January
2014
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 – “How can you watch this crap? I’m
fucking crawling out of my skin!” (Clementine in “Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind”
Welcome to Eternal
Sunshine, the only Diplomacy zine with so many subzines
and columns that we’re spilling past the 50 page mark this issue. Obviously if you skip over anything *I* had
to do with, you’ll be missing nothing.
So focus on the columns and subzines, they’re
much more fun.
To begin with we have a brand new subzine
to add to the list: Equinox by Heath Gardner.
Heath has a fistful of game openings, only SOME of which I added to the
main Game Opening page, so be sure to check through his subzine
for specific games available. I’m signed
up for a few already. (Note that Heath
is going to attempt to run a game of Deviant Dip II, which I ran here in ES
previously. That variant is a ton of fun
and a MESS, so I’m glad to have the chance to play). Heath is also doing his own Kendo Nagasaki
game, so now we’ll have two running in the zine at once.
Speaking of game openings, there are two more I want to point out
to you. First is Peter Sullivan’s 7x7
Gunboat Tourney. In case you don’t
understand what that means, you play seven games of Gunboat at once, and in
each you play a different power. So
seven games, each power once. Then the
results are combined into a final tabulation and someone wins the whole
thing. Peter only has two spots left, so
check out his subzine Octopus’s Garden and sign up
directly with him.
The other game opening I want to point out is African Diplomacy,
the Phil Reynolds variant I ran a few times back in my old zine Maniac’s
Paradise. I’m offering a game of that
now, and have included the map and rules elsewhere in
this issue. It’s a fun variant and
mainly only a map variant so it takes no special rules.
And to the person who asked: no, sorry, I have no idea what is
going on with Brad Wilson’s Balkan Wars game.
I’ve asked him numerous times but he won’t reply to that question. And remember, I’m playing in that too!
Plenty of other reading material in this issue, including a
travelogue from my stepmom Barbara Kent on her trip to Europe, plenty of Peeriblah from Larry Peery, Jack
McHugh’s subzine, another entry from Per Westling, twelve pages of The Abyssinian Prince,
and…uh….the usual crap. So enjoy
it. Or not, whatever.
December has been a rather subdued month here at home. Heather got sick with the flu or a bad cold,
but I can’t remember if it was once or twice.
She’s also focused on lots of reading (I gave her a huge stack of books
for Xmas) and her spiritual journey towards her religious beliefs. I’ve been SLOWLY getting through edits on my
prison book (many courtesy of the talented Lisa Gitlin,
author of I Came Out for This?) and I think when this round is over there may be
one final attempt before I try to approach potential publishers. We shall see.
Work is busy for me, but slow for the company. At least I still have a job and it appears
secure for a minimum of the next six months.
Can’t really ask for a more long-term outlook these
days. Miss Piggy and the cats are
doing well, although both Heather and I worry about Miss Piggy having serious
health issues crop up at any moment.
We’ll deal with those if and when they happen, but when you adopt a
senior dog and immediately discover she has cancer you sort of mentally prepare
yourself for the likelihood that she won’t be a part of your family for as long
as you had originally planned.
Oh, speaking of books, Diplomacy
World Strategy and Tactics Editor Joshua Danker-Dake
has his new book out. Check out Amazon
or your favorite retailer for details on “The Spare Room and Other
Stories.” See you in February!
Playlist:
From Croydon to Cuba – Kirsty MacColl; Icon – War;
Rag and Bone – 3 Penny Acre; Beethoven Symphony #9 – Ferenc
Fricsay and the Berlin Philharmonic; New
Constellation – Toad the Wet Sproket.
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 21st 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 next
set of three TV series from each of you (plus 3 more for each round you have missed),
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.
Jim Burgess: ITC Entertainment Shows. They made some GREAT shows. Here are three of them:
The Champions: Two guys and a woman who were secret
agents with super powers. Hey, it was fun!
The Prisoner: Probably the most famous ITC show, it
really was special, but I can't recall if I already included it, Doug will have
to remind me.
The Saint: Roger Moore was this spy and always was
well put together with smart dialogue and worldwide locations.
Andy Lischett: 16. The Jack Benny Show - Jack Benny was
probably my favorite comedian.
17. The World at War - Heath Gardner and
Dane Maslen are right. Real drama,
even knowing the outcome. I also liked the PBS series on The Civil War,
but not as much.
18. Miami Vice - I agree with Dick Martin,
and - as I said in 27 Tunes - I used to watch this just for the opening credits
and music. Even though Crockett was so obviously meant to be cool he WAS cool!
And a Ferrari Daytona, to boot!
Heather Taylor: Hoarders, Roseanne, Firefly.
Andy York: The
Big Bang Theory, Home Improvement, M*A*S*H.
John Wilman: Everyone has a favourite classic cartoon, and mine is Top Cat. It is supposedly based on the Phil Silvers show, but I
never really bought into that. Sgt Bilko was a bald, bespectaled
sweaty guy, a disgrace to his profession and anything but cool. Whereas Top Cat
was the epitome of cool, long before the Fonz came
along.
I would also like to
nominate a British cartoon from the eighties which appealed to adults as well
as kids, despite being broadcast at tea-time and containing no sex or bad
language. "Dangermouse" was a spoof of
the James Bond style of thriller, which incorporated surreal, Beatles style
graphics with rapid fire verbal dexterity, complete with atrocious puns.
I can't justify
three cartoons, so I'll close with a sketch show. These are, I think, more
prevalent in the UK than the US.
"Smack the Pony", another show from
the eighties,
showcased the talents of three female performers. Two of them were only marginally funny, but
the 3rd was Sally Philips, who is a comic genius. She is blessed with a goofy
and totally infectious smile, which would only be inappropriate at a very solemn
funeral.
Comedy being such a
cruel vehicle, she has herself been upstaged recently in the latest series of
"Miranda" by the evergreen and scene-stealing Patricia Hodge. But
that show is still ongoing, so it is too early to judge. As Chou En Lai replied
when he was asked to comment on the French Revolution
Deadpan as ever.
Heath Gardner: 16. Freaks and Geeks. Probably the
"realest" (I use the quote marks because I generally hate that used
as an adjective in this way) show about high school I've ever seen. Also
introduced the world to a number of great actors and writers, Judd Apatow, James Franco, Seth Rogen,
Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini (who I had a massive crush on in high school
thanks to this show).
17. The Wonder Years. Has a lot in common
with Freaks and Geeks, though it's more on the nose, less edgy and cool, and
more syrupy nostalgic. I have a sweet spot for it because I was obsessed with
it as a kid. Daniel Stern's narration was really what made it great IMO.
18. Dragon's Den (CA/UK/JP)/ Shark Tank (US). This quasi-reality
show, where inventors present their ideas to a group of wealthy potential
investors, is one of the biggest train wrecks on television, and it's also
hugely popular. It's essentially the SAME thing every time... person presents
idea... person values their company/idea too high... gets berated for it...
either gets an offer or doesn't... either blows the offer or doesn't. It's sort
of oddly mesmerizing in the way of the aforementioned train wreck, which is
probably why I've gotten into watching it while stuck recuperating from a
broken leg and an effed-up arthritic hip and lower
back.
Douglas Kent: My three for this month…..starting with Millennium. Chris Carter’s
pseudo-spinoff from The X-Files, starring the greatness of Lance Henricksen.
It only lasted three seasons, but there is a current movement afoot to
try and get some closure on the series with a final episode, TV movie, or
cinematic film. Instead of the
government conspiracy base of The X-Files, in this show the Millennium Group
goes back centuries. Are they a force
for good, evil, or neither?
M*A*S*H is a show which I almost left off the list
because I am no longer drawn towards watching it. But I think that’s because I’ve seen every
episode soooo many times in reruns that I’ve just
been overexposed. Some of the episodes
get preachy or repetitive (how many Christmas episodes can you have for the
Korean War? How many times can you use
the phrase “meatball surgery”?)…but none of the episodes from
start to finish were BORING, and many were wonderfully entertaining. Not an easy feat.
While Law and Order
and its many versions are all decent, Law
and Order: SVU is without question the best (as
well as the first of the spinoffs).
Better ensemble, better acting, better stories, and the greatness of Mariska Hargitay (daughter of
Jayne Mansfield but so different from her in many ways). I’ve seen many of these episodes too many
times too, but at least there are still new ones.
Marc Ellinger: Here are 9 to
catch me up…
Dark Skies – Conspiracy and Aliens…what can get
better than that?!?
V (the original one) – See above!
Babylon 5 – Aliens and space (and lots of conspiracy
plots over the seasons) Great stuff, I
miss this show a lot!
Battlestar Galactica – What is worse
than aliens…why Robots of course! I
think this is one of the few shows where the “re-run” (on SciFi)
was nearly as good as the original version.
Lorne Greene was a better Adama than Edward
Olmos, but what a great series.
Hawaii 5-0 – Speaking of “re-runs”, I never missed an
episode of this as a kid and now my whole family sits down to watch the new
version. I hate that they moved it to
Friday night (from Monday), since it conflicts with my sons’ football…thank god
for DVR!!!
Dallas – Once again, what a great series (then
and now). I hope it stays good now that JR (Larry Hagman) has passed away.
He was one character that you hated so much,
you missed him from week to week.
60 Minutes – I’m not a CBS news fan, but I really do
enjoy this show.
The Amazing Race – Speaking of CBS, I don’t like any of the
“reality” shows, except this one. I
really enjoy Sunday evenings watching the various nations they visit and the
cool things they do. I would love to
play on that show!
The Mentalist – Finally (CBS Sunday night), this is my
favorite show on TV right now. Simon
Baker is one of my favorite modern actors and this show is prefect for
him. (Check him out in Sex and Death
101, which is a fantastic movie!) If CBS
would flush the Good Wife, Sunday’s would be a perfect night to sit in front of
the TV and enjoy. But that hour of
awful TV does allow one to clean up from dinner, make beds, get
ready for work in the morning.
Jack McHugh:Let's go with some old
time series here:
Dragnet..Jack Webb's classic TV
series based on his research for a police movie...the series spawned a whole
family of series that Webb produced...Webb's classically underplayed Sgt. Joe
Friday is still referred today in popular reference in spite of the series
being off the air since 1974 and Webb's death in 1982...
Adam-12...the most famous of Webb's Dragnet
spinoffs...two patrolman in a police car answering calls...known for webb's commitment to realism...interesting time capsule of
the 1970's attitudes as well, for example drunk driving is seen as a
"minor" offense almost to be laughed off by the patrolman...
Third Watch...loved this series when it was on in the
early 2000's...haven't seen it syndication..a
shame as it was a well-written and acted series which actually had closure at
the end as the series creator decided to shut it down after about five years
while it was still well done...
Kevin Wilson: A theme for this cycle, classic sci fi. Sci fi is my first, best love for TV. There are others I like, but sci fi is the best.
There are three classics that I've not mentioned yet so I'm going to
now.
1. Space
1999. This one was kind of cheesy in
the concept with the Moon thrown out of earth orbit then traveling around the
universe taking the survivors on adventures.
None of this is even remotely feasible but I guess it worked in its
day. While the premise may have failed
the ships, especially the Eagle, were great and worth the show. It didn't last long but I enjoyed it when I
could see it when I was younger. Now, I
own the entire series on DVD and have watched it a couple of times.
2. UFO: Another cheesy sci
fi classic but again, while the premise may have been weak, the ships and sets
were fun and made the show interesting.
3. The
Prisoner: I remember the first
episode I saw, "Checkmate" with the large chessboard and people
playing the pieces. As a kid, I didn't
understand the show. I just knew it was
different and fun. I'm not sure I still
fully understand the show. For a show
that ran for a limited number of episodes (17) it was interesting and at times
intense.
Per Westling: 16. Some series
works nicely if you Watch an episode now and then, and some works better if you
watch them side by side. I Believe "Babylon
5" is one of the latter. I spent one week vacation watching a couple
of seasons of this so I might have gotten a Babylon 5 overload but it was
great. At least as long a the main story continued. When that finished, and the
series was still a success it did continue for another season which is usually
a Bad Thing (TM). And so it was.
But Babylon 5 is my favorit SF series. One of the reason for this is probably
the similarities to the one of the albums in the French SF comics series,
"Valérian et Laureline",
which had the intercultural space station Point Central. Very
interesting alians in B5. The main story does
appear now and then, and you collect clues what is happening, but each episode
can be watched as is.
I am pretty sure
this would be worth watching again, although I have not done so. Have some
friends that do rewatching weekends and they did
watch B5 this summer. (They have done Blake 7, The Prisoner and some other
series as well. Maybe I'll join them next time around.)
17. I am not really
a fan of Vampire stories but it seems to be hard to avoid them. One series that does manage to combine the
high school theme with vampires, and steering away
from the ridicolous is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". I have still just managed to watch
3 seasons, and I cringe at times, but on the whole I like it. Have not decided if I should continue, though.
Not sure I would rewatch this, although I did so one season 1 which I did
watch maybe 10 years ago, and did rewatch that and
some more last year or so.
Speaking of Vampires
there is a new NBC steam punk style series about Dracula,
that takes place around 1890 in London. After watching all episodes (all
6 of them) I have not decided if I like it or not, but it might be worth trying
it. Episode 7 will be broadcasted early January 2014.
18. I had put down
my 20-21 selections in advance, but I decided to put in this one, namely "Pure Humans". This is actually a
Swedish parallel world SF, where androids are used in the homes as advanced
machines. Is thought provoking as it makes you think about issues like what
makes a human human? Could a machine with self-instinct
become a human? What if an andoid would be a better
version, would they take over? Similar questions posed by a Movie like
"Blade Runner". The series take place in the city and suburbs of some
Swedish town (Stockholm, most likely), more or less present time, with just
introduction of some elements.
Series is now run in
its second season. It has been a success in many countries, especially France,
so it might be available.
Hugh Polley: 16. On Netflix
during periods when I have had power and INTERNET I have been watching THE KILLING the murder mystery is
almost a side bar to the smaller dramas around the main plot.
17. Also on NETFLIX
I have been watching CHUCK a fun GET
SMART type series with girl/boy tension, and centered around BEST BUY, opps BUY MORE.
18. THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW; a Sunday night
staple during those one TV per family years, do not know what its competition
was as there was never any conflict over tuning into something else. Yes, I saw the airing of the Beatles, Dave
Clark Five, Rolling stones ; did I see the Monkeys on
that show?
Dane Maslen: Soap (US)
Andy Bate got there
before me and I can do little other than echo his comments and ask why no one
else has mentioned it.
Spitting Image (UK)
I don't think anyone
has mentioned this at all and I must admit that I had overlooked it until
fairly recently. The image I remember
for most of the people satirised by this series is
that of the puppet, not that of the real person.
Yes Minister / Yes Prime Minister (UK)
Despite the two
titles this was really only one series as it followed Jim Hacker's rise from
being Minister for Administrative Affairs to Prime Minister, always 'helped' by
Sir Humphrey Appleby of course. This
comedy reinforced the Brits' belief that it's the civil servants, not the politicians, that are in control. It most definitely stands up to rewatching.
Andy Bate: Right, fifteen down, only six to go, and
still loads to choose from.
Let’s start with an
old school cop show, The Sweeney. John Thaw and Denis Waterman as coppers who
weren’t afraid to knock people about to get the answers that they needed to nab
the latest villain. Garfield Morgan
played their world-weary boss who was always having to
bail them out of trouble with the higher ups.
The series revolutionized cop shows on TV, introducing the viewer at
home to gritty realism that had previously only been seen in the cinema. I catch the odd repeat but it does look a
little dated these days, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
A cop show of an
entirely different sort next, in the rather more laid back style of New Tricks. Denis Waterman again, as one of three retired
policemen working in the cold case unit (UCOS), with Amanda Redman as their
boss (and a serving policewoman). A cold
case is solved each episode in a pleasing mix of comedy and drama. Entering Season11 next year, only Denis
Waterman remains of the original foursome, but the series continues to engage
me, and I watch repeats on a regular basis as easy but entertaining TV.
Finally for this
penultimate selection, Not The Nine O’Clock News, starring Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones and Pamela Anderson. So far as I remember, this took the anarchic
comedy of Monty Python and put it into a more mainstream show. It was shown on BBC2 at the same time as the
news on BBC1, at, surprise, surprise, nine
o’clock. It featured comedic takes on
current news stories, plus comedy songs and other sketches. As an impressionable teen I have fond
memories of Pamela Anderson in the American Express sketch, which was quite
daring for mainstream TV at the time, but tame by today’s standards. Still worth a look on YouTube though! Other highlights that have remained lodged in
the brain are Gob On You and I’ve Never Met A Nice
South African. Ah, happy days!
Geoff Kemp: 1] Jonathan
Creek - Unusual Magician/Detective show which is different enough and
interesting.
Also new specials on TV over holiday period.
2] Avengers - 60's secret agent double act
- excellent for action sequences (esp
Mrs Peel) downside spin-off unfortunate attempt at a
chart hit (groan!)
3] Open All Hours - underrated comedy
series featuring immortals Ronnie Barker and David Jason - a Classic
Rick Desper: CSI: a groundbreaking series for its
embrace of evidence and the scientific method.
A huge, huge change from shows like Perry Mason, which
relied on absurd intuitive leaps.
The show has probably gone a few series too long. Its peak years were with William
Petersen.
Justified: a very enjoyable show based on the
writings of Elmore Leonard.
Timothy Olyphant has found a perfect role in Raylan Givens, a US Marshal
working in his family's stomping grounds in Appalachia.
Murder, She Wrote: a fairly light-hearted show that
just happened to have a murder mystery every week. Angela Lansbury showed that an older woman
could carry a prime time television show. (BTW: I highly recommend her earlier
work in films such as Gaslight and The Manchurian Candidate.)
Monty Python's Flying Circus: Ground-breaking
humor that still works just as well today.
Jeopardy!: the top quiz game show for decades.
The X-Files: a bit of a guilty pleasure. The show had some great years as it fed on
American paranoia. In later seasons, the
show lost its way a bit, as the "conspiracy" just kept developing
layers within layers within layers.
Also, the show didn't know what to do with the "unresolved sexual
tension" angle.
Curiously, the show
spun off a series called "The Lone Gunmen" which had an episode early
in 2001 featuring terrorists flying a jet liner into the World Trade Center. Made the whole "Nobody
could have thought of this!" excuse seem rather weak.
Dick Martin: lie
to me - a very entertaining recent detective-ish
show featuring tim roth as an expert at lie detection. ironically,
he often solves the case by lying his head off.
cisco kid - a very early
cowboy show, from the 50s. cisco and his wacky
sidekick pancho ride through the west, righting
wrongs yet always misunderstood. enjoyable for its
datedness and generally good humor.
rowan &
martin's laugh-in
- absurd american comedy at its finest. haven't seen it since it was originally on, i wonder if it's still as funny today (i
kinda doubt it). it did make
me sick of hearing "how's dan rowan?"
though!
Martin Burgdorf: Crime series are
very popular in Germany. Here are three milestones in the history of TV.
16. Der Kommissar
(The Police Inspector)
It was about a group
of detectives of the Munich homicide squad (Mordkommission).
At the center of each story there was usually a bourgeois and decadent person:
the middle-aged wife of an academic who started an affair with a young waiter,
the wealthy entrepreneur who spent the nights with the attractive wife of his
butler, or the teenage son of another wealthy entrepreneur who killed the man
who had run over his dog. A young girl who leaves her parents and moves from
the country to the big city—Munich—becomes first a drug addict, then a whore,
and finally a murder victim. "She must have followed her own kind of
philosophy" the Police Inspector was muttering away to himself at the end.
The original run was from 1969 thru 1976, the bizarre plots reflected the
shifting moral standards of these years.
17. Derrick
The successor series
of "Der Komissar", which ran for almost a
quarter of a century. There were also many reruns, until they found out
earlier this year that Horst Tappert, the actor
playing the title character, had served in the SS during WWII. This series was
on TV in more than one hundred countries and was particularly popular in China.
Horst Tappert was the only German actor with fan
clubs abroad. The sentence "Harry, hol schon mal den Wagen"
("Harry, bring the car 'round"; implying "we're done here")
was allegedly spoken at least once in every episode.
18. Tatort (Scene of the Crime)
The answer of the
ARD to "Der Kommissar" in the ZDF (ARD and
ZDF are the two biggest public broadcasters in Germany). Unlike "Der Kommissar" and "Derrick" the police
inspectors changed here from one episode to the next. This series is running
since 1970, more than 800 episodes have been produced. Two of the Tatort episodes featured songs that became hits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0hZUATzTQ4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvCt1M7E1Us
Hank Alme: This month, my theme is "Netflix is
Evil". I followed the same pattern with all three: watch one episode to
see about it, then lose a bunch of hours streaming the
rest in my spare moments. My phone with the Netflix app has cost me more sleep
that way...
Bones: Good murder mysteries. I found it
difficult to suspend disbelief after a while: nobody is as brilliant and luck
as that team. I liked the characters and the sexual tension---unresolved sexual
tension (UST, the best kind)---between Brennan and
Booth worked. The portrayal of science-minded people as arrogant pricks gets a
little old.
How I Met Your Mother: A fun sitcom. Neil Patrick Harris
is brilliant as womanizer Barney Stinson. I got spoiled watching all but the
last season on Netflix, being able to immediately answer the question
"then what happened?" Waiting
a week between episodes is tiring.
Scrubs: I watched the last of this over the
Christmas holiday. This series is a combination of hospital drama elements
(cancer, death, and similar) and slapstick humor that seemed to work for me.
The show successfully humanizes its characters, allowing even the jerks to have
moments of sympathetic treatment.
Richard Weiss: I have three current shows, in
addition to the Mentalist which I already listed, that I watch every week. Each has some character development, feel
good camaraderie, and tension that is not necessarily
related to violence. Two have
intergenerational love. Those
ingredients with a reasonable story line hit my TV sweet spot.
NCIS LA
The Good Wife
Blue Bloods
Hint to the Person in the Closest
Geographical Guess:
We both had distinctive voices, but mine was quirkier, and I gained fame
without it.
PRESS
Mark Firth: What’s all this
with Emma Peel and Navratilova chilling in Anchorage?
Deadline
for Turn 3 is: January 28th at 7am my time
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 #62
Well I didn’t pass my high-level Security
Clearance, so looks like I am unemployed again.
I moved to the city to live in an apartment I can no longer afford for a
job I no longer have. Screw it. And screw all of you.
Homeland’s
Theory of History
I have to say I’m completely impressed
with Showtime series “Homeland”, although it reminds me superficially of Fox’s
“24”, Homeland is a much deeper and better written
series. Unlike 24 it does not reduce international relations to good guys
versus the bad guys where the good guys are constantly trying to stop the bad
guys from destroying things and are forced to shred the US constitution and
bill of rights in a desperate attempt to stave of the “collapse of
civilization” as we know it week after week. While I initially enjoyed the
first few seasons I watched 24, the constant need to suspend belief—terrorist
are easily able to take over a Russian nuclear missile sub which docks at an
unprotected dock in Los Angles—in fact it was practically deserted, I’ve seen
better protected long term parking lots—and are able to take it over by easily
killing the crew AND know how to run said submarine—although the real whoopers
were generally reserved for the show’s main character, Jack Bauer. Bauer never
needed to go the bathroom or eat, was able to get cell phone service at all
times—even underground (!), he was able to drive across LA in 20 minutes—in
rush hour (!!!). Clearer Bauer’s talents were wasted as a secret agent; he
should have been a traffic planner for the state of California or a cell phone
engineer for Verizon or Sprint.
Homeland by contrast concentrates on the
day to day details of the agents and their lives as well as the bureaucratic
maneuvering that takes place within the CIA. Unlike 24 where the entire
government apparatus was seen mostly as an impediment to Bauer and his
team—“Cloey, get me into that server, we can’t wait on the higher up’s to put
down their after dinner sherri—I need access
NOW!!!”—Homeland’s characters recognize they are part of the government—even
with they don’t agree with it, they readily acknowledge they part of the system
and don’t fall back on the “great man” clichés like most shows of this ilk do,
e.g.. “If only the President knew, he’d help us out….” In fact 24 even went so
far as to have Bauer constantly appealing to the President on screen who would then actively intervene to get Bauer what he
wanted or needed. Homeland has kept the President off camera for this series
which is a much more likely outcome as the President would likely deal with
most people through his staff or cabinet and the President can’t afford to
undercut his staff/cabinet by constantly intervening and by passing them.
While Homeland is nominally about Claire
Daines character, CIA case agent, Carrie Mathison, and her target/lover
Nicholas Brody, played by Damien Lewis, I think the character of Saul
Bernstein, Carrie’s mentor and boss, played with wonderful understatement by
Mandy Patinkin, is the most interesting. What is so fascinating about his
character is unlike your typical intelligent type he is not concerned with
day-to-day intelligence. Most spy novels/stories/series are usually very
dependent on this type of information to keep the plot moving as well as to
provide constant cliff hangers, not so in Homeland.
Homeland is about Bernstein’s attempt to
use the number two man of Iranian intelligence to try and change the policy of
Iran and the US to force some type of peace. Bernstein is trying to use an
“asset”, in this case the turned Director of Iranian intelligence, to convince
that asset that he will be able to influence Iranian policy so that US and Iran
can finally broker a peace to the cold war between the Islamic Republic and the
US that has been going on ever since the overthrow of the Shah back in 1978.
It’s a fascinating premise that rests on
a few assumptions, one, history is made more by people than by events—it is
more important who is in charge of a government rather than the events
surrounding who is in charge. This first point is more of a variation of the
“great man” theory I spoke of earlier. Two, people will generally try and do
what leaves them the biggest mark in history books—the whole premise of series
is deputies and assistants on both sides are dying to reverse policy if not for
their stubborn superiors.
I have lot more trouble with the second
premise than the first. Most governments can’t be changed by simply changing
the person in charge—most government policies don’t stop with the President or
the Secretary of State, policies tend to percolate up through a bureaucracy
which water down and reduce most polices to the thin gruel like
“consensus”.
Expecting that you can remove one leader and
change the policy is not something I find supported by most of history—leaders
have less to do with historical events themselves but rather the timing of the
historical events. For example, while the military and organizational genius of
specific historical leaders like Bonaparte or Hitler trigger specific
historical events like the Napoleonic Wars or World War II, I would argue that
those nations would eventually have fought those wars eventually, or at least
serious disturbed the international equilibrium, at some point as they are less the personal
ambition of one man then the an attempt by a nation or a people to gain more
power among other nations due to the advances of their nations. If nations
outlaw wars they would be freezing the international status quo at the
moment—for example, if you outlaw wars before 1776 there is no United States.
I also find Homeland interesting in that
it stands the traditional relationship of intelligence communities to political
leaders on its head in so far as that it is not political leaders who already
have the answers seeking to force their conception of reality on to the
intelligence, e.g., the Bush administration run up to its invasion of Iraq in
2003, but rather the other way around. The CIA has its own policy that it is
attempting to implement by moving up an asset and then essentially counting on
that person, once in power and under limited US control, to willing go along
with the policy as in Iran’s, as well as the US’s, best interest.
I find the prospect of this working both
comforting and disquieting at the same time. I find it comforting that the US
would have intelligence analysis this deep and this clever. On the other hand
they are not elected by the people, and despite the flaws of our political process,
that is ultimately what confirms all political legitimacy in the US system.
Without the stamp of the ballot box, the US government is just a banana
republic with a well written constitution.
I’m running a new game.
Each of you send me $100. I will let you know who wins.
Octopus’s Garden
Issue
Eighty-Five
29th December 2013
Sub-editorial
HELLO, good evening and welcome to Octopus’s Garden,
the subzeen with its very own waiting list for a 7 x 7 Gunboat Diplomacy
tournament. It is a subzeen to Jim Burgess’ The
Abyssinian Prince, which is now a subzeen to Douglas Kent's Eternal
Sunshine. It's produced by Peter Sullivan, peter@burdonvale.co.uk. It's also
available on the web at: http://www.burdonvale.co.uk/octopus/.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Convention News
Now that the long winter nights are beginning to lighten up again, it's
time to start thinking about games-playing events for 2014. One of the
longer-running British games events is Baycon. I actually remember attending at
least one of the first of these, back in the days when it was held in Torbay.
I did hear a scurrilous rumour some years ago that the move away from
Torbay was demanded by a group of senior gamers, who had brought their wives
along to the convention, enticed with the lure of a weekend down at the
seaside. Said wives had disappeared off for a collective shopping session in
Torbay town centre on the Saturday afternoon, whilst their husbands were
playing a short game of Empires of the Middle Ages, or some such. The husbands
didn't discover quite the scale or size of the aforesaid shopping session until
a month later, when the credit card bills arrived. Allegedly, a deputation was
sent to the convention committee to ask them to move the event to a less
attractive venue for the “Diplomacy widows” – or at any rate, one with fewer
expensive shops nearby.
All of which is entirely anecdotal, and I have no idea if it is true or
not. As it is, Baycon has been settled down at the Exeter Court Hotel,
Kennford, Exeter, for a good number of years now. It's
right at the southern tip of the A38, the road nicknamed “the longest country
lane in Britain.” It stretches from here, just south of Exeter, through
Birmingham (where it briefly becomes motorway in the run-up to the infamous
Spaghetti Junction interchange), then on to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire.
Ending a total of over 292 miles north of where it started. I know that
Americans won't be that impressed by the concept of a 292-mile road. But trust
me, in Britain, that's A LONG WAY.
The dates for Baycon in 2014 are 24th to 27th April,
and the convention fee is £15 for the whole weekend, or £5 a day (in both
cases, payable on the door). Accommodation should be booked directly with the
hotel, but mention Baycon to get the special convention rate. More details (together
with some distinctly dodgy mugshots of the convention committee!) can be found
on the Baycon website at http://www.baycon.co.uk.
Meanwhile, in local news, we still have two more slots in our 7 x 7
Gunboat Diplomacy tournament:
___________________________________________________________________________________
WAITING
LISTS
7 x 7 Gunboat Diplomacy: Five signed up. (2 wanted)
___________________________________________________________________________________
That
was Octopus's Garden #85, Startling Press production 372.
Not Lepanto 4-ever
LXII #4
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.
Last time I tried to run some Bridge problems. Did not get any reaction to that
so I guess I can skip that. So time for something different.
This time of year it is
common that you reflect of the year that just have passed and to look ahead of
the year to come. Let's start with the latter.
2014
I both look forward and
not to the year to come. One of the things that I fear is the upcoming
elections, both for our national parliament here in Sweden and also the
European Parliament in EU. The latter election takes place some time before the
former. The reason I do fear this is the growing “right-wing” wind that is
blowing around Europe. The extreme right-wing movements have similar traits in
different countries and have made big advancement of their cause in countries
like Greece, Hungary, Netherlands and Norway. The movements have some things in
common; they are often conservative, nationalistic, anti Islam, anti
imigration, rastistic and fascistic. Sometimes even nazistic with fallback to
argumentation heard during the 1930s. Even if not all of these traits can be
found in their officiall standing you can find it among their supporters.
I do read quite a lot of
this trash on the Internet and try to do what I can to fight against it (with
words only, of course). I do believe that the major problem is the increasing
economic chasms. Increasing unemployment, youngsters without hope for the
future, increasing poverty – all these, and more, causes the “right-wing” to
gain in strength. So, 1930s is back and maybe here to stay. How will this end?
Another trend is the
increasing surveillance, mainly powered by the US and the UK. It sure looks
bothersome if that trend is combined with the above. Can you say 1984...? So,
the future does not look that bright.
But on a more positive note
there are things I do look forward to. Some of these are related to sports. It
is not long to go before the Winter Olympics take place, but there is one event
that I regard as much more interest and that is the World Cup taking place in
Brazil. Together with Summer Olympics this are the BIG event when it comes to
worldwide interest. Football (or Soccer, if you must) is the #1 sport in so
many countries around the world.
For my part I have been interested in the world cup since a was a child. I have also read quite a lot about it as it
has an interesting history. And it has always been a big interest for it here
in Sweden. Ever since the World Cup in Sweden 1958 I believe Brazil (which beat
Sweden in the final, 5-2) has been held in high regard. BTW, Brazil-Sweden is
the nations that have met the most times during the history of the World Cup, that is 7 times! So, with world cup coming “home” to
Brazil this year I believe it will be a great show.
I do know there
have been quite a lot protests in Brazil. It is a highly corrupted country, and
they have spent LOTS of money to built, and repair extering, stadiums. But I
still hope this will be a great party. And party is something the Brazilians
love...
I did suggest to Doug that
maybe we should run some kind of competition based on the World Cup? If he wont I can run it in this 'zine. Have some ideas on
how it can be run. As it is run during a month doing a “Fantasy Football” wont work, but some kind a prediction on the final standings
should be possible. If you think it is a good idea let me, or Doug, know.
2013
Looking backwards 2013
have been an intersting year in many aspects. Some things might take years
before the significance becomes clear. I wont go into
those things but instead I will just do a trivial walk through of some of the
great songs of 2013; either because they are great, or had have some
significance of my year. This list is in no way complete and is not ordered. I
have tried to keep to songs that the rest of you can understand as well.
1.
One of the lists
for 2012 put Solange “Losing you” on the top. This was a song that came
rather late during 2012 but it stayed with me for some time during 2013 and is
still good. Someone described this as Seagull R'n'b and that is very
appropriate.
2.
Imagine Dragons is a Vegas band that has made success on the net. They have also
made music for the Hunger Game movie. From their 2012 album Night Vision there
are two songs that I played a lot during 2013: “Radioactive” and “On Top Of The World”.
3.
Synth pop was a musical
style that was very strong in the 80s. Nowadays the electronic component can be
found natural in many songs. But there are still synth pop groups. One of them
that had a hugh hit during 2013 is the Scottish band Chvrches
(pronounces as churches) with their “The Mother We Share”.
4.
Hip-hop is a style
that many have a hard time with. I believe there are good songs and bad songs
in any style. In Sweden we have had a great hip-hop year. One of the best new
artists are Elliphant. For this list I have
choosen two songs, “Music Is Life” and “Could It Be”.
5.
One song that was
different, almost a capella style, is “Royals” by
Lorde, fron New Zealand. Minimal electronica might be the right name for this
style.
6.
Covers might be the
greatest praise of a song or an artist. Sometimes even big artist with a great
number of songs do this. An example of this is Ellie Goulding which had
a great year in 2013. But the song that might have made the greatest impression
was her version of the 1990 “How Long Will I Love You” by The Waterboys.
7.
Speaking of Ellie
she has done some acts together with Skrillex and Calvin Harris, that
brings me to another genere, namely house. In 2013 there were several swedish acts that did make great success. One of those was Swedish
House Maffia that made their last appearance in 2013 before split and going
solo. From their production I choose “Don't You Worry Child”.
8.
So, can you mix House with any other genre? Maybe not but the
Swede Avicii did show that you can mix it with Country & Western in
the song “Wake Me Up”.
9.
Another Swede is
the just 16 year old Zara Larsson that had a monster hit with her
“Uncover”. She did perform this during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies
which is a good indication on how big she became in main stream.
10.
Bastille made a great mash-up cover but their song I did enjoy most was
“Pompei”. I think they would be intersting to watch live.
11.
What is the best
album 2013? Have not yet decided which but “Random Access Memories” sure made a
great impression. Disco revival, sort of, of which “Get Lucky” is a good
selection, with song by Pharell Williams.
12.
On Swedish
wikipedia Lana Del Rey some of the genres she is connected with is barock pop and sadcore... Don't know about that but I
select “Summer Time Sadness” as a good representative for 2013.
13.
Another Swedish
hip-hop artist that have made a great song for 2013 is
Mapei with her “Don't Wait”. What can I say?
14.
Let's add some
drum-based-band with “We Are Young” by Fun.
15.
I'll end with
another artist that I had never heard of when 2013 started but which have made
another great song, and that is Seinabo Sey with her “Younger”.
I am sure that all our
lists would look very different but this is my current top music list for 2013,
even though it contains some 2012 songs...
If you want to listen to
the above, I have made a playlist in Spotify. You can try https://play.spotify.com/user/per_westling/playlist/2gZwOf8KhvlOLBn8qY3Oih
So, that was all for
today.
A New York Times Trip to
Western Europe: Travelogue
By Barbara Kent, Roving
Reporter and Globetrotter
This
is my log of my recent NY Times trip to Western Europe. I had an
absolutely fantastic time and I am so glad that I went. The speakers were
terrific and the people on the trip were so well informed and so
friendly. The places we visited were not my first choice, but I went on
this trip for the NY Times speakers and I could not have asked for more or
better. It was just an amazing experience.
I started by flying to
London two days before the trip officially began. In London, I saw Macbeth at the Globe
and it was the theatrical experience of a lifetime. Before the play, I
went to a lecture by a world famous scholar on Macbeth. I learned so much,
especially with regard to Macbeth's total lack of remorse or redemption.
I am always impressed with how much I don't know. Then the
next night I saw From Here to Eternity. While I usually do not like
musicals, this one was quite good and conveyed the brutality and sadness and
frustration clearly. Taking a taxi back to the hotel after the shows was
beautiful. The city was lit up, especially the London Eye and the bridges
as well as the Buckingham Palace and surrounding area. After the Olympics,
apparently London just took off. The city is bustling and bursting with
tourists. Businesses are booming. Restaurants
and traffic (despite congestion pricing) galore. The cabs are all
modern and equipped with a microphone system between driver and passenger. It
is very similar to NYC in the liveliness.
A
big difference is that there is virtually no construction.
What
is very disturbing is that the Red Cross, for the first time since the end of
WWII, has declared a hunger emergency in England. At the end of November,
it will go into food stores and ask shoppers for donations which will be given
to food banks. And there are politicians who are saying awful things
about the hungry. And there is a growing homeless problem. And the
government sold the Royal Mail to private investors for a giveaway price!!!
When I left Macbeth, there were no taxis. We (about 300 of us--mostly
young) all had to take about a ten minute walk to a main street where I got a
cab. There was not a single policeman along the entire walk. For
that matter, I never saw any police in London. Also,
no dogs or cats.
London is really expensive. $180.00 including tip to go
by taxi from the airport to my hotel. I am glad I don't live here.
My hotel was very nice and the staff was delightful. They made a
real effort to remember each guest personally.
Yesterday, Saturday, we drove from London to Harwich which is the port from
which we departed. Drove through farmland and small
towns. Saw horses and many cows. The houses were primarily
attached with no lawns. The front areas are bricked over so that the cars
can park there instead of on the street. Saw three dogs.
Then in the evening we went to a cocktail party with the Times
columnists. It was just amazing to talk informally with them. And then dinner. As I have already told you, I have
met some really nice women so far--two named Barbara, one Sue (from Australia)
and one Diane from Brooklyn. It makes the trip a real
pleasure.
Also,
the dinners are so great. I just love the conversations. Everything from theater to WWII. The people are
so pleasant and nice and really bright.
After
leaving London, we docked in Le Havre and drove from Le Havre to Paris.
We passed through a lot of lush farm land and some nice villages.
Again we saw horses and cows. Le Havre was the last city to be
liberated from the Nazis, but the liberation involved destroying the city via
bombing. But it was all re built. We arrived in Paris where it was
chilly, but very sunny and I had on the proper clothes. We drove around
and saw (spelling and
order not correct) the Arch de Triomphe, La Place De Concorde,
the Champs Elysee, Latin Quarter, Paris Opera House, Ministry of Justice, Hotel
des Invalides, Luxembourg Gardens, Pantheon, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, and the
Louvre. Rousseau, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie and the leader of
the Resistance are buried at the Pantheon, among others. The Louvre was
once a royal palace, but Louis the 14th was insecure there due to a childhood assassination
attempt and so he had Versailles built as his palace. Due to his
insecurity, he also did not want any trees planted on the various boulevards.
Both Louis the 14th and Napoleon were big supporters of the Hotel des
Invalides since both fought many wars and had many wounded soldiers in need of
care. Napoleon is buried at the Hotel des Invalides and that as you
probably know, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Eternal Flame are under
the Arch de Triomphe.
Paris
is absolutely beautiful to behold. All the gold and
wide streets and trees in the sunshine. But along with all of
this, I saw an awful lot of homeless men sleeping on the sidewalks. But not on the Champs Elysee. I also saw five dogs.
The Paris Marathon was being run today. There was a large police
presence. But as soon as the marathon was over, the police
disappeared.
After
the bus tour, we were dropped at the Eiffel Tower for two hours during which
time I had lunch at an outdoor cafe. And I got to watch a woman change
her top with no bra right on the plaza at the Tower. Would this be done in
NYC? Living in SI and coming in just for plays, etc. I really don't
know. There was not enough time to go up the Tower. This was
the one real glitch. Either we should have only stayed one hour or stayed
two and a half hours which is the time needed to go up the Tower. The
Tower was built in 1889 for the World's Fair to celebrate the French Revolution
of 1789. There are 1789 steps to the top. The Eiffel Tower has been
sold to a private person for one Euro as the government does not have the money
to maintain it. Why not just raise the admission prices, I do not know.
Then we took a cruise on the Seine River which was beautiful especially as the
sun was shining on the water and the bridges. We supposedly went under 22
bridges (but I think we went under fewer) and there are 36 bridges in Paris all
together.
City Isle which was the original Paris and houses Notre Dame is just beautiful.
The Cathedral in the sun is magnificent. I should say that my
pictures are sorely lacking due to the camera and to my lack of
skill.
My companion for most of the day was Sue from Australia. She is doing the
42 day trip.
Anyway, I had a wonderful day. I am so enjoying myself. Tomorrow on to Normandy. The next day will be talks by
the NY Times columnists.
Normandy
was disappointing. Rain and mud and the American cemetery is closed due to the government shut down. Also, the
guide talked mostly about the Norman invasion from five or six hundred years
ago.
Had
my hair done on the ship. The hair dresser is
from Australia. There are a group of 120 people on the ship from
Australia all doing the 42 day tour. Sue is one of them. According
to the hairdresser many of the staff are from Australia and they are mostly
young and seeing the world. This is very different from the staff on the
Princess line cruise that Millie and I took where the staff were mostly
Philippine and were all doing it for a life time and really missed their families,
but needed to send money to their families. This assumes that the hair
dresser was telling the truth as to his motivation and not doing this because
he could not get a job at home.
By
the way, the day after I went to the Eiffel Tower, there was a bomb scare there
and it had to close and there were police with machine
guns etc. all over the place. Those on our trip who went
to Paris on the second day (I did it on the first day) were apparently
quite frightened.
Also, in France, stores are closed on Sunday. But both workers and
customers apparently want to have stores such as home improvement stores open
on Sunday. Given the 14% unemployment rate, many people think the stores
should be opened, but the courts have ruled that they must be closed under the
current law. Furthermore, some legislators maintain that Sunday is a
day of rest and is the French way of life. Were they to open, it would be
the American way of life.
I
love the dinners. We have discussed Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bloomberg,
mortgages, financial meltdown etc. all from a liberal point of view. It
is great fun for me.
Our
next day was at sea and we started the actual Times lectures and this is
everything I hoped it would be. The first speaker was Elizabeth Bumiller
who spoke about General Mayhem which was about the misbehavior sexually of the
generals and how this is replicated at the lower levels. The sense of entitlement, the large homes, the large staffs enjoyed
by the generals, etc. The proposed legislation
in the Senate and the possible effect of having more women in the armed
services.
The
second speaker was Tim Egan who spoke about the Dust Bowl and how it was
created and how it was somewhat ended. The government
want the plains to be settled and the railroads wanted farmers to live
in the plains and use the railroads that were being built. So the
government doubled the Homestead Act and the railroads went to Europe and
encouraged people to come to the plains in the US. All the green grass in
the prairie that took millennium to develop was destroyed by the farmers
turning up the grass and planting wheat but the market for wheat collapsed when
Russia re-entered the export market for wheat after the end of WW1. Then
the farmers turned up more land and planted more wheat to cover bank notes but
the oversupply just finally really collapsed the prices for wheat and the land
was then left turned up with no planting and then came the dust bowl.
There had always been great winds and drought in the prairie, but now the
dirt had been loosened as well. So it was a man-made instance of climate
change. He is a real raconteur and he made the tragedy and poverty come
alive as the winds blew the dirt so hard that you could not see in front of
you. Many people died of dirt pneumonia. One third of the
population left the plains, but two thirds (two million) stayed and suffered.
But for many, many of them, it was the first time they owned anything and
they were not giving it up. It is an amazing historical story.
Our third
speaker, David Sanger, discussed leaks and when and how the Times decides to
publish something. He started with the Cuban missile crisis. The
intelligence that Moscow was going to put nuclear weapons in Cuba was
wrong. The weapons were already there. The choices that Kennedy had
were either to attack or to blockade. Anyway, for thirteen days, in
secret, they worked out a face saving deal with the Soviets. The secrecy
allowed this deal to be worked out. In comparison, with Syria, Obama basically
negotiated with himself in public. No secrecy at all. Probably the
right decision was reached ultimately, but it was all done in public.
With
regard to wrong intelligence, the CIA was wrong regarding Russia and then
China's nuclear capabilities. As a matter of funny fact, the CIA gave
Truman a memo saying Russia was at least a year away on the same day that
Russia exploded a test nuclear weapon in 1949. Apparently, Truman was not
amused. So when asked regarding Iraq, the CIA was determined not to make
the same mistake again and be too cautious. So it extrapolated from 1998
when the inspectors left and give its wrong opinion in 2003, but wrong the
other way this time.
With
regard to when to publish, these are the guidelines: it will not publish
if there may be a loss of life or the event is on-going. It will publish
if the material is historical or the only reason the government wants to
withhold it is to prevent itself from being embarrassed. Pentagon Papers
and Wiki Leaks were histories. But they withheld a story on our
cooperation with Pakistan to secure its nuclear weapons for three years.
Snowden contained operational details which the Times did not publish though
other publications did publish.
DOJ
is investigating Sanger regarding his book on the computer virus war created
with Israel against Iran. DOJ has settled the leak by a former FBI agent
to the AP regarding the Saudi double agent in Yemen and the terror plot.
Wendy
Schiller is a Brown professor and has been for the last 19 years. Her
topic was whether the Constitution is outdated and whether issues transcend
time. She is a real live wire disagreeing with Republicans and Democrats,
Obama and Hillary. Extremely lively to listen to.
Quotes from the founding fathers. Given
the quotes, I would have to say that many of the old issues and compromises are
still relevant today. But not all. For
example, Jefferson's opinions regarding slaves and what should be done with
them (send them all back to Africa) when they are freed is pretty outdated
today. He really thought black people are as stupid as the day is long.
But public debt and the need to curtail it, along with a limited federal
government, are certainly current topics. When does debt end? What
kind of country could the US be if it had less debt? What about
social and religious diversity? Should it be equality of opportunity or
equality of outcome? These are just some examples.
On
the next day, we went to the Bordeaux region--not the city of Bordeaux and some
people are going nuts complaining. They are angry that Le Hare was far
from Paris and now we are not actually in Bordeaux. They feel that
Celebrity Lines did not properly advertise the trip. I thought one
man would just break down and cry.
What
we did was see several places in the Bordeaux region with more places tomorrow.
We started in La Rochelle. Apparently, Le Havre was the last town
freed in conjunction
with the Normandy invasion. La Rochelle was the last town
in France that was freed. My ignorance!! It is a commercial port
for imports such as timber from Africa and flowers from So. America and an
export port for French products such as salt. It was formed in 976 and
for a long time many Huguenots lived there. But they are Protestants
and the rulers wanted this to be a Catholic country and so they finally agreed
to leave. They went all over the world including the US where they formed
New Rochelle.
Then we went to Rochefort which was formed in 1666 by Louis the 14th (Sun King)
because he wanted to maritime security for his country and himself. On
the drive there and back, I notices that the
overwhelming number of autos are French--Citroen, Peugeot or Renault. Very few from other countries. Also, there are traffic
circles every two-three minutes unless you are on a super
highway. We went to Chateau de la Roche Courbon. It was
built in the 15th Century and it was apparently being neglected when in 1908 a
man named Pierre Loti wrote a column in the newspaper asking someone to come to
its rescue and buy and maintain it. Someone did and owned it in his
family for 100 years. Then about five years ago, a father bought it for
his daughter and son in law to live in and they really do live in this huge
castle. If you own a castle and open it to the public, you get a tax
break. And in this case, (and I assume other castles as well) you also
get to charge for tours and have a small gift
shop. There was a copper collection in the kitchen that Dick would have
died for. It was just magnificent.
We were supposed to go to a great outdoor market. But it poured. So
we went to the maritime museum and library which was a complete dud.
Everyone was very annoyed. It was a disappointment, but the castle
was very nice. Rochefort is an old city but the surrounding area is
either farmland or suburbs with very nice albeit small new homes mostly in
developments. Homes that we used to consider to be
starter homes when that concept existed.
The weather has not been great to say the least. It
was pouring when I left, but by the first stop, the sun was out. Then it
poured again. I really don't care. I am having a great
time.
On
the second day in this region there was no rain and it was even
somewhat sunny. I went to the Isle of Re.
First,
we went past the prison on the Isle of Re. Until 1952, France used penal
colonies. Since then, it uses domestic prisons. The walls surround
a wide open area, so they have to put thin wire in the air above the walls to
prevent helicopters from landing and freeing the prisoners!! This is in
the village of La Flotte. The homes are made of limestone and are very
nice in the suburbs of Flotte and the village has been voted one of France's
best villages. But in the village, the homes are much older. The
homes have walls or bamboo trees around them to protect them from the winds
(and maybe the tourists).
Then
we went to Ars where we saw the only remaining Romanesque church left on the
island. In the past, people would put pictures of their ships beneath
pictures of the Virgin Mary to ask her to protect the ship when it was out at
sea.
Between
the villages is marsh land where birds flying between Scandinavia and Africa
land to rest and eat, donkeys that allegedly are very sweet and have long
hair. We saw Egrets. Also, between the villages on the roads and
highways are huge crosses with Jesus Christ being crucified.
It is amazing. You could never have such statues on public lands in the
US. But here in France, you can have statutes on public lands but can't
wear a cross or face covering to class in a public
school while you can in the US.
Every
village has a town hall and some amount of graffiti.
Finally,
we went to the village of St. Marteen. Saw a great old church from the
16th and 17th and 18th centuries. Many wars between France and England
and so the church kept getting destroyed and rebuilt. Sometimes, the
French destroyed the church to prevent the English from using it. Very smart. During the French revolution, about
1000 priests were held in this area and eventually killed or died of disease.
In
WWII, the Germans built five submarine bases on the French coast, one of which
is in La Rochelle and one on the Island.
Napoleon's
last three days on French soil before the British exiled him were on a very
small island off this island.
I
finished up by having a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe as I did in Paris.
BTW, in St. Marteen, I bout you some liquor that the
island is famous for. Who knows if it is any good.
If you don't like it, you can just throw it out. But I am bringing it
with me, not shipping it.
Now
about Bilbao, our next port about 45% of the
population speaks Basque as opposed to or in addition to Spanish. The
island is beautiful. There is a funicular (spelling) to the top of the
mountains.
In
WWII, the Basque region did not support Franco. So Franco with the aid of
the Germans bombed Balbao and surroundings and killed approximately 20,000
civilians.
They
are very proud of their hanging/suspension bridge. It is made of iron and
designed by the same architect who designed the Eiffel Tower. It was
built from 1890-93 and is the first such bridge in this area.
The
city of Bilbao is divided into two banks by a river. There used to be 19
bridges over the river--now only 13. Three are 9 Michelin stars in
Spain--7 are in the Basque region. But the Basque region has only 6% of
the Spanish population. Balbao has the largest indoor market in Europe
and is surrounded by mountains. In the 1980's it was totally flooded and
much had to be rebuilt. In this regard, the national theater which is
similar to the Paris opera was building the early 18th century but has been
remodeled many times. The first bank was built in the early 19th century
because there was so much money in the city. But it too has been rebuilt
many times. A beautiful library was built in 1888 and still is in use as
built. The trolley still runs and there is a very tall (WOW) building in
the center of town which has 41 stories!!
Typical
workers take lunch from 2-4 but work until 8 at night.
Execution
bridge dates way back to when guilty people were
thrown off the bridge in front of large crowds--not the method used now!!
Finally, we finished
up at the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao which was built in 1997. It is an
amazing structure made of Russian titanium. Everything that comprises the
structure is curved. There are exhibits outside and inside. Across
from the museum is a university and a beautiful convent which is now a school Apparently, nuns do not live in convents anymore in
Spain although there are crosses in public areas. It was designed by
Frank Gehry. The NY Guggenheim was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Some
of the inside exhibits are a Warhol silk screen of Marilyn Monroe; a
Gilbert and George silk screen of the London scene in the 1960's; a huge copper
exhibition; and Alex Katz's Smiles. Outside are exhibits depicting a huge
dog, flowers, fog, water on fire and a massive spider. It is all interesting
and unusual to say the least, but certainly not my kind of art.
The
boat did not rock last night since we were in port, but now we are on our way
to Vigo and the boat is already rocking. This morning, I just relaxed and
had my hair done again. This afternoon we listened to Elizabeth
Bumiller and David Sanger. Later, we hear David again and then it is a
formal night.
Elizabeth
spoke about the world of drone pilots. I think I have become a fan of
drone strikes. Three purposes: obviously to kill the enemy, but
also to provide intelligence and to provide protection for American or Allied
ground troops. She spoke about the fact that when she was finally given
permission to interview Pentagon drone pilots, she asked them if they suffered
any regret or if they become attached to their targets in the instances in
which they monitor a compound for weeks or months before launching a
missile. After all, in the compounds are mothers, fathers, children
playing soccer, etc. They said they had no regrets or remorse, but yes
they do get attached to the people they monitor. They are doing their
duty. But chaplains and counselors are being moved into and/or near drone
bases. Also, a drone strike though launched from far away requires a
spotter who by definition must be nearby. In Afghanistan, this is a
member of our armed forces. But allegedly in Waziristan, Pakistan, Yemen,
Somalia, are they local informants or Americans? The plan in a few years
is to have drones flying all over the world 24/7. She also spoke of the
time she was at an army camp when it was attacked and that a drone was called
in to attack the attackers.
So
this raises the question--do you support drone warfare? Fewer unintended consequences (albeit not none) and safety for our
troops versus so lowering the bar that we may enter a war too cavalierly.
One
more thing about drones--In addition to us, China, Israel and Hezbollah have
drones. Maybe other countries also. Once
Bibi was in a helicopter and had to make an emergency landing because a drone
operated by Hezbollah was over Israeli airspace and the Israeli military had to
destroy it before Bibi could return to the air.
Sanger's
presentation was on Iran: Iran, will it have a deal, a bomb or be bombed in a
year. The audience seems to think it will have a deal. I think it
will have a bomb. He would not give his opinion. He explained to us
the stages of bomb development and how you need to get the fuel (uranium or
plutonium) and spin it in centrifuges to 95% enrichment and then design the
bomb and the delivery system (missile, airplane or donkey cart). At 5 %
enrichment you need three times as long as at 20% enrichment to get to
95%. Apparently, the US and Israel disagree on the time line but only by
months. The real disagreement is what is the breaking
point--capability to make a bomb (Israel) or getting a bomb (US).
Sanger explained
how he originally thought the sanctions would never lead to serious
negotiations but now obviously he thinks he has been proved incorrect.
The inflation rate is 45%, the Rial has collapsed, fuel exports have collapsed
and Iran is cut off from the international banking system. The
population is two thirds urban and is hurting. So one question is whether
the Iranians are rational and what is the minimum they would accept in a
deal?
Next
question is Bibi rational and what level of risk can Israel safely
sustain? This is a problem. Iran has disbursed its various nuclear
facilities. Not just one site as in Syria and Iraq in 1981. So can
Israel wage an effective campaign again Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel
practices this over the Mediterranean all the time and says it can.
However, the newest known facility at Qom is 250-300 meters
underground. The best Israel can destroy is 75 meters underground.
The US has a MOP (Massive Operational Penetration) bomb which is delivered by a
B-2 which can bomb to this depth. But to the best we know, Israel does
not have this ability. But Israel is trying to get this ability.
Both Bush and Obama denied Israel's request to be given this bomb. It would be
worse to bomb badly then not to bomb. There is also a heavy water
facility in the Iranian desert which is supposed to be completed by the end of
2014. There is no nuclear fuel there now. Israel says it will not let
fuel be placed there. We apparently believe Israel on this despite other
red lines that have be crossed without an Israeli
reaction. Especially because bombing a nuclear facility that has nuclear
fuel will cause a wasteland. That is another risk factor for
Israel. Even if Israel could bomb Iran 200 times and Iran could only bomb
Israel once, once would be enough given how little Israel is.
Another
question--has another country such as Pakistan or N. Korea already given Iran
the design for a nuclear bomb and/or miniaturization?
Final
question--what will Obama accept?
On Sunday, I
went to Baiona and Viga, Spain which form an area fairly near the
Portuguese border. About a five hour drive to Madrid and one hour drive
to Portugal.
In Baiona, we climbed
to the top of a beautiful old fort which overlooked the beautiful bay of
Viona. Originally, this area was a fishing village and was taken over by
the Romans, then the Moors and then the British and The French attacked.
Now it is primarily residential with beautiful homes around a beautiful water
front. Many homes are second homes, but nowadays with higher taxes and
higher unemployment, people can't buy them and so the prices have come
down. All the stores were closed and even the Church was empty. But
all the bars and restaurants, of which there were many, were busy. The
one noticeable difference from NYC is that the adults are at the tables
and babies are with them in strollers. The older children are playing in
the plazas nearby. There is no traffic and no one is looking after the
children. The children seem to have such
freedom.
Same graffiti and same work hours as in Bilbao. Also, they have
their own language in addition to Spanish.
Then
we went to Vigo on the gulf of Vigo. We went to the top of the city which
is also a fort, but mostly demolished to see a panoramic view of Vigo. Many nice homes. Vigo is a huge commercial port.
After the tour ended, I went to the Old City of Vigo by myself and walked
around. Beautiful old streets and buildings.
Most stores other than restaurants were closed. Due to the rain, many of
the restaurants were also closed. Can't imagine
all the stores being closed in NY due to rain. Spoke to one store
owner who was open. He is struggling. I bought a table cloth and
three tiny vases. He was a really nice man. The Church was
open. When the rain took a break, I saw a beautiful rainbow. A new
big indoor market place was open and there was a flea market going on. I
went in there for a while and had ice cream and bought a painting from a local
artist.
There
is a lot of security at the ports in Spain and a lot of cars from other
European countries--maybe because there is no Spanish car industry. I do
not know Also, Vigo has a lot of greenery.
And another difference with the US is the way elderly people in the street are
helped. It is amazing.
Sunday
evening, I had dinner with Elizabeth Bumiller, her husband, David Sanger and
his wife. What a conversation and not just political although they all
think Hillary is running. They think that is a fact and not an
opinion. We also discussed what we did in our lives before retirement and
they told what they did before joining and since joining the Times. I
loved it. The boat is really rocking on our way to
Portugal.
Two
points that I neglected to include in my last e mail about the speakers:
Cheney wanted to give the buster bomb to Israel and Bush would repeat his
points in the same exact language 150 times while Obama just does not seem to
get it that he has to explain things over and over again if he wants to get
people to pay attention and understand him.
Before
going out site seeing, this morning David Sanger discussed the Arab
spring/revolutions. First in Tunisia, we were totally unaware what was
brewing there. Apparently, the level of government corruption was
extraordinary. The government was planning shopping sprees in Paris while
people were starving and then the fruit vendor lit himself on fire. The
cables from our embassy were very perceptive, but were only read by the Tunisia
desk and no one higher up.
Then
in Egypt, we were caught unaware. Biden and Hillary said to Obama that he
should support Mubarak since we do not know who would come after the street protestors
dislodged him. Younger staff people were on the side of the protestors
from the beginning. Hillary went to Cairo and met the protestors and they
said right out that they did not care who came next. Their job was not to
govern but to get rid of the dictator. Which they did.
Then the Muslim Brotherhood won the election, but they did not know how to
govern. Now the military is back in power.
Then
came Libya. We prevented a massacre and Obama
spoke about a duty to protect innocent civilians provided we could do it at
basically no cost So in Syria where the cost would be very high, we are
turning our backs on the civilian casualties although we are helping the
refugees in Turkey and Jordan. So it is a duty to protect as long as we
can do it on the cheap. If Assad goes and Al Qaeda assumes control, we
can always drone them.
Our
final stop was Porto on Monday. I bought some Port.
Porto
started as a fishing village and is now the second largest commercial port in
Portugal. It is surrounded by rich suburbs with lovely homes overlooking
the shore. But Porto is a working class city with many poor or abandoned
homes and many homes in poor condition. The minimum and usual salary is
400 Euros a month. There is some renovation and some nice stores, but not
much. There is some greenery, but not as much as in Vigo. Our first
stop was at a Cathedral, where a beggar approached me and yes, I gave him some
money. There is graffiti as there was in Spain, but here there are
a significant number of homes with laundry hanging out to dry. The port
has basically no security. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Along the river, (our second stop was a cruise on the river), are many signs
trying to say "cruise" phonetically and they are
"Cruz". Made me laugh.
Then
we went to the Port cellars where port aged and bottled. I tested while
and tawny port, but not any ruby port. There are blends of years in any
bottle. Port is aged from 3-20 years in vats. The longer the grapes
are aged, the drier the port is. Further aging, if any, is done in
bottles and there is only a particular year's grapes
in those ports. They are the reserve ports and are supposedly the
best.
Some
history: in the 15th Century, Portugal was the poorest country in Europe.
In the 18th Century, Portugal obtained Brazil with all its gold and became the
richest country in Europe if not the world. But it dissipated its wealth
and went into debt. In 1927, Salazar became dictator. He balanced
the economy on the back of the poor. In the 1960s, he engaged in wars
with Angola, Mozambique and West Timor to prevent those countries from
obtaining independence. This caused the economy to go bad again and
demoralized the youth because they were conscripted at 17 years old. The
wars ended and the military removed Salazar in 1974. It was called the
Carnation Revolution because the military did not fire a single shot at any
civilian. Things got better, but then with the worldwide recession, they
have gotten very bad again. The loans by the IMF and the EU have to be
repaid and there is no money. Income tax is 55%. Youth unemployment
is 50% and many young people are leaving for Angola and Mozambique!!!
So
the country went from a fishing village to a commercial port to an industrial
center to currently a port dependent on tourism for its economic survival.
Why
do you think that some militaries, such as Portugal in the Carnation
Revolution or Czechoslovakia in the Velvet Revolution, do not kill
civilians and others such as in Egypt or China do not hesitate to kill
civilians?
Being
here, I have begun to really appreciate how far away the US is from all of
this. The economies are much worse than ours is. Every tour guide
was in a different sector of employment before becoming a tour guide.
Tourism is the only industry that is maintaining itself. Also, they are
closer to Africa both in terms of trade and the tragedies of the African
immigrants who are trying to get to Europe by boat. Boats
with immigrants capsizing in the Mediterranean make the news constantly.
At dinner on Monday night, I had dinner with Wendy and her husband. We
spoke mostly about the need for democrats not only to take on entitlements but
also the issue of unwed mothers. Wendy especially believes that a child
born to a typical uneducated unwed mother is at such a disadvantage in
life, almost nothing can make up for it. She believes that the democrats
are loath to take these issues on, but that the republicans right now are
so totally out of control and want not to govern but to destroy government that
they give the democrats a pass from addressing entitlements in a serious
manner.
We
left Porto about 4 a.m. instead of 6 p.m. due to the very heavy wind. We
are assured that we will make up the time. The sea is really, really
rough and I am glad that I do not get sea sick.
Today,
(Tuesday) Tim Egan spoke about the photos of Edward Curtis. He did 40,000
photos of American Indians in their native life. I am always so impressed
by my own ignorance. I had never heard of him. There is just so
much I do not know and never will learn. His work comprises 20 volumes
and is in the Library of Congress. He almost was not able to complete
this work, but JP Morgan lent him $5,000. Of course the deal was so one
sided, that Curtis lost all rights to his own work and never made money from
the photographs. The sea is still very rough.
Wendy
Schiller spoke about Congress and how it works (or doesn't). It was
very technical. Good for studious Brown students. She
believes that the Constitution should be amended so that House terms are 3
years instead of 2. A major focus was the difference between the House
and the Senate and that it is a mark of our democracy that one person in the
Senate can bring things to a halt to prevent an
injustice. However, she believes that the way the
filibuster is being used is without precedent .
Then
Elisabeth Bumiller spoke about the how a story is put together and gets on the
front page of the Times vs. the Times web site. It really takes time to
get on the front page assuming it is not a breaking story. On the web,
the emphasis is on speed. She also spoke about her life story and the
difference between the Washington Post and the NY Times. I have to say I
am impressed with how she traveled to Japan and India with a husband and
small child/toddler in her early professional days. I would never have
had the courage to do that.
Had
dinner tonight with Tim Egan and his wife who is of Russian Jewish extraction.
Told them the stories of how grandma and grandpa got to America.
They could not believe that I am a first generation
American. It was a lovely evening.
On
the last day, (Wednesday) our sessions were Equality in America:
What Really Constitutes the American Dream with Wendy; Demography as Destiny:
the New Political Map of the United States with Tim; Women on the Front Lines
with Elisabeth; and the Obama Presidency in Historical Perspective with
Wendy. The sea is calm again.
The
most fascinating was about Women on the Front Lines. Elisabeth made three
trips to Afghanistan. The first was with the Secretary of Defense Leon
Panetta and she felt thoroughly safe. However, on the other two, she just
went with a female photographer. On the first of these two trips, she was
at a marine camp when they were attacked. She hit the dirt and was very
scared. But the marines took it all in stride and called in a drone
strike. When she was writing her article, they were worried she might
write against the use of drones. But she assured them she was very
favorably disposed to drones after being attacked. On the second, she and
this reporter were trying to interview women attached to all male infantry
units and especially the women in the "female engagement
teams". Since male members of the military can't speak to Afghan
women, these female service women were to speak to the Afghan women and find
out what was needed. The idea at that time was to win the hearts and
minds of the Afghans. But no one seemed to know where
the women were and eventually, Elisabeth and the photographer were just
dropped off in the middle of nowhere at a very small base. They
lucked out that a marine from another camp happened to come by and had such
teams operating out of his base. So he took them there.
According
to Wendy, Equality in America and what constitutes the American dream revolve
around economic mobility, education opportunity, equal political influence,
social and civil equality and religious freedom. If you look at the gender
gap in earnings and the different high school and college graduation rates by
race and ethnicity, it appears that we do not yet have equality in
America.
Again,
according to Wendy, the Obama Presidency will be judged by the following:
a clear policy vision, communication skills, negotiating skills, and the
maximum use of Presidential powers. At the time of the lecture, the
government shutdown was going on, but the health care rollout disaster had not
yet occurred. So it appeared then that the Obama Presidency might be
judged as very successful even if he did not rate highly on these four
criteria.
It
is hard for me to summarize Wendy's discussions because they are so
dense. But she has forwarded to all of us her power points slides. So if you want to go back to school--just let me know and I will
forward them to you.
Tim
spoke about demography. He does tremendous research--both via documents
and meeting the people and getting their story.
That's
the end. We had our final cocktail party and dinner tonight and tomorrow,
I get off the boat really early. Since I do not fly out until 4 p.m., I
am taking a bus tour of London before being dropped off at the airport.
This has been a truly magnificent trip. I am so glad I did it.
EQUINOX #1
An Eternal
Sunshine subzine by Heath Gardner
heath.gardner@gmail.com
Welcome, one
and all, to my second attempt at Diplomacy publication. On the first go-round,
I was only 15 years old and dumping all my allowance money into printing costs.
Now I’m 30 and I make a whole $30,000 more than I used to make back then – and
yet I feel far poorer. Funny how that works.
Luckily for
me, I won’t have to pay any printing costs, because the Internet is killing my
bread and butter: the printed word. I still make my living off of words, though
(check out www.hdgwriting.com if you would like to browse my services… shameless plug)
and this subzine will feature lots of word games AND A PRESS COMPETITION IN EVERY GAME. In keeping with my
word-nerd-ism, I will actually score your press (privately) based on volume and
creativity … and the winner of this contest will get a choice from a few
different used books on my shelf. It’s all about paying words forward!
This subzine
comes thanks to a broken femur and a 6-month recovery period – I’ve got a lot
of time, and I am watching too much daytime TV instead of staying sharp with my
writing. This is for me as much as it is for you. J
Generally,
this opening section will be used to air whatever is on my mind at the time,
but since time is short and the deadline is soon, I just wanted to get you used
to seeing this stuff so you can sign up.
I’m Reading: Doctor
Sleep by Stephen
King, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went
to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark, Europe:
A History by Norman Davies, Days of
Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House by Peter Baker. All recommended. I
generally have 5 or 6 books going at a time and the Kindle has ruined me even
more in this respect.
Most recently finished book(s): Game
Change: Double Down
by the political reporters that wrote “Game Change” about the 2008 campaign. It
was a cracking read, I just couldn’t understand how
they were able to get the access to hear these politicians being so
foul-mouthed and vindictive. Fun read, no matter your side of the aisle. And Budding Prospects: A Pastoral by T.C.
Boyle. Boyle is my favorite living writer of fiction, just about – this, an
older of his, dealing with some rogue marijuana growers, a cast of weirdo
characters and a lot of suspense, is “highly” recommended. It’s serious fiction, don’t let the jokey title and jokey review throw
you off. But it’s a pretty freakin’ hilarious book as well.
Listening to: Run the Jewels (El-P and Killer Mike),
10/10, the perfect hip-hop album. Thelonious Monk and John
Coltrane. Elgar Cello Concerto (Yo-Yo Ma). Long Live A$AP (A$AP
Rocky). Trap Lord (A$AP Ferg). Kendrick Lamar’s album. Frank Zappa –
discography. (A friend of mine sent me the ENTIRE Zappa catalog on CD –
90-some albums – after he digitized his library. It’s good to have friends!)
Recently Watched and Liked: Alpha House (Amazon Prime TV
series), The Conjuring, The Long Goodbye (Altman’s
version starring Eliot Gould), Prisoners, Homeland (Showtime), Frost/Nixon
(courtesy of Doug Kent when I won a side game in ES), and Orson Welles’ “The
Stranger”. Haven’t seen a movie in theatres since before I broke my leg but it
was Gravity, and despite the obvious scientific errors, I loved it.
Playing: Twilight Struggle (board), Texas
Hold’em (card, perpetual), NBA 2K14 (PS3), The Last of
Us (PS3), Ni No Kuni (PS3 JRPG), X-Com: Enemy Unknown (PC), Shadowrun Returns
(PC), Junta (board, re-released for some reason).
IF YOU SEND ME THINGS
MATCHING THESE CATEGORIES I WILL RUN YOUR RESPONSES ALONG WITH MINE EVERY MONTH
– AND WE CAN ALL FIND NEW MEDIA TO LOVE!
DIP GAME OPENINGS:
Gunboat Diplomacy – signed up: none. Needs
7.
DEVIANT DIPLOMACY II.
YES, WE WILL BE GOING DOWN THIS INSANE ROAD. Please see variant rules below.
It’s a nerdgasm to be sure. Signed
up, Doug Kent, Mike Ruttinger, need 5 more.
Modern Diplomacy (no stinkin’ Wings!) – signed up: Doug Kent, need 9 more.
Variant info: http://www.variantbank.org/results/rules/m/modern2.htm
Stonehenge Diplomacy – Signed up: Doug Kent. Needs 8 more. Variant
info here: http://www.variantbank.org/results/rules/s/stonehenge2.htm
Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy – signed up: Mike Ruttinger, but Jim
Burgess better play. Variant info here: http://www.variantbank.org/results/rules/n/nuclearyuppie.htm
DEVIANT
DIPLOMACY II QUICK RULES:
|
1) Unless
stated otherwise, the 1976 Rules for Diplomacy are in effect.
2)
Abstract: The basic idea of Deviant Diplomacy II is that players can propose
and vote into effect both new rules and rule changes.
3) Seasons:
The game is run using three separate seasons: Winter, Spring, and Fall.
For Winter
seasons, players will submit Winter orders and proposed Spring rules.
For Spring
seasons, players will submit Spring orders, votes on the proposed Spring
rules, and proposed Fall rules.
For Fall
seasons, players will submit Fall orders and votes on the proposed Fall
rules.
4)
Beginning the Game: Players will be asked to submit only proposed Spring
rules. In the subsequent game report, the GM will publish the proposed Spring
rules and request the things needed for the first Spring season, and so the
process begins.
5)
Proposing Rules: Every Winter and Spring season, a player may propose a rule
change or a new rule. If a player fails to propose a rule, then his last
proposed rule will be reproposed, unless it has been voted into effect
already, in which case the rule's negation is proposed.
6)
Restrictions on Proposed Rules: The GM reserves the right to edit or withhold
proposed rules, but this should be done only in the most extreme cases which
render the game too complex, unplayable, or pointless.
7) Voting
on Proposed Rules: Every Spring and Fall season, a player is given a number
of votes equal to the number of supply centers he controlled at the end of
the previous Fall season. A player can cast all of his votes for one rule, or
he can split his votes among multiple rules. Players' votes are published.
8)
Resolving Votes: The rule receiving the most votes goes into effect beginning
the next season. If there is a tie, then all tied rules go into effect
beginning the next season.
9) Victory
Condition: To control a majority of the existing supply centers.
10) Notes
to GM: When running this variant, the GM will need to make a special effort
to keep notes carefully, provide correct information in a clear manner, and
so on. It is recommended that the GM prefix proposed rules with the first
letter of the proposing power. For example, "(A) Fleets may not
convoy." To vote, players would order, for example, "3 votes for
Rule A." Vote totals can be reponed like so: "A = 9, E = 3, F = 0,
G = 0, I = 3, R = 7, T = 0." A list of rules voted into acceptance will
need to be kept and published. These rules can be prefixed by a brief
headline. For example, "No Convoy Rule: Fleets may not convoy."
Using these methods will result in easier reference for players and GM alike.
|
WORD GAMES:
FACTS IN FIVE: Need 3-5 players to
start, will start with 3. Signed up: Doug Kent. Rules at the bottom
of the subzine.
WOULD YOU RATHER?!: An everybody plays game. It’s like the classic boring game of
drawing a card and choosing between two scenarios about which you’d rather do.
But in my variant, scoring is assigned based on two factors: CREATIVITY and
HUMOR in the response. You may end up way far away from the original thing
you’d “rather” do in your response, but if it draws a chuckle, you get points.
Each player can get a max of 10 points per turn.
First round: WOULD YOU RATHER have to spoonfeed
soft cafeteria food to an aging former President Bush (43, in the future) OR be
tasked with cleaning black mold out of the entire Carter Center in Atlanta, GA?
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KENDO NAGASAKI: I’ve got a person and location in
mind. This game is too much fun to only have ONE instance of it running in the
zine.
This subzine needs
your participation to take off! Please sign up for games, play WYR?! and Kendo... And if
there’s a variant or word game you’re jonesing for, I will run it for you. Just
drop me a line. Heath.gardner@gmail.com.
Facts
in Five rules (Stolen from Andy York in a previous ES issue):
There
will be five rounds, the high score at the end of the
fifth round will be the winner. Anyone may join anytime with a starting score
matching the lowest from the previous round. Anyone missing a round will add
the lowest score of that round.
Each
round will consist of five categories and five letters. Each player
submits an entry for each category which has a key word that starts with each
of the letters (twenty-five total entries). Key words are generally the first
word; however articles (the, a, etc) and modifiers (“red” in red bicycle for
“R” in “mode of transportation” or “general” in General Lee for “G” in “Military
Leaders”) are not key words. A word in the category may not be the key word
(“bank” in “Bank of America” for “B” in the category “Banks”). For names, the
last name is the key word except in the case of commonly used stage names (in a
category of female singers, ”Q” could be “Queen
Latifa” and “Cher” for “C”). An entry may only be used once per round.
One
point will be scored for each entry that unarguably meets the letter and
category. An additional point will be added if anyone else also uses the same
valid entry for the same category. Maximum possible score in a round is 50 with
a lowest possible score of 25, presuming an individual submits a valid entry
for each category and letter in that round.
Diplomacy (Black Press – Permanent Opening
in ES):
Signed up: Paul Milewski, Arthur Shulman, Brad Wilson, Mark Firth, needs three more.
African Dip: Phil Reynolds’ fun
map variant. Needs 6
players. Rules and map in this issue.
Sign up now!
Gunboat 7x7 Tournament: In Peter
Sullivan’s “Octopus’s Garden” subzine.
7x7’s always fill quickly, so email him at peter@burdonvale.co.uk to sign up now! Only 2 spots left!
The following indented listings are just
SOME of the games now offered in Heath Gardner’s new subzine Equinox. Make sure you sign up with him directly for
these, not with me. And check out his
subzine to see what other games are offered, including his own game of Kendo
Nagasaki.
Modern Diplomacy: A 10-player
variant including powers like Poland, Egypt, and Ukraine. Run by Heath Gardner in his new subzine
Equinox. Contact him at Heath.Gardner@gmail.com to sign up or
to ask for rules and a map. Signed up:
Douglas Kent, needs 9 more.
Gunboat: Also GM’d by Heat
in his subzine Equinox. Contact him at
Heath.Gardner@gmail.com to sign up.
Stonehenge Dip: A 9-player
variant, also GM’d by Heat in his subzine Equinox. Contact him at Heath.Gardner@gmail.com to
sign up. Signed up: Douglas Kent, needs 8 more.
Deviant Dip: Also GM’d by Heat
in his subzine Equinox. Contact him at
Heath.Gardner@gmail.com to sign up. Signed up: Douglas Kent, Pete Ruttinger, needs 5 more.
Facts in Five: Also GM’d by Heat
in his subzine Equinox. Needs between 3 and 5 players. Contact him at Heath.Gardner@gmail.com to
sign up.
Acquire: Can take up to six players. Signed up: Hank Alme,
can take up to five more.
By Popular Demand: New game starts
this issue; back to the regular BPD instead of BAPD. Join at any time.
Eternal Sunshine Movie Quote Quiz: Join anytime.
Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?:
Rules
in ES #58. Join anytime! Also a SECOND game being run by Heath
Gardner in his subzine Equinox!
Coming Soon?: 1898,
Middle Eastern Diplomacy, Balkan Wars VI, 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.
Acquire
– “Winterbloom”
Players: Tom Howell, Hank Alme, Per Westling, and
Martin Burgdorf.
Turn 13
Martin Burgdorf: Plays 9-G and buys
three Tower.
Tom Howell: Plays 7-B and buys
one Tower (the final available Tower share).
Hank Alme: Plays 1-E.
Per Westling: Swaps one tile
(tried to play 7-G which cannot be played).
Martin Burgdorf: Plays 4-H and
merges Tower into American. Martin gets
$2,000 while Hank and Per each get $1,000. Everyone sells their Tower shares.
Turn
14
Tom
Howell has already declared his wish to declare the game over (remember the
game does not end until someone declares it over), so since he goes first on
Turn 14 I assume he does so. Hank gets
$10,000 for American and Per gets $5,000. Martin gets $10,000 for Imperial and Per gets $5,000. All
shares are sold to the bank (for $1,000 each by coincidence). Tom
wins!
If
you want to write any sort of EOG statement please feel free! A new game is listed in the Game Opening
section if you feel so inclined. I know
this method of rotating turns gets some people a bit irritated at times…I might
be willing to try doing one play at a time and emailing results to players as
we go, but I’m not sure about that.
Deadline
for EOG’s is January 28th at 7am my time.
Diplomacy
“Dulcinea” 2008C, W 26/S 27
Austria (Martin
Burgdorf – martin_burgdorf “of” hotmail.com): Retreat
A St Petersburg - Moscow..
Remove
A Moscow, A Finland.. A Belgium - Holland
(*Dislodged*, retreat to Picardy or OTB),
F
Gascony - Brest (*Disbanded*), A Paris Supports F Gascony - Brest
(*Cut*), A Picardy – Burgundy,
A
Ruhr Supports A Picardy – Burgundy, A Silesia - Munich (*Dislodged*, retreat
to Berlin or OTB).
England (Hank Alme –
almehj “of” alumni.rice.edu): Build A
London, F Edinburgh.. F Barents Sea – Norway,
A
Berlin – Munich, A Brest Supports F Mid-Atlantic Ocean
– Gascony, F Edinburgh - Norwegian Sea,
A
Holland Supports A London – Belgium, F Kiel Supports A
Holland, A London – Belgium,
F
North Sea Convoys A London – Belgium, A Norway - St
Petersburg, A St Petersburg – Moscow,
A Sweden - Finland.
Turkey (Jim Burgess
– jfburgess “of” gmail.com): Build F Smyrna.. F
Adriatic Sea - Ionian Sea,
F
Black Sea – Constantinople, A Bohemia Supports A Berlin – Munich, A Burgundy
- Paris (*Disbanded*),
F English
Channel Supports A Brest, A Galicia Supports A Warsaw –
Silesia,
F
Gulf of Bothnia Supports A Norway - St Petersburg, A
Livonia – Prussia, F Mid-Atlantic Ocean – Gascony,
F
Piedmont - Marseilles (*Bounce*), A Sevastopol Supports A St Petersburg –
Moscow, F Smyrna - Aegean Sea,
F
Spain(sc) - Marseilles (*Bounce*), A Trieste –
Tyrolia, F Tyrrhenian Sea Supports F Adriatic Sea - Ionian Sea,
F
Venice - Adriatic Sea, A Warsaw - Silesia.
F 27 Deadline is January 28th at
7:00am my time
PRESS
The
Emperor to the Sultan: Now you
suggest I propose a two way draw A/T and you still "have to decide if you
would vote for it"! It is really a great alliance that you and the King
have.
“Dulcinea”
Diplomacy Bourse
Billy Ray Valentine: Probably in his
limousine.
Duke of York: Sells 500 Piastres. Buys 835 Pounds.
Smaug the Dragon: Snore.
Rothschild: Sells 500 Piastres. Buys 836 Pounds.
Baron Wuffet: Zip.
Wooden Nickel
Enterprises:
Still carving on 50 Pound notes.
VAIONT Enterprises: Resting his eyes.
Insider Trading LLC:
Grand
Jury hearing.
Bourse Master: Stands pat.
PRESS
Bourse
Master: Keep up the good work Turkey!
Rothschild
to the Duke of Earl: Bourse Master will finish
ahead of you (I predict)
DUKE OF
YORK to ROTHSCHILD: Yes, you're right, but being
right won't help you, you're still in second place.
DUKE OF
YORK to MARKET MAKER GM: That
still leaves me just a bit short of 10,000 units of currency. Still, I may sit on this for a bit, we'll
see.
DUKE OF
YORK to LAME GM: You, sir, have no couth! You couldn't do just that little bit of press
reordering to put my very appropriate "So very sorry" comment AFTER Rothschild's
comment? Sorry, but you suck. Do you even read what you're doing? Of
course, we suck even more. Let's try
again.
GM –
Duke of York: If you were the Duke of Earl
I would do it….
Next Bourse Deadline is January 27th at 7:00pm my time
Diplomacy
“Jerusalem” 2012A, F 08
Austria (Melinda
Holley – genea5613 “of” aol.com): A Tyrolia
Supports A Bohemia – Munich,
A
Venice Supports F Tuscany (*Ordered to Move*).
England (John Biehl
– jerbil “of” shaw.ca): F Baltic Sea Supports A Kiel – Berlin,
A
Belgium Supports A Brest – Picardy, A Brest – Picardy,
F English Channel Supports A Spain – Brest,
F
Helgoland Bight Hold, A Kiel - Berlin (*Fails*), F Mid-Atlantic Ocean
Convoys A Spain – Brest,
F
North Atlantic Ocean Hold, F Portugal - Spain(sc)
(*Fails*), A Ruhr - Kiel (*Fails*), A Spain – Brest,
F St Petersburg(nc) - Norway.
Germany (Heath
Gardner - heath.gardner “of” gmail.com): A
Berlin Supports A Bohemia - Munich (*Cut*),
A
Gascony Supports A Marseilles – Spain, A Paris - Brest (*Fails*).
Italy (Mark Firth – mark.r.firth
“of” capita.co.uk): F Adriatic Sea – Trieste,
A
Burgundy - Marseilles (*Bounce*), F Gulf of Lyon Supports A Marseilles –
Spain, A Marseilles – Spain,
F
Tunis - North Africa, F Western Mediterranean Supports A Marseilles - Spain.
Russia (Richard
Weiss – richardweiss “of” higherquality.com): A Moscow
- St Petersburg,
A
Sevastopol Supports F Black Sea - Rumania (*Void*), A Warsaw - Prussia.
Turkey (Geoff Kemp -
ggeoff510 “of” aol.com): F Aegean Sea Hold, F
Black Sea Hold, A Bohemia – Munich,
A
Galicia – Bohemia, A Piedmont - Marseilles (*Bounce*), A Rumania –
Budapest, A Silesia Supports A Berlin,
F
Tuscany - Piedmont (*Fails*).
W 08/S 09 Deadline is January 28th at 7:00am my time
Supply Center Chart
Austria:
Venice, Vienna=2, Even
England:
Belgium, Brest, Denmark,
Edinburgh, Holland, Kiel, Liverpool, London, Norway,
Portugal, Sweden=11, Remove 1
Germany:
Berlin, Paris=2, Remove 1
Italy:
Marseilles, Naples,
Rome, Spain, Trieste, Tunis=6, Even
Russia:
Moscow,
Sevastopol, St Petersburg, Warsaw=4, Build 1
Turkey:
Ankara, Budapest, Bulgaria,
Constantinople, Greece, Munich, Rumania, Serbia,
Smyrna=9, Build 1
PRESS
(Vienna) Undead? Undead? Someone check that man's pulse!!
Diplomacy
“Walkerdine” 2012D, F 04
Austria
(paul.milewski “of” hotmail.com): A
Budapest - Trieste (*Bounce*).
England
(Marc Ellinger - mellinger “of” bbdlc.com): F
Barents Sea Supports A Norway - St Petersburg,
F
Finland Supports A Norway - St Petersburg, A Livonia Supports A St
Petersburg - Moscow (*Cut*),
F
North Sea Hold, A Norway - St Petersburg, A St Petersburg - Moscow.
France
(Jim Burgess – jfburgess “of” gmail.com): A Belgium Hold, F Brest - Mid-Atlantic Ocean,
F
Rome - Naples (*Fails*), F Tunis - Ionian Sea (*Fails*), A Tyrolia
Supports A Bohemia – Vienna,
F Tyrrhenian Sea Supports F Rome – Naples, F Western Mediterranean
Supports F Tyrrhenian Sea.
Germany
(Steve Cooley – tmssteve “of” gmail.com): F
Baltic Sea - Gulf of Bothnia, A Bohemia – Vienna,
A
Silesia Supports A Warsaw, F Sweden Supports F Baltic Sea - Gulf of Bothnia, A
Venice - Trieste (*Bounce*),
A
Warsaw Supports A St Petersburg - Moscow.
Italy
(Harold Zarr - skip1955 “of” hotmail.com): F Naples Supports F Ionian Sea - Tyrrhenian Sea (*Void*).
Russia
(Hank Alme – almehj “of” alumni.rice.edu): F Adriatic Sea Supports F Apulia - Venice (*Void*),
F
Gulf of Bothnia - Livonia (*Disbanded*), A Moscow - Warsaw
(*Dislodged*, retreat to Sevastopol or OTB),
A
Ukraine Supports A Moscow – Warsaw, A Vienna Supports A
Trieste (*Dislodged*, retreat to Galicia or OTB).
Turkey(Chris Babcock - cbabcock “of”
asciiking.com): F Aegean Sea Supports F Ionian Sea,
F
Apulia Supports F Naples, A Galicia – Bohemia, F
Greece Supports F Ionian Sea,
F
Ionian Sea Supports F Naples (*Cut*), A Trieste Supports A Vienna
(*Cut*).
Deadline
for W 04/S 05 is January 28th at 7am my time
Supply Center Chart
Austria:
Budapest=1, Even
England:
Edinburgh, Liverpool, London,
Moscow, Norway, St Petersburg=6, Even
France:
Belgium, Brest, Marseilles,
Paris, Portugal, Rome, Spain, Tunis=8, Build 1
Germany:
Berlin, Denmark, Holland,
Kiel, Munich, Sweden, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw=9, Build 3
Italy:
Naples=1, Even
Russia:
Constantinople, Rumania,
Sevastopol?=2 or 3, Even or Remove 1
Turkey:
Ankara, Bulgaria, Greece,
Serbia, Sevastopol?, Smyrna, Trieste=6 or 7, Even or
Build 1
PRESS
Italy
to GM:
Bite me!
France: We suck!
Black
Press Gunboat, “Fred Noonan”, 2013Arb32, F 05
England: F Edinburgh - North Sea, F London Hold.
France: A Burgundy Supports A Picardy –
Belgium, F English Channel Supports A Picardy – Belgium,
F
Irish Sea – Wales, F Liverpool Supports F Irish Sea – Wales, A
Picardy - Belgium.
Germany:
A Belgium Hold (*Dislodged*, retreat to Ruhr or Holland or OTB), A Berlin
Supports A Kiel – Munich,
A
Kiel - Munich (*Bounce*), F Norway Supports F Skagerrak, F Skagerrak
Supports F Norway,
F Sweden - Gulf of Bothnia.
Italy: F Adriatic Sea Supports F Ionian Sea, A Budapest Hold, A
Galicia - Warsaw (*Dislodged*, retreat
to Bohemia or Vienna or OTB), F Ionian Sea Hold, A Silesia
Supports A Tyrolia – Munich,
A
Tyrolia - Munich (*Bounce*), A Vienna - Trieste.
Russia: A Moscow Supports A Warsaw, A Munich - Silesia (*Fails*),
F Norwegian Sea - North Atlantic Ocean,
A St
Petersburg Supports A Moscow, A Warsaw Supports A Munich - Silesia
(*Cut*).
Turkey: F Aegean Sea – Greece, F Black Sea – Constantinople, A Bulgaria – Rumania, F Greece – Albania,
A
Rumania – Galicia, A Serbia Supports A Bulgaria –
Rumania, A Sevastopol Supports A Ukraine,
A
Ukraine Supports A Rumania - Galicia.
Deadline
for W 05/S 06 Will Be January 28th at 7am My Time
Supply Center Chart
England:
Edinburgh, London=2, Even
France:
Belgium, Brest, Liverpool,
Marseilles, Paris, Portugal, Spain=7, Build 2
Germany:
Berlin, Denmark, Holland,
Kiel, Norway, Sweden=6, Even
Italy:
Budapest, Naples, Rome,
Trieste, Tunis, Venice, Vienna=7, Even or Build 1
Russia:
Moscow, Munich, St
Petersburg, Warsaw=4, Remove 1
Turkey:
Ankara, Bulgaria, Constantinople,
Greece, Rumania, Serbia, Sevastopol, Smyrna=8, Even
PRESS
France
to Germany:
I recognize the danger to you. French
armies are moving to support you and put a stop to the threat from Russia!
France
to GM: Across Europe the cry has come up to put an end
to the threat to peace posed by England! French fleets are moving to fulfill
the wish of the peace-loving peoples of Europe and restore the blessing of
peace to the tortured peasants in England.
The Normal Conquest returns!
Ger-Rus: I AM being
nice. Don't you wish you'd been nicer to
me?
Rome-Constantinople: That's it, if we
work together, we can crush Russia.
Con
=> Rom:
THE ARMIES OF TURKEY are marching north, as you suggested.
Rome-Moscow: Sorry, your press
is just annoying, we need to send you to join Austria
on the sidelines.
RUSSIA
- TURKEY:
Come on, pretty please with sugar on top?
Italy is so much easier to attack.
RUSSIA
- ITALY:
I don't care, I'm going to give everything to Turkey before
I help you!
GERMANY
- FRANCE:
It is time for you to attack Italy before it is too late!
ENGLAND
to RUSSIA:
Can't we work together somehow, no one seems to want
to help us!
Diplomacy “Sweet Spot” 2013A, W 04/S 05
England
(Harold Zarr - skip1955 “of” hotmail.com): Build A
Liverpool..
A
Liverpool Supports A London – Yorkshire, A London - Yorkshire.
France (Melinda Holley – genea5613 “of” aol.com): Remove
A Yorkshire..
F Belgium
Supports A Ruhr – Holland, A Gascony - Spain (*Bounce*),
A
Kiel Supports F North Sea - Denmark (*Cut*), A Marseilles Supports A
Gascony – Spain,
F
Mid-Atlantic Ocean Supports A Gascony - Spain (*Cut*), F North Sea -
Denmark (*Fails*), A Ruhr - Holland.
Germany
(Jack McHugh – jwmchughjr “of” gmail.com): Retreat
A Kiel – Berlin, F Sweden - Skagerrak..
Remove
F Skagerrak.. A Berlin Supports A Holland - Kiel
(*Disbanded*),
A
Denmark Supports A Holland - Kiel (*Cut*), A Holland - Kiel
(*Disbanded*).
Italy
(Heath Gardner - heath.gardner “of” gmail.com): Build
A Venice.. A Budapest – Vienna,
F
Gulf of Lyon - Spain(sc) (*Bounce*), F Ionian Sea
Hold, A Munich Supports A Prussia – Berlin,
F
North Africa - Mid-Atlantic Ocean (*Fails*), A Spain – Portugal, A Tyrolia
Supports A Munich,
A
Venice – Piedmont, F Western Mediterranean Supports F Gulf of Lyon - Spain(sc).
Russia
(Chris Babcock –
cbabcock “of” asciiking.com ): Build A Warsaw, F St Petersburg(nc),
plays 1 short.. A Norway – Sweden, A
Prussia – Berlin, A Silesia Supports A Prussia – Berlin,
F St
Petersburg(nc) – Norway, F Sweden – Skagerrak, A
Warsaw - Prussia.
Turkey
(Larry Peery – peery “of” ix.netcom.com): F
Aegean Sea Convoys A Constantinople – Greece,
A
Bulgaria – Rumania, A Constantinople – Greece, A Galicia
Supports A Serbia – Budapest, A Greece – Serbia,
A Serbia - Budapest.
Deadline
for F 05 Will Be January 28th at 7am My Time
PRESS
Eng to
Fra:
How sad it is to see the misfortunes which have befallen you. Had you but kept faith with me your lands
would not be troubled with invasion and we would be positioned to control the destiny
of Europe.
Rus to
GM:
All Europe now begins to see the spectacle of the death of France. We hope the death shall be slow and full of
pain. Russia stands ready to assist the
Pope in his efforts to bring the heretic in Paris to final justice!
(Versailles) - "What do I
want to CHRISTMAS? Are you freakin'
kidding me?" The Woman eyed her
Aide with contempt.
"Well, Madam, the staff..."
"The staff,
huh? Well, what do I want? I want what everybody else wants! A cure for the common cold! An end to world hunger! A decent affordable
quarter-pounder!"
"Yes,
Madam." The Aide began backing towards the door.
"And plenty of Dove dark
chocolate!"
TURKEY
PONDERS THE QUESTION: “WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL THOSE LEFT-OVERS?’
ANSWER:
TURN THEM INTO PEERIBLAH, OF COURSE
By
Larry Peery
FOUR HOT SPOTS SEEKING TO COOL OFF
INTRODUCTION
Looking back at 2013 and ahead to 2014 this
report looks at Turkey’s domestic and foreign affairs in the last year, four
hot spots to keep an eye on in 2014, and reviews some of the highlights of the
2013 turkey season, all good reasons for solemn reflection and a bon appetite!
TURKEY’S DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
A lot of people, including yours truly, had
high hopes for Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he took over as prime minister of
Turkey in 2003. The man known as “the Teflon Turk” seemed like a good choice to
deal with Turkey’s many domestic and foreign problems. And in fact, Turkey’s
economy has done well, very well, although how much of that is due to Mr.
Erdogan’s efforts cannot be known. What is known is that in other areas
Turkey’s problems have grown worse, much worse.
Erdogan has a problem, he not only wants to
run Turkey’s government and economy, he wants to run
the private lives of its people. While this is popular with a majority of the
population who follow his Islamic/Ottomanist ways; it is not popular with a
majority of Turkey’s urban population in Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara; and
therein lies the rub.
A sampling of media headlines from the last
month or so tells the story in brief. It’s a story that has repeated itself
time and again over the past few years, each time getting a bit worse with more
people arrested, more people hurt by violence, and more property damaged or
destroyed. See for yourself: “After a Break, Turkey’s Prime Minister Again
Courts Controversy” (NY Times, 11/8/2013), “Turkey Inaugurates 36 Dams to
Improve Water Storage, Aid Farmers” (BusinessWeek, 12/11/2013), “Turkey PM
Erdogan Challenges Rivals Over Massive Graft Probe,” (AFP, 12/12/2013), “Turkey
Spends Big on Innovation,” (DefenseNews.com, 12/12/2013), “Turkey’s Political
Civil War,” (USNews.com, 12/18/2013), “Turkish Prime Minister Faces Biggest
Threat of His Rule,” (Reuters, 12/20/2013), “More Arrests as Power Struggle
Racks Erdogan Government in Turkey,” (CNN, 12/21/2013) “Turkish PM Says Foreign
Plot Behind Graft Probe,” (Washington Post, 12/21/2013), “Turkey Vows No
Cover-Up Despite Purge of Graft Investigators,” (Reuters, 12/24/2013), “Turkey
Premier Under Pressure as 3 Cabinet Ministers Resign, PM Erdogan Condemns
Corruption Probe,” (Wall Street Journal, 12/25/2013), “Turkey Resignations:
Corruption or Power Struggle With Islamic Cleric in US?” (CNN, 12/25/2013),
“Hit by Scandal and Resignations, Turk PM Names New Ministers,” (Reuters, 12/25/2013),
“Turkish Leader Denounces Graft Investigation,” (NY Times, 12/26/2013),
“Turkish Court Delivers Rebuff to Embattled Erdogan,” (Reuters, 12/27/2013),
“Turkish Riot Police Clash With Demonstrators,” (AP, 12/27/2013),”Turkey
Corruption Crisis Pushes Lira to Record Low,” (CNN, 12/27/2013), “Turkey’s
Erdogan Will Probably Hang In There. The Economy May Not,”
(BusinessWeek, 12/27/2013), “Turkey’s Newly Minted Interior Minister Stands Out
in Cabinet,” (Ayla Albayrak, 12/27/2013).
This last story is very important, even
though it hasn’t gotten much play in the western press. Normally Erdogan fills
his cabinet with cronies from his nearly all-powerful AKP political
organization. But this time, for the important position of Interior Minister
which will oversee the investigators and police involved in the graft scandal
Mr. Erdogan went outside the AKP crony structure and picked one of his personal
friends who has no legal or police experience for the job. However, Mr. Ala, 48
years old, has a proven track record of absolute loyalty to Erdogan. The only
equivalent act I can recall was in 1961 when President John Kennedy named his
brother, Robert, as his Attorney General.
So, what are we to make of all this
upheaval? One of two things will happen: Erdogan will shuffle elections but
ultimately remain in power as PM because of the strength of his AKP
organization outside the big cities, and things will continue to get worse on
the domestic front; or Erdogan will be toppled by an alliance of the courts,
military and opposition politicians, and things will continue to get worse on
the domestic front. If the economy worsens because of Erdogan’s problems, the
secular minority in the big cities will become increasingly restless and the
number and size of demonstrations will grow. As that happens you will see
Erdogan trying to maintain and increase his popularity with his poor, rural
Islamic power base.
TURKEY FOREIGN AFFAIRS
A year ago, even some months ago Turkey was
riding on a foreign affairs boom. Its views were sought throughout the Balkans,
Mediterranean, and Middle East and even beyond. Erdogan jetted to and fro in
support of other Islamic leaders including Mursi in Egypt proclaiming his
policy of “The New Ottomanism” or “Orientalism” as ways to increase Turkey’s
influence in the region. It even appeared that he might be to resolve Turkey’s
long standing feud with the Kurds, play peacemaker in Syria, and serve as a
power-broker between various Islamic factions in the Middle East. There was
even talk of Erdogan winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. It was a heady time for Erdogan. But
somewhere, somehow things went wrong, badly wrong.
Erdogan’s domestic politics and policies
have upset the EU, which once again has moved Turkey’s application for membership
to a back burner. Fortunately Erdogan and Turkey don’t really need the EU,
although if the economy continues to weaken and the lira continues its free
fall in value, Turkey’s major investors from the EU countries are going to get
nervous and start bailing out.
However, the Turkish (e.g. read Erdogan)
decision to buy a missile defense system from China, even as it was asking the
US and its NATO allies to continue their Patriot missile support along the
Turkish-Syrian border, did not sit well with Turkey’s NATO’s allies. He’s done
the same thing before, using weapons contracts, present and future, as
bargaining chips to make points with his allies, and punish his critics,
domestic and foreign. Although the EU doesn’t need Turkey and vice versa, NATO
does need Turkey and vice versa. As for the rest of Turkey’s foreign
adventures, it may have gotten in over its head in trying to position itself as
the “Well Man of Europe.”
Again, some headlines hint at the story
behind the goings on. “Turkey Adrift,” (NY Times, 10/23/2013), “Turkey Plays
the ‘Orientalism’ Card,” (Bloomberg, 12/11/2013), “The EU Needs Turkey,” (Soner
Cagaptay op-ed piece in NY Times, 12/21/2013), “NATO-US-Turkey War Games Off
the Syrian Coastline,” (A Conservative Edge, 12/8/2013), “Turkey a Battleground
for Asia Arms Exports,” (atimes.com, 12/13/2013), “Turkey Rejects More for
Gallipol 100th,” (The Australian, 10/22/2013), “The US-Turkey Alliance Isn’t
Going Anywhere,” (Forbes, 12/6/2013), “Growing Mistrust Between US and Turkey
Is Playing Out in Public,” (NY Times, 12/24/2013).
There are two keys to Turkey’s success or
failure in foreign affairs in the coming year: 1) the economy, and 2) Syria. If
either one gets worse, and it’s hard to see how things
can get much worse in Syria, Turkey will suffer.
FOUR WORLD HOT SPOTS TO KEEP AN EYE ON IN
2014
As usual this article started off headed in
one direction, then made a couple of detours, and then finally backed up and
took a whole different approach. Starting with Turkey, then comparing Turkey
with Egypt, then contrasting both with Syria; and finally offering Southern
California as a mixed metaphor.
The situation in the Eastern Mediterranean
(e.g. Turkey, Egypt and Syria) is dangerous, volatile, explosive, and even
critical (although I think critical is a word that is used too much in
discussing international affairs these days). In other words
a true Molotov cocktail with a Kalashnikov for a swizzle stick. To be
honest I find little reason for optimism in the Eastern Mediterranean. Things
have gotten worse in the last year and I fully expect them to get worse in the
coming year. Why?
What do Turkey, Egypt and Syria have in
common? How are they different? The similarities appear obvious. The
differences are more subtle. For example, neither Turks nor Egyptians consider
themselves Arabs, which Syrians are. Turkey and Egypt are defined by their
people (e.g. Turks are Turkey, Egyptians are Egypt). Syria, a modern name for
the Levant, is defined by its location. All three are Muslim states but of different
branches of Islam (and the rivalries between Sunni and Shite Muslim states
today reminds me very much of the religious wars between Protestants and
Catholics during the 1500s). Big cities are important in Turkey (Istanbul,
Izmir, and Ankara) and Egypt (Cairo and Alexandria), not quite so much in Syria
(Damascus is or was basically just a large caravan stop.). The leaders tend to
be men riding a white horse in fear that the horse might bolt at any moment, as
in fact it has in Egypt and Syria. The importance of the secular vs. religious
balance, competition, struggle, and ultimately conflict is paramount, and this
plays out in the struggle for control of education and social morality. It’s a
war between burqas and ipods, and so far the burqas seem to be winning. Still,
the most important issues are financial and economic. Turkey was until a few
days ago reasonably stable financially and doing quite well. Egypt is not a
beggar nation, but it depends heavily on outside help. Syria is definitely a
beggar state. One thing Syria, Turkey and Egypt do share with California is the
helplessness and vulnerability of their common people. I’ll explain that in a
bit.
A few stats may help put our four problem
children into peerispective: Syria has 72,000 square miles with 22 million
people. California has 164,000 square miles with 38 million people. Turkey has
302,000 square miles with 79 million people. Egypt has 387,000 square miles
with 82 million people. In all four large areas of the country are desert or
arid regions. Populations tend to be concentrated along the coasts or a few big
cities. Syria, California and Turkey share a coastal Mediterranean climate in
some areas. And, as I’ve pointed out there’s a big difference between their
urban and rural populations. Most of the recent unrest in the Eastern
Mediterranean countries has been in their urban areas, especially the big
cities. Syria has suffered over 120,000 killed, hundreds of thousands injured,
and millions of refugees, as well as billions in damage. Egypt has suffered
between 643 and 2,000? killed, some thousands injured,
and perhaps a few tens of millions in damage. Turkey has suffered 5 killed in
the Istanbul riots, where 3.5 million out of a population of 80,000,000 joined
the demonstrators, and the loss of a much loved urban park. What we have seen
in the Eastern Mediterranean has been a growing trend for the problems to
escalate from civil unrest to civil disobedience, to civil rebellion/revolt,
and finally civil war. Syria is definitely in the civil war stage, Egypt
somewhere between civil disobedience and civil rebellion, and Turkey is in the
civil unrest level.
It is never pleasant to see a beautiful
country go up in flames, whether man made or naturally caused, but that’s the
situation we are seeing in the Eastern Mediterranean. But what of California,
and how did it get into this discussion?
Just as the Eastern Mediterranean countries
have a long history of conflicts resulting in gun fire, so too has Southern
California had a long history of conflicts with its worst enemy – wild fires!
And just as the rest of the country accepts the dangers of hurricanes,
tornadoes and earthquakes; so Californians have come to accept the real and
present danger of wild fires, whether caused by nature or man. An article in
USA Today this week reminded us that California is now in the third year of a
drought (nothing new there), that this year’s rainfall may set an all-time
record low mark, that the reservoirs are at record low levels, that the ground
is dry, and the vegetation is dying for lack of water. It’s all a tinderbox
waiting to burst into flames.
Historically, San Diego County (area of
7,000 square miles and population of 3 million) has had some 25 major fires in
the last one hundred years. In the early
years most of those fires occurred in the north, east and south of the County
---all areas of low population and development---and losses of life and
property were relatively low. Most fires burned less than 60,000 acres and were
accepted as part of the price for living in this sun blessed paradise.
Things began to change in 1960 when two
Atlas missiles (Remember the Atlas, our first ICBM and proudly built in and by
San Diegans?) exploded at their test site in Sycamore Canyon, causing an
estimated $27 million in damage. Explosive, yes, but locals considered it part
of their sacrifice toward fighting the Cold War.
The real wake-up call came in 1970 when,
for a week The Laguna fire, the county’s largest fire until recent times,
burned 175,425 acres, killed eight people and destroyed 382 homes. In 24 hours
the fire burned from Mount Laguna into the outskirts of El Cajon and Spring
Valley. The wild fires of the backwoods were knocking on the city’s door.
Fires kicked in that door in 1978 when a
PSA jet crashed after a mid-air collision over North Park. I remember that one
well because one of the jet’s engines landed in the alley behind my apartment
building. It was a shock, but it was an accident, right? And then eight years
later, in 1985, I sat in my living room just a few blocks away and watched a
fire sweep out of a canyon in minutes and burn 116 houses because there wasn’t
enough water pressure in the old water pipes to fight the fire. Well, pundits
said, you have to expect things like that in the city’s older areas. After all,
we can’t replace all the water pipes, can we?
Then, for almost 20 years the fires seemed
to be smaller and less frequent Sure a few homes were
burned, a few fire fighters killed, and damages were in the millions, but
things didn’t seem to be out of hand. But during those years the city and
county urban areas expanded into those same areas that had been burned or
almost burned over the last eighty or ninety years. The population of San Diego
City grew from 337,000 just after WWII to 1.3 million today and the County
passed the 3 million mark. And still
little was done to prepare for what was to come. The combined NIMBY and “It
isn’t going to happen here” attitudes laid the way for what was to happen.
In the summer of 2002 the Pines Fire
(Vulcan Mountain and Julian area) burned over 61,000 acres, destroyed 37 homes,
116 buildings and 165 vehicles in and around Julian, one of San Diego’s most
beloved rural communities. The fire was caused when a National Guard helicopter
hit a power line.
San Diego fire officials were still
dithering about what do (Whether to set up a central firefighting command
authority and, if so, who should command it, were the big topics of discussion)
when a year later three fires totaling 373,000 acres hit San Diego at once. The
fires killed 16 people and burned down 2427 homes. Fire fighters blamed “a
perfect fire storm” and 120 years of fire suppression techniques for the blazes
devastation.
I remember the Cedar, Paradise, and Otay
fires vividly because I saw them from the air for an extended period of time. I
was flying back from Europe and had heard nothing about the fires raging in
Southern California. Then, when I changed planes in Chicago, I first heard
about the fires but didn’t pay much attention to the news since,
after all, those things happen in Southern California. It’s
part of the price you pay for living in paradise, remember? By the time we got
over the Rockies, which was just about sunset, you could see this beautiful red
tint to the sky in the west as we flew down the Rockies. At first I didn’t
realize it was caused by all the soot and smoke in the sky, even at 35,000
feet, from the fires. Then as we passed over Las Vegas and headed into Southern
California you could begin to smell the smoke and looking out the plane windows
you could see the thick haze and smoke. Heading south from Los Angeles you
could suddenly see red areas glowing through the clouds of smoke. It was so
surrealistic it was almost beautiful until you realized what was burning. Turning
inland we flew east of San Diego almost to the Mexican border and then turned
west to approach the city. Below us it looked like something from Dante’s
Inferno. The smoke was everywhere and the flames were easily seen as we dropped
to around 12,000 feet. You could see giant explosions of fire rising hundreds
of feet into the air as hot spots exploded. It looked like a chain of fire was
surrounding San Diego and it went on and on and on, and it got closer and
closer and closer. We flew right over
the Otay fire (45,000 acres) and then turned north over San Diego Bay and
approached the airport. The pilot was flying strictly on instruments because
none of us could see out the windows. When I got home, and I lived about 10
miles from the western limits of one of the fires, I discovered a half-inch of
ash on top of my car and it took days before the ash stopped falling. It was a
huge disaster and the good guys had lost.
(From what I’ve seen in the media videos of
the conflicts in Syria and Egypt, and to a lesser degree in Turkey, the
situations there must look much like they did during the Cedar, Paradise and
Otay fires ---at least from the air.)
You would think that after all that the
County and City fire officials, and the state and federal governments which
control so much of the county’s land would have sprung into action to fix the
problems the fire had shown. Hah! More committees, more plans, more talk; but
precious little action.
By now Mother Nature had apparently had
enough. Four years later four major fires broke out at once in different areas
of the County. 300,000 acres (1,200 km2) burned, 1,350 homes were destroyed or
damaged, 100 businesses were lost, and 250,000 people had to be evacuated. Over
8,000 firefighters were deployed, over a thousand pieces of equipment, and
dozens of planes and helicopters pressed into use to combat the fires. One of
them started in the foothills to the east of San Diego and moved straight west
toward the Ocean reaching as far as La Costa, only 3 miles from the Pacific and
location of some of the most expensive homes in Southern California. Only a
change in wind force and direction saved hundreds of homes worth many hundreds
of millions of dollars. Once again the fires had started in predictable areas
and followed well-established paths toward the City’s urban areas.
Will it happen again this year? Perhaps. Next year? Likely. The year after? Almost certainly if not
sooner. Ponder that while I review the forces Southern California has to
fight its own “hot spots from Hell” wars: Los Angeles County has 10,000,000
people and 327 fire stations, of which 3,800,000 people and 72 fire stations
are in Los Angeles City. San Diego County has 3,200,000 people and 173 fire
stations, of which 1,300,000 people and 51 fire stations are in San Diego City.
San Bernardino County has 90 fire stations. Orange County has 21 fire stations.
Imperial County has 10 fire stations, but there’s not much to burn out there.
The more I thought what is happening in the
Eastern Mediterranean (Syria, Egypt and Turkey) and in Southern California the
more I realized how similar they are although it isn’t obvious at first glance.
Still, the key ingredients in both are the same: 1) The Threat, 2) The Spark,
3) The Real Danger of Many Small, but Growing “fires” Threatening to Merge into
One Cataclysmic Event, a True Holocaust, 4) The Resources Available vs. the
Resources Needed, 5) The Damage Done, and 6) The Clean Required.
So what lesson we can draw from this:
Whether it’s Syria, Egypt, Turkey or Southern California; and whether the
fighters are carrying a Molotov cocktail and a Kalashnikov, or a fire hose it’s
still a hot spot to be in, and it’s only going to get hotter. Trust me.
TURKEY: BEATING THE DRUMSTICK SLOWLY
Even though the 2013 turkey season is about
over (Over ninety percent of Americans dine on turkey on Thanksgiving. By New
Year’s that’s down to two percent.) There are still some interesting and even
fun stories in the media about the latest in turkey trots. Here are a few
samples:
“The Turkey’s Turkey Connection,” (Mark
Forsyth, New York Times, 27 November 2013). While it doesn’t come up to Art
Buchwald’s story standard either, Forsyth does a good job of explaining why the
link between turkey and Turkey runs through Madagascar and bears the scientific
name Numida meleagris.
The latest numbers are in and turkey
production and consumption was down this year. Perhaps those vegans are winning
after all? The number of turkeys produced this year was down 12 million from
last year, a fact that made turkey farmers happy because the decline in corn
prices meant the price of feeding turkeys was less, so profits per bird were
higher. In addition with fewer turkeys left over, so to speak, that means
farmers have fewer to freeze and store for the coming year.
Mr. Butterballs Man turned out to be a hit
this year with, according to Huffington’s Report, no known cases of a caller to
the Butterball hotline refusing to talk to a “man,” and at least one confirmed
case where a Mr. Butterballs man was hit on by a customer. It isn’t clear if
the caller was a female, male or perhaps even a
turkey.
England produced an organically-reared
turkey that was destined for the Royal Family’s dinner table on Christmas but
the turkey escaped from the truck on the way to the abattoir 70 miles away. The
bird-brained turkey picked his way to freedom by pecking on the door of the
mother-in-law of the farmer who had raised him. The farmer rushed over to
retrieve his bird, but was so impressed with his courage, if not his brains, that
he decided to spare him from slaughter and named him Colditz, in honor of the
father of Lord Newborough, the owner of Rhug Estate, which raised the turkey.
Apparently his father had been a POW in Colditz prison camp during WWII but had
escaped. Great story with pix at express.co.uk
A wild turkey in Cresskill, N.J. likes to
attack police cars and FedEx trucks. Apparently the turkey shows up at odd
times setting off car alarms, stopping traffic and hounding FedEx deliverymen
and police. Police say the gutsy gobbler has gone after some officers and their
cruisers. Authorities say the bird mysteriously disappeared around
Thanksgiving, but appeared as soon as it was over. While it may be a nuisance,
police say the turkey’s “crimes” are not enough to label him a feathered
fugitive.
The NSA wrote turkey-day talking points,
because of course it did, according to a story by Brian Fung in the Washington
Post on 2 December.
The Paris Review published an article on F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s THE CRACK-UP edited by Edmund Wilson. The article contains a
list of 13 things to do with your leftover turkey. My favorite recipe was for a
Turkey Cocktail: To one large turkey add one gallon of vermouth and a demijohn
of angostura bitters. Shake.
Turkey Tetrazzini recipes always show up
this year filled with enough calories, fat, and cholesterol to make the fattest
of us jiggle, but it is oh, so yummy.
But my favorite story of the year comes
from a LA Times report (you can find a video on You Tube) about a guy cooking a
turkey with a Lamborghini Aventador LP760, so if oven roasting, grilling or
deep frying are too passé for you, buy one of these $400,000 cars and cook your
turkey with it. The story appeared in the LA Times of 27 December.
Finally, a note to Melinda (After all, this
bit of press does have to have something to do with the game, right?). Melinda, dear. If you’re going to invite the Turkish
ambassador for dinner for Allah’s sake don’t serve stuffed turkey, particularly
when the stuffing has Italian sausage in it!
Woolworth
II-D “Coney Island” 2013Bcb19, F 04
Austria
(Secret): A
Swi – Mar,
A Vie – Gal (ret Tyt, Boh, OTB).
Balkans
(Secret): F
Alb S F Ion, A Tri S A Bud-Vie, A Bud-Vie.
England
(Secret): F NAO – Ice, A Wal – Lpl, F Lon H.
France
(Heath Gardner - heath.gardner “of” gmail.com): A Hol H, A Bre – Par, F Eng
– Bre, F Tys – Rom.
Germany
(Marc Ellinger - mellinger “of” bbdlc.com): A Gas –Par, A Bur S A Mun-Ruh, A Mun – Ruh,
A Kie – Hol, A
Sil – Ber
Italy
(Secret):
F Tun S Tys-Wms (NSO), F Tus – Gol, A Pie-Mar,
A Nap-Rom, A Ven-Rom.
Russia
(Jim Burgess - jfburgess “of”
gmail.com): F Gob-Bal, A Gal-Sil, A War S A Gal-Sil, A Pru S A Gal-Sil,
A Ukr-Gal.
Scandinavia
(Geoff Kemp - ggeoff510 “of” aol.com): F
Edi H, F Nth H, A Den H.
Spain (Secret): A Ruh – Bel, F Mao – Mad,
F Wms-Gol, F Nwg – Ice.
Turkey (Hugh
Polley – hapolley “of” yahoo.ca): F Bla S A Rum, A Rum S A Gal
(OTM), A Bul S A Rum,
F Ion S F Tun, F Aeg – Ems.
Deadline
for W 04/S 05 is January 28th at 7am My Time
Supply Center Chart
Austria Swi=1 Remove
1
Balkans Ser,
Gre, Bud, Vie, Tri=5 Build
2
England Lon,
Lpl=2 Remove
1
France Bre,
Par, Hol=4 Remove 1
Germany Kie,
Mun, Ber, Mar=4 Remove 1
Italy Nap,
Ven, Rom, Tun, Cre=5 Even
Russia Mos,
War, Sev, Stp, Gal=5 Even
Scand. Nwy, Swe, Den, Edi=4 Build 1
Spain Por,
Mor, Mad, Ice, Bel=5 Build
1
Turkey Ank,
Con, Smy, Bul, Rum=5 Even
PRESS
(BOOBISH
RUSSIAN to GEOFF): See,
you could trust me! Maybe now we can do
even more? Let's actually talk soon!!
By
Popular Demand
The goal is to pick something that fits the
category and will be the "most popular" answer. You score points
based on the number of entries that match yours. For example, if the category
is "Cats" and the responses were 7 for Persian, 3 for Calico and 1
for Siamese, everyone who said Persian would get 7 points, Calico 3 and the
lone Siamese would score 1 point. The cumulative total over 10 rounds will
determine the overall winner. Anyone may enter at any point, starting with an
equivalent point total of the lowest cumulative score from the previous round.
If a person misses a round, they'll receive the minimum score from the round
added to their cumulative total. In each round you may specify one of your
answers as your Joker answer. Your score for this answer will be
doubled. In other words, if you apply
your Joker to category 3 on a given turn, and 4 other people give the same
answer as you, you get 10 points instead of 5.
Players who fail to submit a Joker for any specific turn will have their
Joker automatically applied to the first category. And, if you want to submit
some commentary with your answers, feel free to. The game will consist of 10 rounds, with the
10th round being worth double points. A prize will be awarded to the winner. Research is permitted, but cooperation or
collusion between players is not!
Round 1 Categories
1. A
specific denomination within Christianity.
2. Any
Tolkien character other than Gandalf.
3. Any
character from the “Dune” series other than Paul/Maud’Dib.
4. A former
of current performer on Saturday Night Live.
5. A city
in Germany other than Berlin.
Selected Comments By
Category
Dick Martin does it again, starting with the top score. Andy Lischett gets the top category in
Denomination but still finished with the lowest overall score.
Denomination – Marc
Ellinger “So many options, especially in the US. But 1.2 BILLION Catholics (including myself)
can’t be all wrong!” Kevin Wilson “I may
have described this a "sect" instead of
denomination. A bit
more specific with a hint of skepticism.” Dane Maslen “I'm not sure what you intended
with number 1, and even more importantly I've no idea what other players will
assume you intended. Consulting the
Wikipedia article 'List of Christian denominations' only served to muddy the
water.”
Tolkien – Andy
York “Since you listed Galdalf, I almost went with Gandalf!” Kevin Wilson “I guess Frodo or Sauron or
Aragorn or Legolas or Gimli may be popular too but Bilbo just seems right.” Andy Bate “Hope everyone is watching The
Hobbit…” Jim Burgess “Hey, you can't
even spell Gandalf right, so that COULD be a
choice!!!”
Dune – Marc
Ellinger “Not a great movie, but at least I recall something of it. (Now I’m trying to forget it again!)” Kevin Wilson “I guess one of the three
"companions" Halleck, Idaho or Hawat might do well too. As might Lady Jessica, Stilgar or Chani but
it seems the nemesis might be the best choice behind Paul himself.”
SNL – Andy
York “Hopefully he'll score better than he did last round.” Marc Ellinger “Super Bass-o-matic and Richard
Nixon all in one! The original cast is
still the best!!” Kevin Wilson “For no
other reason than he was my favorite.”
Jim Burgess “This is an impossible choice, I'm going with Tina Fey, but
that
probably won't
score that well.”
Germany – Marc
Ellinger “Ah, Oktoberfest, Hofbrauhaus, AugisteinerBrau, Englischer Garten,
MarienPlatz, memories!! If Oktoberfest isn’t on your bucket list….GET A LIFE!!!” Kevin Wilson “If you can't pick the politics follow the money!”
Jim Burgess “Hamburg is the second largest city and really what is Kiel
on the
Diplomacy map, and then Munich is the third largest city.... so,
you have a tough coin flip.” Dane Maslen
“I was torn between BONN (former capital) and MUNICH on number 5. I've probably made the wrong decision.”
Round 2 Categories
1. A U.S.
President from the 1900’s.
2. A film
featuring Gene Hackman.
3. A Ford
car model.
4. A type
of drum.
5. A Native
American tribe.
Deadline for Round 2 is January 28th at 7:00am
my time
