NewsBusters

I 'discovered' a great site today. It is the blog of the Media Research Center ("The Leader in Documenting, Exposing and Neutralizing Liberal Media Bias"). For those who haven't figured it out already, I am definitely part of the Hillary Clinton named vast right wing conspiracy.

There is something that I have noticed recently about the other side. They are trying their hardest to say that the media is not liberally biased but that it is controlled by conservatives. They will mention Fox News Channel and talk radio as their main argument for this right-wing bias. Sorry, even if those two are on 'our side', then they still have everything else.

Check out: NewsBusters - Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias

Respect Life Message 3/19/06

“In the light of my recent Encyclical Letter on Christian love, I would like to underline the importance of the service of love for the support and promotion of human life. In this regard, even before active initiatives, it is fundamental to foster a correct attitude towards the other: the culture of life is in fact based on attention to others without any forms of exclusion or discrimination. Every human life, as such, deserves and demands always to be defended and promoted.”

– Pope Benedict XVI, February 5, 2006 Address

Living Will

A man and his wife are sitting in the living room and he says to her, "Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."

His wife gets up, unplugs the TV and throws out all of his beer.

My Fourth Royal Flush

I hit my fourth royal flush on a $1/2 limit table at Party Poker tonight. I was dealt Ad-Jd in the big blind. Early Position player called, Button raised, I called, EP called. Flop was Qd-Js-Kd. I checked, EP checked, Button bet, call, call. Turn was 5c. I checked, EP checked, Button bet, I called, EP folded. River card was the miracle 10d! I bet, Button called. Pot was $16.75.

6/22/05-My First Royal Flush
12/01/05-My Second Royal Flush
12/22/05-My Third Royal Flush

A Pro-Life Lent

The traditional practice of “giving something up for Lent” is a practice of self-denial; our Lord said that to follow him, we must deny our very selves. It means we say No to ourselves and Yes to God and others. This reverses the pattern of sin, which says Yes to ourselves and No to God and others. In our culture, the most violent No to God and others is abortion. Four thousand times every day in our nation, people say No to a little child so that they may say Yes to their fears or their plans. This Lent, as we practice self-denial, let’s think of these children. Let’s offer our sacrifices for them. May all say Yes to God and Yes to the unborn. For more ideas about how to foster respect for the unborn this Lent, visit Priests For Life.

Congratulations Vivian and Syd

Today, we attended the marriage ceremony of our good friend Vivian Gomez to Sydney Rahe. We wish the newlyweds many blessings.

February Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made on my November 22nd post, I have withdrawn my goal of $400 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=$1,200. My next withdrawal of $400 is due by March 31, 2006. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

I Don't Get It

Lisa does not like to watch sports on television. She does not like going into bars or taverns. Yet, she loves going to sports bars. Go figure.

Busy Busy

I haven't been able to blog for awhile. Lisa's parents are here visiting. We are also in the middle of a couple of big do-it-yourself home improvement projects. Painting and putting in new flooring. I'll post about these experiences in a few days.

Bill Aspengren

Here is a link to the obituary that appeared in today's edition of the Honolulu Advertiser. He will be deeply missed.

Bill's Life Celebration
2PM, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2006
Calvary by the Sea Lutheran Church
5339 Kalanianaole Highway
Honolulu, HI 96821

Very casual attire (Bill's wishes)

In lieu of flowers, donations in Uncle Bill's name, may be made to the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation. Please direct donation specifically for GBM research.

Prayers For Uncle Bill, Rest In Peace

Uncle Bill passed away today at around noon in Honolulu today. Please pray for his soul. Please continue to pray for Auntie Mimi, Seiji, and Ryan.

Alex's First Reconciliation

Alex had his First Reconciliation tonight. It was a nice service. I'd estimate that there were about 70 kids receiving this sacrament for the first time. He won't tell me what sin he confessed. I will respect his wish and will also try to be a good example for him in the future when it comes to this sacrament. I need to show what a great gift this sacrament is for our well being.

Laura Ingraham in Iraq

My favorite talk radio host, Laura Ingraham is in Iraq this week. Listening to her show has been very inspiring. Especially when hearing some of the stories of the troops and the Iraqi people. We are getting a perspective on the situation there that is very different than what we normally hear from our regular news outlets. Yes, it is still very dangerous for her to be there, but there is so much improvement over the time when Iraq was under a dictatorial regime. Check out her daily journal and exclusive photos.

On a side note, it really sounds like Laura's spirits are high after her recent bout with cancer.

The Buzzard, The Bat and The Bumblebee

BUZZARD - If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

BAT - The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

BUMBLEBEE - A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way out where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

PEOPLE - In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up.

--author unknown

Boehner Vows to Uphold Right to Life

(from LifeSiteNews.com) – New Republican House Leader, John Boehner, declared his intention to uphold the right to life of the unborn before his election.

