Opinion
Green Felt Journal
The Gaughan Also Rises
April 5th, 2012
This week, a reunion of sorts took place in Summerlin, as the JW Marriott Resort & Spa and the Rampart casino, which had operated as separate units for a decade, were consolidated under the new ownership of Hilfreich Stiftung, a Liechtenstein-based foundation. Overseeing the transition and helming the new, combined operation is Michael Gaughan Jr., a third-generation casino executive who’s seen plenty of changes in his hometown, and who is now helping to write the next chapter for one of its most idiosyncratic casinos. Read more »
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Karma, Bottled
Our intrepid, water-drinking reporter decided to break off her relationship with plastic. That’s when the past came back to haunt her.
March 29th, 2012
Mother Nature kicked my ass. I’m lying in bed barely able to move, and now, I get it. I deserved this. Somehow, after years of contributing plastic water bottle waste to the Pacific Ocean garbage patch, I had this coming. Read more »
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Teacher, Mentor, Facebook Friend
Should educators allow students to ‘friend’ them?
March 22nd, 2012
I have 621 friends on Facebook—no, wait, 623. I just accepted two of my 10th grade English students’ friend requests. In fact, well over half of my Facebook friends are current or former students. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
The Palms’ Big Break
March 22nd, 2012
The casino has had a decadelong relationship with MTV. When George Maloof invited MTV to film the 12th season of The Real World at the Palms in 2002, it put the new resort on the map, changed the public perception of Las Vegas and opened the city up to a different generation. And in 2007, the Palms hosted the network’s annual Video Music Awards. So the spring-break partnership fits the well-tested marketing strategies of both the network and the hotel. Read more »
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Yes, High Culture Has a History Here
How The Smith Center fits into the past—and future—of our resort town
March 15th, 2012
As a world-class, centralized home for the performing arts, The Smith Center brings something new to the Valley. But high culture itself goes back a long way in Las Vegas—even on the Strip. And to this day, the priorities of casino moguls and arts patrons aren’t as disconnected as you might think. Read more »
The Latest Thought
Yes, High Culture Has a History Here
How The Smith Center fits into the past—and future—of our resort town
March 15th, 2012
As a world-class, centralized home for the performing arts, The Smith Center brings something new to the Valley. But high culture itself goes back a long way in Las Vegas—even on the Strip. And to this day, the priorities of casino moguls and arts patrons aren’t as disconnected as you might think. Read more »
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Don’t Try This at Home
For the ultimate March Madness ritual, there’s no place like Vegas
March 8th, 2012
The main action happens during the opening Thursday-Sunday stretch, when 48 games shrink the tourney field from 64 to the Sweet 16. For these four days, the energy generated in a sportsbook makes a Saturday night at Tryst seem like a book-club meeting. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Protecting the Game
March 8th, 2012
They’re not besieged by outlaws with guns and masks, but they are facing a threat that’s no less daunting. Cheaters are working their craft at the blackjack tables. Cashiers are pocketing money that should be making its way to the register. Counterfeiters are passing bogus bills and casino chips. That’s why casino surveillance and security is such a big deal. And from Feb. 27-29, the global casino surveillance community turned its eye on the M Resort, which hosted the seventh annual World Game Protection Conference. Read more »
Comrade Grumpy’s Peeve of the Week
Misfortune Vultures
March 1st, 2012
Lately, I have been waking up at 4:07 each morning with a splitting headache and the sense of being trapped in a long, echoing hall full of real-estate agents, attorneys and talk-radio personalities. The first group is trying to interest me in getting into things I cannot afford, the second group is trying to interest me in getting out of things I cannot afford, and the third group is telling me that I am stupid and responsible for the destruction of the American economy. Read more »
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The Two-Year Turnaround
How long does it take for a newcomer to fall for this town?
March 1st, 2012
I got a lot of advice before moving to Las Vegas in April 2010, most of which fell into two categories: 1) “Don’t,” and 2) “I got really drunk at Caesars Palace in ’06 and puked on a slot machine. You’ll love it!” Which is to say that the advice, sourced exclusively from people who had never lived here, was worthless. Many such opinions are, because in the final analysis any place is what you make of it. Some people are happy living in Nebraska, apparently. Read more »
