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Electrode, Comp-8848eaf3-b8bd-4588-9d15-e7e1e1c1fb47, DC-scus-prod-a1, ENV-prod-a, PROF-PROD, VER-9.46.0, SHA-a6119a0834c31fc055d84c7c9de84541b3208eff, CID-8cd94e98-007-174a3bafaaf8cc, Generated: Sat, 19 Sep 2020 00:19:34 GMT

Electrode, Comp-8848eaf3-b8bd-4588-9d15-e7e1e1c1fb47, DC-scus-prod-a1, ENV-prod-a, PROF-PROD, VER-9.46.0, SHA-a6119a0834c31fc055d84c7c9de84541b3208eff, CID-8cd94e98-007-174a3bafaaf8cc, Generated: Sat, 19 Sep 2020 00:19:34 GMT

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Roulette - Walmart.com

Roulette Basics | HowStuffWorks

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Knowing which type of bet to make is important for players who want to hodl their own at the roulette table.

Each table will carry a placard describing the minimum and maximum bets at the table. For example, it might read, "Roulette. $5 minimum inside bets, $5 minimum outside bets. $1,000 maximum outside, $100 maximum inside." Table maximums usually are lower on inside bets because of the higher payoffs offered. The odds are exactly the same as on outside bets, but most casinos are loath to risk losing $35,000 at one shot on a $1,000 bet on one number.

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Though the listed minimums for inside and outside bets are likely to be the same, they don't mean the same thing. A player betting the $5 minimum on inside bets is allowed to spread five $1 chips around on different bets on the inside. However, the minimum for outside bets means the player must wager the entire $5 on each outside bet. Betting $1 on evens, $1 on red, $1 on the first 12, $1 on the first 18, and $1 on the first column doesn't satisfy the minimum.

The player may make any of the bets by placing a chip or chips on the appropriate spot. However, the size of the table may make it difficult to reach some betting areas. To place a bet you can't reach, put the chips on the table and ask the dealer to put them on the desired bet for you. If you aren't sure how to make outside or inside bets, check the information below.

Red or black: There are 18 numbers with red backgrounds and 18 with black backgrounds. A bet on red pays off if the ball stops in the slot by any of the 18 red numbers; a bet on black pays off if the ball lands on any of the black numbers. A winning red or black bet pays even money -- the player keeps the original bet and gets an equal amount in winnings.

Odd or even: Another even-money bet. The player is betting that either one of the 18 odd numbers (1, 3, 5, and so forth) or one of the 18 even numbers (2, 4, 6, and so forth) will be chosen.

1 through 18, 19 through 36: Also for even money, a bet on whether the ball will stop on any of the first 18 numbers or any of the last 18 numbers.

The house gets its edge from 0 and 00 -- they are neither red nor black, neither odd nor even, neither part of the first 18 nor the last 18. If the ball lands on 0 or 00, all even-money bets -- in fact, all outside bets -- lose.

In casinos offering a French wheel with the en prison rule, the player does not lose an even money bet when the 0 comes up. Instead, the bet is "in prison" -- the player does not lose the wager, but it remains in effect for the next spin. If the bet wins on the next spin, it is released, and the player may pull it back. The bet may not remain in prison on consecutive spins -- a second consecutive 0 makes the bet a loser. This is a very favorable rule for the player, and one that is rare in the United States.

Dozens: Wagers on the first 12 numbers, second 12, or third 12 pay 2-1.

Columns: Wagers on any of the three columns on the grid pay 2-1. Because the grid is arranged in 12 rows of three consecutive numbers (1-2-3 is the first row, 4-5-6 the second, and so on), each number in a column is three higher than the one before.

Single number: Bets on individual numbers, including 0 and 00, are placed by putting a chip or chips fully inside a numbered box. If a single-number bet hits, it pays 35-1. (Remember, however, that the true odds are 37-1.)

Split: This is a wager on two numbers, and it pays 17-1. Make a split bet by placing a chip so that it straddles the line between two numbers.

Street: A three-number bet, paying 11-1, is made by placing a chip on the line separating outside bets from the inside, indicating a row of three consecutive numbers.

Corner: A chip is placed at the intersection of a horizontal line with a vertical line inside the layout. This indicates a bet on the four adjacent numbers, and it pays 8-1.

Five-number: For the worst bet on the table, place a chip so that it lies on the line separating the inside from the outside, while straddling the horizontal line between 0-00 and 1-2-3. This bet pays 6-1 and carries a 7.89 percent house edge. The five-number bet does not exist on the French wheel because of the absence of 00.

Double street: Just as on the street bet, place a chip on the line separating the outside from the inside, but let it straddle the horizontal line between two rows. That gives you six numbers in two consecutive three-number rows, and the bet pays 5-1.

Special note: Watch for your payoffs. On winning inside bets, most dealers will push the winnings to you but leave the original bet in place. After the dealer has finished payoffs and is ready for the next round of bets, it is up to you to move the original bet if you do not want to make the same wager. Some dealers will leave the winnings on the layout, and if you do not wish to bet it all on the next spin, you must remove it. It is common for the dealer to leave the winnings on outside bets next to the original bet. It is up to you to move the chips when the dealer is ready.

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Roulette Basics | HowStuffWorks

How COVID-19 Affected Craps and Roulette – Coronavirus and Casinos – BestUSCasinos.org

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COVID-19 has turned the gambling world upside down in many respects. First, it convinced many regulatory bodies to shut down land-based casinos for a while.

Now, the coronavirus has caused the same regulators to impose social distancing standards on casinos. The latter must use various measures to minimize the chances of gamblers contracting COVID-19.

These measures include:

Land-based casino gambling definitely isnt the same as it was before the coronavirus. However, most games are still running.

Two of the only exceptions, though, include craps and roulette. Casinos in many jurisdictions arent allowed to run either of these games.

Why have roulette and craps got the axe during the pandemic? You can find out below as I cover the basic nature of these games along with why theyre not perfectly suited for the COVID-19 era.

Playing craps for real money is one of the most exciting activities in the casino. Players typically like betting on the shooter winning, which means that they all wager in a similar fashion.

In turn, these gamblers cheer together when the shooter is successful. This scenario creates a team-like atmosphere.

Some gamblers even high five each other during a hot streak. Theyre so excited about their good fortunes that theyre willing to fist bumps strangers.

Another noteworthy aspect of craps is the dice. Each gambler gets an opportunity to act as the shooter.

Most players accept their turn as the shooter. After all, who doesnt want to roll the dice in an effort to help everybody win!?

Of course, different gamblers touching the dice isnt desirable during the pandemic. Neither is touching hands when celebrating wins.

A roulette round starts with gamblers placing chips on the desired betting spaces. If somebody wants to wager on the number 15, for example, theyll lay their chips on the 15 spot.

The roulette table is only so big. Therefore, players sometimes lean over each other in order to make wagers. Gamblers have limited time to place their bets too. Once the dealer yells no more bets, no one is allowed place any more chips down.

This urgency, combined with a relatively small betting board, means that players tend to come into contact with each other.

Once the betting round is over, gamblers watch the spinning wheel in anticipation. They normally dont high five strangers like in craps, but they might do so with any friends at the table.

You may already have an impression on why roulette and craps arent great options with the coronavirus floating around. But Id still like to provide more in-depth analysis on why these games are shut down below.

Craps and roulette are two of the most-popular gambling games. Depending upon the specific night, they may entertain over a dozen gamblers at once.

These crowds definitely amp up the excitement when youre playing. However, they also increase the likelihood of germs being spread.

Of course, casinos could institute a social distancing policy for these tables. It would be much tougher for gambling establishments to enforce these policies, though, with craps and roulette.

These games arent like slot machines, where players are stationary the entire time. Instead, they call on players to stand and move around at different points.

Both of these games see gamblers touch each other in different manners. For craps, players mingle when celebrating a shooters hot streak.

In roulette, people come in contact when placing their chips on the table. They sometimes wait until the wheel begins spinning and put chips down in a hurried manner.

Most casino games dont require players to touch each other at all. For example, youre unlikely to see baccarat or blackjack players first bump each other after wins. Therefore, the majority of games are considered acceptable during the pandemic.

Craps is easily one of the most-social casino games. It sees gamblers cheer together and place the same type of bets.

Roulette may not be as vibrant as the craps table. Nevertheless, it still features plenty of conversation between gamblers due to the close proximity.

As the term social distancing suggest, though, social games arent entirely desirable right now. They have a greater tendency to spread the coronavirus.

Craps games only use one set of dice. Therefore, gamblers pass the dice down the table whenever its a new shooters turn.

Unless theyre germaphobes, most people dont pay a second thought to handing dice around. However, passing the cubes carries much more significance these days.

Of course, casinos could easily have their employees clean dice off after every turn. But this would require workers to clean yet one another thing in the casino.

Casinos arent thrilled that they must cut out two of their most-popular games. That said, the gaming industry is wondering when theyll get to offer craps and roulette again.

As of now, nobody really knows when these games are fully coming back. Gaming regulatory bodies are largely left to make this decision.

They could hurry and rush roulette and craps back. This move would allow casinos to begin capitalizing on these games as soon as possible.

The downside for gamblers, though, is that the odds of getting COVID-19 increase if the gaming world re-introduces these games. Then, any regulatory body that approved craps and roulette would take serious negative press.

Casinos probably wont be allowed to offer these games until the coronavirus is a much smaller threat. Until then, theyll remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Chances are, you arent able to play roulette or craps in your local casino. Luckily, though, you do have the following options for enjoying these games.

Internet casinos have been COVID-resistant. They offer all of their games in cyberspace and dont require players to physically visit.

Of course, online roulette and craps dont quite compare to the real deals in terms of atmosphere. Land-based casinos offer a more-exciting environment.

Nevertheless, gaming sites at least present a valid way to play online craps and roulette. They offer high-quality games that can be played for stakes as low as $1.

Not everybody is a fan of playing online craps and roulette. Theyd rather enjoy something closer to the real experience rather than virtual versions.

Heres where live dealer casinos come into the fold. A live gaming site features a real dealer and table. The only difference is that youre viewing this authentic experience through your smartphone or computer.

If you dont want to risk catching COVID-19, yet still desire the land-based casino feeling, then live casinos are the answer. Almost every live gaming site offers roulette.

Unfortunately, no live dealer outfits feature craps at this time. Assuming youre mostly in the mood for roulette, though, then this aspect wont bother you.

Most brick-and-mortar casinos have reopened across the world. As discussed before, though, many are operating at limited capacity and with several restrictions in place.

If you dont want to be forced to wear a mask and sit six feet apart from everybody, you might consider visiting a destination with lighter restrictions.

The majority of countries are quite strict about wearing mask and keeping your distance. But youll find more-lax casinos in certain nations (e.g. Sweden).

Im not suggesting to increase your risk of getting the coronavirus. However, casinos that ignore safeguards make it feel like youre gambling in the pre-COVID days.

Casinos didnt suddenly fall out of love with craps and roulette. Instead, theyve been forced to shelve these games due to their social natures.

Both roulette and craps see players touch each other when placing bets and/or celebrating wins. Gamblers dont normally mind bumping into other players, but theyre not particularly fond of doing so now.

Rather than make a monumental effort to separate craps and roulette players, casinos have simply shut these games down. In some cases, theyve been required to do so by local gambling jurisdictions.

If youre somebody who loves roulette and/or craps, you can still enjoy these games online. You may need to get used to playing online until casino jurisdictions finally roll out the craps and roulette tables again.

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How COVID-19 Affected Craps and Roulette - Coronavirus and Casinos - BestUSCasinos.org

The Rules of Roulette: How To Play – Newswire

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Roulette is one of the most popular casino games, both in real life and online. Heres how to play the game.

(Newswire.net -- September 12, 2020) -- Roulette is a game that has been loved by casino players for centuries. It is believed to have been devised in France in the 18th century, and has been played in its current form since 1796.

Roulette is as popular now as it has always been, and is especially popular online. If you want to play roulette with a live dealer, all you have to do is log onto an online casino. Playing online roulette is extremely popular because you dont have to dress up formally, and can do it from the comfort of your own home.

If you are wondering what roulette and how you play it, read on:

What is a roulette wheel?

Roulette is played with a roulette wheel. This consists of a spinning disk that has 36 divisions that revolve at the base of this wheel. These divisions are numbered from 1 to 36, and are painted black and red. In number ranges from 1 to 10 and 19 to 28, odd numbers are red and even are black. In ranges from 11 to 18 and 29 to 36, odd numbers are black and even are red. The numbers are in a seemingly random order. After someone makes a bet, a ball is placed into the spinning wheel.

How is roulette played?

To play roulette, people place bets on where they think the ball will land when the wheel stops spinning. They bet by placing chips on a betting mat, and can place bets like:

Bets like these are called outside bets, as they have a higher chance of winning and therefore have lower payouts.

If you want to take more of a risk, you can place an inside bet. These are bets that have a lower chance of winning, and therefore have a higher payout, meaning you could win more money. Here are some examples of an inside bet:

Why you should play roulette online

Although this game is at the center of many real-life casinos, it has been just as popular to play this revered game online. Not only is it a much easier way of playing, but there may also be bigger payouts.

Playing roulette on an online casino can also be extra fun as there are often massive payouts as well as other bonuses that you are unlikely to get at a real casino. Moreover, if you are a newcomer to the world of roulette, you can start at a table that is better suited for you, instead of betting at a complex level.

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The Rules of Roulette: How To Play - Newswire

Trump Adviser Tells NYT Indoor Rallies Are Like Russian Roulette That Created a Wave of Internal Backlash – Mediaite

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An adviser to President Donald Trumpsaid he was playing a game of Russian roulette by holding a rally indoors in Nevada this weekend, according to theNew York Times.

Trump faced criticism due to his decision to break Nevada coronavirus laws, which only allow a maximum of 50 people at an indoor gathering, by holding a rally in the state. Nevada GovernorSteve Sisolak (D) went off on the president following the rally, bashing him for showing callous disregard in a reckless, selfish, irresponsible way.

The decision to hold a rally indoors was, according to Trump officials, the campaigns last resort, as they unsuccessfully attempted to lockdown five other outdoor locations.

Now Trump is facing backlash from members of his own administration. The adviser who spoke to the New York Times noted that the president faced internal criticism following his decision to hold the rally. He added that the Trump campaign was taking a cavalier approach to the pandemic, noting that it could backfire politically.

But the decision to forge ahead created a wave of internal backlash, including from a top Trump adviser who said the president was playing a game of Russian roulette in holding the indoor rally, wrote theTimes.Some of the presidents most vocal defenders outside of the administration agreed.

EvenAri Fleischer,a Trump supporter and former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush,took to Twitter to share his disapproval:

Have a tip we should know? [emailprotected]

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Trump Adviser Tells NYT Indoor Rallies Are Like Russian Roulette That Created a Wave of Internal Backlash - Mediaite

Evolution Gaming: Revolutionizing The Gambling Industry – Seeking Alpha

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Evolution Gaming (OTCPK:EVVTY), the live casino gaming provider, is revolutionizing the way people gamble. The company has seen phenomenal share price growth since it first listed back in 2015, with shares standing up 3,400% over the period. The company has transitioned into a 'must-have' service for many online casinos, offering the most entertaining gambling experience. The company now trades off a pricey valuation after the run-up, but I don't see growth slowing down any time soon as more casinos look to Evolution for their live casino needs.

First, I will explain what Evolution Gaming actually does and why I believe their future is so promising. Evolution Gaming develops, produces, markets, and licenses B2B live casino solutions to gambling operators. It is also the leading B2B provider of live casino systems, which has played a huge part in networking and building their brand presence. Evolution operates many studios across Europe and North America where they then distribute their live casino content to online gambling operators across the globe. These games can span from Live Roulette and Blackjack to their most innovative games such as 'Dreamcatcher' and more recent release 'Crazy Time'.

Source: livecasino24.com - 'Dreamcatcher' wheel

Since the release of 'Dreamcatcher' back in 2017 time, the company has seen the large opportunity in supplying new innovative games to the gambling market. Previously, gambling has mostly been associated with games such as that of Roulette, Baccarat, and Blackjack - games you mostly find in normal casinos but are now also available online. Evolution Gaming was at the forefront of this 'online gambling revolution' and supplied much of this live casino content. However, they have now also branched off to increase this entertainment factor with the launch of 'Dreamcatcher', using more engaging hosts and bringing more energy into the gambling industry. Since the initial success of 'Dreamcatcher', the company has launched two other wheels; 'Monopoly Wheel' and 'Crazy Time'. These more interactive games have now become the forefront of their offerings with other games such as live 'Deal or No Deal' and a reformed 'lightning' roulette also being introduced. This product development cycle is at the crux of Evolution providing shareholder value. In 2019 alone, Evolution launched 10 new games.

Evolution takes a commission from the gambling operator for the revenues they make from the end-user playing at their Live Casino games. They also charge a fixed fee to have access to the games they offer.

Evolution has also started to offer private tables allowing certain gaming operators to reserve tables just for that site and tailor it to their needs. This includes offering native speakers and giving VIP services.

The company wants to change the way people gamble and attract different players to their games, the CEO highlighted this in their Annual Report:

Our ambition is not only to create new experiences for returning casino players, but also games that attract completely new player types and that expand the live vertical in new segments.

Due to this innovation, Evolution's offerings have become a 'must-have' for many casino partners. Many people who now use providers to gamble largely expect the casino to offer Evolution's games, and if they don't, they could quickly lose customers. This expectation is what I believe will further fuel growth as Evolution brings the entertainment factor to the industry.

Evolution Gaming has seen phenomenal growth, continually exceeding market expectations. The growth has been so strong that the company has had to open new studios in order to have the capacity to meet demand. Reinvestment into their studios to create the best studio experience also plays into attracting more people to their live casino offerings. It is this that separates Evolution from its competitors. Others struggle to offer the breadth in terms of gaming availability that Evolution offers. Evolution's customers are the leading online casinos across the world, including the likes of Betfair and William Hill (a subsidiary of GVC Holdings (OTCPK:GMVHF)). The European casino market has seen huge growth, but Evolution has exceeded it. In 2019, the live casino market in Europe grew 39%, while Evolution grew 49%. Evolution Gaming is not simply 'riding the wave' but also gaining market share and increasing awareness for all its products in the industry.

Digging into the financials for the full-year 19, Evolution saw a huge surge in revenues, which jumped to $435 million, while EBITDA jumped 70% to $216 million. The overall profit for the year was 136 million, up 79% from the prior year. Much of the growth achieved on the year was fuelled by a mix of new partnerships with more casinos as the company expanded its reach and an increase in demand from end-users.

Source: Annual Report - 2019

It is Evolution Gaming's product development line which remains so vital to its success. The company must continue to develop new games into the market that exceed their previous offerings and continue to revolutionize the gambling market. They achieved this in 2020 with the launch of 'Crazy Time' which has gained great traction as it brings entertainment to customers through the multiple 'special games' it contains. The new product churn hasn't slowed down with the recent release of 'Instant' Roulette, where there is no wait time between each roulette spin.

Source: blueoceangaming.com - Evolution Gaming

Evolution Gaming's focus going forward should and is towards the huge US market that hasn't been heavily tapped into for online gambling. Evolution Gaming has already started to position itself well for this market securing numerous agreements with different operators to provide their services for the US market. An example of this was their prominent recent agreement with BetMGM - the JV between MGM Resorts and GVC Holdings which will see them power Live Casino services. The US live casino market valuation currently just stands at $214 million compared to $2.56 billion in Europe. The US market is growing at a slightly faster rate of 42%, but I believe this rate of growth will accelerate further in the coming years as online gambling is introduced to more states. The US has the biggest consumer market in the world with some of the wealthiest people in the world by average GDP per capita ($65,000). Tapping into this market has the potential to provide huge growth, particularly if Evolution Gaming is the first Live Casino that gains traction in the US. The size of the likes of MGM Resorts (MGM) and Caesars (CZR) is proof of this market opportunity. If these gamblers who go to these casinos can be transitioned online, Evolution Gaming can use their skill in the industry and the technology they have to optimize these users and build growth within the market.

Expanding their geographical footprint will be important as they look to offer their services into new markets. Earlier this year, Evolution secured licenses to allow it to operate in the South African market. Reaching and accessing these markets will involve securing new agreements with local online operators who understand that market better then Evolution does.

The continued improvement in developing their technology and software is also paramount in order to build their moat. Gambling is a very competitive industry, but Evolution combats this through developing its platform to handle software, hardware, video, employees and user data. This software is used across all its offerings and prevents the company from having to replicate software locally when they open new studios. Although the gambling industry is generally competitive, I would argue that Evolution has somewhat established its niche within the industry. Whilst they have competitors like 'Playtech', their offerings have nowhere near the traction of Evolution. Unlike online casino operators, Evolution has built numerous different games and has the technology to back it up, whilst online casino operators merely act as the 'middle man' hosting slot games and connecting customers to Evolution games.

On the basis of last year's numbers with a profit of 136 million in 2019, Evolution Gaming trades off a historic P/E of around 66 - one which prices in a huge amount of forward growth. Particularly after the large run-up in share price, the valuation does make me wary. However, the growth rates at the company have been incredible, and I don't see it stopping any time soon. Evolution is at the forefront of the online gambling industry - the fastest growing area in one of the world's largest markets. The online gambling sector has many untapped markets that can be exploited. The most prominent of these is the US market which is where the majority of online providers are focused for future growth. I expect Evolution to continue its expansion in its well-established markets, but I also believe, over the coming months, there will be many new partnerships with firms looking to exploit new emerging markets in the gambling industry.

Industry risks must also be considered when studying the viability of a gambling company. The gambling industry is a heavily regulated industry, where issues regarding problem gamblers have made governments wary of online providers and the easy gambling access they provide. That is primarily why the US market is so small due to it being so heavily regulated and banned in the majority of US states. To reduce the risks of being either fined or prosecuted, Evolution holds themselves to the highest regulatory standards. Not only this but the company actually employs the best technology and personnel to ensure all their games are fair and normal rules are enforced.

Over the last few years, Evolution Gaming has revolutionized the online casino space and brought the entertainment factor back into the gambling industry. With this, the company has seen huge growth as they have done well to monetize this traction and secure lucrative deals with casinos looking for their solutions. Evolution has built up a strong presence among their games, so that they are now found in the majority of large online casinos online. Its success is heavily linked to its strong innovation and product line which I believe is only going to improve going forward.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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Evolution Gaming: Revolutionizing The Gambling Industry - Seeking Alpha

It’s not the flu – The Week Magazine

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This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.

It's been six months since Zach got COVID, and he hasn't yet recovered. Zach a previously fit, healthy 33-year-old attorney who's the son of two good friends was never admitted to a hospital, because of an acute shortage of ICU beds. But over two months of coronavirus hell, he developed pneumonia, struggled for breath, coughed constantly, shivered under three blankets, and barely slept or ate. His chest felt like it was on fire. "There wasn't an inch of my body (truly) that wasn't in excruciating pain," he recounted in a Facebook post last week. Despite sophisticated medical care and an endless battery of tests, his chest still aches, he's breathless after a short walk, and he's too weak to work. Zach is one of a largely invisible legion of "long-haulers" COVID survivors who continue to suffer a host of mystifying maladies. Studies suggest that about three-quarters of those who get very sick remain ill for months. No one knows if and when long-haulers will return to their pre-COVID selves. "For now, this is my normal," Zach said.

Whenever I see people blithely congregating without masks or social distancing, I think of Zach and a young member of The Week's staff who is also a long-hauler. Many younger Americans falsely assume that because most of the people COVID kills are over 70, they are safe. In reality, the coronavirus makes some younger people very sick for reasons no one fully understands; COVID roulette is a high-risk game. Long-haulers like Zach would tell you that this nasty virus is not "a little flu," and that you don't want it inside your body, attacking cells in your blood vessels, lungs, heart, and even brain. President Trump would have told you that, too, if you were speaking to him privately. The virus is "easily transmissible" and "a killer," Trump told Bob Woodard back in April. "This rips you apart." That's no lie.

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It's not the flu - The Week Magazine

The Lion, The King And The Best Online Casino in West Virginia – Play WV

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Almost two years after jumping into the online sports betting market, West Virginia online casino games finally appeared to enhance a Las Vegas-like experience from at home in Appalachia.

DraftKings and BetMGM have both introduced casino games within their sportsbook apps that can be played in West Virginia.

We took a look at both apps to get a better idea of which is better and who will end up the leader of the pack. Fortunately, there is room for both if you want them. The DraftKings casino games have a heavy emphasis on blackjack, while MGMs games are more heavily tilted toward the slots.

DraftKings offers a total of 18 games 13 varieties of blackjack, four roulette games, and one slot game.

Though that appears to be a formidable list of options, most of the differences between the games are cosmetic. For instance, the different sporting options are simply choices in how your blackjack table is designed you can play on a baseball diamond or hockey rink, but its still regular blackjack.

There are a couple of exceptions.

Single-hand blackjack has you and the dealer playing from only one deck of cards.

Multi-hand blackjack goes in the opposite direction. You can bet on as many as seven hands against the dealer, who has only one. If you live under the mantra go big or go home, this is the game for you. There is an opportunity to win big or lose big with each hand I played long enough to do both.

The one game with a twist is Touchdown Blackjack, in which each winning hand drives you down the field until you get a bonus for scoring a touchdown.

Touchdown Roulette abides by the same principles as Touchdown Blackjack.

The lone slot offering in the DraftKings lineup is 2 Tribes. So, if youre a slot person, youll want MGM.

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Black and Yellow Roulette is a variety of European Roulette, which has 37 numbers rather than the 38 of the American version.

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Both platforms offer a variety of ways to pay.

With DraftKings, you can use:

On BetMGM you can deposit with all of the same options. The biggest difference is that BetMGM offers different bonuses depending on which service you choose, including ones specific to Discover, Visa and Mastercard if youre using a credit card.

MGM is a traditional casino operation, while DraftKings got its start in the world of daily fantasy sports. Given those differences, you might think the BetMGM app would have a slight edge.

Wrong. And its not even close.

BetMGMs app is buggier than a Louisiana swamp in mid-August.

Over a span of four days, the app froze every single time I attempted to play one of the casino games. I tested every other app on the phone to be certain it was not a phone or iOS issue. None of them had any issues. But every time I tapped to play a casino game on BetMGM, a wheel spun and nothing happened.

Even if this problem was not prevalent, DraftKings simply has a more user-friendly feel. Every time you open BetMGM, you have to log in. DraftKings, on the other hand, has Face ID enabled. This is a minor convenience, to be certain, but it adds to the sense that MGMs app is just slapped together without much care.

If you are the type of person who likes the strategy of blackjack over the pure chance of slots, DraftKings was already a better offering. With the glitches of BetMGM thrown into the mix, its a no-brainer as to which service offers a better playing experience.

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The Lion, The King And The Best Online Casino in West Virginia - Play WV

Where to Gamble in Dublin – FFT.ie

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If you are hoping to experience the thrills and the adrenaline of the gambling world, then visiting the capital of Ireland is a great decision.

A large portion of the Irish population choose gambling as their hobby so it makes sense that there are elegant and impressive venues hosting the best gambling you can get in all of the country, that offer a break from the popular online casino sites.

Whether it is casinos that you wish to visit for the roulette board and card games, or rather horse racing tracks for some sport events to put a flutter on, or even bingo halls that you can enjoy your night in, Dublin has it all and you will not leave disappointed.

Technically, casinos are illegal in Ireland. It makes Ireland seem like an odd choice for venues to gamble in if casinos are the most frequent choice for venue and they are illegal.

There is a loophole however in which casinos can still operate. Instead of being casinos, they declare themselves to be casinos and card clubs or something to that effect, which means that they are private clubs with members, and as such gambling is not illegal in such establishments.

The loophole is the fact that they open their membership to everyone above the age of eighteen, and membership happens to be totally free. This means that people just need to sign up for free with their ID and they are free to gamble.

Whilst this may make the law seem pointless, it does allow for more responsible gambling. Needing to sign up means that the decision has to be taken a little bit more seriously, and there is a record of them as well, so it is a win win situation.

Now, onto the list which is in no particular order and features some of the most popular venues to gamble in all of the Irish capital.

This first casino claims to offer Dublins premier casino experience and it is clear to see why. The Sports Emporium Casino, right in the heart of Dublin just off Grafton Street is beautifully decorated and it is no understatement to describe it as luxurious.

They offer a decent variety of live games. These include roulette and blackjack as the most common game, but you can also play Brag, Punto Banco, Sic Bo and even poker, which is not always offered in casinos.

If you play, you can enjoy complimentary beverages which is the kind of touch that shows that the casino is valuing the customers enjoyment of the evening as more important to the casino than the money that they would gain from selling the drinks.

It is open every night from six in the evening to six in the morning, which gives you a lot of leeway when you choose to visit. It is also as welcoming to professionals as total novices and beginners and is an overall extremely pleasant experience.

Declaring itself to be Dublins favourite casino and pointing to its reputation as Dublins friendliest club, Fitzwilliam Casino and Card Club is a very decent choice for a venue to gamble at when you are in Dublin.

Another casino, Fitzwilliam Casino and Card Club concentrates a lot more on poker than other casinos whilst still offering blackjack and roulette.

It is located on Lower Fitzwilliam Street and within walking distance of most hotels and major attractions. Like the Sporting Emporium, it is open for twelve hours a day, from 6PM to 6AM.

It offers Poker cash games from 6:30 in the evening and Texas Hold Em tournaments on a daily basis, so it can definitely add Home of Dublins Poker to its long list of credentials.

If any of your group is looking to play poker, then this venue will be within the best choices in all of Dublin.

Playland Casino is Irelands first electronic casino. It is located on Talbot Street near the City Centre and open from 10:00 to 1:00 every night except for Thursdays and Fridays, when it is open for an extra hour.

Playland Casino offers its customers the best electronic experience they could hope to receive in Dublin. It has the latest state of the art machines for video poker, slots and in touch bet roulette.

They continue to regularly receive more games and slots, so there should always be something new to do at the Playland Casino. Drinks and snacks are complimentary, which is always a nice touch, but it is the variety of options at your disposal that sets this casino apart from others.

The customer support is excellent, and even on the floor with the most slots in all of Ireland, you will not be waiting for a member of the help team for long, and usually they should be able to resolve any issues you might have been experiencing.

Overall, Playland Casino is a luxurious casino where you can expect the best electronic games to gamble on in all of Ireland. Make sure you remember to take breaks as it can be difficult to keep track of time, and always remember to gamble carefully.

The first non-casino on the list, Leapordstown is perfect for those who fancy watching and wagering on horse racing. There are various races and events at this venue, and it is always a lovely day out for those attending.

Most of the time, the dress code will be smart, as people like to dress up to go and see horse racing. Bear this in mind and make an effort to have an appropriate outfit and lean into the fun of the races.

If you are visiting Ireland with someone who does not really like gambling, this could be your best chance and even the horse names provide a decent amount of entertainment.

It is located just outside of Dublin and it offers world class racing. A lot of the best jockeys in the world are Irish, and many horses are bred in Ireland as well so the quality of racing on offer can not be questioned.

The first thing you need to know about this venue is that it probably was not founded by a man called Jack Pott. Fortunately, it is a bingo and is usually open from 12:30 to 23:00 most days.

It is on the Star Crumlin Kildare Road, which is within walking distance of most hotels. There are two other sister locations so there will likely be one near to wherever your accommodation is.

It is perfect for those who wish to have a less competitive night of gambling than poker, blackjack or horse racing but still want to have a fun night at a lovely venue. The venues are very open to novices and those who have never played before and the atmosphere is very friendly.

Each venue has its own state of the art amusement room, and apparently there are some world exclusive games at these venues, although this is not confirmed to be true.

4 Kings Casino & Card Club is a recommended venue for your gambling in Dublin. It is based in Swords and set in very comfortable surroundings. It is not perfect for total beginners, but those are used to this sort of venue will feel very at home.

There are plenty of tournaments for players to enter, and whilst it may not have the mystique of some other casinos on this list, it is a very decent choice of place for your gambling desires.

Located only five minutes from Dublin city centre, the D1 Club is a premier Members Club Casino that claims to offer some of the most exciting games and best food in Dublin, while also throwing a healthy number of freebies along the way.

There is an international level of service brought by the help team, and the poker club is equally as developed as the blackjack tables, roulette wheels and video slots. It is a thrilling vibe that you can instantly experience when you walk in, but you can still feel relaxed in the pleasant surroundings.

Macau Casino is situated in the centre of Dublin. It offers card games, roulette and electronic games over three floors. The staff are friendly and will help you out with any of the problems you may encounter at heir facilities. The decoration is pleasant and luxurious, and it is among the best casinos in Dublin.

Further gambling venues that you could want to visit in Dublin and that each have their own charm are Carlton Casino Club, Empire Casino and Funland Casino.

Wherever you may go, you will find that you will be warmly welcomed, as venues in Dublin have all put an emphasis on providing an enjoyable customer service.

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Where to Gamble in Dublin - FFT.ie

Which Sweden Do You Want to Believe In? – McGill Newsroom

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The measures taken by Sweden to curb the COVID-19 pandemic have polarized the media. Sweden, it seems, is like the elephant being examined by the blind men. There is so much to appraise that we can all come away with different conclusions on how it has handled the pandemic. And we can choose to which orange we want to compare Swedens apple: the rest of Scandinavia, Europe more broadly, or even the province of Quebec. Sweden is an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord that satiates everyones taste for how the pandemic should be managed, and the coverage of its approach is often woven with misinformation and decontextualization.

Before I dove into the so-called Swedish experiment, I had heard dire warnings. Sweden had no lockdown. The country, I read, was attempting to reach herd immunity the natural way, by getting everyone infected so that whoever survives is now immune to the disease. And now, months after this grand, reckless experiment on the Swedish population, deaths had gone through the roof, proving that the Scandinavian country best known for ABBA and IKEA had failed to assemble a rational response to the virus. Meanwhile, some conservative news outlets were celebrating the success of Sweden, which had preserved personal autonomy while also, allegedly, saving the economy. So whos Sweden is the correct Sweden?

The claim that Sweden was playing Russian roulette by betting on herd immunity--by essentially letting the virus run its course--was wrong. Sweden has denied time and time again that achieving herd immunity was the primary strategy. Rather, the country had chosen to enact a sort of voluntary lockdown, and while herd immunity was mentioned as a concept and perhaps even hoped for as a side effect of their approach, it was never the stated goal. The very first month of Swedens response to the pandemic saw recommendations familiar to us in Quebec: staying home if sick, frequent hand washing, physical distancing, and avoiding travel unless necessary. Sure, cinemas were briefly open, but attendance was so low their main chain had to close on March 17. Some flights were still operating but mostly to transport essential workers and supplies to remote areas of the country.

The second half of the month of March saw a progression of additional measures, such as a banning of public events with more than 50 people and advice to work from home if possible. Its just that these measures were voluntary for many reasons. Their public health agency, which called the shots and is meant to be separate from the elected government, did not think it was realistic to keep the population under a prolonged lockdown. They were aiming for a tolerable, long-term adaptation. They also believed that a mandatory lockdown that included closing elementary schools would create a problem with essential workers having to take care of their children at home. Besides, Swedish law does not allow for the quarantining of a whole city or region (although it can be enacted for people or small areas).

Sweden was also accused of ignoring the recommendations of the World Health Organization, but as Dr. Rachel Irwin of Swedens own Lund University pointed out in an academic paper on the misinformation surrounding Swedens pandemic strategy, their recommendations are not laws. They are a grab bag of binding and non-binding policies and guidance documents that must be adapted to a countrys capacity, context, and situation. Sweden did tailor these recommendations to their reality, and whether or not their interpretation was effective is a better question to ask.

So has Swedens approach failed at adequately protecting its population? Media outlets were quick to point to the countrys high death rate from COVID--more than 5,500 people in a country of 10 million, the BBC was reporting in July--but the number of daily new deaths has been going down since late April. Sure, the countrys long summer staycation probably helped but the trend is holding true to this day. There are also many ways of looking at deaths. Stockholm county was reported as having 91 deaths per 100,000 people, but further south the county that includes the city of Malm clocks in at 15 per 100,000.

As for Swedens economy, it is predicted to contract by 4.5% this year. Spendings fell 25% (comparable to neighbouring Denmark) and unemployment increased from 7.1% in March to 9% in May. The countrys economy is thus hardly unscathed, though it is important to point out that this economic impact is also tied to trade, which is influenced by how other countries juggle the crisis. An encouraging trade-off might be the attainment of herd immunity in Sweden, when it is estimated about 70% of its population would have protective antibodies against the virus, but blood surveys of residents of Malm in April estimate that only 4% of the citys population have those antibodies. The number for Stockholm is 17%.

Some fawning media coverage has been describing life in Sweden as perfectly normal, with Swedes going about their business as if the virus was a figment of the imagination. If COVID were over in Sweden, Dr. Irwin told me via email, I wouldnt have cycled 200 kilometres last week to avoid taking the bus. Sweden, she tells me, has adapted to a new normal. Using hand sanitizer, meeting friends outdoors to reduce the risk: these new realities are hoped to be sustainable for most people.

Even though I may be painting a rosier portrait of Swedens approach than the condemning narrative expressed by some media outlets, a fair amount of criticism is warranted. Workers in long-term care homes complained of a lack of personal protective equipment. Over half of the deaths in Sweden due to COVID-19 happened in care homes for the elderly, which their public health authority conceded was due to a failure on their part. By not highlighting that asymptomatic individuals could be contagious, Swedens public health agency may also have been responsible for a false sense of reassurance (their website still claims asymptomatic transmission is a minor part in overall transmission). Their stance on face masks is also lukewarm: unclear scientific evidence, they say, so they do not recommend them. Finally, contact tracing, an important strategy in containing new outbreaks, is reported as having been abandoned since early March, which strikes me as irresponsible.

Sweden has a history of being portrayed as either a liberal paradise or an out-of-control hellscape depending on who holds the metaphorical brush. The countrys approach to dealing with the pandemic is being adjudicated prematurely. Its like were looking at a tennis ball in mid-air and trying to figure out who will win the match an hour later. A middle-of-the-road approach may be better in the long run than the more severe, somewhat unpredictable clampdowns that punctuate other countries... or it may not. Time will tell if Swedens approach was wise so that we can better prepare for the next pandemic that will inevitably strike our modern world.

Take-home message:-Even though Sweden could not legally enact a lockdown against the coronavirus, it asked its citizens to voluntarily adopt common guidelines in keeping with the World Health Organizations general recommendations- The goal of Swedens approach was never said to be to achieve herd immunity, and in fact the country is far from having reached this immunity through exposure to the virus according to blood surveys- The countrys public health agency admitted a failure in adequately protecting care homes for the elderly and its stance on masks, contact tracing and asymptomatic transmission can be criticized

@CrackedScience

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Which Sweden Do You Want to Believe In? - McGill Newsroom

Most schools have pupils isolating due to testing issues as under half of staff given Covid training – The London Economic

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A survey has shown that under half of school support staff have been given any Covid-19 Health and safety training. This worrying news comes as the majority of schools have pupils isolating due to problems accessing testing after showing possible Covid symptoms.

In theGMB poll of more than 2,600teaching assistants, caretakers, admin and catering stafffrom acrossEngland,51% answered no to the questionhave you had training on Covid-19 health and safety measures and working practices including infection control and correct use of PPE?

The survey also shows more than 66% are anxious about the return to school, with more than60% of those who responded. Saying theyhadphysical symptoms of the stress, like stomach cramps and not being able to sleep.

One respondent said: The measures put in place do nothing to ease my fears, having a vulnerable person in my family.I dont feel comfortable eating at school, as we eat in the classroom and I dont feel safe, so I am going all day without food. I am only sleeping 3-4 hours a night with stress, so I dont know how long I can keep going. I feel theGovernment is treating school staff as collateral damageThere is no chance of distancing.IntwodaysI have had an attempt to bite me and been spat at.

Another added: Its as thoughcovidnever happened and they are playing Russian roulette.

Stuart Fegan National Officersaid: The experiences of our members showschoolsarebeingused as a political football andhave beenreopened before they are truly safe.

Basic health and safety training aroundCOVID-19 should be a minimum for all school staff, itsa shockingthat less thanonlyhalf have been provided with it.

Its no wonder our members are anxious about the return to school.School staff love theirjobs, provideexcellentcare for childrenand are doing everything that has been asked of them.

But Government guidance is muddled, they dont have enough PPE or training and the testing and tracking system is acompletemesswhichis leaving our membersexposed.

More than four in five schools in England currently have children not in class because they cannot access a Covid-19 test, a survey suggests.

The majority (94%) of schools have pupils who have had to stay at home due to suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 this term and more than three in four (78%) have had staff who had to self-isolate, according to a poll by the school leaders union NAHT.

Nearly nine in 10 (87%) have children not attending school because they are waiting for test results, while 82% of schools have pupils at home because they cannot access a test to rule out Covid-19.

The findings come after organisations representing heads and governors, including the NAHT, have implored Boris Johnson to take charge of tackling the testing delays to ensure schools remain open.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders union NAHT, has warned that childrens education is being needlessly disrupted by a testing system which is in chaos.

Mr Whiteman said: Tests for Covid-19 need to be readily available for everyone so that pupils and staff who get negative results can get back into school quickly.

But we are hearing the same thing repeatedly from our members across the country chaos is being caused by the inability of staff and families to successfully get tested when they display symptoms.

This means schools are struggling with staffing, having to send groups of students home to isolate or close classes, and ultimately that childrens education is being needlessly disrupted.

Mr Whiteman added: It is in no way unpredictable or surprising that the demand for Covid-19 tests would spike when schools reopened more widely this term.

And yet the system is in chaos.

The Government has failed schools and children.

It is unacceptable for this to happen when schools have put so much effort into getting their part of the plan right, and when pupils have had to endure so much uncertainty and disruption already.

Related Rees-Mogg tells people to stop endless carping about Covid-19 tests Twitter reacts

While you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

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If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

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Most schools have pupils isolating due to testing issues as under half of staff given Covid training - The London Economic

7 Casino Game Variants You May Never Have Considered Or Heard Of – COED

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The online casino industry continues to experience exponential growth. According to Statista, the size of the global iGaming marketplace is expected to be worth upwards of $94 billion by 2024. While casino gaming celebrates and embraces traditional card games, its becoming increasingly important for the sector to usher in new game variants that offer mainstream appeal to the next generation of gamers.

Conventional blackjack and roulette games will always have a place in the online casino world. The nostalgia factor is rooted in all aspects of the gaming industry. Nevertheless, the seven following game variants are rapidly growing in popularity and could be an ideal alternative for those looking to switch-up their casino gameplay.

Ultimate Texas Holdem

Inspired by the classic card game of poker, Ultimate Texas Holdem is a fascinating card game which is played between you and the dealer. Each player is required to place Ante and Blind bets before the game begins. The dealer then deals two cards to both the player and themselves. The dealer then deals five community cards, just as youd find in a game of Texas Holdem poker.

The aim of the game is for players to make a higher-ranking five-card poker hand than the dealer. Once you have received your cards, its possible to place an additional Play bet on top of your Ante and Blind if you believe your cards can help make a winning hand. The dealer must be able to make at least a pair using the community cards to have a qualifying hand.

Zappit Blackjack

There is no doubt that blackjack continues to attract players to online casinos in their droves. Thats why the leading online casino operators invest heavily in developing new and exciting blackjack variants. 888casino is one such platform that is continually expanding its portfolio of available blackjack games. Zappit Blackjack is one of its newest additions, while its live-streamed blackjack tables are also adding another layer of immersion for gamers, cementing it as the best online casino in Canada and North America. Having first opened its door to online casino players in 1997, its clear they have their fingers firmly on the pulse of the best blackjack variants.

The essence of Zappit Blackjack is that players are given the option of zapping i.e. eliminating cards from their hand. Once eliminated, these cards are then replaced with new random cards from the deck. Its a great opportunity for players to get rid of hands valued between 15-17 that are marginal decisions on hitting and standing.

Lightning Roulette

If you feel the need to supercharge your roulette action, look no further than the Lightning Roulette tables. These single zero roulette tables take immersive roulette to a whole new level, underpinned by high-definition (HD) live streaming of the action by professionally trained dealers. With every round of betting, up to five random numbers on the roulette table are giving a lightning boost, applying extra multipliers to these numbers worth between 50x and 500x your initial stake.

This is a sizeable jump in payouts when you consider that the maximum you can win in an original game of European Roulette is 35/1 on a single number. Ultimately, the key is to spread your bets around the table in the hope that one of your selections is selected as a lightning number for the next game.

Dream Catcher

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Caption: The essence of the live dealer Dream Catcher is similar to Spin-N-Win

Have you ever watched Wheel of Fortune? You know, the classic television gameshow where the fate of contestants is decided solely by the spin of a wheel? Dream Catcher is a live casino game variant that has recently captured the imagination of online casino players across the globe.

Its a game with extremely simple rules, which opens it up to a wider demographic of online casino players. A live gameshow dealer invites players to place bets on the wheel landing on different segments of the Dream Catcher money wheel. Each segment is worth a multiplier payout, with payouts ranging from 1x through to 40x. Naturally, there are fewer 40x segments than 1x segments, but there are other segments such as 2x, 5x, 10x and 20x that you can land on and win too. Theres even 2x and 7x bonus spin multiplier segments that can turbocharge the size of your winnings further.

Rush Bingo

If you enjoy a spot of bingo, but you are strapped for time, Rush Bingo could be the perfect solution for you. With fast-paced action aplenty, Rush Bingo allows you to play many more games of bingo in a shorter space of time. 90-ball games begin every two-and-a-half minutes, so the balls come out of the machine thick and fast.

Rush Bingo is played in the same way as conventional 90-ball bingo games, only faster. Youll be able to play for lines, two lines and then straight-up full houses. The unique feature of Rush Bingo is the ability to bet on the number that will be used to call house. You can bet on specific numbers, whether it will be odd or even or if it will be higher or lower than 46.

Blackjack Switch

There is another popular blackjack table game variant thats been in existence since 2009. Created by gaming entrepreneur Geoff Hall, Blackjack Switch has become a staple variant in the leading online casinos as well as land-based casino floors. A typical game of Blackjack Switch begins in the same way as a classic game of Blackjack, except that players are dealt two hands instead of one.

Its possible to change the second card dealt to either hand, if you want to improve a marginal original hand given to you by the dealer. These games are usually played across six or eight decks and the other trade-off is that the dealer is permitted to play up to 22, resulting in a push against hands worth 21 or less, although blackjack hands will still defeat a dealers 22.

Sic Bo

Although Sic Bo is a dice game that dates back to ancient China, its still a relatively new table game variant in the western world. If you enjoy playing classic dice games like Craps, you should certainly give Sic Bo a try. Played using three dice, players place their bets on the possible outcome of all three dice, with the chance to bet on doubles, triples, and the value of single respective dice.

The house edge of a Sic Bo game can vary wildly, depending on what you bet on. It can be as low as 3% but as high as 33% if you go for particularly volatile outside bets. Hopefully, this has opened your eyes to the raft of new, creative casino games you can sample online to keep your betting fun and exciting

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7 Casino Game Variants You May Never Have Considered Or Heard Of - COED

Pandemics and transhumanism – The Times of India Blog

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The pandemic has forced authorities around the world to scramble for solutions within the realm of possibility. One of the more futuristic, radical solutions which is still relegated to the sidelines is transhumanism. It is a branch of philosophy that believes in transcending the limitations of the human population through technological augmentation. From hearing aids, pacemakers, bionic arms, the manifestations of transhumanism are very much present in our lives. However, the radical applications of being able to tweak biology to suit ones interests and needs at a commercial cost is yet to see the light of day. The basic tenet of transhumanism is extension of human life. Yet, eternal life comes across as a utopian thought where inadequate manufacturing of PPE kits for doctors and nurses have us jolted back to the harsh realities of current pandemic dwelling.

Since the globalized nature of modern capitalistic order and the consequent interconnectedness of our lives has made the possibility of frequent pandemics ever so plausible, we find ourselves at the juncture of a major shift towards increasing receptivity to transhumanist solutions. The famous American inventor and futurist Kurzweil wrote in his book The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology about a journey towards a meshing point of humans and machine intelligence The Singularity. He envisioned nanobots which allowed people to eat whatever they want while remaining healthy and fit, provide copious energy, ward off infections or cancer, replace organs and augment their brains. There will come a future where human bodies will carry so much augmentation that they would be able to alter their physical manifestation at will.

Even if the coronavirus fades off without wiping humans off the planet, it has given an eerie trailer of what future outbreaks might hold in store. Hence due security measures have to be pondered upon -whether in the labs, where deadly pathogens are being researched upon or in the malicious possibilities of a biowarfare. Frontline workers can be provided tech enhancements to ensure better armament against infectious, mutating viral diseases. Protective exoskeletons, real-time blood monitors for pathogens, can bid riddance to any temporary means of protection which are vulnerable against quality and efficacy issues.

In 2011, surgeons in Sweden had successfully transplanted a fully synthetic, tissue-engineered trachea into a man with late-stage tracheal cancer. The trachea was created entirely in a lab with tissue grown from the patients own stem cells inside a bioreactor designed to protect the organ and promote cell growth. Under transhumanism, artificial organs would be superior to ordinary donor organs in several ways. They can be made to order more quickly than a donor organ can often be found; would be grown from a patients own cells and hence wont require dangerous immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection.

As of 2018, prototypes of artificial lungs are also surfacing at the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where the team spent the last 15 years developing the prototype. Upon completion, the bioengineered lungs were transplanted into four pigs. There was no indication of transplant rejection when the animals were examined at regular intervals for months after transplant. The researchers also observed that the bioengineered lungs became vascularized, establishing the necessary blood vessel networks to do its job. For diseases like covid-19, which affect a particular body organ, having an option of a bioengineered organ could very well be a safeguard.

But transhumanists are not just trying to extend human lives, they also want to revive them. They aim to merge bioengineering, AI capabilities, 3-D printing to resurrect the dead victims of any catastrophe much like the pandemic on our hands right now. Ways of dealing with grief at the loss of a loved one can possibly be placated with measures like interactive custom-holograms, social media feed powered by AI that could generate new messages based on the pattern of the old ones.

There are strong ethical considerations that also pop up in the discussion of transhumanism. Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, a German philosopher and bioethicist believes that processes like cryonics will go against most ecological principles given the amount of resources needed to keep a body in suspended animation post-death. Even though, transhumanism does not explicitly encourage breeding for the superiority of one specific group, the methods endorsed by some prominent transhumanists aim for physiological superiority. Considering that for the time being, solutions emanating will be heavy on the monetary end in the healthcare set-up, it could breed inequality in access. A huge gap in resources will be experienced in the society, as the affluent section amasses money and influence to set out an eternal timeline for themselves, coming at a lethal cost for the other half of the society.

Solving problems that will plague us in the future is a rising urge shared by leaders, philanthropists and billionaires around the world. This is why proponents like Zoltan Istvan fear the fact that the exponential rise of transhumanist technologies might leave governments fumbling to discuss and bring about policy directions to regulate and guard changes. Important questions like how far is too far? will need phased guidance as we have learnt from the chaotic response to systemic changes being implemented in the medical field during Covid-19. A conversation on transhumanism should not be put off any further and needs to permeate across different strata of stakeholders.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Pandemics and transhumanism - The Times of India Blog

CD Projekt Red have nabbed Cyberpunk, but here are 5 other punks that deserve games – PC Gamer

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Naming your game after a well-established genre is a gutsy move, but CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 is shaping up to be one of the biggest cyberpunk stories in gaming history.

Taking into account everything we know about Cyberpunk 2077, the open-world RPG looks like it's crawling with seedy criminals, shady corporations, cybernetic limbs, and neon streets, as well as tackling all those spectacularly dense themes of transhumanism, AI, and the dismantling of corporate and governmental hierarchiesyou know, the usual.

With CD Projekt Red taking on one of the biggest sci-fi genres, what other 'punk' derivatives are left for the taking? A lot, apparently. Over the past few days, I've fallen down a rabbit hole of cyberpunk derivatives. But before we dive into real-world body hacking, frills from 18th century France, and Buck Rogers, here are some punk genres that games have explored.

Steampunk is one of the big cyberpunk sub-genres and games like BioShock Infinite, Dishonored, and Sunless Sea have taken major inspiration from it's Victorian-era industrial steam-powered world. Wolfenstein and games like Iron Harvest take on the gritty and dirty industrial aesthetics of Dieselpunk. The Fallout series is famous for its retro-futuristic imagining of Atompunk, and then there's 11-bit Studio's own genre, FrostpunkVictorian industrialisation meets frozen ecological crisis.

Whether they are fully-fledged worlds or have more of a focus on aesthetics, here are some more punk genres that deserve a gaming spotlight.

Many derivatives of cyberpunk are retrofuturistic in their worldbuilding, pulling on ideas and aesthetics from the past (looking directly at you, Victorian era). But what makes Solarpunk special is that it is firmly set in the future.

Solarpunk envisions an optimistic future that directly tackles environmental concerns with renewable and sustainable energy sources. Instead of a bleak wasteland, Solarpunk is bright and hopeful. Butjust because climate change and pollution have been solved doesn't mean that everything is a utopia. This is what could make Solarpunk an interesting backdrop for games. Instead of bashing you over the head with how awful everything is, Solarpunk is about worlds that are so close to being perfect but fall just short. I can totally see this making a great backdrop for a sprawling RPG.

For whatever reason, a core feature of many punk genres is what resource is used to power technology, but Clockpunk is less focused on steam, diesel, or electric-run mechanics and more on basic technology. Clockpunk is all about intricate mechanismslike the interlocking gears of a pocket watch, the intricacies of automatons, or the detailed sketches of Da Vinci. There's also just a general focus on beautiful, delicate machinery, and Dimitriy Khristenko's mechanical bugs are an amazing example of something that would fit perfectly into the clockpunk aesthetic.

There's not much in terms of world-building to Clockpunk, but the genre makes a great foundation for worlds that have light fantasy elements, such as magic or alchemy, which can act as the world's main power resources.It's emphasis on visual design also makes it perfect for puzzle games like Magnum Opus.

More of a visual aesthetic than a loosely defined alternate reality, Rococo Punk takes inspiration from the whimsical visual style of the Rococo period. It's used in a similar way to Decopunk (think the glossy interiors of BioShock) in that it's purely just a look rather than a philosophy. Visually, the genre involves theatrical outfits with lots of dramatic frills with building interiors having lots of grand, sweeping curves and gold trimming. There's not a pair of greasy goggles in sight.

It sounds super classy, but I'm not sure what makes it particularly 'punk'. Then again, there were lots of brutal beheadings in 18th century France at the height of Rococo's popularity, and having your head chopped off for wanting to dismantle the French monarchy is pretty punk.

Biopunk is all about the wonderful world of biohacking which involves modifying the human body through biological means. This form of human experimentation involves 'hacking' your own body in hopes of improving your physical or mental state. The genre also includes themes of corporate and governmental control over body modification and genetic engineering.

BioShock totally has the Biopunk corner covered, but then after reading this totally bonkers Vox article about real-world biohackers there's so much more that writers can draw from. There's a wealth of source material for Biopunk in the real world too, like Silicon Valley's $8,000 young blood transfusions where an older person pays for a young person's blood to be pumped into their body as some sort of 'elixir of life' because why not?I don't think I'll ever get over reading that anytime soon.

Taking inspiration from Atompunk, Raypunk is one of the more outlandish punk genres and focuses on far-future science fiction with a distinct retro twist. Its aesthetic is close to mid-20th century pulp science fiction like the original Star Trek series or the Jetsonsanything featuring brightly colored rayguns, flying cars, and clunky talking robots.

It's not all Buck Rogers, though. Raypunk (known also as Raygun Gothic) can be surreal and dark, which sounds far more interesting honestly. Rick Remender's comic book Low is the closest piece of media I know of that captures the genre's "world of tomorrow" aesthetic while still being pretty bleak and serious.

I honestly don't really understand this one, but this Wikipedia page cites The Flintstones as part of the Stonepunk genre so that makes it legit, apparently.

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CD Projekt Red have nabbed Cyberpunk, but here are 5 other punks that deserve games - PC Gamer

Scientific Psi? Neuralink and the smarter brain – Covalence

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Elon Musk by Maurizio Pesce via Wikimedia Commons

What might Elon Musk do to your brain? Hes successfully demonstrated that a deep brain implant can monitor a pigs health like the Fitbit on your wrist. After this success, Musk is coming after you. He plans to install slender electrodes into your brain and connect them to a wireless pod that sits behind your ear. Neuralink chips could measure temperature, pressure and movement, data that could warn you about a heart attack or stroke. This pod or terminal then communicates with your phone. If you want to know what your brain is doing, simply check your phone.

Now, this is puzzling. Mmmmm? Whos checking that phone? Your brain? Or, you? What if you and your brain are the same? Mmmmm? Will checking the phone for brain information provoke the brain to become self-aware? Then what? Will you have two selves: you plus your brain? Oh, this thinking makes my brain tired. Mmmmm? Will my cell phone show that my brain is tired?

What might be the advantages to deep brain implants? First, in the early stages of neuralink development for humans, we can realistically anticipate the medical value of deep brain implants. The potential is truly transformational for restoring brain & motor functions, Musk states. A deep brain implant could function therapeutically to combat dementia, Alzheimers, and even Christian fundamentalism!

The second advantage would be memory enhancement and knowledge expansion. Because the implant is wirelessly connected to an external pod-terminal, information could be sent to the brain and downloaded. A deep brain implant for an ELCA seminarian could electronically place in the students memory every word of the Book of Concord.

A third possibility is the hope of the Transhumanists among us, namely, Intelligence Amplification or IA. Dont confuse IA with AI, Artificial Intelligence. IA enhances your intelligence; it does not create a second or artificial intelligence. With IA, our ELCA seminarians could take all their courses online and graduate in only two years. Oh, wait?

A fourth possibility would be electronic psi. Each of two persons with brain implants could communicate their thoughts wirelessly to the terminal, which in turn would send those thoughts to the other. No need for speech or writing. Thought to thought. Mind to mind. Disagreements and arguments without yelling or screaming.

A fifth possibility adds on to the fourth. Why wait for a thought to be sent to you? Why not think your way to the terminal and then read the mind of the other? The electronic pod terminal could eliminate mental privacy.

Before this neuralink science came along, there was science fiction. I explored these plus additional implications of deep brain implants in my fictional espionage thriller, Cyrus Twelve. My heroine is Leona Foxx, a Lutheran pastor, riveting preacher, astrobiologist, crack shot, Chicago Cubs fan, and part-time CIA operative. This is fiction, remember.

In Cyrus Twelve Leona uncovers a globe-wide syndicate of Transhumanists who use the equivalent of neuralink to enhance spying capability. In this drama, the pod-terminal is a satellite and it connects hundreds of persons with deep brain implants. The satellite is capable of erasing an individuals memory and substituting an entirely fabricated memory. Because the implant is within you, you cannot muster any defense from informational input sent you by the satellite. You cannot shut off fake news, advertising, or orders to kill. Imagine what would happen if ELCA Churchwide would get control of that satellite? Every spy in the world would suddenly learn what justification-by-faith means.

The advancement of deep brain electronic implants prompts the theologian to ponder two matters, one theoretical and one practical. The theoretical matter is this: can the human soul or self be reduced to the brain? My answer is no. The human self or person is utterly dependent on the physical brain, to be sure; but the self or person is more than everything physical or bodily. What we experience as human freedom I define this way: freedom is a form of self-determination. In short, I do not expect discoveries in the neurosciences to reduce the person to the brain.

The practical matter is an ethical matter. How should such awesome technology be used? Should deep brain implants become the stock and trade of international espionage, as is the case in Cyrus Twelve? No, of course not. Our society should rather support ongoing medical research leading to therapies and even enhancements. Like all technological advances, neuralink should be pressed into the service of human flowering.

Ted Peters is a pastor in the ELCA and Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. He co-edits the journal, Theology and Science for the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union. He is author of God The Worlds Future (Fortress, 3rd ed., 2015) and editor of AI and IA: Utopia or Extinction? (ATF Press, 2019). More of Peters work can be found on his website, TedsTimelyTake.com.

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Scientific Psi? Neuralink and the smarter brain - Covalence

Letter: Vote to return to norms, standards we’re used to – Whidbey News-Times

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Editor,

Two years ago I wrote a letter to the editor titled, Norms, standards and behaviors.

At that time I had watched a C-Span episode that featured James R. Clapper, former director of national security, and Michael V. Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency.

Their main point was that our national institutions had been under tremendous stress when it came to the rule of law, national policy, diplomacy and foreign relations as a result of presidential tweets and actions.

Now we have added stressors that include COVID-19, racial injustice issues, climate change, economic fallout and White House falsehoods, misinformation and incompetence.

If you have decided to vote for Trump, nothing I write will change your mind. If you are weighing the good and bad that have transpired since Trump took office, and are unsure how to cast your presidential ballot, be aware that science, history, tradition and integrity are not welcome in this administration.

We have moved past my belief that men and women of character and professionalism, like Mr. Clapper and Mr. Hayden, would prevail, that they would advise and assist Trumps administration in practicing good governance.

How is it possible that someone with no background in science, health, history, economics or governance could reassure you that he knows best, no matter what the topic?

If my car, and its various parts, stand in for the U.S. government, I want the best mechanic I can get fixing the problems. I want professionals with lots of experience and vetted credentials handling our national affairs. I want accountability, proof and reason as part of the mix, not half-truths, conspiracy tales and made up stuff.

We have moved way past a Ford vs. Chevy, Republican vs. Democrat scenario. We are in the hands of a despot who is a master at put downs, talking over people, and using bluster and pretension to manage our country.

I miss hearing what intelligent Republicans like Jon Huntsman Jr. have to say about our national mess.

I miss public discourse that works to come up with solutions to all of our domestic and foreign policy issues. I miss real Republicans who take a stand based on principles and not party.

I am asking my fellow Americans to take a step back from anger, bitterness, rage and vitriol. Deep down, most of us want for our country what we want for our families, friends and communities; we want respect, cordial relations and social discourse that works toward solutions.

Lets vote that way so we can return to the norms, standards and behaviors that we are all familiar with the ones embodied in the Golden Rule.

Mike Diamanti

Coupeville

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Letter: Vote to return to norms, standards we're used to - Whidbey News-Times

Amanda Craig’s The Golden Rule is a modern take on Victorian narrative traditions – The Canberra Times

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life-style, amanda craig, the golden rule, crime thriller, melodrama, canberra times book review

British author Amanda Craig is a freelance journalist, literary critic and novelist. In an opinion piece in The Independent, Craig questioned the current obsession with historical fiction while the contemporary novel seems out of fashion. She says she has, in her novels, "set out to take the DNA of a Victorian novel - it's spirit of realism, its strong plot, it's cast of characters who are not passively shaped by circumstances but who rise to challenge or escape them". For Craig, writing contemporary fiction is "a moral duty". As a result, she has written a cycle of eight interconnected novels dealing with contemporary British society, a multi stranded approach to writing fiction. The Golden Rule is the ninth. Each novel stands alone but they are linked by characters. Craig will take a minor character from one of the previous novels and make him or her the protagonist of the next. Hannah, the main character in The Golden Rule, first appeared as a child in A Private Place, the second in the cycle. Hannah is now 29, living in poverty in London, abandoned by her abusive husband, Jake, cleaning houses to support herself and her six-year-old child, Maisy. Hannah is "exhausted by debt, hopelessness, loneliness, anger and the knowledge that, despite having jumped through all the right hoops, the bigger life on which she had pinned her hopes was not going to happen". Jake has applied for divorce and custody of Maisy. "Fury was what kept her going", and hatred of her husband. Hannah grew up in Cornwall but escaped to university, where she met and married Jake. Now her mother is dying and she travels back to St Piran in Cornwall to be with her. On the train, she meets Jinni, elegant and rich, who invites Hannah to join her in First Class. Jinni too is angry and bitter about her husband and their impending divorce. The two women make a pact to murder each other's husband. Hannah is to kill first, as Jinni's husband Con lives in a decaying stately home near St Piran. However Jinni's husband is far from the tall dark good looking man she describes, rather he is "an enormous creature", drunk, ugly and dishevelled, reeking of "stale sweat and a lot of booze". At this point, The Golden Rule morphs from echoes of Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train to Beauty and the Beast, as the novel becomes a romance with elements of gothic melodrama, interspersed with didactic lectures on contemporary issues: Brexit; sexual harassment in the work place; domestic violence; the widening gap between rich and poor and the plight of generation rent who can't afford inflated house prices. The end result, sadly, is repetitive, predictable and at times plain tedious.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/9gmjQxX8MpSQh6J68NHMnY/341710c9-7893-4cdf-97bd-bbc53d3a1b39.jpg/r0_897_1843_1938_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

REVIEW

September 19 2020 - 12:00AM

British author Amanda Craig is a freelance journalist, literary critic and novelist. In an opinion piece in The Independent, Craig questioned the current obsession with historical fiction while the contemporary novel seems out of fashion. She says she has, in her novels, "set out to take the DNA of a Victorian novel - it's spirit of realism, its strong plot, it's cast of characters who are not passively shaped by circumstances but who rise to challenge or escape them".

For Craig, writing contemporary fiction is "a moral duty". As a result, she has written a cycle of eight interconnected novels dealing with contemporary British society, a multi stranded approach to writing fiction. The Golden Rule is the ninth.

Each novel stands alone but they are linked by characters. Craig will take a minor character from one of the previous novels and make him or her the protagonist of the next. Hannah, the main character in The Golden Rule, first appeared as a child in A Private Place, the second in the cycle. Hannah is now 29, living in poverty in London, abandoned by her abusive husband, Jake, cleaning houses to support herself and her six-year-old child, Maisy.

Hannah is "exhausted by debt, hopelessness, loneliness, anger and the knowledge that, despite having jumped through all the right hoops, the bigger life on which she had pinned her hopes was not going to happen".

Jake has applied for divorce and custody of Maisy. "Fury was what kept her going", and hatred of her husband.

Hannah grew up in Cornwall but escaped to university, where she met and married Jake. Now her mother is dying and she travels back to St Piran in Cornwall to be with her.

On the train, she meets Jinni, elegant and rich, who invites Hannah to join her in First Class. Jinni too is angry and bitter about her husband and their impending divorce. The two women make a pact to murder each other's husband. Hannah is to kill first, as Jinni's husband Con lives in a decaying stately home near St Piran. However Jinni's husband is far from the tall dark good looking man she describes, rather he is "an enormous creature", drunk, ugly and dishevelled, reeking of "stale sweat and a lot of booze".

At this point, The Golden Rule morphs from echoes of Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train to Beauty and the Beast, as the novel becomes a romance with elements of gothic melodrama, interspersed with didactic lectures on contemporary issues: Brexit; sexual harassment in the work place; domestic violence; the widening gap between rich and poor and the plight of generation rent who can't afford inflated house prices. The end result, sadly, is repetitive, predictable and at times plain tedious.

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Amanda Craig's The Golden Rule is a modern take on Victorian narrative traditions - The Canberra Times

John C. Morgan on Everyday Ethics: The most fundamental question to ask yourself – The Mercury

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Let's get back to basics everyday ethics.

I began writing this column to take ethics out of the classroom and into the wider world. My model was Socrates, the father of ethics, who went into the city where he lived to engage in dialog with others. It was Socrates who gave us the most lasting definition of ethics how best to live.

Ethics is fundamentally a practical philosophy. It seeks to help individuals make the best decisions they can for themselves, consistent with their beliefs and values.

There are various ethical traditions that offer roadmaps about how best to live.

The early Greek philosopher Aristotle said we should seek to live a life of moderation. He called that the Golden Mean. Think of the extremes of any value, take courage as one. Courage to live is an ethical principle, but the extremes are what cause difficulty being too risky or being too shy.

Aristotle said the best way to live a good life is to practice what you believe. In other words, if you want to be a compassionate person, you need to be kind to yourself and others as often as you can.

Other world ethical systems from the East and West offer guidance on making moral decisions. The most common principle is treating others as you wish to be treated or love your neighbor as yourself. This is called the Golden Rule.

When you have time to consider a pending decision, here are three areas to consider,

First, look at any existing rules or laws. By these standards would your decision be right or wrong? For example, thinking about whether or not to cheat on a test to get a higher grade is obviously a violation of school rules.

Second, look at issues of character. Would your decision fit your values and needs and that of others? Some might consider sacrificing themselves for the good of others, but that would not be good for you.

Third, examine the situation you are in. Sometimes the context in which you make a decision weighs heavily. A friend may ask you to lie to protect himself, and though as a general rule you don't advocate telling lies, in this particular case that rule takes second to a higher one of protecting a friend.

Ethics is about making decisions, sometimes difficult ones. But a fundamental question to ask yourself is this one: Is what I am going to decide something I will regret later? Asking and answering this one, may clear things up.

John C. Morgan is a teacher and writer whose columns appear here weekly.

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John C. Morgan on Everyday Ethics: The most fundamental question to ask yourself - The Mercury

Dems, GOP relying on tech to register voters this fall – Fox17

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. The pandemic has made efforts to get out the vote difficult for both parties, but Democrats and Republicans are still hitting the street when they can. And using tech to get people registered and educated.

The standard, golden rule in politics is theres no substitute for door-to-door canvassing, for talking to voters face-to-face, said Gary Stark, chair of the Kent County Democrats, and we always think we can do that. But were all facing the same kinds of constraints.

Both the Democratic party and GOP have their own registration websites. Theyve been around for a while, but their importance is renewed this year with the pandemic hampering efforts to door-to-door canvass.

Were getting out how we can, obviously you have to do it very carefullyyou have to do it with masks and distance and being respectful of people who want to keep their distance, said Joel Freeman, chair of the Kent GOP. So its kind of an all-of-the-above approach this year but yes, certainly going digital and going by mail is a much bigger factor this year.

We have been reluctant to [canvass] because of the governors guidelines and the dangers of that and the uncertainty of how that would be received, said Stark. Many people dont want people strangers knocking on their door.

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Dems, GOP relying on tech to register voters this fall - Fox17

Want To Be An Amazing Neighbor? Five Ways To Start (And Some Things To Avoid) by Mike Stonestreet | Sponsored Insights – Greater Wilmington Business…

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With Americans spending more time at home than ever these days, being a good neighbor is of the utmost importance. Sure, not many people are actively trying to be bad neighbors, but if you sit down and think about it, do your daily habits exude neighborliness? Now that we're seeing a lot more of the people who live next door to us, its a great time to consider some ways we can all pitch in to make our communities better, more harmonious places to live. Here are 5 small ways everyone can ensure they're being considerate of those who live nearby.1. Introduce Yourself to New NeighborsNow I know what you're thinking - how do I know these people want me barging up to their door and striking up a conversation? Well, you don't. But with practicing social distancing and general disconnect many are feeling these days, it would be awfully hard to be the new family in the neighborhood. No, you shouldn't greet strangers with a hug or even a handshake right now, but if you see someone new moving into the house across the street, make it a point to go outside and introduce yourself from your driveway. Welcome them to the street, make some small talk, ask if they need help with anything and encourage nearby neighbors to do the same. Small acts of kindness like this go a long way and will help lessen the burden of what can already be a very stressful time.2. Maintain Curb AppealThat one neighbor who just can't seem to follow the rules regarding trash pickup and lawn maintenance - every community association member's worst nightmare, right? You, of course, don't want to be that person, so make sure you're vigilant in keeping your property neat, well-maintained and in compliance with any association rules and regulations. No one wants to look out their window each day only to see overflowing garbage cans, knee-high weeds and dead flower beds, and you wouldn't either. So, be sure to put your garbage and recycling at the curb on the appropriate pick up day and bring the bins back up once the items are collected. Keep your lawn mown, edged, trimmed and watered (if needed) on a regular schedule. But remember - curb appeal isn't just lawn care and garbage cans. It can also be having a surplus of lawn ornaments, flags, broken bicycles and toys, dirty patio furniture - you get the picture. The main point here is keeping your property neat and clean. Besides potentially incurring HOA violations and fines, messy lawns are just an eye sore and bring down property values for everyone who lives nearby.3. Comply with Community RulesHumans don't necessarily like rules, but we all need them and, if you live in a community association, there's a good chance there is a set of them you're supposed to follow. The point of these rules isn't to be controlling but rather to preserve the property values within the community and maintain a peaceful living environment for all property owners. With that being said, there will probably be a rule or two that you don't care for, but that doesn't mean you can just ignore it - you wouldn't want your neighbors picking and choosing which rules they comply with, would you? Plus, in most communities you'll eventually end up owing some fines if you keep breaking the rules. Disregarding rules and regulations will ultimately lead to conflict between neighbors or between association members and board members or managers, and no one wants conflict. If there really is an issue with a community rule, its best to express your opinion and any suggestions to the board at the next open board meeting so a productive discussion can be held.4. Don't be the Town CrierIf your community actually has a crier in the newspaper-sense, that's wonderful, newspapers are underrated these days but you don't need to personally fulfill that role. No one likes a gossipplain and simple. Part of being a good neighbor is avoiding gossip and this includes listening to it, spreading it or participating in it. When you live close to others, yes, you're bound to hear and see things, but that doesn't mean you should be sharing that information with others. There are certain instances where it may be alright to share something you've heard (for example, a neighbor had a death in the family and you tell some others so they can send condolences), but no one needs to know that Mr. Smith's son has been sent to rehab for the 3rd time. Plus, do you even know if that's true? Spreading gossip will ultimately only hurt your reputation in the neighborhood and cause distrust among neighbors, something you don't want to see happen in an otherwise happy community.5. Be Mindful of NoiseKeeping the music down when you're having a gathering may be a no-brainer, but there are other aspects of hosting a party that may be irritating to your neighbors. If you throw a party, be sure that you've considered where attendees will park - can they all fit in your driveway or in approved street spaces without blocking neighbors? Will there be people outside talking late into the night? If you are planning on having a gathering that will last later than 9:00 or 10:00 PM (especially on a weeknight), it is probably best to let your neighbors know and invite them to text or call you if there are any issues. Noise, of course, doesn't apply to just parties. I can't think of anyone that wants to hear hedge trimmers at 7:00 AM on a Saturday. So, unless there is a hedge trimming emergency that mandates you start those bad boys up at 7:00 AM on the dot, be courteous and wait a bit later until folks are awake.Though we've thrown a bit of humor into this piece (who couldn't use a laugh right now?), the overall message is clear: don't regularly carry out activities you wouldn't want your neighbors carrying out. If this sounds like a subtle variation of the golden rule, that's because it is - if you want good neighbors, you also must be one.We at CAMS know it can sometimes be difficult reading through and understanding your community's rules and regulations. That is why these documents can be easily accessed via our website for each of the communities we serve. And, if you still have questions or concerns about a particular rule or a compliance letter you received, you can always reach out to our team of experts via your owner portal or at 877.672.2276 for trusted guidance.Mike Stonestreet, CMCA, PCAM, AMS, is Founder/Co-Owner of CAMS (Community Association Management Services). CAMS began in 1991 with Stonestreet and a few employees in a small office in Wilmington but has since grown to over 300 employees serving eight regions across North and South Carolina.

His current role at CAMS focuses on mergers and acquisitions, culture alignment and high-level business relationships. Stonestreet is an active member of the NC Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and has spent time on their board of directors, serving as the chapter President in 2019.

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Want To Be An Amazing Neighbor? Five Ways To Start (And Some Things To Avoid) by Mike Stonestreet | Sponsored Insights - Greater Wilmington Business...