BONZER WOLF™

Leaving for Las Vegas Tonight

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:01:33 GMT

Looking forward to spending a week in the desert. Here is a photograph of sunset taken from the strip last night by mschroeter140. See more of his fine work here: www.flickr.com/photos/mschroeter140/

I'm not bringing my laptop so the BlackBerry will be my only connection to the world wide web. Follow my Las Vegas adventures on twitter:
twitter.com/BonzerWolf

St. Patrick's Day in Savannah

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:47:23 GMT

This year's Parade, the 185th edition, will take place on Wednesday, March 17th. In honor of St. Patrick's dedication to Christianity, the day will start with the celebration of Mass at the beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The Parade will step off at 10:15 am. It is expected that over 400,000 people will visit Savannah to help celebrate the second largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States.

I was in Savannah last year for the celebration. This year I will be celebrating a trifecta of St. Patrick's Day, March Madness & Spring Break week in Las Vegas. It will be my first such trifecta even though I have been to Vegas over 50 times in the last 30 years. I hope to find a pot of gold at the end of the Venetian Poker Room rainbow.

Savannah has been celebrating its Irish heritage in Savannah for almost two centuries. Traditional Irish values and customs of old are mingled with the vibrancy and charm of a city whose quirky personality comes out in those who call Savannah home and those that are just here to visit! Most do not know that the first parade was a small private affair 179 years ago for a group of men of Irish heritage to honor the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick - a Catholic priest. Over the years, the parade has became a public event that grows in size every year. To this day, the true Savannah St. Patrick's Day celebration remains a deeply religious family event that features authentic Irish music, Celtic dances and great food!

In the early years of the parade, it was not uncommon for an Irishman, sometimes two, to serve several years as marshal. From 1824 to 1846 there was no marshal. The first marshals were Michael Finney and Henry James in 1847 and 1848. The title "Grand Marshal" did not come into use until 1870.

In 2002, my dad, Eddie Fahey was elected Grand Marshal. He is 82 years young and will be in this year's parade on Wdnesday with his great grandson, Fintan Fahey, who was born March 16, 2009.

The grandson of Ann Dooley and Michael Andrew Fahey of County Roscommon, Ireland, and the son of Anna Zipperer and James Michael Fahey, my dad grew up in the predominantly Irish Catholic Old Fort neighborhood on the eastside of Savannah's downtown. He attended the Marist School for Boys, which later became Cathedral Day School, and St. Bernard's, a high school in Alabama run by the Benedictine Monks.

He joined the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee in 1949. He is a charter member and past president of the Irish Heritage Society, executive secretary and past president of Sinn Fein Society, and a member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.

This year will mark "Big Daddy's" 78th St. Patrick's Day parade in Savannah. It will be Fintan's first.

A resident of Tybee Island for more than 30 years, he was president of the St. Michael's Parish Council, the Home and School Association and the Men's Club. He is a past president of the Cathedral Pastoral Council and was O'Brien's assistant at St. Peter's on Wilmington Island from 1992-2008.

"Ed is as comfortable comforting the bereaved and visiting the sick as he is laughing with friends or setting fire to green grits ... He is a big man with a big heart who loves the day we celebrate St. Patrick."- 2002 Parade Committee Chairman

"1992 was the year that I lost my wife of 43 years, Martha Bradley Fahey, and it was a really tough time for me. I was seriously thinking about going back to St. Bernard's to become a Benedictine brother, but Father O'Brien would have none of that. He said, 'You can just stay right here and help me at St. Peter's."

His close friendship with the longtime pastor of St. Peter's spans almost 40 years. Father O'Brien was elected Grand Marshal of the 2009 parade and my dad was one of his aides.

Erin Go Bragh & Happy St. Patrick's Day

Let the Madness Begin

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:25:49 GMT

The 2010 NCAA Tournament bracket has been released. Click HERE to download the bracket (PDF file). The 1-seeds are Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Syracuse. Kansas is the overall #1 seed.

The opening round game is on Tuesday, March 16, between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Winthrop. Round one kicks off on Thursday and runs from March 18-19. The second round takes place on March 20 and 21. The Sweet 16 round starts on March 25 and concludes on the 26th. The Elite Eight round occurs on March 27 and 28. On April 3, the Final Four is narrowed to just two teams, and the NCAA champions will be crowned on April 5 in Indianapolis.

I will be at HOOPS CENTRAL in the Las Vegas Hilton for the first round next week. www.lvhilton.com/Press-Room/News-Releases/March-16-2009-Hoops-Central-at-Las-Vegas-Hilton

You can get in on the excitement of this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament with the web's most popular bracket game. To get in the game simply complete a bracket by the first tip of the tournament. Points are awarded for each correct pick, with point values increasing as the Tournaments progress.

The Winner of the Bonzer Wolf Pack group will receive lunch on the Wolf.

Create your entry here games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group

Pacquiao vs. Clottey from Cowboys Stadium

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:53:00 GMT

Hailing from Philipinnes, Manny Pacquiao really needs no introduction. He has fought some of the best fighters in the boxing world and his lightning quick hands and anvil-like southpaw knocks them down again and again. Manny Pacquiao's speedy entry and exits with earth-shattering punches let him pummel his opponent and slide back out before anyone knows what happened.

The bottom line in the Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey match is whether Clottey’s constant over-bearing and highly effective counter-punches can beat Manny Pacquiao’s lightning quick footwork and speedy assault.

