All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Iron Maiden]

I managed to win $350 on my first pull of the slot machine when I moved to Nevada - on one of those multi-line penny slots no less. The key is to play one of those games that advertises minigames in the slot - they often result in a lot of free spins during the minigame. That one pull of the lever took almost half an hour to complete. Although I have yet to ever win like that again, even when I have come away with a little more than I started with.

The other key is the big one - know when to walk away, and never gamble more than you can afford to lose. Of course, I say that as someone who spends less than $100 per year in the casinos outside of the restaurants.

Yeah, that was about my limit too. I just don't want to get any further in the hole then that...and I feel like spending my money elsewhere where I get something in return, like seeing a show. It was a hoot going to the old Silver Slipper and watching the female impersonator's show.
My sister and her husband moved to Las Vegas years ago and I would go with her to the casinos. But we would always do other things. I took a plane trip over to the Grand Canyon, we went to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and saw some shows.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

It's probably for the best that I live two to three hours away from Atlantic City. Though I have been tempted to try one of those online gaming apps.

I used to go to Atlantic City several times a year, but when the casino opened here in Philly, I no longer saw a reason to trek to the shore. If memory serves, I haven’t been to A.C. since around 2014. When I did go there, I tried to make it about more than the casinos, I loved to stroll the boardwalk, eat a little salt water taffy and watch people having fun on the beach. And when I did go, I never took more than a hundred bucks which covered both lunch (I never gambled on an empty stomach) and my time spent with the slots or whatever games I played. Good times? Perhaps, I’m not sure.

[AnakinFlair]

I never could get into the one armed bandits and I find playing them terribly boring. In fact I haven't been in a casino for many years and there only about a half hour drive from me in either direction. I had more fun playing roulette or Black Jack. I once won a couple hundred at craps and barely knew what I was doing. There's a lot more social interaction with those games.

I went to Vegas last November, and spent a grand total of $3 on slots. Saved all of my money for souvenirs and eating in some of the fancier restaurants.

[worstblogever]

Or folks might want to consider online gambling right now.

*shrugs*

[shooshoomanjoe]

More bad news from the trump administration.

What's interesting, in a scary sort of way, is the option that Trump administration officials are pondering to keep further stimulus assistance from burdening the wealthiest taxpayers. The Post reports that they're "exploring" a proposal put forth by two conservatives allowing workers to receive up to $10,000 today, but paying the money back by deferring their Social Security benefits once they retire.

I doubt that will happen but I'm sure they will attempt to take the stimulus and CARES act money back from American citizens.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Fauci Reportedly To Warn Senate Of ‘Needless Suffering And Death’ If U.S. Reopens Too Soon

The nation’s top infectious disease expert said moving forward too quickly “would actually set us back.”

**********

Trump Storms Out Of Coronavirus Briefing After Female Reporters Challenge Him

The abrupt ending came after Trump told a reporter of Asian descent to “ask China” her question about COVID-19. President Snowflake continues being a whining, thin-skinned ass. Twitter wasted no time taking notice:

Trump Shredded On Twitter For ‘Meltdown’ Before Bailing From Press Conference

**********

Experts Predict What School Could Look Like When It Reopens

From face masks to shorter days, school for K-12 kids may be very different when it restarts.

**********

COVID-19 Exposes How Many Unemployment Websites Are Truly Terrible

From minor glitches to crashing completely, state government websites have long struggled to keep up with the rest of the internet.

**********

The Futile Search For A Magic Number That Says It’s Safe To Reopen

Governors are lifting coronavirus quarantines based on faulty statistics and meaningless metrics.

**********

Twitter Users ‘Fix’ Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Briefing Banners

The signs were given a scathing reworking. That goes without saying.

[worstblogever]

In 2015, as well as 2016, and 2017, that "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published profiles of former Minnesota State Senator Sean Nienow, a man who prior to running for office, was a key ally of legendary CSGOPOTD Michelle Bachmann who during his tenure, was sued by the Small Business Association for failing to pay off $613,000 in loans. The company in question folded in less than a year, and taxpayers would thus have to pay for its bankruptcy. Nienow has repeatedly shown himself to support bans on same sex marriage, stricter Voter ID measures that disenfranchise voters in order to combat the statistically non-existent problem of “in-person voter fraud”, and has voted against equal pay for women. Nienow’s must discouraging political alliance, however, would be how one of his own legislative assistants, Michelle Lentz, was a member of the Minnesota Child Protection League, which is classified as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Nienow was mercifully defeated in the 2016 GOP Primary for his seat in the Minnesota State Senate.



