Predicting Las Vegas Raiders Record for Rest of the Season – Sports Illustrated

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The Las Vegas Raiders are off their bye week, with their next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set for primetime Sunday night.

Looking ahead, however, we can start to see how the remaining schedule for the Raiders is starting to shape up as the good and bad of the NFL separate themselves.

Knowing that, we can also make predictions for how the rest of the season for the Raiders will go, and if you look at the percentages, they could be in for a good stretch.

Thats because the Raiders, on paper, have the easiest remaining schedule in the league going forward.

Its convenient considering how arduous their schedule was to open the season and presents a golden opportunity to make a potential playoff run.

So, while were here, lets go in and analyze the Raiders' remaining schedule and project what their record could be at the end of the season.

Looking through it, the Raiders have the advantage of facing some of the worst teams in the league like, such as the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons.

Not every opponent will be a cakewalk though.

They face the Buccaneers (4-2) this week, and have games against the Cleveland Browns (4-2), the Indianapolis Colts (4-2) and one more game against the Kansas City Chiefs (5-1).

Speaking of the Chiefs, the biggest key for the Raiders could be how they handle the AFC West outside of Kansas City.

The Los Angeles Chargers are 1-5, but thats with every loss by one possession. Theyve gone toe-to-toe with teams like the Chiefs, Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints (3-2) , and nearly won.

The Denver Broncos (2-3) havent been as impressive in their losses, but injuries have a lot to do with that, as their quarterback Drew Lock was out for basically two of their three losses.

Lock is now back though, leading them to a win against the New England Patriots (2-3) in Foxborough, Mass., where the Raiders were previously blown out.

While on paper the Raiders should be the favorite in those games, neither Los Angeles or Denver will likely be easy.

If they can finish with one loss or less while at least splitting their series with the Chiefs, it should bode well for their playoff hopes.

Taking that all in, my projection for the Raiders is that they finish 11-5 or 10-6 at best. I think theyll finish with a 4-2 record in the AFC West and take advantage of the lesser teams on their schedule, making the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Things can change rapidly in the NFL, though, so Ill still be doing my normal weekly predictions. If my overall prediction comes true though, I should be forecasting several more Raider wins.

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Predicting Las Vegas Raiders Record for Rest of the Season - Sports Illustrated

Gensler is bringing the flagship Atari Hotel to Las Vegas – The Architect’s Newspaper

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Ten months after gaming grandfather Atari partnered with hoteliers GSD Group to unveil a line of video game-themed hotels, the Las Vegas flagship has been revealed: A towering, multipurpose center designed by Gensler that more resembles a high-end gaming PC than any console Atari has ever put out.

The Las Vegas Atari Hotel and Phoenix, Arizona, locations will open first, and Atari and GSD Group are hoping to ultimately open eight Atari Hotels across the West Coast, Southwest, and Midwest (no such plans for the East Coast at the time of writing, unfortunately).

Although neither Gensler, Atari, nor GSD Group have provided concrete details on the design details of the 400-room Las Vegas hotel, it appears the building will split into separate hemispheres of slightly different height, connected by a glass atrium that forms a valley running to the back of the hotel. The ultimate effect resembles a massively scaled version of the tri-pronged Atari logo (which also features prominently across the rear of the hotel).

The strips that line each section, which run parallel to the ground at lower levels to form porte-cochres before twisting to shoot upright, will seemingly be chock full of programmable LEDs and will be able to change colors and patterns. On the facade, it appears rooms will be framed by arched windows topped with even more LED strips, allowing the sides of the building to change color as well.

At the rear entrance, where the two halves of the hotel intersect, will sit a covered hall containing restaurants, bars, retro arcades, art galleries, and other themed entertainment. Atari and GSD Group are promising a pretty heavy video game-forward experience, including a gaming arena and e-sports multiplex (one assumes that one is for playing in and the other for watching in), and in-room consoles and new releases. Other experiential entertainment has been teased but not fully revealed yet.

The Las Vegas Atari Hotel is expected to open sometime in 2022.

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Gensler is bringing the flagship Atari Hotel to Las Vegas - The Architect's Newspaper

Din Tai Fung starts serving xiao long bao on the Las Vegas Strip – Eater Vegas

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Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese restaurant specializing in xiao long bao, opens its first Las Vegas location at Aria. The restaurant replaces Aria Cafe, once known as the largest 24-hour caf on the Strip.

The Shanghai-style soup dumplings feature Kurobuta pork and broth that bursts open on the first bite. Diners should drop one dumpling on a spoon with a sauce made at the table by the customer, and poke it open with chopsticks to release the soup inside before eating. The restaurant suggests combining three parts vinegar to one part soy sauce, and then adding fresh ginger to complete the dip.

Some of our guests just cant wait to put everything in their mouth, says James Fu, a chef with Din Tai Fung who is in Las Vegas to train the staff. A QR code on the menu includes instructions on how to eat the soup dumplings as well.

The restaurant estimates it will make 10,000 soup dumplings daily.

A glassed in kitchen at the front of the 5,580-square-foot restaurant gives diners a glimpse into how xiao long bao is made. Chefs work on metal tables to stretch and roll dough, then pull off up to 5.2 grams for each dumpling. Each piece of dough gets rolled into a circle, then filled. The chef then makes 18 folds, the golden ratio, swirled at the top to contain the 5 grams pork to 16 grams dough. Humidifiers in the room add some much-need moisture in the air. Bamboo baskets filled with XLB go onto a steamer for three minutes and 30 seconds before being sent out to awaiting diners.

