Hint to Person
Placed Closest to Me:
You
were born about 300 years before I died.
We were born on different continents, but as subjects of the same
nation’s rule.
Deadline for Round 4 is October 27th
at 7am My Time
Excerpts
from Timothy Beal’s “The Rise and Fall of the Bible”
Selected
by Paul Milewski
Gentle readers, before
you get out the greenest wood you can find to burn me at the stake as slowly as
possible, let me point out that Beal in this book is lamenting the low level of
biblical literacy. As an example: “Almost
two-thirds of Americans can’t name at least five of the Ten Commandments. Some of these people, moreover, are outspoken
promoters of them. Georgia
representative Lynn Westmoreland, cosponsor of a bill to display the Ten
Commandments in the chambers of the House of Representatives and Senate, could
remember only three when Stephen Colbert asked him to recite them on The Colbert Report (Colbert, who I hear
teaches Sunday school at his church, would probably have done considerably better).”
[Page 31]
[Pages 59-61]
Nearly all
translations depend to some degree on functional equivalencies in order to put
ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek figures of speech into sensible
English. A good example is the common
Hebrew phrase for divine wrath imagined as God’s red-hot nose. When God learns of Aaron’s golden-calf
project, most translations have God tell Moses something like, “Now let me
alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them” (Exodus 32:10). But “wrath” is a euphemism, of sorts. The Hebrew word is ‘aph,
“nose.” Here, as in many other places in
the Bible, God’s nose burns hot. One
might take that as strictly figurative if it weren’t for the next story, in
which God tucks Moses into a cleft in a rock and then walks past, allowing
Moses to be behold the divine backside.
Given such
English refiguring of God’s hot Hebrew nose, it’s not surprising to learn that
another, more bawdy Hebraism is also actually lost in translation. In Samuel and Kings, a male is sometimes
referred to as, to quote the King James Version, “one that pisseth
against a wall,” that is, who pees standing up.
That’s a very literal translation of the Hebrew phrase (mashtin beqir). Consider the story of the future king David,
on the run in the wilderness from King Saul, seeking food for his army from a
rich man named Nabal (“fool”) in exchange for their
protection of his estate. When Nabal refuses, most modern translation, tuned to our
delicate post-Victorian ears, have David vow to leave not one single “male”
alive by morning. But in the more
graphic Hebrew, David declares that not one person will be pissing against the
wall by morning. The threat is not only
bawdy but poetic: “against the wall,” baqir, sounds very like “morning,” boqer
(read it aloud to hear for yourself: ad ha-boqer mashtin beqir). David’s expression gets further literary play
after Nabal’s wife, Abigail (soon to be one of
David’s wives), convinces David to relent.
When she returns to nabal, she finds that he’s
hosting a party and already very drunk.
So she waits till morning, “when the wine had gone out of him”—which
could means after he was sober or after he had literally pissed it out—to tell
him what almost happened. At that news,
he sinks into a depression and dies ten days later. Clearly, the functional equivalent “male”
loses a lot in translation.
[Page 142]
A half
century late another distinguished committee of biblical scholars under the
umbrella of he ecumenical National Council of
Churches of Christ produced a revision of the Revised Bible, called the Revised
Standard Version (New Testament only in 1946; complete Bible in 1952). It, too, drew criticism from fundamentalists
and soon came to be seen as the flagship of modern liberalism. One particular bone of contention was its
translation of Isaiah 7:14. “Behold, a
young woman [Hebrew ‘almah] will conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.” Other
versions had invariably translated ‘almah
“virgin” to conform with the Gospel of Matthew, which
quotes this verse in reference to the Virgin Birth of Jesus. In fact, the Revised Standard Version
translation is correct. The Hebrew for
“virgin” is betulah, not ‘almah. But
Matthew is quoting from the Greek Septuagint, which uses parthenos,
which does indeed mean “virgin.” Such
details were clearly too complicated for many critics, who were scandalized by
what appeared to be a denial of the Virgin Birth. Martin Luther Hux,
a Baptist minister from North Carolina, went so far as to burn that page,
declaring the Revised Standard Version “a master stroke of Satan.” For many, this translation soon came to
represent all that was wrong with modern liberal Christianity and ecumenism.
XENOGOGIC
THE ENDLESS QUESTION: WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?
By Larry Peery
OK, the game is on. The Powers have been assigned. You’ve
got Germany, Austria, Russia or Turkey. What do you do next? Before you panic
and rush off to begin your helter-skelter diplomacy with your three neighbors
take a deep breath; and remember your Dip&dip
history.
The Realists, the Idealists, and those in the moderate middle (e.g. the
Wishy-Washy) are the three group names given to most American presidents with
Theodore Roosevelt as the ultimate Realist, Woodrow Wilson as the sole
Idealist, and Barack Obama as “the Moderate Middle, Wishy-Washy, or
None-of-the-Above;” depending on how you look at him. What would they do in
your shoes?
The Three Schools of Thought:
The Edi Birsan School (Realists)
1) Territorial Aggrandizement Wing Victor Hugo or
“The aggrandizement which they have brought to the
nineteenth century has not Waterloo as its source. “
Les Miserables Victor
Hugo
2) Territorial Imperative Wing
Robert Ardrey vs.
“The dog barking at you from behind his master's fence acts
for a motive indistinguishable from that of his master when the fence was
built.”
The Territorial Imperative: A Personal Inquiry Into
the Animals Origins of Property and Nations. Robert Ardrey
The Allan B. Calhamer School
(Idealists)
1) “Because it was there” Wing or Allan B. Calhamer,
from George Mallory or
George Mallory (1886 – 1924) was a Himalayan mountain climber who famously
perished on Mount Everest in 1924
From an interview, "Climbing Mount Everest is work for
Supermen", The New York Times (18 March 1923); on being asked why he
wanted to climb Mount Everest:
"Why did you want to climb Mount Everest?" This
question was asked of George Leigh Mallory, who was with both expeditions
toward the summit of the world’s highest mountain, in 1921 and 1922, and who is
now in New York. He plans to go again in 1924, and he gave as the reason for
persisting in these repeated attempts to reach the top, "Because it's
there."
2)) “It is an iron law of politics that power will fill a vacuum.” Wing or
Allan Calhamer, from Yahuti (Gary Brosch)
Yahuti: The Man Who Is Not Here,
With Hands Upon Our Shoulder, Speaking in Our Ear by Gary Brosch, 2004
The Old Farts’ School ( Moderate Middle aka Wishy-Washy)
1) ”What’s Mine is Mine, What’s yours is negotiable.” Wing Credited to
John F. Kennedy in his 1961 Address to the American people on Berlin. (Sometimes credited to Hitler or Stalin.) or
2) “What if we do this?” Right Wing Yann Clouet vs.
“Better yet, what if we do this?” Wrong Wing Toby Harris or
3) “When it’s all said and done Diplomacy is
just a game of Monopoly with different kinds of pieces.” Wing Larry Peery
Just keep in mind that in Diplomacy a Great Power, a
medium-sized state, a mini-state or even a non-state can become a no-state in
no time.
By history I mean anything in the last thousand years or so, although you could
go back even further. Yes, it’s a daunting task --- there have been more wars
fought in, around and over The Balkans than any other place in time or space,
so let’s get to it.
Remember that there are Great Forces, as well as Great and
Minor Powers, at work here. Christians vs. Muslims, Nations (e.g. ethnic
groups) vs. Nations, States vs. States (e.g. political creations based on
geographical considerations that may or may not have any connection to reality),
and Rich vs. Poor (forget the middle-class, it doesn’t
exist anymore in this time or space, even if it doesn’t know it yet).
A good starting place is The
Crusades (1096 – 1456). Pay particular attention to the
infamous “Children’s’ Crusade” of 1212. Compare it to what’s happening
in The Balkans as you read this; and remember “Where there are refugees it is
always the children who suffer most.”
Then consider all the wars between the Byzantium Empire (333
– 1453) and its successor the Ottoman Empire (1453 – 1922) and then the wars
between the Ottomans and Europeans, mostly
fought in The Balkans and right up to the Siege of Vienna (1529).
The wars between the Byzantines (and their allies) and the
Ottomans (who didn’t seem to attract many allies) began with the rise of the
Ottomans in 1265, a push-back by Byzantium in 1328, the Balkan invasion and
civil war that began in 1341, a civil war In Byzantium that began in 1371 and
lasted for 23 years, another 30 years of fighting between Byzantium and the
Ottomans, and the final Ottoman push from 1424 to 1453 and the Fall of
Constantinople.
Between 1453 and 1922 it was the Ottomans vs. the European
Great Powers, the European and regional Mid-sized states, the minor states, and
the sub-states in many different combinations.
Even as the war between Byzantium and the Ottomans
raged across Southeast Europe; the Bulgarians and then the Serbs began
their own wars to keep the Ottomans out of The Balkans during the 13th and 14th
century. The Ottomans continued to push ahead in the Balkans and into Austria;
a campaign that ended in their Siege of Vienna in 1529. After that the
Ottoman-Habsburg wars continued as more and more European countries got
involved in the conflicts that culminated in the Great Turkish War of the late
1600s.
Things began to change with the rise of autonomous or nearly autonomous
middle-sized and minor states, as well as various sub-units that could play off
the other three groups against each other.
This period was followed by insurrections from Christian
peoples under Ottoman subjugation, culminating in the Serbian revolution
(1804–1817) and the Greek War of Independence
1821–1832). This occurred in tandem with the Russo-Turkish Wars ( 12 wars between 1568 – 1918) and the Polish-Ottoman Wars (
8 wars between1485 – 1699), which rolled back much of the remaining Ottoman”empire” in Europe. The final pushback against
Ottoman control came with the signing of the Treaty of Severes
at the close of World War I.
There remained some residual conflict following The Great
War, with Greece expressing discontent at its newly drawn borders and the
Armenian people remaining in a state of conflict with the Turks following the
ravages of the 1915-1918 Armenian Genocide. While the Treaty of Severes granted full Armenian sovereignty, there was
outrage that they were not granted land access to the Black Sea per the earlier
promises of President Wilson. Turkey had difficulty obeying some of the
precepts outlined in the Treaty of Sevres, and broke its cease-fire against the
Armenians almost immediately. This resulted in Turkey forcibly reclaiming some
of its lost territory, and a weakened Armenia falling easily to Russian/Soviet
occupation. Modern-day Turkish and Armenian borders were established during the
1921 Treaty of Moscow, with many contemporary Armenians still holding the
territorial limitations to be illegitimate.
All in all during this period there were over 20 major and
scores of minor wars fought over a period of hundreds of years that involved
just about every religious, ethnic, political, geographic and economic faction
in the area. It’s still going on today, only more non-violently (so far).
The First Crimean War of 1853 – 1856
between Ottomans and Russians, French, British and Sardinia.
WWI of 1914 – 1918 involved nearly everybody at
some point.
Post WWI wars: Break-up of Ottoman Empire, Balkan
Independence, Russian Revolution
WWII of 1939 – 1945 involved Germany (and Austria) and Italy
vs. just about everybody.
The Cold War included, among others, Hungary vs. the
Russians in 1956, Czechoslovakia vs. WTO in 1968, Poland/Solidarity
(Russians refused to directly intervene militarily and let their puppets in
Poland do their dirty work.) in 1980-1981, and the fall of The Wall/Iron
Curtain in 1989.
As the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact and various medium and minor states begin to collapse the other
Big Powers pursued a policy of non-involvement, including the
refusal to use force.
The break-up of Yugoslavia, a moderate-sized state, in
1991-1992 created 6 or 7 minor republics and
various sub-units that became the causes of various mini-wars between the
various minor states.
The Ice War 2009 – Present Russia vs. 5 minor states or sub-units in the
Caucasus.
The Second Crimean War of 2014 condensed hundreds of
years of history down to a current conflict between what was then part of
Russia, then part of Ukraine 1954 – 1991 as part of USSR, then part of the
independent Ukraine; and now involves a Great Power. a
medium-sized state, and a sub-unit
The Refugees War 2014 – 2015 is a religion, ethnic,
political, economic (The big question: which is more important freedom or
economic gain?) non-violent conflict (so far) that involves multiple
moderate-sized states, multiple mini-states, minor states and sub-units. In
this case the religious and economic issues are more important than ethnic,
political (although some would say the quest for “freedom” is more important
than religious issues), ethnic, geographical and other issues.
As Dippers or dippers
How do we organize it all? How do we intellectually or conceptionally bring order into a chaos that exists in
reality?
Look at a time period, the map, the players, and create your
own scenario, but remember it isn’t worth the paper it’s drawn on.
The lesson to be drawn from all this is simple: there are
many ways to fail in a Balkans conflict, but there are few ways to be
successful.
ZERO SUM3 Subzine to
Eternal Sunshine,
Issue 7 September 23,
2015
Published by Richard Weiss. richardweiss@higherquality.com.
GM Musings:
I made a mistake. In
Aldrich Ames, the first Intimate Dip game, Austria started with three
Armies. No fleets. It was not until orders for Fall 1901 that one of the players pointed it out to me. I’ve not published house rules. Suffice it to say that my house rule is, “I
made a mistake. My ruling about the mistake
is final.” Doug reminded me that general
house rules for zines are that an error not noticed by the next deadline
stands. So be it. Three Army Austria.
The USA Presidential Primaries are heating up. Rick Perry has dropped out. Walker has gone into suspense and asked other
marginal candidates to drop out also.
The second Republican Debate took place, with all pundits ascribing the
big winner to be Carly Fiorina. Hillary
was dropping but might be picking up again.
Biden is in grief paralysis. Sanders has no political endorsements, including none from
Vermont. He may not even be eligible for
some primaries if he does not declare himself a Democrat in Vermont. New Hampshire is reportedly such a
state.
NFL has started. I am
not in a Fantasy League, luckily for me, which means I can go back to paying
minimal attention – only enough to mumble stuff at the bar if someone brings up
something and to nod or shake my head at the water cooler if I ever get to
work.
I am back in CA, but as you read this will probably be in
Vermont before heading to the Maritime Provinces and then to the oldest city in
North America – Quebec. I’ve never been
to either, despite growing up a few stone throws away.
For those of you reading who are not
American, let me explain what a Democracy is. In a Democracy, the majority of votes wins, unless you are Congress and enact rules that alter
what it takes to win or lose. Congress
has. In Congress, you might need 60% or
67% of the votes to win. Or, you can
change the vote so that it is a negative vote, then you need a super majority
negative vote to lose, or only 33% to win.
This is germane to the agreement the Democrats and the
Republicans came to regarding the Iran Agreement. Politicians wanted to vote against the
Agreement and have it come into effect anyway.
Even those who truly want to vote no are not being transparent about the
rules they accepted. Strange
days indeed.
If any of you readers are from England or the former Empire,
perhaps you can explain a monarchy as quickly.
ZeroSumCubed deadline for Issue 8 is THE SUNDAY BEFORE
Doug’s deadline. Deadline is October
25, 2015, a Sunday at 8 AM California time.
GAME OPENINGS:
- Intimate Dip 1 Week Deadlines Only Need Two More
A great
two-person variant. The rules are
printed in Issue 1 and Issue 2.
Takes two. Anyone interested in a fast game?
Signed
up:
- The Cathy and Pete Gaughan Memorial
Snowball Fighting Game.
For those who have played, this is
a frivolous game of runny around the yard throwing various types of snowballs
at whomever, sometimes running into the house to have hot chocolate with Mommy,
and sometimes making all the snow and icicles on the roof fall down on an
unsuspecting kiddo.
Rules and map are in this issue.
The game has started.
- Nuclear Yuppy Dip now changed to The Pope Is A Socialist
Game requires seven players.
Signed
up: Jim Burgess, John David Galt, Doug Kent, Jack McHugh, Mark Firth (?)
- 2016 Republican and Democratic Presidential Candidate Bourse
Playing: Richard Weiss, Hugh
Polley, Mark Firth, Jack McHugh, and John David Galt
Anyone can join at any time.
Rules in previous
issues of ZeroSumCubed. With some amendments, henceforth called the
Bill of Rights:
First Amendment: covered in breaking out a candidate from
“Other,” share values stay the same for each.
Shares removed decrease value. Shares
kept do not increase value.
Second Amendment: When a candidate
declares he or she is exiting the campaign, the stock can no longer be bought
or sold. Players’ shares remain frozen,
in the unlikely chance that the candidate becomes the nominee at the
convention. I made this amendment before
Scott Walker put his campaign into suspense, but not in time to have it take
effect this month. “Suspense” is
exiting.
The
second amendment does not apply to Biden, Warren, and non-declared Others. If they never
declare, stock can be bought and sold up until the time the Convention
nominates a Presidential candidate.
Although, if a candidate has a majority of the delegates before the
convention, see the Fourth Amendment.
Third Amendment: When a candidate
does not participate in the Debate (or the Varsity Debate), stock value
decreases by 10%. This would have
applied to Graham and Jindal this time and could apply to Warren and Biden
soon.
Fourth Amendment: When and if a candidate has received a
majority of the delegates as pledged to him or her, no stock transactions can
occur in that Party.
- LET’S HAVE SOME PUN, AKA, BY POPULAR VOTE
Rules: We don’t need no
stinking rules.
A game of open participation. I list a category and seven items in the
category. Whoever wants to completes as
many of the categories as he or she wishes to.
In addition, each entrant enters his or her own item fitting within the
category and provides a name for that as well.
Each person’s “special entity” will likely be different. No
scoring.
Press is encouraged.
This is more about the press than the game.
Suggestions for future categories is
encouraged.
ONGOING GAMES SECTION
All Orders Due Sunday 25 October 2015 by 8 AM CA
time.
Aldrich Ames Intimate
Diplomacy Germany (Jack McHugh) vs. England (Geoff Kemp)
Standing in Winter 1901 (Neutral Countries showing as the 1902
Controller)
Middle Europe (ME), AKA Jack McHugh
Germany
F Swe
A Hol
A Mun
Build F Kie
Build F Ber
France
A(Bur)
F WMS
A(Mar)
Russia
F BAL
A Pru
A(Sil)
F(Rum) (Disbanded)
Italy:
A Pie
A Tus
F GoL
Turkey:
F Con
A Bul-
A Sev –
Build F Ank
Build F Smy
MAC EE Jelly Jelly, AKA Geoff Kemp
ENGLAND
F Den
A Bel
F(ENC)
Build F London
Build F Edinburgh
Austria:
A War
A Boh
A Tyr
Build F Tri
Winter 1901 SC
Austria (Neutral): Budapest,
Trieste, Vienna, + Warsaw = 4,
England (Mac EE Jelly): Edinburgh,
Liverpool, London, Belgium, Denmark = 5,
France (Neutral): Brest,
Marseilles, Paris = 3
Germany (Jack): Berlin, Kiel,
Munich, + Swe, + Hol = 5,
Italy (Neutral): Naples,
Rome, Venice = 3
Russia (Neutral): Moscow, St.
Petersburg, Rum = 3,
Turkey (Neutral): Ankara,
Constantinople, Smyrna, Bul, Sev
= 5
Neutrals: Greece, Norway,
Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Tunis = 6
Money:
England
had 1 to carryover and earned 5 more for the 5 SCs of its home country, so has
6.
Germany
had 15 credits and earned 5 more so has 20 credits.
Austria France Italy
Russia Turkey
England Bids 5 0 0 1 0
Germany Bids 2 4 1 6 1
England had 6 and spent 5, so
has 1 to carryover.
Germany had 20 and spent 12, so
has 8 to carryover.
Orders due
8 AM CA time, Sunday October 25, 2015. Orders are for Spring 1902 moves. If both submit earlier, likely earlier adjudication.
Guy Burgess Intimate Diplomacy (AKA: Puddle
Jumper)
France (Doug Kent) vs. England (Mark
Firth)
Mark sent notice
that he has a medical excuse for not being able to participate and expects that
to be lifted before the next issue. The
turn is held. I wish him, as I’m sure we
all do, a complete and speedy recovery.
Pre-Spring 1901
Bids
Country France England
Austria 2 1
Germany 6 7
Italy 2 3
Russia 5 3
Turkey 1 0
Fall 1901 Orders
France
Austria:
A Serbia
F
Trieste
A
Bohemia
France:
F
English Channel
A Burgundy
A Gascony
Russia:
A St Petersburg
F Rumania
F Gulf of Bothnia
A Silesia
Turkey
F Black Sea
A Smyrna
A Bulgaria
England
England
F
London
F
Edinburgh
A
Liverpool
Germany
F Kiel
A Berlin
A Munich
Italy
A Venice
A Rome
F Naples
Cash: England had 20, spent 10 = 10.
France had 20, spent 8 = 12.
Austria Germany Italy
Russia Turkey
England Bids
France Bids
No Map. No change
since last issue and the issue before that.
By Popular Vote (AKA Sorta By Popular Demand)
Unlimited
entrants. Third
round of possibly regular/erratic/only SBPD. Send your favorite names.
PRESS:
|
BY POPULAR VOTE
|
|
Round 3
|
|
Person Names
|
Andy
|
Richard
|
|
Boy
|
Louis
|
Boy O
|
|
Girl
|
Deirdra
|
Nails
|
|
Dentist
|
Peter “Painless” Potter
|
Lev M. White
|
|
Plumber
|
Christopher
|
Don Crapp
|
|
Newscaster
|
Don D. Estamos
|
Peery Blah
|
|
Police Officer
|
Offissa Pupp
|
Will Singh
|
|
Twins
|
Rod Carew & Kirby Pucket
|
Ure Not
& I. M. Mee.
|
|
Locksmith
|
|
Upton
Tight
|
|
Lawyers
|
Reedham
& Wheip
|
|
|
Minister
|
|
Jerry Cho Walls
|
For Round 4
|
Franchise Stores
|
|
Round 4
|
|
Cannabis
|
|
|
|
Daycare
|
|
|
|
Locksmith
|
|
|
|
Knife Sharpening
|
|
|
|
Sewer Cleaner
|
|
|
|
Firearms
|
|
|
|
Board Games
|
|
|
|
Brew Pub
|
|
|
|
Free Choice
|
|
|
Press: Andy: “For a boys
name and a girls name I'm just going with names I
like. I have no kids so have named only dogs and cats. Three years ago Carol
and I got a new puppy and Carol said I could name him. She regretted that when
I was watching television and a Zorro movie came on. "Carol," I
called to the kitchen. "The new dog is “Antonio Banderas.” A good name for a toy
poodle. Two months ago we got an additional toy poodle and Carol named
him Cody, over my objections. I wanted Hussein.”
GM: I got to agree on first
and last names. At birth, absent middle
names, I got to choose both of those.
Daughter received Mother in law’s first name. Son received Father-in-laws. Wife eventually got over it.
GM: I wished I’d entered a name for “Drive.” It woulda been “Drinken”
Entries Due 25 October 2015, 8 AM CA time.
Where In The World Is Kendo Nagasaki in Doug
Kent’s House
|
Round 1
|
|
|
Person
|
Location
|
|
Mark Firth
|
Zeus
|
Stonehenge
|
|
John Galt
|
David Beckham
|
Delhi, India
|
|
Doug Kent
|
Could not find
|
|
|
Kevin Wilson
|
Did not submit
|
|
|
Andy Lischett
|
Little Miss Muffet
|
1237 Kurdsan Way
|
|
Jim Burgess
|
Toshiro Mifune
|
Mt. Fuji
|
|
Andy York
|
Richard Weiss
|
Sacramento
|
|
|
|
|
Clue:
Gender is correct. I died
before s/he was “born. “
|
|
Round 2
|
|
|
Person
|
Location
|
|
John Galt
|
Joan of Arc
|
Memphis, TN
|
|
Doug Kent
|
Teddy Roosevelt
|
London Bridge
|
|
Andy York
|
George Washington
|
Denver
|
|
Clue: There is something
about your name that relates to my fame.
We were born on the same continent.
|
|
Next guesses due before 8 AM CA time,
Sunday 25 October 2015.
PRESIDENTIAL BOURSE
“When a campaign
still has months remaining, prediction markets — in which traders bet on event
outcomes — have a substantially better record than polls at pointing to the
eventual nominee. But the markets do have at least one weakness: They sometimes
exaggerate the chances of unusual or long-shot candidates, like Donald Trump,
perhaps because a few passionate traders can affect prices.” http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/presidential-candidates-dashboard.html
(retrieved 9/20/2015)
The first paste is what each of us did.:
The next paste is what all players’ holdings are as of 23
September2015.
The final paste is what the total sells and buys have been
for each candidate to date and what the current stock value is. Please note the
value dates are wrong.
For October only, all may
sell up to 200 shares of any Republican stock.
Republican only. Please read the
Amendments to the rules on Page 1 of ZSCubed.
They are summarized below.
Selling extra shares of Republican stock could be used in a variety of
ways, including divesting potential losers.
(Mark has a medical issue
that has precluded his participating. If
he submits orders by the October deadline, he can sell 300 shares of Republican
stock and 200 shares of Democratic stock.)
The Amendments to the rules
on Page 1 of ZSCubed include that any candidate who does not participate in a
televised debate (or for the Republicans, with the “Varsity”) stock value
tumbles 10%. Also, for any candidate who
withdraws or suspends his or her candidacy, the stock is frozen. No one can buy or sell the stock. This will go into effect AFTER the October orders.
For next round on the
Republican side, I have no Other to decide, I am selling 147 Walker and 53
Paul. I’m using 33% of my post sale assets to buy Rubio, 33% Bush and 33% to
buy Other. Any odd share goes to Other. On the Dem side, I’m selling 100 shares of
Warren and buying 50% Biden and 50% Clinton with odd share to that I can
afford, and if both, then to Biden.
For next round, for any who
own Other in the Republican primary, before buying and selling, indicate
whether you want your Other shares to go to Fiorina or remain in Other. Similary to splitting out Trump, value will
decrease in the candidate (Fiorina or Other) not chosen. Then indicate your puts and calls.
Orders for the
Presidential Bourses are due 8 AM CA Time, Sunday 25
October 2015.
The Cathy and Pete Gaughan Memorial Snowball Fighting Game.
Signed
up: Jim Burgess; Doug Kent, Jack McHugh, Mark Firth, John David Galt, and
Andy York. So, Away
we go.
I asked for nommes
d’ball and preferred starting spots. The rules indicate random starting
spots. Those three persons
who did not send names and start spots, were randomly assigned to spots.
Jim Burgess: JB,
starts G3
John David Galt: Brett Favre, starts R4
Mark Firth: MF,
starts G11
Doug Kent: Jack Frost,
starts R10
Jack McHugh: JM,
starts M9
Andy York: Teddy Wayne,
starts P2
Game is always open to new
players. Get your thermals, snow pants,
boots, microfiber shirts, snow jacket, mittens, scarf, ear muffs, and hat
on. Or have your Mommy help you and come
on over for some snow ball fighting fun!
Hot chocolate when you wimp out.
Rules and empty map are on the next
four pages, followed by a map with players.
Each player starts with two simple snowballs.
Anyone who decides to join in the
fracas, also send your nomme d’ball
and your preferred starting location.
After the game starts, new players start at the edge of the shed. Players can select which side, or GM decides
randomly.
I’m happy Doug sent the map as part
of Perelandra. Very appropriate, given this game is named
for the pubber of Perelandra.
Orders for Snowball
Fighting are due 8 AM CA Time, Sunday 20 September 2015.
Diplomacy (Black Press): Signed up: Harold Zarr, need six more.
Modern Diplomacy (Black Press): Rules in this issue. Ten-player variant. No planes will be used, just armies
and fleets. Signed up: Jack McHugh, Jim
Burgess, John David Galt, Geoff Kemp, Harold Zarr. Needs five more.
Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki: Rules in issue #102. Send in your guesses. Prize for the winner? Probably!
(Don’t forget to play in Richard Weiss’ subzine
too!)
Hypothetical Questions: Just send in
answers. Anybody can play at any time,
just takes participation.
By Popular Demand: Join at any
time. Send in your answers! A prize for the winner!
Multiple Openings in Richard Weiss’ subzine – check
them out NOW!!
Coming Soon – Colonia VII? Deviant Diplomacy? Kremlin? Make a suggestion or express interest!
Diplomacy,
“Milk and Trash”, 2015A, F 03
Austria (Jack McHugh
– jwmchughjr “of” gmail.com): F Aegean Sea Supports A Serbia -
Bulgaria (*Cut*),
A
Budapest - Rumania (*Fails*), A Serbia – Bulgaria, A Trieste – Vienna, A
Vienna - Bohemia.
England (Mark Firth
– mark.r.firth “of” capita.co.uk): F English Channel Supports A Picardy –
Belgium
(*Void*), F Mid-Atlantic Ocean - Portugal
(*Fails*), F North Sea – Denmark, A St Petersburg - Moscow.
France (Paul Milewski – paul.milewski “of”
hotmail.com): F Brest - Picardy (*Bounce*),
F
Gascony - Spain(nc), F
Liverpool Hold, A Picardy – Paris, A Portugal Hold.
Germany (Jim Burgess – jfburgess “of”
gmail.com): F Baltic Sea - Gulf of Bothnia,
A
Belgium - Picardy (*Bounce*), A Burgundy – Marseilles, F Holland -
Belgium (*Fails*), A Munich – Burgundy,
F Sweden Supports F Baltic Sea - Gulf of Bothnia.
Italy (John Biehl – jerbil “of” shaw.ca):
A Greece Supports A Serbia – Bulgaria,
F
Ionian Sea - Eastern Mediterranean, A Tyrolia –
Piedmont, F Tyrrhenian Sea - Gulf of Lyon.
Russia (Kevin Wilson
– ckevinw “of” comcast.net): F Gulf of Bothnia - St Petersburg(sc), F Rumania Hold,
A
Ukraine Supports F Rumania, A Warsaw - Galicia.
Turkey (John David
Galt – jdg “of” diogenes.sacramento.ca.us): A Ankara – Constantinople,
A
Bulgaria Supports F Rumania (*Disbanded*), F Smyrna - Aegean Sea
(*Fails*), A Syria - Smyrna (*Fails*).
Now Proposed – Concession to France. Please vote. NVR=No.
Deadline
for W 03/S 04 is October 27th at 7am my time
Supply Center Chart
Austria:
Budapest, Bulgaria,
Serbia, Trieste, Vienna=5, Even
England:
Denmark, Edinburgh, London,
Moscow, Norway=5, Build 1
France:
Brest, Liverpool, Paris,
Portugal, Spain=5, Even
Germany:
Belgium, Berlin, Holland, Kiel,
Marseilles, Munich, Sweden=7, Build 1
Italy:
Greece, Naples, Rome,
Tunis, Venice=5, Build 1
Russia:
Rumania, Sevastopol, St
Petersburg, Warsaw=4, Even
Turkey:
Ankara,
Constantinople, Smyrna=3, Even
PRESS
St.
Petersburg Times:
We announce the arrival of Her Majesty's Government in Exile! Soon to visit a continent near YOU!
The
Other Kaiser:
OK, I'm ready, throw me the hockey ball!
Rome
(Apr 1, 1903):
King Giovanni the Short realized he was short, "We must place all our eggs
into one basket".
GERMAN
BOOB to RUSSIAN BLIND:
Sorry to hear about your E-Mail crash, unfortunately it doesn't really change
the difficult situation between our two great nations. Feel free to give another idea a try...
BURGESS
to BIEHL:
Where's your great press, I was really enjoying it.
GERMANY
to FRANCE:
Sorry, that was a GREAT note you wrote, really!!! But unfortunately it didn't change my
calculation for moving forward. I look
forward to a fun jousting!
BOOB
to DOUGIE BOY:
Boy, am I lame in this game, especially with the
press!
GM –
Boob:
I was going to say this is about your standard quality of play and press. So that means I agree with you.
Black
Press Gunboat, “Noah’s Titanic”, 2015Arb32, W 02/S 03
Austria:
Build A Vienna.. A Budapest Supports A Bulgaria – Rumania, A Bulgaria – Rumania,
F
Greece - Bulgaria(sc), A Vienna - Galicia.
England:
Build F Liverpool.. F English Channel
Supports A Picardy – Brest, F Liverpool - Irish Sea,
F
North Sea – Norway, F Norway - St Petersburg(nc), A Picardy - Brest.
France: Build A Marseilles.. F Brest
Supports A Paris - Picardy (*Disbanded*), A Marseilles – Burgundy,
F
Mid-Atlantic Ocean Supports A Paris - Picardy (*Fails*), A Paris – Picardy, A
Spain - Gascony.
Germany:
Build F Kiel.. F
Baltic Sea – Sweden, A Berlin Supports A Munich –
Silesia, F Kiel – Denmark,
A
Munich – Silesia, A Ruhr – Holland, F Sweden - Skagerrak.
Italy: Build F Naples.. F Aegean Sea Supports
F Naples - Ionian Sea, F Ionian Sea - Adriatic Sea,
F
Naples - Ionian Sea, A Trieste Supports A Serbia, A Venice Supports A Trieste.
Russia: Retreat A Rumania – Serbia, Disband F Sweden..
Build A Warsaw.. A Moscow – Warsaw, A
Serbia Hold,
F
Sevastopol - Rumania (*Disbanded*), A Silesia - Munich (*Dislodged*,
retreat to Bohemia or OTB),
A Warsaw - Prussia.
Turkey: A Albania - Serbia
(*Fails*), A Armenia – Sevastopol, F Black Sea Supports A Armenia – Sevastopol,
A
Rumania Supports A Armenia - Sevastopol
(*Dislodged*, retreat to Ukraine or OTB).
The
original Russia returned.
Deadline
for F 03 will be October 27th at 7am My
Time
PRESS
Russia to All: Crush Germany! Crush Turkey!
Russia to Germany: Kiss my fat Babuschka Ass.
Russia to England: Germany has two fleets.
When will he build his third? Please do
not listen to him. The more black plague there is on the board
the worse it will be for all of
us.
Russia to England and France: Can you both
please co-operate versus Germany just a little?
Russia in Serbia: Hi fellow Slav brothers.
Russia to Italy & Austria: You may be
assured I will do what I can versus Sultan Perfidious, the heathen scum.
Germany to Russia: I trust that you will
have learned your lesson. Leave my
territory peacefully and no further problems shall exist between us. A failure to do so will result in your
destruction.
Russia to England: I sure hope you stay out
of StP. Look at Germany, already he has two fleets. Your next on his list.
Russia to Germany: You started this - you
could have let me have Swe but No you F me, for no
reason, & then expect me to say OK? FY!
Russia to Turkey: You are another FA, I am
non-aggressive so you stab me cause there's a moron in
Aus. You & Ger make a real Anus pair.
Russia to Aus & Ita: Kill Tur, if
you don't, you fall to him.
Russia to Fra & Eng: Kill Ger or you will fall to him.
Russia to all: I will do everything possible to oppose Ger & Tur, remember that.
USA to Europe: Eliminate Ger &
Tur.
Pope to Archduke: Your plan to be my
advanced guard is going pretty well I'd say. There may be an indulgence or two
in this for you.
Archduke to Pope: I don't need no stinking indulgences. My record speaks for itself.
Russia to Germany: No need for further
conflict? Yeah, right. You can't just neuter me and expect me to forgive and
forget.
Kaiser - Tsar: Why not?
Russia to Germany: Look pal, I don't even
like your press. Then there are all the attacks on me. I would say you have
some lumps comin'. Ya feel
me?
Kaiser - Tsar: I have no idea what you are talking about. But,
if that's the way you feel, my troops are marching to Sevastopol--you'll feel
that soon enough.
GM to Germany: After thinking about it, I've decided I'm going
to shift some pieces for you. You deserve it.
England to GM: Wait a sec. That's not fair!
GM to England: You know what? Yer
just about on me last nerve. I'm even typin in
pirate. You might be seein yer
fleets changin ta armies.
England to GM: That won't work at all, old boy. After all, my
fleets are at sea.
GM to England: Arrr matey, they'll be walkin the
plank now!
Pope Pluvius - Balkans: I am a friend to all. Now, who would be mine?
Italy - France: Stick with it. No
worries from this angle.
By
Popular Demand
The goal is to pick something that fits the
category and will be the "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. 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 3 Categories
1. A button found on a
calculator.
2. A button found on a
car radio.
3. A button found on a
microwave oven.
4. A button found on a
smartphone.
5. A button found in an
elevator.
Poor Allison scores the lowly 13, while Eric Grinnell
grabs the high 47 out of a possible 55.
Comments By Category
Calculator
– Dane
Maslen “Originally I was going to answer '+' but then decided that there was
probably no real reason to prefer it to '-', '*' or '/'. I then switched to '=' and wondered for a
while whether 'CLEAR' would be a better bet.
Then I finally came up with an answer for category 2 and decided it
would be the best answer here too.” Jim
Burgess “You could go lots of ways on this, the one unique button is the
"C" for clear.... I thought about + or - or =, but that's three
choices....”
Radio
– Jim
Burgess “FM, this seems to call for FM/AM best, and FM is more popular.”
Microwave
– [[GM Note – I was GOING to say Start and Cook were the same thing, but I
looked at my microwave and it has both a Start button and a Cook button. So in at least some cases they are different,
which means they are different. Pphpht!]] Andy Lischett “I
would have to go downstairs to check, but I'm pretty sure that the microwave
does not have a "4" button.
Yikes! My microwave DOES have a "4" button. “
Phone
–
Dane Maslen “I realize that the concept of using a phone to make a phone call
rather than navigate, access the internet or take photos is a terribly old-fashioned
idea.”
Elevator
– Dane
Maslen “Assuming I'm right in remembering that you can't count your floors,
this ought to be your equivalent of 'G'.”
Jim Burgess “You have an interpretation issue as there are different
interpretations of this in Europe vs. the US.
And is "1" the same as Ground?
It should be, but you'll probably say it is different.” [[There is no interpretation needed. The category is “a button found on an
elevator.” A button that says G on one
elevator may *do* the same thing as a button that says 1 on another but they
are different buttons. Especially since
on some elevators there have both a G and a 1.]]
Round 4 Categories – Don’t Forget to Choose a Joker Category
(Double Points)
1. Something associated
with Halloween.
2. A brand of scotch.
3. A color of Post-It
Note besides yellow.
4. Something that is
sold in a bottle.
5. A cable television
network.
Deadline for Round 4 is October 27th
at 7am My Time
General Deadline for
the Next Issue of Eternal Sunshine: October
27th, 2015 at 7:00am my time. Hope to See You Then!