Boehner, who has been re-elected eight times in his Western Ohio district, defeated Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt and John Shadegg of Arizona Thursday in a secret-ballot election by Republican members of Congress. Blunt, who replaced Tom Delay temporarily as house leader since September, lost on second ballot, by a vote of 122 to 109.

Boehner, a Roman Catholic and graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, declared his intention to continue to fight for the rights of the unborn. He addressed a House Values Action Team by letter Tuesday, in which he affirmed that he believes life begins at conception, reiterating his commitment to protect life at all stages. “It is a commitment I have felt deeply throughout my life, and a commitment I will uphold unapologetically,” Boehner wrote, as reported by the Washington Times.

“I am humbled and honored by the confidence my Republican colleagues have expressed in me with today’s vote,” he wrote in a statement Thursday. “This afternoon, House Republicans are united behind our Speaker, eager to renew our commitment to the principles that prompted Americans to put us in the majority.”

Boehner also promised that as majority leader he would advance bills banning human cloning, to introduce an amendment to protect marriage, and to table fetal pain legislation.

Too Much Poker on TV?

We were learning a little about the first few Presidents of the United States today. I asked Alex, "Who was the eighth president?" He mistakenly answered, "Vince Van Patten," one of the commentators of the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel. The correct answer is Martin Van Buren. Perhaps we have been watching too much poker on television?

Congratulations, Samuel Alito

(from Reuters): Alito Sworn in as Member of Supreme Court

Samuel Alito was sworn in as a U.S. Supreme Court justice on Tuesday after a divided Senate confirmed him as a second conservative appointed by President George W. Bush in his effort to move the high court to the right.

Chief Justice John Roberts, Bush's first Supreme Court nominee, administered the constitutional and judicial oaths in a private ceremony at the court, a spokeswoman said.

Alito, who had served since 1990 as a federal appeals judge, became the 110th member of the Supreme Court, replacing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a moderate conservative who retired.

Bush said in a statement, "Sam Alito is a brilliant and fair-minded judge who strictly interprets the Constitution and laws and does not legislate from the bench."

"He is a man of deep character and integrity, and he will make all Americans proud as a justice on our highest court," said Bush.

Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said the swearing in of Alito occurred around 12:40 p.m. (1740 GMT), and that it was attended by his wife, members of the court and their spouses.

Alito is expected to align himself with the court's solidly conservative bloc and could affect the outcome of votes on key social issues such as abortion and civil rights.

Taxes

I have finished doing our income taxes for year 2005. I have not sent the return in yet because I fear that there is a major error. I need to do some re-checking. According to my numbers, we are getting a tax refund that is greater than the amount that was withheld for the year. This is even with my poker winnings included. How is this possible?

This tentative tax return tells me three things: 1) We do not make a lot of money as a household(we are definitely not poor in spirit). 2) We really benefit from the use of itemized deductions; especially tax-deferred retirement savings, mortgage interest, and charitable contributions. 3) The tax code is all screwed up. If we are not paying any federal income taxes, then who is paying? Only those who are the so-called super rich? What are the liberals talking about when they say that these wealthy individuals do not pay their fair share of the tax burden. It seems to me that they are paying much more than their fair share. We would like to thank those who paid our share of the income taxes.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

We had a guest priest today. Fr. David Tobin gave a special presentation about the Liguorian Magazine.

The one thing that he talked about was how the Catholic Church was the only religion in the world where one is able to benefit from the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In Catholic teaching, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the method given by Christ to the Catholic Church by which individual men and women may confess sins committed after baptism and have them absolved by a priest. It is not necessary to confess sins committed before baptism, as baptism itself removes the guilt of sins.

I have to admit that it has been over a year since the last time that I received this sacrament. During Fr. David's homily, I realized that I am missing out on something that is available to me as a Catholic. It is especially important now, to be a good example to my children about receiving this gift. Alex will be receiving his First Reconciliation on February 10th. He seems to be looking forward to it. He is the good example to me.

January Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made on my November 22nd post, I have withdrawn my goal of $400 from my poker bankroll this month. I have also taken out an extra $400. YTD=$800. My next withdrawal of $400 is due by February 28, 2006. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Three Orange Belts

Lisa passed her promotion test in Hapkido Karate. She is now the same belt rank as Alex and Marisa. Here are the test results. Next: Purple Belt. There is an ever increasing amount of pressure to get me involved.

A Tragic Commemoration

On this day in 1973, the Supreme Court, in the Roe vs. Wade decision, made its worst mistake in history. By declaring that children in the womb are not “persons,” it opened the door to tens of millions of abortions. The website of the Alan Guttmacher Institute (the research arm of Planned Parenthood, which is the single largest source of abortions in America), states, “From 1973 through 2002, more than 42 million legal abortions occurred.” It also points out that “24% of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion,” and that abortions after 21 weeks of pregnancy number somewhere around 18,000 per year in America. In 2002, there were 1.29 million abortions in our country. Indeed, as we mark another Roe vs. Wade commemoration, it is time for all of us to get involved in the efforts to end abortion. Visit Priests For Life to learn what you can do.

Harry Potter: Wizard Challenge

Alex wanted me to post a link to the Harry Potter: Wizard Challenge on the Scholastic.Com site. His best score at this time is 65.

Life Cycle Books

I found a good site selling pro-life merchandise. It is called
Life Cycle Books. There are a lot of reasonably priced items that can be purchased in bulk quantites. Check it out and continue to support the 'life' companies.

Poker and Taxes

This past year was the first full year that I have been playing poker online. I had a lot of fun playing while trying to become a better player. I usually played only after everyone else had gone to sleep. I 'made' $4,800 for the whole year. It has been a nice supplement to our household income.

I have been wondering what I should do about taxes. There is no paper trail. The IRS will not be getting a statement from any of the online sites about my play. Do I really have to declare my winnings? When I input the poker winnings into the tax program that I use, the added income increases our tax burden by about $900 (federal and state). I really wonder how many people will claim their net winnings to the government.

This is similar to tip earnimgs. When I worked in the restaurant industry, I did not know one person who claimed 100% of their tips. It would be considered very weird if you did. The only requirement at that time was that 8%(?) of the restaurant's gross sales needed to be claimed collectively by the employees. This number turned out to be a lot less than was actually earned.

After a lot of discussion and reflection, I have decided to claim the full amount of my winnings. It is the right thing to do. To offset the increase in our taxes, I will put some extra money into my recently opened traditional-IRA account. I can place up to $4,000 per year there. We have already 'maxed' out Lisa's 401(k). If I put the maximum amount into my account, then the increase in taxes from poker will effectively be $0. Plus we get the added benefit of saving some extra money for our retirement. That is not a bad idea for anyone.

Yes, I am weird.

Americans Want Greater Restrictions on Abortion

(from LifeSiteNews) - A new poll conducted by Angus Reid for CBS News has revealed that the overwhelming majority of Americans would like to see greater restrictions placed on abortion.

Thirty-three percent of respondents said that abortion should be permitted only in cases such as rape, incest and to save the woman’s life; 17% said abortion should be allowed to save a woman’s life; 5% said abortion should not be permitted at all, while 15% said abortion should be permitted, but subject to greater restrictions than it is now. In total, 70% of respondents favour greater restrictions. Only 27% said that abortion’s availability should remain unchanged – permitted in all cases.

The Pebbles

Many years ago in a small village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was an awful, mean man, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. Since the farmer was unable to pay the debt, the moneylender proposed a deal.

He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then told the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.

Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities: 1) The girl should refuse to take a pebble. 2) The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat. 3) The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the hope that it will help us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers. What would you recommend to the girl to do?

Well, here is what she did . . . .

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. "Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked." Since the remaining pebble is black, it is reasonable to assume that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely favorable one for herself and her father.

~ Author Unknown

24 - Season 5

I just watched the opening 2 hours of 24 on FOX. It was the fastest 2 hours of my life. I couldn't believe the two catastrophes that occurred in the first 15 minutes. I actually yelled out loud and I was by myself.

This season already seems that it will be different than the others. In previous seasons, we basically knew who the bad guys were and what their motives were. The season looks like it will be a mystery on those two things.

Hours 3 and 4 are Monday night. I can't wait.

Orange Belt Test - Lisa

Lisa took her Orange Belt Promotion test today. She really looked good and had great form. We all agreed that she passed. If all goes well, it may be possible for her to take the Purple Belt test at the same time as Alex and Marisa in about three or four months.

Brush With Greatness: Jennifer Harman

I happened to be looking for a $1/2 limit table at Full Tilt Poker tonight. As I was looking around for a good table, Jennifer Harman, sat at an empty table. I was lucky enough to get a seat. I bought in for $50, she bought in for $40. It was a full ring game. The table filled up in about 15 seconds. At one point, there were over 70 people on the waiting list.

For those of you who don't know about her, she is considered one of the best poker players in the world. In the book, The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King, Jennifer was one of the top choices by the 'syndicate' to play Andy Beal (the banker) at the $50,000/100,000 limit game. She literally wrote the chapter on limit hold 'em in Doyle Brunson's Super System 2. She is recovering nicely from a fairly recent kidney transplant.

I have seen some of the other professional-poker-playing endorsers at this site. They would hardly ever chat or answer questions from the other players. Sometimes it seems as if they have their 'chat function' turned off. Jennifer, on the other hand tried to answer all questions. She was even answering questions from all of the observers. And, she was fending off marriage proposals. All this while playing this texas hold 'em game and another tournament ($10 7-card stud).

I will never forget the answer that she gave to one of the questions that was asked: What would you say is the main difference between a limit and a no-limit game? "Limit is more like a science. No-limit is more like an art." That pretty much sums it up for me. I tend to play more limit than no-limit.

I was in awe at the way she handled herself during the hour or so that I played with her. She is definitely one class act. I let her know this before I left the table and wished her luck this year at the poker tables.

By the way, when I left, she had $35. I had $65. Woohoo!