The beginning of season 2 of this great series put out by the Mob Museum in Las Vegas is a 40-minute podcast. For those of you who read the articles last year, I’m sure you will want to hear these again.
I am lucky enough to live in Las Vegas, and personally knew many of the persons in these podcasts. Frank Cullotta, Lefty Rosenthal, Alan Dorfman among others. I met Spilotro a number of times while he was gambling at the Hacienda with Wayne Newton. Historian Jeff German hosts this incredible series.
I am always so amazed about how powerful the mind is. The mind can talk us right out of success but, with the correct thoughts, the mind can get us on the right path to success. Whether we realize it or not, WE our in control of our thoughts. Ultimately, it is our choice.
Success is all in the secret power of the mind, but the reality is that it’s not a secret after all. This power is available to every single person and it doesn’t cost anything. The true secret is that you are what you think. This amazing power that you possess can create the life you want, and all you have to do is start thinking the right thoughts.
Perhaps you have gotten into the habit of stinking thinking. We have all heard the expression, “Garbage in-garbage out.” How true that is! It’s easy to fall into negative thinking, especially with all the negativity that we are surrounded with. We are bombarded with garbage on TV, radio, and social media. If you get caught up in that, it’s definitely going to affect your way of thinking.
You no longer have to fall into that negative trap. We each have a mind of our own, capable of imagining a wonderful life. It’s time to eliminate the negative influences whether it be the media or even the people you surround yourself with.
There are wonderful opportunities around you, be open to the amazing possibilities. The most successful people think positive and believe they have the power to make changes in their lives. They are not afraid to try new things or to fail.
Success begins in your mind, start imagining your life the way you want it to be. Create a vision in your head and start thinking about it consistently; believe that you will achieve it.
Beginning today, write down some things that you would like to accomplish in life. Once you have done this, believe in your mind and visualize yourself achieving these goals. Have the confidence that you can make that picture in your mind come true.
Once you know exactly what you want and believe you can achieve it, you will find yourself making different choices that will line up with your vision. Start taking small steps in the right direction.
You will definitely encounter obstacles and challenges, that’s part of life and no one is immune to that. But, never let these obstacles stop you. If you have a vision of the life you want steadfast in your mind, you will eventually create that life.
Make the commitment starting today—no more stinking thinking! Stop reviewing negative history and get rid of all the excuses. The moment negativity enters your mind, zap it out with some positive thoughts.
It’s about your thought process. Success doesn’t always go to the strongest woman or man. Sooner or later, success comes to those who believe in themselves.
This is your time, today is the beginning of the rest of your wonderful life. Think positive, believe it, achieve it, and remember……
The most comprehensive Furniture, Home Decor and Gift market in the United States
Dates: August 22-26
Venue: World Market Center Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV, United States
Once again the fabulous Las Vegas Market will return, and bring a whole new opportunity to view the new styles and products it is so famous for. Twice a year in Las Vegas, both January and August, thousands upon thousands of buyers descend on the city for five days of thousands of vendors spaces. Located in downtown Las Vegas, in three gigantic buildings, there is plenty to see.
There is plenty of outdoor seating if you need to take a break, along with enough grab and go snack sites. Once again, the two temporary tents that house thousands of items will be up. And don’t forget to visit some of the best restaurants in the world in this great city.
Some of the shows that are back since the last market are, The Australian Beejees, Absinthe!, Carrot Top, Fantasy, all the shows at Planet Hollywood in the V theater and Saxe Theater and X Country. Downtown we have M is for Magic, Motown Extreme, Fabulous, and a comedy show. A couple of the Cirque shows will be back by August. We also have to offer Lip Smacking Foodie Tours, Sunbuggy Tours, (off-road free wheeling) the new AREA15, which is amazing, the Avengers at TI, and Lion Habitat on the outskirts of town. Nostalgia Street Rods, and Hollywood Car Museum are two great alternatives.
Las Vegas Market is a world-class experience that’s simple, efficient, and exciting for exhibitors, designers and buyers. All in a cross-category shopping environment for gift, home decor and furniture, Las Vegas Market is located on a state-of-the-art campus. Visit Las Vegas and you’ll experience quality accommodations and dining, as well as a strong focus on hospitality and amiability from our service team.
Legends in Concert is the oldest running show in Las Vegas, for 36 years. Originally at the Imperial Palace, then renamed the Linq, Legends moved to the famous Tropicana Hotel three years ago. With other Legends in Concert shows in Branson, Myrtle Beach, and Hawaii to name a few, they have entertained millions of people worldwide.
Running currently Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. they had their grand opening media night this week. Hosted by guest star Frank Marino as comedic legend Joan Rivers, the room was packed. The performers for this appearance were Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, and of course, one no one can forget Elvis Presley.
Surrounded by plenty of dancers with a live orchestra and backup singers, I was so happy to see the show returning to a packed house.The legendary show will also dazzle fans with the return of the Las Vegas showgirls as they bring back the glamour that is synonymous with the Entertainment Capital of the World.
And if you wish more entertainment, the Tropicana also offers the Purple Reign show following Legends at 9:30 p.m., along with the famous Rich Little, Murray the Magician, and Laugh Factory in another showroom.
Getting to your closing day is exciting. After all, it’s the final step toward buying or selling a property.
But just because you have a date and time doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. You may be surprised to find that there are still several things that can derail your transaction as you approach the big day.
Want to ensure everything stays on track? Here are five complications to be ready for, whether you’re a buyer or seller.
Financing Falls Through: If the buyer’s loan isn’t approved, it may end the whole deal. This can happen if the homebuyer has sudden changes on their credit report, loses their job or makes a big purchase before closing.
Low Home Appraisal: Sometimes, a property’s appraised value comes in lower than the sale price. That’s when buyers have a problem: They’ll either need to pay the difference in cash or renegotiate the price. This can lead to delays or cause the deal to fall through entirely.
Property Title Issues: The title search could reveal liens against the property — or additional owners who aren’t involved in the sale. Those challenges will need to be resolved before the loan can close.
Major Problems in Inspection: Most home inspections reveal issues, but if there’s something major that needs addressing, it can hold up the sale. It could mean additional negotiations, or the seller might need to make the repairs before the deal can proceed.
Contingencies Aren’t Met: Contingencies allow a buyer to back out of the deal if certain conditions aren’t fulfilled. For example, a sale contingency means they only agree to buy the property if their current home sells first. If it doesn’t sell within the designated time frame, then they can exit the transaction unscathed.
Featuring: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Kellyanne Conway,
Piers Morgan, Mary Katharine Ham, Aaron Sorkin, Anthony Scaramucci,
David Pakman, Molly Ball, April Ryan, Steve Schmidt, and Van Jones
As America began to try and come to terms with the surprising (and for many voters, horrifying) results of the presidential race of 2016, the subsequent rapid-fire speed of events and jam-packed news cycles meant that nobody would ever have the opportunity to truly and properly reflect on what exactly just happened — and how did it?
Directed and produced by British filmmaker/journalist James Fletcher, THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT uncovers a detailed play-by-play from all angles on how it all went down, the state of America that led to the results, what the electorate was really motivated by, and how a former reality show host with an elevated understanding of the media and entertainment was able to connect with voters from all walks of life and stage a takeover of Washington D.C. — whether he meant to or not.
Featuring an impressively diverse and balanced set of fascinating interviews from both sides of the aisle, THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT is an educated examination of the most controversial election in modern history, and one that every future campaign – most notably the one currently in play – should study with an electron microscope.
THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT premiered at the 2020 DOC LA Film Festival and won Best Documentary Portrait and Best Producer (James Fletcher, Eve Kornblum, Angus Wall, and Kent Kubena.)
THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT will be screening in limited U.S. theaters beginning Monday, June 21, 2021, and will be coming soon to Starz.
THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT is directed and produced by James Fletcher. Produced by Eve Kornblum and executive produced by Angus Wall and Kent Kubena. Cinematography by Jez Thierry, edited by Noah Benezra, and music by Dominic Lewis. An Intervention Media production.
Screening in Limited U.S. Theaters — Monday, June 21, 2021
There’s a lot that’s attractive about the idea of starting your own small business. You get the chance to be your own boss and you can bring something new to the marketplace that is informed by your unique perspective. However, that’s not to say that actually getting your enterprise off the ground is necessarily a simple matter.
How you start can be vital to your success. A recent report found that 21.5% of startups in the U.S. fail within their first year and 50% within their first 5 years. Your ability to avoid being included in such statistics is not a case of getting everything right immediately — mistakes are educational — but it’s important to make the most positive first steps that you can.
So, let’s take a look at a few areas you need to place your focus as you create your new enterprise.
Take Some Time to Upskill
One of the important things to remember about starting a small business is not to simply rush into it. Yes, you can be bold and take risks, but that doesn’t mean you should be reckless. Take the time to review the challenges that you might face both as an entrepreneur in general and in the specific industry you are facing. Be honest with yourself about what skills you’ll need that you don’t currently have. It’s worth taking a little extra time to build those before diving in.
You can certainly take a formal approach to this. Many entrepreneurs recognize that they don’t have a solid understanding of how to not just start but run a business of any size. As such, choosing to take a master of business administration (MBA) degree course first can help fill in those gaps. These courses are designed to walk you through each of the elements you need to operate a functional enterprise — the administrative and legal obligations, headquartering your organization, economics — alongside shoring up the communication and leadership soft skills that are essential. Undertaking formal education also tends to build a mutual support network of peers.
However, not everybody has the time or finances to devote to a master’s program. There is still value to be found in taking short online courses or even engaging with free tutorials on YouTube. Make a list of the skills that can be helpful to your business. If you’ll be primarily operating online, consider taking a self-led course in web design or coding. If you’re not certain how to reach the most customers, do some research into digital promotion techniques like search engine optimization (SEO).
Plan Effectively
Hands down, the most important aspect of starting your enterprise is your business plan. Having a clear, detailed, and well-structured plan in place has many advantages in your early days. It can help attract investors or loan providers. You’ll gain an understanding of your goals and how to meet your definition of success. Perhaps most importantly, it can act as a practical framework to help steer the direction of your company through each stage of its development.
There are different styles of business plan, but it should include at least the following elements:
Company Description
Write down what it is you do. This might seem simple but it is important for both you and potential investors that you provide clarity about what problems your business solves, how you solve them, who your customers are, and why the industry needs what you provide. Don’t be vague here — if you already have customers lined up, list them.
Market Research
You can’t just assume that there is a gap in the market and customers will just flock to you. Include a detailed market analysis in your plan. One of the benefits of this is you can gain an understanding of your competition, what they’re doing, and how you can approach it differently. It also provides you with a focus when it comes to marketing your services.
Financial Projections
Both you and potential investors will be keen to know what the likely financial future for this enterprise will be. This should include your projected cash flow, how capital will be utilized, and even how you plan to get through tough times. It can also be to both your own and financiers’ benefit if you include milestones for growth, too. At what stages do you see your income growing, and how will you adjust activities to keep profitable? Don’t be afraid to visualize this — use graphs and tables to make the information more easily digestible.
Explore Your Financing Options
Finances can be one of the more overwhelming aspects of starting a small business. As you create your business plan, you’ll really start to get a solid sense of what capital you’ll need to kick off, and what you need to get through your first months and years of operations. It can feel like a lot, but the key to handling this is to look into what funding options are open to you.
Loans are the most common way forward, thankfully there are a lot of options for you to choose from depending on your circumstances. The Small Business Administration (SBA) backs low-interest financing designed to support startups, but you need to have a strong credit rating to qualify. There are also specialty loans that are usually aimed at entrepreneurs from minority or underrepresented backgrounds — these often require a lot of paperwork, but it’s worth exploring as a vital source of funding.
