The Adventures of JStar88 on The Blue Marble

The ONPC Champion's Trophy: A Golden Bull with a Ruby Eye

After more than a year of planning, preparation, coordination and tremendous effort, the Ongame Network Poker Classic Live Final is finally here. I'm in Barcelona with my team and the BIG PARTY is tonight. Players are arriving at the Hotel Majestic now from all over the world and excitement runs thick in the air.

I took this pic on the rooftop patio of the Hotel Majestic in Barcelona. Shown here is the gold trophy that the champion will receive on Sunday December 3. The 75-gram Swedish-handcrafted solid gold "coin" (with a ruby where the bull's eye is) can be removed from the polished granite trophy base and used as a card protector, if the player feels like using a $10,000 card protector. :

It's a nice little extra for the winner, on top of the $283,038 first prize.

posted by jstar88 @ 6:24 PM 2 comments

The Free Hugs Campaign

Have you heard of the Free Hugs Campaign? It's incredibly cute, fantastically endearing, and so full of positive energy that it brings a smile to even a hard-hearted cretin like myself. :)

According to the official site:

Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whos sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.

In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.

As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring.

I absolutely adore this idea, though a quick SWOT analysis (I can't help it) shows some fairly gaping holes in the strength of an extended campaign.

Check out www.freehugscampaign.org for more information.

posted by jstar88 @ 6:23 PM 2 comments