Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 11, 2012 in Blog, Politics |
We are bankrupt.
Actually, that’s not true. We are 16 trillion dollars beyond being bankrupt. Trillion — with a “T.” Think about that for a moment. Let it sink it.
If you’re not mad as hell yet, then shut the page and go read something else. Today’s column isn’t for you.
The so-called “fiscal cliff” debate happening in Washington right now underscores the reality that the two-party system has utterly failed us on every level. Such a perverted system shows no capacity to either compromise, nor govern. It’s a disgrace to the concept of democracy. The two parties are fucking America in the ass and we’re all Ned Beatty.
Those of us out of the political mainstream, far removed from the dog and pony show, have been screaming for years that things would eventually come to this. We foresaw the two major power brokers would eventually reach a stare down and come to what amounts to a political stalemate — where virtually nothing gets accomplished.
The debate goes something like this. Liberals want to spend more money and expand the role of government. Conservatives want to make budget cuts and decrease government’s role, opting to shift power to the private sector.
But that’s a gross over-simplification of what’s really happening. In fact, it’s far more complicated. There are plenty of government programs liberals would love to slash (you’ll see my list in a moment). Moreover, many government programs receive their strongest support from conservatives.
The bottom line is — we’re in a crisis. We have no choice. Either make drastic cuts. Or, increase revenues (taxation). Or both.
Where the two parties fail is in not telling us the truth. It’s time to level with the American people and simply announce that we all must all make some sacrifices. Everyone. We are all in this together. I know, my socialism is showing again. But these times demand shared sacrifices. The sooner this nation is confronted with some kind of honest “fireside chat” moment where our leaders finally level with us, the sooner we can tend to the peoples’ business and get back on financial track.
Here’s my “wish list” of what should be cut (or added) to balance the federal budget:
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 10, 2012 in Blog, Personal, Rants and Raves, Travel |
Yesterday, I almost had my balls chewed off by a pit bull named “Chief.”
It’s true.
I was attacked by three pit bulls this past weekend. Here’s the story of how a leisurely run through the mountains of northern San Diego County turned into a brief moment of terror.
………………
Ever had one of those “HOLY SHIT! WHAT DO I DO NOW?” moments?
I just had one.
Make that three. As in three pit bulls.
It all happened Saturday morning. A casual three-mile run concluded with an unexpected “bonus sprint” towards the end, when I was confronted by three gnarling, foaming-at-the-mouth, canine beasts.
First, the back story. I’m currently staying at the Harrah’s Rincon Resort and Casino, which is located in the mountains just north of San Diego. This is Indian land situated about halfway between Temecula and Escondido. Unless you drive 20 miles due east off the I-15, you’d never know there’s this vast barren area with almost no modern development, except for a few casinos and local Indians who all seem to drive $60,000 cars and live in shacks.
The roads here pretty much consist of single-lane stretches of pavement winding through mountains along blind curves with no guard rails. Everyone seems to drive 80 miles an hour along these roads. I guess there’s no state highway patrol here given this is a “sovereign nation,” so it’s almost like vehicular anarchy.
Having run along these roads a few times as part of my daily workout, I’ve nearly been hit by traffic, oblivious to the fat white guy wallowing along the yellow stripe who’s stupid enough to jog a route where no path exists. If running in Las Vegas is dangerous at times, and it certainly can be, then doing the same thing here on an Indian reservation is inviting a death wish.
So, on Saturday morning I went out in search of a detour. A new path where I could run over the next week which was challenging, but safe. I thought I’d found it, at least until the final stage of my run, which is where the story picks up.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 9, 2012 in Blog, Sports Betting |
NOLAN DALLA: 2012 POSTED NFL SEASON RECORD
76 WINS – 65 LOSSES – 4 PUSHES —– (+ 48.65 units / 1 unit = $100)
STARTING BANKROLL: $10,000.
CURRENT BANKROLL: $14,865.
BEST BETS OF THE WEEK: 10-3-0
I’m coming off a brutal week where I lost -11.2 units (-18.2 units were lost on Sunday). First quarter wagers have been deadly last three weeks, with inept offenses wiping out substantial profits. I’ll be much more selective about these trap wagers in the closing weeks of the regular season. Reducing some exposure on these first-quarter plays and going a bit heavier on sides and totals.
Shorter write ups today. Apologies to readers for not doing more writing on these games. But the plays have been handicapped and look very strong. It’s 4 am on Saturday night, and I have to get some rest. So the narrative will be kept to a minimum. Here it goes….
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 8, 2012 in Blog, Las Vegas, Rants and Raves |
Christmas means war.
Let me explain why.
We’ve lived in “The Lakes” section of West Las Vegas for about ten years, now. When we first moved onto this street, it was a quiet neighborhood made up mostly of retired people. Now, younger families with kids have flooded into the area. Our street also has many different nationalities — including Canadians, Palestinians, Chinese, Russians, Mexicans, Egyptians, Persians, and Romanians. We even have a few Mormons. They’re from some weird place called Utah.
During those earlier years, a few of our neighbors put up decorations over the holidays. Usually, the lights and decorations were modest. A few strands of lights here and there. A lit up Christmas tree. Maybe a Santa Claus or a manger scene.
Moreover, decorating usually began during the first week in December. Thanksgiving was regarded as separate holiday. Imagine that. No one dared to put up lights at least until November had ended.
But something happened.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 7, 2012 in Blog, Movie Reviews |
Portraying historical figures on film is a daunting challenge. Such is particularly the case for beloved American icons with well-established identities.
The filmmaker’s challenge rests not so much in recreating history. Typically, plenty of credible narratives exist which provide multiple accounts of the icon’s role in history.
What’s toughest is striking the right balance between realism and art, melding history with entertainment, and doing what would seem impossible — satisfying academics, film critics, and the fickle ticket-buying, movie-going public.
This is where Lincoln, the new film by director Stephen Spielberg ultimately soars on at least one account, but fails in others.
Based in part on a book by noted presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the film concentrates on the final five months of Abraham Lincoln’s life. Surprisingly, this is not a war movie as much as an intriguing political drama. The film’s primary focus is the struggle to pass the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That’s the amendment which essentially outlaws slavery in America (Note: To be precise, the famed Emancipation Proclamation was a war directive. It took an actual amendment to the Constitution to obfuscate state laws on slavery).
The gauntlet is laid down in the U.S. House of Representatives, where a two-thirds voting majority is needed to change America forever. Remarkably, the movement to pass the 13th Amendment is exactly 20 votes short. Virtually all of Lincoln’s advisers, most notably Secretary of State William Seward (played to perfection by the consistently-excellent David Strathairn), pleads with the 16th President to abandon the fight and focus instead on ending the Civil War as quickly as possible.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 6, 2012 in Blog, Rants and Raves |
Look at this lunacy!
I just finished my dinner at the Chinese Restaurant called “Fortunes,” located at Harrah’s Rincon, near San Diego. As is customary with all Chinese meals, the curtain call of the dining experience is opening the traditional fortune cookie.
Well, look at mine.
How in the hell do I open up my fortune cookie and receive a message like this?
BOATS AND WATER ARE IN YOUR FUTURE. HAVE FUN!
Huh?
Boats and water? In my future? Have fun?
I live in Las Vegas in the middle of the desert, for Crissakes! Water? Boats? Where? And how can they be in my future? It’s the middle of freaking December. And for those of you who might ask — no, I am not taking a cruise nor have I ever been on a cruise ship. I don’t like boats.
Sometimes I think fortune cookies are just plain full of bullshit.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 6, 2012 in Blog, Personal |
Like most people, I receive unsolicited credit card offers, on occasion.
Whether we like them nor not, credit cards have become a modern-day necessity. So, I try to maximize their purchasing power by using them to accumulate free airline mileage or bonus cash.
Just about every major retailer now offers either a Visa or MasterCard. I even received an offer from PetSmart, recently. PetSmart! I declined their generous offer. Sorry kitties, I’m not paying a 23 percent annual interest rate so you can stockpile a cabinet full of Pounce and Whiskas.
The most insulting credit card offers I’ve received are usually by the bottom feeders, which are banks that prey upon the financially insolvent. These are nothing more than seedy loan sharks masquerading as a major financial institutions. A typical offer includes a low credit line (sometimes as low as $500), a ridiculous interest rate (typically 29 percent), a preposterous number of penalties if you dare miss a payment or exceed the credit line, and a whopping annual fee. These dope dealers essentially prey upon the vulnerability of millions of desperate people — including millions of unemployed or under-employed Americans — taking advantage of those who are least able to afford bondage to the banking industry.
When I get these offers in the mail, I have a ritual. Here’s what I do.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 4, 2012 in Blog, General Poker |
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
— Dr. Seuss
Lou Krieger was so fond of quotations.
