TITANIC THOMPSON The Man Who Bet on Everything by Kevin Cook

TITANIC THOMPSON The Man Who Bet on Everything by Kevin Cook

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I  just finished this book about Alvin Thomas who was known as Titanic Thompson.  he was an amazing man who made his living gambling on everything. He was particularly skillful in golf, poker and horseshoes. He was a man who made millions and spent millions. He ended up broke and in a nursing home. Nevertheless, he was an  extraordinary man who lived in the roaring twenties and died after World War II ended at an old age. I'll skip his gambling skills and…

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A RANT ABOUT FINAL FOUR ANNOUNCERS

A RANT ABOUT FINAL FOUR ANNOUNCERS

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CBS and Turner Broadcasting decided they would experiment with a three person announcer presentation of the Final Four games. Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr were selected for a three man booth. Kerr had been a NBA analyst. Kellog replaced Billy Packer who had been a lead college basketball analyst for CBS for 27 years. Kellogg has done game and studio analysis for CBS for 16 years. He was to partner with Jim Nantz. So, how was the coverage?…

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ANACORTES SALMON PURSE SEINE FISHING IN THE 1950’S

ANACORTES SALMON PURSE SEINE FISHING IN THE 1950’S

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 My wife's sister, Monica is an officer at our Gig Harbor Elks Club where her husband Richard is Exalted Ruler. At the last meeting she got talking with a retired Gig Harbor purse seine fisherman Nick Markovich and his wife. She learned they knew my parents because they bought groceries at our family grocery store in Anacortes while running a salmon fishing boat in the summer. He also thought he remembered I had fished on a local seine boat Victory. She told me about the…

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ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS DEATH MESSAGE INVOLVING BASIL RATHBONE

ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS DEATH MESSAGE INVOLVING BASIL RATHBONE

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I am reading a collection of columns Dick Cavett wrote for the New York Times which he has collected into a book. In one, published in February of 2007, he talks about a conversation he had with the actor Basil Rathbone that reminded me of something I had posted in this blog back on November 30, 2009. It was about the strange death of Sam Kinison. https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2009/11/the-strange-death-of-sam-kinison.html Cavett told a similar story related to him by Rathbone. Rathbone was best…

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CREATING DEMOCRACY BY DROPPING BOMBS IN LIBYA

CREATING DEMOCRACY BY DROPPING BOMBS IN LIBYA

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President Obama has decided we should intervene in Libya and has authorized our dropping bombs on military installations as well as other military targets. He says it is to support the people and their right to freedom and to promote democarcy there. Many of us are mystified by his decision. We have now involved ourselves militarily in one more country when history doesn't support the bombing and cost is bankruptingly high. We are still mired in military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both…

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ONE PERSON, WITH COURAGE, CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

ONE PERSON, WITH COURAGE, CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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When the rebellion against the dictator of Tunisia was reported by the media, the name of Mohammed Bouazizi was a central part of the reporting. Bouazzi was one of the poor young men in the town of Sidi Bouzid struggling to make a living in a country of unemployment and poverty. Bouazizi's income was from selling vegetables, something he had done for 7 years. He was one of many who operated an unlicensed vegetable cart because the license was so expensive. He supported his family of eight…

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MURRAY “MOE” NORMAN “THE KING OF SWING”

MURRAY “MOE” NORMAN “THE KING OF SWING”

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Probably the greatest golfer who ever lived is someone you are not likely to have ever heard about. Murray Norman was born July 10, 1929 and died at age 75 in Canada September 4, 2004. Known throughout his life by his nickname "Moe" he was brought up in Canada and played golf his entire life. This is a man who won fifty five Canadian tournaments, was the Canadian PGA champion two times. He set thirty three course records. His records include three  scores…

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HOLLIS BARNETT MARCH 22,1990

HOLLIS BARNETT MARCH 22,1990

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My father in law, Hollis Barnett died on March 22nd 1990. He was a unique and wonderful man. You can read about his extraordinary wife Betty Barnett and more about this couple who I grew to love.   https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2010/03/i-write-this-in-memory-of-my-wifes-father-hollis-hall-barnett-whodied-in-puyallup-washington-on-march-22-1990-at-the-a.html  Hollis Hall Barnett died in Puyallup, Washington on March 22, 1990 at the age of 83. Hollis  was born in Buckley, Washington on May 3, 1907 and spent his younger years at Mt. Rainier National Park where his father, Herman "Herm"  Burke Barnett, was a ranger. Her man was…

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HACHIKO THE WORD’S MOST LOYAL DOG

HACHIKO THE WORD’S MOST LOYAL DOG

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Japan has been in the news because of the destructive earthquake. The news has described the calmness of the Japanese people and discussed their character in crisis. That brings to mind a Japanese dog, Hachiko who is famous in Japan. In fact, the people of Tokyo commissioned a statue of the dog which they placed in a popular location. Even Japanese children’s books make this dog a hero. Richard Gere starred in a 2009 movie of about the dog: Hachi:…

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“THE FLYBOYS” A HISTORY OF AIR POWER IN THE PACIFIC WAR

“THE FLYBOYS” A HISTORY OF AIR POWER IN THE PACIFIC WAR

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I’ve finished an excellent book The Flyboys – A True Story of Courage by James Bradley who also wrote Flags of Our Fathers, a best selling account of the battle in World War II in Iwo Jima. The Flyboys is about the war in the Pacific in World War II involving airplane warfare. While the entire book is of historical interested, I was very moved by the description of our bombing of Japan. The real horror of war is revealed in the description of…

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