Monday, October 31, 2011

Trick Or Treater Killed In Las Vegas

From the Las Vegas Sun: A 12-year-old girl hit by a vehicle Monday night near Sahara Avenue and Hualapai Way has died, according to Metro Police.
The girl was stuck around 8:22 p.m. by a Mazda at Blue Willow Lane and Sandstone Bluff, officials said. She was taken to University Medical Center.
Police, who are still investigating the scene, said she had been trick-or-treating
. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/31/12-year-old-struck-mazda/
How terribly sad and how terribly unnecessary. This is in the Lakes area of town and on a side street, a mostly higher class of town and there is no reason for a car to be going so fast that they kill someone trick or treating. Just wondering if this is an elderly driver? In the past week or so, we have had elderly drivers kill children in North Las Vegas and in Henderson.
What a waste and another youngster dies in the Las Vegas Valley.

Nevada's Wasted Week Of Education

This week, most of Nevada High high school students will be taking proficiency exams or they will be affected by the tests.
Proficiency exams test a student's knowledge in science, reading, math and writing. Supposedly, it will tell people that people in Nevada know something. Well they are wrong.
First, these exams cost millions of dollars and man hours buying the test, passing out the tests in a secure manner, administering the tests, gathering up the tests in a secure manner and then grading the tests. This is not free and there are many people making good money from the company that lands the test contract to the people who grade the tests. It's a nice scam at the expense of taxpayers and students.
Then, on the days the tests are given, the students are herded into classrooms and take the test for almost 3 hours. The students who don't take the test or have passed it, don't go to class, for the most part. They treat the mornings of the test as free time, and at our school, they spend their time in the cafeteria. They go to class the last 2 or 3 periods of the day.
The teachers involved have to administer the test and if they are supposed to have a class while they are proctoring the test, their students go to the cafeteria.
This goes on from Monday to Thursday.
Then the tests are gathered and they are sent out to be graded. The written portion of the test is graded by teachers who are hired by the State of Nevada. More money down the drain.
In theory, proficiency exams are good. They are supposed to tell if a student is smart enough to get a diploma. But does it really? Now, the Hispanic community has the most students in the Las Vegas area and is close to being the most in the State of Nevada. Many of those students don't completely know the English language. They may know most of the material in Math and Science, but since the test is in English, many of these students will fail, thereby not graduating. And of course, this leads to our high drop out average in Nevada.
Most Special Education students will fail the test as well. Is this fair? I work with the severely disabled and with students who cannot read, write or speak. They are required to take an alternative test and that most special education students will fail. What does this accomplish?
Bottom line: Proficiency tests in Nevada are a waste of time and money. Students lose almost an entire week of education, the tests costs millions upon millions of dollars to administer and grade and that money could be better spent in the classrooms. It is also discriminatory against those who do not speak English and who are in Special Education. Eventually, the tests will be declared unconstitutional. And in the end, the tests really don't show much about the students who take the test.
It's time to get rid of proficiency testing and either refund the money back to the taxpayer or give the money used in the testing back to the classrooms.

Stupid ESPN Football Announcers

Tonight the San Diego Chargers played the Kansas City Chiefs on ESPN. Phillip Rivers, quarterback of the Chargers fumbled late in the game, denying the Chargers a chance to win the game.
The announcers kept on saying that this was "Phillip Rivers worst day ever." "The very worst day ever in his life".
Seriously, a man playing quarterback on national TV, making millions of dollars while playing a kids game, fumbles the ball and this is his worst day ever?
Did ever have a grandparent or close relative pass away or get sick? Has he ever lost a dog? Has he ever had any of his 6 kids sick and he spent the night taking care of the child? Has his car ever died while he was driving it? Did he ever get hurt playing football? Did he ever get turned down for a date? Did he ever have a nasty hangover that lasted all day? Has he ever thrown up or had diarrhea all day?
Come on, all of the above would rank as being worse than fumbling a snap in a football game. So, to the announcers of ESPN, this was not Phillip Rivers worst day ever and I am sure when he picks up his paycheck for a couple hundred thousands of dollars this week, I am sure Rivers will get over it. This was not the worst day of River's life.

Shouldn't they Have Figured This Out Before They Got Married?

From Fox News: After just 72 days of marriage, reality star Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from husband Kris Humphries Monday.
In a statement to FOX411, Kardashian said, "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage. I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision. I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best."
According to a report from TMZ, the couple was at odds over where to finally settle down. Humphries was reportedly passionate about settling down in his native Minnesota, and Kardashian simply wasn't going for it.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/10/31/kim-kardashian-to-file-for-divorce-from-kris-humphries-after-72-days-marriage/?test=faces#ixzz1cQMA5shg
The behavior of these idiots makes a mockery of marriage. And I am sure a reality show that Kardashian is in didn't factor into the marriage or divorce.
Reminds me of a story about Kardashian. Two years ago, Kardashian sponsored a NASCAR Sprint car in the Las Vegas race and then she parades out and helps with the "gentleman, start your engines" in her high heels and fancy clothes. You talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then, by the time the race was half way over, the pink car was so damaged, you couldn't see her name on the car and she was pissed and left the track quite early. The only thing worse would have been having Paris Hilton at the NASCAR race. Ooops, that happened this year. What can be worse than Kardashian or Hilton at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway? Umm, President Obama? Lady Gaga? Brittany Spears?

Thank You, Tony La Russa

From ESPN: Tony La Russa waited until after the championship parade and then called a team meeting with his players.
"We didn't know what to expect," said pitcher
Chris Carpenter, who won Game 7 of the World Series against Texas on Friday night. "I think we all figured it was just going to be like, 'Thataway guys. Great year. Way to battle!' Instead, he dropped that on us. I think everybody was caught off-guard."
And with that, the 67-year-old La Russa said goodbye to baseball and became the first manager to retire immediately after leading his team to a Series title -- the third of his career.

"I think this just feels like it's time to end it," he said Monday. "When I look in the mirror, I know I'd come back for the wrong reasons, and I didn't want to do that."
La Russa said he told general manager John Mozeliak of his decision in August -- before the Cards rallied from a 10½-game deficit in the NL wild-card race to upset Philadelphia and Milwaukee in the playoffs.
They won the thrilling seven-game Series after twice coming within a strike of elimination in Game 6.
"I tip my hat to him. He's had a great career. What a way to go out,"
Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson said.
The player meeting was short and emotional.
"Some grown men cried," La Russa said, joking that, "I kind of liked that because they made me cry a few times."

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7173381/tony-la-russa-st-louis-cardinals-says-retiring
La Russa is a great manager and a very class act. He rarely argued with the umpires and if he did, he usually had a point. He didn't throw dirt or bases. And he won. He goes out a winner as the St. Louis Cardinals won this years World Series.
Thanks for the memories, Tony, and we hope you enjoy your retirement and your family.

Pawn Stars Review: October 31, 2011

Welcome to the Halloween version of Pawn Stars. The have a mini marathon of Pawn Stars tonight.
For those who survivied the snow storm out east, all I can say is that we had 80 sunny degrees and I am jealous of the those that had the snow.
The kids are trick or treating tonight
The first episode, airing at 10:00PST was a rerun from last week: http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2011/10/pawn-stars-review-october-24-2011.html

The second episode was aired on May 2, 2011 http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2011/05/pawn-stars-review-may-2-2011.html

Thanks for stopping by and stop by again.

Obama To Kids: You Don't Need To Work

In rural areas of the country, where farms flourish, it is tradition that kids get hired to work on the farms, from digging up rocks, to working in the fields or even cleaning out the animal barns.
Well, if Obama gets his way, that's not going to happen anymore.
From the Havre Daily News: Montana’s federal lawmakers said last week they are pleased that the U. S. Department of Labor has extended a comment period on some proposals that could have “unintended consequences” on family farms and ranches.
Department of Labor originally had set a Nov. 1 deadline for comments on the first major revision on child labor laws in agriculture operations in 40 years. Last week officials extended that deadline to Dec. 1.
Montana’s U. S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, both Democrats, and U. S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican, had called on Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to extend the comment period.
The revision would exclude children younger than 16 from being hired to perform many common tasks on farms and ranches, and children younger than 18 from some. The proposed regulations would still allow children to work on their own family farms.
“I'm pleased the Labor Department has extended the public comment period, and I hope Montana family farmers will get involved and share their comments and ideas, ” Baucus said this morning. “It's a busy time for our ag producers, and they deserve the time they need to review the proposed regulations which could have unintended and widespread consequences for Montana's family farms. The bottom line here is: Any regulation that impacts our rural families should be designed with their needs in mind. ”
The proposed regulations include prohibiting any children younger than 18 from working in storing, transporting or marketing of crops, including in grain elevators, grain bins, silos, feed lots, stockyards, livestock exchanges and livestock auctions and no one younger than 16 in any action causing pain to an animal, such as branding, castration or vaccination.
It would prohibit children younger than 18 from using electronic devices, including cellphones, while operating machinery, and would limit the ability of children younger than 16 from using most power-driven equipment.
Shawn Rismon, who farms north of Havre with his wife, Stacey, and their three sons, Kade, 16, Nate, 14, and Mason, 9, said operating the farm without the children would be very difficult.
“They’re our main helpers, and they love to do it. It would make it tough, ” Shawn Rismon said. “They enjoy doing it, and having that extra help on the farm helps.
http://www.havredailynews.com/news/story-281780.html
I realize a community organizer who never worked on a farm would have no clue about life on the farm, but apparently no one else in his cabinet has a clue either.
Another reason to say good bye to the family farm.

