Coronavirus/COVID in the U. S. & Elsewhere

[Randy W]

Covid-19 cases in Brazil surge - from the SCMP

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158380511809820&id=355665009819

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/10158380511809820/

 

[eseum]

So some of the casinos apparently did not reopen over the weekend. The article that I originally read was mistaken. They may be opening this coming weekend with the same measures in place though. Apparently they are waiting for the blessing of the Governor and had thought that it would come end of last week. Good thing the bookies were not taking bets.

 

I have seen conflicting reports concerning spikes of corona-virus in areas that are reopening here in the U.S. Continuing misinformation will surely make the situation worse.

[Martin B]

So some of the casinos apparently did not reopen over the weekend. The article that I originally read was mistaken. They may be opening this coming weekend with the same measures in place though. Apparently they are waiting for the blessing of the Governor and had thought that it would come end of last week. Good thing the bookies were not taking bets.

 

I have seen conflicting reports concerning spikes of corona-virus in areas that are reopening here in the U.S. Continuing misinformation will surely make the situation worse.

I meant to ask this a while okay, how is the Chinese/Asian community in Las Vegas? Is it pretty sizeable (eg enough for some Asian groceries)?

[Allon]

Yes, there is a big Chinese community. My wife has several friends there. One has a restaurant, that closed down for the duration.

 

Just go a bit north and west of the strip. Had some good noodles at one place.

 

A short story about the Chinese gamblers you might already know:

 

MGM once had two big stone lions at the entrance. They found the huge Chinese community would not go there to gamble. When they found out how superstitious the Chinese are about the mouth of the lion/tiger and being eaten, they got rid of the statues. Everybody happy now.

[eseum]

Yes, there is a "Chinatown" area in Las Vegas. There has been some new construction over the past 1.5 years with a new mall type area being part of it. There is the older Chinatown Plaza as well. There is a fairly large Asian population and many restaurants, grocery stores, traditional medicine stores and other shops. My stepdaughter works at the "Great Wall Chinese Bookstore" in the Chinatown Plaza.

 

Of course the casinos get quite a lot of Chinese coming in to gamble. The larger casinos all have decorations and celebrations during Chinese New Year.

 

There are over 200,000 people of Asian decent in Clark County. You can read more here if you want: https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/asian-americans-fastest-growing-group-in-southern-nevada-1667505/

[Randy W]

. . .

 

A short story about the Chinese gamblers you might already know:

 

MGM once had two big stone lions at the entrance. They found the huge Chinese community would not go there to gamble. When they found out how superstitious the Chinese are about the mouth of the lion/tiger and being eaten, they got rid of the statues. Everybody happy now.

 

 

Do you mean LIVE lions at the MGM? Stone lions are pretty common in China.

 

As Partners

Both lions may be found to have a pearl in their mouths. Traditionally this was carved in such a fashion that it could move freely in the mouth of the sculpture, but was too big to escape through its teeth.

The two of them together should be sited in strict accordance with fengshui practice and theory. As you face the lions from outside, the male should be on the right, the female on the left, both looking outward in their scrutiny of the world beyond that which they guard.

 

 

[Martin B]

Yes, there is a "Chinatown" area in Las Vegas. There has been some new construction over the past 1.5 years with a new mall type area being part of it. There is the older Chinatown Plaza as well. There is a fairly large Asian population and many restaurants, grocery stores, traditional medicine stores and other shops. My stepdaughter works at the "Great Wall Chinese Bookstore" in the Chinatown Plaza.

 

Of course the casinos get quite a lot of Chinese coming in to gamble. The larger casinos all have decorations and celebrations during Chinese New Year.

 

There are over 200,000 people of Asian decent in Clark County. You can read more here if you want: https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/asian-americans-fastest-growing-group-in-southern-nevada-1667505/

 

Good to know - we'll have to check it out if we ever make it out to Vegas. I saw some pictures online and it looks impressive ! We're only familiar with the Chicago and Boston Chinatowns. Boston is small but has amazing food and actually feels a little like being in Hong Kong for a couple blocks. Chicago is much bigger , less dense, more residential, but you couldn't pay us to move back to the financial dumpster fire that is IL.

Edited May 19, 2020 by Barfus (see edit history)

[Allon]

 

. . .

 

A short story about the Chinese gamblers you might already know:

 

MGM once had two big stone lions at the entrance. They found the huge Chinese community would not go there to gamble. When they found out how superstitious the Chinese are about the mouth of the lion/tiger and being eaten, they got rid of the statues. Everybody happy now.

 

 

Do you mean LIVE lions at the MGM? Stone lions are pretty common in China.

 

As Partners

Both lions may be found to have a pearl in their mouths. Traditionally this was carved in such a fashion that it could move freely in the mouth of the sculpture, but was too big to escape through its teeth.

The two of them together should be sited in strict accordance with fengshui practice and theory. As you face the lions from outside, the male should be on the right, the female on the left, both looking outward in their scrutiny of the world beyond that which they guard.

 

 

 

Actually no, they were made of stone. The have live lions inside the MGM in the mall area. (Last time was a while ago but they had only one then, but two time before I went.) And it is clear the management who had the idea of having stone or concrete, whatever, lions at the entrance did not know anything about feng sui.

[Randy W]

Knowing how these things can go off into Never-never Land, I will say no more.

 

[Randy W]

Spot the robo-dog is being used in Singapore to warn people to maintain social distancing, under remote control

 

Usually you'd see robots in science fiction. But Boston Dynamics and Rocos have teamed up to create a robotic sheepherder.

It is now being tested in Singapore, reminding the public to maintain social distancing. #robots #sheepdog

 

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/191347651290/posts/10158468131696291/

 

https://www.facebook.com/191347651290/posts/10158468131696291/

[eseum]

So it was a no go for the casinos to open this weekend. Reports say that the governor will now give the go ahead for June 4th. At this point I will believe it when I see it.

[danb]

I wonder what types of changes will be made out on the casino floor June 4th. Saw a news interview of the CEO of Caesars Palace. Some changes didn't seem all that exciting/ glamours. Dealers wearing face shield or face mask will probably only add confusions to the play at the table. Also restricting the number of the players per table will probably not enhance the play. Hope these type are changes will only be temporary. Danb

[eseum]

Poker rooms, buffets and events/shows closed till later in the summer, if things go well. A couple of casinos are removing some banks of slot machines and installing sanitizing areas, whatever that entails. One casino said it was going to install, if I remember right, infrared scanners at some entrances to scan customers as they enter. The idea being that they will be able to check for elevated body temperatures and identify possible virus carriers. I applaud their ingenuity, but don't see how this would work very well. It's supposed to be 105 degrees or higher by Thursday of this week, so it would seem everyone coming off the street will show elevated body temps. They will be handing out masks to anyone who doesn't have one when they enter. Looks like only hardcore gamblers would be the ones to come back under these circumstances.

 

Clark County still has a low count for virus cases, 8000 (rounded up). Considering there are over a million people in the County, that's good. It remains to be seen what effect opening things back up will have.

[Randy W]

How to play baseball during a pandemic - from the WSJ on Facebook

non-paywalled video

 

 

Live sports are starting to come back after months of coronavirus-enforced standstill. Among the changes: quieter stadiums, ubiquitous face masks. WSJ’s Andrew Jeong attends a baseball game in South Korea to see how they play through a pandemic.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/8304333127/posts/10159974619973128/

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/8304333127/posts/10159974619973128/

[eseum]

So a casino owner here gave away 1700 free flights to Las Vegas from 20 different cities. The flights were all taken within a matter of hours. You were not required to book a room with that particular casino in order to get a flight. The only hitch? The flights were one way. Seems a little ominous to me, considering the corona virus.

 

Lyrics from "Hotel California" come to mind:

 

"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "