Conversation starters: A brain damage study on boxers and more

Wed, Feb 22, 2012 (4:44 p.m.)

Photo: Bryan Steffy

Punch drunk love

The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas is tackling an age-old, unresolved topic: Why do some boxers get brain damage and others don’t? The years-long study will test the brains of hundreds of fighters in an attempt to make the sport safer. It’s an excellent goal, but with fighters taking dozens of head blows in the course of just one fight, and with the public’s insatiable appetite for knockouts, “safer” is still a very relative term.
Photo: Bryan Steffy

Voice of reason

Attorneys for Slep-Tone Entertainment Corp., which makes and sells “Sound Choice” karaoke accompaniment tracks playing songs and displaying lyrics, filed suit Wednesday against 97 Las Vegas-area karaoke jockeys, bars and casinos, alleging trademark infringement. It’s sure to be a legal mess, but let’s address the real news here—97? We had no idea there were that many karaoke joints in town. Time to start practicing our Whitney Houston.
Photo: Bryan Steffy

Sign of the crimes

Las Vegas police have solved a rash of vehicle robberies at the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, finding luggage, cell phones, computers and more at the suspects’ homes. While we applaud the work of the police, imagine how many man-hours they could have saved had these tourists just ... locked their cars.