The only thing that makes them taste different or slightly different is because of the pork from a different regions, Fu notes.

A jaunty bao zai, one of the dumpling kids mascots, greets diners at the front of the restaurant.

While xiao long bao is the star of the show, Din Tai Fung offers much more on its menu. Sauteed string beans with garlic are just as addictive as the XLB, while appetizers such as sweet and sour pork baby back ribs bring a classic take on the popular Shanghainese dish.

Other versions of the dumplings come with truffle and blue crab, Jidori chicken, and vegetable and mushroom with glass noodles, bok choy, dried bean curd, and shiitake mushrooms. The restaurant also offers noodle dishes such as braised beef noodle soup, Jidori chicken wontons with spicy sauce, shrimp fried noodles, and vegetarian noodles with sesame sauce.

The restaurant also offers chocolate xiao long bao for dessert with chocolate lava as the filling, and red bean buns

Din Tai Fung also features a cocktail program unique to the brand with seasonal boba renditions. For fall, the restaurant has spiced boba with dark rum, ginger syrup, half and half, black tea, and two dashes of bitters.

Bentel & Bentel designed the space. Diners can look out through a 40-foot glass wall with views of Vdaras architecture and Nancy Rubins Big Edge art installation. Cliffs made from hundreds of stacked stones and paintings from Parker Ito that originally debuted at Art Basel decorate the space. The works intertwine Itos Japanese heritage with his experiences in Las Vegas, while depicting his unconventional studio practice that uses photography, painting, and printmaking techniques.

Din Tai Fung got its start in Taiwan in 1972 when Bing-Yi Yang decided to make soup dumplings instead of cooking oil. Japanese tourists fell in love with the intricate dumplings, which helped launch a worldwide dumpling empire that now stretches across 13 countries. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the restaurants expansion to the United States, where long lines of diners would wait up to two hours for a coveted table at the original location in Arcadia, California, which closed earlier this year.

Din Tai Fung, Aria, 3730 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Open daily from 4 to 11 p.m. Reservations recommended.

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Din Tai Fung starts serving xiao long bao on the Las Vegas Strip - Eater Vegas

Toobin suspended by the New Yorker, steps away from CNN – Las Vegas Sun

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Evan Agostini / Invision / AP

Lawyer and author Jeffrey Toobin attends the 2018 PEN Literary Gala in New York on May 22, 2018. Toobin has been suspended by the New Yorker and is stepping away from his job as CNNs senior legal analyst pending what the cable network is calling a personalmatter.

By Hillel Italie, Associated Press

Monday, Oct. 19, 2020 | 5:17 p.m.

NEW YORK Author-commentator Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended by the New Yorker and is stepping away from his job as CNN's senior legal analyst pending what the cable network is calling a personal matter.

Vice reported earlier Monday that Toobin had exposed himself during a Zoom meeting with staffers of the New Yorker and WNYC radio. In a statement Monday afternoon, the New Yorker said Toobin had been suspended while we investigate the matter. It declined further comment. A CNN spokesperson said in a statement that "Jeff Toobin has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted.

The 60-year-old Toobin has been a New Yorker writer for more than 20 years and joined CNN in 2002. He is the author of several books, most recently True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump," published in August. His other works include The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson and The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court."

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Toobin suspended by the New Yorker, steps away from CNN - Las Vegas Sun

After the Whistle: Former UMary baseball player honored by the Las Vegas Raiders – KX NEWS

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Former University of Mary baseball player Matt Espinosa has spent the last decade serving others as a healthcare professional, but this year has been much different due to COVID-19. During a time when Espinosa says his job has been its hardest, he was rewarded with a token of gratitude by his company, and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Our high up medical directors got together and said these are the names that we want to go to represent our company, which was quite an honor to say we got to represent Intermountain Healthcare at this event, Espinosa said

What he believed would be a meet and greet and photo opportunity at a Raiders game turned into something much bigger.

Like three people came over and said, you realize youre the only person to do this outside of Al Davis wife. This is very special to the Raiders organization, and very special to the Davis family,' Espinosa said.

Espinosa was randomly selected out of 20 medical workers in attendance to light the Al Davis Memorial Torch, the 93 foot structure built to honor the long time Raiders owner inside Allegiant Stadium.

As the time came I felt my heart racing a little bit, Espinosa said. I was like okay Im listening for three words, and then three more words. Ive got them in my head. Im just looking for my cues.

The flame lit right on cue, but what many would have considered a lucky opportunity meant more than words could describe for Espinosa, and his family. Matts grandfather Raymond was a life long Raiders fan.

He passed away my second year (at UMary) when I was playing baseball, so I had to fly back for that, Espinosa said. That was one of the hardest days ever. It was really special to do that for him though. He was in my mind the whole time. He was a special guy to us, he was.

Matt remembers riding bikes with his brother to his grandpas house to watch Raiders games, even though Matt is a 49ers fan. Now, he has a part in Raiders history forever.

The team is installing a plaque in the stadium signed by the healthcare workers to cement the special occasion.

Im going to get to take my kids to it and show them, maybe grandchildren, many many many years down the road from now, Espinosa said. Its something thats really special to do it second to Mrs. Al Davis, as well as theyve kind of enshrined us in that little moment.

The moment was something refreshing for Espinosa, who oversees more than 650 patients as a nurse practitioner, but it was just what he needed to stay the course during such a trying time.

It absolutely gave me personally another wave of energy, Espinosa said. It was a great stress relief moment to just kind of sit back, know that youre being honored and appreciated by not just our company, the Raiders and the city of Las Vegas itself.

Espinosa said he will go find the plaque every time he returns to Allegiant Stadium but he says hell likely be wearing his beloved 49ers jersey when he gets there

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Elon Musks Las Vegas Loop might only carry a fraction of the passengers it promised – TechCrunch

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In pandemic-free years, Americas biggest trade show, CES, attracts more than 170,000 attendees, bringing traffic that jams surrounding roads day and night.To help absorb at least some of the congestion, the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) last year planned a people-mover to serve an expanded campus. The LVCC wanted transit that could move up to 4,400 attendees every hour between exhibition halls and parking lots.

It considered traditional light rail that could shuttle hundreds of attendees per train, but settled on an underground system from Elon Musks The Boring Company (TBC) instead largely because Musks bid was tens of millions of dollars cheaper. The LVCC Loop would transport attendees through two 0.8-mile underground tunnels in Tesla vehicles, four or five at a time.

But planning files reviewed by TechCrunch seem to show that the Loop system will not be able to move anywhere near the number of people LVCC wants, and that TBC agreed to.

Fire regulations peg the occupant capacity in the load and unload zones of one of the Loops three stations at just 800 passengers an hour. If the other stations have similar limitations, the system might only be able to transport 1,200 people an hour around a quarter of its promised capacity.

If TBC misses its performance target by such a margin, Musks company will not receive more than $13 million of its construction budget and will face millions more in penalty charges once the system becomes operational.

Neither TBC nor LVCVA responded to multiple requests for comment.

Fire regulations limit the load/unload zone near the cars to 800 people per hour. Credit: TBC/Clark County

The LVCC always realized that it was taking a gamble on the Loop. Although Musk built a short demonstration tunnel near Los Angeles, this would be the first public system with real customers and service requirements. An analysis by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman in May 2019 concluded that TBCs unproven system presented a high risk for the LVCCs parent body, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).

So when the LCVCA wrote its contract with The Boring Company, it did its best to incentivize Musk to deliver on his promises. The contract would be for a fixed price, and TBC would have to hit specific milestones to receive all of its payments. When the bare tunnels are completed, which could happen any day now, TBC will have earned just over 30% of the total. The next big milestone is the completion of the entire working system, which would result in a pay-out of over $10 million.

That was scheduled to have happened by October 1, so that the system would be ready for the next CES show in January. Although CES 2021 has now gone virtual and there is less time pressure on Musk to deliver, he presumably still wants to get paid.

In a tweet this week, Elon Musk wrote that the system would be open in maybe a month or so. Some finishing touches need to be done on the stations.

After another milestone for the completion of a test period and safety report, the systems final three milestones relate to how many passengers it can carry. If the Loop can demonstrate moving 2,200 passengers an hour, TBC will get $4.4 million, then the same payment again for hitting 3,300, and the same again for 4,400 passengers an hour. Together, these capacity payments represent 30% of the fixed price contract.

Even if TBC achieved those numbers during testing, the LVCVA was worried that it might not be able to maintain them once the system was operational, so it inserted yet another requirement: [TBC] acknowledges liquidated damages are applicable for [TBCs] failure to provide System Capacity for Full Facility Trade Show Events.

For each large trade show that TBC fails to transport an average capacity of 3,960 passengers per hour for 13 hours, it will have to pay LVCVA $300,000 in damages. If TBC keeps falling short, it keeps paying, up to a maximum of $4.5 million.

So what is stopping TBC from transporting as many people as both it and the LVCC wants? There are national fire safety rules for underground transit systems that specify alarms, sprinklers, emergency exits and a maximum occupant load, to avoid overcrowding in the event of a fire.

Building plans submitted by The Boring Company include a fire code analysis for one of the Loops above-ground stations:

Image source: The Boring Company/Clark County NV

The above screenshot from the plans notes that the area where passengers get into and out of the Tesla cars has a peak occupancy load of 100 people every 7.5 minutes, equivalent to 800 passengers an hour. Even if the other stations had higher limits, this would limit the systems hourly capacity to about 1,200 people.

That sounds correct, says Glenn Corbett, a professor of security, fire and emergency management at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. But if thats the bottleneck, the question from a safety standpoint is, what controls that [800 per hour]? Is it just pure honesty and people following the rules, or is there a mechanical thing that keeps them out?

The plans do not show any turnstiles or barriers to limit entry.

Even without the safety restrictions, the Loop may struggle to hit its capacity goals. Each of the 10 bays at the Loops stations must handle hundreds of passengers an hour, corresponding to perhaps 100 or more arrivals and departures, depending on how many people each car is carrying. That leaves little time to load and unload people and luggage, let alone make the 0.8-mile journey and occasionally recharge.

Although TBCs Loop website says that the system will use autonomous vehicles, a TBC executive told a planning committee last year that the cars would have human drivers for additional safety. TBC had proposed developing a larger capacity autonomous shuttle for the Loop, capable of carrying up to 16 people. The latest plans all show traditional sedans, however, and another Musk tweet this week admitted: We simplified this a lot. Its basically just Teslas in tunnels at this point.

The most recent documents filed by TBC also show changes to the Loops original design.

Gone are striking curved roofs, with both aboveground stations now having flat photovoltaic canopies to help charge the Tesla vehicles. These terminal stations each have a single Supercharger station, and a showpiece sculpture consisting of a concrete segment similar to those used in the tunnels below.

The central, subterranean station has a large, open platform, and also houses the electrical, fire safety and IT equipment. Each station will have bays for 10 Tesla vehicles to load and unload passengers.

