BARBWIRE by ANDREW BARBANO

Barbwire Archives

Site map
Corporate Propaganda Research Archive

A lot of construction contractors got stiffed on the original Sparks Marina mess.

Since then, the traveling salesmen responsible have put a proposed Imax theater out to bid a bunch of times.

Insiders viewed it as a shuck to stir up financing through publicity. Some companies won't bid Marina projects anymore because the phonies have burned them too many times.

It costs lots of money to prepare major construction proposals.

The suede-shoes have ratcheted up their game with the recent maneuver of circumventing Nevada gambling law by building a pair of separately-owned 100-room hotel towers.

State law requires a minimum of 200 rooms to qualify for an unlimited gambling license.

Wise guys who have watched the Marina shenanigans see this latest strategy as an attempted two-fer.

Developers need to re-apply annually to keep their building permit current, so why not double down with the twin tower amendment?

Get people talking and maybe somebody will come along with the financing to build the thing.

Split it in half, thirds, quarters?

Who cares?

Experts warned the city council years ago that without a high-rise hotel-casino, the entire Marina project would prove financially non-viable.

When one expert didn't tell the hicks in city hall what they wanted to hear, they fired him and hired someone more pliable.

Once upon a time, the Reno Gazette-Journal wouldn't even print business stories from people announcing a speculative project just trolling for financing.

Now, they'll print just about anything.

THE NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM. A few weeks ago, PBS aired a documentary on the history of modern feminism.

One fifty-something woman told about being asked to sing the national anthem in grade school back in the Sixties.

She proudly broke into the song her mother had oft-noted as the national anthem: "I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore..."

Now comes information from the National Women's Law Center that Nevada women earn just 85 cents for every dollar paid to men.

Silver State African-American females only get 68 cents on the dollar,

Latinas just 53 cents.

The solution is being born. Nevada will soon be a minority-majority state and politicians, for once, are getting ahead of the curve.

Two years ago, Assemblymember Olivia Diaz, D-N. Las Vegas, gave birth during the legislative session.

This year, her colleague Theresa Benitez-Thompson, D-Reno, may well duplicate the feat.

Mrs. Benitez-Thompson has not announced a projected due date.

She was hard at work when I called her office at deadline.

The former Miss Nevada is married to KTVN TV-2 meteorologist Jeff Thompson. They have two children.

Benedicta, bellissima!

RADIO REDUX. Been getting calls about the death of talk radio on KJFK 1230-am.

Blame no one but intentionally inept management afraid of Republican retaliation against the ad budgets on their lucrative fm-stations.

KJFK was smothered in its own crib by its parents.

More later.

WEB EXTRAS

HONOR YOUR DON. Keep sending comments supporting legendary Nevada photographer Don Dondero (1920-2003) for the Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame.

His life's work appeared worldwide, including this newspaper.

Enlist in the campaign to install Big Don.

Please send me your memories and endorsements via e-mail or to P.O. Box 10034, Reno NV 89510.

The Barbwire got the late RGJ columnist Guy Richardson elected last year.

Let's go for a repeat.

BARBWIRE.TV. Support the return of community TV to these parts.

If last year's elections didn't convince you of the need, the 2013 legislature certainly will.

Join up. You may donate at ReSurge.TV or contact me.

This is important. Thank you.

VOTE FOR THE LUCKY 13, the most powerful Nevadans of 2013. Send nominations to <barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us>

Last year's rogues gallery will be linked to the expanded web edition of this column at NevadaLabor.com/

LET'S GET IT ON. E-me to get on the Barbwire News bulletin list for information not filtered through corporate lenses.

I broke a bushel of major stories last year which the above lead item will very probably top.

Turn on, tune in and tell a friend.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

____________

Andrew Barbano is a 44-year Nevadan, chair of the Nevada César Chávez Committee, producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration, first vice-president and political action chair 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 JoeNeal.org. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. Check local listings for other Nevada cable systems. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Daily Sparks Tribune since 1988.

Smoking Guns... We Don't Need No Education The continuing series ...and more ammo... The Post-Dated Recession: Pay me now or pay me later Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 9-6-2012 Daily Sparks Tribune The Post-dated Recession By Joshua H. Silavent / Daily Sparks Tribune / 5-3-2011 Union decline and rising inequality in two charts by Colin Gordon Economic Policy Institute / 6-5-2012 Used in journalist Mark Robison's extensive Hard Labor: Nevada unions tout role in helping workers, firms, economy (Sunday 2 Sept. 2012 Reno Gazette-Journal, page one, Reno Rebirth section of the print edition). Union men Jim Burrell, Paul McKenzie and Guy Louis Rocha did the movement proud. Not included in the RGJ online edition. WOMEN AND UNIONS — ORPHAN MAJORITIES The Barbwire Labor Day column Reno Gazette-Journal / 9-3-2012 Nevada Press Assn. Better Newspaper Contest HAT TRICK: Barbwire takes first place three years in a row. The winning entries Suing for Schools: The 20-year shuck Expanded from the 2-21-2010 Daily Sparks Tribune Click here to view the show on your desktop RED flags flying low over Sparks Expanded from the 1-10-2010 Daily Sparks Tribune The wrath of self-righteous racism Expanded from the 11-8-2009 Daily Sparks Tribune Government contacts Nev. congressional delegation Nevada Legislature State of Nevada Secretary of State Carson City Clark County City of Las Vegas Douglas County Reno City Council Sparks City Council Washoe County Commission Washoe Registrar of Voters The campaign against forcibly-paid newspaper obituaries And they wonder why the newspaper business is dying?   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 The 2009 first-place Nevada Press Association award winners Tony the Tiger & the flaky NFL Barbwire / 11-30-2008 Deregulation is never having to say you're sorry Barbwire / 8-3-2008 Nevada: A good place to visit, but do you want to live here? Barbwire / 6-15-2008 The 2008 first-place Nevada Press Association award winners The price of a piece / 6-17-2007 Boxing Pandora /9-23-2007 The Lady in the Red Dress 10-28-2007 1997 Pulitzer Prize entries ...and more ammo yet Barbwire Corporate Welfare Archive Barbwire Corporate Propaganda Archive Cabellyup.com

NevadaLabor.com | U-News | Bulletins + Almanac Casinos Out of Politics (COP) | Sen. Joe Neal Guinn Watch | Deciding Factors | BallotBoxing.US DoctorLawyerWatch.com | Barbwire Oilogopoly Archive Barbwire Nevada Corporate Welfare Archive Annual César Chávez Celebration War Rooms: Banks, Cabbies, Cabela's, Cable TV, Cancer Kids/Mining, Energy, Food, Health Care, Resurge.TV/consumers, Starbucks, Wal-Mart Search this site | In Search Of...

Barbwire Archives

Copyright © 1982-2013 Andrew Barbano

Andrew Barbano is a 44-year Nevadan, editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org; and former chair of the City of Reno's Citizens Cable Compliance Committee, He is producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration and serves as first vice-president, political action chair and webmaster of the Reno-Sparks NAACP. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us.

Barbwire by Barbano moved to the Daily Sparks (Nev.) Tribune on Aug. 12, 1988, and has originated in them parts ever since.
How a hall-of-famer's hunch birthed the Barbwire in August of 1987
Tempus fugit.

Site composed and maintained by Deciding Factors, CWA 9413 signatory

Comments and suggestions appreciated. Sign up for news and bulletins