Eternal Sunshine #144

May 2021

By Douglas Kent - 911 Irene Drive, Mesquite, TX 75149

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/270968112943024/ or on the web at http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/. Follow on Twitter at @EternalSunshDip. Also be sure to visit the official Diplomacy World website at http://www.diplomacyworld.net.

Sign up for the Eternal Sunshine Mailing List at https://mailchi.mp/45376bbd05df/eternalsunshine

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

Quote of The Month – “I know now that my wife has become host to a Kandarian demon. I fear that the only way to stop those possessed by the spirits of the book is through the act…of bodily dismemberment.” - (The Researcher on the Tape Recorder in “The Evil Dead”)

Welcome to Eternal Sunshine, the only zine published by a guy who scrolls through Kickstarter twice a year to email people about projects he backed six years ago that haven’t posted any updates. I’ll never stop contacting them, unless they provide the promised perks or until they admit the planned project is simply never going to be completed. It isn’t that I truly believe most of these missing-in-action projects are still being worked on. Undoubtedly the vast majority have been abandoned (while a few might have been completed but perks simply not distributed because they cost money). But I want the official word. Tellme you’re still working on it, or give me some of the reasons it perished. If all I get is silence, I’m not going away. Not by a long shot.

The percentage of projects that disappear without further comment is one of the reasons I rarely back crowdfunding campaigns any longer. A larger reason would be that I can’t afford it. But even if I could afford it, I’d have scaled back my participation greatly. Seriously, all I ask for is honesty and communication. Post updates; keep your backers informed. There’s one project (an animated film with Paul Giamatti doing some of the voiceover work) which I backed in 2014 that still hasn’t been completed. But the guy putting it together has kept everyone updated. His struggles, his successes, his failures, the roadblocks, the progress…the work he has done professionally to put food on his table while he continues to work on this project when he has time and energy. For me, as a backer, I have no complaints. I have all I need: information. Hopefully it’ll get finished one of these days. If not, I have plenty of details about the journey it went through.

And sometimes these things die quick, and even that’s okay. A really low-budget horror film I backed years ago never got to the filming stage. They had plans, and then posted a message about six weeks after meeting their (very modest) funding goal to say the trailer where they kept their equipment had been stolen. It was recovered a day later-damaged – all the equipment was all gone. That was that. Project over, dream dead. They did say “if you want a refund contact me and I’ll try to work something out with you in time” but I didn’t bother. It isn’t as if I’d put real money in, just $25 or something. I felt worse for him than I did for me.

I bet some of you are wondering how I did in the Virtual Whipping Diplomacy Tournament, which forced me to move last month’s zine deadline up by a day? I played both rounds, as planned, and had a pretty fun time. You can read a detailed report on my experience in the next issue of Diplomacy World (due out in early July at www.diplomacyworld.net), but for now I will summarize. Round 1 saw me open as Italy. Out of the west came a game-long, unbreakable E/G alliance. I managed to rally the remaining countries, and survived with six centers. (England topped the board with 11). In Round 2 I drew Austria, which was the worst-showing nation in the tournament. Out of the west came a game-long, unbreakable F/G alliance. I managed to rally the remaining countries, but Turkey stabbed me in order to get a larger piece of the pie. I was eliminated…and so was he. Game ended in an irritating 17/17 split. In many ways it was the same game played twice. If only Turkey had listened to me, we would have both survived.

Considering my low expectations, I think my ability to survive even one round was a success. There’s always the possibility that I will sign up to play in DixieCon over Memorial Day Weekend. I suggest you think about doing the same. Details can be found here: http://www.dixiecon.com/id3.html

Speaking of Diplomacy World, there are a number of openings on the Diplomacy World Staff list. I put in a call for applicants in the last issue. If you’re not a regular reader, please check it out at https://www.diplomacyworld.net/pdf/dw153.pdf - you can find it in the Notes From the Editor section (pages 2 and 3 of the zine). Even if you are not a candidate yourself, you may have thoughts on who might be?

I guess that’s it from me for now. See you in June!

Game Openings

Diplomacy (Black Press): Signed up: Brad Wilson, Paul Milewski, needs five more.

Gunboat (No Press): Check out the opening in Andy York’s subzine. Only one spot left! Sign up through Andy York ONLY!

By Popular Demand: Ongoing. Join in the fun! You can join at any time.

Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?: Ongoing. Join in and play NOW!

Also in Andy York’s Subzine – You can find his ongoing “Hangman, By Definition” and Facts in Five, plus an opening for Breaking Away.

Standby List: HELP! I need standby players! – Current standby list: Andy York, Andy Lischett, Paul Milewski, Harold Reynolds, Jack McHugh, Brad Wilson.

Meet Me in Montauk

The Eternal Sunshine Letter Column

Richard Smith: Your scam-baiting anecdote was an entertaining read and reminded me of my recent broadband disconnection. The BT man found a fault in my landline phone which was preventing the broadband from connecting, this fault being the reason why I hadn't had any scam calls for a while. No sooner was the phone fixed than I was informed that I had just been charged £299 by Amazon. That was lucky :-0

[[Please press “1” to speak with a representative…]]

Andy York: Glad that the ear problem seems to be working itself out. Surprisingly, you’re the second person who's mentioned having TMJ problems recently (his was caused by the stress in dealing with the virus). Hope that things continue to improve.

[[I’ve considered that the stress of the pandemic, and the constant anxiety I felt during the February freeze, may have been additional causes of this TMJ trouble. It hasn’t gone away, but at least I feel like the diagnosis is correct. Now when I feel the symptoms, I try moving my jaw back and forth or massaging around the joint. That generally provides some relief, even if it is minor.]]

I did check on the Diplomacy tournament. It looked like you did OK on your first game. Didn't check back to see the results, but I'm sure you'll recap it in the next issue.

[[Better than I expected, worse than my greatest hopes. Short recap in this issue, with full details in the next Diplomacy World.]]

Not much new here. Monday it'll be two weeks since dose #2 of Pzifer (though, due to age, I'm going to edge closer to three weeks). That'll be just in time for the start of the Express season on May 6.

Also, a gaming couple I know also have been vaccinated. So, we're meeting Sunday for a food truck meal outside. Then, likely we'll meet the following weekend for some gaming (close enough to 3-weeks, just shy a couple days). That'll be VERY nice.

On the movie front, the AFS Cinema is dropping hints they may open at some point this summer - plans to be announced in a couple weeks. I'm certainly looking forward to this and have already let them know of my support. They are still doing some outdoor screenings, but at $30 a "pod" (for 1 or 2 people), I'm passing for now.

