From stories dated Feb. 21 to Feb. 28:

A self-described compulsive gambler, Arthur Bittner, attempted to rob a Colorado bank on Feb. 25. He entered the bank with a shotgun and handed a note to the teller, but lost his nerve and fled without collecting anything. Police soon found Bittner, complete with the gun and the [...]

People keep finding this weblog by googling “the card counting book in The Hangover,” something I haven’t ever written about. (There’s a lot of card counting and a lot of book stuff, though.) Disappointment being impermissible and all, I’ll note that the card counting book appearing in the movie ‘The Hangover’ is The World’s Greatest [...]

From news items dated Feb. 9 to Feb. 20:

Rhonda Skiver, 32, pleaded guilty on Feb. 19 to embezzling more than $163,000 from the nursing home of which she was formerly CFO. The money was used for gambling debts and personal expenses.
An Oregon woman, Victoria Monfore, was sent to prison on Feb. 18 for stealing about [...]

And his quote in the Daily Mail makes Michael Carroll, 26, a former garbage collector who squandered his winnings on drugs, gambling, and “thousands of prostitutes” in eight years, sound pleased:
I haven’t got two pennies to rub together and that’s the way I like it. I find it easier to live off £42 dole than [...]

From stories dated Jan. 22 to Feb 6., 2010.

Tennessee attorney James M. Hoots was jailed Feb. 5 on charges of embezzling $76,000 from a trust fund for two orphans whose parents died in a murder-suicide. Hoots gambled the money away. He allegedly came clean to a witness,  saying, “I took the children’s money and took [...]

The state of Colorado created this lottery ad, whose theme is “liberty.” Ballsy:

(via Mediabistro)

1974
Born in Los Angeles County.
1979
Relocated to Hays, Kansas.
1996
B.A. in Philosophy from Columbia College, New York City. GPA 3.6. Dean’s list or something. Forgotten by all my professors.
1996-1998
Drifting: Madrid, the Upper West Side, the Lower East Side. Temporary office worker. Reading Camus on the subway. Business Analyst, Global Trade Finance Division, Swiss Bank Corp. Stumped.
1998
Weekly blackjack [...]