Chess

Those who know chess tend to know nothing else. Art, literature, philosophy--all blanks. Chess tends to attract narrow souls, one-note Charlies with no discernible sense of humor. It is often thus with war games.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

School Violence is Typical

When I read stories about beatings and other assaults associated with bullying in the schools, I think it is typical. That is the purpose of school, to brutalize new generations. It is why society is so violent and will continue to be violent. In America, schools train future criminals, not future scholars. Our system of education is designed to promote violence as the solution to all problems. Lie, cheat and steal are the three primary subjects of study. The other subjects are mere window dressing designed to distract parents from the real program. The best parents take their children out of the school system and arrange for a private school or a private tutor. When I think back to my days in school, all learning stopped at grade 8. After that it was just four years of detention, learning nothing except street smarts. Just marking time, is what school is mostly about.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Low, Middle and High Brow

Vidal makes frequent references to the human race being divided into three classes--low, middle, and high- brow. Judging by who he sorts in the middle and high category, surely the bulk of his readers must know where he'd place them.

Oh, Vidal must have many detractors, I'm sure. I suppose my humility is such that I don't really mind being placed in one of the two inferior categories. Acceptance is more my style. I'm a bit amused, also. Because if Vidal and a thousand-odd are all that's high-brow, then in the first place I'm in the majority, and in the second place, high-brow ain't all that, by Vidal's own admission and with numerous supporting details straight from a high-brow himself.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Criticism of Jon Stewart

The worst that can be said of Jon Stewart (and it's not that bad) is that he hosts Jew after Jew, and some of those Jews are tiresome. Adam Sandler is one boor that I prefer to skip. He is never funny, never bright, and harps on his conservative style of Jewishness when he's on the show. Then Jon hosts a lot of writers I've never heard of whose only badge of merit appears to be Jewishness. I can think of about a hundred other guests I would like to see on his show, such as Gore Vidal before he kicks the bucket. I think being a Jew compensates for mediocrity in Jon's book. He will assist the career of anyone who is a Jew.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Even More on Gore

In Gore Vidal, I have found a wit that I could never hope to equal in a million years. He is funny, fresh, careful (when he feels he must be), and vigorous. I can only imagine that he spends enormous amounts of time concentrating his energies upon his writing. When I have done so, the end product has not been nearly as good as Gore's, I think. If I had started out in college by reading Gore instead of second-raters like Anne Rice and Ayn Rand, then I would have abandoned any pretense of becoming a writer, so far above me is Gore. The prose of Anne Rice and Ayn Rand gave me hope, along with other bad habits.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Gore Vidal, Entertainer

I think Gore Vidal must be understood primarily as an entertainer. He seems to know what certain people, his audience, want and how to give it to them. He's a showman, a world-class gossip, and a chatty guy if there ever was one. He leaps from one subject to the next with the abandon of an acrobat, and he never seems to tire of harping on the same themes from essay to essay. He has a long list of strongly held beliefs that he wishes to emphasize again and again in an attempt to make converts to his particular view of the universe. Do I agree with all his opinions? No, I do not.

He exaggerates things in order to obtain sweeping generalizations, and for all his criticism of others for playing loose with the facts, he inevitably gets facts mistaken himself from time to time, in part because he deals with so many facts, ideas, and opinions; they are his bread and butter. His sentences are strewn with jeweled thoughts with many dimensions. That is why I love reading Gore Vidal. He provokes thought when he is introducing a new idea or article of historical evidence to the reader. Of course I delight in his gossip and his narcissism. His arrogance is most becoming. He is rather like a peacock. He wrote an essay on a peacock, Thomas Love Peacock to be precise. He is a pure delight to read on certain subjects, most of all literature, academic criticism and history.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Gedult's Opening

