1/11/2005

Beating the Odds

On this week's episode of the new A&E show "Caesars 24/7", a man wins $1 million in one pull on a $500 slot machine at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He takes $40,000 in cash and a $960,000 check. He calls his 26-year old daughter on the cell phone, and she can't stop screaming. Caesars treats him and his wife to the Presidential Suite, where they enjoy the view, a personal butler, and a nice meal, then come back downstairs -- where he promptly wins another $75,000.

The twist: the man has cancer that has spread to his lymph nodes and liver. He's repeatedly been given 3-6 months to live - but he's still here.

People who have never been to Las Vegas are quick to dismiss it as Sin City, or see a hollow inhumanity in all the flashing neon. The truth is, there's beauty and eloquence in Las Vegas. It's a city that's all about us - the sad and the happy bits.

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