R 2015 02 05 by News & Review

Letters............................ 3 Opinion/Streetalk............ 5 Sheila.Leslie.................... 6 Brendan.Trainor.............. 7 News.............................. 8 Green............................ 11 Feature......................... 12 Arts&Culture................ 16 Art.of.the.State............. 19

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Played out

See let Freedom Ring, page 7.

All the

Pretty horses See Green, page 11.

Stage DElight See arts&Culture, page 16.

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A pox on the anti-vaxxers

Good question

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. What a weird winter. I’m quite appreciative of the warmer weather that has accompanied this damnable drought. But what’s strange about that is since it’s warmer, I’d kind of expect there would be fewer colds and flus going around, but I’ve had the flu more than I’ve ever had it, that I can recall, anyway. I mean, it’s been years since I had a major flu episode but this year, I’ve had it twice. And I did get my flu shot. That speaks more to the fallibility of the people who are putting the fewest strains in the shot to keep costs down than it does to the efficacy of vaccines. Let’s just say, I hope it won’t be long until there’s a universal flu shot. I’ve mentioned it in here before, but I’m a big believer in vaccines. In fact, I think these anti-vaxxers are the modern day equivalents to the flat Earthers. Personally, I think parents who choose not to vaccinate their children should be held civilly responsible when their diseaseridden carriers infect a child too young to get the vaccines. The civil litigation would allow the people whose religions forbid use of modern medicine to practice their faith, but would allow the rest of us some respite from the superstitious and ignorant antivaxxers who brought the killing blights of measles and whooping cough back among us more reality-based people. The inevitable person will be right there to say, “Realitybased? Don’t you know colds and flus are caused by viruses, not the temperature?” Au contraire, mon frere, the newest science suggests there are many factors to be considered, and that bit that your mom always told you, “Wear a hat,” has turned out to be true, as a lower temperature, around 91.4 Fahrenheit, in your nasal cavities is the trigger to get the virus—which lives in there at all times—to start reproducing. That, to me, also validates some of the seemingly irrational behaviors that other cultures do to prevent illness, like sweat lodges and swimming in hot springs when the snow is flying. Don’t take my word. Since it’s on the internet, http://huff. to/1xOQAv5, it must be true.

Re “Small government is good medicine” (Let Freedom Ring, Jan. 29): I cannot let this Libertarian nonsense go unanswered. There are several things the government does much better than the private sector, and education and health care are among them. The best education systems in the world are government run and financed (Finland, Japan, etc.). The U.S. used to be among them (if not the best), before the conservative war on anything public began. The best health-care systems in the world (in terms of outcomes as well as cost) are government run and financed (France, Italy, etc.). Yes, we need free enterprise, but some things don’t work very well when they’re privatized. For example: fire departments, police departments, prisons, schools and hospitals. This is simply because the profit motive distorts the functioning of these critical institutions. If Libertarians had their way, we would have a school system that’s just as inexpensive and efficient as our privatized health care system. By the way, why does the size of the federal government, as well as the budget deficit, only go down under Democratic presidents? John McTigue Sparks

That’s crazy talk Re “That’s just crazy” (Letters to the Editor, Jan. 29): I’m sorry, good sir, but here we’ll just have to agree to disagree. The definition of insane is: In a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill. Now based on that definition there’s no to way attribute the attacks in Paris to insanity. After these guys were radicalized, they blended into French society and waited for the French authorities to stop surveilling them, which would have been impossible had their state of mind “prevented them from normal perception, behavior, or social interaction.” As for the psychopaths and sociopaths, they fall under the umbrella of antisocial personality disorder, and

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any legal scholar would tell you that doesn’t imply insanity. Otherwise every serial killer in our history would have gotten off on an insanity plea. I get where you’re coming from though, their actions were so far from civilized social norms that they seem insane, but that’s an ethnocentric point of view. Real insanity implies losing one’s grip on reality. Radical jihadists haven’t lost their grip on reality. They’re just obsessed with creating a new reality in which we must all submit to. It’s an important distinction to make. David Flynt Reno Editor’s note: Wait! Does agreeing to disagree mean I’m not supposed to continue the argument? In that case, let’s just agree that I’m right. It’s insane to kill somebody in the name of religion or nationalism or to teach them that it’s wrong to kill. In fact, almost anyone who is contemplating killing someone for any reason but self-defense has a likely mental imbalance, since it’s not our natural state to kill other humans, and often, people discover this after the fact. For example, law enforcement officers who kill in the line of duty often suffer emotional repercussions.

Education reform Re “Small government is good medicine” (Let Freedom Ring, Jan. 29): One thing government does a damned fine job of is throwing money at education. If one would actually take a look at some models that work, and fund them, instead of “here’s some spare cash ... go crazy,” we might actually educate some kids so they could get jobs which are going to out-of-state (and out-of-country) workers. Technical/vocational skills are in demand, so what do we teach? Just take a look around at how many “college-educated” people are working burger-flipping, dead-end jobs. One thing Obama brought up was funding technical education based on a model from the state of Tennessee (an actual working model). I want to see a separate technical college system in this state. Academics teach “academics,” know nothing about technical/ vocational education, and, by chance,

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if there is one of “the dirty fingernail bunch” among them, will quickly dismiss their ideas as being too expensive and unworkable (while funding all kinds of pie-in-the-sky projects). Let’s push for funding something needed, with a proven track record. CL Dickinson Sparks

Burned by bans I am sick of these stupid ads about whether I am allowed to heat my house or just freeze to death because of the supposed effect on air quality. Are we still up in the air as to whether automobiles idling unnecessarily at every stoplight in Washoe County for 30-45 seconds, regardless of whether there is cross traffic or not, has any effect on the air quality? Do the City Council and County Commission have color-coded guidelines for how to annoy motorists at traffic lights by synchronizing them to make us stop at every light and waste gallons of gas and countless minutes of our lives for no reason? It seems like every day I hit at least 10 lights that go red and make me sit there when the entire intersection is empty, and there are no cars for several blocks. Minutes later, a car comes from the other direction, and the light facing him goes red. This is the real reason for the smog in our city. But once again, the working people get the blame when our government fails to solve a problem. Gary Gould Reno

No Woody for me Re “The Future of Shopping Hell” (Feature story, Dec. 8): After reading the article regarding Amazon hiring that incestuous child-molesting pig Woody Allen, I immediately contacted Amazon and canceled my account with them. Seriously, he married one of his daughters and molested another one. I just don’t understand. Is Amazon stupid, or do they just don’t care? Cecelia Soper Reno

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Virus marketing A little personal background: I am male, pushing 78 years old, and am (was) in reasonably good health until my recent encounter with a state-run institution. About two weeks ago I went to the Nevada DMV facility in order to apply for my new classic vehicle plates and registration for my 1990 Dodge 4X4. Usually I shy away from going to that facility for obvious reasons, but this was a special trip. It’s great that some very bright person dreamed up the new procedure at the facility wherein they take your cell phone number and advise you periodically regarding your potential wait and place in line. This procedure allows one to actually leave the premises and simply await prompts on the phone, IPad or other such device. However, in my case I was dropped off by a friend and had no immediate access to personal transportation. My stay was perhaps near two hours so I busied myself with mostly small talk with a few other captives present. Since I detest large crowds I occasionally escaped to the outside or a breath of fresh air. I scanned the crowd of hundreds of other prisoners jammed into the confining space and noted humanoids from all over the near and far worlds and continents. Some were personally pleasant and some smelled of an old dying goat lost in the desert. I finally arrive home near the end of the day and after proudly my other half my new plates, I remarked, “If you are ever looking for a great and potentially disabling virus just visit the DMV.” She nodded her usual disinterest. Presently I am recovering from what was initially diagnosed by my doctor as a bronchial infection to a worthy case of pneumonia. Since I have had more free time lately, I called several of my close friends to chat, only to find that two of them who are near my age category have contracted the same maladies that I am beset with. Lo and behold, both of them had visited the DMV in the last three weeks. Dan Archuleta Sparks

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February 5, 2015

by Dennis Myers

ThiS ModeRn WoRld

by tom tomorrow

Is winter over? Asked at Great Basin Brewing Co., 846 Victorian Ave., Sparks Cy Madrone Architectural engineer

Coming from a place that supposedly has no weather, as in Santa Barbara, the seasons can be subtle. I believe that winter is not over per se. … I live here a hundred days a year, and I come in all seasons. I could never make that assumption, having driven the mountain passes many times. Nature has some surprises in store for us.

Ronnie Ayres Salesperson

Winter never started. I’ve just been enjoying this non-season. It’s pretty amazing.

Tonya Schlattman Business services representative

Grounded

No way. Just as the East Coast was hit so hard, I think we will be, too, eventually.

blogs, message boards, videos, what have you—and A few weeks ago, after the statue of Last Chance Joe making, if not always a living, at least supplementary was moved from in front of the Sparks Nugget to the Sparks Heritage Museum, we learned that a young aspir- income. The notion that the rights of such a large swath of citizens across the United States are suspended for ing photographer named Donald Abbott had shot the move with a drone. We contacted him and offered to run the foreseeable future is troubling. Abbott has started a photography business. Why should one of his best tools one of his overhead photos of Joe at his new home. We be stymied in this fashion? ran it in our Dec. 11, 2014, edition. “As with many new technologies that are unchecked Here’s something that none of our readers likely and untried, our society can have a reflexive compulsion knew at the time. It was legal for Mr. Abbott to take to reach for a straitjacket before letting them loose,” the photo we published. It would have been illegal for the Columbia Journalism Review recently observed. anyone employed by this newspaper to do so. “Bind it until we understand it. That’s In a peculiarity of evolving Civilian drones what we are doing now with civilian federal law, the Federal Aviation drones. And what’s particularly Administration has decreed that can be used for a odd is that the Federal Aviation anyone can fly civilian drones at low Administration is, at the moment, the levels unless they are doing it for a pep rally but not government agency that has turned profit purpose. Thus, as long as they to earn a profit. itself into the arbiter of whether follow regulations, individuals on a journalists should be allowed to use lark can do it, but businesses cannot. drones in their reporting. In other words, an agency What is likely to be a very useful information gathering whose expertise lies in aeronautics and cockpit procetool is being grounded by an issue—profit—that should dures is now the central player in an issue that ought to not be a concern. be about the first amendment. Something’s not right.” We get that this is a consequence of the pace of There are no doubt going to be legitimate grounds modern technology, and of the difficulty of keeping for regulating civilian drone use, but they should have up. In the early years of the internet, Congress avoided something to do with relevant concerns such as safety, legislating in the field because its members—like the not whether the use to which the drones are being put is rest of the nation—didn’t know enough. That was a profitable. laudable caution. We hope the members of the Nevada congressional Nevertheless, it is disconcerting to have First delegation are paying attention to this issue, because Amendment rights being determined by in the halls could well be in their laps sooner or later. Ω of an air service agency. Media is no longer just newspapers and broadcasting. Hundreds of thousands of people are now operating their own online newsletters, OPINION

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Kelly Stoll Restaurant server

Is it over? Did if ever start in the first place? I’d like it to be over. I’m ready for spring.

Matt Forbes Welder

Well, I hope not. I definitely hope we’re going to see some more weather here. I mean, we’ve been in drought for the last three years or so. Tahoe water’s already below the rim. I think we’re in bad shape right now.

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Be loud, be proud, be informed Progressives arrived at the campus of Nevada State College by the carload on a recent Saturday to attend the first Progressive Summit, organized by ProgressNow Nevada Action (PNNA). They left at the end of the day inspired by the promise of collective activism and buoyed by new knowledge on key by issues. Sheila Leslie When I moved to Northern Nevada after college in 1977, there was little organized activism except for remnants of the anti-war movement, refocusing its efforts on U.S. intervention in Central America. In the early ’80s, Citizen Alert took the lead, rallying Nevadans against the MX missile system and the nuclear waste dump. The Women’s Political Caucus was also active, demanding that women be more fairly represented in politics, including policy-making roles in political parties. Women played prominent roles in organizing activism in Nevada, with heroines such as Maya Miller, Susan Orr, Katherine Hale, Judy Treichel, Abby Johnson and Jo Anne Garrett revered to this day. There were a

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handful of politicians who supported them, often behind the scenes, with money, critical information, and welcome advice. It’s hard to fathom today the determination and grit women needed to be in political leadership at that time, even in progressive circles. Women like Barbara Bennett, Sue Smith, Bernice Martin Mathews, Jan Evans, Jean Ford, Nancy Gomes, Sue Wagner and Frankie Sue Del Papa demonstrated the kind of courageous leadership that has inspired many a Nevadan to follow in their political footsteps. January’s Progressive Summit was led by a young woman, Annette Magnus, who emulates the same spirit and energy as those pioneering political women. From the opening remarks by U.S. Rep. Dina Titus to the closing speaker, state Sen. Pat Spearman who preached to the progressive choir, people were encouraged to shake off the post-election doldrums, and get informed and prepared to advocate more than ever for the progressive agenda.

Training sessions focused on topics close to a liberal’s heart—preventing gun violence, protecting public lands, supporting the Fight for $15 and income fairness. They learned about working with the media, organizing for social justice, and using effective messaging to talk about Voter ID to help their neighbors understand the inherent unfairness of making it harder to vote. As the keynote speaker at the summit, I engaged in a dialogue with the crowd about effective advocacy during the upcoming legislative session. Most already knew the basics: reach out to your assemblymember and senator to express your opinion, show up for key hearings whenever possible, and use social media strategically. Progressives are best at person-to-person advocacy with neighbors, friends and family. The Nevada Legislature’s website at www.leg.state. nv.us offers easy access to everything a citizen needs to stay informed and current with developments. Jon Ralston’s remarks on the November elections, “You lost; get

over it,” were hard for some to hear. He advised the crowd that there are two ways to influence legislators—make cogent arguments about the issues or scare them by organizing in their districts and motivating constituents. Ralston’s comments aligned perfectly with the goals of the Progress Now national network to promote strong media relations, build a unified statewide grassroots network, support progressive allies, and be prepared with a rapid response message offering a competing viewpoint to balance the conservative bludgeon. But all the information and training in the world does no good if progressives sit at home complaining to each other as many did during the last election. There are lots of excuses for apathy, but they seem pitiful in comparison with the struggles of fast food workers demanding an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. As the 2015 Legislature convenes this week, get up off the couch and let your voice be heard. Ω

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Just cut taxes, everything will be better The Patriots may have won Super Bowl XILX, but by far, the biggest loser is not the Seahawks, but the host city, Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. Jerry Weiers, Glendale’s mayor, said in the weeks leading up to the game that he didn’t think Glendale by Brendan would make money on the deal. Trainor And, judging by history, he will likely be proven correct. The data shows that Super Bowls are money losers for their hosts. Sure, they bring in enormous numbers of tourists, but that usually just crowds out other tourism. In order to get the major event, cities grant numerous tax concessions. Glendale hosted Super Bowl in 2008, and Mayor Weiers and Phoenix Cardinal owner Michael Bidwill had a heated public exchange. Weiers complained Glendale lost a million dollars on the event, and Bidwill accused the city of not doing enough to make the NFL happy!

Super Bowls and Olympic Games consistently lose money for their hosts. And professional sports teams get sweetheart deals to build new sports stadiums. The St. Louis Rams are threatening to move back to Los Angeles, and St. Louis taxpayers will no doubt pay through their gold and blue noses to keep them. This game of musical franchises occurs whenever a billionaire owner decides he wants more of what another billionaire owner has on the taxpayer’s dime. Unfortunately, there are usually enough politicians ready to oblige him. The states are in competition with each other to bring in businesses. Their general business climate may not be the most favorable. They try to land the big corporate fish with lures of tax breaks and other special concessions. But that leaves their legacy businesses and taxpayers high and dry. Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers led an effort to stop the construction of a new soccer stadium in downtown Las Vegas

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The anti-crony capitalism model is the Texas model—lower the tax rates and regulatory burdens for everyone, and companies will move in on their own dime. North Carolina is another good example. New York State is trying to revitalize its depressed upstate economy by offering tax breaks. You’ve no doubt seen the TV ads. But what happens when the tax credits run out? Corporations—even Tesla—could pull up stakes and leave the local conditions as bad as when they arrived. North Carolina has simply created a low tax, small regulation overall business environment. The result is that businesses are fleeing the “New New York” for the booming Tar Heel state just as Texas is hauling in a business bounty from Californians desperate to escape that PC mess. This is the correct model for Nevada—low taxes, more freedom resulting in economic growth for everyone. Ω

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last summer unless it was privately funded. The Beers insurgents narrowly lost in the end last December, and Las Vegas is on the hook for about a third of the construction costs. But their tough opposition meant the city’s liability was at least decreased. When Gov. Brian Sandoval successfully got Tesla to locate its battery factory in Northern Nevada, it helped offset the tax concessions by reducing the Motion Picture Tax Credit it had recently granted for filming in our scenic state. There are some Las Vegas legislators who would like to see it restored. Our new Tesla agreement at least involves the creation of a factory with jobs attached in Reno. The motion picture tax credit does not obligate any significant infrastructure investments by the Hollywood moguls in Nevada. Many states are eliminating or reducing their motion picture tax incentives, and Nevada should join them.

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That old New Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval’s message to the legislature: “We all want to tell our grandchildren that we were the architects of the New Nevada—that we were here when Nevada needed us most.” Assembly Democratic floor leader Marilyn Kirkpatrick: “The people that don’t think voting affects their life, and the people that live every single day with economic anxiety, those are the people who can’t be left behind in the New Nevada.” Before anyone gets too attached to the name the governor is trying to attach to his program, they should know that someone was there before. “New Nevada” is the name Gov. Robert List (1979-1983) gave to his program. “We face a New Nevada,” he said in his January 1979 inaugural address. The shine from the term as it refers to Sandoval’s program could also be a bit tarnished by the fact that besides describing Sandoval’s program, it is the name of his political action committee—the New Nevada PAC, which spent more than a million dollars in last year’s campaign, more than half of it for attack ads on a single Democratic state senate candidate. The New Nevada theme also seems to be at war with Sandoval’s earlier description of his plans, which suggested a return to a previous Nevada, offered in his first message to the legislature after taking office: “I say to you on this day, in the spirit of those who have sworn this oath before me, that when the clock strikes on that 150th anniversary [of statehood [in 2014], Nevada will be Nevada again.” Many observers were mystified by the meaning of the comment.

Abortion language draws accusation The Weekly Standard, edited by William Kristol and Fred Barnes, asserted last week that U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada is facing his “worst nightmare” because of a fundraising letter sent out by a political action committee. The letter, over Reid’s signature, accused Republicans in Congress of “pushing a bill that would have BANNED abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.” From this, Standard writer John McCormack concluded Reid is supporting late-term abortion. The claim swept through conservative and anti-abortion sites like Life News. Reid has usually voted against the late-term procedure, and indeed against most abortion rights measures. In some cases, he voted for such measures because they carried unrelated provisions that he felt had to pass, but he opposes abortion and most of his voting record reflects it. In 1990, Nevadans voted in a landslide to retain a state law providing for legal abortion. McCormack wrote that the mailing was sent out by Reid’s own PAC, which is not true. Senate Majority PAC was started in 2010 by three party consultants—Jim Jordan, Monica Dixon, Jeff Forbes—to try to combat the money unleashed, mostly against Democrats, by Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Originally called Commonsense Ten, the PAC’s name was changed in 2011. Reid’s own political action committee is called Searchlight Leadership Fund.

In an apparent effort to preserve the Republican Party’s deficit among Latinos, Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt has joined a Texas lawsuit against President Obama’s November executive action on immigration. Obama’s actions seek to shield millions of immigrants from deportation and permit them to work.

—Dennis Myers

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Payday Activists form state movement to push for higher pay The 2015 Nevada Legislature does not look like very fertile ground for those hoping to help underpaid workers, by but there are those who are planDennis Myers ning to try, anyway. It was a topic at a progressive “summit” in Henderson last week, Clark County Sen. Richard Segerblom plans to introduce legislation for a $15 minimum wage in the state, and the Nevada Women’s Lobby is particularly concerned about the impact of low wages on women.

“It’s 2015. It’s time for us to do a little better.” Annette Magnus ProgressNow Nevada

Laxalt joins suit

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At a Feb. 3 meeting of the Nevada Women’s Lobby, speaker Annette Magnus (standing) chatted with audience member Nancy Downey. Downey, a University of Nevada, Reno professor, was one of Magnus’s instructors years ago.

At a lunch meeting this week of the Lobby’s Washoe chapter, speaker Annette Magnus of ProgressNow Nevada said, “Income inequality in Nevada is a huge problem. It’s something that we’re facing on many different levels, whether it’s with women, whether it’s workers who are making just at minimum wage

or below minimum wage because they’re offered insurance. We’re seeing people who don’t have retirement. They don’t have pensions. They can’t retire. So this is affecting all different types of folks and all different generations of folks. And frankly, in Nevada and across the country, we can be doing better on this issue. It’s 2015. It’s time for us to do a little better.” She said she’s not letting the new makeup of the Nevada Legislature bother her. Both houses of the legislature went Republican in the November election. “I’m not discouraged,” she said. “I think it’s a huge opportunity for us to get new folks involved, to get new folks involved in the process, meeting them where they are, bringing people into this movement even if we have to go to break rooms at Taco Bells, whatever it needs to be, and really starting to educate folks about how this legislature is going to impact their everyday lives.” More than a tenth of Nevada households—11.5 percent, to be exact—are headed by women

with children. Given the fact that women are paid less than men, that makes those households particularly vulnerable. “Here’s the thing—this should be a nonpartisan issue,” Magnus said when asked if this particular legislature is likely to be responsive to these concerns. “The Women’s Lobby is serious about getting people off government programs and if the legislature is serious about that, too, they need to pay people a living wage. … When we’re not, it disproportionately affects these more vulnerable groups, people who are just trying to get by. Not paying them a living wage, it’s not just hurting women, it’s hurting their families, too.”

Awareness The Lobby’s Cecelia Colling, a former Sparks City Council member who scheduled Magnus as speaker, said she wanted to elevate the visibility of the low wage problem. “I feel like there’s so many individuals now who are working very hard and still living in poverty,” she said. “So I think it’s an equity issue and an issue we

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should all be thinking about.” She said Nevada is a particular area of concern. “I think that Nevada has a lot of people in the service industries who are underpaid, sometimes working two or three jobs, and it doesn’t seem fair.” The prospects for Segerblom’s bill may be uncertain, given the fact that most members of the legislature believe business can do no wrong. But just getting such a bill introduced is encouraging to some, however dim its chances. “It’s not going to stop us,” Magnus said. “We’re still going to try and get that minimum wage increase in Nevada, because we can be doing better. We should be doing better. We see others—you know, places and states, Seattle being one of them—that have just raised their wage to $15 an hour. So we know it’s going to be an uphill battle, but that’s not going to stop us from fighting and continuing this message that we have to make sure that people are making a living wage, a sustainable wage for their families.” Nevada, like some other states, has a higher minimum wage than the federally mandated wage. Voters approved the Nevada wage at $1 above the federal level. But critics say pegging state wages

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“ Nevada has a lot of people in the service industries who are underpaid.” Cecilia Colling nevada Women’s Lobby Magnus said social media is taking a strategic role in this campaign and also drawing in those who have been little involved with politics but highly involved with social media—the young. “We think this is getting young people involved,” she said. “People are going to be moving into these social media platforms— Instagram, Twitter—to get our message out there.” Ω

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As ever, the showdown continues between the Bureau of Land Management and animal advocates concerned with the plight of Nevada’s wild horses. This time, the activists hail from Connecticut, and if a recent BLM meeting in by Georgia Fisher Minden was any indication, they’re not going out quietly. Edita Birnkrant and Nicole Rivard from the nonprofit Friends of Animals flew to Nevada georgiaf@ to attend the Jan. 22 meeting at Carson Valley Inn Casino—a workshop newsreview.c om and public information session about the proposed reduction of federal land for mustangs. The BLM says the controversial and long-running process is ecologically necessary, and opponents say it panders to ranching interests and degrades a living symbol of the West. Birnkrant and Rivard planned to speak that day, but were escorted out by law enforcement. There’s more to the story, of course. Birnkrant held up caution tape as Rivard’s camera rolled, and she unexpectedly grabbed a microphone. Someone cut the audio after she said the bureau is managing wild horses to extinction. “It’s not a public hearing,” said BLM spokeswoman Lisa Ross, though public input was welcome in writing. And while such comments will appear in an environmental impact statement tied to the bureau’s final decision, Ross said, “It’s not a vote.” The comment period lasts until March, and Ross said a public hearing may happen in the coming months. As drafted, the new plan decreases mustangs’ range by around 130,000 acres, and in turn requires roundups to move the horses and burros into holding areas and adoption facilities. Author and attorney Terri Farley began attending such roundups more To see a video of Birnkrant’s protest, than a decade ago. She says she felt welcome, despite the obvious schism visit bit.ly/15zHKUZ. between mustang advocates and BLM officials. Then things changed. For more about the At a 2010 event, “they had federal marshals with guns,” Farley said, “and BLM’s work with wild they told us we had to go in a convoy to watch, and that we had to stay in horses and burros, go our cars unless we were told we had permission to leave them. Every time to blm.gov/nv/st/en/ prog/wh_b.html. we would stop, the federal marshals would get out and just kind of rest their hands on their gun belts.” It’s a policy she likens to the pushback Birnkrant and Rivard encountered in Minden (though she wasn’t there, she said, and doesn’t know the women). “They’ve gone into this hunker-down mentality,” Farley said of the BLM, “so even if they’re not doing anything wrong, it creates the perception that they are.” The bureau’s local horse and burro specialist, John Axtell, said roundup rules changed when an onlooker formally complained about a helicopter flying too near the crowd. Now visitors watch from at least 500 feet away. “We’ve never had any big problems,” he added. “Most people are pretty cooperative, but it just takes one person [to cause a disruption].” Meanwhile, Friends of Animals’ legal team has filed suit and stalled a planned roundup in the Pine Nut Herd Management area until at least midFebruary. The group also opposes the BLM’s use of equine birth control, which comes in dart form and lasts about a year. Birnkrant will return to Nevada soon, she promised, and come ready to protest. “They celebrate the wild horses, but then they’re treated like garbage,” she said, chuckling about all the mustang photography she saw at the Reno airport. “It’s a schizophrenic thing going on here.” Ω OPINION

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Technically, the 2015 legislature didn't begin until Feb. 2, but since a 120-day limit was imposed, the lawmakers have never waited for the actual start. The difference is more than trivial. It says a lot about how politics works. Pandering to the public’s suspicion of the legislature, some lawmakers got a constitutional amendment placed on the ballot in 1998 to limit the length of legislatures. They swore to the public that business could be done in 120 days, though in fact it could not be done well in that time. As soon as the voters approved the change, the legislators started cheating on it

to make it work, beginning budget Cautionary tale hearings two weeks in advance of Stop me if you’ve heard this one. the actual legislature—and usually A candidate runs for governor meeting in special session after the on a no-new-taxes pledge. He wins. 120-day session, too. It was one of In the next four years, the state’s the small, public-be-damned deceits problems are exacerbated by events on which politics thrives. outside and inside Nevada, but the There were other unintended legislature’s ability to deal with consequences, too. The shortthem are stymied by the ened legislatures mean it is far more difficult Nevada’s tax governor’s veto. Two legislatures pass as to deal with broad those problems get system is or conceptual worse, held hostage issues. Instead, “among the most by the governor’s legislatures became mainvertically unfair tax pledge. Then, finally, the tenance affairs. in the nation.” governor runs for In addition, reelection without the lawmakers Price Waterhouse/ repeating that pledge. became heavily Urban Institute He is reelected, freeing dependent on staffers, him from his anti-tax lobbyists and the goverposture. Four years are lost. nor’s administration. There’s little That was Charles Russell, time for anything else. governor of Nevada, elected in 1950, So in reshaping Nevada’s tax a time when it was apparent that system, the power is going to be less the baby boom was headed right at with the legislators than with those the state’s schools. The troops came who have their ears. home from World War II mostly in

1946. The Nevada birthrate jumped 57 percent in the first five months of 1947. With Russell’s veto threatening, nothing was done at the 1951 or 1953 Legislatures. A state that always had low taxes suddenly could not pay for desperately needed school construction and the cost of educating the largest classes in history. With angry parents demanding tax increases, the 1955 legislature was finally able to get to work on the problem, after Russell won reelection. Brian Sandoval did the same thing. The state struggled uncomfortably during his first term, watching adjoining states leap past Nevada in education. Four years were lost. Finally, he was freed from his 2010 pledge with a 2014 reelection. For decades, legislators, scholars and activists have complained about Nevada’s regressive tax structure. Studies confirmed the unfairness. Now, a major overhaul of the tax system is at hand, with no plans to address unfairness. None. Again. The complaints accelerated

�

he members of the budget committees of the Nevada Legislature filed in to their seats in room 4100 to start scrutinizing the governor’s recommended budget.

“no fair ”

continued on page 14

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→

continued from page 13

� Gov. Brian Sandoval has proposed the latest retooling of Nevada’s chronically unstable tax structure.

after the state sales tax nearly doubled in 1981 and became a major revenue source for state government, giving the state a soak-the-poor revenue base. And after the deficiencies of the 1981 tax shift from property to sales tax reliance was demonstrated, the reaction of most Nevada governors has been to recommend regular quilts of new tax combinations to get the state through the next few years. Patch, patch, patch. Few people tried to solve the problem. Republican Assemblymember Bob Thomas of Carson City did try to get the sales tax extended to services to make it fairer and more stable. Democratic Assemblymember Bob Price stopped any more sales tax hikes on goods in his Taxation Committee—there was growing recognition that Nevada was shifting to a service- rather than a goods-based economy. Services are exempt from the Nevada sales tax. Nevadans’ proportional purchases of goods compared with services have declined by about 30 percent in recent years. As the take from taxing goods declined, the state kept wanting to return to the sales tax well. By increasing sales taxes only on goods, Nevada was getting a growing share of a dwindling tax, making the regressiveness worse, and many interest groups kept going along with it. In the 1990s, organized labor—which had been successful in stopping creation of sales taxes in Nevada in the early 1950s—was partnering with business to pass sales tax increases for infrastructure purposes (in Washoe County, this included lowering the railroad tracks into a trench at the demand of casinos that didn’t want to pay for it). Democratic Assembly Speaker Joe Dini forced fellow Democrat Price out of the Taxation chair to accommodate higher sales taxes on goods. Indeed, the best indication of how tax

14 | RN&R |

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

plan and e-commerce legislation is adopted, Nevada’s tax system will remain highly regressive and incapable of meeting the state’s fiscal needs in the years to come.” Two years ago, Sen. Moises (Mo) Denis talked about how regressive Nevada’s tax system is. He introduced no legislation to change it. (A bill providing for a study of service taxes was introduced in the Senate— no one put his or her name on it, so it got a committee introduction—but it failed to pass.) Since she stepped down as state treasurer last month, Democrat Kate Marshall has been co-authoring a series of seven essays on the state’s fiscal affairs. Of those which have thus far been released, none contain the terms fairness or equity. One mentions the poor, but only in relation to whether school districts should be reconfigured. In fact, some Democrats seem indifferent to the issue, to the point that they are not up to speed on it. When extending the sales tax to services was discussed in 2013, Democratic floor leader Denis asked, “How regressive is this?”

Service tax

When the sales tax is applied to goods, it is normally regressive—that is, it falls more heavily on low income people than those at the top. As a 1988 Urban Institute/Price fairness has disappeared Waterhouse study of Nevada’s tax system from the state’s political radar is the fact noted, “Of the portion of the sales tax that that Democrats have become a part of the is borne by Nevada resident consumers, the problem of Nevada’s tax regressiveness. One distribution is clearly regressive. That is, the Democrat, the late Assemblymember Jan burden increases as family incomes decrease. Evans, warned at her last Legislature in 1999 The fact that there are other regressively that the state faced an ongoing problem of distributed taxes and virtually no progressively “placing high reliance on … sales tax. That distributed levies makes it among the most means durable goods when we know in the vertically unfair in the nation.” economy the real growth is not on durable However, when the sales tax is goods but on services.” Her fellow applied to services, it is normally Democrats did not listen—not, progressive. As John W. at least, in the sense of doing Swain and B.J. Reed wrote “The real anything about it. They never in their book Budgeting for even introduced legislation growth is not on Public Managers, “Sales to force Republicans to would be more cast votes on the record. durable goods taxes progressive and more Democratic Gov. efficient if they were to Richard Bryan (1983but on services.” include services as well 1989) promised to reduce as retail sales; however, Assemblymember Jan Evans the sale tax on goods, but many of those who provide (1986-2000) never tried. services, such as lawyers, Democrat Harry advertising companies, and Mortensen’s website reads, accountants, strongly resist attempts to “Nevada has one of the most regressive broaden the tax base.” tax systems (including fees) in the U.S., meanThe Center on Budget and Policy ing those who can least afford it are those with Priorities: “Public finance economists and the largest tax burden.” But in his 12 years in other tax experts have been urging states the legislature, he never introduced legislation for decades to include more services in the to correct the problem. sales tax base. … Expanding the taxation of In 2010, when Assembly Republican floor services will make the sales tax fairer.” leader Pete Goicoechea of Lander County This is not well understood in Nevada, called for bringing back a sales tax on food, and certainly not by Nevada Democrats and few Democrats even disagreed with him. “I liberals. During the 2013 Nevada Legislature, can’t explain it,” said political analyst Fred when Republican legislator Michael Roberson Lokken. “It seems like a gift from God [for and Democratic legislator Marilyn Kirkpatrick Democrats].” In 2011, a proposed tax plan by Democratic spoke in support of a service tax (that was never introduced as legislation), their legislative leaders was so deaf to equity that progressive proposal was denounced in an Citizens for Tax Justice analyst Richard anonymous essay on a website called Nevada Phillips wrote, “Even if the Democratic Progressive.

To be sure, a service tax can be made regressive. Douglas County Republican Assemblymember Lou Bergevin once drafted a service tax bill that included things like car repairs while excluding stock brokerages. It was almost a contradiction in terms—a regressive service tax. But that is not the normal way of using the device. At the same time, given the Democrats’ lassitude on tax equity, it’s far from certain they would try to stop such a formulation.

Sandoval and studies Last month, Gov. Brian Sandoval released his long awaited tax plan: • A gross receipts tax to raise an estimated $437.5 million and repeal of an annual $200 business license fee. • Slot route operators running 500 or more slots or who are bringing in $10 million or more would be subject to a gross revenue tax, such as is already paid by casinos. • The gross tax already paid by casinos would be extended to other amenities they offer, like food and entertainment. • Increase of the tax on a pack of cigarettes from 80 cents to $1.20. •The mining payroll tax will be increased by 0.83 percent. • Taxes originally enacted temporarily will be made permanent. Sandoval is not recommending any increase in casino taxes and only a small increase on mining corporations. It is, in other words, exactly what the legislature has been cranking out at the request of governors for more than three decades—another patchwork to get the state a little further down the road. There is no call for repeal of earlier, peculiar patches that clog the statutes, other than the $200 fee. In his message to the legislature, Gov. Sandoval never used the term equity or any variant to describe his tax program. He did describe it as “the fairest solution” but did not explain why. His business tax includes a graduated scale, though that would barely move the needle on Nevada’s overall regressiveness. At that, he did better than the Democrats. In the Democratic response to Sandoval’s message, Assemblymember Marilyn Kirkpatrick said workers “deserve good wages and fair treatment, and a tax system that works for them”—but she didn’t propose one, announce one would be introduced, or even spell out how the system could be made fairer. On Dec. 14, the Las Vegas Review-Journal editorialized, “Over the years, the state has seen too many tax studies to count, all of which have been considered by the Nevada Legislature to varying degrees, then thrown into desk drawers and onto top shelves to collect dust.” That’s not the case. The state has had great success with studies it has commissioned. Financing State and Local Government in Nevada, a 1960 study, was very influential, with legislators acting on its recommendations and writing tax laws that governed the state for two decades. The Peabody School Study of 1954, the Lybrand Report in 1966 and other reports have been

very helpful to the state (though legislators rejected most Lybrand recommendations). It is when the state did not study problems in advance, or rejected study recommendations, that the state really got in trouble. This was emphatically true in 1981, when a governor—Robert List—proposed fundamental tax changes in 1981 without an independent study of the problem first, just as Sandoval is doing. Four state budget crises—one each decade—have resulted from that single 1981 change in tax law. List proposed a near-doubling of the state sales tax and a shift away from reliance on the property tax, a change many Democrats supported (“It happens,” RN&R, May 23, 2013). The 1960 study had recommended against ever relying any more heavily on the sales tax, which was then 2 percent. This was partly because it is regressive—it has been made somewhat less regressive by being removed from food and other items like prosthetic devices—and partly because, the report said, the sales tax is what it called a “sucker” tax. In other words, the rate of collection is so gradual that taxpayers have no idea how heavily they are being taxed. The authors of the report seem not to have realized that this feature of the sales tax made it politically attractive, because they wrote that such a factor “has no place in the formulation of a sound tax program.” The state portion of the sales tax is now 6.85 percent, one of the highest in the nation. The Review-Journal was really referencing one tax study that was never used. In 1988, the legislature commissioned a study of Nevada taxation from Price Waterhouse and the Urban Institute. It was delivered after that year’s election. It was, and is, an excellent study, telling legislators many things they did not want to hear but badly needed to know. But it made the mistake of telling the legislators the state had some time to deal with its problems. Given a choice between now and later, the 1989 legislature chose to do nothing. Turnover and lack of institutional memory meant that later legislators did not think to take up the task.

Surprise

Last year, the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce commissioned the Tax Foundation in D.C. to study the Nevada tax system. The Foundation is a very conservative organization funded by sources like ExxonMobil and the Kochs. On Dec. 8, more than a month before the governor presented his tax plan, the Tax Foundation report was released. It contained recommendations no one expected. With Nevada’s governor and legislators poised to raise taxes for education, the Foundation urged they do no such thing. In direct contrast with Sandoval’s new patchwork, the Foundation called for the state to first put its tax structure in order—the same comprehensive task the lawmakers and governors had been avoiding for decades. The state needs to broaden its tax base and clean up its odd tax statutes, the Foundation said. “Nevada should consider fixing what is broken with the current tax system instead of pursuing a brand-new tax to layer on top of the narrowly based, complex existing taxes,” the report read. The biggest surprise, however, was that it recommended that when the time came for rebuilding the tax structure, the sales tax should be extended to services. “As services grow to be an ever larger share of the economy, the sales tax becomes increasingly volatile and inadequate as it applies primarily to goods,” reads the report, which also calls for reducing the sales tax on goods. It further noted, “Service industries make up 82.6 percent of the state’s private sector economy, while goods production is only 17.4 percent.” The report was also useful for bringing a set of fresh outside eyes to years of piling crazy quilts on top of each other, giving the state a tax system like no other. It’s easy to imagine the analysts showing each other features they’d never seen before. “A number of elements of the tax system exist only in Nevada, and those in particular should be scrutinized,” they wrote. Another example was in scrutiny of the state’s live entertainment tax (LET),

�

which has received considerable attention recently. The fingerprints of lobbyists are all over the LET law. The Foundation called it “complicated and arbitrary ... riddled with exemptions.” There are eight instances of live entertainment, such as live music in lounges, that are legally excluded from the definition of live entertainment. There are 14 exemptions of various types, such as outdoor concerts, minor league baseball teams, and live casino entertainment provided in closed meetings or conventions. The LET is also regressive, which seemed to take the analysts by surprise, and they called for eliminating the LET and bringing live entertainment and its accompaniments under the sales tax: “Unusually, the current tax falls more heavily on modestly sized venues than large ones, a regressive feature that would be eliminated with inclusion in the sales tax base. All food, beverages and merchandise sold at events that charge admission should also only be subject to the sales tax.” In the weeks ahead, as legislators work, Nevadans should beware of the term “reform.” It suggests improvement, a value judgment. One person’s reform is another’s burden. Journalists almost inevitably label as “reform” proposals that may only be change, in effect taking sides. In some cases, “reform” is applied to plans whose details have not even been released—KSNV News: “Democrats call for broad-based tax reform;” Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Roberson: State Senate will tackle tax reform.” While it’s true that any change is technically a reform, the first term is neutral while the second is loaded. The politicians who can get reporters to define their plans as reform are halfway home. Nevadans may well wonder why one of the state’s biggest and most familiar problems could be ignored so assiduously for decades, like an elephant in the room. In the end, the explanation comes down to a rule of thumb for politicians: Offending the affluent comes with consequences. Offending the working poor does not. Ω

It’s not like no one told legislators by Dennis Myers

→ 1968

The Amount and Source of State Taxes in Nevada by Robert Rieke reported that Nevadans, while taxed less than other states, were also less fairly taxed.

→ 1976

In a Western Kentucky University study commissioned by Oregon Tax Research, Nevada was in the top five of states with regressive tax systems. Oregon’s lack of a sales tax was cited as a major factor in its relatively fair tax burden.

→ 1991

Citizens for Tax Justice released a list of states that taxed the poorest 20 percent at three to five times the rates paid by the richest one percent, plus middle-income families at two to three times the rate applied to the richest families. Nevada led the list. In addition, Nevada was one of seven states that had recently cut taxes on the rich while raising taxes on lower income groups. Nevada, Wyoming and Alaska were listed as having the lowest taxes on the rich.

