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November 29, 2004
My friend from work and I went up to Ho-Chunk Casino yesterday. The blackjack tables were not kind. The dealers were not busting anywhere. In fact, they were hitting three and four times drawing to 19, 20, or 21 consistently. You haven't got a snow ball's chance in hell of winning anything. The only thing that saved my ass was I got lucky on the slots again. I won another $200 overall. I think I pissed away $150 at the blackjack tables. So for the past two trips, I won around $400 dollars. That isn't too bad.
It has been years since I bought myself anything nice, so I spent $300 on a Sony Digital Camera, plus an upgraded 128 MB card. It is a beautiful camera. It is 4.2 mega pixels. It has an auto zoom, that can also be controlled manually. It can shoot movies. It really is a professional model with tons of features and options. I have to learn how to use the thing. I can produce high quality pictures with this camera. I said I was going to get a digital camera, and so I did. I have some great ideas on what I can do with it. I have Adobe Photoshop 7.0 installed on my computer. With this program, and the camera I have, I can do almost anything. I love photography. I have taken some excellent pictures with my old 35mm Olympus. With this new camera, I step into the world of digital photography. It is going to take some time to learn everything I need to. I have time.
I just have to be patient and not get overwhelmed at the complexity of it all. It is complex if you want to achieve a level of excellence. That's why I don't think I will be producing anything soon.
That's about it for now. Time to get something to eat, take a hot shower, and relax some. I did do some things with the camera. I put the memory card in, and the batteries. I set the date and time features. I want to go back and tinker with the menu items some and get the hang of working it. I took a picture of me looking in the mirror. I even figured out how to view the picture I took. The flash left a big white spot on it. It was just a test to see how it all works. Learning all there is to know about digital photography, and the Adobe Photoshop program will take years. In the meantime, I think I will have fun with it. I want to get out this Spring and Summer and take some nice nature pics. I have the Winter to bone up on it. I will take a picture of me, and the tattoos, and put them on the site. Give me a couple weeks. I don't want to post crap. It will take me a couple weeks to get limber enough to pop a nice high side kick. I won't post anything that isn't quality.
November 28, 2004
I stay in contact via e-mail with a friend I met in Vegas. His name is Bill, and he stayed in the same apartment complex I lived in. He worked in Rockford, Il. before retiring to Las Vegas. He is a good guy. Never had an unkind word to say about anyone. Before I left, he was having trouble getting around. He fell a lot. He was loosing the ability to speak, and his arm wasn't working as well as it had been. I was always telling him to go to the Doctor and get a check up. About six months after I had left Vegas, he went.
The Doctor told him he had ALS, and that he might have six weeks left to live. Bill moved to Mississippi to live with a sister, who was already talking care of his elderly Mother. He is confined to a wheelchair now, and is in and out of the hospital. Everytime he goes into the hospital, the Doctors say the same things, "he isn't going to make it". Each time, he gets well enough to leave. The six weeks he was given to live has stretched into almost two years. Bill is tough. There were times in Vegas when he was struggling. He got depressed, and often talked about killing himself. But when it comes down to it, none of us want to give up this life we have because even if it sucks, it's all we have. We will hang onto it to the bitter end.
Bill's sister Chris sends e-mail and tells me how Bill is doing. He is OK. He often wishes he could go back to Vegas. He really liked it there. He goes to a casino nearby, and plays video poker occasionally. Chris sent me this little story about using the time you have each day.
SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES
Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning with $86,400 However, no balances are carried over from the previous day. You start each day fresh with $ 86,400. Whatever portion of the money you fail to use at the end of each day is cancelled from your account.
What would you do? It did not take me long to come to the answer. WITHDRAW EVERY CENT OF THE $86,400!
Now take a moment and apply this illustration to your life. All of us have a bank account called TIME. Every 24 hour period our account is credited with 86,400 seconds. And the end of the day every second you have remaining in your TIME account is cancelled. That's right. Any second of TIME you failed to use for good is lost. No balance is carried over to the next day. Oh, by the way, you don't get any overdrafts either. Each day you get 86,400 seconds to use for a worthy purpose. Each night any left over time is cancelled, and your records of the day burned.
