Nye - Gateway to Nevada's Rurals

Facebook

Featheriver — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:44 +0000

Photo: Mark Zukerberg, from Wikipedia.

Facebook was born in February 2004. It now has 500 million active users. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, a 20-year old Harvard Sophomore, with his college roomates and fellow computer science students. Zukerberg’s idea was to form a network so that students could get to know each other better. It was initially limited to Harvard students. Zuckerberg was born May 14, 1984 in White Plains, New York. He is now 26 years old and is CEO of Facebook, Inc.

In January 2009 Facebook was ranked as the most widely used social network worldwide in monthly active users.

Facebook generated 450 visitors in its first four hours online. Within its first month more than half the undergraduate population at Harvard was registered on the site. It expanded to Stanford, Columbia and Yale. It gradually expanded to all Ivy League schools, New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Expansion continued to universities in Canada and the United States. It currently gains 1 million new users per day, according to David Kirkpatrick, author of “The Facebook Effect.” It is located in Palo Alto, California. Facebook is currently open to all persons age 13 or older with an e-mail address.

The website is now worth some $15 billion dollars. More people visited Facebook than Google in 2010. A movie about Facebook, called “The Social Network” will be released next month.

Facebook is a social network where friends communicate with each other and keep track with what their friends are doing. Kirkpatrick states users of Facebook will reach 1 billion users worldwide within another year. He says that communications between people via Facebook exceeds that of e-mails.

Pahrump, Nye County and residents of the entire state of Nevada are well represented on Facebook. Not only individuals, but politicians and multiple businesses are active on the site. Groups of all kinds maintain active use of Facebook. For example “Positive Pahrump” has 1,781 friends, mostly residents of Pahrump or people actively involved with the Town, reflects positive attributes of the community.

Another group, “Mule-Lick Nevada,” is a humorous parody about Pahrump that is one of my favorites.

Local politicians use Facebook. Both Tony DeMeo and Scott Cobel, candidates for election to Sheriff of Nye County, have a presence on Facebook. You can learn a lot about each just by visiting their Facebook pages.

Whether you love or dislike Sharron Angle you will find her there as well.

Both Laurayne Murray and Dan Schinhofen, competing for election to the Nye County Board of Commissioners pursue their campaigns on Facebook. So do Carolene Endersby, Tom Waters and Don Rust, running for Town Board of Pahrump. Brian Kunzi, candidate for Nye County District Attorney, is there, though I did not find Ron Kent, his opponent.

Oddly, neither the Nye County Democratic Party nor Republican Party maintain a presence on Facebook that I could find. The Nye County Republican Central Committee has a website but seems to ignore Facebook. The Nye County Democratic Central Committee not only ignores Facebook but the internet completely since they have no website presence at all.

One would think both political parties would be communicating furiously with their members by both methods, particularly with the November elections fast approaching.

Facebook’s effect on the American political system became clear in January 2008. Both Facebook and Twitter has virtually revolutionized politics. Facebook is an extremely popular and powerful new way to interact and voice opinions on the political scene.

Facebook has been blocked intermittently in several repressive countries including Pakistan, Syria, People’s Republic of China, Vietnam, and Iran.

The impact of Facebook on the future of the United States has been recognized. Particularly with the younger generation, which is quite familiar with the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, instant messaging, and the whole range of communicative techniques of modern 21st Century. For the first time in history ordinary people are capable of personally interacting with each other, governments notwithstanding. That is a good thing.

You are welcome to read more about this and other matters on the Nye-Gateway to Nevada’s Rurals blog at http://nyegateway.com. You can also follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Featheriver.

Painting Governor Gibbons Portrait

Featheriver — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:11:48 +0000

Governor Jim Gibbons is having his portrait painted. Paid for by taxpayers.

The Nevada Arts Council has chosen three finalists to paint the official portrait of the Governor. Forty-four artists competed for the honor. The three chosen are: Ned Bettinger of New Mexico, John Ennis of Pennsylvania and Michele Rushworth of Washington state.

Guess nobody in Nevada paints portraits.

Gibbons gets to make the final choice of which of the three get to paint him. The chore has to be completed by December 17.

The person chosen will be paid $17,500 for the painting, frame and hanging materials and also will receive up to $2,500 in travel expenses.

Governor Gibbons’ portrait will hang in the hallway of the state’s capitol.

You know what, the Governor’s portrait could be digitally painted for just a few bucks. Corel Painter software will do the trick. Costs $49.99. Works just fine. The picture you see above is of my oldest son when he was five years old. What you see is a painting from his picture was done by Corel Painter Essentials by me this morning. And I live in Pahrump, Nevada.

