The Town Board of Pahrump, a medium-sized town an hour west of Las Vegas best known for having the closest legal brothels from The Strip, is considering a proposal called the “English Language and Patriot Reaffirmation Ordinance.” Here are some choice passages from the three-page proposal to make English the official language of the town:

Leaving aside the marijuana initiative campaign I’m working for, there are two anti-smoking initiatives on the Nevada ballot this November. Question 5 bans smoking on school grounds and in day-care centers, shopping malls, video arcades, the slot machine sections of grocery and convenience stores, and bars that serve food and restaurants. Question 4, which was introduced by casino and gaming interests in Nevada in response to Question 5, bans smoking in public schools and day cares, but would continue to allow smoking in the gaming areas of grocery, convenience stores, and bars. According to state law, if both of the conflicting initiatives pass with a majority, only the initiative with the most votes would become law.

Awkward: that would seem to sum up Gnarls Barkley’s show in Las Vegas last week.

Jordan Ellenberg crunches the numbers and analyzes the probability of the Democrats regaining the House.

There’s a hidden electronic device that greatly increases the expected winnings in casino roulette by estimating the speed of the rotor and the ball. Next year it’ll be legal in Britain, but evidently it currently isn’t in Las Vegas. (Even though, as far as I can tell, it doesn’t “cheat.”) Will this trigger a move toward digital, unbiased roulette wheels? Or is this the end of roulette? (via kottke)

William T. Vollmann is trying to convince you to read some Norse literature, whether it be contemporary or of the ancient epic sagas. Personally, I’ve read very little literature that employs an ø – I can only think of Smilla’s Sense of Snow off the top of my head. (thx, mark b.)

The Supreme Court has announced that they will now be making oral argument transcripts available on the same day of the argument, instead of the usual several week delay. We’re one step closer to having a judicial branch with a similar level of openness of the other two branches of government, rather than that of the CIA. (An exaggeration, perhaps.)

Slate on judging your friends by their Netflix queue:

Last month, a Las Vegas lawyer showed up to court drunk, claiming that he had been in a car accident. After interrogating him in chambers, the judge ordered a breathalyzer test, which he failed miserably, leading to a mistrial. Someone posted the court video on YouTube: part 1, wherein the lawyer claims that he had an accident; part 2, wherein the lawyer fails a breathalyzer test and gets scolded by the judge. Some choice quotes: 1) “I don’t see the probable cause for me to blow.” 2)”Philisophically, I’ve never called 911 in my life.” (via mb)

Yesterday’s Slavoj Žižek article led me to a few more intersting links. First, there’s the trailer for Žižek!, a documentary following the eponymous philosopher during his lecture circuit, with a soundtrack by the excellent one-man band A Hawk and a Hacksaw. (I saw AHAAH’s live show a year ago, and it was awesome.) Second, there’s a fascinating New Yorker profile of Žižek. (via ss)