Tag Archives: 2010

Cosmopolitan Hotel Casino Las Vegas

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Cosmopolitan Resort Las Vegas, artists rendering from GreatLasVegasCondos.Com
Cosmopolitan Resort Las Vegas, artist's rendering from GreatLasVegasCondos.Com

The following is a press release from The Cosmopolitan Hotel Casino Las Vegas, the new resort is just south of The Bellagio on Las Vegas Boulevard.

THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS OPENING DECEMBER 2010 SETS NEW STANDARD AMONG LAS VEGAS RESORTS

New Luxury Resort Will Feature Inspired Designs, Original Collection of Diverse Dining Experiences and Expansive Private Terraces Overlooking the Las Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (May 2010) – The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas pairs stylish design with an adventurous and welcoming spirit – delivering a decidedly different kind of Las Vegas experience. The new 2,995-room resort will feature oversized residential style living space with expansive one-of-a-kind private terraces and spectacular designs by acclaimed interior architects David Rockwell, Jeffrey Beers, Adam D.Tihany and the Friedmutter Group. Guests will enjoy diverse dining experiences from the country’s top chefs – all new to Las Vegas, unprecedented services and amenities, innovative new membership offerings, three distinct pool environments, a 110,000 square foot casino and breathtaking views of the Strip at every turn. The resort will first welcome guests in December 2010.

Situated at the heart of the Strip, The Cosmopolitan’s uniquely vertical multi-tower design on just 8.7 acres of land boasts sweeping views of the Las Vegas skyline, allowing guests to feel that they are truly at the epicenter of the vibrant city while maintaining a boutique style footprint. “The Cosmopolitan is about creating a resort experience that is truly different than anything that exists right now in Las Vegas,” says John Unwin, CEO of The Cosmopolitan. “When you combine spacious suites, high design from talent like David Rockwell, a curated award-winning dining collection, unparalleled service and gaming, we know we are giving guests an experience that’s been missing in Las Vegas and harkens back to an era when guests felt connected, inspired and engaged by their resort.”

The Cosmopolitan will offer culinary concepts from some of the country’s top chefs and restaurant brands, each opening for the first time in Las Vegas. To date, the prestigious roster will include: Jaleo and China Poblano, a new Chinese-Mexican fusion concept, both by Chef José Andrés, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg; Comme Ça by acclaimed Los Angeles chef David Myers; New York City’s Estiatorio Milos by restaurateur Costas Spiliadis; Scarpetta and D.O.C.G., a new casual wine bar, both by award-winning chef Scott Conant; and popular steakhouse STK from The One Group.

The 50-story East and West towers will be comprised of oversized hotel and condominium-style rooms ranging in size from 730 square feet to over 5400 square feet in addition to ten three-story bungalow-style suites adjacent to the west pool deck. Contemporary bespoke room décor by David Rockwell will feature spacious living areas, luxurious bathrooms, a hundred small but unique touches, and many with expansive terraces overlooking the heart of the Strip. Each room features state-of-the-art technology control panels, plasma-screen televisions, entertainment system, wireless internet and a custom in-room bar. The oversized bathrooms offer moments of unexpected tranquility combined with breathtaking views – Japanese soaking tubs, rain showers and marble floors complete the guest bath experience.

Purchased by Deutsche Bank in August 2008, The Cosmopolitan consists of 2,995 rooms, nightclub and ultra lounge, 150,000 square feet of convention and banquet facilities, restaurants, 50,000 square foot spa, salon and fitness center, retail and three pool environments. The Cosmopolitan will operate under the direction of John Unwin, CEO, with more than 30 years of management experience in the hospitality industry after serving most recently as general manager of neighboring casino giant Caesars Palace for more than five years.

“Deutsche Bank concluded that building a new brand, with a unique identity and guest experience, was central to the overall vision for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas,” says John Gallagher, Director in Deutsche Bank’s media relations group. “As a result, rather than partnering with a existing hotel brand, the Bank brought on some of the best executives in the gaming and lodging space to form a highly experienced management and operations team, led by John Unwin. We’re confident that this team will help The Cosmopolitan become a premier feature of the city’s business and entertainment landscape. “

Situated at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is located at 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South directly between CityCenter and the Bellagio. The resort’s uniquely vertical multi-tower design offers spectacular views of the vibrant city. The new 2,995-room resort features oversized residential-style living spaces with expansive, one-of-a-kind private terraces. Resort features include 100,000 square feet of casino space; 60,000 square feet of world class shopping; 43,000 square feet of spa, healthclub and salon offerings; three unique pool experiences and multi-level integrated nightclubs. Signature restaurants include: Jaleo and China Poblano restaurants by Chef José Andrés, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg; Comme Ça by Los Angeles chef David Myers; New York City’s Estiatorio Milos by restaurateur Costas Spiliadis; Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. by award-winning chef Scott Conant; and popular steakhouse STK from The One Group.

Cosmopolitan Las Vegas Hotel Casino Official Website

Cherry Creek Arts Festival 2010

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HAPPY 4TH OF JULY USA

The 20th Anniversary Cherry Creek Art Festival takes place July 4th weekend on July 3,4,5, 2010 at Cherry Creek North (First Avenue and University Boulevard) in Denver, Colorado

Bradford J. Salamon's booth at CCAF
Bradford J. Salamon's booth at CCAF
Photograph by WCarbone

Another year has passed and another Cherry Creek Arts Festival is under way, another wave of artists and vendors. New art, old art, good art, better art but not much rain-art, at least not by 3:00 P.M. yesterday.
That is to say that it always rains opening day of the CCAF. We left around 3:00 and at that time it had not rained yet.

All n’ all it was a perfect day for an art festival and though I’ve only seen about half of the artists, I’ll add to the following list after the end of this day.

The paintings in the booth of Bradford J. Salamon of California (above) left a very strong impression. The luxuriously rich oils had a dessert-like icing-on-the-cake finish. Salamon’s impressionistic technique creates areas of photo-realism in paintings of gorgeous faces in salon-like settings.

Bow Tie - Bradford J. Salamon
Bow Tie - Bradford J. Salamon
Photograph from Bradford J. Salamon's website

Vibrant, glossy colors meld into backgrounds of muted browns and golds, at least that’s what’s stuck in my memory.

Waiting in White - Bradford J. Salamon
Waiting in White - Bradford J. Salamon
Photograph from Bradford J. Salamon's website

Salamon is a big guy. You’d guess football player rather than painter of fine oils. Find out more about him from his website: Bradford J. Salamon’s Official Website

Other work that I really enjoyed, not necessarily in any particular order include paintings by Loretta Petraitis who paints rust and stuff in city-scapes of rusted bridges with rivets, bolts and other industrial trapings. Hard, cold realism is nailed and riveted to the canvas. [This is too esotaric, but “all molecules have equal value.”] Loretta Petraitis works can be seen on the web here

Cézanne inspired (I’m sure) oils in oranges and yellows, of oranges and yellows, that’s lemons and oranges to the little people, are executed beautifully by Kelley Somer of Alpine Utah. The colorful, yet stark oils are powerfully vibrant – some suggestive of those chewey, sugar-coated-citrus candy wedges. Glass vessels and silver utensils complement the fruits (in contrast.) Kelly Somer’s work can be seen on her website www.kellysomer.com

Thomas Wargin must have ridden down Hell’s main highway on a motorcycle in order to be able to conjure up the images, in sculpture, of his wild cycle-creatures: part human – part machine, rolling down a road of imagination. Other Bosch-like sculpture includes two (fused) topless women sharing a dress of golden breasts. Thomas Wargin’s website is choc full of sculpture.

These are just a few of the artists that really engaged me. They as well as many other artists can be found on the CCAF website.

I know this is pretentious, it’s just my opinion. You can also have an opinion.

Cherry Creek Arts Festival Official Website
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Monday July 5, 2010
Well I went back to the show; it was pretty much rained out last night. Today was a beautiful sunshiny day. I went back but didn’t really find anything that knocked me out. Maybe one or two of the following.

I’m still trying to figure out the “Best of Show.” Best I can figure is that it’s an entire installation piece that won “Best of Show” – in the “Painting” catagory. It’s a hand crafted shipping-crate-type structure (98″ x 78″ x 113″) which is like a little gallery with framed paintings on the walls. Here’s the link, you go figure it out: www.joachimknill.com/national-treasure/crate.html Maybe it could be a dwelling for a homeless family. They would need Street Supplies.