Recently, while watching other people play, I discovered a bizarre and fascinating opening known as Gedult's Opening, which begins 1. f3?! Nobody in their right mind would play it, of course, or so conventional logic would have it. I have found it to be a surprisingly effective weapon. From the first move, one's opponent is knocked out of book, and Black must ponder each and every move, consuming much more time than usual in the process. Meanwhile, a player such as myself accustomed to the difficulties posed by 1. f3 can sail along in comparative ease, consuming little time to make what have become intuitive moves. The truth is that although 1. f3!? seems wrong (and in fact the Wikipedia page slams it as "White's worst possible opening" which I thought reactionary), it disorients a significant number of human players who make less than optimal moves in response. I often obtain a strong center from the opening and good fighting chances, although the king position is typically less secure as a result of a weak f2 square, and White must take care not to fall victim to an early King-side attack.

Here are three of my better Gedult games:

[White igor]
[Black anon]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "1800"]

1. f3 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. fxe4 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. d4 Bf5 6. c4 Nb6 7. Nf3 e6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Bd3 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Bxf5 Qxd1+ 12. Nxd1 exf5 13. b3 Bb4+ 14. Kf2 Bc5+ 15. Kg3 O-O 16. Rf1 g6 17. Bh6 Rfe8 18. Nf2 Bd4 19. Rad1 Bxe5+ 20. Bf4 Bxf4+ 21. Kxf4 Re6 22. g4 fxg4 23. Nxg4 Rae8 24. Kg3 f5 25. Nf2 Re3+ 26. Kf4 Re2 27. c5 Nc8 28. Rd7 Rxa2 29. Rxc7 b5 30. Nd3 a5 31. Re1 Rd8 32. Ne5 Rd4+ 33. Kg5 Rg2+ 34. Kf6 Rd8 35. Rd1 Rf8+ 36. Nf7 Re2 37. Rdd7 f4 38. Kg5 Rg2+ 39. Kh4 Rxh2+ 40. Kg4 h5+ 41. Kg5 Rg2+ 42. Kh6 Re2 43. Ne5 Re8 44. Rg7+ Kf8 45. Nxg6# 1-0

[White igor]
[Black anon]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. f3 d5 2. e4 c6 3. d4 e6 4. e5 Qh4+ 5. g3 Qd8 6. Be3 Ne7 7. Bd3 Na6 8. Ne2 Nb4 9. a3 Nxd3+ 10. Qxd3 Nf5 11. Bf2 Qb6 12. b4 a5 13. c3 axb4 14. cxb4 Be7 15. O-O Bxb4 16. Nd2 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 O-O 18. Rfb1 Qc7 19. g4 Ne7 20. f4 b6 21. h4 Ba6 22. h5 c5 23. dxc5 bxc5 24. h6 g6 25. Ng3 Rfb8 26. Rc1 c4 27. Rc3 Rb7 28. Bd4 Rab8 29. f5 Nc6 30. fxg6 fxg6 31. Re1 Nxd4 32. Qxd4 Qb6 33. Qxb6 Rxb6 34. Ne2 Rb1 35. Kf2 Rxe1 36. Kxe1 Rb3 37. Kd2 Rb2+ 38. Ke3 Rb1 39. Nd4 Bc8 40. g5 Rh1 41. Rc2 Rh3+ 42. Nf3 d4+ 43. Kf2 Rxf3+ 44. Kxf3 Bb7+ 45. Kf2 Bd5 46. a4 d3 47. Rc3 Kf7 48. Ke3 Ke7 49. a5 Kd7 50. Kd2 Kc6 51. a6 Kc5 52. Ra3 Kd4 53. a7 Kxe5 54. Ra5 Kd4 55. Rxd5+ exd5 56. a8=Q c3+ 57. Kd1 1-0

