Issuu

Letters ........................... 3 opinion/Streetalk ........... 5 Sheila Leslie ................... 6 Brendan Trainor............. 7 News ............................. 8 Green ........................... 11 Feature ........................ 13 Arts&Culture .............. 22 Art of the State ........... 24

Foodfinds .....................25 Film..............................26 musicbeat ....................27 Nightclubs/Casinos ...... 28 This Week .................... 31 Advice Goddess .......... 32 Free Will Astrology ...... 34 15 minutes ....................35 Bruce Van Dyke ...........35

Thanks for The memories see Left foot forward, page 6.

What you Don’t knoW Will make us money see news, page 8.

Home & History

see arts&Culture, page 22.

Don’T pLay wiTh

your fooD see film, page 26.

RENo’s NEws & ENtERtaiNmENt wEEkly

VolumE 19, issuE 41

NoVEmbER 27–DECEmbER 4, 2013

RN&R |

november 27, 2013

Send letters to renoletters@newsreview.com

Have you seen Neal? Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. OK, so quick story. A couple of years ago, Dec. 9, 2010, we had this homeless guy living on our back porch, here at the world headquarters of the Reno News & Review. His name was Neal C. Kirk, and I interviewed him for our 15 Minutes feature, www.newsreview.com/ reno/home-on-the-street/ content?oid=1887330. Anyway, fast forward to a week or two ago. I got a call from Neal’s sister-in-law. Through the miracle of the internet, some member of his family looked up his name, and there he was in all his glory, all bearded and toothless, but undeniably himself. His family hasn’t seen him in about 56 years, and they’d like to get in touch with him. His family includes his son, whom he has never met. Even his brother is still kicking. They all are, and since Neal was born on Dec. 21, 1931, that’s sort of surprising because NEAL C. KIRK Neal hasn’t lived the easiest life. I haven’t seen the guy in a year and a half or so. I know he had a visit up to Parr Boulevard on May 19, 2011, but that’s where the trail gets cold for me. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he headed somewhere else, like Las Vegas, Portland or maybe Sacramento. I’ve got my feelers out, but hey, I’m the editor of a freaking newspaper—let’s do some broadcast journalism. And I know Neal would have my hide for this, but I also called the police, and they’re looking, too. Anyway, if you’ve seen Neal since May 19, 2011, please give me a call at 324-4440 ext. 3525. You can call anytime, but I’d really like to hear from you on this one. Putting Neal and his family back together might bring a winter thaw, if you know what I mean. —D. Brian Burghart

brian b@ n ewsreview . com

Everybody’s heard about the bird

the meeting room to tell her they’re not comfortable with continuing treatment due to having dental work done elsewhere. They said she’s no longer welcome as a patient. Even after explaining the situation, they wanted nothing to do with her, even though the filling that was in was a temporary fix to a tooth that would need attention soon anyway. My wife has never felt so humiliated, and we can’t believe the way she was treated. There are lots of dentists to choose from, and we picked Apple Dental because it was the closest one to us on our preferred provider list. We wish Sala was on our list too because Sala is certainly worth the drive. At least the people at Sala Family Dentistry are compassionate to people’s needs. Drew Martin Fernley

Re “Grouse decision” (Green, Nov. 14): I was glad to see your coverage of the sage-grouse listing determination in the green section last week. Nevada has had a conservation plan for sage-grouse, in one form or another, for more than a decade. The bi-state population was listed because the area conservation plan was never implemented. Ultimately, it came down to the fact that nobody was willing to pay for sage-grouse conservation because they didn’t think it mattered. Now that the bird is listed, everyone pays in a different way, and people are starting to see that it matters. This could have been prevented if we’d spent less time talking and more time doing. We still have time to create a conservation solution for the rest of Nevada, but it will take a concerted effort of all affected parties to sit down and make some hard choices. We will need support from our congressional delegation to help figure out how to fund sage-grouse conservation in Nevada. We won’t be able to do it alone, and we cannot afford to wait. Martin T. Nelson Reno

Memorable fight Re “Biggest Little Movie” (Film, Nov. 21): Just a quick nit to pick with Bob Grimm’s review of The Motel Life. The Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas fight mentioned in the review was actually not available to bet on anywhere in Northern Nevada. The only casino that carried odds on this fight was the Mirage in Las Vegas! (The odds opened at 50-1.) I lived in Northern California at the time and drove to Reno three times trying to find a sports book that would take my action, but to no avail. (I was trying to bet on Douglas.) Other than that small complaint, the review was solid, like most of Grimm’s work. George Tepovich Reno

To tell the tooth My wife and I took our daughter, Heather, to get free dental work at Sala Family Dentistry because we have no insurance for her at this time, and while we stood in line before the sun came up, we decided that my wife, Kimberly, should get one of her two fillings done at the same time to ease pain that could not wait and because it was free. This was perfect timing, since times are tough for most people, it made sense to save money. Everything was perfect at Sala, and the whole experience surpassed all expectations: The staff was secondto-none, and the support from other organizations was nice. So when we went to our scheduled appointment at Apple Family Dentistry Sparks on Sparks Boulevard to see Dr. Sophia Dang to get the other filling done, the hygienist had my wife in the chair and after looking in her mouth, went to talk to the dentist, then pulled her into

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.

Health care for all Re “State of Health” (Feature story, Oct. 10): Why are so many Medicare beneficiaries afraid of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)? The ACA has had a rough start largely because of hype and few facts. The Health Care Act in Massachusetts had a similar rough start and that was on a much smaller scale. Only 123 people enrolled with

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

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the Massachusetts Health Care in the first month. Medicare also had a similar start, and I am sure that all of you 65 and older feel blessed that you can count on medical help when you need it. Most of the “horror stories” are blown out of proportion or downright fictitious. In one state, the initial report said 250,000 people had been canceled, which proved to be false. In fact, most of these people were offered continuation of their insurance at the same rate; thousands more were grandfathered in to their insurance coverage. The ACA provides that: People cannot be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions; dependent coverage until age 26; prohibits the use of lifetime dollar limits on coverage for essential benefits; significant cost savings. Come on you medicare recipients; let’s give the same chance at health care to those under 65! Wanda Dingwall Sparks

of the Walker, Carson, and Truckee river basins, plus the entire Mono Lake drainage, would be included as well. Likewise, California would gain much more than simply Las Vegas. Their acquired area also would include Laughlin, Henderson, Mesquite, Beatty, the prestigious Test Site/Yucca Mountain lands and even Searchlight. I apologize to people in the Portola-Susanville-Alturas area, to the north, and in Caliente, Goldfield, and the Owens Valley-Mammoth area, to the south, because of their exclusion from Nevada’s suggested new territory during this benevolent reapportioning. I probably won’t hold my breath regarding the eventual approval and implementation of this plan. Nonetheless, don’t you think that “Truckee, Markleeville and Bridgeport, Nevada” has a nice sound? And likewise for “Las Vegas and Pahrump, California”? Steve VanDenburgh Carson City

Now that you mention it

Que bueno

Re “People don’t think before they speak” (Left Foot Forward, Nov. 7): In a recent RN&R column (Nov. 7, 2013), Sheila Leslie discussed the politically flawed comments of Northern Nevada Assembly member Jim Wheeler. Among those “offensive remarks,” Ms. Leslie mentioned a Wheeler suggestion that “Nevada trade Las Vegas to California for the rest of Lake Tahoe,” which for some reason triggered even further calls for his resignation. As a 46-year resident of northern Nevada, and with my tongue firmly in cheek, I wonder whether Mr. Wheeler’s proposal should have been even more ambitious. For well over a decade, I’ve fantasized (mostly to myself) that an irresistible offer could be made to California: All Nevada lands south of latitude 38 degrees (just beyond Tonopah) would become part of our neighboring state. And in return, we would gain all California lands east of the Sierra Nevada drainage divide, from the Mono Lake basin to a point near Peavine Peak northwest of Reno. Thus, our new acquisitions would constitute far more than just “the rest of Lake Tahoe.” Headwater areas

Re “Limping Along” (Letters to the Editor, Nov. 14): The writer blames universal health care for the slump in Spain’s economy, as if the for-profit model has served the U.S. well. In fact, we pay more and get less care per dollar than any other industrialized country, and then our taxes and premiums cover the costs when long-deferred health issues drive the uninsured to emergency rooms. Our health continues to decline, people forgo lifesaving drugs and preventative care because they can’t afford it, and insurance companies’ quarterly profits continue to rise. Spain was rocked by the collapse of a bank-driven housing bubble, same as we were. Why blame the poor, elderly and sick for somehow taking an unfair share of corporate profits? I was teaching in the Basque Country last spring, and one afternoon over beers a local acquaintance pointed to the residencia across the street, a state-supported assisted-living home, and explained the trade-off: “This is a hard country to get rich in, but a great place to get old.” David Fenimore Reno

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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.

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RN&R |

november 27, 2013

by Dennis Myers

THis Modern World

by tom tomorrow

What are you thankful for? Asked at Great Basin Brewing Co., 846 Victorian Ave, Sparks Colleen Limon Bartender

For my family, for every day being a great day, for my co-fans [at the bar]. I’m thankful for everything.

Paul Doege Merchant

I’m thankful for good health and my good life. I had bad health at the start of this year. I have a good family life, and I’m fortunate in business.

Tamra James Bookkeeper

I’m thankful for family and my good health. I love my mom and dad. I don’t know what it would be like here on Earth without them. They’re great support.

Our toxic democracy After the murder of President Kennedy 50 years ago last week, the Washington Post observed, “Partisan feelings, petty differences disappeared in common grief.” We suspect that a presidential murder in this century would leave partisanship in Washington, D.C., largely unaffected and undisturbed. Oh, there would be some bows in the direction of propriety, some crocodile tears and rhetorical chest beating. There would be some Oscar-worthy performances. But very soon today’s champions of polarization would be back at work. So much has changed in the last half century. After the assassination in Dallas, Sen. Barry Goldwater—who enjoyed Kennedy’s company and would the next year become the Republican presidential nominee—was genuinely saddened and shocked. In the succeeding months, Republican Everett Dirksen and Democrat Hubert Humphrey worked together to pass Kennedy’s 1964 Civil Rights Act. That’s not to say that a healthy partisanship disappeared altogether, nor would it have been a positive development if it had. Legislation and policies must be put through rigorous scrutiny in a competitive process in order that they work when they are implemented. But that’s a very different thing from today’s toxic politics in which the intent is to obstruct, destroy careers, blacken reputations, and employ lies to defeat both legislators and legislation. Imagine if, after the Civil Rights Act was passed, legislators refused for several years to accept that decision and refused to act on additional, unrelated measures unless the Civil Rights Act was first repealed. Imagine if legislators shut down the government, preventing good working OPINION

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people from getting services, even organ transplants, because partisan advantage had become a greater value than the functioning of government Imagine if legislators had used public relations techniques to invent claims with no basis in fact to employ against the Civil Rights Act and kept repeating them over and over and over and over, long after they had been discredited by fact checkers. Well, that’s where we’re at. Or go back even further, to Kennedy’s campaign for the presidency. Imagine if extremist billionaires of the time such as H.L. Hunt had ponied up huge sums of money and sent operatives out to target Kennedy’s strengths instead of his weaknesses, as in the Karl Rove techniques used these days. They might have assembled a few disgruntled veterans who had run-ins with Kennedy during World War II and put them out front in a “PT Boat Veterans for Truth” organization whose strings were pulled by shadowy figures who concocted all manner of claims designed to destroy Kennedy’s wartime reputation for heroism. Well, that’s where we’re at. In the years since Kennedy’s death, we have backed into a political system in which big campaign money can be more easily obtained through employment of polarization than through reputable, earnest hard work and decency—and in which political leaders who know better accept it as the price they must pay to win. And the public has let it happen. Voters are unwilling to see through these kinds of tactics and punish candidates who use them. We have a political system that, with every passing decade, becomes more despicable and repulsive, driving good people out of public life. As Mort Sahl has said, “Darwin was wrong.” Ω |

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Cheryl Dunner Homemaker

Our wonderful children and the prospect of a good 2014. I’m hoping for no war, and peace.

Jesus Reynaga Cabinetmaker

I am thankful for family, friends, and for living. I have two children. I’m not here on Earth for myself. I’m working hard for them.

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Thanks for good friends gone Demo, scratch, and dent inventory at an amazing price!

