Evil Dead – I have been a huge
fan of Sam Raimi’s original “The Evil Dead” ever
since it was first released in the early 80’s.
The low budget actually helped lend a particularly creepy atmosphere to
everything from the moment the movie started.
This was near the beginning of the horror explosion, with Halloween and
Friday the 13th and all the other “holiday movies” following and
making bloody films like The Evil Dead commonplace (until Joss Whedon brought us The Cabin in the Woods and put that whole
genre on its head).
Because
of the involvement of Sam Raimi in the remake, and
“Ash” Bruce Campbell, I figured this would at least turn out tolerable. In fact, it was quite good. I don’t believe it could ever be as good as
the original, simply because that was a different time, a different place. But first time feature director Fede Alvarez, handpicked by Raimi
for this project (like the original, a series of three films), knows how to
keep things creepy and a bloody mess.
The
plot is a bit different, updated to give more detail to the evil Book of the
Dead and to make a few of the character’s actions more sensible. Mia (Jane Levy) is promising to kick her
heroin habit (again). This time she’ll
go cold turkey at their late parents’ old cabin (made to look quite a bit like
the one in the original). There to help
her are Olivia (Jessica Lucas) and her nurse’s training (and tranquilizers for
when Mia starts to go nuts), Mia’s generally-absent
brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), his girlfriend Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore),
and long-time friend Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci).
While
going through withdrawal, Mia complains of a horrible smell, which turns out to
be countless dead animals hanging from the basement ceiling. Also down in the basement are (just like in
the original) a shotgun with shells, and a strange book. This is the Book of the Dead. Eric, a teacher, ignores the warnings
scrawled all over the book and reads some of it aloud. This, as you’d expect, releases the evil
forces from within the woods.
Everything
goes to hell, no pun intended, from then on.
Mia runs into the woods, where she suffers the familiar fate with the trees
(but in a grosser and scarier way). Now
possessed, the demonic forces spread, trying to taste the souls of each of the
intruders.
There
are some new twists, and some homages to the original
which fans will recognize and the uninitiated don’t need to. And lots of blood. And gore.
One scene, where one charter slices their own tongue in half and then
tries to kiss another with it had Heather closing her eyes tight until it was
over.
I
look forward to seeing if they take the story in a different direction in the
sequel. In the meantime, this was enough
fun for me to say it was worth the trip.
Seen on DVD – It
(C+, I’d forgotten how cheesy much of the dialogue and ALL of the special
effects of this TV movie were. If
made today it would be much darker).
The Eternal
Sunshine Interview
I know it has been a while since you’ve seen this
section, but I was glad to get an interview completed for a change. I started two, neither of which every ended
(including one with the sister of this month’s subject). Hope for etter in
the future…not better than Eva, just better consistency from me.
And now, my email
interview with the beautiful and talented Eva Holbrook, one of the four sisters
who make up SHEL. SHEL is a unique
musical group which you owe it to yourself to check out, either by a simple
search on Youtube, visiting their website www.shelmusic.com, or their video
appearances on CMT. Their music is an
eclectic mix of styles, combined into their own unique sound.
What is your name: Eva Ellen Holbrook
What is your astrological sign: I
never qualified for one of those.
How old are you (exact or approximate): I'm
approximately old enough to know not answer this question exactly.
What is your earliest childhood memory?
Listening to Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles.
Describe your immediate family (present
day): The best family I could ask for. Nine individuals
who teach me about grace and love daily.
What do you do for a living: I create.
Where were you born: Fort Collins, CO
What did you want to be when you were growing
up: An artist.
Douglas Kent: When I try to describe SHEL's music to someone who hasn't heard it, I am
stuck for a proper description without going into great detail. (I seem
to run into this problem with a number of independent artists). How would
you describe it?
Eva Holbrook: Mostly we say folk, or celtic.
Somedays
classical. Somedays rock. We've been trying to pick a genre for 5 years... I
think we're just now giving up and letting people call it what they want.
Personally, I call it SHEL.
Douglas Kent: I'm quite lost when it comes to SHEL's songwriting process. Can
you give an example of how a typical song grows from original idea to final
version?
Eva Holbrook: We're story tellers, but we were instrumentalists
long before we were singers. So we learned to tell stories through composition
first. When we finally all started singing we began to learn how to sew it all
together. Prosody, you know. Sometimes a song starts with a musical theme,
sometimes it starts with a lyric, but however it starts,
it's refined until every moment of it is telling the listener a story.
Douglas Kent: Which of you is responsible for more of the music, and for more the
lyrics?
Eva Holbrook: Musically it's all across the board. Hannah is the genius behind the
harmonies. Sarah and Liza really have an ear for good cheeky melodies.
Lyrically, I usually start, although these days it's been Liza and I.
Douglas Kent: In an odd way, I find the nonstandard rhythms and structures of SHEL's
music to feel like a combination of jazz, Americana, and perhaps Celtic styles
and flavors. Obviously each song is different. What types of music
did you enjoy listening to when growing up, and who would you list as your
greatest musical influences through the years?
Eva Holbrook: The Beatles. In this age where musicality is
almost sneered at, we can always go back to The Beatles. We grew up with a lot
of classic rock and classical music... and really only one prominent acoustic
album that I can think of... Strength in Numbers. One
of the best albums I've ever heard. Current day... Alison
Krause, Melody Gardot, and Muse.
Douglas Kent: Who are five artists I might find in your CURRENT playlist?
Eva Holbrook: Muse; Lord Huron; The Police; Melody Gardot ;
Led Zeppelin.
Douglas Kent: I have to ask this because I see lots of joking comments on some of your
social media photos about Liza..."No room on the bench for Liza, as
usual" and things of that nature. Obviously with your musical
training you understand the complexities of composition, but do you think there
is some under-appreciation for what Liza brings to SHEL? Clearly her
rhythmic power drives many of the songs, and provides the ethereal magic which
sometimes is felt stronger by males than females. (But I'm not sure if
you agree with that statement either).
Eva Holbrook: Liza is the favorite everywhere we go. Which is only right, because she's our collective favorite as well.
I think she gets teased the most because of it. When she beatboxes
at a show, that is the loudest cheer you'll hear from
the audience all night. I think everyone appreciates what she does because
she's insanely captivating to watch.
Douglas Kent: What's the REAL reason Liza isn't a vocalist within the band?
Eva Holbrook: She IS a vocalist within the band. Though she
only became interested in singing a year ago. Her voice completes our sound.
Douglas Kent: Who decided to cover The Battle of Evermore, which undeservedly might
be regarded as a lesser-known track by LZ? Do you perform any other
covers in your live set? Do you have plans for recording other covers in
the future?
Eva Holbrook: We collectively decided to. Our dad was the first
to suggest it. That's the only cover we perform, although we've recorded a
couple others.
Douglas Kent: What musical
instruments are you proficient in? Are there any you would like to learn?
Eva Holbrook: Only mandolin. I've been learning cello and electric
guitar on the side, but my abilities are a long way from proficient.
Douglas Kent: Do you ever mix in
guitar with mandolin when you perform, or do you think that sort of moves away
too far from the SHEL sound?
Eva Holbrook: If one of us was every as committed to guitar as we are
to our other instruments that could happen, but right now none of us perform
with it.
Douglas Kent: When I first heard a
song by SHEL (I can’t recall which one it was), I have to be honest and say
that I wasn’t immediately fond of your voice as the choice for lead. But
by now I am completely infatuated by it, and by how well your
tonal qualities and your enunciation work with the lyrics of your songs.
Are you a big critic of yourself when it comes to your personal performance, or
are you generally happy with how you sound vocally and instrumentally?
Eva Holbrook: Hey, I appreciate the honesty. I'm not really sure how
I ended up as lead. I have the weakest voice actually, and there are a lot of
things to critique about it. It's taken the past couple years for me to even
reach a point where I can sing consistently live. I've never felt like a
natural born singer, and there are so many incredible vocalists out there, so I
think it's only right to be critical and work on constant improvement, but I'm
also learning to accept how I sound and realize that I'm really lucky to have
three amazing sisters to sing with. I like my voice best when it's alongside
theirs.
Douglas Kent: Can you describe how
you are involved personally in the arranging and recording of your music?
Eva Holbrook: It's odd, but I have a pretty reactionary personality,
sort of like a big monster that shadows me, and this plays a big role in our
arranging. When something works and strikes a heart string I jump up and down
and applaud. When it's anything less than that, I'm usually the one losing my
temper over it and insisting we figure out what's wrong. I'm so attached to
music that it's hard for me to approach it any other way. So the girls put up
with me hacking at things constantly until we reach the point of satisfaction.
Of course they're never afraid to do their own hacking, but it usually involves
fewer analogies and inarticulate ramblings about how it should feel. But we all
understand each other and get to where we're going one way or another.
Douglas Kent: Your hats are
enchanting (and I love women in hats to begin with). You MUST talk about
how you started designing them, and the process for making them by hand.
And when are the men’s hats coming?
Eva Holbrook: There's a whole story behind the hats and the wardrobe
it's self... but it won't be published until the summer- online and in the
physical, so I'll let you read for yourself, but I can tell you the gist. The
hats are best for keeping letters in, or traveling through the forest of ideas
locked up inside your head. They are the distinguished crown of those willing
to pioneer their own imaginations and offer what they find to the rest of the
world, or they are simply the accessory best worn at tea time or during
outings. They're adorned with tattered fabrics, each strand representing a
particular accomplishment in the life of the individual wearing it. For
instance, I wear two strands on mine, one representing the finch nest I found
last spring and the other representing the survival of heart break. The men’s
hats will be available this spring, and if all goes well they'll have a pocket
for letters.
Douglas Kent: What’s the plan for
the immediate future? When can SHEL fans hope for a new CD?
Eva Holbrook: The plan is to keep making music and videos, and to
tour as much as possible. For us this CD is still pretty new as it hasn't been
out for a year yet, but we're constantly writing and recording, so who
knows!
Douglas Kent: Is it true that you never play Dallas just to avoid having
to be within 100 yards of me?
Eva Holbrook: I know we'll be
in Austin for The Pecan Festival, I hope we make it out to Dallas again soon!
Douglas Kent: What are your five favorite movies, five favorite books,
and five favorite Beatle songs?
Eva Holbrook: Movies: Singing
In The Rain, Yellow Submarine, Little Women, Pride and
Prejudice, Monsters INC. Books: The
Princess and The Goblin- George MacDonald, Mere
Christianity- C.S. Lewis, The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy- J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter
Pan- J.M. Berry, The Unsettling Of America- Wendell Berry. Beatles Songs:
Eleanor Rigby, Hey Bull Dog, A Day In The Life, Fool On The Hill, Lucy In The Sky
Douglas Kent: Any parting words for Eternal Sunshine readers?
Eva Holbrook: Thanks for
reading and listening!
Meanwhile…….in my attempt to keep Eternal
Sunshine readers updated on what’s happening with prior interview victims, I
want to mention that Raina Rose has just released her
new CD, “Caldera.” You can order it at http://www.rainerose.com. This is the mini-review I wrote for her on
Facebook:
"Caldera" is the first properly
produced CD Raina Rose has given us, and it shows.
Her voice is strong and confident, the arrangements complimentary.
The best word I can think of to describe
the album is "dizzying." Raina is forever
spinning you around, with her stylistic chord changes and ability to mix in the
odd minor chord at exactly the right moment. Likewise, her lyrics pull you in.
Just when she takes an obvious rhyme in the middle of a song, and your mind has
prepared for more of the same, she turns poetic and envelops you with the
picture she creates.
The only real question I have is whether
the best weather to enjoy "Caldera" is an overcast, semi-dreary day
or a warm, sultry one.
John Wilman: Hi Doug - thanks for the latest ES.
I
see that you have taken to publishing poetry. Here is my latest effort .....
"Strike"
They
say
There;s gold in them thar hills
I
have a claim
Left
me by my Daddy
I
think I'll ride out there
With
that nice prospector
Who
always tips his hat to me
(which you could attribute to any romantic female stuck in
the Wild West)
I
entered this one for a competition, having misunderstood the requirements
When
Ahab pursued the white whale
A
sailor recorded his tale
Too
modest to sign
His
name on the line
He
simply wrote - "Call me Ishmael"
I
don't usually comment on US politics, as I don't have a vote there. But here in
Britland, we had a PM called Harold Wilson, who won
four general elections, the suddenly resigned.
He
was concerned that he might be suffering from an inherited though mild form of
dementia.
Ronald
Reagan, who
actually did have Alzheimers, was endorsed by the
Republican party to stand for a second term.
His
geriatric administration, famous for the "voodoo economics" which
created a deficit of monumental proportions, paved the way for all future
Democratic success.
Go
figure.
Rick Desper: If you want them, I'm submitting them
before the season starts..
AL
East: Rays, Yankees (WC), Orioles, Red
Sox, Jays…really, I have no idea.
AL
Central: Tigers, White Sox, Indians, Royals, Twins
AL
West: Angles, Strangers, Aaaas, Mariners
NL
East: Nats, Braves (WC), others
NL
Central: Reds, Brewers, Cardinals, bad teams
NL
West: Giants, Dodgers, whatever
Jim
is pretty badly wrong about the Nats, who have the
best pitching in the NL. Strasburg
should be able to give the team an entire season this year. Regression to the mean doesn't mean that the
team with the best run differential should suddenly get worse. OTOH, the Orioles are likely in trouble,
since regression to the mean does mean that a team that won an unusually large
number of close games is likely to lose more.
I'll
randomly pick an
Angels-Nats WS, that the Nats win.
The
Red Sox are not going to make a huge comeback this year. Some of the pitchers should rebound under
Farrell's management, but others won't, most notably Lackey, who is about five
years removed from being a strong starter.
But Lester and Buchholz will be good.
Too bad they don't have any good young power hitters. Well, I suppose they had to let Adrian
Gonzalez go to get rid of two hideous contracts (Crawford and Beckett).
Dick Martin: oh yeah, the
baseball thing. once again, put me down for the
nationals to win the nl east and then all the way to
win the world series. no other teams matter :)
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!
Chapter 20 – by Mark
Firth
Mark
wrote his chapter, but hasn’t typed it up.
Since interest from others is low, I’ll give it one more try. Go for it Mark!
Next up – Chapter 20 by Mark Firth
LIFEBOAT!
