A
Gloom Has Taken Over The Biggest Gambling Center On The Planet - (www.businessinsider.com) Casino
giants Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands are
selling off — both are down about 3%.
The action is tied to the continuation of a
dark trend in the gaming industry's largest market, Macau. This summer was the
worst for casinos on the island since 2012. At that time many said that
business would recover after the World Cup, when gamblers didn't have soccer
games to bet on. But it didn't. To make matter worse, this weekend China
released a bunch of abysmal economic data. Industrial production slowed to 2008 levels.
Retail sales and fixed-asset investment disappointed as well. The government,
however, has indicated that it does not want to continue stimulating the
economy through housing and infrastructural investment. This does not bode well
for an industry that relies on customers who feel a little rich and a little
lucky. "It's just more of the same in Macau," said Jason Ader founder
of hedge fund SpringOwl and
an early investor in the island's casino business. "I remember you asking
me about the analysts who were blaming World Cup on the weakness. I thought it
was unrelated. Maybe now they will blame Scotland."
Police
seizures of cash rise, fueled by private training firms - (www.bostonglobe.com) After
the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the government called on police to
become the eyes and ears of homeland security on America’s highways. Local
officers, county deputies, and state troopers were encouraged to act more
aggressively in searching for suspicious people, drugs, and other contraband.
The departments of Homeland Security and Justice spent millions on police
training. The effort succeeded, but it had an impact that has been largely
hidden from public view: the spread of an intense brand of policing that has
spurred the seizure of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from motorists
and others not charged with crimes, a Washington Post investigation found. Thousands
of people have been forced to fight legal battles that can last more than a
year to get their money back. Behind the rise in seizures is a little-known
cottage industry of private police-training firms that teach the techniques of
‘‘highway interdiction’’ to departments across the country. One of those firms
created a private intelligence network known as Black Asphalt Electronic
Networking & Notification System that enabled police nationwide to share
detailed reports about American motorists — criminal and innocent alike —
including their Social Security numbers, addresses, and identifying tattoos, as
well as hunches about which drivers to stop.
Scotland Prepares For Bank Runs; 'Quietly' Sends Millions Of Banknotes North - (www.zerohedge.com) As the Scotish independence vote draws near and remains too close to call, some analysts are suggesting Plan B for Scotland may be to choose to opportunistically default. This has done nothing to calm concerns of the aftermath of a "yes" vote - despite US asset managers proclaiming it irrelevant. Nowhere is that more clear than, as The Independent reports, Britain’s banks have been quietly moving millions of banknotes north of the border to cope with any surge in demand by Scots to withdraw cash in the event of a Yes vote in Thursday's independence referendum, it has emerged. Bankers stressed there has been no sign yet of any increase in the amount of withdrawals from deposit accounts or ATMs, but the moves have been taking place over the past week or so in order to make sure ATMs do not run out on Friday in the event of a panic reaction to a “yes” vote.
United
offers up to $100,000 if workers leave - (www.cnbc.com) United
Airlines says
it will offer flight attendants up to $100,000 in severance if they leave
the company. The lump-sum payments will be offered in order of seniority to
some of United's 23,000 flight attendants. United and the Association of Flight
Attendants announced the deal on Monday. United says the early-outs will help
it match staffing to its flight schedule and produce a labor contract with
the union. Airlines and other companies have used early-out bonuses to entice employees
to leave voluntarily. If enough employees accept, it can reduce or avoid
layoffs and remove senior, more-expensive employees from the payroll.
Obama
To Send 3,000 Ebola-Fighting Boots-On-The-Ground To Africa; CDC Warns America
"Now Is The Time To Prepare" – (www.zerohedge.com) On
the heels of yesterday's almost unbelievable forecasts of the exponential
rise in Ebola case counts - and warnings of a 20% chance of Ebola reaching
the USA by year-end,
WHO officials have confirmed that their previous forecasts of 20,000 cases
"does not seem like a lot today." This has, according to Reuters, the United States announced on Tuesday that
it would send 3,000 troops to help tackle the Ebola outbreak as part of a
ramped-up response including a major deployment in Liberia, the country where
the epidemic is spiralling fastest out of control. Perhaps even more worrisome
- for those who explained how 'contained' Ebola was - is the CDC's release
of an Ebola checklist warning American healthcare workers "now is the time
to prepare."
Russia
says 'cynical' U.S. policy pushing world toward new cold war - (www.reuters.com)
Hong Kong Protesters March as Leader Urges ‘Good Sense’ - (www.bloomberg.com)
Hong Kong Protesters March as Leader Urges ‘Good Sense’ - (www.bloomberg.com)
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