Power plant demolition in Detroit bankruptcy: Do we know how much Bakersfield goes wrong, Will city’s storied art U.S. money is going to the injuring five people collection be sold? Taliban in Afghanistan? PAGE 2 PAGE 5 PAGE 6

Volume 15, Issue 22 August 7-13, 2013 Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce Member

Massive Board Resignation CouldBeaPoliticalStrategy

By Rolando Larraz radio shows on which the Sheriff that the Sheriff is “out of town,” “in cal television stations have been newspaper and local television sta- Las Vegas Tribune has routinely appeared on a Washington, DC,” or “tied up in very instrumental in helping Sher- tions are ignoring that to report on It is a well known secret and fact monthly schedule, with the excuse police work,” when in reality iff Doug Gillespie in his endeavor the weather and the traffic in Las that keeping the Las Vegas Metro- Gillespie has not done any “police by giving great coverage to the res- Vegas. politan Police Department work” for at least the last fifteen ignation of less than one half of the The media is missing the fact, administration’s business — and its years — or as long as he has been board members. or just ignoring it, that Detective officers’ actions — as transparent assigned to various police admin- The whole issue is about a po- Martines is not a disgruntled em- as possible is nothing but a joke that istrative departments. lice officer who shot an unarmed ployee speaking out after being ter- has become an insult to the intelli- Assistant Sheriff Ted Moody — man in the leg and was not fired minated; he is an active member of gence of anyone in the community. who shared the Chair of the Use of despite the board’s recommenda- the department on sick leave. Many believe that the massive Force Board with the second mem- tion. The Las Vegas Tribune has resignation of members of the Use ber to resign, Robert Martinez — In the meantime, Sheriff learned that during the deposition of Force Board is nothing but a po- was the first one to resign. He tried Gillespie, Las Vegas Metropolitan of correction officer Greg Naglich litical strategy manipulated by the to be identified with the rest of the Police Department and fourteen of — Detective Martines’s former su- Sheriff and his political advisers. Board members but managed to the most important members of his pervisor — Sergeant Tom Melton For a long time, the name of keep his name out of the press until administration are battling a federal AKA James Melton, had been ex- Assistant Sheriff Ted Moody has he announced his candidacy to the lawsuit filed by Detective Gordon posed as a racist and a discrimina- been circulated as the “chosen one” position his friend, Gillespie, holds Martines, an active member of the tory supervisor in the department; to replace Sheriff Doug Gillespie; presently and is hopefully saving police department and a 32-year one who has used the “N” word he and Joe Lombardo have been for him. veteran detective with the robbery while referring to black suspects or appearing for a while on the same Assistant Sheriff Ted Moody The daily newspaper and the lo- and homicide section, and the daily (See Resignations, Page 5) My Point WashingtonPostSoldToBezos: of View By Rolando Larraz End Of Old Media Or New Hope? Several days ago I received an email from a woman who told me Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos says he’s not out to change Washington Post values or micromanage that she was upset with me because I told someone who wrote in de- operations. He has a record of investing for the long term and presiding over profitable enterprises. fending former Hearing Master By Jennifer Skalka Tulumello Patricia Doninger that she sounded Christian Science Monitor like a Democrat. (See related story Page 10) This woman was very upset with WASHINGTON — There was me for saying to someone that she shock and sadness in Washington probably doesn’t know that she Monday afternoon as headlines sounds like a Democrat, but then marked: “An era to end as Post is she did the same thing when she sold.” called the Las Vegas Tribune a “Re- Word that, after 80 years, the publican rag.” Graham family would part with the I don’t remember if I wrote the crown jewel of its empire — the article or someone else did, but it storied but struggling Washington doesn’t matter, because as I always Post — to the tune of $250 million say, I am the captain of the ship and rocked the city. The news that the the buck stops with me; I am re- sponsible for whatever appears in buyer is Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, this publication. who despite his documented genius What really amazes me is that as an Internet commerce entrepre- according to this woman I wrote the neur has no experience in traditional accusation that the writer was a print journalism, sent politicos and Democrat, but she did not attack scribes into analysis overdrive. me, she attacked the newspaper by Does this transition provide a calling it a “Republican rag.” glaring sign of the nearing end for I normally do not respond to print, the demise of which has been crybabies, so I don’t know what got heralded for at least a decade as into me — but I responded to that other city papers have been sold by A visitor views the front page of The Washington Post, displayed outside the Newseum in Washington on lady with an email of my own, (See Washington Post, Page 6) Tuesday, a day after Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. maybe because she wrote me an email first and nowadays emails are like telephone calls and I believe in returning all my telephone calls. Las Vegas Attorney “Bitch-Slapped” by PI After all, I am not like most Las By Natasha Minsky eral unethical attacks upon him, Protective Order for each against Vegas attorneys in that it must be Las Vegas Tribune such as posting and distributing the other and warned both attorneys against my principals or religion to return any telephone calls. Scott Holper, a Las Vegas attor- confidential documents throughout to behave and control themselves Most people in Las Vegas carry ney who has been in and out of the Regional Justice Center and while in the Regional Justice Cen- two cell phones, but they all are too court in the last few months with making defamatory statements ter if they run into each other in the busy to answer the phone and way his own personal problems and ar- against him. same courtroom while conducting too busy and too lazy to return tele- guments with several different at- But Coburn produced as evi- business. phone calls unless they want or torneys and a former landlord, was dence two invoices from a tire com- One of Coburn’s employees told need something from the caller — slapped in the face last week while pany showing that he had to pur- the Las Vegas Tribune that now they like during an election. walking between his office on chase new tires for his vehicle be- have to carry a copy of the TPO in Anyway, I did return this Bridger Street and the Regional cause Holper allegedly slashed his case they run into Holper and a con- woman’s email and was glad to Justice Center on Lewis and 3rd tire on two different occasions. frontation arises. point out to her that this “Republi- Street. Attorney Scott Holper Coburn also told Judge Conrad The female employee has a sepa- can rag” is party blind; this “Repub- Local private investigator Rob- open hand,” a witness to the inci- Hafen that Holper told him that he rate case against Holper in a differ- lican rag” did not endorse Gover- ert Lawson tried to serve Attorney dent told the Las Vegas Tribune. was going to put a bullet in his head, ent jurisdiction. nor Brian Sandoval just because he Holper with yet another complaint Afew weeks ago,Attorney Mark and that on May 13 of this year he Coburn told the Las Vegas Tri- has an Hispanic name. from another attorney when the Coburn of the Las Vegas Ticket At- saw three guys in front of his house bune that he fears for his life be- Is it surprise enough that we confrontation took place. torney, defended himself in a law- and one of the guys asked him, in a cause Holper is known around town would like to see Rory Reid being Lawson was confronted by suit filed against him by Scott threatening tone, if he was familiar for his explosive temper. the Nevada Governor, since Reid Holper and lost his temper and Holper. with Holper. Another attorney, William talks like a Democrat, acts like a “bitch-slapped the attorney with an Holper accused Coburn of sev- Judge Hafen issued a Temporary (See Slap, Page 5) Democrat and is a Democrat. Governor Sandoval makes people believe that he is a Republi- ANALYSIS can, but I personally don’t believe he is Republican; in my personal Observations of the Best and the Worst opinion, Sandoval is a RINO. By Jerry Schafer the casinos. competition; prior to more gaming The twenty-first century has For those who know how I feel about the third most powerful man Nevada News Service In the past — prior to the advent taking place throughout the USA in found Las Vegas hotels adding in the entire country, it may surprise Las Vegas hotel-casino proper- of corporate mentality becoming Indian casino operations; prior to nightclubs, bowling alleys, movie you to know we (the Las Vegas Tri- ties no longer rely on gaming rev- the way of doing business in a Las more foreign gaming attractions; theaters and other attractions to bune) endorsed Rory Reid. But we enues to provide the bulk of their Vegas hotel-casino operation; prior and prior to the change from Las their properties, together with a va- did not endorse US Senator Major- profits. to the IRS moving in on the gam- Vegas being known as an adult riety of shops and stores, a multi- ity Leader Harry Reid’s son; we To be sure, gaming revenues are ing industry, imposing their rules playground to becoming a family- tude of restaurants, world-class only endorsed the candidate we be- part of the revenues collected; how- and regulations; prior to more and oriented vacation place — Las Ve- swimming pools and other attrac- lieved would be the more effective ever, for a multitude of reasons, the more Las Vegas hotel-casinos be- gas casinos were the backbone of tions that attract potential players (See My Point of View, Page 2) main lure to Las Vegas is no longer ing built bigger and better than their every hotel operation in the city. (See Analysis, Page 4) Page 2 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 PowerplantdemolitioninBakersfieldgoeswrong The old steam power plant in Bakersfield, California, down to make way for new devel- opment. The plant was decommis- was being demolished when it imploded, sending sioned in 1986 and has been idle debris flying and injuring at least five people. ever since. Pacific Gas and Electric reached By Christian Science Monitor came flying out of the explosion an agreement with the city to clean Five spectators were injured Sat- and came across and went through up the property and prepare it for urday after shrapnel was sent fly- a couple of chain link fences, struck sale. The company hired subcon- ing at the demolition of a decom- him and impacted into a vehicle,” tractors to handle the demolition of missioned steam power plant in said Lt. Scott Tunnicliffe. the plant’s boiler structures and California’s Central Valley, authori- The 44-year-old victim might worked with local authorities to set ties said. lose his other leg as well due to his up a safe perimeter 1,000 feet from More than 1,000 people had injuries, Tunnicliffe said. the site, said Denny Boyles, a com- gathered at 6 a.m. in a nearby park- Four other spectators were pany spokesman. ing lot to watch the planned implo- treated for minor injuries, said Kern “We are deeply saddened that sion at the plant owned by Pacific County Fire engineer Leland Davis. this happened,” Boyles said. “We’re Gas and Electric in Bakersfield. All of the injured spectators were looking for answers like everyone After structures on the property standing beyond a perimeter set up else.” came crashing down, a police of- to ensure public safety, Davis said. Boyles said the boiler structure ficer at the scene heard a man Residents of the city about 100 consisted of two towers measuring An explosion knocks down one of the towers during the demolition of screaming for help and saw his leg miles northwest of Los Angeles 140 feet high that supported four the old Kern Power Plant on Saturday in Bakersfield, California. Flying had been severed, police said. were eager to see the old plant torn 200,000 gallon tanks. debris from the demolition injured several spectators. “It was a piece of shrapnel that My Point of View (Continued from Page 1) one who knows how to bow to respect a woman, and those who power. I wonder if he could imag- governor. them; someone who, when they tell ignore the plea of a woman for help, ine seeing something like that hap- TRIBUNE I don’t want to take credit for him or her to jump, will simply ask are all cowards with or without a pen to his daughter, his wife or his VOL. 15, NO. 22 that — the “credit” for the endorse- “how high” and be a humble yes- badge and a gun; but when they do mother and still say calling this an ments goes to the five people that man; or, more importantly, a yes- have a gun and a badge it is even assault is too much and an exag- FOUNDER form our endorsement committee madam, to the person wanting to worse because then the means of geration. Rolando Larraz — but I can talk about and defend dissolve the constable office, Chris self-defense can even make a situ- And to that woman who called the newspaper for being called a G. ation worse: if she would have our newspaper a “Republican rag” PUBLISHER “Republican rag” because I can Another Democrat that has our kicked them in the groin she would because she cannot agree with what AND speak for the newspaper. support is NevadaAttorney General have been charged with assaulting I express and write, I would like to EDITOR IN CHIEF The “Republican rag” called the Catherine Cortez-Masto: not be- a police officer — and with a wit- remind her that she always has the Rolando Larraz Las Vegas Tribune lately has en- cause she has a Hispanic name, not ness like Patricia Doninger, who option of sticking with the other because she is a female, and not didn’t hear or see anything, she paper, on Bonanza Road. GENERAL MANAGER dorsed well known Democrats like Steve Sisolak, the Chairman of the because she is a Democrat, but be- wouldn’t even have a defense. That is one of the benefits of liv- Perly Viasmensky Clark County Commission, as well cause she is the best candidate when Yes, Mr. Macho Man, anything ing in an almost free country: we it comes to serving our community that is done to a woman without her always have the chance and the PRODUCTION as other county commissioners, the best way. consent should be considered an choice of turning the page, chang- Don Snook such as Larry Weekly, Larry Brown and Chris GiunchiglianiAKAChris People have to understand that assault and should be seen as an ing the channel or getting the other this newspaper’s loyalty is to the assault and prosecuted as one. side of the story by reading the other MANAGING EDITOR G. Maramis Choufani Am I happy with these endorse- people of this community; we do By the way, and for the record, newspaper. ments today? Not at all. After what not follow any party affiliation and before I saw that infamous video on I, on the other hand, am very ASSOCIATE EDITOR those county commissioners tried to those who know me understand my YouTube, I would have vouched for proud of the kind of newspaper we Colleen Lloyd do with the office of the constable, sarcastic sense of humor and when one of those marshals, Jimmy, who put out every week and take my hat I personally don’t believe that they I say that that woman who wrote has always been a good guy while off and bow to every one of the For advertising have the community’s best interests defending Patricia Doninger — in- at the Regional Justice Center, al- writers, reporters and the entire staff at heart. stead of defending a defenseless ways treating everyone with respect that produces this newspaper every rates, deadlines It is my humble opinion that single mother of a minor child who and acting like a gentlemen. I was week, and I am grateful to every call 702-699-5434 what the county commissioners had been abused by two grown-up really surprised to see him partici- single one of them for a job well want to do is the same thing that men with a badge and a gun — was pating in such an indecent episode done. Las Vegas Tribune is published happens in the assembly when they a Democrat, I didn’t mean any in- like that one in Family Court. I was My name is Rolando Larraz, and weekly at 820 E. Charleston destroy the life and career of an sult to the Democratic Party. more than disappointed with his as always, I approved this column. Blvd, Las Vegas, Nevada elected official to replace him with It is like the man who wrote tell- participation in such a despicable * * * * * 89104. someone that they can manipulate ing me that calling what those two incident. Rolando Larraz is Editor in Main Number: marshals were doing to that woman Going back to the man who does Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His (702) 699-8100 at their command. an assault was “a little too much not see that Family Court incident column appears weekly in this News desk: They are taking John (702) 699-8111 Bonaventura out of the office he and an exaggeration” — maybe as a physical assault to a woman, I newspaper. To contact Rolando Fax: (702) 696-0096 was elected to most likely to replace because he does not have a daugh- wonder if he can see it within his Larraz, email him at: Website: him with someone they can control ter or a mother. heart to see it as a moral assault — [email protected] or LasVegasTribune.com and manipulate as wanted; some- Those who don’t know how to an act of disrespect and an abuse of at (702) 699-8111. All rights reserved. Statements, opinions and points of view ex- pressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily rep- resent those of the publisher. Information, including prices and times, is considered correct Currently serving the community at the time of publishing but may change without notice. Las Ve- with the following programs: gas Tribune assumes no re- sponsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies or other submitted materials. For Child Care return, please enclose a self- Education Dept. addressed stamped envelope. Las Vegas Tribune SSVF for Veterans published weekly by the Tribune Media Group Family development David A. 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You’ll If we inadvertently print some- thing that is not true, we will let discover different personalities and hear our readers know. We are open to different opinions, but when it comes to the documented information to shed light on any issue of concern to facts, you’ll always get the truth from us! our readers. We are of service to our community, and it is our in- www.RadioTribune.com tention to serve our community the best way we can. Call-In Line (702) 699-8111 RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE EVERY WEEK! To receive a complimentary link to every new issue of the Las Vegas Tribune, please send an email to [email protected] and give us the email address where you would like your copy sent. We look forward to having you as a subscriber to our publication. July 31-August 6, 2013 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 3 CITY BEAT Activist Carl Bunce to run for Nevada Senate District 20 on a platform of making government more accountable the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Nevada. In 2012, he was elected to the State Senate where he serves on the Committee on Ju- diciary and on the Committee on Commerce, Labor, and Energy. * * * * * Local members ofAmericans for Responsible Solutions (ARS), the gun violence prevention group founded by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, kicked off a statewide presence with a Nevadans for Re- sponsible Solutions meeting this week. “Just like everyone else, I’ve Members of Nevadans for Responsible Solutions hear from ARS Strategy Director Peter Ambler during the CARL BUNCE seen the polls showing that Neva- chapter launch in Las Vegas on August 1. Carl Bunce explained that his dans overwhelmingly support sen- ity, and give the homeowner peace quickly runs up her electricity bill income to pay for repairs. “run for Nevada Senate will be a sible laws to reduce gun violence,” of mind regarding future repairs or during summer months. Mrs. Yes! worked with two local busi- debate about the proper role and said retired veteran and Las Vegas breakdowns. Bartley is a special needs teaching nesses to donate products and ser- scope of government.” He has a resident Bob Berry. “I know that Bartley was nominated by her assistant at local Peterson Elemen- vices to the “Help A Home” win- core belief that government force this isn’t an ‘either-or, us vs. them’ neighbor Gail Harris, who said the tary School, where she also volun- ner. should not be used as a tool to se- issue. It’s possible to find solutions “young-at-heart” widowed senior teers as a Girl Scouts leader. Al- Desert Crane, a family-owned lectively target individuals or busi- that all of us — Democrats, Repub- citizen is more than deserving of the though Bartley is said to be very crane service, delivered the new nesses that are perceived as suc- licans, gun owners, non-gun own- new HVAC system. Her home has self-sufficient, she has had a recent HVAC unit into Bartley’s home at cessful to pay for government pro- ers — can agree on, and that’s why its original HVAC system, which string of unfortunate events in her no charge, while Yes! HVAC spe- grams, stating “everyone and every I’m a proud member of Nevadans frequently stops working and home and does not have sufficient cialists installed a unit donated by business should expect a level play- for Responsible Solutions.” Goodman Manufacturing. Poorly ing field and equal protection; gov- “Nevadans know that strength- maintained or old HVAC units can ernment does not have the moral ening our gun laws won’t infringe lead to a number of problems in the right to pick winners and losers in on our rights, and they want our home including temperature incon- our economy.” He also stated, “We leaders to put the safety of our com- sistencies, polluted air, higher en- can’t fix the systemic problems in munities ahead of politics,” said ergy bills, and expensive repairs. government programs and educa- ARS Executive Director Pia The new HVAC system in Bartley’s tion by throwing good money after Carusone. “Nevada’s gun death rate home will significantly lower en- bad... there must be serious deci- is 40 percent higher than the na- ergy costs, keep the home cool and sions made in Carson City; the cur- tional average, and the state unfor- comfortable, and improve air qual- rent path is unsustainable and we tunately tops the nation in the rate ity inside her home. must stop leveraging our children’s of women killed by men each year. “Giving back to the community future with stopgap measures.” What we heard from members dur- is engrained in Yes!’ culture,” said Senate District 20 covers the ing yesterday’s kick-off event is that Lance Fernandez, general manager geographic area directly south of they want elected officials at the of Yes! Air Conditioning and the Bruce Woodbury Beltway, west local, state and federal levels to re- Plumbing. “We were thrilled to give to S. Decatur Blvd. and east to In- duce gun violence in a responsible Sara an opportunity to keep cool terstate 95. The primary election way. Voters want leaders to get this this summer and save money in the will take place on June 10th, 2014. done.” process. This is just a part of many * * * * * Volunteers in Las Vegas and more community initiatives Yes! Clark County will lead the effort on has in the works.” the ground to mobilize members to * * * * * contact elected officials. City Beat is a compilation of Giffords and Kelly recently trav- news and views of our editorial and eled to Nevada during their Rights writing team, along with reader and Responsibilities Tour, visiting submissions and topics. Readers seven states in seven days to remind Sara Bartley was selected as the winner of the Yes! Air Conditioning & are invited to suggest a local topic elected officials that there is broad Plumbing “Help A Home” program. or any other items of interest. public support for sensible laws that prevent gun violence, such as ex- panded background checks. Kelly also visited Carson City in May to urge state lawmakers to pass Sen- ate Bill 221, which would have ex- panded background checks on gun purchases; it passed the legislature MARK A. HUTCHISON but Gov. Brian Sandoval eventually Mark A. Hutchison, founding vetoed it. partner of Hutchison & Steffen, has ARS announced this week that been named in the 2013 edition of its super PAC has raised more than The Best Lawyers in America. $6.5 million since the group’s Commonly recognized in the legal founding in January, with donations profession as the oldest and most from a staggering 72,000 support- respected peer-review publication, ers. a listing in Best Lawyers is widely Across the country, ARS is regarded by both clients and legal working in local communities to professionals as a significant honor, build an organization with millions conferred on a lawyer by his or her of people who are committed to peers. For more than three decades, finding sensible ways to reduce gun Best Lawyers lists have earned the violence and encouraging elected respect of the profession, the me- officials to enact responsible fire- dia, and the public as the most reli- arms policies. Today, ARS stands able, unbiased source of legal re- more than 500,000 strong. ferrals anywhere. Hutchison was * * * * * recognized in the listing for his Last week, three local mainte- work in commercial litigation. nance companies came together to Hutchison has more than 20 donate their products and services years of experience handling com- to help an elderly woman with some plex and high-stakes litigation. He costly home repairs. Sara Bartley has represented companies and in- is a widowed senior citizen who dividuals in a broad range of indus- does not have the income to fix tries and professions, including many recent problems in her home business litigation, complex tort — one being her broken air-condi- litigation, constitutional litigation, tioner. trust and probate litigation, profes- Yes!Air Conditioning & Plumb- sional liability defense, and appel- ing, a leading residential heating late litigation. Recognized as both and air conditioning company in a knowledgeable and experienced Las Vegas, selected Sara Bartley as counselor and as a skilled and ag- the winner of the Yes! Air Condi- gressive trial lawyer, he has been a tioning & Plumbing “Help A key figure in some of Nevada’s Home” program. The “Help A most significant governmental ac- Home” program was designed to tivities at the intersection of law and give a deserving individual or fam- politics. Mark has served on numer- ily a new air conditioning and heat- ous boards and commissions, in- ing (HVAC) system to beat the heat cluding President of the Federal Bar in the hottest summer months. The Association and is currently a mem- new HVAC system will also im- ber of the Executive Committee of prove the home’s indoor air qual-

Phone: (702) 699-8111 Page 4 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 Analysis (Continued from Page 1) away from the casinos. As far as entertainment is concerned, that too — compared to the showroom attractions that were found on the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas back in the ’50s and ’60s — has become, for the most part, a second-class series of attractions. Las Vegas was dubbed the Entertainment Capital of the World back in the 1960s because Las Vegas hotels presented a multitude of “stars” who appeared in many Las Vegas hotels simultaneously. It was com- monplace to find Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Liberace, Elvis Presley and other famous stars, all appearing at the same time in dif- ferent hotels. Tourists were dazzled by the menu of first-class enter- tainment offered throughout the city. Hotels that weren’t on what was known as the ‘star policy’ pre- sented lavish musical variety shows with topless showgirls clad in expensive feathers and rhinestones and eye-dazzling headpieces. The sets were amazing moving objects complete with rain curtains and sets that took audiences into visual adaptations of things like earth- quakes right on the stage! Together with this were the beautiful, expensive and sexy costumes worn by the chorus of dancers and singers; and added to this was the presentation of world-class variety acts, backed by large live orches- tras. Corporate mentality caused these wonderful crowd-pleasing shows Speeding: A Free Race Ticket to disappear and become a thing of the past. No longer would Las Vegas hotels present dinner shows in their Indoor electric kart racing facility celebrates August’s Motor Sports main showrooms. No longer would Las Vegas hotel showrooms use live orchestras Awareness Month with free races for “speedsters” until September 2 as the new breed discovered that they could get by using ‘canned’ Pole Position Raceway, prohibited. Limit one redemption Faught, president and co-owner, music, a much cheaper way to operate. America’s number one chain of per household. Participating Pole Pole Position Raceway. “For those No longer would hotel-casinos finance the production of the shows state-of-the-art indoor motorsports Position Raceway locations include who have the need-for-speed, we taking place in their showrooms. Four-walling to independent pro- entertainment facilities, today an- Corona, CA, Dallas, TX, Las Ve- want them to do so in an authentic, ducers became the order of the day. nounced that in celebration of gas, NV, Murrieta, CA, New York/ exhilarating and safe environment. Independent producers would sign agreements based on criteria August’s Motor Sports Awareness Jersey City, NJ, Oklahoma City, In honor of Motor Sports Aware- that included showroom attendance, wherein the producer would be Month, it will offer one FREE race OK, St. Louis, MO, Summerlin, ness Month, we thought it would be responsible for all costs related to the presentation of the shows... the to motorists who were issued — NV, Syracuse, NY and Houston, fun to give away a free race to any cast, stagehands, lighting and sound and every other cost, including and paid — a speeding ticket this TX. driver who recently received — and advertising. summer. “While Pole Position Raceway paid — a speeding ticket. We want If the showroom maintained a minimum of 50 percent capacity at Specifically, motorists who re- does not condone reckless driving, to give them the opportunity to race each performance, the show would be allowed to run indefinitely. If, ceived a speeding ticket between we do appreciate motorists who are off their post-ticket angst safely at however, showroom attendance fell below the 50 percent mark, the Memorial Day (May 27) and La- racing enthusiasts,” said Ken Pole Position Raceway, on us.” producer was given a two-week notice and would be replaced by a bor Day (September 2) will receive different producer who was waiting in the wings ready to present ‘his’ one FREE race at Pole Position show. Raceway facilities to help safely Las Vegas hotel lounges were closed. scratch their racing itch in its high- Like dinner shows, lounge shows became a thing of the past, even performance, all-electric, indoor though back in the ’50s and ’60s, Las Vegas lounge shows were packed karts capable of speeds up to 45 to capacity and presented many famous star attractions and variety MPH. This offer is valid for re- acts. It was common knowledge in all Las Vegas casinos that their demption at all ten Pole Position lounges added lots of revenue to their casino operations. Nonethe- Raceway locations in the United less, corporate mentality dictated the closure of the lounges. States. Valid driver’s license and Today, many independent producers present shows in Las Vegas proof of ticket payment must be hotel showrooms that consist of look-alike shows, magic shows and presented at time of redemption. No inexpensive versions of musical variety shows using canned music purchase necessary. Void where rather than using live orchestras. As I’ve said, Las Vegas hotels operating in the twenty-first century find that offering tourists a variety of ‘things to do’inside their hotels, such as bowling, movies, a variety of shops and stores, lots of restau- rant choices, and what seems to be becoming their main attractions — nightclubs — seems to be the way to go. Corporate mentality has reasoned that collecting rent revenues from restaurant operators like McDonalds, Burger King and other fast food operations found today in most Las Vegas hotels, together with col- lecting rent from other restaurant operations located inside the hotel, added to collecting rent and sometimes a piece of the action too, from a variety of shops and stores doing business on their hotel property, are in themselves the way to create revenues that provide yearly prof- its — not taking into account the hotel casino which, as I’ve said, was formally the backbone of all Las Vegas hotel operations. While some may say this is progress, I say that it’s only a question of time until the past will catch up with Las Vegas and turn it into a ghost town. Of course, this is a thought that to most is unthinkable and un- imaginable. I say we can only learn from our past. What worked before — things that made Las Vegas become known worldwide — is no longer part of the equation. Today, the competition is different and more com- pelling. Big-time players no longer gamble in Las Vegas; the IRS has caused that to become a reality. Today, whales (big money gamblers) prefer to gamble in Macau or Singapore, or in other casino operations where there is no IRS reporting requirement. Casino operations outside of Las Vegas, including Indian Casino operations, Atlantic City Casinos, etc., all offer the same kind of at- tractions that Las Vegas has to offer. The fact of the matter is, if you look at the reality of it, Las Vegas’ only real attraction today is her name: LAS VEGAS. But I’m here to tell you that that won’t last much longer. Las Vegas casino operators must return to the thrilling days of yes- teryear — from whence came the sound of silver dollars, star attrac- tions, live orchestras, beautiful topless showgirls, multi-million-dol- lar variety shows, complimentary drinks for all players... And who wouldn’t want the return of lounge entertainment and dinner shows and so much more? If they bring it all back, the city will be uplifted and will have something to say... something they cannot say today. Las Vegas should start making a new name for itself today, and that name could well be The City of Nostalgia. August 7-13, 2013 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 5 Detroit bankruptcy: Will city’s storied art collection be sold? Detroit’s emergency financial manager has broad discretion to decide what to sell or lease during bankruptcy, including a world-class municipal museum and its masterworks. By Mark Guarino And some privatization efforts Christian Science Monitor also carry a political risk, such as CHICAGO — Besides looking when Chicago Mayor Richard M. for ways to cut operating costs and Daley sold the city’s parking meter assessing obligations to pensioners system to Morgan Stanley for over and retirees, a bankrupt Detroit is $1 billion in 2008; the issue con- also turning to its public assets, such tinues to be a lightning rod under as its airport, parking garages, and the Rahm Emanuel administration, its publicly owned art to find ways especially after Morgan Stanley to chip away at its $11.5 billion of hiked parking rates and indepen- unsecured debt. dent investigations revealed that the The potential sale of its public deal was undervalued. Despite those risks, Orr is likely art collection, which includes mas- looking at long-term assets to priva- terworks by Rodin, Degas, Van tize, such as the water and sewer Gogh, and Cézanne, is generating systems, and garage and meter the most controversy. parking, because they are tradition- Emergency financial manager ally “assets that are the most inter- Kevyn Orr announced Monday that est to investors in the market,” says he is hiring Christie’s Appraisals Enright of NW Financial. Inc., the famed New York City auc- “The value will be created, in tion house, to appraise a portion of part, by [raising] rates over time, the collection at the Detroit Insti- which the city probably hasn’t been tute of Arts on the behalf of credi- doing. By doing that, you can mon- tors who are requesting the assess- A statue of sculptor Auguste Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’is seen in front of the Detroit Institute of Arts museum in etize those [assets] into longer-term ment, which then might be used in Detroit. Atop officer at the Detroit Institute of Arts forecasted near-certain closure for the museum if Detroit, cash flows and entice the private a sale or leasing situation to help in trying to address its dire financial condition, sells major parts of DIA’s 60,000-work art collection. sector to participate,” he says. pay back the debt. for a loan, says Dennis Enright, a sustained path to solvency by jeop- Creditors have good reason to national expert in privatization of ardizing Detroit’s most important Slap demand the assessment. When Mr. government assets with NW Finan- cultural institution.” (Continued from Page 1) Orr announced Detroit was filing cial in Hoboken, N.J. Since Detroit is the largest city Knudson, who now occupies for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in July, “You could create a revenue in the U.S. to declare Chapter 9 Holper’s old office at 319 South he said he wanted to stop paying stream around it. It’s definitely not bankruptcy, any decision Orr makes Third Street and is a representative unsecured debt to creditors and, in- a normal governmental world ac- will be unprecedented — and of the landlord for the 319 Build- stead, restructure the terms to offer tivity, but certainly private collec- closely watched. ing, begged Judge Conrad Hafen them 10 cents or less on the dollar. tors use their art as collateral and Many cities have sold their as- for a Temporary Restraining Order But Orr is assuring the public bet it against for their own private sets to pay creditors or to fill bud- for the same reason. that he is looking at the art collec- interests,” Mr. Enright said. get gaps, however none faced the They both fear for their safety tion, among other assets, as a way The Detroit Institute of Arts is task at such a large scale. because of Holper’s well-known to “create value from the asset with- considered in “the top five” of U.S. Orr said Monday he is also hir- temper; they accused Holper of out a transfer of ownership.” art museums, says Henry Adams, ing outside experts to appraise the placing several witchcraft tools and “Our goal is to preserve the an art historian at Case Western value of the city’s parking garages black lighted candles, along with value of all of the city’s assets and Reserve University in Cleveland. and meters, the Detroit-Windsor anti-Semitic remarks with a Star of make sure they are rationalized in Some of its prized works are “A Tunnel, the Coleman A. Young In- David painted on the floor under a way that value can be returned to Family Group,” by Anton Van ternationalAirport, and certain mu- one of those black candles. Attorney Mark Coburn its citizens and, in certain cases, Dyck, which is “hugely significant” nicipal real estate holdings. William Knudson is in the same — for Domestic Battery, Coercion- enjoyed by Detroit metro area’s and was once owned by the Medici “There’s never been a case like traffic ticket business as Holper, be- Force, Burglary and other charges, residents for many years to come,” family in Florence, Italy, and “Noc- this,” says Selbst. sides being an attorney at law. and was then represented in court he said, in a statement released turne in Black and Gold: the Fall- If the politically risky decision Days after Judge Hafen issued by former Deputy DistrictAttorney Monday. ing Rocket,” (1875) by James would be to sell Detroit’s art, the those Temporary Restraining Or- Joshua L. Tomsheck. Certain pieces of the museum’s McNeill Whistler, which Professor politically expedient one would be ders, police officers were sum- Telephone calls to the offices of 60,000-piece collection are off-lim- Adams views as the world’s first to sell off its vast acreage of vacant moned to Marc Coburn’s law office Scott Holper were referred to his its, if their original benefactor stipu- abstract painting. “In essence, mod- land, left abandoned due to sys- at 732 South 6th Street, several new attorney Ozzi Fumo, but Fumo lated they can never be sold, but Orr ern art comes out of that painting,” temic population loss over decades, blocks away from Holper’s office, never returned Las Vegas Tribune’s has the right to sell pieces without he says. Selbst says. for violation of the restraining or- telephone calls; and calls made to Because such unique works “You have tens of thousands of those barriers. der that prohibits them from being Robert Lawson Investigations re- rarely, if ever, come to the market, lots that the city owns by virtue of It’s unlikely he will do it, says 100 feet from each other; Holper questing a comment for this article Adams says that the appraisal will default of property taxes, and no Stephen Selbst, chair of the bank- was standing in front of Coburn’s were not returned on time. be extremely difficult. one in Detroit would argue if you ruptcy department at Herrick, office with a sign promoting his A source familiar with both par- “You don’t have anything close sold them,” he says. Feinstein, a New York City law own ticket business. He was 191 ties told the Las Vegas Tribune that to compare it to. They’ll come up “In a sense, the art is [also vul- feet from Coburn. firm. Under the terms of a Chapter Attorney Fumo and Private Inves- with a figure, but there’s a lot of nerable to a sale] but the political Court records show that Holper 9 bankruptcy, Mr. Selbst says, the tigator Robert Lawson have been at guesswork there,” he says. stakes are immeasurably higher. No has been arrested several times in court cannot determine which as- odds for a long time after both men The only market the paintings one would blink at the sale of aban- the neighboring city of Henderson sets, if any, should be sold, leaving were involved in a real state ven- might find buyers is China and the doned property, but when you talk — a city 23 miles from Las Vegas ture. the decision solely in Orr’s hands. Middle East,” Adams says. about Diego Rivera murals, people “My guess is that Kevyn Orr is “In this moment in the art mar- will be upset.” getting the appraisal to demonstrate ket, that’s where the really big The challenge of real estate is to creditors there are no sacred cows money is.” that it is susceptible to unstable and he will at least consider the sale The city owns the museum’s markets. For example, officials in of property. But at the end of the building, property, and collection. Pontiac, Mich., were forced to sell day, creditors can’t force him to sell In a statement released Monday, the the Pontiac Silverdome, an 80,300- it,” Mr. Selbst says. museum said it supports Orr’s ef- seat stadium once valued at $20 Orr could potentially lease the forts but that “he undercuts that core million, for just under $600,000 in artwork as collateral to raise money goal of getting the city back on a 2009. Resignations (Continued from Page 1) might not be reappointed again,” “You have to walk in our shoes police officers. Sergeant Melton but was not officially thanked for out there to know how to react and was promoted to lieutenant after the his participation in the board and how to make spur-of-the moment Martines controversy; yet in one for being part of Sheriff Gillespie’s decisions,” said an active police deposition, he referred to Mexicans game of transparency — because officer who asked us not to use his in derogatory ways and referred to Metro had misplaced his Email ad- name. Detective Martines as a “dinosaur” dress. It makes sense that a civilian during a former correctional officer Former New Jersey Sheriff Rob- with law enforcement experience deposition in the federal lawsuit, ert Le Piere refuted Metro’s spokes- be part of the board to create a bal- explicitly showing age discrimina- person Bill Cassel’s statement to the ance so the uniformed member can- tion. media that he was not notified at not mislead or misinform the civil- Many people are wondering the April 11 meeting that he could ian board members. where the board and the media were no longer be part of the board. Calls made to Sheriff Doug when Officer Brian Yant murdered Le Piere said he was only infor- Gillespie by Las Vegas Tribune to a naked and unarmed black man in mally told at the April meeting that comment on this article were, as his bathroom and was not fired. The he probably wouldn’t be able to always, not returned by press time. fact is, he is still an officer — per- continue on the board because of a Chris Collins, president of the haps patrolling the streets of Las decision to exclude civilian mem- Las Vegas Police Protective Asso- Vegas — and no one says a word bers with prior law enforcement ciation, the union that represents the about it; no one complained and no experience. rank and file of the police depart- one resigned. Yant also lied to his By having civilians with no pre- ment and whose name was in the superiors, committed perjury and vious law enforcement experience middle of this incident for his close misled a judge in order to obtain a on the board, it puts those board relationship with the sheriff, was search warrant, but was not fired members at the hands of police of- not available at press time to com- and was not recommended by any ficers participating in the board. ment on this article. board to be fired. The Use of Force Board was cre- ated after an investigation by fed- eral authorities on the amount of police-involved shootings by the local police department. Transparency at Las Vegas Met- ropolitan Police Department seems to be a myth and the more they try to enforce damage control, the more it shows their political game and campaign strategy in action. The sixth member of the Use of Force Board that tried to resign was only notified verbally that “you Page 6 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 Do we know how much U.S. money is going to the Taliban in Afghanistan? The short answer is ‘no.’But there are worrying signs to be found in U.S. auditing of its own contracting practices in Afghanistan. By Dan Murphy Christian Science Monitor Last week I wrote about the clearly frustrated letter John F. Sopko, the U.S. government’s Spe- cial Inspector General for Afghani- stan Reconstruction, wrote to Con- gress about the difficulty the U.S. seems to have with stemming the flow of U.S. taxpayer money to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Mr. Sopko wrote that a failure Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos speaks in Santa Monica, Calif. to monitor an ongoing $20 billion Mr. Bezos bought The Washington Post Monday for $250 million. reconstruction effort in Afghani- stan, designed to help the U.S. Washington Post achieve its war objectives, is threat- (Continued from Page 1) ening the mission. In his words, devoted family dynasties to journalism novices whose focus is the there “appears to be a growing gap bottom line? Or, once the obituaries of the Post ‘as we knew it’ are between the policy objectives of processed, might there be a silver lining here? Washington and the reality of achieving them in Afghanistan.” Opinions are mixed. The Taliban office in Doha, Qatar is seen in June, before its official Since then, I’ve done some more “Bezos re-Kindles hope at WaPo,” wrote Politico. opening. Afghan President Hamid Karzai was angered by the Taliban’s The Atlantic called the sale, “A moment that will define an era’s reading about the specific allega- efforts to present the office as a government in exile. upheaval in journalism.” tions over Pentagon, U.S. Agency In the hours after the announcement, shares of the Washington Post for International Development Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and had already been paid out at the Co. climbed to $599.85, their highest level in almost five years, ac- (USAID), and other branches of the al-Qaeda. The Army suspension time of termination. cording to Reuters. A glimmer of hope. U.S. government giving lucrative and debarment official has taken the How are USAID and State do- What seems to be consensus across these and other diagnoses, and contracts to supporters of the very position that suspension or debar- ing? Ok, for now. SIGAR says nei- is reflected in the market’s response, is that the paper, as it was, would people that U.S. soldiers are in Af- ment of such individuals and enti- ther is currently giving money to not have lasted. It was hemorrhaging cash and losing readers. Growth ghanistan to fight. ties would be a violation of their due known Taliban financiers, but wor- in advertising revenue proved elusive. And while the Grahams had Last October SIGAR sent a let- process rights if based on classified ried they might be forced to down over the years sought to boost the company’s portfolio by acquiring ter to the State Department, information or if based on findings the road. While the DefenseAppro- other money makers — notably the test preparation outfit Kaplan Inc. USAID, and the U.S. Central Com- by the Department of Commerce priations Act of 2012 governs Pen- — it wasn’t enough to offset red ink since 2008 from the newspaper mand (Centcom) calling for “imme- which placed them on the Entities tagon spending in Afghanistan and division. diate action to prevent individuals List. SIGAR has referred 43 such has a section prohibiting contract- Physically, the paper was downsized. Domestic bureaus were shut- and entities actively supporting the cases to theArmy, and all have been ing with the enemy, there is no such tered. And a refocus on online traffic became paramount. No shock insurgency” from obtaining con- rejected, despite detailed support- rule for those two civilian organi- here, the whole industry is facing the same reality, and, though far ing information demonstrating that zations. In practice, SIGAR says, from extinct, enterprise stories, elegant long-form works, and over- tracts or grants from the US gov- these individuals and entities are this means that the two organiza- seas reporting have begun to be eclipsed by blogging and vlogging ernment, and identified 20 individu- providing material support to the in- tions have limited ability to legally and the quest for more and more content at a lower cost. als, companies, and charities as Still, of course, the paper that took down a president broke big problems. surgency in Afghanistan. In other terminate contracts later if the re- news stories — recently making its mark in reports on the government’s It turned out that while Centcom words, they may be enemies of the cipients are found to be paying the domestic surveillance programs — and won prizes. All while it has head Gen. James N. Mattis barred United States, but that is not enough Taliban. faced challenges from newer, faster outlets, such as Washington rival the 20 entities from doing business to keep them from getting govern- Sometimes efforts to stop pay- Politico, to stay ahead on the city’s political news stories. with the U.S. military since they ment contracts. ing the Taliban are overruled. In The announcement came as a surprise to staff. In the newsroom, were, in his determination, “ac- Concerns about the due process January of this year CENTCOM there were tears and applause of gratitude, acknowledgements that tively supporting an insurgency,” rights of Al Qaeda funders is a bit designated Kam Air, owned by the for Donald Graham, chairman and chief executive of Post Co., and other branches of the sprawling odd. But in the bizarro world of politically-connected Zamari Katharine Weymouth, the paper’s publisher, options were limited. U.S. spending effort inAfghanistan U.S. government spending in Af- Kamgar, as a supporter of the in- “Everyone who was in that room knows how much Don and weren’t being informed of his de- ghanistan, you can see that many surgency. The U.S. military alleged Katharine love the paper and how hard this must have been for them,” cisions. This includes, most impor- things are possible. And it’s worth the company was involved in bulk said David Ignatius, a veteran Post columnist. tantly, USAID and the State Depart- remembering that there’s plenty that opium smuggling out of Afghani- Mr. Bezos — who is buying the paper himself, it will not be part of ment. SIGAR thought it best for the SIGAR doesn’t know. In Afghani- stan and that much of the revenue the Amazon empire — has proved a master of reinvention, expan- rest of the U.S. Afghanistan effort stan, contracts are often awarded to generated was funding sion, and foresight. Once, buying books online seemed a foreign pro- to be brought into the loop. companies that might appear clean, Afghanistan’s insurgency and cess, but now, in large measure because of Bezos, we click many of October 2012 came more than a but then are subcontracted two, wanted it disbarred from U.S. con- our purchases instead of strolling into the neighborhood store. He decade after the U.S. spending three, sometimes four times. tracts. But the government of Af- also has a record at Amazon of investing for the long term, even in the spree inAfghanistan had begun, and How much money are we talk- ghan President Hamid Karzai dis- face of sustained losses. in all that time a coordinated effort ing about? SIGAR reports that in agreed. In a statement to the paper’s employees, Bezos acknowledged the to prevent the funding of the very the nine months following July Is Kam Air currently receiving “apprehension” the staff must feel and assured Posties that the paper’s 2012 it recommended that 103 com- U.S. taxpayer money? Hard to say. values “do not need changing.” people who had killed over 2,000 panies and individuals be barred It doesn’t currently have any direct “The paper’s duty will remain to its readers and not the private U.S. troops and far more Afghan interests of its owners,” he said. “We will continue to follow the truth soldiers and civilians was not de- from continued U.S. government contracts with the U.S. government, wherever it leads, and we’ll work hard not to make mistakes.” veloped. contracting inAfghanistan over “al- but the pyramid of sub-contracting But Bezos plans to stay in Seattle, and he says he will not lead the Has much improved since? It legations of theft, fraud, poor per- and payments to suppliers in Af- day-to-day operations of the paper. He is keeping the current man- doesn’t seem so. And the Pentagon formance, financial support to in- ghanistan is dizzying and with most agement team, which includes Ms. Weymouth and editor Marty Baron, is part of the problem, too. At the surgents, and mismanagement.” raw materials for most jobs in Af- in place. How long that will last is anyone’s guess. end of July The value of the contracts affected ghanistan being imported, the Shouldn’t an owner live and breathe the city in which the publica- SIGAR reported that 43 compa- in that period was over $165 mil- chances that business is still flow- tion is rooted? Isn’t that part of the grand history of this and other nies or individuals with ties to lion. ing its way from contractors and vibrant outlets, that its leaders understand the news and feel invested America’s enemies were deliber- SIGAR doesn’t break out how subcontractors is large. And the in its coverage because it’s happening around them? ately being allowed the chance to much of that actually went to Afghan government, largely fi- The purchase also represents less than 1 percent of Bezos’ wealth; receive U.S. contracts: Taliban and Al Qaeda affiliates. In nanced by the US and other donors, Forbes estimates his net worth at $28 billion. Hardly an all-in, do-or- A continuing problem is the a footnote in one of its reports, does continue to do business with die proposition for the businessman. The Post, meanwhile, is in its Army’s refusal to act on SIGAR’s SIGAR refers to eight subcontracts the airline. seventh consecutive year of declining revenues. The Grahams needed recommendations to suspend or being terminated last year because For instance, President Karzai a golden parachute for the publication, a chance at rebirth without the debar individuals who are support- some of the money was flowing to has often chartered Kam Air flights massive cost-cutting required, even if the path forward with Bezos at ers of the insurgency, including the the Taliban, saying that $5 million for travel abroad. the helm seems wholly uncertain. What then is Bezos’ plan? How important will it be to make money over the long haul? Is this a vanity exercise, a side investment that gives him influence in Washington? Under his guide, how will the paper cover the many key policy matters that impact the bulk of his business, from tax policy and privacy concerns to trade to worker issues? All important questions whose answers aren’t yet apparent. Bezos is the second business tycoon of late to dip a toe into the news business. Word came just last weekend Boston Red Sox owner John Henry purchased The Boston Globe from The New York Times Company for $70 million. Financier Warren Buffett, who served on the Post’s board for more than two decades, purchased the Omaha World-Herald in 2011. But reporters in other newsrooms might caution against the bil- lionaire solution as cure-all, even as other options for survival seem untenable. Real estate magnate Sam Zell is widely regarded as hav- ing run the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune publications into the ground after he bought the Tribune Co. They are functioning, but shadows of their former selves after being mired in bankruptcy pro- ceedings for years. The Post deal will be finalized within 60 days, according to the paper’s reporting. In Washington and across the industry, those inter- ested in the survival of print or, more realistically, its evolution into a viable new media provider of quality journalism will be watching closely what happens at the paper. For those who care about mean- ingful reporting and storytelling, Bezos must prove himself able to make money without sacrificing those key markers of the Post’s legacy to date. Acyber-age steward of an old media giant. The match hasn’t worked out in other venues yet. But here’s hoping it might. August 7-13, 2013 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 7 EDITORIALS A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. — Thomas Jefferson Our Point of View Victoria Villegas, David Roger, and Justice Do we know Clark County prosecutor Victoria Villegas? No, we don’t. Are we happy to see Victoria Villegas getting her job back? Yes, we are. Why? Why are we putting our nose where it might not belong? Why should we care one way or another if she gets her job back or not? After all, she is another prosecutor that may be more con- cerned in winning every case instead of enforcing justice above all. Ms. Villegas was fired by former District Attorney David Roger before he quit his very well-paid job three and one- half years before his term expired because he “wants to spend “New crime” of Sex Trafficking more time” with his newborn daughter, but went right to work for the Police Protective Association, the union that is has been around a long time supposed to represent the rank and file of Las Vegas Metro- By Perly Viasmensky a straight-A student, met a man by the name of Donald politan Police Department. Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto was in- Vaz while she was still in high school. In the spring of Once again David Roger gave us the opportunity to prove fluential in the passing of Assembly Bill 67, which 2005, he invited Jessie to go on a trip to Florida. The that Las Vegas Tribune tells the truth and nothing but the was signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval to brainwashing started with that trip to Ft. Lauderdale create the new crime of sex trafficking and is directed and Key West, boating and para-sailing on the Atlantic truth. at pimps who take over the lives of young people. Ocean. Of course it was impressive to a young, naive It has been our contention all along that David Roger had Over 40 people — including police, clergy, vic- girl; he was preparing her for the very near future of some involvement in — or at least some knowledge of — tims rights’ group members and victims themselves prostitution. the existence of the Home OwnersAssociation (HOA) fraud — attended a signing ceremony in the Capitol. “This After introducing Jessie to the glamour of places and has worked a deal so his name disappears from the long bill will protect so many people for generations to like Manhattan, New York and Atlantic City, New Jer- list of suspects. come,” said Cortez Masto, adding it was one of the sey, Las Vegas was the ultimate place — the world Perhaps we never will be able to prove it, but every time most important bills with which she has been associ- Capital of Entertainment and a hub of human traffick- ated in two terms as attorney general. ing. David Roger makes a move he gets closer to proving us It is sad that this law was not in effect in 2006 when After arriving in Las Vegas, the very naive Jessie right. 20-year-old Jessie Foster, a beautiful Canadian girl, (she was just three weeks short of turning 21) was sold The long and short of it is that David Roger loves to have disappeared from Las Vegas, a victim of a human traf- to Richard Barrington Walcott from Surrey, BC, Canada a badge and a gun; that is why it was strange that he re- ficking recruiter and a pimp. and Yvonne “Angel” Hubrechtsen, a recruiter from signed his job as District Attorney and not strange that he We cannot know the actual number, but many Merced, California. This little “angel” is not unknown went to work for the Police ProtectiveAssociation: he needed young girls have disappeared from Las Vegas over the by law enforcement agents and the personnel of the years — sometime between night and morning — Clark County Detention Center where she had been a his badge above all. without a trace. “guest” for prostitution and drug possession. An arbitrator ruled that the office did not have just cause Caught up in that unwanted life, those girls would Those two got rid of Jessie when they sold her to to fire Villegas and ordered them to give her the job back. rather prostitute themselves every night than receive Peter Bertrand Todd, a man who should be investigated Even now that he went into private practice and became a brutal beating they know they will get if they dis- for his dubious business practices by the authorities in part of Tony Sgro’s team, he still holds his job with the Po- obey their pimps and fail to bring in the amount of Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas, where he has previously lice Protective Association. money expected. The pimps depend on controlling lived; but also by authorities in North Las Vegas, Ne- A man who wants to spend more time with his newborn those young women through fear and coercion, and vada where Jessie disappeared without a trace while that control makes it easy for the trafficking to con- living with him at 1009 Cornerstone Place. daughter holding two jobs is not making that “reason” for tinue. Coincidently, Peter Todd’s twin brother is employed leaving the other job sound very true, and no one will be- There is a great problem in Nevada with human by the Clark County School District as a teacher en- lieve it. trafficking and the number of girls that are lured to trusted with the safety and education of our children. But going back to Victoria Villegas. According to the dif- Las Vegas by corrupt men and women. The girls re- Jessie was hospitalized in Las Vegas with a broken ferent news reports, the District Attorney’s office accused cruited by those morally-bankrupt individuals are not jaw for a brutal beating she received from Peter Villegas of lying to the FBI about her estranged husband working in the world’s oldest profession by choice; Bertrand Todd before her disappearance. David Amesbury’s role in a plan to defraud banks. they are victims of criminals reaping often huge prof- Before Vice officers arrest a supposed prostitute, its at the expense of those young, innocent, naive girls. they ought to follow her to where her pimp will be The poor FBI agents had to ask David Roger for protec- Jessie Foster is an international endangered miss- waiting to receive his profits from his “ATM machine,” tion and help to make their job of building a case against ing woman and a victim of human trafficking. Jessie, (See Viasmensky, Page 10) that long list of suspects, minor ones of course, easy to pros- ecute. ON A PERSONAL NOTE At the time that the HOA Investigation began, Victoria Villegas was not in a position to snitch on her husband be- “Zealot: The Life and Times cause a wife doesn’t have to testify or do anything against her husband; she probably did not have any knowledge of what her husband was doing with Leon Benzer, the master- of Jesus of Nazareth” mind and self-appointed head of the alleged “Puerto Rican By Maramis ther always taught me — and no Mafia.” Although I have not yet read the doubt someone taught him, since book, “Zealot: The Life and Times these words of wisdom have been She probably was pressured to turn against her husband of Jesus of Nazareth,” by the above around for quite awhile — that it’s and refused to do it, so she was fired to hurt her financially; title, and am not myself a scholar of not what you say, but the way that you but now Clark County has ruled in her favor and she got her religion (I haven’t even read all the say it. I often wished he would have job back. other books written by other schol- given more heed to his own words An arbitrator ruled that the office did not have just cause ars on the subject of Jesus), I believe — but, be that as it may, I took his to fire her and ordered them to give Villegas her job back. I am just as entitled to my opinion words to heart.) based on my conclusions about what No one living today was around Hopefully Victoria Villegas has learned her lesson and I have read or learned about Jesus as when Jesus of Nazareth was walking has learned how it is to be accused of a crime that one has is Reza Aslan, the author of said the earth. Some people at the time not committed, and will try to “earn her points” the right book, and any of his detractors. were obviously making notes about way without forcing people to plea to “lesser charges” just One does not have to be Chris- MARAMIS CHOUFANI this or that (specifically, what was to have a victory in every case she handles. tian to appreciate Jesus. Further, one does not have to going on politically, nationally, financially and eccle- And hopefully David Roger’s successor will do the right believe that Jesus started the Christian religion just siastically), and some no doubt even kept some ver- thing and accept the decision of the arbitrators and welcome because the name “Christian” comes from the word sion of a journal regarding the ongoing doings-of-the- “Christ.” I would dare say that the actual religion of day worth noting. There are ample records from that Victoria Villegas back; after all, she was one of those who Jesus would not look like the Christian religion of to- time, from various and sundry sources, to fill many could prosecute and win at any cost, right or wrong, guilty day. But that might be a subject for another day. books about the life and times of the people in general or not; maybe she still can, even after her experience. The brief but very talked-about Fox News inter- and a few in particular — Jesus being one of them. It is another black eye for David Roger; he wanted to view (FoxNews.com) of Dr. Aslan by Lauren Green When one considers that Jesus could well be — and keep Richard Tabish and Sandra Murphy in prison and thanks regarding his book about Jesus showed us that Dr. has claimed to be, and has been spoken about as being to God, that plan failed. Aslan is a very well-bred, well-educated and cultured — the Son of God (in that he came directly from God He wanted to destroy OJ Simpson, taking orders from man of good bearing. Whether he is Christian or Mus- his Father, although through his human parents, Mary lim should not in any way diminish his vast depth and and Joseph), who wouldn’t want to learn and know all someone who knows how to manipulate others for her own span of education, which appears to more than qualify he could about this could-be, would-be, might-possi- political obsession, career and dreams, but hopefully other him to write on his chosen subject. Unfortunately, that bly-be, God-man? jurists will act ethically and with dignity and the truth will same interview showed us that Ms. Green was appar- Reza Aslan, in his own words, has been obsessed prevail, and David Roger will make a fool out of himself. ently set on making that her whole point: Why would with Jesus for 20 years. “I’ve been studying his life Hopefully all those victims whose lives David Roger has a Muslim choose to write a book about Jesus, and how and his work and the origins of Christianity both in an touched and destroyed in his effort to become the man that could he possibly be unbiased in such a portrayal? Sad academic environment and on a personal level for about to say, if Lauren Green was trying to make a case for a two decades. Just to be clear, this is not some attack on he is not — the human being that he wants to be and never better presentation of Jesus from what she perceived Christianity,” he said. “My mother is a Christian, my will be; the powerful, important political figure that he as- Dr.Aslan had written, to something she felt would have wife is a Christian, my brother-in-law is an evangeli- pires to be but can never reach that high — will be exoner- done Jesus more justice, she fell very short of her goal. cal pastor. Anyone who thinks this book is an attack ated when justice is finally done and David Roger gets his How often do we hear people trying to “stick up” on Christianity has not read it yet,” he told his inter- comeuppance, if not at the hands of a human tribune, than for someone (or be on what they perceive to be the viewer on Fox News. certainly at the hands of the Great Equalizer who cannot be “right” side of something) and the way they go about So he did his homework and he wrote his book. Yet fooled. it ends up making others feel inclined to root for the just because he wrote it based on his research and his “wrong” side just because of their approach? (My fa- (See Maramis, Page 9) Page 8 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 VIEW POINTS Editors note: The views expressed are entirely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Las Vegas Tribune. Lower Than Rat Turds NSA is spying and DEA is lying! By Chuck Muth understated the reality. By Mace Yampolsky tion” (in other words, while I’ve hesitated to write Indeed, it is now pain- According to the Wash- the tip was given to law en- about this all week. fully obvious that Mark ington Post, supposedly forcement from spying on I mean, it’s about my SureWould fell out of the there has been a turf battle domestic communications, private life and is just so Stupid Tree as a child and between the NSA and the police report will be embarrassing to me per- hit every branch on the other law enforcement written in such a manner sonally that I, frankly, re- way down. agencies over bulk surveil- that it looks like the tip ally didn’t know how to But back to the story... lance data (that treasure came from somewhere handle it. But the truth was Frustrated by my fail- trove of phone calls, text else, or was just the result bound to come out sooner ure to “Follow” him on messages, and e-mails that of good police work). or later, so figured I better Twitter, SureWould then we have been assured are There is another old-fash- just tell “y’all” myself be- sent the following email not being used domesti- ioned word for this: LY- fore you hear about it from to me at 11:28 am, and cally), but it now appears ING! someone else. CHUCK MUTH copied liberal blogger Jon that those same agencies MACE YAMPOLSKY Reuters explains: Question: Would a former state assem- Ralston: “I really hope this tip is false. I’m are working together to cover up when that Some defense lawyers and former pros- blyman using a fake twitter name write sitting on this pending your response. data gets shared. ecutors said that using “parallel construc- about an anonymous tip about an anony- Please confirm.” The Drug Enforcement Administration tion” may be legal to establish probable mous Facebook post accusing me of hav- “Sitting on it, pending my response.” has been the recipient of multiple tips from cause for an arrest. But they said employ- ing an extramarital affair? Like he’s some kind of modern-day Wood- the NSA. DEA officials in a highly secret ing the practice as a means of disguising Sure would. ward and Bernstein. This guy really does office called the Special Operations Divi- how an investigation began may violate Indeed, former Nevada Republican State live in a fantasy world. sion (SOD) are assigned to handle these in- pretrial discovery rules by burying evi- Assemblyman Mark “SureWould” In the email, SureWould copy-and- coming tips, according to Reuters. Tips dence that could prove useful to criminal Sherwood — whose single inglorious term pasted another email that was forwarded from the NSA are added to a DEA data- defendants. in office included an incident where he re- to him by someone with their name base that includes “intelligence intercepts, The report makes no explicit connection moved his tie in a caucus meeting, wrapped “XXX’ed” out. In the body of the email wiretaps, informants and a massive data- between the DEA and the earlier NSA bulk it around his forehead and proceeded to run was a screen shot of the following com- base of telephone records.” This is prob- phone surveillance uncovered by former around the room making rat-a-tat-tat ma- ment posted anonymously on, I believe, the lematic because it appears to break down Booz Allen Hamilton contractor Edward chine gun sounds trying to imitate “Rambo” Clark County GOP’s Facebook page: the barrier between foreign counter-terror- Snowden. In other words, we don’t know — has been hiding behind a fake Internet “My name (Looks like Muth will have ism investigations and ordinary domestic for sure if the DEA’s Special Operations name, “Idiot Muth,” for the past year or so. to find a new girlfriend since Lake is no criminal investigations. Division is getting its tips from the same What a clever boy. I’m told it took him longer useful to him. Poor Lake, being Because the SOD’s work is classified, database that’s been the subject of multiple six months to come up with that one. thrown out like yesterdays garbage has DEA cases that began as NSA leads can’t congressional hearings in recent months. Anyway, on the morning of July 30, last gotta be hard- lets see if she can take it as be seen to have originated from a NSA We just know that a special outfit within Tuesday, SureWould, using his fake Twit- well as she could dish it out. Just on a source. So what does the DEA do? DEA sometimes gets tips from the NSA. ter name, suddenly started “Following” me sidenote: the people I really feel sorry for The policy has been to hide the true There’s another reason the DEA would on Twitter. A few minutes later, at 10:43 are these two wackjobs spouses. Are they source of the information and build the in- rather not admit the involvement of NSA am, he posted the following: really that oblivious? vestigation to purposely conceal where it data in its investigations: It might lead to a “@ChuckMuth I just got an anonymous How completely embarrassing for them came from. So let’s say the NSA picks up a constitutional challenge to the very law that tip you might be very interested in deny- that the entire world knows about this af- phone call that alerts to a huge shipment of gave rise to the evidence. (That pesky Con- ing. Follow me so we can take the conver- fair but they apparently don’t. (12:36 a.m., drugs moving down I-15. The DEAgets the stitution!) sation offline.” Tuesday July 30) information, and then has local police ini- Earlier this year, a federal court said that Ah, yes.Aguy who doesn’t have the tes- Ah, yes. And anonymous allegation tiate a traffic stop for some pretextual rea- if law enforcement agencies wanted to use ticles to even tweet using his real name re- without substantiation by an English ma- son, and then voila!, a traffic stop just co- NSA information in court, they had to say ceives an anonymous “tip” and I’m going jor. I mean, what could be more credible incidentally turns up a large amount of so beforehand and give the defendant a to “Follow” him on Twitter so I can deny than that? drugs — and the DEA makes up the story chance to contest the legality of the sur- to him “privately” whatever the hell it is By the way, the “Lake” these rat turds of how the agency really came to the case veillance. Lawyers for Adel Daoud, who he’s talking about? On what planet was this are referring to is former Clark County GOP in a process known as “parallel construc- (See Mace, Page 9) goof born? Chairwoman Cindy Lake. But unfortu- Oh, that’s right. Uranus. nately for anyone hoping this blockbuster Truly, when I’ve written before that this “smoking gun” Facebook allegation would is the most psychologically impaired result in an Anthony Weiner/Huma Abedin BEHIND THE MIKE elected official I’ve ever met in politics, I’ve (See Chuck Muth, Page 9) The Crazy Aunt By Michael A. Aun The crazy aunt loves We all have at least one mayonnaise. They put it Embracing a ‘More of those crazy aunts. As on everything from pi- children we dreaded the mento cheese to aspirin. visit to the aunt’s house. They always say “No, Beyond’ Attitude Here is the picture and I’m not hungry, but let By Doug Dickerson yourself. I do not exaggerate. The me just have a taste,” Your attitude, not your What hasn’t been crazy aunt also has a mole which leads to another aptitude, will determine done is possible. Thomas about the size of a dime. taste. Crazy aunts also your altitude. — Zig Ziglar Edison was one of the in- She uses an inordinate know that no potato In Valladolid, Spain, ventors from the Top 10 amount of makeup which salad is complete with- where Christopher Colum- list. Edison understood does nothing to hide said out a jar of Duke’s may- bus died in 1506, stands a failure and disappoint- mole. onnaise. monument commemorat- ment. He once said, “I It occurs to me that with When the crazy aunt ing the renowned discov- have not failed. I’ve found what she spent on makeup MICHAEL A. AUN walks in front of the tele- erer. Perhaps the most in- 10,000 ways that won’t she could have had the mole removed... but vision, she blacks out three commercials. teresting feature of the work.” He embraced a I digress. If the bathroom scale could speak it would monument is a statue of a ‘more beyond’ attitude The crazy aunt is addicted to plastic. She scream no mas! The crazy aunt has found lion destroying one of the and overcame his nega- has plastic runners on the floor. She has a way to beat that system; she weighs one Latin words that had been tive circumstances. Just plastic covers on the couches. She has plas- leg at a time. part of Spain’s motto for DOUG DICKERSON because something hasn’t tic covers on lamp shades. What is she try- The local Chinese buffet has had to in- centuries. Before Columbus made his voy- been done, tried, or has been rejected in ing to preserve here? stall speed bumps just to slow down the ages, the Spaniards thought they had the past doesn’t mean it’s not possible. It She also has an original set of china that crazy aunt. When they see her coming, they reached the outer limits of earth. Thus their simply means that destiny has been wait- has never seen daylight except to be washed know the P&L statement is going to take a motto was “Ne Plus Ultra,” which means ing on your arrival. The ‘more beyond’ tip every spring. major hit. “No More Beyond.” The word being torn — remove your limitations. The crazy aunt loves to plant a big messy Crazy aunts are always on a diet. They away by the lion is “Ne” or “no,” making You need courage to blaze new trails. kiss on the mouth of the poor nieces and prefer the politically correct terms like “I it read “Plus Ultra.” Columbus had proven The Spaniards motto for centuries had been nephews who visit. Why the mouth? To struggle with my weight” or “I’m big that there indeed was “more beyond.” set in stone; “Ne Plus Ultra.” Blazing new begin with, her breath usually smells of boned.” The simple fact is they haven’t met Think of how different life would be had trails and overcoming traditional ways of garlic, which makes this process even more a cheeseburger they didn’t like. The only it not been for people who pushed beyond thinking can be difficult. A ‘more beyond’ degrading. thing keeping them off their diet is food. what they knew in their day to make way attitude takes the courage of a lion to break The crazy aunt isn’t known for her fash- Spandex is the favorite outfit of the for the things we now enjoy. Findings in a away from old views. As Columbus over- ion consciousness. She wears socks that are crazy aunt. The beauty of spandex is the Top 10 survey of the top inventions of the came centuries-old beliefs he opened up too tight and pants that are about two sizes one-size-fits-all philosophy of the user. past 100 years are ranked from 1-10 as fol- New Worlds and new possibilities never too small. As children, we dreaded going All aunts are not crazy. In fact, some are lows: the light bulb, the internet, printing before known. Courageous leadership is to visit her but we dreaded even more the tons of fun, which only makes the crazy press, telephone, automobiles, television, needed today to help others discover new possibility that she would come over to aunt look even wackier. The fun aunt is camera, toilet, airplanes, and metal gear possibilities yet to be fulfilled. Leadership baby sit. generous to a fault and always loves you solid. Our lives now revolve around the is not for the faint of heart. The ‘more be- Crazy aunts discipline children with in spite of how you act. practicality and usefulness of each inven- yond’ tip — don’t be afraid. shoes. They have the firepower of Dirty The fun aunt likes do things, go to un- tion thanks in part to those who dared to You can begin today. Everything worth- Harry and the accuracy of an Olympic ar- usual places and experience new and dif- believe that there was more beyond. while has a starting point. The inventors cher. And if you thought your mother had ferent things. The crazy Aunt loves to say Embracing a ‘more beyond’ attitude is had starting points. Great writers begin on great hearing, try talking back in a whis- your mother would not approve of us do- essential to your success as a leader. The page one. Great sculptors have a chisel and per... and you’ll make “Dirty Harriett’s” ing that. And that’s final! challenges you face are not unique to oth- stone. Great artist have a canvas and a day. Crazy aunts make you eat fruit while ers but your attitude is uniquely yours. To brush. What is in your hand? What is in Crazy Aunts are the “white glove” Na- they gulp down candy. Crazy aunts give transition from “Ne Plus Ultra” to a “Plus your heart? Where does your journey be- zis of the world. Their own digs leave a lot apples at Halloween. Crazy aunts give you Ultra” mindset you must engage a ‘more gin that will take you to the place of your to be desired but God help you if the crazy a coloring book for Easter. beyond’ attitude. Here are four steps to get dreams? Your ‘more beyond’ attitude be- Aunt visits. Like it or not, you’re going to Crazy aunts give you $2 bills, which the you started. gins with the recognition that you will never get inspected and critiqued. kid down at 7-Eleven refuses because he Don’t let others define you. It is impor- achieve your dreams tomorrow unless you The crazy aunt is a donut eater. If she never heard of a $2 bill. Crazy aunts hand tant to be comfortable in your own skin. It take action today.Your destiny awaits- what gave up donuts, she’d probably live another out gold $1 Sacagawea coins. If the 7- is equally important to not be defined by are you waiting on? The ‘more beyond’tip three years, but that would simply mean she Eleven kid didn’t recognize a $2 bill, what what others say, think, or believe about you. — there is no time like the present. would be craving more donuts for still an- makes you think he’s going to take a You are a masterpiece and your life’s blue- What do you say? other three years. Not a good idea. Sacagawea gold coin? print is an original not a replica of some- Doug Dickerson is a syndicated colum- The crazy aunt and your mom were cut Such is the life of the crazy aunt. one else. As you grow in confidence you nist. He writes a weekly column for this from the same cloth. Their drill sergeant Michael Aun is a syndicated columnist can shape your future and be the person newspaper. To contact Doug Dickerson, instructions were simple: Eat everything on and writes a weekly column for this news- you were created to be and the leader you email him at ddickerson@ your plate; they’re children starving in (fill paper. To contact Michael Aun, email him can become. The ‘more beyond’ tip — be lasvegastribune.com. in the blank). at [email protected]. August 7-13, 2013 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 9 Bill Young’s Blowup: Justified? By Norman Jahn sponse from former (or current) his employer. It is more of a rhe- go out to the smaller hotels on the Holy Cow! public officials? I’m sorry that torical question — oops, don’t want Strip and ask them about the Metro Former Sheriff Bill Young (if someone wanted to start a firestorm, to get too ‘academic’ here. — If service they receive! I don’t need indeed he was the person who but there are no apologies forth- someone paid $60,000 (as you clari- ‘statistics,’ but there is plenty of wrote the comment about the col- coming from me. Read the words fied), then fine. I guess the $60,000 anecdotal evidence and I worked in umn that I wrote two weeks ago) in the column folks! for the room subtracted from the the middle of it for five years — said, “...unknowingly went of (sic) I learned about the ‘Charity ‘rake’ received from the event sub- police service to victims at the ho- the tracks with (me)” referring to Gala’ totally by coincidence when stantially diminished the amount tels is often pathetic. when I was rehired by the LVMPD. I was surfing on the Internet (maybe the charity would receive. Did other Let’s put it this way: If a prosti- He said he was asked, by a friend on Metro’s Facebook page). It was hotel/casinos have a chance to pro- tute does a ‘trick-roll’ and gets a who told him about my column an ‘inaugural event’ called The Best vide the facility for this event? No $100,000 watch from a guest of the (Gillespie’s Mutual Admiration of the Badge. I didn’t quite remem- — I don’t think a non-profit like the Red Rock Hotel and she is imme- Event), what had he ever done to ber the organization (LVMPD LVMPD Foundation has to ‘put out diately identified from video, I’m make me angry or “accuse (him) of Foundation), but I did remember to bid’ for a place to hold their thinking that the police and police abusing (his) status as the former NORMAN JAHN Friends of LV Canine and the sup- event... but it is a form of ‘favorit- detectives (i.e., Vice) will immedi- Sheriff.” He went on to write, — in this case by money contribu- port that Siegfried and Roy gave for ism’ to give ‘business’ to those we ately respond and do their jobs. I handled one of these calls at a Strip “Norm you are a liar plain and tions by “FRIENDS” of the the annual K-9 Trials at the Orleans. are familiar with and those to whom hotel and the victim had to make a simple.” Wait! He slammed me LVMPD! Once again for those who Each reader can conclude for them- we are endeared. Wait until I get to report at the airport. I stopped in to some more and my overall response criticize people that have the abil- selves whether these fundraisers the Harris Golf Outing before they use the restroom and was told about to him might take two or three col- ity to actually read and understand could potentially cause problems were booted from the radio con- the crime. I was able to identify the umns. the content of the article...it was (people feeling intimidated to con- tract... and the MOTOROLA logo suspect (‘Amy K’) through video He went on to write, “Norm about fundraising/charity galas by tribute on one extreme or people so prominently displayed at the and even by matching tattoos. No while you hide behind your aca- a police-affiliated organization and willing to contribute and become a ‘Gala’ at Red Rock. I guess both detectives came out (Tourist Crimes demic credentials and take potshots the implications that this has for fair ‘FRIEND’ so they get special treat- companies are more than happy to was afraid that Vice would be up- at the agency that gave you a ca- and equal service... even to those ment). The money accounting and spread around $$$ when they are overhead should be examined, but in the good graces of Metro. set). Nobody went to the suspect’s reer and the credibility you so who can’t afford to contribute and residence to make an arrest or try most importantly the issue is equi- Did Young actually miss the two proudly brag about I think you even to those who are NOT to recover the evidence. I was fired table police service. words or did he just want to call me should reconsider your position and ‘friends’ of the LVMPD. by the time this case actually re- Since when is it wrong to be a liar and a fraud, and demand an retract the completely false state- My column was under sulted in an arrest... actually, it took skeptical, or even a little cynical, apology? I never wrote that he ‘do- ments you made in your article OR ViewPoints, and unless those who nearly a year! about a publicly-funded organiza- nated’anything. There is absolutely back them up wi (sic) facts.” “Isn’t rule Las Vegas (The Progeny) can I’m pretty sure that if a large tion (the LVMPD has a $460 mil- nothing wrong with any private per- that what an academic is supposed violate the U.S. Constitution — I enough theft or other crime occurs, lion budget) being associated with son or business offering to be a to do??” He concluded by writing, can have a viewpoint and even then the director of security is noti- additional fundraising through FRIEND. Again, the former sheriff “In the mean time you owe me an share it! fied. Don’t tell me that they never charity events? Once upon a time and his employers have done noth- apology Norm or you are a com- I was told about Young’s com- call their contacts at Metro to get there were investigative reporters ing wrong whether they charged full plete and total fraud.” ment with a note: “You might want things done immediately! And who would scrutinize things like price, gave a discount, or even gave Bill’s Blowup is so off base that a good laugh today.” After reading don’t tell me that the FRIENDS that this. Maybe they are afraid to get a full comp for the room and the I have to wonder if he ever even the comment, I felt like someone donate money to the LVMPD Foun- beaten up too? event. read my column or if someone just had just called up their big brother dation or participate in the golf There is nothing negative about In the world of ethics, however, ‘baited’ him into responding? who was on his way to beat me up events or other activities don’t ex- When a reader adds a ‘comment’ on the playground. Did I strike a you, Bill, and I wasn’t mad at you there has been a controversy rag- pect to be treated at a certain level. to a story or column in the digital ‘bone’ with someone so severely in the least. As a ‘private’ citizen, ing for years about ‘gratuities’ and They are not afraid to remind you edition of the Las Vegas Tribune, it that I needed to be defamed and feel you and your company are allowed expectations of special treatment that they ‘support’ Metro in one is not automatically sent to the col- threatened? Who was so upset to to make campaign contributions when an officer is so much as of- way or another. People often expect umnist. I didn’t even know about it overreact so severely? Was it Sher- and charitable donations and even fered a free cup of coffee. The bur- something in return for their sup- until I was told that he had com- iff ‘Duh-G’ or the former sheriff, provide service and ‘in-kind’ sup- den is on the person receiving the port... the folks in the old Gerson mented on a column I had written. or was it even someone else affili- port to whatever causes you like. ‘gratuity’ — the concern to profes- Park projects probably never had The column was about a ‘charity ated with the LVMPD Foundation That is what we get to do when we sional police administrators is the money to donate to the ‘charity gala’ for the LVMPD Foundation — like someone affiliated with the live in America — the same coun- whether gratuities/comps should be galas’ and they had to settle for and the overall point of the column ‘charity’ who is riding the ‘money try that provides us with the First allowed by the organization and whatever level of service they were was EQUITABLE POLICE SER- train’? Do local Las Vegas report- Amendment right to have and to whether they can influence service. given. Use any other examples that VICE and how it can be influenced ers have to face this type of re- express an opinion. The private in- This is just like a contribution to a you want; money does BRIBE ac- dustry and private persons are not political campaign in some re- cess and influence service, but it is regulated by policies on gratuities spects. Does money grant ‘access’ only a crime under certain circum- Maramis or laws other than those pertaining or provide ‘influence’? When stances. Public officials and Metro to campaign contribution limits. No money goes too far and influences (Continued from Page 7) employees need to remain vigilant one is accusing anyone of violat- the person receiving it, it is called a about this... but private corporations notes and his review of all the other scholarly books on the life of ing a law. Metro personnel, on the BRIBE. Remember G-Sting? and a ‘non-profit’ created to support Jesus rather than from his personal experience, his passion, his be- other hand, are supposed to avoid Does the Red Rock Hotel & the LVMPD might blur the distinc- liefs or his what would be considered logical assumptions based on conduct that brings the department Casino ‘demand’ special service? tion. We should not be intimidated some perhaps little-known tidbit of information that might likely put into public disrepute! Anyone can ask the cops in the area from questioning the ethical issues a whole different slant on his book changing it from one of a merely (Regarding campaign contribu- and then see if they have also at play ... or have to have our repu- scholarly work to one of a more humanly relatable one that includes tions: The bosses at Red Rock sup- worked the Strip hotels and com- tations ‘beaten up’ by someone’s faith and feelings, does not in any way disqualify him from having ported former County Commis- pare the actions taken at the two big brother who does not want ‘our the right to write it. sioner Lance Malone at one time... locations. When former sheriff thing’ to end. Not that any one person, or any one book, could attest to every and some of us know the rest of that Jerry Keller became head of secu- Next Week: My rehire by the word, action or intention of Jesus so as to present him in a way for all story.) rity at the Wynn (this also applies LVMPD. Facts and actual emails to know and appreciate as he perhaps wanted to be known and appre- The column was about equity to other retired Metro who become from the former sheriff. Who ciated (for his purposes, not our interpretation of his purposes), but and police service ... I chose my security directors), he certainly should be apologizing? many give it a shot; they write from their own passion and/or their words carefully... I said PROB- knew what level of service should Norm Jahn is a former LVMPD own knowledge and understanding. I offer my own considerations ABLY and IF. Since I don’t know be provided on EVERY CALL. The lieutenant, who has also served as for seeing Jesus as the non-Zealot I believe he was. if anyone would have told me the officers responding usually know a police chief in Shawano, Wiscon- First, a definition of the word zealot: Someone who believes they price for the room over the phone, that the head of security is former sin, and has nearly 25 years of po- are right to do whatever will help their political or religious ideas to I wrote: “The facility was probably Metro or former FBI. It is much lice experience. Jahn now contrib- even if it is cruel or unfair. succeed, Zealot: A member of an ancient donated — but if Young got the more likely that if they try to ‘blow utes his opinions and ideas to help Jewish sect in Judea in the first century who fought to the death against Foundation a 100 percent ‘comp,’ off’ a call that a complaint will be improve policing in general, and in the Romans and who killed or persecuted Jews who collaborated with then just what does he expect from made and it will be brought to the Las Vegas in particular, through his the Romans. the LVMPD when they respond?” attention of the director and then to weekly column in the Las Vegas May I remind readers that Jesus didn’t even fight to save himself That is not an attack on Young or the attention of the LVMPD. Just Tribune. either when he was arrested or at his trial? And being either cruel or unfair was the opposite of what Jesus stood for and how he lived his Chuck Muth life. He taught men to return good for evil, to overcome evil with good. (Continued from Page 8) coast of Ensenada and demanded an explanation. If Jesus taught that it was all about doing the Father’s will (and stand-by-your-man press conference with me and my “It all started out innocently enough,” he explained, that Father would be God, call him by whatever name you will), it wife, Gia... while puffing on a Monte Cristo. “We were just sitting was obviously not about his (Jesus’) will. He was not in any way Not. at the breakfast table in your house; me in my fake, militant. He taught that the world is not to be regarded as an enemy. Instead, Gia asked me to release this official state- starched, bright-white milkman uniform, and your wife And although he employed the practice of nonresistance, he did not ment from her in response... in her burqa. After getting up to pour us both a tall teach passive tolerance of wrongdoing. He made it plain that he ap- “I’m actually quite relieved to learn of this. The glass of milk, she reached into the freezer and plopped proved of the social punishment of evildoers and criminals, and that truth is, I’ve been carrying on a secret romance of my some ice cubes into her glass. the civil government must sometimes employ force for the mainte- own for nearly twenty years with one of Chuck’s best “Well, I love ice cubes in my milk, too! Neither of nance of social order and in the execution of justice. But while he friends, George Harris, and have been wracked with us had ever met anyone else who drank their milk ‘on guilt over it! the rocks’ and, well, one thing led to another and it all abhorred the idea of retaliation, he did not teach or advocate becom- “Indeed, I was scared to death that Chuck would just got out of control from there. I’m really sorry this ing a passive sufferer or victim of injustice. Surely we remember find out seven years ago when our son CJ was born happened.” Jesus saying, in so many words, “When an enemy smites you on one bald and with a dark complexion. I thought for sure So it’s all out in the open now, thanks to crackjack cheek, do not stand there dumb and passive but in positive attitude that would tip him off! I’m just so relieved that this is reporting by the intrepid Mark SureWould who fol- turn the other cheek.” He meant for us to take the positive initiative now all out in the open.” lowed up on an anonymous “tip” from an anonymous to return good for evil. And he was a man of infinite patience. Damn! How could I not have seen that? Facebook post. I guess I was completely wrong about I acquiesce to the research and knowledge of Dr. Aslan, yet schol- Sure, George has been coming over to the house that guy. He truly is an investigative genius in the mold ars do not know everything. By entitling his book as he did, he of delivering milk a couple days a week — even though of the Sherlock Holmes! course is calling Jesus a Zealot. In Jesus’time, as we know, there was home milk deliveries ended sometime back in the 70’s Of course, everyone with an IQ over room tempera- much rebellion against the payment of taxes to Rome. And there was — while I’m volunteering down at the orphanage. ture knows all of this crud is made up, including the also the beginning of a strong nationalist party which was to be called And when he’d say, “I’m just here to service your responses from George and Gia. But would a dumbass, the Zealots. The Zealots, unlike the Pharisees, weren’t willing to await wife’s jugs,” I honestly thought he was moonlighting lower-than-rat-turds former assemblyman-turned- the coming of the Messiah, and thought to bring things to a head at Anderson Dairy to help fund his tequila empire. sleuth believe it? Sure would. through political revolt. They even brought their plan to Jesus in So I guess it turns out that I’M the oblivious one! Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a non- Nazareth, but he refused to join them. Naturally, I didn’t take this news very well, so I profit public policy grassroots advocacy organization. Jesus was always careful to avoid the political snares of his en- called George and reached him on his yacht off the He may be reached at [email protected]. emies.And he did not revolt against paying taxes, saying rather, “Ren- der to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things which Mace are God’s.” In his personal life he was duly observant of all civil laws (Continued from Page 8) should use any evidence whatsoever to eradicate those and regulations, while in his public teachings he ignored the civic, was arrested in a federal sting operation and charged despicable drug-dealers, even if it involves spying on social, and economic realms since he was only concerned with the with trying to blow up a bomb, suspect that Daoud us by our own government and then lying about it. Ben principles of man’s inner and personal spiritual life. was identified using NSA information but was never Franklin said, ”Any society that would give up a little I will probably read Dr. Aslan’s book to see how a strictly schol- told. liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and arly researcher — and a once Christian-now-Muslim one at that — Surveys show most people support the NSA’s bulk lose both.” sees Jesus. The Jesus I know, however, is no Zealot. If I could design surveillance program strongly when the words “ter- So maybe you think I am an alarmist or paranoid. a combination Son of Man-Son of God to be as perfect as possible rorism” (one man’s terrorist is another man’s rabble- But, asYossarian said in Catch-22, “Just because you’re and be a role model for all us lowly and imperfect human beings, I rouser) or “courts” are included in the question. When paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.” Be afraid. know I couldn’t even come close to the reality of the Jesus that al- pollsters draw no connection with terrorism, support Be very afraid. The Thought Police are just a kiss away! ready is. tends to wane. What’ll happen when the question —Mace Zealot? I think not. makes clear that the intelligence not only isn’t being Mace J. Yampolsky is a Board Certified Criminal Maramis Choufani is the Managing Editor of the Las Vegas Tri- used for terrorism investigations against foreign agents, Law Specialist, 625 South Sixth St., Las Vegas, NV bune. She writes a weekly column in this newspaper. To contact but is actively being applied to criminal investigations 89101; He can be reached at: Phone 702-385-9777 or Maramis, email her at [email protected]. against Americans? fax 702-385-300. His website is located at: Maybe this doesn’t bother you. Of course, we www.macelaw.com. Page 10 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 Washington Post sale a sign respected brands will matter, even online The purchase of the Washington Post by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is seen as a ‘logical step’in the rise of digital media. ‘Even digital pioneers know that a good name is priceless,’ says one analyst. By Gloria Goodale “There is no map, and charting Christian Science Monitor a path ahead will not be easy,” he LOS ANGELES — As big concludes, adding that the paper names in the old media game are will need to invent, which means it being bought by even bigger names will need to experiment. in the new media world, media Meanwhile, the fortunes of fel- watchers are hoping for signs of low tech entrepreneur Chris Hughes what’s next for journalism in the with the New Republic may be a Internet age, both in terms of how cautionary tale forAmazon billion- the news “product” is packaged and aire Bezos. delivered, and especially how the In June, as reported online by future business could prosper. PandoDaily, Mr. Hughes sent a let- Just in the past four days, The ter to his readers trumpeting his Washington Post was snapped up successes, such as hitting record by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, numbers for web traffic and pass- Newsweek changed hands (again), ing the 50,000 mark for subscrib- moving into the International Busi- ers. ness Times (IBT) portfolio of digi- But, he acknowledges that this tal products, and The New York number will not allow him to hit his Times sold The Boston Globe to the goal of being profitable by 2014 and owner of the local baseball fran- the letter ends on a plaintive note chise, the Red Sox. — one that may sound familiar to This follows last year’s moves many other print publications strug- when Newsweek itself dropped its gling to stay profitable in the digi- print edition and partnered with tal transition. online publication The Daily Beast, The Washington Post sign is seen on its building in Washington. On Monday the Washington Post announced “There are still many of you who and Facebook co-founder Chris the paper has been sold to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. are waiting on the sidelines to sub- Hughes bought Washington maga- ceeded in generating — preferred “Nobody really knows what that business, he points out — shorten- scribe,” he writes, and in what may zine, The New Republic. digital “product” will have a better [business] model is,” he points out. ing news cycles and eroding long- seem quite an old school tactic, he These moves are inevitable, says chance in succeeding with these The important advantage someone reliable revenue sources. urges them to subscribe. Paul Levinson, author of “New legacy media companies, says like Mr. Bezos has is the wealth to New media.” “Jeff Bezos’purchase DerekArnold, communication pro- take his time. “He can afford to take of The Washington Post is a logical fessor at Villanova University in the long view and experiment,” step in the growing predominance Philadelphia. Bogardus says. of digital media in all sectors of “After all,” he adds via e-mail, In a Monday letter to the Post communication previously in the “the ‘products’ companies like the employees, Bezos emphasized this province of traditional mass me- Washington Post are producing are approach while at the same time, dia,” he says via e-mail. still highly in demand: News and attempting to reassure the staff. “It’s not that the printed paper is the immediate access to it are only “The values of The Post do not need immediately going out of business getting more important in today’s changing. The paper’s duty will re- or leaving the field. It’s rather that society.” main to its readers and not to the its future resides online,” he says, If nothing else, these moves un- private interests of its owners. We adding that nothing could be more derline the importance of recogniz- will continue to follow the truth appropriate than for the owner of able brand names, points out Ben wherever it leads, and we’ll work one of the most successful online Bogardus, journalism professor at hard not to make mistakes. When retailers to give The Post the sup- Quinnipiac University. “Even digi- we do, we will own up to them port it needs as it struggles to find tal pioneers know that a good name quickly and completely,” he writes. its future. is priceless,” he adds. Further down in the letter, how- It was this struggle that led the But while a parade of new own- ever, he sets the tone for the future. Post’s longtime owners, the Gra- ers seem determined to capitalize “There will, of course, be change ham family, to begin looking for a on these legacy brands in a brave at The Post over the coming years,” buyer after the paper’s seventh year new cyberuniverse of 24/7 online says Bezos, adding that this is es- of losing money. The losses were and mobile communication, pre- sential and would have happened mounting despite the paper’s efforts cisely how they are going to trans- with or without new ownership. to implement digital strategies. late prestige into revenues is not The Internet is transforming al- Having companies that not only clear at all, says Professor most every element of the news understand — but have already suc- Bogardus. Viamensky (Continued from Page 7) who just happens to be the girl he sent to prostitute herself for his per- sonal benefit. It is time for Metro officers to start investigating all those men coming from Canada with young girls on tour; and more than ever, it’s time for the American Embassy in Canada to check on all those coming across. Let’s hope that the bill recently signed into law by our governor will help police officers to stop human trafficking, and save so many girls like Jessie Foster from such a fate. Perly Viasmensky is the General Manager of the Las Vegas Tribune. She writes a weekly column in this newspaper. To contact Perly Viasmensky, email her at pviasmensky@lasvegas tribune.com.

EEDITORDITOR AATT YYOUROUR SSERVICEERVICE

Times are tough, yet you still want to look your best in print. If you can’t hire a full-time editor, why not consider hiring an editor only when you need her?

Now’s the time to line up your editor for those sure-to- crop-up projects such as proofreading your reports, making sure you didn’t inadvertently leave out some- thing important in your advertising, making doubly sure that what you’ve written gets your point across.

Editor-at-your-service will be there when you need her, and only when you need her.

Call 702-436-8830, or email her at [email protected]. You’ll be glad you did.

Open 24/7 702-369-6736 Licensed, Bonded, Insured • NV #758973 Page 10 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 August 7-13, 2013 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 11 Washington Post sale a sign respected brands will matter, even online The purchase of the Washington Post by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is seen as a ‘logical step’in the rise of digital media. ‘Even digital pioneers know that a good name is priceless,’ says one analyst. By Gloria Goodale “There is no map, and charting Christian Science Monitor a path ahead will not be easy,” he LOS ANGELES — As big concludes, adding that the paper names in the old media game are will need to invent, which means it being bought by even bigger names will need to experiment. in the new media world, media Meanwhile, the fortunes of fel- watchers are hoping for signs of low tech entrepreneur Chris Hughes what’s next for journalism in the with the New Republic may be a Internet age, both in terms of how cautionary tale forAmazon billion- the news “product” is packaged and aire Bezos. delivered, and especially how the In June, as reported online by future business could prosper. PandoDaily, Mr. Hughes sent a let- Just in the past four days, The ter to his readers trumpeting his Washington Post was snapped up successes, such as hitting record by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, numbers for web traffic and pass- Newsweek changed hands (again), ing the 50,000 mark for subscrib- moving into the International Busi- ers. ness Times (IBT) portfolio of digi- But, he acknowledges that this tal products, and The New York number will not allow him to hit his Times sold The Boston Globe to the goal of being profitable by 2014 and owner of the local baseball fran- the letter ends on a plaintive note chise, the Red Sox. — one that may sound familiar to This follows last year’s moves many other print publications strug- Boys Will Be Boys when Newsweek itself dropped its gling to stay profitable in the digi- print edition and partnered with tal transition. Las Vegas Tribune Staff Reporter guilt trip,” Sardelli explains. “I started asking myself, The Washington Post sign is seen on its building in Washington. On Monday the Washington Post announced online publication The Daily Beast, “There are still many of you who We visited the home of long-time Las Vegas resi- who am I to have another human being pulling me the paper has been sold to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. and Facebook co-founder Chris are waiting on the sidelines to sub- dent and entertainer, Nelson Sardelli, and were sur- around?...I am not even from the Colonial British Em- Hughes bought Washington maga- ceeded in generating — preferred “Nobody really knows what that business, he points out — shorten- scribe,” he writes, and in what may prised and impressed by his collection of tricycles from pire!After my opening at the Hong Kong Hilton, I com- zine, The New Republic. digital “product” will have a better [business] model is,” he points out. ing news cycles and eroding long- seem quite an old school tactic, he Southeast Asia, along with his authentic rickshaw. missioned someone to purchase a rickshaw for me and These moves are inevitable, says chance in succeeding with these The important advantage someone reliable revenue sources. urges them to subscribe. Everyone has brought home some small souvenir send it to Las Vegas. I figured I could pull my kids and Paul Levinson, author of “New legacy media companies, says like Mr. Bezos has is the wealth to from a trip abroad, but Sardelli went a step further. their friends around the neighborhood and minimize New media.” “Jeff Bezos’purchase DerekArnold, communication pro- take his time. “He can afford to take While visiting and performing in Indonesia, Malay- my guilt.” of The Washington Post is a logical fessor at Villanova University in the long view and experiment,” sia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, Sardelli was In subsequent trips to that part of the world, he ob- step in the growing predominance Philadelphia. Bogardus says. struck by the beauty and functionality of these amaz- tained a SAMLOR, where the passenger rides in the of digital media in all sectors of “After all,” he adds via e-mail, In a Monday letter to the Post ing forms of local transportation. He began acquiring back, in Thailand; a BECA (pronounced Beh-tchah), communication previously in the “the ‘products’ companies like the employees, Bezos emphasized this these human powered taxis, some of them only found where the passenger rides in the front, was found in province of traditional mass me- Washington Post are producing are approach while at the same time, in remote areas of those countries, and shipping them Jakarta, Indonesia; and a TRISHA, where the passen- dia,” he says via e-mail. still highly in demand: News and attempting to reassure the staff. home... but there’s a bit more to the story of these “sou- ger rides on the side, was found in Singapore. “It’s not that the printed paper is the immediate access to it are only “The values of The Post do not need venirs.” Sardelli’s newest addition to his collection will be immediately going out of business getting more important in today’s changing. The paper’s duty will re- Some collections begin with heirlooms or specific found in Italy, where he plans to look at a Maserati or a or leaving the field. It’s rather that society.” main to its readers and not to the items catching one’s attention; for Sardelli, it all be- Ferrari. “With these, the passenger usually stands on its future resides online,” he says, If nothing else, these moves un- private interests of its owners. We gan with guilt. While exploring one day, Sardelli de- the sidewalk, looks through the window... and drools.” adding that nothing could be more derline the importance of recogniz- will continue to follow the truth cided to take a ride in a rickshaw. “Suddenly I had this Yes, boys will be boys! appropriate than for the owner of able brand names, points out Ben wherever it leads, and we’ll work one of the most successful online Bogardus, journalism professor at hard not to make mistakes. When retailers to give The Post the sup- Quinnipiac University. “Even digi- we do, we will own up to them port it needs as it struggles to find tal pioneers know that a good name quickly and completely,” he writes. its future. is priceless,” he adds. Further down in the letter, how- It was this struggle that led the But while a parade of new own- ever, he sets the tone for the future. Post’s longtime owners, the Gra- ers seem determined to capitalize “There will, of course, be change ham family, to begin looking for a on these legacy brands in a brave at The Post over the coming years,” buyer after the paper’s seventh year new cyberuniverse of 24/7 online says Bezos, adding that this is es- of losing money. The losses were and mobile communication, pre- sential and would have happened mounting despite the paper’s efforts cisely how they are going to trans- with or without new ownership. to implement digital strategies. late prestige into revenues is not The Internet is transforming al- Having companies that not only clear at all, says Professor most every element of the news understand — but have already suc- Bogardus. Viamensky (Continued from Page 7) who just happens to be the girl he sent to prostitute herself for his per- sonal benefit. It is time for Metro officers to start investigating all those men coming from Canada with young girls on tour; and more than ever, it’s time for OUR NEXT MEETING the American Embassy in Canada to check on all those coming across. Let’s hope that the bill recently signed into law by our governor will help police officers to stop human trafficking, and save so many girls like AUGUST 8 Jessie Foster from such a fate. Perly Viasmensky is the General Manager of the Las Vegas Tribune. 11:30 AM She writes a weekly column in this newspaper. To contact Perly AT THE Viasmensky, email her at pviasmensky@lasvegas tribune.com. ITALIAN AMERICAN CLUB

OUR GUEST SPEAKER WILL BE MAYNARD SLOATE EEDITORDITOR AATT YYOUROUR SSERVICEERVICE Maynard Sloate is a major figure in the Las Vegas entertainment scene. He has been in town since 1965 Times are tough, yet you still want to look your best in and has held many great positions such as Entertainment print. If you can’t hire a full-time editor, why not Director and Show Producer in some of our major hotels. consider hiring an editor only when you need her? He has produced 38 Broadway-type shows at the Plaza Hotel. He was producer and director of two editions of Now’s the time to line up your editor for those sure-to- the Follies Bergere show at the Tropicana. While still at crop-up projects such as proofreading your reports, the Plaza, in 1984 he also became the show producer making sure you didn’t inadvertently leave out some- for the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City, where he remained thing important in your advertising, making doubly until 1993, producing 27 Broadway Musical. sure that what you’ve written gets your point across. IT WILL BE A FUN AND INFORMATIVE TALK (MAYNARD FITS IN WELL WITH THE Editor-at-your-service will be there when you need F.I.O.R.E.’S IRREVERENCE AND NONSENSE) her, and only when you need her. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEE YOU THERE Call 702-436-8830, or email her at [email protected]. AS ALWAYS THE LUNCH IS $25.00 You’ll be glad you did. WIDOWS OF FORMER PRESIDENTS ARE ALWAYS OUR GUESTS

PLEASE AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE, Open 24/7 RSVP TO [email protected] OR TO [email protected] 702-369-6736 SPREAD THE WORD AMONGST YOUR AND OUR FRIENDS Licensed, Bonded, Insured • NV #758973 (BUT ONLY THE UNCONSTIPATED ONES, PLEASE) Page 12 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013

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Dear EarthTalk: What are sible factory sites around the coun- “ghost factories?”– Philip Walker, try that may have been unknown or Hartford, CT forgotten over time. In an effort to There are currently 1,012 rail-trails in the U.S. with a total mileage of more than 11,000. Another 1,200 In April 2012, USA TODAY create some urgency for federal projects (encompassing 18,000 more miles) are underway in all 50 states. Pictured: Rails-to-Trails bike trail published a series entitled “Ghost regulators, he paid to have the soil in Amenia, NY, taken in autumn. Factories,” a report on an investi- around eight of the sites tested and there were 300,000 miles of track, —Omar Khan, Columbus, IN report declines in amphibian popu- gation into lead contaminated soil all but one exceeded the EPA’s haz- which was six times as big as According to Harvard biology lations in protected and pristine in hundreds of neighborhoods ard level for residential areas. More today’s interstate highway system. professor Jim Hanken, “Overall, the habitats, leading experts to believe around the U.S. where lead facto- recent soil tests done by USA TO- Today, as most Americans drive to situation has definitely gotten that there may be one or more glo- ries once operated. The investiga- DAY revealed that all 21 areas that work, the much-reduced national worse. The problem is more seri- bal factors, such as increased ultra- tion addressed the lack of action were examined in 13 states had po- Amtrak rail network is struggling ous than we originally thought.” violet-B (UV-B) radiation due to taken by the U.S. Environmental tentially dangerous enough lead to get off federal life support. Only Scientists are particularly con- stratospheric ozone depletion, acid ProtectionAgency (EPA) to test and levels that children should not be half of the original rail system is still cerned because frogs are considered rain and pollution-caused diseases, clean up these sites despite having playing in that dirt. This meant, of in place, and 2,000 miles of track a “sentinel species”—they serve as according to DAPTF. been warned in 2001 about the dan- course, that cleanups of these sites is abandoned every year. Once old an indication of environmental In addition to population de- gerous levels of lead contamination had not been done. rail rights of way, or “corridors,” are quality. clines is the phenomenon of am- around the areas of these old facili- In response to Eckel’s findings sold for development, they’re gone According to the Declining phibian deformities. In the United ties. and the USA TODAY series, EPA forever, as recreating them is cost- Amphibian Populations Task Force States alone amphibian malforma- The factories, which used a pro- has initiated work with states to sur- prohibitive. (DAPTF), formed by the World tions have been reported in 44 states cess called smelting to melt down vey the majority of the sites on the The nonprofit Rails to Trails Conservation Union, many species since 1996, according to the U.S. lead, were in operation from the 2001 list, although records for many Conservancy answers this dilemma of amphibians (frogs, toads, sala- Geological Survey Center for Bio- 1930s until the 1960s when they of the affected areas are incomplete. by turning unused rail corridors, at manders, and newts) throughout the logical Informatics. Deformities began to shut down. While the fac- “I am convinced we have addressed least temporarily, into beautiful hik- world have experienced population include extra legs and eyes, and tories themselves may now be gone, the highest-risk sites,” reports ing and biking trails. Founder Dave declines or extinction over the last misshapen or incompletely formed their toxic legacy remains, as they Elizabeth Southerland, director of Burwell, an environmental lawyer, 50 years. Causes for such changes limbs. High rates of deformities, in have left behind significant assessment and remediation for the says, “Even though the corridors may include deforestation, draining some cases up to 60 percent of a amounts of poisonous lead particles EPA’s Superfund program. She says were under railroad control, they of wetlands, ozone depletion, and species, exceed what scientists gen- in surrounding soils. The lead par- her agency is open to reassessing had originated in federal and state pollution. In a few cases, as with erally consider natural. Research on ticles are particularly dangerous for sites that may need another look land grants, so there was consider- the Costa Rican golden toad, entire malformations is investigating sev- children who live and play in these thanks to more recent information able public investment in them.” species have disappeared almost eral potential causes, including areas. “Lead poisoning occurs when uncovered by USA TODAY. In 1983, Congress enacted a overnight. parasites, contaminants, and UV-B lead builds up in the body, often Unfortunately, ongoing federal powerful amendment to the Na- Beginning in 1988, herpetolo- radiation. over a period of months or years,” budget woes mean that resources tional Trails System Act that al- gists around the world started to * * * * * reports the Mayo Clinic, adding that are severely limited. In fact, the lowed soon-to-be abandoned rail even small amounts of lead can EPA lacks funds to complete even lines to be “railbanked” for possible cause serious health problems. previously scheduled Superfund reactivation. Since then, the rails- “Children under the age of 6 are remediation projects. In the mean- to-trails program has been a fantas- especially vulnerable to lead poi- time, individual homeowners can tic success. There are currently soning, which can severely affect determine whether or not they live 1,012 rail-trails in the U.S. with a mental and physical development near a former lead smelter and can total mileage of more than 11,000. [and] at very high levels…can be apply pressure to local authorities Another 1,200 projects (encom- fatal.” accordingly. USA TODAY has passing 18,000 more miles) are un- Environmental scientist William posted a free online map to help derway in all 50 states. Ross Ca- Eckel warned government officials people figure out exactly where the pon, executive director of the Na- of the dangers of old lead factories danger zones might be. tional Association of Railroad Pas- in his research article “Discovering * * * * * sengers, says rail-trails are the next Unrecognized Lead-Smelting Sites Dear EarthTalk: I keep hearing best thing to increasing train ser- by Historical Methods,” which was the phrase “rails to trails.” What vice. published in the American Journal does it mean? —Stella Meridian, * * * * * of Public Health in April of 2001. Key West, FL Dear EarthTalk: I remember Eckel used EPA databases along TheAmerican rail network, once hearing years ago that the world’s with lead industry directories to the envy of the world, has fallen on frogs — and amphibians — were compile a list of more than 400 pos- hard times. At its peak in 1916, in peril. How are they doing today? Many species of amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts) throughout the world have experienced population declines or extinction over the last 50 years. Causes for such changes may include deforestation, draining of wetlands, ozone depletion, and pollution. In a few cases, as with the Costa Rican golden toad (pictured above), entire species have disappeared almost overnight.

Unsafe levels of lead contaminate soil in hundreds of neighborhoods where lead smelting facilities operated between 1930 and 1960. Children under the age of six are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can severely affect mental and physical development. Pictured: Rusty remains at an old lead smelting mill. August 7-13, 2013 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 13 ENTERTAINMENT SidneySamson:TheSuperStarofDiscJockeys

By Sandy Zimmerman Las Vegas Tribune Photos supplied by DJ Sidney Samson There are many disc jockeys but producer Sidney Samson has made his own signature productions and remixes. He performed to record crowds and in sold-out venues at festivals and nightclubs around the world. Sidney is the resident DJ at the Surrender nightclub in Wynn’s Las Vegas resort when he is not on tour. Sidney appeared with will.i.am and many other celebrities. Some of his releases are “No- body Move,” “Rock This,” “Girls,” “Aeroplane,” “Viruz” and the track “Better than Yesterday” with will.i.am. Sidney’s charm and energy carry over to the audience. He does not just sit there; Sidney becomes part of the show. Sidney’s story is his love for music. Sidney is from Holland, yet he has universal appeal. At 7, he be- gan playing the guitar. Watching the DMC DJ MIX champions inspired him to become a Disc Jockey. These were the best Spinning at clubs was his joy and producers throughout the world. For more information visit Vacation travel specials. For infor- of that time. When he was 14 years the audience became fans. The label aims to make music www.sidneysamson.com, http:// mation or questions about any of old, Sidney became a professional In 2007, Sidney moved up to his that creates a new feeling instead surrender.wantickets.com/ or http:/ Sandy’s columns, contact Sandy DJ. In the beginning, he played own record label Samsobeats with of a particular sound. In addition to /www.encorebeachclub.com/ Zimmerman: (702)-735-5974. rhythm and blues and hip-hop but Gregor Salto. his own imprint Rock The Houze. * * * * * SUGGESTIONS: Do you have a changed to house music in 1999. Sidney brings the world’s best Sidney has a unique sound on Award winning Sandy fav inn, hotel, or resort in the United Sidney’s name became known and DJ’s and producers and puts their every track. Zimmerman is involved in produc- States or around the world? Why he was hired as the resident DJ dur- tracks together. Sidney Samson appears on Au- ing television programs, TV com- does it appeal to you? Please send ing the Exxellent nights, at The This music varies from Latin to gust 16th, between 2-4 hours from mercials, and travel specials for your suggestion explaining the rea- Matrixx in 2003. This was one of electro and everything in between. noon to 6 p.m., at the Encore Beach more than 28 years. Sandy is a syn- sons for your choice, your name, the biggest clubs and #1 Club in Each track could stand on its Club, inside the Encore Resort. For dicated Show and Dining Reviewer, telephone number, email address, Holland. own but together they are a even information about Sidney Samson’s travel writer, Health journalist, pro- and you may win free show tickets His path to success was quick. more of a success. schedule, call 770-7300. fessional photographer and talk or other prizes. P. O. Box #750211, Sidney added more and more to his Samsobeats continues to release Surrender Night Club is inside show host of the Las Vegas Today Las Vegas, NV. 89136. music, his creativity grew stronger. tracks from the hottest new DJ’s and Wynn’s Las Vegas Resort. Show and Discover the Ultimate * * * * * Page 14 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 HipHop’sStarsatPalmsCasinoLaborDayWeekend Kendrick Lamar, LL Cool J, Ashanti and Shwayze to perform top hits for Palms Partygoers This Week in Las Vegas

By Mike Kermani

KENDRICK LAMAR SHWAYZE

ASHANTI LL COOL J By Mike Kermani Las Vegas Tribune KEVIN JAMES & RAY ROMANO This Labor Day Weekend, Palms Casino Resort will treat holi- beyond showrooms and interview dates as previously announced. day revelers to an action-packed sets, Miller has also made a name * * * * * weekend complete with headlining for himself as a film actor and au- VENETIAN’S SANDS talent Kendrick Lamar, LL Cool J, thor. Notable motion picture cred- SHOWROOM ADDS DATES Ashanti and Shwayze. As with any its include such mid-‘90s favorites Additional dates have been great weekend at Palms, the excite- as “Disclosure,” “The Net” and added to The Sands Showroom ment kicks off with the famed “Murder at 1600 Pennsylvania Av- 2013 performance lineup for talent “Ditch Fridays” pool party, the best enue.” Miller’s “rant” books, in- Human Nature and Rita Rudner. excuse to skip work on a Friday and cluding “I Rant Therefore I Am,” Human Nature, Australia’s top- get the three-day weekend started “Ranting Again” and “The Rants” selling pop vocal group and a Las early. have all been on The New York Vegas favorite have reimagined the Full Labor Day weekend lineup Times best-sellers list. sounds of Motown to bring you a includes: Miller is host of the nationally show that’s as unexpected as it is Friday, Aug. 30 syndicated radio show, “The Den- amazing. The critically acclaimed Palms Pool (12 noon) - A pow- nis Miller Show,” airing weekdays quartet puts a modern twist on clas- erful force in the industry, Kendrick from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST at sic Motown hits, featuring songs by Lamar, will kick off the hottest pool www.dennismillerradio.com. Four Tops, The Supremes, The party in Vegas, “Ditch Fridays,” Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are Temptations, Stevie Wonder and with top hits such as “Swimming available starting from $49.95, plus more in Smokey Robinson presents Pools,” “Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Po- tax and convenience fees, and can Human Nature: The Motown Show. etic Justice” and “Memories Back be purchased at any Boyd Gaming Weekly, Thursday through Mon- Then.” Box Office, by calling day and Wednesday, October 2 & Palms.com pre-sale tickets are 702.365.7075, or visiting 9, 7 p.m. available starting at $25 for ladies www.orleanscasino.com. Rita Rudner, the multi-award- and $50 for gentlemen. * * * * * winning comedienne, holds the dis- Moon Nightclub (11 p.m.) – TERRY FATOR, RAY tinguished honor of having the Grammy-Award winning song- ROMANO & KEVIN JAMES longest-running, most successful stress and actress, Ashanti, has AT MIRAGE one person comedy show in the his- graced the top of the charts with hits The Aces of Comedy series at tory of Las Vegas. An internation- including “Foolish,” “Rock Wit U The Mirage Hotel & Casino fea- ally renowned entertainer and best- (Awww Baby,)” “Happy” and tures one of the country’s most selling author, Rudner has starred “Good Good.” The gorgeous per- comprehensive and diverse come- in seven HBO comedy specials, her former will jumpstart the party in GABE KAPLAN dic lineups. The 1,265-seat Terry own PBS special, and has written celebration of her upcoming album “Welcome Back, Kotter,” which and crowd favorite Dennis Miller Fator Theatre at The Mirage hosts several movie scripts. One of the “Braveheart,” which features her aired on ABC from 1975 to 1979. returns to The Orleans Showroom more than 100 performances annu- most legendary performers in the latest single, “Never Should Have.” Kaplan was also the “ABC Team September 7 and 8. ally as part of this comedy series. business, Rudner has headlined in Palms.com pre-sale tickets are Captain” in several “Battle of the Celebrated as a witty comedian The Mirage welcomes the return Las Vegas since 2000. Shows: July available starting at $20 for ladies Network Stars” specials, and ap- with an entertaining and intriguing of comedians Ray Romano (“Ev- 16, August 20, September 10, Oc- and $40 for gentlemen. peared in guest roles on “Murder, stand-up routine, Miller keeps au- erybody Loves Raymond”) and tober 1, 8, 22, 28, 29, November 5 Saturday, Aug. 31 She Wrote,” “The Love Boat,” “Po- diences laughing with his irrever- “Hitch” star Kevin James as they & 12, at 8:30 p.m. Palms Pool (12 noon) - Iconic lice Story,” among other programs. ent observations. A favorite of the perform together at the Terry Fator * * * * * hip hop artist, actor and heartthrob, Kaplan also served as commenta- public and critics alike, The New Theatre Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. Mike Kermani is an entertain- LL Cool J, will be live featuring DJ tor or participant on “Poker After York Times said, “Mr. Miller is ex- and Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ment writer for the Las Vegas Tri- Z-Trip at “Ditch Saturdays.” Dark,” “World Poker Tour” and co- quisitely attuned to contemporary and 10 p.m. Romano will charm the bune newspaper. He writes a weekly Palms.com pre-sale tickets are host on “High Stakes Poker” on foibles ... his material can be scath- audience with his smooth comedic column in this newspaper. To con- available starting at $20 for ladies GSN. ing, his delivery low-key ... Mr. style while James will entertain tact Mike Kermani, email and $40 for gentlemen. Film credits include: “Fast Miller reaches a bit farther than audience members with his quick mkermani@ lasvegas tribune.com Moon Nightclub (11 p.m.) – Break,” “Tulips” and “Nobody’s most comedians for the scorching wit. Tickets are $99.99, $110.99 and Rapper Shwayze, known for hits Perfekt.” He has also appeared as comment ... this smart aleck has an $120.99 plus tax and service fees. such as “Buzzin” and “Corona and Groucho Marx in the stage produc- uncommonly sharp eye.” Comedian Ray Romano will re- Lime,” which reached #23 on the tion “Groucho,” which was also Called “one of the premiere turn to the Terry Fator Theatre at Billboard charts and #3 in the filmed for HBO, and the Broadway comedy talents in America today,” The Mirage Friday, Nov. 22 at 10 iTunes store, will deliver a high- comedy “Doubles.” Miller emerged on the national p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 energy performance for holiday Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets scene during the 1980s as the p.m. Romano is a talented stand-up weekend revelers. are available from $15.95 each, plus “Weekend Update” correspondent comedian and actor best known for Palms.com pre-sale tickets are tax and convenience fees, and can on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” his Emmy-winning sitcom “Every- available starting at $20 for ladies be purchased at any Boyd Gaming After leaving SNL in 1991, Miller body Loves Raymond,” and as the and $40 for gentlemen. Box Office, by calling moved to HBO, where he hosted the voice of Manny in the “Ice Age” Partygoers looking to elevate 702.636.7075, or visiting http:// critically-acclaimed talk show franchise. Tickets are $49.99, their Labor Day Weekend experi- www.suncoastcasino.com/. “Dennis Miller Live” for nine sea- $59.99 and $69.99 plus tax and ser- ence can reserve cabanas and VIP * * * * * sons. Miller is a regular on Fox vice fees. tables by calling (702)942-6832 or DENNIS MILLER News Channel’s “Hannity” and Note that due to scheduling con- online at Palms.com. AT ORLEANS “The O’Reilly Factor.” He was also flicts, Kevin James will not be ap- * * * * * Award-Winning Comedian and host and executive producer of pearing with Ray Romano for these RITA RUDNER GABE KAPLAN AT Talk Show Host Dennis Miller Re- CNBC’s “Dennis Miller,” which SUNCOAST turns to The Orleans Showroom featured conversation, opinion and Stand-up comedian, actor, September 7-8 humor. writer, and pro poker player and Five-time Emmy Award winner In a career that has spanned far commentator Gabe Kaplan – the star of ‘70s sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter” — brings his stand-up act to the Suncoast Showroom, Sep- tember 7 and 8. Kaplan, originally eyeing a pro- fessional baseball career, got his break as a stand-up comedian on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” – opening the door for him to book regular appearances on variety shows such as “The Merv Griffin Show,” “The Mike Douglas Show” and “The Sonny and Cher Show.” Kaplan is probably best-known for co-creating and starring as the title character in the popular sitcom HUMAN NATURE Page 14 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 August 7-13, 2013 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 15 HipHop’sStarsatPalmsCasinoLaborDayWeekend ACelebrationAtViaBrasilSteakhouse Kendrick Lamar, LL Cool J, Ashanti and Shwayze to perform top hits for Palms Partygoers By Pete Allman Las Vegas Tribune The Gomez Family has been tantilizing tastbuds for over 27 This Week years in New York. For the last four years, Adam Gomez and his wife, Anna Gomez, have successfully in Las Vegas celebrated the Brazilian lifestyle with their restaurant, Via Brasil Steakhouse, located in Summerlin, By Mike Kermani a short drive from the Las Vegas Strip. On the 8th of September, Sunday, they will present The Bra- zilian Outdoor Festival, from 2 p.m. -10 p.m., outside of their restaurant. PETE ALLMAN KENDRICK LAMAR SHWAYZE The event will have Samba danc- the Executive Chef’s favorite, his ers, Capoeira Performers, Brazilian own cheesecake and chocalate Live Bands, Fire Dancers, Face mouse. Delightful to say the least. Painting, Stilt Walkers, and Brazil- The dessert popular in Brazil, ian food and cocktails. All this for which is prepared by Chef Eddie in a $5.00 advance-purchase ticket. his own style, is the Banana Flambe This particular celebration will also for two. It consists of a huge scoop have shopping opportunities. of vanilla ice cream with pineapple Culinary Journey and strawberries, and fused This journey is totally gramamie with bananas in a mar- mouthwatering and a true celebra- tini glass. Frankly speaking, that’s tion of the culture of Brazil. Mark enough for four people. Richards, who has dined with me Four Stars: Celebrity Scene on numerous occasions, was so News awards Four Stars to Via elated with our cuisine that he of- fered to videotape the entire festi- val for the Gomez family. Louis Rosa, the restaurant man- ager, introduced us to their 360 ASHANTI LL COOL J wine celler, displaying wines from By Mike Kermani around the world. I enjoyed the Las Vegas Tribune KEVIN JAMES & RAY ROMANO wines from Argentina.Via Brasil This Labor Day Weekend, Steakhouse also has a cozy cock- beyond showrooms and interview dates as previously announced. Palms Casino Resort will treat holi- tail area to the left of the entrance sets, Miller has also made a name * * * * * day revelers to an action-packed of the restaurant. It has a special for himself as a film actor and au- VENETIAN’S SANDS weekend complete with headlining menu created by Executive Chef, thor. Notable motion picture cred- SHOWROOM ADDS DATES talent Kendrick Lamar, LL Cool J, Michael Irwin. its include such mid-‘90s favorites Additional dates have been Ashanti and Shwayze. As with any For those who can eat their heart as “Disclosure,” “The Net” and added to The Sands Showroom great weekend at Palms, the excite- out, here’s what the buffet offers at “Murder at 1600 Pennsylvania Av- 2013 performance lineup for talent ment kicks off with the famed $26.99 for the salad bar. There are enue.” Miller’s “rant” books, in- Human Nature and Rita Rudner. “Ditch Fridays” pool party, the best 35 options, some of which are cluding “I Rant Therefore I Am,” Human Nature, Australia’s top- excuse to skip work on a Friday and Clams, Mussels, fried Talapia, Lob- “Ranting Again” and “The Rants” selling pop vocal group and a Las get the three-day weekend started ster Bisque or the Soup of the Day, have all been on The New York Vegas favorite have reimagined the early. Bok Choy, Seafood Salad, Chinese Times best-sellers list. sounds of Motown to bring you a Full Labor Day weekend lineup Eggplant, Roasted Red Pepper Miller is host of the nationally show that’s as unexpected as it is includes: Hummus, Beef Capaccio, Arti- syndicated radio show, “The Den- amazing. The critically acclaimed Friday, Aug. 30 choke Hearts, Fresh Fruits and nis Miller Show,” airing weekdays quartet puts a modern twist on clas- Palms Pool (12 noon) - A pow- Prosciutto.Well, you’ve got plenty from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST at sic Motown hits, featuring songs by erful force in the industry, Kendrick to eat here. www.dennismillerradio.com. Four Tops, The Supremes, The Lamar, will kick off the hottest pool For the price of $45.99, one can Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are Temptations, Stevie Wonder and party in Vegas, “Ditch Fridays,” have the salad bar and all the won- available starting from $49.95, plus more in Smokey Robinson presents with top hits such as “Swimming derful meats and fish. Top Sirloin, tax and convenience fees, and can Human Nature: The Motown Show. Pools,” “Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Po- Leg of Lamb, Short Ribs, Brazil- be purchased at any Boyd Gaming Weekly, Thursday through Mon- etic Justice” and “Memories Back ian Sausage, Flank Steak, N.Y. Strip Box Office, by calling day and Wednesday, October 2 & Then.” Steak, Filet Mignon wrapped in ba- 702.365.7075, or visiting 9, 7 p.m. Palms.com pre-sale tickets are con, Steelhead Salmon, Garlic www.orleanscasino.com. Rita Rudner, the multi-award- available starting at $25 for ladies Steak and Prosciutto wrapped in * * * * * winning comedienne, holds the dis- and $50 for gentlemen. Pork Loin. TERRY FATOR, RAY tinguished honor of having the Moon Nightclub (11 p.m.) – Side dishes ROMANO & KEVIN JAMES longest-running, most successful Grammy-Award winning song- Food lovers enjoy side dishes AT MIRAGE one person comedy show in the his- stress and actress, Ashanti, has which are special orders. asparagus, The Aces of Comedy series at tory of Las Vegas. An internation- graced the top of the charts with hits creamed corn, sauteed spinach, The Mirage Hotel & Casino fea- ally renowned entertainer and best- including “Foolish,” “Rock Wit U hand-cut fries, collard greens, fried Brasil Steakhouse for a festive din- tures one of the country’s most selling author, Rudner has starred (Awww Baby,)” “Happy” and babana, fejioa tropeiro, farofa, ing adventure and an excellent buf- comprehensive and diverse come- in seven HBO comedy specials, her “Good Good.” The gorgeous per- sautted mushrooms and grilled fet. We recommend their Sunday dic lineups. The 1,265-seat Terry own PBS special, and has written former will jumpstart the party in GABE KAPLAN cheese; and of course, mashed po- Brunch, which is served from 10 Fator Theatre at The Mirage hosts several movie scripts. One of the celebration of her upcoming album “Welcome Back, Kotter,” which and crowd favorite Dennis Miller tatoes. a.m. – 2 p.m. The price is a mere more than 100 performances annu- most legendary performers in the “Braveheart,” which features her aired on ABC from 1975 to 1979. returns to The Orleans Showroom Desserts $24.99. ally as part of this comedy series. business, Rudner has headlined in latest single, “Never Should Have.” Kaplan was also the “ABC Team September 7 and 8. Rodriqo, our waiter, served us Tell them Pete Allman sent ya! Palms.com pre-sale tickets are Captain” in several “Battle of the Celebrated as a witty comedian The Mirage welcomes the return Las Vegas since 2000. Shows: July available starting at $20 for ladies Network Stars” specials, and ap- with an entertaining and intriguing of comedians Ray Romano (“Ev- 16, August 20, September 10, Oc- and $40 for gentlemen. peared in guest roles on “Murder, stand-up routine, Miller keeps au- erybody Loves Raymond”) and tober 1, 8, 22, 28, 29, November 5 Saturday, Aug. 31 She Wrote,” “The Love Boat,” “Po- diences laughing with his irrever- “Hitch” star Kevin James as they & 12, at 8:30 p.m. Palms Pool (12 noon) - Iconic lice Story,” among other programs. ent observations. A favorite of the perform together at the Terry Fator * * * * * hip hop artist, actor and heartthrob, Kaplan also served as commenta- public and critics alike, The New Theatre Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. Mike Kermani is an entertain- LL Cool J, will be live featuring DJ tor or participant on “Poker After York Times said, “Mr. Miller is ex- and Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ment writer for the Las Vegas Tri- Z-Trip at “Ditch Saturdays.” Dark,” “World Poker Tour” and co- quisitely attuned to contemporary and 10 p.m. Romano will charm the bune newspaper. He writes a weekly Palms.com pre-sale tickets are host on “High Stakes Poker” on foibles ... his material can be scath- audience with his smooth comedic column in this newspaper. To con- available starting at $20 for ladies GSN. ing, his delivery low-key ... Mr. style while James will entertain tact Mike Kermani, email and $40 for gentlemen. Film credits include: “Fast Miller reaches a bit farther than audience members with his quick mkermani@ lasvegas tribune.com Moon Nightclub (11 p.m.) – Break,” “Tulips” and “Nobody’s most comedians for the scorching wit. Tickets are $99.99, $110.99 and Rapper Shwayze, known for hits Perfekt.” He has also appeared as comment ... this smart aleck has an $120.99 plus tax and service fees. such as “Buzzin” and “Corona and Groucho Marx in the stage produc- uncommonly sharp eye.” Comedian Ray Romano will re- Lime,” which reached #23 on the tion “Groucho,” which was also Called “one of the premiere turn to the Terry Fator Theatre at Billboard charts and #3 in the filmed for HBO, and the Broadway comedy talents in America today,” The Mirage Friday, Nov. 22 at 10 iTunes store, will deliver a high- comedy “Doubles.” Miller emerged on the national p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 energy performance for holiday Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets scene during the 1980s as the p.m. Romano is a talented stand-up weekend revelers. are available from $15.95 each, plus “Weekend Update” correspondent comedian and actor best known for Palms.com pre-sale tickets are tax and convenience fees, and can on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” his Emmy-winning sitcom “Every- available starting at $20 for ladies be purchased at any Boyd Gaming After leaving SNL in 1991, Miller body Loves Raymond,” and as the and $40 for gentlemen. Box Office, by calling moved to HBO, where he hosted the voice of Manny in the “Ice Age” Partygoers looking to elevate 702.636.7075, or visiting http:// critically-acclaimed talk show franchise. Tickets are $49.99, their Labor Day Weekend experi- www.suncoastcasino.com/. “Dennis Miller Live” for nine sea- $59.99 and $69.99 plus tax and ser- ence can reserve cabanas and VIP * * * * * sons. Miller is a regular on Fox vice fees. tables by calling (702)942-6832 or DENNIS MILLER News Channel’s “Hannity” and Note that due to scheduling con- online at Palms.com. AT ORLEANS “The O’Reilly Factor.” He was also flicts, Kevin James will not be ap- * * * * * Award-Winning Comedian and host and executive producer of pearing with Ray Romano for these RITA RUDNER GABE KAPLAN AT Talk Show Host Dennis Miller Re- CNBC’s “Dennis Miller,” which JoyfulParties SUNCOAST turns to The Orleans Showroom featured conversation, opinion and Stand-up comedian, actor, September 7-8 humor. writer, and pro poker player and Five-time Emmy Award winner In a career that has spanned far commentator Gabe Kaplan – the Guaranteed! star of ‘70s sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter” — brings his stand-up act to the Suncoast Showroom, Sep- tember 7 and 8. Corporate, private, cruises, Kaplan, originally eyeing a pro- fessional baseball career, got his schools, hospitals, libraries, break as a stand-up comedian on “The Tonight Show Starring festivals, birthdays, Johnny Carson” – opening the door for him to book regular appearances holidays... many different on variety shows such as “The Merv Griffin Show,” “The Mike characters. Affordable. Douglas Show” and “The Sonny and Cher Show.” Kaplan is probably best-known Call “Vegas Best Party” for co-creating and starring as the title character in the popular sitcom at 702-956-7333 HUMAN NATURE Page 18 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 A Message From Nik At Nite blazing solo work and rich en- sembles.As always with the adven- turous Becker and Fagen, a few sur- prises may be in store as well. Steely Dan has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and helped define the soundtrack of the ’70s with hits such as “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “F.M., Peg, Hey Nine- teen,” “Deacon Blues” and “Babylon Sisters,” culled from their comedy shows at Sydney, the “New York Comedy Festival” seven platinum albums issued be- Australia’s Acer Arena and and has appeared on “Seinfeld,” tween 1972 and 1980 (including Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena in “Viper,” “The Sarah Silverman Pro- 1977’s groundbreaking “Aja”). 2010. gram,” “Men of a CertainAge” and They reunited in the early ’90s, Starting in 2008, Peters was one “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The New launching a string of sold-out tours. of the first stand-up comedians to York Times describes Havey as In 2000, they released multi- self-finance, self-produce and dis- “cocksure, irreverent and very Grammy winner (including Album tribute his own comedy specials and funny.” Of The Year) Two Against Nature , DVDs, with Red, White and Brown Mike Preminger: Mike and released its acclaimed follow- and 2011’s, The Green Card Tour Preminger is not just a stand-up up Everything Must Go in 2003. LIVE from the O2 Arena . The comedian, but also a writer. They were inducted into the Rock DVDs went on to sell more than Preminger’s career began in New and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. 250,000 units across North York and he has since appeared on Doors at the Pearl will open at 7 America. Peters is currently devel- “The Tonight Show,” “The Merv p.m. and show time is 8 p.m. The oping original programming for Griffin Show,” “The Mike Douglas Pearl Box Office is open daily from Netflix. Show” and “The Dean Martin Sum- noon until 7 p.m. with extended Listed on the Forbes List as one mer Show.”After his children were hours on select event days. The of the top ten Highest Earning Com- born, Preminger focused on his Pearl is now on Twitter. Follow ics in the U.S. in 2009 and 2010, writing career and co-wrote the film @PearlatPalms for concert an- Russell Peters has spent the past 23 “Nothing in Common” starring nouncements and event informa- years building a career to become Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason. By Jerry Fink guitarist Andres Segovia. After a tion. one of the biggest comics in the Following the film, he and his writ- Las Vegas Tribune relentless pursuit, Segovia finally * * * * * world. ing partner wrote numerous televi- “We had a fabulous evening at permitted Esteban to play for him COMEDIAN Doors at the Pearl will open at 7 sion movies, including “Gleason,” the Foundation Room last Thursday in 1974 and invited him to Santiago RUSSELL PETERS p.m. and show time is 8 p.m. The a biopic about Jackie Gleason. even though, at times, it was so de Compostela in northern Spain AT PALMS AUGUST 24 Pearl Box Office is open daily from However, Preminger has once again crowded you couldn’t move. I can- for master classes. Following those World renowned comedian noon until 7 p.m. with extended taken the stage and continued to do not find enough superlatives for the classes, Esteban was invited to Russell Peters is set to bring his No- hours on select event days. Follow what he loves the most- making band which consisted of Joey Madrid to study privately in torious World Tour to at The Pearl The Pearl on Twitter at people laugh. Singer on keys, Steve Golden on Segovia’s famous fourth-floor stu- inside Palms Casino Resort onAug. @PearlatPalms for concert an- Zach Risen: Zach Risen made winds and Ryan Rose on drums. dio. 24, 2013 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at nouncements and event informa- his comedy debut as a freshman at There were some showstoppers In 1978, Segovia gave Esteban $49, plus any additional service tion. the University of Nevada, Las Ve- which included a guest appearance his endorsement, and he returned Russell Peters’Notorious World * * * * * gas. Risen’s fraternity brothers con- by The Fab (who were playing in to America and began touring the Tour features all new material from THE IMPROV vinced him to go on stage and per- the Mizuya Lounge downstairs). world. One year later, Esteban was the Brampton, Ontario raised AT HARRAH’S: form during dead time at a UNLV “We were also joined by Martin in an automobile accident involv- comic. The tour has become the AUGUST 6– AUGUST 11 event, and the crowd laughed Mancuso who wowed the crowd ing a speeding drunk driver. Be- highest attended comedy show in The world-famous Improv at throughout his entire set. Since with his alto sax and John Acosta, cause of severe damage to his left the history of the UnitedArab Emir- Harrah’s Las Vegas is the longest- then, Risen has performed at nu- from theAustralian Bee Gees Show arm and hand, he lost the ability to ates, Oman, Lebanon, SouthAfrica, running comedy club on the Las merous venues in Las Vegas, in- at the Excalibur, who accompanied play the guitar to his high standards Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vegas Strip. The Improv’s ability to cluding Palace Station Hotel and himself on keys. for the next 10 years. By 1990, Malaysia and his home country of showcase young comedians, as well Casino, “X Burlesque” at The Fla- “There were too many guest through dedication and the love of Canada, selling out arenas of up to as bring in big names, has attrib- mingo Las Vegas and The Improv singers to list here (if I did, I’m sure music, he began to once again play 16,000 fans. In Dubai, Peters was uted to its longevity and success . at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Risen has to forget someone). the music he so loved. the fastest selling concert in the his- Each week, The Improv show- also performed alongside comedi- “In addition to members of the * * * * * tory of the Emirate outselling Ma- cases three of the funniest and ans such as Brad Garret and Ron House of Blues Foundation Room LEGENDARY ROCKERS donna. freshest faces in comedy, creating White. (whose mission is to support live ORLEANS AND FIREFALL In November 2012, Peters be- a show that is always unique and Shows are at 8:30 p.m. and 10 music and music scholarship and TO PERFORM AT came the first comedian to play definitely funny. The comedians p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. training for young people), we had SUNSET STATION Brooklyn’s new Barclays Center. who will perform August 6 – Au- Tickets are $29.05 or $44.95 (plus familiar as well as new faces cheer- Legendary rockers Orleans and More than 10,000 fans attended the gust 11 are: applicable taxes and fees) for VIP ing us on. Thanks to all who at- special guests Firefall are returning show, making it the largest comedy Allan Havey: Allan Havey be- tickets that include special seating, tended,” said Nikolas “Nik at Nite” to Las Vegas with a special perfor- show ever in the history of the New gan his comedy career in New York an Improv t-shirt and post-show Mastrangelo mance at Club Madrid inside Sun- York City borough. in 1978 as part of the comedy duo meet-and-greet with the comics. * * * * * set Station on Friday, Aug. 23 at 8 Peters’ last special, The Green Two for Nothing. Five years later, Special two-for-one tickets are also TWO JOIN LINEUP OF p.m. Card Tour LIVE From the O2Arena Havey began performing individual available for locals for the 10 p.m. LIVE HAPPY HOUR Tickets for Orleans and Firefall , was recorded in London in 2010. stand-up and quickly became a show. Tickets are available at PERFORMERS AT are $22.50, $32.50 and $39.50 plus The special was broadcast on regular in clubs around the city. Harrah’s Box Office (702-369- TROPICANA tax and applicable fees and go on Showtime, Comedy Central and After being selected as one of the 5223) and online at Acclaimed guitarist Stephen sale Friday, July 19 at 10 a.m. Netflix USA and Netflix UK. In original hosts on Comedy Central www.harrahslasvegas.com. “Esteban” Paul and daughter, vio- Doors open at 7 p.m. and guests 2009, Peters set a UK attendance in 1989, Havey created, hosted and * * * * * linist Teresa Joy, will perform an under 21 must be accompanied by record for the highest attendance for produced “Night after Night with Jerry Fink is an entertainment exclusive special engagement in the an adult. Tickets can be purchased a one-off comedy show with more Allan Havey,” which ran for three columnist for the Las Vegas Tribune Tropicana Lounge at The New at any Station Casinos Reward Cen- than 16,000 fans attending his show years. Havey has showcased his newspaper and writes a weekly col- Tropicana Las Vegas through Aug. ter and The Fiestas, by logging onto at the O2 Arena. Peters also went comedy at the “Just for Laughs umn. To contact Jerry Fink, email 23. The father-daughter string duo www.sclv.com/concerts or through on to have the highest attended Comedy Festival” in Montreal and him at jfink@ lasvegastribune.com. will take audiences on a cultural trip Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or rich with music ranging from clas- www.ticketmaster.com. For com- sical to flamenco, pop, Broadway plete tour details, visit and a few very special Spanish bal- www.orleansonline.com. lads. * * * * * Performances will be held dur- STEELY DAN BRINGS ing the Tropicana Lounge’s Happy TOUR TO THE PEARL Hour from 5-8 p.m. Visit http:// ON AUGUST 23 trop.lv/TropLounge for Tropicana Legendary jazz-rock icons Lounge Happy Hour drink specials. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen Given the special name have announced a summer/fall tour “Esteban” by the legendary classi- ‘Mood Swings 2013: 8 Miles to cal guitarist Andres Segovia during Pancake Day’ which will head to his years of study with the master The Pearl inside Palms Casino Re- in Spain, he has since accomplished sort on Aug. 23, 2013 at 8 p.m. musical successes never before at- Tickets start at $80, plus any addi- tained by any guitarist. In addition tional service fees. to his concerts, which have been Concertgoers can expect an described as “memorable moments evening of the same high-level of of the heart and soul,” Esteban has musical excellence that garnered topped the Billboard charts many raves from fans and critics alike, times with his numerous albums, and which was described by the LA videos and DVDs, and established Times thusly: “Everyone gathered record-setting album sales. He has Friday evening was a believer — also been featured on the front page and they were treated to something of The Wall Street Journal and made close to rapture.” The Chicago Sun- appearances on the Home Shopping Times raved “This was different. Network. This was live. This was vibrant. Admission is free to the This was a cascade of color carried Tropicana Lounge; however all along by Fagen, Becker, eight bril- guests in attendance must be 21 liant supporting musicians and years of age or older. For more in- three superb backing vocalists.” formation or to arrange hotel and Onstage, Becker and Fagen will dining reservations, visit be joined by those same eight bril- www.troplv.com or call 1-800-829- liant supporting musicians, now 9034. appearing as The Bipolar Allstars About Esteban (featuring Keith Carlock on drums, Known as the “Man in Black,” Freddie Washington on bass, Jim Esteban was born in Pittsburgh, Beard on keyboards, and Jon Pennsylvania. The son of a steel Herington on guitar), along with mill worker, he put his fingers on The Borderline Brats — three sub- the strings of his first guitar at the lime, soulful songbirds. Together, age of eight. From that moment on, they will treat audiences to selec- Esteban’s focus was on the guitar, tions from The Dan’s extraordinary teaching himself to play by prac- four-decade catalog, rich with in- ticing in every spare moment. fectious tunes, bodacious harmo- His desire was to eventually nies, irresistible grooves and sleek, study with the legendary classical subversive lyrics, punctuated by August 7-13, 2013 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 19 HEALTH&LIFESTYLES Tommy Bahama Restaurant celebrated their 20th Anniversary By Sandy Zimmerman Las Vegas Tribune Photos by Sandy Zimmerman unless otherwise indicated Twenty years ago the first Tommy Bahama Restaurant opened in Naples, Florida. Currently they have 14 restau- rants in the United States and one near the Ginza, in Tokyo, Japan. Tommy Bahama Restaurant’s private anniversary party ran from 3 to 7 p.m. June 28, at the Town Square Shopping Center. The companies’ vision state- ment, “Make life one long week- end,” had universal appeal, a feel- ing of joie de vivre (enjoyment of life). That is the perfect description of the Tommy Bahama Restaurant. Just because their name refers to Bahamian cuisine that is not all they serve. Executive Chef Jason Talbott explained, “Our cuisine is from the islands of the Caribbean, Hawaii and with our own Spanish flair as well. We try to balance the flavors to create island-inspired cuisine.” You can tell by the names of the dishes on the menu they are from the American islands of Captiva, Sanibel and Key West. The international selections are from Cuba, Boca Chica/Dominican Republic, Cook Islands, Barbados and Jamaica. There is traditional Hawaiian andAmerican comfort food all with an island twist. The appetizers are Tommy Bahama Restaurant-Patio fun to eat, every bite bursting with follows the Monterey Bay ibbean terminology: Sitting in a same menu as in the restaurant. producing television programs, TV tropical flavors. This is food you Aquarium Sustainable Seafood pool, at a cabana or bungalow.) They stock the largest rum collec- commercials, and travel specials can share. Program. We oversee our purchases The Tommy Bahama Restaurant tion in Las Vegas, 240 rums. Happy for 28 years. Sandy is a syndicated RobAspaas, Restaurant General to make certain that all the seafood is health-conscious and will adjust Hours are scheduled from 4-7 p.m. Show and Dining Reviewer, travel Manager, commented, “We offer a we use is approved and stable. We their dishes to suit your needs. They daily, island time. Tommy Bahama writer, Health journalist, profes- unique experience you do not get want the couple coming in for a date serve grilled, baked and raw appe- Restaurant is located in the Town sional photographer and talk show anywhere else. The Tommy night, a family, business lunch and tizers with just a few fried. The cir- square Las Vegas Shopping center, host of the Las Vegas Today Show Bahama Restaurant’s cuisine is on the party of 80 for a celebration.” cular dining room has large win- 6635 Las Vegas Boulevard, Suite. and Discover the Ultimate Vacation such a high-level we exceed expec- Besides seafood, the menu in- dows with outside views. Tommy #125, around 1 mile from the travel specials. For information or tations in every facet. I bring in sea- cludes salads, burgers, sandwiches, Bahama arranges parties in their Mandalay Bay Resort. questions about any of Sandy’s col- food every day because we want to steaks, pasta, tacos, slider, vegetar- Golden room or the Bahama room. Award winning Sandy umns, contact Sandy Zimmerman have fresh items. Our restaurant ian and Bungalow favorites. (Car- The cocktail lounge offers the Zimmerman has been involved in at: (702)-731-6491.

Short Rib Sliders (Photo by the Tommy Bahama Restaurant) Barbados Brownie

The tacos are ready to take to the table. Executive Chef Jason Talbott Page 20 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / August 7-13, 2013 PLACES TO GO QUICK GETAWAYS Atmosphere Is Everything

By Sandy Zimmerman Sandy’s columns, contact Sandy Las Vegas Tribune Zimmerman at P. O. Box #750211, Photos by Sandy Zimmerman Las Vegas, NV. 89136. When you are bored with the SUGGESTIONS: Do you have a ordinary vacation, Mexicana Air- favorite inn, hotel, or resort in the lines gives you the extraordinary! United States or around the world? The solution is to escape to Los Why does it appeal to you? Please Cabos, the “other” side of Mexico. send your suggestion explaining the Known for their famous Arch (Los reasons for your choice, your name, Arcos) natural rock formation, you telephone number, e-mail address, will find that the food is UNBE- and you may win free show tickets LIEVABLE and the resorts IN- or other prizes. P. O. Box #750211, CREDIBLE! Las Vegas, NV. 89136. The Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar * * * * * Resort is nestled along 28 acres fronting the Sea of Cortez, adjourn- ing 2 golf courses. Everything is at your fingertips. You will love walk- ing along the resort’s cobblestone streets, to take your time and sit at their fountains. Your most difficult decision is whether to swim in one of the two cascading pools or the infinity pool. When you ready for a gourmet’s delight. Just a few steps from the beach, the D’ Cortez Grill & Res- taurant prepares their entrees on a wood grill. When you bite into their prime steaks, you will realize the difference! The steaks are specially cut to portions of 14 ounce New York and rib eye steaks, 20 ounce cowboy steaks, and 24 ounce por- terhouse steaks. Chef Angelina adds an artistic touch to the Crown of Rack Lamb. Angelina takes several ribs, leaves them together, and only cuts off the lamb loin meat. It is served with the ribs standing up in the middle of the plate and pieces of lamb around them. One delicious appetizer crab in a cocoon- cooked in its shell- is very tender and juicy! Their truffled medallions of sea bass have a tasty combination of flavors. Another specialty, Veal cutlet prepared in champagne perfumed Morrel sauce. Choose from 5 restaurants: Tomates (international), Pitahayas (5 star diamond awarded restau- rant), Girasoles (Mexican), D’ Cortez Grill (prime steaks and sea- food), and Las Sirenas (poolside palapa). Stop at the Tequila bar La Suerte to taste one of their 100 Tequilas. The resort offers a spa, fitness center, cocktail lounges, shopping, and children’s activity programs. Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort, Cabo del Sol, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Penin- sula, Mexico, (888)-672-7137, (800)-325-3535. Check the internet for special spa, meals, and roman- tic packages. For more information go online and visit www.sheraton.com/ ithaciendadelmar or the website www.sheratonhaciendadelmar.com. Located on the southern tip of the 1,000 mile long Baja Califor- nia Peninsula, Los Cabos offers four exciting areas: East Cape, San Jose del Cabo, the Tourist Corridor, and Cabo San Lucas. In the 40’s, San Lucas and San Jose were small isolated fishing villages surrounded by the desert and sea. John Steinbeck chartered a boat in Monterey in order to explore the area, and wrote “The Log from the Sea of Cortez.” Hollywood discov- ered Los Cabos in the 50’s! John Wayne and Bing Crosby enjoyed the plentiful deep sea fishing and brought film crews to produce newsreels. * * * * * Award winning Sandy Zimmerman has been involved in producing television programs, TV commercials, and travel specials for 28 years. Sandy is a syndicated show and dining reviewer, travel writer, professional photographer and talk show host of the Las Ve- gas Today Show and Discover the Ultimate Vacation travel specials. For information or questions about