
This past week, the
Michelin Guide announced its 2009 starred restaurants for
New York and
San Francisco. The Michelin Guide, Europe's best-known restaurant guide, is released annually in the form of a series of books organized by city. The red books award restaurants zero, one, two, or three stars, and the stars are arguably the most well-regarded rankings in the global restaurant industry, with three being an extraordinary honor.

The price of
graffiti in Las Vegas is not only the eyesore but, according to the City Council member, a $30 million dollar bill on top of the tags. It's money that according to one councilman says could be “used for things like education. We can educated young people on how to do positive things.” The solution to stop the amateur
Banksy-esque hooligans?

US troops deployed overseas give six times as much money to Barack Obama, compared to John McCain. The Center for Responsive Politics, which
conducted the giving-analysis, also made conclusions about the military's overall contribution pattern: Despite McCain's status as a decorated veteran and a historically Republican bent among the military, members of the armed services overall — whether stationed overseas or at home — are also favoring Obama with their campaign contributions in 2008, by a $55,000 margin. Although 59 percent of federal contributions by military personnel has gone to Republicans this cycle, of money from the military to the presumed presidential nominees, 57 percent has gone to Obama.
Desperate Housewives star and budding restaurateur
Eva Longria has announced her plan to open a second
Beso restaurant. This time her sights are set on Las Vegas.
The actress (who partnered with chef
Todd English to open the VIP hot spot, Beso, in Los Angeles last March) has been spotted spending quality time at Caesar's Palace.

Each morning news anchors on Fox's Las Vegas affiliate
sit in front of very visible McDonald's iced coffee cups, part of a product-placement deal. The fast-food chain sponsors the two-hour morning news-and-lifestyle segment, but instead of commercial breaks, the advertisement happens during the news.
Since advertisement dollars already influence networks, I think the product-placement deal raises some old conflict of interest concerns.

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and
Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in
What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.
21
The
box office winner 21 is the kind of movie I'd be happy to come across on basic cable whilst channel surfing.

Nicolas Cage has put his whopping, 14,306-square-foot, 7-bedroom, 8-bath Las Vegas home
on the market for $9,950,000. The listing for the property
reads:
Incredible new custom home with outstanding vistas of the Las Vegas Valley and mountains. With over 14,000 square feet of fabulous structure, this magnificent mansion features Crema Marfil slab marble floors with exquisite details, gourmet kitchen with professional appliances, huge great room with surround sound, theater room with built-ins, commercial elevator to all three floors, game room, work out room, 3 fireplaces, and 16-car garage.

I must preface this post by saying, "Yes, this invite is rather kitschy." But, Vegas is kitschy too, so I whole-heartedly embrace it! Despite the rhinestones, the
Beyond Design Custom Vegas Bachelorette Party Invitation ($4.75) is actually well-designed, affordable, and seems to be good quality.

Yesterday the Pope praised America as a nation where strong faith and religious beliefs live harmoniously with secular society. His remarks, delivered at the White House as part of his first trip to the US,
came with a caveat addressed later to the bishops: The US is battling a "subtle influence of secularism" that threatens to derail the righteous. He said:Is it consistent for practicing Catholics to ignore or exploit the poor and the marginalized, to promote sexual behavior contrary to Catholic moral teaching or to adopt positions that contradict the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death?