8.31.2018

Stalemate - My Big Mistake


  • I was actually behind on points (we were equal on Pawns but Black had one Rook remaining to my White Knight)
  • I had boxed his Rook in rendering it powerless.
  • Then advanced in column A to promote my Pawn to a Queen
  • But foolishly now with overwhelming advantage, Black forced a Draw because I failed to Check him
  • My bad! 
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8.30.2018

Looks familiar but New!


  • One might think ... obviously the Black Rook can take White Rook (E8 to G8), but ...
  • The White Rook at F7 is the piece that checkmates the Black King. 
  • He's protected by the White Knight at F5! 
  • And the White Knight is protected by the White Pawn at G4!
  • Black King trapped! And mated!
  • My initial strategy was to pick off the Black Pawn at C7 ... but this developed somewhat unexpectedly
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I lost a Knight to a foolish mistake but still prevailed


The keys to this game:
  • I controlled the E column with two Rooks early
  • I took out the Black Bishop that traversed the black diagonal, leaving Black's Bishop that traversed the white diagonal powerless. (Note how almost every White Pawn is on a white square!)
  • I used my White Knight to control the left center (until I lost him on a foolish mistake)
  • I opened the A column and advanced my Pawn to promotion. When Black blocked advancement at A8, I swept my White Rook to the 8 horizontal ... checking the Black King. Black sacrificed his Rook and I was able to promote Pawn to King
  • Now with two Queens, I traded Queen for Queen.
  • Then the entrapment!
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8.24.2018

Unusual Checkmate


Comments:
  • I don't think I've ever had a checkmate quite like this one!
  • [as an aside, Kathee is winging her way to San Francisco to visit our daughter, so I am on my own for 3 days!]
  • Note how the advancement of the Pawn in the F column prevents the black King from escaping check by moving to G7.
  • The White Knight at G4 protects the White Pawn at F6.
  • Basically I hemmed the opponent in including the Black Bishop
  • Meanwhile, I had a great Pawn defense!
  • The Black Rooks were likewise hemmed in with no where to operate freely
  • As this developed I actually did not see this unfolding and was a bit surprise by the conclusion
  • The keys:
    • Good Pawn defense
    • Invalidated the Black Rooks and Bishop but hemming them in
    • Opening up the H column
    • The Pawn on F6 protected by the Knight
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8.21.2018

Watergate 2?



NYTimes: Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump’s Direction

WSJ: Michael Cohen Deals Grievous Blow to Former Boss - President Trump’s former, longtime personal lawyer directly implicated him in a federal crime

Comments: Could bring about the end of Trump's Presidency


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Mollie Tibbetts: The new "poster child" against illegal immigration





Mollie Tibbetts case: Body found believed to be missing Iowa jogger; murder charge filed

Comment: I am pro-immigration - legal immigration!
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2017 to 2018


Birthday (8/19) 2017


Birthday 2018

Comments:
  • I am working on my health in my 70th year
  • Dieting & exercise
  • I've lost about 25 lbs
  • More to go!
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8.20.2018

Reality Bites



Dow Rises to Highest Level Since February

Excerpt:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose to its highest level since early February on Monday, lifted by investor optimism about deal activity and trade developments. .... 

“The signal that we can take away from that is that sentiment has not been hit sufficiently by the trade uncertainty that it puts business decisions in question,” said Gabriela Santos, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

The Dow industrials climbed 89.37 points, or 0.3%, to 25758.69—their highest close since Feb. 1. The S&P 500 added 6.92 points, or 0.2%, to 2857.05, bringing it 0.6% below its January record. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite edged up 4.68 points, or less than 0.1%, to 7821.01. The trio of indexes has climbed in three straight sessions.

Stocks tied to commodities and global growth lifted large indexes, with the materials, energy and industrials sectors ranking as the S&P 500’s best performers. Investors are now waiting to see if the S&P 500 can set a new high after the index came within 0.5% of that level earlier this month.
Another epic economic collapse is coming

Excerpt:

This Wednesday, according to the Financial Times' Robin Wigglesworth and Nicole Bullock, "the U.S. stock market will officially have enjoyed its longest-ever bull run" -- one that rises 20 percent from its low, until it drops 20 percent from its peak. And Sept. 15 will be the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Bros., the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank. History's largest bankruptcy filing presaged the October 2008 evaporation of almost $10 trillion in global market capitalization. 

The durable market rise that began March 6, 2009, is as intoxicating as the Lehman anniversary should be sobering: Nothing lasts. Those who see no Lehman-like episode on the horizon did not see the last one.

Economists debate, inconclusively, this question: Do economic expansions die of old age (the current one began in June 2009) or are they slain by big events or bad policies? What is known is that all expansions end. G od, a wit has warned, is going to come down and pull civilization over for speeding. When He, or something, decides that today's expansion, currently in its 111th month (approaching twice the 58-month average length of post-1945 expansions), has gone on long enough, the contraction probably will begin with the annual budget deficit exceeding $1 trillion.
Comment: It's just a matter of time ...

Then (source)


Updated - 8/21



The Longest Bull






Update on 8/22: Bull Market Hits a Milestone: 3,453 Days.
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The "pain in the *ss" Highlights for Children Apps

Highlights for Children Apps

Apparently downloading them subscribes one (can be canceled). I called and tried to unsubscribe but was unable to. Awaiting a call back.

FAQ's
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Two Brothers, Two Birthdays, Two Trucks



Location

Hash follow

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8.19.2018

69th Birthday Photos














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Birthday Blitz


  • 2nd or 3rd win today while waiting for birthday party guests to arrive
  • The 69 year old brain still works (but you never see my losses!)
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8.17.2018

Checkmate


  • Lazy day 
  • Had breakfast with a pastor (not my church) and his singular deacon at Panera Bread in Maple Grove. A consultation.
  • My left ankle is sore and weak today
  • Mowed before lunch
  • Cat not feeling well but finally got comfortable and soundly asleep on my lap
  • Quick chess game. I controlled the middle and opened the left flank and advanced Pawn in A column. Got up by one Rook and promoted the Pawn to Queen
  • The rest was history
  • I only post Chess wins and only the unique ones.
  • I lose most games
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Draw - I hate it when this happens!


  • Equal material
  • Equal advantage
  • Were I Black, I would have have tried to advance the Pawn in the H column. Perhaps moved Rook F8 to F7 to force exchange of Rooks ... then advanced Black King from G8 to G6 (2 moves) to protect the H column
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8.09.2018

My 70th Year



Lord willing, I will turn 69 on August 19th. This year I intend to periodically blog about being in my 70th year and what the Lord is doing in our lives! Note the tag "70". Click that tag and follow along. I have some exciting news ... I cannot make it public today, but will by the end of the month. Let's just say ... big changes ahead. It's great to be alive! My life is not boring.



Comment: Logo source ... modified with Pixlr  This Hashtag on Twitter

1st news:

  • I had a through physical this week and ...
    • Heart & lungs & circulation good!
    • I've lost 21 lbs since October 2017
  • I start my 4th year at the seminary on August 21st. It's mostly social with some mundane work, but it gets me out of the house 3 days a week

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8.04.2018

65 House Races



65 races will decide the House. Here's how Democrats could take control.

Image source
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8.03.2018

A worldview poster



Interesting Soviet era poster: Yuri Gagarin in space and smilingly observing "There is no god"

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8.02.2018

Hyperbolic Rhetoric over the 3D Gun



Federal judge blocks US release of 3D-printed gun blueprints

Excerpt:

Bob Ferguson, Washington state’s attorney general, released a statement announcing the lawsuit and warning of the potential threat to public safety brought by printable guns. “These downloadable guns are unregistered and very difficult to detect, even with metal detectors, and will be available to anyone regardless of age, mental health, or criminal history,” he said. “If the Trump administration won’t keep us safe, we will.” Washington state is joined by Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Maryland, New York, and the District of Columbia.
NRA position: NRA Statement on 3-D Printers and Plastic Firearms

Excerpt:

“Many anti-gun politicians and members of the media have wrongly claimed that 3-D printing technology will allow for the production and widespread proliferation of undetectable plastic firearms. Regardless of what a person may be able to publish on the Internet, undetectable plastic guns have been illegal for 30 years. Federal law passed in 1988, crafted with the NRA’s support, makes it unlawful to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive an undetectable firearm.”
CATO Institute position: Judge Issues Temporary Restraining Order Against Blueprints for Homemade Muskets

Excerpt:

This is a deeply silly order. People have been making guns out of various objects for centuries. Watch this video of someone making a shotgun out of two pieces of commonly available tubing. [video in article] ... 3D-printed guns are little better than those zip guns. The Libertor is a one-shot pistol that, if it works, fires a low-powered bullet with an effective range of maybe 20 feet. More often, it might just explode in your hand.
ATF Position: Does an individual need a license to make a firearm for personal use?
No, a license is not required to make a firearm solely for personal use. However, a license is required to manufacture firearms for sale or distribution. The law prohibits a person from assembling a non–sporting semiautomatic rifle or shotgun from 10 or more imported parts, as well as firearms that cannot be detected by metal detectors or x–ray machines. In addition, the making of an NFA firearm requires a tax payment and advance approval by ATF. [18 U.S.C. 922(o), (p) and (r); 26 U.S.C. 5822; 27 CFR 478.39, 479.62 and 479.105]
My own take: 3D-printed guns might be inevitable. But are they a practical weapon of choice for criminals?
Some 3D print experts said that even if Wilson wins his battle, the plastic gun is, at least at this point, not a practical weapon. “It’s not feasible to print a 100% 3D-printed gun, because the plastic that is being printed that is used here is not strong enough to withstand a barrel or the explosion from a bullet,” said Michael Flynn, who runs a year-old 3D printing business in Fort Worth, Texas. As the latest chapter in America’s battle over gun control unfolds, the use of 3D printing technology for manufacturing reliable firearms is still very much a work-in-progress and a pricey endeavor. Industrial 3D printers cost $20,000 to $100,000, and many companies that rent use of their printers explicitly prohibit users from manufacturing weapons.
See for example (this is legal):
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Crushing Dominance


The key of this game was the Knight protected by two Pawns. I slowly picked off Pawn by Pawn and traded one Rook for Rook. The Queen on the board was a promoted Pawn as I previously had traded Queen for Queen. Several moves before there was a Pawn at E2 that protected the King's left flank - that Pawn also was protected by the Knight. As you consider this board see now the Knight is protecting the Pawn at D3, the Rook at G6 and the Queen as she moved in for the kill!
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The Next Recession - What could Trigger it?



What Will Cause the Next Recession? A Look at the 3 Most Likely Possibilities

Excerpt:

The economic expansion in the United States celebrated its ninth birthday last month. If it survives another year, it will be the longest on record. But eventually something will kill it. The question is what, and when. While it’s impossible to predict the details or timing of the next recession with any confidence, we can identify some emerging threats to the expansion — and with a bit of imagination, picture how the recession of 2020 (or 2022, or whatever year it ends up being) may unfold.
  1. The Fed: "The risk that the Fed will miscalibrate interest rate policy and cause a slowdown or a recession is rising, in part because of the timing of the tax cuts and spending increases enacted this year"
  2. Debt: "Corporations have loaded up on debt over the last decade, spurred by low interest rates and the opportunity to increase returns for shareholders. The value of corporate bonds outstanding rose by $2.6 trillion in the United States between 2007 and 2017, according to data from the McKinsey Global Institute — rising to about 25 percent of G.D.P. from about 16 percent."
  3. Trade War: "For the trade war to trigger a recession, then, it would need to escalate to a much larger scale than the limited tariffs on steel, aluminum, solar cells, washing machines and $34 billion in Chinese products currently covered. Even if it were to expand to encompass hundreds of billions of dollars worth of imports, as President Trump has threatened, in order to cause a recession it would need to prompt a broader crisis of confidence."
Comment: What else?

  • Real war: China ... Iran ... North Korea ... Russia ... Middle East
  • Political turmoil at home
  • The national debt


Related: My money is on this one (below):
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8.01.2018

Six helpful articles on Islam vs Christianity

  1. Differences Between the Qur’an and the Bible: An Introduction
  2. Differences Between the God of the Qur’an & the God of the Bible
  3. Differences Between the Jesus of the Qur’an & the Jesus of the Bible
  4. Differences Between Salvation in the Qur’an & the Bible
  5. The Difference Between the Integrity of the Qur’an & the Bible
  6. Why the God of the Qur’an Cannot Forgive Sins
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