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Category Archives: Roulette

I Want My Right to Life Back – The SandPaper

Posted: June 5, 2022 at 2:00 am

Letters

By Gail Travers | on June 01, 2022

To the Editor:

Were coming out from the COVID-19 pandemic. You may choose to continue to wear a mask or not. Its up to you. You can decide your level of risk, but as you come out and decide to go to a movie, a concert or sports event, the mall, grocery store and especially when you pack the kids off to school, wear your battle armor! The helmet, bulletproof vest, face shield and a bullet shield will also be useful because we are no longer the U.S.A.; we are the NRA No Rights for Americans.

Guns and money now have all the rights in our country. Guns have the right to exist anywhere at anytime to shoot off their mouths and spread bloodshed all over this land. Money has the right to collect itself in the pockets of the soulless greedy without any limit.

Weapons of mass destruction make the most money in sales so we can never put safety measures in place to protect the innocent. That might limit their sales and put less into the pockets of the gun manufacturers who then put it into the greedy, soulless organization that gives it to the corrupt politicians, who have security paid for by our government to protect them from the roulette wheel of life in this country that ends in death when your number comes up.

Last week it was 21 innocent, beautiful Americans who won this horrific game of chance we all live every day. It was a massacre in a school in Texas where they love and protect guns a hundred times more than they protect Americans. Nineteen of them were our children. None of these victims had any rights to live a life free of the threat of sudden death out of nowhere.

My only comfort when I talk to my traumatized children and grandchildren is that we live in New Jersey, where weapons of war are banned. Where our governor is fighting to put more safety measures in place to give my family some hope for our right to life. We are not a whole country, however, and those weapons of war can cross over into our state from the less free states that offer no safety.

Im not a gambler. I hate the stock market. I go to the casinos in Atlantic City just for the shows, but I gamble every day when I walk out my door to go anywhere in this country. We have no freedom in this country since gun lovers and sellers decided guns and the profits they make need freedom above all of us. Never mind the total and shameful incompetence of the political leaders of Texas.

I want my right to life. It has been stolen and replaced by the NRA (No Rights for Americans).

V. Vaughn

Little Egg Harbor

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Secrets of a Croupier: ‘I saw an American lose $50 million at the poker table in one night’ – iNews

Posted: at 2:00 am

Stefano Melani has worked as croupier for nearly 30. He has worked in top London casinos, super yachts, stayed in seven-star accommodation and helped everyone from kings to the destitute to have a bet. Here the 50-year-old reveals the secrets of his trade.

Ive been working as a croupier since 1991. My motivation for becoming one was basically that I liked to travel, and that I didnt want the normal routine of a regular office, or being closed in some specific place.

No, I wanted to discover the world, and to have the opportunities of a career because, in Italy, where Im from, we have the wrong mentality towards careers. But in England, in a sector like this, which is linked to tourism and the entertainment industry, and is very well organised, theres lots of opportunity.

Ive worked all over the world, but have spent a lot of time in London. The basic training is fast you learn within six to eight weeks and then you get your licence from the Gambling Commission, and then you can work in any casino.

Its dynamic, itinerant and unconventional work. For example, in London casinos are open 24 hours a day, so there are three shifts: 6am to 2pm, 2pm to 8pm, 8pm to 4am. In London, Ive worked in casinos in Leicester Square, South Kensington and Mayfair, which is where the biggest casinos are, and which are dedicated to VIPs, and to sheiks.

While of course you will always have some gambling addicts, youll find that everybody likes to gamble from time to time. I would see VIPs alongside people coming back from the market, from work, people with some change in their pockets. You can play roulette for 50p, for a pound, so its not just for the rich.

We have very strict rules to constrict the financial movements of our customers. If a player is not yet a member, the maximum [they can bet] is 1,400 before the checks are triggered. If theres any suspicion of money-laundering, we make a report immediately, and the gambling stops. More generally, a normal gambler might play 100-200 a night, but for rich people, it can be 3m, 4m, or 5m.

The croupier is trained to stay as neutral as possible. We cannot show excitement. But I do enjoy it when I see the customers win, because they transfer to you very good feelings, their excitement. We also stay neutral when the customer loses. Its never nice to see a customer lose money. If they lose big, they dont come back, and the casino loses a customer.

I remember a man coming in once, he looked very poor, perhaps homeless. He took out his last 5 note, and placed it on black on roulette. He won! It was only 20, but he was so happy, and I was happy for him because I understood what it must have meant.

At the opposite end, I saw an American lose $50m (40m) at the poker table in one night. That was 16 hours gambling. But he left the table singing and smiling; it was almost as if he had won. Hed enjoyed himself, and now he had a fantastic memory. More importantly, he could afford it; for him, this was just recreation. Another time not at my casino, unfortunately an Arabian princess tipped casino staff $1m after a good night at poker.

Its a much healthier workspace now than it used to be, the casino: theres no smoking any more, for starters. But its something you have to get used to. You have to have a different metabolism, because youre eating at night. In my spare time, I like to be outside. I play a lot of sport; its my dream to become a motorbike racer.

During summer months, Im often hired to work on superyachts that have private casinos on board. The clientele here are sheiks, kings and VIPs, and they want a personal casino for privacy reasons, mostly. All of them are high rollers, and can spend up to 10m on poker. For us, its a lot of fun and very comfortable: the accommodation is seven star.