[White igor]
[Black anon]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. f3 d5 2. e4 d4 3. e5 c5 4. Bc4 e6 5. d3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Nge7 7. Nd2 Ng6 8. Bg3 Ngxe5 9. Bb5 Bd7 10. Ne2 Bd6 11. f4 Ng4 12. Ne4 Bc7 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. Nxd4 Bxe4 15. Qxg4 O-O 16. dxe4 Qxd4 17. Rd1 Qxe4+ 18. Qe2 Qf5 19. O-O Rfd8 20. c4 Rd4 21. Rxd4 cxd4 22. Rf3 Rd8 23. Qd3 Qa5 24. a3 f6 25. b4 Qa6 26. c5 Qxd3 27. Rxd3 e5 28. fxe5 fxe5 29. Kf2 Kf7 30. Kf3 Ke6 31. Ke4 b6 32. cxb6 axb6 33. Rd2 Rd7 34. Rc2 g5 35. Rc6+ Rd6 36. Rxc7 d3 37. Rc1 d2 38. Rd1 Rd4+ 39. Ke3 Kd5 40. Rxd2 Rxd2 41. Kxd2 e4 42. Bf2 b5 43. Kc3 h5 44. g3 Ke5 45. Be3 g4 46. Bf4+ Kd5 47. Be3 Ke5 48. Kb3 Kd5 49. a4 Kc6 50. a5 Kb7 51. Kc3 1-0

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

I Give a Darn

I like this editorial from Petula Dvorak (what a name!).

I like to think that I would have intervened on behalf of the victim. At the very least, I would have dialed 911, but I suspect I would have walked over to at least assess the situation and determine whether the attacker had a firearm.

I give a darn. If you die, you die, but everybody's going to die, anyway. Better to save a life if possible, even at the risk of one's own. Who knows, you might make a friend for life, if you save someone's life.

I don't have a high opinion of Apple iJunk or any other iJunk. When out and about, one should focus upon one's surroundings, not on an interior world of internet, email and texting. It is impractical to venture out into the world without making full use of one's ears and eyes. Computers should be left at home.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

The Prophet Mohammed and His Dogs

A French satirical magazine was firebombed for posting a picture of the Prophet Mohammed.

Frequent incidents like this around the world have left me with a low opinion of Islam and its practitioners, whether "moderate" or not. I have yet to hear about anything very good in the world being done by a Muslim that does not, either as its primary or secondary objective, further the narrow interests of the Islamic mafia.

I'd place a picture of the Prophet Mohammed on this blog if I could find a good one. The West will not place curbs on freedom of speech. It is the Muslims who need to adjust to our way of life, not the other way around. Otherwise, they should go to Iran or Saudi Arabia, depending upon their particular flavor of Islam.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Gore Vidal, Prophet

Essays Gore Vidal wrote thirty years ago still apply today. He noted in one essay that Democrats promise change, while delivering the status quo. I was immediately put to mind of Obama, who lied his rear-end off in order to become President, then promptly reversed himself on a dozen different issues and gave away the country's treasure to rich bankers. Obama is more cunning than usual for a modern President, but that's all that can be said of him. There's no way I can vote for a man whose arrogance is so great, he decides that he knows better than a state's voters and assumes dictatorial powers over certain states. I would rather see another Republican in office, so that the Democratic candidacy will become vacant again.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Common Sense on Vitamins

I used to be a vitamin supplement enthusiast, but in light of recent research I have lost interest in supplements. It seems to me that vitamin pills are a continuation of the snake oil remedies of the past.

Multivitamins should be used in moderation. If one is eating a well-balanced diet, there is no need for a multi. If one is eating vitamin-poor food at fast-food joints, perhaps it can't hurt to pop a multi in an attempt to fill in the gaps left by such a poor diet.

Taking a multi every day regardless of diet seems wasteful to say the least, and then there's apprehension in the medical community as to the pharmacological effects of high dosages of various vitamins and minerals on the body.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Rick Perry's Just Another Bigot

I knew Rick Perry was stupid, but I didn't know the degree of his stupidity, though I knew his college degree was studded with numerous C's and D's. If there was ever anything positive said about Rick Perry on my blog, I retract it. I heard he favored the campaign to repeal gay marriage in NH. So he's just another bigot. I wonder if his own marriage is worth protecting?

