I just saw an AP article titled, Recovery not as strong as previously thought. Is that actually news to anyone?
I'm pretty sure that anyone who has to get up every morning, turn up the heat, make their own breakfast, drive themselves to a job that they had to find for themselves and share the work space with others just like them, ALREADY KNOWS THAT!
Personally, I don't actually know anyone that this article is news to. But then again, I don't know anyone who doesn't have to sweat their way through this mess that someone else created for them.
Showing posts with label news article. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news article. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Robber or not?
I just found this news story online. (Apparently, you can find the original here, but I didn't see it in the first few minutes of searching.) This copy is from the AP.
Robber loses wallet, then asks victim to return it
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Police said a would-be robber was in jail after losing his wallet during the attempted robbery then phoning the victim and asking for it to be returned. Little Rock police said the 23-year-old man was arrested on robbery charges Tuesday.
Police said the man tried to rob a man at gunpoint at his home but fled and dropped his wallet then later called and told the man to return the wallet at a service station in North Little Rock.
Little Rock police were interviewing the victim when the call came and notified North Little Rock police who found the suspect outside the service station and arrested him after a short foot chase.
What I'm wondering is, why didn't the robber return and steal his wallet back? He didn't bother to ask for something that wasn't his in the first place. Why ask for something that is? If I were an Arkansas tax payer, I wouldn't be happy that my tax money was being spent on him! ;)
Robber loses wallet, then asks victim to return it
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Police said a would-be robber was in jail after losing his wallet during the attempted robbery then phoning the victim and asking for it to be returned. Little Rock police said the 23-year-old man was arrested on robbery charges Tuesday.
Police said the man tried to rob a man at gunpoint at his home but fled and dropped his wallet then later called and told the man to return the wallet at a service station in North Little Rock.
Little Rock police were interviewing the victim when the call came and notified North Little Rock police who found the suspect outside the service station and arrested him after a short foot chase.
What I'm wondering is, why didn't the robber return and steal his wallet back? He didn't bother to ask for something that wasn't his in the first place. Why ask for something that is? If I were an Arkansas tax payer, I wouldn't be happy that my tax money was being spent on him! ;)
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Gambling - a lengthy discourse
Daniel and I had a little discussion about gambling the other day.
The story actually starts a couple of months ago when he opened a grab bag from the dollar store and found himself owner of a pack of playing cards. We don't have playing cards. We have so many other great games and don't even know how to play the games designed for gambling, that we've just decided to not enter into that area. I'm not implying that people who have/use playing cards are making bad choices. We have made a choice not to have them.
SO, when Daniel pulls these cards out of his bag, I think, "Oh, great." Then I forgot all about them until the other day when he brings them to me and asks how to play them. We had a discussion about the kinds of games those cards are designed for and a discussion about what gambling was and why it was so dangerous. I pointed out to him that Mommy and Daddy (He still calls us that. I keep wondering when he'll decide to make the switch.) don't have any playing cards because we have so many other great games and then there isn't a temptation to use them for gambling.
After we talked about how gambling can ruin families and lives and that it's addictive...blah, blah, blah, I asked him what he thought the best thing to do with the cards would be. He suggested putting them away, then he realized that I meant something a little more drastic. I told him it was his decision. He could pray about it and decide what he would do. I wouldn't be mad at him if he chose to keep them, but he knew I didn't approve of the cards themselves.
Apparently, he was really attached to those cards because then next thing I notice is that he's trying not to cry. I told him we could compromise = just get rid of the kings, queens and jacks. That way the cards couldn't be used for the gambling games, but would still be good for playing war or go fish or building card houses, etc. He decided to do that and felt much better. He's trying to make good choices, but sometimes those choices are so difficult!
So while this experience was still rather fresh in my memory, I ran across this AP article about a casino last night. Here's the link to the story, but the gist of the problem is that a casino in Pennsylvania sent out some vouchers to its most elite 1,000 patrons giving each of them up to $500 in slot credits and two free visits to the buffet ($14 each) - expires Jan 4th. Unfortunately, a mistake happened somewhere in the mailing of the promotion and it was sent to 55,000 people instead of just the originally intended 1,000.
Now the casino is frantically trying to save itself as it recognizes that it would cost more than $29 million dollars to honor the vouchers and meals. They are trying to "save face" and are offering $100 in slot credits and the two free meals if they redeem them by Christmas. They're hoping that the customers will be reasonable and not demand the original offer, but they're not sure how to handle it if they do.
I've been in a few casinos. We lived in Las Vegas for nearly 4 years. They often have little signs up about gambling addictions and a number to call for counseling. They also design the casino so that you have to pass through it to reach just about anything else in the building...including the exits. They booze you up, delivered by mostly naked women and make sure you have no idea what time it is by eliminating clocks and windows or see-through doors. They WANT you to stay and keep putting money into the machines.
They don't ask if you're betting your children's dinner budget or the mortgage payments for the next 5 months. They don't REALLY care if it's your last dime and have already declared bankruptcy twice before. And if you soil your pants while sitting at the slot machine, they think that's gross, but they clean it up and hope someone else grabs the seat soon. (It happens!)
So do I care too much that a casino now finds itself in the same situation that many of its patrons have been in? Nope. I think it's pretty low to ask for mercy when you likely haven't been much for practicing it yourself.
The story actually starts a couple of months ago when he opened a grab bag from the dollar store and found himself owner of a pack of playing cards. We don't have playing cards. We have so many other great games and don't even know how to play the games designed for gambling, that we've just decided to not enter into that area. I'm not implying that people who have/use playing cards are making bad choices. We have made a choice not to have them.
SO, when Daniel pulls these cards out of his bag, I think, "Oh, great." Then I forgot all about them until the other day when he brings them to me and asks how to play them. We had a discussion about the kinds of games those cards are designed for and a discussion about what gambling was and why it was so dangerous. I pointed out to him that Mommy and Daddy (He still calls us that. I keep wondering when he'll decide to make the switch.) don't have any playing cards because we have so many other great games and then there isn't a temptation to use them for gambling.
After we talked about how gambling can ruin families and lives and that it's addictive...blah, blah, blah, I asked him what he thought the best thing to do with the cards would be. He suggested putting them away, then he realized that I meant something a little more drastic. I told him it was his decision. He could pray about it and decide what he would do. I wouldn't be mad at him if he chose to keep them, but he knew I didn't approve of the cards themselves.
Apparently, he was really attached to those cards because then next thing I notice is that he's trying not to cry. I told him we could compromise = just get rid of the kings, queens and jacks. That way the cards couldn't be used for the gambling games, but would still be good for playing war or go fish or building card houses, etc. He decided to do that and felt much better. He's trying to make good choices, but sometimes those choices are so difficult!
So while this experience was still rather fresh in my memory, I ran across this AP article about a casino last night. Here's the link to the story, but the gist of the problem is that a casino in Pennsylvania sent out some vouchers to its most elite 1,000 patrons giving each of them up to $500 in slot credits and two free visits to the buffet ($14 each) - expires Jan 4th. Unfortunately, a mistake happened somewhere in the mailing of the promotion and it was sent to 55,000 people instead of just the originally intended 1,000.
Now the casino is frantically trying to save itself as it recognizes that it would cost more than $29 million dollars to honor the vouchers and meals. They are trying to "save face" and are offering $100 in slot credits and the two free meals if they redeem them by Christmas. They're hoping that the customers will be reasonable and not demand the original offer, but they're not sure how to handle it if they do.
I've been in a few casinos. We lived in Las Vegas for nearly 4 years. They often have little signs up about gambling addictions and a number to call for counseling. They also design the casino so that you have to pass through it to reach just about anything else in the building...including the exits. They booze you up, delivered by mostly naked women and make sure you have no idea what time it is by eliminating clocks and windows or see-through doors. They WANT you to stay and keep putting money into the machines.
They don't ask if you're betting your children's dinner budget or the mortgage payments for the next 5 months. They don't REALLY care if it's your last dime and have already declared bankruptcy twice before. And if you soil your pants while sitting at the slot machine, they think that's gross, but they clean it up and hope someone else grabs the seat soon. (It happens!)
So do I care too much that a casino now finds itself in the same situation that many of its patrons have been in? Nope. I think it's pretty low to ask for mercy when you likely haven't been much for practicing it yourself.
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