Remembering The Joys of Poker

In my previous post about Nick Schulman, the 25-year-old professional poker player who was featured in the World of Jenks episode "The Takeover," I touched upon the very well-known dark side of gambling.  A side that many in the poker or gambling business very rarely speak about.

However, it's only fair to remind the audience the joys that come with playing poker or any other casino-style game.  When done in groups, poker and other games can be a kind of bonding event or a way of just enjoying the company of others.  So, to remind us about the simple concept of having a good time with friends while playing a card game, I've included below some videos on how to play poker and how to do tricks with poker chips.  Let's just all keep in mind, when it comes to gambling or anything in life, moderation is key.

Jenks Goes All-In with Youngest World Poker Tour Winner

Jenks and his crew traveled to Las Vegas to meet up with 25 year-old professional poker player Nick Schulman, the youngest person at age 21 to win the World Poker Tour, a televised poker tournament, in which he collected $2.1 million.  A year later after he won the WPT tournament he lost all of the $2.1 million.  Schulman's high-stakes lifestyle and addiction to gambling has led him to the point he's at now where he can't stand being in a casino and seems to always be flirting with the line between being broke and living in excess.

What once was a sanctuary to his depression and anxiety, poker now has become an obsession and adds exhaustion to Schulman's health problems.  Does Nick Schulman choose the shiny allure of fast money that poker offers or will he choose a more traditional way of earning money in his pursuit of happiness?

For more information on:

• The signs, symptoms, and treatment of gambling addiction ... http://helpguide.org/mental/gambling_addiction.htm
• Frequently asked question on gambling addiction ... http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/qna.html
• Personal stories about the destructive nature of gambling ... http://casinowatch.org/addiction/addiction_index.html
• A gambling addiction may lead to suicide  ... http://casinowatch.org/suicides/suicides.html

Fighting for the Demise of Animal Slaughtering in Miami

We were introduced to Animal Recovery Mission founder, Richard "Kudo" Couto when he and his fight to shutdown all slaughter farms in the Miami area were featured in World of Jenks episode "Freedom's Flight."  The episode revealed a gruesome, cruel, and hidden world of slaughter farms in rural Miami.

Horsemeat can sell up to $40 a pound. A 2,000 pound horse can bring in $8,000 to the black market, said Kudo.  Horsemeat is considered to be a magical cure-all in third world countries and a delicacy in European countries.  A new law in Florida called "The Yvonne Rodriguez Horse Protection Law," named after one of the owners whose horse was stolen and butchered alive, makes it a felony to butcher your own horse.  Previously, the law had a loophole in which butchers would claim the horse was their own, therefore making it legal.

Below are videos shot mostly by Kudo documenting the inhumane treatment and slaughtering of horses and other animals at these Miami slaughter farms.

* WARNING : THESE VIDEOS HAVE DISTURBING IMAGES.



TOUR OF A SLAUGHTER FARM



GRAVEYARD ON SLAUGHTER FARM


A SHUTDOWN SLAUGHTER FARM


A COCKFIGHTING RING ON SHUTDOWN FARM


BEFORE AND AFTER ARM INVOLVEMENT


THE STORY OF FREEDOM'S FLIGHT

Jenks Goes Undercover to Stop Horse Slaughtering

  In this episode called "Freedom's Flight," Jenks went to Miami where he met Brogan (last name wasn't given), a 23-year-old animal rescuer.  She's not the throw-red paint-on-you-because-you-wear-fur kind of animal rescuer.  Oh, no, no, not Brogan.  She takes a different approach to her animal rescuing.  Brogan dons camo and wields a .38 caliber gun.  How many animal rescuers do you know who have been shot at twice and lug around a loaded pistol with them in their purse for protection on a daily basis?

  Protection from what, you say?  Protection from the men who have a bounty on her head.  Now, what in the world does this girl do to have all this craziness that sounds like something out of an Angelina Jolie flick, you may ask.  Brogan volunteers at a non-profit organization called ARM, Animal Recovery Mission, based out of Miami.  ARM targets illegal horse slaughtering in the C-9 Basin area, 15 minutes from Miami.  C-9 Basin is home to lots of illegal activity including the slaughtering of horses and other animals.  C-9 Basin has been considered a place of lawlessness, like a Wild Wild West of Miami, if you will.  ARM fights to shutdown slaughter farms and the illegal slaughtering of animals.  So, I guess the men who tried horse slaughtering as a business only to be shutdown with the help of Brogan and ARM aren't too happy with her or the organization, which has also received many death threats.

  Why would people slaughter horses?!  Well, besides for those people who enjoy eating horse meat and encourage it like how this boldly named blog, "Eat Horse," does, apparently, a horse's meat is in high demand on the black market.  In order to shutdown these slaughter farms, ARM volunteers go on surveillances when they try to videotape the horse killers in action or find activity that can be used as evidence in a case.  Missions such as these prove to be dangerous because the men on the slaughter farms are also armed and, obviously as said before with Brogan's price on her head, they don't let go of a grudge very easily either.

  Brogan and the founder of ARM, who goes by the nickname Kudo, introduced Jenks to Freedom's Flight, the horse the show's episode is named after.  Freedom's Flight is grandson to Secretariat, an American Thoroughbred racehorse who became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years in 1973.  Secretariat went on to set race records in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes that still stand to this day.  However, Freedom's Flight did not have royal treatment regardless of his lineage.  On the contrary, he was severely abused and undernourished.  With the help of Brogan and ARM, Freedom's Flight had a second chance at life.
                                                                    

Freedom's Flight BEFORE

Freedom's Flight AFTER

Photos courtesy of Animal Recovery Mission

  If you want to help these helpless animals and the organizations that protect them, I found some links that may be useful.

• To find out what you can do ... http://www.stophorseslaughter.com/
• Donate to end horse slaughter ... http://www.humanesociety.org/donate/
• Donate your time or money for the cause ... http://animalrecoverymission.org/?page_id=10

Women in MMA

After watching Anthony "Showtime" Pettis fight on World of Jenks episode "Fifty Fists," I was surprised that women take part in this rough sport as well.  Take a look at some of the videos I found about women in MMA.  This is just a small look into the world of women MMA fighters.  There are many more MMA women than the ones I show you below and the number is growing.  My inner feminist is yelling, "If boys can do it, so can girls!"

MMA for Beginner's

If after watching World of Jenks made you want to be like Anthony "Showtime" Pettis, here are some pointers on techniques and moves for those interested in MMA.

Behind the Scenes: Anthony "Showtime" Pettis

Watch as Jenks works out with Pettis and Pettis' younger brother.  How does he hold up against an MMA pro?

World of Jenks - MTV Shows

Below is video of the big fight, the one which Jenks filmed Pettis preparing for, mentioned in the World of Jenks "Fifty Fists" episode.  Does he win?