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February 20<strong>17</strong><br />
Oct. 2012<br />
...for<br />
today’s active<br />
seniors!<br />
Entertainment and<br />
Travel Options for<br />
all Valentines<br />
Guys, Gals...,<br />
don’t forget your<br />
sweethearts!<br />
HEY LAS VEGAS,<br />
Happy Valentine’s Day!<br />
Save the<br />
Date!<br />
See Page 27
Accept my invitation<br />
and receive a complimentary<br />
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Many people are concerned today about the market and the direction<br />
it will be heading - big deficit, potential for inflation and possible<br />
future market downturns similar to those we experienced back in 2001 and<br />
again in 2008, unrest in the Middle East…the list goes on and on. If you’re<br />
like most Americans, you have questions and concerns regarding these critical<br />
issues and the impact they could potentially have on your lifestyle, your future<br />
and your legacy.<br />
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2 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
Rick<br />
Veteran / Republican<br />
WORKMAN<br />
For Henderson Mayor<br />
REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE -- TESTED, PROVEN LEADER<br />
20 Year Military Veteran 23 Year Public Safety Service<br />
- Noncommissioned and<br />
Commissioned Officer<br />
- Nuclear Weapons Manager,<br />
Inspector and Technician<br />
- F-1<strong>17</strong> Stealth Fighter aircraft<br />
maintenance commander,<br />
operation Desert Storm<br />
- Managed nuclear weapons<br />
and aircraft over $2.5 billion<br />
LEADERSHIP NEEDED<br />
Community Safety - Henderson has suffered a rise in burglary, home<br />
invasion, robbery and other crimes. Rick will make our community safety<br />
a top priority to help prevent unnecessary victims of crime.<br />
Property Taxes - Stop any efforts to raise annual property taxes, while<br />
avoiding opportunities to eliminate waste and inefficient practices.<br />
Friends and Family Plan - Stop awarding contracts, paying consultants,<br />
and granting positions to friends and family.<br />
Paid for by Committee to Elect Rick Workman<br />
- Developed and manages the<br />
Henderson Police Department<br />
crime lab and Crime Scene<br />
Investigation (CSI) section<br />
- Obtained international accreditation<br />
for the forensic lab (October 2016)<br />
- Former police officer<br />
www.RickWorkman.com<br />
3
Are You Intimidated<br />
By Art?<br />
by Crystal Czerkas Sarbacker<br />
Art is meant to be enjoyed by people<br />
Crystal Czerkas-<br />
like you and me.<br />
Sarbacker<br />
Y<br />
ou’re entitled to have your own likes and dislikes.<br />
Whatever your tastes, whether it’s Andy Warhol’s “Campbell<br />
Soup Can”, the infamous “Dogs Playing Poker”, or Monet’s “Water Lillies”, you’ll<br />
find countless styles and subject matters to delight, challenge, inform or entertain<br />
you. So relax. Art should be fun. There are some simple techniques which can really<br />
enhance your viewing experience, too.<br />
For starters, don’t stand too close to a painting or even a sculpture. When I was<br />
a little girl my Dad, the artist known as Czerkas, told me to stand back from a<br />
painting about six to eight feet. He said, “if you stand too close, you may see the<br />
actual brush strokes, but you won’t be able to take in the whole scene and might<br />
miss something.” He continued that “this is especially important when you’re<br />
looking at modern artworks or impressionistic paintings”, like those he painted.<br />
And I found he was right. Up close many of his artworks looked to me to be just a<br />
colorful jumble of strokes. Though when I stepped back a few feet, I was amazed at<br />
how clearly I could see people, landscapes, waterfronts, buildings, or even portraits<br />
emerge from the watercolor or oil painting.<br />
And there’s another little trick my Dad taught me. If you’re in a cramped space<br />
California Strolling<br />
with no room to step back to get a better<br />
view of an artwork, just squint your<br />
eyes and you’ll get almost the same<br />
effect. That’s the technique modernists<br />
and impressionists often use when they<br />
are painting so they can visualize how<br />
the finished painting will look without<br />
having to step away from their easels. In<br />
fact, the American colonial genius, Ben<br />
Franklin, used this concept when he invented<br />
an early pair of spectacles made with narrow horizontal wood slats instead<br />
of glass lenses. You would think they would have blocked the wearer’s vision.<br />
Instead, they made him squint and amazingly he could see better. You might try the<br />
squinting technique by looking at a painting in your house when you’re quite close,<br />
but don’t try it while you’re moving about. Remember this is a trick and you don’t<br />
want to stumble over something.<br />
For more information on my Dad, Victor Czerkas, please call Ray Sarbacker at<br />
702-463-0966 or go to www.Czerkas.com.<br />
Ship Shape<br />
You shouldn’t be…<br />
Watercolor<br />
Watercolor<br />
2880 BICENTENNIAL PKWY. SUITE 100-244<br />
HENDERSON, NEVADA 89044<br />
Phone 702.251.4441 . Fax 702.666-0427<br />
Volume 13, Issue 12<br />
PUBLISHER/EDITOR . Dan Roberts<br />
PRESIDENT . Ray Sarbacker<br />
VP MARKETING . Debbie Landry<br />
POLITICAL EDITOR . Rana Goodman<br />
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR . Evan Davis<br />
NIGHT LIFE EDITOR . Sam Wagmeister<br />
TRAVEL EDITOR . Stu Cooper<br />
TV HOST . Rich Natole<br />
GRAPHICS EDITOR . Michael Roberts<br />
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE . Lou Lozitsky<br />
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE . Helen Britas<br />
PROJECT DIRECTOR . Bill Caserta<br />
Marty Allen<br />
Adrea Barrera<br />
Richard Black<br />
Yvonne Cloutier<br />
Dianne Davis<br />
www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS<br />
Chuck Dean<br />
Alice Edwards<br />
Jan Fair<br />
Linda Gomez<br />
Ali Guggenheim<br />
Mike Landry<br />
dan@thevegasvoice.net<br />
ray@thevegasvoice.net<br />
debbie@thevegasvoice.net<br />
rana@thevegasvoice.net<br />
evan@thevegasvoice.net<br />
lou@thevegasvoice.net<br />
helen@thevegasvoice.net<br />
bill@thevegasvoice.net<br />
Kathy Manney<br />
Kyo Mitchell<br />
Mary Richard<br />
Crystal Sarbacker<br />
Victoria Seaman<br />
Marilyn Sirna<br />
The Vegas Voice is mailed/delivered to all residents in:<br />
Anthem Country Club<br />
Country Club Senior Apts.<br />
Destinations Centers<br />
Horizon Pines<br />
Las Vegas Meadows<br />
Quail Estates<br />
Seven Hills<br />
Jim Valkenburg<br />
Pat Warren<br />
Beverly Washburn<br />
Devon Wickens<br />
Vicki Wentz<br />
James White<br />
Siena<br />
Solera @ Anthem<br />
Solera @ Stallion Mtn.<br />
Sun City Anthem<br />
Sun City Aliante<br />
Sun City MacDonald Ranch<br />
Sun City Summerlin<br />
The Vegas Voice is also distributed throughout the Vegas Valley; from<br />
North Las Vegas to Boulder City - including select local casinos,<br />
bookstores, coffee shops, and all libraries and community<br />
centers.<br />
What Do You Think?<br />
Do you agree with our columnists? Did anyone get you angry, make<br />
you think or simply put a smile on your face?<br />
Please tell us by forwarding your comments, thoughts or suggestions<br />
to Publisher Dan at: dan@thevegasvoice.net.<br />
And whatever you do, don’t forget our <strong>web</strong>site. Read about the latest<br />
information about us grown-ups so you can keep up to date with<br />
everything going on.<br />
4 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTED<br />
BY OUR COMMUNITY<br />
“In terms of what you want in a Mayor, Debra March is the real deal – the<br />
complete package. It is a trifecta. Debra is intelligent, thoughtful and she<br />
is fair. In my opinion any community in the country would be proud to<br />
have Debra March as their Mayor.”<br />
THE HONORABLE RICHARD BRYAN<br />
“If I had to typify Debra March’s career, it is one of caring. She is a natural<br />
leader who listens to people and wants to do what is right for people.”<br />
STATE SENATOR JOE HARDY<br />
“Debra has demonstrated great leadership. The people’s interests have<br />
been Debra’s interests. She believes public policy should be transparent.”<br />
THE HONORABLE BRUCE WOODBURY<br />
“Debra March is very knowledgeable and works tirelessly to create<br />
public policy that benefits the future needs of our people. She is the<br />
embodiment of a dedicated public servant.”<br />
CLARK COUNTY COMMISSIONER LARRY BROWN<br />
COMMUNITY ENDORSEMENTS<br />
PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF DEBRA MARCH FOR MAYOR<br />
PAID FOR DebraMarch.com<br />
BY FRIENDS OF DEBRA MARCH FOR MAYOR<br />
5
On My Soap Box<br />
Rana Goodman<br />
Have You Done Your Part?<br />
Dan Roberts<br />
It’s the Hypocrisy<br />
Roberts Rules<br />
We really hoped<br />
that the start<br />
of 20<strong>17</strong> would<br />
herald the start<br />
of big changes in<br />
guardianship reform.<br />
However, as in the<br />
last two plus years,<br />
the wheels of justice<br />
move much slower<br />
than we who fight<br />
for “lady justice”<br />
would like.<br />
Therefore, once<br />
again we are taking<br />
the fight to the<br />
Nevada legislature.<br />
We are counting on<br />
you, our readers,<br />
to back us up by<br />
submitting the<br />
(that could have been purchased<br />
guardianship reform petition on this in a single visit), and the many bad<br />
page.<br />
jokes that he thought were, oh so<br />
We are not asking for much - just funny. For him, it was extra time that<br />
the blessing of the legislature to put we spent together. For me, I would<br />
our volunteers to work doing what love to have that time back with him<br />
no one else wants to do - Looking today.<br />
out for our own!<br />
The very idea that someone I love<br />
As of this writing, we have over could end up in guardianship - where<br />
500 such petitions. Also I want to that guardian has the right to make<br />
add that we are very grateful for your vital decisions, (which they do), - not<br />
support and kind words in our Vegas only financial, but also health care<br />
Voice guardianship reform efforts. and end of life decisions, terrifies<br />
Last month, tucked in with a me. And it should make you feel that<br />
petition was a note from a reader. It way too.<br />
simply read, “Thank you for all you do, Despite such ridiculous<br />
but it must be very hard hearing only the contentions, we are not trying to<br />
echo of your own voice.”<br />
scare people. But it is so important<br />
The response to that question is for seniors to have a reality check.<br />
a resounding YES. It is however, Everyone needs to make sure every<br />
when I hear that echo, I also hear the I is dotted and T crossed in their<br />
question I am so often asked: “Why advanced directives and to make sure<br />
do I keep doing this?”<br />
that your FAMILY has copies of<br />
I always get mental pictures of what you want, and who you want to<br />
my parents, and especially of my care for them, in the event that the<br />
grandfather pictured here who worst-case scenario occurs.<br />
passed away a long time ago. I The Vegas Voice continues to<br />
adored him. As much as he was provide a guardianship nomination<br />
assigned the job of being my “caretaker”<br />
the first year I was in college; to do is go to our <strong>web</strong> site (www.<br />
forms FREE to anyone. All you have<br />
I became his during the last years of thevegasvoice.net) and down load<br />
his life.<br />
it, fill it out and have your signature<br />
It was from this dear man that notarized.<br />
I learned to ignore the repetitions And please be sure you lend your<br />
of the stories seniors tell, the many name to the guardianship petitions.<br />
trips to the grocery store for items Let’s end the guardianship scandal<br />
once and for all!<br />
6 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
“It’s not the BS that drives me nuts, it’s<br />
the hypocrisy,” I shouted. Even I was<br />
surprised by my loud reaction.<br />
For loyal readers, it’s no secret<br />
that The Vegas Voice (despite my oftmentioned<br />
reservations) continues to<br />
press for guardianship reforms. While<br />
the political editor (and my Ladylove)<br />
Rana Goodman remains ever vigilant<br />
in her Don(na) Quixote quest to<br />
clean up this cesspool, I did not want<br />
this newspaper to be labelled as the<br />
“guardianship paper.”<br />
It remains our mission that the<br />
publication be much more than that;<br />
namely: to be the voice for your health, wealth<br />
& good times.” As one example - our<br />
entertainment shows that are nothing<br />
short of phenomenal.<br />
We are not talking amateurs on<br />
stage, but first rate, Las Vegas Strip<br />
entertainers. Credit goes to our<br />
entertainment and nightlife editors<br />
Evan Davis and Sam Wagmeister.<br />
They have strongly suggested that<br />
although the guardianship issue<br />
is “somewhat” important, it’s the<br />
entertainment and the performers that<br />
should be the paper’s main focus.<br />
And then there’s our travel<br />
columnists, Stu Cooper, Crystal<br />
Sarbacker and now Marilyn Sirna.<br />
What other “senior paper” provides<br />
fantastic travel opportunities they<br />
ask? From bus trips to “bucket list”<br />
destinations, they continuously urge<br />
Yours Truly to focus The Vegas Voice on<br />
vacation locations.<br />
But with Rana’s “pillow talk”<br />
advantage, she keeps bringing me<br />
back to guardianship. To make matters<br />
worse, she doesn’t argue, yell or<br />
demand. Rana simply shows me some<br />
paperwork and asks, “What do you<br />
think?”<br />
Hence my opening sentence. This<br />
time, it was in response to two press<br />
releases from Nevada Attorney<br />
General Adam Laxalt.<br />
We have previously and will continue<br />
to call Laxalt “Mr. Irrelevant” for his<br />
guardianship (non) actions. Despite<br />
The Vegas Voice (and others) presenting<br />
his office with compelling and<br />
numerous victims (along with a ton of<br />
medical and financial documentation)<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
Attorney General Adam Laxalt, “Mr.<br />
Irrelevant”<br />
the Attorney General still refuses,<br />
or remains paralyzed to touch the<br />
guardianship scandal in Clark County.<br />
In all candor, if it wasn’t for his<br />
hypocrisy, I would leave it alone.<br />
However, his “look-at-me” insistence<br />
that he is working for seniors is<br />
disgraceful.<br />
You can only imagine the other New<br />
York words I used when Rana handed<br />
me the press release from the Attorney<br />
General last month. In it, Mr. Laxalt,<br />
proclaimed how “thrilled” he was in<br />
announcing his “record-breaking”<br />
campaign report.<br />
He reported he now has a $1.5<br />
million campaign war chest. Laxalt also<br />
reiterated that despite speculation as to<br />
whether he will run for Governor in<br />
2018 (he states that he has not made<br />
a decision, but, SPOILER ALERT:<br />
he’s running) the Attorney General<br />
had the audacity to advise, “…I will<br />
continue to fight on behalf of all<br />
Nevadans to protect our state and our<br />
citizens.”<br />
This announcement came one week<br />
after the AG, without any shame<br />
had the gall to release the following:<br />
“Attorney General Announces Third<br />
Elder Exploitation Guardianship Abuse<br />
Prosecution.”<br />
While Laxalt pats himself on<br />
the back for such action, I remain<br />
astonished that these cases are all in<br />
Northern Nevada – as if all the noise,<br />
public outcry and scandal is unheard<br />
of in the Las Vegas Valley. “Is there a<br />
guardianship problem in Clark County?” he<br />
must be asking his staff.<br />
By the way, the total amount of<br />
money stolen in these 3 cases combined<br />
are what private guardians April<br />
Parks and Jarad Shafer and their coconspirators<br />
call “pocket change.” Such<br />
prosecutions are not just “low-hanging<br />
fruit” but crumbs on the ground.<br />
Mr. Attorney General: If you<br />
don’t have the guts to go after the<br />
real bad guys; the ones that caused<br />
you and your office to ever hear of<br />
guardianship problems in the first<br />
place, spare us the “good news” of<br />
prosecuting two-bit, BS cases.<br />
And if “Mr. Incompetent”, Clark<br />
County District Attorney Steve<br />
Wolfson is not capable or smart<br />
enough to do his job, just let him<br />
continue to appear and smile before<br />
the various TV cameras. Do what’s<br />
right for the Clark County families<br />
financially and emotionally destroyed<br />
by the still corrupt and rigged<br />
guardianship system.<br />
Oh, and one more thing. Kindly<br />
stop promoting that “$400,000 of<br />
non-taxpayer” monies you were able<br />
to transfer to the Legal Aid Center<br />
of Southern Nevada to “boost their<br />
capacity to fight guardianship abuse.”<br />
First of all, that amount of money<br />
(which is already gone) would have<br />
funded approximately four years’<br />
worth of our proposed budget to<br />
totally resolve and erase guardianship<br />
as an issue. More importantly, unless<br />
this money came from your $1.5<br />
million campaign war chest, or,<br />
perhaps some loose change under your<br />
seat cushions, ALL money from your<br />
office is taxpayers’ money.<br />
Until then, good luck in your<br />
Governor’s campaign, but I’m begging<br />
you to drop the hypocrisy of asking us<br />
to believe and trust you. Believe me - if<br />
you stop, I’ll get Rana to back-off and<br />
The Vegas Voice will concentrate on our<br />
entertainment and travel stuff.<br />
7
Robert Telles<br />
Seeking Assistance for a Ward<br />
Vicki Wentz<br />
The Post-Christmas Letter<br />
Vicki’s Voice<br />
You may have a friend who has had<br />
a guardianship ordered over him or<br />
her. This person may have complained<br />
about the fact that he or she did not<br />
have the opportunity to ask why the<br />
guardianship was ordered.<br />
In my own practice, I have come<br />
across circumstances where people<br />
over whom a guardianship was awarded<br />
never actually received the opportunity<br />
to object to the guardianship.<br />
This can result from a doctor’s erroneous<br />
opinion that the person could not<br />
speak his or her own opinion in court.<br />
This may result from the doctor’s<br />
belief that the person would not have<br />
the physical ability to attend court,<br />
would be unable to voice his or her<br />
opinion, or for some other reason.<br />
However, the guardianship court is<br />
concerned with ensuring that any person<br />
over whom a guardianship has<br />
been ordered have the ability to speak<br />
to the court.<br />
Really, only those who should be excused<br />
from attending court hearings<br />
would be a person who is unable to<br />
safely leave a hospitable bed or is truly<br />
a danger to him or herself or others.<br />
Those who have had a guardianship<br />
ordered over them are known as wards<br />
or protected persons. These folks are<br />
those who have shown to be a danger<br />
to him or herself or to others.<br />
This may include an inability to<br />
manage one’s own financial affairs or<br />
the inability to adequately maintain his<br />
or her own health without the assistance<br />
of others. This often includes<br />
those who have unfortunately been<br />
diagnosed with a disorder that erodes<br />
the memory, such as Alzheimer’s or<br />
dementia.<br />
Other circumstances may involve<br />
something more physically severe,<br />
such as an illness that confines that<br />
person to a hospital bed. The former<br />
circumstances, Alzheimer’s and dementia,<br />
may not necessarily call for an<br />
immediate confinement to involuntary<br />
commitment in a memory care unit.<br />
A memory care unit is a place where<br />
people are placed and are monitored<br />
on a 24-hour basis. As previously<br />
mentioned, this may not be the first<br />
option.<br />
Often times, the protected person<br />
has the money and the health necessary<br />
to continue living at home. Unfortunately,<br />
even loved ones can jump<br />
the gun and determine that the first<br />
option should be commitment to a<br />
memory care unit.<br />
What can be done? If you know<br />
someone who has not had the opportunity<br />
to address the court in his or her<br />
guardianship, that person can contact<br />
an attorney who can petition the court<br />
to allow the protected person to speak<br />
to the court. This can often result in a<br />
re-evaluation of the case and whether<br />
that person meets the necessary criteria<br />
to return home or a less confining<br />
arrangement.<br />
Unfortunately, even well-meaning<br />
family can jump the gun and move<br />
straight to a restrictive living arrangement<br />
for that person even when that<br />
person might be able to live in his or<br />
her own home with the assistance of<br />
some paid help.<br />
If you believe you know someone<br />
living in restrictive living arrangement<br />
unnecessarily, be sure to have that person<br />
contact a qualified guardianship<br />
attorney.<br />
Rob Telles is the founder of Accolade Law, a law firm that serves clients in<br />
guardianship, estate planning and probate. His office can be reached at (702) 337-<br />
3000<br />
Dear Santa:<br />
Thank you so much for all of the<br />
wonderful things I received for Christmas<br />
in 2016. Having said that, even though<br />
it’s been a month (or two), I thought you<br />
should know:<br />
When I asked for clothes, I kind of<br />
meant something…well…nice? I do<br />
love the Christmas sweater that my little<br />
girl gave me because she asked to go<br />
shopping with her Dad and picked it out<br />
by herself.<br />
The fact that it’s a Petite Small and I<br />
could only wear it as a hat isn’t important;<br />
she obviously sees her mother as a Petite<br />
Small, and I have no argument with that!<br />
And, I will wear that sweater one day - or<br />
there’s no God in heaven.<br />
My husband gave me a lovely dress…<br />
(he was just standing over my shoulder<br />
reading this, but he’s gone now) …which<br />
would be perfect for his MOTHER!<br />
Honestly, it looks like one of my<br />
grandmother’s old “brunch coats”, you<br />
know? Like a glorified robe with short<br />
sleeves, and it’s about 3 sizes too big for<br />
me.<br />
Is that how HE sees me? A fat old grayhaired<br />
un-sexy robe-wearing walker-using<br />
grandmother? I mean, I pay attention<br />
to his sizes, don’t I? And to his personal<br />
style - somewhere between big hunk<br />
woodsman, affluent Wall Street banker,<br />
and hot sexy rock star?<br />
And, that is NOT easy, Santa! But, when<br />
it comes to my own style preferences, it’s<br />
not: “Well, maybe she’d like a dress like<br />
Mom’s!”<br />
And, Santa, speaking of grandmothers,<br />
can you even believe what his mother gave<br />
me? “How to Be the Perfect Homemaker<br />
in 10 Easy Steps?” Seriously? She gives her<br />
son a new grill and a flat-screen TV for his<br />
office.<br />
Our children get the latest electronics<br />
and toys. Me? I get a book on how to be<br />
better at cleaning, cooking, decorating, and<br />
sewing everything by hand!<br />
(The last thing I sewed myself was<br />
a dress in a Singer Sewing class in 7th<br />
grade, and all I remember is the sound of<br />
the teacher screeching repeatedly, from<br />
all points in the room, “Victoria, you’re<br />
holding the scissors backwards AGAIN!”<br />
Never mind that it took me several<br />
minutes to figure out what she meant…I<br />
mean, I knew you weren’t supposed to<br />
hold them by the blades…right?)<br />
I should have figured that my adorable,<br />
morose, reclusive middle-schooler - who<br />
would rather be dropped naked into Mt.<br />
Vesuvius than be seen as attached to an<br />
actual family - would give me something<br />
that reflects his own style, but Santa,<br />
purple nail polish and lipstick? Really? Has<br />
he EVER seen me in purple lipstick?<br />
Has he ever seen any color on my nails<br />
except Pale Pinky Pearl? Does he even<br />
look at me? I doubt he could even pick<br />
me out of a lineup.<br />
And, then there’s my stupid sister,<br />
Kathy, who’s been married all of twenty<br />
minutes, giving me “The Marriage Go-<br />
Round” - a book on how marriage is like<br />
a carnival ride…please. The fact that she’s<br />
been “riding high on love” for a whole sixand-a-half<br />
months, I mean, doesn’t that<br />
take some huge brass, Santa?<br />
You know, at six months, your spouse<br />
can leave toothpaste all over the sink,<br />
throw his dirty clothes on the floor<br />
BESIDE the hamper every night, and<br />
sip his coffee like a dog slurping from the<br />
water bowl, and you will think he is the<br />
most delightful, enchanting sex-god in the<br />
universe.<br />
But, after 13 years, some of that<br />
“enchantment” will wear off, Sis. At<br />
some point, I promise you, he will lose<br />
that “new car smell”, if you know what I<br />
mean.<br />
Suddenly, his impromptu stabs at<br />
cleaning the kitchen won’t be funny, you<br />
will be seriously ticked off that he did the<br />
laundry and now all your clothes are babypuke<br />
green, he will stop telling you that<br />
you look fantastic and start demanding<br />
that you be simply on time…or, he’ll<br />
buy you a dress that reminds him of his<br />
mother.<br />
Hoping for just a little better Christmas<br />
this year, Santa, please…<br />
Love, Vicki<br />
Vicki Wentz is a writer, teacher and speaker living in North Carolina. Readers may<br />
contact her - and order her new children’s book! - by visiting her <strong>web</strong>site at<br />
www.vickiwentz.com.<br />
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8 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
9
Beverly Washburn<br />
Shane, Shane Come Back<br />
Hollywood Memories<br />
Well here it is, February already. I’d like<br />
to wish all of you a Happy Valentines’ Day<br />
and I’m hoping your 20<strong>17</strong> is starting out<br />
on a positive note.<br />
I thought I’d write this month about<br />
another favorite film of mine: “Shane.” For<br />
those of you who have seen it, how could<br />
you not remember those famous words:<br />
“Shane, Shane, come back.” It was spoken<br />
by the wonderful child actor Brandon De<br />
Wilde playing the part of Joey.<br />
The year was 1952, and I was cast as one<br />
of the Lewis children whose father was<br />
Edgar Buchanan. That’s me, the little girl<br />
on the right in the photo.<br />
Although I only had a small part, it was<br />
a thrill for me since we filmed most of<br />
it in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We were<br />
on location for three months. It was so<br />
beautiful with the Teton Mountains.<br />
Everything about the movie serves as<br />
one of my most treasured memories. The<br />
film was released in 1953 and has remained<br />
Sam Wagmeister<br />
one of the most popular Westerns of all<br />
time.<br />
It was directed by the legendary George<br />
Stevens - but as I have mentioned in prior<br />
columns, working with such a famous<br />
director had no meaning to me at the time<br />
as I was only nine years old. It wasn’t until<br />
my later years as an adult, that I realized just<br />
how fortunate I was to have been directed<br />
DaSilva Mystifies Bally’s Audiences<br />
Six afternoons a week, about 225<br />
people enter the “Twilight Zone.” After<br />
experiencing Fredric DaSilva’s 90-minute<br />
family-friendly “Paranormal” show, some<br />
don’t ever completely escape.<br />
Categorized as a magic show (although<br />
rabbits don’t appear and nobody gets<br />
sawed in half) audiences are drawn into<br />
the powers of DaSilva’s mind.<br />
“Santa brought me a magic box when<br />
I was five,” DaSilva says in his thick<br />
French accent. “I started performing<br />
immediately.”<br />
Thirteen years later, a trip to Las Vegas<br />
inspired his goal to perform on The Strip,<br />
“But I didn’t know how. I had to find<br />
something that nobody else can do,” he<br />
said of his “mind reading magic.”<br />
Audiences who flock to traditional<br />
magic shows ultimately know most tricks<br />
are illusions of lights, mirrors, smoke and<br />
technology. DaSilva’s participants, chosen<br />
randomly by tossing Frisbees into the<br />
audience, often are skeptics at first.<br />
Reducing the show to this printed page<br />
diminishes the astonishment DaSilva<br />
creates and can’t approach its impact.<br />
“Paranormal” must be experienced.<br />
“Tricks” come rapid fire with audiences<br />
breathless as one astonishment after<br />
another fires from his cannon of<br />
mysticism. DaSilva adds new twists to<br />
old standards leaving audiences thinking<br />
first, “I’ve seen that” …then the “holy<br />
mackerel” moment explodes with a<br />
creative new element.<br />
“A magician tells you to pick a card. I<br />
tell you to think of a card.” Even DaSilva<br />
says, “If I didn’t create that, I would be<br />
by such a movie icon.<br />
The film starred Alan Ladd, and as a<br />
little tidbit, I thought I’d share something<br />
with you. On our day off, we all decided<br />
to go up the mountain on a chair lift. Well,<br />
apparently Alan Ladd was afraid of heights<br />
and once he got up to the top, he refused<br />
to go back down.<br />
The studio had to send a helicopter<br />
to pick him up! Here he was, Alan Ladd,<br />
this famous, macho western hero and he<br />
was too afraid to go back down!<br />
What made matters worse is that the<br />
next day, the entire cast and crew kept<br />
