FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 4, 2005 Contact Greg Bortolin or John Trent
775-684-5670

CARSON CITY � Gov. Kenny Guinn today announced the latest calculations for the state�s excess funds, revenue projections and other adjustments during a press conference in the Capitol. Based on Monday�s figures from the Nevada Economic Forum, the state budget office estimates that lawmakers will have approximately $92 million in reoccurring �new money,� based on revenue projections and other adjustments, as well as approximately $83 million in �one-shot� excess funds.

�It is important to note that this approximate figure of $175 million stands above and beyond what is already accounted for in my proposed budget,� Gov. Guinn said. �The proposed budget for the next biennium meets the needs of the people � it already funds much-needed property tax relief, invests a record amount in K-12 and higher education, saves the Millennium Scholarship, provides money to make sure that our failing schools meet the needs of our children, puts $200 million into Nevada�s savings account for a rainy day and also funds my proposal for a $300 million rebate for the citizens of Nevada. As we have met the obligations and demands of our people, the citizens of Nevada have every right to expect a dividend of some sort from the state. The responsible course of action would be for the Legislature to pass a budget that includes a rebate for our taxpayers. I am confident that the remaining $175 million provides ample opportunity for lawmakers to fortify projects and initiatives that will benefit the citizens of Nevada.�

With many of the state�s top priorities already met in the Governor�s proposed budget � including a $200 million infusion into the Rainy Day Fund, the $300 million rebate as well as budgeted monies to perpetuate the Millennium Scholarship well into the next decade and perhaps further � the Governor said it is imperative that if any of the remaining $175 million is spent, it should be spent wisely. Gov. Guinn said he has not wavered in his conviction that the $300 million rebate to the citizens of Nevada is the right thing to do.

�I can�t in good conscience tell our people that they don�t deserve some of this windfall that the state is currently enjoying,� he said. �In business, companies that have a good year reward their shareholders with a dividend. Nevada has had a great year, and our citizens certainly deserve something tangible in return.�

"I have put together this guide to answer some questions you may have about the proposed plans to partially privatize Social Security. While private Social Security accounts may sound like a good idea, younger Americans will be left to pay for the massive cost of this plan." .........
...........................................
So what do we do?
Fortunately, Social Security is projected to have a surplus for nearly 50 more years. To extend the financial health of the program to the end of the 21st Century, Congress and the President need to cut the federal budget so we stop borrowing from Social Security. Congress should consider modest adjustments to protect benefits for future generations. Social Security is only one part of retirement security. We must also substantially increase contribution limits and tax credits for IRA�s and 401(k) plans and explore providing a federal match for retirement dollars saved by working Americans.

From: Assemblywoman Valerie Weber[VWeber@asm.state.nv.us]
To: Dr. Tony Tung-tien Lei
Tue, 3 May 2005 12:48:54 -0700

Hi Dr Lei:

I attached a copy of a short biography for you.

Both resolutions will be mailed to you along with remarks made in the Senate regarding a long time friendship between Nevada and Taiwan. I am so pleased to have presented this to the Director General, Mr Mark Liao
and his Consular Officer, Ms Jenny Kuo. I have enclosed a document with remarks I made on the floor of our house.

Your continued work with the WBTI [Washington Business and Technology Institute (華盛頓工商技術研究院)] is to be commended; I was so pleased I was present on April 24, 2005, when the Clark County Commission recognized you and your work in a special proclamation (presented by Commissioner Lynette McDonald to Dr. Tony Lei on the Induction Ball of AARCN-CC at April 24, 2004 in Las Vegas). It is well deserved.

Thank you for our friendship and continued mutual economic interests in the state of Nevada.

Regards,

Valerie E Weber
Nevada Assemblywoman
Clark County District 5
Serving SW Las Vegas

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Valerie E Weber -Biography

Originally from California, Valerie moved to Nevada in 1990 after transferring with her former company, United Blood Services (UBS). She served there as the Technical Director for 10 years. Her undergraduate degree in biological science and specialty in the field of transfusion medicine earned her several medical journal authorships.

She is a 1998 graduate of the Chamber of Commerce�s Leadership Las Vegas program, participated in the Leadership Las Vegas Youth Program, served as a Board member of Habitat for Humanity, working with families that qualified in building their own homes and just completed a four-year term as a member of the Board of Displaced Homemakers, appointed by Governor Guinn in 2000, examining programs and training that reenter women back into the workplace.

Valerie is the owner of Collaborating Solutions, an organizational development (OD) company in Las Vegas, Nevada, creating solid solutions for business improvement. Her greatest strengths are tackling complex problems, determining �root causes� and �blind spots� by offering solutions to improve people and the bottom line. She is accredited in Dr Daniel Goleman�s 360-competency assessment instrument in Emotional Intelligence (ECI).

One of Valerie�s proudest accomplishments was earning her Master�s degree in Organizational Management in 2001. Valerie believes strongly that people in any organization long for positive, constructive feedback and coaching on individual performance and continued development for organizational success.

She currently serves in the Assembly of the Nevada State Legislature representing her constituents in southwest Las Vegas. Valerie has lived in Las Vegas for 15 years and considers it the greatest place on earth to live, work and play.
Revised 031405

---------------------------------------------
Assembly Concurrent Resolution 25
Presented by Valerie E Weber
Clark County District 5
April 28, 2005

Taiwan and its people hold a special place in my heart.

I was invited like so many (at least 20 over the years) from both of our houses in the Legislature and from the Executive branch to visit Taiwan. In October 2003, I was part of an eight member delegation lead by our colleague from District 41.

Before our plane left for those long hours in the air, we were met at the San Francisco Airport by our hosts from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in SF who made our arrangements.
Our seven day journey included meeting with high ranking officials in the Executive Yuan including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Mainland Affairs. We met with the Vice-President, Mrs Annette Lu (who is Harvard educated). We heard an address by President Chen at the annual Double 10 celebration along with viewing its fabulous pageantry; we even visited the Legislative Yuan and watched a debate on the floor.

On the cultural side, we toured Taipei, Taiwan�s capital city on this miracle green island of 23M citizens; we were treated to a plane trip to Haulien, known for its gorgeous marble and visited the breathtaking Taroko Gorge, one of their many national parks.

Our hosts in Taipei, including Charlyne Chen from the NV Economic Development office located in the Taipai World Trade Center arranged for us to meet with businessmen and women to discuss various issues business issues, to tour a state-of-the-art software park, and to explore the Taipai World Trade Center; it was non stop, action packed and we ate until we couldn�t breathe! The entire trip was first class.

In summary, I am grateful for these new friends I made while visiting Taiwan, Republic of China and their love of democracy, prosperity and peace. Some day I hope to return to see continuation of their economic development and see other beautiful parts of the island including a tour of the gorgeous Penghu Islands on the west side of Taiwan.
I urge my colleagues� support of this resolution.

Mr Speaker, may I present to our house at this time to receive these resolutions our very special guests, the new incoming Director General, Mr Mark Liao and Consular Officer, Ms Jenny Kuo. Please accept these resolutions in appreciation of our thanks and for a long continuing friendship. Please feel welcomed in our house.

---------------------------------------------
BRIEF REMARKS REGARDING DIRECTORS GENERAL
FOR TAIWAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
APRIL 28, 2005
AS THE RESOLUTION INDICATED, DIRECTOR GENERAL MATTHEW LEE HAS EFFECTIVELY OVERSEEN THE OPERATIONS OF THE TAIPEI ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL OFFICE IN SAN FRANCISCO. I KNOW WE ARE ALL GRATEFUL FOR THE ENDURING BOND HE HAS FACILITATED BETWEEN THE STATE OF NEVADA AND THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON TAIWAN. WE WISH MR. LEE WELL AS HE BEGINS HIS NEW DUTIES AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TAIPEI MISSION TO LATVIA.