All the Nevada Arts Council had to do was send me a photograph of the Governor, or I could have found one myself with a Google image search, then run it through Corel Painter Essentials and voila it would be done. I’d been happy to do have done it for $20. And that $20 would have been spent by me here in Pahrump, not New Mexico, Pennsylvania or Washington state. And I’m not gainfully employed either.

Source: Nevada Appeal

The Evolutions of the United States and China

Featheriver — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:12:32 +0000

Fareed Zakaria of CNN had as his guest Sunday, Robert D. Kaplan. They were talking about China. From all I read or see it seems generally accepted that China is emerging into a major world power rivaling the United States. China’s population dwarfs that of the United States. China is a major creditor of the United States. Americans bolster China’s rise in the global picture by buying Chinese products in the retail markets such as Wal-Mart.

With that in mind I watched Zakaria and Kaplan. Zakaria seemed to have my same frame of mind, how is it that China is becoming such an influence on the world stage and what does it mean?

Kaplan wrote an article published in in Foreign Affairs in May/June 2010 which can be read on the CNN website.

Citing English geographer Sir Halford Mackinder and his famous 1904 article, "The Geographical Pivot of History," explained that China, located in Eurasia, is in the “geostrategic fulcrum of world power.” China has a 9,000-mile temperate coastline with many good natural harbors. It is both a land power and a sea power. MacKinder predicted “China would eventually guide the world by ‘building for a quarter of humanity a new civilization, neither quite Eastern nor quite Western.’”

With China’s centralized government can expand in ways that “democracies” cannot. But China is absorbing Western technology and practices, integrating them “into a disciplined and elaborate cultural system” forming relationships with other nations.

Kaplan noted the United States grew steadily in the 19th century by trading with the outside world. China’s ambitions “are as aggressive as those of the United States in the 19th century. China doesn’t seek to spread “an ideology or a system of government” as the United States does. Witness the avowed reasons of the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq to establish a democracy along the lines of that of the United States.

China is “propelled by its need to secure energy, metals, and strategic minerals in order to support the rising living standards of its immense population, which amounts to about one-fifth of the world’s total.”

I don’t hear those kinds of goals being pursued by the government of the United States. China’s global “scouring for resources” will bring it into conflict with the “missionary-oriented” United States. Makes some sense to me. Since World War II the United States has resorted to wars rather than building its own resources as evidenced by the Vietnam, Korean wars and now the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The wars in Vietnam and Korea were avowed to be to stop communism. In Afghanistan and Iraq to fight terrorism and spread democracy. Huge amounts of the U.S. treasury and lives have been spent in all four wars, all occurring within my lifetime.

No wonder the U.S. economy has been in the tank. The U.S. focus has been outward rather than inward all these years, fighting wars. China is currently mining for copper near Kabul in Afghanistan and”has its eye on the region’s iron, gold, uranium and precious gems” while the U.S. chugs away militarily in it’s pursuits. Meanwhile China is expanding its Navy to control seaports around the south of the Asian continent all the way up to the Persian Gulf increasing its influence to the Eurasian border. All of which can jeopardize the stability among the Asian nations.

Yes, times are changing. Relationships between large nations are undergoing revision. Economies of the several nations will also evolve into a different shape following the global recession. If you are so inclined read Kaplan’s article. It will leave you with food for thought.

First Annual Candidate Kegger

Featheriver — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:57:15 +0000

and Don

I’m always fascinated with “First Annual” affairs because who knows if there will be a “Second Annual.” Sort of depends on how well the First Annual goes.

Hope you can read the above image. It is about as large as I can make it here.

Date: Saturday, August 28, 2010

Time: 6:00 pm – 12:00 midnight

Where: 3731 West Windsong Lane, Pahrump, NV

Why would you want to go? Well, to get a chance to met and rub elbows with candidates for the Pahrump Town Board: Carolene Endersby and Don Rust.

Also meet candidate for Nye County Sheriff: Scott Cobel.

And, candidate for Nye County District Attorney: Brian Kunzi.

Candidate for Nye County Commissioner – District V: Laurayne Murray.

Candidate for Nevada Assembly District 36: Ron Hibble. Ron will also be in Pahrump

Candidate for Governor of Nevada: Rory Reid.

Not only can you mingle with those folks you will also be entertained by Pahrump’s own Elvis, Johnny V and The Rubber Band (maybe they’ll play “Art Gum and his Rubber Band). Then there will be some surp0rise ente4rtainment which will be announced at the event.

It is suggested that a donation of $5.00 be made (which will go to the candidate of your choice).

There will be plenty of Samuel Adam’s beer for you to drink (bring a designated driver). Live music.

The only restriction is you have to be age 21 or over.

For more info check out Grass Roots Internet Radio and on Facebook.

Part VI–Final Installment of Interview of Carolene Endersby

Featheriver — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:12:54 +0000

Carolene Endersby for Town Board of Pahrump

A 20 minute interview of Carolene Endersby was conducted this month which has been presented in six installments from Part I – VI. This is the final installment.

You are invited to watch all six installments to acquaint yourself with Mrs. Endersby and her views about her campaign for election to the Town Board of Pahrump.

You can watch all segments on her campaign website at www.caroleneendersby.com, on YouTube and on Friends of Carolene Endersby for Town Board on Facebook.

Nevada’s Delegation Votes

Featheriver — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:53:56 +0000

Recent House Votes

Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act – Vote Passed (247-161, 25 Not Voting)

On Tuesday, the House passed this bill to provide $16.1 billion to extend increased Medicaid assistance to states and $10 billion in funding for states to create or retain teachers’ jobs. The bill was then sent to the president, who signed it into law on the same day.

Rep. Dina Titus voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act – Vote Passed (247-161, 25 Not Voting)

On Tuesday, the House passed this bill to provide $16.1 billion to extend increased Medicaid assistance to states and $10 billion in funding for states to create or retain teachers’ jobs. The bill was then sent to the president, who signed it into law on the same day.

Rep. Dean Heller voted NO……send e-mail or see bio

First Annual Candidate Kegger

Featheriver — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:15:53 +0000

Interview of Carolene Endersby–Part V

Featheriver — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:23:14 +0000

Carolene Endersby for Town Board of Pahrump

This is part V of the 20 minute interview of Carolene Endersby, candidate for Town Board of Pahrump.

Interview of Carolene Endersby–Part IV

Featheriver — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:31:37 +0000

Carolene Endersby for Town Board of Pahrump

This is the Part IV segment of a 20 minute interview with Carolene Endersby, candidate for election to the Town Board of Pahrump

Will Gibbons accept $162 million for Nevada’s school teachers and Medicaid?

Featheriver — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:52:34 +0000

Gov. Jim Gibbons

Nevada Republican Governor Jim Gibbons isn’t sure whether he will accept $162 million in federal money to hire school teachers and supply funds to the Medicaid program.

A couple of days ago I wrote about this asking the question whether or not Nye County would reject the money from the federal government. It hadn’t occurred to me that the Governor of Nevada would relieve Nye County of having to make any decision at all. He may make the decision for all counties in the state.

Gibbons has nothing to lose, politically, because he’s a lame duck and we’ll be rid of him come January.

He first wants to see the strings attached to the law signed this week by President Obama. It would protect an estimated 1,400 teacher jobs in Nevada.

The governor has to approve accepting the money pushed through Congress by Democrats..

Gibbons complained the federal government is making decisions on Nevada’s school system. For instance, he said the Eureka County School District might need books or computers but will be required to use the funds for teachers.

No mention by Gibbons that he’s making the decisions on Nye County’s school system. Lord, considering the dismal state the education system is in how can it be any kind of improvement for Gibbons to be the “decider?” Seems to me the local school districts should be making the decision. Local school boards would seem to be in far better position to know what they need than Gibbons, or even the federal government.

"We have to study the requirements for taking that money," Gibbons said. "The requirements by the federal government oftentimes put us in a more difficult position."

He said the state might get the $82 million for education "but in some ways you have to continue to spend state money to keep getting that money and oftentimes we don’t have the matching dollars."

"I’m prepared to say ‘Thank you’ and I’m prepared to say ‘Thank you, but no thank you,’" Gibbons said.

The state, under the federal legislation, would get $79 million for the Medicaid program, which provides medical care for the needy.

Gibbons will decide whether Nevada’s Medicaid beneficiaries get their medical treatments or not. Of course the “needy” are needy due to their own fault. Or at least that seems to be the Republican viewpoint.

Gibbons press secretary Daniel Burns said it was disappointing for the federal government to offer money to states and not let states decide how to spend it.

"Rhode Island, Florida, Mississippi and Nevada have different educational needs and to say that all this money can only be spent on teachers when a school district may need books or buses or supplies for the classroom … That’s part of the strings attached," he said.

Republicans Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Dean Heller opposed the congressional bill, saying it wouldn’t create jobs in private business or spur the economy.

These two guys aren’t much help to Nevadans either. They’re locked into their “just say no” mode.

School teachers, children and the medically needy can simply go pound sand.

[Source: Las Vegas Sun]