[[This “sort of normal” period isn’t working for a solitary guy like me. I saw Jade Bird was coming to Dallas on a short tour in May or June. I decided to buy a ticket, but even for General Admission they want me to buy four tickets to attend. Or a table. Not going to spend that kind of money to see a show at a club, alone. I guess there must be enough people willing to do it to make the high cost worthwhile. My friend Grace Pettis played Dallas a few days before this issue’s deadline, but she made a specific request that anyone who isn’t fully vaccinated – all shots and the post-dose waiting period passed – not attend, so while I did have a ticket, I skipped the show. It was on the honor system, but I respect her way too much to bend the rules.]]

The Dining Dead – Eternal Sunshine Movie Reviews

Nebraska (TCM) – I meant to see this back in 2014 when it came out, but somehow never got around to it. Maybe Heather wasn’t interested. Back then my friend, the lovely and talented Sara Routh (who I THOUGHT I had interviewed in one of the You Don’t Know Me columns years ago, but apparently I didn’t or I can’t seem to figure out which issue it was in) was working as a hostess when Bruce Dern came in her place. He asked her “So, have you seen my movie yet?” She smiled a big sarcastic smile at him and said “No I have not.” He just stood there and glared at her, and finally said “Well then…you’re a dirty little bitch.” I remind her of that at least once a year. It never gets old.

Dern plays an old alcoholic man who is convinced he’s won a million dollars in a Publisher’s Clearing House kind of sweepstakes. Despite his wife (June Squibb) and both his sons (Will Forte and Bob Odenkirk) constantly telling him he hasn’t won anything, Dern remains convinced and keeps trying to walk to Nebraska from Billings, Montana to collect his winnings. Finally Forte agrees to drive him there, in part because he figures it is the only way to prove he hasn’t won, and also to spend some time with his father before it’s too late. On the way they stop in Dern’s old home town, where some old wounds are reopened (and where the buzzards begin to circle once word of Dern’s “good fortune” begins to spread).

Directed by Alexander Payne and written by Bob Nelson, the film was shot in black and white at Payne’s insistence, and on a smallish budget. But it was nominated for six Oscars (including Best Picture, Bests Actor for Dern, Best Director, and Best Screenplay). Dallas Buyers Club and 12 Years a Slave were the bigger winners that year. Dern and Squibb are both excellent, using the force of their personalities to build funny but believable characters. It’s a very good, sort of quiet kind of picture, the sort that was a lot more common in the 1990’s. I’m glad I finally got a chance to see it. Now I’m not a dirty little bitch.

Curse of the Demon (Shudder) – I’d forgotten this film existed until I watched a three-hour (yes, you read that correctly) documentary submission about the history of Folk Horror films while screening documentaries for the film festival. Then a week or two later, there it is, a new addition to the available films on the Shudder service (along with the wonderful Folk Horror film The Wicker Man starring Christopher Lee). Directed by Jaques Tourneur, veteran western mainstay but who also did Cat People and I Walked With a Zombie, the 1957 film stars Dana Andrews as an American professor who has arrived in England for a parapsychology conference where the powers of local cult figure Dr. Julian Karswell (played with gusto by Niall MacGinnis) is scheduled to be debunked. Upon arriving, Andrews discovers that the other researcher he’d partnered with on this presentation has been killed in a strange accident…or possibly by a demon. And it isn’t long before he is warned of his own impending death by Karswell.

The special effects aren’t that bad, considering it’s a black and white film from the 50’s. The romance between Andrews and the niece of his dead partner is a bit forced and silly, but at least it helps move the plot along. All in all this is a pretty good movie, mostly because of the good performance by MacGinnis. Instead of playing things as over-the-top evil, he brings a more nuanced flavor to the villain. If you see it on a streaming service and enjoy classic horror films, I’d say you should give this a watch.

Older Movies Watched on DVD (that I’ve seen many times) – The Guns of Navarone, The Stepfather, Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Evil Dead, Once, O Brother Where Art Thou?.

Octopus's Garden

Issue Ninety-Seven

5^th May 2021

Sub-editorial

HELLO, good evening and welcome to Octopus's Garden, the subzeen with its very own Railway Rivals game. It is a subzeen to Douglas Kent's Eternal Sunshine. It's produced by Peter Sullivan peter@burdonvale.co.uk. It's also available on the web at: http://www.burdonvale.co.uk/octopus/.

Round 4 (RR 2473 B) — "Garrett Hobart" — Railway Rivals Map "B" (Lon&Lpl)

I charged AYUP 8 for his parallel with HJA south of Peterborough; should have been 2. Players notified & b/fwd scores adjusted.

JGL black (John David Galt)

4a) (Coventry) - A61 - Leicester - D57 ;
4b) (D57) - Nottingham - D53 ; (J66) - J67 - K68 - K69 ;
4c) (K69) - K71 - L71 - London ; (Shrewsbury) - A18.
=71+1[A]+5[H]+5[H]=82

AYUP yellow (Mark Firth)

4a) K61 - J61 - J66 [-1 J];
4b) (N15) - M16 - M20 [-1 B] - Birmingham ;
4c) (F7) - C9 - Liverpool ; (H6) - Manchester ; (D49) - F48 ;
=60-1[J]-1[B]=58

HJA red (Hank Alme)

4a) (B12) - B10 - A10 - Birkenhead [+6] ; (B11) - D10 ;
4b) (D10) - G7 - G8 - Manchester - Bolton [-5 J] ;
4c) (Manchester) - K6 ; (Leicester) - D57 [-5 J].
=66+6-5[J]-5[J]+1[B]=63

BASH sky-blue (Bob Blanchett)

4a) (Nottingham) - Lincoln [+6] ;
4b) (Bristol) - D30 - C30 - Newport [+6] ;
4c) (D15) - D13 - E13 - E10 [-1 H] [1 short].
=5+12-1[H]+1[A]=17

Rolls for Round Five: 5, 6, 6. Orders to me, Peter Sullivan, at peter@burdonvale.co.uk by WEDNESDAY, 9th JUNE 2021.

EDITORIAL – The Merry Month of May

In the United States, the last Monday in May is a federal holiday. Memorial Day honours military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties. Originally 30th May, it was moved to the last Monday in May in 1971. It dates from the Civil War, but the details of its origins are complex, with at least 25 different places, both north and south of the Mason-Dixon line, claiming to have originated it.

In England, the last Monday in May is also a bank holiday, but for a different reason. Originally, the bank holiday was Whit Monday, which (being tied to the date of Easter) could fall any time between 12th May and 15th June. This was abolished in 1967, and in 1971, replaced with the pedestrianly-named 'Late Spring Bank Holiday,' fixed to the last Monday in May, neatly co-inciding with the American holiday..

In the Diplomacy hobby, however, the last weekend in May has a completely different meaning – it's Dixiecon weekend! Dixiecon has been one of the longest-running static conventions in the United States hobby, having started in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1987. (For this purpose, I don't feel Dipcon - which moves about the country and is hosted by a different group each year - is really quite the same kettle of fish. Indeed, Dixiecon itself has hosted Dipcon probably more times than any other event.)

Last year, Dixiecon was one of the first cons to go virtual, with 2 rounds packed into a single, hectic, Saturday. This year, it's still virtual, but probably closer to its 'traditional' in-person schedule, with a single round on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I, along with a number of other volunteers, will be helping tournament director David Hood with keeping all the boards running smoothly over the weekend on the Backstabbr platform being used to run the games. There will also be a 'Speedboat' (rapid-play Gunboat Diplomacy) event. And open gaming across the weekend, all of which counts towards the Iron Man Tournament. (Disclaimer: the winner of this does NOT receive a full Iron Man suit as a prize. Robert Downey Jr. refused to let us have it.)

This virtual event is completely free. More details, including a full time-table of what will be happening when, are on the website at www.dixiecon.com. Contact David Hood at DavidHood@dixiecon.com to sign up.

And I even got to the end of that write-up without mentioning the traditional Eastern North Carolina style barbeque on Saturday night! (also virtual this year.) Ooops...

Shamelessly stolen from Twitter

"'Citizen Kane' lost its perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, making 'Paddington 2' the new greatest film of all time."

"Paddington Bear could do Citizen Kane but Orson Welles could not convince Knuckles to change his outdated and underwhelming food menu."

"I still recall Mr. Gruber's iconic speech about remembering seeing the girl in the white dress at the ferry terminal..."

That was Octopus's Garden #97, Startling Press production number 393.

Out of the WAY #33

by W. Andrew York

(wandrew88 of gmail.com)

Howdy!

Things are inching open more and more around here. My second C-19 shot went easily, only a slightly sore injection site for about a day - much the same as the first shot. So, now I’m much more comfortable being out and about, though I do wear a mask when around others and try to be aware of their comfort level in interactions.

In fact, for the first time in a long time, I joined a small group of former co-workers for a retirement party at a restaurant. First hugs and sitting directly next to folks while eating, though we were outside on the patio. It was nice to be in a social group after so long, though my interpersonal and conversational skills are a tad rusty. Also I have scheduled an eye exam and dental cleaning, more steps back towards normalcy.

Otherwise, not much new here besides baseball starting (see WAYward Thoughts) and a virtual Mensa Gathering over Memorial Day weekend. Also, a friend might come visit for a few days in a couple of weeks.

There are stirrings that the Austin Film Society’s (AFS) theater may reopen this summer. They’ve posting several openings to fill the management roles and are teasing a fund-raising campaign to reopen AFS Cinema. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing films on the big screen again!

As for the column, no Review this time as nothing really has come across the plate the warrants one. There’s a handful of book reviews (including the first official guest review) and a very tasty recipe that I’d recommend. On the games front, there’s a solo correct guess in Hangman by Definition, new word next month, and one of the highest round totals in Fact in Five – lots of folks were in sync this time. Open game slots still haven’t budged, any takers? If not, and there’s something you’d like to get involved with, let me know. I’ll see if it’s something I can run, and then if there’s interest in joining in.

==================================

WAYward Thoughts

And the minor league baseball season kicked off last night, with the Home opener against the Oklahoma City Dodgers (I’m sure you can figure out which MLB team they’re the AAA club of). It’s a month later than originally announced, and there have been many adjustments to the game experience for all involved. I expect more will happen as they get used to having nearly full stadiums (Texas has virtually no limits or restrictions other than those imposed by Major League Baseball). And, to top it off, we won the contest 6-0. So, we’re undefeated this year (so far)!

The Rangers did host their Alternative Training Site (ATS) team at Round Rock over the month of April (basically the ready to be called up players keeping active and practicing skills). There were several “games”, mostly against Houston’s ATS squad that were open, first to season ticket holders, then to the general public. They were played under “Spring Training” rules which I’d never experienced before including 10-innings scheduled, half-innings could end early (several ended after just 2 outs) and under some conditions players can leave a game and return (didn’t see that happen and didn’t quite catch how it’s done).

I went to the first two, which were limited primarily to Season Ticket holders. They were pleasant, though somewhat confusing as player adjustments (besides pitching changes) were not being announced. So when a person slid from right to left field (practicing in both positions, I presume), you only would catch that by matching player numbers. The first had a couple hundred folks, the second maybe a hundred (weekday afternoon) with the vast majority of the attendees following, or mostly following, MLB rules regarding pandemic response.

The third game was opened up to larger crowds, and the general public – a much different experience. Though there was some attempt at separating groups in seating, many folks just plopped down wherever they wanted and, as my seat is behind home plate, folks were attracted to that location. A significant minority of the thousand-ish attendees followed the MLB pandemic rules. Also, for some I’m guessing, it was the first time out in many months – so folks were drinking to excess while screaming (and insulting) the players and umpires at the tops of their lungs even though the people weren’t 30 feet away. It was a thoroughly unpleasant evening with me leaving before the game ended and skipping the remainder of the match-ups.

Fortunately, the regular season seems to be a bit more normal. Last night’s game had much of the long-time season ticket holders back in my area (with one, who’d been the person who welcomed me to my first game, sadly not renewing their ticket). It should be a good year ahead and I welcome the return of the game!

===================================

Letter Column

(always welcome, send them in!)

(if something shouldn’t be included here, clearly mark it as a personal comment)

None Submitted, though a few player comments are in the game section.

===================================

Mini-Book Reviews

(finished since last issue)

Starting off, a guest book review from Walt O’Hara:

Fort Pillow: A Novel of the Civil War by Harry Turtledove

For the life of me, I'm not entirely certain why I'm following up a very disappointing Harry Turtledove book (Give Me Back My Legions!) with another less disappointing Harry Turtledove book, but everybody should have a second chance, so why not? I suspect one of the major failings of the previous novel was that very little was written about it by ancient historians, and the plot is pretty linear to stretch out over the course of 3 years. With Fort Pillow: A Novel of the Civil War, Turtledove sets up a very similar chain of events, ending with a violent massacre, and set in a historical, as opposed to fantastical/quasi-historical setting. The Fort Pillow massacre was a nasty incident in a backwater of the secondary theater of an increasingly nasty Civil War. I applaud Turtledove for taking up this subject and trying to humanize both sides of the story-- the massacre can be one of those incidents that "Lost Cause" types and other apologists tend to gloss over or would just as soon forget. Fortunately, there are better sources for Turtledove to draw upon than he could muster for Give me Back My Legions! and I think that makes the resulting novel a much better read. The facts are what they are-- a small fort on the banks of the Mississippi River was besieged by the South's brilliant cavalry commander, Nathan Bedford Forrest. The inhabitants of the fort, a recently created black artillery company and a regiment of Union Sympathizer cavalry from Tennessee, were offered a chance to lay down arms. They chose to continue the fight and in the resulting sack of the fort, many of them were brutally murdered, white and black. Nobody is covered in glory by this story; I liked the morally ambiguous tone of the plot and characters. Turtledove mixes historical figures (Forrest, his principle staff officers, and the principle union leaders) with fictional characters and does his best to plug a few holes in the narrative that history can't answer for. In general, I liked this novel far more than the last one and was reasonably engaged throughout. Turtledove's rather annoying tendency for having each and every POV character stop to silently moralize about a greater issue in the middle of action or discussion is still there all it' Glory. For example, a black character will be talking about an issue in the story with a white character, and he'll go into a mental soliloquy about race relations in the United States, the institution of slavery, the meaning of freedom, and what Reconstruction might be like for the black character. Mr. Turtledove, stop doing this. People don't talk or think this way in the middle of conversations.
In summary, not a bad read-- better than some out of Turtledove lately by far. I appreciated reading a straight up historical novel from Turtledove. Not an alien lizard (Worldwar series) or time traveling racist (Guns of the South) was in sight.

======

Thanks Walt! And, now to my reviews:

101 Garlic Recipes (1998; 198p).

A gift from a co-worker many years back features an ingredient I thoroughly enjoy – Garlic! And, yes, I keep plenty of fresh bulbs around and freely add garlic powder to appropriate recipes.

The book opens with a short piece on Garlic Facts that includes what it is, how to buy, store, peel and chop. A few words of warning about using the garlic and avoiding overcooking it. Lastly there is a brief section on managing garlic’s odor, and residue on hands/cutting boards.

The remainder (and vast bulk) of the book is the recipes, divided up into the usual sections on appetizers & soups, pizza and pasta, vegetables, beef, etc. However, there is no dessert section – and, yes, garlic desserts are a thing which I’ve eaten and made. Each recipe is well described in the ingredient section and the instruction steps, about half with a photo. The only irritant was that some recipes come with name-brand ingredients, such as “TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce”, rather than a more general term (though it’s fairly obvious what else you could use).

I did make one recipe from it so far, the London Broil Dijon, which is this month’s recipe (see that section). I did make adjustments to quantity and specific ingredients used without any apparent trouble. And, it was actually easier/quicker to make then the instructions would have led a person to believe.

Recommended for the Garlic Lover. [April 2021]

Confucianism: Analects of Confucius edited by Jaroslav Pelikan (1992; 262p).

The fifth book I’ve read in the “Sacred Writings” collection, and I found it interesting as a dip into this viewpoint of the world and purpose. It opens with an editor’s introduction, followed by a lengthy (60+ page) translator’s introduction that tries to give a western audience insight into the culture, time period and sourcing of the material. It was helpful, as were the copious annotations accompanying the text itself. However, I ended up with only a somewhat better understanding of the material than if it wasn’t included. Definitely something that I should look into further in the future.

The actual text is not a neatly organized, linear, narrative, but rather a loosely organized set of brief sayings grouped into non-thematic books. That said, some of the individual pieces sometimes draw upon, or reference, others, but they aren’t necessarily in the same general part of the book. Also, not all of the sourcing points to these originating with Confucius but some by contemporaries or other sayings included when the text was actually put to paper (the text being from an oral tradition).

The sayings are a bit of a mixed bag, especially considering I only have a passing knowledge of the governmental structure, cultural mores and ritual practices. The annotations and lengthy introduction help, and certainly made it easier to glean what I did learn from the work. Some are easily understood proverbs/adages such as in Book IV #24:

“The Master said, A gentleman covets the reputation of being slow in word but prompt in deed.”

While others are cryptic, needing much more contextual information to understand (from Book VI #11):

“The Master said to Tzu-hsia, ‘You must practice the ju of gentlemen, not that of the common man’”

The annotation says that “ju” has an uncertain meaning.

While others seem to be very specific comments on contemporary individuals with no apparent applicability to the reader (from Book XI #17):

“[The Master said], Ch’ai is stupid, Shen is dull-witted, Shih is too formal; Yu, too free and easy.”

Though I found the book of interest to me, it is something that would need considerable additional research, commentary and analysis (or a venerable mentor) to make good use of the bulk of the book. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend this to a casual reader or one that only has a passing interest. [April 2021]

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1990; 72p).

A tale of an adventure on an unnamed waterway in colonial Africa. Conrad’s narrator is documenting a story told by a companion onboard a yawl in the Thames estuary about events earlier in his life. In short, that he was hired to captain a riverboat plying a route between Company trading posts.

The book follows his journey from London to Paris to seek the position. The bulk of the book takes place after arrival at the coastal trading post, constituting his outfitting of, and his experiences on, his initial round trip. As that ends, the book abruptly transports the storyteller back to Europe and his brief activities there to tie up promises made in Africa.

The book reads as a psychological thriller, for the most part. Conrad uses imagery to let the reader easily visualize the scenes and has the storyteller effectively add expectations, interpretations and guesses onto the other characters motives (as well as his own). The twists and turns keep the reader in the story and compels one to finish it.

That said, it is definitely a period piece written with the mindset that includes a Colonialism attitude and racial biases that are somewhat jarring in today’s culture and modern mindset. Some of the related language/terms/depictions did knock me out of the book’s flow and, to some extent, decreased my enjoyment of overall.

Recommended, with reservations, [April 2021]

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen (1990; 72p).

This is a 4-act stage play written in the late 1800s. Unfolding over a couple days’ time, a newly wedded couple just returned, from a European sojourn, and catch-up with friends/family about what has happened. They quickly insert themselves back into their social circles, finding mysteries, intrigue and overlapping interests, desires and designs.

The story line is compelling, the characters of interest and the twists refreshing. As a play, it definitely is something that I’d go see. And, from a production company’s perspective, something that should be fairly enticing to stage – consisting of one set, minor adjustments between acts and needing only seven actors to perform. As a book, not quite as enjoyable as it appears it would be in a live production (though I did read it out loud with some voice variation).

Interestingly, while chatting with my mother as I was reading it, she mentioned Ibsen was a favorite author of my grandfather, this play especially. I’ll have to keep an eye out for more of his writings.

Recommended as a book, strongly recommended as a performance. [April 2021]

Mort by Terry Pratchett (1987; 295p).

Another stand-alone DiscWorld novel (I’m getting the impression that they all might be) and written as one, book-length, story with no page breaks or other significant division. This deals with Death, not so much as in dying, but as in the role of Death in, well, dying. In this case, [minor spoiler, for about page 12, though it is on the back cover blurb] Death takes on an apprentice and, as one might expect in this series, hi-jinks, hilarity and thrilling things happen.

Highly Recommended [April 2021]

Perfect Main Dish Vegetables by Anne Willan (1997; 128p).

I had the pleasure of working with her several times as she presented cooking classes (I also sat in on some). Knowledgeable, friendly, kind and makes very tasty food. I don’t know if she’s still doing cooking tours, but if you get the chance, take it!

