Time Is a Thief: The Disappearing Thief of Las Vegas

REBLOG> Time Is a Thief: The Disappearing Thief of Las Vegas:
Amenda Steels' Original Blog

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Unsolved Crime

Gambling Tales had a good collection of gambling stories. All the tales - such as, gambling addiction, violence in the casino, crimes against gambling outlets - were not mysterious. They were reported cases in which lawbreakers were brought to justice. This story about stealing from the casino published by 8 News Now on 27 Sep 2014 had an uncanny twist. It took place at the Stardust Hotel and Casino 22 years ago and the whereabouts of the thief remains unknown today.

Bill Brennan

The thief was an employee of the casino named Bill Brennan. He worked for the casino as a sports book cashier. After being on the job for four years he decided it was time to leave. On Sep 22, 1992 Brennan simply walked away with $507,361 in cash and chips in the morning. He did not use force or violence. "It appears he left the casino without being filmed by the surveillance cameras," Metro Police Lt. Joe Greenwood said in an interview in 1992.

Brennan's Character

Race and sports writer for "Gaming Today," Richard Saber said, "He was basically a total complete loner. He lived alone with his cat." Saber was former sports book manager at the Stardust when Brennan worked there. Judy Pope, manager of Brennan's apartment said during a 1992 interview that he was "just a nice kid, that's all." When police got to the apartment, Brennan and his cat was long gone. "They never found a trace of Bill Brennan anywhere. Never a trace," Saber said.

Bad Company

Hanging around with the wrong company could be the reason this "nice kid" undergone a change of character. Brennan was known to be hanging out with a big bettor. "This was a bettor that we didn't trust. He was a shady character. He disappeared from the face of the earth too just a few months after Bill had gone," Saber said. Scotty Schettler, who hired Brennan during the boom years, said, "He got influenced by outside sources, and his attitude changed, and he wanted desperately to be a supervisor, but with his change in attitude, I couldn't put him in charge of all that money."

Tracking Brennan

Being on the FBI's most wanted fugitive list never turned up leads. Authorities said they never saw any sign of Brennan show up in his native Pennsylvania. Metro Police Sgt. John Sheahan said if new leads come in this cold case could be reopened. Perhaps after 22 years someone knows something and Crime Stoppers is taking tips. "Nowadays, we're able to track someone with their cell phone down to within feet of where they're standing," Sheahan said.

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My Comments

This guy knows how to keep a low profile. That's is why it is hard to trace him.

Filling Bottles: Miley Cyrus Danced Topless in Tiger Mask at Alexan...

REBLOG> Filling Bottles: Miley Cyrus Danced Topless in Tiger Mask at Alexander Wang
Sue Daji's Original Blog

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From Princess to Queen

Miley Cyrus desire to shed her teenage Disney image increases as her hemlines decreases. This is her formula to move from Disney princess to crop-top queen. She attended Alexander Wang’s Fashion Week after-parties with the intention to steal the show. She skipped a shirt in favor of tasseled pasties resembling sparkly ice-cream cones, which she paired with pill-covered cat-eye sunglasses.

Tiger Mask

Once inside the Bushwick for a thumping warehouse dance fest she got really cozy with Alexander Wang. Pole-dancing topless in tiger mask, she stole the show NY Mag reported on 7 Sep 2014.

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My Comments

I guess being a Disney princess is not appealing anymore. Goody two shoes are not always the most popular people in school anyway.

Light and Easy Talk: Casino Regulators Ruled Unshuffled Cards in Mini-b...

REBLOG> Light and Easy Talk: Casino Regulators Ruled Unshuffled Cards in Mini-baccarat Legal:
Veronica Glowsome's Original Blog

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Golden Nugget Casino

An unshuffled card game for mini-baccarat at the Golden Nugget Atlantic City on 30 April 2012 was ruled illegal under state casino rules because the cards had been unshuffled. Superior Court judge James Isman had vindicated the Golden Nugget in his ruling on 14 June 2014. It should be noted that the New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement fined the casino for the unshuffled cards.

The Incident

Gamblers capitalized on the unshuffled cards by increasing their bets from $10 to $5,000 per hand after seeing the same sequence of cards being dealt over and over again. Gamblers rode on a forty-one consecutive winning streak on this day. They were surrounded by casino security that was eager to find evidence to show that they were cheating. The security personnel was unable to spot the unshuffled cards because they were all focused on the wrong thing.

New Jersey's Consistency

The New Jersey casino regulators recently ruled that the game in which gamblers won $1.5 million did not violate any rules or laws, the Associated Press reported on 24 Sep 2014. The consistency with the New Jersey casino regulators and the Division of Gaming Enforcement should be applauded.

Timely Ruling

The call by the New Jersey case had been timely as the case had been reinstated the CBS Philly reported on 4 Sep 2014. Isman recently retired and a different judge granted a motion to reconsider the decision. Judge Allen Littlefield said that the gamblers can continue the discovery process and argue their case at trial this fall.

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My Comments

Judge Littlefield saw Isman's prejudice toward the casino and he aims to set things right.

