Letters

Forced entry

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

I’m sure some readers are sick and tired of the incredible saturation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I can understand the impulse. I’ve still never seen Titanic, despite being a fan of its two stars and enjoying other movies by the director—because of how inescapable it was back in the winter of 1997-98. I still go into spasms of Pavlovian nausea whenever I hear that damn Celine Dion song

That said, The Force Awakens is fantastic. I think our man Bob nailed it with his review on page 22, so I won’t detail much here. But it’s a satisfying experience. The Star Wars movies were probably the single most important mythology of my childhood. Going to see Return of the Jedi in the theaters is one of my very earliest memories. (I was 3.) What I remember most clearly isn’t the actual movie— which I’ve seen several times since then—but the excitement beforehand. More specifically, I remember looking at a movie still—Luke at Jabba’s palace, surrounding by goons and piggish aliens—in a newspaper.

It’s funny. I’ve always cherished this early memory for demonstrating how important fantasy stories, and the Star Wars movies in particular, were to me at a young age. But while telling this story to a friend before The Force Awakens, it occurred to me that it’s also a story about how one of my earliest memories is of looking at a newspaper.

A wild thing about going to a big movie like that on opening weekend is seeing tons of Renoites. And sure, I saw a lot of people I knew there, but I also saw tons of people I’ve never seen before, people I never see in my version of Reno—out and about at locally owned restaurants or bars—let alone at art openings or local music shows.

And of course they never see me out and about at the mall or church or Olive Garden or their mom’s basement or wherever they spend their time. I don’t mean that in a snobby or condescending way. I just mean that it’s strange that sometimes it takes a galaxy far, far away to bring neighbors together. So we can all cheer for images that can’t hear the applause. —Brad Bynum bradb@newsreview.com

Holiday caution

Seventy-five percent of Americans have already checked off their holiday shopping lists. How many are not checking off? Simple steps to protect their homes! Allstate claims data shows most types of fire, theft and weather property claims increase during the holiday season. Despite 71 percent of adults acknowledging the increased risk of in-home incidents, only 37 percent take extra care to protect themselves. Allstate’s Holiday Home Hazards poll reveals risky behaviors like leaving packages in the open, doors unlocked, or falling asleep with a fire still roaring are all too common.

Here in Nevada, our top claim is frozen bursting pipes, spiking as high as 1411 percent during the holidays! How can you can protect your family and home? If you plan to head out on vacation, leave the faucets dripping to prevent frozen pipes. Avoid flaunting new purchases or travel plans on social media—you could be giving “digital thieves” valuable information. Before preparing a feast, plan ahead so you don’t multi-task and lose focus in the kitchen. Keep children away from candles. Snuff out fireplace flames before bedtime. Don’t overload outlets with twinkling lights. A little preparation can go a long way. David Chaidez Reno

School board equals poor grads?

As a product of the Washoe County School District (WCSD) and citizen of Reno since 1969, kindly allow me to weigh in on the public embarrassment that is the Washoe County School Board (WCSB). Myself and countless other local employers never hire graduates of this school district. Why? Quite simple, actually. The quality—or lack thereof in the vast majority of the cases—of the student that this school district produces is pathetically substandard. WCSD graduates are of no use to employers seeking quality candidates that can be further trained. While there are a miniscule few WCSD graduates that could cut the mustard, it is simply too time consuming and expensive to weed out the vast majority of the others.

We employers want our new hires to have a firm understanding of the English language and basic math skills. Methinks that this district’s curriculum is weighted far more in favor of the correct manner to explore your psychobabble mantra, basket weaving, identifying sexual orientation/preferences (whatever that is), and intermediate social media. Out here in the real world, the product (i.e. student) that the WCSB produces is not only wantonly unprepared, but flagrantly inadequate in even a modicum of preparation that employers can utilize and mold to the benefit of their enterprise. The cacophony of bonehead 101 errors that the WCSB has fostered upon us taxpayers is a local embarrassment of extreme proportions. The WCSB is the laughing stock of school boards not only in Nevada, but nationwide. Unless and until this pathetic bumbling morass that is the WCSB is thrown out or resign en-masse, there are employers out here who will continue to refuse to hire its graduates. K. R. Kollman Reno

Feel the Greer

Normally I’m a really happy guy just being caustic and writing caustic letters to editors. However, I must share with you this quote I found on the internet, because it says so very much. We know that, of course, we cannot believe everything we read on internet, but in this case it is logic that is important.

“There is a secret to being a supporter of Bernie Sanders. It is something that totally escapes the thinking of most Democrats and Republicans. It is the mental understanding that Sanders is fighting a war that most people are not. It is the war between corporations and the people. Unless you are fighting this war as well, you cannot possibly understand how important it is to vote for Bernie over Hillary. This is not about Hillary or Bernie, it is about fighting your real enemies, the multi-national corporations who are trying to control this nation and the world. You ignore this war at your own peril.” Randolph Greer.

So that’s my caustic for the week. Thank you, Mr. Greer. Now we return you to your regular programming. Feel the Bern.

Craig Bergland Reno

Ben and me

Re “The truth about mass shootings” (Let Freedom Ring, Dec. 17):

Great article and so true. Giving up rights for security is not the right answer. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” It really is that simple.

Alan Roney Reno

Wedge issue

Re “Handmade gifts” (Art of the State, Dec. 3):

Don’t know about the other venues but The Wedge is fabulous! I bought a set of eight bowls and spoons last year and have used them for soups, salads, dips and anything else you can imagine—and always receive such compliments about the uniqueness of each piece. The people there are wonderful and so enthusiastic about their art and the opportunity we give them to replenish supplies and equipment—and the chili is the best homemade you will ever taste—they could compete in the chili cook-off, but I suspect that the taste is a combined one, and there is no recipe for the wonderful flavor.

I’ll buy more this year as special presents for family and friends because each is unique. Get there early for a large selection but even if you’re the last in line for the last on the shelf, you have a unique masterpiece. Love this place!

Cathy Weise

Erik Holland

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