I’ve been spending too damned much time seeing friends in hospitals. At least when I visit I can talk up unionizing to employees and sometimes I learn things. I’ve written in the past about how Renown’s predecessor, Washoe Med, had internal moles passing info to the Catholic Diocese of Reno so that when a woman came in who needed a procedure frowned upon by the church, she’d … [Read more...]
Wolf Pack Defeat Foreshadowed Trump Debate Win
Donald Trump won the presidential debate on Monday evening, and I so swear as I write this on Sunday. Whence the chutzpah to venture back to the future? Because the situation is/was a replay of 1980. Even CBS’ fabled 60 Minutes show got in on the con. The venerable TV news magazine started its 48th season Sunday with a scary story about Czar Vladimir and his howling … [Read more...]
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Given today’s bizarro follytix, the above title from Clint Eastwood’s 1997 movie is ghastly appropriate. THE GOOD. Washoe County commissioners have a narrow window of opportunity to slightly atone for a major sin of their predecessors. In 2006, a previous commission was poised to acquire the 1,119-acre Ballardini Ranch in southwest Reno, the last large swath of open space … [Read more...]
Blackguards, Gypsy Cops and Police Poltroons
“The Lord created the world, mankind built the cities and the devil thunk up the small town.” - old saying “How to Get Away With Murder” has morphed from bad network TV to familiar Nevada soap opera. In 2014, I began a never-ending series about the meanderings of the madcap sheriff of Conforte County...er, Tesla County...er, Storey County, Nevada. Last Sunday, The New … [Read more...]
None of the Above Looking Good in 2016
“Never say ‘no.’ If you make a promise, the matter is not fixed. It’s for a future day. It affects only a few people. But if you say ‘no,’ you alienate many people right away.” After 2,000 years, that sage advice still stands. It came in 64 BCE to the legendary Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero from his brother, Quintus, who apparently was a pretty good campaign … [Read more...]
Walk a Mile in Colin Kaepernick’s Cleats
“In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.” - Toni Morrison As kneejerk America derides San Francisco 49er QB Colin Kaepernick, we should remember that he teaches a valuable lesson for Labor Day: Many black people view the world differently than white people. For an Italian-American kid who grew up on the ethnic side of Fresno, Calif., that … [Read more...]
Bad Words, Overcooked Clichés and Foul Balls
Adam Laxalt, Nevada’s accidental attorney general, apparently harbors deep-rooted problems dealing with male hormonal appendages. What else may one infer from his annoying habit of cooking leftover clichés with borrowed bromides while deep-frying testicles? At last weekend’s annual warmonger cholesterol fest in the bowels of Douglas County, aghast reporters were again … [Read more...]
Ghost Rider: None of the Above Haunts Nevada
Nevada’s old fickle friend None of the Above may make a surprising comeback this fall. Those wanting to vote for a female presidential candidate will have only one possibility. Last week, Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, R, ruled that the petition to place Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein on the November ballot fell 647 registered voters short of the 5,431 … [Read more...]