Las Vegas...cleans up strip! Kudos...

If you're a frequent visitor to Las Vegas - and have been inclined to stroll along the strip under a starry night sky as a gentle wind blows in off the desert - you have obviously been witness to the neglected stretch of sidewalk just shy of Sahara and across from Wynn's Encore Resort.

For about a year-and-a-half - that portion of Las Vegas Boulevard has been strewn with all-manner-of rubble (left-overs from an implosion of a tired old broken-down Hotel long gone), smashed  beer bottles, smelly unsightly trash, you name it.

Even in the bright light of day, the stretch of  "no man's land", was a potential danger to tourists and locals alike.

What action was taken?

For some inexplicable reason, City Officials simply cast a blind eye in that directiion.

Shame!

What a pleasant surprise, then, to stride down the strip a few days ago and spot a landscaping project underway that looks promising for tourists who love to to take their daily walk or jog through that part of town.

The once-scruffy property which edges on the sidewalk has now been contained with a short retaining wall.

And, dotted about the strip, bushes and newly-planted trees are set in beds trimmed with brick and other outdoor garden flourishes.

No wonder the street was bustling with enthusiastic folks that morning in the desert oasis.

I couldn't help but wonder, though, if the transformation was somehow due to the fact that Steve Wynn's Beach Club is in the end phase of completion.

Did the persnickety Hotelier strong-arm some officials downtown?

News at 11!

http://www.thetattler.biz/

San Francisco...nasty sewage pollution spewing out of Mayor's manhole! Civic Center (January 27th/2010)...

Different kind of man hole on Gavin's mind!

OMG!

In spite of the fact Gavin Newsom boasts that he is one of the only Green Mayors in the country who makes a difference on the environmental battlefield - today - the hens  came home to roost.

The wet behind-the-ears (naive) politico hasn't even bothered to take a glance out of a City Hall window lately to check the State of his fiefdom.

In the event the lanky scandal-ridden Mayor perchance had of taken a a gander out of a squeaky-clean window at City Hall  this morning, the sight on a busy city street fronting on Civic Center may have shocked the light-headed golden boy a tad.

For example, when I strode down Market Street to take in a couple of tourist hang-outs in Union Square, I was so horrified to spot nasty sewage spewing out of a manhole, that I stopped dead in my tracks.

Not in San Francisco; tell me it ain't so!

Here is the evidence of the awful truth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5rjlXKJHi0

Stop the twittering dude, and hob-nobbing at social hubs around the World-Wide-Web on the backs of cash-strapped taxpayers (and in the alternative roll up your sleeves and get a little grunt work done).

Do you want  San Francisco to become a third-world industrial city, Sir?

The ball is in your court!

http://www.julianayrs.com/

Christmas gifts...burglars have their eye on garbage piled in streets for hints!

I was strolling down a busy Vegas Street on boxing day when I spied a jumble of empty boxes adorned with enticing product images of pricey toys once-packed inside - eye-catching promos for top-of-the-line wide-screen TVs, jazzy state-of-the-art designer cell phones, pricey leading edge DVD players - you name it.

Ah, Santa was generous to this family - in spite of a troubled economy in recent months - I thought to myself.

Later in the day, on the heels of a couple of burglaries in Las Vegas neighborhoods, A news anchor at a local TV outlet, issued a warning to residents about engaging in the careless practice I witnessed bright and early that morning.

After all, burglars are inclined to get hip to the obvious.

If an empty box sits in the street waiting for the garbage man to pluck it up to cart away to the city dump, the precious gifts advertised on their face, are just a hop-and-a-skip away inside the house waiting to be scooped up, too!

"It's best to break down the boxes or cut them into small sections. Then, place the cardboard pieces into plastic wrapping bags and garbage bins away from the prying eyes of thieves out on the prowl," one consumer advocate recommended.

On that note, I should also like to point out that it is also a no-no to drop off packages in the front or back seat of the car under the assumption they are "safe", while you head off for a snack with pals or to finish last-minute shopping.

For good reason.

Crafty thieves cruise parking lots for items of value waving in plain view - then, once discovered - break in without remorse and snatch up the spoils of the expensive shopping spree.

But, possessions need not be brand spanking new to prompt a theft.

A case in point.

The other evening I was heading home after a night clubbing, when I noticed a young man sporting a hooded jacket, probing the front seat of my vehicle with a flashlight.

As I hastily approached on foot, he darted off down an alley.

Curious, I ran up to my car to fathom why he was shaking down my property.

Merde!

Earlier that day, I was practising tunes on my keyboard.

After the painstaking finger exercies, I carelessly left the instrument in sight in the front seat, as I headed off for some Christmas cheer with chums.

Clearly, if I arrived a few seconds later, that young opportunist with the watchful eye would have broken in and made off with my cherished musical sidekick.

In addition to that loss, there may have been a broken lock or a damaged alarm system to repair - or worse yet - a need to replace a costly side window!

Bottom line?

It's best not to "tempt" a criminal.

Store gifts, shopping bags and items of value out of harm's way - or a least out of sight in the trunk if you don't lock your vehicle - so you won't have to deal with this kind of downer during the festive season.

By the way, Happy Holidays!