By
Hanan Weiskopf, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, On April 15, 2010
This article discusses the card game Blackjack as played in the casinos of Las Vegas. The basic rules for the game are described in detail. The player's strategic problems are analyzed with the objective of finding the strategy omaximizing his mathematical expectation. The "optimum strategy" determined by the analysis in this research differs substantially from the published strategies of card experts and the usual style of play in the casinos.
By
Jean Tariou, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), On July 2, 2010
The Personal Devil has been revised and a new chapter has been added. The earlier chapters primarily discuss the traditional views regarding the origin, nature, development, and perception of the Devil (Satan).
In Chapter 17, "Why Darkness Created the Devil", I take a radical stand, different from the traditional views, and discuss why the Force known as Darkness (Principle of Evil/Darkness) created the power known loosely as the Devil and infested the Earth with it.
The "Conclusion" has been revised and expanded to address the viability of the Devil, among other things. The following are selected excerpts from the book:
The phenomenon of the existence of evil in the world encourages people to give that phenomenon a name or a label for ease of identification. Some of the names that have been assigned to this entity are: the Devil, Satan, Kui etc. These are all personal names of the Devil.
Those who hunger for mystical power often welcome the Devil and worship it. Those who abhor evil can point to the Devil for the bad things in the world, thus excusing God for the evil.
