THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCETHE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #210

November 4, 1998

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

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



Quoteless this issue in mourning for the loss of innocence....



Well, I got a kick out of last issue's header quote, but it was a classic ``urban legend'', I should have known better. More comments on this below. I am going to step up the requirements for ``checking'' Internet material that I print here as I see no need to contribute to the glut of false information that one finds wherever one looks. Anyone submitting quotes that can't document will be subject to rejection.

I also am a week late this time. I had to make a presentation at a conference in Athens.... Georgia, not Greece, this week and was buried getting it ready and then spending the half week at the conference. I've added a week to the deadlines to correct it, which knocks David's deadline for Tinamou a bit off. He can deal with it as he wishes. I suspect he won't mind having an extra week to get the subszine ready. In here we have the latest issue of Pete Gaughan's new subszine and then we'll probably have the next one after that in #211. Check out all that great press - especially the press that I wrote!! After this, we will have the late November deadline, the December deadline following that... and then the usual Christmas break. I will get my music list in that period as I get myself under control on such things.

THE DEADLINE FOR TINAMOU WAS NOVEMBER 10TH - David may adjust

The postal sub price is a flat $1.00 per issue in the US and Canada, a bargain at twice the price.... but you can double that for other foreign subbers (or $2.00 per issue sent airmail). Players in current games and standbys will continue to get the issues for free, and new game starts (except for Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy, which is free) cost $15.00 ($10.00 for a life of the game subscription and $5 for the NMR Insurance). I am going to defer rate increases for the moment, but only until the current series of game starts is completed. Remember that music comments and reviews are scattered through the game press at times. These prices are due to increase in the near future so take advantage of them now.

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

http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch

Through Stephen Agar's (having recently taken this over from Jamie McQuinn) Postal portion of the Pouch:

http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html

the szine resides in html format. Presently, issues from #190 to the current issue are there, and I will be updating the back issues gradually in the near future.

The most recent issue also can be accessed through David Wang's and Pete Sullivan's web pages. David has grabbed and reserved the HIGHLY prized name: www.szine.com!! His ``version'' of this szine is somewhat more html.friendly than the one I created, so please check it out.

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 JOHN MICHALSKI AND AL PEARSON



John Michalski has been found and Glenn Petroski is the lucky winner! See below. Glenn twiddled with the rules of the contest, but I ``owe him one'' - only he knows why, so I say he wins. John gets a lifetime ``free'' sub to this szine and Glenn gets his $50 worth of gaming fun! Glenn can apply this to any gaming activities, regardless of whether they directly apply to Diplomacy. Glenn also is looking for Michael Swift, Mickey Preston, Mike Stewart, and Jason Yarbrough. I'm not looking for any of them for this contest (at least not yet) and I don't know where they are, but feel free to find them. I'll toss in $5 prize credit for any of them that you find.

This is now going to be a regular continuing feature of the szine and I will be introducing a new ``search for'' every five issues. Moreover, you can win a $25 prize for finding some previous target who went unfound in the original $50 period. That means that if Kevin Tighe or Garret Schenck or Jerry Lucas or Dan Stafford is ``found'' from now on it is worth $25. Plus, Steve Emmert will throw in another ten spot for Garret Schenck if you can get Garret to write to him.

Winners will receive credit for Dip hobby activities that I will pay out as requested by the winner. Bid on PDORA items, subscribe to szines here or abroad, run your own contests, publish a szine, 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.



John Michalski (October 8, 1998)

Jim, Glenn wrote this. He hopes that if I sign it and mail it to you, he will collect the reward offered for ``finding'' me. My phone number is (405) 722-5784 and my e-mail address is dr3r4 of flash.net. Glenn also stuck his #10 Wellington Boot in your mouth. He promised me one issue of The Abyssinian Prince if I complied with his request.

Diplomatically yours, John Michalski, 10705 Cecilia Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73162-4324

PS Should be some 3R4 records showing up with my name on them one of these days.

((Worse than that, John, you get a lifetime FREE sub to the szine!! Check out Kathy's situation below. It gets worse next issue.....))



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 (johnh of fiendishgames.demon.co.uk or JHarrington of DatastreamICV.com). The representives in Australia (John Cain, PO Box 4317, Melbourne University 3052, AUSTRALIA) or Belgium and some other European countries (Jef Bryant, Rue Jean Pauly, 121, B-4430 ANS, BELGIUM) also will forward your subscription on to the editor in either Australian dollars or continental European currencies respectively. 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. 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.



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.

A discussion is taking place that will address what stance we (the hobby) should take (proactive in some way for sure) toward Hasbro, the new owners of the rights to Diplomacy. If you want to be part of the discussion, send the MESSAGE:

subscribe hasbro

to majordomo of diplom.org, it works just like the tap mailing list described below. Sending messages to hasbro of devel.diplom.org sends the mail to the whole list.

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.

A quick update on the latest Diplomatic Incident.... we had some valued out of town guests, including Warren ``Go-El'' Goesle and Simon Szykman! Warren and Simon looked nothing as I had imagined them (as usual) although if I'd really thought about it, I probably would have pegged Warren. Still, when Warren walked up to me and said ``do you know who I am'', I drew the big blank! Some good games and the usual good time, join us for the next installment after the first of the year!



Paul Rauterberg (Sun, 1 Nov 1998 03:31:27 -0600)

Hi Jim; Some evil creature called Mr. Shute, Chief of Security, has deemed that Diplomacy letters are some nefarious code, and he is confiscating the ones addressed to John Schultz!

Sigh.

If John requests a delay of our Modern Dip game based upon this handicap, I will back him up on that request. I am one of those ``bleeding heart liberals" who gets his dander up over such issues....

John has requested that we write to:

MCJII CCA

730 E. Washington St.

Indianapolis, IN 46302

Attn: Mr. Shute, Chief of Security

to protest his assinine actions. I will do this, and I will write to the Attorney General for the State of Indiana as well. John also requests that more letters be send to him, especially ones written in a foreign language, so that he can build up a body of evidence for his protest. While I can read French with some facility, I can't really boast the ability to converse or write in that language. Any multi-lingual subbers that you might have at your disposal should be encouraged to write to John!

Paul, prosit of execpc.com

((As I think you know, this is a contract prison - a private company - so they should listen most to pressure that comes at them from the State, so I think writing to the Attorney General is very important. I understand that John gets an ``empty envelope" when they confiscate something, so John always will know that you sent something. As far as I can tell at this point, the szine has not been censored; however, if they see that I printed this letter, that may change. I hope not. We have the right to write to John. I, for one, will fight for that right.))



Roland Sasseville (Sat, 24 Oct 1998 20:29:52 -0400)

Hi Jim, I am interested in the game where you can have larger than 1 strength armies. I believe it is called Perestroika, and I may have it around. If I do not I believe R. Weiss has it. If you would run this I think it would be great.

Roland, roland6 of home.com

((I don't think so, the next new game I want to run is an adaptation of the Star Trek variant that Stephen Agar put together. See below. But, I printed your letter in case someone else wants to jump on your idea.))



MUSIC SECTION (WITH COMMENTS ON OTHER ARTS AND SOCIETY)

This section is developing a list of the great party singles of the century. You'll get a definite sense of quirky before we're done. You'll also get a sense of timelessness. I'll assume that I'll also get some comments from some of you. I'm going to set a slate of only 10 - that's just ONE more from what is below and then DEMAND votes from you out there to fill the rest of the slots. The Bullpen voting system I am envisioning will work like this: you each get ten votes which you can allocate across as few as two songs (5 votes apiece) or as many as ten songs (1 vote for each). You can allocate your ten votes any way you want, but you can't put any more than five votes on any one song. I'll start the voting at the beginning of 1999, so you have just a very short time to get additional songs into the bullpen list. Write-ins will be permitted, but are unlikely to win. I know I have lost some suggestions that aren't in the bullpen lists below, so feel free to mention 'em again!

