Ann Onn Everything

Assorted items that don't rate individual entries

Ann Onn — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:26:04 GMT

Our front yard is full of a weed I had nearly exterminated (I think it's milkweed). I suspect seeds are coming from a house down the street that's been vacant and for sale for more than a year. The seller has reduced the price by a third, and it's still overpriced.
Are Wal-Mart bags shrinking?
RUMOR: Someone told me her friend's veterinarian in California told her horse owners who can't afford feed any more are bringing them to Nevada and dumping them in the desert. The vet supposedly said the Highway Patrol is stopping people pulling horse trailers and asking for documentation for why they are bringing the horses to Nevada. (If so, I hope it's having an effect.) I know it's true feed prices are rising. I've heard for years Nevada ranchers turn unwanted horses out to become "wild" horses.
Was Gov. Gibbons at Arts in Bloom Sunday in a black T-shirt, or does he have a clone?

Plans for Mother's Day

Ann Onn — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:52:07 GMT

Tomorrow I'll be at the Arts in Bloom Festival at the Sparks Marina. I went for the first time last year and really enjoyed it--sunshine, green grass, blue water, pretty pictures by locals and an excuse to buy something for myself.

Last year I bought a couple of prints from watercolor artist Joyce Major, one of them a bird's-eye view of Donner Lake. I hope she's there again this year.

My only complaint was the ear-assaulting sound system. I've got to remember to take ear plugs this time. I'm serious.

DETAILS: Free, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 11, benefits Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation. More information: www.cityofsparks.us/living/com_events/arts_bloom/.

Review: Historic Photos of Reno

Ann Onn — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:16:33 GMT

My husband, a patient of Dr. James Herz for many years, saw Dr. Herz's old Reno photos displayed throughout Reno Orthopaedic Clinic. He has always wished he could get copies of them, but he never dreamed he ever would.

What a thrill it was, then, for me to open my review copy of Historic Photos of Reno and look at the acknowledgments page! Compiler/author Donnelyn Curtis thanks "Dr. James Herz, the avid collector and generous donor of the majority of the photos in this book." I knew I would love it before I turned another page.

It's a wonderful book for anyone interested in the history of Reno and surrounding areas such as the Sierra and Virginia City. The 180 or so pictures are grouped into four eras: 1868-1909, 1910-1929 (twice as many photos as the preceding and following sections), 1930-1949 and 1950-1979 (fewest photos). All are black and white.

A one-page introduction gives context to each section, and captions provide what information has been gleaned for each photo. Curtis pleads, "On behalf of future historians, the author urges readers to label their treasured photographs! The people, locations, times, and events portrayed in your photo album might be familiar to you, but fifty years after your demise, those facts may be lost forever." I echo that plea as as lifelong family historian. In spite of her apparent frustration, Curtis and her researchers were able to provide a little information about each photo.

I have never seen most of the photos in the book. The first one in the first section is really interesting--a train of freight wagons traveling down a snowy hill on Donner Pass about 1896. One of the earliest views of Reno shows Myron Lake's hotel and the first (steel) bridge across the Truckee about 1883. The foreground is vacant land. Some of the others that caught my eye were bridges under construction and aerial photos. A photo that surprised me was one of a shantytown on the Truckee River in 1944. Another thing that surprised me was how city-like downtown Reno looked in the 1940s--"biggest little city" might have been the perfect slogan. And I always love to look at old photos of the university because it has preserved most of its buildings; it's easy to compare its past with its present.

Speaking of comparing past with present, I found myself wishing the captions were a little more specific in that regard. For example, page 108 has a photo of a Golden Rule window display "on Sierra Street" and mentions it became a J. C. Penney store (shown again on page 127 and, I think, on page 165). How about giving a cross street and saying what's there now? As fast as Reno changes, the caption would quickly become outdated, but I still wish the author had made more of an effort to orient the viewer.

My minor complaint doesn't lessen the value of the book to anyone has ever tried to visualize what this place was like in the past 140 years. And I'm still thrilled that Mr. Ann finally has his own set of Dr. Herz's old photos.

DETAILS: Historic Photos of Reno is published by Turner Publishing Co. and has a list price of $39.95. The author, Donnelyn Curtis, will have a book signing from 2 to 4 p.m. June 14 at Barnes & Noble.

NOTE: If you're as obsessive as I am about comparing past and present, I bet you'll enjoy another book I like a lot: The Central Pacific Railroad across Nevada, 1868 & 1997. The author, Lawrence K. Hersh, became fascinated with 54 photos taken during construction of the Central Pacific Railroad construction across Nevada in the 1860s and spent several years in the 1990s locating the vantage point for each and taking one of his own. The old and new photo for each location are presented side by side. You might have to go to his site to buy the book. Happy comparing!

OTHER REVIEWS: St. Mary's Centennial Calendar, The Motel Life

Daily Show + Harry Reid = Tune in and see

Ann Onn — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:47:17 GMT

Senate Majority Leader (and our own Nevada representative) Harry Reid is scheduled to appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight (11 p.m., Comedy Channel). If you don't stay up that late, it should be on again tomorrow evening at 8.

Thank you

Ann Onn — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:23 GMT

We were approaching the intersection of South McCarran and Mira Loma about 4:25 today when I noticed a black dog (probably a Lab) walking south on McCarran. It looked tired, and it was limping.

I was wishing I had the Animal Control phone number with me so they could pick it up and hold it for the owner. The dog crossed Mira Loma in the crosswalk, but as we made a left turn onto McCarran it wandered into the outside traffic lane on McCarran (speed limit 50 mph). I was horrified but didn't know what to do--strange big dog, our own dog already with us, traffic, etc.

But the driver of the bronze SUV in front of us was a better person. After making the turn in front of us, he or she pulled off the road to help the dog. When we came back a half hour later there was no SUV and no dead dog. THANK YOU!

I hope I will be better prepared the next time I see a stray animal in danger. At least I have the Animal Control number in my wallet now.

I really want to know: What professional skills are locals lacking?

Ann Onn — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:11:35 GMT

I see the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada has plans to help local employers "find skilled workers." In a column in the RGJ business section today, EDAWN president and CEO Chuck Alvey says, "Despite our increased unemployment rate, key positions are going unfilled." I don't know about positions going unfilled, but I know I'm a skilled worker (B.A. with lots of experience) and I can't get an employer to find me no matter what I do.

Only out-of-towners need apply

But wait: Alvey says EDAWN has discovered "a large number of skilled workers don't know much about our region." He's talking about people who don't live here, so that must be why they haven't found me. He defines them, by the way, as people "in their early 30s to late 40s, with a young family." Maybe that's it--employers can't see me because I look older than my late 40s.

EDAWN plans to launch a campaign in San Francisco in June; the column also mentions the "Web, social marketing, special events, advertising and public relations designed to get the attention of skilled professionals in key cities, as well as the millions who visit." Alvey says the community will benefit from "high-quality people for high-paying, top-quality jobs." There goes my accusation that local people just won't work for the pay local employers expect them to.

So what's going on? EDAWN sponsors a recruiting site called "My Nevada Dream Job," so I visited it in search of clues. The site contains three lists of links: (1) local professional organizations; (2) local events; and (3) employment Web sites of local companies and companies with local offices offering "high-paying and high-skilled jobs" in the fields of business and financial services, engineering and advanced manufacturing, software, technology, research and development, clean energy, biomedical (the only entry being our local animal testing lab), construction, health services and education.

I've applied for advertised professional positions at several of these employers in the past 6 months and thought my qualifications were a perfect or near-perfect match for each one. Even so, none of them "found" me. I bet the woman with the pending degree in finance who commented on a post I wrote a month ago ("Unemployed People Have Time to Write Blogs") has tried (at least) all the ones in business and financial services and had the same result.

Bias against locals?

I've suspected off and on since I got my degree from UNR in the 1970s that Northern Nevada employers have a bias against hiring locals. It has seemed applicants from out of state, especially California, have an exotic aura and an edge when hiring decisions are made. This is especially true when the people doing the hiring are from out of state themselves. However, I could never prove it.

I was surprised to learn the University of Nevada Alumni Association, a founding partner of EDAWN, will be involved with promoting the region to "skilled professionals who live outside our market but are open to relocating to the Reno-Tahoe region." Hello! What's the ratio of grads who've left to ones who've stayed here? Wouldn't it make more sense for our alumni association to match local grads with local employers before they go looking for grads who've left Reno and try to get them to come back?