teasing him and then added: “Little Beverly<br />
didn’t seem to have a problem.” I was<br />
totally embarrassed by that and was afraid<br />
he would be upset with me.<br />
Thankfully he took the ribbing in stride.<br />
And he even gave me a hug. I was so<br />
relieved! He was so nice and I’m grateful to<br />
have been a part of such an iconic film.<br />
Sadly, Brandon De Wilde was killed<br />
in an accident in 1972 at the age of 30.<br />
He was such a typical, little boy when we<br />
were filming - always pulling at my pigtails<br />
and teasing me.<br />
He was nominated for an Oscar for that<br />
role as best supporting actor and I’m sure,<br />
had he lived, that he would have gone on<br />
to major stardom. It makes us all realize just<br />
how fragile life can be.<br />
Until next time, remember: “It only takes<br />
a smile to make a dark day seem bright.”<br />
Beverly Washburn graced the silver screen as a child actress and is the author of Reel<br />
Tears which can be bought online at Amazon.com or ordered through Barnes &<br />
Noble bookstores. You can contact Beverly at: bjradell@hotmail.com. Check out her<br />
awesome, new <strong>web</strong>site: www.beverlywashburn.com.<br />
fooled.”<br />
At 13, DaSilva received a government<br />
permit to perform in the pubs, lounges<br />
and restaurants near his small French<br />
village. “It allowed me to buy props and<br />
advertise.”<br />
He climbed the show business ladder<br />
in France. Hosting a television interview<br />
program provided him with contacts,<br />
recognition and opportunity.<br />
Fifteen years of trans-Atlantic flights<br />
finally brought an opportunity that nearly<br />
bankrupted him. DaSilva was swindled<br />
out of $25,000 by a fake promoter. News<br />
of the fraud leaked out, offering him yet<br />
another break, a meeting with Bally’s.<br />
Ken Walker, owner of the Windows<br />
Showroom at Bally’s, signed DaSilva.<br />
“Ken told me, ‘I threw you to the sharks<br />
and waited for you to die; you just learned<br />
how to swim.’”<br />
People & Places<br />
The show struggled, selling just two<br />
tickets its first week with comps filling the<br />
other seats. “I did six shows a week,” he<br />
remembers, “four in Las Vegas and then<br />
flew back to France for two shows before<br />
5,000 people each.”<br />
Those French shows covered the<br />
Vegas costs. Now, nearly five years later,<br />
“Paranormal” ranks #8 on TripAdvisor’s<br />
Top 10 Las Vegas list with near sellout<br />
audiences daily.<br />
“Each time I think about the struggle I<br />
get emotional. It was really, really hard.”<br />
DaSilva’s stage is barren of props that<br />
could cause skepticism of electronic<br />
assistance. Controlling the environment<br />
- lights, music, sound is the key. “I put<br />
people in a trance when they think they<br />
are awake.”<br />
Windows Showroom at Bally’s, 4 pm.<br />
Dark Tuesdays.<br />
Sam Wagmeister, a local Realtor specializing in Las Vegas senior communities, covers<br />
the hidden gems of Las Vegas Entertainment for The Vegas Voice. He would love to<br />
hear what you think. Contact Sam at: GreatLasVegasMusic@Gmail.com or (702) 245-6556<br />
10 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
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11
Marty Allen<br />
Marty’s Valentine’s Dozen<br />
1. I got a telephone call from my<br />
friend Paul. He told me: “Sex, sex,<br />
sex! Everywhere I go is sex. The<br />
only place I’m safe is at home.”<br />
2. Ladies: Sometimes the easiest<br />
way to get your husband to do<br />
something is to simply suggest that<br />
he’s too old to do it anyway.<br />
3. Many couples break<br />
up because it looks like<br />
the marriage is going to<br />
last forever!<br />
4. Love is the wine of<br />
life...and marriage is the<br />
morning after.<br />
5. There is only one way to handle<br />
a woman. The trouble however, is<br />
that nobody knows what it is.<br />
6. In the circus, the acrobat<br />
told everyone that he married the<br />
tattooed woman because if he woke<br />
up in the middle of the night and<br />
couldn’t sleep, he would turn and<br />
Hello Dere<br />
just look at the pictures.<br />
7. I know a guy who left his wife<br />
because of another woman - her<br />
mother!<br />
8. All marriages are happy. It’s<br />
the living together afterwards that’s<br />
tough.<br />
9. I have another friend who<br />
really has a problem. He<br />
does not know how to<br />
get his car started in the<br />
morning...and his wife<br />
at night.<br />
10. Sex before<br />
marriage is okay if it doesn’t<br />
interfere with the ceremony.<br />
11. Everybody has to get married<br />
sometime. After all, you can’t go<br />
through life just being happy.<br />
12. When a man holds a woman’s<br />
hand before marriage, it’s really<br />
love. After marriage, it’s called selfdefense.<br />
For over the past decade, Marty Allen has performed with his on and off stage<br />
singing partner Karon Kate Blackwell.<br />
Bill Caserta<br />
You Gotta Laugh<br />
In honor of Valentine’s Day,<br />
I have prepared a quick list of<br />
guidelines and reminders for all<br />
husbands, significant others and<br />
loving men to follow so that they<br />
may happily live in harmony with<br />
their mate.<br />
1. Never make your woman mad.<br />
She can remember stuff that hasn’t<br />
even happened yet.<br />
2. If your woman says: “First<br />
of all…” during an argument, run<br />
away as quick as you can, as she has<br />
prepared research, data and charts -<br />
and will destroy you.<br />
3. Every time you talk to your<br />
woman, your mind should always<br />
remember that “This conversation will<br />
be recorded for training and quality<br />
purposes.”<br />
4. Arguing with your woman is<br />
like reading the software license<br />
agreement. In the end, you just have to<br />
ignore everything and click “I agree.”<br />
5. Behind every angry woman,<br />
stands a man who has absolutely no<br />
idea what he did wrong.<br />
And from my perspective: Some<br />
things are indeed just better left unsaid.<br />
And unfortunately for me, I usually<br />
realize it right after I say them!<br />
(A big Bill Blurb thank you to Marcia<br />
Kosterka for her contribution)<br />
True Valentines: The old man<br />
ordered one hamburger, French<br />
fries and a drink. He unwrapped the<br />
hamburger and carefully cut it in half,<br />
placing one in front of his wife.<br />
He then carefully counted out the<br />
fries, dividing them into two equal<br />
piles and placed one pile for his wife.<br />
He took a sip of the drink, his wife<br />
took a sip and then set the cup down<br />
between them.<br />
As he began to eat his few bites of<br />
hamburger, the people around them<br />
were looking and thinking, “That poor<br />
old couple. All they can afford is one<br />
meal for the two of them.”<br />
As the man began to eat his fries,<br />
someone came to the table and<br />
politely offered to buy another meal<br />
Bill’s Blurbs<br />
for the elderly couple. The old man<br />
said they were just fine. They were<br />
used to sharing everything.<br />
People soon noticed the old lady<br />
hadn’t eaten a bite. She sat there<br />
watching her husband eat and<br />
occasionally taking turns sipping the<br />
drink.<br />
Again, someone came over and<br />
begged them to let him buy another<br />
meal for them. This time the old<br />
woman said: “No, thank you. We are<br />
used to sharing everything.”<br />
Finally, as the old man finished and<br />
was wiping his face neatly with the<br />
napkin, a third person again came over<br />
to the old lady who had yet to eat a<br />
single bite of food and asked: “What<br />
is it you’re waiting for?”<br />
She answered: the TEETH.<br />
(A big Bill Blurb thank you to Renee<br />
Riendeau for her contribution.)<br />
Why, Why, Why? Why do we<br />
press harder on the remote control<br />
when we know the batteries are getting<br />
weak?<br />
Why do people constantly return<br />
to the refrigerator with hopes that<br />
something new to eat will have<br />
materialized?<br />
Why is it that whenever you attempt<br />
to catch something that’s falling off<br />
the table you always manage to knock<br />
something else over? AND<br />
And whatever happened to<br />
Preparations A through G?<br />
Evan Davis<br />
Performers and Venues<br />
It’s time to watch 20<strong>17</strong> fly by just like<br />
2016 did. As we get up in age, it seems<br />
that the months and years get shorter. So<br />
why wait until next year? Do it now.<br />
Go out and experience life and what<br />
Las Vegas has to offer. That’s probably<br />
why you’re reading my article now; to see<br />
what you could do to stay active.<br />
Although most of the activity would<br />
be sitting at a bar listening to music and<br />
saying “Wow, that was great.” That’s<br />
about as active as I’m going to get too,<br />
although I do have to visit many bars,<br />
restaurants and clubs to bring you this<br />
information.<br />
A tough life I have, I know, but<br />
someone has to do it! Let’s follow a few<br />
of my favorite performers and some new<br />
venues in town.<br />
I stopped by the newest hotel/casino<br />
called the Lucky Dragon. An Asian<br />
inspired hotel and casino with a half a<br />
dozen delightful restaurants where you<br />
will find a price range for lunch or dinner<br />
that will fit any budget.<br />
Starting to perform there is the<br />
charming and gracious singer Rita Lim.<br />
She is also performing at places like<br />
Osaka Japanese Bistro in Henderson<br />
every 1st and 2nd Tuesdays of the<br />
month, the Bootlegger Bistro located<br />
on the south side of the Strip on<br />
Wednesdays, and the El Cortez Hotel<br />
every Friday night (along with Joey<br />
Ugarte and the Jazz Vibrations). All her<br />
performances are at an early start time.<br />
But what about the night owls that<br />
are out there? Las Vegas is definitely a<br />
24/7 city. Catch late night jazz at The<br />
Dispensary, at Ferraro’s Italian restaurant,<br />
in the Golden Tiki, at Fuso Nightclub,<br />
Legend’s Bar & Grill, plus numerous<br />
other restaurants, clubs and bars.<br />
All have no cover or a one drink<br />
minimum. Oh yeah, FREE parking to<br />
boot. That’s another subject for another<br />
time.<br />
You can also see wonderful entertainers<br />
at places like the Suncoast Hotel, the<br />
Rampart Casino, Rocks Lounge in the<br />
Red Rock Hotel, Salute, which is also<br />
in the Red Rock Hotel, Siena Italian<br />
Restaurant on Sahara and now Blue Fire<br />
on Durango. You can hear Jazz, Pop,<br />
the Great American Songbook and just<br />
about every other genre.<br />
Other places to check out would be<br />
The Barrymore, E-String, Piero’s, (where<br />
Pia Zadora, my favorite entertainer<br />
I Know a Place<br />
makes everyone feel at home) Cabo<br />
Lounge in Fiesta Rancho, Texas Station,<br />
Piazza Lounge in the Tuscany, Eastside<br />
Cannery, the Lounge at the Palms… and<br />
the list goes on and on.<br />
I also have to mention that The<br />
Vegas Voice will be scheduling over a<br />
dozen shows this year in places like<br />
The Silverton’s Veil Pavilion, the Siena<br />
Community in Summerlin and Sun City<br />
MacDonald Ranch in Henderson. I will<br />
be producing the shows as well as hosting<br />
them.<br />
We are actively seeking other venues<br />
so that we can bring you the best in live<br />
entertainment to our readers. Ideas?<br />
And in next month’s article, I will be<br />
exploring some of the restaurants, bars<br />
and clubs on Downtown Freemont<br />
Street. I know a place, do you?<br />
Evan Davis is the entertainment editor of The Vegas Voice. You can read his<br />
entertainment blog and sign up to receive his free email weekly Calendar of Events at<br />
www.EvanDavisJazz.com. You can also email him at: evan@thevegasvoice.net.<br />
Bill Caserta is the Project Director for The Vegas Voice and has a very “unique” sense of<br />
humor. He welcomes all funny submissions at: billbuck52@hotmail.com.<br />
12 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
13
Rich Natole<br />
Looking for a Great Show?<br />
This month I’d like to shed the spotlight<br />
on some of my personal favorite shows in<br />
Las Vegas.<br />
One of the great things about this town<br />
is that the shows are always changing. A<br />
tourist can return here in six months and<br />
see totally different shows then they did on<br />
their previous visit.<br />
I think however, there are some shows<br />
worth seeing again. Donny & Marie would<br />
be one I would highly recommend.<br />
While seeing their show, you will clearly<br />
see why this brother and sister duo<br />
have proven to be one of the greatest<br />
entertainment acts in the world. They<br />
perform regularly at Flamingo on the strip.<br />
Beatles Love is another great show. I’ve<br />
seen this show 3 times and enjoy it equally<br />
each time. Even the two living Beatles,<br />
Paul and Ringo along with Yoko gave it a<br />
thumbs up. The show plays at the Mirage.<br />
If it’s Elvis you like, come see All Shook<br />
Up, A Tribute to The King in the upstairs<br />
Dianne Davis<br />
Wayne Newton - Mr. Las Vegas. “This<br />
show is not about me,” Wayne Newton<br />
says, “It is about Las Vegas.”<br />
This icon of Sin City is not in Bally’s<br />
Windows Showroom to belt out songs,<br />
rather to talk about stories and history.<br />
Wayne Newton is an integral part of that<br />
history.<br />
It really is Wayne Newton – Up<br />
Close and Personal. The 230 seat<br />
theater gives you the feeling of sitting in<br />
the living room listening as Wayne shares<br />
memories and insights about the people<br />
he knew in the entertainment world.<br />
Wayne expertly weaves his life story<br />
with the history of Las Vegas. He tells us<br />
that his family moved to Phoenix due to<br />
his bronchial asthma.<br />
He recalls that he and his brother<br />
performed in a lounge act in Vegas,<br />
but flew back to Phoenix where Jackie<br />
Gleason saw them and invited him to be<br />
on his variety show. The story is especially<br />
poignant as Wayne shows us numerous<br />
Hanging out with Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton<br />
theatre in the Miracle Mile Mall at Planet<br />
Hollywood. Travis Allen does a great job<br />
of recreating both the 50s through 70s<br />
Elvis. I emcee and perform comedy and<br />
impressions a night (or two) a week in this<br />
show as well.<br />
If it’s magic you’re into, David<br />
Copperfield seems to be a mainstay at<br />
the MGM Grand. He has built a quality<br />
reputation as one of the greatest magicians<br />
Wayne Newton Shares Memories<br />
pictures of Gleason from the early days.<br />
If you are a fan of the man known as<br />
“the Midnight Idol” and a lover of Las<br />
Vegas, a visit to this show is time well<br />
spent. The vintage photos and film clips<br />
alone are worth the price of admission.<br />
A video of a very young Wayne<br />
Newton and the legendary Jack Benny<br />
is priceless. Photos and footage from his<br />
trips to entertain the troops are precious<br />
with memories of so many famous<br />
entertainers.<br />
Wayne spends a good portion of the<br />
show answering questions. He mentions<br />
of all time. Go see his show and you’ll see<br />
why.<br />
Chris Angel is also very popular. He<br />
performs his magic show at the<br />
Luxor. Murray Sawchuck AKA The<br />
Celebrity Magician offers a great afternoon<br />
show of magic in the Sin City Comedy<br />
room at Planet Hollywood.<br />
If you would like to see the best female<br />
magician look for Ariann Black. She will<br />
dazzle with unbelievable illusions.<br />
Of course there’s “Mr. Las Vegas”<br />
- Wayne Newton. Wayne is currently<br />
performing a few nights a week in<br />
the upstairs Windows Showroom at<br />
Ballys. His show takes you on a nostalgic<br />
journey through his extraordinary career.<br />
Another show I would recommend<br />
in the Windows Showroom at Ballys<br />
Bobby Darin and Glen Campbell and<br />
tells us that they were not competitors<br />
back in the old days. There is a wonderful<br />
story about what Bobby Darin did for<br />
Wayne Newton, but you’re going to have<br />
to go hear it for yourself.<br />
Along with Gleason and Darin, Jack<br />
Benny played a crucial role in Wayne’s<br />
career. See this show and learn more<br />
about these iconic entertainment stars<br />
and numerous others that are mentioned<br />
during the evening including on Don<br />
Rickles, Louie Prima, Sophie Tucker,<br />
Jayne Mansfield, the Rat Pack, especially<br />
Frank Sinatra.<br />
It is no secret that Wayne’s singing<br />
voice doesn’t approach what it once was.<br />
But it is still a treat to be there as he sings<br />
along with a video of his younger self<br />
is The Bronx Wanderers. This band is<br />
Hot! They seem to be catching on quickly<br />
in Las Vegas as they play nightly to packed<br />
houses.<br />
Legendary Impressionist Rich Little<br />
is always a crowd pleaser. He performs<br />
nightly at 7 pm at The Tropicana<br />
Hotel. He incorporates great video clips as<br />
well as live bits for all to enjoy.<br />
And if you like stand-up comedy, The<br />
Laugh Factory at The Tropicana would be<br />
my pick. Three different stand-ups each<br />
week.<br />
Whatever your entertainment needs<br />
may be, Las Vegas seems to have a wide<br />
variety of choices. I hope to interview<br />
many more of these star acts as we plan<br />
to launch our new “Watching The Vegas<br />
Voice” Podcast TV Show.<br />
Rich Natole is a comic/impressionist headlining entertainer & host of The Vegas Voice<br />
Television/Podcast Show. For more information visit: www.richnatole.com. You can<br />
also contact Rich at: rich@richnatole.com.<br />
That’s Entertainment<br />
and does a duet with a video of Sammy<br />
Davis, Jr.<br />
Wayne plays thirteen instruments and<br />
you are sure to get a sample of a few<br />
during the evening. And yes, you’ll hear a<br />
bit of Danke Schoen.<br />
Wayne Newton might just be the last<br />
of the great Las Vegas entertainment<br />
icons. I have seen the show more than<br />
once and can say that although the<br />
format is the same, the film and video<br />
clips and comments about various<br />
performers differ. You will leave feeling<br />
like you’ve had a great visit reminiscing<br />
with a pal about mutual friends.<br />
For ticket information and dates,<br />
visit https://www.caesars.com/ballyslas-vegas/shows/Wayne_Newton#.<br />
WIfzLLYrJ-U or call 702-777- 2782.<br />
In addition to The Vegas Voice, Dianne Davis is a reporter for Sun City Anthem TV (SCA-<br />
TV) specializing in entertainment and is a columnist for www.lasvegasroundtheclock.<br />
com. She is the Las Vegas Editor of lasvegassplash.com , She also bowls, hikes, scuba<br />
dives, travels with her husband Burt, and works on her standup comedy routines.<br />
PRESENTED BY<br />
Musical Director<br />
Philip Fortenberry<br />
Sat, Feb. 25, 20<strong>17</strong><br />
MacDonald Ranch<br />
Tickets: $ 20 in advance<br />
$<br />
25 at the door<br />
A Tribute to<br />
Robert Goulet:<br />
Broadway<br />
Beyond&<br />
Starring<br />
Randal Keith<br />
• Lead Singer of “Showstoppers”<br />
• Jean Valjean from “Les Miserables”<br />
• Star of “The Phat Pack”<br />
Special performance by The Phat Pack<br />
For more info/purchase tickets:<br />
Call/Text Evan Davis 702/630-6111<br />
The Vegas Voice 702/251-4441<br />
www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
Sun City<br />
Doors open at 6:30pm Show begins at 7pm<br />
Community Center<br />
14 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
15
Charlie Christy - Executive Director<br />
Adrea Nairne-Barrera<br />
60’s to 60<br />
Something to Think<br />
About<br />
It’s time to start thinking about our<br />
annual Ms Senior Nevada Pageant (our<br />
32 nd year), to be held August 23, 20<strong>17</strong>.<br />
Applications will be available mid-month<br />
and we urge all senior ladies that have<br />
reached the “Age of Elegance” to<br />
consider joining this<br />
event.<br />
It is a great<br />
opportunity to meet<br />
other active seniors<br />
and make new<br />
friends. We regularly<br />
do events at assisted<br />
living centers.<br />
It is a total “winwin”<br />
as our pageant family members<br />
donate their time and talent and the<br />
residents see a great show. We provide<br />
lots of music, dancing, comedy and<br />
story-telling.<br />
Being a senior is a special time of life.<br />
Most have finished or at least “dialed”<br />
back on their work life allowing time to<br />
travel, volunteer and reassess what is and<br />
isn’t important.<br />
As seniors we know serving our fellow<br />
man is vital. We know the joy we give is<br />
also the joy we get from being able to<br />
brighten another’s day.<br />
Ms Senior Nevada<br />
also travels the state<br />
and will again attend<br />
the legislative session<br />
in Carson City and<br />
time permitting (his,<br />
not ours) meet briefly<br />
with our Governor.<br />
We plan to make<br />
it a longer trip this<br />
year allowing time to visit the Nevada<br />
Historical Museum and other museums.<br />
If you have reached the “age of<br />
elegance”, (that’s 60 years or better)<br />
consider being part of something that<br />
brings out the best in you. Please contact<br />
me at: charlieclasvegas@aol.com. Check<br />
us out at www.msseniornevada.com.<br />
Feeling Inspired (Sort Of)<br />
Back in the good old 60s age of<br />
hippies, free spirits and an occasional<br />
diet pill, you could fake a natural size<br />
7 and moments of great inspiration<br />
were easy. If you hadn’t eaten in<br />
3 days and were a little goofy, a<br />
creative surge could happen.<br />
Now we refer to it as delusion and<br />
irresponsibility. We now say that if<br />
you remember the 60s, you weren’t<br />
there. Either way, I had a few of<br />
those moments back then.<br />
As I was doing another one of my<br />
great sorting projects, I found poetry<br />
written by me. It was so profound<br />
that I can’t understand it, although I<br />
was able to remember the exact day<br />
I wrote it.<br />
Tedious and much too long,<br />
double digit pages, handwritten, I<br />
sat by the window in a 10 th floor<br />
apartment in New York City on<br />
a fairly pleasant afternoon. I lived<br />
in that apartment on the upper<br />
east side of Manhattan with two<br />
roommates and my whole NYC<br />
future was looking pretty good.<br />
As I’m sure everyone knows by<br />
now, I am not a professional writer.<br />
I have ideas about things and get<br />
motivated to express myself as each<br />
new chapter unfolds in my life.<br />
They’re interesting to me and a<br />
few friends, but I think the most fun<br />
is when I discover things I’ve written<br />
20+ years ago.<br />
I can sometimes picture where<br />
I was, and other times, I have<br />
absolutely no idea who wrote it or<br />
why. It’s strange how time alters<br />
your memories and perspective -<br />
even when it’s a personal expression<br />
captured on paper.<br />
Decade by decade I wrote in<br />
different styles.<br />
When my parents passed, I found<br />
boxes of memorabilia that now,<br />
some 20 years later, I am finally<br />
sorting. Among the collections, I<br />
discovered letters to my parents and<br />
Godmother sent from my boarding<br />
school in Switzerland. (And no, I<br />
was not a trust fund baby!)<br />
Apparently I wanted comic books<br />
and American candy bars. Not much<br />
has changed on the candy bar front,<br />
but the comic book thing didn’t last<br />
very long. That was 1959 and for the<br />
life of me I will never know why I<br />
wanted candy bars when I was sitting<br />
in Swiss chocolate country!<br />
My sister found some old letters<br />
from the 60s and even has the only<br />
photo of me ever taken in a 2-piece<br />
bathing suit. It was yellow with big<br />
orange polka dots, but since I wasn’t<br />
“itsy bitsy,” neither was the bathing<br />
suit. It’s amazing how I thought I<br />
was fat at the time and the truth is I<br />
looked pretty good!<br />
The one collection of writings I<br />
did find and will treasure forever<br />
brought back memories of my<br />
parents and how I would write to<br />
them as life events were happening.<br />
Long distance calls were expensive<br />
back then. The letters, the<br />
handwriting and the choice of paper<br />
are so telling when I look at them<br />
now.<br />
Reading all those little gems is a<br />
great way to spend an evening.<br />
Mike Landry<br />
Golf Fore Ever<br />
Improving Your Game<br />
We all want to improve our golf<br />
game but how? We can take lessons,<br />
we can buy gadgets that are advertised,<br />
and we can purchase clubs that are said<br />
to provide more accuracy off the tee<br />
etc. but guess what? You still need to<br />
practice! Practice! Practice!<br />
We all know what the pros do to<br />
prepare for a tournament, but what<br />
can the average golfer do to improve<br />
his/her scores, to build confidence and<br />
ultimately enjoy the game more?<br />
Some golfers need to improve their<br />
tee shot; others may need to improve<br />
their 2 nd or approach shots. All are<br />
important parts of the game and none<br />
should be ignored.<br />
No matter the issue, if you wish to<br />
shave strokes off your score card and<br />
improve the quality of your game,<br />
the quickest way to get there is by<br />
improving your putting and chipping.<br />
Golfers are expected to hole out<br />
2 putts every hole for 36 per round.<br />
A golfer can improve by lagging<br />
long putts to the hole for tap ins and<br />
occasionally make a ten footer and<br />
avoid the dreaded 3 putts.<br />
Chipping is another area of the<br />
game that can be improved relatively<br />
quickly by chipping once to each green<br />
and avoid chipping twice to get to the<br />
green. While at the practice facility,<br />
challenge yourself and make your<br />
practice sessions fun and you’ll see a big<br />
difference in scoring in short order. I<br />
promise!<br />
See you on the links!<br />
Mike Landry is a retired airline manager of maintenance residing in Sun City<br />
MacDonald Ranch and a 40-year resident of Las Vegas. Hobbies are golf, day trading<br />
and brewing craft beer. He can be contacted at: airmikel1@cox.net.<br />
16 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
<strong>17</strong>
New device stops a cold before it starts<br />
USA — New research<br />
shows you can stop a cold<br />
in its tracks if you take one<br />
simple step with a new device<br />
when you first feel a<br />
cold coming on.<br />
Colds start when cold<br />
viruses get in your nose.<br />
Viruses multiply fast. If<br />
you don’t stop them early,<br />
they spread in your airways<br />
and cause misery.<br />
But scientists have<br />
found a quick way to kill a<br />
virus — touch it with copper.<br />
Researchers at labs<br />
and universities worldwide<br />
all agree — copper<br />
is “antimicrobial.” It kills<br />
microbes, such as viruses<br />
and bacteria, just by touch.<br />
That’s why ancient<br />
Greeks and Egyptians used<br />
copper to purify water and<br />
heal wounds. They didn’t<br />
know about viruses and<br />
bacteria, but now we do.<br />
Researchers say microbe<br />
cells have an internal<br />
electric charge which<br />
copper’s high conductance<br />
short-circuits. This destroys<br />
the cell in seconds.<br />
Tests by the Environmental<br />
Protection Agency<br />
(EPA) show germs die fast<br />
on copper. So some hospitals<br />
switched to copper<br />
touch surfaces, like faucets<br />
and doorknobs. This<br />
cut the spread of MRSA<br />
and other illnesses by over<br />
half, and saved lives.<br />
The strong scientific<br />
evidence gave inventor<br />
Doug Cornell an idea.<br />
When he felt a cold coming<br />
on he fashioned a<br />
smooth copper probe and<br />
rubbed it gently in his<br />
nose for 60 seconds.<br />
“It worked!” he exclaimed.<br />
“The cold went<br />
away completely.” It<br />
worked again every time<br />
he felt a cold coming on.<br />
He reports he has never<br />
had a cold since.<br />
He asked relatives and<br />
friends to try it. They said<br />
New research: Copper stops colds if used early.<br />
it worked for them, too,<br />
every time. So he patented<br />
CopperZap and put it on<br />
the market.<br />
Soon hundreds of people<br />
had tried it and given<br />
feedback. Nearly 100 percent<br />
said the copper stops<br />
their colds if used within<br />
3 hours after the first sign.<br />
Even up to 2 days, if they<br />
still get the cold it is milder<br />
than usual and they feel<br />
better.<br />
Users wrote things like,<br />
“It stopped my cold right<br />
away,” and “Is it supposed<br />
to work that fast?”<br />
“What a wonderful<br />
thing,” wrote Physician’s<br />
Assistant Julie. “Now<br />
I have this little magic<br />
wand, no more colds for<br />
me!”<br />
Pat McAllister, age 70,<br />
received one for Christmas<br />
and called it “one of<br />
the best presents ever. This<br />
little jewel really works.”<br />
People often use CopperZap<br />
for prevention,<br />
before cold signs appear.<br />
Karen Gauci, who flies<br />
often for her job, used to<br />
get colds after crowded<br />
flights. Though skeptical,<br />
she tried it several times<br />
a day on travel days for 2<br />
months. “Sixteen flights<br />
and not a sniffle!” she exclaimed.<br />
Business owner Rosaleen<br />
says when people<br />
are sick around her she<br />
uses CopperZap morning<br />
and night. “It saved me last<br />
holidays,” she said. “The<br />
kids had colds going round<br />
and round, but not me.”<br />
Some users say it also<br />
helps with sinuses. Attorney<br />
Donna Blight had<br />
a 2-day sinus headache.<br />
When her CopperZap arrived,<br />
she tried it. “I am<br />
shocked!” she said. “My<br />
head cleared, no more<br />
headache, no more congestion.”<br />
Some users say copper<br />
stops nighttime stuffiness<br />
if they use it just before<br />
bed. One man said, “Best<br />
sleep I’ve had in years.”<br />
The handle is sculptured<br />
to fit the hand and<br />
improve copper contact.<br />
Tests show it kills germs<br />
on fingers to help you stay<br />
well and not spread illness<br />
to your family.<br />
Copper may even help<br />
stop a flu if used early and<br />
for several days. In a lab<br />
test, scientists placed 25<br />
million live flu viruses on<br />
a CopperZap. No viruses<br />
were found still alive soon<br />
after.<br />
The EPA says the natural<br />
color change of copper<br />
does not reduce its ability<br />
to kill germs.<br />
CopperZap is made in<br />
the U.S. of pure American<br />
copper. It carries a 90-day<br />
full money back guarantee<br />
and is available for $47 at<br />
CopperZap.com or tollfree<br />
1-888-411-6114.<br />
Linda Bateman-Gomez<br />
There’s the old saying: “You are what<br />
you eat.” If that’s the case, I’m currently a<br />
giant piece of pie.<br />
When we’re younger, foods often<br />
affect growth and development. Sugar<br />
and caffeine are obviously not good for<br />
growing youngsters and when young, you<br />
may not need the daily caffeine boost.<br />
As we age, however, that morning cup<br />
of coffee can be our biggest reason for<br />
getting out of bed! Luckily for us, getting<br />
older has its perks.<br />
Recent studies have shown caffeine<br />
to be beneficial for us grown-ups. From<br />
reductions in cardiovascular disease and<br />
diabetes, to psychological pick-me-ups, it’s<br />
proving to be quite curative!<br />
While many of our nutrition habits are<br />
often established in childhood, as adults,<br />
we have much more information for<br />
easy ways to be healthier and adapt better<br />
habits! These habits can improve our<br />
physical as well as our mental health.<br />
Sugar is one of the biggest saboteurs<br />
to our good intentions and unfortunately,<br />
seems to pop up in anything that doesn’t<br />
grow out of the ground. It’s a plague for<br />
those at risk for diabetes or struggling<br />
with weight gain.<br />
And while it’s easy for some to suggest<br />
cutting it out altogether, it’s sometimes<br />
easier to figure out what “good” you<br />
can add to your diet, rather than subtract<br />
from it. So, what are some things we can<br />
Timeless Beauty<br />
You Are What You Eat<br />
all easily do to get results from the inside<br />
out this year?<br />
Here are a couple of tips to make you<br />
feel and look better for 20<strong>17</strong>, without<br />
needing a gym membership or a crash<br />
diet!<br />
Grab an Omega-3! Aside from the<br />
amazing brain-boosting properties (like<br />
helping to reduce Alzheimer’s risks and<br />
depression) fatty acids are also connected<br />
to lowering heart disease and raising<br />
Vitamin D levels.<br />
If that wasn’t enough, it contributes to<br />
the healthy skin and shiny hair we all want<br />
more of! Adding one or two servings a<br />
week of fish (like Salmon) into your diet<br />
can provide all these worthwhile results<br />
without any giant lifestyle changes.<br />
Take an evening stroll after dinner<br />
and enjoy the winter season. If you’re a<br />
foodie, find a way to try out some things<br />
that are making the news.<br />
Many swear by anti-aging fruits like<br />
papaya which helps breaks down proteins<br />
and ease digestion. And the currently<br />
popular coconut oil and avocado have a<br />
whole host of uses and benefits.<br />
Obviously diet is a huge factor for<br />
weight, so if you just want to start<br />
somewhere, change just one thing at<br />
a time and go slowly. Maybe ditch the<br />
soda at lunch or replace your morning<br />
doughnut with a quinoa-oatmeal blend.<br />
Over time, little changes add up!<br />
Linda Bateman-Gomez has an international beauty company based in Las<br />
Vegas that specializes in cosmetics and other beauty products. She would love to<br />
hear from you with questions, ideas or tips you’d like to share! Contact Linda at<br />
TimelessBeauty2020@gmail.com or through her <strong>web</strong>site www.fullips.com.<br />
18 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
I’m encouraged to see U.S. House of<br />
Representative Speaker Paul Ryan and<br />
our new President Donald J. Trump<br />
willing to take on Obama Care, as I have<br />
heard from so many business owners<br />
and individuals that health insurance<br />
is not more affordable under the<br />
Affordable Care Act. It is hurting jobs<br />
and our economy.<br />
Now I hope that the President and<br />
Speaker will take on another issue that<br />
adversely impacts our economy: Federal<br />
tax reform.<br />
Nevada is seeing a slow but steady<br />
economic recovery. But there is one<br />
thing that could really help stimulate<br />
job growth here: reforming the overlycomplex<br />
and confusing Federal Tax<br />
Code.<br />
Everyone in Washington, D.C. agrees<br />
that tax reform is necessary, but nobody<br />
seems to agree on what it should look<br />
like. This is especially frustrating for<br />
businesses, because the path forward<br />
is so clear to those of us outside the<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
Victoria Seaman<br />
Federal Tax Reform Needed<br />
Capitol beltway: simplify the code and<br />
lower the corporate rate!<br />
But taking on corporate lobbyists who<br />
love their tax loop holes has allowed<br />
politics to get in the way of tax reform.<br />
Every day that goes by without<br />
meaningful tax reform is another day<br />
that Nevada companies fall further<br />
behind their global competition. At<br />
39%, the United States has the highest<br />
corporate tax rate among Organization<br />
for Economic Cooperation and<br />
Development (OECD) nations. That<br />
means Nevada businesses pay higher<br />
corporate taxes than similar companies<br />
in notoriously high-tax nations like<br />
France and Sweden.<br />
In the marketplace, this means U.S.<br />
products and services are often too<br />
expensive to compete with those made<br />
in other countries. This fact - multiplied<br />
millions of times every year isn’t just<br />
hurting these companies’ bottom lines,<br />
it’s hurting our overall economy and job<br />
growth<br />
At the same time, our gargantuan tax<br />
code creates additional costs for U.S.<br />
businesses. Massive, convoluted, and<br />
even contradictory, it seems designed to<br />
ensnare honest businesses and hit them<br />
with fines and other penalties.<br />
That is why most small businesses pay<br />
for expensive tax preparation services<br />
or hire tax attorneys and CPA’s. For<br />
businesses that are already paying the<br />
highest taxes in the industrialized world,<br />
Victoria’s Corner<br />
this is a cost that they simply can’t<br />
afford.<br />
The path ahead is clear: lower the<br />
corporate tax rate down to the OECD<br />
average of around 25%, if not lower.<br />
Simplify the tax code so that it isn’t so<br />
costly for businesses to comply. Make<br />
the tax code more favorable to the small<br />
businesses that create the vast majority<br />
of jobs in this country.<br />
If the President and Congress take on<br />
meaningful tax reform, we could finally<br />
unleash the massive, pent-up economic<br />
forces that currently lie dormant,<br />
waiting to create millions of jobs. If we<br />
don’t, Nevada will continue to suffer<br />
from lackluster growth and an anemic<br />
economy as our competitors dominate<br />
an ever larger portion of the global<br />
commercial marketplace.<br />
Victoria Seaman is a former Nevada Assemblywoman, businesswoman and currently<br />
a Realtor in Las Vegas. She and her daughter, Tatiana are managing partners for 2<br />
Vegas Chicks, a full event planning business catering to any type fundraiser or event<br />
worldwide. You can contact Victoria at: victoria@victoriaseaman.com.<br />
19
Yvonne Cloutier<br />
Stan Kenton was Artistry in Rhythm<br />
Musical Moments<br />
Stan Kenton, a remarkable band<br />
director named his band, “Artistry in<br />
Rhythm.”<br />
He featured a strong brass section<br />
with trumpets, trombones, clarinets<br />
and a strong drumbeat. Along with his<br />
own piano skills, the music made them<br />
sound like a “Wall of Sound.”<br />
Metronome magazine said “kids<br />
are going haywire over the sheer<br />
noise of this band. Its a danger of<br />
an entire generation growing up<br />
with the idea that jazz and the atom<br />
bomb are, essentially, a sane natural<br />
phenomenon.”<br />
He kept the swing sound, but<br />
Kenton had a vision. It was not of a<br />
swing dance band, but of a concert<br />
band featuring progressive jazz, using<br />
unusual rhythms and harmonies.<br />
Kenton was developing a new<br />
era. Band members came and went.<br />
Amongst them were Maynard<br />
Ferguson, Stan Goetz, and Buddy Rich.<br />
In the 1930s, Kenton played in<br />
several big bands. In 1940s, amongst<br />
his many hits, he had success with<br />
Ali Guggenheim<br />
Every February 14th, all over the United<br />
States (and a handful of other countries),<br />
people celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day by<br />
spending billions of dollars. Nearly 50% is<br />
spent on candy alone.<br />
Last year, an estimated 1 billion cards<br />
and 198,000,000 roses were bought - not<br />
to mention the gifts, romantic getaways,<br />
dinners, etc., all in the name of St. Valentine.<br />
But, wait! Does anyone really know who or<br />
what we’re celebrating?<br />
St. Valentine’s Day’s history is yet another<br />
historical event that’s shrouded in mystery<br />
and has many versions of its evolution. One<br />
theory claims that Valentine’s Day, evolved<br />
from the Pagan, Roman, “Lupercalia Fertility<br />
Festival.”<br />
Others attribute it to “Juno Day”, the<br />
Queen Goddess of women and fertility.<br />
Both of these holidays began on February<br />
“Eager Beaver” followed by having<br />
his new singer, June Christy, (replacing<br />
Anita O’Day, whom he married) come<br />
out with “Tampico” and “Across the<br />
Alley.”<br />
His hits helped him finance his many<br />
ambitious projects. Kenton also owed<br />
much of his success to Pete Rigolo, his<br />
chief arranger.<br />
His “Peanut Vendor” was radically<br />
different from other band’s swing<br />
music. He also delved into a Cuban<br />
beat such as his “Machito”, “Cuban<br />
Fire”, and arrangements for “West Side<br />
Story” and “Send in the Clowns.”<br />
Celebrating St. Valentine<br />
14th and were observed for an entire month.<br />
Ritualistically, young maidens’ names were<br />
written on slips of papers and placed in a jar.<br />
The men would pick their evening’s mate<br />
from the jar. This love partnering could last<br />
a night, up to a year, and at times, even led to<br />
marriage.<br />
Pope Gelasius banned the Lupercian<br />
festival (494-96). However, he retained the<br />
lottery and replaced the women’s names with<br />
Saints.<br />
Once picked, both men and women<br />
were expected to live up to their chosen<br />
saints’ attributes for an entire year. As time<br />
progressed, more and more Romans strayed<br />
from this custom.<br />
Instead, young men wrote notes to the<br />
girls of their choosing. It became a tradition<br />
to give the beloved and admired one<br />
handwritten messages of enamored and<br />
He did a beautiful rendition of<br />
“Laura” for that film. Joe Green wrote<br />
the lyrics for his hit songs such as<br />
“And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine” as<br />
well as “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You<br />
Cryin’.”<br />
Kenton experimented with<br />
mellophoniums, (similar to bugles or<br />
French horns,) but had trouble with<br />
keeping them on pitch. He worked<br />
with young musicians, gave them his<br />
charts, taught them in seminars, wrote<br />
music for school bands, and employed<br />
many young musicians in his bands.<br />
He also left his music collection to the<br />
University of North Texas.<br />
Kenton was born “out of wedlock”<br />
in 1911, not 1912 as often cited. His<br />
parents kept it a secret, even from Stan,<br />
until years later. He learned to play the<br />
piano at age 4.<br />
Kenton was consistently<br />
controversial - a polarizing pianist/big<br />
band leader. Although a top jazz cult<br />
figure, he couldn’t last with Bob Hope<br />
as his backup radio band, but was<br />
beloved on college campuses.<br />
Kenton had a new vision. Young<br />
people latched onto his sound and it<br />
started a new era.<br />
Stan Kenton had three marriages and<br />
they all ended in divorce. His second,<br />
to Ann Richards, his singer for a while,<br />
shot herself at age 46.<br />
Kenton also had a long battle<br />
with alcoholism. In 1977, he fell and<br />
fractured his skull. He died two years<br />
later in 1979, after a stroke. He had<br />
three children.<br />
Stan Kenton, who has a star on the<br />
Hollywood Walk of Fame, is also in the<br />
Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.<br />
Yvonne Cloutier, a former teacher/principal, with a music background, specializes<br />
in ragtime piano. She is an author and has written an easy-to-read book on Scott<br />
Joplin. She reports about music on SCA-TV.com/Anthem Alive! You can contact her<br />
at www.mytimeisragtime.com.<br />
romantic intention, containing St. Valentine’s<br />
named inscribed.<br />
There are many more versions to the<br />
Valentine’s Day story. In fact, the Roman<br />
Catholic Church counts at least eight saints<br />
by the name of Valentine, three of the eight<br />
having February 14, as their feast day.<br />
The most popular lore comes from the<br />
third century in Rome where Emperor<br />
Claudius II was defeated by a humble<br />
Christian martyr, Priest Valentinus. The<br />
Emperor was convinced that single men,<br />
without emotional anchors, made better<br />
soldiers. So he outlawed marriage for young<br />
men.<br />
Priest Valentinus thought this to be wrong<br />
and unfair. He therefore continued to<br />
Psychic Phenomenon<br />
secretly wed young couples.<br />
Emperor Claudius II became enraged<br />
when he found out and had Priest<br />
Valentinus beheaded. Legend states that on<br />
the day he died, February 14th, Valentine<br />
left a note for one of his many supporters,<br />
thanking her for being there for him. He<br />
signed it, “Love from your Valentine.”<br />
We will never know for sure the exact<br />
details of how this legend transpired. What<br />
we do know is that in 1969, the Roman<br />
Catholic Church removed Valentine’s Day<br />
from their list of holidays.<br />
If you do not have someone “special”<br />
to celebrate this year, don’t despair! Instead,<br />
celebrate you! After all, the world will always<br />
treat you, the way you treat yourself.<br />
To learn more about Ali, spiritual consultations, coaching, classes, workshops, and<br />
readings, call, give her a call: 702/373-9081.<br />
20 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
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february <strong>17</strong><br />
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21
Crystal<br />
Merryman-Sarbacker<br />
The Travel Company Designed Especially for for Active Seniors!<br />
Enrich your life in 20<strong>17</strong>!<br />
Have you ever wondered what it it would be<br />
like to to be in in the Spotlight?<br />
Find out with Collette Vacations…<br />
One of my clients, who has traveled all over the world, recently selected a<br />
9 day “Spotlight On Tuscany” vacation from Collette. She’s been to Italy<br />
before, but she was really attracted to the “Spotlights” concept, which<br />
focuses on a more inclusive, more relaxed style of traveling. And she was<br />
really pleased to find that throughout her entire trip, she’d be staying in a<br />
four star hotel in one of Tuscany’s famous spa resort towns, Montecatini<br />
Terme... Seven nights of Italian bliss and she would only have to unpack once.<br />
Que Bella!<br />
Tuscany<br />
Find yourself in Tuscany on this<br />
relaxing sojourn through the Italian<br />
countryside. Experience its rolling<br />
hills with sprawling vineyards,<br />
medieval hill towns and enchanting<br />
cities steeped in Tuscan history,<br />
culture and legend.<br />
Starts at<br />
$ 1399. pp dbl.<br />
occ.<br />
Air avail., but<br />
not included<br />
She was also impressed with the terrific itinerary which<br />
includes personal time to explore the area, as well as tours<br />
to Florence, Lucca, Siena, Pisa, and San Gimignano.<br />
Collette has arranged for local guides to provide all the<br />
interesting background information that only they would<br />
know. And then, of course, her Collette tour manager will<br />
also be available throughout her vacation to handle any<br />
special concerns or requests, like “which spa is the best<br />
in Montecatini?” just in case she wants to enjoy an afternoon<br />
or even a day of luxury.<br />
Could this visit to Tuscany get any better?<br />
Only if you want to experience the optional excursions<br />
which are amazingly well priced. You can choose from a<br />
Dinner and Entertainment at a Tuscan Villa, a Tuscan Cooking<br />
Class & Dinner in Montecatini, or a picturesque day<br />
trip to legendary Cinque Terre, or why not choose all three?<br />
Call 702-419-0550 for more information on this exciting<br />
“Spotlight on Tuscany” and all of the other 16 “Spotlights”<br />
featuring City Stays & Quick Getaways from Collette including:<br />
London, 7 days; Christmas in London, 7 days; Paris, 7 days;<br />
Paris Holiday, 7 days; French Riviera, 8 days; Rome, 7 days;<br />
Venice in Winter, 7 days; Madrid, 8 days; Barcelona, 7 days;<br />
New York City, 5 days; New York City Holiday, 5 days; Washington,<br />
D.C., 6 days; San Antonia, 5 days; San Antonio Holiday,<br />
5 days; New Orleans, 5 days; South Dakota, 7 days.<br />
*All prices subject to change.and are based on per person, double occupancy. Single room<br />
upgrades available at extra cost. MasterCard, VISA, Amex accepted or private checks.<br />
Collette’s latest booklets are available now.<br />
Call Crystal now for your copy at<br />
702 419-0550<br />
22 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
23
Stu Cooper - Travel Editor<br />
Options, Options, Options<br />
Happy Destinations<br />
As I previously advised, the most<br />
popular program we have at the<br />
Vegas Voyagers is our “Bus to the<br />
Boat.” We have been doing it for<br />
close to 15 years and always have<br />
between 15 to 50 Voyagers on our<br />
bus.<br />
This wonderful coach<br />
transportation takes everyone<br />
right to the pier of the cruise we<br />
are promoting. It’s a “HUGE” (a<br />
la President Trump) hit with our<br />
Vegas Voyagers.<br />
However, not far behind in<br />
popularity, is the array of exotic, if<br />
not downright unique cruises we<br />
also offer. For example, we are now,<br />
for the second year offering a 23<br />
night trans Pacific cruise on Royal<br />
Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas.<br />
This is a cruise departing October<br />
6, 20<strong>17</strong> from Seattle, Washington<br />
and arriving 24 days later in Sydney,<br />
Australia. Along the way there will<br />
be stops in Hawaii, Fiji and various<br />
other South Pacific Islands. It’s<br />
unique (to say the least) and just<br />
about sold out.<br />
Over the years, we have also had<br />
great success with trans-Atlantic<br />
cruises, commonly known as<br />
repositioning cruises. We’ve known<br />
about them for a long time and now<br />
the rest of the cruising world has<br />
jumped “on board.” They also sell<br />
out quickly.<br />
Typically speaking they start in<br />
Europe, (usually Rome, Barcelona or<br />
London) and end<br />
somewhere along<br />
the east coast of<br />
the U.S. or the<br />
Gulf coast. We<br />
are always looking<br />
for great value for<br />
these cruises as<br />
well.<br />
Possibly the<br />
most exotic of<br />
all was the cruise<br />
a few years ago<br />
that started in Rome and ended<br />
in Singapore. We had a very nice<br />
group that transited the Suez Canal,<br />
and then visited Dubai, India and<br />
Indonesia.<br />
I wish I could have escorted this<br />
group but I got a firsthand report<br />
from possibly our best traveled<br />
Vegas Voyager Harkley Boak who<br />
viewed it as a trip of a lifetime. And<br />
during his life he traveled all over the<br />
world.<br />
It is these types of unique voyages<br />
that the Vegas Voyagers will<br />
continue to be on the lookout for.<br />
Our good friends at Princess Cruise<br />
Lines as well as Royal Caribbean and<br />
Celebrity offer these longer cruises<br />
that are always a lot of fun.<br />
**Our next Vegas Voyager<br />
meeting will be Friday, March 10th at<br />
9:30 am at Buckman’s Restaurant at<br />
the Revere Golf Course in Anthem.<br />
Continental breakfast will be served.<br />
At this meeting we will introduce<br />
a number of new trips and cruises<br />
for 20<strong>17</strong> and even 2018. We are<br />
even working on a number of<br />
exotic destinations that might be of<br />
interest. Please RSVP by emailing to<br />
fairtravel@aol.com or calling 1-800-<br />
698-1101.<br />
I will also be speaking at The Vegas<br />
Voice Elder Empowerment Event<br />
on Thursday, March 9 th at Sun City<br />
McDonald Ranch. The topic of my<br />
presentation will be “Don’t leave<br />
your brain at home when you go on<br />
vacation.”<br />
This informative talk will give you<br />
all the tools you need to enjoy a fun<br />
and safe vacation. Come on by and<br />
say “hello.”<br />
24 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
25
Kathy Manney<br />
Needn’t Be a Swinger to Enjoy Savory Date<br />
Around Our World<br />
Regale Harris<br />
Caregiver Burnout<br />
Your Kindred Team<br />
Date palms are commonly seen<br />
in Southern Nevada and Southern<br />
California, therefore many have<br />
probably heard of the Date Farm<br />
near Tecopa, California or the annual<br />
Riverside County Fair and National<br />
Date Festival and probably don’t<br />
consider a name misunderstanding for<br />
either.<br />
But what comes to mind if you are<br />
not familiar with date palms?<br />
I was texting with my cousin in<br />
Oregon recently, mentioning that my<br />
husband and I were going to attend<br />
the annual “Date Festival.” Quickly,<br />
she texted back, “Date?” I replied,<br />
“Yes, dates like the ones you eat.”<br />
She texted again and was glad I<br />
clarified this. She was wondering if<br />
“Date” meant that we were swingers.<br />
John and I had never thought of<br />
the Date Festival or the Date Farm in<br />
that context, but if you aren’t familiar<br />
with date palms, understand how the<br />
word “date” could be confused with<br />
something other than food.<br />
Savory delights wait at China Ranch<br />
Date Farm where date milkshakes and<br />
freshly baked date nut bread can be<br />
purchased. As you round the last curve<br />
on Furnace Creek Road, soon after<br />
leaving Old Spanish Trail, the road<br />
abruptly ends. You have arrived at an<br />
extraordinary refuge on the fringe of<br />
Death Valley.<br />
“Hidden Oasis” the sign reads.<br />
China Ranch is an oasis where date<br />
palms not only grow, they thrive. It is<br />
the largest producer of dates in the<br />
United States.<br />
Like apples, dates come in different<br />
varieties. A single tree can have as<br />
many as 300 pounds of fruit per year<br />
and can live one-hundred or more<br />
years. Date palms have been cultivated<br />
since about 6000 B.C. for their sugary<br />
fruit.<br />
A tree started from seed takes<br />
about seven years to produce fruit.<br />
It requires one male tree to pollinate<br />
fifty female trees. Their pollen<br />
usually carried by wind or insects, but<br />
growers’ hand pollinates their groves<br />
to assure a crop.<br />
Dates are rich in antioxidants, fiber<br />
and potassium. California’s Date<br />
Industry covers 8,500 planted acres.<br />
“Palmeros” are the people who are<br />
hoisted into the trees to cut the ripe<br />
fruit, while workers below shake off<br />
the dates into bins.<br />
Though Death Valley’s average<br />
annual rainfall is little more than<br />
2-inches, the Armagosa River Valley<br />
offers a surprise near China Ranch.<br />
In this barren desert, a river runs year<br />
round despite scorching temperatures.<br />
It ranks among the few rivers in<br />
the world flowing below sea level.<br />
Originating near Beatty, the river<br />
What a pleasure it is to write this<br />
travel article for The Vegas Voice.<br />
My name is Marilyn Sirna and I am<br />
the Activities and Fitness Director at<br />
Sun City MacDonald Ranch.<br />
My husband and I have been<br />
married for 50 years, and yes I was<br />
a child bride! And I have been so<br />
fortunate to have travel much of the<br />
world.<br />
I am happy to share my love of<br />
adventure and travel with Vegas<br />
Voice readers. Most of our travels<br />
are done by bus and we have lots of<br />
fun on these trips.<br />
We have some awesome travel<br />
adventures in the works. Take a look<br />
for yourself. And such opportunities<br />
are not just for Sun City MacDonald<br />
residents - they’re for all Vegas Voice<br />
readers.<br />
We hope this helps in planning<br />
future trips. Remember: these trips<br />
winds southward through the valley,<br />
then disappears into the ground.<br />
The Riverside County Fair and<br />
National Date Festival is located in<br />
Indio, California and held annually in<br />
February. The Fair and Date Festival<br />
began more than 70-years ago to<br />
celebrate the end of the region’s date<br />
harvest.<br />
Ironically, the Date palms are not<br />
native. They were transplanted here<br />
in 1903 from Algeria. Today, the<br />
“Date Festival” portion of the fair has<br />
diminished and disappoints as there<br />
are few vendors selling fresh dates and<br />
date items.<br />
But if you enjoy the fairground<br />
atmosphere or have never been to<br />
a county fair with their grand stand<br />
entertainment, exhibits, rides and food<br />
vendors, this is a good place to come<br />
and visit.<br />
Bon appetite to your next date.<br />
Kathy Manney enjoys visiting interesting places and being an Adventure Diva. Her<br />
“Must See” travel journeys continue - always with enthusiasm.<br />
Marilyn Sirna<br />
Let’s Go With Marilyn<br />
Let’s Go!<br />
are open to all Vegas Voice readers.<br />
March 21 & 22 – Verde Canyon<br />
Railroad<br />
This is a 2-day trip. Cost is $219<br />
Dbl. occupancy and $279 pp single.<br />
The price includes bus fare, railroad<br />
ticket, admission to Montezuma’s<br />
Castle National Monument Hotel<br />
and one breakfast.<br />
June: Yosemite National Park,<br />
Solvang and Santa Barbara<br />
July: Hearst Castle<br />
July: Del Mar Race Track, La<br />
Jolla, California and San Diego<br />
August: Pageant of the Masters –<br />
Laguna Beach, California<br />
September: Temecula Winery<br />
Tour<br />
Give me a call and I’ll be happy<br />
to get you all the information. I can<br />
be reached at 702/270-7006 or:<br />
msirna@scmronline.org.<br />
Come on, let’s go!<br />
You probably know all the details<br />
about the health of the person for<br />
whom you’re caring. You’re on top of<br />
what medications must be taken, you<br />
can even spot minor changes in their<br />
mood and attitude.<br />
Are you as aware of what’s going on<br />
with you? When caring for a loved one,<br />
it’s easy to forget about your own needs.<br />
1.The rollercoaster of emotions.<br />
Whatever you call it - second-hand stress<br />
or the more serious caregiver burnout,<br />
the mix of physical and emotional<br />
exhaustion strikes many caregivers.<br />
The fix: Your life has changed in<br />
profound ways, so it’s natural to feel<br />
frustrated and to grieve for what you<br />
have lost. You can’t take good care of<br />
anyone if you don’t take of yourself.<br />
Remind yourself that while you are<br />
doing everything you can, you will never<br />
do everything; and that’s OK too.<br />
2. You catch every bug that comes<br />
your way. Stress can take a toll on your<br />
immune system. If you are getting sick<br />
DON’T<br />
MISS IT!<br />
2 LOCATIONS!<br />
Sun City MacDonald Ranch<br />
Thursday, March 9th, 10am-12 noon<br />
Sun City Anthem<br />
Saturday, March 18th 10am-12 noon<br />
Learn about new technology in staying safe<br />
• Safety tips from the experts<br />
• New Nevada programs to keep safe<br />
Speakers will include experts on all aspects of<br />
staying safe including:<br />
• Henderson Police Department<br />
• Henderson Fire Department<br />
• Nevada Regional Transportation Commission –<br />
“Yellow Dot Program”<br />
• Guardianship Protection – Nomination forms<br />
so you or your loved one will never be taken.<br />
• Travel Safety – “Don’t Leave Your Brain at<br />
Home While on Vacation”<br />
• Latest tools to protect you and your home<br />
more often, your body is trying to tell<br />
you something.<br />
The fix: Eating a nutritious diet<br />
and getting proper sleep boosts your<br />
body’s natural<br />
defenses.<br />
3. You’re<br />
snapping at<br />
everyone.<br />
When you feel<br />
helpless and<br />
overwhelmed, you’re<br />
more likely to overreact to the things<br />
people do, or don’t do. You need a<br />
timeout.<br />
The fix: Don’t set the bar so high that<br />
you can never meet it. Try to find ways<br />
to ease the tension.<br />
4. You know you should exercise;<br />
you don’t have the time. No one can<br />
function well in crisis mode day after<br />
day. Caregiving is a marathon, not a<br />
sprint.<br />
The fix: Force yourself to get moving.<br />
Exercise is the best stress reliever.<br />
For more information and to RSVP for seats,<br />
contact The Vegas Voice at 702/251-4441 or<br />
www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
5. You can’t remember the last<br />
time you met a friend for dinner or<br />
a movie. Everyone needs a break from<br />
time-to-<br />
time, so why<br />
don’t you give<br />
yourself one?<br />
The fix: We are<br />
not suggesting a twoweek<br />
Caribbean cruise,<br />
though that would<br />
be lovely, right? A few<br />
hours while you read a<br />
book or watch reruns of your favorite<br />
sitcom, can be restorative. NOTE:<br />
Taking a break doesn’t mean running<br />
errands or doing chores. It’s YOU time.<br />
6. You’re the go-to caregiver. This<br />
may be the hardest job you’ll ever have,<br />
and it can take time to adjust and come<br />
to terms with it. Don’t try to do it alone,<br />
you’ll hit bottom.<br />
The fix: Establish a network of<br />
relatives, friends or people you can call<br />
on. Schedule a family meeting or video<br />
chat about who does what and who pays<br />
for it.<br />
Let everyone know you will not be<br />
available to host activities that you’ve<br />
normally handled. Keep a to-do list with<br />
you and whip it out when others ask if<br />
they can help.<br />
Your neighbor might be happy to<br />
spend a few hours at your house while<br />
you go to the gym. A friend can buy<br />
groceries when she’s at the store.<br />
Meanwhile, join a local or online<br />
support group.<br />
If you would like to speak directly<br />
with a Registered Nurse about how<br />
Kindred can help, just call our Kindred<br />
team. Our telephone number is:1.866.<br />
KINDRED.<br />
Regale Harris is the Manager of Volunteer Services and Community Liaison for<br />
Kindred. She welcomes all questions and inquiries and can be reached at: regale.<br />
harris@kindred.com.<br />
26 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
27
Jim Valkenburg<br />
Auto Insurance Premium Part I<br />
Insurance Insight<br />
Here are the top 3 things that<br />
determine your auto insurance premium.<br />
The other two will be printed next<br />
month.<br />
1. YOU. Your age, gender, marital<br />
status, driving record, and record of prior<br />
claims play a major role in determining<br />
your risk level and therefore, the premium<br />
you will pay.<br />
Traditionally, males under 25 years<br />
of age represent the highest risk, while<br />
married, middle-aged, non-smoking<br />
couples represent the lowest. The second<br />
highest rates go to drivers 75-80 and<br />
older.<br />
The most favored rates and the target<br />
market of all insurance companies are<br />
drivers aged 50-64. Statistically they have<br />
the fewest incidents and incidents.<br />
Drivers under age 25 are involved in<br />
more accidents than any other age group,<br />
and car crashes remain the leading killer<br />
of people ages 15 to 20. And amid these<br />
accident-prone younger drivers, it’s the<br />
male drivers who tend to cause more of<br />
the accidents. Therefore, young males pay<br />
higher rates than young females.<br />
Many people say that male drivers drive<br />
more than female drivers but for statistics,<br />
insurance companies use 1,000,000 driven<br />
miles for each category. Unfortunately, the<br />
young men have not only more accidents,<br />
but dramatically more accidents causing<br />
deaths than young females. It’s based on<br />
data, not prejudice.<br />
2. WHERE YOU LIVE AND<br />
DRIVE. The country is broken down<br />
into areas and every insurance company<br />
keeps statistics on the number of claims<br />
reported in what geographical areas. The<br />
Post Office broke our country down<br />
geographically by zip code – and that is<br />
generally what insurance companies use.<br />
As the claims go up in certain zip<br />
codes, the rates follow. But the change<br />
isn’t instantaneous.<br />
In most states (like Nevada),<br />
the insurance company has to file<br />
proposed rates with the state insurance<br />
commissioner and they have to be<br />
approved before they can change. So, it<br />
might take many months or even years<br />
for rates to change dramatically.<br />
Rates also tend to be higher in urban<br />
areas because of the higher density of<br />
traffic, increased likelihood of theft and<br />
vandalism, and greater incidence of fraud.<br />
The risk factors vary, of course, but if you<br />
lived in places like Detroit, Philadelphia or<br />
Los Angeles, you would pay much higher<br />
rates that you would in rural Montana.<br />
As insurance claims rise, they are<br />
followed by legal battles. Nevada has one<br />
of the highest litigious costs per capita in<br />
the nation and is therefore in the top 10<br />
states for highest insurance rates.<br />
Your zip code matters! If you move<br />
across the street and find yourself in a<br />
different zip code your rate can increase<br />
or decrease. Many insurance companies<br />
can actually narrow down claim incidents<br />
by city blocks within zip codes.<br />
3. THE TYPE OF VEHICLE<br />
YOU DRIVE. This is a very important<br />
element and one that is often overlooked<br />
when car shopping. Vehicles that have a<br />
high frequency of claims or are expensive<br />
to repair are prone to higher premiums.<br />
Jim Valkenburg is a retired military officer and insurance executive. He and his wife<br />
owned and operated their own insurance agency for over 16 years. His primary<br />
purpose is to give out real information that can be used to make intelligent insurance<br />
decisions.<br />
Happy Birthday June!<br />
June Gordon was born<br />
January 16, 19<strong>17</strong> in New<br />
York City. She lived in New<br />
York until 1948 and was<br />
married 44 years to the<br />
love of her life, Harvey<br />
Gordon.<br />
June is an amazing<br />
woman who looks at least<br />
20 years younger than she<br />
is. She attributes this to the fact that<br />
she worked until the age<br />
95 as a manicurist. She still<br />
does nails for her friends at<br />
Atria Sunlake.<br />
June has spent most of<br />
her life traveling, shopping,<br />
and being a friend to many.<br />
June is a real lesson to all<br />
of us that you can live to<br />
be 100 and still be vibrant,<br />
active and full of energy.<br />
28 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
29
Kyo Mitchell<br />
A Healthier You<br />
Shoulder & Arm Pain<br />
Mary Richard<br />
Health Fitness<br />
Save & Work Your Heart!<br />
James J. White, D.D.S<br />
Cheap Dentistry Will Cost a Fortune<br />
If you are<br />
experiencing pain<br />
in your upper arm<br />
and/or your neck and<br />
you cannot lift your<br />
arm through its full<br />
range of motion, you<br />
may have a problem in the<br />
shoulder. One of the easiest<br />
ways a doctor can check this<br />
is called the “Hawkins<br />
Test.”<br />
The doctor will bring<br />
your arm up so that it is parallel<br />
with the floor and then bend your<br />
elbow to ninety degrees so that<br />
your fingers are facing forward<br />
and your palm is facing down. The<br />
doctor then starts to rotate the<br />
The inflammation<br />
irritates the local nerve and<br />
since the nerve also passes<br />
down through the neck<br />
and arm, the pain may<br />
radiate here as well.<br />
For anyone who<br />
has experienced<br />
shoulder<br />
impingement<br />
syndrome, this<br />
problem can be<br />
both painful and<br />
debilitating. It can become chronic,<br />
making it painful to use the arm<br />
during the day and painful to sleep<br />
at night.<br />
Patients may be given drugs or<br />
advised to have surgery. Yet, in<br />
Since February is “Heart Month”<br />
here are some medication-free<br />
strategies to help prevent heart<br />
disease.<br />
Heart disease may be a leading<br />
cause of death, but that doesn’t<br />
mean you have to accept it as your<br />
fate. Although you lack the power to<br />
change some risk factors - such as<br />
family history, sex or age, there are<br />
some key heart disease prevention<br />
steps you can take.<br />
You can avoid heart problems in<br />
the future by adopting a<br />
healthy lifestyle today.<br />
Some heart disease<br />
prevention tips to get<br />
you started:<br />
1. Don’t smoke or<br />
measures, such as maintaining a<br />
healthy weight, the payoff is even<br />
greater.<br />
Physical activity helps you control<br />
your weight and can reduce your<br />
chances of developing other<br />
conditions that may put a strain<br />
on your heart, such as high blood<br />
pressure, high cholesterol and<br />
diabetes. It also reduces stress,<br />
which may be a factor in heart<br />
disease.<br />
Try getting at least 30 to 60<br />
minutes of moderately<br />
intense physical activity<br />
most days of the week.<br />
However, even shorter<br />
amounts of exercise<br />
A denture technique so sophisticated,<br />
shoulder joint so that your hand/ many cases shoulder impingement<br />
offer heart benefits, so<br />
forearm move in a downward/back syndrome can easily be resolved in use tobacco. Smoking<br />
if you can’t meet those<br />
ward direction.<br />
a matter of weeks without surgery or using tobacco is one of<br />
guidelines, don’t give up. You<br />
If you experience pain, it is or drugs.<br />
the most significant risk factors can even break up your workout<br />
highly likely you have what is As stated previously, the problem for developing heart disease. time into 10-minute sessions.<br />
called “Shoulder Impingement is that the arm bone is too close Chemicals in tobacco can damage And remember that activities such<br />
Syndrome.” Shoulder impingement to the shoulder bone. Exercises your heart and blood vessels, as gardening, housekeeping, taking<br />
syndrome is fairly easy to<br />
can be given to strengthen certain leading to narrowing of the arteries the stairs and walking the dog all<br />
understand.<br />
muscles (Infraspatus, teres minor (arteriosclerosis), which can count toward your total.<br />
Your upper arm bone (humerus) and subscapularis) which pull the ultimately lead to a heart attack. 3. Eat a heart-healthy diet.<br />
hangs down from your shoulder arm down away from the shoulder In addition, the nicotine in Eating a diet with foods that are low<br />
bone (the acromion aspect of the bone.<br />
cigarette smoke makes your heart in fat, cholesterol and salt which<br />
scapula). There are two structures Massage may also be necessary work harder by narrowing your is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole<br />
between these two bones which for certain muscles (trapezius and blood vessels and increasing your grains and low-fat dairy products<br />
are the tendons of a muscle called rhomboids) which, when they are heart rate and blood pressure. can help protect your heart. Beans,<br />
supraspinatus and a bursa which too tight, will pull the shoulder Carbon monoxide in cigarette other low-fat sources of protein and<br />
serves as a cushion between the bone downward decreasing<br />
smoke replaces some of the oxygen certain types of fish also can reduce<br />
bone and the tendon.<br />
the space between the arm and in your blood.<br />
your risk of heart disease.<br />
When these structures are all in shoulder bones.<br />
This increases your blood pressure 4. Maintain a healthy weight.<br />
the proper places, the shoulder Where exercises and massage by forcing your heart to work harder As you put on weight in adulthood,<br />
joint moves easily. If, however may help open the space<br />
to supply enough oxygen. Even socalled<br />
“social smoking” - smoking than muscle. This excess weight<br />
your weight gain is mostly fat rather<br />
something happens to decrease the between the arm and shoulder<br />
space between the arm bone and bones, additional measures<br />
only while at a bar or restaurant can lead to conditions that increase<br />
the shoulder bone, the tendon and may be necessary to resolve the with friends is dangerous and your chances of heart disease, high<br />
bursa get squeezed every time you inflammation and reduce the pain. increases the risk of heart disease. blood pressure, high cholesterol and<br />
raise your arm.<br />
Anti-inflammatories in the form of 2. Exercise for 30 minutes on diabetes.<br />
Over time, this movement will drugs or herbs and acupuncture can most days of the week. Getting As always, if you have any health<br />
damage the tendon and bursa help in this regard.<br />
some regular, daily exercise can issues, it is wise to discuss any<br />
causing inflammation resulting in While shoulder impingement reduce your risk of fatal heart exercises with your physician.<br />
tendonitis or bursitis. (Any word syndrome may be a painful<br />
disease. And when you combine POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND<br />
ending in “itis” means inflammation problem, it need not be a<br />
physical activity with other lifestyle HAPPY HEALTH TO ALL!<br />
of that structure.)<br />
permanent one.<br />
Dr. Kyo Mitchell served as faculty at Bastyr University in Seattle and Wongu<br />
University in Las Vegas for over a decade. Dr. Mitchell practices in Summerlin and<br />
can be reached at 702-481-6216 or rkyomitchell@gmail.com.<br />
Mary Richard was crowned Ms. Senior Nevada 2006, was first runner-up for Ms.<br />
Senior America 2006 and is a life-time dancer. She is one of the original columnists<br />
for The Vegas Voice. She is now an aerobics instructor throughout Las Vegas/<br />
Henderson. Mary can be reached at mary-vegasvoice@cox.net.<br />
When you’re in need of dental<br />
work, one question may come to<br />
mind: How much is this going to<br />
cost?<br />
Rest assured that if you put it off<br />
or try to get it done on the cheap,<br />
that decision could come back to<br />
haunt you in the end. If you’re<br />
thinking about shopping around for<br />
a better price on dental work, here<br />
are some things to consider.<br />
1. Dental care is a professional<br />
service. Although it is based on<br />
science, dentistry is much more than<br />
that. It is also an art, and many artists<br />
are less than stellar.<br />
Some paintings are ones that sell<br />
for $25 at a flea market. You may not<br />
object to hanging junk art on your<br />
wall, but don’t your teeth deserve<br />
better?<br />
2. The quality of the lab the dentist<br />
uses can vary. Their costs will reflect<br />
the quality of their output. And if<br />
you care about the caliber of what<br />
DENTAL BENEFIT MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM<br />
FOR SENIORS WITHOUT DENTAL INSURANCE<br />
This program is offered at the office of:<br />
James J. White, DDS<br />
1140 N.Town Center Dr., #<strong>17</strong>0<br />
Las Vegas, NV 89144<br />
Annual fee: $280.00<br />
Includes: • 2 routine cleanings<br />
• 2 periodic examinations (including<br />
periodontal & oral cancer exam)<br />
• 1 set of diagnostic x-rays<br />
• 1 consultation<br />
• 5% discount on ALL restorative services<br />
• 5% discount on automatic annual renewal<br />
If you are one of over 100 million Americans<br />
without dental insurance, call now:<br />
702/ 562-8833<br />
www.jameswhitedds.com<br />
ends up on your mouth, you must<br />
pay a little more.<br />
3. For anyone running a dental<br />
practice, the overhead costs are<br />
greater than you think. Between<br />
60-80% of an ordinary charge goes<br />
toward the cost of office space<br />
rental, payroll expenses for assistants,<br />
supplies, health insurance and more,<br />
not to mention the cost of keeping<br />
up with the latest technology.<br />
A less-expensive dentist may skimp<br />
on these important costs with an<br />
adverse effect on the health of his<br />
patients.<br />
4. You may have dental coverage,<br />
but before long you’re sure to<br />
learn that it doesn’t compare to<br />
health insurance. Most plans are<br />
maintenance-only. They will cover<br />
occasional x-rays and cleanings.<br />
They may also partially pay for a<br />
crown, but if your needs are greater<br />
than that, their assistance on your<br />
behalf will check out after you’ve<br />
reached the first $1,000 to $1,500 of<br />
your maximum coverage allotment.<br />
5. The fact that your insurance<br />
won’t cover 100 percent of a certain<br />
procedure doesn’t mean that it’s<br />
unnecessary or that you don’t require<br />
it. It simply means that your insurer<br />
is hoping you decide to skip it<br />
entirely.<br />
6. Every bite you take while<br />
chewing subjects your teeth to 200<br />
pounds of pressure per square inch.<br />
Can inadequate dental restorations<br />
stand up to this kind of assault?<br />
Wouldn’t you be willing a pay a little<br />
more for ones that you know can<br />
meet the challenge?<br />
7. When you visit the least-costly<br />
dentist around or put off having<br />
dental work done because you’d<br />
rather save the money, you’re just<br />
setting yourself up for a larger<br />
expense down the road. Cavities and<br />
abscessed teeth cannot get better<br />
on their own, and it will always cost<br />
less to fix a dental problem early on<br />
before it becomes far worse. While<br />
a simple filling might cost a few<br />
hundred dollars, the cost of a larger<br />
one could run into the thousands.<br />
In dentistry as in everything else,<br />
you’re going to get what you pay for.<br />
Everyone’s mouth is different, and<br />
as such, every bit of dental work we<br />
perform is unique from one patient<br />
to the next.<br />
30 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
31
Chuck Dean<br />
A New Day<br />
Vet 2 Vet<br />
Alice Vo Edwards<br />
Is Your Home Fat Proof?<br />
Now that we live in a state where<br />
cannabis is legal to consume, what do<br />
the thousands of veterans who find<br />
relief with health issues by using it need<br />
to know in order to seamlessly slip into<br />
this new reality?<br />
The first and most important fact is<br />
that the VA will not approve of its usage,<br />
since they operate totally within the<br />
confines of federal regulations. The feds<br />
still list cannabis as a schedule one drug.<br />
Just because Nevada says its legal does<br />
not mean your primary care physician or<br />
other VA providers will even consider<br />
prescribing it.<br />
Once upon a time, when wartime<br />
traumatic issues went from shell shock,<br />
to delayed stress syndrome, to finally<br />
being called post-traumatic stress<br />
disorder (PTSD), the only answer to the<br />
nightmares, the depression, and hyperanxious<br />
reactions to life, etc. was to give<br />
veterans strong medicine in the form of<br />
psychiatric pharmaceuticals. However, a<br />
pill to take care of this only led to taking<br />
another one that countered the effects<br />
of the first one.<br />
It was a vicious cycle. In reality, the<br />
prescribers at the VA had no idea<br />
what was going on. They figured that<br />
numbing the veteran out was the best<br />
solution.<br />
Well, this led to a bunch of zombies<br />
running around, and even worse -<br />
suicide victims by the droves. “No cure<br />
for PTSD? Let’s just keep these guys<br />
under control before something bad<br />
happens.” Well it did happen - in far too<br />
many cases.<br />
Things have not changed much. The<br />
VA, under the constraints of folks like<br />
the DEA, still push pills in massive<br />
amounts and hope for the best.<br />
It takes little imagination to realize<br />
how much the drug companies have<br />
their fingers in the pie. And yet,<br />
something as harmless as marijuana (that<br />
seems to actually work for many vets,<br />
and can be grown at home) remains<br />
illegal and unavailable through VA<br />
channels.<br />
It defies any semblance of sanity.<br />
On a state-level, Nevada medical<br />
marijuana has been available to those<br />
patients possessing a state issued card for<br />
more than a decade. PTSD has been one<br />
of the prevailing conditions that civilian<br />
physicians determine and sanction<br />
cannabis usage by their patients.<br />
So here we are. It is now legal, and<br />
Nevada veterans can use it for both<br />
medicinal and recreational purposes, but<br />
they cannot talk openly to their doctor<br />
about it.<br />
VA providers and clinicians simply<br />
have to chalk up a veteran’s cannabis<br />
usage to self-medication - and cannot<br />
legally condone it. So be it.<br />
There’s certainly far more harmful<br />
forms of self-medication out there than<br />
marijuana; like opiates (prescribed) that<br />
kill an average of 150,000 Americans<br />
yearly, or alcohol consumption.<br />
Both are legal, but much more<br />
destructive. Look at it this way: when’s<br />
the last time you heard of someone<br />
dying of a cannabis overdose, or a<br />
veteran beating their spouse under the<br />
influence of marijuana?<br />
I’m glad that self-medication is finally<br />
getting a better rap. Hats off to the<br />
voters of Nevada for making it happen.<br />
Chuck Dean served as an Army paratrooper in Vietnam and through that experience<br />
was led to address the many transitional issues veterans struggle with. In 2008 he was<br />
the recipient of the prestigious Hirsch Foundation Leadership Award for his writing and<br />
work in support of veterans and their families. He is the author of several important<br />
books for veterans. All can be found on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/author/<br />
chuckdeanbooks<br />
“A man’s health can be judged by<br />
which he takes two at a time – pills<br />
or stairs.” - Joan Welsh.<br />
I don’t remember when it started,<br />
but I’m at that place in life where<br />
I take my ibuprofen two (or<br />
three) at a time and bounding up<br />
staircases is a flimsy memory. My<br />
lack of enthusiasm for exercise has<br />
inevitably led to weight gain.<br />
In researching healthy habits<br />
to begin reversing that trend, I<br />
read the work of a fascinating<br />
food psychologist I want to share<br />
with you. Dr. Brian Wansink, who<br />
works at the Food and Brand Lab<br />
at Cornell University, has proven<br />
in multiple research studies that<br />
many of our issues with overeating<br />
are caused by unintentional<br />
environmental factors that<br />
contribute to overeating -which can<br />
be reversed by applying some simple<br />
psychology tricks.<br />
Dr. Wansink suggests that rather<br />
than worrying about complex<br />
diets, people could change the<br />
environment they eat in simple<br />
ways to shave 100 or more calories<br />
from their daily diets. By doing this,<br />
people could lose 5-10 pounds per<br />
year effortlessly. Sounds great, right?<br />
Knowledge is power so I’ve taken<br />
the 100 point home-assessment in<br />
his book “Slim By Design: Mindless<br />
Eating Solutions” and created a<br />
mini-quiz so you can rate the fatpromotion<br />
factor of your home.<br />
Ready?<br />
Healthy Home Fat-Buster Quiz<br />
Questions & Points<br />
2+ fruits easily accessible on the<br />
kitchen counter +1<br />
Baked goods, breads, and chips are<br />
out of sight +1<br />
Fruits and veggies are at eye level<br />
and packaged within the fridge +1<br />
Toaster not visible +1<br />
Kitchen walls neutral, soothing<br />
color (but not white) +1<br />
TV in kitchen -1<br />
Blender on counter +1<br />
10-inch dinner plates +1<br />
12-inch or larger dinner plates -1<br />
12-oz cereal/soup bowls +1<br />
14-oz or larger cereal/soup bowls<br />
-1<br />
I often buy packaged foods bulk at<br />
Costco/Sam’s Club/Walmart -1<br />
Candies are out of sight, in opaque<br />
containers +1<br />
No snacks or sweets kept in the<br />
home office area +1<br />
Scoring: If you score 8-10,<br />
pat yourself on the back. You’re<br />
amazing. If you score 5-7, you may<br />
want to read the book. If you score<br />
less than 5, please, please, read the<br />
book.<br />
Before I read the book, I would<br />
have scored a -2 (This was an ahha<br />
moment for my weight gain<br />
problem). I would currently score as<br />
a 4, with further improvements in<br />
the works.<br />
As always, I’d love to hear your<br />
thoughts, opinions (and scores) so<br />
feel free to reach out.<br />
Our Columnist’s New Book<br />
“Amongst Other Gods” is a<br />
collection of short stories by<br />
our Chuck Dean. He is also the<br />
author of “Nam<br />
Vet: Making Peace<br />
with Your Past”<br />
and “Some Came<br />
Home: A Story of<br />
Returning.”<br />
His new book<br />
is an absorbing<br />
portrayal of life<br />
from the inside out<br />
- living amongst<br />
us lesser gods.<br />
From a senior<br />
divorcee trying to<br />
decide whether to<br />
re-marry for love<br />
or for money, a<br />
drunk sailor luckily<br />
finding refuge in Bernice’s Bar, or<br />
a wounded soldier trying to escape<br />
the horrors of friendly fire, each<br />
page is full of the human soul:<br />
Some sad, some hilarious, and<br />
others very close to home.<br />
Frame after<br />
frame, each<br />
vignette has a<br />
message that<br />
everyone can<br />
identify with.<br />
Perhaps what is<br />
written here is what<br />
we all have wanted<br />
to say from time<br />
to time, but never<br />
had the words to<br />
express it.<br />
Available now<br />
in paperback or<br />
digital (Kindle)<br />
formats at: www.<br />
amazon.com. Or<br />
visit Dean’s author’s page: http://<br />
www.amazon.com/author/<br />
chuckdeanbooks.<br />
Rotary Club of Green Valley<br />
The Rotary Club of Green Valley,<br />
a proud participant of Rotary’s<br />
Rose Parade<br />
Float Committee<br />
was awarded<br />
the Princesses’<br />
Trophy in the<br />
20<strong>17</strong> Tournament<br />
of Roses<br />
Parade. Green<br />
Valley Rotarians,<br />
Dave Jockman<br />
and Larry Skaggs<br />
& wives were totally involved in this<br />
38th consecutive Rotarian entry.<br />
The float, representing Rotarians<br />
traveling worldwide, create and<br />
complete projects serving people in<br />
six areas: promoting peace, fighting<br />
disease, providing clean water, saving<br />
mothers and children, supporting<br />
education, and growing local economies.<br />
The spectacularly colorful dragon,<br />
proudly wore a medallion marking<br />
“100” years of Rotarians worldwide<br />
and carried luggage<br />
decorated<br />
with symbols of<br />
these focus areas.<br />
The Rotary<br />
Rose Parade<br />
Float Committee,<br />
comprised<br />
of Rotarians<br />
primarily from<br />
southern California<br />
and Nevada, is supported entirely<br />
by voluntary contributions from<br />
Rotary districts, clubs and individuals<br />
across the US and Canada. It was<br />
a gift to Rotary International, The<br />
Rotary Foundation, and the 1.2 million<br />
Rotarians continuously “serving<br />
humanity” each and every day.<br />
If you’d like knowing more or<br />
joining the Green Valley Rotary, visit:<br />
greenvalleyrotary.org.<br />
Alice Vo Edwards is the author of “My Best Friend Died” and “Put Away The Razor,”<br />
and founder of the Lift Up Vegas project for inspiring Happiness and Wellbeing in Las<br />
Vegas. Contact Alice at alice@liftupvegas.org<br />
32 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
33
Jan Fair<br />
A No-Brainer Minute<br />
Exercisae Your Brain with Fun February Storytelling<br />
THE VEGAS VOICE<br />
SERVICE DIRECTORY<br />
AIR CONDITIONING / HEATING<br />
Chazell A/C & Heating 702/647-3355<br />
Servicing the valley since 1992.<br />
www.chazellac.com. LIC#005365<br />
ALARMS/SECURITY<br />
Alarmco, Inc.<br />
Nevada’s oldest/largest<br />
locally owned and operated systems provider /<br />
monitoring center since 1950. Burglar/Fire Alarm<br />
systems. Access control, CCTV, Guard Services and<br />
Locksmith Services. LIC#0008024/NPILB #608.<br />
GARAGE DOORS<br />
All Access Garage Door Co 702/882-1320<br />
Honest pricing. No gimmicks. Broken springs<br />
replaced. Full service on doors and motors. $15<br />
off for readers of the Vegas Voice. LIC#0066752A.<br />
MEDICARE PLANS<br />
Rae Rocco 702/897-9929<br />
Independent Agent, No charge for consultations.<br />
PET AND HOME SITTERS<br />
Toni’s Pet and Home Sitters<br />
702/499-8606<br />
Care for all needs, loving and<br />
dependable. VET recommended<br />
for 14 yrs. Henderson / surrounding<br />
areas.<br />
PLUMBING<br />
Sanderson Plumbing<br />
702/610-7236<br />
Very dependable. Lic. #78397.<br />
To place your business listing, contact Advertising Sales<br />
A great<br />
(and affordable)<br />
way to build your<br />
business!<br />
702/592-4818<br />
New in the neighborhood?<br />
You’re gonna’ need these guys...!<br />
Power NV Energy www/nvenergy.com<br />
Customer Service 702-402-5555<br />
Outage Reporting 702-402-2900<br />
Gas Southwest Gas Corp. swgas.com<br />
Main Line 877-860-6020<br />
Phone<br />
Many providers including:<br />
AT&T<br />
att.com,<br />
Century Link tm centurylink.com,<br />
Cox Communications cox.com,<br />
Equiinet<br />
equiinet.com,<br />
Nextiva<br />
nextiva.com,<br />
Sprint<br />
sprintcom,<br />
Verizon Wireless verizonwireless.com<br />
Trash Republic Services General or recycling<br />
702-735-5151<br />
Clark Co. Sanitation cleanwaterteam.com<br />
TV Century Link tm 702-222-4444<br />
Cox Communications 702-933-9811<br />
Dish 800-823-4929<br />
Direct TV 888-795-9488<br />
34 www.thevegasvoice.net<br />
february <strong>17</strong><br />
35