Eternal Sunshine #79

August 2013

By Douglas Kent 911 Irene Drive, Mesquite, TX 75149

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

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

All Eternal Sunshine readers are encouraged to join the free Eternal Sunshine Yahoo group at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/eternal_sunshine_diplomacy/ to stay up-to-date on any subzine news or errata. We also have our own Eternal Sunshine Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/EternalSunshDip, and a Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=112223650909

Check out my new Internet radio station, “Music You Should Know,” at www.live365.com/stations/musicyoushouldknow

Quote Of The Month – “Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention?” (Joel in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”)

Welcome to Eternal Sunshine, the only Diplomacy zine dedicated to the memory of Kayza, the sweetest and most loving dog ever.

This past Friday we had to say goodbye to sweet “big girl” Kayza, the black Lab we adopted as a senior dog three years ago. We knew we wouldn’t get to spend as long with her because of her age; we looked at this as her retirement, where she could be spoiled, rest, play, and pretty much do anything she felt like. Kayza instantly had chosen Heather to be her “person,” and from that moment on wherever Heather was in the house (or the backyard), that’s where Kayza wanted to be. Even if it was just laying in the grass while Heather drank her coffee in the backyard, Kayza wanted to be with Heather.

Our house is small, and aside from the living room things can be a bit tight, so anytime Heather was walking from room to room you’d more often than not hear her tell Kayza “come on, scoot your booty.” Heather grew up an only child, and Kayza was her first experience with an “inside” dog…so it took some adjustment for Heather to get used to having someone at her hip constantly. Sometimes she’d feel suffocated from not having enough personal space, which is usually when she’d give Kayza a twisted pork “chewie” to get her to go lie down and back away a little.

Of course, it was Heather who first noticed that Kayza has started dragging her right back foot. As it grew worse, a trip to the vet and some x-rays were required. Heather said that when the vet wanted to bring her in to see the x-rays herself, she knew that meant bad news. Kayza’s right hip was shot, a total mess, and her left hip was rapidly deteriorating. The arthritis in Kayza’s back was also getting worse. There was nothing that could be done to solve the problem; all we could do was give Kayza medication for arthritis and pain, and try to hold on until she grew too uncomfortable. We hoped to make it until Labor Day, but that was going to be a stretch.

Instead, not only did Kayza’s gait get more uncomfortable and stumbling, but the pain medication kept her drowsy most of the time. Her quality of life was much less than it had been; the only things she seemed to enjoy now were food (and treats) and when Heather came home. If I took her out back to play ball, she’d trot one step and slowly walk the rest of the way. Labor Day had been a pipe dream.

I knew how much it would hurt us to say goodbye, but Heather was innocently underselling the effect it would have on her. I didn’t bother trying to warn her, because I didn’t want us making excuses to delay doing what was to obviously in Kayza’s best interest. On Friday the 26^th Heather took the day off work to spend one last day with Kayza before taking her to the vet in the afternoon. They found things to do together that Kayza could still enjoy: a slow walk, a big stick to chew on and tug over, a hamburger for lunch (and one extra for right before the vet), and a slow drive with the window open, Kayza enjoying the smells of the world as they made their way towards the vet’s office. Kayza never showed her discomfort or pain; that wasn’t the way she behaved.

I had to work, and I didn’t want to let Heather expect me to be there if I couldn’t leave for a while. Fortunately I made it fit with the day’s schedule and met Heather there…she was only a little surprised. Kayza enjoyed her hamburger and some water, and then it was time to say goodbye.

I’ve never had to put a dog to sleep, but I’ve done it numerous times with cats. With a cat, when it is all over, they look dead. But with a big dog like Kayza, she just looked like she was sleeping. Neither of us wanted to leave the room afterwards, as it looked like she could open her eyes and start wagging her tail at any moment. Maybe the friendly wag she got when she was with me, or the full-blown pinwheel wag she’d set in motion when her mommy Heather walked in the room.

It has been just over 24 hours as I write this, and my stomach still hurts. Heather is a wreck…she lost her best friend and constant companion, and only now does she realize how deep their bond was. She sees Kayza everywhere, but doesn’t see her…and she misses Kayza’s scent, Kayza’s breathing, Kayza’s quiet groan she made when she wanted something (Kayza was not a barking dog, unless the doorbell rang or unless she was demanding a Pupperoni). As I knew she would, Heather – who swore this would be the last dog we had – has already been looking at some of the beagle rescue web pages. But we won’t be doing that anytime soon (if ever). First we have to adjust to life without Kayza, and her big, beautiful, smiling face. We only had her in our life for three years, but she will always be with us now.

Meanwhile, Toby and Sanka are here to demand constant attention. They’re also playing rougher and wilder. The two of them and Kayza always showed a true respect for each other…nobody tried to steal food from anyone, or demonstrated hostility. The first time we brought Kayza through the front door, Toby and Sanka just stared at her, with big wide cat eyes. They weren’t frightened at all (except when it came to making sure they never got underfoot). And Kayza just looked at them and accepted them as part of the family. Toby seems fine, but Sanka misses her a bit; we catch her smelling the carpet, following Kayza’s smells to see if they lead to her. They don’t, but that’s okay, she still has her “brother” Toby.

That’s it for now. Check out the game openings, and I need more standby players. A few new things in the zine, including two football contests…so look around. Also there’s two issues of TAP, subzines from Richard Weiss, Per Westling, and Jack “Sack” McHugh…and even Brad Wilson’s Balkan Wars game! So don’t just flip to your own games. I’m warning you! See you in September.

Playlist: Godspell – Original Cast Recording; The Music Man – Soundtrack; Sixteen Men of Tain – Allan Holdsworth; Best of.. – Supertramp.

21 of the Best TV Series Ever

An Eternal Sunshine List Challenge

The late – and much missed – Richard Walkerdine is the one who suggested this topic for the next Eternal Sunshine list challenge. The basis is simple: you submit three TV series per month, over the next seven months, along with any commentary you would like to attach to your choices. In the end you’ll have 21 selections! There is not mean t to be a specific order to your choices; you’re not ranking them from best to 21^st best. Also, the category of “best” in this instance should mean something like “most enjoyable” rather than “most influential.” Finally, you should consider within the context of your choices whether the series holds up in any way…in other words, if you are listing it as one of the 21 best, could you sit down and watch episodes now and enjoy them?

Non-U.S. television series are – of course – welcome. (Many modern American series were reworked versions of English series anyway). To qualify as a “series” the show must have aired at least six episodes. All genres are welcome: comedy, horror, suspense, detective, science fiction…anything you like. Oh, and if the series has multiple incarnations (as many of the more popular science fiction series do, for example) specify which one you mean. You can list multiples, but they each take up a spot on your list…and you only get 21! I am offering prizes: two of the respondents who submit a full complement of 21 TV series will be selected at random for prizes. So to win, all you have to do is play.

Next issue: The second set of three TV series from each of you (plus 3 more if you missed round one), and from me. Remember: These are not meant to be placed in order by you, from top to bottom, unless you want to do that for some reason. And since you only have to submit three series per issue, I hope you’ll give some explanation of why you chose each one.

John Wilman: 21 TV shows - well, I am over 50, retired, and I watch a lot of TV.

Although I was a late starter, as we didn't have a TV in our house. Which biased me towards the radio, and later music albums.

Still, I know what I like and will start with three classic cop shows - Cagney and Lacey, Colombo and Diagnosis Murder.

All classics in their own way, but very different.

Kevin Wilson: I tend to be a fan of sci fi shows so I'll start with my three favorite sci fi tv shows:

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Babylon 5

Battlestar Galactica (the remake)

I'm sure others, like Star Trek TOS will join my list later.

I grew up watching the first Star Trek and a couple of others that weren't so good but they were good enough to set the hook. My DVR remains full of shows now, predominately sci fi or at least very close.

I like this list and am looking forward to ideas from everyone else. I keep a log of the movie list and got some good ideas off that. This should be fun too.

Dane Maslen: I'm going to start with some series from my childhood.

The Avengers (UK): As a kid I was fortunate enough not to be packed off to bed early, so I got to see The Avengers. At that tender age I enjoyed the series for its quirky plots. Only when it was repeated in later years did I progress to drooling over Diana Rigg. When many years later satellite TV arrived on the scene, I also got to see the earlier episodes that had starred Honor Blackman (oh dear, more drooling) as well as the later episodes that I was more familiar with. Based on that I feel that The Avengers has stood the test of time and would still be as good to watch today as it was when I was a kid. Alas it no longer airs on any of our free-to-view channels.

Thunderbirds (UK): Rather more traditional viewing for a kid - and in my opinion at the time far superior to the other Gerry Anderson series - but would it stand up to watching today as an adult? Well, I seem to seeing some episodes a decade or so ago and not being too disappointed.

Doctor Who (UK): Wiliiam Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker are the Doctors I remember with fondness from my childhood. I considered most of those that followed non-entities and eventually gave up watching. At a kid Patrick Troughton was my favourite and I was less keen on Jon Pertwee. Based on my reaction to the new Doctors - Christopher Ecclestone is the only one that I have liked and I have again given up watching - I suspect I would reverse that assessment if I were to watch those old episodes again.

Douglas Kent: I’m not sure how I am going to group these shows. I suppose if I can put them in sets of three that have some kind of common thread, that’s what I’ll do. I’m also going to try and leave a few of what I consider the very best shows for later on in the list. Anyway, how about I begin with animated series…

The Simpsons – I will admit that the show lost me as a viewer a number of years ago, but if I flip past a new episode I always find at least one or two laughs almost immediately. Anything that has been on the air this long will fade in originality as one season moves to the next. The first eight or nine seasons are the best…at the time I never missed an episode, and only one in ten were less than terrific. It still holds up very well in reruns too, except that I know so many episodes so well I’d rather watch them on DVD. Bart got most of the early media attention, but Homer is the glue that holds everything together. Many of life’s most important lessons can be learned through his wisdom, or stupidity, depending on how you look at it.

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist – This Comedy Central series aired for a number of seasons, but was always under the radar of most of the viewing public. The brainchild of Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder, it was produced cheaply through the use of Snyder’s “squigglevision” animation technique. This meant that the outline of the main images on the screen squiggled a bit to provide “life” but in general only mouths and facial expressions would move from frame to frame. (A Saturday morning show Squigglevision would later run using the same technique). The premise was simple: Dr. Jonathan Katz is a divorced professional therapist. His lazy son Ben (H. Jon Benjamin, who continues to do voice work on animated series) still lives at home and does a little as he has to. Dr. Katz’s world is basically his son, his bar mates (bartender Julie and friend Stanley), and his rude and impersonal receptionist Laura (Laura Silverman, sister of Sarah Silverman). And, of course, his patients. Those patients are almost exclusively comedians or actors, and their own material makes up the bulk of any therapy session. It’s sort of hard to describe the appeal of the show successfully, but every episode is hilarious, and almost always the storyline used outside the sessions to tie the episode together is terrific. A lot of the conversations are partially improvisational, and that also keeps things interesting instead of feeling like a tedious script. The complete series is available now in a single package, but you can find Season 1 and Season 2 cheaply by themselves; try one of them first to make sure the humor is to your taste.

I can’t think of a third animated series good enough to include. The Family Guy never did it for me…shows like Galaxy High or Ed Grimley were funny, but not nearly funny enough to make this list. South Park is a great show, but each episode can be hit or miss, and you don’t get enough variation from one to the next. So, I’ll have to leave it at two animated series. But as long as I’m on comedies, let’s add:

Fawlty Towers – John Cleese and his ex-wife Connie Booth crafted twelve of the funniest episodes ever seen on television. Basil Fawlty is the perennial Englishman, but with a short fuse and a general dislike for people. As with many of Cleese’s characters, his primary goal is to avoid embarrassment and appear “proper.” The genius of the series is how easily simply mistakes and misunderstandings can snowball and create complete disasters. With a small staff to run the hotel, the main characters interact only in passing, each part of their own orbit. In a way, each episode is a science experiment, with particles attracted and repelled by each other. Nobody ever has full knowledge of the others’ actions, assumptions are everywhere, distractions abound, and in the end it inevitably all crashes down around Basil like a house or cards. Where else will you find major plot lines involving a disappearing door, a dead guest, Waldorf salad, a garden gnome, a psychiatrist, a forgotten anniversary which isn’t forgotten, or a wedding dress? The other thing which makes the series so enjoyable is it ran for only two seasons, a total of twelve episodes. This kept everything fresh and new, before the plot or characters could become tiresome. Any of you who have a taste for British humor have likely seen some of these episodes. If not, try one out, or buy the complete set (again, available on DVD at a reasonable price).

That’s it from me this month.

Rick Desper: 1. The Sopranos - The recent passing of James Gandolfini makes this a must-include. The first three seasons of The Sopranos were among the best dramas of any medium - not merely television. The show was groundbreaking in that it showed that not only could cable channels produce good material, they could even out-do the broadcast networks when they put their mind to it. I don't know what I need to say about The Sopranos that hasn't already been said. I think it would be fair to say that it made America reconsider the gangster genre - making it more down-to-Earth and less glamorous than the films of Coppola and Scorcese. Where the Godfather had mythical properties, Tony Soprano looked like the guy down the street. And the evil in the Sopranos was less dramatic, but no less scary since it could appear at any time without warning.

2. M * A * S * H - M*A*S*H started as a popular book by "Richard Hooker," and then was a very popular movie directed by Robert Altman. But it really took over American culture as sit-com on CBS in the 1970s. It started off as a light show focused on shenanigans and light irrevence, but by the middle of its run, it became a strong vehicle for anti-war sentiment, reflecting the mood of the era. The show also started with a large cast with several players having relatively co-equal roles, but it was quickly taken over by Alan Alda, who starred as Hawkeye Pierce. McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rodgers both left the show to seek greener pastures elsewhere (but with little luck). They were replaced by Harry Morgan and Mike Ferrell. Harry Morgan as old warhorse Sherman Potter brought a great presence to the show, and Mike Ferrell was more content to be the second banana than Rodgers had been to let Alda run everything and dominate the show.

In later seasons, Alda almost completely took over the show, as Larry Gelbert, the original show producer, left after four seasons. Alda and Gene Reynolds took over the producer duties from that point.

After the fifth season, Larry Linville left. He had played Frank Burns, the chief foil for Hawkeye and Trapper (and later, BJ) and also the on-again, off-again love interest of Major Margaret Houlihan. Linville says that he had done as much as he could with Frank Burns. He was replaced by David Ogden Stiers as Major Charles Emerson Winchester, a stuffy Boston type, who took over the role as foil, but in a far different way. It's worth saying that Major Houlihan's evolution over the series was very well done. "Hot Lips" Houlihan was originally a bimbo in the book and the film, and as played by Loretta Swit, she remained that way in the first few seasons. But as the seasons went past, she moved away from her destructive relationship with Frank Burns to a marriage with the rarely-seen Donald Penobscot, to an independent woman in the final seasons. As she grew, she became more and more focused on her work and her position of authority over the nurses, and her management style became more and more polished.

The later seasons were a bit touchy-feely and the series started to become increasingly unrealistic and a bit of a liberal fantasy. We could mark the beginning of the end at the end of Season 8, when Gary Burghoff left. Burghoff had not only been in every episode of M*A*S*H thus far, he was also the only actor brought in from the film version to play the same role. After he left, Jamie Farr's Klinger took up some of the slack, but it was never quite the same. Finally, the show closed up shop in 1983, after 11 seasons, having lasted more than 3 times as long as the Korean War itself. Later seasons often featured comments by characters complaining about how they felt like they'd been in Korea forever. Well yeah, when 3 years turns into 11 years, that could happen.

CBS of the 1970s was the cutting edge for prime-time television. In addition to M*A*S*H, there was All in the Family and its various spin-offs, all produced by Norman Lear. M*A*S*H was the most popular of the bunch, and when its finale aired in 1983, it set ratings records (60.2% of all TVs owned at the time, and 77% viewership share) which still stand today. Given the diffusion of the viewing market with the proliferation of special-interest cable channels, these are records that might stand for quite a long time.

3. Seinfeld - Where M*A*S*H was the show of the '70s, and The Sopranos was the show of the '00s, Seinfeld was the show of the '90s. The origin of this show was a reaction to the many formulaic sit-coms of the late '80s and early '90s. As with M*A*S*H, I could spend paragraphs on this show. But let's just say it was the "Show about nothing" and the one must-see show for much of the decade. The consistency dropped a bit when Larry David left, but still, the four main characters (Seinfeld as himself, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes, and Michael Richards as Kramer) had a great ensemble feel rarely achieved on TV. They have coined phrases that still endure such as "the Soup Nazi", "master of his domain," and many more.

Hugh Polley: 1. The Honeymooners with Jacky Gleason, And a great cast. Master of the slow burn. These shows were done live and often had my young body on the floor in great laughter.

2. The Rockford Files with James Garder, the best detective show ever, with great regulars and humorous plots.

3. Fawlty Towers with John Cleese, great supporting cast, often had me in stitches, The Builders was a favourite with O'Riley getting the end of an Umbrella from Basil’s wife.

Jack McHugh: "The Wire".....best TV series EVER.....best drama, best cop series by far...completely original....acting, writing, editing, camera work, all great....and it didn't make the mistake of staying on too long...like a lot of series do (yeah i'm lookin' at you Dexter and The Sopranos...)

Barney Miller...started watching this again on antennae TV and on hulu online...great series....great writing and acting...cast was super...

The Odd Couple....just started watching this again on antenna TV as well--i'm not a big fan of gary marshall series--but i love klugman and randell.....not on hulu for free so i appreciate being able to watch this for free...

Geoff Kemp: 1. Porridge - Starring the brilliant Ronnie Barker with the departed Richard Beckinsale as his innocent cell-mate, this is now a dated comedy series which I don't know if it ever made it across the pond. Although dated could happily watch it again and again as it showed the best of british comedy from the 1970's, almost innocent in its humour without having to resort to bad language or violence to get a laugh.

2. Dr Who - Had to include this especially as i have been watching it ever since the 60's with William Hartnell as the first doctor, Every new incarnation of the Doctor has brought something new to the role although I do think Sylvester McCoy was probably the weakest of the Doctors. How does it stand up now? The sets don't wobble, the aliens are built better, and the last three Doctor's have been up with the better ones, although John Pertwee and Tom Baker are still, for me the best.Again, how much Dr Who crossed to the States.

After two series that I am not sure were seen in the USA, in Dr Who's case I suspect the last three probably have, to an American series that I certainly missed when it was shown over here (Not even sure which channel it was on?

3. The Dresden Files - I first came across The Dresden Files in book form and found them very readable so was quite surprised when a colleague said have you watched the series. I hadn't so went looking for it, and finally got it and was hooked from the start. A private Detective who is a Wizard and deals with the more unusual crimes that the local police department can't. So far only found series 1 on DVD, were there any more?

Andy Lischett: 1. The Andy Griffith Show - The best sit-com ever, and perhaps the best series ever. It's funny, wholesome, has likable characters and DIFFERENT characters (in so many shows all of the characters have the same personality). It's Goooood!

2. Just Shoot Me! - My guilty pleasure. I loved this show, especially the episodes with Nina and Ed McMahon and the one where Nina eats peanut butter. Even the title was funny.

3. Kojak - I like cop shows and this was one of my favorites. "Who loves ya, baby?"

Dick Martin: don't know what this is about, but three of mine are: twilight zone, addams family, beverly hillbillies (hey, i'm old school!)

Andy Bate: Dad's Army - got to start with this one, since my Dad loved it and I bought him the box set as one of the last presents that I gave him. It's an all time classic that has stood the test of time, and I try and watch them whenever they are on the TV.

M*A*S*H - I loved this programme, but I recently bought the box set and have not found them as great as I remembered. Or maybe that's just Season 1?

Outnumbered - a more contemporary one to round out this issue's threesome, and an excruciatingly funny sitcom that bears repeated watching. We have the box set, but they're repeated quite often anyway, so they get a fair amount of viewing in this household.

Heather Taylor: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Vicar of Dibley, The X-files

Andy York: BattleStar Galactica (later version), Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Next Generation

Paraic Reddington: 1 – The West Wing – probably my favourite show of all time.

2 – Band of Brothers – a mini-series I know but still one of the finest pieces of original television in many years.

3 – Game of Thrones – Never have I seen such an emotional reaction to a series from people I know. Not since JR got shot has an episode of TV been talked about so much as The Red Wedding.

Richard Weiss: 1) Dallas 2) Little House on the Prairie 3) The Mentalist

Martin Burgdorf: 1. Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion (literal translation: Space Patrol – The Fantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion)

When I was a child, the other pupils at school were talking all the time about this series, but I could say nothing, because we did not have TV at home. So I told my parents about my outsider status, and eventually my father bought a monochrome set without remote control - I think it was not available yet. It came just in time for the last episode.

2. Bonanza

This was the first TV series that I watched every week. German television started broadcasting it in 1967, a first attempt five years earlier was brought to an end after only 13 installments because the series was considered too brutal and violent. Oh happy days!

3. S.R.I. und die unheimlichen Fälle (Kaiki daisakusen / Kaiki S.R.I. / Operation: Mystery!)

Watching this made me really scared for the first time in my life. I can still remember some scences from this series as if I had watched them yesterday.

Don Williams: 1) Combat!

2) M*A*S*H

3) Seinfeld

I picked these because while from different eras, they were all “must sees” for me growing up. Two have held up well (I have them on DVD) … MASH is the exception. Loved it back in 1972 but it has aged unevenly and the “laugh track” harms the viewing.

Marc Ellinger: 1) Gangster Chronicles – This was a short lived, but very enjoyable show about the rise of Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel. I really miss it and have never been able to find copies on video, etc . (Any help out there on this one?)

2) Star Trek (original) – It may be hokey, but I love this show still. When I was a kid, I figured for sure that we’d have spaceships and warp drive, but those communicators were really unrealistic as was the tri-corder. Now look, we have the latter two and aren’t close on the former!

3) The Saint – Now I am really dating myself. But Roger Moore WAS the Saint (he should never have been Bond!).

Hank Alme: Themes not required, I know, but I'm going to try for a few. The first is "shows I recall from childhood":

1. Barney Miller: my favorite episode was where Wojocoehowicz (spelling from imdb.com) brings in brownies a girlfriend made that turn out to be laced with hashish. I had no idea what 'hash' meant then but enjoyed the detectives' antics.

2. Welcome Back Kotter: It wasn't until I saw the movie 'Network' (many many years later) the episode where Horshack becomes a cult-like radio host on the school station made sense.

3. Gilligan's Island: I was too young to see this in first run, but spent too much time watching the reruns. I was more into Mary Ann than Ginger.

John Biehl: I'm starting off in no particular order these three (my list comprises mainly shows of my youth);

Paladin - I remember this series as being different than other Western shows plus the music jingle & lyrics were 'cool'. At the time, I wondered why they had such a grizzled, older actor playing the lead. Because Paldin was not to outward appearance another 'Cowboy' it was appealing.

Bounty Hunter - a little known?, short series? with Steve McQueen as the lead character, I just plain liked it due to McQueen's portrayal as being 'cool as a cucumber' as they say.

I Dream of Jeannie - my first hot babe TV personality. In those days I thought the show was hilarious, although, watching re-runs as one ages - you see how formulaic and 'contrived' the humour usually was. However, that genie outfit (err Barbara Eden) still ranks as one of TVs greatest props.

Jim Burgess: In running behind let me at least give my first three shows with a theme.

British Science Fiction

Doctor Who: 50 years of amazing shifts, in its history it has had everything from Daleks to Adric to Ooud.

Blake's 7: arguably the greatest tv series ever made, Rod Walker agrees so there is no argument.

Max Headroom: Yes its first episode was British, never seen it? Your loss. Always and ever 20 minutes into the future! There never was a better prophet than Max.

The Dining Dead -
The Eternal Sunshine Movie Reviews

The Conjuring – Heather is a big fan of books dealing with paranormal activity, possession, and hauntings. With that in mind, she has read quite a bit about Lorraine and Ed Warren, who were highly regarded spiritualists. The book Lorraine wrote about this particular case Heather found to be boring and nearly unreadable, but fortunately that doesn’t mean it can’t make a fun movie.

The year is 1970, and Roger and Carolyn Perron (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) have moved with their five daughters into a large, somewhat secluded farmhouse. Almost immediately the family begins to experience unexplained events and unnerving manifestations, but they try to explain things away. As the family uncovers hidden rooms and more frightening encounters, they grow desperate. After attending one of the Warren’s lectures (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson), Carolyn approaches them and begs them to come look at their home. Research inside and outside the house uncover malevolent forces and dark secrets, which endanger both families.

James Wan’s direction is particularly well done. Depending on the scene, the home and the set dressing straight out of 1970 can appear alternately warm and welcoming or creepy and unnerving. His skills have grown considerably since the original Saw. Insidious (also starring Patrick Wilson) was, in some ways, a stepping stone for him, and when we see Insidious: Chapter 2 we’ll learn if he continues to hone his craft.

The script (by twins Chad and Carey Hayes) is another strength. The backstory of the Warren’s before they get involved with the Perron case helps to build their credibility (as they show their belief that almost all cases have scientific, natural explanations) and engages the audience in the creepiness of some of their prior work. The moments of humor are inserted seamlessly, and some of the jump-in-your-seat moments are delightfully unexpected. When you know something is about to happen, the anxiety can build deliciously, but it’s always nice to have those scares where you never saw anything coming.

In the antithesis of the Saw series (but similar to Insidious), The Conjuring reminds us that the scariest horror films can have little or no violence or gore in them. A sequel to The Conjuring has already been announced (which I imagine will simply follow the Warrens on another case). I’m looking forward to it.

Seen on DVD – The Ledge (B-, well-acted but the twists weren’t that surprising); The Penitent Man (D, Lance Henrikson is very good as usual, but the wooden acting of Lanthrop Walker ruins any hope this film has); Dexter Season 7 (B, the show is still good but I’m glad it is coming to an end).

Meet Me In Montauk
The Eternal Sunshine Letter Column

Andy Lischett: As always, I enjoy ES a great deal and look forward to each new issue. Yes, I would miss it.

On my initial pass through Eternal Sunshine I first read the intro to see what's new with you. Then I'll generally skip to the movie pics, which are usually maddening. In #78, for instance, no one else recognized Gloria or Dressed to Kill, yet everyone but me recognized Airplane. For the movie quotes I'll do dismally... I don't recognize one.

After the movies I read the Hypotheticals, which is one of my favorite parts of ES, and then briefly check out the ESI (HOW can David Grabar drop 66.7% in a month?) and By Almost Popular Demand. Finally (on my first reading) I go to Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki, which I also like a lot, but which takes time.

On my second look I'll skim through the letters and sub'zines, skipping the games I'm not in. The Twisting Tale was fun for a while but has gone in too many directions and different styles.

As for Diplomacy World, I don't read it, because I'm lazy and it doesn't arrive on paper. Neither does Eternal Sunshine, anymore, but it used to and I got hooked. I've said this before, but - for me, anyway - a paper 'zine is more convenient. I throw it on the kitchen table and read bits and pieces over time, scribbling notes in the margins. I generally don't go to the computer unless I'm doing something else, and then don't just absently browse through Diplomacy stuff, because... I'm doing something else.

This is not anyone's fault and I DON'T expect you to go to the trouble and expense of printing and mailing either Diplomacy World or Eternal Sunshine, but you asked why I don't read it, and that's why. I could print it myself, but I'm lazy.

[[…join the club!]]

Rick Desper: Regarding your film category from last time, nine of the films were released in 1980. Slap Shot was released in 1977.

I moved to Connecticut in 1979 and I knew Slap Shot came out when I was in Massachusetts while Airplane and Blues Brothers came out when I was in Connecticut.

[[I forget where I got the list from, but being unsure I tried to fudge it by saying “in theatres.” We all knew you couldn’t lose by then anyway. Speaking of which I never got your prize choice email.]]

Dane Maslen: OK, so which bits of ES do I read and which bits do I skip? I generally don't read game reports other the ones I'm playing in, though I did tend to follow Lifeboat after I'd been so cruelly thrown into the shark-infested waters. I also skip Hypothetical of the Month, The Twisting Tale and anything about baseball or American football. Although I used to read You Don't Know Me and sometimes found it interesting, I now tend to skip it. Other stuff I read, even Jack's drivel :-). I used to find your articles a particularly good read so it's a pity you've not been writing many of late. And why don't I read Diplomacy World? Well, my interest in Diplomacy died about 15-20 years ago.

[[I always mean to write more, but it just hasn’t been there in my head.]]

Larry Peery: You got by cheap with the car repairs. I had to replace the spark plugs and catalytic coverters, etc. on my 740 BMW. $1700 and change. On the other hand it's 20 years old and I still have people offering to buy it from me on the street. Groan.

[[I think over $1,000 in repairs for a vehicle worth about $2,000 at best when fixed is just too much to spend.]]

Andy Bate: I've not seen The Killing yet, but it's on my list of things to watch, so your comment about it getting bogged down in the middle has me slightly concerned. Is it worth getting?

[[Remember, this is the U.S. version. Overall I’d still say it was worth watching…and with a cliffhanger ending, we’re going to watch Season 2.]]

Andy York: Turning to Baseball:

The Express are doing well, battling for 1st place in their division. But, with the Rangers moving folks around and sending others for rehab assignments, the line-up can get quite tricky. And, today, they traded Olt (plus Grimm and Edwards) to the Cubs for Garza. We'll have to see how that one works out - in each of the last two games Olt hit 3-run homers and was the first part of a 5-4-3 triple play (all by force on the bag). That's the first franchise triple play by the Express since they moved to AAA (and textbook!).

Did get to San Angelo to visit a friend and see two Colts games (Independent League team). First was a 13-1 win, while the second was a 5-4 squeaker in 12 innings (which played in just over 3 hours!).

Unfortunately, only 17 more home games for the Express (and I won't see them all). But, I'm heading to Arlington mid-August for a couple of games (Sat night/Sun afternoon) and will return for another set in September. I also hope to make another trip to Houston in September. That'll finish my baseball outings except for any Rangers playoff games which I'm able to get tickets.

And, I just did a check of the baseball games I've attended in person this year. Of those, the team I was rooting for won 31 times and only lost 6. A friend said I should ask the Rangers to comp me some tickets (especially considering their poor record the last few games).

[[The Rangers have so many injuries to their pitching staff, and yet game after game it is the offense that fails them. Situational hitting has been abysmal. Makes the games hard to watch, sometimes impossible. I’m a fan of Washington’s managerial style, but his decisions are becoming more erratic. Leaving Frasor in after a single and a walk in the 11^th inning? I think we all knew he’d lose the game if he wasn’t taken out. A rare Ranger comeback wasted. Ugh, I’m watching a game as I type this…2^nd and 3^rd with one out, and the Indians are CONCEDING the run to get an out. Moreland comes up and swings at the first pitch, popping out to shallow left field. We need to trade for bats, NOW. Buying in BULK. I think the idea of trading Joe Nathan may be necessary, but oly a few days left to make the moves. Also, send Profar back to AAA.]]

Don Williams: In response to your questions about whether I read ES and enjoy it and what I skip over …

1) I love ES. It is a source of entertainment and enjoyment and information, and allows me to “stay in touch” with many people I’ve known for years. It is by far the best zine in production values I’ve ever gotten, and rivals any of the best in content and punctuality. But you know all of this.

2) What do I skip? Not a lot, actually, and I skip nothing completely … but, I often will jump through or around the several subzones I’m not involved in, mainly because they have content (games) I don’t relate to. I do read “Flapjack’s” zine, though have heard rumors … I read everything I participate in (or have participated in), from Hypotheticals at the front to the Movie Quiz at the back. I even read the Index. I generally read the interviews as well, and always read your ruminations. I know from my pubbing days of years ago that pubbing is thankless and what really matters is feedback – knowing people appreciate the effort and time and money that goes into it. In that respect, I am remiss in not sharing with you more often. But know that my silence is more from competing interests than from disinterest.

[[I just assumed it meant you had good taste.]]

Jim Burgess: I am one of the people, maybe one of the few people, that ALWAYS reads both Diplomacy World and Eternal Sunshine "cover to cover". For DW, of course, you know that I usually do the final editing check and read it all, well, sometimes the Peeriblah as we celebrate another birthday for Larry, gets me down.... this last issue of ES on that went a bit far even for me. Larry, what's with that Turkish timeline???? Music by Philip Glass is NOT going to help! And for ES sometimes it seems to me like I'm in every game, though I'm not quite. I will put a comment here about Lifeboat. I think having an "everyone in" game that everyone has to play whether they like it or not is great. You should mix it up though and come up with another one. I like Lifeboat, I like writing Lifeboat press, and I like NOT negotiating except THROUGH the press. I thought actually you sort of weren't supposed to negotiate as you chastised us for not doing it. I don't know, Hugh and John might have negotiated to get where they were, but might not have. It would have been more fun if someone HAD won, but we all went down with the fishes! I wonder if there is a way to adapt Family Business (you know that game?) to involve everyone in the szine?

[[Not familiar with Family Business…I’ll try to come up with a different “everyone plays” game. There is always Agar’s “Cannibalism”!]]

As always, I wonder what the heck you're talking about, everyone is way too busy, especially me included, but I somehow make time for these and like that you keep me keeping TAP going. Hang in there, big guy, I know it seems like 2013 has been a bad year, but this is a great Diplomacy publishing empire....

The Eternal Sunshine Football Prediction Contest

Since the lockout is over, now is the time to make your predictions. The contest is simple: you get one point for each correct division winner, and one point for correctly selecting the wild card teams (two per conference). Then you get two points for each team you correctly choose as conference championship (meaning they play in the Super Bowl), and three points for correctly picking the Super Bowl winner. We’re not picking winners for individual playoff games…just the division winners, wild card teams, and who goes to the Big Game. Any commentary you want to include with your picks is welcome. And remember, like all Eternal Sunshine contests, there will actually be a REAL PRIZE for the winner! In fact, if we get enough entries, I’ll give one to the runner-up too. If you’ve got any questions, just ask me. So send in an entry and join in the fun! All entries will be published next issue, so get them in by the deadline! In case you need reminding (or if you are not a football fan and just want to see if you can guess the winners and embarrass these so-called experts), the divisions and their member teams are as follows:

NFC East: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins.

NFC North: Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions.

NFC South: Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Bucs, New Orleans Saints

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams.

AFC East: Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills.

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns.

AFC South: Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars.

AFC West: San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders.

Deadline for Picks: August 26^th at 7pm my time

Also…..the Eternal Sunshine One and Done Football Pool!

I'm considering running a "one and done" pool for this season. It would require weekly emails from you, but I would also post updates in each issue of Eternal Sunshine. As long as I get enough players, I'll be running it.

The rules in this kind of game are simple: each week you pick one NFL team who is going to win their game that week. But the catch is you can only use each time ONCE in the season. So, if you pick Detroit to win in Week 1 you can never pick Detroit again. And if you choose wrong, you are immediately eliminated.

Like most ES contests, this would be free to enter but I'd have prizes for the winner (and possibly the runner-up). You win by lasting the longest before being eliminated. If you miss a week by not sending in a selection, you are also eliminated.

If you want to play please email me. The more the merrier!

The Twisting Tale

This is a rotating story, with a different author every issue, and a chapter of 500 words. If you’d like to participate, please email me and let me know, and I’ll let you know when your turn comes up. We need more particpants! Email me at dougray30@yahoo.com if you’d like to participate!

Here’s the deal folks…we’re down to four participants (myself, Jim-Bob, Mark Firth, and Paraic). If I don’t get some “I’ll participate” emails in the next couple of weeks, I’m going to inform Paraic that his chapter will be the FINAL one.

Chapter 22 – by Doug Kent

Howard Mackersie exited out of Word without saving his document. Unsatisfied, he grabbed a piece of junk mail on his desk, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it across the room.

“Man, I suck!” he yelled to himself, alone in his disheveled apartment. “How am I ever going to become I published writer if everything I write reads like some awful pretentious poetry. What was final rose out of death like the phoenix? James Patterson would never put garbage like that down on paper.”

Howard stood and tried to wipe the orange stains of Cheetos from his fingers as he paced. “On paper. Nobody even uses paper anymore. It’s all electronic. It doesn’t even feel like writing. It feels like….like work; too artificial. I know I have stories in my head, but the moment I am scaring at that blank screen I lose all focus. There’s no flow and no freedom.”

“I’ve tried writing longhand,” he continued, pulling his dirty jeans on over his off-white briefs. “It’s too slow, and I can’t even read some of what I’ve written.”

Grabbing his keys from the crumb-littered couch, Howard sighed and announced to himself, “No, what I need is a typewriter. A manual one at that. Then I’ll feel like a real, true writer.”

Howard walked out into the hallway and locked his door, the 3 dangling upside down by one nail. Trudging down two flights of stairs, he opened the front door and entered the dark early evening of autumn, complete with a slow drizzle. “Perfect,” he thought. “Matches my mood exactly.”

And off he went on his search for an old manual typewriter. He knew better than to bother with any larger office supply store; they probably didn’t even carry electric models any longer. Besides, what he envisioned would have some age, some character to it. The clack of the keys, the ring of the bell, the ridged scrape of the return bar…these were the sounds a writer used to make. And that was the kind of writer he wanted to be.

The nearby thrift store had nothing of interest, and it smelled like a trail of flatulence. On a whim he walked the extra six blocks to Goodwill, but again found himself empty handed. He thought about heading back home and checking eBay, but that seemed like a poor solution. It would take too long, prices were probably far too high, and the weight of an old model would make shipping prohibitive.

Wandering in the rain as it grew a bit harder, Howard glanced down a side street. An aged wooden sign swung in the slight breeze, “Antiques” painted in fading black letters. He couldn’t remember seeing this store before. Opening the door, a ball above his head jingled.

The place looked like something out of some quirky movie. Dusty books, jars of clouded contents, and strange ingredients for ancient home remedies crammed the few shelves in the cramped space. This wasn’t an antique store as much as a hoard of junk.

As he turned to leave, he saw it: a black, impressive L.C. Smith and Corona manual typewriter. It could have come out of any 1930’s newsroom. Despite the age, the gold lettering on the keys still had a misty glow to them…almost luminescent.

Suddenly an ancient voice cracked from behind him. “You like that, eh? It calls to you, does it not? It is a magical machine, young man.” Howard turned to find a thin, pale Asian face staring back at him, dressed in some sort of long purple robe or tunic.

“That machine…it will make you rich and famous. Everything you write on it will be a best-seller. Your name will be known the world over! But beware!” The old man shook a finger at Howard. “This success carries a hidden curse! For with all reward must also come sacrifice!”

“Curse? Forget that. How about this Remington?” Howard pointed to another, more ordinary looking typewriter on the floor.”

“Oh, the T sticks sometimes on that. I don’t know how to fix such things. Twenty dollars.”

Minutes later, Howard and the old Remington typewriter made their way back to his apartment. His next mission: find a replacement ribbon. “This could be the start of something big!” he thought to himself.

PRESS

Mark Firth: Thanks to Jim for surmising what I was asking for and more!

Next up – Chapter 23 by Paraic Reddington

LIFEBOAT!

A game of survival, bad breath, and fish odor…

PRESS

Anonymous: This wasn't supposed to happen - being Shark Food, that is......(Wffff!) (Shark Fart bubbles hit the surface)

Boob to Boat: I say we dedicate this game to Kayza, the dog who made it to shore, gave Doug and Heather some great time, and then has had time run out like the rest of us did in this game. After all, SOMEONE has to win.

Boob to John and Hugh: Good job sneaking your way to the end, but of course you went down in each other's arms!

End Game Statements

John Biehl: Is there a strategy possible here at all? Since I knew few of the participants I began by voting against all those who I'd played a Diplomacy game with (I had to start somewhere and a measure of revenge was exacted on all of them). After these choices all got eaten, then I just randomly picked who I would vote against each turn (so blame the dice roll, not me). I voted to defend myself when there were three of us left then seeing the likelihood of a perpetual draw - on this last turn I tried to vote off Hugh. Not sure how I lasted so long but TY all for ignoring me. Perhaps, next time, there ought to be a final vote from all the eaten victims (that is real people - not Cats) when the Lifeboat denizens reach just two.

[[It doesn’t HAVE to end with two player though…..]]

Marc Ellinger: I would like to have another game of Lifeboat, but with the caveat that to vote, you have to send a good description/explanation of how the person was thrown overboard.

That would make it more fun!

[[My guess is you would be the only one to vote! For those of you who followed along, during the second half of the game Marc submitted some nice descriptions of the demise of his victims. When possible, I used those.]]

Eternal Sunshine Index – ESI

A Scientific Measure of Zine Health

Current Index: 63.55 +2.06%

The Eternal Sunshine Index is a stock-market-like index of the zine. You don’t do anything in this game, except write press or commentary on price movements (or why you think your stock should have gone up or down). I move the prices beginning with next issue based on my own private formula of quantity and quality zine participation (NMR’s, press, columns, etc.). Any new zine participants become new issues valued at at 50, but the stock for anyone who disappears will remain listed. The average of all listed stocks will result in the ESI closing value each month, which will be charted issue to issue after we have a few months’ worth of data. If you don’t like the stock symbol I have assigned you, you may petition the exchange to change it. Blame Phil Murphy for suggesting this section to me.

Market Commentary: As expected, participation in the new 21 TV Shows list challenge helped push the index higher. However, that participation was quite strong, which is how we managed over a 2% gain despite still carrying a few former players in the index. We’re bound to see a downturn soon…or are we?

Brain Farts: The Only Subsubzine With It’s Own Fragrance

By Jack “Flapjack” McHugh – jwmchughjr@gmail.com

(or just email Doug and he’ll send it to me)

Issue #57

Looks like I’ll be out of my house by the end of August. Anybody who has information on a dog-friendly apartment or small house for rent in the Philly/Camden area please get in touch.

I don’t spend a lot of time on this thing, mainly due to searching for a job (and now working AT my job). But I can’t believe I keep hearing rumors about how I am not the one who writes it. Once in a while I’ll steal a funny picture from other people’s Facebook pages but this is MY subzine and I am the one who emails it to Sack every month. Yeah he has to whine to me to get it in on time but I send him pieces at a time so there’s always something.

So shut the fuck up about it already. I write it. Anyway since Doug isn’t seeing as many movies lately or at least isn’t doing as many reviews, here are some reviews of movies and a book for you. Now piss off. And Doug and Heather, sorry about your dog.

Just finished watching Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and here is my review.

First, if you’re looking for a complete biography of Lincoln—you’re going to be disappointed as this covers only the last few months of his administration, from just after Lincoln’s re-election in November 1864 to the end of the war.

Second, this is a long movie, about 2 and a half hours and while I enjoyed it, I can see where some may quibble with the length and the pacing.

Three, this is not an action flick, the characters mostly talk, granted it’s pretty heady stuff—slavery and the ending of the Civil War—but it’s still just talk. Sometimes they give speeches before the House of Representatives, sometimes they talk while riding or walking, buy mostly the just talk. They do have the occasional argument and the Lincoln’s have been married a long time since they pull no punches as most married couples who stay together don’t, but really they talk, talk, and then, you guessed it--they talk some more.

Now as that I’ve given you the bad, let me discuss the good. The cast is wonderful from Daniel Day-Lewis, who clearly takes over the entire role of Lincoln from the physical, mental and even his speech patterns—I haven’t seen an actor this immersed in his character since Frank Langella as Nixon in Frost-Nixon—to Salle Fields as the brilliant, mercurial and borderline unstable Mary Todd Lincoln, and Tommy Lee Jones as the implacable Thaddeus Stevens, leader of the radical Republicans in Congress. I didn’t even recognize James Spader as the W. N. Bilbo in his cheese 19th century mustache--by the way almost all the men of 19th century America feel the need for some for some form of facial hair--as the 19th century version of James Carville trying to get Lincoln’s his two-thirds majority needed to pass the 13th Amendment.

The movie is the best and most authentic civil war movie I’ve seen since Gettysburg and although this film opens with the obligatory Civil War battle scene it is the only battle scene in the entire movie. This is a movie of weighty ideas for smart people, although if you’re not charmed by Day-Lewis’ homespun and down to earth Lincoln, I would argue that you’re not much of American and probably should move to France or China. We get to see Lincoln, the husband and father, as well as Lincoln, the President, and not surprising, he is shown to be as human as the rest of us.

As I kind of made fun of earlier they do talk in this movie…a lot, but what they are talking about is important and worth talking about. The issue of race relations, the future of America and her people, whether or not we are or deserve to remain a beacon to the rest of the world—so while it is slow at times, the ideas never slow down and are always interesting.

I predict it will a standard shown in high-school history classes in the coming years, hopeful it will displace Forrest Gump which I was forced to watch no less than seven times this past school year—yes seven times, apparently it is how high school social studies teachers teach post-WWII America. I give Lincoln, four out of five stars.

This is my review of the movie, The Master - First let me say I really wanted to like this movie—I heard good things about Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of the subject of the movie, which is loosely based on L. Ron Hubbard, and I’ve always found Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, to be kind of an American version of Stalinist political leader had Communist Party USA every took over this country. So I thought here’s a smart hip movie that will discuss some serious questions about beliefs and control and how people react to someone who tries to institute cult like control.

No, that’s not what the movie is about; in fact it’s one of those movie-biopics that gets far too close to its subject to ask any real questions or to place him within the larger currents of his time. This is made worse by the choice of who we’re following, Joaquin Phoenix, playing Freddie Quell, an ex-Navy WWII vet who’s not the sharpest knife in the draw and is quickly pulled into his orbit. The Quell character is such a dim bulb he’s most intelligent characteristic is his alcoholism---not the type of character to question the Master or his methods. Phoenix does a great job with this character within the confines of the part but his portrayal doesn’t help the movie at all.

And then nothing really happens for the next hour and 15 minutes. Yes, the Master gets into a scrap here and there, Freddie goes to jail with the Master at one point, as the Master gets picked up for running an illegal medical school. This is about it, once in a great while someone dares to question Hoffman and he goes from being this college professor on Valium to a screaming, frothing dictator, but not very often as the Master rarely gets in touch with his inner demon.

Finally Freddy takes off from the Master in a typical scene that indie directors just love--he just rides off on a motorcycle and never comes back, how Freudian and deep is that kids? Freddy then kicks around on his own for a bit; his girlfriend has moved on since he never went back to marry her after he took off after coming home from the war. Freddy kind of just drifts around till he gets a call in a movie theater, of all places—that’s such an indie movie move as well, to come over to England to rejoin the Master who apparently has worn out his welcome in the US. Freddy, of course, immediately goes running back to the Master for an unsatisfying ending to an unsatisfying movie so I can’t really claim to be surprised.

My other big complaint, besides the leaden pacing, is this movie is well over two hours, much longer than it needs to be. It would have helped he pacing enormously if more of this movie were left on the cutting room floor where it belongs. Sometimes less is more; in this case, less would have been both more and better.

Very disappointed, I’d only give it two out of five stars—Hoffman does great work as does Phoenix, but I wish Hoffman been unleashed more often to show the evil side of the Master. I also wish the writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson had done more to show the Master as part of larger society rather than this isolated group that is never shown as effected or part of American society of the 1950’s.

Argo: a movie review - Argo is a movie about a part of the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979-81, specifically the smuggling out of Iran of six US citizens who escaped from the US embassy in Tehran after it was stormed by Iranian student militants in November of 1979. While the militants were not members of the Iranian government, clearly they were working with tacit approval of the Iranian government who supported their action and made no attempt to retake the embassy and free the hostages.

Six employees fled out another entrance which was not being attacked at the time and, after being turned away from a few other embassies—UK and Kuwait are mentioned in the film—they were taken in by the Canadian ambassador to Iran and lived in his house for about three months. The movie is about the attempt to smuggle the Americans out of Iran as Canadians.

I was not surprised to find the movie received good ratings on rottontomatoes.com since it is basically an interesting, uplifting, patriotic movie with the US as clearly in the wrong. I was surprised to find it had such high ratings, over 90% for both the critics and the public, across the board.

The movie is based on a true story that was declassified in 1997, with the script being written by Chris Terro. The movie stars Ben Affleck, who also directed it, as Tony Mendez, the CIA agent who takes control of this from the State Department. Mendez eventually goes in personally and gets all six out with a terrific supporting cast. Alan Arkin and John Goodman are superb as the Hollywood people who get some publicity for the movie so it gets reported in the trade press. Brain Cranston specialized in these mid-to-upper level government bureaucrats, its more or less a reprise of his role in Contagion, only here is Ben Affleck’s boss and the hero in Washington who makes sure Mendez gets whatever he needs, no matter who he has to yell at.

The movie is well paced and the two times Mendez leads the six out, who are supposed to be the Canadian crew behind a sci-fiction movie Argo looking for locations to shoot the movie, into Tehran it’s a tense situation. The last time he takes them to the airport and the whole thing is well edited and acted with the action splitting between several places, the airport and embassy in Teheran, Hollywood as the Iranians call to verify the cover story and Washington as Cranston has to get the tickets on Swiss Air to get them out as the operation was scrubbed before the hostage rescue attempt a couple of weeks later which failed miserably.

Overall I enjoyed the movie and recommend you watch the credits at the end where the actors are shown side by side with the real life characters they are playing. I found that to be as enjoyable as the film.

Argo is a great movie, destined to be a classic; I give it five out of five stars.

A review of the novel, The Harder They Fall, by Budd Schulberg that I just finished—I got it for $1 via BookBub—an e-newsletter with e-book bargains, mostly Amazon, that I get daily. This is a novel written in 1947, you may have heard of the 1956 movie of the same name.

That movie’s claim to fame, besides being a great flick, was that it was Humphrey Bogart’s last movie. Bogey died of lung cancer early the next year. As you can tell, I like and highly recommend the movie, the cast is superb, the acting professional and the directing and editing well-done.

I like the book as much as the movie, maybe more as the main character in the book is presented as younger and more ambitious for his life than Bogart’s character in the movie. In the book, Eddie Willis, the main character, is in his early thirties and still struggling to be a more polished writer and playwright, whereas in the movie, he’s more of an older middle age man looking to avoid starting over again in journalism.

I thought the secondary characters were more fleshed out in the book—less cut outs from central casting and more real people. The boxing trainer, Danny, is a full developed character in the book whereas I doubt he got five lines in the whole movie. Same goes for the wife of fight promoter Nick Benko, Nick is played wonderfully by Rod Steiger, but his wife barely even appears in the movie but has a critical role in befriending the boxer in the boxer.

The book isn’t all that long, it came it at under 300 pages and found it to be a fairly easy read. Even though I knew the story line for the most part the book was still a fun read and kept me hungry for more. Overall I give it four out of five stars.

Not Lepanto 4-ever LXII #3

by Per Westling (LHCper AT gmail.com)

Time for another sporadic contribution. As always reactions are welcome, to Doug or to me at the address above.

Need a Fourth?

Trying to have something unique I will do another Bridge problem. After keeping away from Bridge for many years I am still a bit rusty, and my Bridge writing even more so. But I will give it another shot, both playing and writing.

The problem last time was not a good one, so here is a better one, more classical.

West dealer/All vulnerable

ªAT2	West	North	East	South
©A765	3©	D	Pass	4ª
¨K65	Pass	Pass	Pass
§A65
N
W E	West lead:	©K
S
ªKQJ965
©42
¨AJ3
§42

In the bidding West started with a preemptive bid, often with a hand that hold a very long, good, suite and nothing else. This is made it more difficult for the opponents to find their proper contract.

The Double by North show some good cards and often a wish for partner to bid something, and tend to have support in all other suites. But it should be some defensive tricks so that partner can make a penalty pass if nothing better exists. It tends also to focus on the unbid major(s), in this case Spade, as that is often the easiest game to reach.

So, your mission is to take (at least) 10 tricks with spade as trump. How do you play this?

Other stuff

Since last time I've been to Riga, Latvia which is my first time ever in Balticum. And in two weeks I will go on a trip to the highest mountain in Sweden.... But I might write more about that in the next issue....

Solution

So, after the lead the first thing one should do is to count how many tricks one is likely to get. Often it can help to count the losers as well.

In this case you can see 6 spade tricks, 1 heart trick, 2 diamond tricks and 1 club trick. You also have a potential 3^rd trick in diamonds (if East has the Queen). So, 10 tricks are possible. You have one looser in hearts, one in clubs and possibly one in diamond.

Are there any dangers?

Here is the full hand:

	ªAT2
	©A765
	¨K65
	§A65
ª4		ª873
©KQJT983	N	©-
¨Q98	W E	¨T742
§J9	S	§KQT873

	ªKQJ965
	©42
	¨AJ3
	§42

The bidding did suggest that West hold a very long suite, often 7 cards. That means that East is void in Hearts. So if you play the Ace east will ruff (play trump) and you won’t win that trick. With diamond Queen by West you will then lose 4 tricks and go one down.

Can you do anything about it?

Well, you could try playing low on the first trick. West will continue with Hearts and you play low once more. West tries a third round and you play low a third time, and ruff in your hand. After that you pull all of opponents trump and you can now cash the heart Ace to discard the club looser. So you score 10 tricks in the above hand.

Remember: Always plan before you play the first trick.

So, that was all for today.

THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #338

June 26, 2013

Jim Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327 USA, (401)351-0287, jfburgess of gmail.com

E-MAIL/WEB ONLY ISSUE! PDF will be available on the website. We also are being reproduced in Eternal Sunshine.

Web Page Address: http://www.diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html

Some of you are still not on the E-Mail list for this szine, I keep trying to sign you up, please accept the offer! I am being a bit more systematic about that right now. I am going ahead and finishing all the games here, and then we will see. There is interest in a NEW regular Diplomacy game. Sign up, let's see if we can get seven!

This issue continues the szine/subszine inversion. As most of you know, this thing began as a ßubszine" to Terry Tallman's North Sealth, West George, then became its own szine with a host of subszines. The subszines remaining will appear as sub-subszines to our new flipflopped home in Doug Kent's Eternal Sunshine. Doug's incessant nagging is not keeping us on schedule, but will make it so we will charge forward and finish the remaining games that I have in here. After that, we'll see how it goes and what I do next. I'd like to keep writing and doing some game GMing. You all should see first what I actually do.

For production, in addition to the HTML's of each separate product on the web page, I will also have a PDF that you can print of the entire subszine (including my famous handdrawn maps!). You can just print the maps if you like, but remember maps are for pikers anyway, you don't need no steenkin' maps, keep them up in your head where they belong. I don't think there are very many people I owe money, but if you think I owe you money, just ask and I will pay. ONE GROUP that is definitely owed money is the players with NMR insurance. NMR insurance still continues, I will still call you for it, and when your game ends, I will refund the money.

General information about the mailing list is at: http://www.diplom.org/mailman/listinfo/tap You can sign up from there, or send E-Mails to: Tap-request of diplom.org; with the word `help' in the subject or body (don't include the quotes), and you will get back a message with instructions. You must know your password to change your options (including changing the password, itself) or to unsubscribe.

THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE LETTERS SECTION

((Let's keep talking about FTF tournament diplomacy! World DipCon is fast approaching in August 23-25 in Paris. See the WDC 2013 Facebook site or www.worlddipcon.com. At this point, I don't think I'm going to be able to go, but YOU all should. And I might still yet change my mind. This is going to be a pretty tremendous turnout, led by the inimitable Toby Harris...))

((For these and other upcoming cons around the world: http://devel.diplom.org/Face/cons/index.php))

Nothing this time...

DIPLOMACY WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT IS ONGOING - YOU CAN STILL JOIN!

This is the latest incarnation of this team based tournament. I am helping to lead the Nor'Easter team for people in the Northeast part of the United States. https://www.facebook.com/groups/123795024327261/ is the Facebook page for the event.

And you can sign up for the Tournament at: http://aqmn.asciiking.com/. Other US regional teams are the ones in the Pacific, Dixie, and Chicago. Its unique aspect, that is proving to be a bit distorting but in interesting ways, is its "solo only" feature. You advance from the preliminaries to the finals only by soloing, and then need solos in the finals against the other soloists. Though this started in January, it probably will be going on for at least two years, and there is PLENTY of time to jump in. As usual, for those who know me well, I screwed up my first game and allowed a solo to someone from team US. I still don't have a solo in over three decades, but maybe I can do it in my next game.

So, really, come join, it is being operated on a web-assisted Judge platform that is really pretty easy to use. Ask me if you have any questions.

THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE GAMES SECTION

I am continuing to note cut or failed support orders with a small "s" instead of a capital "S". This will make it easier on the E-Mailed version of the szine to see what happened, since the italics don't show there. The italics DO show on the web page just fine. Since I'm not postal mailing the szine any more, I've dropped back to just reporting the disguised E-Mail addresses. As someone notes, if you need some more contact information, go back to past issues or ask me.

Standby lists:

Mike Barno, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Paul Rauterberg, Bob Osuch, Doug Kent, Sean O'Donnell, Heath Gardner, Paul Kenny, and Jeff O'Donnell stand by for regular Diplomacy. Let me know if you want on or off these lists, especially OFF given the new policies.

GAME OPENING INFORMATION

I'm going to start the game opening list over. Under the new regime, who wants to play?

DIPLOMACY: First off, another regular Diplomacy game is open. Spencer Sawyer, Doug Kent and Brad Wilson are in, anyone else?

BREAKING AWAY: Also, a new Breaking Away game is open. Currently Andy York is on board. This is the game I really like running and want to start another one. It's easy, very low maintenance.

THE PHIL REYNOLDS MEMORIAL: 2006B, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1908 IS JULY 20TH, 2013

Winter 1907

AUSTRIA (Burgess): rem a ven, a boh; has f AEG, a GAL, a VIE, a BUD,

f ION, a SER.

ENGLAND (James): bld f edi, a lon, a lvp; has f EDI, a LON, a LVP, a DEN, f BEL, f TYH,

f NWY, a KIE, f ROM, f SWE.

FRANCE (Williams): bld a par; has a PAR, a MAR, f WES, a BUR, f GOL, a TYO.

ITALY (Crow): rem f tun; has a PIE.

RUSSIA (Barno): bld a mos; has a MOS, a SEV, a WAR, a BER, a STP, f SMY,

a PRU, f GRE, a RUM, f GOB.

E-Mail Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: David Burgess, burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org

ENGLAND: Drew James, kjames01 of twcny.rr.com or karelanddrew of gmail.com

FRANCE: Don Williams, wllmsfmly of earthlink.net or dwilliams of fontana.org ($5)

GERMANY: Marc Ellinger, mellinger of blitzbardgett.com

ITALY: John Crow, johnny.crow of hotmail.com

RUSSIA: Mike Barno, mpbarno of gmail.com

TURKEY: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca

Game Notes:

1) Here we go, back in business. Thanks to Marc for playing out the German position.

Press:

(MIKE BARNO to RICK DESPER and WARREN GOESLE): As part of yesterday's Jackie Robinson Day, major league ballplayers all wore number 42. That must have been hell for the old-school types who still score the plays instead of waiting for online stats. I thought of this because I used to do the official scoring for auto races before cars carried transponders for electronic scoring. Can you imagine writing down "3" for dozens of cars each lap if NASCAR commemorated Dale Earnhardt by having everyone use his number? With the nine-figure budgets of baseball teams these days, maybe they'll implant RFID chips into ballplayers to aid computerized scoring and instant replays.

(MIKE BARNO to DON WILLIAMS): How in the world did Wigan win the FA Cup tournament and get relegated down from the top league in the same season?

(MIKE BARNO to TELEVISED SPORTS NUTS): I got a big kick out of the Fox camera-on-wires that had a cable fall onto the track and grandstands at the May 26 Coke 600 at Charlotte. I said before the race it was gonna happen, and the risk of doom has been clear since they put one in the Dallas NFL stadium a couple of years ago. They're lucky there were only a few injuries and some damaged race cars. If the camera mule had fallen, people would probably have been killed. Racing isn't as dangerous as Fox Sports.

(BOOB to TELEVISED SPORTS NUTS): I don't watch much sports on TV, on radio you can't see the cameras OR the wires, but this is amazing. I heard about the 42's, but heard neither of the other two stories.

SPIRALS OF PARANOIA: 2005A, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1911 IS JULY 20TH, 2013

Winter 1910

FRANCE (Jim Tretick for Buddy Tretick): has f NTH, f NWG, a PAR, f TYH, a BUR,

f NAP, f ION, a MAR, f LON.

GERMANY (Ozog for Tallman): bld f kie; has f KIE, f HEL, a RUH, f HOL,

a MUN, a TUS, a SER, a TRI, a VEN, a ROM, f DEN, a APU, a BEL, f EDI.

RUSSIA (Sundstrom): bld f stp(nc), a war, f sev; has f STP(NC), a WAR, f SEV,

f NWY, f CON, a UKR, f AEG, a RUM, a GRE, a BUL, a MOS.

E-Mail Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Paul Rauterberg, paul.rauterberg of att.net

ENGLAND: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca

FRANCE: Buddy Tretick, 5023 Sewell's Pointe Way, Fredericksburg, VA 22407

FRANCE: Temporary Standby is Jim Tretick, jtretick of gmail.com

GERMANY: Terry Tallman, ($2) terryt of whidbey.net

GERMANY: Temporary Standby is Eric Ozog, ElfEric of Juno.com

ITALY: Doug Kent, dougray30 of yahoo.com

RUSSIA: Matt Sundstrom, mattandzoe of earthlink.net

TURKEY: Vince Lutterbie, melvin4852 of sbcglobal.net

Game Notes:

1) We still have two medical replacements, as Buddy's son Jim (who some of us played with many years ago as James Alan) will be playing for Buddy as Eric is playing for Terry.

2) Here we go again, and there is real cooperation still going on! I'll keep this chunking along now. Thanks to Doug for playing this out to conclusion, not only are his strings cut, but his survival has run out.

3) With three survivors left, a DIAS FGR and a GR draw both fail and the FGR is reproposed. Please vote with your Spring orders, as always no vote is a veto. Please be clear on your vote if you want the game to end.

Press:

(MOSCOW-WORLD): I'm all in favor of an FGR draw.

(MATT-JIM-BOB): thanks for the delay. I was indeed at Weasel Moot and playing Dip. Not necessarily well, but supporting the hobby regardless.

(JIM-BOB to MATT): Watching the brilliant Chris Martin ace another solo and bag another tournament would have been fun, sorry I missed it!!! I think it was cool that Paul Windsor showed up, wish I could have met him as well as seen you again, maybe next year.

FLIP FLOP: 2003G, Regular Diplomacy

TURKEY WON, CONGRATULATIONS AL LEVINSON! FULL SC CHART BELOW

E-Mail Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Brad Wilson, bwdolphin146 of yahoo.com

ENGLAND: Doug Kent, dougray30 of yahoo.com

FRANCE: Jack McHugh, jwmchughjr of gmail.com

GERMANY: Matt Sundstrom, mattandzoe of earthlink.net

ITALY: Don Williams, wllmsfmly of earthlink.net or dwilliams of fontana.org

RUSSIA: Sean O'Donnell, sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com

TURKEY: Alexandre Levinson, al of tolkin.nl ($5)

Game Notes:

1) I had to go research this back to 2003 to build the SC chart and also got some welcome assistance from Tom Howell.

G.M.: Jim Burgess

Date Started: December 2003

Date Completed: July 2012

Thanks to Boardman Number Custodian Tom Howell for helping to compile the statistics. I think we can read this down below and I think I transcribed everything correctly. He did most of it and I was able to finish it.

The Players:

AUSTRIA:

Fred Wiedemeyer (drop F05);

Brad Wilson (elim F13)

ENGLAND:

Karl Schmit (drop F09);

Doug Kent (surv F14)

FRANCE:

Jeff O'Donnell (res W09);

Jack McHugh (surv F14)

GERMANY:

Matt Sundstrom (elim F13)

ITALY:

Don Williams (elim F05)

RUSSIA:

Sean O'Donnell (elim F05)

TURKEY:

Alexandre Levinson (wins F14)

SUPPLY CENTERS:

AUSTRIA:

ENGLAND:

FRANCE:

GERMANY:

ITALY:

RUSSIA:

TURKEY:

* = Plays one short

@ = Plays two short

NOTE: This game took nearly ten years of real time to play!

LAST WORD: Can you believe it? Graustark and John Boardman are still going forward. We've just started a Memorial game in The Founder of the Feast's honor, Allan B. Calhamer. This is possibly one of the last fully postal games, with no Internet contact by the GM, in the history of the hobby. It weighs heavily on me, I know that. And I drew my least favorite country, France. Harley Jordan nailed down my MOST favorite country, Italy. And the irascible Doug Kent is my natural partner Russia. The redoubtable Hank Alme is Turkey. The rest of the Western Triple is the Shark Chum himself, Jim O'Kelley, and Melinda Holley is Germany. John Boardman claims Melinda also is the VERY first female player in Graustark. Finally, last but certainly not least, Socrates' master himself, Don Williams, is AUSTRIA! Again!! This most recent issue of Graustark is issue number 793, so very soon he will hit 800. He still has over twice as many issues as me. And if I stick with turbophreak Doug and publish 12 issues a year for the next 40 years, until I am 95, I might be able to pass where he will end up. Amazing! We will have to figure out some way to make these issues of Graustark available to all of the rest of you. I guess Doug can scan them in and post them in his archive. Or email him if you want to be added to the email list. Remember, everyone, the magic words, balance of power...

THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #339

July 27, 2013

Jim Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327 USA, (401)351-0287, jfburgess of gmail.com

E-MAIL/WEB ONLY ISSUE! PDF will be available on the website. We also are being reproduced in Eternal Sunshine.

Web Page Address: http://www.diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html

THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE LETTERS SECTION

((Let's keep talking about FTF tournament diplomacy! World DipCon is fast approaching in August 23-25 in Paris. See the WDC 2013 Facebook site or www.worlddipcon.com. I am not going to be able to go, but YOU all should. This is going to be a pretty tremendous turnout, led by the inimitable Toby Harris...))

((For these and other upcoming cons around the world: http://devel.diplom.org/Face/cons/index.php))

Nothing this time...

DIPLOMACY WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT IS ONGOING - YOU CAN STILL JOIN!

So, really, come join, it is being operated on a web-assisted Judge platform that is really pretty easy to use. Ask me if you have any questions. There is about to be a huge uptick in games starting as September approaches.

THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE GAMES SECTION

Standby lists:

GAME OPENING INFORMATION

I'm going to start the game opening list over. Under the new regime, who wants to play?

DIPLOMACY: First off, another regular Diplomacy game is open. Spencer Sawyer, Doug Kent and Brad Wilson are in, anyone else?

BREAKING AWAY: Also, a new Breaking Away game is open. Currently Andy York, Rick Desper, and Brendan Whyte are on board. David Burgess or Doug Kent might be willing to play to fill it out. I'm going to dig up six people to do this next time, be one of them! This is the game I really like running and want to start another one. It's easy, very low maintenance.

THE PHIL REYNOLDS MEMORIAL: 2006B, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1908 IS AUGUST 17TH, 2013

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1908 IS SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2013

Spring 1908

AUSTRIA (Burgess): f AEG-bul(sc), a gal-RUM, a VIE-gal, a BUD S a gal-rum,

f ION C a pie-alb, a SER S a gal-rum.

ENGLAND (James): f edi-NWG, a LON h, a lvp-YOR, a den-SWE, f bel-NTH,

f TYH C ITALIAN a pie-alb, f NWY S a den-swe, a KIE S FRENCH a bur-mun,

f rom-NAP, f swe-BAL.

FRANCE (Williams): a par-BUR, a mar-PIE, f WES S f gol, a bur-MUN,

f GOL C ITALIAN a pie-alb, a TYO S a bur-mun.

ITALY (Crow): a pie-ALB.

RUSSIA (Barno): a mos-UKR, a SEV S AUSTRIAN a gal-rum, a WAR-gal, a BER h, f SMY-aeg,

a pru-SIL, f GRE-ion, a rum-bul (d ann), f GOB h.

E-Mail Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: David Burgess, burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org

ENGLAND: Drew James, kjames01 of twcny.rr.com or karelanddrew of gmail.com

FRANCE: Don Williams, wllmsfmly of earthlink.net or dwilliams of fontana.org ($5)

GERMANY: Marc Ellinger, mellinger of blitzbardgett.com

ITALY: John Crow, johnny.crow of hotmail.com

RUSSIA: Mike Barno, mpbarno of gmail.com

TURKEY: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca

Game Notes:

1) There seems to be a fairly wide range of coordination this turn, I wonder what's next. We're up and running again. Any interest in joining the new game? Or maybe the new Breaking Away game? But then, maybe we're NOT going to keep going...

2) Meanwhile, an EF two-way draw is called for. If you fail to vote, you veto the proposal. Please vote with your Summer orders. No pressure either way. If you do send me Fall orders by the Summer deadline, we can keep going if you want.

Press:

(MIKE to DAVE, regarding YOUR ORDERS): "Cross your I's and dot your T's." - Fathead (blues band).

(MIKE SEZ): For decades I've been a supporter of the Open Access movement in government records, in campaign finance, in corporate accountability, and in environmental impact. But I knew it had gone too far when I heard this on the radio: "St. Joseph's Hospital features Open Access Colonoscopy."

(BOOB SEZ): We always knew YOU didn't have any interest in doing today's work today, but now you ridicule a gastroenterologist who has figured out that if you eliminate the wait list and see everyone right away, you still do the same amount of work.

SPIRALS OF PARANOIA: 2005A, Regular Diplomacy

THREE WAY DRAW DECLARED BETWEEN FRANCE, GERMANY AND RUSSIA

Final Supply Center Chart

FRANCE (Tretick):

PAR,BRE,MAR,spa,lvp,lon,

(has 9)

por,tun,nap

GERMANY (Ozog/Tallman):

KIE,BER,MUN,hol,den,bel,swe,

(has 14)

vie,rom,bud,ven,tri,ser,edi

RUSSIA (Sundstrom):

WAR,STP,SEV,MOS,rum,ank,con,

(has 11)

smy,nwy,gre,bul

Neutral:

none

(Total=34)

E-Mail Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Paul Rauterberg, paul.rauterberg of att.net

ENGLAND: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca

FRANCE: Buddy Tretick, 5023 Sewell's Pointe Way, Fredericksburg, VA 22407

FRANCE: Temporary Standby is Jim Tretick, jtretick of gmail.com

GERMANY: Terry Tallman, ($2) terryt of whidbey.net

GERMANY: Temporary Standby is Eric Ozog, ElfEric of Juno.com

ITALY: Doug Kent, dougray30 of yahoo.com

RUSSIA: Matt Sundstrom, mattandzoe of earthlink.net

TURKEY: Vince Lutterbie, melvin4852 of sbcglobal.net

Game Notes:

1) We had two medical replacements, as Buddy's son Jim (who some of us played with many years ago as James Alan) was playing for Buddy as Eric was playing for Terry.

2) This one sort of ground to a three way draw. Thanks to everyone who played. Endgame statements are welcome, I'll print the SC chart next time.

LAST WORD: I am going to combine a few last words this time... first off, I am not a great cook, nor am I a great griller, but I am converted to the idea of slow cooking with the grill cover closed. If you cook chicken wings at 225 to 250 for about two hours (with minimal lifts to brush more butter and marinade on them) with NO direct heat on the wings, only on a pan of water and a box of mesquite chips, the result is moist, tender and heavenly... second, I day-by-day and year-by-year keep remembering that the people in this Diplomacy hobby are the most amazing people on the planet, even Doug... and speaking of Doug, send your regards to him as his beloved dog Kayza (who most of you know from Lifeboat in Eternal Sunshine has gone to the big kennel in the sky, sincere condolences to Doug and Heather.

Octopus’s Garden

Issue Eighty-One

12^th July 2013

Sub-editorial

HELLO, good evening and welcome to Octopus’s Garden, the subzeen with its very own Railway Rivals game. It’s a subzeen to Jim Burgess’ The Abyssinian Prince , which is now a subzeen toDouglas Kent's Eternal Sunshine. Produced by Peter Sullivan, peter@burdonvale.co.uk. It's also available on the web at http://www.burdonvale.co.uk/octopus/.

___________________________________________________________________________________

IT'S GETTING VERY NEAR THE END

RR Number : RR ???? FR	Round 0 : OG 67	Date : Sept 2010
Game name : "Hannibal Hamlin"	Round 1 : OG 69	Date : Dec 2010
Game : Railway Rivals Map FR (France)	Round 12 : OG 80	Date : May 2013
g.m. : Peter Sullivan	Game-end : OG 81	Date : Jul 2013

NERTZ (Nearly Efficient Railway Transport Zystem)

William Whyte, USA. [purple]

LOSER (Legendary, Original Straight & Economical Railways)

Geoff Challinger, UK. [blue]

FRAK IT (Falaise, Rheims And Kalhausen - Intercity Trains)

W. Andrew York, USA. [black]

FWOGGIE (French Wagons Of Goods Generate Importation Expenditures)

Brendan Whyte, Aus. [green]

RENAISSANCE (Robin Enjoying Newly Acquired Interests Since Sighting A Novel Cultural Event)

Robin ap Cynan, UK. [yellow]

All start Paris.

Round:	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
NERTZ	20	20	31	44	63	66	65	69	79	131	186	221	275
LOSER	20	23	38	15	12	25	16	-9	48	86	108	155	193
FRAK IT	20	23	41	47	49	54	56	111	131	153	180	228	271
FWOGGIE	20	23	45	51	51	57	73	125	145	193	213	269	291
RENAISSANCE	20	23	-1	13	31	46	50	96	129	157	223	257	300

Brendan Whyte: Congrats to Robin... though in true Frenchie worlddipcon style, I throw a hissy fit about being pipped at the post.

William Whyte: Good round for me, but I knew I wasn't going to make it. Congratulations to Robin and thanks to Pete for running it. That was fun!

W. Andrew York: Well, about what I expected from my track - maybe a bit better. Congrats Robin on the win and thanks to Peter for running a fine game (as always!).

Peter Sullivan: It all came down to race 40 in the end, where all three players entered had similar track lengths, and Brendan came third. Second place would have given him overall victory by one point (and triggered an orgy of score-checking on my part) whilst a win would have given him a clear margin. This map always seems to lead to close games, both postally and face-to-face.

That was Octopus's Garden #81, Startling Press production 368.

ZERO SUM, Subzine to Eternal Sunshine, Issue 16 July 28, 2013

Published by Richard Weiss. richardweiss@higherquality.com. All orders due by 8 AM of the Sunday before orders are due for Eternal Sunshine. For August, I presume that makes the due date August 25.

Current Games: 1. Yahtzee (in process, no new players)

2. What’s My Line – new panelists encouraged to join in at any time

3. Drone Wars – a variant Diplomacy, now open and accepting players

GM Musings: So much for my week of vacation. I will be flying to Dulles on Tuesday morning, severely truncating vacation but seeing all the important family.

Last month I quacked about buying land on top of a mountain. Didn’t do it. Didn’t do it because trying to buy GF out of her share of the house we bought together and say goodbye. Do I sound like FlapJack yet? Need the cash for whatever the deal costs and the bank allows. CA is not a common-law state and don’t qualify anyway.

NEW GAME OFFER NEW GAME OFFER NEW GAME OFFER

Drone Wars Diplomacy Game offer to the world of Eternal Sunshine. First seven to sign up are in for this Gunboat with Press variation based on Jim Burgess’s game that might have been called Evil Yuppie Empire Nuclear War Nuke a Gay Baby Whale for Christ Diplomacy. Send me your interest to play and a ranking as to which country you want to be. First in gets first choice. Game will be named Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. My email remains: richardweiss@higherquality.com

Drone Wars Diplomacy is a variant based on the variants Evil Yuppie and Black Hole Dip. Seven players, each a regular country on the Dip board. Gunboat with press. One drone stocked with one nuclear weapon each supply center owned. Each turn order your units and your drones. No requirement to move or bomb. Units ordered same as regular dip. Drones are ordered as to what map location to bomb. Drone orders are valid to any map location. You can name your drones, number them, or just order “Drones to:” and a list of map locations to bomb.

Drones explode with the nuking. Any nuke not used in a calendar year fizzes out, is buried in a container, and sent into the middle of the sun. No carry-over of nukes. Use it or lose it.

A piece that ends a turn in a map location that experienced a drone attack that turn is annihilated. Once a space is bombed, the space remains contaminated with 225 rem (2+ Sieverts) for slightly more than 100,000 years. You may order units through a space with 225 rem radiation. Each unit can survive going through one map location with 225 rem of radiation. Your unit remains carrying the 225 rem of exposure for the rest of its life.

You may build new units in home SCs that have no or 225 rem contamination. SCs that have no or 225 rem both count towards how many drones you can order and how many units you can support

The same map location can experience more than one drone attack. Each drone attack increases the level of radiation by 225 rem. 450 rem is lethal (the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s 50/30 level, with 50 being % of population expected to die and the 30 being the number of days it will take for that 50% of the population to die). Go through two spaces with 225 rem and the unit dies. Go through one space with 450 rem and the unit dies. Cannot birth (build) a unit in a home SC with 450 rem. Units built in home SCs with 225 rem carry that dose with them and die going through another contaminated space (or staying in the home SC for another turn). [Sounds complicated. Play won’t be.]

Start Spring 01. No season separations. Spring and Fall. Autumn retreats, Winter builds and Spring orders together. Last country with a unit and a SC with less than 450 rem contamination wins.

I don’t have an e-map version of Diplomacy. Thus, I am begging for one (probably I need instructions how to use) from those who GM Dip games. Otherwise, this will be one lame appearing game. (Beg, beg)

There is a custodian who assigns variants numbers who has contacted me, Tom Howell, and we will be getting a number once the game (starts or stops?)

I have a number. No interest. Going once…

YAHTZEE AND YAHTZEE VARIANTS

Rules for regular Yahtzee published in Eternal Sunshine #65. Scoring and play modified from Milton Bradley’s Yahtzee Game copyrighted 1982. Hasbro lists the official rules at: http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Yahtzee.pdf

Of course I made an error last round. Kevin did send in orders – in April! Grrr. Too early. My error. Only change is he only kept 6,6, not 6,6,3,3 in Round 9.

Yahtzee Game: Kim Philby

First Roll of Round 9 was: 3,2,6,3,6

Doug saved 6,6,3,3

Kevin saved the 6,6

Dane saved 3,3

Geoff saved 3,3,6,6

Second Roll of Round 9 is: (sequentially) 5,3,2,3,2

Doug saved 3,3

Kevin saved the 6,6,5

Dane saved 3,3,3

Geoff saved 3,3,6,6 (again)

Third Roll of Round 9 is: (sequentially) 6, 6, 5

Doug scored 6 for threes

Kevin scored the 6,6,5,6,6 as 29 for four of a kind. (Very impressive, the highest score one can attain, typically, and yet, only one higher than Dane and Geoff. Excellence in play awards.)

Dane scored 9 for threes.

Geoff scored 25 for full house

First Roll of Round 10 is: 1,5,4,2,4

Doug saved the 4,4

Kevin saved the 4,4

Dane saved the 4,4

Geoff saved the 4,5

Second Roll of Round 10 is: (sequentially) 2, 1, 2

Doug saved the 4,4

Kevin saved the 4,4

Dane saved the 4,4

Geoff saved the 1, 2, 4,5

Third Roll of Round 10 is: (sequentially) 4,6,2,4,4

Doug scored the

Kevin scored the

Dane scored the

Geoff scored the

First Roll of Round 11 was: 5, 3, 1, 5, 1

Doug saved the 5,5

Kevin saved the 5,5

Dane saved the 5, 5

Geoff saved the 5, 5

Second Roll of Round 11 is: (sequentially) 4,1,6,1,3

Doug saved the

Kevin saved the

Dane saved the

Geoff saved the

First Roll of Round 11 is: 1,6,4,5,6

For the next issue of Zero Sum, send in want to score for Round 10, what you want to save after Round 11, Roll 2, & what you want to save after Round 12, Roll 1.

Scoring at the End of Round 9

*Upper*	Doug Kent	Kevin Wilson	Geoff Kemp	Dane Maslen
Ace = 1	1	4	3	2
Twos = 2	6	6		6
Threes = 3	6	9	3	9
Fours = 4	8		8
Fives = 5	15	15		15
Sixes = 6	24	24	18
*Total*	60
Bonus +35 if >63	0.0
*Total Upper*	60
*Lower*
3 of a Kind			24	22
4 of a Kind		29	28	28
Full House = 25	25	25	25	25
Sm Straight = 30	30	30		30
Lg Straight = 40		40	40	0.0
YAHTZEE = 50
Chance	24		21
Yahtzee Bonus
*Total Lower*
GRAND TOTAL	133	153	145	128

Oleg Kalugin: What’s My Line?

Apologies, if any needed, in stealing a great idea from the original producers/creators. Per Wikipedia (retrieved 3 May 2013) Produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS Television, the show was initially called Occupation Unknown before deciding on the name What's My Line?

Oleg Kalugin officially started on 3 May, when Andy Lischett was the first panelist to submit questions. Andy submitted questions last round that I overlooked and we have a second panelist, Tom Howell. Welcome, Tom Howell, everyone. (Applause meter flashes to audience)

Next Turn: I will answer the question set of ALL players who send them to me (become a panelist). If you know my occupation but want to submit strange and unusual questions that may or may not contain clues to others, please do.

Panelist: Andy Lischett’s questions:

1. Do you have any more panelists? That's not one of my five questions. Answer: Yes

Okay. You work in an office... I suppose I could Google "Higher Quality", but what fun is that?

1. Is it a nice office? Yes, Class A

2. Are you in Sales? No technically, but somewhat in the grander scheme of things. Don’t we all? No, I do not get commissions.

3. Are you in Design or Research? (John Daly would say that that is two questions, but maybe you won't notice) I like 20 questions, and grouping is allowed. The technically correct answer is yes, I do work in Design or Research, but that is a distraction.

4. How about Administration? Yes.

5. Do you work for the stinking government? ("higherquality" may be a ruse.) Do you deny tax-exempt status to opponents of President Obama? That is two questions. First, no but yes. Second No, and No. But I do deny.

Panelist: Tom Howell’s questions:

1. Does the nature of your occupation require you to relocate frequently? Not necessarily, but for me and most, yes.

2. How many places have you worked in your occupation? I could answer > 20 or I could answer > 40. The answer is, you must ask a yes or no question. Rephrased, have I worked in more than five locations: yes.

3. Are you an employer? (As in, do you hire people to work for you
personally or for an enterprise you own; as opposed to hiring them to
work for a company you work for.) Once.

4. Are you an employee? No

5. Do you sell genuine Rolexes? No

6. By the way, did you send orders for the Kendo Nagasaki game in Variable
Pig? I don't seem to be able to find any from you. Yes, I did and you accepted them. Shameless plug for everyone in Eternal Sunshine to drop in to Variable Pig and play another rousing game of my favorite WITWIKN. Minus, of course, the variable pig GM, Monsoooeee Kent.

BALKAN WARS VI WESTERN PACIFIC 2012Bpb08

FALL 1912

SERBIANS CHANGE MIND, SALONIKA CHANGES HANDS

ALBANIA (Burgess): A Hercegovina-Croatia, A Salonika S A Valona, A Valona S A Salonika

BULGARIA (Kemp): A Plovdiv S A Constantinople, A Constantinople S A Plovdiv (both impossible as provinces do not border each other)

GREECE (McHugh): Retreat At Salonika to ATHENS. A Epirus-Valona, F Gulf of Corfu-South Mediterreanean Sea, F Thrace S A Athens-Salonika, A Athens-Salonika, F Cyclades S F Gulf of Corfu-South Mediterrenean Sea , F Smyrna-Constantinople, F South Adriatic Sea S SERBIAN A Nish-Tirana

RUMANIA (Whining Kent Pig): A Galati S A Bucharest, A Bucharest S A Sofia, F Varna S GREEK F Smyrna-Constantinople, F South Black Sea-Izmit, A Sofia S F Varna, A Kolarovo S A Sofia, A -Croatia-Trieste

SERBIA (Murphy): A Belgrade H, A Nish-Tirana, A Skopje S GREEK A Athens-Salonika

TURKEY (Whyte): F Malta-Gulf of Corfu, F Southern Mediterrenean Sea S F Malta-Gulf of Corfu

Underlined moves do not succeed. The Albanian A Salonika is dislodged and may retreat to Macedonia or off the board. The Bulgarian A Constantinople is dislodged and may retreat to Arda or off the board. The Greek F Gulf of Corfu is dislodged and may retreat to Ionian Sea, Sparta/Patras (depending on what map you have), Crete or off the board.

The Fall 1912 supply center chart:

ALBANIA: montenegro, valona, ~~tirana~~, ~~skopje~~ (2) REMOVE ONE*

BULGARIA: plovdiv, ~~constantinople~~ (1) REMOVE ONE*

GREECE: home, thrace, crete, smyrna, rhodes, constantinople (7) BUILD ONE**

RUMANIA: home, dubruja, cluj, izmit, sofia, varna, trieste (9) BUILD TWO

SERBIA: skopje, nish, belgrade, tirana (4) BUILD ONE

TURKEY: malta, cyprus (2) EVEN

*-but will be EVEN if retreats go off the board

**-could BUILD TWO if retreat goes off the board

Still neutral: bosnia

Emails:

The retreats, Winter 1912 adjustments and Spring 1913 deadline is 3 p.m. August 23. Remember no seasons are ever separated in Balkan Wars VI. Also remember conditional orders are fine, but make sure all your bases are covered.

My contact info: Brad Wilson, 713 Tasker St. #1, Philadephia, PA 19148; 215-668-5522 voice/text; bwdolphin146@yahoo.com or fullfathomfive675@gmail.com.

As a GM I like to participate in the press. My dateline is PHILADELPHIA and that is the ONLY dateline off-limits to you as players. Otherwise fire away!!!

PLAYLIST: Grateful Dead, two discs from a performance from the Capitol Center at Landover, Md., from the SPRING 1990 18-CD box set. 9/8. This must have been one hell of a show. Jerry Garcia's guitar is in prime form, the repertoire is fascinating -- Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, some Dead obscurities and classics and the wonderful Men Smart, Women Are Smarter. The band seems frisky and really into it. Fine stuff here.

PRESS

Turkey-Remainsia: Let me summarise. Two people talk to you. One is always after the fact, so ignore him. That leaves me, whom you attack. No wonder everyone else is maintaining radio silence! As for me, I didn’t realize a game called ‘Diplomacy’ would bring down beatings on me just for passing the time of day….

PHILADELPHIA: Yikes.

Rumania – Philadelphia: It’s now down to me simply emailing Jack to tell him what moves I am supporting or want support for. Perhaps it is time to find a new ally...

PHILADELPHIA: But you are doing so well!

ALBANIAN BOOB to IRISH SERBIAN: I'm not dead yet.... but still bring on the booze! Let's party our way to oblivion!!

PHILADELPHIA: Whose, though?

athens-buch: don't i talk to you every month???? you get all the love you need from me, stop seeking it from others.....now be a good toady and help me get con...

PHILADELPHIA: Your toady delivered. Now can you keep it?

Turkey-Balkans: I talk to 2 other players. Neither replies, but both attack me. As my sun sinks slowly in the east, you should all take heed: 1) Don’t communicate with anyone, as it’s a sure way to rapid elimination. 2) Rumania and Greece are evil, and should be exterminated before they infest the planet. You have been warned. Don’t make me say “I told you so” in my game-end statement.

PHILADELPHIA: Greece I of course agree with. Rumania's just lucky, right, Doug?

athens-philly: at least i'm not being ganged up on for a change....ask doug...i was attacked by everyone in the last three dip games in ES and one of them was a gunboat game---i'm still tryin' to figure out how they find me in that gunboat game...

PHILADELPHIA: The aroma of your socks, Jack.

Rumania – Greece: Yes, I already sent me moves in. No, we didn’t negotiate. I just told you I was supporting a move I expect you to make. If you didn’t make it, and didn’t tell me you weren’t making it, expect trouble.

PHILADELPHIA: Looks like it went well.

ALBANIA to RUMANIA: I'm very sorry, sir, I do not speak a word of Rumanian and cannot understand a word you say. Thus I know not whether you lieth or you telleth the truth.

PHILADELPHIA: Take a guess.

Rumania – Albanian Boob: So perhaps all THREE of us could get on the same page?

PHILADELPHIA: Seems unlikely.

Rumania – Irish Serb: I’m referring to you as the third.

PHILADELPHIA: Oh well then maybe so!

athens-constantinople: sorry, doug offered to be my toady...maybe next game, promise you'll get first consideration...

PHILADELPHIA: I bet.

Rumania – Bulgaria and Sultan: Not much left of either of you. Anybody want to volunteer as a puppet?

PHILADELPHIA: Looks like Turkey is going down swinging, if he's going down at all, given that he just won a battle.

Rumania – Philadelphia: Currently reading the Vonnegut biography And So It Goes by Charles Shields. A great read, and offers so much more insight into his life and the formation of his characters than I had before.

PHILADELPHIA: A great author biography can be stunning and extremely interesting. The catch is you have to care about the other, and Vonnegut doesn't do much for me. Current reading here is something you'd hate, Joseph Stiglitz's THE PRICE OF INEQUALITY. I also finished Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin biography, that one comes highly recommended.

athens-board: well as long as we're doing reading lists...i just finished The Broker by John Grisham, very good and if you like Grisham's other novels you'll like this one...more of spy type novel but very well done....Brad, tell you're Mom I'm working on the the last of Caro's volume on Lyndon Johnston Passage of Power very dense but as well done as the first two...as for history, I'm reading The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christoper Clarke, about 10% done so far...a little dense but well written, i'm hoping its less dense now that I'm done with the Serbian part of the book.

PHILADELPHIA: Caro's LBJ bio is one of the great treasures of our time, really. Astonishing depth and scholarship. I have read all four volumes so far, and have re-read each with pleasure. And they get better and better. I didn't think MASTER OF THE SENATE could be topped but PASSAGE OF POWER did with its sweeping, stirring writing. Can't wait for the next, and so says Caro, the last one. The NY TImes magazine did a fine piece when PASSAGE OF POWER came out on Caro's methods -- pencils and a typewriter! Amazing. The Clarke book I have some interest in too.

athens-belegrad: give up that sissy alliance with albania and cross over to the winning side....better to live on your knees than die on your feet....

PHILADELPHIA: You must have been very persuasive. Hey, love all the great press!! Well done guys!!!

Game Openings

Diplomacy (Black Press – Permanent Opening in ES): Signed up: Paul Milewski, Arthur Shulman, Brad Wilson, needs four more.

Youngstown IV (Black Press): Ten-player variant, with off-board boxes to make it “worldwide.” A classic. Rules on request. Signed up: Brad Wilson, Heath Gardner, Andy Bate, Jack McHugh. Needs 6 more.

By Almost Popular Demand: Same as By Popular Demand, except the top choice in every category scores zero. Join at any time.

Eternal Sunshine Movie Quote Quiz: Join anytime. New game starts this issue!

Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?: Rules in ES #58. Join anytime!

What’s My Line?: In Richard Weiss’ subzine. Ongoing, join anytime!

Drone Wars: Diplomacy variant being offered in Richard Weiss’ subzine. Rules in ES #77 (in his subzine). Sign up now!

Coming Soon?: 1898, Colonia VII-B. If you’re interested in one of these variants, or have a suggestion, let me know.

Standby List: HELP! I need standby players! – Current standby list: Richard Weiss, Jim Burgess (Dip only), Hank Alme, Martin Burgdorf, Paul Milewski (Dip only), Brad Wilson (including Woolworth), Chris Babcock, Marc Ellinger, Heath Gardner, Jack McHugh, and whoever I beg into it in an emergency.

I’m going to continue to go through my files and seeing what other variants I can offer, until I find one that gets enough interest to fill. When I offer a variant I’ll give it an issue or two, but if nobody signs up I’ll drop the opening and replace it. If somebody wants to guest-GM a game of anything, just get in touch. If you have specific game requests please let me know.

Eternal Sunshine Game Section

Acquire – “Winterbloom”

Players: Tom Howell, Hank Alme, Per Westling, and Martin Burgdorf.

Turn 8

Per Westling: Plays 5-H. Buys three Tower.

Martin Burgdorf: Plays 9-B. Founds Festival. Gets one free share and buys three more.

Tom Howell:Plays 7-A. Buys one Worldwide and two Luxor.

Hank Alme: Plays 11-I. Buys three Tower.

Per Westling: Plays 2-C. Buys three Tower

Turn Order for Turn 9: Martin Burgdorf, Tom Howell, Hank Alme, Per Westling, Martin Burgdorf.

Deadline for Turn 9 is August 26^th at 7pm my time.

Diplomacy “Dulcinea” 2008C, F 24

Austria (Martin Burgdorf – martin_burgdorf “of” hotmail.com): A Belgium - Holland (*Fails*),

F Brest - English Channel (*Fails*), A Budapest Supports A Galicia – Rumania, A Galicia - Rumania (*Bounce*),

A Gascony - Brest (*Bounce*), A Moscow - Sevastopol (*Bounce*), A Munich Supports A Ruhr – Kiel,

~~A Norway - Sweden~~ (*Dislodged*, retreat to St Petersburg or Finland or OTB), A Picardy - Belgium (*Bounce*),

A Ruhr – Kiel, A Sweden - Denmark (*Fails*), A Vienna Supports A Budapest.

England (Hank Alme – almehj “of” alumni.rice.edu): F Denmark - Kiel (*Fails*),

A Holland - Belgium (*Bounce*), A Kiel – Berlin, A London – Norway, F North Sea Convoys A London – Norway,

F Norwegian Sea Supports A London - Norway.

Turkey (Jim Burgess – jfburgess “of” gmail.com): F Adriatic Sea Supports F Trieste,

F Baltic Sea - Sweden (*Bounce*), F Black Sea - Sevastopol (*Bounce*), A Bulgaria - Rumania (*Bounce*),

F English Channel Supports A Holland - Belgium (*Cut*), F Gulf of Lyon - Spain(sc) (*Fails*),

F Mid-Atlantic Ocean - Brest (*Bounce*), F Piedmont - Gulf of Lyon (*Fails*), A Rumania - Galicia (*Fails*),

A Serbia Supports A Bulgaria – Rumania, A Silesia Supports A Kiel – Berlin,

F Spain(sc) - Mid-Atlantic Ocean (*Fails*), F Trieste Supports F Venice, A Ukraine Supports A Warsaw,

F Venice Supports F Trieste, A Warsaw Supports A Rumania - Galicia.

W 24/S 25 Deadline is August 27th at 7:00am my time

Supply Center Chart

Austria: Belgium, Brest, Budapest, Kiel, Marseilles, Moscow, Munich, Paris,

St Petersburg, Sweden, Vienna=11, Even or Remove 1

England: Berlin, Denmark, Edinburgh, Holland, Liverpool, London, Norway=7, Build 1

Turkey: Ankara, Bulgaria, Constantinople, Greece, Naples, Portugal, Rome, Rumania, Serbia,

Sevastopol, Smyrna, Spain, Trieste, Tunis, Venice, Warsaw=16, Even

PRESS

Martin to Hank: If I have to defend against you, then Jim will certainly win this game.

(JIM to MARTIN): I don't know, why wouldn't I? I'm really sorry you have to be eliminated; however, you were the one who didn't want to talk when you took over.

“Dulcinea” Diplomacy Bourse

Billy Ray Valentine: Probably in his limousine.

Duke of York: Sells 500 Pounds. Buys 354 Piastres.

Smaug the Dragon: Snore.

Rothschild: Sells 500 Pounds. Buys 349 Piastres.

Baron Wuffet: Zip.

Wooden Nickel Enterprises: Abandoning nickels, looking for wooden dimes...

VAIONT Enterprises: Sells 500 Crowns. Buy 388 Piastres.

Insider Trading LLC: Yawn.

Bourse Master: Stands pat.

PRESS

Bilbo to Duke: Wha! Oh, sure, you are very welcome. There's a comfortable furz bush just over there, where you'll get a nice snooze without the harsh jangle of money changing disturbing you.

Bilbo to Smaug: There's another comfy furz bush just yonder, on the other side of this pleasant valley. You could chill over there under it. I'll get Bard to hold his arrows as long as you don't set anything aflame. We'll wake you when it's all over.

Rothschild to the Duke: With this move I should get most Piastres. The Sultan only has to move into Ber and Mar in order to win this game. Then all other currencies become worthless.

(DUKE OF YORK SEEKS HARMONIC BALANCE): I am amazingly close to having 4500 units of each of the relevant currencies. I think I had better do a bit of churning to make sure no one catches up.

(DUKE OF YORK to BILBO): No worries, sleep away, nothing happening here....

(DUKE OF YORK to SMAUG): What happens if no one wins??

(DUKE OF YORK to VAIONT): I deserve it all, and more, best to you! Yet, do remember that everyone does not know who is whom. Once that is known, even all the king's horses and all the king's men will not be able to stop the gates of hell from opening up.

Next Bourse Deadline is August 26^th at 7:00pm my time

Graustark Diplomacy Game 2006A, F 23

Austria (Don Williams – dwilliams “of” fontana.org): F Adriatic Sea - Ionian Sea,

A Bohemia Supports A Tyrolia – Munich, A Rumania - Sevastopol (*Bounce*), A Serbia – Bulgaria,

A Ukraine - Sevastopol (*Bounce*).

England (Richard Weiss – richardweiss “of” higherquality.com): Retreat A Belgium - Picardy..

F Aegean Sea - Serbia (*Fails*), F Black Sea - Sevastopol (*Bounce*), A Burgundy - Munich (*Fails*),

F English Channel – London, ~~A Marseilles - Spain~~ (*Disbanded*), ~~F Norway - North Sea~~

(*Dislodged*, retreat to Barents Sea or OTB), F Norwegian Sea - Edinburgh (*Bounce*), A Picardy – Paris,

F Portugal - Spain(sc) (*Bounce*), A Silesia – Berlin, ~~F Smyrna - Constantinople~~

(*Dislodged*, retreat to Eastern Mediterranean or Syria or OTB), ~~A Sweden - Denmark~~ (*Disbanded*).

Germany (Harley Jordan – harleyj “of” alum.mit.edu): A Ankara Supports A Constantinople – Smyrna,

A Armenia Supports A Constantinople – Smyrna, A Belgium Supports F Holland, A Constantinople – Smyrna,

A Finland Supports F Gulf of Bothnia – Sweden, A Gascony Supports A Piedmont – Marseilles,

A Greece Supports A Serbia – Bulgaria, F Gulf of Bothnia – Sweden, F Helgoland Bight - Denmark (*Bounce*),

F Holland Supports A Belgium, F North Sea - Edinburgh (*Bounce*), A Piedmont – Marseilles, A Rome – Venice,

F Skagerrak – Norway, A St Petersburg Supports F Skagerrak – Norway, A Tyrolia – Munich, A Warsaw - Silesia.

Germany Wins! EOG Statements due August 27th at 7:00am my time

Supply Center Chart

Austria: Budapest, Bulgaria, Rumania, Trieste, Vienna=5, Even

England: Berlin, Brest, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Paris, Portugal, Spain,

Tunis=9, Build 1 or Even or Remove 1

Germany: Ankara, Belgium, Constantinople, Denmark, Greece, Holland, Kiel, Marseilles, Moscow, Munich,

Naples, Norway, Rome, Serbia, Sevastopol, Smyrna, St Petersburg, Sweden, Venice,

Warsaw=20, WINS!

PRESS:

OSTERREICH to HERR JORDAN: Unless my generals are all lying, they’ve received officer commissions in the German army and navy from you and defected, effective immediately, after carrying out your orders. The war, it appears, is over. Damn! Just when things were getting interesting …

Diplomacy “Jerusalem” 2012A, F 06

Austria (Melinda Holley – genea5613 “of” aol.com): A Vienna Supports A Galicia - Bohemia (*Void*).

England (John Biehl – jerbil “of” shaw.ca): F Baltic Sea Convoys A Livonia – Kiel,

F English Channel - North Sea, A Gascony – Marseilles, F Irish Sea - English Channel, A Livonia – Kiel,

F Mid-Atlantic Ocean - North Africa (*Bounce*), F North Atlantic Ocean - Mid-Atlantic Ocean (*Fails*),

F Norway - St Petersburg(nc), F Portugal Supports F Spain(sc).

France (Jack McHugh – jwmchughjr “of” gmail.com): ~~A Marseilles Hold~~ (*Disbanded*).

Germany (Don Williams – dwilliams “of” fontana.org): A Berlin - Munich (*Fails*),

A Burgundy Supports A Gascony – Marseilles, A Paris – Picardy, A Prussia - Berlin (*Fails*),

F Spain(sc) Supports A Gascony - Marseilles.

Italy (Mark Firth – mark.r.firth “of” capita.co.uk): F Gulf of Lyon - Western Mediterranean (*Fails*),

F Naples - Ionian Sea (*Bounce*), A Piedmont Supports A Marseilles, A Tyrolia – Munich,

F Western Mediterranean - North Africa (*Bounce*).

Russia (Richard Weiss – richardweiss “of” higherquality.com): Retreat A Prussia - Warsaw..

A St.Petersburg Hold (NSU), A Moscow Unordered, A Silesia - Munich (*Bounce*), A Warsaw Hold.

Turkey (Geoff Kemp - ggeoff510 “of” aol.com): F Adriatic Sea - Ionian Sea (*Bounce*),

F Black Sea – Rumania, A Bohemia Supports A Tyrolia – Munich, A Budapest Hold,

A Galicia Supports A Bohemia, F Ionian Sea - Tyrrhenian Sea, A Rumania – Serbia, A Serbia - Albania.

Don Williams has had to resign; will Heath Gardner (heath.gardner “of” gmail.com) please take over for Germany?

All the Draw Proposals Fail

W 06/S 07 Deadline is August 27th at 7:00am my time

Supply Center Chart

Austria: Vienna=1, Even

England: Brest, Denmark, Edinburgh, Kiel, Liverpool, London, Marseilles, Norway, Portugal,

St Petersburg, Sweden=11, Build 2

France: None=0, OUT!!

Germany: Belgium, Berlin, Holland, Paris, Spain=5, Even

Italy: Munich, Naples, Rome, Trieste, Tunis, Venice=6, Build 1

Russia: Moscow, Sevastopol, Warsaw=3, Even

Turkey: Ankara, Budapest, Bulgaria, Constantinople, Greece, Rumania, Serbia, Smyrna=8, Even

PRESS

Aus - World: Ignore the message from Berlin. Miss Kitty's wiles are singular and surrounded at this point. Hmmm...why am I complaining about this????

England to Germany: Who is totally embarrassing us? (Is someone 'bare assing' us?) Let's finish who? What? (My beer?).

Scapa Blow (Sept 1, 1906): Second Lord of the Admiralty, Horatio Hornblower, at his monthly press conference, was critical of recent developments in Europe, " Great Britain is concerned of the situation in Russia where, apparently, journalists have published the alleged Russian Imperial High Command field orders. Our Intelligence Services also report that Communist agitators, those anarchists and terrorists, are fomenting riots inside Germany itself. These are disturbing incidents and Britain, for one, will deal with them." When Smedley Printer, Ace Reporter for the 'Times', dared ask Hornblower "Just how was Britain going to do anything?", Hornblower replied, " Hmmpf, ah, umm, the First Lord of the Admiralty has charge of diplomatic affairs."

London (Sept 3, 1906): First Lord of the Admiralty, Ima Honker, in response to criticisms from the Times editorial (specifically Smedley Printers op-ed on the perilous state of foreign affairs) blustered, "This is all fine for Smedley to say Britain has no policy but, quite the contrary, old chap, we do have a policy. Our policies are formulated by the latest intelligence (rumours and innuendo), by our sovereigns keen eye (willful blindness) and by the War Cabinets sober deliberations (knee jerk reactions, panic and paranoia)." Honker 'guffawed' saying, "The Times exaggerates the situation simply to sell more papers."

London (Sept 30, 1906): King John was worried, "The Kaiser abdicates? The Czar openly declares his armies dispositions? The Empress Melinda is forced to kow-tow to the Sultan? And that pygmy, the King of Italy..... Where will this all lead? Is there no one who will rescue Europe from the Turk? By God and upon British honour, We (that is, I) shall try with assistance from like minded leaders (if there are any......?).

In the Baltic (Oct 10, 1906): Third Lord of the Admiralty, Davey Jones, opend the sealed packet, and he read for some time, " Bloody Marvelous, I'm to attack the German mainland. If all goes according to plan, I shall go down in the annals of British military history." Davey Jones danced a merry jig upon his locker.

Kiel (Oct 31, 1906): "This is crackers me matey! To think after 'bloomin, friggin freezin' Finland and Livonia with all them Mosquitoes, the Sea Lords would be given us booze, broads and plenty o sausages here in Hunland! What'll they think of next?"

Berne[d], Switz.: The Center for Strategic Studies has published a critique of the Turkish military campaign noting the several times that the Turkish forces (in one season or another) apparently failed to support or co-ordinate agreed upon manoeveurs with everyone of its neighbours. The author, I.C. Cleerly wonders when the recipients of these 'spurnings' will realize the peril they place themselves in. I.C. Cleerly further pondered whether the Turkish Command will advance quickly (as they could most certainly do so)?

Berne[d], Switz.: The Center for Strategic Studies has published a scathing critique on the Italian strategy. Armies sitting in place? Fleets facing east then, pell-mell, sailing west? Brutally stabbing Austria while Turkey grows stronger? Now, it is apparent for all to see how much a Slave Italy is to his Turkish Overlord. Fie! (Fee, fie, fo, fum). A pox on Italian plans (correction, a pox on Italian no-plans).

Diplomacy “Walkerdine” 2012D, S 03

Austria (Jeff O’Donnell – unclestaush “of” yahoo.com): A Budapest Supports A Vienna – Trieste,

~~F Greece Hold~~ (*Dislodged*, retreat to Albania or Bulgaria(sc) or OTB), A Vienna - Trieste.

England (Marc Ellinger - mellinger “of” bbdlc.com): A Edinburgh – Norway,

F North Sea Convoys A Edinburgh – Norway, A Norway – Finland, F Norwegian Sea - Barents Sea,

F Sweden Supports A Norway - Finland.

France (Jim Burgess – jfburgess “of” gmail.com): A Belgium Supports A Holland (*Ordered to Move*),

F Marseilles - Gulf of Lyon, F North Africa – Tunis, A Piedmont Supports A Tyrolia – Venice,

F Tyrrhenian Sea Supports F North Africa – Tunis, F Western Mediterranean Supports F North Africa - Tunis.

Germany (Steve Cooley – tmssteve “of” gmail.com): F Baltic Sea Supports F Denmark,

F Denmark Supports F Baltic Sea, A Holland – Kiel, A Silesia - Bohemia (*Bounce*), A Tyrolia - Venice (*Fails*).

Italy (Harold Zarr - skip1955 “of” hotmail.com): F Naples Supports F Tyrrhenian Sea - Ionian Sea (*Void*),

A Rome Supports A Venice, ~~A Trieste Supports A Piedmont - Venice~~ (*Dislodged*, retreat to Albania or OTB),

~~F Tunis Supports F Tyrrhenian Sea - Ionian Sea~~ (*Disbanded*), A Venice Supports A Trieste (*Cut*).

Russia (Hank Alme – almehj “of” alumni.rice.edu): A Ukraine – Galicia (NSU), F Gulf of Bothina Unordered,

F Aegean Sea - Greece (*Fails*), A Galicia - Bohemia (*Bounce*),

A Rumania Supports A Serbia - Budapest (*Void*), A Warsaw Supports A Ukraine - Galicia (*Fails*).

Turkey (Don Williams – dwilliams “of” fontana.org): F Eastern Mediterranean - Ionian Sea,

F Ionian Sea – Greece, A Serbia Supports F Ionian Sea – Greece, F Smyrna – Constantinople,

A Ukraine - Galicia (*Fails*).

Don Williams has had to resign. Can Chris Babcock (cbabcock “of” asciiking.com) find it in his heart to take over for Turkey?

Deadline for F 03 Will Be August 27^th at 7am My Time

PRESS

(BOOB to GHOST OF WALKERDINE): I'm sorry, we've shamed your memory so far in this mess of a game.... I have a feeling it is about to get messier. I need to start a story line for next issue. Since I think Doug is ending Twisted Tale, I think I know how I'm going to do one element. I'm going to try to start some Twisted Tales here. But with seconds to deadline, not today.....

(BOOB to GM): Hey, I got you TAP, what else do you want???

GM – Boob: A decent subzine?

(BOOB to MY MAN STEVERINO): You da man, what do you want me to do next?

Black Press Gunboat, “Fred Noonan”, 2013Arb32, F 03

Austria: Disbands A Serbia, retreats A Vienna - Bohemia.. A Bohemia Supports A Budapest – Vienna,

A Budapest - Vienna (*Fails*), F Greece - Ionian Sea (*Bounce*).

England: F Edinburgh - North Sea, F Liverpool - Wales (*Bounce*), F London - Wales (*Bounce*).

France: A Burgundy Supports A Picardy, F Clyde - Liverpool (*Fails*), F English Channel - Wales (*Bounce*),

F Mid-Atlantic Ocean - English Channel (*Fails*), A Picardy Supports A Burgundy.

Germany: F Baltic Sea – Sweden, A Belgium Supports A Holland, F Denmark Supports F Baltic Sea – Sweden,

A Holland Supports A Belgium, A Munich Hold, F Skagerrak Supports F Baltic Sea - Sweden.

Italy: F Adriatic Sea Supports A Venice – Trieste, F Tunis - Ionian Sea (*Bounce*), A Tyrolia Supports A Vienna,

A Venice – Trieste, A Vienna Supports A Venice - Trieste (*Cut*).

Russia: A Finland - Sweden (*Fails*), A Galicia Supports F Sevastopol – Rumania,

A Moscow - Sevastopol (*Fails*), F Norway Supports A Finland – Sweden, F Sevastopol - Rumania (*Fails*),

A Ukraine Supports F Sevastopol - Rumania.

Turkey: F Aegean Sea Convoys A Smyrna – Bulgaria, F Black Sea Supports A Rumania,

A Rumania Supports A Bohemia - Galicia (*Void*), A Serbia Supports A Rumania, A Smyrna - Bulgaria.

Deadline for W 03/S 04 Will Be August 27^th at 7am My Time

Supply Center Chart

Austria: Budapest, Greece=2, Remove 1

England: Edinburgh, Liverpool, London=3, Even

France: Brest, Marseilles, Paris, Portugal, Spain=5, Even

Germany: Belgium, Berlin, Denmark, Holland, Kiel, Munich, Sweden=7, Build 1

Italy: Naples, Rome, Trieste, Tunis, Venice, Vienna=6, Build 1

Russia: Moscow, Norway, Sevastopol, St Petersburg, Warsaw=5, Remove 1

Turkey: Ankara, Bulgaria, Constantinople, Rumania, Serbia, Smyrna=6, Build 1

PRESS

Ger - Fra: Let's continue our alliance past the tidying up of our little corner of the world.

Ger - Rus: Will you forget this?

Turkey - Italy: Let's finish this quickly. I can go back to what I was doing & you can move quickly in the other direction.

France to Germany: I think we can easily work out the deal for beer and whiskey! Boilermakers made from Irish whiskey and German beer are excellent! Beware of Russian vodka however, the quality and purity are not up to our standards!

T => I: Ready for what?

T => A: Actually I need help against the Tsar, not against the King of Italy.

RUSSIA-GERMANY: Looks like you are about to do something silly. Baltic Sea, very aggressive. If you've taken Swe, you will come to regret it. Could have worked together.

Diplomacy “Sweet Spot” 2013A, W 02/S 03

Austria (paul.milewski “of” hotmail.com): Retreat A Rumania - Ukraine.. Remove A Budapest..

A Ukraine - Moscow (*Fails*).

England (Harold Zarr - skip1955 “of” hotmail.com):. F Helgoland Bight - Holland (*Bounce*),

A London Hold, ~~F North Sea Supports F Helgoland Bight - Holland~~ (*Dislodged*, retreat to Skagerrak

or Norwegian Sea or Edinburgh or Yorkshire or OTB), F Norway Supports F North Sea (*Cut*).

France (Melinda Holley – genea5613 “of” aol.com): Build A Paris.. F Belgium - North Sea,

F English Channel Supports F Belgium - North Sea, A Paris – Picardy, A Portugal – Spain,

A Ruhr - Holland (*Bounce*), A Wales - Liverpool.

Germany (Jack McHugh – jwmchughjr “of” gmail.com): Build A Kiel, A Berlin.. A Berlin – Munich,

A Denmark Supports A Kiel, A Kiel Supports A Berlin – Munich, F Sweden Supports A Denmark,

~~A Vienna Supports A Budapest~~ (*Dislodged*, retreat to Budapest or Galicia or Bohemia or OTB).

Italy (Heath Gardner - heath.gardner “of” gmail.com): Build A Venice, F Naples..

F Adriatic Sea Supports A Trieste, F Ionian Sea - Greece (*Fails*), F Naples - Tyrrhenian Sea,

A Serbia Supports F Ionian Sea - Greece (*Cut*), A Trieste Supports A Tyrolia – Vienna, A Tyrolia – Vienna,

A Venice - Piedmont.

Russia (Chris Babcock – cbabcock “of” asciiking.com ): Build A Moscow.. A Galicia – Warsaw,

F Gulf of Bothnia - St Petersburg(sc) (*Fails*), A Moscow - Sevastopol (*Bounce*),

F Rumania - Sevastopol (*Bounce*), A St Petersburg - Norway (*Fails*).

Turkey (Larry Peery – peery “of” ix.netcom.com): Build A Constantinople..

F Aegean Sea Supports A Constantinople - Bulgaria (*Fails*), A Bulgaria - Serbia (*Fails*),

A Constantinople - Bulgaria (*Fails*), A Greece Supports A Bulgaria - Serbia (*Cut*), A Syria - Smyrna.

Deadline for F 03 Will Be August 27th at 7am My Time

PRESS

(Versailles) - The Woman graciously extended her hand to the Commander of her armies. "Congratulations on keeping the English out of Holland. Wish you had been successful in taking it, but we can't have everything, I suppose."

"It was felt to be of more strategic importance to land our armies in Wales, Madam."

"Oh, I agree," the Woman nodded. "I understand the defenses of Liverpool are practically nil."

"Yes, Madam."

"Good! I want Beatle souvenirs!"

"Madam?"

The Woman frowned. "Beatles? John Lennon? George Harrison? Ringo Starr? Paul McCartney? Any of this ring a bell with you?"

"Ah, Paul McCartney!" The Commander quickly nodded. "The Beatles must have been the group he was with before he formed Wings, yes?"

The Woman hissed and snapped her fingers at her personal guard. "Remove him to the Bastille! Immediately!" Ignoring the Commander's protests, she turned to her aide. "Paul! Notify Crockett's Brigade they're going to Liverpool! And bring me back Beatle souvenirs!"

"Yes, Madam," the long-suffering aide nodded. "Uh, Crockett's Brigade? In honor of Davy Crockett?"

"No! Sonny Crockett!" The Woman glared at the quivering aide. "Miami Vice, you idiot! Good grief, has this country NO culture at all?!?"

ger-italy: don't look now but we're already on the stalemate line so don't move...

ger-fra: i'd to say we allied just once before one of us retires melinda...

ger-rus/tur: did you guys decide to ally before he game started or what?

ger-gm: i got back to up five units--is that amazing or what???? i thought i'd never see more than three again...

GM – Germany: I must have screwed up the adjudication somehow….

(BOOB to PEERY): Happy Birthday, but seriously, what the heck was that headline timeline???

(BOOB to ALL): Be careful, Melinda thinks she's France in every game she's in, even where I'm France. As a result, when she actually ***IS*** France, watch out!!! Even a Juggernaut won't stop her.

(BOOB to LARRY): So the question is this, will it be Turkey that brings down the EU?

GM – Boob: I’m not sure about that, but I can assure you that in this game, Turkey evokes a lot of “Ewwwww”s.

When The Dip World Becomes the Real World - It's funny how sometimes our Dip World can become intertwined with the Real World. Consider what happened to me yesterday.

At least once a week I visit Sprouts, my local produce-centric grocery store. You pay a little more for non-produce stuff but the quality and prices of the produce more than make up for it. The only danger is the temptation to buy more than you can use before things start to spoil. This summer I've been experimenting with "fruit soups," something you don't see much in California. It's made something like a vegetable soup, only with fruit. They can be served hot or cold, depending on the weather. Anyway, I had a basket filled with all kinds of fruits and veggies, and I headed to the back of the store where the meat was. I was standing there debating between the 99 cents a pound chicken legs and the $1.29 a pound chicken thighs. There was this little, perhaps five foot tall, older (well, maybe not as old as me) gentleman standing next to me going through each package of chicken checking the labels. I usually see that early in the morning when people come in looking for half-priced items with that date's expiration date. He was muttering to himself and I noticed he had an accent I couldn't identify; which made me curious of course. After listening to him for a few minutes I finally turned to him and asked him where he was from. He looked at me and said, "Turkey." I asked him what city and he replied with a name I didn't recognize. After a few more tries I realized he was saying "Izmir." "Oh," I said, "You mean Smyrna." He looked at me with a bewildered look on his face. It took a few more tries while he corrected my pronunciation of the old Byzantine/Ottoman name for modern Turkish Izmir, a city of 1.3 million people.

It turned out he was looking for "organic" chicken (they were out) while his wife did the rest of the shopping. We started talking. Actually, he started talking and I listened. It was fascinating. In ten minutes he gave me a very concise and accurate over-view of Turkey's history over the last hundred years, as experienced by four generations of his family. His grandfather was born in Izmir in the 1890s and fought at Gallipoli where he was wounded fighting against the Australians. He told me that to this day the local people who live around the battlefields still tend the gravesites of all the dead, Turkish and foreign. Kemel, the name of the fellow I was talking to (Named Kemel for his father who was named Kemel for Attaturk, of course) told me that his grandfather told his father stories when he was a kid and those had been passed on to him by his father. He spoke with passion about events three generations and a hundred years ago: "The British navy commanders were stupid. Churchill was the villain. British solders were brave but poorly trained. The Turks had nothing but respect and admiration for the Australians who fought bravely." He looked very solemn as he told me that every Turkish solder at Gallipoli and to this day takes the same oath to always advance and never retreat, and to prefer death to being captured. Surrender was not an option.

His father also served in the Turkish Army, Kemel said, and he was very proud that Turkey was part of NATO. He said his dad was a tanker and that he spent two years living out of his tank across from the Bulgarian border waiting for the day WWIII would start. When he got out of the Army he took his mechanical skills back to Izmir and opened a engine repair shop, eventually growing it into a construction equipment company. Kemel, the gentleman I was talking to, went to engineering school, raised his own family, and finally decided to retire after turning the family business over to their son, also named Kemel. He said they'd bought a retirement home in Carlsbad because the climate was much like they were used to. He didn't say so, but I expect the family was looking to get some of their assets out of Turkey; a not uncommon practice among Turks. He said he and his wife go back to Izmir once a year, and once a year their kids and grand kids come to visit them here.

I had just started to ask him what he thought of what's going on in Turkey now when his wife showed up with a big basket of goodies. He introduced me to her, shook hands with me, and said good by at least three times as he followed her toward the check-out line. I hope I see them again. I have a lot more questions to ask.

Woolworth II-D “Coney Island” 2013Bcb19, W 02/S 03

Austria (Secret): A Tyr S F Tri-Ven, F Tri-Ven, A Bud-Ser, ~~A Gal-Rum~~(ret Vie, Boh, Tra, OTB).

Balkans (Secret): F Gre-Alb, A Ser-Bud, A Rum S A War-Gal.

England (Secret): F Cly S A Lpl, A Lpl S F Lon-Wal, F Lon-Wal.

France (Heath Gardner - heath.gardner “of” gmail.com): A Bel s Bur – Ruh, A Wal-Lon, F Eng S A Wal-Lon,

F Gol S F Mos-Wms.

Germany (Marc Ellinger - mellinger “of” bbdlc.com): F Hol-Kie, A Ber-Kie, A Mun-Swi, A Pie S F Tri-Ven,

A Sil-War.

Italy (Secret): Bld A Rom..F Cre-Ion, F Tun-Tys, A Ven S A Tyr, A Apu S A Ven, A Rom S A Ven.
Russia (Jim Burgess - jfburgess “of” gmail.com): Bld A Mos..A Lvn-War, A War-Gal, A Mos-Ukr,

F Sev-Bla(NSU), ~~A Sev U~~(ret Mos, Kaz, Per, OTB).

Scandinavia (Geoff Kemp - ggeoff510 “of” aol.com): F Nth-Lon, F Nwg-Nao, A Den H.
Spain (Secret): Bld F Mor..F Mor-Wms, F Iri-Nao, F Ice S F Iri-Nao, A Bur-Ruh.

Turkey (Hugh Polley – hapolley “of” yahoo.ca): F Bla S A Arm-Sev, A Arm-Sev, A Bul S A Rum, F Con-Aeg.

Deadline for F 03 is August 27th at 7am My Time

PRESS

BALKANS to ITALY: I don't negotiate with Popes hiding behind Anonymity screens!

Italy to Bulkans - We will support the Austrian in all matters regarding Tri, unless he attacks Ven.

Reuters: Just in - Reports that Spain is France's secret ally! Why else would France forego sure build from Spanish SC? When contacted by this reporter; France refused to comment on latest German intelligence report.

SER for ANK: OK, so what do you do if I head north instead?

RUSSIA to GERMANY: How come we can't agree in any game we're in together? At least you aren't as clueless as Martin.

Turkey to Russia: Did I take Sev? Sure hope so, it would be nice to get rid of that fleet!

GM – Russia and Turkey: WHAT fleet?

By Almost Popular Demand

The goal is to pick something that fits the category and will be the a popular answer but NOT 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. However, if your answer is the most popular answer, you score ZERO. 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, and the score is doubled for Round 10. A prize will be awarded to the winner. Research is permitted!

Round 6 Categories

1. A color of automobile.

2. An album by The Eagles.

3. Something you order in a Mexican restaurant.

4. A reptile.

5. A movie featuring Johnny Depp.

Congrats to Andy Lischett for the high score of 24. Poor Brendan Whyte stumbles in with a 3.

Selected Comments By Category

Automobile – Kevin Wilson “I'm guessing black would be the #1 so went with the next on my list, at least for a sports car.” Andy Bate “Hmm, lucky dip time. Blue. Actually, our car is Air Blue (whatever the hell that means), so if I go for that I should definitely get a point. Hell, no, we'll go for just plain old Blue and hope for a few more points than one.” Marc Ellinger “It seems that the 3 most likely are Red, Black and White, so I’ll take my chances with option 3…who knows, I might be right!”

Eagles – Kevin Wilson “The only one that came to mind was Hotel California so I guessed that would be #1. I had to look them up to get another title. I guess I wasn't too much of an Eagles fan.” Andy Bate “Shockingly awful memory strikes again, since I wanted to go for Take It To The Limit, but that was just a single. And my brain refused to remind me of the title of Hotel California. Surely that won't score any points, or will we all shy away from it? Anyhoo, I'm going to go for the album which features Take It To The Limit, so One Of These Nights it is for me.” Marc Ellinger “How can you argue with the first album and the same name as the band. I’m betting Hotel California is the most popular.” Jim Burgess “yikes how to overthink. "Hotel California" is the obvious first choice, but will it be the best choice here since it is so obvious. Long Road out of Eden is probably their best, but will that be the most popular? One of these Nights? The Long Run? I almost went with On the Border or The Eagles as misdirection.”

Mexican Restaurant – Kevin Wilson “I have no idea what might be #1, maybe tacos or a burrito.” Brendan Whyte “More toilet paper to tide you over until morning?”

Reptile – Kevin Wilson “I wasn't sure if the picks would be for a species or a grouping. I went with the later.” Don Williams “ Marc Ellinger “They eat people…what more could you ask for!!” Jim Burgess “Crocodile is the choice, I think. Snake and Alligator should be the top ones, can't choose which one to pick that will score.”

Johnny Depp – Kevin Wilson “I haven't a clue what #1 might be. Pirates may well be #1 but I liked that whole series.” Hank Alme “Betting on more Pirates of the Caribbean” Jim Burgess “I think again, leave Pirates out, you have his three best Platoon, Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood. Platoon is too obscure, so that's out. Edward Scissorhands I think will be the choice with everyone scared to say Pirates. Ed Wood, that will score big.”

Round 7 Categories

1. One of Beethoven’s symphonies.

2. Something associated with New Orleans.

3. Something you dread.

4. A famous blind person (living or dead).

5. Something you frequently forget to buy at the grocery store.

Deadline for Round 7 is August 27th at 7:00am my time

Stock	Price	% +/-
AJK - Allison Kent	73	1.4%
ALM - Hank Alme	34	9.7%
AMB - Amber Smith	0.01	0.0%
AND - Lance Anderson	0.01	0.0%
BAB - Chris Babcock	6	20.0%
BIE - John Biehl	116	3.6%
BRG - Martin Burgdorf	104	3.0%
BWD - Brad Wilson	126	5.0%
CAK - Andy Lischett	106	2.9%
CAL - Cal White	0.01	0.0%
CHC - Chuy Cronin	0.01	0.0%
CIA - Tom Swider	0.01	0.0%
CKW - Kevin Wilson	102	2.0%
CKY - Carol Kay	30	7.1%
DAN - Dane Maslen	100	2.0%
DBG - David Burgess	0.01	0.0%
DGR - David Grabar	0.01	-99.0%
DTC - Brendan Whyte	95	1.1%
DUK - Don Williams	90	-2.2%
FRD - Fred Wiedemeyer	75	-11.8%
FRG - Jeremie Lefrancois	0.01	0.0%
FRT - Mark Firth	100	3.1%
GAR - Heath Gardner	68	4.6%
GRA - Graham Wilson	0.01	0.0%
HAP - Hugh Polley	41	5.1%
HDT - Heather Taylor	104	3.0%
HLJ - Harley Jordan	86	2.4%
JOD - Jeff O'Donnell	82	2.5%
KMP - Geoff Kemp	102	3.0%
KVT - Kevin Tighe	20	-20.0%
LAT - David Latimer	85	1.2%
LCR - Larry Cronin	0.01	0.0%
MRK - Mark Nelson	0.01	0.0%
MCC - David McCrumb	20	-33.3%
MCR - Michael Cronin	0.01	0.0%
MIM - Michael Moulton	12	-29.4%
MRC - Marc Ellinger	102	3.0%
OTS - Tom Howell	100	3.1%
PER - Per Westling	103	6.2%
PJM - Phil Murphy	35	2.9%
QUI - Michael Quirk	15	7.1%
RAC - Robin ap Cynan	73	4.3%
RDP - Rick Desper	108	3.8%
REB - Melinda Holley	105	2.9%
RED - Paraic Reddington	112	2.8%
RWE - Richard Weiss	128	5.8%
SAK - Jack McHugh	201	3.6%
TAP - Jim Burgess	133	7.3%
VOG - Pat Vogelsang	0.01	0.0%
WAY - W. Andrew York	102	2.0%
WLK - Richard Walkerdine	141	0.0%
WWW - William Wood	0.01	0.0%
YLP - Paul Milewski	133	1.5%