Carbubble's Stories, Thoughts & Rants

Health Care - There is no Debate

2009-08-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage

Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

Learn more and get details: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/

8 common myths about health insurance reform

Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.
We can’t afford reform: It's the status quo we can't afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.
Reform would encourage "euthanasia": It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.
Vets' health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.
Reform will benefit small business - not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.
Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare "doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.
You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.
No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts. Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose. Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.

Learn more and get details:
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/faq

8 Reasons We Need Health Insurance Reform Now

Coverage Denied to Millions: A recent national survey estimated that 12.6 million non-elderly adults – 36 percent of those who tried to purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years or dropped from coverage when they became seriously ill. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
Less Care for More Costs: With each passing year, Americans are paying more for health care coverage. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job. Americans pay more than ever for health insurance, but get less coverage. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hiddencosts/index.html
Roadblocks to Care for Women: Women’s reproductive health requires more regular contact with health care providers, including yearly pap smears, mammograms, and obstetric care. Women are also more likely to report fair or poor health than men (9.5% versus 9.0%). While rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are similar to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches and are more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. These chronic conditions often require regular and frequent treatment and follow-up care. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html
Hard Times in the Heartland: Throughout rural America, there are nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care. The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary health care provider in rural areas. With the recent economic downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural communities. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes
Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage: Nearly one-third of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with less than 100 workers. From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. Much of this decline stems from small business. The percentage of small businesses offering coverage dropped from 68% to 59%, while large firms held stable at 99%. About a third of such workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees obtain insurance through a spouse. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/helpbottomline
The Tragedies are Personal: Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses. The typical elderly couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not covered by Medicare alone. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction
Diminishing Access to Care: From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. An estimated 87 million people - one in every three Americans under the age of 65 - were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008. More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/diminishing/index.html
The Trends are Troubling: Without reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket unabated, putting unbearable strain on families, businesses, and state and federal government budgets. Perhaps the most visible sign of the need for health care reform is the 46 million Americans currently without health insurance - projections suggest that this number will rise to about 72 million in 2040 in the absence of reform. Learn more: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf

Big Money Bank Sponges

2009-06-10T00:07:00.000-07:00

An open letter to President Obama...

Dear Mr. President...

I'm very worried about what I read about the banking system and it's recovery. Please set in place modern, air tight as can be regulations, so we don't have to suffer this kind of problem again. I know that we had banking problems every few years until FDR put in tough regulations and then Phil Gramm and others ripped them up and we've ended up with banks that are too big to fail because they not just banks any more - they have to get back to normal business and spin off those high risk parts of the company, so they can fail if they make the wrong decisions and us taxpayers don't have to bail them out.

Don't let the big money sponges deter you from making the correct decisions.

Thanks and keep up the good work. I know it's going to pay off.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2009-05-22T20:52:00.001-07:00

Happy 60th Anniversary to Mom & Dad!

Tortured Logic

2009-05-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

I sent this into Meet The Press today. They are having Michael Steele, head of the RNC and Tim Kaine, head of the DNC on this Sunday.

Why does anybody care and why is there so much "reporting" about what Nancy Pelosi knew or didn't know about the official policy of torture in 2002? If she had objected, would that have stopped anything? Aren't these CIA briefings top secret, so she couldn't say anything public about it anyway? Why isn't anybody call the Bush Administration, Rush Limbaugh and the GOP "Pro Torture"? Do they really like being the Pro Torture party? If McCain had won, would we still be torturing people? Change the focus back to the main issue, which is Torture is illegal period and it doesn't matter if you get some toady lawyers to write you an opinion after the fact, to cover it up. Does Dick Cheney and the GOP admire the Spanish Inquisition? they got lots of confessions. Why not thumb screws and the rack? And this argument about the ticking time bomb is ridiculous. If they had to waterboard someone 83 times over a month, how slow is that ticking time bomb?

I want everything out in the open. Everyone is being too soft on the GOP. As soon as they say ticking time bomb, ask them how slow is it if we have to waterboard someone over a month to get them to talk, if that really happened.

I want to see a concrete example of this ticking time bomb situation. I think it's all just Jack Bauer fantasies.

Almost Killed by an Avalanche!

2009-04-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

I was driving along peacefully, minding my own business and all of a sudden, I was almost killed by an Avalanche! An Avalanche in Castro Valley, you say? Hell Yes!!!

Oh, it was a massive amount of snow crashing down from a giant mountain, instead it was a GIANT MOUNTAIN OF A SUT!

Yes, a SUT. Sport Utility Truck. It was a Chevy Avalanche that wanted to make a left turn from 3 lanes over and my little Camry was in the way. Well, excuuuuuuse me!

No wonder General Motors needs a bailout!!

#1 Nobody really needs a SUT. If you need a truck, buy a truck. It is a wasted model and wasted development money.

#2 Calling a vehicle an Avalanche???? Who thought of that idea? An avalanche causes massive damage and even a small avalanche is extremely dangerous to life and limb.

#3 I've found some other "good ideas" for car names on various websites: Pontiac Plague (you have a choice between Bubonic, Septicemic or Pneumonic), the Cadillac Cancer, the Oldsmobile Ebola, Chrysler Tsunami, the Edsel Earthquake, Volvo Volcano, Ford Flood, Hyundai Hurricane, Toyota Tornado, Fiat Forest Fire, Renault Street Riot, Mazda Murder Spree, Honda Hate Crime, Voltzwagen Vampire Bite, Kia Serial Killer, Peugeot Pervert and the Nissan Nitroglycerin.

Be careful out there! Here is what to look for.

Friday the 13th

2009-03-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

For all these years, I've thought I suffered from Triskaidekaphobia, which is fear of the number 13, but now I learned a new word: Friggatriskaidekaphobia, which is fear of Friday the 13th. You are never too old to learn.

Here are five favorite Friday-the-13th facts:

1. Fear of Friday the 13th — one of the most popular myths in science — is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

2. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor and some airline terminals omit Gate 13.

3. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

4. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12." Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

5. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

2008 Christmas Story Professorial Review

2009-01-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

From Professor Lawrence Coates re:
TLC's 2008 Christmas Story

A Dickensian tale of a journey from rags to riches. In an Oliverish twist of fate, our young hero is cast forth into the cruel world by his stepmother R(osi)e. However, avoiding the Scylla of despair or the Charybdis of sloth, our hero sets forth on an odyssey of discovery, finding friends and family, a home for his unused junk and a toxic waste site for old photographic chemicals. In an irony worthy of Trollope, the once-feared Monster turns out to be his best mentor, guiding him as he crossed the river with a fair wind to save Dreamland from the clutches of the dread beast, economicus meltdownicus.

Fireball Classic High Score

2009-01-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

I decided to reset the all time high score on my Fireball Classic pinball machine to start 2009. Mike Wendell had the new record of 2,863,830 for about a day, but this afternoon, I took care of that and put up the new number to shoot at - 3.992,670.

I think I've gotten higher than that score 3 times, so it may stay for awhile.

The all time record at the Dreamland Game Room still stands as 7,403,970.

2008 is my rear view mirror!

2008-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

I'm happy that 2008 is over. It was an exciting and crazy and scary year, so I'm looking for 2009 to be a bit smoother for me. Below is my 2008 Christmas letter. I realized that I hadn't written a Christmas letter since 2004 and I know that's because I wasn't that happy in the intervening years. I am happy now and as a red-blooded True American, I demand my right to pursuit Happiness.

What I didn't include in my Christmas letter was:

the plague and infestation of rats
the plague and infestation of flies (summer was big fun at Dreamland - no money, but plenty of "friends")
thinking I was going to lose my house, my Dreamland and the stress that caused
visiting and calling lawyers and finding out that employees ain't got no rights if some "qfuuz xzsbou" doesn't like you
but as is my credo, I used my genius for good and not evil and the people who shall not be named (and you know who you are) will eventually get what they deserve because as we all know, at least those who are watching the "Seven Deadly Sins" series on the History Channel, that the list of sins are: lust, envy, gluttony, sloth, greed, anger and pride. Three of the sins: greed, anger and pride were directed towards me and that sounds bad to me. A triple Whammy, if you will. Better buy some asbestos sandals.
I will admit to some passing angry thoughts, but then I just think about the future and I'm using this blog entry partly for expunging the past year's badness.
I have one more thing to do before the end of 2008 and nobody will probably see it, but I will know that I did it and it's out there in the ether, which is good enough for me.

Some really good things happened in 2008:

I organized the JAB (Just another Birthday) party for my Dad and it was perfect and I got donations for a plaque and a dedicated redwood tree in Big Basin State Park in the Semerviren Fund's Legacy Grove.
I found the top expert to rid me of my pestilence.
I discovered massive amounts of information about the Coates' Family Tree
On Sept. 25th, I had a vision and I went to cash in all my retirement accounts. On Sept. 29th, the Dow Jones dropped 777 points and I felt strangely at peace. Someone was looking out for me.
On July 14, 2008, I started working at Wind River. It is so nice to be appreciated for my hard work and dedication. It had been a long time.

I wish everyone and I mean everyone, a very Happy 2009!

Christmas 2008 Change, roller coasters, family and how the Monster saved the day.

On the calendar that I have in my office (I always get a movie poster calendar) the month of December is the poster for Godzilla. How perfect is that for symbolism? Godzilla was changed by a catastrophic event and this year has had plenty of big events for everyone that changed things in a big way. But in my story, the Monster also saves the day, but more about that later…

I guess 2008 was always going to be a memorable year. For me it started out by working on my Dad’s JAB (Just Another Birthday) party. I dusted off the old family photographs and found out that online Genealogy had improved massively, so I was able to find a lot more family members and info about them. I discovered Great Uncle James Coates and his family who stayed in England. I cranked up my scanner and got the family photos online, some of them over 100 years old. It was fun to figure out who was who.

To my surprise, I got an email saying: “You’ve got my Grandfather’s photo on your site. It was Barbara Astle, granddaughter of William Coates. She had lots of Coates’ family documents, photos & the family bible. I took a road trip to visit her and her husband David and we were able to figure out who was who in some really old photos. I learned that the ears & chin don’t change much from age 3 to 83. The photo of Crater Lake was taken on that trip.

Then I also found the Silliman family, another cousin, Cliff, who’s the grandson of Jessie Coates. So this was a year to find old and new family and celebrate the family.

The political scene this year was change and life changed for me major league big time. Losing my job after 16 years was a shocking surprise. When you’ve worked with people that long, they are like a 2nd family and now I understand more about dysfunctional families and as I was driving home, I felt strangely happy. I took my unexpected time off to donate about 600 gallons of clothes to the Goodwill, which made me feel good and I know helped lots of people. I also discovered freecycle.org, which let me cull without mercy a bunch of items that I didn’t need, but others did. It was a house cleansing and Dreamland is almost back to its heyday. I got the Fireball pinball machine tuned up, so it’s playing better than ever and I installed the Dreamland Weather Station that’s serving up weather data to the Internet.

The stock market has been like a rollercoaster this year, mostly a long downhill scream ride and I’m feeling blessed and fortunate that the Monster (monster.com) came along, picked out my resume and saved my bacon and my house from a crash and burn. Now things are great with me working at Wind River in Alameda with a great bunch of people and doing enjoyable work again after such a long time.

So 2008 has been a year of discovering new family and friends and getting rid of old baggage and I’m sure that 2009 is going to be a fantastic year. I always feel blessed to have a close and supportive family and I couldn’t do it without them.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
TLC

Who is goooooood girl?

2008-12-31T20:19:00.000-08:00

I've gotten a couple of comments on my blog from "goooooood girl", just saying: "I like your blog." is "goooooood girl" a real person? If you are a real person, let me know.

Just curious.

Carbubble

I think I've figured out who "gooooooood girl" is: Is that you, Annette Obrestad? I use sitemeter to track how many people view my blog and it also shows the location, so on Jan 1st, someone from Elverum, Norway checked out my blog for 49 seconds and exited on the page where I talked about my WSOP Academy of Poker class in Las Vegas where I met and played against Annette Obrestad. Just a guess.

If it is you, I think it's way cool that you are reading my blog. If I knew I had a fan, I would write more. I haven't had much time to play any poker lately, but so far in 2009, I'm way ahead in wagering on the college bowl games.

My email is: tlcbasebal@yahoo.com if you want to say Hi. Good luck!!

Tire inflation really does make a difference

2008-12-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have proof that inflating your tires helps gas mileage. check out the graph. the two big spikes upwards are when I got my tires inflated - first was my last oil change and the 2nd was last week when I did it myself, although I guess I didn't get it up to the best pressure, it sure helped a lot on my MPG. I had noticed it was going down, so I figured I should try it and it worked.

On August 4, 2008, tire inflation became the latest goofball political issue in the Obama/McCain campaign - Boston Globe article (including 2 YouTube videos).

Eventually, McCain agreed that proper tire inflation was helpful in improving gas mileage, but not before the McCain's campaign offered "Obama Energy Plan" tire gauges to supporters for a donation of $25 or more, and the Republican National Committee also gave tire gauges to newsrooms in Washington "in celebration" of Obama's birthday.

Open Letter to President Obama

2008-12-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

The #1 priority is Energy Independence and Green Economy Because this solves several problems - we have to start now to lower our consumption of oil for our cars - just starting down this road will keep gas prices lower. It will also create new jobs for Americans and finally it will help the environment, which everyone needs.

I heard this morning that a large percentage of the Energy Dept budget just takes care of the nuclear arsenal. That seems like old Cold War thinking. That needs to be changed.

P.S. When Clinton got elected, I sent him a message asking to get rid of the Helium Fund (started about 100 years ago to supply our barrage balloon fleet for WWI) and the Mohair subsidy (which is also a WWI leftover for making sure our pilots had nice warm Mohair flight jackets and that back then people like Sam Donaldson and Charlie Stenholm were taking big tax right offs against). The day after I sent this message back then, I heard someone mention both issues on CNN the very next day and I think for awhile they were cut back, but I think Bush brought them back.

I am hoping that your budget director will find things like the Helium Fund and Mohair subsidy that are relics of a previous era and finally kill them once and for all.

A Thanksgiving Story

2008-11-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

A young man named John received a parrot as A gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's' mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet . Not A Peep, was heard.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said: "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Carbubble Predicts 2008 Election exactly (almost)

2008-11-19T20:26:00.000-08:00

McCain wins Missouri; State's streak over!

(CNN) – It's taken more than two weeks, but we finally have a winner in Missouri.

Fifteen days after Election Day, Republican Sen. John McCain has narrowly edged out President-elect Barack Obama in the state, according to CNN's review of the latest unofficial vote totals from the Missouri Secretary of State. This resolves the final outstanding contest of the 2008 presidential race.

According to the unofficial results, McCain won the state by 3,632 votes . The unofficial count shows McCain with 1,445,812 votes, or 49.4 percent, and Obama with 1,442,180 votes, or 49.3 percent.

With Missouri's 11 electoral votes in Senator McCain's column, the final count is 365 for Obama and 173 for McCain.

********************************************************

I predicted every single state correctly and I only missed that Obama would carry Omaha's 1 electoral vote. Not bad!

More Presidential Predictions 2008

2008-11-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

Cha-Ching! Gimme dat dollar!

No congrats on predicting every single state correctly? Not even a "Not bad"? Oh well...

Here are my new predictions:

Sec. of State - Hillary Clinton
Sec. of Defense Chuck Hagel (ex GOP senator)
Sec. of Treasury - John Corzine (Gov of NJ and ex Goldman Sachs)
Sec. of Homeland Security - Tim Roemer - Wrong
Sec. of Energy - Steve Westly (eBay founder)
Attorney General - Janet Napolitano (AZ Gov) - Wrong, going to be Homeland Security
Sec. of Education - Caroline Kennedy

Bizzaro Predictions:

Sec. of State - Andrew "Dice" Clay (least diplomatic)
Sec. of Defense (after Gates leaves) - Sarah Silverman (most offensive)
Sec. of Treasury - Paris Hilton (knows all about spending $$$)
Sec. of Homeland Security - Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone kid)
Sec. of Energy - Sarah Palin (Drill, Baby, Drill)
Attorney General - Adam "Pacman" Jones (Make it Rain)

Election Day 2008 - Morning

2008-11-04T09:56:00.000-08:00

I slept really well last night, so my confidence is high for today's vote. I repeat, Confidence is High!

This has been a very long election. It all started for me in June 2006 when I bet Ken a dollar that neither McCain or Hillary would be the next Prez.

I had no idea that I would become emotionally involved with this election. Even Dan Rather said that 2008 is the most important and exciting election he's seen and he started covering elections in 1952 when I was just barely born.

I've made a lot of predictions about this election, so we'll see in about 6 hours if I've been right. My newest predictions is that at least one state back east will have such overwhelming turnout and/or problems that they will have to delay the polls closing.

My final prediction is 364 Obama to 174 McCain.

I had a couple of other thoughts lately about Gov. Sarah Palin, but now they seem trivial. I did like that McCain's boys are calling her a "whack job", a "diva", an "unscripted robot" or a "scripted ignoramus". She's just a Mavericky Rogue. Let Sarah be Sarah in 2012! Like she said: "What do I have to lose?"

I used the excellent internet tools that the Obama campaign had and personally raised over $1000 for the campaign and I made phone calls to undecided voters in New Mexico. I sent out a lot of information to my co-workers at Wind River about the debates and how to register. I inspired someone to vote early and last weekend he drove to Reno NV and knocked on 100 doors canvasing in a latino neighborhood and found that a lot of the undecided people just didn't know where their polling place was and how to vote because it was their first time.

I feel really good about the contribution I played and I'm very hopeful for the future. That's all for now.

2008 Election Results

2008-11-03T07:12:00.001-08:00

Batman vs. The Penguin: The Debate

2008-10-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

McCain (played by Penguin): Friends and fellow citizens, there will be no mudslinging in this campaign. I intend to stick to the issues. What are the issues? There is only one! Obama. Who is he? I suggest that he is dangerous. Why else does he conceal his past? Would you think about that for a moment, my friends? Who is he with? Criminals, that's who! Hobnobbing with crooks.

Spin room: McCain is as crooked as a warped Shillelagh

More advice for Barack Obama & Joe Biden

2008-10-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

I think that Senator McCain is chicken and now he's hiding behind his wife's & running mate's skirts while they spout disgraceful statements.

I think you should add disgraceful & dishonorable to erratic as a constant theme.

I think that Senators Biden & Obama should do back to back "full ginsburgs" and talk on all 5 sunday morning news shows and challenge the opponents. Answer all the questions and then ask why McCain & Palin are too scared to answer questions. Why would a fighter pilot and moose hunter be scared?

McCain keeps asking "who is the real Obama?". If he knew how to use a computer, he could Google "obama" and discover that he's been running for President for 20 months, talking to 100's of thousands of American citizens (not prisoners) and most people do know who Barack Obama is. I'll bet that McCain has a VCR in each of his many houses and they all blink 12:00.

Open Letter to Senator Obama - Debate ideas

2008-09-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

My Presidential prediction of Obama getting 300+ electoral votes still stands and it's getting better and better every day.

Here is some advice I've sent to the Obama campaign:

Senator Obama, I noticed that you did mention McCain not wanting to talk with the PM of Spain, but you didn't press it and let him off the hook. I think you should make him answer that question personally and find out why he would blow off a member of NATO, who's suffered a lot at the hand of terrorists.
At the next debate, I think you should bring up this - at the Friday debate, McCain said many times how he was a fighter, fighting for this and fighting for that, but every example he named, he didn't win or persuade anybody, just like when he suspended his campaign and claimed to convince the House GOP to pass the $700 Billion bailout bill.... He is not a winner, he just likes to fight.
When he starts up again with his "Senator Obama doesn't understand", you should throw that back in his face also. Say, the American people can see me in the last debate and this debate understanding all the issues we've been discussing and because I don't agree with your position doesn't mean I don't understand it and reject it as being wrong, wrong, wrong. (remember the rule of 3 - if you say something 3 times, people will really hear it and remember it - never go over 3)...
If you really want to get under his skin, ask him why he considers himself a Maverick. When he starts talking about all the issues he's disagreed on with his party, ask him if the Republicans are just plain wrong that often? If he's working with Democrats so much, then it's a matter of fact that the Democrats have the better ideas on these issues.

As they said in the olde days: "Nail him to the hull".

P.S. My personal opinion: Americans are not going to elect a grumpy, cranky, dice-throwing, erratic 72 year old fighter pilot to be the next President. When I heard about him being a big gambler at the Indian casino craps table and that he crashed at least 2 planes before he was shot down, that explains a lot.

DIRECTV is messing up my enjoyment of the NFL Season

2008-09-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2008
Chase Carey
DIRECTV
P.O. Box 6550
Greenwood Village, CO 80155-6550

Dear Mr. Carey,

I've been a DIRECTV customer since 2001. In the last seven years, I’ve just gotten the NFL Sunday Ticket package by itself, without any base package. My house is wired so the satellite dish feed only goes to the living room and the rest of my house is wired for cable TV, which I get from Comcast. Every year, I’ve gotten automatically renewed with no problems. I really enjoy watching all the different games.

When I got my first NFL bill this year, which was over 2 months before the NFL season starts, I was out of work and thought I was going to lose my house and paying for the NFL package 2 months in the future just didn't seem like a good idea when I wouldn't have any satellite dish in my future. As you can imagine, I was under a lot of stress. When I cancelled, I wasn’t told that there were any consequences if I wanted to sign up again the future. When I called ADT about cancelling my alarm service, they told me there was going to be a new start up fee and they gave me an option for a lower price, which I could afford.

About a week after I canceled, I got a new job and I won't be losing my house and I'm really going to miss watching all the NFL games, but I'm not going to pay for a 200% increase over what I've been paying in the past, which is what it works out to if I have to get a base package along with the NFL Sunday Ticket.

I was told there is no way to go back to my NFL Sunday Ticket only plan. I find it hard to believe that DIRECTV would treat a long time loyal customer this way. I even found out by checking online that if you complain to the right customer service agent, you can get the SUPERFAN package added for free and that the price had gone down. I paid 5 payments of $45.80 last year and apparently it’s down to $41 something.

I would like to complain directly about Natalie D. #400866. She emailed me on 9/6 and asked for my phone number and said she would call me, but I was never called.

I’m going to cc the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell and ask him to not renew your exclusive contract when it expires. Maybe he can find a company that treats its customers better. I don’t expect anything, but maybe you’ll treat the next customer in a similar situation with a better understanding.

McCain & Palin are no "Mavericks"

2008-09-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

A Straw Man Argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "set up a straw man" or "set up a straw man argument" is to describe a position that superficially resembles an opponent's actual view but is easier to refute, then attribute that position to the opponent (for example, deliberately overstating the opponent's position).

Click on the link below for the new Obama ad countering the McCain ad that called him & Gov. Palin so-called "Mavericks". The GOP is running a straw man campaign where they avoid the issues (McCain's campaign manager declared the election won't be about the issues) and use sarcasm and false claims to move the polls. McCain has moved ahead in some polls, but still all the polls are within the margin of error.

No Mavericks Video

So far, I've raised $500 for Obama. My personal goal is $1000 before my Birthday on October 15th, which is the date of the final Presidential Debate.

September 26, 2008: Presidential debate with domestic policy focus, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
October 2, 2008: Vice Presidential debate, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
October 7, 2008: Presidential debate in a town hall format, Belmont University, Nashville, TN
October 15, 2008:Presidential debate with foreign policy focus, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

Please donate if you can and pass this onto to your friends.

TLC's Obama Fundraising Page

Thanks to everyone.

P.S. Here is the real Maverick.

Why pick Palin?

2008-09-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

Why not pick Palin? As Flush Lintball said: "She's a babe." That's a good a reason as any, I suppose.

McLame realized that he was going to lose big by picking boring losers like Pawlenty or Mitt and he want to shake things up by picking Liebermann, but Flush Lintball and other big shot right wingers told him he couldn't be that much of a Maverick, so he was stuck with Palin as the only big deal that would satisfy his masters.

Maybe their thinking was that picking a woman would help, but remember that Mondale tried this same gambit and look what happened to him.

Palin seems like a very fine woman, mother and Governor for Alaska, but when the flacks start saying that she's got foreign policy experience because Alaska is next to Russia and that she's tough because she sold the state plane on eBay and that she's a big reformer because she said no to the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere", when in 2006 when she was running for Governor, she was for it and all the other millions of dollars of earmarks that Alaska loves (Alaska gets $300 in earmark cash for each person because the state is so big, but with a population of a congressional district in a more populous state), it just becomes silly.

Watch this CNN interview with McCain spokesman, Tucker "Mr. Talking Points" Bounds and watch how silly it gets the harder he tries not to answer any of the actual questions. This interview caused McCain to cancel an appearance on the Larry King show.

In the end, picking Palin won't make any difference in the 2008 election and my prediction of Obama winning 300+ electoral votes still stands.

Zeppelin Rides again

2008-08-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

My Great Grandfather, Carl Jansen, was born in Frederickshafen Germany, home of Count von Zeppelin and I thought I was going to have to travel to Germany to take a Zeppelin ride and I just found out that a Zeppelin is coming to the Bay Area and be ready to take tourist rides in Fall 2008. I am ready to go!