We'll end up with a monster party tape at the end of it that I plan to segue and sequence and copy for distribution. The result will be a great New Millenium party tape. I've also been thinking that I should put this out on CD as truly emblematic of the new millenium. I don't have the capability to do that quite yet, but I think I might by then. Any suggestions (or especially volunteers) on this front will be cheerfully accepted and could receive monetary payments!

So far, we have ``I Melt With You'' by Modern English; George Gershwin's ``I got Plenty O' Nuttin' '' from Porgy and Bess in the 1957 concert recording with Ella Fitzgerald finishing off the vocals after Louis Armstrong blows and sings through the tune; Duke Ellington performing Billy Strayhorn's ``Take the A Train''; Frank Sinatra's ``New York, New York''; ``Planet Claire'' from the B-52's; The (English) Beat's 12 inch version of ``Save It for Later'' ratchets things up to the next level (wherever you put it!); Buster Poindexter's ``Hot, Hot, Hot'' keeps you there; ``Atomic Dog'' by George Clinton blows the doors off, and Koko Taylor cleans up singing Willie Dixon's ``Wang Dang Doodle''.

``Gloria'' is probably going to be that final song on the list, but I want to find a memorable recording. Does anyone have some suggestions for me on that front? A Van Morrison version? The original Them version?? A cover??? It is also remotely possible that I will decide to put ``Gloria'' in along with another song and leave ``Planet Claire'' to be voted in.

The ``bullpen'' is the list of suggestions that people make that I haven't decided whether or not to include yet. Comments on the bullpen are, of course, actively encouraged. I also am ``working'' on some ideas Mark Luedi tossed out recently. I liked Mark's ``criteria addition" that: ``One of my own criteria for truly great songs is that it can sound as good or better distorted as not, whether on account of poor signal, bad speakers, tape deterioration, car noise.''

BULLPEN: ``Rocking the Casbah'' - The Clash; ``Dancing With Myself'' - Billy Idol's Gen X; ``Walk This Way'' - Run-DMC; Prince - ``1999"; ``Fire on the Mountain'' or ``Cumberland Blues'' - the Grateful Dead; Devo - ``Whip It"; B Movie - ``Nowhere Girl"; B-52s - ``Give Me Back My Man" or ``Rock Lobster" or ``Dance this Mess Around''; ``Roadrunner'' - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers; Strunz and Farrah - ``Americas''; Clarence ``Gatemouth'' Brown - ``Up Jumped the Devil''; David Bowie - ``Fame''; ``party at ground zero'' by fishbone; ``Tweediee Dee'' by Lavern Baker ((Wanna explain that one, Stan??)); ``Been Caught Stealing'' - Jane's Addiction; ``Hard to Handle'' - Black Crowes; ``Birth-day'' - Suzanne Vega; Doors - ``Road House Blues"; Cure - ``In between days"; Bangles - ``Hazy Shade of Winter"; Violent Femmes - ``Blister in the sun"; Go-Go's - ``Our Lips are sealed"; Peter Frampton - ``Do you feel like we do"; Led Zeppelin - ``Hey, Hey what can I do"; Three Dog Night - ``Shambala"; ``Party Train'' - Gap Band; ``Proud Mary'' - Ike and Tina Turner; Concrete Blonde - ``Still in Hollywood".

SPECIAL GEORGE CLINTON BULLPEN: ``I Just Wanna Testify'', ``Let's Take It to the Stage'', ``The Pinocchio Theory'', and ``Flash Light''.

SPECIAL ROLLING STONES BULLPEN: ``Satisfaction", ``Paint It Black", ``Jumpin' Jack Flash", ``Get Off of My Cloud'', ``Sympathy for the Devil''.

SPECIAL TALKING HEADS BULLPEN: ``The Great Curve'', ``Take me to the River", ``Life During Wartime'', the entire Speaking in Tongues record.

SPECIAL DRUG MUSIC BULLPEN: ``Cocaine'' - Eric Clapton's version; ``Casey Jones'' - the Grateful Dead; ``Red, Red Wine'' - UB40; The Toys - ``Smoke Two Joints''; ``Panama Red'' - New Riders; ``Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)'' - Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen; and ``I'm an Okie from Muskogee'' - Merle Haggard.



Mike Barno (Thu, 22 Oct 1981 21:11:00 -0400)

Hiya Jim: As usual I haven't gotten the snail-mailed szine in time to send any response to its contents. I'm glad to be online.

I sent the Roadworm a note supporting his potential publication. Also supported his intent to bridge postal & E-mail. Not enough people doing it like the ``good old days", creating lotza fun, hosting housecons, etc.

Issue 208 Jack McHugh: ``score the player's best game": Then it would seem obvious to use the second-best game to break ties rather than dot counts, gameyear, etc. That gives everyone incentive to keep playing normally in later rounds. Players with a win aren't unable to improve their chance of winning overall, nor need they set up for a rather artificial 21-center win (the last 4 centers in one year) to score a ``better win". Players who were knocked out of their first game or two can still get a win and finish very well overall.

i'm glad mark lew's writing again. i can't believe he isn't following politics. ((I know, it would have floored me too, except I think I know Mark well enough to say that he has one of those Renaissance curiosities (I'm not quite as changeable, but my wife is, so I know it when I see it) that just moves on to the next passion. Music appears to be Mark's passion now.))

Issue 207 Rick Desper: ``advertising...on the moon": That idea goes back at least as far as Robert Heinlein's story ``The Man Who Sold the Moon", which I think was printed in different lengths (short story or serialization, novelette, novella?) in the late Forties or early Fifties. The protagonist looks to get financial backing through a scheme to use hobbyist-type rockets dropping exploding pellets of pigment dust timed to spell out ``6+", or the logo of whatever company he was giving the pitch to.

So a player in Columbus Chill keeps doubting my reality. So? Who among us can be sure we're any more real than the impact on your retina of a single photon of light emitted billions of years ago by a now-extinct star in a now-collapsed galaxy on the most distant fringes of the universe?

When I got e-mail, I got in touch with a Yellowstoner friend, a bartender who served Randy Ellis a beer and my phone number. Randy and Mr. Kent Pollard, Knight of Her Majesty's Garter, called me from amid a five-player Titan game. At the time I was playing Two-player Titan. All is well. More later after I read TAP 209 again...

Be well, Mike, mpbarno of lightlink.com



Drew James (didn't get a date... I lost it)

Jim, Some comments on your facts on the Civil War casualties are in order. ((They weren't MY facts, they were the elementary school kid's on the web page. I'm not upset, but I think some of you should E-Mail him directly and give him your feedback. I was pretty sure they weren't right for anything but battle deaths, but I did get some neat letters about it! It goes to show you that perfection does not an active szine make.))

Casualties usually include killed, wounded, and missing. Your numbers, I believe, were referring only to battle deaths. For example, I think there were close to 40,000 total casualties at Gettysburg, but I think ``only" around 7,000 killed. In addition to battle deaths there were around 400,000 soldiers killed by disease in the war - more than were killed in battle. With the numbers you provided of about 300,000 killed in battle, that makes for a total of around 700,000 killed in the war. Given that the population of the U.S must have been in the 25 million range before the war, it sure made for an incredible loss compared to any other war the U.S. has fought. It would be equivalent to losing 6,000,000 people in the U.S. today! Taking this further and assuming that 33% (two thirds being too young or too old) of the male population was of "fighting age", that means that about 17% of total fighting age adult males (whether they actually served in the army or not) were killed in the war! I know I am just throwing around numbers and I am sure that there is a Civil War expert out there that can make a more accurate accounting.

