Publisher's Note April 2019

The International Space Station is the product of some of the most advanced engineering of our time. It is a collection of exquisitely designed modules that have been assembled since it first launched in November 1998. These components, like any other piece of machinery, require constant maintenance and repair. Orbiting some 254 miles from Earth going to the hardware store for a broken part or tool presents a severe challenge. NASA addressed this by installing 3D printers on board, capable of recreating those pesky wrenches that crew members always misplace and a multitude of other specialized parts and components. In recent reports coming out of the agency, it is even projected that 3D printers will be tasked with creating the habitation on the distant planets we hope to colonize.

In his piece, Our Future in Print, Pages 32-35, Jaq Greenspon investigates 3D design and engineering. We are already witnessing its impact on our cities with structures being 3D printed in concrete and bridges being printed in steel. Is the right-angle about to join the endangered species list?

Like so many of our readers, my family and I live in a 90s house which is seriously in need of an update. Our builders’ spec honey oak cabinets, tiled countertops, and gilt fixtures all the rage at the time, now seem so sorry. As a publisher, I saw an opportunity in the subject and asked Brian Sodoma to canvas the opinion of Las Vegas’ finest interior designers and seek out their advice for us penny-wise remodelers. Deleting the 90s, pages 42-45, should make us paint swatch and tile sample types happy, I’ve already consulted my trusty vandex.

I have become acutely aware of unique needs of the handicapped due to the recent illness of a family member. Having to negotiate public facilities and spaces with a wheelchair or walker bound individual has been a revelation. This is not an insignificant statement, given that it comes from an architect who has had plenty of experience with the Americans with Disabilities Act and its associated building codes. In Equal Access, pages 52-56, Paul Harasim looks at the Las Vegas landscape and interviews local wheelchair warrior, Michael Rosenblum.

In the absence of an international caliber museum of contemporary art, it is understandable that Sin City is considered (in terms of the visual arts,) a cultural wasteland. Nothing could be further from the truth. In her latest cover story, The Big Show pages 46-51, Aleza Freeman dispels this myth. Over the last decades, resort properties have been investing in fine art. Remarkably, this art is on display for the general public and unlike most museums, its not placed behind velvet ropes.

Lynn Wexler interviews two fascinating individuals this month. In Heroes to Heroes, pages 28-31, she introduces us to US military veteran Jessica Vargas and the Heroes to Heroes program that helps so many returning vets. She also sat down with Howard Goldstein, the Chairman of the Board of Israel Bonds, an organization founded in 1950 by then Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.

Leaving ones favorite taste of the meal until the very end is a tradition I honor here. Jason Harris takes us to the newest Italian eatery in Summerlin. In The Good Witch, pages 36-40 we dine at La Strega (Italian for the Witch) and discover how they have been casting spells over their patrons ever since their doors first opened.

In that spirit, ciao cari amici, have an excellent April, I’ll see you as always in the racks.

Max D. Friedland

max@davidlv.com