Daily Archives: August 18, 2023

Why The Last Voyage of the Demeter Sank at the Box Office – MovieWeb

Posted: August 18, 2023 at 11:00 am

Summary

The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a box office disaster. In its opening weekend of release, the film, which is based on the seventh chapter of Bram Stokers classic 1897 novel Dracula, titled Captains Log, grossed a dismal $6.5 million at the domestic box office and will be lucky to reach the $20 million mark throughout its domestic run.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter marks the second failed attempt by the films distributor, Universal Pictures, to mine Stokers novel and revive the Dracula character as part of Universals now seemingly doomed classic monster-verse experiment, following the commercial failure of 2023s campy comedy horror film Renfield, which features Dracula, played by Nicolas Cage, and the Renfield character from the Dracula universe.

While The Last Voyage of the Demeter had a modest production cost of $45 million, the film is nonetheless on pace to be one of the biggest flops of the summer of 2023, as while blockbuster films like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One have certainly become commercial disappointments, in relation to their massive production costs, those films nonetheless grossed hundreds of millions of dollars at the worldwide box office, whereas The Last Voyage of the Demeter is seemingly being avoided by audiences like it was a plague.

While The Last Voyage of the Demeter attempts to deflect the bleakness of the films story with the addition of new characters and an ending that contains at least a semblance of hope, however symbolic, the depressing and tragic source material nonetheless infuses the film with a feeling of inevitability, even for those people who watch the movie without having first read Bram Stokers novel Dracula.

Moreover, for those people who view The Last Voyage of the Demeter with a deep appreciation of both Stokers novel and the titular ships significance within the book, the inevitability of the story's tragic outcome makes the film, despite its genuine qualities, seem both depressing and pointless, as while the similarly bleak Alien prequel films Alien: Covenant and Prometheus distinguished themselves within the Alien film series by answering long-held questions and posing fascinating new questions, The Last Voyage of the Demeter doesnt take viewers in any meaningful creative directions that dont already exist in Stokers novel.

Related: The Last Voyage of the Demeter: How Previous Dracula Films Portray the Horrific Tragedy

Indeed, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is much more similar, both in terms of its creative direction and the disastrous commercial results, to 2011s The Thing, the direct prequel to John Carpenters 1982 film of the same name, as the 2011 prequel, much like what The Last Voyage of the Demeter does to Stokers novel, attempts to blunt the impenetrable nihilism of Carpenters film by introducing new characters, including a potential survivor, whose fate is left unknown at the end of the film.

By following this cynical approach, The Last Voyage of Demeter alienates fans of Stoker's novel while holding no deeper meaning for the uninitiated, as The Last Voyage of the Demeter ultimately reveals itself to be a film with no compelling reason to exist.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter was the only major studio film to be released on August 11, 2023, and the film was heavily promoted by Universal, which attempted to market the film as being like Alien on a ship.

However, despite the fact that audiences have shown a willingness to support a wide variety of films throughout the summer of 2023, from the boundless beauty and optimism of Barbie to the thought-provoking drama of Oppenheimer, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, with its relentlessly gloomy palette and tone, fell into a commercial chasm, as the film, which takes place in 1897, appears to be simultaneously too elevated to energize the core horror audience, specifically in the key eighteen-to-thirty-four demographic, and too gory to interest a more sophisticated audience.

Related: The Best Films about Dracula, Ranked

In this respect, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is similar to Guillermo del Toros 2015 gothic romance film Crimson Peak, which, despite receiving excellent reviews, compared to the middling reviews for The Last Voyage of the Demeter, was too classical and highbrow in its approach to appeal to a large mainstream audience, as reflected in the films disappointing box office performance.

Of course, one key difference between Crimson Peak and The Last Voyage of the Demeter is that while Crimson Peak was a star-driven film with Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston, The Last Voyage of the Demeter features a virtually unknown cast, as the films main attraction is, of course, supposed to be Dracula, whose popular appeal as a horror villain has clearly declined with todays audiences, which seem to now regard Dracula as a genre relic.

The box office failure of The Last Voyage of the Demeter, so soon after the release of Renfield, indeed the seemingly absolute rejection of the Dracula character in the marketplace, would seem to mark the end of Universals long-gestating attempt to create a new cinematic universe based on the classic Universal Monsters film series.

Of course, this cinematic universe, formerly known as the Dark Universe, was intended to begin with 2017s The Mummy, and just as that films colossal failure led to the cancelation of the Dark Universe, its hard to conceive of a narrative in which this would-be universe, under any name, is restarted in the foreseeable future, certainly with Dracula.

Indeed, after The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Renfield, and 2014s Dracula Untold, its hard to conceive of a scenario in which Dracula is ever featured in another Universal film.

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What are the Safest Bets in Online Roulette? – Detroit Free Press

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RTP (Return to Player) is percentage paid out to players for every dollar wagered on casino games. Every game atMichigan online casinos is programmed with a different RTP percentage, so its important to understand the difference between games.

Operators offer a host of games and slots, and the RTP can vary hugely. Some instant-win games, like Keno, have an RTP of 90%. At the highest level, some slots and blackjack games carry an RTP of 99%. Games are checked by regulators to make sure that the RTP is as advertised.

So, what does that mean in practice? In a slot with a 95% RTP, over the long term, a casino should pay out on average $95 for every $100 wagered. The remainder $5 in this case is kept by the casino. That means the house edge on this slot would be 5% (100% minus 95%).

RTP is calculated depending on all the payouts in a game compared to the stakes required. For example, a slot whose reels are full of matching symbols would have an RTP of 100% theres no way you can lose. But manufacturers program their slots with combinations of symbols on the reels, not all of them high-paying. The fewer the number of big bonus symbols, the lower the overall RTP.

The top casinos display the RTP for every game clearly in their lobbies. Thebest Michigan online slots also show the RTP of the game in the paytable. Ideally, you should look for a slot paying 96% or above. Anything lower should be avoided. Table games work a little differently. In a standard American Roulette game, the RTP is around 94% (with a house edge of 5.26%). European Roulette offers average payouts of 97.3%, a big increase over the long term.

You can play high-RTP blackjack games with some Michigan online casino bonuses, but be sure to check the terms and conditions when signing up. The RTP in blackjack changes depending on your play. Using optimal gameplay, you can help increase the RTP to around 99%. That means avoiding the Insurance bet or making risky moves when your hand is close to 21.

Similarly, most video poker games have a high RTP, but youll need to understand what decisions to make based on your hand. A good Jacks or Better game will have an RTP of around 99.5%.

You can help enhance your payouts by claiming a promotion when you open a casino account. Use theBetMGM Casino Michigan bonus code to earn a deposit match. That way, you can play with a few games offering a range of RTP percentages before deciding on your favorites.

Bonus spins and rewards await if you sign up for thePointsBet Casino Michigan promo code offer. The great thing about online casinos is you can sign up for as many as you like and play games on multiple sites.

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Gabriel Krauze: raw writing from the streets of London – RNZ

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Gabriel Krauze's extra-curricular activities were a little different from the average English literature student.

While completing his degree at London's Queen Mary College, he was involved in London gang life and living on a notorious estate in South Kilburn.

His debut autobiographical novel Who They Was, which describes this life, was long-listed for the 2020 Booker Prize.

Gabriel Krauze Photo: supplied

Who They Was isa violent, visceral book withno redemptive arc, Krauze says.

In literature, people are obsessed with these narratives that are redemptive, or with narratives that give them hope and joy, and this really is becoming a tired regurgitation of a kind of unreality that people for some reason, readers, a lot of readers, want to believe in a version of the world which simply doesn't exist.

And it's a false kind of idealism as well, because it means that we don't engage with challenging ideas.

On the nihilism which draws young men to gang life.

If you read the poetry of Homer, if you read the Iliad by Homer, there's this amazing passage, when Achilles is about to go off to battle to fight the Trojans, and his mother says to him, 'listen, if you go off to battle, you're going to die in battle, but your name will live forever.

But if you stay at home, you will live till you're 125 years old, and you'll have grandchildren and great grandchildren. But when you die, no one will remember your name'.

And in the blink of an eye, he says, 'I want to go to battle, I want to die. And I want my name to live forever'.

On why society turns away from the psychological reasons for crime.

Young men exist within this nihilistic psychological mindset, it's a psychological environment as opposed to a physical environment, because it's not as simplistic as saying oh, it's just to do with poverty and deprivation'. It's also to do with the fact that some people are affected by their circumstances. And by the way in which they view the world differently, and they disconnect from other people who don't look at them the same way or, look at the world in the same way as them.

And we don't really investigate in society the psychological environment, or the philosophical makeup of these young men.

We just talk about it in simplistic terms of poverty and crime.

On gang life as a kind of hyper-capitalism.

People often talk about criminality within the context of liberal thinking. And we think about how to solve this problem without realising that when it comes to selling drugs, and being in a gang, and basically being a gangster, having the aspiration to be a gangster it is a form of like really ruthless capitalism, where we realise the way in which you can have a better quality of life, the way in which you can be more socially mobile is just basically to get money.

On becoming sucked into gang life as a teenager.

I was 13 years old, when I first saw somebody get stabbed right in front of me, like literally a metre from me.

And then the next time I saw somebody get stabbed up was two weeks later, and it basically degrades your threshold for violence, it degrades your threshold for being shocked by things.

And before you know it, you're very inured to that, you're very numb to that stuff. And where it shocks other people. It doesn't shock you.

Like me personally, I don't find my book shocking at all, I have to be reminded by the others that is quite a shocking work because of the world it opens a window on to.

On his diamond grill.

When I first moved to South Kilburn, when I was 17 years old, I saw everyone on the block who was making money, getting money selling drugs and everything, had these diamond grillz.

And this is before the days of UK rappers, and rappers in other countries, wearing diamond grillz, it was like a really unique thing to see. It was very niche. And there was only one place in London as well that you could get diamond grillz, there was only one jeweller who was making this, it was a status symbol.

It's also something that's interesting because it exists in this very dark environment, this environment of brutalist concrete towers, it's very ugly, it's grim. And then you suddenly you have these diamonds flashing in faces and there's something beautiful about it as well.

Gabriel Krauze Photo: supplied

On a Nietzschean morality.

There's a quote in the Genealogy of Morality, when Nietzsche says, it is the meaning of all culture to breed a tame and civilised animal out of the beast of prey man.

And these young men, and the young men involved in crime, are the beasts of prey who haven't had that instinct bred out of them by culture, by civilisation, by society, they've retained some of that animalistic element within them.

So, discussing matters of remorse, that's like part of a different moral code. And again, the book is about how morality is relative to the level of danger in which you live, if you live in a different context, that's much more dangerous, your moral code is completely different, remorse doesn't come into play.

Because if you are burdened by remorse, every time you did something bad, you'd be incapable of living within that world.

On the redemptive power of art.

The greatest thing, the most powerful thing, that can take you away from the brink is art, art is the closest thing to God, is the closest way in which we get to God or the idea of what God could be, or what God is whether you're religious or not.

"And art can save somebody, because it engages their imagination, and it takes them somewhere else.

On the book and his writing.

I don't believe that I'm a particularly good writer, to be quite frank with you, I don't think the book is particularly good, but it's a personal artistic agony, like I could get the Nobel Prize for literature for this book tomorrow and I would just laugh.

I would just say, you don't really understand what great literature is, because I don't have a great work of literature. It's personal, a personal artistic agony.

On fake authenticity

There was this big push in the British literary scene a few years ago, I remember there was this moment when all the publishers were saying, we want to hear more authentic voices... but they don't really mean authentic across the board, they want versions of authenticity that tick boxes for them, that tick moralistic boxes for them, that also tick boxes in terms of like all these buzzwords and everything you know?

You can see like 100 books getting published now every year which are like powerful explorations, powerful explorations of identity and family, powerful explorations of love, hope and gender, powerful explorations...it's all just buzzwords.

It's just the vomiting up of regurgitated buzzwords that are endlessly recycled. And there's no truth in the desire for authenticity, because there's so many versions of authenticity that are very dark, that are very pessimistic, that are very nihilistic, very uncompromising.

On how long-listing for the Booker has not brought him money.

If I'm quite frank with you, I currently live in poverty. I live in government housing, I have a backlog of rent to pay. I owe the tax man money, when I go shopping for food I have to buy the cheapest products possible because I need to watch the pennies because I've stepped away from the streets.

I know how to get money in the streets, but I stepped away and decided to devote myself entirely to writing and nothing has happened for me financially that I haven't been financially successful at all.

I haven't even earned one royalty check from sales of my book. So, in that sense of success if we're talking about it as if the masses are running to read my book, no they're not running.

But it's fine, it's fine, this is not a complaint as well. I don't want anyone to think that.

Krauze is currently working on his second novel which will be partly set in Ukraine. He is appearing at WORD Christchurch in late August.

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Impact of Nebraska casinos starting to be felt by keno parlors, other … – Nebraska Examiner

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LINCOLN The opening of gambling casinos in Lincoln, Grand Island and Columbus is starting to make an impact on other forms of legalized gambling, and the full impact may be yet to come, officials said.

A quarterly report this week on charitable gambling in the state indicated that betting on keno, pickle cards, bingo and local raffles was down 10.6% from the previous quarter. It was 2% less than the same three months (April, May and June) in 2022.

Bill Harvey of Big Red Keno said the decrease can be summed up in one word: casinos.

Its not surprising, Harvey said.

The biggest impact has been in Lincoln, where the states first legalized casino, the WarHorse Casino, opened 11 months ago.

Charitable gaming was down 10% in the Capital City during the second quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter, and it was 11% less than the same period a year ago. Omaha also saw a 10% decline in the second quarter compared to January, February and March, and Norfolk saw a 17% decline.

Harvey said keno parlors in the Omaha area also saw a decrease in betting when the first riverboat gambling casinos opened across the Missouri River in Iowa in 1991.

Lincoln, he said, is likely to see a bigger impact now from casino gambling because it is farther away from Council Bluffs and other legalized casinos.

Brian Rockey, director of the Nebraska Lottery, said there might be another explanation for the second quarter downturn in charitable wagering: April, May and June traditionally show a decline in wagering over January, February and March because people are spending less time indoors, in places that sell pickle cards and offer keno lotteries.

Rockey, though, said lottery officials are bracing for an impact once permanent casinos are up and running in Nebraska. In other states, it has typically meant a 10% decline in lottery sales.

We havent seen it yet, but were kind of waiting, he said.

Unaudited sales figures for the Nebraska Lottery show a 9% increase in sales for the 2022-23 fiscal year over the previous year, powered mostly by an almost doubling of sales for MegaMillions tickets and a 17% rise in Powerball ticket sales.

Huge jackpots topping $1 billion, Rockey said, drove the increase in lottery ticket sales.

Currently, temporary casinos are open at racetracks in Lincoln, Grand Island and Columbus, with a temporary casino slated to open in Omaha next year. Several other communities have also expressed interest, including Ogallala, which will present its case to the State Racing and Gaming Commission on Friday.

Indian tribes also operate casinos in Nebraska in Santee, Emerson, Winnebago and Walthill, as well as one near downtown Omaha in Carter Lake, Iowa.

This weeks charitable gaming also showed that tax revenue from charitable gaming was also down about 10% in the second quarter of 2023, netting $1.87 million.

Harvey said that the State Legislature this year did grant a change that may allow keno lotteries to better compete with casinos.

That change, called digital, on-premises betting, will allow customers of a keno parlor or bar to place wagers using their smart phone, rather than having to contact a clerk, as long as they are within a licensed keno location.

Rockey said that some states also permit I-lottery or I-gaming, which are ways to buy a lottery ticket or scratch-off ticket using a smart phone.

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The Ideal Man According to 7 Different Philosophers – Art of Manliness

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What is the ideal man?

This is a question that philosophers have pondered over and riffed on for millennia.

Many philosophers have sketched out a vision of an ideal man who, unsurprisingly, encompasses the values that represent the pinnacle of their philosophical beliefs. These conceptions of ideal men are similar in that they all require reaching beyond human defaults to develop greater excellence, but each differs as to which virtues should be more or less emphasized to achieve that excellence. While none of the ideals can ever be perfectly embodied, they serve as aspirational models, guiding individuals to strive for personal growth and virtuous flourishing.

Below, we explore seven of these conceptions of the ideal man from seven different philosophers.

Note: Understanding these archetypal ideals requires a deep understanding of the philosophies that inspired them. Libraries of books have been written about the philosophies we describe below. For brevitys sake, we dont get into the nuances of these ideal men. But weve provided links to additional resources so you can further explore the ideas behind them. Hopefully, these short sketches will inspire you to learn more!

Plato, the renowned ancient Greek philosopher, proposed an ideal man known as the philosopher-king. In his seminal work, theRepublic, Plato aimed to define justice and outline the structure of a model society. In his vision, society would be composed of three groups that corresponded to what he believed were the three parts of the soul: the producers, workers who represented base desire; the auxiliaries, soldiers who representedthumos, or spiritedness; and the guardians, warrior-leaders who represented reason.

Philosophers-kings would be chosen from the guardian class after a long and rigorous education and testing process, which Plato likened to refining gold. During their formative years, the guardians would cultivate the physical and mental faculties necessary for their future roles, beginning with a focus on gymnastics and music. As they matured, they would delve into the study of war, politics, Socratic dialogue, and the Forms the abstract and eternal concepts that underpin reality. Once they reached the age of thirty-five, a test would determine the most qualified candidates for leadership positions within the city. Service in these leadership roles acted as another test to identify potential philosopher-kings. The guardians who excelled in these roles would be selected to be philosopher-kings at around age fifty.

The philosopher-kings extensive education would equip him not only with the skills of governance, but also with a deep understanding of eternal ideals, particularly the Form of the Good. This knowledge would enable him to lead with wisdom and justice and make decisions that benefited society as a whole.

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Aristotle, Platos famed student, presents a different ideal man in hisNicomachean Ethics. Aristotles concept of the ideal man is the great-souled man or the magnanimous man. For him, the pinnacle of manliness was the achievement of eudaimonia, a state of flourishing. For Aristotle, eudaimonia required not just excellence in virtue, but excellence in everything else: health, wealth, beauty, friendship, speaking, and more. Aristotles great-souled man embodies excellence in both inward traits and outward qualities.

The great-souled man has a measured sense of pride. He takes pride in his virtues and achievements, focusing only on significant accomplishments rather than trivial matters.

Moreover, the great-souled man maintains a sense of honor; he not only cultivates excellence for excellences sake, but he expects and values the recognition of his excellence by others. Not just any others, however; the great-souled man seeks the respect of those he considers his equals. He doesnt care about garnering the approval of the masses.

Aristotles ideal man also exhibits the type of courage Ernest Hemingway called grace under pressure and remains calm and dignified in the face of setbacks.

In his interactions with others, the great-souled man displays magnanimity. He ignores slights and doesnt hold grudges. He refrains from gossiping and talking ill of others. While the great-souled man avoids thinking and speaking poorly of others, hes also reluctant to offer praise, as that would be seen as subservient. Whats more, hes quick to grant favors, but avoids asking for them, as that too would signal his inferiority.

In short, the ideal Aristotelian man is a virtuous aristocrat.

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Confucius, an ancient Chinese philosopher, emphasized the cultivation and performance of proper social conduct and virtues. In Confucianism, the ideal man is known as ajunzi, often translated as a gentleman or an exemplary person.

Ajunzi demonstrates noble behavior and comports himself appropriately in all situations. The Confucian gentleman shows respect and deference to his elders and teachers while treating those beneath him with humanity. He observes societys rituals and forms with sanctity and circumspection. He embodiesren, or consummate conduct, which is a power that inspires others to be good and noble through ones example. Thejunzis actions uplift and ennoble others, encouraging them to do their own part to maintain social harmony.

The Confucian gentleman continually seeks self-improvement. He engages in book study and seeks to apply his knowledge in practical situations. Confucius believed that with dedication and the cultivation of consummate conduct, any individual could become ajunzi, contributing to the betterment of society through his exemplary behavior.

Unlike the Aristotelian great-souled man, the Confucian gentleman adopts a humble orientation. He avoids excessive pride, recognizing its potential to disrupt social order.

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Friedrich Nietzsche, a German existential philosopher of the 19th century, introduced his famous ideal man the bermensch or Superman in his workThus Spoke Zarathustra.

For Nietzsche, becoming an bermensch is a spiritual goal or way of approaching life. The way of the bermensch is filled with energy, strength, risk-taking, and struggle. He represents the drive to strive and live for something beyond oneself while remaining grounded in earthly life (theres no room for other-worldly longings in Nietzsches ideals).

In a modern world where God is dead and meaning gone, the bermensch creates his own meaning. Instead of feeling dread that life has no inherent purpose, the bermensch finds the process of meaning-creation joyful. He embraces the challenge of fashioning his own purpose with laughter.

The bermensch is really the full manifestation of Nietzsches will to power: the drive to assert oneself in the world to be effective, leave a mark, become something better than you are right now, and express yourself.

Nietzsche never states exactly what the ideal man should strive for beyond himself or what he should create. Being filled with the creative force was the important thing. Each individual must determine his own path into the transcendent.

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The ideal man for the Stoic philosophers was something called the Stoic sage. While all the Stoics touched on and described the sage, Arius Didymus, a Stoic philosopher and the teacher of Caesar Augustus, did the most to flesh out this ideal. His descriptions of the sage were quoted at length in a 5th-century book by Joannes Stobaeus that compiled extracts of the works of Greek and Roman philosophers.

The Stoic sage represents the perfect embodiment of Stoic principles, characterized by the alignment of his life with nature. The sages life is tranquil, guided by virtue, and free from disturbances caused by external circumstances. He recognizes that external factors, such as wealth or reputation, are beyond his control and therefore not essential for happiness. Instead, the sages happiness, his eudaimonia, stems solely from the cultivation of virtue and the correct understanding of mental impressions.

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Albert Camus was a French existential philosopher, novelist, and playwright. His most important contribution to existential philosophy was his idea of the absurd. For Camus, the absurdity of life is created by the juxtaposition of two ideas: 1) the universe is inherently meaningless and indifferent to human concerns, and 2) humans have an innate drive to find meaning in life.

Camus ideal individual, the absurd man, confronts the absurdity of existence with defiance and lives authentically in the face of meaninglessness. He is able to acknowledge the existential emptiness of the world without succumbing to despair or nihilism. He embraces the void directly with passion and joy. He rejects the illusion of imposed order, and in fact finds meaning in this very act of rebellion. He creates his own purpose and lives in the moment.

Camus laid out his ideal of the absurd man in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus. In the Greek myth, Sisyphus is condemned by the gods to push a boulder up a hill for eternity, only to watch it roll back down each time he reaches the top. For Camus, Sisyphus embodies the human condition: our endless search for meaning is as futile as Sisyphus eternal task. But Camus imagines Sisyphus as bearing a smile as he descends to retrieve the boulder, suggesting that theres a kind of triumph, dignity, or even happiness in fully acknowledging the absurdity of life and choosing to push on regardless.

Sren Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish father of existentialism, described his ideal man as the Knight of Faith. In his workFear and Trembling, Kierkegaard explores the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac to illustrate this archetype.

Kierkegaard contrasts the Knight of Faith with another type of individual: the Knight of Infinite Resignation. The Knight of Infinite Resignation renounces worldly attachments and makes great sacrifices for a higher cause or ideal. He resigns himself to these losses and finds peace by letting go of finite and earthly desires.

The Knight of Faith, however, goes beyond resignation and maintains an unwavering belief that he can still receive what he sacrificed due to his absolute faith in God. Abraham was a Knight of Faith because he simultaneously gave up Isaac for sacrifice while still believing that God would allow him to keep his son.

The Knight of Faith embraces the happiness to be found in the finite while also believing in the reality of the infinite and the power of the infinite to make seemingly impossible things possible. To become a Knight of Faith, one must demonstrate faith through action, as Abraham did when he raised his dagger to sacrifice his son. The Knight of Faith takes bold leaps into the unknown.

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What Is The Future of Casino Real Estate – RealtyBizNews

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By Ben Shepardson |August 08, 2023

In the dynamic world of real estate, understanding your target audience is paramount. One of the most effective techniques to do so is customer segmentation. By segmenting potential buyers or sellers into different groups based on shared characteristics, real estate agents can craft tailored marketing strategies, increase engagement, and ultimately, boost sales. This article delves []

The Property Management Market will likely see a USD 49.45 billion increase, with a CAGR of 2.73% between 2022 and 2027 according to a report by Technavio.

As technology continues to transform industries, real estate professionals are constantly looking for innovative ways to enhance their business, streamline processes, and improve client interactions. The introduction of chatbots, powered by artificial intelligence, has been a game-changer in several sectors, including real estate. Among the front runners of these chatbot technologies is the "Bing Chat" []

The real estate industry is well known for being chaotic and mercurial, especially in times of economic uncertainty such as were experiencing now. Naturally, this leads real estate professionals to be on the lookout for sectors of the market that provide the most potential rewards in the longer term. Doing so will help to ride []

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Drake-backed crypto casino hit with lawsuit Cryptopolitan – Cryptopolitan

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A cryptocurrency gambling company co-founded by Australian billionaire Ed Craven and endorsed by Canadian music artist Drake has encountered a legal obstacle in its attempt to establish itself in the Australian market. The ambitious plans of Stake to expand nationwide are now facing a challenge from a Sydney-based share trading platform with the same name, Read more

A cryptocurrency gambling company co-founded by Australian billionaire Ed Craven and endorsed by Canadian music artist Drake has encountered a legal obstacle in its attempt to establish itself in the Australian market. The ambitious plans of Stake to expand nationwide are now facing a challenge from a Sydney-based share trading platform with the same name, as reported by the Australian Associated Press.

The share trading platform initiated a lawsuit in the Federal Court last week, aiming to prevent the crypto casino from utilizing the Stake brand within Australia. It is worth noting that Stake, the casino, is currently prohibited from offering its services in the Australian market.

The legal action is grounded in the argument that the share trading platform has already established a reputation associated with the Stake name within the country. The use of the same name by the crypto gambling firm is claimed to create confusion among consumers, implying a connection between the two entities that do not exist.

The matter has now been presented to the Federal Court, where the share trading platform is seeking orders to prevent the gaming company from promoting itself using the Stake name in Australia. The shared platform reportedly demanded that the casino cease the contested conduct, but the casino has allegedly refused or neglected to comply.

In addition to the ongoing legal challenges, the founders of the casino faced a lawsuit in February from a former business associate who claimed $400 million in damages, accusing them of betrayal.

Stake positions itself as a prominent crypto casino, offering the ability to place bets in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and Dogecoin (DOGE) on various sports events and online games. The company is currently registered in Curacao.

