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BARBWIRE
by
ANDREW BARBANO

2011 Barbwires

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Pre-Web
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2013-14
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"If you can't say anything nice about someone, sit right here by me."

— Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth  

2015-20 Barbwires

Get ahead of corporate-influenced news—>Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential
The Underbelly of the News—>TOP SECRET, HUSH HUSH!

Eee-yo-leven!
Barbwire wins 11th Nevada Press Association award
6 of 11 gold
Tribune editorial page voted 2020 best

Dennis Myers 2nd Barbwire nominee elected to NPA Hall of Fame

Support Don Dondero and Jake Highton and David Toll next
Send endorsements

The Dean's List

   The Dean of Reno Bloggers could very well be Andrew Barbano, self-described "fighter of public demons," who started putting his "Barbwire" columns online in 1996 and now runs 10 sites.

RENO NEWS & REVIEW, 11-9-2006

 

Site Map
SITE NAVIGATION TIPS: When all else fails, read the instructions (a favorite John Hanks aphorism I've been using for decades)
Je Suis Charlie

Photo: Debra Reid, Sparks Tribune

The awful truth for the rudely scrude
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 5-25-2022

Ripoffs, rake-offs, rape & pillage
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Sparks Tribune 5-18-2022

The abortion solution
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Sparks Tribune 5-11-2022

Barbwire by Barbano: 4-20, 4-27 & 5-4-2022
Rent control legal under Nevada law
LET THEM EAT MASKS
Sparks-Reno superspreadators give booby bus boss big bucks
+FIREFIGHTERS ENDANGER E.R. PATIENTS
+ Nevada poisoning pigeons (and kids) in parks

War in moderation?
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 4-13-2022

Going out of business in style
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 4-6-2022

¡Feliz cumpleaños César Chávez! / Happy Birthday, hermano!
Born 3-31-1927 / Today is Nevada's César Chávez Day
César Chávez, spinmeisters and hatemongers
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 3-30-2022

Sexy ways to commit societal suicide
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 3-23-2022

How Renown stole our county hospital
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 3-16-2022

Oil Ain't All That's Rigged
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 3-9-2022

Eve of Destruction
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 3-2-2022


David Toll: Compleatly Nevadian
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 2-23-2022

Fresh glances at last, best chances
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 2-16-2022

Prolific Nevada author and publisher David Toll dies at 85
Constructed and launched NevadaLabor.com in 1996


Rise of the Homotextuals
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 2-9-2022

Treasure the age of the republic's wane
We carry on with business as usual as we treasure the remaining time in our democracy's decline.
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 2-2-2022

Rittenhouse in Reno & rationality in Sparks?
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 1-26-2022

What black people won't say
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 1-19-2022

Ghosts of Mississippi, Lani Guiniere & U.S. Grant
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 1-12-2022

STORIES WITH LEGS
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 1-5-2022

Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad
TRUE OR FALSE:
1. Jesus of Nazareth had blue eyes and blonde hair.
2. Buddha is a Christian saint.
3. Christianity existed more than 600 years before Jesus.

If you missed all three, you really need to read on.

Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 12-29-2021

Betty J. Barbano
2-7-1941 / 12-27-2005
Remember her kindness and laughter

Death Panels for Christmas
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 12-22-2021

You will remember the Ides of December
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 12-15-2021

The Cure for What Ails Us, Part IV
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 12-8-2021

I want my $10,000.00, dammit!
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 12-1-2021

Happy Thanksgibleting: Grueling gruel from the cruel
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 11-24-2021

Ghosts of Christmas past bite us on the ass
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 11-17-2021

Strike 3: Washoe transit workers walk off again
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 11-9 & 11-10-2021

Pitchforks, torches, mensches, tar & feathers
Moonhowlers on Steroids
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Substantially updated from the Sparks Tribune 11-3-2021

Ripoffs, Riches, Riots, Rhymes and R-ratings
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 10-27-2021

Jacob Marley's Freakers Ball @ City Hall
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 10-20-2021

Barbwire Busted by Busted Bus System
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 10-13-2021

Busted bus system: High-paid pimps & thieves
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 10-6-2021

Striking blows for justice
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 9-29-2021

James Bilbray, Jr.: Shakespearean Arthurian
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 9-22-2021

Alabaster Bastion bucks up superspreaders
Dirty words to remember on the Ides of September
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 9-15-2021

We have met the enemy and he is us
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 9-8-2021

Hail to the Chief
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 9-1-2021

The bitter taste of positive PR
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Sparks Tribune 8-25-2021

Eternal reruns of toxic movies and PR spin
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from Sparks Tribune 8-18-2021

Get on your hiking boots and pick up a picket
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / NevadaLabor.com 8-10-2021 / Expanded from Sparks Tribune 8-11-2021
Featuring Logan Lansborough / Hot August Strike poster child
+ WEB EXTRA: BARBWIRE CONFIDENTIAL—>Softshoe fascism in Reno

BARBWIRE CONFIDENTIAL—>HushHush!
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / SPECIAL WEB INVESTIGATIVE EXTRA 8-4-2021
BIZ BOSS: NEVADA STRIKE NEEDS TRUMP

Mississippi West re-run & Hot August Strike 1.911
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from Sparks Tribune 8-4-2021

Lies, loves, loss, laughs & other L-words
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from Sparks Tribune 7-28-2021

Losers, winners, saint, sinners & Yogi
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from Sparks Tribune 7-21-2021

Czar Donaldov infects Reno-Sparks bus system
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the 7-14-2021 Sparks Tribune

Last of the Sparks-Reno royals
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from Wednesday 7-7-2021 Sparks Tribune

John Ascuaga: Frycook who ruled the roost
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-30-2021 Sparks Tribune

Deus Ex Machinations
Barbwire June 16 and 23, 2021

Accepting acceptable deaths
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-9-2021 Sparks Tribune

Keepin' the young'uns moral after school
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-2-2021 Sparks Tribune

Nominations open for the Doofus Awards
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-26-2021 Sparks Tribune

Hot August Strike: Déjà vu all over again
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-19-2021 Sparks Tribune

The Terminator sez he'll be back
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-12-2021 Sparks Tribune

OBIT: The formerly United States of America
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-5-2021 Sparks Tribune

A brief history of shootings and choke holds

Choking on the bones of Mississippi West
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-28-2021 Sparks Tribune

Getting paid to choke in the clutch
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-21-2021 Sparks Tribune

Pardon me if I get all choked up
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-14-2021 Sparks Tribune

Officials risk first bus strike in almost 20 years

Alleluia! Moonhowlers are gunning for you
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-7-2021 Sparks Tribune

¡Viva Chávez!

¡Viva huelga! César Chávez Day 94 returns
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 3-31-2021 Sparks Tribune

César Chávez Celebration XVIII / Celebración de César Chávez XVIII
Sign up for news and bulletins

Newly-elected (at the Barbwire's nomination) Nevada Press Association Hall of Famer Dennis Myers will be installed
in the César Chávez NevadaLabor.com Hall of Fame

Nominations remain open for HOF and union organizer, project and employer of the year. Submit.
Click here for sponsorships and reservations.

Postponed to Fall 2021 — Stay safe and stay tuned

Viva huelga! Strike a blow for Nevada workers
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 3-24-2021 Sparks Tribune

Remember St. Patrick for slaves, not snakes
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 3-17-2021 Sparks Tribune

The Piano Players at the Cat House
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 3-10-2021 Sparks Tribune

Superspreading for pun and prophet
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 3-3-2021 Sparks Tribune

Barnum, Reagan, Rambo, Gingrich & the Czar
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-24-2021 Sparks Tribune

Murderous MAGA moonhowlers meander among us
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 2-17-2021 Sparks Tribune

A hard rain falls on the land of the giants
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 2-10-2021 Sparks Tribune

Maskerape: Get COVID-19 & vax on one bus ride
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 2-3-2021 Sparks Tribune

Fool's gold, a few gems & meat spots
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 1-27-2021 Sparks Tribune

Capitol punishment and bus station blues
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 1-20-2021 Sparks Tribune

Fire is the Devil's Only Friend
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 1-13-2021 Sparks Tribune

JOE NEAL: You can't run from the truth
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 1-6-2021 Sparks Tribune

Happy High Holly Days to all
Merry Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Festivus/Chanukah/Thanksgibleting
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad
HAPPY NEW YEAR / Feliz Año Nuevo / Felice Anno Nuovo
Frohe Weihnachten und beste Wuensche fuer 2021

Betty J. Barbano
2-7-1941 / 12-27-2005
Remember her laughter

Suicide for citizens but not political careers
BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO / Expanded from the 12-30-2020 Sparks Tribune

So this is Christmas —> What have you done?
BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO / Expanded from the 12-23-2020 Sparks Tribune

Transitions and decisions in a darkening winter
BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO
Expanded from the 12-16-2020 Sparks Tribune / Updated 12-18 & 12-22-2020 GMT

A golden goose for the morally obtuse
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 12-9-2020 Sparks Tribune

Recipes to die for in a toxic holiday season
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 12-2-2020 Sparks Tribune

11-30-2020: ST. ANDREW'S DAY IN SCOTLAND. Italians celebrate it, too.
Benedicta! Andrea Luigi Barbano


THE DAY AFTER

Asked to buck-up his constituents with a positive thumbs-up, President Trump instead goes digital with his feelings. Or maybe his thumbs were just too busy elsewhere on his perfect body.

(Photo: Anna Moneymaker for the Fake News New York Times 11-4-2020)                                                                                NevadaLabor.com

BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO
Expanded from the 11-25-2020 Sparks Tribune
We have met the enemy and he is us

 

American Monster M*A*S*H: Suicide is painless
Almost two-dozen mass transit drivers are now infected with COVID-19.
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 11-18-2020 Sparks Tribune

Legerdemoniacal legerdemain: 3 Rights Make a Left
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 11-11-2020 Sparks Tribune

The greatest political figure of 2020
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 11-4-2020 Sparks Tribune

FREEBIE ALERT! FREE election bets. NEW!
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-28-2020 Sparks Tribune

Suede-shoe salesmen sucker city hall
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-21-2020 Sparks Tribune

Bigotry means never having to say you're sorry
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-14-2020 Sparks Tribune

Intervention Mayday! Suicidal Nevada union workers
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-7-2020 Sparks Tribune

Superspreaders, homotextuals & hall of famers
Exclusive interview with Supreme Court Justice-Designate Amy Coney Barrett
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-30-2020 Sparks Tribune

The Best Who Ever Was
Barbwire Nominee Dennis Myers elected to Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame
Barbwire / 9-30-2020

Messages from the gods: Ignore at your peril
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-23-2020 Sparks Tribune

Margaret Dumont and Groucho Marx
Still crazy after all these years.

Donny & Jimmy's Most Excellent White Castle Adventure
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-16-2020 Sparks Tribune

Cider House Rules: Admonitions & Ammunition
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-9-2020 Sparks Tribune

Diabolical Déjà Vu: Fire is the Devil's only friend
Barbwire accurately called 2016 presidential result 9 months out & stands behind 2020 prediction made four years ago
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-2-2020 Sparks Tribune

HOT AUGUST STRIFE 2020 Demonstrations and Good Trouble

Barbwire Confidential Special Report: Hush-Hush!
Machine Guns & Racism in Nevada's Alabaster Bastion

Tribal trauma, Belarus R Us & a hero dies well
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-26-2020 Sparks Tribune

Lemmings, ostriches & dirty-talking desert rats
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-19-2020 Sparks Tribune


Greatest Hits Dept.

WE WON: BIG NEWS FROM THE NEVADA PRESS ASSOCIATION CONFAB IN GOMORRAH SOUTH —> BARBWIRE NOMINEE GUY RICHARDSON INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME ON FIRST BALLOT

Barbwire nominee Dennis Myers elected to NPA Hall of Fame

Support Don Dondero
and Jake Highton and
David Toll next.
Send endorsements

Eee-yo-leven!
Barbwire wins 11th Nevada Press Association award

GOLD 2017-18

2018 First-Place Winners
From the depths of despair to the den of iniquity & holy of holies

"Excellent work. These are some of the most moving columns I've read."
— NPA contest judge/9-29-2018

The Grasshopper and
the Dragonfly
9-6-2017

Kicked off the Ledge
4-18-2017

NATIONAL NEWS FIRST-BREAK
Back to the Future in
Mississippi West Nevada
10-18-2017

Gold 2017
Don't ask Renown Med for marijuana to help your chemo
10-4-2016
We Don't Need No Education
Toxic turf threat ignored
12-13-2016
Kate Smith & Lady Gaga
2-14-2017

Bronze 6-pack
In the Uber-Nevada legislature, words can kill
4-28-2015
On artificial turf, don't breathe unless absolutely necessary (above)
11-24-2015
Leading questions, lead-headed leaders
1-19-2016

Hopelessly trying to win an earthquake
4-18-2013
2013 Loony Tunes Legislative Lexicon
5-30-2013
The politics of media ga-ga boosterism
3-20-2014

More statewide and national award winners

We Don't Need No Education—>
Neverending Barbwire Series

1997 Pulitzer Prize entries

Barbwire.TV:
15-year overnight success
Daily Sparks Tribune 2-10-2008

The Barbwire's Greatest Hits
BEATING LUSH RAMBO AT HIS OWN GAME: Highlights from radio days
mp3 file

The Dean's List

   The Dean of Reno Bloggers could very well be Andrew Barbano, self-described "fighter of public demons," who started putting his "Barbwire" columns online in 1996 and now runs 10 sites.

RENO NEWS & REVIEW, 11-9-2006

Tomorrow's news today —> Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential
TOP SECRET— HushHush!

 

Andrew Barbano: Enemy of the state
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-12-2020 Sparks Tribune

Mississippi West: honkytaunts and alabaster bastions
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-5-2020 Sparks Tribune

Dear Guv: Put your foot where your mouth is
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-29-2020 Sparks Tribune

Sparks City Hall strikes a blow for white guys
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-22-2020 Sparks Tribune

Fair warning to the rich, famous & powerful
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-15-2020 Sparks Tribune

There just ain't no cure for stupid
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-8-2020 Sparks Tribune

Ship of Fools: Washoe County as derelict ocean liner
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-1-2020 Sparks Tribune

Weird love of dos Tejanas for El Jefé Trump
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-24-2020 Sparks Tribune

Government shuts down when it should step up
Wherein I become a 36-year overnight success
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-17-2020 Sparks Tribune

Top 10 cures still go begging
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-10-2020 Sparks Tribune

Don't let fear and anger convert us to Germany 1933
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-3-2020 Sparks Tribune

BREAKING NEWS—>
WE WON! City of Reno votes down Ballardini Ranch annexation

Presidents Trump & Harding channel Mark Twain
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-27-2020 Sparks Tribune

Ballardini Ranch: Love's Labours Lost. Again.
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-20-2020 Sparks Tribune

Letter from gods of alpha males & alpha mails
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-13-2020 Sparks Tribune

Re-name former Hug High for Dolores Feemster
By William C. Webb, John A. White, Jr. and Andrew Barbáno / RGJ.com 5-7-2020 / Reno Gazette-Journal op-ed 5-10-2020

Make Dolores Feemster's light shine brightly
Renaming of former Hug High before school board Tuesday, May 12
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-6-2020 Sparks Tribune

MAGAcidal maniax are loosed upon the land
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-29-2020 Sparks Tribune

Trump wants your cat and your shorts
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-22-2020 Sparks Tribune / Updated 4-26-2020

A gold record message from the King
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-15-2020 Sparks Tribune

Are you ready to die for your country?
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-8-2020 Sparks Tribune

Payback: Corona, Cocaine & Trump
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 4-1-2020 Sparks Tribune
 Photos, video and commentary from Barbwire correspondents in the belly of the beast: New York City and northern Italy
And remembering when Andy met Betty on April Fools Day 44 years ago

Kinks and hijinx in the time of plague
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-25-2020 Sparks Tribune

The lighter side of the latest plague
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-18-2020 Sparks Tribune

Medflies, flyweights and President Pelosi
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-11-2020 Sparks Tribune

Trump's Blackrobes: Humpty Dumpty Homotextuals
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-4-2020 Sparks Tribune

Bernie or bust, Dolores a must
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-26-2020 Sparks Tribune

Czars Donaldov & Nixon win Democratic Caucus
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-19-2020 Sparks Tribune

Springtime for fat cats & unburied hatchets
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-12-2020 Sparks Tribune

Love saves a life on Reno's mean streets
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-5-2020 Sparks Tribune

Bill Harrah's cookie cutter crumbles
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-29-2020 Sparks Tribune

Going to confession with Father Barbwire
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-22-2020 Sparks Tribune

National welfare, corporate welfare and MLK
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-15-2020 Sparks Tribune

The only way to stop killing is to stop killing
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-8-2020 Sparks Tribune

Barbano sells out to white Republicans
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-1-2020 Sparks Tribune

The Sermon on Mount Barbwire
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 12-25-2019 Sparks Tribune

Cut in twain
(Myers' favorite photo)

Dennis Myers: Enroute to the universe next door
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 9-11-2019 Sparks Tribune
Obituary, 1948-2019
[En Español — La Voz Hispana En Nevada 9-18-2019]

Philippines to Burning Man to Ireland: Adios GOAT
Dennis Myers Memorial announced
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 9-4-2019 Sparks Tribune

Nevadian Dennis Myers: The Greatest Of All Time
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 8-28-2019 Sparks Tribune


Veteran Nevada reporter removed from life support
Obituary: Dennis C. Myers 1948-2019
[En Español — La Voz Hispana En Nevada 9-18-2019]
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Special Internet Edition 8-25 and 8-26 -2019

Dennis Myers, 1948-2019: The GOAT's Archives

10 the hard way!
Barbwire wins 10th Nevada Press Assn. award
Je Suis Charlie


2018 Nevada Press Association first-place award-winner (one of three)
We Don't Need No Education Part LXXVIII—>
You've got to be taught to learn to hate
NATIONAL NEWS FIRST-BREAK FIVE WEEKS AHEAD OF THE LEGIT MEDIA. First in a series.
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-18-2017 Sparks Tribune / Updated 10-19 and 10-29-2017 GMT

2018 Nevada Press Association first-place award-winner (one of three)
The grasshopper and the dragonfly
Adios to a grandfather and a grand-daughter who never met
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-6-2017 Sparks Tribune / Expansions in blue

Big-time guy with big pictures
Vote Dondero
Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame

Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno
Expanded from the 8-2-2017 Sparks Tribune
Expansions in blue

Dondero, 1920-2003
(Photo courtesy of D. Brian Burghart, Reno News & Review)

Dondero—Nevada's photographic memory
Barbwire by Barbano
Expanded from the 6-1-2003 Daily Sparks Tribune

Sparks' flying philosopher
John Hanks dies at 91

Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno
Expanded from the 7-26-2017 Sparks Tribune
Expansions in blue

2018 Nevada Press Association first-place award-winner (one of three)
Busted at the Legislature
Fear & Loathing @ the Ledge
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 4-18-2017 Sparks Tribune / Updated 4-20, 4-21, 4-22, 4-23 and 4-25-2017.
Expansions in blue; much more to follow; stay tuned.

2017 Nevada Press Association GOLD AWARD WINNER
Kate Smith & Lady Gaga
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 2-14-2017 Sparks Tribune

11-24-2016 — 142 years ago on Thanksgiving Thursday,
Barbed wire was patented (11-24-1874).
On 18 Jan. 1813, Joseph Glidden, inventor of barbed wire, was born and the west was never the same.
Likewise here.
Stick with The Barbwire to sharply point out the awful truth. Always.

Get ahead of corporate-influenced news—>Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential

10 the hard way!
Barbwire wins 10th Nevada Press Association award

We Don't Need No Education: The Neverending Barbwire Series

2017 Nevada Press Association GOLD AWARD WINNER
Education Dysfunction Part LXXIV—>
We don't need no education
What's a little cancer or brain damage as long as graduation rate projections remain rosy?
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 12-13-2016 Sparks Tribune

2017 Nevada Press Association GOLD AWARD WINNER
Don't ask Renown Med for marijuana to help your chemo
Corporate welfare's bitter fruit: Union-busting, prevailing wage-violating Syufy burns Sparks City Hall again
Teamsters 533 CEO Debbie Calkins on statewide TV
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 10-4-2016 Sparks Tribune

Greatest Hits. Dept.

Muhammad Ali & Sir David Frost faced off here
Barbwire memories of two superstars
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 9-5-2013 Sparks Tribune

Reno City Council again rolls over for Waste Management
Workers, ratepayers, taxpayers & competitors all harmed, as usual
Barbano: Two monopolies for the price of one
By Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review / 9-5-2013


Lawnmower Man, bladerunners and smoke eaters
Demonstrators at Reno Federal Courthouse deserve combat pay
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 8-29-2013 Sparks Tribune

WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN, TONTO? All participants in the demonstration were reminded that breathing is both voluntary and optional. There is no requirement forcing anyone to inhale Reno's foul forest-fired air. (Photo courtesy of L. Martina Young / APoeticBody.com)

