It has been a very weird news day. I was watching CNN and they had a story about a 72 year old grandma that was tasered by a traffic cop. Most of the people that called in supported the police officer and I have to say after watching the police tape of the whole episode, I don't think I could have been as polite as the officer. The old lady was a total jerk, rude and kept baiting the officer and refusing to follow his orders. She was pulled over for speeding and apparently felt that because she was old, she didn't have to obey traffic laws like the rest of us.

He warned 9 times to comply or he would have to tase her. After warning number nine, she got zapped. Why do some people feel they are above the law? If that lady would have been pulled over here in Las Vegas, I think she would have been lucky to have been warned twice.

Ryland homes is a relatively new builder to the Las Vegas valley. Price wise they are situated in the middle spectrum, targeting middle class first time buyers and offering a decent product for the money. Currently most of their new homes are located in Mountain's Edge, a large master planned community located in the Blue Diamond area of Las Vegas. Right now they have four neighborhoods of new homes for sale in Mountain's Edge, Ellingwood, Augusta, Cameron and Crestone. The neighborhoods offer some similar amenities (most are gated) and are on pool size lots. Ryland homes is also one of the few home builders to offer rooftop decks on some of their homes.

Ever since the internet came into being, the debate about "internet leads" has raged on. Some agents love them, others hate them and some just don't know what the fuss is about. I was reading a great post about how to analyze lead data at a new real estate marketing blog. Lou does a great job of breaking down what really needs to be done, how to do it and how to evaluate each lead for quality.

If you are a new agent or even a veteran who does not do any internet marketing, the post is still worth reading.

Las Vegas is known for many things, exciting nightlife, world class dining, entertainment, gaming and…weddings. According to the Clark County Marriage License Bureau, an average of 100,000 people is married in Clark County every year. One of reasons is that Nevada doesn’t require a blood test and a marriage license is only $55.

Las Vegas is known for several famous weddings, dating back to Elvis Presley and Priscilla (at the original Aladdin Hotel). Several other entertainers and athletes have joined the list, including Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra. Even Britney Spears got married once in Las Vegas. Getting married in Las Vegas has become a popular business over the years and true to the spirit of the city, if you don’t want a plain ordinary wedding, there are several theme wedding chapels and ceremonies available, from pirate ships to Elvis performing the ceremony, you can find it in Las Vegas. If you are looking for a more picturesque affair, there are Eiffel Tower ceremonies, gondola rides (at the Venetian or Lake Las Vegas) and helicopter rides to Death Valley, guaranteed to make a memorable one of kind event. That’s the great thing about Las Vegas, you can have any kind of wedding you want, even a drive through window service ceremony!

Finding a wedding chapel is simple, there are dozens of them around town and several located right on the Las Vegas strip and inside several of the resorts. The Clark County Marriage License Bureau (702-455-4415) is located in downtown Las Vegas at 201 Clark Ave and is open from 8 am to midnight so getting a license is pretty easy to do. However, on certain holidays (like Valentine’s Day) expect to wait in line.

Ah, but what about planning? Nearly all of the wedding chapels will take care of everything for you, from rings to flowers to video taping the event. Some will even provide a limo to take you to the license bureau as well taking you back to your hotel if you aren’t a local.

The other big attraction is cost. Getting hitched in Las Vegas can be done on the cheap. A license is only $55 and a basic service will run you about another $130. If you want to have the whole affair with photos, flowers, video and a cake, you can find places that will do it for around $500 or so, but it won’t include any tips for personnel (don’t forget to tip your minister).

If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas to specifically get married, it will pay off to shop around. Some hotels with chapels in them may give you a better package rate for everything than by doing things piecemeal. Certain holidays like New Year’s and Valentine’s Day are super busy for wedding chapels, so you might want to get your licensing and planning done ahead of time so you can enjoy the event without being rushed.

You can also download a license application from the Clark County website at http://www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/clerk/Pages/marriage_license_applications_online.aspx

I received an email alert about a contest being held by care2.com. They are giving away 25,000 to the top 29 shelters across the US and Canada with the most votes. So I'm asking for your support for my favorite rescue, Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary. Here is a short list why they deserve to win:

• NO KILL
• All breed rescue
• Free mobile spay/neuter clinic targeting impoverished areas that can't afford vet care
• Free pit bull spay/neuter clinic
• Feral cat clinic - trapping and spay/neuter of the feral cat population
• Pups on Parole program in both women's prisons in Southern Nevada. Inmates learn valuable skills while training foster dogs in basic obedience and house training, so they are more adoptable.
• Many, many more community programs

You can cast your vote here: http://www.care2.com/animalsheltercontest/74514/?refer=7302.12.1231525455.

Please pass this along to your friends and family and ask them to vote as well.