LOS ANGELES – A Chicago-area man was sentenced this afternoon to 30 months in federal prison for taking nude videos of television personality Erin Andrews and posting the videos on the Internet after being rebuffed when he offered the videos for sale to a celebrity website.
Michael David Barrett, 49, of Westmont, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Judge Manuel L. Real, who also ordered the defendant to pay $7,366 in restitution to Ms. Andrews.

Andy Soltis reported, “It’s been speculated that the video was taken in Omaha, Neb., last month while Andrews was covering the College World Series. But the local police department and US Attorney’s Office said no reports had been filed with them.

Meanwhile, voyeurs who tried to access the pictures after they were taken down were directed to sites that showed a blurry video of a naked, attractive blonde, touted as Andrews.

And when they clicked on the video, they got a computer virus.

“There are lots more sites out there pretending to host the Erin Andrews peephole but really hosting malicious software,” wrote Graham Cluley, of the anti-virus firm Sophos.”

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Real noted that, as a result of Barrett’s conduct, Ms. Andrews will suffer for the rest of her life.

Barrett pleaded guilty December 15 to a federal charge of interstate stalking with the intent to harass and to cause substantial emotional distress. Barrett admitted that he stalked ESPN reporter Erin Andrews over an 18-month period. Barrett’s conduct included tracking Ms. Andrews to at least three different hotel rooms in three states in 2008. Barrett made the videos after removing the peephole device from the door in one of the hotel rooms and using his mobile phone to capture video of Ms. Andrews while she was naked.

In January 2009, TMZ.com was offered the opportunity to purchase the nude videos via email messages, an offer that the celebrity website immediately declined. Barrett subsequently posted 10 of the videos on the Internet, identifying Ms. Andrews as the victim.

During today’s sentencing hearing, Ms. Andrews told the court of the fear, anxiety and public humiliation that she suffers as a result of having been stalked. “I’m being victimized every day…and I did nothing to deserve it,” Ms. Andrews said, adding the videos will likely always be on the Internet.

In court papers filed in support of their request for a prison sentence in this case, prosecutors told the court that Barrett posted on the Internet another 32 videos that depicted another 16 as-yet-unidentified victims.

The case against Barrett was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office, which received assistance from the FBI’s Chicago Field Office.

Photo by Muffet. All Rights Reserved.

Everyone is talking about Josh Beckett’s recent performance. According to the Redsox Monster, “We’d like to take this moment to reintroduce you to Josh Beckett, resident curmudgeon on the Boston Red Sox.

Billed as a guy who’d prefer to take a sharp line drive through the wickets, he doesn’t smile. Ever. Nope, not this guy. He only slings fastballs and rotten tomatoes, the latter of which occur primarily during Dustin Pedroia karaoke performances. Seriously. You can look it up.”

BoSox Injection wrote, “With the incredible performance by Josh Beckett on Monday, I began to think about the history of Red Sox no-hitters. In the projected starting rotation to begin the 2010 season, 2 of the 5 pitchers have accomplished the feat in a Sox uniform, both while in their mid-20’s. Since 2000 there have only been 14 complete game no-hitters and 4 of those have been thrown by Red Sox pitchers.In that same span of time, only 2 other teams have had multiple no-hitters thrown, the Florida Marlins (2) and the Chicago White Sox (2).

Complete game no-hitters are one of the rarer feats in the game of baseball. It takes perfect command of all pitches, at least one spectacular defensive play, some luck, and pitch efficiency. Most pitchers would be happy to have one of those qualities on any given night, but Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester were able to deliver the complete package. The impressive string of no-hitters is a new phenomenon in Boston during the 21st century, after many years without this level of success.

Hideo Nomo’s complete game no-hitter on April 4th, 2001 was the first no-hitter for the Red Sox organization since 1965 when Dave Morehead no-hit the Cleveland Indians. On 84 different occasions during the 36-year drought, a major league pitcher threw a no-hitter. Those numbers point out how difficult and rare the accomplishment is and how impressive the Red Sox staff has been in the 21st century to have been witness to 29% of all the no-hitters thrown in the MLB.

In my mind, the most telling stat is that 2 of the 4 Red Sox complete game no-hitters since 2000 were thrown by 22 year-old Clay Buchholz and 24 year-old Jon Lester. It speaks volumes for the Red Sox scouting system and minor league development program that 2 extremely young pitchers can emerge on the major league scene and have the ability to immediately have a huge impact on the game. If you factor in former Red Sox farm-hand, Anibal Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter with the Marlins the year after being traded from the Sox at age 22, it is impossible to ignore the unrivaled success of the Red Sox system.

One of the many people behind the scenes helping to make the organization’s player development program a success is Ben Cherington. Many may remember his name from his brief stint as the co-GM of the Red Sox (with Jed Hoyer) when Theo Epstein stepped down. Ben has been with the Sox organization since he was hired by everyone’s favorite GM, Dan Duquette in 1997 and has played a crucial role in improving and growing the player development program for the Red Sox. His vision and commitment guided the program to new, unthinkable heights.

After Cherington was promoted to VP of Player Personnel in 2006, Mike Hazen came over from the Indians organization to fill Cherington’s role as the Director of Player Development and has continued to improve the already high standard of excellence. The Red Sox minor league system is always stocked with talent, as are many other organizations, but very few are able to continually produce the type of young talent that is ready to succeed at the major league level when called upon.

Of the 39 players on the current Red Sox active roster, 14 (36%) were drafted by the Red Sox over the past 10 years. Of those 14 players, 8 or 9 will most likely start the year with the Sox, with the potential for 1 or 2 more to make an appearance at some point during the season, or at least after September 1st when rosters expand. These players have developed the skills in the minor league system to not only be able to contribute at the major league level, but also to succeed in the big leagues.

The number of complete game no-hitters a team has thrown is not the most scientific or accurate way to determine whether the team will be successful or not, but it certainly shows a strong commitment to excellence beginning with scouting and continuing through to the majors. The Red Sox staff has done a stellar job in all facets of the player development and consequently has made the entire organization stronger, from A-ball onward. After years of success, there is no end in sight, thanks to the hard work of the Red Sox staff.”

Photo by Yogma. All Rights Reserved.

Michael Finley has had a great career landing positions with some of the best in the league. In San Antonio he adapted well to a secondary role as Manu Ginóbili’s backup, developing and emphasizing his outside shooting. The Spurs were knocked out of the 2006 NBA Playoffs by his former team one year after he made the switch.

During the series, Finley was punched below the belt by former teammate Jason Terry during Game 5, which earned Terry a suspension for the next game of the series.

In the fifth and final game of San Antonio’s first-round series against Denver in 2007, Finley set the Spurs’ record for three-point field goals in a playoff game, making eight of nine attempts. He eclipsed the previous record of seven set by teammate Bruce Bowen in 2003.

Finley won an NBA championship in 2007 with the San Antonio Spurs in his 12th NBA season. He was given the “game ball” by his teammates, and specifically mentioned in post-game interviews by Robert Horry and Tim Duncan. Out of the original trio from the Dallas Mavericks, he became the first to achieve a title, surpassing the 2006–07 NBA MVP Nowitzki and previous two-time MVP Nash.

At Finley’s request, the Spurs bought out the final year of his contract and waived him on March 1, 2010, freeing him to sign with another team.

According to Hardwood Houdini, “Earlier this week the San Antonio Spurs released veteran swingman Michael Finley. It is now three days later and he is now about to join the team that many compare with the Spurs, the Boston Celtics. Yesterday on WEEI Celtics GM Danny Ainge mentioned that he was interested in pursuing Finley. Today he pursued him and now, according to multiple sources, Finley is headed to Boston.

Via Chris Forsberg (ESPN Boston):

The Celtics agreed to a deal Thursday with free agent swingman Michael Finley, bringing the 15-year veteran to Boston in a move aimed at bolstering the team’s roster for the stretch run.

“It’s official now,” Finley told ESPN.com on Thursday afternoon after verbally committing to Boston. “I’m soon to be a Celtic.”

You heard the man, it is official. It seems as though Finley is excited to join this storied franchise and hopefully he can be a much needed positive presence in the locker room. Finley is in his 15th season in the league and holds a 15.9 points per game average. It is clear that Finley is on the down-slope of his career (3.7 ppg this season) but the Celtics hope he can add some insurance to the already deep bench.

As for what I think, I’m stuck wondering what his role on this team is going to be. In all reality his minutes are going to be very limited behind Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Marquis Daniels, and Tony Allen. The only thing that I can come up with is that he is going to be a nice addition to the locker room and insurance in the case of (dare I say it)… injuries.”

Source: Hardwood Houdini

For more great Celtic stories please visit Hardwood Houdini.

Donny Chia with Harvard Blogs reported, “Just few days back we discussed about the issue of State Indian Tribes in California demanding legalization of online poker in our blog post, “State Indian Tribes Wish Online Poker Legalized in California!” and to our surprise buzz is going around that California Senate is holding a session to discuss Online Poker issues. Now this is what I call true motivation and courage down under. All these days perhaps for the fear or law and punishment many poker lovers had to suppress their love for poker, but little courage from small groups proved fruitful.

During the table session, different ideas were there on the table in California and surprisingly poker was the hot topic of conversation yesterday in California Senate. It seems there would be some kind of compromise to the issues demanded by State Indian Tribes as well as those who love to poker online from the convenience of their homes. According to reports the Tuesday’s meeting in the California Senate was historic because there were discussions about online poker which is considered illegal in the US and strict laws govern such online gambling. Nearly 35 presenters in the Senate testified on the advantages and disadvantages of having an online poker system in California.

Regarding the issue, discussions in the California Senate presented differing viewpoints and interests. The attendance in the Senate included Native American Leaders, international online poker providers, university professors, anti-gambling advocates/moral police, gaming analysts, brick and mortar casino representatives, government officials and also the members of the famous Poker Players Alliance members. All were present there in the discussion that took place.

During an interview Steve Miller, Director of PPA California explained the enthusiasts card players what exactly happened in the senate discussion and the big meeting. He called it an informal meeting and further said, “It was sort of an introductory session, a fact-finding session. It was meant to inform the legislators about what the issues are.” (Poker Info Today, 2010) Even though the meeting has been described as informal, this is an indication how serious the issue of such online gambling has become over the time with more and more Americans joining online casinos to play the game.

It is good to see the legislators are considering the issue to regulate the online poker industry and look after the proposals made from different sections of society. Although no specific bill was talked about, but the legislature spent the whole day on the issue discussing the merits and demerits of online poker legalization. The online poker session in the senate started at 9.30 am to 5.30 am that provided dozens of people opportunities to testify the issue and also answer questions that were raised in the senate by the anti-gambling advocates.

Tuesday’s discussion was a stark contrast to what happened last December in the senate when Rep. Barney Frank tried to help his federal poker hearing before a small committee where only few experts testified. The meeting in the senate this Tuesday indicates that it is now time to take the online poker seriously and move ahead.”

Online poker is still a hot issue. This is what wiki has to say about the legal history of it all, “From a legal perspective, online poker may differ in some ways from online casino gambling. However, many of the same issues do apply. For a discussion of the legality of online gambling in general, see online gambling.
Online poker is legal and regulated in many countries including several nations in and around the Caribbean Sea, and most notably the United Kingdom.

In the United States, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill in February 2005 to legalize and regulate online poker and online poker cardroom operators in the state. The legislation required that online poker operations would have to physically locate their entire operations in the state. Testifying before the state Senate Judiciary committee, Nigel Payne, CEO of Sportingbet and owner of Paradise Poker, pledged to relocate to the state if the bill became law.