→ 1999

Chico State analyst Robert Morin: Nevada is characterized “by low levels of service provision, consistent under-estimation of revenues, over reliance on two primary sources of revenue (sales and gaming taxes), and the potential for fiscal problems linked to the state’s population growth.”

→ 2002

Neon Metropolis by Hal Rothman “Regressive taxation meant that the state sloughed off responsibility and handed it over to the counties. ... Even in the best of times, government in Nevada is ineffectual and parsimonious, a handmaiden to power. The state’s odd tax structure, simultanously invisible and poerfully regressive, is one of the primary culprits. ... Nevada’s notoriously regressive tax system is likely to stay that way.”

→ 2003

Governing magazine reported that Nevada’s tax system “hits low income residents hardest.”

→ 2009

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reported that Nevada’s tax system is the nation’s eighth most regressive.

→

→ 2011

Census figures indicated the tax rate in Nevada for people making $25,000 is about twice as high as those making $150,000.

For 35 years, legislators have heard complaints about Nevada’s regressive tax system. Deafness was their preferred reaction.

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H e r e ’ s o u r s p r i n g 2 0 15 t H e at e r g u i d e • B Y J E S S I C A S A N T I N A

espite the mild temperatures of late, I realize it isn’t officially spring for a couple months. But before our eyes, Reno has become a theater town, what with new companies popping up and performances taking place nearly every week of the year. This “spring” is marked by an unusually large number of kids’ productions as well as a considerable roster of improv shows and experimental pieces, all demonstrating the increasingly playful tastes of theater-going audiences.

Brave new works: Goodluck Macbeth

Big fish: UNR Department of Theatre and Dance

In his new role as managing director, playwright/actor Christopher Daniels is leading Goodluck Macbeth into a season of original, innovative works. That starts Feb. 6 with The Game Show Show, which, as an improv show developed by Home Slice Productions and The Utility Players, is different with each performance. The parody game show takes a stab at Hollywood Squares and The $10,000 Pyramid, with one matinee kids’ version on Feb. 22. Then in mid-March comes an original piece by Rachel Lopez, director of GLM’s Spotlight Youth Theater. In Our Own Backyard takes us into a school one year after a tragic school shooting, sensitively dealing with how the community negotiates such tragedy. Next, in late March, comes Pyretown, a production by the new Merry War Theatre Group. Pyretown, written by John Belluso, who was confined to a wheelchair his whole life, tells the story of a relationship that forms between two hospitalized characters struggling to negotiate their lives and the health-care system. Running April 10-25, David Ives’ two-person show, Venus in Fur, is about a director casting for a role who meets his match when a woman who is completely wrong for the role comes in to audition. Shiner, a work developed for the LA Fringe Festival by Christian Durso, makes its Reno premiere May 8-30, telling the story of an unlikely friendship formed between two teens in the early ’90s, in the weeks leading up to Kurt Cobain’s suicide. GLM’s Artown show, Last Fall at the Old Southwest, explores the life of a gay bar over 40 years of LGBT history, as seen by two people finding their identities and places in the world. Tickets and info: goodluckmacbeth.org

With its newly remodeled proscenium theater, the University of Nevada, Reno’s theater department is staging a coup by landing an artists’ residency with the Upright Citizens Brigade, the improvisational and sketch comedy troupe made famous by cofounder Amy Poehler. With references to the Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual, guest artists from UCB will work with students to strengthen their improv chops, then put on a show on Feb. 27 and 28, which will open for a UCB players’ performance. In early April comes Superior Donuts, written by Tracy Letts—the story of a draft dodger who steps in to run his parents’ doughnut shop. It picks up where its famed predecessor, August: Osage County, left off. The Spring Dance Concert, April 30-May 3, features another huge get for its Artist in Residency: Andrea Miller, 2014 Guggenheim Fellow and artistic director of the Gallim Dance company, who will choreograph a piece for students that will open for a full performance by Gallim. Tickets and info: unr.edu/cla/theatredance

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FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Full-time family fun: Reno Little Theater Nevada’s oldest theater company is thriving. It now employs three full-time staff members, as well as an impressively full roster of productions this spring, starting with When the Rain Stops Falling, running through Feb. 15. This epic family drama spans the globe and the century through four generations. Matthew Barber’s stage adaptation of Enchanted April takes the stage April 10-26. Barber himself will work with RLT players to

present this story of bored English housewives in the 1920s renting a villa in the Italian countryside. Then, May 29-June 14, we go to Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris. Set in the same universe as A Raisin in the Sun, this drama focuses on several generations of a family as they experience the re-gentrification of their neighborhood. In response to requests for more familyoriented programming, RLT presents the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, July 9-Aug. 2. As part of its experimental Off-Off Wells series, on Feb. 19 and 20, RLT presents local playwright Kristen Davis-Coelho’s Lauren Leaping, followed the next weekend by the West Coast premiere of Demon Bitch Goddess, and, finally, Any Given Monday on May 7-10. RLT also has formed relationships with two local companies: The Jester’s League improv troupe and Ageless Repertory Theater, a readers’ theater production company, both set to perform monthly. Tickets and info: renolittletheater.org

Kids’ stuff: TheatreWorks of Northern Nevada TWNN is bringing a beloved children’s book to life March 13-22 in Miss Nelson is Missing, a comedic play about a too-nice teacher who tires of being a pushover and leaves her students with a scary substitute. Following that, TWNN’s youth theater company will present Us and Them, May 8-10, about two groups of wanderers looking for a place to settle and divided by a growing wall. In July, TWNN once again joins Artown’s Family Series with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Tickets and info: twnn.org

Wild and wondrous: Brüka Theatre Blustering into town Feb. 20 is Wild Oats, a wild Western farce about mistaken identity that will turn the main stage into a saloon playing host to cowhands, an Irish Indian, villains and a dancing bear. This play replaces the originally scheduled Bandido!. In early March, Brüka’s Theatre for Children program offers up Wishing, a Grimm’s Household Tale of Mother Hulda that explores the repercussions of kindness offered up without pure intentions. The production will be done in buffoon style, utilizing bigger, clownish acting and costumes.

On April 3 begins a “two-fer” of plays by David Lindsay Abaire, starting with Wonder of the World, about a woman going through a journey of self-actualization to see the wonders of the world. That wraps up at the end of April, making way for Good People, a comedy about an unemployed woman who decides to follow an unexpected path. Running mid-June through Aug. 1 is The Full Monty, the musical about unemployed steelworkers determined to stage a better strip show than Chippendales’. Other beloved favorites will return, including the Artist in the House residency program, the triumphant return of the Dumass family in the Late Night TV Show series, and a summer camp for kids. Tickets and info: bruka.org

How to save a buck: TMCC Performing Arts How do you save money staging a Broadway show? According to Mel Brooks’ Tony Awardwinning The Producers, make it a sure-fire flop. TMCC students bring this musical to the stage April 3-19, with choreography by local musician Mig O’Hara. Also watch for TMCC’s free Spring Choral Concert, on May 13. Tickets and information: tmcc.edu/vparts/

Silver anniversary: Western Nevada Musical Theatre Company WNMTC will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2015 with a Broadway blockbuster, The Music Man, May 8-17. It’s the classic story of fast-talking traveling band-instrument salesman Harold Hill, who has a history of ripping off every town he visits until he meets the town librarian and vows to change his ways. Tickets and info: wnmtc.com

Comedy that kills: Proscenium Players, Inc. Nevada’s second-oldest theater company has a wicked lineup this spring, starting with Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues on Feb. 13 and 14. Also running in February is PPI’s annual murder mystery dinner theater at the Gold Dust West Casino in Carson City. In Polter-heist, the audience will meet the proprietors of a lodge who hire a ghost and a medium to stir up business.

Photo/Eric Marks

FILMS AT #NEVADAART PRESENTS Third Coast Dance Film Festival Thursday February 12 / 6 – 7:30 pm A 90-minute program celebrating the intersection of contemporary dance and the moving image with a screening series of short dance ﬁlms. $7 / $5 Museum Members

Film programs at the Nevada Museum of Art are generously supported by the Mary Bremer Foundation. Media Sponsorship by Reno News & Review.

Donald W. Reynolds Center for the Visual Arts | E. L. Wiegand Gallery 160 West Liberty Street in downtown Reno | 775.329.3333 | nevadaart.org

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The Utility Players rehearse for their upcoming production of The Game Show Show at Goodluck Macbeth.

Murder returns April 11-18, this time at the Brewery Arts Center, with Murder in an English Manor, an original play by one of PPI’s own members. In July, PPI presents its own improv show, followed by the Senior Follies, a variety show performed entirely by seniors to raise funds for the Carson City Senior Center and Meals on Wheels. Also in July, look for a series of as-yetto-be-determined one-acts at the BAC. Tickets and info: prosceniumplayers.org.

version of the original Disney show, featuring the same beloved tunes. Following that, in early June, comes an extravagant production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr., at the Carson City Community Center. It should be WHCT’s biggest show ever, with all the magic kids love, complete with an enchanted rose, dancing candles and cups and a disappearing beast. Tickets and info: wildhorsetheater.com. Ω

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Started about 10 years ago, the resident theater company of the Brewery Arts Center brings its first show of the year to the stage March 13-22. Disney’s 101 Dalmations Kids is a pared-down

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CLICKETS KNITTING GROUP

ADULT SOFTBALL Head to the ballpark this spring and take part in the City of Sparks Spring Adult Softball program! Leagues are available for men and women age 18 and older. There are opportunities for beginners on up to tournament players and seniors. The comprehensive program is one of the largest per capita softball programs in the country offering the following leagues: Men’s 1-night per week (10 games), cost: $575; Women’s (10 games), cost: $575; Coed (10 games), cost: $575; Senior Softball 50+, 60+, 65+, 70+, 75+ and Women’s 50+, cost: $400. April through June at Golden Eagle Regional Park and Shadow Mountain sports complexes. Register by 2/21 at the Alf Sorensen Community Center, 1400 Baring Blvd., Mon-Thu, 7AM-7PM. and Noon6PM on Sat. Info: (775) 353-2385 or email sportsinfo@ cityofsparks.us

CROCHET CONNECTION Learn to crochet or share tips with other crochet enthusiasts. Th, 4-5:45PM, free. Spanish Springs Library, 7100A Pyramid Lake Highway. (775) 424-1800

FOUR SEASONS BOOK CLUB The book club meets the first Saturday of each month. Call to find out each month’s book title. First Sa of every month, 1-2PM, free. Sparks Library, 1125 12th St. (775) 352-3200

CONVERSATION CAFE The drop-in conversation program meets on the first Saturday of each month, 2-4PM, free. Sparks Library, 1125 12th St. (775) 352-3200

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February 5, 2015

This class is for knitters of all ages and levels. Yarn and needles are available. First and Third Su of every month, 1:30-3PM, free. Spanish Springs Library, 7100A Pyramid Lake Highway, Spanish Springs (775) 424-1800

BIKINI BULL RIDING DJ and Bikini Bull Riding Competition. Su, 5 & 9PM through 12/28, no cover. John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave. (775) 356-3300

PERFORMANCE AND MUSIC MIDNIGHT RIDERS Th, 2/5, 8PM, F, 2/5, 8PM and Sa, 2/7, 8PM, no cover. JA Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, (775) 356-3300

TODD SNIDER Sa, 2/7, 8PM, $39. JA Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, (775) 356-3300

WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT’S HONOR BAND CONCERT W, 2/11, 6:30PM, $5. JA Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, (775) 356-3300

BREW HAHA Sierra Arts Foundation holds its annual brew-tasting event and fundraiser. F, 2/13, 8PM, $50 general, $60 VIP. JA Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave. (775) 356-3300

HYPNOTIZE YOUR VALENTINE COMEDY HYPNOSIS Chris Cady’s Hypnotize Your Valentine Comedy Hypnosis Show. The hailarious comedy hypnosis show is an adults-

only, outraegous, “naughty” comedy hypnosis show! Sa, 2/14,8PM,$15. JA Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, (775)3563300

cover. John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave. (775) 356-3300

DANWISE AND FRIENDS

This is a singer-songwriter showcase. Come down to Paddy’s and bring your acoustic instruments. Sign-ups are at 7:30PM and music begins at 8PM. Drink Specials all night! Th, 8PM, no cover. Paddy & Irene’s Irish Pub, 906-A Victorian Ave. (775) 358-5484

A free monthly comedy show featuring local talent. The event is BYOB and limited beer will be provided free. Third Th of every month, 8PM, starting 1/15. Free. The Generator, Inc., 1240 Icehouse Ave.

LIVE MUSIC Sa, 9PM and Su, 3PM, no cover. CBQ, 1330 Scheels Dr. (775) 359-1109

LINE DANCING LESSONS Line dancing lessons from the Gilley’s Girls from 6PM-8PM. Enjoy DJ Trey from 6PM-mid. W, 6PM through 12/31. No cover. JA Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave. (775) 356-3300

DJ RAZZ Come dance the night away to DJ RAZZ! You can even karaoke if you like. Ladies Night every Friday night. Drink Specials all night. F, 9PM. Paddy & Irene’s Irish Pub, 906-A Victorian Ave. (775) 358-5484

LOCALS NIGHT Locals Night, DJ. M, 5PM through 12/29, no cover. John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave. (775) 356-3300

CLASSIC ROCK NIGHT Classic rock night with DJ. Tu, 5PM through 12/30, no cover. John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave. (775) 356-3300

LADIES NIGHT & TOUGHEST COWBOY Ladies Night w/live music and Toughest Cowboy Competition. DJ breaks until midnight. W, 7 & 9PM through 12/31, no

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LIVE MUSIC & LATE NIGHT DJ Live music with late-night DJ. F, 5PM-2AM & 7-11PM through 12/26, no cover. John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave. (775) 356-3300

LIVE MUSIC & LATE NIGHT DJ Live music with late-night DJ. Sa, 5PM-2AM & 7PM-midnight through 12/27, no cover. John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave. (775) 356-3300

KARAOKE KARAOKE WITH BOBBY DEE Tu, 8PM, no cover. Morelli’s G Street Saloon, 2285 G St. (775) 355-8281

KARAOKE Th-Sa, 9PM, no cover. Bottom’s Up Saloon, 1923 Prater Way (775) 359-3677

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Politics as unusual

Artist Jen Graham at the Truckee Meadows Community College feature gallery with work from her series At War With Ourselves.

