

minute. On the one hand this “bit of machinery” references the interdependence of nature, man, industry and grain to feed a global population in a cycle of preparing, planting, cultivating and harvesting the land. It also points out that if you take water out of the equation, nothing else is left.

“What fascinates me about water,” Dehaemer said, “is that is literally everything that makes up the world around us. Because of that, you would think it is always something we find significant and at the center of our thinking. But…I feel like the public has historically taken it for granted. As an artist, I have the opportunity to highlight and make more palpable the realities of our water world.”

One of the many “realities” Shutan said she learned in Water was that though Nebraska

was 99.2% dependent on ground water for drinking water, “there is strong indication of nitrates and Atrizine in many of its wells and rivers which will have long term effects on the health and well-being of state residents.”

Science can discover and teach this to a public, that is, one open to the facts of ag-ricultural pollution, as well as fracking, but art, as seen in this exhibition, has a way of its own to help clarify priorities. Oil and wa-ter do not mix well, but art and science can when it comes to creative solutions in sustain-ing what constitutes nearly two thirds of our make-up. ,

Water continues to flow until April 23 at Kaneko, 1111 Jones St. For details go to thekaneko.org.

34 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | art

y continued from page 33mapmethod: Detail of artist Suzan Shutan’s topographical map of Nebraska, “NGW Wells,’ made of pom pom, steel wire and printer’s tape.


lightwater: Garden of Water,” a mix media sculpture and video installation by Ran Hwang


ed, “It really doesn’t matter why, it just matters what you do with what they’ve given you,” add-ing, “It didn’t take me long to find out I had found my calling. i knew the questions to ask. I wasn’t afraid of hard work.”

To her surprise and delight, male peers schooled and shielded her.

“They taught me in the most kind, compassion-ate, relevant way. Those guys saved me and the rest of the newsroom saved me. When I heard potshots from people it would be from athletes and fans, never from my colleagues, and that meant everything to me. I got nothing but support and it was genuine.”

That support extended to her family. From her pre-Title IX childhood on, they championed Schatz’s love of sports.

“It didn’t occur to me girls weren’t supposed to play sports because that’s not how I grew up. In the neighborhood I played with boys all the time and it was no big deal. My brothers taught me how to bat, throw, shoot, run. My dad, my broth-ers and I read the sports section of the Omaha World-Herald every night. My dad would wake me up in the morning and let me know how my beloved Boston Celtics did the night before. I learned how to read box scores. It never oc-curred to me this was an odd, difficult activity for a young girl to love and pursue.

“What a gift. What a testament, especially to my father and mother who never once caused me to question it. All they did was encourage.”

Not everybody was so inclusive. In Omaha she endured vitriol from some viewers and fans.

“People would tell me, ‘You suck, we hate you. you’re the worst, we never watch you.’ Some of the stuff that came out of the stands, especially at high school games, was just brutal.

“Some of the athletes would test me. I would remind myself, Hey, you chose this, you knew ex-actly what to expect, so either figure out a way to deal with it or walk away.”

As bad as it got here, she says. “Portland was tougher initially because I was the girl from the cowtown with the hick accent. It was very much, ‘Are you kidding me – who the hell is she?’”

Worse yet, she was far from her family’s em-brace.

“I knew not a soul in Portland You can only call home so often. Not having any support person-ally was really difficult. That made the comments, the letters, the phone calls sting much more. I just didn’t have that ability to vent and let off steam.”

Her saving grace was an empathetic workplace at KOIN-TV.

“Had I had any kind of push-back in that news-room in Portland I’m not sure I would have last-ed. Their support meant everything to me. It was critical I did not bail out on a tough situation. I’m glad I stuck with it. And, hey, look, I’m still here 27 years later.”

Portland’s also an LGBT-friendly place that, she says is “not counterproductive to my head and heart,” adding that being gay is not something “I lead with, but if it comes up – and it took a long time – I am absolutely comfortable.”

hertermsOmaha native Ann Schatz swears she

never meant to be a pioneer. She became one as her hometown’s first female sportscaster in the late 1970s,

repeating the feat in Portland, Oregon in 1989. From that Pacific Northwest base she’s traveled to cover the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, where she broke the Tonya Harding story, and the 2000 Sydney, Australia Summer Games. She’s covered everything from the NBA finals to the Boston Marathon to the U.S. Women’s Open Golf Championship.

These days, she does play-by-play of women’s college sports for the Pac-12 Network, sometimes gigging for Westwood One.

Schatz is back in Omaha as keynote speaker for the April 29 Toast to Fair Housing Gala at the Live-stock Exchange Building Ballroom.

As a woman sportscaster, she’s confronted gen-der bias. As a lesbian, she once hid her sexual ori-entation for fear of repercussions.

Today, with women sports reporters galore on ESPN and Fox, her story may seem passe. But a

few decades ago, even as recently as 2000, a fe-male covering sports raised eyebrows and ire. Be-ing there first paved the way for others.

Schatz’s late father was a federal district judge in Omaha. She grew up playing sports with her siblings.. She competed in basketball and soft-ball at Creighton University. where she earned a broadcasting and mass communication degree. A WOWT internship introduced her to local television sports legend Dave Webber, the first of many men in the business who encouraged her. Still, she didn’t see herself as a sports journalist until KMTV hired her as a weekend sports reporter despite scant ex-perience. The late Terry Yeager mentored her.

Try as she might, she says, “there were very few women role models” in the field then. None locally. Only former beauty queens Phyllis George and Jayne Kennedy nationally. “There wasn’t anything to aspire to. It’s not like you could point to some-body and say, ‘I want to be like her.’ There weren’t any hers, they were all hims.”

She’s mused whether affirmative action or her family name got her in the door but she’s conclud-

culture | THE READER | APRIL 2016 37

Sportscaster Ann Schatz broke the mold in OmahaB Y L E O A D A M B I G A

continued on page 38y

culture

trailblazer: Women covering sports today is routine but not long ago it was a rarity. Ann Schatz broke the mold as the first female sportscaster in Omaha in the late 1970s. She then became the first in Portland, Oregon. In both cities she dealt with serious push-back that got ugly. Not from male colleagues, who supported her, but from fans-viewers. She’s stuck it out to have a big career as a reporter and play-by-play announcer.

As time went by, she was no longer the lone woman covering sports.

“It was a relief to see another female in those environments in which I was the only one for all those years”

She loves what’s happened at the networks with Erin Andrews and Co.

“God bless that these women are young and blonde and pretty. It’s not just style either, but substance, too. I applaud these women for go-ing in an arena where women are still judged differently.”

She says women are still not immune from double standards she confronted.

“You always had to be better. You were judged much more harshly. Your mistakes were magnified. The smallest things were scrutinized. If a guy got something wrong, like a score, it’d be, ‘Oh, there goes Bob again.’ If I got it wrong, it was, ‘See, I told you – stupid women.’ You always had to be better, more nimble, more prepared.

“As hard as it was, sometimes heartbreak-ing, sometimes where I’d excuse myself be-cause I needed a good cry, that awareness I had to be better helped immensely.”

For all the strides women in sports media have made elsewhere, she notes that after opening the door here and in Portland few have followed her footsteps.

“That makes me sad. I thought there would be more after me. The fact that there isn’t is puzzling.”

She says the playing field will only be level when more women call the shots in media ex-ecutive suites and in sports organization front offices.

Her biggest professional coup was getting Tonya Harding to address the Nancy Ker-rigan imbroglio. KOIN sent Schatz and her cameraman to Lillehammer sans credentials. They were among hundreds of journalists on the outside looking in but found a way to reach Harding when no one else did. “Connie Chung, Dan Rather, 60 Minutes were calling us. We went from the step child to the golden child real quick.”

After years reporting, including sideline work for the Portland Trailblazers, she found her niche doing play-by-play for the Big East, Con-ference USA and the Pac-12 (soccer, hoops softball). She likes the “purity” of women’s col-lege athletics and its lack of “hired guns.”

“There’s nothing like an in-the-moment call when you gotta get it right. You don’t get to take it back and do it again.”

Unlike the mellifluous tones of her sports-caster idols Vin Scully and Keith Jackson, she’s fast-talking, high-energy, high-emotion.”

She feels privileged witnessing-chronicling great moments in athletics.

“The only way we can understand greatness is to watch athletes do their thing at the high-est level. It doesn’t have to be the Super Bowl. Greatness happens at every level if you’re open to it. That’s the beauty of sports.” ,

Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.



313 N. 13TH STREET / LINCOLN, NE

SHOWING IN APRIL

CALL OR CHECK OUR WEBSITEFOR MOVIE TIMES AND PRICES

Each year as spring emerges from win-ter, conversations turn from complaints about the cold to excitement for the tulips and daffodils, summer gardens, and va-

cations. In April we gather for Earth Day celebra-tions and spend a day discussing recycling, tree planting and how to save the Monarch butterflies. One word comes up in nearly every one of these discussions: Sustainability. Energized by the warmth of Spring and our Earth Day buzz, we are ready to change the world. By May our excitement has died down and we are back in the daily grind, all of the ambition for change replaced by the hustle and bustle that is daily life. Outrage turns to com-placency. Anger cools to apathy and we settle back into our comfortable, easy ruts. The greatest chal-lenge we face seems to be breaking habits and go-ing against the grain. Why is it that concern for the environment and transparency from the companies

whose food feeds our families isn’t the norm? How did we get to a place where demanding chemical free berries for our children has become contro-versial?

Taking Time to ExcelSeveral years ago a group of farmers and some ambitious city folk sat down and planned how a multi-farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and year-round indoor farmers market could not only be possible in the Metro area, but could be successful. Today TomĐto Tomäto has grown to be-come the largest multi-farm CSA in the region. The lessons of the past have brought us to the point where even more expansion of the local food shed is possible. Back in those early days, eating local usually meant going to the fast food place with cab-bage stuffed into bread. As interest in eating locally grew, so too did Tomato Tomäto. This year we plan

on a membership of 2000 or more as well as an expansion/conversion of our public indoor market and wholesale business.

Farmers markets are popping up all over the city, grocery stores are stocking local products, and res-taurants are sporting ‘local’ on their menus. Still, accessibility to the best of the harvest is a challenge to most. The busy lifestyles we have become accus-tomed to conflicts with the desire to slow down and enjoy the little things. Sure, it may take more time to find the best sun-ripened heirloom tomato at the market, but the first bite into a fresh, perfectly ripe Brandywine makes up for any extra effort it took to get it on the table. This is really the backbone of the success of our CSA program. We make it easy for consumers to experience those heavenly bites each week during the growing season.

eat | THE READER | APRIL 2016 39

STORY BY MIKE AND KRISI KULT

PHOTOS BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN


growingseasonThe Kult Family Aims to Make Sustainable Attainable

eat

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reject FrankenfoodWhen one thinks of sustainability, often the first

thoughts are of recycling or reusing. Maybe you picture planting trees, a community garden or a small diverse farm. Perhaps it’s more practical; in-sulating your home, or energy efficient appliances. All of these are great ways to incorporate sustainability into your daily life. The sum of the little changes we make equal a larger change. The key to long-term sustainabil-ity revolves around financial sustainability. The only way to grow a more sustainable local food system is for con-sumer demand to increase. If we want more farm land converted to vegetable pro-duction, more humane treat-ment of free range, grass fed animals, and less chemical usage, we as consumers must demand it, and then support it. I often say that one of the most important votes we can make isn’t for President, but the vote we make with our wallets. The American society is driven by consumerism. Big corporations normally only change practices when they foresee profit in the end. Consumers have demanded more clarity and transparency in labeling, companies have slowly responded and changed. We wanted more organic options, so the largest retailer in the coun-try, (who historically isn’t the most environmentally conscious) responded and became the number one seller of organic products. This is a start.

Encouraging a More Natural NatureThe foundation Tomāto Tomäto is built upon is sus-tainability. To our company, this is what drives our choices and growth. In order to increase the supply of local foods we have to increase consumer de-mand. Each year as demand increases our produc-ers have an incentive to grow in order to meet that demand. When farm land is converted to vegetable production and when a rancher converts his/her op-eration to grass fed or cage free there are tremen-dous environmental and health benefits. Again, the foundation becomes sustainability. A grass fed cattle operation survives based on the quality of the land. The impetus may have sprung from financial incen-tives but the net result is a more harmonious relation-ship between land and farmer. Often we have found the spark that started the conversion is based on the idea of stewardship or respect for the environment and an understanding of the environmental impact of large scale conventional operations. Not wanting ones legacy to be depleted soil, polluted water and sick animals probably shouldn’t be as noble as it cur-rently is. A more appealing legacy would be leaving the land healthier and with more diversity than be-fore. A place where the next generation of farmers, ranchers and producers can pick up where the previ-ous generation left off.

Talk is Cheap. Healthy Produce isn’t… Yet.In the normal business world, short-term gains out-weigh the long-term costs. If a profit can be made quickly, it becomes unimportant if it comes with long-term negative consequences such as pollution, short-cuts, and cheaper ingredients. Once this cycle starts it is very difficult to break it. The challenge facing

today’s local producers and companies like Tomāto Tomäto is how to maintain financial security while thinking long-term. At some point it is out of the hands of the producers and distributers, and up to those making purchases in the end.

Until more consumers become better informed it is unlikely that large scale disruptive change is pos-sible. A reasonable question when looking at cheap

produce grown half way around the world should be “How?” How was it possible to grow, harvest, and ship these products thousands of miles, make a profit for all of parties involved, and charge so little? Instead of asking ‘how,’ the average consumer will think they have scored a great deal. When super-ficially compared, locally produced equivalents ap-pear to cost too much for the average person. The face value comparison doesn’t work because it is simply not using the same equation. Are fair wages being paid to the farm workers? What are the con-ditions of the field? How is the environment being treated? To quantify these or any of the dozens of other considerations is no small task. To have a trusted place or company that will do the vetting for consumers becomes a part of that disruptive force. When Tomāto Tomäto begins negotiations for pric-ing new products, the first question is “what does the producer need to make on that item for long-term success”. Because of this, the producer is no longer in the constant boom-bust cycle so typical of conven-tional agriculture. Long-term plans are possible and true consideration of the land and people who work it can be possible. There is no reason to plant more local cabbage or broccoli unless consumers appreci-ate the difference between local and non-local prod-ucts. The good news is the difference goes beyond looks, which local foods often have a leg up. The biggest difference is taste. The flavor of something freshly picked is categorically superior to something picked a week ago, ‘ripened’ with a blast of gases, wrapped in plastic and shipped from California.

It’s up to you to support your neighbors, join a CSA, vote with your wallet, and make it count. ,

cutline: help

40 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | eat



Josh Hoyer & Soul ColossalIn April, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal drop their best disc yet, Running From Love, produced in Nashville by Ken Coomer of Wilco. The record showcases Hoyer’s best songwriting and perfor-mances yet, with production that shows the best of this band’s soulful, driving sound. The CD release events are Friday, April 1, at The Bourbon Theatre and Saturday, April 2, at The Slowdown. See josh-hoyer.com.

Hot NotesCatch Hector Anchondo most Mondays in April, 7:30 p.m., at The Omaha Lounge playing solo sets, plus catch the band Saturday, April 9, at The Bour-bon in Lincoln and as part of Omaha’s Earth Day event in Elmwood Park Saturday, April 26.

Keep up with the latest on Lincoln’s Zoo Bar schedule at zoobar.com. Highlights for April at press time include Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater6-9 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, followed by a multi-act line-up featuring All Young Girls Are Machine Guns and Emily Bass. Selwyn Birchwood Bandis up Wednesday, April 13, 6-9 p.m., followed by Matt Cox and more. Jimmy Thackery is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27, 6-9 p.m. Davina & The Vagabonds play Friday, April 29, 5 p.m. ,

Lincoln’s historic Zoo Bar’s anniversary par-ty includes indoor shows July 5-July 7 and world-class blues-roots music on the outdoor stage in front of the bar Friday and Saturday,

July 8 and 9. Watch for the Zoo Bar to announce de-tails in early April.

Playing With Fire (PWF) is in its 13th year, with creator/promoter Jeff Davis consistently offering free, award-winning blues-roots music to area fans. This year’s shows are still at Midtown Crossing’s green space, but make a great move to Saturdays. There will be two shows Saturday, July 2, and Saturday, Aug. 27. Gates open at 3:30 and music begins at 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 2, the PWF headliner is exciting, award-winning blues artist and showman Sugaray Rayford. After fronting the Mannish Boys, Rayford went on to lead his own band beginning in 2010. Rayford is the next big voice in soul-blues. Rayford is up for five 2016 Blues Music Awards including a well-deserved nomi-nation for the prestigious and career-making B.B.King Entertainer of the Year award. See sugarayblues.com. The supporting acts include Toronto’s Andria Simone & Those Guys and K.C.’s Nick Schnebelen Band featuring former Omaha BluesEd alum and big-voiced singer-songwriter Heather Newman.

The second PWF summer show is Saturday, Aug. 27, at Midtown Crossing and features headliner Walter Trout. The event is an awareness-raiser for Donate Life Nebraska. Trout received a life-saving liver transplant at Nebraska Medicine’s Lied Trans-plant Center in 2014. Also on the bill will be mul-tiple Canadian Maple and Juno music award winner Steve Hill and Lincoln’s Levi William Band. See playingwithfireomaha.net.

21st Saloon BluesComing to The 21st Saloon are the Detroit-driven soul-blues of Laura Rain & The Caesars Saturday, April 2, Chicago blues legend Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater Thursday, April 7, Harlis Sweetwater Band Saturday, April 9, Selwyn Birchwood Band Thursday, April 14, Jason Elmore & Hoodoo Witch Saturday, April 16, and Rev. Raven & The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys Thursday, April 21. Davina & The Vagabonds make their much-anticipated return Thursday, April 28, with a live CD release party. Catch the guitar-driven blues of the legendary Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers Saturday, April 30, Shawn Holt & The Teardrops Thursday, May 5, and the Omaha debut of Alligator Records’s Toronzo Cannon Thursday, May 7. Thursday shows are 6-9 p.m. and Saturday shows are 8-11 p.m.

The 21st Saloon also hosts a multi-band Rocka-billy Fest Saturday, April 23, 8 p.m. Performing are Big Red Rawkit Riot, Rumble Seat Riot and Ross Kleiner & The Thrill.

Find calendar updates for The 21st Saloon and other area blues-roots bookings and venues at oma-hablues.com.

Sunday RoadhouseThe Sunday Roadhouse concert series presents the return of wry, acclaimed singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks Saturday, April 9, 7:30 p.m. at Reverb Lounge. Former Commander Cody guitarist and acclaimed rock-roots guitar player Bill Kirchen takes the stage at The Waiting Room Sunday, April 17, 5 p.m. One-man-band The Suitcase Junket performs Sunday, April 24, 5 p.m. at Reverb Lounge. See sundayroad-house.com.

42 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | hoodoo

Summer events like PWF announce big outdoor plans while great music continues to hit local venuesmusicheatsup

laur

arai

n.ne

t

BluesDynamite: The soulful, high-powered Sugaray Rayford, a Blues Music Award nominee for the prestigious B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award, headlines Playing With Fire’s Saturday, July 2, show at Midtown Crossing.

hoodoo

B Y B . J . H U C H T E M A N N

solidgold: The sizzling Laura Rain takes the stage at The 21st Saloon Saturday, April 2, 8-11 p.m.

HOODOO focuses on blues,

roots, Americana and occa-

sional other music styles with an

emphasis on live music perfor-

mances. Hoodoo columnist B.J.

Huchtemann is a senior con-

tributing writer and veteran music

journalist who received the Blues

Foundation’s 2015 Keeping the

Blues Alive Award for Journalism.

Follow her blog at hoodooroots-

blues.blogspot.com and on

www.thereader.com.

CHIP

DUD

EN


ROLLER DERBY 2016ROLLER DERBY 2016

APR. 29 • MAY 14

OMAHAROLLERGIRLS.ORG

ReaderAd_AprilIssue2016_OmahaRollergirls.qxp_Layout 1 3/24/16 1:58 PM Page 1

’TistheSummerofThisContentThe only thing Hollywood may be

worse at than achieving any mea-sure of diversity in front of or behind the camera is their ability to read

a calendar. “Summer” technically started in March for Tinseltown, with the debut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This box office-obsessed “seasonal affective dis-order” be damned! Summer starts no ear-lier than May! If we can’t yet adhere to the dignified axiom “Suns out, guns out,” how can we be expected to accept blockbusters as “summer fare?” This year’s real summer offerings include the expected acts of su-perheroism, sequels on sequels on sequels and one or two sleepers lying in wait. My anticipation for each film will be expressed in “favorite summer experiences.” You’ll see what I mean.

Captain America: Civil War (5/6)Marvel at least had the decency to release their major marquee flick in May…early May, but anything post Cinco de Mayo is okayo. The latest installment sees unrest in brotastic

brotherhood, with Captain America (Chris Evans) squaring off against Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) over proto-fascist requirements intended to force superheroes to answer to the government. Blah blah blah, SPIDER-MAN! The last trailer revealed that the web-slinger will finally show up alongside The Avengers, which is sure to send comic enthu-siast into nerdgasmic nerdvana.

Anticipation level: That first cold beer on a hot summer day

X-Men Apocalypse (5/27)In what I believe is the 75th entry into Fox’s X-Men franchise, we’ve now moved from the ’60s through the ’70s and into the ’80s. If this doesn’t feature angry emo mutants rocking out to Depeche Mode, an oppor-tunity will have been missed… The enemy this time out is the supposed “first mutant,” a big blue baddie named Apocalypse, who looks gleefully ridiculous. Although its clos-est visual analogue may be the popular 1990s “X-Men” cartoon, the franchise rarely embraces the colorful silliness that makes

the comic series work. Still, Olivia Munn plays a ninja assassin with purple hair and a “psychic knife.” So, you know, I’m there.

Anticipation level: Watching “The Price is Right” on the first Monday after school gets out

Warcraft (6/10)The only reason this is on my anticipated list is because of the director. Duncan Jones, the son of David Bowie and (perhaps more importantly) the director of Moon, has earned my trust, even if the subject matter does little for me. Looking a bit like The Lord of the Rings on steroids, I’m told that the source material was a popular video game. As you know, the history of movies based on video games is storied and filled with such timeless classics as Bob Hoskins’ Super Mario Brothers and Mortal Kombat. The epic action may look a little predict-able, with CGI armies of sword-toting war-riors clashing with strange monster crea-ture thingies. But in Jones I trust, as he was able to make Moon feel full and complete with just one actor.

Anticipation level: The first time using the grill for the summer (probably should have cleaned it, but still yummy)

Finding Dory (6/17)Back in the day, Pixar was a principled film studio that put storytelling first and trusted that good box office would follow. Nowadays, it is spin-offs, prequels and sequels until the head mouse at Disney has had enough cheese (spoiler: He never gets enough cheese). Find-ing Nemo was a pretty, sweet gut-punch of well-intended emotion. Will they be able to replicate that? Who cares?! This is going to make hella bank, as the potential to see the forgetful Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) yuk her way through an undersea adventure is the surest thing in the history of sures and things.

Anticipation level: The first swim of the year…at a public pool…with a kid grinning who definitely peed himself

Independence Day: Resurgence (6/24)As an American, you have watched the orig-inal Independence Day the required 50 to 1

44 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | film

Summer Movie Preview 2016 B Y R YA N S Y R E K

’TistheSummerofThisContent

million times in your life. You love it, de-spite the schmaltz of every bit of dialogue and an ending that a kid who repeated third grade five times didn’t buy as re-alistic. Gone is Will Smith. And I mean GONE; they killed him off-screen accord-ing to the film’s website. But all we need to potentially enjoy a return trip by plan-et-killing aliens is the awkward moxy of Jeff Goldblum. He of bizarre diction and tufty chest hair has returned to save the parts of the world not destroyed in glori-ous fashion! Hooray?

Anticipation level: Late night stargazing on a crisp summer night, with your cousin who swears he “done got probed by an alien once.”

The BFG (7/1)No joke, when I was a kid, I thought the “F” in BFG stood for an unsavory word and not “friendly.” To be fair, both adjec-tives work. Steven Spielberg returns to the fantasy genre for the first time since Hook (uh oh). This adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic looks to weave reality and magic, as the “Big Friendly Giant” promises to be downright E.T.-esque in his ability to form a meaningful friendship with a child. In-terestingly, newly minted Academy Award winner Mark Rylance plays the titular character. I say “interestingly” because now there’s at least a passing chance you’ll remember who Mark Rylance is in a few months.

Anticipation level: Friends visit you from out of town, for a duration between “but you just got here” and “they are never leaving”

Ghostbusters (7/15)I wish I cared about anything as much as random dudes on the internet care that the reboot of Ghostbusters stars all wom-en. Unless I missed something in that first movie about how you operate the pro-ton packs, absolutely nothing about the franchise requires male genitalia. Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon and Melissa McCarthy are all hilarious, intel-ligent, amazing comedians. Director Paul Feig has proven savvy with female-driven comedies (Spy, Bridesmaids). I see no rea-son for concern here, only excitement.

Anticipation level: Telling ghost stories around a nice campfire shortly before scaring your cousin by yelling “Them aliens are back!”

Star Trek Beyond (7/22)The first rebooted Star Trek remains my favorite of the series, and I don’t care what Shatner-wig-humping Trekkie knows it. The second one was…well, at least it had Benedict Cumberbatch. This time,

Simon Pegg was in charge of the script, so that can only mean more fun and less 9/11-trutherism-inspired thematic ele-ments. The cast still crackles, from Chris Pine all the way down to Pegg’s Scotty. Plus, this time Idris Elba is the bad guy. And Idris Elba is amazing. He also may be playing a lizard person. Yes, you may leave now to stand in line for tickets.

Anticipation level: Discovering a new love for an old series on Netflix because you hate the summer network program-ming and reruns

Suicide Squad (8/5)I’ve been in the tank for Suicide Squad since the first insane footage dropped. It looks like a live-action superhero movie as drawn by a graffiti artist. Whereas most Warner Bros/DC movies aim for “gritty” and “dark,” this one has a crocodile ma-fia guy and a witch. Yes please. The big focus has been on Academy Award win-ner Jared Leto’s Joker, especially consid-ering the last guy who played him died and won an Oscar, in that order. But I’m more excited to see if this finally gets Mar-got Robbie to be as stupid famous as she deserves to be.

