Daily Archives: June 19, 2017

New Docuseries Aims to Factcheck ‘America’s War on Drugs’ – NBC … – NBCNews.com

Posted: June 19, 2017 at 7:42 pm

When Gary Webbs investigative series, Dark Alliance, came out in the San Jose Mercury-News in 1996 alleging the Central Intelligence Agency was involved in the importation of cocaine into South Central Los Angeles, many people in the Black community claimed the articles proved the CIA deliberately was out to destroy Black people, and a long-standing urban conspiracy theory was born.

Webbs story has since been removed from the Mercury News website, and resulted in a two-part CIA report released in 1998 on cocaine and the agencys involvement in drug trafficking investigations, it fueled deep distrust among the Black community that is still present today.

Anthony Lapp, an executive producer behind the History Channels new documentary series Americas War on Drugs, says that although these theories around federal agencies injecting drugs into the Black community have swirled for years, this new docu-series will reveal that theyre just not true.

Of course it wasnt any kind of genocidal experiment or anything like that, what it was is the CIA basically being the CIA, Lapp said. Theyre completely amoral and they dont really look at the long term blowback effects of their operations.

Americas War on Drugs four-part series beginning Sunday night comes as the U.S. fights a raging prescription opioid addiction crisis and increase in heroin use. The series also comes just a month after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he will instruct federal prosecutors to enforce so-called mandatory minimum sentences on gun and drug offenses. While Sessions says this is meant to help get criminals off of the streets, opponents say it will mean going back to the days of harsh sentencing that will likely have profound effects on people of color.

Related: Black Lives Matter Chicago Sues City, Seeks Court Oversight of Police Reform

Lapp, alongside Julian P. Hobbs, Elli Hakami, spent a year conducting dozens and dozens of interviews with former CIA officers, Drug Enforcement Agency officers, historians and more. The crew takes viewers through an eight hour journey crisscrossing the world and deconstructing how the U.S. war on drugs truly began through interviews, old footage, and reenactments.

What they uncover is that Americas history with drugs is intertwined with fears of communism, rogue drug mobsters and warlords, the failed takedown of Fidel Castro in 1961, the Vietnam War, infighting between the DEA and CIA, and drugs -- including LSD, heroin and cocaine -- slowly making waves in communities.

Amado celebrates his rise to power at home. "America's War on Drugs" premieres Sunday, June 18 at 9PM ET/PT. Talos Films/HISTORY

But the documentary also makes the case that Blacks were victims caught in the melee of CIA operations and President Richard Nixons desire to have a law and order administration in the 1970s through the war on drugs.

Christian Parenti, a New York University professor interviewed in the documentary, said the trick with the war on drugs was to deal with a variety of things outside of the governments control.

The war on drugs brought together the peace movement, the hippies, the counterculture, African Americans, all of this stuff can be captured and addressed by force with law enforcement under the rubric of the war on drugs, Parenti said.

Toward the end of the first episode, the creators of the series include a taped conversation between John Ehrlichman, counsel and chief domestic advisor under President Richard Nixon and a Harpers Magazine journalist decades after the war on drugs is declared. Its there that Ehrlichman makes a chilling admission.

The Nixon campaign had two enemies, the antiwar left and Black people, Ehrlichman said. We knew we couldnt make it illegal to be either against the war or Black but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and the blacks with heroin and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.

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During the ‘War on Drugs,’ a scrappy band of Coronado teens made millions smuggling weed – 89.3 KPCC

Posted: at 7:42 pm

Coronado Island isn't really an island. At least, not in the traditional sense. It sits at the top of a long and narrow strip that forms the outer edge of San Diego Bay. But just because it isn't an island doesn't mean it didn't feel like one.

Before a connecting bridge was built in 1969, Coronado's isolation in plain sight of San Diego sowed the seeds of a teen drug smuggling ring. Instead of crossing the border by land, they swam marijuana from Mexico in the dead of night.

It all started as a way to pass the time, then quickly developed into a multi-million dollar drug operation. The teens would call themselves the Coronado Company.

Katherine Nichols wrote about the Coronado Company in her new book, "Deep Water: From the Swim Team to Drug Smuggling."

She spoke about it with Take Two's A Martinez.

Who were the kids who eventually became the Coronado Company?

They were kids who graduated actually, one was still in school at the time. They later recruited their high school Spanish teacher, Lou Villar, who had taught at Coronado High School from about '65 to 1970.

They seem like normal, everyday kids who live near a beach.

Absolutely. They were swimmers, they were surfers, water polo players. Eddie was a lifeguard. Bob Lahodny had been class president.

How did they get started?

Lance was one of the first guys to start doing this. It was his idea, along with another person who is Paul Acree.

They just thought, "Oh, we'll sell a little bit, make a little bit of profit, bring it to the party at the bonfire at the beach. No big deal."

In 1971, President Nixon was initiating his campaign, "The War on Drugs." This actually started to change the dynamic of bringing things across the border. I believe this created an opportunity for guys who understood the ocean. They thought, "Hmm. Why not go around?"

Tell us what these guys were facing in the water when they swam pot from Mexico back to Coronado.

That swim is terrifying. Number one, it's at night. That's petrifying. It's filled with great white sharks out there.

They were facing strong currents, huge surf where they came in, sharks, jellyfish they were very tough.

How far did they take this thing? How big did this thing get?

It got to be $100 million. That's actually a conservative estimate. Some people have said that it could have been a lot more. That's over a period of 10 years.

This activity could never have happened today with the technology and the sophistication of the DEA. But in those days, these guys managed to stay a step ahead of the law ahead of time. After an indictment, they were on the run as fugitives for another four years.

Press the blue play button above to hear how the drug empire came crashing down.

The book: "Deep Water: From the Swim Team to Drug Smuggling"

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During the 'War on Drugs,' a scrappy band of Coronado teens made millions smuggling weed - 89.3 KPCC

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Gambling With the Distressed Dozen – Bloomberg Gadfly – Bloomberg

Posted: at 7:41 pm

Fifty-six years. That's how long it would take if the one dozen companiesthe Indian central bank is pushing into bankruptcy were to repay creditors by handing over their entire current operating income.

The Distressed Dozen

It would take Jyoti Structures more than 90 years of earnings to pay back its debt. Six years ago, that task would have been achieved in under three

Source: Bloomberg

For India's capital-starved commercial lenders, at the receiving end of much of this $37 billion of unpaid debt, waiting for even 56 days without a resolution isn't an option. Hence the nuclear strike against errant borrowers.

Total debt of distressed dozen

$37 billion

The Reserve Bank of India has used authority it received only last month to identify 12 large corporate accounts for action. This is the first batch of 60 delinquencies it wants to clear up in 90 days. The target smacks of desperation. As the banking regulator, the RBI has thrown all it could at the bad-loan problem. Yet the malaise continues to worsen, afflicting almost one-fifth of all assets. If forced bankruptcies fail, the bank has no Plan B.

Pass the Capital, Please

Stressed assets are now higher than Indian lenders' net worth. But with provisioning still inadequate, selling assets below book value will need fresh capital from the government

Source: McKinsey & Co.

The risk of failure isn't trivial. These corporate accounts have one thing in common: a business family that stands to lose control. Most of these "promoters," as controlling shareholders are known in India, will useall their clout to resist any attempt to take away what they see as theirs.

Having already sold their oil-refining business to lighten the debt load, the billionaire Ruia brothers are dead set against giving up ownership of their steel business.

Essar Steel India Ltd. isn't alone. RBI's hit list has several borrowers from the industry, including Bhushan Steel Ltd., Electrosteel Steels Ltd.,Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd. and Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd.

The economics behind RBI's thinking is sound. Despite a near-80 percent jump over one year in metal prices, 55 percent of the Indian steel debt is with borrowers whose operating incomes are inadequate to service interest. To get to an interest-coverage ratio of 1, debt-servicing costs would need to fall by 70 percent, according to Credit Suisse Group AG.

The promoters would claim (to anybody in New Delhi who would listen) that this is only true at present levels of profitability. India's investment drought, they would argue, is coming to an end. Real estate is on the cusp of a frenzy. Tata Steel Ltd. expects auto demand to grow by 9.5 percent.

All it would take for the RBI to make their debt whole again is to tweak restructuring norms, so the lenders are able to exchange more than half their advances for redeemable preference shares or optionally convertible debentures. This, they would insist, would give creditors a better recovery rate than relying on a court-appointed officer to find a buyer. Besides, the funding for the 2019 general elections will have to come from Indian businessmen, not American private equity.

Maybe the RBI has New Delhi's assurance that there'll be no political interference. Or perhaps the central bank just wants to scare the promoters into coughing up fresh equity, a key sticking point in any further restructuring.

The regulator is unlikely to harbor illusions about the ability of a one-year-old bankruptcy lawand an under-prepared tribunal to work through complex cases without hiccups. The RBI'staking a gamble, using its new resolution powers via an internal committee whose membership is also secret. This lack of transparency, however, could become a tool for detractors to question its objectivity.

If the first batch of 12 troubled debtors stalls the judicial process, there'll be a question over the remaining $150 billion of stressed assets. And that kitty would swell if telecom loans joined the nightmare, as if a debt-to-Ebitda ratio of 56 years wasn't scary enough.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Andy Mukherjee in Singapore at amukherjee@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Sillitoe at psillitoe@bloomberg.net

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Freeze on gambling: In or out? – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

Posted: at 7:41 pm

CHAMPAIGN The Champaign City Council's vote Tuesday on extending a video-gaming moratorium until Jan. 23 will show how serious it is about added regulations on gambling providers.

The temporary moratorium, which bans installing and operating video-gaming terminals in newly licensed liquor-serving establishments, was passed on Feb. 21 and extended on April 11. It would expire on July 18 unless extended again.

Council members say the moratorium's purpose is to allow time for analysis and deliberation about more gambling regulations.

In Champaign where more than a half billion dollars has been wagered since September 2012 video gaming is regulated through liquor licenses and not a specific video-gambling license, which is the method Urbana uses.

Deputy City Manager Matt Roeschley said there will be a city council meeting this fall about the possible regulation methods, including ones used by cities nearby or of comparable size. If the council decides on a path then, he said, there will be enough time to prepare it before Jan. 23, plus some extra time in case of a delay.

"I think council was pretty clear that the majority is interested in regulating video gaming in some way which we don't do now," Roeschley said, noting that members are especially concerned about gambling parlors or cafes.

There are 60 places in Champaign with licensed video gambling, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board. Some 28 of them are bars/restaurants, 17 are cafes/parlors and the rest are bingo halls/fraternal establishments, gas stations, bowling alleys, music venues, hotels or veterans' establishments.

Some council members have been concerned with this type of gambling becoming commonplace in the Champaign.

Council member Greg Stock said the gambling is "particularly present in low-income areas. I think that makes it borderline predatory for people in bad financial circumstances."

Other council members have said they want to avoid government overreach.

"I don't want government stepping in to exercise moral judgment every time someone spends their money in a manner I wouldn't spend mine or in a way that's foolish and wasteful," said council member Tom Bruno.

Roeschley said he isn't aware of the city receiving any negative feedback about the moratorium.

He also said applications for operating the gambling terminals have dried up since it was first allowed.

Illinois' Video Gaming Act, which legalized terminals in places licensed for alcohol consumption on the premises, was enacted July 2009. It also allows municipalities to ban gambling via an ordinance, which was done by Chicago.

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Religion And Gambling: Studies Find The Wages Of Faith May Be Fewer Lost Wages – HuffPost

Posted: at 7:41 pm

Jimmy Carter, the 86-year-old leader of The Blind Boys of Alabama, made one point clear from the start of a recent concert set in the middle of a Connecticut casino: If you are not here for music praising God, best leave now.

For the next 90 minutes, the renowned Gospel group sang, danced and testified that My God is real, for I can feel him in my soul as if it were a Sunday morning in a black church in Birmingham.

But jumping into the lions den at Mohegan Sun casino, or in this case a venue called the Wolf Den, is just one way for religious folks to make a difference in response to an ever-expanding gambling industry.

Two new studies show religion can help deter gambling even as local governments searching for new forms of tax revenue give legitimacy to an industry that appears to exert its greatest harm on societys most vulnerable.

In one national study, people who attended religious services most often had the fewest problem gambling symptoms such as borrowing money to gamble or betting more than you can afford to lose.

A separate study measuring the different effects of faith on casino and lottery gambling and betting online found that being part of religious life generally reduces the likelihood of gambling.

For those concerned that mass gambling has been a Faustian bargain, the researchers stated, our overall conclusion that gambling varies depending on different indicators of faith suggests new pathways for ameliorating ordinary and perhaps even heavy gambling.

Nearly all religious traditions oppose the personal and social ills associated with gambling.

For example, the Quran teaches, Satan's plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?

In 2012, the United Methodist Church declared that, Gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic and spiritual life.

What adds urgency to their concern are research findings that indicate that more people suffer the easier it is to gamble.

And the negative effects fall disproportionately on the poor and disadvantaged, who are more likely to see gambling as a way out of poverty rather than investments with significant overall negative rates of return.

One of the latest studies, analyzing data from a national survey of nearly 3,000 adults from 2011 to 2013, revealed that people who lived in disadvantaged neighborhoods had the most problem gambling symptoms.

The study also found that people who said it was most convenient for them to gamble had the highest average problem gambling symptoms, compared to those for whom gambling was less accessible.

But high rates of attending religious services predicted fewer gambling ills. Those who attended religious services weekly or even more often reported the fewest indicators of problem gambling.

The pro-social individuals who attend religious services regularly are less likely to fit into the anti-social/impulsivist model of problem gambling, researchers from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Buffalo State College suggested.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith [LC-DIG-highsm-06598]

A separate survey analyzing data from nearly 2000 adults ages 23 and older found that no one religious approach worked best in response to all forms of gambling.

Being a follower of a religious tradition and greater religious service attendance reduced the likelihood of casino gambling and lottery play, the survey found. Evangelical Protestantism had the strongest deterrent effect.

But religious salience, or considering faith an important part of your life, was the only dimension that constrained online gambling.

Overall, the researchers noted, there are multiple ways religion may discourage gambling.

Simply put, spending time at congregations means less time to go to a casino. Being integrated into the life of religious institutions means one is less likely to risk being seen as a gambler buying lotto tickets. And even the most secluded form of gambling on the Internet appears to be curtailed when we consider how much personal guidance people derive from religion, researchers from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Arizona stated.

For their part, the Blind Boys of Alabama never directly mentioned gambling in their casino concert. They stayed focused on their mission of praising God.

Some gamblers left shortly after the music started and those outside the open-air venue kept their eyes fixed forward, mechanically pumping coin after coin into a sea of brightly colored slot machines.

For the people who remained, however, one song, Way Down in the Hole by singer-songwriter Tom Waits, seemed to carry special resonance.

Concertgoers themselves fell into a call-and-response tradition of shouted affirmation, dancing and applause dating back centuries as the vibrant, intricate Gospel harmonies conveyed an unapologetic Christian message:

All the angels sing about Jesus' mighty sword, And they'll shield you with their wings, And keep you close to the lord, Don't pay heed to temptation, For his hands are so cold, You gotta help me keep the devil, Way down in the hole.

Test your knowledge of faith and gambling. Take the quiz.

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Ellen Rohr: Has Gambling become a Problem? – OzarksFirst.com

Posted: at 7:41 pm

Ellen Rohr is back on KOLR10 Daybreak to talk about problem gambling - how you can recognize it, avoid it and get help for it.

Hey, it's fun to head off to the casino and roll the dice, right? You can budget a few dollars, or twenty, or a hundred. That could be the investment in an evening of entertainment. However, the enjoyment can turn to big problems. When does harmless gambling tip into life-devastating addiction? And what can you do about it? How can you help someone else?

* The form it takes

o Sure, going to the casino counts as gambling. What about online poker or fantasy football betting? How about lottery tickets?

* The 20 Questions of GA - Gamblers Anonymous. Check out http://www.gamblersanonymous.org Here are a few

* Has gambling caused you to miss work or school?

* Has gambling made your home life unhappy?

* After a big loss, do you feel like you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?

* After a win, do you have a strong urge to return and win more?

* Do you often gamble until your last dollar is gone?

* Do you ever gamble longer than you had planned?

o The Financial Effect

* Of course, loss of home, job, and relationships.

* You can go to less than zero really fast.

* Lie, cheat, steal to make ends meet.

* Pay Day loansscary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payday_loans_in_the_United_States Prop: Hand for Shark Fin

* Scarier stillloan sharks! You can report a loan shark however! https://www.quora.com/If-you-get-a-loan-from-a-loan-shark-will-reporting-them-to-police-absolve-you-from-the-need-to-repay-this-loan

o Protecting yourself from a Gambling Addict

* Gam - Anon is a good place to start if you are trying to change someone else. Mind your own hula hoop.

* Lying is a symptom of the disease.

* Lecturing probably won't help.

* It's OK to tell others. Let them know not to loan the addict money.

* Separate yourself from their credit cards, bank accounts, and

create your own. Don't share the pins or passwords. Prop: Checkbook

* If they have stopped gambling, you may work out financial rebuilding steps together. Only then.

* Lay claim to your financial power. Learn how to create, read and use financial reports. Prop: No Whining!

* Getting out of the financial hole requires "rigorous honesty". Getting out of the financial hole requires "Rigorous honesty."

o Addiction is #1 health crisis. These tips will help you confront and address the addictive challenges in your life, or in your family or community.

* What about cutting back? Try that. If you or they are gambling as much as ever, there is your answer. It is a progressive disease.

* 12 Step Programs workif you work them. It's a community of love, acceptance, surrender, responsibility.

* There are a lot of snappy quips from the 12 Step crowd. There's even a book called, "101 Common Cliches of AA". The subtitle is "The Sayings Newcomers Hate and Oldtimers Love".

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A British bet on OTB in Connecticut’s roiled gambling market – The CT Mirror

Posted: at 7:41 pm

mark pazniokas / ctmirror.org

Upstairs at Winners, the new OTB in Bobby Vs in Stamford. A bigger video screen is over the bar.

Stamford Ted Taylor settled onto an upholstered leather bench in an unfinished booth at the new Bobby Valentines restaurant and sports bar, the Connecticut Gold Coasts introduction to a plusher version of whats been a shrinking, down-market gambling niche off-tracking betting.

He is from Sheffield, England, late of Her Majestys Royal Naval Service and currently in the employ of Sportech PLC, the British company that owns the Connecticut rights to pari-mutuel betting on horses, dogs and jai alai. State records show gamblers bet $88 million last year at the states 16 OTB facilities or by computer or smartphone. Yes, theres an app for that.

Taylor showed off the new place before its opening last Friday, raising his voice above the sounds of cordless drills and hammering, pausing to check with an architect and chef, as he talked about the transitional state of gambling in Connecticut, the improbable home of two of the worlds largest casinos, the scene of a frantic lobbying fight over the rights to build a third.

Hes bullish on his downstate investment in 20,000 square feet of commercial space spread over three levels, the basement still a work in progress. He is less enthused about the expensively refurbished Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks, if only because the General Assembly just authorized a new casino four miles away in East Windsor.

How do I end up being screwed? Taylor said. How is that fair?

Its a hard sentiment softened by a matter-of-tone that suggests Taylor already is muddling on, even if he warned legislators that a casino in East Windsor would cost 35 percent of his business in Windsor Locks and 20 percent at his other closest OTBs in Manchester, Hartford and New Britain. He said he has the standing to sue, but not the intent.

mark pazniokas / ctmirror.org

Ted Taylor, who runs Sportechs OTB operations in Connecticut.

If the casino is built, Sportech figures to be collateral damage at a time when it is trying to reinvent the OTB business by marrying it to food, drink, comfy surroundings and lots and lots of technology, from iPads to a two-story high-definition screen that looms over a long bar. Not counting the latest project, Sportech reports spending $20 million on its facilities over the past six years, including about $5 million at Bradley, where there also is a Bobby Vs, named for the former baseball player and manager.

The new Bobby Vs is on Atlantic in downtown Stamford, around the corner from a Capital Grille and directly across the street from the Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist, allowing worshippers to go Mass at 4 p.m. on a Saturday and still get a bet down on the Derby before post time at Churchill Downs. Taylor assures that he and the monsignor are getting on just fine.

Taylor, 57, who flirted with playing professional rugby after 10 years as a naval officer, a career he attributes to his being tall and able to walk in a straight line, shrugged when asked if he is now a restaurateur who offers gambling, or a gambling entrepreneur who stocks a more-than-decent bar, where the top shelf features the pricey Irish whiskey, Midleton.

Yeah, its a little bit of both, Taylor said. Its the next generation of a gaming facility in accordance with our license. We know that what people want is great quality food and entertainment, and then some of them will game and vice versa. So its presenting what is known historically as the OTB market in a different perspective, with a lot more style and panache than people might expect, to try to recover from years of not being so great.

The movie image of the old OTB is a harshly lit storefront, floor littered with losing racing slips and cigarette butts. Winners, the Sportech-branded betting parlor ensconced on the second floor of Bobby Vs, is soft light, dark woods and a mix of tables and long rows of betting terminals. For true students of the ponies, there is a quiet room off to the side, where bets can made from what look like study carrels at a library.

Sportech has similar facilities in the Netherlands and California.

MGM Resorts International set off a chain reaction by winning a license to open a casino resort in Springfield, a more convenient ride up I-91 from Hartford than the trip east to the two massive tribal casinos, Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun, where gamblers collectively lost $1.56 billion at slots and table games in 2016, according to public financial records.

The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal nations, owners of the casinos, convinced legislators to pass a law allowing them to jointly build a casino just off I-91 in East Windsor, about halfway between Hartford and Springfield, to blunt the loss of market share to Massachusetts when MGM Springfield opens in late 2018.

What about blunting the loss of Sportechs market share? Legislators declined to make him whole with a cut of the gross gaming revenues from the new casino, an approach followed in some other states. Instead, they offered him a consolation prize: Raising the statutory cap on OTB locations from 18 to 24.

Since Taylors company now operates 16 OTB facilities, that means it already has two unused licenses, evidence that the state of Connecticuts blessing wasnt what was holding Sportech back from expansion. According to a report submitted to the legislature by a consultant Taylor hired, Spectrum Gaming, the betting handle for OTB in North America peaked in 2003.

Mark Pazniokas / ctmirror.org

Betting carrels in a private room at the OTB in Stamford.

That year, gross sales at OTB were nearly $280 million in Connecticut, a relative pittance in a state where residents spent $865 million the same year on lottery tickets and close to $52 million on charitable gaming. Connecticut Lottery sales cracked $1 billion in 2011 and have continued to increase, while the rest of the states legalized gambling market has suffered, squeezed by out-of-state competition.

The state of Connecticut, of course, has a vested interest in gambling. Its annual cut from the billions wagered on slot machines, the lottery, OTB and charitable games is about $590 million, down from a high of $717 million in 2006. That was the year Yonkers Raceway opened the Empire City casino, putting 5,300 video slot machines just off I-95 between New Yorkers and the Connecticut casinos.

Under an exclusivity deal with the tribes, Connecticut gets 25 percent of the gross revenues from slots, worth about $266 million and falling from its high of $430 million in 2007, the year after Yonkers opened and before the Great Recession of 2008. The lottery contributes about $320 million annually to the states general fund. OTB chips in about $3 million, charitable games another $400,000.

The only major purveyors of gambling who dont pay tribute to Hartford are the sports books, the ones who take bets the old-fashioned way, illegally and off the books, or on line from the legal safety of some off-shore haven. Congress has placed strict limits on sport betting, but Taylor and others in the business wonder how long that will last.

The recently passed casino bill authorizes the state to study and prepare for sports betting, should it become legal.

Taylor estimates that illegal sports gambling in Connecticut could be as much a billion dollars. He noted that the state spends little time trying to stop it, an assessment shared by law enforcement, so why not legalize it, regulate and tax it?

Legalized is in the open, so anomalies in betting can be tracked as evidence of a possible fix. Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, broke with the rest of professional sports in the U.S. in 2014 with an op-ed in the New York Times urging a different approach.

Taylor said sports betting would go well with his OTB parlors.

OTB works on tight margins. Gamblers bet through Sportech, not against it. Pari-mutuel is a fancy term for pool betting. All the bets go into a giant pot, and the winners divide the money in proportion to the size of their wagers, minus the take by Sportech, the track where the horses actually ran, and their silent partner, Connecticut.

Taylor says 8 percent goes to the track, 3.5 percent to the state and a 1.5 percent for various fees to keep the electronic system going.

Sportech wins on volume, not by a specific horses winning or losing. That means Taylor gets to root for his customers to win, to leave happy and come back. When they bet on the Belmont, they are betting against horseplayers in New York, plus those who placed wagers on OTBs across the county.

I want you to win, Taylor said. I want you to beat the guys in New York.

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Taxpayers: Pennsylvania lawmakers have a gambling problem – Philly.com

Posted: at 7:41 pm

Gambling is the opioid of Harrisburg lawmakers. It comes with all the hallmarks of addiction: compulsive need, increasing tolerance, and the drive to continue to consume despite negative consequences.

Lawmakers got their first real taste when they legalized gaming in 2004 and began opening slots parlors around the state. When that wasnt enough, they added table games. Then they began talking about adding video-game terminals in bars, clubs and other outlets, which they recently began pushing to help close a massive budget hole.

It is true that gambling has been a great success in the state: Slots alone have generated $22 billion in revenue, after payouts on wagers are paid. Table games have generated $4 billion. These rewards go to local municipalities who host casinos, give tax reductions to taxpayers, and help prop up the states horse-racing industry.

Of course, theres another way of seeing that $26 billion: The money gamblers lost to casinos in the past 11 years. Every year, $2 billion flies out of the pockets of Pennsylvanians and visitors from elsewhere.

Now lawmakers want to unleash another $100 million a year from peoples pockets with video-gaming terminals to help deal with a $3 billion deficit.

(If gambling were the answer to filling budget holes, why do the state budget woes get bigger every year? ) Lawmakers are also looking at new ways to slice the pie of money that comes in; a change in what casinos are taxed will set a new standard of $10 million a year per casino earmarked for those municipalities that host casinos. Philadelphias share is $7 million, with $5 million going to schools. State Sen. Larry Farnese and others want to divert some of the new amount that would go to Philadelphia to the Department of Commerce and Economic Development, a state agency that hands out grants, over which the city has no control.

So the state has mandated gambling, mandated exactly where casinos were going, and now want to control some of the money that goes to the municipalities that host the casinos.

The streets, and services, and citizens of the city are the ones accommodating the state-mandated casino. And since the state has systematically reduced its support of the schools, it seems logical that this extra money should go to the schools, not back to the state.

Meanwhile, while lawmakers tinker with the gaming law, we wish they would finally take a long look at the share that goes to the faltering horse race industry. Propping up this industry was the original intent behind the gaming law, and since gaming was legalized, the horse race industry has received over $1 billion. Yes, ONE BILLION dollars.

And yet, despite this generous infusion of cash, the industry continues to decline. Why are we propping up one special-interest group instead of the common good? Especially since the budget woes of the state are likely to be harming actual, real people, not animals.

Horse breeders and others in the horse-racing industry cry doomsday tears every time such a suggestion gets made. But lets be honest: We have one form of gambling casinos that essentially provides the winnings to fuel another form of gambling horse racing. And lawmakers who continue to feed that cycle of addiction.

Published: June 19, 2017 3:01 AM EDT Philadelphia Daily News

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Taxpayers: Pennsylvania lawmakers have a gambling problem - Philly.com

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Pune: State government to help cancer-afflicted doctor who sought euthanasia – Mid-Day

Posted: at 7:41 pm

Four days after mid-day's report, health department comes forward to bear medical expenses of government doctor ailing from cancer

Sangita, wife of Dr Bharat Maruthi Lote

Four days after mid-day reported on the heart-breaking video in which a 56-year- old doctor pleaded for euthanasia, with no idea how to pay off debts of Rs 30 lakh incurred for pancreatic cancer treatment, the state's conscience has finally woken. The Health Department has offered to cover the medical cost at the earliest, requesting that treatment not be stopped in the meanwhile.

In a letter dated June 17, the Maharashtra Health Department assured it would cover all the medical costs of the cancer treatment of Dr Bharat Maruti Lote, who spent years in service to the state as a government medical officer. But is it too late?

Having given hope of being able to pay for the expenses, Dr Lote stopped co-operating with the treatment and, as a result, his health has deteriorated. He is currently battling for his life in the ICU. His wife, Sangita, said, "When I was following up with them twice a week, they were mum. Now, without any follow-up, they approached me on Saturday, assuring me that they had started the process to provide financial support."

Also read - Pune: Cancer-ridden doctor asks permission to die in a heart-breaking video

She added, "I am thankful to mid-day for waking the health department to our plight. But now it may be too late, as my husband's health has become worse. If they had acted earlier, his condition would not have been critical."

Dr Bharat Maruthi Lote making a plea for euthanasia in the video

State's assurance The state's letter to the hospital treating Dr Lote states: "The amount of treatment has been gone up to Rs 30 lakh and this amount will be paid. Until then, please do not stop the treatment on account of money. The Chief Minister's office has acknowledged this case and has directed that action be taken to address this grievance on an immediate basis."

As mid-day had reported on June 13, Dr Lote was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March, after which his family immediately began treatment. As a medical officer posted at the primary health centre at Rampur village in Chiplun taluka, Ratnagiri, and as someone who had served the state health department for 26 years, Lote was entitled to an advance on his salary up to Rs 30 lakh to cover any medical crisis.

Weeks of silence His wife applied for the money on May 15. But with no answer from the authorities, she was forced to scrape together emergency funds Rs 3 lakh from his provident fund, Rs 10 lakh by mortgaging their home and pawning off her jewellery and Rs 12 lakh in loans from friends. Nearly a month later, with still no money in sight, her husband finally expressed his wish to give up on life altogether, requesting euthanasia in a video.

"A week ago, my husband called me and asked me to record a video as he asked for euthanasia, since the medical expenses were still rising and the government had not given us a single penny. Being a doctor, he took a government posting because he wanted to serve the poor. Is this how the government paying him back? He even received two prestigious state-level awards for his serve, and this is how he is being treated now," said Sangita.

Strangers were kinder Not everyone has been as slow to respond to their plight though. After posting the video on Facebook, the couple have received Rs 10,000 in donations from Good Samaritans online. Grateful for their compassion, Sangita said that if the money from the government comes through, these donations will go to help the needy.

Officialspeak Satish Pawar, director of the health department, said,"After the media report, I personally checked the file and found the application was pending at Mantralaya for approval. We are following up on it on an emergency basis, and the Rs 30 lakh will be provided shortly. In the meantime, we have asked that the hospital continue to treat the patient."

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Prostitution: The ‘Victimless Crime’ and its effects on one local family – Fallbrook / Bonsall Villlage News

Posted: at 7:40 pm

This story is one of a series of stories and interviews relating to prostitution and its effects on the community and families. Is it a victimless crime? Or is it just the tip of the iceberg, leaving a string of destruction in its pathway? Many therapists define sexual addiction as obsessive behavior that puts marriage, family, career, health and personal safety in peril.

We also will be examining in future stories sex trafficking, pornography and child prostitution and pornography. In some instances, like this one, the names have been changed to protect the family who agreed to be interviewed. In other pieces, the names will be changed to protect the people being interviewed because of the potential danger they place themselves in by going public.

For those who think prostitution is a victimless crime, Karen and her family wouldnt agree.

There are few things more devastating to a spouse than the betrayal of infidelity, which is intensified if it is made public. Experts say there is a psychological difference between paid sex and other types of infidelity. Visiting a prostitute is usually only about the sex. It isnt about friendship. It isnt about ego, or admiration, or conquest. It is a cold and emotionless one-sided business transaction.

Karen and Mark from outside appearances are an All American family. Karen stays home and has a home-based business that allows her to be with the children, and Mark is a career man. He loves his wife and his kids. They all go to church on Sundays and worship together. But there was an addiction that was secretly tearing their family apart.

Karens perfect world fell apart after finding out that Mark had been frequenting local massage parlors, right here in Fallbrook on Main Ave. She described her feelings as raw. She felt betrayed, deceived and disgusted. Her world was shattered and she wasnt sure if she had any blame. She wasnt sure if they would ever be the same again. She loved him, but wondered, How could he do that? She had a lot of questions, but wasnt sure she wanted to know the answers.

Mark started going to massage parlors in search of relief. He had chronic pain and didnt want to take prescription pain killers. As his visits grew into something more, he says fantasy fueled it and he never meant to hurt his wife, his family or himself, but his double life began and he was just looking for some me time.

What fueled Marks perfect storm was a porn addiction. Next week we will examine what experts are describing as the pornography epidemic. The sex industry as a whole has an excess of 25 million websites. Why is this relevant? All of the people we interviewed said their sex addiction started with pornography. It is estimated that as many as 79 percent of men age 18 to 30 view porn at least monthly. Some experts believe that the addiction is stronger than cocaine in adolescents ages 11 to14. Meaning, the pathways developed in a young persons brain upon seeing the pornographic images at that formative age has an even greater addictive effect than the actual drug.

Karen took great care of herself and looked great but she said, He wasnt really interested in me physically. She knew something was wrong, but was shocked to find out that he was bypassing her to be with weird looking women. She said, Ultimately, I represented guilt and shame because the intimacy between a husband and wife is based on love, so how can you have that when you are off having interactions with who knows what.'

She said, Lust is about taking and love is about giving. Mark agreed.

Karen said, When I found out I wanted to die. I was so devastated, disgusted by something that was meant to be beautiful. It was now dirty and disgusting. I had a self hatred and then a hatred for even being a woman. Its interesting how I turned it inward towards myself. Logically you realize its not your fault but theres a sense of control over the situation if you believe that a change of something about yourself can make a difference. But theres really nothing you can do.

And I never once turned him down for sex, so it wasnt because he wasnt given attention at home.

I broke down and fell apart. If it wasnt for the grace of God, I wouldnt have gotten out of bed. In my head, even though it wasnt conscious, I wanted him to see what he was missing. I would think, look what you are giving up your family, a wife who adores you, and your future. But trying to rationalize with someone who is in the depths of that is impossible because their mind has become so warped. Its like trying to rationalize with someone who wants to believe the lies theyve told themselves to continue the behavior. The wife is blaming herself and the husband is blaming her too [and the prostitute may also be blaming the wife]. Its so emotionally and mentally draining. I tried to guilt him, shame him into repentance.

The more anger and breakdowns I would have the less he could hear God. Yet he would still continue to frequent the massage parlors. His justification was he wasnt paying for it, he was just tipping them.'

She continued, I would say, Its so degrading. How could you? We continued to pray together and go to church. So I gave him one year. Within that year there were highs and lows and at some point I knew something wasnt right and some of the old behavior started to return and there were some nights where I couldnt relax around my husband and then I was in the position where my biggest trigger was my husband. He was still hiding something and he also realized that things werent going to get better.

Karen was giving up hope as he would say, I went to get a massage but I didnt pay for anything. The only way she seemed to reach him and get him to see was to say, Ok we can go to the pastor and talk to him. She said it was then that she left because she didnt believe anything would ever change. Leaving for the support of her family in another state, she was giving up on their marriage.

I knew as soon as I got in the plane that I was supposed to leave, said Karen. The best thing I ever did was to let go and walk away. Then he sought help on his own.

Mark called her after she left and said, Im a coward. I did receive services. Karen said, I will not be coming home.

I had friends step forward who said my kids and I could stay with them but none of this I wanted for our family, and I was angry at him for doing this to my family, said Karen.

But while she was out of town with family, Karen found out she was pregnant with his baby.

Karen said, My biggest lesson was the Refiners Fire when youre faced with that type of adversity and devastation. I could have gone and cheated or justified alcohol or other self medication. Theres a lot of temptation to gratify yourself. Theres an emptiness and grieving and loss. Its like a death I really was faced with and self has an insatiable appetite. Where doesnt it end? One thing that kept me from seeking attention from other men was the thought, Just because my husband lowered his standards doesnt mean I need to. Or to compromise my standards for myself.

But I found it very difficult, continued Karen. There was temptation. I was able to ask myself, How would it end? What I found is, you dont regret saying no, but I would have regretted saying yes. It was a time of self-revelation. There were some things in me that surfaced that I didnt like.

Mark found an inpatient program in Kentucky called Pure Life Ministry that specialized in the addictions he faced.

Karen said, After he moved back to Kentucky and was there a few months, the counselor was calling me asking if Mark could be here during the birth of the baby. I said no, because missing the birth is a small price to pay for what he did.

Then he asked me to just pray about it. The next day I was driving and I felt a tugging on my heart and I felt like the Lord was asking me, Karen, what does forgiveness look like? After that God validated me. Does Mark deserve to die of AIDS, or have a lifetime of misery that he deserves? Yes, but forgiveness is taking all those things and rolling them up in a ball and throwing them out the window. He doesnt deserve to see his daughter be born. But forgiveness is a giving up of ones right. God has taken all that and nailed it to the cross.

So I went back to the house and called his counselor, continued Karen. Bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness would have grown and grown and eventually taken over if I couldnt forgive him. I can only deal with me. I dont think theres anything in Karen that could have forgiven that man. Its only with the love of Christ.

How were you able to be intimate again? It was awful, said Karen. Visions of other women were in our bedroom. I had to accept it and get past it. Sometimes I would break down and cry. I would think I could never go back and do that again. But the change in him was what started to bring the real intimacy back. It was his desire for his wife and the design of intimacy between a husband and a wife that brought it back. In physical intimacy there is a bond and we had lost that. It was no longer an intimate experience that I could share with my husband, but one that would now entail battling repulsive images.

Will things ever be the same? I think that its a delusion to think youre going to get through life or marriage without experiencing something of the caliber where youre going to ask yourself that question, said Karen. Rape victims feel that way, people who lose children feel that way. But the [grace] is that Christ makes all things new.

What I wasnt prepared for was the spiritual intimacy that would become a new part of our marriage, continued Karen. It was an intimacy that ran much deeper than the physical. A cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). When we aligned our lives in submission to Gods will, we met on a spiritually intimate level and everything else for me became second. That is what drew us closer. The closer we both came to God, the closer we were to one another. This was new in our marriage.

And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. (Revelation 21:5)

And this was true of our marriage. There was a sense of peace I had in knowing there was never or ever would be a prostitute who could share that with him. It belonged to us and to me that was sacred.

Studies indicate that men who hire prostitutes are only slightly more likely to be single than married. And furthermore they do not appear to differ much from the general population of men.

Mark, What do you think was the reason you visited prostitutes? It was an offshoot of fantasy, he said. Some people have taken their own fantasies different ways, but for me, my body constantly hurt. My back, knees, and shoulder and I was looking for some relief. I saw what prescription drugs do to people and I didnt drink, so I justified it in my own thinking that this is just a brief moment of reprieve, me time

Was it all that you hoped and fantasized it would be? The reality is that [paying for sex] is fleeting, the outcome is never what you hoped or expected it to be, Mark said. The outcome leaves you with guilt and condemnation and a bit of ostracizing. And now its a thing that you can never talk about. Youve opened the door to a separate life or a different you, and you are who you are. You become very plastic. You start to care a lot less about people.

Mark said he started paying for services before he was married.

I was feeling the void of no girlfriend, no intimacy, no relationship and at the same time I was all that much more bitter towards women (he had gone through a divorce from his first wife), Mark said.

Mark says because he was so angry and bitter, that it was a miracle that he actually dated during the beginning stages (of massages and extra services).

The favors at the end (of the massage) I didnt consider sex, it was just the outskirts, said Mark. And the problem is, if you feed your soul that junk, thats the only thing thats going to grow. Intimacy isnt sex, but thats what pop culture had (to offer).

Was pornography a precursor? Yes, from a young age, said Mark. And if you research it enough, you will find it is ALWAYS a precursor to sexual misconduct or sexual crimes.

He added, Actually taking the step to pay for physical sex is much easier after viewing pornography and visualizing it for months. Youve already done it in your head and youve justified it to yourself. You just need the right time and that always comes when you are so willing. The adrenaline is there and its not that you dont love your wife, its different. I knew it was wrong. The guilt had no power to overcome the desire for self gratification.

Mark says he eventually felt trapped and wanted out but didnt know how to escape its grasp on him.

Mark admits paying for sex doesnt replace Intimacy. Intimacy is a deep level of friendship a man and a wife have intimacy in a healthy relationship, he said. And for instance, two guys can have intimacy without having sexual relations.

Several years later, after you were married and it all came to light, how did you feel? I felt hollow, he said. I was tired of trying to maintain a front that wasnt real. In some ways I had already known that my family was gone and that was part of the hollow feeling. I was existing in that lie.

For all intents and purposes, Mark was a good guy.

There was work that I was trying to do correctly and I was still trying to be a good guy at home, but emotionally I was quick tempered, always frustrated, had unreal expectations for everybody around me because I didnt know what a real relationship should be like, said Mark.

How did it affect Karen? She went through periods of depression, anxiety and panic attacks, because of not being able to trust me, and finding out one day that I was not who she thought I was, said Mark. Even at that point I had a hard time being repentant. I was sorry. I didnt want to see her get hurt. I was sorry I hurt her. I didnt want to hurt her. I loved her, or I had a sense of what I thought love was for her. So in my thinking, according to my definition, yes (I loved her), but in that love I still cheated on her. I didnt take care of her. I always put her below my needs. Obviously my definition of love was screwed up at best.

Some time after the initial confrontation I recommitted my life to Christ, continued Mark. Karen and I got baptized in our church but I still lacked power because my spiritual roots hadnt grown deep enough.

A comment that she made was something to the effect of, If you dont find a way to get some help or work this out, its going to kill you or youre going to kill yourself. Immediately I could say, Youre right. I knew she was right and I researched on the internet for residency programs for sexual addiction. And I knew the only real solution was going to be through God because I had already seen a sexual addiction therapist for about three months.

When I went to Pure Life Ministry, I met lots of great guys but some of them just wanted to fix this little thing. The difference for me and what I knew was that if it didnt work for me, I would be dead. I would end up diseased or dead and I was at the end of my rope, and God was able to use that.

I was shocked to learn that my sexual addiction was really sexual idolatry and that was just a fruit of a whole tree of sin where pride was at the roots. And my pride was saying Its all about me. I want what I want when I want it. When youre not focused on Christ, you can justify anything.

But the reality is if what we are doing is not for the glory of Jesus Christ, it wont last. Well be left at Judgment grasping at straws for what we did for selfish reasons.

In asking Mark if he had any parting shot, he pointed me to a Bible verse Luke 8:38-39 (NIV). The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him [Jesus], but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return home and tell how much God has done for you. So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Mark said, You see, I am that man. Not everyone wants to hear these things. I pray the soil of mens hearts are not so hard and rocky as to reject the seeds from the Spirit of God. True change is impossible without Him.

Today I can love my wife with a real love not my broken misconception of love, continued Mark. I can love my wife because of Christ inside of me. He has shown me how to love and now I just need to follow his example.

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Prostitution: The 'Victimless Crime' and its effects on one local family - Fallbrook / Bonsall Villlage News

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