Industry News and a Big Announcement... or Two! APCW Perspectives 10 September 2010

[APCW]

J Todd reports on online gambling news from Seattle, including stories out of Germany, Malta, and the United States. Plus, he has an announcement to share!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdFBjdH2mLw

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Most of you may not be familiar with the difficulties Lou and his family have dealt with in the last year and I just wanted everyone to know why it is that they need our help right now. Some may have the idea that they were well off but the truth of the matter is that they have been having financial troubles for quite a while now. I thought I'd take some time and explain the situation to all of you.



Louis Fabiano was a good man who loved his family, friends and the people he worked with. Let's remember the good times, when Lou orchestrated entertaining events throughout his time at CAP. Like the time he challenged GPWA to a tug of war or the countless times he invited people in the industry to meals at his favorite restaurants. Even though the tug of war never actually took place, it is testimony to his incredible ability to make an event special.



As his name the “Professor” indicates, he was one of the most helpful people I knew and would always be the first to offer his vast knowledge of the industry and so much more. Some even called him a walking encyclopedia.



When I first met him, I remember being so happy that Lou was my boss because he made my opinions seem important even though I was just a newbie to the industry. He liked to spoil us by taking the whole office to lunch every Friday. I remember thinking how cool it was that he treated us like friends- not just employees.



I’ll never forget the good times we had and will forever hold those memories in my heart. I’m sure everyone else will too. He loved to share his good fortunes with others and was so very generous, always wanting the people around him to have a good time. So it broke his heart when he was no longer able to do this the way he used to.



Soon Lou's financial troubles became apparent and a meeting was called. We had plenty of meetings but this time though, I knew it was different. He had to tell several of his higher paid employees that he could no longer afford to keep them on full time. This was devastating for him as a few of them had to leave the company because they could not take a pay cut. During this time I was being paid through a Florida run program that helps young people like me find careers, so I was not affected by these changes. After a couple of weeks there were only a hand full of us left and Lou became very depressed. He realized the direction things were going and it was scary for him. After all, he was used to being very successful in the industry. During that summer he was admitted into the hospital for his heart. I was very worried for him because of his health and it was hard to see this family who I had become so close to suffer. But it was only the beginning.



When he returned back to work about a week later he seemed ok, but it was never the same as it was before. There was always a cloud looming over us that reminded him how bad things were becoming. In the fall of 2009, Lou had no choice but to file the company for bankruptcy and try to start over fresh. He lost the big office suite that he was so proud of and we moved into a much smaller office. I was optimistic about this as I figured it would save him enough money to keep this new business, Orlando Affiliate Publishing, up and running. After all he had been through, I felt that Lou deserved at least that.



When the new year started, so did the end of the government program which had been funding my internship as Lou's employee. I was almost certain he wouldn't be able to keep me and my fellow intern, Shayla, but he found a way to do it despite the difficulties he would have to face to do so. I remember in February 2010 he even had to pawn some of his things just to be able to pay us. It was heartbreaking. I wasn't supposed to know he did it, but I found out anyways. He didn't want us to know how much he was going through to keep everything afloat. Just a few months later, he had to let go of

Shayla which was extremely hard for him to do. To this day, the whole family still keeps in touch with her in hopes that one day, business will pick back up and they will be able to bring her back.



Now the family learned that his Florida real estate properties, which were worth only a fraction of what he owed, were in danger of being foreclosed on due to his inability to pay the mortgages. The Florida real estate collapse had hit Lou very hard.



In the beginning of July, Lou seemed to have lost all hope for things to get better and became very sad. He tried to hide his pain but it was literally impossible for us not to notice. He put on some weight and began breathing heavier than normal. I asked him what was wrong and he blamed it on allergies but I knew it was something more. A week later, while Lou was at a doctor’s appointment, someone stopped by the office to let us know the building we rented was being foreclosed and that we had till the end of the month to get out. This was more than Lou could bare at the time and just days later he was in the hospital after turning purple and becoming very out of breath. Near the end of July, Lou was released from the hospital but had to wear an oxygen mask in order to breathe.



On July 28, 2010 Lou heard the news that his best friend, Allan Leonard had passed away. This was the final blow and Lou just couldn't handle any more loss. The news was such a shock and so sad for him that just a few days later, Lou was back in the hospital fighting for his own life. He spent nearly a month trying to get better but now he is no longer with us. For me, this is the first time I have ever lost someone who I was close to and who was part of my everyday life. It has been more difficult than I could have imagined and I am sure that this is nothing compared to how Marie and the rest of the family are feeling. It is hard to see such good people so lost without their "head of the pack." One of the only things that makes his loss bearable for me is knowing that he is with his good friend, The Captain and that where he is he will never again feel the pain and suffering of this world.



Wow, I didn't mean for this to become so long, but I just wanted to get things out. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, this family needs our help to make it through these hardest of times. Please, if you can help by donating it would be greatly appreciated. Every penny counts so don't worry if you can only spare a small amount. Thank you so much.

[Simmo!]

Congrats on the "announcement' JT

[thepokerkeep]

Not sure the world is ready for 2 more JT's but congratulations sir!

[mojo]

That's awsome J!!!! You are truly blessed.

Send my congrats to the missus too!

[Doolally]

Congratulations J Todd.

[Anthony]

God sends children to enlarge our hearts, and to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affections. ~ Mary Howitt

Guess you needed a double dose...


All kidding aside, congratulations my friend.

[MichaelCorfman]

Congratulation J. Todd and Melissa!

Looks like the APCW staff is growing even faster than I expected!

And, speaking for myself, I'm sure the world is ready for two more J.Todd's.

Means we should be able to do three videos a week pretty soon, right?

Michael

[Renee]

Congratulations J.
This is truly wonderful news!

Michael, just means there will be more people to hold the camera for another shower scene...

[casinoyaya]

Congratulation J. Todd wonderful news...

[LuckyLizzy]

Congratulations J Todd! That is awesome news. I really love babies so you'll have to show them off when they finally arrive. Can't wait to find our if they are little boys or girls or maybe one of each. Have any names picked out yet?

[mojo]

I didn't have much in paypal and I wish it was more but I sent it to the Fabiano Fund.

[OnlineGambling.com]

Congrats J. Todd