Anticipation level: That one party that goes on way too long and stops being fun…but then goes even longer and starts being crazy and fun again

Pete’s Dragon (8/12)In a million years, I never thought the re-make of Pete’s Dragon would be on my list of anticipated summer movies. But then I found out that David Lowery, who did the breathtaking Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, was doing this. Excuse me? The guy is going from a gritty fable about tragic ro-mance between outlaws to a movie with a (potentially) imaginary dragon? Sign me up. The first footage suggests this is go-ing to get a little closer to Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are than anything, and that is a place more films should try to locate.

Anticipation level: Going with your niece or nephew to an amusement park, getting them jacked on cotton candy and adrenaline and taking them home to your sister’s house

How to Talk to Girls at Parties (TBD)These next two are indie flicks that are going to have limited releases before ex-panding. I’d tell you when that was going to happen, but if I had psychic powers, I’d put them to figuring out how to stop Donald Trump. This is directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the An-gry Inch), stars Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman and is based off a Neil Gaiman

fi lm | THE READER | APRIL 2016 45

work. I approve of all of that. It’s about British dudes in the late ’70s meeting girls at a local party who turn out to be aliens. You know, as is prone to happen from time to time. If it manages to work the right blend of quirk, this could be a sleeper gem. If it doesn’t, don’t blame me, I just work here.

Anticipation level: Using a jet ski in front of an attractive person without losing teeth, blood or dignity.

Keanu (TBD)I think Key and Peele are the funniest hu-mans alive right now. I mourned the loss

of their television show, but rejoiced when I saw we’d be getting a feature-length jokefest from them this summer. Basically, it’s a wacky John Wick about a cat. Two friends try to get a kitten back from a gang who took it. That’s it. But where Key and Peele have always excelled is in their char-acters and willingness to go absolutely nutso. This looks to feature both. Besides, have you seen the kitten from the movie? You’re going to see this and love it.

Anticipation level: That late summer night when your neighbors have finally exhausted their hillbilly supply of illegal fireworks. ,

Jeanne Dielman 1975

All showings at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater. Info & tickets at filmstreams.org.

Great Directors:Chantal Akerman

April 15 - May 2

No Home Movie 2015 April 16 & 18

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles 1975

April 22, 23, 24 & 25News from Home 1976

April 29 & May 1

Je tu il elle(I You He She) 1976

April 30 & May 2

Plus:I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinemaof Chantal Akerman

April 15, 17 & 19

Generously sponsored by Omaha Steaks and Sam Walker.

Omaha Steaks Classics

Walking up to meet Ryan Porter in the lobby of the new DoubleTree on 72nd Street, I felt like I was going to hang out with a friend’s

little brother. But I quickly realized his youthful appearance is deceptive.

Porter, known to the Omaha music commu-nity as P-tro, has been in this music game for 10 years, writing, recording and putting on shows all the while.

He said he started straight out of high school, when he realized he didn’t like the stuff he was hearing on the radio and decided to do some-thing about it.

So P-tro started writing and recording songs with fellow musician Jakob Sterba in 2006. About a year later, he started hip-hop label Ell-matiQ Records, signing other artists and pro-moting their shows.

As for his own music, P-tro said he would de-scribe it as “party” music. But don’t expect him to be rapping about poppin’ bottles and driving Lambos.

“I basically just talk about my life,” he said. “I try not to talk about things I don’t have, or that other people might not have.”

That positive attitude applies to all aspects of P-tro’s life. For him personally, he said his family has always been there to support him and his music.

“Family is the most important thing in my life,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do without my mom, she’s been there for me through so much.”

P-tro said one of his biggest “supporters” is his dog, Cody.

“He’s my bud. I’ll talk to him about my music all the time … I think he likes it,” he said with a laugh.

Outside the family, P-tro said he’s also found a lot of support for the hip-hop scene here in Omaha, but cites Lookout Lounge (formerly The Hideout) as one of the most supportive of what he and others are trying to do.

“Some people think that with the new owners, it’s changed, but it hasn’t,” he said. “Kyle (Fer-twagner) has treated me like a brother and he doesn’t even know me that well.”

Unfortunately, P-tro said one area that isn’t go-ing so well is the audience turnout at shows.

“I would like to see more support,” he said. “It seems like it’s really dwindled down over the last few years.”

While there could be several reasons for this, he said he thinks it has something to do with cops targeting these shows more often, probably due to the violence that can occur.

“But that’s not the musicians doing it or sup-porting it,” he said. “That kind of stuff needs to stop.”

For his part, P-tro said he’s just trying to put on fun, positive shows that everyone can enjoy.

“It’s just doing what you want to do,” he said. “Really, anything that’s positive is what our mu-sic’s about.”

You can check out some of that positivity in April when his new album comes out. The CD release party is April 2 at Lookout Lounge, and will fea-ture several other local artists, including Trouble-some 2, Nugz and Sterba, and TKO.

46 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | music

music

positivesoundP-tro just wants to have fun

B Y TA R A S P E N C E R


March 27, 2016. Easter Sunday.

Yesterday several primaries were held in the Pacific Northwest… I think. Certainly Idaho was among the states that caucused for the Democratic candidate for President of the United States, right?

Why the nonchalant attitude?While everyone stands aghast at what’s happening on the Republican side

of the election, the real political junkies already have called the Democratic campaign for Hillary Clinton, regardless of what happened yesterday on the campaign trail.

The election results weren’t nearly as easy to find as the day after Super Tues-day. One had to shoulder through coverage of the Belgium bombing and the re-gional finals of the NCAA Basketball Tournament to discover the election results.

