Week of Oct. 18, 2023

From the editor’s desk

Have you noticed more pressure to tip for coffee, rideshares and other goods and services over the past few years? Attitudes about tipping are changing as businesses and employees scramble to make ends meet post-pandemic. Contributor Loryn Elizares looked at a few sides of the issue.

For all remaining holdouts who have not yet decided whether to spend three hours in a movie theater watching Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Bob Grimm gives it a major stamp of approval: “The time flies by, and honestly, I could’ve watched three hours more.” 

Sure, you’ve thought about which wines are best for summer solstice and New Year’s Eve. But wine scribe Steve Noel also makes a case for choosing the right bottle to help set the mood for your Halloween party. ‘Tis the season for spooky label designs. 

In UNLV professor Jarret Keene’s new post-apocalyptic adventure novel, Hammer of the Dogs, 21-year-old Lash is holed up in the Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip fending off an enemy warlord. You can sample the flavor of this fast-moving adventure tale right on our site, where there’s a nice, long excerpt from Chapter 1.

After 15 years in the band Authmentis, Samuel Spivey has a new solo project, A Desolate Light. And do we mean solo—to create his alternative rock/metal/prog sound, he plays most of the instruments himself and does his own production. 

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor