"" Running Rabbit: November 2013
DEDICATED TO THE PROPOSITION THAT A BLOG CAN EXIST WITHOUT TRAFFIC, AND PROOF THAT SUCH CONCEPT IS WORKABLE, IS IN THE WORKS HERE, AND SHALL CONTINUE ON IN OBSCURITY FOR PERPETUITY.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Did Trayvon Martin Begin or Inspire the Knockout Game? Or, Did He Sucker Punch As A Lone Fistman?

Inspiration seems more likely than originate, as what he did to George Zimmerman meets the definition of playing the knockout game but transpired when he was alone and without a cadre of other punks in tow to video and laugh at the attack.

Inspire also seems likely because of the misdirected venom stirred up by the media and the career race baiting elements represented at the top by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and echoed by the leader of the once free world. Once the idea was forced upon society, as was done by major news networks and the a fore mentioned hucksters, that the death of Trayvon was a racist hate crime there was little doubt that anger within the black community would develop. That such falsely generated anger led to violence was predictable, and, while few took notice in order to keep the foment fomenting, violence in reaction did take place.

These thoughts came to me as I was viewing one news network's repeated broadcast of an acceptance speech by yet another rap artist I never heard of or listened to, in which said honoree made the bizarre choice to use that moment of recognition for his art as the time to spout his political views. As this guy spit out his rote version of the hate he is supposed to have in his heart, according to those whose approval he craves, it occurred to me that while he is reciting/inventing the statistics concerning the number of racial profiling deaths per annum, (a figure which I assume he believes and believes is only profiling toward black youths), I thought about the recent attention to that game in which one member of group takes the dare and strikes an innocent person with the intent to knock them out. And, while my mind was on that thug entertainment, and at the same time this idiot rant was going on with mention of Trayvon, the two melded in my mind and cemented my curiosity; could Trayvon's assault on George Zimmerman have a connection to this new and dangerous game.

Next, a little research revealed that the game isn't as new as I had thought, it dates to at least back to the summer before Trayvon died. And, deaths from the practice go back to at least the summer after the young man died. I find no evidence that Trayvon knew of the game, who knows though, he was involved in some fighting himself but fighting to prove yourself  tough is different from assault on an unwary non-combatant. Though, it can be said that he participated in just such behavior when he sucker punched Zimmerman and began the altercation which resulted in his death. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have that one punch ability these animals are displaying with such tragic result. So, if he was playing the game that night, he didn't play it well enough, did he.

But, I am still left to wonder, did all the propaganda and indoctrination which followed Martin's too early death, with all the falsities created and repeated, did all of that nonsense and the anger it generated lead us to more and more of these knock-out attacks. Or, sadly, were we already led to a place of cultural decline by some other event or, more likely, person/persons who uses division to advance his own prospects without regard to how such method undermines the greater good?

In this complex world I no longer strive to have the answers and I don't apologize for where events and associations carry my thoughts. Sometimes, as the notices and reminders of all the evil doings of these times collect they merge in incorrect organizations. Apples and oranges, different as can be, but the effort to sort them gets to be too much when life interrupts; sometimes it is just enough to call them all low-hanging fruit and to let them fall they where they do.




Tuesday, November 12, 2013

60

So, yesterday was the 60th birthday. Yes, I was born on Armistice Day, a holiday no longer on your calender.

A quick run down of the day's itinerary:

7:00 am at Hibiscus and played 17 holes, (they were still mowing the tee boxes and green on12 so I skipped ahead one hole. Played as poorly as one would expect after such a long time away from the game, though I had no more than two putts on any hole, driving and other shots were sporadically good and bad. I finished in two hours thirty five minutes.

Noon, I entered a live poker tournament at the Naples/Ft. Myers dog track. Shaky play, shaky hands throughout (no tell if you shake all the time), managed to stay in the game for two hours and busted out 29th of 73 who started.  The following is my account of that portion of the day, as related via email to Mat Sawicki:

So, I did go to the dog track and I entered the 12 noon tourney. 

I admit that I was nervous, and everybody could surely tell. But, I was careful to play premium hands, won a few, and got blinded into my last hand after two hours of play.

So, the last hand, my second all-in of the day; blinds were now up to 1200/600 from a start of 50/25, I had just lost 6000 while holding top pair to a fellow who had to go runner-runner to make a flush and was left with only 700 when they decided it was time to consolidate the players to the final three tables, my unlucky draw put me in the big blind on the first hand, I didn't even look at my cards until someone bet away the others players leaving it heads-up, then we all saw my two holes cards, 8, 4 to his pocket nines, the flop comes 4, 4, 6, followed by an 8 on the turn which gave me a full house, I'm going to win the hand until he rivers another nine, I lost full house over full house.

Now, the statistics you are dying to hear, the numbers man that you are. The field began with 73 players, I went out at number 29 left; I beat over half the field, and got my feet wet on how the tourney feels. Next time, I won't go so easy on them.

R

ps- I was out in time to bet the last two races. The seventh gave me a Quinella win of $38, the eighth delivered more, $62.60. So, adding up my costs and profits

Betting the dogs           $  28.00
Polish sausage                   3.50
Admission                           2.00
Program                              1.50
Poker entry                       55.00

Total Spent                       90.00

7th race payout            $  38.00
8th race payout               62.60

Total winnings               $100.60

Profit earned                 $  10.60
3:30ish pm, arrived home to find an email from Steve Johnson confirming that he and Bruce would meet me to watch the Dolphins/Tampa Bay MNF game. I arrived at Pelican Larry's (Davis Blvd) ahead of them, Steve only a few minutes later, Bruce never showed. The two of stayed until 10:30ish eating wings, iced tea, and watching the game between all the catching up and world problem solving; it was much like the god old days yet again.

The rest of night was spent with the television on and I was awake until at least 11:30.

Now I know one other way to spend a birthday when you decide to not work on that day.