Sex and the Zen of Shopping or How to Shop Smart in a Dumb Economy (color edition)

A bit like a small child, a book seems to suck all the creative energy right out of your soul.  If you don’t feed it and nurture it all the time, it withers and dies.  That’s where I’ve been – creating and rearing my book-child “Sex and the Zen of Shopping” – focusing on it’s well being above all else.

Finally ready to go away to college (publication), we’ve passed so many important milestones – the goal finally does seem just at our fingertips.  The experience of creating a book is for yet another article.  Here is meant to be an explanation to my readers for my absence from Sandra Off the Strip.

In addition to writing my own book on some of my favorite topics –shopping, philosophy and human need, I have written a piece for an upcoming anthology titled “Life Choices.” Turning Point Publications has scheduled release for Jan 30, 2010.  My piece “A True Love Story” is another of my pet subjects.

Because my life is entering a new era, so must Sandra Off the Strip evolve.  I loved sniffing that underbelly of Vegas with its hidden treasures to harvest the tidbits that make living and visiting here such an adventure.  The changes in the blog are sure to displease and disinterest many of my readers who looked to Off the Strip for updates on all the wild, eclectic happenings in Las Vegas, the world capital of crazies.

So I’m breaking the first rule of a problem-free life – “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  More than a fix, the changes are alterations.  My life is changing so Sandra Off the Strip has to change too.  I don’t believe in boring lives though, so I anticipate new adventures in new territory.

You are most welcome to come along for the ride.

http://www.sexandthezenofshopping.com
http://www.lifechoicesbook.com

I looked in the Sunday Review-Journal Classifieds.  In the Miscellaneous section I found several job postings that didn’t really describe the job, but pretty much said “want friendly people, no experience required, $500 a week etc.”  One ad had “FREE BEER” in big font.  “What the hell, I’ll try anything at this point.”  It’s called DESPERATION.

After getting a busy signal over the course of an hour, I finally got through when a man answered the phone (sounded like the Billy I would later meet). Told him I was calling about the job in the Classifieds, and he just said “Oh sorry bro, job’s been filled.” – kind of chuckling as he said it.  About a week later, I was looking online at the R-J Classifieds and saw the FREE BEER ad again.

“Huh that’s strange,” I thought, “he said the position was filled, but here’s the post again today.  I’ll call them.”  I got through after about 15 minutes and a girl answered and asked me a few questions like “Am I 18 or over?” “Do I have my own vehicle?”  She then said they had several positions open including managers and assistant managers, and asked if I would be able to come in that day for an interview. Kind of stunned, I agreed.

I quickly ironed my suit, took a shower and tried to do some quick research online, googling what info I had. Nothing really turned up and it was time to go.  I showed up 25 minutes early to my 4pm interview.  Located in an industrial section of town on Polaris with a series of garages, mechanics and other random businesses, I pulled up in front of the window where it said “O. W. O.” in big letters with ”all-star motivation” underneath.

I was getting some weird vibes, but still walked in. There was a young woman sitting at very plain desk with just a telephone and some magazines. No computer? She told me to sign my name under “Billy” and fill out a form. She led me to a small, very austere waiting room with a bunch of chairs and no table.  There was a shelf in the corner with a mini TV and a bunch of perfume and cologne bottles.  She turned on the TV, hit play, tuning in on Anchorman about 1/3 of the way through.

The form looked like it had been made on MS Word, very basic, with just an underline after the questions.  Another guy came in and started filling out the same “paperwork.” After we handed in the forms, the two of us speculated about what kind of job we thought this was. An optimist and admittedly more than naive, I said I thought it was a liquor distributor (free beer?).  He was way savvier and pointed out the perfume bottles.

Next came the “interview” with Billy in another bare basics office. Billy was wearing a white t-shirt with a chain around his neck (tucked under the shirt) – kind of under-dressed for a job interview.  Not to mention that he was interviewing both of us at the same time.

His shtick was that O.W.O. is a rapidly expanding company selling fragrances, opening offices in Las Vegas, Arizona and California, and looking for people to run the outlets.  He claimed they get their perfume from their own factory in Holland where they have a vertical operation including packaging and bottle production as well as the perfume itself.  With no middle men, they could get the products cheap – very cheap.  I was skeptical; wouldn’t it have to be a pretty impressive factory, especially the glass part?  Seems it would be cheaper to outsource it.

He then went on to explain that this wasn’t a telemarketing job, or door to door sales, or cold calls; it was definitely not multi-level marketing. He asked the other gentleman several questions about his availability, in what job he was interested, and then told him “Thank you very much,” gave him a card and said someone would contact him shortly.  Dismissed.

He asked me similar questions and I told him that I’m a recent college grad; I’m excellent with people and willing to train and do whatever it takes to learn the job.  He seemed pleased and asked if I could come in for a second interview at 10am the next day.  He said it was a suit-and-tie kind of thing and that there would be several other people there.  I went home extremely pleased thinking I had a legitimate shot at getting into some kind of management training program.  I KNOW – I SHOULD HAVE GOT IT.

I was anxious about the interview and couldn’t sleep, so I researched the company a bit to show I have some initiative for the second interview.  I admit that some other things bothered me, like the fact the ad said “free beer” and the job didn’t have anything to do with beer. If you are trying to find managers is that really the best way to attract them – beer?  The location of the office and its setup were also suspect. I googled O. W. O. world perfume with the top hits www.ripoffreport.com, www.complaintsboard.com, www.shamscam.com, www.rippedoffemployees.com.  You get the idea.

I was immediately like “Uh oh, this is bad.” Clicking the first link, I read an experience that sounded like mine: newspaper ad, called, got same day interview, asked to come back at 10am for second.  He then went on to describe the second “interview” and how it was just a scam – and then that he didn’t even get paid for the work he eventually did do.

No longer nervous but wary, I went to the interview the next day.  When I arrived there were several men in suits, “bosses” I guess, who shook my hand and told me to sign in and go on in.  There were 60 some chairs, and a TV playing the movie “Old School.”  The room was fairly full with most people looking very unprofessional.  I felt way overdressed in my suit; I was the only one other than the company guys.

A guy named Eric did a kind of a stand up comedy routine for 30 minutes while people were showing up, giving a spiel about the company and himself.  I was shocked the last person strolled in at 10:25. In what world can you show up 30 minutes late for a management interview?

Billy was up next and did a lot of talking about the company and vast amounts of money.  He introduced several young men in suits, but they all had a ghetto appearance – their haircuts, the way they spoke, their body language.  Their language was –well – colorful.  These were not college grads and definitely not corporate material.

Billy explained that all these branches are opening up, how they need managers to staff them, and it’s just an 8 to 16 week program.  He played to the crowd extremely well.  He was entertaining, I’ll give him that.  His own story about himself and how he started – had no experience – and all he was looking for was someone to give him a chance to show that he could do the work and become management etc. was right on the money for the crowd. It was something that everyone in the room, including myself, was struggling with, so after baiting everyone with the whole management opportunity, “we don’t judge people,” “prove yourself” speech, he began to explain the “training” program.

The company’s divided into 3 parts:  marketing, management, and administration.  And here’s where the scam comes in full force.  Their hype is that there is no middle man because everything is produced in a factory in Holland and all the perfumes are “exclusive,” giving them a monopoly on the product line.  “The perfume dealers” supposedly sell an average of 10 to 20 bottles a day and make $5 to $10 CASH (he emphasized “cash”) commission on $25 to $35 bottles of perfume.  This is the base of the company: the grunts running around and selling.  We, however, were going to be managers, but needed to understand all aspects of the business first and that’s where the “training” comes in.

The “marketing” aspect of training consists of door-to-door hustling of the products.  The sales quota is 100 bottles of perfume in two weeks; “paid training” is by commission on sales.  Successful at that, we would graduate to the “management” portion of the training.

Off go the flags in my head.  First off, I was told this is not door-to-door sales, or cold calls. But you would have to go door-to-door in order to sell the product, because I certainly don’t know anyone I could sell a hundred bottles too. That was Lie #1 – no door-to-door?

Next I ran some numbers in my head.  50 bottles a week would be almost impossible to reach.  Who realistically can sell overpriced perfume to 50 different people in a week?  My heart sank into my feet.  They were talking about near impossible goals and the “paid training” I was expecting was commission-based.  The $500 a week that was originally promised is attainable if you manage to meet your quota, but you if don’t sell, you don’t get paid.  Lie #2 – paid training?

It was a trap.  People sign up, making money for the higher ups for every bottle they sell, never reach their hundred bottle quota, and keep restarting, never reaching the second “management” phase of the training.

Billy did a good job of making these numbers seem easy and factual like the average sales are this blah blah, so it sounded like a really good deal.  Most people in the room were nodding and agreeing like 100 bottles was an easily attainable goal.

When you graduate to management, you are given a crew of 4 to 6 people who sell, with you getting a commission based on their sales.  He claimed the average crew sold 200 to 300 bottles per day and explained a complex commission system. If a crew of 4 to 6 sells 250 a day, that’s 40 bottles a person in a 6 man crew – hard for me to believe that’s ever going to happen.  Lie #3 – 40 bottles per day?

He passed around some samples of the product so we could see the cool looking bottles and smell some of the fragrances.  I must admit they had some attractive and creative looking bottles that you could probably promote, but the perfumes didn’t really smell that great – the proverbial cheap perfume.  Can’t see anyone spending $35 on anything they passed around.  I noticed a sticker on the bottom of a bottle with some info about the importer so I jotted it down.

Once you hit a certain amount with your crew, you move into administration which involves test-running an office. After 5 days of successful operations, you are given your own “company” as he called it and you start running 2 to 3 crews out of your office.  Running a bunch of numbers with all the crews and the complex commission system, the payback equaled a minimum of $2000 a week.  Lie #4 – that’s a LOT of perfume!

Billy then finished up the number crunching and said, “So you can clearly see that this isn’t some kind of multilevel marking scheme. You don’t have to pay anything to join us, and you get paid for how much work you put in.”  Lie #5 – not MLM?

I almost burst out laughing, while everyone else in the room seemed mesmerized and eating out of Billy’s hand.

“Hey, dude, you just explained your company structure to us, which is the very textbook definition of multi level marketing, and then with a straight face, you’re going to say that it’s clear you aren’t running a pyramid scheme?”

Billy then laid out the big carrot, claiming he has had a 100% success rate for the past 5 years of everyone completing training – and that you’re not getting a new job, but a new life.  Lie #6 – who ever has a 100% success rate at anything?

Everyone in the room is now commenting like, “I could use that money!” or “Oh man, my kids would be so happy!” – all completely suckered in.  Now, of course, there are 50 or so people in the room and he says “We obviously can’t hire all of you, but here’s a phone number to call within the next hour and we’re going to conduct a phone interview. If we like you, there’s a 3rd session tomorrow where you will begin training under your new manager.”

“Clever,” I thought, “you could hire everyone in this room, just split them up with different trainers in different locations, and they think the 7 or 8 people they are with are the ones who “made” it.  Lie #7 – it’s an exclusive job.

I, of course, just left and didn’t call.  I pitied all those who were stupid enough to believe the spiel by Billy and his ridiculous sales numbers that supposedly banked thousands of dollars for you.  Billy must have been doing well for himself though; he drove a Maserati, and claimed he had a huge house.  He’s on the top of the pyramid – he gets a commission on everyone in that room that signs up.  It doesn’t matter if they fail to meet their quota.  If 30 people sign up and only manage to sell 10 bottles each, he still is making probably about $3K for himself, while the individual apparently sometimes doesn’t even get paid.

So very disappointed and sad, I decide to investigate the company more – the internet had been right on with all the scam warnings.  The company is a bunch of lies or at best, serious bending of the truth.

I looked up the info I got from the perfume bottle. The company is based in Holland but imports the perfumes from a factory in China.  SURPRISE.  I found the factory website; all the perfumes they produce are the products that O. W. O. sells – so yet another lie.  Lie #8 – made in Holland?.

To top it off, I called some of the other telephone numbers from the Classifieds to discover they all lead to these guys.  Pretty much every job posting in the miscellaneous section is just O. W. O.  Lie #9 – 6 different ads, same place.

They managed to get my hopes up twice now, first making me think I was getting a management-training job and second suckering me into thinking that there were several jobs available in the classifieds when they were all just dead ends.  Don’t fall for these scammers. I think it’s disgusting how in this economy, with so many people struggling, that these guys prey on people’s desperation.

Hey – anybody got any leads on a job for an eager and now lot smarter college grad?

FREE BEER Plus up
Las Vegas, NV United States 10/28/2009 (See Ad for Details) FREE BEER Plus up to $500/wk. Intl Wholesale Co. has several positions avail. No exp necessary. Call 257-9557…

They call Las Vegas the 9th Island, so it seems appropriate for me to mention an eco design company based in Hawaii that is now up for sale.  It you have access to some cash (apparently there are a few of those people left) and have a hunger in your soul for an alternative livestyle, check out the link below to read about the eco business  Savage Designs with an Eco-RV.

Sunny Savage of Hale Paiku in Maui wants to transition to the next adventure and sail around the world in a floating mobile documentary film studio.

She is offering a 2 in 1 package – an Eco-RV home and an eco conscious clothing company.

After researching the globe for natural fibers, Sunny discovered indigenous Nepalese who wildcraft fibers and found a cutting edge designer to create Savage Designs, an eco conscious clothing company like no one else on the market.

The RV is bio-diesel, has eight solar panels, and a garage in the back that would be a great editing bay!  The interior is totally remodeled in bamboo and cork with organic bedding and other eco-friendly accessories.

Do yourself a favor.   Dream for a minute or two.  This may just be the opportunity you have been looking for.

savagedesigns.net/forsale/

 By the way, if you are interested, mention you saw this on my site.  Most of my readers are not from Las Vegas – I have a big following in Germany, for instance.  I would love to know if someone from Augsburg followed their dream.
 

Patterned after every other home party except for the huge twist of selling instead of buying, you go not to purchase more stuff you don’t need just to please a friend or colleague, but actually come home with extra cash.  This is one of the few times that your hostess invites you with the expectation that you will sell, rather than buy – and she is going to get a percentage of that deal.

At the party I attended in Henderson, invited guests came with their velvet boxes, silk bags, plastic cases and ziplock bags of rings, broken chains, single earrings, mother-in-law’s watches and any other bit of jewelry or coin they hoped was real gold.  Some brought extra bits and pieces to convert to mad money, others to supplement a fixed income.  One lady was taking her cash to buy groceries.

A small clear plastic box with gold-backed teeth yielded $300 after the teeth had been smashed with a hammer.  The seller was far happier with the hard cash than a cache of her 90-year old mother’s teeth.  A tiny bit grotesque, perhaps, but she needed money more than sentimentality.  It’s a position a lot of people are finding themselves in today.

Although not the purpose of the party, guests did buy from each other, or trade, as they liked.  The value was determined by gold weight, with the merchant pricing at his purchase rate – one that gave him a good profit margin – giving us the chance to buy some beautiful pieces at great discounts.  Certainly the buyer would prefer to buy the gold from you, rather than you sell to your friends, but they seemed to have more than enough to buy and were willing to assist any side sales.  They wanted us to be happy.  They want to book more parties.

The individual cash sales at this gold party ranged from $30 to $3000.  The buyers paid the hostess a percentage for holding the party and inviting her friends.  My hostess netted a cool $750 for a party of 25 that started at 1pm and ended by 3:30.  The snacks, cookies, strawberries and iced tea purchased at Costco cost about $70.  The hostess herself sold some of her seldom used jewelry and then purchased a handful of beautiful 14 karat cocktail rings, one with fire opals, from one of her invitees, paying the very discounted price of the gold only. 

Our gold buyers were an attractive blonde and her very attractive son, both relaxed, professional and not at all pushy.  They set up the dining room table with a laptop, scales, small bowls for sorting each karat class (10, 14, 18) and a flat whetting stone to test the karat of each piece. They used magnets to test first if the piece was gold; gold is not magnetic.  Then they scraped an edge of the piece on the stone and used chemical reagents on the minute particles left on the stone to ascertain if the piece was 10, 14 or 18 karat.  They weren’t interested in anything less than 10 karat. 

The piece was then weighed and the price calculated based on the weight of the object.  If there were several pieces, they were grouped in small bowls according to karat weight and weighed en masse.  There was no consideration given for craftsmanship, as all pieces were destined to be smelted.  There was no value given either to stones.  Stones could be removed before weighing, or the weight of the whole piece guesstimated. Single pieces like watches and charm bracelets were dismantled if one part was 10 karat and another 14 karat, or not even gold.  It was always your decision at any time to proceed or not.

They had fixed rates for each karat class (10, 14, 18), didn’t really disclose exactly how much they are paying per ounce, and no one seemed to mind.  Sellers were happy to have the money for something they didn’t value that much in the first place – or they decided not to sell.  Some had done some comparative shopping and believed they were getting a better deal than at the local jewelry store or pawn shop.  It might have been possible to bargain for a higher price per gram, but I didn’t see any of that going on and it didn’t seem to be the way it worked.  You wouldn’t dicker over wine prices at a wine party.

As it was always a choice to sell or not, no one left feeling “taken.”  The whole exchange was fun, exhilarating, fascinating, and profitable – and the ideal win-win.  The buyer was getting gold for a price that would give him profit when he resold to the factory and the seller was getting hard cash for something they had decided to let go.  The hostess was getting a cut.  There were lots of smiles all around.

Luckily we weren’t so lazy we pulled the covers and pillows over our heads, but let curiosity drive us from our bed to the balcony. Although mainly blocked by the new Wynn Encore, we still had a good enough view of the implosion to make it another memorable night just “off the strip.”

It wasn’t long ago that we had full view of the marvelous demise of the old Stardust Casino. Even though we were not afforded the full view this time around, this implosion party perhaps delighted all the more because of the complete unexpectedness of it.

Isn’t that why we love this town? You never know what’s going to happen – and most of the time the surprises are pleasant. Thank you Las Vegas again!

Related Stardust Goes Down in a Blaze of Glory

The area is technically part of the Humboldt-Toiyaba National Forest, Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA). Before you get too excited over the romantic descriptions of Las Vegas’ own Alpine Village, be prepared that it is not Switzerland by any stretch of the imagination. The forest is a little dried out, although the trees are tall and fairly dense.

At 8,000 ft, the temperature is easily 20-30 degrees cooler than the Valley which feels very nice in August, thank you very much. About half way to the top on Kyle Canyon Road, you will pass the Hotel on Mt. Charleston, a newly remodeled Aspen style hotel, event and conference center with a water element in front and views of the high desert from the bar. It is cooler here than the Valley, but still very distinctly desert terrain. A picturesque church is just across the road, complete with tall white steeple. Soon after you pass the Hotel, you are at the turn to drive over to the winter sports area where you can actually ski in the colder months after Christmas.

There are a couple of camping grounds on your way to the summit, lying just off the road in the very narrow valley that supports all the resident population of the vaguely defined area known as "Mt. Charleston."

As always in the land of dry vegetation, there is signage warning of the level of fire hazard. The fire station located next to the Old Village affords some protection.

Several settlements crawl up the hills and huddle along Kyle Canyon Road snaking its way up the incline. Some are very high-priced ($1 Million +) with fantasy architecture of mountainous style while others are packed into tiny communities like Old Village, complete with its own Lilliputian school and long communal row of mailboxes. Don’t be looking for bargains here. Entry level seems to be about $400K and that is for a fixer-upper on a postage stamp lot. There is a lot of real estate for sale though, so who knows what kind of bargain you could pick up in these distressed times.

At the top of the road is Mt Charleston Lodge with American fare and a decent bar that specializes in exotic coffee drinks. Those are for the winter months when you can actually experience snow, downright cold temperatures and appreciate a crackling fire in the orange, cone-shaped fireplace centered in the dining room. An outside deck surrounding an A-frame lodge welcomes you on warmer days with views stretching down the steep, green gorge to the brown Las Vegas Valley far in the distance. Small tables laden with handicrafts invite your attention as you enter into the which nestle nearby on the edge of a ravine.

There is usually plenty of parking in front, although on any given weekend, the slots can be filled with Harleys. This is not a biker bar, though. We’re talking about that generation of Hog lovers that first developed their affinity back in the 60’s.

The Lodge rents cabins year round. With log siding, green metal roofs and country decor, they are a great place to spend a few days with family and friends, hiking on the adjacent trails, relaxing in the oversized spa-tubs, lazing around the fireplace (gas) or hanging out at the Lodge Bar.

Our family celebrated a downright nippy Thanksgiving with a home-styled meal in the restaurant and long relaxing evening watching silly old videos and sipping hot rum.

Activities in the area include hiking, horseback riding, skiing, camping, "spa"ing, resting, eating, drinking etc.

For more on area trails, check out hikinglasvegas.comtotalescape.com

For more info on SMNRA and recreational possibilities, go to fs.fed.us.

For horsebackriding, go to mountcharlestonridingstables.com.

For ski and snowboarding, go to skilasvegas.com

Hotels: mtcharlestonhotel.com, mtcharlestonlodge.com 

Related Wednesday Business Mixers @ Wildflowers, Clint Holmes in “Just Another Man”, Black Music Awards 2007, “JJ” for Just Jazz, Las Vegas Farmers Markets, Farmers Market Henderson

Related B2B Las Vegas Business Mixer, Margarita Mixer, Bahama Breeze for a Fun Meal

Related LV Iris Society Meets

You were invited to get lucky at this bonanza summer women’s event – lucky in love, lucky in shopping finds, lucky in health and wellness and more. There were over 100 businesses on-site with information and merchandise representing health, nutrition, fitness, beauty, fashion, jewelry, home decor, crafts, finance, real estate, travel, spas, technology and that favorite pasttime of all women – shopping! I always say that shopping is to women what sex is to men.

And when you needed a break from shopping, there was entertainment from Australia’s “Thunder from Down Under” male revue and guest appearances from ABC Daytime Soap stars! Check out the website for more details. girlsdayout2007.com

Check South Point website: southpointeventscenter.com. South Point Events Arena South Point Casino & Hotel 9777 Las Vegas Blvd So Las Vegas NV (Las Vegas Blvd at Silverando Ranch).

Related Da Kine Reggae Concert

The International Gem & Jewlery Show runs Jun 1-Jun 3 at the Cashman Center. Admission is $7 adults/under 16 free – but must be with adult. No strollers please or photography. You can get a $1 coupon by filling out a form on the website InterGem.com. They obviously are out for sales, but it still could be a dazzling event to add more stuff to your materialistic dream list. Cashman Center 850 Las Vegas Blvd No Las Vegas NV

Tues 4p-8p Gardens Park Farmers Market 10401 Gardens Park Dr Las Vegas NV
Wed 4p-8p Bruce Trent Park Farmers Market 1600 N Rampart Blvd (Rampart & Vegas Dr) Las Vegas NV
Thurs 4p-8p Centennial Hills Park Farmers Market 7101 N Buffalo Las Vegas NV

Related Farmers Market Henderson, Soul Food Farmers Market

In case you don’t watch TV, read the newspaper or catch the news online at MSN.com, Avandia is a Glaxo-SmithKline pharmaceutical for treatment of diabetes type 2 which causes a significant increase in risk for heart attack. The New England Journal of Medicine published its report on Mon May 21 which may have prompted the FDA to issue a “safety alert” citing potential significant risk of heart failure among Avandia users. These risks are reputedly between 30-43% over normal for heart attack and 64% for heart death. Significant indeed. And don’t forget that those with diabetes are already at high risk of heart failure as a result of the disease itself.

Avandia and Actos, from Japanense Takeda Pharmaceutical, are part of a class known as glitazones. Rezulin, also in that class, was pulled from the market in 2000 because of deaths from acute liver failure. Baycol, a statin lowering cholesterol, was pulled in 2001 because of sometimes fatal break down of muscle tissue. Vioxx, the anti-inflammatory and pain-killer, was pulled in 2004 due to increased risk of heart attacks and stroke. Bextra, another COX-2 inhibitor anti-inflammatory, was pulled in 2005 also due to increased heart disease and stroke. Are you starting to wonder if FDA approval is any guarantee that your prescription won’t cause more damage than good?

And we are faced with the same repeating questions since Vietnam, the tobacco industry cover-up, Watergate, Iraq etc etc etc: Who knew what and when?

If you are a thinking person, you might ask what else are you putting in your body, with your doctor’s, the FDA?’s and the pharmaceutical company’s recommendation that could kill you? Couple that with the number of meds that are advertised on any given Thursday night TV show and the scenario becomes frightening. Almost makes you yearn for the good old days when cigarettes and alcohol picked up the tab for our evening entertainment.

You can order Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You To Know About from Amazon.com. and decide for yourself how crazy Trudeau is. I never buy anything 100%, but if he is only half right, you need to know about it.

Related FDA Assault on natural health choices

The program goes like this: There are 73,000,000 American users on the internet. It takes $30-$50 to fill up the average car. If everyone abstained on the 15th, it would take $292,000,000 (that’s almost $300 mil) out of the oil companies’ pockets for just one day. That does assume that every internet user drives his own car. Probably a fair assessment in the USA. A blip might even be felt in the Middle Eastern oil industry.

I could avoid the gas station on May 15th. It certainly is an easy way to protest. Might be fun to try and see what happens.

Related Speaking of Dependency on Oil, Drilling for Oil in ANWR, Energy Conservation Ideas, Electric Car is Not Dead

Howe never succeeded in getting formal recognition for a Mother’s Day for Peace and her movement coalesced with that of Ann Jarvis, who had attempted Mother’s Work Days in 1858 to improve sanitation. Her daughter Anna Jarvis started the actual crusade for a memorial day for women, the first being celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia on May 10, 1908. The holiday was declared official in some states in 1912 and nationally by Pres. Woodrow Wilson in 1912, following the original concept of peace by naming it a day for citizens to fly the flag in honor of mothers who had lost sons in war. It only took nine years before the commercialization of the holiday caused Anna Jarvis to become a fervent opponent.

Mother’s Day is the number one day to dine out. Champagne brunches, massive buffets, elegant menus – just about every restaurant in town has got something going for Sunday, May 13. Give your mom a great big hug and tell her “you love her” and appreciate all that she has done for you – along with a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates and a work-free day, of course!

Related Mother’s Day Events by Las Vegas City, Mother’s Day Dinner Dance, “Peter Pan” by Nevada Ballet Theater, Ethel M Chocolates for Mother’s Day

May’s guest is Dick Bruso whose expertise is creative branding, utilizing the power of media and developing strategic networking. This promises to be a highly practical program to help speakers focus on what makes them unique and position themselves to be “heard above the noise” in the marketplace.

The afternoon session is hands-on with the opportunity for five attendees to work one-on-one with Bruso to “brandstorm” before the group. Learn the “umbrella approach” to branding that covers all your services – speaking, consulting, product development.

Lunch is included: Non-Members early bird (purchase by May 12) $107/ Purchase May 13-May 18 $117/Purchase at the door $127. Non-members welcome. Register online www.vegasblock.com. Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino 3535 Las Vegas Blvd So. Las Vegas NV

The collection is presented as one-of-a-kind antiques as well as replicas made from antique materials going back to the 14th century. Doors and building details such as mantels and corbels are also included. Private and retail shoppers are welcome. Call 702-567-2440 for more info or email matthew@marketroadimports.com. Venue is Market Road LTD 6012 Topaz # 7 Las Vegas NV (between Patrick & Russell on Topaz). www.marketroad.net

Dates for viewing and purchase:
Wed May 9 6p-9p Reception and Showing
Thurs May 10 8a-7p Open House
Fri May 11 8a-7p Open House
Sat May 12 8a-7p Open House

Art Festival with over 50 painters, sculptors, glass blowers exhibiting and selling their work. There will be live music on the The Courtyard stage.

Spring Fling at the Green is a family affair with art projects for the kids and live entertainment.

It’s a Dog’s Life at the Green will display 15 custom dog houses created by well-known home builders of the area. They will be auctioned on Sunday evening to benefit charity. If you are thinking of a family pet, be there for pet adoptions each day from noon-3pm.

Evidence is mounting that the tainted pet food is more toxic to cats than dogs. Melamine has now been found in pig urine at a California pig farm.

Wheat glutten is used as filler in the pet food. ChemNutra imports the wheat glutten from a Chinese company which ChemNutra claims was represented as a reputable source for high quality nutritional ingredients and which provided apparent proof that its wheat gluten was safe. Melamine has been found in Chinese-originated wheat glutten, rice protein and corn glutten, all used as pet food ingredients.

Melamine is a chemical found in plastics, pesticides and sometimes fertilizers, certainly not approved for use in pet food by the US FDA. A leading theory is that the melamine was deliberately added to fake higher protein levels. The FDA has set up a website for concerned pet owners: www.fda.gov.

Related Pet Food Recall, FDA Assault on natural health choices, Your Chance to be heard re FDA & Natural Health

Also read Kevin Trudeau’s New York Times Bestseller “Natural Cures They don’t want you to know about.” This story is as big as the tobacco industry’s deliberate addition of nicotine to make cigarette smoking more addictive and their cover-up of the cancer-causing constituents of tobacco. Although it is a bit sensational, Trudeau brings to light issues which, if only half true, are scary enough.
Order Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You To Know About from Amazon.com.

There are many places you can buy here in town, besides their Factory Store 2 Cactus Garden Dr Henderson NV : Fashion Show Mall, Meadows Mall, The District at Green Valley Ranch, California Hotel, Flamingo Hotel and four locations at the airport. For online ordering and shipping go to their website www.ethelschocolate.com.

Note: For those of you who don’t know until it’s too late, this year Mother’s Day is Sunday May 13 .

Related Best Chocolates on the Planet

NOTE: All interested parties are welcome; membership in LVWAC is not required.

Related Las Vegas World Affairs Council, Future of Space Program Dinner, Terry McAuliffe, Hillary and the LV World Affairs Council

Sat noon-6p
Sun noon-4p The Kid’s Carnival Zone at the Green with games, prizes, music

Sat noon-4p Acoustic Music w/ Kevin Baker – the Green, Frank Joseph – The Courtyard
Sun noon-4p Acoustic Music w/ Kevin Baker – the Green, Jarr – The Courtyard

Sat noon-6p
Sun noon-4p Bronze in Motion Living Statues – Main St

Fri 6p-10p Live Music with Island Tyme (Reggae and R&B) – The Courtyard
Sat 6p-10p Live Music with The Fab (Beatles Tribute) – The Courtyard

Fri at Dusk Outdoor Picture Show – the Green “Over the Hedge”
Sat at Dusk Outdoor Picture Show – the Green CineVegas Film Festival presents “Animation Under the Stars”

Events are subject to change. Outdoor Picture Show and Live Music will be ongoing, so check out their website for details on future screenings and music groups www.The District At GVR.com

Related CineVegas Art House Screenings,

The society also hosts an annual show and sale (held Apr 07.)

Related Clubs & Associations , Rose Society Meets, Orchid Lovers Meet, Bonsai Group Meets

Related Margarita Mixer

Related Soul Food Farmers Market, Las Vegas Farmers Markets

That quote reminds me that someone once said “Money isn’t everything, but it ranks up there with oxygen.” Amen to that, especially in this town.

You must be 21 to see the Gazillionaire show and tickets are $20. Reserve tickets by phone, but purchase is at box office by cash or check only. No credit cards. Call 702-360-9959. Showtimes Fri Mar 23 3p & 8p, Sat Mar 24 8p & 1a. Aruba Hotel 1215 Las Vegas Blvd So (just south of Charleston) Las Vegas NV.

Related www.newamericantheatreproject.com

The Golden Nugget supplied a craps table and music was provided by DJ Mike White. We were treated to some live trumpet with a Latin jazz feel to accompany the electronic. The trumpet player, Rico Sanchez, also produced the event through Access West Marketing. A highlight of the evening was the performance of Las Vegas’ own Uncommon Connection, a small group of highly skilled breakdancers. This was their first professional performance. The Downtown Cocktail Room, their own Grand Opening just last week, was represented by lovely young girls in red knit dresses.

The Verge exhibited a Loft model, modern and spacious with floor to ceiling glass. They will begin accepting reservations on Mon Mar 19.

I personally enjoyed watching the crowd – hundreds of beautiful young persons, handsome guys and slim girls in short skirts and wonderful shoes. I could have done a photo album on the amazing footwear. I have no idea if men even notice such things, but feet were definitely the fashion statement of the night.

Related Verge Grand Opening Tonight with Mayor Goodman, Downtown Grand Openings, www.downtownlv.net, www.access-west.com, www.triplegeorgegrill.com, www.VergeLiving.com

Related Downtown Grand Openings

Related Stardust Goes Down in a Blaze of Glory

The helicopters began to appear at 2:00 am, first two, then three and finally four, circling and hovering, mirroring our own anticipation. After the evening’s kaleidoscopic light show, what would the last moments look like? As if to say to the public, “We were wrong. This is Las Vegas afterall, and the world deserves our special kind of show,” the regulators and the organizers put on a fireworks display of grand and glorious scale. With starbursts in the night sky and rockets shooting from the Stardust herself, the signal that the end was near brought applause and cheers from a grateful public. The final moments were marked by a giant blazing countdown on the side of the tall shell, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, and then she came down in a towering cloud of stardust that filled the night air.

From one humble citizen comes words of THANK YOU for a glorious finale to an era, and for living up to the grand reputation that brought me to Las Vegas in the first place. We have a responsibility to the world always to be over the top – and you did just fine last night.

Related Date of Stardust Scooped, Stardust Implosion

Photos of Stardust Implosion on the Web

Should I have kept this to myself and enjoyed the show from the privileged vantage point of my balcony? Will I be responsible for mass pandemonium this fateful Tuesday? Am I a threat to National (or at least City) Security? I could bother myself with these doubts, but basically I don??????? like secrecy when it involves the government. It just plain makes me nervous. I sorta feel like it??????? my patriotic duty to spread the word amongst my fellow citizens. Who am I to decide who is fit to witness a big construction project?

So if you want to pay last homage to the august Stardust and don??????? want to wake up in the morning to a void in the skyline, my bet is on March 13, 2:00 am. Maybe this isn??????? such a big deal in the scope of things, one implosion in Las Vegas vs. all the explosions in Iraq, but for me it??????? the idea that Big Brother wants to control my access to the Truth. It??????? become a matter of principle. I???????l defiantly watch the show and hope that you will join me from whatever vantage point you have. But stay away from actual site, be smart and safe.

Related Stardust Implosion

Mental health workers actually regard the compulsion as an addiction – an addiction to spending, rather than gambling, smoking, eating, sex, pornography, alcohol and drugs – the usual suspects. They have gathered their data from interviews asking about the cardinal signs of compulsive buying:

• Senseless impulses to buy
• Frequent purchases of unneeded or “unaffordable” items
• Shopping for longer periods than intended
• Financial problems stemming from overspending
• Emotional letdowns after buying sprees

I’d like to add to this list:

• Going shopping for something to do
• Going shopping because you feel blue

A high score on this tally occurs in 6% of women and 5% of men, regardless of race or ethnic background. The average age is 40 years – which is scary to think that you don’t grow out of it. Sadly a majority had incomes under $50,000/yr, obviously a group with little mad money at their disposition. They tend to have the same number of credit cards as other people, but typically max out their limits and opt for minimum payment each month, regardless of their incomes.

Not yet accepted as a psychiatric disorder, there is a push to have in included as a behavioral addition in the next manual of psychiatric diagnoses coming out in 2011. As depression and anxiety seem to go hand in hand with compulsive buying/spending, some believe that anti-depressants might be helpful as a treatment. We have restricted tobacco advertising and hard alcohol advertising. Will we reach the point when we realize that easy credit and the constant barrage of advertising that fuels our cravings for more are having a significant impact on a segment of society ill-equipped to resist the temptation?

I’m going to think of this article from Science News, Oct 07 2006 when I rummage through Marshall’s next time, uncovering all the wonderfully-priced bargains that I could have lived without before they caught my eye. I recall one afternoon when I chatted with a fellow-shopper. “I love coming here,” she confided. “It’s so therapeutic.” There you have it.

Related Author Richard Wiley Reads, Mathematics in Nature, Home from Iraq

Don’t miss the Road Show. You spend $50 with the Radio Shopping Show at the Road Show. You Buy lunch at the Road Show location, which is roving. You get reimbursed for the cost of your lunch for up to $30 in merchandise.