Posted at 06:10 AM in Las Vegas | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Posted at 06:24 AM in Las Vegas, Shooting | Permalink | Comments (0)
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A cover-up, cited by an author and broadcast personality in connection with the Oct. 1 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 and injured several hundred, is spotlighted in a Sunday commentary column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, observes Grumpy Editor.
After three weeks of different timelines presented to the public, Wayne Allyn Root focuses on the third scenario --- as does MGM Resorts, the casino's parent company and its lawyers and crisis management team, he points out, because that version "would lessen MGM's potential legal liability, saving the company a significant amount of money." The third version has a security guard arriving simultaneously with the start of shooting.
"The way MGM is handling this case looks and smells bad," Root declares. "The questions and suspicions exploded when MGM security guard Jesus Campos 'disappeared' minutes before interviews with Sean Hannity and other serious media (professionals bound to ask serious questions). But it turns out he didn’t 'disappear' at all. Apparently, MGM just didn’t want Campos being asked tough questions."
"Yes, the only witness to the worst mass shooting in America’s history would do only one media interview — and comedian Ellen Degeneres was the chosen interviewer. Ellen isn’t just a comedian. She is a comedian who has her own line of slot machines at MGM casinos.
"Anyone with a brain can figure out this is all about the timeline. Billions of dollars in lawsuits and legal liability are on the line."
Meanwhile, London's Daily Mail sums it up with: "MGM was behind the decision to call off all the interviews and did a deal with Ellen, knowing she would not play hardball on the timeline as long as she had the exclusive."
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...
URANIUM SCANDAL IGNORED. Old media continue to ignore a Senate probe into a Clinton-uranium scandal. That's the case where the FBI finds evidence of a Russian bribery plot before the Obama Administration’s controversial 2010 nuclear deal with Moscow. The scandal reportedly involves millions of dollars in kickbacks to the Clinton Foundation.
NURSING FIELD SEES GROWTH OF MALES IN RANKS. Latest nursing field figures (2015) show men make up 13 percent vs. 2.2 percent in 1960.
SO WHAT DO NORTH KOREANS WATCH ON TV? NBC News reports that military officials in North Korea tune in MSNBC's "Morning Joe" specifically for reports and discussions about their country.
GIs WITH PINKISH BROWN TROUSERS? Soldiers are sporting proposed outfits, with pinkish-brown trousers and dark olive jackets modeled after World War II-era uniforms known as “pinks and greens," designed for everyday office wear. If adopted, the existing blue Army service uniform would be used only for formal occasions.
ANOTHER DRILL AS "BIG ONE" STILL AWAITED. Millions of Californians go through an earthquake drill --- including going under tables for protection --- continuing a routine started nine years ago in preparation for "the big one" which scientists claim is long overdue.
MOST PEOPLE FEEL ITS FABRICATED NEWS. Editor & Publisher reports 46 percent of voters believe news media fabricate stories about President Donald Trump and his administration, while 37 percent think the media do not manufacturer stories. Remaining 17 percent are undecided.
COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL. Jonathan, at 186 years old and considered the oldest giant tortoise in the world (and probably the oldest creature on earth) could be gay. Living on St Helena island in the south Atlantic since the 19th century, experts in the British Overseas Authority recently discovered the old-timer’s girlfriend of the last 26 years is probably a male. Seems tortoises do not have easily identifiable differences between males and females. Gender generally is determined by subtle clues like notches in the shell or shape of stomach.
Posted at 06:11 AM in Las Vegas, Security | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Advertising experts say the 14-year-old rallying cry --- “What Happens Here, Stays Here ” --- is among the more famous tag lines in modern tourism marketing, one of the most quoted, talked about and recognized.
Las Vegas ad agency R&R Partners develops a new advertising campaign that starts to run over the weekend for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The new ads build on the grass-roots #VegasStrong social media hashtag, says Billy Vassiliadis the ad agency’s CEO.
The campaign aims to express gratitude for everybody in the community who responded to the tragedy, including police officers, paramedics and doctors, while highlighting how much Las Vegas has come together.
“We’re going to let people know that we are strong, and that we’ll be coming through this and coming out of this in a strong fashion,” points out Vassiliadis. “A lot of people spent a lot money and a lot of years building this world-class destination. We’re not going to let one lunatic ruin it.”
As a motive continues to be sought by authorities, Time magazine's Oct. 16 cover story on the Las Vegas shooting rampage provides a one-line food for thought --- "The glitzy (Las Vegas) boulevard is a symbol of our culture of decadence: there's a reason that the Islamic State released a 44-minute propaganda video in May calling for supporters to conduct attacks there."
Meanwhile, CNN reports Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock didn't spend all his time in casinos --- he also took at least 20 cruises that sailed to Spain, Italy, Greece, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Las Vegas Strip marquees went dark at 10:05 for 11 minutes last night in honor of the 58 victims killed during the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
MOST MEDIA SOCK IT TO TRUMP. An analysis of 3,000 stories across 24 media organizations during the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency finds reporting on the president has been the most negative over the past quarter century compared to other presidents. Findings show only 5 percent positive media coverage during the period with 62 percent negative and 33 percent neither positive nor negative.
PBS AND NBC TAKE HONORS. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences names PBS and CNN winners in the business and economics news categories for the 38th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.
CHINA THROWS CURVE TO HOLLYWOOD. China has been underreporting audience figures, screenings and box office ticket sales, the latter by about 9 percent last year, says the Motion Picture Association of America.
AROUND, AROUND SHE GOES. The Senate Intelligence Committee expands the long-running Russia probe despite a lack of evidence, points out Lou Dobbs on Fox Business.
HOWARD STERN GETS TOP PAY. Howard Stern, heard on SiriusXM, tops Forbes’ list as the highest-paid radio host, earning about $90 million in the year ended June, 2017. Premiere Networks’ Rush Limbaugh placed second on Forbes tally with an estimated $84 million.
DODGING WIND, RAIN --- AND CHAIR. Mike Seidel, Weather Channel meteorologist and field reporter, standing outside in 85 m.p.h. wind and rain nearly gets smacked by a beach chair Saturday night while covering Hurricane Nate as it made landfall near Biloxi, Miss.
Posted at 06:19 AM in Advertising, Las Vegas | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Posted at 06:12 AM in Food and Drink, Holidays, Las Vegas | Permalink | Comments (0)
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In a Las Vegas Strip first, MGM Resorts International will become the first major casino company in Sin City to start charging visitors for self parking, finds Grumpy Editor.
Locals and frequent tourists consider the move a bad turn in PR since such parking has been a key “freebie” since the Strip was born 75 years ago.
Management sees it another way. The headline on a company news release crows: MGM Resorts International to enhance guest parking experience.
The New York Stock Exchange-listed Las Vegas casino company’s properties --- MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Vdara, Aria, Bellagio and The Mirage --- will charge $10 for overnight parking, less for shorter periods during the day starting sometime in the second quarter.
MGM hotels on the Las Vegas Strip already are nicking visitors on the high end (up to $33.60 per room, per night) for so-called “resort fees,” padding added to room rates that covers the Internet, local and 800 phone calls, newspaper (at news stand), basic services at hotel business center and access to exercise room at MGM Grand Spa.
Resort fees, in efforts to boost bottom lines, have caught on in other parts of the country over the past few years.
As with past added money-making developments in Las Vegas, other major hotel/casino properties are likely to follow instituting parking fees.
With 45 million visitors a year to Las Vegas, the move by MGM is seen bringing in additional millions of dollars in revenue annually --- without adding a single slot machine or a craps table.
Iran capture of 10 U.S. sailors raises questions
News reports on the Iranian capture of two small U.S. Navy boats with a combined crew of 10, including one woman --- later forced to wear a headscarf --- were blamed on assorted factors. Most prevelant: engine problems as the boats drifted toward shore near Farsi island in the Arabian Gulf. Then it became a navigational error with the onboard GPS. (One report had the Iranians confiscating that gear.)
While released the next day, the U.S. sailors nevertheless were subject to facing weapons while kneeling with hands clasped behind heads on their own craft as the Iranians were busy recording propaganda video on board and later on land for worldwide consumption.
Few in U.S. media mentioned the Geneva Conventions ban the practice of parading prisoners for propaganda purposes.
In a new development today --- and adding to strange goings-on --- the Pentagon revealed Iranian soldiers removed SIM cards from two handheld satellite phones in possession of the U.S. sailors.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
Despite bright economic outlooks last week from the White House, U.S. industrial production fell for the third straight month in December…Performing elephants, a decades-long attraction with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, will only be seen in vintage movies after May. All 11 touring circus elephants will be retired…While U.S. military forces continue to dwindle, Russia will create three military divisions on its Western flank this year…Media, especially TV, were highly excited late last week over a possible out-of season hurricane in the far eastern Atlantic. Named Alex, it quickly fizzled and departed the Azores Islands Friday as a tropical storm…California politicians concerned with housing the swelling prison population at San Quentin should read a Reuters story out Friday that noted more than 700 death row inmates in the Golden State still await execution. Despite an $850,000 remodeling with taxpayers’ funds, San Quentin’s death chamber remains unused, as the state has not carried out an execution in a decade…Forget bank robberies, that’s old stuff. New York police are looking for a suspect who cleaned out an entire 190-bottle display of upscale nail polish at a Manhattan store. Caught on video and facing a grand larceny charge: a man, undoubtedly highly polished.
This five-word headline spotted on a financial site sums up stock market action last week: Global selloff on China worries.
And it’s not even our 51st state.
Posted at 06:18 AM in Gambling, Iran, Las Vegas | Permalink | Comments (0)
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President Barack Obama, now at Martha’s Vineyard for his 40th vacation since taking office, on Aug. 24 will make his 14th visit to Las Vegas during his presidency, a destination he twice knocked, resulting in scaring off tourist and convention activity, notes Grumpy Editor.
In his upcoming trip, he will be the keynote speaker at the National Clean Energy Summit --- and attend a fundraiser.
Obama’s poking at Sin City started in February, 2009 when he declared, “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.” Soon after that statement, Wells Fargo Bank and Goldman Sachs, among others, shifted major meetings from Las Vegas to other cities. Tourists also shunned the famous Las Vegas Strip.
A year later, he warned, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.” Las Vegas’ economy then soured, with thousands of casino workers losing jobs, placing the area’s unemployment among the highest in the nation, while the city soon rose to first place in U.S. home foreclosures --- which remain a major problem.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
A major story --- involving cocaine and an unusual seagoing vessel --- received limited print coverage late last week: The U.S. Coast Guard in the eastern Pacific seized a 40-foot semi-submersible vessel carrying more than 16,000 pounds of cocaine worth $181 million after the craft was spotted by a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft. Four smugglers were arrested and the vessel, which took on water, sank…On the other hand, some newspaper editors were excited (devoting almost a half page, in some cases) over a Reuters story on identification of the remains of two Japanese hikers who disappeared on the Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps during a snowstorm --- 45 years ago…How’d she get in? Following Thursday night’s GOP presidential debate in Cleveland on Fox News, a surprise guest on the scene for The Kelly File, hosted by Megyn Kelly --- one of the three Fox News quizzers at the debate --- was Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democratic National Committee chairwoman and representative from Florida's 23rd congressional district. Kelly sought Schultz’s opinion of the debate. Want to guess what Schultz had to say about the GOP session?…On-the-hour radio news on Friday proclaimed “rosy” job growth, citing nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 215,000 last month, but failed to mention 93.8 million Americans were not in the labor force. Along with that, some economists said such job growth should further bolster the Federal Reserve's confidence in the economy, leading to a possible interest rate increase next month...Most editors missed a short Associated Press story on where Washington sends taxpayers' money: NASA will have to pay $490 million to send U.S. astronauts on Russian rockets to the International Space Station through 2017…Where some jobs are: A councilman in Huntington Park, near Los Angeles, said he planned to appoint two illegal immigrants to city commissions…A heart-warming story missed by many, mostly print, editors: A service dog in Philadelphia saved her blind owner’s life by alerting authorities to a house fire. When the dog’s owner shouted “danger,” it was the code word for action. So the golden Labrador dialed 911 on a specialized phone. Firefighters responded and controlled the blaze. The dog also was a hero last year when she dialed 911 after her owner fell at home and lost consciousness…Publicly-traded U.S. companies now will be required to disclose to investors how much CEOs earn compared to average workers at their firms, said the Securities and Exchange Commission…More white vs. black news: A study by University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism found 73 percent of characters in top-100 grossing movies of 2014 were white.
Aiming to be a newsmaker:
KMOV-TV, St. Louis, reporter/anchor Robin Smith, retired after 40 years in broadcasting, and plans to run for Missouri secretary of state in 2016.
Posted at 06:11 AM in Las Vegas, Obama, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)
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With another campaign rally in Las Vegas on Sunday, President Barack Obama seems to be competing with Tonight Show host Jay Leno in the number of visits a year to Sin City, notes Grumpy Editor.
Obama, recognizing Nevada as a key battleground state in the upcoming election, returns to the casino-studded neon capital over the weekend, on the heels of another visit just 18 days earlier.
It marks the president’s eighth visit to Las Vegas and ninth trip to Nevada this year.
Obama is esxpected to stay three nights in the Las Vegas area before heading to Denver for an Oct. 3 presidential debate with Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
Jay Leno, meanwhile, reappears for his stand-up routine in Las Vegas Oct. 12 and 13 --- with six more appearances scheduled on The Strip through next Sept. 20.
The difference between Leno and the president, however, is that Leno encourages folks to visit Sin City.
Obama is remembered for taking two negative blasts at Las Vegas.
In February, 2009, one was directed at business meetings when the president declared, “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.”
A year later, the president followed that with, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”
Las Vegas’ economy then turned south, triggering pink slips to thousands of casino industry workers, knocking out construction, and sending the area’s unemployment and home foreclosure rates soaring to the nation’s highest.
Posted at 03:32 AM in Elections, Fundraising, Gambling, Las Vegas, Nevada, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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National media are mum on why President Barack Obama keeps going back to Las Vegas, as he will tomorrow for a speech, in a state with the nation’s highest unemployment rate, now 12 percent, notes Grumpy Editor.
Las Vegas also leads in home foreclosures
It will mark Obama’s sixth visit to the Silver State since January and second visit to Sin City in three weeks.
All this follows shots the president took at Las Vegas, a city highly dependent on tourist travel and conventions.
In a Sept. 9 column for Stevens Media, Sherman Frederick, former publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, noted Nevada is now among the toss-up states after leaning toward Obama.
He pointed out Las Vegas “is ground zero for the recession” with high unemployment, especially among Hispanics and minorities. He mentioned “the construction industry was destroyed” and “net wealth for all Las Vegans was cut in half (or more) by the collapsed real estate market.”
Frederick said “the president won’t take ownership of the mess. He still blames George W. Bush.”
Added Frederick: “But the president can’t blame Bush for his own actions. Not once, but twice President Obama took shots at the people who dare to visit Las Vegas during the recession.”
As pointed out earlier by Grumpy Editor, the first blast, in February, 2009, was directed at business meetings when the president declared: “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.” He followed this a year later with: “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”
Las Vegas’ economy then turned south, with thousands of casino industry workers losing jobs, sending the area’s unemployment soaring to the nation’s highest.
In his Las Vegas speech tomorrow, prior to traveling for a campaign event Thursday in the Denver area, Obama was expected to tell his audience the choice in the upcoming election will be between moving forward with his vision for continuing to create an economy that’s built to last, or going back to economic policies that hit the economy and punished the middle class.
Posted at 03:26 AM in Economy, Las Vegas, Politics, White House | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Grumpy Editor says imagine a U.S. president telling Americans to bypass a city and spend money elsewhere, yet visiting that city multiple times --- for fundraising toward his reelection.
That’s the case with Barack Obama who, again, routes Air Force One to Las Vegas this evening for tomorrow's fundraiser.
It’s part of a two-day stop in Nevada, a state hard hit by the souring economy. Today he is visiting Reno.
In his fifth visit to the Silver State since January, the president’s trip this time comes as Nevada’s unemployment rate edged up to 12 percent last month --- the highest rate in the nation.
(Michelle Obama has made three trips to the Las Vegas area over a three-month period this year to rally campaign supporters.)
The president tomorrow will be passing his hat in an area, dependent on tourist travel and conventions, after he fired two blasts at Las Vegas after he took office.
In a February, 2009 message directed at business gatherings, the president declared: “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.”
Then a year later, he warned: “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”
Las Vegas’ economy then turned south, with thousands of casino workers losing jobs, sending the area’s unemployment soaring.
Then Las Vegas soon rose to first place in U.S. home foreclosures.
Along with ranking tops in unemployment, Nevada also heads the list in bankruptcies and worst credit scores, finds a CardRatings.com survey.
In connection with tomorrow’s visit to a high school in North Las Vegas, a statement from the Obama campaign mentions that among topics the president --- in office for almost four years --- will focus on:
How to grow the economy.
Posted at 03:14 AM in Economy, Fundraising, Jobs, Las Vegas, Nevada, Politics, White House | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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