Don’t overlook the potential for grants, either. If you are opening a non-profit or even a green organization you may qualify for funding at the state or federal level. Often these are aimed at encouraging innovations that are beneficial to communities or the environment in general. While this usually won’t finance your whole enterprise, it can provide a useful boost.
Conclusion
Starting a small business can be an exciting and daunting prospect. The key is to take it slowly and provide clarity on your intended operation both for your own benefit and that of investors. Be sure to explore your funding options fully, and you can put yourself on the right path to a positive and successful small business experience.
Stella Singleton Jones vividly remembers the call from the White House acknowledging receipt of her gift of a historically significant sculpture by her called Unity. For Stella, this memory will be permanently embedded in her mind. To be honored for one’s artwork by the first African American President of the United States is a significant achievement and Stella continues to live up to this accolade as a sculptor.
Stella was inspired to sculpt the extraordinary piece as thanksgiving for the first Black American President of the United States and the dawn of a new multi-cultural administration. The piece arrived at the White House with a note from her that read, “May this “Unity” sculpture serve as a constant reminder that change is possible when we the people unite as one.”
Growing up in the liberal community of Santa Monica, California, offered Stella the opportunity to express herself freely through art. Her love for sculpting in stone came about when she was a student at Santa Monica College. However, her dream of a promising career as an artist was temporarily sidelined by the death of her brother, causing her to drop out of college. She had to earn a living during this time and worked as a word processor. Her dreams of becoming an artist didn’t die; they were just put on hold.
Stella was challenged with another hurdle when, in 1996, she was diagnosed with spinal meningitis, the same disease that led to her brother’s death. While hospitalized, Stella learned that the disease was a consequence of her genetic makeup. However, she was blessed with a caring medical staff who provided the encouragement she needed to get through months and years of physical therapy. For her, living with a life-altering disease meant relying on her strong faith in God and a good doctor who suggested that she return to sculpting. It was a difficult period in her life but eventually, her energy and confidence returned, resulting in the creation of the powerful Them Bones sculpture.
Stella’s art has been exhibited at the Oscars, Emmys, MTV, and ESPY Awards pre-shows as well as participating in a number of charitable causes she feels strongly about.
When asked why she enjoys sculpting, she replies, “It is the beauty of stone and transformation.” Further elaborating, “My work is an expression of form and movement. Stella’s sculpting in stone emerges from a personal definition of alchemy, myth, and time; concepts that are both physical and metaphysical. She enjoys creating in stone, tying into a delicate force that is required to accomplish the image in her head, where to strike because once you have begun to chisel, it is definite and precise.
Stella is currently in the process of writing a book that will inspire others to find their creative side. But for now, she remains focused on her purpose-driven life as an artist.
Wynn Resorts is introducing a program that allows you to bring your happy healthy dogs to Las Vegas and enjoy a lap of luxury.
Guests at the Encore can bring up to two VIP (very important puppies) along with them to stay in the same room.
The pampering begins at check-in with a complimentary doggy bag including a fetching Wynn-logoed neckerchief, fun toy for playtime, and an all-natural dog treat. To keep your baby happy and to feel like this is certainly a special occasion, during times the owner may be out playing golf, cruising the city, seeing Hoover Dam, or shopping, guests can ask for the Encore’s Concierge team to arrange dog walking or sitting services.
Bone Appetite, the new room service doggy dining menu, brings canine cuisine to an art form. In addition to a selection of snacks and desserts, guests can choose from several meat, fish, and vegetable dishes to make any dog happy. Highlights include the Best In Show, with lamb, steamed potatoes, and squash; Healthy Bites, with seared salmon, green beans, and brown rice; and the Puppy Patty, with Black Angus beef, broccoli, and farro.
Official Encore Dog-Friendly Video
This week I just couldn’t pass up going to the dogs as it were. Check out the Encore video that officially introduces Dog-Friendly. Just hit play on the video below.