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

From the Las Vegas Sun: A man charged with using undocumented immigrants to fraudulently obtain more than $4.4 million in unemployment benefits pleaded guilty Monday, Nevada’s U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden announced.
Francisco Garcia, 41, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, money laundering and false representation of a Social Security number, officials said.
Garcia must forfeit $4,401,548 in cash and five houses in Las Vegas, which were proceeds from the crimes, officials said.
According to the plea agreement, Garcia and three codefendants fraudulently submitted at least 591 unemployment claims to the state. As a result, the state paid unemployment insurance benefits, emergency unemployment compensation benefits, federal additional compensation benefits and state extended benefits, which exceeded $4.4 million, authorities said.
The defendants committed the fraud by recruiting people illegally in the United States to apply for unemployment benefits and obtained their personal identifying information and work history, officials said.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/31/man-uses-immigrants-get-44-million-unemployment-be/
So, a man who uses illegal immigrants defrauded the state of $4.4 million. How did the illegals with forged documents get $4.4 million? Apparently, the State workers were not watching very closely and one wonders how much of this is going on? How many more illegals are getting unemployment compensation that they are not entitled to?

Nevada Vs Nancy Pelosi: Berkley Says Pelosi Wins

Shelly Berkley (Dumbass-NV) has decided that when it comes down to Nevadans, for whom she was elected to represent or Nancy Pelosi, queen of the idiots, Berkley has decided that Nancy Pelosi will win any time.
From the LVRJ: It's no secret Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn is not a fan of President Barack Obama and the Congress of the past few years, repeatedly denouncing the stimulus and health care policies that have come out of Washington as the wrong medicine for the economy.
"The policies of this administration have destroyed the working -- the living standard of the working class in America,"
Wynn said last Monday in an interview with Neil Cavuto of Fox Business. "It's almost impossible to believe they don't know that what they are doing is destructive, but they do it anyway."
Wynn in particular had strong words for U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., suggesting she was cowed into voting for health care reform.
"I called her during Obamacare. I said, 'Shelley, what are you doing? How do you do this? This is killing the unions and all of us that are supplying health care to our employees,' " Wynn told Cavuto.
"And she said to me -- quote -- quote -- now this is not hearsay. Shelley said to me -- and she is running for the Senate -- 'Steve, I know it is terrible. My husband is a doctor. He hates it, too. But if I don't vote for it, she will punish me,' she being Nancy Pelosi.
"And I said, 'Shelley, every politician that has ever sold out their constituency has had a lame, terrible rationalization like the one you just gave me. Don't ever call me again.'
"She says, 'I am sorry you are disappointed in me. I still love you.'
"And we ended the conversation. That is politics in America today."
http://www.lvrj.com/news/political-notebook-wynn-s-wrath-doesn-t-spare-berkley-132906018.html
So, Berkley's reasoning for voting for ObamaCare is because she was afraid she was going to be punished by Nancy Pelosi. Well, doesn't that show that Berkley has strong morals and character. She even threw her husband under the bus besides Nevadans.
But She still loves us. My, isn't that sweet.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Halloween Special: Vincent Price's Thriller



Yeah I know, this is Michael Jackson's song, but what made the song great was Vincent Price.

Happy Halloween From Las Vegas

Happy Halloween from Las Vegas, where it can be argued that every day is Halloween here.
But one good thing about the Las Vegas Valley is that we still have trick or treating starting at dusk on October 31, the true time for trick or treating.
And if you are a pumpkin, don't drink or drive or you will face the consequences as seen above. (Lord knows, I have had days like this)
Stay safe.

Clarence Thomas Part 2

Well, this didn't take long. Once that uppity black man who strayed off the liberal plantation has gotten popular, the charges of sexual misconduct are starting to fly. Of course, that man that who dared to leave the liberal plantation is Herman Cain.
From the AP: Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain's campaign denied allegations Sunday that he was twice accused of sexual harassment while he was the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.
In a statement to The Associated Press, his campaign disputed a Politico report that said Cain had been accused of sexually suggestive behavior toward at least two female employees.
The report said the women signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them five-figure financial payouts to leave the association and barred them from discussing their departures. Neither woman was identified.
The report was based on anonymous sources and, in one case, what the publication said was a review of documentation that described the allegations and the resolution. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CAIN_HARASSMENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-30-20-54-16

Supposedly, the acts were physical but not sexual in nature.
This is typical of the racist and bigoted left. When they see a powerful black man who is conservative, like a Clarence Thomas and Herman Cain, and when they cannot argue the facts, they resort to bringing up false accusations. Just like Clarence Thomas when the liberals dug up Anita Hill who was totally unbelievable, now the liberals dredge up some accusations that have not been verified, with no witnesses, no documents etc and they run with it. The liberals cannot stand a black man or a woman being successful. Look at what they do to powerful conservative women like Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachman- they just savage them while though their liberal opposites are given a pass even though they act much worse. See Nancy Pelosi and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
So get ready- the liberals are in a full blown panic because they see a conservative black man who has had nothing given to him- the total opposite of President Obama- and they will see that as a threat to their liberal plantation.
It will be fun to watch the double standards of the liberals and the MSM if the presidential race comes down to Obama and Cain. Then we wills see who the real racists are.

So, Who Will Win The Next Iron Chef Contest?

For those into cooking shows, there is a show named Iron Chef America where chefs around the world and compete against 1 of 6 chefs. For more information: http://www.foodnetwork.com/iron-chef-america/index.html
Well, they are about to chose the next Iron Chef and today was the first day of the competition and Chef Spike Mendelsohn was sent packing.
So, who do you think will win the competition? Chef Robert Irvine, Chef Anne Burrell, Michael Chiarello, Elizabeth Falkner, Alex Guarnaschelli, Chuck Hughes, Beau MacMillan, Marcus Samuelsson, or Geoffrey Zakarian. http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-next-iron-chef-rivals/package/index.html
Well, they need a woman on Iron Chef because we have not seen the first female on the show, Kat Cora for many months, so to be politically correct, they will pick a woman. So, out of the 3 women, I pick Anne Burrell.

What say you?

How Cool Is This?

From the Minot Daily News: Jim Hill Middle School sixth-grader Autumn Burns wasn't sure what was going on when her homeroom teacher, Patrice Mitchell, told her to start running toward the school gymnasium on Friday afternoon.
"I thought I was in trouble," said Autumn. As she neared the gym, she heard her classmates chanting "USA! USA! USA!" more and more loudly and felt even more bewildered.
"I wondered what was going on," Autumn said.
When she ran through the side entrance to the gym, she saw her classmates were lined up in a row in the center of the gym, holding up American flags. In the center of the gym was her dad, U.S. Air Force Reserves Tech. Sgt. Paul Burns, who has been deployed to Iraq since last summer. Autumn burst into tears and ran to hug her dad.
Autumn said she's seen other kids being surprised the same way on TV and told her mom how neat it would be if her dad surprised her this way when he came home. But when it actually happened, it seemed to come as a wonderful surprise.
"I'm happy," she said afterwards, still clinging to her father. Her dad has been gone for months. It has been stressful to have her dad gone since the Burns house was flooded during this past summer's catastrophic flood. Autumn's mom, Kim Burns, who is a third-grade teacher at North Plains Elementary at Minot Air Force Base, said she wasn't sure how she'd get her husband there in time when Autumn's teacher called her Friday with the school's plan. Fortunately, it all worked out.
Paul Burns, who is also a patrol sergeant with the Minot Police Department, said the scale of his welcome home was a lot larger than he had been expecting. He had planned to surprise his daughter by picking her up in her classroom but was surprised by a welcome befitting a hero. Some of his colleagues from the Minot Police Department were also on hand to welcome him home.

http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/559895/Autumn-s-surprise--Reservist-returns-home--surprises-daughter.html?nav=5010
I can never tire of these stories and this story is no exception. Considering that that this family has gone through- father gone for many months and having their home flooded out, so for the daughter to welcome home her father like this is just fantastic.