The casino, established by Melbourne-based Ed Craven and his American partner Bijan Tehrani, has swiftly risen to prominence in the online gambling sector since its inception in 2017. Stake has developed into the seventh-largest global gambling group, reporting a gross gaming revenue of almost $2.6 billion in the previous year.

Throughout its growth, Stake has managed to attract both high-rollers and high-profile endorsements, including a substantial $100 million-per-year deal with renowned rapper Drake.

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Drake-backed crypto casino hit with lawsuit Cryptopolitan - Cryptopolitan

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Whats on the menu at new restaurants, bars in The Queen Baton Rouge casino – BRProud.com

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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) The grand reopening of The Queen Baton Rouge is happening on Thursday, Aug. 24, bringing in new restaurants and bars to the city.

New eateries at the casino include 1717, The Loft at 1717, Big Chicken, 3 Woks Noodle Bar, Capitol Coffee Baton Rouge and LIT Casino & Bar. Casino management said Louisiana native chef Kevin Foil will be the executive chef overseeing restaurants. He has over 25 years of experience.

The casino, formerly known as Hollywood Casino, underwent an $85 million renovation project, including moving to land.

Heres a sneak peek at what will be on the menu at the casinos new restaurants and bars.

At 5,200 square feet, this restaurant has a dining room, bar and stage. Among other items, the menu includes Philly cheesesteak nachos, hummus, brisket poboys and ribeye steaks. Guests will find sandwiches, flatbreads, salads and desserts too. Its drink menu offers Purple Reign, a gin drink with lavender and lemonade, Smoked Old Fashioneds and Vandersmash, a bourbon drink served in a souvenir glass.

At The Loft at 1717, guests will have a view of the Mississippi River while enjoying Sunset Happy Hour. This 1,600-square-foot location has an outdoor patio and indoor space with a bar. Happy hour will be from 5-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Founded by LSU legend Shaquille ONeal, this restaurant will offer chicken sandwiches, tenders, mac and cheese and boozy milkshakes.

This pan-Asian restaurant has an open kitchen and offers appetizers like vegetable spring rolls, pork potstickers, crab rangoons and miso soup.

For a main course, people can choose chicken, beef or shrimp noodle options, ramen, The Queens Chicken, a dish made with seasoned rice, crispy chicken and mandarin orange glaze, or kimchee fried rice.

You wont have to go far from the casino floor to get coffee, tea, smoothies, paninis, pastries and more. Sandwiches will be available to order from early morning until late night, management said. Some menu offerings are a breakfast bagel sandwich with bacon, egg and cheddar cheese, a steak and egg panini and a turkey BLT.

This is also the spot for a scoop of Blue Bell ice cream.

This 1,600-square-foot space is where guests can get beer, wine and craft cocktails while having access to 150 gaming positions.

Guests will also be able to check out the DraftKings Sportsbook. According to the Queen Baton Rouge, it will have a full bar with 10 beers on draft, 20 betting kiosks and four over the counter betting windows.

To watch the big game, there will be lounge-style seating, a 28-foot video wall and oversized high-definition TVs.

The Queen Baton Rouge is located at 1717 River Road.

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Waterside developer’s appeal of casino case is pending as Norfolk’s … – The Virginian-Pilot

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As Norfolk slogs through negotiations with a developer over plans for a future casino next to Harbor Park, a legal battle brought by another city business partner over casino development rights is still being waged in court.

Cordish Companies, the Baltimore-based developer that revamped Waterside, sued the city in 2021, arguing Norfolk was in breach of its contract and had actively sought to exclude the location from being the site of a casino. A Richmond judge dismissed the lawsuit last year, but Cordish appealed.

At a July 12 hearing in the Court of Appeals of Virginia, representatives for the parties argued over the language of the 2013 Cordish contract with the city and the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and what that meant for a casino at Waterside.

Attorney John Lynch, who represents the Cordish-owned LLC, Norfolk District Associates, argued that the trial court did not take into account the scope of the Waterside lease language regarding a potential casino, according to a recording of the oral arguments. The company initially argued that it never would have agreed to do the expensive Waterside overhaul if the city had not also agreed to eventually support a casino bid from Cordish.

If were going to invest $43 million at Waterside we dont want the city of Norfolk subsidizing and competing with us on another project, which is exactly what theyre doing, Lynch said.

The Norfolk District Associates lease agreement for Waterside says neither the City nor NRHA will subsidize or provide a performance-based grant for a restaurant and entertainment development of over 75,000 square feet similar to the project, for 10 years.

In court filings, the city argued the lease with Waterside never allowed use as a casino, and therefore it could not be considered similar to the HeadWaters Resort and Casino project.

