Last week I wrote about diabetes and its effects.  I told the story about a former student – John – and a situation that occurred in my classroom when he was in eighth grade.

                A friend (and Nebraska-isms reader) told me that I should have differentiated between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes since John’s anecdote seemed to describe someone who has Type 1 diabetes and the rest of the article dealt with information regarding Type 2.

                Point taken.

                I called John’s parents and asked about his diagnosis. John’s diabetes did not surface until he was in sixth grade when he was identified as a Type 1 diabetic.

                Type 1 diabetes can take two forms: Idiopathic, a rare form with no known cause, or Immune-mediated, which occurs when the body’s immune system destroys, or attempts to destroy, the cells in the pancreas that manufacture insulin.

                The University of Nebraska Med Center estimates between five and ten percent of cases of diabetes in the United States fall into the Immune-mediated Type 1 category. It can occur at any age, but most often, children, adolescents, or young adults are diagnosed.

                The cause of Type 1 diabetes is unknown. It may be genetic; it may have an environmental origin.

                Type 1 diabetics rely on insulin injections. Some diabetics require a pump which delivers insulin all the time.

                Type 1 diabetics cannot take a magic pill to cure the disease. While increasing exercise and monitoring food consumption is recommended by health professionals, these steps will not undue what nature has done.

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                Did you survive the weekend’s tornadopocalypse? Based on the number of tornadoes spawning across Midwestern states, the chaotic hail storms that trounced several Northeast Nebraska communities and the five tornado-related deaths in Oklahoma, many Nebraskans should be counting our lucky stars that the damage was not worse.

The potential definitely existed for a doozy of a weather system to wreak havoc.

We were in Lincoln on Saturday, preparing to head to Omaha, when The Weather Channel featured Petersburg and the baseball-size hail storm that pounded the town. With the forecast models predicting intensified tornado activity, we cut our visit short, driving into a blinding downpour near Rising City, only to see the tips of cerulean tinged with pale sunshine streak the sky by the time we reached Silver Creek.

I heard comments the last several days questioning why the National Weather Service issued the tornado watch a day early.

Folks, it’s about prevention and preparedness. We may not be able to outwit Mother Nature, but we can be ready when she comes knocking.

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The 62nd annual Red-White Scrimmage was cancelled due to Saturday’s weather. I remember sitting with my dad through a rainy spring scrimmage, back when umbrellas were allowed in Memorial Stadium.

In those days, only the east stadium was open and maybe a couple thousand fans attended.

Now, the 50,000+ planning on attending Saturday’s inter-squad game will have to wait til the season opener to get an up-close-and-personal glimpse of the Big Red.

                From my notebook…

                Call it the Heroes Game, if you like, but if you were anywhere near Memorial Stadium on Friday, you know the game should have been dubbed “The Battle of the Bibs.”

                Granted, I grew up seeing Husker fans sporting the red and white vertical-striped overalls. Even on road trips, seeing Nebraska faithful bedecked like a peppermint candy cane is a common sight.

                But those black- and gold-lined bibs reminded me of a giant bumblebee buzzing around downtown Lincoln, b’gosh.  And, quite a few Iowa fans seemed to wear them.

                You have to admit, this game provides an interesting contest between neighboring state universities that have only met a handful of times. But, where’s the allure? Will the matchup ever reach the level of the “game of the century”? Will the hype measure up to a rowdy Ralphie the buffalo running across the field? Does Thanksgiving in Iowa City have the same ring to it as Thanksgiving in Norman or Boulder?

                I heard plenty of fans from both sides of the field talk about how this yearly meeting will turn into one of the sacred Thanksgiving football traditions. 

                Give it time.

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                Last week, I shared my dislike of Black Friday shopping sprees. So where would you find me at the stroke of midnight?

                At Super Target in Lincoln. With Cassie. Staring at a line that wrapped the length and width of the building.

                I agreed to battle the surge of the crazed crowd because she promised we were only purchasing one item. “And mom, the price is right,” assured my oldest child.

                After surveying the massive line, we decided to try a different store. We ventured to a different Target and were pleasantly surprised to discover we wouldn’t have to stand in line to enter the store. No, we breezed in, grabbed a cart and found the item in question.

                Score!

                As we make our way to the checkout line, a friendly store employee tells us that we’ll need to follow the red arrows.

                The checkout line covers the store’s inside perimeter.

                After we’re told it could take ninety minutes or more to reach our final destination – the cash register – we calculate what our time is worth.

                Sure, she’s saving 75 hard-earned bucks, but moving at a snail’s pace while others push and shove to jockey for position is not worth it.

                Oh, and next year, someone please remind me why I’m going to tell her “no” to the shopping trip.

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                District one-act competition heats up this week as local thespians take center stage, competing for a coveted spot at the state contest.

                District performances showcase months of preparation on stage and behind the scenes. It’s the finale, the culmination of every single cast and crew member working toward a shared vision.

                Northeast and North Central Nebraska are dramatic hot spots! Since 2005, schools from these regions have combined for 53 state appearances, with several schools bringing home the hardware.

                Break a leg!

                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.

There is no place like Nebraska!    (song begins at 1:12 on clip for anyone unfamiliar with this song)

Yup, football season is only four and one-half short months away! Attending a Husker game is different from other athletic contests. It’s an EVENT! The outdoor concert and drumline performing near Westbrook music building as the crowd (and eventually the band)  migrates toward the stadium, the pre-game warmup, the Pride of All Nebraska – the Cornhusker Marching Band, the flyover, In the Deed the Glory, the tunnel walk, Can You Feel It?!. Yup! And the game.

Some sports nuts believe Nebraska has three fight songs: There is No Place Like Nebraska, Hail Varsity, and March of the Cornhusker. Pretty certain There is No Place Like Nebraska came first.

Plus, it’s the first tune played when the band takes the field.

When I was young, my sister and I memorized the cheerleader routine to this song. A girl from our hometown was a Husker cheerleader and we worshipped her….and the Huskers.  OK, at least I did. Our parents had a record of Cornhusker Band music, and sometimes we’d play the record and perform the dance routine. Now, my oldest daughter, a UNL alum, performs the dance while we tailgate. It’s hilarious!

While there is some uncertainty across the U.S. about the song’s origins, history credits Nebraska alum Harry Pacha with writing the ditty in 1924. Of course, in Florida, where UF plays a similar song, Thornton W. Allen is believed to have written the tune in 1941. And yet another possibility is Toledo’s Joseph Murphy. A 1953 newspaper reports he wrote the song.

I’ll stick with Harry.

Here are the lyrics for the Nebraska fight song:

There is no place like Nebraska,

Dear old Nebraska U.

Where the girls are the fairest,

The boys are the squarest

of any old school that I knew.

There is no place like Nebraska,

where they’re all true blue.

We’ll all stick together

in all kinds of weather

for dear old Nebraska U.

           From my notebook:

            Just when Nebrasketball has me dancing…or at least considering a tango or quick step…they can’t hit free throws and they lose in OT to the team in the Big 12 cellar. Don’t let me down, Doc and Sweet Jete. The Nebraska basketball crowd is ready to rumba.

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            Recent legislation introduced by Senator Mark Christiansen of Imperial puts Nebraska as a target in the media bullseye. Following the Millard School shooting in January, Christiansen filed LB516, which would change the current Concealed Handgun Permit Act to allow schools to authorize security, teachers and administrators to carry concealed handguns on school property as long as they carry a permit.

            If the bill passes, two-thirds of a local school board would need to approve the change prior to its implementation. Additionally, schools would need to provide written notice of the district’s concealed handgun policy to students, parents and guardians. If the measure passes, colleges and universities will also be covered.

            This hotly debated bill went before the judiciary committee hearing two weeks ago, and since then, it’s garnered a plethora of media attention. School board and teachers’ groups are against the measure. The NRA and Nebraska Firearms Owners Association support the bill.

            While Christiansen believes it’s miserable for legislators to have to discuss this subject, he argues that it’s a sign of the troubled times in which we live.

            OK, as a twenty-something classroom veteran, the realities of my career choice are clear: a school must provide a safe and secure learning environment for students and teachers, an individual may try to bring a weapon into the school building if under duress, a situation may escalate out of control if not handled in a proper manner.

            But, I cannot envision carrying a concealed weapon to school. The controversial measure instigates a new set of concerns focusing on this primary question: Will the provision make schools safer?  

            I would never consider carrying a concealed weapon into the classroom for several reasons. First, I’ve never felt threatened in my classroom.  And second, my aim is atrocious. I’d be too worried about the collateral damage my poor shooting skills would cause.

            Our legislature needs to take a long look at this bill and its possible implications for school districts and employees.

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            I’m proud to say I attended NU. I have supported NU since…well, birth, I imagine. In the world of collegiate athletics, will the real NU please stand up? Since the 40 days and nights of bowl games ended, ESPN sports bloggers have pondered which NU (yes, there are two….gasp!) should continue using the prestigious title.

            In the academic world, mention NU and Northwestern University, situated next to Lake Michigan in one of Chicago’s down-to-earth suburbs, comes to mind. In the athletic kingdom, NU remains synonymous with Huskers. Isn’t the Big 10 secure enough in its own (pig)skin to support two NU’s?

            BTW, I attended Northwestern. Purple isn’t my signature color though. My heart bleeds scarlet and cream.