The only aspect of my life [thats disappointing] is that Im always single and without a family, perhaps because theres so much shift work involved? But I work in fascinating places, Ive been around the planet, in castles, on boats, and Ive got to know many people of all nationalities, and learn from other cultures.

Do I gamble, myself? Occasionally, but only for fun. I dont like to go to the casino, because I know the risk. I know how to spend my money in other ways.

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Co Down mum left with rotting flesh and days from death after Turkey cosmetic surgery trip – Sunday World

Posted: at 2:00 am

Michelle Heath has warned people who travel to Turkey for cosmetic surgery are playing Russian roulette with their lives.

he 40-year-old feared she'd lose her leg and almost lost her life after an op went wrong last year in Istanbul.

And she's hit out a list of accredited surgeons in Turkey shared on the Foreign Office website.

Michelle, who's part of a Facebook group for victims of botched surgery which has more than 8,000 members, says the government site gives people the wrong impression.

"I could see 12 surgeons on that list straight away who I knew from the Facebook group had botched operations," she says.

"There are pages and pages of names and people will look at that and think all the surgeons on there are safe, but you have no idea what you're getting."

The Foreign Office website states that 17 British nationals have died in Turkey since January 2019 following medical tourism visits, before referring the public to a list of accredited Turkish facilities.

"It's still Russian roulette. When I went to hospital two days after coming back from Turkey, I was two days away from a coma. If I hadn't gone when I did, I would have lost my leg," says Michelle.

"I'm now scarred for life."

Belfast Trust surgeon Graeme Macaulay revealed last week that patients from Northern Ireland have been airlifted to London for life-saving treatment after bariatric weight loss surgery in Turkey.

He warned of patients who were left unable to eat solid food, who had developed fatal conditions like sepsis or had to undergo multiple complex surgeries to fix the damage done to them.

Michelle travelled to the International Clinic at the BHT Clinic in Istanbul last August to have excess skin removed from her back and thighs. Sunday World contacted the clinic for a comment about her claim of poor treatment, but it did not respond.

The Dundonald woman, who owns the Tanning Emporium in Belfast, had lost several stone and was left with folds of skin which she wanted to have removed.

"A friend of mine had it done here, and it was 15,000. That was not within the realms of what I could afford. I looked at a number of clinics in Turkey and this was the only one where I didn't have to haggle about the price of 5,000. It doesn't seem very professional to me to haggle about the price of surgery."

The mum of one was adamant that she only wanted the excess skin removed, and that she did not want liposuction.

When she came round from her surgery, she claims she discovered she'd had a Brazilian bum lift, the transfer of fat to the buttocks, which she hadn't asked for. Despite booking a two-day stay in hospital she was discharged the next day and spent a week in a hotel room in agony.

Back at home she went to her parents' house and asked a nurse friend to come and check her wounds.

"She came into the house and said all she could smell was rotting flesh. My wounds on my leg were two centimetres apart and they were rotting. She wanted me to go to hospital, but I asked to wait until the next day. By then the wounds were further apart, and I ended up going to hospital with blues and twos.

"My legs were full of blood clots and they had to debride my wounds to clear out all the dead tissue."

Michelle had worse in store when the wound on her back ruptured a week later.

Too much skin had been removed during the surgery and instead of following the contour of her body it went straight down.

"It would never have healed," she says.

"It was tacked closed with a couple of stitches, and when I fell in the shower it ruptured. I had to have a skin graft from my thigh.

"Even now when I lean forward or bend down it feels like it's going to burst.

"I will be scarred for the rest of my life."

Since the surgery in Turkey she can no longer enjoy gym sessions which had become a huge part of her daily routine.

Michelle also blamed herself for making the decision to go there in the first place and has spent her recovery time trying to persuade other people not to make the same mistake.

"People ask me what clinic I went to and say, 'I won't go there then.'

"It makes me so angry when I read about people from here having to be airlifted to London after coming back from surgery in Turkey.

"That's a group of people who all went together and all got butchered together."

Mr Macaulay, a consultant upper gastrointestinal surgeon, warns that people travelling abroad for surgery are taking a huge chance.

"I think the message is you have no idea what you're going to get.

"This is complex, major surgery and the people in the UK who provide it have to undergo specialist training and fellowship training.

"You don't necessarily have those same guarantees when you go abroad," he says.

roisin.gorman@sundayworld.com

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Local drag community explore the meaning of Pride month – The Daily Toreador

Posted: at 2:00 am

The celebration of Pride monthhighlights the LGBTQ+ community and honors the pioneers of LGBTQ+ rights. This month emphasizes the voices of themovement and paves the way for future generations ofLGBTQ+ groups.

Members of the Lubbock drag community spoke on the LGBTQ+ community in Lubbock and what Pridemeans as a drag queen.

Yeah, in Lubbock, it's really great, Brady Collings, also known as drag queen Maggot, a graduate art student from Tylersaid. I started drag six years ago in the Denton-Dallas area. It wasn't terriblebut you can tell that thing progressed and its very kind of surprising to find a city in Texasthat's so accepting and so open to this. Because what I do isn't necessarily what some of the other kind of queens do; the way that I presentmy body, I do not like to really remove hair and stuff like that. I kind of gota little bit of flackand pushback when I started somewhere else. Coming to Lubbock and everyone just being so embracing, it'sbeen amazing.

Maggot finds inspiration from David Lynch films with her drag aesthetic.

Collings saidcombining hisart as a student and drag as a performer creates an authentic performance and allows him to convey a unique perspective on drag shows.

Yeah, so much of the art that I have been making within the last two, three years has been intertwined with drag,"Collings said. It is an interesting little balancing act because I am getting to, at one end, talk about drag in a way that is within like academic terms and approaching it more from like a theoretical aspect. I think it's been a nice balance because if I were to not be doing the performing as well, I think some of the talking and theorizing about it would feel a little disingenuous. But I think I need both of them to kind of comfortably pursue both things.

Drag queen and Texas Tech graduate student Maggot displays her unique artistry in full drag.

The exposure of drag in mainstream media creates a standard of drag that he hopes to break out of with his art, Collings said. Implementing emotional performance into his shows gave him an advantage in standing out and being true to himself as a drag queen and a student.

I think that there has always been a long history of drag being kind of emotional and such but just within the last couple of years with drag race and all of that, that wasn't the kind of drag that was forefront in the mainstream media, Collingssaid. "Andfor me, I could move around, but I can't really like dance like some of these other girls too. So, it was a way to combine kind of things that I was interested in already. I have aBFA in studio artfrom the University of Texas at Tyler and I am doing my Master's in painting right now at Tech. I took some aspects I was already interested in within art history and kind of mashed them together with drag to celebrate more of the subversive aspects of drag."

Ruben Torres,dragpersonaReddRoulette, isa local performer in Lubbock nightclubs. Torres said the support from the community outweighs the negativity that drag performers are often confronted with in a relatively conservative city.

Oh, we definitely get backlash,but to me, it doesn't even matter, Torressaid. "Because for me, I can get 101 negative messages, but the one person that is there supporting me showing me love, they're taking the time out of their lives, that they'll never get back to spending their money that they worked hard for. I'm there to give them the show."

Redd Roulette poses in a local nightclub where she hosts the weekend drag shows.

Torres describes his transition as a retail manager to his persona Redd Roulette as a transformation into confidence and artistry that is emphasized through his drag.

It'sdefinitely astruggle. I'ma retail manager so typically, I'm getting off like six, seven o'clock. I get home and I lay outwhat I'mgoing to wear, what I'm going to do and start listening to my music. I start doing my makeup and by the time my makeup is done with--I'm fulfilling my fantasy already," Torres said. "I'm likeshe's here, the dolls here and if you ever do your makeup with me and see that I spend at least an hour and a half in front of the makeup mirror just looking at myself. Just like 'oh my god, she's pretty.'

As a young gay kid, Torres said watching drag queens and seeing the confidence exhibited in their performances inspired him to push himself to follow the same path and become a drag queen.

Local performer Redd Roulette sits down for a conversation about what Pride month means as a drag queen.

From being one myself, I watched queens before I started doing drag. Torressaid. "I used to sneak in as a minor and have friends pick me up over the gate so I could watch the shows. I really just kind of adored everything they did, and they always had like the same kind of like confidence, it wasmagic that came out of it. I told myself one day, I'm going tobe in that same position. I just happened to push myself to make that come true.

Alazae MoNy, real name Michael Hicks-Piedra, a visiting drag performer from Hobbs, New Mexico, said communicating to the younger LGBTQ+ generation that they have support from the drag community is important in spreading positivity between one another.

I think my message would be don't wait till it's too late to fully embrace who you are. Hicks-Piedra said. If you need somebody to help, don't hesitate to reach out to me or anybody else that is part of the LGBTQI+ community because more than likely, everybody's willing to help, especially drag queens. They're the top tier of the queer community. We're the face of it all. And we want everybody to feel the love and success and the positivity that is surrounded the LGBTQI plus community

Alazae MoNey visits Lubbock from New Mexico to perform in drag shows.

Hicks-Piedra said the current drag representation and shift into a more progressive society gives more opportunities and resources to the current youth compared to the past.

It took me since I was 14 years old to finally start understanding, no matter what you do people are going to love you, especially the ones that are around you daily, Hicks-Piedrasaid. "Ifyou need somebody to be there for you, there are always people to reach out to. I wish I would have understood that. A lot of kids nowadays do not understand that. There aremore resources nowadays than there were whenever we were growing up being those little queer kids sitting in the back of the class, quietly trying to just blend in and get through the day. Just because you are in this small crappy town, does not mean that you cannot be you. And it took me a while to learn that

Pride month is a time to be proud of who you are and drag allows him to feel empowered as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Hicks-Piedra said.

To me, it's about embodying everything that I can embody; embodying the confidence, the power, any vibe that you can give as a gay man in a conservative town, Hicks-Piedrasaid. "Itis more of being proud of who you are. Not everybody gets that opportunity to be who they trulyare. Thatis something that I wish that I had learned a long time ago. Be proud of who you are because you cannot change it. There is a ton of people that love every aspect of you, no matter what you do. That is amazing."

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Croupier – Wikipedia

Posted: May 15, 2022 at 10:08 pm

Someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game

A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.

Originally a "croupier" meant one who stood behind a gambler, with extra reserves of cash to back him up during a gambling session. The word derived from croupe (the rump of a horse) and was by way of analogy to one who rode behind on horseback. It later came to refer to one who was employed to collect the money from a gaming-table.[1]

Originally a "dealer" meant one who was responsible for distributing cards or the player in the dealer position, regardless of whether or not that player was responsible for distributing the cards.[2]

Training methods to become a casino croupier vary from country to country. In North America, blackjack is almost always the game that dealers learn first, as it is simple and popular, and when the dealer makes errors, they tend not to cost the casino much money. In Europe, croupiers tend to learn roulette first. Complex, busy games such as craps, with complicated payout systems, etc., are usually reserved for the most competent and/or ambitious dealers.[3]

Select colleges and non-collegiate third-level educational institutions now offer croupier training courses, formally dubbed Casino Operations Training, which when put in a historical context is a milestone achievement for the legitimization of poker in the mainstream. Besides courses, there's a host of private lessons available on social media, poker forums and classifieds sections worldwide, which could serve even better than attending an official course, giving one-on-one apprenticemaster attention.

Casinos may also offer an in-house training program. However, sometimes it serves better to get a "general qualification" than to be trained exclusively into one company's way of operating. Prospective employers often prefer candidates without fully relevant experience over a candidate highly experienced in the idiosyncrasies of another operation.[4]

American, Australian, Canadian and British croupiers are required to apply for a gambling license. This license includes police background checks and credit rating checks, to help determine if they are eligible to commence employment. Croupiers are not permitted to deal at a casino until being issued this license.

As is common with customer service staff in the United States, croupiers there depend on tips to make their wage worthwhile. While a croupier should theoretically have no personal interest in the outcome of the game, a successful player customarily tips the croupier, especially in American casinos. Tips are often pooled and divided amongst all the staff. Fraternising with customers is frowned upon, and most casinos prevent their gambling staff from being seen smoking or even being seen in uniform outside the casino. Some gambling strategies include suggestions to tip the casino dealer in order to create a good atmosphere and improve dealer's mood. According to these strategies, tipping might even make the dealer shuffle the cards less frequently and thereby allow easier tracking of particular cards.[5] Australian casinos forbid dealers from taking tips.[6]

Because casinos tend to allow smoking on the gambling floor, American croupiers are exposed to secondhand smoke. A health hazard evaluation of several Las Vegas casinos showed that nonsmoker croupiers suffered from more respiratory ailments than their administrative counterparts at the casinos and had cotinine and NNAL (both components of secondhand smoke) in their urine samples.[7] Britain banned smoking in all public places, including casinos, in 2007.[8]

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All the Different Types of Roulette You Can Play – The Game Haus

Posted: at 10:08 pm

Roulette remains one of the most popular online casino games for a good reason. The game is exciting no matter how many times you play it. It is also one of the chance-driven games you can find on online casinos, so you dont have to have specific skills or enter the game with complex strategies to win; you just need a bit of luck.

Roulette even became a key plot element in many movies and TV series. In recent years, online casinos started offering live roulette sessions to keep people engaged with the authentic roulette-playing experience. Interestingly, there are many variations of roulette table rules and games that you can choose from. You can learn more about the available roulette games and the bonuses you can claim from Casimba when you play casino online.

Before we go over the variations and table rules, lets take a closer look at the game itself. Roulette is a simple game to play. You can start winning cash prizes even on your first spin. You see a wheel with 37 (or 38, depending on which variation you play) pockets, and then a table with numbers and betting options.

We can divide roulette bets into two groups: inside bets and outside bets. If you think the bets location separates them on the table, you are correct. Inside bets are bets that you play directly on the numbers, while outside bets are special bets that combine numbers, colours, and other characteristics.

The inside bets that you can place when playing Roulette are:

There are also bets like a Trio, the First Four, or a Basket, all of which involves 0-00-1-2-3. These are bets that you place on the top side of the table near the roulette wheel.

As for the outside bets, they are:

Similar to the inside bets, you can also place a unique outside bet called the Snake bet. 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34, which is a zig-zag pattern that resembles a snake on the table.

The rest of the game is very straightforward. You place your bets and get pay-outs depending on where the ball land on the wheel. The biggest pay-out in Roulette is 35 to 1 for a Straight or 0/00 bet.

The first variation of Roulette is what we now know as European Roulette. This is also seen as the original version of Roulette. European roulette wheel as 37 numbers from 0 to 36. The rest of the table is the same as any roulette game.

A variation of European Roulette is known as the French Roulette. This is seen as the best roulette game for players because the house edge is relatively lower. You still see 37 numbers on the wheel, but you get 50% of your Even/Odd bet back when the ball lands on 0.

European roulette (and French roulette) tables are easy to find because of their popularity. There are also online casinos that offer live European roulette tables, with real casino props and a croupier to help keep the game going.

Another variation of Roulette is American Roulette. This roulette game has one distinct difference: it has 0 and 00. There are 38 numbers on the wheel, and that extra 00 makes all the difference. Some say American roulette games are more exciting to play because of the higher risk it involves.

It is worth noting that American roulette games on online casinos usually offer more freebies and bonuses. You can get free bets and play side games as you seek that large win from hitting your Straight bet.

Other roulette variations are also available. Mini Roulette is becoming more popular. The game is played with only 13 pockets on the wheel. A multi-wheel roulette variation quadruples your winnings and adds challenges to the game.

Whichever version you choose to play, you will undoubtedly have a lot of fun playing the game.

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Bullpen Roulette, Anyone? The Week That Was – fantraxhq.com

Posted: at 10:08 pm

Its becoming a familiar refrain in baseball these days: its closer roulette every week for so many teams. Those of us playing fantasy baseball are constantly looking for ways to improve our fake teams. One place we look for improvement is in our bullpens; to that end, I say good luck. There are some names to speculate on here, but keep in mind: with the ever-shifting landscape that is major league baseball, usage patterns and top jobs become harder to identify each week. We try to make some sense of it here at Fantrax and see if we can help you get even the slightest edge over your tough competition.

In Baltimore, Jorge Lopez is on the bereavement which opened up an opportunity, and Felix Bautista has taken full advantage with two saves this week, showing electric stuff and 100 mph gas. Could he take the job from Lopez even after his return? He could, but Lopez has been excellent as well. Possible committee work? Could be, but perhaps Bautista is better used in a stopper role? One to watch for sure, especially as the Orioles are better (14-19) at this point than what we thought they might be.

I truly feel sorry for Red Sox fans. Not only is their season underwater with no signs of improvement, but the bullpen is also a bigger disaster than my team, the Batavia Youth Baseball majors Rockies. Matt Barnes appears to have fully faded at this time, and someone named John Schreiber got his first save. But context matters; Schreiber was on in the eighth with a two-run lead, and Boston scored three more in the bottom of that inning. Schreiber pitched an easy ninth and was awarded a save. I still think the top of the heap is Jake Diekman and Hansel Robles in a shared role. Which means, stay away unless absolutely desperate.

This will not come as a shock to those of you who read this weekly, but Tampa Bay is doing it to us again. Erstwhile closer Andrew Kittredge has been a mess in his last two opportunities, leading to a chance for lefty Brooks Raley. We know going into any season that Kevin Cash is going to do this, yet we always try and speculate, dont we? They will have five or six guys with three to five saves annually, and several more who will get one or two. Raley now has three saves in the last week. For now, I am calling this a committee, but that is subject to change any night of the week.

If you are looking to speculate on a guy who could get a handful of saves this year, take a look at Trevor Stephan of the Cleveland Guardians. Emmanuel Clase is the clear choice, but given extra-inning games or blown saves, Stephan could get some chances. File for later.

Things are dicey in the Motor City for Gregory Soto. It feels like he should be far better than he actually is, but the strike zone constantly jumps around on him. The Tigers have been far worse than expected (sorry Michael Govier and Chris Deary) and may have another option: lefty Will Vest, who has been a miracle worker this year. Vest was climbing the ranks a few years ago before injury and ineffectiveness waylaid him. He could pair with Michael Fulmer to form a committee, leaving Soto to iron out his troubles in a lower leverage role.

I know everyone is interested in the Seattle bullpen with their ability to have any of four guys close any given night. They only have five saves on the season, two for Drew Steckenrider, and one each for Paul Sewald, Andres Munoz, and Diego Castillo. With their struggles so far on the young season, this is a tough one to prognosticate. I lean Steckenrider slightly as Sewald and Castillo have the kind of arsenal that can be used to put out fires in earlier innings. That said, I have Munoz in almost every dynasty or keeper league.

Last month we suggested that Joe Barlow would be the guy eventually in Texas. Hes running away with the job right now, and hes on the waiver wire in some shallower leagues. Grab him if you can.

Things could get interesting in Miami, where Dylan Floro, last years closer, was activated from the IL. Anthony Bender currently has the job but is looking over his shoulder. Watch developments here this week.

On the North Side, David Robertson hit the IL last weekend with what we think may be a Covid-19 designation. This should lead to chances for Rowan Wick, who has been lights out to start the season. No word on how long Robertson will be out.

Things are looking better in Cincinnati this week; the Reds won more games this week than they had all season. However, closer Lucas Sims is injured yet again, this time with a balky back. We are guessing the committee approach is back here, with Art Warren perhaps earning the first chance at the role. Luis Cessa could see an increased role here as well given the season-long struggles of Hunter Strickland and Tony Santillan. Alexis Diaz is another name to file here, the younger brother of Mets closer Edwin. I am not touching this one unless desperation sets in which it may.

In Arizona, Mark Melancon came off the IL and looked rusty, getting shelled earlier this week. My gut is that he will retain the job for now, but the Dbacks have other options in Ian Kennedy and Joe Mantiply as well. The Dbacks are better than people thought they would be at 18-15, so there could be change here if Melancon struggles in the role.

Camilo Doval should lock down a grip on this job with the news that Jake McGee will miss time with a back issue. Tyler Rogers should get even more opps for holds now, but another name for those perhaps looking for bullpen help is John Brebbia, the former Cardinal who has quietly fit in well here. I have added Brebbia in some larger leagues. If you have Doval on your bench or have been questioning whether to start him in weekly leagues, get him in there this weekend.

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Electrifying Live Casino Game XXXtreme Lightning Roulette in Exclusive Early Access Promoted Bitcoin News – Bitcoin News

Posted: at 10:08 pm

Play the brand new XXXtreme version of one of the most popular live casino games at Bitcoin.com Games; Lightning Roulette by Evolution!

