Edmonton, Canada Archbishop Richard Smith may have to fork out money from his own diocese to make up the losses facing Catholic schools, community groups and organizations, after he decided to make a moral issue out of gambling. His holiness decided that, effective October, these groups won’t be allowed to accept funds that are generated from gambling sources. Problem is that groups such as Edmonton School Board count desperately on the millions generated by lottery funds. “This funding is critical for our schools,” said Lori Nagy of the Board. So what’s more immoral, Archbishop Smith – to enjoy a spin on the slot machine or to deny thousands of kids with a warm lunch each day when their funding runs out? Food for thought, huh?

In the (holy) spirit of things:

A little girl becomes restless as the sermon’s preacher drags on.. and on.. and on. Finally, she leans over to her mother, pulls on her sleeve and asks: “Mama, if we give him money now, will he let us go?”

Three little boys are bragging in the schoolyard about their fathers’ professions. Boy number one says: “My Dad scribbles a few words on a paper, he calls it a poem, and they pay him $50 for that.”

Boy number two says: “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song and they give him $100.”

Boy number three scoffs: “So what. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of a paper, he calls it a sermon and it takes five people to collect all the money!”

uy went to Las Vegas and got bitten by a lion! The incident occurred after a worker at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Vegas Lion Habitat was attacked by one of his chargers. The man was apparently doing well after the attack and recovering in hospital, but this is definitely a wilder trip than he bargained for! The Lion Habitat is a free exhibition provided by the casino and is one of Vegas’ most popular tourist attractions.

Courtesy of Mojo Lions:

A lion spots a monkey walking through the jungle. He grabs him by the neck and roars “Who’s the king of the jungle?” The frightened monkey says, “You are, of course, your majesty.” The lion does this to several other animals, with the same results. Then the lion goes up to an elephant, grabs him by the trunk and roars, “Who’s the king of the jungle?” The elephant picks the lion up with his trunk, bounces him a few times on the ground, grabs his tail, twirls the lion around over his head, and then lets him go flying into a mud puddle. The lion looks up at the elephant and says, “Well, if you don’t know the answer, just say so!

If you like to play cards, blackjack may be the game for you. Blackjack has a long history as the staple casino card game, and you can play it today online as easily as you can play it at a live casino. If blackjack is your game or if it’s going to be your game, here are a few tips to help you master blackjack.

Online Blackjack Tip No. 1: Basic Strategy

You’ll never win in online blackjack playing hunches. A pre-determined basic strategy in blackjack tells you the mathematically correct play for every situation. Learn and follow it.

You don’t even have to memorize it. You can open up the basic strategy chart in a new window and refer to it whenever you need a refresher on the right move to make.

Online Blackjack Tip No. 2: Don’t Count on Counting

While the movies may make it appear that a simple counting system is the path to untold online blackjack riches, the fact is that successful counting can be difficult and usually only gives you a slight edge. Furthermore, online, the rules applied to the site’s random number generator may make it extremely difficult if not impossible to beat by counting.

Online Blackjack Tip No. 3: Look for Rules That Favor the Player

Not all online blackjack games are created entirely equal. Some rules, like surrender or dealer hits soft 17, give some edge back to the player.

If you’re planning on playing online blackjack to win, look for the site that offers the most favorable player rules and try to play there as exclusively as you can. Remember that different rules may slightly alter the basic strategy, so verify that your basic strategy chart is consistent with the blackjack rules your particular site uses.

Online Blackjack Tip No. 4: Know When to Double Down

You can win more at Blackjack when you know how to better limit your losses if the odds are not in your favor as well as to up your odds when the cards are stacking up in your favor. Poker.

If the casino allows, double down on pairs that have the same rank as the original deal. Other double down opportunities you should not pass up on include when you have an ace; if the dealer has a 4, 5 or 6 and you’re holding any number between 12 and 18 and if the dealer is showing no greater than a 9 and you have 10s.

Online Blackjack Tip No. 5: Stay Cool

This may sound like common sense but in blackjack, it’s even more important. There is no place for getting angry.

If you’re at a losing table, don’t feel you have to win your money back from that table. Don’t try to get even with a winner who’s on a streak. Have a fixed loss limit and stick to it. When you hit that number, walk away. It’s that simple. You’ll save money, time and frustration. Play poker.