Clottey has an impressive resume with 35-3 (20 KOs). He is a physically sound and tough as nails boxer with great defensive skills. Fast and precise, his left hook is menacing. But Clottey sometimes quits. Clottey has history of being lazy and not fighting after the 7th round. He always finds a way to lose his biggest fights.

His luck is not too good when it comes to judges. His last match against Miguel Cotto was a lost after a split-decision. Same with his match against Antonio Margarito a couple years back. Whether its his technique, or ill-regard for the rules (recall the 1999 fight with Carlos Baldomir that led to his disqualification for excessive headbutting), Clottey falls short in this regard.

But his other matches were all wins, where he practically owned the ring.

Mr. Wolf will tweet between rounds live from Arlington, Tx. twitter.com/BonzerWolf

Undercard

WBC Super Featherweight Championship: Humberto Soto (134.25 lbs) vs David Diaz (134 lbs)
Lightweight: Jose Luis Castillo (144 lbs) vs Alfonso Gomez (145 lbs)
Middleweight : Michael Medina (155.5 lbs) vs John Duddy (160 lbs)

How to Salvage Your Retirement

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:43:25 GMT

An increased percentage of workers report they have virtually no savings and investments. Among Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) workers providing this type of information, 27 percent say they have less than $1,000 in savings (up from 20 percent in 2009). In total, more than half of workers (54 percent) report that the total value of their household’s savings and investments, excluding the value of their primary home and any defined benefit plans, is less than $25,000.

Many workers continue to be unaware of how much they need to save for retirement. Less than half of workers (46 percent) report they and/or their spouse have tried to calculate how much money they will need to have saved for a comfortable retirement by the time they retire.

I started planning and saving for my retirement in 1976 and retired at the age of 54 in 2008. My philosophy is to work to live, not live to work. I am enjoying life and challenging myself more now than I did while working for "the man". Retirement is by far the best job with the greatest boss!

ROI: How to Salvage Your Retirement - WSJ.com

Adobe Demos Flash & Air on HP's Slate Device

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:17 GMT

Coroner: Death of Hard Rock hotel exec a suicide - BusinessWeek

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:33:53 GMT

The Clark County coroner has ruled the death of top Hard Rock Hotel and Casino executive Andrew "Randy" Kwasniewski (kwas-NEW'-skee) was a suicide.

Coroner Mike Murphy said Wednesday that the 56-year-old chief operating officer died of a single self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

Las Vegas police said officers responded just before 10 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a man dead of a gunshot wound at Kwasniewski's home in the upscale Summerlin neighborhood.

A family friend and spokesman, attorney David Chesnoff, expressed sorrow and asked for privacy on behalf of his wife and children.

The Hard Rock is owned by New York-based Morgans Hotel Group and an equity partner. It is separate from the restaurant chain of the same name.

Kwasniewski had been hotel president since October 2006.
Coroner: Death of Hard Rock hotel exec a suicide - BusinessWeek

A Drink a Day Keeps the Fat Away

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:03:33 GMT

Researchers now say light to moderate drinking may keep women from gaining too much weight.

Normal-weight women who drank 5 to 30 grams of alcohol daily gained less weight and had a lower risk of becoming overweight or obese than either teetotalers or those who drank too much, according to a report in the March 8 Archives of Internal Medicine.

How much is that? A 12-ounce light beer contains about 11 grams of alcohol, while 5 ounces of red wine contains 15 to 16 grams and a 1.5 ounce shot of 80-proof whiskey contains about 14 grams of alcohol.

Researchers conducted an analysis of data from the prospective cohort Women's Health Study of 19,220 women over age 38 who were disease-free and had a normal body mass index (BMI) at the outset.

They reported their weight and alcohol consumption on a questionnaire at that time, and reported their weight again on eight annual follow-up questionnaires.

The women were followed for an average of 12.9 years. During that time, 41.3 percent of the women became overweight or obese, while 3.8 percent became obese.

Average weight gain was 3.63 kg -- about 8 pounds -- for those who didn't drink, compared with 1.55 kg -- about 3.5 pounds -- for moderate drinkers.

The researchers found an inverse relationship between alcohol consumption and subsequent weight gain. "Weight gain was largest for women who did not consume alcohol and then monotonously decreased with increasing total alcohol intake," they wrote.

Obamacare is about Control not Health Care

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:31:44 GMT

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 22% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -19 (see trends).

42% favor Obamacare, while 53% are opposed. Most believe passage of the plan will increase the cost of health care. Fifty-five percent (55%) say that Congress should scrap the current health care legislation and start over.

Progressives and their leader, the Statist in Chief want to destroy the American economy. By destroying the economy the federal government gains complete control of our lives.

Obamacare is government controlled health care. It has everything to do with control of your life and nothing to do with lowering costs or improving the quality of health care. There is nothing in the 2700 page bill that improves the quality of care or lowers costs. What you will find is the federal government taking over your health care.

The first big lie is that Obamacare is going to improve health care and give more Americans more access to health care for less money. If that was true the bill wouldn’t cut $500 billion from Medicare. There wouldn’t be a need to levy new taxes , which the bill does, if health care was going to cost less.

The second big lie is that 45,000 Americans die every year because they don’t have health care. No one by law is turned away from emergency rooms including illegal aliens. Those with health insurance pay the bills of those without. People with the best health insurance pay thousands of dollars out of pocket and yet many of them die every day from illness or injury too.