Jen Graham Jen Graham’s art is punk, in that it values a DIY aesthetic—things that are homemade rather by than factory produced—and it's politically Brad Bynum confrontational. It’s also feminist, in that it presents embroidery, a traditionally marginbradb@ news review.c om alized medium associated with domesticity and women, in a professional gallery setting. But she doesn’t identify herself as either of those things, because if you identify as something like that, then you’re associated with all the other statements made under that banner. Jen Graham’s Her work could also be considered exhibition The Americana, because it explores U.S. history. Blessings of Liberty Her current exhibition at Truckee Meadows is on display at tmCC Community College is cheekily called The through march 25. Blessings of Liberty. It consists primarily of three separate series, My Presidents, a series of presidential portraits, At War with Ourselves, inspired by Civil War photography, and Loudmouths, portraits of TV commentators. Graham studied photography at the University of Nevada, Reno, but as the photography industry moved away toward digital printing, she began looking for a new

medium. Her mother had taught her to sew, and she was interested in making quilts and clothes, and she began making small fabric sculptures, all of which eventually led her to embroidery. “The first thing I ever embroidered was John Quincy Adams,” she said recently. Her portrait of the sixth U.S. president includes the epithet “The Failed Idealist.” “He came into the presidency with all these super grand progressive ideas, like public school systems and extensive roads, all these things that 50, 75 years later we totally had, but he was ahead of this time with all these progressive ideas,” she said. “At the time, people were not looking for that kind of thing … and he wasn’t really able to accomplish anything as president.” The series includes portraits of all the past presidents, each with a new sobriquet invented by Graham. “It’s pretty easy to tell which presidents I really despise, like Andrew Jackson,” she said. “He’s pretty much the worst.” She gave him the nickname “The Relentless Bully” based primarily on his

relentless persecution and slaughter of Native Americans. Photography is still her favorite medium as a viewer, and she’s especially interested in photography from the Civil War era. In At War With Ourselves, many of the pieces use Civil War imagery to discuss current issues and events. For example, “Health Care” features an embroidered illustration of three wounded soldiers standing on crutches, accompanied by bold text proclaiming, “health care is a privilege, not a right,” a phrase Graham borrowed from the 2012 Republican Party platform. “I just took that phrase and put it next to an image of wounded soldiers to get people

to think about, ‘What are they trying to say?’” she said. “Is this really something we should believe? Should it be a right? Who says who deserves to afford or get health care? Just to question these things.” The third series, Loudmouths, features embroidered portraits of contemporary TV talking heads, like Donald Trump, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, with their mouths open in angry articulation, seemingly spewing acrylic paint. “They’re not supposed to be realistic depictions,” said Graham. “They’re just supposed to show the grotesqueness of the amount of chatter that’s just constantly spewing from their mouths, poisoning our society.” Although she’s generally hesitant to embrace labels, like feminist or punk, Graham said she is comfortable identifying herself as a political artist. “Art and music—there are all kinds of ways to convey ideas that aren’t just political commercials or essays,” she said. Ω

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The Intergalactic Nemesis: Target Earth A Live-Action Graphic Novel Thursday, March 12, 2015 | 7:30 p.m. | Nightingale Concert Hall The idea: Simple scripts, a couple actors, some crazy noises, 1,200 vintage-cool illustrations. The plot? A Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter, an evil hypnotist, a time-traveling librarian, alien sludge monsters, outrageous overacting, horriﬁc accents, and sounds for EVERYTHING. “... a big-hearted homage to old-time radio drama... melds the retro appeal of radio serials with the cutting-edge cool of the graphic novel.” ~ The Wall Street Journal Tickets: Adult $24/ Senior $20/ Student and youth $12

(775) 784-4ART | Buy tickets online at www.unr.edu/pas OPINION

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For more information, visit www.facebook. com/Renohamdogs.

We were one of three tables served at 7 p.m. on a Sunday night, so quick service wasn’t an issue. We ordered a pair of craft beers to start, a watermelon wheat ($2) and smoked stout ($6). I enjoyed the stout, not so much the watermelon. Think Jolly Rancher left to steep overnight. My wife had a hankerin’ for some old fashioned meatloaf, while I ordered a namesake “Hot Hamdog,” a concoction of ground beef and pork rolled into a small oven-roasted loaf, topped with marinara sauce, cheese, bacon and jalapeños on a hoagie roll. However, I can’t tell you about either dish, as they’d run out of both meatloaf and Hamdogs. No Hamdogs at Hamdogs? On to Plan B. My wife switched to chicken-fried steak with mushroom gravy, garlic cheddar mashed potatoes and a side salad ($12.99). I ordered a mediumrare pastrami bleu burger ($13.49): hamburger patty topped with thin-cut grilled pastrami, bleu cheese and red pepper mayo on a sesame seed bun, with battered onion rings. I couldn’t decide between appetizers, so I ordered two and figured I’d take

leftovers home: Scotch eggs ($7.99): hard boiled eggs wrapped in Italian sausage, breaded, fried and served with mustard sauce, and stuffed mushrooms ($9.99): crab and cream cheese stuffing, beer battered and deep fried. The eggs were hot and relatively tasty, with the sauce likely a mix of mayo and brown mustard. Not bad at all. The mushrooms suffered from their own moisture with zero hint of crab. Anyone who’s worked with 'shrooms should know to pre-cook them before stuffing and frying. White mushrooms may look dry but they hold a lot of moisture, and it didn’t take long for those battered morsels to become a soggy mess on the plate. Gross. My wife’s fried cube steak was well seasoned and tender. The spuds had a ton of garlic—I could smell the plate on its way to our table—yet no discernible cheese. The dish was topped with brown gravy and … raw mushrooms. Raw, sliced mushrooms just tossed on top of the gravy in plain sight. They weren’t undercooked—they were raw. Still, my wife ate and mostly enjoyed it and said maybe the cook is new. Yeah—new to cooking, maybe. Who knowingly serves raw mushrooms on anything other than salad? Which brings us to my burger. The quarter-pound patty was so perfectly flat and round, I have to wonder if it came from a freezer. Cooked well past medium, it was at least pretty well seasoned. A couple of thick slices of room temperature pastrami were laid on top of the patty, and a lump of crumbled cheese finished it. No hint of mayo, red pepper or otherwise. On the side were a pair of mushy tomato slices and an iceberg leaf that looked sat upon. I requested ranch dressing to go with the four onion rings on my plate. One tablespoon of ranch cost 75 cents. But, with the addition of the mustard sauce from the appetizers, the flavors of pastrami and burger were quite good. For dessert, we shared a deep fried tequila shot ($6): cubed angel food cake soaked in tequila and lime, deep fried for seconds, served in a shooter rimmed with salt. It was boozy, sweet, and I’m glad we shared. The place is new, and we guessed someone was in training. Maybe next time I’ll get to find out what a Hamdog tastes like. Ω

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RN&R

Talent wasted

American Sniper

A Most Violent Year While the cast and crew do admirable work in A Most Violent Year, the script and pacing render the movie a near miss rather than the solid outing it could’ve been. Considering the talent on hand, that’s a bit of a shame. The film is a shining example of art direction, and one that boasts a firecracker cast with the likes of Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks by and Jessica Chastain. Set in New York in Bob Grimm 1981, it certainly has the look of early '80s Manhattan—I lived half an hour outside of bgrimm@ newsreview.c om Manhattan at the time, so I know—it’s just not a crack example of storytelling. Writer-director J.C. Chandor (All is Lost) takes a slow-burn look at the life of Abel Morales (Isaac), a fuel company owner trying to grow bigger in the face of lawsuits and constant criminal attacks on his truck drivers. The film opens with one driver (Elyes Gabel)

Man, even this photo is boring.

1 Poor

2 Fair

3 Good

4 Very Good

getting hijacked outside an NYC tollbooth, and he suffers through a vicious beating. His story becomes one of the threads that run throughout the movie. Abel is on the cusp of becoming one of the city’s biggest oil distributors, but some obstacles stand in his way. On top of his trucks getting hijacked en masse, an assistant D.A. (David Oyelowo) has informed him of impending charges that will threaten the life of his company. This puts Abel’s wife, Anna (Chastain), on edge. She’s the one keeping the books, and she claims everything is on the level. Abel’s business associate Andrew (Brooks) also fears for their business future, while advocating that perhaps their drivers should arm themselves against attackers. It all seems to be going somewhere, but never really does. Chandor gives his film the look of an early Coppola production—that toll booth scene echoes Sonny’s execution in The

excellent

22 | RN&R |

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Godfather—but the end results are iffy due to what comes off as a lack of depth and character’s behaving inexplicably. There are moments in the movie that, while dramatically effective in their way, I just can’t buy, and they hurt the overall viewing experience. When Anna puts three slugs in an injured deer, she fails to tell her husband before firing the shots. She just walks up right next to him and fires a gun a few feet away into the injured animal. This sort of thing would give a somebody a heart attack. Yes, Anna is a tough hombre, but this particular action seems farfetched in a movie that’s supposed to be grounded in realism. Yes, a moment like that isn’t enough to derail a picture, but Year happens to have a bunch of those moments. Characters often act in a way that their actions make no sense. And, in the case of Brooks, they are present in the film for no real apparent reason. His Andrew winds up providing very little along the lines of plot development. Much of this movie is Isaac, talking really slowly, while sitting at tables trying to work out details for loans. It gets tedious to the point where it’s not enjoyable. While Isaac is almost never anything but fascinating in any role, even he can’t save the movie from becoming boring. It’s appropriate that a substantial aspect of A Most Violent Year involves the robbing of fuel trucks, because the movie is full of talent that has been robbed in the last few years. Isaac should’ve been Oscar-nominated for his performance in Inside Llewyn Davis, and his Year costar Brooks was unbelievably passed over for his performance in Drive (which also happened to costar Isaac). Oyelowo was perhaps this year’s biggest Oscar snub story in that he failed to garner a nod for his remarkable work as MLK in Selma. Chastain is the only one who has actually gotten some Oscar nods (Zero Dark Thirty and The Help). I’ve watched the film twice, and it simply doesn’t stand up well on a second viewing. Despite how real it looks, and some credible moments and performances, the film ultimately comes up a little dull and implausible. You can do a lot worse than watching the likes of Isaac, Brooks and Chastain performing together, but that doesn’t make A Most Violent Year worth your time. Ω

While Clint Eastwood’s film has plenty of problems, Bradley Cooper rises above the patchy melodrama and overly slick segments with his portrayal of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Kyle holds the American sniper record of 160 confirmed kills, and was killed by a veteran he was trying to mentor on a shooting range. The film works best when depicting Kyle at work in Iraq, constructing some very tense battle scenes and sequences as seen through Kyle’s riflescope. There’s a subplot involving an enemy sniper named Mustafa (Sammy Sheik) that feels like an entirely different movie. For some reason, Eastwood employs a showier style in the scenes involving Mustafa, which feel a bit false and artificial alongside the movie’s grittier moments. Saddled with the film’s worst dialogue, Sienna Miller battles hard in trying to make Kyle’s wife, Taya, an intriguing movie character. Cooper, who physically transformed himself for the role, does an excellent job of conveying the difficulties and stress that Kyle’s job entailed. He’s an actor forever taking risks and challenging himself, and he’s a big reason to see this movie.

Black or White

Kevin Costner plays a widower fighting for the custody of his black granddaughter (Jillian Estell) in this dopey, misguided and frequently offensive movie. Costner gets to be drunk for most of the movie, and it’s unintentionally funny. He and the rest of the cast are forced to play stereotypes in what adds up to a big pile of embarrassing nothing. It sometimes flirts with meaningfulness, but it degenerates into your typical courtroom drama where a bunch of jerks fight for the right to raise a precocious child. The whole thing feels dishonest, even straining for laughter in extremely inappropriate ways. Costner stumbles around, Octavia Spencer shakes her head a lot, and we face palm ourselves for over two hours. By the time the Costner character’s dead wife’s ghost goes for a late night swim, the film has become a complete disaster. It’s surprising to me that anything like this makes it past direct-to-video and actually hits movie screens. The film is as simple-minded as its title.

Cake

Jennifer Aniston personifies seemingly insurmountable emotional and physical pain in Cake. She does such a great job of looking and sounding miserable, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear crew hands were driving nails into her feet out of the camera’s view during takes. The reasons for Claire’s misery are not made clear until well into the film, a wise choice by director Daniel Barnz and screenwriter Patrick Tobin. Not only does it provide the film with a decent mystery, it allows the focus to solely be on Claire in the moment, struggling from second to second with physical back pain and some sort of loss. Aniston somehow manages to make Claire a sympathetic character despite her constant unpleasantness. While we only get glimpses of the Claire that might’ve existed before her back and heart became racked with pain, it’s obvious that Claire was somebody that many people cared for. She’s pushed them away for what is revealed to be solid reasons. The pain of her losses never leaves Aniston’s face, even in the moments when she is smiling. The supporting cast includes Sam Worthington, Adriana Barraza, Anna Kendrick and Felicity Huffman, and they all shine. This is a triumph for Aniston, who delivers a career best performance.

Foxcatcher

Steve Carell disappears into the role of John du Pont, the crazy rich guy who took it upon himself to shoot and kill one of the wrestlers on a team he created. Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo are heartbreakingly good as Mark and David Schultz, two Olympic gold medal-winning siblings who, unfortunately, worked for du Pont when he had his breakdown. Down on his luck and living on ramen noodles, Mark gets a call from du Pont inviting him out to his Foxcatcher farm. Mark finds a sense of purpose working with du Pont, and eventually summons his brother and his family to Foxcatcher. What follows is a descent into insanity for the attention-starved du Pont, who lives under the chastising eye of his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) and is obsessed with controlling others. The madness eventually ended with the death of one of the brothers, and du Pont living

his final years in prison. Carell is amazingly good here; one only need watch a few minutes of the real du Pont on YouTube to know that he has nailed the characterization. Tatum and Ruffalo are equally good as the confused brothers. Mark Schultz is currently protesting director Bennett Miller’s portrayal of him in the film, and he might be in the right on a few aspects of that portrayal. Still, it’s a great film that leaves an appropriately sick feeling in the stomach.

The Imitation Game

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing, who helped win the war against the Nazis when he and others invented a machine capable of breaking the Enigma code. Morten Tyldum’s film, while a tad cumbersome at times, does do a good job of illustrating the impossible odds Turing and his team were up against in trying to decipher the code. Keira Knightley (who had a nice 2014 with this and Begin Again), Matthew Goode and Charles Dance contribute to a strong supporting cast. Cumberbatch portrays Turing as a disagreeable, unlikeable social outcast who just happened to play a huge part in saving the free world thanks to his talent for solving puzzles. The film also delves into some of the more controversial times in Turing’s life, and sometimes the order of things gets a little confusing. Cumberbatch keeps the whole thing afloat with a typically strong performance.

Inherent Vice

Joaquin Phoenix plays Doc, a sloppy private investigator in 1970 Los Angeles who operates, inexplicably, out of a doctor’s office. When an ex-girlfriend (Katherine Waterston) goes missing, he conducts a haphazard investigation into her disappearance that involves dead people who aren’t dead, drug dealers and kidnapped real estate moguls. All of these things are being investigated by a guy who’s seriously high most of the time, and just sort of piecing things together at his own mellow, sometimes clumsy pace. Paul Thomas Anderson’s is a simultaneously goofy and complicated take on the Thomas Pynchon novel that puts the director back on the right track after the relatively disappointing The Master. Phoenix is terrific, as is Josh Brolin as a jar-headed cop with whom he’s constantly butting heads. The likes of Martin Short, Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon all make sweet contributions. Those who smoke a lot of pot will probably have an easier time with this intentionally spacey movie. Those who have never indulged might find things confusing the first couple of times around.

Paddington

This one got pushed out of 2014, which had me worried it was worthy of the junk heap. As things turn out, this mixed animation treatment of the character created by Michael Bond is actually cute. Ben Whishaw voices Paddington, a Peruvian bear who travels to England looking for a home. He winds up in the abode of the Browns, where he quickly takes to causing major damage, creating a little marital strife for Mr. and Mrs. Brown (a delightful Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins). Nicole Kidman has a lot of fun as the film’s villain, determined to trap and stuff Paddington. The movie has plenty of British charm, a couple of really good jokes, and the likes of Kidman, Bonneville and Hawkins in top form. As for Paddington himself, he looks pretty good, a solid animated creation mixed in neatly with real actors and actresses.

Selma

David Oyelowo portrays Martin Luther King Jr. in director Ava DuVernay’s stunning depiction of the civil rights march on Selma, Alabama, in 1965. It’s one of 2014’s most accomplished directorial efforts. In an attempt to gain equal voting rights, Martin Luther King, Jr. organized the march despite violent opposition from citizens and law enforcement officers. The film covers everything from MLK’s dealings with President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) to the bewildering, despicable actions of then Alabama Governor George Wallace (an evil Tim Roth). Oyelowo delivers a star-making performance as King, while Carmen Ejogo excels in the role of Coretta Scott King for a second time. (She played the role in a 2001 TV movie, Boycott.) The very British Wilkinson and Roth do well with their accents and create memorable characterizations. This is one of those films everybody should see.

Fair weather Elspeth Summers Many parts of our lives are concealed in a fog of mystery. Local singersongwriter Elspeth Summers sees by Kent Irwin patterns emerge, connections between man and nature, and a distinct clairvoyance concealed by what others see as reality. Some might see her foray into the supernatural as merely a gimmick, but her commitment is earnest. “I believe it all,” said Summers. “I believe in oracle card readings, being connected to Mother Earth, the spirit world. I mostly keep it to myself. I’m happy with letting people interpret that as they will.” Photo/Kent IrwIn

Country music is the setting, rather than the aim, of Elspeth Summers' music.

The mystery of it all, however, is just as confounding to Summers as to anyone else. Recently, while browsing the demographics of traffic to her website, she discovered a considerable chunk of her fans are from Russia. “I have no idea why,” she said. “I don’t know anyone from there. They seem to know me, though.” Summers lives in Gardnerville, a location that’s provided a lot of inspiration for the open-prairie side of her aesthetic. As far as the spiritual side, which draws her interest towards the paranormal, that can be ascribed both to her upbringing and to her own natural curiosity. “My parents were super hippies,” Summers laughed. Summers said she has her parents to thank for her becoming a musician in the first place. Her father is a

For more information, visit www.elspeth summers.com.

OPINION

NEWS

GREEN

FEATURE STORY

ARTS&CULTURE

guitarist, introducing her to the instrument when she was 15. Since then, the guitar has become her primary totem for channeling her revelations, her musings and her emotions. She also plays ukulele and banjo. Summers’ voice is like a neopagan echo of Stevie Nicks. She remembers the first time she heard all the “power females” of the ’60s—a category in which Summers includes Janis Joplin, alongside Nicks— coming from the stereo at home as a kid. She didn’t take to it at first, writing it off as old fogey music. These days, Summers turns to these Boomer goddesses for inspiration. Summers spent a good part of her adolescence learning to sing and play guitar, before trying her hand at writing her own songs. She attended an adult music camp, where she met Eric Slone, a producer based in Nova Scotia. Two years ago, when she started to put together a catalog of songs, she got in touch with Slone about arranging and recording her first EP. The EP, Recollections, came out in December, after two years of work. An ethereal and passionate collection of songs, Recollections dwells equally in the spirit realm and in the vast Great Basin desert. The title track contemplates past lives, and memories that might bridge the gap through the process of reincarnation. “Mythos” discusses the appearance of ghastly apparitions. Summers describes the final track, “Bluegrass Tunes,” as her take on a country love song. The heart of Summers’ songs are country in nature, but their unconventional lyrics and structure give them a dreamlike quality, like the soundtrack to Dolly Parton’s fever dreams. Country music is the setting, rather than the aim of Summers’ music. Now that Recollections is complete, her goal is getting a live show together. Summers’ band includes former members of Reno/ Gardnerville folk acts such as Handsome Vultures and Very Pretty Pigeon. She has her sights set on traveling, with her band, and as a part of Loud As Folk in March, through various cities in California. She hopes to make folk festivals a regular stop. Ω

ART OF THE STATE

FOODFINDS

FILM

MUSICBEAT

NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS

THIS WEEK

MISCELLANY

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

RN&R

THURSDAY 2/5 3RD STREET

125 W. Third St., (775) 323-5005

Blues jam w/Blue Haven, 9:30pm, no cover

5 STAR SALOON

Karaoke, 10pm, no cover

132 West St., (775) 329-2878

A TO ZEN GIFTS & THRIFT BAR OF AMERICA

Feb. 6, 9 p.m. Crystal Bay Club 14 Highway 28 Crystal Bay 833-6333

10042 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee; (530) 587-2626

Dance party w/DJ DoublePlay, 10pm, no cover before 10pm, $5 after

SATURDAY 2/7

Rustler’s Moon, 8pm, $TBA

Dippin’ Sauce, 8pm, $TBA

SUNDAY 2/8

Blue Haven, 9pm, no cover Dance party w/DJ DoublePlay, 10pm, no cover before 10pm, $5 after

Open Mic w/Steve Elegant, 7:30pm, Tu, Karaoke, 10pm, W, no cover

Dippin’ Sauce, 8pm, $TBA

BAR-M-BAR

816 Highway 40 West, Verdi; (775) 351-3206

BRASSERIE ST. JAMES

901 S. Center St., (775) 348-8888

Post show s online by registering at www.newsr eview.com /reno. Dea dline is the Friday befo re publication .

CARGO AT WHITNEY PEAK HOTEL 538 S. Virginia St., (775) 329-5558

Comedy 3rd Street, 125 W. Third St., 323-5005: Comedy Night & Improv w/Patrick Shillito, W, 9pm, no cover Catch a Rising Star, Silver Legacy, 407 N. Virginia St., 329-4777: Tommy Savitt, Th, Su, 7:30pm, $15.95; F, 7:30pm, 10pm, $15.95; Sa, 7:30pm, 10pm, $17.95; Alycia Cooper, Tu, W, 7:30pm, $15.95 The Improv at Harveys Cabaret, Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline, (800) 553-1022: Allan Havey, Joe Dosch, Th-F, Su, 9pm, $25; Sa, 8pm, 10pm, $30; Will Durst, Chris Mancini, W, 9pm, $25 Reno-Tahoe Comedy at Pioneer Underground, 100 S. Virginia St., 686-6600: Justin Berkman, F, 8:30pm; Sa, 6:30pm, 9:30pm, $14-$16

Pub Quiz Trivia Night, 8pm, no cover

The Clarke Brothers, 9pm, no cover

Eddie Spaghetti, 9pm, Tu, no cover

1099 S. Virginia St., (775) 324-2244

COMMA COFFEE

Songwriters in the Round, 6pm, no cover

312 S. Carson St., Carson City; (775) 883-2662 10142 Rue Hilltop, Truckee; (530) 587-5711

Serina Dawn Band, 7pm, no cover

DAVIDSON’S DISTILLERY 275 E. Fourth St., (775) 324-1917

EL CORTEZ LOUNGE

235 W. Second St., (775) 324-4255

FUEGO

170 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-1800

DJ Trivia, 9pm, no cover

Mile High Jazz Band, 8pm, Tu, $5 Dave Leather, noon, W, no cover

Kelly Ann Miller, 7pm, no cover Hellbilly Bandits, 9:30pm, no cover

Morgan Jump Spark, 9:30pm, no cover

Karaoke w/Nitesong Productions, 9pm, Tu, Open Mic/Ladies Night, 8:30pm, W, no cover

Karaoke with Lisa Lisa, 9pm, no cover

DJ JuuJ, 10pm, M, no cover Karaoke, 9pm, Tu, W, no cover

Live flamenco guitar music, 5:30pm, no cover

THE GRID BAR & GRILL

Karaoke w/Andrew, 9pm, no cover

8545 N. Lake Blvd., Kings Beach; (530) 546-0300

HANGAR BAR

10603 Stead Blvd., Stead; (775) 677-7088

Karaoke Kat, 9pm, no cover

HARRY’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL 9825 S. Virginia St., (775) 622-8878

RN&R

| FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Canyon White Open Mic Night, 8pm, no cover Open mic, 7pm, no cover

1100 E. Plumb Ln., (775) 828-7665

HELLFIRE SALOON

Strange on the Range, 7pm, W, no cover

Traditional Irish Tune Session, 7pm, Tu, no cover

Keith Shannon & Joe Bly, 9pm, no cover

CHAPEL TAVERN

COTTONWOOD RESTAURANT & BAR

Monday Night Open Mic, 8pm, M, no cover

Big Smo, Haden Carpenter, 8pm, W, $17-$20

255 N. Virginia St., (775) 398-5400

CEOL IRISH PUB

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 2/9-2/11 DG Kicks, 9pm, Tu, no cover After Mic, 11:30pm, W, no cover

Open Mic Night, 7pm, no cover

1801 N. Carson St., Carson City; (775) 461-3311

The Floozies

FRIDAY 2/6

John Dawson Band, 8:30pm, no cover

Bass Heavy, 9pm, W, $TBA

THURSDAY THURSDAY2/5 2/5

FRIDAY FRIDAY2/6 2/6

SATURDAY SATURDAY2/7 2/7

SUNDAY SUNDAY2/8 2/8

HIMMEL HIMMELHAUS HAUS

3819 3819Saddle SaddleRd., Rd.,South SouthLake LakeTahoe; Tahoe;(530) (530)314-7665 314-7665

THE THEHOLLAND HOLLANDPROJECT PROJECT

David DavidLiebe LiebeHart, Hart,Foos, Foos,PostWar, PostWar, Krista KristaFatka, Fatka,8pm, 8pm,$7$7

140140Vesta VestaSt.,St.,(775) (775)742-1858 742-1858

JUB JUBJUB’S JUB’STHIRST THIRSTPARLOR PARLOR

Thee TheeHobo HoboGobbelins, Gobbelins,Actors ActorsKilled Killed Lincoln, Lincoln,Ghost GhostTown TownGospel, Gospel,9pm, 9pm,$4$4

7171S.S.Wells WellsAve., Ave.,(775) (775)384-1652 384-1652 1) 1)Showroom Showroom2)2)Main MainBarBar

2)2)Blazin BlazinMics!, Mics!,10pm, 10pm,M,M,nonocover cover

THE THEJUNGLE JUNGLE

KNITTING Excision,Prototype, Prototype,Minnesota, Minnesota, KNITTINGFACTORY FACTORYCONCERT CONCERTHOUSE HOUSE Excision, 8pm, 8pm,$29-$55 $29-$55

Tribal TribalSeeds, Seeds,Hirie, Hirie,Leilani LeilaniWolfgramm, Wolfgramm, 8pm, 8pm,$16-$25 $16-$25