If you fail to use the day's deposit of 86,400 seconds, the loss is yours. There is no going back. Those excuses of " I wish I had", or " I should have" or " I could have" are not going to bail you out. There's is no drawing against tomorrow for what you let slip by today. You must live in the present on today's deposit of 86,400 seconds.
TIME is a precious commodity. Invest it so you can receive the utmost in health, happiness, joy, peace, love, success, and fulfillment.
MAKE THE MOST EACH DAY OF THE TIME DEPOSIT PLACED IN YOUR LIFE'S ACCOUNT!!!!
November 26, 2004
This Holiday stress guide is brought to you as a courtesy of ©webstonne, and The Mental Health Association of Greater Houston. I would hate to see a repeat of the stabbing incident that happened on Thanksgiving in Worcester, Massachusetts. When will people learn some folks just haven't got any manners, and they aren't going to ever learn any? Think about it. It might save you a few stitches.
Holiday Stress-Being Realistic Helps
Having a Realistic Approach to the Holidays Can Stave off Stress
It’s (fill in the blank): Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, St. Nicolas Eve, Hanukkah, St. Lucia Day, Navidades, New Year’s, or Winter Solstice.
And because it is a holiday:
* Our families will be together, get along, and be happy
* Our children will act like humans and be grateful for all we've done and spent
* Our partners will read our minds and give us exactly what we've been wishing for
* We will have enough money and enough time to purchase the perfect presents, clothing, food
* We will sit by the crackling fireside and be at peace and filled with love.
Right? In our dreams!
“Most of us have preconceived ideas about the way our holidays should be. And then we are hugely disappointed when they are anything but perfect,” says Betsy Schwartz, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Greater Houston. “To avoid some of the stress often associated with the winter holidays, we need to learn to be more realistic. For instance, if you and your Uncle Jonas have never seen eye-to-eye on anything, this one day will probably not be different.
“Holidays do offer opportunities for gathering with family, connecting with friends and participating in tradition; all potential sources of happiness. On the other hand, family tensions, frantic schedules, overcrowded calendars, and mountains of tasks can bring on depression and/or stress,” says Schwartz.
Her tips?
Be realistic.
* That means keeping your expectations within the realm of manageability.
* It also means being honest with yourself about what you really can and cannot do.
* Pace yourself and organize your time.
* Remember that life brings changes so this holiday may not be like others of the past.
* Do something for others.
* Refrain from eating and drinking too much.
* Celebrate in ways you have not tried before. This can lead to new traditions.
* Nurture yourself and spend time with people who are supportive.
And stress? “We need to remember that the holidays themselves don't cause stress. It is, instead, the meaning that we assign to them. If we can predict the remarks that push our buttons—and we usually can—we can choose not to react to them in a way that sets off the conflict.”
Holiday stress is, for the most part self-inflicted because we 1) overextend ourselves, 2) commit to doing more than we could possibly do, 3) don't get enough rest, and 4) eat and drink more than at other times of the year.
To avoid stressing out, says Schwartz:
Commit only to what you can handle.
* Keep a healthy schedule and monitor what you eat and drink
* Keep spending within your budget
* Compromise with yourself.
* If you've always baked 20 different kinds of cookies and you want to bake, go ahead.
* But bake three kinds of cookies instead of the 20.
* Practice saying no.
* Build in time for yourself.
Man accused of stabbing relatives over holiday table manners
Associated Press
WORCESTER, Massachusetts -- A man was charged with stabbing two relatives after they allegedly criticized his table manners during Thanksgiving dinner.
Police said the fight broke out Thursday when Gonzalo Ocasio, 49, and his 18-year-old son, Gonzalo Jr., reprimanded Frank Palacious for picking at the turkey with his fingers, instead of slicing off pieces with a knife.
Palacious, 24, described by police only as an uncle, allegedly responded by stabbing them with a carving knife.
He is charged with domestic assault and assault with intent to murder, Detective Sgt. Thomas R. Radula said.
Police said Ocasio Jr. suffered stab wounds to the chest, back and right side. A nursing supervisor at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center said Friday she had no information on his condition.
His father was treated for a stab wound in his arm.
November 25, 2004
Principal Fired After Voluntary Whipping
Associated Press
And you wonder why some parents insist that they keep their children at home? Get a load of this friut cake. I'm surprised the man didn't pound a crown of thorns to his head and have himself nailed to a cross. I wouldn't doubt if the dude wanted to bend over naked, and have his ass whipped. I can hear him now explaining to the judge, "I did it for the children your honor. I just love them so much. I had to sacrifice my buttocks for the sins of the world, amen".
WASILLA, Alaska -- A principal at a Christian school who was fired for being voluntarily whipped in front of two students does not regret his decision. "I'm not bitter," Steve Unfreid said of his dismissal as principal of Matanuska Christian School in Palmer.
Unfreid said his choice of discipline was inspired by the actions of Jesus. He asked teacher Joe Brost to whip him in front of two male students in the school's basement last month after the boys were caught kissing girls in the locker room for the second time in a week.
When the two seniors, 17 and 18, got caught kissing the girls in front of younger students, Unfreid said he contemplated about what discipline to hand out. He woke at 3 a.m. and prayed how to avoid expelling them.
He said that was when he remembered years ago he had cured his son of chronic lying by telling his son to hit him with a wooden ladle instead of spanking the youngster.
Later at school, Unfreid walked the boys down to a basement room with Brost. He told them, " 'Guys, this has gotta stop,' " he said. " 'I've let the atmosphere get too lax. I share in this discipline. This is a one-time deal.' "
Then the principal took off his belt, gave it to Brost, and instructed the teacher to "discipline me like you would discipline your own son," he recalled.
He told the teacher to stop only when the students acknowledged their mistake. The whole thing, starting with the trip downstairs, lasted 5 to 10 minutes, he said.
The next day, Unfreid mentioned the lesson in Bible class. A student in class complained, talked to school officials, and word of the incident spread. Unfreid was put on administrative leave that Thursday.
The school's board of directors unanimously decided in a closed-door session to fire Unfreid. Brost resigned.
Unfreid violated school policy by not notifying parents before going ahead with discipline, particularly with "anything that unusual," school board president and acting administrator Scott Richardson said Friday.
Unfreid said in an interview Friday at his Wasilla home that he should have called the boys' parents first, but expressed no regret for his behavior.
November 23, 2004
This photo released by the Sawyer County Sheriff's Department shows Chai Vang, the Loatian-born deer hunter accused of killing six members of a hunting party during a rampage in woodland in northwest Wisconsin at the weekend.
I always like to add news about what is happening here in Wisconsin. This isn't good news, but it is hot news. The deeer hunting season has a long tradition. For many it is a rite of passage. You leave a boy, and return a man if you shoot a buck. There have always been stories floating around where talk concerned how someone got even with someone else who had done them wrong. It wouldn't be hard to shoot someone in the woods and get away with it. The number of people out in the woods at this time is unbelievable. The odds of catching a stray bullet are within the realm of possibility. Going nuts and blasting people at will is another story.
Suspect Says Hunters Shot at Him First
Associated Press
HAYWARD, Wis. - A man suspected in the killings of six hunters told investigators he began firing after a shot was fired at him and some of the victims called him racially derogatory names, according to documents filed Tuesday.
A judge set bail at $2.5 million for Chai Vang, 36, of St. Paul, Minn., who is suspected in the killings Sunday of six deer hunters and the wounding of two others.
Bail was set after investigators filed documents arguing there was probable cause to hold Vang in the shootings. No charges had been filed.
Vang, a Hmong immigrant from Laos, was arrested Sunday about four hours after the shootings as he emerged from the woods with his empty SKS 7.62 mm semiautomatic rifle.
Sawyer County Sheriff Jim Meier said a dispute over Vang's use of a tree stand — a raised platform used by hunters — on private property preceded the gunfire.
Vang told investigators he didn't realize he was on private property when he climbed the tree stand, according to the probable-cause statement released Tuesday. The county has thousands of acres of public hunting land, some of it "virtually around" the private property where the shooting occurred, Meier has said.
A hunter approached and told Vang he was on private property, and Vang started to leave as other hunters approached, the statement said. Vang said the hunters surrounded him and some called him racial slurs.
Vang said he started walking away but looked back to see the first hunter point his rifle at him and then fire a shot that hit the ground 30 to 40 feet behind him, the statement said.
Vang told investigators that's when he started firing at the group, according to the statement.
Five people died at the scene and a sixth died Monday in a hospital. Two others were wounded. The dead were identified as the landowner, Robert Crotteau, 42; his son Joey, 20; Al Laski, 43; Mark Roidt, 28; Jessica Willers, 27; and Denny Drew, 55, who died Monday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield. Willers' father, Terry Willers, remained hospitalized Tuesday in fair condition, while the other wounded hunter was released.
Officials said the victims were part of a group of 14 or 15 who made their opening-weekend trip to the 400-acre property an annual tradition.
"This was his first time out with that group. He was delighted to be invited," said Karen Roidt, mother of victim Mark Roidt.
According to an account Meier gave Monday, two or three hunters spotted a man in a hunting platform on Crotteau's land, then radioed back to the rest of the party at a nearby cabin and were told no one should be there. Meier did not indicate who the account came from.
One of the men asked the intruder to leave, while Crotteau and the others in the cabin hopped on their all-terrain vehicles and headed to the scene, according to the account.
"The suspect got down from the deer stand, walked 40 yards, fiddled with his rifle. He took the scope off his rifle, he turned and he opened fire on the group," Meier said.
He was "chasing after them and killing them," Deputy Tim Zeigle said. "He hunted them down."
Authorities have said there was only one firearm among the eight hunters and it was unclear whether anyone returned fire.
Some Hmong leaders questioned whether racial differences may have figured in the shootings.
There have been previous clashes between Southeast Asian and white hunters in the region. Locals in the Birchwood area, about 120 miles northeast of the Twin Cities, have complained that the Hmong do not understand the concept of private property and hunt wherever they see fit.
Sang Vang said his brother has lived in the United States for more than 20 years and is a U.S. Army veteran.
Vang's arrest made some Hmong citizens in his hometown fearful of a backlash. Hmong leaders in St. Paul condemned the shootings Tuesday and offered condolences to victims' families.
"What happened in Wisconsin is in no way representative of the Hmong people and what they stand for," said Cha Vang, who said he was representing "the greater law-abiding Hmong community." He is no relation to Chai Vang.
About 24,000 Hmong live in St. Paul, the highest concentration of any U.S. city.
Minneapolis police said they arrested Chai Vang on Christmas Eve 2001 after he waved a gun and threatened to kill his wife. No charge was filed because she didn't cooperate with authorities, spokesman Ron Reier said. St. Paul police said there had been two domestic violence calls to his home in the past year, but both were resolved without incident.
On the lighter side ...
I remember sitting in the break room back in Vegas at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. There were four guys from Britian who were working the craps table as a team. We used to call them "The Ruttles". Anyway, we were watching Monty Python's Flying Circus. One of the cast told a joke, and no one was laughing. Someone asked the crew, "why isn't anyone laughing? Is this some kind of English humor?" Before they could answer, I put my two cents in, "no one is wearing a dress". Three of the guys from Britian laughed, one took offense. "Stonne, you bloody wanker!", he cried. A little inside joke for those of you not familiar with British comedy. Seems they love dressing in drag, and telling jokes. I'm not exactly sure why this is, but I know they do. I wonder what the Brits would think of this news story.
Camouflage ousts cross-dressing at US school
Reuters
Camouflage was in and cross-dressing was out at a rural east Texas school district after a Christian legal group complained a long-standing school tradition of reversing social roles for a day would promote homosexuality.
Students in Spurger, Texas were encouraged by school officials to wear camouflage hunting gear to class after they called off their annual "TWIRP Day" in which boys dressed as girls and vice versa.
The cross-dressing tradition began some years back as a kind of Sadie Hawkins Day, where girls ask boys to go out on dates.
TWIRP stands for "The Woman Is Requested To Pay."
Delana Davies, who has two children in the Spurger school, complained this year that the tradition could promote homosexuality and lobbied the Liberty Legal Institute, a right-wing Christian legal group, to take up the cause.
November 22, 2004
This job has sucked a great deal of energy from me. That is understandable. But I have to get cracking. I don't want to be stuck living here any longer than I have to. It is a rat hole. I have one decent neighbor. The rest of the lot are losers. Water seeks it's own level. When my time comes, I don't want to lie there thinking I didn't have the guts to try and accomplish everything possible. I don't want to realize I was afraid to live. I have to deal with the great unwashed. Maybe that is what the true test of living is all about. You coped with the idiots. You even tried to help them, even if they didn't deserve it. Maybe that's what places you above the rest. Maybe that is what true enlightenment is all about. You realize your fellow man is an ass hole, but you try and look beyond that and try to ignite a spark of humanity within them. I think that is what separates the sage from the fool. Fools just go about hating people. The sage lives a life that others admire. Grandmaster Giacobbe was right; no matter what you do in this life, people will hate you. You might as well do something you love, and not live the life of a fool.
November 21, 2004
I don't know if you ever received an e-mail from any of these "Nigerian Scam" people. It isn't hard to see why this particular Internet rip off was successful. The bigger and more outrageous a lie is, the better chance it has for being mistaken as truth. I wonder why it took them so long to find this guy? If someone downloads an MP3, the Recording Industry is all over their ass. I remember getting e-mails from these guys years ago. I even received an e-mail that was similar in intent, but had a different slant in the delivery. I'll add it to the end of the article.
Australian Imprisoned for Online Scam
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia - A Sydney man was imprisoned for more than five years Monday for duping people into sending him millions of dollars in a global Internet ruse known as the Nigerian scam.
Nick Marinellis pleaded guilty in the New South Wales District Court to 10 counts of fraud for taking part in the scam promising people millions from Nigerian bank accounts in return for an "administration fee."
Prosecutors said Marinellis fleeced his victims of 5 million Australian dollars, or $3.8 million dollars.
Judge Barry Mahoney sentenced Marinellis to five years and three months in prison and ordered him held for a minimum four years and four months, calling Marinellis' scam "complicated and devious."
Culprits in the Nigerian scam typically present themselves as people who need access to a Western bank account in order to transfer a large sum of money out of a politically troubled country. They promise a cut of the money but ask for a smaller up front cost before the larger sum can be transferred.
Date: Thu Apr 3 03:55:17 2003 (PST)
To: okodua@go.com
Subject: Response needed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**High Priority**
Dear Jonathan.
It took me time and divine intervention to write you this mail, as we have never
had any correspondence before. My name is Very Rev.Monsignor Bernard Okodua. I'm
a catholic priest and I'm very much interested in a relationship with you for
mutual benefits as I have access to what is needed, but lack the experience and
I'm not in a position to perfect its use.
There is an urgent need for my contacting you as I recently have been granted an
opportunity to have access to US$8,500,000.00(eight million five hundred thousand
United States Dollars Only). Access to this fund is made available by a woman,
who happens to be a serious member of my parish. She is well known in this
community and aside being a major real estate agent she is a magnet in
environmental management and was a liencened oil merchant before now.
Unfortunately she has been living and struggling with breast cancer for close to
14 months now. Though she is unmarried, she has a 12yrs old daughter and I have
been responsible for her care seen the break of her horrible dilemma. She has
been through a first operation, and though she is to undergo a final operation
within the next few days, the doctors have not given her much of a chance to
live. She is not aware of this fact and she stills remains hopefully that
something positive can be done in her case.
Based on my last discussion with her yesterday afternoon on the future of her
daughter, should she not be so lucky. She insisted that the fund should be
invested. Unfortunately I'm definitely not in a position to run things, which is
why I seek your assistance in taking control of managing the fund. I have
resolved with her on an agreement that will be drawn up by you on a yearly charge
that will be paid to you for taking control and managing the fund while half of
the proceed will be given for the development of treatment of cancer patients.
The rest will remain with you for the up keep of her daughter. I wish you could
be of assistance to this course and I'd like to add that sometimes I receive
unsolicited mails, so I hope my mail doesn't come as an embarrassment to you, but
if it does please kindly accept my apologies.
Awaiting your response,
Sincerely,
Very Rev. Monsignor Bernard Okodua.
Parish Priest
Holy family Catholic Church.
Please Note: The information contained in this message may be privileged and
confidential, protected from disclosure, and/or intended only for the use of the
individual or entity named above. If you have received this communication in
error, please notify me immediately by replying to the message and deleting it
from your computer. Thank you.
November 15, 2004
There is good news, and there is bad news on the political horizon. John Ashcroft resigned. That is good news. Collin Powell resigned. That is bad news.
First, the good news. John Ashcroft is gone. The damage has been done, but at least he is no longer in a position to do any more harm. I realize he probably did things that protected the American homeland. But do the ends justify the means? That is one question that has never been adequately answered.
The bad news is that Collin Powell resigned. He was a voice of reason in the Cabinet. When ever the blood lust started boiling at least his cool head was there to throw cold water on those hot heads drunk on their own omnipotence. And look at the names being tossed about to fill his spot ... Condaleza Rice? You got to be kidding me. She has got Bush wrapped around her little finger. The North Koreans, and the Iranians will be kicking our sorry asses if she gets the nod. I hate to be the voice of doom and gloom, but mark my words. They will test her and they won't be pulling any punches.
I am working 50 hours a week. I am trying to pay back debt I took on when I had my aneurysm. I am trying to pay back debt I took on when I moved here and got tossed out on my ass by my moronic brother. Sometimes I wonder why I should give a damn. I sometimes think I will just pay the minimums. Why should I should give a flying f**k if I pay my credit cards off or not. The world might just blow up in my face. What good will being debt free do then? I will pay off my debts. I want to leave this world knowing I took responsibility for my actions. If others don't, then they have to live with that.
November 14, 2004
As you may know, I used to live and work in Las Vegas. I spent 11 years standing behind roulette tables, dealing blackjack, pai gow poker, and sitting behind a baccarat layout. I know how these games work. That doesn't mean I can beat them, but I do understand them. I also know a scam when I see one.
I went to The Ho-Chunk Casino located in Lake Delton, WI. The casino is situated between the town of Baraboo, and Wisconsin Dells. They claim to be the largest casino in North America. I don't know what the claim is based on. It might be square footage. I know the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas is bigger. It might be the largest Reservation Casino, but I doubt that too. That casino In Conneticut is a whale from what I have heard. And I know for a fact they were making more money than any casino in the country period at one time. After seeing the operation at Ho-Chunk, I can see why Reservation Casinos are doing so well.
The place was nothing but row after row of slot machines. The blackjack pit was relatively small in comparison to the floor space. And the slots were all composed of those 1-cent and 5-cent multi-line jobs. I will tell you this, they do not pay. You sit and play winning nothing in hopes of getting to the "magical" bonus rounds, and end up with nothing. There was ONE $5 slot in the entire casino. The $5 slots and higher have a greater pay out percentage of any of the slots. But that makes sense. If you hit anything, it adds up. And because you are taking a higher risk playing higher units, the house percentage, called the "PC" in the business is lower. The PC is the Holy Grail. The "PC" is what the house is "holding" over the game. If the PC is 28% on blackjack, then the casino is making $28.00 on every $100 bought in. That is set in stone. Look at it this way. The casino is making 28% during the time they are holding onto the 100 dollar bill you just gave them. If you get the 100 back, you are lucky. If you make anything, you are lucky because you haven't won squat till you get your ass to the casino cage to cash those pretty chips in. You might be up for awhile, but if you don't cash out, you haven't won anything. How many times have you heard this, "I was up 200, but I didn't quit, and I gave it back, plus the 100 I bought in with." So that is the PC. You can set your watch by it. Casinos can plan expansion and future earning just by what the PC is holding. If a certain table is not producing the PC, then there is a problem. People get fired over not producing, or maintaining the all mighty PC.
So what is the PC on these fancy electronic muti-line slot machines? I really don't have a figure, but it is astronomical. And I have often thought, what legal body is regulating the Reservation Casinos? They can set the pay out ratios to whatever they want on those damn machines. You can set them to where it is impossible to accumulate anything. And that is what I am seeing at Ho-Chunk.
My friend did well playing blackjack. He played the last spot, called "third base", and I watched the cards as they came out. I gave him some helpful suggestions on his hitting options, and when to double down on the "soft" hands. A soft hand is a hand that has an Ace. An Ace and a 5 is 6 or 16, etc. Anyway, we did well together. He bought in with $30.00, and cashed out with $185.00. I got my ass kicked with one shit hand after another. The gods smiled on me though. I played this red-white-blue variety slot machine that had a 10X factor in it. These 5X, 10X, Double Diamond, Triple Diamond, Wheel of Fortune, Elvis, etc. type slots are bad. They don't let you win little pots. You either hit something, or you get nothing. I hit for $400.00. I was $150 in the hole at the time, so I walked away with $250.00. Stupid, blind luck with no skill involved. That is what Ho-Chunk is offering. Ho-Chunk is nothing but an over-rated carnival game. In true gambling, skill can be the difference between winning and loosing. The odds are still stacked up against you, but with skill, you can grind that PC down, and at times even have the PC in your favor. The Native American's running the Ho-Chunk Casino aren't giving you the opportunity to display skill. It is all shit slots, and a few blackjack tables. At the blacjack table, the maximum bet is limited. If you had a hot streak going, you can't capitalize on it because the maximum bet isn't going to allow you to accumulate anything quickly. So you have to win more hands to win more money. Again, the PC is greatly tilted to the House advantage.
My advice is this. Do not play in Reservation Casinos. You are just wasting your hard earned cash with no real opportunity to win. Facing those kinds of odds, you might as well play the lottery instead.
November 8, 2004
If you have been reading this blog, you might remember me telling about my experience at the Madtown Body Piercing and Tattoo Expo last year around this time. I had my left nipple pierced. I tried it for about ten months, and finally decided to take it out for good. I had stretched it to a 10 gauge thinking that might help keep it stationary. Everytime I moved, it pulled. When I tried working out, it tugged. It was a royal pain in the ass. After all the trouble I went through, it was a bit sad to come to the decision to chuck the whole idea, but now that I have been free of it for six weeks or so, it was the right decision. I like my ear tunnel. I stretched that out to a six gauge, and I have a cool gold insert that I really like. It is a big enough hole to see through easily, but it isn't so large that I look like a freak. Not that anyone who has a large hole in their ear is a freak, but in the job market, people can be judgmental. Fortunately where I work, it isn't a problem. I had this bone thing I was wearing that was subtle. It was a little thicker, so the hole looked smaller. This gold thing is better. It has a glint to the ear at first glance. It isn't a gaping hole, and it does add some color to the lobe without having this dangling thing hanging there. I don't plan on going any larger with it. Enough is enough. As far as piercing anything else, forget about it.
I do like my tattoos also. I have a lion's head on my left arm, and a dragon on the right. I think I spoke of them. I really need to get a digital camera so I can take some pictures. I will post them here when I do. I'll take a picture of my ear too. You might as well see what I look like. I think I look pretty good for an old fart pushing 50. I still have to get back into an intensive workout mode again before I get too lazy. I'm working 50 hours a week, and to be honest, it is hard to come home and start busting my ass physically. But that isn't an excuse. You have to do what you have to do, and working out like a crazy fool is what has kept me in the physical shape I am in now. It would be a shame to let it all go to waste.
November 7, 2004
I think it sad that no one questions the sound of a shotgun blast in New York City. This person wasn't found because someone heard him kill himself. Many of us are upset with the re-election of George W. Bush. But killing ourselves won't change anything. It's not like during the Vietnam War Era where setting yourself on fire might get some national media attention. Killing your self in protest doesn't carry as much weight as it used to. People are accustomed to killing. Just turn on the television. We have all been exposed to such a degree that we are either numb, or we turn a blind eye to it just to keep our own sanity. The truth is ugly, and it keeps getting worse each day. I fear our society has reached a point where we are in a "survival mode". It's every man for himself. So much for compassion. I see a Christmas season where economic numbers will take precedent over Yultide sentiments.
Ground Zero Suicide Driven by Election
U.S. National - AP
NEW YORK - A 25-year-old man from Georgia who was apparently distraught over President Bush's re-election shot and killed himself at ground zero. Andrew Veal's body was found Saturday morning inside the off-limits site, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A shotgun was found nearby, but no suicide note was found, Coleman said.
Veal's mother said her son was upset about the result of the presidential election and had driven to New York, Gus Danese, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, told The New York Times in Sunday's editions.
Friends said Veal worked in a computer lab at the University of Georgia and was planning to marry.
"I'm absolutely sure it's a protest," Mary Anne Mauney, Veal's supervisor at the lab, told The Daily News. "I don't know what made him commit suicide, but where he did it was symbolic."
Police were investigating how Veal entered the former World Trade Center site, which is protected by high fences and owned by the Port Authority.
November 5, 2004
The election is over, and I have let things settle before I decided to say anything about it. I voted for Kerry, even though I thought he wasn't the best choice the country had to offer. I would have voted for John McCain. But Bush? Another four years of bullshit, spin, and manipulation. We all know of the Bush/Bin Laden family ties. We all know the only jet plane allowed to leave the US September 11th was a a plane carrying members of the Bin Laden family back home. We all know Bin Laden won't be captured alive, if at all. We can't have him telling the world what Bush knew, and when he knew it. I am disappointed Kerry didn't fight the vote count in Ohio. From what I was reading, there was fertile legal ground there to lodge a legitimate protest in several areas; the number of provision votes to be counted, voter intimidation, lack of proper facilities, etc.
It's over now, so the point is mute. What these next four years will bring is anyone's call. Things are falling apart in Iraq. What China, North Korea, and Iran have up their sleeves will be seen. The world is not a safer place. Shoving democracy down the throats of sovereign nations will not make America safer. I think the shit is going to hit the fan. I pray not, but that is my gut feeling. My plans for the future are to work hard to make my life something I can feel is worthwhile. I can't change the world. I can change my small corner.
I read that John Ashcroft might resign. That would be a temporary improvement. There are plenty more where he came from. The same goes for Donald Rumsfield. The best tyrants are made right here in the USA. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
November 4, 2004
Now that is reality T.V.! I'm sure this study will help science in the long run somehow. But it can't hurt rating either. If possible, I'd tune in to see this myself.
Human corpse to decompose on TV
LONDON (Reuters) - Channel 4 is seeking a terminally ill volunteer to donate their body after death so it can be filmed as it decomposes.
The Channel, which in 2002 broadcast the country's first public autopsy for 170 years, said the programme was being made in association with London's Science Museum and would be a unique experiment.
"We hope the experts can learn more about the processes involved and that the data collected by the project can help forensic pathologists in murder investigations," said Simon Andreae, head of science and education at the publicly funded Channel 4, on Thursday.
Richard Shepherd, president of the British Association in Forensic Medicine, will lead a team of scientists supervising the project.
The body will be held in a secret location while being filmed for the programme, provisionally titled "Dust to Dust."
It will be the first experiment of its kind in the country, where scientists currently use pig bodies to study rates and means of decomposition. Their research is used by police investigators to help determine the time of death when a body is found.
November 1, 2004
I'm not a pornography expert. I've done my share of surfing the Internet, and I have seen things that I never would have looking at Playboy magazines back when I was a young lad. But, you got to be kidding me! Anyone who thinks they might have come up with a new twist on the old "hide the salami" game is crazy. Obviously, this woman hasn't seen the types of pornography the World Wide Web is offering these days.
Pop star hopes sex video will prove copyright
Reuters -- A top Croatian pop star asked a Zagreb court on Friday to watch a private movie in which she enjoys a lusty sex romp to see whether her copyright was violated by a website that showed it to the public.
Severina Vuckovic, 32, sued the www.index.hr web portal for publishing shots of her having sex with a man later identified as a wealthy Bosnian Croat businessman who is married with children.
Her lawyers demanded the video be shown in court, state news agency Hina reported.
In a separate motion, the defendants also asked that a court-appointed sex expert see the video to determine if Vuckovic had "demonstrated anything not previously seen in the porn industry", which could qualify for copyright, Hina said.
"I do not think she has shown any new sexual art," the portal's owner, Matija Babic, told the agency.
The stills and whole 11-minute video clip quickly became the hottest Internet item in the former Yugoslav republic, where Vuckovic is a sex symbol but has often projected a modest and religious image.
Independent media estimated the video had been downloaded 10 million times and way beyond Croatia's borders.
Vuckovic said it was stolen from her private collection.