Have you ever seen or met a president of the United States? If so, what was it like? I grew up inside the beltway but it wasn’t until my brief move to New York that I saw one. I was walking down the street and saw a very elegant older woman and thought to myself, “Wow, she looks a lot like Rosalynn Carter….maybe I should look at the man she’s with. Oh wow, that’s Jimmy! Yep, it’s them.” How about you?
On Friday, Jan. 25, 2008, fire broke out at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino. We put up a lot of eyewitness stories on the television side, but we’d like to know if you saw it — what did you think, how did you feel — anything you want to tell us.
The terrible bloodshed and chaos in Kenya may seem too familiar to most of us. Many African nations are torn apart by violent factions, destroying their mutual homelands over tribal and political differences. Sudan is the most visible to Americans now. But Kenya deserves special attention, as well. This is a strikingly beautiful land, and its leaders, although corrupt, had the good sense to be among the first to outlaw killing safaris, to preserve their greatest natural resource: lions, wildebeest, buffalo, cheetahs, and the incomparable leopard.
In 2002, my husband and I took a photo safari in Kenya. The first time I saw a lion, I thought, I could die happy because I have been so close to one of this greatest of animal wonders. The country was already losing tourism dollars from the after-effects of the bombings of the U.S. Embassy in 1998, and then the general lack of travel after 9-11. Our safari group would normally have had 18 travelers, but had only four. It made the experience special for us, but Steve and I felt sadness for our driver, Peter, who was only working a fourth of the time.
A few weeks ago, I blogged that attendance at the Nevada caucuses is liable to be light. I hope not. Nevada has a chance to shine in the national spotlight, and it would be wonderful to see attendance break all expectations! We have a chance to show the nation that our opinion counts, and that our views matter.
To find out where to attend a caucus of either party, check out our Nevada Votes section on lasvegasnow.com, or check the website of the Nevada political parties. Attending a caucus will be an exciting way to get involved with your community.
ARE YOU GOING? IS IT YOUR FIRST TIME?
POSTED BY PAULA FRANCIS