Escape from Lost Wages

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Good morning Free Rangers.
Well I'm back from Lost Wages a bit lighter on coinage. Well, a little more than a bit. While I only lost $18 at the one armed bandits, we spent a lot on shows and entertainment.
We went to the Tournament of Kings show and had dinner sans utensils (we be Dragons) and the next night saw the show WOW, which was a good time.
Had a rental car the whole time, so spent the days touring all the suggested sites by those here.
Thanks much for the suggestions.
Mt Charleston was high up and a lot cooler (79) than in town (114) with a nice visitors center and much less smoke.
Drove over Hoover Dam and stopped for the requisite photos and had lunch in Boulder City. Could not stay out of the car A/C for more than a few minutes because it never fell below 100 even at night. Us rainbirds are just not acclimated to that kind of heat. Plus the smoke from the wildfires.
A day trip to Red Rock Canyon was interesting and fun. In all our local ( within 50 miles) travels we couldn't help but notice the creeping urbanization expanding outwards to all these destinations. Where there was once open desert blossomed(?) into tracts of homes and shopping centers. From the mountains to the river, wall to wall urbanization.
In town was crowded with people even during the weekdays. By the time Friday rolled around, the weekend partiers showed up in mass, even with the I-15 closed down due to a lithium battery laden truck spill.
By Saturday, the crowds were unbearable.
We had reservations at Hells Kitchen and it was noted online that the dress code was business casual attire, but nobody but us were dressed like that. Most were in shorts or cut-offs and some wearing flip flops. And it was really noisy, like a cafeteria.
Did Fremont St, what a zoo.
By Saturday we were done with Vegas.
It's good to be home.
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QMS's picture

.
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your descriptions do not surprise me
Haven't been back there since the Liberace days.
Or was that Palm Springs? It is all a mirage now.

Thanks for the OT. Maybe try Reno next time?

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truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security

earthling1's picture

@QMS
is still there but it's scheduled for demo.
The Rio is old and worn out and most of the shops are closed. It just sold. They may remodel it.
I've heard Reno is stalled out and worn down.
We may drive through there next fall or winter on our annual migration south.
Rainbirds dontcha know?
Thanks for stopping by.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

I stayed at the Belagio on both my trips there. On both trips, I spent most of my time outside Las Vegas.
I will say, my steak dinner at Prime Rib, or whatever it is named, inside the hotel, was the best restaurant meal I have ever been served anywhere in the world.
I do not recall the urban sprawl or the traffic congestion being that awful, but my trips were in the early 2000s.
I recall my tour guide in China telling a story about how she went with a large group to Las Vegas. They found it hilarious that every gift shop they searched to buy souvenirs were stocked with items "Made in China".
Glad you are back, safe and sound, and thanks for the OT, friend!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

earthling1's picture

@on the cusp
were phenomenal. A heavy premium for the Vegas brand, even though made in China.
The Hells kitchen tab for three of us was $260. And that wasn't for the top signature dishes.
On the way to Red Rock we stopped for a snack at Taco Bell and for $6 got 3 burritos and 2 tacos.
Amazing.
We anticipated the shakedown though.
Still managed to have a really good time.
Thanks for stopping by.

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7 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@earthling1 As much as I dislike fast food, I can find something on the menu that I can choke down, and knowing that merely eating doesn't deplete my retirement account and push my retirement back, makes it even better!
I am always on the hunt for hotels, you know, those businesses that used to be called motels, for rooms with a kitchenette. When we visit Illinois next week, we will bake pizzas in the oven, spend about $12 for 2 pizzas, or $45 at Domino's or Pizza Hut for 1 extra large pizza. Same range of savings to make spaghetti and meatballs for two, and even more, since it will be enough for two meals!
When I tour, my preference is to spend money on entry fees to parks, museums, and the like, or on tickets to concert venues. The more touristy the area is, the higher the prices for everything, except groceries.
Someone suggested Reno for a visit. I suggest Lake Tahoe. Both are fun.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

out to Red Rock.

We had a touch of precipitation overnight, enough to wet the ground and exposed surfaces, but not enough to penetrate see-through shade cloth, more of a heavy mist than rain. Chores and such continue unabated here, but it keeps us off of the streets.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@enhydra lutris
But had about 2 dozen onions laying out on the back patio to dry.
Had to hurriedly move them to the garage a deposit some to the neighbors. Will have at least 150 to consume or give away.
Red Rock rocks. Had some inviting hiking trails but will leave that for a winter trip.
Same w/ Mt. Charleston, lots of trails, even to the top. Again, wintertime adventure.
Have a great day.

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5 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

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9 users have voted.

@humphrey about this escalation.
Israel refuses to peacefully co-exist. In the end, Israel will be non-existent.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

QMS's picture

.
all over the world about camel hair ass
either she is winging it or her speech writers
hate her and feed her gibberish ..
come-on guys, can't you give me something
that makes me sound intelligent? Uh, nope.

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truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security

snoopydawg's picture

@QMS

Either she’s really dumb and writes her own speeches or her staff hates her and tries to make her sound dumb.

I think it’s just her. Listen to any interview or her being asked a question. Word salads every time. The Lester Holt interview when he asks why she hasn’t been to the border…"I haven’t been to Europe either and I don’t understand your question.
In the video I posted last night.

Her tweets are intelligent because her staff writes them.

I think her mascot should be a pet rock.
Smile

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“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt

of the deep state.

the rest of the tweet:

And then they'll have the gall to shriek about "election interference" if some Russians make some Facebook memes about a presidential race. Really says a lot about how evil, entitled, supremacist and stupid western civilization is.

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soryang's picture

@humphrey

...attack deep inside Russia. Was I not paying attention or is the media ignoring it? I found out by watching Col Macgregor on Redacted.

I'm not partial to the crypto nativist arguments of the colonel which I think adversely affect his credibility. I looked for some confirmation on the google of the attack on Russia he described-

Russia Freaked: Report Says Ukraine Used Drone to Strike Bomber in Arctic Circle

It was just over a year ago that a Ukrainian drone was employed to strike the first Tu-22M3 at the Soltsy-2 air base in Novgorod Oblast. It was noted for being especially daring as it was several hundred miles from Ukraine – but this week, Kyiv's forces struck even deeper.

On Saturday, Ukrainian forces struck the Olenya military airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, more than 1,100 miles from the front. It marked the first time that Kyiv had struck Russian territory within the Arctic Circle – and not far from Severomorsk, home to the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet.

Similar raids were carried out against the Engels airfield in the Saratov Oblast and the Diagilevo air base in the Ryazan Oblast. An oil refinery near the latter air base was also targeted.

"Each destroyed Russian airbase, each destroyed Russian military aircraft – whether on the ground or in the air – means saving Ukrainian lives. Guys, our warriors, I thank you for your precision!," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement.

MacGregor said he thought the drone may have been launched from Finland, which is absurdly provocative. He opined that it definitely wasn't launched from Ukraine. He questioned who in this US could possibly (in their right mind) authorize this sort of operation?

At the two plus two talks in Japan, the "friends" Blinken and Lloyd, engaged in process of setting up a new "joint command" with Japan (Japan Joint Operational Command?) to respond to increased threats in the region described by the Japanese as "serious" and "severe." This is not a good development because it continues the process of arming up Japan, and at the same time raises the issue of OPCON of the "joint command." In South Korea, the Combined Forces Command of the US and ROK armed forces delivers operational control of ROK armed forces to the US in "wartime." The South Korean's have been trying to get operational control of their forces during war back for years without success. During the briefing the Japanese Defense Minister avoided the use of the term "war" and substituted the word "crisis." If I remember correctly the Japanese Defense Minister repeated Austin almost word for word when asked one question about the details of the new JJOC which were pretty vague. There's another tweet over there at X SecDef with entire press conference.

Tim S had a great observation on this Bloomberg tweet-

(edit typo)

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語必忠信 行必正直

QMS's picture

@soryang
.
.
Lloyd Austin's eyes appear too close together.
Not a sign of intelligence.
BTW, wasn't Japan an enemy once? Guess the
WW 2 vets that were taught to kill them are mostly
gone now. Some of us still remember.

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truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security

soryang's picture

@QMS

...in Asia, particularly in South Korea. Yoon apparently didn't raise any objections to the Sado Mines in Japan being registered as a world heritage site without reference to "forced labor." During WWII Korean slave laborers worked there. This is the second such site as far as I know (the other is Battleship Island aka Hashima Island Nagasaki). Recently the Japanese government successfully lobbied some German city to fine the organization that placed a "comfort woman" statue the South Koreans placed there. The big problem really is the effort of the Japanese government to erase the history of their crimes against humanity during WWII and to avoid paying compensation to the survivors.

Yoon also connived with the Japanese government to, in effect, nullify a Korean supreme court judgement on Mitsubishi to pay survivors of slave laborers compensation. Yoon is simply regarded as a Japanese lackey. Even one of the main line conservatives criticized him for these actions, because he knows it's the kiss of death politically in South Korea.

I know what you mean QMS, my uncle and father both Pacific war vets would detest the Japanese government's attitude on this. They're simply trying to erase history.

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語必忠信 行必正直

@soryang goofs. Also, your definition of crypto nativism.
This is no way to challenge or disagree with you, but to gain your insights.
I find myself hanging on the Col.'s every word because he is not going along with the narrative. I don't want to be wrong. I don't want to be a sheeple.
I need to understand crypto nativism to get a grip on this, soryang.
Thanks so much, friend.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981