William Wilberforce’s fight to end slavery was morally unambiguous. There is no serving politician who believes they would have been on the wrong side of that debate. But they are wrong.

Like the end of apartheid, when it was impossible to find a white person who was ever in favour of the policy, slavery now seems a clear-cut issue. Yet there were many political leaders who opposed Wilberforce’s abolition bill from 1787 to 1807, even though all believed slavery to be distasteful. Sane arguments defeated Wilberforce’s nonetheless moral reforms for 20 years.

While there is no moral equivalence between slavery and pokies, the same arguments are being used by the pokies lobby and bought by our politicians today. Like slavery in the time of Wilberforce, there is no politician that likes pokies. Indeed, most politicians on both sides tell me they hate them.

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But in the next breath they say reform is too hard because we are dependent on pokies. They argue state revenues depend (except in WA) on reaping 40 to 60 per cent of the $12 billion lost by problem gamblers. And as there are only 100,000 Australians addicted to pokies, and it is a matter of personal responsibility, it is not that big a problem anyway.

Each addict affects five to 10 others, meaning up to 1 million Australians are affected, the Productivity Commission found. Leaving that aside, why should even 100,000 people be sacrificed on the pokies altar on the grounds of personal responsibility? We have 100,000 homeless, many of whom made irresponsible choices, yet they enjoy bipartisan policies of intervention. We have 72,000 heroin addicts and treat it as a serious health issue.

There are extraordinary parallels between the arguments that stymied the abolition of slavery and those put forward today to quash poker machine reform.

The first is substitution. It was claimed if the British slave trade was abolished, competitors in France and Spain would benefit. The pokies lobby cry substitution, too.

If we slow down machines to maximum $1 bets and losses of $120 an hour rather than $1200 an hour – as the Productivity Commission recommends – addicts will lose money on horses or online. Wrong! Norway pulled out all pokies for two years in 2007 leading to a net reduction in gambling and the lowest problem gambling rate in years, even among former pokie users.

The second argument is the economy. Slavery in the 18th century, like pokies today, was not ”top of mind” for most people in Britain. Wilberforce’s friend and prime minister, William Pitt the Younger – the founder of the modern Tory party – let him down on slavery, though he agreed it was wrong.

He was busy reforming the economy by introducing income tax and consolidating revenues to fund and fight the Napoleonic wars. He could not expend political capital against powerful vested interests on a ”side” issue. Think Gillard and Abbott.

The third argument is incrementalism. Slave traders accepted amendments such as six inches more room for each slave in ships’ hulls. Similarly, the pokie industry reluctantly accepts more natural lighting, less predatory targeting of incentives to problem gamblers and voluntary pre-commitment technology. But voluntary is as sensible as optional brakes in a car.

If a pokie addict is the only one in a room using a voluntary card, it signals to others that they have a problem. That stigma explains why every trial of voluntary pre-commitment has failed.

The final argument was an early version of the ”nanny state”. It was not the role of the British government to interfere in a legal business that was a source of huge profit and was needed to develop the West Indies and the colonies. The role of the state is to protect us whether through a defence force or road rules.

I reminded the Coalition’s gambling committee recently that it was a Liberal premier in Henry Bolte who introduced the first compulsory car seatbelts in the world, a Liberal premier in Rupert Hamer who introduced 0.05 blood alcohol laws and a Liberal premier in Jeff Kennett who invaded the sanctity of the home by legislating fences around swimming pools. Were these nanny state Liberals?

In 2010, the Productivity Commission recommended $1 bets, preferred by 88 per cent of regular players, without the need for a trial. Its secondary recommendation was a mandatory pre-commitment card with a trial for the dangerous high loss machines banned in many parts of the world. That is the real reform that is needed.

In years to come, just like the abolition of slavery or apartheid, I hope we will scratch our heads and wonder why it didn’t happen sooner.

Reverend Tim Costello is chief executive of World Vision Australia and a member of the Stop The Loss Coalition.

Follow the National Times on Twitter: @NationalTimesAU

History books will show the folly of being slaves to the pokie lobby

LAKE WALES – For one day, Lorraine Hazellief is ready to dish up a taste of classic New Orleans cooking at her restaurant, Lorraine’s Place, in downtown Lake Wales.

“Inside the restaurant, we’re doing a half Cuban sandwich and Jambalaya,” Hazellief said of the meals that are a staple of N’Awlins cuisine.

Outside in the parking lot, within view of pedestrians walking past the restaurant at the corner of Central Avenue and 1st Street, was a table covered with chopped onions, sweet relish, ketchup and mustard, for those who wanted something else: smoked sausage.

It was, Hazellief said, her restaurant’s nod to a decades-long Lake Wales tradition, Mardi Gras, and the crowds that pack into downtown to enjoy the live music, vendors with food and New Orleans-style crafts and gift items, and, of course, that big Mardi Gras parade.

For a business owner in the downtown, Mrdii Gras, Hazellief said, is a gold mine.

“This is my third year doing it, and it’s been pretty good so far today,” she said. “It gets a lot crazier in the evening.”

Morning, afternoon, or night, she added, the Lake Wales Mardi Gras brings out the crowds in big numbers for downtown.

“This is our busiest day,” she said.

That reputation alone brought Mark and Marie Metz to downtown, to set up a booth where they could sell their special product: banana bread, and lots of it. Their business, Banana Bread Heaven, strives to be diverse.

“We’ve got 12 different flavors of banana bread,” Mark Metz said. “We’ve got 120 banana breads here. It took us the better part of a week to bake them.”

A regular at the Lake Wales Farmers Market, Mark Metz said his fellow merchants advised him to get a booth at Mardi Gras, or risk missing out on those big crowds.

“This is our first year,” he said. “We come to the Lake Wales Farmers Market all the time, and everybody told us to go to Mardi Gras.”

Along Market Street, the vendors set up their booths early, offering everything from Mardi Gras T-shirts, feather hair clips and puppets to key chains and custom poker chips. With live performances starting at 11 a.m. and with the parade within hours of kicking off, the crowds were already drawn to downtown by late morning, in anticipation of a day of fun.

“This is a family fun Mardi Gras,” said Pat Hays, one of the organizers of the event. “This is just fun and frivolity.”

It’s not at all intended, she added, to be on the same grand scale as what tourists might expect in New Orleans — or even what they might see up the road at Universal Studios. But that’s fine, Hays said, adding that smaller is perfect for Lake Wales.

What she preferred was people relaxing at a picnic table in front of the downtown stage to watch a performance by Debbie and Jon Corneal, the Nashville performers who were on hand to sing country classics like Buck Owens’ “Together Again” for the crowds.

In the audience, Gordon and Jane McGinnis, snowbirds who live in Cape Cod, Mass.,but spend the winters in Polk County, said they love an opportunity to see the Jon and Debbie Corneal Show — a duo they originally discovered decades ago during a performance at the former Cypress Gardens theme park in Winter Haven, a property that’s now Legoland Florida.

“We’ve been following them for 25 years,” Gordon McGinnis said. “Jon started out years and years ago in Nashville. We must have first heard them 25 years ago in Cypress Gardens. The only time we hear them now is at Mardi Gras here in Lake Wales. We follow them.”

That’s exactly what Hays said the town is looking for — entertainment for families. The Lake Wales Mardi Gras and parade actually started out decades ago as a tribute to the late Vinton B. Davis, the owner of a popular local restaurant, Vinton’s New Orleans Restaurant.

When Davis died, he has a special wish, said Faye Greenfield, one of the organizers of the day-long celebration.

“When he passed away, he wanted a Mardi Gras-style funeral,” she said.

“We decided we would honor him with a small parade that went around the block, and it just took off from there,” Hays said.

Lake Wales businesses give nod to tradition

The event kicked off with the Los Gatos High School marching band’s drumline welcoming onlookers, followed by a presentation of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 501. The national anthem was sung by 2006 Los Gatos High School graduate Justine Lauren, and Calvary Church pastor Bob Thomas delivered the invocation.