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Steve Joke

If Steve Jokebs is considered a genius by all the talking heads in the media, including Jon Stewart, then the human race has deteriorated a great deal, to say the least. Earlier generations celebrated Einstein, Edison, and Mark Twain. Maybe these gentlemen didn't become billionaires, but a genius doesn't need to.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Can't Support Obama in 2012

I don't like the idea of supporting an out-and-out liar like Obama who refuses to listen to scientific evidence that marijuana is a worthwhile medicine. If the Republicans nominate a nincompoop like usual, I will simply vote for the Libertarian candidate, but not Obama. As far as I'm concerned, he's a Republican in disguise who connived to transfer funds from the American taxpayer and give them to bank executives. His main legacy that stands out in my mind is grabbing money from the American taxpayer and lying about medical marijuana. He flip-flops on so many of the other issues that it is hard to say whether he has any ideals at all.

At least with a Republican President, the Democrats don't look so bad. I'd rather the President be an out-and-out wolf than a wolf in sheep's clothing making the sheep look bad.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Gore Vidal

I suppose it's unnecessary to declare Gore Vidal a genius. For all his attacks against Academe, he is forever a scholar and among the best. His writing is always interesting, even when he is rehashing a pet idea that he has expressed a dozen times before.

I think he's great. I also think he has more courage than most writers. I wish there were a potion he could be given that would restore him to youth and permit him to write for future generations.

Gore's gift is as a teacher of history, language, culture and psychology, but more than that, a teacher of teachers, superior to the other writers and thinkers he holds up for derision or praise or both. I think that he recognized his own genius and had no doubts about it and delighted in it a bit too much. Unseemly, I think it was, for Gore to take so much pleasure in smiting the less talented. Yes, Gore is a somewhat guilty or curious pleasure, brimming with lore and half-forgotten secrets. His knowledge appears deep like the ocean and even wondrous. To imagine the number of books he has read is dizzying. I would estimate he spends the greater portion of every day reading.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

I Wish the Best for Libya

I hope Libya enjoys all the peace and prosperity it is due.

I do wish the media would report on other topics besides Khadaffy's corpse, though. Ghoulish, if you ask me.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Gore Vidal

I'm still reading Gore Vidal. He really does seem to have mastered the essay. However, I don't find him abundant in ideas. He has about thirty ideas--more than most people I suppose. He recycles them. Some essays don't have a new idea, only new trivia or gossip concerning a celebrity.

I find I learn more with Vidal than I learned in college from my professors. I think it was a mistake, majoring in English. Vidal provides a better education than the liberal arts department did. He knows more and he is both clever and insightful and unrestrained by politics or prejudice. I can see why he interests so many people.

I hate his surrealist novels. I like his historical novels the best. I think he quit writing historical novels because he felt like they did not pay enough, and he found essay-writing easier and more lucrative. Also, through essays he can get on his soapbox and voice his opinion directly rather than through the medium of characters.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Huntsman is Better than Paul

Among the current crop of Republican Presidential candidates, I think I prefer Huntsman over Paul. He's a Mormon who supports civil unions for gays and gave $1 billion in the fight against cancer. He seems more humane than Ron Paul, who let his uninsured campaign manager die of pneumonia at 49.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Republicans Too Stupid to Pick Ron Paul

Republicans always pick a stupid candidate lacking both ideas and ideals, an accurate representative of their base.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

NBC

"A van containing President Obama's teleprompter and podium were stolen from a Virginia hotel parking lot on Monday, according to NBC12 in Richmond." - NBC

The people who work for NBC do not understand grammar. I suppose they feel grammar is an unnecessary, outdated knowledge. Perhaps that is why I had so much difficulty getting a job after graduating with highest honors in English Lit. No one in the business community gives a damn if you can write in a competent manner. Journalists in the mainstream media seem to have dropped out of school around grade five.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments