THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #239

November 10, 2000

Produced by Jim Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327 USA, (401)351-0287

Accessible through Internet at burgess of world.std.com; FAX to (401) 277-9904

Richard Weiss said somewhere, ``I love the lesson in patience that this is giving us." I wholeheartedly agree. I went to bed at my usual time of about 12:30 on election night, confident that my country had voted and Florida would resolve itself sooner or later. A few days later, I retain that optimism. The People have voted, and in so voting have spoken, it now remains for us to determine (not perfectly, but to the best of our ability under the rule of law) what the People said. I am confident that as you read this we will still be exercising patience. For if we wait for nothing else, we need to count all of those absentee ballots! Then, if desired, our rule of law demands that advocates for Bush and Gore submit their best arguments to the legal system in Florida and that the system will prevail, in divining the most reasonable course of action. Unlike in the OJ case ;-) I am confident that will happen here. And not for at least a year or so will anyone forget how our Electoral College system works. As a trained statistician, I feel compelled to give those who are inclined toward thinking that way the clearest ``non-technical'' explanation of the voting pattern differences between 1996 and 2000 on Buchanan. It may be found at: http://madison.hss.cmu.edu/ While I know some of the people in Greg Adams' department, I don't know him, yet he seems to have a good handle on the general technical problems with understanding just how anomalous the Palm Beach County vote is. Still, I strongly believe that the best technical answer to the question is his one at: http://madison.hss.cmu.edu/logged.html despite the superficially stronger result at the main web site. The concern about a ``rush to concession'' panders to the least mature aspects of our world today. I work in the area of health care, where issues of patience are paramount. Perhaps others are inured from such unpleasantries, but aren't they part of life? They certainly are part of the game of Diplomacy, and you've been waiting long enough to see these results, so let's get to them!

The postal sub price for ONE more issue is a flat $1.00 per issue in the US and Canada, a bargain at twice the price.... but you can double that for other foreign subbers (or $2.00 per issue sent airmail). This will finally be going up soon as the amount I lose on every paid subscription rises. Get your resubs in now and then I'll go up by 50% starting with issue #240 - that's NEXT issue. Players in current games and standbys will continue to get the issues for free, and future game starts (except for Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy, which is free) cost $20.00 ($15.00 for a life of the game subscription and $5 for the NMR Insurance). NOTE: See the revised game start announcements below! Some other options are out there. Mark Kinney is trying to get his dipszine going again (one game is already filled), but he may have other openings. Mark is looking for standbys too. Contact Mark NOW at 4820 Westmar Terrace #6, Louisville, KY 40222, (502) 412-3079; alberich of iglou.com and get on his subscription list. I'm in the game and you CAN'T miss watching ME play.... there or somewhere else.

Check out the connections in the Diplomatic Pouch with all of the information you need to play Diplomacy on the Internet at:

Through Stephen Agar's (who is still in charge here) Postal portion of the Pouch:

/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html

the szine resides in html format. Presently, issues from #190 to the current issue are there, and I will be updating the back issues gradually someday. Also, check out Stephen's more extensive efforts at (note the new address): http://www.diplomacy-archive.com

The most recent issue of TAP also can be accessed through Pete Sullivan's web page and very occasionally David Wang's:

1) David has grabbed and reserved the HIGHLY prized name: www.szine.com!! David Wang's site also allows you to follow (VERY, VERY badly) John Caruso's postal baseball league that I am in. John and Kathy Caruso are now up on E-Mail and if David doesn't get off his butt soon and start updating the page more frequently, John probably will go invent his own web page. This is a problem at the present time....

2) For the most recent issue of Pete Sullivan's subszine check out (this address will be changing shortly):

http://www.manorcon.demon.co.uk/octopus/index.html

Pete is looking for Railway Rivals standbys, but otherwise, he is full with games at the moment.

By electronic mail, through the Internet, subs are free and can be obtained automatically by sending the message: subscribe tap

to majordomo of diplom.org and messages can be sent to the entire electronic mailing list by mailing them to tap of diplom.org which will forward your message to all of the people currently on the list. The message:

unsubscribe tap

sent to majordomo of diplom.org gets you off the list. Please make careful note of that as well since you generally can get yourself off the list a lot easier than I can, and NOBODY likes to see unsubscribe messages sent to the entire list. A big, big thank you for David Kovar for setting this all up!!

THE SEARCH FOR GREGORY STEWART

Come on, I know we have some BIG Gregory Stewart fans around here. Even some reminiscences about Mr. Stewart's infamous press style would be nice. Fifty bucks for finding him before the deadline for issue 240. A rumor exists that someone DOES know where he is, but nothing from Gregory yet.... check in next issue for a further update. Get crackin' on this one!!! Only ONE more issue remains to get him for the $50 prize.

Or feel free to spend the time looking for some of the backlog. Let's get Kevin, Al, and Jerry found too!!! Note that Brenton Ver Ploeg would love to find Leslie Obata, the woman that Jerry Lucas used as his front too. This could be an easy way toward finding Jerry, though as Brenton notes, who is to say she has the same name now. This is a regular continuing feature of the szine and I will be introducing a new ``search for'' every five issues. Moreover, you can win a $25 prize for finding some previous target who went unfound in the original $50 period. That means that if Kevin Tighe or Jerry Lucas or Al Pearson is ``found'' from now on it is worth $25.

Winners will receive credit for Dip hobby activities that I will pay out as requested by the winner. Subscribe to szines here or abroad, run your own contests, publish a szine, finance a web page, or whatever. Spend it all right away or use me as a bank to cover hobby activities for years. What must you do to win? Get me a letter to the editor for TAP from the person we're searching for.

This is very important, just finding them doesn't do it. They have to write me a letter. The final judge as to the winner of any contest will be the target himself and I reserve the right to investigate the winning entry. When you find someone I'm looking for, you should ask him to send me a letter for print that includes a verification of who ``found'' him.

INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION EXCHANGE NEWS

The British representative is the editor of Mission From God, John Harrington. John may be contacted at 1 Churchbury Close, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 3UW, UK.

E-Mail: fiendish of operamail.com or johnh of fiendishgames.demon.co.uk

Please include the full name and address of the foreign publisher with your order, if possible, as well as the szine title. Make your check in US dollars out to me personally or in GBP to John if you're doing things from that end. I will conduct business for Canadians as well, if I can, but prefer to deal in US dollars with them if possible, or Canadian dollars cash. To subscribe to American szines, the system works in reverse. There has been some interest in finding a new Australian representative. Should someone Down Under have an interest, or from anywhere else in the world, please contact me. We have added a European continental representative, most of this traffic likely will occur between Ronald Camstra (in the Netherlands) and John Harrington, but if anyone here in the US wants to get money into guilders or then into other continental currencies, we'll try to help you out. Ronald Camstra can be contacted at siedler of zonnet.nl and his home address is: Wielingenplein 48, 3522 PE Utrecht, the Netherlands. But in Holland it is most common not to send checks but to transfer money by bank. Dutch people can pay directly to Postbankaccount 4652247 of Ronald Camstra in Utrecht. Since he can see the name and address of the sender in his bankreceipt, people only have to mention the name of the zine and the editorial address along with their bank order. Ronald is obviously a huge Settlers of Catan fan. If you're interested in playing that game internationally by mail, I think Ronald can help you out.

WORLDMASTERS00 SECTION (with letters AND a game!!)

Worldmasters 2000 Email Diplomacy Tournament Begins!!

The main WWW site for Worldmasters can be found at http://worldmasters00.diplomacy.org.uk

http://webforum.cloud-nine.com/~ worldmasters2000

The Conference board is where day to day communications and discussions will take place.

Since the 2000 tournament is well underway AND the 1999 Finals (featuring Toby Harris and David Partridge) also has started, we have temporarily suspended the Boasters! game, after Toby effected a brilliant comeback from his minimalist opening. I think this game will benefit from the break.

Watch the 1999 Finals game, and my impromptu commentary, at:

http://webforum.cloud-nine.com/~ worldmasters99

FULL LINEUP:

Jon Crocker (Austria)

Toby Harris (England)

Charles Steinhardt (France)

David Malloch (Germany)

Dirk Fischbach (Italy)

Dave Partridge (Russia)

Egbert Ferreira (Turkey)

The game got off to an early stabbing controversy as ``Stabbin' Steinhardt'' moved to and attained the Channel in Spring 1901. I say Toby has Charles RIGHT where he wants him.

M2000 Boasters!, Worldmasters2000 Time Wasters Diplomacy

TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED - STAY TUNED FOR THE RESTART!!!

Fall 1902

AUSTRIA (O'Donnchu): a ALB S a ser, a vie-GAL, f GRE h, a BUD S a vie-gal, a SER S f gre.

ENGLAND (Setzer): f iri-ENG, f NTH S a swe-den, f NWG-nao, a swe-DEN.

FRANCE (Pérez): f BRE-mid, a par-PIC, f MID-nao, a GAS-bur, a BEL-bur.

GERMANY (Mehaffey): a mun-SIL, f den-KIE, f SKA-den, a HOL S FRENCH a bel (otm), a RUH S a hol.

ITALY (Dennehy): f ION S AUSTRIAN f gre, f TUN S f ion, a APU h, a VEN h.

RUSSIA (Harris): a stp-NWY, f gob-SWE, f SEV S a rum, a UKR S a rum, a RUM h.

TURKEY (Miszti): f CON S a bul, a SMY h, a BUL S RUSSIAN a rum, f AEG S a bul.

Supply Center Chart

AUSTRIA (O'Donnchu): BUD,TRI,VIE,ser,gre (has 5, even)

ENGLAND (Setzer): LON,LVP,EDI,den (has 4, even)

FRANCE (Pérez): BRE,PAR,MAR,spa,por,bel (has 5, bld 1)

GERMANY (Mehaffey): BER,KIE,MUN,hol (has 5, rem 1)

ITALY (Dennehy): ROM,VEN,NAP,tun (has 4, even)

RUSSIA (Harris): MOS,STP,WAR,SEV,rum,nwy,swe (has 5, bld 2)

TURKEY (Miszti): ANK,SMY,CON,bul (has 4, even)

Neutral: none (Total=34)

Winter 1902

AUSTRIA (O'Donnchu): has a ALB, a GAL, f GRE, a BUD, a SER.

ENGLAND (Setzer): has f ENG, f NTH, f NWG, a DEN.

FRANCE (Pérez): waives build, PLAYS ONE SHORT; has f BRE, a PIC, f MID, a GAS, a BEL.

GERMANY (Mehaffey): rem a ruh; has a SIL, f KIE, f SKA, a HOL.

ITALY (Dennehy): has f ION, f TUN, a APU, a VEN.

RUSSIA (Harris): bld a war, a mos; has a WAR, a MOS, a NWY, f SWE, f SEV, a UKR, a RUM.

TURKEY (Miszti): has f CON, a SMY, a BUL, f AEG.

Supply Center Chart

AUSTRIA (O'Donnchu): BUD,TRI,VIE,ser,gre (has 5)

ENGLAND (Setzer): LON,LVP,EDI,den (has 4)

FRANCE (Pérez): BRE,PAR,MAR,spa,por,bel (has 5, PLAYS ONE SHORT)

GERMANY (Mehaffey): BER,KIE,MUN,hol (has 4)

ITALY (Dennehy): ROM,VEN,NAP,tun (has 4)

RUSSIA (Harris): MOS,STP,WAR,SEV,rum,nwy,swe (has 7)

TURKEY (Miszti): ANK,SMY,CON,bul (has 4)

Neutral: none (Total=34)

Addresses of the Players

AUSTRIA: Fearghal O'Donnchu, fearghal.odonnchu of life.friendsfirst.ie

ENGLAND: Ray Setzer, mczet of acronet.net

FRANCE: Niclas Pérez, perez of astrogator.se

GERMANY: Mike Mehaffey, mehaffey of ape-i.com

ITALY: Brian Dennehy, brian.dennehy of iol.ie

RUSSIA: Toby Harris, Toby.Harris of equifax.com

TURKEY: Emeric Miszti, emeric of cloud-nine.co.uk

Game Notes:

1) I'm tempted to say something like.... ``he f'ing did it'', but impartiality prevents it.

Press:

[France- > England] Zilly accent? What do you meen with zilly accent? I fart in your general direction you zilly english dog!

[France- > Toby] Mohahahahahaha, failed again! hehehehe *crossing fingers*

DIPDOM NEWS SECTION (with letters)

Obscure and not-so-obscure ramblings on the state of the hobby and its publications, custodians, events, and individuals with no guarantee of relevance from the fertile keyboard of Jim-Bob, the E-Mail Dip world, and the rest of the postal hobby. My comments are in italics and ((double quotation marks)) like this. Bold face is used to set off each individual speaker. I should also make a note that I do edit for syntax and spelling on occasion.

The game Diplomacy is a copyrighted product owned by Hasbro and all reproductions or other use of that material in this szine is intended to be personal use and not infringe on those rights in any way. All reproductions are done at a heavy financial loss to the editor and thus are without the remotest possibility of commercial intent, except to promote THE game, the Game of Diplomacy, which you all should purchase from Hasbro or other duly licensed distributors.

Check out the new Diplomacy World - www.diplomacyworld.org

We are still trying to sort out the old subscription information and so I will tell everyone more about that someday..... But go look at the new issue there now. It WAS released in July. Why haven't YOU seen it?? The Fall issue will be out shortly and features a doozy of an interview with Brandon Clarke of New Zealand. Also, the ``Ruffians'' demo game has a write up and introduction to the full negotiation history on the Diplomatic Pouch's Showcase web site. You can see how our very own Paul Rauterberg was screwed over by former World Champion Chris Martin not once, not twice, but at least THREE times. But Chris didn't win.... not that time. Let's hear about FTF gatherings you've participated in, I love to print them, you dogs!!

Eric Ozog (Sat, 28 Oct 2000 12:28:38 -0700)

I guess that means I'm a mediocre dog! We had Deadwoodcon IX last weekend. Six victims came out: Tom Howell, Jonas Johnson, John Biehl, Al Boulivar, Trindon Wilkerson and Ken LeMere. Trindon and Ken are regulars at Seattle Metro Gamers dip events hosted by Buz Eddy, and Al and Jonas are from our NAU days-Al also from Seattle and Jonas from Portland. John is from the Vancouver, BC metro area. And of course Tom is now in the Port Angeles area. No Toadfather nor Buz this time, but perhaps next April or May. One game we played is Outpost, which is like Civilization in space, and took about as long. Also played a couple games of Settlers, one with 6 players Saturday night. So there is still a pulse in the Pacific Northwest.

Eric, elferic of juno.com

MUSIC SECTION (WITH COMMENTS ON OTHER ARTS AND SOCIETY)

Time to make this a real music section again..... lots of reading this issue!

Comments on the 1999 year in music are now completed. I'll be calling for 2000 comments soon! Here is my quick runthrough of the 1999 music that still is dominating my CD player (these are in absolutely no order whatsoever):

I'm sure it's a sign of getting older, but I find myself less interested (most of the time) in listening to headbanging types of stuff and more interested in contemplative stuff, especially piano based female songs - also show tunes and classics. One that I really like, is Diana Krall's When I Look in Your Eyes. If I had to characterize it, it would probably be as cool jazz. The CD photography is all about ocean vistas and windblown hair, and that's about the way the music sounds - reminds me of the coasts of Oregon or Maine, both of which I love. Most of the songs are known Irving Berlin, Harry Warren, George Gershwin, or Cole Porter type standards. I found my way back in this direction partly from the more modern lounge music of people like Barbara Manning, Combustible Edison, or even recent Joe Jackson. But there is none of that music's edginess here - hey Johnny Mandel does lots of the arranging and the production! For example, she does ``Popsicle Toes" totally straight.... today as it starts to get colder up here that frostiness sounds just right. I also like Dusty Springfield a lot, but Diana Krall does something like ``I've Got You Under My Skin'' with an entirely different kind of cool - she has some OOOMPH in her voice, not harsh at all, but a great sense of rhythm and placement of consonants (and sometimes even LEAVES THEM OUT) that sounds totally natural.

On the more masculine side of piano based noodling, you all may recall (whooo, what a rhyme and rhythm) me mentioning many times a wacky record that brought me great joy during my college days, and was a staple of my college radio program. Michael Perlitch's Keyboard Tales came out in 1972 with a distinct anti-Vietnam War undertone on some songs, and overtone on others..... one of many great songs with the title ``America" (we also love the Nice's ``America'') has these lyrics: ``America, look what you are; America, look what you've learned; America, look who you've burned..... Help us Mister Nixon, we want to come home; Listen Mister Nixon, we want to be home.'' But he is more famous for the ``I'm Pete, the Bondage Freak, I hide in the bushes down by the creek; I found Little Mary Meek, and I won't let her go....'' If somehow you find this record in a used record shop somewhere, DON'T pass it up!

Anyway, I often wondered what happened to Perlitch, always suspecting that he was trying to make sense of the craziness of the War at a time when everyone was just trying to shut people up and forget about it. Even though we were listening to it, and playing it avidly, in the late 1970's right alongside Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, and the Sex Pistols - it was music of another era. Well, the magic of the Internet, and the fact that TAP is up there to be searched, meant that I recently got an e-mail out of the blue and a promotional copy of Perlitch's new cassette only release, Outworlder, but since it came out in 1999, I will review it here with my very late 1999 review. There are nine songs and a little over half an hour of music. The production quality is not quite up to current CD standards, but the music continues the spacey side of Perlitch that songs like ``Planet Mission Alpha'' brought to Keyboard Tales. I got a pleasant sense of time warp realizing that Perlitch must have been doing the same kinds of music for the last thirty years, with his voice showing all of that world weariness, just not getting any attention for it. I would have liked to have heard more of it!

The lead song ``Venutians (sic) Like Hawaii'' illustrates that spelling is not Michael's strong point, but the solid rhythmic keyboarding and energy does evoke Mitch Easter style pop sensibility. This fits comfortably into that slightly (some will say TOTALLY) arcane genre that also includes Bob Pfeifer and the Bongos' Richard Barone - neither of whom also gained much critical and commercial success - and in fact many of the songs here brought my mind to Pfeifer's ``Refrigerator Door'' which is one of the great unknown songs of the last century (only partly kidding!). The next song, ``Perfume Soaked Hag'' comes the closest to ``Pete the Bondage Freak's'' sardonic phrasing, though almost all of Outworlder is taken at twice the pace of the mostly relaxed speed of Keyboard Tales. ``Pretend not to be turned on... take a chance with the perfume soaked hag,'' but this is turned on music. ``Dark Angel'' is about someone who behaves ``like a virgin whore'' and it really bites deep. You can't keep your feet from rockin' and the guitar and keyboard solo work are quite stellar. I only wish the production values were a bit better. ``King of the Rain'' evokes Elvis Costello's ``Veronica'' and would benefit greatly from similar production.

Anyone interested in obtaining copies of the cassette for Outworlder may contact ``Dave'' at sumrdey of redshift.com He reports that ``Michael Perlitch has done some other work available on Digital Cassette at $10 or Digital CD's at $15 and will have a new has album out by Feb. 2001 (Hopefully).'' I think I will order a CD and see if the sound quality is more to my liking.

There is a sequence of new 1999 CDs from old friends that I liked a lot, but not so much that I think they would generate new fans. In case you missed them, with a few quick comments, they are:

XTC's Apple Venus, Volume 1, Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding still have incredible pop sensibility and the ``Apple'' here clearly is supposed to reference the Beatles, but on the other hand they don't seem to care if or when they find an audience. This is not all bad. The raindrops of ``River of Orchids'' pulled in with increasing and increasing levels of complexity and color create a gorgeous musical palate more exciting than anything I have heard in years. While ``I'd Like That'' also is about water, but is much more straightforward pop music in the classic XTC style.

Blondie's No Exit: Destri, Stein and Debbie together again, I definitely think it was worth it, though there's nothing essential here. I liked ``Maria'' as the best driving pop song, with Debbie at her very, very coolest. ``No Exit'' leads in with just a bit of Bach, actually not played half badly - and then goes to a hip-hop rhythm.

Los Lobos with Mitchell Froom production doing This Time, well, there is nothing like a Los Lobos record to me that holds thoughts of the melting pot of America in mind. ``Some Say, Some Do'' puts it simply, who will clothe, feed, house, and show the way to go.... There are some different sounds and story telling approaches here. The title track has no real roots sound to it at all and ``Oh Yeah'' is rather electronic and has modern jazz rhythms. Yet ``Cumbia Raza'' is clearly ensconced in the Latin world and ``Run Away With You'' is a classic Los Lobos dance tune, if a bit less frenetic than some. I like this Los Lobos album because it shows off the full scope of their considerable eclecticism.

Stereolab came out with Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night. Jody McCullough can embarrass me about this, but Laetitia, Mary, Tim, Andy, and Morgane still do electronically spacy stuff better than anyone. My favorite new one probably is ``People Do It All the Time'' even though it sounds just like half a dozen other Stereolab songs - Mary and Laetitia do their patented sliding in and out phrasing - but ``Strong Acceleration'' has that speedy driven beat with the French singing that is classic Stereolab dance music!

Richard Thompson's Mock Tudor continues his trend of more sophisticated singing, but just as hard hitting messages; here's one for us Diplomacy players: ``This time you hurt me, you really did it this time, you did; did you count your fingers after shaking my hand, God forbid..... [ending with] And I'll go quietly tail between my knees.'' - this is from ``Crawl Back (Under My Stone)''. There also are lots of horns on this recording, and they sound GREAT! Many of the songs sound like they've been in the Thompson songbook forever, like ``Cooksferry Queen'', we've got some hot harmonica from David McKelsy and a whole new set of words to languish over. And the guitar pickin' on ``Sights and Sounds of London Town'' oooohhhh, wow!

Last, but far from least, I have always been and always will be a ``Blur'' man. 13 is a real stunner.... from ``Tender'' and ``Mellow Song'' to ``Swamp Song'' and ``Trailer Park'' the intensity boomerangs but holds together. And ``Bugman'' is as fuzzed out as any Blur song ever! This is an album in the best sense of the word. It doesn't need random CD changer settings, it does it all by itself.

A few others, probably honorable mentions in some sense, also grabbed me to varying degrees last year. Fountains of Wayne is a young band of half straight looking black tie kids doing songs that would enthrall me if I were 25 years younger and amuse me today. ``Well, I've been saving for a custom van; And I've been playing in a cover band; And my baby doesn't understand; why I never turned from boy to man.'' - indeed, that's ``Utopia Parkway''! - and songs like ``Red Dragon Tattoo'' just bounce along pleasantly! Beth Orton got me through a short ``Melissa Ferrick dry period'' (though 1998's Everything I Need clearly was just that for me) with her Central Reservation. Orton is sly and knowing, but not so much so that you can't join her for the ride. Orton's way back in the throat voice always has a deep aura of seriousness, but she can still sound almost, but not quite, sweet - as on ``Sweetest Decline''. Her voice is generally pretty deep, but she has a wonderful high bounce, that accentuates particular lines. There are two versions of the title track on her and I much prefer the ``then again version'' with some spunkier keyboard lines.

Lastly, something that is easily classified, but really unclassifiable. Ali Farke Toure is the real sub-Saharan thing, straight from Niafunké, which is the name of the album and the village where he lives. We haven't heard from him after his semi-commercial success, because he felt that he couldn't ``live'' his music unless he lived his music. So he recorded this in his electricity-less village using a generator brought in by the worshipful musicians who came to record with him. This is simply the record of the year for me. Honest and direct, it speaks its own language.

Lastly, lastly, as a quick preview, the record of the year for 2000 has to be Journey to the End of the Night by the Mekons, doesn't it?? They also LIVE their music. I find the haunting ``City of London'' totally and completely enthralling!!

The tape thing has become a CD thing and still going very slowly. I need some uninterrupted time to do it.... I think I'll end up doing this over the Christmas vacation this year. I am leaning toward a five dollar fee, so the people I've chosen below for five dollar awards automatically get them for free. There are a few other selected individuals who've been sending me tapes and CD's and things who also will get them for free. For now, I'm going to stop reprinting all the rest of the header stuff each issue. The way I do things, I was sticking it in my face so I noticed it and kept it on my to-do list, but obviously it was way too repetitive. Thanks VERY much to Paul Rauterberg who has given me a whole bunch of info that will be invaluable in converting songs from vinyl records to CD.

((This first letter is late, but not quite as late as it seems. The Swiss post was not very efficient and I didn't get this letter until about the first of September.... anyway, after World DipCon. I hope I read all the handwriting correctly.))

Rick Desper (5 Jul 00)

Hey Jim-Bob, After dashing off my complaint about not having Internet time, I remembered that TAP is still a postal 'zine after all! Some thoughts from the road.

Music: Any fan of classical music should go to Vienna. Vienna has the Hapsburgs, the Third Man, and an incredible history in classical music. I'm hard pressed to think of a city more important: perhaps NY in today's music music, but I'll still take Vienna. Interestingly, I've gone to Munich, Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg so far and of the four only Munich doesn't claim Mozart. Most people know he had his greatest successes in Vienna, and many are aware he was born in Salzburg, but he also spent awhile in Prague. Speaking of Mozart, I saw a marionette performance of The Magic Flute in Vienna. Fantastic! Also, in Vienna the opera takes the summer off, so the city distracts the citizens by showing music films in the square outside the city hall. I saw a classic October 1989 performance by the Berlin Philharmonic directed by Leonard Bernstein, playing Beethoven's 9th, with ``Freedom'' substituted for ``Joy''. The concert celebrating the Wall coming down - hard to believe that was over 10 years ago. ((Quite frankly, it actually seems like longer....)) Very moving to see the Germans playing this piece. My German has improved tremendously in two years, but it's still hard to follow operatic singing in German (though I suspect the same would hold if it were in English).

Travel: Now is the time to go to Europe, before the Euro rebounds (and it will). Brief comments on places I've visited (first, all European cities are much smaller than NY or Tokyo):

London - sort of like a baby step - no language barrier. The city itself is doing well but my impression is that on the whole Britain is not very well off. A needed break for Americans in Europe.

Paris - has taken a bit of getting used to. Gets more tourists than any other city in the world, and the locals get sick of them. But a beautiful city.

Amsterdam - I view the Dutch as the troublemaking younger brother of the too-serious Germans. I think many Americans who don't enjoy Paris would have had a much better time in Amsterdam. Has the strongest ``melting pot'' feel of any city in Europe, by far.

Berlin - shedding some of its history and redefining itself. Berlin has cranes all over the place. In the coming century, Germany will have a leading position in Euro politics and economics, and Berlin will likely rebuild itself to a city to rival London and Paris.

Frankfurt - big airport, stock exchange, that's it. Most Germans find it ugly, though it's the only German city with skyscrapers.

Strasbourg - seat of the EU, this is a delicious city in Alsace. The French here are friendly and the portions are huge.

Prague - By far the cheapest place I've visited. I stayed with a friend and have heard housing can be expensive, but nothing could be so bad as to outweigh getting great meals for less than $5 a pop. Some Czechs definitely resent the explosion of tourism, but they shouldn't. Prague was not bombed in WW II (unlike most major Euro cities) so this is a good place to visti (I've heard the same about Krakow).

Munich - too many damned tourists. Bavaria was the real economic heart of post-war Germany. They now have an unemployment rate of about 4%, much less than the > 10% national rate, which gets above 20% in parts of old East Germany. (Incidentally, Munich is nowhere near Burgundy!) Munich's English Garden is the biggest city park in the world (yes, bigger than Central Park). Too bad so many people think of the slaughter of Israeli athletes when they think of Munich - that's really unfair.

Vienna - only Paris matches the architecture.

Politics: After Jörg Haider's party joined the ruling coalition here, a lot of half educated people started condemning Austria (here, half-educated = college frosh, editorial writers, and French foreign policy makers, oh, and self-important musicians). Yes, Haider is a boor, but so is LePen in France, and so is Jesse Helms for that matter. But, thanks to the French and the Belgians, the EU has placed ``sanctions'' on Austria. Not that Austria has done anything wrong, it's just that other countries are worried about what Austria might do. Austria is threatening to retaliate by vetoing any EU expansions.

So, who suffers due to the French pomposity? THe Czechs, the Poles, the Hungarians, etc. They're peeved because the standards for admission keep getting nudged, to levels Greece (a current member) could not hope to meet, if it had to. Yes, Haider is xenophobic, but we should keep in mind, of the old Western countries, Austria has far more exposure to Eastern Europe and to Balkan refugees than any of the others.

There are some upsides here:

1) If people are really avoiding Austria, this should keep prices low for American tourists.

2) We have a longer window of opportunity to buy up valuable land in Czechland (I'm sorry, ``the Czech Republic'' is too long) near the Austrian border (and German also). Once Czechland joins the EU, manufacturing will got there, as labor is cheap. Also, some places near the border are prime to become tourist places.

Finally, three cheers for the French soccer team, who brilliantly tied Italy in the last minute of regulation in the EM and went on to get the victory in overtime. Condolences to Italy, who came within 30 secons of winning, and to Holland, who scored on 1 of 6 penalty kicks in the semis against Italy. Shame on the English hooligans who effectively torpedoed their country's hopes for hosting a World Cup in the next 20 years.

Rick

PS EM is Europäische Meisterschaft

PPS Germany just got the World Cup '06!

((Thanks, some of that obviously is old news now, but hey, better late than never, right?? Apologies for the lateness in printing it.))

John Harrington (Tue, 7 Nov 2000 11:06:43 -0500 (EST))

Jim, What's your gut feel on the election result? I wouldn't be surprised if Bush wins the popular vote but Gore wins the election, but then that hunch is predicated on Gore taking Florida and I've not been following that so closely in the last few days.

((Your BBC a few minutes ago (the World Service, where I get most of my news) reported on the ``up-tick" for Gore that seems to be happening at the very end. If they are right, I will be happy. I'm not sure, though.....))

Whatever happens, the closeness of the race should see the turnout rise back above 50%, which I think would be small fillip for democracy. In the UK the turnout is typically about 70%. If it moves 5 points lower the pundits worry about apathy and if it gets 8 or 9 points higher they worry about unrest. Of course in some places in Northern Ireland the turnout has been known to be higher than 100%. Well, not quite, but they have had some extraordinarily high turn-outs and it is not entirely due to a passionate electorate.

((Not much above 50%..... part of our problem is the lack of ANY proportional voting rules. I keep thinking how much more lively our House of Representatives would be if representatives were elected proportionally by state voting, so that when the Green Party gets 5% of the votes, they get a few reps in Congress. If for nothing else, it would enliven the debate. This is part of our problem. The proliferation of polls PLUS the lack of good alternative voting strategies with some consequences puts the voters to sleep.))

Statistically it would be extraordinary for the Labour government to lose the next election (which is expected next year but could take place as late as 2002) but they are currently experiencing a prolonged bout of unpopularity. One of the government's key challenges is to deal with the fuel protest lobby who are complaining that the price in fuel in Britain is considerably higher than it is on the continent - which is true. Then again, direct taxes in the UK are much lower than on most of the continent, neither do we Brits have to pay tolls on roads (except some bridges and tunnels).

((And your fuel is much, much more expensive than others. I am still paying $1.60 or so for gas for my car, which is only about $1.12! I know you pay more than twice that.))

Back when I was still editing a zine I opined that taxing car use was likely to increase as it is a very difficult tax to avoid, unlike excise duty on cigarettes and booze, where smuggling is a fairly serious problem in the UK. My assertion was based on various ``polls" I conducted in the pub where the question was: how much more expensive per year would owning a car have to become before you gave it up? I'm in a peer group where most people are now comfortably off, so perhaps the response of two to three thousand pounds is not representative of the country as a whole, but it does indicate that there is a lot of scope for milking this market. ((Indeed. And there is EVEN more in the US!))

What I had overlooked was that whilst it is true most people would rather sell their children into slavery than wait at a freezing cold bus stop or even walk 400 yards to the newsagent for the Sunday paper, car users might actually protest rather than just meekly accept the rising cost of fuel (which, I might add, has been mostly caused by OPEC, not by the Labour government).

Protesting car owners equals lost votes in the government's eyes, so it appears that there is indeed an upper limit on the amount of money Her Majesty's Treasury can syphon off from the tax payer in this way.

My own view is that it is true that travelling by car is more expensive in the UK than in continental Europe, but when compared to the cost of other forms of transport, it is still incredibly cheap. A case in point. Taking my family (me, wife, 3 kjids) the length of England to visit the kids' grandparents would cost about $40 in petrol and about $100 by train or about $70 by coach. Travelling by air to Liverpool and getting a taxi for the last 80 miles might even be cheaper than travelling by train!

Of course, I am biased as I don't drive. I'm sure my view would be different if I did. ((Oh, well, never mind about the gas comments then ;-) ))

There have been some attempts to counter the fuel protestors' arguments with the claim that duty on fuel is a good tax because it is ecologically sound. I have some sympathy with that view but I don't really think it has much effect on car use because it really is so much cheaper than virtually any other form of transport except Shanks's pony (walking) or a bicycle. You could double the cost of petrol (gasoline) and it would probably only cut car use by 10% or so.

I am sure Americans are even more wedded to their cars than Britons - not surprising as it is a much bigger country. However, it is interesting to note that popular support for the fuel protestors in the UK remained high, even when there was a danger that their blockades of fuel depots would lead to food shortages, withdrawal of emergency services (fire & ambulance services), not to mention petrol shortages for the average car user. Indeed, some ``average car users", whilst maintaining that petrol is too expensive, also chose to pay $50 to jump to the front of a queue for the petrol station or to pay $50 for a gallon of petrol sold by auction over the internet. ``Yes, I agree petrol is far too expensive, which is why I have just paid 10 times the going rate for a gallon of the stuff".

The right to use a car is probably the nearest thing Britain has, in terms of passionate debate, to the debate in the US over the right to bear arms. Still, with so much else to talk about we probably don't want to open that particular can of worms right now.

Time to sign off. If Bush does win the election then it might spark a revival of Spittin' Image, the heavily satirical puppet show that ran for several years in the eighties and early nineties. It was never the same when Reagan and Thatcher disappeared. They had much fun at the expense of Reagan, portraying him as a mawkish, simple minded front-man, and I suspect Bush would get the same treatment. Gore, on the other hand, would probably be your equivalent of John Major, whose puppet on Spittin' Image was all-grey and who was portrayed as only slightly more exciting than porridge (er ... oatmeal?).

What chance of Clinton returning in 2004, assuming this is allowable under the US constitution? ((The thoughts are that if it is a Clinton, it will be HILLARY Clinton who runs in 2004. I'd vote for her, but many would not.))

Regards, John, Fiendish of operamail.com

Jody McCullough (Tue, 07 Nov 2000 15:55:02 -0800)

Jim, It's been a long time since I babbled to you. Too long. Some random thoughts...

Your readers must think one or both of us is losing it sometimes. A few issues ago you said ``thanks for the printable music comments" which was cool, except, you never printed them. Unless I'm losing it and you did. ((I probably didn't..... sorry about that. If I come across them, I might still print them, you never know!)) Anyway, one CD on my ``play until sick of" list is White Ladder from David Gray. I told you about this one a few months ago. Turns out it was actually released in 1998. This album is really solid. Great music and lyrics. I can't imagine why it's not more popular, but it may be a little too dark for popular tastes. *Finally* one of the songs is getting played on the radio. The name of the song is ``Babylon'' and there are actually two versions on the album. One is the second track and one's the last track. Kind of like the two versions of ``Central Reservation'' on the Beth Orton album of the same name. ((See above....)) It's a great song about life and love, though the inclusion of the word Babylon is rather oblique. I think he's talking about how you can lose track of what's important, but there are lots of ways you could interpret it.

Is the guitar riff in ``Heavy Things'' by Phish a tribute to the Grateful Dead, a band they are often compared to? It sounds like it to me. ((I wouldn't know, as I don't really listen to Phish... but wouldn't even surprise me if it were intentional.))

Have you seen the latest Melissa Etheridge album cover? Turns out she's cute, and doesn't look at all like a lesbian. Who knew!? I saw a Rolling Stone a while back where they revealed the father since people kept asking, and it turns out it's David Crosby! Which is a little surprising, since he's like 93 years old now or something. Just kidding, I like David Crosby. ((I happened to see a news report about that... interesting. I agree.))

My daughter Natalie (Natasha) turned 2 a couple of months ago. She's really growing up. She speaks Russian and English, and I've learned a lot of Russian since she started talking (my wife is from Ukraine). A while back, we were sitting in a coffee shop and she looked outside and said ``KreSEEvenka lampashka" (phonetic spelling, their alphabet is totally different). I was a little shocked at hearing this long word and I said ``kreSEEvenka?", and she looked at me and in a serious tone said ``It means pretty" (e.g. pretty lights). I had to smile at that.

I am SO glad this election season is going to be over. It seems like it's longer every year. This one has been almost interminable. Maybe we should put a limit on when the campaigns begin. I'm sure they don't need to be this long. Ugh.

All for Now, -Jody- jodymc of home.com

((Long campaign, long decision process after the vote, it all fits ironically, doesn't it?? One more music oriented note from Michael Lowrey....))

Michael Lowrey (Wed, 1 Nov 2000 15:28:04 -0500)

Jim-Bob,

Time for a quick note from work; the last two nights have been insane for me (I had a female friend over for dinner Monday and we went to see Nosferatu, the 1922 German vampire movie, yesterday. There is one slight problem in all this from my perspective: she has a dufous of a boyfriend (she doesn't put that label on him, but de facto that's what he is) who went to the movie and left his keys in my car so I had to drive all the way back in town after I got home to drop the keys off.) Okay, enough whining - I'm sounding like Jack. ((Hey, JACK isn't sounding like Jack lately.))

On an unrelated music note, I saw the Continental Drifters last night with John Crooke from Jolene opening here in Charlotte. The Continental Drifters are an absolute machine live - I doubt I've ever heard six musicians sound so much as one before. Of course given the band's line up, that's hardly surprising (Vicky Peterson, Susan Cowstill, Peter Holsapple etc). Jolene are Charlotte's local heroes; John is a strong songwriter with an amazing voice. He also happens to be a friend of mine and a great guy.

Actually, that raises an interesting question - have you ever heard of Jolene? I'm curious if they've made any sort of impression outside of the immediate area.

((I've heard of Jolene, but I don't think I've ever heard them. I love the Continental Drifters....))

Definitely check out Jolene. Or if you want, I can make you a tape. (Sure, I don't have a CD burner yet.)

Just am listening to Agent 99 again. Good stuff. Four songs are especially strong slow ska pieces (``Walk", ``Little Pieces", ``Electra") most of the rest is decent ska-core. ``Walk" will definitely be included in my last/only the greatest of the great reggae show. If you're still in a ska phase, check out Agent 99. Okay, they broke up a few years back and released exactly one CD, but what a CD. It's titled Little Pieces: 1993 - 1995. Great stuff and something that I play heavily on my radio show.

Take care, Michael Lowrey, milowrey of davidson.edu

((I will do that. I don't have Agent 99's record, though I've seen it. I really am out of the ska phase and have gone heavily into the new alternative folk movement (Melissa Ferrick is seldom far from my CD player and I love the new Dar Williams release), but still like it.))

LAWYERS: THE AMATEUR DIVISION - 2000G - GUEST GM: RUSS RUSNAK

Spring 1901

Austria Bob Osuch Army Vie-BUDAPEST, Army Bud-SERBIA, Fleet Tri-ALBANIA

England Rick Davis Fleet LONDON-chan, Fleet Edin-NORTH SEA, Army Liv-YORKSHIRE

France Scott Munson Fleet BREST-channel, Army paris-GASCONY, Army mar-SPAIN

Germany Mike Barno Fleet Ber (NSU)-kiel , Army Kiel (NSU)-holland, Army Mun-BURGUNDY Fleet Kiel unordered Army Berlin unordered

Italy Jim Burgess Fleet Nap-TYHRRENIAN, Army Rome-TUSCANY, Army Ven-TYROLIA

Russia Randy Ellis Army Mos-ST PETE, Fleet St Pete-BOTHNIA, Fleet sev-BLACK SEA, Army War-UKRAINE

Turkey Kent Pollard Army Con-BULGARIA, Army Smy-ARMENIA, Fleet Ank-CONSTAN

DEADLINE FOR FALL 1901 IS THANKSGIVING, NOVEMBER 23rd. I usually get home early from family gatherings and this will give me something to do during the evening. Also, I will be having a small party at my house that weekend for Eric Ozog who will be visiting from Seattle. Bob & Mike Barno have expressed an interest in coming and I would rather have the results out before they get here.

To those who asked and or care, the press is Black

Press:

France to Italy: After reading this last issue of TAP, I have a feeling you may be wanting to take a big bite out of France, Jim! Now that wouldn't be a very friendly way to start this game! Let's hope everyone is being nice... : )

MOSCOW: Never trust a player receiving mail at a PO Box. Talk about stab protection! How are enemies supposed to fire-bomb their houses or murder their families?

VIE-ROM: ``The Byrne Opening"?! Forget about it. Those moves require that you know what to do after S01!

VIE-BOARD: The Austrian Government expresses much gratitude that it is surrounded by at least five countries of impeccable honor and high ethical standards.

(Ambassador Hisam-Al-Kent-Po-llard to the Powers that be) Glory be to Allah and all who follow his ways....Good Fortune to all of you that seek an Honorable Death in Battle! My Nation sees the evil Infidel to the North and he must be dealt with!!! Let none who might try and destroy us think that it will come easy.... The people of Islam are ready for whatever fate has in store for us...

Germany - Turkey: That shows the wisdom of your estimable Sultan, sir! Indeed, though many speak of peace and of eternal alliances, warfare is coming down upon Europe (and perhaps Asia Minor). The time for the pen does not end, but the time for sword is soon to begin. Perhaps gradually, perhaps everywhere at once. Be ready for all possibilities. It is the time foretold in the oldest books

Akim the camel raiser: It is only when you look into the eye of a camel that he trys to spit into your face!

Marxist Central to London: Vladimir Ilych Lenin wishes to formally apologize to His Majesty's Government in London. Apparently, forces still loyal to Czar Nicholas II have taken it upon themselves to order the army in Moscow North towards St. Petersburg. Rest assured that this temporary uprising against the true and legitimate government of Russia will be short-lived.

France to England: We, the French people, would appreciate a little space. Thank you.

The Black Sea: Vladimir Ilych Ulyanov, aka Nikolai Lenin, and his wife, Nadezhda, broke a bottle over the bow of the departing Russian warship ``Proleteriat" as it left Sevastapol for destinations unknown. Rumors circulated as to the ultimate destination of the warship. Was it hostile to Turkey? Is it in league with the Turks? ``We are simply enjoying the beautiful Summer here in the Black Sea", said Admiral Mironova, ``The Proletariat means no harm to anyone. We are simply leaving the harbor and taking her out for a spin as it were". The sound of a man vomiting violently was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a bottle breaking. ``Full steam ahead comrade," bellowed the red-faced, balding admiral, ``Full steam ahead!"

Russia to GM: Sure I'm taking a few liberties with the time frame (Lenin didn't take over until 1917 and here it is 1901 and I have him leading Russia). However, the game takes a few liberties as well (WW I started in '14 not '01 if I am correct). Anyway, I hope for a well-played game with lots of correspondence. Good Luck Everyone. Oh Russ, by the way, do you take bribes?

GM-Russia: Of course, I'll be glad to take anything you care to offer. In the true spirit of diplomacy, please forward the bribe first then trust me to honor my part.

Moscow to Vienna: As you can see, sir, I am a man of my word. Galicia remains vacant. Perhaps we should talk.

Warsaw to Naples: Strangely quiet for such an integral and natural ally of Russia. What gives?

(STUTTGART to REFORM PARTY): ``If any of those six hundred valiant fools who rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade had any doubts about what they were doing, they kept it to themselves. There is no room in Crusades, especially at the command level, for people who ask ``Why?" Nither Sisyphus nor the commander of the Light Brigade nor Pat Buchanan had the time or any real inclination to question what they were doing. They were Good Soldiers, True believers... and when the orders came down from above they did what had to be done: Execute." (Hunter S. Thompson, New York Times, 1/1/74)

THE ADVENTURES OF JIM-BOB (Part one): Jim-Bob lay back on the soiled sheets and began to daydream. He imagined himself as ``Studs" Burgess, womankiller, class president and star quarterback of the Providence Pudwhackers. 'Fourth down and 99 yards to go for the winning touchdown. Five seconds remaining. There's the snap. Burgess is back to pass...he's trapped in the end zone...but wait...he breaks one tackle, spins loose from another...he's picking up blockers...he's in the open field...look at that sonuvabitch go...Touchdown!!! Jim-Bob Burgess has done it again! Providence wins the state championship! Burgess is being mobbed in the end zone!

France to Germany: Just as long as everyone is being nice and all, this will work.

FINGER LAKES to GM: ``Chicago-this vicious, stinking zoo, this mean-grinning, Mace-smelling boneyard of a city; an elegant rockpile monument to everything cruel and stupid and corrupt in the human spirit." (Thompson, Scanlan's Monthly, 1/70)

GM-Finger Lakes: But it's the only place I've ever been able to get GOOD pizza, and we have relatively cheap beer. Gotta be willing to pay for perks like that.

GAME START ANNOUNCEMENT, (updated addresses)

Russ Rusnak 1551 High Ridge Parkway Westchester, Il 60154 GM 708 409-0718 RRRRRUSNAK of AOL.com

Jim Burgess 664 Smith Street Providence, RI 02908 ITALY 401 351-0287 burgess of world.std.com

Randy Ellis 3116 McGee, Apt 1N Kansas City, Mo. 64111 RUSSIA 816 931-8406 bukowski64 of yahoo.com

Scott Munson PO Box 1042 Gardiner, Mt. 59030 FRANCE 800 828-9080 samunson71 of hotmail.com

Kent Pollard PO Box 5726 Fresno, Ca. 93755-5726 TURKEY 559 229-6167 agamer7 of aol.com

Mike Barno 634 Dawson Hill Road Spencer, NY 14883 GERMANY 607 589-4906 mpbarno of lightlink.com

Rick Davis POB 1753 Santa Ynez, Ca. 93460 ENGLAND 831 678-4470 redavis914 of aol.com

Bob Osuch 19137 Midland Ave. Mokena, Il. 60448 AUSTRIA 708 478-3885 ROsuch4082 of aol.com

THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE GAMES SECTION

``So I called up George and he called up Jim, I said let's make a deal.

He said he'd talk to him. Gonna start a church where you can save yourself,

You can make some noise, When you've got no choice...

You told me useful things, what people think of me, I guess I should thank you.

It's true, then I agree... I'm all alone, I've got no choice,

I'm all alone, I've got no choice."

From ``Got No Choice" by the incomparable Mark Cutler, from the CD Mark Cutler and Useful Things.

If you want to submit orders, press, or letters by E-Mail, you can find me through the Internet system at ``burgess of world.std.com''. If anyone has an interest in having an E-Mail address listed so people can negotiate with you by computer, just let me know. FAX orders to (401) 277-9904.

Standby lists:

Bruce Linsey, Mike Barno, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Paul Rauterberg, Stan Johnson, Randy Ellis, Bob Acheson, Heath Gardner, Phil Reynolds, Paul Kenny, Dan Gorham, and John Schultz stand by for regular Diplomacy.

Phil Reynolds, Chris Trent, and Jim Sayers stand by for the Colonial Diplomacy game.

Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Phil Reynolds, Jim Sayers, and Kurt Ozog stand by for the Modern Diplomacy game.

Art Schleinkofer and Harold Reynolds stand by for Colonia. Help, more are needed for this game, maps are provided for free by me.... or by Harold Reynolds just ask.

Let me know if you want on or off these lists, especially OFF. Standbies get the szine for free and receive my personal thanks.

GAME OPENING INFORMATION

LAWYERS GAME: Stephen Agar and Steve Emmert already have signed up. We're searching for lawyers, contact me if you have any leads! We've invited Steve Koehler, Thomas Libby, and Edwin Turnage. Plus I'm still looking for a current address for Mark Franceschini. Official standby for the game is David Hood.

Eric Ozog will be running Air-Sea Diplomacy some time in the future. You can contact Eric at ElfEric of Juno.com if you are interested in the game. I'll publish the rules closer to a time when Eric wants it to start.

REGULAR DIPLOMACY GAME OPENING: Why not? I find them cake to run, let's open another regular game too..... I especially encourage foreigners to join and others with E-Mail.

