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What? What? Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. It’s funny how—no matter what else is going on in your life—when you have something physically wrong, everything else is secondary. One of your best friends could be dying of cancer. Your ancient dog could be checking out, too. Your family member could be moving across the country. Your entire life could be turning topsyturvy, and that health issue is the thing that’s going to occupy your mind. Everything else is, by comparison, something to be dealt with. I’m losing my hearing at an alarming rate. It’s hard to say what the rate is, because my audiologist hasn’t received the results of the last time it was checked by a different doctor earlier this year, but to me it seems fast. They don’t measure hearing loss by decibels, as I understand it, but by some algorithm that includes the amount of human speech a person can hear. My left ear is at 53 percent; my right is at 73. So, why would I waste a couple hundred precious words on a health problem? Like everything I write about that is superficially personal, I think it speaks toward universal truths. I’ve written about the health-care and insurance industries in this column. Did you know that insurance doesn’t typically cover the cost of hearing aids, but there is no other treatment for deafness caused by nerve damage? My insurance doesn’t cover them. I’m looking at $2,500 to $3,000 worth of hearing aids for each ear. From a job standpoint, a lot rides on me correctly understanding what people tell me, especially when they’re discussing someone else’s reputation. But isn’t this an economicdivide issue? People who have to pick between food and hearing a song the way it was intended to be heard aren’t going to spend the money. I wonder how many automobile accidents are caused by people not being able to hear what’s going on around them. What if my hearing continues to deteriorate? My girlfriend notices I listen to the radio loudly. If it’s loud noises that caused it, and it causes people to listen to progressively louder noises, doesn’t it seem logical that insurance would work for prevention? Go Team America!
It depends on how the money is delivered Re “Studies funding revealed” (Upfront, June 11): This article is almost enlightening and almost news. After the recent scandal in climatology with so called scientist changing and cherry-picking data to support the conclusion of man-caused global warming, we need to look closely at anything coming out of the scientific community that could influence public policy. Using doom and gloom predictions to influence public policy has always been a popular and effective tactic. We look back at the hysteria that solar eclipses used to cause and the advantage that huckster politicians and priests use to take of it and smugly know we are enlightened as we turn off our electric lights and burn candles to fend off global warming. I myself am sponsoring a study to determine if people who send me money are smarter, healthier and live longer. I will let you know the results. Arguan Modeth Reno
Literally speaking Re “Biggest Little Best of Northern Nevada” (Feature story, Aug. 6): We always appreciate the “Best of Northern Nevada” issue and RN&R’s commitment to marking the changes that happen in Northern Nevada, especially those featuring our creative local culture and characters. We were surprised, though, to see that with the exception of the bookstores categories there were no literary figures, events, or places listed this year. Our whole region is in the midst of a literary revival. There are now two Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing programs, and the city has its first Poet Laureate, Gailmarie Pahmeier, the subject of a terrific profile in your paper. We have four significant literary magazines, and our residents and alumni continue to publish work worthy of national recognition. And just as exciting, we have a fast-growing number of literary events around the
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region, including public readings, literary festivals, workshops, salons and more. In that spirit, we hope that the RN&R will consider bringing back the literary category for “Best Creative Writer” for the 2016 edition (perhaps even bringing back your genre categories), and that you also consider adding “Best Literary Event/Reading Series/ Reading Venue” categories as well. We’re working hard to make the RenoTahoe region a literary epicenter in the West, and would be grateful for the RN&R’s support via the Best Of list! Mark Maynard Sparks
Re “Self-defense rare in gun deaths” (July 16): The Violence Policy Center is a pure propaganda outfit with no regard for the truth. If you expect to be taken seriously, you need to quote legitimate sources, or quote sources who might disagree. You know, the old “we report, you decide” mantra. Stephen Bloyd Carson City
Very interesting
Illuminating
Re “Give ‘em the bird” (Feature story, July 30): I’ve been reading the RN&R since Vol. 1, No. 1—seems like over 20 years ago. But lately your stories have been much more interesting than usual. Somebody new at the paper? I read, with great interest, the story about the Red-tailed hawks. It mentioned that they eat rodents and small birds. I’m here to tell you that they will take larger birds, too, if they are that hungry. I’m a seagull feeder, and I’ve seen the Red-tails stalking those beautiful birds many times. I’ve never seen a catch, I’m happy to say, but that’s because the gulls are very aware of the fatal intentions of hawks. Keep the interesting stories coming. Brad MacKenzie Reno
Re “Off the wall” (Art of the State, July 2): It’s unfortunate that the Liberty Street murals were painted over, but Vagner’s facts are a bit off. No one “Zero Dark Thirtied” their way in at 1 in the morning to paint over the murals. The buildings were repainted Sunday at 6 a.m. due to parking and traffic concerns. It is downtown Reno after all. Work was halted several times so passersby could take pictures of the murals before they were painted over. I wonder if the person who tagged the back of the building did so in the light of day. Chris Smith Reno
Head of the class Re “The 2015 Nevada Legislature was a mixed bag” (Let Freedom Ring, June 11): I give Brendan Trainor an “F” for not seeing the truth in these “school choice bills.” Nothing but veiled income and race discrimination. I will also give an “A+” to the same for his continued “trickle down” mentality that has failed this nation since Reagan was in office. Mark Mcphail Reno
Editor/Publisher D. Brian Burghart News Editor Dennis Myers Arts Editor Brad Bynum Special Projects Editor Georgia Fisher Calendar Editor Kelley Lang Contributors Amy Alkon, Woody Barlettani, Bob Grimm, Ashley Hennefer, Sheila Leslie, Eric Marks, Jessica Santina, Todd South, Brendan Trainor, Bruce Van Dyke, Allison Young
Clean it up While taking a morning walk by the river, I couldn’t help but be astounded by the effects of the drought. I’m not talking about the water-coming-fromthe-sky drought, I’m talking about the lack of positive attention and maintenance coming from the Reno city government drought. The area east of Virginia Street is totally inundated with trash. Both in the river and around it. Between the rusty broken shopping cart on the walking path and the sleeping bags strewn all over the place, you would think the place
Creative Director Priscilla Garcia Art Director Hayley Doshay Associate Art Director Brian Breneman Ad Design Manager Serene Lusano Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Design Kyle Shine Advertising Consultants Joseph “Joey” Davis, Gina Odegard, Bev Savage Senior Classified Advertising Consultant Olla Ubay Operations Coordinator Kelly Miller
Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager Anthony Clarke Distribution Drivers Tracy Breeden, Alex Barskyy, Denise Cairns, Steve Finlayson, Debbi Frenzi, Vicky Jewell, Angela Littlefield, 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
—D. Brian Burghart
brianb@ ne wsreview.com
OPINION
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NEWS
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GREEN
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BEST OF NORTHERN NEVADA
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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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NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS
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is becoming a wasteland of human negligence. It’s so shockingly bad that it almost has an apocalyptic feel to it. The city should use some of that rebranding money and put it towards cleaning the river and areas around it, and it should instruct law enforcement to aggressively enforce whatever laws are on the books about not letting people camp out by the river and leave all their trash behind. The city government should view the Truckee River as the flowing jewel in the heart of the city, and therefore take full responsibility for its wellbeing. Who knows, maybe then the snow and the rain will come back. It’s a nice thought, at least. David Flynt Reno
Selective outrage? Re “Loaded argument” (Notes from the Neon Babylon, Aug. 6): Bruce Van Dyke, like so many others, is awed by Africa’s charismatic mega fauna while turning a blind, uncaring eye to deer, cows, pigs, chickens and other animals exploited by us. Earth to Bruce: “Sportsmen” hunt deer for the fun of it, not to put food on the table. They go for the big rack bucks just as dentist Palmer went for a big-maned male lion. Deer feel just as much pain and fear as a lion. Only an asshole would shoot off Bambi’s head. And what about livestock? Pigs and chickens, for example, lead short miserable lives in factory farms, never getting the chance to roam free. At least that lion lived the wild life for 13 years. Speaking of roaming free, Bruce should hate zoos, which are mental and physical cages for lions, their instincts curbed by walls and zoo keepers, gawked at by tourists all day every day. If “Cecil” were a warthog, would Bruce or anyone else care? I doubt it. Good looking animals trump ugly. How shallow we are. Clyde Mason Reno
Business Nicole Jackson, Kortnee Angel Sweetdeals Coordinator Courtney deShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Lead Technology Synthesist Jonathan Schultz Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin 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
THIS WEEK
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MISCELLANY
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Website www.newsreview.com Printed by Sierra Nevada Media 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 design: Brian Breneman
AUGUST 13, 2015
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