Yet I sit here now reflecting upon the devastating news of his passing and the extraordinary measure of his character, desperately grasping for the appropriate quip which captures the essence of a man who passed away yesterday.
Of all people, Dr. Seuss provides the best summation of how we should look upon the death, and more importantly the life of the man known by most people in the poker world as Lou Krieger.
Most of us simply called him “Lou.” That was his chosen pen name. Over the course of two decades, during which poker was ushered out of smoky backrooms into international prominence, he wrote hundreds of columns for Card Player magazine. He authored 11 poker books, all on strategy.
Lou was a writer, a teacher, a broadcaster, a strategist, and a player. But his accomplishments within the game of poker – although widely appreciated – were but a tiny fraction of the very full life of the man who was born in Brooklyn, NY and died yesterday at his home in Palm Springs, CA.
Indeed, Lou was actually born as Roger Lubin. The son of Jewish parents, Lou spent his early childhood on the streets and playgrounds of Brooklyn and his summers along Coney Island. Although he later blossomed into a true philosopher and gifted intellectual, Lou never veered very far from his working-class roots. He was able to converse with just about anyone, on virtually any subject, and was able to make those around him feel as though they were both heard and respected — sadly characteristics increasingly rare in society.
Alas, if listening is an art form, then Lou was our Michelangelo. He was the best listener I have ever met. Perhaps that’s ultimately what made him such a respected and beloved figure to those who knew him. Lou was always there to listen.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 3, 2012 in Blog, Essays, Las Vegas |
Personal Note: In the coming days, I’ll be posting stories of people and incidents that have inspired me. Hopefully, these special people will inspire you, as well.
How would you define strength?
Ponder this question for a moment.
How is strength best defined? Take a moment and consider the possibilities.
Okay, so perhaps you have an answer. Now, permit me to have a go at this. Perhaps by the end of this essay, you may want to re-think your answer and consider alternative ways that strength is revealed in our society.
Here’s my take.
Strength isn’t manifested in achieving superiority, nor by making others inferior. Strength isn’t exhibited in anger or intimidation.
To the contrary. Real strength is embodied in personal sacrifice. It’s going out of one’s way to help a fellow human being. It’s putting another person’s comfort above your own. It’s dealing with the bad breaks in life and making the most out of them. That’s real strength.
I still have a lot to learn. I have a long way to go. No doubt, I have inner demons to conquer. But life has taught me it’s the small things that really matter. It’s the small things in life that bring joy and nourish optimism. Small things, like a glass of vintage wine, a meaningful conversation with family or friends, a comfortable resting place beside a warm fireplace, hearing your favorite Christmas carol, or watching a golden sunset.
Each of those things might not seem exceptional. But they are! They are indubitably rewarding. When we look back at our lives, I think most of us remember the simpler things we have done and experienced that brought us the most happiness.
It’s also the small things that often provide us with the most profound lessons. A seemingly trivial moment in the middle of the day can reveal a great deal about what’s really important. Our values stem not so much from formal education or access to the most learned academics. Life’s most meaningful lessons are taught in the classroom of daily life and come directly from one’s own experiences and observations. Our values are challenged and often reaffirmed by things that happen to us every single day.
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The National Finals Rodeo is in town this week. Every December for the past 27 years, thousands of rodeo cowboys and cowgirls come to Las Vegas from all over the country — indeed from all over the world — to watch and participate in the national championship finals rodeo. Up and down the Vegas Strip, it’s backed up bumper to bumper with pick-up trucks and horse trailers — with license plates from Oklahoma, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Manitoba, Texas, and all points in between. Cowboy hats are everywhere — whether it’s elegant Venetian or down-home Sam’s Town. Almost every visitor has shiny new belt buckle and wears a pair of blue jeans or coveralls. An “invasion” of cowboys would not be too strong a word.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 1, 2012 in Blog, Sports Betting |
NOLAN DALLA: 2012 POSTED NFL SEASON RECORD
74 WINS – 60 LOSSES – 3 PUSHES —– (+ 66.85 units / 1 unit = $100)
STARTING BANKROLL: $10,000.
CURRENT BANKROLL: $16,685.
BEST BETS OF THE WEEK: 10-3-0
This week’s “best bet” already won (Atlanta). Looks to be another strong lineup of games. I’m making eight plays on Sunday. See write-ups below.
SUNDAY PLAYS:
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