This book is part of a series (three others are listed on the back cover) that is designed to be a very straight-forward, easy to follow, set of recipes and related techniques. This one, obviously, is focused on the heartier vegetable dishes that could substitute as the main course. However, they are still readily approachable as side dishes though, you may have more than the usual leftovers.

The book opens with a brief orientation on the book’s format (more shortly) followed by a high level discussion of vegetable use, preparation and techniques. The end of the book includes additional information as well.

The 46 recipes are extremely well laid out and easy to follow. At the start, on the left side, there is a listing of all needed equipment with a small photograph to match with. The right side is a high level inventory of all ingredients going into the dish, with a photograph of them unprocessed (whole onion, rather than diced) and with a listing of the major steps to prepare it. In the middle is a photograph of the finished dish with a detailed ingredient list below that includes both metric and imperial weights/quantities.

The step-by-step instructions are in specific detail, giving both precise actions and accompanied by a photograph showing the action. Along with the main recipes, potential variations are listed at the end of a recipe (just a photograph of the finished dish and an updated ingredient list). There are several sidebars scattered in the book (listed at the rear) for general techniques (chopping herbs, dicing vegetables).

I have not specifically made any of these dishes, but am completely confident that I could do any of them that I wished to due to the clear and comprehensive presentation. A couple that caught my eye include a Sweetcorn, Spring Onion, and Red Pepper Frittata and Individual Gratins of Leek and Ham.

Recommended for any chef out there, especially one that is working on building up their skills.

Note – my book has a separate “Guide to the Metric System” (conversion charts for liquids, solids, temperature and length) stuck in it. I don’t know if it was part of the book or was one of the extras the author handed out. I’m guessing the latter as it has her Paris cooking school (LaVarenne) logo on top rather than the publisher’s logo. [April 2021]

===================================

Babylon 5 Quote

In “Epiphanies” – G’Kar: “I’m delirious with joy. It proves that if you confront the universe with good intentions in your heart, it will reflect that and reward your intent. Usually. It just doesn’t always do it in the way you expect.”

===================================

Recipe of the Month

Recipe Philosophy: Except for baking, recipes are only suggestions. I rarely precisely measure, eyeballing most everything. The

listed measurements, for the most part, are estimates from the last time I made the recipe. Feel free to adjust to meet

your personal tastes – and remember, it is easier to add “more” of something than to compensate when “too much” has

been added.

For ingredients, if you don’t like raw onions, omit them or replace with celery to retain the crunchiness. If you like food with

more spice, add an extra jalapeno or use habaneros instead. On the other hand, if you don’t like spicy food, replace the

jalapeno with a bell pepper. Optional items are used when I’m looking for a variation or making it for individuals

with specific preferences or allergies.

London Broil Dijon

Recipe as presented in the book:

2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable Oil

2 large heads garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

1 can (14½ ounces) reduced-sodium beef broth

½ cup water

1 sprig fresh oregano or parsley

4½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 pounds beef top round steak or London broil (about 1½ inches thick)

Salt and black pepper

Heat oil in medium saucepan; add garlic and saute over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until garlic just

starts to brown in spots. Add broth, water and oregano. Simmer until mixture is reduced by about one third.

Process broth mixture, in batches, in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to saucepan; whisk in

mustard. Set aside. Season meat with salt and pepper.

Oil hot grid (sic) to help prevent sticking. Grill beef, on a covered grill, over medium-low KINGSFORD®

briquettes, 10 to 14 minutes for medium-rare doneness; 12 to 16 minutes for medium doneness, turning once or

twice. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Cut across grain into thin, diagonal slices. Rewarm sauce and serve

as accompaniment.

Makes 6 servings.

I didn’t have that large a steak, so plenty of adjustments (mostly by eye). Also, as an apartment dweller, there isn’t a handy grill (have to go over to the pool area) so I pan-fried it. Based on this preparation, here’s the rough recipe I used:

2-3 lugs grapeseed Oil

1½ large heads garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

1 can (14½ ounces) reduced-sodium beef broth

~~½ cup water~~ (omitted)

3-4 shakes of dried oregano

3ish teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 pound beef top round steak or London broil (about 1½ inches thick)

Salt and black pepper

Heat oil in medium skillet; add garlic and saute over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until garlic just

starts to brown in spots. Add broth and oregano. Simmer until mixture is reduced by about one third. Let cool.

Season meat with salt and pepper. Wipe out skillet and apply cooking spray (or small amount of oil to coat).

Cook beef to desired doneness, turning several times. Once done, remove and let stand 5 minutes before

slicing. Cut across grain into thin, diagonal slices.

While steak is cooking, process broth mixture, in batches, in mini-food processor until mostly smooth. Place in

a small saucepan and reheat. When it is warm, whisk in mustard. Taste to adjust mustard level. Once hot, while

steak is standing, pour into appropriate container to serve (I used a Pyrex measuring cup).

Notes (from Andy):

- BE AWARE: when you add broth (and/or water) to the browned garlic, the hot oil will likely spatter. Drizzle it in, don’t pour it in.

- Reminder: when processing liquid items in the food processer, don’t fill much past the ½ way point, allowing plenty of room.

- The sauce is very loose, I’d have preferred one a bit thicker. When I make this again I likely will add a slurry of corn starch and water at the end of the rewarming to make it more “gravy”-like in consistency.

- I also will likely slice the garlic cloves into several chunks, or smash them, to allow more of the garlic surfaces to brown rather than just a portion of the top and bottom.

- Surprisingly, I found this a very easy recipe to complete and it took much less time than I’d expected – start to finish, including peeling the garlic, was roughly 30 minutes.

===================================

Updates/Corrections

When I have updates to previous items, or corrections outside the games, they’ll be here. If there are none, this section won’t appear.

- I did make last month’s recipe, Fish Fillets Under Dill Soufflé from Cookwise, a few days after the issue went out. I made several adjustments, primarily as I only had one tilapia fillet. I eyeballed a reduction in the soufflé ingredients, and still had about twice as much as was likely needed (though I did use it all rather than toss it). Also, I put the fish on an aluminum foil covered flat sheet pan covered in cooking spray rather than a greased jelly roll pan. It was amazingly good, and an approachable recipe – I’ll certainly make it again.

===================================

Game Section

Everyone Plays Games: Hangman, By Definition; Facts in Five

Game Openings: Breaking Away (Kent, Burgess, Smith; Firth, minimum 6 players needed)

No-Press Gunboat Diplomacy, sans preference lists (6 Players)

Standard Choice (Smith, minimum 4 players needed)

Possible Game Openings: Breaking Away Variants

Suggestions accepted for other games to offer.

Standbys: Breaking Away (x1); Gunboat Diplomacy (x1)

Rules for Breaking Away. Breaking Away Variants and Choice available on the Variable Pig website (variablepig.org)

~~+++++++++++++++++++++~~

Hangman, By Definition

This is a five round game, with each round consisting of a variable number of turns. The winner will be the person who wins the most rounds, with a tie breaker being fewest total number of turns in those winning rounds. Second tie breaker will be the most number of letters guessed (by total count revealed, not by individual letter).

Each round will consist of identifying a word of at least six letters. Along with each word will be the first definition given. All words and definitions will be identified by blank spaces. Words and definitions are verified in a dictionary that was my high school graduation gift (slight hint to those who might want to find the edition).

The goal is to guess the word in as few turns as possible. Each turn, all players will submit one letter to be revealed. The letter submitted by the most players will be the letter revealed in the next turn. Ties will be broken by a randomized method. Additionally, each player should submit a guess for the word. Once the word is correctly identified (spelling is important), that round will end and a new round will begin. All players who guess the word in the same turn will share in the win for the round. If the word is not guessed by the end of six turns with no letter being revealed, no one will win the round.

Along with revealing letters in the word, letters will be revealed in the definition. There are no bonus points for guessing any part of the definition, it is only there to help players figure out the word. No guesses about parts of the definition will be confirmed or displayed except by the letter revealed in that round. The letters “E” and “S” can never be chosen as the letter to be revealed.

Game 1, Round Three, Turn 4:

Letter Votes: A – 1; B – 1; G – 1; M – 1; R – 1; T – 1; W – 1 Revealed: All

Words Guessed: (Firth) Pretty; (Kent) Chammy; (Lischett) Heresy; (Maslen) Untidy; (O’Hara) Abbacy;

(Smith) Bouncy; (Wilson) Chummy

Solution:

Word: C H U M M Y (6)

Definition: I N T I M A T E (8); F R I E N D L Y (8); A M I C A B L E (8).

Never Revealed: E, S Already Revealed: L, Y

Game Words Correctly Guessed: Infinitesimal (David-Gardner, Firth, Kent, Smith, Wilson);

Triclinium (Firth, Maslen, Smith, Wilson)

Chummy (Wilson)

+++++++++++++++++++++

FACTS IN FIVE

Rules: There will be five rounds, the cumulative high score at the end of the fifth round will be the winner. Anyone may join anytime with a starting score matching the lowest total from the previous round. Anyone missing a round will add the lowest score of that round.

Each round will consist of five categories and five letters. Each player submit may an entry for each category which has a key word that starts with each of the letters (twenty-five total entries). Key words are generally the first word; however articles (the, a, etc.) and modifiers (“red” in red bicycle for “R” in “mode of transportation” or “general” in General Lee for “G” in “Military Leaders”) are not key words. A word in the category may not be the key word (“bank” in “Bank of America” for “B” in the category “Banks”). For given names, the last name is the key word, if married it will be their post-marriage last name. However, in the case of commonly used stage names, that name should be used (in a category of female singers, ”Q” could be “Queen Latifa” and “Cher” for “C”). An entry may only be used once per round. Please clearly identify which individual you are using as your answer if there are multiple potential people with a given name. For instance, if the category is American Presidents, answering Washington is fine as there is only one; however, if you decided to use Bush you need to indicate whether you are submitting the father or the son. Unclear answers will be matched to score the least points. Using the Bush example, if one person submitted “Bush” and three people submit “George W. Bush” the latter would score 2 points and the former 1.

One point will be scored for each entry that unarguably meets the letter and category. An additional point will be added if anyone else also uses the same valid entry for the same category. Maximum possible score in a round is 50 with a lowest possible score of 25, presuming an individual submits a valid entry for each category and letter in that round.

Research is allowed, collaboration between players is not.

Game Three, Round One

Bolded - Scores 2 points for matching another entry; Crossed Out - scores 0 points; otherwise scores 1 point.

REMINDER - Last names are generally the key word, not first names.

Players D L O S Y

Part of Ocean Sailing Vessel

Mark Firth Deck Lanyard Orlop Sheet Yardarm

John David Galt Deck <> Overhead Sail Yard-Arm

Doug Kent Deck Line Outhaul Stern Yawl

Andy Lischett Davit Longboat Orlop Deck Sail Yardarm

Walt O’Hara Deck Larboard Orlop Stern Yardarm

Kevin Wilson Deck Lines Officers’ Quarters Sail Yard Arm

Dog Breeds

Mark Firth Dalmatian Labrador Old Eng SDog Shih Tzu Yorkshire Terrier

John David Galt Dachshund Labrador Ret Old Eng SDog Siberian Husky Yorkshire Terrier

Doug Kent Dachshund Labrador Ret Old Eng Bulldog St. Bernard Yorkshire Terrier

Andy Lischett Dachshund Labrador Otterhound Springer Spaniel Yorkshire Terrier

Walt O’Hara Dalmatian Labrador Ret Otterhound St. Bernard Yorkshire Terrier

Kevin Wilson Dalmatian Labrador Ret Old Eng SDog St. Bernard Yorkshire Terrier

Flowers

Mark Firth Dandelion Lupine Ox-Eye Daisy Sunflower Yarrow

John David Galt Daisy Lily Orchid Sassafras Yucca

Doug Kent Daffodil Lily Orchid Snapdragon Yarrow

Andy Lischett Daffodil Lilacs Ox-Eye Daisy Sunflower Yucca

Walt O’Hara Daisy Lily Orchid Snapdragon Yarrow

Kevin Wilson Daisy Lily Orchid Sunflower Yellow Bell

Types of Residences

Mark Firth Duplex Loft ~~Outhouse~~ Submarine Yurt

John David Galt Dormitory <> <> Split Level <>

Doug Kent Duplex Longhouse Octagon Single Pen Yurt

Andy Lischett Dorm Loft Orphanage Split Level Yurt

Walt O’Hara Dormitory Longhouse One Plus Five Split Level Yurt

Kevin Wilson Dormitory Log Cabin Ontario Cottage Stilt House Yurt

Deceased American Newspaper Writers

Mark Firth Susan E Dickson AJ Liebling ~~Raul S Ortiz~~ Randy Shifts ~~Mario Centeno Yanez~~

John David Galt R H Davis Walter Lippmann <> E W Scripps <>

Doug Kent Susan Dickson Lillian Lewis James O’Neal Hugh Sidey Charles de Young

Andy Lischett Theodore Dreiser Ann Landers F O’Connor John Simon Roz Young

Walt O’Hara M Drysdale D de LaFuente MH O’Byrne SA Stone ~~Bruce Yaccato~~

Kevin Wilson Susan E Dickson Lillian A. Lewis Adolph Ochs W Safire Roz Young

Note – for allowed and disallowed answers, please feel free to correct me!

Notes on Mark’s Answers: Old Eng SDog is Old English Sheepdog; Outhouse is disallowed as it isn’t a residence (a place in

which one lives), certainly it may be part of a residential plan, but except for rare circumstances, folks hardly “live” in

it; Raul S Ortiz id Raul Scalabrini Ortiz and is disallowed as he is Argentinian rather than American; Mario Centeno

Yanez is disallowed as he is Mexican rather than American

Notes on John’s Answers: Labrador Ret is Labrador Retriever; Old Eng SDog is Old English Sheepdog; R H Davis is Richard

Harding Davis;

Notes on Doug’s Answers: Labrador Ret is Labrador Retriever; Old Eng Bulldog is Old English Bulldog

Notes on Andy’s Answers: F O’Connor is Flannery O’Connor

Notes on Walt’s Answers: Labrador Ret is Labrador Retriever; M Drysdale is Maurice Drysdale; D de LaFuente is Della de

LaFuente ; MH O’Byrne is Marjorie Hinners O’Byrne; SA Stone is Susan Archibald Stone; Bruce Yaccato is

disallowed as he is a Canadian not an American

Notes on Kevin’s Answers: Labrador Ret is Labrador Retriever; Old Eng SDog is Old English Sheepdog; W Safire is William

“Bill” Safire

General Player Comments:

[Mark Firth] – Four subjects I could knock straight off without recourse to reference this time – and one where I couldn’t name

a single viable answer without!

[John David Galt] – I didn’t think you could talk me back into the fray; but this set of letters is actually mostly playable.

[WAY] – Glad you decided to participate, hope this rounds offerings entice you to continue.

[Andy Lischett] – Carol is my flower expert. When I asked if there is such a thing as an ox-eye daisy, she said no. Later I

showed her a picture and she said, “Oh, I thought you said ‘oxide’ daisy”. <Later Note> I finally came up with my own

answers for everything except a “Y” dead American newspaper writer. [WAY} – Impressive!

[Walt O’Hara] – Now that I’m running FiF on Facebook I’m starting to notice cards popping up over and over again. Deceased

American Journalists… we just played that one in our last game!

[Kevin Wilson] – I found “O” the hardest of the letters. Other than orchid and Old English Sheep Dog, the rest required thought

or searches.

Game Three, Round Two

Letters: A B I O Z

Categories: Communicable Diseases; English Proper Noun, 2-3 Syllables; Gaming Focused Websites; Opera Aria Title;

Print Business Magazine

Current Standings

Scores by Category 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Now Previous Total

Kevin Wilson 9 10 9 7 8 43 + 0 = 43

Doug Kent 8 9 10 8 7 42 + 0 = 42

Walt O’Hara 9 10 10 9 4 42 + 0 = 42

Andy Lischett 8 9 9 9 6 41 + 0 = 41

Mark Firth 8 9 8 7 4 36 + 0 = 36

John David Galt 7 9 9 4 3 32 + 0 = 32

*NMR, receives lowest score from this round

===================================

Deadline for the Next Issue of Out of the WAY:

June 9, 2021 at noon – See You Then!

Game entries, letters of comment and other material can be sent to:

wandrew88 at gmail.com; or by post to: W. Andrew York; POB 201117; Austin TX 78720-1117

Eternal Sunshine Game Section

Acquire – “Blind”

Players:

Kevin Wilson – ckevinw@gmail.com; John David Galt – jdgalt@att.net; Mark Firth – mogcate@aol.com; Andy Lischett – andy@lischett.com; Tom Howell – off-the-shelf@olympus.net

Turn Eight

Firth: Plays 4-F. Forms Worldwide. Receives one free share. Buys one Festival for $700 and two Worldwide for $300 each.

Lischett: Plays 10-I. Buys one American for $600, one Continental for $600, and one Tower for $500.

Howell: Plays 2-F. Worldwide is merged into Imperial. Mark receives $3,000 and Andy receives $1,500. Andy trades his two Worldwide for one Imperial. Mark’s three shares are sold for $300 each.

Wilson: Plays 3-B.

Galt: Plays 2-D. Forms Worldwide. Gets one free share.

Firth: Plays 11-D. Buys three Festival for $700 each.

Order for Turn Nine:

Lischett, Howell, Wilson, Galt, Firth, Lischett

Deadline for Turn 8 is Friday June 11^th at 7pm My Time (12 hours earlier than the standard zine deadline)

Diplomacy, “Indestructible Machine”, 2020A, F 07

Austria: Rick Davis – redavis914@aol.com - A Budapest Supports A Vienna - Trieste (*Cut*),

A Bulgaria Supports A Rumania, F Greece Supports A Bulgaria, A Rumania Supports A Sevastopol – Ukraine,

A Sevastopol – Ukraine, ~~A Vienna - Trieste~~ (*Disbanded*).

England: Mark Firth – mogcate@aol.com - F Spain(sc) Supports A Piedmont - Marseilles.

France: John David Galt – jdgalt@att.net - F ~~Brest Hold~~ (*Dislodged*, retreat to Gascony or OTB),

A Burgundy - Munich (*Bounce*), F Tunis Supports F Ionian Sea - Naples (*Fails*), A Tuscany - Venice.

Germany: Andy Lischett – andy@lischett.com - A Bohemia – Vienna,

F English Channel Supports F Irish Sea - Mid-Atlantic Ocean, F North Sea – Belgium, A Paris – Brest,

A Picardy Supports A Paris – Brest, A Silesia - Munich (*Bounce*), A Tyrolia Supports A Bohemia - Vienna.

Italy: Toby Harris – toby@responsiva.biz - A Apulia – Rome, ~~F Mid-Atlantic Ocean Hold~~ (*Dislodged*,

retreat to Western Mediterranean or North Africa or Portugal or Gascony or North Atlantic Ocean or OTB),

F Naples - Ionian Sea (*Fails*), A Piedmont - Marseilles.

Russia: Bob Durf – playdiplomacymoderator@gmail.com – Retreat F English Channel – Wales,

F Sevastopol - Black Sea..F Black Sea Supports A Moscow – Sevastopol, A Galicia - Budapest (*Fails*),

F Irish Sea - Mid-Atlantic Ocean, A Moscow – Sevastopol, A Norway - Berlin (*Fails*),

~~A Ukraine - Rumania~~ (*Dislodged*, retreat to Moscow or Warsaw or OTB), F Wales - Irish Sea.

Turkey: Jack McHugh - jwmchughjr@gmail.com – F Aegean Sea Supports F Ionian Sea,

F Constantinople Hold, F Ionian Sea Hold, F Trieste Supports A Tyrolia - Venice (*Void*).

PRESS:

None.

Supply Center Chart

Austria: Budapest, Bulgaria, Greece, Rumania, Serbia=5 Even

England: Spain=1 Even

France: Paris, Tunis, Venice=3 Even or Remove 1

Germany: Belgium, Berlin, Brest, Denmark, Holland, Kiel, London, Munich,

Vienna=9 Build 2

Italy: Marseilles, Naples, Portugal, Rome=4 Even

Russia: Edinburgh, Liverpool, Moscow, Norway, Sevastopol, St Petersburg,

Sweden, Warsaw=8 Build 1 or 2

Turkey: Ankara, Constantinople, Smyrna, Trieste=4 Even

Deadline for W 07/S 08 is: June 12^th at 7am My Time

Diplomacy, “Wine Lips”, 2020B, S 05

Austria: Harold Reynolds – hjreynolds2@rogers.com - F Aegean Sea Convoys A Smyrna – Greece,

A Berlin - Kiel (*Fails*), A Bohemia - Munich (*Bounce*), A Budapest - Vienna (*Fails*),

A Munich - Ruhr (*Fails*), A Serbia Hold, A Silesia Supports A Prussia - Berlin (*Void*),

A Vienna - Bohemia (*Fails*).

England: David Cohen – zendip18@optonline.net – F English Channel Supports

F Western Mediterranean - Mid-Atlantic, Ocean, F North Sea - Belgium (*Bounce*), A Picardy - Brest (*Fails*).

France: David Burgess – burgesscd@roadrunner.com – F Brest Supports

F North Atlantic Ocean - Mid-Atlantic Ocean (*Cut*), A Clyde – Liverpool, F Liverpool – Wales,

F North Atlantic Ocean - Mid-Atlantic Ocean (*Fails*), A Paris Supports F Brest.

Germany: Mark Firth – mogcate@aol.com - F Baltic Sea Convoys A Sweden – Livonia,

A Kiel Supports A Ruhr - Munich (*Cut*), A Ruhr - Munich (*Bounce*), A Sweden - Livonia.

Italy: George Atkins - GeorgeWrites@outlook.com – F Gulf of Lyon - Spain(sc), F Naples - Ionian Sea,

A Piedmont – Marseilles, A Smyrna – Greece, A Spain – Portugal, A Venice - Marseilles (*Fails*),

F Western Mediterranean - Mid-Atlantic Ocean.

Russia: Heath Davis-Gardner – heathdavisgardner@gmail.com – A Burgundy - Belgium (*Bounce*),

A Finland - St Petersburg, F Gulf of Bothnia – Sweden, A Norway Supports F Gulf of Bothnia – Sweden,

A Prussia – Warsaw, A Sevastopol – Rumania, A Ukraine Supports A Sevastopol - Rumania.

A/I/R Draw Fails

PRESS

Russia: Sooo when you ask for a separated season after your ally promises a waived build, and they vote for the separation of seasons but then build aggressively against you, you realize all you've done is waste everyone's time. Sorry, everyone.

R - A/I - I'm still with you if what I consider the inevitable didn't happen this turn. sincerely Sid C.

Anonymous:

Smyrna

Yes, Izmir used to be Smyrna

Lived in by ladies named Myrna...

This rhyme is so lame

I should be ashamed

And banish myself to Burma.

Tuscany

In our legs we have the joints three:

The ankle, the hip, and the knee.

Italy ends with a toe,

And is leg-shaped, so,

Its main joint we call Tuscany.

Rumania

Rumania leaves me depressed.

Their law system isn't the best.

Shoplifting a book

Will make you a crook,

And subject you to Bucharest.

Holland

In Holland you'll soon find The Hague,

Though directions to get there are vague.

You'll find that the Dutch

Won't help you that much,

Until you start serving Lafroaig.

Naples

Naples is quite close to Pompeii,

Where Vesuvius once had its way.

When it blew its top,

It made a loud pop,

And blew all the people away.

Armenia

In Armenia there is a man

Who transforms things whenever he can.

He had a Dodge Charger

That he wanted larger,

So he said "Presto! Yerevan!"

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a capital city,

Where Robert Burns wrote things very witty

Ault Reekie's its name,

Since smoke, to its shame,

Often hid how the city is pretty.

Deadline for F 05 is June 12^th at 7am My Time

Balkan Wars VI, “Bad Way to Go”, 2020Apb08, F 16

Albania: Mark Firth – mogcate@aol.com – F Cyclades Supports F Aegean Sea,

F Montenegro Supports F North Adriatic Sea, A Mt Tara Supports F Montenegro,

F North Adriatic Sea Supports F Trieste – Croatia, A Skopje Supports A Salonika (*Cut*),

F South Adriatic Sea Supports F Montenegro, A Tirana Supports A Skopje, F Trieste – Croatia,

A Valona Supports A Skopje.

Bulgaria: Jack McHugh - jwmchughjr@gmail.com - A Athens Supports A Salonika,

F North Black Sea - Dubruja (*Fails*), A Salonika Supports A Thrace, A Thrace Supports A Salonika.

Serbia: Andy York – wandrew88@gmail.com – A Belgrade Supports A Bucharest - Nish (*Fails*),

F Bosnia Supports A Hercegovina, A Bucharest - Nish (*Fails*), A Constantsa Hold, A Dubruja Hold,

A Hercegovina Hold, A Macedonia Supports A Nish – Skopje, A Nish - Skopje (*Fails*),

A Plovdiv Supports A Constantinople - Thrace (*Void*), A Sofia Supports A Nish – Skopje, A Varna - Arda.

Turkey: Heath Davis-Gardner – heathdavisgardner@gmail.com – F Aegean Sea Supports A Thrace,

A Constantinople Supports A Varna (*Ordered to Move*), F Izmit - North Black Sea (*Fails*).

A/B/S/T Draw Fails

Now Proposed –A/B/S/T Draw. Please vote. NVR=No

Supply Center Chart

Albania: Crete, Cyprus, Malta, Montenegro, Rhodes, Skopje, Tirana,

Trieste, Valona=9 Even

Bulgaria: Athens, Salonika, Sparta, Thrace=4 Even

Serbia: Belgrade, Bosnia, Bucharest, Cluj, Constantsa, Dubruja, Galati,

Nish, Plovdiv, Sofia, Varna=11 Even

Turkey: Constantinople, Izmit, Smyrna=3 Even

PRESS

Bulgaria - World: I have always depended up the kindness of strangers, bitches...

Bulgaria - Turkey: This is the thanks I get for Making Ottoman Great Again...

Bulgaria - GM: A genius is never appreciated in his own lifetime...

GM – Bulgaria: I don’t think I’ll be appreciated after I’m dead, either. Except for the celebration….

Deadline for S 17 is June 12th at 7am My Time

Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?

The Rules were in Eternal Sunshine #131, read them if you want a detailed explanation and examples. Basically, this is a guessing game, trying to guess the mystery person and their location (both chosen by me before the game started). Closest guess gets a public clue and notification they were the closest. Everyone else sees the clue but has to figure out on their own who was the closest that turn.

Turn 1