The Penn State brouhaha swirling around JoePa, current and former members of his coaching staff, and the college’s administration filled the airwaves throughout the past week.  Commentators and fans questioned the alleged actions of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, pondered how the game could continue without Paterno on the sidelines. Students rioted after the coach’s firing, creating uneasiness among some of the Nebraska visitors heading to not-so-Happy Valley.

                Somewhere between the hash marks, the lines of right and wrong blurred, the sideline lateral between moral and legal obligations was dropped.

                Who were fans and broadcasters truly mourning? The legendary fall of a coach who showed he’s only human? The downfall of a prestigious university?

                The single element that seemed to be missing from many of these broadcasts and on-line discussions was the injustice against innocent victims.

                The week-old debate casts doubts on Paterno’s actions, as well of those of then-grad assistant Mike McQueary. How much did both know? And did they have an obligation to report the allegations to a higher authority once they were aware of the situation?

                I’m not sure what Pennsylvania’s legal system requires – I’ve read varying reports – but Nebraska law is quite clear.

                According to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, state law requires any person who suspects that a child has been physically or sexually abused or neglected to report it immediately to them.

                The first key word: requires. The second, immediately. The first term was lost in translation in the PSU case. The second term is also questionable. Once former UNL chancellor-turned PSU President Graham Spanier knew of the possible indiscretion, he should have notified campus police.

                This case is bigger than Beaver Stadium and the crux of the situation is larger than JoePa’s tenure as head coach.  

                This is about a person abusing power and authority; about statistics that report one in four girls and one in six boys are affected by sexual abuse.

                This is a mid-field collision, a lost-yardage sack from a group of adults who took the defensive side of the situation.

                They needed to be on offense and protect the kids.

                I listened to my students talk about the reports and posed the question: Did Paterno have a legal obligation to report the incidents to law enforcement?

                One student questioned how Paterno could continue a working relationship with Sandusky after hearing the allegations. Another believed the coach should have put more effort into investigating the situation.

                Perhaps this case highlights what happens when someone falls from atop the pedestal society places sport figures upon.  Not every athlete or coach is Superman.  Penn State’s kryptonite may have been its win-at-all-costs mentality, destroying its reputation when it turned its head the other way.

                One of the best moments from Saturday’s match occurred before the game, when Nebraska assistant Ron Brown led the blue and white and scarlet in cream in a pre-game stance of solidarity and prayer, proving that in the scheme of life, bigger obstacles than the goal line exist.

                “Everywhere’s been where it is ever since it was first put there. It’s called geography.”

                Author Terry Pratchett may have been joking when he wrote that sentence in “Wyrd Sisters,” but look at his premise and you may discover Pratchett’s view of the world is spot on.

                A location – the sense of place created by its geography – seldom changes.  Geography, or earth’s writing, teaches more than natural features of a space. It’s the juxtaposition of culture and setting and how those elements affect one another.

                Did you take a geography course in high school or college? In my school, college-bound freshmen took World History; the remainder sat through geography.

                While that may seem like a logical path, it’s an unfortunate direction that many students are forced to follow. With today’s global marketplace and instant connections, a deeper understanding for the lay of the land makes sense.

                Otherwise, will the majority of U.S. citizens eventually resemble the wacky participants who don’t comprehend our nation’s history or the basic outline of our country’s map during Leno’s “Jay-walking” segment on late-night TV?

                If you haven’t seen Leno, it goes something like this:

                “In which state is Chicago located?” asks Leno.

                “Um,” says the 20-something surfer dude spending the day at Universal Studios, “Chicago?”

                Let’s hope not.

                Since President Reagan signed a proclamation in 1987, Geography Awareness Week occurs during November.

                This year’s theme – Geography: The Adventure in Your Community – makes me wonder how well we know our own backyard. So, it’s test time. Grab a pencil, circle your answers, and find out your Nebraska geography IQ.

                1. A world champion Hampshire hog named Blue Boy appeared in the original 1933 film “State Fair.” From which community did Blue Boy come?

                2. Which town was originally named Savage after a gentleman with that last name pledged money if the town was named for him?

                3. In which Central Nebraska County do the Pony Express, Ox Bow, Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, and Nebraska City Cutoff Trails pass through?

                4. This Butler County village translates to “little hill.” Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo and Wesley Snipes filmed a movie here.

                5.  Which Chase County and Adams County villages are commonly confused based on spelling but not pronunciation?

                6. University Place originates in Lincoln. Which Nebraska college or university is situated here?

                7. Which county is the geographical center of the Cornhusker State?

                8. Where can you find a hay bale church?

                9. Which Nebraska State Park is the oldest?

                10. Where can you find a museum dedicated to carved petrified wood?

                Think you answered all correctly or do you need to sharpen your knowledge of Nebraska topography? I’ve said this before, and I’ll reiterate: Nebraska is filled with picturesque, historic treasures, waiting to be uncovered.

                Sometimes, before you realize the implications of world events, you need to appreciate the characteristics of your own community and expand your world-wide lens from your own front porch.

Answers: 1. Pilger 2.Royal 3. Hall County 4. Loma 5. Wauneta/Juniata 6. Nebraska Wesleyan 7. Custer 8. Arthur 9. Chadron 10. Ogallala

I’ll be honest, up front, straight with you.

Historical fiction is not my favorite. No, not at all.

But as I’m reading Stella Duffy’s first historical undertaking (her 12th novel), I find myself drawn into the seedy, greedy underworld of the Byzantine Empire.

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore draws on the story of Theodora of Constantinople, a quick-witted young star of the Hippodrome, who charmed the crowd with her comedics and acrobatics.

After her father is killed by one of the bears he trains. Theodora, her sisters and their mother struggle in the mean streets of an emerging empire. Set against the religious backstory from this time period, Theodora seeks to find her own way on her own terms.

Sometimes, that’s difficult for this young girl-turned-woman who discovers she can wield her psychological and physical prowess to get what she wants. Eventually, it leads her to Justinian, and Theodora becomes Empress.

She’s a strong-willed woman living in a time when being touch was a required skill. The meek and mild did not survive.

I’ll also admit that in the first few pages, the story feels bogged down with thick, descriptive paragraphs establishing setting and motivation. But I soon realized that Duffy’s precision of langague created a vivid portrait of this rough-and-tumble world.

I’m fascinated with this fictional piece that reads like a biography. Duffy’s attention to detail makes Theodora a successful and mesmerizing read.

I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

Join in the discussion at BlogHer Book Club and share your thoughts!

            Ghosts and goblins may have spent Monday tricking or treating Nebraska residents, hauling in jack-o-lantern shaped buckets full of sweet treats.

            But if you believe legends and tall tales or everything you read on the internet (because it’s all true, right?), spooky phantoms and imps inhabit an overwhelming number of buildings or parcels of ground in locations across the Cornhusker State.

            When I was competing in a debate tourney at Nebraska Wesleyan in 1981, one Wesleyan debater kept telling my debate partner and me that the Lincoln college was haunted.

            Supposedly, the apparition of Clara Mills, a former faculty member, was first viewed in 1963, 20 years after Mills suffered a heart attack at her desk in the C.C. White Building.

            When that structure was torn down for campus expansion, Mills’ ghost allegedly moved next door to Old Main.

            The tell-tale sign? Piano music drifting through the atmosphere at odd hours.

            We both chuckled. Our roommates were music majors and had small keyboards in our dorm rooms. We heard piano music at odd hours, too.

            About 20 miles southwest of where I grew up, the unincorporated village of Spring Ranch was apparently haunted.  A stagecoach stop along the Overland Trail, the community sat next to the Little Blue River. Homesteaders were ambushed by natives, and legends state that the cemetery is haunted.

            What piques my interest about Spring Ranch is the story of Elizabeth Taylor and her brother, Tom Jones.

            No, not the celebs.

            A feud developed between the siblings and their neighbors, who claimed the Jones/Taylor cattle were breaking down fences and destroying crops.

            While a group of men cut timber along the river bank, Taylor sent her hired help to scare them away. Soon, a shotgun blast permeated the air and one of the men was dead.

            Since the trial couldn’t be held until a judge was available, riled homesteaders rustled the brother and sister to the bridge, placed nooses around their necks and fired a shotgun into the night air.

            Even local historians say the bridge is haunted and if it’s a quiet night, you’ll hear the gunshot.

            In my hometown, legend – and even school employees and students – declared the halls of the elementary school haunted. A portrait of a former principal was displayed above the entrance to the gym, and people whispered that the eyes of the portrait would follow anyone who walked down the hall.

            Others spoke of seeing the principal’s ghost walking across the gymnasium, heading into the hallway, and disappearing into thin air.

            Figment of imagination? Paranormal activity? 

            Now, I’m pretty sure this sounds like a scene from a Saturday morning cartoon, and pretty soon, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby are going to show up outside CCHS in the Mystery Machine and unmask the impersonator.

            “And I would’ve gotten away with it,” the school janitor would shout, shaking his fists in the air, “if it hadn’t been for you darn kids.”

            Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, Nebraska’s whimsical past creates a lot of present-day ghost stories.

            Over the past several weeks, a couple news stories – both about schools – caught my attention as the items of interest put Nebraska in the national spotlight.

            No, I’m not talking about Bo’s rant at Chase Rome during the Husker defeat of those groundling Gophers. And I’m not discussing the power of Husker volleyball as they toppled undefeated Illinois from atop the spiking throne this past weekend.

  Still, one item centers on sports and made ESPN broadcasts and national daily newspapers.

At Morrill, in Nebraska’s panhandle, the Friday night lights dimmed early for the season after four players suffered season-ending injuries and two additional players moved away from the town.

That left 12 students to play 11-man football.

School personnel are investigating a move to the 8-man ranks for next year and hope more of the 50 male students presently enrolled in school will consider playing football.

Morrill hasn’t scored a victory since the 2008 season. Yet, these players worked toward a common goal. Now they, along with their parents, administrators and coaches, decided another injury wasn’t worth the risk.

Bravo to the adults who faced the arduous decision for placing student safety as a priority.

Still, it’s an unfortunate series of events for the town of approximately 940 residents and the students of the district.

Football and Fridays blend together, a perfect fit that unites communities to celebrate wins and study the losses, in addition to applying the lessons learned from the snap of the pigskin.

Once that tradition slips away, a smidge of uncertainty can swirl through a town. 

What’s next? The loss of a school? A major business? The eventual downturn of rural Nebraska?

A sense of identity circulates around a town, its school and activities. When married, these elements promote community spirit and pride.

Hopefully, Morrill rebounds and attracts a larger team next season, rebuilding its community spirit into a thriving source.

In early October, major news networks, including MSNBC and Fox News, featured video clips of a 12-year-old Fremont student who was prohibited from wearing a specific necklace to school.

The controversy? The necklace, which resembles a rosary, has been affiliated with gang activity. The Fremont school system bans such accessories, citing dress code violations. Reportedly, gangs in Oregon, Arizona and Texas also misuse the rosary as a means of ID.

This is an interesting case: public school safety policy versus freedom of religion.

I understand concern regarding all students’ safety if there is a viable threat. The key word – viable.

However, if this student wears the necklace as a symbol of her religious devotion and beliefs – which she says she does – how can another entity take that right away?

Where is the line drawn? What about a T-shirt with a Celtic cross symbol? A cross on a keychain?

Sometimes, a necklace is just a necklace; its significance recognized by the one wearing it.

Incidentally, I counted the number of cross necklaces I own. Ten. And I proudly wear each one as a symbol of my beliefs.