Tina Tina&&Tammy TammyTam TamTam, Tam, 7:30pm, 7:30pm,W,W,nonocover cover

1527 1527S.S.Virginia VirginiaSt.,St.,(775) (775)323-1377 323-1377

PADDY PADDY&&IRENE’S IRENE’SIRISH IRISHPUB PUB

DJDJRazz, Razz,9pm, 9pm,nonocover cover

906-A 906-AVictorian VictorianAve., Ave.,Sparks; Sparks;(775) (775)358-5484 358-5484

RED REDROCK ROCKBAR BAR

’80s ’80sVinyl VinylNight Nightw/DJ w/DJWinston WinstonSmith, Smith, 9pm, 9pm,nonocover cover

RUBEN’S RUBEN’SCANTINA CANTINA

Dollaman, Dollaman,Ladontre, Ladontre,Young YoungVon, Von,D.O.E., D.O.E., Reggae Night, 10pm, no cover Reggae Night, 10pm, no cover Tycoon TycoonSquad, Squad,9pm, 9pm,$5$5

241241S.S.Virginia VirginiaSt.,St.,(775) (775)324-2468 324-2468 1483 1483E. E.Fourth FourthSt.,St.,(775) (775)622-9424 622-9424

HipHipHop HopOpen OpenMic, Mic,10pm, 10pm,W,W,nonocover cover

RYAN’S RYAN’SSALOON SALOON

Tuesday TuesdayNight NightJazz JazzJam Jamw/First w/FirstTake Take featuring featuringRick RickMetz, Metz,7pm, 7pm,Tu,Tu,nonocover cover

Blues BluesJam JamThursday, Thursday,7pm, 7pm,nonocover cover

ST. ST.JAMES JAMESINFIRMARY INFIRMARY

Local LocalMusic MusicNight Nightw/locals w/localsbands bands ororlocal localDJs, DJs,9pm, 9pm,nonocover cover

STUDIO STUDIOON ON4TH 4TH

Comedy ComedyShowcase: Showcase:Lyall LyallBehrens, Behrens,Tramane Tramane Ritual Ritual(industrial, (industrial,EBM, EBM,’80s, ’80s,post postpunk), punk), Webb, Webb,Rudy RudyOrtiz, Ortiz,Billy BillyMann, Mann,8:30pm, 8:30pm,$7$7 9pm, 9pm,$3$3before before10pm, 10pm,$5$5after after

445 445California CaliforniaAve., Ave.,(775) (775)657-8484 657-8484 432432E. E.Fourth FourthSt.,St.,(775) (775)737-9776 737-9776

Tuesday Night Trivia, 8pm, Tu,Tu, Reno Beer and Tuesday Night Trivia, 8pm, Reno Beer and Record Club w/guest DJs, 9pm, W,W, nono cover Record Club w/guest DJs, 9pm, cover

Dance Danceparty, party,9pm, 9pm,nonocover cover

WHISKEY WHISKEYDICK’S DICK’SSALOON SALOON

Feb. Feb.10, 10,9 9p.m. p.m. Chapel ChapelTavern Tavern 1099 S. Virginia 1099 S. VirginiaSt. St. 324-2244 324-2244

Massive MassiveTuesdays TuesdaysWinter WinterSeries, Series, 10pm, 10pm,Tu,Tu,$5$5

2660 2660Lake LakeTahoe TahoeBlvd., Blvd.,South SouthLake LakeTahoe; Tahoe;(530) (530)544-3425 544-3425

WILD WILDRIVER RIVERGRILLE GRILLE

Sunday SundayJazz, Jazz,2pm, 2pm,nonocover cover

1717S.S.Virginia VirginiaSt.,St.,(775) (775)284-7455 284-7455

WILDFLOWER WILDFLOWERVILLAGE VILLAGE

Eddie EddieSpaghetti Spaghetti

Live Livejazz, jazz,7:30pm, 7:30pm,W,W,nonocover cover

924924S.S.Wells WellsAve., Ave.,(775) (775)323-4142 323-4142 219219W.W.Second SecondSt.,St.,(775) (775)657-9466 657-9466

Feb. Feb.6,6,8 8p.m. p.m. Knitting KnittingFactory Factory 211 N. Virginia 211 N. VirginiaSt. St. 323-5648 323-5648

Hellyeah, Hellyeah,Devour DevourThe TheDay, Day,Like Likea Storm, a Storm, 8pm, 8pm,$23-$50 $23-$50

MIDTOWN MIDTOWNWINE WINEBAR BAR

SINGER SINGERSOCIAL SOCIALCLUB CLUB

Tribal TribalSeeds Seeds

Outspoken: Outspoken:Open OpenMic MicNight, Night, 7pm, 7pm,M,M,nonocover cover

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ATLANTIS CASINO RESORT SPA 3800 S. Virginia St., (775) 825-4700 1) Grand Ballroom Stage 2) Cabaret

THURSDAY 2/5

FRIDAY 2/6

SATURDAY 2/7

SUNDAY 2/8

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 2/9-2/11

2) Hindsight, 8pm, no cover

2) Hindsight, 4pm, no cover Joey Carmon Band, 10pm, no cover

2) Joey Carmon Band, 8pm, no cover

2) Escalade, 8pm, M, Tu, W, no cover

2) Decades, 8pm, no cover

2) Paul Covarelli, 6pm, no cover

2) Paul Covarelli, 6pm, M, Tu, W, no cover

1) Madame Houdini, Enchantress of the Elements, 7pm, $24.95+ 2) Left of Centre, 10:30pm, no cover

1) Madame Houdini, Enchantress of the Elements, 8pm, Tu, 7pm, W, $24.95+ 2) Garage Boys, 10:30pm, W, no cover

3) DJ/dancing, 5pm, no cover

2) Washoe County School District’s Honor Band Concert, 6:30pm, W, $5

CARSON VALLEY INN

2) Decades, 8pm, no cover 1627 Hwy. 395, Minden; (775) 782-9711 1) Valley Ballroom 2) Cabaret Lounge 3) TJ’s Corral

CRYSTAL BAY CLUB

Todd Snider Feb. 7, 8 p.m. JA Nugget 1100 Nugget Ave. Sparks 356-3300

14 Hwy. 28, Crystal Bay; (775) 833-6333 1) Crown Room 2) Red Room

1) Lettuce, LAMBchop, 9pm, $25-$30

1) The Floozies, Manic Focus, Sugarbeats, 9pm, $15-$35

1) Keller Williams, The Motet, 9pm, $25-$30

ELDORADO RESORT CASINO

345 N. Virginia St., (775) 786-5700 1) Showroom 2) Brew Brothers 3) Stadium Bar

1) Madame Houdini, Enchantress of the Elements, 7pm, $24.95+ 2) Left of Centre, 10:30pm, no cover

1) Madame Houdini, Enchantress of the Elements, 8pm, $24.95+ 2) Left of Centre, 10:30pm, no cover

1) Madame Houdini, Enchantress of the Elements, 7pm, 9:30pm, $24.95+ 2) Left of Centre, 10:30pm, no cover

GRAND SIERRA RESORT

2) Flirt Thursdays, 10pm, $15-$30

2) DJ Rick Gee, 10pm, $15-$30 3) Boots & Daisy Dukes w/DJ Jamie G, 10pm, no cover 5) Los Temerarios, 7pm, $40

2) DJ Miles Medina, 10pm, $30 3) County Social Saturdays w/DJ Jamie G, 10pm, no cover 5) WFC 34: Amateur MMA Fights, 8pm, $30-$55

HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO LAKE TAHOE

1) The Saddle Tramps, 9pm, no cover

2500 E. Second St., (775) 789-2000 3) Honky Tonk Thursdays w/DJ Jamie G, 1) Grand Theater 2) Lex Nightclub 3) Sports Book 10pm, no cover 4) Summit Pavilion 5) Silver State Pavilion

Karaoke Cobra Lounge at Asian Noodles, 1290 E. Plumb Lane, Ste. 1, 828-7227: Cash Karaoke w/Jacques Simard, Sa, 8pm, no cover Murphy’s Law Irish Pub, 180 W. Peckham Lane, Ste. 1070, 823-9977: Steve Starr Karaoke, F, 9pm, no cover Ponderosa Saloon, 106 South C St., Virginia City, 847-7210: Steel Rockin’ Karaoke, F, 7:30pm, no cover Spiro’s Sports Bar & Grille, 1475 E. Prater Way, Ste. 103, Sparks, 356-6000: F-Sa, 9pm, no cover West Second Street Bar, 118 W. Second St., 384-7976: Daily, 8pm, no cover

50 Hwy. 50, Stateline; (844) 588-7625 1) Vinyl

HARRAH’S LAKE TAHOE

15 Hwy. 50, Stateline; (775) 588-6611 1) South Shore Room 2) Peek Nightclub 3) Center Stage Lounge

HARRAH’S RENO

219 N. Center St., (775) 788-2900 1) Sammy’s Showroom 2) The Zone 3) Sapphire Lounge 4) Plaza 5) Convention Center

JA NUGGET

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| FEBRUARY 5, 2015

3) DJ/dancing, 5pm, no cover

1100 Nugget Ave., Sparks; (775) 356-3300 Midnight Riders, 8pm, no cover 1) Celebrity Showroom 2) Rose Ballroom 3) Gilley’s

MONTBLEU RESORT

55 Hwy. 50, Stateline; (800) 648-3353 1) Theatre 2) Opal 3) Blu 4) The Zone

PEPPERMILL RESORT SPA CASINO

3) Arty the Party, 9pm, no cover

1) Unauthorized Rolling Stones, 7:30pm, $22 3) Arty the Party, 9pm, no cover

1) Rockapella, 8pm, $29.50-$40.50 3) Jackie Dauzat, 8pm, no cover

1) Rockapella, 8pm, $29.50-$40.50

3) DJ/dancing, 5pm, 11pm, no cover Midnight Riders, 8pm, no cover

1) Todd Snider, 8pm, $39 3) DJ/dancing, 5pm, Midnight Riders, 8pm, no cover

1) Lewis Black, 9pm, $45.50-$55.50 3) Boogie Nights, 9pm, $10 4) Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

3) Boogie Nights, 9pm, $10 4) Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

2707 S. Virginia St., (775) 826-2121 1) Tuscany Ballroom 2) Terrace Lounge 3) Edge 4) Capri Ballroom

2) Soul Scratch, 7pm, no cover

2) Soul Scratch, 8pm, no cover 3) Fixx Fridays, 7:30pm, $10 after 8pm

2) Soul Scratch, 8pm, no cover 3) Chris Karns, 10pm, $20

2) Kyle Williams, 6pm, no cover

2) Kyle Williams, 6pm, M, Tu, W, no cover

SILVER LEGACY

2) Bonzai Thursdays w/DJ Trivia, 8pm, no cover 3) University of Aura, 9pm, no cover

2) Chris Gardner Band, 9pm, no cover 3) Fashion Friday, 9pm, no cover 4) Rebekah Chase Band, 9pm, no cover

2) Chris Gardner Band, 9pm, no cover 3) Seduction Saturdays, 9pm, $5 4) Rebekah Chase Band, 9pm, no cover

2) Recovery Sundays, 10pm, no cover 3) Industry Night, 9pm, no cover

2) Gong Show Karaoke, 8pm, Tu, no cover Country-Rock Bingo w/Jeff Gregg, 9pm, W, no cover

407 N. Virginia St., (775) 325-7401 1) Grand Exposition Hall 2) Rum Bullions Island Bar 3) Aura Ultra Lounge 4) Silver Baron Lounge

1) The English Beat, 9pm, $25-$35

ILLUSTRATION/THINKSTOCK

For a complete listing of this week’s events, visit newsreview.com/reno

M e mp hi s Broadway Comes to Reno continues its 2014-2015 season with the 2010 Tony Award-winning musical. This show, set in 1950s-era Memphis, Tenn., combines dancing, catchy songs and a tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, is about a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer ready for her big break. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 S. Virginia St. Tickets are $45-$75. Call 686-6600 or visit www.pioneercenter.com.

Memphis

L o u d A s F o lk While The Alley in Sparks is no more, that venue’s monthly folk music showcase carries on at its new home at Pignic Pub & Patio, 235 Flint St. This month’s event on Thursday, Feb. 5, features host Spike McGuire and performances by 7Seconds’ Kevin Seconds, Bryan Jones, John Underwood and Josiah Knight. Chef Steve Peto will celebrate the one-year anniversary of his Organic Taste of Chicago food truck by serving up free Chicago hot dogs and Polish sausages. The show is free, but donations will be collected to support Reno resident and restaurant owner Nikos Theologitis in his battle with cancer. The music begins at 8 p.m. Visit www.facebook.com/LoudAsFolk.

The O t he r S i ght Lake Tahoe Dance Collective presents Kinetech Arts in this dance theater piece that combines contemporary performance and interactive technology. The performance, which explores surveillance in today’s tech-savvy society, will also feature a short film, Q&A session with artists and technologists and a chance for the audience to interact with Kinetech’s technology in the performance space. The show begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema, 575 N. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City. Call (530) 613-4363 or visit www.laketahoedancecollective.org.

I H eart A rt

9 0 t h B i r t hd a y C o n ce r t Tr i b u t e t o Ir i s M a y t a n a n d F a mi ly

Walk for Art a n d Your H ea rt!

Most longtime Reno residents remember Maytan Music Center, which closed its doors last year after 54 years in business. The public is invited to attend a tribute to the Maytan family this weekend featuring University of Nevada, Reno music faculty and members of the Maytan family in a program of chamber, choral and band music. The concert celebrates Maytan Music Center’s co-founder Iris Maytan’s 90th birthday, but also honors the family for their service to music education in the community. The free show begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Nightingale Concert Hall in the Church Fine Arts Building, 1335 N. Virginia St., at UNR. Call 784-4278.

Appreciate art and get a workout during this month’s Art Walk. The event begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, at Liberty Fine Art Gallery, 100 W. Liberty St., where the first 50 people who want to participate in the Walk for Art and Your Heart! challenge will receive a free pedometer. Purchase a ticket for $10, which includes a glass, raffle ticket and program for the evening, or purchase a limited-edition hand-painted glass by this month’s featured artist for $15. Stroll along the Truckee River and the downtown arts district to the 17 locations showing art, all the while accumulating more steps. Highlights of this month’s Art Walk include the photographs of Brooklyn-based artist Kat Kiernan at Sierra Arts Gallery, 17 S. Virginia St., an abstract art group show at Art Indeed!, 142 Bell St., and Michael Heltebrake’s surrealistic paintings at Singer Social Club, 219 W. Second St. Raffle prizes will be given at the end of the walk at 8:15 p.m. at Noble Pie Parlor, 239 W. Second St. Visit http://artspotreno.com/art-walk-reno.

—Kelley Lang

OPINION

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FEBRUARY 5, 2015

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I’m a woman in my early 20s. I do fine getting dates, but only first dates. And no, I’m not having sex with guys on the first date, but I still never hear from them again. I ran into one of these guys at a party and begged him to tell me what had gone wrong. He said, “You’re kind of intense.” I asked him to explain, and he said, “You do a lot of talking.” I do talk a lot, but I’m informed and opinionated. Do I really have to be some mute little woman to get second dates? On a date, you should merely be splashing your personality around, tempted as you may be to hold a guy down and try to drown him in it. This isn’t to say you have to be “some mute little woman” to get a second date. Consider that there’s a middle ground between channeling Nancy Grace and playing a shy geisha hiding behind her fan. And sorry, but being “informed” and “opinionated” does not give you a pass to turn a date into a re-education camp with wine and entrees. In fact, this sort of conversational takeover is like a toupee; it usually ends up calling attention to whatever it was supposed to cover up—self-worth issues, nervousness, or maybe a need to push people away, despite putting yourself out there like you want a relationship. To see more of these guys than their exhaust as they drive away forever, be mindful of the purpose of a date: getting to know somebody, not getting to

know how they look listening to you. As for all this information you’re excited to impart, ironically, the way you get somebody interested in listening to you is by showing interest in them. You do that by listening to them—really listening, not just nodding while waiting for them to take a breath so you can shoehorn in your next point. Being willing to share the conversational space isn’t a sign you’re some empty dress of a woman—quite the contrary. It’s what secure people do—connecting with others instead of pepper-spraying them with words. Try an experiment on your next few dates. Say as little as possible about yourself all evening. Answer questions about yourself when asked, but focus on asking your date about who he is and what he thinks. Chances are, you’ll have a much better time and maybe get asked on some second and third dates. Wonderful things can happen when you give a man the sense that there’s a real reason for him to be there—as opposed to the idea that he could have stayed home and, in his place, sent a giant ear. Ω

Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., No. 280, Santa Monica,CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com).

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ACCIDENT?

by rob brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1979, Monty

Python comedian John Cleese helped direct a four-night extravaganza, The Secret Policeman’s Ball. It was a benefit to raise money for the human-rights organization Amnesty International. The musicians known as Sting, Bono and Peter Gabriel later testified that the show was a key factor in igniting their social activism. I see the potential of a comparable stimulus in your near future, Aries. Imminent developments could amp up your passion for a good cause that transcends your immediate self-interests.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the

film Kill Bill: Volume 1, Taurus actress Uma Thurman plays a martial artist who has exceptional skill at wielding a samurai sword. At one point, her sword maker evaluates her reflexes by hurling a baseball in her direction. With a masterful swoop, she slices the ball in half before it reaches her. I suggest you seek out similar tests in the coming days, Taurus. Check up on the current status of your top skills. Are any of them rusty? Should you update them? Are they still of maximum practical use to you? Do whatever’s necessary to ensure they are as strong and sharp as ever.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): French

impressionist painter Claude Monet loved to paint the rock formations near the beach at Étretrat, a village in Normandy. During the summer of 1886, he worked serially on six separate canvases, moving from one to another throughout his work day to capture the light and shadow as they changed with the weather and the position of the sun. He focused intently on one painting at a time. He didn’t have a brush in each hand and one in his mouth, simultaneously applying paint to various canvases. His specific approach to multitasking would generate good results for you in the coming weeks, Gemini. (P.S. The other kind of multitasking—where you do several different things at the same time—will yield mostly mediocre results.)

Most accidents have

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): In 1849,

S.”

author Edgar Allen Poe died in his hometown of Baltimore. A century later, a mysterious admirer began a new tradition. Every January 19, on the anniversary of Poe’s birth, this cloaked visitor appeared at his grave in the early morning hours, and left behind three roses and a bottle of cognac. I invite you, Cancerian, to initiate a comparable ritual. Can you imagine paying periodic tribute to an important influence in your own life—someone who has given you much and touched you deeply? Don’t do it for nostalgia’s sake, but rather as a way to affirm that the gifts you’ve received from this evocative influence will continue to evolve within you. Keep them ever-fresh.

• Delays of treatment can slow down healing and may affect your personal injury case. • The other person’s insurance company pays you for pain and suffering after treatment and is usually based on reasonable medical care.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “What happens to a

dream deferred?” asked Langston Hughes in his poem “Harlem.” “Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— / And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? / Or crust and sugar over— / like a syrupy sweet?” As your soul’s cheerleader and coach, Leo, I hope you won’t explore the answer to Hughes’ questions. If you have a dream, don’t defer it. If you have been deferring your dream, take at least one dramatic step to stop deferring it.

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Call for a FREE CONSULTATION 775-358-3590 30 | RN&R |

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

John Creasey struggled in his early efforts at getting published. For a time he had to support himself with jobs as a salesman and clerk. Before his first book was published, he had gathered 743 rejection slips. Eventually, though, he broke through and achieved monumental success. He wrote more than 550 novels, several of which were made into movies. He won two prestigious awards and sold 80 million books. I’m not promising that your own frustrations will ultimately pave the way for a prodigious triumph like his. But in the coming months, I do expect significant progress toward a gritty accomplishment. For best results, work for your own satisfaction more than for the approval of others.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Hall-of-Fame

basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon had a signature set of fancy moves that were collectively known as the Dream Shake. It consisted of numerous spins and fakes that

could be combined in various ways to outfox his opponents and score points. The coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to work on your equivalent of the Dream Shake, Libra. You’re at the peak of your ability to figure out how to coordinate and synergize your several talents.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 1837, Vic-

toria became Queen of England following the death of her uncle, King William IV. She was 18 years old. Her first royal act was to move her bed out of the room she had long shared with her meddling, overbearing mother. I propose that you use this as one of your guiding metaphors in the immediate future. Even if your parents are saints, and even if you haven’t lived with them for years, I suspect you would benefit by upgrading your independence from their influence. Are you still a bit inhibited by the nagging of their voices in your head? Does your desire to avoid hurting them thwart you from rising to a higher level of authority and authenticity? Be a good-natured rebel.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The

crookedest street in the world is a one-way, block-long span of San Francisco’s Lombard Street. It consists of eight hairpin turns down a very steep hill. The recommended top speed for a car is 5 miles per hour. So on the one hand, you’ve got to proceed with caution. On the other hand, the quaint, brick-paved road is lined with flower beds, and creeping along its wacky route is a whimsical amusement. I suspect you will soon encounter experiences that have metaphorical resemblances to Lombard Street, Sagittarius. In fact, I urge you to seek them out.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In

the baseball film The Natural, the hero Roy Hobbs has a special bat he calls “Wonderboy.” Carved out of a tree that was split by a lightning bolt, it seems to give Hobbs an extraordinary skill at hitting a baseball. There’s a similar theme at work in the Australian musical instrument known as the didgeridoo. It’s created from a eucalyptus tree whose inner wood has been eaten away by termites. Both Wonderboy and the didgeridoo are the results of natural forces that could be seen as adverse but that are actually useful. Is there a comparable situation in your own life, Capricorn? I’m guessing there is. If you have not yet discovered what it is, now is a good time to do so.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In

1753, Benjamin Franklin published helpful instructions on how to avoid being struck by lightning during stormy weather. Wear a lightning rod in your hat, he said, and attach it to a long, thin metal ribbon that trails behind you as you walk. In response to his article, a fashion fad erupted. Taking his advice, fancy ladies in Europe actually wore such hats. From a metaphorical perspective, it would make sense for you Aquarians to don similar headwear in the coming weeks. Bolts of inspiration will be arriving on a regular basis. To ensure you are able to integrate and use them—not just be titillated and agitated—you will have to be well-grounded.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Accord-

ing to the Bible, Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Author David Foster Wallace added a caveat. “The truth will set you free,” he wrote, “but not until it is finished with you.” All this is apropos for the current phase of your journey, Pisces. By my estimation, you will soon discover an important truth that you have never before been ready to grasp. Once that magic transpires, however, you will have to wait a while until the truth is fully finished with you. Only then will it set you free. But it will set you free. And I suspect that you will ultimately be grateful that it took its sweet time.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at (877) 873-4888 or (900) 950-7700.

by Georgia Fisher PHOTO/GEORGIA FISHER

Legal eagle Maybe you’ve seen Marilyn York’s cheeky commercials, which reference everything from sports games to clandestine affairs. The family practice attorney takes occasional female clients by referral, but has found her niche representing husbands and fathers—a system she dreamed up with a friend back in law school. York’s California Avenue office is full of art and dogs, and a standard poodle and hulking Great Dane puppy—“law dogs,” she calls them— are usually asleep near her desk.

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GREEN

{A losing party in a recent court case] just spray-painted penises all over my building two weeks ago. I’m like, “Really? I don’t know it was you? I took your kid three days before, and you just spray-painted my fucking Christmas wreath.” She’s writing “dick” on my brick, and “corrupt” on my windows. And she spells everything wrong. We have funny stories that happen here every week. I wish we could tell all of them. There are people who say “I don’t have any money.” And I’m going, “Nice nails. Are those acrylic? And you can’t afford $50 a month in child support?” … Men, they don’t get a lot of stuff. It’s not important to them. They don’t want to get it. They’re busy just being happy in life, and we’d be happier too, if we didn’t over-think everything. But it works for them. Ω

as a matter of course, the cross-gender [relationship] is better.

Are judges likelier to err on the side of mothers? Assuming you have somewhat equivalent parenting, you can usually get joint custody, though that’s sometimes to the detriment of the child, unfortunately. Particularly kids with autism or Asperger’s, those kids need such a strict routine, and if you bounce them around, they don’t really do so well. But yes, I think custody is pretty fair these days, to be frank.

Happy time Sometimes … most times … hell, all the time, we in the media stand in the forest, searching desperately for the next flaming Tree of Trouble off in the distance, and we neglect to notice that the forest itself is really doing pretty darned well. It’s healthy, it’s growing, and overall, it’s good. This is exactly what our president acknowledged in his recent state of the union speech, when he threw in his quick smirking ad lib, “This is good news, people.” He was absolutely spot on. We are in no wars. Unemployment is below 6 percent. The economy is chugging along nicely, almost completely recovered from that nasty speed bump of recession. Obamacare didn’t throw the country into the Dark Ages, disappointing as that is to so many Republicans who still can’t believe we’re not swirling down the toilet. Gas prices are now beyond friendly, heading towards erotic. In other words, this is America when it’s going well. Take it one step further. This is America going about as well as it’s ever going to go. Let’s

Of course. I don’t see those people that much, because they don’t need me, typically, but I’m sure they exist. I was talking to [a colleague] the other day, saying, “Oh, you had the the unicorn divorce!” That’s the one where everyone gets along. It’s like a mythical creature. I’ve done that myself, though, so I know its possible. I also have clients who just hire me to draw up the paperwork, and they basically agree on everything from the moment they come in, but they have such a complicated estate that they need an attorney to do it well.

What about funny things you’ve encountered at work?

What made you want to represent men in particular? My dad is my more prominent role model. He raised my brother and I, who are 20 months apart, like boys—both of us. I identify with some male ways of thinking because of that, and it made me relate to men, made me feel comfortable with how they think … with what appears to be lack of emotion, when actually they’re more fragile than women in certain ways and more ill-equipped to deal with conflict. … Some female clients are abusive, or they feel under-appreciated, or they never want to pay their bills, and they’re always shocked that they have one, because apparently they thought we were girlfriends when they called and whined for two hours. And yet half of them are great, they’re wonderful, and they’ve become my best friends because I’ve represented them. But

So is it possible to have an amicable divorce?

∫y Bruce Van Dye receding in the national rear view mirror. Which is nice. My recommendation—take a moment to notice this. To acknowledge it. To thank the stars that things are fairly cool right now. Are they perfect? No. Are they ever gonna be perfect? Maybe. When the Space People arrive. But right now, they ain’t bad. This is what it feels like when the U.S.A. is doing OK. So savor. Enjoy. Chillax. While you can. Because sooner or later, big buckets of dog poop will begin to rain upon the Earth. • Football Fetish Nation—the amazing pattern of anguish. Check it out. Detroit lost painfully to Dallas. Dallas lost painfully to Green Bay. The Packers lost painfully to Seattle. And the Seahags lost painfully to the Patriots. Wow. How wild is that? Only one explanation is feasible—God is very mad at the NFC. Ω

face it, this is a huge country, with 322 million people, many of them flaming assholes. I’m not sure the U.S.A. can do much better than it’s doing at this very moment. To call it a Golden Age is a little much, yes. Let’s just call it a Very Pleasant Time (VPT). It reminds me of our last war-free, money-makin’, happy face VPT, back when the biggest so-called “problem” in the country was the president getting a tad too friendly with a curvy intern. Humph. Some problem. In retrospect, we didn’t know what a problem was. We’d become slothful in the comforts of our abundance. Then Mohammed Atta and his fun bunch showed up. Then Dub, Darth and Rummy got a boner for a guy who was completely boxed up, stymied and impotent. Then the greedheads of Wall Street started selling derivative mortgages of maximum hedgitude at complexified algorithms to the Bank of Mongolia. Then, we had us some problems. Some doozies, as it turned out. Grudgingly, grindingly and not painlessly, those problems are slowly

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