I am definitely considered an old person, and as an old person, I love to get the newspaper and go sit somewhere to read it. For the last four months, I was not able to do that due to the fact that we were testing the possibility of an online newspaper to save on printing, delivery and circulation, plus production – among many other things. Today, for the first time in four months, I was able to do what I like to do best: read the newspaper sitting down somewhere – and I am very happy for that. One of the things I didn't miss was the Review-Journal's boycotting of our distribution; most likely they will start doing it once more, now that we are back on the street again, so we have contracted the service of a license distribution company, Strip Advertising, to handle our distribution....

It has always been my opinion that drivers who ignore the speed limits in the school zones are irresponsible and arrogant people who do not care for anyone but themselves, and nothing is more important in life than their own agendas. I believe that, overall, police have done a pretty good job when it comes to trying to enforce the laws in school areas – watching for speeders and protecting the students' safety while they are away from home and away from the parents that care for and worry about their kids. But (there is always a but) here is where I tend to disagree with many parents and with the traffic laws and the police enforcing those laws when it comes to protecting our men and women of tomorrow. Some of those kids are not really "kids" anymore. Some of those kids look more like...

I have always been very fond of the court marshals at the Regional Justice Center. I never get tired of writing good things about these men and women in uniform at the RJC because they deserve all the compliments they get. They are very professional, and they treat everyone with respect and dignity. But make no mistake: when they need to be tough, they can do that too, very well indeed. There are not too many “incidents” involving the marshals at the RJC because people that go through the gates there know better than to play games with these former police officers and MPs.If days go by and I forget how good these court marshals at the RJC are, all I have to do is go to the federal building and deal with those security guards at the front door. I have no idea what it is they call...

I am not going to be able to take any more time off if I want to keep some of my old friends. Every time I take time off, I lose a friend; this time I lost two friends – two old friends that maybe I was not that close to, but they were friends nevertheless. Rogelio Darias, one of the best bongo players of the last two centuries, died at the age of 93 in his favorite city, Las Vegas, where most of his successful career took place when he was not touring the European or Asian continent or South and Central America with the many superstars of show business with whom he worked. Liberace, Xavier Cougar, Paul Anka and Miguelito Valdez were among those who saw and recognized Darias' talent and added him to their band or group during his career. Darias was always dressed impeccably and was...

Most people who know me and Lou Toomin are aware that we have had some differences and disagreements in the past; but last December Lou was humble enough to approach me during an event that we both attended to ask me for a truce. We shook hands and wished each other a happy holiday in front of several FIORE presidents who were very happy to witness our peace pact. Lou used to be part of the Friday Lunch Cabinet where, for a long time, a group of five friends got together for lunch and talked about nothing and about everything but business. Business is not part of that friendly Friday lunch. It is almost like a miniature FIORE non-club club created by that entertainment luminary, Nelson Sardelli. Later, one of the participants – Las Vegas businessman Peter Elliades – stopped attending...

I received a letter from a friend this week in which he made reference to having to deal with the "aftermath" of the mess he'd made of his life. It was a very self-evaluating letter, and one that addressed a point that all too often gets lost in the course of "doing what we have to do," or simply doing what we feel like doing. It doesn't take much to mess up one's life, if one lets that "ball of mess" (the "aftermath") keep rolling along. In fact, although I could see how my friend's particular ball of mess got started and apparently couldn't be stopped (in his own mind), it got me to thinking about how other people start the ball rolling, so to speak. Many people put themselves first in everything, regardless of whether or not what they do is ethical, moral or even to their own advantage. "How will it affect me?" is the question they ask. "I have to look out for myself," they say. "Don't expect me to inconvenience myself, or be taken advantage of," they will tell...

We all know that election time is, if not a time for blatant lies, than at least a time for candidates to be misleading as they jump into the race trying to confuse the voters with "information" about why they should get their vote. Those poll results we hear about mean whatever the organization paying for them wishes to let the voters think they mean and tells the voters whatever that organization wants the voters to know, thereby tilting the voting scale before election day by misleading voters into choosing a candidate that has a better chance. We urge the people of Nevada to concentrate on learning as much as they can about the candidates and not to rely on advertisements, polls or any of the other "tricks" that candidates' political consultants use to make their candidate look the best or to stand out as the winning choice. Sue Lowden, a candidate for US Senate, sent a press release to everyone she wanted to reach saying that a certain poll is showing her as the favorite...

Jim Murren, the CEO of MGM Mirage, had the audacity to intimidate the hard-working people of Las Vegas by saying that he would take on anyone who goes against Sen. Harry Reid. What are Jim Murren's intentions? To get a machine gun and kill anyone or everyone who votes against Harry Reid? That is a laughing matter, coming from a man who has not even served his country when he was supposed to. Maybe he is going to go after all the candidates running against Sen. Reid and force them out of town so they cannot campaign or possibly unseat dear old Harry. There is nothing Jim Murren or the entire MGM Mirage Corporation can do to you and anyone in your family once you are inside that voting booth. Vote with your heart for what you believe is best for Nevada, Clark County and Las Vegas – the place that you call home.

Casino Mogul's Intentions Need Strong Examination When President Obama put the City of Las Vegas down in two separate statements, many people – myself included – openly criticized the President 's words because we believed then as we still do today that the economy in Las Vegas is the worst in the nation and we cannot afford to continue losing tourism. Many others criticized Mayor Oscar Goodman for being offended by Obama's words, but nobody bothered to think for a second that the ones who deserved criticism are the casino moguls of Las Vegas who pay no attention to the crisis the citizens of this city are going through. Nevada's unemployment rate is 13 percent, but those moguls don't care about the hundreds of people who have lost their jobs in the very casinos they own.

Every now and then, we get surrounded by situations-of-a-kind. Although there are other situations-of-a-kind that have surrounded me of late, I'm going to zoom in on the situation of what happens to the relationship when love dies. At the present time, there are at least four women in my life who have the "snakeskin remains" of their former love as all that's left of their relationship, yet they haven't quite decided what to do with that non-substantial remnant of their past. One would think the situation is self-evident: Love is gone; the relationship is gone. But not necessarily so. If one asked each of those women which came first – the love or the relationship – from where I stand, I would have to say it was the relationship. One started as neighbor-neighbor; one as fellow-church-goers; one as a double-dating convenience thing; and one as a friendship-with-possibilities. If indeed each of those relationships came before the love, "something" therefore existed on which the love...

In a recent interview, University Regent Mike Wixom said, “What troubles me is there’s this whole underlying notion that government is bad.” Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Steve Hill seconded that emotion. “One of the things that I hope conversations like this can do is get rid of the idea that government is bad,” he said. In a separate, unrelated interview called “The American Revolution” - conducted more than 225 years ago - founding father George Washington disagreed with both Wixom and Hill.  “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force,” the nation’s first president warned. “Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” In other words, government, if not strictly controlled: bad.

  From a story in Bits and Pieces some years back comes an inspiring story. Years ago a John Hopkins professor gave a group of graduate students this assignment: Go to the slums. Take 200 boys, between the ages of 12 and 16, and investigate their background and environment. Then predict their chances for the future. The students, after consulting social statistics, talking to the boys, and compiling much data, concluded that 90 percent of the boys would spend some time in jail. Twenty-five years later another group of graduate students was given the job of testing the prediction. They went back to the same area. Some of the boys - by then men - were still there, a few had died, some had moved away, but they got in touch with 180 of the original 200. They found that only four of the group had ever been sent to jail. Why was it that these men, who had lived in a breeding place of crime, had such a surprisingly good record? The researchers were continually told: "Well, there was...

In the 1992 blockbuster film, A Few Good Men, Navy lawyer Daniel Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, and Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway, played by Demi Moore, are assigned to defend two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier. Kaffee is inclined to plea out the case but Galloway pushes him to investigate deeper. He begins a process of questioning fellow officers to get to the truth. The quest eventually leads them to base commander Colonel Nathan Jessep, played by Jack Nicholson. The courtroom confrontation between Kaffee and Jessep is one of big screen legend. Kaffee insists that he is entitled to the truth about the case. In the memorable response Jessep says, “You can’t handle the truth!” Truthfulness is an essential ingredient through which leadership flows and how all other relationships within your organization exist. This concept sounds primal but is one of which we need to be reminded.

In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn't. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus. "These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they're nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold." "Which channel do you want?" asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why don't you guys get organized like that?" Perhaps you have asked that question with regard to your organization. Nothing can be more frustrating than a non-cohesive organizational structure that is being lead by an unorganized individual or team. In the illustration above, Lucy epitomizes an old-school mentality of leadership. The leader, Lucy in this instance, demands a change. When her authority is questioned she squashes the challenge with the threat of force.

On September 6, 1995, thousands of fans packed Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles were playing host to the California Angels. President Bill Clinton was in attendance, but only as a spectator to the history that was about to be made. The history being made this night would be voted by fans as the “Most Memorable Moment” in baseball history. In the fourth inning Cal Ripken, Jr. stepped to the plate and hit a homerun. As thrilling as that moment was, history still had not been made. After the Angels’ half of the fifth inning was over, it was official. The 56-year record held by Lou Gehrig for the most consecutive games played (2,130), now belonged to “The Iron Man” Cal Ripken, Jr. A Hall of Fame player, Ripken was the ultimate role model for little leaguers and aspiring major league players both then and now. He is a member of the 3,000 hit club including 431 home runs. Ripken continued the consecutive game streak by an additional 502 games, a record...