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Last encounter
Pro’s prose
Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. Happy New Year! This is my last column of the year, and the issue also includes probably my last feature story in the Fatal Encounters series. Primarily due to this series, I had an extraordinary year. When I originally planned out the stories, this last piece was supposed to look at a comprehensive year’s worth of data regarding officer-involved homicides in the United States, but as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. It was just too much data, and despite the fact that thousands of people have contributed in many ways, it’ll be a while before we’ll call any calendar year complete. A lot of people have commented that we had good timing with this series, but honestly, nobody was telling me how smart I was two years ago, when I started work on it. In fact, they mostly told me I was wrong with my assertion that the government was not collecting this information. I’m saddened that this last story is launching in the environment of mourning with the murder of two police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. In the last year, I’ve learned more about the dangers of being in law enforcement than I ever could have imagined. You know, a lot of people have made comparisons between the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and the Bunkerville, Nevada, standoff with the Bureau of Land Management, but I don’t think many have made the connection that two Las Vegas Metro officers, Igor Soldok and Alyn Beck, died as a direct result of that standoff. Similar outcomes, but as different as black and white. My thoughts go out to all those families, and I fervently hope one result of this project will be fewer dead police. And that’s one thing that has not changed in the year that’s waning as I type these words: I still believe that better data regarding officer-involved violence will help us understand the patterns that overlay these incidents, and if we pay attention to what the data tells us, we’ll have safer streets for everyone.
Re “Biggest little stories” (Feature story, Dec. 24): “Face closed” but yet the eyes are open and apparently white? “Has the parcel weight in her soft hands”? “The grass is greening beneath the snow”? Oh my! Rex D. Stock Reno
in every waistband. Given a choice between Scalia and Michele Fiore as his authority on constitutionally appropriate gun use, I would suggest Trainor go with the one who has participated in fewer armed insurrections against the United States (as in the Bundy Ranch standoff). And please add these three to Michele Fiore’s CCW witness list for Judiciary Committee: the Idaho State professor who shot himself in the foot during chem lab, the Arkansas state senator who shot a teacher during active shooter training, and the Utah teacher who blew away a toilet while sitting on it. C.G. Green Reno
Agree to disagree Re “Poetic adjustments” (Notes from the Neon Babylon, Dec. 11): I would be interested in Mr. Van Dyke’s opinions if he had read all of the investigation information pertaining to all the incidents he listed. But I am sure that his opinion is based on his vast law enforcement and judicial system experience. Brett Smith Reno
Life after subsidies Re “The future of shopping hell” (Feature story, Dec. 18): Well done article. When the government subsidies abate well, you know the saying: “What comes up, must come down,” and they will no longer be able to operate at a loss. Perhaps it will coincide with the greater and longer impending global market downturn after the holidays? I would be very interested in future coverage of the communications industry that operates many “warehouses” in the form of call centers staffed by temp firms through their offices, job fairs and the independent providers of the call centers for the biggest names in communications. Why? Because their practices are similar in many ways to what Amazon warehouse employees seem to be subject to. How does one know they are working for a place with high turnover and questionable practices? Number one in my experience is not knowing the full name of co-workers unless asked. A name tag or a desk sign with only a first name is the tip-off that one has found him/herself in what I term a “dispose a job”—meaning it is something that realistically most only do for three to six months and then move along. While such call centers tout full benefit packages and typically about 25 or so long-term employees that are used as examples of “job stability,” the broader turnover is so great and the pay so low in comparison to the profit margin that it is inexcusable to have
Under the gun “SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: This Firearm Is 22 Times More Likely To Be Fired In A Suicide, Homicide Or Accident Than A Defensive Use.” No gun dealer or maker will tell you about this reality. Big Ammo prefers fantasy to reality, borrowing Big Tobacco’s playbook from three generations ago, when their ads featured athletes, movie stars, and even doctors promoting “health benefits” of cigarettes. Amanda Collins’ unfortunate celebrity victim status lends itself to that kind of role. Her anecdote opens the door to an alluring defensive gun use fantasy. It invites us to time-travel back to 2007 to hand her the gun she needs in order to pre-execute Brianna Dennison’s killer, and who wouldn’t do that? Well, one person who wouldn’t is Justice Antonin Scalia, who specifically reiterated the Court’s respect for “laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings.” He expressed that support for traditional Second Amendment restrictions in DC v. Heller. Brendan Trainor has previously praised that same decision (RN&R, Jan. 16) as a green light for a gun 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 Staff writer Sage Leehey Contributors Amy Alkon, Woody Barlettani, Bob Grimm, Ashley Hennefer, Sheila Leslie, Eric Marks, Dave Preston, Jessica Santina, Todd South, Brendan Trainor, Bruce Van Dyke, Allison Young
Creative Director Priscilla Garcia Art Director Hayley Doshay Junior Art Director Brian Breneman Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Design Melissa Bernard, Brad Coates, Kyle Shine Advertising Consultants Joseph “Joey” Davis, Gina Odegard, Bev Savage, Jessica Wilson Senior Classified Advertising Consultant Olla Ubay Office Manager/Ad Coordinator Karen Brooke Executive Assistant/Operations Coordinator Nanette Harker
—D. Brian Burghart
brianb@ ne wsreview . com
OPINION
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NEWS
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GREEN
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FEATURE STORY
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ARTS&CULTURE
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ART OF THE STATE
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FOODFINDS
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FILM
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MUSICBEAT
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son experienced—miles and miles of racing over a cement floor attempting to keep up with the demands of a computer, no regular schedule, no benefits and no job security. Jeff Bezos visited the facility once. My son thought he was an arrogant ass. His photo in Mr. Hightower’s article is nearly as terrifying as the article itself. Even worse is that Amazon is becoming the model for other distribution centers popping up all over Northern Nevada. ZuLilly is a good example. (My son also worked there.) Do we really want to be a state that is so desperate for a new image that we are willing to sell our souls to the likes of Jeff Bezos? The jobs companies like Amazon bring to Nevada are akin to slavery. We citizens are being lied to by those making the decisions in Carson City, who give special tax breaks and other incentives to the slave holders, then tell us it is in the common good because jobs are being created. Secure jobs with good pay, regular schedules, safe workplaces, health insurance and other benefits are not being created. We can do better. I have boycotted Amazon since they were first established. Last night I showed my sister, a regular Amazon. com shopper, “The Future of Shopping Hell.” She will never visit the site again and feels guilty for not knowing what was really going on. Thanks to Jim Hightower and RN&R, others are becoming educated and will hopefully realize that the cheapest price is not worth sacrificing our small, local businesses and that our work force deserves better jobs than distribution centers like Amazon provide. Jere Whitney Reno
any employee treated as if they were so much toilet tissue to be used, abused and flushed! To add insult to injury, the drain on local charitable resources in addition to government assistance is troubling. Deborah D’Amico Reno
But how do you feel? President Barack Obama has missed a chance to put an exclamation point on of his never-ending Apologize for America tour. Having absolutely nothing to fear from like-minded Third World pissant, tin pot dictators, Cuba’s Commie in Charge recently took POTUS to the woodshed. A place Obamski knows only too well. In a 30-minute uninterrupted tirade, the Commie in Charge Castro lambasted Obummer on the phone claiming that “America is the root of all of Cuba’s problems.” Per usual, our Dear Leader apologized for America’s greatness and leadership in the free world. The paddle so effectively and frequently wielded by Merkle, the Saudis, Nettanyahu, the Ayatollahs, Kim Jung Un, Assad, and Palin ... across Obama’s backside ... is now well known. There was no reason for Castro not to lash out, given our Bench Warmer in Charge’s timidity and leadership failures. Barrasakova missed a golden opportunity to focus the light on his fundamental lack of moral authority. He could have flown to Havana directly. Then he could have called a joint press conference, got down on his knees ... and licked the boots of Castro personally. Alas, a prime time genuflecting and grovelling opportunity was forever lost. Kim R. Kollman Reno
Think global, shop local Re “The future of shopping hell” (Feature story, Dec. 18): I was thoroughly was educated by this article. I have been a very loyal Amazon customer since its birth, but I am through! I order many items for convenience. I cannot support this company’s business model with their disregard for human workers. Thanks for opening my eyes. Dale Magnin Reno
Jungle fever Re “The future of shopping hell” (Feature story, Dec. 18): My son worked at the Fernley Amazon sweatshop over the holidays for four years. When he first told me of the horrific work conditions, I thought he was exaggerating. “The Future of Shopping Hell” by Jim Hightower describes exactly what my Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager Anthony Clarke Distribution Drivers Sandra Chhina, Steve Finlayson, Debbi Frenzi, Vicky Jewell, Angela Littlefield, Joe Medeiros, Ron Neill, Christian Shearer, Marty Troye, Warren Tucker, Gary White, Joseph White, Margaret Underwood General Manager/Publisher John D. Murphy President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resource Manager Tanja Poley Business Manager Grant Rosenquist
NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS
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THIS WEEK
Business Nicole Jackson
Sweetdeals Coordinator Couryney deShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir
Lead Technology Synthesist Jonathan Schultz Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalinn Jenkins 405 Marsh Ave., Third Floor Reno, NV 89509 Phone (775) 324-4440 Fax (775) 324-4572 Classified Fax (916) 498-7940 Mail Classifieds to classifieds@newsreview.com
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MISCELLANY
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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.
Cover and feature story design: Brian Breneman Cover illustration: Jonathan Buck
DECEMBER 31, 2014
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