A game of
survival, bad breath, and fish odor…
This is the simple game of Lifeboat. Everyone plays this, whether you participate
or not. Each turn everyone still alive
in the lifeboat may make a single vote to throw someone off the lifeboat, or a
single vote to remove one vote from yourself (a
defensive measure). The high vote getter
is thrown overboard, as well as any player getting 2 or more net votes (due to
the damage caused when Sanka was tossed overboard). In a tie, everyone with that score is thrown
over. Last one in the boat wins. I’ll probably give a prize, as usual. Press
is encouraged. Note that the votes
themselves are NOT revealed. I just
simply announce who is thrown overboard.
If you’re not listed as in the lifeboat right now but want to be, email
me and I will add you next issue. If you
are listed and don’t’ want to be…well, too bad.
There is no suicide in this game; you just can ignore it if you want to.
Currently
in the lifeboat:
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 #54
I’m still looking for a full-time job,
with occasional substitute teaching days to give me just enough money to be
broke and hungry and miserable. Plus my
Fantasy Baseball teams suck. And the
Phillies will be eliminated by the end of May.
It’s going to be a great summer (that’s sarcasm, you morons). I hope a bird shits on your head.
How to Give a Cat a Pill
1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook
of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on
either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding
pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from
behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and
repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw
soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle
cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of
mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and
cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse in
from the garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly
between knees, hold front and rear paws.
Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with
one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub
cat's throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail. Get
another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains.
Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side
for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse
to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force
mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw
9. Check label to make sure pill not
harmful to humans and drink one beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to
spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor’s
shed. Get another pill. Open another beer.
Place cat in cupboard, and close door onto neck, to leave head showing. Force
mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put
cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot,
drink. Apply cold compress to cheek
and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to
cheek to disinfect. Toss back another
shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Call fire department to retrieve the
#$%^&* cat from the top of the tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor
who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Using heavy-duty pruning gloves from
shed, tie the little *&#%^'s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and
bind tightly to leg of dining table. Push pill into mouth followed by large
piece of filet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour two
pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get
spouse to drive you to the emergency room. Sit quietly while doctor stitches
fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture
shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for ASPCA to collect mutant
cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.
How To
Give A Dog A Pill
1. Wrap it in bacon.
2. Toss it in the air.
3. All done!
A Republican man in a wheelchair entered
a restaurant one afternoon and asked the waitress for a cup of coffee. He looked across the restaurant and asked,
"Is that Jesus sitting over there?"
The waitress nodded "yes," so
the Republican requested that she give Jesus a cup of coffee, on him.
The next patron to come in was a
Libertarian, with a hunched back. He shuffled over to a booth, painfully sat
down, and asked the waitress for a cup of hot tea.
He also glanced across the restaurant and
asked, "Is that Jesus, over there?"
The waitress nodded, so the Libertarian
asked her to give Jesus a cup of hot tea, "My treat."
The third patron to come into the
restaurant was a Democrat on crutches. He hobbled over to a booth, sat down and
hollered, "Hey there honey! How's about gettin' me a cold mug of Budweiser.
He too looked across the restaurant and
asked, "Isn't that God's boy over there?
The waitress nodded, so the Democrat
directed her to give him a cold beer. "On my tab," he said loudly.
As Jesus got up to leave, he passed by
the Republican, touched him and said, "For your kindness, you are
healed."
The Republican felt strength come back
into his legs, got up, and walked out the door, thankful to Jesus.
Jesus passed by the Libertarian, touched
him and said, "For your kindness, you are healed." The Libertarian
felt his back straightening, and grateful to the Lord, he raised his hands,
praised the
Lord, and walked out the door.
Then, Jesus walked towards the Democrat,
just smiling.
The Democrat jumped up and yelled,
"Don't touch me...I'm collecting disability."
ZERO SUM, Subzine to Eternal Sunshine, Issue 13 April 28, 2013
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
GM Musings: Multiple versions of cliché, as found in E.S.
last month in the Hypotheticals. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” That’s what I heard all my life. Some years ago, at a management seminar, I
heard this added, “Fool me three times and we have a contract.” Implication being, we’ve agreed this is
acceptable behavior. I’m curious what
version you know.
Game Offerings: Oleg Kalugin
I want to play What’s My Line. The longest running game
show in television history, per Wikipedia. Show had a moderator and four panelists. A person was introduced and then the panel
got to ask yes no questions and try to guess the person’s occupation. I thought Gary Moore hosted the show, but he
hosted the sequel, I’ve Got a Secret. I guess I’ll have to be John Charles Daley
or maybe Steve Allen. When there was a No answer, the prize went up $5 and the
next panelist asked a question. If the
answer was yes, the same panelist asked another question. If the answer was no ten times before the
person’s occupation was guessed, the contestant won the miserly sum of $50.
For online play, I think everyone can submit five
questions. I, as John Charles Daley will
pick the person with the most yes answers, consecutively. If there is a tie in the
number, such as all five, then secret black box selection for “fun” among those
who are tied. In any round,
instead of asking five questions, any player may guess an occupation but not
ask questions. The first to guess the
occupation wins.
I’m thinking five rounds and if no one has guessed then each
person gets one guess per round. Winner
can then choose to be the contestant or send me an occupation of his or her
choosing.
Anyone who wants to play – submit five
questions or guess. A few people
in this zine know my occupation. You may
ask questions for fun but cannot win.
Next time when someone submits an occupation to me, then you can try to
win.
Anyone who wants to suggest a better way to play, please do.
Yahtzee Game: Kim Philby
Finally, we are back to three rolls a turn.
First Roll of Round 7
was: 6,4,5,5,4
Doug saved the 4,4,5,5.
Kevin saved the 4,4.
Dane saved 5,5
Geoff saved 4,4,5,5
Second Roll of Round
7 was: (sequentially) 3,5,2
Doug saved the 4,4,5,5 (and no prayer)
Kevin saved the 2,3,4,5
Dane saved 5,5,5
Geoff saved 4,4,5,5 and a prayer
Third Roll of Round 7
is: (sequentially) 1,3
First Roll of Round 8
is: 6,6,3,4,3
Doug saved the 3,3
Kevin saved the 3,3
Dane saved 6,6
Geoff saved 3,3
Second Roll of Round
8 is: (sequentially) 1,1,4,3,5
First Roll of Round 9
is: 3,2,6,3,6
For the next issue of Zero Sum, send in want to score for
Round 7, what you want to save after Round 8, Roll 2, & what you want to
save after Round 9, Roll 1.
Scoring at the End of
Round 6
|
Upper
|
Doug Kent
|
Kevin Wilson
|
Geoff Kemp
|
Dane Maslen
|
|
Ace = 1
|
1
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
|
Twos = 2
|
6
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
Threes = 3
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fours = 4
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
Fives = 5
|
15
|
15
|
|
|
|
Sixes = 6
|
24
|
24
|
18
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bonus +35 if >63
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Upper
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lower
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 of a Kind
|
|
|
24
|
22
|
|
4 of a Kind
|
|
|
28
|
28
|
|
Full House = 25
|
|
25
|
|
25
|
|
Sm Straight =
30
|
30
|
30
|
|
30
|
|
Lg Straight =
40
|
|
|
40
|
|
|
YAHTZEE = 50
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance
|
24
|
|
|
|
|
Yahtzee Bonus
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Lower
|
|
|
|
|
|
GRAND TOTAL
|
100
|
104
|
121
|
107
|
End of the Sixth Scoring Round
BALKAN WARS VI WESTERN
PACIFIC 2012Bpb08
FALL 1911
TURKS SUDDENLY HOMELESS
Summer 1911: BULGARIA: A
Sofia retreat OLENTIA.
ALBANIA (Burgess): A Tirana-Montenegro, A
Valona-Epirus, A Skopje-Valona
BULGARIA (Kemp): A Olentia-Bucharest, A Plovdiv-Thrace, A
Constantinople S A Plovdiv-Thrace
GREECE (McHugh): F Thrace S A Salonika, A Salonika S
F Thrace, F Cyclades-Rhodes, F Aegean Sea-Smyrna, F Sparta-Gulf of Corfu
RUMANIA (Whining Kent Pig):
F South Black Sea-Izmit, A Sofia-Bucharest, A Kolarovo -Dubruja, A
Transylvania-Cluj
SERBIA (Murphy): A Belgrade H, A Nish S A Belgrade, A Macedonia-Skopje
TURKEY (Whyte): A Arda-Constantinople, F Varna-Dubruja,
F Southern Mediterrenean Sea-Malta, F Eastern Mediterrenean Sea-Cyprus
Underlined moves do not
succeed.
Emails:
Jim Burgess,
jfburgess@gmail.com
Geoff Kemp, ggeoff510@aol.com
Jack McHugh,
jwmchughjr@gmail.com
Doug Kent,
dougray30@yahoo.com
Phil Murphy,
philip.murphy@skynet.ie
Brendan Whyte,
obiwonfive@hotmail.com
The 1911 supply center
chart:
ALBANIA: montenegro, valona,
tirana, skopje (3) EVEN
BULGARIA: sofia, plovdiv,
constantinople (2) REMOVE ONE
GREECE: home, thrace, crete,
smyrna, rhodes (7) BUILD
TWO
RUMANIA: home, dubruja, cluj, izmit, sofia (7) BUILD THREE
SERBIA: skopje, nish, belgrade, montenegro (3)
EVEN
TURKEY: izmit,
smyrna, varna, rhodes, malta, cyprus (3) REMOVE
ONE
Still neutral: bosnia, trieste
Winter 1911 and Spring 1912 deadline is 3 p.m. May 24. Remember no seasons are ever separated. And
also remember that builds may be made in ANY supply center owned by a power.
No map this time but perhaps
next season, I promise. Quieter times around here.
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: Rob Mazurek Pulsar
Quartet, STELLAR PULSATIONS (Delmark 2012) 8/9
Clever, thoughtful
melodic (more or less) modern jazz from cornetist
Mazurek backed by piano, bass and drums. Terrific, spacey sound which is appropriate to the music.
Pretty ballads and some heavy free-ish workouts but
this is not free jazz, it is structured and to the point. Would
be fun to see the band live.
Fitzwilliam Quartet, Shostakovich: STRING QUARTETS No. 14 and 15 (London
1977) 10/8 Grim, powerful, haunting music played by the musicians who
introduced it to the West, in impeccable, spare, austere, passionate fashion.
From a complete set that is one of the great accomplishments of the postwar
recording industry and available cheaply; worth every penny.
PRESS
Sublime portliness to all
(particularly the Greek bearing gifts and the Transylvanian vamp): Greetings infidels. It seems strange that only those with
whom I negotiate are attacking me. That sort of discourages any actual
diplomacy, n’est-ce pas? I hope you
haven’t been naughty this turn, or I will have to smack your unbeliever
bottoms. You have been warned.
PHILADELPHIA: oooh, smack mine instead! I
love a good spanking!
BELGRADE to ALL: My profound
apologies to you all. I have been distracted from affairs of state by my recent
engagement. Of course as fellow leaders of Europe your attendence
at the wedding will be seen as a message of peace and goodwill and.... all
that.
PHILADELPHIA: Will there be booze? if so I am
in.
IRISH SERBIAN TO ALBANIAN BOOB : My apologies. The telegraph
has been down - bachelor party you know... one of the Third Secretaries at the
Imperial Russian embassy had an unfortunate incident involving our main
wireless antenna, two bottles of vodka and a cat. I'm told that the cat will
live. Not sure about the ambassador once the Tsar hears of it... quite a party.
You should have come.
BELGRADE PLAYLIST: Alice
Cooper - 'Poison' - fits my mood these days
PHILADELPHIA: Boy I have not heard any Alice Cooper in a looooooong time. More of an AC/DC guy
here.
BELGRADE GOOD READS: Game Night by Jonny Nexus - self
published book by a really funny UK Games writer. Six gods sit down and
play with the lives of men. As a fantasy RPG. Badly.
PHILADELPHIA: Hmm, could be an old Greek myth! I just finished Alex
Ross' very impressive history of 20th-century music, THE REST IS NOISE, and
just started David Gilmour's THE PURSUIT OF ITALY, a history of Italy pitched
to the idea that maybe a unified Italy is not a good idea.
Diplomacy (Black Press – Permanent Opening
in ES):
Signed up: Dax Gorham, Paul Milewski,
Arthur Shulman, Brad Wilson, needs three 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. Needs
8 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 Photo Quiz: Join anytime. When this is over the next quiz will either
be quotes again, or maybe overly-simple plot
descriptions.
Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?:
Rules in ES #58. New game starts NOW!! Join
anytime!
Coming
Soon?: 1898, Colonia VII-B. If
you’re interested in one of these variants, 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, Don Williams, Marc Ellinger, Heath Gardner, 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.
Acquire
– “Winterbloom”
Players: Tom Howell, Hank Alme, Per Westling, and
Martin Burgdorf.
Turn 5
Martin Burgdorf: Plays 8-D and buys three Festival.
Tom Howell: Plays 12-H. Buys one Tower, one Luxor, and
one Festival.
Hank Alme:
Plays 3-D. Worldwide merges into
American. Tom Howell received $3,000
bonus, Hank Alme receives $1,500. Hank trades his shares for two American. Per sells his shares for a total of
$900. Martin keeps his Worldwide. Tom trades eight Worldwide
for four American and keeps two worldwide.
Hank buys three Festival.
Per Westling: Plays 8-B. Buys three Luxor.
Martin Burgdorf: Plays 6-E and buys three Luxor.
Turn Order for Turn 6: Tom Howell, Hank Alme, Per Westling, Martin Burgdorf, Tom Howell.
Deadline
for Turn 6 is May 27th at 7pm my time.
Kremlin
– “Four Stitches” – End Game
Players:
Jack McHugh - Communist Party Against Reform (CRAP), Rick Desper - The Rusty Curtain (RUST), Jim Burgess - Chylak's
Galicians (CG), Mark Firth - Trixci
(TRI), and Geoff
Kemp - Refuseniks (REF).
Rick Desper (RUST): Well, I did submit bids
on the first move, at what I thought was the appropriate time to submit
those bids. Unfortunately, Jack
submitted his bids a phase earlier, and grabbed the three important guys with
identical bids (in the case of KGB + Defense) in two cases. So not only were my highest bids wasted, and
not only did I not have control of the most important members of the Politburo,
but I didn't have any ability to get influence on _anybody_ relevant at that
point. I could have stolen one of the
other Politburo members from somebody else (not Jack), but really, how would
that have helped?
The only other thing I could have done was
to play an Intrigue card that might have made the President more likely to be
sick, but I didn't really figure that out until too late.
Don't really like Kremlin in this
format. There are two fun aspects in
Kremlin: a) role-playing all the sick old men of Moscow as they back-stab each
other (preferably done with a hilarious bad Russian accent), b) bidding
wars. In a FTF game, Jack wouldn't have
gotten control of all of the guys he did, since people would have responded at
the time the bids were being made.
Jim
Burgess (CG):
I was looking forward to a good Kremlin game, but instead we all got smoked by
Jack. Doug did a great job of GMing as usual, but I found it a bit difficult the way this
was done and reported to figure out easily what all my choices were to try to
stop Jack. I think there might have been
something I could do, but I couldn't figure it out. I do happen to own Kremlin and had my game
open and trying to use it to help me, I don't know
what anyone would have done who didn't own the game. I am still not sure if Jack had superior
strategy, or the rest of us were just clueless or both. I do think if Doug runs it again we have to
think about some way to make it easier to make things in the game happen to
make it more interesting. I know I used
to play Kremlin in the old days and the games were longer and more fun than
this one was. Again, no fault of Doug's
but unless I figure out how to play better, it wouldn't be my first choice of a
new game to play. Extra points for those
who figured out the source of my team name....
Diplomacy
“Dulcinea” 2008C, W 22/S 23
Austria (Martin
Burgdorf – martin_burgdorf “of” hotmail.com): Retreat A Rumania - Galicia..Remove
A
Burgundy.. A Belgium Supports A Holland, F Brest
Supports F North Sea - English Channel (*Void*),
A
Budapest Supports A Galicia – Rumania, A Galicia - Rumania (*Fails*), A
Gascony Supports F Brest,
A
Holland Supports A Kiel, A Kiel Supports A Sweden -
Denmark (*Dislodged*, retreat to Ruhr or Munich
or Berlin or OTB), A Marseilles Hold, A Moscow -
Sevastopol (*Bounce*), A Norway - Sweden (*Fails*),
A
Picardy Supports A Belgium, A Piedmont Supports A Marseilles (*Cut*), A
Sweden - Denmark (*Bounce*),
A
Vienna Supports A Budapest.
England (Hank Alme – almehj “of”
alumni.rice.edu): Build A London.. A
Denmark – Kiel,
F
Helgoland Bight Supports A Denmark – Kiel, A London - Denmark
(*Bounce*),
F
North Sea Convoys A London - Denmark.
Turkey (Jim Burgess
– jfburgess “of” gmail.com): Retreat F Piedmont - Tuscany.. Build A Constantinople,
F Smyrna..F Albania - Ionian Sea, F
Baltic Sea Supports A Denmark – Kiel,
F
Black Sea Convoys A Constantinople – Sevastopol, A
Bulgaria Supports A Rumania,
A
Constantinople - Sevastopol (*Bounce*), F English Channel - Brest
(*Fails*),
F
Mid-Atlantic Ocean Supports F English Channel – Brest, A Rumania Supports A
Sevastopol - Ukraine (*Cut*),
A
Serbia Supports F Trieste, A Sevastopol – Ukraine, F Smyrna - Aegean Sea, F Spain(sc) - Marseilles
(*Fails*),
F
Trieste Supports F Venice, F Tuscany - Piedmont (*Fails*), F Venice
Supports F Trieste, A Warsaw – Silesia.
F 23 Deadline is May 28th at 7:00am my time
PRESS
None. You guys
suck.
“Dulcinea”
Diplomacy Bourse
Billy Ray Valentine: Probably in his
limousine.
Duke of York: Sells 150 Piastres. Buys 250 Pounds.
Smaug the Dragon: Zilch.
Rothschild: Sells 500 Crowns
and 92 Pounds. Buys 533 Piastres.
Baron Wuffet: Nothing.
Wooden Nickel
Enterprises:
Whittling up some new nickels.
VAIONT Enterprises: Sells 500
Crowns. Buys 480 Piastres.
Insider Trading LLC:
No activity.
Bourse Master: Nothing.
PRESS
Bilbo to
York: Thanks for the suggestion.
We did. Now we're going for third
breakfast. Care to join us?
DUKE OF
YORK to BILBO: How was second breakfast?
DUKE OF
YORK to CHURNERS: Yeah, yeah, maybe you can
figure this out, but those Piastres are soon to be
worthless!
BOOB to
VAIONT: Yes, so the game HAS to keep
going then, doesn't it? Does anyone but
you know what's going on? You know me
too well....
Next Bourse Deadline is May 27th at 7:00pm my time
Graustark Diplomacy Game 2006A,
W 21/S 22
Austria (Don
Williams – dwilliams “of” fontana.org): A Budapest – Rumania, F Trieste – Venice,
A Vienna - Trieste.
England (Fred Wiedemeyer – wiedem “of” telus.net):
Retreat F Constantinople - Black Sea..Remove
F
Ionian Sea, F Naples.. F Aegean Sea – Constantinople, A Belgium Supports F North Sea – Holland,
F
Black Sea Supports F Aegean Sea – Constantinople, F Bulgaria(sc) Supports F Aegean Sea – Constantinople
(*Dislodged*, retreat to Aegean Sea or OTB), F
English Channel Supports F Norway - North Sea,
A
Gascony – Marseilles, F North Sea - Holland (*Fails*), F Norway -
North Sea (*Bounce*),
F Norwegian Sea Supports F Norway -
North Sea, A Paris – Burgundy, A Prussia – Silesia,
F Spain(sc) Supports A Gascony –
Marseilles, A St Petersburg - Moscow (*Dislodged*,
retreat to Finland or OTB).
France (Hank Alme – almehj “of” alumni.rice.edu): No units.
Germany
(Harley Jordan – harleyj “of” alum.mit.edu):
Build A Munich, F Kiel..
A
Ankara Supports A Constantinople – Smyrna, A Apulia –
Naples, A Burgundy – Picardy,
A
Constantinople – Smyrna, F Denmark Supports F Holland - North Sea, A Greece Supports A Serbia – Bulgaria,
F
Helgoland Bight Supports F Holland - North Sea, F Holland - North Sea
(*Bounce*), F Kiel - Holland (*Fails*),
A
Livonia - St Petersburg, A Marseilles - Spain (*Dislodged*, retreat to
Piedmont or OTB),
A
Moscow Supports A Livonia - St Petersburg, A Munich –
Ruhr, A Rome Supports A Apulia – Naples,
A
Serbia – Bulgaria, F Sweden - Norway (*Fails*), A Ukraine - Warsaw.
Concession to France Fails.
F 22 Deadline is May 28th at 7:00am my time
PRESS:
(BOOB to DUCK): Brilliant, a
concession to Hank, why didn't I think of that?
Don't answer that!!!
(BOOB to GAME): I most
enthusiastically vote YES to the Concession to France.
(BOOB to HARLEY): I respect that you
seem to have decided to win while leaving BOTH Hank and Don alone. But really, ya gotta vote for Hank!!!
Austria to ENG/GER: Fortune
favors the bold. If you two won’t end this travesty, then me and my
trusty French ally will! Come on, Hank, let’s smoke these guys!
Diplomacy
- “Lighthouse” – 2011A – End Game
Don Williams
(Austria): I
love playing Austria generally. I
disliked playing this one particularly, though.
I never seemed to get into this game and, from the looks of it, that seems true fopr several
of us. Russia got out of the gates
quickly and never seemed to even slow down.
Meanwhile, I got jumped early by Austria … yes, we were trying to do the
Key Lepanto and, well, I forgot to remember not to forget who was in Italy … as
the scorpion said to the frog as they crossed the river “Sorry, I can’t help
it, it’s in my nature.” When I get
stabbed like that I usually try to make Italy pay by turning things over to the
R/T. This time, though, R was busy
pulping T and so neither was terribly interested in
me. The rest devolved into an endless
slugging match with no good answers in sight.
As I mentioned in my recent press, when Russia offered survival I accepted
it and tried to hold on. Had I thought
there was a chance to stop him I’d have done differenetly
but this was just one of those games. My
hat off to Fred for a lightening quick (as Dip games go) win, my thanks to our
wonderful GM for a flawless game, and a tip of the cap to the rest of you for
playing. Me? I won’t be remembering this game any time
soon.
Paul Milewski (English Standby): The pivotal moment
for me in “Lighthouse” was the spring 1905 turn. My attempt with F Liverpool supports
(Germany’s) F Norwegian Sea—North Atlantic Ocean and F London supports
(Russia’s) F North Sea—English Channel to direct two of my neighbors against
the third flopped. Instead, Russia
ordered F North Sea—Yorkshire and Germany’s F Norwegian Sea was unordered. From then on, I was strictly on the
defensive, reduced to 2 dots when Russia took London from me in fall 1905. I remained at 2 dots until fall 1907, at
which point I was reduced to one dot (Liverpool), which I held onto until the
fall 1908 end of the game. Playing a
hopeless position against insurmountable odds and holding on for as long as I
can is my favorite: it appeals to my confrontational and disputatious nature.
Brad Wilson
(Germany):
A poor effort on my part here, worse than usual. Sort-of allied with Fred, but
couldn't get anywhere against France, and that left me squished between when
Fred made his move. Had I gone the other way, Kevin would have stabbed me. No
good choices. Very well played by Fred, as usual.
Kevin, not so much, losing with 12 centers is like losing with one, really.
Thanks Doug.
Diplomacy
“Jerusalem” 2012A, S 05
Austria (Melinda
Holley – genea5613 “of” aol.com): A Vienna
Supports A Rumania - Galicia.
England (John Biehl – jerbil “of” shaw.ca): F Barents Sea – Norway, F English Channel Convoys
A London – Brest, F Irish Sea - Mid-Atlantic Ocean, A London - Brest (*Fails*), F Mid-Atlantic Ocean – Portugal,
F North Sea Hold, A St Petersburg Hold.
France (Jack McHugh – jwmchughjr “of” gmail.com): F Brest Hold, A Gascony – Marseilles,
A
Paris Supports F Brest, A Spain Supports A Gascony - Marseilles.
Germany
(Don Williams – dwilliams
“of” fontana.org): A Berlin Supports A Munich - Silesia (*Cut*),
A
Bohemia Supports A Munich – Silesia, A Marseilles Hold (*Dislodged*,
retreat to Burgundy or OTB),
A
Munich – Silesia, A Picardy Supports A London – Brest, F Western
Mediterranean - Tyrrhenian Sea (*Bounce*).
Italy (Mark Firth – mark.r.firth “of” capita.co.uk): F Adriatic Sea - Ionian Sea, F Ionian Sea – Tunis,
F
Naples - Tyrrhenian Sea (*Bounce*), A Piedmont Supports A Gascony –
Marseilles, A Trieste - Venice.
Russia (Richard
Weiss – richardweiss “of” higherquality.com): A Moscow - Livonia
(*Bounce*),
A
Prussia - Berlin (*Fails*), A Warsaw - Livonia (*Bounce*).
Turkey (Geoff Kemp -
ggeoff510 “of” aol.com): A Albania Hold, F
Black Sea Convoys
A
Constantinople – Rumania, A Budapest Supports A
Rumania – Galicia, A Constantinople – Rumania,
F
Greece Supports F Smyrna - Aegean Sea, A Rumania –
Galicia, A Serbia Supports A Budapest,
F Smyrna - Aegean Sea.
F 05 Deadline is May 28th at 7:00am my time
PRESS
Dulcinea - Don Quixote: Oh yeah, you'll slay windmills for Pancho but you won't give me so
much as a dot! *flounces*
Diplomacy “Walkerdine” 2012D, S 02
Austria (Jeff O’Donnell – unclestaush
“of” yahoo.com): A Budapest Supports A
Sevastopol - Rumania
(*Void*), F Greece Supports A Bulgaria, A
Serbia Supports A Bulgaria - Rumania (*Void*),
A Tyrolia
Unordered (*Dislodged*, retreat to Trieste or Bohemia or OTB), A Vienna
- Galicia (*Fails*).
England
(Marc Ellinger - mellinger
“of” bbdlc.com): A Edinburgh – Norway, F London - English
Channel,
F
North Sea Convoys A Edinburgh – Norway, F Norway -
Sweden.
France
(Jim Burgess – jfburgess “of” gmail.com): F Brest - Mid-Atlantic Ocean, F Marseilles - Gulf of Lyon,
A
Picardy – Belgium, F Portugal - Spain(sc), A Spain - Marseilles.
Germany
(Steve Cooley – tmssteve “of” gmail.com): A Berlin – Silesia,
F
Denmark Supports F Norway – Sweden, A Holland – Ruhr,
F Kiel - Baltic Sea,
A
Munich Supports A Berlin - Silesia.
Italy
(Harold Zarr - skip1955 “of” hotmail.com): A Piedmont – Tyrolia, A Rome Supports A Venice,
F
Tunis - Ionian Sea (*Bounce*), A Venice Supports A Piedmont - Tyrolia.
Russia
(Hank Alme – almehj “of”
alumni.rice.edu): F Constantinople - Aegean Sea (*Fails*),
F
Gulf of Bothnia - Sweden (*Fails*), A Rumania Supports A Silesia – Galicia,
A Silesia – Galicia,
A Warsaw - Livonia.
Turkey
(Don Williams – dwilliams “of” fontana.org): F Aegean Sea - Ionian Sea
(*Bounce*),
A
Bulgaria Hold, A Sevastopol – Ukraine, F Smyrna - Eastern
Mediterranean.
Deadline
for F 02 Will Be May 28th at 7am My Time
PRESS
Roma-Berlin:
Hey,
how’s about my build, huh? That army in Rome, she’s really something. I think
she’s already performed her first miracle, so she’s on her way to being a cannon!
Vatican-Italy:
We’ve
looked over your situation. A game piece is not suitable for sainthood, no
matter how many miracles are attributed to it. That’s not how it works. And,
it’s “canon,” not “cannon.” By the by, His Holiness thinks that was a terrible
build.
Moscow-Vatican: I thought you folks
no longer got involved in politics?
Constantinople-Moscow:
Hey,
you own both of these! Nice going!
Moscow-Constantinople:
Sure,
but I did lose Sev.
Constantinople-Moscow:
Ha!
You can’t even compare Sevastopol with me! The Turkish resistance will
eventually flip me back to yellow—and you too!
Williams-Pawns
(mask slips): Oh,
sorry, I meant “fellow players.” HAHAHAHA!
Williams-GM:
When’s
the earliest we can get the concession vote out of the way? I’ve got other
games that actually require effort?
G-EF: Hey, here’s a fun
idea—let’s all fight over Belgium for about 5 years! So much fun!
Grand
Funk Railroad-Munich: I
know you’ll get to like it if you give it a chance now!
Munich-GFR:
I’m
doing the locomotion. I jump up. I jump back. Oh, I think I’ve got the knack!
GFR-Munich:
Dude,
we are nothing like the Knack. We were so cool and played long, rather
meaningful tunes. The Knack? They were like the worst
possible genetic combination of Carole King, Neil Diamond, and KC and the
Sunshine Band.
(BOOB
TEARS HIS HAIR OUT): What
the heck is wrong with this game??? I'm
clueless.
(BOOBISH
ITALIAN ADVICE): Harold,
yes, it is most definitely true that Italy wins with ARMIES, but what the heck
are you going to do with those?? I can't wait to see.
(MARIE
ANTOINETTE to SOCRATES): Let them eat cake, I say, let them eat cake, but what
are YOU going to do about it???
(BOOB
to DUCK): You
have us all wrapped around your little finger, please, pretty please, tell us
what we're supposed to do next?
(BOOB
to MY PAL HANK): Yeah,
we see, Sev-Con Shuffle.... what now?
(ITALY
to GM): Just
kill me now, please!!!
(BOOB
to HAROLD): OK,
I'm done arguing about Spring 1901, I really just
don't care, and NO ONE is influencing me, either IN this game, or FROM another
game. In fact, I'm struggling to figure
out ANYTHING that I'm doing. I have no
idea how to play France, I love Italy, we should
switch countries.
(BOOB
TO UNCLE STAUSH): Look,
can you at least talk to me? Please, pretty
please?
(BURGUNDIAN
WINERIES to FINE GERMAN WINES): I think we all need a few REALLY good
bottles of wine to share.
Vienna-Rome: With every
successive glance at the map I take, I become more and more envious of Fortress
Italia. That is brilliant! No one can break through your defenses. It is
impregnable! Yes! Yes!!! The Impregnable Fortress Italia! You will defend the
peninsula against land invasions for a millennium!
Vienna-Rome: You know, there is
one little flaw . . . a little tiny hole in your armour.
What if, and I know this is crazy Austrian-Hungarian paranoia, but what if
someone approaches . . . by sea? Is this possible?
Black
Press Gunboat, “Fred Noonan”, 2013Arb32, S 02
Austria: A Budapest Supports A Serbia – Trieste, F Greece - Ionian Sea
(*Bounce*), A Serbia – Trieste,
A
Vienna Supports A Serbia - Trieste (*Dislodged*, retreat to Galicia or
Bohemia or OTB).
England: A Belgium Supports A Ruhr - Burgundy (*Void*), F English Channel
Supports A Belgium,
F
Liverpool - Irish Sea, F North Sea - Norway (*Fails*).
France: F Brest Supports F Portugal - Mid-Atlantic Ocean, F Marseilles -
Spain(sc), A Paris –
Burgundy,
F
Portugal - Mid-Atlantic Ocean, A Spain - Gascony.
Germany:
F Denmark - North Sea (*Fails*), A Holland Supports A Ruhr – Belgium, F Kiel -
Helgoland Bight,
A
Munich - Ruhr (*Fails*), A Ruhr - Belgium (*Fails*).
Italy: F Naples – Apulia, A Trieste – Vienna, F
Tunis - Ionian Sea (*Bounce*),
A Tyrolia Supports A
Trieste – Vienna, A Venice - Trieste (*Fails*).
Russia: F Black Sea - Rumania (*Fails*), F Gulf of Bothnia – Sweden, A Moscow Supports A
Rumania – Ukraine,
A Norway Supports F Gulf of Bothnia -
Sweden (*Cut*), A Rumania - Ukraine.
Turkey: F Ankara - Black Sea
(*Fails*), A Bulgaria Supports A Sevastopol – Rumania,
F
Constantinople Supports A Bulgaria, A Sevastopol – Rumania, A Smyrna - Armenia.
Deadline
for F 02 Will Be May 28th at 7am My Time
PRESS
Ger - Rus: Now you may take Sweden. No offense but a 7 center
Russia in F'01? Sorry, couldn't see that happening.
Heard in Paris:
Mon Dieu! Fleets! What moron is in charge
of the military? Waiter! More wine!
France
to England: You are going to be hit from three sides. I, however, an offering to help you by protecting
your supply centers for you so that you will not have to worry about them. No need to thank me, it is a service I am
more than willing to provide as I am a humanitarian.
Rome-Paris:
All well, yes?
Rome-Constantinople:
Fine with me, that territorial split.
Rome-Berlin:
Come on in, the Austrian water is fine!!!
Aus - Tur: You got it. Come
on in.
RUSSIA - TURKEY: Let battle commence.
RUSSIA - AUSTRIA: Keep going!
Regards, Russia.
RUSSIA - GERMANY: Yes really!
3,
well if you don't try ...
I
will indeed be concentrating on my own back yard.
Turkey specifically of course.
I'm
not interfering, I'm offering help after acquiring
Sweden!
Please
rethink your antagonism.
You
don't want 2 fronts surely.
And
you know either Fra or Eng will head your way.
In fact Eng already on the
main-land.
Regards, Russia.
Diplomacy
“Sweet Spot” 2013A, W 01
Seasons
Separated by Player Request
Austria
(Fred Wiedemeyer –
wiedem “of” telus.net): Build A Trieste.. Has A Budapest, A Galicia,
F
Greece, A Trieste.
England
(Harold Zarr - skip1955 “of” hotmail.com): Build F London.. Has F London, F North
Sea, F Norway,
A Yorkshire.
France (Melinda Holley – genea5613 “of” aol.com): Build
F Brest, A Paris.. Has F Belgium, F Brest,
A
Burgundy, A Paris, A Spain.
Germany
(Jack McHugh – jwmchughjr “of” gmail.com):
Retreat A Munich - Bohemia.. Has A Bohemia,
A
Kiel, F Sweden.
Italy (Heath
Gardner - heath.gardner “of” gmail.com): Build
A Venice, F Naples.. Has F Ionian Sea,
A
Munich, F Naples, A Tunis, A Venice.
Russia (Chris
Babcock – cbabcock “of” asciiking.com ): Has F Baltic Sea, F Sevastopol, A Silesia,
A St
Petersburg.
Turkey (Larry
Peery – peery “of” ix.netcom.com):
Build A Constantinople..
Has F Aegean Sea, A Bulgaria,
A
Constantinople, A Syria.
Deadline
for Spring 02 Will Be May 28th at 7am My Time
PRESS
(Versailles) -
The Woman casually munched on a banana then tossed the peel to one side.
A scurrying military aide screeched as his feet flew out from under him and he
slid halfway down the polished floor on his polished...uniform. Shaking
her head, the Woman loudly asked, "What in the name of the Wide World of
Sports is going on around here? I hired you people to get a little work
done."
"It's the Italians, Madam!
They're in MUNICH!"
Madam eyed her aide for a few
seconds. "And? They'll share the beer.
They prefer wine anyway. By the way, send the Italian ambassador another
couple of barrels of the good stuff."
"But...Madam...Germany is
collapsing! The Russians are at the gates of Berlin!"
"Why? What's at the gates of
Berlin? Sausage factories?" Taking
pity on the poor little man, Madam calmly patted his shoulder. "You
worry too much, Pierre."
"Etienne. My name is
Etienne."
Madam frowned. "Are you
sure? You LOOK like a Pierre to me."
"Yes,
Madam. Pierre."
Madam smiled and nodded.
"Okay, Pierre. Take a couple of deep breaths and relax. Now,
are the troops in Spain enjoying the bullfights?" A
nod. "Good, now does the Admiral in Belgium have orders to
send me back all the chocolate?" Another nod.
"Excellent. Everything's going according to plan." The
Woman deeply sighed. "Now if those yoyos on Survivor would just vote
that moronic nincompoop Philip off the island, I'd be a happy
woman." She started to turn away then grasped Pierre's arm.
She leaned down and lowered her voice to a hiss. "Have the
Intelligence Services begin an investigation. I want to know who shot
JR...again."
England to Russia: I’m impressed with
your skill in the game. Lots of
movement, no builds in the first year.
If Austria and Turkey can get on the same page, I predict a short life
for the Russian bear!
Turkey: Wild turkey
hunting season is in full swing in the Midwest So far the turkeys are holding
their own. Turkey and Israel seem to be making buddy-buddy noises. That's
probably less a sign of their love for each other than their mutual fear of
Syria and Iran.
Woolworth
II-D “Coney Island” 2013Bcb19, F 01
Austria
(Secret): A
Gal S A Bud-Rum,
A Bud-Rum, F Tri-Alb.
Balkans
(Secret): A
Rum S A War-Gal,
A Ser-Bud, F Alb-Tri.
England
(Secret): F Lon-Ech, F Edi-Nwg, A Wal-Lon.
France
(Heath Gardner - heath.gardner “of”
gmail.com): F Bre–Eng, A Pic Bel, A Bur s Pic-Bel.
Germany
(Marc Ellinger - mellinger
“of” bbdlc.com): A
Switzerland Seize Banks and Eat Chocolate…ahh,
talk about a cushy posting (Hold), A Kie
Hold, F Hol S A Bur-Bel
(NSO).
Italy
(Secret): F Apu-Ion,
F Tyn-Tun, A Ven S F Tri (OTM).
Russia
(Jim Burgess - jfburgess
“of” gmail.com): A War-Gal, A Lvn-War, A Mos-Sev, F Bla S A Mos-Sev.
Scandinavia (Geoff Kemp -
ggeoff510 “of” aol.com): F Nwy-Nwg, F Nth H, A Den H.
Spain (Secret): F Mao – Nao, F Wms-Mao, A Bas-Gas.
Turkey (Hugh Polley – hapolley “of” yahoo.ca):
F Con-Bul, A Syr-Per, A Smy-Arm.
Deadline
for W 01/S 02 is May 28th at 7am My Time
Supply Center Chart
Austria: Tri,
Bud, Vie, Gal=4 Build 1
Balkans: Ser, Gre, Rum=3 Even
England: Lon,
Edi, Lvp=3 Even
France: Bre, Par, Mar, Bel=4 Build 1
Germany: Kie, Mun, Ber,
Swi, Hol=5 Build 2
Italy: Nap,
Ven, Rom, Tun=4 Build 1
Russia: Mos, War, Sev, Stp=4 Even
Scand.: Nwy, Swe, Den=3 Even
Spain: Por, Mor,
Mad=3 Even
Turkey: Ank, Con, Smy, Bul=4 Build
1
Unowned: Ice, Cre
PRESS
Italy to Bulkans: We will support the Austria in all matters regarding Tri,
ADR, Ion. We
have no designs on Gre but we are in battle for Tun.
Please do not force us to abandon the fight for Tun
and head your way!
Italy to Austria: Notice
we have supported Tri as promised against any outside power. Our relationship is not an alliance but
rather a promise to help out whenever a third party enters territory along our
joint border.
Ank for Ser: So good to hear from you!
Consider me your partner in the STOP Russia alliance. If you gain a build, and can help out that
would be great. Your humble servant the very grateful Sultan of Turkey , who pledges to never aid the Austrian against you,
and to support your units whenever viable!
Ank for Bud: I will not help you out against my buddy in the Bulkans but if you are in position to cause Russia some
trouble, and I can lend a hand, expect help.
Ank for Ven: Damm! I was hoping to take a run at Cre
but Russia moved to Bla ruining my Con move to Aeg. Please stay out
of Aeg and attack Tun, no
point in giving it away.
England
– Scandinavia: Butt
out, Iceland is mine!
England
– Spain: Go
for it, trying to keep his northern units busy.
Intercepted
transmission: Czar to Archduke,
take out the Balkans….proceed to Turkey….he’ll never expect it. I’ll move in a peaceful manner and lull him
to sleep, before we strike!!!
Flemish
Times: Germans and French
all around us, someone save us before they turn on you…wait, wait, no, no…….
Rumor
mill: The Flemish Times
has been acquired in a hostile takeover by Le Monde…Francais
sur tout le monde!!!
BALKAN
WARS to RUSSIA:
What do you think of THAT!?!?
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 3 Categories
1. A
comedian.
2. A film
with Harrison Ford.
3. A dish
you order at a Chinese restaurant.
4. A brand
of purse.
5. A member
of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
Selected Comments By
Category
Comedian – Dane Maslen “Having looked at a list of the 10 top-earning
comedians in America in 2011, I felt I had no choice in the matter and had to
show solidarity.” John Biehl “What more appropriate category for the joker this
time round than 'A Comedian'
(in fact there ought to be a penalty for anyone not placing the
joker here).” Per Westling “Eddie Izzard. Did not go and see him when
he was here in Town. Often live performances are way too expensive.”
Harrison Ford – Per Westling “My thought is that Indiana Jones will be the
majority choice.” Kevin Wilson “I think Star
Wars will be #1 so I go with the next most popular. I guess American Graffiti might rate high
too.”
Chinese – Kevin Wilson “Too many to choose from.”
Purse – Jim
Burgess “Coach is the most popular brand in the world, but not the biggest name,
I think it will score well.” Kevin
Wilson “I have no idea and my wife used to be a handbag buyer for a department
store chain in St Louis.”
CSNY – Dane Maslen “Goodness knows what will
happen with 5. It seems obvious to avoid
the first in the list, but that then means it's also obvious to avoid the
second in the list, but etc. I've gambled
by joker on this category on the grounds that if it doesn't score zero, it
ought to score reasonably well.” John Biehl” I picked Neil Young since he's Canadian
like me (gotta stick together).” Jim Burgess “For CSNY, it's just a crap
shoot. I'm going to hope Crosby is
second.” Neil Young “Neil Young (Season
ticket holder to the San Jose Sharks when I was, had a special location for
handicapped people, usually there). Famous for the fund raising support for his son's school, The
Bridge School, of which I probably went to almost all of the first 6 - 8. Walked behind his acreage in the Marin Hills
one time, not knowing it was his. Trees with speakers in them.
A couple of beautiful songs until I walked out of
earshot. And who in their right
mind would have David Crosby inseminate her?”
Congrats to high-corer Kevin Wilson with
25. Poor Marc Ellinger
got a measly 2.
Round 4 Categories
1. A film
featuring Kevin Spacey.
2. A flavor
of ice cream.
3. A
character from the television show M*A*S*H.
4. Part of
a cat.
5. Another
word for beautiful.
Deadline for Round 4 is May 28th at 7:00am
my time
May
2013
