Reader Feedback 2008!

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Green-Collar Jobs

Mrs. S. Baron

With all the building constantly going on in Vegas, I have yet to see anyone spurring the creation of green-collar jobs. To me a green-collar jobs is any job that directly contributes to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Like traditional blue collar jobs, green-collar jobs can range from low-skill, entry-level type positions to high-skill, higher paid jobs.

Green-collar jobs are found in construction, manufacturing, installation, maintenance and many other industries. Some green-collar jobs are extremely well paid, career track jobs that contribute directly to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Green-collar jobs tend to be local because many involve work transforming and upgrading the already built and natural environment—work such as retro fitting buildings, installing solar panels, construction like our monorail, and landscaping.

NOT A GREEN COLLAR JOB: If a job improves the environment, but doesn’t provide a family-supporting wage or a career ladder to move low-income workers into higher-skilled occupations, it is not a green-collar job. (e.g. workers installing solar panels without job security or proper training, or young people pushing brooms at a green building site without opportunity for training or advancement.)

I would be beholden to anyone who would direct me to the proper agency and/or person who has the means, motive and opportunity to create some honest-to-goodness GREEN COLLAR JOBS in Clark County.

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Bush's Marching Orders

By: Mrs. S. Baron

I am delighted that John McCain finally made it as front runner of his party, if only for the fact that anyone who went through what he went through in Vietnam is certainly entitled to declare his candidacy for president of the United States. Despite his allegiance to what has become of the Republican party in recent years, he has still made an ongoing attempt to comfort the afflicted as well as afflict the comfortable in the U.S. Senate. And that is something sorely needed.

He has not yet announced who his running mate might be and I'm disappointed that he turns toward Mr. Bush for support. For if he panders to that kind of corruption, might he also not call for someone like Mike Huckabee to be his vice-president if only to reach the far right vote as well?

And, at 71 years old, is there not a reasonable assumption that McCain might die in office, leaving the country in the hands of a doctrinaire belief system of someone the Founding Fathers warned us against?

I would much rather this country be led by a man dedicated to the laws of the United States rather than another president who talks and listens to God for his marching orders.

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Do Not Call Registry

By: Sy Baron

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint at this Website. You can register your home or mobile phone for free.

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How To Intelligently Choose Between Hillary & Obama

By: Sy Baron

One Potato, Two Potato

Eeny Meany, Mighty Moe

Odds, Evens

Rock - Paper - Scissors

Corned Beef My Way

Mrs. Sy Baron

As a card carrying, dues paying member of the Reformed Jewish Faith I look forward to St. Patrick's Day for a few reasons. St. Patrick's Day means corned beef is in abundance and on sale in the supermarkets. It's time to fill the freezer. I love a corned beef sandwich on New York Rye Bread with side of potato salad, a sour pickle and a Dr. Brown's Celery Tonic or Cream Soda.

Arby's just came out with their new Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich with Thousand Island Dressing and Swiss Cheese served on what they call marble rye but is really soft texture.

Now I ask you, be honest....how would you prefer your corned beef sandwich?

Submitted For Your Enjoyment

By The One & Only Tony Cedrini

Green Gore

Submitted by Alice

Green with Envy

Submitted by Sy Baron

Go Green

Submitted by the Green Family, Lois & Ben Green

Bike Instead Of Ride.
Riding your bike instead of riding in a car saves energy and reduces pollution, of course. But it is also fun! That makes it a double benefit.

Buy Products Made Of Recycled Paper.
How can you tell if a package is recycled? Look right on the package. Many have specific claims, such as "made of 100 percent recycled material." However, some recycled packages don't advertise this fact, although there are ways you can find out for yourself. For example, when shopping for cereal, cookies, crackers, and other groceries packaged in cardboard boxes, make sure boxes are made from recycled paper. If the underside is gray or dark brown, the cardboard is made of recycled material. If it's white, it is made of unrecycled material.

Change A Light Bulb.
By replacing a standard bulb with a compact fluorescent one you will get more light for less money and save a lot of energy.

Cut Down On Packaging.
We've already given you several ways to do this. Keep in mind that about half of what we throw away is packaging. By buying products that have as little packaging as possible, you can help to reduce those mountains of trash.

Don't Buy Aerosols.
There are environmentally better packages for most products. Aerosols can't be recycled--which means that they are guaranteed to end up in landfills--and some of their ingredients contribute to air pollution. Instead of aerosols, look for spray bottles, liquids, powders, and roll-ons.

Eat Organic Produce.
Organic produce contains far fewer chemicals than other produce. That's probably better for your health, and it is definitely better for the environment. All those chemicals get washed off of farmers' fields into rivers and streams, where they pollute our water. In addition, many of the chemicals are made from petroleum and other nonrenewable resources. So, don't eat chemicals--eat real food

Elect "Green" Candidates. During election campaigns, ask candidates about their position on the environment. Try to ask specific questions that relate to situations in your community--whether they support a mandatory recycling program, for example, or whether they plan to get tough on polluting companies!

