What Would Mark Twain Say?

Having snuggled comfortably into the 19^th century as an impressionist of Mark Twain, I maintain a semblance of comfort through eye-to-eye contact. As an example, I had the luxury of watching this year’s Super Bowl on television with 30 or so old high school pals who shouted their prophesies above the humdrum of the paid announcers…

“Reba McEntire is going to hold that last note like a grudge, just watch! Take the over and watch the game a richer man!” (And he was right.)

Riding a time machine back to 1874 when the super-information highway was the Mississippi River, our mutual friend Mark Twain is said to have been the very first person in the world to apply a typewriter to literature…

“They say The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was the first partially typed manuscript.  It was a Remington, and it threw me into such fits of profanity that I found I was losing my morals, so I gave it to Howells, who hadn’t any morals.” 

We have to believe that Tom & Huck might look a little different to us today if Twain had access to artificial intelligence. And too, Twain’s good friend William Dean Howells might have been a little better off.

Add to that, Alexander Graham Bell bequeathed to Twain the first telephone in a private residence, but he took it out when he didn’t get any calls…

Personally, I have an aversion to AI because it has no thumbs, and I don’t pay much attention to anything that does not have, or had, thumbs. Besides, with not much time left on this curious planet, I’m confident I can get along quite well without AI helping me close my last chapters.

But getting back to Twain’s experience with the typewriter, he wrote from Florence in 1904, “In the beginning, a type-machine was a curiosity. The person who owned one was a curiosity too. But now it is the other way about: the person who does not own one is a curiosity.” 

Over his professional life, Mark Twain was a heat-seeker. He dreamed of being a titan of industry, and thank goodness he failed in those dreams, or we might never have met A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.

As it is, the 18,000 published pages Twain left us are a product of his entrepreneurial excesses and failures. Then there is the dedication of his loving wife and editor, Olivia, and finally, we have the father of American literature.

As is our custom, we shall leave the last word to Mark Twain…

“After a year or two I found the type-machine was degrading my character, so I thought I would give it to Howells. He was reluctant, for he was suspicious of novelties, but I got him to believe things about the machine that I did not believe myself. He took it home, and my morals began to improve, but his have never recovered.”

Audio: https://anchor.fm/mcavoy-layne

Originally Published in The Sierra Sun on 2/23/24, Written by Zoe Meyer

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Last week marked the culmination of the NIAA Alpine Ski State Championships, held at Diamond Peak. On Feb. 13 and 14, North Tahoe High School’s had a remarkable performance, notably by the boys’ team, which consistently dominated with numerous podium sweeps and a presence with four to five racers frequently securing top ten positions. Noteworthy achievements include sweeping the podium at Kirkwood GS on Jan. 29 and securing multiple top positions at the Sugar Bowl Slalom.

“We are so proud of our team. The depth of talent is beyond impressive. It was truly an honor and a pleasure to spend time with these athletes this winter. We have a great group of underclass racers coming up, but we’re going to miss our seniors next year and thank them for four years of quality racing,” Gretchen Sproehnle, Assistant Coach of North Tahoe High School’s Alpine Ski Team, said.  

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Photo Credit: Gretchen Sproehnle

Submitted by Tia Rancourt – North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District

It is not just about wearing red. It is about taking action to prevent heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US. The American Heart Association has resources to help you live a healthier life, eat better, and stay active. Visit their website for valuable tips www.heart.org.

Knowing CPR could mean the difference between life and death for someone experiencing cardiac arrest. The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District (NLTFPD) offers monthly CPR classes to empower you to save lives. Sign up today www.nltfpd.org. Be the “link in the chain of survival”!You can also download the PulsePoint app. This innovative 911-connected app informs you of nearby emergencies and empowers you to help. When someone close by needs CPR, PulsePoint alerts you and guides you to their location. With over 1300 active users in our community, you can follow us, stay connected and if CPR is needed, lend a hand, “Get the app. Save a life.”As the first Heart Safe Community since 2014 in the state of Nevada, we celebrate our community and continue striving to provide the best possible care to our community members.

Originally Published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune on 2/22/24, Written by Brenna O’Boyle

GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA, Calif./Nev. – Proposed amendments to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s code could make Tahoe skies darker. 

So far, the amendments are only proposals that will go through many rounds of input at community and commission meetings this year, but if passed, could put regulations on outdoor lighting. 

TRPA Senior Planner Jacob Stock said at the agency’s Feb. 14 Advisory Planning Commission meeting, “We’re trying to balance dark sky preservation with property rights, of course,” as well as ensuring ease of implementation for property owners. 

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Photo Credit: Ryan Hutton Unsplash

Were it not for some surprisingly fruitful results that I have observed recently, I would consider online dating to be a laughable endeavor. No, it wasn’t that long ago that Mark Twain gave us Adam’s account of noticing Eve: “If she could quiet down and keep still a couple of minutes at a time, it would be a reposeful spectacle. In that case I think I could enjoy looking at her; indeed I am sure I could, for I am coming to realize that she is a quite remarkably comely creature – lithe, slender, trim, rounded, graceful; and once, when she was standing marble-white and sun-drenched on a boulder, with her young head tilted back and her hand shading her eyes, watching the flight of a bird in the sky, I recognized that she was…beautiful.”

Alright, there weren’t many chances for online dating in Adam’s day, nor Twain’s, and I am such a chicken-heart, I could never get up the nerve to try it myself, so I admire folks who can, and do.

Twain met his future wife at a small reunion of the Quaker City excursion, and when scheduled to leave the next morning, he positioned himself on the horsedrawn carriage in such a way that when the horse jumped forward, he fell out onto the driveway and bought himself three more days to recover and woo Livy. Good move. He would say about her after 34 happy years of marriage, and her promotion to glory… 

“She had a heart that was tropically warm. It is in the heart that the riches lie.  A loving heart is riches, riches enough, without it, intellect is poverty, and Olivia possessed a heart of finer metal than any gold that was ever mined or minted. So blessed be that moment that brought us near together and taught me to know the goodness of her heart and the sweetness of her spirit. If ever there was a man who had reason to be thankful for divine providence it is I.” 

I once met a girl in a Honolulu Tiki Bar, that I was sure was going to be my future wife. When she asked me what I did for a living I told her I was a clown diver in a water show and rode a tricycle off ten-meter towers into swimming pools. She excused herself to the powder room and I have not seen her since, though I continue to wait for her call…

As is our custom, we shall leave the last word to Mark Twain, this time from his Diaries of Adam & Eve…

This is Adam at Eve’s grave: “After all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; at first I thought she talked too much; but now I am sorry to have that voice fall silent and pass out of my life. It was better to live outside the Garden with her than inside it without her, as wheresoever she was –there was Eden.”

Audio: https://anchor.fm/mcavoy-layne

Written by Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (LTSF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Atack as its new Executive Director. An accomplished theater professional, Atack’s 20+ years of regional theater experience and commitment to educational programming in the community made him an ideal candidate to deliver on the theater’s mission. Atack will assume his new role immediately – succeeding former Executive Director, Bob Taylor, as part of a planned retirement transition.

“We’re thrilled to elevate an extraordinarily talented and internationally experienced member of our team to the role of Executive Director at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival,” said Patty Jansen, Chair of the Festival’s Board of Directors. “In addition to his robust resume, Joe’s longtime dedication to our company, deep connection to the community that we serve, and passionate commitment to creating exceptional arts experiences will propel the Festival to an exciting future.”

As Executive Director, Atack will join Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee, in leading Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival – working closely with the Festival’s Board of Directors and staff to deliver high-quality theatrical productions and engaging educational experiences to the region.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the Board’s unanimous decision to appoint Joe as Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival’s next Executive Director. It makes all the sense in the world for our company,” said Charles Fee, LTSF’s Producing Artistic Director. “Joe is an extraordinary theater practitioner with a long history with our company…and extensive experience as a producer, educator, and creative artist. Building on our 14-year working relationship together, I look forward to collaborating with him in new and exciting ways to advance the Festival’s momentum of success.”

Atack’s deep knowledge of the Festival and background of experience positions him uniquely for success in his new Executive Director role. He has served LTSF for the past 17 years – most recently as Director of Education since 2011. Originally trained as an actor at the Arden School of Theatre, University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, Joe moved to the United States to join LTSF in 2007 where he helped create the Festival’s signature, in-school education program InterACT. In addition, Atack earned a Master of Science in Arts Administration degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA and served as Producing Artistic Director of the Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company in Reno, NV since 2014.

“I am honored and excited to step into this new role with the Festival,” said Atack of his appointment. “I am proud to call Northern Nevada home and grateful to have worked with so many amazing educators and artists in the community. I am thrilled to work more closely with Charles Fee – leading our dedicated team of staff, artists, and volunteers to build on the Festival’s incredible legacy in the region and continue serving our audiences and community in meaningful ways.”

Originally Published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune on 2/12/24, Written by Brenna O’Boyle

WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. – The Washoe County School District is asking for its community members to participate in an anonymous survey regarding the superintendent search. Incline Village is in Washoe County.

The survey is available until Friday, Feb. 23. It can be accessed at https://www.washoeschools.net/Page/14118 and then select Superintendent Search Survey.

This survey gives Washoe County residents an opportunity to communicate what qualities they would like the next superintendent of schools to have. Input from the community is an important part of the selection process, the press release stated.

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Written and submitted by David Vomund

In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said, “It’s probably time, or past time, to get back to an adult conversation among elected officials about getting the federal government back on a sustainable fiscal path.”  Let’s have that conversation:

For much of my career people have warned about the rising federal debt.  They said that our children and grandchildren will eventually have to pay the price.  It turns out those were the good old days.  The real debt crisis might be just five to ten years away.  

The U.S. national debt topped $34 trillion in early January.  But that number isn’t helpful.  We just know that $34 trillion is a lot … and debt is growing.

Today’s higher interest rates, which might stay higher for longer, increase the government’s borrowing costs.  Currently, the annualized interest expense on U.S. debt is just over $1 trillion.  But that will increase because bonds that yield next to nothing are maturing and they are being replaced with securities that pay 4 to 5 percent.  Here’s the really scary part:  About half of national debt will roll off in the next three years.  If interest rates remain at current levels then ten years from now the amount of tax individuals pay will only cover the interest payments on the debt.   

Debates over government spending pushed congress into chaos several times in 2023, but the threats of closing the government or defaulting on debt do more harm than good.  That’s because they don’t address entitlements, such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which equal half of government spending (add another 12 percent for defense spending).

Social Security is projected in ten years to receive in taxes 77 percent of what they will pay out in benefits.  Benefits will have to be cut by 23 percent.  Has Trump or Biden done anything about that?  Nope, and both have vowed to protect the payments.

What about taxes?  Trump says he won’t increase them and Biden says he won’t raise taxes on households making less than $400,000.  Translation:  tax receipts won’t increase by much.  

What about spending?  Both Trump and Biden raised spending (and so did Bush and Obama), which is why debt and deficits worsened during their terms.  The president that enters office in 2029 won’t be able to ignore this issue.

Fed Chair Powell is right that an ‘adult conversation’ is needed.  Unfortunately, that seldom happens in Washington.  

David Vomund is an Incline Village-based Independent Investment Advisor.  Information is found at www.VomundInvestments.com or by calling 775-832-8555.  Clients hold the positions mentioned in this article.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Consult your financial advisor before purchasing any security.