Sunday, April 5, 2009 by admin.

If you were ever in doubt about the power of the Presidential office, what I’m about to discuss will convince you. One off-hand, irresponsible comment has set off a chain of reaction so severe that our city is in jeopardy. [Please note that “irresponsible” pertains to the comment made only. No mail bombing me for saying Obama is an irresponsible president, and if you do you’re only proving the point I’m trying to make in this post.]

On February 9, 2009, President Barack Obama was speaking at a town hall meeting in Indiana about the state of the economy and, specifically, the role of financial institutions in its downturn. He chastised the institutions involved in the Bail-Out and stated that they shouldn’t take trips to “Las Vegas…or…the Superbowl on the taxpayer’s dime”. He also called for them to practice “accountability and responsibility”.

As a taxpayer, I agree wholeheartedly with companies focusing on accountability and responsibility for their actions and, above all, not wasting my hard-earned money. Also, I do not dispute that American public have misinterpreted what President Obama said. Somehow, his statement regarding the misappropriation of funds by troubled financial institutions became “stop going to Vegas for any reason whatsoever.” Clearly, that is not what Obama meant to happen, but the average American isn’t going to examine what he said closely. They take what the President says as gospel and if he says, “don’t go to Las Vegas,” they’re going to drop this city like a hot potato. He’s new to game and we all make mistakes. However, he should know that most people regard the President as an authority on all subjects, faulty logic or no.

The sad fact is that our city was singled out in the statement and our major sources of revenue, tourism, conventions and meetings, thrown into suspicion. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman felt so strongly that he penned a letter the very next day asking for an apology. He later rescinded the request stating he was satisfied that the word is out there and that the President wasn’t trying to “disparage Las Vegas”.

On March 12, the White House issued a “clarification” stating that the President recognizes the importance of business travel to the tourism industry and encourages business travel for meetings. According to Metro Networks Communications, Obama is also planning a trip to Vegas for a fundraiser for Senator Harry Reid during which he is expected to talk about “talk about the importance of leisure and business travel.”

I commend him for making an effort; however, I don’t think Harry Reid is the path to winning back the hearts and minds of Las Vegans. I personally wouldn’t align myself with him. I’ve met the guy and I would say you’d be hard pressed to locate a more arrogant, self-interested waster of taxpayers money. Chalk it up to Obama’s newness once again. But I digress…

Now, we must ask ourselves, is it too little too late? Is the damage is already done? Some damage is evident at least.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that 340 conventions have been cancelled in the last 90 days, costing our city $131.6 million in non-gambling projected revenue. What does that mean? More than just trouble for our economy, it means that thousands of people are going to lose their jobs.

As of February, the unemployment rate in Nevada was already at a staggering 10.1 percent. The last time it was that high was 1983 due to the recession in the early 1980s.

So what can we do to turn it around? Get the word out and I’m about to give you the ammunition in my next post. I’m splitting the post because this one is long enough and I’d like to highlight the next individually.

Posted in A Little of Everything, Travel, Vegas | Print | No Comments »

Wednesday, April 1, 2009 by admin.

I know it’s April Fool’s Day, but I’m not the jokester type. No foolin’ going on here.

Oh, and by the way, I’m not playing hooky. I’m at home waiting to work on my team assignment that’s due today. I need all the pieces and parts from everyone else before I can put all of them together with my  pieces and parts. Sounds dirty but it’s not…moving on.

I am sad to report that Andy Hallett best known to Joss Whedon fans as Lorne on “Angel” passed away from a heart attack last week at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was only 33. I know he suffered heart problems for a while but we will certainly miss him.

On a more personal note, my friend Peggy Zellner passed away Saturday in her sleep. For those who didn’t know her, Peggy was a Naturopathic Doctor who also held gatherings each Tuesday at her office, Reflexology Management, in Las Vegas. Peggy was a bright light in this world and everyone whose life she touched will sorely miss her. Here’s to you, Peggy! See you on your next journey, my friend.

That’s the sad stuff, on to the glad…

Buffy alum Alyson Hannigan received the best birthday present ever on March 24— baby girl Satyana. How cool is that they’ll share the same birthday? Congrats to Alyson and her actor hubby Alexis Denisof (also from “Buffy” and “Angel”)!

Happy Birthday, Debbie Reynolds! She turns 77 today. “Singing in the Rain” is one of my all-time favorite movies so I feel the need to tip my virtual hat to Ms. Reynolds. Rotten Tomatoes recently interviewed her and I was pleased to find out that she hasn’t let the passing of years slow her down. She’s still touring and making the media rounds promoting the Warner Bros. movie archive collection.

I highly recommend checking out the interview. She’s a delight.

Until next time, kids.

Posted in A Little of Everything, TV, Vegas, Movies | Print | No Comments »

Monday, November 5, 2007 by admin.

I saw “Dan In Real Life” yesterday at the Red Rock Regal Theater. My stomach literally hurt from laughing so much. Steve Carell is a wonderful actor and comedian and I’ll watch pretty much anything that Dane Cook is in. Juliette Binoche was so great. Her performance was so true to life and you couldn’t help but fall in love with her character right along with everyone else. I highly recommend it.

On a completely different topic, I went to SEMA last Thursday. For those of you don’t know SEMA, stands for Specialty Equipment Marketing Association and is the convention of choice for gear heads from across the nation. There are some perks living in the Convention Capital of the World.

First, let me say that I am not a gear head. I can, however, appreciate the beauty and majesty of well-built shiny car.

SEMA has something for everyone: aftermarket products, restored cars, new models and, oh, yeah “Booth Babes”. I’m not so interested in the latter but I did notice there were a lot less of them than in previous years and they were less scantily clad. A few years ago you could walk through the show and see a few of the models dressed in nothing more than the shortest pair of boy-shorts known to man and a few gallons of body paint. I’m certainly not complaining (I’m sure there were a few disappointed males roaming the aisles)– just making an observation.

Now, my sole reason for attending SEMA had nothing to do with aftermarket products or restored cars. There was only one booth that I wanted to visit and that was GM’s booth. Why, you ask? BUMBLEBEE. Yes I went to a car show simply to see the Camaro concept car from “The Transformers” movie. They put a barrier around the car like they didn’t trust people to keep their hands off. Sheesh! I admit I wanted to run my hand over its slinky, cool hood too, but had to be placated by just being near it.

I did take a photo of Bumblebee with my phone.
.

I also took a photo of a Chevy SS because it was purty. Me likey, likey!

My co-worker, Audrey, went with me and we had a marginal fun looking at everything except for the hordes of people. It seems like the show was packed, which is good for business, but not my idea of a good time We checked out the North and Central Halls quickly and skipped the South Hall.

Well, that’s all for today. I’m going to watch “Robot Chicken” and “Torchwood” that I DVR’ed this weekend and then “Heroes” is on. See ya!

Posted in TV, Vegas, Movies | Print | No Comments »