Mayor Steve Rice took the podium to acknowledge all the people who made the library possible, including his fellow council members and town staff. Speaking of the library board and the Friends of the Library, Rice said, “They never wavered in their commitment to a new library.”

Friends’ president Carol Hamilton said, “I feel like a new grandmother–the wait is over.” She noted that when the Friends opened a “Fund for the Future” bank account in 1994, they never dreamed it would help equip a state-of-the-art 30,000-square-foot facility.

The Friends raised more than $2 million for furnishings, fixtures and technology for the new library.

The building itself cost approximately $18.5 million and is LEED-certified gold, a reflection of its environmentally-sensitive characteristics. For instance, there are solar panels on the roof, support piers made from recycled concrete and drought-tolerant landscaping. Rice singled out architects Noll & Tam and Bogard Construction, recognizing the LEED gold certification was due in part to the fact that “they went beyond expectations in bringing this masterpiece to fruition.”

The formalities completed, residents flooded in to gawk at the celestial ceiling in the first floor children’s room, while kids like 6-year-old Ava immediately jumped into the so-called “Nurdle Nooks.” The nooks are colorful little wall cutouts with built-in cushions. “I like all this,” Ava said from her nook. “I like all the decorations and the computers have cool stuff on them.”

In fact, cool seemed to be the word of the day. “It’s so cool. It’s amazing,” Los Gatos High School junior Monica Eng said from a comfy squishy red chair in the teen area. “This is a great area because there aren’t a lot of places to hang out in Los Gatos.”

Jin Kim, who is also a junior at Los Gatos High, said, “I’m going to sit in these chairs every day and do homework.”

A group of teens who had nabbed a table nearby were busy setting up a roulette game. “I like that it has a lot more room and books than the old library,” LGHS freshman Krys Weeton said. His brother, James commented, “It’s big and it’s central.”

The teen center is on the second floor, along with a technology lab that has 12 computers, a quiet room for group study sessions and the fiction and nonfiction book collections. A flat screen TV in the history area flashes photos of old Los Gatos that are part of that collection, which is also located on the second floor.

There are lots of little areas and rooms where people can sit quietly or be a bit noisy if they want, with attractive embellishments here and there. Birch veneer chandeliers, for instance, add interest and beauty to the second floor.

Taking the grand staircase back down to the first floor, visitors are led past a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that was designed to open up the building and let light shine throughout.

Downstairs, visitors can grab a cup of coffee from the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company’s new kiosk or visit the periodical room. New and reserved books and an information desk are also on the first floor. That area was a hive of activity on opening day as librarians issued one library card after another to eager residents.

“This feels like opening presents on Christmas,” resident Veronica Brown said. “They did an amazing job. It gives new breath to the books and the community.”

Resident Brien Wilson agreed. “It’s unbelievable,” Wilson said. “Now that I’m inside I can see that it’s perfect. The amount of light that comes in and the number of computers is impressive. I’m very proud that Los Gatos was able to do this.”

Longtime resident Ed Stahl, who attended the opening of the “old” library in the mid-1960s, said the new building “fits well into the hillside.” He added, “I’m glad they were able to save the heritage trees” that flank the front of the building.

Next to the library, ADA-compliant sidewalks have been installed leading into the old pageant grounds. Some landscaping and a few benches have already been put in place there, but parks and public works director Todd Capurso said it will be late spring before that project is completed. “It will be a nice place for events and weddings,” Capurso said.

Other outdoor spaces have been designed as community gathering areas, too, since this new library is seen as a place that will provide Los Gatos with much, much more than books.

With the opening day theme of “It’s Time to Shine” in mind, a flash mob–including Colleen Wilcox from the arts commission, Peggy Gibbs from Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Los Gatos finance director Steve Conway and Los Gatos High freshmen Kirsten and Kaitlyn Cook–suddenly jumped onto the library’s front steps and, as a wrap-up to the formal grand opening festivities, began singing a Los Gatos version of This Little Light of Mine. They intoned, “All around this town, we’re gonna let it shine … this library of ours, we’re gonna let it shine … every day, every day, every day.”

The Los Gatos Public Library, 100 Villa Ave., is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays-Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

New Los Gatos Public Library opens to community acclaim

The claims come just days after the NSW Gaming Authority announced an inquiry into the casino, following the sacking of its CEO Sid Vaikunta over sexual harassment allegations two weeks ago.

In an interview with the Seven Network, former manager Elizabeth Ward said in her 24 years working in casinos she had never witnessed a culture as extreme as that at the Star.

‘It’s a permanent party,’ she told Seven News.

Another employee who wasn’t identified told Seven News there was chronic drug abuse’ within senior management.

He also claimed senior managers were encouraged not to report breaches within the casino.

‘There’s financial incentives not to report any breaches,’ he said.

Ms Ward, who worked at The Star for 16 years, claimed in one incident a senior minister from a foreign government was ejected from the casino for gross and obscene behaviour but was allowed to return after complaining to executive staff.

‘No matter what you do or what you report or what you see, nothing gets done,’ she said.

The employees claim high-rollers are protected by senior management, and encouraged to stay at tables for up to 48 hours.

Ms Ward said her investigation of a suspected drug scandal involving a high-roller cost her and her husband their jobs.

She claimed the high-roller was good friends with three casino executives.

‘The more I investigated it the uglier things seemed to be getting for me,’ she said.

The employees said they were willing to testify as part of the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority inquiry.

Comment is currently being sought from The Star’s parent company, Echo Entertainment.

Echo Entertainment says the allegations made on Seven News are inconsistent with the findings of the Casino Liquor Gaming Control Authority’s recent review of The Star casino licence.

The company says The Star’s intolerance of breaches of its Code of Conduct is evidenced by the sacking of its former managing director after allegations were made against him.

It rejected Ms Ward’s claim that the jobs of she and her husband were terminated after they investigated a high-roller over a suspected drug scandal.

‘Ms Ward was unable to return to work after an eight-month absence and so her employment was ended,’ Echo Entertainment said in a statement.

‘Six months before a restructure of table games Ms Ward’s husband asked for a voluntary redundancy and The Star granted his request.’

Echo Entertainment did not deny that reporting breaches was entwined with performance indicators.

It said reporting breaches was taken seriously but that a recent report by Ms Gail Furness SC to the Casino Liquor Gaming Licence Authority did recommend a review of performance indicators for senior staff.

‘She observed that The Star had already taken action to substitute a more appropriate KPI (Key Performance Indicators) in place of zero breaches,’ the company said.

The company also did not deny claims a foreign minister had been readmitted to the casino after being ejected for bad behaviour.

It said: ‘The Responsible Service of Alcohol is treated seriously and applied uniformly regardless of the status of the client visiting the casino.’

Star casino has ‘extreme’ party culture

Jamie Jones: Dibiase down but not out »
Sports »
The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

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Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

February’s Online Bingo Promotions at 32Red Bingo

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Wes Welker

Welker had a remarkable 2011 season (122 receptions, 1569 yards, 9 touchdowns) despite the disappointment of his last play. Regardless, his rapport with Tom Brady and prolific work product in New England – 554 receptions in five seasons – speaks for him being retained.

My sense is Welker will return to the Patriots, whether via a long-term deal or the Tag. Bill Belichick had long coveted Welker when he played for Miami and the Patriots will be competitive with Welker as long as his contract demands are not astronomical.

The Tag number for wide receivers is projected to be around $9.4 million and would represent a substantial increase for Welker, who earned $2.5 million last season.

Prediction: a deal gets done with the Patriots.

Vincent Jackson

The contentious relationship between Chargers general manager A.J. Smith and Jackson may finally end. In 2010 as a Restricted Free Agent – due to the uncapped rules in place – Jackson held out most of the season. Smith, who relishes a good battle with a player, responded by placing Jackson on the roster exempt list, suspended him three games and reduced the $3.7 million tender to the minimum – $583,000, prorated to $171,000 for the balance of the season.

In 2011, Jackson unhappily received the Tag once the lockout ended (if one can be unhappy earning $11.4 million). To tag him again in 2012, Jackson would receive $13.8 million – 120% of last year’s salary – and considerably more than the $9.4 million Tag number for receivers.

Prediction: the Chargers are prepared to move on from Jackson, who is said to be seeking a 5-year $50 million deal (aren’t we all?).

DeSean Jackson

After ending his training camp holdout, Jackson arrived in July with an expectation of being compensated for outperforming a contract that paid $600,000 in 2011. That new deal never arrived, and Jackson watched as the Eagles spent cash freely on big tickets such as Nnamdi Asomugha and Michael Vick as well as mid-tier players such as Vince Young, Ronnie Brown and Steve Smith.

Jackson – admittedly distracted by his contract situation – was marred by inconsistency all season.

The Eagles thus find themselves in a precarious position. Jackson’s big-play potential is undeniable yet his attitude, slight build, and concussion history are mitigating factors for a long-term deal. Also, Jackson’s view of his value is in a different sphere than that of the Eagles front office.

Prediction: the Tag, while the Eagles subtly let teams know Jackson can be had for an attractive offer.

Marques Colston

Colston, a 7th round pick out of Hofstra in 2006, has been pure treasure for the Saints, topping 70 catches, 1000 yards and 7 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.

Colston’s stay in New Orleans may be directly related to that of his quarterback Drew Brees. The Saints are in heavy negotiations with Brees and if they cannot secure him by March 5th they will certainly use their Tag.

The team may then be forced to choose between Colston or Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks, also set to become a free agent. Ultimately, with other priorities, a talented stable of receivers and concerns about Colston’s balky knee may rule the Saints decision.

Prediction: the Saints let Colston enter the market.

Dwayne Bowe

Bowe followed up his breakout 2010 season (72 catches, 1162 yards, and 15 touchdowns) with a solid performance in 2011, despite a carousel of quarterbacks slinging the ball his way.

The Chiefs have made it known that retaining Bowe and cornerback Brandon Carr are their priorities. One player will likely receive the Tag; the other a long-term deal. With Bowe naturally wanting a contract reflective of the market set by Santonio Holmes – five years, $45 million, $24 million guaranteed – the Chiefs might prefer to go year-to-year with Bowe, applying the Tag.

Prediction: Bowe receives the Tag.

Stay tuned, more top players in position groups to come.

Follow me on Twitter at adbrandt.

Receiver Roulette

The work includes repairs to an aging sea wall along with lighting and utility work that was not included in original estimates.

Now the city has to figure out a way to pay the extra cost or trim the plan.

During a commission workshop Friday, The Morganti Group, the construction manager for the casino and beach site, presented a “guaranteed maximum price” of $6.6 million for the site work that includes landscaping and parking lots, a promenade and shaded playground along the ocean, a bus stop, bike racks and beachfront pavilions.

Although most of that cost is expected to be covered by $5 million in county bond money, some residents and city officials had understood that $5 million would be the total cost of the beach-site overhaul.

Additional expenses include $800,000 for lighting, $224,000 to repair the sea wall and $1 million for water, sewer and drainage work.

The beach-site project was pared down from the original design produced by Michael Singer Studio in 2010 that included wind generators, solar panels on buildings, cisterns to capture rainwater and historical markers embedded in the pavement of the promenade.

“This project has been stripped,” Michael Singer said during Friday’s workshop. “It’s a generic park at this point.”

Commissioners asked Matt Marks, project manager for The Morganti Group, to provide them with copies of bids used to determine the estimated prices of work at the beach site.

Marks said the company could start work later this month and would complete the road work in time for the casino opening in October. Marks said the overhaul could be complete in January .

Acting City Manager Steve Carr presented a financing plan that included amending the general fund budget and borrowing from a billboard settlement fund that has been designated for capital projects.

Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell said he wanted assurances that the county will reimburse the city the $5 million for the beach-site work as anticipated and that the city can get a bank loan to pay for the casino work. He also suggested that the city hire an independent expert to oversee the beach-site work.

Commissioners are expected to discuss the beach-site options again during a special meeting set for 6 p.m. Feb. 28.

Estimates for Lake Worth Beach work come in $2.7 million more than expected

Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow also was a best-selling author.

storyidforme: 25574941 tmspicid: 9313902 fileheaderid: 4259136 Article Extras

Updated: February 11, 2012 2:06AM

Jeffrey Zaslow — a former Chicago Sun-Times columnist who went on to sell millions of books with themes of compassion, inspiration and empathy — was killed Friday in a car crash in northern Michigan.

Mr. Zaslow teamed up with some of the country’s most inspirational people to help tell their stories, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and Randy Pausch, the subject of Zaslow’s huge hit The Last Lecture, which has been translated into 48 languages and sold more than five million copies in English.

He was a columnist at the Wall Street Journal at the time of his death. He was 53.

Mr. Zaslow, the father of three daughters, was killed in a crash near the northern Michigan town of Elmira at 9 a.m. Friday, according to FOX 2 Detroit, where his wife, Sherry Margolis, is an TV anchor.

Police said Mr. Zaslow lost control of his car and was hit by a semi-trailer truck on a snow-covered road. He had been in the area previously for a book-signing.

Mr. Zaslow, a native of suburban Philadelphia, initially worked at the Wall Street Journal from 1983 to 1987, when he entered a Sun-Times contest to replace Ann Landers.

Mr. Zaslow, based in Chicago for the Journal at the time, applied with the intention of writing a Journal column about the experience.

Instead, out of 12,000 applicants, he and Diane Crowley, daughter of the original Ann Landers, were chosen to do side-by-side columns.

His column, “All That Zazz,” was wide-ranging. He brought together a group of readers called the Regular Joes who would chime in with advice. He held an annual singles party that drew national attention — and led to many marriages.

Mr. Zaslow launched school supply drives in his column. He also raised untold sums for the Sun-Times charity.

“Jeff was just a bundle of energy,” said Sue Ontiveros, Sun-Times deputy features editor, who spent time as Zaslow’s editor. “He did so well with the column, and his subsequent books, because he was such a compassionate man who was interested in people. He was kind and funny and so humble about his talents. And oh, how he loved Sherry and their girls.”

After leaving the Sun-Times in 2001, he went on to write The Last Lecture, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, The Girls From Ames, The Highest Duty and The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for our Daughters.

In 2009, Zaslow spoke to the Sun-Times’ Miriam Di Nunzio about writing his then-new book, The Girls From Ames, a story about 11 women from Iowa who have been friends for 40 years.

Mr. Zaslow matter-of-factly explained how the women let him read their diaries and letters they’d written to each other through the years. And then he offered his take on why men are not like women:

“Those bonds are just not there. . . . Don’t get me wrong. I talk to my wife, and that’s it. I play poker every Thursday night with the guys, and we can go six hours and not one person will say a thing. And 80 percent of the conversation that does occur is about the cards.”

Wall Street Journal Editor Robert Thomson told his staff Friday: “Jeff’s writing, for the Journal and in his books, has been a source of inspiration for many people around the world.”

His Journal column focused on life transitions.

Neal Boudette, chief of the Detroit bureau where Mr. Zaslow worked, described his colleague as a confidant and the “humblest” of people.

“The person who was least impressed with Jeff’s success was Jeff himself,” Boudette said Friday night.

Mr. Zaslow’s work cubicle was plastered with photographs of his wife and three daughters, and filled with “voluminous notes” on story ideas and columns he had written, Boudette said.

In September 2007, Mr. Zaslow, a Carnegie Mellon grad, attended the final lecture of dying Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch. Mr. Zaslow’s column about the lecture went viral, leading to the best-selling book — co-written with Pausch.

Boudette recalled congratulating Mr. Zaslow when the book first hit the best-seller list.

“ ‘I just don’t want it to be an embarrassment,’” Boudette remembered Zaslow saying at the time. “‘What if it’s on the best-seller list for a week or two weeks and then it disappears, and that means it’s a flop?’ ”

The book, about overcoming obstacles and seizing the day, stayed on the New York Times best-seller list for more than two years.

Contributing: Stefano Esposito

Jeffrey Zaslow, The Last Lecture author, killed in car crash at age 53