Etc.

Obituary: Jon Lord, 71, a co-founder of the rock band Deep Purple, lost his battle against pancreatic cancer although the official cause of death a pulmonary embolism.

He remained with the group until his retirement in 2002. Lord played keyboard with the band. The original lineup was perhaps the best in the group's history.

An example of his playing during the early years in this instrumental:



_____

Obama has his work cut out for him to carry Nevada this time. Washoe County, suffering horribly from the economy, will play a key role in his re-election or lack of it.

Nevada has picked every single president since 1964.

The Las Vegas area suffered the most, but Reno was not far behind. And economists and local officials say much of the damage to Reno-area tourism is probably permanent.

Unlike Las Vegas, with its international reputation, Reno has always been more of a regional attraction, drawing tourists from Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. With the advent of large, full-service Indian casinos in Northern California, many of those tourists have no reason to visit anymore.

Bill Eadington, an economics professor and director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno, said his studies showed that gambling revenues from tourists in Reno declined by two-thirds between 1990 and 2010.

And, he added, "The business isn't going to come back."

_____