THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #268

April 1, 2003

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

Accessible through Internet at burgess of world.std.com (all E-Mail addresses are reported in this format); FAX to (401) 277-9904
Web Page Address: /Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html


We welcome Rip Gooch as a full fledged subszine here in TAP, we're sorry for the circumstances, as Stephen Agar has folded Armistice Day. Most of Rip's players are Brits, but he is now a North American. I hope we can get some serious crossover, but I really want to encourage my choo-choo guys to write to Rip and get in some games. Now, please! Rick Desper asks: "As for the railway games, where's the rules? I like building railroads. So shiny!" What should I tell him, Rip??
On another front, I mentioned last time that Don Williams was probably folding, but he is going to pass his game along to Doug Kent, who is back in the publishing game with Maniac's Paradise Lost, which I thought was a cool name. I'm excited about that, though I'm sorry to be losing the game from here. Check out whether one of those lumbering old farts Gary Coughlan and Mike Mazzer will be able to close out a win. Contact Doug Kent to get his new szine at: 1404 E. Lamar Blvd #106, Arlington, TX 76011, dipworld of ix.netcom.com.
The plans are nearly all set for a "Boston Massacre" tournament in Boston at MIT on June 21-22, 2003. Make your plans now to trounce me on the Dip board!!! Show up and have a blast with a great bunch of FTF Dip players.....
I am back to being more or less on time, but some material targeted for last issue still didn't make it into this issue. I'll decide next time if it's ripe, or rotten beyond its time....
It also was not a surprise, but with a sad heart I have to report the passing of Richard Sharp. I have more on that in the Dipdom section below. Rest in peace, Richard!
Lastly, I said a lot in my discussion with Mark Lew on the War in Iraq last fall and my profound feelings at this point remain fixed on the extreme complexities of the issues. There are no right answers to anything in this situation, just a lot of pain, suffering, and especially uncertainties. Perhaps this is my weakness, but I don't even feel capable of having a discussion about Iraq that makes any sense even to me. I suspect that I would have to spend days or weeks, days or weeks that I don't have, to fully study all of the elements before I could even clarify my own opinions (though I did make a good start at that last fall). Anyway, I pray for peace and reductions in pain and suffering for everyone involved. And I especially hope that our Administration is making decisions in full assessments of the world of complexities in which this operates. And save me from sound bites, please......




The postal sub price is still $1.50 per issue in the US and Canada, with double that for other foreign subbers (or $3.00 per issue sent airmail). 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. See the revised game start announcements below!
Check out the connections in the Diplomatic Pouch with all of the information you need to play Diplomacy on the Internet at: /
I also have taken over the Postal portion of the Pouch: /Postal/
and TAP on the web is there at: /Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html
where 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 Agar's more extensive efforts at: http://www.diplomacy-archive.com and http://www.diplomacy.co.uk
David has grabbed and reserved the HIGHLY prized name: www.szine.com!! David Wang's site used to be the best place to follow John Caruso's postal baseball league that I am in. BUT, the site has not been updated as well in recent times. THE place to follow the league now is DICKIE-POO Martin's website: http://www.phantomempire.com where in the "files" section, "baseball" sub-section, you can see all of the individual and team level stats. Use the Telnet button in the upper left corner, that's the easiest way to do it these days. You need to sign up as a "member" to see all of the files. You, too, can chat with John Caruso there, especially on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Really, you can. John's E-Mail address also is commishjohn of att.net if you want to send him E-Mail after all that. John still has openings, you can play RIGHT NOW! Our season is just starting so this is the right time to jump in, you can learn how to manage a team and then ease into planning the building of one. Contact him at commishjohn of att.net if you're interested in joining us or ask me for more details, this REALLY IS THE most fun thing I do in the hobby at the moment, find out why!!!
Peter Sullivan's subszine is currently "in stasis", although all the back issues can be accessed via :
http://www.burdonvale.co.uk/octopus/index.html.
Peter was saying that he would be unlikely to be starting any new games in the Octopus until "at least the start of 2002." He is now hereby declared to be in official indeterminate stasis and that date is now a "whenever". In the meantime, Rip Gooch and Dave Partridge are picking up the choo-choo game slack in TAP. Contact Rip at xyropedes of canada.com or Dave at rebhuhn of rocketmail.com for more info.
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 ED HENRY - AND SOME HINTS ABOUT JERRY LUCAS
Find him and win the fifty buck prize!! You have until Issue number 270 to find him. I want to tell Ed about Kathy and all sorts of other things. There is a "full board" there now, help me out and earn yourself some cash!!! Ed Henry was very active in the hobby in the 1980's. I don't think he's the same Ed Henry who's so famous right now working on Kiplinger's magazine (writes the Car reviews and is African American), but he could be. Ask him and find out!
Feel free to spend the time looking for some of the backlog. Let's get Tom, Bill, Gregory, 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 Berry Renken or Tom Hurst or Bill Quinn or Gregory Stewart or 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, GO TO A DIPLOMACY CONVENTION 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.
I love these "letters out of the blue", a few weeks ago, I got this....


Tim Winger (Sat, 15 Mar 2003 11:56:53 EST)
The Real True Story of Judy Winsome
Jim,
It had been years since I thought about Judy Winsome. I was telling a coworker about Winsome Losesome the other day and decided to see if there had ever been anything "on the web" about her. Interestingly enough a Google search landed me on your website and the search for Judy and Jerry Lucas. But ... here is the real true story of Judy Winsome.
I first started playing Diplomacy in about 1967, my senior year in high school. One of my friends found this new game and we would get together to play it rather than Risk. After about 6 hours the board would look pretty much as it did when we started but everybody was oozing blood from their backs since the stab was much more important than the game back then and we didn't have much sophistication. Anyway, many years later I was working as a Cost Investment Analyst for the US Postal Service at their Western Regional HQ San Bruno, CA. Jerry Lucas was the Accounting Manager. It turned out that he had played the game too, in his misspent youth. We organized a game at work with a move a week which not surprisingly became a full fledged disturbance and the sole interest of the seven playing. But ... enough of that. So, we found Postal Diplomacy. Now in those days there were two ways to get on the mailing list of the adjudication "zines" One way was to pay the subscription price and play and the other was to "trade subscriptions" by sending a publisher your zine in exchange for his. Jerry and I decided the latter method would be cheaper and more fun. We were thinking of a way of combining Jerry Lucas and Tim Winger into a title when Jerry came upon Winsome and we decided Winsome Losesome was a good title. Since the distaff side of the population is underrepresented in the hobby, we decided that the publisher should be a woman and Jerry came up with Judy Winsome. We needed an address that wasn't either of ours so Jerry's secretary was enticed to be our mail drop. We started by putting out issues with fake games with fake press and lots of jokes. I remember our biggest contribution to society at the time was the invention of the EGC. That stood for Ethnic Group of Choice. Since a lot of the jokes we were getting were ethnic in origin, we would substitute EGC for the potential offensive reference and the jokes would be like, "These two EGCs were walking down the street..." I don't recall us every actually having a real game in the zine. Anyway, in March, '82, I became a Postal Inspector and went off to Bethesda, MD to the training academy and was later posted to Denver. Jerry continued the publication of Winsome Losesome on his own. My last conversation with Jerry was a few years later in '85. Jerry told me that a lawyer from Florida showed up at his secretary's house asking about Judy Winsome. ((We all know that lawyer to be Brenton Ver Ploeg....)) The story I recall was that the lawyer took the "roommate" i.e.: secretary, out for dinner a couple of times and she eventually spilled the beans about who Judy was. I lost track of Jerry and the rest of the folks I worked with then but if anyone happens to hear from Jerry or if he happens to read this, I can be reached at otimm of aol.com. Anyway, that is the real and true story of how Judy Winsome came to be. I still consider it to be one of the great hoaxes and one I was proud to be a part of.
Tim Winger, OTIMM of aol.com
((Wow, what a great story! Brenton ver Ploeg (the lawyer in question) has told his story in detail in TAP. He will be amused by yours. Brenton still gets TAP. Wasn't the secretary's name Leslie Obata? We're looking for her too, and Brenton in particular wants to meet her again. It must have been quite a few dinners.... Now, Tim, I'm willing to give you a lifetime subscription to TAP for contributing to this expanding story, as I NEVER knew your role in it!! Please send me your postal address..... PLEADING.... And do you know where Jerry is? You should be able to search him up on your address book in the USPS Intranet. That would also get you $25!!!! This is way cool....))


Tim Winger (Sun, 16 Mar 2003 16:41:52 EST)
Jim-Bob...
That's right, her name was Leslie Obata and I wouldn't have remembered it had you not written it. I left USPS in '86. The regional HQ building in San Bruno has been torn down, I have heard, but it would be even money that Jerry still works for USPS and is probably the lord high god of USPS by now.
I remember, I think it was '81, there was a gaming convention at the San Mateo hotel that looks like a castle, I can't remember the name, but I met several of the "name" players (at least the names I knew) and wrote about them as though Judy had been there and seen them. They were all about "Hey, you should have said Hello!" and the like. I think they were just trying to get any girl to say hello at that point. ((Now that was a low blow..... ;-) and you live in Utah??? I wasn't married in 1981 and wasn't there, but I am married now.....))
I will toss down a search and see who I can find, Leslie is probably married by now so a search of Cal. Marriage licenses might find her. There were a couple of Jerry Lucas's in an email search of the peninsula, I may crossreference that with BJ and see what shakes out.
As for me... I am the senior buyer for Dyno Nobel at their Salt Lake City HQ for North America. We are the world's largest manufacturer of explosives and own the only dynamite factory in North America, so that has its interesting points. ((Indeed, I'm sure it does! Especially now, with war going on. We can only hope you aren't selling anything to Iraqi taxi drivers.))
My postal address is: Tim Winger, 2086 S. Bonneview Drive, Bountiful, UT 84010. I would be honored to have a subscription to TAP. I'll try for the prize money now.
Thanks again, Party on... Tim, OTIMM of aol.com
((And let's hope that sparks a whole lot of searching for a lot of the missing people. I've also been talking to Eric Kane of Anduin fame lately. He is corporate lawyer in Atlanta these days. He was easy to find. These guys seem to be harder.))


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, John.Harrington of tfeurope.com
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.
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 Euros, 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.
We also have reopened a branch office of the International Subscription Exchange in Australia!! Brendan Whyte, the publisher of the excellent szine Damn the Consequences will be doing the honors, taking over in some sense from John Cain, who was the Australian rep for many years. You can contact Brendan to sub to Australian szines from the US or to sub to US szines from Australia, converting Australian dollars into American ones. We are now maneuvering deals to Europe from the other reps as well. You can find Brendan Whyte at b.whyte of pgrad.unimelb.edu.au (same university where John Cain works!) or by mail to send checks at: Geography Dept., University of Melbourne, Vic 3010, AUSTRALIA. This should help out my Australian subbers!!


WORLDMASTERS02 SECTION
WorldMasters 2002 Email Diplomacy Tournament First Round is Underway!!
See http://www.cat23.com/wm02 for full details. Since I didn't get sufficient interest to get a team in, I am back on the WorldMasters Tournament Management Committee again. There already is a big flare up between a GM and a player where the player now says he doesn't "trust" the GM, and it's only 1901! But in general, things seem to be going PRETTY smoothly for a tournament that got way overwhelmed with 73 teams of 7 players, for a total tournament player roster of 511!!! All seventy-three games are up and running with GMs in mere days, an amazing feat in itself. Kudos to Tournament Director Rudi van Hal for a yeoman job thus far!!!! Special thanks to Dave Partridge and Steve Hutton, who I conned into joining the Tournament Management Committee as well. Toby Harris is nearing another record first round 18 center victory, gee I wonder how THAT is happening? At this writing, I think he just nailed it....


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.
In what I believe is a RECENT change, Hasbro also has been putting the rules to Diplomacy up on their web page along with rules for most of their other games. Not only that, but they have the "current" as well as an older version of the rules there. Stephen Agar has matched that and more with some of the even older rulebooks. Check these out if you like:
http://www.hasbro.com/default.asp?x=cc_gameandtoyinstructions
http://www.hasbro.com/instruct/Diplomacy.PDF
http://www.hasbro.com/instruct/Diplomacy(OlderVers).PDF
Nice of them to make BOTH of these available. And all seven different US rulebooks for Diplomacy can now be found here courtesy of Stephen Agar:
http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/old_rulebooks.htm


Check out back issues of Diplomacy World - www.diplomacyworld.org
As we tried to get together the Fall issue, it became clear to all of us that the current editorial structure has failed. The new issue is almost put together, but needs a new lead editor. Stephen is backing away, I'm not at all prepared to go it alone, and certainly Dave Partridge isn't ready to take it over. But the framework is there. Rather than publish a substandard issue of what we have, let's declare failure and see if anyone cares enough to step forward as lead editor. It probably doesn't help that the new lead editor for the Diplomatic Pouch, Edward Hawthorne, has ten times my hobby energy and is running around like a vacuum cleaner scooping up all the writers (even me, I'm writing for him first, he's SO persuasive!) for the expanded and back on schedule Pouch. I do think there is more than enough room for both, especially since the Diplomatic Pouch is ONLY available on the Web, but if someone else doesn't think so, then so be it.
If you want to subscribe in paper form at $3 per issue, North American subs should be sent to David Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033, USA. Stephen Agar is handling international postal subscriptions and you can write to him at: 47 Preston Drove, Brighton, BN1 6LA, UK. Issues from Stephen will cost you 2 GBP in the UK and 3 GBP for the rest of the world. Or subscribe electronically at diplomacyworld at Yahoo Groups! But I realize that most of you will wait for some notice about the future. Nothing new yet.


See last year's 2002 Hobby Awards ballot at:
/Postal/Zines/TAP/BALLOT02.html
See the results at: /Postal/Zines/TAP/ANNOUNCE02.html.
We are now officially soliciting nominations for 2003, for activities during 2002. Think about it, I already have some nominations in hand.
Nominate:
1) People who you think might deserve the Kathy Byrne Caruso Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement to the Hobby. Last year's award went to the late Richard Sharp.
2) People who you think might deserve the Don Miller Memorial Award for Meritorious Service to the Hobby.
3) People who you think might deserve the Rod Walker Award for Literary Achievement (get me an electronic copy of the article!).
4) People who you think might deserve the John Koning Memorial Award for Player Performance (remember it has to be for playing in 2002).
5) People who you think might deserve the Fred Hyatt Memorial Award for GM Performance (again for 2002 GMing).


All szine editors and people wanting to get rid of archival postal hobby material to productive purpose, should think about sending it to:
Richelle Burkey(Diplomacy Hoosier Arch.)
Popular Culture Library
William T. Jerome Library, 4th Floor
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
where lots of excellent archival material is flowing in.


Stephen Agar (Mon, 17 Mar 2003 22:26:21)
Greg Hawes has asked me to pass on this message: "Devastating news, I'm afraid, for all in the UK games hobby. Richard Sharp died in the morning of Friday 7th March. Although I was lucky enough to count Richard as one of my dearest friends since we met through the Diplomacy hobby early in 1973, I am now not very well networked in the hobby. I'd be most grateful if you could put this sad news out to Richard's friends in the hobby. The funeral will be on Monday 17th March at 3pm at Amersham crematorium."
For those who knew Richard, but aren't in the UK, I just thought I'd add that I attended his funeral this afternoon. A big turnout, filling the crematorium - and a sizeable contingent of games players - almost a who's who of the "hard core" from the 1970s, who founded PBM games in the UK. Unlike most funerals I have been to, it was a bright sunny day and a fairly uplifting event, celebrating Richard's wit and positive attitude to life.
Regards, Stephen Agar, stephen of stephenagar.com


Edward Hawthorne (Mon, 17 Mar 2003 13:18:26 -0800 (PST))
Hey Jim-
Article received. Thanks mate. I got about 7 articles over the weekend so I've already been busy webifying - and yes, the text format is perfect. Thanks. I'll send you a link so you can take a look for final approval or necessary modifications. ((The new Diplomatic Pouch that should be just about out as we speak, will be one for the ages. Check it out!!! See /))
Terrible news about Mr. Sharp. That's a big loss. God rest his soul.
-Edward- edward_hawthorne of yahoo.com
((Indeed. Thanks, Edward, for all your great work for the hobby! I am glad that Richard was able to receive and appreciate the awarding of the first Kathy Byrne Caruso Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Diplomacy Hobby before his passing. I wish I had had the opportunity to speak to Kathy about all she meant to Diplomacy as I did to Richard in the last year. Here's what Keith Thomasson wrote in his szine, since it mentions Richard's attitude toward music:))


Keith Thomasson (March 2003)
The funeral was at the Chilterns Crematorium in Amersham, and I decided to attend, even though I had never actually met him. I felt a little out of place, but that was because I naturally knew very few of the people there. It was a moving and, at times, amusing service, as two of his long-time friends gave their insights onto his life. One recalled the meal at Richard's house, during which there was a loud bang from the kitchen, followed by a yell and another loud bang. Richard commented, "I don't know much about modern music, but I imagine that's what it sounds like."
Keith of Thomasson.com, http://Keith.Thomasson.com
((Thanks, Keith, I know I didn't ask in advance for reprinting rights. Keith produces the most amazing print and web szines currently extant. Not a lot of Diplomacy, but the best rules for gaming remotely for a whole host of games.))


Paul Rauterberg (Tue, 11 Feb 2003 17:20:51 -0600)
Hi Jim; While we await the onset of a new Colonia game, Konrad and I have been wondering if there are any games of the Youngstown variant active, or in the planning stages? ((I'm sure there are, but mostly on the Judges (see / and look on the E-Mail link to how to look up variants on the Judges), which uses to my view a particularly weird variation of the Youngstown variant. But you could give it a try. Anyone else know?))
What is the source for researching which Variants are being played at the present time? I appreciate your input!
-Paul, trauterberg of wi.rr.com
((Well, on the Judges as I mentioned, it's pretty easy, but there is NOT an easy worldwide way to hunt that sort of thing down. This is one of the things that the collapse of the Miller Number system in the expansion of the hobby to the Internet caused. So, I really don't know and I only know for sure of Youngstown being played on the Judges.))


Shaun Derrick (Wed, 12 Mar 2003 13:27:31)
Although it is a bit late, I would like to advise everyone that the winner of the Bob Kendrick Shield ((Best Player in the British Hobby in 2002)) was...
MARK WIGHTMAN
Thanks, Shaun, shaun.derrick of travelmanagement.co.uk
((You're welcome, Shaun, it couldn't have gone to a more.... well a guy that stabs you softly and effectively.... than Mark. Congratulations, Mark!!! Because I think it is useful for all of you to see it, I reproduce the following exchange between Shaun and Tom Tweedy.... the official rules: Any UK based player whom plays by post, email or at convention is eligible. They must be active players and have played at least one game during 2002. If you wish to vote please send me your top 3 players in descending order. The player who receives the most `1st's' will win the award.))


Tom Tweedy (Tue 14/01/2003 14:24)
Hi Shaun, I've put this up on dip2000 just in case Mark Stretch doesn't pick this up on his news page for the site. As I said on the front page... I think it's unfair limiting awards like this to only UK players. With email gaming taking off in a big way our hobby is becoming so international.
Okay so if there is an actual SHIELD to be awarded, I can understand you/them not wanting it to leave the country. But someone over here could receive it/hold on to it on behalf of the overseas player, surely. Just a thought.
Tom, tom of lancedal.demon.co.uk, http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk/dip2000/


Shaun Derrick (Tue 14/01/2003 15:12)
Tom, Thanks for doing that. The award is specifically for the best `British' player. If there is to be an International award, it should be something different. There is a preference in the UK hobby knowing the person who wins the award, and a good chance that they can actually collect the trophy too. It's all very well winning an award, but not having it sitting on your mantlepiece or whatever, seems a bit hollow.
I would prefer to stick to the parameters that I set when the award was first launched, but if someone else was to take over the responsibility in future, they will be at liberty to do what they think is best.
Regards, Shaun, shaun.derrick of travelmanagement.co.uk


Robert Lesco (Wed, 19 Mar 2003 20:10:19)
RE: Steve Cooley, mentioned in your latest issue
IF you have an e-mail address for him, you might pass on the information that the publishers of CounterAttack magazine are looking for his new address. I spotted his name at:
http://www.justplain.com/AWOL.html
He will appreciate the gesture, not that we are likely to see a lot of issues of said journal.
Robert, rlesco of yahoo.com
((I don't happen to have Steve Cooley's E-Mail address, but I know people here do, like Don Williams. I print this as a Public Service Announcement.))


Adam Hopkins (Thu, 20 Mar 2003 22:12:51 -0500)
Yes, please do send me a sample.
My address is: Adam Hopkins, 2223 H St, NW Apt #601, Washington, DC 20052.
I appreciate you keeping me informed on any game openings. I have never played postal dip, and wish to get involved in it. I have played by email and ftf for years, and would liek a shot in postal dip as I have heard it is much better and different. Thanks for your help again.
Adam Hopkins, hopkins of gwu.edu
((Since I don't have any direct openings in TAP right now, you guys should feel free to grab Adam and get him into any game openings that you might have. Welcome, Adam!!!))


MUSIC AND MOVIES SECTION (WITH COMMENTS ON OTHER ARTS AND SOCIETY)
Tell me anything you like about the year of 2002 or other recent past in music. List a top two, a top ten, or a top 100, I don't care, just tell me something!!


Jamie McQuinn (Mon, 03 Mar 2003 13:09:20 -0500)
OK, Here it is: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage
Register and sign in with ESPN Fantasy Sports (it's free).
Find the group: ZFL
Password: teller
After the tournament teams are announced, we can fill out our grid.
Jamie, mag_jamie of dmcpl.dayton.lib.oh.us
((I got pretty well toasted here, but I did predict Syracuse to get to the Championship game, and there to lose to Arizona, who already is out. If I am right that Syracuse wins on Saturday I vault past Jamie AND Goz to do pretty well in this thing. Heeeee, ehehe.))


Ian Moore (20-1-2003)
Hi Jim! I've got another letter lying around somewhere for you, half finished. But I'm still going to start a new one here, because I want to send you something about music in 2002 before the memories fade. I don't think I've ever started writing a piece about the previous year in January, so I'm going to bask in the warm sense of virtue for a bit. ((As I wallow in the pit of despair since it takes me until April to type the letter in and publish it....))
Anyway, first up I'm going to mention the Hives, and their album Your New Favorite Band. ((Really cool marketing idea.... you don't forget the title.)) This wasn't actually released in 2002, and is compiled from two underexposed records, one of which is nearly five years old. But it's still one of my records of 2002 because that's when I discovered it, and because The Hives are my new favorite band. ((Success!))
The Hives are from Sweden and they play an engaging mix of pop-punk and pseudo glam rock. They all have names like Dr. Matt Destruction, Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, and Nicholas Arson. Basically the Hives are a big bag of fun, and to hear or see them is to love them. Their "Hate to Say I Told You So" is one of the most enjoyable pieces of music ever committed to record. And while there is perhaps a Here-today, Gone Tomorrow quality to them, I'm enjoying the party while it lasts. I know they are.
The Hives give 200% live, as do another popular Swedish band, The Soundtrack of Our Lives. The latter band are perhaps less completely brilliant on record, for all that their Behind the Music album definitely has its moments (and was also released before 2001). ((Wow, I also discovered SOOL in 2002 and if the Hives are even better, they must be truly sublime and I have to go hunt them up. I am a true sucker for neo-psychedelic, I still think the Three O'Clock and songs like "Neon Telephone" are the cat's meow.)) Live SOOL really kick arse. Apart from the singer, the band are all escapees from the same detention centre for overly attractive men, men who live to rock. ((And that can be SOOOO annoying....)) Their singer is this bearded be-kaftaned clubster with a surprisingly weak voice, who still manages to be one of the best frontmen you will ever see. The Soundtrack's sound is more pseudo-psychedelic than the Hives, also more proto-metallic than their punky pop. Their lyrics are funny in a laugh at people for whom English is a second language kind of way.
I'm not sure whether English is a first or second language for Cornershop. ((Ride, Tjinder Singh, ride!!!!)) Nevertheless, their Handcream for a Generation album is one of the unquestioned classics of 2002, and was actually released in that year. I go back a long wasy with Cornershop, remembering when they were a ropey punk outfit playing half-empty venues. ((Yes, indeedy do, 1993's Hold on it hurts and songs like the VERY weird "Inside Rani" or the EP Lock, stock, and double barrel with the fascinating "Breaking Every Rule Language English", which suggests this is Tjinder's second language.... are charmingly unpolished.)) Even then, they had it, whatever that "it" is. I was pleased when they stormed the charts a couple of years back, for all that I loathed the Norman Cook remix of their song.
Anyway, this time round the Shop have embraced The Funk and released an album you can't sit still to. The opener sets the tone, a jazz-funk party tune over which an MC informs us of all the great tracks coming up on the album. After that it's stone-cold classics all the way. It's funny, but I think this album has seen Cornershop shed a lot of their fans they picked up with their last outing. ((Hmmmm, really? Maybe you and I who have followed them through their entire journey have a different attitude, but I just saw this a naturally related progression, which I love differently, but just as much as their other work.)) But pshaw, say I - who needs fair weather fans?
One musical think I must mention is pop music of the Arab world. I went to the Lebanon on holiday in October, and Arabic pop provided the soundtrack of our visit. You hear it everywhere over there, in cafés and restaurants, but most of all blaring from tapedecks in taxis and buses. From what I've read about Arabic pop, it mostly comes from Egypt, but lately producers in other countries have proved successful at mimicing the Cairo sound, challenging the Egyptians' musical hegemony. The Arabic pop sound is one of up-tempo rhythms, an odd-mix of synthetic textures and traditional instruments over which a man or (more usually) a woman sings away. They could be singing "Death to Round Eyed Foreign Devils!", but I think love songs are more likely.
I bought a couple of Arabic pop CDs to listen to at home. Rather predictably, they aren't quite so arresting, listened to in the depths of an Irish winter, at home rather than in a taxi driven by a homicidal maniac. ((This is a REAL example of what I call.... context!)) What has travelled better is the music of Fairuz, at least on the strength of the one album of hers that I brought back. Fairuz is Lebanon's favorite singer, virtually a national institution. She has been going since the 1960's (at least), and while the War forced her into semi-retirement, she did return to live performance in the early 1990s, palying a concert on Beirut's old frontline to mark the end of the war.
Fairuz is not an Arabic pop artist, she comes from a more torch-singer-ish tradition. Her voice is wonderfully expressive. What is striking about the record of hers I have is how she is not left to carry the songs on her own. Rather the sound is very orchestrated, with Fairuz's voice just one element in the mix. This compares favorably with such overwrought western artists as Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston.
In Virgin Megastore Beirut there are literally thousands of different Fairuz titles. I want to collect them all. ((Indeed, I only have a couple thousand CDs in total, you want that many from one artist....))
An odd curiousity which has become one of my favorite records of 2002 is the Langley Schools Music Project album. This was originally recorded in the mid-1970's but has only now been commercially released. Basically it is a collection of songs performed by rural Canadian schoolchildren under the direction of their hippyish music teacher. Apparently the children picked the songs themselves, and went for contemporary pop songs. So you get tracks by Wings, the Eagles, and the Beach Boys performed by several hundred boisterous children.
I was sceptical of the Langley Schools record before hearing it - the whole idea of a record of songs sung by children suggests a sickeningly sweet cloying sentimentality. But the record isn't like that.... the children don't come across as quiet little angels but as semi-out of control monsters possessed of boundless energy. This suits the uptempo songs well, with the Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" sounding almost like a riot is going to break out. More striking, though, are the three songs sung by girl soloists, who manage to communicate an incredible sense of emotion. The performance of "The Long and Winding Road" in particular is extremely affecting. I found myself starting to cry the first time I heard it, for reasons I am not able to clearly enunciate.
Most of the musical instruments on the Langley Schools record were performed by the children themselves, with their teacher providing arrangements and some piano and guitar accompaniment. Hans Fenger is the man's name, and his self taught production skills would put many professional producers to shame.
Moving on, let me quickly mention "Storytelling" by Belle and Sebastian. These pieces were recorded for the Todd Solonz film of that name, but in the end very little of B&S' music appeared in the film. Solonz's loss, one might say. This is a delightful album of mainly instrumental tracks, rather different from the usual B&S fare. I think it's great, but then I would.
I acquired the "Bang" single by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, one of those trendy New York bands. It's really good, big chunky riffs and the singer's sensuous vocals. It's funny, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' singer is being talked up as one of the great sexy frontpeople of our time. From every picture I've seen of her she looks like a bit of a munter, but there is no mistaking the raw sex appeal of her voice. And surely that's the important track if you are listening to a record, yes?
One more thing.... 2002 was the year I finally caught up with Missy Elliot. I think her So Addictive album is from a-a-ages ago, but I only yielded to its charms last year. Her "Get Your Freak On" is a classic of great vocals combined with great production, courtesy of Me. Timbaland.
Missy Elliot features heavily in the last musical thing of 2002 I will mention: Bastard Pop. This swept Britain early on in the year until everyone got bored with it, but it was fun while it lasted. Basically, it's the melding together of two completely different songs, usually by some scamp displaying a cavalier approach to the laws of intellectual property. So you might get Chuck D of Public Enemy singing over a Herb Alpert accompaniment, Christina Aguilera singing over the Strokes, or TLC singing over Human League's "Being Boiled". Every second Bastard Pop track feathers either the tune or vocals of "Get UR Freak On". ((But of course, you can see why....))
Then everyone got bored with Bastard Pop. ((But again, you can see why....))
And musically that's about it for me in 2002, apart from all the things I've forgotten and will remember only when I put this letter in the post. I hope everything is well with you, things are pretty good with me.
Best wishes, Ian Moore, Apt. 22, 1 Jervis St., Dublin 1 IRELAND


