Eternal Sunshine #117

October 2016

By Douglas Kent 911 Irene Drive, Mesquite, TX  75149

Email: diplomacyworld@yahoo.com or dougray30@yahoo.com

On the web at http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/.  Also be sure to visit the official Diplomacy World website which can be found at http://www.diplomacyworld.net. 

All Eternal Sunshine readers are encouraged to join the free Eternal Sunshine Yahoo group at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/eternal_sunshine_diplomacy/info

 to stay up-to-date on any subzine news or errata.  If you don’t like the sign-up process just send me an email and I will send you an invite which cuts through the red tape.  You should also join the Eternal Sunshine Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/270968112943024/

 

Check out my eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/dougsrarebooksandmore

 

My book “It’s Their House; I’m Just a Guest” is available in softcover and Kindle from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501090968/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

Welcome to the latest issue of Eternal Sunshine, as we continue to run down to a fold.  Richard Weiss has ended his subzine.  But there’s still two Larry Peery columns plus the latest Abyssinian Prince in here.  Add to that the remaining games, and the recap of Best Albums of All Time by decade, and there’s still a few things for you to read and enjoy.  See you in November!

 

 

The Greatest Albums of All Time

Recap Lists

 

1960’s

 

9

The Beatles - Abbey Road

8

The Beatles - Revolver

7

Simon and Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence

7

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

6

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

6

The Doors - The Doors

6

The Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed

5

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?

5

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison

5

The Beatles - Rubber Soul

5

The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)

4

Crosby, Stills, and Nash - Crosby, Stills, and Nash

4

The Who - Tommy

3

Cream - Disraeli Gears

3

David Bowie - Space Oddity

3

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

3

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

3

Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn

3

The Beatles - Meet the Beatles

3

The Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet

3

The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico

2

Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man Like I Love You

2

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

2

Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica

2

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream and Other Delights

2

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II

2

Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends

2

Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!

2

The Band - Music from the Big Pink

2

The Band - The Band

2

The Beatles - Please Please Me

1

Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign

1

Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant

1

B.B. King - Live at the Regal

1

Bert Bacarach and Herb Alpert - Casino Royale

1

Big Brother and the Holding Company - Cheap Thrills

1

Birgit Nilsson, Giorgio Tozzi, Jussi Björling, Renata Tebaldi & the Rome Opera Orchestra - Puccini: Turandot

1

Blood Sweat and Tears - Blood Sweat and Tears

1

Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

1

Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues

1

Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt Keepers - The Original Monster Mash

1

Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield (1967 Reissue)

1

Chad and Jeremy - Yesterday's Gone

1

Chicago - Chicago Transit Authority

1

Deep Purple - Shades of Deep Purple

1

Deep Purple - The Book of Taliesyn

1

Dick Dale - Surfer's Choice

1

Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis

1

E. Power Biggs & the Edward Tarr Ensemble - Glory of Gabrieli Vol. II

1

Ella Fitzgerland - Live In West Berlin

1

Ennio Morricone - Once Upon a Time in the West

1

Etta James - At Last!

1

Eugene Ormandy, Temple University Choir and Philadelphia Orchestra - Carl Orff’s Catulli Carmina

1

France Gall - 1968

1

Frank Sinatra - Strangers in the Night

1

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

1

Freddie - Auf Hoher See

1

Gary Graffman - Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 3

1

Herbert von Karajan - Beethoven Symphonies

1

Howlin' Wolf - Howlin' Wolf

1

Igor Stravinsky & the Columbia Symphony Orchestra - Stravinsky Conducts 1960: Le Sacre du Printemps; Petrushka

1

James Brown - Live at the Apollo

1

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

1

Jethro Tull - This Was

1

Jimi Hendrex Experience - Electric Ladyland

1

Joan Baez - Joan Baez

1

Joan Sutherland & the Royal Opera House Orchestra - The Art of the Prima Donna

1

John Coltrane - Crescent

1

John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard

1

John Lee Hooker - Burnin'

1

Johnny Winter - Second Winter

1

Juan Garcia Esquivel - Latin-Esque

1

Julian Bream - Evening of Elizabethan Music

1

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin

1

Leontyne Price & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Berlioz: Nuits d'Ete (Song Cycle)/Falla: El Amor Brujo

1

Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain

1

Montserrat Caballé & the RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra & Chorus - Rossini: Rarities

1

Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!

1

Neil Young - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

1

Nick Drake - Frie Leaves Left

1

P.P. Arnold - Kafunta

1

Patsy Cline - Showcase

1

Pete Seeger - We shall Overcome

1

Peter Paul & Mary - Peter Paul & Mary

1

Peter Paul and Mary - Peter Paul and Mommy

1

Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift For You

1

Pink Floyd - More

1

Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

1

Ravi Shankar - East Meets West

1

Red Krayola - The Parable of Arable Land

1

Richter - Debussy, Prokofiev, Hadyn, Chopin

1

Simon and Garfunkel - Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme

1

The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band

1

The Animals - The Animals

1

The Association - Insight Out

1

The Beach Boys - Little Duece Coupe

1

The Beach Boys - Summer Days (and Summer Nights)

1

The Beach Boys - Surfin' Safari

1

The Beatles - Help!

1

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - Gorilla

1

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - Tadpoles

1

The Byrds - Turn, Turn, Turn

1

The Kinks - Face to Face

1

The Kinks - Well Respected Kinks

1

The Lovin' Spoonful - Daydream

1

The Lovin' Spoonful - Hums

1

The Mamas and the Papas - If Uou Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

1

The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed

1

The Moody Blues - The Magnificent Moodies

1

The Nice - Ars Longa Vita Brevis

1

The Rolling Stones - Aftermath

1

The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World

1

Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus - Handel’s Messiah

1

William Shatner - The Transformed Man

 

1970’s

 

 

8

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

8

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

5

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

5

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

5

Pink Floyd - The Wall

4

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

4

The Eagles - Hotel California

4

The Who - Who's Next

3

Boston - Boston

3

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu

3

Jethro Tull - Aqualung

3

Steely Dan - Aja

3

Supertramp - Breakfast in America

3

Yes – Close to the Edge

2

Aerosmith - Rocks

2

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2

Blondie - Parallel Lines

2

Chicago - Chicago II

2

David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World

2

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

2

Kate Bush - The Kick Inside

2

King Crimson - Red

2

Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy

2

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

2

Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell

2

Neil Young - After the Gold Rush

2

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

2

Queen - A Night at the Opera

2

The Cars - The Cars

2

The Ramones - Rocket to Russia

2

The Ramones - The Ramones

2

The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus

2

The Who - Live at Leeds

1

ABBA - Arrival

1

Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic

1

Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy

1

Al Kooper - Easy Does It

1

Alicia de Larrocha - Albeniz: Iberia

1

Ashkenazy/Previn - Prokofiev: The Five Concertos

1

Barbara Streisand - Classical Barbara

1

Barbara Streisand - The Way We Were

1

Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties

1

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

1

Brian Eno - Another Green World

1

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

1

Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle

1

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Darkness on the Edge of Town

1

Bull Bruford – One of a Kind

1

Buzzcocks - Another Music in a Different Kitchen

1

Captain Beefheart - Clear Spot

1

Carole King - Tapestry

1

Colin Davis  and the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus - Berlioz: Les Troyens

1

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory

1

Dabid Bowie - Alladin Sane

1

David Bowie -  Young Americans

1

David Bowie - Station to Station

1

David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

1

Deep Purple - Machine Head

1

Deep Purple - Made in Japan

1

Devo - Are We Not Men?  We Are Devo!

1

Donna Summer - Bad Girls

1

Elton John – Madman Across the Water

1

Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True

1

Elvis Costello - This Year's Model

1

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces

1

Emerson Lake and Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition

1

Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets 

1

Eric Clapton - Slowhand

1

FM - Black Noise

1

Focus - Focus II

1

Galina Vishnevskaya - Mussorsky: Songs and Dances of Death

1

Generation X - Valley of the Dolls

1

Genesis - Trespass

1

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

1

George Harrison - Living in the Material World

1

George Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven: Symphonies (9) Complete

1

Glenn Yarbrough - The Hobbit

1

Gong - Angels Egg

1

Greg Smith Singers - New Music of Charles

1

Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson

1

Hawkwind - Space Ritual

1

Itzhak Perlman & Vladimir Ashkenazy - Beethoven: Sonatas for Violin and Piano

1

Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky

1

Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys

1

John Lennon - Imagine

1

John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band

1

Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny

1

King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black

1

KISS - Alive

1

Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express

1

Led Zeppelin - Led Zepplin III

1

Leon Russell - Leon Russell

1

Lynyrd Skynard - Leh nerd skynrd

1

Manassas - Manassas

1

Marlo Thomas & Friends - Free to Be You and Me

1

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells

1

Miles Davis – Bitches Brew

1

Nick Lowe - Pure Pop For Now People

1

Patti Smith - Easter

1

Paul Simon - Paul Simon

1

Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother

1

Pink Floyd - Meddle

1

Pink Floyd - Obscured by Clouds

1

Queen - A Day at the Races

1

Rainbow - Rising

1

Randy Newman - Sail Away

1

Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior

1

Richard and Linda Thompson - I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

1

Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour '74

1

Roxy Music - Roxy Music

1

Rush - Caress of Steel

1

Sparks - Halfnelson

1

Sparks - Propaganda

1

Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life

1

T. Rex - Electric Warrior

1

Talking Heads - Fear of Music

1

Teresa Berganza - Zarzuela Arias

1

The Allman Brothers – Live at the Fillmore East

1

The B52's - The B52's

1

The Beatles - Let it Be

1

The Carpenters - The Carpenters

1

The Clash - London Calling

1

The Clash - The Clash

1

The Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette

1

The James Gamg - The James Gang Rides Again

1

The Kinks - Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround

1

The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers

1

The Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn

1

The Move - Shazam

1

The Pop Group - Y

1

The Ruts - The Crack

1

The Saints - Prehisoric Sounds

1

The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks

1

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes

1

Udo Lindenberg & das Panik-Orchester - Ball Pompös 

1

UK - UK

1

Ultravox - Ha-Ha-Ha

1

Uriah Heep - Demons and Wizards

1

Van Halen - Van Halen

1

Van Morrison - Moondance

1

Vladimir Horowitz - Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff

1

Wendy Carlos - Switched on Bach

1

ZZ Top - Deguello

1

ZZ Top - Tres Hombres

 

1980’s

 

 

4

Paul Simon - Graceland

4

U2 - The Joshua Tree

3

Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever

2

AC/DC - Back in Black

2

Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual

2

David Bowie - Lets Dance

2

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

2

Dire Straits - Making Movies

2

Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction

2

Iron Maiden - Powerslave

2

Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids

2

John Lennon/Yoko Ono - Doble Fantasy

2

Michael Jackson - Thriller

2

midnight oil - diesel and dust

2

Peter Gabriel - Security

2

Peter Gabriel - So

2

REM - Document

2

Sting - Nothing Like the Sun

2

The Police - Synchronicity

2

The Pretenders - Pretenders

1

10,000 Maniacs - In My Tribe

1

Alan Holdsworth - Secrets

1

Asia - Asia

1

Bananarama - Bananarama

1

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique

1

Billy Bragg - Life's A Riot

1

Bride - Live to Die

1

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.

1

Bruce Springsteen - The River

1

Cabaret Voltaire - Micro-Phonies

1

Chrome - Alien Soundtracks II

1

David Gilmour - About Face

1

David Lee Roth - Crazy from the Heat

1

David Sylvian - gone to earth

1

David Sylvian - Secrets of the beehive

1

Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses

1

Devo - New Traditionalists

1

Dio - Holy Driver

1

don henley - building the perfect beast

1

Donald Fagan - The Nightfly

1

Echo & The Bunnymen - Porcupine

1

Elvis Costello - Get Happy

1

Eric Clapton - Journeyman

1

Frank Zappa - Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar

1

Georg Solti and the Chicago Sympony Orchestra - Mahler Symphony #2 in C Minor

1

Georg Solti and the Chicago Sympony Orchestra - Mahler Symphony #9 in D

1

George Solti and the CSO - Brahms' Four Symphonies

1

George Thoroughgood - Bad to the Bone

1

Glenn Gould - Bach: Goldberg Variations

1

Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 1

1

Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 2

1

Helloween - Walls of Jericho

1

Iron Maiden - Killers

1

Japan - tin drum

1

Joe Jackson - Night and Day

1

Joe Satriani - Surfing With the Alien

1

John Cougar Mellencamp - Scarecrow

1

John Fogerty - Centerfield

1

John Lennon/Yoko Ono - Milk and Honey

1

Journey - Escape

1

Joy Division - Closer

1

King Crimson - beat

1

King Crimson - Discipline

1

KISS - Creatures of the Night

1

Laughing Clowns - Mr. Uddich-Schmuddich Goes to Town

1

Los Lobos - Will the Wolf Survive?

1

Magazine - The Correct Use of Soap

1

Manowar - Fighting the World

1

Manowar - Kings of Metal

1

Metallica - Ride the Lightning

1

Michael Brecker - don't try this at home

1

Neil Young - Freedom

1

Neville Marriner and the Ambrosian Opera Chorus and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields - Amadeus

1

New Order - Low Life

1

New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies

1

Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz

1

Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman

1

Paul Simon - Hearts and Bones

1

Pet Shop Boys - Introspective

1

Pete Shelley - Heaven and the Sea

1

Pete Townsend - All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes

1

Pete Townsend - Empty Glass

1

Peter Gabriel - 3

1

Pink Floyd - The Delicate Sound of Thunder

1

Prince - Purple Rain

1

Queen - Flash Gordon

1

Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime

1

Randy Rhodes/Ozzy Osbourne - Tribute

1

REM - Life's Rich Pageant

1

Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights

1

Richard Milti and the CSO Orchestra and Chorus - Verdi's Requiem

1

Robbie Robertson - Robbie Robertson

1

Robert Palmer - Riptide

1

Robert Shaw and the Atlanta SO and Chorus - Berlioz's Requiem

1

Rockpile - Seconds of Pleasure

1

Roger Waters - Radio KAOS

1

Run D.M.C. - Run  D.M.C.

1

Rush - Moving Pictures

1

Scorpions - World Wide Live

1

Shriekback - Oil and Gold

1

Simple Minds - New Gold Dream

1

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Juju

1

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Through the Looking Glass

1

Specials - Specials

1

Squeeze - East Side Story

1

Stan Ridgway - The Big Heat

1

Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood

1

talk talk - the colour of spring

1

Talking Heads - Remain in Light

1

Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues

1

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

1

The B-52s - Cosmic Thing

1

The Bangles - Different Light

1

The Clash - London Calling

1

The Cure - Disintegration

1

The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It

1

The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour

1

The Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat

1

The Jags - Evening Standards

1

The Mekons - Fear and Whiskey

1

The Police - Ghost in the Machine

1

The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You

1

The Smiths - Hatful Of Hollow

1

The The - Soul Mining

1

The Waitresses - Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?

1

The Waterboys - This Is The Sea

1

They Might Be Giants - Lincoln

1

Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman

1

Tuxedomoon - Holy Wars

1

U2 - Boy

1

U2 - Rattle and Hum

1

U2 - War

1

Van Halen - 1984

1

Van Halen - Fair Warning

1

Vladimir Horowitz - Horowitz in Moscow

1

Vladimir Horowitz - The Studio Recordings

1

Wall Of Voodoo - Call Of The West

1

Yes - 90125

1

Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Rising Force

1

ZZ Top - Eliminator

 

1990’s

 

4

Nirvana  - Nevermind

4

R.E.M. - Automatic for the People

2

Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill

2

Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory

2

Pulp - Different Class

2

Radiohead  - OK Computer

2

They Might Be Giants - Flood

1

Angra - Angels Cry

1

Beck  - Odelay

1

Belle and Sebastian - The Boy With the Arab Strap

1

Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth

1

Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond

1

Bryan Adams - Waking Up the Neighbors

1

Cecilia Bartoli - Rossini Recital

1

Combustibile Edition - I, Swinger

1

Daft Punk - Homework

1

David Sylvian - Dead Bees on a Cake

1

Depeche Mode - Ultra

1

Depeche Mode - Violator

1

Donald Fagan - Kamikiriad

1

Dwight Yoakam - Gone

1

Dwight Yoakam - This Time

1

Elastica - Elastica

1

Eminem - The Slim Shady LP

1

Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

1

Erasure - Chorus

1

Fugee’s - The Score

1

Genesis - We Can't Dance

1

Green Day - Dookie

1

Janos Starker - Bach Suites for Cello Nos 1-6

1

Keith Jarrett - At the Blue Note

1

Killing Joke - Pandemonium

1

King Crimson - The Great deceiver

1

King Crimson - The Night Watch

1

Laibach - Jesus Christ Superstars

1

Leader Dogs for the Blind - Lemonade

1

Leonard Bernstein - Candide

1

Leonard Bernstein and the Berlin Philharmonic - Mahler's 9th Symphony

1

Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic - Ives

1

Leonard Slatkin - Of Rage and Rememberance

1

Live - Throwing Copper

1

Liz Phair  - Exile in Guyville

1

Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

1

Madonna - Ray of Light

1

Metallica - Reload

1

Michael Brecker - Time is of the Essence

1

Michael Tilson Thomas - Stravinski: Firebird, The Rite of Spring, Persephone

1

Moby - Play

1

Modest Mouse  - The Lonesome Crowded West

1

Neil Young - Harvest Moon

1

Nirvana  - In Utero

1

Peter Schickele - Hornsmoke

1

Philadelphia Orchestra - Prokofiev Symphonies No 1 and 3

1

Pierre Boulet and the Cleveland Symphony - Debussy's La Mer

1

Pizzacato 5 - Made in USA

1

Radiohead - Pablo Honey

1

Radney Foster - Del Rio, TX 1959

1

REM - Out of Time

1

Rene Fleming - The Beautiful Voice

1

Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony - Dona Nobis Pacem

1

Romanian Angel Appeal - Nobody's Child

1

Saviour Machine - Legend Part II

1

Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine I

1

Sir John Eliot Gardiner - Beethoven Symphonies

1

Smashing Pumpkins  - Siamese Dream

1

Stavesacre - Absolutes

1

Super Furry Animals - Radiator

1

Symphony X - The Diving Wings of Tragedy

1

Talk Talk  - Laughing Stock

1

The Aints - Ascension

1

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Munki

1

The Monochrome Set - Charade

1

The Pale Orchestra Conducted by David Thomas - Mirror Man

1

The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land

1

The Stranglers - 10

1

Therion - Theli

1

Therion - Vovin

1

They Might Be Giants - Apollo 18

1

Toad the Wet Spocket - Dulcinea

1

Toad the Wet Spocket - Fear

1

Tom Petty - Wildflowers

1

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Echo

1

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open

1

Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Motel

1

Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes

1

U2 - Achtung Baby

1

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with Carlos Klieber - Beethoven Styphonies 5 and 7

1

Vince Gill - I Believe in You

1

Weezer  - Weezer

1

Yo-Yo Ma - Inspired by Bach

 

2000’s

 

2

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

1

A Fine Frenzy - One Cell in the Sea

1

Allan Holdsworth - The Sixteen Men of Tain

1

Amorphis - Eclipse

1

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

1

Angra - Temple of Shadows

1

Antje Duvekot – The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer

1

Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth

1

Brad Paisly - Mud on the Tires

1

Bruce Springsteen - The Rising

1

Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque

1

Caroline Herring - Golden Apples of the Sun

1

Conjure One – Extraordinary Ways

1

Daft Punk - Discovery

1

DAVID THOMAS AND TWO PALE BOYS - Surf's Up!

1

Dawnrider - Fate is Calling

1

Enya - A Day Without Rain

1

Excalion - Waterlines

1

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

1

Grace Pettis - Grace Pettis

1

Heather Masse - Bird Song

1

Herb Alpert & Lani Hall - Anything Goes

1

Iron Fire - Blade of Triumph

1

Joe Jackson – Rain

1

Kasabian - Empire

1

Keith Urban - Defying Gravity

1

Kent Lagono, Sophia Loren and the Russian National Orchestra - Peter and the Wolf

1

King Crimson - The Power to Believe

1

Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke

1

Lio - Je suis comme ca

1

Mark Stewart - Edit

1

Martina McBride - Waking Up Laughing

1

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

1

Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage

1

Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch

1

Neko Case - Blacklisted

1

Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

1

Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby

1

Nightwish - Wishmaster

1

Norah Jones - Comes Away With Me

1

Outkast - Speakerbox/The Love Below

1

Pat Methany - Speaking of Now

1

Pat Methany - The Way Up

1

Pere Ubu - Why I Hate Women

1

Poe – Haunted

1

Sabaton - The Art of War

1

Saint Etienne - Sound of Water

1

shelleydevoto - Buzzkunst

1

Sinfonye - The Courts of Love

1

The Fall - The Real New Fall LP

1

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

1

The Joe Jackson Band – Volume 4

1

The Killers - Hot Fuss

1

The Shine - Oh, Inverted World

1

The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

1

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

1

The White Stripes - DeStijl

1

Therion - Gothic Kabbalah

1

Therion - Lemuria/Sirius B

1

Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying

1

Toby Keith - Unleashed

1

Tom Petty and the Heartbreaks - Live Anthology

1

U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind

1

U2 - No Line on the Horizon

1

U2 - To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

1

Wire on the Box - 1979

 

2010’s

 

1

Adele - 21

1

Buzzcocks - The Way

1

Dragony - Shadowplay

1

Edmund Kupper - Lost Cities

1

Grace Pettis - Two Birds

1

Joe Jackson - Fast Forward

1

Joe Jackson - The Duke

1

John Foxx - DNA

1

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

1

Lorde - Pure Heroine

1

Mark Stewart - The Politics of Envy

1

Nightwish - Imaginaerum

1

Sabaton - Coat of Arms

1

Sabaton - Heroes

1

Sabaton - The Last Stand

1

SHEL - Just Crazy Enough

1

SHEL - SHEL

1

St. Vincent - St. Vincent

1

Tame Impala - Lonerism

1

TVSMITH - Coming Into Land

 

Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?

 

Round 1

 

Kevin Wilson:

Agent Colson in Novosibirsk

 

Andy Lischett:

Little Richard in Ürümqi in the Gobi Desert

 

Rick Desper:

Mickey Rooney in Passamaquoddy, Maine

 

Richard Weiss:

Oliver Cromwell in Brasilia, Brazil

 

Andy York:

Heather Taylor in Mesquite, TX

 

Hank Alme:

Hank Alme in Ellicott City, MD

 

Tom Howell:

Jose Echegaray y Eizaguirre in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan

 

Brendan Whyte:

Hereward the Wake on Wake Island

 

John David Galt:

Randy Johnson (the baseball player) in Quito, Ecuador

 

Jack Mchugh:

Ulysses S. Grant in Beijing, China

 

Jim Burgess:

Toshiro Mifune in Kyoto, Japan

 

Mark Firth:

Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas

 

Clue to Person with Closest Guess:

We are both dead, but we knew each other in life.

 

Turn 2

 

 

Tom Howell:

Henry Mancini in Paris, France

 

Andy York:

Queen Victoria in Manila, Philippines

 

Rick Desper:

Ava Gardner in Dublin, Ireland

 

Brendan Whyte:

King Charles I swimming in sewerage in the 100m breast stroke, and the getting mugged in the marathon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

Hank Alme:

Charles Darwin in Copenhagen, Denmark

 

Richard Weiss:

Sammy Davis, Jr. in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

 

Andy Lischett:

Robert E. Lee in Hanoi, Vietnam

 

Dane Maslen:

Abraham Lincoln in Chengdu, China

 

Mark Firth:

Shirley Temple in St John's, Newfoundland

 

Kevin Wilson:

Cardinal Richeleau in Montevideo Uruguay

 

Jim Burgess:

Robert E. Lee in Lhasa, Tibet

 

John David Galt:

Frankie Valli in Beijing, China

 

Clue to Person with Closest Guess:

Similar professions, and exactly the right location.

 

 

Round 3

 

Brendan Whyte:

King Charles II of England in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

Kevin Wilson:

Robin Williams in Dublin, Ireland

 

Andy York:

Teddy Roosevelt in Hanoi, Vietnam

 

John David Galt:

Jonathan Swift (historical Irish politician) in Rio de Janiero, Brazil

 

Rick Desper:

Judy Garland in Quebec City, Canada

 

Hank Alme:

King Charles I of England in Manila, Philippines

 

Dane Maslen:

George Armstrong Custer in Hanoi, Vietnam

 

Jack McHugh:

Adolf Hitler in Santiago, Chile

 

Jim Burgess:

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in Hanoi, Vietnam

 

Andy Lischett:

Jefferson Davis in Chengdu, China

 

Mark Firth:

Gene Kelly in Beijing, China

 

Clue to Person with Closest Guess:

Wrong chromosome.  You died more than 30 years before I did.  I have a notable connection to one of your personal demons.

 

Round 4

 

 

Andy York:

Jean Harlow in St John's, Newfoundland

 

Rick Desper:

Buddy Hackett in St. John's, Newfoundland

 

Brendan Whyte:

Mary II in Rio de Janeiro

 

John David Galt:

Cary Grant in Quebec City, Canada

 

Dane Maslen:

Maurice Jarre in Quebec City, Canada

 

Jack McHugh:

George C. Scott in Quebec City, Canada

 

Andy Lischett:

Queen Anne in Rio de Janeiro

 

Kevin Wilson:

Mary Cromwell in Rio de Janeiro

 

Mark Firth:

Steve McQueen in Hanoi

 

Jim Burgess:

Calamity Jane in Bangkok

 

Clue to Person with Closest Guess:

More than one of you knows where I am.  I did not write any of your more famous lines, but I wrote plenty of lines for others.

 

Deadline for Round 5 is October 25th at 7am My Time

 

XENOGOGIC: 2016 ELECTION SPECIAL ISSUE
An Interactive self-examination:
ARE YOU QUALIFIED TO BE AMERICA’S MR. DIPLOMACY?
By Larry Peery

INTRODUCTION
The first US secretary of state I can vaguely remember was John Foster Dulles and, based on what I learned in my pre-college days, I just assumed all secretaries of state had always been and always would be like him: old, white, Ivy League educated, soft-spoken, and prone to wearing funny glasses, vests, fedoras , smoking pipes and drinking whisky. Boy was I ever wrong.


I’ve written several articles in the past few years about more contemporary secretaries of state and I’ve come to realize how much the people who hold the that office have changed along with the government they represent. But now it’s time to think about the next administration and what kind of secretary we’ll have next? Will it be someone like Madam Secretary or another Ivana?

Idle curiosity and speculation on my part turned to serious interest from both a dip&DIP peerispective, particularly after I read an editorial written by the Editorial Board of the New York Times that was published on 14 September 2016. Three things immediately impressed me: 1) It appeared in the Opinion Pages (A26, I believe) as a collective effort of the unnamed members of the paper’s Editorial Board. In other words, nobody was willing to sign off on it individually. 2) It was a generally laudatory piece about the current Secretary of State, John Kerry; and 3) It offered not a hint who might be Mr. Kerry’s successor.

Naturally by this point my mind had been begun to wander and I speculated as to which Dipper might make a good or bad secretary of state or at least our very own “Mr. Diplomacy?” Who knows which would be better or at least more entertaining: Birsan, Hood, O’Kelley, Grinnell, Bartalone, or even Toby or Fang? The mind boggles at the possibilities. How to pick one?

And that’s what this story is about: seeking out the best possible candidate for our very own Diplomacy’s  “Mr. Diplomacy.”  Who knows, it might even be you.  Here’s an interactive self-examination you can take yourself (I know, using the honor system among Dippers is just as dangerous as it is using it among diplomats but we have to start somewhere, right?).

First, there are some questions something like, but much easier, than what you would tackle on the real Foreign Service Entrance Exam. You get points for answering them correctly. Second, there are some personality profile characteristics and you get points for matching up with those. And don’t worry, checking all twenty possibilities is more likely to get you an invitation to Langley or Area 51 than a job offer in Foggy Bottom.

If you want to get a feeling for what the real Foreign Service test is like print out this test, respond with a black ink pen, and limit yourself to 30 minutes. If you like, take the test twice: first, using the 30 minute time limit and second, work at your own speed but note how long it took you to complete the exam. Legibility, spelling and accuracy count. Explanations must be no more than 25 words.

Scoring is explained below. I hope you’ll take the exam without trying to figure out how to game the system. Those of you who remember DIPCON XXII know how I feel about scoring systems already, so beware.

PRELIMINARY SCREENING EXAM
Thirteen questions are worth one point each. One question is worth two points if answered completely correct. Legibility, spelling and accuracy count. If in doubt explain your answer.  Warning: I’ve deliberately designed the exam so I can tell if you use Wiki for your answers, so be warned. However: the 1919 edition of the EB is a perfectly acceptable source.

1. Does the Secretary of State have to take and pass a lie detector test? Yes  or  No
2. The capital of Kazakhstan is _______________.
3. The United Nations has four headquarters cities. Name them: _______________,
_______________, _______________, _______________,
4. The capital of Moldova is:_______________.
5. The capital of Burkina Faso is:_______________.
6. One country has three capital cities: name the country,  name the cities and the role of each: country_______________, cities: 1_______________, 2_______________, 3_______________; role: 1_______________, 2_______________, 3_______________. TWO POINTS IF COMPLETELY CORRECT.
7. Name three important functions of the Secretary of State: 1_____________________, 2____________________, 3_______________
8. Name three former secretaries of state who were not eligible to take the office of president: 1_______________, 2_______________, 3________________.
9. Approximate number of  2016 employees for: 1) Defense Department_______________, 2) State Department_______________. 2) Approximate 2016 spending for: 1) military spending__________, 2) foreign policy & foreign aid spending_______________.
10. Who ranks higher: a Secretary of State or a Foreign Minister?_______________
11. Where does the Secretary of State sit during the State of the Union speech? ____________________.
12. Where does the Secretary of State sit during official Cabinet meetings?____________________.
13. Name the highest ranking US diplomat, other than Kennedy and Kissinger, who is known to have played Diplomacy?____________________.
14. The Vice President has three offices in the Capitol, the Executive Office Building and the White House. The Secretary of State has two offices, both in the Department of State Building in Foggy Bottom. What facilities do these two officials share?_____________________________________________________________________.

PERSONALITY AND DIPLOMATIC CHARACTERISTICS QUESTIONNAIRE
There are no right or wrong answers, just a list of characteristics. Check any that apply to you in most dip&DIP situations. Total the number of checks and enter below.

1. A man on a mission or multiple missions.
2. Daring.
3. Quixotic.
4. Persistent.
5. Heroic.
6. Pursues unwinnable goals,
7. But settles for imperfect outcomes.
8. A hard worker.
9.Sense of Humor.
10. Capable of traveling the globe.
11. With faith in diplomacy
12. Engaged diplomatically.
13. A leader seeking positive results in the face of intractable problems.
14. Free to swing for the diplomatic fences because serving last term in office.
15. Self-restrained because of hope for another term.
16. Naïve belief in his ability to win people to his way if he keeps talking long enough.
17. Tireless intervener.
18. Tried and failed, again and again, but keeps on trying.
19. Deal broker.
20. Poker-faced.

ANSWERS TO THE PRELIMINARY SCREENING EXAM
1. No. However, access to certain job required information does require a security clearance(s) that does require a polygraph test. However, according to the latest reports two-thirds of the officials (military and/or civilian) whose position requires such a test have not taken it according to mandated procedures.
2. Astana
3. New York, Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi.
4. Chisinau
5. Ouagadougou
6. South Africa: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)  TWO POINTS.
7. President’s chief foreign affairs adviser, #4 in line of presidential succession, Keeper of the Great Seal of the United States.
8. Only Kissinger and Albright.
9. 1.3 million full-time (excludes reserves, national guard, etc.), 24 thousand (plus 45 thousand locals at foreign locations); $782 billion for defense (excludes intelligence, Coast Guard, etc.), $46.5 billion for foreign policy and aid.
10. They are equals but length of time in service determines precedence in protocol.
11. Front row, right aisle seat, presidential entrance aisle.
12. On the president’s right, the senior cabinet position. The vice-president sits opposite the president.
13. Jamie Young served as Madeleine Albright’s Counselor, a GS-14, step 10, position (equivalent to a three-star general in the military at retirement).
14. Both use the formal Dining Room and reception rooms in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms (top floor of the State Department Building).

SCORING
As mentioned the Preliminary Screening Exam questions are worth one point each, except that one is worth two points. Accuracy counts a lot, just as it does on the real exam. The Personality Characteristics are worth one point each. To decide whether you deserve one or no points I suggest two things:, first, think of each characteristic in Diplomacy terms and how it might or might not apply to you in your game playing or hobby activities. That will help you focus; and second, for each characteristic think in terms of “this always applies to me …to…this never applies to me.”  When in doubt give yourself the benefit of the doubt. For example, winning one game out of thirty hardly makes you daring, but it certainly makes you persistent.

So, add the two numbers together and see how you scored. 20+ makes you a potential Secretary of State, Ambassador to the United Nations or National Security Adviser (4 star general rank). 18-19 puts you at the Undersecretary or ambassadorial level (3 stars), and 16-17 finds you at the Assistant Secretary level (2 stars). Two stars isn’t bad, especially when you retire at that permanent rank (the highest allowed by law) and the benefits are awesome, especially if you live never Ft. McNair or Ft. Belvoir. And, for those of you like Don Del Grande and myself, there’s always hope. There’s a Foggy Bottom myth that tells the story of one attractive young lady who graduated from Podunk University who thought her looks and charms would take her to the top of the State Department. Well, she tried taking the exam a half-dozen times and her scores actually went down each time. Finally, in desperation, her mother called her brother who called his law school buddy who happened to be a senator and member of the Foreign Relations Committee. Our Miss PU graduate skipped the next Foreign Service exam and instead joined the ranks of GS-3s that work as secretaries and such in Foggy Bottom. Twenty years later she retired as a GS-8 working on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s staff that deals with State Department’s finances.

CONCLUSION
Based on past experience I don’t expect a lot of feedback from this article but if I get some it might be interesting to compare results and see just who are most qualified “Mr. Diplomacy is.” Are you game?

 

DOOMSDAY: HERE AND NOW

XENOGOGIC: Fall 2016

ETERNAL SUNSHINE, October 2016

By Larry Peery

 

I’ve always been a “peacenik” in my heart and a “warmonger” in my brain.  Emotionally and intellectually things weren’t always so clear.

 

Be that as it may, two things prompted this article:

 

1) The on-going  current debate among members of the “military-industrial-congressional-scientific-educational complex” on spending trillions of dollars on upgrading our nuclear deterrent. The average American doesn’t seem to give a damn about that. He’s more worried about his safety in his own home and neighborhood.

 

We taxed and borrowed from ourselves nearly $300B to pay for WWII. That’s about half of what we currently spend on the military per year. To finance the Cold War the USA spent about $20T on its military. Now we appear willing to do the same for the next generation to pay for the next Hot War. Current cost projections range from $300B to $1T over the next 30 years to upgrade our nuclear deterrent (e.g. ICBMs, SLBMs, ALCMs, long-range bombers). The actual cost of all these programs, and any new ones that come along, will surely increase those numbers by factors.

 

The question is do we want to spend this currently non-existent treasure on this?

 

2) The current presidential election. The campaign and the potential president-elect and his or her potential closest political-military advisors (e.g. the handful of people that a president would consult with when making a decision to use the nuclear deterrent) raise serious questions about their ability to wisely use or not use such a force. Even more frightening is an even more difficult question: can we depend on the American voters to select the best qualified candidate to handle this responsibility?

Do we want one of these people spending the lives of millions of Americans (and others) on this? I say one because ultimately it is just one person, the president, who will make the decision; and he will only have from 5 to 35 minutes to do so.

 

Actually, this isn’t an article in the normal peeriblah style. Instead I’m raising two questions and suggesting somethings for you to read before you answer my questions for yourself. Just keep in mind that your answer is something we are all going to have to live or die with for another few generations, if we’re lucky.

 

READINGS

1. XENOGOGIC: Vol. VI, #1 - #4 (1973). Larry Peery, Institute for Diplomatic Studies. Available online in The Diplomacy Archives). A journal of politico-military wargaming.

 

2.”The Command and Control of Nuclear War” by Ashton Carter, Scientific American, January 1985, Available online. Carter is the current US secretary of defense. “Nuclear weapons and strategic policy attract increasing public concern, but systems for command, control, communications and intelligence may be just as important in deterring nuclear attack and preventing escalation.”

 

3. “Crisis Stability and Nuclear War” by Ashton Carter and others (including Condoleezza Rice). A report for the Peace Studies Program, Cornell University, January 1987. Available online from the Belfer Center, Harvard University. A collection of readings. Interestingly, Cornell has replaced its Peace Studies Program with a China Studies Program.

 

4. “Pentagon chief is expert on nukes but says little about them” by Robert Burns, AP National Security Writer, September 25, 2016. Available online. A look back at Carter’s track record on nukes and a glimpse at what he might say in just a few days when he visits one of the Air Force’s three nuclear bomber bases.

5. “To Launch a Nuclear Strike, Clinton or Trump Would Follow These Steps”  by Dave Merrill, Nafeesa Syeed and Brittany Harris. Bloomberg News, September 7, 2016. Available online. A simple, but informative Power Point presentation on the steps the president would use to launch nukes.

 

6. “Ideal Qualities of a Successful Diplomat” by Robert D. Blackwill, Belfer Center/Harvard University, October 17, 2013. Available online. Interesting checklist of characteristics a successful diplomat (remember, the president is also Diplomat in Chief) needs. Check off which ones you think Clinton or Trump do or don’t have.

 

7. “As debate nears, breaking down the body language of Trump, Clinton” by Rick Hampson, USA Today, 25 September, 2016. The first presidential debates is history, but keep this article handy for the next one and see how you read these potential commander-in-chief’s body language command style.

 

CONCLUSION

I hope you find this thought-provoking and perhaps a bit frightening.

 

 

 





Game Openings

No openings at present.

Eternal Sunshine Game Section

 

Diplomacy, “Milk and Trash”, 2015A, F 08

Austria (Jack McHugh – jwmchughjr “of” gmail.com): A Ankara Hold,

 A Bohemia Supports A Tyrolia – Munich, A Bulgaria – Constantinople, A Silesia Supports A Tyrolia – Munich,

 F Smyrna Hold, A Trieste - Tyrolia (*Fails*), A Tyrolia - Munich (*Fails*), A Ukraine - Sevastopol (*Bounce*).

England (Mark Firth – mogcate “of” me.com): A Armenia - Sevastopol (*Bounce*), F Gulf of Lyon Supports

 F Western Mediterranean - Tyrrhenian Sea, F Holland Supports A Kiel, F Mid-Atlantic Ocean Supports

 F North Africa - Western Mediterranean (*Fails*), F North Africa - Western Mediterranean (*Fails*),

 F North Sea Supports F Holland, A Norway Supports F St Petersburg(sc) (*Ordered to Move*), F Tunis Supports

 F Western Mediterranean - Tyrrhenian Sea, F Western Mediterranean - Tyrrhenian Sea (*Bounce*).

Germany (Jim Burgess – jfburgess “of” gmail.com): F Baltic Sea - Livonia (*Bounce*), A Berlin Unordered,

 A Burgundy Supports A Munich, A Kiel Supports A Munich, A Munich Supports A Berlin (*Cut*),

 A Piedmont Supports A Trieste - Venice (*Void*), A Prussia Supports A Berlin (*Cut*), A Spain – Marseilles,

 F St Petersburg(sc) - Livonia (*Bounce*).

Italy (John Biehl – jerbil “of” shaw.ca): F Apulia - Ionian Sea (*Fails*), F Ionian Sea - Tyrrhenian Sea

 (*Bounce*), F Naples Supports F Ionian Sea - Tyrrhenian Sea, F Rome Supports F Ionian Sea - Tyrrhenian Sea,

 A Tuscany - Venice.

Russia (Kevin Wilson – ckevinw “of” comcast.net): A Moscow - St Petersburg (*Fails*),

 A Warsaw - Prussia (*Fails*).

 

Deadline for W 08/S09 is October 25th at 7am my time

 

Supply Center Chart

 

Austria:            Ankara, Budapest, Constantinople, Rumania, Serbia, Sevastopol, Smyrna,

Trieste, Vienna=9, Build 1

England:          Brest, Denmark, Edinburgh, Holland, Liverpool, London, Norway, Spain, Tunis=9, Even

Germany:         Belgium, Berlin, Kiel, Marseilles, Munich, Paris, Portugal, St Petersburg, Sweden=9, Even

Italy:                Bulgaria, Greece, Naples, Rome, Venice=5, Even

Russia:             Moscow, Warsaw=2, Even

 

PRESS

 

None.  You guys suck.

Black Press Gunboat, “Noah’s Titanic”, 2015Arb32, W 08/S 09

Austria: Build A Budapest.. A Bohemia Supports A Galicia – Silesia, A Budapest – Galicia, A Galicia – Silesia,

 A Rumania – Ukraine, A Sevastopol – Moscow, A Trieste Hold, A Tyrolia - Munich (*Fails*),

 A Warsaw Supports A Galicia - Silesia (*Dislodged*, retreat to Prussia or OTB).

England: Retreat F London-OTB.. F Wales - Liverpool.

France: A Burgundy - Marseilles (*Fails*), A Gascony Supports A Marseilles - Spain (*Fails*),

 F Irish Sea Supports F Spain(sc) - Mid-Atlantic Ocean, A Marseilles - Spain (*Bounce*),

 F Spain(sc) - Mid-Atlantic Ocean (*Bounce*).

Germany: Retreat A Bohemia - Silesia… Build A Berlin.. F Baltic Sea Supports A Livonia,

 A Belgium Supports A Burgundy (*Ordered to Move*), A Berlin - Silesia (*Fails*),

 F Clyde Supports F Wales – Liverpool, A Livonia Supports A Silesia – Warsaw, F London – Wales,

 A Munich Supports A Berlin - Silesia (*Cut*), F North Sea - English Channel, F Norway Hold,

 A Ruhr Supports A Munich, A Silesia - Warsaw.

Italy: F Aegean Sea Supports A Bulgaria, F Apulia - Ionian Sea, A Armenia Hold, A Bulgaria Hold,

 F Gulf of Lyon - Spain(sc) (*Bounce*), F North Africa - Mid-Atlantic Ocean (*Bounce*),

 A Piedmont Supports A Venice, A Venice Supports A Trieste - Tyrolia (*Void*),

 F Western Mediterranean Supports F North Africa - Mid-Atlantic Ocean.

 

Now Proposed: DIAS and A/F/G/I.  Please vote.  NVR=No

Deadline for F 09 will be October 25th at 7am My Time

 

PRESS

 

Dateline London: The thunderous roar of a cheering crowd greeted the German Kaiser as he marched at head of a detachment of Royal Marines of the Second German Fleet through the streets of London today, on his way to Buckingham Palace.  The crowd chanted “Long Live the Kaiser!” and “Peace in our kingdom!” as the marines in their dress uniforms marched smartly to beat of a thousand drums. 

 

Addressing the crowd, the Kaiser stated, “Your long agony of enslavement to a dissolute monarch who has squandered your funds and raised taxes to an unprecedented level is over!  I proclaim today, that as loyal citizens of the German Empire, taxes to the government are hereby reduced from the onerous 60% of your income to only 2%!  Under our benevolent form of government, peace and commerce are the order of the day.  Just as your Scottish citizens have learned, so shall you see the fruits of your labors kept in your own hands so that you may provide a secure home for your loved ones!”

 

As he finished his address, the roar of crowd grew even louder and their calls for the quick capture and demise of the former English monarch were heard roundly throughout the entire city of London.  In a show of his benevolence, the Kaiser released all of the leading admirals and generals who had been imprisoned by the former English monarch.  These men of high stature and leaders of the kingdom, immediately pledged their unconditional loyalty to their new king.

 

Austria - Italy: Hopefully you've moved Bul & Arm to Con/Ank. If you haven't, you need to next time otherwise we fall out as I'm not having you loitering on my border ready to nick centres whenever you feel like it!

 

Dateline London: In a related story, it was revealed today that the English monarch abandoned the royal family in London as the monarch fled the capital.  The family members were found hiding in the royal palace by an angry mob of citizens looking for the monarch to settle scores for the mistreatment of their family members in the tower, and the high taxes imposed on them.  Before the Royal Marines of the German Second Fleet could intervene, the crowd took the family members and threw them from the battlements to the stone cold city streets below.  Neither their age, nor the sex of the victims stayed the hand of the vengeful crowd.

 

Said the Kaiser when he was informed of the event, “Tis said that the innocent should have to pay such a price for the actions of their monarch, but such is the way of things when a people are mistreated for so long.  We shall take care to ensure that these individuals are given a proper burial, while we begin our hunt for the true villain who has tortured this land for so long.”

 

Dateline Berlin: In an unconfirmed report, it is said that a representative of Pope Pompous I has slipped through the Austrian lines in Tyrolia and has made his way to Berlin to offer an alliance to the Kaiser against his erstwhile ally, Austria.  Reportedly, the Pope has offered to cede to the Kaiser the territories of Vienna, Warsaw and Moscow in exchange for the Pope gaining all other Austrian-controlled lands.

 

The envoy was reported to have relayed a message from the Pope stating that “Austria is lead by a weak and dissolute monarch, and this disorganized polyglot of a country, lacks the firm hand of the God’s Anointed to lead them in the ways necessary to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.  It is time that the Pope took his rightful place at the head of this so-called nation and see to it that God’s Will be Done!”

 

The Kaiser, traveling in London, reportedly dismissed the envoy without meeting with him and ordered that he be turned over to Austrian authorities.  Said the Kaiser, “I have always warned my dear Cousin that the Pope could not be trusted, and this is further proof of what I have long maintained.  There is no reason why our two countries should ever go to war, and given the perfidious actions of Pope Pompous I to try and steal Romania from Austria just a short time ago, comes as no surprise to me.  It is high time for the Austrian monarch to take matters into his own hands and remove the Italian units in the Balkans by force and secure his legacy.”

 

Dateline Paris:It is reported today that French units are now being supported by Germany units in Belgium in an effort to hold back the incursions of Italian saboteurs in southern France and Spain.  French naval units are being redeployed to the Mid-Atlantic Ocean in an effort to seal off this space as an access point for Italian naval units attempting to surround and eventually attack French forces in the Iberian Peninsula.  German naval units are also being redeployed to serve as support units for the French naval forces.  It is reported that the German arms industry and agricultural firms are gearing up to fully supply the French forces with all the material that they will need to resist the incursions of the forces of Pope Pompous I.

 

Italy - Austria: Don't let him get to you! We'll be fine if we stick together but scuppered if we falter.

 

Pope Pluvius - France: French territory must remain French. To ensure that, you need my fleet in the Atlantic. Germany is already on 11 with Liverpool to come. Stand firm in the shadow of his darkness - we are here with you.

 

Vatican - Liverpool: A last valiant assault to help us into MAO would be greatly appreciated at the Gates.

 

Dateline Ukraine: Cut off from all supplies, the remaining forces of the Turkish sultan, including the Sultan himself, were slaughtered by Austrian forces after having been starved into submission.  Although they offered to surrender peacefully, the local Austrian commander ordered an all-out attack which wiped them out to the last man.  It was reported that the Austrian commander acted on the orders of the Pope, not the Austrian Emperor who had earlier ordered that a surrender was to be accepted if offered.

 

When informed of this action, Pope Pompous I cried out, ‘Praise be to God for his Righteous Work!’ and held a celebratory mass to commemorate the event.  He even sent a Papal Envoy to the Austrian commander to bestow a special blessing on the commander for his “fine work” in defense of the faith.  What action that will be taken against this commander for disobeying the orders of his Emperor is not known at this time.

 

Pope Pluvius – Demented Fool Running French Forces: Stop fighting and I’ll go easy on you! If you keep blunting all of my attacks, I’ll be forced to crush you. Choose wisely!

 

Vatican – Europe: Trust me, Spain really, really, really remains under the protection of France. I don’t have a clue what I’d do there, so France has it.

 

Germany to France: You know what? I’m going to stop telling you what to do and try to figure out some decent moves for myself.

 

Italy – Austria: On second thought, why don’t you take Venice? It’s about the only shot you have for another build.

By Almost Popular Demand

 

The goal is to pick something that fits the category and will be the "second most popular" answer. You score points based on the number of entries that match yours. For example, if the category is "Cats" and the responses were 7 for Persian, 3 for Calico and 1 for Siamese, everyone who said Persian would get 7 points, Calico 3 and the lone Siamese would score 1 point. However, the most popular answer in each category scores zero points!  The cumulative total over 10 rounds will determine the overall winner. Anyone may enter at any point, starting with an equivalent point total of the lowest cumulative score from the previous round. If a person misses a round, they'll receive the minimum score from the round added to their cumulative total. In each round you may specify one of your answers as your Joker answer.  Your score for this answer will be doubled.  In other words, if you apply your Joker to category 3 on a given turn, and 4 other people give the same answer as you, you get 10 points instead of 5.  Players who fail to submit a Joker for any specific turn will have their Joker automatically applied to the first category. And, if you want to submit some commentary with your answers, feel free to.  The game will consist of 10 rounds, with the 10th round being worth double points.  A prize will be awarded to the winner.  Research is permitted, but cooperation or collusion between players is not!

 

 

 

 

Round 5 Categories

 

1.    A type of chip.

2.    A railroad in the American version of Monopoly.

3.    A magazine.

4.    An Audrey Hepburn film.

5.    A holiday associated with candy.

 

Andy Lischett gets a high score of 20 (out of a possible 21).  Melinda Holley hits the bottom with a score of 2.

 

Comments By Category

 

Chip – Brad White “Chip Kelly?  Heh heh.”   Kevin Wilson “I assume you mean snack chip.” [[It means whatever you want it to mean.]]  Mark Firth “Ahh, trying to trick me here! A chip is a crisp, I know that. But what do you have over there?”

 

Monopoly Railroad – Rick Desper “B &O railroad.  I have to pick this one as it goes through my current hometown.”  Mark Firth “Had to look this one up. I'll go with something that sounds like 18xx.”

 

Magazine – Rick Desper “I don't think magazines exist any longer.  I'll go with Sports Illustrated.”

 

Audrey Hepburn – Rick Desper “Oh hell.  The obvious answer is "Breakfast at Tiffany's".  What are the other choices?  Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and My Fair Lady?  Sure I could go with "Robin and Marian" or "War and Peace" or "Charade" or even "The Lavender Hill Mob" but I think the best answer is going to be one of the first four.  Will people flock to or avoid Holly Golightly?  Hell, I'm doing so poorly this time I'll go with her and hope it ducks the penalty.”

 

Holiday – Rick Desper “Top answers on the board: Halloween, Valentine's Day and...?  Maybe Christmas.  Easter has chocolates, does that count?”  John David Galt “Too easy, Halloween is obviously #1 and what other

choices are there?”

 

Round 6 Categories

 

1.    A candy associated with Halloween.

2.    A character in the U.S. version of Clue.

3.    Something you find near a fireplace.

4.    A book by Stephen King.

5.    A current or former member of Fleetwood Mac.

 

Deadline for Round 6 of By Almost Popular Demand is October 25th, 2016 at 7am my time.

 

General Deadline for the Next Issue of Eternal Sunshine:  October 25th, 2016 at 7:00am my time.  Hope to See You Then!