Hold On To Balloons.
Helium balloons--they kind that float up into the sky--are lots of fun, but if you let them fly away, they may harm fish and animals. Helium balloons eventually fall back to earth and can be blown by strong winds miles away into the ocean. Some sea animals mistake the balloons for jellyfish. When an animal tries to eat a balloon, it can kill the animal. So if you have a helium balloon, hold on tight. If you know of others planning to use them for a celebration, warn them about the dangers of letting the balloons fly away.

Look At Labels.
Reading labels can tell you a lot of things. First, you can find out about a product's ingredients--whether it contains anything that might be hazardous to your health or the the environment. A label will also tell you how to contact the product's manufacturer with your questions and comments. Feel free to let them know what's on your mind. Do you think their product is good? Let them know! Could it be better? Let them know that, too. In particular, let them know if you've decided to buy--or not buy--their product for environmental reasons. Companies listen very carefully to what their customers have to say. It doesn't take very many letters and calls for a company to think seriously about making changes.

Quit Throwing Away Batteries.
Americans go through more than two billion batteries a year to power such things as radios, calculators, watches, flashlights, and computers. Unfortunately, batteries contain many hazardous materials, which leak into landfills when batteries are thrown away. Many of these dangerous chemicals get into our water supply. There are two ways you can avoid throwing away batteries. One is by using batteries that can be recharged over and over. You should also find out if there are companies in your area that recycle batteries. If you must throw batteries away, do so at a hazardous-waste collection site, if there is one in your area. Still another idea is to send the batteries back to the manufacturers, signifying that you consider used batteries a potential danger. This may encourage companies to begin recycling

Green Eggs and Ham à la Sam-I-Am

By: Lola

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
4 slices of ham
8 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
1-2 drops of green food coloring
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add sliced ham and brown until edges are slightly crisp. Remove the ham from the pan, cover with aluminum foil, and set aside.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Beat with a whisk until frothy. Then add 1-2 drops of green food coloring until you reach the desired shade of green.
Heat a tablespoon of butter or margarine in a large frying pan over medium heat until the butter begins to sizzle. Then add the egg mixture to the pan.
Stir the egg mixture with a spatula until the eggs are firm and not too runny.
Transfer the eggs to individual plates. Garnish with a sprig of parsley. Add the ham prepared earlier. Serve with toast or warm rolls.

Feeds 4 hungry green-egg lovers

My Next Life
Mrs. Sy Baron

I want to live my next life backwards!
You start out dead and get that out of the way
right off the bat.

Then, you wake up in a nursing home

feeling better every day.
When you are kicked out of the home for being too
healthy, you spend several years enjoying your
retirement and collecting benefit checks.

When you start work, you get a gold watch

on your first day.

You work 35-40 years or so, getting younger every day
until pretty soon you're too young to work.

So then, you go to high school: play sports,
date, drink, and party.

As you get even younger, you become a kid .

You go to elementary school, play, and have no
responsibilities.

In a few years, you become a baby and everyone
runs themselves ragged keeping you happy.

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully
in luxury, spa-like conditions: central heating,
room service on tap.

It's Not Easy Being Green Sing-a-long

Submitted By: Jamie Cooper

It's not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that

It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky

But green's the color of Spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like an ocean, or important
Like a mountain, or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
And I think it's what I want to be

From Sesame Street "It's not easy to be green"

Wearin' Of The Green

Compiled by Mr. & Mrs. Sy Baron

Leap Day

By: Freida

February is the only month that has four even weeks....four weeks of seven days each. Except, every four years when we get a bonus February day. Today is our bonus day. It's strange that this day is not celebrated. We have a day of love celebrated right smack in the middle of February so why shouldn't we celebrate February 29th. It is, in actuality, special. Special because it surpasses what is considered usual.

Now that we've been given a gift of an extra day, what say you we do on this day?

I vote for taking a leap of faith and paying a good deed forward...meaning let's do something anonymously for someone who doesn't expect it. I, for one, am planning to spend the afternoon at the home of a neighbor who is homebound. I've already prepared a special meal for us to share. Happy Leap Day!

On the Boardwalk of Atlantic City

Mrs. S. Baron

It cudda been any boardwalk resort town in the 1950s, Lakewood, Rockaway, Jersey Shore, Wildwood or in my case Atlantic City. Fascinated by the 'claw/lobster machine' and the Planter's Peanut boardwalk store, I still remember some 50 odd years later, the aroma of peanuts roasting and the Mr. Peanut souvenirs. I still have my green plastic Mr. Peanut bank which according to EBay sales commands something more than sentimental value now. This is a photo of my brother and me on the boardwalk circa early 1950s. Notice my brother's gun and holster which was commonplace toys back then.

Say it isn't so

Mrs. S. Baron

My 2 Cents Plain

By: Mrs. S. Baron

Bet On Bette

What a wonderful evening of entertainment. Midler on stage and a star studded opening night audience. Where does one look first. As usual The Devine was truly devine. Bath House Bette will not disappoint. One question, she looks half her age and struts her stuff like she did 30 years ago. How?

Pleeze No Obama...Pleeze

Obama has many flaws and omissions that seemed to have eluded the press. The following is just one but says volumes. He is so very, very inexperienced in the international arena that it is frightening to think that he might lead this nation. He talks the talk but I seriously doubt his ability to walk the walk.

He has taken several long trips as a lawmaker—through the Middle East, Africa and the former Soviet Union. But there is one noteworthy gap in Obama’s itinerary: except for a brief stopover in London, returning from Russia in 2005, he has apparently never been to Western Europe since launching his political career. What renders this gap especially surprising is that Obama is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe. Not only has the Senator not visited the region his committee oversees, but as, Obama’s committee has not held a single policy-oriented hearing since he’s been chairman. Europe may not be the central playing field but it remains essential to the global set of alliances and relationships that the U.S. needs to cultivate in the new century. In fact, there is no place where it will be more urgent to rebuild bridges. As Obama knows, the United States cannot do it alone—and Europe will need to play a supporting role in whatever strategy the next president articulates.

I have voted in all presidential elections since and including JFK. I would lose the farm on this election because if Obama beats Hillary, I will be forced for the first time in over 65 years to vote Republican.

Waterboarding is a form of torture used to obtain information, coerce confessions, and for punishment and intimidation.

Mukasey & My Mom

Submitted by Brooklyn Benny

The Background

President Bush nominated Mukasey to replace retired Attorney General Gonzales.

He was eventually confirmed by the Senate but by the narrowest margin in more than 50 years.

The Senate's concern was over Mukasey's opinion or lack thereof of using Waterboarding as a means of interrogating terror suspects. Before his confirmation, Mukasey said he would keep an open mind on Waterboarding. After his confirmation, he said he reviewed the CIA's current methods of interrogating terror suspects, which includes Waterboarding, and finds them to be lawful.

So on January 30th 2008 when Senator Ted Kennedy asked Mukasey if he (Mukasey) would "consider water boarding torture if it was done to you", Mukasey replied, "I would feel that it was."

The Opinion

When I think of the lies I could have gotten away with as a kid but was too afraid of what my mother would have done to me, I get terribly upset.

If she hadn't bugged me so much about telling the truth, I could have been president, for Pete's sake.

And, assuming I didn't make it to the White House, I could at least have been elected to Congress and had a pretty good income (plus medical benefits) for just repeating over and over again whatever I could get the public to believe .. especially if I had the good sense to deny I ever said what I said to begin with.

And if we assume I couldn't get elected to Congress .. a big assumption considering how meager those qualifications are .. maybe I could at least have settled into the job of Attorney General like this guy Mukasey.

He and I are definitely cut from the same cloth. I remember his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee a couple of months ago when he conned them into believing that he'd keep an open mind (after they gave him the job of course) about whether he believed Waterboarding was constitutional.

I remember his words so well because it's the kind of convoluted lie I could have told if only my mother had let me get away with it! "If it amounts to torture then it is not constitutional." Beautiful... Couldn't have done better myself.

Ah, what the heck. I'm too old now to change my ways. Which just goes to show you what a terrible job my mother did in bringing me up

In Depth

Waterboarding is a form of torture that consists of immobilizing a person on his or her back, with the head inclined downward and pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages. Through forced suffocation and inhalation water, the subject experiences the process of drowning and is made to believe that death is imminent.procedure.

Ice your Valentine Cupcake with Champagne
(Pun Intended)

Contributed by: Mrs. Sy Baron

1 can whipped white frosting
1/4 teaspoon Champagne flavoring

Empty the frosting into a small bowl and add the Champagne flavoring.
Stir to combine and set aside until ready to frost.
Champagne flavoring is available where cake & candy making supplies are sold (Gourmetsleuth.com)

A Motherless Daughter's Love

By: Anonymous

It was the Labor Day Week-end 1954. The camp bus pulled into the parking lot of the "Y" and I immediately saw my uncle waiting for me. I was surprised my dad wasn't there, but being away for two weeks at sleep away camp, I was happy to see any family member. The walk home seemed exceptionally long because I was anxious to see my mom who had been ill all summer.

My house was full of relatives and friends. How nice, I thought, so many people came to welcome me home from camp. After my father's initial hugs and kisses he escorted me into his bedroom and closed the door. He awkwardly began, "Do you know why all these people are here?" "Sure," I said. "They're here because I'm home from camp." Then I asked if mom is back in the hospital again. He said that mom is in a coma in the hospital and the family has gathered here because mom is very sick. I was only 12 years old and had never heard the word 'coma.' I had no idea what that meant. I asked when I could see mommy and he repeated that she is in a coma and will not come out of it. I didn't know what it meant, but I remember saying, "Will I ever see mommy again." I heard him say "No." I don't remember anything else until found myself hours later in the bath with my grandma sitting on a chair next to me. Why she thought a bath would help me I have no idea, but nonetheless I am certain they did the best they could under the circumstances. Mommy died that night.

Fifty-four years ago and I'm still not over it. I still cry. Correction, I still sob. I can't watch any movie in which a mom dies or is ill. All my life I was a daughter without a mother, a motherless daughter.

I've had two marriages and didn't do either very well. I am, however, a wonderful mother and grandmother. My children are devoted to me as I am to them. My grandchildren adore me and I can't do enough for them. Over the years my memory of my mother has faded despite my best efforts to hang on to them but the sense of loss and a lack of a mother's nurturing love is very real and ever present.

There is no other love like the selfless love of a mother. We only get one mother. I missed growing up with that love. But I am sated knowing that I have been fortunate to have my own children and grandchildren to whom I bestow my motherly love.

You Can't Go Home Again

**VCO's Steven Sorrentino & Novelist Thomas Wolfe**

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE !!!

Presented by: Jackie Sussman

I did go home again. Or did I?

It was the Park Avenue of the Bronx. My parents always told me how lucky we were to live on the Grand Concourse. Suffice it say that our huge pre-war, three-bedroom, one-bath apartment needed to be shared with my grandparents who helped pay the $97 a month rent.

Born in 1941, I remember having one small windowless room designated as the 'take cover room', our protection for when the air raid sirens would sound. I remember my grandmother wetting the end pieces of Wonder Bread and putting them on the fire escape for the birds. Nothing went to waste. I remember our neighbor being locked out of her apartment and my grandfather climbing on the fire escape to enter her apartment and open the door for her. We had screen doors as well as the steel apartment doors. All summer we slept with the steel doors open and just an unlocked screen door. We never gave safety a thought.

My building stretched from the Concourse to Walton Avenue on 166th Street. Our windows faced the big hill on 166th Street where I often watched the older boys playing stickball. This was a wonderful sleigh-riding hill and kids came from all over to do just that.

Our big family outing would be Sunday nights to the 167th Street Cafeteria. This was the most wonderful place in the world for me. I loved taking the ticket from the machine as we entered. My mom would take us to a large grocery/butcher on 167th Street where the chickens were walking around the sawdust floor. My mother would choose her chicken and that would be our dinner. There was a store for cheese and eggs; an individual store for everything.

On Friday afternoons we would take the Trolley to Metcalf Avenue where my grandparents prepared Shabbos dinner for us and my cousins, aunts and uncles. Every Friday night for years and years this ritual continued. We were always sent home with the leftovers.

I remember sitting in the Concourse Park on a Sunday afternoon with my parents and grandparents. We saw a young, lanky boy running away from the police. He was carrying a shoeshine box which was common in the park for boys to shine shoes but the police did not permit it.

My grandmother said, "Look at that poor boy...trying to earn some pennies and the police chasing him... "As he got closer to us my grandmother screamed, "Oh my goodness, that's Addie." Addie was my grandmother's son. (my uncle) We all had to go to the police station to get him out.

My mother died in 1954 when I was 13. My father packed us up and moved us to Queens with his soon-to-be next wife.

I still cry thinking of those days. They were wonderful days with wonderful people and family. Last August, I went back to the Grand Concourse and knocked on the door to my old apartment. A kind lady let me in and as I looked around I showed her the 'take cover room'. She had no clue what I was talking about. Just as well...it's MY memory.

The rooms were much smaller than I remembered. The long 'take cover room' wasn't long at all. In fact it was quite small. The self service elevator was covered in graffiti. The other elevator that had a uniformed operator was converted to a transport for mops, pails and other maintenance items. The elegant lobby with its oriental carpets was now nothing more than a concrete floor in disrepair. The hill where the boys played stick ball was congested with rows of double parked cars. The corner candy store was now a bodega.

I did go home again. Or did I?

** Stephen Sorrentino We Can Never Truly Go Home 1/18/08 Article

State of the Union

By: Mrs. Sy Baron

Listening to the State of the Union address by George the Decider I couldn’t help but reflect on what is the actual state of our union.

Our country is in grave danger of becoming a second rate nation and losing our sovereignty. No other nation is giving up their sovereignty. We are being pursued by terrorists, American America haters and subverted by Communists. The outrageous thing about it all is too many Americans are falling for the lies put forth by politicians and news media.

The Democrats (Obama & Clinton) want to give America away, any way they can get the job done. There are Republicans who are willing to sacrifice American freedom too. I don't like George Bush's handling of our country's business.. None of the candidates have any intention of protecting U.S. sovereignty, the working class Americans, the U.S. Constitution or anything else Americans hold dear.

We need a third party who will stand up for Americans. No more free trade agreements, no more illegal immigrants. Make taxes fair. The rich don't pay enough. We must be the laughing stock of the world with our criminal justice system. Judges are appointed too much on their political beliefs. Voters, vote, but don't let the "party" business blindside you.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be A ......

By: Maria Holmes

All of us with children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews are familiar with this constantly changing declaration. The choices are many and can change on a dime, minute to minute, day to day or week to week.

Super heroes, such as Superman, Spiderman and Wonder Woman are pre-schooler's favorites as that's what's familiar to them from TV, the movies and in story books. When they enter elementary school their super hero is usually the teacher and teaching is now the job of choice. At some time in their young life, all children with a pet declare they want to be a Vet.

It's been a little project of mine to occasionally, when appropriate, let the infinite 'job/career' choices be known. I am careful not to gender stereotype and only mention this when it comfortably fits into a conversation. One day while sitting on the porch swing with my granddaughter, the mailman was making his rounds and I asked her what she thought were all the things he has to do on his job. She replied to only what she saw, "He brings the mail to people's houses." I asked where he gets the mail and what he has to do before he delivers it.

While watching The Food Network Channel my granddaughter told me that it looks like fun to cook and get to eat all the food. We watched the chef measure and put the ingredients in the bowl. I asked her how she could know how much to put in and about measuring and healthy vs. greasy foods. At a recent dental visit we talked about the different jobs. We discussed the dentist, his assistant and the office staff.

It's just an eye opener. It provokes thought and expands their dreams and horizons. The conversations are natural and never ever forced. At this young age she knows so many career choices. She may choose none of them but at least she knows she just doesn't have to be a ballerina or a teacher.

There is a copious amount of books on the subject, like the Bob the Builder series by Golden Books that allow children to know what's out there for them. The children's book market is literally flooded with these types of books so it shouldn't be difficult to locate them.

To end this on a personal note, yesterday she wanted to be a cook in a 'healthy food restaurant' and if she can't do that she said she wants to be a cook in her school and make only healthy food. That was yesterday. Today she announced her intention work on an airplane so she could go all over the world.

NowRuz, NoRuz, NoRooz

The Persian New Year, Eleanor Roosevelt and ME

Offered by: Anonymous

In the early 1960s I worked for a Persian Rug importer in New York City. The owner invited my husband and me to a gala Persian New Year celebration at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The guest of honor was Eleanor Roosevelt. After her speech, she walked over to every table and personally greeted each of the 500 dinner guests.

The guests at our table fawned over her proclaiming their admiration. I don't remember her speech or what she said at the table. I do, however, clearly remember shaking her hand and nervously and stupidly babbling something about liking her shoes. (I was a very unsophisticated 20 year old). She made eye contact, offered a huge smile and held my hand a second or two longer than she did held the others. Indelibly etched in my memory was her reply, "The pleasure is all mine and I like your shoes too."

I think about this every now and again. Many Americans admired Eleanor Roosevelt myself included.

Offered here are just three of her many memorable quotes the most known of which is: "I am my husband's legs." (When FDR was stricken with polio, Eleanor went down into the mines to see the conditions. It was then that she spoke those famous words.)

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

"Great minds discuss ideas.. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die, and the choices that we make are ultimately our responsibility.

Everything Old Is New Again

Everything's Right With The World

By: S. Baron

1. O.J.'s back in the slammer

2. Great Buns on Tropicana re-opening in February

3. Bette's comin' back to Caesar's

How To Scratch Your Left Ear

From: Beatrice from Boulder Hwy

Bush's Republican's would suggest that to scratch your left ear you would go around your back with your right hand. After all, it makes sense... they wanted to win a war against Afghan terrorists by invading Iraq.

More than ever before it's imperative that we think very carefully before voting in this presidential election.

Right now the current crop of presidential wannabes are making loud noises about ending the war in Iraq. Perhaps the new guy/gal in charge will do just that. But don't hold your breathe.

I would like to fire both the Republicans and the Democrats. I would look for that one man or woman I could trust with my most prized possession -- my country. There's got to be someone out there who loves America as much as I do.

Is Barack Obama's war position inconsistent?

Offered by: Anonymous

Barack Obama was clearly against beginning the Iraq war in a speech he delivered Oct 2, 2002 (see below) while later that same month Hillary Clinton voted to authorize beginning military action in Iraq. Once US troops were actually in Iraq and fighting a war it would be irresponsible to not to fund the troops. The key is that Barack Obama had the judgment to see the dumbness of the war in October 2002 and Hillary Clinton didn't!

Bill and Hillary Clinton's tactic of trying to paint Obama's war position as "inconsistent" is "Clinton politics" and is a beautiful case in point as to why we need the enormous breath of fresh air Barack Obama provides. Years ago Senator Kerry from Nebraska referred to the Clinton's as "clever liars." Later Bill Clinton wondered what the meaning of "is" is, and also said "I did not have sex with that woman!" Goodbye Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Barack Obama's Stirring 2002 Speech Against the Iraq War

Senator Barack Obama (D-Il), then an Illinois state senator, delivered these remarks October 2, 2002 at the Federal Plaza in Chicago "I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances. The Civil War was one of the bloodiest in history, and yet it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil.

I Don't Oppose All Wars

I don't oppose all wars. My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil. I don't oppose all wars. After September 11, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again.

Opposed to Dumb, Rash Wars

I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression. That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

On Saddam Hussein

Now let me be clear: I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power.... The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors...and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars. So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president.

You Want a Fight, President Bush?

You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure that...we vigorously enforce a nonproliferation treaty, and that former enemies and current allies like Russia safeguard and ultimately eliminate their stores of nuclear material, and that nations like Pakistan and India never use the terrible weapons already in their possession, and that the arms merchants in our own country stop feeding the countless wars that rage across the globe. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to wean ourselves off Middle East oil through an energy policy that doesn't simply serve the interests of Exxon and Mobil. Those are the battles that we need to fight. Those are the battles that we willingly join. The battles against ignorance and intolerance. Corruption and greed. Poverty and despair."

Personal Pet Peeves

I've Learned to Survive in a World That's Out to Get Me

By: Misha Reuben

Grocery carts with one bad wheel
People who think their pets are human
Loud cell phone talking in restaurants
Salesclerks who hover
People who wear too much perfume
Waitresses who call me sweety, honey or darling
People who change lanes without signaling
Hotel rooms with low wattage lamp bulbs
People who clip their fingernails in front of other people
Waiting in a doctor's office
Magazine inserts
EMAIL THAT IS ALL CAPITALS
Bad Grammar
Senior citizens who still blame their parents

The Small "i" in Kid Carey vs. The Big "I" in Bob Rind

Submitted by Jo

Kid Carey's January column about Vegas in the 70s is one of the best researched, best written and most entertaining columns submitted since VCO's October '05 inaugural issue. No speed reading here. I didn't want the article to end. The well written article engages you at first by it's catchy title and continues to entice you with it's opening sentence and paragraph. Kid Carey certainly did his homework. Kudos Kid!

Bob Rind's January column News, Peeves, and Information, on the other hand, is a somewhat self-serving column.. In an article shorter than Kid's, Rind has used the "I" word over 55 times. (count them) Mr. Carey, in his much lengthier article, uses the "I" word only twice.. Get where I'm going?

I've gathered from Bob's previous columns that he is more of a "this 'n that"...."it's all about me"... writer than he is as VCO promotes him a columnist for Lifestyles of Las Vegas Seniors. In particular he is using his VCO column for solicitation of investors into a personal business deal. VERBATIM QUOTE: "Now what I need is investors to whom I will set up a meeting and they will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. This is not a cheap deal, but I see franchising in the future. Interested persons can contact via this web site."

Issue is also taken with his incorrigible statement, VERBATIM QUOTE: "I believe that there are almost as many thieves working at the post office as there our in some of our prisons."

Apparently a small package he sent with 3 books, arrived at it's destination in a PO envelope containing only 1 of the books. For this, Mr. Rind is calling our postal workers 'thieves.' Stuff happens! Get over it. Do you know how many parcels are mailed every day! There is bound to be some loss/damage. That is why the post office offers 'insurance.'

His Nathan's hot dogs are served to him on a cold bun at Sam's Town. He continues to vent that he "sent an e-mail each time to the powers to be." Apparently he meant, 'the powers-that-be.' Did he ever think of actually ordering his hot dog "on a warm toasted bun" instead of entering into a letter writing campaign. My family eats at Nathan's all the time. We always say the words, "A well done hot dog on a warm toasted bun.!" Done! End of Story. (Don't curse the darkness, light a candle!)

He writes that for years he has been trying to tell reporters that Fidel Castro single handedly created the bird flu. Rind complains again to us that he's received no response from the reporters he's told this story to. Always complaining, writing letters and getting no responses.

Inactive Avian Influenza Strain Virus has indeed been injected into birds BUT by controlled government agencies (including WHO, World Health Org) when trying to develop a human vaccine. It is very doubtful that under such strict government control, no matter which government,

that these birds are "let out into the trade winds" as Mr. Rind writes. I wish he would do his research before propagating this hoax and being an alarmist.

As for Bob Rind's desire to breakthrough into the world of comedy as ihe writes: "So, I say to you my friends I am ready to do my stuff for free for any fundraiser party, senior groups or whatever. I have loads of original material. I don't use foul language, but some of my stuff is slightly off-colored for adults. I probably could do about less than a ½ hour for older children."

May I offer this helpful suggestion to him: He might want to make a short five minute video and upload it onto YOUTUBE That's become the 21st Century Business Card. He could refer prospective clients to his video and wa-la another Mort Sahl or Seinfeld.

Bob Rind writes & I QUOTE VERBATUM: "Since I've been in Las Vegas now 15 years I underwent over a dozen medical procedures including 8 in the past three years of which on I was at death doors 3 times. The medical and dental services here on some basis is just okay, other times it is like being in HELL. "

Instead of writing letters about cold hot dog buns and alarming us with deceptive rumors about Castro causing the bird flu, he might want to use his energy & writing skills toward something more beneficial to our community like the medical situation in Vegas. He can persue this by checking "quackwatch.com" which is just one of several sites addressing this issue. Here is one such entry:

Michael Gerber, M.D., has practiced orthomolecular medicine, chelation therapy and "nutrition" therapy for more than 25 years in Reno, Nevada. However, prior to that Gerber's license to practice medicine in California was revoked in June 1984 after the California Board of Medical Quality Assurance concluded that he had improperly administered to patients

Disclaimer: I don't know the columnists, my comments are based strictly on the written words they offer in this venue.

Remembering Humorist Sam Levinson

Mrs. Sy Baron

Popular in the 1940s and 1950s Sam Levinson was a humorist, comedian, author and game show panelist.

He always managed to make me smile with his appearances on The Ed Sullivan and Arthur Godfrey shows.

Many old timers like this scribe, still defer to his quotes when appropriate.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone”

"When I was a kid, they told me to do what my parents wanted. When I became a parent, they told me to do what my kids wanted. When do I get to do what I want?"

It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it.”

The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.

If you want to know how your girl will treat you after marriage, just listen to her talking to her little brother.

I like life. It's something to do

. Somewhere on this globe every 10 seconds there is a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped.

(Quoted from Sam Levinson, humorist)

Bush Making A Fool Of Us

Mr. S. Baron

President Bush's visit to the Middle East in an effort to encourage the Israelis and Palestinians to move closer to a peace agreement is a very noble attempt indeed.
And yet it gives me cause of concern. I had the same reaction to past meetings with other foreign dignitaries and that whole business of setting him loose outside the borders of the U.S. is kind of worrisome to me. For example we don't know if his entourage is with him and whether those who are capable of giving him the right words to say are attending these meetings as well.

And so I feel kind of uncomfortable that he might be the object of some ridicule by non-Americans as he is by most Americans. No matter how much I may personally abhor his lack of understanding of the office he holds, I don't like it when non-Americans hold him in disdain. I just feel that our president, who represents us when he travels abroad, should be respected if not for himself, then at least for the office he holds.

But the feeling I have underneath it all is that he's about to make a fool of us. I sure hope I'm wrong.

No Crying in Baseball or Politics

By: Ezra & Bobbi Cohen

Tom Hank's memorable quote in the 1992 hit movie A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN:

"There's no crying in baseball! No crying!

On Jan. 7, 2008 during a meeting with potential voters, Senator Hillary Clinton welled up in tears when she was asked about her campaigning. A day away from probably losing the New Hampshire Primary Senator Hillary Clinton welled up with tears

"There's no crying in politics!! No crying!

Didn't Even See It Coming

Mrs. Sy Baron

Chips issued by casinos in Las Vegas are supposed to be used for gaming purposes only but are often treated as a de facto form of currency. Players often give gaming tokens tips outside of gaming areas (valets, cab drivers, restaurant servers), barter with them, or even offer them as donations to charities or religious organizations. Recipients of such tokens don't encounter problems cashing (moderate amounts of) them in their issuing casinos.

Gaming tokens turn up in collection plates on Sundays. Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to collect the offerings.

The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan monastery for sorting. Then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in. This is done by the chip monks.

(Didn't even see it coming...did you?)

VCO Columnist Bob Rind's November Column "American Gangster", (4th Paragraph) talks about the boxer Mike Hunter.

Hunter’s Eldest Son

Michael “The Bounty” Hunter II

& The Knockout Shot

A Former Boxer’s Encounter with LAPD Undercover Cops

RE: Pete

Michael “The Bounty” Hunter was considered one of the toughest heavyweight boxers in the late 1980's and early 1990's. He fought at a time when champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis ruled the ring. Although he never faced them for the heavyweight title, Hunter won his share of fame, nailing down the U.S. Boxing Association (USBA) Heavyweight Championship and the International Boxing Federation Cruiserweight Championship.

In 1996, he lost what would be his last fight to Brian “Danish Pastry” Nielsen and retired. He left Los Angeles years ago for Las Vegas and had recently moved back to Hollywood to train boxers at the Tru Boxing Gym on Highland Avenue.

Along the way, Hunter also battled drugs. It may have been that weakness that led him on February 8 to the roof of the St. Moritz Hotel, where he encountered undercover officers from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Two Hollywood Division officers had set up surveillance for a routine buy-bust operation at a Mobil Gas Station next door. LAPD spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vernon gives this account of what happened next: It was around 7 p.m. The 46-year-old Hunter came up from behind Officer Todd Ramsey, 41, who was busy talking on his cell phone. Without provocation, Hunter hit him on the head with a gun. Ramsey’s partner saw what happened and tackled the former boxer. The two cops and Hunter struggled. Hunter broke free, stepped back a few feet, and pointed his gun at Ramsey. Ramsey fired twice, hitting Hunter in the chest and arm. Hunter was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Ramsey was also treated at the hospital, for the blow to his head, and was sent home that evening.

“It does not appear that he knew they were police officers,” Vernon said. “Perhaps he saw an opportunity to rob them.”

Hunter’s weapon turned out to be a fake — a black, polymer replica pistol. “Unless you pick it up and pull the trigger, it looks like a real gun,” Vernon said. A week earlier, Hunter had been arrested a block from the Sunset Boulevard motel on suspicion of being under the influence of a narcotic.

Hunter began his boxing career in 1985 in Maryland, ending up in Los Angeles, where the South Carolina native’s unorthodox boxing style caught the eye of actor James Caan, who saw a televised fight in which Hunter stepped into the ring wearing a black cowboy hat, a black mask and a gunfighter coat. Hunter dropped the outfit, and Caan became his manager for three years.

“We used to go to his [Caan’s] house in Bel Air and ride around on his motorcycle,” said Hunter’s widow, Gwen, whom he married in 1987. “[Actor] Tony Danza was also a good friend of Michael’s. They were all really close. We would have ringside seats. We went out to dinner and socialized. They were all very nice people.”

Caan recalled what it was like to manage Hunter. “He had a style like no other. It was truly unique. I am glad I didn’t get mad enough as to try to hit him, because I certainly would have missed. He was quite a character.”

Caan later sold Hunter’s contract to renowned Los Angeles trainer Bill Slayton, who also trained heavyweight champion boxer Ken Norton. During that time, Hunter became the sparring partner for heavyweight champions Lewis and Tyson. “He knocked Tyson down, but Tyson didn’t want to admit to it,” said Gwen, who separated from Hunter in 2000 and now lives in Las Vegas with their three children.

By 1990, Hunter was ranked in the Top 10 by both the World Boxing Association and the International Boxing Federation in the cruiserweight division and was ranked No. 18 as a heavyweight by the World Boxing Council (WBC). That same year, he moved to Australia after his fourth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Australian heavyweight champion Jimmy Thunder. However, the Department of Immigration refused to issue Hunter a second six-month residency visa after learning he had served a seven-year jail sentence for armed robbery when he was 18 and didn’t disclose it on his visa application.

Hunter also beat former cruiserweight and heavyweight champions Pinklon Thomas, Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Oliver “The Atomic Bull” McCall. (After McCall lost to Hunter, he went on to beat the unbeaten Lewis for the WBC heavyweight championship at Wembley Arena in London in 1994.)

On January 17, 1993, Hunter, in a 12-round unanimous decision at the Union Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, beat former Olympic Gold Medalist Tyrell Biggs to become the USBA heavyweight champion. Hunter had taken over the spot of Tony Tubbs, who was disqualified by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for failing a drug test. It was considered by many to be Hunter’s greatest fight.

“He fought on one day’s notice,” said Hunter’s brother-in-law and former trainer, Kevin Henry. “It was a title fight. It was televised on ESPN. You couldn’t turn it down. It was the best I saw him look. It was the time he shined. He knew the opportunity was there, and he would never get it again. It was his biggest fight. It boosted his career.”

After the Biggs fight, Hunter went on to win the WBC Continental Americas Championship against Russian heavyweight champion Alex Zolkin. By October 1994, his record was an impressive 24 wins, three losses and two ties, with eight knockouts.

Drug problems surfaced toward the end of his career. A win against former USBA heavyweight champion Buster Mathis Jr. was short-lived, as judges changed the decision to a no-decision when Hunter tested positive for an illegal drug. Henry said that Hunter eventually got discouraged with boxing, and his marriage fell apart in 2000.

“Mike was denied the chance to fight for the heavyweight title,” he said. “He wasn’t with the right promoter. He was a contender for five years without getting a title shot. He did everything he could possibly do to get a title shot. He fought former world champions and beat them. He was never knocked out in his career. He was only knocked down once, and then he got up and knocked the guy out in the next round. Time went on and he wanted to do family things. He wanted to help kids do what he couldn’t do. He decided to give his career up and dedicate it to others.”
Hunter eventually took a job at the Tru Boxing Gym as an instructor and trainer. He worked seven days a week, starting work at 6 a.m.

“He was an upstanding guy,” said gym employee Stephen Hardy. “He had a heart of gold..” But his stint at the gym was brief. “He soon was let go,” said Hardy. Friends said that Hunter was living at the St. Moritz Hotel at the time of his death.

“He was a champion,” said Young Dick Tiger, who worked out with Hunter in the 1980s. “He was a good friend of mine. I don’t believe he is dead. I saw him the day before he died pushing a frien