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Parents forced to play ‘Russian roulette’ with baby formula, Republicans say – Washington Times

Posted: at 10:08 pm

Republicans came out swinging against the Biden administrations inaction on the baby formula crisis, saying parents are forced to gamble with their childrens health because of the persistent shortage of formula.

We shouldnt be rationing formula to keep babies fed, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington Republican, told reporters while flanked by a group of her GOP colleagues. I talked to one mom who has a baby with allergies, and its extremely difficult. She feels like shes playing Russian roulette as she goes to the store.

Its the latest wrinkle in President Bidens domestic leadership that is being challenged by record-high gas prices and the highest inflation in roughly four decades.

The Republican lawmakers said the Food and Drug Administration needs to provide more transparency and solutions. Data has shown that baby formula is down more than 40%.

Rep. Mike Waltz, Florida Republican, said the shortage made it harder for parents to find baby formula than it is for those with substance abuse issues to find drugs, a reference to the administrations federal grant program to help addicts obtain safe crack-smoking kits and supplies.

I think we need to take a moment and think about the fact that in Joe Bidens America, it seems like its easier to get a crack pipe in a government-funded smoking kit than it is to find baby formula, Mr. Waltz said, who is a father of a four-month-old baby.

SEE ALSO: Biden to speak with retailers, manufacturers amid nationwide baby formula shortage

Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican and chair of the House Republican Conference, did not rule out calling on invoking the Defense Production Act, a wartime power at the presidents discretion, to quickly replenish baby formula supplies.

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The Covid Roulette: The Hard Truth And Lessons To Be Learned About The WHCA Dinner – The Pavlovic Today

Posted: at 10:08 pm

After learning what went down at the Gridiron Club dinner superspreader event, renowned environmental and occupational health physician Dr. Donald Milton, a pioneer of the modern science of airborne transmission of respiratory viruses, who had advised the White House since the beginning of the pandemic, approached the White House Correspondents Association with a proposal to install UV lights at WHCA dinner for no charge to help prevent another superspreader event from happening.

We thought it would be nice to try and prevent that [Gridiron superspreading experience] especially given that some high profile attendees like president Joe Biden would be at the dinner, said Dr. Milton.

On August 6, 2020, world-renowned scientist Dr. Kimberly Prather, elected into the National Academy of Engineering (2019) and the National Academy of Sciences (2020), was the first to break the news to Dr. Anthony Fauci that particles containing SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are airborne.

Oh, my God, Dr. Anthony Fauci said to her. You mean it goes further than six feet? Wow, why did we get it wrong for so long?Dr. Fauci was shocked, Dr. Kimberly Prather warmly recalled their conversation.For one hundred years, the belief in the scientific community has been that a droplet falls within six feet. I convinced him that aerosols up to 100 microns can go further than six feet. That whole belief system that things dont go further than six feet was completely wrong. I showed Fauci how far things go. Its much further.

Dr. Prather is also the one who has been pushing the N95 masks in the White House. Ive also been pushing for filtration in the White House, she said.

Given that the risk of transmission of the airborne virus is much higher in inadequately ventilated and crowded indoor settings, Dr. Kimberly Prather believed that the WHCA dinner should be organized in a safe way and that it was a good idea that Dr. Miltons offered to install the UV technology at the WH Correspondents dinner.

It was a perfect place to do it. The highest risk places are indoors, low ventilation, lots of people, and no masks. At that point, when you take off the masks, theres gonna be a really high viral load in the air. Washington DC had really high case numbers, so the chances of people being there that were infected was very high even with testing. Putting UV light was the way to go.

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and Chief of COVID Task Force at the New England Complex Systems Institute and co-founder of the World Health Network was worried about WHCA dinner as well. In his mind, the Gridiron dinner had already proved itself to be a super spreader as an already much smaller event than WHCA dinner.

In a room of 2600 people, theres a 7.4% chance that nobody gets Covid-19.

Theres more COVID than a couple of weeks ago, WHCA dinner is so much bigger, and the density of people at this Correspondents Dinner is much higher. Altogether, its the worst of three different situations, much worse than Gridiron in every single way.

Doing the math calculation on the spot, Dr. Feigl-Ding quickly came up with the risk level of getting COVID at the WHCA indoor event, hosting 2600 people in the basement of the Washington Hilton.

Lets say, hypothetically, theres only a 0.1% chance someone might carry the virus and 99.9% would not. But then, in a superspreading environment where you have 2600 people, that number [99.9% chance of not getting Covid-19] falls very fast. said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.

The math was straightforward: in a room of 2600 people,Theres a 7.4% chance that nobody has it.

The sheer number of people at the WHCA dinner, including all the catering staff indicated the high-risk environment for covid transmission.

If one person has it [Covid-19] in a super spreading environment with poor ventilation, then anyone who isnt very recently boosted or hasnt had COVID just two weeks ago would have a high chance of getting it, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding explained. At the WHCA dinner, 7.4 % chance that nobody gets it is a serious problem. And no one wants to admit this.

UV light technology can cut down transmission by 80% and is a very standard method by now.

Health scientists were clear-eyed that something had to be done about WHCA dinner covid safety. Ventilation and filtration, according to Dr. Milton, were not enough to produce the required changes in an hour in a room of 2600 people.

One of the advantages of UV light technology, according to Dr. Milton is that you know we have this infection happening by invisible particles floating in the air and we have this invisible light that is killing them.

In terms of its impact on transmission, UV light technology can cut down transmission by 80% and is a very standard method by now, explained Dr. Donald Milton. Germicidal ultraviolet light has been around since the late 1930s as a means of preventing airborne infection and has been proven effective in preventing measles transmission in schools.

The old technology required that the UV light be restricted to the upper part of the room, because they can hurt eyes; it doesnt cause permanent damage, but its painful.

The newer technology, however, doesnt penetrate the eye and it does not cause eye injury. It also doesnt cause skin cancer. You can just shine it directly into the room without having to worry about air movement so much, said Milton.

Ultraviolet light is invisible, it doesnt change the colors of what you see.

Its super spreading events that have been critical to keeping this pandemic going.

The way we can stop super spreading events, is by doing something that can remove enough virus from the air fast enough that people dont infect a lot of other people. Ventilation alone just cant do that, Dr.Milton explained.

After weeks of Dr.Miltons attempts to convince the organizers to take him up on his offer to install UV lights quickly and free of charge, the WHCA rejected the proposal.

According to Dr. Milton, dinner organizers were worried about eye irritation as well as whether the UV lights will get in the way.Because, we initially were proposing that we use them on tripods and they suggested that maybe doing that would make the President look blue on TV. But this concern was ill-founded. Ultraviolet light is invisible, it doesnt change the colors of what you see, explained Dr. Milton.

We talked about putting them around the perimeter. And so they were mainly worried about them being in the way of people moving around and wait staff moving around, said Dr. Milton. That version, where the UV lights are mounted on tripods was actually implemented in the Pentagon because it was easier to set them up quickly and get them installed. Theyre used in the US Army headquarters.

Dr. Kimberly Prather said that UV light has to be installed professionally. Don Milton offered them a company that does it professionally and makes it work.That would have been perfect for that venue. Absolutely perfect.

UV light has to be installed professionally. Don Milton offered them a company that does it professionally and makes it work.

While Dr. Milton and his scientific team answered questions and explained the science behind the UV light technology, trying to offer reassurance, it is Dr.Miltons understanding that the WHCA is a small organization and did not have the bandwidth to deal with this as it was focused on trying very hard to implement their testing and vaccine requirements, which Gridiron dinner did not have.

The additional factor for the free of charge UV light installation proposal to go down the wire was all pre and after dinner parties hosted by the major TV networks.

We were not going to be able to implement this UV technology for all those other side eventsI think it would have had marginal effects but only really protect people who were just at the dinner, said Dr. Milton. Obviously, Biden didnt go to any of them, he added.

The White House Correspondents Association said that Miltons offer came too late.

Well, it was clearly too late for them to get comfortable with the idea, was Dr. Miltons reaction to their statement.

On April 27, 2022, the three days ahead of the WHCA dinner, the District of Columbia run by Mayor Muriel Bowser stopped daily reporting of Covid cases to CDC. The nations capital, the hub of business, politics and diplomacy was about to host the dinner.

Was that a good decision in the face of a new pandemic? How can the scientists know theres an outbreak if DC is not reporting the numbers to CDC? The media elite was on their way to celebrate at the basement of the Washington Hilton hotel without UV light added and CO2 sensors placed on the tables to measure the air quality and safety. The 79-year-old President Biden was also in attendance.

You remember the Trump White House, they relied on single testing, rapid testing. Its like we did not learn a lesson.

The White House Correspondents Association said that their event implemented all protocols and went beyond any guidance or regulation issued by CDC, or the DC health department.

I think what hes saying is that requiring people to test before they come in and for those people who were in direct contact with Biden. By requiring that they have a medically supervised test shortly before the event is more than is required, recommended by the CDC, said Dr Milton.

Testing is good, but its not perfect, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.You remember the Trump White House, they relied on single testing, rapid testing. Its like we did not learn a lesson, he shared his frustration. He added, In the Trump White House in the October 2020 outbreak, they relied on one rapid test. If youre negative, you get to meet the President. And theyre using the same logic here, at the WHCA dinner. If you have a negative test, you get to hang out with the President at the WH Correspondents dinner. We obviously have boosters now but also, the virus is much more infectious now than ever before. Altogether, its still very risky.

Putting people in a room where they are re-breathing over two thousand other peoples breath, in the high carbon dioxide (CO2) high environment, according to Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding was a risky situation.

Indoor CO2 concentrations do not provide an overall indication of indoor air quality, but they can be a useful tool in assessing ventilation rates ( i.e. outdoor air). In the absence of other mitigation measures such as filtration and UV lights, indoor CO2 concentrations could be used as a marker for risk of respiratory virus transmission. CO2 can actually calculate the re-breathing exactly, explained Dr. Feigl-Ding.

A volunteer from the Naltic Industrials came to the WHCA dinnerwith one CO2 sensor. At 8:40 PM the CO? levels were at 2063 parts per million (PPM). Those indicators, according to Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, were for sure a sign of poor ventilation at the WHCA dinner.

The average was 1800 PPM, 1900 PPM. Then they had some higher peaks, but still pretty bad, he said.

The ultraviolet light is a technology where if you cant get the fresh air through the air you get fresh air equivalent, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding. If you cannot deliver fresh air, you must deliver at least disinfected air. And so between the two solutions, you should have to meet the ASHRAE equivalence guidelines, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding explained.

Even if the space was compliant, ASHRAE ventilation standard is a minimum standard and does not cover pandemic mode.

According to Dr. Marwa Zaatari, Voting member of ASHRAE Standard 62.1 and a member of the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force, The CO2 levels measured in the space are higher than levels expected if the space were to be compliant to ASHRAE Ventilation Standard. Even if the space was compliant, ASHRAE ventilation standard is a minimum standard and does not cover pandemic mode.

I think the public should be more aware, said Dr. Prather. I would have hoped, you know, for the White House Correspondents dinner, that Dr. Fauci potentially could have been involved. My dream would have been that they made that a statement. Not Okay, we are ready to get our lives back, rip off our masks and well all catch it. That should not have been the message. The message should have been: There is a way to have dinner in a safe way. And we could put CO2 sensors out. There are things we could have done, we could have cleaned the air, we could have put filters. I have written to the White House and said put these filtrations out, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box , or HEPAs, whatever you want to put. Put those around. I asked them to put them on Joe Bidens desk, she said.

There are ways that you can filter the virus from the air and have clean air and then people can remove their masks. Pushing for removal of masks, without cleaning indoor air is not okay. Thats not the order you should get it, Dr. Prather explained.

I have written to the White House and said put these filtrations out, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box, or HEPAs, whatever you want to put. Put those around. I asked them to put them on Joe Bidens desk.

Everybody wants to take their masks off. Everybody wants their lives back, but with clean indoor air, using the ways that you can do it. You filter out the air, you clean the air, you ventilate, you bring in the fresh air. There are so many ways to protect people. And, you know, its not out there. Its not out there in the way that it could or should be. And that is, you know, incredibly frustrating after, what, two and a half years.

While one of the arguments for partygoers was that the dinner was voluntary, some news network employees who spoke on condition of anonymity said that they felt peer pressure to attend.

But you know who didnt volunteer to be there?, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding. The waiters and waitresses.

According to the Hilton PR with whom The Pavlovic Today spoke, catering staff were required by WHCA to be masked, but further specification as to mask type, whether staff should wear a cloth mask, now deprecated by the CDC,or the superior N95, was absent. Most people in the room were unmasked. So that would make a minimal difference, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.

While WHCA did focus on rigorous same-day testing and vaccine requirements, people still got infected with COVID. Secretary Blinken, VOAs Steve Herman, ABCs Jonathan Karl, and many others partygoers who did not come forward.

ABCs Jonathan Karl, went through same-day medically-supervised testing. Throughout the dinner he was sitting in the audience at the ABC table next to Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. Announced as the winner of Excellence in Presidential Coverage Under Deadline Pressure award, ABCs veteran reporter left the table and went up on the stage to receive the prize. Before addressing the audience from the podium, he shook hands with President Biden.

I dont even know that many reporters who went to WHCA dinner and I can already count enough for two hands.

On Monday, two days after the dinner, Jonathan Karl publicly announced he tested positive for COVID-19. What was the risk of infecting the President of the United States?

Jonathan Karl may not have given it to Biden, because Jonathan Karl may have gotten it from someone at his table, so he could have just been affected. So, if Jonathan Karl was just infected, he wouldnt be infectious to Biden immediately. So it doesnt imply that Biden is immediately infected, said Eric Feigl-Ding. But its so risky, Dr. Feigl-Ding explained, because hes close contact with someone. This room is very risky. Biden was more elevated on stage and separated from other people. But still, its too incredibly risky.

George Cheek, the president and chief executive of CBS who sat next to Biden on stage, also tested positive days after the dinner.

From top TV network executives to the White House correspondents to many other guests of the guests, the COVID virus did not discriminate. Every news network has been hit with COVID, so many reporters across the networks got infected, why is no one tabulating? If journalism is the Fourth Estate overseeing political power, who watches the watchers?

I dont even know that many reporters who went to WHCA dinner and I can already count enough for two hands, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.

If the WHCA dinner, including all the pre and post partygoers were to help science, so humanity could really learn from this, the networks should provide the data and research could have been done to inform the fight against the pandemic.

Dr. Milton invited WHCA goers who tested positive to contribute to science by coming to the University of Maryland School of Public Health to breathe into the Gesundheit-II so they can measure virus in breath with and without N95 mask. Gesundheit-II is a device Dr.Milton developed with colleagues at Harvard School of Public Health about 15 years ago to study viruses and peoples breath. I invited people who might have gotten infected at dinner to come out to the University of Maryland, College Park, and contribute to science by letting us measure how much viruses are in there, said Dr. Milton.

So how many people who attended WHCA dinner responded?, I asked.

Not very many, Dr. Milton was honest. We can test several people, two or three people a day. We did not exceed our testing capacity.

In science, we trust, says the media. People inside the Washington media fishbowl and political in-crowd should let the fresh air and the new ideas in.

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The Covid Roulette: The Hard Truth And Lessons To Be Learned About The WHCA Dinner - The Pavlovic Today

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