IN BRIEF

FOUR OTHERS INJURED

Winning football and winning politics

We’re witnessing a disturbing trend for my political party of choice, and that trend manifested itself in a significant way this past Tuesday.

Color blind

A federal appeals court Tuesday ruled that a law calling for “minority-owned” companies to receive 5 percent of defense contract dollars is unconstitutional because there isn’t enough proof the Pentagon has been discriminating against such firms in awarding contracts.

This is not a game — we do not shake hands

Having been raised a Democrat, I know how Democrats pride themselves on their tolerance and sensitivity — especially toward those with different views.

Obama’s bad cop

Skip Rutherford, dean of the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, worked with Rahm Emanuel on the staff of Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign and, from time to time, on a Clinton White House project.

‘Stabilizing’ the tax base

The buzzword du jour among the Democratic majority in Nevada’s Legislature is “stability.” The state wouldn’t have such a dramatic budget shortfall — $1.2 billion in spending has been offset already, with an additional $250 million in cuts to come — if the government’s revenue structure weren’t so volatile, they argue.

Out There

HIKES

Travel Briefs

BALTIMORE

Women at War

For most people, the word “veteran” calls to mind images of American men storming the beaches of Normandy, hoisting the American flag on a hill surrounded by enemy soldiers or otherwise committing some heroic feat during the heat of battle.

Guarantee spring wildflowers by planting own

Spring wildflowers can be a hit-or-miss proposition. When they hit, the show becomes truly spectacular, with flowers blanketing the slopes of the desert in orange, yellow and purple. When they don’t show, we regret it, knowing we will have to wait another year to see if conditions will be right.

Society fails to understand devastation of childhood sexual abuse

Carol’s story of childhood sexual abuse and torture is singularly the most horrific stories of its kind I have ever heard. That she is sane astonishes. People whose story pale by half regularly live their lives in and out of institutional care, daffy with medications, lives littered with the debris of shattered marriages, vocations and fragmented family. Off and on just plain crazy.

Viva Blogs Vegas

The recliner in her northwest Las Vegas living room beckons Irene King, but not to recline. The 56-year-old Las Vegan uses it to type on her computer. The TV viewing party for “Iron Chef America” at Marche Bacchus happened five days ago, but King hasn’t blogged about it yet because her day job as a management analyst for Clark County takes precedence.

R-VOICE

LINDSEY RILEY

CHANGING FACES

Nobody is perfect.

Anything for a Laugh

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in an occasional series of stories highlighting performers who played an interesting role in the history of entertainment in Las Vegas.

Cirque head says shows still strong

I’m talking to the biggest player in Las Vegas entertainment on the loading dock in back of Luxor, because it’s a place where he can smoke.

Outdoor Brief

GET READY FOR FISHING

Bookmark

Here is a listing of events designed for book lovers. Information is subject to change or cancellation without notice. Additions or changes to this listing must be submitted at least 10 days in advance of Sunday publication to Bookmark, Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125. For more information, call 383-0306. SIGNINGS

Role-playing games offer war, fantasy

War continues, leading eventually to the fall of America and nuclear apocalypse. Washington, D.C., is a rubble of near-finality; wilting in gray heaps of sorry, ruined facades. Americans who survive the war become murderous or, if lucky, they merely go bonkers and talk in gibberish.

Colder temperatures mean it’s a perfect time to visit Death Valley park

The Death Valley 49ers Days annually ushers in the peak visitation season in Death Valley National Park. Winding up today, this early November celebration draws hundreds of visitors, filing campgrounds, restaurants, park hostelries and accommodations in surrounding communities. As scores of recreational vehicles and other transportation depart following the festivities, regular visitors find park facilities back to normal and far less crowded.

The Water Cooler

Here are a few things in news, entertainment and popular culture that we’ve been talking about lately.

‘Dexter,”Californication’ make success from excess

I’ve never been much good at denying my urges — the low point being my set of commemorative plates commemorating the first set of commemorative plates — but I live like a monk compared to Dexter Morgan and Hank Moody.

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