The best way to win at a game of chance is to remove chance from the equation.

I grew up reading the classic novels of Cold War espionage, and I studied Russian history and Soviet foreign policy.

Erudite and entertaining, Max Anderson is the perfect tour guide to the world of art. The Quality Instinct is both educational and enlightening from start to finish, the thinking person's guide to museums. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to truly understand what makes a masterpiece.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, if you start the clock, then 47 journalists, reporters, cameramen, photographers have been killed in Russia since the fall of communism. That makes it the third most deadly country on Earth to practice journalism. That's not a record to be proud of.

So what are you planning to do with the rest of your life? Develop a drinking problem. More Scotch, please.