Three hours of jet lag plus jumping right into consecutive 12-hour shifts has not been kind to Pam. The spirit is willing but the flesh is real sleepy.
One of the local network sites had a story this morning about Indian Casinos and the way they treat card counters. That gambling tactic isn't illegal - no subterfuge involved - but casinos don't like losing, so when they find someone doing it they typically bar that "advantage player" from their establishment. A federal lawsuit has been filed against Indian casinos in Arizona and Connecticut accusing them of doing more than just barring these players. They confiscate their money, including any put on deposit, and detain them for extended periods. One Indian casino is accused of roughing up a guy they said was counting cards.
The problem: Indian casinos don't deny the charges. They have sovereign nation status with the U.S. govt. and therefore say they aren't bound by the rules that govern all other casinos. If they choose to punish advantage players by confiscating their assets (or in the case of the one plaintiff, grabbing his assets) they're free to do so. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, they are a law unto themselves.
Almost as an aside this article said there are 493 Indian casinos in the U.S. and 1,262 commercial casinos. The Indian casinos generated $28.4 billion in revenues in 2013 while the commercial casinos brought in $37.7 billion.
Anybody else notice anything odd about those numbers?
At lunch yesterday I watched the final set of the Rafael Nadal/Justin Brown Wimbledon match. What fun! Brown is German, but looks like his Jamaican father, complete with dread locks to his waist. He's the Happy Gilmore of the tennis world; loose, a bit unorthodox, but extremely athletic. And full of energy and enthusiasm. The crowd was awed and entertained, and his win over Nadal was not just an upset but huge news. This win might bump Brown into the top-100, that's how big an upset this was.
I suppose the big news of the day here is that I will be going to Costa Rica the first two weeks in September to do some teaching.
When I "retired" from Pathway Bible Church the intent was never to retire from serving God. One of the things I was willing to do, DV, was teach in any variety of situations. I have been a pastor but I am a teacher; that's my core. At the pastor's conference last April I mentioned to our denominational president and to the director of our mission that I was open to teaching opportunities should there be interest here or abroad. As an outgrowth of that and subsequent conversations with Jeremy Clark, the mission president, things have fallen in place for this trip to Costa Rica. We're also looking at a trip to Puerto Rico next February.
I'm having an ongoing conversation with Alonso, the pastor of one of the churches in Costa Rica, the guy coordinating this trip, about the schedule and topics. I'll do a three night seminar they'll promote throughout the churches of that city, a second, more in depth seminar the following week for those who want to go into more detail, and also have teaching sessions with smaller groups from Alonso's church and with area pastors. Lots of details yet to be worked out, both in terms of content and logistics, but I'm excited about the opportunity!
And lots of prep to be done, too. I'll spend time each day working on sessions, beginning immediately. Because I knew this was in development I've been pressing getting the house ready for listing in two months and making progress on the truck. So I think I'll be in good shape if things continue to come together in all those areas.
Yeah, lots of things going on over the next two or three months. Never mind a move to Oregon.
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