Delving into the depths of another mind can be both interesting and adventurous. Similar minds attract while different ones mesmerise...Quite often we find a person attractive or beautiful. But how many times do we find another person mentally stimulating? Like a good book or a movie, how many times does another leave us with thoughts to mull over, questions to answer and yet more questions to ask?Do you wait eagerly for the next meeting of minds with someone? How often does someone excite the mind rather than just the body or emotions?You may grow used to the sheer physical beauty of your loved one; grow out of a sexual attraction or even get used to their kindness, warmth or niceties and start taking these for granted. But there is one thing that can neither be taken for granted, nor is a trait you could get used to or grow out of. This is the stimulating power of another mind, the uncanny intricacies of the mind that attract and enrapture you.This is the one quality that doesn't come with an expiry date.As a young girl, along with other friends, I enjoyed reading Mills & Boons, not for any sexual content as most imagine (back then they didn't even exchange a kiss till the last page), but for the witty repartee between the main characters.
The almost-always petite, fiery haired and tempestuous heroine and the tall, arrogant, dark hero with superior intellect and a silver tongue. Their exchanges would hold me enthralled and for me, these became the definition of romance.If you were in love, you had to be able to exchange witty repartee; it became an irreplaceable stimulant in a relationship. The relationship of Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice too had acrimonious but stimulating conversations as the basis.We are always interested in the working of an unusual mind. Those who are predictable get boring after a while. It's the minds that are able to think differently, think out of the box, come up with new, creative ideas and keep destroying to rebuild again, that are really worth interacting withWhenever a problem is brought up, almost everybody tries to offer quick, easy and commonplace solutions. And then there may be that one person who will think different. And come up with a solution that's unusual and pathbreaking. That's the mind that operates a notch or two deeper than others.You may talk to many during the course of a day. And yet there may be the one whose conversation had the ability to make you sit up and take notice; the one whose thinking process and mind not just interested, but challenged you. That is the mind and the conversation that stayswith you, the one that you will seek out again and again. The one you will have a mind affair with.A mind affair that is quite different from a physical affair. Or even love or romance. Delving into the depths of another mind can be more interesting and adventurous than anything else in the world. While a similar thinking process and similar thoughts can be attractive and reassuring, what can be mesmerising is a different mind that challenges your understanding and the working of your own mind. It is not necessary that the mind you relate to would be attractive to another as well.Criminal minds all share a common mind-set that is disturbingly different from the average mind-set. Such proclivity towards a criminal mind is evident from childhood. The very strangeness and dangerous quality of this mind holds a different type of fascination for us and we find studies, books and movies made around the study of such a mind extremely engaging. And then there is the realm of mind games, games that highly intelligent minds play to control the minds of those lesser than themselves or those emotionally dependent on them. Such intelligent, but complicated minds can be highly dangerous and are usually associated with people who have a high IQ level. You wouldn't even realise and somebody close to you could be controlling your every thought, every action and emotion. And deriving a great satisfaction from it!It's almost like playing a game, like posing a challenge to oneself. Such a mind often veers towards obsessive and it can be very difficult to disengage from such a person who almost takes you over mentally.lso consider the twists and turns of the corporate mind, the ability to survive highly politicised situations and stay afloat with sheer power of mind. This can be a unique aphrodisiac when you win the games and the worst depressant when you lose some! It's a game of one upmanship. Such games can be dangerous for the uninitiated, though they are a deadly battle of survival that takes place every day, all the time, just beneath the sophisticated, smooth-seeming veneers of most organisations, at the higher levels.The beauty of finding a person whose mind appeals to you is that he/she keeps you fully engaged and in a state of perpetual stimulation. The effect can be a highly positive one if you do not allow yourself to be completely overshadowed but rather focus on enjoying the magnificence and intricacies of such a lively interaction and taking inspiration from it to build your own mind and grow to a higher level together
Anwar Ibrahim, the brightest talent in Umno during the 80s and 90s, is now the ruling party's Number One enemy. The bounty placed on his head by the Umno elite can be compared to that of fugitive terrorist Osama bin Laden in the Western world.
For most part of the last decade and especially now, we have witnessed all scales of conspiracies, fabrication, lies, manipulation, defamation and attacks against Anwar.
The ultimate aim of the Umno elite seems to centre and revolve only around him. And of course, how to end his political career - prematurely and unnaturally.
The reasons are simple, it is because Anwar poses the biggest threat to the Umno elite - both inside and outside the party. This may sound strange since Anwar has long left Umno, in fact, since 1998 when he was sacked and thrown into jail.
But with current crop of leaders so dismal and the Najib Razak-Muhyiddin Yassin combo a shaming flop, Umno grassroots cannot be faulted for wishing for the glory days when their party stood proud and tall.
RAHMAN flipped to NAMHAR
Optimism and hope were then bursting and Anwar's Wawasan 2020 set to sweep the country and community to new heights.
Now, there are only tired and sad plots that depend only on sex and smut to rivet public attention.
If either Muhyiddin or Najib were to speak only about their policies, they can expect to draw only yawns. Because no Malaysian could ever believe they could translate their rhetoric into performance. This is what happens with tremendous loss in credibility.
So no surprises that Najib and gang are doing all they can to keep the Umno door tightly shut against Anwar and also to demonize him to the Malay community at large.
There is this famous 'belief' that all the prime ministers in Malaysia are already pre-named by the alphabets in the first prime minister's name RAHMAN.
Tunku Abdul Rahman himself was the first alphabet, followed Abdul Razak, Hussein Onn, Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Badawi and Najib Razak. Who will be the next prime minister then?
The return of the big A
The curious within Umno and the Malay community have already flipped the code backwards NAMHAR. 'N' is for the current Najib. But who will the 'A' be?
Many Malays believe that it is Anwar.
Now, perhaps Malaysians and foreigners will better understand the inexplicable, even mad onslaught of sexual accusations against Anwar. From sodomy and homosexuality to sex with female prostitutes and promiscuity, Najib has thrown all that he has at his political arch enemy.
Such smut must be agony for Anwar and his family, but reassuring it is for Malaysians that trumped-up sex and lust are all that Najib can try to pin onto the Opposition Leader. Not corruption, embezzlement or sheer dishonesty.
Imagine the reverse if Anwar was PM - would a warehouse be sufficient to contain all the investigation files of corruption allegations against Najib and the Umno elite?
So it is that Najib - Malaysia's 6th prime minister - is running out of 'bullets'. Only jail and sudden 'accidents' are left.
Which will it be and what will happen next, only time can tell. But make no mistake, behind the PM are men of ruthlessness deep enough for the darkest deeds. The Umno elite will do what it has to do to cling on.
It is left to the Umno grassroots and all other Malaysians to put their foot down and topple them.
Meanwhile, despite the monumental pressure, the 63-year old Anwar is bearing up well. If anything, the past years have weathered him for unbearable turmoil.
It is astonishing that he is still standing and has not U-turned from any of his stated goals to bring about racial and economic equality and justice, where the priority goes to those with the greatest needs regardless of colour. -
The release by the White House of President Obama's "official" birth certificate was a poignant reminder of just how deep and pervasive racism remains in our nation.
Think about this: A sitting president has to "prove" to the nation that he was indeed born in America -- Hawaii -- and therefore eligibly qualified to be elected president of the United States!
A factually non-issue was permitted become a national issue, not because of Donald Trump and the media. No, this was the ultimate result, of the silence and tacit acquiescence of white political, religious, and community leaders, especially leaders of faith-based organizations, who sat, said and did nothing to counter this insidious new form of 21st-century racism. The silence and abnegation of moral leadership, by persons whom we should have otherwise expected to publicly to challenge this growing "birther" issue, is a stain on the conscience of our nation.
In 1963, Rabbi Joachim Prinz, then president of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) was the speaker who immediately preceded Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech at the March On Washington. The AJC was one of several major organizations participating in the March On Washington on August 28, 1963.
Obama's decision to release his "official" birth certificate in an effort to silence the challenge to the legitimacy of his American citizenship reminded me of the words of Rabbi Prinz on that occasion. He said:
When I was the rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin under the Hitler regime, I learned many things. The most important thing that I learned under those tragic circumstances was that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.
Is the "need" of Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th president of the United States, to "prove" his citizenship, yet again, another example of what some people called the dawn of a "post-racial America" following his election?
Americans are facing some serious challenges. Our national debt is $14,275,534,380,225.86 and growing. If you are not good at math, that figure is in the trillions. Unemployment is at 9.6 percent. Foreclosures caused 2.8 million Americans to lose their homes due to the banking debacle and is raising at 112 percent in 2010. Even more, Americans do not want additional taxes. And if you think the present situation can't get grimmer think for a moment about the future.
The mathematical literacy score of American youth is smack at the bottom of measured industrial nations. From Singapore to India to Iceland, other kids are academically destroying us. At least our youth measured slightly ahead of those in South Africa and Cyprus. Well, that is not exactly true; in "Advanced Math" the kids from Cyprus did better. So, where do we go from here?
HELLO POKER!
How exactly is it that a card game might actually help these challenges?
1. Poker is a multi-billion dollar industry whose profits are not taxed in America. 2. Poker has the potential, and the desire, to support philanthropic programs. 3. The knowledge needed to play poker could substantially help fill the black hole in our children's math education.
Tens of millions of Americans play poker. Many of them online. Presently, our government is not taxing either the businesses or the players. Do the math. If you thought "Wow, is that stupid" after you hit those calculations, you are probably brainy enough to be a good poker player. In fact, Joint Committee on Taxation found that regulating internet gaming would generate nearly $42 billion over the next 10 years.
Why has poker not yet been legislated? Some individuals have outspokenly objected to the idea of supporting online "gambling". The issue of gambling in America was conceded years ago when lottery tickets became available at every corner gas station. If you are playing the lottery, your odds of winning are about as good as a 65-year-old grandmother becoming the next Miss America. Additionally, multiple brick and mortar casinos across our county already offer live poker play. Saying it's okay to play poker in a casino but not at home is like saying you can go have a drink at a bar but it's illegal to have a glass of wine at your dinner table.
So, what is the status of poker? On April 15, 2011 (appropriately tax day) Federal authorities unsealed an indictment against the founders of online poker's three largest and most popular sites. In its rash poker raid the FBI also decided to leave several online sites untouched and operating.
In 2005 the World Trade Organization decided that the United States violated international agreements by prosecuting operators of offshore Internet gambling sites. The WTO rejected the U.S. argument that the restrictions were necessary to protect public morality. International communities which license Internet gambling contend that the U.S. crackdowns against foreign betting is illegal and protectionist, since gambling for money is permitted in U.S. for state-regulated betting in sports like horse racing.
Mark Mendel, the Caribbean government's legal advisor, told Reuters:
"I don't think there's another country in the world that puts people in jail for engaging in trade that's lawful under international law,"
The game of poker presents a unique challenge to our judicial department because laws related to "gambling" are extremely unlikely to hold up in any court when the dialogue turns to poker. Poker is not a game of chance.
Anyone who plays poker, or at least anyone who wins, knows that poker is a strategic game based on math and the ability to calculate statistical odds along with an aptitude to recognize patterns in an opponents play. There is less gambling in poker than in old fashioned Monopoly where the opportunities for money grubbing property accumulation are destined by the random role of dice.
Examine the arithmetic. Major poker tournaments start with fields of thousands of competitors. The average pro is easily up against over 100,000 competitors in any give year. Yet, according to Poker News, pros like Phil Hellmuth can claim not one but 11WSOP bracelets, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson ten, Johnny Moss nine, Erik Seidel and Phil Ivey eight -- the issue of chance is statistically ludicrous.
Companies running online poker in the United States should be paying taxes, regulated and following legal gaming policies. This will happen seamlessly if someone would actually write the regulations. Legislators (those guys who can't balance a budget, but make sure their own salaries will be paid, even as they threaten to halt government services and employees paychecks) need to start thinking about economic responsibilities and educational opportunities. In an environment in which 36 states are insolvent, and there is already some form of legalized gambling in 42 states, legalization is inevitable.
In addition to the taxation and educational benefits, poker is a game of staggering opportunity when applied to philanthropy. There are tens of millions of players worldwide. A huge majority of them happily clustered together online in one forum, where you have the chance to ask for their support for different causes. And, this is a community willing, able and committed to doing just that. For example, Jamie Gold, referred to as the "Poker Philanthropist" has hosted charity events that have now raised over $100 million for nonprofit organizations.
Recently, my company was speaking with Full Tilt Poker about how to bring people from around the world together in an online tournament where the proceeds would benefit the victims of the Tsunami in Japan. A project now abandoned due to a recent indictment. In addition to hosting the tournament the site was developing a click and donate option for its players. Millions of people worldwide having the opportunity to support charity. Imagine that model in play every month for different programs from education to poverty to hunger to health care.
What kind of people are playing world class poker? Chris Ferguson, Ph.D. in computer science from UCLA, for one. On his first trip to the World Series of Poker, Mr. Ferguson's consistent and extraordinary skill led him to seven final tables. Gambling? Chance? I don't think so. Another player, Andrew Bloch, has three degrees: a law degree from Harvard and two degrees in engineering from M.I.T. Greg Raymer has a Masters in biochemistry, and a law degree, all according to PokerTeam.com. Bill Gates, internationally recognized as a brilliant entrepreneur who built the world's most significant technology company, amassed a historic personal fortune and becoming one of greatest living philanthropists -- Poker player! Historically, poker has a very lofty following that includes: Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Warren Harding, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Barack Obama, and, okay, Richard Nixon.
While politicians have been pondering the future of poker, Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson created the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS), which uses poker as an educational tool. According to Mr. Nesson:
"Poker theories and situations can teach basic life skills, strategic thinking, geopolitical analysis, risk assessment, and money management."
Poker is actually a rare win-win for all parties in all situations. For Republicans who so often and so stridently speak out about Government not controlling the individual rights of our citizens, the idea of our federal administration telling people that they do not have the right to spend their own money, to play a game, from their homes, is horrifying. For the liberal Democrats who are looking for financial windfalls in taxable dollars, $42 billion is not a bad start. For the philanthropic community, these funds can make a profound difference. And, for all parties, the educational supplement for mathematics should not be glossed over or ignored.
The National Debt continues to increase an average of $4.08 billion per day. We all have much more important battles to wage then if we can play cards from our homes. And poker is a game we all lose if we don't get this right, and one where there is much to win if we play it correctly.
White political leaders, especially in the Republican Party, should hang their heads in shame. Wednesday, April 27, 2011, should be remembered as day of moral ignominy in America. It was a day that symbolized the disgraceful and tragic silence of the "good" people among our political and community leaders who did nothing to publicly challenge the irrationality of Donald Trump and others who peddled their racist garbage of President Obama's non-citizenship.
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