The measure, however, was defeated by the State Senate in March 2005 after the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to North Dakota attorney general Wayne Stenehjem stating that online gaming “may” be illegal, and that the pending legislation “might” violate the federal Wire Act. However, many legal experts dispute the DOJ’s claim.

In response to this and other claims by the DOJ regarding the legality of online poker, many of the major online poker sites stopped advertising their “dot-com” sites in American media. Instead, they created “dot-net” sites that are virtually identical but offer no real money wagering. The sites advertise as poker schools or ways to learn the game for free, and feature words to the effect of “this is not a gambling website.”
On October 13, 2006, President Bush officially signed into law the Safe Port Act, a bill aimed at enhancing security at U.S. ports. Attached to the Safe Port Act was a provision known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

According to the UIGEA, “unlawful internet gambling” means to place, receive, or otherwise knowingly transmit a bet or wager by means of the internet where such bet is unlawful under any law in the State in which the bet is initiated, received, or otherwise made. Thus, the UIGEA prohibits online gambling sites from performing transactions with American financial institutions. As a result of the bill, several large publicly traded poker gaming sites such as PartyPoker.com, PacificPoker.com and bwin closed down their US facing operations. Some operations have not closed and it is still possible for some American players to play online for real money and even sign up for new accounts. The UIGEA has had a devastating effect on the stock value of these companies.

Since its passage, several members of the United States Congress have introduced bills to overturn or revise the UIGEA.

Following passage of UIGEA, former U.S. Senator Al D’Amato joined the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). Part of the PPA’s mission is to protect and to advocate for the right of poker players to play online. Sen. D’Amato’s responsibilities include Congressional lobbying. In April 2008 the PPA claimed over 1,000,000 members.[10][11] The organization claimed just over 800,000 members in October 2007.

Other grassroots organizations, including the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, have formed in opposition to UIGEA, to promote the freedom of individuals to gamble online with the proper safeguards to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of financial transactions.

On November 27, 2009, Department of the Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke announced a six month delay, until June 1, 2010, for required compliance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). The move blocks regulations to implement the legislation which requires the financial services sector to comply with ambiguous and burdensome rules in an attempt to prevent unlawful Internet gambling transactions.”

Bruins photo by Dan4th. All Rights Reserved.

Here is a complete look at how the Bruins come away from the past two days leading up to today’s trade deadline:

♦ Incoming:

D Matthew Bartkowski
D Steve Kampfer
D Dennis Seidenberg
D Cody Wild
2011 conditional fourth-round draft pick

♦ Outgoing:

F Byron Bitz
F Matt Marquardt
D Derek Morris
F Craig Weller
2010 second-round draft pick
Conditional (2010 or 2011) fourth-round draft pick

After months of hype, the energy swirling around this season’s trade deadline seemed to evaporate with Ilya Kovalchuk going to New Jersey. Still, as always, rumors swirled. Names such as Teemu Selanne, Peter Mueller, Tomas Kaberle, Dan Hamhuis, and my personal favorite, Bobby Ryan, were all tossed around in connection with the Bruins. At the end of the day though, the Bruins enter the stretch run in the same shape…at best.

Peter Chiarelli has been adamant over the last couple of seasons about not making a deal just to do it. I come away from this deadline though feeling like he went against his own rule. After a couple of minor deals, the Bruins traded Derek Morris in what looked like a precursor to a bigger deal, seeing as how they freed up $1 M. It was certainly a precursor, but I’m not sure if the subsequent deal for 29-year-old defenseman Dennis Seidenberg can be put in the “big” category.

“Boston receives a conditional fourth-round pick for Morris (with the condition being a third-round choice if the Coyotes resign him) in 2011. Forward Byron Bitz, minor league forward Craig Weller and a 2010 second-round draft choice (the same pick the Boston acquired from Tampa last year in the deadline deal for Mark Recchi) head to Florida.” according to Dan Rowinski.