And another thought--why does our alumni association need to help "promote the region" to people who lived here long enough to get a degree before they chose to "live outside our market"? These are not "skilled professionals who have yet to discover Reno-Tahoe as a place to live and work"! Is EDAWN saying UNR grads who have left are not "open to relocating here" until this campaign reaches them? Is it saying UNR grads who have left are qualified for the "key positions [that] are going unfilled" but the ones who've stayed here are not?

Here's what I really want to know: Exactly what professional skills are local employers having trouble finding? Until I receive a believable answer, I'm going to assume the "required" skills are having enough experience to do the job without much training and being young enough not to demand too much money or make much use of the health insurance plan. In the "preferred" skills category, I suspect they're checking resumes for locations outside Nevada.

I really want to know: Do I have to stop for potential street crossers?

Ann Onn — Sun, 04 May 2008 11:50:02 GMT

After reading this morning's RGJ article about citing drivers who don't stop for pedestrians, I still don't know whether I have to stop for a pedestrian who is next to a crosswalk but not in the street yet. The Nevada driver's license handbook (page 51), once again, is not specific.

Drivers must exercise proper caution upon observing a pedestrian on or near a highway, street or road within or near a school zone or within a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Pedestrians have the right-of-way when crossing at an intersection. Drivers are obligated to yield to pedestrians who are attempting to cross the road. [My emphasis.]

It also says, "Motorists are required to exercise due care to avoid a collision with a pedestrian." What exactly is "due care"? What exactly is "attempting to cross the road"?

Just tell me: If I'm driving down a street and see a pedestrian on the sidewalk next to a crosswalk, will I get a ticket if I don't stop? In other words, is being on the sidewalk next to a crosswalk "attempting to cross the road"?

I know it would be courteous to stop every time I see a pedestrian near a crosswalk (or corner), but often by the time I see someone I'm so close I'd have to make a panic stop and risk being rear ended. And, frankly, I've stopped for potential crossers many times who have turned out to just be standing around on the sidewalk, wasting my time and making me feel foolish.

What about pedestrians who--out of courtesy or caution--time your approach, wait for you, and step into the street when you're almost next to them, knowing they won't be far enough out into the street to be hit by the time your car goes through the crosswalk? I know I won't hit them; they know I won't hit them; but would police officers say I'm not yielding to someone attempting to cross?

And what about the discourteous, incautious pedestrians who walk out in front of you--either not looking or daring you to hit them--without giving you time to stop? The handbook does say, "Pedestrians must not place a motorist in the position that it is impossible to avoid a collision." (Note: I'm not responsible for DMV's grammar.)

Every time I read about local law enforcement agencies conducting crosswalk stings, I wonder if they are placing motorists in a position in which it's impossible to avoid a ticket. I hope I don't find out the hard way.

Another view on local whistleblowers

Ann Onn — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:06:17 GMT

UNR journalism professor Jake Highton weighs in on the Terri Patraw and Hussein Hussein cases: "Hussein firing profoundly disturbing." (Knowing the names of the people in the previous sentence will show up when they search for their names on line, I already feel the "chilling effects" I commented about on Ryan Jerz's blog.)

I've mentioned Highton's fearlessness before; scroll down to "No media reputation is left unstained" in his blog archives. However, he concludes yesterday's entry by saying, "The [Hussein] ruling leaves all UNR professors vulnerable." I'd say he's right.

The two cases are disturbing to me, too. None of us know all the details, and we don't know which of conflicting details we can believe. Based on what has been in the media, I would be reluctant to fire either Patraw or Hussein. That leaves me to wonder what the real reasons UNR fired them were.

Again referring to Jerz's experiences, I have never used the names Anon Ymous or Anonymous Anonymous. And even though I am an anonydouche, he has never treated me like one.

Shawn Gooch: effective public servant and nice guy

Ann Onn — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:04:13 GMT

I hate to just regurgitate news reported elsewhere, but I want to call your attention to today's RGJ article about Shawn Gooch, He's a civil engineer working for the city of Sparks, and the city is honoring him for his work in preparing a report about the Sparks Marina that satisfied Federal Emergency Management Agency flood control requirements. The accomplishment saves home owners from having to purchase flood insurance.

The city gave Gooch a day off, $500 and a city coffee cup.

I just think it's nice to see good news about a public employee for once. Besides, I worked with Shawn in another lifetime, and he was a really nice guy.

Dilemma

Ann Onn — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:45:07 GMT

What's a blogger to do when she runs into an old friend/former co-worker who is in a position to hire people, hits her up for a job, is told to send her a resume, does it and never hears so much as "Got it but we don't have anything right now"? How good a friend is she?

What if this person's husband handled a real estate transaction for the blogger and her husband 15 years ago and was a such a jerk they would never use him again?

What's a blogger to do a month after the resume incident when she looks at the morning paper and sees an article about how the organization this old friend/former co-worker heads has been accused of fraud involving nearly two and a half million dollars?

I guess enough people will be piling on without my help.

In self-defense, though, I did not wish any bad luck on her when she ignored the resume she asked me to send.

Sardina's site

Ann Onn — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:35:33 GMT

My favorite restaurant has a new Web site: sardinasreno.com. If you haven't tried the place yet, maybe the site will help convince you. Besides the menu, it includes quotes from customers and a list of weekend specials (posted each Friday). Last weekend's specials were mushroom ravioli with forest mushroom parmesan, filet mignon, macadamia nut-encrusted halibut and stuffed salmon in herb marinade. Mmmm.

Ducking the "big one"

Ann Onn — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:49:37 GMT

I was working on a post about how I've been single-handedly protecting the Truckee Meadows from a big earthquake by carrying earthquake insurance since 1985. I was going to write that I've concluded we'll never have "the big one" as long as we're paying the premium every year and, conversely, if we cancel our coverage "the big one" will hit within minutes and our house will be destroyed. (I've been planning to keep the insurance until we have a 7.0 and then cancel it, being reasonably sure the tension in the earth has been released for the rest of our lifetimes.)

But my earthquake insurance hasn't protected everyone. The 4.7 quake we had last night was big enough to damage some local homes; check out the photos the RGJ has on line. That's some serious damage to the Phillipses' walls. I hope they have earthquake insurance and enough cash to pay the deductible.

As for the books and other items strewn all over their house--mine looks like that most of the time anyway, so how much worse could it be after an earthquake?

Seriously, I've been putting off clearing off my shelves (and bolting them sounds like way too much work). I can't store anything on the floor because I'm in a flood zone, so I'm running out of room to put things. I heard today that if an earthquake damages the dam at Boca we could be flooded. I guess it gives me a flimsy excuse to do nothing, but of course I'll be kicking myself if (when) "the big one" hits and I'm being bombarded by books, ceramic statues and my dog's ashes.

So over Bill Clinton

Ann Onn — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:51:55 GMT

"Just as Republicans are beginning to get why George Bush makes so many Americans want to rip their hair out, a lot of Democrats have finally, viscerally come to understand Clinton-loathing." I never saw it that way until Kurt Andersen wrote it in New York magazine.

I remember seeing the hateful bumper stickers during the 1992 campaign and believing the haters would be won over as soon as Clinton took over running the country. I was sure they would see how good he was. I couldn't understand why they never changed their opinion. A local Toastmaster kept making me mad by proposing a toast to the office of the President of the United States, pointedly refusing to toast President Clinton himself. It was so frustrating.

When George W. Bush was elected, I was incredulous. I found myself feeling as much hate and disrespect as conservatives had shown toward Clinton. I haven't had a chance, but throughout Bush's presidency I've waited for an opportunity to be at a Toastmasters meeting with that person and propose a toast to the office of the President of the United States--dissing his guy. It's been very satisfying to see staunch conservatives gradually stop defending Bush.

Andersen writes about Clinton that "despite all his sleazoid tendencies, he was, of course, a pretty good president—and he turned out to be an absolutely exceptional ex-president, the best of our lifetimes." I know Clinton lost me when I finally realized he had lied about the Monica Lewinsky affair. However, he was beginning to win me back with his autobiography, My Life, and his post-presidential work. To me, that man's speeches are almost hypnotic. If I'm flipping channels and see him speaking, I have to stop and watch. Obviously others are immune to it!

Andersen continues, "For me and most of the people I know, the postpresidential love for Bill Clinton has evaporated completely and breathtakingly fast. No matter how many mosquito nets and microloans he helps supply to the Third World, I’m out of love."

Remember Barack Obama's infamous RGJ interview in January in which he said that, unlike Clinton, Ronald Reagan "changed the trajectory of America"? Andersen said Bill and Hillary Clinton's reaction to it was a "clarifying moment of disgust" for him. They "distorted and demagogued this bit of plain truth to try to cast Obama as some kind of crypto-Republican," he says.

I agree. Everything Clinton has said since then has reinforced my disgust. Wow! I guess I've become immune myself. And I have to say it's a relief to agree with the right about one thing. Maybe two things, if they're finally seeing how evil Bush is.

To the dump, to the dump, to the dump, dump, dump

Ann Onn — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:37:35 GMT

In case you haven't heard the joke about where the Lone Ranger takes his garbage, sing my title to the tune of the William Tell overture/Lone Ranger theme.

Dumping is free at the Lockwood landfill this week! But don't be like me--read the fine print and don't make assumptions.

I hate to whine, but wouldn't you think a dump would be open during daylight hours or at least all day? We arrived there yesterday 10 minutes after it closed--at 4:30! (Note that the dumping article says it ends at 4, which probably means they won't let you in after 4 but would give you until 4:30 to dump and get out of there.) The transfer station in town manages to stay open until 6, so I don't know why the landfill can't do the same. And silly me for assuming the hours were the same at both places.

You need to know something else if you haven't been out to the Lockwood dump in a while--you don't get there through Lockwood any more, so don't take that exit. Now you have to drive even further, take the Mustang exit and drive the long way toward the east and then double back before approaching the entrance. What's several extra miles when the public is paying for the fuel?

I guess the ride wasn't a total waste because I got to see a lot of wild houses along the way.

There's wildlife at the transfer station, too--birds. They drenched our pickup while we were unloading last night. Expect to pay about $20 for a pickup load there. (They won't take vouchers for mattresses and other items.)

Earth Day questions

Ann Onn — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:33:25 GMT

Is it better for the environment to use paper towels or to use wash cloths and towels that you clean in a washing machine with hot water and detergent and dry in a dryer? (One answer: "Help Save the Planet, Use Paper Towels." More thoughts at "Light green stairs" blog.)
What about paper cups versus glass cups you clean in a dish washer? Or styrofoam plates versus plates you wash and re-use? Here's a blog entry comparing paper, styrofoam and plastic and glass/steel/ceramic.
If we throw glass, plastic and metals into the trash and they won't biodegrade, why can't we mine our landfills for them in the future? Won't our landfills become a valuable resource like, say, an oilfield or a gold mine?
You know how everyone laughs at mentally ill hoarders who save every, say, yogurt carton and lid and have rooms full of them? If the world runs out of oil or it becomes expensive enough, what are we going to put our leftovers in or keep rodents out of our vegetable seeds? Won't all those used yogurt cartons make hoarders (or their heirs) rich at some point?
Why is it "bad for the environment" to buy a Christmas tree that was planted, grown and harvested to be used as a Christmas tree? Since trees are good for the atmosphere, aren't Christmas tree farms good for the atmosphere?
Why does our government promote and subsidize ethanol production when it is causing food shortages and inflation? And when "corn production depends on huge amounts of fossil fuel--not just the diesel needed to plow fields and transport crops, but also the vast quantities of natural gas used to produce fertilizers"? And what about this? "[W]hen corn ethanol is burned in vehicles, it is as dirty as conventional gasoline and does little to solve global warming: E85 reduces carbon dioxide emissions by a modest fifteen percent at best, while fueling the destruction of tropical forests" (Rolling Stone).

"Bitter? You ain't seen nothing yet"

Ann Onn — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:34:48 GMT

Who says economics blogs are only for academics? I get my daily dose of outrage from some of the following bloggers.

From Urban Survival today: "[W]e regular taxpayers are treated to more Fed BOHICA (Bend over, here it comes again)" and "Why can't Wal-Mart start publishing a monthly real inflation report so we can at least get a second opinion?"

From Dean Baker's Beat the Press today: "The alternative path to a recovery, which is almost certainly far superior from the standpoint of the economy's long-run health, is to have the growth in net exports lift the economy out of recession. . . . the only realistic way to reduce the trade deficit is to lower the value of the dollar."

From Dean Baker's Beat the Press yesterday:

The Post wants to sustain bubble-inflated house prices and they want the government to intervene to keep prices high . . .

But, just as the Bear Stearns bailout can ultimately be justified only if it helps restore lasting confidence in financial institutions, so must the various housing plans stem the decline in home prices.

Wow, if the Post has its way, a middle class home will always cost 6 or 7 times a middle class family's income in large parts of California and Florida and major cities on the East Coast. If such families want to become homeowners, they can look to spend 50 percent, or more, of their income on housing costs.

From Thomas Palley's blog yesterday:

The political economic philosophy of Keynesianism emerged after World War II following the catastrophic experience of the Great Depression. The new paradigm advocated an economy with full employment and shared prosperity, and gave government the critical role of regulating markets and adjusting monetary and fiscal policy to ensure levels of demand sufficient to generate full employment. [My emphasis.]
These Keynesian tools are now being applied forcefully. The Federal Reserve has dramatically cut its interest rate target in response to financial sector weakness. . . .

Simultaneously, the Bush administration has pushed for fiscal stimulus, albeit with its usual preference for tax cuts benefiting business and the rich that deliver little bang for buck. The Democratically controlled Congress has also gotten in on the act with stimulus packages . . .

. . . Everyone recognizes the need and efficacy of Keynesian policy instruments, including conservatives who are happy to promote tax cuts and interest rate reductions to support asset prices. However, most have forgotten the Keynesian goals of full employment and shared prosperity.

From Robert Reich's blog Sunday:

The average man in his 30s is earning less than his father did thirty years ago. Yet America is far richer. Where did the money go? To the top. . . .

We’re heading into the worst economic crisis in a half century or more. Many of the Americans who have been getting nowhere for decades are in even deeper trouble. Large numbers of people in Pennsylvania and across the nation are losing their homes and losing their jobs, and the situation is likely to grow worse. Consumers are at the end of their ropes, fuel and food costs are skyrocketing, they can’t go deeper into debt, they can’t pay their bills. They aren’t buying, which means every business from the auto industry to housing to even giant GE is hurting. Which means they’ll begin laying off more people, and as they do, we will experience an even more dangerous downward spiral.

Bitter? You ain’t seen nothing yet. And as much as people like Russert, Carville, Matalin, Schrum, and Murphy want to divert our attention from what’s really happening; as much as HRC and McCain seek to make political hay out of choices of words that can be spun cynically by the mindless spinners of the old politics; as much as demagogues on the right and left continue to try to channel the cumulative frustrations of Americans into a politics of resentment – all these attempts will, I hope, prove futile. Eighty percent of Americans know the nation is on the wrong track. The old politics, and the old media that feeds it, are irrelevant now.

Sin that was new 100 years ago is familiar now

Ann Onn — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:40:26 GMT

I've found a good source to quote from when I don't have anything to say here. The Multinational Monitor is serializing portions of Sin and Society: An Analysis of Latter-Day Iniquity by Edward Alsworth Ross on the 100-year anniversary of its publication. The book "identifies the ways in which the industrial economy had transformed the capacity to do harm to others." Basically, "modern sins are impersonal," Ross says. Businessmen are removed from the damage their businesses do, and they are well respected in society. Here's a sample:

Our iniquity is wireless, and we know not whose withers are wrung by it. The hurt passes into that vague mass, the "public," and is there lost to view. Hence it does not take a Borgia to knead "chalk and alum and plaster" into the loaf, seeing one cannot know just who will eat that loaf, or what gripe it will give him. The purveyor of spurious life-preservers need not be a Cain. The owner of rotten tenement houses, whose "pull" enables him to ignore the orders of the health department, foredooms babies, it is true, but for all that he is no Herod.

Often there are no victims. If the crazy hulk sent out for "just one more trip" meets with fair weather, all is well.

For "loaf," think of the meat coming out of the processing plant in California that was processing "downer" (possibly sick) cows. For "spurious life preservers," think of the inadequate body armor and provided to our troops in Iraq. For "owner of rotten tenement houses, whose 'pull' enables him to ignore the orders of the health department," think of the owner of the mine that collapsed in Utah last year when miners were told to use a forbidden mining technique. For "the crazy hulk sent out for 'just one more trip,'" think of Southwest Airlines not doing the inspections it was supposed to do.

Funny--even though everything in this 100-year-old book rings true while I'm reading it, I'm surprised at how easy it was for me to come up with a modern-day example to match each of Ross's examples. That's regrettable.

Remarkable: Reno city manager declines merit raise and bonus

Ann Onn — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:48:30 GMT

Remarkable: worthy of remark.

I'm not a Charles McNeely fan; one reason is reading about his raises and bonuses every year. That's why I was surprised--shocked--to read this morning that he has "volunteered to forego a merit raise this year due to declining revenue and will receive only the same 3.5 percent cost-of-living raise as other city employees."

The article confirms he usually gets a merit raise and bonus and says that last year he got a 12 percent raise and a $12,000 bonus. The cost-of-living raise will bring his annual salary to $255,088 this year. He should be able to get by on that.

Changes at Icebox Kitchen?

Ann Onn — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:50:42 GMT

I've been meaning to write about Icebox Kitchen for a while. It's the place we go when I don't feel like cooking and Mr. Ann doesn't feel like going to a restaurant. We get good food to eat at home. By "good," I mean fresh and tasty.

The meals are not frozen, and they assemble them, not you. They are sealed in plastic containers ready to go into a preheated conventional oven for a short time (usually 20 minutes). They test all their meals at home (although they're prepared in a commercial kitchen), and it's surprising how consistently they turn out cooked just right.

What I intended to write was that the prices have sometimes seemed a little high but I often get two meals out of one. In fact, for one of our holiday meals I bought three meals for four adults and, after baking them, moved the food from the plastic containers to serving bowls and a platter to serve. We had leftovers.

We picked up dinner there tonight, and things seemed a little different. Maybe I'm imagining it, but the prices seemed a little lower, believe it or not. I tried to see whether the portion sizes were smaller, but they didn't seem to be unless there were fewer sides of potatoes, rice or pasta. We bought chicken cordon bleu, and each dinner contained a large chicken breast with bread stuffing, cream sauce and mixed vegetables. Very good.

I noticed a couple of other changes. One is there was no soup. We've enjoyed their soup in the past; I should have asked whether they've discontinued it permanently. The other is they now include microwave instructions on their meals. Since the quality has been great when using the conventional oven, I intend to keep using it.

If you've been thinking about trying Icebox and are uneasy about trying new things (like me), let me tell you exactly what to expect.

You don't have to call ahead. If it's convenient, you can check the week's menu on line before you go.
When you walk in, you can either look at a menu (printed or on the wall) or browse through a refrigerator case. (The Double R location has a case; I don't know about the others.)
There's no choice or substitution on sides; the meals are already assembled.
If what you want isn't in the case, the person behind the counter will get it for you from the refrigerator in back. I suppose they could run out of menu items, but it has never happened to me.
You pay, and that's it! There's no tip jar.

I won't bother providing details on menus, prices or locations because you can find all of that at the link above.

I think the Reno-Sparks area is lucky to have resource like this. (It is a local business, not a chain.) I have absolutely no financial interest in writing about Icebox Kitchen. If anything, I am interested in seeing the business thrive because I really depend on having it there when, as I said above, I don't feel like cooking and Mr. Ann doesn't feel like going to a restaurant.

Apparently the place to be on a Reno evening

Ann Onn — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:00:58 GMT

We went to dinner at Mario's Portofino last week, and again I was surprised to see how full the shopping center parking lot was. It was a weeknight, and Portofino's is in an old (1960s?) strip mall at South Virginia and Mt. Rose Street (a few blocks north of Plumb Lane). What's the attraction?

My guess as to why so many people gather there every night is the variety of restaurants in the center. Across the parking lot from Portofino's are Coach's grill and sports bar, India Garden restaurant and Si Amigos restaurant. Some or all must be pretty good (we like Portofino's, but it did not have enough diners to account for all the cars in the lot).

The recently opened Zephyr used-book store facing the Virginia Street had lots of cars parked in front of it, too. I plan to check that out the next time we go to Portofino's.