I don’t believe in luck myself; well not in the sense that I personally have nothing to do with an outcome in a particular set of unpredictable circumstances.
Certainly I understand you have to be in to win – if you don’t buy Lotto tickets you sure as hell are never going to get that truck full of money – but that’s it.
My dear old dad used to buy a Tatts every week of his adult life and to the best of my recollection the best he ever did, over a period of fifty years or so, was win about $300 in one go, so I’m sure he would have been extremely lucky (I mean fortunate) to break even on his regular ‘investments’.
My own view is that one needs to be opportunistic, as well as persistent, to be lucky (read successful) over a period of time – in gambling, life, and in all things for that matter. This perspective was reinforced many years ago when I was trying to sell Aussie-made surveillance software to casinos in Las Vegas since I quickly learned even the very best professional blackjack players lose a lot of the time. However, and this is the point, when the circumstances are right they (card counters) can make much more than anyone else – which the casinos don’t like at all, let me tell you.
Actually winning Lotto is of course lucky because all the odds are heavily stacked against you doing this, in fact virtually guaranteeing you will lose, and, as I have stressed you have no ability other than participating to influence the outcome. You could of course buy a ticket on a date with an 8 in it for instance, or get one with an 8 in the digits somewhere, however the facts are you would still not be anymore likely to win; and any one who understands the basics of probabilities or statistics will tell you that.
Unlike his dad billionaire James Packer is not the mad crazy gambling type (to be fair on all accounts Kerry was a relatively skilled player with the added benefit of having extremely deep pockets) yet like his father he does know a good thing when he sees it – of course he prefers to own the casinos rather than play in them.
And when it comes to mad crazy punters the Chinese are about the only race of people on earth more addicted to having a flutter than Aussies – so, where is young James building his new casinos? You guessed it, in the closest legal gambling haven to China (Macau, the old Portuguese colony situated on the Chinese mainland) - say no more, I will leave it there.
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Beijing 2008
It’s everywhere and everyone’s talking about it - but here’s my two bobs (should that be my 88 cents?) worth anyway:
The Opening Ceremony was truly spectacular and I believe has set a standard that will be hard, if not impossible, to replicate in years to come. But it begs the question: should the opening ceremony be more spectacular than the event itself?
If China's real motive was to make a statement that the world’s most populous country, with the oldest surviving civilisation, is now a truly great global player in the 21st century – the message came through loud and clear.
The attention to detail is gobsmackingly obvious and the inventiveness in architecture and design is remarkable and makes Sydney’s 2000 effort … well, look dated I suppose.
As far as the military involvement (reported in mass media) is concerned I think it is quite appropriate given the global threat of terrorism these days and certainly does not appear excessive when compared to the measures adopted in Sydney last September for the APEC leaders’ meeting.
Overwhelmingly, the buoyant uplifting spirit so obvious amongst the international competitors and all the proud Chinese citizens is a tonic, and a veritable island of positiveness and hope, in what is for many an increasingly hostile and often pessimistic modern world.
For me it brings back great memories of Sydney and the prospect of many late nights in front of the TV set!
Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi
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