There on the homepage of NYT.com, under yet another Trump story, was the headline I was looking for: “Bernie Sanders Seizes 3 States, Sweeping Demo-cratic Contests.” Not Idaho but Washington was one of those states, along with Alaska and Hawaii. Bernie had taken Idaho days earlier.

According to the Great Grey Times: “Washington, the largest prize Saturday with 101 delegates in play, was a vital state for Mr. Sanders, whose prospects of capturing the nomination dimmed after double-digit losses to Mrs. Clinton across the South and weak showings in delegate-rich Ohio, Florida and North Carolina this month.”

After the spate of southern-tier state defeats, Hillary seemed like a lock. And despite yesterday’s trio of victories — winning one (Alaska) by as much as 82 percent of the vote — Sanders looked no closer to the prize than he had after Super Tuesday, except in the minds of rabid Sanders supporters who are looking for any sign of hope of hoisting their grey-haired hero onto the ticket.

I guess you could ask what difference it makes here in Omaha, since our caucus took place weeks

ago. I was there, grudgingly seat-ed on the Clinton side of a high school gymnasium watching as long queues of Bernie support-

ers filled the opposing stands, overflowing onto the basketball

floor and into the side aisles, chanting “Bernie!

Bernie! Bernie!” and looking as if

they’d already won the national election, while the Clinton caucus voters looked on with dread and wondered…

Would 2016 become a replay of the loathsome 2000 presidential election, when Ralph Nader did just enough damage to Al Gore’s run for president to get George W. Bush into the White House? There’s still a foul taste in the mouths of those who were around back then, who remember Gore’s bitter defeat even though he earned nearly a half million more votes overall than GW. Had Nader, whose Green Party nomination was doomed before it began, not run, Gore may have pulled enough votes to win Florida outright and become president.

No one knows for sure. But most people still blame Nader for the rise of George W and everything that happened afterward. Now worried Democrats, terrified of a possible “President Trump scenario,” are afraid Sanders — either willingly or not — will pull a Nader by hanging around too long and making the Democratic race so close that his angry young supporters will stay home in November or write him onto their ballots in protest or vote for the anonymous Green Party candidate rather than hold their noses and pull the lever for Hillary.

It’s become one of the most feared scenarios by any sane-minded citizen, for as the Times points out, Sanders’ trio of landslide victories only slightly narrowed the gulf with Clinton in the quest for the 2,382 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

If those election results weren’t enough to give the Bernie supporters false hope, along came The Bird.

In the years before social media, the odd fact that a finch landed on Bernie Sanders’ podium during a speech in Portland would have maybe garnered a ca-sual mention among the more light-hearted press corps, if it was mentioned at all. Instead, the next day Facebook erupted with memes with lines like “Mother Nature Has Spoken” and “Birdie for President.” Memes are this generation’s campaign buttons.

Indeed, it looked like a sign from god. But the bird — along with the victories in Washington, Hawaii and Alaska and those that will follow — will only make Sanders’ defeat sting that much more. Especially if in the end Sanders draws more votes than Clinton and the mysterious “Super Delegates” end up being the deciding factor in Hillary’s nomination. Who can blame any staunch Bernie supporter for staying home in November?

It could happen. And we could end up with Trump. But I give Bernie voters more credit than that.

Most Bernie supporters I’ve chatted with have said they grudgingly will “do the right thing” in November. Or, as one person who has posted the most pro-Bernie anti-Hillary memes I’ve seen on Facebook told me via Messenger:

“Personally, although I am greatly opposed to Hillary’s loyalty to the banking and military industries, I can NOT stay home and NOT vote against Republi-cans,” my Facebook friend wrote. “I don’t think it is hyperbole to say the future of the planet is at stake (global warming), along with the future of most Americans as Republicans plan to continue to attempt ‘trickle-down’ as a viable tax plan. You can also throw in Republicans’ stances on evolution, LGBT rights, minimum wage, health care, Supreme Court positions at stake, etc... THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I am going to sit by and NOT cast my vote against Republican policy.”

Hillary and Bernie could make it easy on him and the rest of Bernie’s support-ers by simply joining forces on the Democratic ticket. But it would take a lot more

than a magical finch to make that happen. ,

Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at [email protected]

48 APRIL 2016 | THE READER | over the edge

BernieandtheBird B Y T I M M C M A H A N

Will Sanders pull a Nader by hanging around too long?

overtheedge


FRIDAY APR 1Lemon Fresh Day

SATURDAY APR 2Hi-Fi Hangover

MONDAY APR 4Gooch & His Las Vegas

Big Band

TUESDAY APR 5Billy Troy

WEDNESDAY APR 6Bill Chrastil

THURSDAY APR 7Funk Trek

FRIDAY APR 8Rough Cut

SATURDAY APR 9Soul Dawg


Big Band

TUESDAY APR 12Scott Evans

WEDNESDAY APR 13The Brits

THURSDAY APR 14Sailing in Soup

FRIDAY APR 15Outlaw Road

SATURDAY APR 16The Personics


Big Band

TUESDAY APR 19Spontaneous Combustion

WEDNESDAY APR 20Daybreak

THURSDAY APR 21Clark & Company

FRIDAY APR 22Taxi Driver

SATURDAY APR 23Eckophonic


Big Band

TUESDAY APR 26Billy Troy

WEDNESDAY APR 27The Persuaders

THURSDAY APR 28Gulizia Brothers

FRIDAY APR 29Red Delicious

SATURDAY APR 30The Six

APRIL SHOWSAPR 8-10 SHAWN WAYANS SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTOn Fox’s In Living Color, he began as DJ SW-1 & later became a featured performer, working with brothers Dwayne, Keenen, Damon, Marlon & sis-ter Kim. Along with Marlon, Shawn created & starred in the sitcom The Wayans Bros. & co-wrote, co-executive produced & starred in the feature Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. Other film credits include Scary Movie 1 & 2, White Chicks, Little Man & more.

APR 14-17 JEFF DYEJeff Dye stars in NBC’s new eclectic comedy adventure series “Better Late Than Never.” This exciting project will follow the travel of Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman as Jeff gives the ad-venture of a lifetime. Dye is a nationally touring comedian, actor, host, prankster & Bigfoot enthusiast. Raised in Seattle, this class clown started doing comedy at Giggles Comedy Club right out of high school & was first nationally recognized on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” where he finished third.

APR 20 LAUGHS FOR LIFELaughter is always the best medicine, that’s why the Funny Bone Omaha will host the 6th Annual Laughs for Life! All staff, including the comedians, donate their time for this FUNdraiser. Net proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life of Sarpy County. Silent auction, prize drawings, and comedy OH MY! Sponsored by The League of Extraordinary Fundraisers.

APR 21, 23-24 MIKE VECHIONNEMike has appeared on Comedy Centrals Live at Gotham, Fresh Face De-bates, and Russell Simmons Presents: Stand Up at the El Rey Theatre. Mike also had a guest appearance on the IFC hit show Z Rock. In 2010, he won the People’s Choice Award for the New York Comedy Festival, was a semi-finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, & was selected to perform at the prestigious Montreal Comedy Festival (New Faces).

APR 22 KEVIN NEALON SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTWith his unique sense of humor, profound dry wit and likeable demeanor, Kevin Nealon has established himself as one of the premiere television, theatrical and stand-up comedians of his generation. As a cast member of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE , Kevin is most recognized for the characters he created, including; ‘The Subliminal Man,’ ‘Hans and Franz,’ and anchoring ‘Weekend Update.’ Kevin currently has a web series on AOL that he is co-producing with Ellen called, ‘Laugh Lessons with Kevin Nealon.’

APR 27 CHINGO BLING SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTStarting out as a DJ at his college radio show, sending out mixtapes in Houston, Pedra Herrera (aka Chingo Bling) considers him-self an artist, entrepreneur & a renaissance man. Then came the record deals from people like Master P, Diddy, Tony Draper, etc. From there he worked with Khoolaid in an indie film called “Filly Brown”, showing that the Mexican American audience is growing & is untapped. He says “My audience empowers me & nothing is off limits…author, di-rector, stand-up comedian, dj, designer, even an astronaut!”


Future of DatingThe world of dating is about to become very difficult for a new generation of teenagers. They have been raised in a world in which everything passes through social media, in real time. To their advantage, they will already know an enormous amount about someone before they go out with them. On the downside, dates will very much be a public, spectator event, with daters sharing everything through social media as it happens. This will create opportunities for bullying, for indiscretions to become part of the permanent records, and for inconsequential embarrassments and foibles to be documented in a way that has never happened before. On the other hand, personal safety will be greatly increased, because it will be easy for concerned friends and family to track the daters and intervene. For all its good and ill, this will be a generations whose first loves are unlike any that preceded them. They will have to learn how to do it along the way.

The Real Future of Fake SportsThere will be two professional sports worlds, the real world and the virtual. Popular games will continue to be played by live athletes before live audiences, but that audience will dwindle. Instead, there will be a large selection of simulated games, produced by computers that put actual historical athletes into the game with each other. These virtual games will genuinely be competitive, with uncertain outcomes, and the teams will bid on the simulated athletes just as real sports bid on theirs. There will also be an underground of genuinely bizarre sports remixes, which put virtual athletes into sports they have never played, including, in a few versions, blood sports. If you have ever wanted to see Babe Ruth battle Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the death, just wait. These games are coming.

Color My FutureAmerica is about to develop a longstanding obsession with coloring books. Already growing in popularity, these complex, visually absorbing books will soon become a nationwide craze. Many will find them soothing, saying they experience almost Zen levels of relaxation doing them. But they will also develop a social dimension, with groups meeting to spend time together working on coloring, and something showing the results. There will be contests, and there will be some colorists so skilled that they will be able to sell their completed coloring books as works of art. There will even be odd trends that spin off, such as television shows that you can

color as you watch and clothes that are meant to be colored liked books.

Social Media AddictionIn the next few years, social media addiction will be diagnosed as a mental illness, and will be found to be widespread, especially among those under the age of 20. The addicted will not be able to go more than a few minutes without checking in a social media, and

will obsessively spend every spare moment loading pictures and commenting. Addicts will actually base their self-worth on their social media experience, agonizing about how many likes they get on each selfie, tending to their friends list with the sort of obsessive lunacy of a hoarder. The only cure for this will be a total shut down of social media, followed by a very slow return to it, in order to train the addict new habits. Many will experience relapses and can only be cured by avoiding social media altogether -- a prospect that is agonizing, as they will have lost many of their basic social skills in the real world, and will no longer know how to interact with people except via the Internet.

For more on these predictions and others by Dr. Mysterian visit www.thereader.com.

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The Reader April 2016