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Sunday, August 25, 2013

On To The Playa

I must be getting good at this. My final list of needed items numbers an astonishing 5. I know where things are and find myself surprisingly calm about leaving civilization for a week.

The big local changes are amazing. When I first came through here the economy was a mess, the roads were bad and everybody was pretty much country/cowboy or dust covered workers in the mineral business. A year later it was full of great lakes 'easterners' working the hills for gold and in the energy business. A year later those people had brought their familes and had moved from the RV parks to new houses. Then the support busineses took hold and a new crew of workers, mostly Native Amercan, were everywhere. This year the new Walmart is full of Hispanic families shopping for school supplies and bag lunch food. None of the despair and much of the run-down aspect of Winnemucca seems to be gone. Yeah, casinos are a dime a dozen but they were doing OK to begin with.

The big suprize is that Burning Man attendees bring money and everyone is trying to be nice. It is a great change and a real cultural shift. This is inclusion on an amazing scale. The past is past, baby. Dr. King spoke for change 50 years ago. The argument might be made that everything changes but it stays the same. I'm here to tell you that change is happening faster than most of us realize. Eyes open, everyone!

This is the last 'live' entry. I'll keep a bunch of posts in 'draft' and blow you minds next week!

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