2010 Award Winners of The Cherry Creek Arts Festival: Best of Show, Joachim Knill (painting?); Second Place, Betsy Youngquist (mixed media); Third Place, Joe Decamillis (mixed media.)

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Full Moon Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 4:07 P.M.

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Full Moon
Full Moon

The moon will be 100% full Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 4:07 P.M. Las Vegas, Nevada time.

“American Indians gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. The names are associated with the entire month until the next full moon occurs. Since a lunar month averages 29 days, the dates of the moons change from year to year. Here are titles most closely associated with calendar months.”
This paragraph is from Western Washington University

According to WWU: in the Cherokee (East Coast, Carolinas) language the May moon is “ansgvti” or “planting moon.”

Cherokee Woman
Cherokee Woman wearing Haute Couture
Western Washington University

The Shoshone (Great Basin, Nevada, Wyoming) name for the May moon is “buhisea’-mea'” or “budding.”

Shoshone Woman & Child
Shoshone Woman & Child
Western Washington University

Access The Old Farmer’s Almanac for more detailed information on the moon.

Cinco De Mayo – May 5, 2010

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Repost from MSN

Battle of Puebla
Battle of Puebla
MSN photo

“Cinco de Mayo (May 5) commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over French forces in 1862. Since then, it has become a day to celebrate Mexican culture across the United States, but only in some parts of Mexico.”

“Where it all began: The city of Puebla (where’s that?) is the epicenter of Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo festivities.”

“Not to be confused with: The Mexican Independence Day, which takes place on Sept. 16 and celebrates Mexico’s independence from Spain.”
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Reposted from MTV

May 5 2010 1:36 PM EDT
Cinco De Mayo: Celebrate Mexican History Across The U.S.
Limp Bizkit, the Phoenix Suns and your local Mexican communities offer up plenty of ways to party
By Rochell D. Thomas

“Every year on the fifth of May, Mexican flags can be spotted waving at homes and businesses across the United States. There are parades and dances. Schools and theater groups put on special presentations and bars offer drink specials. But despite what many people think, Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican Fourth of July. (Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain on September 16.)”

“Though it’s a holiday commemorating the Battle of Puebla against the French in 1862, Cinco de Mayo has become an ethnic holiday that celebrates Mexican culture and the Mexican army’s never-give-up spirit. Mexican-Americans — and, really, anyone who likes to root for underdogs fighting the good fight — celebrate the holiday in many ways. Here, we list a few of the major festivities going on around the country on Wednesday (May 5) and beyond.” read more…

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Full Moon – Wednesday, April 28, 2010

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Full Moon Poster
Full Moon Poster
c.2010-LasVegasBuffetClub.Com
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac the moon will be full Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at around 5:18 a.m. Las Vegas, Nevada time.

“American Indians gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. The names are associated with the entire month until the next full moon occurs. Since a lunar month averages 29 days, the dates of the moons change from year to year. Here are titles most closely associated with calendar months” – Western Washington University. Click the link for Native American moon names.

OUT WEST

Young Apache Woman
Raven-Haired Apache Beauty
Photo - Western Washington University

Out West on the Southern Plains, Apache’s refer to the April moon as “Moon of the Big Leaves,” according to Western Washington University; no Apache translation is given.

BACK EAST
Back East the Abenaki (Northeast Maine) name for the April moon is “Sogalikas” or “Sugar Maker Moon.”

Abenaki Bowl
Abenaki Bowl
Photo - Western Washington University

*FYI – In the mid-90s, when I was traveling around the southwest in a motor home, I happened to meet the great, great-grandson of the great, great, Apache leader Geronimo He was selling stones and trinkets from a hogan in the Arizona desert. I still have his phone number, I think. BC

Geronimo
Geronimo
Photo is from WIKI

Visit the LasVegasBuffetClub’s Gaming Pages for Native American gaming links/information

Visit the main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.Com

Man in The Moon

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Full Moon
Full Moon

revised February 23, 2010
(This post was originally published by the LasVegasBuffetClub in November, 2007) and republished July 10, 2009

—THIS MONTH’S FULL MOON (THE FULL SNOW MOON) WILL BE 100% FULL ON FEBRUARY TWENTY EIGHTH (2010)—
*

At a time when I was making posters, I happened to take a digital (camcorder) photo of a Full Moon. This was in the mid 90s in Las Vegas, Nevada. The clip was shot from the CALIFORNIA HOTEL’S RV Park, in downtown Las Vegas, around midnight.
Many times, over the years, I’ve had the occasion to process the image with a Photoshop-type program. At some point I saw a face of “THE MAN IN THE MOON” – maybe the face I’d heard about since I was a little kid. I never quite knew exactly what the face looked like, although I thought I did. I always thought that I vaguely saw something that looked like a face. It had two big O’s for eyes (Mares Serenitatis and Tranquillitatis) and a big O (Mare Nubium) for a mouth…It seems as though everyone sees a different face – or a rabbit, dog or lion.

Seeing the moon up close and personal via the photographic image, several faces presented themselves for perusal. The following is my take on those faces in the Moon:

Turns out that, at least, one imaginative glance reveals a small chinned (or chinless) figure wearing “shades.” It sort of reminds me of Phil Spector wearing sunglasses…Actually, there are several faces depending on the quality/resolution of the image…The ears, noses, eyes and other features of these “faces” are the darker patches (flat surfaces) of the moon or “seas” (Mare – Maria.)

The aforementioned photo is represented by a reproduction (left) of that clip, pretty much as it looked that night in Las Vegas. Although is has been minimally processed the image is a good representaion of how the full moon appears on any (Full Moon) night with slight magnification.
Man In The Moon face - static...……….Man In The Moon enhanced...……….The image (on the right) is offered with exaggerated graphics to help define the first face: The figure’s right sunglass lens (the circle on the upper left) is Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity,) the circle on the upper right (figure’s left lens) is Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of tranquillity) and Mare Vaporum (Sea of Vapours) is the figure’s nose (no graphic.)
*

Doing a mind/sight shift, there also seems to be an image (below left) of a face that looks very much like Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse – looking down toward 8 o’clock. In this view the sunglass lenses (Mares Tranquillitatis & Serenitatis) become Mickey’s ears and Mare Vaporum is Mickey’s left eye (exagerated graphics show ears, eye and nose.)
The Man In The Moon face - Mickey Mouse...……….BBC image of Mickey Mouse like figure...……….BBC image on the right is of a 14th Century fresco from Austria – click to read more…

Steamboat Willie
Steamboat Willie

This is an image from Walt Disneys’ 1928 film: “Steamboat Willie”MoMA’s website.
Watch “Steamboat Willie” on YouTube.

Next is an image of the Full Moon from SEDS’ website.
Click this to access: SEDS” website…
*

Full Moon image...
LOOKS LIKE PHIL OR MICKEY TO ME.”…NOAO image credits
There’s another image of a face just under Mickey’s eye (facing left with a protruding tongue, two eyes, a nose and a well defined chin.)

“Thus, in a very real sense, Iwerks can be called true the creator [sic] of Mickey Mouse because Iwerks, and not Disney, originated the character?” read entire story… (This fact is not necessarily relevant to the main point:) All of the faces are interesting. The Mickey Mouse face begs questioning. My question is: Did Walt Disney / UB Iwerks get their inspiration for the Mickey Mouse character from an image on the Moon?

Walt Disney Helped Wernher von Braun Sell Americans on Space…
(Another) Article on Von Braun and Walt Disney

(If you know anything about the Mickey Mouse/Moon connection, please e-mail: www.lasvegasbuffetclub@msn.com)

“Moon names”
*

Moon Names
Moon Names

image is from Wikipedia

“This is not a scientific page; It’s an artist’s page.”

—THIS MONTH’S FULL MOON WILL BE 100% FULL ON FEBRUARY TWENTY EIGHTH (2010)—

Take me to The LasVegasBuffetClub’s home page…
copyright-2010-LasVegasBuffetClub – all rights reserved.

Chinese New Year: Year of the TIGER begins on February 14, 2010

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Tiger Makes Big Splash in 2010
Tiger Makes Big Splash in 2010
photo DailyMail.Co.UK

The BIG cat who likes getting wet and wild
by MICHAEL HANLON

“Most cats do not like getting wet – as anyone who has tried to bathe a moggie will know.
But as these pictures show, there’s always the exception to the rule. For the cat in question is a large male white Bengal tiger called Odin.”
“Six years old, and at the prime of his life, Odin lives at the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Zoo in Vallejo, near San Francisco. He is about 10ft long from nose to tail, and is an excellent swimmer.” Read more and see more photos of Odin (older post from 2007)

Chinese New Year
By the Chinese Calendar
2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which is also known by its formal name of Geng Yin

Year of the Tiger
Year of the Tiger

“Chinese calendar has been in continuous use for centuries. It predates the International Calendar (based on the Gregorian Calendar) in use at the present, which goes back only some 430 years. Basically, a calendar is a system we use to measures the passage of time, from short durations of minutes and hours, to intervals of time measured in days, months, years and centuries. These are fundamentally based on the astronomical observations of the movement of the Sun, Moon and stars.”

“Days are measured by the duration of time of one self rotation of the earth. Months are measured by the duration of time of rotation of the moon around the earth. Years are measured by the duration of time it takes for the earth to rotate around the Sun.” read more from ChinaPage.Com / print calendars…
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FROM WIKIPEDIA
“Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the “Lunar New Year” by English speakers. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year’s Eve is known as chú xī. It literally means “Year-pass Eve”.” read more from Wikipedia

“NO, THIS IS NOT THE YEAR OF THE SKUNK.”

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Full Moon Tonight: “Year’s Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show” – “Red planet will join supersize [*]”wolf moon.”

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Adobe Moon In The City Poster
Adobe Moon In The City Poster
c. 2010 LasVegasBuffetClub

Reprinted from The National Geographic Website
Story by, Andrew Fazekas
for National Geographic News
Published January 29, 2010

The biggest full moon of 2010 will rise in the east tonight, and it’ll appear with a bright sidekick: Mars will cozy up just to the left of the supersize moon.

January’s full moon is also called the [*]wolf moon, according to Native American tradition associating this month’s full moon with wolves howling in the cold midwinter. (Take a moon myths and mysteries quiz.)

The 2010 wolf moon will appear 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than any other full moon this year, because our cosmic neighbor will actually be closer to Earth than usual.

The moon will be at its closest perigee—the nearest it gets to our planet during its egg-shaped orbit—for 2010 at 4:04 a.m. ET Saturday, reaching a distance of 221,577 miles (356,593 kilometers) from Earth read more from National Geographic.

“American Indians gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. The names are associated with the entire month until the next full moon occurs. Since a lunar month averages 29 days, the dates of the moons change from year to year.”

OUT WEST

Beautiful Cherokee Woman
Beautiful Cherokee Woman
WWU photograph

*In the Cherokee language the name for January’s Full Moon is: unolvtana or cold moon. Information is from Western Washington University.

Moonrise 4:56 P.M. – Moonset 6:40 A.M. Las Vegas time.

The [c.2010-LasVegasBuffetClub – Adobe Moon in the City] poster is available for purchase. The full moon in this poster was photographed in Las Vegas in the 90s. The image was inserted into it’s “frame” with a Photoshop type application. The poster is 24″x36″.

National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado – January 9-24, 2010

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SHOW CLOSED…

NWSS - Bison
NWSS - Bison

Originally published January 14, 2010
As the cold-train of winter is pulling away and non-natives are taking down Christmas decorations too soon, the National Western Stock Show is capping-off the holiday season.

In years past, before the Broncos, or the Nuggets or the Rockies or the AVS (whew!) brought in big revenue-bucks to the City and County of Denver, the National Western Stock Show was Denver’s only big, yearly, draw. The City and County of Denver received a tremendous financial boost from the Stock Show. Denverites welcomed the cattle-folk with open arms – and Christmas decorations that lasted through Stock Show.

The National Western Stock Show and Rodeo is basically a meat-market with a Champion Rodeo to boot.

Live Stock sales, judging, exhibits and sport-rodeo are on the agenda at Denver’s National Western Complex. The NWSS Official Website provides all information including directions and ticket sales.