What the Las Vegas Review Journal did not tell...

Two years ago the Las Vegas Review Journal was still printing articles about the how Las Vegas would never become a part of the housing bust beginning to shake the west. Sherman (the editor) found every article he could by whatever charlatans he could dig up to reassure the people of Las Vegas that THIS housing market was an exception to the rule.

Las Vegas has the highest foreclosure rate in the country, right now. Do you think he prints that? Oh, perhaps a few lines about how we are suffering like everyone else....buried in the back of the business section written in Chinese...

The highest foreclosure rate in the country. Florida ranks number two.

Las Vegas sets the standard in greed, indifference and corruption. If you want to watch a mini version of what could happen to the rest of the US in terms of downfall based on lies, corruption, disillusionment, good ol' boy politics, raking the dollars and ignoring the people -watch Las Vegas.

People are literally walking away from homes and allowing the banks to foreclose.

In fact, I just had a friend who remortgaged her house enough times based on an overinflated value she can't afford the payments. She said, "Oh, I'll just let the bank short sell it-everyone is doing it."

Truthfully, the California investors. those with the sub prime mortgages-most of the people who buy here have no investment in the community.

Why is that? Maybe because the state is not invested in the communities.

After the state legislators recessed this year they left behind-

no plan to improve the roads and gridlock of Las Vegas, no substantial plan to address the huge and ever growing school population and the swinging door of over a thousand teachers leaving a year-the housing shortage and the high cost of housing which has discouraged people who leave the state-the fact we are in a water crisis and have no plan except to steal water wherever we can-the high cost of living and utilities-much like California

What did they do??

Tried to pass a law allowing teachers to bring guns to the classroom-gave big casinos "green tax breaks" for not wasting water-and no a hell of a lot else-

except Gibbons as an afterthought told the Government it could use our precious water to drill at the Nuclear storage it has been trying to install 60 miles from the casinos of Las Vegas.

I could keep going-but of what use?

I tell you-watch this state-if you want to see an example of disaster-a living example of how corruption, greed and dishonesty can destroy a state...

Skill versus Illusion

Watching the old movie, "Greatest Show On Earth" with Charleton Heston and Jimmy Stewert, this morning.
Have you been to the circus in the past few years?

So much is based on Illusion. Most of us want to be entertained using sophisticated computer illusions, backdrops or videos which look real, music and lights which dazzle eyeballs and ears.
Watching the performers seems to be a small part of the act.
Our world gets brighter, lighter and more stimulating with new technology. Most shows use it and most of us expect it.

Watching the Circus acts in this film highlighted the real skill most circus performers exhibited. No one pulled a hippo using a rope, a plate and their teeth, no one needed to have costumes which set fire at the end of the act-the skill was in the relationship with the animals, the sense of timing of the clowns and the wonder of the kids.
Just makes me wonder how much of our entertainment is more illusion today..

I mean, if Paris Hilton can sing(lol) thanks to computer technology-we should all be able to sing..

Welcome, Kasen James Davis...

Welcome, Little Buddy.

You are born into a world of dichotomies. Before we get to that let me tell you a little about your family.

You have a dad who stills know how to play. What fun is that?? Your life will be full of magic. Parents who know how to play are far and few between. He will wake you up with bubbles on a Saturday morning, sing songs to you on the guitar to fall asleep at night and make even funnier faces than you will ever be able to---you can't ask for more-except

You also have a mom with a heart of gold. She is already majorly(my word) in love with you-and you will have real meals(she can cook), clean clothes smelling of fresh air and lots of pets. She is a guru of pets. She loves animals. So you will learn all about loving not just from your parents but from whatever pet you have as a family member. You are one lucky dude.

You also have other family members who you will get to know exceptionally well-

A grandmother who probably saw you long before you were born and was there the minute you took a breath-

an aunt with children so loved it makes your favorite teddy bear look sad-and she will -count on it-love you as much-and an uncle who will also play songs for you as part of a duet-with your dad.

Two cousins-one who will teach you manners and the other the way of boys-

A teen age aunt in the midst of her own angst who will love you the minute she gets to hold your tiny little hand

and a Grandfather-who has always had an inner teacher, and I think, has been disappointed for awhile that his Daddy Nature Trips have been on hold-

But don't worry, little Kasen, dude, he has plans for you-

You are going to learn all about the workings of the inner ear, the eye, airplanes, electricity-spaycams(lol) and all kinds of gadgets.

And Patty, his lifelong partner, who has taught your grandfather the meaning of loyal-and she is gonna love you-in fact you will probably get your first handmade gift from her-she has talents.

You are lucky-because although Grandma can't do tea parties and take you for walks, she gets to touch and smell you and she will know you, Kasen, it is a gift to be 90 and be able to smell the smell of your great grand baby- great grandchildren-your cousins know it-someday your parents will tell you all about Grandma and Guns and Roses...

Maybe we will save the part about your new home for another letter.

For the time being, I hope you feel all the love you have coming out of us, all of the love, it is what nourishes your spirit, and ours.

Welcome, Little Buddy. Life is good for you-we all promise you that....

Love, Connie

What else haven't we cared for???

My heart hurts for those lives yanked away in such a horrible disaster-one that could have been prevented. Like the Levees breached in New Orleans, the Sunshine Skyway collapsing in St. Peter burg, Florida, the O Rings on the Challenger, and the heat shields on the Voyager, these could have all prevented.

It seems as if few people take responsible for maintenance and we spend a lot of time investigating who needs to take the blame.

I would say "who needs to accept responsibility" but I have a question here-does anyone have consequences for neglect? I haven't heard of any except for the fact Brownie resigned. What about the Corps of Engineers? The contractors who built and knew about flaws? The state and government.

What is most frightening to me and should be to you as well is this-Can we trust our infrastructure? Do you feel confident driving through the Windsor Tunnel or across the Brooklyn Bridge? Some of these are twenty years or older. Is anyone really paying attention to what is needed to care for these?

Sometimes it is the cheap materials used. Sometimes it is knowing the flaw but factoring in the cost to correct it and deciding to take the risk.

Do our lives come so cheaply that they are now considered a cost factor in a gamble?

Do we care? Or do we only care when it involves someone we love personally.

Do we no longer care about the welfare of all of us-only what it means to us?

If that is the case, we no longer have a community- looking after the welfare of one another-just a large group of people living side by side believing they are the exception-not needing to take responsibility for anyone but numero uno.

Pretty scary.

Freakin Passwords....

Who could have predicted it twenty five years ago? The only password anyone needed was the one we played in that stupid game...

If there is any doubt in the universe about old peoples' inability to remember as they age-I say, get over it...

We need passwords for our bank accounts, computer accounts, bill paying, telephones, answering services, school loans-any loans-any frickin where the information highway-sky way-and dirt path takes us we need a password.

Social security numbers as national id's? What a joke. We have so many passwords - social security is obsolete.

Mother's maiden name? Best friend in school? Name of elementary school? City you grew up in? Favorite pet's name?

Not only do we have passwords but we have backup questions to verify our passwords.

All these actions indicate we live in a world where information is so vulnerable we haven't quite figured out a system to protect ourselves.

Maybe we ought to develop something a little more stable-something that doesn't involve passwords.

And we think we are dang smart...

we really need to get over ourselves and solve some of these problems.

Teeheehee

Couldn't help it-just struck me as funny the minute I saw it...I still can't stop laughing. Thanks for the twisted humor..great brain!!

Dear Children, this is a Library...

Dear Children,

The picture in the center (above) shows a building called a Library. You can check out books(see the picture to the left) for free.

Sometimes, parents read stories to their children, that they check out at the library.

Some parents even go to the library with their children to choose books to read together.

Some parents even check out books to read themselves.

The library does not have video games to play. The library does not have candy, soda or sticker machines. It does not look like a WalMart inside.

The library really does have free books to read!

This is a public service announcement from a teacher who cares about you.