The other Diplomacy oriented opening left that I am GMing in this szine is an opening for a game of Star Trek Diplomacy! See Stephen Agar's rules on his web page at (new location, and including that little typo on ``start trek''):

http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/resources/variants/rules/start_trek.htm

I decided how I will treat the Star systems and the ``revolving rings'' rule. I will keep the map as a ``code" and the real locations (which I will provide as names from Star Trek) will rotate through the coded spaces. This WILL make it easy to make up maps. The game start is open now, and since I want to STRONGLY encourage press, you can sign up and ``claim'' a race. Jack McHugh claims the Federation, Chris Trent claims the Ferengi, Stephen Agar claims the Borg, and Jody McCullough claims the Romulans. Buddy Tretick and Roland Sasseville, Jr., also are set to play. The other races in the game are the Klingons, Cardassians, Species 8472, and the Vulcans. We ONLY need two more, let's get this one going.

John Harrington is offering to guest GM a game of Office Politics. Any interest in that?? Let me or John know!

Also, I am going to design some postal rules for Devil Take the Hindmost, and Chris Lockheardt is pulling out of that opening too, so I need three players. Eoghan Barry is signed up. Postal rules from me will be forthcoming shortly, on my never ending to-do list. I will get them in SOON!

I also am taking names for the new NYEED and Breaking Away games. I am going BACK to the designer rules for Breaking Away that allow cards of greater than 15 to be replenished. If I have room, I might print the rules in this issue.

Stephen Agar runs a British Diplomacy mailing list and has a new broader web postal gaming web site too at: http://www.postalgames.org.uk

and if you are interested, contact Stephen Agar at stephen of meurglys.com who still heads up The Diplomatic Pouch postal section or or join the Brit hobby mailing list at (aw, you guessed it, another new address): http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/about_this_site.htm

FANTASTIC VOYAGE: 1999K, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1904 IS NOVEMBER 25TH, 2000

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1904 IS DECEMBER 16TH, 2000

Spring 1904

AUSTRIA (Rauterberg): a vie-GAL, a tyo-BOH, a BUD S a vie-gal, a VEN h, f tun-TYH,

a SIL-war, a gre-APU.

ENGLAND (Biehl): f IRI S f eng-mid, f mid-NAF, f eng-MID, a BEL-pic.

FRANCE (Davis): a BRE S a gas-par, a MAR S a gas-par (imp),

f SPA(SC) S ENGLISH f mid-wes (nso), a GAS-par.

GERMANY (Shreve): a MUN hoists steins (h), a PAR S a pic-gas (nso), a BER S a mun, f nth-ENG,

a PIC-bre, a BUR-gas.

ITALY (Tallman): a rom-NAP, a PIE-ven.

RUSSIA (Tretick): a stp-LVN, a MOS S a war-ukr, f nwy-NWG, a WAR-ukr,

a gal-rum (d ann).

TURKEY (Ellis): a BUL S a arm-rum, f ION C AUSTRIAN a gre-apu, a ARM-rum, a RUM-ukr,

f BLA C a arm-rum, a SEV S a rum-ukr.

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)

prosit of execpc.com

ENGLAND: John Biehl, 8809 Delwood Drive, Delta, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V4C 4A1 CANADA,

(604) 589-9124 ($10); jeen of telus.net

FRANCE: Rick Davis, POB 1753, Santa Ynez, CA 93460, (831) 678-4470

redavis914 of aol.com

GERMANY: Dwayne Shreve, 739 Union Church Road, Elkton, MD 21921 ($5)

dwayneshreve of yahoo.com

ITALY: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0384 ($3)

terryt of sinclair.net

RUSSIA: Buddy Tretick, 9607 Conaty Circle, Spotsylvania, VA 22553, (540) 582-2356 (E-Mail)

bernietretick of earthlink.net

TURKEY: Randy Ellis, 3116 McGee, Apt. 1N, Kansas City, MO 64111, (816) 931-8406 ($10)

bukowski64 of yahoo.com

Game Notes:

1) Terry is doing much better (not perfect, but much better). Some of you saw Buddy's description of the type of operation Terry had and Terry gave me a specific blow-by-blow. I've decided to spare all of you (and the other gentle readers of the szine) those particular stories. I'm sure Terry or Buddy would be happy to discuss the details with anyone who asks. As most of you know, I am a health economist, and study such things as coronary artery bypass grafts for a living. I'm very familiar with the issues. As a result, I have professional fascination with such issues and how people (patients, physicians and others) view such things. But I don't want to impose that on all of you. Welcome back, Terry!

Press:

(CON-PARIS): Fight the good fight, sir. The scoundrels and heretics have not beaten you yet.

(AUSTRIA to WORLD): You guys speak in such generalities. I need allies (in specific).

(AUSTRIA to ITALY): Your silence didn't speak well for you. ((Well, he did have an excuse - in fairness to you, I should note that you wrote this press item before you knew what Terry was going through!))

(THE VATICAN): For failing to have any faith at ALL in the Holy Guy, we excommunicate the Germans and reserve for them that place in heck that might have been Uncle Bernie's in a less perfect universe.

(PAUL to BUDDY): I'm not one to toy with- and I have this thing against silent aggressors.

(A QUIET FISHING VILLAGE IN THE SOUTH OF GREECE): The new Austrian Archduke met with Sultan El Ahbid Ellis today to solidify the ties between the Dual Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. Rumor had it that a rift had developed in the alliance after Archduke Daniel Gorham was deposed but if this is so, the two leaders made a grand show in an attempt to convince all otherwise. The Sultan made a gift of two of his finest Syrian belly dancers to the Archduke whilst the new Archduke provided a copious quantity of hashish to the Sultan who is widely known to enjoy using his hand carved hookah. In other developments, the two leaders made it clear that they were simply ``rescuing Italy" from chaos and anarchy while the operation against Russia was an effort to depose the infamous tyrant Buddy II. ``The Russian people have suffered enough", said Ellis, ``and one day we know that we can liberate Moscow".

(Sometimes I Feel Like) FLETCHER CHRISTIAN: 1999Cgh013, Colonia VIIb Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1755 IS NOVEMBER 25TH, 2000

Summer 1755

AUSTRIA (Prosnitz): R a savoy-PAPAL STATES; has a MANAUS, a VIENNA, f SOUTH PACIFIC

OCEAN, f RICEFE, f IONIAN, a PERU, a BURGUNDY, a BOSNIA, f SAMOA, a BAVARIA,

f GREECE, a AMAZON, f NEW ZEALAND, a PAPAL STATES, a SWISSE, a VENEZUELA,

f LIGURIAN SEA, f ECUADOR.

CHINA (Acheson): has f AMOY, f TAIWAN, a KASHMIR, a TIBET, f SEA OF JAPAN, a NANKING,

f EAST CHINA SEA, a CHINGHAI, a BURMA, a NEPAL, a SIBERIA, f SEA OF OKHOTSK.

ENGLAND (Power): has f GULF OF GUINEA, a SIAM, f IRISH SEA, f NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN,

f ANDAMAN SEA, a ASHANTI, a ANTWERP, a BENIN, a PARAGUAY, f BAY OF BENGAL,

f GRAND BANKS, f EAST ATLANTIC OCEAN, f ENGLISH CHANNEL, f SW ATLANTIC OCEAN,

a CONGO, a BOLIVIA, a ANGOLA, f CEYLON, f HAGUE, f CENTRAL ATLANTIC OCEAN.

FRANCE (Alme): R a virginia-OHIO; has a ONTARIO, a VOLTA, a FLANDERS, a SAVOY,

f VANCOUVER, f BRITTANY, a OHIO, f GHANA, a TOULON, a SAHARA, a YUKON, a PARIS.

NETHERLANDS (O'Donnell): has f ARAFURA SEA, f TASMAN SEA.

OTTOMAN (Johnson): has f GULF OF ADEN, f GUAM, a ARMENIA, a SUEZ, f ARABIAN SEA,

f BLACK SEA, f VLADIVOSTOK, a AFGHANISTAN, a EGYPT, f RED SEA, f BULGARIA(EC),

a KAZAKSTAN, a URAL, f LIBYA, f WAKE.

PORTUGAL (Stimmel): has f CANARIES, a MATTO GROSSO, f GOA, a MAHRATTA,

f MID-ATLANTIC OCEAN, f AZORES, a MANITOBA, a OREGON, a BHUTAN, a BRAZIL, f IFNI.

RUSSIA (Rauterberg): R f sea of japan-JAPAN, a ural-KIEV, a nepal-BENGAL;

has f MOZAMBIQUE, f JAPAN, a ST.PETERSBURG, a CRIMEA, a PRUSSIA,

f SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN, f NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN, f WEST INDIAN OCEAN, f SWEDEN,

a KIEV, a CAUCASUS, a ROMANIA, a HANOVER, a BENGAL, a KALAHARI, f NORWAY.

SPAIN (Partridge): R f gulf of aden-SOMALIA; has f FLORIDA, f MANILA, f SOMALI SEA,

a LEON, a ARAGON, f SOMALIA, f SOLOMON SEA, a TAUREG, f CALIFORNIA, a KENYA,

f POLYNESIA, f EAST PACIFIC OCEAN, a LAGOS, f MOROCCO, f PHILIPPINE SEA,

a ETHIOPIA, a LOUISIANA, a NUMIDIA, a TUNIS, a VIRGINIA, a SUDAN,

f WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN, f TARAWA.

Supply Center Chart

AUSTRIA (Prosnitz): BUD,VIE,SUR,TRI,TAH,ven,bav, (has 18)

bel,NAP,vza,col,nwz,pps,fij,sav,ecu,peru,gre

CHINA (Acheson): PEK,WUH,XIA,AMO,tib,tai,NAN, (has 12)

sin,jap,manch,mon,kor

ENGLAND (Power): NIG,MLA,EDI,LON,kam,sia,nwy, (has 19)

ire,jav,gab,sum,bol,con,hag,fez,ant,uga,arg,bur,cey,togo

FRANCE (Alme): PAR,DAK,TOU,QUE,BDX,tau,ohi, (has 13)

gha,mas,ont,ala,vir,van

NETHERLANDS (O'Donnell): MEL,sam (has 2)

OTTOMAN (Johnson): IZM,JER,BAG,IST,HAW,persia, (has 15)

egy,afg,bul,gua,yem,wak,tar,oms,vla

PORTUGAL (Stimmel): GOA,BRA,manit,mah,azo,kha,bah, (has 11)

ben,ric,ore,ifn

RUSSIA (Rauterberg): MOS,KIE,CAP,STP,CRI,pol,moz, (has 16)

swe,mal,zam,den,ang,rom,han,nep,die

SPAIN (Partridge): MAD,MEX,SOM,VAL,MAN,cal, (has 18)

tun,rab,bor,eth,hon,tex,nwg,cam,ken,lis,lag,flo,

lou,iwo,sud,num,mor

Neutral: cub,nat,niz,tim,vol (Total=136)

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Gene Prosnitz, 2600 Netherland Ave., Apt. 1116, Riverdale, NY 10463, (718) 601-8131 ($5)

ProsnitzE of aol.com

CHINA: Bob Acheson, 807-556 Laurier Ave., Ottawa, ONTARIO K1R 7X2, CANADA ($5)

racheson of magma.ca

ENGLAND: John Power, 8201 Featherhill Rd. #301, Perry Hall, MD 21128, (410) 933-8827 ($5)

natjohn2 of home.com or jrpower of bechtel.com

FRANCE: Hank Alme, 506 Paige Loop, Los Alamos, NM 87544

almehj of swcp.com

NETHERLANDS: Sean O'Donnell, 2219 Grafton Road, Grafton, OH 44044

sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com, seanside of snap.com

OTTOMAN: Stan Johnson, 2401 W. Southern Ave. #56, Tempe, AZ 85282, (602) 454-9356 ($5)

PORTUGAL: Robert Stimmel, Apt. #57, Casa de Sherry Apts., 2462 North Sycamore Blvd.,

Tucson, AZ 85712-2541, (520) 326-8369 ($5)

RUSSIA: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)

prosit of execpc.com

SPAIN: Dave Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033

rebhuhn of rocketmail.com

Game Notes:

1) We sail along here.....

SECRETS: 1999D, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1905 IS NOVEMBER 25TH, 2000

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1906 IS DECEMBER 16TH, 2000

Fall 1905

ENGLAND (Sayers): f NWG-nwy, f NTH S f nwg-nwy, f mid-BRE, f SKA-swe, f SPA(SC) h.

FRANCE (Sasseville): f WES h, f APU h, a PAR h, a MAR h.