Although I like the song, I can't believe you picked ``Planet Claire" over ``Give Me Back My Man" or ``Rock Lobster" by the B52s. Why is it that so many of the best party songs are from the 80's. Is it that it just seems that way since it was when I was the correct ``partying" age? Or is it that New Wave (or New Music or Post Punk or Whatever) was new then and so much better than the stadium rock bands of the 70s?

Drew James, 8356 Radian Path, Baldwinsville, NY 13027-9357

((I don't know, but it sure does seem that way. I have a similar perspective to you.))



Jody McCullough (Wed, 14 Oct 1998 00:41:54 -0700)

Jim, I've never written to you before, but I thought I should come out of hiding.

First, that ``quote" from Ken Starr that you featured at the very top of your last zine is a complete fake. I'm not at all surprised that bullshit like this zips it way around the net, but I AM a little surprised that you passed it along so easily without even checking. Here's a URL for you:

http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blstarr.htm

((I had trouble with this specific URL and had to back up to the site and then find the Starr reference from the home page. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa....))

From there, you can find lots of other current urban legends and netlore. Lots of good reading, I might add, and a good place to go ``check things out" before you pass along the latest hoax. But geeze, that was one was obvious.

About the party songs: Wang Dang Doodle is good. Since you thought she said ``pinch", maybe you thought it was about sex. But I think it just means ``let's have a party". Now, for a good old song that DOES have sexual entendres, how about ``Shake, Rattle, and Roll'' by Big Joe Turner?

``I'm like a one-eyed cat, peeping in a seafood store.

I'm like a one-eyed cat, peeping in a seafood store.

Well I could look at you, til you ain't no child no more.''

I heard that song 10 or 12 times before it hit me what those lines meant. Anyway, good song, decent lyrics, and I love the way the saxes come in a little earlier on each beat. It really keeps the song moving.

Different people have different definitions for a ``party song". I have 3 criteria: 1) It should be good in the foreground. If you decide to listen to it, there should be something there to listen to. ``It's got a good beat" isn't good enough. 2) It should be good in the background too. I'll get back to this. 3) You should be able to dance to it, at least to some degree.

``Midnight Rambler" is a great song, but it's a lousy party song. It fails on 2 out of 3. It's one of those songs that DEMANDS to be in the foreground. And, with its constant tempo changes, it's not very good to dance to. That song has one of the best rock-n-roll endings of all time... ``I'll stick my knife right down your throat baby and it hurts". ``Get Off of my Cloud'' is better, also ``Jumping Jack Flash''. In either case, the version off of Love you Live is the best party version. But my pick would be ``Sympathy For the Devil'' (studio version). It's got great lyrics and you can listen to it, but it doesn't MAKE you listen to it, plus it's got a good steady beat and a nice bass line all the way thru the song. BTW, best Stones album... Let it Bleed. It's a very solid album, and was way ahead of its time when it came out.

For B-52s, I'd go with ``Dance this Mess Around''. You can't beat lyrics like ``Why won't you dance with me!? I ain't no limburger!!". BTW, I saw them with The Pretenders and I thought they were better. I saw the Pretenders before with the Simple Minds, and they were *MUCH* more intense and focused then. I think they had a different guitarist then (how many guitarists have they had, anyway?). ((I think at least four. In my opinion, the first one (Jim Honeyman??) was the best. For those who go back with this szine, they will recall (we're talking fifteen years ago now) that B-52's, The Pretenders, and Simple Minds were three of this szine's very favorite live acts. You win szine editor brownie points big time! I think you may be right, ``Dance this Mess Around'' might be the real essential B-52's dance song. I want to listen to them all again for awhile and I will choose one by the end of the year.))

For Grateful Dead, I'd pick ``Cumberland Blues'', the live version off of What a Long Strange Trip it's Been. That was back when they still had energy, before the drugs started to catch up with them.

Some suggestions: ``Been Caught Stealing'' by Jane's Addiction. I love the bass in that song and the way it stays ahead of the beat the entire time. If that song doesn't make you want to move a little, you're hopeless! ``Hard to Handle'' by the Black Crowes. It's an old Otis Redding song, but the Crowes' version kicks. ``Birth-day'' by Suzanne Vega. Most of the songs from 9 Objects of Desire are of a different flavor, but this one is a straight-up rocker, and she put it first. She knew what she was doing.

I could probably suggest 50 songs, but that's enough for now. I hope more people will make some suggestions.

-Jody- jodym of sprintmail.com

p.s. I'll play the black hole thing, but you gotta tell me where the NYEED rules are. I have most of your issues for a couple years, so if you could point me to it, I could probably find it.

((I've signed you up for it. Don't worry, it's really easy. You get five nuclear missiles that can take out any territory on the board, unless you're Russia, when you only get four. You fire the nukes with your Spring 1901 orders and they hit after the move. In this version, you will be able to ``leap over'' any of the blank spaces created by the nuclear destruction in your Fall 1901 move. Then the game stops and you count up supply centers. The nuked centers don't count. The way this will work, you will play the game seven times, once as each of the seven countries. That's it.))



Jody McCullough (Wed, 14 Oct 1998 00:51:18 -0700)

About that album from Negativland... it's named Dispepsi. It's pretty good, too. That address in Concord, I was driving by so I checked it out; it's a mailbox. Around here, you can walk into a store and buy their CDs. But anyone can get them... just visit their web site.

-Jody- jodym of sprintmail.com

((You're reacting to something I said in some issue (back around #195??) and then added to in a subsequent issue. I do own Dispepsi and agree with you that it is a good ``get back on track'' production for those yammering nabobs of Negativland. You can't get their CDs in stores on the east coast, at least not that I've seen. You can't get Cows With Guns in stores out here either. Lots of those ``west coast experiences'' have to be experienced by buying from the web. Thanks, I figured it was a mailbox, but just thought I'd ask. This next item I was worried it also was an urban legend, but I checked up on it and it is legit!))



Simon Billenness (Wed, 28 Oct 1998 10:29:59 -0500)

``It's the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine.'' -Simon Billenness


Oxford eliminates rules against the split infinitive

Associated Press, 10/26/98

OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. (AP) - It's time to officially abandon the rule against the split infinitive.

Oxford dictionaries, makers of the self-proclaimed ``last word on words,'' has ended its centuries-old ban on splitting infinitives.

Some language purists are unhappy with the change. They say the infinitive - a verb with ``to'' in front of it - always should remain joined. For example, the infinitive ``to jump'' should be modified as ``to jump quickly,'' they say, and never ``to quickly jump.''

``I do think it's a great sadness that the Oxford dictionary is doing this,'' said Loftus Jestin, head of the English department at Central Connecticut State University. ``Hearing split infinitives is like listening to Mozart when the pianist keeps hitting all the wrong notes.''

``I do not dine with those who split infinitives,'' said Samuel Pickering, a University of Connecticut English professor who is considered to be the inspiration for the lead role in The Dead Poets Society.

The change is included in the new Oxford American Desk Dictionary, which came out last month. The dictionary says the prohibition on split infinitives can lead to ``awkward, stilted sentences.''

Frank Abate, editor in chief of Oxford's U.S. dictionaries program in Old Saybrook, says the rule is arbitrary. The rule has its basis in Latin, and as Abate points out, we don't speak Latin.

``There's essentially no validity to it,'' Abate said.

Random House, Strunk and White and others already have given their approval to split infinitives.

But this is Oxford after all, publisher of the venerable unabridged Oxford English Dictionary - the hallowed 20-volume, 138-pound, 21,730-page O.E.D. ((A must for every house.... we own a copy.)) It is considered by many the authority on the King's English.

Oxford University Press first lifted the moratorium in its British edition last year.

Cindy Butos, assistant director of the writing center at Trinity College in Hartford, is thrilled with the change. ``I think it's terrific,'' she said. She said it frees people from an unnecessary rule that doesn't contribute to the English language.

Simon, sbillenness of frdc.com



Scott Morris (Tue, 13 Oct 1998 13:52:54 EDT)

Greetings Jim, Your Tape generated quite a bit of excitement during halftime of the Virginia-Boston College game. We had quite a diverse bunch and I got some suggestions for you. Don't know if you will use any but, some would be nice additions I think. And Virginia covered the point spread ta boot! so a nice day. I will give credit to the millennium tape. Consider this my testimonial that it not only clears up acne but is a powerful tool in College football. And it's not even out yet!!!!

SUGGESTIONS:

Talking Heads - ``Take Me to the River" - yeah buddy!

Men without Hats - ``The Safety Dance" - a fun humorous break for the tape! ((I hear you, but I'm trying to keep the novelty songs to a minimum.)) Doors - ``Road House Blues" - Dennis Leary summed up the Doors movie like this:

``I'm drunk I'm nobody; I'm Drunk I'm famous; I'm drunk I'm dead.

Big fat dead guy in a bathtub! - Roll the credits.''

Cure - ``In between days" - My wife likes this one, I don't recall it. ((Really? It's one of my all time favorites, good choice!))

Bangles - ``Hazy Shade of Winter" - the remake better than the original. ((That is pretty far from my favorite Bangles song, but I'll put this one in there and see how it fares in the voting.))

Violent Femmes - ``Blister in the sun" - H.S. - Flashback ((Ooooh, I think you're younger than me! That is a song I was considering though, so it goes in the bullpen for sure.))

Go-Go's - ``Our Lips are sealed" - Hey I invite women to my football parties!!! ((You'll get no arguments from me here. I was at one of the very earliest concerts they ever did, at Providence's infamous first Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (it has been rebuilt and is a little less of a dive now). I have NEVER seen a pack of women more scared than they were. They looked at the place, all the bikers hanging outside, and thought we were going to rape and murder them. This was BEFORE their first album came out. We loved them and they loved us by the end of the set. Quite a night. I wrote about it way back in something like issue 10. Jane always was my favorite....))

Peter Frampton - ``Do you feel like we do" - 12 minutes of bliss. ((Oooh, are you sure? I'll put it in, but this is not what I think of as a great dance song.))

And my number one er two best suggestions are: Led Zeppelin - ``Hey, Hey what can I do" - The best and most lively song by the Zep; Three Dog Night - ``Shambala" - Which is VERY appropriate to the tape!

I am looking forward to this puppy even if none of my suggestions make it!

Take Care, Scott, ScottM221 of aol.com



Roland Sasseville (Sat, 24 Oct 1998 20:47:59 -0400)

Hi Jim, These are by category from a former DJ. I could probably list more than one in all areas, but I decided to list the first song that came to my mind as I wrote this.

To Dance to: ``Party Train'' - Gap Band

To dance to, not funk: ``Proud Mary'' - Ike and Tina version ( Roland on the River ha ha )

To sit and drink to or do other things which I never did but some have: ``Hotel California'' - Eagles

To make out to: ``Sexual Healing'' - Marvin Gaye ((These last two don't really meet the criteria, although I think they make sense in those categories.))

Fun wedding song: ``Crazy Mary'' - ? part English part Italian and maybe a RI thing? ((Probably, there are a lot of GREAT Rhode Island things. It really is the best place to live that I've ever been. But I don't know that song, at least I don't think I do...))

To eat to background music: something by Sinatra and I couldn't decide

To sing along: ``American Pie'' - Don McLean ((One of Paul Rauterberg's favorite songs. I like it too, although it doesn't fit this list.))

Best song from bullpen: ``1999'' soon to crack the top ten and an excellent career move by Prince to make a song that had staying power like that as we approach 2000. Will people still listen to it as we pass the start of the next millennium in 2000?

This list could change tomorrow if I did it again, but I do enjoy all the music I have listed as I have eclectic tastes. Also ``Atomic Dog'' is a MUST. At one time several years back I read in a trade magazine that Clinton was the most sampled President.. no I mean artist in all of music and ``Atomic Dog'' led the way.

Best, Roland, roland6 of home.com

((Speaking of Clinton....))



Keith Sherwood (Sat, 24 Oct 1998 21:19:56 -0700)

Did you see the PBS Frontline documentary about the Independent Counsel investigating Espy? ((No.)) Very illuminating given the current flap. All the more so when you consider that Frontline (has always struck me as) is one of the more left wing shows on PBS. Westcoast lawyer/prosecutor takes the job of investigating Secretary of Ag Espy. Turns into an investigation of Tyson chicken from (ta da!) Arkansas and their relationship first to Espy, then to (Governor Clinton). Anyway, fascinating story of how an investigation that the Special Prosecutor thought would take 6 months and turn up nothing ended up taking 4 years, indicted Espy on small time corruption when much larger charges were shut down by the Justice Department, demonized the Independent Counsel performing the investigation, and showed a war mentality between the IC and the people he was investigating, where in the end the IC is happy to come away with any indictments given the stonewalling he's had to overcome. As I said, all very interesting to juxtapose with Ken Starr vs. Bill Clinton.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/counsel

for the web inclined.

Say, if Eric Ozog guests GMs a game, can I get in? That could really recharge my batteries.

Keith Sherwood, ksher of cts.com

((Sure, you know that you'll have to talk Eric into actually following through on it though. In any case, Eric can do anything he wants around here - he's earned it. Let's finish off this issue's letters with the Toadfather!))



Terry Tallman (Thu, 15 Oct 1998 06:50:02 -0700 (PDT))

In your gracious acceptance of Eric's offer to guest GM you mentioned him and Bob as major influences in your early hobby years. I don't see how you can make that sort of statement and not mention Uncle Bernie. ((Obviously, I cannot. Without Uncle Bernie I never would have met any of you. He's the one that brought me into the hobby.))

My second and third game starts were with him as GM. I still have a bunch of issues. He sent me most of the back issues when I signed up. He was pretty much on time and ran some interesting variants. He never really said much in the szine, just printed the games. And as I recall the players there were not real big on press. His little dinky digest style pages were usually laid out nicely.

In the postal dip cosmos he is still remembered as the gm who would correct your orders when you had promised someone one thing and DID ANOTHER! I see little echos in your own publication... ((Hyork, hyork, hyork, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! I picked up press writing mostly from Eric and his szine.))

Terry, ttallman of linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us

((I haven't heard from Uncle Bernie in years. In addition to the ``search for'' bits, anyone who brings Uncle Bernie back into this fold gets just about anything they want. The latest I've seen is his son James Alan Tretick (who played with us as James Alan) in some szine somewhere. Find Bernie, win limitless prizes!))

GAMES SECTION

``I have never learned ... to play the lyre, but I know how to make a small and obscure city rich and great." (Themistocles, in Plutarch's Lives.)

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

Standby lists: Mike Barno, John Breakwell, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Doug Kent, Paul Rauterberg, Doug Essinger-Hileman, Stan Johnson, Harry Andruschak, Heath Gardner, Dave Partridge, Andy York, Michael Pustilnik, and John Schultz stand by for regular Diplomacy. Mike Barno and Harry Andruschak stand by for the Colonial Diplomacy game. Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, and Paul Kenny standby for the Modern Diplomacy game. Let me know if you want on or off these lists. Standbies get the szine for free and receive my personal thanks. I'd really appreciate it if anyone wanted to be added to the lists.