ESPN Tournament Challenge

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:14:24 GMT

Get in on the excitement of this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament with the web's most popular bracket game. To get in the game simply complete a bracket by the first tip of the tournament. Points are awarded for each correct pick, with point values increasing as the Tournaments progress. Create or join a private group to compete amongst your friends, family, and co-workers. Or join a public group and compete against ESPN celebrities or like-minded fans from around SportsNation. Come out on top and you could win $10,000. Free to play, sign up now!

The winner of the Bonzer Wolf Pack group gets lunch on the Wolf AND year long bragging rights. If you live outside the DFW metroplex, I will send you a gift card. If you live in north Texas, I will take you to the restaurant of your choice.

Get in the action now:

http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=6625

Group: Bonzer Wolf Pack

The Arrogance of Obama Drama

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:44:15 GMT

As Obama tells us daily, he inherited the the crisis of the Great Recession and the War on Terrorism being fought on two fronts in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

How does the The Liar in Chief respond? Obamamax CREATES another crisis and ignores the three he inherited, except to constantly blame it on Bush.

Instead of seeing himself as the luckiest person in history, BO sees himself as a genius. The cult he has surrounded himself with and the Marxists on MSNBC keep saying it, so he believes it.

If Obama had to create a health care crisis, he would have been better served by choosing heath care reform over health care expansion. Cost savings over record deficits is what America wants today.

Obama was elected ONLY because of the perfect storm, the 100 year flood, stars lining up perfectly once in a century. The Obama Heath Care Drama has been the biggest waste of time in the history of a U.S. President's first year in office.

Obama will not listen to anyone who is not a member of the far, far, left cult (see Maddow, Schultze & Olbermann for details). Oh well. A one and done genius, his arrogance has kept him from keeping his finger on the pulse of the people. Obama will not prosper as President and history will judge his failed term harshly.

Put a fork in Reid and Pelosi too. We are a middle right country that will no longer stand idly by while far left wing nuts hijack our country (see Virgina, New Jersey & Massachsettes 2010 senate election results for details).

In short, Obama is a disaster, a victim of his arrogance and radical progressive agenda. Obama the best candidate is the worst President. I thought Jimmy Carter would prevent the record for worst President in my lifetime from EVER being broken but I was wrong.

Spring Cleaning

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:50:30 GMT

I made two New Year's resolutions this year. One was to lose weight and the other was to get organized, including organizing every room in the house. I started with my office this week. I have spent the last 3 days shredding papers that go back to the year 2000.

Who keeps every bill or bank statement that long??? Oh well, I have learned my lesson. I have never worked so hard and seen such little progress in three days. Each drawer or storage area that I open reminds me of the Volkswagen full of clowns. Stuff just keeps coming out.

I will be taking a break tomorrow night to attend the 50th birthday party of a friend. Fifty was very nifty for me. Reaching 50 meant that I was eligible to retire! I held on four more years. The last three were by far the worst of my career while John Chakwin did everything he could to push me out the door and keep me from doing my job. Oh well, I survived and because of Chakwin, my retirement so much sweeter!

My friend has a "real" job so he's not as thrilled about reaching the half century mark. I actually feel better at 55 than I have in years. Being ICE free is a big part of it. Losing weight and realizing how lucky I have been my entire life helps too.

I am enjoying the present like I never have before. Each day is a gift and an adventure. Enjoy life, we only get one and before you know it, you are over a half century old.

Grass Master

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:30:21 GMT

I must confess that I have not cut my own grass for over 15 years! In my old neighborhood in Arlington, where I lived for over 18 years , I was one of the few who paid to have his lawn maintained. I was a single dad who was very involved with his daughter and I didn't like wasting my time on the weekend maintaining my lawn.

We moved to this house 9 years ago and I kept the same lawn guy, who went to high school with my daughter. I will be one of the few home owners who cuts his own grass in this neighborhood. There are two golf courses and most residents play golf every chance they get. I don't play golf and the only exercise I get playing poker is walking from the parking lot.

I already take care of the pool, the shrubs and the flora and fauna around the Wolf Compound. My next door neighbor cuts his grass and it looks better than mine. He told me he spends less than an hour a week even in the peak months maintaining his lawn. He has also offered to "tutor Mr. Wolf on the the fine art of fertilization!

Now that I have lost 30+ pounds, I feel great and it's time for me to start cutting my lawn. I also figured that I can save a minimum of $15,000 (plus interest) over the next ten years by doing it myself.

I am actually looking forward to improving my lawn and getting additional exercise. Spring has sprung in north Texas and the weeds have already surfaced!

Retired Officers Concealed Carry in Texas under LEOSA

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:32:56 GMT

Retired police officers and federal criminal investigators issued the Retired Officer's Proficiency card by the State of Texas can carry anywhere in Texas, except where federal law prohibits (airplanes, federal buildings & facilities). Retired feds and locals in Texas can carry in the all the places mentioned in 46.02 & 46.03.

The only exception for carry on private property is Businesses that prohibit handguns by complying with 30.06:

In order to provide notice that entry on property by a license holder with a concealed handgun is forbidden, Penal Code Section 30.06(c)(3)(A) requires that a written communication contain the following language:

"PURSUANT TO SECTION 30.06, PENAL CODE (TRESPASS BY HOLDER OF A LICENSE TO CARRY A CONCEALED HANDGUN) A PERSON LICENSED UNDER SUBCHAPTER H, CHAPTER 411, GOVERNMENT CODE (CONCEALED HANDGUN LAW), MAY NOT ENTER THIS PROPERTY WITH A CONCEALED HANDGUN."

Penal Code Section 30.06(c)(3)(B) further states that a sign must meet the following requirements:

includes the language described by Paragraph (A) in both English and Spanish;
appears in contrasting colors with block letters at least one inch in height; and
is displayed in a conspicuous manner clearly visible to the public.

Sec. 46.15. Nonapplicability

(a) Sections 46.02 and 46.03 do not apply to:

(1) peace officers or special investigators under Article 2.122, Code of Criminal Procedure, and neither section prohibits a peace officer or special investigator from carrying a weapon in this state, including in an establishment in this state serving the public, regardless of whether the peace officer or special investigator is engaged in the actual discharge of the officer's or investigator's duties while carrying the weapon;

(2) parole officers and neither section prohibits an officer from carrying a weapon in this state if the officer is:

(A) engaged in the actual discharge of the officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and

(B) in compliance with policies and procedures adopted by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice regarding the possession of a weapon by an officer while on duty;

(3) community supervision and corrections department officers appointed or employed under Section 76.004, Government Code, and neither section prohibits an officer from carrying a weapon in this state if the officer is:

(A) engaged in the actual discharge of the officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and

(B) authorized to carry a weapon under Section 76.0051, Government Code;

(4) a judge or justice of a federal court, the supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, a court of appeals, a district court, a criminal district court, a constitutional county court, a statutory county court, a justice court, or a municipal court who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code;

(5) an honorably retired peace officer or federal criminal investigator who holds a certificate of proficiency issued under Section 1701.357, Occupations Code, and is carrying a photo identification that:

(A) verifies that the officer honorably retired after not less than 15 years of service as a commissioned officer; and

(B) is issued by a state or local law enforcement agency; or

(6) a district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code.

Sec. 46.02. Unlawful Carrying Weapons

(a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carries on or about his person a handgun, illegal knife, or club.

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), an offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

(c) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree if the offense is committed on any premises licensed or issued a permit by this state for the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Sec. 46.03. Places Weapons Prohibited

(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly possesses or goes with a firearm, illegal knife, club, or prohibited weapon listed in Section 46.05(a):

(1) on the physical premises of a school or educational institution, any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted, or a passenger transportation vehicle of a school or educational institution, whether the school or educational institution is public or private, unless pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the institution;

(2) on the premises of a polling place on the day of an election or while early voting is in progress;

(3) on the premises of any government court or offices utilized by the court, unless pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the court;

(4) on the premises of a racetrack;

(5) in or into a secured area of an airport; or

(6) within 1,000 feet of premises the location of which is designated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a place of execution under Article 43.19, Code of Criminal Procedure, on a day that a sentence of death is set to be imposed on the designated premises and the person received notice that:

(A) going within 1,000 feet of the premises with a weapon listed under this subsection was prohibited; or

(B) possessing a weapon listed under this subsection within 1,000 feet of the premises was prohibited.

(b) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsections (a)(1)-(4) that the actor possessed a firearm while in the actual discharge of his official duties as a member of the armed forces or national guard or a guard employed by a penal institution, or an officer of the court.

(1) "Premises" has the meaning assigned by Section 46.035.

(2) "Secured area" means an area of an airport terminal building to which access is controlled by the inspection of persons and property under federal law.

(d) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(5) that the actor possessed a firearm or club while traveling to or from the actor's place of assignment or in the actual discharge of duties as:

(1) a member of the armed forces or national guard;

(2) a guard employed by a penal institution; or

(3) a security officer commissioned by the Texas Board of Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies if:

(A) the actor is wearing a distinctive uniform; and

(B) the firearm or club is in plain view; or

(4) Deleted by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 318, Sec. 17, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.

(5) a security officer who holds a personal protection authorization under the Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies Act (Article 4413(29bb), Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes).

(e) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(5) that the actor checked all firearms as baggage in accordance with federal or state law or regulations before entering a secured area.

(f) It is not a defense to prosecution under this section that the actor possessed a handgun and was licensed to carry a concealed handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code.

(g) An offense under this section is a third degree felony.

(h) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(4) that the actor possessed a firearm or club while traveling to or from the actor's place of assignment or in the actual discharge of duties as a security officer commissioned by the Texas Board of Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies, if:

(1) the actor is wearing a distinctive uniform; and

(2) the firearm or club is in plain view.

(i) It is an exception to the application of Subsection (a)(6) that the actor possessed a firearm or club:

(1) while in a vehicle being driven on a public road; or
(2) at the actor's residence or place of employment.

TCU Hope to Earn First MWC Championship tonight

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:53:38 GMT

I am headed over to DMC in about an hour. Looking forward to this one:

TCU looks to earn its first outright Mountain West Conference championship Tuesday when it plays host to New Mexico on Senior Night at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The game, scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m., will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.).

The Lady Frogs enter Tuesday’s matchup with a two-game lead in the MWC standings and need only one win in their final two regular-season contests to clinch sole possession of first place. The team already has claimed one of the top two seeds for next week’s MWC tournament, meaning it will receive two byes and begin play in the semifinal round. A win against the Lobos would also tie a program record for regular-season victories and mark the first-ever undefeated season at home with a 15-0 mark.

In addition to having a championship to play for, TCU also will celebrate the careers of three student-athletes (forward Chantelle John and guards TK LaFleur and Eboni Mangum) who are set to play their final games at the DMC in a special post-game ceremony.

TCU will tie a program record with its 12th television appearance of 2009-10 with The Mtn. broadcast. Erin Bajackson (play-by-play) and Linda Sharp (analyst) will handle play-by-play duties for The Mtn. telecast.

Tuesday’s matchup also will be broadcast live on the radio throughout the Metroplex on 88.7 KTCU-FM with Jeff Williams (play-by-play) and Jeff Lewis (analyst) calling the action. An Internet radio feed and link to live statistics will be available on game day via GoFrogs.com.

LADY FROGS HOPE TO PACK DMC
TCU hopes to pack Daniel-Meyer Coliseum with the announcement of several special promotions, which include $1 tickets and hot dogs and free pizza for the first 1,000 fans in attendance.

All tickets will be sold for only $1 either in advance or on game day, and TCU students, faculty and staff will be admitted free of charge by showing a valid TCU ID. The dollar theme will extend to the concessions stand, where hot dogs will be sold for only $1. The Lady Frogs hope to have a large and raucous crowd show up early by offering free pizza to the first 1,000 fans in attendance.

Doors to Daniel-Meyer Coliseum will be opened to the public at 5 p.m. TCU will offer a special giveaway for its social network friends in the form of a free Lady Frog T-shirt. The first 50 friends of TCU’s official Facebook site, TCUWBasketball, to present a print-out of the coupon from the site will receive the free T-shirt.

FROG QUICK NOTES
- A win would match the program record for regular-season victories (22) previously set in 2000-01 and 2003-04.

- A win would give TCU its first-ever undefeated season at home at 15-0, and only the second undefeated home season in MWC history (Utah, 13-0 in 2002-03).

- TCU’s regular-season MWC championship marks the third in school history, each of which have come in Jeff Mittie’s tenure as head coach. The three titles have been in three different conferences (WAC in 2000-01, CUSA in 2001-02).

- TCU has now totaled 20 or more wins in nine of the last 10 seasons. The program had never reached the 20-win plateau prior to head coach Jeff Mittie’s arrival in 1999-2000.

- TCU is 17-0 when shooting 40.0% or better from the field, 17-1 when outshooting the opponent and 17-1 when committing fewer turnovers.

- The Frogs are shooting 47.2% from the field overall and averaging 76.7 ppg during their last six outings.

- TCU’s bench has outscored the opponent bench in 23 of 27 games this season, by an average of 9.7 ppg.

- Eboni Mangum is averaging 11.1 ppg over the last 11 games, third-most among all Frogs.

- Helena Sverrisdottir needs eight helpers to move into third place all-time at TCU in career assists and only six more to match her season total from a year ago, which also ranks No. 3 in program history.

- Sverrisdottir is the only individual ranked among the MWC’s top-15 players in assists (No. 2), steals (No. 3), rebounding (No. 6) and scoring (No. 7).

- TK LaFleur (10.6 ppg; seven starts) is the MWC’s current scoring leader for players with seven starts or fewer.

- Emily Carter leads TCU with a 15.8-point scoring average in MWC play, which ranks No. 5 in the league. She paces the MWC in FT shooting (85.5%) for all games, while coming in at No. 2 in 3FG shooting (42.5%) and No. 5 in scoring (14.7 ppg).

- Carter’s 3FG percentage and FT percentage would both rank No. 2 in TCU single-season history behind only record-holder Amy Sutton (43.9% in 2000-01; 87.6% in 1998-99).

Unconstitutional America

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:04:02 GMT

In Federalist Paper 45, James Madison, the father of our Constitution, explains, “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State Governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will for the most part be connected.” Other founders gave similar assurances about the limitations that the constitution set on the federal government. If our founders could see today’s federal government, it would be unrecognizable to their vision. In fact, their vision has been turned upon its head, so that the powers of the state governments are “few and defined” and those of the federal government “are numerous and indefinite.”

Government has no resources of its very own. Moreover, there is no Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus who gives the government resources. The recognition that government has no resources of its very own forces us to recognize that the only way Congress can give one American one dollar is to first, through intimidation, threats, and coercion, confiscate that dollar from some other American through its agents at the taxing authorities. Politicians do precisely what we elect them to office to do: take the rightful property of one American and give it to another.

If one asks the question: Which way are we headed, tiny steps at a time—toward more liberty or toward greater government control of our lives? The answer is unambiguously more government control of our lives. What can be done? To recover our liberty requires at the minimum putting Washington back to where it was from 1787 to 1920, when it spent only 3 percent of the GDP, except during times of war, as opposed to today’s more than 30 percent of GDP. A constitutional amendment limiting federal spending to, say, 10 percent of the GDP would be a good start.

From Walter E. Williams, the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University.
spectator.org/archives/2010/02/12/whos-to-blame

Positive Expectations

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:14:08 GMT

As many regular readers know, the Wolf has a thing for Las Vegas. Bet you didn't know that I got married on my very first trip to Vegas in February 1982! The marriage didn't make it to the next decade but the pride and joy of my life, my daughter is almost 27 years old now!

Marriage in the U.S. does not have a "positive expectation" because more than half end in divorce. Just as marriage is a gamble, the vast majority of games in Vegas, do not offer you a positive expectation of winning. But believe it or not, there are some exceptions.

If you flipped a coin and gave it away when it landed on heads and won another coin when it landed on tails, your expectation would be 0. Half the time you'd win, and half the time you would lose.

But if you lost 2 coins when it landed on heads, and only won 1 coin when it landed on tails, you'd have a negative expectation. You would win 1 coin 50% of the time and you'd lose 2 coins 50% of the time. The calculation of expectation works like this:

You multiply the probability of winning times the amount of each winning bet. Then you multiple the probability of losing times the amount of each losing bet. Then you subtract one from the other, and you have the expectation for the bet.

In the coin flipping example, you'd multiply 50% times 2 coin in the losing category, and you'd get a negative coin. Then 50% times 1 coin would be half a coin. So your overall expectation for each bet would be to lose half a coin.

On the other hand, if you WON 2 coins every time you landed on heads, and you only LOST 1 coin every time you landed on tails, then you'd have a positive expectation of half a coin per flip.

If you're smart you do it by calculating the expectation. If you have two pair, then you have a 100% chance of winning say 5 coins. But if you drop 2 cards to try to draw to a royal flush, you might only have a 5% chance of winning, but you're going to win say 4000 coins. That's an expectation of 5% times 4000 coins, or 200 coins vs 5 coins.

The percentage that I used in the above example just came off the top of my head, but it's an example of how you should be thinking about expectation, and it's an example of how you should be thinking about video poker strategy. What decision will give me more of a positive expectation?

Each winning and losing hand in video poker has a probability that you'll hit it. When you multiply all the winning possibilities times the amount you win when you hit them, then subtract what you lose when you don't hit a hand, you get the overall expectation for the game.

And some video poker games, if played perfectly, have a positive expectation. The main factor affecting this is not the probability of hitting a given hand, since that's relatively constant. It's the amount you get PAID for hitting the hand that makes the big difference.

That's why a 9/6 jacks or better game is so much better than an 8/5 jacks or better game. And that's how a deuces wild with a full payback table has a positive expectation: the probability of hitting certain hands multiplied by the payout exceed the probabilities of losing times the amounts lost.

You're probably thinking that this sounds like a lot of complicated math, and it isn't worth learning. But look at it this way - how do you know whether to break two pair to draw to a better hand or not?

I'm not a mensa guy. But I am smart enough to take advantage of the positive expectation games, simply by following the map drawn by math/computer guys. Like riding a bicycle, it may seem difficult at first but with practice, it becomes automatic.

If you're interested, you can learn deuces wild video poker strategy here.

100.77% quarter video poker ( you must play 5 coin max at $1.25 per hand) games are currently available (subject to change) in Las Vegas at Aliante Station, Binions, Cannery, El Cortez, Ellis Island, Fiesta, Gold Coast, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Palms, Red Rock, Sam's Town, Sante Fe, & TEXAS STATION casinos.

Live Coverage - Hawaii Tsunami Warning

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:45:47 GMT

A major earthquake of magnitude-8.8 struck Chile early Saturday, causing extensive damage.

As a result, a tsunami warning has been issued for Hawaii, Polynesia and Tonga, with waves expected to reach Hawaii at 11:19 a.m local time (4:19 p.m. EST). A tsunami advisory has been issued for California, while tsunami warnings have been issued for 53 countries in total, including Australia and New Zealand.

We’re currently tracking the coverage online with a combination of live streams from local TV stations, official information from the NOAA and updates from Twitter and real time search.

1. Live streaming video (Ustream) – Ustream is helpfully providing TV coverage from local channels in Chile and Hawaii. We’ve aggregated the most relevant channels in a blog post.

2. Twitter hashtag #tsunami – Twitter users are tagging updates with #tsunami, and Twitter search is proving extremely useful for news tracking. Remember that Twitter’s advanced search lets you find updates posted from specific places – Chile or Hawaii, for instance.

3. Google Realtime search “Tsunami warning” – Google’s realtime search combines news results with postings from Twitter, blogs and other realtime sources. “Tsunami warning” delivers relevant results, but obviously tweak your search terms if you’re looking for something more specific.

4. NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center – The PTWC provides a collection of resources for those tracking the tsunami, including maps of those areas where tsunami warnings and advisories have been issued.

5. NOAA’s Tsunami.gov – Tsunami.gov is the NOAA’s official tsunami site, providing links to their local warning centers. However, we’re getting limited uptime today, presumably due to heavy traffic. Using the other sources above may keep this site available to those who most need it.

Bad Beats Happen to Good Players

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:47:55 GMT

A poker bad beat occurs when an overwhelming favorite loses the hand. Examples of a daily bad beat would include pocket Kings beating pocket Aces with a third King on the river or a player hitting an inside straight on the river to beat a made hand. In both of these situations, the drawing hand would have, at maximum, 4 outs (cards to come to give a winning hand) and less than a 10% chance of winning.

A natural reaction to suffering a poker bad beat is to want to tell the world about it. Players usually want sympathy and understanding from fellow players and reassurance that the loss wasn't their fault. While this is certainly understandable, it is poor poker etiquette to complain about bad beats at the table. Most of the table simply doesn't care as they've experienced the same situation countless times themselves. The only thing you accomplish by crying about bad beats is making yourself as a target.

The overwhelming majority of us have a tough time dealing with bad beats psychologically, at least temporarily. If you think it's a beginner's weakness to be unable to control emotions after a pot has been cruelly taken from victory's grasp, flip on ESPN and listen for those bleeps after a pro busts out of the WSOP on a 2 outer.

