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Burned out

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

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My co-worker threw his back out. The rumor mill had it he did it while twerking. Now, I don’t want to feed the mill so I got verification. The problem is, when this slanderous rumor was first spread, I asked another co-worker the question, “What do you mean, he was twerking?” Here’s the part that bothers me, she thought I meant, “What does twerking mean?” Am I sensitive or did this person suggest I didn’t know what twerking meant because I’m 51 years old? “Mm hmm, just like Miley Cyrus,” she said. I know who Miley Cyrus is. What I didn’t know, was just how she got identified with twerking? Of course, Cyrus’ performance on the MTV Video Music Awards showed up later on Google News.

It happened to me twice last week, too. I posted something about looking for photographers going to Burning Man. Suddenly the deluge of advice about Burning Man photo policies, how much time it takes to get to Burning Man, that I could hire a photographer before Burning Man, or that I could pay a photographer to use their images.

Come on, I was doing the pelvic thrust when Rocky Horror was still in theaters. Parents used to freak out because Elvis Presley did it. In fact, Ed Sullivan would only show him on network TV from the waist up. That shit’s 60 years old. My dog Alice does it when she sniffs Charlie’s boy-dog parts. And somebody thinks this is new? People need to learn some history so they don’t seem so ignorant.

I had crushes on both Nina Blackwood and Martha Quinn. I remember the Boomtown Rats.

Burning Man? Open fires were still allowed when I started going to Burning Man. People openly carried and shot guns when I started going to Burning Man. In 1996, I flagged a road for Michael Michael and helped Flynn Mauthe build Helco. I’m acknowledged in the first Burning Man book, for Christ’s sake. I’ve got gut flora that have been to more Burning Man’s than these “Burners.”

You want to know why I don’t know what happened on the MTV Video Awards or care to go to Burning Man every year anymore? Think about it. They’re related. And it’s not because I’m new at any of this. —D. Brian Burghart brianb@newsreview.com

We do

Please support health care for all, though imperfect. We need something that supports all Americans to get some health care that is reasonable, and helps all Americans bear some of the cost burden as well. Women especially benefit. Make health care equitable and available!

Tamara Baren Verdi

My way or the highway

In response to Lee Gibson of the RTC. We understand the Southeast Connector has been the subject of “rigorous and purposeful planning” for many years, but to date the process has not determined a safe and environmentally appropriate location. If the May 29 meeting at Hidden Valley school is an example of RTC’s community meetings they are nothing to be pleased about. Nearly 300 people, mostly long-time residents, appeared to be somewhat confused regarding the presentation. In fact, being lectured to like 5-year-olds is inappropriate in any circumstance. Not one person in the audience spoke in favor of the road.

Having community meetings does not suggest that anyone was there in support. There is no doubt that there will need to be another north/south road sometime in the future—that time is not now and that location is not here. Your account of a detailed analysis is shallow and self-serving. The recession reduced traffic congestion; the argument for creating jobs is reminiscent of the housing boom/bust—providing jobs which are unsustainable. Throwing out the “jobs” carrot when most all will not be new jobs but moving existing employees around is misleading. If built, the SEC will cause the blight of billboards and give rise to new retail centers like quickie markets and gas stations that will help only to collect the gas taxes to profit RTC.

It is our understanding that federal law (NEPA) requires one permit for the entire project and does not recognize phasing a project of this size and nature. That seems reasonable in that spending upwards of $65 million on a bridge with the chance of never getting approval on the remainder is ludicrous except for the obvious argument that “who would stop us now that we have this bridge”? The argument regarding violations of the Clean Water Act will, hopefully, be decided by a federal judge. CHM2Hill’s environmental engineer has stated that the plan for the toxic methyl mercury is to scoop it up and bury it under the road. That sort of thinking does not enhance safety or the environment—the first time the road floods—and it will, per your own planners—the road will suffer major damage. The federal government actually should order a proper cleanup of this toxic site.

