October 2010 Insight Magazine

[The UniversiTy of nevada, reno’s sTUdenT MaGaZine]

U N R I N S I G H T. C O M

INSIGHT

ocTober 2010 Volume 3 • ISSue 2

FIrST copy FreeSecoNd copy $3.50

ARTS AFTER DARK +

POLICE RIDE ALONG +

THE BEST BLOODY MARY +

PHOTO BY JESS GHISLETTA

ContentsOCTOBER 2010

20-23 | THE BEST MARY IN TOWNWe sought and found the best bloody mary in Reno.

2010 OctOber | Insight | 3

24-25 | PIE IN THE NIGHT SkYA late-night pizzeria opens downtown.

26-29 | PLAYING THE GAMEThink you can beat the casino odds?

30-31 | IN HINDSIGHTA look at Homecoming throughout the years.

16-19 | ARTS AFTER DARkPerformers find refuge and expression in downtown venues.

EDITOR LETTER & BEHIND INSIGHT | 4-5

PACk PROFILE | 6-7Student comedian Alyssa Cowan

DOWNTOWN DEBAuCHERY | 8-9While businesses downtown thrive at night,

residents complain of increased problems.

THE REAL “RENO 911” | 10-13A night in the life of a Reno police officer.

CONFESSIONS OF A BOuNCER | 14-15Drunks, fights, Prince and more.

2 | Insight | OctOber 2010


LETTER { } EDITORFROM THE

Nighttime is when I thrive. I’m sure many relate. It’s when I write, when I study, when I live essentially. It’s full of oddities: strange noises and even stranger people (myself included undoubtedly). The world becomes passionate at night. Music is louder, arguments

more intense. Friendships and love renew. Personalities emerge. Crime rages.Darkness enables people to act unlike themselves. I would disagree that

alcohol is the constant at night. In fact, many of this issues’ stories have noth-ing to do with alcohol. It does however fuel the activities, good and bad. You haven’t seen the real dirt Reno has to offer until you’ve done a ride-along. “The Real ‘Reno 911’” gives us a glimpse of what a typical night with the Reno po-lice department is like, however it would be naïve to believe that alcohol and drugs don’t directly affect the character of our beloved city.

For the most part, that life in handcuffs or behind bars does not define our experience at the University. In fact, it doesn’t define Reno, despite the jokes and negativisms. Reno has a lot to offer in the way of art and community spirit.

As students we remember those infamous nights out and about with friends. Sometimes our friends make remarkably dumb decisions. Sometimes we’re making them. And for every good night there is an equal and opposite. Other people (bouncers, bar owners, police) have to regulate the inherent craziness, and they have their own idea of what the night is like in Reno. It’s different for us all.

[THe UNIveRSITy Of Nevada, ReNO’S STUdeNT MaGazINe]

U N R I N S I G H T . C O M

Katie Goodwin - Editor in [email protected]

Jay Brissenden - Online Managing [email protected]

Sam DiSalvo - Print Managing [email protected]

Geoff Roseborough - Design [email protected]

Sebastian Diaz - Photo [email protected]

Courtney Spangler - Web Photo [email protected]

Derek Jordan - [email protected]

Michael Gjurich - Multimedia [email protected]

Jessie Gray - Assistant Multimedia [email protected]

Rachel Wright - Story [email protected]

Tara Verderosa - Story [email protected]

Jazzmine Hudson - Publicity [email protected]

Brooke Barlow - Advertising [email protected]

Contributors: Scott Barnett, Matt Buccambuso, Lucas Combos, Jess Ghisletta, Chelsea Houston, Cody Liska, Samantha Phisterer, Vicki Tam, Caitlin Thomas, C.W. Wilkinson, Nicole Zander

Corrections to September 2010 issue:In “Behind Insight” Leissan Sadykova was incorrectly identified as the ASUN student body president. Sadykova is the ASUN student body vice president. In “Belles on Wheels” Lindsey Millan’s last name was incorrectly spelled as Millen. In “Drive on a Dime”, writer Mark Zaski’s last name was incorrectly spelled as Zasky. The cover was shot by Sebastian Diaz, and was not credited to him. Insight Magazine apologizes for its errors. If you have found a mistake or misprint, please contact the editor at [email protected].

Katie Goodwin Editor-in-Chief

The opinions expressed in this publication and its associated Web site are not necessarily those of the University of nevada, reno or the student body. www.unrinsight.com

On the first day of freshmen orientation, the journalism adviser said, “What I’ve noticed about journalism majors is that they’re outgoing and they’re bad at math.” I sat there and thought to myself, “I’m shy and I’m good at math.”

I’m a duel major in journalism and psychology. I grew up in a small town about an hour away from the Reno/Sparks area and in a family of engineers.

For me, to be able to write is a huge accomplish-ment in my life. It was something I needed a lot

of help in, especially since my first language was Chinese. But, growing up, there was this

thing I knew I loved to do, and that was to write stories.

I wanted to be a writer, but I was bad at writing. At a young age, I was interested in web design and inventing things, which I still am interested in. But, I had a passion for writing that I couldn’t let go. Since eighth grade, I’ve been on a newspaper staff for five years before coming to UNR.

I was on a staff that took our newspaper to a gold rating by the Columbia Scholastic Press Associa-tion. I attended the Communica-tion and Journalism section of Presidential Classroom in Washing-ton D.C. I wrote a front page story for a local paper before my senior year of high school.

I’m proud to be a writer because writing can be really rewarding at times.

Aside from writing, I have a huge passion for playing the guitar – both acoustic and electric. I like to make up my own licks and chord progressions. To me, it is easier to make up short pieces than practice songs by other artists.

My other hobbies include collect-ing erasers (over 900), writing short stories, and having fun with family and friends.

VICKI TAMB

EH

IND

[insigh

t]


PHOTO BY COuRTNEY SPANGLER

COVER BY SEBASTIAN DIAZ

4 | Ins ight | May 2010

Editor-in-ChiefKATIE [email protected]

Head Photo EditorSEBASTIAN DIAZ

[email protected]

WebmasterDEREK JORDAN

[email protected]

Multimedia EditorJESSICA ESTEPA

[email protected]

The opinions expressed in this publication and its associated Web site are not necessar-ily those of the Univer-sity of Nevada, Reno or the student body.

www.unrinsight.com

Story EditorSAM DISALVO

[email protected]

Design Editor GEOFF ROSEBOROUGH

[email protected]

LETTER { } EDITORFROM THE

Katie Goodwin Editor-in-Chief

This issue marks the end of Insight’s second year as the University of Nevada, Reno’s campus magazine and the end of

my first semester as editor. I’m proud to say that both Insight and I will return next year. Any new publication is vulnerable to failure, and Insight surely has encountered more than one obstacle since its first issue in September 2008. Without our wonderful staff, advisers, writers and photographers, we would have failed. For that, I’m endlessly grateful.

Our last issue is dedicated solely to the photos that help us remember this year. It is how we pay homage to our roots, the Artemisia (Insight evolved from a yearbook to a magazine) by providing a forum for

beautiful photos and the memories they bring. So enjoy, and for those who aren’t graduating, look for another issue of Insight come September!

CORRECTIONS: In “Beyond the Burning Times” from April 2010, Laura Fitzpatrick was incorrectly identified as Laura Fitzgerald.

In “Pack Profile: Charles Tshimanga-Kashama” from April 2010, Tshimanga-Kashama was stated as not being able to speak French upon arriving in France. He was able to speak French by the time he moved there from Africa.

Insight Magazine apologizes for its errors. If you have found a mistake or misprint, please contact the editor at [email protected].

Assistant Photo EditorCOURTNEY SPANGLER

[email protected]

Advertising CoordinatorBROOKE BARLOW

[email protected]

Assistant Multimedia EditorMICHAEL [email protected]

Online Managing EditorJESSICA [email protected]

Story EditorRACHEL [email protected]

Staff InternJAZZMINE [email protected]

Staff InternCAITLIN [email protected]

PLEASE BE KIND AND DO NOT LEAVE THIS MAGAZINE LYING AROUND THE QUAD.RECYCLE | REUSE | RETURN

[THE UNIVERSIT Y OF NEVADA, RENO’S STUDENT MAGA ZINE]

U N R I N S I G H T . C O M

INSIGHT


PACK PROFILEAlyssACowAn

WORDS BY NiKKi ZaNDERPHOTO BY MaTT BUCCaMBUSO

“T he only fun part about racial and sexist jokes is defeating the stereo-types,” says Cowan.

“‘I’m a skank’ jokes are just lazy.”Reno’s local comedy scene is a tight-

knit group of people who want to see each other succeed. Cowan is one of the only females in the Reno comedy scene, but it doesn’t discourage her.

“The only thing that sucks about being a female stand-up comedian is when people come up to me after a set and I’m thinking they are going to say how much they loved the show, but really, they just want to compliment my shoes,” says Cowan.

Alyssa spends her days in school and working one of her two part time jobs, but spends her nights on stage doing what she does best—making people laugh.

Her comedy concentrates on day-to-day life as she pushes the audience to see things from different perspectives, pull-ing humor out of any situation.

“I think of a lot of jokes when I’m in my car,” says Cowan. “I guess that’s why I have a lot of car jokes.”

Cowan prides herself on the intellect of her humor. She calls it an art form, and is constantly working on improving her craft. One of the places she enjoys testing material is at Java Jungle in down-

town Reno.“Typically it is a more intelligent clien-

tele than a bar full of drunk people,” says Cowan. “If you can make them laugh, you’re golden.”

Cowan fell in love with comedy while watching “Saturday Night Live” with her father, and Conan O’Brien with her sister. Growing up, though, Cowan actu-ally hated stand-up. It was something she considered to be for middle-aged men in suit jackets making failed attempts at humor on stage for a few minutes.

“I was never a fan of stand-up until I saw Dimitri Martin. He is so genius in his writing and has the most incredible delivery,” says Cowan. “He completely changed my perspective on stand-up.”

Cowan draws her inspiration from Martin along with O’Brien and Daniel Tosh. She considers all of these college graduates to be brilliant people, which is something that she thinks is crucial for comedians.

“Without education, comedians don’t have any content to draw from,” says Cowan. “It teaches you to look at the world differently in a way that people don’t think of. If you can surprise your audience and have your own flavor, that’s real comedy.”

Cowan is a journalism and econom-ics double major, and is completing her last semester at the University of

Nevada, Reno.The reason Cowan went into jour-

nalism is because of the networking opportunities, and getting her face out there. She interned in Los Ange-les for a movie director, which gave her knowledge about public relations along with some great connections.

As for economics, Cowan is intrigued by the subject. She appreciates the way that it forces you to look at things from different perspectives, something that contributes to her comedy. It also rounded her education by giving her a subject with more substance.

“Journalism was teaching me to do stuff, not to know stuff, so I took on eco-nomics as a second major,” says Cowan.

Although she takes school seriously, Cowan doesn’t have a plan for using her degrees after graduation. Because her true passion is comedy, her ultimate goal is to make consistent money from making people laugh.

“I don’t want to make too much money doing a serious job or I’ll get too comfortable,” says Cowan. “I want to be able to pick up and go on a comedy tour at any moment.”

Cowan does a weekly podcast, that can be found at RenoRamblecast.com. Her other work can also be seen at AlyssaPants.com.

Most contemporary female comedians thrive on jokes that put down women. Although local stand-up artist Alyssa Cowan, 22, is admittedly a self depre-

cating comedian, she strays away from the cheap laughs and embraces being a woman.


8 | Insight | OctOber 2010 2010 OctOber | Insight | 9

A s downtown increasingly thrives, more patrons visit bars, nightclubs and casinos. A demand for safe, luxurious

living increases and huge condominium towers rise. People get rowdy.

During the year, the squeaky wheels started speaking up. Residents appeared before the Reno City Council with legitimate complaints of noise, loitering and general debauchery. Some spoke of sleeping with earplugs or being kept awake at all hours by loud music and yelling in the streets. One downtown bar, Imperial, was the source of com-plaints when it first opened in 2007 because the bar operators left windows open late into the night. Ryan Gold, a co-owner, says that can easily be fixed by closing the windows.

Council members responded to the growing complaints and an increase in police incidents by creating the Downtown Alcohol Advisory Com-mittee. The DAAC’s goal is to create solutions among the varied interested parties or residents, business owners, tourists and other downtown visitors.

One possible, yet undesired solu-tion would be to impose a suspension on bars and nightclubs. Enforcement agencies would prohibit all alcohol activity (with the exception of casino-related) during a specified period. Talk of such a moratorium is currently more of a last resort.

Last November, former Reno Police Chief Michael Poehlman requested bar owners to voluntarily close doors between 4 and 6 a.m. Many bars obliged. Most shut down earlier, with last calls beginning around 2 a.m. Some, however, continue to exercise their right to remain open all hours. Downtown ordinances allow business to be conducted 24 hours a day.

Largely, bar owners do not support a mandatory last call. Ryan Gold, one of Imperial’s owners says that it would only hurt businesses.

“Legislation isn’t the answer,” says Mike Malody, co-owner of Amend-ment 21.

David Silverman, a committee member of the DAAC and owner of Silver Peak Brewery, says that what the

DAAC plans to present as a solution to the city council will be a peer review board. The board will recommend to the city licensing department whether a business should have a liquor license or not. Board members will consist of a representation of all groups, much like the DAAC is at current. Silverman supports this solution. Multiple calls to the chair of the DAAC, Roberta Ross, were not returned for more informa-tion. Ross represents the residential interests of downtown and is the opera-tor of Ross Manor.

Not all downtown residents, par-ticularly students, mind the hustle and bustle of the downtown corridor. Amber Ponder, a 22-year-old wildlife ecology major, who lives near the baseball stadium says that she hears and sees a lot of questionable acts, especially in such close proximity to the police station.

“I kind of like it,” says Ponder. “I feel like ‘part of the town’.”

Bar owners and some residents agree on a common sentiment: if you are both-ered by the downtown nightlife—move.

Worlds collide in downtown Reno. For some, the district between I-80, California Avenue, Keystone Drive and Wells Avenue represents their livelihood. For others, it is

their neighborhood. For students and other young peo-ple, downtown is the place to let loose, drink heavily and have a good time.

Downtown DebaucheryWORDS BY KaTiE GOODWiNPHOTO BY SEBaSTiaN DiaZ

Most bars voluntarily close before 4 a.m.


It’s a Friday night. I am sitting in the foyer of the Reno Police De-partment. I twiddle my thumbs. I sift through a newspaper and

silently thank God that I am here of my own accord. After what feels like hours of waiting, I am introduced to Officer Erich Hulse, who I will be shadowing on my ride along. I reserve my impulse to make judgments. Good cop, bad cop? I’m not sure yet. He shakes my hand and informs me that I am his first ride along and that he usu-ally drives alone. My anxiety reaches new levels, and all I can do is ask him to please keep me alive. He promises me that he will do his best.

Officer Hulse explains the rules to me as he double-checks my identifica-tion and clears my paperwork. Stay in the car unless I am told it is safe to get

out. Always wear my seatbelt. Don’t speak to suspects. Do as Officer Hulse says, not as he does. I smile at this one. The barometer ticks closer to good cop. Finally, we head out to the car. As I strap on my seatbelt and admire the dozens of bells and whistles, I silently pat myself on the back; my first time in a cop car is neither in handcuffs or in the backseat. In contrast, I feel like quite the badass, riding shotgun to an officer with a badge on my chest (even if it was a visitor badge, it was still cool). We pull out of the station and he lets dispatch know we are available for calls. It’s time to fight crime.

10:30 p.m. Our drive begins on South Wells where there doesn’t appear to be many cars on the road. While I expect to pull into a dark

corner where we can easily catch heavy-footed drivers, Officer Hulse opts to drive around in plain view, as if the lawbreakers will unquestionably find him. He is not mistaken. We spot a car driving without headlights in moments. We flip on our lights and make a U-turn to stop the vehicle. Much to our surprise, the driver makes an immediate stop in the far left lane. Though I am amused, it becomes ap-parent that Officer Hulse is not. He quickly explains that driving without headlights is often the sign of a drunk driver, and that stopping in the left lane is a sign of blatant misconduct. He tells me to stay in the car as he goes to talk to the driver, and I immediately become aware of the constant state of danger a police officer is in. This driver could be drunk, angry or a serial killer,

and it’s an officer’s job to confront him.I watch as Officer Hulse walks back

to the car and motions to the right side of the road again. The car pulls over (now in the correct lane) and we follow as I silently cheer for safety. This time I am allowed to exit the car, but can only exit around the back, “In case the driver is dangerous and tries to back up into you,” says Officer Hulse. Frightened, I scurry around the back and hide behind the officer as he checks for license and registration. He also does a sweep of the car with his flashlight, and ever so discreetly, leans in (to check for the smell of alcohol) and searches for blood-shot eyes. We retreat to the back of the car where he checks the plate number and identification of the vehicle. No warrants, seemingly no trouble. Just an older gentleman who thought his head-lights were already turned on.

10:43 p.m. We are driving downtown, looking for a call to take and listening to the police scanner. An-other officer reports a traffic stop nearby and soon reports the vehicle is not

pulling over. The officer begins to give a vehicle description, and as we wait at a traffic light, we watch the officer and car pass through the intersection, sirens blaring. The car does not appear to be stopping. We are now in pursuit of the vehicle as well, along with two down-town bicycle cops. The first pursuing officer commentates over the scanner, “The driver is heading west and is clock-ing in at three miles per hour.” Despite this driver’s sheer misconduct, there is gut-wrenching laughter.

The pursuit continues for another minute or so as more officers join the parade, and I wonder whether this man is honestly attempting to evade the cops, or is the stupidest person on earth. Eventually he pulls over and is ordered out of the vehicle. Six police units sur-round his vehicle; many have it at gun-point. The driver emerges, hands in the air, and I realize that every bit of this is real. In an apologetic attempt, the driver explains, “I was trying to find a place to pull over.” He is quickly handcuffed and breathalyzed at twice the legal limit.

As the formalities are taken care of, I

speak with another officer on the scene. I explain the two situations I’ve seen so far and he smiles. “You’ll get better calls as it gets later,” he says. Better? Some-thing about the excitement in his voice scares me.

We drive away with one less drunk driver on the road.

11:11 p.m. We receive a call for a runaway juvenile. We are asked to report to the home and speak with the child’s mother. Officer Hulse explains that most runaway calls are usually a combination of false alarms and strict parenting. Most are just children who don’t call home for a few hours, or go out with friends, ignoring curfews and rules. Despite this, we head to the apart-ment complex to speak to the child’s mother. Upon arrival, we find that he is once again right on target. The mother explains that her son violated his house arrest, but knows exactly where he is. The only reason she called was because her son’s parole officer required he be re-ported as a runaway. After a few phone calls, we are on our way again.

I knew this would be better than “Reno 911.” If nothing else, it would actually be taking place in Northern Nevada, and not parts of Oregon and Los Angeles. Palm trees in Reno…who do they think they are kidding? After years of watching

these melodramatic actors make a mockery of Reno, and after fi-nally moving here to experience the culture myself, I had to see if it was true. Not just for “Reno 911,” but for every bad cop show rife with bad action sequences and stupid criminals. Do cops really use that many one-liners, and are people really this ignorant? To deter-mine the answer, I did what any curious crime-lover would do—I went on a ride along.

WORDS BY TaRa VERDEROSaPHOTOS BY SEBaSTiaN DiaZ


[per

spec

tives

] THE REAL ‘RENO 911’


11:40 p.m. Officer Hulse receives a call that he seems reluctant to take. 1032 means the suspect is armed, he explains. He weighs the idea of tak-ing me on the call, and I silently pray he remembers his promise to keep me alive. We head in the direction of the call as we read the report from dispatch. A 12-year-old boy reported seeing a man with a gun in an apartment complex. Although he hadn’t made any threats or done any damage, the behavior is suspi-cious. We, along with one other police unit, circle the area first looking for the gun-wielder, and then a described vehicle that he was in. The area proves to be both empty and silent.

12:12 a.m. A woman is request-ing that we search a building she is

working in, which she believes may have been broken into. Once we arrive, she explains that someone has been calling 911 from the first floor of the build-ing. However, everyone working in her office is upstairs and accounted for. The building is locked and secured, but the calls are still being made. The woman also explains a possible suspect, someone that has been bothering her and her family for the past three years. With no other information, we head into the building and begin searching. Watching Officer Hulse, gun drawn and cautiously entering rooms, I become aware of the situation’s vulnerability. I curse that I don’t have a bulletproof vest. I am frus-trated that the only thing I am armed with is a set of keys, which doesn’t really compete with a handgun.

Each room is checked at gunpoint as I make an effort to stay as close to the wall, and out of window’s sight, as pos-sible. It is only in situations like these that you can become truly aware of the risk that our officers face daily. With a gun drawn is sometimes the only way to face a situation. Any traffic stop, search, burglary or confrontation can become fatal. I become fully aware of this as we continue to search the build-ing. We eventually hit every room, but find no one. There is little we can do at this point except search the surround-ing area.

As we drive around running plate numbers and waiting for another call, we talk about police jurisdiction and the rules officers abide by. We discuss a few of the cases that night that we showed up too late for. The trouble is, there is a fine line between commit-ting a crime and suspicious behavior. A man walking around with a gun in public is perfectly legal (assuming he has a permit), but the moment that gun is fired, it becomes a crime. A man calling or coming to the work place of a woman isn’t illegal, but when it becomes incessant and unwanted, it becomes a crime. The trouble is, how do you stop one po-tentially dangerous act from turning into a crime? It’s difficult.

1:26 a.m. We make another traffic stop. The driver has a taillight out and is extremely compliant. As I make my way around the back of our car (making a conscious effort to not be run over), Officer Hulse tells me to always stand behind the window when addressing a driver. If he were to pull a gun, we would be much harder to shoot at that angle. I keep that in mind and stand much further back than necessary. On the inside, I think he is laughing at me. We run identification and plate numbers to find nothing. We issue the man a warning and head on our way.

We drive around making more traffic stops, and waiting for a call as Officer Hulse begins to explain why

he didn’t ticket the last driver. While I haven’t said anything aloud, my confu-sion must be apparent. We’ve issued a fair amount of warnings this evening, but few citations. I wonder where the ticket-giving Nazi street cops are hiding tonight, because I don’t feel as if I’ve encoun-tered any. He explains that cops aren’t out to make society miserable. He explains that he was a teenager once, he got tickets once, and he doesn’t cite people for fun. I ask if cops have a ticket quota to fill. He laughs and says no. I sense a good cop speech coming on, but again resist my urge to label the situation as such. Everything he says is real, and honest. True to his word, he only cited people who seemed to be purposely and recklessly endangering everyone else. Minor mistakes happen to everyone.

1:50 a.m. A business reports that two of their employees appear to be steal-ing computers from its office. The report reads that employees are tossing “broken”

computers into dumpsters and then removing them late at night for personal use. One of these burglaries is underway at the moment. Unfortunately for us, the burglary is taking place in Stead, and we are in north Reno. For the first time that

evening, we really get to fly. The lights flash, the sirens blare, and we are flying North on 395. My ears touched.

After making it there in what could only be described as record time, we meet with another unit to search the area. What I didn’t realize

was that searching for dumpster burglars requires (you guessed it) searching IN dumpsters. So ‘round the building we go, searching the perimeter as I watch the two other officers climb in and out of dumpsters. We unfortunately did not find any burglars or computers. Back to the car, feeling mucky.

2:30 a.m. Another burglary is reported just outside of downtown Reno at a prominent local business. I’d love to say who, I really would, but in this case my hands are tied (or maybe more appro-priately, cuffed). This call sounds major. Units from around the area are flying to

the burglary and though frightened, I am anticipating another building search. The scanner announces that someone heard glass breaking in the area, and the suspect likely entered through a window. By the time we get to the scene, an investigation is underway and the suspect is cited. It is our job to circle the surrounding area. Suspect description: a white male wear-ing boxer shorts. Officer Hulse and I go silent for a moment, before bursting into laughter once again.

During the remaining two hours on the road, we visit a few loud parties (though I, unfortunately, did not see any of my classmates), report to two family disturbances and arrive at the scene of a stabbing. At each stop, I watch as the Reno Police officers work quickly and effi-ciently to maintain the safety of the area. I listen to Reno’s finest making outlandish statements and acting out in outrageous behavior. I exit the police car for the final time, smiling because Officer Hulse has kept me alive for the evening. After my six hour expedition, I decide that he is in fact a good cop. And as I remember the boxer-wearing burglar, I note that “Reno 911” should take some tips from these cops. The real Reno 911 is much more entertaining.

“It is our job to search the surrounding area. Suspect description: a white male

wearing boxer shorts.”{12 | Insight | OctOber 2010


The Knitting Factory’s operations manager, Cisco Flores, greets me at the front of the club around 6:00 p.m. on a Friday night, as local metal band Haf~Ded is doing a sound check. He takes his

lead event usher, Mike Neilson, and I downstairs to a tucked away room full of stacked metal chairs. It’s only about an hour into their shift, and the two seem relatively relaxed about the long night ahead. I ask them if a metal band’s riotous audience was a cause for concern, or meant they had to work extra hard that night. The two men shrug and shake their heads, exuding their primed-for-anything attitude. Flores explains Haf~Ded has performed at the venue before and the show was no more hard to manage than any other rock show taking place during the week.

“Pretty much everyone’s well-behaved,” Flores says. “Locals know us. Everyone’s welcome to come back and play.”

Flores worked in this business in Los Angeles before coming to Reno. Since the club circuit keeps in touch, club managers will often send out warnings to other venues about problems with a particular act, as a heads up for what they may have to deal with. Since Flores has done this job for six years, acts and crews will remember him, and some members have even worked for him. He says the Knitting Factory’s been met with little hardship, even with those supposed troublemakers emails have alerted them about.

“They’re regular people just like us,” Flores says. “Just be-cause they have their hair up, or piercings or whatever, they’re

regular people. They’re nice. You meet a lot of interesting people doing this kind of work.”

While working a Blind Boys of Alabama show in Los Angeles, Flores recalls meeting, whom he considers, the most interesting person he has ever met.

“I got a phone call from a bodyguard (say-ing) ‘I got Prince in the car’,” Flores says.

Along with chatting with Prince and getting him a long island iced tea, Flores witnessed Prince do a surprise performance of three songs during the show.

“Artists are friends with other artists,” Flores says. “They’ll come up and won’t say anything (beforehand).”

Neilson agrees that he’s had some enjoy-able times with some of the acts who have performed in Reno.

“Snoop Dogg was pretty cool to me,” Neilson says. “He was very welcoming and friendly.”

Of course, operations in a concert venue aren’t all about meet and greets with big-name artists.

“You deal with a lot of drunk people and mad people all in one venue,” Flores says. “In a busy show, you’re gonna have people who are gonna be upset.”

Flores says merely talking to those who have had too much to drink and listening to what they have to say can make a substantial difference in their behavior.

“You tell them to breathe, ask ‘What’s the issue? What’s the problem?’ Basically, you just listen. You gotta be able to listen, keep your cool, and learn how to deal with their prob-lems without going into physical confronta-tion.”

Neilson agrees that listening to intoxi-cated or upset concertgoers usually proves to be the best solution.

“Drunk people are usually pretty simple,” Neilson says. “They’re usually just upset (rather) than have a lot of real issues.”

Neilson goes on to explain that, in the nine months the Knitting Factory has been open, the employees at the club have established a rapport with the patrons. People who regularly at-tend the Knitting Factory have been there 10 or 20 times now.

“Even the people you’ve had problems with, you’ve seen them before. It’s (eventually) not a problem because you have a good relationship with people.

Flores adds having solid relationships with other entities in the city in addition to patrons can ease operations within the venue.

“Some places have cops at the door, but we have a really good relationship with Reno PD,” Flores says. “We really enforce underage drinking and we haven’t had any issues.”

Flores repeats this statement about not having any issues throughout the interview and that sentiment is shared by Nielson. Towards the end of the interview, a member of the Haf~Ded party asks Flores if they can eat. I look out to see a full buffet of hot, delicious-looking food and a line of band members, crew members, family and friends with plates wait-ing hungrily. Flores gives them the go-ahead, proving that if an act behaves and keeps people coming, they’ll get treated very well by Flores and his crew.

CONFESSIONS OF A BOUNCER

WORDS BY SaM DiSaLVOPHOTOS BY SEBaSTiaN DiaZ

CiSCO fLORES is the operations manager at the Knitting factory.

MiKE NEiLSON is the lead usher at the Knitting factory


A young poet takes on per-forming her own poems on stage after meeting a teacher who posted flyers about

Poetry Out Loud. A feminist poet is hoping to get her poems published in a book to hand out at shows. A two-gui-tarist band is first recognized for their sport careers before the city started to recognize their harmony together. An artist started out getting in trouble at school for his art, but now, his art is featured inside a popular coffee house.

Performing artists in music and spoken word go through the day as normal people doing typical activities like going to school and putting in hours at their jobs. But, by night, they bring their talents to the stage where they share their original songs and poems as well as covers and memorized

verses. These types of art events give many poets, artists, and musicians a chance to make a name for themselves by performing for an audience.

“It’s talented down here,” a dedicated open mic fan Chelsea Showalter says. “It’s very diverse. It’s fun and really outgoing. It really has a sense of what Reno has to offer.”

Spoken word is meant to be heard: Vulnerability, Slams & Excitement

A poem about rape is Emily Orel-lana’s favorite of the one’s she has writ-ten. It was a real life experience that happened to her, but she’s not ashamed to share it.

“Everything that people don’t want to talk about I feel it’s the perfect setting,” says the 17-year-old. “The more personal something is the more

I like it. It makes it more vulnerable. It’s one thing that everyone is silent about. It’s something to be able to write about that and be applauded for it; it’s really special.”

Orellana is one of the poets in Spo-ken Views’ collective. She started writ-ing poetry in middle school during an English class, but when she met her mentor Jeremy Pantoja (known as Pan) in high school, she found her calling in poetry.

Pan showed Orellana Poetry Out Loud for high school students when she was 15, and from there, he intro-duced her to Spoken Views.

“It was after I started getting involved with Poetry Out Loud that I decided that it’s something I really like to do, and I want to write my own poetry,” Orellana says. “The first [time]

after I performed with them, I consis-tently started coming out every month. It started to become the normal thing for me to do.”

Orellana has been involved in Poetry Out Loud for the last two years, repre-senting Nevada in the national compe-tition. The second time she competed, she made it into the top nine state competitors.

“Never stop creating,” she advises other poets. “Share your poetry and don’t keep it in a book.”

One of Orellana’s biggest dreams is to be a part of Write Bloody Publish-ing, which is a poetry publishing com-pany that tours around. A few Write Bloody members come to the Univer-sity of Nevada, Reno during the year.

“Your mind will be blown,” she says. “If you didn’t like spoken word before you’ll definitely like them.”

Spoken Views originated in 2006 as a spoken word open mic event for poets to share their pieces on stage. Founders Iain Watson and Tony Walk-er got together with other passionate poets to put together Spoken Views and its collective.

“The reason we created it [is] because there’s a lack of presence in po-etry at open mics,” Walker says. “Basi-cally, you know, that people deserve the chance to speak their views like get heard… I mean, a lot of times, when you really get into what you’re read-ing and people are passionate about what they’re read-ing, it’s almost like theatre.”

Spoken Views has their readings at 8 p.m. on every third Wednesday of the month in the West Street Market. They ask

for a three dollar fee from audience members. The money supports their event and helps promotion.

“It’s a free expres-sion; it’s the freest expression you can get,” Watson says. “It’s very satisfying. You put time into it. You perform it. People respond to it. People give positive feedback. You take something from it. Writing is a reflec-tion of yourself. It’s like a journal.”

Spoken Views strives for a welcoming and community-based event for all ages and talents. The collective also reaches out and work with poets from other towns and states on a regular basis, add-ing to their ever-expanding “group of collaborators.”

A stranger in a passing car called Elisa Garcia “fat.” Her lover said she was too young to understand, at six years apart in age. Both of these life events became a good source of inspira-tion for her poetry.

“I tend to write poetry about real-life experiences whether it be like the

first day of a new high school or being dumped by a boy – just little things that kind of help me vent a little bit,” Garcia says. “I’ve gotten a lot of people that say that they relate to what I’ve been though.”

Her “fat poem” was written as a form of retaliation to the stranger in a passing car. Instead of becoming angry about the situation, she found it hilarious.

“Even being like a chubby kid in high school, I’ve never gotten made fun of – never to my face anyways,” Garcia says. “And so, I’m out of high school, and someone just shouted that at me. I’m going to talk back to them so it’s about that, but it’s also about being able to accept yourself for who you are.”

Her first poem was called “Hello Old

By seven o’clock, darkness falls upon the city of Reno. The night is still quite young. Local talents are

just beginning to peak up from the hidden parts of town. It’s an art scene at night.

WORDS BY ViCKi TaMPHOTOS BY COURTNEY SPaNGLERiLLUSTRaTiON BY CHELSEa HOUSTON

“Basically, you know, that people deserve the chance to speak their views like get heard… I mean, a lot of times, when you really get into what you’re reading and people are passionate about what they’re reading, it’s almost like theatre.”

{



Man.” It was about a 25-year-old lover who told a then 19-year-old Garcia that she was too young and she didn’t understand.

“So I kind of made fun of him a little bit,” she says about her poem. “It really [is] just a humorous piece....”

Having written many poems that girls can relate to, Garcia said she’s been called a feminist poet.“I think it’s because it’s a great way for me to express my feelings towards anything, as cliché as it sounds. It helps me sort of cope with things,” she says. “Say, I can’t handle a breakup and I’m really

upset over it. Then if I write something about it, it kind of adds closure for me. I like to talk about things that some-times, people are afraid to talk about.”

One poem that is among her favorite is a team piece she co-wrote with Orel-lana for Speak Your Mind, a hip-hop event. It is a piece about self-image among girls.

“We don’t have a title for it at all, but it was a piece about, again, image: how being a girl we shouldn’t have to worry so much about hair and makeup and whether we are a certain size just

to please a man,” Garcia says. “[It was] set on a persona [of ] a girl who wor-ries about [how] her boyfriend’s going to leave her because she doesn’t look good enough for him. Her jeans aren’t fitting well, and you’re supposed to be perfect and beautiful for him all the time. We’re trying to get it out there that, as long as you’re comfortable with yourself, you don’t have to fall into all the different fads.”

At first, Garcia admitted she didn’t like poetry, but when she went to her first slam poetry competition, she realized that poetry isn’t restricted to certain structures and rhymes.

“When you write poetry, you have your own rules,” Garcia says. “You don’t have to follow rhymes. You don’t have to do a certain style. You don’t have to write about a subject that your teacher assigned you. You have all this freedom with it. It’s kind of like having a secret and sharing it with everyone.”

Garcia is in the process of putting together a poetry book to sell at her shows. She believes this will be worth it despite how much it may cost her.

“I’m so thankful to be a part of a poetry collective that’s well-known as Spoken Views in Reno and the people in it has become really good friends and some of them are even like family,” she says.

She advises new poets to allow the audience into their head and to be hon-est in their poetry.

“Allow yourself to be vulnerable be-cause after you let people in your head a little bit, you can write about anything, and don’t be afraid to read at an open mic. Even if it’s awful like the first time, I read my poetry,” Garcia laughs. “It’s a great experience and you’ll grow from performing in front of a crowd.”

Entering the jungle of artistic talent: Open mics and featured art

Their band name started out an “easy and simple” name to remem-ber, but a text message typo made the name unique compared to all the other Makeshift bands found online. Maekshift, a two-woman band per-

forms songs in an acoustic style, adding in anything they can to enhance their original pieces. Maekshift has written a total of 11 original songs.

“I can’t really pinpoint an actual style that we have because we change every-thing we do so much,” Gina Bianchi, 18, says. “Once you get a little taste of it, you don’t want it to end.”

Sara Lancaster, 17, adds that per-forming allows them to have complete control over their work and expand their sound.

“We like to do covers that people won’t expect to think we could play on the acoustic guitar. We don’t like to limit ourselves.”

With five-years of guitar experience and no singing lessons, both Bianchi and Lancaster of Maekshift are getting known for their harmony singing and guitar playing at open mics such as at Java Jungle’s.

“It’s weird because our talking voices are different...a lot of people, when we sing, they can’t tell who is who,” Bianchi says. “It’s just kind of cool how that worked out.”

Both girls started out being recog-nized by publications for their sports careers: Bianchi for basketball and Lancaster for basketball and soccer. Now, they are getting known for their music in the mere six months they have been singing together.

“We don’t like playing by our-selves very much at all,” Lancaster says. “We’re much more comfortable with each other. … I can’t see myself [playing by myself ]. It’s like a missing piece.”

Although Bianchi is going to college near Portland, Oregon, their music will not stop. Instead, they feel like it will only broaden their music.

“Even though it’s kind of hard for us right now because, I mean, every-thing is just getting started for us, but we’re kind of looking at it as an op-portunity to expand our musical prog-ress,” Bianchi says. “You’ll never know, we could be in the right place at the right time, and it’s kind of increasing our odds of more people hearing us.

We’re kind of looking at it as more of a positive thing than negative.”

Bianchi and Lancaster appreciate all the support and believe it really helps motivate them as a band to keep do-ing what they love.

“Never give up,” Bianchi advises other artists. “Hopefully, you won’t ever have to go through any negative comments, but if that happens, it happens. Just ignore it and do what you love because the odds are that someone you meet will love it too and that’s all that matters.”

Juan Bonilla’s paintings are featured on the walls inside local coffee shop Java Jungle on medium and large canvases. Bonilla is a local artist who mixes media graffiti with different art designs, such as architectural tech-niques.

“Growing up in Los Angeles, I was brought up around graffiti,” Bonilla, 26, says. “I got in trouble for [doing graffiti in school] and [it] evolved from that. It’s pretty much what my life revolves around: doing art.”

Java Jungle hosts open mics every Monday at 7 p.m. and sign-ups are at 6:30 p.m. This event is free. These open mics started before both open mic coordinators Artie Richmond and Eric Bowen came to the Jungle.

“I just feel that it’s a place where you can be yourself and do what you love no matter what it is,” Bowen says. “Another good thing about this open mic is [it’s] a great place for network-ing like musically and poetically. I mean, this is where a lot of local talent comes from. It starts here. It’s an op-portunity to get to know the commu-nity and people you’ve never met.”

Open mics at Java Jungle aren’t restricted to just music or just po-etry. Inside the coffee house, there is featured art from local artists every month on the first Thursday.

“Through the open mic, you realize how much talent there is in Reno. It’s just all of us in our collective of inspiration in Reno, Nevada,” Rich-mond says. “I definitely want to say that it’s so important to the commu-

nity to support local art, support local business, support local music, local comedy, local plays, and local what-ever. That’s what we do and we hope that people come out to support that.”

On Sundays, the Jungle also has a schedule of performing bands at 8 p.m. in which musicians have to contact Java Jungle to book a spot. All types of music are welcomed.

“I always encourage [beginning performers] because that’s where the torch keeps going; it just goes from there,” Bowen says. “We inspire them so much to where they want to come share their stuff - what they felt inside because poetry is more than just words on pieces of paper; it’s a feeling. It’s something that we believe in. It’s an emotion. It is all that wrapped up in one, and it’s the inspiration that comes from it that inspires other people. And that’s the beauty of it. No matter if you’re just starting out or if you’ve been here for awhile, you can still get inspired. The inspiration never stops.”

For more information on Spoken Views, visit the collective’s Facebook page:

Spoken Views Reno or contact them at [email protected]. For more in-formation on Write Bloody Publishing, visit their Facebook page: Write Bloody

Publishing.

For more information about Java Jungle’s open mics and featured art, call 775-329-4484. To contact Maekshift, look for their Facebook page: Maek-

shift or [email protected]. To contact, Juan Bonilla, email him at

[email protected].

Be sure to tune in to “Inside Insight” on October 6 at WolfPackRadio.com, 1700 AM to listen to some inspiring readings by local artists.

It’s red, it’s thick and it’s got a lot of stuff in it. It’s a Bloody Mary, an iconic alcoholic beverage that has the power to bring back a ghost if you say its name three times in front of a mirror. It also happens to be one of my favorite cocktails.


[per

spec

tives

]Anyone can twist off the cap of a Corona or pop

the tab on a Pabst, but not everyone can make a good Bloody Mary. The Bloody Mary came into existence after American bartender Fernand Petiot

decided to “spice” up a drink mix of tomato juice and vodka in 1934, according to Cocktailtimes.com. In a stroke of genius, Petiot added pepper (black and cayenne), Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce and lemon juice, and New Yorkers at the King Cole Bar in the St. Regis loved it. The name of the drink is said to be inspired by the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago and a frequent patron named Mary, but it’s also been attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots, who ruthlessly killed her dissenters, and Mary Pickford, Petiot’s favorite Hollywood actress. As long as

it tastes good, I could care less about which Mary is behind my drinking choice.

Taking up a personal quest for the greater good, I decided to find the best Bloody Mary in downtown Reno. Armed with my ID, my pen and paper, and friends willing to split the costs of all these drinks, I headed out on my mission. Like most of you, if I want to go out, I head downtown, so I chose ten bars in this vicinity to take part in my challenge. I judged each cocktail based on price, preparation, garnishes, spice and taste, with taste being the major deciding factor. Here, dear readers, are the worst-to-best rankings of my own personal Bloody Mary bar crawl.

The Best Mary in TownWORDS BY RACHEL WRIGHTPHOTOS BY SCOTT BARNETT



#10: Imperial Bar & Lounge150 N. Arlington Ave. - Price: $6

Imperial’s Bloody Mary has a funky sort of aftertaste to it. I couldn’t tell if it was something about the tomato juice they used, or maybe too much Worcestershire sauce, but I was not a fan. There were bits of garlic in the drink, and it was garnished nicely, but would I come back here for another Bloody Mary? No. Plus, service was really slow and not very friendly.

“I love Bloody Marys for the spice, and there’s something to say about getting food in your beverage,” UNR graduate student Nonie Wainwright, 25, said. It’s a good thing she was drinking water here instead of their Bloody Mary.

#9: The Nugget233 N. Virginia St. - Price: $3

The Nugget made my list of candidates because they ad-vertise having a great Bloody Mary, but it was a letdown. The taste wasn’t bad, but it was different - a little sweeter than any Bloody Mary I’ve had before. There weren’t any garnishes with the drink, and it wasn’t made from a bunch of separate ingredi-ents either. The only real saving grace of it is the price.

#8: Waterfall134 West 2nd St. - Price: $7

This Bloody Mary has some green olives and a lemon slice as a garnish, and I love green olives. It has a peppery tomato flavor, but it wasn’t very spicy. It wasn’t too thick or too watery, either, which is always good. Waterfall’s drink was fine in gen-eral, but it’s expensive for not being more impressive. I’d order something else here.

#7: Biggest Little City Club188 California Ave. - Price: $5

Like The Nugget, the Biggest Little City Club also adver-tises its Bloody Mary. Unlike The Nugget, their Bloody Mary was good. Garnished nicely, it had a perfect spice mix but was a little too peppery. It’s still an affordable choice for a good Bloody Mary, though.

#6: The Wal (Little Waldorf Saloon)1661 N. Virginia St. - Price: $3

Giant green olives, lemon and lime slices and pickled green beans were all featured in The Wal’s Bloody Mary, and giving me lots to snack on makes me a happy camper. Guinness was a not-so-secret ingredient to their cocktail, bartender Brooks Wester-gard told me, and it complemented the tomato juice nicely.

“It takes somebody who likes a good Bloody Mary to make a good Bloody Mary,” Westergard, 21, said.

The Wal also has a lot of price specials for the Bloody Mary, which helps a student budget a lot. During happy hours and on Saturday and Sunday mornings, their Bloody Maries are only $1.99!

#5: St. James Infirmary445 California Ave. - Price: $7

Preparation is what makes the St. James Bloody Mary good. The bartender took his time making the drink just right and that came through in the flavor. It had a good kick to it which left my tongue tingling, but it wasn’t overpowering. The tomato juice was tangy, too, but it mellowed nicely with the pepper. On Sundays, they make their Bloody Maries with bacon in them, too. Bonus points for that, ‘cause I bet it tastes amazing.

#4: Amendment 21 Grill & Sports Bar425 S. Virginia St. - Price: $5

Amendment 21 makes a refreshingly tangy Bloody Mary. It’s got a good thickness to it and isn’t too spicy or peppery. It kind of tastes like cocktail sauce, and while that might sound gross to some, it’s actually really good as a vodka drink. Green olive garnishes only made it better. This Bloody Mary is a solid choice for a relatively good price, too.

#3: Chapel Tavern1495 S. Virginia St. - Price: $6

Chapel is relatively far from UNR if you are walking, but this was the bar EVERYONE told me to go to for the best Bloody Mary. I’m glad I did.

“Anybody can pour some vodka and tomato juice - it’s what you put in it,” says Chapel bartender Joe Bellanger, 25. He stuck to that idea. His Bloody Mary had olives, onions, green beans, pickled radishes and carrots and a pepperoncini pepper in it, and it tasted great. It had a nice smoky flavor and they make their own horseradish-infused vodka, which adds a nice depth to the drink.

#2: Arroyo Mexican Grill (Freight House District)250 Evans Ave. - Price: $6

Now, Arroyo is more of a restaurant than a bar, but I was told that Arroyo made the best Bloody Mary in the Freight House District, so off I went. Wonderfully gar-nished and made from scratch with a bunch of ingredi-ents, this Bloody Mary reached second place because of its fresh lemon juice flavor and a dash of sweet and sour. It’s got a spicy kick, but all of the separate flavors still come through. I even woke up the next day still thinking about it. It’s that good.

Ole Bridge Pub pulled an upset. Chapel and Arroyo were tied for first

place before I got to this Bloody Mary. That should tell you how good Ole Bridge Pub’s cocktail is (and how good Chapel and Arroyo’s are, too). It’s definitely got a spicy kick from the use of straight horseradish, but it lingers for the perfect amount of time to not overpower your taste buds. Like The Wal, Guinness gets poured in, too, but not as much. The taste is cool and refreshing, and I wrote in my notes (yes, I took notes) that Ole Bridge Pub’s Bloody Mary was “simple and bomb.” After nine Bloody Marys, it takes a lot to get excited about their taste again, and Ole Bridge Pub con-quered that feat hands down.

“Love makes a good Bloody Mary, and passion for what you are making,” Ole Bridge Pub bartender Ed Griggs, 29, said That love earned him and his bar first place.

So, that’s it, folks. For the best Bloody Mary in downtown Reno, I would go back to Ole Bridge Pub. However, Chapel bartender Bellanger made a good point - “A Bloody Mary is as good as the bartender, not the bar.” Once you find your favorite spot for a Bloody Mary, make sure you find out who made it, and never let them go.

#1: Ole Bridge Pub50 N. Sierra St. - Unit 5 - Price: $6


Visit us online to find out how to get some of the best Bloody Mary’s around.


Inside, the music drowns out the hub-bub. Johnny Cash plays as a tattered couple maneuver a shopping cart through the tables to sit down.

“We get the pregamers and the endgam-ers,” Pie Face employee Jason Kell says. “The late night tends to bring out the late night crowd.”

Opening an around-the-clock business can have its perks, as well as its drawbacks. In the daytime, customers mosey. As daylight wanes, they stagger. Inhibitions diluted, those same patrons from earlier now have the potential to turn a tame situa-tion dicey.

The daytime crowd typically offers a more hushed atmosphere than its nighttime coun-terpart. It’s also a more of an intimate experi-ence, while the nighttime is more a collective experience—fueled by the pizzeria’s layout.

“There are no booth dividers,” Pie Face co-owner Ryan Goldhammer says. “It’s re-ally set up for a group experience.”

As the night progresses, booze also be-comes a more prominent part of the picture. Liquid courage, however, has yet to be the cause of any confrontations. So far, the clos-est mishap came about when one half-baked “endgamer” decided to spark up a joint.

“The guy was talking to himself when I told him he wasn’t allowed to smoke in here,” Pie Face co-owner Robbie Sell says.

The man responded by throwing his arms up and asking a series of question: “I can’t smoke a joint?” “What are you, a cop?” “You know karate?”

The only thing going through Sell’s mind at this point was, “Am I really gonna have to tackle this guy?” Luckily, as Sell closed the distance between the two, the man turned tail.

“Because of our location, we’re bound to have some street walkers,” Sell says.

The occasional troublemaker is inevitable; however it has proven to be the exception, not the rule.

“There’s definitely a different vibe between the night and day,” Pie Face customer Peter Whitehead says. “Both have been consis-tently good times.”

From the Victorian flair of the ceil-ing to the vintage posters on the wall, the effort put into remodeling is obvi-ous. This diligence is mirrored in Sell’s

work ethic. In fact, it’s rare you ever see him sit down. Even as he’s eating, he’s man-ning the cash register and going over payroll.

“The harder you work, the more you’re rewarded,” Sell says with a mouth full of pizza.

The same can be said of co-owners Goldhammer and Trevor Leppek. When they’re not hustling about the pizze-ria, they’re running errands and finding new ways to ensure the longevity of Pie Face.

“The whole point of the menu is to tie back in to the community,” Gold-hammer says.

Specials like “The Fritz” and “The Beer-can” are evidence of this. Both are tributes—the former to a bygone bar, the latter to a local punk rock band.

“[The Beercan Special] is a homage to friends and cheap beer,” Goldhammer says. It includes a slice of cheese pizza and a Keystone Light for $4.

“It was a mu-tual collaboration,” Beercan drummer Jamie Locks says. “Our guitar player Riff helped remodel Pie Face.”

The term “pie face” has many

definitions. The two that apply to Pie Face refer to food and beer.

“It’s an old school term for being ham-mered,” Sell says. “But it also means getting pie in your face.”

However, quality is not lost on this double entendre.

“If there’s a pizza that we aren’t proud of, we’d rather throw it away than serve it,” Goldhammer says.

This policy also transcends to beer. Apart from hand picking their beer and wine list, a self-titled pilsner is in the works.

“[Pie Face Pilsner] will be light, snappy and crisp.” Goldhammer says. “It’s a beer that aims to compliment our pizza.”

Pie Face Pilsner will be locally brewed by Knee Deep Brewing Company.

“We originally came to them with a pilsner recipe and they loved it,” Knee Deep Brewing co-owner Prashnt Patel says. “From there we just tweaked the recipe—experi-menting with things like mustard oils and paprika spices—to make it more unique.”

Sell, Goldhammer and Leppek have arranged all the makings for a successful venture. For them, it makes no difference whether it’s the sun or the moon illuminat-ing the entrance. The plan is clear: shoot for the stars.

“You set your own limits,” Sell says. “And we have none.”

Pie in the Night Sky It’s hard to miss the impossibly blue “open” sign beaming from the El Cortez Hotel. It pierces through the night, grabbing the atten-tion of boozy socialites. Above the gathering crowd, the white noise of a sign reading “Pie-Face” hums. Outside, the crowd buzzes.

WORDS BY CODY LISKAPHOTO BY SAMANTHA PHISTERER


Pie Face Pizza Co.239 W. 2nd Street775-622-9222

Hours OpenMon-Tues: 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.Wed: 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.Thursday: 11 a.m. - 4 a.m.Fri - Sat: 11 a.m. - 6 a.m.Sunday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

“The whole point of the menu is to tie back in to the community,”

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E ighty five percent of Ne-vada residents gamble at some

point in their lives, and 28 percent gamble at least once a month, according to a report released by the Nevada Gaming Commis-sion in 2002.

By far, most of the gambling that goes on in Nevada occurs at casinos.

They draw in nearly everyone in the region; according to the same report, only 12 percent of residents of the Reno, Sparks and Carson City region have never gambled.

The same report from the Gaming Commission found that young people tend to gamble for fun and entertain-ment, or to win money.

Matt Pope, a 25-year-old criminal justice major, says that gambling is “just fun”.

“It’s just something to do, you waste some time,” Pope says. “It’s a good way to make some money sometimes, as long as you don’t get stupid.”

Pope said that whenever he walks into a casino, he expects to leave with lighter pockets than he came in with.

“If you expect that the money you put down [will belong to] the casinos, it’s more fun,” Pope says. “You don’t have any expectations.”

But despite his attitude, things haven’t always gone so well for Pope. He took his biggest loss one night at a party at a casino. After a night of drinking, Pope said he lost an entire paycheck at black jack and craps tables.

“You just get so angry and frustrat-ed,” says Pope. “When you lose, you don’t like to lose, so you have to try and get it back.”

But there are perhaps ways walk away from a casino with a few extra bucks.

The first important thing to under-stand is the nature of casinos—Sky scrapers and parking garages are not funded by people winning money. In the long run, the casino always comes

out ahead.Gambling at any casino is not a

way to consistent way to make money, Mike Lawton, Senior Research Special-ist with the Nevada Gaming Commis-sion says. The odds of every game in a casino are stacked against the player.

Casinos are just like any other busi-ness, doing their best to make money, Lawton says. He recommends that people think of a casino like a store, where the product for sale is entertain-ment.

“You don’t go to a store hoping to make money, you go to a store looking to buy something,” he says.

When a person goes to a store hop-ing to buy something, he pays a mark-up, a price over the cost of the item in question. In the same way, casinos charge a mark-up for gambling in the form of a house advantage.

Odds are, basically, “just a markup on entertainment [the casinos are] trying to provide you,” Lawton says.

The best way to un-derstand how to come out ahead is to begin with a basic under-standing of the laws of probability or the likelihood of any event occurring. It is usually expressed as a percent or a fraction, which is found by dividing the number of favorable outcomes by the possible outcomes.

Probability relies heavily on the difference between dependant and independent events. Dependant events are events that affect one another. If you draw two cards from a deck with-

out replacing the first card, the events are dependant: removing the first card from the deck makes it impos-sible to draw the same card again.

Independent events have no affect on one another. Flipping a coin is an independent event. Mathematically,

a coin is just as likely to land on heads as tails, regardless of how it landed last time. If you flip a coin 100 times, it is just as likely to land on heads after the first flip as after the ninety-ninth flip, even if the first 99 flips have all been heads.

However, such an occurrence is un-likely, Colin Kupitz, a 21-year-old tu-tor at the University of Nevada, Reno Math Center, says.

“If you take enough trials, [the re-sult] starts approaching the theoretical probability,” Kupitz says.

Kupitz says around 100 trials are enough to make results nearly equal the theoretical probability, but “it’s almost never going to be perfect.”

Casinos use the expected value of a game to calculate the odds of winning money while playing it. The expected value is what an average player can expect to win or lose while playing any

given game. Because the expected value is an average, the result may not be an amount which is possible to win from the game.

“The expected value accounts for all the losses and wins together and averages them out based

on their probabilities,” Kupitz says.When gambling, it is important to

keep in mind the long-term nature of probability. While any individual may be up or down at a given point in the evening, over the long term, their win-ning will always approach the theoreti-cal probability. Casinos use this to their advantage.

PLAYING the GAME

WORDS BY C.W. WiLKiNSONPHOTOS BY MiKE GJURiCH


Take a stroll down Virginia Street one eve-ning and you’ll see a singular sight. The Reno strip, ablaze in its full glory: flash-ing lights, glowing neon signs, and illu-

minated placards telling customers where the loosest slots, best payouts, and most scantily-clad cocktail waitresses can be found. The question remains, can you beat the odds?

In the long run, the casino always comes

out ahead. {


“The casino has way, way more trials than any individual person,” Kupitz says.

Even though there is no way to bend the laws of probability in your favor, there are some strategies which can be employed to come out ahead in the shor¬t term or, at the very least, make your money last longer.

One of the better bets at a casino is the slot machine. Slot machines are run by a computer program, which randomly generates numbers at all times. The computer uses the numbers most recently generated to determine where each reel will stop, according to wizardofodds.com. Because the num-bers are constantly and independently generated, slot machines are neither more or less likely to pay out jackpots as you spend more time at them.

The next payout also has nothing to do with the previous payout. Any individual machine is just as likely to strike gold on the first spin as it is on any other occasion.

In the state of Nevada, slot machines must conform to certain restrictions. Video poker or blackjack machines must have the same expected value as playing the same game at a table. Slot machines must not have a theoretical hold percentage (THP) of greater than 25 percent.

The THP of a machine is a figure similar to expected value—over time, a machine will hold onto money equal to its THP.

Most machines stay well below the state-mandated limit, says Lawton, and the slots that offer the lowest THP are usually video poker, usually having less than five percent THP. The slots that pay the least actually use spinning reels. According to wizardo-fodds.com, another possible way to win money at the slots is by finding progres-sive slot machines with high progressive values. Using these slots, it is actually possible to tip the scales

in your favor, and play with a posi-tive expected value. In these cases the machine will return more money than you put in, on average.

The website, however, warns its visi-tors to be wary of such machines. This fact is common knowledge, it says, “and competition for these games can be severe—fistfights have been known to occur over them.”

For those more inclined to card games, blackjack boasts the lowest house advantage.

In blackjack, players begin by plac-ing a bet. They are then dealt two cards, face down. After each player has been dealt his cards, the dealer deals himself two cards, one face up, the other face down.

The objective of the game is to get a close to 21 points without going over. Each card is worth its face value except face cards (which are all worth 10) and aces, which can count as either one or eleven. The best possible opening hand is an ace, and any card whose value is 10.

If the player is not dealt a 21, then he is given the opportunity to hit or stand. If he hits, he is dealt a new card, whose value is added to his existing hand. If his total ever exceeds 21, he busts and automatically loses.

The best way to play blackjack is to memorize a diagram of odds which dictates when to hit or stand, based on your total, as well as the dealers. Such diagrams can be found on the internet.

If your total is 12 or less, always hit.

In general, if your total is 12 or higher, and the dealer’s shown card is below a 6, stand. As with all strategies, no blackjack strategy will guarantee a fa-vorable result, but if used correctly, an accurate blackjack strategy will reduce the expected loss of any had to only $.75 per dollar bet.

If neither slot machines nor black-jack entertain you, or you can’t be bothered to memorize a complex blackjack table, the best bet in the casino is baccarat.

Baccarat is a card game wherein players bet on who will come out with a better score: the dealer or the player. The specific rules are complex, but in the end, the game is betting on a coin toss.The best bet is always on the dealer, as most casinos take a cut of bets placed on the player.

Many casinos give players a way to keep track of trends at a given table. While this may add entertainment value to playing the game, you will never gain an advantage this way.

As with all other forms of gambling, it is important to remember that hands in baccarat are independent events. One outcome has no effect on the next. Loosing ten hands in a row does not make you more likely to win the next hand.

Casino games are always games of chance, and the odds are always against you.

“There are ways to make money last longer at a casino, but I really can’t tell you how to make money at a casino,”

Lawton says. “If I could, I wouldn’t be here [at work].”

Editors note: This article is intended for entertainment purposes only. Insight Magazine does not condone exces-sive gaming.

Visit us online for an interactive graphic.


The first Homecoming parade took place in 1920, when Nevada took on the Utah Aggies and won 7-3. In 1943, World War II “imposed numer-ous restrictions on festivities” nationwide and

the traditional bonfire was disbanded due to a lack of “fire materials,” according to the ‘43 Artemisia. By 1946, though, Homecoming events were taking place on Nevada’s campus once again, even though an “acute paper shortage” prevented the parade from returning in its full tissue paper glory, accord-ing to the ‘46 Artemisia.

While this campus has a rich history of Homecoming tradi-tions, Nevada has built a stronger foundation in recent years when it comes to the big event. This includes growing budgets, mounting controversy, and new ways to support the Wolf Pack.

Let’s look back at how Homecoming has progressed in the past few years, and brush up on recent moments that made Nevada students laugh, cheer, and get angry.

In 2007, Hollywood came to Reno in the form of Thomas Lennon, actor on the comedy series, “Reno 911!” Lennon, who played Lt. Jim Dangle, was a surprise addition to the 2007 edi-tion of the Homecoming Parade. 21-year-old music major Kyle Kimber, as reported by the Nevada Sagebrush in 2007, said “I was just in shock because I didn’t expect him to be there.”

This edition of the Homecoming Parade was also marred by the fact that several homecoming banners went “missing” after the parade. In a Sagebrush editorial, Eli Reilly, then Director of ASUN Programming, said, “Return the signs and God help you if I ever find them in your house.” The signs were never found, according to the Sagebrush archives.

The next year marked a new beginning in terms of the depth of the Homecoming Parade. The 2008 parade saw a lavish $35,000 budget, up from $12,000 in 2007. The bigger, better

parade was supported by the Homecoming Department, newly created in Spring 2007. The parade aimed to bring more stu-dents out, according to Sagebrush archives, and included im-proved events, more supplies and an overall spending increase. The parade was considered a large success by most observers. It also saw an increase in attendance, which had been historically low in the years leading up to the new and improved edition.

Last year’s edition of the parade also saw more resources put towards it, but also caused more controversy in the form of ASUN billboards around Reno advertising the parade. Many criticized this form of “wasteful spending” and became increas-ingly aware of the large operating budget the Homecoming Parade was starting to rely on. However, 2009, like 2008, saw an increase in attendance and drew numerous students to its wide variety of events. These events included games, barbeques, the annual bonfire and unique events like the RMX show, a music entertainment event, and “Blue Eggs and Ham,” a blue breakfast food event.

Nevada’s Homecoming Parade has experienced a recent rapid evolution in terms of its monetary success and value. With ASUN becoming increasingly aware of the parade’s value as a community and campus event, it appears that the parade will remain a keystone in both campus life and ASUN policy. This year’s edition certainly looks to bring more to the table as ASUN invests in larger events that aim to bring people to-gether, and ensures we never run short on tissue paper again.

In HindsightWORDS BY CaiTLiN THOMaS & RaCHEL WRiGHT

Every October, the tradition of Homecoming shines a light on Nevada’s school spirit with the celebrations of a decorated campus, endless school spirit activities and a fierce, competitive nature in the air.

Homecoming

Visit our website after homecoming for some highlights of the weekend events.

PHOTOS COURTESY Of THE aRTEMiSia

GET MORE INSIGHT AT WWW.UNRINSIGHT.COM

This publication is made possible by the associated Students of the University of Nevada, Reno.

JESS GHISLETTA

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October 2010 Insight Magazine

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