This season, Seidenberg has 23 point in 62 games and represented Germany at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He leads the NHL in blocked shots (179) and is what Claude Julien called, “one of those guys that plays hard.” Still, I don’t really see much value in the trades, especially if Seidenberg (who will become an unrestricted free agent after this season) doesn’t resign with the Bruins. This team lacks offensive fire power and nothing was done to address that need. Additionally, the swap of Morris for Seidenberg may be a slight-upgrade (at best), but it cost the Bruins Byron Bitz, a prospect, and a second-round draft pick to get done. Today just didn’t make a lot of sense to me and seems to contradict Chiarelli’s previous philosophy.

Now, unlike some, I was not hell-bent on making a trade at the deadline. Unless the B’s were to net a big-time player in return (like a Kovalchuk), I felt like the Bruins’ first-round picks should be off limits. Fortunately, they were. Still, the Bruins gave up much more than necessary to essentially swap Morris for Seidenberg. Personally, I liked Morris and the way he moves the puck. Only time will tell what Seidenberg’s impact on this team will be. For now though, along with many Bruins fans, I’m left scratching my head after an uneventful, parallel-moving, contradictory trade deadline by the Bruins front office.
Trade Analysis written by Bruin’s sports reporter Ricky Doyle.

Sold out photo by Joyosity All Right Reserved.

B-Dogg from BoSox recaps Rocco Baldelli’s recent struggles, “After spending last season coming off the bench for the Red Sox, Rocco Baldelli has returned to the place he began his big league career, Tampa Bay. Being hampered by a disease that causes him to fatigue easily and be prone to injuries, Baldelli has seen limited playing time over the past several years and was placed in the difficult spot of having to hang up his cleats, at least temporarily. Luckily for all of us, Baldelli will remain in baseball as the special assistant to the Tampa Bay Rays, working with younger players and their development.

Baldelli has always been a player who epitomizes patience and respects the game. His potential for success at the major league level appeared limitless after he made his debut in 2003 with Tampa Bay playing in 156 games, hitting .289 with 11 HRs, 78 RBIs and 27 SBs. In the following 2 years, Baldelli continued to improve his power and was impressive defensively until injuries began to creep up on him and limit his playing time.

Over the next few years, Baldelli’s playing time decreased due to injuries and fatigue, leaving the Tampa Bay organization concerned about their young talented outfielder. Finally in 2008, Baldelli was diagnosed with mitochondrial disorder, explaining his sudden drop in playing time and increase in injuries. His career would never be the same, but his passion for the game remained and when healthy and rested, Baldelli’s ability is still there.

“On January 8, 2009 Baldelli signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, reported to be worth a base of $500,000 plus up to $6.75 million in incentives. Baldelli continued to wear number 5 with his new team, becoming the first Red Sox player to wear that number since the departure of Nomar Garciaparra in 2004.

Baldelli hit his first home run for the Red Sox on May 9, 2009 at Fenway Park against his old team, the Rays. For much of the season, however, he continued to struggle through physical ailments, landing on the 15-day DL twice and sitting out numerous contests with hamstring pulls and other issues.

For the year, Baldelli appeared in 62 games for the Red Sox, hitting .253 with 7 HRs, 23 RBIs, and 1 SB. Boston made the playoffs as the AL wildcard team, but Baldelli was left off the team’s postseason roster. After the season, he became a free agent.”

In 2009 with the Red Sox, Baldelli appeared in 62 games and hit .311 with 7 HRs in 150 ABs, playing a pivotal 4th outfielder role off the bench. This off-season Baldelli had been battling an injury, and it became clear teams were not interested in bringing on a player that could only appear in a game every few days, despite his age and ability when healthy.

I don’t think I’m ready to retire, I’m only 28 years old. But at this point I can’t really do what I want to do on the field. I wasn’t comfortable going to spring training this year, because I wouldn’t be able to perform. – Rocco Baldelli (courtesy of tampabay.com)

I am extremely glad Baldelli has gotten the opportunity to share his excitement and passion for the game with others, even if he isn’t on the field. His career is certainly not over and I would love to see him play in the majors in the future, but for now, Baldelli can give back to the organization that helped him grow and develop into a major league player.”

According to bpaul from Hardwood Houdini, “With the Celtics struggles as of late people have been pointing fingers at anyone and everyone associated with the Boston Celtics organization. That finger has been pointed at Kevin Garnett’s knee, Ray Allen’s decline, Rasheed Wallace’s horrible play, and Danny Ainge’s actions at the trade deadline, just to name a few. One person that has yet to really be called out is the man in charge of managing this team, Doc Rivers.

No he isn’t a manager, no he’s not a general manager, but he is the coach. His responsibility is to manage this team whether that be through practices, managing rotations, or giving certain assignments to his players on and off the court. I am not going to start bashing Doc now because I respect what he did to help raise banner 17, but let me just tell you that he will not be in consideration for NBA Coach of the Year this season.

Today there was some small controversy started over Twitter when ESPN’s Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy, tweeted the following:

Via Bill Simmon’s Twitter Account:

“Here’s my question: How many more dumps can the Celtics take before someone blames the coach?”

Of course as you would expect people came to Doc’s aid and supported him stating such things as: “Doc can’t play on the court”, “He helped us win in 2008″ and other similar things you would expect if someone constructively criticized the coach of the Boston Celtics.

All of these comments are true but they lack the sense of reality. This season there are two things that members of the media, fans, and bloggers have stated as clear problems; focus and chemistry. Okay now think about that for a minute… focus and chemistry. Maintaining focus and chemistry in the locker room are two things that the coach of a team should take responsibility for.

This season Doc has not taken responsibility for those two things, instead pointing the finger at his team and expecting them to change just by saying “ta-da”. I hate to tell you Doc but it just does not work that way, it’s time for you to be a coach and address some of these issues. If it’s chemistry, sit down with your team and settle these things QUICKLY. Or if it’s focus, address the team about this issue and if the players on the floor aren’t focused put someone else in.

Speaking of putting someone else in, have you seen Doc’s rotations as of late? More particularly, why does he continue to play Rasheed Wallace more than Kendrick Perkins? Is he that set on playing veterans that he has to play a guy that’s giving zero effort, over a guy that gives it his all and doesn’t crack a smile while on the court? Granted, all of this doesn’t account for twenty point blowout losses but it does account for a small portion of why this team is not performing at it’s higher potential.

Since Doc’s tenure in Boston, even during the 24 win season, I have supported him wholeheartedly. I have never road the “fire Doc” train and I still don’t plan to in the future. Like the rest of us Doc is human and he makes mistakes. At this time of the year, a year in which we are expected to raise banner 18, Doc needs to take some responsibility and help turn this team around.”

For more great Celtics news stories please visit Hardwood Houdini.

What are fans saying on the message boards?

“…I think in a lot of ways the disappointment for this season rests squarely on the players and father time catching up to them. The players for the most part have played well below expectations. And injuries, some avoidable, some not, and age and the resultant combination of the two have been devastating. Baby’s almost self inflicted injury(he should have known better than to get into a fistfight), the very foreseeable injury to Marquis Daniels(he’s just prone to injury), KG’s known injury and long crawl back from it(which still hasn’t been 100% successful) and Pierce’s myriad of problems have killed this team. Older players ability to recuperate and heal fast have also.” (PLamb – Celtics Blog)

“I feel the problems the team has is a combination of bad luck,injuries,possibly some players issues we don’t know about.Coaching,coaches are low on my list of issues with this team,its the players who take the court and its up to the players to work out whatever the problems are thats keeping them from finishing games the right way. Remember this is a veteran team,not a collection of rookies and second yr.players.What else can Doc do or say to KG, Pierce or Ray they haven’t heard over the yrs.? They know what needs to be done and i still believe they will get it done.” ( housecall – Celtics Blog)

Well, sports fans, here we go. Lent Madness has arrived. The initial matchup in our saintly smackdown pits Aelred vs. Anskar. Cast your votes below and afterwards I’d love to hear some comments and/or lobbying on one or the other’s behalf. The polls on each head-to-head competition remain open for 24 hours before a winner is declared. For the full 32-saint bracket, click here: Lent Madness 2010

Aelred (1110–1167) was an English monastic and writer who served as Abbot of Rievaulx from 1147 until his death. As a writer, his best known work was On Spiritual Friendship but he also wrote seven works of history.

Interestingly, Aelred’s writings on friendship have made him the patron saint of several gay advocacy groups including Integrity. And while he seems to have rejected homosexuality in his other famous work Mirror of Charity, along with any sexual activity outside of marriage, some have inferred from his writings that he was gay.

This passage in particular seems to have raised the eyebrows: “While I was still a schoolboy, the charm of my friends greatly captivated me, so that among the foibles and failings with which that age is fraught, my mind surrendered itself completely to emotion and devoted itself to love. Nothing seemed sweeter or nicer or more worthwhile than to love and be loved.” Was Aelred gay? It’s not clear.

The Collect for Aelred: Pour into our hearts, O God, the Holy Spirit’s gift of love, that we, clasping each the other’s hand, may share the joy of friendship, human and divine, and with your servant Aelred draw many to your community of love; through Jesus Christ the Righteous, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Anskar, though born in France in 801 and named Archbishop of Hamburg in Germany, is most closely identified with Scandinavia. He was a missionary to both Denmark and Sweden and he consecrated the first bishop of Sweden. The Church of Sweden honors him as its apostle and he serves as a symbol of the historic friendship between the Anglican Church and the Church of Sweden.

One of Anskar’s best known quotes occured when one of his followers suggested to him that he could work miracles. He replied, “Were I worthy of such a favour from my God, I would ask that He would grant to me this one miracle, that by His grace He would make of me a good man.”

The Collect for Anskar: Almighty and everlasting God, who sent your servant Anskar as an apostle to the people of Scandinavia, and enabled him to lay a firm foundation for their conversion, though he did not see the results of his labors: Keep your Church from discouragement in the day of small things, knowing that when you have begun a good work you will bring it to a faithful conclusion; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Vote Here.

Lent madness is brought to you by Father Tim Schenck.

Donny Chia reported, “Paul Wasicka the prodigy wins Tunica Championship and he overcame 96 Players to win $139,422. Such stories are really inspiring for young fellows like us who dream a lot to win a poker tournament. But the bad news is that only God knows when the US laws are going to legalize the poker games online.

“Paul J. Wasicka (born February 17, 1981 in Dallas, Texas) is a professional poker player, based in Las Vegas, Nevada who was the runner-up at the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and the winner of the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

Wasicka started playing poker in 2004 when he attended an underground tournament in Denver, Colorado. He formerly worked as a bartender and restaurant manager before shifting over to poker. Wasicka finished as runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event, winning over $6,000,000.”

“Though few states have shown some interest in table games as well as electronic bingo, online poker has miles to go before it becomes a dream of every college or university poker player to play it from his apartment or hostel room. Even though a few dared to play the game online with websites based in some other countries, the new laws have even directed credit card companies to block deposits money to online or illegal poker sites.

Well, our bad days would soon be over, what do you say guys? Hope so! Coming back to this fellow, Paul Wasicka, the 2006 World Series Poker main event runner up is the champion of 2010. He is a great motivator and inspiration for those who wish to really make big in poker. Just imagine his perseverance and patience.

He took four years to achieve this feat. And so, guys we learn a lesson that dumb heads like us should not think of becoming a millionaire in one day because Rome was not built in a Day! Wasicka is a well known poker professional, and you can learn a lot from his blog. Many poker players are his fan. He loves to play the game in his own style and that’s where he stands different from others. He really kicked start this year with this win.

The second position has been occupied by another champion, Mr. Hoyt Corkins, who recently in January won the World Poker Tour Southern Poker Championship; that was his second WPT title. Jeff Madsen another popular poker player could not make a slot in this tournament though he made his career earnings nearly $3,245,105 with his last win of Borgata Winter Open Championship.

The World Series Poker Event was held in Tunica, Mississippi on Wednesday February 10, and he Wasicka won the World Series of Poker Circuit $5,000 no-limit hold’em. And guys when it is Texas hold’em you must realize how much patience and brilliant game he might have played to outsmart other masters in the event. With this win of $139,422 he made total $7,768,115 of his career earnings.

Throughout the event, the man remained cool and didn’t let his cool temper and emotions a slip, and when he came to the final table, he became more confident with a chip lead of 454,000. While giving an interview to the representatives of WSOP Wasika said, “Other than the heads-up championship, this was my first major tournament win.

This is something that I’ve been searching for, for a very long time.” (Lucchesi, 2010) So, even we can also have something that we are searching for. All we need is half inspiration and half dedication. Half inspiration we got from Wasicka and the dedication now depends on our activity.”

“Gaming and gambling in the United States have undergone a great boom. During the past decade most states have expanded legalized gaming, including regulated casino-style games and lotteries. There has been an explosion in opening Native American casinos. Gambling and betting online has increased exponentially.”

“In the case of the EU, European Union officials have taken a pretty clear pro-online gambling position and even though some individual member states have attempted to legislate on the activity, bans are generally prohibited and run counter to EU law, which must feature conformity across the Union. In the U.S., attempts have long been made to legislate against online gambling, but such attempts have generally been made on a state-by-state basis and they all focused on different laws and practices regarding online gambling. Until recently, the activity was generally considered a legal gray area (especially in the U.S.).”

Donny Chia with Harvard Blogs recaps the latest political gambling vote in a recent blog post, “Hurray! Now sports betting can soon be legal and can be done in racetracks and casinos provided the federal government ban on sports betting is eliminated. A State Senate Committee has proposed a constitutional amendment on Monday to allow sports betting in Atlantic City Casinos and New Jersey Race Tracks if and only if the federal government withdraws the band on this particular gambling.

When a proposal was scheduled before a State Assembly committee, a vote was allegedly put off by Assemblyman Mr. Vincent Polistina, Repulic-Altantic on the grounds that he would propose changes only to limit the sports betting in the casinos not in the racetracks. However there is more support for legalizing the sports betting at both these arenas.

It is reported that 4-0 vote by State Senate Government, Tourism, Wagering and Historic Preservation Committee has been sent to the full Senate for consideration of the constitutional amendment. If the Senate approves the proposed amendment, it would propose to voters to give their consent in November whether they would like to authorize sports betting or not.

What do you think would be the reaction of voters to such kind of proposals? I think those who love sports betting will definitely node, but a little conservative population would have a different take. Now the ball lies in our court too. We must mobilize people to vote such legalization for the sake of state funds. Imagine the tax the state would benefit from such betting, and it will also stop illegal counters and goons performing such sports betting. Let the State Senate approve it first, and then we will see what will be the reaction of the people.

The amendment could ultimately bring an overall change to the scenario. What people do it now illegally and in clandestine would be an open affair and betting would be allowed on college, professional and amateur sports events too by telephone, in person, and over the internet. But it is said that it will only restrict sports betting on college games played in New Jersey or any game in which New Jersey College team plays.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, narrated how legalizing the sports betting was going to bring revenue to the state and increased the earnings of casinos and race tracks. legalized sports betting would raise $100 million in new state revenues and generate $500 million for the casinos and racetracks.

Supporting Raymond, Senator Jeff Vand Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic who is also a co-sponsor of bill (SCR-49) stated that such legalization of sports betting at gaming industry is required at casinos or racetracks to increase the revenue and counter the competition that has been posed to the state already by states like Delaware, Pennsylvania and the other Northern States by legalizing few popular casino table games and online games. Polistina, a committee member said that in the scenario where casino revenues continue to decline over the months, such a development of sports betting at casinos would be a good way to tackle the revenue collection.

And when it is the matter of state revenue and declining income, there is a possibility that sports betting would be legalized in the coming days.”