Broke

Some of you know from face book or from talking to me since my birthday (11/23) about my receiving a book from my son and daughter-in-law as one of my gifts, the book entitled Broke by Glenn Beck. Wow........I can see the hair standing up on some of your necks already just hearing or reading the name Glenn Beck! Well too bad for you is all I can say about that, because I for one don't feel all that ill towards Mr. Beck that some do and I hope you continue to read why.

Did you enjoy History class while in school? Do we as a country still teach History in our schools? Is it the same History I was taught or the history of the past century and not beyond? This is something I'm not sure of and would really enjoy hearing from someone that knows the answers. I know I have scholars out there reading this, so please feel free to drop me an e-mail bringing me up to date on the schools of today.

Anyway, my point is this, Glenn Beck has become my history teacher now that I'm in my 60's and in my opinion a fine one at that. I do not watch Glenn Beck's show religiously by any means, but I do occasionally like his "History Friday" shows. I never was much of a reader and do remember some of what I was taught in my history classes but there is so much more to know and learn about our fore fathers and our Nation. Beck has me reading things like "George Washington's Sacred Fire", "Adams, Jefferson and Monroe", "The Constitution" and the "Declaration of Independence", and it helped visiting the Philadelphia area this past summer for a week or so during Independence Day celebrations.

I have an ex-son-in-law ranting about Beck being "one of the rich" extorting money from the poor somehow and on and on because I showed a picture of his book "Broke" on facebook as one of my birthday gifts. In case you haven't seen it the book cover show Glenn Beck in white T-shirt with Uncle Sam on the front all dressed in red, white and blue and pockets pulled out empty and palms up depicting the fact that our Nation is Broke! And so Glenn himself has a bewildered look on his face, palms up and pockets pulled out empty as Uncle Sam does on his T-shirt. So I get this long ass e-mail and facebook message and comment on facebook telling me that Glenn Beck wants me to think he's broke as if I should buy his book to help him get out of debt or something.....................wrong! This is a good example of looking at the pictures and not reading content, no where does he say he's broke or even talks about his financial status. I've only read the first three chapters so far and let me tell you it reads like a history book plain and simple. It's a hard read for me because it reads like a history book and I'm not sure I was expecting that when I first opened it.

Bottom line is all you history buffs out there would really enjoy the book and I'm drudging my way through it as I did in school and trying to retain a small portion of what I'm reading. For some reason if you weren't a reader growing up it even gets harder when your 64 trying to learn to do this all over again. One thing all of us must keep in mind is that our Nation is in trouble right now financially and we need jobs to get things going once more along with less spending and debt reduction. One line is seems the far left (and the book really isn't about left vs. right or Rep vs. Dem.......especially since Beck blames Bush and his admin. as much as anyone) does believe or understand is this, "When was the last time a poor person created a job?" We want to tax the wealthy and give to the poor via the government..............and the jobs the government creates are government jobs that require more tax dollars to pay those employees! Is it too hard to understand that we don't need more government jobs that we can't pay for, we need private sector jobs creating more jobs and so on................sorry, anyway the book is not about Beck or his wealth or beating down the left, it's some good history lessons so far and I plan on reading on. I'll give more book reports as I go along like it or not!

Face to Face

"This question game everyone is doing is kind of funny... If you can't ask this person the questions normally face to face then why ask them on here (face book) when they want you to? This is a prime example of what face book and texting is doing to the world, it's eliminating the whole face to face honest conversation between people....... That's kind of sad!"

The above quote came from a friend, college student, football player, pretty sharp guy and actually 2nd cousin and Senior at Emery Henry college I met for the first time this past summer. I read this and said to myself this guy has something here and he's definitely right, it's kind of sad, yes very sad.
It's probably always been easier for most to say things via a letter like a Dear John for example or over the phone and now via texting or face book or any other type of "social networking" medium. E-mail might have been the most used "question game" for a long time now until face book and my space or even twitter. I know and some of you probably know that even I have maybe said or stated things or asked questions I might hesitate to ask in a face to face meeting and yes I know that's wrong. I'm sure there are many out there who have said something in an e-mail or on face book the might not normally said in conversation and wished you could bring it back after hitting the send key! I'd also be willing to bet there have been many relationships changed, ended or put on thin ice due to a comment or question asked via a social network or e-mail that might have been otherwise suppressed.

What's next job interviews over face book or texting.......hell I'm sure that has happen already somewhere with someone. If you don't have video conferencing you may never have to see anyone face to face other than the goofy pictures we post of ourselves on these mediums. The sad side of all this is more and more folks are spending more and more time locked in a room all day doing this sort of thing and asking those tough questions they might not normally ask. How about more and more parents and their children only communicate in this manner, no that is very sad and not bringing us closer as families. When young people would rather hold conversations with their fingers on a keyboard rather than actually talking on the phone in their hands, how unperson-able we've become.

Playing Cards...........

If anyone knows me they also know that I enjoy gambling and playing poker, sometimes to a fault I must admit. But the story line behind this blog is poker and in particular Texas Hold Em, not whether I play or not.

I read this morning where this young 23 year old Canadian named Jonathan Duhamel beat out 7300 other players for the $8.9 million dollar prize! Sporting flip-flops, plaid shorts and a sweatshirt at the final table Monday night, he looked more like someone who just rolled out of bed than the guy who just won $8.9 million in the World Series of Poker. The kid was a Strawberry picker not that long ago and the computer age got him into poker, online poker, online Texas Hold Em.

Remember when a few good old boys would get together at Binion's in Las Vegas for a card game and could win up to 1 million dollars? A few professional poker players and professional gamblers played a game of cards for a trophy (bracelet) plus a cash prize taken from the $10,000 entry fee charged. Do you or did you ever stop to think with 7300 entries now days at an entry fee of $10K that's $73 million dollars someone is taking in plus TV rights from ESPN and others..............it's not a game with a few good old boys from Vegas any longer!

I personally remember being a person standing in the back round watching what at the time was big poker games in Las Vegas at Binion's and at the Golden Nugget, and now in order to fit all the players in the so called tournament is being played in the largest conventions centers of the largest hotels in Las Vegas and other places. Now the so called good players of which they add one or two each year are playing on obscure TV channels amongst themselves and starting new games so as not to allow all these online jokers a seat in the exclusive rooms with no crowds what so ever.

Now to my point of this entire blog..................Texas Hold Em, no skill involved what so ever and a game of totally luck if you have the cash to hang in until the last card. Yea, don't give me that "read" or "tell" crap and feed the rest of us that for the most part garbage of being able to pick up on "tells" the other players have to give you an edge. Sure now and then you'll be able to see by a persons nervous moves or blinks that a card helped his hand but until the dreaded "river card" hits the table it could be anyone's game to win, even the dude with a bunch of money hanging around with a 3 of diamonds and a 7 of spades. Back in the day I'm sure a pair of "pocket rockets" (aces) or "big slick" (ace and king) would win quite a few pots, but today the way everyone stays until the last dog dies to see the river or the flop the only ones you can beat with those cards are the dudes with scared money!

No not even back in the day was Texas Hold Em much of a game of skill, in my humble or not so humbler opinion, it's totally a poker game of more luck than anything...............the strategy if you decide to play a hand is to have enough money to call the other players that might raise the pot. If you got the cash in front of you the hand you hold just may be a winner. When I played with the boys back home on poker nights we played a game called "gut" now and again and that's what Hold Em takes, more money and more guts to hang around with literally shit cards until the end. Sure there is still some bluffing but I'd venture to say not near as much as there used to be when real men played poker!

Just like a whole lot of other things, technology is good but not good for everything!