Even before the first Loop is operating, TBC is planning two more Loop tunnels nearby, connecting the LVCC to the Wynn Encore and Resorts World casinos.

The tunnel to the Encore is long enough that safety regulations require an emergency exit about halfway along. Plans indicate an emergency egress shaft and a small hatch, but it is unclear whether passengers escaping a fire or breakdown would be expected to climb stairs or even a ladder.

Loop extension egress. Image source: The Boring Company/Clark County NV

TBC last year suggested an emergency ladder for its proposed Loop between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., a system that Corbett called the definition of insanity, as it did not account for passengers with limited mobility. That project is now on pause.

TBCs stated aim is to expand the LVCC Loop from a local people mover to a Vegas-wide transit system serving the Strip, the airport and eventually extending all the way to Los Angeles. If the company struggles to deliver capacity and revenue from its small-scale Convention Center system, the future of those ambitions could be in doubt.

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Elon Musks Las Vegas Loop might only carry a fraction of the passengers it promised - TechCrunch

Hoover Dam reopening to the public Tuesday without tours – Las Vegas Sun

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New York Times / Jim Wilson

A view of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead shows canyon walls ringed with white mineral deposits indicating the drop in water levels Dec. 18,2013.

Associated Press

Mon, Oct 19, 2020 (1:38 p.m.)

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is reopening Hoover Dam to the public Tuesday, seven months after it closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal officials said visitors will be able to access all open areas and visit the Mike OCallaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge plaza and walkway.

The visitor center will remain closed with no tours or exhibits available.

Visitors to the dam at the Nevada-Arizona border are being asked to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines when it comes to preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

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Bride ambushes fianc at Las Vegas Target with pastor, bridesmaid and demands to get married on the spot – KLAS – 8 News Now

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LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KXAN) New videos on TikTok appear to capture a bride at a Las Vegas Target whos tired of waiting.

In the two-part video, captured by TikTok user boymom_ashley, a woman in a bridal gown appears to confront her fianc at the store where he works complete with a pastor and a bridesmaid!

In the clip, the woman can be heard saying, You put this ring on my finger two years ago, and its time to do it or get out. Yeah, were getting married right now or Im leaving. Im out. Im done, like if you dont marry me this second.

Near the end, the bride spots boymom_ashley, whos still rolling, and waves. Im just finally making him commit! she can be heard saying. Were getting married right now or its over.

As of Saturday, the videos have over several hundreds of thousands of views, with one surpassing 7 million.

Its unclear whether the potential bride stopped to complete a wedding registry on the way out.

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Bride ambushes fianc at Las Vegas Target with pastor, bridesmaid and demands to get married on the spot - KLAS - 8 News Now

Live entertainment making its way back to the Las Vegas Strip – KLAS – 8 News Now

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Live entertainment is making its way back to the Las Vegas Strip, after months of COVID-19 closures.

A handful of stage performances have announced return dates. And they are taking extra precautions to keep audiences safe. One show lifting its curtain on October 29 at the Flamingo Las Vegas, is Piff the Magic Dragon.

Were coming back, bigger, better than ever, Piff told 8 News Now.

Piff says his team is making the necessary adjustments, including moving the show to the larger Flamingo Showroom. This follows Governor Steve Sisolaks recent announcement that gatherings of up to 250 people are allowed in Nevada, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Usually its like 750 seats, Piff said. But in this time, were capping it at just under 250. Everyone will be a safe distance apart.

The cast of Absinthe is set to grace the stage at Caesars Palace starting October 28. Guests can expect socially distance cabaret-style seating, at less than 25 percent of its usual capacity. There will also be non-contact temperature testing, a new air purification system, and table service to avoid standing in line.

Wynn Las Vegas already welcomed the return of live entertainment last Friday with an outdoor comedy show on October 9. Face coverings were required and dozens of hand sanitizer stations were placed throughout the venue.

I cant tell you how excited we are to perform for live people, Piff said, adding that he hopes this only the beginning. Hopefully we open a door to all of the big, like the Cirque shows and the huge shows that can only happen in Las Vegas.

Piff will perform Thursday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. beginning Thursday, Oct. 29. Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. PT atticketmaster.com.

According to the Caesars Palace website, tickets for Absinthe are on sale for shows starting on Wednesday, Oct. 28. in the Spiegeltent at Caesars Palace. There are two nightly shows.

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David Lee Roth Aims to Be ‘King of Las Vegas’ – Ultimate Classic Rock

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David Lee Roth has declared his ambition to become the king of Las Vegas now that Van Halen can never return.

Hed said the band was finished in September 2019, before it was publicly known that guitarist Eddie Van Halen was suffering from a cancer that would eventually take his life on Oct. 6 this year. He kicked off a brief Las Vegas residency this January.

Asked if he had plans in mind for the next five years of his life, Roth told CBS Sunday Morning in an interview taped prior to Van Halen's death: Showbiz. Im gonna be the king of Las Vegas. He continued: Las Vegas is truly international. Think of it as what the old record stores were. You have the dance section, youve got the Latino section, youve got the country section and you have to have an appreciation for the neighborhoods.

He asserted that music changes shoes and haircuts but that the mainstays included those senses of humor, those senses of family, those senses of whats dramatic, and those senses of what hits you right in the heart. He added: If you had participation in all those communities and you are a genuine fan, then you can say, I have returned to be your king!

Earlier this year Roth said hed been focusing on painting while coronavirus restrictions made it impossible for him to perform. He said of his artwork: Social commentary is what I do. Its what Ive always done. My hand has always been in wardrobe, background sets, stage sets, album covers, video direction. This is part of it. And theres craft involved, so theres a little bit more heft to some of the statements.