Tony stwert Wins At Martinsville, 2 Cars Left In Chase

Tony Stewart won the Martinsville 500, beating Jimmie Johnson and is within 8 points of Carl Edwards in the Sprint Cup chase.
From ESPN: Tony Stewart passed Jimmie Johnson on a restart with three laps to go Sunday and surged into contention for his third NASCAR Sprint Cup championship with three races left.
The victory was the third for Stewart in the first seven races of the 10-race playoffs, and he was easily the leading benefactor as the points race was significantly jumbled.
Stewart moved from 19 points behind leader
Carl Edwards and in fourth place to just eight points behind in second as several contenders got caught up in a season-high 18 caution flags.
"He better be worried. That's all I've got to say," Stewart said in Victory Lane.
Edwards struggled all day, twice needing the get a free pass as the first car a lap down. He made it pay off the second time, rallying to finish an unlikely ninth.
"That's just a gift," he said. "We did not deserve to finish ninth."
Other deserved much better than what they got, namely
Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski. They started the day second and third in points, and both were running near the front all day until getting caught up in late accidents. Kenseth finished 31st and Keselowski wound up 17th.
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7171292/tony-stewart-wins-martinsville-tighten-chase-race
The Chase is essentially a two car race with just 3 races left- Edwards and Stewart. Everyone else is 20+ points behind with very little chance of coming back.

(as fot the picture, please see the story about what it is like being a NASCAR driver: http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2010/11/so-you-want-to-be-nascar-driver.html )

As to who will win the title, I am putting my money on Stewart, only becasue he has a stranger personality, though Edwards is kind of cool because he goes up into the stands and does the back flip. Stewart has the better comments and is one hell of a funny guy as I saw when he came to Vegas last December and participated in the Chase drivers round table. He is one hell of a funny guy.

Las Vegas Sun/Occupy Las Vegas: Liars

The Las Vegas Sun ran a puff piece on Occupy Las Vegas and they can even pull off the piece without telling a whopper of a lie.
From the Sun: Next to the calendar is a list of rules, which organizers proudly proclaim are unique among all the Occupy assemblies around the United States. They include no tolerance for alcohol or drugs and no use of flammable materials.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/30/living-present-tents/
Note to the author of the article, Joe Shoenmann, the Occupiers had no choice but to follow these rules. These rules were dictated by Clark County and is part of their lease. http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2011/10/contract-between-occupy-las-vegas-and.html
I guess lying is part of the Occupy Las Vegas movement.

Very Early Sunday Music Video

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Those Nasty 1% At It Again, Occupy Las Vegas Angry

From the LVRJ: Saturday night, the tennis superstar again paid tribute to Kerkorian at the Grand Slam for Children benefit, this time for contributing to Agassi's second family of sorts.
Kerkorian gave $18 million to support the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy for at-risk students, a record donation Agassi said will "outlive all of us" as the funds guarantee the Las Vegas charter school's future in perpetuity.
"If it wasn't for Mr. Kerkorian's kindness to my family long before I ever hit a tennis ball, I wouldn't be here today. He hasn't just helped my family, but millions of people in the state of Nevada," Agassi said in a telephone interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal just hours before officially announcing the donation. "For him to now give a gift that assures a future for Agassi Prep is a luxury I'm not sure I ever imagined."
The 16th annual benefit, held this year at Wynn Las Vegas, raised an estimated $26.1 million, including Kerkorian's donation, according to a spokesman. Performing to a crowd of about 1,400 were Michael Bublé, Martina McBride, Smokey Robinson, Jimmy Kimmel and Train.
The star-studded benefit concert, which rakes in about $8 million annually, is the main fundraising vehicle for Agassi's foundation. The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education endowment benefits the charter school located in an at-risk neighborhood in the urban core of Las Vegas.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/kerkorian-gives-18-million-to-agassi-prep-at-benefit-concert-132868923.html
Once again, those evil 1 percenter's that Occupy Las Vegas hate just donated millions of dollars to finance an inner city private school that was started by another evil 1%er, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff. This school has high standards and accepts most kids from the inner city of Las Vegas. http://www.agassiprep.org/ Of course, it is a private school, so the liberals don't like that because them liberals like them government schools.
What the people at Occupy Las Vegas don't realize that while these rich make a lot of money, most also donate a lot of money to charities. If you tax them higher like Obama and the Democrats want to do, then their charity giving is going to fall. Then organizations like Andre Agassi Prep, Opportunities Village, Salvation Army, Goodwill and other charities will lose money they normally would have gotten.
So, thanks to Andre Agassi and Kirk Kerkorian and the other 1%er's who have donated their hard earned money to schools like Agassi's and other charities around the Valley. Most of us really appreciate it, with the exception of those with Occupy Las Vegas.

New Way To Eat Spaghetti

Ever have problems eating those darn spaghetti noodles, well, there is an invention out there that may help you:




Sometimes inventions are so simple that you just slap your head and say I could have done this.

Super Nanny Strikes Again

From Fox News: The Jesus Church of Latter-day Saints and some of its members fought back against criticism Friday after a flier for a Halloween event said no ‘cross gender’ costumes were allowed, Utah’s Fox13 reported.
The flier for the trunk-or-treat-event, an LDS event where kids trick-or-treat in the parking lot of one of the religious centers, also specified that the children not wear masks.

Raquel Smith, a Sandy, Utah mother, told Fox13 that she felt the event sends the wrong message to the children.
"It has everything to do with not loving your fellow man because they choose to dress a specific way," Smith, who is not a Mormon, told the station.
"I think definitely a child as young as a toddler can understand when a parent says 'no honey, you can't be
Spiderman or Harry Potter because you're a girl and that's a boy.' I think that immediately tells your child their decisions are wrong," Smith said.
The family of the bishop who leads the ward hosting the trunk-or-treat event said a women's group created the flier that went out to hundreds in the community.
In a published report, Bishop Dennis Toone defended the flier’s guidelines.
"I thought it was church policy. I'll defend the church and anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to come,” he said.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/29/church-halloween-event-bans-cross-gender-costumes/?test=latestnews#ixzz1cF74suFq
My guess is that Raquel Smith is a type of person who gets mad at everything conservative and just doesn't have a happy life.
Just as Bishop Toone says, if you don't like the policy, don't go to the party. And I would suggest to Ms. smith that if you want to throw a Halloween with your own money, in your place and you make up the rules. Instead, Ms Smith is just looking for her 15 minutes of fame and wants to impose her beliefs on others.
So, to Super Nanny, Raquel Smith, the LDS church doesn't need your permission or your opinion to run a Halloween party. If you don't like, it don't go and throw your own darn party.
Otherwise, just shut up and go away.

Henderson Get Medication Discounts

From the Las Vegas Sun: Henderson residents who struggle to pay for prescription medication are now eligible to get some assistance through the city.
The city of Henderson announced this week that it will launch a free prescription card program sponsored by the National League of Cities to help residents with medication costs.
City officials say the discount card is available to residents who are uninsured or have specific medications that are not covered by their insurance. The card is estimated to save people an average of 23 percent on retail prices of medications.
All Henderson residents, regardless of age, income level or existing health condition, can use the card at most pharmacies in the city, as well as 60,000 participating retail pharmacies.
“Given the current economic climate, where many people need to watch what they spend, we are happy to partner with the National League of Cities to make this prescription discount card available to our residents,” Mayor Andy Hafen said in the announcement.
The National League of Cities said more than 500 U.S. members participate in the prescription discount card program, adding up to $7.5 million in savings on medications nationally.
Residents can obtain a free prescription discount card by printing one at
www.caremark.com/nic or picking one up at Henderson City Hall, 240 Water St., or the city's recreation centers and Henderson libraries.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/29/henderson-residents-eligible-prescription-discount/
What Mayor Hafen doesn't mention is this discount card is through CVS pharmacies and that the National League of Cities really has nothing to do with it. https://www.caremark.com/wps/portal
This really isn't anything new- this program is being run by CVS pharmacies and it is similar to drug programs put on by Walgreens, Wal Mart and other pharmacy companies. It doesn't sound like this is being run by any government agency but the City of Henderson is offering it on behalf of CVS. This may help some people. And it may bring some good PR to the mayor of Henderson, Andy Hafen, but that's about it.

Speaking Of Strange Places...

