Ruining high payout lotteries

A study in the late 80s or early 90s in Ontario said that large payout lotteries had a significant impact in concentrating wealth even further than misguided neo-liberal economic already have. And the Ontario Lotto 649 at that time even limited jackpots to 20 or 30 million. When people win a million dollars the money likely recirculates; when they win 100 million,if they heed professional advice will be setting up offshore accounts etc. so less recirculation. Maybe all the people who make bad investments and throw big parties are more beneficial than "responsible" lottery winners.

Maybe church groups and others opposed to the proliferation of gambling could ruin publicity surrounding high payout lotteries by encouraging large lottery pools which would buy and split lotteries limiting payouts to a million or 100 thousand, donate half the winnings to anti-gambling lobbying, and appoint a spokesperson to speak at the acceptance of the cheques who would point out the problems with gambling.

I am a Jealous G-d

I was thinking about a documentary about Akhenaton and Nefertiti and all the trouble caused by the intolerant strain in the 3 great related monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Akhenaton's reputation in my mind had been as a man ahead of his time. Information that was new to me in the documentary made me think that the greatest argument that Akhenaton and Moses and ultimately the intolerant theme in the 3 great montheistic religions are historically related in their theology was that Akhenaton was an intolerant, fanatical true believer who felt impelled by his theology to force others to believe as he did and close the temples of those who disagreed. The traditional polytheistic priests attempted to erase any evidence of him after his death, because, as well as introducing a new religion which reduced their power, he had fomented a lot of destruction in his god's name.

So I googled "akhenaton intolerance judaism" and wham, I was not alone - Jonathan Kirsch, a book columnist for the LA TImes who writes and lectures widely on biblical topics in 2004 wrote "God against the Gods: the History of the war between Monotheism and Polytheism"


Fascinating discussion and reviews, very relevant to the enormous global problems we face today. Would we all be better off if Akhenaten or Abraham had kept their monotheistic ideas to themselves? Does monotheism hold the seeds of religious intolerance and violence, or is tolerance and kindness also an outgrowth, and if so, why so frequently war and persecution in its name?

Racial undercurrent of much in US editorial

In the Boston Globe, a rare discussion of the catastrophic conflict and the incomplete resolution of it that ended to a large extent when Lincoln was assassinated. Found on Tom Paine.

Hamas election analysis Posted on American branch of Israeli peace group

Leonard Fein discusses Hamas electoral victory.