Reno rally to mark the 50th anniversary of the fabled 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom
10 a.m.–12 noon Saturday 24 Aug. 2013, Bruce Thompson Federal Courthouse, S. Virginia & Liberty streets
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 8-22-2013 Sparks Tribune

Greatest Hits. Dept. Part Deux

A quarter century of Barbwire, part deux
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 8-15-2013 Sparks Tribune

Barbwire: 25 years before the masthead
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 8-8-2013 Sparks Tribune

10 the Hard Way
Barbwire wins 10th Nevada Press Association award (6th Gold)

2014 Nevada Press Association Award Winner
We Don't Need No Education XXXVIII—>
The politics of media ga-ga boosterism
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 3-20-2014 Sparks Tribune

2014 Nevada Press Association Award Winner
The 2013 looney tunes legislative lexicon
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 5-30-2013 Sparks Tribune

2014 Nevada Press Association Award Winner
Hopelessly trying to win an earthquake
I publicly wept when they looked at me.
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 4-18-2013 Daily Sparks Tribune

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We Don't Need No Education: The Neverending Series
BARBWIRE BLASTS FROM THE PAST
Site Map

Required Readings

The Lady in the Red Dress
The award-winning Barbwire classic Nevada Day column written in 1983
The compleat history of the Silver State in 500 words
SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
DAILY SPARKS TRIBUNE 1-3-2011 & 10-31-2018

Liberal reasons to oppose liberal positions and policies
Guaranteed to irritate all points of the political spectrum
DAILY SPARKS TRIBUNE 12-26-2010 / Updated 7-12-2017

Guest Columnists

Travus T. Hipp
Feb. 20, 1937 — May 18, 2012

BREAKING NEWS 10-24-2014: Travus and Lynne Hughes' longtime home, the old church in Silver City, burns to the ground with the loss of one life. Say a prayer and treasure the memories. Sean Laughlin promises to rebuild. Victims were Travus' first wife, Sandy, and her dog.

The Bullfrog Times-Picayune
Sticky Stones: Last blast from the past

Love ain't free: Evelyn Kerr's remembrances of the life and times of Travus T. Hipp from the pages of TimeMazine (CD available)

We put the state on life support for another two years
Assemblyman Richard "Skip" Daly, D-Sparks / Reno Gazette-Journal Guest Editorial / 7-17-2011
Editor's note: Alas and alack, the 2013 session provided instant replay.

Prof. Jake Highton, 1931-2017
Travus T. Hipp, 1937-2012
Dennis Myers, 1948-2019 [Remembering Hall of Famer Myers]
Orland T. Outland, 1923-2000
Labor Leaders

David Farside 1936-2014
The Farside Chronicles
Harry Spencer remembers David Farside
Tribune Editor Dan Eckles: Farside a class act

26-year investigative series

PUMPING PROFITS — Why does gasoline cost so much?
Read the awful truth in the Barbwire Oilogopoly Archive

Get ahead of corporate-influenced news—>Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential

BLASTS FROM THE PAST
Some of the Barbwire's Pre-Internet Greatest Hits

The abortion solution
Barbwire by Andrew Quarantino Barbáno / Sparks Tribune 5-11-2022
Updated from January 27, 1989

Return of the Lost Boys —> KCBN's last day
Barbwire / Sparks Tribune / 9-29-1989 (.pdf)
Whoever promised me a CD of all 13 hours and never sent it, now would be a good time. People are waiting. Please e-mail me.
Uploaded on the occasion of the passing of Big Daddy Chuck Harper, 1934-2014
Barbwire / Sparks Tribune / 12-23-2014

John F. Kennedy's 2013 inaugural address
Excerpted from the original full text from 12-29-1991 (.pdf)
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 11-22-2012 Daily Sparks Tribune

Lynne Hughes and Barbara Bennett: Energy Again [.pdf]
Uploaded on the occasion of the passing of Travus T. Hipp, 1937-2012
Barbwire / Sparks Tribune / 3-21-1993

1995 Washoe Med (Renown Medical) Grand Jury Report
Additional columns just uploaded from our archives + the 3-18-2012 Barbwire
Grand Jury report available for the first time on the web

The fairy tale power of 35 pennies
From the 12-22-1991 Daily Sparks Tribune / .pdf format
Presented to my granddaughter as a university graduation present on 5-27-2011
and referenced in the 5-29-2011 Barbwire

Gail Bishop: We harvest the fruit of his labor
From the 2-20-1994 Daily Sparks Tribune (.pdf format)
Velma Bishop, 1928-2010
From the 10-3-2010 Daily Sparks Tribune

Doug Davies: Rum & Ragtime Renaissance Man
Daily Sparks Tribune 11-14-1993 (.pdf format)

Diss me, father, for I have sinned
Daily Sparks Tribune 7-16-1995 / Reprinted 7-15-2007

Merle Brennan: The Last American Sportsman, 1-7-1996
Updated with vintage photos, restored race cars and a visit from Il Comendatore himself
UPDATED 10-4-2008
Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004
A memoir from Nevada's undercover Reagan-Bush PR man
Slightly updated 6-6-2004 from the 8-2-1992 Daily Sparks Tribune original

History
Labor Day '94: People vs. Corporate Con-Job
A brief history of neo-con PR and the roots of corporate propaganda
Tragedy
Come, follow me: A walk with the grateful dead
A visit to Nevada's first AIDS leper colony
The award-winning second Tribune Barbwire
From the 8-19-1988 and 7-10-1994 Daily Sparks Tribune

BEASTY BOYS—>Did Naval Air Station Fallon bury live animals after a huge fuel spill?
From the 1-19-1990 and 1-22-1990 Daily Sparks Tribune

Barbwire Diplomacy
Revisiting the fourth Tribune Barbwire: "Chilé took Nevada for a sucker" 9-2-1988
Breadlines in boomtowns: the American plantations
Expanded from the 7-19-1998 Daily Sparks Tribune / Updated 12-12-2006
Comedy
Theme casinos, Spuds MacKenzie & Brigitte Bardot
The first Barbwire
Originally published in Reno, LV and Sunworld Airlines magazines, August, 1987

Continuing Tragicomedy
Judge Clarence Thomas meets Prof. Kingsfield
Reprinted in the San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Legal Journals, 1991
Updated 6-27-2013

More sucker punches from Lush Rambo
Barbwire by Barbano/ Expanded from the 3-11-2012 Daily Sparks Tribune
Includes links to two freshly-uploaded 1992 columns. I warned you.

Insanity from the eye of the newt
From the 5-20-1990 Daily Sparks Tribune / .pdf format
UPDATE: So what else is newt?
The great ones died but Newt's like Dracula
Happy High Holly Days anyway!
Barbano by Barbano / Expanded from the 12-25-2011 Daily Sparks Tribune

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em
The reasons behind the failure of Nevada's first non-smoking casino
Barbwire 3-2-1990

Recently uploaded blast from the past for MLK Day —
I was a teenage racist
Expanded from the 1-12-1990 Daily Sparks Tribune
This column also appeared in the 1-19-1990 Comstock Chronicle
Updated and modified versions in the Fresno Bee, Daily Sparks Tribune and Reno Gazette-Journal
Jan. 14-15, 2012


Below, right: The Nevada University Scandals of 2010-present
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Click here.

Below, left: The Nevada University Scandals of 1996-1997
Please let us know if much has changed.
1997 Barbwire Pulitzer Prize entries are noted with *asterisks*
Category 4 — Explanatory Journalism
Category 9 — Commentary

Janet MacDonald 1941-2012: The beautiful face of honor
The Barbwire fondly remembers the courageous university system treasurer who dared tell the truth
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 1-29-2012 Daily Sparks Tribune

UPDATE: Let there be Rosenbergy again
Term limits or not, vote for Howard Rosenberg anyway, dammit!
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 7-27-2008 Daily Sparks Tribune


Shunting Nevada work to out-of-state carpetbaggers is nothing new

University just won't learn—>
The smoking gun: UN,R subcontractor hires and exploits undocumented workers
Dennis Myers/Reno News & Review/9-26-2013

Just like old times: UN,R and Hot August Nights
Barbwire by Barbano/Sparks Tribune/9-26-13

Marginal contractors on UNR job draw Laborers' Union ire and picket line
U-News / 9-19-2013
UPDATE: UNIONS PROTEST UNR GIVEAWAY ON STUDENT HOUSING CONSTRUCTION
Reno Gazette-Journal front page/9-24-2013

State of the Unions —>
Non-Nevada contractors, including Apple, continue to plague local workers
Reno Gazette-Journal 9-1-2013

