The Perfect Game of Chess

According to the Oxford dictionary “Chess is a board game for two players, the object of which is to put the opponent’s king under a direct attack, leading to checkmate”.

In other words the goal of chess is total annihilation of your opponent, to eliminate all hope and potential from their side of the board. One of the things that makes chess so unique from other board games is the fact that there are almost infinite number of positions that can arise in the quest for victory.

Consider this, after each player makes just one move there are 400 different positions possible! After 2 moves – about 72,000 positions possible. After 3 moves – 9 million. After 4 moves – 288 billion (yes, billion with a “b”) positions can arise on a chess boards. And the average chess game is around 40 moves! That translates into 10^50 legal positions in chess that are possible after 40 moves! 

The Freedom of Information Day

On March 16, 1986, President Ronald Reagan designated that day as "Freedom of Information Day," because he believed greatly in that Constitutionally-given right. He believed that a government, shrouded in secrecy, was a clear and present danger to the republic and its citizens. Check out part of his proclamation that he issued on that day: 

"A fundamental principle of our government is that a well-informed citizenry can take part in the important decisions that set the present and future course of the nation. Our Founding Fathers provided in the Constitution and in the Bill of Rights freedoms for all Americans, many of which are promoted by open access to information . . . 

Numerous acts of Congress, including the Freedom of Information Act, are intended to further this principle. Most Americans, having never known any other way of life, take for granted open access to information about their Federal, State, and local governments. They also understand that some secrecy is necessary to protect both national security and the right to privacy."

296 Days Until Christmas!

Here is your daily reminder of how many days remain until Christmas 2023. 

There are many things to love about Christmas, and it’s hard to put them all into words. It’s a time of giving and sharing, spending time with family and loved ones, and reflecting on the past year. 

And while I may not be the wealthiest person on Earth, I do appreciate the smaller things that come with the Christmas season, like the beauty in snowflakes, great food, and being able to binge-watch holiday movies with loved ones. 

So, in anticipation of the holiday that is only 296 days away, I’m sharing 5 things I love about Christmas. 

1) Holiday Movies: For me, the holiday movies season officially begins in November. I am a sucker for Christmas and holiday-themed movies like The Grinch and The Christmas Story. 

2) Christmas Lights and Pretty Decorations: I always love the transformation of our normal surroundings after lights, candles, stockings, and favorite decorations complete their missions. You cannot help but smile, even on the gloomiest of days as you are surrounded by light and joy.

3) Christmas Music: I love Christmas Music, and I start my playlist as soon as Halloween is officially in the rear-view mirror.

4) Ugly Christmas Sweaters: Fun to wear - even more fun to observe.

5) Vacations: It’s the perfect season to visit loved ones - wherever they may live.

My Top 10 Greatest Albums of All Time

Without a great deal of commentary, here are my Top 10 favorite albums (as of today . . . )

But first some honorable mentions: 

• Billy Joel - Piano Man (1973)
• Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
• Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968)
• Three Dog Night - Around The World (1973)
• Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (1968)
• Doobie Brothers - The Captain and Me' (1973)

Now onto my Top 10 Albums!

10) Boston (1976) Debut album - technological and musical marvel. Groundbreaking. 

9) Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966) The Beach Boys eleventh album and by all accounts their greatest masterpiece. Vocal harmonies that sound like they were created in the realms of the heavenlies. 

8) Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark (1974) Her sixth studio album and her first combining her folk style with jazz elements. Simply stupendous. 

7) John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963) This breakthrough album combined two of the giants of jazz and big band vocals. It was rumoured that all of the tracks of this record were recorded in the first take except for the first song when the drummer dropped his drumsticks during the recording. Amazing.