I’m not quite sure what to make of this.

Ricin was found in a Las Vegas Motel yesterday afternoon.

The motel in which the substance was found is about 1/2 mile from the Rio and Palms Hotels, and just across the I-15 from The Strip.

Supposedly, Ricin is 6,000 times more toxic than cyanide. I’ve been reading up on this substance today, because before this incident I had never really heard of it.

The whole thing may be much ado about nothing, but you never know …

Judging from the picture I found of it (above), I swear they sell the stuff at Starbucks.

A substance found at a motel may be the deadly toxin ricin, but authorities said today they don’t believe it was intended for a terrorist attack. Lab tests on the substance were pending and seven people were taken to hospitals as a precaution.

“This event does not appear to be terrorism related,” FBI spokesman Richard Kolko in Washington said this morning. Kolko said the FBI was assisting local police in the investigation.

Police were called to the Extended Stay America Motel on Thursday and retrieved a package from the motel manager that was determined to be a chemical or controlled substance, Officer Ramon Denby said.

Two preliminary tests indicate it contained ricin, Denby said. Results from further tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a second local lab are expected later today, he said.

The man who brought the substance to the manager told police he found it in a suite and it did not belong to him, police Capt. Joseph Lombardo said at a news conference Thursday night. Lombardo did not identify the man.

“Ricin has no medical uses other than cancer research,” Lombardo said. “An individual citizen other than being involved in cancer research or cancer prevention would not have any legal means or proper means of having that.”

Police cordoned off the area and isolated the room where the substance was found.

Three motel employees and another person were quarantined and decontaminated at the site, then taken to hospitals for further testing, Denby said. All appeared to be in good condition, he said. Three police officers who had been exposed were also taken to hospitals.

Someone exposed to ricin shows signs of contamination in six to eight hours, Denby said.

Homeland Security officials joined local police in the investigation. Officials from the FBI, Las Vegas Health District, a hazardous materials team and the National Guard were also at the scene.

A woman who answered the phone at the Extended Stay America Motel declined to comment. The motel is several blocks west of the Las Vegas Strip.

Ricin is made from the waste left over from processing castor beans, and can be extremely lethal. As little as 500 micrograms, or about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the CDC.

It’s hard to offend me.

Hell, I thought it was completely impossible.

But I was wrong.

While strolling through the Flamingo yesterday, I came upon this poster.

It’s just so wrong on so many levels.

How many people are going to go to this show and come out crying because they “made contact with loved ones”.

Note to everyone contemplating this show: If your dead relative is in Vegas, they are hanging out in a G string at the Spearmint Rhino, not watching you yank slot handles. Period.

If you were floating around, and could go anywhere without being seen, would you sit in a vacant lounge all day waiting for your deadbeat Uncle to show up so you could tell him that you sort of forgive him for leaving the toilet seat up?

No!

You’re going to be casino-hopping and banging showgirls without their knowledge.

The method behind this type of thing has been debunked and exposed so many times that it is pointless to rehash. It’s a well known con. So why on earth would Harrah’s hire the guy?

Because it’s Harrah’s. They’ve yet to find a level low enough to which they will not stoop.

Is 6/5 Blackjack really not insulting enough? REALLY guys? Why not just employ a greeter at the entrance of every Harrah’s property to yell “You’re Stupid!” at every person entering the property?

Whether it’s because we hit ten blackjacks and still lost all of our money in half an hour, or because our grandmother told a room full of people that she saw us masturbating from beyond, I guess we will all be leaving a Harrah’s property crying for one reason or another.

Hold on …. I am starting to get something.

A message for John Edward.

It’s from VegasRex …. wait, wait, it begins with an “F” …

Watch the videos below if you want to see how this con is performed (3 videos, 10 minutes each):

The press release is being pimped out like Chelsea Clinton at her mom’s fundraiser (I’ll eat my own nads before apologizing).

The MGM City Center Penthouses, which have yet to be built, have already sold at a Las Vegas record when measured by price-per-square-foot. This has been picked up by the mainstream media like a Britney twat shot.

Hell, it’s even above the fold on the Drudge Report today.

Units at City Center have recently been sold for $1,500 - $2,500 per sq ft, and up to $12 million per individual unit … which beats out the previous record of $1,300 / sq ft.

And press releases have been distributed to this effect to anyone that will listen.

The fact which receives little mention, is that only 3 … yes THREE units have been sold at this record price.

And they may have been bought by relatives of the Dubai owners, simply to make marketing headlines as they pay themselves. We simply don’t know.

Hell, I don’t even know if they have actually paid for them. In this town, “sold” and SOLD mean two different things.

I moved here before the real estate collapse, when the market was still white hot … so consider me an outright skeptic of any and all fantastic real estate claims.

If they are really making that much money, then they wouldn’t need to jump up and down, scream, and issue press releases when they make a big sale.

It looks desperate in my opinion.

Only 50% of the MGM City Center has been sold, and probably a good chunk of those were sold before one in every 40 homes in Vegas went into foreclosure.

That’s less than 1,400 units which have been spoken for, but not necessarily paid for.

No offense to MGM … but in a town of 2 million residents and 40 million visitors, that’s not a lot of units.

More of these “residential” projects have failed in recent years than have succeeded , and I don’t think MGM is going to have many more than 3 people pay those kinds of prices for units.

Sure some wealthy people here and there will gobble some of the penthouses up, and no doubt we will get a press release every time they do, but people aren’t exactly beating down the door to buy units despite the insanely extravagant sales offices and presentations that have to be costing MGM/Mirage a fortune to operate.

You can’t throw a rock in this town without hitting someone that would be thrilled to tell you about the wonderful amenities that will be available at the City Center. And I’m sure it will be every bit as great as they say.

I can’t wait for City Center to open. I look forward to the hotel and casino. It’s going to be one of the biggest Vegas openings of my generation, and no doubt the entire venture will be a success.

However, the media hype behind these THREE sold condo units is a little beneath MGM/Mirage in my opinion.

In related news, VegasRex.com has been sold for 5.8 Bazillion dollars, making it the most expensive website sale ever recorded in the entire galaxy.

Tell your friends!

Experts cite the poorly written diatribes as the reason behind the intensive bidding war for this Internet property.

A deposit of $4.75 has been made for the site by a wealthy African Princess, with the balance becoming due when an article appears here that actually makes sense.

Shit, I’m never getting paid …

Someone sent this to me via the contact form.

I thought it was just a photoshopped hoax, but it’s a real section on Vegas.com that links to someone’s Myspace page.

But supposedly, the promo code “DOUCHEBAG” is real!

All this time I could have been using my nickname and getting discounts???

Anyway …

I guess those Vegas.com guys have a sense of humor after all.

I should have known they had a sense of humor when I found out they were sponsoring the Monorail.

Anyway, if you are a douchebag (and you know you are), here’s the link:

http://www.vegas.com/douchebag/

I suppose this is one way to increase business in a rough economy.

Although technically illegal to advertise in this manner, it is sure to set you apart from the competition.

Frankly, I like the honesty.

Not sure I would be seen riding in the van, but I do know which Vegas massage parlor I will be going to in the near future.