A glimpse into the mind of Ted Loh: "Spearmaster"

johnsteed

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***

I'd like to take an introspective look into Ted Loh, the man who has become to be known as...



SPEARMASTER


"The Devil's Advocate"​

Interviewed by "John Steed"​




If you weren't you, looking at you, in someone else's body, how would you describe you, or rather he who is Ted Loh?


Stuck up arrogant asshole who thinks he knows everything. :D


Seriously, that's a tough question. I don't show a lot of emotion except when I'm not happy with something, so I'd imagine that people view me as a reserved guy who works hard, not the most organized person in the world, friendly once you get to know me, but also a stickler for having things done the right way (in other words, my way). Possibly slightly intimidating as I have a slightly muscular body, with the typical roll of fat around the middle. But also easy going when I'm relaxed.



What's the significance behind the "Spearmaster" name?


The handle "Spearmaster" refers to the fact that I was a javelin throwing champion.


I hope that in the minds of readers, it stands for someone who is no-nonsense but fair - maybe a bit rough around the edges but only seeking to establish a fair playing field for all sides.



How long did you reside in the U.S.? For the better part of your life, which country has been your main base of operations?


I was born in New Jersey, lived there until I was four, lived in Taiwan for three years, back to New Jersey for seven years, Hong Kong for four years, Los Angeles for five years, Hong Kong for another five years, then Thailand for the last 13 years.


Though I still consider myself more American than anything else, my mindset is very much influenced by the time I spent in Hong Kong and Thailand.



What's your favorite city in the world?


Favorite city - hard to say, I guess, since I'm a city boy. But I think Hong Kong and Bangkok would probably be my two favorite cities, followed by Tokyo. Ease of transportation, variety of life and food are the main factors.



Ted Loh (a.k.a. "Spearmaster"), did you realize that you were born on the exact same day (March 9th, 1964) as the very first "Ford Mustang" had rolled off the assembly line at "Ford Motor Company"? Knowing this information, do you feel that it's your destiny to go out and purchase a "Ford Mustang" at this moment? Have you given it thought, that by not owning it, you might be preventing your fate to ALWAYS be winning at casino games (think of it as a lucky charm)?


Not a chance. I'm still around. The Mustang isn't... LOL...


Besides, my family has a tradition of "Volkswagen Beetles"... 4 different ones - we sort of broke that tradition with 2 Dashers, 1 I bought myself when I was at USC - biggest orange (that was the original color) I ever bought... my friend took it to Vegas one day and on the way it broke down and he abandoned it with my bowling ball and all my cassette tapes in it... that was the last I saw of any of those items.


I believe one makes his own luck. The only lucky charm I have is a Maneki Neko - a beckoning cat you will see quite often in Japanese and Chinese establishments. Ever since I bought my first cheap one, it has brought me nothing but fortune. Now I have a gold plated one... but so far all that one has done is to disturb my sleep, and cause me to spend money. I might have to abandon it and retrieve the original one from the shop (where it now beckons to customers 24/7).



What are you "Top-3" on-line casino games you most often find yourself playing?


Good question. For the longest time, it was video poker - but in the past couple years it has been video slots of all sorts. I don't have any firm favorites in this area, though, since I like most new slots - you know, hit the bonus rounds, then move on to the next slot machine. I guess I treat slots more like video games - once I've completed the game, I start to lose interest.



If you had to recommend one game wherein you feel that the player has the best opportunity at winning/rather than losing, what game would that be?


Blackjack, assuming you understand basic strategy. Otherwise, Aces or Faces Poker.


You list "Trident Lounge" as your favorite casino (group), which is quite common now that I think about it. Why, in your mind, are they so gosh-darn-good? What separates them from the rest of the elite casinos?


I guess it helps that I know who they are - but realistically, it comes down to a few factors:

* Based on my experience, they treat players better than just about any other program
* Their support is always quite fast at answering, and always professional.
* I know they pay on a reasonable time schedule, except on weekends

and most importantly

* I win more often there than I do at other operations (well, at least until March, when my luck suddenly disappeared and I couldn't win at all anywhere).



What's the greatest video/computer game ever created (in the context of when it was released)? I'd guess a certain "LaserDisk" game, but I'm thinking you may surprise me here.


Well, "Dragon's Lair" was definitely a new advancement in video games, considering everything else at the time was fairly basic ("Pacman", Nintendo etc.). The problem is that the laser disk technology was way too unstable, and expensive.


The greatest video/computer game ever created was probably "Space Invaders" - the pioneering product which redefined video games. Yeah, "Pong" came out before but to tell you the truth that was just a really silly game.


I'll second that (the part about "Pong" being silly). Something that seems to forgotten throughout the history of video games, was that "Pong" (1975, Atari) wasn't actually the first video game console ever released, it was actually second to "Magnovox's Odyssey" (1972), which came with the first home game being the unsuccessful "Computer Space". Needless to say, the "Odyssey" was anything but a success. My friend's older brother had it, and we played it back in '90 (after blowing away all the dust it had been buried under). Have you ever had the luxury of playing this system? Any thoughts on that system?


Never played it - always wanted it. I eventually settled for "Pong" because it was a hell of a lot cheaper :)



I'm going to throw you into the fire here. If the U.S. has the greatest military in the world, who's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th? And why you're ranking those countries militaries in that order (specifics)?


I wouldn't exactly say that the US has the greatest military in the world. Might-wise, maybe. Certainly not intelligence or ability-wise, however. But for the sake of this interview, we'll reluctantly assume that you are correct. :)


That being said, I would rank the following other countries:

*China - sheer might, and they are not too bad in the intelligence area.
*Russia - same.
*South Korea - though this may not necessarily be true now because of the recent warming of relations with its brothers in the North.

Honorable mention - Israel. Any country who has been fighting a war since its inception has to have very strong abilities, particularly considering its size. But I don't agree with women being forced into the army.

Honorable mention - UK - main weakness is that they are prone to leaks... LOL... but they are otherwise a very intelligent and able force, if a bit small.



Although I could be wrong, I would assume that countries in Asia are the KINGS of the cellular phone industry/technology. Surprisingly, the South Korean people generally tab the Indonesian companies for making the greatest strides in this field. Would you agree?


Nope.


Development follows the trends in Japan and South Korea, which are way ahead of everyone else - but of course GSM development comes primarily from Europe. I'm not aware that Indonesia is a development area for either GSM or TDMA.


As far as usage goes:


The Philippines is the king of SMS - they probably SMS at least 5x more often than they actually call!


Indonesia may well follow the trend in the Philippines.


Thailand and Hong Kong are especially huge cellular phone markets as well - Thailand probably has the single largest cell phone complex, if you can call it that, in the world - there is an entire floor of a well-known shopping complex which is occupied 90% by cell phone sellers of all sorts - this would be probably about 500 stalls and stores at the very least. This area is also definitely the world's largest second-hand cell phone market. In Thailand, cell phones are often exchanged for new models every three months like fashion items... However, SMS is NOT commonly used, except by spammers...



Did you choose USC, or did you have plans on going to another University back in the day? Did you go there strictly because:


a) Tom Seaver attended there (and for those who don't know, "Spearmaster" was a huge Seaver and METS fan)?


b) there was the outside chance that you'd be in one of Cheryl Miller's classes (to which... you were)?


c) the Trojan's have probably one of the richest athletic traditions?


d) you are "Methodist"?


e) it provided you with the opportunity to be a double-agent for the UCLA program, in which you could spray paint "Tommy Trojan" in UCLA "True Blue" and gold prior to it being covered in duct tape for the annual USC-UCLA football game. Would this be correct?


a) Nothing to do with Seaver at all.


b) Nothing to do with Miller at all - I had no idea who she was.


c) Actually, probably not. Played a small role since I would try out for the soccer team (made that), and track and field (didn't try out in the end).


d) Definitely not.


e) Like any other Trojan, the Bruins are sworn enemies. :) I tried hard to convince my cousins not to go there, but they did... LOL... and UCLA's stunts were all they could muster since we almost always thrashed their butts even when they had Troy Aikman. The Bruins are always welcome to come paint Tommy Trojan blue to match their mood after we kick their asses again. :)


The simple matter of fact answer is that I would have liked to go to Berkeley - but I didn't have the GPA to get in (test scores were above average though) - so they offered me a plan where if I went to Santa Cruz for two years, they would let me in. In doing so, they diverted my application from going to the next schools on the U of California system (one application for all schools) - second choice was Santa Barbara, 3rd choice was (gulp) UCLA.


When I got the offer from Santa Cruz, and compared it to the offer from USC, it was a simple choice.


I could either go to USC, a well-known party school (even though I wasn't a partier), and be located in the city (if you can call Watts part of Los Angeles) - or go be on a ranch and get tetanus from stepping on rusty nails at Santa Cruz - for the same amount of money, since the financial aid offered by USC was substantially higher - heck, I was almost scholarship status there. :)


Given a choice between USC and Santa Cruz for the same cost, which would YOU choose?



Since all of this is coming out now, did you ever see Mark McGwire juicing back in his USC days?


Not me. He sure as heck wasn't in my dorm... though there was one player near us and he wasn't pro caliber. All we cared about is that we had a top-class baseball program. And football program (until Robinson left and we got stuck with my namesake Tollner... the most predictable football coach in history (up the middle, up the middle, he thought he was maintaining Trojan tradition). And women's basketball.



I'll give you a list of TV "SUPERSTARS", and please indicate with a "Y" (for yes) or a "N" (for no) if you could beat them to pulp in a one-on-one no-holds-barred match.


a) Gary Coleman ("Different Strokes")

"N" He's already a pulp... how do you beat a pulp to a pulp?


b) Ron Pallilo ("Arnold Horseshack" from "Welcome Back, Kotter")

"Y"


c) Karl Malden, now of '96 years of age ("The Streets Of San Francisco")

"Y" At 96 years of age, if he can kick my butt, more power to him and all elderly people like him.


d) the late Nell Carter ("Gimme A Break!")

HELL "N!" Talk about an unfair matchup...


e) Frank Bonner ("Herb Tarlek" from "WKRP in Cincinnati")

N/A - in other words, I have no idea.


Editors note: Frank Bonner really filled-out those pants he wore on that show, he kinda' looked tough in retrospect.


f) a tag-team of you & Don Knotts (Ralph Furley) vs. a 3-headed "Three's Company" threesome of Norman Fell, Audrey Lindley (Mr.& Mrs. Roper) and a doppelganger version of Don Knotts (which is essentially just you versus the Roper's seeing how the Knotts vs. Knotts factor cancels each other out... it would just make GREAT TV!!!). Because it is 3-versus one, I'll let you have homecourt advantage with the set for "Jack's Bistro" being your home base, while future matches will be held at visitors turf, "The Regal Beagle".

Again, an unfair match-up. The Ropers can keep Furley. I'll take Chrissie and Janet, with Jack as cheerleader.


If this is a physical fight, we have a chance. If it is a war of words, we are toast...


Side Note: I was going to also list Gabe Kaplan ("Gabe Kotter" from "Welcome Back, Kotter), but he's a well-rounded athlete which came as an absolute surprise to me, and you might of had your hands full.?As I understand, he used to be a force for team "ABC" at the "Battle of the Network Stars", he was once a very solid baseball player who was on the doorstep of the minor leagues, and has become one helluva poker player over the years.

Vinnie Barbarino (left), Arnold Horshack, Gabe Kotter (center) Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein and Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington (front right) in happier times.

cont...

Gabe would kick my ass. Though I can play "Welcome Back" on the piano, and I bet he can't...



Mr. (Ted) Loh, what's your greatest achievement in life (thus far)?


My three kids :)

Seriously, I thought I would never find a wife and settle down, I was so messed up. Ever since I was 20, I knew that I would need to find the right woman and have kids in order to turn my life around (strange but true).


That search took 9 years, and sure enough, the birth of my first child Jenny meant that I was suddenly responsible for more than myself (and my wife of course). And it did exactly what I expected it would do - make me responsible for my actions. Shelly followed a year and 9 months later (ahem... conceived on Jenny's first birthday), and Billy in 2000.


Honorable mention:

* Appeared on "That's Incredible" in 1983.

* Multiple Hong Kong national championships in shot put, discus, hammer throw and javelin from 1978 until I retired in 1992.

* Built and sold successful website (Got2Bet).

* Being a senior security supervisor at the USC Olympic Village for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. I always dreamed of being in the Olympics, but the Hong Kong Athletic Association refused to select me (because I was a pain in the ass) so this was the next best thing. Had an amusing encounter with Detlef Schrempf (then on the German basketball squad) where he forgot his ID and he was lucky I knew who he was... and an encounter with US Olympic Committee director Anita DeFrantz, a silly bitch who thought I would allow one of her guests into the village without proper credentials. Not only did I refuse her request, I threw her guest out of the Village - and she swore she would make me regret it (she didn't... the head of security later rewarded me with a $5 check LMAO).

* Appeared on the cover of a magazine in HK in football gear in 1988 - spectacular considering it was the ONLY year ever that the Rugby Sevens did NOT have the cover - we stole their limelight and they never forgave us for it. (picture attached, this is a worldwide exclusive premiere).


Who are these people exactly?

The guy on the left is Roy Chun, my old friend and colleague from Hong Kong, who now lives in Vancouver. The guy on the right is the "Lone Ranger" (hmmm... :rolleyes: ), the white guy (LOL) at the bottom is Tom Kelly, founder of the "Hong Kong Football League" (who I happen to think looks like doll version of "The Six Million Dollar Man").



Tell us about your appearance on "That's Incredible!" back in '83. Were you able to get up close (& personal) to Kathy Lee Crosby? Were you able to convince John Davidson to break-out and sing one of his incredible hits? Did you do well on stage and on the air? Were the conditions unfavorable, by that you really should have beaten your opponent? What are your thoughts on that particular event?


Oh oh... is this a PG-rated interview?


I had to train Kathy Lee Crosby how to play Dragon's Lair. She was obviously clueless... and was more interested in fondling the joystick like a female might do with a different type of joystick... and she was wearing a fishnet blouse with nothing underneath. So while she was fondling the joystick, I was enjoying the view :)

Old Attachment (Invalid)

John Davidson had already left "That's Incredible" by then - the new male host was none other than Fran Tarkenton.?Very nice guy - and he brought his son, who also wanted to learn Dragon's Lair and obviously was a bit better at the game than Kathy Lee...


Did I do well on stage? To tell you the truth, I was dressed in a suit. It was hot as hell in the studios, but at least some friends were sitting in the front row. This was basically a demonstration - originally it was going to be a "USC" vs "UGLY"... erm I mean "UCLA"... competition, but the "UCLA" representatives were probably too busy being blue after getting their butts kicked in the Rose Bowl...


The other participant was the national champion, a girl from Colorado, who had an all-expenses paid trip with limo taking her all over the place with a friend. But when she got up on stage, she was so nervous that she kept messing up - so ultimately I completed about 95% of the scenes including the finale. And just so you know, I got paid the massive sum of $50 for my time.


Nevertheless, it was fun, even if I had to hide for a week afterwards... bloody crazy starstruck idiots wanted my autograph and followed me all over the place (I kid you not).



What's your greatest regret, based on something work/business related?


The failure of my computer shop - Tygre Systems - in 2000, because we didn't have enough experience in design and marketing - even though my partner and I were probably amongst the top 1% of tech in the world. Incidentally, the logo for Tygre Systems was designed by my Bruin cousin Ken, who designed the New England Patriots logo (and actually the Tygre logo could well have been the Jacksonville Jaguars logo... or, to put it more succinctly, it was a JJ reject).


In a way, though, this was good, because it forced me to explore other opportunities like "Got2Bet". Taught me to learn from my mistakes.



What are some of your favorite hobbies (non-casino related)?


* Video games and arcades (more addictive than gambling!)

* Surfing the Net

* Music (70s and 80s contemporary and rock, but now getting into jazz as well)

* Finding awesome food to eat



You listed "Earth, Wind & Fire" as your favorite band, which 20-years ago was SO uncool to do.?Having said that, I happen to really like their stuff ("Let's Groove" & "After The Love Has Gone" and I think that it's amazing that they're still releasing albums today (19 studio albums to date).


I think if they ever decide to call it quits, their final album should be titled "Rock, Paper, Scissors" ("PlayTech" may jump in and put a stop to that though...).


What are some of those favorite bands from the era you like so much ('70-80s)?


LOL.

- Chicago
- Journey
- Boston
- Air Supply ( I can hear the groans now)
- Commodores
- Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
- Eagles (duh)
- Queen - Freddie Mercury is probably the voice I miss the most out of all of the singers who have left for greener pastures...
- Manhattan Transfer (a recent favorite)

Many others, but these are the ones just off the top of my head.



I'm going to throw some names/words at you. I'd like you to tell me (in fewest words possible) the first thing that pops in your mind?


Rafael Palmeiro:

- Blank. But I do remember the drug-free hero testifying before Congress... only to be exposed later as a drug cheat...


George Bush:

Sr: Read my lips... no new taxes.
Jr: Nukular weapons... (cracks me up every time, reminds me of Dan Quayle...)


Chuan Leekpai:

- Everyone loves him - but don't play chess with him, because you'll die waiting for him to take his turn. Never made a single decision during his premiership which was of any significant consequence. Thaksin was exactly the opposite... which was good in some ways, but bad in many other ways...


Bryan Bailey:

- (censored) Wanna know the way to his heart? Buy him sushi... or CDs... or take him to a movie...


Michael Caselli:

- Dude! I wonder what it's going to take to wipe the smile off his face, he's been wearing it since I first met him.


"CD-i" (Royal PHILIPS Electronics N.V.):

- Blank. Anything like Betamax?

(excerpt from "Wikipedia.com") The first PHILIPS CD-i player, released in 1991 and initially priced around USD $400, was capable of playing interactive CD-i discs, Audio CDs, CD+G (CD+Graphics), Karaoke CDs, and Video CDs (VCDs), though the last required an optional "Digital Video Card" to provide MPEG-1 decoding. It was a multimedia media CD-player, that never really caught on.


Bill Gates:

- Genius. Love him or hate him, he's a genius. 'Nuff said.


"DOOM" (computer/video game):

- Was cool when it was 2D. Made me nauseous when it went 3D.


Notre Dame (college):

- Suck at football.


"caruso":

- Damn you "Steed", I knew you were going to throw me another trick question...

If he ever lightens up, he might become useful to the industry...


George Lucas:

- Trojan! What's that film she made... ummm... something with Vortran.... or was that R2D2....


John McEnroe:

- He put the word "emotion" into tennis. Always gave his all - never hesitated to argue if he felt he was wrongly done by.

A link that could ONLY please "Spearmaster". Outdated URL (Invalid)


Bjorn Borg:

- Ice. A master of his game - but otherwise the exact opposite of McEnroe. Never lost his cool. Kind of reclusive, even today.


Finally, if you could select one pitcher from the entire 150-year history of the game of "ball" (a.k.a. baseball) to pitch in a 7 game of a World Series (and of course you'd have access to time-machine to make this all happen), who would be your starting pitcher?


Geez... what's with all the trick questions? :)


You already know I like Tom Seaver - he is still one of the greatest pitchers to have ever played baseball, and in my mind a gentleman of the highest order. But he wasn't exactly a character you could love or hate - he was just Mr. "Reliable"... and deserving of the nickname "Tom Terrific"...


If I had to name one player who will define pitching and baseball, it absolutely must be the Rocket, Roger Clemens. Hated him because he was a Yank. But his achievements in the game are simply incredible, and even at his age still a force to be reckoned with. If there was any one pitcher in the big leagues who deserved to be in the Hall of Fame before he was eligible, it would be Roger Clemens (though Pedro Martinez is a close second).


***


I'd like to take the time to thank Ted Loh for allowing me to interview him (in way he's probably not accustomed to). Despite his ongoing battle with migraines earlier in the week, he still took the time to reply to my ludicrous questions. All in good fun though. It was a blast to interview him, as he did play along by keeping his responses articulate yet animated.

Thank you "Spearmaster"!


Steed

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I was waiting for the Inkblot test results? We did word association, lol. :D

Very in-depth JS. Remind me to never allow you to interview me, lol. Ever!! ;)
 
What a classic interview! You guys really make this forum what it is - I could spend all day here. Uh, wait a moment - I live here....
 
What a classic interview! You guys really make this forum what it is - I could spend all day here. Uh, wait a moment - I live here....

... and I rent a soapbox from you...

That being said, this was a really fun interview. You've done it with me yourself for the podcast... same as Trident. But Steed wanted it to be totally different... so different you got.

Beware.... you could be next!
 
With John's threads, I now just hit the down-scroll arrow, wait 30 seconds to get to the bottom and see if any of the comments tell me what the post was about.

:):)
 
Uploaded the links to the attachments for everyone's perusal.

Damn Spear, you look like a badass in that football uniform!!
 
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caruso

With John's threads, I now just hit the down-scroll arrow, wait 30 seconds to get to the bottom and see if any of the comments tell me what the post was about. :) :)


(LOL) I think your "down-scroll arrow" needs to be greased. I got it timed at just over the "7" second mark (top-to-bottom of the interview). :D


Steed

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Casinomeister said:
Damn Spear, you look like a badass in that football uniform!!

Wasn't that supposed to be the whole idea? How do you think that picture would have looked if we had shaved and combed our hair and smiled real pretty for the camera? ;)

A link that could ONLY please "Spearmaster". Outdated URL (Invalid)

Priceless, Steed :)
 
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Spearmaster

Priceless, Steed :)


Glad you liked it. :thumbsup: I thought you'd get a quick-out-of the part about wanting to "challenge himself academically". :D Nevermind McEnroe just being a sports celebrity, he's consistently entertaining (and intriguing). I'd have to say that one of the greatest interviews I've ever seen (on TV), was one from '99 where McEnroe was being interviewed by the legend Charlie Rose (PBS). Although Leno, O'Brien and Letterman get the BIG ratings, none of them can conduct an interview like Rose. He makes anything about ENNRON seem interesting, and I'm not sure it ever is/was interesting.


I think Charlie Rose should get Ted Loh on the show. That would be a real ratings booster. :notworthy Seriously though, for those that actually read the interview that I had did with "Spearmaster", you're probably not going to come across a more interesting and diverse individual. I'm by no means saying that we captured that, because the intent (for this interview) was playing around and having fun with it.


"Spearmaster" and I (and the "dUck") were going back-and-forth in the sports forum (section at Casinomeister.com in the "Number 41" thread) back in January/February, and I was surprised how compelling this man's history is. In all honesty, I happen to think that Spearmaster's story (thus far) would actually make a pretty good book (or movie... the whole "That's Incredible" scene would be a classic ;) ).


Steed

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Javelin, shot putt, hammer throwing and discus. Few schools have these field events. Let me guess, if you did have part of your secondary schooling in Hong Kong, it would have been at Island School, KGV or DBS. Am I right?
 
OK, I finally got around to reading War And Peace.

The gratuitous pop taken at me is his opinion. He is entitled to it, as I am mine of him. Neither is worth any more than that.
 
Bumping a very old super thread....so that some of the newer members can get a closer look at a dear friend and great man who is no longer with us.

You'll never be forgotten Ted. :)
 
Sorry to ask, but why is Spearmaster no longer with us?

Sticky thread at the top of this forum (Online Casinos). Ted passed away the night before last.
 
Lisa--thank you SO much for remembering this and bringing it back for everyone to read. It's been four and a half years since that interview was done, yet it seems like yesterday.

It's so Ted. He knew everything about everything. Such a special guy and we were all so lucky to have had him in our lives.

Gonna miss the guy, dearly.
 
Lisa--thank you SO much for remembering this and bringing it back for everyone to read. It's been four and a half years since that interview was done, yet it seems like yesterday.

It's so Ted. He knew everything about everything. Such a special guy and we were all so lucky to have had him in our lives.

Gonna miss the guy, dearly.

Debbee...now I'm crying again. I know Ted wouldn't want any of us to be sad. Yes, it does seem like yesterday. The time goes TOO fast.

I was actually going back through some PM's, emails, etc today and came across one where I had done a mini interview with him for the RXForum, when I was working for you. Did that ever bring back some memories, lol. One question in particular stuck out. I had asked him what he wanted for the online gaming industry. This was his reply:

My objective is to see a strong, honest, regulated industry which provides entertainment to adults.

That sort of epitomizes Ted....honesty. I will remember him for that above all else. A rare and priceless trait these days. I really am too sad for words. Life is so freaking unfair.
 

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