GERMANY (Johnson): a BER h, a KIE S a ber, f HOL-nth, a BUR-par, a BEL h.

ITALY (Schultz): f ROM-apu (imp), a VEN S a tri, f TUN S f nap-tyh, f nap-TYH,

a TRI h, a bud S a tri (d r:gal,vie,otb).

RUSSIA (Trent): a mos-STP, f NWY-ska, a ukr-WAR, a pru-SIL, f bal-DEN,

a SWE S f bal-den, a SEV h.

TURKEY (Munson): f eas-ION, f ion-ADR, f GRE S f eas-ion, a ALB-tri,

f con-AEG, a rum-BUD, a SER S a rum-bud.

Supply Center Chart

ENGLAND (Sayers): lon,lvp,edi,bre,por,spa (has 5, bld 1)

FRANCE (Sasseville): par,mar,nap (has 4, rem 1)

GERMANY (Johnson): ber,kie,mun,hol,bel (has 5, even)

ITALY (Schultz): rom,ven,tun,vie,tri (has 5 or 6, even(r:otb) or rem 1)

RUSSIA (Trent): mos,stp,war,sev,nwy,swe,den (has 7, even)

TURKEY (Munson): ank,smy,con,gre,rum,bul,ser, (has 7, bld 1)

bud

Neutral: none (Total=34)

Addresses of the Participants

ENGLAND: Jim Sayers, 15 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra 2025, AUSTRALIA ($10)

100233.513 of compuserve.com

FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($3)

roland6 of home.com and ICQ: 40565030

GERMANY: Stan Johnson, 2401 W. Southern Ave. #56, Tempe, AZ 85282, (602) 454-9356

ITALY: John Schultz, PO Box 1322, Valparaiso, IN 46384, (219) 462-0474

RUSSIA: Chris Trent, 3536 Watt Avenue, #B205, Sacramento, CA 95821, (916) 489-6138 ($5)

chrisimaus98 of hotmail.com

TURKEY: Scott Munson, P.O. Box 1042, Gardiner, MT 59030, (406) 848-2102 ($5)

samunson71 of hotmail.com

Game Notes:

1) Wow, lots of action here!

Press:

(ITALY - TURKEY): Your reasoning is perfectly understandable - but hurts.

(scott to chris): i sure hope you are going to be staying in the north, chris. it's been all good so far...

(ROLAND ON THE ELECTION): Stop the Insanity!

(BOOB to ROLAND): One could say the same about your position in this game ;-)

(ITALY - FRANCE): Your reasoning astounds me.

SADDAM HUSSEIN: 1999Arn42, Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy - Black Hole Variant

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1907 IS NOVEMBER 25TH, 2000

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1907 IS DECEMBER 16TH, 2000

Spring 1907

AUSTRIA (McCullough): f tri-ALB, a bud-SER, a Vie-gal (ann);

and nukes CON, ANK(2), GOB, DEN(2), GM(2).

ENGLAND (Weiss): f edi-NWG, f lon-ENG, a lvp-WAL; and nukes NAP(2), ROM(2), POR, BRE, STP(2).

FRANCE (Reichert): f bre-MID, a par-GAS, a mar-SPA; and nukes EDI, LVP, LON(2), ROM(2), NAP(2).

GERMANY (Schultz): a ber-PRU, a mun-RUH, f kie-HEL;

and nukes STP(2), MOS(2), WAR, SEV(2), NWY.

ITALY (Gardner): f nap-ION, a rom-TUS, a ven-TYO; and nukes LON(2), PAR, BER(2), ANK(2), VIE.

RUSSIA (Barno): f stp(sc)-FIN, a mos-Sev (ann), a War-gal (ann),

f sev-RUM; and nukes GM(2), BUD, HOL, DEN(2).

TURKEY (S. Kenny): f ank-BLA, a con-BUL, a smy-ARM; and nukes

MOS(2), SEV(2), MUN, BER(2), KIE.

Addresses of the Participants

Sandy Kenny, 23 East Coulter Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108-1208

Jody McCullough, 1071 Brown Avenue, Lafayette, CA 94549-3153

jodymc of home.com

Richard Weiss, 2246 Gateway Oaks Dr. #307, Sacramento, CA 95833, (916) 924-7966

diplomat of higherquality.com

Sara Reichert, 20805 Margaret, Carson, CA 90745-1224

sarareichert of aol.com

John Schultz, PO Box 1322, Valparaiso, IN 46384, (219) 462-0474

Heath Gardner, 3017 Mayview Road, Raleigh, NC 27607, (919) 834-4832

hgardner of prodigy.net or TankYouVeddyMuch of aol.com

Mike Barno, 634 Dawson Hill Road, Spencer, NY 14883

mpbarno of lightlink.com

Current Standings

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 TOTAL

SANDY KENNY 4 3 0 5 1 3 16

JODY MCCULLOUGH 3 1 6 1 3 3 17

RICHARD WEISS 4 1 0 5 5 0 15

SARA REICHERT 1 2 2 4 1 4 14

JOHN SCHULTZ 0 6 2 2 4 5 19

HEATH GARDNER 5 0 3 0 0 3 11

MIKE BARNO 0 5 4 3 3 4 19

Black Holed 15 15 16 11 16 11 22 106

Neutral 2 1 1 3 1 1 9

Total 34 34 34 34 34 34 22 226

Times GM Nuked 1 1 3 5 1 1 2 14

Ind. Prison Off. 0 0 1 1 1 0 3

Greenland 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

Iceland 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

Kurt Ozog 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

Beale St., SF 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

Game Notes:

1) Everyone except Heath is still more or less in the game, should be an exciting last year!

2) I am taking reservations for the Edward Teller game, which will be the next NYEED 7x7 game in this series. Join THE most fun game in all Dipdom.

Press:

(WHITE WEISS IS NICE PRESS to MIKEY BARNOVIAN OF SLOBOBIAN): Congratulations on another game of successfully convincing others that I write the black press and am a nasty press-writer. I think this is the third game that we've been in wherein you've attempted this strategy. Since at least four other people in this game have played with me in the past, and know there was no black press in those games, I thought I would be impervious to your slanders. However, I do find it funny that you contort yourself into so much weird press. I kind of enjoy you. Hope you get the f'in' hell nuked out of you. Put that on your web space.

(ANDRUSCHAK-GM): You do NOT have to publish any of the following press items you feel are inappropriate.

(BOOB to HARRY): How could ANYTHING submitted as press to this game be inappropriate?? We're all ``nice" aren't we??

(1 OF 7 PLANETARY DESTROYERS): ``Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free; Dizzy with eternity. Paint it with a skin of sky, brush in some clouds and sea; Call it home for you and me. A peaceful place or so it looks from space; A closer look reveals the human race. Full of hope, full of grace, is the human face. But afraid, we may lay our home to waste." - Weir/Barlow ((Sounds awfully dead..... myself, I'd be grateful. Hold the groans until I leave the room....))

(WEISS (Maybe) to OMBUDSMAN): I believe that the Barnovian threat to blasphemy others across the internet is blatant cross-gaming and he should be fined. Oh, about $50,000 I'd say. If Roger Clemens can throw a broken bat off the field and be fined $50,000 by the New York Branch of the Pipefitters and Steamfitters Janitorial Union Branch of the Jimmy Hoffa AFL-CIO because that is a job reserved for union groundskeepers - then I'd say Barnovianosky should be fined that amount.

(BOOB to WEISS): Shnuffle, uphmph, uh, what? Who is fining whom around here??

(WEISS (Maybe) - BARNO): Cut the out-of-the game crappola. Save it for Lazio and the rest of the Upstaters who probably already placed a heterosexual in the Senate from NY.

(BOOB to the WORLD): Yay! Go Hillary, I don't care if those Republican Senators don't want you as a colleague. I want credit for predicting this one from day one! I know my ``upstaters". Let's get back to something about the game though...

(JODY - SANDY): I figured you'd hit me for at least two this time, so I sent two your way also. If I was wrong, I'll contact you with a suggestion.

(LONDON-ROME): I will not agree to your plans. Do as you most wish. I have a home at ground zero. I will not worry. Plus, I recently decided that I would go back to any point of my life, change my actions and live that other life. As such, I am ready for reincarnation if you happen to blow me to smithereens.

(WALES OF THE BOMB SIRENS): Warsaw it all before the flash.

(JODY - RICHARD): Double-reverse psychology, right? Hey, it worked...

(WEISS (Maybe) - HEATHBAR): Crunch Ivory Soap in your mouth for swearing. And calling Jody Mac ``clueless," You call that Survivor winner strategy?

(DR. J - DR. FITH): Inside jokes are cool.

(WEISS (Maybe) - SWEET SARA ANDRUSCHAK): If you can still read after wanton drug doing in Europe, I do not comprehend your veiled threats. Take the veil off and let's see if you are a man or a woman, a vengeance or an intelligence. Nuke me baby. Come on baby light my fire. You are going to lose anyway. Lose but feel good about losing, say you were really playing for coming in first in bombing me. That is a category that you will award a gold medal to - won't you Boobie?

(BOOBIE to WEISSIE): I'm not awarding ANY gold medals.

(SOMEONE to HARRY): Are you taking the same recreational biochemistry that Richard is? You might be writing like him. Can't be sure who writes what in this game.

(HEATHBAR - CLUELESS): Sorry, you really aren't. If you were, I wouldn't even have to apologize.

(ANDRUSCHAK-VARIOUS): I am not sure how much of an ``honor" it is to be slammed by Boardman. The experience is very much like having your ankles attacked by a toothless Chihuahua. What annoys me most, if I understand his reaction to THE DUNGEON MASTER correctly, is that he assumes I both wrote it AND believe in Satan. Now I do understand and accept that many Christians somehow assume that if you are not 100% for God, you must be 100% against God and 100% for Satan. Yet for many Freethinkers, including me, it appears that we live in a neutral universe, where we have to hammer out our own salvation and meaning of life without hope of heaven or dread of hell. ((I am of course a Christian, but I completely understand where you are coming from, Harry! Just remember that all freethinkers (and I like to think I am one too) find at least some of Boardman's tirades incomprehensible.))

(VIRGIL-HEATH GARDNER): VENIT SUMMA DIES ET INELUCTABILE TEMPUS. Translation: ``The final day has come, and the inescapable moment."

(MIKE): Edward Teller is the optimal candidate for the name of the next game. But I might skip that one, since I have a Dip game (sorta) with Jim and another under Russ' guest-GMing.

(ENGLAND-GM): In the upcoming Teller game, I am suggesting that each person must announce and assume a single personality for their press throughout the game. Each year, probably winter, the GM awards one Center to the press writer that the GM decided had the ``best" press. ``Best" being purely at the subjective whim of the GM, although announcing criteria periodically would be more sporting. And, the players vote - openly - for which player had the best press, most in keeping with character, and adding to the ``enjoyment" of the game. Winner gets a Supply Center added to his or her count. If Androtestosterestrogenschak plays again, we could make the rule that the ``Winner gets a Supply Center added to his and her account." Purpose being to increase the press writing, to stretch creativity, to have another means of strategy and negotiating, and see if there is more fun, less fun, no fun.

(BOOB to UPCOMING TELLER PLAYERS): Seriously, now, I am rather against judging the players' press. I am the WORST sort of relativist. I am fine with making judgments as to how press or movies or recordings strike ME, but am seriously uncomfortable with imposing my preferences on others. Each press item interacts with the psychic reality of each individual reader to ``move that person along their life journey'' differently. Before you shoot me for overblown rhetoric, remember I like the stark reality of the nukes! You're either there, or you're not. And if that isn't existential, I don't know what is! ;-)

(RUSSIA to GM): With 1907 at hand, do we all upgrade to Tech Level 2? Or does our target-hardening advance at the same rate as our offensive targeting and firepower improvements, and thus make it moot?

(DR. SHACK YE QUACK-BUSH AND GORE): AUDACTER CALUMNIARE SEMPER ALIQUID HAERET. Translation: ``Slander boldly, something always sticks."

(JOHN BOY - BARNO): Ooooh, I've never been this close to you before. Guess that means you receive a little radiation.

(PLAUTUS-SARA REICHERT): DOMI HABST ANIMUM FALSILOQUOM, FALSIFICUM, FALSIIURIUM, DOMI DOLOS, DOMI DELENIFICA FACTA, DOMI FALLACIAS: Translation: ``Your home is piled high with an endless supply of perfidious words, two-faced tricks and false-hearted oaths. Piled high with ploys, piled high with provocative seduction, piled high with lies."

(THE NON-VOTERS to THE PRESS WRITERS):

COME AND HAVE A GO (If You Think You're Hard Enough): 1998V, Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1907 IS NOVEMBER 25TH, 2000

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1907 IS DECEMBER 16TH, 2000

Spring 1907

AUSTRIA (Pollard): f tri-ADR, a WAR S a gal-ukr, a MOS S a lvn, a SER-bul, a gal-UKR,

f BUL(SC)-aeg, a LVN S a mos, a rum S a ser-bul (d r:gal,bud,otb).

ENGLAND (Tallman): f nth S f nwy-nwg (d r:nwy,ska,den,hel,bel,yor,otb),

f GOB S RUSSIAN a stp h, f nwy-NWG.

FRANCE (Morris): a MAR-tyo (imp), f ENG C a pic-wal, a SIL-ber, f lon-NTH,

a bel-RUH, f HOL S f lon-nth, a BUR S a bel-ruh, a pic-WAL.

GERMANY (Sayers): a ruh-kie (d ann), a MUN h, a BER-kie.

ITALY (Munson): f nap-ION, a ven-TRI, a PIE h, f smy-AEG, f CON S f smy-aeg,

f EDI h, f nao-MID, a TYO S a ven-tri, a boh-VIE.

RUSSIA (Reynolds): a STP S ENGLISH f gob-lvn (nso).

TURKEY (Barno): f BLA S a sev-rum, a sev-RUM.

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Kent Pollard, PO Box 5726, Fresno, CA 93755-5726 ($4)

ENGLAND: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0384 ($3)

terryt of sinclair.net

FRANCE: Scott Morris, 12110 Shelbyville Rd., Louisville, KY 40243, (502) 893-8260 ($5)

Scottm221 of aol.com

GERMANY: Jim Sayers, 15 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra 2025, AUSTRALIA ($10)

100233.513 of compuserve.com

ITALY: Scott Munson, P.O. Box 1042, Gardiner, MT 59030, (406) 848-2102 ($5)

samunson71 of hotmail.com

RUSSIA: Phil Reynolds, 2896 Oak Street, Sarasota, FL 34237, (813) 953-6952

preyno of yahoo.com

TURKEY: Mike Barno, 634 Dawson Hill Road, Spencer, NY 14883 ($5)

mpbarno of lightlink.com

Game Notes:

1) An AIF draw is proposed. I should reject it out of hand for not having an interesting handle.... FAI? Need to add Russia to that. IFA? Well, IFA you! But I won't. Please vote on this draw with your Summer orders. If you fail to vote, it cannot pass.

Press:

(F to ALL): Hey guys, I proposed a Triple. Lets all move on with our lives and say yes! :)

(italian commander to chiefs-of-staff): ``this could prove to be quite tricky, if not or out-and-out downfall. may the lord watch over us and keep us strong."

(RUSSIA to AUSTRIA): Let's see you get me now that England is my bodyguard!

(PALACE OF NOT YET ALL THE WAY YET, BUT PROBABLY SOON): ``...have been greatly exaggerated."

(italy to austria): geeeeeeeet!!!!

SO GOOD IT HURTS: 1998 P, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1907 IS NOVEMBER 25TH, 2000

Summer 1907

AUSTRIA (K. Ozog): has f NAP, a TRI, a VIE, f AEG, a APU, a SER.

ENGLAND (James): has a BRE, f MID, f WES, f ENG, a POR.

FRANCE (Kinney): has f MAR, a SPA.

GERMANY (Goesle): has f KIE, a BOH, f NTH, f NWY, a TYO, a PAR, a VEN, f SKA,

f EDI, a WAL, a BEL.

ITALY (Rauterberg): has f TUS, a ROM.

RUSSIA (Rusnak): has a GAL, a STP, a SMY, a RUM, f BLA, a BUL.

TURKEY (Emmert): has f TUN.

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Kurt Ozog, 391 Wilmington Drive, Bartlett, IL 60103, (630) 837-2813

heyday6 of yahoo.com

ENGLAND: Drew James, 8356 Radian Path, Baldwinsville, NY 13027-9357, (315) 652-1956 ($5)

kjames01 of twcny.rr.com

FRANCE: Mark Kinney, 4820 Westmar Terrace #6, Louisville, KY 40222, (502) 412-3079

alberich of iglou.com

GERMANY: Warren Goesle, 3907 Cedar Ridge, #1B, Indianapolis, IN 46235 ($5)

gozcorp of iquest.net

ITALY: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 ($5)

prosit of execpc.com

RUSSIA: Russ Rusnak, 1551 Highridge Avenue, Westchester, IL 60154-3428 ($5)

RRRRRUSNAK of aol.com

TURKEY: Steve Emmert, 1752 Grey Friars Chase, Virginia Beach, VA 23456-5436, (757) 471-1842 ($4)

steve.emmert of home.com

Game Notes:

1) Nothing but some press....

Press:

(AUSTRIA - GERMANY): What took you so long?

(AUSTRIA - RUSSIA): Seeeee?! I was right! I knew attacking you was the right thing to do after the Turk was done. I just fubar'd it for myself. Happy dot-hopping.

(AUSTRIA - TURKEY): I take that back. Sooner or later Russia and Germany will finish you off, maybe. Hah.

(AUSTRIA - ENGLAND/TURKEY/FRANCE): Well, I guess I'll join the ``no gotta dotta" club soon. It was inevitable.

RACE FOR MILLENNIAL APOCALYPSE: Breaking Away, V2.3

THE DUE DATE FOR TURN 13 IS NOVEMBER 25TH, 2000

Turn 12

98 (replenish with a 4): March Hare (Breaking Away!)

97 (no replenishment): None

96 (no replenishment): None

95 (no replenishment): None

94 (replenish with a 3): White Rabbit

93 (replenish with a 4): John Logie-Baird, Barkin' Larkin'

92 (replenish with a 6): Alfred the Great, Matthew

91 (replenish with a 8): Mark, Broke Leg Meg

90 (no replenishment): None

89 (no replenishment): None

88 (replenish with a 3): Will Shakespeare, Mad Hatter, Mock Turtle, Shane the Chain

87 (replenish with a 7): Luke, John, Sir Isaac Newton

86 (replenish with a 10): Darrell C, Darrell A, Darrell B

85 (no replenishment): None

84 (replenish with a 3): War, Pollution,

83 (no replenishment): None

82 (replenish with a 3): Pestilence

81 (no replenishment): None

-S-P-R-I-N-T- -F-I-N-I-S-H- -L-I-N-E-

75 (replenish with a 3): Chasin' Jason

74 (no replenishment): None

73 (replenish with a 3): Famine

62 (replenish with a 3): Buhrt

Addresses of the Participants - Their Team and Their Cards (x) is played card this turn

TEAM 1 (The Wrecking Crew): Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309, (310) 835-9202

(1 point) sarareichert of aol.com

Team Leader: Thanatos

A: War 3 6 3 (3)

B: Pollution 9 6 3 (3)

C: Pestilence 7 12 3 (3)

D: Famine 3 3 3 (3)

TEAM 2 (The Evangelists): Eric Brosius, 53 Bird Street, Needham MA 02492

(18 points) 72060.1540 of CompuServe.COM

A: Matthew 15 3 12 6 (14)

B: Mark 6 4 8 (3)

C: Luke 15 4 7 (3)

D: John 12 8 7 (7)

TEAM 3 (Brit Pack): John Harrington, 1 Churchbury Close, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 3UW UK

(19 points) johnh of fiendishgames.demon.co.uk, fiendish of operamail.com

A: Alfred the Great 3 9 12 6 (14)

B: Sir Isaac Newton 9 8 7 (7)

C: Will Shakespeare 3 3 3 (3)

D: John Logie-Baird 4 4 4 (6)

TEAM 4 (Amateur League Inciting Cycle Exchange): Tom Howell, 1011 West 18th Street #1,

(28 points) Port Angeles, WA 98363-7413; off-the-shelf of olympus.net

A: White Rabbit 14 3 12 3 (15)

B: March Hare 15 8 4 (15)

C: Mad Hatter 14 4 3 (4)

D: Mock Turtle 10 4 3 (4)

TEAM 5 (The Mainiacs): David Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033

(7 points) rebhuhn of rocketmail.com

A: Darrell A 3 3 8 10 (6)

B: Darrell B 9 8 10 (6)

C: Darrell C 15 3 10 (5)

D: Buhrt 3 3 3 (3)

TEAM 6 (The Flat Wheel Society): John Schultz, PO Box 1322, Valparaiso, IN 46384, (219) 462-0474

(5 points)

A: Broke Leg Meg 9 6 3 8 (10)

B: Shane the Chain 4 4 3 (4)

C: Barkin' Larkin' 6 3 4 (12)

D: Chasin' Jason 3 3 3 (3)

Game Notes:

1) When I add your replenishment card from now on, it always will be the LAST card in your list.

Press:

(ALICE to FIELD): More than I'll ever know what to do with...

(RABBIT to HISSELF): Gotta move up and draft that Hare. He's a sly one... Wait! He picked up an eight! Goodness, gracious; I'm gonna be late again!

(TFWS-TWC): I'm sure glad you came along. I was getting awful tired of being at the end of the line.

(HATTER - TURTLE): *Pant* *wheeze* What's keeping those conies? They're supposed to move up here and break wind for us.

(TURTLE-HATTER): *puff - puff* Better they draft than break wind.

(HARE to MATTHEW): Nice cards. You coming along?

FEAR AND WHISKEY: 1998Ers31, Modern Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 2004 IS NOVEMBER 25TH, 2000

Winter 2003

BRITAIN (Schultz): has f NOR, f NWG, a LAP, f EDI, f BAL, f LON, f NTH.

EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): R f gol-AUV; rem a ura; has f ALE, f ION, a SYR, a TUN, f AUV, a IRK, f AEG.

GERMANY (Rauterberg): R f nth-HOL; bld f ber, a fra; has f BER, a FRA,

f DEN, f SWE, f BEL, a MUN, a PIC, a BOR, f HOL, a LIT, a CZE, a WAR, a PAR,

a SWI, f HEL, a LYO, a KRA.

ITALY (Ozog): has f GOL, f MAL, a CRO, a AUS, f LIG, a PIE, f LBS, a MON, a ROM, f IZM.

SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): bld f bar; has f BAR, f MOR, a ALG, a MAR, f WME, a NAV, a MAD.

UKRAINE (Partridge): bld a ode; has a ODE, a VOL, f WBS, a ANK, a ADA,

a IRN, a MOS, a POD, a LAT, f EBS, a GOR, a BIE, f GRE, a ARM, a RUM, a HUN.

Addresses of the Participants

BRITAIN: John Schultz, PO Box 1322, Valparaiso, IN 46384, (219) 462-0474

EGYPT: Jeff O'Donnell, 402 Middle Ave., Elyria, OH 44035-5728, (440) 322-2920 ($4)

FRANCE: Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309, (310) 835-9202 ($5)

Tapmdfrance of aol.com

GERMANY: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)

prosit of execpc.com

ITALY: Eric Ozog, PO Box 1138, Granite Falls, WA 98252-1138, (360) 691-4264 ($4)

ElfEric of Juno.com

POLAND: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($5)

roland6 of home.com and ICQ: 40565030

RUSSIA: Randy Ellis, 3116 McGee, Apt. 1N, Kansas City, MO 64111, (816) 931-8406

surfeit of swbell.net

SPAIN: Sean O'Donnell, 2219 Grafton Road, Grafton, OH 44044 ($5)

sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com, seanside of snap.com

TURKEY: Kent Pollard, 1541 W. San Jose, Fresno, CA 93711, (209) 225-0957 ($10)

UKRAINE: Dave Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033 ($8)

rebhuhn of rocketmail.com

Game Notes:

1) Check out the Modern Dip web page at: http://www.modernhof.webprovider.com/

Press:

(THE MEKONS QUOTE OF THE MONTH): ``You animals can't see your own captivity, and you won't ever come home now, you won't ever come home. The King of the Pirates has left for the summit, his house left wide open as photocells flicker and die.'' From ``Waltz'', sung by Sally Timms on Curse of the Mekons.

(JEFF to JIM): At least now I know who is putting the Mekons notes into the press. If you need the name of a good therapist, I can help.

(JIM to JEFF): After reading this issue's Star Trek press, I must say..... you first?

(CAPTAIN KIRK to STARFLEET): Have arrived at the front lines (what a mess). I have analyzed the situation and I've discovered our problem. Unknown to the Federation, the evil Captain Kirk from the alternative universe has been commanding the war effort here. Looking over his battle tactics of the last three years, I have determined that not only is he evil, he's really stupid. I have temporarily solved the problem. I had Mr. Kile beam him out into space. My first order of business was to borrow an old Klingon bird of prey with a cloak and send it and my ambassador (a guy in a red shirt) to Cardassia to try to get an alliance and to convince them to end their siege of Bajor and Deep Space 9. The Cardassians sent my borrowed Klingon ship back with my ambassador's throat cut and a note (ex ti plum equitox), that's Cardassian for ``kiss my Cardassian ass''. So much for my diplomatic effort. We have had a few moderate victories as of late. The Ferengi attacked one of our flank starbases. We were just lucky that I guessed right and cut off their supply line so they had to withdraw.. The Klingons surprised and, to some degree, unnerved the Ferengi by crossing the front line in a cloaked battle cruiser to reinforce our flank next to former Starbase 96, now the Ferengi focal point of their Federation conquest. I have to commend the Klingons for their loyalty and their bravery. Mr. Spock has analyzed the Romulan frontier and determined that they are using a wormhole to speed up the advance of their Ambassador Class warships to the front. He noticed a Ferengi starship patrolling the Federation end of the wormhole and that the ship was the Ferengi ship ``Batise Seter'', a Ferengi word that means ``Cheap Bastard''. Before the war, the ``BS'' had purchased its navigating computer from a Federation Excelsior Class vessel. By using his expertise in cryptography, Spock was able to decode its combination code and temporarily order the ship to move to the mouth of the wormhole and stop any Romulan vessels from coming through. Federation ships moved in to attempt a temporary harassment takeover of the Ferengi starbase, but a smaller Romulan ship, not constrained by the limitations of the wormhole happened by as expected, on a routine patrol, in preparation for their Federation invasion. So, our chances of taking the enemy starbase is small to none. Word has it that the CEO of the Ferengi ship has been busted down to ``flea market clerk''. Mr. Spock estimates that the Ferengi/Romulan forces outnumber the Federation by about 2-1. The Cardassians have Bajor by the proverbials and the Klingons have been for the most part neutralized. Our post is secure for now, but without more help....

(SPAIN-BOARD): I take it I'm the only one here that listens to DMX, DR.DRE, Snoop Dogg, Ruff Ryders, and Pop Rock. ((Quite probably..... depending on what you mean by pop rock.))

(KIRK to STARFLEET): Good news for a change. Klingon/Federation forces and Klingon/Cardassian forces have combined to vaporize two Ambassador Class Ferengi starships while at the same time taking two Ferengi starbases. I had to give the Klingons Deep Space 8 and the Klingons had to give the Cardassians a starbase, but at least for the moment the Ferengi have been thrown back out of Federation territory and into the neutral zone. The battle also ended with one Romulan warbird partially surrounded by Federation forces. An attack on the Romulan ship and starbase would be the first time that our forces would, if successful, push the Romulans back and hold territory on their side of the neutral zone. But I'm not sure we can hold it long enough to build up our forces. The battle did leave us still divided and thin and my tactical analysis of the wormhole was wrong. They did not try to flank us. I should have attacked the Ferengi starbase, but my anti-flanking maneuver did leave Captain Sulu and the starship Excelsior in the neutral zone with a clear path behind the Ferengi's now divided line. I have also been informed that when Mr. Spock was captured by the Romulans, Mr. Chekov was with him. He is also missing. Things are looking up, but the Romulans are coming. It's just a matter of time.... unless the Cardassians....

(KLINGON-FEDERATION): Yes, we are pinned down, but we are in low amounts of military forces we are expecting to build another fleet in the coming years.

(SPANISH BATTLE COMMANDER): It has been a long time since a Spanish victory in Europe it has also come to our attention that Italy doesn't like us though we already knew it we just denied to attempt it. We have contacted the distant continent of the United States for aid, but all attempts have failed. Our alliance with Egypt is holding, but it'll collapse our combined front in the south in a matter of years which could turn to months at the soonest. Our only hope is to get an ally powerful enough to attack the growing Italian Empire, but all attempts have also failed.

(EGYPT to ITALY): I really appreciate your friendship, but your social graces are really lacking. I never sent any lettes out inviting Italian troops to Libya. Your party crashing soldiers were extremely rude and their attitude has really put a strain on our Egyptian/Italian alliance. Just to show there are no hard feelings, I would like to cordially invite any Italian nationals to a party in Greece this fall. B.Y.O.B. PS: Only if I'm the host!

(SPANISH INTERNATIONAL NEWS): The people of Spain is saddened by the way the government has performed in the past years since 1995 first by declaring war on Britain and attacked by France on up to the current war with Italy and Germany though not in a combined alliance of such against our country, but the people of Spain and the government has come to plead for a non-aggression pact with Germany.

In other news the Military Commander James Cquinn in an interview has said ``Though our nation is under fire it will still go on fighting the war since our beliefs and freedoms are at risk." When asked about the Italians bombing in Barleria Islands the Commander only answered, ``We are fully aware of the consequences of our actions, but the spy stole only old information and the attack was an act of stupidity that The United States bombed China's embassy, but the Italians have stolen plans on our attack on its embassy made to distract Italy of our convoy into Africa in the early days." When asked about when the war would end he only said, ``When the war has ceased."

We later talked to General Sam Shepard in command of the armies in the French peninsula he only said after being asked what is your current analysis of the war, ``We are bugged down."

This is Steven Perret signing off in the French peninsula.

(SPAIN-ITALY): Well, this war is only going to last as long has it has to, but be warned any attack on your country will not receive any aid from Spain and Egypt you'll be on your own.

(EGYPT to ITALY): The combined Ukraine/Italian force has me outnumbered 2.5 to 1. If you do wipe me out first it won't be much of an accomplishment. On the other hand, if I am somehow able to outsurvive Italy, I would have to be in line for at least consideration of the honor, ``Warrior of the Year''. I may not survive you, but Egypt will die well!

(SPAIN-GERMANY AND UKRAINE): Attack him please!

(GERMANY to UKRAINE): Help!

(EGYPT to ITALY II): .... and don't come back!

(SPAIN-UKRAINE): What's the point of waiting their turn when they seem to be rushing over here I mean come on Britain early on rushed over here, Germany rushed over here and is still here and now Italy has come.

(SPAIN-GM): I need to get into a game with Nukes in it I love blowing stuff up....

(SPAIN-ITALY): Die just die, If you ask what I said I said you told me to die just die.

(KIRK to STARFLEET II): We have another problem. This problem has been going on for a long time but with the imminent collapse of the Federation I have chosen to ignore it. We have been receiving communications from the omnipotent, all knowing, all seeing entity called ``Q'' from the Q-continuum. Instead of appearing in person in the form of an underrated actor, he has been printing deeply philosophical poetic phrases on an open comm channel. These messages appear on the surface to have no relevant meaning at all and what's worse, they're really boring and sometimes long. ((You mean, like these press releases??? Heh, heh, heh....)) On the other hand, maybe to the continuum, this could be comedy, who knows? In reporting this now, because I transmitted my original fleet orders and Captain's log simultaneously before our Ferengi attack, ``Q'' decided to allow my fleet orders to go through. But he decided to delete the logs. As usual, we have no idea what ``Q'' is up to, but I will now keep you informed. ((And we are all relieved for that!))

(SPAIN-ITALY): There is always a possiblity of a stab besides if you get stabbed by both then well one of them will win pending who gets their position first.

(SPAIN-GERMANY): I'm blabbing.

(BOOB to SEAN): No kidding..... you're going to steal my nickname if you aren't careful...

(JEFF to JIM 2): I would never even consider accusing you of perfection.

(BRITAIN-GERMANY): What now - ol' friend and nemesis - what now?

(SPAIN-UKRAINE): What's up? Is there any way you could attack Italy, or attacking Egypt to the end?

(SPAIN-THE STAR TREK WRITER): I'll stick with being with my writings, I'm not the Klingons I'm a Waterlander though I'm without Thermal Nukes which would be enough to wipe out all of Europe, but then no one wins hey I'm down for that launch all TN's.

(SPAIN-MEKONS): From the stars above we shall fight on with or without the curse of the unknown speaker of wordless words.

SHOW ME THE MONEY: 1997Mea04, Colonial Diplomacy

SHUT IT DOWN, A HOLLAND/JAPAN/RUSSIA DRAW IS DECLARED

Final Supply Center Chart - From Last Season

BRITAIN (York): DEL,HK,SIN,mal,cey,aden,ban,mad (has 8)

FRANCE (Sasseville): TON,may,u.bur,ass,bom, (has 7, PLAYED ONE SHORT)

ben,can,ran

HOLLAND (Desper): BOR,SUM,JAVA,SAR,new,dav, (has 11)

mna,cebu,for,ann,coc

JAPAN (K. Ozog): TOK,KYU,OTA,KYO,vla,fus,sak, (has 12)

p.art,seo,sha,mac,pek

RUSSIA (Williams): MOS,OMSK,ODE,rum,mon,ang,tab, (has 17)

con,chu,shi,egy,per,tas,kag,sik,kar,kam

TURKEY (Tallman): sud,bag (has 2)

Neutral: none (Total=58)

Addresses of the Participants

BRITAIN: Andy York, PO Box 201117, Austin, TX 78720-1117

wandrew of compuserve.com

CHINA: Rich Goranson, 4351 Chestnut Ridge Road, #7 Amherst, NY, 14228-3227 ($5)

ForlornH of aol.com

FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($5)

roland6 of home.com and ICQ: 40565030

HOLLAND: Rick Desper, 703 Monroe Street, Apt #302, Rockville, MD 20850, (301) 545-0143 (E-Mail)

rick_desper of yahoo.com or desper of math.rutgers.edu

JAPAN: Kurt Ozog, 391 Wilmington Drive, Bartlett, IL 60103, 630-837-2813

heyday6 of yahoo.com

RUSSIA: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (661) 297-3947 ($4)

wllmsfmly of earthlink.net

TURKEY: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0384 ($0)

terryt of sinclair.net

GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287

Game Notes:

1) More next time....

Press and End Game Comments:

The Colonial Game End Statement Stuff

A Hospital Room at the University Of Washington Medical Center: The gentle flap of el Donyo's webbed feet made little enough noise that none of the busy nurses noticed him as he furtively slipped from shadow to shadow towards the room he sought. Finally with a shudder of relief he found the room with the slumbering body of the Hobby Sex Ghod.

``Wake up! Wake UP!!! I got a piece of the draw!" he quacked nervously.

``What? Huh? Williams? What are you doing here? I have only been out of intensive care a couple of days and...YOU WHAT??? WHAT GAME????" The badly battered body slowly fought to lever itself up despite chest and leg incisions that would have kept a lesser dipster flat on his back.

``Uh...well, the...uh...(almost whispered now) the colonial game."

``The WHAT??? Draws have to be unanimous and I never voted for a draw that contained your scrawny carcass," growled the waking figure.

``Uh...sure you did," smarmed the duck, ``Right after they wheeled you out of surgery and into intensive care and I tried to bring you those water lilies. You asked me to forward your vote to the Boob!"

``No way, I was out for more than 24 hours after that surgery, I never signed any...." he stopped short. ``What have you done. Williams!!??" and he slowly began to rise from the bed trailing IV's.

Searching desperately for an escape route he eyed the IV tree and suddenly lunged. ``Don't you remember? You were in a LOT of pain so I just cranked up the old sedatives, just like THIS!" and he twirled open the know that turned the slow drip into a steady gurgle. The mighty Titan Titan sank back to the bed, his voice disappearing as his eyes sank closed.

``Hmmmm," the deranged mallard mused, ``I guess you won't mind if I prepare an end game statement for you then? No? Ok!! Thanks, buddy!!!!!" and with that he slithered back into the night.

End Game Statement For Turkey: Dear...Jim...Bob; Thanks...for...the...game.

I...couldn't...have...made...it...to...two...dots...without...Don's...help.

Signed (something illegible)

Personal Note to You:

File translated from T_EX by T_TH, version 2.70.
On 12 Nov 2000, 19:04.