Features
Martin Silvert is a Barbra Streisand superfan
By MYRON LOVE When Martin Silvert says that he “should have been a show business journalist”, the lifelong Winnipegger isn’t kidding. He reports that he has 1100 movies on his shelves.
“Oscar night is sacred to me,” he says. I have so far watched every single show since 1962 without missing one.”
He further notes that he has seen over 100 plays on Broadway – musicals are his favourites – and more on the London stage.
And the celebrities he has met! The list includes Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft (“lovely people”, he says), Jack Lemmon, “Sweeney Todd” stars Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou, Ann Miller, Glenda Jackson, Peter O’Toole, Maggie Smith Bill Macy (of “Maude” fame), Florence Henderson, Christopher Reeve, Jack Gilbert, and Kaye Ballard to name a few.
“I once ran into Ray Bolger (the scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz”) walking down the street in New York,” he recalls.
“And Molly Picon (who was also a star of the Yiddish theatre) was one of my favourites.”
However, the brightest star in the entertainment firmament for Silvert is – and always has been Barbra Streisand. His home is a shrine to the star. He has all of Streisand’s movies, all her records and CDs, framed photos, posters, news clippings and much more.
Silvert has also been fortunate in that he has been able to see his transcendent star live in concert six times – twice each in Las Vegas, Florida and Washington, DC. (Bonus points – at one of the Washington concerts, he was sitting just seven rows behind Bill and Hillary Clinton. He was there with a friend who was originally from Little Rock and who used to baby sit Chelsea Clinton.)
He also sends Streisand birthday cards every year. Although he has never received a reply nor has he ever met her in person, he is not deterred in his admiration for her.
“She has a team that screens everything and everyone,” he offers.
So where did this fascination with Streisand begin for Silvert? Martin recalls the first time that he heard Streisand singing. It was 1964, and the young son of the late Edward and Dorothy Silvert was home for lunch when the then-elementary school student first heard Streisand singing “People” on the radio.
He was hooked.
“As soon as I heard that voice, “he recalls, “I dropped my grilled cheese sandwich and ran to the radio. I have been a fan ever since.”
His expertise and renown as the go-to guy for everything Streisand is such that when Columbia Pictures and Sony Music still had Canadian offices in Toronto, they would send him promotions on everything. “I had my own early advance screening of ‘The Prince of Tides,’ and when ‘The Mirror has Two Faces’ opened,” he recounts, “they wanted me to invite friends to the first screening here, which really was a lot of fun. They called me up to the front of the then Garrick theatre and they had a contest to stump me on what I knew. Needless to say, I can’t be stumped. There is nothing virtually I don’t know about Barbra. When you’re a fan for that long, you know everything.”
Now, I wouldn’t want readers to get the impression that Martin Silvert’s life has only been about Streisand. He did work for 30 years for Saskatchewan Wheat Pool as a grain trader – followed by seven more years for Anheuser Busch. He retired to look after his aged and ailing parents.
Over ten years – prior to the onset of Covid, he volunteered at the Simkin Centre, where his mother was a resident for a couple of years before her passing.
“I really enjoyed volunteering at the Simkin Centre, helping residents with lunch, manicures and on outings to the park,” he says.
In fact, the Simkin Centre’s last program, pre-Covid, featured Silvert sharing his knowledge and passion concerning Streisand with appreciative residents.
“I have missed my volunteering at the Simkin Centre and am hoping to return when conditions permit,” he says.
He is also eager to get back to New York City – “my home away from home,” he says – and to Los Angeles, so that he can use his Academy Award Museum membership and walk on the Barbra Streisand Bridge at the museum.
And Streisand fans, Silvert notes, are eagerly anticipating the release of a rumoured new CD from the soon-to-be 80-year-old diva. (Her birthday is April 24, Silvert reveals.)
One final anecdote from Silvert has to do with Streisand’s performance in Winnipeg very early in her career. According to a Winnipeg Free Press story from 2006, she was booked to play the Town ‘n Country, a famous local establishment, in 1961. While the then 19-year-old received a positive review from then-leading Winnipeg entertainment writer Gene Telpner, Silvert noted in the Free Press story that Town ‘n Country owner Auby Galpern didn’t like her manner or her clothes and fired her before her booking was over, saying that “she would never make it in the business”.
“A year later, she was debuting on Broadway,” Silvert notes.
Uncategorized
Volatility, Hit Frequency, and RTP: Why the Number Casinos Advertise Is the Least Useful One
The return to player percentage looks clean as a casino data point. It gives players a neat number, usually around 94% to 97% for many online slots, and that number feels easy to compare. A 96.5% game appears better than a 95.2% game. The problem starts when players treat RTP as a forecast for their next 50 spins or one evening.
You may find the RTP listed on slot pages on a leading online casino in Ontario, but the number only tells part of the story. Two games can share the same RTP and create different sessions: one may return small wins often, while the other may drain a balance before one bonus round changes everything.
The RTP Trap
Return to player (RTP) measures the theoretical share of total wagers a game returns across a very large number of rounds. In plain terms, a 96% RTP slot returns about $96 for every $100 wagered in the long run. That does not mean one player who deposits $100 should expect $96 back.
The trap sits in the word “theoretical.” RTP comes from the game’s math model. It works across huge samples, not personal sessions. A player can finish far above that percentage, far below it, or with nothing left after a short run of poor results.
Is it useless then? No, RTP can still help. It gives a baseline cost of play. Lower-RTP games cost more on average than higher-RTP games. Still, once a game passes a reasonable threshold, the next question matters more: how does it distribute that return?
Hit Frequency: The Number That Shapes Session Feel
Hit frequency tells you how often a game produces a winning outcome. This often misleads players because any win can count. A spin that returns $0.10 on a $1 bet may still count as a hit, even though the player lost $0.90 in real terms.
A game can feel active because symbols connect often, sounds play, and the screen keeps celebrating small returns. The balance may still fall. In many modern slots, “win” does not always mean profit on the spin.
Hit frequency answers one practical question: how much silence can you tolerate? Some players dislike long dry spells. Others accept quieter sessions because they chase bonus rounds or larger payouts.
The educational site Get Gambling Facts gives a useful distinction: RTP concerns the percentage of money returned over time, while hit frequency concerns how often a machine stops on a winning combination.
Volatility: The Risk Label Players Need More Often
Volatility, also called variance, describes how unevenly a game pays. Low-volatility games tend to return smaller amounts more often. High-volatility games hold more value in rare events: bonus rounds, premium symbols, multipliers, or jackpots.
Here is where RTP becomes less useful on its own:
- A 96% low-volatility slot may give modest returns and longer play from the same balance.
- A 96% high-volatility slot may burn through funds quickly unless the player hits a strong feature.
- A progressive jackpot game may look exciting, but it often places more value on rare top prizes.
The same RTP can hide very different risk profiles. Players who ignore volatility often blame the casino or the game when the session follows its math design.
Why the Same RTP Can Feel So Different
Picture two slots with 96% RTP. Slot A pays small wins on many spins, has a modest top prize, and rarely creates dramatic balance swings. Slot B pays less often but offers a large max win and volatile bonus rounds. The advertised return matches, but the experience does not.
Slot A may suit a player who wants a slower bankroll drop and more regular feedback. Slot B suits someone who accepts sharper losses in exchange for a shot at a heavier payout.
A Better Way to Read a Slot Page
Most slot pages give players more clues than they notice. The trick is to read the details together rather than chase the highest percentage.
Start with RTP. If two games look similar, the higher number has better long-term value. Then check volatility. If the game uses terms such as high, very high, or extreme variance, lower your bet size or expect shorter sessions. Next, look at the paytable. A huge max win usually means the game saves a lot of its value for rare outcomes.
A sensible pre-play check looks like this:
- RTP: What is the average long-term return?
- Volatility: How rough can the session become?
- Hit frequency: How often will the game show any wins?
- Paytable: Where does most value sit?
To Conclude
Casinos advertise RTP because it looks objective, tidy, and easy to rank. Players should read it, but they should not give it more authority than it deserves. For long sessions, volatility may matter more than a small RTP difference. For comfort, hit frequency may explain the feel better than the payback rate.
Features
They Deserve the Very Best”: The Doctors Bringing Specialist Care to Holocaust Survivors at Home
Features
The Popularity of Simpler Slot Games in 2026: Review From Casino Online CrazyTower Experts
Online casinos now fill their libraries with numerous video slots that have dozens of functions, long bonus rounds, complex mechanics, and so on. Interestingly, despite this huge range of modern options, many Canadian visitors at sites like Casino Online CrazyTower here https://crazytower.com/ca/ no longer want complicated gameplay that requires constant attention and long explanations.
Simpler slots now attract a wider audience because they save time and create faster sessions. So, let’s figure out why this change happened and reasons for the popularity of simpler machines.
Why Many Players Are Returning to Basic Gameplay
Modern websites like Casino Online CrazyTower pushed complex video slots for years, but many people now prefer classic formats again. Simple gameplay has fewer interruptions and is simpler in terms of budgeting, which is important when you gamble for fun.
These are a few potential reasons explain why simpler slots became popular again in 2026:
- Faster rounds. Symbols appear quickly, and rounds continue without long animations or extended bonus sequences.
- Easier controls. Most classic slots have simple menus and familiar layouts that don’t confuse new visitors.
- Smaller feature lists. Simple slots usually have standard wilds, scatters, and multipliers instead of dozens of random mechanics.
- Better session flow. People spend more time on gameplay instead of reading explanations about symbols and special functions.
- Lower visual pressure. Simpler slots use calmer designs and shorter effects that don’t overload attention.
Classic gameplay also suits mobile devices better because shorter rounds work well on smaller screens. Plus, many visitors now prefer games that start instantly and explain their mechanics within seconds.
Features That Make Simpler Slots Appealing
Simple machines at Casino Online CrazyTower and similar websites continue to attract attention because they have a high gameplay speed. Many classic titles also replicate older casino machines that people already know from physical casinos.
However, these aren’t the only factors that attract gamblers. So, check out this list:
- Short bonus rounds. Free spins and multipliers finish quickly instead of interrupting gameplay for several minutes.
- Common and standard paylines. Traditional layouts help people understand payouts without long explanations.
- Faster loading times. Simpler graphics reduce waiting time on phones, tablets, and older computers.
- Stable gameplay pace. Long cutscenes and constant pop-up notifications don’t interrupt the session.
- Traditional themes. Fruit symbols, bars, sevens, and classic casino designs still attract large audiences.
- Smaller menus. Important information appears immediately without complicated tabs or hidden sections.
Modern video slots often contain too many mechanics in a single game. Developers now combine expanding reels, random modifiers, mission systems, tournaments, and multiple bonus levels in one title. Many visitors lose interest because gameplay turns repetitive and overloaded with constant interruptions.
Compare this to a session when you get results immediately and aren’t interrupted. These still have free spins and even mini risk games, but not as loaded as innovative titles.
Conclusion
Simple slots usually create better replay value because people understand the mechanics immediately. Common and standard gameplay doesn’t cause frustration and allows faster decisions during casino sessions.
Many classic slots also function better during short breaks because rounds finish quickly without long bonus interruptions. That’s why simpler slots became popular again at many casinos, including Casino Online CrazyTower and such.