From the Las Vegas Sun: Dr. Lonnie Hammargren scurried around his home Friday morning dressed in a blue NASA jumpsuit, whistling a cheerful tune while searching for something over the rim of his spectacles — what it is, he might not even know.
It could be a device from his days as a neurosurgeon, maybe a dusty set of operating tools, or perhaps a larger more historic treasure, like an 1815 Venetian gondola he bought at an auction.
It’s hard to tell how he finds anything in a house the size of three, where every room — including the backyard and at least one bathroom — is crammed with items from long-since imploded hotels, replicas of landmarks like the Taj Mahal and parts of planes and space shuttles.
“I’m obviously a goofy doctor,” Hammargren said.
The doctor and former Nevada lieutenant governor spent his morning giving tours to news stations and calling up producers of three TV shows, all in preparation for the big day.
Sunday he will be honoring celebrities from “Pawn Stars,” “American Restoration” and “Trunks” as part of his annual open house.
“Because I’m a big showoff,” he said in jest.
After a two-year hiatus, Hammargren will once again open his house for public viewing on Sunday in honor of Nevada Day, which is Monday. From noon to 5 p.m. thousands of people are expected to walk through the house at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive to see his collection. This year he’s asking visitors make a $10 donation to Living Grace Homes, a local nonprofit that shelters and assists homeless pregnant teens.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/29/after-hiatus-lonnie-hammargren-opening-eccentric-h/
If you have driven down Sandhill Ave., just past Flamingo and Desert Inn, you cannot help but notice the house, even with the 9 foot high fence. Driving by the front of the house is an experience as well, so if you live or are visiting Las Vegas tomorrow, this is a great place to visit. Too bad about the admission price, though because some of us won't be able to visit.
But if you want to see something something strange and see what made Las Vegas great, stop out and see the house. It'll one of the most interesting things you would ever see in your lifetime. If you don't visit, avoid the area because traffic is going be horrendous.

Don't Believe In Ghosts? Nye County Might Have Some

From the Pahrump Valley Times: The Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Amargosa Opera House in Amargosa Valley and the Goldfield Hotel in the small town of Goldfield have all been associated with paranormal activities piquing the interest of Michael Knight, the founder of Knight’s Paranormal Research Society in Las Vegas.For more than 20 years, Knight and his sister have tracked down ghosts, spirits, specters and the like.For those who don’t believe in paranormal activities Knight says, think again.He and many others have witnessed, first hand, actual hauntings in homes and businesses throughout Nevada.Those who contact him for his service, are, according to Knight, “frantic and often fearing for their lives.”“We are paranormal investigators. We help out families who are in distress, high profile cases. We handle businesses, residential and everything like that,” he said.When asked directly if there are indeed such things as ghosts, Knight did not hesitate to say “absolutely.”“Most definitely there is. There’s no question about it. A lot of people don’t believe, and I always say you have to see to believe it, so there’s a lot of people out there who would dismiss it.“If you put them in a situation where they can’t deny it, then it’s a different story,” he said.There are many levels when it comes to ghosts, including poltergeists, which means “noisy spirit.”He said ghosts are basically energy from someone who has died and has not ventured to the other side.“The spirit itself continues to go on. When I say levels, you have spirits which are afterlife that know they have crossed over.“Ghosts are usually the ones who can’t accept the fact, and are earthbound and are scared to cross over — meaning they forgot to finish what they have to do here.“They think they are part of reality or they don’t know it and continue to live their life. Mostly it’s energy,” he said.Averaging roughly a half dozen calls each day, Knight said most of the callers are very genuine.He noted the people who contact him are truly desperate and terrified about their situation.“People are on the verge of suicide. They are tormented from the poltergeist activity.“Things are slamming. These people can’t sleep. They are frightful for their lives and their kids and they are on the verge of basically suicide at this point,” he said. http://pvtimes.com/news/the-paranormal-investigators-tales-can-make-you-a-believer/
I've been to Goldfield (technically, not in Nye County, but very close) and I would not be surprised if there are ghosts there. Most of the town seems haunted. http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2009/10/goldfield-national-recognition-or-junk.html
It's a town unlike any of the thousands of towns that I have seen in my lifetime.
Are there ghosts? I think so and I do know there are guardian angels. Though I think the article exaggerates how people feel about ghosts (Callers think of suicide? Seems to be a bit harsh)
But if there are ghosts, come to Las Vegas and Nye County and you may see one, especially if you see Wayne Newton. Ok, just kidding but still....
So, in honor of Halloween:

Hey Wisconsin Badgers, The Game Is 60 Minutes Long, Not 58 Minutes

Apparently, the coaching staff and players for the U.W. Badgers football team think that the games last just 59 minutes instead of 60 minutes.
The Badgers lost for the second game in a row in the last minute on a long pass, this time against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
From jsonline: Two road games, improbable losses.
Can you say Hail Mary déjà vu?
Yes you can.
The result? A Wisconsin team that two weeks ago was in position to remain in the conversation for a Bowl Championship Series title now might not even make the Big Ten’s first-ever football title game.
Now that is an impressive free-fall.
This loss to a resurgent Ohio State team was cemented when freshman quarterback Braxton Miller escaped pressure and heaved a 40-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Devin Smith with 20 seconds left to give the Buckeyes a 33-29 victory Saturday night.
That play came just 58 seconds after UW scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Jared Abbrederis and added a two-point conversion pass for a 29-26 lead with 1 minute 18 seconds left. UW fell to 2-2 in the league and 6-3 overall. Ohio State improved to 2-2 and 5-3.
“When you are faced with adversity you go back to what you believe in more than ever,” UW coach Bret Bielema said before the game. “You don’t try to flinch, or you don’t try to change what you’re doing.
“You go back to what you know is good and to get that to come out, and that’s what we’ve got to have.”
UW appeared to have done enough to escape with a critical victory but as it had in the final minute one week earlier at Michigan State, UW's defense wasn't able to make a criticla stop.
Ohio State, which had a bye week to prepare for UW, now has life in race for the Leaders Division title.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/badgers/132860028.html

Remember the old adage, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me? Well the Badgers players and coaching have shown that they are not capable to handle the pressure of a close game. One game can be explained as luck but this game today shows that there is a serious problem with the Badgers. How do you give up a 40 yard kick off return so late in the game? How do you give up two long passes game winning touchdown two weeks in a row?

The badgers are as talented a team as any Badger team in history. They actually have an excellent quarterback who knows how to throw a football and to scramble. The running game is one of the best in the country and they have talented, NFL quality, receivers. On the defensive side, their front line is big and linebackers are adequate. So why can't the Badgers finish the game off?
As I have said before, the coach of the Badgers is Brett Bielma and he is a good recruiter, but as a coach, he sucks. He cost the Badgers the Rose Bowl victory with bad coaching and his coaching staff and Bielma are responsible for today's loss as well.
Maybe it's time for a new coach.

Will Henderson Cave Into Harry Reid's Pressure?

From the Las Vegas Sun: The Henderson City Council will begin interviews next week for the vacant city attorney position once filled by Elizabeth Quillin, who resigned in early August after being arrested in May for DUI.
The city has narrowed down the list of candidates to replace her to just seven city attorney hopefuls including Josh Reid, Sen. Harry Reid’s son.
Other than Reid, the list includes Christine Guerci-Nyhus, the current interim city attorney; George Assad, a former Las Vegas municipal judge; Marc Cardinalli; Richard Hinckley; Keith Kizer and Paul “Luke” Puschnig.
At the most recent city council meeting, Henderson human resources director Fred Horvath said he received 45 applications for the job, which pays a $190,000 annual salary, not including benefits.
Interviews will take place at a special city council meeting Nov. 2 at 4:30 p.m. Mayor Andy Hafen and council members will conduct the interviews in a session closed to the public and will reconvene if necessary Nov. 3.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/29/henderson-preparing-fill-vacant-city-attorney-posi/
What the Sun fails to mention in this article but has written about in a Jon Ralston piece is that Harry Reid has been putting pressure on the Henderson city council for them to hire his son.
Josh Rid is not qualified to be the city attorney. He is an environmental attorney and works for some law firm. That's it. For more information: In the wake of the August resignation of Liz Quillin as Henderson city attorney — a couple of months after a drunken driving arrest — city officials hoped to move beyond the controversy and hire a replacement. That’s where our story begins.Josh Reid, one of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s four sons, made it known to Henderson officials that he was interested in the job. Josh Reid is an experienced environmental attorney and a partner in Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber and Schreck. He is easily qualified for the job — perhaps even overqualified.
Wait a minute: How does an environmental attorney and a partner make one overly qualified for a City Attorney's job? It doesn't. Mostly, the City Attorney does contract work and offer opinions on city laws, council meetings and boring stuff like that. They rarely venture into environmental law. so, Ralston puts out a false statement right away.We continue: “I’m an environmental lawyer for a top law firm,” Reid the Younger told me. “I think if my name were submitted, I’d be a top choice.”Indeed That stement alone shows he is unqualified for the job. Apparently baby boy Reid has no class or even knowledge of the law. Maybe he should get some pointers on humility from the most most mature of the Reid men, Rory Reid.Despite his son’s manifest bona fides and his obvious last name, the state’s meddler in chief could not help himself. Around Labor Day, the majority leader rang up some of the Henderson council folks to talk up Josh Reid’s credentials.I’m told the calls were not heavy handed, conducted in Reid’s usual low-key style. But once word was out that Josh Reid had applied, everyone knew what the perception would be.“I know people think the fix is in,” said a candid Mayor Andy Hafen, who confirmed a call from the majority leader. “But it’s not.” http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2011/10/more-comedy-with-jon-and-harry.html
If Reid is hired, it will only because of Crybaby Reid's influence and nothing more. Unless the rest of the candidates are newbie lawyers or have been indicted, Reid is not qualified for the city attorney's job.
I hope the Henderson city council and city manager will hire the best lawyer not a lawyer who happens to be the son of Harry Reid.

New Reality Show Coming to Vegas

From the Reno Gazette Journal: There are stories behind those corpses — untold drama in the discovery of how the person met his or her end and the search for next-of-kin. For some, the name is the final mystery.
All of which prompted a cable television network to approach Coroner Michael Murphy to tell what his team of five medical examiners and 12 forensic technicians have learned about life and death in Sin City. The county recently inked a deal with Discovery Studios to make the medical examiner’s office the subject of a series of TV episodes.
Murphy said he hopes to teach people about dangerous lifestyles while also putting a name to an unidentified body or two to bring closure to families that don’t know what happened to missing loved one.
“The vast majority of people don’t die from violent acts,” Murphy said, putting diabetes, heart disease and prescription drug abuse atop the list of causes of death in this Nevada county home to almost 2 million residents and a neon-lit city that draws 40 million visitors a year.
“Hopefully it’ll be a good way for people to think about health risks,” he said. “We don’t want clients.”
Michael Masland, the Discovery Studios development official who worked for two years to reach a production deal with Murphy and Clark County, said he expects filming to begin soon and a pilot to air sometime in 2012, with at least several segments to follow.
“They know somebody’s life is going to be changed by what they find,” Masland said. “It’s real human drama. But it’s not reality television.”
The Clark County Commission unanimously approved the production deal in September with a promise that the county will get $5,000 per episode and Discovery Studios LLC of Silver Spring, Md., won’t show personally identifiable characteristics. Clark County officials get to see rough cuts before the shows air.
http://www.rgj.com/article/20111029/NEWS07/111029005/Las-Vegas-coroner-inks-deal-Discovery-episodes-?odyssey=tabtopnewstextFRONTPAGE
$5000 per episode seems pretty low but then, I'm not sure what the going rate is for reality TV shows.
I know a lot of people love getting their 15 minutes of fame, especially in Las Vegas, but this is a show you probably don't want to appear on.

Indy Cars Should Return To Las Vegas

A couple of weeks ago, Las Vegas held an Indy car race and there was a tragedy- popular driver, Dan Wheldon died in an accident in a 15 car pile up. It was a tragic accident and I was there to witness the accident. Since then, there have been calls for the Indy cars not to race in Las Vegas again and I cannot disagree more.
The accident was a freak thing and in my opinion, a combination of many factors.
First, there was bad luck. Wheldon's car hit the catch fence at the wrong angle. If he had hit lower and on the Safer barrier, he probably would have walked away with few injuries. He also suffered a head injury, about the only area of the car that is not protected by the car. If he hit the wall at a different angle that allowed the car to protect the driver, again, he may have injured but not seriously.
Some things could have been done to avoid the crash. I still believe the heat of the day was a factor in the crash. The day of the race, it was in the 90's and on the track, it was over 100 degrees easily. The day before the race, the NASCAR trucks were here and they were sliding all over the place and had 12 caution flags, mostly for accidents. I am sure the heat made the track slippery for the Indy cars as well. Perhaps they should hold the race on a Saturday night.
They also had 34 cars in the race, which is one more car than in the Indy 500. You had a mix of experienced and inexperienced drivers in the race and that didn't help matters much. The drivers were not scared of the speeds as Danica Patrick said before the race because she that the speeds and accidents would be spectatuclar. If the drivers had any concerns, they obviously didn't make their concerns known before the race.
Mario Andretti says this about the race and accident: Suffice it to say Mario Andretti never has pulled a punch when he thought there were shortcomings in safety measures.
So he of all experts was credible when he said on Tuesday that this time, Sunday, "The safety aspect worked tremendously, it worked very well, except for one guy. You look at the replays over and over, and there were hard impacts, cars flying all over the place, and Dan was the only real unlucky one, to be flying closer to the wall, and he got into the catch-fencing.
"If he would have got into the SAFER barrier [just below the fence], he would have been brushing himself off and have a cup of coffee later. Look at how hard some of those [other] guys hit, and the worst thing you had was like a broken finger."
Andretti does have a procedural criticism. INDYCAR rules strictly dictate uniform technology in the cars, for parity.

"All along I was somewhat concerned about the fact that the cars are so equally matched by a spec series, and so when they're running on these ovals they can't get away from one another.
"They're inches apart for a couple of hours at tremendous speeds, and the slightest miscalculation can spell disaster.
"Vegas is a beautiful facility, it's perfect in many ways. That makes it too easy for these cars, which have great potential cornering speed, to be three abreast or even four abreast through the corners. As you know, the slightest miscue is what caused it all, and it becomes a chain reaction because they're all together."
INDYCAR has drawn wide criticism for starting 34 cars Sunday, more cars on a 1.5-mile track than the 33 in the Indy 500 at 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Obviously, the more cars, the more of a chance for something like this to happen," Andretti said. "At the same time, you want a spectacle. What makes NASCAR a spectacle on the ovals? You've got 43 cars. Maybe it would be nice for us to have that many cars, but then you've got three times the danger aspect.
"Here, if you'd had 26 cars [a more common field for IndyCar], would that have made a difference? I don't know ... the other part is, to fill a field like that [34], you don't have all experienced drivers. But we've all been inexperienced. How do you gain experience? You gotta be doing it the first time sometime."
No matter the science applied to safety, "I don't think we'll ever be 100 percent safe. Like you're not 100 percent safe when you drive to work. Or, unfortunately, when you're flying.
"But the sport has come a long way."
So this really was a matter of bad luck more than anything left undone by the organization?
"Yeah. I feel very strongly about that. Because if you look at this thing realistically, you examine exactly what happened, that [luck] is what it is. He was dealt a bad card on that round. But for a couple of inches he probably would have been all right."
Open-cockpit cars invite what biomechanical engineers call injuries of intrusion -- that is, foreign objects can get into the car with the driver. Wheldon likely would have survived with some sort of roof over his head.
But to do that, "They might as well have a stock car," Andretti said. "This is the purest form of the sport. This is the way it was born, and it's been running like this for over 100 years. But I think, quite honestly, the cockpit protection is adequate.

"I think what really caused this was the cars being launched. The cars becoming airborne. And if you look at the design of the 2012 car, that very aspect was dealt with."
a href="http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7122629/mario-andretti-grieving-yet-again">http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7122629/mario-andretti-grieving-yet-again
When Dale Earnhardt died at Daytona, you had calls about the safety of NASCAR cars and Daytona and some people thought they shouldn't race there again. Instead of listening to the crybabies, NASCAR made things safer.
There have been numerous deaths at the Indianapolis Speedway where the Indy 500 is held, including spectator deaths. I am sure after each death, there have have calls for no more racing at Indy, but they still do race there at speeds close to that at Las Vegas. They didn't cave into the crybabies but instead made the race safer and still exciting.
Indy cars also race at ovals at high speeds and very close to each other. It makes for exciting races
So, there has been a death at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and there are people clamoring to cancel the race. Most of those people don't follow Indy car racing or do not have knowledge about racing and that includes the racing writers from the Las Vegas Sun and LVRJ.
The Indy car racing series and the LVMS will come up with a way to make the track and cars safer. In fact, next year, the Indy cars will be safer by placing wheel covers over the rear wheels to help prevent the launching of the cars in to the air.
The bottom line is that the Indy series needs Las Vegas and Vegas needs the Indy cars. If Dan Wheldon had not had the bad luck he had a couple of weeks ago, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We would have talking about a great race with spectacular speeds and accidents, as Danica Patrick said before the race.
So, please, Indy cars, come back to Las Vegas. Make your changes and provide us with the exciting Indy car racing you are give to us during the summer.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Lawyer Sues Cathlic University For being Catholic

