RETI Gambit - Opening Theory & a fun way to fight the French Defense!

MOVE 4 - CASTLE Queen side

I use to belong to a chess club in Eureka many years ago and I do enjoy the game. I'm proud to say I taught one of my nephews to play chess and he's now a Grand Master! In other words, he can kick my butt now! We haven't played since he moved to Colorado eons ago.

Sometimes I pull out a book on chess moves and read about different games from one of my favorite all time players - Bobby Fischer. As a person he was a complete asshole...but his game was other worldly! I like going through the games he played against Boris Spassky, the Soviet Union Grand Master, and world champ at the time. Fischer went to Reykjavik, Iceland in 1972, at the height of the Cold War, and beat Spassky to become the one (and still only) American World Chess Champion.

  

"CHESS IS WAR OVER THE BOARD. THE OBJECT IS TO CRUSH THE OPPONENT'S MIND" - Bobby Fischer

Have you ever heard the adage 'smiling' like cats and dogs?

  

 

   

AS IT STANDS in the Times-Standard - Presidential Pardons & Turkeys!

While our Chimp-in-Charge wraps up his lame duck presidency, he has two more official perks that are full of irony - the pardoning of the traditional Thanksgiving turkey and any criminal he wants.

This photo shows last year's turkey pardoning which was never released to the public for obvious reasons.

AS IT STANDS takes a look at some past pardons that will ruffle your feathers when you read them. There's also some speculation on who Dubya plans to pardon before he slinks away into history.

He's got so many cronies doing illegal things that he may just issue a mass Pardon to anyone that worked for him in the last eight years!

To read today's column CLICK HERE.

Florida boy arrested for Gas Attack-He kept Farting in the Classroom!

A 12-year-old student was arrested earlier this month after he "deliberately passed gas to disrupt the class." The boy was also accused of shutting off the computers of classmates at Stuart Spectrum Jr/Sr High School. He was basically busted for disruption of a school function. "He continually disrupted his classroom environment by breaking wind and shutting off several computers," said the Police report.

Looks like his parents are going to have to make sure the boy doesn't eat beans or other gassy foods or he may not graduate from school! I can imagine the kids in the classroom got a big kick out of his hijinks however.

Slinky Co-Founder-Betty James- passed away yesterday at 90

THIS IS AN UPDATE ON AN EARLIER BLOG

I just posted the Slinky story (below) 48 hours ago, and then I read in the LA TIMES today that she passed away! The timing of the blog seems kinda eerie to me. For more CLICK HERE.

 I bet you didn't know that the inventor of the popular children's toy (Richard T. James) the Slinky - had a meltdown and left his wife to join a religious cult in Bolivia. He died in 1974. The old adage - behind ever great man there is a woman - never applied more than to his wife Betty. She took over the company and made it a continuing success story. In 2002, the Slinky was named the official state Toy of Pennsylvania, and Betty James was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame.

I wonder if all states have official toys?

 

Anybody have any idea what California's might be?

 

Obama and the Blues Brothers to team up for Block Party Celebration

Obama's economic plan aims to create 2.5 million jobs

President-elect Barrack Obama is pushing for a bigger stimulus package to combat what he calls, "A crisis of historical proportions." He's come up with a two-year plan instead of the original one-year proposal and expects lawmakers to back him.

The Los Angeles Times has a good article on the subject this morning. Click here to read more about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We need more nuclear power plants to get benefits like this!

Imagine That: Cheney indicted in Texas court for being a bad boy

   

Sure shot Cheney, along with former U.S Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, were both indicted in a Texas court recently, for engaging in organized criminal activity and neglecting federal prisoners. Willacy County DA Juan Angel Guerra, brought the charges against the two men and also accused Cheney of conflict of interest because of the substantial holdings in the Vanguard Group which invests in private prisons, and using his influence over the county's federal immigration detention center.

Cheney isn't too worried about it and is busy helping a crony raise funds in another state. Don't you just love this guy?

FOOD AS ART - Chef and Produce Artist J. Zhang's Sculptures

 
Go fetch Broccoli boy...                                         Carrot Parrots in Love!
 
 Taro Root mice look nice...         Golden Beet Butterflies on Watermelon flower
(Photos from www.cybersalt.org.) I don't know what it is this morning, but I sure have had food on my mind. Maybe I ought to eat something before these blogs get any weirder!