The Latest Thought
The Latest Thought
How the Huntridge Learns
It is OK for a civic monument to evolve into just another building?
February 16th, 2012
While the fate of the Huntridge Theater has been in question for at least a decade, the most recent squabble over what constitutes an appropriate use of the gutted and dilapidated landmark illustrates an important point: Buildings change. Structures are not finished when they are built; they’re just getting started. Read more »
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Why the Mob Museum Matters
Sure, there will be a lot of pizzazz, but the new attraction will also tell an important story about who we are and where we’re headed.
February 9th, 2012
I have been involved with the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, better known as the Mob Museum, from the outset. On Feb. 14, our dream becomes reality, and it’s important to get it right, because this is part of our history, and it’s time we come to grips with it. Read more »
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Return of the Mall Eternal
Are we looking for a Renaissance in all the wrong places?
February 2nd, 2012
It turns out a mall still looks like a mall: high ceilings, unnatural lighting and a giant directory reminding you that You Are Here. Being at the mall is like being in a pleasant time warp. Read more »
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Did You Kill Anyone, Mr. Rice?
A teacher and Air Force veteran tries to set his students straight on what military service really means
January 19th, 2012
Look, man, being in the military can involve killing and dying. But please remember that pulling a trigger was not an everyday event for the 21.8 million veterans or the close to 3 million active and reserve members currently serving. They are not ninjas. Nor are they losers who couldn’t score a job in retail. They work hard and get a paycheck. They go on dates, have their hearts broken, get married. They go to school plays and hope they won’t be deployed when their son plays his first varsity football game. Read more »
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A Crisis for the Ages
As parents age, the burden of long-term care often falls to their children. And it can be crushing.
January 12th, 2012
Advances in medical science are allowing people to live longer lives. The problem is, by the time today’s younger generations stand to benefit from these improvements, they may not be able to afford them. A retirement nest egg like our parents (or grandparents) had—the kind many retirees lack even now—may no longer be enough. Read more »
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To Run With the Pac
UNLV should dream big and do everything it can to get into the Pac-12 Conference. Here’s why.
January 5th, 2012
In the hallowed tradition of unrealistic New Year’s resolutions, I am proposing the following gem for UNLV: Win admission into the Pac-12 Conference. In fact, take a friend, or even an enemy along with you—say, that biggest-little-city school up north that calls itself simply “Nevada,” or that freshly minted beast of the Big East, San Diego State. Call it the Pac-14. Read more »
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Do You Speak Vegas?
A practical guide to the Sin City lexicon
December 22nd, 2011
Remember when you grew up in your relatively normal town before you came to the City of Delectable Sin? Remember when the word “industry” didn’t exist in your lexicon, apart from when you were referring to building ships or cars? Words like “shift,” “section” and “line” all had slightly less dramatic clout before you moved to Vegas. Words had their customary meaning rather than some bastardized definition used within the walls of gargantuan entertainment banks with an endless capacity for deposits you will never see again. Las Vegas, you now well know, changes everything, including the English language. A night out, for instance, requires a dictionary all its own. Never fear: We’re here to help. Read more »
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Sports Fans, Be Careful What You Wish For
For Las Vegans dreaming of a big-time sports franchise, a cautionary tale from Cleveland
December 15th, 2011
Is it truly better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? When it comes to your hometown sports team, I’m not so sure. Many Las Vegans have long held out hope for a big-league sports franchise, and as a transplant to the Valley, I probably ought to hop on that bandwagon. But my status as a lifelong fan of Cleveland’s teams gives me the duty to issue a warning: Where I come from, sports fans lead lives of quiet desperation. Read more »
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The $25 Question
You’ve got some spare cash or one hour of your time to give. How can you make the most profound impact on our civic life?
December 8th, 2011
Here’s a holiday quandary: You’d like to give some money and time to charity, but you want to make sure it will be well spent—in other words, that it will really make a difference in someone’s life. I understand where you’re coming from. I read detailed grant proposals every day and pride myself in being of sound mind first and compassion second. It has to be this way, because I have the honor of giving someone else’s money away. Read more »
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Preoccupied
Why the Occupy Las Vegas movement is fading—and how it can make itself relevant again
December 1st, 2011
So the Occupy Las Vegas protesters are well-behaved. Good for them. In addition to a gold star and a few extra minutes of recess, their behavior earned them a small, painfully balanced story from the Associated Press, which set the meme local TV and radio have faithfully followed: While other cities are plagued with civil disobedience, it’s all quiet on the Paradise Road front. Subtext: Feel free to go about your lives, Las Vegans, because Occupy Las Vegas is a meaningless curiosity. Read more »