On this date in both 2018, as well as 2019, that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” first profiled Tennessee State Senator Joey Hensley, who served ten years in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 2003-2012 before making the jump to the upper chamber to serve District 38 starting in the 2012 elections. Now, Hensley fancies himself a “Family Values” Republican, who has a history as a legislator to back that up, sponsoring harsh anti-choice legislation, the fact that he was the sponsor of a bill that would have prohibited public school teachers in sex education classes from daring to even breath a word about the existence of homosexuality in April of 2012, and that he also sponsored a bill to allow Christian counselors at public schools and universities to use their “religious freedom” to refuse to help LGBTQ students, whatsoever.

Maybe if he was really all about family values, Joey Hensley would not have ended up being married and divorced four times, and his last wife accused him during their divorce of hitting her twice with his car during a domestic dispute. She later withdrew the allegations, but not before Hensley filed a bill concerning how judges could divide marital assets during a divorce, a bill he admitted was based on his own life circumstances. Also, perhaps Joey Hensley wouldn’t have seem his name come up during the divorce proceedings of his second cousin. Why would that happen? Well, Joey’s a doctor, she’s his nurse, and he’s apparently been having an affair with one of his relatives. Who he also illegally prescribed opioids to. And the affair happened in hotels believed to have been paid for with taxpayer money.

We’ll repeat that. Joey Hensley is a cousin-f***ing hypocrite who also violates medical ethics by dating his nurse/patient/cousin, and expecting taxpayers to foot the bill for whatever place they choose for their incestuous love shack.

At this point, looking at the rest of Hensley’s voting record is just overkill as to why he deserves a profile, including how he voted for HB 368, to limit teachers’ ability to challenge students who give “opposing viewpoints” on scientific theories in public school classrooms (In other words, deny the existence of evolution, or the age of the Earth.), and co-sponsored HJR 587, a resolution against the United Nations Agenda 21 treaty, for fears from hard-right conspiracy theorists that it’s a plot to establish global domination. He also supported HB 3808, a bill that would “require the publication of abortion statistics” that also included the addresses of the people performing, and receiving the procedure. Because the radical anti-choice movement wouldn’t then harass or attack those people at their own homes, like they already do, and is so “pro-life” that he also voted for SB 2580, to allow the return of the electric chair as a means of execution in the state of Tennessee., and sponsored HB 1023, a bill inspired by the John Birch Society’s paranoia about fluoridated water, and restrict the amount of fluoridation in the drinking water in Tennessee. He also voted for HSR 467, to plead with the Attorney General of the state to file a lawsuit over Syrian refugees being allowed to resettle Tennessee and the highly unconstitutional HB 615, a bill created by Tennessee Republicans to try and make the King James Bible the state book.

We know that we’ve had our fair share of radical lunatics that we’ve profiled in the Tennessee state legislature, but a state senator who’s banging his cousin is a new low, even for the Republican Party. We’ll note that in spite of the scandal, and in spite of the ethical violations that were dug up as a result… Joey Hensley has not resigned from office, and is not up for re-election again until 2020. He’s trying currently to rally support to overlook the whole incestuous love affair thing by submitting legislation that would place fees on money transfers in between the citizens of the United States and those of Mexico that would have that cash set aside to fund Donald Trump’s stupid f***ing border wall, and he also sponsored legislation to outlaw same sex couples being able to adopt children into loving homes. As of February of 2020, Hensley’s greatest cause for concern was that women might not be taxed heavily enough for their tampons. Because, y’know, he’d like to use that taxpayer money to pay for his hotel stays with mistresses. Frankly, we’d rather Hensley just f***ed off into the backwoods like most extras from Deliverance would. But no, he’s running for re-election in 2020. We’ll close by noting he’s still a physician, and was using his medical background to call for Tennessee to reopen as early as April 7th, thinking it was time to end social distancing.

Meanwhile, the state was undergoing one of the greatest increases in the virus at the time.

There’s… there’s only so many ways someone can be an ***hole, but Joey Hensley keeps finding new ones. Maybe it would be a good time for the voters of his district to stop keeping him around to see how many he can find.

[Tami]

Link

[WestPhillyPunisher]

COVID-19 expert: Coronavirus will rage 'until it infects everybody it possibly can'

A high-profile infectious disease researcher warns COVID-19 is in the early stages of attacking the world, which makes it difficult to relax stay-at-home orders without putting most Americans at risk.

Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said the initial wave of outbreaks in cities such as New York City, where one in five people have been infected, represent a fraction of the illness and death yet to come.

"This damn virus is going to keep going until it infects everybody it possibly can," Osterholm said Monday during a meeting with the USA TODAY Editorial Board. "It surely won’t slow down until it hits 60 to 70%" of the population, the number that would create herd immunity and halt the spread of the virus.

[Striderblack01]

I managed to win $350 on my first pull of the slot machine when I moved to Nevada - on one of those multi-line penny slots no less. The key is to play one of those games that advertises minigames in the slot - they often result in a lot of free spins during the minigame. That one pull of the lever took almost half an hour to complete. Although I have yet to ever win like that again, even when I have come away with a little more than I started with.

The other key is the big one - know when to walk away, and never gamble more than you can afford to lose. Of course, I say that as someone who spends less than $100 per year in the casinos outside of the restaurants.

Never could get into the slots, myself.
A little too passive.

Craps, baby!

It's kind of an intimidating game, especially for beginners.
I've only played a few times, so I don't even know all the different bets you can make.
But with a good table, it can be a ton of fun.

Just remember that, with 2 dice:

• 6's, 7's, and 8's have the highest probability of hitting
• you lose with 7's

Once somebody hits 6 or an 8, start betting conservatively, or better yet, pull your money out entirely until the next roller.
Your winnings will be smaller, but more consistent.

I’m a thirty minute drive away from a casino in northeast Philly, but I rarely go there, no more than two, three, maybe four times a year. When I do, I stick with playing the slots, occasionally I manage to hit a big win, but not enough to make going to the place a regular habit, for which I’m grateful. I never go there to win it big, just to have a little fun.

Absolutely the best policy.

Gambling money is entertainment money. It's money already spent/gone.
Just focus on having a good time, and leaving fashionably early.
You'll never lose.

[PaulBullion]

Twitter Link with Video

But remember that women are too emotional for the job.

[Tami]

When listening to hearings, I get the nagging feeling that the American version of the English Language has become too big and too complicated. That two people who are supposedly native English Speakers can't understand each other enough to speak plainly and clearly, and respond in kind.

Or maybe it's something else.

[Gray Lensman]

When listening to hearings, I get the nagging feeling that the American version of the English Language has become too big and too complicated. That two people who are supposedly native English Speakers can't understand each other enough to speak plainly and clearly, and respond in kind.

Or maybe it's something else.

I get the same way trying to read legalese documents. The language is so twisty that it needs an interpreter much of the time. If I tried to write anything for a high school english class the way those documents are written (and ISO 9000 paperwork is the same) I'd have been flunked out by a very angry teacher.

[InformationGeek]

So there was a Senate Health Committee Meeting today and Rand Paul was being an idiot. Shock of all shocks.

Rand Paul is out here talking about "silver linings" to coronavirus outbreaks at meat packing plants -- his belief (which is not proven) that people who get Covid gain immunity and therefore can go back to work

Rand Paul: "In rural states we never really reached any sort of pandemic levels in Kentucky and other states ... outside of New England, we've had a relatively benign course for this virus nationwide." (More than 81,000 Americans are dead.)

Fauci pushes back on Rand Paul's demand that schools reopen: "We don't know everything about this virus, and we really ought to be very careful, particularly when it comes to children."

[WestPhillyPunisher]

So there was a Senate Health Committee Meeting today and Rand Paul was being an idiot. Shock of all shocks.

And Paul is supposed to be a doctor, right? Meanwhile, I'm not surprised Rotten Randy has such a cavalier attitude regarding the lives of children, after all, he's a Republican, and they only care about fetuses, not full blown, out of the womb kids.