Eric Ozog (Tue, 25 Feb 2003 00:31:52 -0800)
Jim - I got the new Mekons album Oooh! Out of Our Heads, and I like it - it is a stronger album than Journey to the End of the Night. My favorite song on Oooh! is "Only You and Your Ghost Will Know" - everything about that song Rocks! Love Susie Honeyman's fiddle, as always. ((Amen, brother, amen!!!))
I just made a new best-of Mekons tape with selections from Retreat from Memphis, Journey, Out of Our Heads, and I Love Mekons. It kicks.
I had badly wanted to see the Mekons at Seattle's Bumbershoot music festival last Labor Day, but duty called: I had to work to fill in for one of our other field employees, who was away on a forest fire (it was his turn to go). Even a manager has to do the dirty work once in a while. As I was raking the compost below the public restroom at the Big Four Ice Caves trailhead I was thinking to myself: `Right now I could have been in downtown Seattle seeing the Mekons live and instead I'm stirring poop. Hello! Mekons or Poop; what's wrong with this picture?' At that point I had an awakening and vowed to get out of recreation management. So here I am today, a Realty Specialist instead of a Ranger. I have escaped poopdom, and more importantly, I'll have the freedom to see the Mekons the next time they come to town. I wanted to let you know that it was the Mekons (indirectly) that resolved me to make a change in my life. ((They would be very pleased to know that. The Mekons aren't just a band, they are a movement.))
On a more serious note, Cathy and I were shocked to learn about the terrible nightclub fire in the Providence area. I thought of you immediately, as I know you have frequented the clubs. I figured you weren't a Great White fan and therefore was not there that night (Michael Quirk, incidentally, was one of their fans) and was wondering if you had seen a show in that establishment at one time or another. It wouldn't surprise me if you did. ((Actually, no, I hadn't been there. It had only been a club for four or five years and it tended to do shows I wasn't interested in. More on that in a minute, it really has been a tragedy that is still capturing the attention of the whole area.))
Cathy and I, having gone to small clubs in Seattle to see The Church, Steeleye Span, and Toad the Wet Sprocket, never once thought that a club could potentially become a death trap, nor ever thought about where the exits were in case of fire - if you'd even have time to escape and avoid the crush of people trying to get out. We were there to have fun and see and hear our favorite bands live. I'll definitely think about safety the next time we see a show, know where the exits are located, and sit somewhat close to them. One thing is for certain in this tragedy: allowing pyrotechnics in a small club with low ceilings is folly and should be banned nationally. And why do some bands feel the need to have fireworks to entertain people in the first place? I thought seeing the band live was in itself entertainment and why fans go to the show. But if you have to have fireworks, do it in a stadium.
Best, Eric, elferic of juno.com
((And best to you as well. As you know, you are one of my "szine heroes" and I always know I can't hold a candle to any of your former efforts. Your contributions always are especially treasured. I find myself doing the exit check now, apart from the fact that around here they are making a point at shows of all kinds to point out exits at each performance. The economics of this, doing illegal pyrotechnics in small clubs, is a national problem and this should finally put a halt to it. At least I hope it does. One of the problems of course is that the music club business is such a marginal economic activity that it is difficult to make a go of it doing things right. The Derderian brothers who owned this place in West Warwick, on top of using cheap non-fire retardant insulation because they felt they couldn't afford more, also were discovered to be paying most of their employees in cash under the table, and even the ones that were properly employed hadn't had their workers' comp. insurance covered since just after the club opened. The fines for that alone are expected to be about a million dollars for them. Part of this is that there are rules, but they just aren't enforced. Legally, they were supposed to have applied for a pyro permit from the fire marshal and then have had the marshal present. That alone would have cost about $2 a patron that night. But these metal bands think they need the extra hype. Great White did this everywhere they went, mostly without even telling the club owners in advance. I'm sure they would have said they were just protecting the owners from the liability. We'll see if that works now. No official divying up of the blame has yet been done. But the stories are just scary, scary, scary. Some of the survivors essentially survived from being baked alive by being crushed under the bodies of those who died, stacked up at the exits. One person found about an hour after the fire alive went back later and found the spot in the ruins where he had been buried. There was a person shape as was only part of the floor in that area that was still recognizable as a floor. Very sad. The way this state is, everyone had a connection to someone who was there. Luckily the relatively close connections we had all made it out. But the stories follow, the one above was just in today's paper. Thanks to everyone who asked.... a couple more notes follow.))


Rich Goranson (Fri, 21 Feb 2003 08:53:38 EST)
Jim-Bob: My condolences to you and the rest of the people in Rhode Island for the Great White tragedy in West Warwick. I hope that you didn't know anyone who was involved.
Rich, ForlornH of aol.com
((Yes, we did, but not real well. My wife teaches at one of the local colleges, so there were many students that were affected. But also, since Great White was an older band there were a lot of parents with families too. I didn't know any of them.))


Linda Courtemanche (Fri, 21 Feb 2003 07:50:08 EST)
Dear Jim, I just read about the fire at the Great White concert and I am hoping you weren't there!! Please drop me a line and let me know you are all right...thinking of you and the other R.I. music fans.
Linda C., LindaCourt of aol.com
((Great to hear from you too, sorry it had to be while you were worrying!))


Richard Weiss (Thu, 27 Mar 2003 17:38:06)
Jim; A letter for TAP:
"Industrial Waste" by Rio Grande Games is the best new game I've played in years. The concepts are simple to learn. There does not appear to be one set of tactics, or, more importantly, one strategy that is the best way to play. And, because of this, the game is highly interactive - even in play-by-mail. As one player acts the need to consider changing tactics and strategies occurs.
I'm not good at describing games with some sort of jargon. It is a board game, based upon owning a factory with workers, machines to make goods, and waste that is a result of how one makes the goods. Too much waste and there is a penalty. One has to pay each turn for the number of workers one has/needs to produce goods. Each of the number of workers needed to produce a set of goods, the amount of waste produced and the amount of raw materials needed to produce a set of goods can be altered with the right card and money. In what order one does this is the strategy.
There are cards and therefore there is luck. The cards allow one to produce an order, dump waste in the river, alter one of the important characteristics of numbers of workers, etc. An alteration is called an "innovation." There are 11 types of cards, each with a different purpose and with a different amount in the deck. At the beginning of each round sets of three cards are dealt out face up on the table. No set can contain more than one of a given type of card. There is one more set than there are players (1-4 players). Players rotate in their selection of a set of cards. No trades. Then the cards are played. One gets points for money and the innovations (there is a sliding scale of value for innovations, the more in one area the more points it is worth). The end of the game is not predictable and therefore timing is uncertain.
It is simple and complex. To give readers a gauge of the type of games I like, my favorite games are duplicate bridge, Diplomacy, Dune, Settlers of Catan, Ursuppe and Pit. These are each highly interactive.
Bottom line, David Partridge is offering games in his subzine TINAMOU. I will be GM'ing the next one. The more players who try it out the more fun we can have and the faster we can learn whether this really is a game with a huge number of possibilities or one that after a while is predictable and gets put on the back shelf. Also, for those in the Northern CA Bay Area, let me know, I want to play face-to-face and this can be arranged in Sacramento, Castro Valley or wherever.
Thank you, Richard, rcweiss23 of attbi.com
PS I saw the Pretenders two weeks ago. The audience was into it. Chrissie was into it. The band had a good time. The venue was small enough for me. My date was a lot of fun. But, they played too many songs that seemed to be note for note from the recordings. Still, the best show of the year so far of original performers. I saw an 80s cover band who did nothing but pump out the beat and the dance floor was mad. That was fun. LeAnne Rimes at the Dixon County Fair in May is the next one on my long-distance horizon. I turned down an "intimate night" with Alanis Morissette partly out of timing but mostly because I don't want to hear nasal whining all night. ((No kidding....))
Second so far this year was a show at Yoshi's which is intimate in Oakland, more famous for jazz, but had (I forget the host) Paul Duvay, James Harmon, Junior Watson - guitar player supreme, and James Cotton. It was one of the traveling blues harp blowoffs or whatever they call them. Duvay was so fat he could hardly play an entire song, but the things he could do with a blues harp were beyond comprehension. James Cotton was great.


Mike Barno (Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:15:34 -0500 (EST))
Currently (Saturday 29-Mar-2003) listening to a jazz show, distributed I believe by NPR, on a public radio station. The host is using the name Scott Hanley, and it sounds a lot like the Scott Hanley I knew in Yellowstone, a former postal Diplomacy and United player. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up doing such a thing. This note was my Scouting point for the day in the "old Dip friends" category.
Mike, mpbarno of lightlink.com
((Nice try, but that Scott Hanley is relatively famous, I believe he is in Pittsburgh and here is his web bio: http://216.87.182.31/cgi-bin/jazzworks/hosts/hanley.cfm The picture will tell you.... our Scott Hanley could be his son though. And that jazz show is really excellent, I promoted it awhile back when Diana Krall was on it.))


Steve Langley (Sun, 23 Mar 2003 14:58:06 EST)
"Dreamcatcher" === a movie
Stephen King has a wonderful talent. He can and does make the truly weird seem real through presenting it wrapped in stories that seem to be about complex people. "Dreamcatcher" is no exception. The theme from "Stand By Me" seems to have been borrowed for "Dreamcatcher'. Four boys confront some older bullies and outmaneuver them to save a fifth young boy from teenage torture. From that point things get a bit strange. The fifth boy is `special'. His mind is different, and he manages to give the four a gift. Their minds expand and they become connected. They gain psychic powers that allow them to `know' things they should not be able to know.
The story starts with the four as adults, not quite fitting into their world because the psychic gifts that they share make them just a little creepy to people around them. This is a very promising start. Then comes Morgan Freeman and the cavalry and the whole story turns into an `alien invasion' Science Fiction story. It doesn't work as well as it might. I'm not sure why, but King doesn't handle Science Fiction as well as he handles Horror. Within the Science Fiction the `alien' falls into the Horror genre and that part works wondefully. It's the part about the military containing the aliens as part of a 25 year ongoing operation that misses the mark.
Still, despite the fact that it is Science Fiction, it is still a pretty good movie. Lots of blood and pretty scary monsters, probably not for younger children.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com


Steve Langley (Sat, 15 Mar 2003 21:09:24 EST)
"Agent Cody Banks" === a movie
Considering how really well the "Spy Kids" movies have done I was expecting to see a "Spy Kids" rip-off. Didn't happen, this was a "James Bond" rip-off.
This was so James Bond that it is hard to draw many distinctions. Less sex, well, no sex, but all the really neat gadgets, the international world destroying bad guys with some sort of initials to identify their outfit, and a hero who somehow manages, despite being only fifteen years old, to drive a really hot car, defeat any number of bad guys in a straight fight, and manages to blow up everything.
It is a kids' movie. The audience I was with were mostly kids. They really seemed to love it. Parts were played for laughs. Except for one joke the kids didn't laugh at all. They liked the fantasy of the kid hero. Come to think of it, I did too. Kids, don't take your parents.
One thing though, when the super scientist was explaining that the nano-bots would eat anything metallic, or carbon or silicon based, why did he then say that the nano-bots would not attack their glass container? I'm guessing the writer didn't know what glass is made from.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com
((Hahaha, typical. Those guys are science flunkouts. The other one I love is when people outrun a fireball, which any firefighter will tell you is impossible. But it looks good on the blue screen....))


Steve Langley (Sat, 15 Mar 2003 20:55:35 EST)
"The Hunted" === a movie
Interesting story. The audience gets to see everything that happens, but there are two explanations possible, and even now I'm not sure which one is the truth.
Two really great actors. Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro share a characteristic. They both have very arresting faces.
Jones plays "L.T. Bonham", a deep woods scout. He was hired for a time by the American Military to teach special forces personnel how to survive in a wilderness, and how to kill. He was never military himself, but his father was, and his father wanted his remaining son to have all the skills necessary to survive, no matter how dangerous the world became.
Del Toro plays "Aaron Hallman" one of L.T.'s boys. L.T. taught Aaron how to track, hide, infiltrate, and kill. What he couldn't teach him was how to stop killing. That's the story L.T. believes. But then, if Aaron's story is to be believed, the government didn't want him to stop. Once the military was through using his talents, a black ops part of the government found lots more for him to do.
Unfortunately, one of the jobs they gave him got a little to much publicity, and Aaron became a liability. Aaron decided that his only healthy option was to take to the deep woods until everyone forgot about him.
Two deer hunters were killed. Aaron took them for a sweeper team. He went deeper into the woods. Two more hunters came across him. They just might have been sweepers. That, or really stupid. Either way, they too became very dead.
That's where L.T. comes in. The FBI has jurisdiction because the hunters were killed in two different states. They don't know about Aaron, but they do know that L.T. is the best tracker they can hire.
Tight story, great action, good acting, and, for once Hollywood got a knife fight right. The winner in a knife fight is the guy that you can staple together well enough to get him to a hospital. There may not be a winner.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com


Steve Langley (Sun, 9 Mar 2003 19:59:45 EST)
"Tears of the Sun" === a movie
Antoine Fuqua has directed two really powerful movies (may be more). His "Training Day" blew me away last year. He has done it again with "Tears of the Sun". I think he may actually know what he is doing. And, he does it very well indeed.
Despite being in a background of war, a civil war in Nigeria, this is not a war movie. Nor is it an anti-war movie. I guess you could call it an anti-abominaton movie. There is a lot of very graphic man's inhumanity to man. There is also an excellent story about a man whose heart is buried in the darkness, whose life is about following orders. A man who discoveres, almost to his own great surprise, that he is more than that.
Bruce Willis plays "Lt. A. K. Waters" who discovers his own humanity. He is supported by some very fine actors, and a truly wonderful director. See it, but not with your kids.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com
((This is why I really like Steve's reviews, the local critic here totally panned this movie, his reviews are totally unhelpful. Now I will likely go see this one.))


Steve Langley (Mon, 17 Feb 2003 14:01:34 EST)
"Daredevil" === a movie
I have to compare "Daredevil" with "Spiderman". ((Please do!!!)) "Spiderman" was about the teenage nerd becoming the hero who gets the girl. It was all about the upside of being a superhero. ((Which was why my wife and I really liked this one.)) "Daredevil" is not. It is about the dark side of being a super hero. Where Spidey saves the girl and confounds the bad guys, while having a ball web slinging his way through the sky, Daredevil stays in the shadows, leaping and falling, stomping on criminals, and, losing the girl.
I liked it. I think the presentation of the Daredevil radar sense was incredibly better than anything else I have seen in the way of technical effects. I loved Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios. From the trailers I thought she was another superhero character. Turns out she had all of the requirements except for the part of being a superhero. Ben Affleck looked pretty good both as Matt Murdock, the blind attorney with a built in lie detector, and as Daredevil, the man without fear.
The origin story was pretty good.
But the movie was too dark to make it as a really big blockbuster.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com
((And this is why my wife has no interest in seeing it.... I might get her to go, but I doubt it. But my wife and I both loved this next one and saw it twice.))


Steve Langley (Mon, 17 Feb 2003 13:48:17 EST)
"Chicago" === a movie
Take a step back in time to Chicago of the 20's where Jazz was king. Absolutely brilliant movie.
I don't see a lot of musicals but `Chicago' seemed to me to have a whole new concept in musical. The music was done in parallel to the story. While the story of the two murderesses unfolded the music, the dance, the songs, acted as a background metaphor for the foreground story. It was clever, funny, and non-stop entertaining.
I can see why Renee Zellweger received an Academy Award Nomination.
What I can't quite get my mind around is how she was the oh so zaftig Brigitte Jones and then became the tiny little Roxie Hart. When she and Catherine Zeta Jones did their double act, she shimmied her butt with a `boop boop de doop' look, leaving Zeta Jones with "BAM BAM BE DO BANG" in comparison.
Richard Gere can even sing and dance. Who knew? Actually it was his tapdancing in the story that really counts. As `Billy Flynn' the defense attorney who never lost a case, his many levels of manipulation were a wonder to behold.
Special recognition of Christine Baranski who usually plays worldy wise woman as `Mary Sunshine' the journalist who sees nothing but good in the worst of us.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com
((Yowza, yowza, yowza. Yeah, I thought Christine Baranski was great too, better than Queen Latifah. This was just a visual wonderment on the big screen. I thought it was just great, a bit fluffy to be sure, but that's the definition of a musical.))


Steve Langley (Sun, 5 Jan 2003 19:50:27 EST)
"Two Weeks Notice" - a movie
I wasn't going to this movie when I was driving to the theatre. But being compulsively early, I turned out to be so early that "Two Weeks Notice" was a better fit. I like Sandra Bullock a lot, ever since I fell for her smile in `Demolition Man'. Hugh Grant isn't way up on my must see list, but he is all right. `So,' I says to myself says I `I'm going to "Two Weeks Notice''.
This is one of those opposites attract plots. Bullock plays `Lucy Kelson' a passionate quixote of lost causes. Grant plays `George Wade' a rich man who is the public face of a particularly greedy corporation that stomps all over the lost causes that `Lucy' is defending.
They meet when she tries to convince "George" to do the right thing over a community center that his corporation is about to raze. He agrees to preserve the community center if she will become his chief counsel. His previous chief counsel was just fired for incompetence by `George's' older brother, who really runs the corporation.
`George' wants `Lucy' as chief counsel primarily because he knows it will annoy his brother. She agrees to take the job if it means saving the community center.
For the next half a year or so he makes her life miserable by calling her night and day to make petty decisions for him. He is a womanizer, shallow beyond belief, and unable to select a pair of shoes to wear without `Lucy' okaying them first.
She is the best lawyer his firm has ever had. She somehow manages to improve the bottom line while also managing to keep the corporation from acting like a robber baron.
Somehow it gets to be too much for `Lucy' and she tries to quit. ((Gee, I wonder why???)) `George' is addicted to her telling him how to run his life and so doesn't want to let her go. He makes some calls and she finds herself blacklisted.
All of this is witty and charming and pretty funny. `George' finally agrees to let `Lucy' go if she can find him a replacement that is as good as she is. A very ambitious red head appears and `George' hires her at first sight.
Now I can sort of see the attraction that `Lucy' holds for George. She is beautiful and she is lots smarter that anyone else he knows, and she is passionate. Granted the passion is about doing the right thing, but passion is passion. What I can't see is why anyone as amazing as `Lucy' could look at `George' and have any reaction other than her skin crawling a little.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com
((Sounds like this one is a bit better than I had thought, maybe I'll still catch it.... with my delays, some of these are horrendously out of sequence....))


Steve Langley (Mon, 30 Dec 2002 01:07:34 EST)
"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ... a movie
Once more this is a popular work of fiction. Not much point in my trying to explain the story. "The Two Towers" tells of the epic battle between good and not so good and outright evil between the other two books. It introduces a whole slew of new characters. I'm only going to mention one and one who appeared in the first movie but really came into focus in this one.
Brad Dourif seems doomed to be cast as creepy little evil men. But, he does it so well. I can not imagine Grima Wormtongue any other way. His voice was so melodic and his look so foul. What a perfect interpretation. ((Yes, underrecognized and a wonderful performance.))
Andy Serkis brought Gollum/Smeagol into a whole new light for me. A wee beasty under compulsion of a powerfully evil artifact, the one ring. This interpretation gave him a split personality, Gollum, the creature of the ring, and Smeagol who wanted nothing more than to help Frodo keep the ring out of Sauron's hand (I'm anthropormorphizing here, Sauron probably doesn't actually have a hand.)
Great followup to the "Fellowship".
Steve, Steflan of aol.com


Steve Langley (Sun, 15 Dec 2002 20:30:13 EST)
"Star Trek: Nemesis" - a movie
Great premise with one slight bit of thin... Jean Luc Picard was cloned by the Romulans in a plot to substitute the clone for the original. In order for the plan to work the clone would have to age more swiftly. So they doctored his RNA to make him start to age more quickly once he had reached physical maturity. Then, as happens on Romulus there was a sudden change of government and the clone idea was scrapped, along with the clone.
He was sent to the slave mines of Remus, Romulus's less fortunate sister planet. Remus only shows one side to the sun and the other side is hardly habitable. But life is tenacious, and Remusans evolved. They look a lot like vampires actually.
Of course, the boy was of the DNA of Jean Luc Picard, so he didn't curl up and die. Instead he thrived, becoming the Remusan leader. Under his leadership the Remusans developed a super weapon (this is the part that is a bit thin), and with it, the clout to develop a really super starship. Then one thing lead to another and he, in another sudden change of government, became the leader of Romulus, too.
He invited the Federation to send an emissary. He knew exactly where Enterprise was at the time, and so knew that his future self would be the emissary.
Really great premise. Possibly the best of the Star Trek movies.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com
((Interesting, as a Star Trek fan, I really didn't like it all that much. It certainly held my interest, but seemed designed to get a wider audience, an audience that probably never showed up in the first place. The Box Office on this was pretty poor.))


Steve Langley (Sun, 30 Mar 2003 14:50:37 EST)
"The Core" === a movie
Someone once wrote that Science Fiction requires a willing suspension of disbelief. I went to see "The Core" full of disbelief, expecting to see some pretty silly science fiction wrapped in some really great technical effects. Well I was right about the technical effects. The story, despite the rather wild premise, turned out to be intelligent, and well written. The characters were far from wooden, and managed to grow into the parts saving the world required of them.
Lots better movie than I expected. Lots better Science Fiction than I expected.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com
((Again, a movie that was panned, but sounds like it just might be fun to see!!))


Steve Langley (Sun, 30 Mar 2003 14:59:17 EST)
"Basic" === a movie
This is a Rashomon type mystery story set in a US military installation in Panama. I'm not sure I followed all of the twists in the plot. The story is told by people who are lying. A serious crime has been committed, a gun fight amongst the people on a training mission. The people telling the story are the survivors. Then pieces of the story are surmised by the people interrogating them. All the versions are presented on the screen. Actually sort of edge of the seat stuff with so many layers that it is hard to keep track. The surprise ending was a surprise. At least I didn't see it coming. What I saw coming was about three twists down the story before it got to the actual ending.
Steve, Steflan of aol.com


Rick Desper (Mon, 24 Mar 2003 07:10:18 -0800 (PST))
Well, the Oscars are in. The best news was that Gangs of NY was shut out! Really, Marty, if you want the Oscar, try making a good movie again. You've done it many times in the past. ((Yeah, I'm not quite sure why some people were THAT excited about this movie. Lots of spectacle to be sure, but not that great a movie.))
I was pleasantly surprised to see The Pianist do so well (Best Actor, Best Director(!) and Best Adapted Screenplay). ((Yes, absolutely, very much worth it!!!))
I still don't understand how Nicole Kidman won for The Hours. Well, she was the dominant actress for the past two years, so one can think of it as a "body of work" award. ((Must be, the Hours really wasn't very good, was it. And Nicole Kidman's flat performance wasn't very exciting or even depressing. Maybe I just didn't get it. I thought that the 50's "middle story" was the best of all, with a great performances by both women there. And John C. Reilly might have been better in the Hours than in Chicago.))
Sadly, Chicago is now up there with Braveheart and Shakespeare in Love as inexplicable "Best Pictures". What was all the fuss about? ((Awwww, come on, it wasn't a great picture, but I think it deserved the Oscar, would you have rather seen the Pianist win that too?? Perhaps, that's the only one I could have seen.))
The best part of the ceremony was watching how various people put anti-war messages in their speeches. They varied from Michael Moore's outburst (followed by an embarrassingly thuggish joke by Steve Martin) to Dustin Hoffman, who, as he was describing the world at war in "The Pianist", did so so slowly and meaningfully you could tell that he had a bit more on his mind than Warsaw circa 1941.
Rick, rick_desper of yahoo.com
((Whoops, here is your "pre-note".... just for fun, I'll keep them in this order.))


Rick Desper (Sun, 23 Mar 2003 14:20:37 -0800 (PST))
Blecch. Not a good year for the Oscars.
Best Picture: Chicago will win, which is a travesty. This is a vastly overrated movie. Moulin Rouge was MUCH better last year, and didn't get any consideration. The story is silly, the singing mediocre, and the dancing is not much better (except for C Z-J.) ((I disagree, I think Chicago was much better than Moulin Rouge. I guess tastes just differ.))
My pick among the five nominated would be The Two Towers. Gangs of NY is even worse than Chicago. The Hours would be a respectable choice, but it won't happen (a movie about three women winning Best Picture? Yeah, right!) I haven't seen the Pianist. ((I hope you've seen it by now, that would have been my pick if Chicago were eliminated.))
Best Director: Scorcese will win for Gangs of NY, even though it's a mediocre film at best. Again, Peter Jackson would be a better choice, but he's not even nominated this year! Look for him to win next year. Of the five nominees, I would pick Pedro Almodovar for Talk to Her, a great Spanish film.
Best Actor: Buzz is for Nicholson. The only nominated performance I've seen was Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of NY. He was the only good thing about that movie, so I would not be upset if he won. This category has a lot of former winners. It would be nice to see Michael Caine win, but I don't think any movie that is even vaguely anti-war will be politically acceptable right now. ((I would have chosen Michael Caine, that was just such a great performance, I hated Nicholson's performance, and not in a "good way" like say I hated his performance in Ironweed.))
Best Actress: a 3-woman race, with Salma Hayek and Diane Lane not in the running. Why was Nicole Kidman nominated for a mediocre performance in The Hours, but not last year for Moulin Rouge? I didn't think that Kidman was even the best actress in that film! I thought both Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore were better. If the Chicago wave is big, Renee Zellwegger would win. I haven't seen Far From Heaven, but I have to think that Julianne Moore was the best of the three, from the reviews I've read. But going with buzz, I'll pick Kidman, who deserves a break. The Academy is fond of giving Best Actor/Actress awards to people for the wrong movies. ((I did like Kidman's performance in Moulin Rouge last year, Julianne Moore was tremendous, really tremendous, as was the woman from Muriel's Wedding, whose name is escaping me this instant, but she was great as Julianne Moore's friend.))
(At one point, somebody actually said, "And the Oscar for his performance in `Cool Hand Luke' goes to....George Kennedy!" Ay Caramba!)
Best Supporting Actor: Geez, I really have not seen enough of the major films this year. I haven't seen Adaptation, but reportedly both Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep were great. John C. Reilly CANNOT win for playing Mr. Cellophane in Chicago. That must NOT happen. (I like the actor, but that was a weak role for him.) ((You really need to see Adaptation, that was an absolutely brilliant film. I might almost give IT the Oscar, but they never give the Oscar to "trick films". And Chris Cooper did give the performance of the year, supporting or otherwise.)) Can Christopher Walken win for Catch Me if You Can? He's done a lot of better work. Ed Harris for The Hours? ((Yuck, not that performance.)) I don't think so. Paul Newman for The Road to Perdition? I think the Academy is going to go with Cooper, which was the only performance of the five I have not seen. Of the other four...I really don't like them all that much. All of them have been better in other films. Newman's character is too simple, Walken seems like he's showboating a little bit, and Harris and Reilly just don't have much to work with. Forced to pick one of the four, I'd go with Harris. But I'd be rooting for the one guy I hadn't seen yet. Andy Serkis should be here and should win for playing Gollum in The Two Towers!
Best Supporting Actress: The two Chicago nominations should be written off immediately. C Z-J is good, but it's still just a silly musical! What's the big deal?!? Julianne Moore was very good in The Hours. But she's hurt because she's also up for Best Actress, and she's up against Meryl Streep, ((Sorry, my confusion, I would have given this to Julianne Moore for the Hours.... Meryl was great in Adaptation, much better than in the Hours.)) who was reportedly great in Adaptation. (She was also great in The Hours, I thought.) Kathy Bates? Voters don't want to think about her naked. I think Streep will win. Not having seen Adaptation, I would want Moore to win.
Best Foreign Language Film: Well, if Spain had nominated Talk to Her in this category, it would win in a walk. I haven't seen the others.
Best Animated Film: Ick. The nominees in this category are embarrassing. It was OK for Shrek to win it. But shouldn't there be some threshhold? Reportedly the Japanese film, Spirited Away, is good. And kids liked that Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron movie. One of the two should win.
Best Adapted Screenplay: How can this not go to Adaptation? :) A screenplay about adapting a screenplay!
Best Original Screenplay: Hey, there's My Big Fat Greek Wedding! I'll cross my fingers and hope "Talk to Her" can win.
That's about it for the major categories. The Two Towers should mop up in the minor categories. Next year, it should mop up in the major categories. At the very least, Peter Jackson should win Best Director in a landslide. Ian McKellen is a possible winner for Best Supporting Actor, but I would prefer Andy Serkis. (I say this before the movie is even released!) I also expect The Return of the King to be a favorite for Best Picture, possibly for Best Adapted Screenplay, and possibly Viggo Morgenstern or Elijah Wood would also get Best Actor consideration (or Supporting Actor for Viggo M.)
On the whole, a week year for the Oscars. Chicago could be the worst Best Picture since Braveheart. (I'm blocking my memories of "Shakespeare in Love" winning anything. Miramax is evil.) Yeah, it's an OK, fun musical, but it's nowhere near "Great". And Renee Zellwegger does not sing or dance particularly well. ((But that's precisely why it IS great moviemaking....))
Rick, rick_desper of yahoo.com
((Here's some stuff on the NCAA's to make us look silly....))


Rick Desper (Thu, 20 Mar 2003 08:14:04 -0800 (PST))
It's that time of year. As I see it, the top teams are: Kentucky, Arizona, Oklahoma.
The winner should be one of those three. Texas I think will be upset, perhaps by LSU. I like Pitt, but they're in the wrong region. Syracuse has a good chance of making the Final Four - they travel to Boston for the first two rounds and to Albany for the regionals. The winner of the South could be Maryland, UConn, Florida, or Texas.
OK, let's be homers. I'll pick Kentucky, Arizona, Oklahoma, and UConn for the Final Four. The real final will be the Kentucky-Arizona game, which Kentucky will win. I'll run with the Kentucky Blue to win it all.
I don't have a lot of early round upsets for you. Who's vulnerable? Notre Dame has been awful recently. The Big Ten and ACC teams are weak, and Duke in particular is overrated.
I would give a more complete accounting, but the ESPN site is jammed right now!
Rick, rick_desper of yahoo.com
((I agree with almost all of your thoughts, but I like to pick at least one wild upset.... this year, I am picking Oregon to upset Kentucky and send everyone's bracket into a tizzy!!! Remember that UK is disciplined and careful, but they DON'T have superstar talent. Oregon COULD beat them.... so I've predicted they will. Then, I think Arizona will win it. Duke will lose, I agree, and I think Pitt WILL get to the Final Four.... make of all that what you will. Pitt won't beat UK, Oregon has to do it for them.... and Syracuse WILL make the Final Four!!! Rich Goranson sent me an article on the awful St. Bonaventure situation which I am not reprinting.... and then:))


Rich Goranson (Wed, 5 Mar 2003 23:09:08 EST)
It was the university president's involvement in the case which has so enraged the fans.
((That's for damned sure. I can't fathom the players actually refusing to play the last two games. Yeah, the school let them down by allowing this to happen (the CC coach in Florida TOLD St. Bona. that he was ineligible), but they had a responsibility to each other. Jim Baron is one of the great college basketball coaches in America, I'm happy he is RI, but I'm sorry for Western NY.))
It does seem that coaches who leave WNY seem to do well. Just look at how John Beilein keeps doing at Richmond. Eventually Reggie Witherspoon at UB is going to end up fired through no fault of his own and he'll end up in a competent organization and show people what he can do. The situation in Olean right now is just disgraceful.
One thing I liked about the article was that it called St. Bonaventure a "real" college and not just a football and basketball factory. It was a nice slam on the University of Georgia. My wife, a Canisius alum, disagrees, generally saying, "Franciscans...pah!" (Canisius is a Jesuit institution) St. Bonaventure is indeed academically tough and in many ways it is surprising that they maintain a successful Division I program in what many consider to be a major conference. Opponents from all over the country fear heading into Olean. John Chaney of Temple says it's the toughest place in the country to play. I've never actually seen a basketball game at The Pit but I have been there for other functions. It's close. It's stifling. It's uncomfortable. You can't breathe. Even in a non-sports environment the excitement gets to you.
I also thought it was good that Feinstein attacked the class of people who have really been the real problems in college athletics...university presidents. Admittedly they are under a difficult strain. College athletics are, first and foremost, a recruiting and moneymaking tool. An athletic program gets your university's name in the papers, even if it is just in the sports section. It gets you name recognition. Even if people know nothing about your university they have likely heard that its got a good (or bad) basketball or football team. Some universities (like Wichita State or Minnesota-Duluth) need that name recognition in order to draw ANYONE. I'm not talking just athletes, I'm talking enough warm bodies to fill the chairs. The more people have heard of their school, the more applications you're going to get and the more selective you can be about admission requirements. I wouldn't be suprised if there has been a radical jump in applications to schools like Gonzaga or Valparaiso or Tulsa or Southern Illinois in recent years just because of how they've done in the tourney lately.
Admittedly some universities are both academic centres and athletic hotbeds. Duke, Florida and Stanford aren't the easiest places to get a degree from and they also have a tradition of athletic excellence as well. That is exactly my point. Those three, and many others, are FLOODED with applications every year. Everyone has heard of them. The reason everyone has heard of them isn't because of Duke's magnificent medical centre (which has unfortunately been rather prominent in the news lately) or the chemistry department of Florida which invented Gatorade and revolutionized athletic nutrition, or the world's first website at Stanford. People have heard about them because of what they see on the football fields and basketball courts, watching ESPN. The money gained from athletics and the name recognition is SO great that presidents will do anything to keep that flow coming. Wickenheiser saw an opportunity to get his univeristy more name recognition and improve his basketball team and he went and did it, hoping that he wouldn't get caught. The fact that the violation was so clear, so obvious, they KNEW it was so clear and obvious and Wickenheiser was STILL willing to take the risk anyway should tell you just how desperate some people are to keep their university's name in the papers.
Rich, ForlornH of aol.com
((Yeah, and we have just had a little mini-drama around here where Jim Baron was being wooed by Virginia Tech, but URI came up with some money and kept Baron here. Now here's to the NCAA doing the right thing and not lowering the boom on URI for all of the Jim Harrick era shenanigans. We all thought Baron was gone because he would be worried about having to coach under the sanctions. But no, he decided to stay anyway. Nice story if you didn't hear about it.))


Mike Barno (Wed, 12 Mar 2003 19:02:09 -0500)
The UConn women LOST the title game to 'Nova?? What is Brad Wilson saying now? ((I don't know, that was the Big East Tourney crown of course...))
You still picking them for the national tourney crown?
Mike, mpbarno of lightlink.com
((Absopositivutely!!! I still keep lamenting what a powerhouse they would have been this year with Nicole Wolff, but just think, they'll be even better next year!!!))


Warren Goesle (Fri, 21 Mar 2003 07:59:10 -0500)
Jim-Bob,
I'm sure that the reason that TAP has been slow of late is because I haven't sent in my usual "filler" material complaining about the state of baseball, making fun of your Red Sox' loyalties, etc., and for that I apologize. While I have a chance, let me try to make it up to you...
NCAA: let me just say that if I manage to beat you in Jamie's pool this year that you should re-think your strategy for picking teams, since I have seen NO basketball all year. Haven't read much about it in the paper either. I just get in the pool to make fun of you. No charge. ((As long as Syracuse wins on Saturday, I beat you safely!!))
NHL: This is new, as I now fear that hockey is going the way of baseball, as we've just seen the largest trading session at the deadline ever. Many teams, my own Blackhawks among them, dumped salaries rather than tried a last gasp attempt at making the playoffs. I fear this is more than a trend, and hockey may be pricing itself out of many markets. Stay tuned. ((Yes, it could be a disaster lost season when the labor pact expires.))
MLB: Ok, let's make the picks first, since that's the easy part...
AL: Yankees, White Sox, Angels, Mariners (WC). ((I think Red Sox actually beat the Yankees out this year. Seriously, really will happen, Yankees will hang onto the WC. Minnesota surely will win the Central and the Angels will miss the playoffs. Bet on the A's. The article in the last NY Times Magazine on Billy Beane is a MUST read, especially for you. It's why you're full of crap on your one note charley money thing.... yeah, really!!!))
NL: Braves, Astros, Dodgers, Diamondbacks (WC). ((Oh, this is SO wrong. First of all, Braves are surely going in the tank, they have NO chance of winning. I choose Philly, but that is chancemaking thing. I think the Cardinals will beat out the Astros, but that will be very, very close. In the west, you err in discounting my Giants, who will be back again. The question is how and who of the Dodgers and Diamondbacks miss the playoffs. I guess, even with the great pitchers, Arizona is out. I think the Giants will get the WC.))
WS: Yankees over Dodgers. ((Hah, no way, neither team makes it past the first round. In the NL, it will be a bit of a surprise team. Could even be Florida (who might beat out the Phillies!), but probably the winner of the Central, either the Astros or the Cards, will be in the World Series, and surely lose. Which AL team will win? I won't say for fear of jinxing them, but you know who I mean. And if they don't, this time the A's actually get there and win!!! That will stick the knife in your theory the best.))
Ratings: More dismal than last year.
I'm just going to keep picking Atlanta to win their division until they don't, since it is now at 11 in a row. I don't care how many ex-Braves the Phillies or Mets have. I'm also going to pick the Yankees to torment Red Sox fans from here to eternity. There's gotta be someone I can make money off of with that.
Still no sign of fiscal responsibility in MLB, and it's only getting worse. The Yankees payroll will now buy you a squadron of F/A-18s every year, just in case you want to have fun over southern Iraq (ordinance and fuel extra). With their shenanigans this year, it ought to be apparent even to you that something has to be done, as they are now dictating who will play against them by supporting other teams with their own payroll. It isn't just the $170M they are paying their own players now, as they pay a lot of deferred salaries to players that they made sure didn't go to Boston. Where is Desper? Shouldn't he be livid about this? ((I don't know, probably.))
A couple of notes on my picks: Bud Selig has found a way to bring more teams into the playoff picture, as now all 5 teams in the AL Central have become small market teams. If any of them can break out of their payroll ruts, like Cleveland did a few years ago, they will dominate. If you put them all in the other 2 divisions and played a balanced schedule none of them would finish over .500, and only 2 would finish over .400. Look for Chicago to have more depth than Minnesota this year, with or without Thomas.
Oakland has announced that they can't keep Tejada's salary after this year. That has to be encouraging for the A's. "If I play well enough here, I can go elsewhere to make big money." Look for a lot of them to chase stats instead of wins. ((You have that precisely backwards. And they will get better after Tejada leaves, just like they did when Giambi left, Jason, not Jeremy.))
The Seattle pick for the wild card is a huge guess, as I couldn't find another team in the entire league that could compete with New York or Anaheim money-wise. Maybe Toronto. The Red Sox' money is apparently no good, the Orioles can't shoot straight, and Texas only has 1 player.
Meantime, I'm going off to watch a sport where a lot more teams have a chance to win: NASCAR. See ya.
Goz, wgoesle of core.com
((You've also got Don Del Grande talking about money, though....))


Don Del Grande (Mar. 30, 2003)
With all the talk about NCAA basketball pools, I thought I'd mention what has to be the only one that matters: the one that the NCAA runs to hand out the TV contract money. When CBS paid for the rights to a handful of NCAA tournaments (read: the Division I men's basketball tournament, plus a few others they feel might get some interest, although all of them are now on ESPN now that the baseball College World Series has gone to a 2-out-of-3 final), there was a bit of an argument over how that money should be distributed. The non-powerhouses said that it should be based on how many sports a school runs; the basketball schools said it should be based on how well a team does in the tournament. The compromise: some is based on sport and scholarship counts, and some goes to each conference based on how well its teams have done over the past six tournaments (including the current one).
The tournament-based money is $97,500,000 this year, divided into 746 shares as follows:
One share for each team a conference has in the tournament, from 1998 to 2003;
One share for each game won by a team from that conference from 1998 to 2003, except the Final Four and the 64 vs 65 game that everybody insists on calling a "play-in" but it's not, as a play-in is something that determines whether or not a team gets into the tournament in the first place. (In fact, the first year the tournament went to 64 teams, there were three play-in games; the six conferences with the worst RPIs were told in advance their champions would have to play an extra game to get into the tournament.) The conferences are supposed to divide the money equally among their basketball-playing members (and although there's nothing that requires this, I'm making that assumption). Note that if a school changes conferences, any shares it won while in the old conference stay with the old conference (so tough luck for the Mountain West for its first few years).
That being said, here's how it turned out this year - this year's conferences get about $130,700 per share this year, and presumably increased amounts in future years depending on the contract (assuming they don't change the rules). The per-team amounts (with shares and teams in parentheses):
Big 12 (19/12): $206,940
Big 10 (13/11): $154,460
Pacific 10 (11/10): $143,770
SEC (12/12), ACC (9/9), Big East (14/14): $130,700 each
Conference USA (9/14): $84,020
The other conferences get $65,350 or less per school. Note that all teams in a conference get the money, not just the ones that make the tournament.
Meanwhile, here's how the money is distributed from the women's tournament: after expenses, the NCAA keeps all of it. For that matter, that's what happens to all of the money in all of the NCAA tournaments except for Division I men's basketball. (The BCS has a similar money-sharing policy, but the teams that participate get larger shares.)
Now, how soon before somebody says, "How come none of that money ends up in the players' hands?" (And then, how soon before the reply comes: "Because not only would you have to pay the women the same amount - of course the men are better and more people want to watch them; that's why Title IX exists - but how do you get away with paying the basketball players but not, say, the ice hockey or lacrosse or water polo (that ought to cover most of the country) players? They need money too...")
- Don
((Well, Don, of course they don't, but if there was pay, they would pay everyone. I would think you would treat it like a "part time campus job" where you would get paid for all of your practice and game time on an hourly basis, so the amounts would depend on how long and hard the players worked. At least that's how I'd do it. We're not talking about paying them millions that way, probably about $10,000 at most per player. That would allow them to buy clothes, make phone calls, live around campus like the rest of the students, but really wouldn't be enough to have any more than a cheap car - no Porsche or Land Rovers.))


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

2000G, No Lawyers Welcome
Game over in three way draw between Italy, Russia, and Austria. Final issues in next issue.
Sorry all, I've been meaning to write something but it just isn't happening. (Work has been a real bitch the last couple months). I figured I better get these out. Attached is an Excel file with all of the stats if you're interested.
Congrats on the draw to Bob, Jim, & Brendan. Special congrats to Paul on his survival. See you all whenever, Russ


"No Lawyers" game 2000G GERMANY (Mike Barno) endgame statement
Yay, nobody else won either. I started next to my old chum Randy Ellis. So of course I got lied to and attacked. I outlasted him (though his Great Power eventually was in the big boring draw), but eventually was too small and ill-positioned to be of use, so I got cut out of the coalition of the moment. Too much aggravation this game, not enough glorious victory or big entertaining fun. Oh well, back to standby positions. Thanks to Russ for guest-GMing, and best wishes to all the players.


Paul Rauterberg, France
HOORAY!! It's over, and I'm a survivor....


Jim Burgess, Italy
Congratulations all. Well played. Some thought that Brendan had the win, but I never thought so and marshalled the forces into what eventually locked things up. But I thought that ultimately I could break through and Brendan stopped that too. It was weird and it was mostly fun.


Bob Osuch, Austria, My End of Game Statement (Austria):
I began this game what seems like ages ago. After the gamestart, J-B informed me that four of our fellow players were members of a Diplomacy Club and to watch out for coalitions based on that. Thanks, J-B, I thought. Upon further investigation, I found that J-B was correct, with a snag. Apparently Kent, the Turkish player, was the Club's version of the village idiot. I would never go that far...just repeating what I was told by soon to be Russian ally.
The game began and to my chagrin, Turkey and Russia appeared to be allied against me. I had asked Italy (J-B) to stay out of Tyrolia, thus I knew he would move there. So I enlisted Germany's help by asking him to order A Mun-Tyo in S01. I knew from the old days that Barno was a good, reliable player. Boy what a difference a couple decades can make! Barno botched his orders and Italy was in Tyrolia.
The key to the game for me was when Turkey NMRed in F01. The Russian (Randy Ellis) admitted that he was going to use the Turk against me, but the NMR changed his mind. We allied, wiped out the Turk, and began to steamroll west. Finding himself friendless, J-B agreed to help me eliminate France. Before long Spain and portugal had yellow blocks in them.
I was having trouble with my Russian ally. He insisted on wasting units for "defense" against a possible stab rather than committing everything to the front. We argued incessantly about this, but he refused to budge. I made my mind up that he would have to go. I stabbed him and for a time had what looked like a winning position. I had promised Italy half of a two-way. Apparently, that wasn't good enough for him.
About this time the French and Russian players quit. I later found out that the Club was the Western Diplomatic Quitters Association. Go figure. Anyway, the French replacement player was Paul Rauterberg. I was not amused. Paul and I go way back and have never seen eye-to-eye on the gaming board. When J-B then turned against me, I had an intense hatred for both of them.
Their alliance succeeded in knocking me out of Iberia, but that was the extent of their damage. It became obvious that there would be a stalemate in the Med and the Alps. The game hinged on Prussia and Scandinavia. I had made peace with the new Russian player and we were progressing nicely in that area. As it turned out, a French change of orders that was never received by Russ was the turning point of the game. Russia broke the stalemate line, stabbed me, and went for the win.
J-B, Paul and I were forced to ally. The less than inspired Russian play allowed us to regroup and prevent the win. I must admit I had given up at one point. No doubt, Russia had us, but when he let us off the ropes J-B orchestrated the final couple of gameyears. He did a nice job the final two years. No comment on the previous sixteen.
Given the potential well of talent involved, 2000G was very poorly played on the tactical end. My play was only slightly less incompetent than the rest. But it was sure fun to get together with a bunch of great guys and I would have no qualms about doing it again sometime. Maybe in my next life.
Thanks to Russ for doing a fine job GMing. OK, so there were a couple episodes, but you staged a tremendous comeback after the rehab.


End Game Statement: Russia: Brendan Mooney
I entered this game as a standby. At the time, it appeared that Russia had just been stabbed by Austria after a long standing alliance. Austria held Moscow, Warsaw and Sevastapol, while Russia held many of the Turkish centers. The first few turns consisted of me retaking the Russian home centers while Austria took the Turkish centers. On the other sides of the board Italy was getting in position to take on Austria. While France and I mopped up the remnants of the English and German units. Once the other western powers were eliminated France then stabbed me. This led to Austria and I agreeing to a cease fire. Our combined forces were then able to move rapidly westward. After a couple turns, France and Italy seemed content to concede to the Austro-Russian juggernaut. However, I decided to go for the win. I voted against the AR draw and stabbed Austria. At the time I knew that I could be stopped, but only if AIF cooperated closely. Unfortunately for me, they did. It was a good fight but, in the end they were able to establish a line to stop me. I was disappointed with the three-way draw but, I have to admit that all involved earned their positions.
Thanks to Russ for inviting me to take over this interesting position. It was great fun to play. Russ kept the game moving and made sure the players were involved. Congratulations to Jim, Paul and Bob for putting up a good defense. I just couldn't pass up the chance to go for the win.

Russ Rusnak 1551 High Ridge Parkway Westchester, Il 60154 GM 708 409-0718 RRRRRUSNAK of AOL.com
Bob Osuch 19137 Midland Ave. Mokena, Il. 60448 AUSTRIA 708 478-3885 ROsuch4082 of aol.com
Bruce Linsey PO Box 234 Kinderhook, NY 12106 ENGLAND GonzoHQ of aol.com
Paul Rauterberg 3116 W. Amer. Dr. Greenfield, WI 53221 FRANCE 414-691-4264 trauterberg of wi.rr.com
Mike Barno 634 Dawson Hill Road Spencer, NY 14883 GERMANY 607 589-4906 mpbarno of lightlink.com
Jim Burgess 664 Smith Street Providence, RI 02908 ITALY 401 351-0287 burgess of world.std.com
Brendan Mooney bkmooney of comcast.net RUSSIA
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 if you let me know in advance to be sure the fax machine is set up.
I am continuing to note cut or failed support orders with a small "s" instead of a capital "S". This will make it easier on the E-Mailed version of the szine to see what happened, since the italics don't show there. The italics DO show on the web page just fine.
Standby lists:
Bruce Linsey, Mike Barno, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Paul Rauterberg, Bob Osuch, Doug Kent, Sean O'Donnell, Kevin Wilson, Heath Gardner, Phil Reynolds, Paul Kenny, and Dan Gorham stand by for regular Diplomacy.
Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Jim Sayers, and Kurt Ozog stand by for the Modern Diplomacy game.
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
We've got lots of openings in the subszines, check them out!!! Especially, contact Rip Gooch for Railway Rivals as the following maps are available. Following each in parenthesis is the suggested number of players: Isle of Wight (3 or 4); Netherlands (3 or 4); Northern Italy Map P (4 to 8); Spain Map SP (4 to 7); China Mk. I (6 to 8); Austria (3 or 4); Belgium and Luxembourg (3 or 4); Southern Italy Map Q (4); South Sweden Map SWE (3 or 4); Switzerland (3 or 4). Ripping Yarns Mk III will take the form of a tiny subszine in Word as soon as Rip gets some people interested. Come on, help me out!!! Contact Rip Gooch directly at xyropedes of canada.com.
I also am starting a game of the variant I designed, Spy Diplomacy. Signups for that are now open. I'll publish the rules shortly.
You also can sign up for the next Breaking Away game, which is starting now. Tom Howell currently is signed up, knock off the superstar, come on, you can do it!! So far, Eric Brosius and David Partridge want to challenge Tom.
John Harrington is offering to guest GM a game of Office Politics. Any interest in that?? Let me or John know! Jody McCullough is still interested, anyone else?
Harold Reynolds is willing to start a game of Colonia and one of Aberration. I think the signup list for Colonia includes me, David Hood, Paul Rauterberg, David Partridge, and (Yes, really!!) Konrad Baumeister. That means we only need four more.
Robert Paquin (a subscriber to Northern Flame, and a player in a game I'm in) has expressed interest in the Colonia game I'm trying to get started. So I think that brings the list to 7. He'd be an e-mail subber... 8-) Harold
Hi, Jim. In response to your question at the end of the Fletcher Christian blurb in the recent TAP (where nobody seems to have end-of-game statements), and to the game opening info paragraph: You, David Hood, Paul Rauterberg, David Partridge, Konrad Baumeister, and also Rick Desper, have signed on to play. 3 more are needed. I haven't had much luck recruiting anyone else (though Andy York might if I can get 2 more and then wheedle him...).
Sean O'Donnell is interested in Aberration.
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'm more likely to get these things started if I see some interest..... Eoghan is getting tired of waiting....
Right now, the other thing I am contemplating getting going is the Modern Diplomacy game with Wings. Sean O'Donnell, Rick Desper, Alexander Woo, and Kurt Ozog are the only ones signed up for that.
Stephen Agar runs a British Diplomacy mailing list at: http://www.diplomacy.co.uk
and if you are interested, contact Stephen Agar at stephen of meurglys.com or join the Brit hobby mailing list at (aw, you guessed it, another new address): http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/


I CAN'T FIND MY MONEY!: 2001F, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1904 IS APRIL 19TH, 2003
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1905 IS MAY 10TH, 2003
Fall 1904
AUSTRIA (Lockheardt): a TRI S a tyo-ven, a TYO-ven, a RUM-ukr, a GRE S a bul,
a BUL S a gre, a gal-WAR, f ALB S a gre.
ENGLAND (Heikkinen): f ENG S f mid-bre, f mid-BRE, f NTH-den, f PIC S f mid-bre.
FRANCE (Kent): a mar-BUR, a PAR S f bre, f bre s f por-mid (d r:gas,otb), f por-MID,
a SPA h, a RUH-kie.
GERMANY (Sayers): a BER-kie, f BAL-den, a HOL-kie, a BEL-hol.
ITALY (Méhkeri): a VEN-tyo, f ION C a tun-apu, f AEG s TURKISH f con-bul(sc) (nso),
a MUN S a ven-tyo, a tun-APU.
RUSSIA (Desper): a nwy-SWE, f pru-LVN, a MOS S a ukr-sev, a UKR-sev.
TURKEY (Miller): a ARM S a sev, a SMY S f con, f CON h, a SEV S AUSTRIAN a rum-ukr.


Supply Center Chart
AUSTRIA (Lockheardt): TRI,BUD,VIE,ser,gre,rum,bul, (has 7, even)
war
ENGLAND (Heikkinen): LON,LVP,EDI,nwy,bre (has 4, bld 1)
FRANCE (Kent): PAR,MAR,spa,por (has 5 or 6, rem 1(r:otb) or 2)
GERMANY (Sayers): KIE,BER,hol,den,bel (has 4, bld 1)
ITALY (Méhkeri): ROM,VEN,NAP,tun,mun (has 5, even)
RUSSIA (Desper): MOS,STP,swe (has 4, rem 1)
TURKEY (Miller): ANK,SMY,CON,sev (has 4, even)
Neutral: none (Total=34)


Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Chris Lockheardt, 54 Butler Avenue, Maynard, MA 01754, +1 978-897-1547
clockheardt of yahoo.com
ENGLAND: Allan Heikkinen, c/o S.HELEY, 7 / 77 Phillip Street, Waterloo, NSW 2017, AUSTRALIA
aheikkin of ram.net.au
FRANCE: Doug Kent, 1404 E. Lamar Blvd #106, Arlington, TX 76011
dipworld of ix.netcom.com
GERMANY: Jim Sayers, 15 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra 2025, AUSTRALIA
jimp of magna.com.au
ITALY: Dan Méhkeri, 26 DeQuincy Blvd, North York, Ontario, M3H 1Y5, CANADA, +1 416-631-0492
mehkeri of neon.polkaroo.net
RUSSIA: Rick Desper, 5440 Marinelli Road, #204, Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 977-7691, rick_desper of yahoo.com
TURKEY: Tim Miller, 5454 South Shore Drive, Apt. 222, Chicago, IL 60615, +1 773-834-4597
btmiller of uchicago.edu
GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, +1 401-351-0287
burgess of world.std.com


Game Notes:
1) A FART draw is rejected, but with far more support than I would have thought, more because of the apathy. But perhaps you guys are waking up again! Indeed, we have THREE more proposals, for a GRAFT, a TIGER, and a RAFT. The attempt at graft was met by a tiger, so we all escaped on a raft.... Anyway, vote with your Winter orders on any or all of them.


Press:
(DESPER to BLURBIST): If you moved to Warsaw again, I'll, I'll...well, I'll be very cross and unpleasant.
(SULTAN TIM to HAL 9000): You know, Turkey does smell ... probably something to do with the FART...
(DESPER to TIM): Silence does not an alliance make.
(BOOB to GUYS): Maybe next time there will even be a second conversation or two. Could it be possible....
(DESPER to FOOL): If only...
(BOOB to DESPER): Then again, where Fool is involved.... better not get your hopes up.
(DESPER to WONDER TWINS): Which of you has the animal power? I always that that was much cooler than the water power. "Form of a...popsicle!"
(FRANCE - ALL): The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.
(BOOB to FRANCE): Wise words at any level you care to mention, even at the level of countries.... though most especially important for each of us as individuals.
(DESPER to DOUG): Well, I'm messing around in Scandanavia. Don't know if this'll help you.
(SULTAN TIM to BLABBERING BARON): You best not have double crossed me again (please?).
(BARON to CAST AND CREW OF "AS THE BALKANS TURN”):
Attached is the script for today’s shoot. Last minute revisions were necessary, but we feel this story line should give us the ratings boost we’ve been craving!
[Scene: Constantinople City Hospital. A dashing, turbaned man lies in a coma. At his bedside, a stoic doctor and a distraught Baron.]
Doctor: Baron von Blurbist, I am glad you could make it here on such short notice.
BvB: I was just concluding a peace treaty with the Tsar, but as soon as I had heard the Sultan had awoken from his coma, I rushed straight here.
Doctor: I am afraid he has not completely awoken from his coma. But he has uttered his first words since the tragic "Backed into a Blade” accident.
BvB: What . . . what words were those, Doctor?
[Pan in for close-up.]
Doctor: The words were . . . "Sevastopol supports Rumania to Ukraine.”
[Cue dramatic music.]
BvB: (Brings hands to mouth, eyes wide with shock) Gasp! What do you think it means?
Doctor: (Lays gentle arm about Baron’s shoulder) I have a theory, but it’s only a theory. Before I explain, follow me to this next bed.
[Doctor leads Baron to a hospital bed. In this bed, also in a coma, is a not-quite-so-dashing man in a jester’s cap.]
Doctor: See this patient? When he first came to see me, it was merely for a paper cut on his tongue from licking an envelope. I advised him not to lick any more envelopes until the tongue was fully healed in, say, eight to ten years, and I prescribed him some heavy morphine for the pain. But then, tragically, complications set in. I tried everything I could think of, but it was no use. The only thing left for me to try is the controversial "Venice Treatment.” Only 1% of patients receiving this treatment survive, but that’s a 1% better chance than he has now, poor devil.
BvB: That’s tragic, Doctor. But why did you bring me to see him?
Doctor: Well, his nurse is usually changing his tongue dressings at this time, and she’s a real knockout. But it looks like we missed her, so let’s go back to the Sultan.
[Doctor and Baron return to the Sultan’s bedside.]
Doctor: Anyway, as to my theory, I believe the Sultan is clinging to life in the small hope that the Austrian-Turkish alliance he worked his whole lifetime to achieve, the dream destroyed by the mysterious "Backed into a Blade” accident, will be realized. In effect, the last speck of the Sultan’s consciousness is reaching out desperately to write its own prescription.
BvB: "Sevastopol supports Rumania to Ukraine”?
[Close-up, dramatic music.]
Doctor: Exactly.
BvB: But what about the Russian Peace Conference! The hopes of the world rest on a strong northern fleet. I could doom us all to a culture of Paul Hogan and oil drum beer cans if I attack Russia!
Doctor: I’m afraid that’s a choice only can make.
BvB: The Sultan or the World. How can one man make such a choice? How can one man take that decision upon his soul? [Long pause] Doctor?
Doctor: Oops, sorry. I thought I saw that nurse by the dialysis machine. Man, what do I have to do to get her to give me a chance? Anyway, what was the question?
BvB: It doesn’t matter, Doctor. I know what I have to do.
[Close up. Dramatic music.]
BvB: I’ve always known.
Doctor: Great, great. Say, I hear the Russian diplomacy has a translator with legs that go all the way up, if you know what I mean. You got any idea if she’s single?
[End scene.]


SOMETHING TO BE SCARED OF: 2001D, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1906 IS APRIL 19TH, 2003
Summer 1906
ENGLAND (Sundstrom): R f nwy-BAR; has f NWG, f HOL, f NTH, f SKA, f BAR, f NAO.
FRANCE (Tretick): R f mid-ENG; has a BUR, f MAR, a BEL, f ENG, a GAS.
GERMANY (Williams): has a KIE, a BER, a MUN.
ITALY (McCullough): has f TYH, a PIE, a VIE, f SPA(SC), f NAF, a TRI, f MID.
RUSSIA (McHugh): R a gal-WAR, f ska-SWE, f rum otb; has f STP(NC), a NWY, a WAR,
f SWE, a BOH.
TURKEY (O'Donnell): has f AEG, a SER, a BUL, f WES, a GAL, f SEV, a RUM.


Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Doug Kent, 1404 E. Lamar Blvd #106, Arlington, TX 76011
dipworld of ix.netcom.com
ENGLAND: Matt Sundstrom, 1760 Robincrest Lane South, Glenview, IL 60025, (847) 729-1882 ($5)
Matt.Sundstrom of bbdoch.com or mattandzoe of earthlink.net
FRANCE: James Alan (Jim) Tretick, 1383 Canterbury Way Potomac, MD 20854, (301) 279-0803 ($4)
JTretickGames of aol.com
GERMANY: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (661) 297-3947 ($3)
wllmsfmly of earthlink.net
ITALY: Jody McCullough, 1071 Brown Avenue, Lafayette, CA 94549-3153
jodymc of sbcglobal.net
RUSSIA: Jack McHugh, P.O. Box 427, Claymont, DE 19703, (302) 792-1998
flapjack of comcast.net or Xatsmann of comcast.net
TURKEY: Sean O'Donnell, 1044 Wellfleet Drive, Grafton, OH 44044, (440) 926-0230
sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com or seanfodonnell of yahoo.com


Game Notes:
1) Sailing along.....


Press:


FANTASTIC VOYAGE: 1999K, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1911 IS APRIL 19TH, 2003
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1911 IS MAY 10TH, 2003
Spring 1911
AUSTRIA (Rauterberg): a TRI s a ven, a VEN S a tri, a ROM S a ven.
ENGLAND (Biehl): f EDI-nwg, f IRI-nao.
GERMANY (Osuch): a MUN-ber, a BER-sil, f nth-SKA, a KIE S a mun-ber, a gal s a bud (d ann),
a MAR-spa, a BUD s a gal, a tyo-BOH, a VIE S a bud, a bel-RUH, f CLY-nwg,
a bre-PIC, a POR-spa.
RUSSIA (Tretick): a PRU-sil, f nwg-NTH, a DEN h, a sil-GAL, a WAR S a sil-gal,
f NAO-nwg, a NWY h.
TURKEY (Lutterbie): f ank-CON, f BLA-rum, a UKR S RUSSIAN a sil-gal, f tun-ION,
a ALB-tri, f wes-MID, a SER S a rum-bud, a RUM-bud, f ion-NAP.


Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)
trauterberg of wi.rr.com
ENGLAND: John Biehl, #8 - 11530 84th Avenue, Delta, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V4C 2M1 CANADA,
(604) 591-1832 ($7); jrb of dccnet.com
FRANCE: Rick Davis, 2420 West Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95407, (707) 544-5201,
redavis914 of aol.com
GERMANY: Bob Osuch, 19137 Midland Avenue, Mokena, IL 60448, (708) 478-3885
ROsuch4082 of aol.com
ITALY: Terry Tallman, PO Box 782, Clinton, WA 98236, (360) 710 9613, cell (360) 710-9613 ($2)
terryt of whidbey.net
RUSSIA: Buddy Tretick, 9607 Conaty Circle, Spotsylvania, VA 22553, (540) 582-2356 (E-Mail)
batretick of earthlink.net
TURKEY: Vince Lutterbie, 1021 Stonehaven, Marshall, MO 65340-2837
melvin of cdsinet.net


Game Notes:
1) Note John Biehl's new E-Mail address.


Press:
(MUN): Thanks to all for the warm welcome.
(BOOB to BOB): Indeed, at least there are no summer retreats, so you have two issues to mourn your loss. Reminder, since you haven't played here before, we "take the summer season", which is a press season, even though there are no adjustments.
(LONDON APR 1, 1911): The bells of St Paul's Cathedral rang out a sonorous and gloomy dirge. Inside St Edward knelt and prayed, then rose and approached the rostrum. "My christian subjects, I go now to slay a great beast as St George slew the dragon. I go now to do righteous battle with the Tretiak Grendel - that great white beast which has arisen in the north and who has defiled the bonds of peace. I beseech the Kaiser to join me to rid the world of this abominable creature!" With that pronouncement, Edward, grasped a great two handed sword (which he could barely lift) and called for his war horse (with which to ride into battle). [The Prime Minister had been blunt, "Your Majesty may embark on this crusade as an individual, however, the government will publically disavow all support for you and would require your abdication as head of state. The government, does, however, support your sentiments if not your actions]


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


Game Notes:
1) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed draw passed and I still didn't have a chance to do the final Endgame chart. You have until then to do Endgame statements.
2) Harold Reynolds has done a lot of work with the maps and is guest GMing a new game of Colonia. This fits with my desire to have Spy Diplomacy be my next "big" game to GM, so I accept his offer. I also volunteer to get it started by signing up to play. There are nine players in the variant, could Harold give me an exact count of how many are signed up? Also, Harold ran a test game with Konrad Baumeister, Dave Partridge and Paul Rauterberg that you could look at on his website. See the note above about the Diplomacy A to Z, which also is there.


Press:


SECRETS: 1999D, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1913 IS APRIL 19TH, 2003
Winter 1912
ENGLAND (Sayers): has f LON, a GAS, f NAO, a KIE, f MID, f ENG, f HOL, f POR.
FRANCE (Sasseville): has f MAR, f SPA(SC), a MUN, a BUR.
GERMANY (Barno): has a TRI.
RUSSIA (Reynolds): has a MOS, a LVN, a BER, f BAL, a STP, a PRU.
TURKEY (Linsey): rem f tus; has f ION, a UKR, a WAR, f WES, a SEV,
f TYH, a SIL, a TYO, f NAF, f TUN, a PIE, f GOL, a GAL, a BOH.


Addresses of the Participants
ENGLAND: Jim Sayers, 15 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra 2025, AUSTRALIA ($10)
jimp of magna.com.au
FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($0)
roland6 of cox.net and ICQ: 40565030
GERMANY: Mike Barno, 634 Dawson Hill Road, Spencer, NY 14883
mpbarno of lightlink.com
RUSSIA: Phil Reynolds, 2896 Oak Street, Sarasota, FL 34237, (813) 953-6952
preyno of yahoo.com
TURKEY: Bruce Linsey, PO Box 234, Kinderhook, NY 12106
GonzoHQ of aol.com


Game Notes:
1) The FREGT draw is rejected and then reproposed. I had no complaint, so I granted a request that we go back to where we were on the voting, which is this: (1) Some of you have "perpetual draw votes on this proposal on file", those are still in force; (2) Some of you do not and have been voting every season, for you if you FAIL to vote it counts as a yes vote for the proposal.


Press:
(THEY TRIED TO PUT THE ROGUES IN CHARGE OF THE COMMISSION): "I believe that Osama bin Laden should be tried before the International Criminal Court... I also believe that Henry Kissinger should be tried before the International Criminal Court." (Amy Goodman, in a speech broadcast on NPR radio)
(ANKARA): Turkey votes YES to the 5-way draw, or any other draw including both Turkey and Germany. C'mon guys, Brucey's getting tired, let's get this sucker over with!


EDWARD TELLER: 2002?rn42, Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy - Black Hole Variant
THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1904 IS APRIL 19TH, 2002
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1904 IS MAY 10TH, 2002
Spring 1904
AUSTRIA (Kendter): f tri-ADR, a vie-BOH, a bud-SER; and nukes VEN, TYO, ION, TYH, APU.
ENGLAND (McHugh): f LON h, f EDI h, a lvp-WAL; and nukes PIC, MID(2), ENG, NTH, NWG(2).
FRANCE (Kenny): f BRE h, a PAR h, a MAR h; and 5 nukes unfired in their silos.
GERMANY (Schultz): f KIE h, a BER h, a MUN h; and 5 nukes in their silos.
ITALY (Rauterberg): f nap-Tyh (ann), a ven-TRI, a rom-TUS; and nukes AEG, WES, MID(2), NAO, NWG(2).
RUSSIA (Muller): f STP(SC) h, a MOS h, a WAR h, f SEV h; and 4 nukes unfired in their silos.
TURKEY (Andruschak): f ANK h, a SMY h, a CON h; and 5 nukes unfired in their silos.


Current Standings
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 TOTAL
JOHN SCHULTZ  3  3  3               9
PAUL RAUTERBERG  6  1  6              13
KARL MULLER  2  3  3               8
HARRY ANDRUSCHAK  4  5  0               9
LEE KENDTER, JR.  1  6  2               9
JACK MCHUGH  5  0  3               8
SANDY KENNY  3  1  3               7
Black Holed  8 14  7  1           30
Neutral  2  1  7              10
Totals(eventually) 34 34 34 34 34 34 34 238
Times GM Nuked  0  1  1            2
Whole Frelling Game  0  0  1            1


Addresses of the Participants
John Schultz plays on in our memories....
Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339
trauterberg of wi.rr.com
Karl Muller, 75-17 60 Place, Glendale, NY 11385-6044, (718) 416-1103
karlmuller of alumni.lemoyne.edu or pegandkarl of mindspring.com
Harry Andruschak, 734 West 214th Street, Apartment 12-A Torrance, CA 90502-1907
(310) 533-8945, harryandruschak of aol.com
Lee Kendter, Jr., 1503 Pilgrim Lane, Quakertown, PA 18951
lkendter of speakeasy.net
Jack McHugh, P.O. Box 427, Claymont, DE 19703, (302) 792-1998
flapjack of comcast.net
Sandy Kenny, 23 East Coulter Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108-1208 (609) 869-3160
KennyShire of aol.com or possibly sakenny of net-gate.com


Game Notes:
1) A couple of adjudication notes.... when you guys nuke the same province more than once, I put in parentheses the number of nukes that hit that spot. Also, if your move to a space succeeds and THEN you are annihilated, I capitalize the first letter of that space where you are annihilated. The reverse happens if your move bounces where I capitalize the first letter of the place you started.
2) The rules I have been using for this game have been that there are no replacements or standbies. Nukes for the positions John has will remain unfired in their silos. None of his units will move or support anything. They can be attacked and dislodged and his centers can be nuked. John could win the game this way, conceivably, but likely would not.


Press:
(AUSTRIA to WORLD): Seeing as noone thinks I am worth writing, I am simply nuking my natural enemy of Italy.




FEAR AND WHISKEY: 1998Ers31, Modern Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 2011 IS APRIL 19TH, 2003
Winter 2010
BRITAIN (K. Ozog): has a FIN, f NTH, a LAP, f NWG, f BAL, a MUR, f BRN, f GOB.
EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): R f alg otb, f izm otb; bld f cai; has f CAI, f LBS, f EME, f ION,
f APU, a SYR, a ESA, a IRK.
GERMANY (Rauterberg): has a SIL, a SAX, a MUN, f PRU, f HOL, f GDA, f BRI, a VEN, a PAR,
f ENG, a AUS, a CZE, a LYO, f BEL, a ROM.
SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): has f SOG, f ALG, a BOR, a NAV, a MAR,
f BIS, a NAP, f MAL, a MON.
UKRAINE (Partridge): R a mur-GOR, f ion-ALB; bld f sev; has f SEV,
a ANK, a GRE, a SER, a MOS, a STP, a EST, a KRA, a POD, f IST, f IZM, a GOR,
a SLO, a WAR, f ALB, a ADA, a URA, a HUN,
a LAT, f AEG, a LIT, f ADR, a IRN, a CRO.


Supply Center Chart
BRITAIN (K. Ozog): EDI,LIV,LON,ire,nor, (has 8, even)
swe,den,mur
EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): ALE,ASW,CAI,isr,sau,lib, (has 7 or 8 or 9, bld 1 or even or rem 1)
tun,mor
GERMANY (Rauterberg): BER,FRA,HAM,MUN,hol,cze (has 15, even)
swi,par,lyo,gda,bel,aus,mil,ven,rom
SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): SVE,MAD,BAR,gib,por, (has 9, even)
nap,mar,mon,bor
UKRAINE (Partridge): KHA,KIE,ODE,SEV,ros,rum,bul, (has 21 or 22 or 23, bld 3 or 2 or 1)
geo,ank,mos,bie,gre,gor,ada,irn,
ser,hun,war,cro,ist,kra,lit,stp,izm
Neutral: none (Total=64)


Addresses of the Participants
BRITAIN: Kurt Ozog, 391 Wilmington Drive, Bartlett, IL 60103, (630) 837-2813
heyday6 of yahoo.com
EGYPT: Jeff O'Donnell, 402 Middle Ave., Elyria, OH 44035-5728, (440) 322-2920
or (440) 225-9203 (cell) ($2)
FRANCE: Harry Andruschak ($5)
Tapmdfrance of aol.com
GERMANY: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)
trauterberg of wi.rr.com
ITALY: Eric Ozog, PO Box 1138, Granite Falls, WA 98252-1138, (360) 691-4264 ($3)
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
SPAIN: Sean O'Donnell, 1044 Wellfleet Drive, Grafton, OH 44044, (440) 926-0230 ($3)
sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com or seanfodonnell of yahoo.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) I'm going to start a quiet interest list down here in the next Modern game. I don't want to start it until this game is done or nearly done, but with ten players it may take awhile, so I'll start now. Rick Desper, Sean O'Donnell, Alexander Woo, and Kurt Ozog are in to be four of the players. Any more??? We are going to do it with "wings". But we do need official wings rules, which I seem to be unable to locate. Can anyone assist me there? We have comments by Mike Barno and Sean below.


Press:
(THE MEKONS QUOTE OF THE MONTH): "In your country u'ave nuffink, a paradise of violence, a paradise of nuffink, how come you taste so good?!" from "100% Song" with those snarling Jon Langford leads off of The Curse of the Mekons.
(MIKE BARNO): Sounds like the "Plane" units in Final Conflict. Heck, just let the Modern Dip players use FC planes. Maybe even FC nukes, while you're at it!
(SEAN): I'll have to write Vincent again to see who starts with the wings if I remember right though I know France and Russia start with them and I think two other powers. I'll double check The rule with wings is they are like anyother unit with the exception of the starters anyone can build them and they move just like any other unit with the exception that they can go over land and sea. They do not take a supply center its a blockade the supply center it takes such as W Lyo-Swi Swi is not part of France or W Eng-Hol A Pic S W Eng-Hol German A Hol H Because the Wing took the supply center it doesn't count towards a build for neither player. The other part is if a wing moves out of the supply center it then becomes what ever it was before hand. Ie if it was owned then that person counts it again if it is a neutral then it is again neutral.
(JEFF to WORLD): Quote of the day from Glen Beck, "You wonder what goes through the mind of an assassin who exterminates the life of an artist like John Lennon, when he had a clear shot at Yoko Ono!"
(SEAN-HIS GENERALS): "We did what?" Sean asked. His Generals and advisors answered "We have indeed attacked Egypt's fleet in Algeria, and it will not hamper our war aid to Egypt and Germany and Britain." Sean looked at his Generals and had to nod, but something seemed to be left unsaid - It could be the German movement to Eng, but hey what do I know -
(JEFF to WORLD, PART 2): The story of the day, an orphan snake and orphan rabbit meet in the woods. A sad quirk of fate made them both born blind, not even knowing what they were. They talked about this and decided to wrestle so that each could try to determine what the other species was. When they were done, the snake said to the rabbit, "You have a bushy tail, long fluffy ears, fur, four paws, and a narrow small mouth. I'd have to say that you are a rabbit." The snake then asked the rabbit, "What do you think I am?" "Well, the rabbit said, you slither a lot on the ground retreating from predators. You have forked tongue, and you are generally rude and you have no balls. I'd say you are a Frenchman!"
(BOOB to WORLD): I decided to print it, but I didn't have to like it. I thought the story was slithering, rude, and without balls. But that's just my opinion, I suppose.
(UKRAINE-BOARD): Four on one. I love the odds.
(CAPTAIN'S LOG SUPPLEMENTAL): Attacking the surrounded warbird had been a complete success, but the Cardassians managed to take our Starbase in the worm hole that allowed to bring in more warships towards the Federation. Kirk finished the log and evaluated the situation on his sensors and half a dozen other instruments and thought one thing for the Cardassians. - It could be worse. It could have been me. - Kirk thought.
(TURKISH AMBASSADOR-EGYPTIAN AMBASSADOR): Jeff, I am sorry for not writing you sooner, but the attack that you commenced against me was flawless and it hurt me badly. I really looked up to you as a true ally that I had thought you were. I just wanted to say it had been a terrific game for us. I also just wanted to wish Dave luck in casting down the infidels.
(CAPTAIN'S LOG): The battle begins and the news is mixed. As expected, our only starbase in Romulan space was overrun. We put up a good fight, but we were forced to evacuate and self destruct a front line starship. The good news is that the Bajorans captured a Romulan starbase on the other side of the Neutral Zone. With the loss of one starship, we would have been caught shorthanded, but I saw it coming. With the help of Mr. Spock, Captain Sulu, the starship Excelsior, and two Klingon heavy cruisers, we got together on the Klingon frontier to form a temporarily stable wormhole using tachyon emissions form the three starships' warp core (I have no idea what I'm saying!) to send the Excelsior through the wormhole into Federation space near the Romulan Neutral Zone and the front. Our thanks go out to Gowron and the Klingon "high" command.


Personal Note to You:


File translated from TEX by TTH, version 3.30.
On 05 Apr 2003, 15:32.