GAME OPENING INFORMATION

I think it is likely there will be another regular game started. I have interest expressed from at least two or three people in addition to the people below. You also can send your $15 for your life of the game sub and game fee with NMR insurance now. Kent Pollard ($15), Terry Tallman, Roland Sasseville, Luke Dwyer, Jim Sayers $20), and Kurt Ozog are on the list so far. Jim is from Australia and I will let his crisp twenty give him the life of the game sub and all even with the higher postage. Jim is on E-Mail, but I probably should warn pure postal players that he is in the game. I need just one more person and we will begin.

I am trolling for players for Colonia VIIb. I have direct interest expressed from David Partridge, Robert Stimmel, Paul Rauterberg, and Stan Johnson. Could we firm that up in the next few issues, please? I am still looking for ideas on what I will need to know to run Colonia. At this point, I will be running it WITHOUT printing a map in the szine.

On another front, I'd really like this Black Hole game to start too! Conrad von Metzke recently finished GMing a black hole game where you can freely jump over black holes instead of having them render spaces impassible. I played in this game and like the tactics of jumping over the black holes a great deal. Now there the black holes were random, but what would happen if you could plan them? The next NYEED game will feature this rule change and will be a 7x7 tourney format unless I am convinced otherwise. I STILL am itching to get this game started, so it will start as soon as it is filled! You get a life of game sub, and the game itself is FREE!! Jody McCullough, Sandy Kenny, Mike Barno, and John Schultz are signed up. Off an offhanded suggestion in the NYEED press in the last game, we'll call it Nelson Mandela. Just three more and we'll get started! See the discussion up with Jody's letter. Come on, this one will be REALLY exciting!!

Conrad von Metzke is the editor and publisher of Pontevedria, the game openings listing, if you're interested in other game openings. Send Conrad a SASE for the latest issue to: Conrad von Metzke, 4374 Donald Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117. Conrad is discussing folding this service. I think actually it needs someone to pick it up with a web page where it can be posted. I'd like to nudge Stephen Agar into talking to Conrad about taking it over and putting in the postal section on The Diplomatic Pouch page, where this szine also resides. This could serve both the Brit and US hobbies!! I realize that I should probably volunteer to do this since I'm the most active contributor to that page, but I'd really rather not. What we need is for the postal openings to be accessible on the Net.



SO GOOD IT HURTS: 1998 P, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1901 IS NOVEMBER 21ST, 1998

Pre-Spring 1901

AUSTRIA (Essinger-Hileman): has f TRI, a VIE, a BUD.

ENGLAND (James): f LON, f EDI, a LVP.

FRANCE (Dwyer): has f BRE, a MAR, a PAR.

GERMANY (Goesle): has f KIE, a BER, a MUN.

ITALY (Rauterberg): has f NAP, a ROM, a VEN.

RUSSIA (Rusnak): has f STP(SC), f SEV, a WAR, a MOS.

TURKEY (Emmert): has f ANK, a CON, a SMY.



Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Doug Essinger-Hileman, 309 North Main Street, Masontown, PA 15461 ($5)

revref of interior-castle.org

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

dkbn of msn.com

FRANCE: Luke Dwyer, Colgate University, Box J 1262, 13 Oak Hill Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, (315) 228-4625

School Breaks Only: 49 Middlesex Drive, Slingerlands, NY 12159, (518) 439-5796 ($5)

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

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

prosit of execpc.com

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

TURKEY: Steve Emmert, 1752 Grey Friars Chase, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, (757) 471-1842 ($5)

SEMMERT of city.virginia-beach.va.us



Game Notes:

1) If I need to correct or add any contact information above, please get it to me ASAP. Thanks!



Press:

(SKYWALKER-ALL): Good luck.

(HAMILTON-VIRGINIA BEACH): We meet again, my compatriot.



NO PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT ALLOWED: Breaking Away

THE DUE DATE FOR TURN 1 IS NOVEMBER 21ST, 1998



Addresses of the Participants - Their Team and Their Cards

TEAM 1 (Farmer McGregor's Dinner): Eric Brosius, 53 Bird Street, Needham MA 02192

72060.1540 of CompuServe.COM

A: Flopsy 6 7 8 9
B: Mopsy 7 8 10
C: Cottontail 5 7 8
D: Peter 4 5 7

TEAM 2 (Chef's Crackers): Rick Desper, Bergheimer Strasse 114, 69115 Heidelberg, GERMANY

desper of math.rutgers.edu

Coach is, of course, Chef
A: Stan Marsh (aka the Star Quarterback) 6 7 8 9
B: Kyle Broslofski (aka the Lonely Jew) 7 8 10
C: Kenny McCormick (aka the Pov) 4 7 9
D: Eric Cartman (aka the FatAss) 1 3 12

TEAM 3 (Goz Transportation Co.): Warren Goesle, 3907 Cedar Ridge, #1B, Indianapolis, IN 46235

gozcorp of iquest.net

A: Alessandro Cyclotron 3 6 10 11
B: Bernard Spoke 4 6 15
C: Christoph Wheelhub 5 6 9
D: Damon Velodrome 3 6 6

TEAM 4 (Brit Pack): John Harrington, 1 Churchbury Close, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 3UW UK

johnh of fiendishgames.demon.co.uk

A: Alfred the Great 1 2 12 15
B: Sir Isaac Newton 3 7 15
C: Will Shakespeare 2 3 15
D: John Logie-Baird 1 5 10

TEAM 5 (The Stoogecycles): David Partridge, 15 Elmer Drive, Nashua, NH 03062-1722

rebhuhn of rocketmail.com

A: Curly 8 7 15
B: Larry 12 7 6
C: Moe 9 7 4
D: Shemp 8 7 1

TEAM 6 (The Flat Wheel Society): John Schultz, #19390, Marion County Jail II, 730 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202

A: Broke Leg Meg 15 14 1
B: Shane the Chain 14 10 1
C: Barkin' Larkin' 13 6 1
D: Chasin' Jason 12 3 1



Game Notes:

1) John doesn't sound like he is completely well yet; however, this game does get started with this issue. He also has larger problems, see above! I took advice from the designer and we will be playing with just six players. That is how the game is designed and I think with seven it would be just a little too crowded. Mark didn't get back to me anyway.... You tell me which card you will play for each of your four riders. I have orders on file for half of you.



Press:

(TFWS-CHEF): Nice to meet you, as well. I imagine you British fellows are the best bikers. I haven't been on a bicycle in over 35 years. Can I draft?

(TFWS-DESIGNER): I don't know bicycles - but I know Harley's well. We have a thing called ``pegging'' for when someone breaks down or runs out of gas. So - if I run out of gas...???



FEAR AND WHISKEY: 1998Ers31, Modern Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1996 IS NOVEMBER 21ST, 1998

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1997 IS DECEMBER 12TH, 1998

Fall 1996

BRITAIN (Schultz): f nwg-NTH, a LON h, f swe-NOR, f sao-MOR, f nao-MAO, f bel-ENG.

EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): a ESA S f lib, a ale-ASW, f LIB h, a jor-IRK, f red-CAI.

FRANCE (Andruschak): f GOL-wme, a nav-MAD, a LYO S a swi, f por-sve (d r:sao,nav,otb),

a SWI continues yodeling lessons (h), a mar-AUV, a BAR S a nav-mad.

GERMANY (Rauterberg): a ham-PRU, a RUH S a hol-bel, a mun-AUS, f BHM C a ham-pru,

a hol-BEL, f DEN h, a aus-CZE.

ITALY (Ozog): f ION-aeg, a MIL S FRENCH a swi, f MAL-ion,

a SER S UKRAINIAN a rum-bul, f ALB S a ser.

POLAND (Sasseville): a war-BIE, f gda-BAL, f LIT S f gda-bal, a KRA S a war-bie, a STP h.

RUSSIA (Goranson): a mos-GOR, a bie-LAT, a FIN S a lap-swe, a lap-SWE, f GOB S a lap-swe.

SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): a mad-POR, f TUN-wme, a gib-AND, a SVE S a mad-por.

TURKEY (Pollard): a IRN h (Let the World Rejoice! Saddam is no more...),

a ANK-geo, a bul-IST, a aze-CAU, f geo-EBS, f AEG S a mac-gre, a mac-GRE.

UKRAINE (Partridge): a crp-MOS, f WBS S a rum-bul, a KIE-bie, a VOL S a crp-mos,

a POD h, a rum-BUL, f ROS-geo.



Supply Center Chart

BRITAIN (Schultz): EDI,LIV,LON,ire,nor,mor (has 6, even)
EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): ALE,ASW,CAI,isr,sau,lib (has 5, bld 1)
FRANCE (Andruschak): BOR,LYO,MAR,PAR,bar,mon, (has 6 or 7, bld 2(r:otb) or 1)
swi,mad
GERMANY (Rauterberg): BER,FRA,HAM,MUN,aus,den, (has 7, bld 2)
hol,bel,cze
ITALY (Ozog): MIL,NAP,ROM,VEN,cro,ser (has 5, bld 1)
POLAND (Sasseville): GDA,KRA,WAR,lit,bie,stp (has 5, bld 1)
RUSSIA (Goranson): GOR,MUR,swe (has 5, rem 2)
SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): SVE,gib,tun,por (has 4, even)
TURKEY (Pollard): ADA,ANK,IST,IZM,geo,gre (has 7, even)
irn
UKRAINE (Partridge): KHA,KIE,ODE,SEV,ros,hun, (has 7, bld 2)
rum,mos,bul
Neutral: none (Total=64)



Addresses of the Participants

BRITAIN: John Schultz, #19390, Marion County Jail II, 730 East Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46202

EGYPT: Jeff O'Donnell, 402 Middle Ave., Elyria, OH 44035-5728, (440) 322-2920 ($5)

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

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

prosit of execpc.com

ITALY: Eric Ozog, PO Box 1138, Granite Falls, WA 98252-1138, (360) 691-4264 ($5)

ElfEric of Juno.com.

POLAND: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 722-4029 ($5)

roland6 of home.com

RUSSIA: Rich Goranson, 10 Hertel Avenue #208, Buffalo, NY 14207-2532, (716) 876-9374 ($5)

ForlornH of aol.com

SPAIN: Sean O'Donnell, 126 S. Park, Oberlin, OH 44074, (440) 774-2928 ($5)

sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com

TURKEY: Kent Pollard, Box 491, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, ($10)

UKRAINE: Dave Partridge, 15 Elmer Drive, Nashua, NH 03062-1722, (603) 882-3523 ($9)

rebhuhn of rocketmail.com



Game Notes:

1) Check out the Modern Dip web page at: http://www.dragonfire.net/~ Cyberia/modern.htm

2) All the neutrals have been grabbed up now! I guess that launches us into the early midgame.



Press:

(THE MEKONS QUOTE OF THE MONTH): ``Here comes pride riding for a fall; Have him washed down and brought to my tent;

Dust him over and bring him in; It's time we started movin'!''

From ``Sympathy for the Mekons'' which you may find on the ``country'' album Honky Tonkin.

(EGYPT-SPAIN): I can appreciate your decision to go into complete silence on the game. How about taking it a step further and do complete silence at work? :-)

(CAFE BOY-T): The Coffee is brewing.

(EGYPT to THE REAL WORLD): Is there any real reason to put John Glenn into outer space?

(BRITAIN-WORLD): You can believe there will be changes. I don't like the looks of this board at all.

(EGYPT to THE SURREAL WORLD): I have an idea. Let's put Judge Starr and President Clinton in a boxing ring and have them fight to the death, then kill the winner! :-)

(AMBASSADOR ATÄTURK PÖ-LLARD to AMBASSADOR PARTRIDGE): Training of our military forces are necessary. Perhaps by the time this press is released, we will know your heart better...

(P to WORLD): ``Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the earth." In the spirit of this I want to apologize to Russia for any aggressive maneuvers.

(THE SULTAN to THE GOVERNMENT OF ITALY): Thank you for your cooperation in the purchase of our Armoured Personnel Carriers. Though they were intended for desert warfare, they are being diverted to the North for training exercises. Perhaps the Ukraine will not invade BUL. Perhaps she will withdraw her fleet. I will know soon.... May Allah bless us all....

(ITALY-POLAND): He (France) is just...like, you know, keeping me company. It's lonely up there in Milan.

(GENERAL FATIMA-HEROD-GURSELL to THE GOVERNMENT OF ITALY): The Turkish first army in all likelihood will cease to exist. If your Diplomacy fails and we die, we will return from the ashes and many will fall...

(ITALY-FRANCE): I really will write you a real letter someday-yes indeedy do I will.

(GERMANY to FRANCE): Since I cannot contact you via E-Mail I will tell you that I am not quite ready.

(IRAN to FRANCE): Son of a flea bitten cur! Now the Turks are also performing circumcisions to all of our men! Our great leader is now imprisoned and awaits an even more ghastly fate....

(ITALY-TURKEY): I really do appreciate all the letters you sent, and I feel like such a bastard for not responding, but rest assured I haven't responded to anyone else either-so cheer up! It isn't just you. If I don't get my act together soon, I'll also be going the way of Spain and Russia.

(A TURKISH ZEALOT to MR. ANDRUSCHAK): A new name has arisen. It is called Andruschakation! It is being used to explain the terror being met out to infidels. The main tool for this new torture is a very sharp knife!

(ROLAND to JIM): On the advice of counsel, I berate you for messing up the previous turn, ``Bad Jim, Be good."

(ITALY-GM): How are those phantom Polish fleets doing?

(JIM to ROLAND): Hey, Roland, you KNOW I just have to ``mess with your head'' and every game we're part of together... since I'm not actually playing here, I have to do things like this. Watch your adjudications carefully.... hyork, hyork, hyork!

(THE REAL CHARLES JONES >> > WORLD): This is the only press that I have written in your game. Some idiot is playing a little joke on you all. My guess is he is one of the idiots writing press in my game. In all the other games that I have played usually I am the only player writing press. Since the game got transferred to this zine the press is ten fold. My best guess is that it is Richard W. or Mike B. This will be the one and only press release that you will read in your game from the real Charles Jones who is too busy to read more than his game in The Abyssinian Prince. Harry Andruschak was nice enough to point this out to me. Thanks, Harry.

(ANDRUSCHAK to GM): TAP # 210 probably will not arrive before I leave for Turkey on 5 November. ((Correct, so I am holding the rest of your press to go in with Winter results, which I have on file. Hope you had a great trip!!))



SHOW ME THE MONEY: 1997Mea04, Colonial Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1904 IS NOVEMBER 21ST, 1998

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1904 IS DECEMBER 12TH, 1998

Spring 1904

BRITAIN (York): f MAD-wio, f ADEN S f rs, a pun-AFG, a bom-RAJ, f RS h,

f HK S f scs-can, f SIN-mal, a TIB S a ben-ass, f SHI h, f eio-AS, a ben-ASS,

f scs-can (d r:nan,otb), f MAL-ban.

CHINA (Goranson): a SHA S JAPANESE a p.art-mac, a ass s a chu-sik (d ann), a CHU-sik.

FRANCE (Sasseville): a TON S a can, f COC-gos, f GOS-ban, f ann-SCS,

a CAN S a yun-chu, a MAY-yun, a YUN-chu, a U.BUR-ass, f FOR S f ann-scs.

HOLLAND (Desper): f java-TS, f BOR S f sio-js, f sio-JS, f SUL.S S f js-sun.s,

a SUM h, f js-SUN.S, f mna-LS.

