This story about an autistic kid’s big game is a reminder that anyone can rise to any challenge.

Why didn’t the coach put him in sooner?

I always enjoy highlighting the efforts of those who have far more refined senses of humor than myself. The author/invitee in question is a gal whom we’ll call “Julie”. She is throwing a birthday party for her boyfriend, whom we’ll call “Chris”. I can attest that she is indeed this funny in real life.

Subject: You’re Invited

March 9, 1971. A boy is born. A boy whose big smile and dancing brown eyes will one day lighten our lives, just a little bit. A boy who will come to endear himself to each of us. A boy who will grow into a caring, sweet man who turns 35 this year.

I’m sure you all know who I’m talking about. It’s Emmanuel Lewis, star of TV’s “Webster”. Who can forget that one episode where he got into trouble and then charmed his way out of it? Or that memorable episode where he used his cuteness to get out of trouble? Ah, good times, good times.

Oh yeah, Chris was born that day too, apparently. He may not be as charming, or as cute, or anywhere near as wealthy as Emmanuel, but one thing is for sure. He’s definitely taller.

Please join me for a casual, festive gathering to celebrate Chris’s birthday. I’ll be serving my famous Patio Ribs (named after my tendency to season them briefly on the concrete) and, well, who knows what else.

Please feel free to bring a friend (especially if it’s Emmanuel Lewis). And please let me know if you can make it. Hope to see you there!

Fox News reports that BB&T, a bank in North Carolina has taken a stand against the Supreme Court’s Kelo v. New Haven decision.

The bank has stated that it will not loan any money to corporations that are pursuing commercial ventures on land that was obtained through eminent domain. Industry observers are saying that this is the first time a commercial lender has made a decision of this sort. The short version of why this is an interesting development (and the short version of Kelo) is that ED was originally intended for public-use & public benefit projects - bridges, highways, overpasses and the like. Kelo redefined “public use” and “public benefit” to include commercial redevelopment of ‘blighted areas’, suggesting that a dilapadated neighborhood is a drain on a city’s economy, whereas as private, commercial use that generates real estate and/or sales tax is indeed a ‘public benefit’.

From a statement issued by BB&T:

One of the most basic rights of every citizen is to keep what they own,” said BB&T Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Allison, a noted libertarian. “As an institution dedicated to helping our clients achieve economic success and financial security, we won’t help any entity or company that would undermine that mission and threaten the hard-earned American dream of property ownership.”

Libertarians (like the Cato Institute) are (like me) thrilled that an business institution would do this; the National League of Cities has, of course, pretty much freaked out. While it appears no one is rushing to follow BB&T’s example, it will be interesting to see if any do.

Kelo has been almost universally reviled among just about everyone. You may recall that almost immediately, some crank applied to the town in which Justice Souter has a house to take Souter’s land by ED to build a hotel & cafe. A number of states are working on legislation to take the teeth out of the decision (Texas being, I believe, the first off the line). BB&T reports that 99% of the feedback on their decision has been positive.

We all know that corporations tend to make business decisions based both on business and on institutional values & core ethics. Is this the beginning of a trend? I know the organization I work for has passed on several clients because we felt that working for them was not in-line with our core values. Anybody else have any examples of businesses taking actions like BB&T?

I was listening to an old episode (07/27/2005) of my favorite poker-related podcast, Ante Up! (podcast index | blog), when they mentioned a news story I thought sufficiently controversial for posting. A little hunt and peck, and I found the article itself.

Who’s the clown in this story? (My thoughts in the comments section.)

July 27, 2005 St. Petersburg Times (Florida)

Center opts to fold’em, not hold’em

by TAMARA EL-KHOURY

PALM HARBOR Sixth-grader Alec Burnett learned to play Texas hold’em last week, catching on quickly and winning one hand with two pairs, aces and kings.

His mom was stunned to discover her son, 11, learned the game during a teen poker night at the Palm Harbor Community Activity Center.

“If you came home and told me you played Go Fish all night I would have been fine,” said Toni Burnett, 39, of Crystal Beach. “But you came home and told me you played Texas hold’em all night.”

This week, Palm Harbor Parks and Recreation officials scrapped plans for a second poker night for 11- to 17-year-olds after the Times asked about it.

The first event last Thursday drew about 50 youths. Except for a $4 admission fee, no money changed hands. An organizer said she thought the game’s association with gambling had been sufficiently de-emphasized.

“It’s like any other card game,” rec leader MaryAnn Sanchez said. “As long as you’re not gambling for money, it could be Old Maid as far as I’m concerned.”

While Sanchez said no one meant any harm, some residents and experts worried the stakes were higher than organizers realized.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re playing for money or fuzzy animals,” said Pat Fowler, executive director of the nonprofit Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. “We would not consider doing this with any other addictive activity with our youth. Why would we consider doing it with gambling?”

The idea, Sanchez said, was to create an activity around a popular game among teens in the community. Holding the night at the community center provided a night of adult-supervised entertainment in a safe environment.

Some parents raised questions going in, but were reassured to learn no money was involved.

“Many parents called,” Sanchez said. “Some came and checked it out. Some parents stayed. But to be honest with you, parents are playing Texas hold’em at home. The kids are seeing it. It’s very, very popular right now with families, too.”

Organizers took steps to remove gambling from their games. Tables were set up for different skill levels. While beginners learned the rules from older teens, more experienced players participated in a tournament to win a $10 movie gift certificate. Tournament players who advanced to the next round couldn’t take their winnings with them. The idea was to emphasize game play over gambling.

But experts on gambling addiction said Texas hold’em is no kiddie game.

“It is probably the most addictive card game that can be played,” Fowler said. “It has all the elements that are present when people describe to us that initial high they felt and then chased the rest of their lives in a development of a lifelong addiction to gambling.”

A 2002 study by the organization said more than 115,000 young Floridians between 13 and 17 were at risk for becoming compulsive gamblers.

Everyone knows poker is about gambling, said Scott Teitelbaum, medical director of the Florida Recovery Center at the University of Florida. Kids watch poker tournaments on ESPN.

“The younger the age of introduction, the greater likelihood of developing a dependency,” said Teitelbaum, whose patients include compulsive gamblers. “What’s being romanticized, what’s being glorified is the winning, the money. That’s what kids see.”

Alec Burnett said he would love to go back for a few more hands, but he can understand why his mom objects.

“She knows we weren’t gambling,” he said, “but she said it leads up to gambling.”

Other parents are not as concerned.

Betty and Ken Van Stedum of Palm Harbor didn’t hesitate to let their daughters, Kelly, 12, and Stephanie, 11, attend the game night.

“Churches do bingo raffles. You can bet on any game,” said Ken Van Stedum, 46. “This was in a safe environment under adult supervision. I think it was a very positive thing.”

The Van Stedums said they were especially comfortable letting the girls attend the event because they admire and respect Sanchez, the highly regarded retired principal of Ozona Elementary School.

Sally Caron, 42, of Ozona, also had no qualms about letting her son Michael, 11, go to the event.

“It’s not about playing poker,” Caron said. “The whole object of this whole thing that MaryAnn Sanchez is doing is getting kids together.”

But Crystal Beach resident Gary Cradick questioned whether the fun was so harmless after seeing a flier for the teen night.

Cradick, 50, said he gambles for money three to four times a week. The reality is that most poker is played for money, he said, and teenagers can’t legally play until they’re 18. Both his sons, ages 22 and 20, have gambled away more money than they had.

“It’s a game of chance, and I don’t think at that young age that they appreciate the full brunt of that,” Cradick said. “Another phenomenon is making martinis. Why don’t they teach the kids to do that?”

Times researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report.

Copyright 2005 Times Publishing Company

“The very nature of e-mail (which, along with first cousins IM and text messaging, is an undeniably handy means of chatting) encourages sloppy “penmanship,” as it were. Its speed and informality sing a siren song of incompetent communication, a virtual hooker beckoning to the drunken sailor as he staggers along the wharf.

But it’s not enough to simply vomit out of your fingers. It’s important to say what you mean clearly, correctly and well. It’s important to maintain high standards. It’s important to think before you write.

The technology of instant — or near-instant — communication works against that. But it’s not as if you can’t surmount this obstacle. You only have to be willing to try.”

Read the whole column, entitled “Literacy Limps Into the Kill Zone,” in Wired News.