Bin Laden Dead

Today justice was done. President Obama held to a campaign promise and US forces killed Osama Bin Laden. Granted this is not a political blog, nor one that advocates violence....but I have to say WELL DONE.

Consumer Electronics Show

It's early January and that means that the giant Consumer Electronics Shows is back in town. Years ago I used to faithfully attend CES and the now defunct COMDEX. CES usually brings over 100,000 visitors to the Las Vegas valley. CES runs from Thurday through the weekend and will showcase the latest electronic gadgets and doodads.

Thankfully a massive influx of visitors is a welcome jolt to the local economy, especially the strip section. Tourism is down again last year and unemployment is at a historic high. On the plus side however, Encore opened and provided several thousand jobs, according to the latest study, the Las Vegas homes market is as much as 14% undervalued and interest rates have never been lower in recent history. Financial guru are advocating investing in real estate again, especially in our market. As the housing market recovers, we'll see improvement in other areas as well.

Barack Obama is coming to Las Vegas

This Wednesday Barack Obama will be appearing at Cashmanfield. It will be a town hall type meeting, where voters can discuss issues with the Democratic nominee for president. Admission is free to the public, but campaign organizers recommend that you rsvp here.

Here are the details:

Baseball Stadium at Cashman Center
850 Las Vegas Blvd North
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Doors Open: 2:30 p.m.
Program begins: 5 p.m.

For security reasons, bags, signs and banners are not permitted. Please limit your personal items.

To say this coming election is probably the most exciting one in recent history is an understatement. Cashman field seats about 9,000 people so you might want to come early.

Related:
Obama Town Meeting

Wine Tasting to benefit Opportunity Village

Attention oenophiles, there is a wine tasting event to benefit Opportunity Village, this Saturday, August 23 at the World Market center. The event starts at 3 pm and runs until 7 pm at World View on floor 16. Tickets are $50 in advance or $75 at the door.

There will be hundreds of wines to sample, great food, entertainment and a silent auction. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Opportunity Village at 6300 W. Oakey Blvd and at all Lee’s Discount Liquor locations.

World Series of Poker 2008

Today marked the start of the 2008 World Series of Poker. The first event was held today at the Rio Hotel and Casino. The series started at noon with a $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em. Last year's champion, 39 year old Jerry Yang is expected to return to defend his title.

The "Main Event" is July 3 through the 14th, with the final WSOP final table on November 9. The event is free for spectators and it's expected that over 100,000 people will end up watching the event.

Entry fees for the tourney range from $1,000 up to $50,000. WSOP expected over 30,000 players. For complete tournament details and scheduled events, visit worldseriesofpoker.com.

If you are coming into town for tourney and are looking for the best deals, check out Savelv.com. Randi has put together a great list of things to do and where the best deals are in town.

Candlelight vigil anniversary

This Friday, February 22nd, there will be a candlelight vigil to remember the thousands of animals that lost their lives at the Lied shelter last year. Please feel free to come down to the shelter and meet the different rescue groups or take a tour of the shelter. Adoptions will be ongoing, so if you are looking for a pet, the shelter is giving tours and adoption counselors will be on hand. The shelter and rescue groups are also looking for volunteer foster homes as well.

The event will be from 6pm to 9pm at 655 N Mojave Road.

Monte Carlo Fire

Yesterday I had put up a post about the fire on the strip. At the time, details were a bit sketchy, but at around 11 am, a fire broke out on the roof of the Monte Carlo casino (3770 Las Vegas Blvd. S). The fire spread from the roof to a couple of floors down. The hotel was evacuated and guests are being given alternate accommodations at other MGM properties. Guests not situated or had reservations at the Monte Carlo are urged to call 888-395-0776.

According to the firefighters on the scene, it was a three alarm blaze that was extinguished around 12:15 or so. 120 firefighters from Henderson, Las Vegas and Clark County responded to the exterior fire. No one was seriously injured.

Kudos to MGM for announcing that that all Monte Carlo employees will be paid, plus receive health, welfare benefits and tip replacement. Employees can call 702-693-7005 for more information. There is no official word yet on the cause of the fire.

The strip and and surrounding streets have been re-opened as well. Construction continues on neighboring CityCenter.

Compared to past fires on the strip, the property damage was minor. Still, the Monte Carlo is looking at millions in lost revenue, repairs and wage compensation. I doubt the blaze will make anyone cancel their trip to Las Vegas, but it certainly doesn't help your property to be all over the news because of a fire, especially when its a high rise. I'll post more information as it becomes available.

Obama Town Meeting

The RJ has an article in today's paper stating that Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with the culinary union and there will be a town hall meeting at Del Sol high school. I received a call from Obama campaign staff and received some clarification. According to his staff, the meeting is open to the public, no tickets are required.

The town hall meeting starts at 5 pm at Del Sol high school, located at 3100 E Patrick Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89120 (between Pecos and Eastern). Map

For more information, call 253-2008.

Halloween party

Last year my friend Sam graciously offered his house for our annual Halloween party. This year, it was back at my place (sorry Sam). That's one of the great things about living in Encore, I have nice neighbors and a big backyard. As usual, there was too much. Too much food (I'll be eating this stuff til Thanksgiving) and definitely too much booze (can there really be to much alcohol?). The party was on the small side for us and it went off without a hitch. No one fell in the pool and everyone pretty much had a good time. I think this picture though sums it up:

I hate when you get a leaky keg. It took several days to decorate as well as multiple trips to storage, but I think it came out great, especially the graveyard.

Thirsty??

Now, if I can just get some volunteers this weekend to pack it up and haul it back to storage....

Remberance

Today six years ago, a group of COWARDS took the lives of some of our fellow Americans. There probably isn't an adult on the planet who doesn't know who is responsible. I'm sure there are several shows talking about 9/11 today, remembering those that fell trying to save others.

As you go about living your life today, take a moment and think about all of those that have sacrificed for our country. And thank you, to all of the men and women in our armed forces that are putting their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe.

Microchip and toenail trimming event

This Saturday, the Lied animal shelter is having a low cost microchip and toenail trimming event. I'm a strong believer in microchipping, because without them, I never would have gotten my Pekingese, Toy back in 2005. You can read the original post here. The people at Lied were aware of Toy's story and asked permission to use her as the spokesperson for the event. Naturally, she acquiesed and had a small list of demands (private trailer, constant supply of Chicken Jerky and Pig ears, the usual).

But seriously, if your cat or dog hasn't been chipped yet, go down to Lied this Saturday and get it done. Aside from vacinating, its the best thing you can do for the welfare of your pet. google map

Wetlands fire still raging

Yesterday I noticed a smoking smell invading my house. At first I thought that I left a candle smouldering but as the smell grew stronger I was worried that it was something else. I walked outside and found the source of the smell right away. Apparently someone or something set the Wetland preserve next to the Sam Boyd Silverbowl on fire. The fire started yesterday and firefighters are still battling the blaze. Neighboring homes have been evacuated and the areas have been drenched with water in the hopes of sparing the homes.

So far there has been no comment on the local news as to the cause of the fire. Firefighters have estimated that 200 acres have been burned and the BLM is estimating that only five to ten percent of the fire has been contained. The picture was taken outside the front of my house, looking towards Henderson.