The truth is that beats happen because there is an element of luck in poker. A hand that is an overwhelming favorite to take down the pot before the flop, turn, or river is just that: a favorite. Probabilities and odds don't guarantee results.

In fact poker bad beats are needed to keep new players interested and bring fresh money brought to the tables. After all, who would take up the game if they didn't have a chance to beat more experienced players on any given day?

Always keep in mind that skill does prevail over luck in the long term. Mange your bankroll while playing your best and you will be able to ride out the bad beats, which often come in bunches, causing good players to "get stuck" in the short term.

Over a lifetime of poker, you will find that "short term" loses can run for days, weeks and or even months, which can become a really bad year(s).

Push to Oversimplify at Climate Panel

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:27:26 GMT

In the next few days, the world's leading authority on global warming plans to roll out a strategy to tackle a tough problem: restoring its own bruised reputation.

A months-long crisis at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has upended the world's perception of global warming, after hacked emails and other disclosures revealed deep divisions among scientists working with the United Nation-sponsored group. That has raised questions about the panel's objectivity in assessing one of today's most hotly debated scientific fields.

The problem stems from the IPCC's thorny mission: Take sophisticated and sometimes inconclusive science, and boil it down to usable advice for lawmakers. To meet that goal, scientists working with the IPCC say they sometimes faced institutional bias toward oversimplification, a Wall Street Journal examination shows.

Read story here: online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704188104575083681319834978.html

More fun than a root canal

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:29:26 GMT

Wish that I was getting paid by the Weight Watchers Momentum™ Plan for the free pub, instead of paying them (current cost is $65 for first 3 months, $17.95 a month after that). But it has been money well spent.

After being on the online plan for 7 weeks (49 days) I have lost lost 31 pounds. I am only 9 lbs away from my goal weight.

Weight Watchers "bot" keeps telling me that I am losing too fast (4.4 lbs week avg) and it appears that 2 lbs a week is more typical and a healthier way to lose.

Oh well. I have followed the plan and these are the results. I was surprised to lose 5 lbs last week because I earned zero activity points over the last two. Yesterday was my highest point consumption day since January 3. I used 44 points, which including Papa Murphy's Hawaiian Delite Pizzza (3.5 pts a slice). Friday, I had a 10 pt hamburger. Used 31 weekly points, which is by far the most I have since starting the program.

It may catch up with me next Sunday. But I will be happy if I only lose a pound per week now. My personal goal was to get below 200. I am at 196 but the WW chart shows 187 as my maximum ideal weight.

My daily points total has fallen to 30. Starting this week I plan to use the every one of the additional 35 weekly points. I will also be getting back in the gym after a two week layoff and will have those points available to use.

I can honestly say that I have not been hungry while on the program but I have been very selective about the food, maximizing my "fullness" and eating "free" veggies and 1 point fruits. In effect, I have been forced to eat healthy snacks and fiber is my best friend. Have also been a points fanatic tracking everything that I eat or drink.

It's been more fun than a root canal for sure. I will prove that beyond a doubt at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning when I experience my first one!

Back to Even

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:44:07 GMT

Had a good session last night and my bankroll is back to January 1 level. Its been an up & down year with many losing sessions.

Poker is the easiest game in the world if you "gamble" and spew chips, hoping to get lucky. If you are trying to grind out a profit, poker is a hard way to earn some easy money.

My goal is to get better every session, win or lose. Last night was a big night, which should have been much bigger. Made a huge donkey fold (instead of raising), which cost me a very large pot.

The bottom line in poker, is that he who makes the least mistakes will win the most money in the long term. Short term, anything can and will happen. The house rake, dealer tokes and travel expenses, results in a tiny margin for error.

Playing poker is the "best" job I have ever had, earning the least amount of money! But playing is only the second best part of being retired. The best part by far is never having to take orders from clueless bureaucrats. After being retired for 18 months, it's a mystery to me, how I endured 30 years of it. It's a lot more fun to take money morons than to work for them!

Don't forget though, you can't bluff an idiot. (You can only bluff a "thinking" player)

Life is very good for the Wolf. Relaxing this weekend, while enjoying college hoops and the Vancouver Olympics. Looking forward to being at the Las Vegas Hilton, home of the world's largest sportsbook for week #1 of March Madness & my first St. Patrick's Day in Vegas.

Bad Beat Jackpot

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:26:50 GMT

I was sitting at table #6 last night during the "cracked aces" promotion, when the player on my immediate right was dealt K,10 off suit. Another player was dealt pocket pair 99.

Flop: KKK

Turn: 9

River: 9

Those hands result in 9999K being beat by KKKK10, resulting in a bad beat jackpot pay off. The losing player collected $6,800. The winning hand over $3,000. The rest of us at the table receive a "players share" of $351 each.

For those two players, there were only five cards in the deck, that would result in the bad beat jackpot. That is perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect. I have never been at a table when that happened, and odds are, I will never be there again.

By the way, K2, K3, K4, K5, K6,K7,K8 would not have resulted in the bad beat as both hole cards must play. A hand is made with the best 5 cards from both the board (community cards ) and your starting two cards. KJ,KQ,AK would have also worked along with for the BB payout.

On the other hand, I was dealt three quality starting hands by the same dealer. All 3 hands had 12 or more "outs" for me to rake the pot. I lost all the hands. I have been getting beat up since November, even though I am a much better poker player than I was a year ago.

Poker is a funny game but it's hard to laugh when you are doing the right thing but constantly being beat. If I am not sucked out on the river, I seldom hit the draw to the nuts or near nuts. When I have hit a huge hand, it seems I don't get much action and win a small pot. When I do have the best of it and get the money in, with plenty of company I seem to lose on the river to starting hands like K2 off suit.

In other words, anything that can go wrong, has been going wrong since November. I will never forget the day this bad run started.

I was dealt KK. Player #2, 88. Player#3, 33. Betting is capped preflop. I have the nuts.

FLOP: K83. Betting is capped. I have the nuts.

TURN: 2 (blank) betting is capped. I have the nuts.

RIVER: J of spades. I don't have the nuts anymore as there are 2 other spades on the board.

Small blind bets out. We all call. Small blind rakes the HUGE pot.

You can go a lifetime without seeing set over set over set on the flop. All 3 hands being beat is off the chart against the odds.

Over the next couple of months, I had KK twice that I flopped a set, KKK. I lost both hands, flopping a set of kings 3 times in a row and losing. I had less than a 10% chance of losing each time.

I lost with the third best staring hand, pocket QQ, tens times in a row since November.

But,as they say, that's poker.

I made $270 last night, but only because I was paid a tiny portion of the bad beat. I went home a winner but felt like a loser. I only played 5.5 hours and actually left an hour before the bad beat promotion ended. I was determined to make $250 so I had to get up from the table and leave.

By the way, my AA got cracked at 7:55 p.m. I lost the hand and didn't get the $100. The $100 aces cracked didn't start until 8 p.m., five minutes later. For the record I have had aces cracked 6 times during the past week. ZERO times during the 16 hour aces cracked promotion.

Mr. Wolf is running bad & my poker bankroll is down 10%. The good news is that I have 90% left to weather the storm and get back on the winning track.

PEMM?

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:53:31 GMT

Poker is a long term game, with many short term ups & downs. Anyone who has played poker on a weekly basis, knows that losing streaks are part of the experience, no matter who well you play.

If you don't believe me, ask Phil Hellmuth who had his first losing year in 2009, after winning money for like a hundred straight years:

"2009 was my worst year ever in poker. I did tons of stuff wrong and I actually lost money for the year. Some people say that the reason that I did poorly was because the players in the fields vastly improved the way that they play poker, and that I am now outside of the top ten in the poker world. I say the reason that I did poorly in 2009 was because of the fact that I have to deal with so much stuff; both inside, and outside of the poker world: and that eventually caused me to lose my way. PEMM (P – positive, E – Exercise, M – Moment, M – Meditation) was one of the reasons that I climbed to the top of the poker world, especially in the game with the most skill, Texas Hold'em. For a long time PEMM has been outside of my immediate purview."-Phil Hellmuth www.philhellmuth.com/news/poker-blog/

The Wolf doesn't play in games with the best players. In fact, I play in games with the worst players you can imagine. Many are so bad, they're actually good! I don't know if lack of PEMM, was the primary reason the oldest brat in poker lost money last year. But I do believe, PEMM is one of the many factors that can help poker players win consistently (over the long term).

All of us are periodically going to get our asses kicked short term. The only question is how long is short. Unfortunately, it can be a very long time, which is why, a poker player has to have a bankroll and the ability to manage it. I believe that luck is the residue of design.

PEMM is good for the game as are shorter sessions. I have to drive 90 miles each way for a game, so I tend to play very long sessions.

I played Tuesday and was down to $1 of my initial buy in very quickly. In other words, I had just a chip and a chair after playing less than an hour. I had not made any mistakes, but had lost 3 big hands when I was 90% or better.

I say that I am not superstitious but like 99.99% of poker players, I am. I had decided to change it up by playing fewer hours in a session and not continuing to buy in if I was running bad. Even though I had plenty more cash in my pocket, I was ready to walk away after an hour. But I won that hand, even though I wasn't the favorite. I spent the next 3 hours grinding to a 2.5% profit, which felt like a 500% win!

So today, instead of 13 hours at the table like I do most Thursdays, tonight I will play an 8 hour or less session. Even in low limits, the player who makes the fewest mistakes wins the most in the long run. Sitting at the table for more than 8 hours is a recipe for disaster, especially when you are not "catching cards".

All the Good Band Names ( like Bonzer Wolf™ ) Are Taken

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:57:27 GMT

By JOHN JURGENSEN online.wsj.com

From Abba to ZZ Top, all the good names are taken.

Between takes in a recording studio, Mr. Jones brainstormed about names with his new band mates, including former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, then checked them online. Their first choice, Caligula, turned up at least seven acts named after the decadent Roman emperor, including a defunct techno outfit from Australia. Eventually the rockers decided on Them Crooked Vultures. The words held no special meaning.

"Every other name is taken," Mr. Jones explains. "Think of a great band name and Google it, and you'll find a French-Canadian jam band with a MySpace page."

The last decade's digital revolution not only transformed the way people listen to music, it changed the way bands establish identities. In the past, identically named acts often carved out livings in separate regions, oblivious or indifferent to one another. Now, it takes only moments for a musician to create an online profile and upload songs, which can potentially reach listeners around the world.

Lawyers say that has raised the stakes in trademark disputes, which almost always hinge on which band first used the name commercially, and where.

"If 37 people in California logged on to your MySpace page last month, you can argue that you provide goods or services in California," even if you're a Connecticut band who hasn't released an album or toured out of state, says Atlanta lawyer Joel R. Feldman of Greenberg Traurig LLP.