Sunday, November 29, 2009

Civil War relationship to Poker?



James McManus thinks that is the underlying theme in the massive, highly praised three volume :The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote.

from the Daily Beast


The Civil War, published in three magnificent volumes between 1958 and 1974, is the first work of history to explore how the game’s lore and logic fits into the overall scheme of America’s most definitive conflict. While Wills uses Nixon’s poker-playing as a colonoscope into the bowels of a politician he felt little sympathy for, Foote has great reserves of empathy for the game and its players. His paternal grandfather had lost the family’s considerable fortune playing stud, often while drunk. Perhaps the only upside of the squandered inheritance was that his grandson learned how profoundly the game could affect both the person who played it and the people who depended on him.

Foote’s 2,836-page narrative makes vividly clear how integral poker was to the Northern and Southern war efforts, from the penny-ante games of enlisted men through the do-or-die showdowns of generals—that the feints, bluffs, and aggressive poker mind-set of Grant, Lee, Forrest, and others often determined how critical battles played out. He quotes a friend of “Fighting Joe” Hooker on the gumption of that charismatic Union commander. “He could play the best game of poker I ever saw, until it came to the point where he should go a thousand better, and then he would flunk.” This shortage of intestinal fortitude had enormous military consequences. Having been placed by Lincoln at the head of the Army of the Potomac in 1863, the hard-drinking Hooker gave up alcohol to remain clear-headed as he faced off with Lee—though a belt of good moonshine might have bolstered him when the chips were down at Fredericksburg. On the verge of crushing the rebellion with a single decisive blow, Hooker held 2-to-1 advantages in men and artillery, a commanding position on high ground from which to annihilate Lee’s infantry, with an open path to Richmond after that. But when Lee’s pinned-down veterans suddenly took the initiative, Hooker lost his nerve—“flunked,” as his friend might have put it. When Hooker ordered a retreat instead of a counterattack, his generals refused to believe it. And yet it was true. Even more bizarrely, Hooker then ordered his main force to take a vulnerable position in the Battle of the Wilderness, where he soon suffered a devastating defeat by Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

The consensus among historians now is that Lee, in the words of John Steele Gordon, “played Joseph Hooker like a fiddle, bluffing him into a defensive posture when he had overwhelming superiority.” Not only Hooker, of course. Early in the war, as Lee desperately searched for reinforcements, he bluffed George Meade into thinking the Army of Northern Virginia was at full strength; Meade’s failure to attack him bought Lee invaluable time. When the battles were finally joined, Lee’s knack for misleading, intimidating, and outmaneuvering much larger armies was often enough to carry the day.

James McManus has covered poker for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Magazine, Card Player, ESPN.com, and The New Yorker. Positively Fifth Street, his memoir of finishing fifth in the World Series of Poker championship, was a New York Times bestseller.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

George/Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado 19 violently killed for being gay


On November 14 the body of a gay 19 year old George/Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was found a few miles away from the town in which he was residing in called Caguas in Puerto Rico.

He was found on the site of an isolated road in the city of Cayey, he was partially burned, decapitated, and dismembered, both arms, both legs, and the torso.

Confessed Killer

The Criminal Investigations dept of Guayama is keeping under police custody the 26 year old confessed killer of Jorge Steven Lopez.

Officials indicated how Jose Bermudez the accused explained that he went into the center of town in Caguas and then after making a few attempts to pick up a prostitute allegedly Jorge went to him dressed as a woman, and Jose invited him into his vehicle thinking he picked up a female prostitute.

He said that he did not know that it was really a man and they went to his apartment in Cidra, where Steven allegedly told him to have anal sex with him, which provoked anger in him and caused him to murder him. He also said that Steven tried to stab him, and that he armed himself with a kitchen knife and under a fit of rage he injured him, dismembered him, decapitated him and then later took his remains to Guavate where he was left.

Other allegations of the killer is that in 2003 he was arrested for domestic abuse and that in his youth he was molested and that is why he hates homosexuals. The authorities said that this case has been advanced and successful due to the cooperation of the local GLBT community.

The agent Angel Rodriguez said that he is being interrogated and will be charged with first degree murder. He also indicated that he will submit another request to the federal judge to have this treated as a hate crime.

At the suspects home the police found 2 knives to commit the murder, and that they were then thrown in a septic tank.

in reference to:

"National Gay and Lesbian Task Force condemns dismemberment slaying of gay teen in Puerto Rico News release from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force condemns the brutal murder of Jorge Steven López, a 19-year-old gay man in Puerto Rico, in a possible hate crime. A suspect has reportedly been arrested. Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force “The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force stands in solidarity with the LGBT community in Puerto Rico and sends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jorge Steven López. We urge local law enforcement authorities to continue their expedient work on this case. Fortunately, Puerto Rico has a local hate crimes statute, but it is imperative that federal authorities continue to monitor this ongoing investigation and step in if necessary or assist if asked, as allowed by the new federal hate crimes law.” Statement by Pedro Julio Serrano, Task Force Communications Manager Founder, Puerto Rico Para Tod@s “This is a terrible, terrible crime. While we are pleased that law enforcement has acted promptly in making an arrest, it is vital that the hate crimes angle be investigated. This horrendous killing of a young gay man shows no compassion or respect for the dignity of a human life. As someone who grew up in Puerto Rico and has been very active in its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, this is a heart-wrenching moment. Our hearts and sympathies go out to all of Jorge Steven López’s loved ones at this difficult time. Justice must prevail.”"
- Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida (view on Google Sidewiki)




Thought about the health care debate


With increased knowledge alone- people have become healthier and need less health care. The research on the cancer causing effects of cigarette smoking- caused many to quit to their healths advantage. Untold millions of lives saved and billions of medical dollars saved by research.

Yet many continue to smoke, and if they end up with an expensive cancer, our society will at least help (in most cases) with cost of their treatment.

There needs to be an emphasis in education on the benefits of being healthy- of doing all one can do for themselves. Healthcare can not become a safety net for careless living. There is, I think, a psychological component that the high cost of getting sick currently - that causes many to take better care of themselves.

There also has been a lot of unnecessary cost associated with a medical system that lags behind especially at the patient level that is now being addressed. Patient records should all be digitized, This alone would be a profound amount of data that could be analyzed for predictive trends- and early less expensive and more effective treatments.

Genome Screening

Eventually, everyone should/will have genome screening; As an article in scientific America reports on what one of the wealthiest men in world learned when he had his screening done:

"Google founder Sergey Brin's investment in his wife's genome-screening company has gotten even more personal: the product has revealed he carries a genetic mutation linked to Parkinson's disease.

He adds: "The exact implications of this are not entirely clear. Nonetheless it is clear that I have a markedly higher chance of developing Parkinson's in my lifetime than the average person. In fact, it is somewhere between 20 percent to 80 percent depending on the study and how you measure."

"I feel fortunate to be in this position," he writes, noting that exercise could help protect him from the disease."


There are privacy implications to all of this. Yet the future of healthcare should be towards a concept of wellness rather than towards entitlement.

Inventor Dean Kamen in an interview said:

"Okay, where else do we want to put money in our economy? You know where I'd put a lot of money? Great high-paying jobs for Ph.D.s and professors solving problems, curing diseases, making advanced technologies to give people products to make their life better. [Medical technology is] one of the few industries where the U.S. still exports to the world and we still have leadership."
- Dean Kamen Quotes About Health Care Debate - Interview With Inventor Dean Kamen - Popular Mechanics (view on Google Sidewiki)

Monday, September 28, 2009

need top of the line rechargeable batteries




Charger Kit: PowerEx MH-C9000 WizardOne Charger-Analyzer w/ Four 2700mAh AA Batteries


Product Description
MH-C9000 WizardOne Battery Charger & Analyzer is suitable for the casual consumer users, enthusiast and professionals, WizardOne is capable of charging, conditioning, analyzing, cycling, forming and discharging one to four AA or AAA batteries, all while digitally displaying the battery capacity and voltage. All four slots can be operated independently in different modes and settings. Those seeing the unit for the first time will be struck by its large LCD screen, backlit by ultra-bright white LEDs. Measuring over 3.5 by 1.5, the display is more than three times larger than its closest competition and shows a wealth of information that is easy to read. In addition to the standard charging, conditioning and discharging, the WizardOne charger-analyzer also offers two unusual operations modes. The Break-In mode allows the user to input the capacity of the battery and performs a forming charge designed to properly break-in new batteries. The Cycle mode allows user to charge and discharge batteries consecutively while storing the capacity for up to 15 cycles. There are ten selectable charging and discharging current from 0.2A to 2.0A and 0.1A to 1.0A respectively. The charger also features four independent temperature sensors using Mahas latest temperature rise detection algorithm in addition to the usual peak temperature detection. It also armed with additional patented termination algorithms found in other Maha chargers. The unit can be operated in a basic and advanced mode. In the basic mode, user merely needs to insert the batteries with no further key press. The charger will select the appropriate settings automatically, making it suitable for the casual users. Charger kit includes the MH-C9000 battery charger plus four high-power true 2700mAh PowerEx rechargeable AA batteries & battery case.