From Conservativehq: Notorious legal activist John Banzhaf, a professor at George Washington School of Law, has filed a complaint with the Washington D.C. Office of Human Rights alleging that private Catholic University violates the human rights of Muslim students by surrounding them with symbols of Catholicism.That’s right – Banzhaf is suing Catholic University for being Catholic.The complaint, first revealed by FOX News Radio reporter Todd Starnes, alleges to the city of Washington’s Human Rights branch that the human rights of the Muslim students were violated because Catholic University did not allow them to form a Muslim student worship group and the University does not provide them rooms without Christian symbols for their daily prayers.The complaint, that has now triggered a government investigation, alleges that Muslim students “must perform their prayers surrounded by symbols of Catholicism – e.g., a wooden crucifix, paintings of Jesus, pictures of priests and theologians which many Muslim students find inappropriate.”In an interview with FOX, Banzhaf, who has been involved in other litigation against the University, said some Muslim students were particularly offended because they had to meditate in the school’s chapels “and at the cathedral that looms over the entire campus – the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception… It shouldn’t be too difficult somewhere on the campus for the university to set aside a small room where Muslims can pray without having to stare up and be looked down upon by a cross of Jesus,” Banzhaf told FOX News.Banzhaf said in his interview with FOX, “They do have to pray five times a day, they have to look around for empty classrooms and to be sitting there trying to do Muslim prayers with a big cross looking down or a picture of Jesus or a picture of the Pope is not very conductive to their religion.” Although Banzhaf admitted to FOX that Catholic University’s policy may not be illegal, he claimed the University is still acting “improperly and probably with malice.”
http://www.conservativehq.com/article/5216-lawyer-says-catholic-university-discriminates-against-muslims-being-catholic
If Muslims find crosses, pictures of priests and Jesus offensive, may I suggest that they don't go to Catholic University
Further, according to Fox News, there hasn't been one complaint filed by a Muslim and since the lawyer isn't been harmed himself, there is no case.
I hope the Office of Human Rights files this is in the trash can and fines the "lawyer" a hefty sum for filing a frivolous case. But this being Washington D.C., I kind of doubt it.

NBA Cancels More Games: Yawn

From ESPN: As NBA players and owners wait to see who will blink first, fans are stuck staring at a blank calendar.
NBA commissioner David Stern canceled the rest of the November games Friday, saying there will not be a full NBA season "under any circumstances."
The move came about after labor negotiations broke down again when both sides refused to budge on how to split the league's revenues, the same issue that derailed talks last week.
Now, a full month of NBA games have been canceled, and Stern said there's no way of getting them back.

"We held out that joint hope together, but in light of the breakdown of talks, there will not be a full NBA season under any circumstances," he said.
"It's not practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now," added Stern, who previously canceled the first two weeks of the season.
And he repeated his warnings that the proposals might now get even harsher as the league tries to make up the hundreds of millions of dollars that will be lost as the lockout drags on.
"We're going to have to recalculate how bad the damage is," Stern said. "The next offer will reflect the extraordinary losses that are piling up now."
Just a day earlier, Stern had said he would consider it a failure if the sides didn't reach a deal in the next few days and vowed they would take "one heck of a shot" to get it done.
Instead, negotiations broke off again over the division of basketball-related income, just as they did last Thursday. Union executive director Billy Hunter said the league again insisted it had to be split 50-50, while Stern said Hunter just walked out and left rather than discuss going below 52 percent.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7153136/nba-lockout-david-stern-announces-more-game-cancellations
Seriously, how many people care? Maybe some of the sports books in Las Vegas, but right now, with football in full swing and college basketball starting soon, not many people care.
But what really sucks, though is that a lot of the little people, so to speak, are being hurt. Vendors, security people, ushers, equipment managers etc who work during the basketball season are the ones being hurt. The players aren't unless they didn't plan ahead of time. The owners aren't being hurt. Even the fans, for the most part are not being hurt, with the exception of Jack Nicholson because he is not being shown on TV every time the Lakers play at home.
So, does anybody really care if the NBA cancels more games?

Strange Murder At Lake Mohave

Do we have a cold blooded killer stalking campers in the Lake Mead/Lake Mohave area?
From the Las Vegas Sun: Metro Police have released an artist’s sketch of a man described as a suspect in a double shooting Tuesday at Lake Mohave that left one woman dead and her boyfriend wounded.
Police described the man as a white adult male, about 6 feet 4 inches tall and 210 pounds with a muscular build. He had short brown hair and a salt-and-pepper goatee.
He was last seen wearing a yellow button-up shirt, light blue jeans and tan work boots, police said.
He may have been driving a tan, 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, police said.
Metro received a call at 9:16 a.m. from a person who had discovered two injured people near the beach of “Six Mile Cove” at Lake Mohave, just east of Searchlight, officials said.
Units from the National Park Service, The Nevada Highway Patrol and Metro discovered two adult victims, a Hispanic man and woman, suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said.
Medics pronounced the woman dead at the scene. The male victim was airlifted to University Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
Police say the couple were dating and were on a camping trip when the incident occurred.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/28/police-release-sketch-suspect-lake-mohave-shooting/
This is scary because the media and cops are not releasing any information Do we have case of scorned lover or a drug deal gone bad or a cold blooded murderer who is picking his victims at random at area camp grounds? It almost seems like this couple were executed, based on previous stories.
Because of the lack of information out there, if you visit Lake Mead/Lake Mohave, be very, very careful, especially if you are going camping.

Norm Clarke Of LVRJ Flaming Liberal

Norm Clarke, Las Vegas's answer to the National Enquirer and other sleazy tabloids has decided to use his celebrity column to spout his liberal beliefs. Clarke's accuracy in reporting the celebrity news is about as accurate as these tabloids as well.
Clarke runs a sometimes daily column that usually tells a story or two about a celebrity followed by a couple of paragraphs of his spying on celebrities when he reports on where they eat, attend shows etc. and then he uses a quote from past night time TV shows like Conan, Letterman and Leno.
Well, Norm has decided to use his columns to spout his liberal beliefs and using some pretty sick quotes like this one:
"ABC News reports that Moammar Gadhafi had a crush on Condoleezza Rice and even dedicated a photo album exclusively to her. Rice told him she was flattered, but she's trying to work things out with Kim Jong Il." -- Conan O'Brien.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/lady-goes-gaga-over-video-spoof-132369253.html
First, this is news from several weeks ago and it is a very sick joke from Conan, who really isn't even that funny to begin with.
And that quote is pretty sick by most people's standards.
So, I guess, Clarke has decided to use his supposed political neutral column to put forth his liberal beliefs. What a shame.

Man Imitates Winnie The Pooh

From the files of "Stupid People Do Stupid Things", From Firehouse.com: Orange County firefighters extricated a man from a hollow trunk of a tree Tuesday morning after deputies heard his screams for help, according to The Register.
Crews responded after the man was found trapped in the tree around 10:30 a.m. at Los Alisos Boulevard and Paseo de Valenica in Laguna Hills.
Fire officials said the man climbed into a narrow hole at the base of the tree that led to about four or five feet underground.
Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion told the newspaper that it took firefighters about 90 minutes to cut through the branches of the tree to free the man.
The only body parts visible were the man's head and arms.
"Why he was in a tree, I have no idea," Concepcion said.
http://www.firehouse.com/news/top-headlines/calif-crews-free-man-trapped-hollow-tree
Maybe he was trying to imitate Winnie the Pooh:

Great Letter To Occupy Las Vegas And Other Occupiers

From The Dinner Table:
Dear Occupy Wall Street:
I would like to explain to you why you are not part of the 1%. It is not because the world, government or corporations have conspired against you. It’s most likely your fault, with some help from mom and dad.
When you were 5 years old, you were the kid that demanded your mom or dad get you a toy at the store. When they said no, you screamed, cried and threw a fit. You demanded they give you what you wanted because it “wasn’t fair” if they didn’t. Your parents probably caved.
When you were 10 years old, you were the kid on the soccer team that wanted to score goals even though you were a fullback or even the goalie. You left your position and ran all over the field. When the coach told you to stay in your spot and do your job, you threw a fit. Then you whined to your parents and they probably went to the coach and yelled at him for being unfair to you. The coach probably caved and let you do whatever you wanted to avoid being the mean guy.
When you were 14, you decided that doing homework sucked and studying for tests was boring stuff only nerds did. You were just fine with getting C’s and D’s in school. You made fun of kids that got A’s, called them nerds and dorks, and believed you were one of the cool kids. Your parents were just happy that you passed with C’s and D’s. They never demanded more from you.
When you were 16, you demanded that your parents buy you a car. If they said no, you told them it wasn’t fair. They had the money to pay for one, and you were entitled to a car just because you were 16. They probably caved and bought you one. If they didn’t, you demanded that they give you their car to use whenever you wanted. You told them it was your “right” to use their car, since they didn’t buy you one.
Oh, and they had to give you money for gas, too. Your money was not for that stuff. It was for things like video games, beer and pot.
When you were 18, you graduated from high school and somehow managed to get into college someplace. You chose your school based on important things like “great party school”, male to female ratio, warm weather, and “hotness” of coeds.
At college, you chose classes based on your party schedule. No early morning classes if at all possible. No late afternoon classes, either. Nothing on Fridays. Never a weekend class. All that would require you not to be up until after 2 AM partying, drinking and getting high. When you did go to class, you were hung over and not really paying attention, anyway.
You also made sure the classes you chose, and the major you pursued were not too hard. You took the easy classes and majors like “Art History”, “Sociology” or “Political Science” so that you were pretty sure to pass and graduate. If you were getting a bad grade in a class, you probably dropped it to prevent failing. Then you took it again later and hoped that you could remember the answers to the tests and get a passing grade. You probably took a lot of Pass/Fail classes, too. No pesky grades to worry about.

http://thedinnertableblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/message-to-ows-why-you-arent-part-of-the-1/
While the letter is addressed to the Occupy Wall Street thugs, it can be said of the Occupy Las Vegas crowd as well. They feel that they are entitled to things for free, like free college, but they don't want to work for it.
This article pretty much sums up the attitudes of the vast majority of the Occupy crowd and they really need to grow up.

Halloween Party At Desert Pines H.S.



There are many Halloween Haunted Houses in the Las Vegas area this weekend and the school I teach at, Desert Pines H.S. is having a haunted house/school as well and it is put on by the students in the different media classes.

I've been to the Desert Pines Haunted House a couple of times and each time I have been there, the students and volunteers are doing a great job. This includes feeding the students and watching the volunteers take several students at a time on the tour.

So, congratulations to Desert Pines for giving back back to our community by providing the equipment

A Song That Is Dedicated To Homecoming And Other High School Dances



One of the hardest working musicians of all time.

Just Kill Him, Please

From the Reno Gazette Herald: In a 6-0 ruling, justices also clarified a previous ruling involving "aggravating circumstances" used in assessing the justification of death sentences.
Edward Thomas Wilson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for killing Hoff during an undercover drug sting in June 1979 and was sentenced to death by a three-judge panel. Now 52, he is the longest serving inmate on Nevada's death row.
Hoff was posing as a drug dealer when he met with Wilson on June 24, 1979, and discussed buying 10 ounces of cocaine from Wilson. They agreed to meet later that night to complete the deal.
Unbeknownst to Hoff, Wilson and John Olausen were plotting to kill the drug dealer, and they enlisted the help of two others, David Lani and Fred Stites. All were teenagers or in their early 20s at the time.

http://www.rgj.com/article/20111027/NEWS01/110270353/Death-penalty-upheld-killing-Reno-officer?odyssey=tabtopnewstextFRONTPAGE
In June of 1979, I had just graduated from high school, 32 years ago. There is no doubt of this thug's guilt because he pled guilty and he is just playing the system.
Either put this thug to death or get rid of the death penalty in Nevada. This thug is making a mockery of the death penalty.
The death penalty cannot be a deterrent if it takes 32 years to kill a thug, so please, tighten the rules- kill the thug within 10 years or 2 trips through the appeal process, whichever is quicker.
So, please kill the bastard and may he rest in hell.

We Have To Pass The Bill....

Remember the Wicked Witch of the West, Nancy Pelosi, saying: "We have to pass the health care bill so that you can find out what is in it"?



From Fox News: A new wrinkle has surfaced in the implementation of the federal health care law that critics argue will impose a significant penalty on women and marriage.
The law includes generous subsidies for the uninsured so they can afford to buy coverage in the new insurance exchanges that are part of the legislation.

But several analysts told Congress Thursday the nature of the subsidies has an odd effect.
"The way this bill is structured, there are disincentives for women to marry and disincentives for women to work," said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. "And for a bill that's supposed to make Americans healthier, these disincentives are truly startling."
Critics say that beginning in 2014, Americans will find it more advantageous to stay single than marry because it will be easier to afford
health coverage.
Why? The new law provides generous subsidies for those without insurance so they can buy it on the new exchanges, but the subsidies are tied to one's income level and there's the rub.
The income measure for subsidy purposes are not based on individuals but rather on families. And that creates a perverse incentive.
"Two singles would each be able to earn $43,000 and still receive help to
purchase health insurance, but if they got married and combined their earnings to $86,000, they would be far above the limit," Furchtgott-Roth explained. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/27/obamas-health-care-law-penalizes-marriage-analysts-say/#ixzz1c3ddElSy
It's really not that surprising since this is a liberal Democratic Party bill and some members of the House and Senate have some issues against marriage.
Obamacare- worst legislation since the 1960's from the worst president and senate majority leader ever. Who knows what else is in the bill that will make us shudder?

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Game 7 O The World Series Coming Up

From ESPN: Twice down to their last strike, the St. Louis Cardinals kept rallying to win one of baseball's greatest thrillers.
David Freese completed a startling night of comebacks with a home run leading off the bottom of the 11th inning to beat Texas 10-9 on Thursday, and suddenly fans all over got something they have waited a long time to see: Game 7 in the World Series.
"You had to be here to believe it," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

It was as great a game as baseball has ever witnessed, rivaling the Carlton Fisk homer in Game 6 of the 1975 Series and Bill Buckner's error in Game 6 of the 1986 Series.
Great, that is, except for Texas. The Rangers were that close to their first championship.
"I understand it's not over till you get that last out," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "I was just sitting there praying we got that last out. We didn't get it."
Next up on Friday night, the first Game 7 in the World Series since the Angels beat San Francisco in 2002.

Freese, the hometown boy who made good, had already written himself into St. Louis lore in Game 6 with a two-strike, two-out, two-run triple in the ninth off Rangers closer Neftali Feliz that made it 7-all.
"Initially I was like 'Are you kidding me?' My first AB off Feliz in this situation ever," Freese said. "I just beared down, got a pitch to hit. Initially I thought I hit it pretty good, I thought (right fielder
Nelson Cruz) was going to grab it, so just a lot of emotions on that one."
After banged-up
Josh Hamilton hit a two-run homer in the Texas 10th, St. Louis again tied it when Lance Berkman hit a two-out single on a 2-2 pitch from Scott Feldman.
Busch Stadium was still in a frenzy when Freese opened the 11th with a leadoff shot over the center-field wall off
Mark Lowe. Freese thrust his arm in the air as he rounded first base, and the crowd was delirious. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=311027124
I predict St. Louis wins Game 7, 5-4 in 10 innings.

R.I.P. Righthaven

Righthaven, for a few months, was a blogger nightmare in which this law firm would sue bloggers and web sites for copywrite infringement of the Las Vegas Review Journal pictures and articles.
Today, a Las Vegas judge probably nailed the final nail into the coffin of Righthaven as he ordered Righthaven to pay almost $120,000 in lawyers fees.
From the Las Vegas Sun: Newspaper copyright infringement lawsuit filer Righthaven LLC of Las Vegas was hit Wednesday with an order to pay $119,488 in attorney's fees and costs in its failed lawsuit against former federal prosecutor Thomas DiBiase.
This was by far the largest fee award against Righthaven, but likely will be dwarfed by an upcoming award in Righthaven's failed suit against the Democratic Underground. Before Wednesday the largest fee award against Righthaven was for $34,045 — an amount Righthaven says it's having trouble paying or even posting a bond to cover.
DiBiase has a website covering no-body murder cases, or cases where a murder is suspected but the victim's remains have not been located. He was sued by Righthaven last year over allegations he posted without authorization a story on such a murder case by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt in Las Vegas dismissed Righthaven's suit against DiBiase this summer because Righthaven lacked standing to sue him under its flawed lawsuit contract with R-J owner Stephens Media LLC.
http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/oct/26/righthaven-ordered-pay-nearly-120000/
If Righthaven cannot pay a $34,000 judgement, they certainly cannot pay $120,000.
Righthaven sued without warning, bloggers like DiBiase and web sites like the Drudge Report and demand $150,000 and the web site web address. It was a shakedown in which Righthaven tried to make quick settlements before the other side got lawyers. However, once the defendants started hiring lawyers, it was game over.
Righthaven and the LVRJ did a great disservice to the newspaper industry. Copywrite laws are constantly being violated by bloggers and newspapers have a valid point about people just cutting and pasting articles and not providing links or credit to the newspapers. However, instead of sending warning letters and e-mails and then sue, Righthaven and the LVRJ went for the kill and hoped people would be ignorant or scared and they would settle.
Now bloggers will have a sense of entitlement to all articles on line and there probably isn't much the newspaper and magazine industry can do now and we can place a lot of the blame on Righthaven and Sherman Fredricks, former editor of the LVRJ who hired Righthaven and defended the lawsuits.
Too bad Righthaven acted like a bunch of thugs and really helped destroy some copywrite laws in this country.

