BRETT’S VEGAS VIEW Contributed by Jackie Brett *** A FOND FAREWELL*** My decision to retire my column comes after years of writing about Las Vegas. The timing just feels right. After 45 years in print nearly every week, first in newspapers and then online, it has been a privilege to watch the destination grow from a metro area population of 345,000 in 1976 to more than 2.5 million in 2020. Back in the 70s, there were no mega-resorts, large stadiums, sports teams, Strip shopping malls, paid parking, etc. You used to dress up for the dinner show followed by the midnight concert with maître d’s doing the seating in showrooms. There was usually an opening act and sometimes an...
Among some Maya peoples, there is folklore about the alux, a miniature mystical sprite who lives in forests, caves, and fields. Now, Mexican President President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has posted a photo to his social media accounts that any reasonable person can only recognize as indisputable proof that the alux is anything by a myth! — Read the rest
I've been relearning Spanish using Duolingo since January 2021 and I have an uninterrupted streak of 770 days. I really enjoy it and am so pleased to have regained so much of the vocabulary I'd lost. I get to apply the Spanish I'm relearning during my twice-monthly shifts doing food distribution at the Food Bank, as many of the recipients speak little or no English. I'd been telling my mom for some time that she would enjoy Duolingo. When my parents were in California for Trevor's Eagle Court of Honor, I set Mom up with an account. Sure enough, she loves it and has maintained an uninterrupted streak of 178 days. While I am relearning Spanish, Mom started from ground zero....
More than 100,000 people gathered in Mexico City on Sunday to protest against an overhaul of the National Electoral Institute, which oversees Mexico's elections. Last week, with the support of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexican lawmakers approved making changes to the agency, cutting its budget and staff and weakening its power to punish those who violate election law. Federal one-party rule ended in Mexico in 2000, and Reuters says the National Electoral Institution has "played an important role in the shift to multi-party democracy" since then. Those opposed to the overhaul say it threatens democracy, violates the constitution, and weakens the agency's independence. The next election is in 2024, and López Obrador has denied accusations that he wants to...
Among some Maya peoples, there is folklore about the alux, a miniature mystical sprite who lives in forests, caves, and fields. Now, Mexican President President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has posted a photo to his social media accounts that any reasonable person can only recognize as indisputable proof that the alux is anything by a myth! — Read the rest
