AUGUST 25, 2016 | Vol. 22, ISSUe 28
Misfits Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. I was recently appalled to learn that someone close to me had a deep, dark secret: This person, despite having lived in Reno for several years, had never seen The Misfits. I won’t name names. I don’t want to subject this person to public humiliation, but I was shocked and went about rectifying the situation—within 24 hours we were watching the movie. That kind of exaggerated response to a missing moment of cultural education might seem like snobbery—and I’ve certainly been guilty of that in the past—but seriously, if you care about this town, that’s a little bit like not knowing where Virginia Street is. It’s like living in Fargo and never having seen the movie Fargo. If you’ve never seen it, here’s the deal: It’s a 1961 flick. Marilyn Monroe plays a woman who’s staying in Reno to get a quickie divorce back when Reno was the divorce capital of the world. She falls in with a group of locals, including Clark Gable as an old cowboy and Montgomery Clift as a rodeo performer who’s taken a few too many kicks to the head. There’s a lot of drinking, and glimpses of what Northern Nevada was like in the early 1960s. The movie was written by Arthur Miller, who’s better known for his plays, like Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. And it was directed by John Huston, who also directed The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre among other classics. The title of the movie refers not only to the main characters, all of whom are damaged in one way or another, but also to a group of wild horses who eventually figure in the plot. It’s a gorgeous, sad and beautiful movie with an elegiac tone— made all the more palpable by the knowledge that the movie’s three lead stars were all dead within a few years after filming wrapped. Anyway, it had been years since I had seen it, and I relished seeing it again. Something that struck me this time was that the movie’s unique story could really not be set anywhere else—the desert, the drinking, the divorce, the horses. This is a special place. Essential viewing.
—Brad Bynum bradb@ ne ws r ev i ew . com
Type test Re “Extreme RN&R Makeover” (Guest comment, Aug. 4): Print too small. Now have a hard time reading most articles without magnifying glass. Therese Elder Reno Editor’s note: The typeface size, and the typeface, are unchanged. However, if reading online, the size of the typeface may be adjusted.
Dueling indexes Re “We’re on the wrong side again” (Let Freedom Ring, Aug. 18): In his article “We’re on the Wrong Side Again,” Brendan Trainor praises Vladimir Putin as a reformer, beloved by his people and apparently deserving of much respect. He hopes that the “peaceloving people of Nevada will investigate the truth about Russia and Putin.” OK, let’s give it a try. The Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index (2015) ranked Russia 152nd out of 180 countries for press freedom. That was lower than wonderful countries such as Zimbabwe and Burma. They noted that in Russia “independent news outlets have either been brought under control or throttled out of existence.” Amnesty International’s 2015/16 report states that in the Russian Federation “freedom of expression and peaceful assembly remained severely restricted,” and government “authorities dominated the print and broadcast media.” In 2015, Freedom House, a non-partisan US government funded NGO gave Russian press an assessment of “Not Free.” Mr. Trainor praises Russian leadership for not jailing journalists, suggesting that there is a free press in Russia. In reality, there is no meaningful opposition press in Russia. There have been numerous brutal assaults and killings of journalists during Putin’s reign. There is no real participatory democracy in Russia. Elections are a show encouraged and tolerated as long as the outcome is certain. Freedom House labels Russia a “consolidated authoritarian regime.” The murder of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in February 2015 again reminded everyone of the dangers of opposing the existing Russian power structure. Mr. Trainor praises Putin for driving out corrupt oligarchs. For 2015, Transparency International in the Corruption Perception Index ranked Russia 119th out of 168 nations, equating to a rating of “corrupt.” As reported in the Aug. 18 New York Times, corruption in Russia is so pervasive that the whole society accepts the unacceptable as normal.” According to the Institute of Modern Russia, “corruption has penetrated all levels of government and most other aspects of life in Russia.” If the corrupt were in fact driven out by Putin as Trainor asserts, it appears that one set of crooks were replaced with new ones. Leslie, Eric Marks, Jessica Santina, Todd South, Brendan Trainor, Bruce Van Dyke, Allison Young Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live. Editor Brad Bynum News Editor Dennis Myers Special Projects Editor Jeri Chadwell-Singley Arts Editor Kris Vagner Calendar Editor Kelley Lang Contributors Amy Alkon, Kelsey Fitzgerald, Bob Grimm, Anna Hart, Ashley Hennefer, Shelia
Design Manager Lindsay Trop Art Directors Brian Breneman, Margaret Larkin Marketing/Publications Manager Serene Lusano Marketing/Publications Designer Sarah Hansel Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designer Kyle Shine Senior Advertising Consultants Gina Odegard, Bev Savage Advertising Consultant Emily Litt
Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager/Operations Coordinator Kelly Miller Distribution Assistant Denise Cairns Distribution Drivers Tracy Breeden, Alex Barskyy, Debbie Frenzi, Vicki Jewell, Patrick L’Angelle, Marty Lane, Marty Troye, Warren Tucker, Gary White, Denise Cairns, Jennifer Gangestad President/CEO Jeff VonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Marketing/Promotions/Facilities Manager Will Niespodzinski Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehar Project Coordinator Natasha VonKaenel Director of People & Culture David Stogner
Civil liberties and religious freedom in Russia are severely limited. Under recently enacted restrictions, it is prohibited for Russian citizens to evangelize outside of an established church, or without a permit (Christianity Today, July 8). The U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report (2015) states that Russian “Government actions included detaining, fining, and imprisoning members of minority religious groups ... raids on minority religious groups in private homes ... [and] confiscating religious publications and property.” Putin’s sweeping discriminatory laws against LGBT persons are another manifestation of his intolerant regime. Putin is of course very popular in Russia. Despots often are, especially when they control all the major newsoutlets. Russia and the Russian people are deserving of respect—Putin, not so much. If the struggle for political freedom and basic civil liberties is a worthy cause, it is clearly Mr. Trainor who is “on the wrong side again.” Phillip Bamond Reno
Correction Re “Under the sun” (Musicbeat, Aug. 11): We reported that violinist Lefteri Tsacle is one of the five vocalists in the Helios Band. Tsacle does not sing in the band. His bandmate, clarinet player Greg Jenkins, is the fifth vocalist.
eRIK HollAND
Director of Dollars & Sense Nicole Jackson Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Dargitz Accounts Receivable Specialist Kortnee Angel Sweetdeals Coordinator Courtney DeShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano, Jonathan Schultz System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Publications Associate Editor Kate Gonzales N&R Publications Writer Anne Stokes
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Cover Design: Margaret Larkin
08.25.16
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