Happy Nevada Day

Tomorrow is Nevada Day in Nevada where Nevadans celebrate the entry of Nevada into the United States in 1864.
Most, if not all schools and state and local government offices are closed in Nevada and several businesses, including some banks will also close. It makes for a nice 3 day weekend for us government employees.
So, to my fellow Nevadans happy Nevada Day.

Harry Reid Ready To Waste Hundreds Of Millions Of $

From The Las Vegas Sun: A proposed high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California has received another federal government approval from a board that grants licenses to build new railroads.
The Surface Transportation Board last week approved an exemption from federal regulations permitting DesertXpress Enterprises LLC to build a 190-mile high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif. The board action was published today in the Federal Register.
“I’m pleased that the DesertXpress project is getting the green light to proceed, which will not only put tens of thousands of Nevadans to work, but ultimately bring more tourists to boost Nevada’s economy,” Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a release applauding the approval.
“I look forward to Nevadans being back on the job and more visitors from California choosing Las Vegas because of this high-speed rail option,” Reid said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration issued a record of decision — the final environmental review process — in July. The Surface Transportation Board exemption was another required administrative step toward beginning construction, probably next year.
http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/oct/26/desertxpress-high-speed-rail-line/?__utma=201616023.787058883.1313992212.1319689738.1319700865.234&__utmb=201616023.1.10.1319700865&__utmc=201616023&__utmx=-&__utmz=201616023.1319700865.234.179.utmcsr=googleutmccn=(organic)utmcmd=organicutmctr=steve%20horsoford%20%2B%20handicapped%20parking&__utmv=-&__utmk=251631237
This is going to one of the biggest boondoggles in the western United States history, if not the United States, led by Crybaby Harry Reid.
The train, if it is built, will go from Las Vegas to Victorville, CA.. Victorville, CA? And then they have to find a way to go to Los Angles or Anaheim or anywhere else in the Southern California area.
But the biggest scandal is that this project was approved, not by the EPA, but by the Surface Transportation Board. Whoever head of that board? This railroad project is being shoved down the taxpayers by Crybaby Harry Reid and a few other people. People are not complaining that they need a train. Most people from Las Vegas and Southern California will rather drive here or there and not ride a train. Driving will still save time than taking a choo choo and you can drive directly to your hotel or favorite gambling/drinking hole instead of taking the choo choo.
This was supposed to be a private project with no government funding, but now this has changed. The railroad will get hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars. What happens when this project fails? Can you say green energy fraud and Solyndra?
And Crybaby Harry Reid says that there will be 10,000's of jobs created for Nevadans? How? There may be a hundred or so people working on the train tracks, signals and building a station or 2. Then what? Where does the Alzheimer patient Reid come up with tens of thousands of jobs for Nevadans, especially since most of the work will be done in California?
Crybaby Reid has a horrible track record when it comes promoting business in Southern Nevada. Part of the reason is that he rarely visits Nevada and he would rather live at the Carlton-Ritz hotel than spend time in Nevada.
Once again, this will be a total waste of taxpayer money when the train will go bankrupt, probably within 5 years after running their first train, if they ever do operate a train. Then the taxpayers of the United States will be forced to pay for the mistakes of Crybaby Harry Reid.

First Rap Song Ever?



Many people consider this to be the first rap song ever. I'm not sure, but maybe the cavemen came up with something like this?

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

U.S. Invading Mexico?

Iraq. Afghanistan. Pakistan. Libya. Yemen. Somalia. Uganda. Mexico? Countries where the United States have sent soldiers and police to arrest or kill thugs.
From the New York Times: American law enforcement agencies have significantly built up networks of Mexican informants that have allowed them to secretly infiltrate some of that country’s most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations, according to security officials on both sides of the border.
As the United States has opened new law enforcement and intelligence outposts across Mexico in recent years, Washington’s networks of informants have grown there as well, current and former officials said. They have helped Mexican authorities capture or kill about two dozen high-ranking and midlevel drug traffickers, and sometimes have given American counternarcotics agents access to the top leaders of the cartels they are trying to dismantle.
Typically, the officials said, Mexico is kept in the dark about the United States’ contacts with its most secret informants — including Mexican law enforcement officers, elected officials and cartel operatives — partly because of concerns about corruption among the Mexican police, and partly because of laws prohibiting American security forces from operating on Mexican soil.
“The Mexicans sort of roll their eyes and say we know it’s happening, even though it’s not supposed to be happening,” said Eric L. Olson, an expert on Mexican security matters at the Woodrow Wilson Center.
“That’s what makes this so hard,” he said. “The United States is using tools in a country where officials are still uncomfortable with those tools.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/world/americas/united-states-infiltrating-criminal-groups-across-mexico.html?_r=1
Can you imagine the outrage in the United States if we let the Mexican, Canadian, Russia or any other country's police department or military to operate in the United States?
Then we wonder why the United States are considered to be bullies of the world.

Talk About Some Mexicans Being Uncivilized...

From the El Paso Times: The dismembered bodies of four men were found throughout Juárez on Tuesday in a grotesque display of brutality.
Some of the body parts were left in front of an elementary school and a day care center.
Heads, arms, feet and other severed body parts were scattered at various locations in the city, which has been in the grasp of a deadly drug-cartel war for nearly four years.
The mutilations were an apparent act of emerging rivalries with new drug organizations, according to messages left with the body pieces.
The first body parts -- those of two men -- were found around 7 a.m. near the intersection of Dorado and Pino Seco streets, in colonia Bosque Bonito.
The victims' heads were near an ice chest with a message that read "New Juárez cartel, continue recruiting, we will receive you here."
About 2:30 p.m., residents reported finding four severed feet along with narco messages near Avenida Reforma, Channel 26-KINT reported.
Other body parts were later found throughout the afternoon at other places, including in front of a day care and a torso dumped outside an elementary school when classes were about to end for the day.
A spokesman with Chihuahua state prosecutor's office said the deaths are under investigation.
The bodies have not been identified.
The gruesome crimes follow the discovery of a man's severed head late Sunday and his decapitated body found hours later.
In other violence, a Juárez police officer was killed when his car was peppered with gunfire Tuesday in the north part of the city.
Chihuahua state police said Alvaro Bustillos Nevarez, 27, was shot multiple times at about 8 a.m. while driving a blue Chevrolet Impala on Avenida Rafael Perez Serna.
Investigators counted 94 rounds fired from an AK-47.
State authorities have reported 119 homicides in Juárez so far this month.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_19190390?source=most_viewed
Obviously, most Mexicans don't fall into the category of being cold blooded murders, but how many Mexicans are supporting these thugs by either being silent or being allowed to be bullied? How many Mexicans are supporting these thugs by helping them in hiding, carrying drugs and helping the drug cartels in various different ways. We already are seeing Mexican gang violence in the southwestern United States and here in Las Vegas. We are already seeing large drug farms near Mount Charleston, in the Spring Mountains, being run by Hispanics.
This is another reason why we need to be strict in deporting criminals, even for the least serious crimes and prevent as many Mexicans and other nationalities that are crossing the border illegally. And the cops who work in the southwest, they will have to be extremely careful as these thugs from the cartels don't give a crap about police officer's lives.
Otherwise, very soon, we will soon be seeing crimes like this in the United States.

The MSM Hearts Michelle Obama

From the Washington Times: A media research firm says Michelle Obama has gotten nearly 30,000 mentions in the press since her husband was elected president, more than tripling the attention paid her predecessor, Laura Bush, during the equivalent time.
HighBeam Research scoured the 6,500 publications it tracks to see how often each was mentioned from the time her husband was elected until Oct. 20 of the third year he was in office — 2003 in the case of Mrs. Bush, and 2011 for Mrs. Obama.
The current first lady steamrolled, garnering 29,634 mentions, compared to 8,707 for Mrs. Bush in the nearly three-year periods under review.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2011/oct/24/michelle-obama-dominates-laura-bush-press/
And I am pretty sure most of the articles were positive instead of actually looking at how much Michelle Obama has been ripping off the U.S. taxpayers. Like taking trips to all corners of the earth, flying on separate planes than the president even though they were going to the same place and only a couple of hours apart (yeah, I know trying to stuff the 2 super huge egos in a 747 is very tough to do) and going on TV with shows like Iron Chef America, Paula Dean and other shows where she pigs out on the fatty foods while dictating to us low life's the kind of food we should be eating.
Just as President Obama has been a epic failure, Michelle Obama has been an epic failure as the first lady. She is a hypocrite and just loves to spend other people's (taxpayers)money.
It will be great to kick those two fools out of the White House. They remind of Bernie Mac in Oceans 11 and the scene in which his character is in a room with the casino owner and the guy from the NGC- Nevada Gaming Commission:

Even Fiddle Playing Can Be Sexy

I always wanted to learn how to play fiddle because I just love the sound. But there may have some other benefits as well by watching these fine young ladies sawing on the fiddle and playing it hot: