Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Something New I Learned Today...

Would you believe that, at this moment, it's illegal to play the variety of poker known as "Texas hold-em" here in Texas? (You don't see them outlawing Brussels sprouts in the Belgian capital, though I'm sure many people would be in favor of such a thing.)

Fortunately, the Texas Legislature is working to change that situation with a bill that's before a state House committee today. It would only allow such legal games in establishments that already have a gaming or liquor license, but it certainly makes sense to me; as someone on the radio pointed out today, poker is much more a "game of skill" than a lottery, and the police--who have better things to do with their time anyway--have conceded that the current law is difficult to enforce.

I say bring it on, along with a few well-regulated casinos. Why should Louisiana and Oklahoma get all the Texas money in those areas?

The best government decision I've seen in quite some time: The FCC ruled today that airline passengers still aren't allowed to use cellphones when the plane is in flight. Can you give me a "Hallelujah"?

This will be painful for him when they slow-dance: The world's tallest man (a 7-foot-9 tribal herdsman from Inner Mongolia) has married a woman who's five-foot-six. (She's also half his age, not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Speaking of big: Meanwhile, in Austraila, an environmental group last week announced the capture of a giant toad the size of a small dog.

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