Read MoreLeonardo da Vinci was a spark. He was a luminous force in a dark world trembling in fear and ignorance for a millennia. Da Vinci is widely thought of just as an artist and painter. But Da Vinci was so much more than that. He may very well have been the most extraordinary man who’s ever lived.
Nevada State Highway 266 is the desolate 60-mile stretch of asphalt that straddles across the Nevada-California border at a crux where towns and people do not exist
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A visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC is an emotive experience.
One need not be a military veteran nor even an American citizen to recognize the immense power of this extraordinary artwork, which pays tribute to those a generation ago who went to a faraway land and never returned home alive. It was our most tragic — and I might add senseless — military conflict.
I lived in Washington, DC for 12 years. During that time, many friends and relatives visited what remains a mesmerizing city. I always used those special occasions to travel around our capital, playing amateur guide to our nation’s most impressive monuments. For me, each accompanying visit was a reminder. A reinforcement of what patriotism really means.
The Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Jefferson Memorial and so many other attractions are powerful places to visit. They should be seen by everyone. In fact, I’ll go so far to say that every American has an obligation to make at least one trip to our nation’s capital to see and experience these sites firsthand. I’m not even sure one can really call himself or herself a true American without having stood next to these structures which represent the very essence of our nation.
However, one memorial above all the rest deserved to be seen. It moved me emotionally each and every time I visited — and always in a different way. I must have touched the granite wall perhaps two dozen times. Instead of becoming bored or indifferent to something I had laid eyes upon so many occasions before, each visit gave me a new perspective about our history, what personal sacrifice really means, and the value of life itself.
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It’s Veterans Day 2012.
Today at Harveys Lake Tahoe, “Captain” Tom Franklin sang the National Anthem. He’s a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War. Franklin has been a professional poker player for more than 20 years. He’s also a World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner.
One thing is for sure. It takes real guts to enlist and then serve in combat, as Franklin did. It also take courage to stand up in front of 500 people and sing the National Anthem without any musical accompaniment.
Here’s a video of my introduction of Franklin, followed by his rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.
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If you’re a serious poker player or fan of the game, then you probably already know the name — Matt Matros.
He’s won three World Series of Poker gold bracelets. I was privileged enough to be at tableside with him during each one of them.
Matros’ specialty is Limit Hold’em. But he masters just about any game that’s based on numbers and percentages. He’s also extraordinarily gifted as a writer — having written at least one book (I believe he’s just finished another, which is a work of fiction).
I knew Matros before he was somewhat famous. When I resided in Washington, DC — Matros contacted me out of the blue because he was looking for a poker game to play in, and he figured I might know the local scene. Matros wrote about that experience and the game he ultimately found in his excellent book titled, The Education of a Poker Player.
I don’t do very well at making predictions. But I knew one thing the first time I met Matros — an initial instinct confirmed by more conversations and e-mail exxchanges with the Yale graduate, who now lives in New York City. And that was Matros was considerably smarter than me, and no doubt far more disciplined in just about everything he does. But he’s never one to behave as though that’s the case, with anyone. Matros initially thought he might learn something from me when contacting me about poker years ago, perhaps as someone a little older and more experienced in the business. But the more I have gotten to know Matros, I’m the one who has become the dedicated student.
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Aside from President Obama and former Gov. Romney, there were several other winners and losers in Tuesday’s election.
Most are obvious.
Some are less so.
Here are the biggest losers of all, listed in no particular order:
Note: This is Part 2. The first part contained at least one glaring ommission, which was pointed out to me by poker pro Adam Junglen. I undoubtedly should have mentioned statistician and writer Nate Silver — who nailed the election results with his forecast. Aside from forgetting Silver, the biggest winners can be seen here: THE BIGGEST WINNERS IN THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
BIGGEST LOSERS:
1. Karl Rove and American Crossroads (PAC) — These buffoons blew a whopping $80 million in a losing cause. EIGHTY MILLION DOLLARS! Former Bush hatchet-man Karl Rove (who’s vastly overrated as a political strategist) scrambled around the country for a year, promising wealthy donors that with their money funding his discretionary torpedo campaign he’d be able wipe out President Obama. One wealthy donor was reportedly duped into forking over $19 million for Rove and his cronies to blow. After the election, Rove took no responsibility for his failure. He even had the audacity to blame President Obama’s victory on “voter suppression.” The man has no shame, and obviously no character.
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Read MoreI’m visiting South Lake Tahoe for the next two weeks. It’s going to be a busy weekend with the World Series of Poker Circuit in town. The Heavenly Ski Resort is also opening up sometime next week. So let’s talk about one of my favorite subjects — great food!
Aside from President bama and former Gov. Romney, there were several other winners and losers in Tuesday’s election. Many are obvious. Some are not quite so obvious.
Here are some of the biggest winners, listed in no particular order:
Note: This is Part 1. Coming next, Part 2 will list the biggest losers.
BIGGEST WINNERS:
1. Civil Rights Activists / Gay Rights Proponents — The prospect of a majority vote in support of gay marriage would have been utterly unthinkable a few years ago. As recently as 2004, ballot measures on civil rights for all not only failed, but were cited as a key reason why former President George Bush mobilized his conservative voting base in some swing states and won re-election. No more. Last Tuesday, three states — including Maine, Maryland, and Washington — voted for ballot initiatives in support of gay marriage. The historical significance of this victory cannot be overstated. It’s the first time that a majority of voters (statewide) elected to support equal rights for gays. And, it didn’t happen in just one state — it happened in three. History will look back upon 2012 as a watershed year for true constitutional protection for all, much like 1964 was the key year for civil rights legislation.
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I’m one of those drivers you absolutely hate.
I yap on the cell phone while driving.
I text while driving.
I fiddle with the music on my iPod while driving.
I eat while driving — many times with a knife and fork (fortunately, the car has good alignment so I don’t need to have my hands on the wheel).
I used to shave while driving — that was before I quit shaving.
As for drinking while driving, let’s just not go there. Don’t ask, don’t tell.
But one thing I most certainly will not never do again is eat a bowl of hot chili while driving.
En route from Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe a few days ago, I stopped off in Bishop, CA There was no way in hell I was going to waste 20 minutes sitting in the restaurant eating, when the more practical thing was to get the food “to go.” I call this multi-tasking.
Well, you can see what happened from the photo above. I won’t even show you what my shirt looked like, which now pretty much looks like an infant’s bib. I dribbled chili all over myself like a two-year-old. Fortunately, the chili wasn’t steaming hot or it might have burned the family jewels.
Which leads me to wonder — if I scorched my crotch eating hot chili, could I sue the restaurant for a million dollars like the bat-shit crazy hot coffee lady?
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Marieta Dalla
Don Rieck
E.Dieter Martin
Dutch Boyd
Rich Korbin
Tiger123
Anonymous Eccentric
Kevin Un
Melissa Hayden
Todd Anderson
Stevan Goldman
Charlie Ciresi
Eric Schneller
Tanya Devenport
Peter Secor
Roger Rodd
Scott Wilson
Gareth Edwards
Shawn Rice
Billy the Greek
Linda Keenan
Sue Schneider
Tom Oldcroft