DECEMBER 7 10am - 4pm 1484 Kleppe Lane Sparks NV 89431 CASH & CREDIT DIT CARDS ARDS RDS SO ONLY ON

6 | RN&R |

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s the least commercialized and the most meaningful to me, encouraging all of us to reflect on the many blessings in our lives. The emphasis on family and friends reminds us of what we have, and sometimes, what by we’ve lost. Sheila Leslie Today I am most thankful for a friend who recently passed and the work she did to quite literally save the world for the rest of us. As many have said during the last several weeks, she was the brightest light, the most focused advocate, and yes, the most obsessed with preserving our planet for those yet to be born. She lived large, within an ever-expanding circle of friends and family, usually dominating a room with her vivacious personality, impossible to ignore. Elyssa Rosen was just 48 when she died in a scuba accident in the Tinderbox Marine Reserve off the coast of Tasmania late in October. She was enjoying a rare moment of free time during a work trip as an officer for the Pew Charitable Trust Environment Group. She was attending the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conference where she and others were advocating for the creation of the world’s largest marine reserve in Antarctica. A fund in Elyssa Originally from Chicago, Elyssa Rosen’s name has found her way to Nevada as our been created to first paid staff person for the Sierra support the mentoring Club. She eventually became the program at The Society for Environmental senior regional representative Journalists. Donations for the Sierra Club, based in San can be made at Francisco, but not before she left www.SEJonline.org. her mark in the Great Basin, her adopted home. Elyssa was a founder of Great Basin Mine Watch and served as its executive director, working diligently and effectively to reduce mercury emissions from Nevada’s gold mines. She built a strong coalition of environmentalists, Native Americans, and scientists to keep a closer eye on the mining industry’s activities in Nevada. Elyssa stepped on some toes in the process. She was the type of person who could easily differentiate between right and wrong, and she

had no qualms telling you which was which. Elyssa didn’t go out of her way to be confrontational, but she knew when she had to provide the example, famously quitting the board of an admired non-profit group when she believed (correctly, as it turns out) that they were starting to get much too cozy and comfortable with accepting monetary “sponsorships” from the mining industry. Elyssa was also an accomplished ceramicist and very active in the artisan community of Great Basin Pottery. Her work was delicate and artistic but also very functional; art meant to be used in everyday life. Elyssa had a huge capacity for love. She enjoyed meeting people and making new friends, while always having time for those she had known for years. She was engaged to Matt Newberry, a Wooster High graduate talented in his own field of renewable energy, and they were happily planning their future. Over the years, Elyssa perfected her original academic training as a journalist, and became widely known as an expert in strategic communications. She mentored younger women in particular, encouraging them to enter the field of environmental journalism and help the public understand the perils facing our planet. Losing someone so full of life at such an early age has been a shattering blow to Nevada’s progressive community who looked to Elyssa for guidance and action. It’s been a harsh reminder of the limited time we have to accomplish our goals and how quickly our opportunity to effect change can vanish. One of Elyssa’s exquisite ceramic pieces will be on my Thanksgiving table this year and every year, representing the best of humanity and reminding me of the commitment needed to change the world. I’ll pause to give thanks for a friend like Elyssa who inspires me to work harder and love larger. Ω

We’re gonna be in pictures? The new $20 million annual Motion Picture Incentive (MPI) tax credit for filming motion pictures in Nevada starts this Jan. 1, and a production studio is opening in Reno. I certainly hope that the new studio is a success, but I don’t by Brendan Trainor expect Nevada to get much of a return on the credits. The national average is a mere 30 cents on the dollar. Actor Nicolas Cage came to Nevada and awed the Legislature with testimony about how wonderful the tax credits are for Nevada. Nicolas Cage has made some very good films, but he has made some clunkers as well. One was the film called Stolen, filmed in New Orleans. It only grossed $304,318 on a production budget of $35 million. But Cage made out fine, because the taxpayers of Louisiana picked up much of the difference. Cage declared he is a Nevadan, who would like to get out of bed and walk to work. Unfortunately, as the Las Vegas Sun reported, his foreclosed upon, palatial Las Vegas home sold for $4.95 million. Other sources say Cage’s child is still going to school in Vegas, although they don’t go as far as to state whether the actor is walking to work. Nic Cage: actor, dancer, Those of us who worry about true Nevadan: http:// the power of the 1 percent should youtu.be/AZ-NedVGB-Y remember that Hollywood has its share of the 1 percent, and they can be powerful political players. It is just good business for corporations to play the states for special tax breaks to do business. Thanks to Progressivism, the classical liberal idea of separation of business and state was replaced by the notion that the state should be involved with all manner of businesses, and a jungle of incentives and disincentives have been baked into what should be market decisions. The Nevada Constitution says the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of the governor when the governor’s incapacitated or absent from Nevada. The lieutenant governor also presides over the

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Senate. But those limited duties are never mentioned when campaigning. Instead, the candidates for lieutenant governor campaign to be a good will ambassador to corporations urging them to relocate to Nevada. There is always a revolving door to go through when a term of “public service” has expired, and constant networking with corporate CEO’s would seem to be a good way to do well while doing good. The best way to attract businesses to Nevada is to have a business climate that is welcoming to all. Special tax breaks or regulatory waivers means government is attempting to pick the winners and losers in the market—never a good idea. Nevada’s state tax structure with no personal or corporate income tax is the third best for business in the nation. Nevada, however, falls down to only the 40th best at the local level. A lot of that has to do with public sector salaries. Our longterm debt due to public pensions and other benefits is worse than most states. Our schools are mediocre, and our infrastructure is badly in need of improvement. Wouldn’t it be better for a lieutenant governor to spend more time interacting with local government to develop meaningful tax reform in Nevada, rather than junketing around with power points to corporate board rooms? Nevada needs reform that works to make our state a welcome place for all to come and do business here. Unless Hollywood is going to invest millions in long-term movie production infrastructure, the Nevada Legislature should not be giving away our tax dollars to billionaire movie producers and erratic actors. It is time to husband those taxes for use by all the people of Nevada, or else cut them if they are so unnecessary they can be given away to carpetbag California film moguls. Ω

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Health insurance corporations are under scrutiny on the way they explain coverage options to their policyholders

Court: No dump, no fees The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last week ordered the U.S. Department of Energy to stop collecting annual fees from nuclear power corporations to pay for disposal of nuclear waste because DOE has no foreseeable plans to store the waste—and has even been unable to calculate the fees with any certainty. The federal government in the 1950s and ’60s encouraged the construction of nuclear power plants and for years has collected fees from power companies for an eventual solution to waste storage. Congress in 1987 ended the scientific study of three candidate sites for a waste dump and targeted Nevada as the only site. Since then, the process has slowed to a crawl as Nevada, its congressional representatives, and environmental opponents have opposed the site. The federal targeting of Nevada left no back-up option for a single dump. Although last week’s court ruling characterized the petitioners as “a group of nuclear power plant operators,” the lawsuit was actually filed by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, an indication of how cozy regulators have become with the industry they are supposed to scrutinize. The NARUC issued a statement: “Today’s decision from the court is great news for consumers of nuclear power. Nuclear utilities and their consumers have paid more than $30 billion since the early 1980s for the construction of a nuclear-waste repository. These consumers have upheld their end of the deal, but unfortunately all they have to show for their investment is a hole in the Nevada desert. Putting aside the political dispute about the proposed Yucca Mountain facility, nuclear-power ratepayers should not be charged for a program the federal government has closed down.” The ruling is an uncertain victory for the industry, which wants storage more than it wants relief from fees. The industry saves an estimated $750 million, but still has no dump. The court opinion claimed there is “no viable alternative” to the Nevada site, but critics say the existing on-site storage is a viable option, one that prevents hazardous transportation of the waste. Moreover, if there is no viable alternative to Yucca, it is in part because the federal government failed to follow through on a promised dump in the eastern United States, where most of the waste is generated. The U.S. is nearly alone in seeking deep underground storage of nuclear waste. No other nation has built such a dump and only one other nation—Finland—has even committed to try. “[W]e are presented with an opinion of the [DOE] secretary that sets forth an enormous range of possible costs,” the court ruling reads. “According to the secretary, the final balance of the fund to be used to pay the costs of disposal could be somewhere between a $2 trillion deficit and a $4.9 trillion surplus. This range is so large as to be absolutely useless as an analytical technique to be employed to determine—as the secretary is obligated to do—the adequacy of the annual fees paid by petitioners, which would appear to be its purpose. (This presentation reminds us of the lawyer’s song in the musical Chicago —‘Give them the old razzle dazzle.’) Thus, the secretary claims that the range is so great he cannot determine whether the fees are inadequate or excessive, which is essentially the same position we rejected only last year as in derogation of his responsibility under the statute. The Secretary may not comply with his statutory obligation by ’concluding’ that a conclusion is impossible.” At the same time last week, in response to a different court ruling, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it would revive evaluation of the Yucca site, though it is not clear how that will be paid for, because Congress has not funded it. Indeed, the NRC was having trouble figuring out how to make the relevant documents available to the public because of the lack of money. There is about $11 million remaining for Yucca evaluation, a pittance given the cost of the work. The NRC has asked also DOE for a supplementary environmental impact statement, but it is unclear how that study would be funded.

—Dennis Myers

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NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Misleading? Insurance corporations accused of steering policyholders away from ACA Suspicions that insurance companies are misleading consumers about their health insurance options under the by federal Affordable Care Act have Dennis Myers prompted a state probe by Nevada Insurance Commissioner Scott Kipper. Kipper acted after a request by U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, who released copies of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield open enrollment letters that Horsford said fail to “accurately communicate to options consumers have when purchasing or renewing their plans.”

“It is our goal to communicate with members about all of their options.” Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield The Nevada ACA exchange is at NevadaHealthLink.com

“The letters do not list the state exchange, Nevada Health Link, as an option for consumers to purchase health insurance,” Horsford wrote to Kipper in requesting action at the state level. “Only in a footnote do the [renewal] letters briefly mention that customers may qualify for federal subsidies through the exchange. … For example, a letter sent by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nevada listed only three options for policyholders: renew a similarly designed plan, do nothing,

or shop for a different Anthem plan.” However, the letter does say—in the main text, not the footnote—that if the customer does choose to keep his or her current plan, “You will not be eligible for financial assistance from the government for your health coverage. Check the [footnote] notice below to see if you might qualify.” Whether the letters are sufficiently informative is a subjective judgment. The main body of the letters does not go into detail about ACA options. That information appears below the signature and consists of three paragraphs—a boxed note followed by two lengthy footnotes. The boxed note reads, “IMPORTANT: Financial assistance for your health coverage may be available. You could qualify if you have a modified adjusted gross income of $11,490 to $45,960 a year (or $23,550 to $94,200 for a family of four).” The boxed note and the footnotes are in the same size typeface as the body of the letter. A third letter released by Horsford does mention the Nevada health exchange prominently and in the main body of the letter, but Anthem said that letter was sent to policyholders only after they failed to respond to the first letter. Anthem said in a statement, “We are one of only two insurers selling products on the exchange throughout

the entire state of Nevada. ... It is our goal to communicate with members about all of their options so they can make an informed decision. We’ve partnered with local agents, online channels and retail locations to expand information and access.” Anthem insures about a quarter-million Nevadans and sells policies through the state exchange, NevadaHealthLink.com. Commissioner Kipper, who had already issued a joint warning with Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto of the risk of scams when ACA was introduced, spoke with Horsford on Nov. 20, the same day Horsford sent his message and told him he would undertake an inquiry. (Kipper did not return calls seeking comment.) “Last night, Commissioner Kipper and I had a productive conversation,” Horsford said the next day. “He assured me that the Nevada Division of Insurance is launching an investigation into misleading letters sent by insurance companies to thousands of Nevadans. I trust Commissioner Kipper and his staff will thoroughly review the letters and offer a full report on the situation. Nevadans deserve clear, complete, and transparent options when it comes to their health care choices, not misleading information.”

Countrywide concern Horsford noted that another corporation, Humana, has been fined $65,430 by the Kentucky Department of Insurance for offering policyholders a chance to amend their health insurance in a letter characterized by regulators as “misleading.” In that case, too, the corporation sent letters to 6,543 policyholders that mentioned the state ACA exchange only in a footnote. Some of the matter included in the mailing had not been approved by state regulators. The fine imposed by the Kentucky insurance commissioner came to $10 per letter sent. In addition, Humana was required to send new letters retracting and apologizing for the first mailing and explaining the ACA and all other options in detail, in mailings approved by the state. Humana’s offense in regulators’ eyes was exacerbated because the corporation’s letter, sent in August, said policyholders had to choose between two options within 30 days,

which ended before ACA operations began. As a result, customers had to make up their minds on what to do with their Humana coverage without knowing what they could get through the Kentucky ACA exchange. That was characterized by the insurance commissioner as a high pressure sales tactic. Humana experienced similar disputes in Colorado and Missouri. Health writers around the nation have been exploring the problem of insurance corporations and the advice they are giving policyholders. At Talking Points Memo, reporter Dylan Scott wrote that a Seattle resident who had been anticipating savings under ACA received a letter from her insurer, LifeWise of Washington—a subsidiary of Blue Cross/Blue Shield—that told her she’d be paying another $300 a month for coverage—and made no mention of her options under ACA and only a vague mention of the financial support for which she could qualify. To tie things together neatly, it said she would be enrolled in the more expensive plan “if we don’t hear from you.” (By contrast, the Anthem letters released by Horsford said that if Anthem did not hear from the policyholder, s/he would be kept on the existing policy.) In Washington,

the insurance commissioner issued an alert to consumers urging them to explore all options. Earlier, Trudy Lieberman at the Columbia Journalism Review reported on a Pennsylvania woman who received contacts with her insurer, Aetna, in which “Aetna was asking her to make a choice without all the facts. The company’s letter omitted a crucial factor: the

“ These letters are misleading and impair the ability of Nevadans to make informed decisions.” U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford Nevada Democrat possibility of an ACA subsidy, which would make coverage more affordable. She could only get that subsidy if she buys in the exchange. … That kind of help might allow Carol to buy a better policy than Aetna’s ... with more benefits and less cost-sharing.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has reported that Nevada’s exchange had put 1,217 customers together with policies, as of Nov. 2. That lags far behind other small Western states. Ω

A grass root speaks PHOTO/DENNIS MYERS

At an immigration rally last weekend, U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei listens to a boy read text off a device. The child’s father had to work and was unable to attend, so his son read his father’s message to Amodei. The event was a rally that preceded a walk through Reno to show support for changes in immigration law. In something of a surprise, Amodei had announced he would join the first portion of the walk. As it turned out, the rally at Amodei’s office preceding the walk ran overlong, and he was unable to participate in the walk, but he did address the rally.

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world aids day

december 1st, 2013 6pm

20th anniversary screening of “Philadelphia” starring Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks Wells Fargo Auditorium Knowledge Center University of Nevada, Reno Free HIV and syphilis testing

Candle vigil following movie screening (in front of Joe Crowley Student Union)

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november 27, 2013

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Jen Friedlander, Ian Olsen and Cole Mellino pull weeds in one of HDFI’s hoophouses.

TOWER OF POWER Saturday, November 30

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University farm to conduct research on seeds and soil

Saturday, December 21

The High Desert Farming Initiative is up and running, and now that they’ve been Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they will soon begin selling their crops to dining facilities on by Sage Leehey the University of Nevada, Reno campus. “We don’t have the actual certificate yet, but we’ve gotten word that we sage l@ passed our USDA GAP audit,” said HDFI project manager Jennifer Ott. newsre view.c om. “As soon as we actually get the paperwork from the USDA in Sacramento, then we’re going to be able to immediately start harvesting our greens and selling them to university dining facilities.” HDFI’s first planting was this fall was all greens, like mizuna, tatsoi, spinach and varieties of lettuce, and it went much better than expected, according to Ott. It has eight hoophouses and two greenhouses on site, and construction will begin soon on their packing shed. Ott said they have three goals at HDFI: student engagement, research and community outreach. One of the main things HDFI will do is applied research for small- and medium-sized farms in Nevada. She said she wants those kinds of farmers to be able to learn from what HDFI does. “We’re really trying to be kind of the guinea pig for the ag industry so that they don’t have to do their own experiments on their own farm that may cost them money and jeopardize their business,” Ott said. “We’re really trying to help in that way, and it’s not just about agricultural research. It’s also the business side of things.” HDFI has a few projects coming soon that Ott is very excited about. They received a specialty crop block grant they will use to test out a new variety of lettuce called Salanova Lettuce. They will probably begin planting this at the end of January. “It’s leaf lettuce ... on a head lettuce core, so to harvest you have to use this special tool,” Ott said. “Think of an apple being cored. It’s the same kind of concept for the lettuce, and all of the lettuce comes off in one fell swoop with all equal leaves.” The only problem with this lettuce is that the seeds are much more expensive than other lettuce seeds, so HDFI will experiment with it to see if it is worth it—with possible labor savings and yield increases—for Nevada farmers to plant. It also recently submitted an application for a grant from the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station to test out microbial soil enhancement products that are said to help reduce salinity and increase organic matter and nutrient availability in soil. They also hope to open a student farmstand in the spring to give students some experience in opening and running a new business. For more information In order to help get the information out about what they’ve done and about the High Desert help other farmers if they wish to do similar things, HDFI will be posting Farming Initiative, all the materials they created for the GAP audit as well as information visit highdesert sheets on their website. farming.org. “Maybe there’s something that we’ve done that people haven’t thought of,” Ott said. “Our goal is to really get the information out there and really be a transparent organization about what we’re doing and inviting people to come visit us.” Ω OPINION

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november 27, 2013

But when I asked to schedule an appointment with him, I was told some surprising news: Dr. Smith, who had been my primary care physician since 1999 and my daughter’s doctor since she was born in 2009, had joined a program called MDVIP. Through this more personalized program, the scheduler explained to me, Dr. Smith would be providing more one-on-one patient care. Each appointment would be a full half hour. “That sounds great!” I said, thinking back over the many times in recent years when our appointments had lasted all of five minutes. “The practice is limited to no more than 600 patients,” the scheduler continued, “and the cost is $1,650 per year, which is not billable to insurance.” “That’s in addition to the cost of the services?” I asked. “Yes, and insurance would apply to those,” she explained. It didn’t take long to do the math. Because I’m self-employed, I pay for individual insurance that covers me and my daughter, and I could barely pay for that each month. Despite the fact that we had loved Dr. Smith, we would not be following him to MDVIP. The practice fortunately has several other doctors, one of whom was available to see me that day. But I was officially in the market for a new primary care doctor and, perhaps, a pediatrician for my daughter. I started collecting recommendations from friends, one of whom mentioned that I was the third person she’s spoken to that week who had lost a doctor to “one of those VIP plans.” It was then that I became really nervous. Could I potentially run into this issue with any doctor I found a connection with? Fewer patients and a steep annual fee seemed like a nice deal. Would doctors soon be dropping like flies from standard practices as they too chose what seemed obviously to be a more appealing option? I felt a rise of panic in my chest. Now that the law said everyone would have insurance, it seemed as if insurance would no longer be enough. And with doctors already being in short supply, who would that leave for the rest of us?

TH E

DOCTOR

WON’T S EE YOU N OW New business models for doctors may make it harder for your family to get quality medical care BY JESSICA SANTINA

Turns out, the more I started sharing my experience with others, the more people I found who’d had experiences similar to mine. In fact, one friend introduced me to a co-worker, April Flynt, whose whole family had also recently lost their longtime family physician, Dr. Merritt Dunlap of Carson Medical Group in Carson City, when they simply couldn’t afford to follow him to MDVIP. “It was heartbreaking,” said Flynt, 40, whose husband and two children all had seen Dr. Dunlap. “It was a tough decision, because we felt we had a good relationship with that doctor, and the philosophy [of MDVIP] sounded like something we would benefit from—additional care and more time with the doctor.” Nonetheless, she couldn’t find a way to make the annual fees work. “As a young family, we could spend that $3,300 in a much better way. (The cost is $1,650 per adult—kids up to age 26 are included under MDVIP’s family plan.) I don’t spend that much

had a terrible case of insomnia. It was early October, and I had gone four nights without ever falling into a deep sleep. I was exhausted, terrified I would never sleep again, and desperate for some help. So I called Reno Family Physicians to schedule an appointment with my doctor, Paul Smith, to find out what was happening to me.

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The Remed y for a Broken System? “Concierge medicine,” as it is being called, is growing by leaps and bounds. And this growth is expected to continue as a response to the Affordable Care Act. “Concierge medicine is several different ideas rolled together,” Larry Matheis explained to me by phone from Las Vegas. Matheis has been executive director for the Nevada State Medical Association for the last 25 years, and says this shift in health care has been brewing for a while. “It’s about doctors dropping out of the current system and developing their own book for business, in effect, with select patients to whom they give more service and are more available, without having to deal with insurance or, in some cases, Medicare or Medicaid. They tailor their practices to a relatively small number of patients who are willing to pay on a monthly or quarterly basis, for services they need or for routine care.” In 2012, the Physicians Foundation published “A Survey of America’s Physicians: Practice Patterns and Perspectives.” The national, biannual survey, which had 13,575 respondents, addressed issues such as morale, opinions on health-care reform, and the state of medical practices today. The numerous findings of the study are alarming:

• Physicians are seeing an average of 16.6 percent fewer patients per day than they did in 2008.

Lef t doctor-less

on medical care. We’re healthy, we get regular check-ups, and we just go in for the occasional allergy shot or flu. So it doesn’t seem beneficial to me.” Meanwhile, Flynt is frustrated at having to start all over with a new doctor. And until they select a primary care physician, they’re unable to get certain kinds of care, such as her husband’s allergy shot, even from other doctors at Carson Medical Group. Right now, the family is actively seeking a physician with whom they feel a connection, and they haven’t found it yet. I find myself in the same boat.

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• More than 60 percent of respondents would retire today if they could. • More than 26 percent have closed their practices to Medicaid patients. • In the next one to three years, more than half of respondents planned to cut back on patients, transition to part-time hours, switch to concierge medicine, retire or take other steps that would reduce patients’ access to care. • More than 62 percent reported providing patients with at least $25,000 in uncompensated care each year.

“ THE DOCTOR WON’T SEE YOU NOW” continued on page 14

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NOVEMBER 27, 2013

RN&R

continued from page 13

The majority of physicians reported being unhappy in their work, wouldn’t choose to practice medicine again if they were starting out today, wouldn’t recommend the profession to their children, and were not optimistic about the effects healthcare reform would have on their practices. “The practice of family medicine and general care has changed a lot,” said Dr. Daniel Spogen, chair of the Family Medicine Department at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno. “It used to be that families paid cash unless it was an extraordinary kind of visit. But it was affordable. When I started practicing medicine [in 1983], I think it was $35 for an office visit.” But then came managed care in the mid ’90s. “It took the patient-physician decisions, in terms of cost, out of the picture and left it all up to insurance,” Spogen said. “Then there were administrative costs. So you not only had insurance dictating payments, but they required certain data. We had to document certain things, send information. … There were administrative hassles that largely expanded to become 30 to 40 percent of the cost of care for a patient. So for a $100 doctor bill, $40 is administrative costs. So doctors wondered, ‘Is there a way to do things better?’ That’s where concierge medicine came in.’” In addition to the hassles of managed care, said Matheis, there was another blow to physicians. “In 1999, Congress passed a bad piece of legislation, which included a formula for paying out Medicare claims,” Matheis said. “In 2002, it blew up on them, and every year since then, the formula has spit out an amount that leaves us with a negative number. Everyone admits it’s an error. Congress should never adopt a mathematical formula that’s over their heads. And each year that they’ve failed to fix it, the cost to fix it has gone up.” The result, he explained, is the yearly need to pass a piece of legislation, a “patch,” which makes budget cuts and prevents raises [for administrators] just so that the government can afford Medicare each year. Twelve years ago, the combination of increased administrative compliance laws and frustration over Congress and corporations making medical decisions led to many physicians finding their goodwill stretched to the breaking point. That was when concierge groups, including MDVIP, were born. Nationally, we’ve seen a steady decline in the number of primary care physicians, resulting in patient rosters that may number up to 3,000 and hour-long wait times for five-minute appointments. Regarding his move to MDVIP, Dr. Smith said that he believes his own patient roster had numbered at least 3,000, and was likely more. “I think the biggest thing for me was a desire to practice medicine the way I thought it should be practiced and has been done in the past,” he said, explaining that through MDVIP, he’s limited to 600 patients, though he’d actually prefer to have fewer. 14 | RN&R |

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Photo/ERIC MARKS

“ THE DOCTOR WON’T SEE YOU NOW”

Dr. Paul Smith recently changed his practice to a “concierge medicine” system.

“Medicine has drifted away from what it used to be. I thought, ‘There’s got to be something better than this, this unpersonalized cattle call-type of medicine we’re forced into practicing.” Smith said he actually considered making a move five years ago, and looked at several concierge models, including MDVIP. “I saw the trends even then. My dissatisfaction came from the idea that I wanted to spend more one-on-one time with patients. That’s the heart of better medicine, and that’s not what traditional medicine and reimbursement models are supporting. … My goal was to give better care, have a better lifestyle, and find something that I can continue to do for my career.”

A New Model for Patient Care MDVIP is one of several models providing concierge care. (Currently, Smith is the only Reno-area doctor to be part of MDVIP, and he and Dunlap are the only two in Northern Nevada.) Each program is unique and has its own fee schedule. Some charge annual fees—which, in some cases, may be as steep as $5,000 to $10,000—in addition to billing insurance and/or Medicare and Medicaid (if accepted) for actual services (the fee is just so you can call them your doctor). Some others simply charge flat fees for service and skip the whole insurance thing altogether.

“ Medicine has drifted away from what it used to be. I thought, ‘There’s got to be something better than this, this unpersonalized cattle call-type of medicine we’re forced into practicing.” Dr. Paul Smith Reno Family Physicians Here in Northern Nevada, concierge models include Medical Direct-Gorski, a South Reno non-urgent-care clinic accepting walk-ins that charges a flat fee for services and does not bill insurance. And Renown Health’s Premiere Care Program, in some ways similar to MDVIP, is a primary care practice intended to provide more one-on-one physician-patient time and guaranteed sameday appointments, by limiting its number of patients and charging monthly ($35-$55) or annual ($395-$595) fees. For those fees, programs such as MDVIP and Renown Premiere Care not only promise same-day and longer appointment times,

but in some cases, they give patients unprecedented access to doctors’ cell phone numbers and email addresses, create wellness and nutrition plans, design customized patient websites to chart progress with certain goals or conditions and may even offer house calls. According to Dan Hecht, CEO of MDVIP, which is headquartered in Florida, its national network currently has 675 physicians on board who see more than 200,000 patients across the country: “In today’s chaotic health-care system, patients are saying, ‘I’m looking for a system that meets my needs.’ People want a physician that knows them, one who is their counselor, who will help them navigate a complicated health-care system. … I think that’s why it’s continued to grow across the country.” Hecht emphasized MDVIP’s proactive approach to healthcare—spending time on wellness exams and preventive care as opposed to the typical fix-it-when-it’sbroken model often seen in doctors’ offices. And he says the results of this approach are overwhelmingly positive, with a 79 percent reduction in hospitalizations for Medicare patients and 72 percent reduction for those with commercial insurance plans. According to the MDVIP press kit, these reductions meant an overall savings to the health-care system of $300 million. And not only are there benefits for patients, but physicians are happier, too, Hecht said. “Physicians love spending more time with patients,” he said. “Broadly, primary care physicians are leading medicine, so we’re saving primary care physicians in this way.” In general, concierge medicine only fits with family medicine or internal medicine physicians. Hecht explained that MDVIP has a rigorous screening process, and turns away nine out of 10 doctors. “We’re generally looking for physicians who are great clinicians as well as good patient communicators and collaborators, with a focus on patient care as a keen interest,” Hecht said, adding that patients are surveyed extensively to determine whether doctors are the right fit for MDVIP. Hecht believes that this care model is a good fit for all types of patients, and that the cost, when broken down by month or day, is not exorbitant. “Ninety-four percent of patients renew their contracts after the first year. That shows that 94 percent of patients are saying that this delivers,” Hecht said. “I think it may not be for everyone, but it’s affordable for those who prioritize their health.” But what about people like me, who prioritize their health but can’t afford to add an extra $137.50 per month (or even more) to our monthly bills? Hecht said that this breaks down to less than the cost of a cup of coffee per day, and that MDVIP offers several payment plans. He added that roughly two-thirds of the fee goes to the doctor, helping to maintain a salary close to previous levels, which on average falls around $125,000 per year. This is not a way to get richer, he insisted. In fact, Dr. Smith indicated that he would likely be taking a pay cut, but that it was worth it to him.

PHOTO/ERIC MARKS

“For me, it was extraordinarily difficult, and it makes me sad to lose patients, either because they can’t embrace the process or simply can’t afford the program,” Smith said. “I don’t like that part at all. But I don’t like the alternative of being dissatisfied with my career and work life, and it was a hard choice.”

Fewer Doctors to Go Around Though the reasons behind concierge medicine may be understandable, recent anecdotes about the “unaffordability” of the new plans available through the Affordable Care Act make the prospect of spending additional money simply to keep your doctor unthinkable. So around the country, families like Flynt’s and mine, who cannot afford to join such plans and are left behind, are added to an already burdensome physician caseload. In Nevada, our situation is worse than most. “We’re very near the bottom in terms of doctors per population,” Matheis said. “We fell woefully behind in the last 10 to 15 years as the population grew. We didn’t train enough physicians and we have one of the fewest numbers of medical residency programs in the West.” Nevada also struggles with a recruitment problem—after all, who wants to join an overloaded system? According to Dr. Spogen, Nevada only adds five primary care physicians into the Las Vegas workforce each year, and six to Reno’s.

April Flynt and her family recently had to stop seeing their long-time family physician.

“That’s not nearly enough. We could double that and probably still need more,” said Spogen. The problem, he said, is income. “For primary care, it isn’t bad, but compared to other specialties, it’s low. A lot of students come out of med school in huge debt, $300,000 or more, so a specialty can help

them pay that off quicker. And the other issue is that there’s a pay-per-volume approach to primary care. You get paid more to see more patients. So who cares about quality of care?” Spogen added that one piece of Obamacare legislation includes investigating payment models and their relationships to quality of care. “Doctors are more content

when they don’t get paid for volume. It gets them off the treadmill.” Spogen and Matheis agree that Obamacare, though well-intentioned, has many flaws, including the fact that it makes no provisions for adding physicians to the system, meaning that guaranteeing insurance could merely create an even more untenable burden. And with nearly 7 percent expecting to switch to concierge or cash-only practices in the next three years (according to The Physicians Foundation), physician scarcity will get much worse before it gets better. Still, both insisted that concierge medicine will evolve as physicians search for solutions. Neither expects this model to grow to the point where it leaves patients stranded and doctor-less, simply because it’s for outpatient care only, and doesn’t cover testing, procedures or specialized exams such as MRIs. “I don’t believe that concierge medicine is going to flood the market,” Spogen said. “It’s just one model of care. [Its patients] aren’t getting full access to health care; some things aren’t covered. So they can’t be the only model for outpatient medicine. Most doctors will stay at their posts and do the best they can in this changing environment.” And perhaps knowing that might help me sleep at night. Ω

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RN&R

Celebrating 150 YEARS of Sisterhood ❆ Letter from S

parks Hometowne Christmas will host a weekend of festive and traditional activities beginning Friday, December 6 with the annual tree lighting ceremony and ending with the Christmas Parade with Grand Marshall Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki. The annual tree lighting ceremony will be held on Friday evening, the night before the parade, from 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM in front of the Saint Mary’s Amphitheater on Victorian Avenue. Slide Mountain Band will lead a festive musical program and John Ascuaga’s Nugget will be providing free treats to the public. The Sparks Rotary will pull the ticket for their $10,000 “Mad Money Raffle” at the ceremony. Mayor Geno Martini will flip the switch and turn on the lights on the tree from our sister city, Garibaldi Oregon. On Saturday, December 7, everyone is invited to attend the 27th annual Sparks Hometowne Christmas Parade. The parade is led the Grand Marshall Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki. Lt Governor Krolicki is the Chair of the NV150 Committee to celebrate Nevada’s Sesquicentennial. The celebration began on Nevada Day 2013 and will conclude with an expanded Nevada Day celebration in October 2014. The Sparks Hometowne Christmas Parade is a signature event, one of many occurring across the state.

“We wanted to carve out space for food drives, holiday blood drives, information on smoke alarms, and our toy drive...It brings it all back home.” The theme of the parade is “Celebrating 150 Years of Nevada Heritage.” Many of the floats and entries will showcase the theme. The parade route will travel from east to west on Victorian Avenue from Pyramid to 16th street and run from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. “As a proud member of the Sparks community, Rail City Casino is as excited as ever to take part in the Sparks Christmas Parade. As is our tradition, we will be presenting a favorite for all ages, the Santa Float. Rail City truly appreciates serving the people of Sparks and we look forward to celebrating the holidays with you at this fantastic event!” said Dave Foerschler, VP & General Manager, Rail City Casino The 2013 parade will act as a donation spot for the second annual City of Sparks Toy Drive, sponsored this year by John Ascuaga’s Nugget. Swire Coca Cola along with the Coca Cola Bear will gather toys for the Toys for Tots organization. Scheels is kicking off the parade day with an Ugly Sweater Run. The “Ugly Sweater Run” will be held at Scheels on Saturday, December 7 at 10:00am.Registration

available at Scheels Customer Service. The fee is $20 or New Toy Donation - 100% of the proceeds will benefit Toys for Tots. (See related story.) The “Mayor’s Own Marching Band” will be prominently featured in the parade, showcasing the musical talents of Sparks middle school and high school students in a single, mass marching band. Combining the music students from Sparks Middle School, Dilworth Middle School, Shaw Middle School, Sparks High School, Reed High School and Spanish Springs High School, the Mayor’s Own Marching Band will contain more than 250 students dressed for the season and playing holiday music designed specifically written for the students marching in this parade. Santa will greet and visit with children in the Glendale Schoolhouse from 11-12:30 and after the parade from 3:00 – 4:00 pm. Boys & Girls Club members will serve as Santa’s helpers and accept either $1 or canned foods for a photo with Santa; money will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club and canned goods to Evelyn Mount’s Community Outreach program. In an effort to help those that require assistance, a seating area for people with disabilities will be provided along the parade route on the northeast corner of 10th & Victorian. New this year is the “Community Faire” sponsored by Bourbon Square Casino. The faire has booths from local non-profits to promote their mission during this crucial time. Each booth with have information, giveaways and fun activities for kids. “We wanted to carve out space for food drives, holiday blood drives, information on smoke alarms, and our toy drive,” said Francine Burge event organizer. “It brings it all back home.” Local crafters will be selling hand crafted items on Saturday, December 7 from 10am-4:00 pm. About 20 vendors will be on hand for holiday shopping. Each local radio station group has a reviewing stand along the parade route with the “play by play.” The Entravision booth located at 11th and Victorian will have a Spanish translation of the parade review. The parade is laid-out and staged by the volunteers of Hot August Nights. Hot August Nights members also provide all the spectacular cars for the dignitaries. Boys and Girls Club provide the volunteers that take photos for Santa’s Castle, toys in the castle are donated by Circus Circus. Living Stones provide volunteers for the parade announcers as well as course marshals along the parade route. “This is how this city operates – we come together to make things happen,” said Francine Burge, City of Sparks Special Events Supervisor. (see related story.)

A special supplement to the Reno News & Review

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november 27, 2013

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the Governor

NEVADA’S TURNING 150 YEARS OLD Greetings from the Governor As Governor of Nevada, I am pleased to welcome you to the grandest celebration our state has ever experienced. Nevada 150 will provide all Nevadans with opportunities to reflect on who we are, where we came from and the bright future ahead of us.

On October 31, 1864, after thousands of years as a sacred home to indigenous people, Nevada became the 36th state to enter the union of the United States of America. At the time of its statehood, Nevada boomed with a promise of riches from the Comstock. Over the past 150 years, countless Nevadans have lived, worked, learned and played in a state rich with history, culture and the promise of opportunity. Nevada’s 150th anniversary celebration is an opportunity for us to share our history, our culture and our future with each other and with people from around the world. Nevada’s best days are here to come and together we will make this an anniversary we will cherish and remember forever. The Nevada of my youth was a place of pride, activity, optimism and opportunity. This has long been our state’s heritage and it will be our future as well. As I said in my Inaugural Address in 2011, when the clock strikes on our 150th anniversary, Nevada will be Nevada again! Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval, Governor

CiTY OF SPARkS TOY DRiVE City of Sparks used the Parade as a Kick off for City-wide Toy Drive

❆L

ast year, the City of Sparks gathered over 400 toys and $500 in donations for the first City-Wide toy drive with Swire Coca-Cola and Toys for Tots. The public can help by bringing a new un-wrapped gift for a kid in our community

for the City of Sparks Toy Drive sponsored by John Ascuaga’s Nugget. Bring your gift to the Parade, drop it off at one of convenient locations or join in the fun with your favorite tacky Christmas attire with Scheels’ Ugly Sweater Run.

TOY DROP-OFF LOCATIONS John Ascuaga’s Nugget • All Walmart, Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us locations • Toys-R-Us Express at LegendsScheels at Legends Alf Sorensen Community Center, Baring Blvd • City of Sparks City Hall • Swire Coca Cola A large focus of Swire Coca-Cola has always been community involvement - working with organizations such as The Food Bank

and many more. Swire Coca-Cola is very excited to partner with other community leaders and to be a part of an event that year

of Northern Nevada, The Salvation Army, United Blood services

after year will benefit the children of our community.

ugLY SweATeR RuN Saturday, December 7 at 10:00am. Registration available at Scheels Customer Service starting November 1, 2013. FEE: $20 OR New Toy Donation 100% of the proceeds will benefit Toys for Tots!

CHRiSTMAS PARADE: A Community event with the focus on our community

For 25 years, the Sparks Hometowne Christmas parade has been produced with the help of the community. Sponsors, companies, media outlets and volunteers have been the central force of the event and they are credited with the parade’s longevity and relevance. Groups like Hot August Nights lay out and stage the very large parade. They also bring their cool cars for the dignitaries’ ride. The Boys and Girls club of the Truckee Meadows hosts Santa’s Workshop. They coordinate taking photos of Santa and his visitors, as well as use the time to encourage people to bring food for the Evelyn Mount Food drive. They will also accept toys for the toy drive. “The Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows is the leading non-profit youth services agency in northern Nevada. Our Club members are excited to give back to the community by staffing Santa’s

house and making photo memories for lots of children at this year’s Sparks Hometowne Christmas Parade,” said Mike Wurm, Chief Professional Officer, Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows. A group that keeps the parade running is large numbers of volunteers from Living Stones Church. Volunteers from the church are coming to the Tree Lighting Ceremony as well as the Hometowne Parade This event is like a gift to the community. We’re so grateful to our sponsors like our downtown Casinos: John Ascuaga’s Nugget, Bourbon Square and Rail City. Their sponsorship keeps it free for all and the entry fee low for parade entrants. Local companies, like Circus Circus, YESCO, and Grimaldi’s Pizzeria also pitch in with in-kind donations to make the event happen.

photo credit Kevin Sawyer

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schedule of events: FRIDAy, DECEMBER 6 | 6:30PM – 7:00PM ❆ complimentary cookies and hot chocolate from John Ascuaga’s nugget ❆ slide Mountain Band – contemporary Bluegrass holiday tunes ❆ ticket drawing for the sparks Rotary $10,000 Mad Money Raffle ❆ tree lighting ceremony (Radio Personalities JJ christy and derek Gunn will host tree lighting ceremony)

SATURDAy, DECEMBER 7 | 10:00AM – 11:00AM

ugly sweater Run at scheels | 10:00am – 4:00 pm Inaugural community faire, presented by Bourbon square casino local craft faire | 11:00am – 12:30 pm santa in Glendale schoolhouse, presented by seRtoMA club and the Boys and Girls club of truckee Meadows | 1:00 – 3:00 pm sparks hometowne christmas Parade | 3:00 – 4:00 pm

PARADE JUDGES:

Each parade entrant is judged for theme, originality, personality and presentation. The judging categories are: Best Over All (new category), Business (new category), Vehicle Group, Animals Group, Community Group, Costumed Group, Marching Band, and Float. Patty Cafferata | former Treasurer, State of Nevada and Author Scott Carey | Events/Community Relations Manager, Nevada150 and Board Member, Sparks Heritage Museum Erik Jensen | Area Sales Manager, Swire Coca Cola Dick Dreiling | President Board of Trustees, Sparks Heritage Museum

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november 27, 2013

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

santa in Glendale schoolhouse, presented by seRtoMA club and the Boys and Girls club of truckee Meadows

lAST yEAR’S WINNERS:

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❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

PARADE REVIEWING STANDS:

Community Group: Souls Harbor Church Vehicle: Washoe County Schools Classroom on Wheels, the “Cow Bus” Costume Group: High Desert Steam Animals: Lamas and More Association Float: Cub Scout Pack #34 Marching Band: Tie! Mayor’s Own Marching Band AND Envision Performing Arts

The parade route has six reviewing stands along Victorian Avenue. These give the viewers of the parade the narrative that goes along with the floats.

Blind Onion Pizza Restaurant with 105.7 KOZZ, Steve Smith & Jim McClain Corner of 10th & Victorian with 100.1 KTHX, Dead Air Dave & Rob Brooks Corner of 11th & Victorian with 98.1 KBULL JJ Christy and Derek Gunn Beside the Gazebo with Entravision, TO BE NAMED (parade will be announced in Spanish) Beside Victorian Plaza, with 96.5 Bill Schulz and Connie Wray

I found health insurance I can afford. That’s one less thing to stress about.

The federal healthcare law requires all of us to have health insurance by 2014. Enroll in a health plan today and, depending on your income, you could receive help with your insurance costs. At Nevada Health Link, you can purchase certiﬁed health insurance plans that are high quality, regardless of the amount you pay. You can’t be denied, even if you have a previous health condition. Find a plan that’s right for you at NevadaHealthLink.com or by calling 855-7-NVLINK (855-768-5465). For updates, text NVLINK to 25827. Enroll before December 15 and be covered in January.

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PhOtO/AllisOn YOung

Tim Gilbert near 970 and 990 Joaquin Miller Drive, two of the original 1920s homes in Reno’s Old Southwest.

Flipping Out by Georgia Fisher

22 | RN&R |

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

wore a dress the day I met Nancy Gilbert. I made my fiancé put on something nice, too, because Nancy and her husband, Tim, would be screening us as potential tenants. We were on a plane when we learned we’d made the cut, and wound up gasping and hugging each other like newly pregnant people, or ones who’d just won a car and maybe a lifetime supply of Coors Light. Our prize was the mere permission to rent a smallish, 1926 Chicago bungalow in Old Southwest Reno. And we couldn’t shut up about it, from its stained-glass windows and built-in shelves to the sense of welcome that wrapped all around us when we walked through the front door.

Nancy, for her part, wasn’t dressed up when she emerged that first day to show us around. She was in painting clothes with a fine layer of dust, and joked that Tim—a fifth-generation Nevadan who works in gaming software—was her “cleaner half.” A construction lawyer by day, our landlady spends her free time restoring vintage, often neglected homes “to the period,” researching them at length and adding authentic touches that she’s traveled abroad to find, when necessary. Tim handles tasks such as bookkeeping, and ensures infrastructural elements (think wiring, plumbing, and all manner of unsexy, expensive, crucial things) are modern and up to par. And as ever, they credit contractors with all the work.

A local couple restores historical Reno, one cottage at a time

The 50-something couple and their team have renovated 10 Old Southwest houses so far, and that’s a tally Tim and Nancy are apt to count aloud, pursing their lips and reminding each other of the various addresses. The list includes a 1930s English Cotswold cottage with a Cathedral window and English-style garden on Joaquin Miller Drive; the Spanish colonial-revival number right next door to it; and a mid-century abode on Bret Harte that they recently sold after just a month on the market, with an asking price of more than $400,000, according to real estate websites. Faithful restoration isn’t cheap, and it’s hardly simple. So why pull out all the stops to make a virtual time capsule?

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Nancy says without hesitation. “Prior to World War II,” Tim adds, “Reno was a very small city, and [the Old Southwest] area is one of the last intact pre-war neighborhoods. There are just a few golden blocks, so to speak, that have these bungalows. … Homeowners there could command the top architects, and no expense was spared.” Tim has warm memories of visiting his great aunt. Frances Humphrey was a longtime Reno High School teacher, and “going to her house was always an experience; the light switches were pushbutton, and all the woodwork was pristine.“ In short, these are anti-McMansions.

This old house

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“They deserve to be preserved,” says Debbie Hinman, a tour guide and writer for the Historic Reno Preservation Society. “They’re a part of our history. When you walk into one of [the Gilberts’] houses, it’s not as though you’re walking into a house that’s been remodeled. It’s as though you’re walking into that house when it was brand new.” Hinman was so taken by the pair’s work, in fact, that she featured them in the society’s newsletter after they overhauled Casa del Rey—the bona fide title of their Spanishrevival house on Joaquin Miller. It’s adjacent to their own Greystone Castle, another property name they didn’t make up. The two were model homes when the Newlands Manor area opened more than 80 years ago. “What they look for is a distinctive home—a home with good bones that doesn’t need major renovations,” Hinman says. “In the case of Casa del Rey, it was sort of demolition by neglect, which is what we call it when a house sits for a long time without anybody living in it, or anybody caring for it. It starts to deteriorate.” Such buildings often become too costly to fix. And out comes the wrecking ball. “A few more years, and [developers] would have bulldozed it,” Hinman says of the petite casa, which stands at just over 1,000 square feet, “and stuck some stucco monstrosity on that lot.” Then along came the Gilberts, who are now so smitten by the house and its neighbor that they joke about adopting a his-and-hers setup. “I would live at Casa del Rey,” Nancy tells Tim, not unkindly, “and you could live at Greystone Castle. And we could meet for lunch.” You’d never know it, but they don’t actually live in the Old Southwest now. Their place in Caughlin Ranch has more space, plus a sprawling backyard for three giddy daschunds. They were in their target neighborhood when they married, though, in 2003, and plan to return. Their shared passion comes with challenges, but none too serious. “As a couple, they seem to be very, very happy—I know that,” says one of the Gilberts’ hired guns, who asked not to be named in this story. Their subcontractors are always local, he adds, “so as far as the economy, that’s tremendous,” with as many as 14 people working on a given house at one time. “We have our moments, like any couple,” Tim says, “and it’s part of the creative process. If we hated it,

and if it just put a horrible strain on our marriage, we wouldn’t do it. We each have a set of skills we bring to the table.” Thanks to time constraints, however, “our exercise schedule has fallen by the wayside,” he says with a laugh. Ditto their nights and weekends. “We have made some sacrifices in order to do this, but we’ve felt the opportunity was right.” Real-estate prices are steadily climbing, of course, as the market continues to heal. “When they were down, you could pick up a really nice little brick bungalow for $170,000 to $180,000,” recalls Hinman, who recently saw a small one on Gordon Avenue go for twice that much. The Gilberts tend of brush off talk of finances, though, and certainly spare no effort to finish a job. “I’ve never seen a client do their homework [so well],” says their hardwood-floors expert, Jeff Punya. “There’s a lot of TLC and time spent to get things … most clients would rather just go to Home Depot and pick up a light fixture, versus a light fixture built in 1956.” Nancy’s one to take a mover by the elbow, actually, and have him study her favorite fixtures long enough to promise not to break them. She even tries to limit herself to paint hues from each building’s construction era, using sites like Pinterest (and pronouncing it “peainterest”) for color research. One wonders why she rents to anybody at all. “People who want to live in these houses are not run-of-the-mill tenants,” Tim offers, flatteringly enough. “They really like the neighborhood and they really like the décor, so we don’t have any problem recruiting great tenants.” The arrangement isn’t for everyone, mind you. Ask where you can mount multiple TVs and/or satellite dishes, and you’re probably out of luck, with no skin off the Gilberts’ noses. Their standard lease even bars the use of candles. In turn, renters get to “live 60 to 80 years ago,” Nancy says, and “experience the house with all the features it had originally … but at the same time, have flushing toilets—” “—and plumbing that works,” Tim interjects, and “electrical [wiring] that won’t short out your appliances and computers, and heating and cooling that works.” Works for me. Ω

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Queen bee

Lindsay Jones taught herself metalsmithing for her jewelry art.

in her Etsy store where she posts her designs, or in custom orders. She will also bring her jewelry to the Holland Project’s upcoming Rogue Art and Craft Village on Dec. 7 at the Holland Project’s location on Vesta Street. The Rogue Art and Craft Village showcases local artists and craftspeople who bring their goods to sell at this event for the

Honey & Goldies For the past year, Lindsay Jones has been teaching herself metalsmithing techniques for by her jewelry line, Honey and Goldies. Austin Wallis Her interest in making jewelry began years ago when she was studying Native American beading techniques to create intricate necklaces and earrings, but she soon found the beading process to be tedious and sought out a different creative outlet for her craft. “About a year ago I invested money into buying all the necessary tools for For more information, metal smithing like an oxygen torch, visit www.etsy.com/ drills, bits, solder and all the materials shop/honeyandgoldies for the bracelets and rings like metals and stones,” said Jones. “It cost a few thousand dollars, but it was so worth it.” Originally from Truckee, Calif., Jones now lives in Reno and uses her love of the West to inspire her jewelry. Her work pays homage to traditional Southwest silversmithing designs that showcase large natural stones and stamped metals cut in geometric patterns.

She has developed her own unique style that combines these traditional designs with contemporary trends. “I’m inspired by Southwestern patterns and the colors of the desert,” said Jones. Her rings, bracelets and necklaces feature silver, bronze and various stones like onyx, opal or turquoise. Many of the stones she uses in her work are sourced from Nevada. As a big fan of 1950s music, Jones created the name of her jewelry line from a combination of two 1950s music groups, Honey and the Bees, and Goldie and the Gingerbreads. Her work can be found online in her Etsy store (www.etsy.com/shop/ honeyandgoldies) or at the Gold Seam Vintage boutique inside the Never Ender in Midtown. Megan Matthers, owner of Gold Seam Vintage, was inspired by Jones’ work ethic and her desire to create highly polished hand crafted pieces. “Her metal work [compares] to many antique pieces that are so popular today,” said Matthers. “Her style really fits in with Gold Seam, as it is crafted with great

quality and creativity. I like her pieces because they have a timeless quality to them, they incorporate Western symbols with modern embellishments. Also, the use of Nevada stones just makes them sentimental and totally awesome.” As a new business owner, Jones uses social media tools like Instagram and Facebook to spread the word about her jewelry and gain new followers. “Instagram has been a huge help for me,” said Jones. “It’s where most people can see my work.” She often posts photos of her new creations and hosts giveaways through that site (@honeyandgoldies). The majority of her work is sold online

holiday season. Jones isn’t sure how far she wants her business to grow. She has seen success with her jewelry line in its first year of business and is expanding her knowledge of metalsmithing and lapidary to keep improving her craft. She has been a hairstylist since 2004 and currently works at Pearle Studios in Reno. “I’m not sure how much I want Honey and Goldies to grow because I love being a hair stylist too, I’m not sure I could completely give that up,” said Jones. “I like where I’m at now, and I’m going to see where this goes. Hair styling and jewelry making are my two passions.” Ω

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Mo & Sluggo’s Bar & Grill /Tony’s Taco Truck 110 W. Telegraph St., Carson City, (775) 885-1888 Mo & Sluggo’s is an institution in Carson City. If you’ve ever been to the Nevada Day Parade, you likely ended up by KJ. Sullivan in Mo & Sluggo’s at some point. I remember Mo & Sluggo’s as a bit of dive bar, but within the past year or so, the place has been given a makeover and is now clean and inviting. Don’t worry—the character is still there even if it’s just in the form of the patrons. Pictures of

We decided to start with some chips and salsa ($3). The chips were fresh and crispy, and we were brought five types of salsas, ranging in heat and color. One was a runny orange and burnt my tongue, while another green one had just a hint of fire. Between five choices, there is something for everyone. For my entrée, I decided to go with the pozole ($7), a stew made with hominy and your choice of meat. I went with carnitas in mine. When the bowl arrived, it was more like a cauldron filled with tons of meat, chilis and topped with crispy tortilla strips and pico slaw. The pozole was rich, warm and had some serious spice. It reminded me of Mexican chili. Every bite had a ton of pork in it, and even with my parents taking some of the stew, there was more than enough left over to take home for dinner. My mom went with the mission-style chicken taco ($5), which is like a regular taco but with this amazing chipotle cream sauce, cheese and black beans. I was again impressed with the amount of meat piled into the taco. The chipotle cream sauce was wonderful, rich and creamy. The taco was also filled with fresh tasting cabbage that gave it a little crunch. My dad went with the carnitas burrito ($9), which could have easily served two people. The burrito was packed full of tender meat, rice, beans and cheese. Service throughout was friendly and efficient. Our waitress checked on us frequently to make sure we didn’t need anything and always kept our glasses full. There were quite a few customers inside, but she handled it all with ease, smiling and chatting with each table. That’s Carson City hospitality for you right there. Even though Nevada Day has come and gone, do yourself a favor and come check out Mo & Sluggo’s and have some food from Tony’s. The combination of good food, large portions and friendly people is more than enough reason to make a trip to Carson City. Ω

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Patrons raise a glass at Mo & Sluggo’s Bar & Grill in Carson City.

Carson City’s older days still adorn the walls along with slogans like, “Drink like a champion today.” I try to drink like a champion every day, but I appreciated the encouragement. Mo & Sluggo’s is split into two sections, with the bar area in front and a large dining area in the back. There’s also a pool table and darts. Mo & Sluggo’s has a full bar and several beers on tap, but in case you’re hungry, you can order food from Tony’s Taco Truck, which is not really a truck, but a stationary eatery set up in the kitchen. My parents live in Carson City, and on a recent visit, we headed over to Mo & Sluggo’s to grab lunch. We were warmly greeted by the bartender and a waitress who advised us to sit wherever. We ordered some Alaskan Ambers ($4.75 on draft), which were quickly brought along with some menus. Tony’s offers some typical Mexican food choices but many with a twist, like the Tijuana dog, which is a bacon-wrapped hot dog that’s fried and combined with jalapeños, queso fresco and pico slaw.

For more information, visit www.facebook. com/pages/Mo-andSluggos-Bar-andgrill/188995494700.

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In your favor

Bad Grandpa

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire OK, now we seem to be getting somewhere. A new director, some well-placed additions to the cast, a brand new cinematographer, and a strong central performance from Jennifer Lawrence combine to make The Hunger Games: Catching Fire a vast improvement over the franchise’s first, sloppy mess chapter. New director Francis Lawrence (I Am by Legend) and cinematographer Jo Willems Bob Grimm (Limitless) get rid of most of the goofy, baroque sheen that made The Hunger Games bgrimm@ newsreview.c om so annoying. They also have a much better technique for filming action scenes, and they have made a film that feels quite brutal at times. A film about kids being forced to kill each other should be brutal, and not feel as if it is pulling punches for a PG-13 rating, as the first movie did.

Duck, goose, duck.

1 Poor

2 Fair

3 Good

4 Very Good

5 excellent

26 | RN&R |

Watching this new film, I was reminded of how the Harry Potter series switched into high gear with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Alfonso Cuaron washed out the color palette and added a new element of darkness to the proceedings. In many ways, Francis Lawrence steals Cuaron’s game, and that’s to the viewer’s benefit. This is an efficient, well-oiled movie machine now. The sequel picks ups soon after the events of the first film, with Katniss and Peeta (Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson) enjoying a relatively calm, reluctant celebrity life after their rule-bending victory in The Hunger Games. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is not happy with the rising popularity of Katniss, and lets her know, in person, that it will not be tolerated. Soon thereafter, Katniss and Peeta find themselves fighting for their lives again in a rarely invoked tradition of former Hunger Games victors competing against each other.

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Gone is that quick cut, shaky cam, messed-up way of filming action to mask the fact that you can’t show R-rated violence in what is essentially supposed to be a violent movie. The action is not only easy to follow, but quite exciting. A sequence where Katniss and friends flee some sort of creeping gas cloud stands as one of the better action scenes this year. Jennifer Lawrence takes Katniss to a new, far more interesting level this time out. In front of Willems’ lens, she looks a little more worn and embittered after the first time out. I found her more believable as a wartorn survivor. She also seems a little more engaged in this movie, as if the new director has simply pulled a better performance out of her. Her performance in the first film was fine, but the environment she was put in felt staged. Catching Fire feels more organic. Donald Sutherland’s Snow gets a chance to be more involved and far more sinister than the first film, establishing himself as a true villain. Philip Seymour Hoffman climbs onboard as the shady new game master, and yes, he’s a far more menacing presence than Wes Bentley and his lame facial hair. Hoffman is good here, but Sam Claflin wins my pick for best new addition to the cast as the preening Finnick Odair. He’s a great, mysterious Hunger Games competitor whose motivations are complicated. He also provides some decent comic relief. Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright and Amanda Plummer also join the cast as competitors, making the group of people actually in the game far, far more interesting than the first film. In the great tradition of mega-franchises like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire leaves you with a big cliffhanger that will have you feeling a bit incomplete. Don’t worry, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (two films will cover the third book) is merely a year away. Even better news: Francis Lawrence will direct the two Mockingjay films, so they have a solid chance of being good. Ω

Johnny Knoxville has tried to parlay his Jackass fame into an acting career, and he hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire. So, because huge paychecks are tempting, he has returned to the Jackass well numerous times with three official movies, and his body has paid a tremendous toll. The man has thrown himself into the path of buffalos and bulls to score good laughs and, oh man, has he gotten those good laughs. As big as those checks can be, internal bleeding and broken limbs lose their luster after a while. So now we get this, a sort of Jackass movie that has a narrative mixed into hidden camera stunts. It’s very much in the tradition of Borat. Knoxville gets to play one part for the film, that of Irving Zisman, an over-80 letch of an old man that has shown up in past Jackass skits. He’s taking his grandson (Jackson Nicoll) across country, leading to some funny stunts that manage to shock a few. The highlight would be Nicoll dressed in drag and dancing to “Cherry Pie” at a beauty pageant, a moment when he basically steals the movie from Knoxville. Not as outrageous as the other Jackass films, but a nice way to keep the franchise going without destroying Knoxville’s body.

The Best Man Holiday

Fourteen years after the original, writer-director Malcolm D. Lee and friends finally get around to making a sequel to the highly successful 1999 film The Best Man. The results are mixed, with a likeable cast straining to keep Lee’s script vibrant until the all too silly end. Harper (Taye Diggs) is experiencing a lull in his writing career, and looks to get former friend, NFL star Lance (Morris Chestnut) to OK him as the writer of his biography. (It’s actually cool to see Chestnut playing a football star; it’s as if his aspiring athlete in Boyz n the Hood never got shot). So Harper, and much of the cast of the original (including Monica Calhoun, Regina Hall, Harold Perrineau and a very funny Terrence Howard) reunite at Lance’s house where decent comedy and terrible melodrama commences. As a laugher, the film gets some good ones, especially when Howard is on the screen. As a drama, it has a mawkish, Hallmark movie channel feel that derails it. It’s too bad, because some of the players make this one worth watching at times.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

This is animation done with all the style and grace of a spastic colon saturated with hot sauce. While the first film in this series had a reasonable amount of charm, this one goes haywire from its start right until the finish line. Bill Hader returns as the voice of Flint, the overly excited inventor who, in the first movie, managed to use a crazy invention to inundate his hometown with giant food. Now, the machine has gone nuts, creating a race of living food including cheeseburger spiders and dolphin bananas. The film boasts an intolerably frantic pace, with a plotline that’s scattered beyond reasonability. It’s hard to follow, but it does have the occasional fart and poop joke to make the kids laugh. The only character I managed to enjoy was a jittery monkey trying to put out a sparkler, and that accounts for about 30 seconds of the film. Don’t waste your time and, trust me, your kids won’t like it either.

Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey continues his career resurgence in this film based on the life of Ron Woodroof, a man who tested HIV positive in the ’80s, and had to battle the FDA while smuggling non-approved drugs into the country for himself and fellow sufferers. McConaughey lost many pounds to look the part, and it’s a frightening transformation. He also delivers an incredible performance. This, combined with his work earlier this year in Mud, easily establishes 2013 as the best year of his career. Jared Leto does incredible work as Rayon, a cross-dresser who helps Woodroof distribute the drugs to those needing some sort of treatment. Director Jean-Marc Vallee does a good job of capturing a time where HIV was a death sentence, and the terror that surrounded those who were fighting for their lives. This is a very good movie with great performances.

Delivery Man

Ender’s Game

Kill Your Darlings

The Motel Life

Vince Vaughn battles to make this American remake of Starbuck (both directed by Ken Scott) something worthwhile, and he almost wins. He plays David, a meat deliveryman who finds out he’s fathered over 500 children due to sperm clinic donations, and some of those kids want to meet him. David finds out who some of the kids are, spies on them, and tries to serve them as some sort of guardian angel. The film, while containing some genuinely warm moments, lost me in the final stretch where it gets overwhelmed by its dopey plot. Vaughn gives a good performance, as do some of the supporting cast (good to see SNL’s Bobby Moynihan getting some lines), but the pieces don’t add up. The outrageous premise screams for something a little less conventional than what Scott serves up. It’s one of those movies where you can predict all of the choices the protagonist is going to make, which results in boredom.

Finally, Orson Scott Card’s epic novel is adapted for the big screen and, regrettably, it misses the mark. Asa Butterfield plays Ender Wiggin, a future young master strategist who is picked by a determined colonel (a craggy and fun Harrison Ford) to eventually command a crew of teens. The hope is that the teens (including True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld), through a series of drills and exercises can eventually gain the knowledge to lead Earth in a war against an insect-like alien species. The premise is a good one (and a trendsetter for such franchises as The Matrix and Harry Potter, being that Card penned the novel almost two decades ago), but Butterfield is a bust in the title role, rendering much of the movie flat and lifeless. Ford is the best thing in the movie, and I hope this acts as a nice bridge for him to return to the Star Wars franchise. It’s cool to see him doing sci-fi again. This movie feels abbreviated, with a rushed ending. Perhaps they should’ve done it as a TV miniseries, and recast the lead.

Back in the early college days of poet Allen Ginsberg, when he was just getting to know the likes of William Burroughs, a mysterious murder took place. Daniel Radcliffe plays Ginsberg, infatuated with a fellow student named Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan) who killed a former mentor and possible stalker (Michael C. Hall) and involved some of his fellow students in the killing’s aftermath. Radcliffe and DeHaan are pretty good here, but the film’s best performance belongs to Ben Foster as Burroughs. He nails the former drug guru’s mannerisms. The film also stars Jack Huston as Jack Kerouac, and David Cross as Alan’s father, Louis (Cross played an older Ginsberg in I’m Not There). While the movie has a few lapses in judgment, it’s interesting to see somebody actually telling this little known story.

Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff play solemn brothers, quite convincingly, in The Motel Life, a solid adaptation of the critically praised novel by Willy Vlautin. Fans of the novel might notice some distinct changes, but the “sometimes bad luck hits you” and brotherly companionship themes of the book remain strongly intact. Frank Lee (Hirsch) is sleeping off his latest drunk in a seedy Reno hotel room when half naked brother Jerry (Dorff) enters the room shivering and bawling. On a cold winter’s night, Jerry has accidentally run over and killed a boy on his bicycle, and he’s begging to get out of town. Frank hears the story, vomits, and then agrees to take a drive. A string of bad decisions and actions follow, and a lesser film might’ve been too dark and depressing to take. Thankfully, directing brothers Alan and Gabe Polsky combine beautifully shot images with stellar performances to keep things rolling in a way that keeps us rooting for the brothers. Dorff has never been better, and Hirsch is his equal. The Motel Life walks that fine line of being dark without being unrelentingly depressing. There’s a certain joy in seeing two actors performing together so perfectly, something that gives this movie a feeling of triumph amidst the intentionally conveyed despair. The Motel Life is available for rent on Amazon.com and iTunes during its limited theatrical run.

Young at heart Teen Creature Where did the band name Teen Creature come from? “It came from my mind,” says by Brad Bynum Ian James Yount, with a laugh. “No, it’s just how I feel, how I b radb@ see myself … even though I’m a news review.c om middle-aged man.” Though Yount’s 34 years seem a bit short of qualifying for middle age, his point remains: his teen years were half his life ago. But the feelings of youth, alienation and inhumanity that often accompany the teen years can stay with some of us for lifetimes. Photo/Brad Bynum

Feelin’ squirrely: Ian Yount of Teen Creature.

Yount might be familiar to many local music lovers. As DJ Bat Brains, he plays records at bars around town; he plays guitar in the epic, heavy band Yesir; and he’s a manager at Recycled Records, Reno’s iconic used record store. (The EP, which features artwork by Omar Pierce, is on sale there on a donation basis.) Teen Creature is the name of his solo music project. He recently released a limited edition CD EP of five original songs on which he played everything: All the guitars, bass, drums, vocals, and even the occasional keyboard part. It was recorded in the basement of his Reno home over the course of three years. Yount describes the music as “garage death rock.” The recording has an intentionally murky quality, with lots of distortion, reverb and tremolo on the guitars, and the vocals buried in grit, the lyrics barely decipherable.

For more information, visit teencreature. bandcamp.com.

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“I wanted there to be some mystery to it somehow,” he says, adding that part of the appeal of mystery, for him, is that he’s shy. And the music has some of that classic, introverted, basement-dwelling, never-come-out-during-the-daytime feeling of great goth music. “I like things to be moody,” says Yount. “I don’t know why.” He started the project when he was between bands, but decided to keep it going even after joining Yesir because it offered a different kind of creative outlet than his DJing or other band. “I wanted to have something that wouldn’t break up unless I died,” he says (though it is possible to develop serious creative differences with oneself). Since he released the EP a few weeks ago, Yount says he’s had musicians from some of Reno’s best bands approach him offering to help realize the songs in front of a live audience, something he’d like to do soon. He recorded the songs one at a time, not starting one until the recoding of the previous song was complete. “Breeding a Dead Horse”—which should win some kind of award for Best Song Title—took him five months to finish. The finished product sounds worth that time, especially the extended keyboard drone coda that sounds like great guitar feedback, but Yount says it was an exhausting process. But he stuck to his rule and refused to start another song until it was finished. “If I didn’t finish it, I might not ever finish it,” he says. “I had a bad habit when I was a kid of starting things and not finishing them. I’d join the football team and quit a week later.” He says that one of the big musical influences on the record was old-school surf rock: The Ventures, Dick Dale and Link Wray. And it’s great to hear the tremolo and reverb sonic palette of surf rock used to craft introverted music. And if the music conjures the mental image of a pale, scrawny goth kid, black hair and black nails, more creature than feature, riding a surfboard, so much the better. Ω

ART OF THE STATE

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NOVMEBER 27, 2013

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THURSDAY 11/28

FRIDAY 11/29

SATURDAY 11/30

1UP

SUNDAY 12/1

Select Saturdays, 8pm, no cover

214 W. Commercial Row, (775) 329-9444

3RD STREET

Moon Gravy, 8pm, no cover

125 W. Third St., (775) 323-5005

THE ALLEY 906 Victorian Ave., Sparks; (775) 358-8891

Hellbound Glory Nov. 29-30, 9 p.m. Peppermill 2707 S. Virginia St. 826-2121

Easter Island, Moving Company, Hollywood Trashed, 8:30pm, no cover

Monday Night Open Mic, 8pm, M, no cover

816 Highway 40 West, Verdi; (775) 351-3206 538 S. Virginia St., (775) 329-5558

CHAPEL TAVERN 1099 S. Virginia St., (775) 324-2244

Sean McGuinness, 9pm, no cover

Post show s online by registering at www.newsr eview.com /reno. Dea dline is the Friday befo re publication .

Good Friday with rotating DJs, 10pm, no cover

312 S. Carson St., Carson City; (775) 883-2662

COTTONWOOD RESTAURANT & BAR 10142 Rue Hilltop, Truckee; (530) 587-5711

3rd Street, 125 W. Third St., 323-5005: Comedy Night & Improv w/Patrick Shillito, W, 9pm, no cover

DAVIDSON’S DISTILLERY

Catch a Rising Star, Silver Legacy, 407 N. Virginia St., 329-4777: Vanessa Hollingshead Th, Su, 7:30pm, $15.95; F, 7:30pm, 9:30pm, $15.95; Sa, 7:30pm, 9:30pm, $17.95; Eddie Clark, Tu, W, 7:30pm, $15.95

EL CORTEZ LOUNGE

The Improv at Harveys Cabaret, Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline, (800) 553-1022: Rocky LaPorte, Ron Morey, Th-F, Su, 9pm, $25; Sa, 8pm, 10pm, $30; John Henton, Alysia Wood, W, 9pm, $25

THE GRID BAR & GRILL

Reno-Tahoe Comedy at Pioneer Underground, 100 S. Virginia St., 686-6600: Carla Rea, F-Sa, 8:30pm, $13, $16; Dan Kimm’s Happy TRANCEgiving, Sa, 6pm, $13, $16

275 E. Fourth St., (775) 324-1917 235 W. Second St., (775) 324-4255

FUEGO 170 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-1800

Jason Wooley, 7pm, no cover

Live music, 9:30pm, no cover

Karaoke with Lisa Lisa, 9pm, no cover

10603 Stead Blvd., Stead; (775) 677-7088

Karaoke Kat, 9pm, no cover

HARRY’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL HIMMEL HOUSE

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Karaoke with Lisa Lisa, 9pm, no cover

Karaoke with Lisa Lisa, 9pm, M, Tu, W, no cover

Karaoke w/Andrew, 9pm, no cover

Bass Heavy, 9pm, W, $TBA

Canyon Jam, 8pm, no cover

Open mic, 9pm, M, no cover Trivia Night, 9:30pm, W, no cover

3819 Saddle Road, South Lake Tahoe; (530) 314-7665

WE'RE HIRING!

Open Mic Jam, 9:30pm, M, karaoke, 9:30pm, Tu, open mic, 9:30pm W, no cover

Open mic, 7pm, no cover

1100 E. Plumb Ln., (775) 828-7665

Awarded 2013 Greater Reno-Tahoe's 'Best Place to Work’

CW and Mr. Spoons, noon, M, no cover Mark Diorio, 5:30pm, W, no cover

Live flamenco guitar music, 5:30pm, no cover

8545 N. Lake Blvd., Kings Beach; (530) 546-0300

HANGAR BAR

Traditional Irish Tune Session, 7pm, Tu, no cover

James Wilsey Jr., 9pm, no cover

COMMA COFFEE

Comedy

DG Kicks, 9pm, Tu, no cover

Nuke Vegas, Deathstalker, Walk Away Alpha, Krosphyer, 8:30pm, $5

BAR-M-BAR CEOL IRISH PUB

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 12/2-12/4 College Night Wednesdays, 8pm, W, no cover

THURSDAY 11/28

FRIDAY 11/29

SATURDAY 11/30

THE HOLLAND PROJECT

SUNDAY 12/1

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 12/2-12/4

The Bonfire Set, Small Drawings, 8pm, $TBA

140 Vesta St., (775) 742-1858

JAVA JUNGLE

Outspoken: Open Mic Night, 7pm, M, no cover

246 W. First St., (775) 329-4484

JAZZ, A LOUISIANA KITCHEN 1180 Scheels Dr., Sparks; (775) 657-8659

Black Uhuru

JUB JUB’S THIRST PARLOR

Open mic, 9pm, M, no cover

71 S. Wells Ave., (775) 384-1652

KNUCKLEHEADS BAR & GRILL

Nov. 29, 10 p.m. MontBleu Resort 55 Highway 50 Stateline (800) 648-3353

Open Mic/College Night, 8pm, Tu, no cover

405 Vine St., (775) 323-6500

THE POINT 3001 W. Fourth St., (775) 322-3001

POLO LOUNGE 1559 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-8864

Karaoke hosted by Gina Jones, 9pm, no cover

Gemini w/Johnny Lipka & Andrea, 9pm, no cover

RED DOG SALOON

Open Mic Night, 7pm, W, no cover

76 N. C St., Virginia City; (775) 847-7474

RUBEN’S CANTINA

Hip Hop Open Mic, 10pm, W, no cover

1483 E. Fourth St., (775) 622-9424

RYAN’S SALOON

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

924 S. Wells Ave., (775) 323-4142

SIDELINES BAR & NIGHTCLUB

Asleep at the Table with guests, 9pm, no cover

1237 Baring Blvd., Sparks; (775) 355-1030

ST. JAMES INFIRMARY 445 California Ave., (775) 657-8484

STUDIO ON 4TH

Greg Golden Band, Wicked Hicks, 9pm, no cover

Open Mic Night w/Tany Jane, 8pm, M, Black and Blues Jam, 8:30pm, Tu, no cover

Dance party, 9pm, no cover

Strange on the Range, 7pm, M, no cover Tuesday Night Trivia, 8pm, Tu, no cover Karaoke Night w/Koolwater Karaoke, 7pm, Tu, open mic, 7pm, W, no cover

432 E. Fourth St., (775) 410-5993

Bing! Bang! Pow! DJs Supa Dave, Serg Rockwell, 9pm, $3, free before 10pm

Pink & Black Birthday Bash Celebration w/DJ Kentot, 9pm, $5, no cover for ages 21+

VASSAR LOUNGE

Friday Night Blues, 9pm, no cover

Rock’N J Entertainment Karaoke, 8pm, no cover

1545 Vassar St., (775) 348-7197

Pink Martini

Live jazz, 7:30pm, W, no cover

WILDFLOWER VILLAGE

Dec. 1, 8 p.m. Grand Sierra Resort 2500 E. Second St. 789-2000

Wildflower Comedy Power Hour Open Mic, 8:30pm, no cover

4275-4395 W. Fourth St., (775) 787-3769

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Thursday, December 12

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W/ Impending Doom, No Bragging Rights, City In The Sea, Destruction Of A King

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Think you know your limits? Think again. If you drink, don’t drive. Period.

(775) 358.8891 906 Victorian Ave, Sparks NV Facebook.TheAlleySparks.com

BRÜKA THEATER 99 N. VIRGINIA ST. RENO 775.323.3221 www.Bruka.org

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IN ROTATION 13

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NOVEMBER 27, 2013

RN&R

ATLANTIS CASINO RESORT SPA 3800 S. Virginia St., (775) 825-4700 1) Grand Ballroom Stage 2) Cabaret

BOOMTOWN CASINO HOTEL

2100 Garson Rd., Verdi; (775) 345-6000 1) Event Center 2) Guitar Bar

THURSDAY 11/28

FRIDAY 11/29

SATURDAY 11/30

SUNDAY 12/1

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 12/2-12/4

2) Red Hot Smokin’ Aces, 8pm, no cover

2) Red Hot Smokin’ Aces, 4pm, Hindsight, 10pm, no cover

2) Hindsight, 8pm, no cover

2) Joey Carmon Band, 8pm, M, Tu, W, no cover

2) Brian Eldredge, 6pm, no cover

2) Rick Hammond Duo, 4:30pm, Acoustic Phonics, 8pm, no cover

1) Sammy Kershaw, 7pm, 9pm, $15.99-$23.99 2) Rick Hammond Duo, 4:30pm, Acoustic Phonics, 6pm, no cover

1) New Riders of the Purple Sage, 9pm, $17-$20 2) Gurbtron, DJ Heidalicious, 11pm, no cover

1) Locals Last Waltz w/Jelly Bread & Friends, 9pm, no cover

1) Ice Fantasy, call for showtimes, $19.95-$24.95 2) Steele Breeze, 10:30pm, no cover 3) Skyy High Fridays, 10pm, $10 4) Live piano, jazz, 4:30pm, no cover

1) Ice Fantasy, call for showtimes, $19.95-$24.95 2) Steele Breeze, 10:30pm, no cover 3) Four Play Saturdays, 10pm, $10 4) Live piano, jazz, 4:30pm, no cover

1) Ice Fantasy, call for showtimes, $19.95-$24.95 2) Steele Breeze, 10:30pm, no cover 4) Live piano, jazz, 4:30pm, no cover

1) Ice Fantasy, call for showtimes, Tu, W, $19.95-$24.95 2) Live Band Karaoke, 10pm, M, DJ Chris English, 10pm, Tu, Brazen, 10:30pm, W, no cover 4) Live piano, jazz, 4:30pm W, no cover

1) Hoi Ngo Va Cam On Khan Gia, 8pm, $53

1) Pink Martini, 8pm, $25-$55

CRYSTAL BAY CLUB

Tower of Power Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. Harrah’s Lake Tahoe 15 Highway 50 Stateline 588-6611

14 Hwy. 28, Crystal Bay; (775) 833-6333 1) Crown Room 2) Red Room

ELDORADO HOTEL CASINO

345 N. Virginia St., (775) 786-5700 1) Showroom 2) Brew Brothers 3) BuBinga Lounge 4) Roxy’s Bar & Lounge 5) Stadium Bar

1) Ice Fantasy, call for showtimes, $19.95-$24.95 2) Steele Breeze, 10:30pm, no cover 4) Live piano, jazz, 4:30pm, no cover

GRAND SIERRA RESORT

2500 E. Second St., (775) 789-2000 1) Grand Theater 2) WET Ultra Lounge 3) The Beach 4) Summit Pavilion

Karaoke

HARRAH’S LAKE TAHOE

Bottoms Up Saloon, 1923 Prater Way, Sparks, 359-3677: Th-Sa, 9pm, no cover

HARRAH’S RENO

Elbow Room Bar, 2002 Victorian Ave., Sparks, 359-3526: F, Tu, 7pm; Su, 2pm, no cover Celtic Knot Pub, 541 E. Moana Lane, 829-8886: J.P. and Super Fun Entertainment, Th, 8pm, no cover Flowing Tide Pub, 465 S. Meadows Pkwy., Ste. 5, 284-7707; 4690 Longley Lane, Ste. 30, (775) 284-7610: Karaoke, Sa, 9pm, no cover Sneakers Bar & Grill, 3923 S. McCarran Blvd., 829-8770: Karaoke w/Mark, Sa, 8:30pm, no cover Spiro’s Sports Bar & Grille, 1475 E. Prater Way, Sparks, 356-6000: Music & Karaoke, F, 9pm; Lovely Karaoke, Sa, 9pm, no cover Washoe Club, 112 S. C St., Virginia City, 847-4467: Gothic Productions Karaoke, Sa, Tu, 8pm, no cover

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| NOVEMBER 27, 2013

15 Hwy. 50, Stateline; (775) 588-6611 1) South Shore Room 2) Casino Center Stage 3) Peek Nightclub 219 N. Center St., (775) 788-2900 1) Sammy’s Showroom 2) The Zone 3) Sapphire Lounge 4) Plaza 5) Convention Center

JOHN ASCUAGA’S NUGGET

1100 Nugget Ave., Sparks; (775) 356-3300 1) Showroom 2) Cabaret 3) Orozko 4) Rose Ballroom 5) Trader Dick’s

2) Fast Lane, 7pm, no cover 3) Rosendo, 5:30pm, no cover 5) Karaoke Night, 7pm, no cover

MONTBLEU RESORT

55 Hwy. 50, Stateline; (800) 648-3353 1) Theatre 2) Opal 3) Blu

PEPPERMILL RESORT SPA CASINO 2707 S. Virginia St., (775) 826-2121 1) Tuscany Ballroom 2) Terrace Lounge 3) Edge 4) Capri Ballroom

SILVER LEGACY

3) 3-D Thursdays w/DJs Max, Chris English, Kronyak, 10pm, $20

407 N. Virginia St., (775) 325-7401 3) Social Network Night, 9pm, no cover 1) Grand Exposition Hall 2) Rum Bullions Island Bar 4) Live music, 6:30pm, no cover 3) Aura Ultra Lounge 4) Silver Baron Lounge 5) Drinx Lounge

3) DJ Carisma, 10pm, $20

1) Tower of Power, 7:30pm, $47.30 3) Clinton Sparks, 10pm, $20

1) Beatles vs. Stones w/Abbey Road and Jumping Jack Flash, 8pm, $25-$35 2) Journey Revisited, 9pm, no cover 3) Club Sapphire w/DJ I, 9pm, no cover

1) Boney James, 9pm, $45 2) Fast Lane, 8pm, no cover 3) Rosendo, 6pm, no cover 5) Shaka, 6pm, no cover

2) Fast Lane, 8pm, Country at the Cabaret w/DJ Jamie G, 9pm, no cover 3) Rosendo, 6pm, no cover 5) Shaka, 6pm, no cover

3) Black Uhuru, 10pm, $20, $25

1) Porter Robinson, Audien, Fiasko Daniels, Dead Robot, 9pm, $35 3) Boogie Nights, 8pm, no cover w/’70s-’80s attire

2) Hellbound Glory, 9pm, no cover 3) Salsa dancing with BB of Salsa Reno, 7:30pm, $10 after 8pm 3) DJ Chris English, DJ ((Fredie)), 10pm, $20

1) Gary Allan, 8pm, $24-$75 2) Hellbound Glory, 9pm, no cover 3) Rogue Saturdays, 10pm, $20

1) Rodney Carrington, 8pm, $55.50-$69.50 2) Live music/DJ, 9pm, no cover 2) Live music/DJ, 9pm, no cover 3) Seduction Saturdays, 9pm, $5 3) Fashion Friday, 7pm, no cover 4) Live music, 8:30pm, no cover 4) Live music, 8:30pm, no cover

5) Shaka, 6pm, no cover

2) Country at the Cabaret w/DJ Jamie G, 7pm, W, no cover 3) Andrew Neu, 6pm, W, no cover

2) Recovery Sundays, 10pm, no cover 3) Midnight Mass, 9pm, no cover 4) Live music, 6:30pm, no cover

2) Gong Show Karaoke, 8pm, Tu, no cover 3) Step This Way (dubstep, house), 8pm, W, no cover

For a complete listing of this week’s events, visit newsreview.com/reno

The Addams Family

Turkey Trot

The kooky, spooky and altogether ooky Addams Family kicks off the Broadway Comes to Reno 2013-2014 season. The hit musical based on Charles Addams’ cartoons, and subsequent TV show and film series, depicts the darkly humorous and twisted world of an eccentric, wealthy family. The Broadway musical features all the main characters, although in this version daughter Wednesday Addams is all grown up and has fallen in love with a nice, “normal” young man from a respectable family, a man her parents have never met. While the news is shocking to father Gomez, Wednesday begs him not to tell her mother Morticia. Gomez Addams is faced with a dilemma: He must keep a promise to his daughter and do something he’s never done before—keep a secret from his beloved wife. See what’s in store for the unconventional family on the night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents. Performances of The Addams Family are at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1, at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 S. Virginia St. Tickets are $44-$79. Call 686-6600 or visit www.pioneercenter.com.

Get your heart pumping and work up a healthy appetite before your Thanksgiving meal at the 15th annual run presented by Scheels and the city of Sparks. The event offers a 10-mile run, 2-mile run and 2-mile walk around the Sparks Marina Park. While pre-registration has ended, late registrants can still sign up on race day on Thursday, Nov. 28. Entry fee is $60. The first race starts at 8:30 a.m. The races start and end at Scheels, 1200 Scheels Drive, Sparks. Proceeds will go to the Youth Scholarship Fund and to Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful. Call 353-7898 or visit www.cityofsparks.us.

—Kelley Lang OPINION

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Thanksgiving Weekend at Animal Ark

The Buttcracker 5: Pirate Booty

If you want to get out of the house on Thanksgiving weekend but want to avoid the holiday shopping crowds, consider making a short trip north of town to see some of Animal Ark’s residents enjoying the late autumn weather in their winter coats. The wildlife sanctuary and nature center is open to visitors this holiday weekend. If you have any raw turkey necks and gizzards left over from your Thanksgiving feast, you are encouraged to bring them with you to give to the Ark’s carnivores. The facility is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30. Admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors and $10 for kids ages 3-12. Admission is free for kids age 2 and younger. The Animal Ark is located at 1265 Deerlodge Road, off Red Rock Road, about 12 miles north of Reno. Call prior to your departure as severe weather or unsafe facility conditions may cancel the event. You can reach Animal Ark at (775) 970-3111 or www.animalark.org.

Brüka Theatre presents the fifth installment of its original holiday production, The Buttcracker. The Nutcracker parody returns with heroine Clara and friends off on a high seas adventure. The play opens on Friday, Nov. 29, at Brüka Theatre, 99 N. Virginia St. Performances start at 8 p.m. on Nov. 29-30 and Dec. 5-7, 11-14 and 18-21, except for two matinees at 2 p.m. on Dec. 8 and 15. There will be a talk-back session with the company following the Dec. 15 performance. Advance tickets are $22 for general admission and $20 for students and seniors. All tickets are $25 at the door. Call 323-3221 or visit www.bruka.org.

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RN&R

Took the wind out of her Zales Around Valentine’s Day, my beloved boyfriend of a year kept hinting about a big surprise. He’d been talking about moving in with me, and I was expecting a proposal and a ring. I got a fondue pot. I have two children and the idea that a man should put a ring on a woman’s finger before moving in with her and her kids. He said he’d propose when he was ready. Then, by accident (I think), he left his Amazon.com page open on my computer, showing the tackiest, cheapest ring in the world and a pocketknife for himself (which cost more than the ring). I told him to move in and forget the ring. I bought myself a ring, but that didn’t work. I felt unvalued and ashamed. We fought often, and he ended up moving out. He wants me back, but I don’t want to live with him without the stupid ring. We’re both too needy to live apart. Can we salvage this? The man you love did give you a shiny object that you could show off to the girls at the office, even if the admiring remarks you were hoping for weren’t “Look at that thing! It’s twice the size of Miranda’s Crock-Pot!” and “Ooh, is that stainless steel?” Diamond engagement rings can seem like a completely stupid thing to want. They’re absurdly expensive and hard to tell from lab-created rings available at a fraction of the cost. And what good are they, really? As evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller jokes in The Mating Mind: “Why should a man give a woman a useless diamond engagement ring, when he could buy her a nice big potato, which she could at least eat?” Well, the answer is that men can walk away after sex and women may walk away with a bunch of little mouths to drag around and feed, so women evolved to seek reliable signs that a man has access to resources and a willingness to provide them. Any hump ‘em and dump ‘em smooth-talker can make promises. The most reliable signs of commitment are those economists call “costly signals,” meaning that they require substantial effort or financial investment and are therefore difficult to fake. Basically, only a guy who’s madly in love with you would be willing to prove it with an object as wildly expensive and useless as a diamond. That’s why buying yourself a ring didn’t work, and why you felt “unvalued and ashamed” when your boyfriend got down on one knee, but only so he could plug in a moderately-priced kitchen appliance and propose, “How ‘bout we put stale bread cubes on sticks and dunk ’em in melted cheese?”

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NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Being too needy to live alone is reason to get a dog or paste a face on your robot vacuum cleaner, not rush into a lifelong commitment. The way to figure this out is by spending time together without living together until he’s ready to commit or you’re ready to throw in the towel. But pick a date to take stock of whether progress is being made so you aren’t hanging on endlessly. As they say in the fondue world, there comes a time when a guy needs to either dip or get off the pot.

Paradise lust I want to break up with my girlfriend, but we are supposed to go to Costa Rica and have already paid for the house we’re renting for the month with her friends. Is it ridiculous to wait till after Costa Rica to break up? When you put off canceling a relationship to avoid canceling your vacation, even posing for photos can get complicated. You might find yourself trying to put a native person or pre-Columbian artifact between the two of you to avoid blurting out, “Hey, can you stand a little farther away from me? It’ll make it way easier to crop you out.” Unfortunately, you can’t do much to cushion the blow when she invariably squeezes out of you that you stuck around long after you stopped loving her, which will make her feel stupid and humiliated, in addition to the usual fun feelings that come with being dumped. Barring some immediate need for your emotional support (like your partner’s grandma’s impending funeral or bail hearing), the kindest thing you can do is break up as soon as you know it’s over—even if it bummers up your travel plans and means you’ll eat some costs. Letting your girlfriend go without you to Costa Rica might allow her to look back fondly on both the relationship and the vacation—in a way she couldn’t if she were flipping through her trip photos saying, “And this is the guy who wanted nothing to do with me kissing me under a jungle waterfall.” Ω

Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., No. 280, Santa Monica,CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com).

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OODFINDS

by rob brezsny

Recycle this paper

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Thinking inside

the box will be a crime against your nature in the coming weeks. The last place you want to be is in a pigeonhole. I advise you to stay far away from tight squeezes, claustrophobic “sanctuaries” and “convenient” confinements. If you’re in a one-size-fitsall situation, you simply won’t be able to access your highest intelligence. So then, where should you be? I am rooting for you to wander into the wild frontiers where unsanctioned wonders and marvels await you. I’d love for you to find virgin terrain and uncharted territories where the boring old rules don’t apply.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Mike

Finnigan is a veteran keyboardist and blues vocalist who has toured with more than 20 major acts, including Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, Leonard Cohen and Los Lonely Boys. There’s a primal quality to his singing. It’s gritty and fluid and tempestuous, almost feral at times. I understand perfectly why Bonnie Raitt has called him a “tall drink of bacon.” The sound he makes with his voice is that lush and tasty. Can you guess his astrological sign? It’s Taurus, of course. I’m naming him your patron saint this week, because you yourself are as close as you have ever come to being a tall drink of bacon.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): French

painter Henri Matisse thought highly of his own work. He tended to ignore critics because he didn’t think they understood his art well enough to produce intelligent critiques. There was one person whose opinion he was willing to heed, though; a single colleague who he said had earned the right to evaluate and assess his art: Pablo Picasso. I encourage you, Gemini, to come up with your own short list of people whose judgment you totally trust and respect. It’s a good time to seek out their feedback on how you’re doing.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): How is it pos-

sible that you have come so far and worked so diligently only to be resigned now to hanging out in limbo, waiting around for the lucky break that may or may not ever arrive? I’m here today to escort you out of this infernal place. If you resist, my assignment is to drag you out. Why am I so adamant? Because I am sure it’s a mistake for you to be passive and hope for the best. You need to resume working diligently, focused for now on what’s right in front of you without worrying too much about the big picture. In my opinion, that approach will lead you to unforeseen help—and a clarification of the big picture.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your levels of per-

sonal magic are high. The radiance beaming out of your eyes is extra sparkly. There’s an artistry to the way you are expressing yourself. Without even trying, you’re exuding natural charisma and animal magnetism. In light of all these advantages, I suspect you will have an elevated capacity for both giving and receiving pleasure. In fact, I predict that your ability to feel really good and make other people feel really good will be at a peak. I hereby designate this the Week of Supreme Bliss.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The BBC re-

ported on an expert who combs Switzerland’s Risoud Forest to find the spruce trees whose wood can be made into the highest quality violins. After years of experience, Lorenzo Pellegrini knows which few trees will produce instruments with the most resonant tones. They grow slowly and have few knots. They need to have had enough water to grow strong, but not so much water that they’re mushy. Your task in the coming weeks, Virgo, has a certain resemblance to the master tree picker’s work. It’s time for you to start selecting and gathering the raw materials you will use to craft your own lyrical story in 2014.

IN STOCK STOCK NOW IN NOW AT AT MINI MINI OF OF RENO RENO

MINI OF OF RENO RENO MINI 11505 SO VIRGINIA ST

news: For all of us, including you, there is a gap between our intentions and our actual effects. Here’s the good news: Now is your special time to narrow that gap. More bad news: All of us, you included, are periodically guilty of sending out mixed messages. We confuse people with our ambivalence; what we say is sometimes different from what we

MINIOFRENO.COM MINIOFRENO.COM

34 | RN&R | FILM

MUSICBEAT

NOVEMBER 27, 2013 NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS

THIS WEEK

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I am very

fond of strawberries and cream,” said author Dale Carnegie, “but I have found that for some strange reason, fish prefer worms. So when I went fishing, I didn’t think about what I wanted. I thought about what they wanted. I didn’t bait the hook with strawberries and cream. Rather, I dangled a worm or grasshopper in front of the fish.” That’s a good teaching story for you, Scorpio. In order to get your desires fulfilled by the people who have the power to do that, you should give them what they actually long for—not what you long for, nor what you wish they would long for. This is always true, of course, but it’s especially applicable to what’s going on in your life right now.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Touted as a prime source of “kick-ass spirituality,” author Danielle LaPorte has advice that’s good for you to hear. “You will always be too much of something for someone,” she says, “too big, too loud, too soft, too edgy.” But that’s exactly as it should be, she adds. It would be a mistake to “round out your edges,” because then you would “lose your edge.” And I’m here to tell you that you need all of your edge right now, Sagittarius. It’s time to ignore people’s mediocre expectations and push past their limits. To be true to yourself, you will probably have to be too much of something for several someones.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Going

into my spiritual mentoring session with the priestess, I had the intention of discovering truths about myself I didn’t know before. That meant stirring up revelations about my ignorance as well as my potentials. I wanted assistance in facing my flaws as well as in tapping into my dormant powers. It worked. Her guidance was a potent catalyst. I was able to shed the debilitating nonsense stories I’d been telling myself about who I am. I awakened strengths that had been asleep. What I wish for you, Capricorn—indeed, what I predict for you—is a comparable experience. To expedite matters, go out in search of a person, adventure or breakthrough that can help provide you with the kind of prod I received.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I bet

people will be gossiping about you more than usual. Is there anything you can do to ensure that it’s mostly benevolent gossip? Yes, there is. First, make sure that when you gossip about others, you are unfailingly positive in your comments. If you don’t have anything good to say about someone, don’t say it. Second, be on your best behavior. Communicate clearly, and don’t even think about taking unethical shortcuts. Finally, contribute more inspirational energy than usual to every group you’re part of. Be an effervescent team player.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Maybe

your ego isn’t big enough. I’m serious. Is it possible that you could benefit from being more proud of yourself? Would it be healthy for you to give yourself more credit for the struggles you have weathered and the skills you have mastered and the beauty you have managed to forge out of the chaotic raw materials that life has given you? I’ve got a good feeling about this, Pisces. I can imagine you summoning the playful courage you will need to express more confidence. I can even picture you beginning to fantasize about embarking on certain stirring adventures you’ve never believed you were strong enough to try before now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Here’s the bad

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feel. More good news: Now is your special time to reduce your mixed messages to as close to zero as possible. One more taste of bad news: Like all of us, you are a bit hypocritical. You engage in behavior that you criticize in others. You don’t practice what you preach. One last piece of good news: Now is your special time to work on being forthright, genuine and consistent.

MISCELLANY

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

RN&R

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at (877) 873-4888 or (900) 950-7700.

by Brad Bynum PHOTO/brad bynum

New songs Ford Corl Reno songwriter and videographer Ford Corl is currently running an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to release his new album, Welcome To The Blue Light Morning, the follow-up to his very enjoyable 2010 album Green Eyes. For more information, visit fordcorl. bandcamp.com and www.indiegogo. com/projects/ford-corl-s-new-album.

Tell me about the new album. This one is expanding on the ideas that I was cracking with Green Eyes. It’s going down the rabbit hole with those ideas. They’re getting weirder. The songs are getting way more melded and psychedelic, maybe less traditional, not as structured. I’m kind of letting sounds and sound effects and loud guitars scream and smash into one another. I’m thinking about a lot more emotional things this time. I was having a lot of fun with Green Eyes. My idea was more focused on the music with Green Eyes. This is mostly focused on expanding on what I did with the music, but also throwing in a lot of themes that are cryptically really personal to me. ... I’ve had a lot of family issues, sort of battled depression, had a lot of those human moments when you kind of step back and wonder what the hell you even are. I don’t know how relatable that is or not. It’s just kind of a weird three years. Everything post-Green Eyes. This album took three years to make, and everything’s been this kind of rollercoaster, and it’s obviously going to affect the music that I’m making.

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Are you still working for Channel 4?

The one song I’ve heard, “Worth the Wait,” is neat. What can you tell me about that song? That song is a rare currently-in-love song. A lot of the songs I wrote are usually about me getting burned by love or love kind of leaving me in this weird place, chewing me up and spitting me out. This is actually a love song current to what I was going through at the time. I was very passionately in love. My idea was to write a love song that didn’t come across as a really happy I-love-you, you’rethe-apple-of-my-eye kind of song.

So, it’s in a minor key. Yes! What I really wanted to express is how intense that emotion can be, and how intense I really felt. Especially toward the end of that song when it’s really just kind of swirling and there are a lot of loud notes just flying out. That’s the kind of love song I wanted to write—my emotions just flying out of me. That to me is the best love song I could’ve written for [girlfriend] Sage. ... The song’s actually called “Worth the Wait” because

Akrasia unbound Wasn’t it pretty much only one year ago that those of us interested in the ebb and flow of political fortune couldn’t get out of the way of various Republicans thrashing about the fruited plain in their flop sweats of self-analysis? As in, “Where did it all go wrong?” The answers, of course, weren’t particularly elusive. The numbers were right there, staring them in the face. Republicans were winning in one demographic. White alcoholic golfers. Everything else had swung decidedly Demo. One of the main floggings Republicans had to endure as they gazed into the reflecting pool was the “Brown Beatdown.” GOP analysts had to cop to the obvious—Mexicans hate ’em. Guatemalans and Peruvians, too. Hispanically speaking, Romney and company were the pits. Three out of four Latino voters rolled with Democrats. Especially those Dems who threw good barbecue fundraisers. Changes will be made, promised Republican brahmins. We will move quickly to become attractive to America’s Latino voting bloc and so

she moved off to Denmark to play volleyball for nine months right when we got together. So it was me expressing that my intense feeling toward her is why I think it was worth staying together in that time. Normally, you get together with someone and they move away for nine months, it’s really hard to try to figure out how to make that work. But it’s me expressing to her that you’re worth the wait.

∫y Bruce Van Dye

on and so forth and yeah yeah right right right and whatever. Now, one puny year later, it appears that the earnest resolve to make changes and corrections clashed head-on somehow with the secret operating manual that currently resides in Republican nightstands and dominates the GOP mojo. You know, the manual written by Grover Norquist, Joe the Plumber and Vlad the Impaler, the one that prizes unlikability, uncooperativeness and obstructionism over all. Because there’s an Immigration Reform Bill in D.C. right now that would really make a lot of Latino voters very happy. The Senate already passed it. How it got past Senate Republicans, I have no idea, but there are now some verifiable signs that this particular batch of Repubs can occasionally manage to not, repeat, not step on their own genitals. Anyway, the bill got through the Senate. The President’s stance is basically, “Jesus, get this effing thing on my desk already!” All John Boehner has to do is bring this bill to |

ARTS&CULTURE

No, I left News 4 for a production company called FLF Films. And I worked there for about six months. But now I work for a company called Healing HealthCare Systems, and I’m a nature videographer for them. They create a 24-hour environmental relaxation channel for hospitals. Me and my partner, Ryan Loetscher, are the nature videographers, so we travel all around the country and shoot all the national parks and forests and stuff like that. ... Coming from two really stressful industries, the production company industry and the live television industry, it’s pretty much my dream job. ... Not only is the company really great to work for and everyone’s really kind and thoughtful, but I get to travel to remote locations, some of the most beautiful locations in the country, and just kind of capture it and bring it back home. … They’re a company in town that services close to 800 hospitals around the country. The feedback that this company gets is unreal. They get tons of feedback like, “I wanted to give up and I wanted to die in the hospital but watching your channel made me want to live again.” So I’m working for this company that’s really progressive, and we really feel like we’re helping people. And it’s a dream job. Ω

ART OF THE STATE

the floor of the House, because the votes are there. It will pass, it will be sent to the Oval Office and it will become law. And presto, just like that, many, many Mexicans will, at least for a minute or two, stop loathing the Republican Party. It’s a Venezuelan Valentine, a Honduran Hallmark card, just sitting there, waiting for delivery. And Boehner, God bless him, looks out on his front lawn, at all the Latino protestors politely gathered there, imploring for this bill to come up for a vote. He looks out upon them, and he can’t help himself. Against his better judgment, against all political expedience, he slowly, clearly, and figuratively—cranks up his middle finger. It’s truly impressive to see how determined these guys are to pee in their coffee every chance they can. Which is why I’m just not all that worried about the elections coming up in 11 months. Or in three years. Ω FOODFINDS

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the Take a break from our traffic & stop by Kietzke Lane store. Our new MidTown ! store is open, too

1.00 - $1.19 - $1.29 next to nickâ€™s greek deli

822 reno, S. Virginia 600 s. virginia, nv

Aore day EoMO TH st rdAN ec r N

TIO TRUCf CONSc riday k a l b S! CK SU 29

NOVstorees, comember

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Northern Nevada

For reliable, 24/7, on-site personal service, call

ZZZ 5HQR JRY

775.284.8700 www.RenoHydro.com

5635 Riggins Ct., #21 East on Neil Rd. exit from 395. 1/2 mi. R on Meadow Wood Ln, 1st R on Riggins Ct.

general E DON'T! Wdollar store

THE MOANA CONSTRUCTION SUCKS!

cheapest propane in Town!!! only $2.60 per gallon

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PEriod.

salon, say goodbye to

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at MAybeRRy SAlOn And bARbeRS

260 Parr Blvd | Reno NVdr., 89512 1460 Mayberry Reno nV 89509

| barberArias.com 800-322-8248 | 775-329-5222775-333-9900 | www.ShamrockRV.com

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