JAPAN (Dwyer): a KYU-sha, a kyo-VLA, f tok-UP, f ECS S a kyu-sha,

a P.ART-mac, f sak-OS, f YS C a kyu-sha, f SOJ C a kyo-vla, a SEO S a kyo-vla.

RUSSIA (Williams): a mos-BOK, a omsk SR vla (IRK), a ode-BAKU,

f bla-MED, a con-ANG, a kra-MON, f MAC-sha, a BAG h, a URU S a sik, a PEK S a mac-sha,

a SIK S a mon-lan, a mon-LAN, f ang-SYR.

TURKEY (Tallman): f GOA-wio, a EGY S f sud, f SUD S a egy.



Addresses of the Participants

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

wandrew of compuserve.com

CHINA: Rich Goranson, 10 Hertel Avenue #208, Buffalo, NY 14207-2532, (716) 876-9374 ($5)

ForlornH of aol.com

FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 722-4029 ($8)

Djrolandb of aol.com

HOLLAND: Rick Desper, Bergheimer Strasse 114, 69115 Heidelberg, GERMANY (E-Mail)

desper of math.rutgers.edu

JAPAN: Luke Dwyer, Colgate University, Box J 1262, 13 Oak Hill Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, (315) 228-4625

School Breaks Only: 49 Middlesex Drive, Slingerlands, NY 12159, (518) 439-5796 ($4)

RUSSIA: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (805) 297-3947 ($6)

wllmsfmly of earthlink.net

TURKEY: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0386 ($0)

ttallman of linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us

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



Game Notes:

1) A bit light on the press, guys! Variants aren't any fun for me if you don't write press..... thanks to those of you who are still writing it! You win extra szine brownie points. I can't say anything about Don because my lips have been sealed.



Press:

(TIM RICE QUOTE OF THE MONTH): ``If my life were important, I would ask will I live or die..." - ``Close Every Door" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

(THE WORLD AS THE PROPHETS SEE IT): ``And it shall come to pass that what men made shall be shattered, and the Shadow shall lie across the Pattern of the Age, and the Dark One shall once more lay his hand upon the world of man. Women shall weep and men quail as the nations of the earth are rent like rotting cloth. Neither shall anything stand nor abide..." (Robert Jordan)

(F to ANDY): Paranoia has set in due to the dearth of communications from my formely loquacious British ally.

(BOOB to ROLAND): Seems like with good reason, as you appear to have been ``moved upon''. Much as I like to do it to you in FTF games, you have earned my deepest sympathy and best wishes of good luck, since you at least write press!! If I could do any more as GM, I would.... hyork, hyork, hyork, better write that press or else!



THE ZINE REGISTER INVITATIONAL: 1995 HQ, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1911 IS NOVEMBER 21ST, 1998

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1912 IS DECEMBER 12TH, 1998

Fall 1911

ENGLAND (Lowrey): f NTH h, a den-PRU, a KIE S FRENCH a bur-mun (nso), f NAF S FRENCH f wes,

f BAR S a stp, f swe-GOB, f BAL C a den-pru, a STP S FRENCH a lvn.

FRANCE (Rauterberg): a BUR S a ruh-mun, a MAR S a pie, a MUN-tyo, a PIE S a mun-tyo,

a RUH-mun, a LVN S ENGLISH a den-pru, f GOL-tyh, f WES h,

a BER S a ruh-mun, a rom-ven (d r:tus,otb).

GERMANY (Kent): a SIL h.

RUSSIA (Williams): a sev-UKR.

TURKEY (Sherwood): a ser-TRI, a TYO-pie, a VEN-pie, a WAR S a mos, a MOS S a war,

f AEG S f ion, a GAL S a war, f ION S f tyh, f TYH S f tun, a BOH-mun, f TUN S f tyh,

a apu-ROM, f NAP S a apu-rom.



Supply Center Chart

ENGLAND (Lowrey): edi,lvp,lon,swe,nwy,stp,den,hol, (has 8, bld 1)
kie
FRANCE (Rauterberg): bre,par,mar,spa,por,bel, (has 9 or 10, rem 1(r:otb) or 2)
mun,ber
GERMANY (Kent): none (out)
RUSSIA (Williams): sev (has 1, even)
TURKEY (Sherwood): ank,con,smy,gre,bul,tri,ser,bud, (has 13, bld 3)
tun,rum,nap,vie,mos,war,rom,ven
Neutral: none (Total=34)



Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0386 ($7)

ttallman of linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us

ENGLAND: Michael Lowrey, 4322 Water Oak Road, Charlotte, NC 28211

mlowrey of charlotte.infi.net

ENGLAND EMERITUS: Tom Nash, 202 Settlers Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522, (912) 634-1753 ($4)

75763.707 of CompuServe.COM

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

prosit of execpc.com

GERMANY: Doug Kent, 10214 Black Hickory Rd., Dallas, TX 75243 (214) 234-8386 ($5)

73567.1414 of CompuServe.COM

ITALY: Simon Billenness, 33 Lancaster Terrace, Apt. 211, Brookline, MA 02446, (617) 731-1419 ($5)

sbillenness of frdc.com

RUSSIA: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (805) 297-3947

wllmsfmly of earthlink.net

RUSSIA EMERITUS: Ken Peel, 12041 Eaglewood Court, Silver Spring, MD 20902, (301) 949-4055 ($5)

KEN_PEEL of hagel.senate.gov

TURKEY: Keith Sherwood, 8873 Pipestone Way, San Diego, CA 92129, (619) 484-8367 ($4)

ksher of cts.com or Keith_Sherwood of Intuit.com

TURKEY EMERITUS: Pete Gaughan, 502 Mt. Dell Drive, Clayton, CA 94517-1503, (925) 673-3396 ($4)

gaughan of ix.netcom.com

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



Game Notes (back from the tropopause):

1) The game specific standby list for this game includes Garret Schenck, Cathy Cunning Ozog, Mike Mills, Dick Martin, Vince Lutterbie, and Eric Brosius in reverse alphabetical order (note that Garret is STILL missing... someone find him!). Guest press from potential standbys would be a ``good thing'' if they wanted to be chosen.

2) The FET and FRET draws are rejected again. They are both reproposed; please vote on them with your winter orders! As always, failure to vote vetoes the proposals. Doug Kent is no longer eligible to vote on them.



Press:

(ENGLAND-ALL): Can we end this thing all ready? I think the three-way draw is rather obvious at this point.

(KEITH to DON): Did you get my phone message? ((I think so, what do you think??))

(FRANCE to TURKEY): No surprises last summer, by either of us! Hope- fully, we can liven things up again this Fall...?

(KEITH to PAUL): If you ``unwanted support'' me again (this time Ven-Pie) I'll be very impressed. And short a dot.

(KEITH to PAUL II): If I assume A Rom-Nap in a final act of defiance, then we have another guessing game, don't we: 50-50 over Tun or Tyn. Which do you attack, and which do I defend. Since we're hunkered down here and nobody really needs a build, I'm going to guess you're going to attack for position rather than the center, and therefore will defend Tyh with Ion, hoping Tun can hold out. ((You got that one right, plus you got the ``ring around Tyrolia, everybody move, everybody cut a possible support, nobody move" move right, while you got your army into Trieste. Very slick, very slick. No ``Tro'' in this game.....))



COLUMBUS CHILL: 1993 J, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1920 IS NOVEMBER 21ST, 1998

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1920 IS DECEMBER 12TH, 1998

Spring 1920

AUSTRIA (Davis): a BUD.

FRANCE (Zarr): f BRE S f mid, a MAR S f spa(nc), a POR S f spa(nc), f SPA(NC) S f mid,

f MID S f spa(nc).

GERMANY (Jones): f kie-HOL, f bel-ENG, f hel-NTH, a BUR S FRENCH a mar, a GAL S a ukr,

a MOS-sev, a VIE S a tyo, a BOH S a vie, a MUN S a tyo, a TYO S a vie, a LON h,

a PIC S a bur, a UKR S a gal, f eng-IRI, f NAO S FRENCH f mid.

TURKEY (Weiss): a BUL S a rum, f tun-TYH, f BLA S a sev, a RUM S AUSTRIAN a bud,

a VEN S a tri, a TRI pisses over the alps on France's pinhead (h), a SER S AUSTRIAN a bud,

f GOL-spa(sc), a SEV S a rum, f WES S f gol-spa(sc), f NAF S f wes, f PIE h, f ADR S a tri.



Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Rick Davis, 2009 Bodega Avenue, Petaluma, CA 94952, (707) 773-1044

redavis914 of aol.com

FRANCE: Harold Zarr, 215 Glen Drive, Iowa Falls, IA 50126-1957, (515) 648-2821

GERMANY: Charles Jones, 1722 Quail Circle, Corona, CA 91720-4155, (909) 735-8981

RUSSIA: Eric Schlegel, 314 Fords Lane, Aberdeen, MD 21001, (410) 272-3314

TURKEY: Richard Weiss, 500 Beale St. # 104, San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 512-7221

rcw of sirius.com

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



Game Notes:

1) All draws and concessions are still rejected. With spring orders please vote on a concession to Germany, and FG, FGT, GT, and FGTA draw proposals.



Press:

(TURKEY): (sent two days after Columbus Day) a big day in SF,as they have ``Fleet Week" with lots of sailors often of various nationalities, the Blue Angels (I still think they should be banned), fireworks, etc.

(TUR-JIM BOB): Those blokes are catching on to ``abuse." Maybe I should become a GM again so I can get more of it. But, I could never compare to your incompetence. Your ramblings about snail mail diplomacy have me wondering how many times your figmented wifey has played, ``I want a dip player with slow hands" to you? And if slow is good, why are orders due two days after I receive the zine? What snail mail goes that excrementally? ((Yeah, how about if I fold and YOU take over this monstrosity!!))

(TUR-FIGMENT OF FRANCE'S IMAGINATION: How did the figment get an e-dress? Congratulations on joining the non-Yellowstone generation. The truth is stranger than fictional potential explanation.

(GERMANY >> > MIKE B): I sent in some press about the non-existence of Mike B and low and behold there is press from you telling me about a Dave Burgess. I'd never doubted the existence of a Dave Burgess before, mainly because I'd never heard of anybody named Dave Burgess before. The list of people that I do not believe in is getting longer. I have now decided that I don't believe in you, Dave Burgess, anyone named Stafford, or Richard Weiss. The real question is this, if I don't believe in you how can you telling me someone else is real because you played with him convince me that he is real since you are not real yourself? Now if Harold Zarr told me that he'd played a game with Dave Burgess that would mean something, wouldn't it?

(TUR-MR. JONES, 1941 Mining Disaster, or would you prefer to be the Counting Crows, Adam Duritz' dick - I think they're looking at me!): I believe you are the only one of the two of you with the wits to create such lovely satire as the Minutes from the HOF committee. I may nominate that for the best writing/press of the year category. Except then I couldn't vote for it (being that I'm on the committee for voting for hobby awards. Ooops, I shouldn't admit to that should I, jimboooby?). Maybe I'll hope Mikey or Don or Dan nominate it and then I will vote for it.

(GERMANY >> > JIM-BOB): How come whenever I ask you to tell me a story it is too long, or hard to tell? ((It would be too long and it would be too hard to tell you why. Suffice it to say: it's true.))

(TUR-THE GUYS): I am enjoying the press and interaction. This is my favorite game of the past few years. Truthfully. Thank you for the fun. No back to the paid trash talking.

(GERMANY >> > FRANCE): Keep the press rolling, maybe Turkey will move, kill Austria, and change the game.

(TUR-ZARR OF FRANCE, descendent of the Czarina mating with the horse): I would far rather lose after giving it a good go, then have a four way or a three way. There is no doubt that I rarely raise above a 1,000 HOF rating for my peculiar style. But I have a hell of a lot of fun. I would have hated myself for not trying to win - Austria and I blew it three times. That is inexcusable. Once was my total fault for not being able to understand what Rick was telling me. Twice was his fault (in my non-humble explanation). I felt the need to stab him so that I wouldn't have to worry any more about his misordering or NMRing. I want to keep him in the game.

If you believe in HOF then surely you have trouble rationalizing your position of taking a 3-way or 4-way into a loss with few SCs. How do you explain that to your psyche? I assume that you are using some of the same thought processes as I do - and that ought to scare the shit out of you (except then there'd be nothing left of you, not even an exoskeleton). It is more fun to see me not get a part of a draw then to see yourself get ``Points." Congratulations. Now you are into what I define as the true fun of playing.

And remember, this has been a very interesting game from my point of view, and now that you are truly eating German shit, it is very entertaining.

(GERMANY >> > MR. LOW HOF): How will a loss in this game affect your HOF rating?

(TUR-GER): Do you have an moral problems with someone giving you their SCs for you to win so that Austria does not participate in the draw? I suspect not. That also puts you into my category of player. If you ``loved" your ally France, how could you eliminate him from the draw into a loss? For ego! For selfishness! For fun! For retribution! You,indeed sir, have all of the makings of an excellent Dip player. I hope to see you FTF sometime - I will know with what I am dealing - a mirror.

(TUR-BOOBSTER): These kids today don't even know how to count to 200, much less 208 and beyond. Ech. I bet they don't even believe that Elf exists and is writing you letters, or that he prefers fighting forest fires to playing dip. Come to think of it, you can't count write either (don't edit that, dumbo). ((Huh?))

(MINUTES FROM THE HOF COMMITTEE):

Mike B: Richard screwed up big time in Columbus Chill? Did you read France's press in issue #209?

Don S: To think he could have gone far this time.

Dan S: Why hasn't he killed the Austrian player?

Jim-Bob B: Did I ever tell you that there are really 395 issues of The Abyssinian Prince? I got mixed up back on issue 185 and started over on -1. All of this time, none of you noticed except that bright new player Charles Jones.

Mike B: Could we put Richard's HOF rating at -1?

Don S: I'd vote for that.

(COLLEGE BOWL): This is a toss-up question worth 10 points and the rights to answer a 25 point question. Now, with Germany leading France 15 points to 5 after 20 years, In the famous HASBRO game called Diplomacy, provide the definition of a ``Toady!" P.S. 20 years of College Bowl would be something like 8,000 commercials if it were only shown once a week. Come on, France or Germany, provide an answer.

OK, I've decided that none of the following: JimBooby, figment of Jim Booby Mikey, Figment of JimBoobyDonS, figment of JimBooby Dan S, Czarrina of France, and ZeigHeilBoot Mr. Jones (no, she's looking at me) have understood the major dissings I made in my press, so I'd like to recap:

1. Your ramblings about snail mail diplomacy have me wondering how many times your figmented wifey has played, ``I want a dip player with slow hands"

2. or would you prefer to be the Counting Crows, Adam Duritz' dick - I think they're looking at me

3. Zarr of France, descendent of the Czarina mating with the horse

4. that ought to scare the shit out of you (except then there'd be nothing left of you, not even an exoskeleton

5. That also puts you into my category of player.

6. You, indeed sir, have all of the makings of an excellent Dip player.

7. with Germany leading France 15 points to 5 after 20 years,

See you in the Hall (Valhalla): And that's more than enough out of me, This is one helluva of an ending to a game.



Personal Note to You:


File translated from TEX by TTH, version 1.66.