Bullfighting in Tonopah —>
Billion-dollar tax-subsidized solar array goes to shady contractor from sunny Spain
Barbwire / Sparks Tribune 8-11-2011

Nevada workers march to UNR for Nevada jobs
U-News / 5-20-2010

Con jobs by charlatans in the name of our children
Originally published 5/4/97
Slavery, sweatshops and shell game education
Originally published 4/27/97
New evidence in the university financial shell game
Originally published 4/20/97
All university regents face ouster, TMCC chief quits
Originally published 3/9/97
The question no one asked Howard Rosenberg — till now
Originally published 3/2/97
The buckaroo kangaroo court hangs Rosenberg Thursday
Originally published 2/23/97
Only embrace the tar baby when DNA proves it's yours
Originally published 2/2/97
Emperors, educators, pregnant paupers & presidents
Originally published 1/26/97
*Secret university audit catches chancellor lying!*
Originally published 1/19/97
A watered down education for Mother Nevada's kids
Originally published 1/12/97
Both Nevada and its university open 1997 lost at sea
Originally published 1/5/97
The 1996 Grateful Deadhead and Chia Butthead Awards
Originally published 12/29/96
*Shadowboxing Jello, yahoo kangaroos & Downsize This!*
Originally published 12/22/96
*EXTRA! Barbano endorses environmental jockocracy *
Originally published 12/15/96
*University Scandals 1996: The Empire Strikes Back *
Originally published 12/8/96
*Howard Rosenberg: the most powerful man in Nevada *
Originally published 12/1/96
*Howard Rosenberg: unlikely David vs. Philistine Elite *
Originally published 11/24/96
*Clark Santini: still watching over his university*
Originally published 11/17/96
*Protected pianists at the Casablanca College Casino*
Originally published 11/10/96
*Ghost Professors, Gold Mines and Shell Games at UNR*
Originally published 11/3/96
*Slam-dunks: fun follytix up at the U*
Originally published 10/27/96

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Oct. 27, 1996, Barbwire began a six-month investigation into the labyrinthine intrigues of the University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN), now called the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). At the suggestion of chess grandmaster and author Larry Evans, most of the 1996 installments, as well as one involving university issues in the following year, were entered by the Sparks Tribune in two categories of the 1997 Pulitzer Prize competition. That ongoing interest in the affairs of higher education has never waned. You may use the NevadaLabor.com search engine to do a keyword search on the occasional treatment of university issues. You will also enjoy the ongoing comments of longtime University of Nevada-Reno journalism Prof. Jake Highton (1931-2017). Be well. Raise hell. — Andrew

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Gov. Dudley Do-Right's Greatest Hits
Dudley Do-Right, Snidely Whiplash and Nell Fenwick cartoon characters © Jay Ward Productions. May their tribe increase.


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— Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth  

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© 1982-2022 Andrew Barbano, all rights reserved

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Andrew Barbano is a 53-year Nevadan, executive producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration, a longime member and officer of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, labor/consumer/civil rights advocate, member of Communications Workers of America Local 9413/AFL-CIO and editor of NevadaLabor.com and BallotBoxing.US and SenJoeNeal.org and DoctorLawyerWatch.com/ As always, his opinions are strictly his own. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Sparks Tribune since 1988 and received its 11th Nevada Press Association award at the 2021 NPA annual convention. (That trophy and about six bucks will get you a Latte Mocha Cotsafracas Chingade at just about any Starbux worldwide, guaranteed.)

Be well. Raise hell.

Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.) / être bien, élever l'enfer (And my French.) / Stammi bene. Scatenare l'inferno. (And Italian.)

2013: The Barbwire's Silver Anniversary in the Silver State
Aug. 1988-Aug. 2013 —>Now we go for gold
Barbwire by Barbano moved to Nevada's Daily Sparks Tribune on Aug. 12, 1988, and has originated in them parts ever since.
Whom to blame: How a hall-of-famer's hunch birthed the Barbwire in August of 1987
Tempus fugit.

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10 the hard way!
Barbwire wins 10th Nevada Press Association award

NevadaLabor.com Site Directory

HAPPY NEW YEAR / Feliz Año Nuevo
Hope you and yours enjoyed Happy High Holly Days!
MerryChristmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Festivus/Chanukah/Thanksgibleting

We Don't Need No Education: The Neverending Barbwire Series

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Betty J. Barbano
2-7-1941 / 12-27-2005

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