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Trump Blessed at Las Vegas Church, Pastor Says God Told Her He’ll Win Election – TMZ

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1:39 PM PT -- Looks like Trump went into his own pocket for a donationa to ICLV Sunday, whipping out a few 20-dollar bills ... and counting them up a couple times over.

He eventually dropped it in the collection bucket that was going around.

President Trump became part of the church-going crowd this weekend -- and his presence moved a pastor to predict he'd get a 2nd win ... and Trump returned the favor by telling the pastors they were rough around the edges.

DT attended a service Sunday at the International Church of Las Vegas ... with Pastors Paul and Denise Goulet officiated. It was quite the sight -- Trump stood there awkwardly with his palms out, flanked by Hope Hicks and Kayleigh McEnany ... nobody wearing masks.

Right up Donald's alley, no doubt, but it's what Pastor Denise ranted and raved about that actually stole the show ... she says she got a sign from God at 4:30 this morning ... that Trump's getting another 4 years, but she had a funny and confusing way of explaining it.

First, she said his "second win" would come in the form of a victory at the polls; next, she said he'd get another "second win" with a fresh shot of energy ... like a runner near the finish line and who's out of breath, but still manages to power through to the end.

Finally, Pastor Denise said he'd get a second "wind," which she likened to the Holy Spirit. We believe she has a few of those "second win(d)s" mixed up, but whatever ... Trump was loving it all the same. Ironically, Trump has proven of late that he can, indeed, get pretty winded.

Anyway, the couple eventually invited to him to the stage to bless him -- which was just as awkward as their sermon from afar -- and eventually handed him the mic to share some words, and that's when he told the pastoral duo they were rough around the edges.

Originally Published -- 11:22 AM PT

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Trump Blessed at Las Vegas Church, Pastor Says God Told Her He'll Win Election - TMZ

Good use of that Christmas party budget – RollOnFriday

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Crack it open for a good cause.

The pandemic has turned out not to be as bad as expected for some City law firms profits, as evidenced by some hefty pay rises or bonuses and firms even repaying furlough money to the Government.

Most have weathered the storm well, certainly in comparison to their high street colleagues.

In normal years, outcomes exceeding mid-year expectations would be cause for the firms to reward the successful departments with lavish Christmas parties.

Some City law firm Christmas parties have been legendary; A few even notorious, and what they have in common is that they are nearly all expensive.

This year, the pandemic lookscertain to prevent any substantial partying from happening at all.

So what is a law firm to do with the extensive funds it will unwillingly save on abandoned festivities?

Well. while somelarge firms have weathered the COVID 19 storm well, legal advice charities have been suffering badly. The need for help with benefits, housing, debt, employment and community care has risen dramatically. Simultaneously the income agencies gain from charity events such as the London Marathon and the London Legal Walk has dropped equally rapidly and agencies such as Law Centres that rely on Legal Aid for much of their income have been very hard hit.

So what a great thing it would be if firms redirected their annual bash funds to bolstering the charities that help people in need.

A quick swap of hedonism for altruism wouldnt go amiss in this yearand would be a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas.

The London Legal Support Trust (LLST) giving appeal is being launched to support 100 legal advice charities in and around London this Christmas.

If you suggest it to your firm and they like the idea of spreading Christmas cheer, then they can simply send the funds they would have spent on parties to London Legal Support Trust:

CAF Bank

Sort code 40-52-40

Account number 00011860

Reference: RoFXmas.

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Good use of that Christmas party budget - RollOnFriday

Exclusive news and research on the wine, spirits and beer business – Shanken News Daily

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October 19, 2020

Diageo has launched a new ad campaign for Don Julio, honoring brand founder Don Julio Gonzlez. The new initiative, titled A Life Devoted to Tequila Making, launched in the U.S. last week and will expand globally in the future. The campaign was created by Anomaly New York and features videos and stills across social and digital platforms, including Hulu and YouTube. To celebrate the launch of the campaign, Don Julio is donating $25,000 in Gonzlezs honor to the Restaurant Workers Community Fund. Last year, Don Julio crossed 900,000 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

Compass Box has announced the Peat Monster Arcana, the latest whisky celebrating the companys 20th anniversary. The 46% abv whisky is made from a base of cask strength Peat Monster that aged for an additional two years before blending with malt whiskies from the Talisker, Miltonduff, and Ardbeg distilleries. The Peat Monster Arcana is rolling out this month in limited quantities across the U.S.; only 3,900 bottles will be available for a suggested price of $95 a 750-ml. This is the third celebratory whisky the company has released for its 20th anniversary, following Hedonism Felicitas and Rogues Banquet.

Elenita, a new brand of sparkling mezcal cocktails, is debuting across California. The 5% abv range includes Cucumber Lime Basil and Pineapple Jalapeno offerings and retails at $36 an eight-pack of 12-ounce cans on the companys website. In addition to online, Elenita is available at select Total Wine and BevMo outlets among other on- and off-premise locations. The brands mezcal base is made from 100%-Espadin agave and distilled in Oaxaca.

Amber Beverage Group is launching Kah Tequila in Canada. Produced Ambers Fabrica de Tequilas Finos distillery in Jalisco, Mexico, Kah is named after an ancient Mayan language word for life. The product range features three expressionsBlanco, Reposado, and Aejoall of which are made from 100% hand-selected blue agave. Mark Anthony Group will distribute Kah Tequila in Canada.

Tagged : Compass Box, Don Julio, Elenita, Kah

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October Surprise! US psychiatrists convince the media to reveal the extent of Trump’s mental instability – NationofChange

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Watching Trumps twisted behavior, his nutty tweets, and reckless policies and actions over the past 4 years or so, one could easily conclude that he shows clear signs of severe mental problems. But since most of us are not psychiatrists, we are not qualified to make such judgments.

While we may not be qualified there are many top-level, highly respected psychiatrists who most certainly are, and they did make their opinions known in a book in 2017 entitled The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.

Bandy Lee,Clinical Professor in law and psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine joined with 26 other top-level psychiatrists and mental health experts to present their professional findings relative to Mr. Trumps very serious mental condition, that they indicated makes him unfit to be president.

The book was an instant bestseller and made some stunning revelations. You might think that the newspapers and the TV networks would have immediately made it one of their top subjects. But they did no such thing and, for the most part, generally ignored it.

Before the release of this book, psychiatrists across this country were largely silent on this matter. Thatsilence was primarily due to what is referred to as the Goldwater Rule, a general guideline of the American Psychiatric Association that states that psychiatrists should not make judgments relative to the mental condition of individuals who they have not personally examined.

Thereafter, many leading psychiatrists who saw this presidents mental state as a great danger decided this rule was no longer relevant when the countrys safety and security were at great risk.

What makes these psychiatrists think that they can make judgments of this presidents mental state without examining him? Well, there are multi-thousands of videos, audios, tweets, and other records of Trumps irrational behavior that clearly show that he has mental problems.

Day in and day out he shows definite signs that he has extremely serious problems. Who would be better qualified than highly trained psychiatric professionals to make these critically important judgments?

Here are some psychiatric terms and definitions that these 27 psychiatrists used when describing Trumps mental condition:

Narcissism: a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. The psychiatrists called it malignant narcissism, the very worst kind. Here isan articlethat discusses this condition and whether Trump has it.

Hedonism: Hedonism is a school of thought that argues that the pursuit of pleasure and intrinsic goodsarethe primary or most important goals of human life. A hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure (pleasure minus pain).

Sociopathic behavior: that of individuals who display antisocial behavior which is mainly characterized by lack of empathy towards others, coupled with displays of abnormal moral conduct and an inability to conform with the norms of society.

And speaking of abnormal moral conduct, what can be said about this pathetic excuse for a normal human being, Mr.Trump who, after separating small kids from their parents, put them into cages where they were treated like animals? A person would have to be not just mentally unstable to do such a thing, but completely crazy.

Paranoia: an instinct or thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality.

Cognitive disorder: a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities including learning, memory, perception, and problem-solving.

I need only one example of Trumps behavior and actions to believe that he has very severe mental problems. To try to reverse his faltering reelection chances, he will readily put the lives of many thousands of Americans at great risk, in great jeopardy, as he gears up to initiate rallies almost every day.

Doesnt he understand that most people attending the rallies will follow his example and not wear masks, that people will be right next to each other? Doesnt he realize that many will later be infected by the virus, with some dying?

Yes, he most certainly does. But he also knows he has two options: he can cancel the rallies and protect the people and make this his highest priority. Or he can, instead, ignore the safety of the people, hold the rallies, and make that his highest priority. What option do I think he will choose? I think that Trump, the Superspreader-in-Chief, would say, full speed ahead and get those rallies organized.

When these experts on mental conditions previously wanted their conclusions to be spread across America to warn the people of how dangerous the situation was, that didnt happen. It was because the media decided it wanted no part of it.

Why did the media do that? Didnt its leadership comprehend the magnitude of this issue and act on this critically important matter? Didnt they understand that they had an absolute obligation, a commitment, to do what is right, to warn the people of America, and yes the world, about this dangerous situation?

I think they did but Corporate America which owns or controls a large part of the media did not agree at all. While we didnt hear it the word went out to all members of the media to initiate a policy of hands-off and off-limits. And that ended the psychiatrists chance to broadcast their message.

Yes, its very late but there is still time to reverse this situation. America needs this kind of October Surprise to take place. These psychiatrists need to quickly resurface and make the case to the media that, to stop Trumps chances of being reelected, everything possible must be done to take Trump down and out.

The media that they must now do what is right for this country and its people. There is still time for newspapers, radio, and TV to send the psychiatrists message relative to Trumps severe mental problems all across this country. So far the media has, in effect, covered up this presidents mental instability, and it is now time for that cover-up to end.

Sure the chances of this happening are not good and it might take a minor miracle for it to happen. But sometimes miracles do happen when leaders suddenly see the light and know that they must correct their mistakes.

When thinking about an October Surprise we need to consider this. What often seems improbable, virtually impossible, can suddenly take place.

FALL FUNDRAISER

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October Surprise! US psychiatrists convince the media to reveal the extent of Trump's mental instability - NationofChange

In search of the real Ma Anand Sheela – Livemint

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The 2018 Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country is ostensibly focused on the exploits of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Indian spiritual guru known as Osho, and his followers, who established a commune in Oregon, US, in 1982. But the most magnetic presence in it is Sheela Ambalal Patel, better known as Ma Anand Sheela, a fervent devotee of Osho since the age of 16, who was elevated to his personal secretary and de facto empress of the community.

With her innate chutzpah and fiery wit, the young Sheela lights up the screen every time she makes an appearance. Her signature remark, at the height of her brash swagger, was Tough titties, much to the delight of headline-hungry journalists. But the older Sheela, who was in her late 60s at the time of shooting the show, projected an air of dignity, a hint of world-weariness that was sporadically dispelled by her simmering eyes.

This two-in-one personality is also palpable in Nothing To Lose, Sheelas new authorized biography, written by journalist Manbeena Sandhu. She is much wiser now, more toned down, Sandhu says on the phone from Toronto, where she lives. Although she was briefly fascinated by the Osho movement in the early 1990s, when she lived in India, Sandhu never joined it. I noticed a fair bit of narcissism, egotism and hedonism among the followers which didnt align with my beliefs, she says. But this distance didnt come in the way of her forging lifelong friendships with many of the sanyasins, living in India or Canada, where Sandhu moved after her marriage in 2000. I collected my stories about the movement through the last 25 years, she adds.

From the beginning of her association with the movement, Sandhu heard one name again and againthat of Ma Anand Sheela, even though Sheela and Osho had fallen out by 1985 and become estranged. After Sheela had left Oregon with a loyal band of followers, Osho sent the law after her, accused her of wire-tapping, immigration fraud and poisoning his personal physician. Later, the charge of bioterrorism was added to the list, pertaining to her role in poisoning 10 salad bars with salmonella in the city of The Dalles. Sheela was extradited from Europe, where she had fled, and eventually served time for 39 months before being given parole for good conduct.

In spite of her chequered past and ostracization by the core Osho group, Sheela held sway over the sanyasins for years. But even those who knew her whereabouts were reluctant to talk, Sandhu says. Wild Wild Country changed it all. Suddenly Sheelas address and details were only an internet search away. So Sandhu picked up the phone, spoke to the reclusive matriarch, and offered to be her biographer.

Sheela was warm but not convinced at first, Sandhu recalls. She asked me to fly down to Switzerland to meet her. So Sandhu, with her husband and children, went to Maisprach, the village where Sheela runs care homes for the elderly and infirm. Sheela went to receive the Sandhus, was hospitable and helpful, generous with her time. Before long, work on the book was on its way, initially with long interviews in person, followed by near-daily trans-Atlantic conversations after Sandhu returned home.

A biography involves intense research and reporting, but in the case of Sheelas story, the challenge is heightened by the moral ambiguities that underlie every significant move of her life. There is much to unpack, multiple versions of the same event to square. But thats life for you, its full of grey areas, Sandhu says. I have kept parts of her story open to the readers interpretation.

Indeed, at several points of this very readable book, we are confronted with Did she or didnt she? moments. As Sheelas life with Osho begins to unspool, Sandhu reveals to us a softer version of the indomitable sanyasin. She comes across as vulnerable and shrewd, calculating and crumbling, by turns. But she refuses to admit to feeling any remorse. All her life, Sheela has maintained that whatever she did was for the love of her guru. She even described her prison sentence as a fee she had to pay to her master, her guru dakshina. With her steely reserve of strength in the face of monumental adversity, Sheela found a second wind as an unlikely feminist iconshe embodies what millennials and Gen Z fondly admire as badass qualities.

At 70, Sheela remains bold, beautiful and brutally honest, Sandhu says. She is the small-town girl who did things that even stars dont manage to do in movies!

Nothing To Lose by Manbeena Sandhu, published by HarperCollins India.

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In search of the real Ma Anand Sheela - Livemint

A new Cyberpunk 2077 teaser asks what you’re looking for in Night City – Windows Central

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There's a lot to do in Cyberpunk 2077, which is just a month away from release. In a new teaser, Keanu Reeves returns to ask players what they're looking for in Night City. Prior ads reminded players there are no limits and that you need to seize the day. You can check out the teaser below.

Keanu Reeves founded a custom motorcycle company which is actually featured in the game. There's many different vehicles to acquire and use, from small compacts to massive hulking trucks.

Cyberpunk 2077 is promising a sprawling city and its surroundings to explore. Your experience will differ depending on your Lifepath and other choices as you tangle with the different gangs of Night City.

Cyberpunk 2077 has gone gold and is set to release on November 19, 2020 exactly one month away, as the team is reportedly crunching to finish any day one patches. When it arrives, the game will be available on Xbox One, PC, PS4 and Stadia, with a free next-generation upgrade coming for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PS5.

The standard for next-gen.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the latest project from CD Projekt Red, the developers behind the Witcher 3. To follow up the game that defined a generation of gaming, Cyberpunk 2077 needed to be huge, ambitious, and captivating. Every indication says that CD Projekt Red is posed to repeat history with their sci-fi, open-world RPG adventure.

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A new Cyberpunk 2077 teaser asks what you're looking for in Night City - Windows Central

A Closer Look at the Vehicles in Cyberpunk 2077 – Tom’s Hardware

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We already knew that vehicles were included in Cyberpunk 2077, but we didn't know just how vast the selection would be. Sure, we imagined there would be a handful of vehicles, but our eyes were opened thanks to today's Cyberpunk 2077 Nightwire City Livestream, and we finally have a glimpse of just how many vehicles are going to be in the game.

There's plenty of vehicles, not just exotic ones, but also a fair share of lower vehicles. But that's the beauty of Cyberpunk 2077, and you'll drive whatever you can afford, find abandoned, or car-jack. Expect to see a wide variety of cars, trucks, and other vehicle types within the game.

Cyberpunk 2077 will also include multiple locations where you'll be able to race your car and either lose it or win someone else's vehicle. Just be sure to bring a weapon with you because this is still Cyberpunk 2077, and you may encounter a sore loser or two.

In the album above, we can see the wide selection of vehicles available. The developers used over 40 different cars to record actual vehicle sounds, similar to what you'd find in racing games such as Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo. Meaning not only will you hear authentic vehicles, but you may be able to identify them just by their sounds.

Cyberpunk 2077 releases on November 19th, 2020, for the PS4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions will be available in 2021.

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A Closer Look at the Vehicles in Cyberpunk 2077 - Tom's Hardware

Cyberpunk 2077 will launch on Stadia the same day as console and PC – The Verge

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We knew that Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Reds highly anticipated sci-fi RPG, would be coming to Googles Stadia cloud gaming service at some point. But it hasnt been clear exactly when, beyond that it would arrive sometime this year after the games launch on PC and consoles.

Stadia players got good news today, though, as CD Projekt Red confirmed in a video presentation that the game will be arriving on Stadia the same day it launches on other platforms: November 19th.

Cyberpunk 2077 has been one of Stadias marquee releases for some time. Google announced the game was coming to Stadia all the way back in August 2019, but didnt give a firmer release than coming soon. At that time, the game was set to launch on other platforms on April 16th, but it was delayed twice this year, to its current November 19th release date.

The game has had a years-long development cycle, and CD Projekt Red developers have been asked to work six days a week ahead of the games release date, despite previous public statements from studio co-founder Marcin Iwiski that seemed to suggest the studio wouldnt be requiring mandatory crunch.

Cyberpunk 2077 has officially gone gold, so its very likely that it wont miss that November 19th release date at this point.

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Cyberpunk 2077 will launch on Stadia the same day as console and PC - The Verge

Two Number Twos: Cyberpunk 2077 And Vampire: The Masquerade – Bleeding Cool News

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This week, it's two-issue number twos from my favorite tie-in comics, Cyberpunk 2077: Trauma Team and Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter's Teeth. Both are stronger than the sum of their parts, and while there's no Eisners in store for either of these comics, I'd like to sing their praises.

Cyberpunk 2077: Trauma Team #2

Cyberpunk 2077: Trauma Team #2 delivers more trauma. You can probably guess the beats from here. You're introduced to the main character Nadia's lover. Guess what happens to him. You get a No-Prize for getting it right. The team's a hundred floors up in a hostile building, and everyone around them wants them dead. If you're thinking, wait, is this just The Raid, then yes, have your second No-Prize.

What matters is that Cullen Bunn & Co. give the impression of keeping the pace quick, but there's always enough time for a detour, usually paid for in another EMT's blood. Eventually, it'll just be Nadia and Apex, the man who killed Nadia's team. But for now, there's a hundred more floors to go and a lot of people between the trauma team and the exit.

That the straight forward idea works is a testament to the talents of artist Miguel Valderrama and colorist Jason Wordie, who combine well for the frenetic action, happier flashbacks, and the tense negotiation between Nadia and the HR rep that finds Nadia fit for duty.

Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter's Teeth #2

The new girl, Alejandra, receives an official welcome from the Camarilla (the official vampire under government) and an education on good and bad from her sire, Cecilia. The lesson might be a little pat, "Everyone has something they have to feed," after all, it's how one goes about life that matters. Still, ultimately, it detracts from writer Tim Seeley's point: Even obvious targets for feeding have redeeming qualities, and it's important to view those humans as well, humans, and not an ambulatory hamburger.

Setting the story in Minneapolis and St. Paul (the hardest luck saint of 'em all) means that artist Devmalya Pramanik gets to draw all kinds of snow and rain, and if there's a storm, it makes sense; the story's set infamously cold Minneapolis/St. Paul. You get that particular DUN DUN DUN for free. The cliffhanger suggests further monstrous action for issue three, and I'm excited to see Pramanik and colorist Addison Duke cut loose.

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Two Number Twos: Cyberpunk 2077 And Vampire: The Masquerade - Bleeding Cool News

Half-Life 2 meets Cyberpunk 2077 in this full conversion mod – PCGamesN

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After 12 years, the incredibly ambitious Half-Life 2 full conversion mod G String has been released. Transforming the classic FPS game into a mix between Cyberpunk 2077 and Blade Runner, the mod promises a large-scale action-adventure game that explores a future destroyed by climate change.

The project, available on Steam, trades Gordon Freeman for Myo Hyori, a Korean teenagerliving on a planet Earth ruled by the North American Union after environmental destruction has irrevocably altered the Earths habitat. In her trusty Bortz Bioengineering Biosuit, she explores a huge metropolis,stuck on a worldthat continues todisintegrate. The rich and privileged live in space colonies, while the rest struggle underan oppressive, anti-religious regime.

Creator Eyaura released a gameplay trailer in December last year, and if you showed it to someone out of context, theyd probably think its an unreleased Blade Runner RPG game from the early 2000s. The city setting seems to stretch forever amid an orange hue, a pyramid in the distance a clear visual reference to the Tyrell Corporation acts as the major point of reference. Another trailer, from July, shows the combat and exploration still resembles Half-Life,thoughwith a good deal more aerial dogfighting, as the offworld sections demonstrate.

This is a cyberpunk-inspired first-person-shooter with light environmental puzzles and a long, detailed single-player campaign focused on story and world building, the Steam description reads. G String aims for an old school approach where there is minimal hand holding and your biosuit automatically keeps track of your health stats, ammunition count, and armour condition.

You watch the trailer from July below:

Although Eyaura did the bulk of the work themselves, they received some assistance in the release from published LunchHouse Software, as well as Valve themselves, though what role Valve played isnt specified. If you want to read more of the setting and lore before diving in, you can check out this free PDF on all the world-building. G String is available on Steam right here.

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Half-Life 2 meets Cyberpunk 2077 in this full conversion mod - PCGamesN