I ALSO WANT TO WELCOME MARK LIAO WHO WILL TAKE OVER AS DIRECTOR GENERAL AT THE SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE IN JUNE. MR. LIAO HAS A VERY DISTINGUISHED RESUME, AND I AM SURE HE WILL CONTINUE TO FOSTER THE EXCELLENT RELATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN BUILT BETWEEN NEVADA AND THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON TAIWAN. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH MR. LIAO AS WE CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON TAIWAN AND THE STATE OF NEVADA.
W54704

PARADISE DEMOCRATIC CLUB OF LAS VEGAS' "OUTSTANDING DEMOCRAT OF THE YEAR RECEPTION" was HONORING U. S. Senator Harry Reid as "THE OUT STANDING DEMOCRAT OF THE YEAR" 2004. This year's event was held on Monday May 2, 2005. 6:30 to 8:45 Cocktails and Photos 6:30 programs started at 7:30 Bally's Grand Ball Room.*1

In the beginning of the Event, U. S. Senator Harry Reid took pictures and chatted with many of the attendents including Justice of the Supreme Court Michael Douglas, District Judges Valorie Vega and Michael Cherry, District Judge of Family Court Cheryl Moss, North Las Vegas Judge Natalie Tyrrell, Washington Business and Technology Institute President Dr. Tony Lei, among others.

John Ponticello, President of Paradise Democratic Club Las Vegas, announced the Co-sponsors of this Event and Champagne Party:
Sierra Health Servoices Inc.; Proggemeyer Design Group; Fraternal Order of Police; Marilyn & John Moran, Russel Dorn; NSEA, Terre Hickman and Ken Lance; Barrick Goldstrike Mines Inc.; International Game Technology; Southwest Gas Corp.; Seet Metal Workers International Association, Michael J. Sullivan; IATSE Local 720; Mandalay Bay Resorts; Police Protective Association, David Callas; Washington Business and Technology Institute, Dr. Tony Lei, President; Harrah's Entertainment, Jan Jones; Shelley Berkley; among others.*2

Then, John presented the Grass Roots and Recognition Awards to BJ Thomas, Suzi Baldwin, Dan Hinkley, and Sally Laskowski.

The heightlight of the Event was the presentation of the Outstanding Democrat of the Year 2004 Award to U. S. Senate Minority Leader and Senator Harry Reid by the President of PDCLV, John Ponticello. Harry dilivered a remarkable speech to unite the democrats for our community, state, and country.

"Dear Friend: We are proud to serve as Co-chairs for the Paradise Democratic Club�s �Outstanding Democrat of the Year� 2004 Champagne Reception honoring our dear friend, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. This year�s event will be Monday May 2, 2005 at Bally�s hotel in the Grand Ball Room 6:30 to 8:45 PM (cocktails and complementary photos with the Senator at 6:30 with the program starting at 7:30). Please consider sponsoring this event by purchasing a table of 10 for $350 or individual tickets may be purchased for $35 each.*3

As a lasting tribute to Harry, we will produce a commemorative journal. To make the evening a success, we need your support. Please also consider purchasing an ad in the journal. The Paradise Democratic Club [of Las Vegas] (PDCLV) uses proceeds from the sale of these ads to assist Democratic candidates.*4

We are anxious to make this event special for Harry, because of his beliefs in the ideals and principals of the Democratic Party and because he has always been there for us. If you have any questions, please call John Ponticello*5 at 363-2456 or Gary Hallmark at 871-1835.
Sincerely," announced Richard Bryan, U.S. Senator; Oscar B Goodman Mayor, Las Vega City Mayor; and Rory Reid, Clark County Chairman.

The following is a part of the article written for Senator Harry Reid being awarded "Outstanding Democrat of the Decade," by Tiffany Chang.*6

On October 22, 2000, U. S. Senator Harry Reid received the "Outstanding Democrat of the Decade" 1990's Award from the Paradise Democratic Club of Las Vegas (PDCLV) at the Skyview Room of the Bally's Casino and Hotel, Las Vegas. In the Program, the National Anthem was sung by Rose McKinny James. The Event was chaired by the President of PDCLV, John Ponticello. He introduced participants of all the elected officers, leaders of unions, persons campaigned for public service, among others. The Keynote Speaker was Senator Harry Reid. Special Speakers were former U. S. Senator Richard Bryan, U. S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, among others. Comments were offered by Rory Reid, Nevada State Democratic Party Chairman, and Danny Thompson, Secretary/Treasurer of Nevada State AFL-CIO.

The heightlight of the Event was the presentation of the Outstanding Democrat of the Decade Award to U.S. Senator Harry Reid by the President of PDCLV, John Ponticello. U. S. Senator Reid graduated from Utah State University in 1961. He received Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University. On April 10, 1998, he was honored as Advisor and Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI).*7

Harry Reid was born in the mining town of Serchlight, Nevada where he was raised in a small cabin without indoor plumbing. He attended a two-room elementary school. His father was a hard rock miner with an 6th grade education. His mother helped the family make ends meet by taking in laundry.*8

Serchlight had no high school, so he had to attend Basic High School in Henderson where he met Landra Gould, who became his high-school sweetheart. In 1959 they were married. In 1961, their first child and only daughter Lana was born. Son Rory was born in 1962, and three more brothers followed -
Leif, Josh, and Key. Basic High was also where Reid met a teacher named Mike O'Callaghan who would play many roled in his life: teacher, boxing coach, political mentor, trusted advisor and best friend.

After completing law school, Harry returned to Henderson to serve as City Attorney. In 1968, he was elected to the Nevada Assembly, 1970 Harry was elected Lieutenant Governor. In 1977, he was appointed Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. In 1983, he won the first of two terms in the United States House of Representatives.

He was elected to the Senate in 1986. In 1998, Harry was elected to his third term as US Senator and his colleagues selected him as Assistant Democratic Leader - the second highest post among Democrats in the Senate.

After he won a fourth term in 2004 by a wide margin, he was unanimously elected Senate Democratic Leader. This position, combined with his reputation for integrity and fairness, has given the small state of Nevada a uniquely influential voice in Washington. Harry Reid isn't afraid to speak his mind - but he isn't afraid to listen, either. Like the desert country that formed him, he doesn't cry out for attention. He's soft spoken-but when hw talks, people listen. He has earned the trust of both Democrats and Republicans, and his reputation for integrity and fairness has given the small state of Nevada a powerful voice in Congress.*9

---------------------------------------------
References

*1. Ponticello, John. 'Invitation infomation about our event,' "An e-mail to Dr. and Mrs. Tony Lei from the President of the Democratic Paradise Club John Ponticello," (March 9, 2005), Las Vegas, Nevada: Democratic Paradise Club of Las Vegas.
*2. PDCLV. 'Co-sponsors of the Event on May 2, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada by PDCLV,' "A commemorative journal of PDCLV," (May 2, 2005), Las Vegas, Nevada: The Paradise Democratic
Club.
*3. The Paradise Democratic
Club. '�OUTSTANDING DEMOCRAT OF THE YEAR� 2004 U.S. SENATE MINORITY LEADER HARRY REID,' "An e-mail from President John Ponticello of the Paradise Democratic Club to Dr. Tony Lei," (April 15, 2005), Las Vegas, Nevada: PDCLV.
*4. Ibid.
*5. Mr. John Ponticello is the President of Paradise Democratic Club of Las Vegas (PDCLV).
*6. Chang, Tiffany. 'Senator Harry Reid awarded Outstanding Democrat of the Decade,' (2000), "Nevada Examiner," Las Vegas, Nevada: Nevada Examiner.
*7. Ibid.
*8. PDCLV. 'On U. S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid,' "A post card delivered at the Event and Party on May 2, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada by PDCLV," (May 2, 2005), Las Vegas, Nevada: Paradise Democratic Club of Las Vegas.
*9. Ibid.

Sunday, May 01, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

PROBLEM GAMBLING: Lost in the shuffle
Gambling addict struggles to retake control of life after money, job, reputation lost to video poker machines
By MICHAEL SQUIRES
REVIEW-JOURNAL

"Money doesn't mean anything to a gambler," says Chris Drew, shown here at the Fremont Street Experience. "You lose sight of what it's worth. A couple hundred bucks in a machine? No big deal. Paying bills, buying things doesn't matter."
Photo by Jeff Scheid.

Drew remains in Las Vegas despite the constant enticement to gamble. "I have to be able to live here like I would live anywhere else," she says, "like the way I lived when I was in New York."
Photo by Jeff Scheid.

For most of a decade Chris Drew searched and prayed for a way to be free of the enemy.

It cost her homes and relationships, a career and, for a time, the will to live. It etched lines of sorrow and worry on her face.

Yet she suffered largely in secret.

Only when the enemy had pushed her to the brink did Drew muster courage equal to her shame and tell her closest friends. And even then she couldn't bring herself to say the words, choosing instead to write a letter:

"I am your mother, your sister, your best friend, your neighbor or your co-worker. I am the person that you think you know well, but you do not know my shameful secret that I cannot share with you because I fear your scorn. I am a pathological gambler.

"I live to gamble. I work so that I can get money to gamble. I sometimes go without food so that I can gamble. I don't pay my bills so that I can gamble. I have no money in the bank. I do not buy anything for myself. I do not go on vacations so that I have money to gamble. My life is consumed by gambling. After I've gambled away the last nickel in my purse, I go home and cry and pray that God will help me, that someone will help me to stop."

'No one questioned me'

This is how Drew finally stopped.

Before moving to Las Vegas in 1991, Drew had visited a casino only once, on a short and unmemorable one-day bus trip to Atlantic City from Long Island, N.Y.

But when she and her husband relocated to Las Vegas from New York, with her son and her husband's two daughters, they quickly became regulars at local casinos. Drew had landed a job as an auditor with the city of Las Vegas. And she and her husband hoped the change of scenery in Las Vegas would save their troubled marriage.

When they divorced soon after the move, Drew began gambling more often.

After three years living in Las Vegas, she had gone from risking a few dollars on nickel video poker and blackjack as a Friday night diversion to taking the maximum cash advance on six credit cards to feed a quarter video poker habit.

A $1,000 jackpot in 1994 changed how she thought about gambling. Drew, whose annual salary was $35,000 at the time, thought: "This is easy. Think of all the money I can make."

In the mid-1990s, Drew landed a job in the city's Planning Department.

She used her accounting skills to rework the department's budget, which long had been in disarray. She also established a petty cash fund of a few hundred dollars.

Her work caught the attention of supervisors, who praised her in annual evaluations. She was rewarded with raises and more responsibility.

Before long she oversaw the department's finances and human resources operations, and her salary climbed to more than $60,000 a year.

Co-workers said she ran the department without the title of director.

Those co-workers didn't know that their colleague, so skilled in managing budgets, had an addiction that was wreaking financial and emotional havoc on her life outside work.

"Here I am making all of this money, and I never have any money," says Drew, now 50. "Nobody connected the dots. I was Chris Drew, and no one questioned me."

No one saw Drew slip into the El Cortez or Gold Spike to spend her lunch hours gambling. She made sure of that.

A long downward spiral

Each trip to the casino began with the same thought: "I need money."

The idea of gambling brought with it an illogical confidence. Drew was sure the next $5 bet would transform into $10. That, in turn, would multiply into a $1,000 jackpot. And so on until all her problems were solved.

No matter how many times reality disproved that reasoning, it almost always proved irresistible.

Drew declared bankruptcy in 1995 with $40,000 in credit card debt.

She promised herself she would quit. A couple of days later, she was back playing video poker. She was up to half-dollar and dollar machines now.

For Drew, the game was like a numbing narcotic.

When she played the world would disappear, taking with it her sinking depression, the lingering pain of a failed marriage and her deepening financial mire.

She didn't have to interact with anyone. She just rhythmically put dollar after dollar into the machine.

With her credit gone, she used the ATM. She'd pull out the $500 daily maximum amount of cash her bank allowed. Sometimes, after losing the money, she'd wait until midnight, pull out the next day's limit and continue gambling.

By 1996, she had pawned nearly all of her jewelry and anything else of value and stopped paying bills.

She took out a second mortgage and began to gamble it away.

A counselor later would say that Drew's entire life was occupied by either work or gambling. When she wasn't gambling, she was thinking about it or about how to get money to gamble.

Her only remaining credit account at this point was a Sears card. Using it, Drew purchased a $3,000 diamond ring and immediately pawned it for $1,000.

One of her ex-husband's daughters had received a small inheritance. Drew borrowed it, promising to repay it with her tax refund. Drew lost the money, and when her refund arrived she gambled it away.

Later that year she took out another mortgage.

By 1997 she had fallen so far behind financially that she sold her home and moved, with her son, into a small apartment.

Beyond 12 steps

For three years Drew had sought help.

A psychiatrist on the city's health plan had prescribed anti-depressants for her but offered little help for her gambling addiction. There were exchanges about her problem:

"Did you gamble this week?" the doctor would ask.

"Yes," Drew would replied.

"How did you feel about it?"

"Pretty poor," she would say.

But she left the office believing the doctor didn't understand gambling addiction or how to treat it. Nor did it seem to her that the doctor knew where she could get help.

It was a pattern that would repeat itself over eight years, with other doctors and treatment programs.

She read every book on the topic she could find.

She tried Gamblers Anonymous, but by that point her addiction had progressed too far for a 12-step program alone to be effective.

She enrolled in a research trial at UNLV for an experimental drug to treat gambling addiction. Researchers told her to take one pill each day and keep a diary of her gambling activities.

She swallowed the pill and gambled away her paychecks. She later learned she had been taking a placebo.

Dipping into petty cash

Drew always had another employee manage the Planning Department's petty cash fund. "I just didn't want it around me," she says.

But she reluctantly took control of it in 1999 after the employee who managed it quit the department and her replacement complained that she was too overwhelmed by other tasks to keep track of it.

Drew had just purchased a home with money borrowed from her mother. Two years of throwing money away on rent was long enough, she decided. Drew also hoped working on the fixer-upper would give her a focus outside work and the casinos.

"I won't gamble anymore because it'll give me something to do," she told her son.

But she hadn't finished wallpapering before she resumed gambling and continued the downward financial spiral.

She turned to payday loans. She soon had six of the high-interest loans and had only enough money to meet the interest payments, which consumed nearly her entire paycheck.

While at Wal-Mart one day Drew purchased a receipt book that she then used to submit bogus receipts for reimbursement through the Planning Department's petty cash fund. Using her office computer she generated fake invoices, which looked like the ones employees turned in after attending luncheons sponsored by a professional planning organization.

She submitted $500 worth at a time under fictitious names, such as Tim Rawlins. The money came to Drew by courier.

Each time she promised herself she would repay it. Each time, she promised it would be the last.

"It's the gambler that's the thief," she told herself.

Sometimes she did put money back into the fund by reimbursing expenses out of her own pocket. She plotted other ways to repay the money. Perhaps she could send an anonymous money order to the city or cash donation.

She questioned her sanity and prayed for help: "God, help me. Somebody's got to help me. How much longer? God, help me stop."

At times she wished she'd get caught, figuring it was the only way she could stop gambling.

Out of a job

Drew stayed home from work one day in January 2003.

Checking voice mail from home, she heard a message: "Chris, this is the auditor. Give me a call when you get back."

On a routine check, auditors had picked up the petty cash fund and taken it to the treasurer's office to be opened and counted.

Drew knew the pouch was empty.

February and March passed. She went to work praying to keep her job.

Then in late April, Drew saw on an internal calendar that Planning Department Director Bob Genzer had an appointment with the city auditor and other officials.

The morning of the April 29 meeting, she walked into Genzer's office and handed him the letter acknowledging the addiction she had kept secret for the past decade and apologizing for taking the funds.

"I am truly sorry for what I have done. I am not sorry that this situation has arisen because this experience is what will enable me to turn my life around," she wrote. "I am most humbly asking that you show compassion and mercy and give me a chance to redeem myself and make restitution."

Genzer recalls jumping out of his chair in shock and heading to Drew's office.

"What exactly are you trying to tell me?" he recalls asking her.

"I wanted to hear it from her mouth, not read it on a piece of paper," he says. "We weren't just co-workers, we were friends as well. I was very disappointed after putting the trust in her that I did (to handle the department's budget). I had no clue there was a gambling issue."

Later that day, city officials placed Drew on unpaid leave from her $85,000-a-year job.

Marshals questioned her that week, reporting that she confessed to stealing between $10,000 and $15,000 over about two years. Investigators described her as cooperative throughout their probe.

"I even told them which receipts were real and which were made up," Drew recalls.

Despite her cooperation and pleas for understanding and a second chance, Drew received a call a few days later from Genzer telling her she had been fired.

Genzer told Planning Department employees not to talk about the case. It's standard procedure in theft investigations, according to city officials.

"We told everyone to use their own judgment, but they shouldn't be delving into the personnel side of it," Genzer says. "I told them that's something between her and the city."

But Drew, and some of her co-workers at the time, believe it was vindictive.

"When she needed a friend most, she was not allowed any support system," a former co-worker recalls. "The only people she knew were afraid for their jobs.

"I don't condone what she did, but when you have a sickness you're supposed to be able to come to your employer and get treatment for it," continued the former co-worker, who still works for the city and asked to remain anonymous. "She came forward and said, 'I did this and I admit it and I want to make provisions to pay it back,' and instead they assassinated her character."

Isolated from her closest friends and recognizing her career was over, Drew became suicidal.

"Everything seemed hopeless," she recalls.

She checked into Montevista Hospital for several days.

In late July marshals came to her home and arrested her. She spent a humiliating night in a holding cell.

Drew, who had no prior criminal history, eventually pleaded guilty to one count each of theft and conspiracy to commit a crime. District Judge Donald Mosley gave her a six-month suspended sentence and ordered her to pay $7,445 in restitution.

Help finally found

At the same time Drew's life was falling apart, she was, for the first time, getting effective treatment for her addiction.

A few days before she was fired, Drew had stumbled across a newspaper article about a local attorney caught embezzling $100,000. It mentioned that the attorney had found help at Problem Gambling Consultants.

She began attending 2 1/2-hour group counseling sessions four days a week. The sessions were led by the center's founder and clinical director, psychologist Dr. Rob Hunter. She later began weekly one-hour sessions with Hunter.

The sessions forced her to examine her life, own up to her illness and pause long enough to assess the destruction that gambling had done to her life.

And knowing she had to face each day a roomful of people struggling against the same addiction gave her the strength to quit.

Getting caught had, in fact, finally helped her to stop gambling.

"I was in hell for 10 years," she says. "I was gambling away all my money and wondering 'How am I going to pay my bills?' 'How do I pay this back?' Then I was gambling to try to get the money back and losing more. It was a constant circle. It was just hell. ...

"Now, I can put it out of my mind. I can say, 'I'm going to take the dogs for a walk instead.' "

Hunter, who has treated thousands of Southern Nevadans dealing with gambling addiction, describes Drew's case as "very typical."

Setbacks and struggles

In December, Drew finished paying restitution and completed probation. But she still feels she's doing time.

Her criminal record, she says, has made finding a job impossible. Potential employers will show interest until they learn of her brush with the law.

A recruiter called recently offering her choice jobs with two local governments. Considering her experience, Drew easily could get either post, the recruiter told her. There was just the small matter of the background check.

"If there's a background check, don't bother," Drew said before hanging up.

Increasingly depressed over her job prospects and dependence on friends and family for financial support, Drew had relapsed last summer.

"Gambling got me into this, maybe it can get me out," she told herself.

Using cash from the sale of her home, she gambled for two weeks.

"I really think some higher power was telling me something because I couldn't win anything," she now says. "It felt horrible. It was such desperation."

Drew maintains she hasn't gambled since. Still, the empty hours that once were filled with work are a concern. She volunteers at Hunter's clinic and mails out 15 resumes a week.

For a time, she thought seriously about leaving Las Vegas and putting the temptations and painful memories in the rear-view mirror.

Maybe people would be more understanding somewhere else. Maybe they'd give her a second chance.

But like others who have shared her addiction, Drew realizes there's nowhere to run where she can't gamble.

Plus, all of the reasons she chose to keep living during those dark days in the summer of 2003, when it seemed for a time like taking her life was the only solution -- they all live in Las Vegas.

"I've thought a lot about moving. But I have a son, a grandchild and, now, a mother here. This is my home, and I have to be able to beat the addiction."

NEVADA GAMBLERS
Problem gamblers Nonproblem gamblers
Gamble alone 43 percent 29 percent
Lost more than $1,000 in a day 39 percent 9 percent
Earn more than $50,000 in a year 40 percent 49 percent

Source: "Gambling and Problem Gambling in Nevada" by Gemini Research Ltd.

From: Nevada Assemblywoman Valerie Weber [VWeber@asm.state.nv.us]
Subject: Taiwan-Nevada Resolution
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:01:02 -0700

April 29, 2005

Dear Dr Lei:

Greetings from Assemblywoman Valerie Weber of the Nevada State Assembly:

On April 28, 2005, the Nevada Legislature delivered Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 25 commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the sister-state relationship between the State of Nevada and the Republic of China on Taiwan. This Resolution was approved unanimously by both the Assembly and the Senate of the State of Nevada. I was pleased to convey friendly remarks and memories of my own trip to Taiwan as well as present this Resolution in the Assembly to honor our continued friendship and mutual economic growth between Nevada and the Republic of China on Taiwan.

As part of this most important ceremony, incoming Director General Mark W. P. Liao and Consular Officer Jenny H. C. Kuo, of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, were both present to accept ACR 25 in both the Assembly and Senate Chambers.

In addition, we presented ACR 26 that honored Mr Matthew Lee as the outgoing Director General of the San Francisco office who successfully guided this office for three years. He is a good friend to the state of Nevada. We wish him well in his new role as Representative to the Taipei Mission to Latvia.

We included remarks about Mr Mark Liao, the new incoming Director and proclaimed his outstanding educational and experiential background he brings to his new role. I look forward to working with him to continue our friendship and mutual economic interests.

After the ceremony, the past delegates to Taiwan were treated to a wonderful Chinese lunch by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. It was a lovely treat to reconnect with friends from previous journeys to Taiwan.

As my friends, I would be delighted to send you official copies of these resolutions, suitable for framing. If you would like a copy of one or both Resolutions please contact my office and I would be honored to send you one.

In continued friendship,

Valerie E. Weber
Nevada State Assemblywoman
Clark County District 5
Serving SW Las Vegas
702.338.8452

---------------------------------------------
About the author:

Originally from California, Nevada Assemblywoman Valerie Weber moved to Nevada in 1990. Her undergraduate degree in biological science and specialty in the field of transfusion medicine earned her several medical journal authorships. She is a 1998 graduate of the Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Las Vegas program. She has completed a four-year term as a member of the Board of Displaced Homemakers, appointed by Governor Guinn in 2000. Valerie is the owner of Collaborating Solutions. She is accredited in Dr Goleman�s 360-competency assessment instrument in Emotional Intelligence (ECI). An avid student of both Peter Senge of MIT and Daniel Goleman of Harvard University, she has good knowledge to consult in business.

As a famous Assemblywoman and the Minority Whip of Nevada Assembly, Valerie Weber has been also a professional member of Public Administration Institution (PAI) of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI) for more than three years.

"Hello Dr. Lei: I just wanted to thank you for including Judge Walsh and myself in such a beautiful evening. I was quite happy to be there to witness you receive the recognition you deserve. Thank you again for including us and please accept my best regards to you and your wife," said Jeri Winter, Judicial Exec. Assistant to Judge Jessie Walsh, Dept. 10.*1 Judge Jessie Walsh attended the Induction Ball held by Asian American Republican Coalition of Nevada-CC on April 24, 2005 in Las Vegas. She was honored as a Special Guest of the Dinner and Party. She was accompanied by her Judicial Exec. Assistant Jerri Winter and Courtroom Deputy Matt Diamond.

During the Event, Dr. Tony Lei received a Proclamation of the Board of County Commissioners of Clark County. It was presented to him by Commissioner Lynette McDonald on the Event and Dinner Party after she delivered her kenote speech.*2

Judge Jessie Walsh has been honored Associate Executive Director of Pan Pacific and Asian American Forum (PPAAF) by Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI) on January 16, 2002.

Jessie graduate from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1992. She ran unopposed in 2001 to retain her seat in Las Vegas Municipal Court. By unanimous vote, the Mayor and City Council appointed Judge Walsh to fill a vacancy in October 1999.

Active in her profession and community, she is an elected member of the Judicial Council of the State of Nevada. She is also an Advisory Board Member of the Police Athletic League. Jessie is a member of the Southern Nevada Association of Woman Attorneys, and is the conservation chairperson for the Daughters of the American Revoluntion. In 1999, she was recognized by the Clark County Bar Association for her hard work and dedication to the Trial By Peers program.

At the dinner event and party for Mayor Goodman by the Asian American Community closing to the end of 2000, Jessie was a special guest invited by Dr. Tony Lei accompanied by Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court Honorable Nancy Becker. She was clever to share some significant acquaintanceship on both the philosophic and methodological skills in modern administration with him sitting together on the main table during the dinner.*3

Winning the election without any opponent, Judge Jessie Walsh*4 is now on her second term of her position in the Las Vegas Municipal Court. She wrote Dr. Tony Lei on February 7, 2001: "Thank you for the lovely congratulatory letter. I am fortunate and honored to have the support of people like you." At the same time, she told him that because of the enormous support and confidence she had received from him and the citizens of Las Vegas, she is honored to serve in this capacity and is dedicated to administer justice in a fair and expeditious fashion.

In May 2001, she was appointed Associate Fellow of Public Administration Institution (PAI) of WBTI. As a bright and future star in Juridical and administrative study, she is leading a group of intellectuals to enhance Dr. Tony Lei's scholarly belief that "Our knowledge, wisdom, and professionalism are all achieved by our sincere love to God!"

"I agree with District Judge Valorie Vega's idea to be honored as a Fellow of the Public Administration of Washington Business and Technology Institute. She said that, 'It will undoubtedly provide me with avenues for exploring improvements in public services to which I am most dedicated,'" said Jessie Walsh. "I'm glad also to share the similar position as one of its faculty member. It's significant, as Dr. Tony Lei told me that for community service--- that based on 'love in action is service above self'--- the abundant reward from one's humune love, spiritual excellence, and professionalism of expert are far more greater than solely her or his title."*5

Intellectuals were encouraged to attend a dinner party for Brian Sandoval, Bill Young, and David Roger by the Asian American Community. It was held on March 8, 2002 at Mike and Rita Vaswani's residence. Chairpersons were: Tony Lei, Ed. D., Ram Singh, M. D., Rita and Mike Vaswani, and Steve Wolfson, Esq. Hosts were: David Amesbury, Esq., Jal Daulat, Larry Espinueva, Azam Hakim, Basil Hamika, Sam Hamika, Greg Hartline, Bettina Ho, Tri Hua, Romeo Jurani, Steven Kwon, Vimla Lendway, Raymond Leung, Carrie Liu, Ann Melton, Raja Mourey, Richard Naft, Edmund Pasimio, Tonie Sison, Tony Smith, Ben Torres, Joey Villaflor, and Mohammed Zoubi. "Seats are very limited. Please call Dr. Peter Lok at 732-0178 before 12 noon Friday, March 1st, and gave your number of guests and their names. If you are interested to be Dr. Lei's guests, please call his wife Judy at 255-9058 before 12 noon, Tuesday, March 5, 2002," announced by the publicity.*6

The following is the most recent BIOGRAPHY of JUDGE JESSIE WALSH:

Judge Walsh is one of 33 judges serving in the 8th Judicial District Court. She was elected in November, 2002 and currently hears an all civil calendar. She began her judicial career in Municipal Court where she served from 1999-2002.*7

In December 1992, Judge Walsh graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law and subsequently joined the Las Vegas City Attorney*s Office as a Deputy City Attorney in the criminal division. As one of 6 prosecutors, she managed a heavy criminal misdemeanor caseload. She has also served as a Deputy Public Defender in the Clark County Public Defender*s Office.

In June 1996, Judge Walsh opened her own general private law practice that consisted of wills, trusts, civil and family law, criminal misdemeanor and felony cases, and probate and estate planning. She also represented indigent clients through a contract with Clark County, Nevada and was a special prosecutor for the City of Las Vegas.

Judge Walsh began her career in 1980 as a regional aide for U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt. She worked for U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Vucanovich from 1983-1989 as her regional representative.

Judge Walsh worked as a development officer for the City of Las Vegas, Department of Economic and Urban Development, from 1989-1990. She was responsible for real estate operations for City business parks, including lease negotiations and sale agreements. Judge Walsh also served as a federal legislative liaison for department projects and was the point of contact between the City and foreign dignitaries.

Active in her profession and community, she is an elected member of the Judicial Council of the State of Nevada and a former co-chair of the "Trial by Peers" program. Judge Walsh is a member and former director of the Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys, and is the Conservation Chairperson for the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1999, she was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year by the Clark County Bar Association for her hard work and dedication to the Trial By Peers program. Judge Walsh served as a volunteer judge in the UNLV Law School Client Counseling Competition, Spring 2001; a volunteer judge in the "We the People...the Citizens & the Constitution" high school competition in 1999, 2000, and 2001; and a volunteer judge in the Annual Moot Court Competition in 2001 and 2002.

In 2004 Judge Walsh led the court with the highest number of days in civil jury trials.*8

---------------------------------------------
References

*1. Google! How intelligent!!!
Just type your name like "miss gloria wong" or "dr kenny guinn"; or type esq after the name of a judge, judicial official, or attorney in Nevada like "Jessie walsh esq"; or type any name in the following fliers before "WBTI" on the searching box of Google.com please, and what can you find?
You're on Google.com!
Google answers our people, communities, and world!!!
*2. Google. 'Proclamation of Clark County Commission to Dr. Tony Lei,' "A search of Dr. Tony Lei on the Google.com," U. S. A.: google.com.
*3. Moss, Cheryl; Denton Mark; Chang, Tiffany. 'Jessie Walsh honors as Associate Executive Director of PPAA Forum,' "Special Column of Dr. Tony T. Lei on Nevada Examiner," (October 23, 2003}, Las Vegas, Nevada: Nevada Examiner.
*4. Jessie Walsh is a famous District Judge of Nevada. She ia also an Associate Fellow of the Public Administration Institution of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI).
*5. Moss, Cheryl; Denton Mark; Chang, Tiffany. 'Jessie Walsh honors as Associate Executive Director of PPAA Forum,' "Newsbrief of WBTI," (February, 2002}, Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.
*6. Ibid.
*7. Winter, Jeri. 'A BIOGRAPHY of Judge Jessie Walsh' "An e-mail from Ms. Jeri Winter to Dr. Tony Lei," (April 29, 2005), Las Vegas, Nevada: District Judge Jessie Walsh's Office in Department 10.
*8. Ibid.

The first paragraph of this article was a profile of Dr. Sun-yuan Kung (貢三元). It was found by searching "Dr. Sun-yuan Kung" on the Google.com at April 27, 2005:

Professor Sun-Yuan Kung*1
Homepage
Email: [kung@ee.princeton.edu]
Abstract of talk

Sun-Yuan Kung (貢三元) received his Ph.D. Degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. In 1974, he was an Associate Engineer of Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA. From 1977 to 1987, he was a Professor of Electrical Engineering-Systems of the University of Southern California. Since 1987, he has been a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Princeton University. Since 1990, he has served as an Editor-In-Chief of Journal of VLSI Signal Processing Systems. Dr. Kung is a Fellow of IEEE. He was the recipient of 1992 IEEE Signal Processing Society's Technical Achievement Award for his contributions on "parallel processing and neural network algorithms for signal processing". He was appointed as an IEEE-SP Distinguished Lecturer in 1994. He received 1996 IEEE Signal Processing Society's Best Paper Award. He was a recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Medal in 2000. He has authored more than 300 technical publications, including three books "VLSI Array Processors", (Prentice Hall, 1988) (with Russian and Chinese translations), "Digital Neural Networks", Prentice Hall, 1993, and "Principal Component Neural Networks'', John Wiley, 1996.*2

Dr. Sun-yuan Kung (貢三元) was a Kenote Speaker at The First IEEE Pacific-Rim Conference on Multimedia (2000 International Symposium on Multimedia Information Processing) on December 13-15, 2000, at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Dr. Kung presented a paper at the IEEE-PCM2000 plenary. The title was "Adaptive Techniques for Intelligent Internet Multimedia Communication".*3 The following was his Abstract:

The new trend of information processing world has rapidly converged to three major technological fields: internet, multimedia, and wireless. In this talk, we will attempt to offer a technological and applicational justification of intelligent technologies for internet multimedia computing/communication. We shall also illuminate how intelligent integration of signal processing and neural net techniques could be a versatile tool to a broad spectrum of multimedia applications. Some examples of adaptive techniques (or neural networks) with applications to internet multimedia commuincation will be
demonstrated.*4

Multimedia technologies will profoundly change the way we access information, and they provide a new opportunity for research interactions among a variety of media such as speech, audio, image, video, text, and graphics. The inevitable merger of the computer industries and information-based consumer and communication industries inevitably introduces new challenges. We investigate various research issues relevant to intelligent multimedia communication applications and implementation technology. We study various adaptive and content-based technologies for MPEG-4 applications, such as compression, indexing, and retrieval of visual information. We look into various areas in video coding and segmentation, including true-motion tracker, global-motion compensated VOP (video-object-plane) coding, video representation, multicue, and multicamera fusion, three-dimensional structure-from-motion analysis, and spatial-temporal interpolation. We study an algorithmic framework that fuses spatial, visual, and motion information from a variety of preprocessing sources: object tracker, motion edge analysis, and so on.*5

Neural networks have become one of the core techniques facilitating intelligent multimedia communication technologies. They are very effective when applied to detection or recognition of high-level features (for example, faces) and multimodality recognition and authentication. These have many critical applications to information representation/retrieval and Internet security, and many focal applications in MPEG-7. For these, we have developed a versatile decision-based neural network that bears a modular structure, while taking advantage of both unsupervised and supervised learning strategies. We look into novel neural network techniques on multisensor classification, hierarchical processing, probabilistic (fuzzy) neural networks, object detection and tracking, and content-based compression and representation.

Another major challenge lies in real-time processing speed, a key barrier before online access of massive visual information can become a reality. In fact, it is communication, instead of computing, that will be the processing bottleneck. Thus, the development of the computer technology must be closely intertwined with the information-based consumer and communication technologies. We have studied for a long time the research issues involving design and implementation of VLSI multimedia signal processing circuits and systems. Novel communication and networking technologies will be critical in order for multimedia database systems to support interactive dynamic interfaces. Truly integrated media systems must connect with individual users and content-addressable multimedia databases. This will involve both logical connections to support information-sharing and physical connection via computer networking and data transfer. Our research stresses hierarchical and scalable multimedia architecture platforms, fast architectures by minimizing memory accesses and IO operations, and systematically mapping multimedia algorithms to the new architectures. Ultimately, our research will support development of real-time information-processing systems combining digital video and audio, text, and graphics.*6

It is our pleasure to pay a tribute to the expertise, professionalism, and accomplishment of an excellent scholar and professor.*7

---------------------------------------------
References

*1. Google. 'A profile of Dr. Sun-yuan Kung,' "A search of Dr. Sun-yuan Kung on the Google.com," (April 27, 2005), U. S. A.: Google.com.
*2. Ibid.
*3. Kung, Sun-yuan. 'An abstract of "Adaptive Techniques for Intelligent Internet Multimedia Communication",' "A search of Dr. Sun-yuan Kung on the Google.com," (April 28, 2005), U. S. A.: Google.com.
*4. Ibid.
*5. Princeton University. 'A profile of Dr. Sun-Yun Kung,' "A search of Dr. Sun-yuan Kung on the Google.com," (April 29, 2005), U. S. A.: Google.com.
*6. Ibid.
*7. Walsh, Jessie; Moss, Cheryl; and Chang, Tiffany. 'Drs. Lee Bernick and Keong Leong were appointed deans of GSBPA of WBTI,' "Nevada Examiner," (March 28, 2003), Las Vegas, Nevada: Nevada Examiner.

"The Spring 2003 Symposium of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI) was held at the Binion's Horseshoe Club, Las Vegas on April 14, 2003. We've planning Certificate Program in Management, which was designed for China Business Chain, Inc. in Shanghai, China, among others. It's again a milestone of the cooperation for a practical prgram in education between UNLV and WBTI. Toy Gregory and Oscar Jornacion were appointed by WBTI as Adjunct Assistant Professors of Criminal Law and Managerial Accounting, respectively," Dr. John Wang, Spokesman of WBTI announced on April 15, 2003.

The theme of this mini symposium is: The Entrepreneurship of MBA/PKE Certificates Program for the People of English and Chinese Speaking. The Panelists are Dr. Keong Leong, Judge Toy Gregory, and Publisher Oscar Jornacion. As Dean of the Graduate School of Business and Public Administration (GSBPA), WBTI, Dr. Keong Leong is also the Chairman and Professor of the Department of Management of UNLV. Toy Gregory is now Chief Judge of the Las Vegas Municipal Court. Oscar is the President and Publisher of "Nevada Examiner".

Honorable Guests of the Party were Director of the Las Vegas Office of "Chinese Daily News" Jimmy Hsu, Regional Representative of U. S. Senator John Ensign Kathie Ambrosio, Representative of the Communitylink of Las Vegas Review-Journal, and Mrs. Oscar Jorncion.

"It's a challenge to me to utilize my knowledge and experience for such an honorable status as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Criminal Law. I wish one day I may also have the opportunitiy to teach a course at Shanghai, China," said Chief Judge Toy Gregory. The Symposium functioned also as a celebration Dinner Party for the appointment of Dr. Keong Leong as Dean of GSBPA and the Grand Oppening of the Las Vegas Office of Chinese Daily News. Chaired by Dr. Tony Lei, President of WBTI, the Symposium accompanied elegantly with a Champagne Dinner was sposored and host by him and his wife at the Steak House of the Binion's Horseshoe Club.

"As a graduate school in business, I'll put more emphasis both on values of theoreticality and practicality. I'd like to suggest eight courses for our China Certificate Program in Management: Financial Analysis, Managerial Accounting, Quality Management, Just-in-Time & Lean Operations, Supply Chain Management, Information Technology, Applied Economic Analysis, and Strategy Formulation and Implementation," said Dean Dr. Keong Leong on the Symposium.

"Asian Pacific American have made profound contributions to American life, including the arts, economy, education, science, technology, politics, and sport. This community was here to help build trascontinental railroad, to serve in the Civil War, and to develop the latest Internet technology. I'm pleased to assure all you leaders of the community here today that I'll continue working to preserve and advance the heritage and value of Asian Americans. I'll put my effort to reach out and address issues of importance to the Asian American community, including the economy, education, safety, racial profiling, and hate crime, and immigration, among others. I'd like also to show my appreciation of all your accomplishments and contributions to the American way of life and your oustanding participation in the political, business , and educational processes. It's my pleasure to accept the honor as Professor of Administrative Strategies of the Graduate School of Business and Public Administration of Washington Business and Technology Institute," said Harry Reid, U. S. Senator and Assistant Democratic Leader of the Senate at Asian American Leaders Tea with United States Senator Harry Reid on May 31, 2003 at Korean Garden B. B. Q. House in Las Vegas.

Nevada��s cultural connection with Asians is deep and time-honored, dating back to the 1800s when Chinese immigrants labored to build the railroads that opened the West to civilization and to mine nature��s gold and silver treasures.

Today, Nevada is home to a large community of Asians and Asian Americans, including Chinese from the Mainland and Taiwan, Japanese, Korean, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Thais, Cambodians, Laotians, East Indians, and Pacific Islanders, such as Hawaiians and Samoans.

Asians celebrate the Chinese New Year, Pacific Islands Festival, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month (May), and the Las Vegas-Japan Festival (November).

To ring in the Chinese New Year, Las Vegas celebrates at Chinatown, a large Asian mall west of the Las Vegas Strip, with dancing, entertainment, food booths, and gifts.

Significantly, Las Vegas is home to a sizeable Asian population and several Asian commercial centers that specialize exclusively in sought-after retail products and authentic cuisine, a pathway to multicultural appreciation.

Japan is Nevada��s No. 1 source of overseas visitors, and ranks second only to Canada for all international tourism to the Silver State.

Other top Pacific Rim sources of visitors to Nevada include the Republic of China on Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, the People��s Republic of China (Mainland), and the Philippines.

---------------------------------------------
Reference

*1. Google. 'A profile of ���A�_�� (Nevada),' "A search of '���A�_��' (Nevada) on the Google.com," (April 28, 2005), U. S. A.: Google.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2005 Contact: Greg Bortolin or John Trent
775-684-5670

CARSON CITY � Gov. Kenny Guinn today announced the appointment of Ray Rawson of Las Vegas to the Nevada Gaming Commission. Rawson, a former Nevada State Senator, replaces John Moran, who announced earlier this month he was stepping down to explore a possible run for elected office.

Gov. Guinn also announced the re-appointment to the Gaming Commission of Sue Wagner of Reno and Arthur Marshall of Las Vegas. Wagner and Marshall, originally appointed in 1997, will serve four-year terms. Wagner is a former Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, and Marshall is a banker and businessman. Both have been named Distinguished Nevadans by the University and Community College System of Nevada and have received numerous awards for their political and charitable work in their respective communities.

Rawson, 64, will earn $40,000 in his new position. He will complete Moran�s term, which runs through April 2008.

�Ray Rawson has an impeccable record as one of the finest legislators the State of Nevada has ever seen,� Gov. Guinn said, noting that Rawson recently was inducted into the Nevada Senate Hall of Fame. �For 20 years, he was highly respected on both sides of the aisle in Carson City, earning a reputation as a thoughtful legislator who always put the needs of our citizens first. Ray has a deep understanding of many of the complex issues facing the gaming industry in our state, and will bring a fair, reasoned and ethical approach to his new position. I believe he is going to do an outstanding job on the Gaming Commission.

�Both Sue Wagner and Art Marshall are very deserving of reappointment to the Gaming Commission. They�ve played crucial roles in establishing and maintaining the highest levels of regulatory integrity for our state�s largest industry. I�m very pleased that these two high-caliber individuals will continue to be a part of the Gaming Commission for another four years.�

Rawson served in the Nevada State Senate from 1984-2004, earning a number of honors including the Governor�s Award for Arts and Humanities in 2004, the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Nevada Healthcare Association in 2003, the 2003 Public Service Award from the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, the 2003 Shining Star Award for Leadership from the Nevada Tobacco Prevention Coalition and the American College of Emergency Physician�s 2002 Legislator of the Year Award.

Rawson, who has had a private dentistry practice in Las Vegas since 1968, received his bachelor of science degree in Zoology and Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1964. He graduated from Loma Linda University�s School of Dentistry in 1968, and received a master�s degree in Physical Anthropology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1978.

Rawson, a professor emeritus with the University and Community College System of Nevada, is an adjunct professor for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dentistry, and is adjunct clinical professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the University of Nevada School of Medicine. In addition, Rawson has served since 1976 as deputy coroner and chief dental examiner for Clark County.

The Second 27th Director and Advosory Boards Meeting of Taiwan Benevolent Association of America (TBAA) was held by the Chairperson of TBAA Wendy Yu-ping Wu*1 on April 23, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The draft of Declaration of TBAA was written by DE-Yu LANG (朗 德 渝), ROBERT LU (盧 景 林), and TUNG-TIEN LEI (雷 動 天). TUNG-TIEN LEI, DE-Yu LANG, and ROBERT LU were the three members nominated and elected as the writers of the Declaration by the whole members and participants of the Second 27th Director and Advosory Boards Meeting of TBAA. Chairperson of TBAA Wendy Wu wished President of TBAA-LV Sue Phelps have a success in holding the 28th TBAA Conference. Secretary General Hui-ching Chen of TBAA was the MC of the Event and Meeting on April 23, 2004 in Las Vegas. The following report was published by Las Vegas Chinese Daily News on April 27, 2005.*2

---------------------------------------------
References

*1. Chang, Tiffany. 'Mrs. Wendy Yu-ping Wu received Certificate Recognition from Califonia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,' "A search of 'Mrs. Wendy Yu-ping Wu' on the Google.com," (April 28, 2005), U. S. A.: Google.com.
*2. Las Vegas Chinese Daily News. 'A report about TBAA,' "A report and flier on 'Photos & Pictures' at WBTI website," (April 27, 2005), Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.

*The hard copy is shown on the section of "Photos & Pictures" at the WBTI website. It is post on April 26, 2005 at the website of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI) through the Reviewjournal.com at:
http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti

The state has seen one of its most remarkable economic periods over the past year, with Nevada�s job growth leading the entire nation. This month�s figures from the Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation have further fortified Nevada�s place as the nation�s employment leader � we continue to create jobs at a faster pace than any other state in the nation. Overall, the state�s employers have created more than 75,000 new jobs in the past year. March alone showed an increase of 13,600 new jobs. And, for the third month in a row, the state�s seasonally adjusted jobless rate has held firm at 3.9 percent, a full 1.3 percent lower than the national unemployment rate.

There are a number of positive trends for Nevada as we head into mid-spring, traditionally a time of year when job growth spikes for our state. Of particular note: each of the major industry groups, with the exception of the information industry, has created at least one thousand new jobs in the past year; the construction industry continues to create the most jobs of any industry, with nearly 20,000 in the past year; the mining industry is enjoying a favorable climate for growth in our rural areas, which in turn appears to be creating momentum for our rural employment numbers. And, it is projected that next month�s report will show a good increase in the Leisure and Hospitality sector, propelled in large part by the Wynn mega-resort opening in Las Vegas. No wonder that in the May 2005 issue of Inc. Magazine, our two largest cities � Las Vegas and Reno � were ranked in the nation�s top 15 cities for �Best Places for Doing Business in America 2005.� Reno ranked No. 1 and Las Vegas ranked No. 14.

Nevada�s positive economic climate is a clear point of pride for all of us. The state�s over-the-year job growth rate of 6.8 percent is more than four times the national average. This growth has meant that we stand in contrast to a somewhat more mixed national economic picture. Over the past year, Nevada has not just become a nice place to do business � it has become the place for a whole host of diverse companies to do business. In light of where we stood in the days following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Nevada has become a focal point and a reminder to the nation that with prudent planning, a uniform and fair tax base and a diversified business sector, a state�s economy can rebound with record-setting results.

-------------------------------------------
Reference

*1. About Governor Kenny Guinn (concise one by the Editor of this flier):

Kenny Guinn, 67, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physical Education from Fresno State University and later obtained a doctorate in Education from Utah State University in Logan.

In 1994, Guinn was recruited by the University of Nevada Board of Regents to serve as interim president of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Kenny spent his boyhood in the small, Central Valley town of Exeter, California where he met Dema, his wife of 47 years. Kenny Guinn believes in families.

Dr. Kenny C. Guinn is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI). He is now the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A. at his second term.

From: District Judge Jessie Walsh's*1 Judicial Exe. Assistant Jeri Winter
[DEPT10EA@Co.Clark.NV.US]
Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:07:27 -0700

Hello Dr. Lei * I just wanted to thank you for including Judge Walsh*2
and myself in such a beautiful evening. I was quite happy to be there
to witness you receive the recognition you deserve. Thank you again for
including us and please accept my best regards to you and your wife,

Jeri Winter
Judicial Exec. Assistant to
Judge Jessie Walsh, Dept. 10
Phone - (702) 455-4668
Email - Dept10ea@co.clark.nv.us

>>> Tony Lei 4/1/2005 10:27 AM >>>
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI)
http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti

Dear District Judge Walsh,

Dr. Tony T. Lei, President of Washington Business and
Technology Institute (WBTI) and Dr. Jasmine Brooks,
President of Asian America Republican Coalition of
Nevada - Clark County Chapter (AARCN-CC)

request the honor of your presence
as a Special Guest
at the Event and Dinner Party for
1st installation of the Board of Directors and
Executive Officers of AARCN-CC

sponsored by AARCN-CC, and co-sponsored by WBTI, among
others

on Sunday, the Twenty Fourth of April, 2005
at La Chateau
6985 W. Sahara Avenue, Suite 100-102, Las Vegas,
Nevada 89117
from 6:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. (You may present just at
the dinner party.)

U. S. Senator John Ensign will install the directors
and officers. U. S. Congressman Jim Gibbons will be
the Kenote Speaker.
Participants: About 500 people
Attire: Business

RSVP: Please e-mail Dr. Tony Lei at tojulei@yahoo.com.
Or please call Judy for RSVP at 255-9058 on or before
Friday, April 7, 2005.

---------------------------------------------
References

*1. Google! How intelligent!!!
Just type your name like "miss gloria wong" or "dr kenny guinn"; or type esq after the name of a judge, judicial official, or attorney in Nevada like "Jessie walsh esq"; or type any name in the following fliers before "WBTI" on the searching box of Google.com please, and what can you find?
You're on Google.com!
Google answers our people, communities, and world!!!
*2. Jessie Walsh is a famous District Judge of Nevada. She ia also an Associate Fellow of the Public Administration Institution of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI).

WHEREAS, Dr. Tony T. Lei, Ed. D., a famous resident of Clark County for more than 12 years, has served the community through a variety of venues including: President of Washington Business and Technology Institute; Senior Advisor for Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, Office of Clark County District Attorney, Constable�s Office of Las Vegas Township; and Raleigh, Hunt, McGarry & Drizin. P.C.; Director of South Shores Community Association; Honorary President of Great Wall College and Xiamen Straits Foreign Language College; Chairman of Chinese American Academic Association of Nevada; Contributing Editor and Columnist of "Nevada Examiner" and "Reviewjournal.com - WBTI website"; Chairman of Media and Publicity Committee of Asian American Republican Coalition of Nevada-CC; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Tony Lei received an M.B.A. in 1969 and a Doctorate of Education in Institutional Management in 1990 from Pepperdine University. He had been an Associate Professor of Information Management and a Fellow of Management of the Graduate School of Business Administration of National Chunghsing University and Pepperdine University from 1985 to 1991 and 1991 to 1996, respectively.

NOW, THEREFORE, WE, the Board of County Commissioners of Clark County, on this occasion, April 24, 2005, in celebration and recognition of his distinguished professionalism and outstanding accomplishments, do hereby recognize and honor

Dr. Tony T. Lei, Ed. D.

and urge all citizens to join us wishing him a successful and bright future.

MYRNA WILLIAMS, Vice Chair
YVONNE ATKINSON GATES, Commissioner
BRUCE L. WOODBURY, Commissioner
LYNETTE BOGGS MCDONALD, Commissioner
CHIP MAXFIELD, Commissioner
TOM COLLINS, Commisioner
RORY REID, CHAIRMAN
Attest: SHIRLEY B. PARRAGUERRE, County Clerk
*1. The hard copy of the Proclamation of the Board of County Commissioners of Clark County to Dr. Tony Lei is shown on the section of "Photos & Pictures" [(#1)&(#2)04/25/2005] at http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti