Daily Archives: January 5, 2021

Joe Aldecoa isn't used to getting emergency medical services, he's the one who gives them. He's a paramedic with the Anaheim Fire Department.

Back in May he contracted COVID-19, likely from a 911 call to a nursing home, he says.

"In a matter of days, felt worse than ever in my life," he said.

Local news from across Southern California

By June he was in intensive care at UCI Medical Center with a fever of 105, coughing up blood.

"He would wake up catching his breath because felt like couldn't get enough air in his lungs," said Fawn Amonpant, a UCI nurse.

Amonpant treated the 20-year veteran, watching him slowly recover with all the anxiety she sees in many of her patients.

"He said he wore all the PPE and he still got it," Amonpant said. "I don't know how it happened."

He wasn't alone. A total of seven firefighters from station one tested positive at the same time. One ended up on a ventilator.

Aldecoa was able to leave but still had oxygen treatments at home.

By October he was back on the job watching the cases and calls for help grow by the day.

Nurses at UCI Medical Center say there have been changes. During the summer they say most of the coronavirus patients were essential workers. Now they are seeing an older generation, people they suspect have been celebrating the holidays with family. They don't want another holiday to make it worse.

Aldecoa has a message for those considering gathering:

"You're playing Russian roulette with this," he said. "It's a serious disease."

Go here to read the rest:

Anaheim Firefighter Battling COVID-19 Sends Stern Warning to Those Considering New Year's Eve Parties: You're Playing Russian Roulette' - NBC Southern...

A HEARTBROKEN daughter has told of her devastating goodbye to her Covid-stricken dad just two days before Christmas.

Laura Waller, 26, was unable to wipe away her tears as she said goodbye to her 63-year-old father Kevin because she was decked head to toe in PPE.

Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

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Brave Laura snapped a selfie of her face mask dripping in tears after she gave staff permission to turn off her dads life support machine, to warn others of his fate.

Now she is pleading with Brits to follow restrictions and to "stop playing roulette with a virus that doesn't care if it wipes out your entire family".

Along with the tragic picture, she explained in a Facebook post how the killer bug left her father with kidney and liver failure forcing doctors to place him in an induced coma in Southend Hospital in Essex.

She said: "The next time youre in a supermarket and dont want to wear a mask because it rubs your ear for five minutes, remind yourself of this.

"The next time youre getting arsey about having to queue outside for 10 minutes whilst crowd volumes go down inside, remind yourself of this.

"The next time you blindly walk past the hand sanitiser station because you simple cant be arsed, remind yourself of this.

"This isnt me trialling out for a new film. This isnt me on my way to some messed up fancy dress party.

"This is me leaving the ICU shortly after giving permission to the consultants to turn off my Dads life support after COVID had completely taken hold of his body and left him with a burst lung and kidney and liver failure, within five days of his admission.

"This is me unable to wipe my own tears due to the amount of protective equipment I was required to wear to even be allowed to enter the ward.

"But, at least I was in. I was in whilst my poor brother had to sit at home and say goodbye to his Dad and Best Friend on FaceTime due to the one in rule.

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Laura then went on to highlight the pressure on the NHS, outlining the strain doctors, nurses and hospital staff are experiencing.

Yesterday as Boris Johnson placed England into a national lockdown he said the NHS could be totally overwhelmed within 21 days if no action was taken.

Meanwhile the Covid threat level was moved up to its highest level for the first time ever as the NHS faces the risk of collapsing.

Under the red level five alert, there is a "material risk" of hospitals being overwhelmed within weeks.

Laura continued: "Im upset. And Im angry.

"The nurses and doctors fighting this what seems to be losing battle are upset and angry.

"As I walk in, the consultant turns to me and says Weve f***ing had enough. Weve just had enough.

"They later tell me that they lost a gentleman that morning, and were preparing to lose his wife later that evening.

"Their eyes filled with tears as they explain they are doing everything they can. They feel like they have failed.

"But they havent failed. They have done everything but.

Laura is now urging all Brits to take the virus seriously.

She said: "Because of COVID, I will have no one to walk me down the aisle and my parents' table will be empty.

"Because of COVID, my children will now not only never meet their Nan, but they will never meet their grandad either.

"Because of COVID, my 85-year-old Nan has had to say goodbye to her only remaining child after previously losing her other 40 years earlier.

"Because of COVID, I am now left with no parents at the age of 26.

"We can sit around and blame this person or that person. We can say we didnt have enough knowledge or well I thought it would be fine.

"Well guess f***ing what, its not fine.

"Unless we as a country, and every single one of us in it, gets a f***ing grip and starts playing their part, nothing is going to change and it will be multiple other heartbroken families announcing their loss, every day, for months.

"Families are being ripped apart and completely destroyed by this god awful disease.

"Stop playing roulette with a virus that doesnt care if it wipes out your entire family.

"Because trust me, this isnt the ending you or any of your family deserve."

Once her heart-wrenching post was shared thousands of times, she thanked people for their support and hailed her parents heroes

She added: "The sheer volume of love from everyone for Dad just confirms what an absolute legend he was.

"As you can imagine, I am still in shock and havent even begun to accept Dads not coming back, but I know when it hits me like a freight train in a few weeks Ive got an amazing support network around me to try and keep me going.

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"Wishing everyone as happy a Christmas as you can have and praying for a safer and more normal 2021 for you all."

It comes as another daughter shared the heartbreaking last picture holding hands with her mum after Covid-19 devastated their family earlier this week.

Anabel Sharma, 49, also hospitalised withcoronavirus,lay in the hospital bed next to her mum Maria Rico, 76, in the snap - taken 24 hours before Maria sadly passed away from thevirus.

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Read the original here:

Daughter tells of devastating goodbye to Covid-stricken dad and how she couldnt wipe her tears because of h - The Sun

Throughout history there are have been races contested between countries and territories for everything from resources to riches.

These days the battles being fought have nothing to do with gold, oil, or arable land, and everything to do with data and the acquisition of online players and customers.

US towns and cities who were at first a little slow to cotton on to this trend have now begun to play catch-up.

Here are just some of the ones which are doing a great job of doing just that, making them prime places for online gaming start-ups and enterprises to base their respective operations.

Online gaming is being taken to the next level by towns and cities such as the ones mentioned in this article

Nevada Las Vegas

Nevada has long been a state that is synonymous with gaming, although for decades it was mainly the live games offered by the Las Vegas strips casino resorts that made all the running in that regard.

These days, of course, those same gaming houses are being given a run for their money by online gaming operators, with the state having opened the doors to online gaming all the way back in 2013.

This means that everything from blackjack, to slots, to roulette, can all be played at online casinos where the likes of sign-up bonuses and enticing free spins bonuses give most online operators an edge over land-based gaming resorts. However, Nevada is not just all about casino games, with the state also setting itself up to be one of the major tech hubs in the US.

Each year the state hosts the Consumer Electronics Show which brings together the great and the good of the tech world. Allied to this, Nevada also plays host to a huge Tesla battery factory, as well as some of the most groundbreaking solar farms on the planet.

For all these reasons and so many more, Las Vegas is now one of the go-to places in the US, and indeed the world, for online gaming startups that want to break from the norm of Silicon Valley or expensive cities like New York or LA. It is perhaps for this reason that Esports are also beginning to gain a foothold in what is known as The Silver State, with multiple Esports arenas opening their doors to the public in recent years.

Las Vegas and the wider state of Nevada are busy welcoming as many tech and gaming start-ups as possible at the start of the new decade, as the region goes about trying to stay relevant

Idaho Boise

This part of the US usually sees tech and game development talent swiftly move to urban hubs like Portland or Seattle, but with people leaving cities in droves in search of green spaces and cleaner air, places like Boise are becoming ever more popular, with young companies that are happy to do the bulk of their business remotely anyway.

With Boise State University already making moves to greatly increase the number of computer science graduates it churns out, there is a deep talent pool waiting to be tapped by new start-up companies that are looking to scale quickly.

All of this good work is clearly paying off, with Boise-based start-ups getting off the ground faster than ever before.

Florida and Tennessee Sarasota, Chattanooga, and Melbourne

As trends shift and change rapidly in the online sphere, so too do the attributes that new companies from the world of tech look for when they go about choosing a new home.

Gone are the days of needing shiny sky rises with expensive lease or rental costs, and in are super-fast internet connections and the local services required to make the most of them.

Small towns that are leading the way in that regard are Sarasota in Florida, Melbourne also in Florida, and Chattanooga in Tennessee, all of which boast world beating internet connection speeds, while only having a fraction of the size of the populations of major US cities.

This trend may well see a long-term exodus from major urban centers, as fledgling businesses prioritize things other than packed commutes and overbooked restaurants.

See the rest here:

Which US States Are Primed to Welcome New Online Gaming Start-Ups? - FinSMEs

Online gambling revenue in Portugal amounted to 84.2 million in the three months ending September 30.

Online sports betting was the leading game segment in Portugals regulated market during the third quarter of 2020, surpassing its casino competitor and doubling its revenue compared to Q2.

Locally licensed online gambling operators generated revenue of 84.2 million in the three months ending September 30, an increase of 55.7% from the same period last year and a 21.6% quarter-on-quarter rise, figures released Monday by the Portuguese regulator Servio Regulao e Inspeo de Jogos do Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ) show.

By the end of September 2020, there were 14 licensed online betting operators in Portugal, three more than last year. In November, Skill On Net Limited received a license to operate online games of chance, such as slot machines, Blackjack, French roulette and American Roulette on bacanaplay.pt.

The Special Online Gambling Tax (IEJO) in 3Q2020 reached 28.3 million, up by 31.7% year-over-year.

In April last year, Portugal introduced limits on access to online gaming platforms after noting a surge in consumption after the country declared a state of emergency on March 18. In the third quarter of 2020, the number of newly registered users climbed by 5.2% year-on-year to 156,800, while quarterly active customers rose by one-third to 473,200.

Sports betting was the breadwinner of Q3 revenue, prompted by the restart of sports competitions following springs pandemic halt. Betting revenue reached the record 42.5 million, more than double sequentially and nearly three times the amount year-on-year. Betting turnover also set record highs, nearly doubling year-on-year to 222.8 million.

Online casino revenue stood at 41.7 million, almost doubling its digits year-on-year but decreasing from its Q2 record of 47.9 million. Online casino turnover fell 10% sequentially, although it reported an increase of three-fifths year-on-year.

In October last year, casino software supplier Tom Horn signed a partnership with Casino Portugal. Under the agreement, Solverde will add Tom Horn Gaming products to its portfolio, including the companys iGaming software suite and slot titles, and specifically games such as Diamond Hill and 243 Crystal Fruits.

Slots contributed to 70% of the overall online casino revenue, followed by roulette (13.8%) and blackjack (6.1%). Poker cash games featured a 4.8% share, while tournaments added another 1.9%.

The SRIJs continued its efforts to battle illegal online gambling sites, with 83 domains forwarded to local internet service providers for blocking and another 29 official GTFO notices issued to unauthorized operators.

See the original post here:

Portugal Online Gambling Revenue Sets Record Prompted by Betting - GamblingNews.com

Home CrossFit Workouts are a great way to improve and stay on top of your fitness and training even when you cant get to the gym/box.

We were born to move, and mobility and stability are an essential part of the way we move and life in general. The movements involved in bodyweight training can help to increase that mobility and challenge the bodies stabilisers by using complete movements. This can in turn, lead to strength gains in the gym.

Bodyweight training is a great way to really hone your technique and form. Weightlifting can take a serious toll on your body and in particular, your joints. With bodyweight training, the stress on your joints is lower, so youre less likely to pick up an injury that could hamper your long term training.

Athlete training press-up

These Workouts are part of the At Home WOD Series from WOD Roulette @wod_roulette.

The At Home Series started as a daily at-home workout posted online by WOD Roulette to stay active during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each workout in the series is numbered sequentially (Living Room Mash 1, Living Room Mash 2, Living Room Mash 3)

Choose your next Home CrossFit Workout

50-40-30-20-10 Reps for TimeBurpeesAir SquatsPush-UpsSit-UpsWith a running clock, as fast as possible perform the prescribed work in the order written. Athlete must accomplish 50 Burpees, 50 Air Squats, 50 Push-Ups, and 50 Sit-Ups before moving on to 40 repetitions of each movement, etc.

Score is the time on the clock when the last round of Sit-Ups is completed.

20 Rounds for Time6 Push-Ups12 Alternating Lunges18 Double-UndersWith a running clock, as fast as possible perform the prescribed work in the order written for 20 rounds.

Score is the time on the clock when the last round of Double-Unders is completed.

For Time50 Duffel Bag Ground-to-Overheads75 Duffel Bag Deadlifts100 Duffel Bag Swings75 Duffel Bag Sit-Ups50 Duffel Bag Overhead SquatsWith a running clock, as fast as possible perform the prescribed work in the order written. Fill your bag with your dirty laundry or use whatever equipment youve got.

Score is the time on the clock when the last repetition of Overhead Squats is completed.

For Time10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpees20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 Chair Dips30-27-24-21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Sit-UpsWith a running clock, as fast as possible perform the prescribed work in the order written. Athlete must accomplish 10 Burpees, 20 Chair Dips, and 30 Sit-Ups before moving to 9 Burpees, 18 Chair Dips, 27 Sit-Ups, etc.

Score is the time on the clock when the last round of sit-ups is completed.

Sign up for a fitness challenge you can do at home: the BOXROX Showdown! Invite your friends and get a free BOXROX Pro membership.

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Excerpt from:

12 Home CrossFit Workouts for Everyone that Can't Get to the Box/Gym - BOXROX

Zoey April Rose Roulette is Brandons first baby of 2021.

Zoey was born at 6:25 a.m. Friday morning to proud parents Misty Brown and Les Paul Roulette at the Brandon Regional Health Centre.

According to a press release from Prairie Mountain Health, Zoey weighed approximately seven pounds and 14 ounces and was approximately 20 inches long.

The family wasnt expecting Zoey to be the first baby born in Brandon in 2021 given she came relatively late in the morning, Roulette said.

"She is healthy and she is good they said she came out just about the time she needed to come out," Roulette said.

"It was incredible ... I was like Oh my God she is the first baby (of 2021)."

The Sun reached Roulette as he was preparing the home for Zoeys scheduled arrival on Saturday.

The couple wanted to name the baby a name starting with Z, Roulette said, and would have named a boy Zevin. Zoey means "life" in Greek.

"Im hoping she likes to laugh and be a kid, giggle and smile and just bring joy to life and that I bring joy to her," he said.

Zoey has a 12-year-old sister, Bella. Roulette said due to COVID-19 she couldnt come to meet baby Zoey at the hospital, but will soon.

"Her big sister is very happy, she was very excited," he said.

The family was presented with a gift basket from the Brandon Regional Health Centre Auxiliary Gift shop, along with a bouquet of flowers. The gift basket includes childrens toys and accessories.

"Prairie Mountain Health sends congratulations to the family and their new daughter," the health region said in a press release.

The first baby in Winnipeg came earlier in the morning, at 12:38 a.m. at St. Boniface Hospital, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said over Twitter. The family wanted to celebrate privately, and the health region did not disclose the babys name or gender.

dmay@brandonsun.com

Twitter: @DrewMay_

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Brandon welcomes first baby of 2021 - The Brandon Sun