The Flamingo has extended Braxton’s “Revealed” show through next summer … August 2007 to be precise.Apparently her show is going over well with audiences.

I have yet to see her show, but this should give me ample time to do so.

While I can’t name a single song that she sings, the chance that she may come out in the costume pictured at left will probably compel me to purchase a ticket at some point.

There was a semi-outrage when “feeding the homeless” was banned in Las Vegas public spaces some months ago. Some people were also pleased about it, but more were really really angy about it. The people who were angry about it mostly lived in gated communities and drove really quickly through homeless-laden neighborhoods.

Summerlin residents have never offered one of their parks for said food handouts, and I can assure you that they never will.

I can see both sides of the position. I used to live in a major city across from a small park in which they fed homeless people at 4pm every afternoon.

The problem I had was not the handing out of food, or helping people in need. The problem I had was that the consumers of said food would start gathering hours before the meal, and stay hours after the meal, and would piss, shit, and throw trash on my stoop. Every day.

I also had to bring everything inside, as anything not locked down would be stolen (including trashcans), and anything that was locked down would be broken - my bicycle would get tripped over and have the spokes broken, etc.

Not to mention that when I left in the morning, I would often have to step over a drunk person passed out on my stoop.

If recipients of freebies appreciate things, then it’s all good. But if they just make it hell on the neighborhoods that host these gatherings, then it becomes a problem.

It also prevents people from buying in to less wealthy neighborhoods, as nobody wants to clean shit off the steps every day. It basically keeps said area in poverty.

But like everything, most people think it should be allowed, as long as it is in someone else’s neighborhood of course.

This is the news release that basically says that you can’t prevent the practice:

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 21 (UPI) — A federal judge has ruled that a Las Vegas ordinance banning the distribution of food in public parks is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Jones said the ordinance violated the Constitution by targeting a specific segment of the population, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday.

“The statute goes too far,” Jones said. “I don’t think you could limit a person’s right … to hand out sandwiches to one, two, three, four or five people.”

“This is one thing the homeless and indigent can really give thanks for. A federal judge went out of his way days before Thanksgiving to protect their rights,” attorney Robert Murdock said after the hearing.

Las Vegas City Attorney Brad Jerbic said he believes the city can redraft the ordinance if it can prove that feeding indigent people in public parks leads to a greater burden on city services, including trash cleanup.

“I am heartened the court recognized there is a serious problem and has given the city some guidance on how to amend the ordinance so we can address the problem,” Jerbic said. “We have every right to regulate that activity. We have every right, as a government, to regulate the park.”

Is this really news-worthy? Is this really the basis for a post?

The answer is yes, yes it is.

You see, few people can claim to have done both. There was one guy from Minnesota about 10 years ago that dined at Circus Circus, and went on to live a full and productive life, but since then, this task has not been repeated.

Until today.

I stared danger in the face, and I laughed. I flipped E-Coli the finger and told it to kiss my ass.

And then I did it. I put Circus Circus food in my mouth. And now, two days later, I am still here to talk about it.

You can read about it here.

They don’t call me the “King of Las Vegas” for nothing.

Who else is going to take this kind of bullet for you?

Democracy and the Free Market Economy. You just have to love it, don’t you? That’s what we’re all fighting for. Right? I mean Saddam only gave those poor bastard Iraqi’s ONE choice for electric power, as opposed to the good old USA where we get a whopping, er, uh ….. one choice? What, that doesn’t sound right. Does it? Aren’t we supposed to be better than that?

What happens to the “free market” when one company is only one game in town? What happens when that company is publically traded, and has only one, sole legal duty, which is to increase value to shareholders. And what happens if that one company supplies a necessity to non-shareholders. And what if that company has a powerful lobbying group to bribe off “regulators” and “lawmakers” to get whatever the hell they want.

Well, then you don’t have a free market. You have what they have in China. You don’t have “a choice”, you have “the choice”. In this case, that choice goes by the name “Nevada Power” or to be technically correct “Sierra Pacific Resources” which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SRP.

You see, SRP is hurting. They are hurting so badly that their stock is only up 24% this year. So it only makes sense that they are “asking” for another 8% increase in electricity rates. I mean, what are you going to do … switch companies? Bwahahahahaha. Go ahead. Try. I dare you.

It’s the perfect ruse. One that our elected and appointed officials will gleefully rubber stamp, because let’s face it … Nevada Power has a lot more bribe money than you do.

So, the current 120% markup on power isn’t enough. The $5 “customer surcharge” (as if you have a choice but to be a customer) isn’t enough. The last 5 rubber-stamped rate increases weren’t enough.

Well, it wasn’t so much that they weren’t enough, it just never hurts to ask for more. Especially if you know you will get it. Especially from our oh-so-vigilant protectors of the public interest.

So, yesterday Nevada Power filed for yet another rate increase … again, and come next summer, that burning sensation between your butt cheeks will not be hemorrhoids, that sensation will be Nevada Power’s electrified dick up your ass. K-Y jelly would require an extra 5% rate hike, so that’s out of the question. At least for now.

Car dealerships have 5% markups, grocery stores have slim markups, most stores have single, maybe double digit markups. Why? Because you will go somewhere else if they go too high.

Allowing a monopoly that provides a necessity to maintain triple digit markups on a product is a travesty and miscarriage of public trust and interest.

This increase, which is set to take effect in June 2007 (just in time for 110 heat), will bump the average monthly bill up $17.50 to roughly $315 per month. That’s right, over $300/month for the AVERAGE household.

The fact that any entity in the county or city would even entertain the thought of rubber-stamping yet another increase like this should make every Southern Nevada resident with an IQ over 80 (all five of them) stand up and say “We’re not going to take it anymore!”. But then they would be sitting in the dark. Really … what can you do?

You can write letters, and go to public meetings and bitch, but that’s about it. Money talks, and the destitute Nevada Power has a bullhorn.

And let’s not forget those polls that rank Nevada Power “worst customer service” and “worst public utility”. Hell, they don’t even have to be competent or cordial to you. I hate to beat a dead point, but the fact remains, Nevada Power can tell you to go fuck yourself in the ear every time you call (which they practically do), and you can’t do one damn thing about it.

Therefore, out of sheer frustration and powerlessness, I would like to sincerely extend a personal gesture to Nevada Power and every local official who enables the complete and utter pillaging of Nevada residents to continue:

The Hyatt at Lake Las Vegas has been sold to Loews, and will be converted into a non-gaming property.

Instead of gambling, Loews is going to concentrate on making the property a great place for “meetings” while still being “close to the Las Vegas Strip” (which it really isn’t).

While this news is sure to be met with a collective yawn by most Vegas residents and tourists who didn’t even know that Las Vegas had a Lake, much less care where it was … there did exist a small but loyal following for this property.

I don’t understand why they would get rid of gaming, but they are going to concentrate on upgrading the property to make it more “resort-like” by upgrading the pool area and fire pit to make them more “plush”.

It seems that they could just as easily build this property in Florida, or Arizona. I wasn’t aware that there was a big market for non-gaming hotels in Las Vegas.

I give it a year before they stick a casino back in the joint.