The Eternal Lure Of GamblingWritten by Virginia Bola, PsyD
I just spent three days in land of milk and money -Las Vegas. There is something refreshingly honest about place: it's all about money and it knows it. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. No doubt some of architects think that their work has some importance of its own: recreations of Venice, Camelot, Paris, Egypt, and New York. Battling pirate ships and erupting volcanoes aside, once you enter themed palaces, they are all same: crap tables, blackjack tables, roulette wheels, and thousands upon thousands of slot machines - all promising to give you a fun time while you lose your money in pursuit of a possible fortune. The lure of gambling has existed throughout recorded history but has never gripped millions who now participate. We play state-sponsored lotteries, visit tribal and other legal casinos, create special accounts for Internet gaming, bet horses, bet dogs, bet on sports, fights, anything where we can catch excitement of beating odds. Moralists worry that a large percentage of those who risk their money, are those who cannot afford to risk anything: poor, unemployed, minimum wage fringe who, at best of times, barely hang on to basement rung of economic ladder. They argue that gambling should be a pleasant pursuit for those who can afford to lose a reasonable amount, using money they have earned for purchasing excitement, entertainment, and momentary escape. Who's kidding who? For middle class gamblers who bet on super bowl, derby, occasional lottery ticket, or visit casinos once or twice a year, gambling is a diversion, a fun time, a little bit of excitement sandwiched between realities of career advancement, building a nest egg, raising children, and doing their civic duties. The thrill of a potential win is lure of proving their ability to compete, to come out on top, to better their opponents, pros, odds, morning line. It is a personal challenge that can boost their self-confidence when they win but has few negative effects when they lose because their real self-image relates to important aspects of their lives, separate from their gaming ventures. It is those who cannot afford to lose who become addicted to lure of chance. Stuck in minimum wage employment, without education, skills, or entrepreneurial savvy to work their way up social and economic pyramid, they see gambling as promise of a permanent way out, a tsunami that can sweep them instantaneously to top, an overnight millionaire. A lottery ticket, a slot machine, a pick 6 wager, plays no favorites. The poor, homeless, forgotten, have-nots, all compete with rich and famous on an equal footing. They become hooked on continued gaming because it is only chance of reaching lifestyle they want to achieve.
| | How To Have Sex On The First Date Written by John Alexander
Having gone out with with literally thousands of women and gone to bed with hundreds over past two and a half decades, I've learned that there's nothing you can do to GUARANTEE having sex with any particular woman.However, by doing a few simple things, you can dramatically INCREASE THE ODDS of going all way on very first night of your relationship. 1. Meet her in a non-traditional venue. By that I mean, don't take her to a fancy dinner or do anything else that she associates with a "date." If you do, that puts her into same "make him wait" mindset that she adopted with last 100 guys who bought her a nice dinner. Instead meet her somewhere informal, like a coffee shop or some cheap diner for lunch. Don't make a big deal out of who pays for what, because again, last 100 guys she dated paid for her meal because, as was blatantly obvious to her, they were hoping to get laid. As an alpha male, you shouldn't do anything because you're "hoping to get laid." That reeks of desperation and kills attraction that a woman feels. A more attractive guy is one who gets laid all time, so sex is no big deal to him. If a woman wants his attention, she has to earn it. In other words, he is a challenge for her, not a sure thing. 2. Have proper mindset throughout date. You want to be relaxed and feeling sexual. (To get yourself into a sexual state, try watching porn just before date, but don't masturbate.) And it's important to feel relaxed. No nervousness. For a woman to become sexual, she needs to feel relaxed and horny. It is important that you feel that exact way yourself, because studies have shown that when two people are in rapport, they eventually match emotional states with each other. So when you're chilling with girl, you should feel deeply relaxed and horny, and then engage her in conversation about neutral subjects until you see signs that she too is getting relaxed and horny. 3. Get her alone with you. Let's say you and girl hit it off fantastically in coffee shop, so you then take her to a bar to get a quick drink. Things are really going well there. The conversational vibe is excellent. You see signs of her increasing sexual arousal and openness to intimacy.
|