For Dave Jay
Dave,
I found a slideshow for your perusal (link provided below). It's about how a problem gambler find a way to quit gambling for good.
Dave,
I found a slideshow for your perusal (link provided below). It's about how a problem gambler find a way to quit gambling for good.
Why bother with all the math when supernatural beings can magically change the value of your cards?
"Yup, gambling is all about the supernatural. Why bother with all the math when supernatural beings can magically change the value of your cards? "
I don't know the answer to your question. However, in Jimmy's case, his demonic power had been good up to 6 years, & thereafter he became powerless & lost all his money. Whereas the casinos' edges are good more than 6 years...actually the edges are good forever. As a result, casinos were able to beat Jimmy to his last penny & more.
The purpose of the slideshow is to show how Jimmy quit gambling. It so happens that Jimmy finds the Almighty who helps him quit. Perhaps Panama Rick's Bright Movement can also help some problem gamblers (or Dave Jay) quit gambling. If so, more power to the Bright Movement.
I don't know the answer to your question. However, in Jimmy's case, his demonic power had been good up to 6 years, & thereafter he became powerless & lost all his money. Whereas the casinos' edges are good more than 6 years...actually the edges are good forever. As a result, casinos were able to beat Jimmy to his last penny & more.
So, winning at gambling is all about possessing demonic power? And, unfortunately, you can lose it after a certain period, but casinos possess it indefinitely?
The purpose of the slideshow is to show how Jimmy quit gambling. It so happens that Jimmy finds the Almighty who helps him quit.
Jimmy hits bottom and contemplates suicide. His Christian family members come along and take advantage of his desparation to convince him that his problems are caused by evil supernatural forces. They further convince him that any good fortune he may have had were also the result of these forces. Jimmy actually believed the value of his cards had magically changed in his hand! Finally, they convinced him that he is somehow powerless to overcome his problems by himself and the only solution is to become a Christian himself. Upon doing so, he is convinced that he was magically saved from 15 story fall. Having succeeded in overcoming his gambling problem, he is used a poster child. On the other hand, if he had failed, it would have been blamed on the evil forces.
This is how 12 step programs lure people into their cult. The truth is there has never been a peer reviewed, duplicatible scientific study that demonstrates such programs work better than simply trying to quit on your own. As I recall, by its own admission, the success rate of AA is around 5%. Without scientific support, 12 step program are simply no better than the voodoo approaches to advantage gambling we often see.
Perhaps Panama Rick's Bright Movement can also help some problem gamblers (or Dave Jay) quit gambling. If so, more power to the Bright Movement.
The Bright movement does not have possess magical powers. In my opinion, the best it can do is help people realize their problems are not supernatural.
Dave Jay,
I found more stuffs for your perusal.
As to PR's replies in this thread, I agree to disagree with Panama Rick in regard to who saves Jimmy, the Almighty or something else. I further agree to disagree whether the stuffs are voodoo or not. I hope PR will not take it personally that I stop short in debating those subject matters further.
Perhaps readers can draw their own conclusions after watching Jimmy's movie & interview. There are 10 episodes. The most interesting episode is provided first in order to wet readers' appetites.
The Devil reveals his true intention to Jimmy:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UcyMbfIvo3I
If readers like the above episode, then they may like to watch each of the following 10 episodes. Some readers may think Jimmy's story is all voodoo. Other readers may not think so negatively, and some may be in the old Jimmy's shoe, (i.e., Dave Jay). At the end, we will all enjoy a good touchy movie of professional gambler down on his luck & saved by the Grace.
Episode 1
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8wq7o9YCnSg
Episode 2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pyRt3MoiSkI
Episode 3
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dMOcMXw8AHw
Episode 4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QOpO7heOEp4
Episode 5
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YN9Tc9c3hO0
Episode 6
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AAsZj3FYYhM
Episode 7
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zGRt0DrOTgM
Episode 8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aX9rMzkSjQs
Episode 9
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wpJxLa_KbAY
Episode 10
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UcyMbfIvo3I
It seems there is no depth to which religious fruitcakes will not stoop.
Apparently the fact that these whackos are unburdened by pride or shame explains why they gravitate toward the Republican party.
Not that I hold any particular opinion upon the matter.
I appreciate your time thinking and regarding to my posts. While I don't believe the guy's complete sincerity in the slideshow story you presented in the hyperlink, I do, however, believe in, as they call in medicine, the placebo pill. Strong believing in something positive (or negative) can have real affects on you regardless if it's true or not. It's nothing to laugh at, it can be a strong psychological weapon for the good (and bad).
I am not a Christian. I was raised Christian, was even an alter boy in my youth. In my early twenties, I completed my study of the gospel and concluded that, from a rational and realistic perspective, it is an incomprehensible book.
I don�t want to start a giant religious thread, I won�t respond. Again, I thank you for your concern, I am trying.
Dave Jay.
Go away.
please.
As all of you are aware, if you have analized the various religions of the Earth, there are many leaders who re-act blindly not knowing their subject and others recognize them as an authority, despite their own ignorant bias.
The fact is Mathais, the Apostle chosen by the disciples in Christianity was chosen by the 'casting of lots'; a forerunner to the dice game as we know it. Just because the Roman soilders threw lots for the Master's robe dosen't nessasarily mean gambling is wrong. If it was wrong what is Simon Peter and the early disciples doing casting lots for a new apostle?
Just had to throw a curve for those die-hard traditionalists who omitted a few scriptures to down-size gambling!
Count Blackjacula
First my bias .. I am a Christian.
With regards to Panama Rick and others, there are Kool-Aid drinkers in every organization. I dare say from the Catholic church to the Baptist church man has perverted the words of Jesus for man's own use. Sometimes it was done with the very best of intentions, sometimes more sinister.
Add'ly, the more I read my bible, it seems the 'Twelve Steps' originated way before Bill W. and from Bill to Norman Vincent Peale to Paul Harvey, they are all just rehashing biblical truths written thousands of years ago. All of us, addict or not, would do well to apply the twelve steps in our own lives.
Regarding Count Blackjackula, the bible, and gambling ...
I could not agree more with his statement "there are many leaders who re-act blindly not knowing their subject and others recognize them as an authority, despite their own ignorant bias."
I don't drink Kool-Aid and I can not fault darking the door of a gambling house anymore than I can find fault with having pie and ice cream every Sunday afternoon. If you can't participate without it ruining your life and your relationship with God, you probably oughta give strong consideration to not doing either.
Add'ly, the more I read my bible, it seems the 'Twelve Steps' originated way before Bill W. and from Bill to Norman Vincent Peale to Paul Harvey, they are all just rehashing biblical truths written thousands of years ago. All of us, addict or not, would do well to apply the twelve steps in our own lives.
From AA: Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol....
Do you really think you apply this to your life -- that you are powerless?
As far as the bible is concerned, my favorite chapter is Num:31, where a certain maniacal god tells his followers to commit genocide on the Medianites. When they return with the women and children, he orders them killed as well (except, of course, for the virgins). The dead were burned as human sacrifice. Such a loving god.
Most people that go bust either over play their bankroll, make dumb plays, or simply don't know when to take a break and get some fresh air and return to fight another day.
Makes no matter if you're Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, Hindu, Agnostic, Atheist or whatever. The cards have no clue, never did, never will. Smart players know when it's time to do something other than continuing to get hammered.
> Do you really think it's a good idea to "admit" you are powerless?
Yes. Sometimes you are.
Take care.
I agree with you.
It's amazing how people get in various binds and the first thing they do is "please God, please, just this once", or words close to that.
I say leave the deity thing outside the casino.
Hope the world turns well for you Mav.
WC
"...
Do you really think you apply this to your life -- that you are powerless?
As far as the bible is concerned, my favorite chapter is Num:31, where a certain maniacal god tells his followers to commit genocide on the Medianites. When they return with the women and children, he orders them killed as well (except, of course, for the virgins). The dead were burned as human sacrifice. Such a loving god.
,,, As far as the bible is concerned, my favorite chapter is Num:31, where a certain maniacal god tells his followers to commit genocide on the Medianites. When they return with the women and children, he orders them killed as well (except, of course, for the virgins). The dead were burned as human sacrifice. Such a loving god. "
About the powerless..., I'm always powerless to sins. So let's those, who're without sins, cast the 1st stone at me.
About the war described in the Num:31..., based on reading lots of your posts, I think you're a guy with a good heart, thus it's my honor to spend a little time in getting info for your perusal:
From an internet Encyclopedia:
"The Midian War documented in the Hebrew Bible, Numbers 31, is the final military action that Moses personally led. The Bible says that the people of Midian had already led the people of Israel to sin against God, and this was meant to be the final act of extermination. (However, Midianites still existed well into the days of the Judges.) Moses called forth one thousand males from each of the twelve tribes of Israel and commanded them to destroy the cities and the warriors of Midian. The false prophet Balaam was killed along with the five Midianite kings (31:8).
That only the Midianite women and children were left alive did not satisfy Moses and Israel's leadership; because they "caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam" to sin against the Lord and sent a plague in the congregation, Moses decreed that every male child be killed (an eerie parallel to Pharaoh's state-sanctioned murder of Hebrew children in Exodus) and that every woman who was not a virgin be killed as well. The virgins were to be passed out as slaves. Those that participated in this killing had to stay outside the camp for seven days of ritual purification.
The high priest Eleazar stated that the word of the Lord given to Moses was that the spoils of war would be divided in half between the warriors and the entire congregation. The people's contribution to the Lord through Eleazar (more specifically, Eleazar and the Levites) would be one of every five hundred people, beeves, asses, and sheep (31:29). The children of Israel's contribution would be one out of every fifty (30) unto the Levites, the one Israelite tribe not designated an inheritance.
After this sacrifice was made, the "officers which were over thousands of the host" brought unto Moses another offering for the LORD of jewelry as an atonement offering weighing 16,750 shekels. It was made into a memorial before the Lord. "
We all know that war is hell, i.e., we, mostly God-loving Americans, dropped 2 A-tombs to kill millions of Japanese men, women, and helpless kids & babies. However, after we learn the real reasons for the killings, we may or may not excuse the God/people who're responsible for the killings. It's all depending who we're, i.e., Americans, Japanese, Jews, etc... By the way, if you want to argue with some experts about the bad things in Bible, please click this link: http://forums.catholic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=30 .
How convenient that you left out a little thing called Pearl Harbor. And, BTW, the Japanese beheaded a helluva lot of GIs. In case your history has left your memory cell, we didn't start all that shit. Major kudos to Truman for having the balls to drop the bombs!!
Dump the religion thing, this is a gambling oriented website, not your pulpit to proselytize.
Millions did not die in the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Less died in the two nuclear strikes than we killed in the firebombing of Tokyo. While gruesome, our atomic strikes of two purely civilian population centers had one great virtue: it ended the war.
And if we hadn't dropped the A-bombs, what then? Then Operations Olympic and Coronet, the invasion of the home islands. This quote is from Wikipedia:
Compare that prospect to the loss of a quarter million Japanese and none of our own and tell me which obscenity you prefer.
Casualty predictions varied widely, but were extremely high for both sides: depending on the degree to which Japanese civilians resisted the invasion, estimates ran into the millions for American casualties and the tens of millions for Japanese casualties.
Geographic considerations made the allied invasion plans obvious to the Japanese. In July 1945 they had deployed four infantry divisions to Kyushu, directly in the path of the invading Americans and more such movements were planned. Estimates of the number of planes in the Japanese inventory suitable for suicide attacks against the American troop ships was estimated at 3,000. After the war we learned the actual number was closer to 13,000. It would have been a blood bath. And for final resistance troops, the Japanese were training students as young as twelve to wield bamboo spears. Boys even younger were to be issued TNT backpacks with instructions to detonate them under American vehicles and amidst our personnel. It could have meant American soldiers and marines shooting every Japanese over the age of five.
Funny thing about Christianity .. Christopher makes one single post offering help to Dave Jay in the best way he knows how and he is accused of proselytizing. Some one suggests a Twelve Step program and no such accusations follow.
Christopher offers some historical perspective on Panama Rick's view of 'Numbers Chapter 31' and WC and Nanuck assume Christpoher has some problem with our dropping the Little Boy and the Fat Man on Japan. I don't know what Christopher felt about those two incident's .. he never said.
