Opinion
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: Rest in Peace Rafer Johnson
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 12/07/2020 - 6:43pmWhen Bobby Kennedy was tragically shot and killed in 1968, his killer was set upon and wrestled to the ground by Rafer Johnson. For those too young to remember, Rafer Johnson was the first black captain of a United States Olympic Team, and was crowned the best all-around athlete in the world when he won the decathlon in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.
Carson City's other movie theater needs a little more love
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Sun, 12/06/2020 - 12:05pmOn a recent Saturday night I went to see the James Bond classic Goldfinger at Carson Stadium Cinemas, 2571 N Carson St. I'd seen that movie when it was released in 1964, and I have the DVD as part of a boxed set of James Bond films, but I was thrilled when it appeared on the marquee because there is nothing like seeing a movie made for the big screen on an actual big screen.
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: Laughter is some of the best medicine on the shelf
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 11/30/2020 - 11:29amMost of us have long known from personal experience that humor, laughter and smiling are good for us. So it is reassuring to read Doctor Miller's assessment: “Heightened stress magnifies the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes. Having a good sense of humor is an excellent way to relieve stress and anxiety and bring back a sense of normalcy during these turbulent times."
Keep flashing warning lights on our highways! (Letter)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 11/26/2020 - 2:08pmThis is a response to the following article originally posted here on Carson Now:
I am writing today to vehemently oppose the removal of flashing lights on the highway that inform drivers a light is about to change.
The general consensus of our community with whom I've spoken to seem to agree that this would be a disaster.
Column: Hail to the Turkey, an American icon
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 11/26/2020 - 2:04pmSince the first Thanksgiving feast held 400 years ago, the turkey has served as an enduring icon of one of America's most beloved holidays.
Appearing as a plump, grandly plumed image on everything from collectible trinkets to practical place settings these days, the tom turkey has long symbolized the blessing of bounty celebrated by Americans each Thanksgiving Day.
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: A time for women
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 11/23/2020 - 11:40amThe prevailing belief amongst leaders of nine nuclear powers is that Weapons of Mass Destruction are a deterrent. So far so good. However, there is also a belief simmering in the minds of a few revanchists, that WMDs might be useful in exacting retaliation or retribution for various grievances.
Carson Tahoe Health: 'Even in 2020, there’s still so much to be thankful for'
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Sat, 11/21/2020 - 12:10pmAs we approach the end of this memorable year, I can’t help but reflect on how much we still have to be thankful for at Carson Tahoe Health.
Thankful for our dedicated healthcare providers, hospital, and administrative staff who remain steadfast in their mission to provide the very best care possible to all of our patients. I’m so very thankful for our team’s ability to be focused, yet flexible, in this constantly evolving, healthcare crisis.
Same old squishy Amodei? (Opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 11/12/2020 - 10:41amSame old squishy Amodei?
Yes, I voted for him again. Was there a choice, THIS year? Not trying to insult anyone or go off tangent with irrelevancies, NO.
Fear and Hate v Happiness and Love (opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Wed, 11/11/2020 - 12:18pmLet go of your fear and hate to discover what you love. One should not let what they hate, blind them to what they love. Like Jefferson, I love life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in that order. Though I do hate murder and slavery I do not let it define what I love. Though Life and Liberty are defined by the Constitution in America, the pursuit of happiness is an individual choice.
It’s time to evaluate your Medicare options (opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Tue, 11/10/2020 - 4:02pmMost people are aware that when they turn 65, they become eligible for Medicare. However, what people don’t always understand is that there are options available beyond Original Medicare — the healthcare benefits you receive from the government.
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: Civic grace, public good and a life of purpose
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 11/09/2020 - 12:45pmHobbes was wrong. Life is not nasty, brutish and short. Life is nasty, and brutish, but long enough to embrace civic grace, public good and a life of purpose. By coming together in 2021 we can turn a horse chestnut into a chestnut horse, and join Dinah Washington in singing, "This bitter earth may not be so bitter after all."
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: Little brothers
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 11/02/2020 - 12:27pmPhunny, the things our minds turn to when left to daydreaming in the midst of a pandemic. At times we torture ourselves with guilt over the slightest of grievances. Today, for me, it was my little brother, Luigi. His real name was Larry, but along the way, for some reason, I don't know why, we started calling him Luigi.
Column: My Favorite Nevada Moments
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Sat, 10/31/2020 - 8:56amThe Nevada Day Committee got it wrong this year. By selecting "My Favorite Nevada Moment" as the theme for 2020, the committee has left people like me out.
I can't whittle my experiences in Nevada down to just one favorite.
A Carson City Resident's philosophy? Ok… Maybe a few questions (Opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 10/29/2020 - 10:37amMy philosophy? Ok… Maybe a few questions: After long evaluation, I have decided to write down some of my philosophy and personal thoughts, politics included, which may or may not be agreed with.
On The 'Patriot Militias' in Nevada (Opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 10/29/2020 - 9:23amFact Sheet: Unlawful Militias in Nevada
What is a militia? Federal and state laws generally use the term “militia” to refer to all able-bodied residents between certain ages who may be called forth by the government to defend the United States or an individual state.
See 10 U.S.C. § 246.
Sena Loyd the smart choice for Assembly (Opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 10/29/2020 - 3:01amThe net proceeds of mining tax is based on a 150-year-old formula written into the state constitution. Mineral extraction is taxed at between 2 and 5 percent of gross revenue, less operating costs. Last year that formula produced revenue equal to just 1.6 percent of gross proceeds.
Opinion: Stacie on the issues (what issues); Desperately seeking reasons (why anyone would vote for Stacie)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Mon, 10/26/2020 - 1:54pmQuoted directly from Stacie’s website. (These are also the themes and contents of news articles about her speeches and interviews.)
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: My Huckleberry friend
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 10/26/2020 - 10:57amI have a Huckleberry friend who has kept me humored during the pandemic. Huck is a Steller's jay, his species is named for an 18th century German naturalist, but his name comes from a boy who had some adventures out on the Mississippi River in the 19th century, as immortalized by Mark Twain.
Things to Think About Before You Vote (opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Mon, 10/19/2020 - 7:32pmIt seems that every four years we’re told that, “This is the most important election in history!” In 2020, that axiom seems more true than ever. As the president of the Nevada Republican Assembly, there are some important issues of which I’d like to make everyone aware.
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: The stump speech that gave us Mark Twain
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 10/19/2020 - 12:36pmIt was a stroke of luck that Sam Clemens happened to hear a stump speech, satirize it, and send it over to the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, as that speech, and the letter it fostered, would trail blaze the literary birth of Mark Twain.
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: Voting is the most American thing we do
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 10/12/2020 - 11:57amThis Saturday I will drive a good friend with 93 years of knowledge to our voting place where we will cancel each other out. It's the American way. Voting is the most American thing we do. My mother and father took great delight in canceling each other every four years without damaging their sweet relationship in the least.
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: The best teacher I ever had
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 10/05/2020 - 10:56amMs. Moser. What a great lady. She knew what was happening in every time zone, and she understood adolescents better than any adult back when I was an incorrigible adolescent myself. She was our speech teacher in high school when I was deathly afraid of public speaking. I would rather have a coyote gnaw on my arm than to have to speak in public.
What might Mark Twain say to today's skateboarders?
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 09/28/2020 - 10:43amWe have a new skateboard shop here in the village, and a few of our finest teens hang out there to swap stories and Tony Hawk trading cards. Today, as I was passing by, one of them shouted, "Mark Twain!"
So I pulled on my mask and wandered over, bearing in mind that these kids have already had to endure the aftermath of 9-11, the 2008 recession and a pandemic.
Questions for Maurice White Our Great Constitutionalist (opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Fri, 09/25/2020 - 12:05pmThere can be no doubt, the Founding Fathers were among the elite of a young nation. At the time many were exceptional and provocative intellectuals by the standard of their era. However brilliant as they were, the Founders were not motivated to be historically recast as secular saints.
Some people choose to run for public office because they feel slighted by their incumbent opponent of local government and seek to stick it to incumbency.
Opinion: Support Carson City area eateries by ordering take out instead of delivery services
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Tue, 09/22/2020 - 6:37pmRestaurants were the hardest hit of the “essential” businesses allowed to remain open when the hospitality businesses — of which restaurants are a subset — were abruptly shuttered at almost a moment’s notice.
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: Nevada icon Glen Lucky turns 68 on Sunday
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 09/21/2020 - 2:50pmGlen Lucky was born on Sept. 27, 1952, down in Coronado, Calif. He was like many other boys, cute, smart, happy to arrive, however, he was diagnosed with a birth defect, cerebral palsy, and his parents were advised he might not live to see 15. But Glen did live to see 15. He started riding a bike at 15, and 16 and 17. Glen turns 68 on Sunday.
Pine Nuts with McAvoy Layne: Gutsy lady's sacrifice earns her a seafood gumbo dinner and drinks
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 09/14/2020 - 10:33amThis morning I read a most compelling article in the New York Times by one of my favorite journalists, Helene Cooper. Customarily, as the Times' Pentagon correspondent, Ms. Cooper writes about guns and butter, but knowing she was on a team awarded a Pulitzer for coverage of the Ebola epidemic, her piece of today (Sept. 12, 2020) carried much weight with me.
Remembering Bob Crowell, a tribute (opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 8:14amA lot of people knew Bob Crowell better and longer than I did. My heart goes out to them all. My heart also goes out to the communities he served. They may not know what they have lost. They have lost a selfless, consensus building and principled advocate.
Bob could sit for hours in rooms with people who righteously argued their positions - talking over one another. Bob would not weigh in. He would listen. Really listen. And then he would find common ground. And things would move forward.
He was a devoted husband. Father. Grandfather. I don’t have the words to speak for their loss.
Local elections — where politics matters the most of all (opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 09/10/2020 - 11:46pmLocal elections — where politics matters the most of all. While the race for president, and maybe certain races in the Senate and House, dominate the news, the fact is that all politics is local and that your local government is the one that affects your life the most. It’s local government that arranges for your basic services, such as water and sewer, trash, and all the utilities.
Carson City Capitol Protests (opinion)
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Tue, 09/08/2020 - 4:14pmThe ongoing protests at our State Capitol may have you worried or afraid, or even angry. Have you felt that things may be out of control in our nation?