What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas

And that, apparently, means all my money.

In the past, I have complained about mindless opulence - well, I have never seen anything like the bright lights and big city in the middle of the desert.

I learned a lot of life lessons last week- for starters, looking at card games from the perspective of winning is stupid because, to be blunt, there is a reason they are out there in the middle of the desert.

I also learned a lot about climate change. What? Yes, climate change. I now know more than ever that most individuals don't give a shit about the environment - because if they did, they would avoid Vegas like the plague. I have never been in an environment that cared less about the environment- notwithstanding the 40 nuclear reactors it must take to power the strip, the water use policy contradicts everything we have learned about diverting water resources. In other words, if the USA wanted to meet its Kyoto obligations, I have a solution that would take three seconds and no actual impact on the USA economy. In fact, shutting down Vegas might actually improve the US economy given how many people from the US lose money there every day.

The most important thing I learned in Vegas is about providing people with what they want- a totally fabricated economy predicated on the notion that people can try and buy dreams for cash- it could be sexual, financial security, fame, glory- all of it is on sale in Vegas. And all of it comes at a price above and beyond the liquid capital.