Waterside has no casino. The Lease prohibits Waterside from having a casino. And the Lease precludes the characterization of casinos as being similar to Waterside, attorneys wrote in the citys appeals brief.

Norfolk approved a land deal with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe in 2019 that set the stage for the development of the HeadWaters Resort and Casino located next to Harbor Park less than a mile from Waterside. City voters approved a referendum allowing gambling at the proposed location in 2020. But three years later, negotiations over the casino have hit numerous road bumps and plans for the project have not been approved.

The city argued in court filings that while the Waterside lease left open the possibility of negotiations to amend the lease if state law changed to allow gaming at the location, that didnt happen, therefore it was under no obligation to help the company obtain government approvals for a casino.

The citys legal representative, Ryan Frei, wrote in a July 19 brief that no amendment was ever made to the Waterside lease to allow a casino at the site even after the possibility of such was allowed by state law. Additionally, he reiterated that the government approvals in the contract referred to liquor licensing and permitting, but not a casino.

Lynch said the contract violation occurred between 2018 and 2020 when they allege the city worked via the General Assembly to oppose a mandatory request for proposal process for a casino and lined up the sale of the property slated for the HeadWaters casino at below market rate. The city still owns the land where the casino is planned, but has to sell it because the casino must be built on privately held land.

Lynch argued those actions amounted to a subsidy.

They had duty to the (Norfolk District Associates) not to subsidize the project that is similar to this project and couldnt subsidize it for 10 years any project that was 75,000 square-feet, that was a restaurant or entertainment venue, Lynch said. Thats exactly what they did.

In oral arguments, Frei said the city has not subsidized HeadWaters through its partnership with the tribe and by the definitions set out in the contract, a casino is not an entertainment venue.

Lynch said during arguments the citysown contract amendments around exclusivity for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe to operate a casino in Norfolk prove Cordishs case that the city knew it was violating the contract.

If they thought the exclusivity provision with Cordish as not enforceable, why would they have to exclude it in an amendment with the tribe? Lynch said. So we believe theyve admitted the enforceability.

Judges Richard Y. AtLee, Doris Henderson Causey and James W. Haley, Jr. heard the arguments and will issue a ruling. At the oral arguments, the judges focused on the language in the citys lease with Cordish, which was repeatedly referred to as the heartbeat of the case in briefs and the trial courts final order.

The lawsuit, which also names City Attorney Bernard Pishko as a defendant, seeks $100 million in damages. There is no deadline for the court to make a decision.

The city of Norfolk did not provide a response to an inquiry from The Virginian-Pilot about what, if any, potential impact the legal proceedings have had on the HeadWaters project.

But a city spokesperson said in the interim, the lease agreement at Waterside between the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Norfolk District Associates remains in full effect, as it has throughout the course of this litigation.

Cordish did not respond to inquires about the case and its potential impact on the HeadWaters development.

A spokesperson for the HeadWaters casino project also declined to discuss the case.

Ian Munro, 757-447-4097, ian.munro@virginiamedia.com, @iamIanMunro

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Cayuga County casino will be the fourth operated by the Cayuga … – The Citizen

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The Citizen staff

The Cayuga Nation will open a new casino in Union Springs this week, the nation's fourth.

The nation announced that its new Class II gaming facility, Lakeside Entertainment 4, will open Friday, Aug. 11, with a "sneak peak" at 10 a.m. and grand opening festivities starting at 3 p.m. The grand opening celebration will feature food, giveaways, live broadcasts and more. The facility is located at 271 Cayuga St. in the village of Union Springs.

The nation said in a news release that the casino's opening "comes at a time of significance for the tribe, following a recent land trust decision. The decision, which recognized the sovereignty and rights of the Cayuga Nation, reaffirms the tribe's historical ties to the land and allows for the development of economic opportunities that benefit both Cayuga citizens and the local community."

The casino will feature 128 gaming machines, making Lakeside Entertainment 4 the largest Cayuga Nation casino and its new "flagship" gaming facility. The nation said that its partnership with Everi Gaming provides a wide array of gaming options and that, as with all of its casinos, the nation "will prioritize responsible gaming practices, ensuring a safe and enjoyable environment for all patrons."

The nation said this fourth casino "is a testament to the Cayuga Nation's commitment to enhancing the economic landscape, allowing them to preserve the cultural heritage and traditions of their ancestors."

"We are thrilled to unveil our latest venture, Lakeside Entertainment 4, which represents the progress of our people," said Clint Halftown, the federally recognized representative for the nation.

"With this new establishment, we aim to not only provide an exceptional entertainment experience for our customers but also to foster economic development and improve the quality of life for our citizens and community members."

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