Penny Press Las Vegas, NV Volume 3 Number 31 APRIL 27, 2006

Will The Hammer's Problems Change Congress? See Analysis Page 3 THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 2

www.pennypresslv.com The Penny Press is published weekly by Penny Credits: 5010 Productions, Inc. All Contents © Penny Press 2006 Publisher and Editor: Contributing Editors: Letters to the Editor are encouraged. They should be sent to our offices at 418 1/2 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Press Fred Weinberg Diane Grassi Al Thomas Vegas 89101. They can also be emailed to: Logotype Circulation: Doug French Bill Here [email protected] No unsigned or unverifiable let- Pointedlymad Charlotte Weinberg Brent Jordan Pat Choate ters will be printed. licensed from: Rich Gast Joyce Meyer Bob Jennings 702-740-5588 Fax: 702-920-8215 Penny Press LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 16 PAGES VOLUME 3 NUMBER 31 APRIL 27, 2006 GOP Loss Of House Not Likely

By JOSEPH P. TARTARO possible in politics, and there are date or the financing to even field an is in the 6th District of Illinois. Executive Editor, Gun Week likely to be some surprises. But when opponent. This is a seat that Republican Henry Special To the Penny Press you read or hear that the polls favor Hyde has held for 32 years. Hyde Democrats, that President Bush’s 1994 and 2004 Races who was chairman of the Judiciary The 2006 congressional elec- approval ratings are way down Committee for many years and is tions are just seven months away and and that some GOP members of Of course, there are cases when currently chair of the International there are already a number of devel- Congress are distancing themselves there have been major shifts. The Relations Committee had a mixed opments that may change the face of from the White House, you can take ones that come to mind for most record on the gun issue, but he was races for the 110th Congress, which that news with a grain of salt. gunowners would be the 1994 con- always re-elected in what was con- will convene in January 2007. The truth is that historically the gressional elections, in which people sidered a safe Republican District in There are a number of polls public has always given Congress like Judiciary Committee Chairman suburban Chicagoland. low marks as a whole—regardless Jack Brooks and House Majority This year, however, the Illinois of which party is in the majority— Leader Tom Foley were upset, and Democrats—mostly anti-gun but has given high marks to their perhaps the Senate race in North Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Political Analysis own representative. The public has Dakota in 2004 when incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich—are zeroing always tended to blame Congress Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in on that seat and they have a strong while assigning little or none of that was ousted. candidate in L. Tammy Duckworth, which have suggested that the public blame to their own individual con- This year, no matter how dis- a retired Army major and helicopter is swinging toward the Democrats, gressmen. satisfied the public may be about pilot who lost both legs in a grenade but there are some realities of poli- That is a key reason why incum- the War in Iraq, the illegal immi- attack in Iraq. Duckworth beat back tics which, at this point at least, bents keep winning and why, if gration issue, the further erosion of strong opposition in the state pri- make it highly unlikely that the there is an electoral contest at all, it America’s industrial jobs, the races maries in March, and Democratic Republicans will lose control of the involves open seats. In most cases, will be decided on local issues, and money is easy to get because of the House. Likewise, the odds are not a congressman or woman in their only about two dozen House races— surprise 2004 capture of the neigh- very great for the Democrats to second or third term is going to be mainly vacancies—are even rated as boring 8th District, another long regain control of the Senate. re-elected and in many districts, the toss-ups by the political experts. Continued on page4 However, almost everything is opposition party can’t get a candi- One of those races to watch

The Conservative Weekly PAT CHOATE PAGE 5 Voice Of Las Vegas FRED WEINBERG PAGE 6 DOUG FRENCH PAGE 7 Inside: Penny Wisdom BILLHERE PAGE 8 AL THOMAS PAGE 10 Be thankful we’re not getting Local TV News Still all the government we’re pay- JOYCE MEYER PAGE 12 ing for. DIANE GRASSI PAGE 13 —Will Rogers Needs Attention PET OF THE WEEK PAGE 15 See Editorial Page 6 THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 4 GOP Should Retain House Continued from page 3

term GOP stronghold.

Delay Announcement

Embattled former House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-TX), who was a major friend to gunowners during his 11 terms in office, announced that he was retiring in June and would not be a candidate for reelection in November. The GOP may retain this seat, but it is another indication that the next Congress, even if still controlled by the Republicans, will be somewhat different. If the Democrats are successful in their bid to win majority control again, you can expect big changes, with some pretty anti-gun Democrats assuming the chairs of important committees like Judiciary. Another reason the 2006 elections will be different is that we will see a greater influence of the use of the Internet by creative political operatives. Even though he didn’t win his party’s presidential nomination in 2004, then relatively unknown Howard Dean’s campaign used the Internet very cre- atively to raise money and build a significant base. Other national and local candidates have also learned that the Internet offers some power tools and ways to be more selective in targeting messages to likely key constituencies and even precincts. The New York Times ran a front page story on Apr. 2 in which they pre- dicted “new tricks in old game” as part of the sweeping changes facing the political pros via the Internet. The web offers a variety of new ways to reach the voters and the “rainmakers” who provide the financial support in big gobs. The Internet makes it possible to have more efficient and less costly means of communication, using e-mail, interactive websites, candidate and party blogs, text messaging, etc. The web can be used to recruit volunteers, to organize rallies and get out the vote campaigns. More importantly, the Internet offers a powerful way to circumvent many of the incumbent-friendly provisions of the McCain-Feingold cam- paign reform bill that the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other groups fought in court.

FEC Decision

Significantly, the NRA was delighted when the Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted 6-0 on Mar. 27 in favor of campaign-finance rules that will leave political speech on the Internet mostly unregulated, accord- ing to The Washington Times. “It didn’t take long to reach a decision,” said FEC spokesman Ian Stirton. “All six members voted in favor.” The rules approved by the FEC will give websites, blogs and e-mails the same exemption that is provided to newspapers that cover political unique and evolving mode of mass communication and political speech that campaigns. is distinct from other media in a manner that warrants a restrained regula- That means bloggers can promote or criticize federal candidates and tory approach.’ In layman’s terms what this means is that bloggers and other issues without fear of financial penalty. on-line political sites are given the ‘media exemption’ that allows newspa- However, the rules will regulate on-line paid political free speech. pers like this one to criticize politicians with no strings attached. . . . Two days later, The Times editorialized about the decision: “Unfortunately,” The Times noted in conclusion, “the regulationists “ ‘Tread lightly’ was our advice to the Federal Election Commission last refuse to go away. Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) year regarding government interference with the Internet. And so it has. In are pushing to include the Internet under the umbrella of their anti-free- an unanimous decision . . . the FEC voted to save most Internet speech from speech legislation, and they have allies in the House. Which is why, as campaign-finance regulations. This is welcome news, if also expected. former FEC Chairman Brad Smith argues, Congress would do well to pass “The truth is that the FEC never wanted to touch the Internet to begin Rep. Jeb Hensarling’s (R-TX) Online Freedom of Speech Act to codify the with, but was forced by a Clinton-appointed judge, who said the Internet FEC’s rules into law. ‘What worries us is the “slippery slope” argument,’ was not exempt from the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reform Mike Walz, Hensarling press secretary, told us. As good as the FEC decision act. Her decision elicited harsh and deserved outrage from both the left and is, the federal government is now on-line, so to speak. It’s generally a time right wings of the blogosphere—two realms of society that rarely agree. The for concern whenever the government gets a foot in door, since there’s no FEC responded with a 96-page proposal that ‘recognizes the Internet as a telling how a future FEC would interpret the rules.” THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 5 Commentary: Pat Choate Something that is interesting governments have quietly been work- groups) – the people who file 45 per- Really Dull But about patent reform is the politics. ing behind the scenes in Washington cent of all patent applications -- will For more than two decades, one of to push through Congress patent be the most adversely affected. the highest lobbying priorities of legislation that would give them One of the principal rationales Really Important the Government of Japan and the what they seek. This week the offered for radical changes in the European Governments, their giant Chairman of the Intellectual Property U.S. patent system is that the U.S. If reform of the nation’s patent transnational corporations and our Subcommittee of House Judiciary is supposedly in a patent litigation laws is not the dullest political topic giant transnational companies has Committee asked me to testify about “crisis.” As my testimony docu- in American, will someone tell what been patent “reform.” Naturally, that draft legislation. I told them the ments, no such crisis exists. A small is? The answer, of course, is it’s the their version of patent reform is following: portion of the business community dullest. Who cares about something different from yours and mine. We The U.S. patent system has three is aggressively using intellectual that has topics such as interferences, think of patent reform is toughening major problems today. properties owned by others. The or two-party cases, or pendency rates the protections for inventors against Pendency rates (the time it takes owners are suing and winning. The except a bunch of geeky inventors? pirates and giving inventors a long- to process a patent application) are infringers seek a “get out of jail” No one, it seems but a handful of time exclusive use of their creations far too long (30 months average), card from Congress. Similarly, the giant transnational corporations that so they can raise capital, build mar- denying the nation new innovations dangers of a new political boogie want to steal the creations of those kets and provide jobs. The global- in a timely manner; man, called “patent trolls” has been geeks. ists’ view of reform is to weaken Piracy of U.S. intellectual prop- greatly exaggerated, leading to the And why does that matter? those patent protections so they can erty rights is not being adequately call for changes in patent laws that Because it is theior creations that use other people’s ideas sooner and addressed, here or abroad; will harm millions of current and build and sustain the industries that without having to pay any royalties. Premature publication of pat- future American inventors. provide us jobs, taxes and a secure For the past several years, trans- ent applications at 18-months is (a) The United States is in the most national defense. national corporations and foreign enabling the theft of U.S. intellec- threatening global economic battle tual properties, (b) denying patent in our nation’s history. Our prime applicants the ability to use their asset in this fight is our creativity, innovations as trade secrets, and (c) our capacity to innovate and our encouraging inventors not to file ability to use those creations quickly patent applications, thereby dimin- and effectively. Strong patent pro- ishing the nation’s general knowl- tections are an absolute necessity edge. to stimulate such innovation. The Proposals to (a) shift from a policy course that Congress should first-to-invent to a first-to-file sys- pursue is to strengthen U.S. pat- tem, (b) eliminate the “best mode” ent protections, here and abroad. requirement in a patent application Harmonization efforts that lower and (c) expand the publication of U.S. patent standards technologi- patent applications will dangerously cally disarm America at exactly the weaken the U.S. Patent System and worst possible moment. discourage American innovation. I hope that Congress got my The Penny Press Tips Its Cap To: Small entity inventors (small busi- message. We’ll see. ness, independent inventors, uni- US District Judge Larry Hicks who ruled that a number of politicians would versity inventors, and not-for-profit PAT CHOATE not be allowed to testify in the G-Sting trial so they could all say they didn't take bribes from former pimp Mike Galardi. Apparently Hicks has had enough of the circus and is willing to let the jury listen to the real evidence, hours and hours of wiretaps, and let them decide if the smell of politics in Clark County is more like a garbage dump or a whore house. Want A Penny The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for their quick arrests in the case of the little thugs who want to be big thugs when or if they grow up. After a rocky start, not releasing the site of the first attacks, Metro has been on a roll in the arrest department. Press In The The Penny Press Sends A Bronx Cheer And A Bouquet of Weeds To: Mail? Political wannabe Tony Dane who was behind a petition to raise the gaming tax. $55 per year First Class Mail First he couldn't settle on the amount to raise the tax and now he's not sure about it all together. While we're not in favor of raising any tax at this point we are in Name______Penny Press favor of shooting straight with the public and anybody in politics ought to know Address______418 ½ S. Maryland that before you call that press conference, you ought to have at least some idea City_____State___ZIP_____ Las Vegas, NV 89101 of what you are going to do. THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 6 OPINION From The Publisher... Local TV News Shouldn't Be That Bad This column contains so many inherent conflicts of interest casts to consultants who do not live in their communities? that I would have to devote a page of this newspaper in six- point type to cover them all. As enamored with listening to a network anchor as this crowd was, there were some fairly silent pauses and some fairly ner- That disclaimer out of the way, this past week, the Radio vous coughs. Television News Directors Association gave ABC’s Charlie Gibson its annual Paul White award for excellence in journal- Because the truth was that Charlie Gibson was telling these ism. local news executives the truth.

You might have seen about a minute of Gibson’s acceptance And, by the way, long before he became a power player at speech on Good Morning America. the network, Gibson was the news director at WLVA-TV in Lynchburg, VA. What you didn’t see was the “inside baseball” speech which Gibson made to the assemblage of America’s local broadcast So he’s been there and done that. news executives because there is a general assumption that listeners and viewers don’t really care what happens behind His “inside baseball” message to the audience was unmistak- the scenes when we bring you the news. able. Follow the conventional local television wisdom and the viewers will tune you out because they are a whole lot smarter Too bad, because Gibson’s speech was—to put it mildly—direct- than you will ever be and they know when they are being ly on target and left quite a few members of the audience with conned. a silly nervous grin and a distinctly uncomfortable self-recogni- tion as well it should have. You should have been there because his was a defense of the viewer which rarely is a factor in local television news despite If you watch ABC, you know that most of that network’s news lots of lip service to the contrary. programs end with an announcer saying that, “more Americans get their news from ABC than from any other source.” A footnote:

And as far as that goes, that is probably true. One of my conflicts is the reason I was there in the first place. More often than not, when you see something on ABC that Except that Gibson went a little further. He suggested that in happened in or around Las Vegas, you are seeing it through reality, more Americans get their news from local newscasts— the eyes of cameraman Robert “Skip” Jennings, and hearing the ones produced by his audience—than any other source. it through the sound mixer and microphones of this writer. Jennings is a 40-year employee of ABC who retired in Los And that makes what news directors do important. Angeles and moved to Las Vegas where the both of us continue to work for ABC on a when-needed basis. And there’s a lot of That said, he went on to point out the average tenure of a news out of Las Vegas. news director in this country is two years. Last February, Skip collapsed and spent a few weeks in the And then, he asked some rhetorical questions as to why that hospital where he was diagnosed with some form of cancer. might be. One part of his brain said he was going to die. The other side started planning for his first network assignment when he was For instance, why is the first thing a news director looks at well enough to take one. He’s much stronger now and on when hiring a reporter a tape? As opposed to, perhaps, ask- chemo-therapy and Gibson’s award was that first assignment ing them for the stories they have done that they are proudest back. of. If you think that Gibson is just some network suit, you should And why do 61% of the television stations in this country lead know that almost his first move upon coming into the ballroom their newscasts with a crime or a disaster as opposed to a was to search Skip out, hug him and tell him just how happy story on politics or health or something which really affects we all are to have him back. the viewer. FRED WEINBERG And why do news directors cede so much control of their news- THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 7 Commentary: Doug French benefits for doing absolutely nothing. As The New York Times describes it, As GM Goes, So Goes The Nation ‘Each day, workers report for duty at the plant and pass their time reading, watching television, playing dominoes or chatting. Since G.M. shut down “As GM goes, so goes the nation” was the old saw when General Motors production there last month, these workers have entered the Jobs Bank, was a corporate powerhouse. But now the car making behemoth is spilling industry’s best form of job insurance. It pays idled workers a full salary and red ink profusely and armies of bankruptcy attorneys are standing by. benefits even when there is no work for them to do.’” Sean J. Egan recently told a Grant’s spring conference crowd that GM Reisman points out that while Toyota makes $2,000 per car, GM loses “is going bankrupt within the next 12 to 24 months.” Egan’s company, $1,200 per car. The majority of the $3,200 difference is the $2,500 in each Egan-Jones Ratings Co. is in the business of rating bonds. So he’s a guy car that the UAW contract costs the company. who knows the difference between cash flow and the lack of it. Egan GM lost in excess of $10 billion last year and the company’s bonds are believes that the company’s losses will be huge this year if for no other now rated as “junk.” “Without the UAW,” writes Reisman, “GM would not reason than “they only took a $3.6 billion reserve for Delphi; they should have lost these billions.” And, the company is now be in process of trying have taken $12 billion.” Egan says CEO Rick Wagoner will be replaced and to pay a ransom to its union workers of up to $140,000 per man, just to get whoever the new guy is will put the company in BK, pronto. them to quit and take their hands out of its pockets. Some people think GM has a revenue problem and that the company, Professor Reisman points out that GM has healthcare obligations that which has been around since 1908, is out-of-touch with what modern car account for more than $1,600 of the cost of every vehicle it produces and buyers want. But, the company remains the world’s largest carmaker and has pension obligations “which, if entered on its balance sheet in accordance sold over nine million vehicles world wide last year. So, how on earth could with the rule now being proposed by the Financial Accounting Standards the company be on the verge of bankruptcy? The UAW, that’s how. Board, will leave it with a net worth of minus $16 billion.” General Motors has a ball and chain around its ankle called the United Including benefits, GM workers rake in over $73 per hour. It is that high Autoworkers Union. Of course the mainstream media doesn’t point the fin- wage and benefits package that is a big reason for GM’s troubles. The work- ger at the UAW for GM’s troubles. Last year, when layoffs were announced ers may be comfortable for now, but it bleeds the company dry. Ryan Ellis, around the Thanksgiving holiday, NBC’s Katie Couric said on the “Today” executive director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom, says unions are “like program that GM employees “might not have a whole lot to be thankful for locusts.” “They go from one crop to another,” Ellis said. “They latch onto an this Thanksgiving.” And the day before on the “Evening News,” CBS’s Jim industry, suck out as many benefits as possible,” and move on. Acosta said, “GM is carving up its workforce like a Butterball turkey.” Which brings us to why all of this is relevant here in Nevada. The Big But CBS’s Anthony Mason was closer to the truth on the November 21 Six gaming companies reported record quarterly earnings and profits the “CBS Evening News,” citing GM’s legacy costs. “They have two and a half other day. With the exception of Las Vegas Sands and Stations Casinos, the retirees for every worker they’re supporting. That’s a cost that’s not going Big Six are union companies. to go away.” What Mason didn’t tell his viewers is where those obligations With huge profits and soaring stock prices, these big gaming companies came from: Union contracts. seem impregnable today. But, it wasn’t that long ago that there was no So what if GM didn’t have the UAW to contend with? Economist greater symbol of corporate power than General Motors. “What the UAW George Reisman answered that question with an article posted on Mises. has done,” writes Reisman “on the foundation of coercive, interventionist org last week. If the carmaker could fire workers for poor performance or labor legislation, is bring a once-great company to its knees. It has done for excessive absences, so-called Monday Morning Cars would not happen. this by a process of forcing one obligation after another upon the company, These are lemons made on days when absences are high and too few work- while at the same time, through its work rules, featherbedding practices, ers show up sober. hostility to labor-saving advances, and outlandish pay scales, doing practi- Next, GM would have become more efficient and lowered its costs, if cally everything in its power to make it impossible for the company to meet the union didn’t stand in the way with its work rules prohibiting workers those obligations.” from doing multiple tasks and contract provisions that prohibit cost sav- The culinary union will not destroy Nevada’s primary industry over- ing measures being implemented without negotiations with the union. As night. But, rest assured; what’s happened to Detroit will happen to Vegas if Reisman relates; “Unbelievably, at its assembly plant in Oklahoma City, GM the gaming companies don’t kick the culinary out now. is actually obliged by its UAW contract to pay 2,300 workers full salary and DOUG FRENCH You Can Get Billhere's Calendar and Newsletter FREE by email! The FREE, e-mailed, VegasResource.com Newsletter and complete index of Las Vegas coupons for shows, buffets and attractions is available on the internet at: www.vegasresource.com THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 8 The Best Vegas Calendar BAR NONE! By Billhere The FREE, e-mailed, VegasResource.com Newsletter and complete index of Las Vegas coupons for shows, buffets and attractions is available on the internet at: www.vegasresource.com APRIL, 2006 GRAND. The project will have three Towers, each 40 floors high ======and each Tower will have 576 condominium units. The Towers Through Apr.29= The Matsuri Show - Unique musical from Japan are very creatively called: Tower A, Tower B and Tower C. The being showcased in Las Vegas - Riviera. Through Jul. 31= Art condominium units can be rented by the public under the MGM Exhibit of Rubens And His Age - Guggenheim Hermitage Museum Mirage program called The Signature at MGM Grand. Tower A will inside Venetian. open in May, 2006 and hotel reservations are now being accepted ++++++++++ from the public. Tower B will open in December, 2006. Tower C 27-May 10=Tom Jones- MGM Grand. will open in May, 2007. The whole project is being built where the 27-30=Sesame Street Live -Cox Pavillion MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park was located, in the back of 27-30=Englebert Humperdinck- The Orleans. the MGM Grand property. Turnberry & MGM Mirage are partners 28-29=The Bellydance Superstars- Flamingo. in this project. Tel. 1-888-891-1688 or (702) 891-5555. Beautiful 28-29=Wayne Brady- The Mirage. internet site is at: http://www.mgmgrandresidences.com 28-30= Home Decorating Show-Cashman Ctr. ++++++++++ 28-30= The Letterman-Suncoast. May ??= MIRAGE opens a new 90-minute show created by Cirque 28-May 11= World Series of Poker - Caesars Palace. du Soleil, featuring a celebration of Beatles music. Will replace 29=Tiger Jam IX with Sting - Mandalay Bay Events Center. the closed Siegfried & Roy Show. A new $100 million theater 29=Kid Rock- Palms. replacing the Siegfried & Roy Theater and seating 2,000, with 29= Twisted Sister - Silverton. 360-degree seating, is nearing completion. The stage will be a 30=Depeche Mode- Hard Rock Hotel. theater-in-the round. Cirque performers will appear from below 30= The Scintas contract ends. Will their contract be extended? as well as above the stage. - Rio. ++++++++++ MAY, 2006 May??= PALMS: The first new Playboy Club in the world since ======1984 and 17 years since the last one closed. Opens in the new 2-3=The Wiggles- Thomas and Mack Center. Fantasy Tower (which will feature a retractable roof). Bunny cos- 3= The Scintas show closing - Rio. tumes will be snow leopard accessorized with a rhinestone collar 3-7=Reba McEntire- Las Vegas Hilton. and metallic gold bow tie. 4=R. Kelly- Hard Rock The Joint. JUNE, 2006 5= Cinco de Mayo. ======5=2006 MiniMoto SX- Orleans. 7-18=Reba McEntire- Las Vegas Hilton. 6= Boxing. de la Hoya vs. Mayorga-MGM Grand. 8-11=Donny Osmond- The Orleans. 6= World Supercross-Sam Boyd Stadium. 9-11=Sha Na Na - Suncoast. 6= UNLVINO -Paris Las Vegas. Info: http://www.unlvino.com/ 10= Rita Rudner show closing - New York - New York. (Rumors events.html persist that the theater will be torn down and the famous CROBAR 9-11= G2E Global Gaming Expo-Red Rock Station. Nightclub will open in late 2007.) 10-11=Bryan Adams- Las Vegas Hilton. ++++++++++ 11-17= Howie Mandel - MGM Grand. 11= ArenaBowl XX - Thomas & Mack. 12-13=Johnny Mathis- Las Vegas Hilton. 16-18 Connie Stevens - Suncoast. 12-13=Jay Leno- Mirage. 17= VENETIAN: “The Phantom of the Opera” musical by Andrew 12-14=Frankie Avalon- Suncoast. Lloyd Webber starts preview performances in its new $25 million 13= Tanya Tucker-Buffalo Bill’s Arena-PRIMM,NV theater in the old Guggenheim Museum, where the old Motorcycle 13=The Goo Goo Dolls- Red Rock Station. Exhibit was located. Many special effects are promised as well as 13-14= Gun & Knife Show - Cashman Center. an exploding chandelier! Information: http://www.playbill.com/ 14= Mother’s Day. news/article/97429.html 19=The New Cars, Blondie- Aladdin. 18= Father’s Day. 19-20=Ray Romano- Mirage. 21-22=Kenny G- Las Vegas Hilton. 23=Academy of Country Music Awards- MGM Grand. 22-26= Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey 20= Brad Paisley - Buffalo Bill’s Arena-PRIMM, NV. Circus - Orleans Arena. 20-21=The Gin Blossoms- Suncoast. 23-24=Donna Summer- Las Vegas Hilton. 25-28=Air Supply- The Orleans. 23-25=Jack Jones - Suncoast. 26=Ron White- Mandalay Bay. 24= Martina McBride - Mandalay Bay. 26-28= Kevin James - Mirage. 24= VENETIAN: “The Phantom of the Opera” musical by Andrew 27=Clay Walker- South Coast. Lloyd Webber has its grand opening gala performance in its new 28= “Avenue Q” will end, after only a five-month engagement $25 million theater in the old Guggenheim Museum, where the - Wynn Las Vegas. old Motorcycle Exhibit was located. Many special effects are prom- 29= Memorial Day. ised as well as an exploding chandelier! Information: http://www. 29-June 1= Jewelry Show - Mirage. playbill.com/news/article/97429.html ++++++++++ 25 - Aug. 10= World Series of Poker - Rio /Binion’s. information: May ??= HARRAH’S Andreotti’s Italian Restaurant reopening after http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/2006wsop.asp major renovations. ======++++++++++ Please e-mail errors, omissions and additions to: May??= MGM MIRAGE is building the RESIDENCES AT MGM [email protected] THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 9 THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 10 Commentary: Albert Thomas The stock market represents the financial ecosystem of the world. If one Critical Mass part of the system falters it affects all the other parts that can cause collapse of the entire system. When interest rates got out of whack in 2000 and the The market news is all good. At least that is what the pretty girls on flow of money slowed it caused thousands of companies to slow down, lose CNBC-TV are telling so there is nothing to worry about. Just keep buying business, lay off workers and some ultimately fail. and one of these days investors will be millionaires. That’s what everyone Can this happen again? In this complex world the answer is a big ‘yes’. thought in 2000 and you know what happened. The problem is that some unforeseen relatively minor event may trigger an Critical mass was reached and everything imploded or should I say imbalance that will not have time to recover leading to the domino effect. exploded? Every investor should have protection for his portfolio because there is At that time all the news was good as it is today. I’m not saying we are no timetable for the next downdraft. During the 2000 break many people going to implode, explode, whatever and drop like a rock at this time, but it lost 40, 50, 60% of their life saving. They had no exit strategy. The simplic- will happen again as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow. What will be the ity of a trailing stop loss would have prevented a major loss. cause of the next market collapse? No one knows. There are many reasons, Many investors use a percentage of the highest closing price such as 7, but it may not be any one of them. 10, 15%, but this requires a careful watch every week. Most investor will Hiding in the background we have financial demons: tremendous not take the time and brokers discourage it. A more simple yet effective indebtedness of both the government and civilians, failure of large corpora- exit method is a 200-day moving average line which can be created on a tions such as Enron and Refco, loss of our manufacturing base to scores of computer. As long as the 200 line is ascending the equity is a buy and hold. foreign countries, Afghanistan and Iraq war expenses, $3.00 gasoline which When it turns down, sell. Not rocket science. threatens to go higher, skyrocketing commodity prices like copper, the rise Because critical mass cannot be forecast every investor should have an in the price of gold which no one seems to understand, the depreciation of exit strategy in place at all times. Is your protection in place? the dollar by the Federal Reserve System, unknown trillions in derivatives AL THOMAS and many, many mysterious monetary monsters. Al Thomas’ book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It!” has helped thousands Any one of these items can reach critical mass and once the reaction of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. starts it will affect other near critical environments to destabilize them caus- Read the first chapter at www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he’s ing the market to come crashing down. the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.

1.877.821.9302 THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 11 Challenge: Take the biggest, heaviest production passenger vehicle made and make it handle like a sports car. Answer: Rollgard™. Like a lot of people, my life precludes the Porsche 911 Turbo or the Saleen Mustang I might buy if practicality wasn’t a consideration. In my case, kids, mountainous terrain, and a lot of stuff to schlep around pretty much rule out sports cars as an option.

And so, in the last five years, I’ve driven a Four Wheel Drive Ford F-150 and two Four Wheel Drive Ford Excursions. All of them, including the brand new Power Stroke Diesel Excursion, are big, tough trucks with a lot of torque, a lot of power and a lot of space.

The downside is that they all have a fairly high center of gravity and are susceptible to rolling into a turn at highway speeds.

And all of them have been tamed by Rollgard.

My name is Fred Weinberg and I don’t work for Rollgard, which means you can call me at my office, 702-740-5588, and I’ll be glad to give you the benefit of my 170,000 miles of driving with the product.

Simply put, Rollgard is a set of counter springs which keeps the rear wheels firmly planted on the road. It was designed by a race car engineer to give any vehicle with leaf springs (that’s most pickup trucks, Here’s the F-150. We put about vans and many SUV’s) 50,000 miles on it with Rollgard the same kind of han- dling control which a race car can get from the various adjustments you see them make in the pits on race day.

What it does is to allow you to steer the vehicle without constant corrections. In other words, point the vehicle where you want to go and it goes there. Last summer, we tested an Excursion with Yes, the Excursion is big. With Rollgard, it is very well behaved! Rollgard under full safety conditions on closed off pieces of Nevada highways in connection with open road racing events.

We discovered that you could blast this 8,000 pound vehicle down a winding highway at speeds in excess of 95 miles an hour with complete control only using a very light touch on the steering wheel. The professionals behind the wheel were extremely impressed.

Now you’ll probably never have to drive a big, heavy truck like that, but it’s sure nice to know that you could. Because if it handles that well at those speeds, imagine how well it works at regular interstate highway speeds.

The best news is that Rollgard isn’t very expensive. And, because it’s a Las Vegas company, we’ve arranged a special deal for you: Buy it at any of the dealers below and we’ll send you a $25 rebate when you mail us a copy of the paid receipt and the rebate cou- pon from this ad. And one last thing. Rollgard has an absolute 30-day money back guarantee. $25 REBATE COUPON You can’t offer one of those unless the product actually works. Purchase a Rollgard from One Of The Retailers In This Ad And We’ll Rebate Buy Rollgard At One Of These Fine Retailers: Your Purchase with a $25 Check. Checkers Autoparts Stores, Integrity Dodge (870-9793) Offer Good To April 28, 2006 Sun Valley Bumper (362-9003) Rebate subject to terms and conditions listed at www.pennypresslv.com THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 12 Commentary: Joyce Meyer ourselves? This, of course, becomes wishing I was someplace else. But you have to develop your “con- Capturing The a vicious circle. We lack faith in Too many people today have fidence habit.” You have to realize ourselves because we feel that others allowed fear and a lack of confidence that Christ is your confidence. He’s don’t have faith in us. to limit their lives and their impact. the one who gives you the strength Confidence Habit It’s easy to let little things destroy They’ve become content with so to get up and do those things that our confidence. When I’m up on much less than what they are capa- you’ve been called to do. Your first Picture a huge jumbo jet sit- stage in front of a crowd, I know ble of. They don’t realize that just response when God asks you to do ting at the end of a long runway. without a doubt that God has called like the proverbial iceberg…there’s something should be “No problem!” The jet has been loaded to capacity me to teach and that He has gifted much more under the surface that It’s time for you to lift up your head, with passengers and their luggage. me to do it. But there are times when you can’t see. The part that sticks up throw your shoulders back and walk The galley is fully stocked with I don’t feel gifted at all. I may notice above the water line is just a fraction like the child of God you are! all the food and beverages needed that there are a lot of people getting of the total picture. JOYCE MEYER for a long flight. The pilots have up and moving around. I may see You’re capable of much more For more on this topic, you may charted their course and the tower several people appear distracted and than you think you are. There’s so order Joyce’s four-part series, has given them clearance for take- looking at their watches. It’s easy to much more depth to you than you The Habits of a Highly Effective off. Everyone is in their seat with let those little things start eroding can even imagine. God has placed Christian, which is available by their seat belts buckled anticipating my confidence and before you know Himself and His confidence in you. calling 1-800-727-9673 or online at a great flight. Everything is ready… it I can begin doubting myself and He’s created you for great things! www.joycemeyer.org. but the plane just sits there. The fuel tanks are bone dry! Obviously, fuel is critical to the success of this flight. In fact, it’s probably one of the most important aspects of the flight. You can have everything else ready to go but if you don’t have fuel in the tanks… you’re not going anywhere. When we have confidence, we have fuel in our tanks! I’ve known people in my life who were incred- ibly gifted. They had talent, they had a strong network of friends, they had opportunity to really plug in and make a huge impact. But they never went anywhere or did any- thing because they didn’t think they could…they lacked the confidence to get out of their comfort zone. We have a lady who works in our office in Fenton. She’s been with us for many years and is extremely capable. I’ve always appreciated her “confidence habit.” She has a great way of responding to direction that not only indicates her high level of confidence in herself, but actually causes us to have more confidence in her! When asked to do something, this girl’s first response has always been to simply say, “No problem!” She has enough confidence in her- self to know that even if she doesn’t know how to do something, she’ll be able to figure it out. Did you know that when we lack confidence it can be contagious? When we are fearful and lack the assurance to do something, others around us can pick up on that and they begin to hesitate putting their confidence in us. Think about it… why would they put confidence in us when we don’t have confidence in THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 13 Commentary: Diane Grassi its constituents, there is a potential disconnect between team investors or board They’re All Baseball Whores In DC members and the very fans they are expected to enlighten. For example, the supposed three remaining groups of team bidders are For those of you who do not care about politics and for those of you who do the Lerner-Kasten Group, the Smulyan Group and the Malek-Zients Group. not care about Major League Baseball (MLB), the two are about to be perma- Although all are not quite perfect enough for Selig, however, who MLB insiders nently joined at the hip due to the location of the Washington Nationals Baseball have said he requires a group which has significant black American investment club and Major League’s Baseball hunt for its first owner of the team, which is as well as local ties to Washington, D.C. Although each group commands busi- expected to be announced over the next week or so. ness savvy and are politically connected, it has weighed on Selig in his making MLB Commissioner, Bud Selig, has been promising for over a year now to up his mind. sell the Washington Nationals, formerly the Montreal Expos, to an owner who Jeff Smulyan, former owner of the Seattle Mariners, heads a group of promi- agrees to pay MLB $450 million for the club. The Nationals have been col- nent Washington, D.C.- based African- Americans such as former Washington lectively owned by the 29 other MLB teams since February 15, 2002, when the Redskins, Art Monk, Calvin Hill and Charles Mann; former U.S. Attorney Eric Expos’ then- owner, Jeffrey Loria, sold the team for $120 million. Then after Holder; Radio One President, Alfred Liggins; and local banker, Dwight Bush. three seasons, the club was relocated to Washington, D.C. and renamed the Smulyan also owns Emmis Broadcasting which could prove useful in negotia- Washington Nationals in 2005. tions of broadcast rights for the Nationals. But the knock against Smulyan is that But the history of negotiations goes back to Bud Selig’s placating Baltimore he has been dubbed by D.C. politicians as an “outsider” as he does not presently Orioles owner, Peter Angelos, who refused to budge on allowing another Major live in the D.C. area. Yet, Smulyan black investors would comprise a 45% inter- League franchise to exist within a 100-mile radius of Baltimore. The details of est in the team. what Selig whispered into Angelos’ ear to allow the relocation to go forward The Lerner Group, headed by real estate developer, Ted Lerner, just this past have never been confirmed, but all Nationals’ fans need do is to try to find a week joined with Stan Kasten, who had been separately bidding on the team. game broadcast on TV. Mostly, they will be unsuccessful, as Angelos, who con- Kasten brings with him a 17-year career as the former President of the Atlanta trols the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), and Comcast Broadcasting are Braves. He also remains a friend of Selig’s. Ted Lerner has developed numer- still quibbling about the TV airing rights of Nationals’ games. Only a handful of ous shopping malls in the D.C. area and supposedly played a role in wooing Nationals’ games are now broadcast in D.C., with 90% of the revenue going to the Expos to D.C. He brought aboard several local African-American investors, Angelos. MASN was put together by MLB in order for the Nationals deal to go albeit a little later than the other groups. For that he has been criticized by the forward, but seeing the games on TV remains a continuing problem for fans. D.C. City Council, including MLB. His group includes Rodney Slater, former Without a TV and broadcast partner, it will be up to the new owner to try Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton; Doyle Mitchell, CEO and secure broadcasting rights for the Nationals, including broadcast revenue. of Industrial Bank, N.A., locally owned in the D.C. area; CBS NFL broadcaster, But before that can even be addressed, Selig must finish his evaluation of what James Brown; and BET executive Paxton Baker. were originally eight different groups bidding on the team, and now pared down And the Fred Malek-Jeffrey Zients contingent offers the most political capi- to the last two or three contenders, depending upon which newspaper or sports tal of all the groups. But if one is not looking to wind up on Capitol Hill, it could pundit to which you happen to listen. be argued that these are politicians and not community leaders for the inner After months and months of negotiations with the D.C. City Council to city of Washington, D.C. The investors include former Secretary of State, Colin solidify a lease for the new stadium, expected to be ready for the 2008 MLB Powell; Howard University President H. Patrick Swigert; Vernon F. Jordan, for- season, the Commissioner decided not to include the new ownership in the lease mer legal counsel to President Clinton; Anthony A. Lewis, Chairman Elect of deal. But in the meantime, the cost of the stadium over the past year has risen the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and President of Verizon Communications in, from an estimated $537 million to $611 million. And it has just been revealed D.C.; and local businessman, George Haywood. Malek was a major figure in the that the cost may be $10 million more if the city wishes to meet state-of-the-art Republican Party for over 30 years, working in the Nixon Whitehouse, was an environmentally friendly building standards. associate of former President George H.W. Bush, and was instrumental in secur- But all potential ownership right now has to worry about is being politically ing President George W. Bush’s previous ownership of the Texas Rangers. correct and to make all kinds of promises to MLB as well as to Washington, D.C. Selig’s ultimate decision comes down to a mix of power brokers, media lawmakers, in order to secure the team. The Nationals are now going to be used moguls and financial investors which hardly represent the interests of the middle by MLB as the poster child for recruiting the black community back to baseball. and working class residents of the D.C. metro area. These particular African- However, the way it is being done will probably fall on deaf ears to the very ones Americans may prove to be no more connected to the D.C. black community’s MLB is supposedly trying to reach. interest than the white collaborators who initially landed the Nationals there. Where is this all going? Well, believe it or not Bud Selig wants to include in In sum, these following figures perhaps should prove more meaningful to the his legacy as being the MLB Commissioner who reinvigorated African-American Commissioner of MLB than the head count of African-Americans on a Board of athletes back into baseball, by insisting on an African-American owned team, Directors: in 2005 there were a total of seven minority club managers in MLB, and one which must have ties directly to Washington, D.C. which fell to five after Lloyd McClendon of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tony Pena But whether the ties are to the Washington, D.C. residential community or of the Kansas City Royals were let go. Ken Williams of the Chicago White Sox are ties to the White House and Capitol Hill, is in question, as the list of investors remains the only African-American General Manager in the game. And in the looks more like a group of political action committees rather than potential base- past thirty years, MLB lost more than two thirds of its black players. In 1975, ball team owners. Look beneath the surface and you will find that campaigning nearly 30% of all MLB players were black. Today, black players total less than for owning a baseball team in D.C. mirrors that of running for political office. 10% while Latino players are over 30% and Asian players total about 3%. Bud Selig has made it clear: white rich guys need not apply. However, the Instead of making it appear as though MLB is doing something to re-intro- idea that rich black guys will attract black children and young men to become duce baseball to black America by changing the color in the boardroom, they interested in baseball is short-sighted. For black community leaders do not need need to start from the ground up, rather than from the top down. That starts by to buy a $450 million baseball team to show devotion to their community and stir promoting more black coaches to managers from the minor leagues on up to the baseball interest. Such money could have been spent developing city recreation Major Leagues. As it has proven over the past decade, MLB has vastly increased areas, better developing Little Leagues, building parks with baseball diamonds its dedication to recruiting players from Latin America and more recently the Far by creating more open space, encouraging physical fitness in the public schools East. and buying blocks of tickets for D.C. children to attend MLB games on a regular But if MLB expects to continue to be referred to as America’s Pastime, it basis in Baltimore or in Washington, D.C. will need to do a far better job of recruiting right here at home, where there still Just like most American voters do not care about who the personnel is at the remain a ton of great athletes from the black community. They will not find them White House, but rather the White House’s public policy issues, the Washington on Capitol Hill or in ivory towers, but rather in their very own backyards. D.C. black community will not increase their interest in MLB because a group of politically powerful and connected rich African-American males own stock DIANE GRASSI in the team. And like disconnect on Capitol Hill between the U.S. Congress and THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 14 THE PENNY PRESS, APRIL 27, 2006 PAGE 15 Pet Of The Week Adopt This Pet ! My name is BONNIE - ID#A100519 I am a spayed female, brown german shepherd. The shelter thinks I am about 1 year and 5 months old. I have been at the shelter since Mar 21, 2006. For more information about this animal, call: The Animal Foundation — Las Vegas at (702) 384-3333 Ask for information about animal ID number A100519

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