Gibson considers that opponents have misrepresented and distorted the project’s facts and history. It can be argued that RTC has misled the public on this project repeatedly. Consider this quote: “The Southeast Connector is one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by the RTC and is expected to cost approximately $170 million.” Since the actual road cost is closer to $300 million, who is distorting facts? In recent responses in the RG-J, Mr. Gibson has repeatedly referred to citizens’ complaints and legal actions as “misunderstandings.” That is, if we have objections, we just have misunderstood. Lawrence Laskowski Reno

Men of letters

Re “The high cost of apathy” (Left Foot Forward, Aug. 15):

After reading Sheila Leslie’s plea to Gov. Sandoval for an overhaul of the mental health system in the state of Nevada, I am enclosing a copy of a letter that I sent this week to Senator Reid, Assemblyman David Bobzien and Congressman Mark Amodei:

In 2006, I filed my first application for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (without legal representation) due to multiple mental health disorders and physical impediments. In 2007, that application was denied. I did not appeal the decision at that time due to the severity of my disability and lack of case management.

In 2010, I filed a second application for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits without legal representation due to the same multiple mental health and physical disorders listed in the first application. In 2011, the second application was denied. I then sought out the counsel of Hal Taylor, attorney-at-law in Reno. This legal firm currently represents my interests in the ongoing appeal process. To date, we have requested a reconsideration of the initial denial (which was denied), have been present at a hearing presided over by administrative law judge Eileen Burlison (which was denied) and just last week the request to review the aforementioned denied application was denied by the Appeals Council of the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review in Virginia. What is going on here?

Clearly, some impediment is in the way of my rightful acquisition of insurance benefits that I have accrued while I was able-minded and employable. At this time, I can no longer count on financial support from family, I have maxed out the available credit limit on personal credit cards, I am behind on monthly rental payments to my landlord, I have had to accept food assistance from the state. I am scared that I will become one of the mental health statistics roaming homeless on the downtown streets of Reno. The time has come for me to request assistance from your office. I urge you to authorize a congressional inquiry appeal on my behalf. Martin Kearney via email

That’s Socialism!

Senator Dean Heller and other Republicans vote in a governmentsupported health care program for themselves, but want to take away the health care from 30 million Americans. John Kuykendall Sparks

Sugar and spice

Re “What are you made of?” (Feature story, Aug. 22):

Why is my sibling’s ancestry composition not the same as mine? We have the same parents?

Thank you for contacting the 23andMe Team. It is normal for your Ancestry Composition to differ from your full sibling. This is because on average, each of you inherit 50 percent of your DNA from each of your parents. However, the segments that you and your brother inherit are not necessarily the same 50 percent, so you will see differences in your genetics in both health and ancestry results. Marcia B. Cuccaro via email

Editor’s note: Our reader asked 23andme.com a question that arose out of our story. The third paragraph is the response from the company.

September mourn

On September 11, 2013, we will hold the fourth annual “September 11th Memorial Taps” ceremony at Powning Veterans Memorial Park Across from the Washoe County Court House for the 13th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001, attacks on the United States of America. We invite all Reno and Sparks residents to attend the ceremony at 6:46 a.m. We realize that is very early in the morning, but the purpose is to remember the murdered civilians of that day at the exact times of the attacks. We will have hundreds of buglers nationwide sounding “Taps” at the same moments. We will repeat the sounding of “Taps” at each moment of the following attacks and will add one more sounding of “Taps” for all those men and women in our military that have been killed in subsequent military actions. This ceremony will also honor all the first responders of Reno, Sparks and all of Nevada for the acts of sacrifice that they have committed themselves to in their professions. Fred Speckmann Reno

Our Mission To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages people to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live. Editor/Publisher D. Brian Burghart News Editor Dennis Myers Arts Editor Brad Bynum Calendar Editor Kelley Lang Editorial Intern Sage Leehey Contributors Amy Alkon, Chanelle Bessette, Megan Berner, Mark Dunagan, Bob Grimm, Ashley Hennefer, Sheila Leslie, Dave Preston, Jessica Santina, K.J. Sullivan, Kris Vagner, Bruce Van Dyke, Allison Young Creative Director Priscilla Garcia Art Director Hayley Doshay Design Brian Breneman, Vivian Liu, Marianne Mancina, Skyler Smith Advertising Consultants Meg Brown, Gina Odegard, Bev Savage Senior Classified Advertising Consultant Olla Ubay Office/Distribution Manager/ Ad Coordinator Karen Brooke Executive Assistant/Operations Coordinator Nanette Harker Assistant Distribution Manager Ron Neill Distribution Drivers Sandra Chhina, John Miller, Jesse Pike, David Richards, Martin Troye, Warren Tucker, Matthew Veach, Sam White General Manager/Publisher John D. Murphy President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resource Manager Tanja Poley Business Manager Grant Ronsenquist Business Nicole Jackson, Tami Sandoval Systems Manager Jonathan Schultz Systems Support Specialist Joe Kakacek Web Developer/Support Specialist John Bisignano 708 North Center Street Reno, NV 89501 Phone (775) 324-4440 Fax (775) 324-4572 Classified Fax (916) 498-7940 Mail Classifieds & Talking Personals to N&R Classifieds, Reno Edition, 1015 20th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 or e-mail classifieds@ newsreview.com Web site www.newsreview.com Printed by Paradise Post The RN&R is printed using recycled newsprint whenever available. Editorial Policies Opinions expressed in the RN&R are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permission to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. The RN&R is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form.

ThiS Modern World by tom tomorrow

Call off the dogs

You can sure hear them barking. The dogs of war are furious, frothing at the teeth, trying to bite through the chainlink fence between us and Syria like some rabid monsters. Doesn’t this all feel so familiar, just like the buildup to the second Iraq war? That was the war that distracted the entire planet while our government created the surveillance state, drone murder, and enabled the destruction of the world economy to the benefit of the wealthy and the detriment of the rest of us. How stupid are we? We’ve seen it time and time again: The opposition party—whichever party it happens to be at the time—demands action on the part of the seated administration for some imagined foreign interest. The administration is nearly always loathe to take action, because let’s face it, it’s been a long time since wars were good for the economy. So the balance becomes, “Will I gain more votes by getting in or staying out?”

But, the administration will stick a toe in the water, maybe with a surgical strike against a related target, and suddenly the poll numbers go up. Of course they go up, the opposition party likes this particular action, and the supporting party thinks they’re supporting their own best interests by supporting their “team.” Since the administration actually sought the conflict, the second Iraq war was a rare exception to this pattern.

Still, on Aug. 20, 2012, President Obama shot his mouth off by answering opposition party complaints, when he said, “We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized,” the president said a year ago last week. “That would change my calculus. That would change my equation.”

In the year since he made that statement, some media outlets have made the claim that he basically said that if Syria uses chemical weapons against it’s own people, we’ll send our soldiers in. Just read the statement. He didn’t commit to any such action, but now, he’s behaving as though he did—saber-rattling in exactly the way that political opposition mouthpieces have used to claim he’s created a credibility gap. In other words, they say, Obama must take action now, otherwise he’ll be perceived as toothless—and besides, he already said he would.

Except he didn’t. Look, police actions don’t make other countries like us. They haven’t for a long time. The idea that we would gain allies by or advance our interests by a strike against Bashar al-Assad is absurd and self-destructive.

If we were going in with “liberal” values, such as protecting civilians from a repressive regime, we would have gone in a long time ago. Some 1.5 million people have fled the country due to Syria’s civil war. Some 4 million have been internally displaced. If we cared one bit for those 1 million children displaced by war, we’d be there. Some 100,000 people have been killed by bullets, bombs and disease in this civil war. But less than 500 are killed by gas—we don’t even know who launched the attack—and we’re going to go in?

We’re facing another election-driven war. And we the people always seem to lose these wars. Ω

Are there campus issues that concern you?

Asked at the University of Nevada, Reno

Chris Buchanan

Freshman A lot of the construction we have going on right now. It makes me create a lot of detours to get to classes. They waited, kind of, to get it going. I was here last week, and they didn’t really have as much going on as they do now.

Corinne Hasenau

Freshman I get lost a lot. And I’m a little scared to walk at night. We’re in downtown Reno. Reno is not the best neighborhood to walk in at night.

Weston Haynes

Junior Food is expensive, really expensive. I just paid $5 for this drink [a 15.2 ounce container of strawberry/banana juice]. I paid $4.75. It’s so expensive to eat on campus, so I usually pack a lunch.

Farah Vitale

Junior Maybe tuition, the price of tuition going up, and people not being able to afford going here full time. I’ve had financial aid helping me, but not everyone has that.

Gaby Palazzolo

Sophomore Probably this stuff right here—the construction and this stuff. It makes campus not look as good. Othewise, I like everything about this campus and the school.

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