Carpe Diem: Seize the Day: States Use Gambling to Save Economy

REBLOG> Carpe Diem: Seize the Day: States Use Gambling to Save Economy:
Phil Andows' Original Blog

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Gambling Addiction

Policymakers in USA is starting to see gambling as a panacea to be the cure for all economic ills but gambling addiction it the ugly side of the coin. USA Today is in the view that gambling states are addicted to easy money in its report dated 25 Sep 2014. The Editorial Board cited New Jersey are the prime example of the worst offenders in the world of gambling. "They are both addicts and pushers. They throw temper tantrums and upset settled policy when their fix of gambling revenue runs low."

Save the Economy

New Jersey began offering online gambling last year to bring in more tax revenue as Atlantic City casino revenue took a sharp dive. Since the revenue from the online gambling was not much of a help, the state will come up with more gambling products. Governor Chris Christie has given the green light for casinos and racetracks to offer sports betting. A federal judge will hear Christie's argument on Oct 6 as a 1992 federal law banned the practice in all but four states where it previously existed.

Gambling Expanded Widely

The good days are gone. Christie can't expect gambling to be the savior. New Jersey is no longer the gambling mecca of the East Coast. Adjoining states - Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware - have all opened casinos recently. As of 2012, America had 513 state-licensed casinos, plus 466 on tribal lands. With more players, it is obviously going to be less share for the same pie.

Gambling Destroys Lives

There is a deadly social cost for gambling. Compulsive gambling habits from 1% to 2% of gamblers are known to destroy lives. People lose their jobs, families and self-confidence due to heavy losses. A study done by Baylor University in 2011 estimated the cost of gambling ill at $9,393 per compulsive gambler per year. The state should explore alternatives instead of always relying on gambling to bail them out.

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Veronica Glowsome Commented

It is like a gambit in chess. A small piece is sacrificed to gain advantage. The gambit here is 1% to 2% of gamblers who will turn into rotten gamblers.

My Comments

Lobbying for a small minority usually isn't very effective.

Anything Under the Sun: China Corruption Blitz Hits Macau Junkets

REBLOG> Anything Under the Sun: China Corruption Blitz Hits Macau Junkets:
SavySeph's Original Blog

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Laundering Money

Rotten gamblers, especially the whale bettors, could be mistaken for money laundering. This may be the assumption of Chinese President, Xi Jinpin. His crackdown on corrupt officials and tycoons is starting to drain China. This almost 2 years blitz had caused the sale of luxury good to dwindle and the VIP rooms at Macau casinos to slow down. It had driven rotten gamblers to other gambling destinations. This is like sending away the goose that laid the golden egg to your fellow neighbors. The claim of coming by a windfall from the casino is not that easy to justify with the generous amount of surveillance camera covering the casino. Coming up with the bankroll to make the amass the extraordinary win would be a great question mark.

Macau's Casino Junket Squeeze

The prolonged crackdown is now starting to squeeze the junkets in Macau. As the Chinese economy dragged its feet, the whale gamblers shy away. In Macau, whale gamblers will punt HK$1 million without second thoughts. Junkets who lend them money and settle their debts are not longer as flexible as debt recovery is not as easy. Authorities are digging junkets for information on Junkets are had left the industry. Chinese officials suspected of corruption who may be laundering money through Macau. The pressure is too much that, "I can't sleep at night. There are just too many problems," said one 54-year-old junket operator who didn't want to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. "I'm not optimistic for the future of the VIP junket industry here." Of Macau's 220 licensed junket firms, at least 15 have shut up shop in the big casinos this year the Reuters reported on 24 Sep 2014.

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My Comments

As an intermediary, junkets have to pay up their client debt. It is not an easy business but some managed to become public listed according to the Reuters article here. Debt management is vital for their success.

Alcohol Ban at Stratford Supercasino

Violence at Gambling Outlets

I will update Gambling Tales Facebook and Google Plus Page with this article on Violence at Gambling Outlets. Alcohol never ceases to cause trouble for Aspers Casino in Westfield Stratford City. Since they have so much trouble handling their drinks, it had been taken away from them.

Alcohol Ban

A recent news dated 23 Sep 2014 from the Newham Recorder the Supercasino has had its alcohol license revoked by Newham Council after security staff allegedly "beat up" a punter. A Newham Council spokesperson said: "The decision was made in view of the seriousness of the incident and the police and licensing sub-committee’s concerns about the casino’s ability to prevent crime and disorder. The suspension will remain in force until a full licensing review hearing." Aspers Casino will not be able to serve alcohol or food from 23:00 to 05:00.

The Incident

The incident took place on Saturday night of 20 September. CCTV footage of the assault on the customer by a security staff showed that the customer sustained "severe injury". The involvement of alcohol in the attack was not mentioned by the press. Aspers Casino did not comment on the incident.

Banning Use of Glasses

Two week ago the casino was banned from using glasses to serve drinks and the casino resorted to using plastic cups. This was following two serve cases of glassing. One resulted in an inch long cut to the victim’s head which required gluing. In the other case, the glass used to commit the crime was thrown away by casino staff, leading to the loss of vital evidence (see Newham Recorder's report on 9 September).

Light and Easy Talk: Funny and Confusing City Signs

REBLOG>Light and Easy Talk: Funny and Confusing City Signs:
Veronica Glowsome's Original Blog

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City Signs are Fun

Guardian Cities asked readers to share photos of the most silly, confusing and dangerous signs. They posted the good ones on GuardianWitness. I have commented on some of the photos.

1) You will be the big garbage dump when that happens.


2) Berlin loves this park so much that they wanted everybody to know it!


3) I wondered about the source of the water.


4) They made one sign for the cats but these stray cats can't read.


5) This sign was intended for the police.


6) Tennis on this court is played without balls.


7) Car park with a penalty for parking: make up your mind!


8) Two linguistically independent ways to Brussels.


9) On this planet the pedestrians drive.


10) This must be the place for stress relieve.


11) Sign in a cave near Valletta, Malta.


12) Recyclables in the small bin. Dog heads in the big bin. Sign in Milford, Connecticut, USA.


13) The plants may catch you.


14) Carrying reptiles must be a common thing on this street.


15) A slightly puzzling street sign in Luxembourg.


16) This was painted on a road on the East Coast, Australia.

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My Comments

If I was a kid, picture (13) about moving plants will freak me out.

Pest in Midst: Laggard to the Casino Industry

REBLOG> Pest in Midst: Laggard to the Casino Industry:
XingCai's Original Blog

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Casino Industry in Asia

Singapore is considered a laggard to the casino industry in comparison to her neighbor, Malaysia. To make up for being half-a-century late Singapore decided to have two casinos. Other Asian countries - Vietnam, Korea, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Japan - are joining the bandwagon to intensify the fight for gamblers patronage. Like good foodies, gamblers will travel the extra mile for a wager.

The Singaporean Stunted Growth

Macquarie, a leading financial services provider in Australia, "think the Singapore gaming market cannot grow." They noted that the gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the nation had plateau around $6 billion a year since 2011. "After three big years, tourist arrivals in Singapore have started to decline (down 3 percent year-to-July) and most importantly, Chinese visitors who form more than 50 percent of Singapore VIP volume have fallen by 29 percent year-to-date," Macquarie said. VIP volumes make up around 80 percent of the city-state's total gaming volume, it said [CNBC 23 Sep 2014].

Singaporean Senseless Optimism

Carey Wong, an analyst at OCBC, is optimistic about the situation. He sees the drop in overseas visitors to be temporary as it is partly due to China's economic slowdown and corruption crackdown. He said, "Once things die down, we'll see the return of these high rollers," he said. "From an Asian perspective, Asians will gamble regardless of good times or bad. It's different from a Western perspective, where gaming is more for leisure." Wong does not seem to make much sense when he claimed that economic slowdown was the cause of decline in Chinese visitors yet advocating that bad times will not stop Asian gamblers. Singapore's strong currency and lack of tourist attraction in their tiny island is more likely the cause for their failure to attract foreigners.

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My Comments

I think Chinese will still go to Singapore due to easy communication. Singaporeans can speak Mandarin fluently. Now that they had gone to other places the pee wee island would not appeal much to the family that tagged along.

Carpe Diem: Seize the Day: Sex Change Surgery in the 18th-Century

REBLOG> Carpe Diem: Seize the Day: Sex Change Surgery in the 18th-Century:
Phil Andows' Original Blog

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Hermaphrodites

Hermaphrodites is the biological term for an organism that has reproductive organs of both male and female sexes. Hermaphroditic plants are called monoecious, or bisexual. Hermaphroditic animals are mostly invertebrates and usually parasitic or slow-moving like snails. In humans, hermaphroditism is an extremely rare sex anomaly. A true hermaphrodite is an individual who has both ovarian and testicular tissue [Encyclopædia Britannica]. Today we have a rich knowledge on the subject but back in 1997 it was a different scenario.

Thomas Brand's Report

A 7-year-old girl came to the Soho Square Dispensary for the Relief of the Infant Poor with her parents for treatment. The doctors' opinions differs. The first doctor's opinion was hernia but the second doctor's opinion was hermaphrodites. This case was documented as "the case of a boy who had been mistaken for a girl; with three anatomical views of the parts, before and after the operation and cure." The paper was sitting in the college's rare books library in the University of Kansas. In the early 2000s, Carol Warren — then a professor of sociology of the university — stumbled upon the report.

Thomas Brand's Surgery

According to Brand's report, published in 1787, he noticed an "irregularity" in the patient’s "external parts." After further examination, he concluded that the child’s "part, which had the appearance of the labia pudenda, was in fact the scrotum," and suggested an "operation to free the penis from its confinement." He went ahead and made some alterations, enabling the child—whose name is unknown—"to urinate standing up, wear trousers, and enjoy the privileges of being a male." Brand, who practiced at the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, was "not a quack," according to Mary Fissell, a professor of the History of Medicine at Johns Hopkins [Alice Robb, New Republic]. This may be may describe one of the earliest instances of sex-change surgery. For Dr Brand he actually corrected the child's gender. Was it possible for Dr Brand to correct the child sex to female?

Gender Roles

The child that Dr Brand operated was a girl for the first 7 years of her life. After having his penis freed from its confinements, this child led a life of a boy and goes into manhood. It show that gender roles can be trained or taught. In am curious about the initial gender adjustment period that this child went through.

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My Comments

It not easy to tell your friends, "I am a boy now".

Seeking Enlightenment: Sugar Babies Meets Sugar Dadies at Seeking Arrange...

REBLOG> Seeking Enlightenment: Sugar Babies Meets Sugar Daddies at Seeking Arrange...:
Sophia Logica's Original Blog

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Internet Prostitution

Sugar Babies goes to Seeking Arrangement to meet Sugar Daddies. Seeking Arrangement is a website that brokers the meeting of pretty young women with rich older men under the guise of providing social escort services. Tammy Castle, a professor at James Madison University, said "[The administrators of the Seeking Arrangement] are trying to avoid the negative stigma of prostitution by advertising this as just another dating website, but money is exchanged for arrangements that may include sex," the Atlantic reported on 19 Sep 2014.

In High Demand

As in the case with any search engine, the most important part is to be listed on top of the page. Men with annual incomes of over $5 or $10 million get the most attention. The site encourages women in higher learning institution. If women register with a ".edu" email account, they receive a free premium membership, something the guys have to shell out as much as $1,200 for.

The Ideal Product

Some men use the site entirely for sexual services. Most of them wanted sex and something else. They want a companion who understands and appears interested in what they have to say. A suitable mate to tag along for business trips or company events, and even meet their friends. Most importantly, they want someone who will help them pretend that the relationship is not a transaction.

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My Comments

Money feeds the stomach. Conscience has an intangible value.

Pest in Midst: Bolivian Catholic Witchdoctors

REBLOG> Pest in Midst: Bolivian Catholic Witchdoctors:
XingCai's Original Blog

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The Aymara Communities

The CNN, 17 Sep 2014 reported about the parallel between Bolivian-witchdoctor and Catholics. The findings were taken from Raphaël Verona's new photography book. Verona is a Swiss photographer who lived among the traditional Aymara communities. The Aymara is an ancient indigenous race found in Bolivia, Peru and Chile. They live in the Altiplano plateau, the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet. The plateau lies within Bolivian and Peruvian territory while its southern parts lie in Chile and Argentina. In this region people believe in magic.

Pachamama or Earth Mother

Pachamama is their goddess of fertility. She presides over planting and harvesting and can cause earthquakes. She is typically depicted in the form of a dragon. She is an omnipresent and commands an independent deity who has creative power to sustain life on this earth. In their conversion conquest regime, the Spaniards tried to use the Virgin Mary as Pachamama's substitute but the concept did not go well with the Peruvian. Mary's role as an intercessor could never equate with the independent power of Pachamama. As a result the Virgin Mary is a separate deity on its own

Supai

Supai is the god of death and the underworld. Supay is associated with miners' rituals. He is described as having horns and a scarlet face. Spaniards tried to equate his with the devil but it did not work. The Aymara do not fear Supai but believe in getting on his good side to be spared from harm. Supai is a reflection of power which can be used for good or evil. Satan, unlike Mary did not fit into the bill, was not included as a deity.

Hybrid Faith

Catholic gods were added into the Aymara pantheon due to their ability to accept the existence of spiritual beings. Christian rituals were easily added to traditional beliefs to arrive at a hybrid faith. "The Aymara people have an approach to life that seems paradoxical from the outside," says Verona. "In Europe you are either one religion or another, either traditional or modern. But in Bolivia people live with both Catholicism and animism, both in modernity and in their ancestral traditions. They visit the Yatiri, the priest, to pay homage to deities or give prophesies when they are applying for visas, or for assistance in businesses matters."

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My Comments

This hybrid religion is fascinating.

Pest in Midst: Women of West Point

REBLOG> Pest in Midst: Women of West Point:
XingCai's Original Blog

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Brave Heart

The heart of a hero is the essence that drive a person to join the jihadis or serve the army. For women jihadis, "potential recruits are told their main role in the Islamic revolution will be through matrimony and childbearing, not martyrdom," [Daily Beast, 3 Sep 2014]. In contrast the American military will be opening combat positions to qualifying women by 2016.

Admission of Women

Since West Point opened its doors to women in 1976, there had been some women with outstanding achievements. Lindsey Danilack was the the top cadet at West Point, Class of 2014. She was not the first women to hold this position but the fourth. This article on New York Time Magazine takes a peek into the aspiration of the Women at West Point.

Leadership

Women had long been in position of leadership in both political and commercial arena. “If someone tells me I can’t run as fast as the guys running the two-mile, I say, ‘You’re right.’ ... But if they say that I can’t be as good a leader as them, oh, I’ll challenge them on that,” Danilack said.

Physical Fights

According to biologically, males are suppose to be stronger than women so I had always wonder about a physical fight between the genders. This was answered by Cadet Oriana Ellis. She said, “I always came in here with the mind-set that anything a guy could do, I could do. . . . I never really got the mental check until combative, when I had to fight a guy that was the same weight as me, and my M.C.L. was sprained within the first couple seconds, because I didn’t realize that guys were actually more dense than girls.”

Expressing Affection

As much as woman strive for equality, the law of nature that the opposite attracts could not be ignored. Here is a glimpse on romantic life at West point. “When you go into someone’s room, you have to leave the door open because you’re always being monitored. It’s hard to ‘cadate.’ There’s no hand-holding, no affection and no getting away. . . . West Point does discourage dating in the same company,” Alexandra Efaw said.

Bonding

Bonding is paramount for the military. Without esprit de corps any military group will breakdown. “What I like most about West Point is the relationships you make here because of what you go through and how stressful it is. A week is like a month in real life. . . . We have this unique experience that we’re all sharing with each other, which is why a lot of the people get engaged and married at West Point. And they might not even be dating for a year,” Anastasia Efaw said.

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My Comments

Bravo to the efforts made by the Women of West Point. Heck, I am not even good enough for West Point.

Filling Bottles: Gamblers Go to Vegas to Avoid Macau Corruption Bli...

REBLOG> Filling Bottles: Gamblers Go to Vegas to Avoid Macau Corruption Blitz:
Sue DaJi's Original Blog

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Nations Bow to Gambling

Gambling Tales claims that banning casinos would cause black market to flourish or drive gamblers to casinos in a neighboring country in the article "Nations Bows to Gambling". On Chinese soil, gambling is legal only legal in Macau but China would not sanction their own citizen gambling on their soil. Corruption blitz had been carried out at Macau to rid the activity on their sovereignty.

Corruption Crackdown Affected Gambling and Luxury Malls

SavySeph's blog on Tumblr covered the news on the Chinese anti-corruption crackdown of gambling in Macau and shopping outlets specialized in luxury good in Hong Kong to rid the stench of corruption from the land. Here is a reblog of SavySeph.

Reblog Savy Seph

Beijing’s intensifying crackdown on corruption is hitting the VIP rooms at Macau casinos and luxury shopping malls in Hong Kong hard, the Wall Street Journal reported on 1 Aug 2014. “This anticorruption crackdown in China is much more widespread and deeper than the VIP community had anticipated and as a result there could be prolonged weakness in the market,” said Union Gaming Research analyst Grant Govertsen.

Sales of luxury goods fell by nearly a third in the second quarter, including a 40% decline in April. With Beijing monitoring conspicuous consumption and capital flight closely, it would not be kool to be seen buying diamond-encrusted watches or punting millions at a baccarat game.

A New Playground

XingCai a tumblr user commented that these Chinese gamblers will find a new play ground soon. I have just found the news about their new playground as reported by Sidney Morning Herald on 17 Sep 2014. Junket operators, which organise casino trips for wealthy Chinese VIPs, are bringing those gamblers to other locations such as Australia, Europe or the US, according to Credit Suisse analysts Kenneth Fong and Isis Wong.

Viva Las Vegas

Casinos' revenue on the Las Vegas Strip has increased 3.7 per cent to $US3.7 billion ($4.1 billion) in the year to end-July, driven mainly by a 14.4 per cent jump in baccarat revenue, according to Robert Shore, a Las Vegas-based analyst at Union Gaming Group. This indicates "an inverse correlation" with the weaker performance from high rollers in Macau, he said in an e-mail. "Las Vegas is a brand that is clearly world-renowned and that people continuously want to come to," Dan D'Arrigo, Chief Financial Officer of MGM, said via telephone when asked about Chinese gamblers.

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My Comments

I was wondering went these Chinese will find a new playground.

Light and Easy Talk: Man Commits Suicide after Ramming Truck into Casin...

REBLOG> Light and Easy Talk: Man Commits Suicide after Ramming Truck into Casin...:
Sophia Logica's Original Blog

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Suicide Attempts

Ryan Brown ramped a pickup through the glass front doors of the Stratosphere Casino on Sep 10, a Las Vegas police arrest report showed. The 40-year-old electrician was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving and possession and use of cocaine, the Reuters reported on 19 Sep 2014. Brown was released without restrictions after prosecutors failed to file criminal charges on 15 Sep. Toxicology reports were required to pursue charges and the judge set a status hearing in October. On 18 Sep Brown was found dead at the Rio All-Suite Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. The Clark County coroner’s office reported that Brown died of asphyxia and hanging, police spokesman Larry Hadfield said. According to arrest report, Brown was fired due to a domestic dispute with his wife. He told the police in a drug-fueled diatribe that he had been on cocaine and speed for six days and had smoked crack about two hours before deliberately crashing into the casino. Brown said, “He intended to run up to the top of the Stratosphere and jump off.

Doubtful Released

Brown was preoccupied with Suicide. He thought of jumping off the Stratosphere Casino but ended up crashing into it instead. He contemplated on an idea that would hurt himself but performed an act that could hurt others. “Darren Richards, assistant Clark County public defender, whose office was not involved in the case said, “I don’t know what the District Attorney was thinking, why they didn’t file some charges against someone who had been caught driving through the lobby of a casino.” The Clark County District Attorney’s Office, which provided the arrest report, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Brown’s release. “It is not against the law to be mentally ill,” Hadfield said when asked why Brown was not arrested after his release.

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Veronica Glowsome's

Gambling Tales had a good collection of gambling stories. This is good stuff for the Bizarre Section. My guess is he blown a fortune, quarrel with his wife, felt miserable and thought of suicide.

My Comments

Another typical rotten gambler story. In Malaysia there are plenty of stories of people committing suicide at Genting casino.

Jack of All Trades: Ben Affleck Admits Counting Cards in Casinos

REBLOG> Jack of All Trades: Ben Affleck Admits Counting Cards in Casinos:
Jack Omnitrade's Original Blog

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Advantage Players

Savy Seph gave a good explanation of advantage players. "The advantage players have an edge over the house given that they tend to win more than they lose. While cheating at casinos is a criminal activity, advantage players use legitimate means to beat the house. Since they play by the rules, they deserve to pocket their winnings. The casinos may frown on the advantage players but they are not able to use legal means to throw advantage players in jail. This shows that the law recognizes advantage players to be a different kettle of fish from the unethical cheaters." Card counting, a form of advantage play, was used by Ben Affleck at the Hard Rock Casino in Vegas to win $800,000 in May 2014.

Ben Affleck Admits

Sky News had a few interesting quotes from Affleck in their 18 Sep 2014 article. "That is a true story. I mean, that took place. I took some time to learn the game and became a decent blackjack player," he said. "And once I became decent, the casinos asked me not to play blackjack. I mean, the fact that being good at the game is against the rules at the casinos should tell you something about casinos."

Casino as a Sore Loser

Blackjack is the only casino game that is vulnerable to a good system. The casino is a sore loser and they will reject your patronage. "They don't even want you to have a sporting chance, really. There's a lot of hospitality, backslapping, when they think you're gonna come in and dump money, and if they think you might leave with some money, it's like, 'You know what? Why don't you try craps or roulette?'."

Dispelling Rumors

Affleck dispelled the rumors surrounding his visit to the Hard Rock Casino in May. With respect to being kicked out of the premises he said, "I wish I could say they were afraid of me in every capacity, but they only said, 'No blackjack'. That would be awesome [if they threw me out]. 'Get him outta here! He's a magician!' Unfortunately, they just came up and said: 'We can't let you play blackjack. But we have other table games. We have Chinese poker'." Affleck also rejects reports that his blackjack playing was affecting his marriage to actress Jennifer Garner.

My Comments

SavySeph is a good guide on gambling topics.

Americans' Waistlines Are Growing Ever Larger

I came across an interesting article citylab.com. It points to some recent on studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others. The key data is tabulated in the picture below.

The American waistline averaged at 37.6 in 1999 and 2000. It bulged to 38.8 inches by 2011 and 2012. The medical definition of abdominal obesity for men is at 40.2 inches (102 cm) and 34.6 inches (89 cm) for women. The study involved 33,000 U.S. adults. Its shows 54 percent of Americans being abdominal obesity compared to 8 percent since the start of the millennium. Almost 65 percent of females today have abdominal obesity while males recorded about 44 percent.

The authors conclude that, "the reasons for increases in waist circumference in excess of what would be expected from changes in BMI remain speculative, but several factors, including sleep deprivation, endocrine disruptors, and certain medications, have been proposed as potential explanations."

Anything Under the Sun: Ohio Approves Preshuffled-cards

Anything Under the Sun: Ohio Approves Preshuffled-cards:
SavySeph's Original Blog

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Green Light for Pre-shuffled Cards

Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) has approved the use of pre-shuffled cards in the state's casinos. It made me reflect on the unshuffled cards causing a casino millions and Brogata accusing Phil Ivey for collaborating with the card manufacturer to mark cards to be used in play. While the unshuffled card at Golden Nugget Atlantic City may be a one in a lifetime affair, Brogata's wild accusation could possibility become a regular affair with this new regulation.

Casinos Wants Red-tape Cut

Dealers would spread out all 312 cards in the six-deck stacks to carefully inspect before use. "It can take 30 minutes to get the first table going and up to 90 minutes to get all six tables going," said Tosha Tousant, Horseshoe Cleveland’s director of table games. With such procedure to ensure fairness, casinos need to cut down the red tape as the Horseshoe Cleveland uses a total of 16,000 decks a month. Hollywood Casino uses about 20,000 decks a month, the Columbus Dispatch reported on 16 Sep 2014.

Protecting the Integrity of the Games

For Matthew Schuler, executive director of OCCC, the integrity of the games would be his main concern. He was skeptical when Ohio casino executives requested permission to use pre-shuffled decks. He sent his staff to inspect the United States Playing Card Co. in Erlanger, Kentucky. He was convinced as cards were shuffled so thoroughly and randomly that there’s no way for dealers or players to know what card will come up next. The company became the only card manufacturer the OCCC has approved to supply pre-shuffled cards. The application of other card factory are being processed, Schuler said.

United States Playing Card Co

United States Playing Card Co is equipped with a fully automated production line. "We load sheets of printed decks at the front of the production line. They are cut and then shuffled automatically by our approved equipment, and then we load finished and secured, pre-shuffled cartons of cards into a shipping carton," said company spokesman Scott Madding.

Human Intervention

Schuler's investigation was based on the machines ability and credibility. The machine can mechanically and methodically shuffle the cards thoroughly and randomly but the aspect of human intervention is not considered. For the right price a motivated individual will make the necessary alteration to the advantage of any players who will pay the price. Schuler made no remarks on the security procedures of the factory that monitor the intervention of these motivated individuals.

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My Comments

The commissioner need to ensure there are tighter controls at the card factory for better security but How good would the security be when bribing a staff to edge sort the entire shipment is all about price?

Anything Under the Sun: Watchdog to Named and Shamed Bookies

REBLOG Anything Under the Sun: Watchdog to Named and Shamed Bookies:
SavySeph's Original Blog

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Saving the Gaming Industry

Bookies who break promises on advertising will be “name and shame” by a new watchdog. This watchdog should also penalize those who admit minors. This ruling is often violated and never taken seriously. The four biggest bookmakers in Britain pledged to set up an independent body to safeguard against any further heavy-handed clampdown on the gambling sector.

Exposing some Scapegoats

Big industry players - Gala Coral, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and William Hill - came up with this self-policing measures to save their own hides. They want to toss the little guys out of the game so that they can glorify themselves. Humiliating a few small players to save the industry is a good strategy. In view of the increasing political and public pressure, particularly over the controversial “crack cocaine” gaming machines, a few scape goats would be sufficient to pacify public rage.

Independent Policing

This independent body is scheduled to be up and running in January with “multi-million pound” budget funded by the big four bookies. The promise of independent comes with an independent “standards commissioner”. The commissioner will adhere to the “Nolan Principles” - a set of standards for those working in public office - the Telegraph reported on 14 Sep 2014.

Responsible Gambling

Promoting responsible gambling is another feature of the voluntary measures of the new independent body. All advertising for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBT) or any electronic casino games described by campaigners as the “crack cocaine” of gambling, will be removed. Responsible gambling messages will comprise 20% of advertising in betting shop windows.

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My Comments

Many gambling operators claims they support responsible gambling due to public pressure. They are not committed to promoting it. XingCai's Gambling Tales had more stories on this issue.

Jack of All Trades: Stewardess Squatting to Serve Criticized

Jack of All Trades: Stewardess Squatting to Serve Criticized:

The Service Industry

Airlines in China training their stewardess to squat while they serve reported by the Yangcheng Evening News, 13 Sep 2014 had been heavily criticized (see translated version in eNews163). The rationale behind the squat is for the personal touch of seeing the passengers at eye level. In the service industry, coddling the customers goes a long way. Businesses had to be innovative to beat the competition to survive in the keen competition in the service industry.

Sultry Display

Air stewardesses are selected for their beauty so the assumption that they possess a lanky figure would be reasonable. Squatting with their shoulders square to the target, would expose their slender legs if skirts are worn. Protrusion of the breasts would be unavoidable if they need to maintain good posture. These factors would put them in a suggestive posture if the angle is right. With such controversies being thrown on this policy the regular folk would not be comfortable receiving such services.

Other Options

Kneeling would be the next option for the stewardess to be on the same eye level with the passenger. Thighs are not exposed but there are other issues with it. Prostrating before your deity is an acceptable behavior that is universal to all cultures. Only a conceited lunatic, like the monarch, would demand it from another member of the human race. The days of the emperor are long gone from China and making someone kneel to serve is humiliating. People would only go down on their knees when they are in a desperate need to beg for something.

Dignity or Humiliation

The controversies boil down to the issue of dignity or humiliation. Receiving services from someone who were down on their knees in public would make an eccentric billionaire feel a bit embarrass. Kneeling is definitely not a viable option. Imagine straining your neck to look up at a stewardess when you are making your request. Picture her lowering her head out of courtesy in the course of a conversation. She will eventually be hunching her back over you. If she is to keep her posture she would be in a very uncomfortable bow position of more than 45%. Her face will have to be tilted up to maintain eye contact. This would be unsafe for a moving plane. Alternatively, she lowers her ass and her body with it to come into a squat position. It is obvious that the latter is much more comfortable for both parties. At the proper perspective, which is on the plane, she looks cordial and in no way sultry.

My Comments

I like your analysis. I read the hoo-hah reactions on the in Chinese social media/blog. It was all the fuss for nothing.

Time Is a Thief: Colombian Women's Cycling Team Naked Jersey Design...

REBLOG Time Is a Thief: Colombian Women's Cycling Team Naked Jersey Design...: Getting Attention The Colombian women's cycling team stole the attention from the crowd with naked jersey design. Although the women&#3...

Getting Attention

The Colombian women's cycling team stole the attention from the crowd with naked jersey design. Although the women's cycling competitions in Italy are not usually watched, the team managed to cause excitement with what seemed to be a very revealing outfit. It must have took a lot of practice to look natural wearing this jersey.

Perverted Taste

The jersey had a large patch of flesh-colored section across the women's lower torsos and groins. The crotch was deliberately designed to look like a cut-out revealing bare flesh at the public area. It is unimaginable that this outrage was endorsed by the South American nation's ministry of sport. The team came under the sponsorship of the capital city of Bogota.

Insignificant Sports Event

The outfit for non-cyclists did not to feature the same design. Only the women's cycling sport this jersey. The reason for this design to be worn only by the women's cycling team gives the impression that the Sports Minister is a pervert. The Independent did not report the winners for the event. I guess that was not the highlight of the event.

My Comments

The journal at Independent forgot the reason he was here. He did not record who won the event.

Pest in Midst: Bomb-Making Recipe on ISIS Forums

REBLOG Pest in Midst: Bomb-Making Recipe on ISIS Forums:

Beheading David Haines

After beheading David Haines, a few people saw the message as provoking American and its allies to war. Yet, President Obama had given no indication of waging or not waging war. He continued to push his of ideas supporting the opposition of ISIS in the area to do the job. David Cameron, UK Prime Minister, was outraged by Haines' execution and vowed to bring justice. Although Obama pledged his support to Cameron, the scale in which forces were deployed were not in tandem with the expectation of the American public. The people wanted something to the magnitude of the "war on terror" type of deployment.

Provocation to War

There is no doubt that ISIS wants to engage the US and its allies. They see this as a revenge for their predecessor, the Al-Qaeda. They tried to push the agitation further by setting up forum offering a tutorial on bomb-making to attack American high-profile tourist locations. New York, Las Vegas and Texas were the proposed targets. The purpose is to stir up sentiment to provoke a full scale attack as such threats would cause panic to the residents of these locations.

The Awaited Rematch

The ISIS wants a rematch. As the Al-Qaeda engaged the Bush-Blair team in the past, the ISIS wants to engage the Obama-Cameron team today. Their purpose is to show themselves and world that they are more equipped for this war than their predecessor. Although Obama knows this, the American public is totally unaware of it. All the people wanted were for the ISIS to get their ass whipped. For Obama, this butt-kicking engagement is not due yet because the enemy's morale is high and they are more prepared than ever.

The War Manual

To the American public Obama is seen to be taking a passive stand on in this "war on terror". Looking at the Chinese ancient war manual, Obama's actions are obvious. He wants to wait it out until the morale is low and the enemy had let down its guard. This is will enable him to spring a surprise attack on unmotivated troops.

Virtue is Might

The ruler with virtues is an important variable in winning a war. This is a point the ISIS's "convert or die" philosophy will lose out to the America and its allies. Troops' morale will not last long if they are against virtues. If America strikes now they would lose virtue. The issue at hand is to send rescue teams to save the hostages and not wage war when provoked.

My Comments

You have very good application of the Sun Zi Art of War. Great analysis.

Carpe Diem: Seize the Day: NFL's Absurd Marijuana Policy

REBLOG Carpe Diem: Seize the Day: NFL's Absurd Marijuana Policy:

NFL Pain Management

Former Denver Broncos tight end and writer, Nate Jackson said, "Virtually every single player in the NFL has a certifiable need for medical marijuana,"He confessed that he was medicated by marijuana for most of his career as a tight end from 2003 through 2008. He criticized the NFL who issues pain killers as the prescription. Almost 17,000 Americans overdosed and died from prescription painkillers in 2011, according to the most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Changes in Law

Jackson see a change in the social mentality on marijuana. He expects the NFL, who is engaged in a violent trade, to exercise some forward thinking.

My Comments

Social change is great! It is change or be left behind.

Arcades to Install ‘Crack Cocaine’ Betting Machines

Adult Gaming Centers

Major arcade chains want a share in the fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) market. They are re-licensing as adult gaming centers (AGCs) to gain access to the cash cow. The FOBTs is touch-screen roulette terminals labelled as the "crack cocaine of gambling". These machines can guzzle up £100 every 20 seconds. The FOBTs are presently confined to betting shops only.

Underage on AGCs

There are more than 1,500 AGCs in the UK, which traditionally operate lower-stake machines and are often owned by large international gambling firms. A Gambling Commission report earlier this month found that half of AGCs allowed under-18s to play machines without challenging them to prove their age, the Independent reported on 14 Sep 2014.

Pinoy to Pay Hefty Casino Entrance Fee

A proposed bill in Congress will impose a P3,500 entrance fee for all Filipinos patronizing casinos. Addicts to Hell looks at the consequences of Singapore barring their citizen from entry to casino. The Japanese Government is also studying Singapore's policy to exclude its citizens before they legalize gambling in their country.

Misamis Oriental Rep. Peter "Sr. Pedro" Unabia said this entrance fee will discourage financially inadequate persons from entering casinos. Under the existing laws, residents must have a gross income of at least P50,000 for the previous year to be allowed to play. This income had to be certified by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. This requirement is neither observed nor imposed in practice. Based on the existing laws, built-in controls such as the issuance of player tracking system (PTS) cards or loyalty cards for casino patrons had been implemented.

Unabia said it is alarming that many Filipinos want to gamble instead of doing something more concrete to improve their lives other than waging hard-earned money in gambling, particularly, in casinos. "The imposition of an entrance fee will discourage the locals from gambling in casinos," [the Philippine Star, 1 Sep 2014].

Ten Worst-Paying Jobs in America

Naomi Shavin complied a list of the 10 worst paying jobs based on data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The chart below sums up her work.

Here are some key points on each of the job.

Job	Mean Hourly Wage	Remarks
10. Parking Lot Attendants	$10.26	A way to supplement earnings, or help pay for school.
9. Personal Care Aides	$10.09	The job has a number of occupational hazards.
8. Lifeguards	$10.05	Another job primarily held by teens.
7. Gaming Dealers	$10.04	The BLS recognizes it as “physically demanding”.
6. Garment Workers	$10.03	Garment workers still work in rough conditions.
5. Cashiers	$9.82-9.83	According to BLS cashier are victims of robbery and homicide.
4. Amusement Park Attendants	$9.76-10.22	Its occupational hazards are sun-sickness and dehydration.
3. Farm Laborers	$9.65-10.20	More than one farm worker dies in a work-related accident daily.
2. Shampooers	$9.09	Usually done part time to pay for the costs of beauty school.
1. Fast Food Cooks	$9.07-10.18	Making $11,791 puts them just above the poverty line.