The fourth and latest model of Zeppelin is now in London, captivating tourists with a bird’s eye view of the city before the airship begins a slow journey on a cargo ship to its future home in the San Francisco Bay Area. There, its new owners, Airship Ventures, intend for it to ferry tourists.

Oxen, Rats & Paris Hilton

2008-08-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

McCain - Aug 29, 1936 - Year of the Rat: Manipulative, vindictive, mendacious, venal, selfish, obstinate, critical, over-ambitious, ruthless, intolerant, scheming.

Obama - Aug 4, 1961 - Year of the Ox: Dependable, calm, methodical, patient, hardworking, ambitious, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious.

Why does Paris Hilton make so much sense? "Thanks for the endorsement, white haired dude."

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

McToast - 2008 Presidential Prediction Update

2008-07-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

On April 12, 2007, I predicted that Mitt Romney was "toast" and today I'm predicting that the tipping point in the 2008 Presidential Election has happened.

Check out the photo of McCain & Prez Bush 41 in the old folks home golf cart. The two old geezers are heading for the early bird dinner at 4:30. I predict that McCain will carry the Boca Raton crowd. He's their kind of guy!

While Barack Obama draws 200,000 Germans for a speech in Berlin, old man McCain visits Schmidt's Sausage Haus and gums some brautwurst. Located in the German Village section of Columbus, Ohio, the classic restaurant is owned by 58-year-old Geoff Schmidt, the fourth Schmidt to offer what his to go menu claims is "The Best of the Wurst!"

McCain's campaign has "Jumped The Shark" and as VP Deadeye Dick Cheney would say: "Major league big time!".

Jumping the shark is a colloquialism used by U.S. TV critics and fans to denote the point in a TV or movie series at which the characters or plot veer into a ridiculous, out-of-the-ordinary storyline. Shows that have "jumped the shark" are typically deemed to have passed their peak, since they have undergone too many changes to retain their original appeal, and after this point critical fans often sense a noticeable decline in the show's quality.

That exactly describes John McCain and his chances to become the 44th US President. He's making all kinds of mistakes, which people keep glossing over, but I'm positive that the American people will reject him.

I liked him in 2000 and I might have voted for him if he had been running vs. Al Gore, but the 2008 version has gone beyond his shelf life. The expiration date is long gone and if he was a can of pineapple, he would be ready to blow (I had that happen a few months ago and it's nasty) and leak all over the shelf.

John, my advice is to head back to Arizona and enjoy life with Cindy and have a beer before the Belgians mess it up.

Finding lost relatives

2008-06-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of Genealogy work and finding more about the Coates Family Tree lately. My Dad's 90th birthday is this year and we went over a whole bunch of old family photos that had no labels and put names to everyone.

Here is a link to the Coates/Bertelsen/Jansen family photo album.

This photo is of Thomas Coates b. 1847 in England taken in Oakland in 1885.

The most exciting thing is that I've found two "lost" 2nd cousins recently. I just got in contact with Barbara Astle, who is William Henry Coates' granddaughter. She's got a treasure trove of Coates family historical documents, including the family bible.

Landslide - 2008 Presidential Prediction

2008-06-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

This 2008 Presidential election is going to be a landslide. No doubt with Obama at the top of the hill and McCain at the bottom in the debris pile.

All the current polls saying that it's a virtual tie between the two candidates is a bunch of baloney. Pollsters base their polls, questions and voter pool on the last election and that model is way whack!

I predict on June 9, 2008 that Obama will get at least 300 Electoral College votes and probably more like the 370 that Bill Clinton got in 1992.

All the talking heads on the cable news keep talking about "Will the Hillary voters vote for Obama?". They should be paying attention to the facts that 3 months after McCain wrapped up the GOP nomination, that Ron Paul was getting 20% plus in the primaries.

You've got a well known and respected Libertarian Party nominee in Bob Barr, ex-Congressman from Georgia and you are putting your head in the sand if you don't think that McCain is going to be losing votes to him in southern states like North Carolina and Georgia.

I heard that there are 600,000 unregistered African-American voters in Georgia and the Obama campaign has plenty of moola to get a big percentage of them as new voters in November. In 2004, John Kerry got 1.3 million votes in Georgia vs. Bush 1.8MM and in the 2008 Georgia primary, the total Democratic vote was over 1 million. I predict that Obama will get Georgia's 15 Electoral votes and if that happens, it's going to be a landslide.

I can't wait to see the Obama vs. McCain townhall debates. Watch them both speak. Obama is serious and McCain makes those weird sarcastic remarks and so-called jokes and gives us his crystal skull grin. It looks freaky. There is no way America is going to elect a skull as President.

Lemons

2008-05-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

I thought up a new saying today: When you are given lemons, make lemonade and then take the rest of the lemons and squirt the juice into the eyes of the person who gave you the lemons and see how they like them apples. Then just move on and don't look back.

On the Road

2008-04-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of strange items while driving around.

I know it's hard to believe, but I was actually driving behind a bright canary yellow Ford Pinto and it wasn't blown up. I was kind of worried, because you never know when it might suddenly shift into reverse and blow up. Surprisingly, it looked to be in pretty good shape, although I'm sure because of it's blowupability, everyone, like me, stays far away.

Then on the way to work, I ran into a Chinese Fire Drill. But this one was special because it was real Chinese people. A very large Cadillac backed out of a driveway in front of me, blocking the whole road since it's so long. I stopped and it stopped and the husband got out of the driver's seat and changed places in the front passenger seat with his wife. As they swapped seats, they smiled and waved at me while I was stuck waiting. All I can figure is that the wife doesn't like backing the car out and the husband doesn't want to drive.

2008 NCAA Final Four

2008-03-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

For the third year in a row, I will predict the outcome of the NCAA March Madness tournament by using my Mascot theory.

We've got University of North Carolina Tarheels vs. the Kansas Jayhawks and everyone knows once a Jayhawk lands in tar, they are history and also on the UNC logo, they've got a Ram, so that would butt the hell out of a bird, no matter how crazy the bird is. A Jayhawk wearing sneakers isn't going to scare anybody.

Tarheels stick all over Jayhawks.

Then we've got the UCLA Bruins vs. Memphis Tigers (who've only lost one game all year). I could use the baby bruin photo again. But I'll put in the actual logos for both teams.

That Memphis Tiger is going to bounce all over the Bruin. Remember, never let a cat of any size get behind you. You are history.

Tigers Eat Bruins

The Tiger can leap over any tar and would chew up that Ram with no problem, so I predict:

The Memphis Tigers chew up and spit out the North Carolina Tarheels.

New 2008 Presidential Prediction

2008-02-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

Most elections are about pocketbook issues. it's not McCain's fault that the greedy wall street and mortgage company sponges gave out loans to so many people who couldn't afford it, but he might pay for it in November because it's still going to be affecting the overall economy.

We've gone from $25/barrel to $100/barrel oil because of 9/11 and other conflicts, which again has nothing to do with McCain. Also, it's very rare to have 12 years of one party as Prez because a lot of people are just tired and want something new. McCain is never going to be shiny & new.

He's very gloomy and if he's going to use the anti-hope argument - "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here", I don't think he's got much of a chance.

2008 Presidential Candidates - Do they support poker?

2008-02-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

Do the major 2008 Presidential Candidates support poker? Check it out for yourself and then let your favorite candidate know what you think!

Join the PPA - Poker Players Alliance.

Don't let Mitt Romney (and his henchman, my evil twin, Evil Tom Coates) become President. Sign the ABM Treaty - Anybody but Mitt.

The Democratic Frontrunners:

Hillary Clinton:

The two-term senator from New York won the New Hampshire Democratic primary. She has recently expressed that she supports the industry’s position: to study Internet gambling to see whether it can be fairly regulated so that individuals can safely participate in it and American businesses can compete in the international market (Las Vegas Sun, 01/18/08). When contacting the campaign, be sure to let them know you are an undecided voter and a proud poker player.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/

Barack Obama:

The senator is from Illinois and winner of the Iowa Democratic caucus. Obama has recently expressed that he worries that the Internet is "a Wild West of illegal activity", and supports a study of Internet gambling and supports regulation to address the worst abuses (Las Vegas Sun, 01/18/08). He is reputed to be a good player, and doesn't mind letting it be known that he enjoys playing poker for money. These stories are even on his own website. When contacting the campaign, be sure to let them know you are an undecided voter and a proud poker player.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/contact/

The Republican Frontrunners:

Mike Huckabee:

Republican Iowa caucus winner and former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee does have a clear position OPPOSING Internet Poker. Mike Huckabee responded to the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling's questionnaire (the only candidate to respond, by the way). In it, he promised to veto any legislation repealing UIGEA or otherwise clearly legalizing online gaming.

Here is the question he was asked, complete with its bias and inaccuracies:

1) Last year, Congress voted overwhelming to criminalize most forms of Internet gambling. This year some members of Congress are promoting legislation to legalize Internet gambling. If such legislation passed, would you veto it? Huckabee answered "yes". That's about as clear as it gets.

John McCain:

The New Hampshire Republican primary winner does not have a specific position on Internet poker, but does appear to have been influenced by his fellow Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, who is a vigorous opponent of our rights. McCain, however, has always been willing to consider both sides of an issue and may simply need to know how strongly PPA members feel about this issue. We encourage you to contact his campaign and ask whether he has a specific position, and of course, to let them know you are an undecided voter and a proud poker player.

http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/

Ron Paul:

In keeping with his Libertarian philosophy, Congressman Paul is a proud supporter of our cause. Rep. Paul has supported and sponsored pro-poker legislation, and has also made time to visit with PPA grassroots members, poker celebrities, and citizens lobbyists every time we have asked. His credentials on allowing adults the freedom to play poker are unblemished.

Mitt Romney:

The former governor of Massachusetts has no formal position on internet poker. However, he - like Giuliani - has contorted his issue positions wildly in a bid to gain support from social conservatives. As part of that effort, Romney tapped Tom Coates, Vice President, Truth About Gambling, Iowa, to his "Faith and Values Steering Committee." Coates, in turn, is vigorously opposed to gaming of any sort. We urge you to contact the Romney campaign, and ask whether the candidate has a specific position. As always, be sure to tell them you're an undecided voter and a proud poker player.

http://www.mittromney.com/ContactUs

GOP Veep

2008-01-30T12:58:00.000-08:00

I predict that no matter who's the GOP nominee, it will be Fred Thompson as Veep. he's perfect for the job. it's not too much work if you don't want it to be, he'd be good as a one VP debate hammer because those writers are not on strike, you get to travel around the world with your hot wife in a fancy plane visiting live or dead dignitaries and if you don't shoot anybody, the late night comics won't make fun of you.

2008 Political Thoughts and Bon Mots

2008-01-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

I watch Meet the Press, Face the Nation, McLaughlin Group and The News Hour on Friday just for Shields & Brooks every week. I TiVo everything, so I zoom ahead of the boring stuff. I watch Hardball sometimes (always on Friday), but I can't always take Chris Mathews - I like listening to Pat Buchanan's opinions - he's funny. on the radio coming into work, I often listen to Flush Lintball and on the way home, I listen to Sean Hannity. I always watch Countdown with Olbermann and Daily Show. I think I get a pretty broad spectrum of ideas and opinions. I'm still a Tom Clancy Democrat.

I had a new thought. If McCain wins NH, that's the worst scenario for Rudy because McCain will still be in on Feb 5th and Romney with his big $$ won't drop out before then either, so there will still be 4 candidates and the true conservatives don't like McCain because of Immigration and voting against the Bush Tax Cuts and McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms, they don't like Rudy because of his liberal social stances and they don't like Romney because he's a weasly flip-flopper plus 25% who don't like Mormons, so that leaves Huckleberry to pick up a plurality of the votes and win a bunch on Feb 5th.

My previous predictions are looking good so far. April 12, 2007 - "Romney is toast" and November 14, 2006 - "A Stone Cold Lock that the next President won't be Hillary or McCain." You can look it up.

My Career Personality Type

2008-01-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

Your Career Personality Type

We've already discussed your Right Job and your Wrong Job, but you still might be wondering, more specifically, how we found them. While you were taking the test, we determined your scores on six different personality dimensions. No one dimension is any better or worse than the others, but each one is quite distinct and offers insights into your unique combination of attributes, outlooks, and sensibilities.

Your Right Job is what fell out of the equation when we looked at a couple different aspects of your career personality — more specifically, your primary and secondary personality types. Your Wrong Job is what fell out of the inverse equation, what resulted from your lowest scores on the personality dimensions. But for now, let's focus on your Right Job that was determined by your career personality.

Based on the way you answered the test questions, your primary personality type is Analytical, while your secondary personality type is Creative.

Knowing your type is important for a number of reasons: it will help bring to light aspects of your personality you hadn't thought about before, it will raise issues about matching your personality to a career that you might not have previously considered.

Here's an explanation of what that code and what your primary and secondary personalities mean.

Primary Classification

-Analytical-

As an Analytical type, your inquisitive nature helps you enjoy the complexities of life. You understand that sometimes there are no clear right and wrong answers, and that's okay with you because you tolerate gray areas better than most. In fact, pondering potential outcomes can sometimes be more interesting than coming up with the definitive solution for you. You march to your own drum and enjoy being in charge more than working and compromising with others. Nothing escapes your keen observational skills, and thinking is your idea of fun.

Secondary Classification

-Creative-

As a Creative type, your ability to look at the world with a fresh perspective keeps life interesting for you and those around you. Instead of following the trends, you want to set them yourself. Establishing a routine is not your goal; you would rather go with the flow and see where your mood takes you that day. You love seeking new experiences and sensations. Your sensitive nature is often turned inward, but your passionate nature also means that you are prone to be impulsive at times.

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

There once was a year, 2007
Started out like hell, ended up like Heaven
From too much candy
To not enough lettuce
I had to deal with bad momamptum
And plenty of nomamptum
2007 was a year I hope to forget
I'd predicted that it would be a year of big change
I just didn't realize how painful it would be
Personal losery
Malicious Accusery
When someone be lyin'
You can't go on cryin'
You must always remember
When it gets to September
There is still time
To turn things around
The Union of LONO
Look Out for Number One
The lies fade away
And you can make your way
Always end up on a high note
That way you forget all the bad singing
Live life with confidence
And be a good person
As a famous novelist once said
Everyone gets what they deserve in the end
And that's the truth.

My Favorite Things

2007-12-01T23:51:00.000-08:00

Making Will Laugh

2007-11-26T21:01:00.001-08:00

New England Patriots - Pact with the Devil

2007-10-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

After today's game, where the New England Patriots demolished the hapless Miami Dolphins 49-28, it's obvious that the Patriots have made a pact with the devil - a Faustian Bargain, if you will.

Tom Brady threw for 6 TD's in the game and is on an unbelievable pace. He's got 25 TD's after 7 games and he only threw for 24 all of last year.

There is only one explanation - Bill Belichick, after getting caught cheating by videotaping the opposing defensive calls, has sold his soul to Satan.

I don't like cheaters and cheating is a sin, but it is something that I would have forgiven. But hanging out with Beelzebub is over the line.

I predict that they will not lose any games this year, but will stop beating the spread, because everyone knows that the bookies also have a deal with the devil and the pointspreads will start catching up.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOO Bears! We're #3 and Fup Ducks

2007-09-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

Cal beat the Oregon Ducks for the first time in Eugene in 20 years. We are now ranked #3 in the nation.

FUP Ducks!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BEARS!!!

2007-08-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

When we had season tickets, right under the KGO box, there used to be a guy with a very deep and powerful voice and we called him the GOBEARS guy. This is my tribute to him.

This says it all...

I See a Crazy Man - A True Story

2007-08-17T18:07:00.001-07:00

This is an absolutely true story. Even I couldn't make this up.

I went to Nations for breakfast, place my order and sat in my usual place. There were only 2 people in the place. One guy was by the door, drinking coffee. I didn't really pay much attention to him. I like facing the clock, so I sat down and opened up my paper...

Over my shoulder, I heard in a fairly loud voice:

"Well, a guy comes in and sits facing away from the door, how about that."

I'm thinking - oh, oh, this guy's talking about me and he's strange and he's very large. I decide to just ignore him, but it goes on the whole time while I'm having breakfast.

"I saw a crazy man over in McDonalds... I saw a crazy man over in Starbucks... Crazy people make me nervous, crazy people make me nervous... I don't eat eggs. I don't eat eggs. I'm not an egg person and I don't know why... WELL, congratulations to C&H Sugar!! - 100 years of putting people to sleep..."

I'm thinking there must be a lot of mirrors in McDonalds & Starbucks and then he starts snapping his fingers and singing...

"I've got waffles, yes I do, I've got waffles, one or two... I've got waffles, round or square, I've got waffles everywhere..."

I walked out while he kept singing, averting my eyes in case he might give me the stink eye and I'd start singing...

King and Queen - A Poem

2007-08-15T01:06:00.000-07:00

I was walking down a one way street,
With geometry boots on both my feet,
A lady was going down the other side,
Walking her dogma with obvious pride.

She wore a cloak, a hat, no shoes.
Who was she? I had no clues.
Lightning struck, thunder roared,
Above the street, an eagle sword.

I waved at her with my musical hat.
She didn't notice my waterproof cat.
I took a look into her eyes,
They told no truth, only lies.

I crossed the street, she did the same,
As we met, she called my name.
She said to me, where have you been?
Now is the time; the time to win!

Passion ruled the ocean waves,
Intertwined were two brainwaves.
All truths were puzzled,
Any lies were muzzled.

I went left, she went right,
Who noticed in the moonlight.
I forgot all about the eyes,
Never thought to recognize.

Events were too swift,
Never got the drift.
Across the sea, the sun went down,
I turned around; she'd left town.

CNN-YouTube Debate Question for the Democracts - 2007

2007-07-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

I submitted this video to the CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate taking place on July 23, 2007.

I would like to know why a major issue like Energy Independence has to stay partisan? Why can't Congress compromise on safely drilling in ANWAR and raising CAFE standards and supporting nuclear power and expanding wind, solar, tidal and other renewable non-polluting energy sources? Subsidize tar sands in Canada & the US and maximize our efforts in plug-in hybrid technology for cars? I read that if we maximized our wind power in Texas, Kansas & South Dakota, we could power the whole US. Why does it just have to be all of one side's views or nothing?

Vegas in July vs. the planet Mercury

2007-07-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

My first photo op! We be stylin', yeah!

Fossilman, Ozzie Joe and The Poker Brat. I guess when I get better, I'll get a nickname.

Attending the WSOP Academy was fun, exciting and informative, so what else could you ask for? I learned a lot and I'm positive I've got more game.

I didn't win a satellite tournament this year, so I didn't get to play in the WSOP Main Event, but out of 180 attendees, I finished 20th in the academy tournament and I used a lot of my newly acquired knowledge.

I won all three times I played in the Caesars Palace poker room and then after I got home, I won a online sit-n-go tournament, so it hasn't completely paid for itself yet, I'm positive it will in the future.

Here's an easy riddle: What's the difference between Las Vegas in July and the planet Mercury? A: Las Vegas is hotter.

Since I had workshops & tournaments from morning to evening, I didn't leave Caesars Palace for 4 days and I had my car in valet parking. They had obviously parked it in the direct sun and July 5th set a record for the date at 116 degs, so the inside of the car was probably 150+. I had a plug in car fridge that I got from OSIsoft for my 15th anniversary and that melted and warped. I'm just glad the Red Bulls inside didn't explode. I had to toss it because I was afraid that the motor that cooled it off was damaged.

When I started to drive the car, it felt like that tires had melted into the pavement because it would only go really slow. Also the button that lets me lock & unlock the doors didn't work until I got back and went to the car wash, so I guess something was deformed and the cool water made it work again...

I had the water bottle you see below in the cup holder and the bottom softened and deformed, so now it's convex and won't stand up any more. The gum that I had changed it's chemical composition and turned into something really yucky. So the moral of the story is to self park and not on the roof.

The last two night I spent in Vegas, I stayed at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel. It's an excellent hotel and less expensive than the hotels with a Casino. The beds are very comfy and the showerhead pressure is massive compared to most hotels and they had a nice plasma TV with free HBO.

The best meal I had in Las Vegas was at the hotel restaurant - Envy The Steakhouse. I met a very nice server, Alina Gold, and I had never met anybody named Alina. She told me it's a common name in Russia and also now in Cuba and the latin community because Fidel named one of his daughters Alina. Her mother defected from the USSR and Alina was born in Nepal and I'd never met anybody born in Nepal... We had a very enjoyable evening as it wasn't very busy and I told her about the poker and about reading people. The next night I went back for dessert and she treated me to some excellent raspberry sherbert.

I'm sure to go back next time I'm in Vegas.

This is the end of 2007 WSOP trip reporting - here's a link to all the photos I took.

WSOP 2007

Read Em and Reap - Learning about non-verbal communications

2007-07-05T00:33:00.000-07:00

I think this was the most fun day of the Academy - having ex-FBI profiler, Joe Navarro, tell us how to use non-verbal communcation to read your poker opponents. I had gotten his book and read it over the weekend and it's amazing how many things people to subconciously that give away what they are thinking. We found out that the most honest part of the body is the feet and the least honest is the face.

I was able to use what I learned right away in the very nice Caesars Palace Poker Room. One guy would rub his nose when he was bluffing and a woman scrunched up her lips when she saw a card she didn't like. I used this to my advantage and won a few bucks. They also have an excellent Chicken Caesars Salad that they bring to the poker table - it makes sense, eh?

4th of July & Annette_15

2007-07-04T23:40:00.000-07:00

Today, we had several hours of presentations about strategy, we played and analyzed hands with pros dealing. We had Scotty Fishman and Annette "Annette_15" Obrestad at our table.

Annette is an online poker phenom. She's from Norway and she started playing poker online when she was 15 (she's 18 now) and never deposited a single Krone because she started playing free roll tournaments. She's won about $3.5 Million in online poker tournaments so far. She can't play in the USA because you have to be 21.

ESPN filmed the simulated games for a future WSOP show. I didn't get on film this time.

I think that Greg Raymer was the most helpful of the poker pros. Joe Hachem was also fun to listen to. On the final day Phil Hellmuth Jr. told a bunch of stories and basically said that since he, Greg & Joe play completely different styles, you just have to find your own style and the more you play, the better you can get.

Be A Sponge

2007-07-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Day 1 of the WSOP Poker Academy at Caesars Palace. The main message was: "Be a sponge". The more information you can get about the players, their betting strategy and their tells, the better.

I learned quite a bit already and today is a full day with a tournament in the evening.

After the workshop, we went to the fancy nightclub, Pure, for a reception. I sat down to a guy that didn't have a badge and we talked for about 45 minutes before Phil Hellmuth Jr. came by and asked if there was any food in the joint and then I found out that I'd been talking to Phil Hellmuth Sr. For the non-poker players, Phil Hellmuth Jr. won the WSOP Main Event in 1989 and has won more (11) bracelets than anybody. Phil Sr. & I talked about everything from Scooter Libby to Paris Hilton to Oakley Sunglasses to Wisconsin (he said he's from Madison, so politically he's left of left) to poker to how it is to have a famous son and more. I thought I was going to go for about 30 minutes and bail, but I stayed for 2 hours.

Frappr Map/Guestbook - Add yourself

2007-06-29T23:57:00.000-07:00

World Series of Poker Academy

2007-06-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Las Vegas on July 2nd to attend a 3 day workshop on No Limit Texas Hold Em. I don't have a seat in the Main Event yet, but there are still a few more chances.

Here are the details of the workshop. Even if I don't get into the Main Event, this should be way fun.

The WSOP Academy will hosts its next event, the Main Event Primer, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, starting July 3 and ending July 5 - on the eve of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event. Spaces are still available for the comprehensive, three-day poker school that is specifically designed to prepare participants for the WSOP Main Event, poker's richest and most prestigious competition. On hand as instructors will be an unprecedented team of world class instructors, including past Main Event Champions Phil Hellmuth, Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem, multiple WSOP-bracelet winners Mark Seif and Scott Fischman, Joe Navarro and many, many more.

At the end of the first day of the Main Event Primer, participants will receive VIP treatment at an exclusive Opening Night Party at PURE nightclub in Caesars Palace. The second day of the Academy will be capped with a private tournament where participants will battle it out for a $10,000 seat to the WSOP Main Event and other prizes. On the final day, another $10,000 seat to the Main Event will be given away in a shootout tournament. Finally, on the closing night, a special banquet will be held that will include the final table of the first tournament, taking place on stage under the lights and cameras for all to watch.

2007-06-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

My pyrate name is Iron tom rackham

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.

Froggy

2007-05-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've got a frog in my front courtyard. He's very loud because I can hear him over the TV way in the back. I guess he's looking for Mrs. Frog. He's out there ribbiting away every night and today because it was foggy (rhymes with froggy), he was making his music, so I recorded it.

Click here for Froggy of Dreamland.

This is my 100th post.

Someone asked me if having a frog making noise was annoying. I said no and then Froggy vanished for about a week and I missed him.

Tonight he came back, so I went outside in the faint hope of getting a photo of him, when I know he's hiding behind the fountain.

BUT!!!! I made a noise and he answered and then I had a conversation with Froggy which I guarantee will make you laugh.

Click here for "My Conversation with Froggy".

Triskaidekaphobia

2007-04-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

This is my 99th post and it's been a pretty good Friday the 13th for me... Much better than usual. I got in the 2 Cents again because I like to send in a funny answer and most everyone else is serious...

Mitt Romney - Great White Varmint Hunter

2007-04-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

...The former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney has called himself a lifelong hunter, yet his campaign acknowledged that he has been on just two hunting trips -- one when he was 15 and the other just last year.

Campaigning in Indianapolis on Thursday, Romney said he has hunted small game since his youth.
"I'm not a big-game hunter. I've made that very clear," he said. "I've always been a rodent and rabbit hunter. Small varmints, if you will...
Yosemite Sam has a couple of comments about Mitt and his Varmint Hunting - Comment 1 - Comment 2.
Another intelligent cartoon based political statement made by Mitt.

My Political Prediction for Mitt -

Mitt is still toast - his latest goofballism - On Monday afternoon (5/21/07), McCain made fun of Romney's evolving positions on other issues when asked about the immigration controversy during a conference call with bloggers.

"In the case of Gov. Romney, you know, maybe I should wait a couple of weeks and see if it changes, because it's changed in less than a year from his position before," McCain said. "And maybe his solution will be to get out his small-varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his lawn. I don't know."

The jab squeezed in references to two past controversies: Romney's backtrack on an April comment that he'd "been a hunter pretty much all my life" -- he later said he had shot "varmints, if you will," such as rabbits, as a child; and a 2006 report in The Boston Globe that a landscaping firm Romney hired to maintain his home for years had hired illegal immigrants.

Giant Rat of Sumatra

2007-04-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

I hate rats and I hate rat cousins. Earlier this week, I smelled something bad and then flies started showing up. Luckily, I have my Orkin Man's cel phone number, so I called him up and he came over in about an hour. There was a big dead rat in the crawl space behind my comfy chair, so when he opened up the vent, the smell became really bad. The dirty, stinking rat was way under the floor, so he took a long pole, duct taped a glue trap to it and snagged the rat. He asked me if I wanted to see it and I decided to go check some email. He said that if I had waited another day or so, the stink would have lingered a lot longer. The moral of this story is: Don't poison a rat, but if someone else does, be sure to have the Orkin Man's cel phone number.

P.S. This year, 2007, hasn't been a very good year for me so far. Lots of things have broken, lots of frustrations, lots of problems and then a Dead Rat. I've decided that the Dead Rat is it. No more bad things will happen to me for the rest of the year, cuz it's got a lot of making up to do... So that's it!

2007 NCAA Final Four

2007-03-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last year, I predicted the outcome of the final 4 in the March Madness, NCAA Basketball Tournament by using the Mascot theory. This year, I have a monetary interest, so luckily for me, I can manipulate the outcome and still make logical Mascot vs. Mascot sense, such as it is...

We have the UCLA Bruins vs. the Florida Gators again, just like the championship game in 2006. Last year I said that Gators would eat a LSU Tiger, but that's only if they get them into the water and I had a Tiger eat a baby Bruin. This year, we've got a real life king size Grizzly Bear, which can put a big time chomping on any Florida Gator (I saw a demo on the Discovery Channel and a bear can bite right through the head of an alligator).

Then we have the Ohio St. Buckeyes vs. the Georgetown Hoyas. A Buckeye is a giant tree and I don't care what the Georgetown website says, according to Wikipedia, a Hoya is a small flowering plant, so obviously, a giant tree defeats all small flowers. That's an easy pick.

So in the final game, we have Bruins vs. Buckeyes and as you can see from this photo, the giant tree will fall and crush any bear... So GO BUCKEYES!!

UFOs, Alien Kidnapping & the Hindenberg

2007-03-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

News Item: France became the first country to open its files on UFOs Thursday when the national space agency unveiled a website documenting more than 1,600 sightings spanning five decades. The online archives, which will be updated as new cases are reported, catalogues in minute detail cases ranging from the easily dismissed to a handful that continue to perplex even hard-nosed scientists. "It is a world first," said Jacques Patenet, the aeronautical engineer who heads the office for the study of "non-identified aerospatial phenomena." French UFO Website

I'm not sure if I really was kidnapped by aliens, but the story below is true.

When I was 13 years old, I would take the same bus every day to school. I had to walk about 10 minutes to the corner to the bus stop (AC Transit) that came around 7:15am. one day, I left at the usual time and I got to the bus stop and waited and waited and waited and finally a bus came and it was the 10:30am bus. I've never worn a watch, so I had no idea what time it was, but somehow about 3 hours went missing from my consciousness, so I've always just figured I was kidnapped by aliens and they couldn't deal with me, so they just put me back.

Or maybe that's why I am the way I am?

I once thought I saw a UFO, but I figured out it was someone from the other side of the street that shot off a Roman Candle right over the top of our house.

I did try to create a UFO on Halloween, but it's probably lucky my plan failed. For some reason, when I was a kid, the Chemistry sets you could buy had lots of dangerous chemicals (life was so much more fun back in the good olde days, eh?) and I figured out how to make Hydrogen gas and in my wierd mind, I thought I would take a couple of dry cleaning plastic bags doubled up for strength, fill them up with hydrogen gas that I was going to make in the garage, put a gondola full of lighter fluid underneath, make a slow burning fuse, which I was able to make with my chemistry set and float it up over the town on Halloween night and when it blew up in a Hindenberg Jr. like explosion, I would see the story in the paper the next day. What an excellent idea, eh? Make hydrogen gas in the garage with a car full of gasoline..

Well, lucky for me and the rest of my family, I failed miserably. and I was truely miserable afterwards. as I was putting a glass funnel into the rubber stopper which I was going to use to mix the chemicals, the glass tube broke (I didn't know you were supposed to use Glycerin to make the glass slide through the hole) and I jammed about 2 inches of the tube into my right hand right between the thumb and index finger in the nice fleshy part and then it broke off making a nice tube where all the blood could nicely squirt out easily and quite a lot of it did flow.

My Dad was watching football and as calmly as I could (this part is fuzzy in my mind because it's so long ago, so maybe it was a panicky scream?) said I needed some help. We went down to the hospital, I had to wait for what seemed like a really long time with a bloody towel wrapped around my hand, the doctor shot me up with some anesthetic and in about 2 seconds stuck a jagged glass tube held in tweezers in front of my face and said: "Is this it?" Those doctors are such jokers!! Since is was scientific glass, it has lead in it, so it will show up in an X-Ray and there was one small piece left in my hand and it floated around for about 10 years, sometimes coming near the surface and causing pain when I shifted gears while driving. Thankfully, it's stuck somewhere deep inside and it just leaves me alone.

The moral of this story is: If you ever get the idea to recreate the Hindenberg disaster, just watch the film of it bursting into flames and think about the "Humanity".

Hindenberg Video

My Golf Towel Collection

2007-03-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

I've been collecting golf towels for a long time. I liked them because they were colorful, had cool logos, said something about the location and scenery and are usually about $10-15. Over the years, a lot of family & friends have helped me add to my collection, although I think I picked up the most remote towel myself from the Alice Springs Golf Club in the Outback of the Northern Territories in Australia.

Jesse Isotalo was in Sao Paulo Brazil and had hired a taxi all day for $50 (Sao Paulo is about 600 square miles) and drove to every sporting good store he could find (it was winter and all the golf courses were closed) and all they had was soccer & NFL stuff. He finally went to an embroidery shop and had them make up a fake Sao Paulo Golf Club towel.

My brother, Larry, was living in France, where they don't play much golf. He took a train, a bus and then walked 5 miles to a private club - Golf de Saint-Cloud. They almost didn't let him in because in their French mentallity, they didn't understand why anybody would come all that way just to get a golf towel.

Click here for the complete collection

I've got Golf Towels from: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea & US - California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee & Utah.

Four Things About Me You Might Not Know

2007-02-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

Four Jobs I've had in my life:
Worked on an Army Fort fixing computers
Tour Guide on Amtrak
Hardware & Software Technical Support
Event Planner

Four movies I would watch over and over:
Maltese Falcon
Ferris Beuller's Day Off
Jurrasic Park
Used Cars

Four Places I have lived:
El Cerrito CA
Salinas CA
Hayward CA
Castro Valley CA

Four TV shows I watch:
Lost
24
Heroes
The Office

Four Places I have been on vacation:
Alice Springs & Great Barrier Reef Australia
Yellowstone Park
Grand Canyon
Hawaii

Four of my favorite foods:
Salmon
Filet Mignon
Seafood Salad
Chocolate Ice Cream

Four places I would rather be right now:
Watching the sunset in Lahaina, Hawaii
Watching a movie
Point Lobos State Park
In my comfy chair

Here's what you're supposed to do... and please do not spoil the fun. Hit forward, delete my answers and type in your answers. Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you.

Raiders of the Lost Ark Mystery

2007-01-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Who is this guy in the yellow box?

This has driven my crazy ever since I saw the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, so it's been haunting me for 26 years.

Does anybody out there know Steven Spielberg or Harrison Ford or George Lucas and can ask them for me?

It's in the final few minutes of the movie, when they tell Indy that they have "top experts" investigating the Ark. Maybe it's someone's uncle or father, but why is he just standing in the background not saying anything? Please make a comment if you know.

Q: How Cold Was It This Weekend? (13-Jan-07)

2007-01-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

How Cold Was It Jokes

A: It was so cold in Castro Valley that running water in my front courtyard fountain froze.

Here is my photo album link. There are 10 photos in the album.

Other Websites I Can't Live Without

2007-01-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

I previously listed 20 Websites I can't live without, but there are more...

TV Guide - This are the listings that you can customize for your zip code & Cable or Satellite provider.

Century 25 Union City - This is where I usually go see the movies, mainly because they still have $6.75 bargain matinees with $10.00 regular price.

Jack London Regal Movies - SFO Pizza is right across the street and it's close to work. $9.50 regular & $7.50 matinees

Regal Hacienda 20/IMAX - Closest to my house, but highest prices. $11.00 regular & $8.00 matinee. IMAX is $14.00

Turner Classic Movies - It's got a three month schedule for the Turner Classic movie channel, lots of info about movies, especially old movies. You can make a suggestion for TCM to schedule your favorite.

bodog.com - If you want to bet on sports or horseracing, Bodog is your best bet.

Laurel's TV Picks - I always check Laurel's TV Picks site at the beginning of a new fall TV Season. She's got info on the new shows and an excellent schedule grid that I use to program my various DVR's.

It's Your Show - This is where I submitted my Emperor Penguin Nightmare video and they called me and asked for a better version for the actual TV show. It's a place where you can win prizes for your videos. They have different challenges and they give you sound effects and music to help you create something.

Paul's Hat Works - I've always wanted a custom made Panama Hat, so as soon as I get a windfall, I'm heading to Paul's Hat Works or to Panama Hats by Brent Black.

OrchidWeb.com - If you are looking for an Orchid, this is the place to get it.

BurlWoodBox.com - If you are looking for an unusual gift and it happens to be a Burl Wood box, where else would you go?

WeatherShack.com - Looking for a Weather Station, look no farther.

Carbubble's Photos - Using Picasa to store web photo albums

2008 Presidential Politics

2007-01-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

As previously predicted by me, I'm even more sure that neither McCain or Clinton will be the next President. Here are 2 links if you'd like to keep up with the complete roster of candidates from Time Magazine. They call it the Presidential Racing Form...

Democrats

Republicans

They show money, trips to early primary states, book rankings on Amazon.com, etc.

Other links for political theatre viewing are CNN & MSNBC.

Random Stuff to wind down 2006

2006-12-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a cull without mercy clean up of my office which hasn't been done since I put in the furniture, so it was due.

I found an envelope with another bunch of collected quotes and new articles from various sources and some that I created, so I'm just going to share them.

The Hormel company, manufacturers of Spam, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the luncheon meat by designating the town's July 4th celebrations as "Spam Days". Among the festivities were a "Spam-o-rama" cookoff and a "Salute to Spam" air show. A bitter strike against Hormel ended in September and not everyone has made up.

"Hormel has co-opted the Fourth of July holiday and turned it into a glorifcation of pig meat in a can," said Jim Guyette, former leader of the union. T-shirts reading "Scab City, USA" and "Cram the Spam" were seen alongside company-issue Spamwear.

One of my all time favorite TV shows - "You're travelling through another dimension. A dimension, not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wonderous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop - the Twilight Zone!" - Rod Serling

Laissez les bon temps rouler! - pronounced: "Lay-say lay bon tom rule-ay!"

San Francisco Chronicle - Friday, December 6, 1991
Hayward Tom responded to our call for infomation on various football handicapping systems. He said he uses the Visi-Calc program for an Apple II PC to enter weekly data and compute his picks. At the 11 week mark, he was humming along nicely at 64.8%, he said.

Tom added: "Good luck and I'm glad to see that Larry Stumes is over 50%. I used to use the "Stumes Factor" to pick my games. If he picked the opposite way than I did, I was sure to win.

Tom was referring to back to an infamous off-year that Chronicle racing handicapper Stumes had when he was doing the football predicting.

If you don't let anybody in, no one can hurt you.
The more complex the mind, the greater the need for simplicity of play - Capt. Kirk
25 G's is a lot of cabbage. Where are we going to glom onto it? Pony up the dough
Special words from 2001 - Nabonga, Sock the Weasel, Uncle Gruesome, Nothing but trouble, Side Effects and Wake the Banshee
Pardon my side effects
A bad Psychic is better than a good Astrologer
A little kid & his mom are heading into a grocery store and he says: "No basket for me" and she points and says: "BASKET!!" and he starts crying and gets into the basket. (true story)
Turning negative thoughts into positive actions
There's more spin control around Dan Quayle than Minnesota Fats ever needed
Question to TLC in 1990 - Have you always been this way? TLC: "The older I get, the funnier I get."
Tickle my fancy and I'll follow you anywhere
Crossfire 17-Aug-88 - Senator Alan Simpson: "You're looking for something that isn't there. You're looking into George Bush's head."
Imagination is more important than knowledge - Albert Einstein
A riddle from a Sherlock Holmes movie - Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) - Who's was it? His who is gone. Who shall have it? He who shall come. What shall be the month? The last from the first.
Character name for some future story - Martin Stumbles, Esq.
Chinese/Russian Detective - Won Wong Steppe
Those people want me, but they can't touch me because the old man love my ass
An old alias - Joe Cose. Jocose \jo-kos\ adj 1: given to jokes and jesting 2: characterized by joking

2 Cents Question: Can the US regain its standing in the world?

2006-12-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what will happen in the next 2 years, but I expect the worst and hope for the best.

I'm not sure I'm going to vote in the 2008 Presidential election because anybody who wants to be President with the current situation might not be the smartest cookie. As Mr. T would say: "I pity the fool who wants to be the next President!"

A Milestone, I hope...

2006-12-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

On 2-Dec-06 my worst nightmare happened. I am hurt, bruised, sprained, but OK. I can't go into details, but just for me, I'm putting a reminder in my blog. I want to mark this date to remind me. I'm feeling a lot happier even though it's painful.

That's it for now.

2008 Presidential Prediction

2006-11-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

I predict that neither Hillary Clinton or John McCain will win the Presidential election in 2008 and take the oath of office in January 2009. I don't know who it's going to be or if one or the other of these two will get their party's nomination and lose to someone else, but I know for sure, 100% positive, as they say in football betting - Stone Cold Lock!, it's not going to be them.

Any comments?

The 2006 Midterm Election

2006-11-08T23:58:00.000-08:00

Here is the best election result in 2006...

Iowa's 2nd House District
Dave Loebsack (DEM) 51%
Jim Leach (REP)* 49%
100% of precincts reporting

From Newsmax: One of the biggest surprises of the night was Republican Rep. Jim Leach's defeat in Iowa after a career that spanned 30 years, losing to Dave Loebsack, a college professor making his first run for elective office. The two parties spent lavishly on television commercials in dozens of districts deemed competitive - but not that one.

Jim Leach, the sponge that put through the anti-poker/gambling bill at midnight on the Port Security Bill. This was completely unexpected and not on anybody’s radar, so I can only assume that it was revenge of the Iowa online poker players! Way to go!

Iraq is FUBAR, NRTS & SNAFU

2006-10-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with this in my head, so I figured I had better blog it....

Iraqi Dumpty sat on a wall
Iraqi Dumpty had a great fall
All Rummy's horses & all of his men
Couldn't put Iraqi Dumpty back together again...

Egg broke.

There are really only 3 countries in the Middle East - Turkey, Egypt & Iran. All the rest were created by the French & English after they beat the Ottoman Empire after WWI. The whole place is a bunch of tribes that have 1000 year old feuds and in the end, they are just going to have to work out their feud on their own.

Tom Coates' on politics in California & the US as of 25-Oct-06

2006-10-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here are my thoughts as of today: I doubt if the demos would be supposedly winning the congress if it was 2008. I think there is a feeling that the legislative branch isn't doing much of anything (how many days was congress in session, about 94?), lining their big contributors pockets, building bridges to nowhere, building fences and then not paying for it and just being lame. if the demos win all or part of congress, it will be a 2 year trial to see if they can do anything with the prez as a safety factor so they can't go too far. as you already know, I prefer conflicted government and either way is OK with me.

if Pelosi can't control her fringe elements, she'll have a short speakership. everyone deserves a fat chance...

I could never vote for Angelidies. he's too weasly, if that's a word. who wants a pencil neck geek for governor when we have Arnold? I can't vote for Feinstein because she voted for the anti-poker legislation. I can't vote for Barbara "Commie" Lee because I don't like commies, even though she did vote against the anti-poker law.

Be sure to vote if you know who you want to run the government. If you don't know anything, then stay home and don't complain.

Lost Crossword Puzzle

2006-10-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

I've created a crossword puzzle for everyone, but with a few specific clues for fans of the TV show, Lost.

Click here for the puzzle. Save the zip file and extract all 3 files and run the html file. You need Java to run the puzzle.

What is up with this four toed foot? That's what I want to know in season 3.

The World at this time

2006-09-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

it's a big conflict of bad things

War=bad, terrorists=bad, dead american soldiers=bad, torture=bad, no torture=bad, listening in on phone calls=bad, not listening in=bad, dead americans=bad, illegal aliens=bad, nuclear bombs=really bad, stay the course? why? change the course? better not, then terrorists win=bad.

before going to Iraq, everyone said it would be quick, but I said: "we're still in Korea after 50 years, so why doesn't anybody just admit it will be like that in Iraq?" Bush gave the terrorists a timetable - he said troops would be there as long as he's president, which is Jan 2009. if they really wanted us to go, they could just stop fighting for 6 months.

too much obfuscation lately. Where is "Morning in America"? bring back Reagan.

I'm voting Yes on Q - parks & open space for Castro Valley.

Opening up random spam

2006-08-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if you ever open up a random spam message, but when Outlook strips out the bad stuff, there are a bunch of random words that are left behind that I guess the expert spammers try to use to get through the spam filters. I opened up a spam message because the subject line was “ass Roberts” and that made me laugh.. I discovered that there is was a compelling, strange and possibly disturbing story from the far off land of India, hidden in the spam.. here it is for your reading pleasure…

arrow?" 'Alas', my brother, I do not know,' said the Curator. 'Nay, if way through the press of all the races in Upper India, and the lamaa bow as none might bend. Thou knowest?' 'It is written. I have read.'-sore eyes. Ask. him that also, O thou Little Friend of all the

here alone. For five seven - eighteen - forty years it was in my mind. Shing, the Chinese bootmaker in the bazar. His eyes turned up at the vernacular by preference, and his mother-tongue in a clipped uncertain poles by the side of the road snatching up and snatching up their the miraculous birth; the death at Kusinagara, where the weak disciple shop, where a man lay. 'He drove away the bull,' said the woman in an He is quite mad, and I am tired of Lahore city. I wish new air and heavy fruit-eating bat cowers, and returned to his rosary. 'Stand sleepy clerk grunted and flung out a ticket to the next station, just intensely human, and lives to look upon life. Kim marked down a gaily I shall meet one of the pure faith in a Jain temple of that city. He Delhi he wired: 'Lutuf Ullah. Have wired two thousand rupees your at death consisted of three papers - one he called his 'ne varietur'-Kim pointed to the ticket-office - 'who will give thee a paper to a rose. 'And whom didst thou worship within?' said Kim affably, circular biz bushwhack asterisk

Except for the "circular biz bushwhack asterisk", the rest is from "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling

2 Cents Question: Have hands-free cell phones made you a safer driver?

2006-08-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that Volvo drivers are the worse drivers in the world because they feel invincible, indestructible and therefore just don't care about you and me. They don't drive crazy, they just don't pay attention because they are basically driving an M60 Tank minus the big cannon and plus airbags all around. If your car, unless it's a Hummer or a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, hits a Volvo, you car is destroyed and totaled. The Volvo might have a small dent and maybe a scratch.

About 15 years ago, I came up with this theory after seeing a Volvo TV ad. There were two women walking out of the forest and they said they had just wrapped their brand new Volvo around a giant tree, but see! Not a scratch on them. Not a care in the world, no matter how stupidly we drive. Crashing into trees - no problem!

2 Cents Question: Has online gambling caused you any grief?

2006-08-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

I can no longer vote for Senator Feinstein. She is trying to stop online poker.

"While the advent of the Internet has clearly been beneficial to American society, the same cannot be said for Internet-based gambling activity. Internet gambling is too easily accessible to minors, too subject to fraud and criminal misuse, and too evasive of state gambling laws. For these reasons, I have supported legislation aimed at curbing Internet gambling during my tenure in the Senate. For example, in the 108th Congress I co-sponsored the “Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act” (S. 627), which was introduced by Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). Unfortunately, this bill was not signed into law, however, I plan to continue to support limits on Internet gambling should any legislation be considered by the Senate in the 109th Congress.

Again, thank you for your letter. While we do not necessarily agree on the particular topic, I hope that you will continue to write on matters of importance to you. Should you have further questions or comments on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841."

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

My letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein:

Dear Senator Feinstein,
While I agree with you on most issues and have voted for you each time you ran for state or federal office, I can't vote for you in the future while you are supporting legislation banning online poker.

Poker is not gambling, it's a skill and luck game and if it was gambling, it wouldn't be legal in California and I'm sure you know there are plenty of card clubs in California where you can play poker and other skill games. Obviously, it should be regulated so that underage kids can't play online, but you and the government shouldn't not infringe on my civil liberties.

I'm not sure how you can stop it anyway, since it's all overseas unless the US sets up a ban like China or Iran does on their internet services. I'm sure you'll agree with me that it isn't in the best interest in our free country. The site where I play has it's HQ on an Indian Reservation in Canada.

California has Lotto and Mega Lotto and Horse Racing and online Horse Race betting, so I'm not sure what is your point. Many other states have casino gambling as we saw when they all washed ashore in Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina. California has lots of citizens going to Nevada or the local Indian Casinos. So gambling is everywhere... Why ban Poker online?

I have a personal interest because I won an online poker satellite tournament that got me a $10,000 entry to the World Series of Poker and I hope to do it again next year.

WSOP 2006 Guarantee

2006-08-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Before I left for the 2006 WSOP, I guaranteed that I would be on TV. Nobody would bet me because they all said that if I didn't cash or make the final table, I would make it in "The Nuts" section of the ESPN show.

Well, I didn't have to get nutty to get on TV, I just had to be sitting behind someone that wanted to get on TV by wearing a Finding Nemo hat.

Click here for all the images.

20 Websites I can't live without

2006-08-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

20 Websites I Can't Live Without
Amazon.com
It rules e-tail, with 34 different product categories (including groceries; new and used cars could be next) yet stays true to its bookstore roots, with nifty features like Search Inside the Book, and the new AmazonConnect, which links you to blog posts from your favorite authors from the home page.

Apple Movie Trailers
Coming attractions for movie buffs and reason enough to finally get that broadband connection.

Blogger
The place to go to create your own blog; tools are powerful and easy to use, and it's free.

CBSsportsline
Best all-around sports site, with sports news, sports videos, sports columns, fantasy sports and sports data galore.

Cartoons
Red Meat - Very odd & disturbing cartoons. I like them.
Brevity - Intriguing one panel cartoons that make you laugh & think
Dilbert - the classic. If you are in High Tech, sooner or later, you will be in a Dilbert cartoon.

Ebay
The auction powerhouse keeps expanding its repertoire, allowing users to write blogs and create wikis (collaborative info-banks), and to "Skype" each other about individual items up for bid (i.e. use the Internet telephony service to place voice calls)

Factcheck.org
Picks apart speeches, press releases, TV ads and other public statements by politicians of all stripes to set the record straight.

Google
What started as the Web's best search engine has become a jack-of-all-trades, offering all sorts of free applications, from Spreadsheets and Calendar to Picasa (for digital photos) and Gmail. There's Google Scholar, which lets you search for academic papers on any topic, and Google Finance (nice charts!); Google Maps has inspired countless "mash-ups" including weatherbonk.com. Register for a free account and you can personalize your home page too. Click here, for a menu of features and services that have officially launched; go to Google Labs for the new stuff that's still in beta (such as Spreadsheets). The unaffiliated (but lovingly devoted) Googletutor.com has helpful tips and advice for making the most of all things Google. Read more about some of Google's latest-greatest features in the TIME archives.

HowStuffWorks
Easy-breezy explanations of how things work, from money laundering to hybrid cars, game consoles to the human kidneys

The Internet Movie Database
Encyclopedia of entertainment that covers some 800,000 films, television shows and video game titles. Users help keep the Internet Movie Database current, submitting 16 million data bits in 2005 alone

Netflix
More than 60,000 DVD titles available to rent, from classics to art-house flicks to major studio releases. Digital delivery is scheduled to start early next year, but don't expect those red mailers to be phased out anytime soon

The Onion
Long before The Daily Show, long before Stephen Colbert, there was The Onion, and it's still hilarious, and now you don't need a subscription to read the fake news archives. Podcasts are also now available

Rotten Tomatoes
Gathers movie reviews from far and wide, and reports box office and other stats; flicks receive a critical average on the 100-point "tomatometer." Movies.com also gets a nod for streaming episodes of "Statler & Waldorf: From the Balcony," an Ebert & Roeper spoof starring those lovable muppet-curmudgeons

Shopzilla
New comparison shopping sites keep popping up (Become.com isn't bad) but nothing beats Shopzilla's search tools and merchant ratings

The Borowitz Report
Daily extremely funny and satiric commentary on current events.

The Smoking Gun
Continues to document interesting news (sample headline: "Six Skulls Found in Strippers Home") and get the occasional big scoop, like outing writer James Frey

Wikipedia
A real Web wonder: this massive, collaborative online encyclopedia is written, edited, and maintained primarily by volunteers; some 1.3 million articles in English, and millions more in 228 other languages

Yahoo!
Arguably Google's toughest competition for top Web property. Check out the new My Web 2.0 service, which incorporates the social bookmarking activities of the recently-acquired del.icio.us (you get to see where other people are surfing, and share your own favorite links). Maps.yahoo.com/traffic offers a visual guide to gridlock situations on major roads in 20 metropolitan areas; Yahoo Photos offers new ways to share images (more advanced search features, tagging and other tools); and the new Yahoo Tech page cherry-picks from CNET's playbook.

Zappos.com
Simply the best place to shop for shoes online, with stellar customer service and free shipping all the time

Other Tom Coates' in the news

2006-08-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

I've set up a Google alert for any news items with Tom Coates in them. So far, it hasn't been me.

The three Tom Coates' that get in the news the most are English Cricketeer Tom Coates, World Class yachtsman Tom Coates & AIDS specialist Dr. Tom Coates.

Cricket Report from the Camb Times online
Poor batting dooms side to defeats: A POOR batting display from the Wisbech first team proved to be their undoing as they suffered defeat at Kimbolton on Saturday.

Following a string of Tucker Division One draws, Wisbech would have been searching for the points and a good performance but it was not to be.

Things looked good for the visitors when Tom Coates (41) and James Williams (64) settled in to their batting. However, their dismissals led to a collapse and Wisbech were eventually bowled out for 198 after 41.3 overs.

Yachting Report from BYM News
USA. Rolex NYYC Race Week: Tom Coates J-105 Masquerade wins 3 races on Rhode Island Sound

"We couldn't have had a better day," said Tom Coates about today's racing on Rhode Island Sound during New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. As he did at this event in 2004, Coates with his Masquerade took an early lead in the competitive J/105 class; he won all three of today's races. Known around New England as an accomplished sailor, he also is known on his home waters of San Francisco Bay for his success in the same class.

Doctor Tom Coates News from the New York Blade
HIV/AIDS researchers, service providers and activists from across the globe are gathering in Toronto for a six-day International AIDS Conference, which began Aug. 13. About 24,000 people are expected to attend, making it the largest in the now-biennial meeting’s 21-year history.

"We have committed more resources for HIV research than any other government in the world," said Tom Coates, director of the UCLA Program in Global Health. He cited as examples the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, first outlined in President Bush’s 2003 State of the Union address, along with the billions of dollars in AIDS funding allocated to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

"But then we get hung up on issues like promotion of abstinence-only education, or [needle exchange programs]," Coates said. "We get tripped on our own ideology, and our lack of knowing the evidence."

I made the final table

2006-08-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

It wasn't the World Series of Poker and it didn't cost $10,000 to play and there weren't over 8,000 players and the top prize wasn't $12,000,000, but I still cashed.

I played a $55.00 tournament at the California Grand card club in Pacheco today. There were 50 players, the top prize was $1,500 and they paid the top 10. I made it to the final table of 10 and was knocked out first, so I got $75.00.

I had been down to my last 200 chips (starting with 500), but I beat the same guy 3 times in a row by going all in and I knocked him out of tournament. My buddies, Glenn, Mike & Jesus also played, but they finished out of the money.

I wish I was still playing

2006-08-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

My mind is still in the game... I didn't really get a chance to play some poker. Seven hours is way too short. I didn't get to give anybody a bad beat. I did knock one player out, so at least I've got that going for me.

It's hard to explain, but it's not out of my system yet. I'd been thinking about it and working on it for over 2 months, so I wish I had more time at it. I guess that when the tournament is over on August 10th, I'll be able to move onto the next thing..

Heads in plastic bags, loud noises, Capt. Crunch and tomato trucks

2006-08-03T00:09:00.000-07:00

After I finished with poker and was awake at 4am, I decided I should end my trip with a big fun bang, so I went online and bought a ticket for the Blue Man Group.

If you don't like loud and I mean very loud music or are claustrophobic, do not see the Blue Man Group, but it is a very funny and fun show. I saw it about 3 years ago, but about half of it was new. They use Capt. Crunch in the show. I don't recommend getting a seat in the first 6 rows as those are called the Poncho seats. If you've never seen the show, they bang on drums with paint, so there is a bit of splatter.

As I was walking through the Venetian Casino, I saw a weird sight - about 500 women dressed in black walking towards me and they all had mannequin dummy heads inside plastic bags with bad wigs. It took me awhile to figure out that they were at a Paul Mitchell hairdressers convention. Very bizarre!

The Venetian is a very beautiful place to hang out. It's got the canal with the gondolas and St. Marks Square with singers and performers.
Click on the photos for a larger image.

Finally, driving to Las Vegas was good for me because it was nice to be able to get around where I wanted and when I wanted. The only problem is coming back up Highway 5 with the super slow tomato trucks. They can only go about 55 MPH, so there is always a traffic jam around them with other trucks pass. The worst time was when one tomato truck was passing another and it was only going around 1 MPH faster, so the pass took about 2 miles.

The evil Lady Canada gets the boot

2006-08-02T23:34:00.000-07:00

Wed Aug 02 17:59:00 PDT 2006

Monica Reeves Eliminated - Monica Reeves is all-in with K-Q against her opponent's 10-10. Neither player improves and Reeves is eliminated from the Main Event.

Actually, she was very nice and we both made the exact same amount of cash.

Final Poker roundup

2006-08-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back home in Dreamland with stories to share, hats to wear and some new refrigerator magnets (Excalibur, NY NY & WSOP 2006). This is a photo of the ESPN Featured Table. Last year's champion, Joe Hachem is on the monitors.

Here is my WSOP rundown:

After 2 hours, I had about 12,000 chips after starting with 10,000
After 4 hours, I had about 19,000 chips as I busted out a loser with a big unlit cigar, who mumbled all the time and had showed up about 40 minutes late. For some reason he was trying to stare me down, but I've already been stared down by the King of Stares, Jay Lakumb, so I was immune. I guess he thought I was bluffing because I had a Queen high flush and he had a pair of Jacks and there was also another Queen on the board.
After 6 hours, I had about 15,000 chips and it was dinner break
I goofed on dinner and got stuck in a really slow restaurant and got back late to the table and missed a couple of hand. I wasn't back in the same groove as before. I should have slowed down, looked at my rules again.
Monica Reeves, the poker & blackjack pro from Canada, was sitting to my right and to her right was another pro from Australia. I just didn't realize that they both were "the Grinder" because I hadn't heard of them. They were the ones I needed to stay away from on day one. She went all in for her last 10,000 chips and was doing some big time "Hollywooding" (over-acting), but my mind was just wasn't ready to figure it out and for some reason, I thought she was trying to bluff me out of the hand and I should have realized that she knew I was playing tight (conservative), so the only way she was going to risk getting knocked out was if she knew she had the best hand, but c'est la vie, I didn't figure that out and I lost about 13,000 of my chips and only had about 2000 left, which lasted me about another 45 minutes. I wasn't pot committed and if she bluffed me out, I still would have only been a little bit under the average chips.
I stole some blinds twice without getting called. Unfortunately, one time I had pocket Aces and wanted to get called, but then I went out when the pro from Oz had pocket Kings to my A-Q and didn't improve. I ended up playing about a little over 7 hours.
Today would have been my second day of playing and after getting a good night's sleep in my own bed, I was still tired, so it would have been all adrenaline and power bars to get through day 2.
I think that whoever wins will really deserve it and it's just as mentally & physically gruelling as the Tour de France.
The final count was: Players 8,773 Prize Pool $82,512,162
I was sitting right behind the guy with the Nemo hat. I guess he wanted his photo taken, so it worked
PartyPoker.net paid $22 Million to have their logo on every table, so all logowear with .com was banned, hence the need for massive duct tape as seen on my hat below.
I didn't get on TV, at least not that I know of, but I did get mentioned in the PokerStars blog - http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/2006/07/wsop-main-event-day-1c-begins.html
The third photo below is Daniel Negraneau getting interviewed - he said he thought the final table would be at least 8 out of 9 players that nobody had ever heard of.

Click on the photos for larger images.

It's 4am and I can't sleep

2006-07-31T04:20:00.000-07:00

It would have been nice to be blogging now after surviving the first day, but I didn't. I got knocked out after the dinner break. I made the fatal mistake of not getting settled down after having to rush eating and getting back late to the table.

I didn't follow my rules. My mind was in a fog and I didn't take time to analyze a simple play. I had 3 pro players at my table - from Denmark, Australia & Canada. Monica Reeves, who's going to be on TV in the fall playing elimination Blackjack on CBS is the one who took most of my chips. She's got 44,000 chips (about 13,000 from me) after day 1.

T.J. Cloutier, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Gordon, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harmon, Jennifer Tilly, Steve Dannemann & Sammy Farha also got knocked out today.

I'll do a final WSOP blog when I get home.

Some of the Mighty Have Fallen

2006-07-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Howard Lederer and several other big time professional poker players are gone after the first day.

I found out that the 2005 winner, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer and Mike "The Mouth" Matusow will be playing today, so I might run into them...

Everything happens for a reason

2006-07-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

I was coming back from watching the big time fun movie, Pirates of the Caribbean and I wanted to eat at the Excalibur, but their valet parking was full. There is obviously zero competent traffic engineering staff in Las Vegas, so I was stuck just trying to get out.. I got so fed up, that I decided to bag it and just go back to the Monte Carlo, but I got into the wrong left turn lane and I found myself going into the New York New York parking. There is a walkway above the street over to the Excalibur, so I redecided to go eat English like I'd planned...

Because of all the delays, I ended up getting to the Zagat award winning Steakhouse at Camelot at the exact same time as Humberto the Bertmeister, well known king of Palm Springs recycling. He was also solo, so while chatting as we waited, we decided to dine together. He's a big time crap shooter and he had a bunch of hotel points he needed to use, so after an excellent dinner, he treated.. that was very nice of him and keeps my lucky winning streak going.

Tomorrow is going to be the second craziest thing I've ever done and those that know me understand that I'm just saving the first crazy things place just in case.

No more blogging until I get home from the Rio, hopefully around 3am or so.

My Ticket to Play

2006-07-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here is my ticket to the 2006 WSOP. PokerStars has a breakfast for the players each morning. It's almost getting exciting.

Yowzer... I'm going for a swim.

2006-07-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Day 1A ended at 3:12am. I'm going for a morning swim, then breakfast, pick up the pokerstars.net stuff, then it's back to the burbs for Pirates of the Caribbean, then to the Excalibur to complete my British Isles eating tour at the Sir Galahad's Pub & Prime Rib House and early to bed.

Here is the Monte Carlo pool, the Rio Casino where the WSOP is being held and as I said earlier, all of Las Vegas is under construction.

The Monte Carlo has a wave pool, a Lazy River (which if you are taller than about 4 feet, is hard to swim in, so rent a tube), a hot tub spa and a regular pool. It's nice in the morning because the hotel puts the whole pool area in the shade until about 10:15am. The weather in Vegas today is sort of mild - it's only 86F this morning. I think that the massive thunderstorms cooled things off. I'm finally getting a clue and wearing shorts. What was I thinking?

Shuffle Up and Deal

2006-07-29T00:16:00.000-07:00

The 2006 World Series of Poker has begun. I checked it out before the Penn & Teller show. I had my first poker celebrity sighting - Scotty Nguyen. Currently, he's got about 30,000 chips.

It's after 12:30am and there are still 990 players left out of 2,138 and they have to get down to 800, so it's going to be a late night. I'm going to bed really early on Saturday.

Here is what it looks like. I got to the Rio right as they were getting their dinner break and I basically got run over. There were so many spectators earlier, nobody could move, so hopefully, when I play on Sunday, the novelty will have diminished...

The Penn & Teller show was a lot of fun.. Not too much blood.

One major snafu - Pokerstars gave out PokerStars.com logowear and anything with .com on it is banned from the WSOP and always has been, so now I guess I get another set of pokerstars.net swag. Everyone today had a bunch of duct tape over the .com part of the logo. It looked very tacky and lame...

Tonight I ate at the Twisted Kilt pub in the Rio. So last night it was Irish and tonight it was Scottish... I guess I better heard over to the Excalibur for dinner on Saturday night to make a complete British Isles circuit..

At least 8,200 WSOP 2006 players

2006-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

There are officially at least 8,200 participants, over $82,000,000 in prize money and the word on the street is that there will be up to 500 alternates per day.

Lucky for me, the "Grinder" is playing on day 1A, so I can easily stay away from him until the 2nd day.

Here is the link to follow "live" events. http://www.cardplayer.com/tournaments/live_updates/3229

Look for me on Sunday.

Less Than Urban

2006-07-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

As I've said plenty of times, I'm a suburban (less than urban) kind of guy, so today, just to keep things a bit normal before I head over the Rio on Sunday and hit the mother of all unreality, I decided to head out to the 'burbs of Vegas...

Luckily, my Garmin GPS gizmo, which I call Ma'am (as in Yes, Ma'am when it tells me where to go and gets me there even if I make a wrong turn), got me out the Summerlin NV, home of the Suncoast Orleans casino and Century 16 movie theater. I saw the new Miami Vice movie starring Jamie Foxx & Colin Ferrell with a south Florida mullet. It's a typical slam bang action flick by Micheal Mann, so if you liked "Heat" and "Thief", you'll like it... it's even got a flagrant Jackson Pollock reference. Although because I'm me, my favorite part of the whole movie was when in the last 5 minutes or so, Sonny says: "A guy named Frank will come and pick you up in a boat". I know all of my movie group people know about my claim that 80% of all movies have a character named Frank, so even though you didn't really see Frank and he's not in the credits, there still was a character named Frank, which is all that counts.

Here is an observation about Las Vegas - all men's room floors are always wet no matter what time of day or what casino you're in and all Las Vegas roads are under construction...

I'll report back later after I get back from the Penn & Teller show.

Nine Fine Irishmen

2006-07-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

I had an excellent dinner tonight with Terry & Peg and was able to catch up with them. I saw Terry about a year ago when he played in our sort of monthly Texas Hold Em games at Dreamland, but I hadn't seen Peg for maybe 10 years.

We went to the Irish Pub in New York New York called the Nine Fine Irishmen. They have an excellent 4 piece Irish house band and they played some rollicking tunes.

Peg & I were testing each other on trivia and even though she's Irish, she didn't know what "Beyond the Pale" meant..

The phrase beyond the pale, meaning to go beyond the limits of law or decency, was in use by the mid-17th century. The phrase is a reference to the general sense of boundary, not to any of the particular places, such as the English Pale in Ireland, which bore that name. Out of the many pales established in Ireland, (Cork, Dublin, Drogheda, Waterford, and Wexford) only a select few followed the laws established by England, Hence within the Pale and beyond the Pale.

My 6th Sense is already working..

2006-07-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

I found 6 cents in my hotel room under a lamp, so that seems like an omen to me... I've been in Las Vegas for 3 hours and I'm in the plusage... as Ken would say: "Not bad".

I'm meeting my old buddy Terry from Qantel and his wife Peg for dinner tonight. We're going to an Irish Pub in New York New York. They are here for Terry's birthday.

I had about 60 lbs. of coins laying around, so I stopped at Primm, which is right on the CA/NV border and traded them in for $285, so that's my playing around money if I need any. I'm hoping that I'll be too busy to play around. There was a tremendous lightning storm right on the border, so here's a real photo of lighning hitting Las Vegas that I didn't take, but you get the idea.

For my cube-mate, Steve - the temperature in Bakersfield at 9am ,when I stopped for gas at Costco ($3.07/gallon) was 100F.

I cut about 40 minutes off the predicted time for driving by averaging 71.1 mph. There are nice reststops about every 90 minutes, so it was an easy drive...

Pokerstars WSOP2006 goodie bag

2006-07-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

Because I won the pokerstars.com satellite, I won 9 free days in the Monte Carlo hotel (more when I keep winning), but you have to wear some kind of PokerStars logowear... here is a preview of the goodie bag I'll get when I arrive.

One duffel bag (top left), big enough to carry two watermelons or a medium-sized dog.
Baseball jersey (below bag)
Letterman-style jacket (right of baseball jersey)
Two baseball caps, one commemorative baseball, and a plush teddy bear (on top of jacket)
PokerStars t-shirt (right of jacket)
Basketball jersey (right of t-shirt)
Hockey jersey (bottom left)
Soccer jersey (bottom right)
Commemorative card capper and trading cards (on top of soccer jersey)

My 2 Cents about the extreme heat wave

2006-07-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

My cousin thought it would be a great idea to have an outdoor wedding in Hollister in July. I don’t know if he was nervous, but it was the sweatiest wedding I’ve ever seen. It was 109 and it was next to a duck pond, so we had humidity also. I’ve been in hotter weather, but just usually just walking from my car into an air conditioned building. It was brutal.

Congratulations to Jason & Valerie and I know they will have a lifetime of happy air conditioned years.

Click on the picture to get a larger version...

My WSOP rules...

2006-07-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here are my rules for playing in the 2006 World Series of Poker...

Have fun
I’ve got nothing to lose
Don’t make any bull moves
Don’t go all in on the first day without the absolute nuts
Stay away from the Grinder and any other pros until after the first 2 days
Play quality hands from position
Don’t bluff a guy who can’t be bluffed, like a short stack when nearing the bubble
Play tight as a drum on the first day
Aggressive poker is winning poker after day one
I’ve already won!

I feel that I'm the best prepared as I can be. I've gained a massive amount of Texas Hold Em knowledge in the past couple of months. I've tested out new theories. I tested out massive bluffing last time I played with Jay, Glenn, Mike, Stefan, Steve, Keith and Tim and I didn't get called once, so I know I'm not giving anything away easily.

Jay bet Mike from Omicron $300-$100 that I wouldn't cash and now that there might be as many as 10,000 players, it should probably be more like 900-1, but I feel confident that Jay will have to pay off.

I just got an oil change and my A/C recharged for the drive to Vegas. I recently installed a MP3 changer in the trunk, so I'll have about 1000 songs to listen to on the trip along with Phil Gordon's "Little Green Book" of poker on CD.

Here is my schedule:

Thursday Jul 27: Drive to Las Vegas, check in with Pokerstars & get swag, shirts & hats.
Friday Jul 28: relax, more poker book study, go over to the Rio and check out the lay of land & see Penn & Teller Show (I've got a seat in the front row) in the evening.
Saturday Jul 29: relax, more poker book study & early to bed
Sunday Jul 30: Shuffle up and Deal! first day of play
Monday Jul 31: final day one of the tournament - day off for me
Tuesday Aug 1: first 2 days play from 1600 down to 700
Wednesday Aug 2: second w days play from 1600 down to 700 - I will be playing
Thursday Aug 3: Day off for everyone - Brunch at Paris
Beyond August 3rd - getting near to cashing - hopefully I'll still be playing and have to get to bed early again.
August 10th - Final Table - who won da money? probably $10 Million for the winner.

Prediction - Why Not?

2006-07-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's all about making the wrong play at the right time...

World Series of Poker Update

2006-06-23T01:01:00.000-07:00

I got my confirmation from the WSOP today. I got into flight C, which is on Sunday, July 30th. I'm arriving in Vegas on July 27th, so I'll have 3 days to settle in, check out the lay of the landscrape and get ready to rumble. Mr. Mike thinks I'm going to be nervous, but I've got nothing to lose and I don't really get nervous anyway. By the time I get to Sin City, I'm going to have my strategy all set in my head, I'll have my game face ready to go and we'll just be playing some cards. As Lancey Howard (played by Edward G. Robinson) said to the Cincinnati Kid (played by Steve McQueen): "It's all about making the wrong play at the right time." I'm planning on saying that to the first pro that I knock out of the tournament.

My good buddy, Jay, is betting against me cashing, but he's set the odds at 3-1, which considering that only about 10% will cash and there are going to be nearly 8000 players, that's really kind of a favorite's odds. Nobody will bet me that I will get onto TV. I've got a plan to do that.

It is going to be a blast of a lifetime! "Kid, let's play some cards."

Card Player Magazine is doing live coverage of the WSOP, so I think you'll be able to see how I'm doing at this link, once the Main Event starts on July 28th.
Live WSOP Main Event update

WSOP Main Event Qualifier

2006-05-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's me. I won a $30 Pokerstars satellite tournament and beat out 172 other players to win a $10,000 entry fee to the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas starting on July 28th, 2006.

On www.pokerstars.com I am Fireball36.

Here is the winning tournament final standing.

It hasn't sunk in yet and I don't think it will until I get to Vegas and see all the other players. I told my brother and he said: "It's hard to believe, but then it's you, so I can believe it."

here is what happened... if you want to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event, it's a $10,000 entry fee. So some people pay it directly. the big increase is from people like me. Last year they had about 5700 players, about 10% cashed and the first one to lose on final table got $1,000,000 and the big winner got $7.5 Million. The online poker sites, like the one I play have satellite tournaments daily several months before the WSOP event and so do card rooms and casinos. I played in a few earlier and didn't make it, but this time I played in a game that had 1 guaranteed entry - $10,000 entry fee, $1000 spending money & a free hotel room in Vegas for 9 days. it took 4 hours & 53 minutes to get to the final hand and I won beating 172 people. In Vegas it will be 12 hours a day for many days, so I've got to get into mental & physical shape.

No Limit Texas Hold Em Poker takes a massive amount of patience, knowlege, observation, acting skill, & luck. Hopefully I will have enough of all that and a bag of chips, poker chips that is.

If I meet Phil Hellmuth in person, I will say: Click Here

I have confidence that I'm as good or better than 90% of the players, so I just need 10% luck.

Here is some details on the satellite tournament I won:

There were 173 players competing for 1 WSOP Main Event entry
2nd - 4th place was $650 and 5th place was $72
It was a $30 game with re-buys & add-ons and $3 house fee
After 1 hour, I was 14th out of 106 players with 11,005 chips
After 2 hours, I was 5th out of 39 players with 30,040 chips
After 3 hours, I was 8th out of 8 players with 34, 387 chips
After 4 hours, I was 3rd out of 3 with 189,000 chips
For most of the fourth hour, I was low chips
I knocked out Windough with 11 hands to go. She went all in for 86,692 chips with a K-3 offsuit and I had pocket Q's. I won with Q's & 10's to his 10's.
I had about twice as many chips as Bluewave
I had 5-2 of diamonds and got check raised on the turn to 36,000 chips on a flop of 7h Qc Td and a turn card of 8d, but then I got 9d on the river which gave me a flush and also put a straight on the board. I don't think he thought I had a flush, but he was afraid I had a K and he probably already had a straight with a 9. I bet 96,000 and Bluewave folded, but he was crippled.
I had Bluewave 3-1 in chips
Bluewave went all in with 9h Kd, I had 6h 6d and called his 170679 chips and the board ended up as Td 2d 7h Qs 6s, so I won with trip 6's.
Game over, Man.

374 hands played and saw flop:

- 30 times out of 74 while in small blind (40%)
- 37 times out of 74 while in big blind (50%)
- 50 times out of 226 in other positions (22%)
- a total of 117 times out of 374 (31%)

Pots won at showdown - 23 out of 31 (74%)
Pots won without showdown - 57

For those who don't know much about Texas Hold Em Poker, click here.